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[Music] good morning everyone welcome to free grace Baptist Church a fresh welcome to it to everyone on this Lord's Day Sabbath and a warm welcome to any visitors out there with us this morning it's a joy to have you with us at free grace Baptist Church just a couple announcements before we begin worship this morning the first is a reminder that next Saturday so Saturday May 13th it is the church work day so we'll be starting here at 8:30 so get a good night's rest prepare your bowl of cornflakes the evening before and if you're able to show up at 8:30 that's excellent but at any time between 8:30 and 12:30 ish if you're able to to pop by and in contribute that would be great so that's a church work day Saturday May the 13th 8:30 a.m. and all are welcome of course also another announcement good news Micah and Chloe Butler are expecting a baby so congratulations to Micah and Chloe and as you find time no doubt you can congratulate them after this Lord's Day morning service let's begin our worship then if you'll turn in your Bibles with me to Psalm 103 Psalm 103 our call to worship this Lord's Day Sabbath morning we'll read from verse 1 to verse 14 Psalm 103 beginning in verse 1 this is the word of the living and true God a psalm of David bless the Lord O my soul and all that is within me bless His Holy Name bless the Lord O my soul and forget not all his benefits who forgives all your iniquities who heals all your diseases who redeems your life from destruction who crowns you with loving-kindness and tender mercies who satisfies your mouth with good things so that your youth is renewed like the Eagles the Lord executes righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed he made known his ways to Moses his acts to the children of Israel the Lord is merciful and gracious slow to anger and abounding in mercy he will not always strive with us nor will he keep his anger forever he has not dealt with us according to our sins nor punished us according to our iniquities for as the heavens are high above the earth so great is his mercy toward those who fear Him as far as the east is from the west so far has he removed our transgressions from us as a father pities his children so the Lord pities those who fear him for he knows our frame he remembers that we are dust amen well let's stand together and sing as a church our first hymn is in you're thinner read Trinity Salter will stand and sing psalm 118 at psalm 118 verses 17 to 29 [Music] please be seated let us go to our God in prayer let us pray Heavenly Father we come to you now the saints of Christ gathered in the name of our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ to worship you and truly we come to worship you our God Father Son and Holy Spirit we rejoice in this opportunity to gather in freedom and in Liberty we do pray Lord God that your name would be hallowed here in this place we pray once again that your Saints would be lifted up in soul to a properly render unto you the honor and the praise that is due your Most High name and we would yet again pray that this would not only be the case in this church but around the world Lord God we're your churches have gathered together we pray that your name would be hallowed that the Lord Jesus Christ would be lifted up upon the praises of gathered assemblies all around this world and Lord God we do pray that you would be rejoiced in that your gospel would be rejoiced in and Lord God that the praises of amazing and victorious grace would be sung and truly we rejoice in the gospel of Jesus Christ we know that we have not been saved by deeds of righteousness which we have done but rather according to your mercy you saved us by the perfection of the saving work of the Lord Jesus Christ we again rejoice as the gathered saints of Christ in those words of Holy Scripture this is a faithful saying worthy of all acceptance that Christ Jesus came into this world sinners to save we thank you that he lived a life of obedience a perfect life of obedience unto your law in the place of all those who believe in his name we thank you that he died upon Calvary's cross not a not a death of maybe not an atonement of perhaps but he so died upon Calvary's cross so as to secure the salvation of a multitude that no man can number we rejoice in the perfection of his substitutionary sacrificial death upon the cross for all who believe in his name and we rejoice with great rejoicing that he arose the third day with power and great victory that he has ascended to your right hand where he now ever lives to rule and to reign where he now ever lives to make intercession and over for his people we thank you Lord God for the blessed truth of our ruling and reigning Christ and we do pray that he would once again be exalted upon the praises of this your small gathered assembly we pray that we would rejoice in the perfection of his saving work and the glory of the gospel we do pray God that you would forgive us afresh by virtue of our saviors death we thank you that there is a fountain opened up for sin and for uncleanness that we have remission the forgiveness of sins by virtue the shed blood of our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ and we do pray that you would help us to walk in a manner worthy of our calling knowing that we're saved solely and alone by grace through faith in Christ alone we pray that you would give us that presence of spirit to go about the earth doing good seeking to conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of saving grace we do pray that you would be with those Lord God unable to join us whether sick or travelling Lord we do pray that you'd watch over them that you would strengthen them that you would take care of them and return them back to us safely and in future Lord's days we would pray for any and all afflicted by by sickness by disease by injury and all these things Lord we do just pray that you'd help them that you would strengthen them that you would heal them we know that you alone are the Great Physician who grants aid to his Saints and to his people and we do just pray that you'd strengthen those who are afflicted physically and in the midst of such suffering and an injury Lord we do just pray in the inner man you would cause their hearts to be lifted up to high thoughts of their God and that they would be wholly resigned unto your will in all things we would pray in a special way Lord God for Jael we thank you for the good news a post procedure we do just pray that you would continue to be with this young one we pray Lord God that you would strengthen her in body and give comfort to two parents and family we would just pray that you'd watch over her and we pray Lord God that in due time you would bring her forth it caused her to rejoice in our blessed Savior and to find in him her all in all we do pray Lord God we thank you for Shane that he's able to join us this morning we praise you for that and we just pray that you'd continue strengthen him and heal him Lord God all those afflicted by illness once again that you would strengthen them in body and yet in the inner man in the midst of suffering lift them up and cause them to rejoice in our God we do pray Lord for those around the world who suffer affliction for the cause of Christ suffer persecution by the enemies of the gospel of Jesus Christ many nations where there is where there are tyrannical governments where there are even their own countrymen who bring violence even unto death upon the saints of Christ we do just pray that you'd be with our brothers and sisters in Christ that you would strengthen them in the midst of these hardships and difficulties and we would ask Lord God that you would just comfort them and that you would cause them in the midst of such opposition to nevertheless look with eyes of faith upon the risen king the Lord Jesus Christ and find in him confidence to lay hold of the hope of their calling without wavering and we would pray as a gathered assembly yet again that you would deal with those who persecute your people around the world we would pray Lord God that you would even save many who are now the opponents of the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ that you would conquer their hearts that you would bring them forth from the darkness and the madness of false religion idolatry and the madness of persecution that you would bring them forth from that darkness unto light in life in Christ Jesus the Lord we pray for Amazing Grace that you would cause them to bend a knee to the king of kings and to the Lord of lords and be found among those whom they formerly persecuted and we would