Bread of Life

This morning we're going to continue to look at the Gospel of John. We're in chapter six. You can turn in the pew Bible in front of you if you don't have a Bible to page 890 and find our story there. In the study of church history, it's actually quite fascinating how the early church and why the early church was persecuted. Of course, they were persecuted by the Jews because they were seen as a rebellious sect, believing the Messiah had come and that the Jews, they rejected Jesus as the Messiah. They were persecuted by the government because they wouldn't worship and give sacrifices to the national deities. And, well, the Jews, they were given a special permission to not do that. But since they weren't Jews, they were not under this. The most surprising or the most interesting reason the early church was was persecuted is that they were suspected of cannibalism. You heard me right, the early church, they were suspected of cannibalism, and that's because they would say things like we're going to be eating the body of Christ and drinking his blood. And if for an outsider, for those who aren't aware of what Christ has taught, as we're going to see today in his word, this sounds very suspicious. Now, of course, this was symbolic. It symbolized what it signified, what Christ had done for them. But whenever they spoke in this way, it raised the suspicion of those around them. And so this morning we're going to be looking at a passage that really lies behind the celebration of the Lord's Supper, which is before us and which we will be celebrating at the end of our service. We call the Lord's Supper because it was instituted at the last supper of the Lord. It was Christ taking what was once the Passover feast and now focusing it in and that the bread represents his body and the cup represents his blood. The others call it the Eucharist, and that actually comes from our story. As you heard Chris say twice, he gave thanks. They went back to the place that he gave thanks. The translation of Eucharist is giving thanks. And that's why some call it the Eucharist, because it was a mill oven which Christ gave thanks. If you think of the ordinances, baptism is that one time ordinance. The baptism says, I am no longer part of the world. I'm no longer a child of wrath, a child of rebellion against God. I'm coming. I'm declaring I have been bought by the blood of Christ. I am being immersed into the water to declare I'm dead to my old life and I'm risen again in the new life. And that that is the one time ordinance. The Lord's Supper, it's the regular ordinance that we're to observe over and over and over again. Well, first and foremost, because we're forgetful, it's a reminder of what Christ did for us. It's a reminder to one another and a reminder for us of who we are in Christ because his body was broken. His blood was spilled for us. It's also a reminder of what's lying ahead. It's a reminder of the promise that one day we will share the marriage, the marriage supper of the lamb, where we will praise him forever. This morning we'll be looking at the teaching that Christ is the bread of life, and it points us to the Lord's Supper and helps us meditate upon what this is and why we take part in it. Our message this morning can be summarized as this. We can only have eternal life when we believe Jesus is the Son of God. We can only have eternal life if we believe Jesus is the Son of God. Now, that should sound very familiar to you because that's everything John wrote about. That is the message of John's Gospel. And so we've been meditating upon Jesus being the Son of God. And by believing in him, we have eternal life. And the particular focus here is Jesus is using the metaphor, the symbol of bread to teach us how we have life in him. It's that his body was crushed for our sin. By his death, we can live as we have just sung. Now, if you notice in your bulletin, our passage is a little longer than usual this morning, and we have the Lord's Supper to follow. And so if you look in your bulletin, On page 10, I've tried to give an overview of what the passage is, so we can kind of have a bird's-eye view at first, and then we can focus in and think about the different parts. And one of the reasons we've taken such a big chunk today is that the event is then later interpreted by Jesus in His teaching, and we really don't want to divorce the two, because we need the authoritative interpretation. So the first thing we see in verses 1 through 15, and Chris read half of this for us, half of our entire story. Jesus feeds 5,000. There's a crowd following him and they find a boy and Christ multiplies what he has by giving thanks to the Lord and they're all fed with leftovers. Next, the disciples go across the sea after Jesus withdraws and then Jesus walks on water. We really have two of Jesus's most well-known miracles. Back to back here. He fed thousands with just a few loaves and a few fish, and then he walks on water. Third, the crowds seek Jesus. The crowds seek Jesus. They want to know when he crossed. It's interesting they don't ask how. That would be the question I would think would be more important. There's only one boat. They didn't see him get on it. How did you cross? They're more concerned about when. The fourth thing we see, Jesus exposes their real need. So they're seeking Jesus, but he knows them. He knows what they want. They don't want the true bread, the real bread, the bread of life. They're just seeking it because their bellies were full. And so he confronts them to help them see what they truly should be seeking. Fifth. This is verses 29 or 30 through 31, rather. The crowd asked for a sign. The crowd asked for a sign, so they moved