Participants: Pr. John Lomacang
Series Code: TWH
Program Code: TWH000010A
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00:32 I would like to begin
00:34 by reading our scripture this morning 00:35 John 17:3, 00:37 the word of the Lord reads as follows, 00:39 "And this is eternal life, that they may know You, 00:44 the only true God, and Jesus Christ 00:49 whom You have sent." 00:52 Let us pray. 00:54 Loving Father in heaven, 00:57 it is beautiful to know that we can find eternal life 01:03 in knowing the only true God 01:08 and the Jesus that You have sent. 01:11 And so Lord today, speak to our hearts 01:13 as we approach cautiously, humbly, 01:18 but with great confidence, 01:20 this table of grace set before us. 01:25 Gives us wisdom to know You, to trust You, to love You, 01:29 and hold on to the promise that yes, a cure for sin 01:35 has been found. 01:38 And we pray and thank You in Jesus' name. 01:41 Amen. Amen. 01:45 Thursday night I went to bed reading my Bible 01:49 in the Book of Joshua. 01:52 Thursday morning I woke up reading my Bible 01:56 in the Book of Exodus. 01:59 And for whatever reason 02:01 the Lord brought this thought to my mind 02:06 in the statement that Pharaoh made, 02:08 "Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice, 02:13 for I do not know the Lord." 02:18 And that is where John 17:3 found its greatest foundation. 02:23 I gave the sermon information earlier in the week, 02:25 but the Lord let me down this path. 02:28 The Pharaoh said, 02:30 "Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice? 02:33 I do not know the Lord." 02:36 And what I came to discover 02:38 is one of the reasons why Pharaoh was locked 02:40 into the worship of Egyptians gods 02:43 is it is impossible to abandon your God 02:48 until you know the only true God. 02:51 It's impossible. 02:52 There will always be some substitute 02:54 for the true God. 02:56 You'll always be connected in some way to something 02:58 that never brings full fullness... 03:01 fulfillment or satisfaction. 03:04 You'll always have something that is a substitute 03:07 that never brings lasting joy. 03:10 But I thought about that, 03:12 how did God arrive at the position of God? 03:15 Who is God? 03:16 You see the point is, if God is God, 03:20 then why waste time looking for any other substitute 03:24 when God is God. 03:26 I mean think about it. 03:27 If God can do what God says He is capable of, 03:31 and if God really is the Creator 03:33 and the Redeemer and the Sustainer of all life, 03:37 who else do we need other than God. 03:41 I thought how did God arrived at being God. 03:44 And the Lord reminded me the position of God 03:46 was not devised by intellectual consensus. 03:49 No group got together and decided to make God, God, 03:53 God just is God. 03:57 And so when I think about the fact 03:58 that God is just God all by Himself 04:01 that He wasn't voted as God, 04:03 that He wasn't exalted as God to the position of God. 04:08 But this mystery of Godliness 04:10 is something that I cannot wait for eternity to find out about. 04:14 This question has, has sought answers 04:17 in the minds of so many, 04:18 how did God become God? 04:21 He did not arrive at being God by intellectual consensus, 04:26 no group of humanity, no group of any un-fallen world 04:30 got together and said, 04:31 "We need a God, let's make God, God." 04:33 God is God all by Himself. 04:40 God was not even formed 04:41 by the skillful stroke of architectural ingenuity. 04:45 God was not designed in the mind of someone. 04:49 Someone didn't sit down one day and said we need a God. 04:52 God was not fashioned like the golden calf 04:55 when Aaron led the Israelites into rebellion 04:59 in their journey. 05:00 God was not formed 05:02 by the devising of somebody's intellect. 05:04 God has no beginning and no end. 05:08 God is just God all by Himself. 05:12 And as I was writing this down, 05:14 more thoughts began to flood into my mind 05:16 and I tapped Angie on the shoulder and said, 05:18 listen to this, I tried to tell her the night before, 05:20 but she was in La La Land. 05:22 She's saying, hmm. 05:26 I said, "Honey, listen to the question 05:29 that Pharaoh asked." 05:32 "Okay, whatever." 05:33 And she woke up in the next morning, she said, 05:34 "What were you trying to tell me last night?" 05:36 I said, "Honey, let me tell you this, 05:38 God is God all by Himself." 05:45 God did not become God by intellectual consensus, 05:49 no architectural ingenuity. 05:52 God has no beginning and God has no end. 05:55 And here's the thing that really got me. 05:57 Here's the thing that really embraces me 05:59 is that one day we're going to see a God 06:03 who has no beginning and has no end 06:06 in the means by which 06:08 we will stand in the presence of an everlasting infinite. 06:15 Illimitable God is through the door of salvation. 06:20 One day, we're going to see God, 06:21 come on somebody. Amen. 06:23 We will see His face. 06:25 We are not going to see His shadow. 06:27 We're not going to hear His voice in the distance. 06:30 Sinners like us 06:32 will one day be able to see God. 06:36 God did not become God 06:38 through rigorous campaign persuasion. 