Now, again, if you have your Bibles, perhaps you can turn with me to Luke chapter 12.
We're going to read from verses 13 to 34.
That's on page 1044.
And we find Jesus, again, teaching about anxiety.
Last week it was the fear of man.
This time it's different anxieties connected to money.
We're going to think about what it means to be rich towards God.
Let's again hear God's Word.
Luke chapter 12 at verse 13.
Someone in the crowd said to Jesus,
Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.
Jesus replied, Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?
Then he said to them, Watch out.
Be on your guard against all kinds of greed.
Life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.
And he told them this parable.
The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest.
He thought to himself, What shall I do?
I have no place to store my crops.
Then he said, This is what I'll do.
I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones.
And there I will store my surplus grain.
And I'll say to myself, You have plenty of grain laid up for many years.
Take life easy.
Eat, drink, and be merry.
But God said to him, You fool.
This very night your life will be demanded from you.
Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?
This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves,
but is not rich towards God.
Then Jesus said to his disciples,
Therefore I tell you,
Do not worry about your life, what you will eat,
or about your body, what you will wear.
For life is more than food,
and a body more than clothes.
Consider the ravens.
They do not sow or reap.
They have no storeroom or barn, yet God feeds them.
And how much more valuable you are than birds.
Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life?
Since you cannot do this very little thing,
why do you worry about the rest?
Consider how the wild flowers grow.
They do not labor or spin.
Yet I tell you,
not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.
If that is how God clothes the grass of the field,
which is here today,
and tomorrow is thrown into the fire,
how much more will he clothe you,
you of little faith?
And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink.
Do not worry about it.
For the pagan world runs after all such things,
and your father knows that you need them.
But seek his kingdom,
and these things will be given to you as well.
Do not be afraid, little flock,
for your father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.
Sell your possessions and give to the poor.
Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out,
a treasure in heaven that will never fail,
where no thief comes near,
and no moth destroys.
For where your treasure is,
there your heart will be also.
Amen.
So let's begin by asking ourselves a question.
What is your relationship with money and possessions like?
Because we all have one.
So whether we are living off the bank of mum and dads,
whether we are trying to make our student loans last to the end of the term,
whether we find ourselves building a career and perhaps thinking about property,
whether we're at the stage of retirement and worrying about how our pensions will last,
whether we find ourselves today comfortable financially,
or whether the cost of living crisis has hit you hard,
all of us have some kind of relationship to money.
What does it say about us?
What does it say about our heart?
What does it do to our heart when we have money,
and also when we struggle for money?
Money was a topic that Jesus spoke on often.
His most frequent warnings were around the topic of money.
And Luke, who's very concerned about rich and poor and wealth,
emphasizes Jesus' teaching.
So in Luke chapter 9 verse 25,
we have these striking words,
What good is it for someone to gain the whole world,
and yet lose or forfeit their very sale?
As Jesus continues his journey to Jerusalem,
he will meet a rich young man who refuses to follow Jesus
because he loves his money too much.
And Jesus will say,
How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God.
It's easier for a camel to get through the eye of a needle.
So money is something that obviously is essential to life.
The Bible reminds us that money is something that can be used to bless others,
should be used to bless others.
But there's also this warning,
this recurring warning that Jesus presents,
that money can become for us a distraction.
Money can, in the first instance,
keep us from seeing that we need God,
from recognizing that only God can truly satisfy,
or it can take all of our energy,
all of our heart away from serving Jesus
because we have anxiety about,
will I have enough money to provide for myself?
So if our wallets stand as a window into our hearts and our souls,
Jesus wants to say two things to us.
First, he wants to warn us.
He warns us to guard against greed.
And secondly, he wants to encourage his people to say,
I am the answer to your anxieties about money and indeed about everything.
So let's look at verses 13 to 21 together,
where Jesus says to guard against all kinds of greed.
So we find that often, don't we,
our newspaper headlines,
they delight in exposing greed.
You know, corporate bonuses,
in hard times,
those who are found guilty of stealing from charities,
you know, some of those crazy football transfer deals,
the newspapers delight to expose that kind of greed.
But there's also the more acceptable forms
that we perhaps hardly even spot.
How many people find themselves chasing a career only for the wage that it offers,
rather than because they feel it's a good fit for them?