yet again pray for those who would remain in opposition of violent opposition a violent rejection of the the kingship of the Lord Jesus Christ and of our living and true God we do pray that you would take them out of the way that they may no longer bring violence upon the people of Christ we would ask now then as well Lord that you would be with those who rule over us we long to see a rule in our lands after righteousness and justice and equity no longer the government's sanctioning wickedness and casting down virtue we do just pray Lord God that you would do mighty works around the world where governments would rule according to proper equity and that you would cast down those rulers in the midst of the nations who would seek to propagate wickedness in the land be with us now then as we continue in worship we know once again at the minister of the gospel who amounts this pulpit Lord does not rest upon his own strength so we pray for pastor Butler that you would the Father Son and spirit give strength and aid to the man in the pulpit this morning we pray that he would know the aide of the triune God as he opens up his Bible to proclaim the riches of Christ Jesus our Lord we do pray for those of us in the pews Lord that for Saints gathered here this morning you would strengthen them and help them that you would help believers and in this church to be well fed and well instructed and once again encouraged by the word proclaimed and by this gathering of worship we pray that you would help us in equip us to go out into the world to conduct ourselves in light of Christ and to conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of grace and we would pray once again for amazing and sovereign and victorious grace in our midst this day we long to see those young and old saved from out of the darkness of sin to light and life in Christ so do save Lord God to the praise of your glorious name that all who entered in this morning because it is only possible with you that all who entered in this morning outside of Christ in unbelief would leave singing along with all the saints hallelujah what a savior we pray this in the name of that Savior our blessed Redeemer our Lord Jesus Christ amen let's stand and sing again once again in the Red Trinity Psalter we're going to stand and sing psalm 130 let's stand as a church and sing that psalm 130 [Music] seat it in turn in your Bibles to mark 4 mark chapter 4 our New Testament scripture reading will pick up reading in mark 4 at verse 21 mark 4 verse 21 once again just as Psalm 103 was this is the word of the living and true God mark 4 verse 21 also he said to them is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed is it not to be set on a lamp stand for there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light if anyone has ears to hear let him hear then he said to them take heed what you hear with the same measure you use it will be measured to you and to you who hear more will be given for whoever has to him more will be given but whoever does not have even what he has will be taken away from him and he said the kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground and should sleep by night and rise by day and the seed should sprout and grow he himself does not know how for the earth yields crops by itself first the blade then the head after that the full grain in the head but when the grain ripens immediately he puts in the sickle because the harvest has come then he said to what shall we like in the kingdom of God or with what parable shall we picture it it is like a mustard seed which when it is sown on the ground is smaller than all the seeds on earth but when it is sown it grows up and becomes greater than all herbes and shoots out large branches so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade and with many such parables he spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it but without a parable he did not speak to them and when they were alone he explained all things to his disciples on the same day when evening had come he said to them let us cross over to the other side now when they had left the multitude they took him along in the boat as he was and other little boats were also with him and a great wind storm arose and the waves beat into the boat so that it was already filling but he was in the stern asleep on a pillow and they awoke him and said to him teacher do you not care that we are perishing then he arose and rebuked the wind and said to the sea peace be still and the wind ceased and there was a great calm but he said to them why are you so fearful how is it that you have no faith and they feared exceedingly and said to one another who can this who can this be that even the wind and the sea obey Him amen well a number of things that we could observe in this but perhaps just very quickly one thing that we see here is the unmitigated deity of the Lord Jesus Christ in these last verses that we just read you know some opponents of Christianity and some opponents of the inspiration of the scriptures or perhaps very perhaps more pointedly the deity of Christ in the gospel narratives will say that the Gospel of Mark never makes any affirmations that Christ is God Most High the second of the Blessed try in God we have here a clear declaration a clear instance of christ's deity and it's very interesting because it comes couched in the language of his humanity we see this in verse 38 but he was in the stern asleep on a pillow the Lord Jesus Christ was and is truly God and truly man and in an instance where the narrative is highlighting his humanity the Lord Jesus Christ is a sleep on the pillow it then moves very quickly into a clear declaration of his deity verse 39 then he arose and rebuked the wind and with the wind and said to the sea peace be still you make no mistakes mark here is bringing the psalms forward to the narrative that he is giving to to his audience in order to disclose the very fact that this Messiah yes man is nevertheless God from God light from light true God from True God begotten not made one in being with the father Psalm 65 is in in view perhaps even Psalm 107 where it's said of God that he he raises up the stormy winds which lifts up the waves of the sea and later he calms the waves it calms the storm so that it's waves are still here the Lord Jesus Christ only moments before his head asleep on a pillow now commands the waves peace be still Christians know who your Savior is he is not simply a man born in time though he did take to himself man's nature but he is God Most High the one who created all things the one who upholds all things and the one who forgives iniquities by virtue of the sacrifice of himself believe in this Christ rejoice in him because only in him is hope of okk joy of joy and only in him is salvation let us pray Heavenly Father we thank you for this Jesus Christ we thank you for these words for this account of our blessed Savior truly God and truly man yet one christ the savior of men we do pray that you would help us now as we continue in worship to rejoice in him to sing his praises to reflect with great joy upon his doing his dying in his rising again Lord God that you would now keep us attentive give us as we read in this text ears to hear we pray Lord God that we would by your spirit understand the things revealed in your Holy Word and rejoice in them we pray that you would receive all honor and praise by this gathered assembly we pray in the name of our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ amen our final hymn then before the preaching of the word if you'll stand again with me is 580 this time in the larger Trinity hymnal that's 580 let's stand and sing as a church [Music] Oh [Music] you [Music] well please turn with me in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 26 Matthew chapter 26 our text this morning the institution of the Lord's Supper we looked at part one last week we'll finish this section in verses 26 to 30 God willing this morning but I want to begin reading in chapter 26 at verse 1 now it came to pass when Jesus had finished all these sayings that he said to his disciples you know that after two days is the Passover and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified then the chief priests the scribes and the elders of the people assembled at the palace of the high priest who was called Caiaphas and plotted to take Jesus by trickery and kill him but they said not during the feast lest there be an uproar among the people and when Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper a woman came to him having an alabaster flask a very costly fragrant oil and she poured it on his head as he