A Call to Repentance
Notes
Transcript
Opening Illustration
Opening Illustration
At nineteen, Al Johnson had joined two other men in robbing a Kansas bank.
The case was closed by police after two other convicts were killed in an auto crash and mistakenly identified by bank officials as the robbers.
Al felt sure he would never be caught.
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He married a Christian girl and pretended to be a Christian before her.
She knew nothing of his past crime.
Then someone sent him a tract in the mail, titled “God’s Plan of Salvation.”
Reading it, he noticed that one of the Bible verses said, “Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
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The realization struck that salvation was for him.
He could be forgiven and his conscience set free.
He knelt in prayer and surrendered his life to Christ.
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His life changed.
He stopped a lifelong habit of lying.
And after much thought and prayer he confessed his crime.
His confession made television newscasts and newspaper headlines even in Canada.
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Under a Kansas statute of limitations, he was set free, although he chose to repay his share of the stolen funds to the bank.
Al Johnson went on to be the manager of a service station, the father of three admiring children, and an outstanding Christian layman.
Beloved, we see in this story more than just a confession of a single sin...
We witness true and genuine repentance...
We see a true turning away from a wicked life of darkness...
We observe a move to walk with God in the light...
And that will be the focus of our study today.
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So, please turn your Bibles to the Gospel of Luke.
We will conduct our study in Chapter 13 and focus on verses 1 through 5.
Our message this morning is titled “A Call to Repentance.”
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As you are turning to our passage today please keep in mind that this fact...
That Jesus’ teaching presents a correction to how many people see misfortune in the lives of others...
Such as with an untimely or tragic death...
Furthermore, Jesus presents us with the proper way to understand situations like this...
And that ultimately leads to a call for us to repent and believe.
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So, this morning we will cover three main points:
1) The News of the Day
2) The Question
And...
3) The Need to Repent
Opening Prayer
Opening Prayer
Before we consider our text, please join me in prayer...
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Heavenly Father...
You are are the light in our world of thick darkness...
You are our guide in the treacherous storms of life...
And You are the very definition of good in stark contrast to us who fall short of your glory every day.
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Thank You for being so patient with us even as when have failed to give You the proper honor and worship...
Thank You for not raining down Your wrath on us for we have more than earned it...
And thank You for being slow to anger and quick to forgive those who approach You with a humble heart.
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Help us to be better Bereans and to know Your Word wholly and accurately...
Help us to take the truths of Your Word and to put them in the place of honor on our hearts...
And help us to grow in sanctification by the power of Your Word and the power of the Holy Spirit who leads us to be more like Christ.
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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
1 There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.
2 And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way?
3 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.
4 Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem?
5 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”
So, let’s look at our first point...
1) The News of the Day
1) The News of the Day
Verse 1: There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.
Beloved, this passage picks up right where we left off in our study of the Gospel of Luke...
As you may recall, Jesus has been teaching His disciples and the crowds many challenging truths...
Previously, during our last two studies of Luke’s Gospel we covered Luke 12:54-59 which says:
54 He also said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, you say at once, ‘A shower is coming.’ And so it happens.
55 And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, ‘There will be scorching heat,’ and it happens.
56 You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?
57 “And why do you not judge for yourselves what is right?
58 As you go with your accuser before the magistrate, make an effort to settle with him on the way, lest he drag you to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer, and the officer put you in prison.
59 I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the very last penny.”
So, it is at this point that our passage that we are studying today comes int the picture...
And this scene opens with the crowd telling Jesus of some of the “breaking” news of the day and wanting His input on it...
Now, I like the NLT rendering of this verse which I find to be very helpful...
Verse 1 says:
“About this time Jesus was informed that Pilate had murdered some people from Galilee as they were offering sacrifices at the Temple.”
Now Beloved, we don’t know the exact reason for this question...
We know the crowd wants Jesus’ input...
But was it just purely with the intent to learn from His answer...
Or was it to tempt Him to give a political answer...
Did the crowd want the okay from Jesus to revolt against Pilate?
Did this question come from the religious leaders in order to find a point to hold against Christ?
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Regardless of the intent, Jesus took this opportunity to teach the crowds an important lesson...
So, let’s first consider the background of this situation and then, starting in verse 2, we will get to Jesus’ answer.
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Now, this incident is in keeping with what was known about the character of Pilate.
Pilate was a very violent man and had a terrible relationship with the Jews often having much conflict that resulted in much bloodshed.
