Worship of God singing in Psalm 145, Psalm 145, the second version on page 444.
We're singing verses 1 to 6.
The tune is Warrington.
O Lord, thou art my God and King, thee will I magnify and praise.
I will thee bless and gladly sing unto thy holy name always.
Each day I rise, I will thee bless and praise thy name time without end.
Much to be praised and great God is.
His greatness none can comprehend.
We're singing verses 1 to 6 to God's praise.
We stand to sing.
Until my heart will fly and praise.
I will thee bless and gladly sing unto thy holy name always.
Each day I rise, I will thee bless and praise thy name time without end.
But surely grace and great God is.
His greatness none can comprehend.
His will ever miss and goodbye.
The mighty act.
I will sing of the glorious grace
The mighty act so done by thee
I will sing all the glorious grace
And honour all thy majesty
To thy wondrous works I will report
By them the might shall be extolled
Of all thy dreadful hearts, O Lord
And I thy goodness will unfold
Please be seated.
Well, we now come to what's a very pleasant baptism, an adult baptism.
We don't very often see that in our own context, but we still believe, of course, in the baptism of adults as well.
And Ian Don Campbell has come forward asking to take communion for the first time, and that's a wonderful privilege for us to have him come forward in that way with that desire.
But not having been baptized previously, it's necessary that baptism precedes taking communion in the order of things spiritually.
And so we've come to this point, and you yourselves today are witnesses, and also not just witnesses, but participants in the sense that you will be pledging silently your support for Ian Don as he comes now to be baptized.
So first of all, I'm going to ask you all to stand, and please remain standing until the baptism is over.
Ian Don, if you come forward, please.
I'll ask you some questions, and then I'll ask you to kneel there after the questions.
Right.
Do you believe in God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, revealed in Scripture as the only true God and your God?
Do you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, the only mediator between God and men?
Do you now pledge to live a holy life as God will enable you by His grace to His glory?
Thank you.
Just be a thank you.
First of all, we're going to engage in a word of prayer, asking the Lord to bless the ordinance.
Lord our God, we thank you for the sacraments you have given your church.
We know it's our privilege, Lord, always to participate and to be observers of baptism and of the Lord's Supper.
And we thank you today for the privilege that we are here to witness both and to participate in that appropriate way in the support we give to Ian Don,
and also in the way we participate in the Lord's Supper.
Bless these two as we pray, and bless now this water to its own sacred use as we use it in baptism.
We pray, O Lord, that Ian Don will know your blessing as he comes to offer himself to be baptized.
We thank you for the way that you have led him and the way you have brought him to know yourself.
And we thank you for the way that that encourages us as a congregation, that your Holy Spirit is active and at work in our midst.
We pray for him in the days to come, as he now comes to be baptized and as he will take communion with the rest of your people here today.
Lord, bless it to his own soul and bless it to ours also, that we may reflect upon it in days to come
and give our thanks to the God of all grace and comfort.
Receive our thanks now, we pray, and cleanse us from all our sin, for Jesus' sake. Amen.
I am Don Campbell, I baptize you in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, one God.
May God bless you and keep you. May God make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you.
May God lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
Another word of prayer just to finish off.
Lord, bless what we have done now in your name,
and grant that you would continue to bless us through the remainder of this service.
We ask that you would forgive our sins as we confess them.
And in relation to what we see in baptism, Lord, we confess our need of being cleansed and washed
in the blood of Christ by the power of your Holy Spirit.
And so, receive our thanks now, and all we ask is in Jesus' name. Amen.
Bevan Calum Orlis-Smith will now read the word of God from Matthew 27, beginning at verse 27.
Well, we turn to God's word as we have it in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 27, taking up our reading there at verse 27.
You find it around page 1005, Matthew 27 at verse 27.
And then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor's headquarters, and they gathered the whole battalion before him.
And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand.
And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews.
And they spat on him and took the reed and struck him on the head.
And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him, and led him away to crucify him.
As they went out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name.
They compelled this man to carry his cross.
And when they came to a place called Golgotha, which means place of a skull, they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall.
But when he tasted it, he would not drink it.
And when they had crucified him, they divided his garments among them by casting lots.
Then they sat down and kept watch over him there.
And over his head they put the charge against him, which read, This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.
Then two robbers were crucified with him, one on the right and one on the left.
And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying,
You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself.
If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.
So also the chief priests, so the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying,
He saved others, he cannot save himself.
He is the King of Israel.
Let him come down from the cross, and we will believe in him.
