“Peace, I Leave With You”
John 14:27 27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. This afternoon we will look into a farewell message from our Lord to His disciples. This verse is a very comforting verse, short, straight to the point, but to some readers it commonly gets very confusing. What I mean by confusing is that, we have verses that tells us that as a Christian, we will go through trials hardships and so on. And yet here we see Jesus telling His disciples, “Peace I leave with you”. This verse is not just for the Apostles alone, it is also for the future believers, and here Jesus is telling us the same message, “Peace I leave with you”. Let me show you a couple of examples of what I mean when I said, this verse can be very confusing to the reader. This is probably the reason why many non-believers would claim that the Bible is very contradicting. The stories, the messages contradict itself. Here are some examples… Luke 12:51-53 51 Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you, not at all, but rather division. 52 For from now on five in one house will be divided: three against two, and two against three. 53 Father will be divided against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.” Wow!!! Just from the opening verse, “51 Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you, not at all, but rather division”. If I was to read this verse alone, without the guidance of the Holy Spirit, it would sound contradicting right? What this verse is clearly saying is that, with Jesus coming as man, would be the start of dividing believers from non-believers. Even if it means that the household would be divided. “Father will be divided against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.” Now Jesus is not saying this just for the sake of being mean. Jesus gives the believer the cost and what it would mean to be a follower of Jesus Christ. Would Jesus come first in your life? if there was a family member in your household who chooses not believe in Jesus, which would you follow? The family member as listed on our verse, or Jesus? So, this is not the kind of peace that Jesus was saying, when He said, “Peace I Leave with you”. Here’s one more that can get very confusing… John 16:33 33 These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me (Jesus) you may have peace.” Ok, now hold on, which is it Jesus? From our opening verse Jesus opens up with, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you”. and now, “that in Me (Jesus) you may have peace”. Now here is another verse that Jesus is basically dividing the believer from the rest of the world. In Me (Jesus) you will have peace. The type of peace that world cannot give you, no matter where you look for it. Only in Me (Jesus) where you will find peace. Only Jesus can give you and I that supernatural peace. Here is what I mean by Jesus separating us from the world… John 15:18-19 18 “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. You see, you and I are just passing by. This is not really our home. Everyone is looking for peace in this lifetime. Let’s be honest, who isn’t? Who wants heartaches, hardships, sickness, enemies, trials, and so on. But these are the things that we will be facing in this lifetime. That is why Jesus is saying “in Me you may have peace”- “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you”. Everyone in the world is looking for peace. Yet, there is nothing in this world that can give us peace. Peace is a very popular word, and it’s an almost impossible reality. It is a constant pursuit, I give credit to the people who constantly chase it. There is an absence of personal peace, family peace, local peace, international peace, there are organizations in this world, trying to promote World Peace. Yet, when all is said in done, we will not find it until we “rest in peace”! And yet, even with that saying, “rest in peace”…sure you may no longer face the harsh realities of this world, but if you’re a non-believer, you will now face the tortures of hell. For all eternity. Many in this world seek for peace, in one form or another. Sadly, even among so called believers. Some try to find it in relationships, if that relationship doesn’t work out, just jump into the next one, and hope that there is peace there. Some look for it in recreation, hobbies, and all that. Some seek professional help, which will cost money, and by using your money you’ll start to worry about where to get the money for the next appointment. Drugs, alcohol, entertainment of some sort, which will only make the person more-weaker than before. And the harsh reality, still no peace to be found! No where in this world, in this lifetime can we get the peace that we look for until we come to realize that it is only through Jesus where we will have peace. Only Jesus can give us the peace that we look for which will sustain you and I, until the day He makes all thing new! “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you”. The New Testament describes at least three categories of peace: • Peace with God – that’s the vertical dimension. • Peace of God – this takes place internally. • Peace with others – when we have peace with God and we experience the peace of God, we can then extend peace horizontally. So, let us look at all three tonight, and hopefully leave here with the confidence that Jesus has given us this peace, and that this message would be a great reminder, and hopefully will make our faith stronger in the One that holds it. And, if this is all new to you, hopefully tonight the Lord will open your heart, and give you the peace you long to look for. Let’s start with the Peace with God: We have to look at the fact that we/flesh, is at war with God. From the time of Adam & Eve, the fall of man. Sin was born. Romans 5:10 10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. This is very hard to swallow because many of us don’t feel like we’ve been at war with God. While we might not think we’re fighting Him, the Bible clearly teaches that He is at war with those who do not know His Son. God is the enemy of sin and Satan. Before you came to Christ, you were a child of darkness and were therefore locked in conflict with the Almighty. Ephesians 2:3 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. So, we were at war with God, enemies of God who deserves His wrath. So, how can we have peace with God, if from the beginning we were His enemies? Psalm 7:11 God is a righteous judge, a God who displays His wrath everyday. “God is a righteous judge”. Could you imagine, Gods wrath is upon you and I before we got called to be a gift to His Son. Gods wrath was upon us everyday. Before we can understand this first dimension of peace we must first come to grips with the state of our relationship with God apart from Christ. While God loves us and cherishes us, He is also repulsed and filled with indignation because of our sinfulness. Romans 1:18 18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness. Listen carefully. We don’t deserve this peace. In fact, what we deserve is death and eternal punishment. But, because of God’s great love, He provided a way for us. God’s joy and His justice converge on the cross of Calvary. His love and His law find full satisfaction through the sacrificial death of His Son. God is both just and the justifier. His fury is fully absorbed and resolved in the sacrifice of Jesus. When we put our faith in Christ, we are “justified,” which means that we’ve been declared “righteous” and at peace with God forever. This is a positional truth. Your acceptance and peace with God does not depend on you. It all depends on Christ. My sins do not cancel out my justification or shatter my peace with God. That is why Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you”. So, that is the first part church. We have to know who we are and who God is. And why we need Jesus in our lives. The second part is the Peace Of God: (Peace with God, then the Peace Of God) In order to have the peace of God internally, we must first experience peace with God vertically. The upward dimension must be taken care of before inward peace can permeate our lives. On the night Jesus was born the great company of the heavenly host appeared, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests” (Luke 