The Jewish Final Solution to the World's Problem - What We Should Expect of Ourselves & Communion

[0:00] This book entitled Implosion was first published in the year 2012. I know many of you have already read it, and perhaps others will want to obtain a copy after having been introduced to it.

[0:14] But I'm just going to cherry-pick some selected comments that Joel Rosenberg has to share with us, because it does really tie in with the theme that we've been pursuing in our Sunday morning messages, and it also ties in with the theme of Thanksgiving and communion that we will be sharing very shortly.

[0:38] Joel C. Rosenberg is a New York Times best-selling author with more than 2.5 million copies in print. An evangelical Christian, he is the co-founder and president of the Joshua Fund, providing humanitarian relief in Israel.

[0:54] As a communications strategist based in Washington, D.C., he has served as a senior advisor on two U.S. presidential campaigns and an aide to some of the world's most influential leaders in politics, business, and the media.

[1:12] A front-page Sunday New York Times profile called him a force in the Capitol, and indeed he has been that and continues to be that.

[1:24] The back side of the jacket says, America is teetering on a precipice. More and more people are asking, can America survive?

[1:40] What does the future hold? What does the Bible say about the future of the United States? We stand as the wealthiest, most powerful nation on the face of the earth.

[1:52] But now, in the midst of unprecedented and skyrocketing federal debt, severe economic troubles, political uncertainty, declining morality, a weak church, growing spiritual apathy and apostasy, historic natural disasters, and myriad other daunting challenges, many wonder if America's best days are behind her.

[2:27] Will history's greatest democracy stage a miraculous comeback, returning to the forefront of the world's economic and spiritual stage? Can America's remarkable religious heritage be renewed today with another great awakening?

[2:45] Or will the rise of China, Russia, radical Islam, and other external threats, coupled with the U.S.'s severe internal struggles, send her into a death spiral from which there can be no return?

[3:06] Rosenberg tackles the question, is America an empire in decline? Or a nation poised for a historical remessence?

[3:17] And of course, we would prefer the latter. Implosion will help you understand, through the lens of Scripture, the enormous economic, social, and spiritual challenges facing the United States in the 21st century, and explain how you can make a difference at this critical crossroads in our history.

[3:43] What happens to America in the last days? Americans are asking questions like, this with the growing frequency and urgency because of annoying and steadily intensifying anxiety that, as challenging as things are in our country today, they very well could get catastrophically worse.

[4:08] Many Americans genuinely fear that God is preparing to remove His hand of protection and blessing from our country, or perhaps already has.

[4:18] They fear that unlike previous dark times in our national history, God may not intend to help us turn things around and get us back on the right track.

[4:32] The stakes are very high. Our nation has come to a crossroads. We face the potential implosion of our economy and society.

[4:43] Let us, therefore, engage each other in discussing how we got here, where we are going, and most importantly, what the Lord is telling us in His Word to do next.

[4:57] Time is of the essence. The most frequently asked question is the title of this paragraph.

[5:09] An author, Joel Rosenberg, says, Until recently, the question I was asked most frequently when I spoke and did interviews in the U.S.

[5:22] and around the world was, Joel, how can you be Jewish and believe that Jesus is the Messiah? But within the past few years, that important question has been significantly eclipsed by another one.

[5:40] These days, the question I am most frequently asked is this. What happens to America in the last days? I also get plenty of variations on the theme.

[5:54] Is America simply in decline? Or are we like the Roman Empire stumbling toward collapse? Do you believe America's days are numbered? Are we approaching the end of America as we have known it?

[6:08] Are we living in the last days? What does the Bible say about the future of the United States? Is America even mentioned in end times Bible prophecy?

[6:23] Is America mentioned, described, or hinted at in the Bible at all? Christians are certainly wrestling with such questions. Christians.

[6:34] So, I shall begin with just turning to some selected portions that I have already targeted for sharing with you.

[6:48] And you can kind of sift and sort for yourself as we go along. this asks the question not so much what should we expect from our elected officials because, frankly, apart from the ballot box and frequent letters of complaint or suggestion, there's not much we can do about what happens in Washington.

[7:17] but there is something that each one of us can do about ourselves and our own attitude. And this paragraph is entitled What Should We Expect From Ourselves?

[7:32] And bear in mind that he is talking to primarily those who profess faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Some years ago, as an adult, Joel Rosenberg, who was born and reared in a traditional kind of Jewish family, came to a personal conviction that Jesus Christ was really who the Bible says he was, and he has put his faith and trust in him, and he has become what Jews refer to themselves as completed Jews.

