back to indexBerean Community Church Sunday Service 2.7.2021
00:13:55.200 |
I hope all of you had a good week in the Lord. 00:13:57.200 |
We're going to go ahead and start off our worship set here 00:14:05.200 |
[MUSIC - "PRAISE GOD FROM WHOM ALL BLESSINGS FLOW"] 00:14:43.200 |
[MUSIC - "PRAISE GOD FROM WHOM ALL BLESSINGS FLOW"] 00:17:32.200 |
Good morning, Brigham Community Church and those of you who are online as well. 00:17:42.200 |
We have a couple of announcements before we get started. 00:17:45.200 |
First of all, on February 20th, the BAM is having a BAM group, our young adults are having fellowship with a seminar that's being led by Pastor Mark. 00:17:56.200 |
And so if you haven't signed up for that, email Pastor Mark Lim and he'll give you directions for that. 00:18:03.200 |
If you have children in the youth group, this coming Saturday there is an all-day event for the students at 1 o'clock. 00:18:11.200 |
And so you'll need to bring your students to church at 1 o'clock this Saturday and they'll be done at 8 p.m. 00:18:17.200 |
Okay, so they said to come and bring dinner money, I think it says $10, and to drop the kids off at church before 1 o'clock. 00:18:26.200 |
And then you can pick them up after 8 o'clock for the youth group. 00:18:29.200 |
Okay, and then for those of you who have children in the seats, so starting from today, obviously, the seats department is opened up. 00:18:38.200 |
Yeah, the seats department, the children's department are opened up. 00:18:44.200 |
So just so that there's no confusion, if you have people who are coming that you'll, before you used to have worship here and then drop the kids off, 00:18:53.200 |
they said to bring the children directly before the service and that they'll receive the children before. 00:19:00.200 |
And if things go smoothly within the next month, they'll probably open up more classes for the younger ones. 00:19:08.200 |
All right, so we'll give you a minute to take some time for the offering. 00:19:12.200 |
And then again, if you have physical offering, it'll be in the back. 00:19:18.200 |
Heavenly Father, we thank you for your continued blessing and guidance over us. 00:19:23.200 |
Thank you for persevering, Lord God, even in our weakness. 00:19:27.200 |
Lord, we praise you that it is not by our own righteousness, that our work that we can ever merit, Lord God, our presence with you. 00:19:38.200 |
I pray, Father, that as we pray in the name of Christ, that we continue to walk by his grace. 00:19:44.200 |
Help us, Lord God, to recognize our continued desperateness without him. 00:19:48.200 |
And even today, as we have time of communion, that it would refresh and renew and cause us to remember why we are gathered together. 00:19:56.200 |
Lord, help us to be anchored in Christ what we do, that even in our giving may it be multiplied and magnified for your use. 00:20:54.200 |
Church family, let's go ahead and rise together. 00:29:07.200 |
If you can turn your Bibles with me to Luke 22, verse 15. 00:29:37.080 |
So there's some people who may go to church in and out, 00:29:49.840 |
the significance of some of the things that we do at church. 00:29:55.800 |
that the most important things that we need to practice 00:30:00.680 |
How do we raise children about finance, about evangelism, 00:30:04.840 |
But when it comes to maybe baptism and communion, 00:30:07.760 |
those are things for religious people, for the pastors. 00:30:13.080 |
But for the regular people, it really doesn't matter. 00:30:18.360 |
differentiates between-- these are important for pastors, 00:30:26.160 |
a command for the whole church, for all of us. 00:30:29.360 |
So we need to be careful that we don't participate in things 00:30:32.000 |
that we don't understand for religious reasons. 00:30:37.960 |
before they went into captivity, they were very religious. 00:30:41.640 |
They were at the temple doing what God told them to do, 00:30:48.720 |
because they were going through it through the motion, 00:30:53.280 |
But they have no understanding of the spirit of the law, why 00:30:58.160 |
So we want to make sure that as a church, that we are not just 00:31:01.400 |
reformed in theology, but that we are continuing to reform. 00:31:06.760 |
we're doing out of obedience to what we see in scripture. 00:31:10.080 |
And so obviously, this leads us to communion. 00:31:12.000 |
Communion is one of those things that, if we don't understand 00:31:14.840 |
what we're doing, it just becomes a religious practice 00:31:18.240 |
And so, oh, it means the body, it means the blood, 00:31:22.360 |
You do it that way, this church does it that way, 00:31:32.840 |
And it's dangerous for us to approach the scriptures 00:31:35.400 |
that way, because there isn't 100% agreement in anything 00:31:41.600 |
