In Hope Against Hope, He Believed
First B Jackson
2016-05-01

Automatically transcribed. Where this and the recording disagree, the recording is the record.

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Hey. What do you say we stand up? We we just start by singing a song of song of hope. You can tap your toes, raise your hands, clap your hands, anything you want.

Alright. Some Brett

That's fun. Y'all can have a seat. I've got a few announcements this morning. Mondays, Monday nights, we're having Awana in this room starting at 06:00. We've got Monday nights at First B down the hall at also at 06:00.

Meal music and a message down the hall here.

Potluck tomorrow. Bring a little something to share.

Thank you very much. Potluck tomorrow. Also, Awana is gathering in this room. They're pouring scripture into the heads and the hearts of kids and it's fantastic. We've got the connect hour between services.

There's coffee and it's actually good coffee down the hall. Donuts and whatnot, fruit depending on who's doing it that morning. So, that's good between services today. Family fun night. We've had three of these so far.

They have been really really good and very well attended. If you're feel like you're behind, you haven't been here yet, you're welcome to join. Come on in. 05:30 on Friday evenings. Start off with pizza and then there's a parenting study upstairs and downstairs.

The kids are having a ball. Just playing games and watching Buck Denver. What's in the Bible with Buck Denver? Which is really good. Yeah.

Youth Spring Retreat is happening the weekend, May thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth. If you want to, there are flyers all over the church in different places. If you want to go or you want to send a middle school or high schooler, please contact us. Rinsey is not here this morning but if you need to know more about it, talk to one of us and we'll get you the information you need. Baby Auto Campaign.

For Turning Point, there's still a few bottles in the back and the 10 tubs back there. So, if you'd like to contribute to that, that'd be great and their bottles are back there. I saw one on my desk full of change and that's what we're looking for. Change, bills, checks, whatever you want to leave. We are needing volunteers for VBS this summer.

We have actually made a switch here and we're registering you online these days. So, if you go to firstbjackson.org, this which is our website. You can sign up and register online to be a volunteer. We need volunteers. We've got we've got a few already but we're looking at needing about 25 or 30 more.

So, if you feel like you want to do that, please. It's June 20 through the twenty fourth, nine in the morning till twelve noon and the theme this year is Surf Shack. Dude, Cowabunga. So, that's it. There is a congregational meeting today that's between the services.

We've got two things that mainly we want to cover. One of em is installing John Heisey as the property and grounds guy for First B. That's the main reason for the congregational part of the meeting but if you want to hear about the kitchen remodel, it's happening and this is going to be to kind of shed some light on what exactly is happening. So, if you wanna be there, grab a coffee and a donut or whatever and come back and sit in on that. Congregational meeting.

For everything else, check your bulletin. It's always in there. Stick it up on your refrigerator. Know what's going on. Anybody have anything else?

A word? No? Good. Alright. Would you stand up and greet one another?

We'll bring you back together with a rousing song.

Who breaks the power of sin and darkness whose love is mighty and so much stronger. The king of glory, the king of above all kings. Who shakes some

to

the world. Kings. And we're it's amazing grace we're singing about here. This is amazing grace. This is unfailing a hug.

That you would take my place. Jesus, I'm thankful all that you've done for me. Who brings our chaos? Shines like the sun in all of its brilliance. The king of glory, the king above all kings in this amazing grace.

This is amazing grace. This is unfailing love. How do you take my face? Is saying for all that you've done for me. And I will bring praise to you.

I will bring praise. I will bring praise. Me. This is my prayer. This is my prayer in the desert.

And all that's within me feels dry. This is my prayer in my hunger for me. God is a God who you love. This is my prayer in the fire, a weakness or trio. There is a faith in the more worthy go.

Find

Amen. God, if if if folks are coming in here and feeling just kinda dry, I pray that you'd you'd fill them up. Would you fill us up so that we can be emptied again.

Would you give

us the peace that transcends understanding? Would you give us joy that fills our heart, brings a smile on our face, and helps us just to to love others as we were supposed to. And I thank you, God, again, just for the Holy Spirit to live and guide and work through us and for the fruit of the spirit that works through our lives. And I pray that you would continue to fill us up. And when we are feeling defeated and and dry, just just knowing that you are greater than the enemy.

You who live in us, you're greater than than him who lives in the world. Amen. You can be seated. And while you're seated, I'd like to pray as we participate here in the worship through giving. God, that truth is why we're here, that you overcame, that you're alive, and you're alive and well.