[8:01] And he has written a number of books, in fact, a significant number of books, virtually every one of them bestsellers. Some of them are of the nature that I am sharing with you, and then he's in addition written a couple of rather compelling novels.

[8:16] So, there's something there for everybody. What should we expect from ourselves? And this gets very personal. The church cannot be healthy and strong unless believers are walking closely, purely, and powerfully with Christ, right?

[8:36] That means that ultimately revival begins with you and me. let's not be fearful about the state of the church or angry about the failings of her members or leaders.

[8:51] Rather, let's start beseeching the Lord to have mercy on us, to purify us, to heal us, and shake us, and wake us up while there is still time.

[9:03] My friend Ann Graham Lotz, many of you are familiar with Ann Graham Lotz, he's one of Billy Graham's daughters, said many things at the 2011 epicenter conference in Jerusalem that caught my wife's and my attention.

[9:20] But the point that captured us most was when Ann cited the famed British evangelist Gypsy Smith. Here's a question he asked his audience.

[9:33] Do you really want to see a revival begin? Smith used to ask his audiences, and when the people said yes, then Gypsy replied, and by the way, would you like to see a real genuine revival in this nation?

[10:00] When the people said yes, thank you, I fear that some of you had dozed off early on.

[10:12] Thank you. And when the people said yes, Gypsy replied, then go back to your home and draw a circle around you on the floor.

[10:26] Then get down on your knees in the middle of that circle and ask God to convert everybody inside that circle. revival. Hmm.

[10:38] When you do that and God answers, you are experiencing the start of revival. And let me just inject something here if I may.

[10:50] While we have no control over the spiritual welfare, progress, etc., of anyone else, we do have control over ours. God does not make us to be spiritual.

[11:07] He does provide us with everything that is needed that when implemented will make us spiritual beings. And I'm not talking about just being Christian.

[11:20] I'm talking about being a Christian who has a warm heart for the Lord and is walking in obedience to Him. talking about the spirit-filled Christian of Ephesians 5.

[11:35] We do have control over that. And that's our own personal bailiwick for which we will one day give an account. And he lists nine things here over several pages that we should expect from ourselves.

[11:48] And I'm just going to lift a couple of sentences from each of them and add something to it because he lists nine. I have a tenth that I want to add. The first thing we must do as believers is to reject fear.

[12:03] Paralyzing fear and anxious despondency are not God's will for our lives. No matter what is going on all around us, born again believers in Jesus Christ must not succumb to fear.

[12:16] Why? Because Christ commanded us not to fear. Indeed, well over 300 times throughout the Old and New Testaments, God's people are commanded do not be afraid or fear not or a similar variation.

[12:30] As Jesus said in John 14 1, for example, let not your heart be troubled. Some of you think that line was coined by Sean Hannity, but it wasn't.

[12:42] It was a command from Christ. Jesus told us that he is God, he's in charge, he's preparing a place for us in heaven, and he's coming back for us. He promised never to leave us nor forsake us.

[12:53] He promised to always be with us. We need to believe him. We need to take him at his word. Secondly, resist anger. Losing a job, a car, a home, a business, a lifetime of savings, your health, or a loved one, doesn't just produce fear, it can produce anger.

[13:15] Anger at your boss, at the politicians in Washington, at one political party or another, at Wall street, at the rich, at the poor, at other countries, at other races, at a family member or neighbor, and even at God.

[13:30] Be very careful about this, especially in turbulent and difficult times. Anger is to be resisted. Three, rekindle your love for Jesus.

[13:42] Personal revival doesn't come from being obsessive about a new list of do's and don'ts. Rather, it comes from a deep personal friendship with Jesus Christ.

[13:55] Item number four, repent of your sins and recommit yourself to holiness. What was John the Baptist's message when he was trying to get the people ready for the first coming of the Messiah?

[14:09] It was repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. And what was Jesus' message when he began his earthly ministry? Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

[14:22] What was the apostle Peter's message in his first sermon in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost? Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

[14:38] What was Jesus' message to the sleeping church at Sardis in the book of Revelation? It was this, so remember what you have received and heard and keep it and repent.

[14:49] The Bible directly uses the word repent or repented or repentance more than 70 times. The message is clear. And let me inject here. You know the meaning of repent, don't you?

