AM Matthew 28:16-20 & Luke 15

[0:00] reading from verse 16 Matthew 28 from verse 16 now the eleven disciples went to Galilee to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them and when they saw him they worshipped him but some doubted and Jesus came and said to them all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me go therefore and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you and behold I am with you always to the end of the age baptism is a real privilege it's a gift from the Lord as you know yourselves baptism sometimes we think that the focus on baptism is very much on our faith and on who we are but actually the focus on baptism is on the Lord and his promises okay and that's why we'll be baptizing little Michael Amos in a moment because he is somebody that is being entrusted to the promises of God and the parents seek to raise him in the promises of the Lord to remind him of the promises of the Lord to remind him of the gospel of the Lord which is based on his promises and baptism is like a flag that's put up to tell you this is what the Lord promises there is cleansing available when you are united with Jesus Christ for salvation there is cleansing and forgiveness of sins available that is what God promises nobody who comes to Christ will go away without their sins pardoned whoever comes to me I will not cast out they will raise the child with that in mind and when we are adults being baptized what a privilege as well they are at a different stage in life and you might think that even now the focus is on your faith but still it's the focus on the promises of God and you in faith look to that God to the God of promises the passage that we read here where Jesus says all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me go therefore make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you and then promising his presence

[3:19] I am with you always to the end of the age you can't break the chain you go making disciples you baptize them and you teach them it's all about discipleship it's all about teaching and the baptism and the baptism is at the center of that so Shahab and Morteza you are here because you are believers you believe in the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit under the authority of Jesus you are here because you are missionaries if you are Christians you're on a mission you're going out and the mission is under God in Jesus and you are here because you are passionate about making disciples one of the reasons why you want to be baptized is that you want to be identified with the God of the gospel so that you can go out and make disciples by his grace of others you're also here because you are looking outwards you've come from different nations and you want to be reaching out to the different nations what a privilege because the church of Jesus Christ is not confined to one nation but many nations and Jesus on the throne of the universe today says go out make disciples of all nations and you are also trusting for yourselves

[5:07] I believe in the promise of Jesus Christ the King you have trusted yourselves to him for salvation and you're trusting yourselves to him to be his servants every day of your life for the rest of your days in this world what a privilege that is and all that I've said to Shahab and Morteza I say also to David and Juliana you are here also because you are believers and you are here because you are missionaries I remember having to fill in a form or helping my wife fill in a form when she was claiming benefit and asked what does your wife do and you had to write unemployed and yet she was the busiest person in the whole house because at that time

[6:09] I think she was raising five kids and that's a lot of work well you're missionaries even in your own home as well as in the community you are missionaries under God in Jesus and you are passionate in making disciples you want your own wants to grow up to come to faith in the God of the promises of the gospel but you would want I'm sure every other child in the community in the play groups in the schools to come to faith I'm sure you can't think of anyone that you wouldn't want to see come under the promises of God in the gospel that's why you're looking outward you want to make disciples of all nations and I know that you both are trusting in the promises of Jesus Christ the King and that He will be with you remember what He said

[7:14] I will be with you to the end of the age you know it's hard work making disciples it's hard work raising children for the Lord it's hard work living as servants of God in the gospel and more and more I guarantee you these words with which the gospel closes behold I am with you always it's not I will be with you it's a strange Greek I am with you always always to the very end of the age never ever without what a wonderful wonderful privilege David and Julianne now from Luke and chapter 15 Luke's gospel and chapter 15 verse 15 verse 15 verse 15 verse 15 now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to Him and the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled saying this man receives sinners and eats with them so He told them this parable what man of you having a hundred sheep if he has lost one of them does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the one that is lost until he finds it and when he is found it he lays it on his shoulders rejoicing and when he comes home he calls together his friends and his neighbours saying to them rejoice with me rejoice with me for I have found my sheep that was lost just so I tell you there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance or what woman having ten silver coins if she loses one coin does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently till she finds it and when she is founded she calls together her friends and neighbours saying rejoice with me for I have found the coin that I had lost just so I tell you there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents and he said there was a man who had two sons and the younger of them said to his father father give me the share of property that is coming to me and he divided his property between them not many days later the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country and there he squandered his property and reckless living and when he had spent everything a severe famine arose in that country and he began to be in need so he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country who sent him into his fields to feed pigs and he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate and no one gave him anything but when he came to himself he said how many of my father's hired servants and more than enough bread but I perish here with hunger