sat at the table but when his disciples saw it they were indignant saying why this waste for this fragrant oil might have been sold for much and given to the poor but when Jesus was aware of it he said to them why do you trouble the woman for she has done a good work for me for you have the poor with you always but me you do not have always for in pouring this fragrant oil on my body she did it for my burial assuredly I say to you wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her then one of the twelve called Judas Iscariot went to the chief priests and said what are you willing to give me if I deliver him to you and they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver so from that time he sought opportunity to betray him now on the first day of the Feast of the unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus saying to him where do you want us to prepare for you to eat the Passover and he said go into the city to a certain man and say to him the teacher says my time is at hand I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples so the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and then they prepared the Passover when evening had come he sat down with the twelve now as they were eating he said assuredly I say to you one of you will betray me and they were exceedingly sorrowful and each of them began to say to him Lord is it I he answered and said he who dipped his hand with me in the dish will betray me the son of man indeed goes just as it is written of him the woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed it would have been good for that man if he had not been born then Judas was betraying him answered and said rabbi is it I he said to him you have said it and as they were eating Jesus took bread blessed and broke it and gave it to the disciples and said take eat this is my body then he took the cup and gave thanks and gave it to them saying drink from it all of you for this is my blood of the new covenant which is shed for many for the remission of sins but I say to you I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my father's Kingdom and when they had sung a hymn they went out to the Mount of Olives amen let us pray our God and our Father we thank you for the written word we thank you that its profitable to us for doctrine for reproof for correction and for instruction in righteousness and we pray now the Holy Spirit who gave us the word would take that word and apply it to our minds our hearts cause us to receive with Thanksgiving your word and may your people grow in the Grace and knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and may all those who come here this morning that are outside of Christ may this be the day of salvation you taught your disciples Lord Jesus Christ that with men it is impossible to save a soul but with God all things are possible so we come to you and we plead sovereign gray and sovereign power and that majesty that that you have demonstrated in creation and in Providence and in Redemption we pray that you would open hearts to the truth of the gospel and cause the graces of faith in repentance to be exercised may sinners look to Christ today and may they live and do forgive us now for all of our sins and our transgressions we thank you for such a gracious and a glorious Savior we thank you for His perfect life of obedience to the father's law his death at Calvary and substitute and sacrifice and his resurrection and his current session God we do look forward to that day when he comes again in glory to judge the living and the dead and may all of us be found clothed in that righteousness which is imputed to us received by faith alone and we pray these things through Christ our Lord amen well here in Matthew chapter 26 just a bit of a review we know that this is the passion narrative the section wherein our Lord is ultimately going to die and he makes that declaration in chapter 26 at verse 2 he reminds his disciples of something he has said repeatedly he has announced it in Matthew 16 Matthew 17 then again in Matthew 20 that he must go to Jerusalem he must be tried at the hands of wicked man he must be crucified he must be raised the third day so he reiterates that or he emphasizes that and on the heels of that verses three to five we see the religious leaders plotting his execution they know they have to take him by stealth by trickery by deceit because they don't want to cause an uproar among the people in that city at that time because of a great feast and then there's that blessed story the midst of all of this betrayal in the midst of all of the sin in the midst of all of the mayhem and chaos we get this snapshot of devotion this woman that that shows this love and affection and worship unto the Lord Jesus Christ it's a beautiful picture and once we leave that then we're immediately confronted with the betrayal by Judas in verses 14 to 16 now in verses 20 17 to 30 member the specific context is the Passover Feast it was the feast in Jerusalem at that particular time Jesus tells his disciples to go and make ready and Jesus does celebrate this Passover feasts with the disciples here in verses 17 to 25 and in the midst of this he announces again the betrayal the disciples are exceedingly sorrowful and then they even question Jesus is a tie now he had announced his betrayal as I mentioned on three separate occasions for actually up to this point chapter 16 chapter 17 chapter 20 and then again in chapter 26 but he had never told them it would be betrayal by one of them by one of the twelve one in their own ranks would deliver up the Lord Jesus Christ and this brings that exceeding sorrow to their hearts and then Jesus identifies not to the knowledge of all the disciples but to Judas specifically that Jesus knows who it is who's betraying him and then in the context of this passover feast our Lord Institute's the Lord's Supper last week we considered the setting of the supper in verse 26 a it was while they were eating Passover secondly we are looking at the institution of the Lord's Supper verses 26 B 229 and then we'll look at the conclusion of the supper in verse 30 but last week we noted the administration Christ uses symbols Christ uses physical things he uses bread and wine he doesn't change these things he doesn't transubstantiated uhz n't make them change in terms of what they are but rather these things represent they signify they symbolize they demonstrate the truth concerning his broken body and his shed blood for sinners so he administrates or he shows or rather the administration of the Supper just like the Passover contained explanation for the bitter herbs in the lamb and all the things that were ingested at that feast Christ does the same thing with the bread with the wine and we also notice that he gives it to his disciples it's not an ordinance for conversion it's not something that has as an evangelistic reach but rather it is an ordinance for the people of God it is for the disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ we saw that last week now notice in the second place under the institution of the supper the significance of the cup and there are three things we ought to appreciate here with reference to the cup again he doesn't separate the the bread and the wine in terms of the body and the blood but rather he explains the significance of his death relative to the cup notice in verse 27 he took the cup gave thanks gave it to them saying drink from it all of you for this is my blood of the new covenant which is shed for many for the remission of sins and those three things we ought to appreciate with reference to the cup is first the covenantal context secondly the emphasis on substitutionary atonement and then third the redemptive benefit in view this idea of the remission of sins the forgiveness of sins if you've come here this morning and you are not forgiven if you have come here this morning and you have not believed the gospel if you have come here this morning and you are alienated from God as a result of your sin and transgression you didn't feel the thrill of singing stanza 3 in that last him you know nothing of being being able to say my sin oh the Bliss of this glorious thought my sin not in part but the whole is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more praise the Lord praise the Lord for those who have had forgiveness of sins for those who have experienced the cup of God's blessing for those who have been washed in that blood isn't it a glorious thing to declare my sin not in part but the whole is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more certainly that's why we praise the Lord praise the Lord if you