The Law and the Kingdom of God
Notes
Transcript
Opening Illustration
Opening Illustration
A very odd bit of sculpture adorns the wall on the grounds of Ribston Hall, Yorkshire, England.
It is what is commonly called “The Two-faced Butler.”
On one side there is a face that is all smiles and politeness;
On the other side is one that depicts nothing but insolence and impoliteness.
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It is told that this represents just such a butler who once served the household.
One day after having received orders from the mistress of the household, all smiles and obsequiousness, he was seen a moment later when he thought she was not looking, sticking out his tongue at her and making other impolite gestures.
So this statue was ordered made and erected in a very prominent spot to both shame him and warn any other servants who might have a tendency to imitate the behavior of the two-faced butler.
Beloved, you know who else is described as two-faced?
The Pharisees who were the religious elite of Jesus’ day...
And they will be rebuked by our Lord and Savior for their arrogant self righteousness.
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So, please turn your Bibles to the Gospel of Luke.
We will conduct our study in Chapter 16 and focus on verses 14 through 17.
Our message this morning is titled “The Law and the Kingdom of God.”
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As you are turning to our passage today please keep in mind this fact...
As Christ is teaching more and more...
The religious elite of Jesus’ day are becoming more and more hostile toward Him...
Eventually their hostility will turn murderous...
But in our passage today we will witness how the Pharisees grumblings has now become ridicule and mockery.
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So, this morning we will cover three main points:
1) The Love of Money
2) The Heart of Man
And...
3) The Word of God
Opening Prayer
Opening Prayer
Before we consider our text, please join me in prayer...
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Heavenly Father...
You are perfect in every way...
You are truly the Alpha and Omega...
And You are the one who sits on the throne above all...
Truly who is like You, our God?
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Help us to serve You more faithfully...
Help us to better appreciate the truth and wisdom in the Scriptures...
And help us to be more conformed to the image of Your Son...
Truly who comes to our aid like You, our God?
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Thank You for the gift of Bible to give us a guide to eternal life...
Thank You for the gift of the Holy Spirit that lives inside every believer...
And thank You for the gift of Your Son who lived and dies for us...
Truly who is as generous and caring like You, our God?
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And it is in Jesus’ name we pray all these things...
Amen.
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Let’s turn to our text for today:
Reading of the Text
Reading of the Text
14 The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed him.
15 And he said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.
16 “The Law and the Prophets were until John; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is preached, and everyone forces his way into it.
17 But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one dot of the Law to become void.
So, let’s look at our first point...
1) The Love of Money
1) The Love of Money
Verse 14: The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed him.
Beloved, I would like us to pay close attention to what is being said here...
For we need to study our passage in the right context.
You see, Luke records that the Pharisees “heard all these things” and reacted to what Jesus has previously said in Luke 16:1-13 which we covered last week and it says:
1 He also said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions.
2 And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’
3 And the manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg.
4 I have decided what to do, so that when I am removed from management, people may receive me into their houses.’
5 So, summoning his master’s debtors one by one, he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’
6 He said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’
7 Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He said, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’
8 The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light.
9 And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.
10 “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.
11 If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches?
12 And if you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own?
13 No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”
As we talked about in great length last Sunday...
This passage is about being a good steward of our possessions...
And it is about using our possessions for the glory of God...
However, rather than using “worldly wealth to make friends” as Jesus advised, the Pharisees are instead “friends of money.”
And because they are lovers of money they decide to insulted and mocked Jesus...
Instead of appreciating the amazing true He was sharing, the religious elite decide the best course of action is to make fun of the Creator of all things!
Pure foolishness!
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Additionally, we start to witness the hostility of the religious elite growing...
So, their grumbling from Luke 15:1–2, which says:
1 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him.
2 And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”
Has now evolved into full blown ridicule!
In mocking Jesus, they disassociate themselves from Him completely.
They want nothing to do with Him...
And they treat Him like He is the scum of the earth!
In fact, their response is polemical, aimed at eliminating any possibility that others will regard Him as a legitimate agent of God and interpreter of the Scriptures.
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So, the Pharisees want to discredit Jesus...
They want to make Him look like a fool...
You see, Beloved, the Greek word for “ridiculed” or “sneer,” signals more than an attitude.
The meaning of the word is “to wrinkle one’s nose” and “to stick one’s nose in the air.”
It expresses physical ridicule, frequently used in the wisdom tradition to describe the response of the fool against the wise, or the godless against the righteous.
So, it is a very prideful attitude that Luke paints for us...
And I want us to keep that image of “sticking one’s nose in the air” in our mind as we will go back to this imagery later in our study.
