Habits of a Healthy Church: Preaching and Teaching

Now, we have two New Testament readings at the moment. The first is from 2 Timothy.

2 Timothy chapter 3 from verse 14 into chapter 4 and verse 5.

2 Timothy 3 · chapter mention

So 2 Timothy 3 verse 14 to chapter 4 verse 5.

2 Timothy 3:14

But as for you, Paul writes to Timothy,

They will gather round them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.

They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.

But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist,

discharge all the duties of your ministry.

So the place of preaching and teaching God's Word is being emphasized there.

And now we're going to read from Acts chapter 10.

Acts 10 · chapter mention

So we're about to begin a series, Healthy Habits for a Church or Habits of a Healthy Church.

And the first thing that we're going to think about is preaching and teaching of God's Word and commitment to that.

And so in Acts chapter 10, we have one of the many examples of preaching of Jesus that we find in the book of Acts.

Acts 10 · chapter mention

So Acts chapter 10 from verse 34 to verse 43.

Acts 10 · chapter mention

Then Peter began to speak.

This is in Cornelius' house.

I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism,

but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right.

You know the message God sent to the people of Israel,

announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.

You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea,

beginning in Galilee, after the baptism that John preached,

how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power,

and how he went around doing good and healing all who are under the power of the devil,

because God was with him.

We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem.

They killed him by hanging him on a cross.

But God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen.

He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen,

by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.

He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify

that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead.

All the prophets testify about him,

that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.

And we'll return to that passage in just a few moments.

But before we do that, we're going to sing together the hymn,

Christ the Sure and Steady Anchor.

So we'll hear that and we can sing and we'll stand while we sing.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

The first why question for us.

Why is it that we regularly, week by week, spend one hour between the morning and the evening listening to the Bible being read and preached?

Why is it that we devote time through the week to reading and teaching in small groups in different contexts regularly, week by week, month by month?

It's an important question because preaching is under pressure.

It's under pressure in part because of the media age.

It was that drive to find more effective forms of communication.

People are consuming and being discipled by different sources of information in ways like no other.

And so even within the church, you'll find many people asking, is preaching still relevant?

Perhaps because of that, there is even among preachers a loss of confidence.

Perhaps we've heard one time too many, it's not how people learn best.

Preaching won't attract people in.

Asking people to listen to two sermons is simply too much.

And so we have choices.

Churches have choices to make.

Do we cave in to that pressure?

Do we try and conform?

Change the way that we communicate?

Or do we commit ourselves for the long haul to preaching and teaching?

So our big goal today is to show, in the first instance, the central place that preaching and teaching had in the church from the beginning, by God's design.

So that hopefully we ourselves and we as a church will grow in our conviction about the importance of preaching.

But also at the same time, as we look at Acts chapter 10, we see an example of gospel preaching.

Acts 10 · chapter mention

That we might learn some of the priorities, the emphases of the apostles and others for ourselves.

As we look to communicate the good news of Jesus with people around us.

So think of it, in a sense, like visiting the doctor for a health checkup.

If you ever find yourself doing that, when you do the BMI, you do the blood pressure, you check your heart.

This is the first part of our church spiritual health check.

Now, are we committed to hear God's word through preaching and teaching?

And this deliberately comes first, because if we get this wrong, eventually everything else will go wrong.

As I hope we will all be able to see.

So let's begin simply by recognizing the place of preaching and teaching in the book of Acts.

There's one verse to get us going.

Acts chapter 8 and verse 4.

Acts 8 · chapter mention

If you don't have a Bible, I can read it for you.

So this is the church is facing persecution.

They're scattered.

And in 8 verse 4, those who've been scattered preached the word wherever they went.

So preaching is everywhere.

And remember, Jesus said to the disciples, you will be my witnesses and you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.

And so they are empowered by the Holy Spirit to continue the work of Jesus through preaching and teaching.

Just to give a sense, in case we miss it, about how ever-present preaching is.

Isaiah 2 · chapter mention

Chapter 2, as Pentecost.

That's when the Holy Spirit comes on the disciples in power.

