Christ Girded with Truth

Well, it is a privilege to be able to be back with you all tonight to speak with you once more. Before I get started, I like to recommend books, and in particular recommend books when they're considering the subject matter of what we will be looking at this evening concerning the devices of Satan and the temptation of believers who should be girded with truth. If you are struggling with temptations, if you repetitively fall to the deceits of the devil, and you feel defeated, two books I would recommend are Thomas Brooks' Precious Remedies Against Satan's Devices, a really, really wonderful, wonderful work of art. That's Thomas Brooks' Precious Remedies Against Satan's Devices. It's a Puritan paperback.

Another one is C.S. Lewis' The Screwtape Letters, which is a wonderful fiction that shows the supernatural interferences of evil in the life of daily believers in an attempt to cause them to fall. Just wonderful books that are greatly encouraging to the believer who is struggling with Satan's devices in their daily life. A wonderful blessing. Well, last time I spoke with you, it was the Lord's Table. And a few days later, Carnes came into my office, grinning almost devilishly to let me know that I would be preaching on the Lord's Table again. And as I was with the lynches a few days later, I told them, I'm a little perplexed because I covered the wholeness of the doctrine from its institution to its eschatology. And Sue said, well, go ahead and just tell them that you're preaching on dessert tonight. Well, in a way I am because there is nothing sweeter that I have for you than the gospel of Christ and Him crucified.

And that is what we will be considering tonight, Christ for us, Christ girded with truth. You've done it again. You've promised that you'd be more careful, you'd think more clearly, you'd fight back harder and you've blown it again. How could you possibly be a good Christian, a genuine believer in Christ and fall to the same temptations over and over again? You should be doing better by now. You knew you shouldn't have looked at that website, but you told yourself that no one would know and no one would be hurt.

So what's the big deal after all? And so you indulged. And afterward, the guilt came flooding in like a mighty flood. You told yourself that you'd guard your tongue better next time.

But that co-worker pushed you just a bit too far and you listened to the lie that came slithering in your mind that you'd feel a lot better if you just lashed out on him or her. But the guilt comes flooding in, and you're in trouble. And you're sitting there alone thinking to yourself, how could I possibly be a Christian and fail as much as I do? It seems that I can't learn.

It seems that the lies are always so convincing to me. If you're anything like me, you've lived in this kind of world before. It's discouraging. It's deflating to your appetite for the things of God because you found yourself feeling so disgusting that you've distanced yourself from prayer. You've distanced yourself from those who are discipling with you and walking with you in accountability. You've distanced yourself from the scriptures as though spending some time away might be a means by which you can atone for your sin. And then once the guilt fades away, then I can confidently come back to my Bible once more. This is the battle that many believers face on a constant basis. And it leaves them living below the privileges of their birthright and outside of the glories of the gospel wherein they were so miraculously born and freed. And so in the midst of your defeat, you muster up enough strength to flip through the scriptures once more, and you find yourself in Ephesians 6. And so you read. And you find yourself reading about the armor of God.

And as you do, you misunderstand it. And you tell yourself that you're going to white-knuckle this thing and try harder next time. And you re-enter back in once more into that vicious cycle of failure in your own strength. Well, as we look at the scriptures tonight, we will be considering the armor of God in Ephesians 6. But what I want us to leave here understanding tonight is that that text is not devoid of grace. Rather, it is a call to arms to those living in light of the grace achieved by Christ on our behalf. And so it is my desire tonight that you might leave here resting in Christ, your warrior, our warrior.

He has worn this prescribed armor on our behalf in his destruction of sin for our reconciliation unto the Father. And now we may in light of this truth run forward energized by this good news. Tonight I want to invite you to consider Christ girded with truth as we will look at this in three different parts. We will consider first the truth-bearer prophesied, second the truth-bearer in triumph, and third living in light of the overcoming truth-bearer. First, let us consider the truth-bearer prophesied. If you will turn with me to the book of Isaiah tonight, Isaiah chapter number 11. As you make your way there, I will say that for context, we need to know that Israel's hardness of heart, which is discussed in chapters 9 and 10 of Isaiah, has provoked the judgment of God. 2 through 5 reads, Assyria is the rod of his anger. It is this theme of sin and judgment that we find, as G.K. Bill notes, the deliverance that the stem of Jesse will bring to God's people. And in verse 2 through 5, we note the descriptions of this deliverer. Let's go ahead and read this together. Isaiah chapter 11, verse number 1 through 5, the scriptures read, Now, I want you to mark that in your mind.