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Now, because the Pharisees were so fond of money and regarded riches as the rightful reward for their faithful observance of the Law, they sneered Jesus for being of a lower social class...
In their eyes, Jesus was in contrast with most of them for He was very poor and was followed by a small group of likewise poor disciples...
In their minds they believed that His poverty and that of His disciples prove that they are not honored by God in the same degree as they themselves were honored.
However, this worldly thinking was just that...
Very worldly!
One’s economic or social level has no bearing whatsoever on one’s relationship with God...
However, the Pharisees were far more concerned with outside appearances than what was on the inside...
As Jesus said in Matthew 23:25 when He harshly rebuked them:
25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.
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As teachers of the Old Testament Scriptures, the Pharisees should have known better...
Jesus was not saying something new...
In Ecclesiastes 5:10 is clearly says:
10 He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity.
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So, the religious elite should have known better but they were blinded by their love for material possessions...
They were blinded by greed and the love of money...
However, the love of money is dangerous and lead to many dangerous paths away from God...
As Paul recorded in 1 Timothy 6:10:
10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.
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So, if we are to follow our Lord and Savior...
We are to kill that love of money that may creep into our mind...
We are to instead focus on the One who will always take care of us...
We are to instead focus on the One who will never abandon us...
We are to instead focus on the One who is far more reliable than any wealth that can be accumulated in this world...
We are to take to heart the words found in Hebrews 13:5 which says:
5 Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
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Next, in our main passage, we will witness what Jesus has to say about the heart of mere men...
And that takes us to our second point.
2) The Heart of Man
2) The Heart of Man
Verse 15: And he said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.
The Pharisees’ belief was that their own goodness was what justified them.
However, this is the very definition of “self-righteousness.”
And, as Jesus suggested, their supposed righteousness was flawed, being an external veneer only.
That might be enough to justify themselves before men, but not before God.
As Revelation 3:17 says:
17 For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.
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You see, Beloved, God is able to see their hearts...
And He saw that the Pharisees look to themselves to merit salvation instead of looking only to God.
They thought they could earn salvation by preforming good works publicly like giving to the poor...
But their heart did not match their actions...
So, God repeatedly exposed their hypocritical habits of seeking the approval of people instead of seeking the approval of God.
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The New International Commentary on the New Testament on Luke says:
“The Savior, however, calls attention to their error.
By distributing alms with public display and by pointing to their riches as a proof that they are regarded by God as worthy observers of the Law, they pose as just.
But He knows their hearts and knows what motives are hidden behind their public practice of charity.
The great question is not whether they are honored by men on account of their wealth and outward piety, but whether God esteems them.”
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One can’t hide their heart form God...
He can see right through any act...
As Proverbs 21:2 says:
2 Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the heart.
And consider the truth found in 1 Samuel 16:7 which says:
7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”
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Tat is why Jesus says, “For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.”
You see, Beloved, just because you have the approval of others does not mean God approves or is impressed with your actions...
Many times the very things praised by the world is an abomination to God.
In fact, the Greek word for “abomination,” means “detestable,” or “abhorrence.”
And, its original meaning meant that which “greatly offends the nostrils” or “stench.”
So, there is a wordplay with in the original language.
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Remember what we talked about earlier in our study...
Regarding how the Pharisees raised up their noses to Christ...
Well, Jesus rebuked them by saying that as they, the Pharisees, wrinkle their noses at Him, God wrinkles His nose at their lofty pretenses.
I like this note from the Pillar New Testament Commentary on Luke on this topic which says:
“What is natural to humanity, even noble, may stink in God’s nostrils.
No hint here of a divine spark within humanity that reflects the eternal light of God.
The ways of God are as far removed from human inclinations as are the father’s ways from those of his two sons.
This God cannot be known by human intuition or analogies, but only in his self-revelation of Jesus Christ.
If he is not known in Jesus Christ, he is not known.”
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So, Beloved, let us not forget what we were before God regenerated us...
Let us not quickly forget what it says in Isaiah 64:6:
6 We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.
Additionally, look to the truth laid out in Romans 3:20–23 which says:
20 For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.
21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—
22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction:
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
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This is a profound truth that we must understand as it is found in the Word of God which is our ultimate authority...
And it is about the eternality of the truth found in the Scriptures were Jesus next turns our attention...
And that takes us to our third and final point.
3) The Word of God
3) The Word of God
Verses 16-17: “The Law and the Prophets were until John; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is preached, and everyone forces his way into it. But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one dot of the Law to become void.
So, Beloved, what Jesus is saying here is that John the Baptist was still part of the old covenant age...
