Good morning.
Good morning, everyone.
It's great to see you this morning, great to be together,
to worship the Lord this morning.
I'd like to welcome everyone that's joining us still on the live stream
and, of course, everyone here this morning.
Just as a quick reminder, we're still in mask mode,
so please, if you get up and move around, go ahead and keep your masks on.
So let's turn our hearts towards the Lord together this morning
with these words from the book of Hebrews.
Therefore, brothers and sisters,
since we have confidence to enter the most holy place
by the blood of Jesus,
by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain
that is his body,
and since we have a great priest over the house of God,
let us draw near to God with a sincere heart
and with the full assurance that faith brings,
having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience
and having our bodies washed with pure water.
And from Psalms chapter 9,
So let's stand together and let's praise the Lord together.
Praise the Lord.
His mercy is more.
Stronger than darkness, new every morn.
Our sins, they are many.
His mercy is more.
What love could remember?
No wrongs we have done.
Omnish and all-knowing,
He counts not their sum.
Thrown into a sea without bottom or shore.
Our sins, they are many.
His mercy is more.
Praise the Lord.
His mercy is more.
Stronger than darkness, new every morn.
Our sins, they are many.
His mercy is more.
What patience would wait as we constantly roam.
What Father so tender is calling us home.
He welcomes the weak, new every morn.
He welcomes the weakest, the vilest, the poor.
Our sins, they are many.
His mercy is more.
Praise the Lord.
His mercy is more.
Stronger than darkness, new every morn.
Our sins, they are many.
His mercy is more.
What riches of kindness he lavished on us
His blood was the payment, his life was the cost
We stood neath a debt we could never afford
And our sins they are many, his mercy is more
Praise the Lord, his mercy is more
Stronger than darkness, new every morn
Our sins they are many, his mercy is more
Praise the Lord, his mercy is more
Stronger than darkness, new every morn
Our sins they are many, his mercy is more
Mercy is more
You may be seated
Morning
Our scripture reading today is 1 John chapter 3 verses 11 through 18
Starting in verse 11
For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning
That we should love one another
We should not be like Cain, who is of the evil one and murdered his brother
And why did he murder him?
Because his own deeds were evil and his brother's righteous
Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you
We know that we have passed out of death into life because we love the brothers
Whoever does not love abides in death
Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer
And you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him
By this we know, love, that he laid down his life for us
And we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers
But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need
Yet closes his heart against him
How does God's love abide in him?
Little children, let us not love in word or talk
But in deed and in truth
Pray with me
Father God
We come to you this morning to worship you
You are good
You are perfect
How can such a perfect God
Love such imperfect people
We rebelled against you
Rejected you
Yet in your mercy and grace
You loved us
You sought us
You called us to love one another as you love us
But we do not
We find reasons to divide from one another
And to create factions that breed resentment
You've broken down the dividing wall of hostility
But we erect new ones
If a brother or sister disagrees with us on politics
Or has a different background than us
We do not seek to foster a loving relationship
But devise justifications for hating them
This is sin
This is worldliness
This is a rejection of your teaching
And a slander on your name
Have mercy on us
Oh Lord
Let's take a moment
To confess our sins to God
In our hearts
Thank you Lord
For the work of the cross
For the example of Jesus Christ
When we were his enemy
He died for us
To reconcile us to you
Thank you that through his work
We can be reconciled to each other
Fill us with the Holy Spirit
So that we can look into the face of one
Who would be our enemy in the flesh
And love them
As you love us
Help us to see their flaws
And love them all the more
As we remember the flaws and evil
You saw in us
When you died for us
Fill us with your transforming love
Help us to lean
On your mercy and grace
We love you
We pray this in Jesus' name
Amen
Would you stand with me
And receive these words of assurance
This is from the Gospel of John
For God so loved the world
So much
That he gave his one and only son
So that everyone who believes in him
Will not perish
But have eternal life
God sent his son into the world
Not to judge the world
But to save the world
Through him
There is no judgment
Against anyone who believes in him
Amen
Please be seated
Well welcome again to Trinity Baptist Church
If you're new here
We'd love to invite you to go to the website
And maybe fill out the contact form
So that we can reach out to you by email
Also the email and website
Is how we're keeping everyone in touch
With things that are going on at the church
Of which there are several
So I'm going to try to bring them all
To your attention now
So Bridges of Hope is a ministry
That we're deeply involved in
And they're going to have a
Playground cleanup day
Coming up Saturday, May 1st
So if you're interested in learning more about that
Or signing up
You can visit the Bridges of Hope website
Also we have a women's picnic
Coming up in Worcester Park
So that's May 8th
And we would ask that you would RSVP
Because there's going to be food involved
So you can go to the website
To do that
Our website
Thirdly we have a congregational meeting
Coming up on May 12th
Where we'll be considering
New officers for the church
So please
Save the date for that
And then lastly
If you're leaving town
If you're in a season
Where your time at Trinity
Is coming to an end
We'd love to know that
So if you'd let the church office know that
That would be great
So if you'll bow your heads with me
Let's go to the Lord together
In prayer
Father
Thank you for making a way
For us to draw near to you
To come into your presence
As clean, forgiven
And fully restored
Sons and daughters
We praise you
For your mighty works of salvation
And redemption
For intervening in human history
That was headed for destruction
For sending Jesus into the world
For changing our hearts
So that we may embrace Jesus as Savior
And for giving us an unshakable hope
For the future
We pray for the world that we live in
We pray that injustice
Tyranny
Slavery
Oppression
And evil
Would be suppressed
And that a respect and care
For the weak and vulnerable
Would prevail
We pray that the selfishness
Greed
And pride
That cause
Enmity and strife
And strife
And discord
Would be put off
And that peace
Would prevail
We pray that
Hunger
And poverty
Homelessness
And disease
Would come to an end
And a spirit of generosity
And mercy
Would grow
Between all people
And Father
We pray for the hearts
Of all people
Everywhere
That in the midst
Of the confusion
Of this world
You would reveal yourself
By your spirit
And bring clarity
We pray that the toxic path
Of self-orientation
Of the human heart
Would be exposed
And that you would bring
Many to repentance
And faith
In Jesus
Father
Thank you for your common grace
In restraining
This virus
We pray that you would give us
Wisdom as we navigate
Another season
Of rapidly changing
Circumstances
And we pray for
A continued spirit
Of unity in Christ