It will come up later. The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him. The Spirit of wisdom and understanding. The Spirit of counsel and might.

The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord. His delight is in the fear of the Lord. And he shall not judge by the sight of his eyes, nor decide by the hearing of his ears, but with righteousness he shall judge the poor and decide with excellence. With equity for the meek of the earth, he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked.

Here it is. Righteousness shall be the belt of his loins, and faithfulness the belt of his waist. What we find here is that this promised one will be one upon whom the Spirit rests. He will be the one who delights in the Lord. He will be the one who will judge with righteousness. And he will be the one who is wearing a belt of righteousness and of truth. Now, I want you to note with me in verse number 5, Righteousness shall be the belt of his loins, and faithfulness the belt of his waist.

The Greek translations of our Old Testament, it is called the Septuagint. It reads, verse 5, like this, A rod from the root of Jesse will have girded his waist with righteousness and wrapped his sides with truth. So in the midst of God's judgment on sin, there is a promised deliverer who is coming and will be girded with truth. It is a defining attribute of his character and he who is truth will come in to save his people.

The judgment of God upon men for their love of sin and falling for the lies of Satan spanning all the way back to Eden will be reversed. Relief will be known in this one who is described as wearing the belt of truth. The question proposed is who is this truth bearer?

Who is this promised deliverer? Well, it is Christ, of course. In John 14, 6, the scriptures read, Jesus said unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life.

No man comes to the Father except through me. He will be one who is girded with truth. And what is truth? Well, Jesus says in John 17, 17, in his priestly prayer, he prays, sanctify them in truth, your word is truth. It is the word of God which is truth that fully testifies of Jesus who is the truth. John 5, 39 says, you search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life and it is they that bear witness about me. Jesus is the pinnacle of the scriptures. Jesus is the centerpiece of the Bible.

The Bible testifies of Christ from Genesis to Revelation. It is he who is bearing truth. It is he who is truth. It is he who the truthful Bible preaches about of the one who is the truth. These scriptures which are true point to Jesus which is the truth. But how is this demonstrated in the life of Christ? How is he seen as the one girded with truth? Well, I'm glad you asked because it is this question which is going to lead us to our next point which is the truth-bearer in triumph over deception.

And that's going to lead us back to Luke chapter number four and chapter number three as a matter of fact will also be an important aspect of this. As you turn now, I'll tell you that in Homer's Iliad, he tells the story of Greece, this is not an accurate story but it's a good myth, he tells the story of Greece performing a ten-year siege upon the city of Troy. It is unsuccessful and so he says that one day the Greeks sailed their ships away as though to say that they were finally done with this unsuccessful ten-year campaign they were waging and they leave behind a massive wooden horse. The men of Troy seem to think that it is an offering to their goddess and so they bring it in to their walls and they think nothing about it, that it is a simply a parting gift from the men of Greece to say you're a lot stronger than we originally anticipated, here's to you.

And so these men think nothing about it that is until they go to sleep that night and out come the men of Greece into the inner walls of Troy and down she falls. In the Christian life there are things going on all around us that may prove to be tempting to others that never truly get to us, that never bother us, that never affect us, but we must keep an eye out for our enemy. He is wise and he knows what to put in front of us to provoke our interest.

And though we fall again and again to these deceptive lies that seem to be so harmless and so attractive, there is someone who has stood against Satan's temptations where we would only fail. And in this we will look in Luke 3 and 4 and we will consider that reality in light of Jesus' baptism, the genealogies that Luke gives and then Jesus wondering by the Spirit into the wilderness. First I want you to look with me at the victory of Christ in the wilderness. And it's going to lead us to ask this question first and foremost, why was Jesus baptized? Why was Jesus baptized? Because as we look in Matthew 3's account of this, we find that John the Baptist is baptizing them with a baptism of repentance.

And so that curates even more questions within our mind. If Jesus is sinless, why does he need to be baptized with a baptism of repentance? And this is exactly what John is thinking in verse 14 where he tells Jesus, I need to be baptized by you.

