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good evening everyone and welcome to free grace Baptist Church a welcome to all visitors that are with us this evening I just want announcement before we begin worship well maybe two the first is it's the lord's supper this evening we'll be observing the supper of our Lord so you can see the bread and the wine they're waiting for that as well the July calendars are available so after you leave if you have a mind to remember they're available at the back of the church or at the front of the church as you leave well let's turn in our Bibles then to Isaiah 53 our call to worship in fact Isaiah 52 verse 13 there's a number of Old Testament passages that the Gospel writers bring forth in fact that even Christ himself alludes to during the crucifixion but during the narrative in the Gospel accounts Exodus 12 Psalm 22 Zechariah 12 Zechariah 13 Isaiah 53 figure quite prominently as the Gospel writers are connecting the prophecies of the Old Testament the promises of the Old Testament to the death of Christ Isaiah 52 beginning in verse 13 the word of God behold my servant shall deal prudently he shall be exalted and extolled and be very high just as many were astonished at you so his visit was marred more than any man and his form more than the sons of men so shall he sprinkle many nations Kings shall shut their mouths at him for what had not been told them they shall see and what they had not heard they shall consider who has believed our report and to whom has the arm of the Lord being revealed for he shall grow up before him as a tender plant and as a root out of dry ground he has no form or comeliness and when we see him there is no beauty that we should desire him he is despised and rejected by men a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief and we hid as it were our faces from him he was despised and we did not esteem him surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows yet we esteemed him stricken smitten by God and licked it 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 all we like sheep have gone astray we have turned every one to his own way and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all he was oppressed and he was afflicted yet he opened not his mouth he was led as a lamb to the slaughter and as a sheep before it's Shearer's is silent so he opened not his mouth he was taken from prison and from judgment and who will declare his generation for he was cut off from the land of the living for the transgression of my people he was stricken and they made his grave with the wicked but with the rich at his death because he had done no violence nor was any deceit in his mouth yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him he has put him to grief when you make his soul an offering for sin he shall see his seed he shall prolong his days and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand he shall see the labor of his soul and be satisfied by his knowledge my righteous servant shall justify many for he shall bear their iniquities therefore I will divide him a portion with the great and 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 amen let's stand and sing a hymn that hymn is going to be 127 let's stand as a church and sing that together 127 [Music] let us pray Heavenly Father we come to you now in prayer having gathered in the name of our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ rejoicing in Father Son and Holy Spirit and we would pray yet again on a second time this Lord's Day you would help us to approach you with a great awe with great reverence and that we would hallow your name truly we longed to be those who are your people who give you the proper praise and the proper honor that is do your most high name so do help us now by your spirit and for your glory say to be those worshipers who worship you in spirit and in truth and we rejoice again in the gospel of our savior the Lord Jesus Christ we thank you that you've made us to to know and to rejoice in the truth as it is in the Holy Scriptures concerning all things no doubt that you have revealed but especially concerning the gospel of Jesus Christ our saviors a one man has once said a page after page chapter after chapter your word discloses Christ upon a cross working out the salvation of men and we rejoice in the gospel of Jesus Christ knowing that you did send him in the fullness of the times that are the Savior came down from on high the sinners to say that he came into this world sinners to save and we rejoice in that most precious truth and knowing that we are not saved by deeds of righteousness which we have done but much rather according to your mercy you saved us through the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit we know that these things come solely and alone by virtue of the perfect work of the Lord Jesus Christ his obedience perfect obedience unto the law in the stead of all who believe his perfection of saving work upon Calvary's cross whereon he died in the stead of all those who believe in your name taking upon himself the punishment that was due his people he rose again the third day and great power and great victory and as your people we rehearse these things with a measure of solemnity and yet with a measure of high joy and knowing that in these things and the perfection of the work of our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ there is salvation that perfectly we do pray having been brought forth from darkness to glorious light in your appointed and accepted time we pray with great joy rehearsing these things and ask that you would help us and by your spirit that's a hallow your name to give you honor to give you glory and to rehearse the perfections and the glory is the Grace and the mercy and the eternal loving kindness of Father Son and Holy Spirit we do pray God that you'd be with those unable to join us those who are traveling those who are unwell that you would strengthen them and bless them and watch over them and you would help them Lord God and we pray for all who are with us who do struggle with pains with discomforts with disease with injury those who perhaps recovering for medical procedures and those Lord God who are afflicted in body that you just watch over them that you'd strengthen them now that you attend to their bodies and cause them in the midst of affliction to rejoice in you to be resigned wholly to your will in all things and to know for a certainty that the judge of all the earth does right by his people and for his own glory we do pray God that you'd be with those who rule over us we pray for Kings and those who are in authority that you would cause them Lord to rule in righteousness and in truth in proper equity and in proper justice we would ask Lord that you would remove from power those who would seek to perpetually pervert and continue and injustice and to propagate wickedness and the land to do those things which are evil in your sight and let you remove them from power Lord God and replace them with those who would seek to uphold uprightness and we do pray Lord that you'd watch over your churches throughout the world we know that we are not alone not yet not in this Lower Mainland nor throughout the earth but you have your churches and in many a nation and many a province in many a state around the world we do pray that you be with your people who gather together we pray Lord God that you'd watch over them that you'd strengthen them and that you would purify your churches Lord God that you would throughout the world engage in a reform of your churches that your people would rejoice in the true and saving gospel that those ministers of yours would proclaim the true and saving gospel and Lord God that your churches would do what churches ought to do they would honor you that they would uphold you that they would sing your praises that they rehearse the glories the riches the excellencies of Jesus Christ and Lord God that you would just day by day strengthen your churches and add to add to the number of those who who own the name of the Savior the Lord Jesus Christ as we think of the book of Acts we would pray that we adhere more of a course of the Lord adding to the church daily those who were being saved we pray unto this end for missionaries throughout the world for Proclaimers of the gospel throughout the world and Lord God all that you've called to minister the gospel of saving grace and lands near and far that you would give that measure of the Spirit that would attend the proclamation of the gospel and that many souls would come forth by your grace and for your glory from the darkness and the madness of sin to light in life in Christ Jesus the Lord we pray Lord God that you would save throughout the earth and that many would come to a knowledge of our Blessed