[10:53] I will arise and go to my father and I will say to him father I have sinned against heaven and before you I am no longer worthy to be called your son treat me as one of your hired servants and he arose and came to his father but while he was still a long way off his father saw him and felt compassion and ran and embraced him and kissed him and the son said to him father I have sinned against heaven and before you I am no longer worthy to be called your son but the father said to his servants bring quickly the best robe and put it on him and put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet and bring the fat and calf and kill it and let us eat and celebrate for this my son was dead and is alive again he was lost and is found and they began to celebrate now his older son was in the field and as he came and drew near to the house he heard music and dancing and he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant and he said to him your brother has come and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has received him back safe and sound but he was angry and refused to go in his father came out and entreated him but he answered his father look these many years

[12:28] I have served you and I never disobeyed your command yet you never gave me a young goat that I might celebrate with my friends but when this son of yours came who has devoured your property with prostitutes you killed the fattened calf for him and he said to him son you are always with me and all that is mine is yours it was fitting to celebrate and be glad for this you brother was dead and is alive he was lost and is found may the Lord bless to us that reading of his own holy inspired word here in the gospel of Luke actions and teaching Jesus doing things and then Jesus teaching people flock to

[13:31] Jesus partly because of the things that Jesus does and partly because of the things that Jesus says he is delighted to gather people together and he sees himself very much like a mother hen wanting to gather the chickens together to care for them to love them to protect them sadly not all were willing to come but those that came he was delighted to have them for him to come and gather these people was a commitment of great cost it was a beautiful thing that he did and when he gathered these people they came from all different walks of life and different histories they could all tell a different story but when he came and brought them to himself you'll notice what he does in verse 2 of chapter 15 tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him and the

[14:47] Pharisees and the scribes grumbled saying this man receives sinners and eats with them Jesus is doing two things a he's receiving sinners to himself b he's eating with them these are not just the same thing it's not just he receives and eats he chooses to receive those who come to him and then on top of receiving them he eats with them it's not just that they eat in his presence it's that he eats with them and they eat with him this man receives sinners and eats with them who were these sinners well they were the folks who had badly abused their lives in those days they were the tax collectors the collaborators those who had betrayed families and friends those who were interested in building up their own financial lives at the expense of others they were prostitutes who had lost any sense of decorum they were the kind of people who were willing to give themselves in every way just so they could make progress in life as well as they saw it they were people who were far off just like you and I are as well tax collectors sinners and yet they're all welcomed by Jesus and he welcomes them receives them and then on top of that eats with them but the

[16:40] Pharisees and the scribes grumble when they say this man receives sinners and eats with them they're not saying it like that they're saying this man he receives sinners and eats with them they're exasperated at the behaviour of Jesus so Jesus tells three parables in succession first of all he tells a parable about somebody who has a hundred sheep loses one sheep and then this man knows he has ninety-nine other sheep but he goes out looking for the one looks for it so hard until he finds it then he takes that sheep and brings it home on his shoulders and he's rejoicing he doesn't find the sheep and give it a scalp and say what were you doing going that far away no no he finds the sheep and then on his shoulders and doing it with joy in his heart and then when he comes home having found the sheep he doesn't just say well let's carry on with life now he says no no

[17:52] I want celebration because I found my sheep that was lost when he comes home he calls together his friends his neighbours say to them rejoice with me for I found my sheep that was lost this man was thrilled to see the sheep that had gone off brought back he is rejoicing and he wants everyone in the village to rejoice with him as well and Jesus says just so I tell you there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety nine righteous persons who need no repentance when a sinner repents there is rejoicing we're told in heaven there is joy in heaven so when a prostitute or a tax collector or a sinner comes to Jesus somebody who had an awful sinful life there in heaven there is rejoicing they're not tutting they're not holding up and saying well we'll just scarcely let them in not at all there is joy in heaven over one sinner and then he tells a second story what woman having ten silver coins loses one so here's a woman she's got ten coins and she loses one of the ten and what does she do she doesn't say well I've got nine left no no she actually goes looking for the one coin she sweeps the house lights a lamp looks in every nook and every cranny trying to find where this one coin is and she seeks diligently till she finds it and then when she finds it she doesn't just take the coin and put it in the wee sack with the other coins no no no she says this is a time for rejoicing and she calls together her friends and her neighbours rejoice with me