And the first thing that happens, Peter begins to preach.

Preaches to that huge crowd.

3,000 are converted.

And we find that this first church are devoted to the apostles' teaching.

So from the beginning, a church devoted to the word of God.

Then in chapters 3 to 5, we find the churches preaching, but preaching largely because of opposition.

They find themselves communicating the gospel before the Sanhedrin, who keep asking them questions and saying,

Will you please stop talking about Jesus?

And they refuse to stop.

So they preach in the context of opposition.

That grows.

So chapter 7, chapter 8, there is preaching in the context of persecution.

We have Stephen's sermon.

And he eventually is martyred at the end of that.

And you find Philip preaching to the Ethiopian.

And it's interesting as well.

So the apostles have been preaching.

But there, chapters 7 and 8, there's deacons in the church who are preaching.

And then we discover, as the church is scattered, everyday believers are preaching wherever they go as well.

And then in chapter 9, one of the crucial turning points in the book of Acts, Saul is converted.

We know him as Paul.

As he is converted, what does he do?

Begins preaching.

Chapters 10 and 11, and this is our context,

we find Peter preaching to the Gentiles.

So here, just as Jesus said, you'll be my witnesses,

Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, to the ends of the earth.

We see it begin here.

And then chapters 13 to 21, we have Paul's three missionary journeys recorded.

And we find churches established through the preaching and teaching of God's Word.

So for those first 20 or so chapters,

you can hardly move, but there's preaching happening.

The church began, the church flourished,

as they committed themselves to preaching and teaching the Word of God about Jesus.

And they do it in different settings as well.

That's one of the really interesting things about the book of Acts.

So they'll preach in synagogues,

lecture halls in the public square.

They will preach and teach in houses.

We find Philip in the middle of the desert.

They're preaching in a chariot, teaching the Word of God.

We find them preaching to different audiences.

So sometimes that's to believers in homes.

Often that's before very hostile crowds.

Sometimes that's teaching that happens one to one.

As we've said, it's done by different people.

It's often by the apostles,

but also these deacons,

and also unnamed believers.

The church from bottom to top believed that their message,

their responsibility was to preach the gospel.

And so, you know,

as historians and church historians recognize

the way that the Christian church

ultimately transformed the Roman Empire,

how does it turn the world upside down?

It does it because they are totally committed

to preaching and teaching the Word of God

and living in response to it.

And so it's really important for us to see.

And it's amazing for us to think about how God worked.

And I think it's important for us to be encouraged.

So it was recognized by the Sanhedrin,

in Acts chapter 4,

Acts 4 · chapter mention

that the people who are preaching are largely untrained.

And that's very striking in its day.

And bear in mind, too,

that these first apostles,

these first teachers of the gospel,

they only had the Old Testament,

and they wouldn't have had their own personal copies of it.

And they also had the apostles teaching about Jesus.

Bear in mind their context.

They are working in the Roman Empire.

We see how totally un-Christian and anti-Christian

much of society was,

whether that's Jewish leaders or the Roman establishment.

They are working, operating in a context

where Caesar is Lord is what you hear every day.

It's a culture that was wild.

A time of intense persecution.

But,

these first Christians,

they had the Spirit,

and they had the Word of God,

and they had the life-changing message of Jesus.

I love the way the guys in the Sanhedrin

recognize

the distinctive quality of Peter and John,

that although they were largely unschooled,

they were men who had been with Jesus.

Something about their life and their message.

Jesus spoke about that mustard seed

that would grow into a huge tree.

That's what we see happening

in the book of Acts,

as God's people are committed to God's Word,

and that tree continues to grow today,

wherever God's people are committed

to preaching and teaching God's Word.

And so, for our own encouragement,

it's good for us to remember,

we have the same Spirit

that these first Christians had.

We have the same good news.

We have the same Lord Jesus.

We have the same God

who loves to save sinners.

And so, in a day where we can feel weak

and marginalized,

where we wonder,

does preaching, teaching, proclamation

make any difference?

We're invited always to take heart

and to keep on going.