have not been forgiven if you are not a Christian this morning if you are not a believer my purpose is not to pick on you it's not to out you it's not to expose you but it's rather to present the truth as it is in Jesus and the hope and the prayer the desire today is that you would hear the gospel you'd hear the good news you would hear how this forgiveness of sins is to be got and that by God's grace you would get it by God's grace you would believe by God's grace you would exit this morning singing with us my sin not in part but the whole is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more praise the Lord praise the Lord this is why God's people ought to look happy because our sin not in part but the whole is nailed to the cross and we bear it no more praise the Lord brethren joy peace comfort stability thankfulness gratitude all ought to flow from our appreciation of what this cup signifies but in the first place there is a covenant 'el context notice what Christ says this is my blood of the New Covenant and last week we developed this a little bit I think it bears repeating turn to the book of Exodus in Exodus chapter 24 Exodus chapter 24 is the background for our Lord's statement here in Matthew 26 the Lord is inaugurating a new covenant the Lord is initiating a new covenant will a new covenant presupposes or assumes an old covenant this new covenant is ratified in the blood of Jesus well the old covenant was ratified in blood as well and we see that at Sinai in Exodus chapter 24 remember the giving of God's law formerly in terms of the Decalogue which simply means Ten Commandments you ever hear the word dekha it means ten log means words so Decalogue means the ten words or the ten commandments God gives the commandments in chapter 20 he then gives application for those Commandments in Israel's life in the land in chapters 21 to 23 but that car or that that Decalogue or those Ten Commandments were foundational in terms of Israel's national a covenant with the Lord so in chapter 24 this Old Covenant is ratified by blood notice specifically in verse 3 so Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord and all the judgments and all the people answered with one voice and said all the words which the Lord has said we will do you hear what they're saying all that the Lord has said we will do now if you have ever thought about the Ten Commandments even for that long and you have thought about yourself you'd have to admit this was a bit of a presumptuous assertion to confirm that you're going to do all that the Lord has commanded do all of you do that do any of us do that do we ever master God's commandments you see this is an aspect of this Old Covenant there was a legality involved it was a republication of the Covenant of worked it was a do this and you will live you need to appreciate this covenant in light of Matthew 26 notice in verse 4 Moses wrote all the words of the Lord and he wrote a rose early in the morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain and twelve pillars according to the twelve tribes of Israel then he sent young men of the children of Israel who offered burnt offerings and sacrifices offerings of oxen to the Lord and Moses took half the blood and put it in basins and half the blood he sprinkled on the altar then he took the book of the Covenant and read it in the hearing of the people and they said all that the Lord has said we will do and be obedient and Moses took the blood sprinkled it on the people and said this is the blood of the Covenant which the Lord has made with you according to all these words you see the difference in Matthew 26 this is the New Covenant in my blood Jesus says the idea being is that Jesus has been the obedient one Jesus has been the one who has sworn to the Father all that the Lord has said I will do there's a difference between that Old Covenant arrangement in this new covenant arrangement and it's still binding today when I say this Old Covenant I don't mean you know the the Jewish temple and the sacrifices you you know follow the feast days and all that but that principle of works that idea that if you resist or reject the Lord Jesus Christ you are admitting to God that I'm going to go it alone I'm going to try to get into your presence based on my own merits now maybe you've never vocalize that or you've never verbalized that or you've never see Allah gize dand quite that way or you've considered these confidence and in this way but but think with me for a moment if Christ inaugurates this new covenant and it's in his blood and it secures the forgiveness of sins it secures all the things that that this cop represents and you reject that or you resist that or you do not believe that you are essentially saying with those persons and exodus 20:4 all that the Lord has commanded I will do let me just break the news to you're already done none of you have done that none of you have kept any of the law in that manner remember that God's demand for compliance with his law isn't do the best you can it's very popular today he did his best you know the kid out there that played right field that couldn't catch a ball he couldn't throw he still gets a trophy now if that's your kid I'm sorry don't burn the trophy but it used to be you know you did well and you got rewarded for it now we just look at it as he did his best that's not how God operates just doing your best will not secure your place in heaven just not going to that strip club or just not you know smoking that illegal substance or or drinking from that bottle that's not going to secure your place in heaven all that the Lord has said we will do that's what you commit to when you reject Jesus Christ that's what you commit to when you reject the gospel now there might be a third option there are those persons who couldn't care less I think that you there's many of those among us couldn't care less about law about gospel about God about righteousness they just do whatever is they want but I'm assuming this morning that your place or presence in this place this morning least tells me that you know something about God you know something about man and I'm here to tell you that if you try and approach God based on you you're going to fail you've already failed you see it's the blood of the new covenant that you need it's the blood of the new covenant that secures our place in heaven it's Christ's redemptive work on behalf of sinners the fact that he obeyed God's law every step of the way the fact that he dies as a sacrifice and a substitute at Calvary's cross the fact that he was raised the third day the idea being is that all those who look to him in faith will receive benefit they will receive blessing they will receive everything he secured in his life and his death in his resurrection so we looked at several weeks ago as the Apostle says in Romans 4 Jesus was delivered up because of our offenses and he was raised for our justification sinner do not try and go it alone there's many instances where this can work in your life you know the old story where the man and the woman are driving and they're lost and the woman says pull into the gas station and ask a man says absolutely not I don't to sacrifice my manhood at the altar of looking like I'm lost why do we do that I mean come on ask somebody for help but but you could find your way in the midst of that you might find the right road and secure your position firmly this is not something you want to do alone the Bible tells us God is holy holy holy the Bible tells us that those angels who are in the presence of God have six wings with two of the wings they fly with two of the wings they cover their feet and with two of the wings they cover their faces why is that because God's holy holy holy I realize it's commonplace and much of Christian preaching today to just preach God is our body and as our friend now there's a sense where Christ is indeed a friend of sinners and in this we greatly rejoice but we lost something of a holiness of God we've lost something of the fear of God we've lost something of the sense of the prophets who said that God is too pure to look upon any evil there's no approving of wickedness with our God you as parents I as a parent got lazy we turned the other way instead of appropriately disciplining our children there's no turning away with God there is no linking and pretending that it just didn't happen as famous catechism in the history of the church asks the question what does every sin deserve the answer is telling every sin deserves God's wrath and curse both in this life and that which is to come so you might try to find your way to a particular destination without a gas