He trusts in God.
Let God deliver him now if he desires him.
For he said, I am the Son of God.
And the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way.
Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour.
And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice saying,
Eli, Eli, Lema, Sapatani.
And some of the bystanders hearing it said, This man is calling Elijah.
And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine,
and put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink.
But the other said, Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.
And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.
And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom,
and the earth shook and the rocks were split.
The tombs also were opened,
and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised.
And coming out of the tombs after his resurrection,
they went into the holy city and appeared to many.
When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus,
saw the earthquake and what took place,
they were filled with awe and said,
Truly, this was the Son of God.
Amen.
And may God bless that reading from his word.
Let's engage now in prayer.
We'll call upon the Lord in prayer.
Amen.
Almighty God, we thank you for this day and for all that takes place in it,
here in our witness,
both in the sacraments and in the word being preached.
Help us in our worship, we pray,
to know that we draw near to God
with the promise that he will draw near to us.
We thank you again for this day that you have set apart from the beginning of the creation,
a day that is set apart to be holy to the Lord,
and a day in which we find so many ordinances and privileges given to us.
We thank you for the gospel that draws us to you.
And we thank you for the way that you use it in bringing people to know yourself.
And we ask, O Lord, that today we will know your blessing
as we come once more around your word and under your word.
Help us to know that the things that we confess about you are truly sealed to our souls.
And bless us each one as we appear before you.
You know our thoughts, you know our hearts,
you know everything about us already,
and yet you would have us to come and pray to you and confess our sin and seek your cleansing.
Lord, bless us, we pray, as a congregation of your people.
And may this time of celebrating the Lord's Supper be used to our strengthening
and to our confirmation as a congregation,
that you take us as your people and that we take you as our God.
We ask, Lord, that your blessing will follow us
in all that we seek to do in your name in this community.
And we do ask, O Lord, that you would accompany your word especially
and the witness of your people with the power of your Holy Spirit.
We thank you, Lord, for that Spirit that you take,
where you take the things of Christ and show them to us.
We thank you that you have your Holy Spirit to dwell in the hearts of your people,
that they are united together in the bonds of fellowship through him.
And we thank you today that we can come and expect that the Lord will take those things of his word and sacrament
and make them precious to us and make them effective in our experience
to bless us and to sanctify us further in the things of God.
We pray your blessing for all gatherings of your people today,
wherever they gather throughout the world.
Lord, we pray for them again and ask that you would make us conscious
that we belong to such a great number that no one can number but the Lord himself.
We thank you that we are members of that church that extends even to the heaven itself,
to those who have gone to be home with the Lord,
and yet who are bound in spirit by that same Spirit of God,
with those of us here who remain in this world.
We ask now your blessing to follow all that is being done in your name
and to guide us and to keep us in mind and body through these things.
Uphold us, we pray, with your Spirit and enable us to rejoice in your presence,
enable us to know more of that joy that you give to your people,
that joy that is truly, even in this life, filled with an anticipation of glory.
We ask your blessing, Lord, to be with those who can't be here today with us.
We know that there are some who used to be here
and who used to partake of the Lord's Supper
and now no longer can do so through ill health or other reasons.
We pray for them, and we pray, Lord, that you would bless to them
all that they have already partaken of in the course of their life.
And we ask that you would be pleased to draw near to them,
to assure them at this time that they are your people indeed, that you remember them.
We ask your blessing now to continue with us here,
and as we turn again to your word, to hear its teaching and to sing your praises,
Lord, help us to do so with the joy of the Lord in our hearts,
and seeking his glory and his praise in all that we do.
Hear us, we pray now, for Jesus' sake. Amen.
Well, our next singing is going to be in Gaelic.
It's customary for us to have a Gaelic singing when we come together for the Lord's Communion.
And the singing is from Psalm 146.
You'll find it on the back page of the bulletin.
Verses 5 and 6, and the English equivalent there as well.
These two verses, we remain seated for the Gaelic singing.
The Gaelic singing is from Psalm 146.
They pleasured to have a great creative Werk of Peace.
For this verse, we sing famous music beginning to make slow rap,
Thank you.
What is the
of that parish of that
care?
record that? What did it mean to them? What would you have thought? Here you are, one of those
sitting down and watching him there. What would this have felt like? What would your mind have
actually thought of what was happening? You'd be asking, what's happening? This is midday and
it's getting dark. And it lasted for three hours. Why? What's it about? What's remarkable
about the event that this has to take place? Well, it's symbolic, isn't it? It's symbolic of
the spiritual darkness that Jesus is experiencing in his heart, in his soul, as he carries the sin
of his people, as he bears the punishment, as he bears what is due to them for their sins, as he
enters into the darkness of soul. We'll see it in a minute when we come to the expression of
Jesus on the cross.
