The Authority of the King pt. 7

Opening:

Good morning again Connection Church. It is so good to see you all here. I am so happy that you have decided to come out and worship God together on the Lord’s Day. It is a beautiful thing to gather together and worship God on the Lord’s Day. We gather together to worship God. While we may benefit from this, this morning is not about us. We are here to honor and praise our King, the one who has saved us. This is about God. We worship God today through fellowship, through the training up of our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, through singing psalms, hymns, and Spiritual songs, through prayer, through the learning of truths, through the reading and preaching of God’s Word, and through gathering around the Lord’s Table.

These are beautiful declarations of our love for God. This is why we prioritize them. God is worthy of this. Therefore we are transitioning now into our time of worshipping God through the reading and preaching of His Word.

Introduction of the Text:

With this in mind, open with me to Matthew 20:29-34. We have been working verse by verse through the gospel of Matthew as a church. Through this past year we have learned much from Matthew’s account. We know that he wrote this to a primarily Jewish audience of Christians. We have seen Matthew especially focus on the identity of Jesus. He has been emphasizing again and again who Jesus is. He has shown Jesus claiming to be God. He has shown us that Jesus is the true King. Matthew in fact opens His account with a partial genealogy showing Jesus to be the true King in line from David. In that genealogy Matthew makes abundantly clear that Jesus is the son of David. This is important because the messiah was prophesied to be the Son of David. Matthew took painstaking time to show how Jesus fulfilled the prophesies about the Messiah.

This is the primary theme of Matthew’s gospel account. If we were to name the book beyond just the name of the author, I think “Behold the King” would be fitting. Matthew has shown Jesus to be the King of kings and Lord of lords. One way he has done this is to show the authority of Jesus. Matthew has shown the authority of King over all things. Jesus is the King and has rightful authority over all.

Reading of the Text:

With this in mind I would ask that the congregation stands with me for the reading of God’s Word.

Matthew 20:29-34 “29 And as they went out of Jericho, a great crowd followed him. 30 And behold, there were two blind men sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” 31 The crowd rebuked them, telling them to be silent, but they cried out all the more, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” 32 And stopping, Jesus called them and said, “What do you want me to do for you?” 33 They said to him, “Lord, let our eyes be opened.” 34 And Jesus in pity touched their eyes, and immediately they recovered their sight and followed him.”

The Word of God, let’s pray.

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you for who you are. You are our great Lord and Father. You are in control. You are Lord over all. You are the maker of heaven and earth. You alone are God.

Lord, forgive us for our idolatry. We are so quick to worship other things and so slow to worship you, the one true God. Bind our hearts to you. Do not let us stray from you. Help us be faithful to you, oh Lord. Help us as a church to be faithful to you beyond anything or anyone else. May we please, in the midst of turmoil and trial remain faithful to you.

Lord, draw the lost to yourself. May we see people saved in this church. May our witness draw the lost to the truth of salvation. May we see people be obedient in baptism. Please use us here in this place. We long to be used by you. Lord, use me to please to faithfully shepherd your sheep. You brought me here, keep me faithful to you. May I faithfully proclaim your word today.

We love you Lord. You alone are worthy. In the name of Jesus, our King, we pray, amen.

Transition:

As we begin this morning, we must ask one question. Why is this account here?

Why Is This Account Here?

Explanation:

Have you ever wondered that? Have you ever encountered a passage in Scripture and just wondered why it is included where it is included? Primarily, this is an okay question to ask. I think we fear this question. It almost feels like questioning the Bible. However, since the Holy Spirit inspired every word of Scripture, we can ask real questions of the text. God chose to include this account for a specific reason. Beyond this, Matthew felt it necessary to include this here as well. It is okay to ask why. Why was this included here? We know that Jesus did and said many things that the accounts do not include. But this is included.

The first reason it is included is that it really happened.

1. It Really Happened.

This really happened. When Jesus was on His way up to Jerusalem, He encountered these two blind men. This is a real account. What is recorded really happened.