And so if we dismiss something simply because there 00:31:43.800 |
isn't 100% agreement, we are in danger of us picking 00:31:47.320 |
and choosing what we think is important, what's not important. 00:31:49.860 |
So we want to make sure that, as we continue to practice 00:31:52.440 |
communion, that this is taught in our BCC class, 00:32:02.240 |
that there's nothing that we do, especially the communion table, 00:32:04.880 |
which is so sacred, in a way that we don't fully 00:32:07.800 |
get what we're doing and why we're doing what we're doing 00:32:13.780 |
And again, I'm probably already turned off some of you, right? 00:32:17.640 |
We're going to spend the whole day just talking about communion. 00:32:22.080 |
that we want to make sure we're on the same page. 00:32:31.840 |
that Jesus gave us before and what initiated this communion, 00:32:39.960 |
I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you 00:32:45.860 |
Verse 19, and when he had taken some bread and given thanks, 00:32:55.120 |
And in the same way, he took the cup after they had eaten, 00:32:57.740 |
saying, this cup, which is poured out for you, 00:33:06.960 |
Heavenly Father, we thank you for your continued grace. 00:33:12.840 |
of what you have commanded the church to practice, 00:33:17.160 |
the significance of it, and what it was given us for, 00:33:25.620 |
and to be matured, Lord God, so that we may be anchored 00:33:44.960 |
can do without fully engaging, without fully understanding 00:33:50.780 |
Every once in a while, somebody might challenge you and say, 00:33:57.420 |
And then you might ask, huh, I wonder why they do it this way. 00:34:01.620 |
And then so you might dig further to properly understand. 00:34:05.940 |
Or you might just say, well, we have differences of opinion, 00:34:10.260 |
And then we have the superficial questioning of, 00:34:15.600 |
God clearly must not be happy with denominations. 00:34:27.840 |
Jesus loved us, died for us, resurrected on the third day, 00:34:30.680 |
and we should gather together to celebrate that. 00:34:32.640 |
And outside of that, don't talk about it too much, 00:34:44.200 |
because by doing so, all kinds of false doctrines 00:34:47.520 |
enter into the church, because we're not paying attention. 00:34:50.960 |
We have to make sure that we understand all of scripture, 00:34:55.520 |
In fact, I have found that the more we pay attention 00:34:59.080 |
to scripture, the more we practice the details 00:35:03.560 |
find a greater unity, not only within the church, 00:35:07.840 |
Whenever I see another pastor, another church, 00:35:10.380 |
that really is dedicated to the verse by verse, 00:35:16.040 |
I find complete union with that person, or with that church. 00:35:23.680 |
studying the scripture, and superficially we seem united, 00:35:28.480 |
You know where it first hit me, where there's so many 00:35:32.800 |
traditions that we practice, that we don't really 00:35:35.320 |
understand, was when I first started officiating weddings. 00:35:40.040 |
'Cause I grew up in the church, so I just assumed 00:35:41.780 |
a lot of things, I just saw what my parents did, 00:35:45.400 |
and I just started practicing it in the church, 00:35:46.900 |
'cause the seminary doesn't, at least the seminary 00:35:49.980 |
I went to, doesn't teach us how to do all these things. 00:35:52.900 |
We learn the scripture, but the practice of it, 00:35:56.660 |
But I remember the very first wedding that I officiated, 00:36:02.300 |
I was very nervous because it's a very important time, 00:36:09.500 |
and all different groups of people from various 00:36:11.480 |
backgrounds coming, and I wanted to make sure 00:36:14.960 |
So I felt more nervous than the very first time 00:36:17.140 |
I gave my sermon, 'cause I wanted to make sure 00:36:20.200 |
But obviously I didn't know what I was doing. 00:36:22.320 |
So I was going off of what I remembered, right? 00:36:27.240 |
or a wedding that I participated, so I was just 00:36:37.240 |
okay, what is a Christian wedding supposed to look like? 00:36:39.940 |
What are the elements you're supposed to do and not do? 00:36:42.300 |
So I was just going off of memory, I was asking people, 00:36:44.860 |
but again, there weren't a lot of people that I could ask 00:36:50.880 |
and it was a former youth student that used to be 00:36:54.420 |
in my youth group, graduated, met her fiance, 00:37:02.500 |
We showed up, and any of you who participated 00:37:06.800 |
you should do this and you shouldn't do this, right? 00:37:18.040 |
Well, where do the grooms, where do they stand? 00:37:22.980 |
And during the ceremony, like, there's an announcement. 00:37:26.720 |
I guess the father does, so I'm just trying to remember 00:37:30.840 |
