Matthew 19:1-15 "Marriage & Divorce"

Good Morning Calvary Chapel Lake City!

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Please join us this Thursday at 7pm for our Mid-Week Bible Study in Genesis.

Last week our College Students joined us again. Welcome back students. If you can help our students, we have a need for transportation. Last year, mostly I picked up and drove the students back and forth to campus, but I’m finding myself getting pulled in various directions, so if you can help with transportation…I and the students would be grateful. Grace College is 4 min down the road. If the Lord is stirring your heart to serve in this way, please let me know.

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Today we will have communion followed by our Fellowship Lunch…I hope you can break bread with us!

If you are new to Calvary Chapel…I’m Pastor Marc, welcome!

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Please turn in your Bibles to Matthew 19. We are looking at verses 1-15 today.

Last week we finished the “Discourse on the Church” where Jesus addressed His disciples who were disputing about who would be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. So, Jesus taught them about true greatness…if you want to be great... be humble, a servant, last of all.

He taught them about unity, reconciliation, and forgiveness…rich lessons…and a relatively easy chapter to teach…except for that bit on church discipline…

But, that’s the beauty and the difficulty of teaching straight through the Bible…I don’t determine what the next topic is.

I was meeting with another Pastor this past week and he told me, “I’m not a topical teacher…I teach expositionally, but, I exposit one passage, and then may jump to a different book... I hop all around the Bible, so I don’t always get to the difficult passages.”

And, it seemed like he was feeling a little convicted. But, not my place to judge. Rom 14:4 states “To his own master he stands or falls.”

For me, I feel a weight…a duty, before God, to teach all the scriptures...not select scriptures. Paul said in Acts 20:27, “For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God.”

I also feel a responsibility to you so that you “may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” And, that’s your personal responsibility as well.

So, we continue that journey...entering into Matthew 19. Jesus is heading to the cross, and preparing His disciples for what lies ahead as He passes the responsibility of “making disciples” and “preaching the Gospel” to them.

From Matt 16:13 through Chapter 20, as Jesus is on the road to the cross, He is largely is discipling His disciples… thus our theme is “The King’s Road to Preparation.”

And, the next lesson comes by way of a question…a test by the Pharisees on divorce.

The title for today’s teaching is “Marriage & Divorce.”

Let’s Pray!

Matt 19:1 “Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these sayings [presumably Matt 18], that He departed from Galilee...”

Pause right there. Take these word in... “He departed from Galilee...” The gravity of these four words are noteworthy. Only Matthew records this... “He departed from Galilee.”

If you have ever moved away from home, there is a somber…a heavy moment that final time you close the car door or step onto the plane…knowing you are departing your earthly home...where you grew up…your loved ones. In Jesus’ humanity, that place was Galilee…and I imagine He felt that somber moment when He took that last step off the shores of Capernaum…his home base.

Jesus knew what was ahead, but stayed on mission…stayed in the Father’s will…Luke 9:51 reads, “Now it came to pass, when the time had come [the Father’s will] for Him to be received up [the Ascension], that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem...”

He knew the road ahead was difficult, and He still “set His face to go to Jerusalem.”

He did not run from God’s will like Jonah. Jonah 1:3 reads, “Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.”

Jesus departed from Galilee and set His face to go to Jerusalem.

And, what would He face in Jerusalem? The passion…the cross…separation from the Father…death…these were the things He would face in Jerusalem, but He did it anyway in submission to the Father’s will and emboldened by love, for you and I, to save our eternal souls.

The road ahead would not be easy…fully God and fully man…Jesus divinely knowing what was ahead, and His humanity would agonize.

Luke 22:42-44 reads, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” 43 Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. 44 And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.”

He knew what was ahead, but continued anyhow...conquering sin…defeating death...rising again and redeeming mankind…a sacrifice made in love for us.

So, take those words in…imagining what Jesus felt as He departed from Galilee knowing He would not return…and knowing what lied ahead.

