The Failed Temptation and the Fall Reversed

Now, for those of you who perhaps weren't with us on Friday or last night, let me just

! explain very briefly that we're going through a theme that's called In the Garden. On Friday

! night, I introduced that theme by reading Genesis chapter 2 and by exploring some of

Genesis 2 · chapter mention

the areas of interest that arise out of the creation of humanity, i.e. Adam and Eve.

And we looked at some of the features of that chapter, which are the features of our identity

as human beings. Last night, we spoke about how the perfect equilibrium that existed between

God and Adam and Eve was ruined by the fall. We looked at the process in which Eve and Adam

fell by disobeying God, by rejecting the command, the prohibition that he had given to them,

and we saw some of the consequences of that. We didn't have time to look at how God evicted

them from the garden and how he set the cherubim with a flaming sword to guard the way to the tree

of life. But we looked at how God had promised that in difficulty there would be the work that

man would try to do. There would be the difficulty in childbearing. There would be the loss of that

perfect balance in the relationship between husband and wife. And of course, that applies to

all different relationships in the world in which the balance that would have been there

was upset by the fall. And then we looked, of course, lastly, at how God promised the serpent

that he would one day be destroyed. And that is what I want to follow up on today. Because here in this

chapter, there is a confrontation between the Son of God, who was made man, who came into the world in

our nature as one of us, and who confronted the same serpent at the very beginning of his ministry.

This was only the very beginning of several confrontations that there were with the evil

one, the serpent, as he made his way and as he prepared for the cross. And it's in that context

that I think we ought to understand Matthew chapter 4, the temptation. I'm sure you've often heard sermons

Matthew 4 · chapter mention

on it. I've preached on it a number of times. And I've often taken the line that you'll hear from many

preachers. I'm not saying it's a bad line. I'm not saying it's a bad interpretation. But you've often

heard people saying, well, here is the way that the devil tempted Jesus. And here is how Jesus resisted

that temptation. This is how we are to resist temptation. You've heard that before. I've preached

it before. What I want to suggest to you this morning is that although that's true, it's not the point

of the passage. The primary point of the passage is to recognize Jesus re-enacting the Garden of Eden.

And there are certain continuities about this re-enactment as well as certain discontinuities

in it. And that's what I want to explore with you this morning. But particularly in relation to Jesus'

preparation for the cross. Because we always remember that the ministry of Jesus and the death of Jesus

are inextricably related. The ministry of Jesus, or rather the life of Jesus, we don't know much about

his young days, but we do know a lot about his ministry, his parables, his miracles, his conversations,

his teaching. All of that was in preparation for the cross. So was the temptation. And I believe it is

impossible to understand the temptation fully without seeing it in relation to the cross. Which of course

relates to the reason why we're here today to remember Jesus' death on the cross. So I hope you'll

see this passage as it is connected with Jesus. And I hope that comes out as we look at it together.

Here is the second Adam. He is placed into this world. He's at the beginning of his ministry, the baptism of

Jesus marked the beginning of his public ministry. And the first thing that happens is that he's led out

into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. Now it would be someone who is pretty inastute, who would

not recognize how that matches the very first events in Genesis chapter 2 and chapter 3. Except this time,

Genesis 2 · chapter mention

instead of a garden where there are trees and an abundance of fruit and provision for him, there is

nothing. And that nothingness is the consequence of the fall. Here is what Adam has done. Here's what

humanity has done. They've changed the world from being a garden in which there is plenty and perfection

into a world in which there is misery and aloneness and isolation and hunger. And of course, all the

sin and the misery. Remember what the catechism said. The catechism says this,

the fall brought mankind into an estate of sin and misery. That kind of just sums it up, doesn't it? It

brought mankind into an estate of sin and misery. And we all recognize that. So did Jesus. That's what

he was confronted with. And now he is going to be, at the very beginning of his ministry, he's going to be

confronted with the same serpent that confronted Eve in the garden. I'm not sure how much the serpent knew

either about what it meant for Jesus to be the son. I know he uses the language of, if you are the son of God.