And you're alive in us. And, God, I pray that you would continue to be alive through us, by pouring out through us. Thank you, God, that just for everything that that we've received. It it's a it's a blessing, and and we just acknowledge that it has come from your hand. And then we give back to say thank you, and we trust you, and ask that you would use these gifts to just to let the good news of the gospel really get out there and spread, because it truly is good news.

It truly is forgiveness. It truly means peace. It truly means joy. It truly means a a a rich and full and abundant life in you. And that is why we're here, and that is why we're thankful.

Amen.

Thank you, Florine. So, it's time. Children's Church is just about to start downstairs. There's the onslaught. If there's anybody sitting in the back that wants to sit up front, they have vacated some seats.

There are always seats in the front by the way. Always seats in the front. It's not like a ball game or a rock rock show. If you want to sit in the front, you can. Always.

So, I've got Romans four sixteen through five one is what we're going to talk about today. That's the passage for this morning and as I was going through this, one main point kept coming up. I think it's because all of the main points that we've had for the last eight or ten weeks come up again too but the one that stands out to me is the one at the very end. We've got the Lord's supper that we're going to take partake of together today. We're shooting for that fifth chapter where things start to turn from believing and being and positional salvation, justification, righteousness.

We're we're going from that into how does that look in the real life, actual practice and I know that there are some of you who've been frustrated by the emphasis on belief because it seems to be separated from what you do. It is separated from what you do but Paul gets that covered first and so we've gotten up to that place and we bridge the gap here today where we turn over, I think and next, the next time we come back to Romans, we're going to go five one and forward from there but let's look at it. See what it says. I'll read the whole thing first and then we'll come back and kind of examine it a little bit. I've got one illustration at the end.

It's a stolen illustration. I'll tell you right now but it hit me so hard that I think I'm gonna have to use it. So, for this reason, it is by faith. In order that it may be in accordance with grace. So that the promise will be guaranteed to all of the descendants, not only to those who are of the law, that's the Jewish folks, right?

Jewish flavored Christians. Not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, as it is written, a father of many nations, have I made you? In the presence of him who believed, even God, who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist. In hope against hope, he believed so that he might become a father of many nations according to that which had been spoken. So shall your descendants be.

Without becoming weak in faith, he contemplated his own body now as good as dead since he was about 100 years old and the deadness of Sarah's womb. Yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what God had promised, he was able also to perform. Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Lord God, would you please shed light on this in a new way for those who have never seen this peace with God, who've never felt that peace with you and consequently never felt that peace with themselves and may very well be at war with everyone around them. God, would you would you show us this morning what it looks like, what it feels like, what it tastes like, what it is like to have peace with God.

In Jesus name, lord, would you get me out of the way this morning and just just speak clearly. Amen. So, Paul uses a lot of facts not an evidence if you don't know the Old Testament. If you have not studied the Old Testament, if you don't know much about Abraham, if you just hear his name here, you don't think about who he is or what he what that means. The first mention that we get of of Abraham actually at the time called Abraham is just a few verses before.

Well, let's back up a bit. Genesis twelve one through four. I'm gonna start with that but his name is not mentioned until like four verses before that and he's just listed in one of those genealogies that we all skip. Okay? He's the son of so and so and whatever.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. You get on down to the next thing. So, he's mentioning about verse 26 or 27 of chapter 11.

It does not list him as being anything different than anybody else up until this passage right here and the Lord said to Abraham, now, there's a whole long list. If you wanna look at chapter 11, there's a list from the Tower Of Babel all the way through with all these people and for some, only God knows reason, Abraham. Now, the Lord said to Abraham, amen. God is good. He's sovereign.

He chooses how he how he wants to. I can't argue with that. But I can see from the text that Abraham's no different from his other neighbors. I can see from the text in Romans that there's no one righteous. No, not one.

You know, I can see that. Now, the Lord said to Abraham and this is what he said, go forth from your country and from your relatives and from your father's house to the land which I will show you. That's a strange way to begin a conversation, isn't it? Leave the place that you know and go to a place that I will show you. And I will make you this is God Almighty speaking, and I, God, will make you a great nation and I will bless you, and I will make your name great.

And so in this way, in exactly this way, you shall be a blessing. And I will bless those who bless you and the ones who curses you, I will curse. And in you, all of the families of the earth will be blessed. And following that, that was what Abraham believed, right? We've been saying, Abraham believed and it was counted to him as righteousness.