all this stuff, and then all throughout the thing, 00:37:38.600 |
And I remember thinking, I don't know if I saw it 00:37:41.680 |
in a wedding or I saw it in a movie somewhere. 00:37:44.600 |
You know, I know that they throw rice at people. 00:37:49.560 |
Like, it's like, okay, I don't understand that. 00:37:51.920 |
And then there's a part of the wedding where they would ask, 00:37:55.600 |
if anybody has anything against these two people 00:37:57.820 |
getting married, you know, speak now, forever, 00:38:01.200 |
That's a weird thing to ask in the middle of a wedding. 00:38:04.520 |
And I was thinking, they should have said that 00:38:07.880 |
Why are they waiting until right before they get married 00:38:12.400 |
And I remember just kind of trying to figure this out 00:38:14.320 |
at the practice, and one of the moms asked me, 00:38:18.920 |
the mom of the groom, you know, the side that I didn't know. 00:38:21.420 |
I knew the bride's side, but I didn't know the groom's side. 00:38:25.280 |
She asked me, like, at the end of the wedding, 00:38:34.200 |
And I hesitated for a minute, for a second, you know, 00:38:38.200 |
'cause trying to figure out, I'm winging this thing 00:38:42.480 |
I didn't wanna act like I didn't know what I was doing. 00:38:45.420 |
But the mother of the bride saw that I was hesitating, 00:38:49.000 |
and she grabbed the other mother of the groom 00:38:52.440 |
and pulled her aside and whispered in her ear 00:38:55.080 |
where I heard, don't ask him because he doesn't know either. 00:39:01.320 |
And I was so nervous going into that practice, 00:39:04.480 |
but after she said that, I was like, okay, there you go. 00:39:06.640 |
Forget this, you know, this is gonna be a big joke. 00:39:11.280 |
we got through it, and starting from the next wedding, 00:39:29.040 |
And then, so I just kinda took out the things 00:39:32.520 |
and I realized that there wasn't really a standard. 00:39:38.440 |
'cause there is no instructions in the Bible. 00:39:48.160 |
I would say 90% is similar, and then there's 10%. 00:39:51.120 |
You know, sometimes they take off their shoes 00:39:57.160 |
because it's not instructed in the Bible, right? 00:40:02.140 |
sometimes the things that we do in the church, 00:40:07.540 |
or is that not biblical, because it's just been done. 00:40:11.960 |
If you go to church, you're supposed to be baptized, right? 00:40:21.260 |
and then we have discipleship, we have evangelism, 00:40:24.260 |
So you have all these elements that the churches do, 00:40:27.460 |
and there's some things that are clearly biblical 00:40:30.220 |
that's being taught, and then there are some things 00:40:32.420 |
that may be biblical, but you don't understand 00:40:34.460 |
the meaning behind it, but you just do it out of tradition, 00:40:41.220 |
and you don't understand the significance of what it is, 00:40:43.860 |
it doesn't benefit you the way it's supposed to. 00:40:57.780 |
It's not because we elevated it, the Bible elevated it, 00:41:03.800 |
Whether you are a Presbyterian or a Methodist 00:41:09.340 |
the fact that these two ordinances were given to us 00:41:15.340 |
The meaning and practice of it may be different, 00:41:19.440 |
but the fact that they are ordained in the church 00:41:27.260 |
So as we practice communion, we wanna make sure 00:41:34.500 |
we're reviewing baptism, and are we practicing it 00:41:38.840 |
and are there biblical things that we can stand upon 00:41:41.780 |
and give you evidence that this is the reason 00:41:44.980 |
In the same way, we wanna make sure that our church, 00:41:54.140 |
Some of you may come from churches that do it every week. 00:41:57.020 |
Some of you came from churches that did it once a month. 00:42:04.420 |
Why do we choose to do it every other week, right? 00:42:07.580 |
What are the ways and what are the reasoning behind this? 00:42:11.060 |
So the text that we read in Luke 22, 15 to 19, 00:42:18.980 |
as he was participating in the Passover meal, 00:42:27.480 |
what the Israelites were doing to commemorate the Passover 00:42:31.380 |
was now to be taken and to be applied to Christ, right? 00:42:36.380 |
So the most clearest understanding of the communion 00:42:40.580 |
comes from the Lord's table, before Jesus goes to the cross, 00:42:47.260 |
So the first part, I wanna make sure that we understand 00:42:50.420 |
what did the Bible teach us about the meaning behind this? 00:43:04.940 |
The Roman Catholics believe in transubstantiation, 00:43:10.380 |
actually physically become the blood of Christ 00:43:31.140 |
appears at the communion table, with, alongside. 00:43:43.020 |
Sacramental memorial is the primary meaning behind it 00:43:45.780 |
is a memorial, is for the purpose of remembering. 00:43:51.700 |