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Evidently, some worshipers from Galilee were condemned by Rome...
Some scholars believe that this is perhaps because they were zealots who often clashed with Rome...
And these Galilean worshipers were sought out and killed in the temple by Roman authorities while in the process of offering a sacrifice.
So, regardless of the guilt or innocence of these worshippers...
Such a killing would have been considered the grossest sort of blasphemy against God.
And it was incidents like this that inflamed the Jews’ hatred of Rome...
So Beloved, you can see why this was such a political issue and why the crowd would want Jesus feedback...
In fact, it was political issues like this that finally led to all out rebellion...
Which then led to the total and utter destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD.
As theologian James R. Edwards says:
“The massacre of the Galileans is unique to Luke and not attested elsewhere in ancient literature.
The announcement has the ring of a recent event, perhaps even ‘breaking news,’ and Jesus seizes its immediacy as an illustration.
We do not know the cause of the slaying, but Josephus and Philo mention three other instances in which Pilate unleashed (or was prepared to unleash) violence on his subjects, each of which involved his disdain for Jewish religious customs and his intractability in the face of Jewish protests.
This first mention of Pilate in the Third Gospel stands in grim conformity with his other notorious dealings with the Jews, for which he was recalled as prefect of Judea in 36 AD.
The reference to ‘sacrifices’ implies the Galilean incident was related to religious matters, perhaps at Passover, when the Roman prefect and Roman troops were in Jerusalem and tensions between Jews and Romans ran high.
It was the duty of Jewish priests to gather and pour out the blood of animals slain on the altar, but the actual slaughter of the victims was the responsibility of those who offered them.
The macabre note of mixing the blood of slain Galileans with their sacrifices makes sense if Pilate slew pilgrims in the act of slaughtering their own animal offerings.
Pilate treats Galilean pilgrims like their sacrificial animals, in other words, attesting to his disdain for pilgrims and animal sacrifices alike.”
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So, what would Jesus say regarding this tragedy?
What lessons did our Lord of Lords and King of Kings want to teach us from this incident?
Well, let’s look at our second point for the answer.
2) The Question
2) The Question
Verses 2-3: And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.
Again, the NLT provides us with a helpful translation:
“‘Do you think those Galileans were worse sinners than all the other people from Galilee?’ Jesus asked.
‘Is that why they suffered?
Not at all!
And you will perish, too, unless you repent of your sins and turn to God.’”
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So, instead of getting into politics...
Instead of just reacting with emotion...
You know, the way we would naturally react...
Instead of reacting like we would, Jesus points out a critical flaw in the crowds thinking.
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You see Beloved, in Jesus’ time, people thought that if some type of calamity befall someone, then it was proof that God was judging them for being a wicked sinner...
Many believed that disaster and sudden death always signified divine displeasure over particular sins...
And they believed that those who suffered in uncommon ways were therefore assumed to be guilty of some more severe immorality.
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Likewise, they believed that if someone’s life was free of calamity then it was a sign that they where righteous and God was blessing them...
So, the more calamity...
The greater the sinner...
And the more blessing one received...
The greater one’s righteousness.
In fact, even Jesus’ disciples were caught up in this wrong thinking as seen in passages like John 9:1-3:
1 As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth.
2 And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
3 Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.
The disciples’ question reflects the assumption, customary in ancient Judaism, that suffering could be traced to sin.
The underlying concern—well-intentioned, but misguided—was not to charge God with perpetrating evil on innocent people.
Yet the Old and New Testament makes clear that suffering is not always a direct result of a person’s sin like in the example Job as seen in Job 2:3-6:
3 And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil? He still holds fast his integrity, although you incited me against him to destroy him without reason.”
4 Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Skin for skin! All that a man has he will give for his life.
5 But stretch out your hand and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse you to your face.”
6 And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand; only spare his life.”
Furthermore, the ultimate example we see of how suffering is not always a direct result of a person’s sin is found in Jesus’ crucifixion...
Never has a more innocent man suffered a greater punishment than when Jesus gave His life to save all those who would believe in Him.
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So, Jesus wanted to make it clear that the type of thinking of the people was not true!
Yes, sometimes God punishes someone with calamity...
And sometimes God blesses in an obvious way to the world someone who is righteous...
So, Jesus did not deny the connection between catastrophe and human evil, for all such afflictions ultimately stem from the curse of humanity’s fallenness.