[15:02] What does it mean? Change your mind. A mind that is changed, a mind that is genuinely changed, always results in behavior that is changed.

[15:17] because as we think, so we do. And repentance means change your mind. And in most of the biblical context, it's change your mind about your sin, change your mind about Jesus Christ and who he is and why he came and what he did and why it matters.

[15:35] People need to change their mind about these things. But for those who are believers, repentance simply means that we need to keep a fresh focus on the Lord and on the word of God.

[15:50] As a Christian, and by the way, repentance isn't just for sinners coming to salvation. There is always a need for the believer to be changing their mind.

[16:02] As you grow and mature and discover that things that you used to think were true aren't true, you need to change your mind. You scrap those things and you embrace what you have discovered to be true.

[16:17] So as a Christian, you never outgrow your need for repentance because you never outgrow your need for growth and growth involves repentance. And then five, recommit yourself to the study of God's word.

[16:31] If Jesus delivered a letter to your mailbox, wouldn't you open it? If he sent you an email or a text message or posted a note on your Facebook wall, wouldn't you read it?

[16:43] Well, you would if you really loved him, right? item six, rediscover the power of prayer and fasting.

[16:54] I would be the first to agree fasting is a controversial, little appreciated concept. I cannot say that I have actually deliberately engaged in fasting myself. Whenever I have fasted, it was usually involuntarily.

[17:09] I wasn't around where food was available and I had to fast, but it was a decision. Rediscover the power of prayer and fasting. Are you wondering what God's will is for your life?

[17:21] Fortunately, the apostle Paul tells us the answer in one sentence. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and everything give thanks for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

[17:33] Could it be any clearer? first, rather than worry, we are to rejoice in who God is, how much he loves us, and how much we love him, what he has done in his word, and what he promises to do for all believers in the future.

[17:47] Second, we are to pray always. That doesn't mean non-stop talking to God. It does mean keeping up a running dialogue with the Lord just as we would with our husband or wife when we first fell in love and got married.

[18:00] Why? Because that's how we communicate to God that we really love him and care about what he thinks. So as the old saying goes, God talks to us through his word, and we talk to him through our prayers.

[18:15] Item number seven. Recommit yourself to a local congregation that is committed to teaching and obeying the Bible. Right after 3,000 people from all over the Roman Empire repented of their sins and received Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord in Jerusalem, on the day of Pentecost, what did all those believers do next?

[18:38] The book of Acts tells us they were baptized and then began forming church congregations in homes and wherever else they could gather. And as they gathered, they were studying the word of God, listening to the teaching of the apostles, spending time worshiping the Lord, encouraging fellow believers, taking communion or what's known as the Lord's Supper.

[19:06] Together they were taking time to formally remember and give thanks for Christ's sacrifice on the cross on their behalf. They were praising God and lifting up their concerns and needs to Him.

[19:17] They were spending time together, sharing meals and fellowship one with another. Item eight. Reach out to the unsaved and share the gospel.

[19:29] Have you ever taken the opportunity to share the gospel message of salvation with someone who didn't know the Lord Jesus? When was the last time? Let me inject a question of my own here.

[19:42] Aren't you glad that one day somebody did that with you? Have you helped a person pray to receive Jesus Christ as their personal Savior?

[19:55] Savior? I found that few things in life are more exciting and more satisfying than being used of the Lord to help people become adopted into God's kingdom. Sadly, however, I find that many Christians are hoping to slip into heaven incognito, wearing sunglasses as it were, hoping no one notices that they haven't ever led a single person to the Lord.

[20:18] And you know, I do not fault people at all. I am not at all critical of people who love the Lord for not ever having led a single person to Christ.

[20:34] But I really can't withhold criticism from those who haven't even tried. Who haven't even tried.

[20:49] Hmm. reach out to a younger believer and make a disciple. That's item nine. And it's a very worthwhile book.

[21:01] And of course, I heartily recommend it. I haven't read anything by Joel Rosenberg that I did not really appreciate. And the the tenth thing that I would add to that by way of what we can do and what we should do to affect our own personal revival.

[21:25] I just wonder what the impact would be if there were enough believers across this nation who would adopt these principles just for themselves, realizing that we are not called upon to take responsibility for the whole nation and revival that comes to them, but to just assume the responsibility for ourself.

[21:54] Just this one person. I wonder what the effect would be if that were multiplied by so many individual Christians doing that.

