Hebrews 13 “Therefore...”

You are listening to a message from Southwood Presbyterian Church in Huntsville, Alabama.

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Today we are wrapping up our study of the book of Hebrews.

But before we do that, I want to tell you what's coming next.

In two weeks, we're going to start a summer series called Thanks for Asking.

It's a chance to look at questions about God and about faith

that we and many of our non-Christian friends ask.

Things like, why do bad things happen?

How can I follow a Jesus whose followers do so much evil?

Or is Jesus really the only way to God?

Questions like that and several others.

If you want to know what they are in the Narthex and the Guest Center this morning,

you can grab this little card.

It has a schedule of all the questions we'll talk about this summer.

You can grab a few of these if you'd like and invite a friend.

Maybe someone you've talked with some of these questions about

and you all have had discussions about your different perspectives.

And invite them to come be a part of these discussions

because that's what they will be.

It's not just sermons.

I'm not the only one who gets to talk.

We're actually, after each of our services,

going to gather in the connecting spaces

and have a time of discussion

where those who have questions get to speak

and make their own comments.

So I'm looking forward to that.

We want people to know this is a community

where those tough questions that we all wrestle with at some point

are welcomed for all of us.

You may be asking some of them right now.

I'd ask you to join me in praying for that time that we have this summer.

But before we get to that,

one more time in Hebrews together this morning

where we have enjoyed incredible visions of the greatness of Jesus, right?

And then there's this pattern that we've seen

throughout the written sermon of Hebrews

where there's rich theology, truth,

followed by a clear command, application for our lives.

Often it's been marked by the word, therefore, right?

This is true.

Therefore, this.

Such a Paul thing to do.

Hmm.

Anyway, God wants our behavior

to be consistent with our belief.

Let me look at several examples briefly

that will maybe help us review

what we've heard in Hebrews.

You can flip with me if you're in Hebrews 2, verse 1.

Hebrews 2:1

Jesus is greater than angels,

therefore,

pay much closer attention

to what we have heard about Jesus.

Chapter 3, verse 1.

Jesus is uniquely able to help us,

therefore,

consider Jesus

to hold fast our confidence and hope,

and don't harden your heart.

411.

There's a better rest still on offer,

therefore,

strive to enter Jesus' rest.

414 to 16.

We have a great high priest representing us before God,

therefore,

let us hold fast our confession

and draw near with confidence.

chapter 6, verse 1.

Drifting from God is dangerous.

We could actually fall away from God,

therefore,

let us not drift,

but go on to maturity in Christ.

1022 to 24.

Jesus is a great high priest

who brings us into God's very presence,

therefore,

let us draw near,

hold fast,

stir up.

12-1.

We're almost there.

We're surrounded by a cloud of witnesses

as we run our race of faith,

therefore,

let us run with endurance.

in 1228,

just last week,

we read that everything in heaven and earth

will be shaken,

but God gives us a kingdom

that cannot be shaken,

therefore,

let us be grateful

and worship God.

You see that pattern all through the book.

You got the pattern down?

He's gonna tweak it a little bit in chapter 13.

It's gonna be played out now repeatedly,

over and over in this chapter,

but often in reverse order.

It's the same idea in chapter 13.

Let's listen to God's holy word

written for our good.

Let brotherly love continue.

Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers,

for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.

Remember those who are in prison

as though in prison with them,

and those who are mistreated

since you also are in the body.

Let marriage be held in honor among all,

and let the marriage bed be undefiled,

for God will judge the sexually immoral

and adulterous.

Keep your life free from the love of money

and be content with what you have,

for he has said,

I will never leave you nor forsake you.

So we can confidently say,

the Lord is my helper,

I will not fear.

What can man do to me?

Remember your leaders,

those who spoke to you the word of God.

Consider the outcome of their way of life

and imitate their faith.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday

and today and forever.

Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings,

for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace,

not by foods which have not benefited those devoted to them.

We have an altar from which those who serve the tent

have no right to eat.

For the bodies of those animals

whose blood is brought into the holy places

by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin

are burned outside the camp.