06:42 God did not begin a campaign 06:44 and persuaded people to make Him God. 06:48 He just is God. 06:50 You can't vote Him out or vote Him in. 06:53 You can't take His place as Lucifer, 06:56 he tried. 06:57 He said, "I will be like the Most High." 06:59 We're in this mess because he'd made an attempt 07:01 to try to do something he couldn't do. 07:04 God is God all by Himself. 07:07 God was not constructed on the assembly line 07:10 of speculative conjecture. 07:13 Nobody got together 07:15 and decide to draw God on blueprint. 07:17 What else do we need to add to this blueprint 07:19 to come up with God? 07:20 God is God all by himself. 07:25 And you might say, "I got that." 07:29 If you really get it, 07:31 why do you worry when the week comes? 07:34 Why do you fret 07:36 when it seems like your prayers have been delayed? 07:39 If you really believe that God is God all by Himself. 07:43 He doesn't need a group of individuals 07:45 to answer His prayer, His knee mail. 07:51 God doesn't need a committee to answer His knee mail. 07:53 You pray, God answers that. 07:55 I got a call from a lady, two weeks in a row, 07:59 80 year old Filipino lady from California. 08:03 She said, "Pastor Lomacang." 08:06 I said, "Yes." 08:07 She says, "Has God predestined certain people 08:11 to answer their prayers and others not to?" 08:14 I said, "No, He hasn't." 08:17 "Then pastor, why have I been praying for 20 years 08:21 and the Lord would not answer my prayer?" 08:24 I said, "What have you been praying for?" 08:26 She said, "Pastor my church... 08:28 I'm messing the accent up by the way. 08:31 She said, "My church is in desperate need of money 08:35 for evangelism 08:36 and I've been praying for God to bless me financially. 08:40 He just wouldn't." 08:44 I said, "So, what's the question?" 08:47 "Well, how do I get that prayer answered." 08:49 I said, "You just pray it 08:51 and let God decide when and how to answer it." 08:56 She said, "But it doesn't seem 08:57 like He wants to answer that question." 09:01 So we spoke for 57 minutes. 09:04 And she called me again yesterday. 09:07 As we ended the phone call, 09:08 I said, "There must be something 09:10 that you may be doing 09:11 to block that prayer from being answered." 09:15 Well, I said, "Let me pray for you." 09:16 And I gave her some scriptures it says, 09:19 your phone call is timely, 09:21 I just finished a prayer seminar in Pennsylvania 09:24 so it's in my mind, your call is timely. 09:28 And I share with her some of the quotations 09:29 from the Bible. 09:31 And from Ellen White about importunate prayer, 09:34 importunate prayer. 09:36 Importunate prayer is the kind of prayer you pray 09:39 almost to the point of irritating God 09:42 like the woman who came to the unjust judge. 09:45 And it said, "This woman, 09:46 if she's going to keep on wearying me 09:48 so I'm going to answer her prayer 09:49 just so she could stop bothering me." 09:53 And she says, "Pastor, I've heard about importunate prayer 09:55 and I've been bugging God for a long time 09:56 and He still wouldn't answer." 09:58 I said, "Well, sister, is there something 10:00 that you're doing that's blocking God 10:02 from answering your prayer?" 10:03 She said, "I don't think so?" 10:05 We prayed. 10:08 And after the prayer she said, "I have one more question." 10:11 I said, "What is that?" 10:12 She says, "Is it okay to play the lottery?" 10:17 I said, "So let me ask you a question. 10:20 Have you been playing the lottery 10:22 to help God answer the prayer?" 10:24 "Pastor, yes." 10:26 "That's why He ain't answer to prayer." 10:30 He wants to answer it. 10:32 She said, "But didn't God say, 10:33 'He would give the wealth of the Gentiles 10:35 to the people of Israel."' 10:36 I said, "God said, 'He will give. 10:38 He didn't tell the Israelites to gamble." 10:41 I said, "Sister, stop gambling. 10:44 God will answer that prayer in His own time." 10:46 Amen. Amen. 10:47 So she called me yesterday, Pastor. 10:50 I said, "Hello is this sister?" 10:52 She said, "Yes, your sister from California, 10:56 your Pilipino sister." 10:57 I said, "Okay. 10:58 What's the question?" 11:00 "Pastor, I'm still praying." 11:03 I said, "But that was like 11:05 wasn't even a week ago, He hasn't answered?" 11:06 "No, he hasn't answered yet." 11:08 I said, "Let me tell you about 11:10 what happens when you irritate God." 11:13 She said, "What do you mean?" 11:14 I said, "I told you about importunate prayer, 11:17 but I didn't tell you about irritating God." 11:20 See the children of Israel irritated God, 11:23 when they kept on begging God for flesh 11:26 and God want to give them manna. 11:28 So God said, "Okay, you keep irritating me, 11:29 I'm going to give you what you want 11:31 not what I want to give you." 11:34 She said, "Pastor, I understand what happens 11:35 when you irritate God." 11:37 I said, "Well, tell me the story." 11:41 She said, "I prayed for 20 years 11:43 for God to send my sister from the Philippines 11:46 to come to live with me. 11:48 And he finally answered the prayer. 11:51 And I cried for a whole year 11:53 that I wish that prayer was never answered." 