How easy for us just to read over this verse without giving a thought to what our Lord was feeling and thinking in this moment?

Continuing in V1 “He departed from Galilee and came to the region [or boundary] of Judea beyond the Jordan [KJV records this as the “coasts of Judaea beyond the Jordan”…this is understood as the land bordering Judea... which is the region of “Perea”…Herod Antipas’ region…and I have a map to help you visualize Jesus’ journey from Galilee to Perea and onward to Jerusalem…and let’s keep that map up for a few minutes]. V2 “And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them there.”

The purpose of Matthew’s gospel is to present Jesus as the King…the Messiah TO Matthew’s intended audience…Jews.

As such, Matthew covers in 2 verses (Matt 19:1-2)…what John, in his gospel, covers in 4 chapters (John 7-10)…and, what Luke covers in roughly 8 1/2 chapters (Luke 9:51-18:14).

For Matthew, recording this “Perean Ministry” did not greatly further his goal of proving Jesus was the King to his Jewish audience. Luke and John wrote to different audiences, and this ministry was meaningful for the purposes of their Gospels.

To help you visualize 4 Chapters in John and 8.5 Chapters in Luke... take a look at the map on the screen...

The orange line (From Galilee to Judea (which is just south of Samaria)) pictures what is covered in most of John 7-10 and Luke 10-11.

The green line begins Jesus’ Perean Ministry which is mostly recorded in Luke 12-18, but we will see some of those detail in Matthew 19 to 20:16…which accounts for Jesus’ interaction with Jews during His time in Perea.

To get a fuller picture of the Perean ministry, I would encourage you to read John 7-10 and Luke 9:51-18:14, which Matthew just covers in V2 “And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them there.”

I will say this about the multitudes…they were not trustworthy. We have seen many times in the Matthew that the multitudes were a mixed crowd. The parable of the soils highlights the mix of hearts in these crowds.

As we have been teaching through Matthew, we have seen these crowds increasingly oppose Jesus, or want something from Jesus (typically healing, food, for Him to be their political messiah), but rarely do they worship Jesus.

And despite them, Jesus continues to minister to them. Jesus knew they had ill motives and knew these would be the same or similar people who would crucify Him.

And, He ministered to them anyway. He gave and gave and gave. And, He did it in love. A challenge for us to do the same.

And, towards the end of the Perean ministry, that’s when Jesus is approached by the Pharisees regarding divorce…and just like the Religious to want to debate in the midst of great miracles and teachings…and their question was not even a legitimate question…it was a trap…let’s take a look at V3...

Matt 19:3 “The Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him, and saying to Him, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?”

This question on divorce was a test designed to trap Jesus and cause Him to fall, and this was one of the trickiest snares the Pharisees ever laid...

Israel was divided over the issue of divorce. Two prominent Rabbis of the time… Shammai and Hillel... taught opposing views on divorce. Shammai was conservative, and Hillel was liberal (very similar to our nation today… divorce for whatever cause).

The debate centered on interpretation of Deut 24:1 “When a man takes a wife and marries her, and it happens that she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some uncleanness in her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce...” And, then it goes on, but...

The debate was over the phrase “some uncleanness” or “something indecent,”... ʿervâh dāḇār in Hebrew lit., “the indecency of a thing.” Ervah by def. “nudity, nakedness.” Dabar can take on many meanings including “thing.”

Mishnah Gittin 9:10 discusses how...

Conservative Shammai focuses on the word “uncleanness” and interprets this as a “forbidden sexual intercourse.” Now, Lev 20:10 states the punishment for adultery is death…and Deut 22:20-21 also subscribes the death penalty for pre-marital sex.

But, Shammai is more forgiving than OT law and does not suggest death for adultery, but divorce…and Jesus held this same view, as we will see in V9.

But, Jesus’ judgment is also more restrictive then Shammai. Jesus only permitted divorce for sexual sin, whereas Shammai had some other clauses for divorce in additional to sexual sin.

