The Danger of Popularity

So what squatter works for worship would stay with me as a reader call to worship. I will extol you my God and King and bless your name forever and ever. Every day I will bless you and praise your name forever and ever. Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised in his greatness is unsearchable. Please be seated. Let's pray heavenly father is we come here to worship today. You are sanctuary you are our retreat or half tower fortress Lord you you are comfort, but we ask that you would bless this time a worship that you would quiet our hearts, the Holy Spirit would work within us so that we would hear your word. We would sing praises to you, that would be a sweet savor to you Lord you are righteous your word is truth and follow. We we thank you for the rock that you given us Jesus Christ our Lord. He is our hope in him alone, we trust in him and him alone for we have no other hope other than him. We can't come to you with our righteousness because we don't have any. We only have the righteousness that Christ is given us. Though we ask that you be with us today we lift up Linda McGavran to you.

Lift up Nancy Malone just as she be with them as they suffer and recover. Father, we just pray for them. Have your saints minister to them and bless the Lord, but we do ask that you go before us were thankful for this time together. And Lord, that you would polish your children bless us time father in Christ name man. Jesus is Lord he is the King of Kings, the Lord of lords, and yet he condescends to make us his own. He associates with us.

He was born under the law in order to redeem us who are under the wall. He is the Lord. He is transcendent. King and yet he is imminent Savior. This is the Christ we worship today, would you stand with me in honor of our Lord and Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Let's sing to him. Jesus is Lord, the cry that echoes through creation and in a and all you could be seated. New Testament reading this morning as Romans chapter 9 verses one through five. Paul is grieving over the hardness of heart of his people, the nation of Israel and listen to what he says, Romans nine verses one through five. I am speaking the truth in Christ.

I'm not lying, my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart for I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers. My kinsman according to the flesh, they are Israelites and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law. The worship and the promises to them belong the patriarchs, and from their race. According to the flash is the Christ, who is God overall blessed forever. Amen. Is the word of the Lord. We can feel Paul's anguish as he contemplates the spiritual condition of his. His kindred his kinsman the nation of Israel and yet are we the church, not a whole lot like Israel.

We have even more privilege even more blessing. We have the word of God we have post calorie revelation of the gospel, the Lord Jesus Christ we have the Holy Spirit indwelling us in a unique way. And yet how often we harden our hearts against the very God who was shown us mercy and grace and we create idols of our heart and worship those idols rather than the true and living God as revealed himself to us. Take a moment this morning to remind ourselves that God and God alone is worthy of our worship. Would you confess your faith with me as we responsibly read several questions from the Westminster larger catechism, which is the first commandment.

The first commandment is thou shalt have no other gods before me. What are the duties required in the first commandment, the duties required in the first commandment are the knowing and acknowledging of God to be the only true God and our God and to worship and glorify him. Accordingly, by thinking, meditating, remembering highly is steaming honoring adoring choosing loving, desiring searing of him believing him, trusting hoping delighting rejoicing in him being zealous for him, calling upon him getting all praise and thanks and yielding all obedience and submission to him with the whole man being careful in all things to please him and sorrowful when in anything.

He is offended and walking humbly with him, saying, Psalm 2145. This is a song that reminds us that our God is a great and awesome and all-powerful God. And yet at the same time, a God who stoops to our level. He shows grace to us. His anger is not forever.

He shows mercy he shows grace with stand and honor this great Goddess we worshiping together the tunas. Jesus shall reign and and all will will will and will will and amen remain standing in honor of God's word as we read first Samuel 17 we looked at this moment in verses 55 to 58 and little bit later will be into chapter 18.

Sin is also David go out against the Philistine. He said after the commander of the Army Abner Hussein is that she and Abner said as your solely as a king.

I do not know, and the king said inquiry son.

The boy is missing is David returned from striking down the Philistine after checking and broadening before Saul was ahead of the Philistine in his hand and Saul said to him, whose son are you young man and David answered. I am the son of your servant Jesse. The Bethel might get our Lord in prayer.