Furthermore, specific calamities may indeed be the fruit of certain iniquities.
But that is not an absolute rule...
The righteous often times are meet with calamity...
And the wicked receive material blessings they do not deserve.
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So, these Galilean worshipers that were slaughtered as they offered up their sacrifice...
They may have been righteous...
Or they may have been wicked...
We are not told...
But what we know is that the tragedy they experienced could have happened to anyone at any time...
The main take away from this is to instead of wrongly looking at others with flawed judgement...
We are to each look internally and realize that if we do not repent and believe...
Then we will truly experience a real tragedy...
A tragedy that will last forever as we are separated from God in eternal Hell fire.
As the Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament on Luke says:
“An attack like this in an area of sacred significance was bound to raise passions and create a stir.
Perhaps the crowd is curious to know if Jesus plans to do anything in defense of his compatriots.
Jesus does not enter into the social, racial, or national issues, but instead turns the incident into an opportunity to issue a warning.”
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You see Beloved, Christ challenged the people’s notion that they were morally superior to those who suffered in such catastrophes.
He called all to repent, for all were in danger of sudden destruction.
No one is guaranteed time to prepare for death, so now is the time for repentance for all.
As the New International Commentary on the New Testament on Luke says:
“It is true that Deuteronomy 28–30 (to name only one example) insists that judgment will overtake those whose lives are characterized by disobedience, but this is not the same thing as arguing that disasters come only to those who are disobedient.
In fact, Jesus’ reply does not deny sin its consequences, nor that sin leads to judgment;
Instead, he rejects the theory that those who encounter calamity have necessarily been marked by God as more deserving of judgment than those who do not.
The progression of his argument, then, is that judgment will overtake people, whether Galilean or Jerusalemite or of some other origin, unless they repent.
The universality of judgment, apart from repentance, is emphasized by the fourfold use of “all” in verses 2, 3, 4, and 5.”
So, in other words, only true and genuine repentance will ever prevent the death that lasts forever...
That should be our take away from this passage.
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And the call to repent will be the focus of our third and final point.
3) The Need to Repent
3) The Need to Repent
Verses 4-5: Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”
Once again we can look to the NLT for a proper rendering of the meaning of the text as it offers us a more thought for thought translation of our passage.
“‘And what about the eighteen people who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them?
Were they the worst sinners in Jerusalem?
No, and I tell you again that unless you repent, you will perish, too.’”
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So, let’s cover a bit of background on this second event that is mentioned...
This time by Jesus to the crowd.
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Now, there was an area at the south end of the lower city of Jerusalem, where there was a well known pool.
So, it was probably this tower on Jerusalem’s southern wall, near the pool of Siloam where this event takes place.
Evidently one of the towers guarding the aqueduct collapsed, perhaps while under construction, killing some people.
Again, the question in the minds of people was regarding the connection between calamity and iniquity.
The people where thinking that maybe these people suffered this tragedy because they were terrible sinners and this was God’s judgement.
Yet, Jesus responded by saying that such a calamity was not God’s way to single out an especially evil group for death, but as a means of warning to all sinners.
A greater judgment was eventually coming to all if they did not repent and believe.
The Reformation Study Bible puts it this way:
“The Galileans and those crushed by the Siloam tower had no time to repent at the time of their deaths, and Jesus’ unrepentant hearers might also face deaths that will give them no time to prepare.”
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This is the truth...
Whether you like it or not...
No one who refuses to repent can ever enter the kingdom of God!
Period!
Just look at what it says in Psalm 7:12:
12 If a man does not repent, God will whet his sword; he has bent and readied his bow;
There is no wiggle room there...
That is as clear a threat to anyone who refuses to repent.
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You and I can’t change the commands of God to make us feel more righteous and make other real less offended...
Bending the truth to sound more compassionate is not compassionate!
Beloved, we have to to a better job as sharing God’s truth the way it is without feeling the need to censor our God!
Repentance is a prerequisite...
A necessary condition for salvation!
If your “gospel” presentation lacks any mention of repentance...
Well, you are not sharing the Gospel!
You are talking less like Jesus and a whole lot more like Satan!
For Satan loves a “gospel” message that is filled with redacted statements.
The person sharing this neutered “gospel” is filled with pride that they did something good by making themselves and others feel good...
At least for a time...
And the lost soul listening to this “diet gospel” message is still lost but now has a false sense of assurance...
