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welcome to everyone you can turn in your Bibles to Psalm 134 our call to worship Psalm 130 Psalm 130 beginning in verse 1 a song of a sense out of the depths I have cried to you O Lord Lord hear my voice let your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications if you Lord should mark iniquities O Lord who could stand but there is forgiveness with you that you may be feared I wait for the Lord my soul waits and in his word I do hope my soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning yes more than those who watch for the morning o Israel hope in the Lord for with the Lord there is mercy and with him is abundant redemption and he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities amen well please turn in your Trinity hymnal to number 120 hymn number 120 will use a familiar tune and will stand together [Music] let us pray father we thank you for the blessed privilege to gather again on this Lord's Day evening we thank you for the beauty of the day and for the beauty of your grace and your mercy and your loving-kindness we praise you for the gospel of our salvation for the fact that our Lord Jesus came down for us men and for our salvation that he lived that he died that he was raised the third day in order to save us from our sins we thank you for the current session at the right hand of the Father and we do look forward to that day when he comes again in glory to judge the living in the dead may it be the case that all of us tonight would be found clothed in his righteousness ready to meet our God may you bless the preaching of your word and may you indeed cause the Spirit to work in the hearts of men and women and boys and girls in this place tonight we pray for those who are unsaved that they would leave this place glory in the Lord glorying in the fact that they know the God of heaven and earth the God who made the world the God who sustains the world and the God who has redeemed as a lacked out of the world and may it be the case that you would take your people and further conform us unto the image of your beloved son for we know this is your grand purpose and design that those you foreknew you predestined to be conformed to the image of the son we know that you justified us that you called us justified us and will ultimately glorify us and in this we greatly rejoice and tonight our father as we remember our Lord's death in a very specific way may you encourage our hearts we know that many outside of the context of the church would find this to be a bizarre ritual where the death of a man is remembered in such a vivid in a powerful way we know that our salvation hinges upon this we know that the whole plan of redemption is based upon the the life and the death and the resurrection of our Savior so god help us to never find these things wearying help us never to find these things repetitious and in a mundane way but may it always thrill us as we can sitter Christ and him crucified and as we eat the bread and as we drink the cop may you be glorified and praised and honored in this gathering together tonight we ask that you would forgive us now for our sins and our transgressions whenever we come into the presence of a holy God we are mindful of our own unholiness and our own sinfulness and so we confess our iniquities now thanking you for what David writes in Psalm 130 that there is forgiveness with you that you may be feared so who may may it be the case that even now you would cause us to to reflect upon that great forgiveness of the Christ wrought out upon the cross and may we indeed approach you with reverence and with joy and with great Thanksgiving father we ask thee would look with favor upon the various needs and our congregation that you'd build up your people in their most holy faith that you would indeed bless those who are struggling physically we ask God that though the outer man does decay we pray the inner man would be renewed day by day she would encourage the hearts the minds the bodies the soles of each one in this local church and father for all of us we have spiritual trials we have many temptations in this world we ask that you would equip us to fight against these things help us Lord God to be killing sin knowing that if we're not it will be killing us and may you equip us by the power of your Holy Spirit and may you cause us to be a people of the word of God help us not only on the Sabbath to find joy in Scripture but may each and every day be those times where we gather together before the Word of God and where we seek by your grace to hide it in our hearts that we might not sin against you we pray that you would be merciful to us that you would bless and strengthen us that you would cause us Lord God to glorify you in our conduct may it be according to the gospel of our salvation we ask that you would look with favor upon the missionary enterprise we thank you for those that we know and love that are laboring in foreign fields we ask God that they would know your blessing that they would know your protection and that God they would see progress in the Ministry of the word that they would see more and more people come to a knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ and may they see the people of God further conformed unto the image of the Lord Jesus Christ be with the Hamiltons and the Santiago's in China we ask that you would just surround them with your protection she would grant them the grace to labor and the word and doctrine grant them grace as well and benevolence ministry to extend the love of Christ to those that are in great need we also ask our Father for those suffering in the persecuted Church those who are in countries that are very much opposed to the cause of God and truth we ask that you would be with your people that you would encourage their hearts that they would see solidarity with the Savior that as he was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief and one who was persecuted we pray that they would find great joy and being identified with them even as the apostles in the book of Acts counted themselves are rejoiced because they were counted worthy to suffer shame for the name of the Lord Jesus Christ may this disposition rule and reign not only in the persecuted Church but in the churches here we ask that you would help us to see the greatest privilege that is ours is to own Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior in this world continue with us now we pray and we ask in his most blessed name amen well for our next hymn you can turn to number 223 a celebration of the priestly office of our Lord Jesus Christ number two to three will stand as we sing together [Music] you can turn in your Bibles to the book of first Corinthians first Corinthians our focus will be in chapter 1 verses 26 to 31 but I do want to begin reading in Chapter 1 at verse 18 first Corinthians chapter 1 beginning in verse 18 for the message of the Cross is foolishness to those who are perishing but to us who are being saved it is the power of God for it is written I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent where is the wise where is the scribe where is the disputer of this age has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world for since in the wisdom of God the world through wisdom did not know God it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe for Jews request a sign and Greeks seek after wisdom but we preach Christ crucified to the Jews a stumbling-block and to the Greeks foolishness but to those who are called both Jews and Greeks Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God because the foolishness of God is wiser than men and the weakness of God is stronger than men for you see your calling brethren that not many wise according to the flesh not many mighty not many noble are called but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the things of the to put to shame that the wise and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen and the things which are not to bring to nothing the things that are that no flesh should glory in his presence 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 and I brethren when I came to you did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony God for I determined to know