I'm not sure how much he knew. I'm not sure how much he knew. Again, I'll leave that with you. The devil

doesn't know everything. He's not omniscient. He doesn't know everything. So it's just a question

that intrigues me. Neither am I sure of whether he knew exactly the way that God was going to secure

our... His purpose was to destroy Jesus. But little did he know that in trying to destroy Jesus,

he was actually carrying out the plan of God for our salvation. When Jesus died on the cross,

it appeared that Satan had the complete victory. That was his design. And yet we read, Paul tells us

in 1 Corinthians, we impart a secret wisdom from God, which God decreed before the ages of our glory.

Here's what it says. None of the rulers of this age understood it. Rulers of this age? Satan, the serpent.

If they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. So that's my proof for saying,

I'm not quite sure how much the devil understood what God was actually doing in the death of Jesus.

Jesus. Otherwise, he would have had a different plan. That's what Paul says. Not my words, but Paul.

And that's, of course, because our redemption necessitated death. Without death, without the shedding of blood,

God says there is no forgiveness. It's his ultimate purpose in securing our forgiveness was the death of his son,

that ultimate sacrifice for our salvation. So with these things in mind, let's just explore

the three temptations that we read about in Matthew chapter 4. And let's try and understand what the devil

Matthew 4 · chapter mention

is doing, not just in what he says, but in what lies behind what he says. Remember what we saw that,

how subtle he was in the conversation with Eve. Remember how I said to you yesterday that at no time does

Satan ever say to Eve, I want you to eat that fruit. But what he does is he creates the conditions,

opens up the possibility of another alternative. And while in this case, he is most definitely telling

Jesus what to do. He's also behind the scenes, he's opening up other possibilities for Jesus. And I want

us to see that how as we go along. The first of these temptations, as you know, was the temptation to

command these stones to turn into bread. And I think we can understand the tactic here, where he comes and

he says, if you're the son of God, how is this possible? You are the son of God, whatever that means.

You're the son of God. And yet you've been 40 days without eating. You're starving. You're in the

wilderness. You're alone. You're the creator of the universe. You've come from heaven. How is this

possible for someone in your position to not be able to eat? It's incongruous. It doesn't make sense.

It just defies all logic. You can see his point, can't you? And there's something in us that says,

well, why didn't Jesus just command the stones to become bread? It's something maybe he should have

thought of beforehand himself. I mean, why did he have to allow himself to descend into such a level

of poverty and starvation, where he didn't eat for 40 days? But there was a reason for Jesus fasting.

I'm not quite sure if I understand fasting. You find it all the way through the Bible. You find it in our

history books. Fasting was a feature of even this island at one point in time, particularly roundabout

communion times. An interesting subject, isn't it? I'm not quite sure how it connects. But one thing I do

know is that it's connected with prayer. It's very, very clear in the Bible that fasting has no merit in

itself. It's not some kind of way of earning God's favor. But it seems to be some way of clearing away

every other distraction so that I can focus my mind entirely on God. And I believe that's the only way

of making sense of it here in this passage. So this was at the very beginning of his ministry.

Jesus was sent out into the wilderness, specifically to be tempted by the devil, and he needs

the company of God the Father. Well, of course, he would have the company of God the Father anyway. But

there are times, aren't there? There's a passage in, I think it's Mark chapter 2, where he gets up early

Mark 2 · chapter mention

in the morning, goes up a mountain to pray. There are specific times where he needs that communion

with the Father that he perhaps doesn't have the same time for when he's doing other things.