Liberal Hillel looks at Deut 24:1 and focuses on the word “thing”… it’s the word “some” in our Bibles. “Some uncleanness.”

Hillel’s interpretation is ‘divorce is permissible for any “thing” wrong with her.’ The official writings give examples… if the wife burns the husband’s food -or- over-salts his dish, she is subject to divorce. “Uncleanness” was seen as “any type of shortcoming in her.” And, sadly, but not surprising, Hillel’s view was more popular.

Later on, another Rabbi…Akiva would focus on the phrase “she finds no favor in his eyes” and he would permit divorce even if the husband “desired another woman more…if he found another woman more beautiful than she is.” Another liberal view.

So, that was the debate... and here’s the trap...

If Jesus aligns Himself liberal (with Hillel), then conservative Jews would think He was contradicting a conservative interpretation of Mosaic Law.

If Jesus aligned Himself conservative (which He does in V9)...this conservative stance would alienate liberal Jews…and just maybe also entangle Jesus in the same controversy John the Baptist found himself in.

Keep in mind...Jesus was presently ministering in Perea...Herod Antipas’ region…Antipas who imprisoned and ultimately killed John the Baptist... because John was conservative and spoke against Antipas marrying Herodias…his brother Philip’s wife. John said, “It is not lawful for you to have her.” Matt 14:4

So, would Antipas do the same to Jesus? If Jesus sides conservative…the Pharisees tell Antipas…bada bing bada boom…Herod does the dirty deed and their problem with Jesus is solved. Thank you Herod.

It seems like a logical trap. But, we see no indication that Herod was offended by Jesus’ conservative stance on marriage.

During Jesus’ Civil Trial, He stood before Antipas... we read in Luke 23:8 “…when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceedingly glad; for he had desired for a long time to see Him, because he had heard many things about Him, and he hoped to see some miracle done by Him."

Herod would treat Jesus with contempt and mock Him, but He did not remove Jesus’ head, like he did John’s. But, unlike John, Jesus did not call Herod out by name.

But, I do wonder if this trap was effective in beginning to alienate some of the more liberal Jews. Hard to say, but many Jews ultimately do turn on Jesus. Regardless, Jesus does not compromise God’s word... Look at His response in VSS4-6...

Matt 19:4-6 “And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ 5 and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? 6 So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.”

Jesus responds to their question with a question of His own…which is typical of that region even to this day. The Pharisees ask a question in V3. Jesus asks a question in VSS4-5. Then, the Pharisees ask a question in V7.

Jesus starts His response with the phrase, “Have you not read...”

This is said to be a common phrase used by the religious leaders... and now Jesus turns it around on them…I’m not sure if that is true, but we know that the Pharisees throughly studied and memorized the Law…it was their life.

So, to say to a Pharisee, “Have you not read...” would surely be a challenge.

10x in the gospels we read this phrase or one very similar… 6x these phrases are recorded in Matthew, and I think Matthew enjoyed when Jesus called out the Pharisees.

The word “hypocrite” is recorded 21x in the NT…15x in Matthew alone. Matthew born “Levi” and very plausible that he was born into a priestly family based on his writing style and strong use of scriptures, yet he was a Tax Collector…a traitor serving Rome and money…perhaps because he observed a lot of hypocrisy growing up.

It’s not surprising that Matthew left all to follow Jesus…many people just want something authentic, and Matthew found authenticity in Jesus.

But, through his writings, he is quick to note the times Jesus calls out the hypocrites, and that’s what we see in V6… “Have you not read…?”

Notice in V4... the Pharisees ask Jesus a question on divorce…on a negative result…a question clouded by man’s controversial thoughts.

In wisdom, Jesus re-directs the question to marriage…a positive union, God’s original design, and directs them to God’s word.

People will want to take you down the road of controversy... man’s thoughts…man’s debates. Jesus didn’t go there, and we don’t need to go there either. What does the word of God say? Let that be your guide.