2:14). This peace comes to those on whom God’s favor rests. Who is that? It’s those who have been justified by faith in Christ. Those at peace with God can experience the peace of God. Shortly before Jesus died, He declared in John 14:27: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” This inner peace is a gift from Jesus and comes to us as a key element of the fruit of the Spirit. We will experience this peace as we give the Holy Spirit full control in our lives. Every one of Paul’s letters begins with a greeting of peace. Some of them end with it as well. The church at Thessalonica needed this encouragement because they suffered from oppression and persecution, they were confronted with the problem of immorality, they were grieving over those who had died and they were battling false teachers. Listen to Paul’s final greeting to this church in… 2 Thessalonians 3:16 16 Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace always in every way. The Lord be with you all. How can we experience this kind of inner peace at all times and in every way? Let’s look at Philippians 4:6-7… Philippians 4:6-7 6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. We’re told first of all, to not be filled with anxiety about the things of life. Most of us are walking “civil wars,” where we are filled with worry and concern. That’s what happens when you look for peace, outside of Jesus. Paul’s a realist so he knows that we can’t just determine to not be anxious and suddenly we’re flooded with peace. It doesn’t work that way. You can’t will yourself to tranquility…to peace. The path to inner peace passes through prayer, through Christ alone. The word “petition” carries with it the idea of being specific about what our wants, needs and problems. We’re to do this with thanksgiving, being careful to have an attitude of gratitude for what God has already done for us. The picture here is that we come to the throne of grace with our arms filled with cares and concerns and then we hand them to God. Once we present our requests to God, His peace will come flooding into our lives. I want you to notice that it’s God’s peace and only He can give it to us. Just like we can’t manufacture the fruit of love or joy, so too, we cannot pretend to have peace when we really don’t. This peace “passes all understanding” which means that it goes way beyond all that we can even ask or imagine. Our minds cannot even fathom this kind of supernatural peace. Only when it ambushes us can we begin to taste it. The word “guard” is a military term meaning to protect a camp or castle. When God’s peace floods our lives, it will protect our hearts and minds against enemy attacks. Church, do you have this kind of inner peace? If you’re a believer, it’s not only available to you. God expects that you display peace on a regular basis as the Fruit of the Spirit matures in your life. It’s really that simple. Once we have removed the focus on self, and everything else around us, and our eyes fixed on Jesus and Jesus alone, can we have an overflowing feeling of complete peace. • Don’t be anxious about anything. • But if you are, then present your requests to God. • When you do, His supernatural and profound peace will come and protect you. • So that you won’t be filled with worry and anxiety. Now, we come to the third part: Peace With Others. • Peace with God – that’s the vertical dimension. • Peace of God – this takes place internally. • Peace with others – when we have peace with God and we experience the peace of God, we can then extend peace horizontally. Peace with God enables us to have the peace of God. Christ as Savior brings peace with God, Christ as Lord brings the peace of God. Another way to say it is that we can’t have the peace of God until we know the God of peace. That then leads us to our third point. We’re called to live at peace with others. With one another. Matthew 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God. I find it interesting that Jesus didn’t tell us to be “peacekeepers,” but instead “peacemakers.” This could be translated as “peace workers.” It takes effort to bring conflict to an end. When we work at preventing contention and strife we are doing what God does. We’re called to make peace when we’re involved in a conflict with someone and when we see others involved in it. Romans 14:19 lays out our responsibility: Romans 14:19 (ESV) 19 So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding. Let’s look at some very practical ways that we can live at peace with others. When relationships are out of sync, we need to take action to make them right and productive, whether we are the offender, the offended. Let’s face it. There’s more conflict between brothers and sisters in Christ than we care to admit. If we want to experience the fruit of peace we must be vigilant about keeping our relationships with each other healthy. Satan loves to divide and create conflict. Gossip is slaying many churches today church… let’s make the commitment to not speak bad about each other. Remember from our last months meeting. Unless you are a 100% sure of what you saw, and are willing to be the witness to testify on the sin… then don’t say anything at all. Without a testimony of the witness, then its just a rumor caused by hate or jealousy. And by causing that problem, its not promoting peace amongst each other. Let’s give grace as God gave grace, and not slander… Ephesians 4:29 29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. Causing strife, making war, spreading gossip, selfish ambitions are the things that can cause relationships to fail. Build each other up church, and tear each other down. That’s satans work. If that is evidence in your life, then you need a copy of this message and go through steps 1 & 2. Because without that you will never live in peace with anyone. Simply because the One who gave peace is not in you! “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you”. In Conclusion: Since peace is part of the Fruit of the Spirit, we should see it ripen in our lives. As we’ve been learning through this series, fruit is both a gift and a task. Here are some steps we can put into practice so that we’ll partake of peace on a regular basis. Make peace with God. If you have never made peace with God yet, this is your first step. Short Story: One day a young man went to his pastor in great distress because of all the anxiety and friction he had in his life. He asked the pastor, “Can you tell me what I must do to find peace?” The minister replied, “Young man, you are too late.” The man was devastated. “You mean it’s too late for me to be saved?” The pastor smiled and said, “Oh, no. But you are too late to do anything. Jesus did everything that needed to be done centuries ago!” Have you made peace with God? I’m not talking about a truce. A truce is saying, “God you stay on your side of the line and I’ll stay on my side. You handle all the big problems of the world and I’ll handle my life.” That’s not peace. Peace is what will take place when you acknowledge your sins, believe that Jesus died in your place on the cross, and receive Him into your life by faith. Do you have that? If not…are you ready to do that? Identify one thing that you are worried about right now. Give it to God in prayer. Don’t hold on to it. Present it to God and you’ll experience a peace that is beyond anything that you can manufacture on your own. Inner peace comes as we practice the power of prayer, and to put our complete trust in the Lord. Say something good when someone says something bad. When you hear gossip, give the gift of grace by immediately speaking a kind word about the person being talked about. This will be our “code” to let us know when we’re slipping into unwholesome talk. If you’re talking about someone and someone else starts building that person up, you’ll know that you’ve slipped into slander. • Peace with God – that’s the vertical dimension. • Peace of God – this takes place internally. • Peace with others – when we have Peace with God and we experience the Peace of God, we can then extend peace horizontally. And the Fruits Of The Spirit will be evident in our lives. Without Jesus in our lives, there will be no Fruits of the Spirit bear… Galatians 5:22-24 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid”.