King and Redeemer the Lord Jesus Christ we do pray that you'd be with the persecuted Church watch over our brothers and sisters around the world who are persecuted for the sake of the gospel and for the cause of God and truth we just pray that you'd watch over them and help them comfort them be near to them and the Lord God that you would deal with their persecutors and we do just pray that your gospel would run victorious throughout throughout the earth Lord God that you would vindicate your name throughout the earth that many would turn from the madness of idolatry unto the Lord Jesus Christ in saving faith so be with us now be with pastor Butler again as he comes up to proclaim the word and we do pray that you'd help him yet again in the pulpit give him strength and give him aid as he opens up the Bible to proclaim the things of your revelation to us and we rejoice in the truth and we do pray for the minister of the truth in this pulpit tonight that he would know your strength in your aid and do be active Lord God by your spirit that you would uplift and encourage Saints and that you would save sinners and that the exercise of worship tonight would be entered the praise of Father Son and Holy Spirit we pray in the name of our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ amen let's and stand and sing our him before the preaching now we'll be in the read Trinity Salter and we're going to sing psalm 130 that psalm 130 and the red trinity saw [Music] Romans chapter 5 our meditation than that this evening will be more of a topical survey but I did want to read Romans chapter 5 specifically verses 12 to 19 we consider the active obedience of Jesus Christ tonight Romans 5 beginning in verse 12 therefore just as through one man sin entered the world and death through sin and thus death spread to all men because all sinned for until the law sin was in the world but sin is not imputed when there is no law nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam who is a type of him who was to come but the free gift is not like the offence for if by the one man's offence many died much more the grace of God and the gift much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one man Jesus Christ abounded to many and the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned for the judgment which came from one offence resulted in condemnation but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification for if by the one man's offense death reigned through the one much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the one Jesus Christ therefore as through one man's offence judgment came to all men resulting in condemnation even so through one man's righteous act the free gift came to all men resulting in justification of life for as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners so also by one man's obedience many will be made righteous moreover the law entered that the offence might abound but where sin abounded grace abounded much more so that as sin reigned in death even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord amen well let us pray father we thank you for your word and for what it sets forth concerning our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ we thank you that he is the one who came into this world sinners to save and that he accomplished that task perfectly and how we praise you for the mercy and the grace that you have given to us and for the the faith and repentance so that we could have closed with Christ we thank you for the supper tonight and how it reminds us and and encourages us and exhort us to consider the blessed reality of Christ's death on behalf of his people help us Lord to do this on a regular basis help us as well to remember his life his resurrection those other things joined with that ministry that he that he undertook on our behalf do forgive us now for our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness and fill us with the Holy Spirit that we may glorify and honor you and we ask through Christ Jesus our Lord amen well as I said our subject this evening is the active obedience of Christ and I'll seek to explain what I mean by that in just a few moments but we just sang in hymn 127 he Christ has hushed the laws loud thunder he has quenched Mount Sinai's flame now he doesn't do that or didn't do that by destroying the law rather he fulfilled the law for us he fulfilled the law that we could not in order to bring us as many sons of God to the Father now the law remains intact it remains in full force it remains as a rule of life with reference to sanctification but when it comes to justification those who pursue righteousness by that means are using the law unlawfully and rejecting or denying the absolute necessity of the active obedience of our Lord Jesus Christ so Christ fulfilling the law is referred to as his active obedience and that is imputed to the elect it is received by faith alone notice Paul says this clearly in verse 19 for as by one man's disobedience this is Adam many were made sinners so also by one man's obedience many will be made righteous I want to do three things tonight first the explanation of the active obedience of Christ secondly the obligation apart from the active obedience of Christ in other words what is our obligation if the active obedience of Christ is not true and not biblical and then thirdly the realization of the active obedience of Christ obviously in the life and Ministry of our Lord but in terms of a definition as we explain the active obedience of Christ our confession highlights this reality in chapter 11 paragraph 1 in the section of justification the confession tells us those whom God effectually calls he also freely justifies the confession then specifies a few ways that that doesn't happen but then it goes on to say but by imputing Christ's active obedience unto the whole law and passive obedience in his death for their whole and sole righteousness now when we look at Romans 5:19 Paul says by one man's obedience many will also or many will be made righteous he doesn't distinguish he doesn't break it down in terms of active and passive this is a theological reflection it is indeed one act of obedience but the reformed tradition in the majority has recognized or distinguished between the active Christ fulfillment of the law and the passive his satisfying divine justice through his sufferings and death at the at the cross and those things particularly answer to our need we need forgiveness that is wrought by Christ in his death it is the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ that washes us from our sin but God demands righteousness God demands perfection God demands that those should dwell in his presence are pure and are fit and are upright and so we need a righteousness and through Christ's obedience to the law when by God's grace we believe the gospel we are forgiven of our sins but we also receive the righteousness of Christ it is imputed to us and received by faith alone so when we consider this particular reality it is helpful for us to remember we need Christ's death we need his blood but we also need his obedience we need his life we need the fact that he always submitted himself to the Father John Fusco makes this observation or definition he says the classic Protestant use of the distinction active and passive obedience is that Christ's active obedience is his fulfillment of the requirements of the law on behalf of the elect Christ's passive obedience on the other hand is his suffering the penalty and curse of the law on behalf of the elect I'm sure we've covered this ground many times both in our confession studies and in our preaching of the word in a consecutive manner but I think it bears some reflection and our meditation as we consider what our Savior did on our behalf now as we continue this explanation there is an assumption here and the assumption is the truth of Romans 5:12 2:19 an essentially Paul's point here Paul's design is to explain how it is that Christ could die on our behalf how it is that Christ could die for us and he sets this up in terms of covenant theology this is the assumption that is necessary when we consider the active and passive obedience of Christ again laying some foundation we're gonna get into some specific texts in a few minutes but bear with me for just a moment now covenant theology is taught here in Romans 5 it's taught from Genesis 1 to the end of Genesis 22 but certainly it is preeminent in this particular passage there is a parallel set up by Paul between Adam and Christ as well note in verse 14 of chapter 5 he says nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam who is a type of him who was to come so Adam functioned as a type in the garden of him who was to come and then notice the link between the status of those in Adam and