Argumentation:

Why does this matter? It matters because Scripture is true. It is an accurate account. This is important for us to remember. We should remind ourselves of the historical nature of Scripture. It is historically accurate. This is a big deal. Jesus really came to earth. Jesus really walked this earth. Jesus encountered real people just like you and I. We serve a real God who did these real things. This is important to remember.

Transition:

But beyond this, this account reminds us of the authority of Jesus.

2. It Reminds us of the Authority of Jesus.

If you will remember, I have preached six separate sermons on the authority of Jesus. This is how often Matthew reaffirms this. Specifically, Matthew has shown us the authority of Christ through His signs and wonders. Jesus has been shown to have authority over nature, over sickness, over death, over even sin.

Argumentation:

Matthew has specifically shown us several occurrences of Jesus’ authority over blindness. This has been a recurring miracle. When this miracle is performed is it to remind us of Jesus’ authority. Matthew had an entire section of his account dedicated to showing Jesus authority through miracles. So why is this one account of healing here? Surely there are other healings that could have been accounted.

This account is here to remind us who Jesus is. He is the one who has all authority. He can touch blind and they will see. He is reminding us of this right before we encounter holy week. Our next passage is the triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Matthew is in basis saying, “Jesus is the King. He has all authority” right before he shows us the worship Jesus is about to receive. Jesus is the King. He is about to receive worship and He is worthy of the worship He is about to receive.

Transition:

So let us examine the text. As we open, we see two blind men cry out to Jesus.

Two Blind Men Cry Out to Jesus.

Explanation:

The first thing we see in this passage is that as Jesus leaves Jericho, He is followed by a large crowd. As this crowd is following Him, there are two blind men sitting by the roadside. The other gospels give us more detail on some particulars but the blind men hear the commotion and inquire as to what is causing the ruckus. They hear that it is Jesus. They begin to cry out to Jesus, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David.”

Now right off the bat we have to address some differences in the three synoptic gospel accounts. Matthew records there being two men, Mark and Luke only record one. Why is this? Well, the most likely reason is that the one man was more prevalent. He may have been the spokesman or the more direct. However, there is no real disagreement. The three accounts communicate the same thing with differing emphasis. For example, Mark names the one man. He names him as “Bartimaeus.” Why? Well, Mark was likely writing his account for a more local body. It was written very early for local believers. The blind men follow Jesus, and likely Bartimaeus was known to the people. Mark is basically saying, “This is when Jesus healed Bartimaeus. You all know Bartimaeus.” This makes sense why he is recording differing details for his differing audience.

There is also one other difference. Matthew and Mark have Jesus leaving Jericho while Luke has Jesus entering Jericho. Is that the nail in the coffin? Is the Bible false? Must we abandon our faith? By no means. A little amount of historical research and you will find that there were two cities near one another named Jericho. The first was the ancient city that was destroyed by God for Joshua and the children of Israel. Apparently there are still visible ruins of this city. Then there was the more modern city of Jericho. Jericho was rebuilt in the book of Kings. So likely this account takes place between the two. It is my guess that since Matthew and Mark are writing to a Jewish audience, they are referring to Jesus leaving the ruins of the ancient city of Jericho that the Jewish audience would have grown up hearing about. Luke however may have been writing about the more modern city of Jericho that the gentiles would have been very familiar with. Either way, there is no discrepancy.

But what of the cry of the blind men? They cry out, “Lord, have mercy on me, Son of David!” What is so significant about this? Well, they start off by addressing Jesus as “Lord.” They ascribe to Him the title of authority. Specifically, a ruling authority. They do not stop here. They then cry for mercy. That statement of “Lord, have mercy on me...” has the ring of a subject appealing to a ruling authority. Like a peasant before a prince, there is this appeal. But there is more to it than even that. “Son of David” is the end of their cry. We have covered this repeatedly but turn with me back to the beginning of Matthew.

Argumentation:

Some of you were here for this, but when we started meeting over a year ago, we began in small group. Our Monday night small group was how this all began. We started going through Matthew verse by verse. The very first lesson was covering the genealogy of Jesus. This is where Matthew starts and introduces his theme. Matthew 1:1-17. We aren’t going to read all of this, but look at that list of names. It is divided into three sections. The first is from Abraham to David. The second is from David to the deportation to Babylon. The third is from the deportation to Christ. To us, this may simply look like a random list of names. Our reaction tends to be “so what. Big whoop, Jesus is related to Abraham and David.” But to a Jewish audience in the first century this list was utterly fascinating.

