Jesus will Return - Be Awake, Be Aware, Be Alert and Be Alive

good morning man you guys are a little dull today thinking about going outside and playing i think huh truth i want to thank you for giving me the chance to hang out with some great men last week um many of them in the ministry are watching us streaming on a weekly basis and they are struck by how serious this congregation this fellowship is with the word and how you come week after week and you only want to know the word and you want to study the word and you want to accept the word as it is not deluded not uh tickling of an of the ears and so they send their what would they be they would send their praises the wrong word congratulations affirmation as to who you are as a body of believers and so i i thank you for that if you have your bibles turn to first thessalonians chapter five we're about three sermons away from finally finishing this book um what we cover today is not my fault it's the it's god's fault it's the holy spirit's fault not mine so if i step on your toes please forgive me we just cover the passages as they come first thessalonians chapter five we're going to look at the second half of this paragraph but let's start in verse one be reminded of what we covered about three weeks ago and dive in now concerning the times and the seasons brothers you have no need to have anything written to you for you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the lord will come like a thief in the night while people are saying there is peace and security then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains upon a pregnant woman and they will not escape but you are not in darkness brothers for the day for that day to surprise you like a thief for you are all children of the light children of the day we are not of the night or of the darkness so let us not sleep as others do but let us keep awake and be sober for those who sleep sleep at night and those who get drunk or drunk at night but since we belong to the day let us be sober having put on the breastplate of faith and love and for a helmet of of the hope of salvation for god is not destined us for wrath but to obtain salvation through our lord jesus christ who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him therefore encourage one another and build up each other just as you are doing about 37 years ago karen and i sat in a burger king in carson city and decided to have or start a family uh and it wasn't long after that that she became pregnant and we knew that eventually we would have some kids uh we knew it was inevitable we just didn't know when we we knew that it was expected we didn't know when and some six weeks before the due date i was driving from san luis obispo to medford on on a speaking trip and billy decided to come early and so we found ourselves in sacramento on a cold rainy night in a little clinic of sorts with me standing there saying to the nurses and my bride this is not when he's supposed to come i mean this is five weeks early this ought not to be happening stop it karen stop it and we drove in the rain from that clinic to a hospital and a couple hours later billy was born same thing happened to jamie jamie was born five weeks early we expected him but we didn't expect him when he came and i still remember my wife the shy woman who in the hospital bed in early labor trying to figure out if they could stop it had the sheet up to her neck in her soft quiet humble shy way and about eight hours later in labor the sheet was on the floor she's open exposed and doesn't even care she just wanted jamie out i say that because in this passage of scripture we discover this idea that jesus's return is like birth pains it's like a birth it's inevitable but unknown matthew 24 verse 8 says these things all these are but the beginning of the birth pains first thessalonians 5 3 while people are saying there is peace and security then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman and they will not escape the truth of the matter is that jesus's return is inevitable it's just unknown it is inevitable it's just unknown so in preparing this as i studied this passage of scripture i have to admit to you there was this part of me that says how am i going to make this relevant how do i how do i take the day of the lord concept and all that's involved here in a world where sermons are preached on how to make money and how to save money and and god wants you to be prosperous and life is supposed to be happy how do i make this passage relevant and then it came upon me and i began to realize it is relevant this passage may be more relevant than all of those topics because what we learn here is how to live in light of his expected return we've talked a lot through this first thessalonians chapter 4 first thessalonians chapter 5 we've talked about the debates that people have about the coming of jesus the thousands of books that are written with dates attached to his return and i've said to you in light of this passage chapter 5 and in light of chapter 4 i only know two things in terms of eschatology number one i know in chapter four jesus christ is coming back in verse 15 it says for this we declare to you by the word of the lord that we who are alive who are left until the coming of the lord will not perceive those who have fallen asleep for the lord himself will descend from heaven so i know in my eschatology that jesus christ is coming the second thing i know from the study of first thessalonians is in chapter 5 that the day of the lord will come like a thief in the night it will come suddenly and surprise you as much as you try to calculate when he is coming you will be surprised the way a thief in the night surprises its victims first thessalonians chapter 5 verse 2 for you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the lord will come like a thief in the night peter in 2 peter 3 10 says but the day of the lord will come like a thief and then the heavens will pass away with a roar and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed but the day of the lord so those are two big truths at this point as far as paul's teaching those are the only two truths i know it's inevitable but i don't know when and while a lot of