We saw last week in John 20 how Jesus being raised from the dead appeared to the disciples and he appeared to them on the Lord's Day.
He loves to minister on the Lord's Day, the day of his resurrection.
One of the signs that Christ did in this appearance in John 20 was to breathe on the disciples.
I believe this is the ministry of Christ as the great and final prophet.
He's our prophet, priest and king and the Old Testament prophets would do a sign that was really a revelation.
And so by breathing on them, he's showing the apostles, my spirit will be breathed out on you.
And we see that fulfilled in Acts 2.
I believe what we have in John 21 verses 1 through 14 is another sign act.
It's another way that Christ is letting his apostles know how his mission will be carried on through them.
So listen for this as you read these verses.
I'll read it out loud and you can follow along.
When I'm done reading, I'll say this is the word of the Lord.
And if you receive it as God's inspired, infallible, clear and sufficient word, you respond.
Thanks be to God.
After this, Jesus revealed himself again to his disciples by the Sea of Tiberias.
He revealed himself in this way.
Simon Peter, Thomas, called the twin, Nathaniel from Cana of Galilee, Zebedee's sons and two others of his disciples were together.
I am going fishing, Simon Peter said to them.
We're coming with you, they told him.
They went out and got into the boat.
But that night they caught nothing.
When daybreak came, Jesus stood on the shore.
But the disciples did not know it was Jesus.
Friends, Jesus called to them.
Do you not?
You don't have any fish, do you?
No, they answered.
Cast the net on the right side of the boat, he told them, and you'll find some.
So they did.
And they were unable to haul it in because of the large number of fish.
The disciple, the one Jesus loved, said to Peter, it is the Lord.
When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he tied his outer clothing around him, for he had taken it off, and plunged into the sea.
Since they were not far from the land, about a hundred yards away, the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish.
When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire there with fish lying on it in bread.
Bring some of the fish you've just caught, Jesus told them.
So Simon Peter climbed up and hauled the net ashore full of large fish, 153 of them.
Even though there were so many, the net was not torn.
Come and have breakfast, Jesus told them.
None of the disciples dared ask him, Who are you?
Because they knew it was the Lord.
Jesus came, took the bread, and gave it to them.
He did the same with the fish.
This was now the third time Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.
This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God indeed.
You may be seated.
The grass withers and the flower fades, but the word of the Lord endures forever.
Let's pray.
God, we saw how you have brought rain and snow, and now you're bringing forth the green grass and the wheat.
You're faithful to your promise.
We pray that you'll do the same, Lord, with your word as it goes forth.
You promise it will not return void.
It will prosper in your purpose.
I pray, Lord, that as your word goes forth through the ministry of preaching,
I pray that you will drag in more souls to Jesus Christ.
For your glory we ask.
Amen.
I believe this passage is about evangelism.
It's about evangelism.
It's about how Jesus Christ will carry on the mission of his church,
and it will be set in motion by the ministry of the apostles.
That's what he gives us a sign act and a picture about.
So I want to walk through this passage with that in mind.
The lesson, the picture lesson we could say is fishing.
Do you ever have something that you really love and you enjoy, but you're just not good at it?
Maybe opera, for example, or the NBA.
You're never going to be able to dunk a basketball, but you like watching it.
For me, it's fish.
I love fish.
I love to eat fish, whether they're cooked or raw.
I love fish in any form.
I'm really bad at fishing, though.
I cannot catch a fish on my own.
Growing up, my dad did not like to fish, and so we never had a lot of opportunities.
One time, a friend of mine had a lure like this with a hook on either end,
and I got both of those hooks stuck on both of my thumbs.
In our little town, we had to ride our bikes everywhere in Brazil,
and so I had a bandage on each thumb riding around like this,
and I got made fun of a lot.
The reason I share that is because I did have a good experience with fishing,
and so we see a contrast with these disciples' failures that now God blesses greatly.
So for me, the turnaround for fishing was once I was married, my in-laws,
they live on the country in Oklahoma.