Heavenly father, we are dealing with the subject today. It's hard to be honest and objective the subject of popularity is difficult. We have a brand into us a love for acceptance. We like it when we looked up to and honored. We enjoy being flattered. We rejoice in being made much of way too often we put the praises of men over and above the approval of God father when we don't receive the accolades we think we deserve to get jealous. Patty, we pray this morning that you would so magnify the person of Jesus in our own hearts that we would lose all desire to magnify yourself, help us not to be jealous of the achievements of our friends and coworkers but may we instead, pray your blessings upon them. Help us to remember the words of an inspired King Solomon to say that in visas rottenness to the bones. Their greatest concern be that our lives bring glory to Jesus, may we say, along with John the Baptist, may we decrease it.

Jesus might increase open our hearts to your truth. Comfort us when we need to be comforted, convict us where we need to be convicted, challenge us, for we need to be challenged.

40 is in the precious and holy name of Jesus Christ that we pray. Amen.

You may be seated in the mid-1980s, the Boston Celtics had one of the greatest basketball teams ever play the game and I don't hat worked out this way than that particular year 1986 Boston Celtics had the number one draft choice and they they chose young man named Lynn bias Lynn bias was a basketball player played at at at Maryland University of Maryland, and he had won the ACC player of the year, two years in a row. He was an unbelievable player, strong and agile powerful is a great shooter is a great defender. He was a great rebounder. I mean he was a total package. Will that day, as is the draft started they called out his name first and and said that he was going be playing for the Boston Celtics and Lynn since bias walked up on the platform, and he walked over to shake the hand of read our back the president of the Boston Celtics and I took up is they took his hat. The Celtics green hat and placed it on his head. Everybody begin to cheer and I don't remember the the TV announcer say in this. The rest of the league can just hang it up because with Lynn bias on this team for the next 10 years Boston Celtics you can have a dynasty and Lynn bias walked off the stage and everybody was just clapping and cheering six weeks after that I was sitting watching TV and a news report came over the screen and it said the sports world has received a terrible shock Lynn bias the ACC player of the year for the last two years in the number one pick of the Boston Celtics, has died of heart failure and then they said the cause of his death was an overdose of crack cocaine.

I remember I remember watching part of that funeral and after the funeral service was overlooked.

Lynn bias his mother was standing there with tears rolling down her cheeks and she said Lynn came from a family that was poor. A family that was simple. A family that had nothing and she said all of a sudden he had money and had popularity he was being treated as a king, and she said he just didn't know how to handle it in a strange what popularity can do to you but just about everybody would like to be popular. We like to be well thought of.

We like for people to say nice things about us. We love to be love. But there is a price to popularity and the people of God need to realize that that popularity can lead to pride and pride can take us places that we don't need to be. Today we look at a young man who became an instant overnight success. When David went out to fight Goliath and everybody else was absolutely frozen with fear doing absolutely nothing. He got the attention of the people of Israel. But when David took that slingshot and kill the giant and then took his own sword out of his hand and severed his head from his body that he became the greatest hero that Israel ever had the people of Israel loving this man had heart. This man had to put it bluntly, guts, that this man did something that nobody else could do.

He got rid of the intimidator. He made life easier for everybody in Israel. Israel love this young man they lauded him.

They praised him they cheered for him in a 24 hour. David had gone from an insignificant shepherd boy to the most popular man in all of Israel and remember that it is just a teenager 17 years old, probably, and he's being treated as a national hero now.

First Samuel 1755 to 58. We have information that gives us some clues into the character or lack of character of King Saul, we read that again as soon as Saul saw David go out against the Philistine.

He said after the commander of the Army Abner his son is that she and Abner said is your solely as a king. I do not know, and the king said inquiries on the boy is and as soon as David returned from the striking down the Philistine. Abner took aim and brought me before Saul was ahead of the Philistine in his hand and and Saul said to him, whose son are you young man and David answered. I am the son of your servant Jesse. The Bethel might David is been the one who played the harp for King Saul to help him be relieved of the terrible depression that he was enduring and not only that, but David had become the armor bearer for Saul, what is that mean that means for the last several months David had been very close to Saul. He had been in his presence. Day after day after day, all these months, but now when David goes out to face Goliath and he stands before Goliath and all this is taking place. Saul didn't even know his name. He doesn't even know what family he came from and I see that is a huge disconnect. Saul is the sum become so consumed with self that is not even paying attention to those that are serving him and are under his authority to access the address and I want you go out and get that young man and and bringing back to million and so Abner does goes out and gets David and David decides to bring something back with him and what is the brain brings ahead of of Goliath. Can you imagine what that must look like us. He comes walking up the Saul he's holding glass head by the hair blood just dripping down from his neck as glass eyes just bugged out and he takes at that handy just lays it down at Saul's feet and what a site that must've been. And then Saul says son where you from and he said I'm from Bethlehem. I am the son of Jesse, the Bethel might folks. True leaders are not distant from the people who serve under them. If leaders are wise that they will show people under their authority. People are serving them they will show them respect and they will show them appreciation. If you're a leader and you will loyalty you better show loyalty to the people who are under your authority. I see Saul's indifference to David is a huge flaw in his character therefore points I want to share with you today about the danger popularity number one the blessing of covenant love look at him verses in chapter 18 verses 134. As soon as he finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. And Saul took him that day and would not let him return to his father's house. Then Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as his own soul. And Jonathan stripped himself of the road that was on him and gave it to David and his armor, and even his sword in his boat and his belt when the most surprising things in David's life has to do with this relationship with Jonathan who is Saul's son. If anybody had a right to despise David. It probably should've been Jonathan. Jonathan was the legal hair to the throne of Israel when Socko Saul would die.