those in Christ in verses 18 and 19 therefore as through one man's offence judgment came to all men resulting in condemnation that's what we have in Adam even so through one man's righteous act the free gift came to all men resulting in justification of life that's what we have in Jesus Christ he summarizes this or declares it clearly in verse 19 for as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners so also by one man's obedience many will be made righteous so as we proceed we need to understand this Lane this parallel this covenant theology both Adam and Jesus are federal or covenantal heads in other words Adam stood or represented his people Christ stood or represented his people both men were placed in a covenant of works and the result of their obedience would mean eternal life for their posterity and then the disobedience and obedience or or obedience of the two men is imputed to their posterity so in other words God doesn't deal with all men individually he deals with men covenantal II certainly individually when we come to stand before his throne but in terms of God's dealing with people you're either in Adam or you're in Christ you are either in Adam and dead in your trespasses and sins or you are in Christ and an inheritor of all the blessings that Christ is secured all the spiritual blessing or every spiritual blessing is ours in Christ or to use the language of the Apostle by the one man's disobedience many were made sinners the idea here is constituted or it was imputed under that now certainly actual transgressions proceeded from this reality but it's legal categorization then he goes on to say so also by one man's obedience many will be made righteous so that's hopefully a brief explanation if you missed all that simply get this the active obedience of our Lord Jesus Christ is the fact that he fulfilled the requirements of the law on behalf of the elect something you and I desperately need now let's look secondly at the obligation apart from the active obedience of Christ in other words let's just suppose for a moment that Christ didn't come let's just suppose for a moment that Christ wasn't the Covenant mediator let's just suppose for a moment that Christ is not the champion of the elect who brings many sons to glory by His redemptive work how would we achieve heaven well the way that we would achieve heaven is by obeying the law now on the one hand you might say well that sounds pretty easy but on the other hand when we start to explore what is involved in the obedience to God's law we will see why it is we need the active obedience of Christ in the first place the demand of the law I'm going to read several passages here so that you can kind of get your minds wrapped around what Christ did and what we would be obligated to do apart from him should we ever enter into heaven in Deuteronomy 27:26 we're told Kirsten is the one who does not confirm all the words of this law by observing them note that little word all God demands absolute perfect obedience to his law God demands a confirmation of all the words of this law by observing them leviticus 18 5 you shall therefore keep my statutes and my judgments which if a man does he shall live by them I am Yahweh I wonder if we feel the full force of such statements as we read through Leviticus and Deuteronomy now before you say well that's the Old Testament well Paul marshals these texts into certain contexts to prove the necessity of Christ the necessity of justification by faith in Romans 10 5 Firenze he quotes Leviticus 18 5 he says for Moses writes about the righteousness which is of the law the man who does those things shall live by them and then in Galatians 3:10 and 12 he quotes both Deuteronomy 27 and Leviticus 18 he says for as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse you see we need to appreciate that we're not morally upright innocent persons with a blank slate enabled thereby to obey God's law to obey all that the Lord has commanded we died in Adam our hearts are afar and astray from God and we do not seek him out so Paul says as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse for it is written cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them but that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God as evident fact looked at look there at Galatians chapter 4 are three very very quickly Galatians chapter 3 notice Paul's argument Galatians 3:10 just reread repeat this for as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse for it is written cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law to do that but that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident and he gives two proofs he gives two reasons why no one is justified by the law in the sight of God for first of all the jaw shall live by faith the Old Testament Scriptures prove that man won't be saved by the law because the demand is all things man is a sinner and does not do all things so even in the old test and it was taught that the jaw shall live by faith but the second argument isn't appeal to Leviticus 18 yet the law I'm sorry but that no one is that justified by the law in the sight of God is evident for the just shall live by faith yet the law is not a faith but the man who does them shall live by that do you see there is an exclusivity here that Paul emphasizes so that we will not conclude that we can do it on our own that we can go it alone that we don't the Lord Jesus Christ the emphasis in both Romans and in Galatians is justification by faith that justification is grounded upon the active in the passive obedience of Christ the fact that he perfectly fulfilled God's law and he died as a penal substitute in the place of Israel of his elect at the cross without that there is no hope now our confessional statement indicates what is demanded by God says God gave to Adam a law of universal obedience written in his heart and a particular precept of not eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil by which he bound him and all his posterity now notice I want you to hear this if you miss Deuteronomy 27 if you miss Leviticus chapter 18 if you are not a Christian this evening you are dead in your trespasses and sins and if you think that moral reformation trying to be a little bit better you trying to fix some things up in your life will somehow avail with God listen to the demands of God's law it says by which he bound him and all his posterity to personal entire exact and perpetual obedience your teachers may grade on a curve your parents may wink at your sin your parents may not demand absolute perfection your bosses may not demand absolute perfection maybe they do but the bottom line is God does and the Divine's were right reflecting what Deuteronomy 27 says reflecting what Leviticus 18 says reflecting what the Apostle Paul says as he contrasts approach to God viola or via faith all these things we conclude that what is demanded is personal entire exact and perpetual obedience now let's consider the uses of the law the way that man uses the law the way the Bible tells us we are to use the law the first place there's what's called the civil use and that simply means that God's law is profitable for man as creatures in other words the civil use means that God's law is helpful to restrain the wickedness and madness and society the second use of God's law is called the pedagogical use and that means child tutor the law of God is an instrument in the hand of God specifically the Holy Spirit to convict us of our sins to show us our way weirdness and to show us our need for the Lord Jesus Christ and then the third use is what's called the normative and that speaks to sanctification in other words when God freely justifies a sinner by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone that sinner is then pointed that redeemed Center is then pointed to the law as a rule of life as a pattern for sanctification as a means by which we can please and honor and glorify God so those are the three uses of the law now Paul tells us in first Timothy chapter 1 that there is an unlawful use of the law and it's to this I want to direct your attention now specifically specifically with two test cases in Matthew 19 and Luke 10 you can turn to Matthew 19 again just showing you the obligation apart from the active obedience of Christ what you need to do if indeed you're going to achieve heaven in your own strength well there's two instances in the life and Ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ that I think shed some light on this whole approach to God via law this whole approach to God via law now the rich young ruler of course in Matthew 19 beginning in verse 16 behold one came and said to him good teacher what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life now I want to tell you that Jesus here is using the