John Whom I Beheaded Has Arisen
First B Jackson
2022-08-07

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

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Yeah.

Hey. Good morning, everyone. How are you? Good. Good.

Good to see you. You wanna stand with me? We'll sing together. Here's an invitation from Revelation 22 to lead us in worship. It says this, let anyone who is thirsty, come on in.

Let anyone who desires drink freely, freely from the water of life. Should we start by singing, not so loved.

Amen. Y'all can have a seat. I've got a few announcements this morning. Is the thing on? Can you hear me now?

We've got a few. What are they gonna be? Let's find out together. Monday nights at first b.

What's happening, Carl? We're on Morrow. Meal, music, message. We get some visitors from College House

in Columbus, Georgia. Columbus, Georgia.

And we'll have food there. We're gonna wrap up the book of Colossians. Be alert. Be prayerful. Be vigilant.

It's it's a it's a great way to end Colossians. So just know that's another worship gathering down the hall at 06:00.

Meal, music, message, and then kind of a meaningful interaction. We'll have a gospel conversation at the end. Can you hear me? No. Is the mic on?

One of these days. One of these days. We're going to figure it all out. Well, anyway, there's a prayer meeting that meets at 07:30AM in the church office. That happens every week.

It's a a group of people have been meeting for years, praying for missionaries. So, we had a church camping trip. There may be some holes in this crowd because they're up there soaking wet in the park. Coulter Bay Camp out was this weekend. We had the men's rafting trip.

That went well this week, that was in there. This is coming up soon. Now, I don't know how many of you all knew Maureen Fates well, but she was just a wonderful, wonderful lady, beloved. And I know I can see on the faces some of you all have not heard this news. Maureen was diagnosed with a complex lung issue when she was 12.

She probably had it since birth. And they said, You won't make 20. Then they said, You wouldn't make 30, wouldn't make 40. She passed at 66, I believe, recently. So Pete Fates, if you know Pete or if you know Emily or Susannah, they lost their dear mom and wife just recently, the week right before we met at the fair that Friday night.

But we're having a service here August 20 at one p. M. Here at First B. And we just love marine dearly. And it's not often that I get a chance to announce like that, but that is happening, August 20, one p.

M. And today, during Connect Hour, we're saying goodbye for now to our friends Brad and Nancy coming. So there is quite a breakfast down there. Please feel free to join us during Connect Hour and kind of hang out. If you see Brad and Nancy, tell them how much they've meant to you over this time.

Old Bills is coming up. Old Bills, you all know what that is. Everybody here know what that is. Okay. Old Bills is coming up.

So if you are someone who gives charitably, all of the organizations that will be receiving from August 12 through September 16 is the giving season, and that helps to amplify your giving. Usually, it comes in for every dollar that comes into Old Bills, it usually comes out at about $1 point So that's a pretty good way of expanding your investment and whatever. Our local benevolence fund here is what we use that money for. And when someone comes in and they say, My car is broken down or we didn't know that the Motel six was going be $350 how would you know that before you get here, right? When they come in and say, we're flat broke, destitute and we don't have anything, it allows us to say yes.

That's the way. There are other charitable organizations in town that also receive through that, but I think that's it. I hope that the sound will come on before we start. But if you would stand with us, we're going to sing no matter what, all right?

Here's a good word from Jesus in John five seventeen. Jesus says this, my father is always at at work to this very day and I too am working. Sometimes we doubt it. Sometimes we can't see it. Sometimes we don't feel it, but indeed he is always at work.

Amen. He's always at work. God, that we would see your work in our lives even when we don't see it, in what even when we don't feel it, that we would know that you're working all things together for those who love you. Amen. In Jesus' God, thank you for new life in you because you live, we also live.

It is through faith. It is through belief and lord, where we are lacking, would you increase? In Jesus name, amen. Amen. You can have a seat here for a moment.

This is the worship through giving part of the service and I'll invite the ushers to come on forward. We're gonna sing. Goodness of God. Here's a word of encouragement from Psalm 146 to just to keep singing out to you, to keep singing these praises. I'll praise the Lord as long as I live.

I'll sing praise to my God while I have my before we sing, would you pray?

Sure. God, thank you for this gathered crowd, Lord. As I look out, see old faces that I know that are coming back from the past, Lord. And what a great thing to see their return. I see visitors I've never seen before.

