Behold, the Lord!

Opening:

Good-morning again Connection Church. I am so glad that you have come to worship God together on the Lord’s Day. This is a vital thing in the life of the believer. Here we gather to worship Christ. Here, we lay aside ourselves and come into the throne room to bow before our King. We enter in and worship God. We do this now by opening the Word that He gave us. We study it because it is His very breath. It is true and sufficient.

Introduction of the Text:

Open with me to Matthew 17:1-13. Two weeks ago I covered one of the most controversial passages in Scripture. Last week we saw one of the most important passages, for it mandated what all believers must do. This week we cover one of the most beautiful and impactful passages in all of Scripture. It is also a vital passage. While all of Scripture is important, there are passages that are more central than others. There are verses and passages we may disagree on and maintain fellowship. We may come together and debate the timing and order of passages regarding the return of Christ. But there are other passages that if we get them wrong, we deny essential aspects of the faith. If we twist them, we find ourselves in open defiance of God. There are things we must get right. This is one of the vital passages to get right because it is regarding the very person of Christ.

What a person believes about Jesus Christ will reveal the state of their soul. If someone denies aspects of who Jesus is, they show themselves to be lost. A person is saved by faith in Jesus Christ. However, if a person is believing in a false Christ, they are not saved. If a person names their pet “Jesus” and places their faith in them, they are still lost. If a person believes that Jesus was simply a prophet, they are still lost. If a person believes that Jesus and Michael the Angel are the same person, they are still lost. What you believe about Jesus is vital to your soul. And in this passage, we see Jesus. We come to witness the reality of who Jesus is. We see here the real Jesus.

Reading of the Text:

Matthew 17:1-13 17 And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. 3 And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. 4 And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 5 He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” 6 When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified. 7 But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and have no fear.” 8 And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.

9 And as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.” 10 And the disciples asked him, “Then why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?” 11 He answered, “Elijah does come, and he will restore all things. 12 But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of Man will certainly suffer at their hands.” 13 Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.

The Word of God. Let’s pray.

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father. We ask that you would open our ears and our hearts to Your Word. Lord, this is a vitally important passage. Who we think Jesus is, is the most important thing about us. Lord, protect us from false ideas about the Son. May we come today and see the truth. Lord, we ask that you would move in our hearts to reveal the truth.

Lord, for those here who may be lost, I ask that they would come to know the true Jesus Christ today. May they be saved. Awaken their hearts to the truth of your Word today. Bring them to life through the power of the Holy Spirit. May they, through this passage, come face to face with Jesus. May they be convicted of their sins and repent and place their faith in Christ alone for their salvation.

Lord, I ask also for the saved here today. May they come before you with humility. May they submit their understanding to your Word. May they reject false ideas and notions about Jesus and may they accept the truth of Your Word. Sanctify them according to the Word.

Finally, Lord, I ask for myself. Help me to preach Your Word. Guard me from speaking anything untrue about you or your Word. Help me to communicate well what you have revealed. Help me to give the truth of who you are.

We ask this in Jesus name, amen.

Transition:

As we open this text, let us walk through the events of what is happening. We see first that Christ is transfigured.

Explanation:

Christ is Transfigured.

First, an explanation. The text opens by saying “after six days.” Luke’s gospel says “about eight days.” Many have pointed to this and claimed that this shows the error of the Bible. However, the answer is simple and easy. Luke counts the day where Jesus taught the disciples and the day of the transfiguration. Matthew and Mark are simply counting the days in between. Six days after Jesus had taught the disciples about His coming suffering and death and the requirement of all Christians to take up the cross; Jesus takes Peter, James and John up on a high mountain. They go by themselves. Why did Jesus take only these three? The gospels seem to indicate a special relationship with these three. Jesus had many followers, but only twelve disciples. Among the twelve, these three most often were taken places by Christ. And even among these three, John is referred to as “the beloved disciple.” Jesus takes these three in order to show them something special.

It then says that Christ was transfigured before them. What does this mean? It means that He was transformed, changed, transfigured. There was a fundamental change. Matthew explains what is meant by transfigured in the rest of the verse. Before their eyes Jesus’ face became like a light. It shone like the sun. A great and blinding light. His very clothes began to shine. His garments began to radiate like a white light. It is clear from the text that Christ’s face literally began to shine. He began to radiate light like the very sun. But why? Why did Christ begin to shine?

Here we see something incredible. Up until this point we have seen mostly Christ’s humanity. It is occasionally that we metaphorically see the curtain pulled back to glimpse His deity revealed. He will claim deity. Others will claim His deity. But here we witness it. We are graced with the same privilege that Peter, James and John have. Here there is no metaphor. The curtain is pulled back and we see God the Son. Here we see as John sees in his Revelation.