Or how many people find themselves trapped in this consumerism cycle
of earning or borrowing simply to spend on the next thing and the next thing?
Or we concern ourselves for looking after our own future,
and it prevents us from open-handed generosity.
What's the case here?
Look at verses 13 to 15.
Jesus is speaking to a great crowd,
and someone from the crowd says to him,
Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.
Jesus, judge in my favor.
Jesus, I want to make sure that I get a good deal.
Here is a self-interested brother
who is risking dividing the family
for the sake of making sure he has gain.
And he says,
Jesus, I want you to judge in my case and in my favor.
Jesus will judge.
But not on property law.
Jesus has something far, far bigger.
Jesus wants to judge his heart and our hearts.
And Jesus brings a judgment on,
here is what really matters.
Verse 15,
Watch out.
Be on your guard against all kinds of greed.
Life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.
And from this conversation from the crowd,
Jesus then goes on to tell a story,
a parable to illustrate his point.
It's the ultimate,
you can't take it with you story.
The plot is very simple.
A farmer has some surplus wealth.
That leads to a decision
towards selfish spending.
To gaining more and more,
imagining it will bring security and comfort.
But that dream becomes a nightmare
as judgment comes
and his life is gone.
Into his story,
Jesus presents the reality of mortality and eternity.
He wants to cut through that chasing after wealth
to remind us,
the one with the most toys,
the one with the most comfort,
the one with the most experiences
does not win
if we're not rich towards God.
And notice that Jesus takes us
to the biblical category
of wisdom and folly.
Verse 20,
God said to him,
You fool.
A fool in the Bible,
Old Testament wisdom,
Proverbs,
Psalms,
the fool is someone who says in his heart,
there is no God.
Or that God doesn't see
or care about what I do with my life.
And so Jesus pitches this story
in the context of Old Testament wisdom.
So we're going to use,
actually,
some Old Testament wisdom
to ask ourselves for questions
in the light of this story
and in light of Jesus' warning
to guard against greed.
Here's the first question
to ask ourselves,
Who gets the credit?
So in Proverbs chapter 30
and verse 9,
there is this wise request,
Give me neither poverty nor riches.
And of riches he says,
Otherwise I may have too much
and disown you and say,
Who is the Lord?
If we have too much money,
it can lead us away from God.
Proverbs 3 verse 9 also says,
Honor the Lord with your wealth
and with the firstfruits of your harvest.
In this parable,
who gave the wealth?
Verse 16,
The ground of a certain rich man
yielded an abundant harvest.
God gave the wealth.
God caused the growth.
God gives every good gift.
And we are invited to serve
as stewards of God's gifts
to use them for God's glory.
But notice that this man
is absolutely self-centered,
not God-centered.
Listen to the conversation
he has with himself.
What shall I do?
I have no place to store my crops.
This is what I'll do.
I'll tear down my barns.
I'll build bigger ones.
And there I'll store my surplus grain.
It's all about himself.
The danger of wealth and greed
is that it can lead us to self-trust.
I earned this on the basis of my skills.
I received this wealth
because of my hard work.
Forgetting God gave those skills.
He gave our abilities.
It is that danger
that we can enjoy God's gifts
in the world that he created
while we reject God the giver.
Instead, we're called to a better way
to love God with our money,
to treat it as his and not ours,
and to send it out
on the things that he loves.
Second question,
what's my bottom line?
Proverbs 11 verse 26
says,
people curse the one who hoards grain,
but they pray God's blessing
on the one who is willing to sell.
The way Jesus tells this parable
invites us to recognize
that because of this man's greed,
he has isolated himself
from others.
And often, greed cuts like a knife
through human relationships.
His only thought is,
how can I build those bigger barns?
How can I get a bigger stockpile
to look after myself?
Not thinking,
who else can benefit?
His bottom line is,
let me look after number one.
It's my comfort that matters
more than my community.
Indeed, they can curse me if they want
because I'm sitting secure here
in my nice cozy castle.
God has a different bottom line,
doesn't he?
God gives us a different guide
for how we are to use our money.
We are, as Jesus says,
to guard against greed,
to not spend or save selfishly,
rather to use money
so that others can live well,
so that we can seek to extend God's kingdom,
that we might follow God's pattern,
God the great giver,
God the one who gives us life,
God who ultimately in the gospel
gave us his son's life.