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Mark 5:21-24
21 Now when Jesus had crossed over again by boat to the other side, a great multitude gathered to Him; and He was by the sea. 22 And behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue came, Jairus by name. And when he saw Him, he fell at His feet 23 and begged Him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter lies at the point of death. Come and lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live.” 24 So Jesus went with him, and a great multitude followed Him and thronged Him. Happy Father’s Day, Dads! This afternoon, let’s look at an inspirational dad from the Word of God. His name is Jairus. That means "enlightened by God," we can learn a lot from his life. Dad’s we thank God for you! And we thank you for all of the good you are doing in your family, our church and our community. As a dad, what makes you think that we are worth following? As you all know, God has put fathers in a high position in the household. God has commanded that we are to be the leaders of our household. Let us look into the life of this synagogue ruler named Jairus and see if there is something about his story worth following. First thing that you would notice is that he sought the Lord. He must have heard about a man named Jesus that did miracles, healed the sick and so on. “Now when Jesus had crossed over again by boat to the other side, a great multitude gathered to Him; and He was by the sea. 22 And behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue came, Jairus by name. And when he saw Him, he fell at His feet 23 and begged Him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter lies at the point of death. Come and lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live.” Jairus was in a desperate situation in this story. His only daughter was near the point of death, and Jairus couldn’t make her well. Sometimes our loved ones will be hurting. And there will be nothing we can do to help them on our own. Any parent here can relate to this story, correct! If our children are sick, we do our best to make them feel better, help them get well. Without a doubt, I am sure that Jairus has done everything he could for his daughter. Jairus shows us exactly what to do in a situation like that. Seek the Lord! Take your troubles to Jesus! Go to Jesus humbly, boldly, passionately, and expectantly. GO TO JESUS!!! Seek the Lord for His help. Call on the Lord! Throw yourself at Jesus’ feet. Throw yourself on the compassionate mercy of God. Psalm 145:17-18 The Lord is righteous in all His ways, Gracious in all His works. 18 The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth. Then in 1 Chronicles 28:9, speaking as a father to a son, King David said… 1 Chronicles 28:9 9 “As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a loyal heart and with a willing mind; for the Lord searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever. David told his son, "If you seek God, He will be found by you." We need to seek the Lord for His help. Also… we need to seek the Lord for worship. When Matthew told the story of Jairus it was said that “he worshipped the Lord”. Matthew 9:18 – 23-25 18 While He spoke these things to them, behold, a ruler came and worshiped Him, saying, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay Your hand on her and she will live.” 23 When Jesus came into the ruler’s house, and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd wailing, 24 He said to them, “Make room, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping.” And they ridiculed Him. 25 But when the crowd was put outside, He went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose. Jairus sought the Lord. fell down at Jesus’ feet without reservation and worshipped Him. And notice that Jairus went himself. He did not send his wife. He didn’t send a servant. He went to Jesus himself. Our society would be infinitely better off today if dads would seek Jesus without shame, if we all would be the spiritual leaders in our homes. Our nation is in a mess, partly because dads are out seeking something else on Sunday instead of seeking God. They send the wife and kids to church. So, the question remains, “why are we worth following?” Do we need to be in a desperate situation, before we come to seek the Lord and worship Him? Dad’s, let your kids see YOU seeking the Lord in worship. Taking them to church, reading the Word of God, praying together, living for Jesus. Keep in mind if you have a son, he might follow you in his footsteps on how he should worship the Lord. He will also need to realize that one day, he will be a leader of his household. So, how will he lead. If you have a daughter, what type of a husband will she look for? Will she look for a husband that will be a faithful leader to her? One who faithfully seeks and worship the Lord. May God help us all to be dads who will faithfully seek the Lord! Jesus promises that if we seek, we will find. And we can be the father worth following if we will seek the Lord. And also stand-up for your children. Take a passionate stand for your children. There is no question that Jairus dearly loved his daughter. We see his love in the way he came to Jesus in vs. 22&23…. Mark 5:22-23 22 And behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue came, Jairus by name. And when he saw Him, he fell at His feet 23 and begged Him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter lies at the point of death. Come and lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live.” Jairus was passionate about his little girl’s well-being. And God wants us to care like that. This is crucial for our children. The liberal media will tell you that having a dad in the home doesn’t matter. Don’t you believe it! We need to realize the tremendous impact that dads have on children. Dads, our children need’s us desperately. Here…listen to these statistics from I devotional that I read in regards to fatherless children: Fatherless daughters are 111% more likely to have children as teenagers. -Fatherless daughters are 164% more likely to have an out-of-wedlock birth. -Fatherless daughters have a 92% higher divorce rate than girls raised with Dad at home. -Fatherless sons are 35% more likely to experience failure in their own marriages. -Fatherless sons are 300% more likely to wind up in state juvenile institutions. -And fatherless children are twice as likely to drop out of high school. These are terrible statistics. And the numbers are also bad for dads who are there in body, but not in heart and mind. That’s why God wants us to be passionate about the well being of our children. You matter, Dads! Here’s another one, from the same devotional…. The National Center for Fathering conducts “Father of the Year” Essay Contests. In 2005, over 100,000 school children submitted short essays on the topic, "What my Father Means to Me." Some of these are funny, and some have a note of sadness, but all of these shows how important you are, Dads. -A first grader wrote, "My dad is the best dad ever. I would kiss a pig for him." -A third grader wrote, "The dad in my life isn’t really my dad. He’s my Grandpa. But he’s been like a dad to me since before I was born. I hope that as I get older, Grandpa will teach me all the stuff he knows about wood, and first-aid, and everything else he knows about. My Grandpa isn’t my father, but I wouldn’t trade him for all the dads in the world." -A fourth grader wrote, "Sometimes as a joke I’ll put my