meaning that they believe in the dynamic presence of Christ, 00:43:55.020 |
that in the element of itself, when it is participated, 00:43:58.220 |
there is grace given to everybody in the element itself. 00:44:03.220 |
So there is a dynamic presence of Christ in the communion. 00:44:07.640 |
The Baptist view of the communion is memorial 00:44:19.580 |
and you have a memorial in order to remind people 00:44:24.300 |
so that whatever it is that we are to do going forward, 00:44:27.940 |
That's why when you have important events in history, 00:44:35.620 |
and they have a memorial for the firefighters 00:44:44.500 |
So that people will not forget the sacrifice, 00:44:54.780 |
from what I see in scripture, what Jesus says, 00:44:57.020 |
to do this in remembrance of me, in remembrance of me. 00:45:10.240 |
and then drink it, it's like, I feel it, right? 00:45:20.320 |
and all of a sudden there's something supernatural 00:45:22.480 |
going on inside because you happen to participate in it. 00:45:26.800 |
and what it causes us to remember as a memorial 00:45:34.100 |
So if we think that way, some people think that, 00:45:36.640 |
well, if that's the case, if it's just a memorial, 00:45:41.180 |
It's just a symbol, can we do anything, right? 00:45:49.860 |
well, since it's a memorial, it's not important. 00:45:54.420 |
It is only one of two ordinances given to us. 00:46:00.880 |
before we get into the meaning of the Passover, 00:46:08.500 |
remember the governor of the state passed an ordinance 00:46:11.180 |
that there was going to be a curfew at 10 o'clock. 00:46:17.860 |
A law that is passed that everyone is supposed to obey, 00:46:28.420 |
but at least that's what it means by an ordinance, 00:46:31.940 |
like a set of rules that's supposed to govern 00:46:39.940 |
the local church, two ordinances have been given, 00:46:47.500 |
we want to make sure that the Bible is handled correctly. 00:46:50.460 |
We want to make sure that the fellowship reflects 00:46:58.020 |
there's only two things that are elevated as an ordinance, 00:47:07.560 |
We want to make sure that we don't just simply dismiss that 00:47:25.020 |
And so that's why we visited about the baptism 00:47:35.840 |
not to turn from it to the left or to the right. 00:47:37.800 |
And we want to do the same thing when it comes to communion, 00:47:47.620 |
and why do we practice it the way that we practice it? 00:48:09.480 |
was a celebration of God's deliverance of Israel. 00:48:16.280 |
and the plainest teaching of the Passover meal. 00:48:19.360 |
So, you remember the Passover where God's Spirit comes 00:48:25.200 |
and he says to put the lamb's blood on the doorpost 00:48:31.080 |
the angel of death crosses over and they are delivered. 00:48:39.320 |
the Passover, they would remember by God's protection, 00:48:43.160 |
the lamb of the blood caused them to be saved. 00:48:46.800 |
And that's what it says in Exodus chapter 13, three. 00:48:50.280 |
"Remember this day in which you went out from Egypt, 00:48:53.280 |
"from the house of slavery, for by a powerful hand, 00:49:00.360 |
And so, every time they had that Passover meal, 00:49:04.240 |
it was to remind them of God's deliverance for them. 00:49:20.280 |
had a power encounter with the Egyptian idols 00:49:27.160 |
So, it was to constantly cause them to remember, 00:49:36.720 |
when Jesus says to do that in remembrance of me, 00:49:39.960 |
he says all of that, what Israelites were doing 00:49:49.120 |
"For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, 00:49:51.880 |
"you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes 00:50:02.240 |
there was this movement, the gospel-centered movement. 00:50:06.680 |
And I think the important part of that movement 00:50:11.960 |
The moment we begin to drift away from what saved us, 00:50:29.480 |
It was to constantly cause the nation of Israel to remember 00:50:35.040 |
so that they do not drift from their salvation. 00:50:55.300 |
but you don't need to change the boat from here to here 00:51:06.840 |
but after you've traveled four or five miles, 00:51:10.400 |
And that's why when the Bible says not to drift, 00:51:15.320 |
drifting is when we're not clearly anchored in Christ, 00:51:18.040 |
little things that we do causes us to drift toward things 00:51:22.280 |
ultimately will lead us completely away from God. 00:51:26.680 |
most of the time they can't point to something, 00:51:28.800 |
it's like, oh, this is when I decided to fall away from God. 00:51:32.240 |
They can't have, there's not a clear point where it says, 00:51:37.340 |
At some point in their life, they gave into their compromise. 00:51:44.380 |
At some point in their life, they began to slightly drift. 00:51:48.200 |
And that slight drift a year later, five years later, 00:51:53.240 |