11:56 I said, "So you have experience with irritating God." 11:59 She said, "Yes, I do." 12:01 I said, "Let me ask you a question. 12:03 Do you believe that God is God?" 12:05 She said, "Pastor, yes. 12:07 I believe God is God. 12:08 I'm eighty and people say, 'I don't look it, 12:10 but I have a license to prove it." 12:14 Do you believe God is God? Yes. 12:16 So sis, let me say that, pray, trust God 12:20 and walk away from that prayer and don't even worry about it 12:23 and God will either answer it in your lifetime 12:27 or in the lifetime of someone else 12:29 and He will never leave His work in lack. 12:34 He will finish His work with or without your money. 12:37 Do you believe that sister? 12:38 "Yes, I believe that pastor, that's good enough for me." 12:42 And we prayed again and ended that phone call. 12:45 You see I share that story with you 12:47 because so many of us in the normal rounds of life, 12:50 we are falling in the same category as Pharaoh, 12:53 "Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice, 12:55 I do not know about Lord." 12:58 The Pharaoh found out 12:59 in the hard way that God is God. 13:03 Nebuchadnezzar found out 13:05 in a difficult way that God is God. 13:08 He put these Hebrews in a fiery furnace 13:11 only to discover that only God could bring us out of a fire 13:15 that would have otherwise, consumed us. 13:19 He said when they made it through the fire. 13:25 He said, "Servants of the Most High God..." 13:29 We don't just serve God but let me say today, 13:31 we serve the Most High God. 13:35 And sometimes the fiery furnace 13:37 is not an instrument of disappointment, 13:40 sometimes it is an opportunity for us to meet God 13:44 in the extenuating circumstances of our lives. 13:47 When your life is in a furnace, 13:49 you know, I have to state that thought came to my mind 13:51 and I was sitting on the bed, saying amen by myself 13:55 until my wife caught on, 13:56 and we started saying amen together. 13:58 She said, "What do you say amen about?" 14:00 I said, "God just showed me something." 14:02 The reason why God didn't show up early 14:04 in the process to deliver the Hebrews 14:07 is because the furnace was not hot enough 14:08 for God to show up. 14:15 God does not hang out in lukewarm places. 14:18 Amen. 14:19 So He had to have the furnace heated seven times and hotter 14:23 so it could be comfortable enough for God to show up. 14:28 Our God is a consuming fire. 14:30 It wasn't hot enough for God to show up. 14:33 God does not show up in lukewarm places. 14:37 And so they heated that furnace seven times hotter 14:40 and what I came to discover is 14:44 sometimes God commissions your situation 14:47 to heat up seven times hotter. 14:51 So that He can remind you that those are the moments 14:54 that He will step into your life 14:56 and bring you through the fires 14:58 that otherwise would have consumed you. 15:01 God shows His salvation in moments when we believe 15:04 that we are at the point of being about to be consumed, 15:07 God reminds us that He is God all by Himself. 15:15 The fire of God's presence 15:19 will elude us until we are uncomfortable 15:22 with our surroundings. 15:24 The Hebrews couldn't find any place to kneel 15:27 on the plain of Dura, 15:28 they said, "There is no place for us to kneel. 15:30 This is just not the right place for us to kneel." 15:33 So they chose not to kneel. 15:37 They had to heat the furnace seven times hotter 15:40 for the Hebrews to find the place to find God. 15:42 And so this morning, this morning, I want to say, 15:47 I want to answer the question that Pharaoh asked, 15:49 "Who is the Lord that I should obey His voice." 15:51 He is God all by Himself. 15:54 He can answer any prayer, 15:55 take us through any difficult situation or scenario. 15:59 And I want to tell you in my own experience, 16:01 in our own experience sometimes we've got to be in the fire 16:06 before we meet God. 16:09 So your life may be in the fire in some difficult way. 16:13 Your life may be heating up two or three 16:16 or four times hotter than you'd like it to be. 16:20 But I believe that God commissioned Nebuchadnezzar 16:24 to set the fire on the plain of Dura 16:27 to remind Nebuchadnezzar as he later proclaimed, 16:31 "Blessed be the God of Shadrach, 16:34 Meshach, and Abednego. 16:35 There is no other God that can deliver like this." 16:40 And then finally, 16:42 the Apostle Paul had his opportunity 16:45 as he traveled through, as he traveled 16:50 and he went from one city of Athens to the other 16:53 and Paul as he was traveling through Athens, 16:56 he came upon an inscription and he said, 17:00 in Act 17:23, "As I was passing through 17:05 and considering the objects of your worship, 17:10 I even found an altar with this inscription..." 17:13 What Paul brought out, he said to the men of Athens, 17:16 he says, "I perceive that in all things 17:19 you are very religious." 17:21 Hear me carefully. 17:23 "I perceive in all things you are very religious." 17:27 You're specific about your tithe, 17:29 about your diet, 17:31 about your observance of the Sabbath, 17:32 when the sun goes down, when it comes up, 17:34 I perceive you are very religious. 