Think of all the things they did to set me up for success.
They have a reservoir.
They stock that reservoir.
They have a little fishing boat.
They know all the good spots.
They get the rods ready.
All I have to do is just jump in and do exactly whatever they tell me.
We come back with all the fish.
Then they clean them, and they fry them, and it's amazing.
Fresh fish on the farm.
I think the disciples are a little bit like that here.
God is teaching them by the living Jesus Christ.
There is no greater mission you can be part of than to obey him
and to be part of drawing a perishing soul in to the kingdom of life by the net of God's word.
There's no greater mission.
That's the lesson.
Maybe you feel like that.
You love the Lord Jesus,
but you're a lousy fisher of souls,
and maybe you think you're hopeless.
Maybe you think,
I've been distant from God for so long.
Maybe just this past week,
I've denied God with my life.
I'm barely surviving on my own.
Why should I expect any results of ministering God's word?
In Matthew 117, Jesus said,
Follow me, and I will make you a fisher of men.
In John 21, the living Jesus Christ,
he gives this church this glorious portrait of apostles
bringing a net full of fish in to the Lord.
So, beloved congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ,
today I want to try to prove to you
how the Lord Jesus Christ, who's alive,
how it is that he can make someone like you and like me
also a fisher of souls.
The first lesson is that he makes you see
he is near you even in your ordinary work.
Look at verse 1.
After these things,
Jesus showed himself again to the disciples
at the Sea of Tiberias.
This is the same sea called Galilee
in the northern part of Israel.
Up to this point,
Jesus' other appearances
had all taken place on the Lord's Day.
We walked through that last week.
His congregation had gathered,
the disciples were all in one place,
and the Lord appeared,
and he ministered among them.
And then the next Lord's Day,
to Thomas this time,
he ministered among them.
It was his pleasure to do that.
But here in John 21,
it's the only appearance
after Christ rose from the dead
in this Gospel of John,
in which he does not indicate
the day of the week.
And so that's significant
because it could be any day,
and it could be all,
and every day,
the Lord Jesus is near his disciples.
We go on to read that in this way
he showed himself.
Verse 2,
there were together the disciples,
Simon Peter,
Thomas called Didymus,
which means twin,
Nathaniel of Cana in Galilee,
the sons of Zebedee,
which are James and John,
and then two other disciples,
which are most likely
Andrew and Philip,
because we know
all these disciples
were from that northern region
around Galilee.
So here are those disciples.
They've seen the Lord.
They know he's alive,
but they don't know
what their mission is.
What do we do
in response to this?
They know that his kingdom
is of heaven
and not of earth.
What are we supposed to do
day in, day out,
week in, week out,
as part of this heavenly kingdom
while we remain on earth?
What is it?
So in verse 3,
without further instruction,
Simon Peter says,
I'm going fishing.
And they say to him,
we will go with you also.
So they enter their ship
and they set out.
I don't see this
as a lack of faith
or a sin in any way.
Peter leads the other disciples
in making a living.
It's what they knew how to do.
They're doing the work
God put in their hands to do.
They're providing
for their families.
We can conclude
that it's biblical and wise
for fishers of souls
to also have marketable skills.
Why?
Because that's the pattern.
They're able to work for bread.
You know, Peter was a tent maker.
And as he was making tents,
he was discipling those
God brought to him
in his ordinary work
every single day of the week.
We read in Acts 28, 30
that when Paul lived in Rome,
he lived there for two whole years.
At his own expense.
And he welcomed everyone who came
and he preached boldly.
So on that night,
these men of Galilee
of the northern part
around the sea,
it's dark.
They're likely hungry.
They're tired.
They're feeling the pressure
of providing for their families.
But they caught nothing.
And they know what they're doing.
They're professional fishermen.
It was God's providence
that they would not catch anything
because there's a much greater lesson
to be learned.
Look at verse four.
When the morning came,
Jesus stood on the shore.