Among your people
Here at Trinity
We pray for those
Among us
Who are facing
Difficult trials
That are threatening
To overwhelm
And even
Our faith
And hope
Father
Be our refuge
And strength
And ever present
Help
In our time
Of trouble
Help us
To cast
All our anxieties
And fears
On you
Knowing that you
Care for us
So much
That you gave us
Jesus
And we pray
For Pastor Greg
As he brings us
Your word
This morning
Open the eyes
Of our hearts
And give us ears
To hear
So that we may be able
To receive
What you have
For us
We thank you
For hearing our prayers
For Jesus' sake
Amen
This is the time
When we would
Normally collect
The offering
But I think
As we all know
By now
You can go to
The website
To give
And also
There are boxes
In the back
That you can
Make your offering
Please stand
As we continue
To worship God
Together in song
What gift of grace
Is Jesus
My redeemer
There is no more
For heaven
Now to give
He is my joy
My righteousness
And freedom
My steadfast love
My deep and boundless peace
To this I hold
My hope is only Jesus
For my life
Is wholly bound to His
Oh how strange and divine
I can sing
All is mine
Yet not I
But through Christ in me
The night is dark
But I am not forsaken
For by my side
The Savior
He will stay
I labor on
In weakness
And rejoicing
For in my need
His power is displayed
To this I hold
My shepherd will defend me
Through the deepest valley
He will lead
Oh the night
Has been won
And I shall overcome
Yet not I
But through Christ
In me
No fate I dread
I know I am forgiven
The future sure
The price it has been paid
For Jesus bled
And suffered
And suffered for my pardon
And He was raised
To overthrow the grave
To this I hold
My sin has been defeated
Jesus now
And never is my plea
Oh the chains are released
I can sing
I am free
Yet not I
But through Christ
In me
With every breath
I long to follow
Jesus
For He hath said
That He will bring me home
And day by day
I know He will renew me
Until I stand with joy
Before the throne
To this I hold
My hope is only Jesus
All the glory evermore to Him
When the race is complete
Still my lips shall repeat
Yet not I
But through Christ in me
When the race is complete
Still my lips shall repeat
Yet not I
But through Christ in me
Yet not I
But through Christ in me
You may be seated
Well good morning church
If you have a Bible
Turn with me to John
Chapter 13
Beginning at verse 21
We will also put the words up on the screen
For those of you who are here
As you're doing that
Just a brief sort of update
About where we're going with our worship service
As you know the governor has announced
Some changes to the Connecticut COVID restrictions
That will phase in over the course of the next month
And so over the next few weeks
We'll be making a few adjustments
Throughout the pandemic
One of our guiding principles has been
To follow the requirements
And consider the recommendations
Of local and state authorities
But not to impose additional precautions
If those authorities indicate
That they are no longer needed
So here are a couple of changes
That you can expect in the coming weeks
Next Sunday, May 2nd
There will be some changes
At our outdoor service
Which happens on Sunday afternoons
So at our outdoor service
Starting next Sunday
Masks will no longer be required
And we won't paint circles on the field
You'll be free to sit wherever you like
There's still plenty of space
So there's plenty of space
To have distance from one another
If that would be helpful for you as well
But on May 19th
The guidelines for indoor gatherings will change
And we're going to
We're still discussing exactly
How that's going to work in here
But we'll explain more specifically
How that will work
How that will affect our indoor services
When the time gets closer
So in general
We want to say
As we look ahead
To enjoying more freedom
In upcoming weeks
We know that some of you are thinking
This is long overdue
And others of you are thinking
This is happening way too quickly
Regardless of your perspective
Let's be intentional to
Pursue love and unity in the church
By honoring and forbearing with one another
Now Paul says in Galatians
Use your freedom as an opportunity
To serve one another
So just, you know, practically
Maybe you are ready to give and receive hugs
That's okay
And you know what?
By this point we won't stop you
Maybe you're not ready to give and receive hugs
Maybe you don't want anyone to touch you at all
That's fine too
Okay?
And some of you
Didn't want to get a hug
Regardless of COVID
So here's a simple guideline
That we can all put into practice
If you're not sure
What someone else might be comfortable with
Just ask
And don't assume
Okay?
Don't put somebody else in an awkward position
As the guidelines change
Let's look forward to enjoying more freedom
But let's use our freedom
To serve one another in love
Amen?
All right
Let's read this passage
Which actually is about
Loving one another
John 13
Beginning at verse 21
After saying these things
Jesus was troubled in his spirit
And testified
Truly, truly
I say to you
One of you
Will betray me
The disciples looked at one another
Uncertain of whom he spoke
One of his disciples
Whom Jesus loved
Was reclining a table
At Jesus' side
So Simon Peter
Motioned to him
To ask Jesus
Of whom he was speaking
So that disciple
Leaning back against Jesus
Said to him
Lord
Who is it?
Jesus answered
It is he to whom
I will give this morsel of bread
When I have dipped it
So when he had dipped the morsel
He gave it to Judas
The son of Simon Iscariot
Then after he had taken the morsel
Satan entered into him
Jesus said to him
What you are going to do
Do quickly
Now no one at the table knew
Why he said this to him
Some thought that
Because Judas had the money bag
Jesus was telling him
Buy what we need for the feast
Or that he should give something
To the poor
So after receiving the morsel of bread
He immediately went out
And it was night
When he had gone out
Jesus said
Now is the son of man glorified
And God is glorified in him
If God is glorified in him
God will also glorify him in himself
And glorify him at once
Little children
Yet a little while
I am with you
You will seek me
And just as I said to the Jews
Now also I say to you
Where I am going
You cannot come
A new commandment
I give to you
That you love one another
Just as I have loved you
You also are to love one another
By this all people will know
That you are my disciples
If you have love
For one another
Simon Peter said to him
Lord where are you going
Jesus answered him
Where I am going
You cannot follow me now
But you will follow afterward
Peter said to him
Lord
Why can't I follow you now
I will lay down my life for you
Jesus answered
Will you lay down your life for me
Truly
I say to you
The rooster will not crow
Till you have denied me
Three
Times
One of the distinguishing marks
Of true followers of Jesus
Is
Love
At the heart of the section
We just read
We heard those words of Jesus
To his disciples
Love
One
Another
By this all people will know
That you are my disciples
If you have love
For one another
Now on the surface
That command
To love one another
May sound nice
And pleasant
Relatively uncontroversial
Universally appealing
It sounds like something
That a kindergarten teacher
Would say
To a group of young children
Or perhaps even
The carefree topic
Of a Beatles song
All you need is love
And love is all you need
Some people say
That as long as you have love
Rather vaguely defined
It's okay to ignore
More specific biblical commands
But when we look carefully
At what Jesus says here
None of that is actually true
A new commandment
I give you
Jesus says
Just as I have loved you
You also are
To love one another
Now you might ask
How is that command new?