That is not what Jesus called us to do!
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You see Beloved, we really need to understand how essential repentance is in the life of a believer...
For our Christian walk does not start until we have repented and believe...
So, let’s unpack the term “repentance” so we can really understand the Gospel message.
Now, this brings to mind a story of a Sunday school teacher who once asked a class what was meant by the word “repentance.”
A little boy put up his hand and said, “It is being sorry for your sins.”
A little girl also raised her hand and said, “Please, it is being sorry enough to quit.”
So, repentance is a single instance but that repentance continues to shape your lifestyle.
A great example of this that is recorded in Scripture is found in Luke 19:8 which says:
8 And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.”
Zacchaeus was not just sorry for his sins...
He was sorry enough to quit...
He was sorry enough to go back to people he hurt in the past and to do his best to make things right with them...
As the Reformation Study Bible says:
“In Scripture, repentance means ‘to undergo a change of one’s mind.’
This change of mind is not a mere switching of minor opinions, but of the entire direction of one’s life.
It involves a radical turning from sin and to Christ.
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Repentance is not the cause of new birth or regeneration; it is the result or fruit of regeneration.
Though repentance begins with regeneration, it is an attitude and action that must be repeated throughout the Christian life.
As we continue to sin, we are called upon to repent as we are convicted of our sin by the Holy Spirit.
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Theologians make a distinction between two kinds of repentance.
The first is called attrition.
Attrition is a false or spurious kind of repentance.
It involves remorse caused by a fear of punishment or a loss of blessing.
This was the kind of repentance Esau exhibited.
He was sorry not because he had sinned, but because he had lost his birthright.
Attrition, then, is repentance motivated by an attempt to get a ticket out of hell or to otherwise avoid punishment.
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Contrition, on the other hand, is true and godly repentance.
It is genuine.
It includes a deep remorse for having offended God.
The contrite person openly and fully confesses his sin with no attempt to excuse it or justify it.
This acknowledgment of sin is coupled with a willingness to make restitution whenever possible and a resolve to turn away from sin.
This is the spirit of repentance that David exhibited in Psalm 51.
‘Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.…
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, you will not despise’
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When repentance is offered to God in a spirit of true contrition, He promises to forgive us and to restore us to fellowship with Him:
‘If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.’”
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The message of repentance is completely intertwined with the Gospel message, Beloved!
Just take a look at what our Lord and Savior said in Mark 1:14-15:
14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God,
15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
Did you see that, Beloved?
Mark records that Jesus was proclaiming the Gospel...
And then he goes and quotes Jesus giving the Gospel message...
Jesus said, “repent and believe in the gospel.”
So, repent of one’s wicked life...
And believe in Jesus as the the long-promised Messiah...
Believe in the only name that saves!
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So, repentance without Christ is not true repentance...
And belief in Christ without repentance is not true belief...
One must both repent and believe!
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That message of repentance was the message that Jesus gave to His disciples to spread on their missionary journeys...
As Mark 6:7-12 says:
7 And he called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits.
8 He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in their belts—
9 but to wear sandals and not put on two tunics.
10 And he said to them, “Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you depart from there.
11 And if any place will not receive you and they will not listen to you, when you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.”
12 So they went out and proclaimed that people should repent.
After Jesus resurrected, the message of repenting and believe was carried out to all who would believe...
We see this in Peter’s Holy Spirit filled Gospel presentation in the Book of Acts...
Especially in Acts 3:11-19 which says:
11 While he clung to Peter and John, all the people, utterly astounded, ran together to them in the portico called Solomon’s.
12 And when Peter saw it he addressed the people: “Men of Israel, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we have made him walk?
13 The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him.
14 But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you,
15 and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses.
16 And his name—by faith in his name—has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all.
17 “And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers.
18 But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ would suffer, he thus fulfilled.
19 Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out,
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So, to everyone in the room...
To everyone who may hear or watch this message online...
Ask yourselves...
Have you really repented and believed?
Have you really turned from the destructive and wicked life you once lived?
Or are you still living in sin?
One may be able to fool others and even themselves...
But God is no fool and He will not be fooled!
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So, don’t wait until it is too late...
The Galileans that Pilate slaughtered...
They were not expecting to draw their last breath as they brought a sacrifice to the Lord in His temple...
And the eighteen from Jerusalem who had a tower fall on them...
They did not expect that day to be their last...