So Jesus also suffered outside the gate

in order to sanctify the people through his own blood.

Therefore, let us go to him outside the camp

and bear the reproach he endured.

For here we have no lasting city,

but we seek the city that is to come.

Through him then,

let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God.

That is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.

Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have,

for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.

Obey your leaders and submit to them,

for they are keeping watch over your souls

as those who will have to give an account.

Let them do this with joy and not with groaning,

for that would be of no advantage to you.

Pray for us,

for we are sure that we have a clear conscience

desiring to act honorably in all things.

I urge you the more earnestly to do this

in order that I may be restored to you the sooner.

Now may the God of peace,

who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus,

the great shepherd of the sheep,

by the blood of the eternal covenant,

equip you with everything good that you may do his will,

working in us that which is pleasing in his sight,

through Jesus Christ,

to whom be glory forever and ever.

Amen.

I appeal to you, brothers,

bear with my word of exhortation,

for I have written to you briefly.

You should know that our brother Timothy has been released,

with whom I shall see you if he comes soon.

Greet all your leaders and all the saints.

Those who come from Italy send you greetings.

Grace be with all of you.

Let's pray.

Father, there is so much here.

We ask for your help.

We want to have hearts and lives

and a church that is shaped by your word.

And there are so many other things that shape and form us,

our desires, our priorities, our behaviors.

Would you, by your spirit, shape us anew,

mold us into the image of Christ?

We ask in his name.

Amen.

I don't often have time for 12-point sermons,

but with the connect hour being canceled today,

just kidding,

but seriously,

I think this may be needful to consider up front.

Just having 12 things thrown at you can be,

it's easy to walk away with nothing.

God's going to give us a dozen directives for our lives.

He tells us how to live as his people,

and then he tells us why.

Often here in this chapter,

saying for,

he's telling us what to do

in light of what's true.

Okay?

He wants what we should long for,

consistency in our lives.

We want our lives to be like this, don't we?

That they would actually be shaped

by what we say we believe.

So we're going to see that pattern over and over.

My encouragement to you would be,

ask God to put one or two of these

on your heart specifically today.

That you might actually take one or two

and go back this afternoon and revisit them.

Consider them.

That you would pray that these would be areas

of growth and change in your life.

12 at once is a lot,

but where would God speak to you?

Pray for conviction,

for repentance,

for newness of life to come,

rather than just trying to fill in all the blanks.

I'll give you the blanks.

And would you also pray and long for us

as a family to be a community

that's deeply shaped in these ways?

Let's look at them briefly,

one at a time.

What to do in verse one?

Love one another.

The why is actually the least visible

in this first command of all of them

because it's right there in the word itself.

Fill Adelphia.

Love for brothers and sisters.

Love even when you have nothing else in common

because you share a father

and a brother and a spirit in common.

So you share everything.

So open up to share more with your grace group

than you might normally be inclined to.

Let your lives with one another

be increasingly intertwined

across generations

in spite of hurts,

through disappointments.

Never stop growing your love

in this family.

And next we're told,

not just right here,

but extend that love

to welcome strangers.

Philoxenia is the word.

Love of foreigners.

It's sometimes in the Bible

translated hospitality

like you see here.

That's what it means.

It's a welcome that goes far beyond

the traditional southern hospitality,

fancy, entertaining.

It goes to,

this is welcoming someone

who can't welcome you back.

And that can certainly involve your home.

I hope it does.

It also involves your church.

As you serve here,

even on Sunday,

sorry,

the entire room just looked that way.

What's so exciting?

Oh yes, it's raining.

It's funny when you're standing up here

and everybody's looking over there.

That's a lot of rain.

Glad we're in here.

Think of hospitality,

not just your home,

but your church.

You come here and you serve

and you welcome people,

some of whom you know,

some you might not.

It could look like deciding

during the greeting time

of the service

or right after the service

to make a beeline,

not for your best friends,

but for someone

you've never met before.

A face you don't recognize.

Showing hospitality,

not merely in the writing

on the front of the bulletin,

you're all welcome here,

but in action

so you actually feel

the truth of it.