law lawfully he is using it as a pedagogue he is using it as a child tutor he is using it to show the man the futility of his own attempts to achieve heaven so he says to him why do you call me good no one is good but one that is God but if you want to enter into the life into life keep the commandments he said to him which ones Jesus said you shall not murder you shall not commit adultery you shall not steal you shall not bear false witness honor your father and your mother and you shall love your neighbor as yourself now note first 20 the young man said to him all these things I have kept from my youth what do I still lack it's an incredible statement isn't it that is an incredible statement for anyone to ever utter in light of the fact that our obedience to the law must be entire exact and perpetual for this young man to say all these things I have kept from my youth what do I still lack now here again Jesus gonna use the law lawfully and show him his sin that's the point Jesus is not teaching in a different way of salvation he's bringing him to an end of himself but I think the Geneva Bible study note is absolutely correct says they neither know of themselves nor the law that seek to be saved by the law and that is this young man's mistake that is his error to suggest that all these things I have kept from my youth is to not have reflected upon our own sinfulness and upon the demands of the law to not reflect upon the impact of Deuteronomy 27 or Leviticus 18 or all of the statutes and the ordinances and the commandments to reflect upon the spirituality of the law would any of you ever suggest all these things I have kept from my youth if you had I would suggest that you have no clue whatsoever concerning God's holiness concerning the demand of his law and concerning your own sinfulness and waywardness you see God doesn't want your best try God doesn't want your best attempt God doesn't want you to just you know do everything you can but still come up short now Christ as I said uses the law here to show him his need so the young man says this and Jesus said to him if you want to be perfect go sell and get us so what you have and give to the poor and he will have treasure in heaven and come follow me now some take this and say well you know this might be an alternate way of heaven to heaven we just get rid of everything we have a swap meet we have a yard sale we have a garage sale we dispossessed ourselves I mean this is quite popular today the the simplicity of your life or non-complicated life if if that's what Jesus is teaching and that's the means by which we achieve having according to him in the rich young ruler well certainly will will divest ourselves of all our worldly goods will wear orange robes will shave our heads will Bank tambourines down at the airport that's not the point when Christ says if you want to be perfect go sell what you have and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven and come follow me he is preaching the law to him he's bringing the 10th word to bear upon him the reality is is that this is a covetous man it is reflected in his response in verse 22 when the young man heard that saying he went away sorrowful for he had great possessions Christ isn't saying sell everything and you'll get saved Christ is saying sell everything to see your own covetous heart steal sell everything so that you can feel the weight of God's holy law and Calvin and Gill agree Calvin says this reply of Christ is legal because it was proper that the young man who inquired about the righteousness of words should first be taught that no man is accounted righteous before God unless he has fulfilled the law again it's not 8 out of the 10 commandments it's not even 9 out of the 10 commandments it's 10 out of the 10 commandments this 10th word you shall not covet was the means by which our Lord brought this brought this fellow hopefully to recognize his own sin so Calvin says unless he has fulfilled the law which is impossible that this is the means by which or why Jesus did this convinced of his weakness he might but take himself to the assistance of faith you see well that doesn't seem like a very gracious response why didn't Jesus just say well come to me and believe in me and you'll have everlasting life it was a gracious response preaching the law to show sinners their need is a wonderful thing that the church ought to do it's unfortunate the church doesn't always do that but we need to preach the law in all of its killing condemning power so that sinners will know their problem isn't just they're not as happy as they could be that sinners will know that their problem isn't just they're not as well adjusted in society as they ought to be know that sinners will know that God is angry with them that God is a furious God against them and their sin and his wrath is revealed from heaven against them you see it as a gracious thing for the church to reach the law in all of its condemning power because sinners need to know this they need to understand their problem they need to realize that they have big problems and it's not those things mentioned earlier it's that they are at enmity with the living and true God John Gill makes this observation this Christ said in order to show that it is impossible to enter into or obtain eternal life by the works of the law since no man can perfectly keep it and to unhinge this man from off the legal foundation on which he was that he might drop all his dependence on doing good things and come to him for righteousness in life he's the obligation that is ours apart from the act of obedience of Christ is to obey the law entirely exactly and perpetually now notice in Luke chapter 10 another illustration of on the part of the persons an unlawful use of the law Christ uses it lawfully to show them their sin but these men attempting to enter into heaven based on their good works didn't feel the wait a Deuteronomy 27 they didn't get their minds wrapped around Leviticus 18 they wouldn't track with what Paul wrote in terms of the contrast between works and faith now Luke chapter 10 the parable of the Good Samaritan is typically handled in this fashion persons begin reading at chapter 10 verse 30 and they read the verse 37 and then the moralistic point of the story is brought to bear upon the hearers in other words don't be like that priests don't be like that Levi be like the Good Samaritan go thou and do likewise it's taken in a moralistic sense it's taken in a way to try and encourage the people of God to do what the people of God ought to do I'm not suggesting we shouldn't try and be like The Good Samaritan of course you see somebody broken battered and bruised bleeding on the ground help him put him on your pony or your your donkey and take him to it in and give the money to the innkeeper so he can bandage him and give him all it and tend to his needs by all means do that the New Testament is filled with the one in others the moral moral principles by which the believer ought to you ought to be governed in this world but that's not from this passage Christ uses this as an illustration again to show this man his sin note the larger context beginning in verse 25 and behold a certain lawyer stood up and tested him saying teacher what shall I do to inherit eternal life he said to him what is written in the law what is your reading of it so he answered and said you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart with all your soul with all your strength and with all your mind and your neighbor as yourself and he said to him you have answered rightly do this and you will live beautiful isn't it but what we often fail to realize is that this certain lawyer is testing Christ he is testing Jesus he is not really seeking the answer to the inheritance of eternal life Luke is conspicuous to tell us what is driving this certain lawyer what is driving this particular class yet it isn't saya an act 16 serves what must I do to be saved type of a question it isn't the the genuine seeker after God's grace who says what is it in the Bible that I need so that I might have eternal life now the man is testing Jesus he says what shall I do to inherit eternal life so Christ says what is written in the law what is your reading of it so what does the man do he summarizes the law love to God love to neighbor those two principle Commandments upon which all the law and the prophets hang Deuteronomy 6:5 Leviticus 19:18 love to God love to man first table second table you see Jesus answers his question what must I do to inherit eternal life Jesus is is correct to say uh-uh what is written in the law what is your reading of it again he's using this as a means to bring this man to see the futility of his effort to try and achieve God without Christ without the active obedience of our Lord Jesus so the lawyer invokes