The Lord's Supper:

The Lord's Supper:

Terms used:

The Lord’s Supper is often known as the Eucharist or Holy Communion. Some refer to it as the Blessed Sacrament or even Sacrament on the Table. It is also known as an ordinance of the Lord. So what do these terms mean and are they accurate or useful descriptions of the celebration that we know?

It is largely the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches which would use the Blessed Sacrament and Sacrament at the Table terms.

• A sacrament is simply a symbolic religious ceremony.

• An ordinance is a decree or an order which on this occasion was given by The Lord Jesus.

• Eucharist is derived from the Greek word eucharisto which simply means “thanksgiving.” In 1 Corinthians 11:24 which is the word used for “when he had given thanks.”

• Communion is derived from koinonia which simply means fellowship, sharing or as in the AV: communion. In 1 Corinthians 10:16 “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?”

• The Lord’s Supper is the term that we are probably most comfortable with. This comes from 1 Corinthians 11:20-21. Paul in this passage, by way of rebuking the Corinthian for drunkenness and greed at the Lord’s Supper tells them that it is not the Lord’s Supper that they are celebrating.

Due to an abuse of these terms we have understandably reacted against some of them. We should however not be afraid of them; they are all good biblical terms. Perhaps it is time that we claimed them back for the use for which they were intended.

The Lord’s Supper is a sacrament around a table. It is an ordinance of the Lord Jesus in which we give thanks together in fellowship as we eat together.

In speaking of the Lord’s Supper; the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches (FIEC) Basis of Faith states that it is a “commemoration of Christ’s sacrifice offered once for all and involves no change in the bread and wine. All of its benefits are received by faith.” As an FIEC affiliated church we wholeheartedly subscribe to this statement but a more full declaration can be found in for example the declaration of faith of the Elders of Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis where John Piper is the pastor. This declares that: “We believe that the Lord’s Supper is an ordinance of the Lord in which gathered believers eat bread, signifying Christ’s body given for His people, and drink the cup of the Lord, signifying the New Covenant in Christ’s blood. We do this in remembrance of the Lord, and thus proclaim His death until He comes. Those who eat and drink in a worthy manner partake of Christ’s body and blood, not physically, but spiritually, in that, by faith, they are nourished with the benefits He obtained through His death, and thus grow in grace.” This concise statement is clear and helpful and is probably something that we should adopt as a church for our own doctrinal basis.

Some useful points for us to understand what we are doing when we celebrate the Lord’s Supper:

1. It is the Lord’s Supper. It was given by the Lord for a set purpose. It is not our supper and therefore we cannot do as we please. Even though there are very few instructions concerning the process we are not at liberty to make more or even less of the ordinance than is prescribed in scripture; in particularly 1 Corinthians 11: 17-34. The rules are to be obeyed, the Corinthian church were guilty of abusing the celebration and were rebuked by the Apostle Paul who declared their ritual to not be the Lord’s Supper, it may have looked like it but it was false and therefore unacceptable to God. 1 Corinthians 10:14-17

2. It is the Lord’s Supper. It is a meal with all of the benefits that a meal has. Due to the abuse made by the Corinthian church as recorded in 1 Corinthians 11:17-22; where the people were being greedy with both the bread and the wine; the meal has become a token or symbolic meal. Because the meaning of it is spiritual rather than physical, it was never intended to be a feast but a memorial! We therefore break one loaf signifying Christ’s body given to us and drink of one wine (fruit juice) signifying the New Covenant in Jesus’ blood. The Old Covenant was ratified through sacrifice and the sprinkling of blood, see Exodus 24:8. This Covenant required the death of an innocent victim (an animal) which pointed forward to a more perfect sacrifice. A New covenant was to come. Jeremiah speaks of this in chapter 31:31-34:

“The days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant

with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them,” declares the LORD. “This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the LORD. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will they teach their neighbour, or say to one another, ‘Know the LORD,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares the LORD. “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” This New Covenant finds perfect fulfillment in Jesus, it is His death and resurrection that brings about all that Jeremiah foresaw. This Lord’s Supper that we celebrate states this most clearly. It is our Passover meal.

3. It is a Remembrance. The Lord said to do this in remembrance of him! Whenever we eat and drink we must remember Jesus; it was He who came from the glory into this world as a baby with the set purpose of accomplishing salvation for His people. But who is He? He is Immanuel which means “God with us.” Matthew 1:23. He is the “Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world!” John 1:29 He is the Son of God whom the Father loves: Mark 1:11 He is the Creator: John 1:3 He is God come into the world, made flesh: John 1:14.

