back to indexBerean Community Church Sunday Service 6.4.2023
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It is an amazing thing that being at the feet of Jesus 00:02:47.460 |
that when we humble ourselves before the Lord, 00:02:56.640 |
and that the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, 00:03:00.460 |
a broken and contrite heart, oh God, you will not despise. 00:03:13.680 |
and yet confident in the saving work of Christ, 00:06:41.660 |
First of all, I wanted to give you a heads up 00:07:01.900 |
but some of you guys may have already been there. 00:07:29.380 |
And so we've had some issues on particular Sundays 00:07:47.020 |
And so we're gonna get the shuttle going pretty soon 00:07:50.580 |
There is already a shuttle going to that area, 00:07:57.740 |
And we wanna get in the habit of trying to make space 00:08:00.660 |
so that the newer people who are coming to church, 00:08:10.980 |
where you're gonna be picked up and you're gonna go. 00:08:18.180 |
And then, you know, like in between the services. 00:08:30.300 |
So just please continue to look out for that. 00:08:36.660 |
Those of you who've been supporting $50 a month 00:08:41.980 |
that's going to support our pastors out in India. 00:08:45.140 |
As you know, the persecution in India has gotten so bad. 00:08:52.440 |
we would get every once in a while something has happened, 00:08:54.780 |
but now almost every month when I get an update from them, 00:08:59.860 |
some sort of attack that's taking place on a regular basis. 00:09:07.220 |
that's been basically attacked more than four times 00:09:23.380 |
and you wanna participate in helping out the pastors, 00:09:26.500 |
we're asking for $50 per month for a year commitment 00:09:31.900 |
and that'll go to support the pastors over there. 00:09:56.500 |
we're gonna have the sixth graders can be moving up. 00:09:58.460 |
And so there's only a handful that are graduating 00:10:00.980 |
and then there's like 17 plus that are coming in. 00:10:08.100 |
is gonna be converted into the youth group room. 00:10:14.860 |
And so they're gonna be switching that thing around 00:10:20.300 |
Because the youth group is having worship in that area, 00:10:25.360 |
So we're asking you if you're doing cleaning or cafe 00:10:33.100 |
and don't go into that area unless you absolutely have to. 00:10:36.780 |
The side door to the entrance of the cry room 00:10:59.060 |
And again, anybody who's working with children, 00:11:01.100 |
this is mandatory and if you haven't taken it, 00:11:13.040 |
just in case you forgot, there's also a Father's Day. 00:11:15.760 |
Okay, so on that day, our children have volunteered 00:11:28.280 |
They just chose these things because it's Father's Day. 00:11:31.360 |
Okay, so on Father's Day, whether you are here 00:11:44.340 |
And again, that's taking place on June 18th, okay? 00:11:50.720 |
this week is the last week of the Bible study in Philemon. 00:11:58.340 |
that's going to start in end of August, right, 00:12:07.820 |
so that we can situate the home groups and the small groups. 00:12:13.540 |
as you're walking around, you'll see like a QR code 00:12:16.100 |
that you can punch and you can sign up for that there, 00:12:25.720 |
And then for those of you who haven't signed up, 00:12:28.300 |
the late registration for the retreat is still open. 00:12:33.180 |
All right, let me pray for us and then for our offering 00:12:36.940 |
and then if you have brought a physical offering, 00:12:39.660 |
there's a box in the back as you're walking out. 00:12:42.140 |
Then after that, our brother Isaac Koo is going to come up 00:12:45.180 |
and give his testimony and be baptized this morning. 00:13:03.060 |
that we have seen and desire to see a greater glimpse 00:13:11.840 |
I pray that all that we do may be an overflow 00:13:16.900 |
All the distractions, all the burdens and concerns, 00:13:19.820 |
Lord God of this world, help us, Lord, to lay it on your feet 00:13:23.700 |
that we may be lifted and find true rest in Christ. 00:13:33.060 |
and may it be multiplied for the sake of your name. 00:15:02.760 |
♪ Whose love is mighty and so much stronger ♪ 00:15:14.960 |
♪ Who shakes the whole earth with holy thunder ♪ 00:15:21.920 |
♪ Who leaves us breathless in all that wonder ♪ 00:16:02.920 |
♪ Oh Jesus I sing for all that you've done for me ♪ 00:16:36.560 |
♪ Who rules the nations with truth and justice ♪ 00:16:43.440 |
♪ Shines like the sun in all of its brilliance ♪ 00:17:24.520 |
♪ Oh Jesus I sing for all that you've done for me ♪ 00:17:40.840 |
♪ Worthy is the King who conquered the grave ♪ 00:17:50.440 |
♪ Worthy is the King who conquered the grave ♪ 00:18:00.040 |
♪ Worthy is the King who conquered the grave ♪ 00:18:41.320 |
♪ Oh Jesus I sing for all that you've done for me ♪ 00:23:20.500 |
Hello, church. My name is Isaac. I go to UCI, and this is my testimony. 00:23:39.500 |
My life right now, compared to a couple years ago, presents both a similarity and difference. 00:23:46.500 |
I was a sinner back then and still am a sinner, constantly falling and tumbling, undeserving of any mercy or love. 00:23:53.500 |
But the difference between now and then is that I've come to know and fully accept that I am redeemed and made right through the grace of our Father and Christ's love for me. 00:24:03.500 |
Like many, I went to church every Sunday, rarely missing service or other events. But in my naivety, I participated with a selfish heart, 00:24:13.500 |
not loving towards the Lord but towards my own self. I served on the praise team and was involved with many of the activities of the church, 00:24:21.500 |
however, was motivated by a heart of self-righteousness, evaluating my faith based on how much I can participate in the church. 00:24:29.500 |
I grew up thinking this way all throughout high school, too blind to see the selfish desire to boost my outward appearance with acts of service. 00:24:38.500 |
Claiming that I was Christian, yet I failed to understand what that meant. Maybe there were some days where I thought I understood what true faith was, 00:24:46.500 |
but in the end, I was serving myself, not the Lord. Near the end of high school, my fabricated faith as a Christian had dwindled, 00:24:54.500 |
feeling disconnected from my friends at church and isolated in my walk with Christ. After graduating, I altogether stopped going to church, 00:25:02.500 |
occasionally dropping in to my church's Zoom service or watching the recordings. I felt empty, pondering the question of what the purpose of my life was, 00:25:11.500 |
and began to enter into a life led by sin. During this time, I entered into a situation that led me to anxiety and constant stress, 00:25:20.500 |
knowing that I did not have something of this world that everyone around me seemed to have. I deemed this entity that I so longed for as the most important aspect of my life, 00:25:29.500 |
leading me to be confused and angry at God. If God truly loved me, why am I put in this situation? I did nothing to deserve this. 00:25:37.500 |
My heart developed bitterness, jealousy, and anger as I began to covet the one thing that I proclaimed to be necessary for my well-being and success. 00:25:46.500 |
I would despise whoever reminded me to reflect on Matthew 6:26, where it says, "Look at the birds of the air, that they did not sow, nor reap, nor gather into barns, 00:25:56.500 |