station attendant so without a GPS and you may make it you're not going to get to heaven apart from Christ not only because the Bible declares it to be the case I am the way the truth and the life no one comes to the Father but through me but because of the Covenant you're going to try to approach God in your own works you're going to try to approach God with your own merit you're going to try to approach God as having accomplished all that God said perfectly exactly entirely and perpetually you can't do it so my encouragement to you today is to give up give up trying wave the white flag surrender on the field of battle and look and live look to Christ that blessed analogy that Jesus gives us in John three holds true today he said just as the serpent was raised up in the wilderness so must the Son of Man be lifted up and the serpent or the persons that were bit bit by those fiery serpents they looked and they lived that's the analogy that holds true the answer the gospel the glorious truth of Christianity is not try harder do more and be better at whatever it is you're attempting but look to Christ and live because this is my blood of the new covenant if we reject that if we resist that we do so to our own peril and we end up in hell so as Joshua would say in that covenant ratification ceremony in Joshua 24 choose you this day whom you're going to serve or as Elijah says with reference to bail if bail is God then worship Him but if Yahweh is God then worship him if you believe there is a God and the fact that you're here indicates that that's probably the case if you believe that you're a sinner you might say well I'm not like that John Newton or that Apostle Paul but that if you have a view of your sin there's one answer for you today look to the one who said this is my blood of the New Covenant look to him who was raised on the cross look to him was crucified look to him who secured benefit for all those whom the father had given him look to him and him alone for salvation that's the significance of the covenantal context in this instance notice the language of as well of substitutionary atonement when when Christ went to the cross and again this is popular today isn't he a wonderful example yeah he's exemplary to be sure isn't that just demonstrate great love at the cross yeah John 3:16 God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son shouldn't we just all try harder like Jesus that man who who went to martyrdom for the the good of mankind you know all those things have truth to them but it gots the gospel ultimately if we press those things and we moralize the truth as it is in Jesus the great display at Calvary isn't moralism it's substitutionary curse bearing it's that God made him who knew no sin to be sin for us that we might be come the righteousness of God in him the doctrine of substitution the doctrine of penal substitution Christ satisfied divine justice by his death that's the truth that this cup contains notice the text for this is my blood of the new covenant which is shed for many this is the language of substitutionary atonement the idea of shedding this is a word of sacrifice you see it often used in the Old Testament you see it as well in the New Testament what happened when they killed the animals the animals blood was poured out the animal's blood was shed kids do do you realize that what a Sabbath day would it look like if you would have grown up you know back in the Old Covenant you get up on Saturday morning you wouldn't have bacon and eggs you'd go out to the flock you'd find an animal that you loved one of the best dad would take that animal you'd go down to the tabernacle or the temple you'd cut the throat of that animal while your hand was on its head and then you would present it to the opposite to the priest the blood would be poured out the blood would be shed sacrifice had been made this is the language of the Paschal Lamb right here in our text this is my blood of the new covenant which is shed for many for the remission of sins Davy's and Allison define the word this way the ransom for many is made through sacrificial blood this blast fact is emphasized by the use of the verb I'm not going to read it here pour out shed is the English translation a sacrificial word which connotes a violent death and in connection with Passover recalls the slaughtered Paschal Lamb there's some theories concerning this particular passover feast I mentioned it's tough to nail it down with certainty in terms of the calendar and in terms of when they observed some suggest that they didn't eat the lamb at this particular dinner and they had no need to because the lamb was in the midst of that whether that theory has merit or it's certainly theologically accurate because Paul will tell us later in first Corinthians 5 that Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us you see substitutionary atonement I know that word gets bandied about a lot what's atonement the basic meaning is cover the basic meaning is to cover and in this sense sin sin is covered not in part but the whole it's nailed to the cross I bear it no more why because it's been covered proverbs speaks to this he who covers his transgression will not prosper in other words if you try to cover your sin apart from the only legitimate means of cover which is the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ you're not going to prosper you might hear a sermon and say I need to stop doing this I need to stop going here I need to stop doing that my parents are breathing down my neck so I'm going to change the way that I live here I'm going to have to hide it better I'm going to have to be more deceptive that's a covering by which you will not prosper listen to the rest of proverbs 28:13 whoever confesses it and forsakes it will find what mercy why because this is the blood or my blood of the new covenant which is shed for many the language proper used by Christ in this particular passage so atonement means to cover it means to deal with sin and substitutionary atonement means this that when Christ went to the cross he didn't just go for anybody willy-nilly he didn't just go generally and anybody who wanted to activate that cross work would just sort of flip a switch in their head and believe or choose or decide no Christ went to the cross for his people remember at the naming of Jesus in Matthew 1:21 we read you shall call his name Jesus for it is he who will save his people from their sins who's the his people the his people are further identified in this particular text that his people we see in are the many in Matthew 20:28 the son of man came to Sur to give his life a ransom for many but notice for this is my blood of the new covenant which is shed for many the language proper used in the Lord's Supper indicates that for many broken for you in 1st Corinthians 11:20 for a textual you know sort of variant there it might just be for you this bread is for you for those who by God's grace are trusting in Jesus Christ now there's some Old Testament background to this particular passage Isaiah 53 you can turn there because Christ sitting at table with these man is filled with Old Testament Christ is showing and demonstrating to them that he is the counterpart to that legal covenant at Sinai that those who swore all that the Lord has said we will do and failed miserably Christ is the one who swears and does do Christ in the language that he employs in the institution of the supper reflects Jeremiah 31:31 234 it's a promise of the New Covenant in that Old Covenant era the prophets prosecuted Israel for their failure to be sure they always brought messages of hope messages of comfort messages of encouragement and in Jeremiah 31:31 234 the Prophet says that God will make a new covenant and so Christ inaugurates this new covenant in his blood but this language is substitutionary atonement notice in 53 12 therefore I will divide him a portion with the great and he will or he shall divide the spoil with the strong because he poured out his soul unto death and he was numbered with the transgressors and he bore the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors a few minutes ago I said if you're a sinner here this morning and you haven't come to the Lord Jesus Christ my purpose isn't to out you or to make you feel bad everybody in here that is a believer is a sinner and I love this passage especially the end of fo not used to say especially how do you say you know everything in the Bible that is absolutely beautiful do you say well especially somebody asked me recently what's your favorite verse in the Bible what do you begin there's 31 thousand of them but notice what it says there