It was seen that Jonathan would be the one to legally take that throne. And yet Jonathan has no animosity knowing the and no jealousy of David and Jonathan's a smart guy and he can see the pieces of the puzzle falling together. He knows it soon. That throne is going to belong to David. He can see that coming. He knows that he's not can be the one seated on the throne and and he knows that he just can have to bow out. Let it happen. And yet it doesn't seem to bother him in the least. Now, the Scripture describes the relationship between Jonathan and David this way. Jonathan was knit to the Saul of David and he loved David as his own soul.

This is sad to say but the homosexual community has embraced this passage and said that Jonathan and David were homosexual partners.

I want you to know that is an absolute flat out lie these tongue. Two young men were not homosexuals in any way shape or form but they were friends. They were deep deep friends. There were covenant brothers brothers and sisters. It is a dangerous and serious matter when a person or a group of people. We will take a passage twisted around to make it appear that God is condoning a sinful lifestyle where we have before us.

One of the most unselfish men in all the Bible. His name is Jonathan and if you ever want a picture of what it is to be a friend.

Look at the relationship that Jonathan had with David. There's a loyalty and there is a commitment here that is something that the world just doesn't see much of a green AW Pink's commentary on this passage not long ago, and I did he thinks it's something I thought was very interesting. He said he did not believe that Jonathan was a safe man. They believe that Jonathan was not a true child of God because there's nothing there that talks about his commitment to the Lord and so he believed that he was not say I don't buy that I don't I don't buy that at all. I believe that Jonathan knew the Lord a very special way, but I have a lot of respect for AW Pink said why would he say such a thing.

Why would he say that Pink's theory seems strange because we look at Jonathan's loyalty and commitment to David and were pretty impressed with that we think man that is character in that his integrity, but what we need to realize is this a man can be unsaved and still have a lot of human goodness that can happen. I've had neighbors in the past that were unsaved, and yet they were great neighbors. They give you the shirt off their back.

You were sick. They bring food if your children need protection. They help humanly speaking, they were good people, but they were saved. I like the way Jack Taylor said it. He said some people seem to be better by nature than others are by grace and and you know that there's truth to that in some unsaved people who are more loving, more pleasant, more time, more compassionate than people who are genuinely saved and that's a shame and disgrace. It is true and how often do we see this in Scripture, what were God inclines a lost person's heart to favor child of God. We see it in. In Genesis 39 we were God inclines the prison guard to show favor to Joseph or in Exodus chapter 1 where God inclines the Hebrew midwives to show favor to the two mean the Egyptian midwives to show favor to the Hebrew women who were getting ready to have a baby in the process saved a lot of Hebrew children and I think of Queen Esther, and how God's gave our incline. The heart of Kenya has you where us to favor Esther and he most certainly, certainly did that. Proverbs 16 seven says when a man's ways please the Lord. He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him. Jonathan and David were covenant brothers and what is that mean well verse four tells us about the ritualistic actions are stuff that they would go through to be covenant brothers. First of all, Scripture says it, Jonathan gave his road to David. What is the road represent represent his identity himself who said I give myself to you.

This is kind like what happens in a marriage and a marriage. Husband gives the wife the ring. The wife gives the husband the ring and they are saying this is a symbol of my loyalty and my faithfulness to you till death parts us and then Jonathan gave David his his weapons. He is sword and shield his his his fear and using those those weapons, David takes as weapons brings him back to his house and nails them on the wall over its bed so we can look at them every day. What did they represent. They represented protection.