This same Jesus died as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. We are made right with God through His death and resurrection. This is what we remember when we celebrate this supper. It is not a morbid occasion as some make it out to be. It is not about our feelings or sentimentality it is a celebration of all that our God has done for us in Christ Jesus.

4. It is a Declaration. 1 Corinthians 11:26 tells us that whenever we celebrate this supper we are declaring something of great importance about Jesus; He will come again. The great promise of the New Testament is that Jesus is building His church (a nation of people that are set apart by Him!) Matthew 16:18 and that there is coming a day when all that are to be saved will be complete. At this time Jesus has said that He will return from glory and gather His saints to be with Him forever: 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18. Whenever we have this communion we declare that fact to each other (and to observers!) this will serve as an encouragement. Paul in 1 Thessalonians concludes the promise of Jesus’ return with the instruction that believers are to encourage each other with this great promise.

5. It is Recognition. We are by the taking of the bread and wine saying that we recognise him. In 1 Corinthians 11:29 Paul warns those who do not recognise the body of the Lord are bringing judgement upon themselves. If we eat and drink in a way that takes Christ from being the focal point; then the blessings dry up and the church becomes weak and sickly. That is exactly what had happened in Corinth. They were guilty of eating and drinking wrongly and the clear results were that the church had become were sick. The evidence being that they of immorality amongst the leaders! This should be a salutary warning to us as a church. It is clearly important that we celebrate the Lord’s Supper correctly; the consequences of not doing so are serious!

6. It is a Communion. In 1 Corinthians 10:16 Paul tells us that not only do we give thanks and that we remember we also take part. As we take the bread we have a participation (NIV) or communion (AV) with Christ. The letter that Paul writes is to the church at Corinth and in this he is saying that when the church eats together (there is great emphasis on togetherness in the passages concerning the Lord’s Supper) then they are in communion with the Lord Jesus. John Stott said: “Jesus did not only break the bread; he gave it to the disciples to eat. He did not only pour out the wine; He gave it to them to drink. He was not content that they should watch and listen; they must eat and drink. So the service is a communion as well as a commemoration.” This leads me to the conviction that the Lord’s Supper is intended for the gathered church and is not really available for individuals or for small group participation. (That I am sure will promote much discussion in certain quarters.) Our problem is that poor traditional teaching and wrong understandings have infiltrated the church. Rome teaches that the Mass must be celebrated for entrance into heaven, we might not believe that, but it has certainly left an unhelpful mark within the church. The New Testament clearly teaches that the same blessing as is received from celebrating the Lord’s Supper can be gained through hearing God’s word. The communion is a special “means of grace” by which God imparts blessing to the gathered church. It is not a “means of special grace” as some believe, by which special and more important blessings (usually expected just prior to death) are given by God through the hand of the participating priest. The very fact that these leaders claim to be priests is a good hint at what they believe. The mass as they would call it is a regular offering for sin given on behalf of the people by the priest in charge. Jesus Christ is our great High Priest who sacrificed Himself once for all. His shed blood is sufficient for the forgiveness of sin for all who believe on Him. He is the only Priest that we need.

This Lord’s Supper is so much more than a ritual that we do regularly. If we add to it as some have, then we are guilty of devaluing its true meaning. It is all about Jesus and nothing else. Equally if we take away from it then we are also guilty of depriving ourselves of its true meaning. We in effect devalue the purpose for which Christ instituted it and are guilty of celebrating something other than the Lord’s Supper. It might look the same but if celebrated wrongly then we are guilty before God. Our celebration is a sham: Corinthians 11:27

We should therefore examine ourselves and our motives and recognise who it is that is symbolised in the bread and wine: 1 Corinthians 11:28-29

The result of not celebrating truly is weakness in the church and a falling asleep. A dead and formal church with no life and power! We must guard against such a thing; we need our church to be full of life for the Lord’s sake, for our spiritual health and for the gospel benefit of those with whom we are involved!

What is happening?

More to the point we ought to ask “what is not happening” when we celebrate the Lord’s Supper. Certain groupings e.g. the Roman Catholic Church and Orthodox Churches believe in a miraculous changing of the bread and wine upon the blessing by the officiating priest (transubstantiation). They believe the bread to miraculously become the actual body of the Lord and the wine to become His blood. They then feast upon His body and drink His blood in a literal fashion. This they believe to be the true food and drink that Jesus spoke of in John 6:53-59 But is this what Jesus meant when He instituted the Lord’s Supper?

