Take Up Your Cross Daily
Notes
Transcript
Opening Illustration
Opening Illustration
In his book “Not a Fan,” Pastor Kyle Idleman says:
“Jesus was never interested in having fans.
When he defines what kind of relationship he wants, ‘Enthusiastic Admirer’ isn’t an option.
My concern is that many of our churches in America have gone from being sanctuaries to becoming stadiums.
And every week all the fans come to the stadium where they cheer for Jesus but have no interest in truly following him.
The biggest threat to the church today is fans who call themselves Christians but aren’t actually interested in following Christ.
They want to be close enough to Jesus to get all the benefits, but not so close that it requires anything from them.”
Beloved, Jesus did not call us to just be fans...
Jesus called us to be His disciples...
And to be a disciple of Christ then we must take up our cross...
And we must take it up daily!
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So, please turn your Bibles to the Gospel of Luke.
We will conduct our study in Chapter 9 and focus on verse 23.
Our message this morning is titled, “Take Up Your Cross Daily”
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This message today will focus on three fold call by our Lord and Savior...
It is a invitation to follow Jesus...
And it is also a call with a price...
But I can guarantee you that the sacrifice we are called to make is so worth it!
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So, this morning we will cover three main points:
1) Denying Yourself
2) Carrying Your Cross
And...
3) Following Him
Opening Prayer
Opening Prayer
Before we consider our text, please join me in prayer...
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Heavenly Father...
There is no one like You!
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Thank You for allowing us to draw breathe and live another day...
Thank You for allowing us to study Your word today...
And thank You for allowing us to be adopted into Your royal family...
For we have no other hope that You!
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Help us to better understand Your ways...
Help us to better understand Your commands...
And help us to better understand that our salvation is 100% Your work in us...
For if just 1% of salvation was on us we would surly fail!
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We are blessed by Your sending of the Holy Spirit...
We are blessed by the Scriptures You revealed to us...
And we are blessed by Your Son whom you sent into this broken and depraved world...
For He lived for us and died for us...
All so that we many live!
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And it is in Jesus’s name we pray all these things...
Amen.
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Let’s turn to our text for today:
Reading of the Text
Reading of the Text
23 And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.
So, let’s look at our first point...
1) Denying Yourself
1) Denying Yourself
Verses 23 (a): And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself...
I would like to start our study with this insightful note by one of my favorite pastors...
Regarding this passage, pastor John MacArthur says:
“This brief passage is a diamond of truth, clear and brilliant, and it contains the heart of Jesus’ invitation to sinners contemplating becoming one of His disciples.
In His own words the Lord laid out what it means to be a genuine believer in Him; to be included in His salvation kingdom.
It consequently reveals truth that is unsurpassed in importance.
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Sinners struggle mightily to come to true self-rejection, hatred of sin, and submission to Christ.
And such a struggle ending in salvation is nothing less than energized by the power of the Holy Spirit operating in the sovereign purpose of God.
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The self-denial in view is not merely of material things, but of anything that merits salvation or is more important to a person than God.
His point is that coming to Him involves full submission to His lordship and willingness to abandon whatever He asks for His purpose.”
That is really helpful for us to have the right mindset while exploring this passage.
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Now, Let’s pay attention to who the audience is...
Jesus’ summons to discipleship is not limited to the twelve...
Just look at what our passage says...
The following instructions is given “to all.”
So, these are not optional commands for those who claim to be Christian..
The following are the marks of a genuine born-again believer.
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So, let me be clear, Beloved...
These commands to not lead us or merit us salvation...
However obedience to these commands acts as proof of the individual who has been made brand new...
A genuine follower of Christ will live a life that is modeled after the life of Christ.
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At this point it is wise to recall the previous verse passage we studied last week...
Especially, the last verse...
So, look with me at Luke 9:22 which says:
22 saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.”
Beloved, Jesus does not want to suffer...
However by Christ being unreservedly committed to the purpose of God...
That means He would be an offence to this world.
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So, it is not surprising that His followers will also be an offence to this dying world.
Keep this truth in mind as we progress in our study.
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The first command and sign of a true believer is that they are to deny oneself...
Now, to deny oneself is not simply the act of denying certain things...
Instead it is the act of denying personal control of one’s life.
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A great way to look at it as in this context is to sett aside one’s interests for the sake of God’s Kingdom...
One is to deny their own personal ambitions and focus on God’s eternal Kingdom.
We are called to sacrifice our worldly treasures for treasures that will last forever.
Consider Jesus’ parable in Matthew 13:44–46 which says:
44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls,
46 who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.