and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?" I entered into a relationship that actively defied God, 00:26:05.500 |
claiming that if he truly loved me as his son, he would provide for me my worldly desires. I aimlessly searched for worth and satisfaction outside of Christ, 00:26:15.500 |
indulging in worldly pleasures and seeking after all that could satisfy my flesh. Whether it be drugs or alcohol, I was overtaken, 00:26:22.500 |
consuming everything and anything that could relieve my anxiousness and pain. Still, I experienced many sleepless nights and anxiety attacks, 00:26:29.500 |
never knowing what my future held for me. I was lost and scared. Coming into college, I went in once again with my own illustration of faith, 00:26:38.500 |
but something was different. For some odd reason, I felt the Lord tugging at my heart to be called back into his arms. 00:26:45.500 |
Eventually, it would be revealed to me what true faith meant and how I had not been living and walking with Christ all these years. 00:26:53.500 |
I remember a conversation I was having with someone, and when I explained to them my situation and my anxiety and my stress that resulted from it, 00:27:01.500 |
I was shown through him the love and grace of God. He explained to me that to live in this world as vain and the riches of the kingdom that our God promises us 00:27:11.500 |
is far beyond the materials of this world, that the Lord promises salvation and a life of eternity, and that living through the values of this world is futile, 00:27:20.500 |
and the love of Christ is far more valuable than anything this world could offer. As I was listening, I began to cry. 00:27:28.500 |
The relief that I felt from finally sharing my burdens, along with the immense horror, guilt, and shame that I felt for doubting our Father, 00:27:36.500 |
overwhelmed my heart with conviction. Conviction from the fact that I ran away from the Lord, even with all the good he has done for me. 00:27:45.500 |
I was too arrogant and selfish to see that our God provided so much for me already, giving me a loving, faithful, and God-fearing friends and family, 00:27:54.500 |
providing the opportunity for education and hobbies, and ultimately the gift of salvation and eternal life with him, through the sacrifice of his only Son. 00:28:04.500 |
I eventually came to know and understand what faith was as it is described in Hebrews 11.1. 00:28:11.500 |
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 00:28:17.500 |
Every day I am reminded of the promise that our Lord made, that we shall not slip or fall, and that he will take care of us. 00:28:24.500 |
And even though I may or may not be currently seeing what he promises, I trust that he is working in me for his kingdom, and that he fulfills all that he says. 00:28:34.500 |
I hope that I and all of us, today and forevermore, through times of joy or sorrow, will be able to repeat the words of Paul and proclaim, 00:28:43.500 |
"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, and I have kept the faith." Thank you. 00:29:08.500 |
Isaac, do you understand when you go into the water you're being united with Christ's death, and then when you come out you're being united with his resurrected life? 00:29:15.500 |
And I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. 00:29:46.500 |
As they're moving that, if the rest of us can turn our Bibles to Luke chapter 6. 00:30:00.500 |
Okay, before I read this, I wanted to clarify a couple things that was misstated last Sunday. 00:30:06.500 |
I wanted to make sure that we don't have the wrong understanding. 00:30:10.500 |
Last week I mentioned about how Saul's name was changed to Paul, and it made it, the way I said it, it made it sound like Jesus actually gave him a specific, 00:30:20.500 |
there was a specific time when Jesus told him that his name was going to change. 00:30:23.500 |
That is not true. That's not how it happened. 00:30:28.500 |
Saul is his Hebrew name, and Paul is his Roman name. 00:30:33.500 |
And so if you see Saul, prior to his conversion, primarily he's called Saul in his Hebrew name, because that's who he identified with. 00:30:41.500 |
And then once he is called to be the apostle of Paul to the Gentiles, starting from about chapter 13, almost exclusively his name is used by Paul. 00:30:52.500 |
So some theologians have argued because of that, that maybe Jesus did give him that name at his conversion in chapter 9, 00:31:00.500 |
and then he started using that in his missionary journey, but there's no explicit statement of that, even though that may be a view that some people may have. 00:31:08.500 |
Number two, the other thing is, in Luke chapter 22 I mentioned how Satan specifically targeted Peter because he was the leader. 00:31:16.500 |
And we're going to get to that text in Luke chapter 22 in the middle of the sermon, 00:31:20.500 |
but the "you" here, when it says Satan has asked permission, "sif you like me," found out that it was actually in the plural, 00:31:27.500 |
and it is stated in the LSV in the King James Version, but in our version, the NASV or NIVESV, 00:31:33.500 |
it doesn't distinguish between the "you," the singular, and "you" in plural. 00:31:37.500 |
And so if you look at the context, Jesus is talking to Peter. 00:31:40.500 |
Jesus is saying that, "I prayed for you," and everything else in that text is in singular, but that, when it says "sif you like me," it is in the plural. 00:31:49.500 |
So I just wanted to clarify that before we move on. 00:31:53.500 |
Luke chapter 6, 12 through 16, I know that we've read this before, but I want to keep reading it because I know you're familiar with the first group of people, 00:32:00.500 |
and you're kind of familiar with the second group, and the third group, a lot of people wouldn't even need to name this, 00:32:05.500 |
so I want to make sure that we're familiar with all of them. 00:32:08.500 |
"It was at this time that he went off to the mountain to pray, and he spent the whole night in prayer to God. 00:32:13.500 |
And when day came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also named as apostles, 00:32:19.500 |
the Simon, whom he also named Peter, and Andrew his brother, and James and John, and Philip and Bartholomew, 00:32:24.500 |
and Matthew and Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, the Simon, who was called Zealot, Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor." 00:32:38.500 |
We pray, Father God, that your intent of this text would cause us, Lord, to consider, to think, to be molded according to your purpose and will. 00:32:48.500 |
May your word and your intent only go forth from this pulpit. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. 00:32:56.500 |
As we're talking about the choosing of the twelve disciples, 00:33:00.500 |
God's principle of what he looks for has been very clearly stated in the Old Testament and in the New Testament. 00:33:07.500 |
When 1 Samuel 16, 7, when he calls Samuel to look for a new king to replace Saul, he says this. 00:33:15.500 |
1 Samuel 16, 7, "But the Lord said to Samuel, 'Do not look at the appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. 00:33:23.500 |
For God sees not as a man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.'" 00:33:30.500 |