The first thing that we must remember is what the occasion was that Jesus was celebrating. It was the feast of the Passover, part of which was the ceremonial breaking and sharing of bread and the drinking of wine together in celebration of God’s deliverance of His people from slavery in Egypt. The cost of their freedom was the death of the firstborn son in each family. God graciously accepted the sacrifice of an innocent victim on behalf of the firstborn son in any faithful family. That victim was to be a male lamb without any blemish. The parallel to Jesus is plain for all to see! The firstborn did not have to pay the price but an innocent victim did. It is no coincidence that it was on the night of the celebration of the Passover that Jesus was betrayed and would be arrested and made ready for execution. The head of the household would take unleavened bread and as they broke it would liken it to the bread of affliction that their forefathers had eaten on their exodus from Egypt: Exodus 12:17ff. Jesus with this in mind as He broke the bread declared that He fulfilled all that it spoke of. He said this bread speaks of my body given for you. Now when you do this do it in remembrance of me! Luke 22:19. In other words the Passover takes on a whole new meaning. The lamb of the Passover is perfectly superseded by Jesus the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Then when He comes to drink the Passover wine He declares as we have already considered it to be the New Covenant in His blood which is poured out for you: Luke 22:20 Bread and wine had always been an emblem, a picture of the reality. They were always used to remind the participants of the reality, there is absolutely no reason why for the Lord’s Supper that it should change. In actual fact to insist on it becoming the actual sacrifice acted out before our very eyes takes away the importance of the One Sacrifice made on behalf of sinners once and for all! 1 Peter 3:18

There is however a danger that we over simplify what is happening in our communion with God. There is much made in scripture of this being food for our nourishment, but the Lord makes it plain that this is dependent upon our remembrance of Him. C.H. Spurgeon said: “we not only eat of His bread, but symbolically we feast upon Him.” Vaughan Roberts in his book True Worship says on page 96 “In this there is a real presence of Christ at the Lord’s Supper but it is located in the heart of the believer and not in the elements themselves. Communion occurs by faith.” Article 28 of the Church of England helpfully states: “The body of Christ is given, taken, and eaten in the supper only after a heavenly and spiritual manner. And the means whereby the body of Christ is received and eaten in the supper is faith.”

Therefore as we eat in remembrance and faith our souls are fed by Christ. This is so much more than a lesser miracle of bread and wine changing their substance could ever be.

Who is it for?

Again we need to look at the beginning. As we have already discovered, the Lord’s Supper is a celebration of all that the New Covenant achieves. The New Covenant in Christ’s blood brings freedom from sin. The Passover meal of the Old Covenant was a celebration of freedom from human slavery in Egypt. The meal was for those who had benefited from God’s gracious deliverance. Anybody could enjoy the meal and the spectacle of it but only those who were truly grateful for what God had done really took part in its true purpose. Therefore it is logical to say that it is for the children of Israel only. It is exactly the same with the Lord’s Supper, many can eat bread and wine but only those who have benefited from the forgiveness of sin through Christ’s sacrifice achieved on the cross really commune with God in the partaking of the memorial meal. The Lord’s Supper therefore is for believers alone. It is a glorious reminder to them as to the graciousness of our God, the cost which He paid in Jesus His Son for the salvation with which we benefit and the great promise of eternal life found in and through Him.

The Lord’s Supper is for believers alone, to others it is merely a ritual that speaks of Christ’s sacrifice if only they will seek the full truth contained within.

Sadly due to wrong thinking there has become a sentimental element attached to the celebration. Comment concerning the communion can often be heard as to the beauty or the wonder of the celebration. It can so easily become an emotional occasion that almost fosters pity for what Jesus went through. Hebrews 12:2 tells us that Jesus endured the cross due to the pleasure that would result from its indignity and curse. Tears of pity are not required as we partake but it should cause heartfelt praise, worship and thanksgiving to God for the sacrifice made. It is not a solemn occasion but a celebration of deep joy in the same way as the Passover was to Israel. That is why the Lord Himself said that he had eagerly awaited that meal with His disciples: Luke 22:14. His imminent suffering was about to accomplish all for which He had come. As we gather for our regular Communion we must come as the Lord came: Eagerly!

Helpful Hints:

The signpost found at a crossroads can be a helpful reminder as we celebrate communion. The signpost has 4 different instructions upon it. It points from one focal point to 4 different destinations. The Lord’s Supper can be likened to a crossroads. The signpost there reminds us to:

• Look back: Remembrance. When we see a signpost to Cardiff we do not stop there content that we have seen evidence of Cardiff. It spurs us on to travel to Cardiff and enjoy the pleasures found within. The bread and wine are a signpost pointing to Calvary. Do not stop and admire the sign but remember the place of ultimate sacrifice made on your behalf.