he bore the sin of many and made intercession for whom for transgressors sin Christ say this in Matthew 9 when the Pharisees are upset that this man eats with sinners he says I didn't come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance or that instance where Christ stops at the foot of that sycamore tree and he tells Zacchaeus make haste and calm down because I'm going to eat dinner at your house tonight and all the people on the ground are grumbling and they're whining and they're complaining and they're murmuring and Christ says you missed it by a long shot the son of man came to seek and to save that which was lost if you're a sinner here this morning find great comfort in the reality that Christ bore the sin of many and he made intercession for transgressors he didn't come for the beautiful people he didn't come for the spotless people he didn't come for the noble people because there ain't none all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God there is none righteous no not one notice in verse six all we like sheep have gone astray we have turned every one to his own way and there's that substitution at the end of verse six again and yahweh has laid on him the iniquity of us all notice substitution all throughout verses 4 to 6 surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows yet we esteemed him stricken smitten by God and afflicted but he was wounded for our transgressions he was bruised for our iniquities the chastisement for our peace was upon him and by His stripes we are healed you see Christ was a public person Christ was a covenant 'el head Christ stood for us that's the beauty of the New Covenant and on that cross he took the wrath and fury of God that we deserve so yes there's an example to be had at the cross yes there is love to be enjoyed at the cross yes there is a demonstration of a martyr's death at the cross but the foundational fundamental issue with reference to the cross is that this is the place wherein God is just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus Christ that cross publishes God's righteousness as well it demonstrates that he held his law in tact that won a champion a representative obeyed it and then that champion and representative died in our place and satisfied divine justice there's a lot of good things going on in this cup in Matthew 26 and then notice with reference to the redemptive benefit for this is my blood of the new covenant which is shed for many for the remission of sins that little phrase there for the remission of sins I used a word several weeks ago I think I'm teaching or preaching and I know one of my son's quite likes that word Boone Boone Boone is a good thing you get married and that's a boon to your existence right your married life is better exponentially now I don't mean for all you poor single people out there that sounded bad sorry life can be as long as you marry the right person it's a boon right or you-you-you get a new appliance that's a boon to your existence or or you get a new way to do something in your workplace that that's a boon to your existence I submit that forgiveness is a chief boon of gospel blessing in other words there is nothing really any anything better than pillowing your head at night having been forgiven of your sins is there I mean as Christians we get the privilege of gathering together and that's a blessing we get to see each other and encourage one another and carry each other's burdens to the throne of grace we get to intercede we get to pray we get to clean the church building together all those fun things right but what is brethren when you lay awake at night thinking musing meditating upon your God that puts a smile on your soul my sins are forgiven God's dealt with me in mercy God has been kind my sin has been covered my sin has been atoned for my Savior bore my wrath he satisfied divine justice in my place perhaps we ought to meditate upon that concept or think through that concept before worship so that as we sing we sing when we sing Psalm 130 if thou Lord shuts mark iniquities O Lord who could stand but there is forgiveness with thee that thou mayst be feared praise God Christ holds this out is a great benefit in blessing that this caught brings it is the remission of sins Westminster Shorter Catechism number 33 justification is an act of God's free grace where in he hardeneth all our sins the New Testament everywhere connects the forgiveness of sins with the blood of Jesus you see it Romans 3 Galatians 1 Ephesians 1 Colossians 1 Hebrews 9 first John to Revelation 5 all these passages connect our forgiveness with the blood of Jesus imagine the disciples at this particular Passover as Jesus transitions from Passover to Lord supper now they know Jesus they've walked with Jesus they've seen Jesus they've watched the demonstration of the miraculous they they've heard his teaching they've witnessed all these things but these men weren't ignorant of the Old Testament when Christ uses these words what's he bringing together I am what Exodus 24 couldn't provide for the people because the law is bad but because we're bad I am the one that Jeremiah was looking forward to I am the suffering servant of I 53 he doesn't announce it that way I mean if we accomplish something we liked everybody to know it you know Facebook post hey I helped somebody over the across the street today please pray for that how about just pray for them Jesus isn't doing that here he's not you know parading himself but these men's ears were steeped in exodus steeped in Jeremiah steeped in the prophet Isaiah as he strings together these benefits that the cup holds forth I would imagine their hearts were warm encouraged blessed strengthened he is in the language of Paul in 2nd Corinthians 1:20 all the promises of God are yes amen in Christ that remission of sins that forgiveness of sins matthew henry makes this observation he says the new covenant which is procured and ratified by the blood of christ is a charter of pardon we like our Charter of Rights don't we I'm not suggesting we shouldn't we should like the right to speak our mind we should like the right to bear arms we should like the rights that we have but we have a charter of pardon I love that phrase the new covenant which is procured and ratified by the blood of Christ as a charter of pardon and act of indemnity in order to a reconciliation between God and man for sin was the only thing that made the quarrel and without shedding of blood there is no remission Hebrews 9:22 so Christ Institute's the Lord's Supper he highlights the significance of the cup and then notice in verse 29 he anticipates the future he anticipates the future he says in verse 29 but I say to you I will not drink of the of this fruit of the vine from now on until the day when I drink it new with you in my father's gained up now this essentially says that Christ is going to defer this sort of a meal together with his disciples until that day now some of the early fathers thought it mental until after his resurrection because he does eat with the disciples after his resurrection he eats fish eats honeycomb Peter specifically refers to us having eaten with him in acts 10 41 some suggest that it's based on this that in Matthew 27 34 he doesn't take the wine that was given to him I think that is probably reading more into this statement that needs to be I think what Christ is doing is pointing his disciples to glory look at this look at what he's saying this is my or this is the cup of or the New Covenant in my blood or my blood in the New Covenant or of the New Covenant so he's talked about his death he's announced it several times that he's going to die but what's he doing he's telling them there's a glory to come as part of the Lord's Supper isn't it when we eat this bread we drink this cup what do we do we proclaim the Lord's death till when till he comes there's a future orientation involved in the supper in Christ Institute's or demonstrates or confirms that reality in this particular instance look at the language again I say to you I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my father's Kingdom I suggest the language of new and my father's Kingdom points to the consummation points to the glory to come points to the reality that this Christ who died would be raised again this Christ who was raised would sit enthroned at the right hand of the Majesty on I that this Christ enthroned at the right hand of the Majesty on I would come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and when he does that he presents the kingdom to his father visa vie 1st Corinthians chapter 15 22:28 and this brings us to that eternal age it brings