Revelation 1:12-16

12 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. 14 The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, 15 his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.

Here we see as Daniel saw. Here is the Ancient of Days.

Daniel 7:9-10 9 “As I looked,

thrones were placed,

and the Ancient of Days took his seat;

his clothing was white as snow,

and the hair of his head like pure wool;

his throne was fiery flames;

its wheels were burning fire.

10  A stream of fire issued

and came out from before him;

a thousand thousands served him,

and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him;

the court sat in judgment,

and the books were opened.

Here is the revelation of what the Psalmist writes in Psalm 104:1-2

Psalm 104:1-2 104 Bless the LORD, O my soul!

O LORD my God, you are very great!

You are clothed with splendor and majesty,

2  covering yourself with light as with a garment,

stretching out the heavens like a tent.

We are given the honor to have described for us what was witnessed by three of the disciples. They are graced to witness the curtain pulled aside. Here they see God the Son, Second Member of the Holy Trinity, The Ancient of Days, Almighty God standing before them.

It continues. Christ, shining like the sun is attended by two others. Moses and Eliah appear to speak with Christ. They come to attend their Lord. Here is represented the Law in Moses and the Prophets in Elijah. Here we see the reality that all that has come before is about and pointing to Jesus. Christ is the fulfilment. He is the completion. All is about and for Him. Here He is attended by arguably the two most important figures of the Old Testament. They come to speak to Jesus. Luke tells us that they discussed with Jesus His departure. They are there speaking with Jesus about His death. The representatives of the Old Covenant come to discuss with Jesus the fulfillment of all they had the privilege of foreshadowing.

Transition:

But Jesus, Moses, and Elijah are not alone. We are reminded of the presence of the disciples when Peter Speaks.

Peter Speaks.

Three men had the distinct honor of witnessing this event. Peter, James, and John are present to witness this. They see Christ begin to shine like the sun. They see Moses and Elijah appear to speak to Christ. Peter even records the wonder of this event in his second letter to the dispersed churches.

2 Peter 1:16-21 16 For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” 18 we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. 19 And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, 20 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. 21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

Peter is here communicating the awe of being present for this event. What is the context of Peter recording this? Peter though present for this incredible event does not point to his experience as the ultimate authority. Even though this event is a great evidence, Peter says that there is still a more sure word. The Word of God is even more sure than being present at the transfiguration. The Prophesy of Scripture is our sure word. The prophets wrote the Scriptures and this is our authority. This is the honor we have this morning. We have the sure account written down for us.

In this sure account recorded by Matthew, we see a less understanding Peter. Peter speaks up in the middle of this event. Peter, the mouthpiece among the disciples, exercises his great ability to speak. He says “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” Peter first states his gratitude for being present, and offers to go to work. We also see that Peter recognizes Moses and Elijah. We do not know exactly how he knows them. Perhaps Jesus greeted them by name, or perhaps the Lord revealed it to the disciples. But Peter offers to build three tents or tabernacles. One for each of the three; one for Christ, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.

Peter does get a lot of poor publicity for this encounter. While he does deserve this, perhaps it is worth noting that this is a rather selfless suggestion. While Peter misses the point of what is happening, his first offer is to serve Christ and Christ’s esteemed guests. However, as I said, Peter misses the point.

Transition:

Peter was not the only one to speak. A cloud comes and the Father speaks.

The Father Speaks.

While Peter is speaking, he is interrupted. a bright cloud overshadows them and from it, a voice speaks. God the Son is here speaking to Moses and Elijah and God the Father appears as He did with Moses. Listen to Exodus 24:15-16 15 Then Moses went up on the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. 16 The glory of the LORD dwelt on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days. And on the seventh day he called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud.

God the Father then speaks from the cloud and says what He said at Christ’s baptism recorded in Matthew 3. “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased...” This is as important as it was then. In this account, we do not only have Christ revealing His deity, we have the Father speaking again from heaven to confirm the deity of Christ. Here is the fulfilment of the messianic Psalm we have been singing. Psalm 2:7

7  I will tell of the decree:

The LORD said to me, “You are my Son;

But this is not all that the Father says. We see who He is specifically addressing. The Father is specifically addressing Peter and the other two. The Father interrupts Peter and says, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” The three disciples react in the most appropriate way to this command. They hear it, fall on their faces and are terrified. This is the correct reaction.