the law as the means for inheriting eternal life again the Geneva Bible stands to be invoked here they neither know themselves nor the that seek to be saved by the law now let us notice what Christ does verse 28 he said to him you have answered rightly do this and you will live that that's true don't Everything Jesus isn't accurate it is true if you do what the law says and you do it perpetually and entirely and and and and and personally then you will be saved but that is a you know for for a very difficult thing or an impossibility in light of our sin and Adam and in light of our actual transgressions but the language of our Lord Jesus he said to him you have answered rightly do this and you will live the the translation could be keep on doing this and you will live see that perpetual 'ti involved before we move on consider this man here he says you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart with all your soul with all your strength with all your mind and your neighbor as yourself so you really think he's done this he really think that love to God and love to neighbor has indeed been demonstrated in his life our sinners that Arrogant do people actually think that they are are okay before God it sure seems to be the case with this particular man now the lawyer wants to justify himself according to verse 29 so he says to Jesus and who is my neighbor give me a little clarification on this second table thing it's interesting yes to know clarification on the first table is that to imply that he's got the first table down he actually loves God with all his heart with all his soul with all his mind with all his strength no but you're sitting there saying well you know that doesn't sound very hard doesn't sound very difficult really have you ever considered that that the spirituality and depth of those first four words you shall have no other gods before me or you shall have no other gods besides me who any of us ever do that 24/7 in a day as believers I realize we're not bowing down to Molech what throwing our children into the arms of Molech we're not dancing around or copulating in front of bales so that he'll water our crops I get that you know brethren we have an idol in our hearts and it's us can any of us say we have no other gods before him can any of us say with reference to our approach to God the manner by which we seek after God we're always just so we do that perfectly I don't think any of us could ever say such a thing blasphemy so you may not go out and curse the name of the Lord God using his name using his name or using the name of Christ but by our actions we give cause to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme and I mean the Sabbath day I mean we might as well all just get on our faces before God right now and confess our sins I mean how many of us actually keep you know the Sabbath morning you know the Sabbath five minutes five minutes of the Sabbath do we actually love God and love our neighbor for those five minutes no for this man to pause it this means as the way to life and to at least imply that he is in the right place the right standing and on the right path is absolute arrogance so now the parable that Christ tells him about the Samaritan is not to be moralized we're not supposed to take thirty to thirty seven and then tell people go out and do nice things for others again go out and do nice things for others but the point of the parable is to show this man and to show Israel at large their waywardness their sinfulness the claims of Leviticus 18 and Deuteronomy 27 have not been met by them at the very basic point of rendering kindness to an image-bearer of the Living God who is lying on the ground bleeding out that's the reason for the parable again go do good things but in the context this self-righteous this proud arrogant man who thinks that somehow he's going to achieve acceptance with God through his own love for God and his love for neighbor needs to be smashed he needs to be crushed he needs to feel the weight of his sin and the fact that Jesus uses the Samaritan as the hero in our story contra the priest and contra the Levite exacerbates this a hundredfold because remember with reference to the Samaritans they were not looked at favorably by the Judeans the apocryphal book of Sirach says that two nations my sold the tests and the third is not even a people those who live in sere which is Edom and the Philistines and the foolish people that live in Shechem chuckle Samaria that's the Samaritans the Mishnah cheb eat 810 says he that eats the bread of the Samaritans is like - one that eats the flesh of swine so in this story that Christ tells the primary emphasis is not so you'll go out and pick up a guy that's been broken bruised and battered but again do that the primary emphasis is to show this self-righteous man who's trying to achieve heaven by his own works of love to God and love to neighbor has failed failed miserably drastically completely and he stands in need of the righteousness of another you see the law again in the hand of the Lord Jesus is a gracious means to show sinners their need for the Lord Jesus Christ this was a blessed thing that happened to this certain lawyer in Luke's Gospel so that is the futility of seeking justification by the law we have the Express statements of the Apostle Paul eterna Romans 3 Romans 3 to tell us to educate us to teach us what it is to try and pursue status with God through the law Romans 3:20 therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in his sight for by the law is the knowledge of sin note the language there by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in his sight certainly if you do the deeds of the law and you're not perfect you're not exact and you're not perpetual people will still think you're a swell guy or girl but that's not the point it's the deeds of the law to be justified in his sight certainly be justified in the sight of your parents certainly gonna be justified in the side of your your your employer certainly it can be justified in the sight of your spouse or your pastors or whoever if you're doing those things that are according to God's law it's not perfect it's not exact it's not perpetual it's not entire you see the design of the tax is to tell us with reference to God therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in his sight for by the laws than all it is sin that's one of the lawful uses the pedagogical use by the law is the knowledge of sin notice in 328 therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law so you see if we have no active obedience of Christ we have no salvation because God's law demands perfection and we are everything but perfect we are lawbreakers we are covenant breakers we are transgressors we are wanders of conformity unto God's law everything that God commands we have done the opposite everything that God has determined that his creature should engage it is something that we engage in the opposite we have broken God's law we are justly liable to his punishment we desperately need the righteousness of our Lord Jesus Christ so the attempt to approach God apart from the active obedience of Christ means the pursuit of justification by law now I don't know that everybody always fully understands that or embraces that if you reject Christ and you still want to go to heaven you're in bad shape as well the attempt to approach God by that by the law demands personal entire exact and perpetual obedience and the obligation apart from the active obedience of Christ means certain damnation so we've seen an explanation we've seen the obligation that that we have if there is no active obedience let's look finally at the realization of the active obedience of Christ his life of obedience I mean we could go from Matthew chapter 1 to Matthew chapter 28 we could go to mark we could go to Luke we could go to John and what do we find every step of the way our Lord observes our Lord obeys our Lord does what the confession says the law of God is about there is that personal entire exact and perpetual idea now Jesus was under a covenant of works there's some debate concerning which covenant of works was it the specific covenant of works that Adam found himself in was at the republication of the covenant of works under the Sinai covenant some suggest it was the covenant of redemption which was indeed a covenant of works for our Lord Jesus Christ it's faisal to say he was in a covenant 'el context before his father and he obeyed in that context everything that was necessary he fulfilled the demands of god's law turn to matthew chapter 3 we see an overarching statement there concerning our lord's respect to god's law Matthew chapter 3 verse 13 then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him and John tried to prevent him saying I need to be baptized