Therefore, his ministry served as the culmination of a long history of Old Testament prophecy that looked forward to the coming of the messianic kingdom.
In other words, John the Baptist’s ministry marked the turning point of redemptive history.
Prior to that, the great truths of Christ and His kingdom were veiled in the types and shadows of the law, and promised in the writings of the prophets.
But John the Baptist introduced the King Himself...
John was the forerunner to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords...
John was the forerunner to our Savior!
And now that Jesus, the long-promised Messiah, had arrived and started His public ministry, the new covenant period has officially begun...
As Mark 1:14–15 says:
14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God,
15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
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The Pharisees, who thought of themselves as experts in the law and the prophets, missed the significance of the very One to whom the law and the prophets pointed...
The religious elite along with most of Israel where so concerned about the arrival of what they thought would be a warrior like Messiah that they completely missed the true Messiah’s arrival!
As Luke 17:20–21 says:
20 Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed,
21 nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.”
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Then Jesus says, “Since then the good news of the kingdom of God is preached, and everyone forces his way into it.”
The Baker Exegetical Commentary on Luke has some great insight into this difficult saying:
“The verb has a softened force and is in the passive voice:
“All are urged insistently to come in.”
This view fits remarkably well in the current context.
Why is Jesus warning and exhorting his opponents so constantly?
Because he is attempting to persuade them to respond morally.
In a sense, his mission is bound up in his proclamation to and effort toward those most opposed to him, those on the road to rejection.
The opportunity is always placed before them.
The risk is always expressed to them.
Indeed, the special nature of the time creates the urgency.
People may think that they can take or leave the kingdom message, but the warnings are necessary because the message will take or leave them, depending on how they respond.
Thus the need to urge insistently.
Jesus presents the message to all, and all are given the chance to enter and share in the kingdom’s benefits.
The time of fulfillment has come and all are invited to share in the good news.
The kingdom comes, regardless of whether one responds.
But if one is to share in the kingdom message, one must respond to Jesus’ authority—not scoff at it.”
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You see, Beloved, the Pharisees may have memorized much of Scripture...
However, they lacked the spiritual eyes to understand it’s true meaning...
And they conveniently overlooked the parts of Scripture that came into conflict with their worldview...
However, Jesus made it clear then everything in Scripture is there for a reason...
Every book in the Bible...
Every chapter...
Every sentence...
Every verse...
Even every stroke of a character is vital and cannot be made void!
If the Pharisees are to truly be good and faithful religious leaders...
Then they need to truly accept the truth found in all of Scripture.
As Matthew 24:35 says:
35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
Beloved, God’s Word is eternal...
It will never go away!
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That is why Jesus then says in our passage, “But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one dot of the Law to become void.”
So see, Beloved, this refers to the mark that differentiates two similar Hebrew letters.
It would be, for example, the mark that distinguishes a capital “E” from a capital “F” or a capital “R” from a capital “B” in English.
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Therefore, it must be understood that the law points to the kingdom and so does not fail.
It is transformed and fulfilled in Jesus.
It does not fail because its goal is Jesus and its authority is expressed through Him.
This point is a powerful one to the Pharisees, who are supposedly lovers of the law.
If they are to keep the law, they must embrace Jesus’ kingdom message to which it points.
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You see, Beloved, Jesus did not come to do away with the Old Testament...
Jesus came to fulfill the Old Testament!
As Matthew 5:17-19 says:
17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.
19 Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
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Beloved, that is why it is vital to be in the Word of God regularly...
And it is vital that we use Scripture to interpret Scripture.
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So, this goes beyond simple memorization...
We are to meditate on the Scriptures day and night...
We are to give the Scriptures the proper place in our lives...
We are without excuse regarding not being in the Word...
Lack of time is not a valid excuse...
Lack of interest in reading is not an excuse...
Lack of understanding is not an excuse...
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Everyone had the ability to block out at least some time during the day to read God’s Word...
Anyone who does not like reading can listen to the Scriptures as a audio book...
And regarding understanding there are many wonderful sources like study Bibles and commentaries to help...
And on top of that you have a pastor who will always make time to sit with anyone of you to discuss the things in Scripture.
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Beloved, we must be like the Bereans!
As Acts 17:10-12 says:
10 The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue.
11 Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.
12 Many of them therefore believed, with not a few Greek women of high standing as well as men.
That should be our attitude, Beloved!
Closing Illustration
Closing Illustration
So, as this message comes to a close...
I would like you to consider this:
Have you ever flown in an airplane and wondered why a full cup of coffee doesn’t spill when the plane turns?
That’s right, no matter how steep is the banked turn—even if the wings are perpendicular to the ground—coffee won’t spill, a magazine will drop straight to the floor, and stewardesses will walk upright down the aisle as if the plane were level.