17:42 But then he said in verse 23, 17:45 "I even found an altar with this inscription 17:47 to the Unknown God..." 17:49 And he said, "Therefore, the One whom you worship 17:51 without knowing, 17:54 I proclaim Him to you." 17:57 Today let me encourage you, 17:59 if you believe that God is God all by Himself, 18:02 let us worship Him not without knowing Him, 18:06 but let us worship Him by knowing Him. 18:11 Because it's not worship that saves us, 18:13 it is knowing God 18:15 that bridges the gap between religion and salvation. 18:20 The Apostle Paul said to the men of Athens, 18:22 "I perceive you are very religious." 18:25 You don't have to look far to find religious people, 18:28 but sometimes it's hard to find those that know God. 18:33 So this morning the communion service 18:35 is a reminder that we know God, 18:38 we are not, we are not participating 18:40 in a communion service because we don't know God, 18:43 we are participating in this communion service 18:45 because it is a commission of God to know God. 18:49 We have come here to know God, 18:51 not to find God. 18:53 And so this morning in the communion service 18:56 there are some very important elements 18:58 of the communion service 18:59 that I would like to remind you of. 19:01 You see, communion reminds us that where we are weak, 19:04 we can be made strong through God. 19:08 Where we are discouraged, we can be made glad. 19:10 Where we are defeated, we can find victory. 19:13 And he made it very clear 19:15 that this victory that we can find 19:17 and be reminded of through the communion service 19:20 is the victory that's only found 19:22 in knowing God 19:24 and knowing Christ Jesus His Son. 19:30 So I don't want religion anymore. 19:32 I want to know, I want to know, 19:37 I want to know God. 19:39 I want this communion service to be my reintroduction 19:43 to the power in the broken body 19:47 and shed blood of Jesus. 19:50 And what many of you don't know is that following something 19:53 as sacred as a communion service, 19:55 you lay down your sin, you leave them, 19:57 they are washed away by the blood of the Lamb. 20:00 And you remember 20:02 that God demonstrated His love toward us 20:04 in that while we were yet sinners 20:07 Christ died for us, 20:10 sent His Son to die for us. 20:12 Following a communion service, 20:14 I never forgot I was sitting in the balcony there 20:17 at Oakwood College, 20:18 when I was a student at Oakwood and I could hear Elder Ward, 20:22 the pastor of the Oakwood Church, 20:23 it was such a solemn service. 20:27 And he said, as we were leaving he said, 20:29 "Do you know that after the community service today, 20:32 do you know that 20:33 if you are on your way home today 20:35 and your life was taken inadvertently 20:39 that you would be saved in God's Kingdom eternally 20:42 because this communion service, 20:44 when you have placed your heart in right relationship with God, 20:50 and you have placed your sin on the altar 20:51 where Jesus promises through His broken body 20:54 and His shed blood to cleanse you..." 20:58 He said, "You walk out of this church today 21:00 as if you have not even sinned." 21:05 And so remind yourself today 21:08 that the communion service is not just an opportunity 21:13 to get to know God 21:14 but the communion service is an opportunity to remind us, 21:19 that there is nobody like God. 21:22 This quotation in the book, Steps to Christ, 21:26 page 62, listen, 21:29 "When we give ourselves to Christ, 21:32 He forgives all of our past wrongs. 21:38 Christ's character stands in place of your character. 21:43 And you are accepted before God 21:46 just as if you had not sinned." 21:52 I am so glad that God is God all by Himself, 21:55 come on somebody. 21:57 God did not need a committee to make Him God, 22:00 God does not need a committee to make us children of God. 22:04 When He forgives us, 22:05 He accepts us into His fellowship 22:10 as though we have never even sinned. 22:18 When it is in the heart to obey God, 22:22 when efforts are put forth to this end 22:26 because some of you struggle and say, "Well, how... 22:28 What else do I need to do? 22:30 What else do I need to do 22:32 to make myself acceptable before God?" 22:34 Listen carefully, 22:35 Selected Messages book I, page 382, 22:38 I mean, book I, page 382, yes. 22:41 "When it is in the heart to obey God..." 22:44 To do what? 22:46 Obey God, "When efforts are put forth to this end, 22:50 that is to all obey God, 22:52 Jesus accepts this disposition 22:56 and efforts of man best service, 23:01 and He makes up for the deficiency 23:05 with His own divine merit." 23:09 So when you fall short and you call on Jesus, 23:12 you really don't fall short, you can't call on Jesus 23:15 and fall short. 23:17 Come on somebody. 23:18 So today what is salvation? 23:21 Salvation is the opportunity 23:22 to put ourselves right with God. 23:24 And the communion service is the opportunity 23:27 where we come to put ourselves at oneness with God. 23:32 Just before the communion service, 23:34 and let me encourage you on this point, 23:35 we have a foot washing service. 23:37 What is the foot washing service? 