by you and are you coming to me but jesus answered and said to him permit it to be so now for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness then he allowed him so that's an overarching description or an overarching statement of our Lord with reference to fulfilling all righteousness again we start tracing from this point with reference to the life of Christ never did he commit the sin of idolatry never did eat blaspheme his father never did he break the Sabbath never was he insubordinate to lawful authority never did he murder not only externally but internally never did he commit adultery not only externally but internally never did he commit a commit theft never did he lie never did he covet you see that is his act of obedience even to the point in the Garden of Gethsemane crying out to the father if it is possible let this cup pass from me nevertheless not as I will but as you will he is always submitting to he is always obedient too he is always engaged in personal entire exact and perpetual obedience to every jot and tittle of God's holy law he does that certainly because he is the mediator he does that certainly because he is Christ he does that certainly because it is his very character to obey the Father but he does that for us we need that obedience before were able to stand in the presence of God Most High we have the language of the Apostle Paul emphasizing this reality over and over again several passages not only in Romans chapter 5 verses 18 and 19 second Corinthians chapter 5 verse 21 God made him who knew no sin to be sin for us that we might become what the righteousness of God in him that passage because some deny the imputation of the active obedience of Christ we do not we affirm that with our confession of faith and you should confirm that as well but even in a passage like Galatians 2:20 1 Paul says therefore I do not set aside the grace of God for if righteousness comes to the law then Christ died in vain what do we learn there yes the fact that we need Christ alone but we need a righteousness and Paul suggestions is that if it comes through the law our ability to keep it then Golgotha was in vain but since Golgotha did take place Christ hung there on the cross having satisfied the demands of justice but as well having obeyed perfectly the the entire requirements of God's law then that righteousness comes to us as well Philippians chapter 3 you can turn there just to see this in the Apostle concerning this reality of the active obedience of Christ coming to the elect received by faith alone notice in Philippians 3:7 but what things were gain to me these I have counted loss for Christ yet indeed I also count all things lost for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish that I may gain Christ and be found in him now notice not having my own righteousness which is from the law but sort of righteousness that that rich young ruler prided himself on that sort of righteousness that that that that certain lawyer in Luke 10 prided himself on that righteousness that Paul or saw the Pharisee would have prided himself on prior to his conversion on the road to Damascus and he found in him not having my own righteousness which is from the law but that which is through faith in Christ the righteousness which is from God by faith you see the reality is we need his death we need his life look at first Corinthians chapter 1 first Corinthians chapter 1 so we see the realization of this act of obedience in the life and Ministry of our Lord Jesus and His perfect fulfillment of God's law at every jot and tittle we see the theological implications of these of this in Paul's language notice in first Corinthians 1:30 but of him you were in Christ Jesus who became for us wisdom from God and righteousness and sanctification and redemption that as it is written he who glories let him glory in the Lord it's almost an A to Z a redemptive benefit that we have in and through our Lord Jesus Christ and one of those things is righteousness you see a need to be forgiven but you also need to be clothed with a righteousness that is accepted by God and that's what Christ's life answers to and all of this to serve what is an overarching theme in the Bible now many have looked at the Bible and said you know what's the bottom line if we were to take the scriptures and ask the question what's the bottom line what what's the big picture what's the big idea some suggest kingdom some suggest covenant some suggest salvation some suggest moral principles for a happy life they're really not to be listened and listened to but certainly an overarching theme that the Bible presents from Genesis to Revelation is God dwelling with his people God dwelling with his people isn't that what Garden of Eden was all about again Adams vocation in the garden was there's a priest it wasn't as a farmer no certainly he farmed certainly had to grow food certainly had to cut things down and eat them or I'll see what a drop dead but Adams vocation in the garden was priestly it was to commune with God in fact the garden was a temple it was a dwelling place of God with man what happens when Adam sins Adam is thrown out of the garden temple so what then occurs in terms of God dwelling with man enter the tabernacle now we're just jumping over large swathes of Scripture but just touching on some of the high points yeah what was the purpose for the tabernacle was it well all the other religions have something like this where they try and you know worship their deity no if you look specifically at Exodus chapter 25 you can turn there let's get this idea down in our heads of the dwelling place of God and how Christ's active and passive obedience serve that will see realization notice in Exodus 25 verse 8 and let them make me a sanctuary this is the tabernacle that I may dwell among them according to all that I show you that is the pattern of the tabernacle in the pattern of all its furnishings just so you shall make it never considered how much of the book of Exodus is taken up with the tabernacle in fact chapters 25 to 30 1 are the instructions on how to build the tabernacle we have to take a bit of a detour because of the idolatry in chapter 32 and then Moses intercession chapter 33 but things get back on track in chapters 35 to 44 the construction of the tabernacle so all of these details in terms of how to build it and then we follow along the builders who are building it those artisans who are filled with the Spirit of God so that they can pound nails and hang curtains for the glory of God when you look at the architecture of the tabernacle itself it suggests the dwelling place of God God with his people certainly the Holy of Holies that the high priest enters into that one day of year of the on the Day of Atonement but even in the holy place itself on the north wall you have the showbread those 12 feet 12 loaves of bread who do you think they represent they represent the 12 tribes of Israel directly parallel on the other side of that wall is the light the lampstand what's the emphasis they're the lamp of God the light of God shining upon the people of God you see tap a tabernacle and then temple under Solomon was all about God dwelling with his people and this is what Christ does for us through his active and his passive obedience through what is called justification by faith alone we're not only forgiven but we're clothed in a righteousness so that we can now ascend the mountain of God and dwell with him in fact turn with me to the Psalter specifically Psalm 15 Psalm 15 - beautiful thing Psalm 15 the psalmist asks a question we see it as well in Psalm 24 3 Psalm 15 a psalm of David Lord who may abide in your tabernacle who may dwell in your holy hill where Hollis suggests that this was sung at the gates it was a gate liturgy this framed Israel's approach to the tabernacle who may ascend the mountain of God who may dwell in your presence you see Adam enjoyed it until he disobeyed then he was cast out so God puts in place a means by which sinners gain access so that they can dwell with him in the Old Covenant situation it was through a bloody knife and a smoking altar in the new covenant situation it is what that smoked a bloody knife and smoking alter pointed to the Lord Jesus Christ it's in him that we dwell in the presence of God but he says Lord who may abide in your tabernacle who may dwell in your holy hill have you ever considered that verses 2 to 5 are not a description of you have you ever considered the reality that that does not describe you if you ever asked the question with the psalmist in verse 1 Lord who may abide in your tabernacle who may dwell in your holy hill you say well that's a valid question that's a good question I want to know that question so that I can dwell in the presence of God and then you start reading verses 2 to 5 