There they are in their ordinary work.
And there's Jesus Christ alive,
the living God.
Where does he want to be?
With his people
in their ordinary work.
He's right there.
The disciples did not know
that it was Jesus, though.
As I was reflecting
on these first few verses,
I thought of many moments
throughout my week
in my ordinary work
where I didn't even know
but Jesus is near me.
Think of the lowest point
you had this week
with your household,
with a relationship,
or maybe with work.
You were low.
Isn't it easy to forget
that our Lord Jesus is alive
and he's with us.
He's near his disciples
every day of the week.
And he loves you
to see that.
If you didn't see it
in the moment,
look back and remember
just as he stood on the shore
near his disciples,
he stands near you
every day of the week.
He is alive.
And he watches you
in your ordinary work.
And his command,
John 4, 8,
is to draw near to God.
God will draw near to you.
Mark 1, 17,
he says,
follow me.
Walk with me.
As you walk
every day of your life,
no matter what you're doing,
walk with me.
And I will make you
a fisher of men.
There's no greater mission
than to obey
the living Jesus Christ
in this glorious mission
of dragging,
perishing souls
into his kingdom of life.
We do that
by the net of his word.
And this is how
Jesus Christ
makes people like you
and me,
ordinary as we are,
into fishers of souls.
We draw near to him
and we follow
the living Jesus Christ.
He makes you see
that he is near you
in your ordinary work.
So much of our evangelism
will take place there
wherever we are
as we walk with him.
The second lesson is this.
Before making a fisher of souls,
Jesus teaches you
that he alone
gets all the glory
for any results.
Before making you
a fisher of souls,
he teaches you,
and make sure you learn
the lesson,
that he alone
gets all the glory
for any results.
Look at verse 5.
Then Jesus said to them,
Children,
have you any food,
any meat?
Did you catch anything?
They answered him,
No.
And he said to them,
Cast the net
on the right side
of the ship
and you will find some.
Try to think of that scene
from the perspective
of the fish underwater.
We know in the book of Jonah
that God appointed
a great fish.
God caused that great fish
to swallow Jonah
and spit him out
on the shore.
And here we read
that there are 153 big fish.
They're not as big
as the one Jonah had.
They're ones that could
be dragged by a net.
But we can understand
from the context
this would be a fish
that would get you
the best market price.
When you drag this in,
take it into the village
and try to sell it.
These are good sized fish.
There's none of the little ones
that waste everybody's time.
Every fish is worth pulling in.
So there's that school of fish.
All the little ones,
God appoints them
to get weeded out
and just leaves
all the big nice ones
underneath the water.
And he won't let them go
on one side of the boat.
He's going to make them
wait for his instruction.
That's the sovereignty
of God.
A pastor named John Stott,
he pointed out
that to evangelize
doesn't mean
to win souls.
It simply means
to announce
the good news
and leave any results
up to God.
Do the work
of an evangelist.
God has commanded it,
obey and leave
the results to him.
He's the only one
who can give results anyway.
In Matthew 13, 47,
Jesus said,
the kingdom of heaven
is like a net
thrown into the sea
and it gathers fish
of every kind.
Christ in Matthew 13
was already envisioning
this picture lesson
for them.
And beyond that,
he was envisioning
the throne of heaven.
Revelation 7, 8.
John,
the same apostle,
he testifies,
he says,
I beheld
a great multitude
which no man
could number
of all nations,
tribes,
peoples,
and tongues.
And they all stood
before the throne
and before the Lamb.
And they were clothed
with white robes
and palm branches
in their hands.
And they cried
with a loud voice
saying,
Salvation belongs
to our God
which sitteth
upon the throne
and unto the Lamb.
And if Jesus
is your Savior
and your Lord,
you are one of those fish.
You are one of those
of that great number
from every people,
nation,
tribe,
and tongue.
And the word
of God went out
like a net
and it captured you
and it brought you
to Jesus.