[20:07] I found the coin that was lost I mean you might think that's going over the score it's just a coin it's just a sheep but he says here no no just so I tell you there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents so this is not just joy among the angels but joy before the angels God himself is rejoicing when one sinner repents there is joy so it's not just seeing people come to Jesus Jesus receiving them no no Jesus says do you know what see when that prostitute or that tax collector or that sinner came to me do you know what happened in heaven there was rejoicing and that's why I want to have a meal with you

[21:08] I want to rejoice on earth because there is rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents then he tells a third parable parable so the first parable was one sheep out of a hundred the second parable was one coin out of ten the third parable is one son out of two so he tells the story that we call the parable of the prodigal son three things on this one first of all the son's choice to leave then the son's choice to return then the father's choice to love first of all then the son's choice to leave see the sheep you know what sheep are like they can so quickly just go off you might almost think senselessly driven by this and that attracted by this and that but they're not really thinking an issue through that tends not to be the nature of sheep as I understand it and the coin when a coin gets lost it's not the coin that has done anything wrong but when you're talking here about the son going away it's very much the choice of the son senseless sheep can drift away an inanimate coin can be just lost but this son deliberately chooses to disown his father the younger of them said to his father father give me the share of property that is coming to me and he divided his property between them not many days later the younger son gathered all he had took a journey into a far country they squandered his property in reckless living he deliberately chose to disown his father

[23:19] I mean what kind of son would that be you would never want Michael to grow up to disown his father or any of the children in the congregation here to grow up to disown the father but here's a son that grows up and publicly disowns his father he asks his father he says I know you're going to die and I know half the inheritance is going to come to me I want you to give me my half now before you die it's going to be mine anyway beyond your death so grant it to me as it were now how terrible that is and this was done publicly this wasn't something done in some secret bank vault this would be done in a village as it were and people would see and it's not just public it is so personal he deliberately disowns his father and is also so loveless

[24:27] I mean how much love are you seeing here he takes the father's money and then a few days later goes off with his father's money now granted to be his no sense of attraction to the father no sense of duty no sense of honour no idea of I must stay because my father raised me he's cared for me all of my life surely I must stay here and love him no he wasn't like that what was he like he was self absorbed all he could think about was number one all he could think about was himself he didn't think about his father probably not his mother probably not his brother didn't care about the community all he wanted was money as much of it as he could have and he went quite ungrateful and so presumptuous it's as if he was signing his father's own death certificate

[25:41] I know it's going to be mine on your death give it to me now you're no longer a part of my life what do you think that kind of son would deserve if he was your son what would you think of your son at that time publicly personally showing that he has no sense of loyalty or love in any shape or form so ungrateful and he just leaves you would you consider that son a son worth loving would the world of our day consider that son a son worth loving take that now into the church because this is the way we are by nature this is the way human beings are when we were driving here today

[26:56] Liz and I were looking and I said every one of these people that we're seeing were made in the image of God specially made in the image of God God gives them light that's why they're not insane that's why they're able to live with a degree of respectability God gives them life God gives them knowledge God keeps them going God gives them so much and yet what do they do they take his law and they tear it up in public they take the ten commandments and they say no let's reverse them let's center a world on us and not on you let's give ourselves what we desire and not Lord what you deserve all of us choose to leave the father when

[28:05] Adam and Eve were in the garden why did they take the fruit why did they take that forbidden fruit it wasn't because the serpent deceived them they actually chose they willed to take that fruit fruit the devil the serpent did not snatch the fruit from the tree and force it into their mouth no all the devil did was to speak and they were convinced and then she reached out took the fruit ate it gave it to Adam he took it and ate it their choice their choice and this is what's being repeated over and over again in the history of this world these were our first parents that's what they did and because they did it we fell and like them we have so often chosen to dishonor the father

[29:19] I mean think of it think of the day in which they chose that fruit chose the forbidden fruit had the world been messed up no it was beautiful it wasn't a world with floods or fires it wasn't a world with thorns and thistles it wasn't a world with funerals and tears it was a world that was magnificent beautiful flawless and the Lord God himself walking among them they enjoyed fellowship with him in the cool of the day but despite all of that they chose to dishonor him publicly personally without any love well that's what you have here in the son's choice to leave and maybe that's the way you feel today maybe you feel totally unworthy especially when you come to the