a step beyond wanting their bellies full. Now they're asking for a sign, and Christ provides that sign. Verses 34 through 40, he declares that he is the bread of life. They ask for the bread of life, and he declares he is the bread of life. They ask, give us this bread always. Here you hear the story, if you were here with us, the Samaritan woman at the well. He's talking about the water and she says, give me the water. Still thinking, you know, he needs to find a bucket to get the water out. That'll never cause her to come back to that well in her shame. He's speaking of himself. You see the Jews in the spirit of a woman. They have the same problem. They can't keep their eyes off the physical. Then versus 43 through 51, Jesus declares how he gives life. They grumble against him and he tells them, you must believe, you must eat of my flesh. And then, as Jesus oftentimes does, verses 52 through 59, he recognizes they're upset that he said you have to eat my flesh. And as you hear that, he's going to go in and he's not going to make it simpler for them. He's going to make it more difficult. He's going to go on and on about how they have to eat his flesh and drink his blood, really making it more difficult so that they have to truly believe the gospel of Jesus Christ. Let's begin our study, our meditation upon God's Word. Jesus feeds five thousand. Jesus is there, there's five folks coming, Philip questions the finances, where are we going to have the money to pay for all these people? Andrew brings a boy, and I don't think he believes that God can feed all these folks with this food. But Jesus tells everyone, sit down. They have to sit down at the passively receive the blessing. He gives thanks and then he feeds 5000 and there's leftovers. A few things that they have to sit down and receive it. He gives thanks again reference to the why we call it the Eucharist or some called the Eucharist. And there were left there were leftovers. Everyone was full. Well, we'll get the interpretation of the bread in a moment, but verses 14 and 15 really stand out here. They're in juxtaposition with one another. They're combined and yet, interestingly, united. When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, this indeed is the prophet who is to come into the world. And we read Deuteronomy 18 last week, where God said to Moses, there'll be a prophet after you. Well, here they seem to be recognizing this is that prophet. And then Jesus, perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew to the mountain himself. Now, we already saw back in John 2, the crowds were following him. He was doing great miracles. They were very interested, but he didn't entrust himself to man because he knew what was in man. More so, we've seen throughout the book, John has continually said his hour has not yet come. This is the second of three Passover's. The Passover is at hand. This is the second of three Passover's in John. Next Passover, his hour will be at hand. He's going to wait a whole nother year and then he will give himself over to be king and they will nail him to the tree and they will declare him king by nailing this is the king of the Jews over his head. That is why he withdraws, because he knows his hour has not yet come. He has one more year to let them kill him. Our next story, Jesus Walks on Water, and this is a famous story. This is actually a... John is writing after the Synoptic Gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and he seems to be focusing in on a particular part of this. He doesn't go into detail of Mark, at least. He walks in the water, he says in his eye, do not be afraid. And there's some background we need to recognize here about people in this area and this time. The sea was frightening. It was chaotic. You couldn't predict it. You couldn't tame it. It was frightening to be on the sea. And here Jesus comes. walking on the in the storm and on the waves of the sea and the sea. It represents chaos. It represents disorder. And here Jesus is exercising his authority over. He has power and authority, he's the son of man, he's the son of God, he controls creation, he is worthy to be trusted. The crowds see that he is going across verses 22 through 24. They go back to the place he gave thanks. That obviously was a place they wanted to remember. And they seek him. Now, let's pick up in verse 25, where Jesus begins to tell us that there's more dialogue here that helps us understand what is happening when they found him on the other side of the sea. They said to him, Rabbi, when did you come here? Jesus answered them. When it says, truly, truly, we got to pay close attention. I tell you this, listen, truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. So they're seeking him and he immediately accuses them and calls them out that they're coming to him for the wrong reason. You know, before with the official, He says you need to be careful not to just want signs. You need to believe in the Son of God for salvation. Here, I think he's saying they're actually one step farther from salvation. They don't even want signs. They just want food. This is a strong accusation. They're a step farther from salvation. Then verse 27. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life. For the Son of Man will give to you. For on him, God the Father has set his seal. He's contrasting himself with the bread that they will be asking for. He's contrasting himself with the bread that we eat and we fill nourishment from. He's saying, the food that I give you, the bread that I am, it's eternal. It doesn't perish. You don't need more. It's forever that you give, that he gives eternal life. They respond with a good question. What must we do to be doing the works of God? And this is where Christ makes it very clear, this is the work of God that you believe in him whom he has sent. So we have to recognize here's what we do is we believe in the one who actually did what we can't do. We believe in Jesus Christ because he accomplished what we have failed at. We have not pleased God. We have not worshiped God. We have not obeyed God. The son has perfectly obeyed God. He did what we could not do so that he could stand in our place and take the wrath we deserve for rebelling against God. And it's believing in him that gives us salvation is believing in what he has done and who he is. As one contemporary Christian song says, not what I have done, but who you are. Not who I am, but what you have done. If you think about the contrast of the bread that perishes and the bread of eternal life, it should remind us, Jesus taught us on the Mount, the summit of the Mount. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. You don't get hungry again when you're truly hungry and thirsty after what God has said and what God has done. It quenches your thirst. It gives you true and everlasting eternal life. Do you know that life? Oftentimes, we are chewing on sin so much we have a hard time truly taking in the body and the blood of Christ. Our mouths are so full of sin, we can't actually experience that quenching, that thirst quenching and hunger ending food that comes from above. Christian, are you are you enjoying that everlasting life? Have you been so distracted by the sin you're partaking in that you no longer have that hunger and thirst? You actually experience a hunger and thirst because you're you're feeding your soul with sin rather than faith. And what Christ has done. Jesus tells us he will give us eternal life and we do not lose that life as we'll see in a moment. The crowd asked for a sign beginning in verse 30. So they said to him, then what sign do you do that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? Our fathers ate man in the wilderness as it is written. He gave them bread from heaven to eat. Now, this is really odd. He tells them, you're just hungry. You need to you're not even coming for a sign. They ask for a sign and the sign is to give them bread. He just gave them bread. The story shows us who really are represented by the Jews seeking him, we're kind of foolish in the way we pursue Christ. We ask for things that he's already done. Then Jesus then said to them, truly, truly, again, listen, I say to you, It was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven. My father gives you the true bread from heaven for the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. They've asked for a sign and Jesus points to them, you're putting too much focus on Moses. Moses was simply an instrument of someone who said what God said. God gave you that bread. And now if you have ears to hear and eyes to see, if the word abides in you, you'll see that God has given you true bread now. Jesus Christ himself. Now, here's what the story really heats up. This is where the dialogue becomes more and more focused. They said to him, sir, give us this bread always. They're looking for physical bread, just like the woman at the well was looking for physical water. So Jesus tells them very simply, very clearly, I am the bread of life. This is one of the many I am statements, I am the door, I am the way, the truth, the life, I am the true vine. Jesus Christ designates himself with many symbols throughout scripture. Here we see the first one in John, I am. The bread of life who comes to me shall not hunger. Whoever believes in me shall never thirst. He's declaring to them, if you believe in me, you have that bread because I am the bread of God. I am his gift to you that gives life. Our greatest appetite should be for Christ. He must be what we long for. Verses 36 through 40. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out, for I have come down from heaven not to do my own will, but the will of Him who sent me. And this is the will of Him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that He has given me, but raise it up on the last day, for this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in Him should have eternal life, and I will raise Him up on the last day. Now, beginning of verse 36, this becomes fairly controversial teaching. He's being divisive here at some level. He's saying, you do not come to me because the Father has not called you. You don't recognize me because the Word of God does not indwell you. If the Father calls you, you'd come to me. Because whoever the Father calls, He draws them. The Father has sent the Son to seek and to save the lost. Those the Father calls to Him, He does not lose. God is effective in what he wants to accomplish. We see here, Jesus is the son of God. He has authority to give life. We have to ask, what does it mean that the father gives or calls some to Jesus? The first thing we have to recognize, Jesus is accusing these men. The very fact that they do not come to him recognizes they do not truly love and know the father. It's an accusation. At the most basic level, this is an accusation against them. If you truly knew the Father, as they claim to know God, then you would recognize that I am a son. Secondly, and this is encouraging to us, it means God is proactive in seeking out those who are lost. God does not wait back and see who will come. No, God calls. God proactively woos. God goes after those who are his children to claim them for his own in Christ Jesus. It's encouraging. For the believer, as we see here, he secures your salvation. Those whom the father gives to the son, he doesn't lose. What we have to