you end up waking up one day, how did I get here? 00:51:59.600 |
I was going to missions, I wanted to marry a missionary, 00:52:03.400 |
20 years later, after a tiny compromise, one after another, 00:52:09.640 |
and you can't pinpoint exactly when this happened. 00:52:21.880 |
And I think there's many of us, even in this room, 00:52:27.040 |
who they can look back at a certain stage in their life 00:52:29.520 |
and say, you know, man, I wish I could turn the clock back 00:52:33.980 |
But now the worries of life, concerns about retirement, 00:52:42.360 |
And I know I've drifted, but how do I get back? 00:52:59.540 |
We have older brothers looking out for younger brothers, 00:53:05.800 |
saying like, if we wanted to get back to God, 00:53:17.840 |
The only thing that is explicitly written in scripture 00:53:32.560 |
They weren't saying that he wasn't resurrected from Christ. 00:53:36.000 |
They didn't take seriously the weightiness of what they had. 00:53:45.880 |
So we spent 10 chapters, from chapter one to chapter 10, 00:53:52.060 |
being reminded about the supremacy of Christ. 00:53:55.040 |
Because what God gave us so that we do not drift 00:53:59.080 |
is to constantly remember what saved us to begin with. 00:54:07.280 |
he describes three generations that lead to apostasy. 00:54:11.560 |
The first generation are the ones who convert, 00:54:17.560 |
And then their children are the second generation 00:54:30.240 |
And so they inherit the form without the power. 00:54:35.600 |
But the lukewarm Christian, at the end of their life, 00:54:41.840 |
all they remember is the tail end of the lukewarm life. 00:55:03.040 |
if we do not continue to anchor in Christ all our life, 00:55:07.520 |
our next generation is going to inherit the church, 00:55:12.800 |
inherit the form without the passion, without the faith. 00:55:21.400 |
because there was nothing for them to inherit 00:55:26.320 |
and the third generation just walks away from their faith. 00:55:28.920 |
This is why the communion table is so important. 00:55:36.200 |
well, I did it, so I have somehow sustenance, 00:55:56.140 |
And when it just becomes a job, it's unbearable. 00:56:00.060 |
And so I have to constantly fight in my heart, 00:56:04.860 |
not just through communion, but through devotions, 00:56:07.800 |
I have to constantly remind it, why did I start this? 00:56:15.920 |
As Christians, if you forget and you start to drift, 00:56:22.560 |
eventually, you have to salvage something from the church. 00:56:29.400 |
if it's not your love for Christ and Christ's love for you, 00:56:39.600 |
So when people are nice to you, when you fit in, 00:56:41.760 |
and you're loved, and you're part of a community, 00:56:43.520 |
it's great, but as soon as that starts to break down, 00:56:55.520 |
because they've drifted away from what is central. 00:57:01.880 |
you can't pinpoint at one point that happens. 00:57:04.180 |
But you know in your heart when that happens. 00:57:08.840 |
it's no longer his sacrifice that's drawing me to him. 00:57:17.560 |
it becomes nothing more than a social gathering 00:57:25.520 |
We have these resources, we have homeless people, 00:57:27.880 |
we have sex trafficking, and so we wanna do good. 00:57:38.200 |
Those things ought to be things that we practice. 00:57:40.680 |
But that is not the central purpose of the church. 00:57:47.160 |
he writes of a story of this church in the South, 00:58:04.840 |
And so the fried chicken became the central thing 00:58:09.800 |
and buy this fried chicken, but at the same time, 00:58:12.520 |
the core things of the church, preaching the gospel, 00:58:15.960 |
and teaching the Bible, and fellowship in Christ, 00:58:18.960 |
started getting neglected, and this fried chicken 00:58:23.200 |
And they were doing good things with this money, 00:58:26.720 |
And he talks about how this church eventually drifted away, 00:58:36.440 |
A church that forgets why we are gathered together 00:58:40.380 |
becomes nothing more than a social gathering. 00:58:48.540 |
and then the church has no longer any meaning. 00:58:52.280 |
That's why the communion table has been given to us, 00:59:00.820 |
The reason why you and I are gathered together 00:59:04.860 |
That's what the communion table is to remind us of. 00:59:07.360 |
Secondly, the Passover served to remind Israel 00:59:10.060 |
of God's care and deliverance during times of hardship. 00:59:22.140 |
"You shall well remember what the Lord your God did 00:59:31.700 |
there's gonna be nations that are much more fortified 00:59:41.180 |
and maybe some of it that you're not even gonna understand. 00:59:44.380 |
But during those period, remember that God delivered you. 00:59:50.500 |
He saved you, so he's also going to sustain you. 00:59:57.220 |
