I say a little about the birthday just
to mention I will be out of the
office this week except for Friday and Pastor
Brad is actually going to work full-time
hours all of August because I'm gone so
much with the South Africa trip and so
on so if you have needs don't be
feeling that you have to put them off
till End of the month or whatever be
free to give him a call He and
Carol are away on a family visit this
weekend.
So pray for their safety as they journey
home Last of my long list of things
is just to mention there's no prayer meeting
tonight because it is a long weekend stick
our Bibles and go to Luke chapter 22
and verses 14 to 20 And I want
to say special thanks to Pastor Tom and
Rachel for this morning and to Jesse for
stepping in the gap and Also to Mark
for looking after son there It's good to
be together Look chapter 22 14 through 20
is where the Lord is instituting the Lord's
Supper and we want to just Begin here.
We'll move around a little bit and some
other verses But it says when the hour
had come he sat down and the twelve
apostles with him Then he said to them
with fervent desire.
I have desired to eat this Passover with
you before I suffer For I say to
you I will no longer eat of it
until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of
God Then he took the cup and gave
thanks and said Take this and divide it
among yourselves For I say to you, I
will not drink of the fruit of the
vine until the kingdom of God comes He
took bread and gave thanks and broke it
and gave it to them saying this is
my body which is given for you Do
this in remembrance of me Likewise, he also
took the cup after supper saying this cup
is the new covenant in my blood which
is shed for you Father how we thank
you that we Celebrate a risen Savior this
morning and the love of God at flows
to us from Calvary and as we pause
and look in your word, we pray that
you would strengthen us equip us touch us
And Lord that your word would live in
our hearts by your Spirit's power So we
surrender these moments to you and ask you
just to minister to us in Jesus name
Amen As we Come to the Lord's table
Most of the time I preach the message
and it isn't necessarily always super connected to
the Lord's table But this Sunday I wanted
us just to zero in Jesus said do
this in remembrance of me and I'd like
us to think about Some things some reasons
why we can remember him some strong things
that can help us and encourage us in
our daily walk and life and I love
how the Holy Spirit puts service together and
how Things really come together Sunday mornings So
as we think about Jesus saying do this
in remembrance of me You know, this is
how he institutes the supper and then he
goes on into the garden of Gethsemane And
you get a picture of his prayer life
there that is incredible and And You know,
the disciples are so weary they can't stick
with them in it But as Jesus is
praying you remember what he prayed and I
start here Before we go into just things
to remember just to focus our hearts on
how much it is that Jesus Loves you
and me and what a friend we do
have in Jesus You remember what he prayed
in the garden father if this cup May
pass from me this cup You know, I've
pondered that a little bit this past week
and just thinking about Was Jesus Afraid of
the cross is that what he was shrinking
back from that night in the garden.
I Don't think so because you'll recall when
he sent out the Disciples and he told
them to go and preach the word and
heal the sick and all those things he
said to them I give you authority over
the devil and all of his Forces and
over all of these things I give you
authority over them So I don't think that
Jesus was shrinking back in any way from
the cross So what is he?
Saying as he says Lord our Father if
this cup might pass from me That made
me ask the question What's in the cup?
Now we know what's in the cup here
this morning But as Jesus was facing Calvary
What was the cup that he was talking
about?
What was in it?
it was the cup of sin That's what
he would shrink back from Holy God Glorious
Son of God and on that cross He's
going to drink that cup of sin And
you know as I think about it my
heart is overwhelmed What would possess?
the living God Who called all things into
creation Who is absolutely pure and holy and
sinless?