not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified I was with you in weakness and fear and in much trembling and my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God amen let us pray father thank you for the written word thank you for the message of the Cross which is foolishness to those who are perishing but to those who are saved it is indeed the power of God we thank you for a crucified and a resurrected Savior we thank you for the grace that you bestow on those who are certainly unworthy we know that there are not many wise not many noble not many virtuous we know Lord God that you choose the bass and the violin the low and in this we greatly rejoice for this is certainly our description we give praise to you for sovereign grace we give praise to you for putting us in Christ Jesus for giving us life eternal and every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ you fill us now with your Holy Spirit encourage our hearts with the word of truth give us grace O God to receive these things with Thanksgiving and may it be the case that we would glory in the Lord and it's in Jesus name that we pray amen well reading through 1st Corinthians recently it appears to me or it occurs to me that redemption is a real thing and by that I don't mean that it just happens but it's redemption from sin if you look at the sorts of things that the Corinthians themselves were guilty of prior to their conversion and even as believers we ought to marvel at the grace of God in the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ God saves sinners jesus said he came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance and I think we ought to be encouraged not so that we'll go out in sin that grace may abound but when we do sin we need to remember we have an advocate with the father even Jesus Christ the righteous this is what John the Apostle says my little children I these things so that you may not sin but if anyone does sin we have an advocate and the people of God must use the advocacy of the Lord Jesus when we sin go to God through Christ the Lord seek cleansing in that precious fount which is open for sin and uncleanness now as I said we're gonna look at verses 26 to 31 it's in a contact verses 18 to 25 precede and then chapter 2 verses 1 to 5 obviously follow but the whole contrast in that section is God's wisdom and the world's wisdom and what the Lord God says through the Apostle Paul is that the message of the Cross chapter 1 verses 18 to 25 appears to be foolishness with reference to the world the world can't conceive that the message of a crucified man is the message of hope and redemption and eternal life but God's wisdom God's foolishness as Paul says the foolishness of God in verse 25 is wiser than men and the weakness of God is stronger than men so God's wisdom is seen in the message that is utilized to bring sinners to conversion in the section in chapter 1 verses 26 to 31 the the the world sees as foolish the very recipients of salvation if you and I were God we might be apt to choose the noble to choose the wise to choose the wrench to choose the accomplished for salvation but God is contrary to that God chooses just the opposite and so the world sees this and it doesn't make any sense to them and then the message of the Cross not only the message of the Cross the recipients of the cross but the preacher of the cross chapter 2 verses 1 to 5 the world sees a guy like the Apostle Paul and they think folly they think foolishness in fact note how Paul describes himself in verse 3 I was with you in weakness in fear and in much trembling and my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom now obviously we know as God's people but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power is everything but Paul went to apply for a job and he tells the would-be employer I'm a man who is riddled with weakness with fear and I often tremble my my speech and my preaching are not persuasive words I really don't have the great oratorical ability that some of these other people have he would not get higher the world would not be impressed and so God's wisdom is seen in the message God's wisdom is seen in the recipients and God's wisdom is seen in the preacher of the cross but as I said we're going to focus on the recipients in verses 26 to 31 and there are three things we ought to observe in this section first the source of our spiritual blessings in verses 26 to 30 a secondly the identification of our spiritual blessings in verse 30 be and then finally the goal of our having received the spiritual blessings in verse 31 so the source the identification and then the goal in other words why did God convey upon us all of these blessings well verse 31 answers that question but note in the first place with reference to the source of spiritual blessings there is first a negative in verses 26 to 29 you see your calling brethren that not many wise according to the flesh not many mighty not many noble are called but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen and the things which are not to bring to nothing the things that are so the Corinthian believers are not believers due to anything in themselves the Corinthian believers are not heaven-bound because they are good and upright people the Corinthian believers do not have a share in the life to come because their noble or their mighty or their wise or their rich in fact it is just the opposite the grand design of God most high in the gospel of free grace is to extol free grace it is to exalt free grace and it is to humble man it is not the that anybody ever has been saved by what they've done because if that's the case then there's reason for them to take glory away from God and God will not have that the whole grand design of the gospel is the glory of God in the salvation of his people through our Lord Jesus Christ the Corinthians had actually been foolish weak and base according to verses 27 and 28 that then means according to verse 29 that no flesh should glory in his presence were not to glory in ourselves in the presence of God turn to Romans chapter 4 where we see this as well in Paul's great treatment of justification by faith Romans chapter 4 verse 1 what then shall we say that Abraham our Father has found according to the flesh for if Abraham was justified by works he has something to boast about you see this is the underlying principle of all non reformed theology that if we leave it to a man even in the smallest that he has contributed something to his salvation he will always try and take credit he will always try to arrogate for himself a degree of glory he will always look down on others as being better than that and so the Apostle says if Abraham was justified according to the flesh or by works he has something to boast about but then he goes on to say but not before God so what's the clear implication Abraham's justification is not owing to his works Abraham's justification is owing solely to the free grace of God Almighty turn to Galatians chapter 6 where we see this emphasis as well in other words the idea being that no flesh should glory in the presence of God in terms of what they've accomplished Galatians chapter 4 a 6 rather excuse me at verse 11 see with what large letters I have written to you with my own hands suppose the Apostle had a problem with his eyes some suggested that it was due to malaria but at some point somewhere along the line the Apostle Paul got affected with an illness that did in fact affect his eyes in fact in chapter four he says concerning them in verse 14 my trial which was in my flesh you did not despise or reject that you receive me as an angel of God even as Christ Jesus what then was the blessing you enjoyed for I bear you witness that if possible you would have plucked out your own eyes and given them to me and here in verse 11 see with what large letters I have written to you with my own aunt probably the admission of a man who could not see very well that's why it's large letters not that it packs more of a punch literally to write large letters but it's probably indicative of the fact that he had a difficult problem with his eyes verse 12 as many as desire to make a good showing in the flesh these would compel you to be circumcised only that they may not suffer persecution for the cross of Christ for not even those who are