And you're the one coming to me? And Jesus replies in verse 15 by saying this, I need to be so now for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness. And in that is our answer, to fulfill all righteousness. What we find here is that Jesus is coming as the perfect God-man who will do what Adam and all of us have failed to do and that is to fulfill every expectation that God has for humanity.

I told the teens this a few weeks ago, if you want to see what God had planned and pictured for humanity in perfection, look to Christ, he is the perfect man. He is the one who comes and fulfills every expectation that God has for humankind. In his baptism, not only is Jesus submitting obediently to this, but he is identifying with the repentant.

I will word it this way if I might. Jesus is putting on the shoes of his people to walk the perfect mile that they never could. Jesus is identifying with the repentant. Jesus is identifying with his people. He is cloaking himself in those people who have sins and need to be repented of. And following his baptism, what happens?

The spirit in the form of a dove descends upon him and rests on him. Do you remember what I just told you to mark in Isaiah? Isaiah 11 2 says, the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him. This is a fulfillment of Isaiah 11.

And then what happens? The Father speaks from heaven and says, this is my beloved Son. Hear ye him. There is my King James there. What we find here, the Father says you are my beloved Son and you I am well pleased. But secondly, directly after this account Luke does something a little bit mind boggling. The heavens just broke open and the Father just spoke from heaven. And a dove just rested upon Jesus who is the Holy Spirit. And then Luke thinks that it's a good time to begin listing 15 verses of genealogies. And if you're like us and you've been doing your Bible reading plan, you've probably glaze over whenever you begin to see begots.

Don't do that here or you will misunderstand everything that's going on right here. Luke is smart and he knows what he is doing. Luke is going to connect Jesus all the way back to Adam.

He is going to loop him all the way back which is why I pointed this out to you earlier. The Father says you are my beloved Son and you I am well pleased. And then Adam is going to say, now Jesus began his ministry about 30 years of age being as was supposed the son of Joseph. And then we went down to verse 38, the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God. We read this and we are kind of perplexed because we all know that we are descendants of Adam so what's the big deal? The big deal is in that phrase the son of Adam, the son of God. Notice in verse 22 God says you are my beloved son and in verse 38 Adam is described as the son of God. Now this is not to state that Adam is the eternal son of God. This is simply meaning that Adam is created by God. Christ is not created by God. He is eternal, everlasting, without beginning and end. He is generated by the Father and is without creation.

So what's going on here? I want you to highlight this in your mind. Jesus is declared from heaven to be the son of God in whom he is well pleased. And then we find at the end of the genealogies Adam is the son of God. Now what comes to your mind when I mention Adam and Eve? The fall of man in the Garden of Eden. And if that is what you were thinking as you read this account you were ready to enter in to chapter 4.

If you don't have that in mind you are not going to farewell and understanding chapter 4. Jesus is walking into a scene that is equivalent to the garden. In Genesis 3 there is perfection and beauty. In Luke 4 there is wilderness. In Genesis 3 Adam was not alone but was with a suitable helpmate. But Jesus was alone. In Genesis 3 there is satisfaction as Adam could eat of all trees freely except for one.

But Jesus, Jesus starves for 40 days. In Genesis 3 the animals are under the dominion of man. But in Mark's account of this event which is very short in Mark 1 he gives us one bit of information that Jesus wanders into the wilderness and he was there with wild animals. What we are seeing here is that Genesis 3 Satan slides into perfect Eden and man falls. But here in Luke 4 Jesus walks into Satan's territory and he wins the stare down. Not only does Jesus be equivalent or similar in his conquering here but he does more than Adam could do. He suffered more than Adam could suffer.

He had more weight upon him than Adam had and Jesus was still victorious in Mark's account. This scene. But not only does it correlate to the garden but it also correlates to the wilderness wanderings of the children of Israel. Yet there God satisfies them and what do they continually do?

They are complainers. But what does Jesus do when the devil tempts him to turn the stones into bread? He says that man shall not live by bread alone but every word of God. Jesus is satisfied in the providence of the Father who has placed him.