To say but not my will Yours be
done and to take that cup and drink
it all I'll tell you what would possess
him to do that The depth of his
love For you and for me and when
we come to this table You know, it's
often said this is a love feast But
just think about the extent of that love,
you know that the Holy One of God
I mean I can think about my life
and some of the things I've done and
said and thought and the extent in the
depth of the sin that I know and
Here is Jesus Confronted with that cup and
yet he says not my will So this
morning just as you think about the love
of God for you think about the immensity
of What he is saying as he institutes
this love feast for us and goes on
through Gethsemane and Takes that cup and drinks
it all Now it's not popular to preach
about sin these days I know but I
kind of like what Vance Havner once said
about it He was preaching about the total
depravity of mankind and somebody wanted to argue
with him afterwards And they said I just
can't buy this total depravity thing and sin
in us and so on and he said
you don't have to It's already in you,
you know, I have to buy it So
already a part of every single one of
us, isn't it?
And so as we come to the Lord's
table this morning, we come to a table
where there is forgiveness Where there is reconciliation
Where there is the power of God not
only over the evil one and all those
evil forces but over all things And so
just quickly for a few moments before we
come to the table let me give you
some reasons to remember him this morning in
joy and in strength and in power Turn
over with me in your Bibles to Romans
chapter 10 and verse 4 Romans chapter 10
and verse 4 and here's what it says
for Christ is the end of the law
for righteousness to everyone who believes So here's
a reason why we can remember him scripture
says he is the end of the law
And what does Jesus have to do with
the law?
Well, he is the purpose and the object
of it.
He is the fulfillment of it.
He's a completion of it and He's the
termination of it this verse says Up until
Calvary There was the shedding of blood of
goats and bulls and sheep and all kinds
of things and you and I would be
rather cluttered If we were coming once a
month to the Lord's table towing along a
sheep or a goat or whatever But those
things could not atone For sin it is
as Jesus drank that cup for you and
for me that atonement takes place He is
the end of the law and the law
shows us our Sin, doesn't it?
It teaches us the result of sin is
death and this morning as we think about
This thing of sin and how the Lord
dealt with it.
We are either in Christ and Sin is
atoned for forgiven or we're outside of Christ
and And Many people say to me these
days.
Well, I'm not sure I'm doing pretty good
I'm not sure if I need you know,
all this Christianity stuff But when you look
at the Ten Commandments the law How many
of them do you have to read before
you can say whoops?
Jesus is the fulfillment of all of that
and I so love the Lord that It's
no longer this walk in Christ is no
longer about what I can do to please
God It is about what I can be
in Christ Jesus gloriously saved and transformed and
filled with the Spirit of the Living God
Not any longer trusting in the things that
I could do to help placate him But
trusting instead in all that Jesus has done
to fulfill the law of God and when
I look at those Commandments and the law
I know my great need of Christ Believing
in him brings us to an end of
the law.
You see what it says here in this
fourth verse Is the end of the law
for righteousness to Just one or two people
who believe is that what it says?
No for everyone who believes it's for all
who believe he is The end of the
law faith in him alone brings righteousness Into
our lives and it is through him that
we know the righteousness of God So when
I think about this table, I think Lorne
you're the end of the law and I'm
so grateful Because I remember times of trying
trying trying Not to curse not to do
something that wasn't acceptable in society Am I
the only one no other Irish people in
here today, okay But when we think about
Jesus and the fulfillment of the law We
can stand this morning on free grind No
longer what we can do, but what we
can be and become in him Here's another
Reason why this morning I would remember the
Lord Jesus in Genesis chapter 3 and verse
15 and I promised we'd move around a
bit today.
So It's a good sword drill, isn't it?
Genesis chapter 3 and verse 15 This is
just after the fall has taken place where
Adam and Eve have disobeyed God and sin
has come into the world In verse 15.
God is speaking and he says I will
put Enmity between you and the woman between
your seed and her seed He shall bruise
your hand and you shall bruise his heel
he's the Lord is talking to the evil
one who brought sin into the picture and
Tempted Adam and Eve and you see what
the father is saying there.
He's saying that the seed of the woman
the Lord Jesus Christ is Going to wound
the devil's head and the devil is going
to injure his heel now I love to
think on this because At Jesus at Calvary
dealt a head wound to the evil one
Which is more damaging a head wound or
a heel wound a Head wound, right?
Are you sure?