people want to debate the wind the pre-trib the mid-trib the poster of the pre-millennial the all-millennial the post-millennial when everybody's debating that it's surprising to me in this passage of scripture that all paul tells us is that the day of the lord will come like a thief in the night that's the second truth after that i don't know much the simplicity is is not so much in the fact that jesus is coming that the power of this is how am i to live in light of his coming because i can tell you this the bumper sticker i once saw is pretty true jesus is coming back and boy is he mad there is a tendency in any church to be out of balance this grace and law this love and justice and and we wrestle with it and we have to hold them together some churches are all about law and no justice some churches are all about justice and no love and and there's this precariousness but i will say to you this that this day of the lord found in verse 2 is a traumatic significant event where jesus comes in justice in judgment and if you think jesus turning the tables over at the temple was a big event you haven't seen anything yet just read revelation chapter 5 through chapter 19. that jesus comes in power and glory and he comes in justice and here is the big truth that god is a holy god and because he is holy he doesn't have to explain to you or i his dealings none of us can shake our hands at god and say you have no right to bring justice you have no right to bring vengeance you have to be a god of love that's where the story has to end because in the end when jesus christ comes the scriptures tells us in philippians 2 every knee shall bow there will be no fist saying this isn't fair i mean the whole justice of god is all built on the fact that in the end all things will be made right and jesus will be the judge who does it the first time he came on a donkey the second time he will come on a stallion the first time he came bringing a basin the second time he comes with a sword don't just have one jesus we must hold to two jesus that's why this concept of the day of the lord becomes very significant a.w pink says it this way the first time christ came to slay sin in men the second time he will come to slay men in sin and so in light of this truth this day of the lord what is its relevancy to it where where is it applicable to it so start in verse four of chapter five and we're going to look at four words this morning i'm going to try to keep it succinct and as i read it i i will have you circle the four words that we're going to look at verse 4. but you are not in the darkness brother for the day to surprise you like a thief verse 5 for you are all children of the light children of the day we are not of the night or the darkness so let us not sleep circle that word sleep as others do but let us keep awake and be sober circle that word for those who sleep sleep at night and those who get drunk get drunk at night but since we belong to the day let us be sober having put on circle that word put on the breastplate of faith and love and for a helmet the hope of salvation for god is not destined us for wrath but to obtain a salvation through our lord jesus christ who died so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him forever circle live with him so here's the four applications i have for you today four words they are these they're in your bulletin they are we must be awake we must be aware we must be alert and we must be alive that is what eschatology in its best format teaches us those are things we are to be in the present tense as we look forward to his coming expected but unknown so let's go there verse six so let us not sleep as others do but let us keep awake the first truth of how we are to live in light of this day of the lord that's coming like a thief the return of jesus is that we are awake we live awake when i was at moody bible institute the way for me to get through school was to be the guy at the front desk who had the job from 11 at night to seven in the morning to guard the dorm and when you study all day and do everything all day all of a sudden that eleven o'clock to seven o'clock shift the graveyard shift isn't a really good shift if you haven't taken a nap and i never took a nap never went to sleep and so i would sit on that at that front desk in a quiet dorm somewhat half lit and i keep looking over my shoulder at a bench that was laying there behind the chair and i would often get out of the chair and go lay down on the bench and fall asleep leave my duty only to be awakened on one particular morning by an alarm going off in chicago firemen pounding on the door wanting to get in to protect this dorm that was at that point appearing to burn down and i was trying to get the sleep out of my eyes when they were asking me where's the fire you don't want to be asleep part of the problem in being asleep is you become unaware of your surroundings when you sleep you don't know what your surroundings are that's what he's talking about he's not saying you can't fall asleep physical sleep he's talking about a spiritual sleep when you become unaware of what is around you uh not that long ago jamie was driving home from work and fell asleep at the steering wheel and was awakened when he ran into a bridge because he had fallen asleep and was no longer aware of his surroundings here's my fear for some of you you're spiritually asleep you're snoozing snoozing on a warm afternoon in your favorite chair spiritually with your mouth open unaware of anything that's going on around you and it's not a good place to be matthew 24 42 jesus says this therefore stay awake for you do not know the day your lord is coming revelation 16 15 says and to help with that he has given us tasks to do while he is gone to keep busy and help us be ready for his return luke 12 35 if he comes in the second or third and finds them awake blessed are those servants and so the first thing you are to do in this eschatology of the day of the lord and christ coming and snatching us out and snatching us up is to be awake to be aware of what is occurring spiritually around you and not ignorant of what life is happening here's the second truth found in this passage not only are we to be awake but we are to live