God teaches us
that he alone
gets all the glory
for any results.
Paul testified of this
in Romans 11, 36.
For of him
and through him
and to him
are all things
to whom be glory
forever.
Amen.
What do we do
in response
to this awareness
that God gets
all the glory
and he will teach us
that one way
or the other?
We draw near to him.
We follow him
and we ask him
to make us
into fishers of men
knowing that any results
will come from his
appointment alone.
The third lesson
is this.
The living Jesus Christ,
he calls you
to love him
above the results
of fishing.
The living Jesus Christ
calls you and me
to love him,
the person of Jesus,
above any results.
Verse 7,
Therefore,
that disciple
whom Jesus loved,
that's John
referring to himself,
he said to Peter,
It is the Lord.
When Peter heard that,
it is the Lord
here in our
ordinary work.
We can assume
Peter's ears
were thrilled
to hear.
The Lord,
he was going to
drop everything else.
When Simon Peter
heard this,
he put his fishing
cloak around himself
for he had taken it off.
So Peter's hands
let go of the net.
Instead,
they pick up the clothes
to be presentable
to his king
and he cast himself
into the sea.
Peter couldn't bear
to stay away
from Christ
a moment longer
than he had to.
Then in verse 8,
the other disciples
came in a little ship
because they weren't
far from land.
It was about
200 cubits
and they were
dragging the net
with the fishes
while the Lord Jesus
stood on the shore
waiting for them.
Can you see that
in your mind's eye?
This glorious scene?
This is a picture
of how God
brings souls
into his kingdom.
The Lord stands
on the shore.
He stands in heaven.
The Lord appoints
the fish.
He appoints
the souls
he will bring in.
Then he appoints
and equips
and instructs
his fishermen.
When they obey,
they bring those souls
to present them
with satisfaction
and joy
back to Christ himself.
Matthew 6, 33.
We're told to seek first
the kingdom of God
and his righteousness
and all these things
he will add
unto you.
Do what he has commanded.
Obey him.
There's no greater mission
we could be part of
than to casting
the net of his word,
watching him
put into that net
every soul
he has appointed
unto eternal life.
And then all that we do
is like these
stinky,
smelly disciples
that are sweaty.
We labored,
but we did nothing.
We failed
when we were
on our own strength.
We obeyed you.
You did it all.
And we dragged them
back up,
presenting it
to the Lord.
Back to you, Lord.
This is your work.
It's unto you.
Receive what is your due.
All glory be to God.
Follow him.
He is alive.
And as you follow him,
he promises
he will make you
and me
and each one
a fisher
of souls.
There's no better mission
we could be part of him.
So draw near to God.
Follow him.
He's alive.
Fourth lesson I see
is this.
The living Jesus Christ,
he makes all the provisions
to nourish
and strengthen you
who he has made
a fisher of souls.
That's a fear,
isn't it?
I'm going to obey the Lord.
I'm going to seek
first his kingdom.
What about my needs?
What about all those things
I want
and count on in life?
I believe we see
in the next few verses
how he makes
all the provisions
and he nourishes
and strengthens
every single one
he makes into
a fisher of souls.
In verse 9,
we see as soon
as they had come to land,
they saw a fire
of coals there
and fish
laid on
the fire.
The best fish
I've ever eaten
in my life
was in
northern Brazil,
a little town
where my parents
still live
called Boa Vista.
The name of the fish
is tambaki
and it's got
fat inside
of the skin
and so they cut it
in half
and they set
the skin of the fish
on the coals
and it just slow cooks
with rock salt on top
as it starts to bubble
and boil
and get crispy
on the edges
and it's a flaky
white fish.
It's so good
and I'm imagining
what Jesus made here
even if it's that simple.
It's bread
on the coals
or fish on the coals
with some bread.
What a meal, right?
Even if it's simple,
it's their daily bread.
It's nourishing
those whom he's called.
We read in 2nd
Colossians 2, 19
that the whole body,
that's the church,
every single member
of the body
is nourished
and grows
from God.