stinky socks in his briefcase, so at work the next day he will think of me! He’s always at the concerts and plays that I’m in, even though he lives about an hour away." -A fifth grade girl wrote, "You know what else my dad does? He braids my hair. I’m the only girl I know whose dad braids her hair. I think that’s a perfect dad. He already is the world’s greatest dad to me. I just wanted everyone to know that." You matter, Dads. In all kinds of way’s we are vitally important to our children, so be passionate about your children’s well being, ESPECIALLY- ESPECIALLY… their spiritual well being! Jairus obviously cared, and one of the best ways he showed it was by inviting Jesus to his home. In vs. 23 Jairus said… “My little daughter lies at the point of death. Come and lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live.” Jairus invited Jesus to his home. There is nothing better you can do for your children than to bring Jesus into your home. Men who would stand with Joshua and declare to the world… Joshua 24:15 15 And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of [a]the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Men who would lead their families in prayer at the table, Dad’s who would invite Jesus into the home by reading His Word. We must have Jesus into our homes. Nothing is more important for our children. Children need to be connected with Jesus! In this case it was for a miraculous physical healing. But in our case, it’s for something infinitely more important, spiritual healing. We don’t just want our children to live. We want them to live forever! We want our children to have everlasting life, and they can only get that from Jesus. On this Father’s Day let’s remember that the Heavenly Father sent His Son Jesus into the world to take the punishment for our sins. Jesus died on the cross for us and rose again, so that we might be forgiven and live with Him forever. So, the most important thing we can do for our children is help them know Jesus Christ in a personal, saving way!!! But Dad’s, how can you do that if you don’t know the Lord yourself? Jairus had a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. It was a new relationship where he had personally met the Lord. And in this relationship Jairus talked with the Lord, trusted the Lord, and worshipped the Lord. This is the kind of relationship God wants to have with all of us. A relationship that saves our soul and changes our life. Christian author, pastor and former atheist Lee Strobel gave this great testimony… How can I tell you the difference God has made in my life? My daughter Allison was 5 years old when I became a follower of Jesus. All she had known in those five years was a dad who was profane and angry. I remember I came home one night and kicked a hole in the living room wall just out of anger with life. I am ashamed to think of the times Allison hid in her room to get away from me. But five months after I gave my life to Jesus Christ. That little girl went to my wife and said, ’Mommy, I want God to do for me what he’s done for Daddy.’ -- At age five! What was she saying? She’d never studied the archeological evidence (on the truth of the Bible). All she knew was her dad used to be this way, Hard to live with. But more and more her dad is becoming this way. And if that is what God does to fathers, then sign her up. At age five she gave her life to Jesus! God changed my family. He changed my world. He changed the eternity of my daughter." WOW!!! What a great testimony. God wants to change us too! So, put your trust in Jesus. Bring Jesus into your heart and home. This is the best thing all of us can do! And Dads, it’s the best way to stand-up for our children. Also, Jairus stayed close to Jesus. When unexpected problems pop’s up, stay close to the Savior. When other people seem blessed and you seem forgotten, stay close to the Savior. When your situation seems hopeless, stay close to the Savior. We need the same attitude we see in the Old Testament prophet Habakkuk. In Habakkuk 3:17-19, the prophet declared: Habakkuk 3:17-19 17 Though the fig tree may not blossom, Nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of the olive may fail, And the fields yield no food; Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, And there be no herd in the stalls—18 Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. 19 The Lord God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet, And He will make me walk on my high hills. Christians… Even when things seem worse than ever, stay close to the Savior. And Dad’s, we can be a father worth following if we stay close to the Savior. IN CONCLUSION: Many of us have been where Jairus was that day. All of us will be there one day. You thought things were bad, and all of a sudden, they got worse. The storm turned into a tornado. Time has run out for you, and the situation looks absolutely hopeless. What can we do in situations like that? Exchange your fears with faith. Keep believing in Jesus! Jesus came through in a miraculous way for Jairus. And He will always come through for us. No, we will not always see miraculous healing in this world. But Jesus Christ will always come through for us. So, exchange your fears with faith! With everything that was going on Jairus life, Jesus made this comforting promise! Mark 5:35-36 35 While He was still speaking, some came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house who said, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?” 36 As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not be afraid; only believe.” “Do not be afraid; only believe.” (NKJV) “Don’t be afraid; just believe.” (NIV) “Do not fear, only believe.” (ESV) Trust in the Lord! Trust in His Word and His work. Trust Him when you get the most disastrous news. Trust Him when others are laughing in disbelief. Trust Him to do the most amazing things in your life. Trust Him even when the miracle doesn’t come through for you. YES!!! We can be dad’s worth following. We need to watch and learn from the perfect Father… Our Father who art in heaven! Let’s be the dad’s who believes that all things are possible with God. Let’s overcome our fears and doubts with faith! We may never reach the point of perfection dad’s, but we already failed if don’t try. Here are Gods commands for the dad’s in this church. And these are the areas in which I know, by Gods help we can be fathers worth following… Ephesians 5:25-28 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, 26 that He might [a]sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, 27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. 28 So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. And Again… Ephesians 6:4 4 Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. We can all be people worth following. We can all be friends, neighbors and family members worth following, if we will follow the Lord. Can I now please have all the dads in the front please. The War Within