[22:07] And by a revival, it's a term that is easily bandied about and very frequently misunderstood.

[22:20] When you talk about revival, it implies that life already exists.

[22:31] It is not a question of vivification. It is not vival. It is revival. revival. The Latin vival and the word viva that we use, I guess that's from the French, it means life.

[22:50] It means life is present. And when it is revived, it means a reenacting of that life, a new coming to life again.

[23:04] It is a fresh visitation. it is an internal, personal experience that takes place in one's heart and spirit.

[23:17] And when you receive Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, it was at that precise moment, in a way that we do not understand, have no idea how God does this, but he comes into your person.

[23:34] God actually invades you. in your humanity. And his Holy Spirit goes right to your human spirit.

[23:49] The one you were born with. That part of you that enables you to connect with God. This is the real you.

[24:01] And it is as real as your physical body. body. But it is not physical. It is spiritual. And we can't get a handle on that.

[24:12] Because we are limited to dealing with things physical. We want something we can take to the laboratory and weigh it and measure it and analyze it and dissect it. You can't do that with something spiritual.

[24:25] But that's what God put in us and it is that human spirit that animates the body. And this is why the scriptures say in Genesis 2 and verse 7 that God formed man from the dust of the earth.

[24:47] He molded him. He fashioned him. And then he breathed into his nostrils the breath of life.

[25:04] Adam as he was fashioned from the clay and given a name of the earth because that's the name of the earth. It is Adam.

[25:16] And that's the name that was given to the first man. Adam. And he was just a lifeless lump of clay. I take it that he was fashioned sculpted if you will.

[25:31] What was used for a pattern? He used himself for a pattern. This is a Christophany. This is a pre Bethlehem appearance of Jesus.

[25:48] He surfaces a number of times in the Old Testament. Frequently these are referred to as theophanies or an appearing of God. I beg to differ with that.

[26:00] I think it is a Christophany. It is a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ. And that phenomenon will be repeated again in Genesis 19 when he is one of the three referred to as just men who come and visit Abraham in the Abraham and his tent.

[26:22] And they didn't know that they were just three men. But one of them was this pre-incarnate Christ. And I do believe that that pre-incarnate Christ is the one who walked with Adam and Eve in the cool of the day and fellowship with him.

[26:44] and I believe that he had two arms and two legs and that that was the form he took before there was ever a human being made.

[26:57] And he made Adam after his own image or likeness. And the words that are used there God made man in his own image after his own likeness.

[27:11] Most scholars are of the opinion that that is a tautology that they're just using two different words to say the same thing image and likeness. The position I've taken is I don't think that's the case.

[27:22] I think the image that Adam had he got from the creator directly and he was made to look like him. And the likeness that Adam has is his spiritual capacity.

[27:39] And you know out of all of the created biological life that God made and he apparently made it all on the sixth day. Only man only man gets this personal attention.

[27:55] There's no indication that God ever breathed into the nostrils of a buffalo or any other kind of animal and made them come to life.

[28:06] But God breathed the breath of life into Adam. And we are told and he became a living soul.

[28:23] So I think what the scriptures are saying is that the physical body plus the non-physical spirit spirit that was breathed into Adam constitutes the soul.

[28:40] And if this be true and I'm not ready to go to the map for it but it makes sense to me I think it means that you do not have a soul you are a soul.

[28:53] The totality of your personhood is your soul and your soul is comprised of a physical body and a non-physical spirit. And that non-physical spirit that dwells within you is something that everybody has.

[29:10] This has nothing to do with the Holy Spirit. Every human being has a human spirit. It is part of what makes you alive. It energizes and animates your body.

[29:24] And your spirit is really the boss of the soul. It is your spirit where thoughts originate in the mind.

[29:36] Because the mind belongs to the spirit. The mind and the brain are different. So we've got a physical brain and a non-physical mind. And we don't understand how they work together but we know they do.

[29:49] And it is that human spirit that dwells within you when you believed on Jesus Christ you believed with that spirit. And it was that spirit that God's spirit regenerated.

[30:06] That's the part of you that he made new. Didn't change your body. If you had arthritis before you got saved you still have arthritis afterwards. If you have stomach ulcers before you were saved you still have stomach and it doesn't change the body.

[30:20] But it radically changes the real you. That's your human spirit. That's the part that is regenerated. And when you die that's the part of you that exits the body and goes to be with the Lord.

[30:35] This is what Jesus meant when he was on the cross and some of his last words were Father into thy hands I commend my spirit.