It comes from him.
Heaven is a banquet
but as pilgrims
and sojourners
in this life,
it's daily bread.
It's manna
and it's enough.
It nourishes
and strengthens us.
1 Timothy 4, 6
Paul wrote to Timothy
as he would
open up God's word
to the church.
He said,
Nourish God's people
with the words
of the faith
and the good teaching
that you follow
as a servant
of the living Jesus Christ.
And Peter learned
the source
of a disciple's strength.
In 1 Peter 5, 10
Peter wrote,
The God of all grace
will strengthen you, church.
He could testify.
God had done that to him
and that's what he's writing
to encourage the church
as well,
inspired by the spirit.
Then in verse 10,
Jesus said to them,
Bring of the fish
which you have now caught.
Verse 11,
Simon Peter went up
and he drew the net
to land full of big fish.
153 of them.
I told you,
Jesus is acting like a prophet.
He's giving them
a sign act
of something that will happen.
How will this unfold
in redemptive history?
Well, when we finish
the gospel of John
and we begin reading
the history of the church
in the book of Acts,
we read in Acts 2, 40
that Peter was the one
God appointed to stand up
to preach the gospel
and not just 153,
but over 3,000
repented and believed
and were added
to their number
that day.
God had given simple means,
a simple net,
just as he's given the church
the simple,
ordinary means of grace,
the ministry of the word,
prayer,
sacraments,
the Lord's Supper
and baptism.
It's ordinary,
but he's ordained it.
It's simple.
That's fine.
Let us be ordinary
in these means
and let him be extraordinary.
All glory be to God.
God's means of saving souls
like these nets
as they're being drug
full of these fish,
they don't fail.
John makes note of that.
It was full.
These are experienced fishermen
who spent hours
mending nets
and tying them back,
but these nets
that day did not break.
They were simply obeying
what Christ commanded
and the means were sufficient.
The nets do not break.
Now I want to draw your attention
to a verb
that's used three times here.
Two times here
and then one time previously.
So look at verse six.
The verb in verse six
is to draw.
It says that they were not able
to drag them up themselves,
but then in verse 11,
Peter drew
or dragged the net
to the land
full of the great fish.
The reason I highlight that verb
is because Jesus
uses that same verb
in John chapter 12,
verse 32.
He says,
when I am lifted up
from the earth,
lifted up,
I will draw
all people
to myself.
It's the same verb.
It's Christ.
Just as he gives Peter
along with the disciples
the ability now
to draw in this
net full of fish.
Jesus,
by the power
of the Holy Spirit,
draws all men
to himself.
That's what's in view here.
John Gill saw it
this way as well.
He commented,
this is an emblem
of the whole number
of God's elect
brought out
from the waves
to the shore
to Christ
and ultimately
to heaven.
Jesus Christ
makes all the provisions
and he strengthens
every single one
that he calls
and prepares
to be a fisher
of souls.
He wants you
and me
to draw near
to him
to follow him
and trust
that he will
make you
into just that.
There's no greater
mission we can be
part of
than to cast
the net
of the word
and watch
Jesus draw
all men
to himself,
everyone
who has an ear
to hear
and eyes
to see his glory.
Jesus can make
you and me
into fishers
of souls
through our
ordinary work
as we trust
the simple means
he's commanded.
So draw near
to him
and follow him.
Well,
the fifth
and final lesson
I see here
for us today
is that
the living
Jesus Christ,
he abides
with those
that he has
made a fisher
of souls.
He abides
with you
in this work
and he proves
again and again
to you and me
I am alive.
Look at verse 12,
Jesus said to them
come and dine.
He's inviting them
to stay,
to eat,
to abide.
In John 15,
4,
he had told them
abide in me
and I in you.
In verse 12,
we read that
none of the disciples
had to ask him
who are you
knowing that
it was the Lord.
Isn't that so true?
When you're abiding
with Christ,
you know it.
You know it.