A third question to consider
from this story is this,
where is my identity found?
Again, in Proverbs chapter 10, verse 15,
we read there,
the wealth of the rich
is their fortified city.
That's a negative assessment.
Rich people can so easily think,
here is my security
because I've got plenty
laid up for myself.
And we know it's a negative assessment
because all through the Bible,
God presents himself
as the refuge
that people should seek to run to.
But in this parable,
we have a man who preaches
a false gospel to himself.
This wealth that God has given,
this is the key to my security
and to my comfort
and to my joy.
I'll say to myself,
you have plenty of grain
laid up for many years.
Take life easy,
eat, drink, and be merry.
The key to life,
having money.
Money spins a web of lies.
Money tells us it can satisfy
our longings.
But actually,
we often find ourselves enslaved
because we never get enough.
And then occasionally,
perhaps in the newspapers,
you read the stories,
the interviews of those
who do get enough,
who do become the multimillionaires.
And what we find is often,
they too feel emptiness
and a sense of longing.
Money says to us,
listen,
trust in me,
I can give you security.
But we know that money can come
and money can go.
The banking crisis
in the early 2000s
brought with it
a huge spike
in suicides
of guys
head up,
high up
in the banking industry.
Their life
had been completely
bound up
with their wealth
and it did not give security.
Money would say to us,
I am the only savior you need.
If you have me,
you have the good life.
And we can so easily
believe that lie,
we can be like children
building sandcastles
on the beach
all the while
ignoring the reality
of the waves
of uncertainty,
of death,
and of the judgment
of God.
And Jesus warns us,
don't build your life
and identity
on money and stuff.
You cannot take it with you.
It can so easily
be lost
and it does not
give ultimate security.
Question four
is the question,
what am I
living for?
Proverbs 11,
verse four
takes us
in the same direction
as the conclusion
of Jesus' parable.
Wealth is worthless
in the day of wrath,
but righteousness
delivers from death.
Go to verse 20,
verse 21.
God says,
you fool
this very night,
your life
will be demanded
from you.
This is how it will be
with whoever
stores up things
for themselves
but is not rich
towards God.
The judgment
falls.
This man has
distracted himself
to death.
He has chosen
to live for greed
and not God.
His energy
and his heart
has gone
to bigger barns,
bigger piles,
greater wealth
and comfort
only to discover
that what he was chasing
was fool's gold.
And so Jesus
gives this story
as a loving
warning
that wealth
so often
becomes an idol
in our heart,
becomes the key
to our happiness,
our security,
our hopes
and dreams.
He reminds us
that wealth
can isolate us
as it makes us selfish
and not generous.
He says to us,
your wealth
can be dangerous
so you need to be
on guard
because this life
is not
all
there is.
and then from there
he continues
to talk
about money
but to treat it
in a very different way
because there's
a different audience.
His attention
now turns
to his followers
and he seeks
to answer
the anxieties
of his followers
in verses 22
to 34.
verse 22
then Jesus
said to his disciples
therefore I tell you
do not worry
about your life
what you will eat
or about your body
what you will wear.
So Jesus knows
that worries
about wealth
can be a possible
barrier
for any follower
of Jesus.
For example
we might
find ourselves
saying
well I would love
to serve
but first of all
I need to make sure
I've got my own
personal security
sorted out.
that we do
want to follow
Jesus our master
but we have this
battle in our heart
where money also
wants to be our master.
Where we can easily
have that tendency
to be self-serving
rather than
sacrificial
when it comes
to our money.
And so Jesus
wants to deal
with those
anxieties
and to invite
trust.
He doesn't want
fears about
paying the bills.
He doesn't want
fears about
us providing
for ourselves
and our future
to take our energy
to take our hearts
away from him.
He doesn't want
us to overly
worry about
the cost
of supporting
church mission.
He doesn't want
our hearts
to be gripped
by fear
as we're called
to spend
on others.
He wants
to free us
from those anxieties
so that we're
ready to follow
Jesus.
This Savior,
the Savior who,
remember,
left the glory
and honor of
heaven,
to come and
to be born
in poverty,
to live in
humility,
to be homeless,
and to be
stripped of
everything
as he died
to save us.