[30:47] And we're told that he breathed his last and gave up. King James gave up the ghost that's not a good translation. He gave up the spirit.

[30:58] And when Stephen was being stoned in Acts chapter 7 he looked up and he saw the Lord Jesus standing at the right hand of God. And Stephen cried out Lord Jesus receive my spirit.

[31:15] And his body physical body died under a hail of stones. his spirit went to being with the Father.

[31:27] That's the part of us that's regenerated. Now has that happened to you? Have you experienced being made new on the inside?

[31:39] Maybe in a way that you couldn't really begin to understand or appreciate and you can't really describe it. All you know is you're different. Something has happened and you don't understand it but you can't deny it.

[31:53] Something is really different. And I think this is what Paul was referring to when he said if any man be in Christ he's a new creation. Old things have passed away.

[32:04] Behold all things have become new. It's not the old things of the body but the old things of the spirit and that involves attitude, agenda, norms and standards, dreams and visions, all of these things, they become new.

[32:20] So when you put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ, God energizes, he makes alive that part of your being that is not physical.

[32:32] And that's the part of you that is born again. Otherwise, it is separated, alienated from God. But when that dynamic regeneration takes place, we become a whole new person.

[32:46] and nobody has ever figured out how God does that. I know he did it to me December 8th, 1956. And I still don't understand it, but I know that nothing has been the same since.

[33:02] things. And if you have never made a decision like that, I would implore you to make it. It's the most life-changing, thrilling, exciting, fulfilling, rewarding decision you will ever make in your life.

[33:19] nothing will ever be the same, including your eternal destiny. That, too, is radically altered. Someone has made the observation that no one can ever have an actual encounter with Jesus Christ and ever be the same.

[33:38] It's just not possible. You can't do that. And one of the things that we ought to do, that we ought to really, I think, pay attention to, if we come to that, or if this is something that you've done years ago, maybe you are a well-seasoned Christian.

[33:56] Maybe you've been on this path for several years. But there's one thing that I really want you to think deeply and strongly about, because in my estimation, I think this is the most important thing in the entire world, and you've heard me talk about it before, and it is relationships and the value of relationships.

[34:17] Nothing transcends our connection to God, our relationship to Him. That's primary. But secondary is our relationship to each other.

[34:29] And people who have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ doesn't have any right and no justification for being on the outs with anyone. there ought not to be, there ought not to be any cleavages in our relationships.

[34:54] There are brothers and sisters and parents and children and neighbors and people with whom we work that we are isolated from.

[35:07] don't get along with them, don't like them, can't stand them, they feel the same way about us. Well, you're wrong in being that way. You just need to be told that right up front.

[35:19] You're wrong. And to the extent that you harbor a grudge or a spirit of unforgiveness or a refusal to apologize to someone that you've wronged, you're out of line.

[35:30] and the spirit of God cannot and will not provide for you all that is available as long as we remain in a posture like that. I can't think of a better time than a holiday season to make some wrongs right.

[35:48] And there are people in a number this size, there are probably almost undoubtedly people to whom you owe an apology. There are probably people to whom you should extend forgiveness.

[36:05] There are probably people that you think of that just kind of pop in your mind as a nemesis or a public enemy number one of yours. Maybe it's a boss.

[36:17] Maybe it's your mate. Maybe it's a brother to whom you haven't spoken. And haven't wanted to speak for the last five years.

[36:30] It's not right. Anywhere those kind of attitudes prevail, they really need to be dealt with. It's time for the church of God to get its act together.

[36:44] This is too serious a thing to be playing church and going through the motions. And I can't think of a better place to start than in repairing, salvaging, an injured relationship.

[37:00] Because relationships matter more than anything else. And as I've often said, God is so committed to the value of relationships, he even interrupted the Trinity and sent his son down here to this earth for the express purpose of fixing a broken relationship.

[37:19] relationship. That's what God thinks about relationships. And we can, I think, we can pray for revival until we're blue in the face. But if we have ought against our brother or sister, someone that we haven't spoken to, someone we refuse to forgive, someone to whom we will not apologize, I think we can just forget about any kind of a personal revival until those things are cleaned up.

[37:46] And God has made provision for that. And I want to leave you with this last thought. There's a remarkable thing. And I've tried to bring this out in the CD series that we've been doing in Marriage on the Rock, in trying to repair broken marriages or hurting marriages and strengthen good marriages and help to make them into great marriages.