There are specific times of prayer in the life of Jesus, specific times when he's. And Jesus,

this is one of those times at the very beginning of his ministry, where for him, fasting was absolutely

essential in the fulfillment of the ministry that Jesus gave him to do, which of course would culminate

in his death. We're not told what transpired between Jesus and the Father and how this period

fitted into his overall mission. But it did fit. It had to happen. And he needed this intense communion

with the Father in order to confront the devil. That's maybe a lesson for us as well, that perhaps

the reason we are so easily tempted is because we need to work on our communion with the Father. Maybe

it's because we don't have enough time for prayer. I'm talking to myself, by the way. Maybe it's

because we don't have enough time for prayer that we're so easily tempted. And Jesus' example is

opposite here in terms of our temptation. But there's another thing I want us to think about this

morning, and that is this was one of those moments when the horror of his death was becoming more and

more clear to him. There's a verse in Hebrews. I want to spend a few moments on it. Verse in Hebrews,

Hebrews 5:7

chapter 5, verse 7. And here's what it says. In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and

supplications with loud cries and tears to him who was able to save him from death.

And he was heard because of his reverence. Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he

suffered. Now, I remember reading that recently, and I need to look up the commentaries to find out

what people say about this verse, because it's a peculiar one, isn't it? What do the commentaries say?

So I looked up some of the good commentaries on it, and they all say the same thing. They all say,

well, we're not quite 100% sure about any one episode or one instance where this can be a description of it,

but we believe that it refers to the Garden of Gethsemane.

I'm okay with that. I think that it does refer to the Garden of Gethsemane. But

it says in the days of his flesh. I'm not persuaded that it was only the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus

offered up loud cries and tears to him who was able to save him from death. I believe, I tended to believe,

that there were several occasions when this happened. And this is one of them. At the very beginning of his

ministry, as he was becoming more and more aware, and as he was coming to terms increasingly with the

horror of his death. Now, you might respond by saying, well, was he not always aware of his mission? No, he

can't have been. Was he aware as a six-month-old baby? No, he wasn't. He was a human being as well as being God.

And as a human being, as a six-month-old baby, he wasn't aware of the horror of what lay in front of

him as a 33-year-old man. It had to be a growing awareness.

And I believe at the very beginning of his ministry, remember that his ministry is not just some random

series of events like conversations and miracles and all the rest of it. It was his preparation

for what lay ahead. And here is not only a growing awareness, but a growing willingness.

Now, be careful. I'm not saying he was ever unwilling. But this is what the verse says. He says,

he learned obedience through what he suffered. It doesn't say that there was ever a time when he wasn't.

But his suffering, including his time in the wilderness, was the means whereby his obedience was learned.

Willingness and awareness were a growing process in the mind and in the consciousness of Jesus.

Now, with that in mind, if I'm right, then for the devil to come and say to him,

why don't you change these stones into bread?

What he's trying to do is he's trying to derail

the process by which Jesus is being made aware and willing to face what is coming to him.

And if he derails it, then we've lost it.

The plan is derailed.

So I hope you can see that it's not just a question of, well, he's hungry.

It's logical. He's got the power to do it.

Why doesn't he do it?

It's because if he does it,

he takes his eyes off the work that the Father has given him to do.

And the devil has won.

We remember that the command of God to Adam was

that he make use of the fruit, the provision that he gave to him.

It's quite strange, isn't it?

That here we have eating again.

And Adam was invited to eat any of the fruit of the garden

except the knowledge of good and evil.

Here's Jesus obeying the command of the Father to go into the world

and to give his life as a ransom for many.

And here is the same serpent.

And he's trying to derail him from obeying the command of the Father

by presenting him with another alternative.

So that's the first thing.

And I hope we'll see all of the three of these temptations

in relation to the cross.

Next thing is that he takes him up to the very top of the temple.

I don't know how this happens, by the way.

It's not important how it happens.

We're not told.

But he takes him right up to the top of the temple

where there's a great height.

And he then preaches a sermon to him.

The devil preaches a sermon to Jesus.

And it looks as if he doesn't need a Bible.

He's got it off by heart.

He knows the words that he's want to quote to Jesus.

And the text of his sermon is Psalm 91.

That's why we sang it earlier on.

And here's what it says.

It says,

Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place,

the Most High who is my refuge,

no evil shall be allowed to befall you.