I see families, Lord. I see those who have recently lost loved ones. God Almighty, You have drawn this crowd together this day to share with us your love, Lord, to share with us your grace and your mercy. Lord, would you adjust our thinking to fit your thinking? Would you adjust our idea of economy to fit your idea of economy?

Would you, Lord, work in and on and through us this morning? We pray that, Lord, we would be about our father's business, that you, Lord, would direct us. You've brought us here together. I pray that you'd unify us, Lord, that we would be expectantly awaiting a word from your word, and that we'd be, Lord, carriers of that in the people who are like sheep without a shepherd. In Jesus' name, amen.

Amen. And it's August. So, we're out of the July break and it's time for children's church downstairs. Middle school and high school, gals and guys too but kids, it's time. How are you all this morning?

Good. Okay. Good. Just a momento he says from the booth up there. This morning so last week we did church at the fair.

And last week at the church at the fair, it's made more sense to me to do a one off message that is about the whole of scripture and what it comes down to and love is patient. Love is kind. That's what we did last week. I'm in the middle of a study here that is the middle of Jesus' ministry. Actually probably two thirds of the way through his earthly ministry.

This didn't feel like what I ought to do at the fair. Okay? The first part sounds like a bad soap opera. It's just that's where we were in scripture when we hit this. I decided I'd go for something else.

This is what we're covering today. Actually, this and then John joins in. Usually we just are doing the synoptic gospels. Matthew, Mark, and Luke. But we'll cover it and I'll be back and forth.

I've color coded them again so you can see what's Matthew, what's Mark, what's Luke. But we're going to bounce through this. But before I start that, how many Herods are there in the New Testament? I've asked this to three people this week and none of them were close. Okay.

How many Herods were there in the New Testament? Okay. While you're thinking about it. How many George Foremans are there in the Boxer's family? Okay.

Or how many George Foremans are in this preacher's family? He when he retired from boxing, he went to preaching. And then, of course, the George Foreman Grill. He actually had opened a kid's center that was kind of in contact with his church and that was suffering pretty bad and he got pitched this idea of the George Foreman Grill. He took one home, he liked it, and so he started doing that.

Right? But how many George Foremans are there in his family? Actually, many George Edward Foremans are there? There are six. He is George Edward Foreman and he named all of his male children George Edward Foreman.

Now they have other nicknames and stuff too but that's weird, isn't it? That's strange. That's a dynasty. That's kind of the way that Herod is. So how many Herods are there in the New Testament?

There are actually six. Maybe seven, maybe. Depending on how you which Philip you're picking. Herod the Great had so many wives and kids that he had two named Philip and some people say, well Philip one or Philip two, we don't know which. So six, maybe seven.

Six is what I'm going with. Herod the Great. He's the bad guy in the Christmas story. He is the one that when he found out from the Magi the date on which he was born had slaughtered the innocents that were born in the area at the time. So that's Herod the Great.

He had a vast kingdom. He was a vassal kingdom though. He was still under Rome but he was supposed to be Jewish. He didn't really practice. Herod Archelaus.

Joseph, when coming back from their trip to Egypt, instead of going back to Bethlehem which kind of would have been a natural start, that seems odd for us, but that would have been a place. He went to Nazareth instead of Bethlehem because Herod Archelaus had control over Judea and that was Herod the Great's dad. He didn't want any bad blood that would remain so he went up into Nazareth which is in Galilee. Herod Antipas, today we're going to see is the guy who had John the Baptist killed. Pretty out there, isn't he?

Very very notable. Jesus called him that fox later on because he's cunning and crafty and not terribly powerful. He wasn't the lion of Judah. He was a fox. And what he got, he got because of his fox like characteristics.

Philip the tetrarch. Now Philip tetrarch means a ruler over a quarter of a kingdom and if you count Herod the Great's whole kingdom, Philip ruled a quarter of that. Actually, Antipas also was a tetrarch. He had a quarter of what his Herod the Great had had. Herod Agrippa the first in acts 12.

Do you remember that they praised him like he was a god but he did not give God the glory? Now he's supposed to be Jewish. The Herododian dynasty, these are Jewish guys. They're supposed to know and give glory to God and they're supposed to recognize Messiah. But Herod Agrippa the first did not give glory to God when the glory of God was given to him.

He didn't say, no, it's not me. You know? So he was struck by an angel and eaten by worms. That's that's what it says in Acts 12. And then Herod Agrippa the second, he's the one that Paul was in front of when Agrippa the second, Herod Agrippa the second said, would thou, this is King James, right, convince me to be a Christian so soon?