23:39 In John 13, if you have your Bibles, 23:41 turn there very quickly with me, 23:43 I want you to see this. 23:45 I want you to see this. 23:48 Why do we participate in the foot washing service? 23:53 It is called, the ordinance of humility. 23:56 Why do we need to be humble? 23:58 Oh, why do we need to be humble? 24:02 That's a rhetorical question. 24:03 We all need to be humble. 24:06 John 13 beginning with verse 4 down 24:12 and follow me. 24:15 Speaking of the fact that, "He rose from supper 24:18 and laid aside His garment, 24:21 took a towel and girded Himself." 24:24 When you go to the foot washing service, 24:26 you notice we have a towel. 24:31 After that verse 5, 24:33 "He poured water into a basin..." 24:36 We have basins, we pour water into. 24:39 "And began to wash the disciples' feet, 24:43 and to wipe them with a towel 24:46 with which He was girded." 24:48 He began to wipe their feet. 24:50 "Then He came to Simon Peter. 24:53 And Peter said to Him, 24:55 "Lord, are You washing my feet?" 24:58 Jesus answered and said to him, 25:00 "What I am doing you do not understand now, 25:03 but you will under, you will know after this." 25:07 And Peter said to him, "You shall never wash my feet!" 25:12 And Jesus answered him... 25:17 "If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me." 25:22 Simon Peter said to Him, "Lord, not my feet only, 25:27 as only Peter would say, "but also my hands 25:33 and my head!" 25:37 Jesus said to him, "He who is bathed 25:40 needs only to wash his feet, 25:43 but is completely clean, and you are clean, 25:47 but not all of you." 25:50 Now when He said, 25:51 "You are clean, but not all of you." 25:53 He wasn't saying there were portions of Peter 25:55 that's not clean. 25:57 He was saying, "You are clean but not all of you are clean." 26:01 He knew in that room there was a man 26:03 that was waiting to betray Him." 26:05 So you're clean but not all of you. 26:08 He was talking about the consensus of the disciples, 26:10 not every one of you is right. 26:14 Verse 11, "For He knew who would betray Him, 26:17 therefore He said, "You are not all clean." 26:21 So when He had washed their feet, 26:23 taken His garments, and sat down again, 26:26 He said to them, "Do you know what I have done, 26:30 do you know what I have done to you? 26:34 You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am." 26:38 One of the very few times 26:40 that Jesus admitted His divinity, 26:44 and here is the commission, 26:46 "If I then, your Lord 26:47 and Teacher, have washed your feet, 26:50 you also ought to wash one another's feet. 26:54 For I have given you an example, 26:56 that you should do as I have done to you. 27:01 Most assuredly, I say, verse 16, to you, 27:05 a servant is not greater than his master, 27:08 nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him." 27:15 In verse 17, let's read this together, are you ready? 27:17 Here we go, "If you know these things..." 27:20 What else? 27:21 "Blessed are you if you do them." 27:25 Another translation, "Happy are you if you do them." 27:30 After the participation in the foot washing service, 27:33 we invite everyone to participate, 27:34 but here's the point. 27:36 When we come back, 27:37 we partake of the Lord's Supper. 27:39 There is unfermented grape juice 27:42 referred to in the Bible as wine, 27:44 symbolizing the shed blood of Jesus. 27:47 You can't put alcohol and wine 27:49 and express that it is connected with Christ. 27:53 Then there is the unleavened bread, 27:56 the absence of yeast, the absence of sin. 27:59 When applied to our walk with Christ 28:02 partaking of His righteousness, 28:04 His broken body and His shed blood, 28:08 we are accepted before the Father, 28:12 like as if we had not even sinned. 28:16 I want to tell you today, I need that, what about you? 28:19 Let us pray. 28:20 Father in heaven, 28:21 take us now Lord to a humble place, 28:26 that we may serve each other with humble hearts, 28:30 that we won't focus on our sin. 28:32 This is not the purpose of the communion service 28:35 is not to recall our failures, 28:38 but to remember our Redeemer. 28:41 This is not the time to lament of how much we've lost, 28:46 but this is an opportunity 28:48 to remember how much we can gain. 28:51 This is not an opportunity to pick up our sins 28:53 and carry them. 28:56 But this is an occasion to lay our sins down 28:59 at the feet of Jesus. 29:01 So, Lord Jesus, thank You, 29:04 that as You said in Your Word, 29:05 "As often as you eat this bread 29:06 and drink this cup, 29:08 you proclaim the Lord's death 29:11 until He comes." 29:13 Come even, even so come Lord Jesus, 29:16 we long for the day that we can be free 29:19 from the power and the presence of sin. 29:21 We long for an environment where we can look in Your face 29:27 and thank You with our whole hearts. 29:30 So, Father, humble Your people today. 29:32 May there not be an individual in here that thinks himself 29:35 or herself unworthy, 29:37 for none of us is worthy. 29:41 We don't partake of communion because we are worthy 29:43 or because we are good, 29:45 but we partake of communion because we all need a savior. 