Jonathan was saying David if you get in a fight. I'll be there with you. Nobody will take you down unless I am there and I'm gonna fight with you. I will fight with you, even until death. If I have to.

Then he gave him his belt was a money belt was he saying he was and Dave you ever get in financial trouble and therefore you, I'll help you out, like the right check.

A blank check and just handed it to you saying that you need to use it. That's what he was doing back to AW Pink's point.

I guess there is a possibility the jet that that just Jonathan is not a safe man but I tell you I don't see it. I don't see it at all. I believe that Jonathan knew the Lord a very special way and in fact I believe that the relationship that Jonathan had with the Lord and that David had with the Lord is what brought them so close together and made them such great covenant brothers in first Samuel chapter 19 Jonathan gets a big argument with his daddy Saul and what is he used to argue with Saul, he uses Scripture unsaved people don't usually do that. I believe that they were accountability brothers David and Jonathan. I believe they challenged each other in holiness. I believe they pushed each other to go along with the Lord. I believe that they quoted Scripture to each other. David probably share the Psalms that God inspired him to write and helped him to memorize those songs and and helped him to to love those songs like he did, but I believe the glue that held Jonathan and David together was their vibrant relationship that they had with God.

Like point to the fallacy of flattery. Look at verses 67 as they were coming home when David returned from striking down the Philistine, the women came out of the cities of Israel singing and dancing to me.

Kingsolver tambourines was songs of joy with musical instruments and the women same one another as they celebrated solid struck down is thousands, and David is 10,000s in the slaying of Goliath was not just the slaying of one man. But it was the defeat of the Philistine nations.

Saul understood that and Saul was going to milk all the glory he could out of that and so they had a victory parade and the soldiers will come marching into the town and the Israelite people were lined up and down the street saw was probably right there in the middle of that of the soldiers walking down the middle of that parade and there he was to let everybody know I am the king of Israel I in the conquering Gen. I am the one who won this battle.

So this glory all to go to me and then he heard the women sing in the little ditty Silas Lane is thousands, but David is slain his 10,000s while that was not the smartest thing these women could've said, and it shows their absolute lack of spiritual depth, for they were given the Lord God Jehovah the glory at all, and given it all to David. David didn't do that. Remember what David said. He said this battle is the Lord's David gave all the glory to God.

The women didn't do that, they were just that, slandering David to the healed. David would have done well to have have heard the words that Jesus spoke in Luke chapter 6 Jesus said you better be wire when all men speak well of you but listen there flattery of David was viewed by Saul as rejection of him when he tell you that was the last thing this paranoid king needed but when I say will all these ladies were trying to do was to make David feel good will. That's the problem with flattery.

Flattery is aimed at at your ego. Flattery is aimed at trying get your emotions trying to make you feel good so it if flattery is there to try to put you on an emotional high to know what emotional highs don't last. Just temporary. Proverbs 26 verse 28 says a flattering male work at the ruined and it does now praises different from flattery apply praises aimed at at building character and integrity. Praise is what Christians do for other Christians. They encourage you in the spiritual gifts that you have walking those gifts to use those gifts for God's glory, to be everything you can be for Christ. Flattery is not like that flattery is is deceitful it is.

It is superficial. Flattery is aimed at at at what a person looks like his appearance or what a person's worldly achievements are flattery strokes. The ego we are aware. Praise does the exact opposite. It deals the spirit. Pride is a huge problem in the modern day church.

One of the most frightening things facing the church today is the marginalization of the gospel.

The church is being tempted to quit focusing on the cross and to start focusing on peripheral issues. For example, poverty is a problem and we have liberal political leaders today that are saying the the way to deal with poverty is to break the law of God. So if you're living under the poverty line. If you're a poor person, then it's okay for you to steal it's okay for you to shoplift. We should arrest people that are doing that if there poor we should just let it go.

In other words just go ahead and break the eighth commandment, thou shalt not steal from politicians know better than God.

Or what about death through abortion but your babies are costly and and babies take time and will cause you some trouble to just go ahead and kill the baby in the womb.

Go ahead take his life go ahead and break the six commandment, thou shalt not kill. Because because politicians know better than God.

