Tragedy Strikes, Compassion Remains
First B Jackson
2022-08-07

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

----
Good morning everybody. How are you? There's a bit of a party going on down the hall and we're gonna just sing as many in as it came early. Would you stand up with us and we're going sing to God be the glory. Hymn number 56.

The hymnals are all around up here but we're going to have the words on the wall. Sing off the wall.

Thank you, Florine for playing over there.

We're going sing I Love to Tell the Story. There are a lot of reasons to tell this story. This hymn shares at least four of Amen. Y'all can have a seat. Have I a few announcements this morning.

Some are things to come and maybe some things might be things that have already happened. Monday nights at first B is happening. Tomorrow night, down the hall, 06:00, meal, music, and a message that is gonna be Carl preaching from the close of Colossians. So, we're finishing up the book of Colossians. So beautiful, so helpful.

He'll do a bit of a summary and cover the last section and then, after the message, we'll open it up for a gospel conversation. So, we've always said, meal, music, and a message on Monday nights. Now we have meal, music, a message, and a meaningful conversation after that's over. I actually, we're hosting this week a team called College House Ministries from Columbus, Georgia. So 16 extra people will be there.

It should be a big, nice meal, music, and a message. That's tomorrow night. There is a prayer group that meets Wednesday mornings in the church office at seven: 3zero am. They usually pray through all of the requests instead of sharing requests and then praying. They just pray through their through their own prayers for missionaries and a lot of other stuff.

So, that's happening Wednesday morning, 07:30. This one is happening even as we speak probably. They spent a soggy weekend at Coulter Bay. So it was a the church camp out was fifth, sixth, seventh. That was Friday, Saturday, Sunday.

And Brian McCooey, I'm I can't wait to talk to him. They did have they did have a sir this men's rafting trip actually happened on Wednesday too and all is well there. They came back with both the boats and all the people. So, that was good. And this one is one that if you have not heard, I I apologize for this being where you hear it because Maureen Fates was such a dear friend to so many people in this church and in this community.

And so we have scheduled her memorial service, with the family. It's scheduled for here at First Bee at 1PM on the twentieth, which is Saturday, 1PM. So it's not 11:00 with a luncheon after this time. It's 1PM. Dearly, dearly love, Pete and Emily and Tyler were here this morning.

Pray for Pete and for Emily, for Tyler, and for Susannah also because they lost mom, right? Pete lost Maureen. And she was told at twelve when they diagnosed her complex lung issues, she wouldn't make 20. And then she was told she wouldn't make 30 and I think she made 66 before she passed. So I want you to know, next Saturday, August 20 is her service.

And we had a little Fiesta de Despedido. We call it in Spanish. It is dispatching service. It is a sending out into the mission field you will find waiting for you in Arizona. This is for Brad and Nancy.

The goodbye for now service was down there. There's probably still cake left over if you want to go hit it after the service. But also meet up with Brad and Natzi and let them know you love them. We have Old Bill's season is upon us. So from August 12 through September 16 is the giving season for Old Bill's Fun Run.

Do you all know what that is? I don't need to explain it. It's kind of like United Way, it's local. Administrative costs are pretty low and because of the challengers, co challengers, Mr. And Mrs.

Old Bills, they amplify giving to charitable organizations. So we are one of those. Our benevolence fund is funded by whatever anyone wants to give to First B's benevolence fund. If you give it through Old Bills, if you give a dollar there, by the time it reaches us it's like a dollar and 0.5. Usually.

Depends on the year. But it's usually right around there. So if you would like for us to continue to be able to say yes when a family gets here and their car breaks down and they just need help. That's how we do it from that benevolence fund. But also Turning Point is one of those organizations.

Good Samaritan Mission is one and there are others. That's happening. August 12 through September 16. It's giving season. They asked me to make that.

Now, would you stand? We're going to sing Holy, Holy, Holy. Yes, it is the real Holy, Holy, Holy. Okay, good. So good.

Didn't want it to end. Near the cross. Oh, what a

beautiful song. What a prayer.

Y'all can have a seat. I will invite the elders and ushers to come forward. And would you pray with me as we pray for this time of offering, the worship through giving time we call it. Lord, I thank you for gathering us here together in your name this morning, Lord. As I look out, I see new faces that I have never seen before.