us to that consummation it brings us to that time of ceremony that time of Messianic banquet that time of great rejoicing because Christ and His Church are together forever Jesus points to this feast in Matthew chapter 8 it's the same feast I believe going on here in this anticipation Matthew chapter 8 which reflects Isaiah profit in a couple of places chapter 25 in Chapter 65 but in Matthew 811 and I say to you that many will come from east and west and sit down with Abraham Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven but the sons of the kingdom will be cast into outer darkness there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth now this is what I suspect he is saying we're not going to have this kind of a meal together until the consummation to Christ to secured everybody that he died for us benefit and redemption till Christ has judged the living in the dead till Christ is consummated the new heavens and the new earth remember I said with reference to Passover they had four cups during the celebration four cups of wine probably not you know the 64 ounce err from from 7-eleven but they had cups of wine and four of them those four cups are based on Exodus chapter 6 there are for deliverance verbs used in Exodus 6 6 and 7 God is going to deliver God is going to redeem God is going to bring out the the emphasis of the cops is on Redemption but Exodus 6 8 looks forward to their settlement in the land why are they brought out of Egypt they are brought out of Egypt to ultimately be placed into Canaan to be placed into the land given by promise of God to Abraham and Carson I think picks up this significance well he says just as the first Passover looks forward not only to deliverance but to settlement in the land so also the Lord's Supper looks forward to the deliverance in life in the consummated Kingdom the disciples will keep the celebration until Jesus comes but Jesus will not participate in it with them until the consummation when he will sit down with them at the messianic banquet Calvin says thus we see how Christ leads his disciples by the hand to the cross and thence raises them to the hope of the resurrection so there is this orientation involved in the supper that points us to the future and that is precisely the significance of verse 29 so there's the the occasion of the supper the setting of it it's in the Passover meal we see the administration a rather institution of the supper was you know specific emphasis on the significance of the cup let's look at the conclusion quickly notice in verse 30 and when they had sung a hymn they went out to the Mount of Olives when they had sung a hymn they had went out to the Mount of Olives now the hem here is psalms psalms 113 to 118 the the whole L Psalms of praise to God that's why we sang psalm 118 at the outset of worship this morning this is what Jesus would have saw I don't believe an exclusive psalmody but I certainly think the church needs to sing more Psalms we need to be singing the songs of Zion the inspired scripture things that that modern hem nests and older him nests and if that's correct writers of hymns didn't always capture they sang the Halal they sang probably here specifically the conclusion of the Passover would have been probably 115 to 118 what's 115 it's basically a mockery of idolatry what's 116 116 expresses the fact that that the the servant would indeed keep his vows what's Psalm 117 the shortest psalm in the entirety of the Bible it's about Gentile inclusion and the Covenant blessings of God and then what's psalm 118 it's not only this is the day the Lord has made we will rejoice and be glad in it but verses 5 and 6 specifically speak concerning the distress the sorrow the agony of the psalmist himself these are the songs of Jesus Christ this is the poetry behind the passion and it's intriguing that Christ would have sang psalm 118 as he marched forward to Gethsemane now certainly is going to prophesy concerning Peters denial and just a moment or in the next section but the prayer before guests emiti is psalm 118 and that's beautiful brethren he distrusts or he is agonizing but he is triumphant over it because he cast himself upon the mercy of his father Spurgeon says was it not truly brave of our dear Lord to sing under such circumstances he was going forth to his last dread conflict to Gethsemane and GABA thha GABA 'this simply means judgment if you hear me speak of gabbatha that is the judgment seat that Christ stood you know before the earthly rulers in so he is going to his last dread conflict guess M&E gabbatha and Golgotha yet he went along with a song on his lips it's our Savior Carson again makes this observation the hymn normally song was the last part of the Hallel Psalms 114 to 118 or 115 to 118 it was sung and Tiffany Lee probably wasn't the way we sing it was probably more of a chant it would chant the Psalms Jesus as the leader would sing the lines and his followers would respond with Hallelujah parts of it must have been deeply moving to the disciples when after the resurrection they remembered that Jesus sang words pledging that he would keep his vows Psalm 116 12 and 13 ultimately triumph despite rejection psalm 118 and call all nations to praise Yahweh and his covenant love in Psalm 117 that's a beautiful observation so you see this short verse and when they had sung a hymn when we know what that hear me is and we know it's the content of that part of the Psalter we see the prayers of our blessed Savior as he marches onward to Gethsemane and then in conclusion they depart to the Mount of Olives typically on our Wednesday night Bible studies those of you who can attend you're encouraged and invited to attend we go through the Old Testament we started in Deuteronomy probably and wonder why did you start in Genesis because I was young and naive no it's just Deuteronomy seemed to cap off the Pentateuch summarize everything preceding that and so we've gone from Deuteronomy and we're presently in first Kings well one of the things that we typically try to do and there is a pun here is show the typical significance these Old Testament passages in other words we look at david for instance when we're in 1st and 2nd samuel and we see how he typifies the coming lord jesus you understand that right jesus or david was a king of israel he typifies in that the fact that jesus his son is going to be king of israel well it's nice to see some anti-typical fulfillment in other words there is something going on in this departure to the Mount of Olives in the passion narrative that is reflective of what had gone on in the life of David remember when David is rejected by Absalom Absalom usurps the authority of his father the king he schmooze his people at the city gates he gets a following he promises you know all these good things you know he'll hear your cases he'll decide your cases he'll be the guy that that David isn't so he starts an uprising and persons start to follow him and essentially David has to leave Jerusalem the seat of his kingdom it says that he ascended the Mount of all heirs in grief and in sorrow when he arrives there or on his ascent somebody comes along and says a hit FL has betrayed you a hipa fell has joined absalom's rebellion the his affair was one of David's closest associates isn't this precisely the movement that we find here Jesus is going to the Mount of Olives with the knowledge of the closest associate having betrayed him it's intriguing as well because in 2nd Samuel 17 1 & 2 a hit the fell has a plan to capture David this is precisely what we find with Judas when he brings these godless men to lay their filthy hands upon our Savior and then how does a hit the FEL deal with all of this he goes back to his house he puts it in order and he hanged himself we have the anti-type of David played out before our eyes in the passion narrative brethren to see these connections helps us to appreciate the unity of God's Word the consistency of God's Word though one authorship of God's Word yes there were several human authors but all of it is of God the Lord our David our Savior our Lord the one prophesied in 2nd Samuel 7 is here doing everything that was decreed by the Father for him to undertake well in conclusion we ought to appreciate the threefold orientation of the supper on a churchly level last week I suggested that if you're able you should be here tonight why would you miss the supper of the Lord why would you miss an ordinance given to us by God Himself by Christ our Lord Christ the head of the church says I want to give you something no don't want it amazes me God says I want to give you a day of rest nope don't want it I want to go to work today