No plague shall come near your tent,

for he will command his angels concerning you

to guard you in all your ways.

On their hands they will bear you up,

lest you strike your foot against a stone.

Now, not only does the devil know his Bible,

but he knows his hermeneutic.

He knows how to preach it.

And he's actually bang on.

He knows what this psalm is about.

It's a prophecy about Jesus.

There's a lot the devil does know,

even though there's a lot he doesn't know.

He's right.

It's about the promised Messiah.

So he says,

Well, here's the thing, Jesus.

Let's look at it this way.

If this is God's word about you,

then God's promise is that you will be protected.

And so let's tell you what.

Let's put this to the test right now.

Let's see whether God will actually produce the goods.

Let's see if he will come good on his word.

I know you believe it.

So it should be easy to prove

if you're the son of God.

Throw yourself down.

We both know, by the way,

you're not going to do it.

You're not going to do it.

I know that.

But if you refuse,

is that because you actually are trusting God,

or is it because you're afraid you're going to fall to your death?

How do you know

that God is going to make good his promise in the future?

What did I say last night

about the serpent chipping away

at the trustworthiness of the Father?

Now here's where the temptation came in for Jesus.

The entirety of Jesus' mission

rested on the Father's trustworthiness.

The Father's trustworthiness

requires a test

to make sure.

And the test would ultimately come

when Jesus laid down his life on the cross.

Because in so doing,

he was going to give himself entirely

into the hands of the Father.

That's what he meant when he was on the cross

and he said,

Father, into your hands

I commit my spirit.

What he's doing is

he's taking God at his word.

Entirely and only at his word.

For example, in Psalm 16,

you will not abandon my soul to shale

or let your Holy One see corruption.

But in so doing,

on the cross,

Jesus himself

isn't protected by the Father

in his death

because Psalm 91

doesn't come to fulfillment

because he has to suffer alone.

There are no angels

to bear him up

lest he strike his foot against a stone.

There is no rescue.

He has to come

to the point of death alone.

He has to give himself.

But in so doing,

he believes and he trusts

that the Father will raise him up

on the third day.

And here is the serpent

coming and saying to him,

are you sure?

Are you absolutely sure

that this is what God is saying?

What did I say yesterday

about the serpent and Eve?

He said,

did God really say that?

Did God really say,

tell me again,

what did he say?

Do you really believe that?

He's doing the same thing to Jesus.

He's saying,

well,

let's think about these words.

Are you really sure

that God is going to?

He's testing

the trustworthiness

of God.

And Jesus

says,

I 100% trust

the word

of my Father.

But then,

the third one

is

one we all know.

The whole story

is one we all know

where the devil takes him

to a certain point

in the world.

I don't know which point

that was.

A high mountain somewhere.

There are no mountains

where you can see

the whole of the world.

But that doesn't matter.

He saw the whole world.

And he says

to him,

he says,

if you

will worship me,

then

I will give you

all the kingdoms

of the world

and their glory.

Now,

I'm sure we've read this often

and we've thought

on two counts

this can't be.

Number one,

we've said,

well,

the world doesn't belong

to the devil.

And secondly,

it's so outrageous

the suggestion

of Jesus,

the Son of God,

worshipping

or serving Satan

in any way

is just so outrageous

that we say,

well,

that must have been

an easy one

to resist.

We're actually wrong

on both counts.

Whilst the world

and the universe

does belong to God,

ultimately,

the devil

does not have

sovereign control

over all things.

There is another sense

in which he does.

You remember

what Ephesians chapter 2

Ephesians 2 · chapter mention

and verse 2 says,

where Paul calls him

the prince of the power

of the air,

the spirit that now

works in the sons

of disobedience.

And there are many places

in the Bible

where we're told

that Satan does

have a hold.

We only have to look

around you

to know that.

The eyes of the blind,

Paul tells us

in Corinthians

that he has blinded,

the God of this world

has blinded the eyes

of unbelievers.

It's a frightening prospect.