29:51 And you've invited us to come. 29:54 Come unto me all you are weary and heavy laden 29:58 and I will give rest. 30:00 So we invite every one of you today to participate 30:04 and to come to oneness with your Lord 30:07 so that when He comes, you can meet Him in peace. 30:11 In Jesus' name we pray, amen. 30:26 As the music is played softly, 30:29 the elders and deacons are going to kneel 30:32 to bless the ordinances of the Lord. 30:35 If you like to join us in kneeling, 30:36 I invite you to, 30:37 but if you'd like to bow your heads, 30:39 let's go before the Lord in prayer. 30:41 Let us kneel. 30:49 Our dear heavenly Father, 30:52 we humbly come before You 30:55 as we're on bended knees 30:56 at this holy communion service. 30:59 We thank You, Lord, for sending Your Son Jesus Christ 31:03 to walk among us on earth. 31:06 To show us the love and the mercy 31:08 and the healing and the power of Your mighty grace. 31:14 And as Jesus took His disciples at the upper room 31:17 so many years ago, 31:19 humbling Himself towards their feet 31:22 and then breaking the bread. 31:25 We ask that You will bless this bread, 31:28 this unleavened bread, a symbol of Your sinless 31:30 and unbroken and broken body 31:34 that we will take it in remembrance of you, 31:37 of your, the pain and the suffering 31:40 that You went through on this earth 31:41 to give us the opportunity to have eternal life. 31:47 We pray that we will take and be the servants 31:49 that you desire us to be humbly following 31:51 and to do Your will 31:54 and be with us through this entire communion service. 31:58 Amen. 32:03 Father in heaven, 32:06 as we gather here today in Your house, 32:09 fellowshipping with You, bringing You the praise 32:11 and the glory that You deserve. 32:14 We realize that You did lay down Your life for a friend, 32:18 all of us, each and every one. 32:21 You gave all You had to give the blood, 32:25 Your blood, Your love in that blood. 32:31 And it's true Lord, 32:33 there's power in that blood. 32:38 You came forth from that grave. 32:41 And the enemy knew he was beat. 32:45 You own life, You're the giver of life, 32:47 the lover of life, the restorer of life, 32:51 You are life. 32:52 And You've given it to us. 32:56 We need to contemplate Lord, how we got here, 32:59 where we came from, why we are conscious. 33:02 Thank You for this gift. 33:05 Now help us, Lord, through Your blood to realize. 33:09 You're only asking us to enjoy life more 33:12 by keeping Your commandments if we love You. 33:15 So help us now, Lord, to love You back. 33:20 And we thank You for the opportunity, 33:22 in Jesus' name we thank you, amen. 33:25 Amen. 35:08 Let us sing, break thou the bread of life. 35:18 Break Thou the bread of life 35:25 Dear Lord, to me 35:32 As Thou didst break the loaves 35:38 Beside the sea 35:46 Beyond the sacred page 35:53 I seek Thee, Lord 35:59 My spirit pants for Thee 36:06 O Living Word! 36:16 Bless Thou the truth, dear Lord 36:23 To me, to me 36:29 As Thou didst bless the bread 36:36 By Galilee 36:43 Then shall all bondage cease 36:50 All fetters fall 36:58 And I shall find my peace 37:05 Thine all in all 37:14 Thou art the bread of Life 37:21 O Lord, to me 37:28 Thy holy Word the truth 37:34 That saveth me 37:42 Give me to eat and live 37:48 With Thee above 37:56 Teach me to love Thy truth 38:03 For Thou art love 38:14 Spirit and life are they 38:20 Words Thou dost speak 38:27 I hasten to obey 38:34 But I am weak 38:41 Thou art my only help 38:49 Thou art my life 38:57 Heeding Thy holy Word 39:05 I win the strife. 40:38 "Therefore, just as through one man 40:43 sin entered the world... 40:48 and death through sin. 40:51 And thus death spread to all men 40:56 because all sinned." 41:01 It was the day that heaven wished never came, 41:07 the opening of the door to sin. 41:14 I believe that when we get an opportunity to ask Adam 41:17 about what it was like... 41:22 he'd be able to say, "I wish I never did it." 41:26 That's one decision I wish I could take back. 41:30 That has been our lives. 41:32 The one decision 41:34 that we've all made because of Adam 41:39 that we wish, we could take back. 41:45 But Jesus knowing... 41:50 that we couldn't take it back, 41:54 He had a plan. 41:59 He's so sovereign, He had this plan in place 42:03 before Adam had the thought in place. 42:07 He had the plan in place 42:09 before he thought was even a spark in the mind of Lucifer. 42:15 Before he even thought he could take the place 42:17 of the Most High God 42:20 God had a plan. 42:23 And the Apostle Paul, 42:27 after finding a new walk, a new journey, a new spark, 42:32 a new power beyond his own ability to do, 42:38 Paul had an encounter 42:43 with a God who had a plan. 42:47 That was a very sad verse I just read because, 42:50 "All have sinned, death spread to all man, 42:55 just as through one man 43:00 sin entered the world." 43:12 But the Bible didn't end there. 43:18 "For until the law..." 43:19 the Bible says, "Sin was in the world, 43:22 but sin is not imputed where there is no law." 43:26 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, 43:31 couldn't find a person, Joe, 43:34 between Adam and Moses to resolve the issue of sin, 43:38 couldn't find a person, death reigned. 