aware look at first thessalonians chapter 5 verse 8 but since we belong to the day let us be sober first thessalonians 5 2 for you yourselves are fully aware fully aware fully aware that the day of the lord will come like a thief in the night the concept of being sober is not being under the influence of something not being disconnected not being out of control is is where he is going we are to live our lives with two truths simultaneously both difficult one truth is jesus is present with us we we've tried to go there in our spiritual walk that jesus isn't just with you when you come into this room which is why we call it an auditorium simply a room where we gather together jesus is present with you all the time 24 7. he is with you at work whatever your work is he is with you at play whatever your play is he is with you when you do your hobbies he is with you at your dinner room table he is with you when you're washing the dishes he is with you when you're working and one of the keys is for us to practice his presence to be fully aware that he is present with me this constant awareness that my jesus is walking beside me but there's a second part of awareness is not only is he present with me but he is coming again and and when you live with those two truths those two awarenesses something begins to change in your life when when you practice his present in your daily living and that you live each day aware that he could come and return and all his power then that has a way of transforming us because we tend not to be drunk with wine in light of those two truths we tend to not be intoxicated under the influence of something else but this sense of soberness not doesn't just have to do with drinking it can be that we're not drunk with pride we're not under the influence of pride we're not drunk with self-conceit we're not under the influence of self-conceit we're not drunk with gratification of the senses we're not intoxicated with the senses we're not drunk with greed and gluttony we're not intoxicated by drink and gluttony we're not under the influence of anything and we're fully aware of our surroundings and the choices we are making we are making because we are sober luke 21 34 says this but watch yourselves least your hearts be weighed down with dissipation which means an overindulgence of sensual pleasures and drunkenness and the cares of this life that the day of the the day will come upon you suddenly like a trap trap that's jesus's word watch yourself at least your hearts be weighed down that your over indulgence and sensual pleasures that your drunkenness that the cares of this life will come upon you there are many of us in this room where the cares of this life the concerns that we have the politics of this day the news that we read is blinding us to two realities jesus is present with us and he's coming again which is what jesus christ said watch out that this world doesn't blind you doesn't intoxicate you doesn't influence you in a way where you live your life in anger bitterness doubt frustration that's where he's driving us first peter 4 7 says this the end of all things is at hand therefore be self-controlled and sober minded so there's a third truth in this passage of scripture and how we are to live our lives not only are we to be alert not only are we to be aware but now we are to even more so be this strength of being fully aware fully alert first thessalonians chapter 5 verse 8 says this having put on the breastplate of faith and love and for a helmet the hope of salvation we are to be alert we are to be soldiers standing at a post in life that's what this is it's the armor of god here see that it's the breastplate of faith and love and the helmet of the hope of salvation what is he saying here he's saying until jesus christ come armor up put on the armor you're a soldier stand at your post stand at the door be on attention now most of you all of you dress today that's a that's a good thing that's a really good thing but my question to you is did you dress spiritually today did you this morning put on the breastplate of righteousness hope love faith and did you put on the helmet of salvation did you dress spiritually for the battles that you're going to encounter today and you will because life isn't so much a playground as it is a war field and many of us are unaware and unalert to the very culture that we're being squeezed into some of us are not standing at our post some of us are not prepared for the battle that you're going to live in and with i had a friend this week in the ministry whose wife is in the ministry he's in his 60s and he came home last week to divorce papers on his counter never saw it coming his wife in ministry he's in ministry gets home thinks dinner's gonna they're gonna have a nice dinner together and there are documents of a pending divorce because somewhere along the way they didn't armor up i've said this often and i will keep saying it because i really do believe it that most of us are trying to protect ourselves out here through our circumstances through our bank account through our jobs through all sorts of things out here and here's what paul says to us in the last days prepare yourself not out here but in here this is where your battle is right here it's all about your heart and it's all about your head it's all about what you feel and it's all about what you think and if you're not preparing yourself for a battle by protecting that's what a breastplate does protecting your heart and protecting your mind you're going to be in deep deep trouble proverbs 24 3 says guard your hearts guard what you love guard what you value guard what your passions are first john 2 15 says do not love the world or the things of the world if anyone loves the world the love of the father is not in him your spouse and you and your kids if they are not protecting their heart are in deep deep deep trouble but it's not only our heart it's our head that's why he talks about the helmet of salvation the hope of salvation what's here it's the simple adage that has been around with computers garbage in garbage out garbage in garbage out garbage in garbage out you shape your life by how you think what you watch what you listen to and what you read so god