circumcised keep the law but they desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your flesh but God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ by whom the world has been crucified to me and I to the world for in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything but a new creation so back to the Corinthians they are in this state of acceptance with God not based on anything in and of themselves they are in this state of acceptance with God based on everything in God and that is seen obviously in verse thirty a but of him you are in Christ Jesus brothers and sisters if you are in Christ Jesus tonight it's not your ingenuity it's not your wisdom it's certainly not your wretched works that put you there rather it is God but of him you are in Christ Jesus I think this highlights at least two things with reference to God first his sovereignty it's God who puts sinners in Christ it's God who initiates and it's God who executes the plan of salvation salvation according to the prophet Jonah of the Lord and I think we can all affirm that with a heartfelt amen because we know that we were not righteous we did not seek God there was no fear of God before our eyes we were not waking up one Thursday saying boy I'd like to get good with God so I'm just going to come to Jesus if we're in Jesus it's because of God's sovereign grace and that is emphasized in the Corinthian experience throughout the context notice in verse 2 to the Church of God which is at Corinth to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus called to be Saints with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord notice in verse 24 again the emphasis on calling but to those who are called both Jews and Greeks Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God that call word indicates what we call effectual calling or internal calling that powerful voice of God where he speaks to the soul of man and he brings them forth he brings them out of darkness into marvelous light and he places them redemptive ly in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ notice in verse 26 for you see your calling brethren and then again in verses 27 and 28 God has chosen the foolish things God has chosen according to verse 28 the base things of the world and the things which are despised for any of us in Christ Jesus we didn't get there by accident and we certainly didn't get there by our own choice we got there because of the grace and the sovereignty of God this is an emphasis throughout the New Testament John chapter one you can turn there it's good to be refreshed of these texts that often they are taken for granted but when we look at them we feel the import and we see the the beauty of it in John 1:12 but as many as received him to them he gave the right to become children of God to those who believed in his name who were born not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God so it's of him that you were in Christ Jesus you're born again not because of anything in you but because of everything in God most high turn over to acts 13 acts 13 specifically at verse 48 acts 13:48 now when the Gentiles heard this they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord and as many as had been appointed to eternal life believe now that order is conspicuous and that order is what the text reflects or rather the Greek text reflects as many as had been appointed to eternal life believe it's not they believed and then were appointed unto eternal life no they had been appointed by God unto eternal life so in time they by the spirit respond to the preaching of the Apostles and they believed the gospel and then again in Romans chapter 9 at verse 16 just highlighting that were in Christ not because of anything good in us but because of everything good in God Romans 9 16 certainly the entirety of the chapter will just focus in on verse 16 so then it is not of him who wills lore of him who runs but of God who shows mercy so when the Apostle to the Corinthians highlights that it wasn't their nobility it wasn't their wisdom it wasn't their might but rather it was the free grace of God he makes this very clear in verse 30 by saying but of him you are in Christ Jesus so the sovereignty of God is underscored but as well this union that believers have with Jesus Christ were were in Christ well what does that mean were in Christ I think there aren't several things that we ought to consider first of all we are in him representatively in other words he stood in our place we are in him when he by God's plan and purpose went to the cross on our behalf our sins are punished in him we are in him judicially he brought us acceptance or brought us to acceptance with the Lord our God we are in him epistemologically now that simply means we know now the way we ought to know now because we are in Christ in fact look at first Corinthians 2:16 this is an amazing statement histology simply means that doctrine or the theory of note knowledge or how we know what we know but notice in 2:16 for who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him but we have the mind of Christ do you always act like you have the mind of Christ you always conduct yourself as if you have the mind of Christ you live your life as if you have the mind of Christ what was true of Christ in his earthly ministry I I always do the will of him who sent me my meat is to do the will of the Father who sent me that's what the mind of Christ is all about and so yes we know now as we ought to know because we by the Spirit are in Christ but that ought to have some ethical implications in terms of how we live our lives if we have the mind of Christ we ought to resist the things that Christ resisted when he was on earth we ought to reject the things that Christ rejected when he was on earth we ought to guard our hearts so that we not only think Christ's thoughts after him but we live in a manner that is consistent with that and then theologians in the church at large has spoken of what's called the mystical union that believers have with our Lord Jesus you see this really spelled out in Ephesians chapter 5 the Apostle highlights this analogy between marriage husband and wife and the church Jesus and his bride and he says specifically that he speaks concerning that mystery even Christ and the church there's this mystical union that obtains between the people of God and their Savior listen to Kelvin on this idea of mystical union he says therefore that joining together of head and members that indwelling of Christ in our hearts in short that mystical union are accorded by us the highest degree of importance so that Christ having been made ours makes us sharers with him in the gifts with which he has been endowed we do not therefore contemplate himself or him outside ourselves from afar in order that his righteousness may be imputed to us but because we put on Christ and grafted into his body in short because he deigns to make us one with him that's Paul's point in Ephesians 5 the marriage relationship the husband and the wife the two become what they become one flesh Paul parallels that with Christ and the church now the flesh part it's not as if there's this amalgamation between all of the people of God and the the flesh of Jesus it's a mystical union we in him he in us it's a most blessed thing so the source of our spiritual blessings is not owing to ourselves but rather it is owing to the sovereignty of God but of him you are in Christ Jesus now notice secondly the identification of these blessings Paul's point is that we do not glory in the flesh Paul's point is for us to appreciate God's wisdom Paul's point is to demonstrate that salvation is of the Lord and the people of God ought to stand amazed and marvel notice he says but if him you are in Christ Jesus who became for us wisdom from God now Chrysostom was an early church father who was apparently quite the preacher and in his commentary or his sermon he says but why said he not he hath made us wise he doesn't say that notice the text does not say that God made us wise more righteous were blessed were in union with Jesus but we're not necessarily at least practically wise he doesn't say he made us wise but was made unto us wisdom to show the copious nassif if he had said he gave unto us himself but of him you are in Christ Jesus who became for us