what are you crazy God says you can take the day off what is it with us in God's gifts God offers sinners salvation by grace through faith in Christ nope don't want it rather go to hell God offers us one day of seven to come in from out of the world and to enjoy him nope don't want it believers and confessional churches who subscribe to a 17th century doctor a body of doctrine which accurately reflects Scripture for whatever reason not don't want the supper we tend to look at it as our service in fact we often refer to church as service tonight the service begins at 5:00 it will be our Lord's Supper service don't misunderstand that word service it's not our service to God that's on display in the supper it's God's service to us it's Christ's gift to us twice in the narrative of institution he broke the bread and he gave he took the cup and he gave the supper tonight is not a reward for our obedience the supper tonight is not because we've been great people over the past week and we deserve it the supper tonight is when the house God himself puts a bounty before us and bids us to come to take and to be refreshed the supper is for will weary pilgrims on their way so hopefully we'll see you tonight at 5:00 p.m. for our Lord supper service God's service toward us the supper looks back to the sacrifice of Christ on the cross the supper speaks to the church's present privilege of observing these things and the supper looks forward to the marriage supper of the Lamb as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup you proclaim the Lord's death till he comes right it's a future orientation in the institution first Corinthians chapter 11 we have seen and hopefully appreciate the covenantal context of the supper but we ought to appreciate as well the specific focus of the supper it's the death of Christ do this in remembrance of me why does God give us these things why does he give us these tangible signs because he knows us we forget don't we I shared with you how Martin Luther said I preached justification by faith every week because my people forget it every week can't you just get so caught up in your 60 70 80 hour work week and forget that you're a believer in Christ I mean you don't forget in terms of you know I'm an atheist right I'd love Satan but you just get sidetracked don't you I mean you're you're building widgets or you're digging trenches or you're doing whatever and your employer pays you to do that and not meditate upon the glories of Jesus it happens so what is called doing His goodness and kindness he says eat the bread drink the cup but these physical things be of special importance in terms of remembering Christ remembering the redemptive word of Christ the death of Christ the redemptive benefit secured by Christ thirdly we ought to appreciate the practical benefit of the Lord's Supper it is a perpetual remembrance here I'm quoting from our confession we're in the church shows forth the sacrifice in his death it doesn't perform a sacrifice we dealt with that last week we're not actually sacrifice but we are showing forth the sacrifice in his death and it is also here's what the confession of faith says and it's certainly a biblical trait a biblical depiction confirmation of the faith of believers and all the benefits thereof their spiritual nourishment and growth in him their further engagement in and to all duties which they owe to him and to be a bond and pledge of their communion with him and I love this phrase and with each other yes the vertical God serves us bread and wine he serves us bread and wine serves the people of God together we are engaged as one body remembering our Blessed Lord there is a vertical element in terms of the communion but there's a horizontal element in terms of communion as well it is greatly beneficial to the people of God into the health of God's churches when God's people obey His commandments and take the bread and wine it really is a good thing so again hopefully you'll all be back on five o'clock tonight and then only close with this observation and this is actually close the glorious gospel demonstrated by the Lord's Supper this is my blood of the new covenant which is shed for many for the remission of sins you can turn to John 6 for just a moment John 6 the situation here is that Jesus feeds a great multitude and on the heels of that Jesus teaches concerning bread the bread which came down out of heaven at the time of Moses and Jesus used that uses that analogously to his appearance as indeed the bread of life but notice what Christ says here specifically let's say verse 47 most assuredly I say to you he who believes in Me has everlasting life I am the bread of life your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness and are dead this is the bread which comes down from heaven that one may eat of it not die I am The Living bread which came down from heaven if anyone eats of this bread he will live forever and the bread that I shall give is my flesh which I shall give for the life of the world the Jews therefore quarreled among themselves saying how could this man give us his flesh to eat then jesus said to them most assuredly I say to you unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood you have no life in you whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life and I will raise him up at the last day for my flesh as food indeed and my blood is drink indeed he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me and I in him now in this teaching he is not instituting the Lord's Supper in this teaching he is not in the context he is in Matthew 26 he's not sitting with his disciples saying look I'm going to give you a new ordinance I'm going to give you something for the church to observe throughout our history so this passage in John 6 is not teaching the doctrine of the Lord's Supper however in light of our doctrine of the Lord's Supper it does bid us well to contemplate what he says here now when he says eat his flesh and drink his blood he doesn't mean literally he doesn't mean we are to actually engage in the activity of cannibalism now listen Christ here uses a metaphor something we can all sink our teeth into something that we can all relate to we've got to eat we've got to drink in order to have life try that experiment don't eat don't drink and see how long you continue actually don't somebody always does something foolish I mean oh my son won't eat because you know I'll eat but but the idea being is that he uses a metaphor an analogy a picture a figure that we all know and can relate to right we have to eat we have to drink this is a metaphor this is a figure this is a description in vivid language of the statement of John 6:40 do not go home today not believing do not go home today rejecting do not go home today committed to this all that the Lord commands I will do no rather cast yourself upon God's mercy through Jesus Christ look to that one and live believe in him turn from your sins and hear John 6:40 this is the will of him who sent me that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life and I will raise him up at the last day it is the truth that salvation is by grace through faith in Christ if you are not a believer this morning believe if you are not a Christian this morning believe if you're not a Christian this morning look to him and live listen to Christ's words defining for us the will of the Father that everyone who sees the Sun and you don't see him physically like they did just see them through the preaching of the word Paul tells the Galatians this you see them through the preaching of the word and believes in him that means exactly what it says believe everything the Bible says is true specifically those things concerning Jesus Christ his life his death his resurrection believe in him note the result may have everlasting life and I will raise him up at the last day and after that raising up of the last day guess what happens we sit with Abraham Isaac and Jacob but the Messianic banquet and we feast with the church as a whole and we feast in the presence of our beloved Savior well let us pray father we thank you for your word and we thank you for the Lord Jesus Christ and this this cup this new covenant in his blood how we praise you for the forgiveness of sins how we praise you for your mercy and your grace and how we pray today that in your sovereign power and grace you would save sinners to the uttermost we ask that you would go with us cause us to to reflect upon these things cause us to reflect upon the glory of the Savior and they pray these things through Christ our Lord amen we'll close with a brief time of meditation and then be dismissed you