says i want you to protect your minds be not conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind you know what the most dangerous thing about culture and i i had this conversation 45 years ago in ministry with a guy a psychiatrist he said you know what the problem is this 19 late 70s he said the problem for our kids bill is 50 years ago they spent their time with their dad they worked in the field with their dad they were a watchmaker with their dad they were a plumber with their dad they worked in the field they're with they were with their kids 24 7 they modeled truth then then the industrial age came about and dads went to work and kids sons and daughters were apart from them and now we've entered a third wave where not only are we not with our kids 24 7 teaching them modeling truth and not only are are they in some other place being learned but now we have this thing called the internet that is influencing them drastically and this culture is shaping them and most of us are awakened to the fact that the very kids that we did everything we could to model truth don't buy anything we have taught them because we neglected teaching them to wear a helmet and a breastplate so this is where i'm going to get into trouble but it's okay i know many great men in this church who spend more time teaching their kids sporting skills and hunting skills than wearing armor skills teaching your kid to hit a ball or shoot a deer though beautiful is not as important as teaching your kids how to wear a breastplate and wear a helmet of salvation more than ever spouses you must do everything you can to make sure your spouse is wearing a breastplate and their hearts are not falling in love with somebody else or something else spouses every day you must spend time fully aware that the thoughts that your husband or wife have will determine the quality of your marriage and the safest thing you can do in this culture at this time is wear a breastplate and wear a helmet you know what's amazing about this passage if you look at it he refers to three words regarding this armory he talks about faith hope and love see that faith and love breastplate hope helmet does that recall anything first thessalonians chapter 1 verse 2 he starts out this letter by saying this we give thanks to god always for you all constantly mentioning you in our prayers verse 3 remembering before our god and father your work of faith your labor of love and your steadfastness of hope that is the holy trinity of how you are to live your life daily you want to measure your life you want to make this as simple as possible here's the simplicity of it live faithfully live lovingly live hopefully because here's the big truth you're not going to protect your life by what you put in your basement i don't care how much food you have how much water you have how many guns you have you're not going to protect yourself that way you're going to protect yourself here and here because this is where peace comes this is where hope comes this is where love comes this is where kindness comes this is why when the world comes crushing in on you and pressing you in ways that are unimaginable you will leak goodness you will leak love you will leak faith because you have worn the armor that has protected your heart you have worn the helmet that has protected your thoughts and you have started in your christian life from the inside out it is an inside out not an outside in that's the deep truth here here's the fourth key word in this journey first word was awake second work word was aware the third word was alert and this fourth word now is alive verse 9 for god has not destined us for wrath but to obtain salvation through our lord jesus christ who died for us so whether we are awake or asleep we might now here's the phrase live with him that we might live with him i don't think that's very exciting for most people christians because i don't think most christians really know jesus they know about jesus but they don't know jesus and so this concept paul lifts up this idea that says listen here's how grand life is going to be you're going to spend eternity with the very one who died for you jesus himself you get to be with him and most of us kind of yawn and say is there anything else that's going to be a part of that story because we don't know him some of us don't know him the one who sat at a well in the middle of the day and talked to a woman who had been divorced five times and shacked up with a guy and treated her like an individual and engaged in her in a meaningful conversation most of us don't know the one who wept at his friend's funeral most of us don't know the one who protected a woman caught in adultery who was going to be stoned to death and said he who was without sin cast the first stone most of us don't know that jesus who in compassion wrote the sins of her prosecutors and didn't write her sins and engaged her and protected her most of us don't know the jesus who stops by a blind man who the disciples wanted to get into a theological discussion and he kneeled down and touched his eyes and gave him sight and when he was simply a topic to discuss for jesus he was an object who needed to be healed most of us don't know the jesus who allowed a prostitute to wash his feet with her tears most of us don't know the jesus who sat with publicans and sinners and engaged them in meaningful conversations most of us don't know the jesus who we want to be with but make no mistake about it it is the same jesus who graciously and lovingly dies on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins it is that same jesus who will come again and punish sin look at verse 9 for god is not destined us for wrath what's wrath vengeance judgment condemnation first thessalonians chapter 1 verse 10 and to wait for the son from heaven who he raised from the dead who delivers us from the wrath that is to come jonathan edwards the great preacher that started the first awakening in america preached a sermon called sinners in the hands of an angry god where it says history tells us that when he preached the sermon the people in the congregation kept their feet off the ground least the flames of hell touched them it was the man who preached a reality of judgment