This list directly links Jesus to David. It does so by name but also through an ancient practice of linking language with numbers. The Hebrew language has numbers equated with the letters. David added up to fourteen. When a Jew encountered the number fourteen, he immediately thought, “David!” Matthew crafted this genealogy to link Jesus to David. Look at Matthew 1:17 “17 So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations.”

Fourteen, fourteen, fourteen… Matthew is saying, Jesus is the Son of David, Son of David, Son of David. God had promised to establish David’s kingdom forever. God had promised that the messiah would be from the line of David. Because of this, in the first century, the term “Son of David” was another term for the messiah. Matthew established his gospel account by saying, “Jesus is the Messiah, Jesus is the Messiah, Jesus is the Messiah.” Jesus is the rightful King. He is declared to be the one who will rule forever. In simple terms, Jesus is King, Jesus is King, Jesus is King.

The incredible thing about this account is that the blind men cry out “Son of David.” They know exactly who Jesus is. He is the Christ. He is the promised one who would free Israel of their sins. He is the one who would give men new hearts. He is the Son of David. This is exactly how the two blind men referred to Jesus is Matthew 9.

How is it that the vast majority of people miss who Jesus is, but the afflicted and the blind did see who Jesus is? This is an amazing thing about the grace of God. The proud and capable are blind to Jesus and their need for grace. The lowly and afflicted are aware of their need for the Savior. What a blessing it is to be broken! What a gift is affliction and trial! What wonder is it that God breaks us and shows us our need for our blessed Lord. What a frightful fate it is to never see the need for the Savior. Truly many who were in the crowd likely never saw the truth of who Jesus is, but those blind men could see clearly. They may have lacked physical sight, but they saw more clear than most. They were gifted with a spiritual clarity. They cried out to Christ while others remained silent.

Transition:

But the crowd was not just silent. The crowds try to silence the blind men.

The Crowds Try to Silence the Blind Men.

Explanation:

In verse 31 we read “31 The crowd rebuked them, telling them to be silent, but they cried out all the more, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” Apparently the crowd thought these blind men were not worth Jesus’ time. One can hear the crowd. “Be quiet! We are trying to hear Jesus. Would you pipe down!” But these faithful blind men would not be silent. They cried out all the louder. Their faith was shown through their persistent fervor. The crowd tried to silence the blind men but they would not be silenced. They cried out to Christ.

Argumentation:

It is amazing how often those who are seeking Jesus are silenced. We must be careful to never crush those who are week and seeking our Lord. Our job as Christians is to bring people to the Savior. Sadly, I fear we do not do well at this. We rarely share the gospel. I fear the unsaved we know do not feel they may come and question us about our faith. We should set an example to be faithful in proclaiming the truth and may those who are lost know they can approach us.

I am by no means perfect at this, but I want to give you one thing I have done that is practical and works. Katharine and I occasionally have what I playfully refer to as a Sabbath Dinner. Saturday nights in preparation, we prepare a large meal and try to invite certain people. This is a time of preparing for the Lord’s Day. We have invited lost friends. During the meal I will make the statement to our lost friend that our table is place for conversation and questions. I will then present the fact that we have a totally different worldview and belief system than they do and that they can ask us any question about Christianity or God that they have. It amazes me how well that has worked with one friend in particular. He just kept coming back. I don’t always have the answer, but it creates an atmosphere where questions and conversation about Christ are welcome and encouraged.

One different way I fear we have tried to silence people seeking Christ is in how we treat our children. In general, I would say that the modern church has failed our children. Christians have way more kids than secular couples. If we discipled only our kids, we would take over the world for Christ. How much time do we spend discipling our kids? Do our children know that they can come and ask questions? Do they know that they can inquire about the faith? They should know that they can ask us about the faith. But even more than this, they should not have to ask. We should be carrying our children to Christ from the cradle. But sadly, it seems most Christians are content to let the state disciple their kids. They send their kids to public school five days a week and then hope that what little they get on Sunday will be enough to keep their kids in the faith. Make no mistake, the state is discipling your kids. But are you? Are we as a church aiding parents in discipling their kids? Are we holding their arms up and helping them? Are we challenging them when they are not?