In verse 13,
Jesus then came
and he took the bread
and gave it to them
and also the fish.
Not only did he prepare
and make provisions,
he also personally
is nourishing
and serving them
just like he does
you and me.
The living Jesus Christ,
he's not in a hurry
with you.
He lingers,
he hosts,
he serves,
he communes
and his disciples
abide with him.
Revelation 3.20,
if anyone hears my voice,
I will come in
to him
and dine with him
and he with me.
John makes the comment
in the last verse
of our sermon text,
verse 14,
that this was
the third time
Jesus showed himself.
to his disciples
after he rose
from the dead.
He's dining
and communing
with his disciples
to prove to you
again and again
that he is alive.
There's no greater work
than walking
with the living God
and watching him
draw in those
he's appointed to alive
by the means
he's commanded.
Have you gotten
that experience
maybe in a very small way
like we read
of sowing a little bit
or watering a little bit
and watching God
give the increase
in the soul
in a life?
Isn't it true
that there is no greater
mission,
no greater work
we could be part of?
When we first moved
to Colorado
we had one child
we were happy
we were very poor
we were barely
being able to pay our bills
and climb out
of student loans
we were still wanting
to find a biblical church
we had almost thought
those don't exist
in Colorado
there are many though
now I've come to see
during that time
I was
you might find it
hard to believe
but I was able
to play soccer
once or twice a week
and we had an indoor
soccer team
and our team colors
were Brazil
we were yellow
and there was one guy
Pedro
who still is the best
I'll say he's the best
soccer player
I've ever played with
at least in Colorado
maybe in the USA
he's an amazing
soccer player
and he was on our team
his story is that
he had crossed the border
from Mexico
to the USA
twice
one time he was
with a group
and he was very little
and he had to go back
and then the next time
his relatives all
abandoned him
and he was a teenager
and all alone
as a teenager
crossing the desert
he had stories
of how he almost died
but he didn't make it here
he got a girlfriend
they had two children
and he was working
a couple jobs
one of his jobs
was at McDonald's
and on the soccer team
one of our other friends
was going through
a divorce
and I just commented
something like
we should pray for him
and his family
because we could tell
he was really down
that was it
I didn't do a better job
of bearing witness
or sowing a seed
in God's providence
though
there was one night
where Pedro texted me
if he could just come over
Andrea was working
a night shift
at a nursing home
and so he came over
and he just broke down
he was on his knees
he was weeping
he had said
how he just knew
there was something
missing in his life
a couple of Jehovah
witnesses
young people came by
and knocked
and he tried to talk
with them
and he said
he felt even more
confused
and more darkness
he didn't know
who else to reach out to
his wife was going
to leave him
and his boss lied
and got him fired
instead of her
at McDonald's
and in that night
the Lord
through the simple
ministry of the word
I didn't have anything
to say beyond
reading some verses
and the Lord gave him
a new heart I believe
and the Lord
started putting his life
back together
his wife didn't leave him
a longer story
but the Lord restored him
back to that job
he had at McDonald's
he had to keep changing
phones because of his job
he took a job in Pennsylvania
on an oil rig
and so I lost touch
but I pray for him
when God brings him to mind
and it's such an encouragement
there's nothing I will do
it's nothing of me
it's nothing of any one of us
but God knows
those that he will draw
to himself
and when he does
he gets all the glory
we believe Jesus is alive
he's working
we stay close to him
he abides
and he ministers
and we simple people like us
broken with all of our own problems
we get to be like these fishermen
we get to be ones
who he uses
to drag another soul
to the shore
where Jesus Christ stands
ready to receive them
we read in Luke 15
there is great joy in heaven
and that joy and rejoicing
is led by the angels
around the throne of God
and it's over one soul
who believes
and repents
who becomes a follower
of Jesus Christ
we get to be part of this great mission
don't you want that
you don't want the results
you want Christ himself
like Peter
you want to be with him
and as you're with him
he makes you into a fisherman
of souls
let's pray that he'll do that