From an overview,

let's move directly to Acts chapter 10

Acts 10 · chapter mention

and to think about preaching Christ

in the book of Acts.

There was lots of places,

lots of places we could go,

for examples of preaching

in the book of Acts.

And as you compare,

it's very interesting

to compare the different sermons

as they're recorded by Luke,

and you see certain key themes

emerge again and again.

And so, we're going to notice

some of those

coming here in Peter's sermon.

And hopefully, we can then think about,

how do I communicate the good news?

Are there any gaps?

Is there any help for me

in thinking about

how to communicate the gospel

as we read the book of Acts?

I hope there will be.

Just to remind ourselves,

the setting here

in Acts chapter 10

Acts 10 · chapter mention

is that Cornelius,

who is a Gentile soldier,

has been told by an angel

to go and send

for a man called Peter

and to bring him

so that Peter can preach to him.

And so, here is Peter

in this soldier's house

about to preach

to his household.

Again, a reminder

of the different audiences,

different places

where preaching happened.

So, Luke records

a summary of the sermon,

and we can see six key elements

of gospel preaching

that we find in the book of Acts.

So, we'll notice them together.

First key element

that you will find

across loads of the sermons

is a recognition

and understanding

that Jesus fulfills

Old Testament scriptures.

How do we see it here?

Verse 34,

I now realize

how true it is

that God does not show favoritism,

but accepts from every nation

the one who fears him

and does what is right.

That's not something

that merges brand new

in the New Testament.

That's something

that's promised

all the way back

in Genesis 12

to Abraham.

One of your seed

will bring blessing

to the nations.

If you remember,

Martin Patterson

preached for us

on our mission Sunday

from Zechariah chapter 8,

Zechariah 8 · chapter mention

and in verse 23,

we have that picture

of here's the one Jewish guy

and there's ten people

from different nations

grabbing onto his coat.

Why?

Because God is with you.

And there's that expectation

that in the new age,

God's kingdom of grace

is going to go wider.

Whether it's going to go global,

Jesus will be acknowledged

as Lord of all.

And so people from all nations

are called to repent

and to believe.

God does not show favoritism.

It's not just for a few.

This is good news for the nations.

Verse 36,

we can also see

Old Testament fulfillment.

You know the message

God sent to the people of Israel

announcing the good news of peace

through Jesus Christ

who is Lord of all.

Maybe that makes us think

of Isaiah chapter 9,

Isaiah 9:6

verses 6 and 7.

Let me read those famous words

that we often connect

with Christmas.

And actually words

that are mentioned

in the Hope Explored course as well.

For to us a child is born,

to us a son is given,

and the government

will be on his shoulders.

And he will be called

Wonderful Counselor,

Mighty God,

Everlasting Father,

Prince of Peace.

There's our word.

Of the greatness of his government

and peace,

there will be no end.

He will reign on David's throne

and over his kingdom

from that time on

and forever.

The promised Prince of Peace

is here,

therefore the way of peace

is open.

Peace,

as we discover

and as they declare

through the broken body

and the shed blood

of the Lord Jesus.

So what we remember today

as we share the Lord's Supper,

that our peace,

our reconciliation

comes through Jesus,

the Prince of Peace,

who lays down his life

so that our sins

could be forgiven,

so that we might be

reconciled to our God.

So this expectation

of peace

is fulfilled

in Jesus.

And so to read

the sermons

of the book of Acts

is to discover

that these first apostles,

they read the Old Testament

and they saw

the glory of Jesus.

They read the Old Testament

and they saw

the ministry of Jesus

being anticipated

in the pages

of Scripture.

Second key element

of gospel preaching

we find in the book of Acts,

an emphasis on

Jesus' unique

ministry.

Verse 37

and 38.

You know what's happened

throughout the province

of Judea,

how God anointed

Jesus of Nazareth

with the Holy Spirit

and power

and how he went around

doing good

and healing all

who are under the power

of the devil

because God was with him.

He is anointed

as the king.

At his baptism

the Holy Spirit

came on him.

His ministry

was one marked

by power.