I see returning visitors who've been here before in the past and have just come back. And I see folks who've been with us a long time. I've also seen this morning people that I know are walking through tragedy. They're walking through a very, very difficult time slogging, as it were, towards you, attempting, Lord, to stay in the cross, in the cross. Jesus, keep me near the cross, and that's an earnest prayer for us this morning.

In Jesus' name, Lord, I ask that you'd bless us with knowing the step that you would have us take next. We pray that you would bless, Lord, the resources that are put in these plates literally, but also, Lord, the metaphorical resources that we are placing at your disposal when we bend the knee and say, I am yours, Lord. Do with me as you please. God, would you reach this community for Christ through those gathered in your name? And would you extend that witness to the very uttermost of the parts of the world?

Would you, Lord, bless this to the advance of the kingdom of God? Amen. Emily, let me hold on to that for a second. Would you mute this for just a second? I'm going to ask Nancy if she would.

I don't want to put you on the spot, Nancy, but if you will, come up. Here's your microphone. Okay. Yep. That's good.

Close enough. It was a good guess. Sorry. It's an omni mic. It shouldn't matter.

I just wanna pray for you as you head up. God, we pray that you would be radiating your love through these two. That they'd feel it, Lord. They'd feel the warmth of it, but that the reflection of the glory of God would shine off of them so greatly, Lord, as they go. I pray for mercies as they travel.

Moving's never fun and easy, but it is an adventure. So God, pray that you would accompany them, though they pass through the waters, that you will be with them. The waves will not overcome, Lord. I pray that they would find their strength for the journey ahead and that their love for you and one another in the midst of the adventure you're calling to. In Jesus' name, I pray that they would carry with them a blessing from this place.

Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

This is not about them. Sorry. That struck me as funny. Let me back up just a second. Okay?

Last week, we met at the fair. Okay? Last week, we met at the fair and we are in the middle of a long study of the New Testament in chronological order. We passed through all of the epistles of Paul. We passed through Revelation.

We're going back to pick up the synoptic gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and we're about two thirds of the way through that study. Okay? And I knew that we were going to go to the fair, and I knew the next portion of scripture, and I thought, I can't preach that at the fair. So last week, what we went through was first Corinthians 13, the love chapter, and we went through, love is patient, love is kind, but we slowed down a little bit and defined what patient looks like, defined what kind looks like. And I felt like that was more appropriate because the first part of this sounds like a bad soap opera, okay?

And I'm telling you that at the outset, Matthew 14, Mark six, Luke nine, and even John six, in this case we have all four of the gospels here. That's a much as much scripture actually that and then added three verses from John. That's all we're going to cover today. I've got them color coded. Mainly the color coding is just to help you to see that it's all three of the gospels.

We're getting the story. We're gonna advance kinda slowly in all three of em and I'm just gonna preach through it but before I do, how many Herods are there in the New Testament? Goodness gracious. There was an answer this time. I've asked three or four people this week and nobody knew, write off.

But how many Herods are there in the New Testament? If I'll answer that question with a question, how many George Foreman's are there in that boxer's family? Do you know this? So George Foreman, George Edward Foreman has, been a boxer. He's also been a preacher.

In 1980 he founded a church in Houston and he's been preaching since then even while he also became a salesman of the George Foreman grill. How many George Edward Foreman's do you think there are in his family? Six. He named all of his male children George Edward Foreman. He has five male kids.

He has five other kids biologically and two adopted but all of the boys in his family are named George Edward Foreman. Yep. And how many Herods are there in the New Testament? Six. Actually maybe seven.

Six for certain but, there might be depending on how you depending on how you I'll tell you in a minute. How about that? I'll show you. Could be seven but six at least. Herod the Great.

Herod the Great is the Christmas story bad guy. He is the ruler over everything we usually see on a Bible picture map. He's ruler up beyond where we see Galilee and all the way down past Judea. Both sides of the Sea Of Galilee. He has a great portion of territory that King Herod the Great is the bad guy in the Christmas story.