Isn't the command
To love your neighbor
As yourself
Found throughout the Old Testament
And even in other religions?
Yes it is
But what is new
Is this phrase
Just as I have loved you
Jesus' followers
Are to embody
And express
The kind of deep
Patient
And enduring
Love
That we have received
From Jesus himself
You see in this passage
Jesus doesn't just tell us
To love one another
He shows us
How to love one another
In this passage
We see Jesus' love
Is deep
Patient
And enduring
We see first
Jesus' deep love
For a loyal disciple
Second
We'll see Jesus'
Patient love
For a treacherous disciple
And third
We'll see Jesus'
Enduring love
For a hot-headed disciple
So first
In verse 23 to 25
We see Jesus' deep love
For a loyal disciple
Verse 23 says
One of his disciples
Whom Jesus loved
Was reclining
At table
At Jesus' side
And verse 25 says
So that disciple
Leaning back
Against Jesus
Said to him
Lord who is it?
Now you might wonder
Who is this unnamed
Disciple whom Jesus loved?
He appears at key moments
In the gospel of John
This is actually
The first time
He appears explicitly
Then he appears
In chapter 19
At the cross
Along with a small group
Of women
Who followed Jesus
To the end
He's also a witness
To the empty tomb
In chapter 20
Along with Peter
And then in chapter 21
He appears
Again along with Peter
On the shore
Of the Sea of Galilee
When Jesus cooks breakfast
For the disciples
And in the next
To last verse
Of the gospel
Chapter 21
Verse 24 of John
This disciple
Who Jesus loved
Identifies himself
He says
This is the disciple
Who is bearing witness
About these things
And who has written
These things
You see
He's identifying himself
As the author
Of the book
He's sort of saying
You've seen me
In the story
Now I want you to know
I'm the one
Who wrote these things down
So even though
This disciple
Is never named
Ever since the early church
He's been identified
With John
The gospel writer
Now John was a common name
In the early church
So a few scholars
Have suggested
That John was a close
Associate of Jesus
Though not one of the twelve
And there's some evidence
That could support that theory
But most traditional
Biblical scholars
Have concluded
That the gospel writer
Was one of the twelve
None other than
John the son of Zebedee
Who's mentioned
By name
In all the other gospels
But is not mentioned
By name
In John's gospel
So the other gospels
Identify Peter
James and John
As sort of the inner core
Of Jesus' twelve disciples
Now some people
Have wondered
Why does John
Identify himself
As the disciple
Whom Jesus loved
Rather than referring
To himself by name
Or in some other way
D.A. Carson
Made a helpful statement
About this
He says
This is not a statement
Of arrogance
Or superiority
As if he was boasting
I'm loved more
Than the others
But rather of wonder
And humility
How amazing it is
That I have been loved
By the Savior himself
And so here
In this passage
We see a picture
Of Jesus' deep love
His brotherly affection
For his loyal friend
John was reclining
At table
At Jesus' side
Literally
That
It says
In the bosom
Of Jesus
Leaning on Jesus' chest
It's the same phrase
That was used
Back in chapter 1
Verse 18
To talk about
Jesus' relationship
With God the Father
Chapter 1
Verse 18
Says
Jesus was
At the Father's side
Or in the bosom
Of the Father
From all eternity
It's an image
Of God the Father
And God the Son
In deep fellowship
And joyful communion
With one another
From all eternity
And John
Has found himself
Being drawn
Into that same
Deep fellowship
And joyful communion
With Jesus
Now at special meals
Like the Passover
People back then
Would recline
On couches
Around a low table
And so here we see
John reclining
Next to Jesus
Sort of comfortably
Leaning on him
Quietly asking him
A question
He's completely
At peace
In the presence
Of Jesus
Now to some of us
The image of John
Who was by the way
A fisherman
Right
Think muscular
Blue collar worker
With calloused hands
Leaning on Jesus
At the dinner table
Might seem
A little strange
So let me put this
In context
In the Jewish culture
Of Jesus' time
Romantic or sexual intimacy
Between two people
Of the same sex
Was absolutely forbidden
It was clearly understood
By everyone
As being completely
Out of bounds
But because of that
Very clear boundary
There was lots of space
In that culture
For demonstrations
Of physical affection
Or emotional closeness
Between men
Or between women
So in both
The Old and New Testaments
You can find
Grown men
Soldiers
Warriors
Embracing each other
Crying on each other's
Shoulders
Sitting close
To one another
Poetically recounting
Their friendship
And even here
Leaning back
On another's chest
While reclining
On a couch
None of that
Had any romantic
Overtones
None of it
Would have felt
Awkward
Or weird
None of it
Would have been judged
As unmanly
It was all genuine
And sincere
Brotherly love
Now by contrast
Our modern secular culture
Celebrates all kinds
Of romantic
And sexual relationships
Regardless of the genders
Of people involved
But one of the sad
And rarely acknowledged
Consequences of this
Is that it has become
Much less safe
For people of the same gender
And especially for men
To express deep affection
Or deep emotion
To one another
Without fear
Of being misunderstood
I can think of
Multiple occasions
Where men have told me
That for years
Or even decades
They have greatly feared
Expressing affection
And emotion
And vulnerability
In front of other men
Because their intentions
Were severely misunderstood
At some point
In the past
Fifty years ago
The sexual revolution
Promised free love
It has never delivered
On that promise
It has only made us
As a society
More emotionally withdrawn
More relationally isolated
More confused
And anxious
More broken
And addicted