• Look up: Communion. Not only do we look back on what has been achieved but we are to look up to the One who achieved full and free salvation. It is Him we are communing with and are being fed by. As we eat and drink we are reminded of the cost but we are declaring once again that our trust is in Him alone.

• Look around: Fellowship. We are eating and drinking with like minded people; look around and appreciate them because they too are part of this great church gathered by the Lord Jesus. As we look around we should see that the even greater fellowship is found in God Himself. We are part of the family of God.

• Look forward: Hope. We are declaring Christ’s death until He comes. Until that time we have hope for the future but when that day comes then the church will be gathered in fullness; in perfect communion; in the presence of God Almighty.

Conclusion:

The Lord Jesus on the night he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” The apostle Paul adds: “For whenever you eat of this bread and drink of this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes!”

“We believe that the Lord’s Supper is an ordinance of the Lord in which gathered believers eat bread, signifying Christ’s body given for His people, and drink the cup of the Lord, signifying the New Covenant in Christ’s blood. We do this in remembrance of the Lord, and thus proclaim His death until He comes. Those who eat and drink in a worthy manner partake of Christ’s body and blood, not physically, but spiritually, in that, by faith, they are nourished with the benefits He obtained through His death, and thus grow in grace.”

Moses as leader of his people:

(Moses as leader of his people: preparatory thoughts for a week's ministry in a house party. )

A good leader is prepared by God.

The events leading up to the birth and including the first 80 years of Moses life teach us many things but the most powerful and by far most remarkable is the Sovereign work of God's grace to His people the Israelites.

Let us in our first session just consider briefly what is happening. The Israelites had gone into Egypt at the time of Joseph as a kind provision by firstly the people of Egypt but more importantly the gracious hand of God. As we think of what happened at the time of Joseph we see two different aspects to the issue:

• Circumstance took Joseph to a place where he could eventually help his family in times of trouble. His brothers had treated him badly and sold him to some Ishmaelite traders who then sold him into slavery to an important man named Potiphar. He was falsely accused of attempted rape by Potiphar's wife. Eventually after a spell in prison Joseph becomes chancellor of the exchequer to the King of Egypt and by his prudence helps Egypt to prosper throughout a time of severe drought. It is an amazing story that speaks much of the character of a young man called Joseph. If circumstance were the full story it would be a truly amazing account, but as you know the picture was far greater than that.
• God was in control. He was leading and guiding all involved for what is about to happen to the nation of Israel. Joseph's brothers meant great harm to Joseph but through it all god was working His purposes out for the greater good and all of this was beyond even the wildest dreams of Joseph.

Whilst the people of God were in Egypt (approx 400 years) they at first enjoyed the favour of King and country but after the death of Joseph and his friend the King a new king eventually came to power who did not know Joseph. By this time the Israelites had become so entrenched in society that they really did not look much different to the Egyptians. They prospered and even took on their gods as we will observe as we study the life and times of Moses. Racism then came to the fore, due of the prosperity of the Israelites the Egyptian people felt threatened and so the Israelites were made to work as slaves. Life suddenly became hard for them. As with all people when the going gets tough them prayer becomes important. The people prayed and god heard their prayer. In this alone there is a great lesson, God knows just what we are going through all of the time and as we shall see he is concerned for His people.

The church are the people of God and so we can say from history that in the same way as He is concerned for the circumstances of His people throughout history so God is concerned for us today. Nothing happens with which He is not aware and for which He is not concerned.

God is Sovereign in the affairs of His people.

400 years is along time but it was God's time for His people. During that time they had wandered far from the truth and far from god but he had left them nor had He forsaken them. His purposes were at all times being worked out through them. It is the same for the church today. We are the new covenant people of God through whom he will continue to work out his purpose. That purpose for us is much more clear than it ever was for the ancient people. Jesus told us of His purpose. He builds the church, the gates of hell cannot stand against it. We as the people are to take the gospel into all the world in order that He can build His church by saving sinners. The church today is very similar to the people of God in Moses' day. It has taken on too much of the world's ways and so is weak and under threat from a hostile people. We are oppressed (not persecuted) and ill treated by the good and the great. We are pilloried for our out of date beliefs etc. All of this ought to drive us to our knees asking for God to work in a powerful way through His people.

What will it take to make us turn to Him in desperate prayer?