Our natural tendency, especially whenever we have politicians or maybe choosing of leaders of any kind, 00:33:39.500 |
our natural tendency is to mimic what the world looks at. 00:33:43.500 |
So, you know, ever since the television, you know, became widespread, 00:33:49.500 |
the way, the kind of politicians that have come out has been deeply affected by television because now they're visually seen. 00:33:57.500 |
So if you're not an attractive looking person, male or female, the likelihood that you're going to get chosen is probably very slim. 00:34:04.500 |
And so there's certain things that you kind of have to highlight. 00:34:07.500 |
And if we're not careful, we may not look at how good looking or beautiful somebody is, 00:34:12.500 |
but the qualities that the world looks for, if we're not careful, we may end up mimicking that. 00:34:16.500 |
And the Bible says that God looks exactly the opposite. 00:34:20.500 |
He looks for what man looks for is outward, what God looks for is inward, in his heart. 00:34:25.500 |
And so we can see that in his choosing of his 12 disciples. 00:34:29.500 |
Clearly, these are not men that we would have chosen, especially considering the task that they were going to be given. 00:34:36.500 |
They are not qualified, not in their pedigree, not in their experience, not in their knowledge or education, not in their family background. 00:34:47.500 |
And yet God bypasses everyone that the world would consider to be qualified. 00:34:53.500 |
Priests, Sadducees, the scribes, especially the Pharisees. 00:34:59.500 |
He bypasses all of them and he chooses these 12. 00:35:03.500 |
And among them, we said we were looking at Peter, and today is going to be part two of what I talked about last week. 00:35:13.500 |
And three, Peter was a common man, fleshly man at times, godly at other times, depending on how you see him. 00:35:23.500 |
And again, all of these things are qualities that we look at as a man. 00:35:28.500 |
Fourth thing that I want to talk about this morning is that Peter was a humbled man. 00:35:33.500 |
Not he is a humble man, but he was a humbled man. 00:35:40.500 |
In fact, you'll see it in the way that he talks. 00:35:42.500 |
He comes out and he'll say, "I'll do this and I'm going to do that." 00:35:49.500 |
Years ago, when I was a youth pastor, I remember giving a sermon to our youth group and talking about how God looks for humility. 00:35:58.500 |
And I remember one of the key sisters in our youth group, we went to Vineyard, we went to John Wimber's church in Fullerton, 00:36:05.500 |
and they had a prayer rally and John Wimber asked if anybody needs prayer to come up. 00:36:10.500 |
And so she went up for prayer and John Wimber asked her, "How can I pray for you?" 00:36:18.500 |
And when she asked for that, he immediately stopped and looked at her and said, "Are you sure you want me to pray for that?" 00:36:24.500 |
So we're a little bit surprised that he kind of stopped to have this conversation with her. 00:36:30.500 |
She said, "If I pray for humility in your life, you're inviting humiliation." 00:36:36.500 |
Because the fastest way for humility is humiliation. 00:36:43.500 |
There's no years of counseling or discipling or studying. 00:36:47.500 |
When God chooses to humble you, you're humiliated instantly. 00:36:51.500 |
You may have one reputation at one moment and then you get humiliated and next thing you know, your reputation is changed instantaneously. 00:36:59.500 |
And so he asked her, "Are you sure you want me to pray for that?" 00:37:04.500 |
And I think she hesitated for a couple seconds and then said, "Yes, I would like that." 00:37:09.500 |
But that always stuck with me because it's so true that the quickest way for humility is for humiliation. 00:37:19.500 |
Peter needed to be humbled before he could be useful. 00:37:23.500 |
And in Luke chapter 22, 31-34, Jesus has this conversation with Peter and says, "Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat." 00:37:37.500 |
Sifting is like when you're trying to separate the chaff, right, the outer parts of the wheat. 00:37:44.500 |
And the way that they would do it is they would throw it up in the air and then the wind would take it 00:37:49.500 |
and anything that didn't have wheat in it would be blown away. 00:37:52.500 |
And so the wheat, because of the weight, would fall to the ground and the chaff would be blown away in order to separate that because what they want is the wheat. 00:38:00.500 |
So he's using that illustration to talk about purifying his faith. 00:38:08.500 |
How much of what you have is a destruction and it's not real? 00:38:12.500 |
So he said he asked permission to sift you like wheat so that your faith would be tested. 00:38:18.500 |
Just like Job, when Satan came and asked, "The only reason why he's faithful to you is because you've been protecting him. 00:38:26.500 |
Take away the hedge of protection, let me at him and let's really test to see what's going to remain." 00:38:34.500 |
Jesus says, "Satan has asked permission for you," in plural, meaning all the other disciples as well. 00:38:40.500 |
But then he says to Peter, "But I have prayed for you," you in singular, Peter in particular, "that your faith may not fail." 00:38:49.500 |
So he stopped right there because he says, "Satan has asked permission." 00:38:52.500 |
So first of all, we see the interaction with Satan and God that Satan is not just roaming around doing whatever he wants. 00:38:59.500 |
That if he wants to attack God's children, he's asking for permission. 00:39:03.500 |
He can't. He doesn't have the freedom to come and get you and do whatever he wants. 00:39:08.500 |
He said whatever Satan is allowed to do, he's allowed to do because God is doing something through him. 00:39:13.500 |
Just like Job, when Satan asked permission to go and attack him, and as soon as he takes the hedges off, Satan's not even mentioned in the book of Job. 00:39:23.500 |
And they all recognize that, all of his three friends that come around, that God did this and God does that. 00:39:28.500 |
Satan only initiates, but after that, it was clearly understood that's happening because God is allowing it. 00:39:37.500 |
And he said, "Jesus intercedes for him, and I pray that your faith will not fail you." 00:39:41.500 |
But it's the next statement that's perplexing because he says, "I pray that your faith will not fail you, and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers." 00:39:52.500 |
Wait a second. He just prayed that he would not fail, and then he says you're going to fail, and then you're going to get back up. 00:39:57.500 |
Peter understood clearly what he was saying because he said, "I prayed for you that you would not fail, but then you're going to fail, so you're going to get back up." 00:40:07.500 |
So his prayer was not for him to be prevented in his humiliation, but after you get humiliated and you see what remains, don't sit there. Get back up. 00:40:20.500 |
That's what he was praying for, so that when he says your faith will not fail you, it's so that you would not quit. 00:40:27.500 |
That your faith would be strong enough to get back up. 00:40:30.500 |
Peter clearly understood what he was saying in verse 32, but he said to him, "Lord, with you I am ready to go both to prison and to death." 00:40:39.500 |