[30:32] Lord's table you may think what on earth am I going to do there I with my sins I with my repeated dishonor of the Lord I'm not worthy put me in the scales and that's what this word to be worthy speaks of it's like scales I know that I am weighted with my own sin the son's choice to leave secondly the son's choice to return the son's choice to return four things or three things the son's choice to return he chose to leave he chose to come back there are stepping stones to that choice to return the first is what have

[31:33] I lost secondly what do I need thirdly how can I ask what have I lost see there he had all this money and he had gone off into the far country and he squandered his property and reckless living there was nothing at all left he had lost his friends he had lost his money and then what happens of severe famine came into the land clearly a famine provided by the Lord himself and the Lord may have many reasons for the famine but one reason is to bring this young man to his senses and the famine comes upon him so he's lost his friends he's lost his money he's lost his dignity because with the famine he has to go and sell himself higher himself out to one of the citizens of that country clearly not

[32:39] Jewish because they've got pigs and he feeds the pigs and he's starving he's longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate and no one gave him anything so what's he lost this is what he's thinking to myself I've lost everything I've lost the money I've lost my friends so called I've lost my dignity I've lost my father because this is what he says when he came to himself he said how many of my father's hired servants have more than enough bread but I perish here with hunger so he thinks I'll go to my father and I'll say to him father I've sinned against heaven and before you I am no longer worthy to be called your son so he's got it right he says I've actually lost everything and I've lost my sonship

[33:40] I've lost the father himself he's like a son who's come to the point where he says I've burnt all my bridges there's just no way back I've lost everything I'm out in the streets I don't have enough to eat I'm losing weight I've lost my friends there's nobody to rejoice with me now I've lost my father I don't have a home I don't have anybody that could possibly love me what have I lost what have I lost you know the Lord does that for many people when he brings them to be Christians they come to that point where they are asking what have I lost what do I have if

[34:42] I am going to go into the presence of God today I have nothing money can't help health can't help dignity can't help I've got nothing like that I don't even have the love of the father what have I lost but that was a very necessary question to ask it's a painful question you know conviction of sin is painful when you brought to that point where you know that you have to search your heart in the presence of God and you know you have nothing before him nothing in your hands you bring second question is what do I need what do I need see he says here how many of my father's hired servants have more than enough bread

[35:48] I perish with hunger I need food I will arise and I will go to my father and I will say to him father I have sinned against heaven and before you I am no longer worthy to be called your son treat me as one of your hired servants what do I need he needs to be rescued but the reality is that no rescue though he has the yearning to be rescued though he has total regrets over everything though he is sorrowing to tears though he wakes every morning and he's got this sickening emptiness in his heart this loss deep of the core of his being he knows that there is no hope whatsoever of being accepted by his father what do I need well

[36:50] I know he says I can't have the father but is there any way I could possibly get food even if I've lost the father is there any way I can just get enough to get by even if I can never have a place before the father as a son again he says I know the door has been shut I know I've burnt the bridges I know these doors to my father's heart will never open to me because I'm a son but maybe maybe he'll just accept me as a hired servant maybe he'll take me on for money and I'll do work for him and then he can give me some food but the father son thing that's gone

[37:51] I just need enough to get by today and tomorrow and the next day what have I lost what do I need you come to that point where you actually don't think you have any right whatsoever before God that door is closed the third question he asks as he's choosing to return what have I lost what do I need how can I ask he goes through the conversation you know when you've got a serious conversation to have you think it's through so I've got a serious meeting tomorrow evening up north with a congregation and I've had to think through every stage of that conversation with the congregation when you have a serious conversation to have you think very very carefully so here's this young man this son who's burnt all his bridges this son who's absolutely convinced that the father will never want him as a son he thinks how can I speak to him with what words can I approach him

[39:28] I will arise I'll go to my father I'll say to him and here he works out the speech father I have sinned against heaven and before you he is an acknowledgement of his sin I sinned before heaven and before the father I am no longer worthy to be called your son treat me as one of your servants strange thing strange thing he believes that the door has been shut so the father's love will never reach him as a son and yet at the same time he seems to know enough about the father that he's approachable he's got enough memories of the love and the kindness of his father who brought him up and it's these memories that fill his heart he's not going to an unknown father he's going to a known father father and yet though he knows him he also knows he deserves nothing

[40:58] I am not worthy to be called your son I will never be called your son that bridge has been blown up I may have sorrow I may have regret I may have dishonor I may have disgrace and I have dishonored you and disgraced you and I regret it and I weep over it but I do not expect you to receive me as your son that door is firmly shut what do you think about that son now he chose to leave he's now choosing to return he knows he has lost so much he knows he needs so much he knows he has to face the one whom he once called father but his expectations of that father are virtually zero virtually minimal he is a good man he's a kind man he's a loving man he's got servants and I've seen how he cares for the servants but I have minimal expectation that he will do anything for me because