There is of course even more than that! God was working His purposes out and was preparing a saviour for the people. Moses who was to become known as a friend of God was being prepared. God tells us in His word that He knew His people before they were formed in the womb (Jer. ????) this is true of Moses also. Just at the right time Moses was born. It was in a time of heightened difficulty for the nation that little Moses was born to believing parents. An edict had been passed by the King that all Israelite baby boys were to be thrown to the Nile river god and Moses was born. Hebrews 11:?? tells us that Moses' parents saw the beauty of this little boy. The beauty they saw was the unseen hand of God on his little life!!!! They therefore put him in a little waterproofed papyrus basket into the river. (Papyrus was believed by the Egyptians to protect people from crocodile attack which demonstrates how even believers in Moses' day had imbibed much of Egyptian folklore and superstition!) Moses was floated into the reeds and Miriam his sister waited to see the plan of God unfold.

Lessons for tonight:

• God is in control whatever the circumstances.
• Whatever is done by believers and unbelievers alike in order to thwart the work of God will fail.
• God has set apart a people for His purposes. That is the church today.
• The work of the church will succeed.
• Those who are faithful can trust God for the future, we are at liberty to let go and watch God work out His purposes as Moses' parents did.
• Moses was only a baby at that time and so vulnerable but he was nonetheless the saviour that Israel needed.

1 Peter1:8&9 What is true joy?

Praise to God for a Living Hope

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.

Introduction:

The word that we have read are the words of the Apostle Peter. They were intended to encourage his readers and as we read them some 2000 years later we are struck by the emotion that they portray.

We are reminded that the writer just a few years earlier was a humble fisherman who met Jesus and was elevated to being a son of the living God. He was converted in much the same way as all of us Christians in this room have been. It is by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ who is God the Son that we are saved. He became a shame before God on our behalf by taking the sins of all of His children upon Himself and taking the punishment that we deserve. It was more than a death upon a cross; many other innocent victims died such a death but could not accomplish forgiveness of sins for themselves let alone for the entire church. Jesus death was a shame to God; He cannot have sin in His presence and so for God the Son to become as if He were the worst of all sinners was an abomination to God. Due to this Jesus invoked the whole perfect wrath of God upon Himself which means that the wrath that we deserve has been redirected or (if you want to be theological about it) propitiated. We are completely forgiven of all of our sin and so we are a very special people but so often we do not live in the light of what we have become. Peter was a man who knew how much he had been forgiven; remember his encounter with Jesus after the resurrection! He was re-instated by Jesus after he had been quizzed as to how much he truly loved the Lord. That incident brought deep sorrow to his heart but taught him how to write these words that we have before us. Are you forgiven? Do you love as you ought to love? Let us consider briefly what Peter teaches and be inspired to be what God demands of us!

v  You have not seen Him. But.

You do love Him.

We are different to Peter. He did see Jesus! Ever since Jesus ascended into heaven people have been saved by faith but not by sight. Peter’s seeing Jesus did not save him it was his faith in Jesus as Lord that brought salvation. It is by the Word that we know about Him, it is the application of truth into our hearts by the Holy Spirit that we believe in Him and it is by God’s grace that we are saved by Him and so Peter reminds us that even though we do not see Him we really ought to love Him.

But do you?

What does love for Jesus look like? I have over the years seen much of what love for Jesus is portrayed to be. In some circles it is hippy-love! What do I mean by that? Remember the days of flowers in the air, the end of war and free love towards all. Mostly drug induced soppy sentimentalism!

"All You Need Is Love"

Love, love, love (X3)

There's nothing you can do that can't be done

Nothing you can sing that can't be sung

Nothing you can say but you can learn how to play the game

It's easy

Nothing you can make that can't be made

No one you can save that can't be saved

Nothing you can do but you can learn how to be you in time

It's easy

All you need is love

All you need is love

All you need is love, love

Love is all you need

Love, love, love

Love, love, love

Love, love, love

All you need is love

All you need is love

All you need is love, love

Love is all you need

Nothing you can know that isn't known

Nothing you can see that isn't shown

Nowhere you can be that isn't where you're meant to be

It's easy

All you need is love

All you need is love

All you need is love, love

Love is all you need

All you need is love (All together, now!)

All you need is love (Everybody!)

All you need is love, love

Love is all you need

Love is all you need (Love is all you need)

Love is all you need (Love is all you need)

Love is all you need (Love is all you need)

Love is all you need (Love is all you need)

Love is all you need (Love is all you need)

Love is all you need (Love is all you need)

Love is all you need (Love is all you need)

Love is all you need (Love is all you need)

Love is all you need (Love is all you need)

Love is all you need (Love is all you need)

Love is all you need (Love is all you need)

Yee-hai! (Love is all you need)

Love is all you need (Love is all you need)

Yesterday (Love is all you need)

Love is all you need (Love is all you need)

Love is all you need (Love is all you need)

Love is all you need (Love is all you need)

Oh yeah! (Love is all you need)

She loves you, yeah yeah yeah (Love is all you need)

She loves you, yeah yeah yeah (Love is all you need)

This type of sentiment has infiltrated the church and so we can all live out a dream that says everything is well and we end up singing dreamy love songs to Jesus with our hands waving like trees and our eyes looking into the back of our heads making us look more like zombies than lovers of Jesus. Well of course that is not the problem with us here but we are equally prone to displaying false love. Read the reformers and the puritans: they knew about heart felt love for God!