not only to remember what he did in the past, 01:00:01.900 |
how will he not, who saved you from all of that, 01:00:06.620 |
into the wilderness and say, "Good luck, hope you make it." 01:00:09.420 |
And it's to remind them that their strength is in God. 01:00:17.460 |
And in the same way, it says in Romans 8.31-35, 01:00:21.900 |
Apostle Paul says, "What then shall we say to these things? 01:00:36.240 |
That's exactly what the Passover meal was for. 01:00:39.520 |
If he delivered you, if he cared for you enough 01:01:01.000 |
To believe in a God who would send his only begotten son 01:01:04.520 |
and then question what God is going to take care 01:01:21.260 |
we're to constantly remember the communion table 01:01:30.140 |
So there is nothing that's gonna happen in our life 01:01:33.260 |
that doesn't come through a sovereign and loving hand. 01:01:42.700 |
once we understand that God is in the midst of this, 01:01:51.980 |
is coming from somebody who's trying to hurt us, 01:01:58.120 |
and this pain is going to lead to fixing the problem 01:02:01.840 |
that we came in with, those two different pains 01:02:08.520 |
So in our Christian life, there may be things 01:02:11.440 |
that come in where we need sustenance, we need guidance, 01:02:15.000 |
before we run to counselors, before we run to friendship, 01:02:23.160 |
he who did not spare even his own son to deliver us, 01:02:33.960 |
Sometimes even pain is given to us for our good. 01:02:40.240 |
That's what the Passover was to remind us of. 01:02:54.700 |
Christ Jesus is he who died, yes, rather who was raised. 01:03:00.220 |
Who also intercedes for us, who will separate us 01:03:02.580 |
from the love of Christ, will tribulation or distress 01:03:04.900 |
or persecution or famine or nakedness, peril or sword, 01:03:14.460 |
He doesn't justify us and then he send you off 01:03:21.300 |
Said no, if he justified us, he will sanctify us 01:03:27.380 |
And that's what the communion table teaches us. 01:03:31.860 |
Our very practical needs today, there's a tendency 01:03:34.980 |
to think the church is good for religious stuff. 01:03:49.240 |
retirement, these are things that I need to do. 01:03:53.920 |
And sometimes again, that causes us to get into trouble 01:04:03.240 |
But the third reason I think is the most relevant to us 01:04:17.080 |
it causes us to be desperate and to cling to God. 01:04:28.440 |
that because of the pandemic and so many people 01:04:31.420 |
who've been online and not physically at church, 01:04:33.520 |
as an able to be fellowship, participate in Bible study, 01:04:36.320 |
the surprising number of people who fell away from church, 01:04:42.960 |
So we have no idea when all the churches open, 01:04:47.640 |
because at least on paper, their survey, 50%. 01:04:51.600 |
Out of the 50%, some of them have gone for good. 01:04:56.600 |
Out of the 50%, some of them have moved churches. 01:05:01.800 |
But the 50% is, if you take the totality of the churches, 01:05:06.000 |
that the people who used to be at that church, 01:05:20.240 |
In fact, when I talked to the Indian pastors, 01:05:22.680 |
they said with all the persecution that's coming 01:05:32.480 |
And he said, it's been good because it purified the church. 01:05:42.480 |
And so the few who are genuinely walking with God 01:05:50.280 |
So persecution is not what worries the church. 01:06:02.400 |
where your children are raised in a godly home, 01:06:06.920 |
and then they live a peaceful, comfortable life 01:06:16.400 |
and to share the gospel, persecution is actually good. 01:06:19.120 |
The challenge and the struggle is actually good for us 01:06:27.720 |
it's in times of peace when we don't feel pressure. 01:06:36.220 |
where we don't have to worry about our children. 01:06:51.700 |
'Cause if you're not anchored when the storm comes, 01:07:00.960 |
And that's what he says in Deuteronomy 8, 11. 01:07:03.960 |
"Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God 01:07:06.240 |
"by not keeping his commandments and his ordinances 01:07:09.040 |
"and his statues which I am commanding you today. 01:07:11.720 |
"Otherwise, when you have eaten and are satisfied 01:07:14.440 |
"and have built good houses and lived in them, 01:07:33.280 |
"my power and the strength of my hand made me this wealth. 01:07:43.440 |
"it is he who is giving you the power to make wealth, 01:08:09.120 |
when the temple was being used at full force, 01:08:27.760 |
He said, "Even the music, the instruments that you play," 01:08:38.320 |
"As they had their pasture, they became satisfied. 01:08:41.980 |
"And being satisfied, their heart became proud. 01:09:12.860 |
and through the judge overthrow their enemies 01:09:17.380 |
and after they celebrated, they became satisfied 01:09:23.340 |