Transition:

As the Father commanded the three disciples to listen to Christ, we next see exactly what is to be expected. Christ speaks.

Christ Speaks.

While the disciples, with their faces in the dirt, are trembling, Jesus comes to them. He touches them. Such a tender and reassuring act. They are frightened out of their minds. They have just seen God the Son revealed before their eyes, and heard God the Father speak from heaven. Beyond this, God the Father did not just speak, but rebuked them. It is a wonder that they did not die of fright. However, here is Christ, touching them. He is reassuring them with the gentle touch. He then speaks kind words to them.

He says, “Rise, and have no fear.” What comforting words. Likely they were in fear that they may be struck dead. Who are they to have seen and heard God? God has just rebuked them and commanded that they listen to the Son. They then lift up their eyes and see no one but Jesus. What must that have been like? They had witnessed the curtain being pulled aside. They had seen the Son in His glory, they had heard the Father. What must they have thought? What awe must they have had when looking up and seeing Jesus? What fear and wonder must they have had at His touch and word? I love the wording of this text. They lifted their eyes and saw no one but Jesus only. Their sight was filled with Christ. What a beautiful description.

Transition:

They then begin to descend the mountain. They obey the command they recieved directly from the Father. They Listen to Christ. He commands them to keep what they had seen secret until after the resurrection. They obey this. They then seek help in understanding from their Lord. This too was obedience to the Father. They seek to listen to Jesus. They ask Him their question. They ask Him, “ “Then why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?” Jesus answers them. Jesus explains Elijah has suffered; Christ must yet suffer.

Elijah Has Suffered. Christ Must Yet Suffer.

We next read, “11 He answered, “Elijah does come, and he will restore all things. 12 But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of Man will certainly suffer at their hands.” 13 Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.”

Here Jesus again speaks of John the Baptist as Elijah. John was the fulfilment of Malachi 4:5-6 “5 “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. 6 And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.” This is not an example of the false teaching of the scribes. They had this one right, they simply missed the fulfillment of it. These are the closing words of the prophet Malachi. John fulfilled this. While John was not physically Elijah, who was just on the mountain with Jesus, he was a type of Elijah. Elijah and John were the same. They were of the same mission. They both were pointing to Christ.

Jesus then explains that the people did not recognize Elijah and they “did whatever they pleased.” This meant that they put John to death. Jesus then speaks of His coming death once again. He would suffer and die. Again we see Jesus’ knowledge of what was coming. His death and resurrection are not accidents or the outcome of random events. This is the purposeful, deliberate, sovereign plan of God.

While the disciples did not grasp the fulness of what Jesus said about His death and suffering, they did understand what Jesus had said about John.

Argumentation:

But again we come down to the question of “why is this important?” What is the importance of this text? Why does it matter? Why is this included in Sacred Scripture? This passage matters because it speaks to who Christ is.

Who Christ Is.

Who is Jesus? Why does it matter? As I opened this sermon, I spoke of how a wrong idea of Christ is damning to the soul of man. It is important to know the real Christ.

Illustration:

Let me ask you this, what damage does it do if I have a wrong idea in my mind of someone I see cross the street by my house once a week? Very little. They have no impact on my life. I simply glance out the window and see them walking outside. What about if I have a wrong idea in my mind about a coworker? I think they are fundamentally someone they are not. This has more impact, right? It can lead to fights, or a poor work environment. I should seek to know who my coworker is and attempt to correct my misconceptions. What about my boss? What if I have a fundamentally flawed understanding of who my boss is? This could cause many troubles at work. It could cause greater miscommunications, it could even lead to my being fired. What about a dear friend? What if I fundamentally misunderstood who a dear friend was. I assume they are someone, but in reality they are someone different. If this is a big enough misunderstanding of who they are, it could damage or destroy the relationship.

What if I misunderstood who my wife was? What if I were to tell you that I loved my wife. This is a grand sentiment, right? It is only grand as long as it is true. But what if I were to say, “I love my wife. I love her short cropped blonde hair. I love how she is six feet tall. I love how she has rich, dark brown eyes. I love the way her name, Patricia, rolls off my tongue.” What would you think? I may say this with extreme passion. I may be serious and sincere with all my heart and soul. It wouldn’t matter. It would be wrong and a false love, a false relationship. No matter how serious or sincere I was, it would be false and destructive. Why? Because my wife is a real person. She is real. That fact of reality matters. Her dark brown hair matters. Her name matters. Who she is matters. I love her. I love Katharine.