As reformed believers emotions are so well and truly planted into our pockets. How much have we been forgiven, our great and wonderful theology tells us plainly. Does it not move yours hearts?

"In the very beginning, when this great universe lay in the mind of God, like unborn forests in the acorn cup; long before the echoes awoke the solitudes; before the mountains were brought forth; and long before the light flashed through the sky, God loved His chosen creatures. Before there was any created being --- when the ether was not fanned by an angel's wing, when space itself had not an existence, where there was nothing save God alone --- even then, in that loneliness of Deity, and in that deep quiet and profundity, His heart moved with love for His chosen. Their names were written on His heart, and then were they dear to His soul. Jesus loved His people before the foundation of the world --- even from eternity! and when He called me by His grace, He said to me, 'I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn thee’”

- C. H. Spurgeon said that. God’s love through Jesus is set upon us; do we truly reciprocate His love to us or is our love a careless love? It is pathetic to see the face of a parent who loves their child but the child has only contempt for them. God must feel broken by our lack of true love for Him!

v  You cannot see Him. But:  You believe in Him.

Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen!”

We are so often told that if only God would reveal Himself, if only He would leave heaven, come to earth and visit us then we would believe. That is utter clap-trap, He did come and even His own would not receive Him. Jesus the very representation of God become man and man not only would not believe in Him but they murdered Him. Jesus will only be believed if a work of grace has already taken place. It is a gift of God: Ephesians 1:8-9 “By grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

The gospel has done its work in our hearts therefore we believe in Him. We believe in all that He is, all that He has done and all that He is yet to do. We believe that he is the creator of all things that has brought to life our dead souls and has made us alive in Him. We may not see Him until we have done with this life and we are transported into the presence of the Father. Our guide on that day will be our Saviour Jesus who will present us to God who will see righteousness given by the One carrying the scars of sacrifice.

We believe this don’t we??

Do you?

You have not seen Him but you love Him and you believe in Him.  

The result being:

v  You are filled with joy beyond compare! Because: The end is coming.

Joy unspeakable fills every part

Life is wonderful, yes it's wonderful

Life is wonderful now to me

I let Jesus in, He changed everything

Life is wonderful now.

Since His blessings came into my heart

Joy unspeakable fills every part

Now I want to live for my Lord

Life is wonderful now.

I can pick holes in the theology; in parts it is plain wrong but the one thing that it can teach us is about Joy. Joy unspeakable; do you know what that means?

That is what Peter is saying that salvation means to Him and it is what it ought to mean to us. There is no room for manic Jesus loves me grins but joy unspeakable is what we have. How does that come out? Jesus for the joy of the Lord which was set before Him beyond the cross endured the pain, suffering and rejection of death! It was a joy to Jesus.

What is our joy? Belonging to Him eternally, does that not at least warm your heart even if it cannot raise a smile?

Rejoice, the Lord is King! Your Lord and King adore;

Mortals give thanks and sing, and triumph evermore;

Lift up your heart, lift up your voice;

Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!

Jesus, the Savior, reigns, the God of truth and love;

When He had purged our stains He took His seat above;

Lift up your heart, lift up your voice;

Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!

His kingdom cannot fail, He rules o’er earth and Heav’n,

The keys of death and hell are to our Jesus giv’n;

Lift up your heart, lift up your voice;

Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!

He sits at God’s right hand till all His foes submit,

And bow to His command, and fall beneath His feet:

Lift up your heart, lift up your voice;

Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!

Rejoice in glorious hope! Jesus the Judge shall come,

And take His servants up to their eternal home.

We soon shall hear th’archangel’s voice;

The trump of God shall sound, rejoice!

1 Corinthians 16:5-18 Onward and upward we go

After I go through Macedonia, I will come to you—for I will be going through Macedonia. Perhaps I will stay with you for a while, or even spend the winter, so that you can help me on my journey, wherever I go. For I do not want to see you now and make only a passing visit; I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits. But I will stay on at Ephesus until Pentecost, because a great door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many who oppose me.