It also involves your life

outside of here.

A life that moves towards

someone being left out

by others in the workplace,

in the school,

the neighborhood,

the city.

Why?

Why love neighbor this way?

Why the stranger?

For sometimes you entertain angels.

Not someone you already know,

of course.

You know they're not angels,

but an unfamiliar face

could be an angel.

Now you didn't see that coming

as the motivation,

did you?

There's a lot of motivations

for hospitality,

but there's a significant one.

What he's saying is

something powerful,

something sacred,

something life-changing

could happen

when you open your heart

to someone that you don't know,

but God does.

Specifically,

don't let our love stop there

with just any stranger,

but care for the mistreated.

It could be the prisoner,

perhaps the homeless,

maybe the relationally left out,

the friendless,

people suffering

in some tangible way.

Why care for them here?

It says,

since you also

are in the body,

since you too know

what it's like to suffer,

you could be in that very spot

yourself.

Help them know

that they're not alone.

When you think of that,

does a name or a face

come to mind

for you right now?

You may need a moment

to think about it.

You may not realize

in just the past year,

there have been

multiple people

regularly in this room

with us on Sundays

who have started regularly

to be in prison

or homeless

or repeatedly jobless.

multiple people.

It might take some effort,

some creativity

to care personally

for him or her,

but that's what it took

for Jesus

to move towards us, right?

We're not unfamiliar

with this kind of love.

Southwood,

are you expressing

the grace

that you've experienced?

He's saying,

love,

love,

love,

very unlikely

that you're overdoing it.

Verse 4,

keep marriage

sacred

in all of our hearts,

especially

in the lives

of those who are married.

Keep marriage

sacred

for God

will judge

specifically here

it says sexual

sin.

This is the reality

of God

as holy judge.

We've seen it over

and over

in Hebrews.

It's a big deal

in living

as his holy

people,

right?

And he

specifically highlights

two things.

Adultery

is sex

outside of the

covenant of marriage,

going outside

of the covenant

I've made

for sexual

fulfillment.

Immorality,

the word is

pornos,

you'll recognize

that,

brings someone

into a marriage

bed even

with your eyes

or your mind,

your body.

We must

take this

as seriously

as God

does.

And notice

just a minute

here what it

means to have

our lives

shaped by the

reality of the

gospel.

I don't know

if you've

thought about

this,

but we've

just been

told in

these first

four verses

radical

social justice

and radical

sexual purity.

Both of them.

And you might

be thinking,

but pastor,

I won't even

have a party

left in the

American political

system.

Hmm.

In the

second century,

someone wrote

a letter

to a guy

named

Diognetus

describing the

early Christians

who were a

bit out of

place,

homeless in a

way,

back then

too.

He said

this,

they live in

their own

countries as

though they

were only

passing through.

They play

their full

role as

citizens,

but labor

under all

the disabilities

of aliens.

Any country

can be their

homeland,

but for them

their homeland,

wherever it

may be,

is a foreign

country.

Sounds like

Hebrews,

doesn't it?

like others

they marry

and have

children,

but they

do not

expose

them.

They share

their meals,

but not

their wives.

They live

in the flesh,

but they are

not governed

by the

desires of

the flesh.

They pass

their days

upon earth,

but they are

citizens

of heaven.

I love

that line,

they share

their meals,

but not

their wives.

They're

passionate for

social justice,

passionate for

sexual purity.

You don't

have to

pick.

Biblically,

we're not

allowed to

ignore either

of those.

We have to

love them

both,

and so we

need to

pray,

God,

keep us

faithful to

you.

Shape us

by your

word,

not anything

else.

We've got

to keep

moving.

But if

you've already

picked one

of the first

four and

you think

you're done,

don't check

out just

yet.

We all

need to

learn contentment.

Don't miss

this one.

There's a

constant urging,

verse five,

keep our

lives free

from the

love of

money.

Be content.

Keep doing

that.

It's a battle

to fight.

It's the same

connection as

in 1 Timothy

6, where the

love of money

is a root of

all kinds of

evil, and

it's godliness

with contentment

that is enjoined

on all of us

instead.