wrestle with here, do I experience that assurance? Do I know that security that Jesus Christ is speaking of here? Just because you don't experience doesn't mean it's not true. We have to let what Christ says change the way we experience him. We don't trust our experience over against what Christ says. If we're playing in sin, if we're seeking sin, you're not going to experience the assurance Christ has declared for you. But if you believe what he has said about you. And you obey his commandments, trusting him, you will experience. Now, there's a real difficult question here, especially if you're not a Christian this morning, there's a real difficult question here. The father is calling those who may send to the son. A question you should ask is, is the father calling me? A question you should ask if you're not a Christian this morning, is the father calling me? And I'm going to say yes. One, you're here now hearing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Father is calling now. You get to ask the question, is the Father calling me? I believe you should have assurance that the Father is calling. Right now, with absolute confidence, you're hearing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He came down to die for you so that the wrath of God is removed from you. You can be forgiven if you believe in Him. The question is, will you come to him? You're hearing the father and the message that he has about his son. If he's calling you, will you come? Will you believe? Are you coming to the Savior, Jesus Christ? Now, if you're wrestling with that, I have some advice for you. You need to hear the gospel as often as possible. If you're wrestling, do I believe in this gospel? Do I believe that Jesus Christ is a son, that he died for sinners, that I can be forgiven, that God is a judge and I need that judgment removed? Friends, you need to hear the gospel as much as possible. That is what will transform you. That is where you'll hear the calling. Don't leave here if you're wrestling with that without talking to me or one of the other men you've seen, men or women you've seen up here, because we want to tell you The gospel and encourage you in it. I want you to see this as well. Jesus continues to raise the bar. Jesus isn't a seeker sensitive kind of teacher. He continues to raise the bar for those he's speaking to. Verses 41 through 51, Jesus declares how he gives life. We must eat the bread of life. Verse 41, so the Jews grumbled about him because he said, I am the bread that came down from heaven. They said, is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, I have come down from heaven? Well, as it is Passover during this season that Jesus is speaking and the bread of life is a Passover theme, we see here another Passover theme. The Jews grumble against God. We grumble against God. This is one of the reasons God judges us. We complain when he is actually giving us good gifts. We see here they're grumbling just like their forefathers grumbling, and they have a very specific grumbling. How can he say he came from heaven? We know his parents. Well, we can look back and we're looking ahead to Christmas now where we'll see that God chose to send a son, a seed through us, through a child of Adam and Eve, the descendants of. Verse 43, he answers them. Do not grumble among yourselves. No one can come to me unless the father who sent me draws him and I will raise him up on the last day as it is written, the prophets and they will all be taught by God. Everyone who has heard and learned from the father comes to me. Not that anyone has seen the father, except he was from God. He has seen the father. Now, he's just repeated what he just thought. You can only come to the sun if the father draws you. But he's added something here. He's referring back to the prophets and they will all be taught by God. Now, he says this here because he himself is God. He is there teaching them. And if they had God's word abiding in them, they would recognize that he is the word who became flesh. They would not be grumbling. They would recognize that he is the true God, not like Moses, the prophet, who was just a mouthpiece, not like David, who was a king, just a leader, not like Aaron, who just ministered in the temple. He is the true prophet who speaks as God's own son. He's a true king. He's a true minister, the true priest. If they saw, if they knew God, they would see him and believe. Look at verse 47. Another truly, truly statement here. It focuses in. I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate men in the wilderness and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven so that when they eat of it and not die, I am a living bread that comes down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh." That's where Jesus is making a transition. He's making it more difficult. They have to believe that his body is the bread that they have to participate in. They have to eat. Now, before we answer that question, we're going to first ask, why does he say flesh? Why does Jesus use the word of John or Jesus here use the word flesh rather than body as we see throughout the other teachings on the Lord's Supper when it comes to eating the body or the flesh? I believe it's because we already have in John one, the word became flesh. I believe here we see that the big picture, Jesus Christ, he came down. He's going to give his flesh, that human nature that he took upon himself. That's what he's giving to us. It was his human life that he gave to us because he lived the life we couldn't and he died for our sins. The gift from heaven is the forgiveness that we receive in Christ, the reconciliation he gives us with the father, the freedom we have