He said, "No, no, no, no. I'm not going to fail you." 00:40:43.500 |
In fact, on the other text in Mark 14.29, it said, "Even though all may fail, yet I will not fail you." 00:40:52.500 |
Jesus corrects him and says, "And he said, 'I say to you, Peter, the rooster will not crow today until you have denied three times that you know me.'" 00:41:02.500 |
It's strange the fact that Peter, Jesus is praying for his faith, but it was already calculated that he was going to fail. 00:41:18.500 |
Man, I don't know about you, but as a young Christian, I remember in my late teens, struggling with my faith. 00:41:27.500 |
This was so empowering to me when I was doing quiet time. 00:41:32.500 |
It's like, huh, why is he praying for him not to fail, and then he's going to fail. 00:41:37.500 |
And I realized that through this interaction, what God is doing, that the only Christian who fails is the one who quits. 00:41:50.500 |
He allowed it to happen because he was purifying his faith. 00:41:57.500 |
The chaff needed to go so that only what is true may remain in his faith. 00:42:07.500 |
What was it that needed to be tested so that only true faith would remain? 00:42:14.500 |
Because prior to this interaction, Peter was so proud. 00:42:19.500 |
Even if they all fail you, Matthew, we always questioned him to begin with. 00:42:28.500 |
The other, James and John, they're like one step away from being murderers. 00:42:42.500 |
When he confessed this, I don't think he was making this up. 00:42:46.500 |
I don't think he was just saying he genuinely loved, but it was coupled with his own pride. 00:42:53.500 |
My love for you is strong enough to withstand any testing. 00:42:58.500 |
Remember when Jesus was making it clear, "I'm going to go to Jerusalem. 00:43:02.500 |
I'm going to be crucified and raised on the third day." 00:43:06.500 |
Well, who's going to sit on the left or to the right? 00:43:09.500 |
I think that primary discussion was probably happening between Peter and Andrew and John and James. 00:43:17.500 |
They were the first four disciples who were kind of on the top of the disciples. 00:43:21.500 |
So, Andrew being the first disciple, Peter being the leader of the disciples, James and John the sons of thunder, 00:43:29.500 |
and then the mom actually has to come and say, "Can you let my son James and John sit on your left instead of the right?" 00:43:34.500 |
So, I think those two brothers were probably going at it, even though they were business partners 00:43:39.500 |
and they were childhood friends that grew up together, but they were also competing with each other. 00:43:47.500 |
And among that, Peter was probably on the top. 00:43:52.500 |
So, James and John were there jockeying to see. 00:43:55.500 |
And they were so fixated on that that even as Jesus was telling them that he's going to be crucified, 00:44:03.500 |
So, before they could be useful, and their ambitions and self-reliance and pride was the chaff that needed to be blown. 00:44:24.500 |
It says, "Having arrested him, they led him away and brought him to a house of high priests, and Peter was following at a distance." 00:44:31.500 |
I think Peter was following at a distance because he was the only one who had the courage. 00:44:38.500 |
Remember when the soldiers came to get Jesus before the sunrise, before the rooster crows? 00:44:44.500 |
They were coming before the sunrise because they were afraid of the crowd. 00:44:48.500 |
That if they come to get Jesus, here's this crowd that got tens of thousands of people who are crying out, "Hosanna, Hosanna!" 00:44:57.500 |
So, that's why Judas told them, "If you go early in the morning, after he's done with praying, that's when you want to be able to get him." 00:45:02.500 |
So, they did not come with one or two soldiers. 00:45:05.500 |
Most scholars believe that it may have been minimum several dozens, possibly in the hundreds. 00:45:12.500 |
So, when Peter took up the sword, and when he said, "If everybody fails you, I will not. I'll give my life." 00:45:19.500 |
I think Peter meant it. He trusted in himself. 00:45:25.500 |
And the only reason why it didn't lead to something bigger is because Jesus stops him. 00:45:43.500 |
But yet, Jesus is giving himself. What is he doing? 00:45:46.500 |
He just raised Lazarus from the dead. He walks on water. 00:45:49.500 |
He can get gold coins out of the mouths of the fish. He can do whatever he wants. 00:45:59.500 |
I think Peter, in his confusion, started following Jesus to watch. 00:46:05.500 |
Maybe he's faking it, and then getting into the gate. 00:46:07.500 |
And all of a sudden, like Samson, his hair is going to grow out, and he's going to ruin these people. 00:46:12.500 |
But in this context, as he is following, it says in verse 55, 00:46:16.500 |
"After they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard, and had sat down together, 00:46:23.500 |
And a servant girl, seeing him as he sat in the fireside, and looking intently at him, 00:46:34.500 |
She doesn't explain to us in this text, but in the other gospel, tells us that she was a relative 00:46:44.500 |
And so when she saw Peter in that fire, she said, "No, that's the guy. 00:46:49.500 |
My cousin. My relative. He's the one who did it." 00:46:54.500 |
And so the encounter goes, and she would identify him, goes back and forth. 00:47:00.500 |
"A little later, another saw him and said, 'You are one of them too.' 00:47:05.500 |
After about an hour had passed, another man began to insist, saying, 00:47:08.500 |
'Certainly this man also was with him, for he is a Galilean too.' 00:47:13.500 |
But Peter said, 'Man, I do not know what you are talking about.'" 00:47:16.500 |
In the other text, it says Peter began to curse. 00:47:26.500 |
And when this servant girl and these two other men began to point out, 00:47:34.500 |
Remember, in the Bible, the number three is very significant. 00:47:38.500 |
And there's three who are testifying that it is him. 00:47:41.500 |
So he is guilty, knowing that his flesh is risen. 00:47:55.500 |
As soon as he says this, immediately, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed. 00:48:01.500 |
And it wasn't until the rooster crowed, he woke up from this fear. 00:48:07.500 |
And this is the part that's really heart-wrenching, 00:48:10.500 |
because in verse 6 to 1, it says, "The Lord turned and looked at Peter." 00:48:15.500 |
So his denial, his cursing, Jesus heard all of it 00:48:21.500 |
as he was being prepared to go to the cross, as he being beaten. 00:48:26.500 |
And he turned around, and they make eye contact. 00:48:29.500 |
And you can almost sense Peter's heart just dropping. 00:48:49.500 |
He's hurt his master who's sacrificed so much for him. 00:48:54.500 |
And it says, "Peter remembered the word of the Lord, 00:48:56.500 |
how he had told him before the rooster crows today, 00:49:10.500 |
I remember, as a young Christian, just struggling with my flesh. 00:49:26.500 |
and then the reality of living in this world with your young flesh. 00:49:31.500 |
And I would go on Friday nights to pray, repenting over and over. 00:49:36.500 |
And I would sin on Monday and then wait until Friday to go, 00:49:49.500 |
But how can I go to my master over and over again? 00:49:53.500 |
Over and over again, after everything he's done for me. 00:50:11.500 |
Reading this text, it was like a ton of bricks. 00:50:13.500 |