To deny oneself is to be willing to sell everything we own...
To sell everything we value in this world...
So that we may hold in our hands that One Priceless Pearl of Infinite Value!
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Ask yourself, are what are you willing to give us for Christ?
If called upon would you sacrifice everything?
Would you sacrifice your reputation?
Would you sacrifice your comforts?
Would you sacrifice your relationships?
Would you even sacrifice your very life?
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How much is Jesus really worth to you?
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So, this mandates of denying oneself is a rejection of a life based on self-interest and self-fulfillment...
Instead a disciple is to be one who seeks to fulfill the will and the teachings of Christ no matter the cost!
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Many of the writers of Scripture implore us to deny our flesh and its wicked desires...
Just look at what Peter says in his epistle in 1 Peter 2:11:
11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.
Beloved, when we are transformed and are born again that means our minds are renewed...
But, until we reach glorification in the next life, we still have to war with our flesh that has not yet been renewed.
Peter perfectly illustrates that this battles between renewed mind and still depraved flesh is really a war against one’s soul!
So, we are called to deny ourselves and not give any footing to our flesh and its wicked passions.
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Likewise, Paul says in Colossians 3:5:
5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
This reminds my of the famous John Owen quote:
“Be killing sin, or sin will be killing you.”
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Yes, we may sin by we should no longer be slaves to sin...
Sin and wickedness should no longer define our life if we have been touched by God!
In fact, the idea that a believer can continue in a practice of sin is foreign in the Scriptures...
As Romans 6:2 says:
2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?
We can’t die to sin and still make a habit of it...
It is not possible.
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So, whether it is sin or maybe it is something that is not sin in an of itself...
Whether good or bad...
Everything should be counted as loss in comparison to Christ!
For He is our One Priceless Pearl of Infinite Value!
So, I echo the words on Philippians 3:8 as Paul boldly declares:
8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ
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To deny oneself is also to lay down one’s life for other just like what our Lord and Savior did for us...
1 John 3:16 says:
16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.
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So, to deny oneself we may very well be called to one day sacrifice our life...
Although this is a difficult reality to accept...
Jesus shows us the hope and true life in denying oneself...
Take a look with me at John 12:24–26:
24 Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.
25 Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
26 If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.
We are called to bear much good fruit like our Savior...
But in order for us to do this...
We need to die...
We need to die to self!
In fact, look at how Paul puts it in Galatians 5:24:
24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
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Now, before we proceed to our second point, I would like to share the following with you...
The following is a poem that I came across that sums up in practical terms what self-denial means for a Christian:
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When you are forgotten or neglected or purposely set at naught, and you don’t sting or hurt with the insult or the oversight, but your heart is happy, being counted worthy to suffer for Christ—
That is dying to self.
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When your good is evil spoken of, when your wishes are crossed, your advice disregarded or your opinions ridiculed, and you refuse to let anger rise in your heart or even to defend yourself, but take it all in patient, loving silence—
That is dying to self.
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When you lovingly, patiently bear any disorder and irregularity, any impunctuality or any annoyance—when you come face to face with waste, folly, extravagance, spiritual insensibility—and endure it as Jesus endured it—
That is dying to self.
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When you are content with any food, any offering, any raiment, any climate, any society, any solitude, any interruption by the will of God—
That is dying to self.
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When you never refer to yourself in conversation, or to record your own good works, or itch after commendation, when you can truly love to go unknown—
That is dying to self.
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When you can see your brother or sister have his or her needs met and can honestly rejoice in spirit and can feel no envy nor question God, while your own needs are far greater and in more desperate circumstances—
That is dying to self.
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When you can receive correction and reproof from one of less stature than yourself and can humbly submit inwardly as well as outwardly, finding no rebellion or resentment rising up within your heart—
That is dying to self.
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Now, that we have discusses denying oneself and dying to self...
We need to talk about carrying one’s own cross...
And this takes us to our second point.
2) Carrying Your Cross
2) Carrying Your Cross
Verses 23 (b): And take up his cross daily...
Let’s start this section with a brief word study...
In regards to the word “cross” the MacArthur Study Bible says:
“To them it would have evoked a picture of a violent, degrading death.
He was demanding total commitment from them—even unto physical death—and making this call to full surrender a part of the message they were to proclaim to others.
For those who come to Christ with self-renouncing faith, there will be true and eternal life.”
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Furthermore, the Reformation Study Bible puts it this way:
“A cross is not merely a difficult life circumstance to be endured.
Those who witnessed Roman crucifixions knew that to take up the cross meant to renounce selfish ambition and all right to control one’s own destiny; it is death to a whole way of life.”