When Timothy comes, see to it that he has nothing to fear while he is with you, for he is carrying on the work of the Lord, just as I am. No one, then, should treat him with contempt. Send him on his way in peace so that he may return to me. I am expecting him along with the brothers.

Now about our brother Apollos: I strongly urged him to go to you with the brothers. He was quite unwilling to go now, but he will go when he has the opportunity.

Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love.

You know that the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and they have devoted themselves to the service of the Lord’s people. I urge you, brothers and sisters, to submit to such people and to everyone who joins in the work and labours at it. I was glad when Stephanas, Fortunatus and Achaicus arrived, because they have supplied what was lacking from you. For they refreshed my spirit and yours also. Such men deserve recognition.

Introduction:

Ø  Writer: The Apostle Paul.

Ø  Corinth: A church in disarray.

Ø  Purpose: To instruct the church in right ways.

Ø  Issues: Selfishness, pride, arrogance, deviation from the truth, acceptance of error, and complacency.

Ø  Remedy: Come back to the truth and encouragement to do the right thing.

The church in Corinth are a people who are in trouble. They are reeling over sin in their midst. They have made bad decisions and are suffering the consequences of their actions. They have come to the attention of the Apostle Paul who has had to rebuke them for their ways in this letter. They need instructing as to how they accept Timothy and Apollos and also Paul himself. They also needed to be told that in their midst was Stephanas and his believing family who they should take notice of and be like rather than being the worldly Christians that they had become. It is interesting that in in middle of Paul’s pleas he gives them some incredibly powerful and important advice: 

He urges them to stand firm in bible truth and to deal with error whilst at the same time caring for the purity of the gospel and of the church.

Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love.

There are five instructions here that ought to be the motto of every church and every Christian in all times. If we can just live by these five rules then the church and every individual Christian would always please the Lord our God.

I know that there are issues here in Ogmore-by-Sea. It is not because somebody has been telling tales out of school but simply because there are always issues in all churches and in all of our lives. We should all want to glorify the Lord Jesus in all that we do. That of course is vitally important for us as individuals but I would say that in some ways it is more so for the church. But yet at times it seems to be that like Corinth we pass by serious difficulties and errors in the church as if it really does not matter but focus in on secondary issues as of vital importance.

Problems within the church or the family of God ought to bring tears to our eyes.

When last did you weep over the state of the church? More to the point when last did you weep over the state of Ogmore-by-Sea Evangelical church? I put it to you that there is much to weep over. We might not have sunk to the depths that the church in Corinth had but there are things both in the church and in our personal lives that are in contradiction to God’s directives for us. It is simply not good enough for us to say that this is because we are human and that we are still under the influence of sin. We have been saved from the penalty of sin, not in order to sit and bask in easy believism but to glorify God, in the church and in our personal lives! This passage tells how that we must accomplish this. It is not a suggestion at the end of a nice little letter from Paul; it is final instructions at the end of a hard hitting letter that addressed the serious errors of Corinthian ways.

So what do we learn?

In order to protect the church we must:

1.      Be on our guard.

2.      Stand firm.

3.      Be courageous.

4.      Be strong.

5.      Do all of this in love.

As we read this we cannot help but think of Joshua, which is exactly what Paul intended! Moses had died and Joshua had been promoted by God to lead the people of His people. As you can imagine he felt insecure. Moses had been such a great pastor; how on earth can Joshua follow in his footsteps? But God commissioned Joshua to be himself and not to attempt to be another Moses! Therefore God instructed him in the way that he was to go (just as Paul is doing in this letter):

Read Joshua 1:1-9

Joshua Installed as Leader

After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide:  “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites. I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Mediterranean Sea in the west. No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.

“Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

The Old Testament is where Paul learned all of his theology and so this incident along with many others in the Old Testament is what spurred him on to instruct Corinth in the way that he did. There are similarities between Joshua’s circumstance and that of the leaders of the Corinthian church. They were both to lead a rebellious people to do exactly what God commands in order that He might bless them as He wants.

It is the same for the church in all times therefore we must:

1: Be on our guard.

There was much in Corinth that had happened because the leaders had taken their eye off the ball. I was recently teaching Nathaniel to catch a ball. He had become frustrated because he just could not do it. His problem was that he had “policeman eyes” they were everywhere and so he had no focus. All that I did was to keep on telling him to keep his eye on the ball. When he did then: success! He had got it. He can now catch.

That is what Paul is saying to the church. Keep your eye on the important things.

What are they?

Joshua 1:8 Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.