[38:15] the very concept of this just kind of bowls me over every time, but I'm convinced that it's true.

[38:27] And that is this. God has made ample provision. No, I would say he has made more than ample provision for all people who are in Christ to live together in harmony, in unbroken fellowship and relationships, and he has provided the stuff that is needed for fixing a relationship that is injured by offenses committed and hard feelings and all the rest.

[38:59] He's taking care of all of that. That is part of the price he paid on that cross. It's for relationships to be what they ought to be, beginning with our relationship to him.

[39:11] he has made provision for that. Think of it. Everything that we need to draw upon to live a godly life in Christ Jesus, a more abundant life, a happy, fulfilled life that is honoring to the Lord, everything that is needed for that is provided in and through the finished work of Christ.

[39:38] Now, let me hit you with this. And to the extent that we do not implement that, either through ignorance, and we don't even know about it, which is the case of many, or just downright rebellion, where we're angry at God for something, and we refuse to implement it, to whatever extent we do that, we are squandering what Christ accomplished on that cross.

[40:20] I can't think of a more fitting word. We are squandering it, wasting it. We are in effect saying, no big deal to me.

[40:34] So I haven't spoken to my sister for eight years. It's her fault. And if there's any apology to be done, let her do it. She owes me an apology. I don't know.

[40:45] And you know that teaching that we went through several months ago in the Sermon on the Mount? If your brother has ought against you, if he has ought against you, you go to him.

[41:03] God and we challenged that, remember? We said, it's not supposed to work that way. If my brother has ought against me, he's supposed to come to me. That's not what the text says.

[41:14] The text says, you go to him. And the formula is this, the one in the know is the one to go. So, that means it's always my turn.

[41:31] That's the way to take the steps to initiate healing to a broken relationship. I think that would be one of the first characteristics that would be evident to everyone if a real genuine heaven-sent revival, I'm not talking about froth and icing, I mean a real in-depth revival where lives and hearts are really changed dramatically.

[41:57] I think one of the initial evidences of that would be people would start getting right with each other. Because nothing enables you or will motivate you to do that more than realizing how right you are with God and what extent he went to to make that possible.

[42:13] I don't think there's anybody here who would for a minute want to be guilty of squandering anything that Christ accomplished on that cross.

[42:25] So, if there's someone that you need to do business with, if there's somebody you need to offer an apology to, to ask for forgiveness, let's get about it.

[42:36] You will be so glad you did because there is nothing that feels as good as reconciliation that's a real fruit of revival.

[42:51] and then we can come to a table like this with a new sense of joy and forgiveness and peace and blessing as the Lord intended.

[43:08] Wow. Just think of it. Everything that you or I could possibly need, Jesus took care of on the cross.

[43:20] Let's make sure that we do everything in our power to implement what he has provided. Pray with me, please.

[43:31] Father, there is much that we don't understand about what we've been talking about. Much that I don't understand.

[43:43] But we do understand the basics. We do know that it grieves the Spirit of God for brethren who claim to know and trust Christ to be at odds with one another.

[44:01] to be on not speaking terms and things of that kind. We know this does despot to the Spirit of grace.

[44:13] We know it grieves the Spirit. And we have no right to carry on our lives that way. So we trust that in a way that only you can bring it about, you will provide the enlightenment, the conviction, the encouragement that might be necessary because there are wounds that need to be healed.

[44:40] And they can only be healed in the right way through repentance and apology and forgiveness. And we are so grateful that you have made these principles available.

[44:55] Give us wisdom, we pray, and courage in implementing them. we'll thank you for it. Lord Jesus, we are grateful for this table and what it symbolizes.

[45:07] Bread speaking of your body, cup speaking of your blood. And we don't begin to fathom that kind of love either, but such as is within us, we want to express our deep appreciation and thanksgiving to you for it.

[45:23] Christ's wonderful name. Amen. Would you take your hymnal, please? Amen. Open your hymnal to number 593.

[45:44] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. 593.

[46:04] Would you stand, please? I can hear my Savior calling.

[46:25] I can hear my Savior calling. I can hear my Savior calling.

[46:39] Take thy cross and follow, follow me. Where He leads me, I will follow.

[46:55] Where He leads me, I will follow. Where He leads me, I will follow.

[47:12] I'll go with Him, with Him, all the way. Thank you. Be seated, please.