Now let me ask you this. What if I have a fundamental misunderstanding of who Jesus is? How important is that? It is of the utmost importance. It is of eternal importance. Why? Because He is real. Because He is who He is. Jesus is not an imagined concept. He is real. He is God. If I have some fake, imagined concept of who He is, then that is not the real Jesus. The real Jesus who is presented in this passage.

Transition:

Why do I bring this up? Why do I stress this point so much? Because this is not just semantics. This is not some idle, fooling debate over something that doesn’t matter. A wrong belief regarding who Jesus is, is the difference between heaven and hell. This is the difference between salvation and damnation. This is why through the entire life of the church, this has been passionately defended and debated. This is why those who deny fundamental aspects of who Christ is have been labeled as heretics. Paul warned the Corinthian church against “False Christs.” 2 Corinthians 11:4 “4 For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough.” The church in Corinth was tolerating people proclaiming false “Jesus”s.

Why this warning? Because a false Jesus cannot save. Only the real Jesus can save. This is why this passage is vital. In this passage we see the humanity and deity of Jesus. The curtain is laid aside and we see Jesus is still fully, truly, very God. He is not merely a man. He did not fully lay aside His deity. Colossians 1:19 is true! “19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,” He took on flesh. He did not merely manifest as a man. He is truly, fully, very man. Philippians 2:5-8 is true! “5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” This is important! Many of the early heresies denied either Jesus’ deity or His humanity. This is why meticulous language was used in defining who Jesus is in many of the classic confessions of the faith. This is why Jesus is defined as “Fully God and fully man,” or “very God, very man” or “Truly God, Truly man” in these old confessions and creeds.

Truly God, Truly Man.

This is why the Nicene Creed speaks of Jesus like this, after “We Believe”

We Believe:

In one Lord Jesus Christ,       the only Son of God,       begotten from the Father before all ages,            God from God,            Light from Light,            true God from true God,       begotten, not made;       of the same essence as the Father.       Through him all things were made.       For us and for our salvation            he came down from heaven;            he became incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary,            and was made human.            He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate;            he suffered and was buried.            The third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures.            He ascended to heaven            and is seated at the right hand of the Father.            He will come again with glory            to judge the living and the dead.            His kingdom will never end.

Or the Athanasian Creed saying thus:

Now this is the true faith:

That we believe and confess     that our Lord Jesus Christ, God's Son,     is both God and human, equally.

He is God from the essence of the Father,     begotten before time;     and he is human from the essence of his mother,     born in time;     completely God, completely human,     with a rational soul and human flesh;     equal to the Father as regards divinity,     less than the Father as regards humanity.

Although he is God and human,     yet Christ is not two, but one.     He is one, however,     not by his divinity being turned into flesh,     but by God's taking humanity to himself.     He is one,     certainly not by the blending of his essence,     but by the unity of his person.     For just as one human is both rational soul and flesh,     so too the one Christ is both God and human.

These early creeds and countless following them speak of the importance of the person of Christ. We may use slightly different language to describe certain particulars but one can feel the effort, the anguish that went into correctly defining who Christ is. The church came together and wrestled through the Scriptures. They came to passages like this one and anguished over the meaning. They did not do this because it is minuscule or unimportant. They wrestled with this because of how vital a correct understanding of Christ is.

These faithful men who wrestled through these creeds and confessions did not do so because they wished to pick fights and split the church. They sought to unite the church under a clearly expressed faith. They sought to unify true believers under the banner of Christ. They did this because a false Jesus cannot save.

Transition:

I fear today that we have lost this. It seems that in many evangelical churches and environments we have lost the love for who Christ is, who He REALLY is. We seem to have lost a passion for the reality of Jesus. We no longer seem to have the passion of those men who went before us. Well, I am here to tell you that we still hold the passion for the person and work of Christ. It is still important who Christ is.

It is Still Important Who Christ Is.

We benefit greatly from those who went before us. They fought the heretics who sought to corrupt the sound teachings. They formed great statements of faith. But we have not abandoned this fight. One of my core principles as a preacher is to present the truth of who Jesus is to you. It is to preach the Word of God. It is to preach Christ and Him crucified. It matters what we believe and say about Jesus. We will stand for the truth of God’s Word. We will stand on the revealed truth that Jesus is truly God, truly man. We will echo the cries of Christ Himself, the Apostels, the Church Fathers, and all the faithful men throughout history. We will stand with Peter, with Paul, with Polycarp, with Augustine, with Hus, with Luther, with Calvin, with Knox, with Whitfield, with Edwards, and with all those who proclaim the true Christ.