wisdom from God in other words the wisdom that we possess may not be that were the brightest bulbs in the chandelier in the day-to-day operations where we find ourselves but we are wise in terms of our union with Christ of him you are in Christ Jesus Christ has become unto us wisdom from God again the law your contact is showing the folly of the world showing the the wickedness of man and and highlighting and annex coaling the great wisdom of God Almighty God's plan of salvation as a manifestation of his wisdom according to Ephesians 3:10 God's son is the linchpin upon which this whole scheme of salvation rests and he is called to us or described to us in the book of Colossians as the one in whom are hidden and knowledge God's people are ultimately moved into the sphere of true wisdom according to 1st Corinthians 2:16 because we have the mind of Christ so notice the text he became to us or for us wisdom from God and righteousness and sanctification and redemption so these are the particular spiritual blessings now it's not that there are four coordinate blessings wisdom righteousness sanctification and redemption but rather we might translate it this way he has become for us the wisdom of God that is now those next three terms describe or illustrate or flash out what the wisdom from God is in other words the blessings are righteousness sanctification and redemption this is similar to what Paul does in Ephesians 1 blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ so Paul is giving us this inventory and I suggest that this is the background or this is the the very contacts that the rest of the book of Corinthians make sense in Lourdes the sorts of things that the Corinthians do as the church is very shocking now I don't think I'm the only one reading first Corinthians presently I think there are others other users of McShane's Bible reading calendar out there so you're reading through first Corinthians as well they were pretty messed up weren't they anybody read Corinthians recently they had issues sectarianism there were actually Corinthians and while of Paul I'm of Cephas I'm of Apollo's are you nuts your Christ when we move on into first Corinthians chapter 5 Paul says there's sexual sexual immorality that has obtained amongst you that isn't even named among the Gentiles namely that a man has his father's wife and not only did the church know about it but they were arrogant about it and we might wonder at that why in the world would they have been arrogant maybe it was an unrighteous use of gospel in terms of license and Liberty Paul deals with this in Romans 6 what shall we say shall we continue in sin that grace may abound maybe the Corinthians got a big healthy dose of that idea that false idea and said well you know he's forgiven in Jesus so we'll just let him worship alongside of us but lo and behold we get to 2nd Corinthians and most commentators suggest that the man being forgiven in 2nd Corinthians is the man who was guilty in first Corinthians how can that possibly be because Christ has become unto us the wisdom from God that is righteousness sanctification and redemption you move on in Corinthians in chapter 6 what does the Apostle Paul have to deal with in 1st Corinthians chapter 6 believers taking other believers to civil courts Paul says what you can't judge one another among yourselves you have to draw this out in front of the pagan magistrate God Most High is going to station you in a position we're actually going to judge angels certainly as the people of God the blood-bought children of God who have the mind of Jesus Christ and possess the Holy Spirit you ought to be able to deal with this within the context of the local church later in 1st Corinthians chapter 6 what is Paul address flee sexual immorality and what's the argument you have been bought with a price therefore glorify God in your body and spirit 1st Corinthians chapter 8 9 and 10 to a degree what's happening there the Apostle is cautioning the people of God from using their Liberty in such a way as to hurt the weaker brethren don't do that Paul says if my eating me is going to offend a brother for whom Jesus died I will never eat meat again but what does it all assume it all assumes or implies that these things were happening in the context of the church at Corinth later we're going to read the section dealing with the Lord's Supper what happened when the Brethren gathered together to eat this bread and drink this God well they had a meal prior to that what happened at the meal prior to that some were eating to the point of gluttony and others were drinking to the point of drunkenness again I'm not suggesting we go thou and do likewise but I am suggesting the redemption we have from sin is redemption from sin I think we forget that sometime some of us pick up Owen volume 6 and we wonder how does this man know sin so uniquely and so penetrative ly probably because he was dealing with the same sorts of things that you and I were or art you and I are Luke 15 then all the sinners and the tax collectors junior have to hear him well what kind of people were they they were the kind of miserable wretched lowlife people that you and I are and you know a whole host of others that populate this world brethren Christ Jesus came to save sinners first Corinthians chapters 12 to 14 you think the use of spiritual gifts would be used to edify the Brethren to make the Church of God a pleasant place to be a place where the people of God are edified and uplifted and further conformed under the image of Christ not so amongst this lot they were just not the kinds of people that we might think of when we we say things like we need to get back to the early church which early church do you think they were holier and more pious than any other Church not probably in some things they certainly were but in other things I don't think they were I don't think we particularly at free Grace Baptist in Chilliwack have a problem with persons being tempted to lay with temple prostitutes but that's precisely what 1st Corinthians 6 is dealing with flee sexual and morality you got to remember a lot of the competing you sacks in their approach to their guns and it was often the case that in these sacred shrines there would be prostitutes and these prostitutes would help facilitate the transaction so that the God was worshipped and the God would would be invoked to bring blessing upon the people Corinth was actually known to be a verb of the word Corinthian eyes became a verb to highlight degradation and said and sexual promiscuity Corinthian or the the court the city of Corinth was bad if I were to play a word association game and I mentioned certain cities that are well-known and beloved by millions you might think of a particular sin that was identifiable in that that city well within corinth it was sexual promiscuity it was abject wickedness it was that kind of lawlessness again I am NOT suggesting brethren go out and find a temple prostitute because Jesus has forgiven you of your sins what I am suggesting is that if anyone does sin he has an advocate with the father even Jesus Christ the righteous the moment you forget that the moment you stop thinking about that the moment you abandon hope in that is the moment you are doomed that's what gets the people of God through that's what steadies them that's what stabilizes them that's what encourages them and that's what gives them the impetus to persevere an understanding of God's grace an understanding of gospel blessing an understanding of what Christ has done in the gospel is the hope that we confess now in terms of these blessings guess what they do they summarize completely the Ordo salutis the order order of salvation the righteousness that Christ has become for us is justification he is our righteousness remember the Prophet Jeremiah identifies him that way in Jeremiah chapter 23 speaking prophetically concerning the days of Messiah he identifies him as the Lord our righteousness now this is familiar ground I hope to everybody in our church I stand by what Martin they're said when he said every week I preach justification by faith to my people because every week they for-get-it the Lord Jesus fulfilled all righteousness in accordance with the father's law remember that when he comes to be baptized by the Baptist and John the Baptist