May we never be accused of being like the crowds in this passage. May we ever bring people to Christ and never hinder any from coming to Him. And specifically, may we never be accused of hindering our children from coming to Christ. May we carry them to Jesus from the moment they are born until the moment we die.

Transition:

The blind men do not cry out to Jesus in vain. Jesus answers them. Jesus questions the blind men.

Jesus Questions the Blind Men.

Explanation:

We see the account continue in verses 32-33. 32 “And stopping, Jesus called them and said, “What do you want me to do for you?” 33 They said to him, “Lord, let our eyes be opened.” Jesus hears the men crying out. The crowd has tried to silence them but their cries find the ears of the Lord. Jesus called out to them and asked “What do you want me to do for you?” This seems to be an obvious question, but Jesus still asks it. What is it these men want? What mercy are they seeking? They respond. “Lord, let our eyes be opened.” What faith these men have.

Argumentation:

They begin by continuing to refer to Jesus as Lord. They continue to honor Him as the Lord. But then they say something that just strikes me to the core. They say, “Let our eyes be opened.” I love that. They ask that Jesus would merely give His permission for their eyes to be healed. Wow. What faith in Jesus’ authority. They do not ask Him to try to heal them. They do not ask Him to do His best. If Jesus were to simply acquiesce to their request, they are confident that their eyes would be opened. Were He to simply allow it, they are absolutely sure that they would be able to see. This is faith. “Jesus, just let our eyes be healed.” If Jesus would only give permission. I love this faith.

These men display such confidence in Jesus’ authority. They are sure of Jesus’ authority over blindness. And yet, even more amazing than their faith is what Jesus does.

Transition:

Jesus heals the blind men.

Jesus Heals the Blind Men.

Explanation:

Just look at the last verse. Verse 34. 34 And Jesus in pity touched their eyes, and immediately they recovered their sight and followed him.

Mark’s account records this, “49 And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart. Get up; he is calling you.” The blind are there with Jesus now. Jesus touches their eyes and what’s that next word? Immediately they are healed. Immediately… There is no delay. There is not partial healing. When Jesus heals, it is full healing. It is immediate healing. Jesus touches their eyes and they are healed. They recover their sight and follow Jesus.

Argumentation:

What other reaction is there? How could they do anything else? There is one option. Follow Jesus. While we know there were many others Jesus healed that got this wrong, these two men got it right. And as I said earlier, this is the most plausible explanation as to how Mark know Bartimaeus’ name. The language and the wording seem to indicate that they followed Jesus not like “Let’s go down the road with this group,” but in a “We must follow this man” way. And this is the right reaction.

As we have worked through the various passages regarding the authority of Jesus I have focused less on the benefits to the people who recieved the miracles, and more on the one who did the miracle. This is because, while it is good that these men recieved their sight, it is better that Jesus is King. It is a good thing that two thousand years ago, Bartimaeus and his friend got healed. That is good. But Bartimaeus is dead. He died. His friend died. Those eyes that Jesus touched, are gone. They have returned to the dust. They are no longer seeing with those eyes. They are closed with spiritual form in the presence of God as they wait for the resurrection.

But there is something that does not fade. There is part of this account that does not change. It is the same as it was then. It is the central point of this passage. Jesus is King. Hail the Son of David who is on the throne. Hail to Christ the King. He is the one who has all authority. He is the one who is Lord. He is the one who is God. He is the one who never changes. He is eternal and splendid. The central point of this passage is not the fact that two men who could not see received their sight. The central point of this passage is Christ.