The same is true for you and me.
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The parsonage, where we live, it is only two houses down the street from the church...
On my way home today I am not guaranteed to make it to my front door.
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We have a nice lunch planned for after our service and the next videos in our marriage video series...
I am not guaranteed to even make it to those steps to the fellowship hall.
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And the very same truth applies to everyone in this room...
To anyone else who hears this message...
In fact, to anyone in this whole world.
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So, the command from Christ is to be ready at all times...
Today is the day for salvation!
Don’t waste another single moment...
Surrender to Him if you have not done so already!
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I really appreciate this note in the New International Commentary on the New Testament on Luke:
“The Gospel is glad tidings, but only for those who leave the way that leads to destruction and come to true repentance.
Those who remain unconverted are heading for inexorable destruction.”
If you are heading for destruction...
Then turn to the only name that can save...
For Jesus is the Way!
Jesus is the Truth!
And Jesus is the Life!
Closing Illustration
Closing Illustration
So, as this message comes to a close...
I would like you to consider this:
At an open-air Gospel meeting the preacher asked for testimonies.
While this was going on a skeptic was passing by just when the testimony of a saved drunkard was being given.
He stopped and listened.
The former drunkard was telling how Jesus had wrought a miracle and saved his poor soul.
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The skeptic scoffingly made a few remarks to those standing near him.
He said, “It was nothing more than a dream, religion saving a man in this manner; just a mere dream, and nothing more.”
No one answered him; but God had His way of dealing with him.
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Among the listeners was a little girl about ten years old.
She had known the misery of a drunkard’s home.
She heard the remark of the skeptic and, going up to him, she said:
“Please, sir, if it is only a dream, please don’t wake him—that is my daddy!”
Beloved, true and genuine repentance is always followed by a life that produces good fruit...
That is what happens when you repent and put your faith in the perfect and complete work of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ that He accomplished at the cross...
His sacrifice that lead to the salvation for all who trust in Him...
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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 the 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 Ephesians 5:2:
2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
Let us consider the wise words of John Piper, who says this regarding this passage:
“In Ephesians 5:1 you have the Father loving you, and now you have Christ loved you in Ephesians 5:2.
Then you have a massive, central gospel reference: ‘. . . and gave himself for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.’
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So, there had to be a sacrifice so that the wrath of God would be averted onto that sacrifice and away from me, and all the requirements that have ever been made of me would be fulfilled by him.
Once those two things are done, after he becomes the perfect sacrifice and the perfect, all-satisfying righteousness or obedience — is that where it changed?
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No.
That’s where it was purchased.
That’s where it was founded.
That’s where it was secured and guaranteed, but I was born a sinner, a child of wrath, and for years, various numbers of years in this group, God’s wrath was upon me.
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But then one day, by God’s Spirit, there was a quickening of a dead, rebellious heart, and God brought to life in that moment of quickening a trust, a recognition:
‘I’m a goner under wrath unless I receive a perfect sacrifice and a perfect obedience that was performed for me two thousand years ago.’
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At that moment, when you received Christ as your sacrifice, as your obedience, God became totally for you.
Justification, I believe, is God’s effective declaration:
No condemnation.
Totally for you.
Just.
Righteous.
Forgiven.
Accepted.
Totally loved.
Totally for you.
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Follow the reasoning of the Apostle Paul in Romans 8:28:
‘All things work together for good.’
Now, that ‘all things’ is what I mean by totally for you.
So, something bad happens to you.
From a smashed finger to a lost spouse, cancer in your body, whatever — a terrible thing happens, and at that moment, God is totally for you because of these words:
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‘And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
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What then shall we say to these things?
If God is for us, who can be against us?
He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?
Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect?
It is God who justifies.’
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See, if you just put that logic together, you will have under your feet the most massive assurance.
God is totally for me because he didn’t spare his own Son, because he knew me and he predestined me and he called me and he justified me and he secured my glorification.
He is totally for me.
Nobody can successfully be against me.”
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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...
Then please, break down the walls around their stone heart...
And give them a new heart that is living!
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I appeal to Your Name’s sake!
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For those hearing this message who already know You...
Then please, give them heart that burns with a desire to see lost sinners saved...
And give them the boldness to share your truth faithfully, regardless of the costs.
.......
Again, I appeal to Your Name’s sake!
.......
It is in Jesus’s name we pray all these things...
To God be all the glory.
Amen.