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You see Beloved, we are so far removed from the 1st century that when we think of a cross we think of an object on a necklace or a graphic on a t-shirt...
But we need to go back and think like someone 2,000 years ago in the middle east...
In fact, theologian James R. Edwards perfectly sums this up when he says:
“Modern culture is exposed to the symbol of the cross primarily in jewelry or figures of speech (e.g., “bearing one’s cross”).
In the first century, the cross was not a mere symbol or figure of speech but a repugnant instrument of cruelty, pain, dehumanization, and shame.
The cross was the most visible and omnipresent aspect of Rome’s terror apparatus, designed especially to punish criminals and quash slave rebellions in the most painful, protracted, and public manner possible as a warning against rebellion.
In 71 B.C. the Roman general Crassus defeated the slave-rebel Spartacus and crucified him and 6,000 of his followers on the Appian Way between Rome and Capua.
A century later Nero crucified and burned Christians who were falsely accused of setting fire to Rome.
There are no known survivors of Roman crucifixions.
The cross was thus a symbol of absoluteness and totality, and it retains both senses as used by Jesus.”
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Next, Let’s look at the word “daily” which, in this context, means that anyone who is a true disciple of Jesus must be willing to follow Him every day, no matter what the cost may be...
In other words, since a condemned criminal was forced to carry one bar of his cross to the place of execution...
We know that we are “on a one-way journey”...
And we know we must have a willingness to suffer martyrdom if need be...
For to take up the cross daily is to live each day, not for self, but for Christ no matter the cost!
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Do you really understand the cost of following Jesus?
Do you really understand all that is required?
Do you really understand what it means to carry your cross?
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Seeker-friendly churches that are motivated by numbers lay out royal carpets for all to join their church...
They make false promises that if you follow Jesus all of a sudden all your problems will go away...
They promise good health...
They promise much wealth...
And they claim that Jesus just desperately needs you because of how awesome you are...
They claim Jesus just want peace on earth and unity with all even if have to compromise doctrine and God’s truth.
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Yet, the Scriptures reveal a very different Jesus...
The Jesus of the Bible loves you enough to tell you the truth...
The Jesus of the Bible loves you enough to warn you to count the costs if you are going to follow Him...
In fact, let’s see how Jesus says it as recorded in Matthew 10:34-38:
34 “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.
35 For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.
36 And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household.
37 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
38 And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.
Wow...
You don’t typically see that on a greeting card...
You don’t see that embodied on a pillow...
I don’t believe many people have that as their life verse...
However, Jesus is sharing a hard truth that all His followers need to hear...
Again, Jesus says in Luke 14:25–27 that:
25 Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them,
26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.
27 Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.
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The call to carry one’s cross is mandatory for those who are genuinely in Christ!
We have to be willing to place our relationship with God well above ever other meaningful relationship in our lives...
That is why as believers...
Although we seek peace with all...
And love all people...
Some of the people who were once so close to us no longer want anything to do with us...
And that hurts, Beloved...
Nobody said it would be easy...
But let us echo the words of Paul as he recorded in Galatians 2:20 words that we need to remember to live by:
20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
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Every pain that you endure due to your relationship with God...
Every affliction...
It is not in vain!
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The suffering you endure today...
The cost of carrying your cross...
It is not in vain!
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I want you to chew on 2 Corinthians 4:17 for a while as this passage says:
17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,
Wow...
Our most severe and horrifying afflictions are considered light in comparison to that eternal weight of glory...
For it is far beyond all comparison...
So, if you are suffering for Him...
You are not suffering in vain!
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Now, lets look at the final command that is part of the threefold command that was part of this passage...
So, that will take us to our third and final point.
3) Following Him
3) Following Him
Verses 23 (c): And follow me.
The final command in our passage of following Jesus is a call to walk in the light...
You see Beloved, we live in a very dark world...
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Turn on the news and lit it play for a few minutes...
It will make your stomach turn.
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Read some the the comments people are willing to leave on social media...
It will break you heart to see people willing to be so cruel.
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Take a trip to the movies or try to stream something on a secular network...
The stuff they allow in TV shows and film is traumatic and would make one blush.
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Even try to watch a “kids” show...
You may find yourself horrified with what they are willing to put in front of our children's eyes.
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This world is wicked...
This world is broken...
This world is dark...
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Yet, Jesus is the light!
As John 8:12 says:
12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
So, to follow the Lord is to not follow the world...
And as we said before this will come a personal cost...
But it is well worth it!
As Luke 14:28–33 makes clear:
28 For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?
29 Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him,
30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’
31 Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand?