from sin, the innocent record. We must eat that bread in order to live. Let's go to our last section. Jesus refills how we receive life, and here we're going to see what this means that we eat and listen in this section. They're going to be offended because he said you must eat my body. Listen for how often he goes after that particular topic. Listen for often he mentions eating food and drinking drink, eating his body, drinking blood. Verse 52, the Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, How can this man give us flesh to eat? So they're disputing about him giving his own body to eat. Now, the Jews have the Mosaic Law. They don't even eat animal flesh that has blood in it. When they think of blood, they don't think of life. They think of vicious sacrifices. Blood is always associated with death. And here he's saying, you must eat of my flesh. He's going to heighten it. Jesus said to them, truly, truly, listen how he adds to it. He makes it more difficult. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise it up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate and died. who feeds on this bread will live forever. Jesus said these things in the synagogue as he taught at Capernaum. He commands us to eat his body and drink his blood. Before we get into what that means, notice he's not seeker sensitive. He goes after that which is offensive to them. Why isn't he more sensitive to their sensitivities? It's because the gospel isn't easy to believe. The gospel of Jesus Christ, it is not easy to believe. You have to believe that God is just and he will judge every sinner. Then you have to believe I'm worthy of that judgment. Then you have to believe the father, he sent his own son to die for me while I'm still a sinner. While I'm fighting against God, he's going to send his son loving me? While I'm spitting on him and hating him? He chooses to send his son out of love for me. That is a difficult gospel. That is the true gospel. That is the good news because it is the only way we can live. So what does it mean to eat his flesh and to drink his blood? Now, Jesus was a was God himself. And he was a full human nature. He was eating bread as a metaphor. And so, I believe it just is very natural to believe that what it means to eat and drink, that is also a metaphor. We see in verse 29, truly, truly the work of God is to believe. Verse 47, you must believe. He is equating his body with bread and he's equating belief with eating. There we see you have to be consistent with the metaphor. The body is the bread. Belief is how we consume it. He's already set this up. Now, think about it. Faith is actually hard to describe what is faith. This is a beautiful picture of what faith is. You see there what you need and you have to consume it. Believing is going to give you what you need. You're hungry and you see the food and you believe that will satisfy my stomach that's grumbling. So you believe that that which we consume will satisfy your need. When you look at Jesus, you have to believe that what you need, he's able to do. Now, as I've wrestled with this, something that's happened recently became apparent. I believe it's helpful as we think about believing in Christ. When you're sick, you lose your appetite. When you're sick, you see that which is in front of you and you don't have an appetite, you don't want to eat that which will actually heal you, you don't want to eat the things that will give you the nutrients and you get better when you're sick, you don't have an appetite. How much more when we're living in sin? Sick in our soul, we see what we need and do we see we need it, do we partake in it? One of our problems is we only have an appetite for sin. We have to recognize that that appetite is wrong and it's under God's judgment and Christ alone can take away our sin. Friends, the gospel is the medicine for our souls that we need. We must believe in him. Now, as we conclude, we're going to sing a song of response. We're going to sing Wonderful Merciful Savior because the Father has sent his son and the Holy Spirit to save us. But I want to think about the Lord's Supper in relation to this text, because this text is pointing us to the Lord's Supper. And so let's look at the Lord's Supper first. We need to recognize that these elements are not actually the body and blood of Christ. The Roman Catholic Church, the largest movement that calls itself Christian, they say that when you take the Lord's Supper, you're actually eating the body and drinking the blood because it's a transfiguration. The elements themselves change. Now, I think this is just missing the point of the text. They use this text to argue for that. They're missing the metaphor that Jesus' body is a metaphor or the bread is a metaphor for his body and eating is a metaphor for belief. But more than that, by doing this, they believe you're crucifying Christ all over again. They believe that there needs to be an additional grace for you, and it's declaring that the one time offering of Christ is not sufficient. Even more so, the priest controls grace with the element. The spirit moves where he wills. The Father has grace on whom he will have grace. There is no control of the grace. And the real interpretation issue is that they just missed the metaphor. So I believe that's a wrong way of viewing it. On the other side of the spectrum is that the Lord's Supper is merely a remembrance or a memorial, that this is just mere a token to remind us. And I think that's slightly off. If you look to 1 Corinthians 10, and go ahead and turn there, be there in your Bible as we're going to be looking at the Lord's Supper here soon. Paul says this. No, I imply that when pagans