Communion

This Sunday our entire service will revolve around communion. We'll share and hear testimonies of God's goodness and grace, sing of Christ's atoning work, share our monthly memory verse, and set our hearts on the depths of Jesus' work on the cross. There are four things we need you to do before you come Sunday.ExpectationsExpect what we do in our gathering to be different this week. Everything about our time this Sunday has been intentionally planned to highlight Christ's work and the one body we are a part of. We've even intentionally set up the room to reflect a family gathering around the table of their Lord.Bring Something to ShareNo, not food! There will be threes time during our gathering that everyone will have the opportunity to speak about God's goodness, grace, and salvation. One opportunity will be a time to share with the entire group while the other two will be times to share with those sitting around you. So, before you get here Sunday think of a few things you can share with your brothers and sisters. Nothing long, just a brief word on how Jesus has and continues to work in your life to save you from sin and satisfy your deep longings.Memory VerseDon't forget to finish memorizing our monthly memory verse. July's verse is 2 Corinthians 4:17 - 18. "For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal."Examine YourselfConfessing the body and blood of Christ is not something to be done lightly (1 Cor. 11:28 - 29). You don't have a perfect week to participate in communion, but you should seek to confess your sin, seek reconciliation within any divided relationships, and intentionally set your mind on the glorious truth of the gospel.Looking forward to confessing the sin conquering, new covenant work of Christ with you this weekend.

The comfort of a God who Sees and Knows

When someone talks about God knowing or seeing everything we do, say, or think the oft intended goal is to scare us out of wrong behavior. "God hear's what you say, so don't lie," or "God sees what goes on behind closed doors, so stop sinning!" It is true that God sees all things, knows all things. But God's unending sight and knowledge do not necessarily bring fear or dismay--especially for a child of God.It can be a great comfort to know that God sees and knows what is happening in your life this very moment. That was the case for the nation of Israel as they languished through 400 years of slavery in Egypt. The book of Exodus opens with the birth of Moses, who soon after kills an Egyptian and runs for his life. In Exodus 2 Moses ends up in the land of Midian where he marries a shepherdess named Zipporah. Then in chapter 3 we read the famous burning bush story, an event so amazing that it often overshadows the last verse of chapter 2. "God saw the people of Israel--and God knew" (Exo. 2:25). That verse is a turning point in the history of Israel and the life of Moses. For years the Israelites had cried out to God and heard no answer. Generation after generation prayed the same prayer and heard the same silent response. But then we read a breathtaking word from God. God saw their suffering, he knew what was going on. He was not oblivious to the years of servitude and suffering. And the fact that God knew gave great hope.Often we get the idea that God does not see what is happening in our life. We fear that our suffering goes unnoticed, that there is no hope for God's aid, or that somehow our life will not count or matter at all in eternity. When we think this way we become complainers or boasters. When someone asks how we are doing we relish the opportunity to share our hurts or victories; not so much because we want to hear the sound of our own voice, but because if we speak our life it will not go without pity or praise.But that's not the truth at all. Nothing goes unnoticed by the eyes and mind of God--whether good or bad. If you suffer for righteousness sake on a deserted island you do not go unnoticed. If you are a child of God you are known. God sees and knows every prayer, every drop of suffering, every frustration, and every moment of faithfulness. There is no need worry that we pass unknown in life. To be sure, many of us will pass unknown to most of the world, but we are known by the God who made and sustains this world. And that is more than enough. I do not the need the world to know who I am or see my struggles and victories if our great God sees and knows. God's seeing and knowing is of a greater comfort and assurance that all things will be made right than if all the eyes and minds of the world were in a moment turned to your life.

Dr. Jekyll and the Desire to Hide

Classic literature often avails us of a window into the heart of humanity, and I was recently struck by Robert Louis Stevenson's insight into the fears of men in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.  Of course you might expect me to be intrigued by the mysterious and horrific nature of Mr. Hyde's character, actions, and persona, but it wasn't a monster that raised the flicker of fear in my soul, it was worse than that.  Much worse.  Like all great works of literature this terrifying story raised a mirror to my mind and I immediately recognized a dear, old enemy I'd tried to repress.Guilt.What is more terrifying or gut-wrenching than a gnawing guilt that haunts a memory with the nightmares of the past and paralyzing whispers of an unknown future?  There are particular sins of my past that I wish never existed.  But they do.  And it only takes a spark for a flood of guilt to overwhelm my heart, cripple my joy, and leave me begging to escape the shame of exposure.Sin is the monster, but we fear the consequential guilt. Fallen humanity hates the light of God and at the first shred of guilt scurries to hide under the cover of darkness.  Our greatest fear is the wrath of God.I saw this, not in Mr. Utterson's account of Mr. Hyde, but in his concern for his friend, Dr. Jekyll, and the mysteriously eerie circumstances that somehow had him mixed up with that horrible man,

"And the lawyer set out homeward with a very heavy heart.  'Poor Harry Jekyll,' he thought, 'my mind misgives me he is in deep waters!  He was wild when he was young; a long while ago to be sure; but in the law of God, there is no statute of limitations.  Ay, it must be that; the ghost of some old sin, the cancer of some concealed disgrace: punishment coming, PEDE CLAUDO, years after memory has forgotten and self-love condoned the fault.'  And the lawyer, scared by the thought, brooded awhile on his own past, groping in all the corners of memory, least by chance some Jack-in-the-Box of an old iniquity should leap to light there.  His past was fairly blameless; few men could read the rolls of their life with less apprehension; yet he was humbled to the dust by the many ill things he had done, and raised up again into a sober and fearful gratitude by the many he had come so near to doing yet avoided."