He's making a really good argument for Christianity and nobody knows whether he's being sarcastic or derisive or sincere but that's Paul's trial in Acts 26. That's the line. If you ask for the slides, I'll give them to you. You can look a little closer. But those are the ones that we're seeing in scripture.

Now the one that we're concerned about today is Herod Antipas and it just says King Herod and King Herod heard about it. When it says it, it's talking about, you know, last time that we talked here in this room, it was Jesus sending out the disciples. Two by two he sent them out and they went all over the areas. They're not supposed to go any towns of the Gentiles or Samaritans but they were gonna go and make that appeal to the lost sheep of Israel. And Jesus, and my favorite promise that I've seen newly recently, he said, And when you go out, it says Jesus went into their cities and he was ministering in their cities.

And when King Herod heard about it, this ministry that's happening all over, people are being healed in Jesus name and his name had become well known. So Herod Antipas heard about it. His name had become well known. That's Jesus. And people were saying John the Baptist has risen from the dead.

And that's why these miraculous powers are at work in him. So already, sometimes we think about this when Jesus says, Who do people say that I am? To his disciples and they say, Well some say John the Baptist. And some say Elijah. Some say So this is after John has been killed.

We see this. We're going see more of it in a minute. People were saying John the Baptist has risen from the dead. That's why these miraculous powers are at work in him. Think about this.

We've covered this already in here too in our study. That Jesus said, Truly I say to you, among those who are born of women, there has not arisen anyone that's greater than John the Baptist. That's high praise from Messiah Jesus. Yet the one who's least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. There's a difference in the here and now and the then and the there.

But the kingdom of heaven is now. He's saying if you're accepting this, it brings you into a whole different realm. Some others were saying he's Elijah and others were saying he's a prophet like one of the prophets of old. They gave John a lot of credit. There were a lot of people that went and were baptized by him.

There were a lot of people that repented because of his preaching. And Herod is now hearing this and when Herod heard about it he kept saying, John whom I beheaded has arisen? I don't know if this is everywhere but it is where I'm from. You all know this saying, I woo woo. No?

It's regional. I had no idea that was regional. I did that to Carl this week. Was like, Oh Carl, I woo woo. And he didn't know what it meant.

I woo woo means you have done something bad. And the people in authority I wasn't doing this to Carl. He's not done anything bad. But the people in authority are going to find out and it ain't gonna end well for you. Right?

I woo woo. And so he's saying over and over, John the Baptist, whom I beheaded, is arisen. That's something to think about. Okay, Luke. How does Luke tell the story?

Now Herod the tetrarch. See, Herod Antipas the tetrarch, quarter of a kingdom of his dad, Herod the Great, heard about all that was happening. He was greatly perplexed. It's confusing because it was said by some that John had risen from the dead and by some that Elijah had appeared because they're waiting. Their messianic expectation was Elijah would appear first and then we get to take over.

That's perplexing if you're the king of the Jews in your area and something's happening here. Elijah is just showing up. I'd rather it be Elijah than John if I beheaded John and I'm looking forward to messianic kingdom and I'm the guy in charge. Others saying he's like the prophets of old. And Herod said, I myself had John beheaded.

But who is this man about whom I hear such things? I'm confused. He kept trying to see him. He wanted to see him. He wanted to get to the bottom of it.

Okay, Matthew. That was Luke. Matthew. At that time, Herod the tetrarch heard the news about Jesus and he said to his servants, this is John the Baptist. He himself has been raised from the dead and that's why miraculous power is at work in him.

For when Herod had John arrested, he bound him and he put him in a prison because of Herodias. His wife, Herodias. But this says the wife of his brother Philip. Oh, that's so proper, right? He bound him and put him in prison because of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip.

So that's his brother's wife. Why would he listen to his sister-in-law? Oh, it gets convoluted here. He had been married. That's Herodias right there.

And she was married to Philip. It was either Philip II or Philip I. I'll let you all figure that on your own. Most people think it was Philip I. That would be seven Herods if it was Philip I.

Now Herod himself had sent men and had John arrested and bound in prison on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip because he had married her. Oh, okay. That's not normal. That's odd for a guy who is supposed to be Jewish law keeper in charge. Oh, because he had married her.

And for John had been saying to Herod, It's not lawful for you to have your brother's wife. That's not okay. That's not right. It's not in a line with, ah, Leviticus twenty twenty one or Leviticus eighteen sixteen for that matter. If a man marries his brother's wife, it's an act of impurity and he has dishonored his brother.