Who is this who touches blind eyes and they are opened? Who is this who speaks to demons and they flee? Who is this touches lame legs and they can walk? Who is this who speaks and the dead hear and obey? Who is this can forgive sins? This is Christ the Lord. We disorder this so often. We see accounts of healing in Scripture and we just see the healing. What selfish foolishness. We see almighty God work and touch someone and think that the central point in the person who was healed. We ask, “How can I get what they got?” I confess that I have read this passage many times and wondered, “How can I get my eyes healed.” I hated wearing glasses as a kid. I wanted to see clearly. I am so hard of sight. I cannot do anything without my glasses. I wanted to see clearly. As a young man I would often wonder “What do I have to do for God to heal my eyes?” This is fundamentally the wrong question.

Hear me clearly, we pray for healing. When someone is sick, we pray for them. If you are sick, call me, I am commanded by Scripture in the book of James to come and pray for you. I will gladly come and pray for you. I am not saying that we do not desire healing. I am not saying that we do not long for and pray for healing. Of course we pray for healing. But when we read passages like this and simply focus on the miracle, we have fundamentally missed the point. The point is not the miracle. The point is Jesus. The point is not Barty and his blind buddy. They point is Jesus. We are to see Jesus heal these men and be in abject terror and awe at who Jesus is. The blind men cried out to Jesus and Lord, Son of David.” The beautiful thing is that they were right.

Transition:

The application is not for us to scheme and try to figure out the code for getting healed from God. No. The application is for us to remember who it is that we serve.

Application:

Remember Who it is That We Serve.

Who is this? Who is this that touches blind eyes and they see? This is Jesus. He is Lord. He is King. What does this mean? Well, let’s just take a few moments and look at who Jesus is.

Psalm 2 is a messianic Psalm. That means it is about Jesus. Listen to Psalm 2 2 Why do the nations rage

and the peoples plot in vain?

2  The kings of the earth set themselves,

and the rulers take counsel together,

against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying,

3  “Let us burst their bonds apart

and cast away their cords from us.”

4  He who sits in the heavens laughs;

the Lord holds them in derision.

5  Then he will speak to them in his wrath,

and terrify them in his fury, saying,

6  “As for me, I have set my King

on Zion, my holy hill.”

7  I will tell of the decree:

The LORD said to me, “You are my Son;

today I have begotten you.

8  Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,

and the ends of the earth your possession.

9  You shall break them with a rod of iron

and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”

10  Now therefore, O kings, be wise;

be warned, O rulers of the earth.

11  Serve the LORD with fear,

and rejoice with trembling.

12  Kiss the Son,

lest he be angry, and you perish in the way,

for his wrath is quickly kindled.

Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

In this Psalm we see God’s plan. His plan causes Him to laugh at the futile schemes of kings and nations. This plan is shown in the dialogue from God the Father to Jesus. The LORD, YHWH, has set His King on His holly hill. Verse 7, YHWH said to me (Christ) You are my Son; today I have begotten you.” This is not speaking of a moment in time Jesus began to exist, this is speaking of when Jesus finished His work. This is when the work of redemption is done. The Father then tells the Son that He can have all the nations of the earth. If Jesus will only ask the Father, He can have any nation. What is Jesus’ response? Does Jesus just ask for Israel of China or America? No, Jesus responds in Matthew 28.

Matthew 28:18-20 “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.” Jesus does not say that He has partial authority. Jesus does not say that He has authority in Heaven only. No. The Father told the Son to ask for the nations and the Son said all of them. Jesus asked for them all and the Father gave them.

What does this have to do with two blind men being healed? This has everything to do with everything. Jesus has authority. However, Jesus does not just have some authority. Jesus is not the king over only heaven. Jesus is not the King over only Israel. Jesus in not the King over only the church. Jesus is the King over all. How much authority does Jesus have? ALL authority. If you were to ask the question, “Does Jesus have authority over _______?” the answer is always yes. Does Jesus have authority over blindness? Yes. Does Jesus have authority over the church? Yes. The same with “Is Jesus King over ______?” The answer is always yes. Is Jesus King over the Church? Yes. Is Jesus King over America? Yes. Is Jesus the King over everything? Yes.