So, Jesus takes them back to Genesis… “The book of origins...” to argue that original design is ‘God’s ideal.’ And, I see three phrases to note in V4, “He who made them”…“at the beginning”… and “made them male and female.”

Interesting… “He who made them...” Jesus is speaking about Himself.

John 1:2 states “He was in the beginning with God.”

Hebrews 1:2 tells us God “...has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds...”

In John 17:5 Jesus prayed to the Father, “And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.”

So, you can circle that word “He” in V4 and write “Jesus” next to it.

“...at the beginning...” looks back to Gen 1:27…the 6th day of creation- when God created man…the only day God declared as “very good.” The other five days were declared as “good,” but the 6th day was “very good” and very special to God.

The first five days of creation were not as personal to God…and you see this as God declares... “Let there be... light (for ex.).” The word “let” in the first five days are all in the third person.

But, during the sixth day, God shifts and speaks in the first person, Gen 1:26 “Let Us [First person plural] make man in Our image...”

Mankind was a special creation to God… the only creation made in the image of God.

God is a trinity. Gen 1:1 reflects this...“In the beginning God [plural]...”

Mankind, made is God’s image, is also a trinity (body, soul, and spirit)...

And, from one man... woman was made…and then in marriage the two become one flesh as Jesus mentions in VSS 5-6…From one flesh…to two flesh…to one flesh...

God’s creation of man, then woman, and the design of marriage are expressions... of one God who has a plural nature.

When gender and marriage are twisted, they are an offense to God, and do not reflect His nature or His original design.

Lastly in V4, He “...made them male and female...”

Mankind is the only creation who’s gender, male and female, are emphasized in the creation. God did not emphasize gender when He created the various species of animals on the 5th and 6th days. But, He does with mankind with implications to marriage.

These are gender specific terms…male and female. There is no pronoun confusion with God…there is no same-sex marriage in God’s original design. God’s ideal is man and woman…husband and wife. Plain as day in V4.

Jesus concludes His verdict in V6, “Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.”

Marriage is special to God. Not just for us, but it’s the relationship He has with His people.

In Hosea 2:19, God promise Israel, “I will betroth you to Me forever...”

In Eph 5:22-32, and elsewhere in the NT, Paul describes Christ’s relationship to the church as marriage.

So, when God joins two people by the union of marriage, the ideal is for them to remain together.

“Join” by def. means “to yoke together” (and should remind you of 2 Cor 6:14 “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers”).

When two become one flesh in marriage, separation/ dividing is man’s doing…it’s against God’s original design, thus is rebellion against God, but it also hurts. The one flesh divided will leave scarring, and that is not God’s ideal. God would spare you from that pain.

And, look if you have been divorced…sermons on these subjects can lead to feeling guilt or condemnation. To you I want to say that divorce is not the unpardonable sin.

Rom 8:1 “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”

To the woman caught in adultery, Jesus said, John 8:11 “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”

A reconciliation of a past marriage may not be possible…may not be advisable…every situation is unique, but what is important…is that you walk according to the Spirit.

You are not condemned today for sins of the past…that’s why Jesus died…to wash our sins away. God’s ideal…marriage…holiness…purity…we fail in all these things. That’s why we need a Savior.

So, please know, I’m not casting stones at you, just as Jesus did not cast stones at the woman caught in adultery, but it is important for us to know God’s ideal.

As Jesus presents all this to the Pharisees, they next come back with another question…V7...

Matt 19:7 “They said to Him, “Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?” [“put her away” by definition “to send away, to loose away from”…this is the result after the divorce]

Jesus spoke about the permanence of marriage, and the Pharisees spot an opportunity to further press and challenge a seeming contradiction to Moses. If Jesus contradicts Moses…He contradicts the word of God…another trap.

They question Jesus on the interpretation of Deut 24:1-4, the law on divorce.

But, notice the Pharisees also misinterpret scripture. Moses never commanded to give a certificate of divorce…he permitted it. Big difference.

So, Jesus corrects them…VSS8-9...