I'm gonna use a couple of different chapters here but he believed God and when he believed what God said, verse four says, so, Abraham went forth as the Lord had spoken to him. Immediate obedience. Immediate obedience to what God had said. Praise God. And Lot went with him.

God had not spoken directly to Lot. Lot went with him. Now, Abraham was 75 years old when he departed from Haran which was the land of his folks, the land that he knew. So, Genesis 13, if you go on, Abraham is following after God's command. He's wandering the land and going to the place that God will show him and there becomes a disagreement.

Now, Abraham is a fairly wealthy guy already and so was Lot and they were gaining. They had herds and they had herdsmen. They had folks working for em and there became a dispute between the herdsmen and Abraham went to Lot and said, listen, we really need to be able to get along. It looks like the best way to get along is that we separate. I don't want to be upsetting and he knew that God would show him the land that he was supposed to have anyway.

He had trusted in God for that and so he said, Lot, you look out, pick whatever you want. If you go to the left, I'll go to the right. If you go to the right, I'll go to the left. And Lot looked out and he did the logical thing like real estate in the valley. He said, that's a good, good, good piece of land right there.

It's completely watered. This is green and that's where I'm going. Turns out, that was Sodom and Gomorrah. Not a good real estate investment. Abraham went the other way.

He went elsewhere and actually immediately after because Abraham had trusted God during that little interchange and said, Lot, take whatever you will. I'll take whatever else. God said, Abraham, now you look out. Everything that you see. Right, left, up, down, sideways, everything.

You're gonna inherit that land. That's yours and your descendants forever. Inherit the world. You'll inherit the world. So, Abraham and Lot separating.

Abraham did show himself to be faithful right there. He also, in the next few chapters, shows himself to be sinful. Over and over, he does it. If you read this afternoon, 10 chapters in Genesis starting with chapter 12 and read 10 chapters straight through. You'll see a lot of sin on Abraham's part.

He's no different than us. He's no different than we are. He believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness. He was not righteous and then God blessed him for being righteous. It wasn't that way.

It was not quid pro quo. God said, do this. I will bless you. Or I will bless you. Do this.

War of the kings. Then, Genesis 15 comes along and this is God's word. Genesis 15, after these things, this is after the war of the kings. After Melchizedek's blessing, if you wanted to go into that. After these things, the word of the Lord came to Abraham in a vision saying, do not fear Abraham.

I am a shield to you. Your reward shall be very great and Abraham said, oh Lord God, what will you give me since I'm childless and the heir of my house is Elijah of Damascus And Abraham said, since you have given no offspring to me, one born in my house is my heir. Then behold, the word of the Lord came to him saying, this man will not be your heir but one who will come forth from your own bodies, he shall be your heir and he took him outside and said, now, look toward the heavens and count the stars if you're able to count them and he said to him, so shall your descendants be. Then, he believed in the Lord and he reckoned it to him as righteousness. This is what Paul's quoting in Romans.

He quotes it several other places too but he believed God and he reckoned it to him as righteousness. That is a very, very important thing. He listened. Now, he was 75 years old the first time that he meant that he's mentioned. He's 99 years old.

The next time he's mentioned, Sarai and Hagar. Well, actually, he's in his nineties probably. Sarai and Hagar. So Sarai is Abraham's wife. Hagar is her maidservant, and they start trying to figure this thing out logically.

Well, Abraham's old. Sarah's old. There's a possibility. Abraham maybe. Sarah definitely not.

So we're gonna hatch this plan. Hagar, that's the way. That's the way. That's not the way. That was not the child of promise.

That was a child of human intervention, logic, trying to figure out the situation. Genesis 17, I'm skipping a lot. I know that but I can't read 10 chapters of Genesis before I start the sermon on Romans. So, now, when Abraham was 99 years old, the Lord appeared to Abraham and said to him, I am God almighty. Walk before me and be blameless.

I will establish my covenant between me and you and I will multiply you exceedingly. We've been saying for weeks that it's God's work. God's the one who's doing the work. Walk before me and be blameless. I will establish my covenant between me and you and I will multiply you exceedingly and Abraham fell on his face and God talked with him saying, as for me, behold, my covenant is with you and you will be the father of a multitude of nations.

No longer shall you be called Abraham but you, your name shall be Abraham. For I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful. 90 year old man. I will make you exceedingly fruitful and I'll make nations of you and kings will come forth from you.