Calls those Magi in. Finds out when this Messiah child was born and then slaughters the innocent so that he can stop his opposition. So that's Herod the Great. Herod the Great has a son called Herod Archelaus. Herod Archelaus was in charge in the southern half, so down around Judea and near Jerusalem, Bethlehem area.

Archelaus was there. So when Joseph and Mary and Jesus go down into Egypt and they come back from Egypt, rather than going back where he was born to Bethlehem, which is Joseph's family place, rather than doing that, they move back up into Nazareth which is out of Herod Archelaus' territory. Okay? It's inside of Herod Antipas' territory. Herod Antipas is the guy who killed John the Baptist.

That's what we're going to be covering today. That's one of the main things he's known for. Jesus though also called him that fox. Okay? And it wasn't in a that foxy guy is so smart.

That fox is not like the Lion of Judah who actually has power, but he has gotten all that he's gotten through conniving underhandedness. Golly, that joker's rough like a fox. He's sneaky. Herod Antipas. Herod sorry, Herod Philip the Tetrarch ruled the area North and East of Galilee.

So Herod Philip ruled North and East of Galilee which would start about the Jordan River and go to the East. I'll show you in a map in a minute. But Herod Philip, the tetrarch. Tetrarch means ruler over quarter of a kingdom. And Herod the Great had all this land, and then Herod the tetrarch, Philip, had a quarter of that land.

He had the northeast quadrant of the land. Mostly serving over Syrians and Greeks, but he's a vassal king anyway. Rome's really in charge. Herod Philip the tetrarch, Jewish by birth of Herod the Great who's Jewish but not practicing the way we would consider it. He ruled.

Herod Antipas also was a tetrarch. He just happened to be the guy in charge of the north and west quarter of his dad's place, and he's the one that killed John the Baptist. That's who we're talking about today. Herod Agrippa the first. Herod Agrippa the first is the one this is a weird story in Acts 12.

It says, and they praised him as if he were a god. And he, not giving glory to God, was struck by an angel, not touched by an angel, stretched but struck by an angel and eaten by worms. That's the end of Herod Agrippa the first. Herod Agrippa the second is the one that Paul was tried before in Caesarea. Agrippa the second is the one that said to Paul, wouldst thou convert me?

Wouldst thou persuade me to be a Christian so quickly? So whether he was being sincere or sarcastic, we're not sure, but he's the one that Paul was pleading his case before in Caesarea. And ultimately he said, I plead to Caesar and Herod Agrippa. Yeah, you're in charge, kinda, but you're just a vassal king. I'm a Roman citizen.

I appeal to Caesar. So he got to go to Rome. That's the Herods that we know of. Those are six of them. Now Philip the Tetrarch is a half brother of Herod Antipas and so typically he's called Philip the second because he's younger than Herod Philip the first.

If you ask for the slides you'll be able to read that. I know you can't read it now, but these are the six that I just outlined. Herod the Great and then three of them from the next generation. One from the next and one from the next. Those are all listed in the New Testament and possibly adding Herod Philip the first.

Okay. Now that we've got the history lesson and you know the cast of characters, here we go into the soap opera. And king Herod, that's Herod Antipas, heard about it. What was it? So immediately before this in Mark, we see Jesus sending out the 12 and he sends them out two by two.

Six pairs of disciples go out and as they go out there to ministering, to be ministering in the towns of Galilee but not in Gentile areas. Not in Samarian areas, but it's within the reign of Herod Antipas. It's Galilee. So when King Herod hears that these guys are out doing miraculous work in Jesus name, he heard about it. He hears about it and Jesus' name had become well known and there were people who were saying, John the Baptist has risen from the dead.

Now this is the first that we have heard. If you're reading through the gospels, this is the first that you've heard that John the Baptist is dead. So we know that he's in prison because he sent those representatives to ask Jesus, are you the one or should we be looking for somebody else? You remember that? John's languishing in prison and we knew that and that's the expectation.

But then, the first we hear is this. People were saying John the Baptist has risen from the dead. And that's why these miraculous powers are at work in him, in Jesus, and his disciples actually. So I said, we know that he's been in prison. Actually, when he sends those representatives he says, go back and tell John that the blind see and that the deaf hear and that the lame leap for joy.