Ila, Ila, lama sabachthani, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? But that is what
this is symbolic of, as the creation itself actually comes to darkness. Remember what
Jesus, how he described himself in John's gospel, I am the light of the world.
And whoever walks after me shall not abide in darkness. And here he is, the light of the world,
experiencing darkness, as it were being turned into darkness. The darkness of his soul,
as it's symbolized by the darkness of the creation. It's as somebody put it,
the creation itself cannot bear to look upon its creator in the state that he is in, in the
sufferings that he's enduring. He's the creator. He's the one who created light. He's the one who
said, let there be light as it was in the beginning. And yet here is that creator himself
entering into the darkness of his soul, about to expire on the cross. And the creation hides its face.
Jesus cannot bear to look upon such a terrible thing, such a mysterious thing, such an awful thing,
as the darkness being experienced by Jesus.
You cast your mind back to the time when Israel were slaves in Egypt. And when the plagues, as they
recorded for us there in Exodus, when the plagues came upon the land one after another, one of these
plagues was the plague of darkness. And we read in Genesis there that there was darkness over the
whole of the land of Egypt. But Israel had light in their dwellings. They lived in that part of the
land called Goshen, which itself is the Hebrew word for light. And while there was darkness over all of
the land of Egypt, the people of Israel had light in their dwellings. They were set apart from the
Egyptians. The Lord was looking after them when it was dark elsewhere. They had the fullness of light
in God's own miraculous way of providing that for them. There is no such thing at Calvary.
You don't read here, there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour, but there was light
where Jesus was. There was light at Calvary. There was light around the cross. There wasn't.
light at Calvary. It was enveloped in darkness just like the rest of the land.
What a Savior. What a love. What an event. What an experience for you sitting there with the rest of
those who kept watch. And all of a sudden it gets dark and the gloom sets in. And you think to yourself,
why is this happening? There must be something remarkable here for this to happen at the height
of noonday, for this to become dark. And so it is remarkable. It's nothing less than the Son of God
having taken our human nature, expiring on the cross, coming towards that time of his death on the cross.
Now that's what you remember in the Lord's Supper today. That's what you remember as you remember Christ
in his death. You remember how the pain of his soul and the pain in his body was pain to the maximum,
the pain due to you for your sins. And you also experience the creation in darkness
when you expect it to be light. And you know that that is symbolic of his agony and darkness of soul.
That's what you would see. Other things as well, but we'll confine it to those two for the moment.
And then secondly, what would you hear? What things would you actually hear spoken up or in conversation
during those times, during that time that you sat here watching Jesus? Well, the first thing you would
hear would be mocking words, words of mockery and derision. Verses 39 to 44. You can see there how
those who were passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, you who would destroy the temple
and rebuild it in three days, save yourself. If you are the son of God, come down from the cross.
So also the chief priests with the scribes and elders mocked him saying, he saved others. He cannot
save himself. He is the king of Israel. Let him come down now from the cross and we will believe in him.
He trusts in God. Let God deliver him now if he desires him. For he said, I am the son of God.
This is what you would hear. Derision and mocking thrown in the face of Jesus by those here who
actually made mockery of him at that time. But you see, as we said last night, sometimes the gospel
writers present the truth to us by way of even the mocking of Christ's enemies. Everything they're
saying there is actually true of him. He is the king. He is the king of the universe. He is the one
who holds all things in the power of his own hands. And just like it is in Luke chapter 15,
the scribes and Pharisees then mocked him saying, this man receives sinners and eats with them.
What a great testimony to the truth of who Jesus is. That's exactly who he is. He receives sinners and
eats with them. He enters into fellowship with them. That's what you're experiencing here today
at the Lord's Supper. This man, this Jesus, he's derided here. He's mocked here. But the words of
mocking that mock him as the king, as the son of God, actually convey the truth about him. And as you read
these, as we said last night, you realize that everything being said here is actually true of
him, though they're used as terms of mocking on the occasion in which they were spoken.
And of course, in verse 42, he saved others. He cannot save himself. What remarkable words these are.
He saved others. Yes, he saved others. They're using that by way of mocking, but it's the truth about him.
He is the Savior. He cannot save himself. Now think about that. Could he have saved himself?