You know,

contentment is

not one of the

marks of our

culture these

days, is it?

We always want

more.

We begin to

think we need

it.

We deserve

it.

So, why

here learn

contentment?

For, God

has said,

I will never

leave you

nor forsake

you.

You can be

content because

he's got you.

pro tip here,

often in the

Bible, the

why is also

the how.

This is both,

isn't it?

How is my

heart going to

become content?

Trusting God,

trusting his

promises.

This is what he

says to me.

It's actually,

it's weird in

English, it's hard

to translate,

but that never,

I will never

leave you nor

forsake you,

is actually a

translation of

five negative

particles in the

Greek.

I will never,

no, never,

no, never,

never, never

leave you or

forsake you,

is what it

actually says.

That is the God

who is our

helper.

You think he

wants you to

know how much

he's committed

to that?

He is our

God, he's our

helper.

Don't fear, he

says.

No one can

hurt you.

Don't think that

you yourself are

going to get what

you need.

I know you, I

love you, I

provide for you,

God says.

If you're feeling

pressed on these

so far, I mean,

boy, those are

some real

challenging areas

right up front,

aren't they?

Our love, our

bodies, our

money.

We all live in

this world where

the assumption

is that we

have control,

we have

autonomous control

over our

money, our

bodies, our

time, but God

is calling us to

give that up for

him, to give that

up for our

neighbors, to serve

them rather than

our own control,

even our own

freedom.

It might cost you

financially to

welcome strangers.

Guess what?

God's got you.

It might cost you

some short-term

pleasure to follow

God's sexual

design.

Guess what?

God's got you.

And an eternal

party in a

kingdom that

cannot be shaken.

More pleasure

than you know.

The good life is

God-centered.

The good life is

obedient to God.

The good life is

following the design

of the good

designer.

Don't follow our

modern selfish

instincts.

Verse 7, follow

instead the

leaders.

Your spiritual

teachers, probably

especially here in

this verse, those

who have gone

before you, who've

shown you faith

that endures, you've

watched it.

They're now in the

cloud of witnesses

They're now in the

testifying to God's

faithfulness.

He won't let you

down.

Do you have

someone in mind

when you think

about that?

If you can get a

name or a face,

someone in your

life that walked

ahead of you,

taught the word

of God to you,

look how they

lived.

Imitate their

faith.

Why?

Jesus Christ is

the same.

Yesterday,

today,

and forever.

That, y'all, is a

reality to base your

life on, isn't it?

You can memorize

that verse.

Probably before you

leave this morning,

you'll have it

memorized.

It's a beautiful

reality.

It's perhaps even

more beautiful at

this point in the

book of Hebrews,

isn't it?

Because what does

it mean here?

It means that the

Jesus who was worth

it to the Old

Testament faithful,

who even when they

saw that they could

have all the

treasures of the

world, said Jesus

is more valuable.

And he was.

He was faithful to

them even when they

suffered dearly.

He was their high

priest who brought

our spiritual fathers

and mothers to God.

The one who shed his

blood for them so

that they could live

in the holy place,

who intercedes,

intercedes, praying

for them every day.

That very one will

never stop being and

doing all of those

things for you and

for me.

Remember, he has a

permanent priesthood

because he always lives

to make intercession

for us.

Amen?

He's not going to

stop for us.

Just as he's been

faithful to those

you've watched go

before you.

Would your

grandmother think

that you could live

a fulfilling life

without being attached

to your phone?

I know it's cheating,

but it's worth asking.

Would your mentor

urge you to share

the good news of

Jesus more or less?

Would your childhood

pastor say that

you'll not regret

more time with

Jesus?

What would they

tell you?

Verse 9,

stick with grace.

It gets a little

bit harder to

understand in this

section in the

middle of the

chapter, but what

he's saying is

don't wander after

strange teachings

with the hope that

you'll finally find

another level of

spirituality there.

Why?

Why don't do that?