So the most dangerous period in Israel's cycle 01:09:34.540 |
Is when we are doing well, our bills are paid 01:09:39.540 |
our natural tendency is I made a good judgment, 01:09:47.540 |
and so therefore, if I find two more of these, 01:10:12.620 |
is to remind us, you did not get here on your own. 01:10:21.580 |
and you cannot resist the table because you were bad. 01:10:34.300 |
It humbles the proud and it lifts up the humble. 01:10:44.580 |
and that's why we participate in this communion 01:10:47.900 |
what it symbolizes, what it was supposed to remind us 01:11:03.600 |
is when we don't feel this desperateness for Christ 01:11:06.340 |
because our bills are paid, our children are doing well, 01:11:12.820 |
all these things that make you a good father, good mother 01:11:16.300 |
and when you begin to take a step back and say, 01:11:33.020 |
why do we take this so seriously if it's just a symbol? 01:11:35.580 |
One, like I said, because it is an ordinance, 01:11:46.460 |
but there are a few names that different denominations, 01:11:49.580 |
different groups and even within the same church, 01:11:58.620 |
We've already talked about ordinances, it's commanded, 01:12:07.220 |
That's why the parachurches, we don't call them churches 01:12:15.580 |
of what a church is is to practice the ordinance. 01:12:38.940 |
Sacrament basically means sacred or set apart. 01:12:44.080 |
into the Holy of Holies, there was a degree of seriousness 01:12:54.140 |
were doing selling of other products and animals 01:13:02.180 |
where it was supposed to be a place of worship. 01:13:04.620 |
And that's why Jesus says he will be consumed 01:13:15.280 |
that though it is symbolic and it is a memorial, 01:13:20.800 |
Just like with the baptism, we don't just do it 01:13:29.860 |
That we do not turn from it to the left or to the right 01:13:31.800 |
because it is an ordinance commanded in scripture. 01:13:35.660 |
In fact, it is so sacred, in 1 Corinthians 11, 27, 28, 01:13:43.440 |
because they were disrespecting the communion table. 01:13:48.000 |
Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup 01:13:50.160 |
of the Lord in an unworthy manner shall be guilty 01:13:54.400 |
In other words, you're taking something that is so sacred 01:13:57.080 |
and you're treating it like it's very trivial. 01:14:01.740 |
they were coming together and the rich people were eating 01:14:05.520 |
And so by doing that, causing division, right? 01:14:10.360 |
So they weren't acknowledging the communion table itself 01:14:13.920 |
and so they were participating in an unworthy manner. 01:14:17.160 |
And because God wanted to teach the early church 01:14:33.000 |
in the Corinthian church of the sacredness of this event, 01:14:36.700 |
we ought to take seriously because it is meant to be sacred. 01:15:01.960 |
is that the communion was to bring the church together, 01:15:06.560 |
So communion was never meant to be done in private. 01:15:22.840 |
And we do not practice communion at the wedding, 01:15:27.040 |
because the wedding is not a gathering of the whole church. 01:15:35.720 |
when the physical body of Christ is gathered together. 01:15:38.200 |
So I know that at the beginning of the pandemic, 01:15:41.140 |
we're discussing about how come we don't let the people 01:15:43.600 |
who are at home participate in the communion. 01:15:52.640 |
Communion was meant for the physical gathering of the church, 01:16:02.260 |
understanding this, we used to practice communion 01:16:08.640 |
and because that's kind of like the way I learned it. 01:16:13.120 |
And so communion, the Hawaiian bread basically means 01:16:15.160 |
it's one body and everybody participating in one body. 01:16:17.920 |
And so the way I learned it when I was young, 01:16:21.000 |
again, like I said, I was never taught this at seminary. 01:16:27.040 |
I was just kind of going off of my memory as a youth student 01:16:48.400 |
Or a cup, but we'd have something with the juice 01:16:50.640 |
and then Hawaiian bread, and then we would eat it. 01:16:54.840 |
And after we were finished, we would bring salami. 01:16:57.400 |
And then, because salami tastes really good with that bread. 01:17:00.640 |
And then we would eat the, drink the rest of the, 01:17:03.080 |
you know, grape juice and we would have lunch, right? 01:17:11.480 |
we kind of had a version of that at church, right? 01:17:18.160 |
So I remember the first three, four years of the church, 01:17:20.320 |
we'd have the Hawaiian bread, and then we would practice. 01:17:23.000 |
I would pour the grape juice in a big, big bowl 01:17:32.520 |
And then after we're done, whatever's left over, 01:17:34.860 |
we would drink and then get salami and then eat it. 01:17:51.640 |
and everybody was tearing it to pieces and eating it. 01:17:59.760 |