It was almost like he knew exactly what I needed. 00:50:18.500 |
And I remember doing quiet time over this passage like, "Wow. 00:50:26.500 |
And Jesus was telling him, "When you fail, when you get humiliated, get up. 00:50:35.500 |
"For God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. 00:50:40.500 |
Therefore, humble yourself unto the mighty hand of God, 00:50:49.500 |
He's not regurgitating something that he heard. 00:50:59.500 |
Because God's going to oppose you if you don't. 00:51:08.500 |
to become somebody, to get ahead and be the winner of whatever we participate in. 00:51:14.500 |
He says, "If you don't humble yourself, you're inviting God's opposition in your life." 00:51:29.500 |
Humey knew the pain of failure because of his pride. 00:51:39.500 |
They say, "Wow, they were chosen. Clearly, Jesus made a mistake. 00:51:45.500 |
That's why you don't choose people like that. 00:51:47.500 |
You need to choose people who have pedigree, who have been proven in the world. 00:51:54.500 |
John 21, the chapter chronicles the restoration of Peter and the disciples. 00:52:01.500 |
You know what's really interesting about this establishment? 00:52:04.500 |
Because typically when we think of people who shine early in life, 00:52:14.500 |
But we know so many people, especially as we get older and we've been a Christian for a long time, 00:52:19.500 |
we can name people, probably more than one hand, more than both hands, 00:52:24.500 |
how many people that we thought had great potential are no longer walking with God today. 00:52:32.500 |
In the last few years, I've had good friends fall from their faith. 00:52:40.500 |
Men who are gifted, talented, bearing much fruit, who are speaking everywhere, 00:52:47.500 |
very well-known guys, at least locally, and fell into sin. 00:52:53.500 |
And they just fizzled out and they disappeared. 00:53:01.500 |
The longer you live, the more people you will probably be saying, 00:53:08.500 |
You know what's interesting about the disciples was their ministry really didn't begin until they were humiliated. 00:53:14.500 |
We would say, "Peter, disciples, you're done. 00:53:19.500 |
When he needed you the most, you disappeared." 00:53:23.500 |
Their real ministry didn't begin until all that was not true, their pride was blown away. 00:53:38.500 |
John 21, 2-3, Simon Peter, Thomas, Calditimus, Nathaniel of Cana, Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, 00:53:44.500 |
the two other brothers, his disciples were together. 00:53:47.500 |
Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing." 00:53:49.500 |
They said to him, "We will also come with you." 00:53:51.500 |
They went out and got into a boat and night they caught nothing. 00:53:57.500 |
You know what's interesting about this is Luke chapter 5, 1-11, 00:54:01.500 |
that's the same context that Jesus calls the disciples. 00:54:08.500 |
They're out fishing all night and they come back and they catch nothing. 00:54:10.500 |
And then Jesus says, "Hey, throw your net in." 00:54:12.500 |
He said, "Professional fishermen, we've been fishing all night. 00:54:16.500 |
But because you said we're going to do it," and they come back and they haul this fish. 00:54:19.500 |
And they realize the value not of the fish but of Christ. 00:54:28.500 |
That was the context that what you have given your life for, to be a great fisherman, 00:54:42.500 |
After their humiliation, after the chaff had been blown, 00:54:46.500 |
I can guarantee you that in that boat they probably were not arguing who was the greatest. 00:54:54.500 |
I'll bet you that in that boat they weren't arguing who was the greatest. 00:54:58.500 |
They might have been arguing who was the biggest failure. 00:55:07.500 |
Maybe Peter was saying, "At least I was there. 00:55:12.500 |
I bet you the argument wasn't about who was the greatest 00:55:15.500 |
but who was the most humbled, who was the most humiliated. 00:55:20.500 |
It's in that same context that Jesus restores them. 00:55:25.500 |
In John 21, 9 through 11, "So when they got out on the land, 00:55:29.500 |
they saw a charcoal fire already laid and fish placed on it and bread. 00:55:34.500 |
Jesus said to them, 'Bring some of the fish which you now caught.' 00:55:38.500 |
Simon Peter went up and drew the net to the land full of large fish, 153. 00:55:43.500 |
And although there were so many, the net was not torn." 00:55:59.500 |
He's just some being. He's a figurehead. He's God. He's God-man. 00:56:09.500 |
or how Judas must have felt or Andrew must have felt. 00:56:14.500 |
I wonder how often we think what Jesus was feeling. 00:56:18.500 |
As a human being, at the place where he was in the greatest pain, 00:56:25.500 |
greatest suffering, and his disciples abandoned him. 00:56:31.500 |
The guy that he was relying on curses, and he disappears. 00:56:38.500 |
It's these same guys that he calls them and he's cooking for them. 00:56:45.500 |
I've said this many times, I really admire people who know how to cook. 00:56:54.500 |
Because you need to care enough to care if they like the food. 00:57:03.500 |
I'm more of a goal. The end product is for you to survive, not to enjoy. 00:57:11.500 |
But people who really pour into their cooking and their spices, 00:57:16.500 |
and then they redo it, and then they test it, 00:57:19.500 |
and then they want to make sure you're happy. 00:57:24.500 |
So it requires a nurturing and loving and caring heart. 00:57:27.500 |
Somebody who's hospitable and bringing people over and cooking for them. 00:57:32.500 |
I look at this scene and Jesus has had a meal ready for them. 00:57:36.500 |
These same guys who abandoned him, even after he was resurrected, 00:57:40.500 |
they weren't outside waiting for him to be resurrected. 00:57:44.500 |
Even after he showed up, they couldn't believe him. 00:57:46.500 |
After everything I've done, everything I've said, 00:57:49.500 |
he had to chase after them to convince them, "I'm real!" 00:57:57.500 |
What's funny in this scene is that it says they counted 153 fish. 00:58:03.500 |
Somebody counted that. Do you know what I mean? 00:58:06.500 |
Somebody got off the boat, it's like, "One, two," and Jesus is waiting. 00:58:10.500 |
It's like, "Hey, just come!" It's like, "Four, five, six." 00:58:17.500 |
I'm not sure why they counted it, because I think maybe because they're fishermen, right? 00:58:25.500 |
They're back home, and so Jesus is trying to pull them away from that. 00:58:31.500 |
It says John 21, 14. This is now the third time that Jesus manifested to his disciples. 00:58:35.500 |
Third time. Remember the number three, right? 00:58:39.500 |
It's the number of confirmations, so it's not done just randomly. 00:58:44.500 |
That three in a circle is going to testify about the transfiguration. 00:58:47.500 |
We have the three trinity. He's gone for three days and he comes back. 00:58:55.500 |
Even Peter's denial three times to confirm with three different people testifying. 00:59:02.500 |
Third time he shows up because he's trying to confirm the restoration for them. 00:59:07.500 |
Then in John 21, 15-17, we have this intimate encounter that Jesus pulls Peter aside. 00:59:14.500 |
As you guys know, he said, after he finished breakfast, he said to Simon, 00:59:20.500 |
"Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?" 00:59:25.500 |