you say wait a minute that can't be me wait a minute that's not describing me so if the one who abides in the tabernacle who dwells and God's holy lll is the man defined or described in verses 2 to 5 then I'm finished I'm toast I have no hope I have no help look at the description in verse 2 he walks uprightly works righteousness speaks the truth in his heart he does not back by it with his tongue nor does evil to his neighbor nor does he take up reproach against his friend in his eyes a vile person is despised but he honors those who fear the Lord he swears to his own hurt and does not change he who does not put out his money at usury nor does he take a bribe against the innocent he who does these things shall never be moved it's that whole sort of thing oh yeah I love to God loved a man have you ever sort of started to ask the questions what does that look like how does that how does that relate or how does that translate in my life brethren you're not the verses 2 to 5 man I'm certainly not the verses 2 to 5 man so if we ask the question Lord who may abide in your tabernacle who may dwell in your holy hill and we look at verses 2 to 5 we say well that ain't me it points to another notice in Psalm 24 Psalm 24 verse 1 the earth is the Lord's and all its fullness the world and those who dwell therein free is founded upon the Seas and established it upon the waters who may ascend into the hill of the Lord or who may stand in his holy place he who has clean hands and a pure heart you have a pure heart brothers and sisters he was not lifted up his soul to an idol nor sworn deceitfully he shall receive blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the god of his salvation this is Jacob the generation of those who seek Him who seek your face and then it goes on to describe in detail the Lord Christ lift up your heads o you gates and be lifted up you everlasting doors and the King of glory shall come in who is this King of glory the Lord strong and mighty the Lord mighty in battle lift up your heads are you dates and the King of glory shall come in who is the king of glory the Lord of Hosts he is the king of glory brethren the active and passive obedience of our Lord Jesus Christ brings dwelling brings communion brings union brings fulfillment to all of the Covenant promises along the way where God says I will be their God and they shall be my people it's realized it's fulfilled it is done completed by our Lord such that the seer on the island of Patmos can say behold the tabernacle of God is with men and he will dwell with them and they shall be his people God Himself will be with them and be their God the movement from paradise lost in the garden to paradise restored in the New Jerusalem comes as a result of the active and the passive obedience of our Lord Jesus Christ that's why it's important you and I are ever gonna stand accepted by this God we're ever going to ascend that mountain of God we're ever gonna scan in the presence of this God we must be clothed with the righteousness of another you see this doctrine is so important that on his dot on his death-bed J Gresham last words of J Gresham machen was I am so thankful for the act of obedience of Christ for there is no hope without it and I suggest that is accurate no hope without it if you try to go it alone you try to mock or parrot or imitate that rich young ruler or that certain lawyer in Luke chapter 10 you are headed to certain destruction and certain damnation do not pursue righteousness through the law pursue the righteousness which is from God through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ isn't it a blessed thing believer to be able to say not having my own righteousness which is from the law but that righteousness which is from God through faith because that is the righteousness detailed for us in Psalms 15 in Psalm 24 it is that righteousness that the holy God of heaven and earth demands that he absolutely demands but in the gospel he supplies in and through our Lord Jesus Christ you see this was Luther's perplexity he struggled with the righteousness of God he struggled when he worked through the book of Romans with that concept of the righteousness of God because the righteousness of God is scary isn't it when you consider the unrighteousness of man and you consider the righteousness of God you ought to be fearful you ought to be terrified but when he realized what the gist of Romans 1:16 and 17 were then it was like paradise opened up now I know Truman says that that was probably apocryphal but I'm not a skill that is scholarly as Truman so I'm gonna I'm gonna give it to you a lot of people say that's exactly what happened but it was like paradise opened up because why I'm not ashamed of the gospel for it is the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes to the Jew first and also to the great for in it the righteousness of God is revealed not the righteousness of God and his furious holiness where he's going to damned to hell the unrighteous that is taught in certain passages but the righteousness which God demands and God supplies through the grace of the gospel for in it for in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed from what faith to faith that as it is written the just shall live by faith you see when you see that and when you experience that by God's grace when you believe the gospel and you are forgiven of your sins and you get that righteousness that avails with God you are like a Luther you say WOW paradise is opened up paradise is restored in and through the life and the death and the resurrection of our Lord Jesus well I hope those thoughts are helpful in our meditation concerning our Savior we need his death we need his life and certainly the supper calls us to reflect specifically on his broken body shed blood that in turn causes us to reflect on that perfect obedience every step of the way that our Savior rendered to his holy father on behalf of his elect well let us pray father we thank you for your word and we thank you for what Paul teaches us so clearly and so accurately concerning your gospel how we thank you for that righteousness of God which is given to us received by faith alone and how we thank you for his death and at Calvary for his resurrection and on the third day I pray Most High that you would cause us now as we eat this bread and drink this cup to receive spiritual nourishment and benefit and help for our souls and God for any and all who have out there tonight or here tonight that are not believing the gospel may your spirit work and may you cause them to reflect upon their their desperate condition before a holy God and to see the grace of the gospel to see the glory of Christ revealed to see that faith alone is the means by which we come into contact with him grant them grace Grantham blessing grant them the gifts of faith and repentance and we ask through Christ our Lord amen [Music] turn your Bibles to Matthew 26 with me as we observe the Lord's Supper now that's always a joy it not always to be a joy to observe the Lord's Supper but also the observance of the Lord's Supper comes a taught to come with a measure of solemnity as well as we reflect upon that the passive obedience of the Lord Jesus Christ especially looking at or observing an ordinance wherein we break bread and drink wine where we eat bread and drink wine in remembrance of his death until he comes again and in Matthew 26 we have an accounting of the institution of the Lord's Supper but it follows the context leading up to it of course which is Jesus celebrating Passover with his disciples we'll read that section and then make some statements with respect to the Lord's Supper and then when we eat the bread and drink the wine we'll read from Christ's institution so this is Matthew 26 beginning in verse 17 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 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 but 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 who was betraying him answered and said rabbi is it I he said to him you have said it amen we've observed on a number of occasions when we've read from this passage at the Lord's Supper the the relevance of Christ's institution of the Lord's Supper in the context of observing the Passover meal again this isn't just a haphazard event didn't happen to be coincidental timing or it just didn't happen to be the timing that crisis observing the Lord's Supper at the time with the Passover it's deliberate it's divinely ordained it's intended to communicate something to us with respect to Christ's fulfillment as the Passover lamb at the outset of worship we read from Isaiah 53 and I noted that in the narratives of the Gospels we have we have the writers John for example and I'm just gonna read an example for you just briefly ahead we're not here for another sermon