32 And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace.
33 So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.
We must let go of the world and its captivating charms if we are to follow Jesus...
You can’t have it both ways...
You can’t follow Jesu sand the world...
To follow one is to abandon the other...
There is no denying that the cost is a high cost but take a look at the dialogue between Peter and Jesus about this very topic...
Look with me at Matthew 19:27–29 which says:
27 Then Peter said in reply, “See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?”
28 Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life.
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And be assured, Church...
Those who are truly His sheep will hear the voice of their Master...
As our Good Shepherd says in John 10:27:
27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.
What a great reassurance!
Closing Illustration
Closing Illustration
So, as this message comes to a close...
I would like to share this that I came across in my study this week:
Pastor Kyle Idleman said, again in his book “Not a Fan” that:
“There is no comfortable way to carry a cross; I don’t care how you position it.
I often talk to people who are convinced that some suffering or pain in their lives is an indication that they must not be following Jesus.
After all, if they are following Jesus, the Son of God, doesn’t it follow that things in life are going to unfold smoothly?
There is this junk theology floating around out there that points to difficulties as evidence that you must not be following Jesus.
The Biblical reality is that when people say yes to following Jesus, they are agreeing to carry a cross, and that will be painful at times.”
When Jesus said that His followers must carry their cross it was an accurate image...
The life of a believer is not pain free...
In fact, many of us have quite a heavy cross to bear...
But we have a Lord and Savior who know what we are going through...
For He literally has to carry His cross when He voluntarily laid down His life for us.
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And it is now about Christ’s sacrifice that we bring our attention to.
Communion
Communion
As we begin our communion service, I want to invite every genuinely born-again believer in the room to partake in this act together.
If you do not yet know the Lord and do not have a relationship with Him...
Or if you are under church discipline from this church or another church...
Then I will ask that you wait until you have resolved your issue before participating.
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As you came in you should have picked up a communion packet if you are joining us.
This has both the bread and juice in a convenient package.
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If you have not received one of these, please raise your hand and someone will get you one.
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Before we join in communion together, I would like us to consider Mark 10:45:
45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
I would like us to focus on the word “ransom” and really think about what Jesus did for us...
I came across this illustration to help us envision what Christ being ransomed for us really means:
In 1193, the English King Richard I, also known as Richard the Lionheart, was returning from leading a Crusade to the Holy Land. As he returned through Europe, Leopold V captured him in Austria.
The Holy Roman Emperor demanded a ransom for Richard's release.
The price was to be 150,000 marks, equal to three tons of silver.
This was an enormous ransom demand.
But the people of England so loved their king they submitted to extra taxation, and many nobles donated their fortunes for Richard's release.
After many months, the money was raised and King Richard returned to England.
That's where we get the expression, “a king's ransom.”
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But to us, the term “a King's ransom” could better be applied to the tremendous price Jesus, the King of Kings paid for our sins on the cross.
This King wasn't being ransomed; He paid the ransom so we can be set free.
It is the most expensive ransom in the history of mankind.
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In another story that came from the Crusades, Norman Lord Grimbald de Pauncefort was captured by the Saracens.
When asked the ransom price for his release the Turkish prince demanded the severed right hand of de Pauncefort's young bride, Eleanor.
In a tremendous act of courage and sacrifice, Lady Eleanor complied, and had her left hand amputated and sent to ransom her husband.
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In a sense, that's what Jesus did for you, but He didn't just give His hand--He gave His life.
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So, Beloved...
Let’s all take a moment right now in silent prayer to thank the Lord for all He did for us...
(MOMENT OF SILENCE)
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Tom will you pray before we partake in the bread:
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The Word of God says in Luke 22:19:
19 And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
(TAKE THE BREAD)
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Adrian will you pray before we partake in the cup:
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The Word of God says in Luke 22:20:
20 And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.
(TAKE THE CUP)
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With that we conclude the communion portion of our service.
Closing Prayer
Closing Prayer
Let’s pray...
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Heavenly Father...
If anyone hearing this message right now does not know You in a saving way...
Lord make them aware of their need for the Savior...
Make them aware that they need Jesus in their life as their personal Savior.
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I appeal to Your Name’s sake!
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For those hearing this message who already know You...
Remind them that although the cost is high to carry one’s cross...
It is not in vain...
Our light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory...
And that is beyond all comparison!
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Again, I appeal to Your Name’s sake!
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And it is in Jesus’s name we pray all these things...
Amen.
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To God be all the glory.
Amen.
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Please join us for one more song from the Praise Band.