And it's significant

that Peter can say

to his listeners,

you know,

so perhaps some of them

had seen it firsthand,

but perhaps it's true

that the reputation,

the stories of Jesus

were spreading

far and wide

and he was known

for doing good.

His miracles,

his miracles

demonstrate

that Jesus

is none other

than mighty God.

Jesus does

unique things

to serve people,

to show compassion.

We thought about him

healing the blind

so that many people

were asking,

who is this?

And he's not just

doing good,

he's also driving out

evil spirits,

a reminder

that Jesus

is a spiritual king

and he's come

to wage

spiritual battle.

And that every time

Jesus drives out

a demon

it was an anticipation

of his kingdom coming,

of that promise

of a world

that would be free

of evil.

Every miracle

stands as a snapshot,

a trailer

to the great movie

of the kingdom

of God,

to the future hope

of a world

free of suffering,

free of sin,

free of evil

where Jesus

will reign

over all

and where we will

see

and celebrate

his glory.

So they focus

on Jesus'

unique ministry.

And then,

verse 39 and 40,

they focus,

Peter focuses

attention on

Jesus'

death

and resurrection.

He says,

they killed him

by hanging him

on a cross,

but God

raised him

from the dead

on the third day

and caused him

to be seen.

They killed him,

God raised him.

This isn't the first time

Peter is preached

in this way

in Acts chapter 2,

Acts 2 · chapter mention

Pentecost sermon.

He can speak

directly to the leaders

and say,

now here was your plan,

your plan was wicked,

you put Jesus to death,

but it was God's plan.

You didn't derail

God's purpose

of salvation.

Think about the number

of times Jesus

predicted his own

suffering and death,

as we said this morning,

six times at least.

The cross was

God's way

of salvation.

And the apostles

clearly understood it

after

Jesus rose

from the dead.

They were confused

beforehand.

How can God's king

suffer and die?

But after,

they understood.

This acceptance

that was promised

in verse 35,

this peace

that is open

to all

in verse 36,

how will it come?

It will come

through the blood

of Jesus

being shed

for many.

But then there's

the focus too

on the resurrection.

And actually

when you look

at the emphasis

on all the gospel

sermons

in the book of Acts,

the emphasis

falls on

the fact

that God

raised Jesus

from the dead.

The miracle

of the resurrection

is the reason

to listen

and to believe

the good news.

That the resurrection

of Jesus

shows God's promise

fulfilled.

Psalm 16,

Jesus is the holy one

who is not abandoned

today.

Isaiah 53,

he was the suffering

servant who would see

the light of life

and be satisfied.

So the central

events of Easter,

the central events

of the Christian faith,

always stand central

to the preaching

of the gospel

that we find

in the book of Acts.

It should always

be central

to our communication

of the gospel message.

Another emphasis

you may have picked up

in verse 41,

and you see it often

in the sermons

in the book of Acts,

the apostles

are eyewitnesses

to Jesus.

Actually,

you see it in verse 39,

we are witnesses

of everything he did.

So they are witnesses

to his life

and to his miracles

and to his teaching.

Verse 40,

they are witnesses

to the fact

that he was raised

from the dead.

41,

he was not seen

by all the people,

but by witnesses

whom God had already chosen,

by us who ate

and drank with him

after he rose from the dead.

Why talk about eating

and drinking with Jesus?

They are eyewitnesses

to a real

and physical resurrection.

They've been chosen

by God

to see

the evidence

of this great reversal

and then to share

the reality

of Jesus' risen Lord

and the eternity

shaping significance.

The emphasis

from the apostles

is on them

as reliable eyewitnesses.

Luke,

in his introduction

to Luke Acts,

Luke chapter 1,

Luke 1:1–4

verses 1 to 4,

that's where the emphasis

falls on reliability,

on eyewitness history,

on it being

an orderly account.

It's not myth

or legend.

It's truth

and they stand

as eyewitnesses.

But they're not finished.

perhaps often

when we communicate

the gospel,

we stop

at the resurrection.

But they push us further.