Romans 7:14-24 (ESV) 14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. 15 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. 17 So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. 22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, 23 but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Before I start this message, I have a confession that I would like to make. I have been a pastor here at First Fil-Am Baptist Mission Church… close to 3 years now. Been a Christian since 2004. So…throughout my Christian walk, there is this guy that always seems to rub me the wrong way. Remember what I said last week, its wrong to use the word “Hate”, on anyone. But I tell you, this guy can really get under my skin. I can stay angry at him, most of the time. There would be sleepless nights caused by this guy. Man…he just really makes me miserable from time to time. I would like to come clean this afternoon and tell you who he is. He is here every Sunday, he loves to worship. In fact he is here today. The guy that I am referring to is ME!!! I am my worse enemy. The guy I have more trouble with than anybody else is my wife’s first husband! That’s me. Do you know why? Because I really want to be the perfect husband, the perfect father, and I really want to be a perfect pastor! But sometimes my performance doesn’t match up with my desire. And of course there is no such thing as being PERFECT! Not while we are still in the flesh. So… that becomes the real problem right. Thankfully, I am not the only one that has this problem. I am not the only one that has this problem from within. I’m sure many of you, if not all of you have this same problem. And guess what, the Apostle Paul had the same problem. If you are not going through anything that I had mentioned, then maybe you have discovered the secret to a perfect life that is not mentioned in the Bible. Let us look at Romans 7, starting at verse 14… Romans 7:14-18 14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. 15 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. 17 So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. See if we can relate to this personally. “For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh”. Which means carnal, still in the flesh, sold as a slave to sin. “15 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate”. As you can see, Paul used the word “HATE”, for his actions. He hated the sin. He was going through that battle from within. Then on verse 18, contains Paul’s self-evaluation. He says, “18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out”. “For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. WOW! Do you have that problem? We have the DESIRE to do what is good, but we cannot carry it out. Lets continue with our text. Let us look at the Apostle Paul’s struggle with himself… and maybe get the answers that we need, on why we do the things that we do… Romans 7:19-21 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. So…we can see Pau’s frustration here. He wants to do good…he wants to do what is right, but he is struggling. He comes to the conclusion that there is The War Within. This is the Apostle Paul we are talking about here. The same Apostle Paul who wrote many of the books in the New Testament. The same Paul that planted churches in his lifetime. The same Paul that spent a lot of his life in prison for telling the truth about Jesus. Is it even possible for the Apostle Paul…who did all those things in his lifetime, struggled with sin? Is it possible? YES! Were reading his story right now. By his story…hopefully will help us understand what we are going through. Paul is frustrated, he hates the things that he has done. He was basically being hard on himself for his actions. He went through a stage in his walk where he felt he wasn’t good enough. Does this sound familiar in our walk? It should! For we are still in the flesh. There will always be The Battle Within! Let’s continue… Paul says in verse… Romans 7:24-25 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin. “Wretched man that I am”. That is a very harsh word. Wretched: deeply afflicted, dejected, or distressed in body or mind being miserable, or contemptible. very poor in quality. This what Paul saw in himself. “Who will deliver me from this body of death?” What options does he have? He knew he was still in the flesh, he knew the struggle that he was in, so his question remains… “Who will deliver me from this body of death?” Who will deliver you and I, from this body of death? “25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.” Salvation need to happen to the sinner. Three things need’s to happen when a person gets saved. First of all, in the past tense, if you are a Christian you have experienced “Justification” by faith. Romans 5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Justification is when God looks at you because you put your faith in Jesus Christ and he declares you “legally righteous–justified.” That’s is not our righteousness, but it is the righteousness of Jesus Christ that we’re in. And he says, “You are not guilty.” What does justification do? Justification removes the penalty for sin. Do you know what the penalty for sin is? Death, hell, separation from God forever and ever. When you become a Christian, God says, “The penalty for sin? BOOM. It’s gone!” You are not guilty anymore, you have been set free! Second, the present. The here and now. Why do I struggle still, when I am saved? we are all involved in a process that’s called ‘Sanctification”. If you don’t know what the word sanctification means, think of the other English word–‘sanitize.’ To sanitize something means to clean it up, remove the germs–and what God is trying to do right now is trying to clean us up, trying to make us more like Jesus Christ, and it is a process. Philippians 1:6 And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. It is a process. What is he trying to do? He is delivering us from the power of sin because sin is still in our lives, even after receiving Christ, He is doing the process of delivering us from the power of sin. It doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a process that every born again Christian need to go through. That is why its called being “born again”. The Christian life starts at infancy, to grow into maturity. It’s a challenge church, a great battle. But we are not going through it alone. Look at the verse. Philippians 1:6… He (JESUS) who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. Thirdly: Future tense? One day, when we die or we get caught up in the sky and meet Jesus Christ, we will experience what the Bible calls ‘Glorification.’ That’s when we will be delivered completely from the presence of sin because in heaven there is absolutely no presence of sin. The War Within is finished. From Sis Seini’s memory verse last Sunday. 2 Timothy 4:7-8 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing. By God’s power, By His Spirit, because of His Son. This is possible for you and I. This is what every Christian long’s for. To fight the good fight, to finish the race. But let us go back to the second part… the Sanctification process, because that is after all where we are at right now. God is trying to work on us to clean us up. One of the biggest problems we need to understand is what Paul wrote about here, “You know, I really want to do the right thing, but I find myself wanting to do the right thing but stumbling and doing the wrong thing.” He says, “I know all these things over here are wrong to do, and I don’t want to do them–but, sometimes I find myself accidentally and occasionally falling into those things.” Now, many have debated about whether Paul was writing these words as a Christian or was he describing a person who was not a Christian. I believe without a doubt he’s talking about a Christian. Not only just a Christian…I think he’s describing the heart’s cry of a maturing Christian. A maturing Christian will struggle with sin. Notice I say “maturing”–it’s not something you ever reach. You never