Go back and tell him, yeah, the messianic age is here and messiah is here. He's saying, go tell him what you see. The fruit of messiah is happening. So, yeah, I'm the one. And then as soon as those guys walk away, it's interesting Jesus waits for his disciples to walk away.

He says among those born of women, there's not anyone who's risen that's any better than John the Baptist. He's the top. He's the best. And yet, the one who is least in the kingdom of God is even greater than he. There's a difference in the here and the now and the then and the there.

There's a difference in the kingdom of darkness and the kingdoms of earth and the kingdom of heaven which is upon you. It's right here and right now. Yet, the one who's least in the kingdom is even higher. So other people were saying he's Elijah. Everybody that was looking forward to Messiah knew Elijah had to come first.

So there were other people that were saying it was not John the Baptist resurrected. It is Elijah. He's showing up and we can expect Messiah's close at hand. Other people though were saving Jesus as a prophet. He's like one of the prophets of old.

What happened to the prophets of old by the way? They always got rejected and eventually killed. Anyway, but when Herod heard about it, he kept saying to himself, he kept saying, John, whom I beheaded has risen. That's rough news if you're the beheader, right? I didn't know this was regional.

Do you all know this? Do you all know I woo woo? That has a tone about it that you could probably hear. I woo woo. In my region of Georgia that means, oh, you did it buster.

You have done it. You set your foot in something. This is not good. It's you've got a judgment coming and it's coming right away when mama finds out. Right?

I woo woo. And so he is saying, John the Baptist whom I beheaded is risen from the dead. So Luke tells us, now Herod the tetrarch. See, he's a tetrarch, quarter of his dad's kingdom, about all that was happening and he was greatly perplexed. He was confused.

Why? Because it was said by some that John had risen from the dead and by some that Elijah had appeared and by others that one of the prophets of old had risen. And Herod said, Uh-oh. I myself had John beheaded. But who is this man about whom I hear such things?

And he kept on trying to see him. It was something that I got to get to the bottom of this. I mean, first of all, if it is John the Baptist whom I beheaded and he's coming back for me, that's bad news. But I want to know more. He's perplexed and confused and he kept trying to see Jesus.

Matthew. Matthew says, At this time, Herod the tetrarch heard the news about Jesus and 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 prison because of Herodias. Herodias.

Herodias. Who's Herodias? Well, Matthew says it's the wife of his brother Philip. Matthew's counting it because that's who he was married to. Wait a second.

Why would it would it matter? Why would it matter if his sister-in-law said, Put this guy in jail. Well, we go further. So we see all of these and then Herodias, I mean that's barely it's the only reason I didn't include her in being a Herod is because she's a Herodias. It's a female term for a Herod.

She is the sister of Herod Agrippa the first and she was married to Philip. Either Philip the first or Philip the second. I think it was Philip the first. I'm not sure. That would make seven instead of six, but she was married to Philip first and then she was married to Herod Antipas and that's the rub.

Herod himself had sent men and had John arrested and bound him in prison on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, because he had married her. Are you seeing how it looks like a soap opera now? So he's taken his brother's wife while his brother lived. This is not a leverett marriage. This is not something the Old Testament commands so that she can have kids.

This is not cool. And John said so for John had been saying repeatedly to Herod, it is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife. Don't do this. This is against God's law and will. Leviticus 20 says, if a man marries his brother's wife, it is an act of impurity.

He has dishonored his brother. It goes on from there. Says don't do it. It also says don't have relations with her in Leviticus 18 and it appears from the text that that had already happened. And Herodias.

Herodias held a grudge against John the Baptist and wanted to put John the Baptist to death, but she could not do so. She's not the king. It's good to be the king, but she's not the king. So she could not do it. Why?

Because Herod was in charge and Herod Antipas was afraid of John. He was afraid of John. Now Herod Antipas is the king. This regally dressed guy who is so famous and rich in his area. And then John the Baptist is wearing, you know, camel hair, eating honey, living very simply.

It says Herod was afraid of John knowing what? That he was a righteous and holy man. You know what? He wasn't in this religious thing for the money and Herod could see that. He knew that he was king and he was the figurehead of the religious folks should have been.

He wasn't much of that. Herod was afraid of John knowing he was righteous and holy and he had been protecting him, protecting him from his wife. He was protecting him and when he heard him he was very perplexed. Yet he used to enjoy listening to him. So John has a message.