43:41 The word there reigned meant unchecked 43:44 like a steamroller, 43:46 death leveled every family 43:51 that was ever born of the seed of Adam. 43:53 That's every one of us. 43:55 Death reigned from Adam to Moses. 43:59 Even over those who had not sinned 44:05 according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, 44:08 meaning those who didn't even do it 44:10 Adam did still died 44:15 because as in Adam all die. 44:24 Romans 5:15. 44:34 "But the free gift is not like the offense. 44:38 For if by one man's offense many died, 44:44 much more the grace of God 44:47 and the gift by the grace of God 44:52 of the one man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many." 44:57 Let me pause and say, 45:00 Adam affected everybody. 45:04 But Jesus much more affected everybody. 45:07 Amen. 45:08 See, Adam, you couldn't find anybody 45:10 from Adam to Moses to resolve this issue of sin. 45:12 And every day, a lamb, an innocent lamb 45:16 had his throat cut, his blood shed, 45:19 his body burned. 45:21 And that father, that high priest of the family, 45:23 that patriarch would go home, 45:25 spent to look at his family once again bound in sin. 45:31 He'd wake up in the morning and his children again, 45:34 he'd go to the market buy another lamb or a dove, 45:38 or whatever he could afford 45:40 and he'd go to the temple mindful of the fact 45:43 that somebody needs to find an answer, 45:47 so I could stop killing these innocent animals, 45:50 but he couldn't find one. 45:54 And Moses showed up. 46:01 God, God picked Moses, 46:04 saved him from the water, 46:06 gave him an Egyptian education. 46:11 Then He banished him to the life of a shepherd 46:14 to understand what it means to lead people. 46:17 And He brought him back with a mission. 46:20 And you think after 80 years Moses got it together. 46:23 You think after 80 years Moses got it together. 46:28 Moses shows up in Egypt. 46:31 And after 80 years he still stumbles 46:34 because of what Adam did 46:35 and he takes the life of an Egyptian. 46:44 And the lamb was there again 46:47 to take away the transgression of Moses. 46:51 Then he takes the children of Israel, 46:53 by God's strength and grace, 46:55 they are finally set free from Egypt. 46:59 And Moses in his anxiety 47:03 is told by God just talk to the rock. 47:08 And he beats the rock. 47:12 You'd think by now he got it. 47:20 Once again, 47:22 the lamb's blood is shed 47:25 and the transgression is forgiven. 47:30 Moses takes the children of Israel 47:34 and they are approaching the mountain of Sinai. 47:39 And a week before they get there, 47:40 they can't even keep the Sabbath holy. 47:47 Once again 47:50 the lamb's blood is shed 47:54 and the sin is forgiven. 48:00 You see sin is a horrible thing but... 48:05 the Word of the Lord says, 48:07 Adam's offense was horrible 48:09 and so was Moses and everyone 48:11 that came before and after him and us and every one of us. 48:18 But if Adam's sin could affect so many in such a negative way, 48:21 the blood of Jesus could affect every one of us, 48:25 much more than the sin of Adam affected every one of us. 48:29 See, I'm a sinner, 48:31 I don't pretend to even be anything 48:32 but that, but I'm by God's grace... 48:42 saved by the blood of the Lamb. 48:50 Paul continues to increase this thing. 48:55 He says, "The gift is not like that 48:57 which came through the one who sinned. 49:04 The gift is not like that 49:07 which came through the one who sinned." 49:11 What does he mean? 49:16 He said, "This gift that came from Jesus 49:18 is not on the same level as the sin that came from Adam, 49:22 or the gift that came from Jesus 49:24 is far greater than the sin there came from Adam." 49:29 In other words, Paul says, don't make the mistake 49:31 of comparing Adam's sin to the righteousness of Jesus 49:35 or the righteousness of Jesus 49:38 is far greater than the sin of Adam. 49:40 Amen. 49:44 "For the judgment which came from one offence 49:47 resulted in condemnation, 49:49 but the free gift which came from many offenses 49:55 resulted in justification." 49:58 Now, let get this. 50:00 It took one sin for everybody to be condemned, 50:03 but all the combination of everybody's sin 50:07 could not delineate nor weaken 50:11 the gift of the life of Jesus. 50:14 Amen. 50:15 See the writer is saying, one offense made it bad, 50:20 but the millions of offenses could never ever, ever weaken 50:25 the sacrifice of one man. 50:28 Praise Jesus. 50:29 I'm so glad to know today 50:31 that as we partake of the emblem 50:33 of the reminder of God's broken body and shed blood, 50:36 I'm so excited today to know 50:39 that all the combined sins of the world 50:42 are not strong enough 50:44 to weaken the power 50:46 of the redemption found in Jesus. 50:49 Amen. 50:54 "For if by one man's offense death reigned through one, 50:58 much more, much more 51:01 those who receive abundance of grace. 51:05 And of the gift of righteousness 51:08 will reign in life through the one 51:14 Jesus Christ." 51:15 Amen. Praise Jesus. 51:17 So today we're not here to 51:19 recommend another fundamental to you. 51:23 We're here to recommend Jesus. 