Okay, I'm just checking So at Calvary there
is an ending wound a head wound and
At Calvary the best that the competition can
do is bruise his heel you think about
this God that we were singing about this
morning and The power that is in him
and the authority that is in him you
think about the fact says scripture gives it
to us Christ is the great victor, isn't
he?
And we need that exercise faith in the
promises of God that he's given to us
just as pastor Tom said as he shared
the kind of week and the things that
the Lord has been doing in his heart
and in his life Oh my friends.
What is it that you're facing?
today That is beyond the power of This
God that we call our Savior He is
the conqueror of Satan Move on over with
me to John 16 and verse 33 and
I I thought about preaching the whole message
on this verse actually John 16 and verse
33 Here's what it says Jesus is speaking
and he says 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 Now Look at
what Jesus is saying in that verse He
says these things I've spoken to you what
things it goes all the way back to
John 13 Where he is with his disciples
in his love and he's teaching them all
of the things That they will face and
how he's going to send the Holy Spirit
and so on to their lives That's the
things he's speaking about as he summarizes here
in verse 33 of chapter 16 And what
is it that Jesus says he's he's facing
the cross He's facing all the opposition that
can be thrown at him He's facing the
weight of every sin in that cup as
he drinks it on Calvary's cross But what
is it that he says?
These things I spoke to you So that
in me you might have peace Sorry
You mean in the midst of all the
stuff that can go on of all the
sicknesses and all the pressures and all the
stresses and all the Unsteady grind that we
are called upon to walk upon on this
earth that Jesus desire is that we would
have peace And you know, it can become
just such an exercise to take the bread
and the juice But When you put it
in the context of the accomplishments of Jesus
It tells me that I can walk away
from this table with peace And it's not
just the kind of peace that is the
end of hostilities Because Jesus said in John
14 my peace I give to you and
that's very different than when if we've been
having a Barney as The Irish would say
and we just decide that we'll quit fighting
They did that a few years ago in
Northern Ireland and for the most part They
they haven't done it for a little while,
but you know, nothing has changed in the
heart But when Jesus is talking about his
peace, he's talking about that radical change in
the heart that says the peace of God
I Remember listening some years ago to Evie
Hill that great black preacher preaching a message
on What would I have if I had
Jesus?
and somebody from the Black Panther organization had
come to him and said I listen to
you preaching for an hour and a half
and you guys think you have trouble with
me, but After an hour and a half
has said I think you're a fraud I
think you're putting it on Then he said
I just stood there and I prayed Lord,
would you open the door just a little
crack?
He said when she had finished ranting and
raving at him.
She finally said If I had come to
Christ like you said, what would I have?
What I get a new house would I
get a new car would I get a
better job, you know What would I have?
And he said I'm gonna tell you 12
things that you'd have I don't have time
to list them Today, but just the first
one he said is you'd have peace with
God There'd be no more struggle between the
two of you second one is you'd have
the peace of God and That's quite different
than just peace with God.
That's the God of peace dwelling on the
inside, isn't it?
This verse teaches me that Jesus is the
overcomer of the world Now this world presses
and pushes doesn't it and the things that
we wish we could get don't seem to
ever Materialize and other strength things and struggles
come up and start to press upon us,
but listen to what Jesus said These things
I've spoken to me to you that in
me you may have peace in the world
You'll have tribulation But be of good cheer.
I have overcome the world Do you like
tribulation?
I Don't see any hands, I don't think
it's a it's a Happy thing for us.
Is it yet?