We will proclaim the truth of this passage, that Jesus is God in the flesh. We will declare the beautiful truth that we could not pay the debt we owed, so God became a man that He might pay it our place. That Jesus came to die in our place. That He lived the perfect life, never sinning. He kept the Law. He died for all those who would believe in Him. He suffered in our place. He rose on the third day. He is the King of kings and Lord of lords. We will stand with those faithful men who have gone before. We will deny any heresy about who Jesus is or what He did. We do not deny this out of anger or hatred for those who are purposefully or ignorantly heretics, but we deny the heresies out of a passionate love for the real Jesus and love for those who teach lies! We love Jesus! We will stand. Though the world hate us, we will stand. Though we be rejected, we will stand. Though we be condemned, we will stand. Though they cast us in with lions, we will stand. Though they crucify us, we will stand. Though they burn us, we will stand! We will not deny our Lord. We will stand in love for Him and the reality of who He is. He is truly God and truly man. He is seated at the right of the Father with all authority! We will declare His kingdom until He returns or we die as the faithful of old.

This is the commitment of this church. We will stand for the truth of who Jesus is. We will call all that are in ear shot to follow Him. We will worship Him to the end! We will rejoice and worship with all who respond to the gospel. We will continue to worship Jesus and share His good news with this community! We will seek opportunities to spread this good news wherever we can! We will teach the truth of who Christ is. We will seek to educate all that we can on the person and work of Christ.

God willing, this is what you will always hear from this pulpit. You will hear as the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith says:

“The Son of God, the second person in the Holy Trinity, being very and eternal God, the brightness of the Father's glory, of one substance and equal with Him who made the world, who upholds and governs all things He has made, did, when the fullness of time was complete, take upon Him man's nature, with all the essential properties and common infirmities of it,9 yet without sin;10 being conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary, the Holy Spirit coming down upon her: and the power of the Most High overshadowing her; and so was made of a woman of the tribe of Judah, of the seed of Abraham and David according to the Scriptures;11 so that two whole, perfect, and distinct natures were inseparably joined together in one person, without conversion, composition, or confusion; which person is very God and very man, yet one Christ, the only mediator between God and man.12”

Transition:

Why do I go so into depth about this? Why do I labor the importance of knowing who Christ is? Why do I show the old confessions of the identity of Christ? Because this is the application of the text.

Application:

Why was this recorded? Why are we given this account that only Peter, James, and John were witness to? The Spirit inspired this passage. He inspired it to be written in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. And this is the application. The Word of God is speaking to us. It is saying, “Behold, The Lord.”

Behold, The Lord.

This is the call. Stand in awe of Christ. Be like the disciples and be in awe of Jesus. This is the call of every gospel Sermon! Worship Him! Worship Him! He is Holy Holy Holy. Behold the Lord!

The King of kings.

The Lord of lords.

Almighty God.

Maker of heaven and earth.

Very God.

Very Man.

Our substitute.

Our Savior.

The Lamb of God.

The Lion of the tribe of Judah.

Emmanuel, God With us.

Christ.

Messiah.

The Word.

The Master.

Son of God.

Son of man.

The Light of the World.

The Second Adam.

This is who I present to you.

Behold, the Lord.

Do you know Him? Do you love Him? Are you bowing before Him? Are you worshipping Him? Scripture teaches us that every knee will bow before Him. Every tongue will confess that He is God. Are you trusting in Him? If you are not, call out to Him! Every one who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved. Repent of your sins and trust in Him today. Turn away from your sins and sub,it to Him as Lord of your life. Trust in Jesus Christ alone for your salvation. If you are trusting in Him, then you are saved! Your sins are forgiven! You are washed white as snow. Now, then let us do what we will do forever, let us worship Him! Will you worship Him with me through singing?

Let us sing again that Psalm we sang earlier.

Sing:

Psalm 134

Communion:

Now we are going to worship Christ together in another way that He commanded us. We are going to partake in communion. Communion is a blessed act. Scripture tells us that when we gather together around the Lord’s table we are proclaiming His death until He returns. This is a physical proclamation of the gospel. This is why it is reserved for the saved only. Only Christians can do this. So if you are saved, you are trusting in Jesus Christ alone for your salvation, I invite you come and take the bread and the cup.

1 Corinthians 11:23-26 23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

Let us take the Lord’s body together.

25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”

Let us take the Lord’s blood together.

26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

Prayer:

Closing Doxology:

Praise God from Whom all blessings flow.

Praise Him all creatures, here below.

Praise Him above, ye heavenly host.

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Amen.

Closing Benediction:

Matthew 28:16-20 16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”