say, “I am a mature Christian” because it’s something you are always striving towards. Paul is saying a maturing Christian, number one, struggles with sin. He says, “There’s this war inside my body. There’s this war inside my mind. There’s a war inside my personality. There’s a good nature and there’s an evil nature–and they are fighting against each other.” Now. I have said a maturing Christian struggles with sin. If you are an immature Christian, if you are someone who is stuck, no growth position at all, you don’t really struggle with sin. Do you know why? You are not aware of the demand for holiness on your life! So, you will just be having a good time and not even sense a desire to obey God in this conflict. On one side we have the old nature “Who I was before I became a Christian.” When you become a Christian, you still have that sinful nature that’s there. That’s what Paul says in Romans 7:14…. “I am of the flesh”. “I am carnal–I am unspiritual.” We still have a human heart and the Bible says in Jeremiah 17:9… Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it? I think Paul’s struggle was that he was letting the “flesh” control his life. There is when you listen to your old sinful nature and you’ll find yourself falling into the works of the flesh, what the carnal life exhibits, until you get more and more like the devil. I do not believe a Christian can go all the way out there, because you can’t be born again and end up there, but you can move in that direction if you’re carnal, if you still want to follow the “flesh”, you see we have a new nature–a heart that’s been cleansed–and that’s been crucified with Christ. The results of the new nature we call the fruits of the Spirit. And the more the fruit of the spirit we exhibit, the more Christ like we are. A maturing Christian seeks to serve God. Serving God does not necessarily mean you need to be in a ministry. You and I serve God daily in the way we live. It is the desire of a maturing Christian to obey God. The problem is that sometimes a carnal Christian becomes self-satisfied. They say, “Well, nobody’s perfect, so I’m just going to sin a little bit!” Justifying their actions. But a maturing Christian is never satisfied with sin in his or her life. There’s always a hatred of sin, always that tension they live with. There will always be that battle in the maturing Christian. Put it this way, there is always The War Within, but who gets to win? Here’s an illustration. And, I’m sure you have heard this story before… There once was an American Indian who became a Christian and after he’d been a Christian for a number of years he told a missionary, “I’ve got a problem. It’s as if on the inside of me there are two dogs! One is a black dog who tells me to do wrong and one is a white dog who tells me to do right. These two dogs are constantly fighting for control.” The missionary asked the Indian, “Tell me, which dog wins the fight?” And the Indian said, “It’s the dog that I feed the most.” In another illustration of this story wolves were used instead of dogs. But, the truth still remains. This story may not be biblical, but it does have some biblical realities. If you keep feeding sin more, then sin would win, and then the process of sanctification was never present in your life. You were never really born again. On the other hand, if you keep feeding yourself the word of God, then the work of sanctification will be evident in your life, and you will continue to grow and finish the race. (Win the battle) In Conclusion: Let’s go back to our text. Do you remember what Paul said… Romans 7:24 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Do you know what he’s talking about when he says, “body of death?” This is so graphic, but amazing. There are many Greek and Roman writers who tells us that back before the time of Christ there were some kings that were so cruel this is the way they would execute prisoners and criminals, they would take a corpse and they would, literally, chain it to the criminal to be executed! Face to face, shoulder-to-shoulder, arm-to-arm, leg-to-leg. They would wrap up a corpse with a living person. Within just a matter of days, the living person would die because the living person couldn’t eat, could hardly walk around, and the corruption of that dead body would infect the living body! What a terrible way to die! That’s exactly the word Paul is using here when he says, “Who will deliver me from this body of death.” He says, “It’s so awful–it’s as if I’m carrying around a corpse–as if this old life is decaying and is infecting and corrupting me! This is so awful I can’t stand it!” And, by the way, you are never a maturing Christian until you come to that point like Paul did where you say, “This is awful. I can’t stand this tension. I can’t stand this body of death, who’s going to rescue me?” That is the battle that we are in daily. But Paul gives us an answer… Romans 7:25 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin. He’s saying number one, Jesus has done it already. When Jesus died on the cross he died to take away this body of sin. Then he says, “The Spirit will do it whenever I allow the Spirit to do it.” The Spirit will keep on putting to death his old, sinful nature. Romans 8:1-2 8 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. Some of you are struggling with sin in your lives, including me, and sometimes the things you want to do you don’t do…the things you don’t want to do, you do! Do you think God is sitting here today condemning you and I for that problem? Then, let this verse be a reminder to you today. Because through Christ Jesus the law of the spirit sets us free from the law of sin and death. You see, it is the Holy Spirit who is that other component that when the old nature says, “do wrong,” and your new nature says, “well I don’t want to do that,” it’s the Holy Spirit, when we surrender and yield to Him, who comes in and takes control. And when the Spirit takes control, that is how we can win The War Within. 1 Corinthians 11:17-22 Conduct at the Lord’s Supper/ Correcting an Abuse of the Lord’s Supper: 17 Now in giving these instructions I do not praise you, since you come together not for the better but for the worse. 18 For first of all, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it. 19 For there must also be factions among you, that those who are approved may be recognized among you. 20 Therefore when you come together in one place, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper. 21 For in eating, each one takes his own supper ahead of others; and one is hungry and another is drunk. 