sacrifice, they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. Now, listen to what he's saying here. When you make a sacrifice, when you participate in a sacrifice meal with demons, you're participating with them. I believe the contrary, you can't participate with demons and the Lord, you cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. Shall we provoke the Lord of jealousy? Are we stronger than he? I believe the implication is that there's a real participation with Christ by the Holy Spirit as we partake of these elements. They're not the body. They're not the blood. But there's a real spiritual presence, as we sang earlier in the church's one foundation. Yet she on earth have union with God, the three in one and mystic, sweet communion. With those whose rest is one now, what is the spiritual partaking? I don't know. But I know that this isn't just bread and cup because we're coming together as a gathered body in the name of Jesus Christ and taking this together. That's why every meal isn't the Lord's Supper. This is the Lord's Supper because God's people are gathered for the purpose of reminding themselves of what Christ has done and what still lies before us. This is why we fence the table. That's a real technical word, but as Sam will come earlier and lead us to the Lord's Supper, he's going to fence it. He's going to put a warning on it because we don't believe this is just a cracker. We don't believe this is just juice. We don't believe that this is mere elements. We believe that the work of Christ is among us and the Spirit is with us as we partake in this together. And so we're going to think in a number of ways. First, we're going to think that for non-Christians, if you're not a Christian this morning, let the let the bread, let the cup pass. And as you let it pass, notice you don't get to participate in it because that body that that bread and that cup, it represents the death of Christ. If you don't believe in the death of Christ, you don't get to participate in the death of Christ. If you don't believe in Christ, you don't get to participate in the Lord's Supper. You're outside of communion with God. Recognize that you are outside of God's family. That you need to be in it, you need to believe in him, let the elements pass and recognize that God's judgment is on you and you need to believe in him. If you're a Christian. We also fence the table because Paul in first Corinthians 11, he says that you cannot take the communion in an unworthy manner. There's a beautiful metaphor here. We are one body of Christ. We partake the body of Christ. We partake in the bread representing the body of Christ. Our union needs to reflect the union that we're here to have with Christ. There cannot be open sin among the body as we declare that we are one body together. If there's sin within the body, there's open and clear sin. If you're in a disagreement with your wife, if you're in disagreement with another brother or sister, I encourage you either do not take the elements, do not do not participate to participate in the Lord's Supper, or while we're reflecting our sin, get up and go ask for forgiveness. Get up and be reconciled before you participate in the one Lord's Supper representing our unity that is a witness to the world. Now, is it going to be awkward if you get up? Maybe, but here's the thing. If we all recognize we're sinners, it's not going to surprise anybody that many people should be getting up. If we believe we're sinners and we're always in need of forgiveness, it's not going to surprise anybody that, yeah, He's a sinner going to talk to a sinner and they can share the forgiveness that we all share in Jesus Christ. Find courage in the gospel to find forgiveness. Finally, we also fence the table for those who are not members of a church. Why this one, I really want to explain First Corinthians 1133. Paul says, when you come together, wait for one another. When you come together for the Lord's Supper, wait for another. There's some pretty strong implications there. He's assuming you're part of a body that knows you should be there. You're part of a body that expects you, that knows you, knows who you are, and they expect you to be part of that communion that they share with you together. It's a beautiful picture. The Lord's Supper is a witness to our unity. If you're not a member of a body, I encourage you to let it pass. And that doesn't mean we don't think you're a Christian, but I would love you to challenge. I would challenge you. Why aren't you part of a body? Not maybe not here, maybe somewhere else, but to be part of a body that knows who you are. And they expect you because you've committed to that body, the Lord suffers an opportunity for the church gathered to encourage one another. As Paul, I believe, assumes there in 1 Corinthians 11. As we conclude, brothers and sisters, remember the death of Christ. Remember what he has done to remove your sin and your guilt. Celebrate our faith together. Celebrate our union together and look forward to that day when we'll be perfectly reconciled Sin will no longer attain our worship. We will know God as he is, for we shall see him as he is. We pray with me. Father, we praise you that your gospel. Gives life that your son's death has given us hope. We praise you that you have given us these teachings in Scripture, the types, the bread pointing us to Christ who has come and it will come again. We thank you that if we believe in you, we have eternal life. Forgive us for all the other appetites that distract us from enjoying the life you've given us. Help us, Lord, now to praise you and to worship you together as a body. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.