I will establish my covenant between me and you and your descendants and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant to be God to you and to your descendants after you. God speaks to Abraham. Birth of Isaac is promised in the next chapter. Actually, it had already been promised to Abraham. It was specifically promised this time to Sarah, Sarah E.

Also, she laughed. It's a great story. Y'all ought to read it. 10 chapters of Genesis. This this evening, it's a good good time.

Genesis 12 through 22. 19 is the doom of Sodom. It's got everything. These 10 chapters have everything your Netflix series has in it. The Doom of Sodom.

Abraham's treachery. He shows himself to be a trickster. He shows himself to be sinful. He lies about who his wife is at least twice that we know of because he's afraid. He ends up enriched by it both times which is inexplicable to me.

God continues to follow through on his covenant. Even in spite of Abraham's treachery, not his finest hour. Isaac is born. The child of promise. Praise God.

Wonderful. Isaac is born. It looks like things are really really looking up for Abraham and the offering of Isaac is the very next chapter. Be willing to give up this child of promise. God proved himself faithful.

He proved himself. That's a whole different sermon for a whole different time. After we finish the New Testament, maybe we'll go back and get the Old Testament, alright? The offering of Isaac is 22 and then, I just give you those 10 chapters to start on this. Romans four, for this reason, it is by faith.

Now, he's already made the case that Abraham shows that it's not by your righteous lifestyle. It's not by moral upright living that God chooses you. He showed that. He showed it in 10 whole chapters. There are not a whole lot of people who get 10 chapters until you get to Jesus.

Nobody gets 10 chapters. For this reason, it's by faith and order that it may be in accordance with grace. There's nothing else that goes in accordance with grace. If anything, if there were anything else required besides faith, faith is a receptor. Faith receives grace.

It's the only thing that receives grace because it's too hard to believe. You can do something for something else. That's quid pro quo. You do something for something else. It's work.

Paul just said last week, we covered it but he just says that if a guy works for his wage and you pay him his wage, he gets what he deserves. Everybody's happy. It's an exchange. No big deal but grace can only be received by faith. Amen.

It's the only thing that accords with it. In order that it may be in accordance with grace. The absolute, unmerited favor of almighty God. Given freely to whoever would believe, to whoever puts their faith there. So, faith is the only thing that's accords with grace.

So, that the promise. Now, the promise will be guaranteed to all of the descendants. We have gone over these chapters in Genesis for a reason. What is the promise? The promise, I'll make of you a great nation.

I will bless you. I'll make your name great and so, you shall be a blessing. That's to Abraham. I will bless those who bless you. And the ones who curse you, I will curse and in you, all the families of the earth will be blessed.

There will be a blessing for all peoples. The mission of God, a blessing for all peoples is out there because Abraham believed God. Yeah, that's the promise but this also and probably more specifically is the promise. As for me, behold, my covenant is with you and you will be the father of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be called Abraham but your name should be called Abraham for I've made you the father of a multitude of nations.

I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I'll make your nations of you, and kings will come forth from you. I will establish my covenant between me and you and your descendants after you throughout your generations for an everlasting covenant to be God to you and to your descendants after you but the only way to access it is through faith. Through faith. You have to believe the promise will be guaranteed to all the descendants, not only those who are of the law but to those who are of the faith of Abraham. For those who believe God.

God is good. He's promised a tremendous amount in his word for those who believe. All to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who's the father of us all, as it is written, a father of many nations, I have made you. We just saw that in chapter 17. Now, in the presence of him who believed, even God, whom he believed, even God.

So, Abraham, some of us might say, well, Abraham actually saw God. He actually made a covenant with him. He actually, if you read the text about the guy coming along, the Lord coming along, God coming along. He saw it. He could see him so close.

He knew that he was there and he's real and for us, it's not quite like that. It's still by faith though. It's still by faith. In the presence of him, like in the literal presence of him who he whom he had believed, even God. God who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist.

So, God's the only one that can create out of something that doesn't exist, right? Have you heard the old joke about the scientist that have come so far in their thinking that they feel like, hey, we can do this now. If we mix a little of this and a little of this and we get this just right and have just the right spark, we can we can create life and so they challenge God. They reach out and challenge God and they say, we can do exactly what you did. Of course, we don't believe you exist at all but we can do exactly what you did.

So, they reach down, they grab a little bit of dirt, they start to put this together and God says, get your own dirt. Sorry. Ex Nihilo. That's the concept. Out of nothing.

God creates out of nothing. Where there is nothing. He can create something. So, his covenant came out of nothing. It was nothing.

He gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist. In hope against hope, he believed. That's Abraham. In hope against hope, he believed. He wanted for this to be true but it sounded too good to be true.

What do we usually find when things sound too good to be true? They're too good to be true. This is not that way. In hope against hope, he believed so that he might become that father of many nations. He believed what God had said to him.

You, Abraham, you are going to be blessed. You're going to be a great people. You're going to be a lots of different peoples. So that he might become the father of many nations according to that which he had spoken. So, shall your descendants be.

Without becoming weak in faith, he contemplated his own body. How could he do that? He's 99 years old. How could he contemplate his own body and not be weak in faith? Well, that's what it says.

It says that without becoming weak in faith because he believed God. He believed what God had said. Without becoming weak in faith, he contemplated his own body. Now, as good as dead but look at this verse. A father, where is it?

It's back up there somewhere. Ah, who gives life to the dead. He believed that he could give life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist. He did not want Eleazar of Damascus to be his heir. He thought Hagar might be the way.

He did not want Ishmael to be his heir, especially when God clarified for him and Sarah. Nope. I mean it. This is gonna happen, and it's gonna be by my power. It's obviously not by yours.

In hope against hope, he believed. Without becoming weak in faith, he contemplated his own body. Now, as good as dead since he was about 100 years old and the deadness of Sarah's womb. Yet with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith. With respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith.

I know that in this room on Sunday mornings that there's some of you who are not believers. I know that. That's but in general, I think most of you sitting here trust in God. Most of you in here have trusted Christ. You've heard every sermon.

You've heard lots and lots of sermons. You've heard it over and over and over again. With respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith. What practical difference is there in your life for for being a believer? That making sense?

Abraham, Abram, at the time, could have just stayed in the land of Haran. He could have just hung out with his family and just kept on living life the way that he had always lived it. Right? What is the difference in your life because of what you believe? Is there a difference in your life because of what you believe?

With respect to the promise of God, he did not waver. The promise of God was that he would be with you. He would be your God. You would be his people. Leave the land which you know and go to a place that I will show you.

You gotta trust somebody to go with them wherever they will show you. What's the chief end of man, good Presbyterians? What's the chief end of man? To glorify God and enjoy him forever. That's in all of the confessions, right?

Heidelberg, Westminster, all of these different confessions. What's the chief end of man? It is to glorify God and enjoy him forever and that is our highest aim is to glorify God. Now, how do we glorify God? God is pure glory.

He is as good as he can possibly be and beyond anything that we can imagine. So, how can we, feeble creatures, bring him glory? Believe him. Believe him. Believe that he is what he says that he is and act like it.

Act out on what it is that he tells you. Now, I've got one illustration today and this is it. I've got a little girl, so I chose a little girl. Standing by the pool, she's sitting there contemplating, probably just at the age where she's starting to enjoy swimming but still scared of the water a little bit. I remember with Pascal standing in the pool, and I would stand there, and I stole this illustration.

This is the one I was talking about. Okay? I think that it was Piper, but I'm not sure. I heard it somewhere. She's standing next to the pool, and her daddy is in the pool.

And her daddy says to her, jump. I'll catch you. Maybe I should have used the boy. This was really close to home. Jump.

I'll catch you. And she's standing there and just nervous and wiggly, and she wants to jump. She knows that's daddy. Not every, you know, daddy's a good daddy. I realize that.

But what she does when he says jump, I'll catch you, makes a big difference. What does it do if she jumps and the dad catches her? That's glory to that daddy. That fills him up. It was fun for her.

She had a great time. She trust him even more now than she did before she jumped. What is it when she stands on the side of the pool and doesn't jump? She is saying either, I don't trust you. You're incompetent.

You can't catch me. I trust that that water is dangerous and scary and I can't swim back to the side on my own and no, I can't do it. I don't trust you. You're incompetent and that's what we say to God. If he ask us to do something, tells us, leave the land that you know.

Go to a place that I show you and we say, not like this. I'm gonna stick right here. I know this. Or it might be that the little girl thinks, I don't trust you. You're mean.

You're mean. You're gonna you're tricking me. You're just saying jumping as soon as I jump, you're gonna move out of the way and I'm gonna be on my own. Now, earthly fathers, that happens sometimes. I'll let I know that happens sometimes.

God is not that way. It still requires faith though to not believe he's that way and there are plenty of us who started off life thinking God was mean. Is there anybody in here willing to admit that? Yeah. That he is a cosmic killjoy.