How can we be
ready to follow
this Jesus
as our Savior?
Two things
to remember.
First,
remember,
this is your
Father's world,
so trust him
to provide.
When Jesus says
in verse 22,
I tell you,
do not worry
about your life,
what you'll eat,
or about your body,
what you'll wear,
for life is more
than food and the body
more than clothes.
He's not saying
be reckless,
he's not saying
don't make provision
for yourself,
but he is saying
do not worry
excessively
about those things,
about the physical
stuff of life,
don't let them
take your energy
and activity
as disciples,
keep the right
perspective.
In that sense,
that life is bigger
than this life,
life is more
than stuff,
but also,
remember
who we belong to.
Your creator
is your
Father.
And so,
we're invited
to live
with trust
in him.
So,
Jesus says,
look around.
Verse 24,
look at the ravens,
consider the ravens,
they don't sow
or reap,
they have no
storeroom
or barn,
yet God
feeds them.
The ravens
were a bird
that were
unclean
in Jesus'
day,
they had
no value,
you weren't
allowed to eat
them,
you couldn't
sacrifice
them,
they had
no value,
but God
feeds them,
they don't
need to
stress,
they don't
need to
busy themselves
storing up,
God
provides.
Jesus says,
how much
more valuable
are my
children
than
ravens?
Look around,
look at the
wildflowers,
they don't
labor or
spin,
verse 27,
yet I tell
you,
not even
Solomon in
all his
splendor
was dressed
like one
of thieves.
Think about
the wildflowers,
think for
those of
you who
were in
Edinburgh
in the
spring,
about the
cherry blossoms
in the
meadows,
beautiful
explosion of
color,
God provides
fragile beauty
for these
wildflowers
that are,
as it were,
here today
and gone
tomorrow,
and if God
clothes the
flowers of
the field,
how much
more will
he take care
of us,
because we
have more
value to
him.
Look
around,
verse 29
to 31,
look around
at the
pagans,
look at
those who
don't know
God as
creator,
and learn,
do not set
your heart on
what you'll
eat or drink,
do not worry
about it,
for the
pagan world
runs after
all such
things,
and your
father knows
that you
need them.
If you
don't know
God as
father,
Jesus says,
look at the
pagans,
they've got
all that
stress because
they're having
to rely on
themselves,
or they're
chasing and
they're grabbing
because they
act like this
life is all
there is,
you know
something different,
you know a
better way,
you know your
father,
you know this
is his
world,
he knows
what we
need.
And because
that's true,
verse 31,
seek his
kingdom,
put his
kingdom first,
put following
Jesus first,
and these
things will be
given to you
as well,
learn to
rest in
the care
of God
for our
today and
tomorrow,
and live
as a
disciple of
Jesus.
Get the
balance,
this is how
Jesus taught
us to pray,
remember in
Luke 11,
the Lord's
prayer,
we seek
the kingdom
first,
and we
ask our
father for
our daily
bread.
Thinking about
sections like
this always
make me
think of
George
Muller.
George
Muller is a
wonderful example
of this,
he was a
guy in
the 19th
century who
oversaw
multiple
orphanages in
the south
of England,
looking after
tens of
thousands of
children over
a number of
years,
and the
amazing thing
about George
Muller is he
never made
public the
needs that
those orphanages
had,
and there
were many
times where
they struggled
to pay the
bills,
many times
they worried
about how
they would
feed the
children,
but what
he did is
he prayed,
and he
encouraged people
to pray,
and to read
his story is
to read amazing
story after
story of
God's
providing,
people being
moved in
their hearts
from all
around the
world to
be generous,
God cares,
this is our
father's world,
trust him to
provide.
If we're
anxious about
the cost of
living,
and that
seems all
consuming,
if we're
anxious about
the cost of
serving Jesus,
and we
wonder can we
afford generosity,
if we're
anxious about
the life of a
disciple,
knowing that
following Jesus
is the road of
dying to self,
and facing
rejection,
what do we
need to do?
To look around,
and ultimately
to look up.
It's my
father's world,
and I trust
him, trust
him to
provide, I
trust him
with my
life.
That's the
first thing to
remember, this is
your father's
world, trust
him to
provide.