Now our secular culture
Is continuing
Along that road
But the Christian church
Has an opportunity
To be beautifully
Countercultural
Not only in our
Increasingly distinctive teaching
About Christian marriage
But also in our practice
Of Christian friendship
See as a church
It's important for us
To hold fast
To what the Bible
Has always taught
That God's design
Is that followers
Of Jesus
Must only pursue
Sexual intimacy
Within the context
Of male-female marriage
Because only that relationship
Reflects the steadfast
Covenant love of Christ
For one who is
Fundamentally different
Than himself
Namely us
The church
But as we hold fast
To that biblical view
Of marriage
We as the church
Also have the opportunity
To cultivate a community
Where friendships
Among brothers
And among sisters
Characterized by openness
And honesty
Affection
And vulnerability
Respect
And care
Can flourish
Now that won't happen
Automatically
But it will happen
As we experience
And receive
That deep fellowship
And joyful communion
That Jesus
Has enjoyed
With the Father
From all eternity
And that he now
Invites us into
Through his Holy Spirit
Living in us
When we experience that
We can build
That same deep fellowship
And joyful communion
And brotherly
And sisterly affection
With one another
In Christ
Now the specific ways
That people express emotion
Or communicate affection
Will vary from one culture
To another
My Italian relatives
Tend to communicate emotion
And express affection
In a different way
Than my Swedish
And German relatives
We won't all do this
Exactly the same way
That's fine
But earlier this week
I experienced
This brotherly affection
As I met with the other pastors
In Bridges of Hope
After our business meeting
We spent an hour and a half
Eating, sharing,
And praying with each other
Now because of COVID
Most of us hadn't seen
Each other in person
Since the fall
But immediately
There was openness
And vulnerability
And lamenting
And joy
The fruit of seven years
Of serving together
As brothers
Crying, laughing, sharing, praying
Almost yelling
Not angrily
But just excitedly
Hugging or
In some cases
Fist bumping
It was a beautiful thing
You see as we receive
Jesus' love for us
We're free to pursue
Deep and affectionate
And Christ-honoring friendships
With one another
In the body of Christ
And that can be
An attractive picture
For a world
That longs
For relational connection
So that's the first picture
Of Jesus' love
That we see
Jesus' deep love
For a loyal friend
But we not only see that
We also see Jesus' patient love
For a treacherous disciple
For a traitor
Judas
We see this in verses
21 through 30
Last week
Pastor Nick pointed out
That Judas was there
All along
At the last supper
And when Jesus was washing
His disciples' feet
He appears in verse 2
Verse 11
Verse 18
And now here
Jesus says
Truly, truly
I say to you
One of you
Will betray me
The other disciples
Didn't know who it was
But Jesus did
From the very beginning
Jesus was aware
That Judas
Would hand him over
To his enemies
In the end
But what we see here
Is that Jesus
Demonstrated kindness
And offered friendship
To Judas
All the way to the end
He washed all the disciples' feet
Including Judas
The other Gospels
Tell us that Judas
Was present
When Jesus
Broke the bread
And said
This is my body
And shared the cup
And said
This is my blood
Of the new covenant
Now Judas even
Would have received that
And in fact
It seems from John's account
That Judas was sitting
Right next to Jesus
Because otherwise
It would have been hard
For Jesus
To hand him that piece
Of bread directly
After he had dipped it
Into the dish
In the ancient world
It was a sign of honor
And friendship
For the host of a meal
In this case Jesus
To take a piece of bread
And dip it into the dish
Which would have been
Some kind of a dip
And hand it to a guest
At a meal
So Jesus is offering
His friendship to Judas
All the way to the end
Even though he knew
That Judas would
Ultimately reject it
And in the end
We see that Judas
Walks out into the night
He walks out
Into literal
And spiritual darkness
Never again to return
To the table
With Jesus' disciples
Now it's also important
For us to notice
What Jesus did not do
Towards Judas
Jesus did not negotiate
A compromise
Between his mission
Which he had received
From the Father
And Judas' idea
Of how things should be done
Now the Bible
Never explicitly tells us
What Judas objected to
About Jesus
That motivated him
To betray Jesus
Probably the best guess
Out there
Is that Judas
Was sympathetic
To the zealot movement
That wanted to start
An uprising
And drive out
The hated Roman government
And Judas was disappointed
When it became clear
That Jesus was refusing
To use violence
John 12 also tells us
That Judas was a greedy thief
In John 12 verse 6
Too easily motivated
By the prospect
Of financial gain
But whatever the differences
Were
They were significant enough
And Judas
And Jesus
Did not
Do
Jesus did not seek
To keep Judas
On his team
At all costs
He did not
Compromise
Who he was
And what he stood for
Also
After Judas
Left
Jesus doesn't
Run out into the night
Chasing after Judas
And saying
Please please please
Come back
And don't leave
No actually
In verse 27
Jesus basically says
Okay
Get it over with now
Do what you're gonna do
Don't delay
When it was time
For Judas to go
Jesus let him go
Even though
He had patiently
Loved him
And showed kindness
And extended friendship
To him
For a long
Long time
Now what does it look like
In this case
To follow Jesus' command
Love one another
As I have loved you
What is perhaps
You can think of people
Whom you considered
Brothers or sisters
In Christ
Who have walked out
Of the fellowship
Of believers
Into spiritual darkness
And have not returned