You see, Jesus has all authority. He is currently King. He is currently reigning. Our Job is to go and tell the world there is a new sheriff in town. People may reject us and hate us, but that’s okay. Jesus is King. His word is law. His rule is absolute. Jesus can tell us how to live. Jesus can tell us how raise children. Jesus can tell the government what it is supposed to do. Jesus is King. He has authority over ever dog catcher all the way up to Joe Biden. And every single person will answer to how the submitted to the lordship of Christ. Did they honor Him as King or were they tyrants with what God gave them?

“That’s all and good you may say, but I still don’t know what that has to do with two blind men being healed” you may say. Let me give it to you in simple terms. We asked a question at the outset of this sermon. Why is this passage here? The simple answer is that we are being reminded of who Jesus is. We are being beaten over the head with the fact that Jesus is the Son of David by Matthew. We are about to walk into the account of the triumphal entry. We are almost at the cross. Matthew, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit is reminding us that Jesus is the King. He is Christ, the King of kings with all authority. Jesus is the Son who asked the Father for all nations. Jesus is the ruler of all. He is worthy of ruling all.

Transition:

See, Jesus is the King. That is not in question. What is in question is, will you bow to the King?

Will You Bow to the King?

If you claim to be a Christian, that means you are bowing to the King. You have surrendered your life to Christ. You are submitted to His authority. But have you? Have you bowed to Christ? Is He the Lord of your life? Scripture tells us every knee will bow. Every person who has ever lived will bow the knee to Jesus. Every king, every ruler, every president will bow before Jesus. But on judgement day, it will be too late. Will you bow to Jesus now. Will you give up your foolish pride. Will you cease to be a tyrant with what God has given you? Will you bow humbly before the King of all? Jesus is King, you will bow, but salvation is only found while you yet live. When you die, you will bow to Christ. You will answer for all you’ve done. But if Christ is Lord of your life, you will be saved.

If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. This is the only way. You submit to the Lordship of Christ or you are found rightly to be treasonous to the King. Beloved, if you have not bowed to Christ, my prayer is that you would do so today. I pray that you would be saved and then that you would obey your King and be baptised. Be like the healed blind men. See the truth and follow Jesus.

If you are saved, are you living like Christ is your Lord? Who do you obey? Do you disobey Christ to obey your own desires? Then you are not bowing to Christ. Do you honor and submit to the state above Christ? Then you are not bowing to Christ. Do you honor and submit to anything above Christ? Then you are committing treason against your King.

Kiss ye the Son! Heed the Psalmist. Seek after Christ. Kiss ye the Son, lest He crush you. We all must seek forgiveness. We all must seek the Lord’s mercy. We all must come before Christ and confess our sins. As Children of God we know that we will be forgiven.

Transition:

We are now transitioning into our time of gathering around the Lord’s Table. In this blessed act, we know that Christ is with us. This is the physical reminder of the gospel. In this act we set forth the bread and cup. We are remembering the broken body of Christ. We are remembering the shed blood of Christ. We are remembering the sacrifice made on our behalf. In this, we come before the physical reminder of the cross. This is a place of great reverence and joy.

Before we partake, we will pray. Are you refusing to submit to Christ as Lord? Are you refusing to bow the knee to Him in any way? Are you in anything submitting to anything above Him? Confess this to Him. We are going to pray together, confess it to Him and ask for Him forgiveness. He will forgive you. Then we will gather around the Lord’s table and take of the body and blood. As we do so we will be reminded of Christ’s sacrifice and we will be assured of our forgiveness and we will be strengthened to go and serve the King in His world for His glory.

Let us pray.

Communion Prayer:

Oh Lord, you are the King. You, who made all, rule over all. We know that you are the King of kings and Lord of lords. Lord, we ask that you would forgive us. We are so slow to honor you as King. We are so slow to worship you as the King of all. We give honor and glory to others instead of you. Forgive us of this. May we submit to you above all. Though it lead to persecution, may we wilfully submit to you as Lord. May we proclaim the truth of your authority to all. Now Lord, bless this bread and cup. May it be to us the physical remembrance of the cross. May we know that through your broken body and shed blood we are fully and completely forgiven. May we be bold in that truth. Bless us now oh Lord and come to your table through Christ. Amen.

Communion:

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

Prayer:

Closing Hymn:

Closing Benediction:

Matthew 28:17-20 “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.”