And unless you are looking out the window, you cannot tell which way the plane is turning.
All because of inertia.
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Pilots, too, are subject to inertia. When flying through clouds or fog, which prevent them from seeing the horizon, pilots cannot feel the plane’s wings beginning to bank to the left or right.
In fact in the early days of flight, pilots followed the myth of instinct:
They believed they could feel the turn, and when their planes were accidently engulfed in fog or clouds, many banked unknowingly into a spiral dive that ended in a crash.
That’s why pilot William Langewiesche writes, “Instinct is worse than useless in the clouds.”
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To fly through clouds, pilots must rely on instruments like the artificial horizon.
The artificial horizon is a gyroscopically steadied line that stays level with the earth’s surface and unerringly indicates when the wings are banking left or right.
The artificial horizon revolutionized flying, but when it was first invented, pilots resisted using it.
The biggest problem flyers had was belief.
They trusted their feelings more than their instruments.
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In the Christian life God’s Word acts as our primary flight instrument.
Our feelings can mislead us, but God’s Word tells us the truth.
And the greatest truth found in God’s Word is the Good News of Jesus Christ...
That is why we are believer must share with the world Christ and Christ crucified!
For the Old Testament promised that the Messiah would come one day to save us by sacrificing Himself for us...
The Gospels record how Jesus lived for us and how He also dies for us on the cross and how He rose after three days...
Acts records the spread of the message of Christ and Christ crucified to the world...
The Epistles explain the theology behind Christ and His sacrifice...
And Revelation show us what will happen in the end of our age with Christ’s second coming and how those who trust in Christ’s sacrifice at Calvary with spend an eternity with Him.
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And it is now about Christ’s sacrifice that we bring our attention to.
Communion
Communion
As we begin our communion service, I want to invite every genuinely born-again believer in the room to partake in this act together.
If you do not yet know the Lord and do not have a relationship with Him...
Or if you are under church discipline from this church or another church...
Then I will ask that you wait until you have resolved your issue before participating.
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As you came in, you should have picked up a communion packet if you are joining us.
This has both the bread and the juice in a convenient package.
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If you have not received one of these, please raise your hand, and someone will get you one.
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Before we join in communion together, I would like us to consider Galatians 2:15–20, which says:
15 We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners;
16 yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.
17 But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not!
18 For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor.
19 For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God.
20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
In an article titled “Dying to the Law in Christ” found in the September 2012 edition of Tabletalk magazine we find this wonderful note on the passage we just read:
“The context for this verse is the Galatian Judaizers' attempt to find eternal life by keeping the commandments.
Such an approach to God's law is fundamentally wrong, as Paul tells us throughout Galatians.
If we start down the road of obedience to the law as the means of securing the righteousness that merits eternal life, we cannot veer off course.
We must keep every commandment of God perfectly, for that is the only way to merit life in His presence forever.
Sinners cannot do this. Somewhat paradoxically, God's law leads to life only if we first embrace the law's condemnation.
We must die to the law through the law—we must be united to Christ by faith alone so that His satisfaction of the law's penalty becomes our satisfaction.
God's law no longer condemns us to eternal death because that sentence was executed fully in Christ.
If we are in Him, the law's sentence has been fulfilled for us, and condemnation no longer hangs over our heads.
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We died in Christ, but we were also raised to new life in Him—the abundant life of joyfully serving God that He exemplified and now works in us.
This new life is not lawlessness but life lived in Christ, which entails submission to Christ, who dwells in us by His Spirit to direct us in righteousness.
This life acknowledges that we are great sinners but Jesus is a greater Savior.
Working in us, He leads us to repent when we fall and gives us the desire to serve God joyfully.”
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So, Beloved...
Let’s all take a moment right now in silent prayer to thank the Lord for all He did for us...
(MOMENT OF SILENCE)
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Tom, will you pray before we partake in the bread:
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The Word of God says in Luke 22:19:
19 And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
(TAKE THE BREAD)
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Adrian, will you pray before we partake in the cup:
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The Word of God says in Luke 22:20:
20 And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.
(TAKE THE CUP)
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With that, we conclude the communion portion of our service.
Closing Prayer
Closing Prayer
Let’s pray...
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Heavenly Father...
If anyone hearing this message right now does not know You in a saving way...
Then open their eyes to see your beautiful truth.
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I appeal to Your Name’s sake!
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For those hearing this message who already know You...
Then help us to tell others of your beautiful truth.
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Again, I appeal to Your Name’s sake!
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It is in Jesus’ name we pray all these things...
To God be all the glory.
Amen.