Churches all over America, caving in and capitulating capitulating to political correctness in order that they might gain the approval of the culture brothers and sisters, we need to quit worrying about what the culture thinks and we need to start worrying about what God thinks. The gospel is the answer to racism.

The gospel is the answer to poverty. The gospel is the answer to perversion and nothing else is going to work, the church of Jesus Christ in American 2020 would do well to study this passage because we have fallen into the same problem that the world is following the end and that is to to make heroes out of people to make heroes out of people in the church do that we do it with pastors or or evangelist we do it with television preachers and we put them on a pedestal is if there's something special to me tell you something they're not something special.

They are just just like all the rest of us.

They are just dust that God is fashioned into a man and he's taken that man shake dust and uses it sometimes for his glory. But if God does use it for his glory, rest assured of this. It's the power of Jesus that did it, and not the man himself.

Paul said that we are nothing but containers are earthen vessels to be used of God like the way Chuck Swindoll city sewer like empty peanut butter jars that God can use this world needs role models.

We need godly men and women. We need that we don't need heroes, but there's only one star in this Jesus Christ, the bright and morning star. We need to have the attitude that John the Baptist had we must decrease that Jesus might increase .3 is the danger of jealousy versus 829. Saul was very angry in this saying, displeased him.

He said they have ascribed to David 10,000s into me. They have ascribed thousands and what more can he have he have, but the kingdom and Saul I David from that day on, what a horrible thing is happened in first Samuel 1621. The Scripture says that Saul love David greatly and here just a few months later few months down the line. He is looking and watching David with with a sharp eye.

He didn't trust David anymore.

He said Dave is going to betray me.

Dave is going to take my kingdom. David is trying to take my throne. That's what David's doing and he became so jealous that he got angry and in his anger.

He picked up the spear and he threw it. David trying to take his life trying to kill David as all jealousy wrong. No other Scripture says that our God is a jealous God that even his name is jealous ladies of some man against a flirt with you and your married woman there to some other man is trying to buy for your attention and your husband acts like it's no big deal. Should that concern you.

Yeah and all the concern you greatly because if your husband loves you as Christ loves the church he's going to protect you.

He's gonna get angry at somebody trying to buy for your affection if your husband gets jealous of you ladies don't get mad adding God put that protection in us for your benefit, but there is a jealousy that is ungodly, that jealousy is based in covetousness part of jealousy is covetousness, and how many people today are miserable because other people are happy is it not crazy, but it happens there jealous over other people there jealous over the material possessions of other people or the jobs that other people have, or the position that another person has or the appearance that another person has brothers and sisters.

There is no place for that in the life of God's children, we need to remember what King Solomon said in Proverbs chapter 14 verse 30 when he said that in the is is rottenness to the bones. Richard Philip shared the story.

He said this, how we react when someone comes along who exceeds us, inability, faith, or gifts do we become sour in spirit and find petty ways to undermine him or her the well-regarded English preacher FB Meyer realize that he resented the ability and the claim of G. Campbell Morgan, a like-minded preacher who, like Meyer pastored a prominent church in London Myers church was well attended, but Morgan's overflowed Myron Morgan often preach together, conferences with those who listen eagerly to Morgan's brilliant sermons sometimes were not present when Meyer took the pulpit a godly pastor Meyer was disturbed to realize the envy and resentment brewing in his heart for his colleague and he noted that he got into the habit of pointing out Morgan's flaws and mistakes while minimizing his gifts and achievements. In response, Meyer determined that he would start praying for God's blessings on the ministry. G. Campbell Morgan reasoning that he could not continue to envy a man for his blessing.

He prayed soon. Meyer can be heard rejoicing in Morgan's preaching, my did you hear Campbell Morgan preach today he would exalt not only did Myers prayer enable him to love his colleague with the gift of rejoicing, but in answer to his prayers God so overflowed Morgan's church that many of the people had no choice but to attend where Meyer preached what is wrong with Saul. Jealousy is eaten him up on the inside.

He's not thinking correctly he is acting irrationally.

David is not after Saul's kingdom. David is most trustworthy, loyal soldier that Saul has in his entire army, but jealousy is perverted. Saul's thinking and now he views a loyal servant as a hated trader .4 is the power of the consecrated life.