Jesus says in those times you can be
of good cheer Because I've overcome it all
There is nothing that this world can throw
at you that Jesus Christ has not already
overcome and as you walk in him There
is that place of peace and I think
you know of people in the past that
I have tried to witness to and tried
to drop kick into the kingdom of God
and Tried to push and shove and convince
and finagle and all those things and get
them across that line and just frustrate myself
No end or circumstances that I tried to
change And then I think too about the
times when I just set it down and
said Lord I Can't change that Lord unless
you come and change that Nothing's gonna happen
I think about a girl some years ago
who came to see me a Christian girl,
and she said I'm gonna have an abortion
and I plead with her don't do it
and She went ahead anyway And for two
years we didn't see her in church And
then one day she walked back in You
know the testimony that she was able to
give Was absolutely incredible Yes, we make mistakes
But God in his grace and mercy and
forgiveness also ministers to us lifts us Brings
us back to the place of overcoming those
things Now, maybe you're here this morning and
life is not ideal Listen again to the
words of Jesus These things I've spoken to
you that in me you may have peace
in the world You'll have tribulation, but be
of good cheer.
I Have overcome the world See when we
live for ourselves We're constantly disappointed, and we're
always fighting with somebody about something I Visited
with somebody yesterday, and they're not from Regina
and There's a fight going on in the
family brother against brother and Things can be
like that can't it can be like that
husband against wife or children against parents or
brothers against brothers And so on because when
we end up saying well Just a minute.
That's not right.
I want this and We have no peace
But Jesus Gives us peace when we come
to the overcomer and say Lord I get
rid of every right that I have just
Take me This past week down in Maryland
ministering with a dear man whose name is
Richard Owen Roberts, and He's 78 years old
and we were talking about hurt, and he
said you know I Probably could list every
conceivable wound that you can imagine to have
Emotionally spiritually sometimes even physically that has happened
to me over the years, and he has
the sweetest disposition and I said to him
Now if if you were to have to
give a key, what is it that gets
you to this place?
What would you say and this is what
he said?
well There's no point in listing all those
wounds because I'm dead I Said say it
again.
He said there's no point in listing all
those wounds and keeping all those records because
I'm dead I Said well you're 78, but
you're still here In case you hadn't noticed
And he said No there had to come
a day When I lay done on my
face before the Lord and said Lord I
die To myself and my desires and all
of those things and all of those issues
And I want you to live in me
in the power and fullness that only you
can bring I Said to him.
Do you remember all those wrongs?
So what's the point?
No point in remembering it because I'm dead
to it Jesus is the overcomer.
It's one of the things I love about
this table And One thing I'd say to
you this morning just to keep it clear
and simple It's just this if you're wrestling
with something or someone Maybe the best thing
today is just to come as you take
this bread and this juice and say Lord
Truly I want to die to myself and
live the Christ life instead Well in my
time we've covered three and that means there's
a bunch left here, but I'm just gonna
quickly give you the points and you can
look them up.
How's that?
Do this in remembrance of me.
He's the end of the law.
He's the conqueror of Satan He's the overcomer
of the world in 2nd Corinthians 5 17.
It says that Christ makes all things new
The old is passed away the new has
come don't you love it?
Yeah In Colossians 2 15.
It says Christ is the spoiler of the
principalities and powers There is not a power
in this earth that can overcome him not
one In 1st Corinthians 15 26, it says
that Christ is the destroyer of death We
we celebrated 60 years now, you know that's
That's not all that old.
My brother sent me a note to say
60 is the new 30 So, I don't
know I'll feel like 60 But you know
what I Don't really care because When death
comes it only opens a door To eternity
all those endless days now, I like to
worship and and Maybe you struggle with me
on Sundays.
It'd be great to have the worship package
an hour long and so on but at
that throne There'd be no end to worship
That's why Cliff Barrows used to say to
Billy Graham Billy when we're done here There's
no need for a preacher in heaven, but
my job is still secure Christ is the
destroyer of death You look 19 verse 10
it says Jesus is the seeker and the
Savior of those who are lost A couple
of weeks ago.
I was witnessing to a young lady She
said to me I Had a miscarriage and
things were just so dark and I felt
so lost and Nobody told me to do
it, but somehow Instinctively, I just knew to
cry out to God and as I cried
out to him He came to me He's
the one who seeks and saves Let's pray
Father I want to just come before you
and give you thanks that There are so
many reasons to remember you this morning You
took that cup of our sin and you
drank it all You're the end of the
law the conqueror of Satan you're the overcomer
of the world You're the one Who has
conquered death?