I believe Stevenson is playing on a common human experience.  Have you ever heard those whispers reminding you of your past sins and playing on your fears of exposure?  There is a greater question that lies below the surface: are those whispers the voice of God or of Satan?If you have truly been forgiven by God through faith in Christ then debilitating doubts of His forgiveness are definitely satanic!  The Devil wants God's children to believe his lies that God is still out to get us, that He is cruel, vindictive, and calculating.  If he can sell us a view of God that diminishes His goodness then he can mercilessly accuse us and beat us under the weight of condemnation and keep us cowering and hiding in fear.  But there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus! (Romans 8:1)  We now rightly fear God's holiness and righteousness, but no longer His wrath.  At the cross, His wrath was taken away from His children, and we are no longer guilty!God may indeed be bringing unrepentant sin before your heart and mind, but if you love Christ, then you can be assured that He will always lead you to repentance.  It is His kindness that draws you (Rom. 2:4).  The Holy Spirit will use grief over sin in your life to bring you to repentance and salvation (2 Cor. 7:10).  God is faithful and just to forgive (1 John 1:9), and Christ is our advocate (1 John 2:1, 2).  Always remember, God is good.

"For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.  As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him." (Psalm 103:11-13)

God is love. So we need not hide.

Maundy Thursday: The Last Supper and The Passover Lamb

On this Thursday before Easter, on what has come to be known as Maundy Thursday, we prepare our hearts for an incredible weekend of remembrance and celebration.  Today we remember the Lord's Supper.  And I want to use traditions surrounding that night which Christ shared with his disciples to appreciate anew the sacrifice to which it points.  More than anything I pray the Word of God pricks your heart and draws you to worship the One Who is highly exalted for His humility.  Although it is a holiday representative of the celebration we enjoy everyday as believers in a risen Savior, Easter is set-apart annually to clearly rejoice in the cosmic epicenter of our faith and the history of the world: the death and resurrection of Jesus.When Christ instituted the Lord's Supper or what we have come to know as "communion", he was celebrating the Passover with His disciples.  My family is Jewish by heritage, not religiously, but we have found some of the Jewish traditions and celebrations to be incredibly encouraging to our faith in Christ.  Just last week we celebrated the Passover in our home with friends from our church.  I'm sure that a practicing Jew would find our version highly offensive because our whole purpose was to show how Christ is the fulfillment of the Passover that was begun in the time of Moses.  We follow much of the Jewish traditional Seder (order of elements), but we obviously deviate from their explanations of the traditions and instead choose to see the beauty in the picture it was intended to paint: the Passover Lamb who takes away the sin of the world.Listen to Christ's words as recorded in the gospel of Luke:

And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood."(Luke 22:19-20 ESV)

At this point in our Passover Seder we take a broken piece of the Afikomen and eat it in deep faith and appreciation for the sacrifice that was made for our sin.  The Afikomen was a piece of matzah (unleavened bread) that had been broken earlier in the night.  I have an Afikomen cover which has three compartments with three pieces of matzah in each.  At a certain point in the Seder the middle piece of matzah is removed and broken and part of it hidden away somewhere in the house to be found by the children and brought back as the dessert.  Although Rabbinical tradition has a terribly tough time attempting to explain these actions and their significance, they are at once recognizable to us who worship the Triune God and the Son who was sent to be broken, killed, buried and who rose from the grave.  Especially interesting is that the word Afikomen is the only Greek word in the Hebrew Seder.  It is from the Greek word aphikomenos, which in the aorist tense is translated: "he has come".  Amen and praise God He has come!  The Afikomen is the symbol of affliction.  Isaiah spoke of the suffering Messiah in chapter 53:

[4] Surely he has borne our griefsand carried our sorrows;yet we esteemed him stricken,smitten by God, and afflicted.[5] But he was pierced for our transgressions;he was crushed for our iniquities;upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,and with his wounds we are healed.[6] All we like sheep have gone astray;we have turned—every one—to his own way;and the LORD has laid on himthe iniquity of us all.

Exactly how Jesus celebrated the Passover with his disciples I'm not sure, but it is abundantly clear in the Scripture that as He broke the bread and shared the cup He was declaring Himself to be the Passover Lamb.  There was no longer any need to slit the throat and spill the blood of an animal sacrifice.  The Sacrifice was here.My professor, Dr. Andy Davis shared these three lessons that the sacrificial system was supposed to teach us:

1. All sin deserves the death penalty (Romans 6:23)

2. The death penalty can be paid by a substitute (Leviticus 16:21-22)

3. The substitute cannot be the animal, it was to point us to Christ (Hebrews 9:11-15)

So rejoice this Maundy Thursday in the Lamb of God.  With His wounds we are healed, washed in the cleansing fountain of His blood.

Isaac asked, "Where is the lamb for the burnt offering?" (Genesis 22:7-8)

Abraham answered: "God will provide the lamb for the burnt offering"

Isaiah prophesied: "like a lamb that is led to the slaughter..." (Isaiah 53:7)

John the Baptist announced: "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29)

And the angels sing: "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!" (Revelation 5:12)