There is a sense

in which Satan

does have

a huge amount

of control

over the world

in particular

humanity.

So, in what case,

secondly,

in what sense

is this temptation

a real temptation

to Jesus?

because it is

another attempt

at presenting him

with an alternative

to his mission

which was to involve

suffering and death.

It's an attempt

to present him

with a plan B,

another alternative.

And there were

several times

in the ministry

of Jesus

when this happened.

I want to suggest

to you three

in particular.

number one

was in Matthew 16.

You remember

when Jesus

is having this

conversation

with the disciples

and he's announcing

to them

that he's going

to Jerusalem

and there he's

going to be

handed over

to the Gentiles

and Peter says,

far be it from you,

this shall never be so.

Remember what Jesus

said to him

as a response to that.

He said,

get behind me,

Satan.

You are a hindrance

to me.

Why did he say that?

That was quite harsh,

wasn't it?

Poor Peter.

He's always

getting himself

into trouble

because of what he says.

Peter's well-meaning.

He just doesn't want

Jesus to die.

He doesn't want

Jesus to be handed over.

He wants him to be king.

And Jesus says,

get behind me,

Satan.

And the reason he said

that was because

he saw that behind

Peter's words

stood the devil.

The devil was

somehow tempting

Jesus

by suggesting

that there was

another alternative

to be ruler

in this world.

rather than

go to the cross.

Here's another one.

And you may not

agree with me

in my interpretation

but this is something

for your discussion

later on.

Matthew chapter 14,

Matthew 14 · chapter mention

I believe,

when Jesus

somehow withdrew

away from the region

of Judea

to the district

of Tyre and Sidon.

And there he comes

across this

Syrophoenician woman.

Remember that story?

She comes to him,

finds out where she is

and she's got a daughter

who's possessed

by a demon.

So she comes to him

and she begs him,

Lord, please help my daughter.

And he doesn't say

anything to her.

He responds

in silence.

And you read the story

and you feel more awkward

all the time.

You say,

this is not like Jesus.

This is harsh.

It looks as if he doesn't

want to be kind

to this woman.

He's been kind

to everyone else

and yet this woman

comes to him

and he's treating her.

This is not like him at all.

And what's more,

when his disciples

tell him to send her away,

he says this,

it's not right

to take the children's bread

and cast it to the dogs.

You think,

whoa,

what's come over him?

Well,

here's what I believe

was happening.

This is one of these moments

where Jesus is outside

of his own people,

is outside of Judea

and he is receiving

humility

and reverence

and respect

and worship

from someone

who is not Jewish.

And he is suddenly struck

by the prospect

that

there are people

in this world

who would make me king

and who would honor me

and who would respect me.

My own people

want to kill me

because they hate me.

There are people

in this world,

perhaps loads of them,

who would honor me

as I deserve.

I think that's probably

the best explanation

I've ever heard

why Jesus was silent.

Of course,

you know the end

of the story,

he did eventually

cleanse the daughter

and all was well.

but

nonetheless,

you have this

dramatic moment.

It seems to be

a crisis moment

in the heart of Jesus

where I believe

this was a temptation

to him

that there may be

another route.

And of course,

the best known

is Gethsemane itself.

That 11th hour

just before he's arrested

where he goes

on his own

and he

confronts the father

and he says,

Father,

if it be possible,

take this cup

from me.

Now,

here's the temptation

in Matthew chapter 4.

Matthew 4 · chapter mention

The serpent

is presenting him

with the option.

There is

a possible

other way

that does not

involve

your suffering.

And remember,

he's becoming

more aware

of the horror

of the cross

in his own

consciousness.

And at the same time,

Satan

is saying to him,

it doesn't have

to be like this.

Let's make a deal.

Let's come to

an arrangement

where we can

work together.

I'm not an

unreasonable person.

Let's work together

in order for you

to receive

the honour

that you deserve.

And Jesus'

answer is

absolutely

no.

Do you know

why?

Two reasons.

one,

because

he is

resolute

in his

determination

to obey

God

in every

detail.