but just to understand the significance with respect to the the Lord's Supper and the giving of it during Passover the gospel writer John in John 19 alludes to a passage in Exodus 12 when he's writing concerning the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ we read in John 19 at verse 33 but when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead they did not break his legs but one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear and immediately blood and water came out and he who has seen has testified and his testimony is true and he knows that he is telling the truth so that you may believe for these things were done that the scripture should be fulfilled not one of his bones shall be broken it's a it's a quote that John recognizes and pulls forward from Exodus 12 and the instructions given on how to handle the Passover lamb not a bone are not one of his bones the Passover lamb shall be broken before that we read in verse 33 they did not break his legs you see what John is trying under divine inspiration the superintending power of the Holy Spirit what he's trying to explain is that Christ is the Passover lamb and so back to Matthew 26 when Christ is instituting the Lord's Supper in the context of the Passover Matthew is drawing attention to the theological significance just like Paul will identify later in his ministry that Christ our Passover lamb is sacrificed for us it's very significant that this one who was about to engage in that glorious passive obedience upon Calvary's cross taking upon himself the penal sanctions do for his people for the vile nation of god's law he Institute's the supper in the midst of the Passover very significant very glorious you can read Exodus 12 again on your own time and and John 19 and all these wonderful passages that bring together the scope of the whole which is to give all glory to God and the holy scripture back to the Lord's Supper then what are we doing when we observe the Lord's Supper we're taking of this bread we're eating this bread and we're drinking this wine and remember what we're eating and drinking is not something that has been changed from bread and wine to something else we reject wholeheartedly as our forefathers did as the Bible does the Roman Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation they say that the bread while remaining bread to the outward senses is really and actually and truly changed into the body blood and divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ they say with like blasphemy at the point of the wine that it while it remains wine to the outward senses is that it's changed inwardly really and truly to the blood the actual blood of the Lord Jesus Christ as our confession says this is contrary to Scripture and reason in human reason repugnant to the scriptures and is the cause of manifold blasphemies if you and superstitions if you want to read and want to read what one of those superstitions is you see the madness of the doctrine you can Google bees and the Lord's Supper later there's a there's a story in the Roman Catholic Church of absolute blasphemy where because the bread has changed into the actual body blood and divinity soul and divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ that Abby took away for a way into a hive and when a monk went back to chase it because that's God he cut the The Beehive open and the bees were worshipping the bread that's the madness of the Roman Catholic doctrine of the Lord's Supper the Bible gives us a blessed supper where the bread remains bread inwardly and outwardly the wine remains wine these are simply emblematic these are symbols of Christ's body broken for us and his blood shed for us now they are taken from their common use and they're set aside for their consecrated if you will sanctified unto a holy use but they remain bred and they remain wine it is a glorious tradition given to us by the Lord Jesus Christ to remember his death till he comes again remember this is an ordinance for believers only for Christians only if you're here tonight and you're a Christian you are to take if you are if you are not harboring unrepentant sin you're a believer and your are maintaining that life of repentance that life of short accounts before God and man with God and men you're living in light of your salvation you are to take of the bread and to take of the wine if you're here and you're an unbeliever you're not to take so if you're not a Christian here tonight don't take the bread and don't take the wine by all means you can ask pastor Butler and myself afterwards how does one take of the bread and take of the wine I will preach to you the gospel we'll call on you to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ hopefully by His grace and for his glory he'll bring you forth out of darkness to light in life in Christ you can be baptized in this pool and then take the Lord's Supper but this is an ordinance for four believers only a reminder that when the bread and the wine do come around the juice or excuse me when the wine comes around if you would like to take the juice it's in the outer ring well if I could have the brothers come up and pass out the bread they could come out and pass out the bread you can remain seated and we're going to sing we're going to sing hymn number 128 so when your larger Trinity hymnal you can turn to 128 we're going to sing that to a familiar to [Music] we rejoice in what this bread symbolizes what it represents the broken body of our savior the Lord Jesus Christ upon Calvary's cross we know that we have as we've heard tonight we have broken your law a breach upon breach our Lord Jesus Christ took in his own body breach upon breach that he might redeem all of his people from their sins we thank you that the for that truth of 1st Peter 1st Peter chapter 2 that he bore our sins in his own body on the tree that we having died to sin might live for righteousness by his stripes we are healed we reflect with great joy upon the saving work of our Lord Jesus Christ and we pray that as we partake and even after to be sure that we would continue to reflect with solemnity and joy upon the doing and the dying and the rising again of the Son of God we pray in Christ's name Amen let's take together if I could have the brothers come up and pass out the wine we'll read that section when we have finished singing the song that we're gonna sing while they pass out the wine of fitting him one eighty eight and your Trinity handles you can remain seated and we'll sing one eighty eight [Music] we six at verse 27 we continue to read 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 Heavenly Father we thank you now that we can partake of this wine we rejoice in what it represents the shed blood of our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ as we know there is no forgiveness of sins without the shedding of blood and we thank you that in the Lord Jesus Christ and in the shedding of his precious blood we have that remission that forgiveness of sins we pray that we would reflect now once again with both solemnity and great joy in the fact that upon Calvary's cross our savior so shed his blood that he might provide forgiveness perfectly for all who believe in his name and we do pray now that you would help us to sing praises to reflect with great joy to consider the the weightiness and the heaviness of so glorious a message and we thank you once again for your grace for your mercy for your eternal eternal loving-kindness and for the saving work of the Lord Jesus Christ and it's in his name that we pray amen let's take together well let's all stand together and sing that wonderful hymn hymn number 175 and your Trinity hymnals will stand and sing that together 175 [Music] who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy to God our Savior who alone is wise be glory and Majesty Dominion and power both now and forever amen a heavenly father go with us now as we have gathered and on this day for the worship of Father Son and Holy Spirit as we have observed the Lord's Supper we do pray that we would now by your grace and for your glory be well equipped to go into this upcoming week to live in light of so glorious a gospel we pray that you would go with us that you would help us that you would give us that divine aid to so conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of grace all the while rejoicing that we've been saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone the do be with us and Lord God may we return in another week to do this all over again that we might sing your praises that we might rejoice in you and that we might give you honor we pray in the name of our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ amen please be seated we'll have a brief time of Prayer when the piano is finished you're dismissed you