Or maybe you've been
On a personal level
Backstabbed
Or slandered
Or attacked
Or abandoned
By someone who you
Thought was on your side
What does it look like
To love patiently
And wisely
In the face of betrayal
Well four practical things
That the scriptures
Teach us
First
Don't be surprised
By betrayal
Matthew 24 verse 10
Jesus told his disciples
Many will fall away
And betray one another
And hate one another
Many false prophets
Will arise
And lead many astray
The love of many
Will grow cold
The book of 1 John
Which we read from earlier
Was written to a church
That had just seen
Some of their own members
Walk out
And embrace a false teaching
And then begin slandering
Those who remained
In the church
It was a very confusing
And disorienting experience
Betrayal is always
Feels very confusing
And disorienting
Now unlike Jesus
We cannot know
In advance
For certain
Who will betray us
But when it does happen
Jesus says
We shouldn't be surprised
Second
When we have been betrayed
The scriptures invite us
To bring our pain
To Jesus
Because Jesus knows
That pain
Very well
Verse 18
Jesus quoted
From Psalm 41 9
Which says
Even my close friend
In whom I trusted
Who ate my bread
Has lifted up his heel
Against me
It's a cry of
Shock and pain
And anguish
My friend
Has walked out on me
He's taken advantage
Of me
Most of us
Expect opposition
From
Sort of the world
Out there
People who don't know
Us very well
May not be sympathetic
To us
But it's far more painful
When a close friend
Or a spouse
Or a fellow church member
Turns on us
Or takes advantage
Of us
Or leaves us in the dust
Or simply walks away
And never comes back
But in the face
Of betrayal
Jesus invites us
To bring our pain
And anguish
Before him
Read Psalm 41
Or Psalm 55
Both of those psalms
Written by people
Who had experienced
Betrayal
And both of these psalms
Express the anguish
Of betrayal
And the longing
For justice
To be done
But they ultimately
Lead us to cast
Our burdens
On the Lord
And to trust him
Step by step
So don't be surprised
By betrayal
Bring your pain
To Jesus
Third
Love with
Patience
Jesus patiently
Extended
Kindness
And offered
Friendship to Judas
And sometimes
In order to follow
Jesus
We must do
The same thing
For an extended
Period of time
To people
Who will ultimately
Turn on us
And desert us
Romans 12 says
If your enemy
Is hungry
Feed him
If he is thirsty
Give him something
To drink
For by so doing
You will heap
Burning coals
On his head
Do not be overcome
By evil
But overcome evil
With good
You see we can't
Calculate in advance
Whether or not
Somebody
Will ever appreciate
Our efforts
Or be reconciled
With us
Or be reconciled
Or turned back
To Jesus
Long ago
Augustine put it
This way
He wrote
Do not think
That the wicked
Are in the world
For no purpose
Or that God
Makes no good use
Of them
Every wicked
Person lives
Either that he
May be corrected
Or that through him
The righteous
May be tried
And tested
Would that those
Who now test us
Were converted
And tried with us
Yet though they
Continue to try us
Let us not hate them
For we do not know
Whether any of them
Will persist
To the end
Of their evil ways
See the Lord
Calls us to love
With patience
But finally
He also calls us
To love with wisdom
There are times
When like Judas
Someone persists
In rejecting
Every last token
Of kindness
Every last offer
Of friendship
Every last call
To repentance
Judas walked out
Into the night
And Jesus let him go
Jesus had done
All that God
Had given him
To do for Judas
And Judas
Had only become
More hardened
In his unbelief
There was nothing
More that needed
To be done
And there are times
When we have all
Done all that
The Lord has
Commanded us to do
For someone else
And still they show
No remorse
No repentance
No openness
To change
Perhaps they keep
On hurling accusations
At us
Or perhaps they demand
That we abandon
Our Christian principles
In order to stay
With them
And in those circumstances
The wise and righteous
Thing to do
Is to simply
Let that person go
And hold on
To Jesus
Not to take vengeance
Into our own hands
God reminds us
Vengeance is mine
Says the Lord
But simply to release
That person
Into God's hands
And recognize
That there is
There seems to be
Nothing more
At this point
That we can do
So we've seen
Jesus deep love
For a loyal disciple
We've seen
Jesus patient love
For a traitor
And finally
We see Jesus
Enduring love
For a hot headed
Disciple
Verse 36 to 38
We see Jesus
This conversation
With Peter
Simon Peter
Said to him
Lord where are you going
Jesus answered him
Where I'm going
You can't follow me now
But you will follow afterward
Peter said to him
Lord
Why can't I follow you now
I will lay down
My life for you
Jesus answered
Will you
Lay down your life
For me
Truly truly
I say to you
The rooster will not crow
Till you have denied me
Three times
Peter had good intentions here
He had just finished
A good meal
He was sitting
In a comfortable room
With people he knew
He was zealous
For Jesus
He was also
Naturally confident
In himself
And in his own capabilities
And unafraid
To speak his mind
And so he promised
Unwavering loyalty
To Jesus
Even to the point
Of giving his own life
For Jesus
He told Jesus
I'm ready now
But Jesus knew Peter
Far better than
Peter knew himself
Jesus knew that
He was about to
Lay down his life
For Peter
And not the other
Way around
Jesus knew that
Peter had to be
Humbled
By his upcoming
Failure
Before he could
Be raised up
To be a shepherd
Of Jesus' flock
Consider Jesus
Enduring love
For hot-headed
Peter
Notice
Jesus didn't
Dismiss
Peter's
Misguided
Overzealous
Enthusiasm
Jesus didn't
Write Peter
Off
He didn't
Say you're
Never
You're someone
Who will
Never learn
You're someone
Who I can
Never trust
No he said
You're not
Ready now