The apostles often

push us further

and Peter does it here.

Verse 42,

Jesus is Lord

and judge.

He commanded us

to preach

to the people

and to testify

that he is the one

whom God appointed

as judge

of the living

and of the dead.

verse 38,

Jesus was anointed

as saviour.

Verse 42,

Jesus is appointed

as judge.

What Peter

reminds Cornelius

and his household

and reminds us

is that Jesus

today occupies

the place of honour

and power

and glory

and authority

in heaven.

that Jesus

in the future

will return

to judge

the living

and the dead.

This is Jesus

himself said

so often

in his parables,

those parables

that speak

of separation.

You know,

the parable

of the sheep

and the goats

as one example.

It gives

an urgency.

The apostles

could testify

that at his trial,

Jesus found himself

in the dock

unjustly,

falsely accused.

His enemies

said that he

had committed

blasphemy,

claiming to be

the Son of God.

But here,

Peter,

the apostle,

testifies that

Jesus will return

and he will return

in his exalted,

glorious position

as judge

and king.

And each one

of us

will stand

in his courtroom,

be in the dock

before him

as judge.

And so,

as Paul said

to Timothy,

because that's true,

there's an urgency

in our communication

of the gospel message

and there's a need

for people to hear.

Remember,

Paul said

something similar

in Acts chapter 17.

Acts 17 · chapter mention

He spoke about

God setting a time

when he'll judge

all people

and he's given

proof of that

by raising Jesus

from the dead.

Jesus is God's

judge

and the proof

of that

was the resurrection.

One last element

of gospel preaching

we find in the book

of Acts

here in Acts

Acts 10 · chapter mention

chapter 10

is calling people

to recognize

their need

to believe in Jesus.

Verse 43,

all the prophets

testify about him

that everyone

who believes

in him

receives forgiveness

of sins

through his name.

So,

in a sense,

we're back

to fulfillment

of scripture again.

Here we're invited

and especially

as we look forward

to sharing

the Lord's Supper

to recognize

that Jesus

brings in

the new covenant.

And what's the promise

in the book of Ezekiel

when the new covenant

comes,

there'll be forgiveness,

there'll be a new heart,

there'll be a new ability

for the people of God

to obey.

And that reality

is true

for all

who will believe

in Jesus.

And so,

in light

of the uniqueness

of Christ,

in light

of his identity,

his power,

his death

and resurrection,

Peter calls

on Cornelius

and Cornelius'

household

to faith,

to belief,

to trust

in the Lord

Jesus.

This week,

outside our

school gates,

some primary

fives have been

collecting

for Ukraine.

And the people

who were collecting,

let's just say

they were very

invested

in their task.

They didn't let

anybody off

the hook

very easily.

You know,

they knew

that Ukraine

needed help

and they guessed

that people

had money

and so the

buckets were

being shaken.

The request

was being

given

repeatedly.

And do you know

in a sense,

I think,

as a church,

we could do

with more of that.

Sometimes

we're content

with information

transfer.

forever.

But the

gospel

proclamation

calls for

decision,

calls people

to repent

and believe.

We want

lives to be

transformed

because we

believe that

this truth

matters

eternally.

So what

you see

from Acts

Acts 10 · chapter mention

chapter 10

from Peter's

sermon

is six

of the

elements.

You can

go through

the book

of Acts.

It would be

very interesting

for you

if you had

time to go

through the

book of Acts

and to see

all those

sermons

and you'll

see those

elements.

But when we

think about

our own

desire to

share the

good news

of Jesus

with others,

perhaps some

things that

come out

for us.

One,

I think a

reminder that we

can trust the

New Testament

record.

that we can

invite others

to examine

it without

fear.

The

reliability of

the Word of

God, the

reliability of

the Gospels,

the account of

the resurrection,

they stand up

to examination

and we can

invite our

friends to

examine if

they are

curious, if

they are

even

skeptical.

We have

eyewitness

history and

that history

is reliable.

I think too

we are

reminded when

we look at

the preaching

in Acts

that we

focus on

the uniqueness

of Jesus.