Well, there's a sense in which you might say yes if he came down from the cross, but what would that
mean? Even if it had been possible, it would have meant that you and I would not have been saved.
So from that point of view, he could not save himself. He would not save himself. He would not
actually bypass the sufferings involved in the cross because that's what he came to do. That's what he
came to finish. That's what he came to accomplish. This was the devil, as we saw last night. This was the
devil's attempt to deflect Jesus and divert him from the path of obedience to the Father that he was on.
He said,
"'If you are the Son of God, all of these kingdoms of the world and their glory I will give you.
All you have to do is fall down and worship me.'" And Jesus says, "'Get hence Satan.'"
and the same when Peter tried to take him aside
and say this shall not happen to you
Jesus responded get behind me Satan
an attempt to deflect Jesus to divert him
from the path that he was on
yes he is the king of Israel
but for our sake he cannot come down from the cross
for our sake he will not come down from the cross
for our sake he will not save himself
so that we can be saved
and he remained true to his obedient self
all the way through his agonies on the cross
until it was accomplished
until it was done
you can see Matthew 26
chapter 26 and verse 53 there
26 and verse 53
where Peter had drawn his sword
and tried to defend Jesus from those who had come
with Judas Iscariot to apprehend him
and take him into custody
put your sword back into its place
for all who take the sword will perish by the sword
do you think that I cannot appeal now to my father
and he will at once send me more than 12 legions of angels
but how then would the scriptures be fulfilled
that it must be so
you see there is Jesus saying
I could call on multitudes of angels
to come to my rescue
to come to help me
but how then would the scripture be fulfilled
the scripture that prophesied
that he would come and die for his people
that's what he was committed to
and if you go to John's gospel
you'll find that in the garden of Gethsemane
as he was coming out of the garden
and this incident took place
Jesus said
the cup which my father has given me to drink
shall I not drink it
what was that cup?
that was the cup of his agony
the cup of damnation
the cup of what is due to you and I for our sins
and what he's saying now is
I will drink it
I'll take it to the very last drop
whatever suffering it means for me
shall I not drink it
that's what he did
you would have heard mocking words
but words that conveyed
the truth about Jesus
and the commitment of Jesus to die
the death he came to die
you would have heard mocking words
you would have heard also pleading words
for that you need to go to
Luke's account of the crucifixion
chapter 23 verses 40 to 43
and of course that means
the cry of the thief from the cross
both of these robbers, malefactors
we read here in Matthew
Matthew actually were involved
first of all in deriding him
but as you listened on to what was happening
as you sit there with those who are observing the cross
you'd have heard something happening
you'd have heard some words
that really filled you with amazement
here is one of those two thieves
and he has stopped deriding
has stopped mocking
he has stopped casting things against Jesus
and he's come to ask him now
something specific
Lord remember me
when you come into your kingdom
and then you'd have heard
the response of Jesus to that
truly I say to you
today
you will be with me in paradise
what is happening
here you are
with these people
listening to what's going on
hearing these words
and all of a sudden
you hear this conversation
this thief breaking out
with a request to Jesus
to remember him
and Jesus not only hearing
but replying and saying
today you're going to be with me in paradise
this man's going to be in paradise
what do you mean this man's going to be in paradise
what's he being crucified for
he's being crucified for his crimes
he's being crucified as a malefactor
as a robber
as somebody who deserves
actually to be dead
and to be put to death
for his crimes
and instead you find Jesus saying
you're going to be with me today
in paradise
I hear you are today
at the Lord's table
and
you're imagining yourself
sitting there with the rest of them
what would you have thought
of Jesus himself
hearing these words
in response
to the thief's pleading
pleading words
responded to by Jesus
with comforting words
today
you'll be with me in paradise
you'll be in heaven with me
you see that's why
you find these things
that are spoken to be
so meaningful to yourself
because
you have asked the Lord
to remember you
haven't you
at some point
in your spiritual journey
you've come to the Lord
and
sought that he would remember you
that he would bless you
that he would receive you
that he would forgive your sins
that he would have you
as one of his own disciples
that he would save you
and that change
that took place
in the thief
is the change
that has taken place
in you
as you remember the Lord
in his death today
Psalm 139
verses 17 to 18
remember the psalmist
and that psalmist
just taken up in awe
at the knowledge
that God has of him
that he sees through
into the very depth
of his soul
the words that he speaks
even before he's spoken
them
God knows them
God is found everywhere
God's looking in
upon him
and measuring
and sifting
his thoughts even
then he comes
to say
how precious
are your thoughts
to me
oh God
how precious
are your thoughts
to me
what did he mean
Lord thank you
that you are mindful
of me
that you are mindful
of me always