22 What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and shame those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you in this? I do not praise you. What is the Lord’s Supper really all about? Do we fully understand what this monthly ritual we participate in is supposed to mean? Or do we just do the Lord’s Supper because, well, because that is what a person does at church? It’s tradition! Short Story: I read this week of a small-town church in upstate New York. They’d had a pastor in that church for over thirty-five years. He was loved by the church and the community. After he retired, he was replaced by a young pastor. It was his first church; he had a great desire to do well. He had been at the church several weeks when he began to perceive that the people were upset at him. He was troubled. Eventually he called aside one of the lay leaders of the church and said, "I don’t know what’s wrong, but I have a feeling that there’s something wrong." The man said, "Well, pastor, that’s true. I hate to say it, but it’s the way you do the Communion service." "The way I do the Communion service? What do you mean?" "Well, it’s not so much what you do as what you leave out." "I don’t think I leave out anything from the Communion service." "Oh yes, you do. Just before our previous pastor distributed and administered the cup and wine to the people, he’d always go over and touch the radiator. And, then, he would--" "Touch the radiator? I never heard of that liturgical tradition." So, the younger man called the former pastor. He said, "I haven’t even been here a month, and I’m in trouble." "In trouble? Why?" Asked his predecessor. "Well, it’s something to do with touching the radiator. Could that be possible? Did you do that?" "Oh yes, I did. Always before I distributed the cup to the people, I touched the radiator to discharge the static electricity so I wouldn’t shock them." So, for over thirty-five years, the people of his congregation had thought that touching the radiator was a part of the holy tradition. I have to tell you that church has now gained the name, "The Church of the Holy Radiator." As you can tell from the table that is set before us, we will be partaking of the Lord’s Supper this afternoon. So, since that is the case, I think it is a good idea for us to spend some time talking about what that means. There are two reasons why that’s a good idea for us this afternoon. The first reason will apply to most of us here. Most of us have been in church for a long time. And when we’ve been in church a long time, the things we do in church can become a habit. Things that we do begin to lose their meaning. The songs and the line up become so familiar that we just perform them out of habit. Before we know it, we can become like robots that have been programmed to go through the motions. It’s almost like when you drive the same route every day. You do that day after day and week after week until you become numb to it. Then one day you get home and realize you were so zoned out during your drive that you can’t remember anything about it. Do you ever get home from church feeling like that? What I mean is, is coming to church, also has become a routine in our lives, that the meaning of worship has lost its value? We greet each other with a hug, we sing praises to our Lord, we sit down and listen to the message. Has it gotten to the point where the Lords Message doesn’t mean anything anymore? We just listen to the message and that is as far as it goes. No more application for holy living, no more value in the fact that it is the Word Of God. What is our Scripture passage? We can get into such a routine that we go on autopilot. For those of us who have been in the church for a long time, the Lord’s Supper can get like that. We like to say that we don’t celebrate the Lord’s Supper every week like some denominations do so that it won’t become an empty ritual that we do out of habit. That’s true. That’s the reason why we don’t have it every week. But is it any different if we only have it once a month? Is it any different if we only have it once a quarter? Not if we allow it to become routine for us. Our passage this afternoon is toward the end of a letter that the Apostle Paul wrote to the church he had planted in the city of Corinth. He had stayed with them for about a year and a half and then moved on to plant other churches. The city of Corinth was an extremely immoral city. It was so bad that even its name became synonymous with immorality. If somebody said that you were acting like a Corinthian, it was a bad thing. The good thing was that Paul planted a growing church there. The bad thing was that the people in that church had a hard time letting go of their past. Things were in check while Paul was there, but they went downhill in a hurry after he left. In his letters, he had to deal with everything from bad teaching to sexual immorality. They were messing up a lot of stuff. And one of the things that they were messing up was the ordinance of the Lord’s Supper. Paul wrote this section to deal with that problem. In it he shows us three things concerning the Lord’s Supper. He shows us the abuse of the Lord’s Supper, the act of the Lord’s Supper and the attitude of the Lord’s Supper. First, he points out how the church at Corinth had been abusing the Lord’s Supper. Look back at verses 17-22: 1) The Abuse Of The Lords Supper. 1 Corinthians 11:17-18 17 Now in giving these instructions I do not praise you, since you come together not for the better but for the worse. 18 For first of all, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it. Paul starts verse 17 by basically saying that he’s not happy with them. And the reason that he’s not happy with them is the way that they are treating the Lord’s Supper. We have to understand how they celebrated the Lord’s Supper in the early church. They would come together for a time of worship, preaching and teaching. That might take hours. But then when it was finished, they wouldn’t just shake hands and go home. They would have dinner on the grounds. They would all stick around for a big fellowship dinner. Actually, it was meant to be for more than just a social event. Have you noticed that that’s what we think of when we think of fellowship? We think of a social event. That’s not what fellowship meant to them. Fellowship was sharing. Those who had shared with those who didn’t have. And there were plenty of people who didn’t have. Publicly professing your faith in Christ would often mean that your pagan boss would fire you. (Keep in mind, Christianity was persecuted.) And it wasn’t like you could go down to the unemployment office in those days. There was no such thing as food stamps. If you didn’t work, you didn’t eat. And when you became a Christian, many times you couldn’t work. But that wasn’t the case with everybody in Corinth. Corinth was a multicultural city. They were tolerant for the most part. But fellowship meant that those who still had an income were supposed to share with those who were struggling. Did you know that it still means the same thing? Fellowship is more than just shaking hands and being nice to each other. It means that we are involved in each other’s lives. When one hurts, we’re all supposed to hurt. When one rejoices, we’re all supposed to rejoice. But that wasn’t going on in Corinth. The fellowship was broken. They weren’t sharing in each other’s lives. Why? Because verse 18 says that there were divisions among them. Paul had been getting reports that the people in Corinth were ripping each other apart. It was a church split where nobody was leaving. They were just divided amongst each other. No unity, not in one body. Verse 19 says that there were also heretics there… 1 Corinthians 11:19 19 For there must also be factions among you, that those who are approved may be recognized among you. (Faction) A group or clique within a larger group, party, government, organization, or the like: a faction in favor of big business. party strife and intrigue; dissension: Heretics are people who believe wrong doctrine. What is interesting to me is that Paul pretty much leaves them alone. He says that the heretics will always be there. As a matter of fact, in verse 19, he says that them being there is a good thing. It’s a good thing because their bad doctrine forces people to seek the truth. Think about it. When somebody tells you something that doesn’t