that has been deluded to the point that all we talk about is heaven and not talk about hell and the consequences of only talking about heaven and not about hell is that what in the world did jesus save us from then we have a great salvation and we have a great savior because what he has saved us from and what he has saved us from is hell so let me read to you some verses you just listened jesus in matthew 25 verse 46 says and these will go away into eternal punishment but the righteous to eternal life matthew 10 28 and do not fear those who can kill the body but cannot kill the soul rather fear him who can destroy both the soul and the body in hell jesus matthew 25 41 and then he said to those on the left apart from me you cursed into the eternal fire prepared for the devils and the angels revelation 20 15 says if any one's name is not found written in the book of life he is thrown into the lake of fire second thessalonians chapter 1 9 says they will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction away from the presence of the lord and from the glory of his might matthew 13 15 says and throw them into the fiery furnace in a place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth second peter 3 9 says the lord is not slow to fulfill his promises some count slowness but is patient towards you not wishing that any should perish here's a deep deep truth and you know me by now after five years that i'm not a one-horse pony there is a reality that i need you to hear from me that's found in the holy scripture that there is a coming judgment for each and every single one of us and each and every single one of us will be judged on our thoughts our words and our actions and that's tragically bad news a lifetime of words and thoughts and actions will be what you will be judged by revelation 20 11 says this then i saw a great white throne in him who seated on it and from his presence the earth and the sky fled away and no place was found for them and i saw the dead great and small standing before the throne and the books were open then another book was open which is the book of life and the dead were judged by what was written in the books according to what they had done and if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life he was thrown into the lake of fire hebrews 9 27 and just as it appointed for man to die once and after that comes judgment so what do we do the beauty the beauty of our faith is the good news and why is it good news because the bad news is bad news and the bad news is that we will be judged for every word thought and action we've taken and if we stand before god alone based on our merits good as good as they might be we will fall short and our only our only rescuer from this tragedy the only person that will deliver us is jesus christ acts 4 12 says this and there is salvation in no one else for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved the old story is told of a construction worker on a 10 story building that slides off the roof grabs the rain gutter looks down and is 10 stories down looks up and says god help god what do i do and he hears a voice from heaven says let go he looks down what do i do let go it looks down is there anybody else up there there's nobody else up there so if nobody's had the courage to tell you that apart from jesus christ you're going to hell based on this book i will and the beauty of this is that when you put your faith in jesus christ your faith in jesus christ when you believe that he died on the cross for your sins he forgives you of all of those transgressions all of those thoughts actions everything you've done all the wrong in your life all the falling short he bears the vengeance of that's why your savior is so great that's why the good news is so good because the bad news is so bad you can't save yourself only one can save you and better than that by putting your faith in him through grace you are forgiven and in this incredible transaction he takes all of your sinfulness and places it on him and in exchange for that gives you all of his righteousness and better than that because of what jesus christ has done you are now in jesus and better than that because you are in jesus you can run onto god's holy lap and call him daddy not because of what you did but because of what he did romans 10 13 says anyone and everyone who calls upon the name of the lord will be saved romans 8 1 says there is therefore no condemnation for those who are in christ jesus romans 5 8 says but god shows his love toward us and while we were sinners christ died for us since therefore we are now justified by his blood much more we shall be saved from the wrath of god but there's a twist in this story which i don't say often but i will say now the twist in the story is this that the very jesus who saved you is the very jesus who can save someone in your life who does not know him i mean we can sing kumbaya all day long and celebrate the fact that we will not bear the wrath of our sinfulness in god's vengeance we will experience peace and forgiveness and celebrate that and allow our neighbors to live in ignorance there's a tension in the christian life i feel it every day i've been an evangelist i get onto a plane and i try to figure out what obligation of any do i have to this man sitting next to me if i know some great truth and he doesn't what obligation do i have to my neighbors what obligation do i have with the people that i work with that somehow they would know the same jesus that i know and that they could be rescued from this eternal wrath that i'm fully aware of and i live in celebration but i say nothing to anybody i pray you live in that tension i pray that the only way we grow is not because people come from other churches here but people who don't know the saving knowledge of jesus christ who have never heard the gospel who has never seen the gospel preach christ always when necessary use words that this church would grow because those that are on their way to hell would be rescued by a savior because of the words that you spoke or the energy you extended or the fact that you took them cupcakes and said forgive me for living next door to you for seven years and never saying hello to you we can talk missions