His message is one of repentance. Wherever you are contrary to God and his law, repent. That was John's message. And it said he used to enjoy listening to him until that message said, don't marry that woman. And then he was perplexed by that.

Don't we often get perplexed when something confronts what we want to do? Oh, he heard him. He was very confused and perplexed. And yet, he used to enjoy listening to this guy. Shame what happened to John.

He's gone off the rails telling me I ought not do something. What does he think he's doing? He's speaking truth to power is what he's doing. Flashback. Do all remember TV when it used to go?

Like we're going back in time now? That's the first we've heard that John the Baptist is dead. So now all of the gospel writers go back and say, oh yeah, I left something out. Gotta go back. Flashback here.

Mark says, an opportune day came when Herod on his birthday held a banquet for his nobles and his military commanders and the leading people of Galilee. This was a who's who of his quarter kingdom. Right? His whole kingdom. And he had them all together in one place for his birthday and when the daughter of Herodias.

That is his stepdaughter, okay, that's his stepdaughter, the daughter of Herodias and his brother, half brother Philip. When the daughter of Herodias herself came in and she danced, she pleased Herod and his dinner guests. And the king said to the girl, ask me for whatever you want and I will give it to you. I cannot prove it from just the text but it is implied that that's a euphemism about dancing and pleasing. Ask me whatever you want and I will give it to you, Herod says.

And he swore to her with an oath, whatever you ask of me, I will give it to you up to a half of my kingdom. That's a lot. And she went out and she said to her mother, Mom, what do I ask for? What do I ask for? Riches, fame, whatever.

What do I ask for? And mama who had been nursing the grudge said, The head of John the Baptist, that joker, should not have told me what to do. I want the head of John the Baptist. That's what you asked for. And immediately it says, she came in a hurry to the king and she asked saying, I want you to give me at once, right now, put him on the spot, now, at once, the head of John the Baptist on a platter.

And although the king was very sorry because of his oaths that he had taken, sworn, and his dinner guest who were the witnesses, and he was unwilling to refuse her because he had painted himself into a corner. And immediately the king sent an executioner and commanded him to bring back his head. And he went and he beheaded him in the prison and brought his head on a platter and gave it to the girl. And the girl gave it to her mother. She got what she wanted.

When his disciples heard about this, they came and carried away his body and they laid it in a tomb. Does that sound like a bad soap opera? It's bad. But it's what happened. That is what happened.

Actually, let's listen to it from Matthew. Matthew says, For when Herod had John arrested, he bound him and he put him in prison because of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip. For John had been saying to him, It's not lawful for you to have her. You know better than this. I know you're infatuated.

I know that you've gotten yourself in a sticky situation, but you cannot do this. Although Herod wanted to put him to death to shut him up, he feared the crowd because they, the crowd, regarded John as a prophet. Not lawful. I already mentioned that. You shall not have relations with your brother's wife.

You shall not marry your brother's wife. If so, it's a dishonor to your brother and to you. Although Herod wanted to put him to death, he feared the crowd because they regarded John as a prophet. But when Herod's birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod so much 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 although he was grieved, shouldn't have made that bold statement. It sounds like there's a lot going on. Doesn't it sound like a drunken oath to say you can have half my kingdom for the way you dance? Pretty bad. But he stood by it.

He was grieved. The king commanded it to be given because of his oaths and because of his dinner guest. And 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 was brought to her mother. And John's disciples came and took away the body and buried it. How sad.

We know that several of Jesus' disciples, John and Andrew for two certainly, were disciples of John the Baptist and had followed him for some time when Jesus came on the scene. And when John pointed him out and said, he must increase and I must decrease. Go after him. I'm not even worthy to untie his shoes. John's disciples came and took away the body and they buried it and this says, and then they went and they reported to Jesus.

This is ultimately how John decreased and Jesus increased. His disciples went, reported what had happened to Jesus. Imagine getting that news. Jesus' cousin. John, whom he loved so dearly, been baptized by him, appreciated his forerunner ministry, and he just finds out that he's dead at the hands of that fox.