Look at verses 10 through 12. The next day, a harmful spirit from God rest upon Saul any rage within his house while David is playing the lyre, as he did, day by day. Saul and his spear in his hand and Saul hurled the spear, for he thought I would pin David to the wall, but David abated him twice. Saul was afraid of David because the Lord was with them, but had departed from Saul in Luke chapter 5.

Read the story of Peter going fishing and figures out he fishes all night long and catch up thing and soon in this morning comes, he is coming back in bring the boat back in heaven called a thing. That night, Jesus is on the short season and Jesus yells out the Peterson theater go back out and going to get to the Deepwater. Throw your nets on the right side of the of the boat is a you catch fish. The peters a professional fisherman. He knows that fish go down deep during the hot time of the day and it's a hot time of the day now and so he knows this is probably not a good idea but to appease Jesus. He does it because Audi throws the nets over on the right side of the boat and those nets become a fish magnet. I mean, all of a sudden they're all these fish in that in that net and so many that they're breaking the strings on the net.

Do you remember the response that Peter had Peter came back in. He went to Jesus he fell down at his feet and he said, depart from the O Lord, for I am a sinful man, the holiness and the power and the godliness of Jesus made Peter feel sinful and weak, had a good friend in seminary, I went off to a Bible conference when we can.

Came back and came over, set them talk with me and he said Dougie said I met a guy that maybe one of the holiest man that I've ever met my life that had he was a speaker and said I had lunch with him a couple of days talk with him several times and's name was Manley Beasley and he said he said Doug when I was around that man.

I felt the need to repent of my sins thinks that's what's going on with Saul and David. Saul knows that David didn't just go and kill Goliath on his own that he did it by the power of God. He knows that Saul's book of the Psalms that David has written were not just man-made poetry but they work inspired Holy Spirit inspired words that came from God Almighty himself. Saul had never met a man that love God, and it was more consecrated, dedicated to God then was David and it scared it absolutely scared the spirit of God, he departed from Saul, and Saul could not even feel his presence anymore, and he looked at David and he saw the presence of God in David's life. David became a disturbing presence in the life of Saul because Saul looked adding and he felt convicted of his own sin brothers and sisters as a kind of testimony that I need. That's a can of testimony that you need is God's child, a testimony that is a disturbing presence to the world in which we live, a testimony that convicts those who don't yet know Jesus Christ in a testimony that makes people that do know Jesus Christ more hungry for the Lord brothers and sisters, we need to be a disturbing presence in the life of our world.

The spray heavenly father we have seen today. The danger in popularity and for the Christian is is a double threat because we desire to live godly. We desire to be more like Christ. We desire to be holy.

But when those things are pointed out to us, we become proud in our ego swale. Help us to not get caught up in that conundrum.

Help us to diligently seek after holiness in the same time run from the God dishonoring pride. Father, help us to realize anything that we do that is of positive spiritual benefit was accomplished through the power of your spirit. Help us to accept compliments graciously, but to reflect the glory to Jesus is John Piper's taught us. Let us leave it out. God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him. We love you Lord be pleased with our worship and may our worship be pride free port is in Jesus name we pray.

Amen. At this time we have the privilege of celebrating with the Lord's supper Eugene Salinas this morning and will ask your elders if you would to come forward and prepare for the supper. This is a very special time in our worship of the Lord. This is a sacrament. Sacrament is a physical sign that points to spiritual realities.

The bread that were about to take points us to Christ body. He laid down for sinners like us. The cop points to his blood he shed were reminded of the truth that without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin. This meal is a wholly sacred meal to be shared between Christ as the head of the church and his bride, the church, and so if you're here this morning and you are a part of that holy bride. You are welcome to this table. Scripture warns us, however, that if you are not united to Christ in faith.

If you know none of his grace and blessing than to eat and drink these elements is to eat and drink judgment to yourself. And so it is incumbent upon me as a minister of the gospel to give you warning that I to take these elements in an unworthy manner not properly discerning the Lord's body is to eat and drink judgment to yourself would ask that if you're here this morning and you don't know the Lord is your Savior that she would not take these elements, by all means watch as the gospel is visibly explicitly demonstrated before your very eyes today and after the service. Please come to one of these elders come to myself, come to one of the church members here grace and give us the privilege of introducing you to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ when he reached the first Corinthian's 11 as we again remind ourselves that this meal is not man's invention. It's not some novelty that humans have have come up with this as a gift from Christ to his church. First Corinthians 11 beginning at verse 23 Paul says I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you that the Lord Jesus, on the night when he was betrayed took bread when he had given thanks, he broke it and said this is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me. In the same way. Also he took the cup after supper, saying, this cup is the new covenant in my blood.