that you are mindful
of me when I forget you
that you are mindful
of you even when I
sometimes have questions
and even doubtings
you never
you never cease
to be mindful
of me
isn't that a precious
thing to you today
as you come to remember
the Lord and his death
at the Lord's supper
to know that God
is mindful of you
that he has you
in his mind
that he never lets you
out of his mind
that you are so
precious to him
that he never
forgets you
that not for a moment
does he stop
being mindful
of you
that's what you
heard
that's what you
would have heard
here this
interaction of the
thief
and Jesus
and that's
essentially
what's inside it
but thirdly
finally
not only
would you have
heard mocking
words
and you
would have
heard pleading
words answered
by Jesus
you would also
have heard
the Lord's
own words
all the statements
that he made
while he was
on the cross
but there's one
really that
stands out
above the rest
and it's there
in verse 46
about the ninth
hour
Jesus cried out
with a loud
voice
that is my
God
my God
why have you
forsaken me
I think we can
safely say
these are the
most amazing
words
ever uttered
they are what
Martin Luther
calls
behold
God
forsaken
by God
why
hast
thou
forsaken
me
and if you
imagine
an exclamation
mark there
at the end
rather than a
question
you'll have
a better idea
then of just
the depth
of these words
but we cannot
measure them
we cannot
properly enter
into the depths
of them
he alone
knows
the depth
of meaning
in these words
my God
why have you
forsaken me
forsakenness
by God
is the essence
of death
we think of death
perhaps more
in physical terms
when people die
when we leave
this world
separation of our
soul from body
and that is an
aspect of death
undoubtedly
but the essence
of death
as was shown
even by the
exclusion of
Adam and Eve
from the garden
as they were
driven out
by God
as the gates
were closed
behind them
the essence
of death
is nothing
less than
separation
from God
and that's why
eternal death
the death
that is in hell
is separation
from God
forever
without
ever ending
and that's
not a neutral
thing
to experience
separation
from God
in the wrath
of God
being inflicted
upon any
person
is the most
painful thing
imaginable
to be cut off
from life
to experience
everlasting
death
with no
prospect of
hope
or mitigation
salvation
now Jesus
didn't die
for his own
sins
but the
people whose
sins were
laid upon
him
deserved
this death
and he
took that
death
in their
place
and you
remember him
today as
one who
took that
death
instead of
you
who willingly
went to
the cross
and died
this death
that involved
separation
from God
nothing less
than
actual
damnation
experienced
by him
in his
own soul
now we
can't
really go
beyond saying
this is just
a mystery
how can we
possibly try
to begin
explaining
what was
actually involved
in the son
of God
in our
nature
experiencing
the hell
that we
deserved
in his own
experience
in his
own soul
let's
just
leave it
there
but think
about it
and the
reality
of it
think about
it as you
watch him
there as you
hear these
words
why have
you forsaken
my God
why have
you forsaken
me
well of course
they didn't
understand
they thought
this man
was calling
for Elijah
some said
well let's
wait and see
whether Elijah
will come
and save
him
then Jesus
cried out
again with
a loud
voice
and yielded
up his
spirit
that itself
is something
amazing to
hear
not only the
cry my God
my God
why have
you forsaken
me
but then it
comes to
this
he yields
up his
spirit
he breathes
his last
as it puts
elsewhere
he hands
over his
spirit
his soul
to his
father
for keeping
for safe
custody
how does he
do it
he does it
in a loud
voice
what is that
saying to you
it's saying
that here
is the
champion
of death
here is
somebody
who has
power over
death
here is
somebody
who comes
to die
not in
the weakness
that we
usually associate
with death
but with a
loud voice
showing that
he is still
the powerful
one
the son
of God
he comes
to yield
up his
spirit
remarkable
things
that you
have seen
as you
sit there
at the
cross
you've
seen
Jesus
refusing
this
drink
you've
seen
the day
turned
to
darkness
and you've
heard
remarkable
things
you've
heard
words
of
mocking
that
actually
convey
the truth
about
Jesus
you've
heard
pleading
words
from one
of the
thieves
and the
words of
Jesus
in reply
and you've
heard
this cry
of Jesus
himself
and all
of that
is precious
to you
today
because it's
part of what
you remember
as you
remember
the Lord's
death
until he
comes
amen
let's
pray
gracious
father
we
thank you
today
that your
word
conveys to
us the
truth
that is so
much greater
than
ourselves
truth
that our
puny minds
cannot fully
take in
but we
thank you
that it is
the truth
nevertheless
that you
came into
this world
to give
yourself a
ransom for
your people
we thank you
for the
truth of
your death
and for
the way
that it
brought about
the salvation
of your
people
we thank
you Lord
for all
that is
entailed
in your
death on
the cross
and make
it more
and more
precious to
us as
time goes
by
Lord
enable us
today as
we remember
you in
the Lord's
supper
to do so
with
gratefulness
thankfulness
dependence
all that we
should be
in ourselves
as we
relate to
that death
of our
Lord
receive our
thanks we
pray now
and pardon
our sin
for Jesus
sake
Amen
now we're
going to sing
some verses
during the
singing
the young
ones will
come in
they'll take
their place
up on the
gallery
so we're
singing
from Psalm
22
and page
25
the tune is
Saldo
page 25
verses 1
to 8
my God
oh why
have you
forsaken
and abandoned
me
why are you
far from
giving help
from listening
to my
anguished
plea
so on
through
Psalm 22
verses 1
to 8
so on
Rod
Thank you.