Matt 19:8-9 “He said to them, “Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. 9 And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery.”

So, Moses allowed divorce because of the heart condition of the people. “Hard hearted” Gk. sklērokardia; from sklēros, “hardness,” comes the Eng. “sclerosis”... and from kardia comes the Eng. “cardiac.”

And, Jesus again takes them back to God’s original design…which was union without separation...

Divorce was a divine concession for man’s weakness…it was not the original design. Moses was not justifying divorce…the Mosaic law was limiting it.

In V9, Jesus puts a stake in the ground. He is conservative, but Jesus does grant some concessions on divorce.

Sexual immorality is grounds for divorce. “Sexual immorality” Gk. pŏrnĕia (root word pŏrnē which in part forms the root word for “pornography.”) And, these words by def. mean “harlotry, idolatry, fornication.”

Sexual immorality to what extent? Jesus said, Matt 5:27-28 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” That’s a strict standard. So, is that grounds for divorce?

Spiritual adultery is why God divorced Israel. Jer 3:8 “Then I saw that for all the causes for which backsliding Israel had committed adultery, I had put her away and given her a certificate of divorce...”

The first of the Ten Commandments is “You shall have no other gods before Me.” The Seventh Commandment is “You shall not commit adultery.” Israel was guilty.

In Mal 2, Judah and Israel are both indicted for marrying “daughter of a foreign god” which God labels as treachery and an abomination.

In that same passage, Mal 2:16 reads “the LORD God of Israel says That He hates divorce.” Yet, the law permits divorce because of man’s hard heartedness.

In V9, Jesus’ view is very narrow on re-marriage. One is considered in adultery for getting divorced or marrying someone who has been divorced EXCEPT in the case of sexual immorality.

One other permissible reason for divorce is in 1 Cor 7, where Paul writes about abandonment from an unbelieving spouse, but besides these, there are not many explicit biblical reasons for divorce.

“But, Pastor Marc, but what about spousal abuse, child abuse, addiction”... and the list goes on...

The Bible is not explicitly clear, so we have to take each situation individually and exercise wisdom, and maybe go through some steps like biblical counseling, a period of separation, following the steps in Matt 18:15-17 (rebuke, allow time for repentance, extend forgiveness, and reconcile)…do all this with a multitude of counselors and covered in prayer.

If time and all wisdom has been exercised…some scholars say divorce may be permissible…others would disagree. Most would agree reconciliation is preferred over divorce.

Shammai or Hillel? Nothing new under the sun.

Probably many of you are feeling the same way the disciples were feeling in V10...

Matt 19:10-12 “His disciples said to Him, “If such is the case of the man with his wife, it is better not to marry.” [Celibacy.] 11 But He said to them, “All cannot accept this saying, but only those to whom it has been given: 12 For there are eunuchs [by def. “a castrated person”] who were born thus from their mother’s womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake. He who is able to accept it, let him accept it.”

So, the disciple throw in the towel on marriage. I get like this sometimes…all or nothing…though I’ve never felt called to celibacy.

With really hard sayings…people walk away from the Bible. In response to hard sayings, John 6:66 states, “From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.” But, God didn’t call us to easiness…He called us to holiness.

In V11, Jesus said to them, “All cannot accept this saying...” meaning celibacy is a calling that’s not for everyone… some call this “the gift of celibacy.” It’s not a more holy state, but it can be useful for complete dedication to the kingdom.

There are two main passages that speak about celibacy…here in Matt 19 and in 1 Cor 7.

Jesus’ point in Matt 19 is some are celibate A) because they were born with no desire for marriage, B) Some were made eunuchs such as an emasculated man in charge of the king’s bedchamber, and C) people so dedicated to God that they do not marry.

1 Cor 7:32-33 provides clarity to this third type...“But I want you to be without care. He who is unmarried cares for the things of the Lord—how he may please the Lord. 33 But he who is married cares about the things of the world—how he may please his wife.”