It's actually good,

he says, to be fed

by God's word,

by the church

family that he

placed you in,

by the new covenant

truth of Jesus

who really is

sufficient for all

of life,

and by the way,

did you forget,

still the same

yesterday, today,

and forever.

Don't be drawn back

to something else,

to ritual.

Don't be drawn back

to legalism,

into these other

performance mentalities

that will seek to

control your

relationship with God.

nice, you want to

grow?

Jesus alone,

grace alone,

he's going to be

the same, you can

still count on him,

Jesus, even when it

involves suffering

with Jesus.

Verse 12,

Jesus suffered

outside the gate,

outside Jerusalem,

distant from God,

that's on the cross,

that's where he hung.

That's the why

this time.

Therefore,

verse 13,

let us go to him

outside the camp

and bear the reproach

that he endured,

even if it costs us

too, even if we

suffer, right?

Because we're not

living to fit in

and have success

in this world,

verse 14,

we're seeking a city

yet to come

with a celebration

fit for heaven

that far outweighs

whatever we give up

for Jesus here.

I mean,

these early Christians

were left

without social connection,

religiously distant

from their communities

perhaps.

Suffer with Jesus,

he says.

What might he be

calling you to

in that suffering?

Verse 15,

praise God.

what happens is

he turns to say,

let me tell you

about the sacrifices

that we do make

because I've just

told you we don't

have to go and do

all those sacrifices

that you had to do

in the past,

but we still live

lives of sacrifice.

It's not the animals

on the altar.

No,

it's a sacrifice

of praise,

the fruit of lips

that acknowledge

his name.

What's the why

for that?

Notice that verse 15

actually begins.

Through him,

Jesus,

then,

the why came earlier

because Jesus

is the one

through whom

we offer

our sacrifices.

He's the one

who made us holy,

so that's why

we praise God

with all we are

and all we have

because he's already

welcomed us

into his family,

into his presence,

into his perfection,

so praise him

and one more sacrifice,

verse 16,

share with others.

It's a reminder,

don't forget,

don't neglect,

tangible love

for neighbor,

sacrificial generosity

to those in need.

Why?

Such sacrifices

are pleasing

to God.

They reflect

his sacrificial generosity.

They bless people

that he loves

and blesses.

Two more directives,

both pertaining

to our church leaders.

It's the same word

as earlier,

but clearly

this time

pertaining

to current leaders.

Think of your elders

especially,

although alongside them,

grace group leaders,

deacons,

others.

What does he say?

Obey

your leaders.

Put yourself

willingly

under their

spiritual direction.

Why?

Because they're

better than you

and they get it right

all the time.

No.

No.

Why?

Read what

the Bible says.

They are keeping

watch over your

souls

as those

who will have

to give

an account.

Elders,

this doesn't tell you

how well

you're doing

your work.

It tells you

how vital

doing your work

is.

Should cause

you to ask,

are you

shepherding

the people

under your care

as though

you will give

account to God

for their souls?

They are the sheep,

in other words,

that he bought

with the blood

of his son

so he wants

to know

if they are

being led

to the green

pastures

and the still

waters

of Jesus.

Southwood

fam,

that is not

easy work

in the best

of situations.

He's saying,

don't make it

harder.

Right?

It's kind of

a funny way

to put it.

You'll discourage

your leaders.

You'll damage

your own

spiritual growth

at the same

time.

Unless they're

violating God's

word and their

leadership of his

church,

obey them.

Even when they're

not doing as

great as they

should,

and especially

then there's

something you can

do,

you should pray

for your

leaders.

It's interesting,

isn't it?

This guy wrote

part of the

Bible,

but he

needed their

prayers too.

He asks

twice,

pray because

why we want

to be honorable

in everything.

In fact,

verse 19,

we want to be

restored to you

but what's he

saying?

We don't

control it.

We don't

control everything.

We're weak.

We need help.

We don't always

live consistent

with what we

believe and that

could really hurt

Jesus'

sheep so please

pray.

Pray for us.

Do you pray

for your

pastors and

your elders,

for your

grace group

leaders and

your teachers,

for your youth

and your

children's

leaders?

Please pray.