through us
in powerful ways
just one soul
that he'll bring before himself
for his glory
let's pray
Lord we ask that you will take
ordinary people like us
common
simple workers
and make us part of this glorious mission
it's your mission on this earth
the salvation of souls
Lord
some of us are weary
and tired
we ask that you please
nourish and strengthen us today
Lord we confess
you do all the real work
you do all the heavy lifting
you are the one
who draw all men
to yourself
Lord you are the one
who give the increase
you're the Lord of the harvest
we praise you that
you have made our hearts free
and so now we rise
we go forth
and we follow thee
for your glory we pray
amen
we'll take some time
to respond to the long gospel
that you've heard
I invite you to consider
what is that next step
of obedience
that God is calling you to today
maybe some here
you are one of those great fish
this is the day
that the net
of God's word
is drawing you to Christ
believe
repent
follow him
maybe for some of you
it's
you need to grow
as a disciple
it's not
it's not about being
a nominal Christian
and being part of
a Christian subculture
that's not enough
you want Christ himself
you want to grow
you want to walk with him
you want to learn
what it means
to commune with him
and for him to prove
over and over
he's alive
and he'll nourish you
by his word
be discipled
and grow in your faith
maybe for some
it's to
become more of a fisherman
become a member
of the body
be all in
with his kingdom
disciple others
sharpen
your understanding
of his word
and respond
to the Lord now
he will draw you
one way or the other
praise him
for his work
in your life
let's pray
smth a big ball
of his bride
and please
follow
it's not a big thing
though
here
and then
hey
don't know
how the other
but the other
cycle
come to me
where
this
Amen.
Well, I invite you to continue responding to the Lord in obedience.
And we'll do this next by taking of the Lord's Supper.
We share the Lord's Supper together every week.
Jesus said, as often as you do this, do it in remembrance of me.
To partake in a worthy manner, according to 1 Corinthians 11, 17 through 34,
we must treasure Christ and examine ourselves.
If you love Jesus Christ and rest in him alone for salvation,
as he has offered to you in the gospel,
if you are a baptized member in good standing of a local church
that preaches the gospel of God's free grace,
and if you are living in an ongoing repentance and gratitude in Christ,
then this supper is for you.
And that includes you who are visitors.
We welcome you as well.
However, if you have not received Christ as your only salvation,
we ask that you abstain from this sacrament now
and instead reflect on the gospel message that you have heard today.
And out of the care for the souls of those who are still younger,
like children,
we ask that they partake only after being discipled
by a pastor within the church for baptism
as their first act of obedience.
Last week, I explained a little bit.
I want to clarify a bit more.
We believe that Christ is spiritually present with his church.
Do you believe that?
Christ is spiritually present,
and he loves to minister among his congregation.
So that's why this is more than a remembrance.
It's an actual spiritual partaking,
a spiritual communing with the living Christ who is with us.
I tried to explain the Zwinglian, you know, reformer.
He said the vessels of the Lord's Supper should be wooden
because it's just a remembrance.
And then Luther said there's not the Catholic transubstantiation,
but the elements become, you know, the body of Christ
because Christ says this is my body.
And so John Calvin had the mediating position.
Jesus said, yes, this is my body.
This is my blood and do this in remembrance.
So in Acts, we read that Christ is in heaven
waiting until the time of his second coming.
So he's in heaven,
but he's also bringing refreshing from the presence of the Lord.
So he's also present with his people.
Both are true.
And that's why the Calvin view of the Lord's Supper is the silver.
It's not wood or gold.
It's the silver.
It's an already not yet.
He's with us, but he's in heaven.
And one day his kingdom of heaven will be fully on the earth
as the waters cover the seas.
We take this remembering, looking forward and longing for that day.
If you long for Christ returning
and you believe that he is alive and he's with his people,
then that's what you're proclaiming
when you come up to enjoy the Lord's Supper today.
You may be served.
Thank you.