He said to him, "Yes, Lord. You know that I love you." 00:59:30.500 |
He goes through this three times. He said to him again, second time, 00:59:34.500 |
He said, "Yes, Lord. You know that I love you." 00:59:38.500 |
He said to him a third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" 00:59:41.500 |
Peter was grieved because he said to him, third time, "Do you love me?" 00:59:44.500 |
He said to him, "Lord, you know all things. You know that I love you." 00:59:51.500 |
Some people have looked at that because the two Greek words for love is used here. 01:00:01.500 |
"Do you agape me?" Second time, he says, "Yes, Lord, I phileo you." 01:00:07.500 |
Peter says, "You know, Lord, that I phileo you." 01:00:10.500 |
Some have taken the use of agape and phileo to say that Jesus was asking agape, 01:00:20.500 |
I don't think that makes any sense because there are more scholars that will say 01:00:26.500 |
that these two words are being used interchangeably, and that makes more sense. 01:00:31.500 |
There are instances where the Bible specifies that agape is specifically meant to refer to God's love. 01:00:38.500 |
By context, you can tell that that's what he means by that. 01:00:43.500 |
When Jesus says, "Love the way I have loved you," he used the word agape to differentiate the other kind of love. 01:00:49.500 |
Here, to me, it's clear that agape and phileo is used interchangeably because of the way Peter responds. 01:00:57.500 |
He says, "Do you agape me?" and he says, "Yes, Lord, I phileo you." 01:01:07.500 |
In fact, the third time he gets hurt because he asked him three times. 01:01:11.500 |
So Peter was answering the way Jesus was asking him. 01:01:15.500 |
"Do you agape me?" "Yes, Lord, I love you, I love you, I love you." 01:01:22.500 |
The emphasis here is on the three restorations because Peter denies him three times. 01:01:30.500 |
He says, "If you love me, then take care of my sheep, shepherd my sheep, tend to my sheep." 01:01:38.500 |
You know what's really important for us that we don't miss here? 01:01:43.500 |
He doesn't say, "Are you going to phile me again?" 01:01:51.500 |
"Are you going to get it right this time?" He doesn't ask him that. 01:01:55.500 |
"Do you know how important the task is that I'm calling you for? 01:01:59.500 |
Do you know what kind of privilege that I've given you? 01:02:02.500 |
I'm going to give you another chance to get it right this time." 01:02:07.500 |
He asks him, "Do you love me? Do you love me?" 01:02:21.500 |
Obligation, duty, this is what a good Christian does, accountability. 01:02:27.500 |
We know what it feels like to do things because we're obligated, because the eyes are watching, 01:02:31.500 |
because I want to be a part of this community. 01:02:33.500 |
I don't want to disappoint my leaders. I want to be a part of this group. 01:02:38.500 |
So you can obey God and seek righteousness without loving God, but that's not what God wants. 01:02:45.500 |
The Pharisees were the perfect examples of people who got everything right, but they didn't love God. 01:02:58.500 |
You can obey God without loving God, but you cannot love God without obeying God. 01:03:02.500 |
And that's why Jesus' restoration is, "Do you love me? Do you love me?" 01:03:11.500 |
Above all things, and this is the central question that Jesus asks us more than any other question. 01:03:17.500 |
And this is the reason why when the Pharisees were debating which law is the most important, 01:03:23.500 |
Jesus, knowing their heart, knowing that they were dissecting the law to see who is higher, 01:03:30.500 |
who is better, who is more righteous, Jesus sums it all up. 01:03:35.500 |
He said, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength." 01:03:39.500 |
And that's why he's restoring and asking Peter, "Do you love me? Do you love me?" 01:03:46.500 |
Not, "Will you obey me?" Not, "Will you do the right thing?" Not, "Are you going to do this?" 01:03:55.500 |
Why is this so important? Because love is what changes us. 01:04:04.500 |
I know that the Bible emphasizes God's holiness. 01:04:09.500 |
How many of you became a Christian because you learned about the holiness of God, 01:04:14.500 |
and you said, "Oh, God is so holy. I want to be Christian. God is so perfect, so I want to be a follower." 01:04:21.500 |
How many of you followed Christ because of his perfectness, because of his holiness? 01:04:27.500 |
Almost everybody I talked to became a Christian because we were affected by his love. 01:04:34.500 |
Now, holiness gives us the context of his love. It teaches us about the quality of his love. 01:04:52.500 |
That's why he is calling him, "Do you love me? Do you love me?" 01:05:03.500 |
When love doesn't exist in a relationship, we're eager to practice justice. 01:05:12.500 |
As soon as they're wrong, as soon as they give you a reason to practice justice, 01:05:19.500 |
But when love is involved, grace gets applied. 01:05:25.500 |
In 1 Peter 4, it says, "Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, 01:05:36.500 |
If we treated our children like the way we would treat other people, 01:05:50.500 |
The only reason why they're able to survive is because we love them. 01:05:55.500 |
We put up with more heartaches and more selfishness and words that they say, 01:06:03.500 |
hurtful words that they say, than with anybody else. 01:06:14.500 |
Love is what causes us to labor, not just work. 01:06:18.500 |
1 Thessalonians 1 through 1, 3 is describing this model church of Thessalonians. 01:06:22.500 |
He says, "I remember your work of faith, your labor of love, and hope of perseverance." 01:06:29.500 |
What's the difference between work and labor? 01:06:35.500 |
You know when you're going to work and you're clocking in and clocking out, 01:06:38.500 |
when you're doing it out of obligation because people are watching, 01:06:41.500 |
or you want to get a raise, or you want your boss not to be angry. 01:06:44.500 |
You know the difference between doing that versus you love what you're doing. 01:06:54.500 |
Those of you who played golf yesterday, out in the sun all day, walking around. 01:07:04.500 |
You just despise it, but you did it all day yesterday. 01:07:06.500 |
Why? Because you love golf and you hate everything else. That's why. 01:07:11.500 |
That's the difference between work and labor. 01:07:16.500 |
Love is what causes us to be sacrificial, to go beyond just doing what is obligated. 01:07:24.500 |
1 Thessalonians 2, 8 and 9, Paul says, "Having so fond an affection for you, 01:07:28.500 |
we were well pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God, 01:07:31.500 |
but also our own lives, because you had become very dear to us." 01:07:37.500 |
See, if Paul didn't love them, he could have just went out and fulfilled his calling, 01:07:42.500 |
fulfilled his duty. "I preached the gospel. Nobody cared, and I moved on, 01:07:46.500 |
and it shaked off the dust, and that would be it." 01:07:48.500 |
But he says, "I gave to you more than the gospel. I gave you my very life, 01:07:51.500 |
because you become something important to me, 01:07:54.500 |
because I ended up falling in love with you." 01:07:59.500 |
Just like a nursing mother, "I became to you. 01:08:06.500 |
For you recall, brethren, our labor and hardship, and how working night and day, 01:08:09.500 |