takes you know Shawkat tests know I should be baptized be it by you and Jesus says permit it to be so for we must fulfill all righteousness Christ's life was an act of obedience to the Father and by the imputation of that obedience unto us that's our righteousness Lord's our righteousness avails with God because it's a perfect righteousness it's not part of his and part of ours for that would end us in hell it's all his remember that blessed and wonderful sort of illustration of this in the Prophet Zechariah when Joshua the high priest stands before God Almighty and he's filthy he's covered with feces he's covered with vomit that's the language employed in the text he doesn't have a spot on his shirt he is covered from head to toe in filth he is gross the devil is right there ready to accuse him because that's a function of the devil fact Satan means a accuser or adversary and before the devil can even open his mouth the Lord rebukes him and the Lord sees Joshua he knows his sin Josh was standing representatively for the people of Israel and what does God the Lord do God says take those filthy garments off of him praise God that's forgiveness isn't it he takes the filthy garments off and then he orders the placement of new garments isn't that justification Zechariah 3 is a prophetic statement concerning the doctrine of justification wherein he forgives us or pardons us of all our sins and accepts us as righteous in his sight only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us and received by faith alone that's Joshua the high priest in Zechariah chapter 3 he takes away the dirty clothes puts on new clean clothes and then he stands accepted in the presence of God and I love that scene the devil doesn't even get to open his mouth what's the implication God knows Joshua's problem every time the devil accuses every time the adversary asserts himself over our status he's not bringing information to God God sees us in our filth and the glory of the gospel is that he cleanses us from that filth and he puts those garments on us and he fits us for communion with himself it's a beautiful and a wonderful thing the doctrine of imputation is highlighted specifically in Romans chapter 5 Christ is our representative at by the one man sin all died but by the one man's act of righteousness the the many are made accepted or the many are made righteous the Lord Jesus has fulfilled all righteousness in order that his righteousness may be imputed to us and received by faith alone fact let's tease this out look at Romans 5 Romans chapter 5 just mentioned that Romans 5:19 summarizes the whole sort of argument there and you need to appreciate the flow of Romans 5 in the larger context Romans 5:12 to 21 explains how it can be the case that Christ died for our sins in other words Paul traffic sin those concepts up to chapter 5 and in chapter 5 12 to 21 he shows how that can be the case essentially God deals with mankind on the basis of two men Adam the first and Adam the last in Adam the first all died in Adam the last all shall be made alive not all without exception but all without distinction the elect of God from every tribe tongue people and nation but notice in 5:19 since for as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners so also by one man's obedience many will be made righteous I think I've explained before that made there's probably not the happiest translation because it almost sounds transformative in other words we've been made in the sense that now we're actually a holy people it's better to render it as constituted better to render it as impute it better to render it as reckoned better to see it forensically or legally than practically or ethically so Christ's obedience is why we are made righteous notice as well in first Corinthians I'm sorry a Philippians chapter 3 Philippians chapter 3 great argument verses 1 to 11 essentially what Paul is doing is cautioning the Philippians against what's called the Judaizers and the Judaizers were those who came to the Churches of Jesus and essentially said it's good for you to believe on Jesus as Messiah but you also need to be circumcised in other words you need to become Jews plus believers in Christ in order to obtain salvation the Judaizers were a plague on the early church these are the persons that Paul has in mind in the book of Galatians even more conspicuously it's a little bit more late and in Philippians chapter 3 or in Philippians but notice in Philippians chapter 3 at verse 1 finally my brethren rejoice in the Lord for to me to write the same things to you is not tedious but for you it is safe beware of dogs now Paul is an anti canine he's not a cat person can't imagine for the life of me that Paul was a cat person just kidding he is not anti dog the dog in view are Judaizers and it makes a world a theological sense when you consider that Jews looked at Gentiles as dogs now Paul writing to predominantly Gentiles is referring to the Judaizers as dogs in other words it is the persons that distort the free grace of God that are dogs beware of dogs beware of evil workers beware of the mutilation why does he refer to them as the mutilation because these men boasted in foreskins these men boasted and how many persons they had circumcised and they weren't engaged in circumcision but rather it was mutilation with no theological undergirding reason whatsoever to engage in this particular act they were doing as a means of salvation or acceptance with God and therefore Paul calls it mutilation that's all it is there's nothing religious there's nothing theological about it rather they are simply distorting the flesh of other persons he says for we are the circumcision Paul and Gentiles what's the binding agent Christ Christ that makes us the true circumcision he says this in Romans chapter 2 he's not a Jew who's circumcised outwardly he's a Jew circumcised inwardly wheat Gentile Christians are true Jews Jews in Israel that reject Jesus as the Messiah are the Gentiles you see there's a theological usage that you need to appreciate when you read through Paul for we are the circumcision who worship not in the spirit rejoice in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh then he goes on to highlight that if ever there was a man who could have had confidence in the flesh it was Paul I mean Paul was everything in terms of Jewish religion Paul was a great guy Paul was the kind of guy that people would have seen on the street they would have said look at him he's holy he's righteous he's godly he's pious he's he's wonderful Paul's religious resume was impeccable he could stand it up against anybody but then he goes on to say after highlighting those things in verse 7 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 there's a bit of progression here in verses 7 & 8 what things were in my past that religious pedigree those religious accomplishments all that that was at one time that I have counted loss for Christ and then he moves into the present and verse 8 yet indeed I also count all things right now presently everything that wasn't near and dear to me it's it's no longer it no longer matters yet indeed I also count all things lost for the excellence and the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count as rubbish that word rubbish is interesting the old King James has done and that's a beautiful description of it I think many many years ago preaching on this passage I just come back from California and we would always drive to California and on the i-5 if you see Bandini Mountain Bandini is a as a as a brand of manure that is sold in California I think it probably still is I haven't checked that fact recently but you would drive on the freeway and you'd see Bandini mountain it was a mountain of manure I would always think of this tax when I see Bandini mountain to this day when I think AB and AD fertilizer I think of this taxed it's it's dung everything that was near and dear to my heart it's now dung everything that was precious to me at one time that defined me as Saul of Tarsus is no longer profitable it's all garbage other translations suggest the idea of something thrown to the dogs in other words you don't cook a steak on the barbecue take it and throw it to a dog I mean maybe you're chopping it up and a little bit falls off the dog is happier that he could be