He's just looking for ways to foil my good time. Either he's mean or he's incompetent or I'm just struck by fear. The only thing to get you over that fear is actually trusting him and seeing that he follows through on his promises. He says he'll be your God. He says he'll be with you forever.

He says, it's by grace through faith and you're given a shot to exercise your faith right here. He is going to be good. He's already promised that he was going to be good. So, jump. I like this verse.

The next thing, giving glory to God and being fully assured, Ephraim was fully assured that what God had promised, he was able also to perform. If you believe that God is good, you say you believe that God is good. Trust him. He's good. If he tells you to do something, do it.

What is it that God's asking you to do? Is it a major move in your life? Is it a major career move? Is it a major, you know, move move? Or is it just forgiving your mama?

Or your neighbor or the person who said all manner of evil things against you What is God asking you to do? God's promise to be your God. He's promised to get you through it. He said in every way that is up to you through Paul he says and as much as it depends on you, live at peace with all. Now, the next verse is about peace with God.

Therefore, having been justified, if you believe him, put your trust in him. Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God. To have peace with God is like having peace with your dad in that pool. If you have peace with God and he says, jump, you just jump. And it's fun and you enjoy it.

I can testify to that. It's awesome. But we have peace with God through what Christ has done. Having been justified, knowing what it feels like, smells like, tastes like to be at peace with God, not to think that, oh, he's setting me up. I know he's setting me up.

It's because of that thing I broke yesterday that he's gonna say, here, jump to me and then get out of the way. No. Put your trust in him. He throws the sins into the sea of forgetfulness. Remembers them no more.

Trust that he will do it. Know that Christ has paid the cost. Christ has paid the penalty. He wants to see his will done. He wants to demonstrate his righteousness to this world and the way that he does that is when you jump.

So, pray about what it is that he's telling you to do. Okay? Figure out what it is he's telling you to do and then just do it. Are you with me? Alright.

Amen. I think we've got one more song, and we're gonna sing that first, and then we're gonna do communion because leaning on the everlasting arms. What do you wanna do? You wanna do it that way? That sounds good.

You're the song leader. Fantastic. Let's do communion. So, the elders, would you come down forward? And elders, y'all can start distributing right away.

Just y'all start distributing right away. God, we thank you and we love you. And God, we wanna trust you more and more every single day so that there wouldn't be less and less lag time between what you tell us to do and seeing us do it. I love the immediacy of Abraham's obedience. God, as we are a new covenant people, The new covenant made in your blood.

That which Abraham was looking forward to. We are looking back to. God, would you just fill us right now with your presence, with your holiness, with your righteousness, that imputed righteousness. Would you give us the sense that really as we partake of this bread and this cup, would you give us a sense that they're really forgiven? I really am at peace with God.

What would you like for me to do, God? Would you bless this bread as we distribute it in Jesus name? Amen. On the same night that Jesus was betrayed, he had been with his disciples in this upper room and had been talking for a good long while. And after supper, he took bread and he broke it and after he gave thanks, he said, this is my body which is given for you.

Take this and eat and do it in remembrance of me. Lord Jesus, we thank you for the life that you live bodily in the flesh in the same manner that we do except without sin. We thank you that you had that perfect life to offer, to be able to offer on our behalf. For anyone of us who believes. I thank you for your shed blood, lord, because without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sin.

There's no removal. There's no expiation. There's no getting away from it. So as we distribute this cup, these little plastic glasses of grape juice, we remember your blood. As precious, every drop.

In Jesus name, lord, would you bless this as we distribute it and each one who would partake and those who can't, who must let it pass, lord. Would you give them new insight today? Into their own need and your own ability to perform exactly what you've promised. By your grace, lord, would you bless it? Amen.

In the same way that he took the bread, he took the cup after supper and actually, I just had a flashback to that wedding at Cana where there was no wine. There's only water that run out. This wine never runs out. Never runs out. It's an everlasting covenant.

I think of Mary's words to the people who are serving and she pointed to Jesus and said, whatever he says, do it. Thank you God for your shed blood. Amen. So Jesus in the same way took the bread, he took the cup after supper, and he said, this is the new covenant in my blood. Take this and drink and do it as often as you will in remembrance of me.

Amen. Now, would you stand and join us as the band gets back up here for leaning on the everlasting arms. When you jump, you're going to land in some everlasting arms. May God bless you and keep you and make his face to shine upon you. Stay for another verse if you want to.

Amen.