He has placed him there and he has submitted to it. Jesus walks into Satan's territory and wins the stare down. Adam gave no rebuke to the lying deceit of Satan. But Christ facing the assaults of Satan's lies stands firm responding to each temptation with the word of God. In verse 3 through 4 Satan comes to the hungry Lord Jesus and tempts him to turn rocks into bread. That is the temptation of the lust of the flesh but Christ responds with Deuteronomy 8 3 which reads man shall not live by bread alone but by every word of God. In verses 5 through 8 Satan tempts Jesus by showing him the kingdoms of the world and tells him if you will simply bow the knee I will give you everything. And in this age where we live in instant gratification that would be highly appealing to us. I wouldn't have to be crucified.

I wouldn't have to suffer. I can bow to Satan and everything will be mine. This is the lust of the eyes but Jesus responds with Deuteronomy 6 13. In verses 9 through 12 Satan tempts Jesus by taking him to the top of the temple and tells him if you are the son of God throw yourself down and angels will catch you.

What is interesting here is that Satan uses scriptures these times he's quoting Psalm 91 and Jesus corrects correctly responds to him with Deuteronomy 6 16. We find the lust of the flesh the lust of the eyes and the pride of life presented to the Lord Jesus. I was asked a question by one of the few of the students a few days ago about the peckability and the impeccability of Christ meaning could Christ have sinned in this scenario was he within himself drawn to sin but was without sin no.

Jesus Christ could not have sinned and so we say to ourselves well this makes this a lot less interesting because Jesus it was just bouncing off of him no. We have a breaking point where temptation beats against us and we give in but in Christ there was no breaking point. And these temptations wailed against him more than we have ever endured and he did not fail. What's interesting here for us what is the significance of this passage? This significance that we find here is that Jesus is the final and greater Adam. He is baptized as though to identify with us as our representative head and he is led into the wilderness where he does what Adam failed so horribly to do and what we have failed every day henceforth to do. Jesus Christ successfully conquers the temptations of Satan. Yes in this passage we find the importance of understanding the scriptures for our daily fight of sin but that is merely of secondary importance. At the heart of this passage Jesus is seen as our mighty champion who is robed in truth and who does not fail to the temptations of Satan. Christ is our victorious Lord. And after this Satan departs from him it says until an opportune time. Until an opportune time.

We'll see next the Christ triumph on the cross. I'll ask you have you ever told yourself that I'm going to begin dieting on Monday? If you have tomorrow is Monday so we got to get ready for that. You've told yourself I'm going to begin dieting on Monday only for you to be on your way to work and the hot and ready light at Krispy Kreme is on and the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak and so in we go. Or maybe it's your co-workers birthday and everyone is celebrating by going to get Mexican food and the waiter places that massive bowl of tortilla chips right in front of you and again we fall. It's hard to resist isn't it especially those chips. Similarly we have to look at this and we have to ask ourselves if you're serious about staying on this diet you better have a plan or you're going to fail.

You're going to fall off. Similarly if you're serious about we need to know that our enemy isn't foolish. He knows what temptations most deeply try us. And he is seeking whom he may devour actively. Just as Troy fell after all they had resisted we too must be aware of Satan seeking an opportune time. For us there is a limit to what we can bear before we break but in Christ who is the God-man that could not sin his temptations were greater than we could have ever imagined that he remained without sin. What was that opportune time that came up in the life of Christ? Well was it not in the garden where Jesus agonized and sorrowed and sweat as it were with great drops of blood? Was it not in the betrayal of Judas who delivered him up with a kiss? Was it not in Peter denying him? Was it not in everyone forsaking him?

Was it not as he was being investigated and antagonized by a pilot? Was it not as he hung upon the cross in Matthew 27 39-40? Here it says and those who pass by blasphemed him wagging their heads and saying you who destroy the temple and build it up in three days save yourself. If you are the son of God come down from the cross. In verse 42 it says he saved others himself he cannot save if he is. Now notice that language very similar to Satan's temptations. If he is the king of Israel let him now come down from the cross and we will believe.

He trusted in God let him deliver him now if he will have him for he said I am the son of God. Do you notice the correlating language to what we have read in Luke's account of the wilderness temptation here? The provoking words in an attempt to tempt Christ the son of God yet once again he endures and even with his dying breath cries out it is finished. The scriptures read father into your hands I commit my spirit and he gives up the ghost and Christ completes his work as the one who lived girded with truth never failing never falling to the temptation of Satan for the glory of God for the redemption of his people and so what do we do with this?