To do

your will,

I take

delight.

That's

his aim.

That's

his purpose.

Second

reason,

because of

the

extraordinary

intensity

of his

love

for you.

I don't

know about

you,

but

I find

that

one of

the most

difficult

things to

accept.

Adam

deserved

the gift

of God.

He was

perfect.

I didn't.

I can

understand

why God

would want

to give

Adam

eternal

life.

But here

is the

second Adam

and he's

now going

to pay

the ultimate

price in

order for

me to

have that

same gift

of everlasting

life.

and I've

got it

because God

has given

it to

me in

the Lord

Jesus Christ

because the

last Adam

has undid

undone

what the

first Adam

did.

Where he

disobeyed

God

and died,

the last

Adam

obeyed

God

and tasted

death

for all

of us

so that

we

could be

made the

righteousness

of God

in him.

So I

hope you

appreciate

how all

of this

ties in

with

the

forthcoming

death of

Jesus,

the death

that wasn't

going to be

experienced

for the next

three years

and yet

it's on

the horizon.

it's in

his mind

with growing

awareness

and he

is going

to head

towards it

every day

that he

lives is

going to

be a

reminder

of what

lies in

front of

him.

Every day

is a

day of

resolute

determination

to complete

the work

and not

until that

final moment

when it

was finished

did he

stop

because

God so

loved

his people

that he

gave himself

for us.

Let's

pray together.

Our

Father in

heaven we

ask that

you will

remind us

afresh of

Jesus'

determination.

We have

thanks Lord

that at

every turn

no matter

what

was

offered to

him by

way of

an

alternative

that he

chose the

way of

suffering

because of

how

necessary

it was

for our

salvation.

If he

had taken

another

path none

of us

would be

here.

The world

would be

destroyed.

We would

be in a

lost

eternity

and yet

because he

chose the

path of

obedience

we are

set free

from sin

and we

get to

enjoy

the

insurpassable

benefit

of being

in Christ.

So

Father in

heaven we

pray that

you will

remind us

again of

the privilege

which is

ours this

day.

And Lord

enable us

we pray

in the

elements

as we

take

as we

feel

as we

taste

the

symbols

that

represent

the

broken

body

and the

shed

blood

of

Jesus.

We

pray

that we

will

not only

remember

but that

we

would

be

nourished

by the

gospel

by what

he has

done

for us

by him

as he

meets

with us

this is

the

Lord's

table

we thank

you that

you're

not

far off

you're

here

right in

this

place

feeding

us

feeding

us

with

your

word

take

away

our

sin

we

pray

in

Jesus

name

amen

we're

going to

sing

now

and

we're

going to

sing

in

Psalm

40

it's

the

traditional

version

we're

going to

sing

from

verse

5

to

verse

8

Psalm

number

40

on page

259

Psalm

40

from

verse

5

O

Lord

my

God

full

many

are

the

wonders

thou

hast

done

thy

gracious

thoughts

to us

were

far

above

all

thoughts

are

gone

and so

on

to

verse

8

where

we

read

these

words

that

we

believe

are

the

words

of

Jesus

to

do

thy

will

I

take

delight

O

thou

my

God

that

art

yea

that

most

holy

law

of

thine

I

have

within

my

heart

Psalm

40

and

verse

5

to

verse

8

and

we'll

stand

to

sing

together

!

us

!

O

Maria

the

wonders

of

us

love

thy

miracle

Jesus told to us for love, above all those are all.

In order not, not bread on them, to lead them to bread.

I seek for them, my new day, Lord, are now in number of love.

God, if I saw all the day, this time was all beside.

My ears, my Lord, sin all in love, I've learned his fault in fire.

To the Lord, he swear my words, I come, the hope of sea.

Within the home, you know the blue and red spirits on me.

To thine will I take delight, O thou, my God, the light.

Yea, at most holy of thine, I am within my heart.