[42:46] I am his biological son and you know when you and I have dishonored God and when God brings us to that place where we realize just how much we failed him disgraced him when we are brought to that place when we realize by my life by my thoughts by my lust by my thefts by my words by my actions that I have really dishonored God I can go to him I can speak to him I can pray to him but do I expect anything from that God by way of blessing no is it possible that I may earn some blessing from that God yes possibly I may be able to do something for him and he will reward me in return but will he love me as a father again never strange though he couldn't help but return to the father even though his expectations of his father were so minimal and maybe your expectations of God are equally minimal today maybe you just feel the same way that you also expect so little the son's choice to leave the son's choice to return the father's choice to love beautiful he arose and came to his father but while he was still a long way off his father saw him and felt compassion and ran and embraced him and kissed him the son comes out with his speech father

[44:55] I have sinned against heaven and before you I am no longer worthy to be called your son but the father said to his servants bring quickly the best robe put it on him put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet bring the fattened calf and kill it and let us eat and celebrate for this my son was dead and is alive again he was lost and is found we began to celebrate see the son has done his worst and succeeded he left the son has now chosen to return with minimal expectations of his father just like we do when we come back to God but look at the father's choice to love here first of all he looked for him he looked for him while he was still a long way off his father saw him how did the father see him because the father was looking for him why is he looking for him because he has compassion he has compassion deep inside his father saw him and felt compassion and he ran to him fathers in the ancient world never ran and certainly not running to meet their children that was culturally quite inappropriate but here it's perfectly appropriate because it demonstrates for us the love of God for sinners so he looks for him and he feels compassion for him when he sees him and he can't stay where he is he can't close his arms and wait for him to come to the throne no he actually gets out gets down onto the path and he runs to meet him he doesn't wait for the son to arrive and you think the son when he saw the father coming did he think boy

[47:45] I'm going to get it now but the nearer the father came the more he could see the eyes of compassion in the father and there he is he's looking for him had compassion on him he runs to him and then notice he welcomes him he welcomes him he embraced him and then kissed him he embraced him there's the hug and then came the fatherly kiss he kissed now remember the son he's got his speech already I deserve nothing my expectations of you as a father zero I know that but here here anybody looking on would have said that man must be that boy's father he must be that boy's father look how he ran to him look how he's welcoming him look how he's embracing him look how he's kissing him he clearly loves him he loves him he loved him before he left he loved him when he was disgraced and dishonored by his son and even after the sons come back and brought out his speech father

[49:35] I have sinned against heaven and before you I am no longer worthy to be called your son the father loves him he loves him and because he loves him he assures him see God's God's nature is when he loves someone he wants to give an assurance of his love and these are special times so here what's the assurance of the father's love bring the guest robe who would the robe be for the best robe was for the guest of honor surely I'm not the guest of honor the young man would say you are put the best robe on him put a ring on his finger but the ring is authority for the sons surely

[50:46] I will have no authority in your house you will put sandals on his feet so that he'll have the freedom to go and come slay the calf so we can celebrate that he's back home and in all of these things the robe the ring the sandals and the celebratory supper all are designed to assure this young man I looked for you I welcome you I love you unconditionally love love I love you you don't think you're worthy as a son but I choose I sovereignly choose to love you and to assure you of my welcoming love but he doesn't just look for him welcome him love him assure him he does one other thing he speaks of him he speaks of him to others bring the fattened calf kill it let us eat and celebrate why for this my son was dead he's alive again he was lost and is found and he began to celebrate the father speaks of him as a son that was lost but now found was dead but is now alive he's my son he's my son this my son can you imagine that wrecked young man expecting virtually nothing from the father and then he hears these glorious words my son my son yes you were dead to me yes you were lost but now you're alive to me now you are found you're my son sure the son couldn't quite believe it well says

[53:28] Jesus that's what happens when the prostitutes and the sinners and the folks who have wrecked their lives and dishonored God my father when they come back what kind of God do they find the God who calls them is the God who looks for them welcomes them loves them assures them and then pours his spirit into their hearts so they can cry out Abba father see that's the kind of God that we are going to celebrate at the Lord's table in a moment do this he says in remembrance of me let's bow for a moment in prayer our heavenly father we would ask that you would continue to enrich us through your word oh may your spirit bring these wonderful truths in your word home to us with power would you be pleased