And then, you know, I just heard it in passing. 01:18:02.280 |
And I said, "Oh, we do that because, you know, 01:18:03.560 |
it's one loaf, one bread, and we're doing all that." 01:18:31.840 |
So we found cups and we started doing it differently. 01:18:33.880 |
So we started kind of like, what is the best way? 01:18:36.360 |
What is the best way for us to signify what it means 01:18:39.560 |
and convey the meaning of significance, right? 01:18:43.880 |
And so that's why when we started practicing the communion, 01:18:48.080 |
we want to make sure that we handle it with sacredness. 01:18:56.280 |
And somebody would say, "Hey, do you guys need some help?" 01:19:10.840 |
Even though it is symbolic, it's not just some bread. 01:19:27.280 |
And there was some talk about, "Hey, why don't we do this? 01:19:29.440 |
And it'd be so much easier than to set it up. 01:19:34.900 |
Obviously, we introduced this because we're in a pandemic, 01:19:55.960 |
The baptism signifies a death and resurrection. 01:19:58.160 |
So we practice immersion, as the Bible teaches. 01:20:06.000 |
but we wanna make sure that everybody understands 01:20:11.200 |
To remember Christ's sacrifice, that he's sustaining us, 01:20:14.400 |
that this is an ordinance, that this is a sacrament. 01:20:16.940 |
This is a communion to remind us that we are one together. 01:20:20.280 |
That's why before we participate in communion, 01:20:32.800 |
but are there things that you're holding in your heart 01:20:47.160 |
to galvanize us together, the body of Christ. 01:20:53.160 |
Sometimes the Lutheran church uses this term, 01:20:55.840 |
but the meaning behind Eucharist basically is good grace. 01:21:00.680 |
That's where we get the word Thanksgiving, right? 01:21:03.760 |
It's a table of celebration to give thanks, right? 01:21:11.400 |
You've been grumbling this week or last week, 01:21:20.960 |
And so at the communion table, it is a place to celebrate, 01:21:36.200 |
way more things to praise him for than to complain about. 01:21:40.400 |
And so that's what the Eucharist is meant to be. 01:21:48.380 |
It's meant to be a celebration, to remind us, 01:21:50.800 |
ultimately pointing to the second coming of Christ. 01:21:55.200 |
The Bible says in Revelations 19, seven through nine, 01:21:58.400 |
"Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to him 01:22:05.560 |
"It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, 01:22:08.080 |
"bright and clean, for the fine linen in the righteousness, 01:22:17.800 |
"And he said to me, these are true words of God." 01:22:38.800 |
and we're gonna participate in this joyous wedding. 01:22:44.120 |
because I told you the first wedding that I did, 01:23:03.920 |
It does not get old, even though it looks the same, 01:23:12.240 |
And I know I'm preaching to the same people 100 times. 01:23:18.800 |
So it gets harder and harder as it goes, right? 01:23:29.960 |
Disneyland is not the happiest place in the world. 01:23:37.040 |
where everybody's excited to see these young couple 01:23:56.960 |
of the real celebration, all of that to point 01:24:02.120 |
And so that's why we wanna lift up the communion 01:24:08.800 |
who make decisions, but the church understands 01:24:14.280 |
Remember who saved us, remember in times of hardship, 01:24:23.160 |
not simply to go through the motion and say we did it, 01:24:48.520 |
we're just passing through, we're just passing through. 01:24:55.640 |
and we're gonna be at the wedding together with Christ. 01:24:58.960 |
So this morning, as we participate in the communion table, 01:25:03.320 |
we're gonna sing the communion song together, 01:25:06.160 |
and then after that, I will open up the communion with us, 01:26:58.480 |
♪ We can remember the wounds that healed the dead ♪ 01:27:54.560 |
♪ We can remember the dreams that only enter ♪ 01:28:43.400 |
♪ So with thankfulness and faith we rise to the sky ♪ 01:28:48.400 |
♪ And to remember our God to follow in his steps of light ♪ 01:29:41.280 |
- So if you can take your communion cup and the bread, 01:29:50.680 |
again, those of you who haven't done this before, 01:29:52.360 |
there's a thin layer of plastic that you need to take. 01:30:04.960 |
let me read the passage in 1 Corinthians 11, 23. 01:30:11.280 |
we deliver to you that the Lord Jesus in the night 01:30:16.860 |
When he had given thanks, he broke it and said, 01:30:23.040 |
In the same way, he took the cup also after supper, 01:30:25.320 |
saying, "This cup is a new covenant in my blood. 01:30:28.280 |
Do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me. 01:30:31.760 |
For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, 01:30:35.040 |
you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes." 01:30:39.980 |
, anyone else stand up for the closing praise?