Now, at this point in our service, we come to give directions to those who come to
the Lord's table, those who have the privilege and the responsibility and the right indeed
to come to take communion at this time.
I'm going to read some verses, just a verses of a poem.
I think it might actually be a hymn, although I couldn't find any writer for it, so I'm
not sure if you know who it is.
You can please let me know.
But the poem, the verses are as follows.
I sought thee, weeping high and low.
I found thee not.
I did not know.
I was a sinner.
Even so, I missed thee for my Savior.
Until upon the cross I saw my Lord, who died to meet the law.
That man had broken.
Then I saw my sin, and then my Savior.
Be thou to me, my Lord, my guide, my friend, yea, everything beside.
But first, last, best, whate'er betide, be thou to me, my Savior.
And I think these verses, each of them, encapsulate something of our experience as we come to know
the Lord, because more often than not, we're like those in the first verse, they're seeking
answers to life's questions.
I did not know I was a sinner.
I sought thee, weeping high and low, distressed about his own life, but not necessarily knowing
where the answer lay.
And I'm sure for some of us, at least, that's how it was.
And so you come to the Lord's table today knowing that you did seek answers to life's big
questions, but maybe for some time you didn't find an answer until you came to know the answer
in Jesus himself.
And as he says there, I do not know, did not know I was a sinner, even so I miss thee for
my Savior.
There's something deep within the heart of each one of us that knows we lack something
that we can't provide ourselves.
And that makes us ask questions.
Where do I get this?
Where can I get satisfaction?
And you have come.
The Lord's table is for those who have come to know satisfaction in Christ.
Not an answer to every question, but certainly an answer to the most important ones.
What must I do to be saved?
The second verse there, until upon the cross I saw my Lord who died to meet the law that
man had broken.
Then I saw my sin and then my Savior.
They come to the Lord's table today because you've come to know the Lord.
You've moved on from the questions.
You've come to know the Lord himself as the great answer to all of life's questions.
And it's when you came to know the Lord and the kind of death that he died as you came
to know the scriptures, that he died to meet the law, the demands of the law, the death
as we saw that he died.
Then I saw my sin and then my Savior.
The people who come to the Lord's table don't think they're very good in themselves.
They're very opposite.
And as they look at Jesus, and as you look at Jesus today portrayed in the Lord's Supper,
as you see him portrayed in the death that he died as these elements of bread and wine
set out for us, so you came to see your sin in the light of Christ's sufferings.
And I'm sure it's the case for most of us that the place where we most clearly see our
sin and know our sin for what it is, is as you look to the cross.
And as you see, that's what my sin did.
That's what my sin deserved.
As you see your Savior, so you see your sin.
As you see your sin, so you see your Savior.
And you come today to express your trust in him by taking communion and being with his people
at the Lord's Supper.
They sought answers.
They came to know Jesus.
Thirdly, they value Jesus above all else.
Be thou to me, my Lord, my guide, my friend, yea, everything beside.
But first, last, best, whatever betide, be thou to me, my Savior.
They are the people who come and have the right to come to the Lord's table.
They can say about their lives they're far from perfect.
They can say there's many things about them they still actually wish were not true about them.
But the one thing they will not deny is that Jesus is special.
And that he's special above everyone else.