to be there and catch it but as a course of life you don't throw a great steak two dogs you typically throw things you don't want to eat two dogs right and that's what Paul is suggesting all of those accomplishments all of those good things all of those blessings in my life they're no longer important Paul was revolutionized on the road to Damascus but notice the end of verse eight that I may gain Christ and then verse nine and be 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 and then of course second Corinthians 5:21 God made him who knew no sin to be sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in him now amazingly brethren there's a New Testament scholar in this world who maintains that the idea of the imputation of the active obedience of Christ is a fiction it isn't true it's just a it's just a an idea born out of the Reformation that has no basis in the text of Scripture how else how else possibly do you interpret 2nd Corinthians 5:21 how else possibly do you interpret Philippians 3:9 how else possibly do you interpret 1st Corinthians chapter 1 and verse 30 how else can you possibly conceive of Romans 5:19 it is not a fiction it is the basis upon which we have a righteousness that avails with God it is something that we ought to imitate J Gresham machen in the last are some of the last words on his deathbed where I am so thankful for the active obedience of Christ no hope without it he died alone in Bismarck North Dakota he goes January 1st and he sent a telegram and the last thing he says in terms of this telegram was that I am so thankful for the active obedience of Christ no hope without it brethren it's not a fiction it's the very sum and substance of our acceptance with God we need the blood we need the death we need the sacrifice we need the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world we need that imputed righteousness and Christ has become that for us Calvin he says that he has made unto us righteousness by which he means that we are on his account acceptable to God in as much as he expiated our sins by his death and his obedience is imputed to us for righteousness Dyl concurs this righteousness by an act of the father's grace is imputed reckoned and accounted to them as their justifying righteous Ness so you see for Paul it's not that we've become wise but Christ has become for us wisdom from God that is righteousness the doctrine of justification is true because of Christ and then notice he goes on to speak of sanctification not only righteousness but sanctification I think there's two things in view here the federal and representative ass that in other words we think of sanctification typically and I don't think we're wrong but typically we think of sanctification it's God's work in US terms of the spirit the provision of the spirit so that we may indeed live more and more under righteousness and die day by day to sin that's certainly true price certainly is that for us in in the sense of things but it might also point to the federal and representative aspect in other words he supplies for us that holiness that God demands from us Haj comments these righteousness and sanctification are intimately United as different aspects of the same thing righteousness is that which satisfies the demands of the law as a rule of justification sanctification or holiness is that which satisfies the law as a rule of Duty Christ is both to us in other words we ought not to only view the sanctification in terms of God giving us the spirit so that we can live more holy and that we can died unto sin we ought to see Christ as the agent of sanctification in terms of what he's done on our behalf Calvin commenting on the ladder that wrought spirit wrought power within the Christian to do that which is right Calvin says he calls him our sanctification by which he means that we who are otherwise unholy by nature are by his spirit renewed unto holiness that we may serve God from this also we infer that we cannot be justified freely through faith alone without the same without at the same time living holy so I got holily from Calvin I said that a couple of seconds ago I just wanted to show you that I didn't make it up actually no I think Calvin's right so there's this federal representative aspect in terms of sanctification but there is the practical Christ's applies what we need in terms of our daily living and then note that third spiritual blessing redemption redemption now redemption is a packed word in terms of definition and it certainly means and we've seen it in our studies in the sermons connected to the Lord's Supper redemption comes up and redemption typically is defined as God's redeeming us or buying us out of the slave market of sin the redemption isn't just affected by God's power but there's also the payment of a price and we need to understand that it's not that God just redeems us by an arbitrary act of his power but there is a redemption price paid and that specifically by our Lord Jesus Christ in other words redemption should always be seen alongside up or rather defined by this buying back by the payment of a price so certainly redemption means that and certainly Christ is redemption in that regard but because righteousness and sanctification describe that entry into the Christian life sanctification that progress in the Christian life could it possibly be that redemption signifies the end of the Christian life or what we call in other contexts glorification Hodge argues that this is the case and I'm inclined to agree he says this term Redemption sometimes includes all the benefits received from Christ when he is called our Redeemer he is presented as our deliverer from guilt from Hell from sin from the power of Satan from the grave but when Redemption is distinguished from justification and sanctification it refers to the final deliverance from evil so the Apostle is highlighting verse 30 of him or of but of him you are in Christ Jesus who became for us wisdom from God that is the A to Z of salvation righteousness sanctification and redemption to see redemption used that way you can turn to Ephesians chapter one Ephesians chapter one I hope everybody's tracking we use Redemption narrowly defined to speak of our having been purchased by God through the blood of his son out of the slave market of sin but Redemption in the context of righteousness and sanctification or justification vacation may indicate that final deliverance from evil notice in Ephesians 1:13 in him this is the work of the Spirit are having spoken of the work of the Father the work of the spirit of the son now he speaks of the work of the Spirit terms the triune God in the saving of sinners and verse 13 in him you also trusted after you heard the word of truth the gospel of your salvation in whom also having believed you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession to the praise of his glory so the Spirit is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption in other words he is the downpayment he is what we possess until that day when we enter and fully to the glory that God has for us I think it's used similarly in Ephesians 4:30 and do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God by whom you were sealed for what for the day of redemption so we have redemption narrowly defined in terms of our having been bought out of the slave market of sin through the payment and the price of the blood of Jesus but we have redemption coordinated with righteousness and sanctification to indicate what we call glorification in other words Christ has become for us the wisdom of God and that wisdom of God takes care of everything that we have need of it takes care of our forgiveness and acceptance with God it takes care of the day-to-day operations and us living under Christ and dying under sin and it takes care of the end in other words God has secured for us every blessed benefit he has promised us and he will bring to fruition all that he has orchestrated in the salvation of his people through our Lord Jesus Christ so it's an A to Z of spiritual blessings in terms of what Christ has become for us wisdom from God that is righteousness sanctification and redemption and then notice thirdly and finally the goal of our having received these spiritual blessings go back for just a moment to verse 29 that no flesh should