What do we do with this knowledge that we have here tonight? That is the question which leads us into our final point which is living in light of the overcoming truth bearer. In Isaiah as I mentioned earlier we notice the theme of sin of judgment and of deliverance of sin of judgment and deliverance and as we turn our attention to Ephesians in light of what we have seen we too will find a similar theme throughout the book. In Ephesians 2 you will find this said and you he made alive who were dead in trespasses and sins and in verse 3 reads this among whom we all also among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lust of our flesh fulfilling desires of the flesh and of the mind and were by nature the children of wrath just as the others. Look with me in verse 5 even when we were dead in trespasses he made us alive together with Christ. What we notice here is that Paul is highlighting the conditions of sinful men describing us as once dead in sins children of wrath dead in trespasses however he doesn't end there but he emphasizes that God has delivered us through the work of Christ. In verse 13 it says but now but now in Christ Jesus you who were once far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. In verse 16 says that he might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross. And as we consider Ephesians 6 the armor of God you will know that Paul has in his mind the armor of God prophesied throughout the book of Isaiah because it's in Isaiah that we also find the breastplate of righteousness and the shoes of the gospel of peace.

Paul is pulling from Isaiah and what we find here is a summarization of this theme of sin of judgment and of deliverance in stating that we have sinned and are wholly deserving of the wrath of God however we have received pardon we have received deliverance we have received deliverance full and free in that God has poured out what was belonging to us on our lovely Lord Jesus Christ. And as we have seen as Christ was enduring the agonies experience throughout his ministry on our behalf he was armed with this truth and in this we do not simply have an example. We do not simply have an example as Christ wages war against temptation with truth. We have a savior. Jesus is more than an example. He is a savior.

This is what separates us from the liberals of the faith today which is a whole other religion in itself. Christ is not merely an example. Christ is a savior.

We do not preach more moral therapeutic deism. We preach Christ and him crucify. Christ is without sin. Christ is not merely our example though he is that. Christ is our savior and from that flows our example to live in him. And as we have seen Christ was enduring the agonies on our behalf we have a savior who is able to walk in the territory of Satan that roaring lion and is able to win inside of his own den. We have a savior who is girded with truth, the truth of God's word which testifies of himself. Christ is our savior who in his humanity is everything that God desires for mankind to be. He obeys no matter the cost and it is in his active obedience which led him to the cross that we who are washed in his blood are now not only seen by the father as though we have never sinned but in Christ's active obedience we have seen as though we have always obeyed. That revolutionized my life when I understood that in Christ's life and death it is not as though we have never sinned it is as though we have never sinned but also that we have always obeyed in Christ. Ian Dogood in his book The Whole Armor of God writes we are not equipped with a solid belt of faith fully appropriating the truth but Jesus was and he was in our place.

His faithful girding of himself with the truth stands for us so that on the last day when the father summons us into his presence he will not condemn us for our faithlessness but will delight to clothe us in Christ's perfect faithfulness and even now Christ clothes us with his perfect love of truth as if it were our very own. You've confessed and you determined last Sunday that you wouldn't commit again and you'd beat once for all but you've done it. You've fallen again. Are you discouraged?

Are you beaten down? Do you feel hopeless and without assurance? Look to Christ. Look to Christ who was not deceived.

He didn't fall. He was victorious for you. It was Martin Luther who once says when Satan tells me that I am a sinner he comforts me immeasurably. Since Christ died for sinners. From this beautiful truth Paul brings this around this theme of sinners finding their judgment and deliverance fulfilled in Christ to call us to live in light of this finished work as soldiers of the cross. Seeing how God uses the imagery of God's armor in Isaiah it seems to be teaching us that though the war is won in Christ the consummation has not yet come and so the armor of God in Isaiah that was worn by Christ is now prescribed to us who are called to imitate God in his role as divine warrior. GK Bell writes God certainly has struck a fatal blow against the rulers authorities and cosmic powers of this present darkness but the flaming arrows of this doomed regime continue to assail God's people and if the forces of hell are committed to spending their remaining days attacking the people of God we must be prepared and our preparation is in girding ourselves with truth.