[47:25] Thank you. We observe here at Grace Bible Church what is referred to as an open Lord's table.

[47:37] We believe that there is only one qualification for partaking of the table, and that is that you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

[47:48] And if you do, you are most welcome. You are even urged to participate with us. This has nothing to do with church membership, because this is not the church's table.

[48:00] This is the Lord's table. And everyone who is in Christ is automatically eligible to partake of this table. And we are admonished in Scripture to let a man examine himself.

[48:13] And if we see that there is something in our life that we know is displeasing to the Lord, we are to acknowledge that, forsake it, cleanse it.

[48:26] And we need to confess that to God. And when we do, He forgives us. But He forgives when we confess.

[48:36] And to confess means to agree, to acknowledge that a thing is displeasing to Him. So we are going to spend just a moment now in silent prayer and give each of you a private opportunity to converse with the Lord right now.

[48:49] Would you join me in silent prayer? Amen. How grateful we are, our Father, that You are an ever-forgiving God.

[49:18] You are the God of the second chance and the third chance. You provide for us whatever is needed when it comes to cleansing and purifying.

[49:31] And we, being mere mortal creatures so subject to deeds of the flesh, we often need cleansing because there are times when we can slip into the mode of the flesh and be unkind or critical.

[49:46] Help us to really instill those words in us that we are to be kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God, for Christ's sake, has forgiven us.

[50:06] What greater motivation could we possibly need? Thank You for this bread and for what it symbolizes. Thank You for that precious body that was poured out for us, the blood that was poured out for us, the body that was given for us.

[50:24] We cannot begin to fathom that kind of love characteristic only of You. And we are so grateful for it. In Christ's name, Amen. Thank you.

[50:36] Amen. Amen. Thank you. Amen. Boom. Anyways. Thank you.

[51:00] THE END THE END THE END

[52:30] THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END

[53:36] THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END 593 THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END

[54:38] THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END AND THE END THE END THE END THE END THE ENDוץ ORünde He took the cup.

[55:48] He took the cup.

[56:18] He took the cup.

[56:48] He took the cup.

[57:18] He took the cup.

[57:48] He took the cup.

[58:18] He took the cup.

[58:30] The cup from which Jesus drank was a common cup. And he sipped wine from it. And then he passed it to those next to him. And said this cup.

[58:41] Is my blood of the new covenant. This cup represents the new covenant in my blood. And as often as you eat of this bread and drink of this cup.

[58:53] You do show forth the Lord's death until he comes. Communion service. Communion service.

[59:04] Every time I officiate at it. Always gives me such mixed feelings. Because it is a time of enormous solemnity.

[59:14] When you consider what these elements represent. And that price that was paid to secure our redemption. It's a very mournful and sad thing to contemplate that.

[59:27] But on the other end of the spectrum. But on the other end of the spectrum. There is a feeling of great joy and exuberation. Because we are to do these things. How long?

[59:40] Till he comes again. And you know what that means. He's coming. And that's the basis for our excitement. And our jubilation. He's coming again.

[59:51] He's coming again. Let's sing that last verse. The elders will prepare themselves to receive the benevolent offering. This is a fund that the elders dispense throughout the year.

[60:02] When material needs arise in the congregation. And frankly most of the material needs that we respond to. Are not from people in this congregation.

[60:15] They are from people without. So there are a lot of hurting people out there. And there are some difficult times going on economically. And we are able to help in some small way.

[60:25] So those of you who have a heart to give. And an ability to give. Feel free to keep that in mind. That 100 cents of each dollar that is received. Goes specifically for the benevolent fund.

[60:39] And those who have a need in that. So as we sing that third stanza. We'll wait upon the gentleman to receive the offering. He will give me grace and glory.

[61:00] He will give me grace and glory. He will give me grace and glory.

[61:14] And go with me, with me all the way. Where He leads me I will follow.

[61:31] Where He leads me I will follow. Where He leads me I will follow.

[61:46] I'll go with Him, with Him all the way. On the chorus again.

[61:57] Where He leads me I will follow. Where He leads me I will follow.

[62:10] Where He leads me I will follow. And go with Him, with Him all the way.

[62:28] Please remember a number of the things that we elaborated on that are in the bulletin and on the calendar and upcoming. If you're like I am, you have to jot them down because sometimes the memory fails.

[62:43] So, Lord willing, we'll see you at whatever of those you choose to participate in. Thank you again for coming. And after they had sung in hymn, they went out.