So, some have this gift of celibacy. Jesus said, “He who is able to accept it, let him accept it.”

And, Paul said, 1 Cor 7:8-9 “But I say to the unmarried and to the widows: It is good for them if they remain even as I am [celibate]; 9 but if they cannot exercise self-control, let them marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion.”

In the garden, God said, Gen 2:18 “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.”

Some are called to marriage, some are called to celibacy.

At this point, some parents bring their kids to see Jesus, and you would think the disciples would welcome a change of conversation, but look at these knuckle heads…VSS13-15...

Mat 19:13-15 “Then little children were brought to Him [assumed by relatives] that He might put His hands on them and pray [as this was a custom to have your child blessed by the Rabbi], but the disciples rebuked them [them being the adults that brought the children]. 14 But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” 15 And He laid His hands on them and departed from there.”

These final two verses are like a footnote because they don’t directly relate to the teaching on divorce, but both these events are while Jesus is in Judea beyond the Jordan if you compare V1 & V15...

One scholar noted that following the discourse on divorce, these children are brought to Jesus and children suffer most severely following divorce…so perhaps that’s why Matthew ties in this scene.

Moreso, I see something thematically interesting as related to the previous teaching in Matt 18.

If you recall, in Matt 18, the disciples were disputing, according to Mark 9:34, about who was the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

We read in Matt 18:2-4 “Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, 3 and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

Now, sometime later, we see the disciples rebuking [scolding or forbidding] those who brought the little children. The children come to Jesus for Him to lay hands on them and pray and the disciples rebuke! If someone is coming to Jesus…it’s a good thing…don’t forbid them.

For the disciples…I think these children serve as a reminder for they seem to have forgotten Jesus’ words in Luke 9:48a, “Whoever receives this little child in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me.”

And, they seem to have forgotten Jesus’ object lesson of becoming like a child? Of being humble.

Don’t ever think God is going to give up on you for being dense or being forgetful of His teachings. The disciples were chosen by Jesus and have so many moments where they clearly miss the point.

This is one reason God is described as “longsuffering.” He was patient with them, and He is patient with us.

Jesus commands His disciples, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.”

NASB words this “...for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

Jesus is not saying that the kingdom of heaven belongs to these specific kids or kids in general, but that the kingdom belongs to people with these childlike traits...traits pictured in Matt 18…

First,…they came to Jesus. To be accepted into the kingdom of heaven you must come to Jesus in faith…even childlike faith.

Second, Jesus used a child as a picture of humility…and whoever could emulate that kind of heart was greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Third, we learned that culturally little children had no rights…and in Mark 9:35, Jesus instructed His disciples “If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.”

Lastly, we talked about how little children are typically not concerned with place and position in life, and in Luke 9:48b, Jesus said, “For he who is least among you all will be great.”

And, just imagine if we apply all these lessons to our marriages? Perhaps another reason Matthew ties in this scene here.

“And He laid His hands on them and departed from there.”

Before Jesus departs Perea…one last act of love as Jesus prays over these little children…what a contrast to His disciples.

Ps 86:15 “But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, Longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth.”

Let’s pray and praise Him now for all these things...

Communion Reading: 1 Cor 11:23-29

“...the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 25 In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes. 27 Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.”

Please distribute the elements...

As the communion elements are being distributed, please take a moment to praise Jesus…remembering His broken body and shed blood for you on the cross. And, examine yourself…take communion in a worthy manner. Is there anything you need to confess privately to God and ask forgiveness for?

Once you have prayed, go ahead and take the communion elements, when you are ready. Our worship team will play one worship song, and then close us in prayer.

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If you are not saved, if you have never confessed Jesus is your Lord, you have a couple options, either let the cup pass and do not partake in communion -or- the better option... accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior today. Pray to God and tell Him you believe in Jesus and accept Him as your Lord and Savior, and then take communion. If you pray that prayer today, if today is your day of salvation, tell us that great news afterwards.