The second
is this,
Jesus says to
his followers,
remember you
are rich in
Christ, so be
generous.
Jesus presents
the only true
solution to
escaping the
grip that money
can have on
our hearts.
That stranglehold
that can have
our hearts, so
either we tend
towards greed, or
we tend towards
anxiety.
How do we
escape that
trap?
Jesus says,
only as we
come to see
ourselves rich in
Christ.
Verse 21,
this is how it
will be with
whoever stores up
things for
themselves but is
not rich towards
God.
To be rich
towards God,
the end of the
day, is to have
Jesus Christ as
Lord and
Savior.
Verse 31,
to seek his
kingdom and
these things will
be given to
you as well.
It's only when
our heart is set
on the Lord
Jesus Christ as
our true and
living hope that
we have the
freedom, the
single-minded
devotion to seek
his kingdom and
not our own.
To pray and to
work, your kingdom
come and your
will be done.
Verse 32,
do not be
afraid, little
flock, for your
father has been
pleased to give
you the kingdom.
It's only as we
know Christ as
our good shepherd
that we know
that there is no
need to fear.
He is the one
who laid down
his life for us.
He is the one
who has called
us into God's
flock, into
God's family.
He is the gate
through which we
enter into the
eternal kingdom of
God and in him
we are eternally
secure.
Verse 34, for
where your
treasure is,
there your heart
will be also.
To know Christ,
for him to have
our heart,
is to have
eternal treasure
in heaven.
That is the one
treasure that can
never be taken
from us, can never
be lost.
And it is to have
a greater glory,
a greater wealth
than anything
that this world
offers.
Notice what Jesus
says in verse 33
and 34.
Or notice what he
connects.
He connects our
hearts and our
treasure.
Sell your
possessions and
give to the
poor.
Provide purses for
yourselves that
will not wear out.
A treasure in
heaven that will
never fail, where
no thief comes
near and no moth
destroys.
For where your
treasure is, there
your heart will be
also.
Our heart and our
treasure, they go
together.
So when Christ has
our heart, when we
know that we are
rich in Christ, in
him we have
everything, that's an
implication for our
money.
Jesus says, then
there'll be the
freedom to gladly be
generous, to give
wisely, to ministries,
to churches, to
people, to help
spiritually and
physically.
Then there'll be the
joy and the
excitement of using
our money to bless
others rather than
hoarding it or feeling
anxious about it.
Tim Keller, in one of
his books, used the
imagery of scattering
seed.
You know, to view our
money as seed.
We scatter it not
looking for a harvest
for ourselves.
We scatter it so that
Christ's grace and
Christ's life and
Christ's word might
grow in the lives of
others.
Because we've come to
understand that's real
riches.
Changed lives to the
glory of God, that's
wealth to pursue.
And so to help us
towards that, in verse
33, Jesus gives this,
begins to give us this
comparison, to see what
has real value.
Is it treasure on
earth or is it
treasure in heaven?
So that we do not
find ourselves chasing
fool's gold, but that
we gladly live for the
real thing, pursuing
treasure.
Think about riches on
earth.
If we have wealth, then
we will likely have some
measure of status.
Some measure of
status.
But when we are rich in
Christ, what is true of
us is that we are
children, the king of
the universe.
That's unbelievable
status right there.
Riches on earth, when we
have them, we know this,
we're not naive.
They can provide some
security.
But when we are rich in
Christ, we have the
security.
We have Romans 8
security.
We have the security that
all things work together
for the good of those who
love him.
Riches on earth.
We have money.
We have some surplus
wealth.
That can bring us some
joy.
And we're not naive, but
that's one of the good
things that God gives.
We have money so that we
can enjoy life.
We can enjoy it with
others.
But we know there's
always the day after.
We know things wear out.
But when we have riches
in Christ, we have joy in
this life and everlasting
joy.
Perfect joy in the world
to come.
Riches on earth, they can
be extremely helpful for
us.
They can free us from some
debt.
Find ourselves in debt.
It's good to have money
to pay it off.
But when we are rich in
Christ, we are set free
from the only debt that
would destroy us eternally.
Our moral debt before God.
Of robbing him of glory.
Of not giving him the
honor that he deserves.
All of that graciously
forgiven.