so as not to be a burden to any of you who proclaim to you the gospel of God." 01:08:13.500 |
It's love that causes us to labor, not just work. 01:08:18.500 |
Love is what causes us to persevere when we're wronged. 01:08:25.500 |
Imagine how many times that God would have been perfectly just to destroy the nation of Israel. 01:08:37.500 |
Even as he is proclaiming judgment upon the nation of Israel, 01:08:46.500 |
In Isaiah 49, 14-15, because God has proclaimed judgment, 01:08:50.500 |
they're going to be taken away into captivity. 01:08:57.500 |
and they said, "Because of this judgment that's coming, they're going to begin to question, 01:09:01.500 |
'Where is God? How come he's not answering our prayer? Maybe he doesn't love us anymore.'" 01:09:05.500 |
Verse 14, "But Zion said, 'The Lord has forsaken me, and the Lord has forgotten me.'" 01:09:09.500 |
And then verse 15, he says, "Can a woman forget her nursing child 01:09:14.500 |
and have no compassion on the son of her womb? 01:09:17.500 |
Even these may forget, but I will not forget you." 01:09:26.500 |
The only reason why you and I are here is because he loves us. 01:09:33.500 |
The only reason why you and I are here is because he loves us. 01:09:48.500 |
that you lived righteous enough to hold your head up high 01:09:53.500 |
when you come to this communion table, "I earned this today." 01:10:02.500 |
Pride. Pride is what causes us to be judgmental and be stiff-necked, 01:10:09.500 |
because somehow we have earned something that you didn't earn. 01:10:29.500 |
Duty does not take a young family with small children, 01:10:33.500 |
pack up their bags, and walk into the jungle to share the gospel. 01:10:46.500 |
married and unmarried people who packed up their bags, 01:10:48.500 |
sacrificed everything, sacrificed their life, 01:10:51.500 |
everything that you and I are worried about living in this Orange County. 01:10:58.500 |
And they walked into jungles and places where they're being persecuted, 01:11:06.500 |
For 2,000 years, this is how the gospel got to us. 01:11:21.500 |
They were excavating, and they kept on finding over and over again, 01:11:26.500 |
moms who are hovering over their children as they are being suffocated and killed by the ashes. 01:11:38.500 |
Love is what gives us courage to labor, to persevere, to sacrifice, and to change. 01:12:04.500 |
Because the word "love," the word "worship" simply means adoration. 01:12:09.500 |
So, love is the backbone, the foundation upon which we worship God. 01:12:18.500 |
And Jesus made that very clear, what he's looking for more than anything else. 01:12:34.500 |
You can raise your children to be morally upright, to serve the church, to make sacrifices, 01:12:43.500 |
but you're not going to teach them to love Christ unless you love Christ. 01:12:51.500 |
You can easily make them Pharisees, to do what is right with no heart. 01:12:58.500 |
You make them into good Sunday Christians, who sacrifice and give with very little affection for Christ. 01:13:08.500 |
Discipleship is not changing somebody's behavior so that those who are doing this, they don't do this, 01:13:13.500 |
and then those who are not doing this, so that they can do this. 01:13:16.500 |
Ultimately, that's very superficial, outward. 01:13:22.500 |
But what causes somebody who didn't love Christ to love Christ is when love is at the center. 01:13:35.500 |
You see why Jesus is asking, "Do you love me?" 01:13:38.500 |
That's the central question, "Do you love me?" 01:13:41.500 |
"Do you love me? And if you love me, then feed my sheep, because I love them too." 01:13:46.500 |
"If you love me, tend to my sheep, because I love them too." 01:13:50.500 |
And that's the central question that Jesus asks us. 01:13:58.500 |
Because all that you do, if it is not an overflow of the love that God has given us, 01:14:12.500 |
John 21, 18-19, after restoration of Peter, Jesus says this about Peter. 01:14:18.500 |
"Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to gird yourself and walk wherever you wished, 01:14:23.500 |
but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will gird you 01:14:28.500 |
and bring you to where you do not wish to go. 01:14:31.500 |
Now this," he said, "signifies what kind of death he would glorify God." 01:14:36.500 |
And when he had spoken this, he said to him, "Follow me." 01:14:42.500 |
"When you were younger, you used to gird yourself and walk where you wished." 01:14:48.500 |
He's talking about Peter before he was humiliated. 01:14:56.500 |
But he says, when you get older, and he's talking about his death, 01:15:00.500 |
"you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will gird you, 01:15:04.500 |
and someone else will protect you and bring you where you do not wish to go." 01:15:10.500 |
Peter failed because he didn't want to go to the cross. 01:15:15.500 |
He wanted to sit on his left and sit on his right. 01:15:18.500 |
So when you are young, you're going to fail because you're self-willed, you're proud, you're ambitious. 01:15:24.500 |
But when you're older, when it's time for you to die, 01:15:28.500 |
you're going to be led to a place where you might not want to go. 01:15:36.500 |
and someone else is going to lead you to where you do not want to go. 01:15:43.500 |
That the second time he leads you, you will not fail. 01:15:48.500 |
According to church tradition, we know that Apostle Peter was crucified upside down. 01:15:53.500 |
When they were about to crucify him, he said, 01:15:56.500 |
"I'm not worthy to be crucified the way my master was. Crucify me upside down." 01:16:01.500 |
But what is not commonly known is that the early church father Clemens 01:16:06.500 |
writes that his wife was crucified before him, 01:16:11.500 |
and they made him watch his wife's crucifixion. 01:16:15.500 |
And we know that he was married. We know that his wife was involved in ministry. 01:16:20.500 |
As Paul talks about that, he has his wife traveling with him, 01:16:23.500 |
and they were such partners that when he was crucified, 01:16:29.500 |
And after seeing that, he was crucified upside down. 01:16:38.500 |
Second time, you'll be able to prove, and you will be crucified. 01:17:13.500 |
Making sure we have enough money in retirement. 01:17:16.500 |
And we're making plans so that we can travel. 01:17:36.500 |
We're like Martha running around trying to take care of everything. 01:17:43.500 |
Jesus said only one thing has been required of you. 01:18:02.500 |
Not are you serving me, are you giving to me, are you disciplined, 01:18:05.500 |
are you making disciples, and are you making most of your time? 01:18:22.500 |
Because that's the central question that he asked Peter. 01:18:27.500 |
And that's a central question he asked every single one of us. 01:18:49.500 |
it would have been the disciples, it would have been Peter. 01:18:52.500 |
But he's so tenderly cooks for him, calls him, restores him. 01:19:03.500 |
Years ago, reading this testimony of an early church father named Tertullian. 01:19:09.500 |
And he was one of those men who was going to be martyred. 01:19:14.500 |
And the captain of the Roman guard stood before him, 01:19:22.500 |
Because he saw the tenderness and love and gentleness of this man. 01:19:26.500 |
And the Roman guard just did not want to do what he was assigned to do. 01:19:30.500 |
And he was begging him, please, please deny Christ. 01:19:34.500 |