Do this as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. I was so while back reading through some of the writings of the early church fathers and seen what they had to say about this very meal the Lord's supper. I came across a quote I want to read to you. One of the early church father said.

Paul shows that the Lord's supper is not a meal in the normal sense, but it is spiritual medicine. This meal is spiritual medicine which purifies the recipients if he partakes of the biblically is the sign and seal of our redemption so that mindful of our Redeemer.

We might follow him more closely. In other words, what were about to do is spiritual medicine. It's it's spiritual nourishment for the soul. As we meditate on Christ through this food and this food causes us to meditate on Christ as we do that our faith is increased, the assurance of our salvation is deepened.

Our obedience is renewed in a fresh new way. So what a sweet sweet meal. This is that were about to enjoy with the Lord Jesus Christ to the church come this morning to the table come to Christ and be refreshed, renewed in your soul.

Let's take a moment to bow in his presence and ask God's spirit to search us to try us to see if there be any wicked way in us before we take communion this morning was to use this as an opportunity to repent of our sins and return to the Lord were Jesus you are so good to us.

You're so good to have left the glories of heaven to become one of us to become a man to be born under the law to keep that law perfectly in our stead even to die the death that we deserved and absorbed God's wrath against our sin in our place. Lord Jesus, you are beautiful you are good you were gracious to us and we thank you that this morning we get to reminded that we get to have our assurance of that covenant love that you give to us, Lord, we get to be reminded of that again. And I pray that you would nourish your church. I pray that we would go from this place, having commune with you this morning with with the renewed zeal with stirred affections for you that we would we would love you more deeply than when we came here this morning that we would go from this place bearing your name in in in beautiful ways and effective ways that we might be light salt wherever we go or Jesus you are our Savior.

You are our Lord you are the perfect bridegroom we invite your presence now in your name we pray.

Amen. If you are not here last month we distributed a unique little packet that has the bread and the cup all in one in one unit. This is an effort to be as sterile as possible and yet in no way compromise the essence of this of the sacred meal so us as the elders distribute this cup bread unit to you this morning. When asked to go ahead and open it. Get ready it's a little tricky to get into the cellophane on the top comes off and you'll find the bread low. That is a layer of aluminum foil. You peel that off and you can access the cup but then I'll ask what you get that open which is hold it and wait for everyone to be served and after a few moments, we will partake of these elements together elders and the we take the bread this morning and read from Matthew 11, familiar passage, Jesus says come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Brother Scott offer prayer of thanks for the breath, father, thank you for this time together as brothers and sisters in Christ will bless the bread were about the let us remember Christ in the sufferings that he died and suffered for us, Lord, because we can't come before you without sacrificing Christ is our second body of Christ taken eat. We take the cup.

Now when you read from Hebrews 12 as we fight sin flesh, the devil world were told to look to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. This is our Redeemer who shed his blood for us. Her brother Dan a standing offer prayer of thanks for the cup or do you think you would just cup the blood of Christ to cover our sins, we thank you for the communion with Christ that we have now union with him sons of God, and only by your will and your decree because your infinite love for us to praise you and honor you for this cup what you think. In Jesus name the blood of Christ taken drink if I could just ask you to take your trash with you as you leave the lives of the cellophane. The aluminum there's a trashcan placed outside the door.

Here that with the that would be much appreciated.

And I'm sure more sterile than leaving it in here with young kids running around. Let's respond to the truth that we have heard this morning to the truth that we have just seen through the sacrament of communion would you stand with me as we close, how sweet and awesome is the place where the all on all and in and on and on like you were coming were spent with us today may encourage you to be back Wednesday night. This is the first Wednesday night when we have another regular meal that we usually do. But the ladies will be meeting the middle the meeting different places ladies we meet here in the sanctuary will be down in the fellowship hall. Always a great time in the Lord. So come if you can Wednesday night and let me also encourage you to to pray for the Huntley family. Tom Huntley sister Carol passed away this past Friday went on to be with the Lord that they are going to just a time of grief and and would ask you to keep Tom and his family lifted up in prayer at the Lord to give them that peace that passes all understanding. They needed this time. In closing, let me encourage you with these words. Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever and all God's children said