Cancelled by the
sacrificial work of the
Lord Jesus as we heard in
Colossians 2.
So Christ serves to answer
our deep anxieties by
pointing us to the greater
riches we have in him.
He makes us truly rich.
Freeing us to serve
others.
Do we know it?
Do we live it?
Do we experience that?
Being rich in Christ is the
key to a healthy
relationship to our money.
Helps us to understand this
life is not all there is so
that we would guard against
greed and just living for
today.
It will help us to grow to
trust our Father in heaven.
To provide for our needs.
Rather than living consumed by
anxiety.
And as we come to see Christ and
his kingdom as true riches.
We'll gladly give our hearts,
our lives,
and our money
for his sake,
for his kingdom,
for his glory.
Let's pray about that
together.
Lord,
our God,
we recognize
each one of us
has our own
relationship to money
that can change
at different times.
It can tend towards
contentment at some points
and greed at other points
or anxiety at other times.
Lord,
we pray that you would
settle our hearts
on this wonderful
reality.
That we live in
our Father's world.
That we would know you
as Father through faith
in Jesus
and learn to trust you.
And that
you would give us
the eyes of faith
to understand
that if we have Jesus,
we have all the wealth
and riches
we could ever need
or ever imagine.
And that,
Lord,
that would free us up
to be radically
generous,
to give,
to support
the church
that we belong to,
to give,
to be a blessing
to our family
and our friends,
to give so that
global mission
could continue.
And all for your glory
we pray.
Amen.
Now,
I think the boys and girls
are just going to
come and join us.
So we'll give them
a moment.
Amen.
I want to read
one verse
together.
So we've just been
thinking about that
reality that to know
Christ is to have
true riches.
Well,
in 2 Corinthians
chapter 8
and verse 9,
we have this,
For you know
the grace
of our Lord
Jesus Christ,
that though
He was rich,
yet for your sake
He became poor,
so that you,
through His poverty,
might become rich.
And so we are
reminded of the
gospel.
The God who gives
each one of us
our life
is the God
who also gave
His Son Jesus
to come into this world.
And Jesus gladly
and willingly
made this journey
from the riches
and the glory
of heaven
to come
to live
a life
of perfect
obedience
here on the earth,
to go
to the cross,
to give His life
in our place,
so that we,
through His poverty,
we might become rich.
So we've been
reminding ourselves
from God's Word
that to know
Jesus as Savior
is what it means
to be rich,
to be rich towards God,
to have treasure
in heaven.
And as we come
to the Lord's table
and as we think
about the bread
and the wine,
we're being reminded
about an incredible
cost, aren't we?
The incredible cost
the Son of God
paid
that His people
might be set free
and saved.
Giving up His life
to give us
eternal life.
So as we take
the bread
and as we take
the wine,
we remember that.
This meal,
this simple meal
is for those
who know
Jesus
as Lord
and Savior,
who belong
to His church,
who can say,
by God's grace,
I am rich,
I have treasure
in heaven
because I'm trusting
in Jesus.
We read in Colossians 3
and verse 4,
when Christ,
who is your life,
appears,
you also will appear
with Him
in glory.
As Jesus meets us
here
at His table,
He wants this meal
to be a reminder
of the great feast
awaiting us,
the great hope,
the great glory,
the great fellowship
that's awaiting us.
So this is a meal
for the Lord's people.
So if that's you,
then please do come
and receive.
But let me say,
if that's not you today,
if you're not a follower
of Jesus,
if you don't yet trust Him
as your Lord
and your Savior,
then please
don't come forward
to take the bread
and the wine.
But let me invite you
to think about
what we've heard
in God's Word.
Think about the treasure
that Jesus offers
through His own life,
death,
and resurrection
that in the fullness
of time
you might come to Him
and you might receive.
I'm going to read
for us
from 1 Corinthians
chapter 11
verse 22,
verse 23 rather.
For I received
from the Lord
what I also
passed on to you.
The Lord Jesus
on the night
He was betrayed
took bread
and when He had
given thanks
He broke it.
Let's pray together.
Lord,
our God,
we thank You
for Your grace
towards us
in the Lord Jesus.