[54:40] Lord to draw near to your people as they seek to remember who they are in Christ before you we are redeemed sons rescued brought home oh Lord we would pray that you would draw near to us as we seek to draw near to you now for we ask it in Jesus Amen so who should take the bread and the wine who should take the bread and the wine it's those who have the experience of the son who's come back you may have disgraced yourself dishonored yourself dishonored your God messed up your life broken in every relationship and then the Lord in his mercy brought you back to himself you didn't realize it at the time and then you found out that he was looking for you welcoming you embracing you loving you assuring you and you don't deserve it

[56:02] I don't think you will ever feel as though you deserve salvation you will never feel you deserve it you'll always have written over you unworthy unworthy who takes the bread and the wine those who are unworthy and yet they have found God and Christ more amazing in his love than they could ever imagine if you haven't yet experienced that for yourself obviously you shouldn't be taking the bread and the wine at the Lord's table but I do want you to I do want you to come and experience what this son and the story experienced this is for sinners let's sing now from

[57:11] Psalm 116 Psalm 116 and we'll sing verses 1 to 6 please be seated 1 to the Lord's supper of course is not the invention of any human in the church it's very much instituted by the Lord Jesus Christ the head of the church and the several places in the New Testament but the one we'll read to show that is 1 Corinthians 11 from verse 23 where Paul writes for I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread and when he had given thanks he broke it and said this is my body which is for you do this in remembrance of me in the same way also he took the cup after supper saying this cup is a new covenant in my blood do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me for as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup you proclaim the Lord's death till he comes where the

[58:34] Lord gave thanks let's give thanks as well oh we give thanks we give thanks you you are a God who is so worthy of our thanksgiving you are a God who stands out a God who is more loving than we could have ever expected more welcoming to sinners like us you are a God who loves us and commits to yourself to loving us without end you have promised that you will be with your people to the end of this age but you also said because I live you also will live we know Lord that even in eternity in the new heavens in the new earth you will continue to radiate your love for unworthy sinners like us and we are thankful for the

[59:44] Lord Jesus who made it all possible because he was obedient to the calling that you placed upon him you asked him to come and he came you received him back following his death and resurrection and you are giving to him everyone for whom he died and rose again oh Lord we would pray thanking you for him thanking you for every sermon we've heard for every fellowship with your people for thanking you for the times of providence where you have brought us to our senses and brought us anew to your feet thank you for the Lord Jesus especially we seek to remember him now and we want to do it to his glory to your glory father son and holy spirit amen

[60:50] I understand you have the bread and the wine yourselves there I think it's one of the most beautiful things to be asked by Jesus do this in remembrance of me he doesn't want to be forgotten and he knows he will not be forgotten the reason he says do this in remembrance of me is not only for his sake it's for our sake he wants us to remember him because that helps us as well as glorifies him take your eyes of Jesus you falter look upon your own hearts and your own feelings you falter if all the prodigal son did every day was think back on that day when he left home when he dishonored his father the things he did in his reckless life if that's all he did he wouldn't be much of a son to the father but what he wants to remember is the father he looked for him he ran to him he embraced him he loved him he assured him and he speaks of him and when you think of our

[62:30] Lord Jesus like that focus on him think on him before you think on yourself and when you do that you will realize what was expressed in the baptisms of adults and children today it's who we are in Christ that matters so we read that on the night he was betrayed he took bread when he had given thanks he broke it and he said this is my body which is for you do this in remembrance of me so we take the bread now in the same way also he took the cup after supper saying this cup is a new covenant in my blood do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me let's take the cup for as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup you you proclaim the lord's death till he comes you may rightly ask the question

[64:51] I know I know it's only a story the prodigal son but the reality is even greater but using the story why did the father receive the son back story doesn't make any sense in and of itself without the death of Jesus none of it makes sense Jesus died to make it possible for the father to receive sinners to himself Jesus' death is at the very centre he lived the righteous life died the sinner's death and is now risen to ensure that all his people are rescued but the death of Jesus is at the centre the death of Jesus is at the centre the resurrection follows it the incarnation and the perfect life preceded it but worthy is the lamb who was slain keep that in your own minds as we sing the closing verses of

[66:15] Psalm 72 Psalm 72 Psalm 72