He isn't

just one

among many,

he is

utterly

unique.

Unique in

his identity,

unique in

his powerful

ministry,

unique in

his death

and resurrection,

unique in

the fact that

he will

return as

King of

Kings and

Lord of

Lords and

he will

bring in

the world

we all

want.

one of

the things

that I

certainly

find

challenging

in

thinking

about

how do

we

share

the

gospel

is

this

reminder

from the

book of

Acts that

the future

is always

part of

the gospel

message.

And

indeed Paul

would say

to Timothy

that the

future

is part of

the motivation

for communicating

the gospel

message.

And maybe

one other

thing for us

to reflect

on is

how often

you find

when you

read through

the sermons

in the

book of

Acts,

whether they're

public or

whether they're

more private,

is that they

call for a

moment of

decision.

And isn't

that so often

perhaps the

hardest bit?

If we're

trying to

share something

of our

faith.

But it's

something that

people need

to hear.

Especially

when we live

in an age

where it's

like,

well that's

fine for

you but

that's

not really

my thing.

Because the

authority of

Jesus is

absolute,

because he

is Lord

and judge

over all,

everybody needs

to know

and to be

called to

respond.

What we'll

do just as

we close

is to go

back now

to 2nd

Timothy and

just think

very briefly

about three

reasons Paul

says why

we need

preaching

and teaching.

preaching.

So I

hope we

will have

this firmly

established in

our heads

that we

need

preaching

in the

context of

a spiritual

health check.

Maybe that

thing that we've

always done

and we've

never really

thought about

it.

We always

preach.

That we'd

understand its

importance.

three things

that Paul

says to

Timothy.

One,

the church

is a

community

that is

formed

by God's

word.

We're not

formed because

we share the

same culture,

because we

don't.

We're not

formed because

we share the

same lifestyle

or we share

the same

struggles or

we happen to

listen to the

same speaker.

That's not what

brings us

together.

We are

formed as we

live under

the word of

God.

Look at all

the words that

he mentions

about the

word of

God.

It's the

word of

God that

makes us

wise for

salvation.

It's the

word of

God that

teaches us.

It's the

word of

God that

rebukes and

corrects when

we are prone

to disobedience

and drift.

It's the

word of

God that

trains and

equips us.

Just as

every soldier

needs equipment,

every sports

person needs

equipment,

the equipment

we need to

live the

life of

faith is

the word

of God.

So we

are a

community

formed by

God's

word.

But

secondly,

the church

is a

community

in awe

of

God's

word.

So we

mentioned

this a

couple of

times.

Why is

Timothy to

preach?

What does

Paul say

to him?

In the

presence of

God and

of Christ

Jesus,

who will

judge the

living and

the dead,

and in

view of

his appearing

in his

kingdom,

I give

you this

charge,

preach the

word.

So because

Jesus is

judged,

because Jesus

is returning,

because Jesus

is establishing

his kingdom,

the church

is to

preach and

to be

committed to

preaching and

teaching.

Paul's

point is it's

crucial to

listen to and

obey the

word of God

if we are to

be justified,

if we are to

be ready,

if we are to

be part of

the kingdom

of God.

So we

preach and

teach with a

sense of

awe and

wonder.

Our God

and Father

and Christ

our Savior.

And finally,

Paul says to

Timothy,

the church

is a

community

holding

firmly

to God's

word.

Verse 3,

for the time

will come

when people

will not

put up

with sound

doctrine.

Verse 4,

they will

turn their

ears away

from the

truth and

turn aside

to myths.

The Bible's

always been

under attack.

Philosophers,

scientists,

artists,

governments,

the church

always faces

temptation,

or just

give people

what they

want to

hear.

Perhaps

leave the

hard bits,

soften some

of the

rough edges.

Why not

blend in

and give

a message

that culture

is going

to receive

better?

Paul knew

that temptation,

Timothy knew

that pressure,

but what

does Paul

say?

He says

to Timothy,

keep your

head.

Commit to

preaching and

teaching the

Bible in

our evangelism

and in

our

discipleship.