Let me just say a brief word, as we often do at a time like this,

that explains the qualifications or the right that God's people have

to sit at his table and to remember his death.

And the passage I want to take is Romans chapter 8,

Romans 8 · chapter mention

where Paul makes a distinction between two groups of people.

Those who, first of all, live according to the flesh

and those who live according to the spirit.

Let me just read what he says.

I think these words are self-explanatory.

Those who live according to the flesh

have no reason to sit at the Lord's table.

They're not guided by God.

God has not opened their hearts, their eyes, their minds,

and they simply live from day to day in their own way.

Those who live according to the spirit, on the other hand,

are those whose hearts have been opened by the spirit

and in whom God dwells.

Now, just let me read it.

For those who live according to the flesh

set their minds on the things of the flesh.

But those who live according to the spirit

set their minds on the things of the spirit.

To set the mind on the flesh is death,

but to set the mind on the spirit

is life and peace.

For the mind that is set on the flesh

is hostile to God.

For it does not submit to God's law.

Indeed, it cannot.

Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

So I guess that's the question that we ask ourselves.

Where is our mind?

On what does our mind say?

Now, I'm not asking if we're being distracted.

We're all distracted.

And, you know, even when we come to worship,

one of the biggest obstacles to worship is distraction.

I'm not asking that.

God knows the struggles that we have.

But ultimately, ultimately,

at the root of who you are,

where is your mind?

What's your mind?

Is your mind on the flesh?

Do you just want to please yourself?

Or do you want to please God?

I'm not asking if you please God perfectly.

None of us do.

But I'm asking, do you want to?

Do you love God because he first loved you?

And is your desire, is your longing to please him,

to become more like him,

to live in the light of his word and his commands?

Do you want to be led by him?

If Jesus, if you were living at the time of Jesus,

would you be one of these people like Mary?

And even Martha, Lazarus,

who just wanted to spend time with him,

listening to him, drinking in his word,

serving him?

Or like the disciples?

Is that where you would be?

If so, then that's where we are today,

at the Lord's table.

It doesn't really matter what century we're in.

It's the same Jesus.

He's alive.

He's with us.

He's present with us.

And just like the disciples wanted to be with him

at the Last Supper,

we want to be with him here today.

And that contrasts vastly

with the other category of people.

We can all remember when we belonged to that category,

when we had no interest in God,

at least most of us can,

until God changed that.

And until God gave us a real love

and a real longing and a desire

to obey him,

to listen to his word,

and to be forgiven from all our sins.

And so that's who should be.

You know, this part of the service

is traditionally called fencing.

I've never liked that term.

I have to say I've never liked it

because it gives the impression

that we're trying to keep people out.

We're not.

God's word is an invitation.

We'll see this tonight.

God's word is an invitation.

The gospel is an invitation to come.

And yet, if your mind is not set on God,

then you won't want to come.

Because coming to the table

is not going to save anybody by itself.

But if coming to the table

is a mark of your confession

that I love the Lord

because he heard my voice,

then this is the right place for us,

along with God's people.

Now, we're going to sing together,

and we're going to sing in Psalm number 118.

It's the Sing Psalms version,

and I think I may have given the presenter

the wrong verse.

And if I have, then my apologies.

But it's verse 19.

I think I've written down nine.

It's not nine.

It's 19.

And we'll sing three verses

because I don't want to take up too much time.

Sing Psalm 119.

Sing Psalm's version,

and it's on page 156,

and it's verse 19.

Throw wide the gates of righteousness.

I'll enter and give thanks to God.

This is the gate of God

through which the righteous came,

come before the Lord.

So we'll sing three verses

from 19 to 24

as we prepare to dispense the elements.

So Psalm 118 and verse 19

on page 156,

and we'll stand to sing.

Psalm 119.

Come before the Lord.

You answer me, I will give thanks.

Salvation comes from you alone.

The stone the builders have refuted

Has now become the cornerstone.

Lord himself has done all this.

It is upon the letter's light.

This is the day the Lord has made.

In it let us take great delight.