He graciously

asks them to

receive the

written sermon

humbly and

productively.

I'm not sure

that I often

write to you

briefly,

not known for

that,

but please

receive these

sermons

anyway as

coming not

from me but

as coming

from the

God of

all grace.

Lots of

things to

do.

If you

filled in all

the blanks,

you've got a

long list in

front of you

and I'm

sure we're

all exposed

somewhere.

If we're

going to live

in line with

the reality

Jesus has

brought us

into,

and there

are lots

of little

truths there

that direct

our behavior

as God's

people,

but the

writer closes

with one

that undergirds

all the rest

of them.

All the

smaller motivations

for living

these ways,

there are a

host of

different whys

in here,

right?

Hopefully you

wrote some

of them down.

There's judgment,

there's having

an eternal

perspective,

there's God's

faithfulness,

and so on.

How can we

really do even

one of these

things as we

ought to do

them?

Verse 20,

now may the

God of peace

who brought

again from the

dead our

Lord Jesus,

the great

shepherd of

the sheep,

by the blood

of the eternal

covenant,

listen,

this is a

glorious summary

of the theology

of Hebrews

as a whole,

right?

God who alone

knows how to

bring peace

in our

relationship

with him,

what did he

do?

He made

Jesus alive

again so

that Jesus

can care for

all of us

sheep covered

by his blood

that now

brings us

into a new

relationship

with God

that we

never could

have enjoyed

without Jesus.

He is that

powerful and

he's that

good and he

wants to do

something.

Verse 21,

equip you with

everything good

that you may

do his will

working in us

that which is

pleasing in his

sight through

Jesus Christ

to whom be

glory forever

and ever.

Amen.

That powerful

God is going

to keep

working in

us through

Jesus,

the one who

has already

made us

perfect and

is now

helping us

live the way

he's made

us to be

forever in

his great

grace.

It keeps

coming to

us.

That God

wants to

equip you.

Listen,

you're not on

your own

to get it

together.

You've got a

list of

twelve but

you're not

on your

own.

He wants

to equip

you with

everything good

for doing

his will.

All of

these directives

he's got

for your

life,

he's got

plenty of

grace to

equip you

for them.

Especially

working in

you what's

pleasing in

his sight.

There are

lots of

things that

are pleasing.

We know

especially here

that's faith.

Right?

Faith is

pleasing in

his sight.

Chapter 11

without faith

it is

impossible

to please

God.

Trust him.

Even when

you can't

see it,

that's what

Jesus wants

to work in

you by what

he's done

and what

he is doing.

He's wanting

to build

faith in

you.

So brothers

and sisters

there is

hope for

us actually

to live in

these ways

together.

To actually

reflect this

kind of

life and

it's not

because we've

finally gotten

enough wise

people in

here,

enough

skillful

people or

even enough

people who

are together

going to

put the

effort in

the blood

sweat and

tears to

make it

work.

That's not

our hope

is it?

Jesus is

greater than

all of those

things that we

might bring to

the table.

Think about it.

He has come

and shed his

blood to

cover our

sins.

He has sent

his spirit

to empower

us to run

by faith

with endurance

the race

he set

before us

and he

even now

stands before

the throne

of God

interceding

for us

praying

God's

blessing

upon us

pouring out

grace and

mercy to

help in our

time of need.

Do you think

there's a chance

now with

that kind

of savior?

Don't try to

live with God

any other way.

Jesus is the

great shepherd

shepherd of

the sheep.

He will

equip you

for where

he calls

you and

he will

see that

you always

live on

Mount Zion

in an

unshakable

kingdom

in the

very presence

of the

God of

glory and

grace.

He will

do it.

In fact

he set

this table

this morning

to remind

you that

he's with

you.

He doesn't

want us

trying to

do any

of those

things without

him.

He wants

you to know

that because

he is with

us we

are held

secure.

We are

safe.

Remember

when he

sat with

his disciples

they weren't

feeling very

safe or

confident that

night.

It was the

night Jesus

was going

to be

betrayed and

he told

them that.