Whate'er betide, my first, last, best, be thou to me, my Savior.
And that's what you're saying of him today.
That's why you're here.
Because he is the best.
He's the very best.
He's one you know you can't improve on.
Nor would you want to.
Because there's no need for it.
And that's what's leaving you here today.
You've found your answer to life's big questions in Jesus.
And now you love him.
With all your heart.
And you want to love him even more.
As time goes on.
So now we come to sing once more from Psalm 118.
And then we'll come to administer the Lord's Supper.
Psalm 118, page 398.
And at verse 15.
Singing to a tune, Coleshill, verses 15 to 19.
In dwellings of the righteous is heard the melody of joy and health.
The Lord's right hand doth ever valiantly.
The right hand of the mighty Lord exalted is on high.
The right hand of the mighty Lord doth ever valiantly.
And so on to the end of verse 19 to God's praise.
In dwellings of the righteous is heard the melody of joy and death.
The right hand of the mighty Lord exalted is on high.
The right hand of the mighty Lord doth ever valiantly.
I shall not die but live and shall the words or not discover.
The Lord of the just I said so, but not to death give no word.
O set ye open unto me the gates of righteousness,
then will I enter into them, and I the Lord will bless.
We now read from 1 Corinthians chapter 11, what we refer to as the warrant for our celebration of the Lord's Supper.
1 Corinthians 11 at verse 23,
For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you,
that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread.
And when he had given thanks, he broke it and said,
This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.
In the same way also he took the cup after supper, saying,
This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me.
For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup,
you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes, and so on.
And we follow that example, the Lord himself set us,
by giving thanks to the Lord.
So let's pray.
Lord, our gracious God,
we know it is our privilege once again to be here at the Lord's Supper.
We know it is our privilege once again to remember the Lord and his death.
We know it is our privilege to call upon you and give you thanks, which we do,
for all that is set out before us here,
representing your death,
and being a sign and seal to your people of your love for them.
We bless you today, Lord, for this opportunity.
Help us to maximize it for ourselves.
Help us to come believing, trusting,
being sure, O Lord, that you will do as you have promised,
and that your word will not return to you void,
that you will bless the ordinances that you yourself have set forth
and have sanctified for your people.
We pray, O Lord, as we take this bread and this cup today,
that you would sanctify these elements,
so that they be means by which we ourselves
can feed upon Christ crucified and the benefits of his death.
We give thanks, Lord, that they represent to us
what we cannot put into words.
And we pray that as we partake of them once again,
that we would be conscious, O Lord,
of how undeserving we are
of anything that is represented here,
how deserving we are of the very opposite.
And we pray that our love for you might be increased,
that our faith may be deepened,
that our hope of eternal life in heaven
might itself be enlarged.
Bless us, Lord, we pray now,
and grant that your blessing will be with us throughout this day
and in all of these things receive our thanks,
cleanse us from our sin.
For Jesus' sake.
Amen.
Just before we take the Lord's Supper,
just a few words very briefly,
because I want to focus upon you taking the supper
and us taking it together.
It's called the Lord's Supper.
It is a supper spiritually.
The things that are here physically
are representations of what is true spiritually.
So as you take the bread and take the wine,
spiritually, you're actually feeding upon Christ.
And it's significant that the things Jesus chose
to represent Him in the Lord's Supper
are very simple things,
bread and wine,
common, ordinary things in everyday use.
But that's the Lord's choice
so that we would focus
not on the things themselves,
but on what they represent.
That they represent to us
Christ in His death.
Indeed, the confession of faith reminds us
in the passage that sets out
how these elements are not changed
in essence from what they are.
They don't become the body of Christ
or the blood of Christ.
They represent that.
They sign their signs and seals
of that to His people,
but they remain bread and wine.
Ordinary things
to convey a deep spiritual reality.
And what the confession says
is that by faith,
God's people feed upon Christ crucified
and all the benefits of His death.
That is what you feed upon.
That is what by faith,
today you're drawing into your soul.
And as the confession says,
as surely as you see outwardly
these elements of bread and wine,
so spiritually,
you see and feed upon Christ crucified
and all the benefits of His death.
What a marvelous point that is in itself,
that God would take something
that's of ordinary use
and make it extraordinary
for His people.
And it helps us in the simplicity
of the supper
to remember that its simplicity itself
conveys wonderful,
deep,
abiding,
spiritual truth.
And of course,
this passage also says
that we take it together.