Oh, it's terrible. What is Matthew goes on and says, now when Jesus heard about John, he withdrew from there. Oh, the news is so hard. When we are grieved, it is Jesus proves and shows that it is good to step back, to get alone with God. And that's what he sought to do.

Now when Jesus heard about Johnny, withdrew from there in a boat to a secluded place by himself. How long do you think that's gonna last? Jesus doesn't get to be alone very often. But he did, after he heard about that, step back. Now Luke and Mark also go into it's kinda like this story is a, after Jesus sent all the disciples out on their paired up journey where they're going into all the cities of the lost sheep of Israel.

Not to the Gentiles yet, not to the Samaritans yet, but we're going out and we're going to minister and perform miracles, authenticating the message of repentance for the kingdom of God. Same exact message that John had been carrying. And he sends the disciples out and here in Mark it says, and the apostles gathered together with Jesus. He had been trying to be alone. And they gathered together with Jesus and they reported to him all that they had done and all that they had taught.

In the midst of the bad news about John, the disciples come back with the good news of everything going on. And he said to him, come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a little while. Let's retreat. Actually, that college group that's coming in this week, they're coming here as a retreat to go back, retreat to advance. And that's what Jesus is saying to the disciples, come away by yourselves for a little while to a secluded place.

Let's rest a little while. And he puts in there parenthetically, for there were many people coming and going and they didn't even have time to eat. They were getting about the business of the kingdom of God and it was a busy business. But it does say, and they went away in the boat to a secluded place by themselves. How does Luke say it?

Luke tells us where. He's so precise in a lot of ways. Geographically, it's kinda cool. The When the apostles returned from their journey that Jesus has sent them out on two by two, they gave an account to him of all that they had done. And taking them with him, he withdrew privately to a city called Bethsaida.

Now Bethsaida, if you're looking at it, Galilee is over here and this is the region of Herod Antipas. All of that on the right side of your screen over there in the west is Herod Antipas. But just across that river, Bethsaida, is the region of Herod Philip the second. And so when Jesus retreats, he's retreating. I don't think he's running from the law necessarily, but if, as Luke says, Herod was continuously trying to see him, Jesus is like, let's get out of here a while.

Let the heat die down a bit. Let's get by ourselves. It's a coastal town. There's a hillside, a mountain right nearby, And it says, and when the people heard about where he was, news travels fast. They followed him on foot from the cities.

It's not that far. It's just on the other side of the Jordan. And the Jordan's not hard to get across really. When he came ashore, he saw a large crowd and Jesus has gotten a whole lot of bad news recently and he knows the bad news that is to come about his own difficulty. The Via Dolorosa, the painful journey that he's on.

He knew. When he came ashore, he saw a large crowd and right in the middle of his retreat, and he felt compassion for them and he healed their sick. He picked right on back up doing what it is that he does. Luke says it this way, but the crowds were aware of this and they followed him because he was good to them and he welcomed them. Isn't he a sweet guy?

Mean, I he he just had some of the hardest news of his earthly life. And he welcomed the crowds anyway and he began speaking to them about the kingdom of God. And he began curing those who had need of healing. He kept on doing message that John the Baptist was preaching about the hope available in Jesus is the message that Jesus was living out right there, right then. And he was curing those who had need of healing.

Mark says, the people saw him going and many recognized them because they'd just been in their cities and they've been doing miracles and they had been doing great things in Jesus' name. It says they were so excited. They ran there together on foot from all of those cities that they've been ministered in, and they got there ahead of them. Oh. And when Jesus went ashore, he saw a large crowd, and he felt compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd.

And he began to teach him many things because he's constantly doing that. He's constantly pouring out. He does try to get alone for a moment. We read often that Jesus withdrew. He woke up early in the morning before anybody else, and he withdrew myself.

I go to the interstate. But he liked the wilderness. And when it was time to reengage again, he did. He had the same compassion. He had the same spiritual presence.

The power of God was present to heal, and those miracles were authenticating the message. When you are doing everything that you can do, you're walking out the steps that God has for you, is there a promise in scriptures that says you will be fine? John the Baptist was beheaded. Jesus was crucified. James was beheaded.

Paul was beheaded. Andrew was hung on an x shaped cross. Peter was hung upside down on a cross. John was exiled. All of them were doing what it was that God had for them imperfectly, but still after it, you know.