line up with scripture, what do you do? You try to refute it. And if you can’t refute it, it forces you to go back to the Bible to see what the real answer is. After one is converted, there will always be that hunger to know the truth. Why? Because the Truth will set you free. Free from what? From traditions, man made teachings that are not biblical. It sets you free from believing the wrong things. Paul had to deal with heretics in those days, in each church that he planted. No difference than churches we have today. Different beliefs, different practices, and so on. That is one of the reasons that the Lord allows tares to grow up among the wheat. (Matthew 13) They were killing their gatherings. They were killing their church. And they were killing the meaning of the Lord’s Supper. No wonder Paul was scolding them. Do you think, if Paul was still alive, would he scold us or praise us? We are friendly. We share some really good meals and fun things together. In a few minutes, we’re going to share the Lord’s Supper together. But let me ask you something. Is there someone here that you will not sit at the same fellowship table with? Is there someone here that you don’t speak to? Is there something that you won’t do in the church if you think that they’re going to be there? If there is, then how in the world can you sit in the same congregation and take the Lord’s Supper with them? I doesn’t really matter if you’re sitting on opposite ends of the sanctuary, if Jesus has saved you, you are still part of His body. (Later on, in our meeting, we will be dealing with church membership) Notice that Paul didn’t go into any details about why they were divided... It didn’t matter. He didn’t care who was to blame. He didn’t care who started it. He didn’t care how long it had been going on. All he cared about was that there was division in their fellowship. And by allowing that division to remain, verse 22 says that the people were showing that they despised the church of God. 1 Corinthians 11:22 22 What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and shame those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you in this? I do not praise you. Do you despise the church of God? Is there any strife, quarrels amongst the members in this church? And if there is, you do know that there are serious consequences for that. Remember the warning that we take, before we partake of the Lords Supper? 1 Corinthians 11:27-34 27 Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. 30 For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep. 31 For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. 32 But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world. 33 Therefore, my brethren, when you come together to eat, wait for one another. 34 But if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, lest you come together for judgment. And the rest I will set in order when I come. So… it comes with a great warning that is not meant to be neglected. “For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world”. It comes with a great deal of discipline from the Lord. You know willfully that you are sinning against the Lord in the way you live your life. and you partake of the Lords Supper. Which represents the Lords body, & blood. 2: There is the attitude in the Lords Supper: Do you realize so far, how serious this is? This isn’t just some ritual. This isn’t just some way to get something from God. The Lord’s Supper is about unbroken fellowship within the body of Christ. There are a couple of different ways to look at verse 27. You can look at it like most of us look at it. And that’s that if we take the Lord’s Supper with unconfessed sin in our lives, it’s like we’re hanging Jesus on the cross ourselves. You can look at it like most of us look at it. And that is that if we take the Lord’s Supper with unconfessed sin in our lives, it’s like we’re hanging Jesus on the cross ourselves. There is an element of that. But in the context of the passage, it actually is more specific than that. When Jesus saves us, the Bible says that we are now His body. Just a few verses from our passage in.. 1 Corinthians 12:12-13 12 For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. 13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink [a]into one Spirit. Like it or not, when Jesus saves us, we are all saved together into one body. And as the body of Christ, we are called to join in communion with each other and with Him. That’s is also the reason that the Lords Supper is also called Communion. Around this Lord’s Table. These elements are pictures of His body and blood. And if we take of those elements at the same time we are having division with another part of His body—we are guilty of ripping the very body of Christ apart. That’s why the Lord’s Supper is a time of self examination. Look at what’s on the table here. Jesus’ physical body was destroyed on the cross so that we might be saved and become part of His body. When we have division amongst us, we are destroying His body again. And as a result, many among us will have our physical bodies destroyed. (Sickness, illness, financial burdens, no peace) Lastly, and now, thirdly brings us to… 3: The Act Of The Lords Supper:
1 Corinthians 11:23-26 23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 25 In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes. But before we get to the act, I want to give you a chance to respond to what you’ve heard. We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. None of us are faultless. If it was not for the grace of God as shown on the cross of Calvary, we would all be standing equally guilty before His judgment…the condemnation with the world. I know that there are divisions in this church, as there are in all churches. The divisions that I am talking about, is the differences that we have. We may feel differently toward one another, and that is ok, for as long as we are not sinning against each other. The Bread and the Cup, would be a little hard to swallow, if there is sin from each other. We all make mistakes, we al may offend each other from time to time. But it should not get to the point where we start to use the word, HATE! We are all different, God did not make us all the same. Could you imagine, picture this if you will. God built this church, The First Fil-Am Baptist Mission Church. And guess what He has placed inside this church? A bunch of messed up people, being healed by the Lord. Who in here is perfect? NO ONE!!! We are all messed up in one point or another. We…all carry a stain in our lives that Lord has cleansed with His Blood. We are all imperfect people, guilty of sin. NOT ONE PERFECT!!! That is why God sacrificed His One and Only Son! The body of Jesus was placed on that cross for you and I. HIS BODY, HIS BLOOD!!! Jesus didn’t dig up all of our past when He saved us, did He? All He did was forgive. While we were still in our sin and cared nothing about Him, He died for you and I. Awakened faith in you and I, saved you and I. He took our sin upon Himself. And He clothed us in His righteousness. And through His Spirit, He has empowered you and I, to forgive others like He forgave. He has empowered you and I, to heal the divisions and set things back in order. So now is the time. Now I am going to pray. Please pray with me that we take the Lords Supper seriously, with its full meaning and value…. Let Us Pray…. |
AuthorPastor Richard Santos Archives
February 2021
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