But you will
Follow later
And when Peter
Said why
Not now
Jesus said
Truly truly
I say to you
The rooster
Will not crow
Until you deny
Me three times
Do you notice
That same
Solemn phrase
Truly truly
I say to you
Appears at the
Beginning of this
Passage
In verse 21
When Jesus is
Talking about
Judas who will
Betray him
And at the end
When he's talking
About Peter
Who will deny
Him
Truly truly
I say to you
You see
What's the
Difference between
Peter
And Judas
It's not
That Peter
Was a good
Guy
And Judas
Was a bad
Guy
It's not
That Peter
Had a
Squeaky clean
Straight A
Record of
Following Jesus
And therefore
Got promoted
To leadership
In the church
And Judas
Was an F
On the same
Night
Both of them
Shamefully
Abandoned
Their savior
The difference
Is that Peter
Eventually
Repented
And was
Restored
But Judas
Never did
You see
Jesus doesn't
Choose people
Who have
Squeaky clean
Straight A
Spiritual records
And who will
Never have
Any shameful
Failures
Jesus takes
People who
Have shamefully
Failed
And
Who are
Willing to
Face up
To that
Failure
And he
Calls them
To repentance
And he
Gives them
A meaningful
Future
Now
If you
Read John
21
There's also
An uncomfortable
Conversation
That Jesus
Has with
Peter
On the
Shore of
The sea
Of galilee
Jesus
Doesn't
Just sweep
It all
Under the
Rug
And pretend
It never
Happened
No
What Jesus
Does there
Is he
Actually
Brings
Peter
Face
To face
With
His
Moment
Of
Greatest
Failure
And yet
In that
Place
He
Calls
Him
To follow
Him
And to
Be
Restored
It was
Painful
But it
Was
Restorative
If you
Read that
Conversation
Brothers
Brothers and
Sisters
Consider
Jesus
Enduring
Love
For
People
Like
Us
Jesus
Loves
Us
In
Full
Knowledge
Of
Who
We
Are
And you
Know
As we
Continue
To walk
With
Jesus
Shares
Some
Of
That
Knowledge
With
Us
Sometimes
Jesus
Encourages
Us
And
Challenges
Us
And
Shows
Us
That
By
His
Grace
We
Can
Do
Something
That
We
Never
Expected
To
Be
Able
To
Do
He
Gives
Us
New
Confidence
And
Hope
That
By
The
Holy
Spirit
Working
In
Us
That
He
Can
Work
Through
Us
But
Sometimes
He
Also
Shows
Us
Our
Own
Dark
Side
That
We
Don't
Want
To
Face
Up
To
When
Was
The
Last
Time
That
Jesus
Shown
His
Spotlight
Into
A
Corner
Of
Your
Life
That
You
Previously
Thought
Was
A-OK
When
Was
The
Last
Time
That
You
Thought
You
Were
Ready
To
Handle
A
Spiritual
Test
And
If
You're
Honest
You
Sort
Of
Flopped
Jesus
Is
Not
Afraid
Of
Wounding
Our
Pride
But
Remember
He
Loves
Us
In
Full
Knowledge
Of
Who
We
Are
Jesus
Is
Not
Surprised
When
Our
Shameful
Failures
Come
To
Light
And
When
We
Recognize
Them
For
What
They
Are
He
Loves
Us
Already
In
Anyway
And
So
Even
When
He
Brings
Us
To
Face
Our
Shameful
Failures
He
Wants
Us
To
See
More
Clearly
His
Enduring
Love
For
Us
He
Won't
Give
Up
On
Us
What
Does
It
Look
Like
To
Love
One
Another
As
Jesus
Loved
Peter
Sometimes
It
Looks
Like
Enduring
In
Love
With
Fellow
Christians
Who
Might
Seem
Or
Might
Be
Impulsive
Hot
Headed
Insecure
Annoying
Overconfident
In Their
Own
Abilities
And
Talk
Too
Much
Peter
Was
All
Of
Those
Things
He
Would
Speak
Before
He
Would
Think
But
Jesus
Chose
Him
And
Endured
In
Love
For
Him
So
That
One
Day
He
Would
Become
A
Rock
Which
Is
What
Peter's
Name
Means
You
Know
His
Name
That
He
Was
Born
With
Simon
And
Jesus
Said
I'm
Going
To
Call
You
Peter
Right
The
Most
Volatile
Of
Jesus
Disciples
And
Jesus
Says
I'm
Going
To
Make
You
Into
A
Rock
I'm
Going
To
Make
You
Something
That
You
Were
Not
All
On
Your
You
That
You
Could
Not
Have
Become
On
Your
Own
But
In
Fellowship
With
Me
By
Walking
On
The
Journey
With
Me
I'm
Going
To
Make
You
Into
What
I
I've
Already
Called
You
Later
On
Peter
Would
Write
This
Love
One
Another
Earnestly
From
A
Pure
Heart
Since
You've
Been
Born
Again
Through
The
Living
And
Abiding
Word
Of
God
He
Would
Write
Have
Unity
Of
Mind
Sympathy
Brotherly
Love
A
Tender
Heart
And
A
Humble
Mind
And
Above
All
Keep
Loving
One
Another
Earnestly
Three
Times
He
Comes
Back
To
That
Refrain
To
Love
One
Another
In
His
You see
Peter
Had
Received
That
Enduring
Love
Of
Jesus
For
Him
And
So
He
Could
Call
His
People
To
Express
That
To
One
Another
Consider
The
Glory
Of
Jesus
Love
How
Deep
It
Is
How
Patient
And
Wise
It
Is
How
Enduring
And
Gracious
It
Is
Let's
Pray
Lord
Jesus
We
Thank
You
That
You
Did
Not
Just
Give
Us
A
Command
To
Love
One
Another
As
We
Think
Best
We
Thank
You
That
You
Did
Not
Just
Tell
Us
How
You
Wanted
Us
To
Love
One
Another
But
You
Showed
Us
We
Thank
You
For
How
We
Have
Experienced
That
Same
Love
That
You
Extended
To
John
And
Even
To
Judas
And
Even
To
Peter
Your
Deep
And
Patient
And
Enduring
Love
Lord
We
Pray
That
We
Would
Receive
Your
Love
That
We
Would
See
The
Way
That
Your
Love
Has
Been
At
Work
In
Our
Lives
That
We
Would
Be
Amazed
That
We
Like
John
Would
Find
Our
Deepest
Identity
In
Being
Your
Beloved
And
Lord
We
Pray
That
By
Your
Spirit
You
Would
Help
Us
To
Love
One
Another
As
You
Have
Loved
Us
So
That
The
World
Might
See
That
We
Belong
To
You
So
The
World
Might
See
Who
You
Are
Our
Loving
And
Merciful
Savior
We
Pray
This
In
Jesus
Name
Amen
So
This
Morning
We
Have
Three
People
Who
Are
Being
Baptized
And
Coming
Into
Membership
At
Trinity
Being
Baptized
As
A
Christian
Is
An
Acknowledgement
Of
Jesus
Authority
Jesus
Commanded
His
Followers
To
Be
Baptized
And
Doing
So
Is
Taking
A
Public
Promise
Of
Allegiance
To
Jesus
Being
Baptized
Is
Also
An
Expression
Not
Only
Of
Commitment
To
Jesus
But
Also
Trust
In
Him
Trust
In
His
Love
It's
All
These
People
Who
Are
Being
Baptized
Today
Have
Already
Put
Their
Faith
And
Trust
In
Jesus
And
Today
By
Being
Baptized
They're
Publicly
Declaring
What
God
Has
Already
Done
In
Their
Hearts
So
If
You've
Already
Been
Baptized
Consider
This
To
Be
A
Reminder
Of
Your
Baptism
Of
God's
Promises
To
You
And
Of
Yours
To
Him
If
You
Haven't
Been
Baptized
Consider
This
An