And no, there's not that promise of earthly security or earthly riches or earthly success. But even the one who is the least in the kingdom of God is greater than. Right? There is right there. A setup actually.

John reminds me of this because I know where it is in John six. It is about the feeding of the 5,000. And since we just got through first being the Bible through Matthew 14 and then 15, This week we know that 14 goes from the place we've been to the feeding of the 5,000. These are people who had pursued him pursued him after the disciples campaign into their areas and they are people who are earnestly and honestly seeking after whatever it is that Jesus is preaching. And this is setting up the feeding of the 5,000.

It'll happen. After these things, Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea Of Galilee or Tiberias. The other side being on the other side of the Jordan. A large crowd was following because they were watching all of the signs which he was performing. And all of those signs were messianic signs that he was performing on those who were sick.

And Jesus went up on the mountain hillside there and there he sat with his disciples. I believe that's his 12, but also the others who were earnestly seeking after him. And I think that's the last slide, is it Blake? Alright. Good.

Alright. Is that a weird one? Would that have been appropriate for the fair? I think love is patient, love is kind. Might have been better for that.

It's such a tedious thing, but if I had to break it down, I'd say tragedy strikes. If I mention the word tragedy, I sometimes close my eyes up here. It's not because I'm trying to think of what it is that I wanna say. It's because my heart has moved so deeply with compassion for the people who are sitting here that have just lost a daughter and there who have just lost a husband and all over this all over this church. But looking out and seeing it, it's so emotionally impactful.

Tragedy happens. Bad things happen to good people, and that doesn't mean that you're not living right. Now primitive religion says, oh, if he was living right, wouldn't have to go through all that stuff. John the Baptist was living right. He was doing exactly what he needed to do, and it got him imprisoned and eventually beheaded.

Herod was not doing everything that he should have been doing, and it got him fame and glory and riches. That's backwards, isn't it? Not in God's economy, it's not. God opposes the proud, but he gives grace to the humble. This temporal stuff of earth is very, very difficult to walk through, But keeping our eyes on Jesus and keeping the faith in him, we know that it's okay because he's never gonna leave us.

He's never gonna forsake us. And eventually, there will be a recompense and reward. I don't think I have any more slides, but if you would Florian. We're going do communion. That's the next one.

That's what it is. Can I invite the ushers forward? There are baskets back there. We have these little plastic representations and yes, I don't like them either. Okay.

I hear this from you all. But it is a representation. This is a representation. You pull off the little cellophane cover and there's a wafer and then you pull off a little tinfoil cover and there's some juice. And although it is a modern way of doing this, we're calling back to a time when Jesus sat around a a table, common table with a common cup, with a loaf that he broke, and that's what we're calling back to right now.

It's representative. God, would you bless this little, representation of the body and blood of Christ? May we, Lord, be ready to do whatever it is, whatever that entails, and whatever consequences of that action. I pray, Lord, that you would allow us to carry your truth with us, to live it out come what may, and Lord, that you would do your work in the midst of the difficulty. Amen.

Amen. On the night that Jesus was betrayed, consider that all these 12 had been through and then they're sitting there. Judas has already made the deal and on that same night that Jesus was betrayed, he took bread after supper and after he had given thanks, he said to his disciples who were there with him, this is my body and it is given for you. Now take this and eat it. Ingest it.

Take it in and each time that you do this from now on, remember me. And after he had taken the bread, he took the cup also and likewise. So after supper and after he had given thanks, he said to his disciples there that this is the new covenant in his blood to take this and to do it in remembrance of him. Lord God almighty Jesus, for the for the innocent blood that was shed on behalf of all who would come to know and all who would come to believe, lord, we are thankful. Paul says that as often as we do this, we proclaim your death until you will come again.

Lord, may we be found faithful, remembering you daily. In Jesus' name, Lord, would you make it so. Amen. Would you stand with us? We're just gonna sing the doxology.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise him all creatures here below. Praise him above ye heavenly host. Praise father, son, and holy ghost.

Amen. May the Lord bless and keep you, make his face to shine upon you. May it reflect off of you and to the others around you and give you peace that you can share with them. Amen.