You're the one who seeks and saves the
lost father this morning is your Holy Spirit
searches our hearts You know exactly where we
are You know the hurts and the struggles
you know the joys as well as the
pain And this morning father as we come
to your table Pray that you would continue
to minister to our hearts and strengthen us
through your word and by your spirit Lord
that you wouldn't bless this special time around
the table in just a powerful powerful way
In Jesus name we ask Just stay in
the attitude of prayer for a moment or
two Let me ask our elders and pastor
Tom if they would come and join me
Here and Just while you're at the attitude
of prayer take a moment and speak to
Jesus Remember None of
us lives perfectly and we need his forgiveness
And so just quietly in your heart Bring
those things that you know you've done wrong
to him It might be an attitude might
be something you said something that you did
But he is here to meet with you
And to make his forgiveness and his cleansing
real in your heart and in your life
Father we pray that you would bring to
our minds those things that we need to
confess before you For your word says that
if we confess our sin He is faithful
and just to forgive us our sin and
to cleanse us from all unrighteousness So Lord
we confess That we've not lived perfectly And
we need your forgiveness We thank you for
your truth for your overcoming power And we
ask you to continue to speak to our
hearts As we come before you now In
Jesus name Amen I'll ask pastor Tom to
Pray for the bread after it's distributed and
as it comes if you would Just hold
on to it till we are all served,
and then we'll partake together Jesus
That night he was betrayed took brand and
he broke it and gave it to his
disciples And he told them to eat it
Pastor Tom would you lead us in prayer
for this brand?
And you did that when we weren't perfect,
yes, you did that while we are yet
sinners And even today Lord if we are
here and there are things that are in
our lives May we eat and there are
May we eat of this bread?
Remembering that you took the punishment for our
sins for us May we not push this
gift away?
But in so eating this we say to
you we thank you and we receive your
We read earlier that that night he also
took the cup and that cup was passed
to each of the disciples Let's
Pray together as we come to partake of
this glass Father we are so grateful for
the miracle of your grace We can drink
this cup today not because we're good enough
but because you have loved us and Because
Jesus has died for us We thank you
for the majesty of your forgiveness Because It
cleanses away all our sin We thank you
father For the ongoing work of your spirit
in our hearts and in our lives And
ask that as we partake of this cup
You would cleanse away those things that should
not be there But that you would also
fill us afresh and anew With the spirit
of the Living God With a holy boldness
to live in this world with that belonging
to this world We give you our thanks
and our praise that you are the overcomer
and That in you There is security You
are the one who does not change So
father as we drink this cup We thank
you for the forgiveness of sin For life
everlasting in Christ Jesus and For the joy
of the indwelling Holy Spirit in Jesus name
Amen, I
want to just take a moment and ask
our Elders if they would remain at the
front at every communion service If you have
a need physical emotional spiritual please feel free
to come to the front after the closing
prayer and they'll be here to pray with
you and for you and I want to
mention the ushers will be ready as you
leave to receive your glasses and Also to
receive a benevolent offering for those who have
needs amongst us and that Is always true
and thank God that it is always true
Because he supplies our needs So let us
Stand together and I think Jesse's coming to
Close in prayer.
Am I right?
after his prayer if If you need prayer
come forward if not slip out into the
foyer and Enjoy that little sweet treat Dear
Heavenly Father.
Thank you for such a great opportunity For
me to be able to know share this
morning and God.
I just thank you for Pastor John and
his service and I just it's incredible every
time and Lord just help us Just acknowledge
your your wonder in your absolute Everything it
just blows my mind away every time God
and I just pray that it would help
that we would that you would help us
just understand your grace and How how you
see us as perfect?
Walking walking with you God.
It's amazing to me Lord I just thank
you for the day and just Just let
us be able to enjoy it in fellowship
and in your name Amen dismissed Thank you.
God bless you