Invitation
First
To
Him
As
Savior
And
Lord
And
Second
To
Be
Baptized
As
An
Expression
Of
Your
Faith
And
Trust
In
Him
So
Tyson
And
Michelle
And
Spondent
If
You
Would
Come
To
The
Front
At
This
Time
Each
Of
These
Has
Met
With
The
Elders
And
We've
Walked
With
Them
Through
A
Process
Of
Preparing
For
This
Day
For
People
Who
Are
Being
Baptized
We
Give
Them
An
Opportunity
To
Public
Give
Thanks
To
God
In
Their
Own
Words
Either
By
Writing
Out
A
Testimony
Or
By
Presenting
One
Verbally
So
You
Can
Come
Right
Up
Here
And
Just
Take
A seat
In
One
Of
These
Seats
So
Tyson
And
Michelle
Have
Written
Out
Their
Testimonies
Those
Will
Be
Sent
Out
To
The
Church
Email
List
But
I'm
Just
Going
To
Read
A
Couple
Excerpts
From
Each
Of
Their
Testimonies
And
Then
I'll
Invite
Spondent
Who
Will
Share
His
Testimony
Verbally
So
Michelle
Here's
A
Little
Bit
Of
What
Michelle
Wrote
Michelle
Says
I
Was
Born
In
Bristol
Connecticut
I
First
Heard
About
God
And
Jesus
Through
My
Great
Grandma
Selina
Who
Brought
Me
To
Church
With
Her
When
I
Was
A
Teenager
I
Began
Drinking
And
It
Got
The
Better
Of
Me
One
Particular
Day
I
Was
Just
Hiding
At
Home
Curled
Up
On
The
Couch
But
Then
I
Realized
That
I
Was
A
Sinner
And
Needed
God's
Help
I
Was
Admitted
To
The
Hospital
And
Finally
Transitioned
To
Columbus
House
In
New
Haven
Two
Women
From
Trinity
Baptist
Church
Regularly
Visited
Columbus
House
And
I
Started
Going
To
Church
With
Them
I
Began
To
Understand
That
Jesus
Died
On
The
Cross
For
My
Sins
I
Knwald
To
As
Mans
Tusen
Wrights
I
Was
Born
In
Lee
Massachusetts
I
First
We
To
golden
Jesus
Through
Boy Scouts
When
I
Was
Eight
Years
Old
But
As
I
They
10
Were
Did
di
Had
I
Was
prison
the people I met there talked about how they were innocent and were in jail unjustly, but I knew I
had messed up. I went to the church services, but kept my distance from the Christians who sponsored
them, and after I got out of prison, I lived at Columbus House, where I met Michelle, and we
decided to get married. I came to Trinity Baptist, and it solidified the truth that I could be
forgiven of my sins through Jesus. I've seen answers to prayer and seen God at work in my life.
Michelle and I have our own apartment now. Jesus has given me life, and each of their favorite
Bible verses is John 3, 16. For God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whoever
believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. Amen. Now let me invite Spandan to come and
read your testimony. Thank you, Pastor Greg. Hi, I am Spandan. Some of you know me as Dan.
I come from Calcutta, the same city as Mother Teresa, about whom Pastor Matt spoke a few weeks
back. I was born in a Hindu family, not a Christian, but God had other plans. A bit about myself.
I have been a consultant. I have sold my startup. I've worked in private equity, one of the most
difficult fields of finance. I've got two MBAs, first from the Harvard of India and second from Yale,
and they may have been featured on the Indian equivalent of Forbes 30 under 30. But this is not a tale of
who I am. This is a tale of who Jesus is and how he saved me. I came from India about two and a half years
back for the School of Management. It was a scorching summer noon. Unfortunately, my flight was delayed,
and after 20 hours of not having had a single drop of water, I was dehydrated and jet lagged.
By the time I had reached Prospect Hill, I would have collapsed of thirst. There was not a single shop
in sight where I can get water, nor was there anyone else. I was about to faint. Suddenly,
out of nowhere, came a landscaper. He did not give me water. No. Instead, he gave me iced tea.
And he spoke of Jesus. I did not realize the calling that day. So I tried to teach him about my Hindu
studies. He smiled and left. But Jesus did not give up on me. I graduated from SOM in May 2019,
near the top of my class, and absolutely jobless. We, as international students, have only one year
of OPT, and most people don't want to give us jobs for that one year. What's going to happen after that?
May got into June, June to July. I did find something to survive, but it was really, really bad.
I asked my mom to pray for me, desperately. Pray for me, pray for me, pray for me, and she started
going to temples. Nothing happened. One day, on a train in India, thousands of kilometers from the U.S.,
she heard about Jesus. The same week, by coincidence, or by divine prophecy, I met an Uber driver on my way
back from Elm City Market. He happened to be a pastor who had a small church in Bridgeport. He told me
about Christ and asked me to embrace him. I started reading the Bible, but I did not understand what
Christ truly meant. I did not believe in him. I was yet to know what Christ can do. You know,
there's a difference between knowing God and surrendering everything to him. My heart was not ready.
My story was not over there. In the next few months, everything would go dark. I started a business.
It failed. I applied to thousands of jobs. Got rejected because I didn't have a visa.
Had no money left. Most of my friends left, so I had no one to talk to. It was solitary confinement.
I forgot to laugh. I cried every day. My morning started with despair, and my nights ended in depression.
And then, COVID started. In hindsight, I did two things wrong. First, I was praying both to my Hindu deities
and Jesus at the same time. Doesn't work that way. And the second, I used to wear an amulet of precious
stones. It had gold, diamond, a lot of things. It was meant to appease my Hindu deities, and it was
actually preventing Jesus from coming to me. So finally, last May 2020, after one year, and when the
last date of visa application was over, I finally got rejected from a big firm, not even in the U.S.