And on

that very

night he

took bread

and he

broke it

and he

gave it

to them

and said

this is

my body

given for

you.

Do this

in remembrance

of me.

And the

same way

after supper

he took

the cup

and said

this cup

is the

new

covenant

in my

blood

shed for

many for

the forgiveness

of sins

drink from

it all

of you.

For as

often as

we eat

this bread

and drink

this cup

we proclaim

the Lord's

death

until he

comes.

In other

words

we don't

come to

eat with

Jesus once

we have

perfected

the list

of directives

we're supposed

to get

right and

we say

check and

we come

forward

to say

Jesus

here I

am

good enough

to be

here.

We come

to eat

with Jesus

because he

has perfected

us by

shedding his

blood once

and for

all for

our sins

and we

come then

to ask

for his

help in

living the

way that

he has

created us

to reflect

his image.

So if

you're a

baptized

member of

any church

that preaches

Jesus alone

as our

hope then

come and

eat with

us and

with him

this morning

as we are

going to

celebrate the

greatest

memorial

ever

ever

in

remembrance

of him.

If that's

not you

this morning

perhaps you're

still trying

to decide

what you

think about

Jesus

where he

fits or

doesn't fit

in your

life

then we

would encourage

you not to

come to

these elements

to the bread

and the wine

but rather

to come

to Jesus

himself

to come

and observe

if you want

to ask us

to pray

with you

we'd love

that

or even

to stay

where you

are

but to

come to

Jesus

and ask

him

even if

you're

not sure

what you

think

about him

to show

you himself

and how

much

he loves

you.

We're

glad that

you're

here

and we

hope even

if you

don't take

these elements

that you'll

take a

moment

to reflect

on Jesus

and the

picture we

have of

him giving

himself

for us.

Let me

pray and

then we'll

come eat

together.

Jesus

thank you

that you

gave your

life for

us and

thank you

that you

knew how

much we

would need

reminders

that we

might not

forget and

start to

wander after

things that

seemed like

good ideas

to us

things that

seemed more

valuable to

us but

that we

might be

called back

to the

lover of

our souls

who gave

himself for

us.

So would

you use

these very

common

elements in

a very

special way

to build

our faith

to grow

our trust

in you

to help

us remember

we live

in the

holy place

before the

throne of

God because

our high

priest brings

us in.

Do your

work by your

spirit we ask

in Jesus

name.

Amen.

Our host

team members

are going to

come now

and they'll

usher you to

tables both

at the front

here and

at the back

as we celebrate

together what

Jesus has done

for us.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

A.C., Sarah,

and James,

this is the

body and blood

of your

savior.

You've been

here before a

few times and

he's given you

his body and

his blood and

the first time

was enough to

pay for your

sins and this

is because he

doesn't want you

to forget and

he doesn't want

you to think

you're ever

alone.

He's with you.

He loves you.

He wants you to

remember that and

celebrate him

today.

Take and eat.

Leonard,

Tripp,

Stephanie,

Kent,

the body and

blood of Jesus

which you've

taken before.

The first time

he gave it for

you was enough

for all of your

sins.

So why now?

Because he

doesn't want you

to forget how

much he loves

you.

He doesn't ever

want you to

think you're

alone in the

battle.

He wants you

to remember

him and his

life given

for you that

will never

ever fail you.

He loves you.

Take and eat

his body and

blood.

DJ,

Alex,

Angela,

this is the

body and

blood of

Jesus that

he gave for

us because

he loves us

so much.

He doesn't

ever want

us to

forget.

You know

when Jesus

died the

first time

that forgave

all your

sins,

didn't it?

When he

died on

the cross.

And so

this is

remembering

that and

remembering

that he

still loves

you and

he's never

going to

stop.

Isn't

that

awesome?

Take and

eat.

Remember

how much

Jesus

loves you.

Hey,

Jenna and

Chris and

Heather and

Luke and

Jessica,

Martha,

this is the

body and

blood of

Jesus.

He loves

you so much

that he

gave his

life for

you and

y'all know

that that

first time

he died

on the

cross was

enough for

all of

your sins