It is not popular today but it is absolutely necessary, the bible is our guide, take your eye off the bible and you will never “catch the blessing!” Blessing comes from obedience to God’s expressed word. Keep the Word ever before you, both here in the church (elders you are responsible for that whatever others might demand) and in your personal life. If you want to know why you’re spiritual life is dull and why you are missing the blessing.

You HAVE taken your eye off the bible!

Be on your guard!

But also:

2: Stand firm:

That does not necessarily mean stand still! We have just considered the importance of guarding the word of truth. Again from our passage in Joshua we can learn what Paul means when he said “Stand firm!”

 Look at verse 7:

“Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.”

Soldiers of Christ, arise, and put your armour on,

Strong in the strength which God supplies through His eternal Son.

Strong in the Lord of hosts, and in His mighty power,

Who in the strength of Jesus trusts is more than conqueror.

Stand firm do not move from the truth. That is not popular today but then again it never was. It will not make you popular with men and sadly at times with other Christians also but nevertheless it is vital! Corinth got into a desperate mess because nobody stood firm on the truth of the word. What will you do here in OBSEC? Leaders you will be under pressure to do all sorts of things but you must:

Stand firm!

Whilst guarding the truth and standing firm you must also:

3: Be courageous and be strong:

Joshua was not only told to stand for the truth; he also must be courageous with the truth. What Canaan needed most in Joshua’s day was to be occupied by God’s people and for  that to be accomplished Joshua not only had to be on his guard and to stand firm in the truth but he was to act upon the truth.

Look at verse 6:

“Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.”

And verse 9:

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Be bold, be strong

For the Lord your God is with you

Be bold, be strong

For the Lord your God is with you

I am not afraid

I am not dismayed

Because I'm walking in faith and victory

Come on and walk in faith and victory

For the Lord your God is with you!

The Lord our God is with us in a way that Joshua could only look forward to. Emmanuel has come; the Lord Jesus Christ is the captain of our guard. He is with us and He is leading us on into victory. He has called us to occupy our land for the good of the population. Just as Canaan needed to be occupied by Israel so this world needs the church. But let us be more focussed, Ogmore-by-Sea needs you. Remember Kitchener during the Great war had his picture all over the place declaring to the population; “we need you!” Ogmore-by-Sea needs Jesus. You are a representation of Jesus to them, you have the word of life and hope and help. You must be bold, strong and courageous. You must occupy the land by going into the community with words of eternal life. The children’s work is a start, the Monday fellowship is exciting but there are more in our community than young and old. How do we bring the word of life into our community? We must walk in faith and in the promise of victory; we are on the victory side:

On the victory side, on the victory side

No foe can harm me; no fear can alarm me,

We are on the victory side.

On the victory side, on the victory side

With Christ within, the fight we will win.

We are on the victory side.

Do we believe that? Will we be bold, strong and courageous? Paul tells us to be watchful, to stand firm and to be strong! Remember that we are on the victory side.

There is one final instruction for us to consider:

4: All of this must be done in love!

Joshua went into Canaan in judgement; the people of Canaan had overstepped the mark! We have a very different ministry. It is still one of judgement but it is with the offer of grace and mercy. For Canaan it was too late, they had had their chance but it is different in our world today we are in a day of grace and so we go in love. Not with sloppy sentimental eyes looking into heaven a type of starry eyed gospel but we go with the authority of God to declare His  judgement upon sin but also with an offer of grace for the forgiveness of sin. Joshua had the sword of judgement but we have the gospel of salvation.

The love that Paul is referring to here is the love that Jesus has.

Jesus’ love is threefold:

He has

Ø  Love for His Father.

Ø  Love for His people.

Ø  Love for the world.

Our love is to be the same. Do you Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, all of your soul, mind and strength? Is He your passion, read the gospels and see how Jesus loved the Father; and NOW be like Jesus!

Do you love God’s people? That is the church. Look around you now, who is it that you do not love. You are failing Jesus, put it right!

(Why not pray for that person right now?)

We are reminded that Jesus said that all people would know that we are His disciples by the true love that we have for one another. That again is real love and in no way hairy fairly slop. Read about how Jesus loved His Father and His people and also the church which at times required serious rebuke and even a whipping. Paul earlier in this letter had to threaten a visit that would be unpleasant because true love is blatantly honest and not always pleasant but it is always fair and done with love.

Are you really honest; fair and loving with each other?

When we have that love for each other then we must also:

Love the world! Do you love the lost with a gospel love? They need the gospel and you are their missionaries. What are you doing for them? If nothing then you are simply displaying your utter contempt for them.

I do pray that God will bless us all as we seek to glorify Him in all that we are.

Onward and upward we go.

Amen.