I would have gladly left. And that rejection was the last hit that I could take. How many rejections
can a man take any day? So that day, I took off my amulet, and I prayed to God and to Jesus, and I said,
today I have nothing. If you can, save me. If not, this is the end. And so I prayed for my own death.
Nothing is impossible with prayer and fasting. And I'm not proud of what I did. But the very next
afternoon, Jesus came and visited me in my dream. There were two dreams. In the first dream, there was a
huge battle on earth. There were giant monsters who were trying to kill men, and they were swatting them
like flies. I still volunteered, too cocky or too brave. But when I tried to fight him, I did not know
what happened to the monster, but I fell. And I saw myself dying there in a ditch, covered with mud and
blood and grime, and I slowly sank into it. I thought, one more bad dream. Okay, fine.
In the next one, Christ visited me. It was a place on earth where the souls of the dead
leave. There was a huge canopy, and on top of that, this brilliant white light. I have never seen
something that bright ever in my life. And below them, there were the souls of the dead. There was a
trap door at the end of it, and there was a ball of light who operated it. It went up and down with
the soul when they got onto it. I could not walk anymore because I did not have a body, so I just
moved with the others. I floated there, and then I saw him, the Lord of Light. He was helping the souls
get into that divine white light. When my time came, I got onto that trap door, and I said, Jesus,
take me with you. He just smiled. He just smiled. He did not take me with him. He sent me back,
gave me a new body, and I realized one thing. My time on this earth was not over. He resurrected me.
So I lost everything, everything that I had, but instead, I found Christ. In those days, only my mom
was my only support. I had doubts for God. I had doubts for Christ, but she said one thing. Do not
say a single negative thing about Christ, about my Christ. I do not know where she got her strength
from, but I thank the Holy Spirit for it. Today, I work in venture capital. One of the hardest industries
to break into, even if you are an American or you have an MBA, not as an associate, but as a manager.
But the greatest blessing that I have received is knowing Christ. I am not special. I am not special
at all. Christ comes for everyone. He is the Son of God. He loves us the most. All we have to do
is just love him back. Sometimes, everything might seem lost, but Jesus always finds a way. And when he
lifts you, it's not a small step up. You will rise. It's a liftoff. So here I am, walking in his path,
in his light. And today, I jump onto his arms. And when my time is up, I will meet him again.
And this time, I will go through that trapdoor again, into the brilliant light with Jesus.
In Jesus' mighty name I pray. Amen.
Amen.
No, no, stay here. So let me ask, thank you for sharing. Let me ask Spondin and Michelle and Tyson
three questions that we ask everyone who is being baptized and joining the Church of Trinity.
Tyson and Michelle and Spondin, do you affirm your faith in Jesus Christ as your and the only
Lord and Savior? And do you commit to serve Christ and the fellowship of his Church for the rest of
your life? And do you commit yourself to Trinity Baptist Church to be members and to give and receive
love and service? For those of us who are members, do we as members commit to love and serve Tyson,
Michelle, and Spondin, even as we receive their love and service among us? If so, say, we will.
All right, let's pray.
Our Father, we thank you for reaching out in your love to Tyson, Michelle, and Spondin.
We thank you for sending your Son to be their Savior. We thank you for sending your Spirit to
dwell in them as their comforter and advocate. We pray for each of them as they are baptized today.
Assure them of your fatherly love for them. Remind them that in Christ they are a new creation.
Fill them with your Spirit that they might become more and more like Christ and be equipped to do
the good works that you have prepared for them to do. We pray that they may always remember this day
as a sign and a seal of your saving grace in their lives. Preserve them through every temptation and
trial that they will face in the future so that they may always remain in fellowship with you for
the rest of their life and for all eternity. In Jesus' name, amen. We're going to stand and sing
as they go to get changed and as we prepare for the baptism. So please stand as we sing.
Amen.
...
There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Emmanuel's veins.
And sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains.
Lose all their guilty stains.
And sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains.
The dying thief rejoiced to see that fountain in his day.
And there may I, though vile as he, wash all my sins away.
Wash all my sins away.
And there may I, though vile as he, wash all my sins away.
Dear dying lamb, thy precious blood shall never lose its power.
Till all the ransomed church of God be saved to sin no more.
Be safe to sin no more.
Till all the ransomed church of God be saved to sin no more.
And there since by faith I saw the stream.
My flowing wounds survive.
Redeeming love has been my theme.
And shall be till I die.
Amen.
Be safe to sin no more.
And shall be till I die.
guitar solo
Grace to thee we cling
From the law
Has set us free
Once and for all
On Calvary's hill
Love and justice
Shall agree
So praise the Lord
The price is paid
The curse defeated
By the Lamb
We who once
Were slaves
By birth
Sons and daughters
Now we stand
Okay, you may be seated
I baptize Spondin upon your profession of faith in Jesus Christ.
I baptize you in the name of the Father
And of the Son
And of the Holy Spirit.
Thank you.
Applause
Thank you.
Michelle, upon your profession of faith in Jesus Christ, I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Thank you.
Glory be to God.
Hallelujah.
And hallelujah,
Christ is King,
alive and alive and alive and living on the throne.
Our tongues employ,
our tongues employ with hymn of praise.
Glory be to God alone.
Amen.
We've come to the end of the day.
If you are up,
who are you on the life of God alone.
Amen.
I'm live Buy from the new yogaj wilbur.
I'm alive and alive only below.
I'm blind, oh yeah.
saying in? I need to signal one way or the other. Daniel, Elise, can you just check out there and
then give me a thumbs up or a thumbs down? So we will either stay inside. Well, let me give
instructions once we figure out what we're doing. Outside? Okay, it's not raining. Okay, so it's not
raining. So as usual, the ushers will dismiss you and you can feel free to fellowship with one
another outdoors, out in the back for as long as you like. If for some reason it does start raining,
then you can come back in the building and just use your own wisdom and discretion and love one
another. All right, go with this word. May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all. And all God's people said, Amen.
Amen.
Thank you.