I don't want you old man to be experiencing this pain. 01:19:37.500 |
And I remember Tertullian turned around and said, 01:19:42.500 |
for 75 years, my Lord has been faithful to me. 01:19:59.500 |
So the captain of the guard reluctantly turned on the fire. 01:20:07.500 |
I remember reading that as a college student. 01:20:17.500 |
Telling myself, I wish one day I would learn to love Jesus like this man did. 01:20:27.500 |
My prayer for myself is still that same prayer. 01:20:32.500 |
My prayer as a pastor of this church is the same prayer for you. 01:20:37.500 |
That we would come to know this Christ in this manner. 01:20:44.500 |
That when Jesus asks us, do you love me more than these? 01:20:49.500 |
With a clear conscience, we can say, yes, Lord, I love you. 01:21:03.500 |
This morning as we open up our communion table, 01:21:08.500 |
again we ask that if you are not baptized, that you would stay in your seats. 01:21:15.500 |
And when you are ready, that you would come to the table. 01:21:22.500 |
The worst way to come to this table is just nonchalantly, not giving any thought. 01:21:26.500 |
It just happens that we're having it today, so we're just going to go up. 01:21:29.500 |
That you would examine carefully, prayerfully. 01:21:33.500 |
Lord, search me and know me, see if there's any harmful ways in me. 01:21:40.500 |
We don't come here because we were good this week. 01:21:42.500 |
Even if you utterly failed, we come here celebrating his grace and his love for us. 01:21:52.500 |
"For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, 01:21:55.500 |
that the Lord Jesus in the night in which he was betrayed took bread. 01:21:59.500 |
And when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, 01:22:01.500 |
'This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.' 01:22:05.500 |
In the same way, he took the cup also after supper, saying, 01:22:10.500 |
Do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me. 01:22:14.500 |
For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, 01:22:16.500 |
you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.'" 01:22:20.500 |
Heavenly Father, as we come before your sacred table, 01:22:25.500 |
I pray that you would use this, Lord God, for what you have ordained. 01:22:31.500 |
Rebuke us, renew us, encourage us, sanctify us. 01:22:38.500 |
Cause us to be men and women who are deeply affected by your love and grace. 01:22:44.500 |
That we may be an extension of this grace and love that you have given us. 01:22:48.500 |
As we open up this communion table, help us, Lord God, to come before it 01:22:53.500 |
humbled, thankful, celebrating what these elements mean. 01:23:04.500 |
So as you pray one by one, when you are ready, 01:23:06.500 |
we ask that you would come this side or the other side and go back down the aisle. 01:23:58.500 |
As you're coming up, those of you who have gluten issues, 01:24:16.500 |
So when you come up, please take the packaged one instead of the other one. 01:32:00.500 |
>> Gracious Father, we thank you so much for what these elements represent. 01:32:06.500 |
That we remember what you've done for the disciples. 01:32:12.500 |
For 2,000 years, Lord God, of people who are just like us, 01:32:18.500 |
striving, and in your compassion, as you promised and you were faithful, 01:32:24.500 |
that you built your church and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. 01:32:28.500 |
We thank you that you are a faithful God. We thank you that you're a compassionate God. 01:32:36.500 |
That we would return to you the reward of your sacrifice. 01:32:40.500 |
Our love, our praise, and our adoration wherever you send us. 01:32:46.500 |
We pray, Father God, that you would build up your church, strengthen it, 01:32:52.500 |
that you would become a brighter and brighter light in the dark world, Lord God, 01:32:56.500 |
as it becomes even darker. That our love would not grow cold. 01:33:02.500 |
That our love, Lord God, would only grow stronger. 01:33:06.500 |
So for that purpose, we pray that you would build the families, build the individuals, 01:33:10.500 |
and build the church up for the sake of your glory. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. 01:33:20.500 |
We're closing with the song, "The Father's Love," and it might be a bit of an awkward transition 01:33:26.500 |
going from such a convicting sermon to such an upbeat song, 01:33:30.500 |
but I hope that just as we are challenged to love Christ more above all else, 01:33:34.500 |
that we would also rejoice in the great love of our Father. 01:34:04.500 |
How has the rebel been made clean? Or blinded eyes been made to see? 01:34:18.500 |
Who hated your love and ran from grace, despised and rejected all your ways? 01:34:26.500 |
How wonderful the Father's love, the Father's love for us. 01:34:33.500 |
That he would send his only Son to come and rescue us. 01:34:41.500 |
He has saved us, called us blameless, guides us now and will sustain us. 01:34:57.500 |
Your mercy floods. Your mercy floods our lives with kindness. 01:35:05.500 |
Your grace has colored all we see, and you have promised not to leave. 01:35:13.500 |
You freely give your Spirit to us, so we can be sure we're sons of God. 01:35:28.500 |
How wonderful the Father's love, the Father's love for us. 01:35:35.500 |
That he would send his only Son to come and rescue us. 01:35:42.500 |
He has saved us, called us blameless, guides us now and will sustain us. 01:35:58.500 |
Those sufferings, those sufferings, they fill our lives. 01:36:05.500 |
We're confident, we're heirs of Christ, so we cry, "Abba, Father!" 01:36:15.500 |
Those sufferings, those sufferings, they fill our lives. 01:36:22.500 |
We're confident, we're heirs of Christ, so we cry, "Abba, Father!" 01:36:27.500 |
How wonderful the Father's love, the Father's love for us. 01:36:34.500 |
That he would send his only Son to come and rescue us. 01:36:41.500 |
How wonderful the Father's love, the Father's love for us. 01:36:48.500 |
That he would send his only Son to come and rescue us. 01:36:55.500 |
How wonderful the Father's love, the Father's love for us. 01:37:02.500 |
That he would send his only Son to come and rescue us. 01:37:09.500 |
He has saved us, called us blameless, guides us now and will sustain us. 01:37:41.500 |
Lord, I pray that you would anoint your church to be an extension of your arms, your legs, your heart, 01:37:52.500 |
to the dark world, Lord God, that we live in. 01:37:55.500 |
Help us, Lord God, to not simply be finger pointers, 01:38:03.500 |
and you sacrificed and sent him into darkness, into humanity, 01:38:09.500 |
to save us, renew us, to change us, equip us, and then ultimately to use us. 01:38:16.500 |
I pray, Father God, that you would use us as we get rid of the ignoble things in our lives, 01:38:21.500 |
our pride, our lust, our ambition, all of it, Lord God, 01:38:27.500 |
that it may be laid at the feet of Christ, that we may be useful for noble purposes. 01:38:35.500 |
Help us to live for eternity and not for temporal things, 01:38:38.500 |
that Christ may be exalted wherever you send us. 01:38:45.500 |
Let all things that are done this week be an overflow of the love that you've given us. 01:39:25.500 |
An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives. 01:40:08.500 |
And life is worth the living just because he lives.