The apostle was concerned
to teach the Corinthians
and to deliver them
from the abuses
of the Lord's Supper
that they had engaged in
in the city of Corinth,
in the church in Corinth.
So he says,
So then,
my brothers,
when you come together to eat,
wait for one another.
In other words,
the Lord's Supper
is a supper
we take together.
And our togetherness
is important.
It expresses the unity
we have in Christ.
It expresses
the wonderful bonds
that unite us together
as we are united to Christ.
You don't take the Lord's Supper
on your own,
though it's significant
for you individually.
We take it together.
We wait
for one another.
And that unity
is expressed
at the Lord's Supper
just as it is.
In reality,
a spiritual unity,
so it's outwardly expressed
by being together.
Wait, he says,
for one another.
We come
as believers
united together.
And it's our privilege
to be so.
This will be the last time
that I administer
the Lord's Supper
to you as your minister.
For me,
that's precious.
It's always been precious.
And as I today
am part of that unity
on the same level
as yourselves
spiritually
feeding on Christ crucified
and the benefits
of His death,
may the Lord bless
this moment to us.
And maybe a taste
of heaven.
And maybe it's something
that reminds us
of what we were thinking
of earlier,
of the commitment
of the Lord
and His love
to die
for His people.
Well, we read
that night
in which the Lord
was betrayed
that He took bread.
when He had given thanks,
He broke it
and said,
This is my body
which is for you.
This do
in remembrance
of me.
Like manner
after the supper,
He took the cup
saying,
This cup
is the new covenant
in my blood.
This do
in remembrance
of me.
For as often
as you eat
this bread
and drink
this cup,
you do show
the Lord's death.
For as often
as you eat
this bread
and drink
this cup,
you do show
the Lord's death
until He comes.
Until He comes.
This will only go on
as long
as the world exists
and it will end
with the Lord's
own return.
And today
at this table,
at this Lord's Supper,
you are joined
to the marriage supper
that will follow
throughout eternity.
The marriage supper
of the Lamb.
Somebody once
asked an Anglican bishop,
Bishop,
are you saved?
And his reply was,
I was saved,
I am being saved,
I shall be saved.
In other words,
salvation has all
of these dimensions.
He was saying,
I was saved,
the day came
when God saved me.
I am being saved.
The work of salvation
in our hearts
and our souls
goes on
through our sanctification,
that aspect of it.
And that will
be the case
until
the Lord
takes us home.
I was saved,
you can all see that.
I am being saved,
you're conscious of that.
I shall be saved.
Lord,
this world is not
our home.
Thank the Lord
for that.
Home
is in the better country,
the heavenly country,
the marriage supper
of the Lamb,
where we shall enjoy
not only fellowship
with one another,
but with Him
in a perfect world.
And that's what
our hope
is set upon today.
And that's why
the Lord's Supper
is such an important
feature of life
as it is now,
because it feeds
that hope.
God uses it
to draw our mind,
as Paul said
to the Corinthians,
to the Colossians,
seek those things
which are above
where Christ is,
if you be risen
with Christ.
seek those things
which are above.
Live your lives
in a way that shows
that you are being saved,
that you value
the process
of guidance
by the Holy Spirit,
and that your hope
is that you shall
be saved,
that there is
a future
waiting you in heaven,
brighter than
we can imagine.
And it's all
due to this.
The Lord loved us
and gave
Himself
for us.
May God bless to us
these thoughts
on His Word.
We're going to conclude
by singing
from Psalm 72,
the usual verses
that we sing,
Psalm 72,
from page 314,
and from verse 17,
His name forever
shall endure,
last like the sun
it shall.
Men shall be blessed
in Him,
and blessed
all nations
shall Him call.
Singing to the tune,
Ephingham,
these verses 17 to 19,
His name forever
shall endure.
forever shall endure,
cross by the sun
it shall,
men shall be blessed,
in Him our birth,
Lord shall everyone
love.
all nations
shall
trump
Him
call.
No,
blessed
be the Lord
God,
the Lord
of Israel.
On thee, thou Lord, the wondrous world, in glory of his Son.
And blessed be his glorious name to all eternity.
The whole and the wondrous world, in glory of his Son.
Amen.
After the benediction, I'll go to the door to my right, and the calendar will go to the door to my left.
Lord, bless to us, we pray.
All that we have partaken of today.
Help them to store, help us to store in our minds those things that we have experienced.
May we feed upon them in days to come.
And now may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, be with you now and evermore.
Amen.
Thank you.
Good to be very much.
Don't give it a greatиру rode.
Thank you.
— Why?