It goes on from there. It says don't do it. And he did it anyway. And Herodias, Herodias, the wife. Now six or seven Herods and now a Herodias, that's a dynasty, right?

That's a lot of people wanting to grab hold of Herod the Great's name. Herodias Being related to Herod, Herodias held a grudge against John the Baptist and wanted to put him to death, but couldn't do so. She didn't have the power to be able to do that for Herod was afraid of John. He was afraid of him knowing that he was, this says, a righteous and holy man. So a guy in charge that has the authority and can do something about it knows that this guy, that Jesus said, There's no one better that has arisen.

And he recognized the man as righteous and holy. And he had been protecting him, it says. He said, Oh, I want you to kill him. And he goes, I can't kill him. Come on.

That's not politically expedient for one thing, but I'll just exile and put him in prison. That was the happy medium. Kept peace in his home. He'd been protecting him. And when he heard him, when he heard him, he was very perplexed because he used to enjoy listening to him.

He knew John wasn't in it for the money. Okay? I think sometimes we hear people and we go, well, that guy's a true believer. He's not in it. He's not in it to make money.

He's not in it for the fame or acclaim. He's just calling balls and strikes just like he sees them and even speaking truth to power. Right? He is saying to King Herod, who does have the right to exile probably, apparently, kill him. And when he heard him, he was very perplexed because he used to enjoy listening to him.

You know how long he enjoyed listening to him? Until he started disagreeing with him. You can't do that. It's not right. That's unholy and unlawful and you don't need to be doing that.

Don't do that. I used to like this guy so much. Okay, flashback time. You remember in like happy days when they're going backwards in time, they always go. So from this point it's telling us the backstory behind Herod thinking this is John the Baptist.

Why? Well an opportune day came when Herod on his birthday, okay, big party, he held a banquet for his nobles and for his military commanders. He gathered around all the powerful people. All of the leading people of Galilee, elite group, and when the daughter of Herodias herself came in and danced. This is not his daughter but it is his half brother Philip's daughter with Herodias.

When the daughter of Herodias herself came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his dinner guests. And the king said to the girl, ask me whatever you want and I will give it to you. It says that she danced and she pleased them. That could be a euphemism. I won't go that far.

I think she danced. And it was pleasing to Herod and his dinner guests and the king said to the girl, ask me whatever you want and I will give it to you. That's bold. He's a quarter of the kingdom of Herod the Great and he said, you can have control over an eighth of the kingdom of Herod the Great up to actually it says right here, he swore to her, Whatever you ask of me, I'll give it to you. Up to half my kingdom.

Wow. That's for a teenage girl. His stepdaughter. And she went out and she said to her mother, What do I ask for, mama? What is it?

Now we already know from the first part of the story what Herodias has in her mind. She wanted to kill him but Herod wouldn't for probably political reasons, but also just because I used to like this guy. Don't understand why I don't like him anymore. What shall I ask for? Herodias said, the head of John the Baptist.

Oh. And immediately she came in a hurry to the king and she was saying at once, I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on the platter. This is still while he's there with his guests, with all the people he's just promised in front of them, I'll give you up to half of my kingdom. He's made a bold statement. Sounds drunken to me.

I don't know. Text doesn't say that, but that's bold. I want you to give me at once, right now, make your decision whether you're going to live by your promise or you're going to deny me this request. The head of John the Baptist is on the platter. And although the king was very sorry because of his oaths and his dinner guest, he was unwilling to refuse her.

Oh, I've got to go through with it now. Immediately, king sent an executioner and commanded him to bring back his head and he went and beheaded him in the prison and brought his head on the platter and gave it to the girl and the girl gave it to her mother. And when his disciples heard about this, they came and they carried away his body and they laid it unto him. That's Mark's story. Matthew says, For when Herod had John arrested, he bound him up, put him in prison because of Verodius's wife of his brother Philip.

For John had been saying to him, it's not lawful for you to have her. It's not right. And although Herod wanted to put him to death, he feared the crowd. This is political expediency like I said because they regarded John as a prophet. He liked listening to him but the crowd really put stock in what he said.

And the crowd, if they put stock in what he said, were about repenting and turning towards God instead of walking away from him. Herod liked what he said, but when he had a chance for repentance, he didn't do it. Okay. So there's the not lawful again. For when Herod had John arrested Although Herod wanted to put him to death, he feared the crowd because they regard John as a prophet.