all day long we are missionaries we have the good news we know something most people in our lives don't know more than ever the gospel they've never heard politically correct they got it powerful gospel they don't and so um we are to live fully aware that we are going to escape the wrath and dear god help us bring other people with us so this passage ends with two words look at verse 11 and we close and go to communion verse 11 therefore therefore therefore okay here therefore remember why is it therefore therefore everything he's taught us so far about eschatology is right here right now therefore encourage one another and build up one another that's not trues for pastors that's commandments to you that's what we are to be doing in light of his his inevitable return by which we have no idea when it will happen that because he is coming we are to live awake and alert and alive and aware and in this we are to speak into each other's lives we are to encourage each other that have grown despondent you are to give courage to each other that's your job to speak courage into each other's lives that's that's why we gather we don't gather just for a bible study we gather to speak into each other's lives to give support to give confidence get hope to give comfort but but doesn't even stop there he takes us one more word build up one another your job is to build up paul doesn't say i'm going to build you up and i'm going to encourage you you said no no no that's for us to do we build up one another we give each other knowledge we give each other assurance we speak spiritual truth into each other's lives you have a responsibility to this fellowship if you consider it your fellowship and that responsibility in light of his coming is to be encouragers to each other to look for someone standing alone in the courtyard say hey my name is bill what's yours to sit by some by somebody when the service is over and put your arm around them somehow give them some truth that they're barely hanging on because of a divorce and finances and jobs and worries and kids and somehow build them up support them give them a foundation speak some truth to them but do it in grace and do it in love and do it in kindness and do it in mercy and do it in love and when this fellowship begins to express the truth of the gospel and how we live with our neighbors and at the workplace and those who don't know him come to know him because of how we live and this place grows because of the lost outside and when we encourage and build up one another then and only then do we become a church until then we're just the club so the great assurance i give to you today is this i don't know what your life is like i don't know where your finances are i don't know what you're overwhelmed by but know this he's coming back for you he is coming back and until he comes back he is living present with you and that vengeance and that judgment of our sinfulness that is that we should bear he jesus himself bore our sins on his body those are great truths tell somebody in a hospital bed dying of cancer that he's coming back to get them to take them to a home that he has prepared and the one who sat at a well by a woman that nobody wanted to hang out with the one who protected a woman caught in adultery one who wept for a friend the one who touched a blind man's eyes the one who has compassion the one who knows grace and mercy and his in his all of those things he's coming back for you and that is our hope trust me listen to me one more time don't put your hope in this government or this country or this world he is our only hope and because he is and because of what he's done i will put on the armor of god i will stand at my post i will work until the last moment because when he comes i want him to find me faithful so that his words to me are well done good and faithful servant don't blame me for this sermon blame this we're going to take communion take the elements from the back from the front sit with them and meditate on the one who bore your sins which is what this communion is about who rescues you from the wrath to come is alive and returning we are told in scripture to celebrate communion to reflect on what he has done for us until he comes and these elements represent the incarnation that god became man and was willing to die on a cross because he so loved us that he wanted to bring reconciliation he wanted to bear our sins so that we wouldn't deal with the consequence of it our jesus who created the universe came to die on a cross so we could live in heaven forever take heed in remembrance of him and the cup represents the shedding of blood the sufferings of our jesus without the shedding of blood there's no remission of sins you are forgiven and that's why paul says we will escape the wrath to come because of him take drink in remembrance of him if after i pray you need prayer there'll be people in the corner praying if you want to put your faith in jesus christ believe in him and confess with your mouth steve bobby i elders people will be up front to introduce you to jesus it's an amazing gift it's all grace no works and if you need to get baptized get baptized today so let me pray dear father may we live rightly in light of your coming though we don't know when we know it's inevitable it will happen may we be found faithful when you return may we be awake aware alert alive and so father as a fellowship may we not only look after each other in encouraging and building up each other in fellowship support may somehow you lead us to someone who doesn't know you who lives in ignorance that somehow in the way that we live and how we speak and how we act may they ask us where our hope is in a hopeless world may they ask us why we laugh when everybody else is angry why we give when everybody else is keeping why we have hope when everybody else is hopeless why we have peace when everybody else is anxious may we say it is because of the want who came to die for our sins and is returning to take us home and we pray these things in the name of jesus christ our savior amen have a great day

Channel: Table Rock

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Id: YCiM2r2yyOA

Length: 54min 35sec (3275 seconds)

Published: Tue Apr 20 2021