51:24 Amen. 51:27 The broken body, 51:30 the broken body, the Apostle Paul, 51:37 reminds us of the sufficiency 51:40 and the beauty of the broken body of Jesus 51:43 and he says in 1 Corinthians 11:23-24, 51:49 he says, "For I receive from the Lord, 51:53 that which I also delivered to you." 51:56 That the Lord Jesus speaking of this gift 51:59 on the same night in which He was betrayed He took bread. 52:04 And when He had given thanks, He broke it and He said, 52:07 "Take eat, this is my body which is broken for you. 52:11 Do this in remembrance of me." 52:15 As we partake of this bread, 52:18 remember the gift that is still able today 52:23 to forgive every transgression, 52:26 every sin of every one who has ever lived. 52:31 Let us partake of this bread together. 52:42 There was something else that was added to the equation, 52:46 it was not just the broken body of Jesus. 52:47 For many, 52:49 a crucifixion broke the body of the crucified. 52:56 Many a men were crucified before Jesus, 53:01 but not one of them was crucified without sin. 53:08 It just seemed to have been the theme of the last two weeks 53:10 in every study that I've done at the school, 53:14 for the young people in the academy, 53:17 Wednesday night prayer meeting, one to one Bible study, 53:21 it just seem as though God has poured into my mind 53:24 this whole week 53:26 and then some just to study of what sin is. 53:32 You see sin is what Jesus came to save us from, 53:36 "He shall save His people from their sin, 53:40 from their sins." 53:43 The things we've done. 53:45 But if all Jesus came to do is save us 53:46 from the things we've done, 53:48 then we could just need saving every day 53:50 from the things we continue to do, 53:52 but he didn't come just to do that. 53:55 He came to take away the sin of the world. 53:57 Amen. 53:59 The enslaving, 54:02 empowering daily combat 54:07 with the power of sin 54:10 Jesus came to deliver us from that, 54:14 not just what we've done, 54:17 but from the daily power of sin. 54:20 So as we partake of the blood, 54:22 the symbol of the blood of Jesus, 54:24 remember this, we don't leave, 54:26 we don't leave here today with a pocket full of memories 54:30 of what we have done, He's come to take that away, 54:32 amen somebody. 54:33 Amen. 54:34 But I will leave here with the thought of, 54:36 oh, if I could only have done things differently 54:38 as far as the East is from the West, 54:40 so far has He removed our transgressions from us. 54:45 Amen. 54:47 If we confess our sins, He is faithful 54:48 and just to forgive us of our sins 54:51 and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 54:54 Let us partake of the wine together. 55:09 Our heavenly Father, 55:13 our precious Lord. 55:18 Father, we can still see sand in front of us. 55:21 We are still in the wilderness. 55:26 But our ear of faith can hear the construction 55:30 that is still taking place in Your eternal kingdom. 55:36 We can see the angels busying themselves 55:39 to prepare for us a place to dwell 55:42 in the presence of our loving God. 55:47 We can see sins being thrown to the West 55:52 and sinners being pulled to the East today. 55:58 We can see the administrators in Your kingdom 56:01 stamping over every transgression 56:03 forgiven, forgiven, blotted out, forgiven. 56:09 And, Father, we can hear today, if it were such the case, 56:14 if such were the case 56:15 we can hear the sewing machines of heaven 56:18 pulling our garments together for that great celebration. 56:24 Father, help us to be just as filled with joy 56:28 about the coming of our Lord 56:30 as He is filled with joy to come to get His children. 56:37 But, Father, today we are not all free. 56:41 Ye there are many who still are bound in sin and shame, 56:45 and degradation, and heartache, and darkness. 56:48 But, Father, You've chosen us to go 56:50 and proclaim the praises of Him 56:53 who called us out of darkness into this marvelous light. 56:59 And, Father, today, 57:01 we thank You so much for this marvelous light. 57:12 We don't want to leave here, Lord, 57:13 and go back to the thought. 57:17 We want to leave here and walk with the Lord. 57:21 Strengthen Your people here in Thompsonville, 57:24 Your leaders, Your church, the members, 57:27 every one of us as Your children. 57:29 Father, come, speak to our hearts 57:31 and take us to a place that we need to find strength, 57:35 and security, and acceptance, and love, and forgiveness, 57:40 and the power not only to do what you've gifted us to do 57:43 but the power to live above the call of sin. 57:47 For the enemy is still roaring and he's still roaming, 57:52 and he's still angry, 57:54 and he has not yet been eternally handcuffed. 57:56 And so, Father, give us wisdom 57:57 to hear the voice of God every day, 58:00 to die to that call 58:03 that's so desirous to pull us back into darkness. 58:08 And so, Lord Jesus, we come today 58:10 to praise You and to thank You, 58:12 to give You the honor, the glory, the praise 58:13 that You alone are worthy of, 58:16 for none of us can free ourselves from sin. 58:20 So hear our prayer 58:22 as we thank You for Your forgiveness. 58:26 And we thank You in Jesus' holy and precious name. 58:31 And all of God's people said, amen. 58:36 And amen. |
Revised 2017-05-01