glory in his presence no words the Corinthians were not chosen or called by God because in their nobility because of their ability because of their virtue because of their works no rather God called them based on his sovereign grace and it's designed this way so that no flesh will glory in his presence so if a works righteousness is the means by which flesh will glory in his presence which is everywhere condemned by God then a gracious faith redemption or salvation is the means by which we glorify God and that's the purpose in verse 31 notice that as it is written he who glories let him glory in the Lord the idea that salvation by human merit would lead man to glory in their accomplishments so god saves sinners apart from human merit so that they will not only not glorify themselves in his presence but they will always glorify Him you see brethren you were saved to praise God this is what Peter says he called us out of darkness and the marvelous light so that we may what so that we may lay on our couches like bumps on a log never praising God no so that we may proclaim the excellencies of him who called us out of darkness into marvelous light you know it's oftentimes the case that the church is faulted for doing the very thing she exists to do all you guys are ever doing is preaching and teaching and singing yeah that's what we're supposed to do because it's a vehicle by which God is glorified you see we oftentimes think there's so much other things we ought to be doing rather than the mundane picking up of the hymnal or the Psalter and singing praises to God no I'm not suggesting that there aren't things you ought to be doing throughout the course of your week but I am suggesting that singing praises to God ought to be in the top five list in terms of a Christians responsibility as believers in Jesus Christ you've been saved to praise you've been saved to glorify you've been saved to shine as a light in this crooked and wicked perverse generation and to hold forth the word of truth in fact look at Ephesians chapter 3 for just a moment Ephesians chapter 3 I think really highlights this aspect of what I'm trying to get across here Ephesians 3 verse 8 to me Who am less than the least of all the Saints this grace was given that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ and to make all see what is the Fellowship of the mystery which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden and God who created all things through Jesus Christ I mentioned earlier that God's wisdom is manifest in the salvation of sinners here it is feegans 3:10 - the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places you know what I also think not only a Bandini mountain but I think of the church and sometimes I think of the church as a trophy case that's a tough one when you know that you're part of it because you don't always feel like a trophy but the church is a trophy case to these principalities and powers in the heavenly places what's the implication the principalities and the powers in the heavenly place was looked down upon a lot like this and they go WOW God is wise Wow God is amazing Wow God is glorious because that lot is coming to heaven it isn't going to them it isn't due to their works it's not because of their virtue is not because of their nobility but all praise or glory all honor goes to art God C or a trophy case you don't go to somebody's office and see a bowling trophy on the shelf and praise the trophy you praise the guy who won the trophy the guy who has the shirt that says I bowled a 300 who has the trophy that indicates that he's that good is not the trophy that gets the glory it's the bowler of the the owner of the trophy that gets the glory that's Paul's point Ephesians three the manifold wisdom of God is manifested in the church because when these principalities and powers look down upon the church they go wow that guy's coming to heaven that girl's going to be with us that person really yes because of him you are in Christ Jesus notice according worse eleven to the eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him therefore I ask that you do not lose heart at my tribulations which for you which is your glory I mean Paul in the space of a few verses gives a comprehensive summation of the whole plan of salvation and one of the aims is that the principalities and the powers look down upon this trophy case and they stand amazed at the wisdom of God you see the fact that you're gonna go to heaven isn't a testimony to you it's not a description of how good you are think as Christians we forget that don't we it's Christians we get a little Ferris saying at times we get a little higher than we ought at times we get a little bit more you know judgmental of others and we forget the reality then my going to heaven is not owing at all to my nobility to my virtue certainly not my works but owing to the grace of God Almighty see brethren this is where we need to be because it will produce verse 31 in 1st Corinthians 1 that as it is written he who glories let him glory in the Lord Calvin said mark the end that God has in view and bestowing all things upon us in Christ that we may not claim any merit to ourselves but may give him all the praise and of course verse 31 is jeremiah 9:23 and 24 well read that says thus says the Lord let not the wise man glory in his wisdom let not the mighty man glory in his might nor let the rich man as riches but let him who glories glory in this that he understands and knows me that I am the Lord exercising loving-kindness judgment and righteousness in the earth for in these I delights as the Lord now we're gonna end in just a moment but I think it's important for us to realize that jeremiah 9:23 and 24 come in a context see we can take these verses out of the Old Testament and insert them into first Corinthians and forget their place in the larger argument in Jeremiah the Prophet now Paul knows Jeremiah the Prophet so for Paul to take this out of Jeremiah 9 he already knows what's happening in Jeremiah 9 and perhaps he assumes that you and I do as well but let's just refresh ourselves what's happening there in Jeremiah 9 it's in the context of Jeremiah 7 to 10 which was the first Temple sermon of the Prophet Jeremiah in Jerusalem in other words God tells Jeremiah to go to the temple and preach and when Jeremiah goes to the temple and preaches he upbraids the people of Judah he tells them that they have been in sin he tells them that they are wrong to trust in the temple Jeremiah chapter 7 you go out you'll live like the devil all week and then you come on the Sabbath day into the temple and you think that all is right no later on in Jeremiah chapter 7 he indict soryu upbraids the people for trusting in the sacrifices now there's obviously faith conjoined with sacrifice in the Old Testament the worshiper in faith brought the sacrifice to God but that's a far cry different from living like the devil all week and thinking that somehow this sacrifice I offer up on the Sabbath day is somehow going to rub all that out and then in Jeremiah chapter 8 he upbraids Orion Deitz the people for actually for actually putting their confidence in the leadership in Jerusalem both politically and more importantly ecclesiastically to see the haier sermon is tasked with or the Prophet is tasked with indicted and upgrading the people for them having fallen short for them trusting in things that were not God for them trusting in things that were external for them trusting in things that would never ever save them and so when we get to Jeremiah chapter 9 and Yahweh says this it comes with a greater force than if we just isolate the passage thus says Yahweh let not the wise man glory in his wisdom see this was actually occurring in Jeremiah's day let not the mighty man glory in his might this was actually occurring in Jeremiah's day nor let the rich man glory in his riches but let him who glories glory in this that he understands and knows me you see the real evidence that any man woman boy or girl possesses wisdom is that they glorify God that's the litmus test of what is true wisdom and what isn't Socrates Plato Aristotle they had a lot of great ideas they were probably great men in a whole host of ways philosophers subsequent to them philosophers prior to them no doubt did a lot of great things and thought a