But when his birthday came, okay. When his birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced before them pleased Herod so much so that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked. And after being prompted by her mother she says, Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter right now. And he didn't have the time to like hide it from the people, maybe get away with it. It was like, No, I demand this happen now.

And although the king was grieved, the king commanded it to be given because of his oaths and his dinner guests. He sent word and had John beheaded in the prison and his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl and she brought it to her mother and John's disciples. Think about that. Some of Jesus' disciples were John's disciples. John, Andrew, these guys we've come to know and love throughout the gospels.

John's disciples came and they took away the body and they buried it. How sad is that? It's just horrible. It's bad enough that he was languishing in prison. Languishing enough in prison that he sent probably some of those very same disciples to Jesus and say, are you the one or should we be looking for somebody else?

And Jesus says to him, go and tell John what you see. The lame are walking, the blind are seeing, the deaf are hearing, and the lame are leaping. Come on. It's it's happening. This is the time.

I'm the guy. And then when he when his disciples walked away, that's when he said to the whole crowd, Listen, John the Baptist is the best. He's the best. John's disciples came and took away the body and buried it and then they went and they reported to Jesus. John the Baptist had always been saying, He must increase and I must decrease, And Jesus is definitely on the rise here, and John has just been decapitated.

Terrible. Now when Jesus heard about John, he withdrew from there in a boat to a secluded place by himself. That is a place of grief. Do you see that tragedy that so far this is not really fair material, is it? Yeah.

Tragic things happen. There are books that have been written and there are lots of sermons that have been preached that bad things happen to good people. And it's true and it's hard for us to rectify that. Primitive religion says, and a lot of people believe, if you're living right you don't have to worry about anything. That's beheading.

He got for living right. Right? Jesus crucified. He got for living right. Andrew, x shaped cross.

Peter, cross upside down. James, beheaded Paul, probably beheaded. They were doing as God commanded. And how is that then? And when Jesus heard about John, he withdrew from there.

Now we know that he withdrew into the wilderness to pray and that was a common thing for Jesus. And early in the morning, he got up early and he went and he withdrew into the wilderness to pray. I tell y'all sometimes when Jesus withdrew into the wilderness, I go for the interstate. I just feel like you have to withdraw every once in a while from what it is that you're doing for ministry at hand. And sometimes the time that is best to do that is right after awful, horrible tragedy.

So he withdrew from there. Actually that's Matthew. Mark says, The apostles gathered together with Jesus. Now the timing on this, it's right in the middle of the Mark six text, in the middle of Matthew 14 text and Luke doesn't spend as much time on it, but the apostles gathered together with Jesus and they reported to him all that they had done and taught. Now they had just been out on this miracle tour.

They had just been out and spreading in the name of Jesus the hope of the kingdom of God and they come back together to do their report and they're gathered together there with Jesus. He called them back. He said to him, Come away by yourselves. Come take a little retreat. I know a lady who used to say, We need to retreat to advance.

We need to retreat from time to time to advance. Actually that group that's coming, they're coming here to retreat to advance. He says to him, Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a little while. For there were many people coming and going and they didn't even have time to eat. That's the normal life of a disciple.

And they went away in a boat to a secluded place by themselves. Luke goes and says, When the apostles returned, they gave an account to him of all that they had done and taking them with him, he withdrew privately. This is right after he receives the news of John the Baptist. He withdrew privately to a city called Bethsaida. Bethsaida is right here if you're keeping up on the map, you know, we've seen them ministering in all of the cities of Galilee.

Across on the other side of the River Jordan are it's the Decapolis over here, but Bethsaida up here is where they withdrew. Bethsaida Julius. It's kind of on the other side. Some people say that Jesus went there after that because Galilee's ruler was Herod Antipas. But on the other side of the Jordan, that was somebody else's territory.

So he was withdrawing somewhat strategically because if John is drawing all the fire and everybody's saying he's the resurrection of John, He's an enemy of the king. He needs to retreat and get out of there. That's a possibility. It doesn't say so in the text, but it makes sense. Bethsaida is where they went, Luke says.

Matthew says, And when the people heard about this, they followed him. They followed him on foot from the cities. Man, it's not a far distance from Capernaum over to the other side. It is in a different district, but they can walk there. They don't have to have a passport.

When they heard about it, they followed him on foot to the cities. And when he came ashore, he saw a large crowd. And did he say, Come back tomorrow. I'm tired. I just got some bad news.