We thank You
for His willingness
to leave
the glory of heaven,
to live for us,
to suffer and die for us,
to rise again for us,
so that by trusting
in Him,
we too would have
that hope
of eternal glory.
Lord,
we thank You
for Jesus
being willing
to lay down
His life
to make rebel sinners
into His friends,
to call us
into the family
of God.
We recognize
as we share
the Lord's Supper
as the people of God
that we don't do it
on the basis
of our own merit.
We recognize
that it's all
because of Jesus
and His blood
shed for us
on the cross.
Lord,
we ask
that You would
meet with us
as You promised,
that You would
strengthen our hearts
by faith
as we
take this moment
to consider,
to remember
the Lord Jesus
suffering and dying
in our place
and for our sins,
as we consider
the glorified Lord Jesus
who sends us
His presence,
who sends us
His Spirit,
who would feed us
spiritually today,
and who has prepared
an eternal home
in glory for us
so that we know
that there is still
that great feast
to come.
Lord,
we pray that You
would humble our hearts,
You'd fill our hearts,
with great joy
and gladness,
gratitude
for all that You
have done for us
in the gospel.
Amen.
Now,
we're going to sing.
We're going to sing
a section of,
or two sections actually,
of Psalm 73,
and as we're singing,
folks will steward you
to come,
if you're receiving
the Lord's Supper,
to come and take
some bread
and take some wine.
The lighter colored cups
are non-alcoholic,
the darker are alcoholic.
So,
if you take those,
take them back
to your seats
and then hold on to them
so that we can eat
and drink together
after we have sung.
So,
let's stand
to sing Psalm 73 together.
Surely the Lord is good
to Israel,
to those who in their hearts
are true and pure,
but as for me,
my feet had almost slipped,
my foothold had become
quite insecure.
For when I saw the wicked
prospering,
I envied them
their arrogant success.
They keep their bodies
healthy, fit, and strong.
They do not have to
struggle with distress.
They are not plagued
by human weaknesses.
from burdens common
to mankind
they're free.
They therefore clothe
themselves with violence.
Pride is their necklace,
fraunted shamelessly.
When in my heart
I was consumed with grief,
and when my soul
was filled with bitterness,
then I was like a brute beast
in your sight,
so full of ignorance
and foolishness.
yet I remain with you
continually.
By my right hand,
you hold me as my guide.
You lead me with your counsel
to the end,
and take me into glory
to abide.
In heaven,
whom have I but you alone?
On earth there's no one
else whom I adore.
Although my heart may
fail as fresh grow weak,
God is my strength
and portion evermore.
Those who are far from you
will be cut down.
All those who are unfaithful
you destroy,
but I'll draw near
and shelter in my God.
Your deeds, O Lord,
I will recount with joy.
Let me read for us from Isaiah 53.
Who has believed our message?
And to whom has the arm of the Lord
been revealed?
He grew up before him
like a tender shoot,
and like a root out of dry ground,
he had no beauty or majesty
to attract us to him,
nothing in his appearance
that we should desire him.
He was despised and rejected
by mankind,
a man of suffering
and familiar with pain.
Like one from whom people
hide their faces,
he was despised,
and we held him in low esteem.
Surely he took up our pain
and bore our suffering.
Yet we considered him punished by God,
stricken by him and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities.
The punishment that brought us peace
was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
We all, like sheep, have gone astray.
Each of us has turned to our own way,
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
Please have a seat.
I receive from the Lord
what I also passed on to you.
The Lord Jesus,
on the night he was betrayed,
took bread,
and when he had given thanks,
he broke it and said,
this is my body which is for you.
Do this in remembrance of me.
So let's eat and remember.
In the same way, after supper,
he took the cup saying,
this cup is the new covenant in my blood.
Do this whenever you drink it
in remembrance of me.
For whenever you eat this bread,
and drink this cup,
you proclaim the Lord's death
until he comes.
So let's drink together.
Let me lead us in prayer once again.
We have now been commemorating the death of Christ.
Lord, grant that by the power of that act,
sin may be crucified in us,
the world crucified to us,
and we to the world.
And enable your children
so to carry about with us continually
the dying of the Lord Jesus,
so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed
in our mortal bodies.
Amen.
And now, as we close,
let's sing our closing hymn,
which is in Christ alone.
And again, let's stand together to sing.