lot of great thoughts but when we asked the Bible were those wise men no they most certainly would not war not when we see a two-year-old that can say God is spirit infinite eternal and unchangeable in his being wisdom power holiness justice goodness and truth he is far more wise than Socrates Plato Aristotle the man who knows the Lord will inevitably glory in the Lord and that's the point of Jeremiah that's the point in first Corinthians chapter one that's the point that Christ has become for us wisdom from God that is righteousness sanctification and redemption that is those who have been saved by grace through faith in him those who have received not only the forgiveness of sins but the imputed righteousness of God those who are upheld each and every day by the sanctifying power of God and those who will ultimately be glorified by God what is the inevitable response of that lot it is to glory in God that brethren is the take-home message from this passage that as those blood-bought children of God you ought to be I ought to be Prazeres worshipers and lawyers in God so as I said this is the context or rather this is the source of explanation for how the rest of Corinthians should be understood and it's obvious say in 1st Corinthians chapter 6 at verses 9 to 11 1st Corinthians 6:9 do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God do not be deceived neither fornicators nor idolaters nor adulterers nor homosexuals nor sodomites nor thieves nor covetous nor drunkards nor revilers nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God and such were some of you but you were washed but you were sanctified but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the spirit of our God God saves sinners you are here tonight you are saved it's by grace that you in in Christ Jesus if you're not saved be enticed be incited be encouraged be invited that God is in Christ reconciling the world to himself and that means he's in the business of saving sinners no better news on the face of the earth than that I mean if you were a big-time investor and your stock rose or whatever or you were you know a hard worker and you accomplished you know the the manufacturer of a hundred widgets in a day none of that holds a candle to the reality that God saves sinners well let us close in a word of Prayer father thank you for your word and thank you that Christ is this for us we rejoice in this and yet I fear we don't rejoice as we ought give us grace Lord give us open hearts and open mouths to sing your praises give us boldness to testify concerning this gospel in this world and give us the grace to be worshipers of God in spirit and in truth thank you again that he is our righteousness our sanctification and our Redemption and we pray in Jesus name Amen you now obviously is the last supper with Christ and His disciples typically we read from first Corinthians 11 but we'll read from Matthew chapter 26 this evening to the context supper and in this particular time Jesus Institute's the Lord's Supper Paul refers to this in first Corinthians 11 first Corinthians 11 obviously the Apostle Paul tells us that we are to be believers if we're gonna take the supper in other words it's not a converting ordinance it's not for unbelievers it's not for those who are destitute of the grace of God but rather it is for the people of God it is for the blood-bought children of God those who have by grace believed and repented that's not a slight it's not to make anybody feel bad but rather it is simply to make sure that we only administer this there's a supper to the persons that are authorized to take the supper as well they ought to be persons who are seeking by the grace of God to live with a conscience void of offense toward God and men Paul calls the Corinthians to examine themselves to look inwardly not for a month or two months or 10 years but rather to look inwardly and if there is undealt with sin deal with it confess it to God deal with it in terms of your relationships in fact that's what's in view in Corinth because they had that meal some were eating and drinking to the point of drunkenness and gluttony others were being neglected Paul says that's not a good thing that is a betrayal of the the unity of the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ that is unworthy participation when you slight the people of God and you eat the bread and blood or body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ so you need to be a believer to participate in the Supper as well you need to be a believer that is seeking by God's grace to maintain short accounts with God and men cannot be sinless perfection because then there would be no ordinance if God gave the supper to those sinlessly perfect there would be nobody to participate so do not think for a moment that because you send on Tuesday you're unworthy to take of the supper no I think the concern of the Apostle is an unwillingness to deal with one sin either to God or to men and then as well with reference to the practical in location in our church or application there is juice in the outer ring when the brothers come to pass out the the wine and the juice the juice is in the outer ring so we'll ask those brothers to come and pass out the bread will sing number 193 while they do that and then after that I'll read the appropriate section in Matthew's Gospel we'll pray and we'll eat the bread together but please turn to 193 you may remain seated as we sing [Music] in Matthew 26 at verse 26 we read 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 well let us pray God thank you for the body of our Lord Jesus Christ we know that he took on our humanity with all the essential properties and the common infirmities thereof yet without sin and we thank you that he identified with us in order to save us from our sins and we thank you God for the the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ and what he went through on our behalf what a blessed way to triumph what a blessed path to victory what a glorious thing and certainly the world would call it folly and foolishness but we know that your wisdom is glorious and it is vindicated in that cross of the Lord Jesus give us grace now as we remember his broken body on our behalf and we ask in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ amen we'll take together we can turn number 188 again remain seated as we sing as they pass out the wine number 188 [Music] [Music] in verse 27 we 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 the 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 well let us pray God we thank you for this opportunity as the church to proclaim the Lord's death till he comes we know that the bread and the wine remain bread and wine they're not transubstantiated they're emblems they are things that represent they're symbols that point us to those blessed realities of the body and blood of our Lord Jesus and we know it's the blood of Christ by which the New Covenant is inaugurated we know the Old Covenant was inaugurated with bloodshed and the new covenant with the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ we thank you for the remission of sins we thank you for the many blessings that you have poured out upon us we thank you that you have given us every every good thing in our Lord Jesus Christ and it's in his name that we pray amen take together well you can stand and we'll close by singing 175 a great compendium of gospel truth in him will sing and stand together [Music] now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead that great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the everlasting covenant make you complete and every good work to do his will working in you what is well pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ to whom be glory for ever and ever amen go with us now Most High and bless and keep and protect us in this coming week grant us grace to bring glory and honor and praise to you bless our children and young people and surround them with your protection and may it be the case that everyone in this place would be clothed in the righteousness of our Lord Jesus Christ having the forgiveness of sins and knowing the joy of being found in Christ Jesus our Lord but with us now we pray in Jesus most blessed name amen well please be seated for a brief time of meditation you