Just as we

close,

one question

perhaps to

help us

to reflect.

Since

this is

true,

how do

I,

how do

we approach

God's

word?

And maybe

especially

the preaching

of God's

word.

Let me

give you

three very

simple

T's

to take

away.

First,

we turn

up.

never

underestimate

the value

of long,

steady

character

formation

if we

commit

ourselves

to

sitting

under

the

preaching

of

God's

word.

But it

requires us,

doesn't it,

to tune in,

to be

engaged.

Perhaps

to think,

what is it

that helps

me to

listen and

learn the

best?

Some of

us,

it's

note

taking.

I'm

definitely

a note

taker.

I find

that really

helpful for

concentration

and

memorization.

But come

tuned in

to be

engaged,

ready to

hear and

to receive.

And the

third one,

take it

to heart.

Consider

the truth

of God's

word,

not for

others,

but for

me.

And

consider the

truth of

God's

word,

not just

for me,

but for

us.

as a

congregation.

Turn up,

tune in,

take it

to heart.

A healthy

church is

a church

that's

committed

to the

preaching

and teaching

of God's

word.

May that

always be

true of

us as a

local

church.

Let's

pray

together.

Lord,

we remember

the

apostles

declared

that salvation

is found

in no

one else,

for there

is no

other name

under heaven

given to

mankind by

which we

must be

saved.

Help

each one

of us

to believe

the gospel

and give

us courage

and confidence

and wisdom

and help

to proclaim

the gospel.

people.

We pray

that you

would protect

us individually

and as a

church from

a low

view of

your word

and a low

view of

preaching.

But rather

you would make

us a church

that is

committed

to preaching

and teaching

the Bible

as your

word,

your word

of revelation,

your word

that speaks

of your

salvation

by grace

through faith

in the

Lord Jesus.

Because our

world needs

to hear that

message more

than anything

else.

Please give

us that

conviction

and please

give us

opportunities

this week

to speak

and to

proclaim

the good

news of

Jesus.

Amen.

Now,

in just

a few

moments,

we will

be sharing

the Lord's

Supper

as the

people of

God

receiving

these

elements.

I want

to read

a verse

from 1

1 Corinthians 1:21

Corinthians

1,

verse 21.

It says,

and it's up

on our

screen,

For since

in the

wisdom

of God

the world

through its

wisdom

did not

know him,

God

was pleased

through the

foolishness

of what

was preached,

to save

those who

believe.

The Lord's

Supper was

a gift that

Jesus gave

to the

church,

and the

Lord's

Supper

preaches

the gospel

to us.

What

message

does the

Lord's

Supper

preach to

us?

Well,

it's a

visible reminder,

isn't it,

of the cross

of the

Lord Jesus,

that by

his wounds

we are

healed,

that in

his sacrifice

we know

forgiveness,

that the

Lord's

Supper

reminds us

that we

enter into

the new

covenant

by his

blood.

God's

plan for

you and

me to

have

fellowship

with him

now and

for eternity

rests in

Jesus shedding

his precious

blood.

receiving the

elements of

the Lord's

Supper also

reminds us

in a way

that we

need a

salvation

from outside

of ourselves.

It is a

gift of

grace that

we receive

by faith.

The

Lord's

Supper,

as we

share it

together,

also reminds

us that

God has

made us

a new

community,

a new

body,

He has

called us

together,

different

backgrounds,

different

experiences,

but all

one in

Christ

Jesus,

and we

share this

meal

together

for those

of us

who are

members of

God's

church,

those who

have faith

in the

Lord Jesus.

And so

this supper

that we

share is

for all

who have

put their

faith in

Jesus,

who are

members of

God's

church,

and who

know that

we have an

ongoing need

for His

grace.

And so

in just a

moment we'll

be directed

to collect

the bread

and the

wine,

and while

that's

happening,

we'll also

stand and

we will sing

the hymn

Come Behold

the Wondrous

Mystery to

help us

reflect on

the gospel.

So let's

stand and

let's sing

and folks

will be

directed to

collect the

elements at

the appropriate

time.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.