It says, when he saw this large crowd, he felt compassion for them and he healed their sick. He kept right on doing the business at hand. You know what? The message of John the Baptist and the message of Jesus and the message of the disciples, they're all the same message. It's the gospel message of hope in Christ.

John was proclaiming it ahead of time. Jesus and the disciples are proclaiming it together. He just sent them out to do it on their own while he went to their cities and now he comes back and he, with his miracles, are authenticating the message. Luke says, But the crowds were aware of this and they followed him everywhere he went and he welcomed them. I love that.

Sweet guy. He welcomed them and he began speaking to them about the kingdom of God. The message has not changed. The message got John killed. The message would eventually get Christ crucified.

Message would take all of those apostles and disciples. By tradition we have a list of how they were all martyred. But the message of the kingdom of God is that this here and now that is temporal is the place that makes the difference in that which will last forever. The people saw him going and many recognized them and they ran there together on foot from all the cities and they got there ahead of them. And when Jesus went ashore, he saw a large crowd.

He felt compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things. Wow. John. John joins in.

Actually this is setting up the feeding of the 5,000, of the providence of God. This is the next story in John. It's the next story we come to in all of these all of the gospels actually. All four of them. So probably that'll be what we hit next week.

After these things, Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea Of Galilee or Sea Of Tiberias depending on who you're talking to. A large crowd was following because they were watching. They were watching the signs, messianic signs, which he was performing on those who were sick. Not only were their loved ones being made well, but these are all signs of the coming of the kingdom of God, Messiahship of Jesus. But Jesus went up on the mountain.

There he sat with his disciples. And then with all of those added together, he's up on the hillside and he starts to teach and preach. It's not the Sermon on the Mount. It is a sermon that is setting up for the feeding of the 5,000. And I think is that the last slide, Blake?

It is. Is that a weird passage or what? It's helpful though. If you think about it, there's tragedy that happens. If I say the word tragedy in here, y'all are all thinking of different ones because we all go through horrific tragedy.

And when we hear the news we go, How can that be? How can it be? God Almighty, how can it be that this person right after they made this step of faith, right after we've had this great time together, right after How can it be? And Jesus is saying, Listen, there's not anybody better than John the Baptist, and he's beheaded. It is comforting to me to know that when we are about kingdom business, we're going to receive opposition.

Let it be because you are about kingdom business. Okay? Does that make sense to you? We've got a confused time where all kinds of political ideologies are being mixed. John kept a purity about him.

He kept a prophetic distance about him. He did not get involved in Herod's household except to say, This isn't right. This isn't right. It's not okay. Jesus didn't have a marketing strategy other than be the gospel.

Be the hope. He was willing to take a hit on our account. Are we willing to take a hit on the account of others? God Almighty, as we go into this time of communion, we celebrate the way that you walked out your life simply doing as the Spirit led. Thank you for living that perfect life and having that perfect record and that innocent blood that could be shed on behalf of all who would believe.

Lord God, here today we practice an open table. It's open to anyone who has put their faith in Christ. Whether it be eighty years in the past or in the present moment making the decision that, I want what you want for me, Lord. I want what you want. Thank you for saving me.

In Jesus' name we ask, Lord, that you would bless this little wafer and this little plastic cup of juice as a representation of your body and blood that was shed for many, for whosoever. In Jesus' name, Lord, we ask you to bless them as we distribute this. Amen. On the same night that Jesus was betrayed, it'd be about a year after the text we read this morning, that he's in the upper room gathered with his disciples and He says to them there and He says to us now, This is my body which is given for you. Take this and eat and do it in remembrance of me.

And in the same way that He had taken the bread, He took the cup and after He had given thanks, He said to His disciples there with Him who were drinking from that common cup And to us now with this little plastic representation. He says, This is the new covenant in my blood. They have been long awaiting that. It's the difference of life and death eternally. 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. I'm gonna ask Carl and the band to come back up and would you stand with us? We're gonna sing. I I think we're singing the whole song, not just the chorus of We Believe today.

It's a creedal statement. Would you sing with us? The altar is always open for prayer. I'm always available afterwards to talk until the last customer served and also there's something going on down the down the hall this morning but would you stand and sing with us what you believe? Amen.

And now, may the Lord bless and keep you and make his face to shine upon you and give you peace. I pray lord that we as a community would bless this community and everyone into which we will travel this week in Jesus name. Amen. Don't forget the Fiesta de Desperita down the hall, the going away party for Nancy and Brad. Thank you.