Thomas Brooks in his book Precious Remedies for Satan's Devices does a wonderful job in describing the sly ways in which Satan works as he writes sin will kiss the soul and pretend to be fair to the soul and yet will betray the soul forever it will do this with the delilah smile upon us that it may betray us into the into the hands of the devil as she did Samson into the hands of the Philistines. He continues to say later on oh therefore forever take heed of playing with or nibbling at Satan's golden baits. And considering Paul's call to put on the armor of God an interesting aspect of this is that Paul may also have had the Romans soldiers armor in mind and if this is the case this wouldn't have been a thin belt it would have been a large leather and metal belt that would wrap around them to hold back their long flowing robes but it also would have been to hold their sword. Seeing that Paul makes mention of this belt of truth as well as the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God I am led to say that here we are pointed to arm ourselves with the scriptures as mentioned before which testify of the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ. It is this gospel that keeps the baggage of life from interfering in our daily affairs as warriors of the cross. It is this gospel that frees us from the countless accusations of Satan. It is this gospel which frees us to serve God with joy and gladness and to stand as though the world seems shaken around us. In other words the more you grasp the reality of Christ's work on your behalf as one girded with truth the more you will find yourself strengthened to stand in truth. In light of Satan's deceptive lies.

What does this look like? It looks like in hard times when they fall upon you and you were tempted to believe that God is no longer there and does not truly love you. You stand upon Romans 8 28 which says and we know that for those who love God all things work together for good for those who are called according to his purpose. It looks like when you find yourself discouraged by the lack of growth in your Christian life you remember 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 Christ.

When those in your life hurt or betray you and you were tempted to believe that you would feel so much better if you got even. You recall Ephesians 4 32. Be kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another as God in Christ forgave you. And also Romans 12 19. Beloved never avenge yourselves but leave it to the wrath of God for it is written vengeance is mine I will repay saith the Lord. When Satan tempts you in presenting sin as a well-deserved right because I've done well consider that it was Adam and Eve that felt entitled to become as God in deciding what was good for themselves and how horribly they fell. When Satan tempts you in presenting sin as secretive harmless and enjoyable remember Psalm 90 verse 8. You have set our iniquities before you our secret secret sins in the light of your presence and recall that this same God who knows you and every sin that you have committed loved you and gave his son for you and in light of that gospel go forward in conquering your sin in the power of the cross. Ian Doogood once more writes if my failures are meant to drive me to the cross in repentance humility and the Father's arms are always open to welcome the returning prodigal then Satan's claims that God will surely spurn me because of my fresh sin loses its sting.

Foundational truth belted around our wastes enables us to stand against Satan even as it points us away from ourselves and points us to Jesus Christ as the only one who can make us stand. So tonight as we are called to take time to examine ourselves in preparation for the Lord's table if you will take time to have an honest examination you will be reminded of the sins in which you have fought. But rejoice in this that as unworthy as you and I feel tonight it is not by our merits but it is by the merits of Christ on our behalf that we are welcomed in to commune with him around this table. And you may once more preach to yourself tonight as I laid out for you a few weeks ago that so surely as I can taste this wine and this bread so surely has Christ lived and died for me in that fine peace.

This is proven armor that is laid out before us tonight. But if you go forward tomorrow and you have fallen to the lies of Satan once more look to Christ who has conquered on your behalf and in that fine strength that is where we march forward as soldiers of the cross. Amen. Let us pray. Heavenly Father we thank you for the gospel of grace which you have entrusted to us your church. May we forever be soldiers of the cross girded with the truth that testifies that you are the truth. May we forever guard this. This has been entrusted to us.

Lord false teaching hurts people. May we forever be soldiers of the cross to preach the truth which sets sinners free which enables beaten and battered and worn saints to have a balm for their wearied souls and to march forward in the victory which you have won for us. Lord tonight though the victory is won in you it has not been consummated yet. And just as David slew Goliath and those hiding soldiers of Israel then marched forward in light of their champion victory may we too march forward in light of the victory that you have won for us. We love you Lord and tonight as we come together to fellowship both with one another and with yourself around this table may we lift our eyes from ourselves and look to Christ who welcomes us in to commune with him not by our merits but by his merits on our behalf. We ask that in Jesus name. Amen.