Jesus' Supper

Good morning. We are looking at the Lord's Supper and really, to make it very clear, this is one of the practices that Christ has ordained for all believers at all times. I ask, what are your personal sacred practices? I don't ask if you have sacred practices, I ask what are they? We all have things that we do fairly religiously. It may not be actually connected to your faith, but it shows what you're really committed to. Maybe drinking coffee in the morning, doing the crossword puzzle. Maybe you're committed to a certain team, so you have all the dates scheduled that you're always making sure you keep up and maybe even watch the events. be lucky socks on Monday, tacos on Tuesday, so on and so on. But I want to make it very clear, religious practices, they're good if we do the right ones. God designed us for religious practices. God designed us to, to, to be disciplined in the things that we would regularly do, so they would form habits and character and we will be changed. The real difficulty is making sure we're doing the right kinds of practices. We are becoming someone in the way we live. God's people have always had practices. We read from Exodus 12. God said he wanted all of Israel to regularly observe the Passover meal, to remember first how God delivered them, and to also look forward to the new lamb. Now we're going to be looking at that very difficult and interesting point of there's a promise and fulfillment in Christ. The main thing I really want us to be challenged with today is asking, how are my practices in need of alignment with God's? How are my practices not aligned with God's prescriptions? This morning we're going to see three things, Lord willing, from the text. First, Jesus is worthy of our worship. Jesus is worthy of our worship. Second, Jesus is slain so that we can worship. He will die so that we can worship. And third, Jesus has ordained the Lord's Supper so that we grow in Him. The main point, if you're taking notes, the main sentence that you want to write down, Jesus is worthy of praise and was slain for our sins so that we can praise him. He is worthy of praise. He was slain for our sins so that we can praise him. Jesus is worthy of our worship. You see here, verses 1 through 10, there's really a basic unit here. If you're new with us, we're just walking through the Gospel of Mark, and here the big section is connected with the Passover, particularly. But 1 through 11 could actually be its own unit, because as we've looked at Mark, he likes to use sandwiching. So there's a beginning and an end, there's bookends, and what's in the middle is really most important. And this particular section really shows all kinds of different responses to Jesus Christ. Mark is constantly wanting to press in who Jesus is, and then he shows us how different people responded to him. And we have all kinds of different responses here in this text. The, the, Jesus has come in for his last trip into Jerusalem. He's, he's come in being praised as a king. He's cleansed the temple. He's had all kinds of confrontations. And now we are just days away from the Passover. And notice what verse 1 says. The chief priests and the scribes, that is the religious leaders of Israel who are supposed to be studying God's Word, being prepared for the coming of the Messiah, they were seeking how to arrest him by stealth and kill him. Those who are supposed to be most knowledgeable from God's word as to what's supposed to be coming, so that when he comes they're ready, they're wanting to kill the one who comes. The religious leaders are dangerous. They want to kill Jesus because they revealed them for what they are. They're not lovers of God. They hate God. They want to murder him. And so being exposed as, in their false religion, they are trying to get rid of Jesus. Let's drop down to verses 10 and 11. We see there Judas Iscariot. He's one of the twelve. He's, he's been with Jesus for the, the duration of his ministry, for the three years that Jesus was walking on earth as the Messiah, teaching, healing, preaching, Notice he goes to Chief Priest. He initiates the betrayal. He who's been with Jesus and heard him, he's the one who has been embraced by Jesus. We'll see here in just a moment, he's the one who's going to actually be dipping his bread in the Passover with Jesus. He initiates. He reveals that he truly hates God. This intersection is quite remarkable. You've got scribes, chief priests, people who would be esteemed in the community and in society, who would be looked to as religious authorities. You've got Judas, you'd expect as one of the 12, it's what you want to learn from. And Mark, the way he writes here, verses three through nine, presents an unnamed woman, as the one who's actually responding to Jesus the right way she worships. And notice at the end, her memory will be told with the gospel. This story's recorded in all four gospels. We know from the Gospel of John that this is Mary of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. We also know that this story didn't actually take place on the two days before Passover. It actually took place before the triumphal entry. It took place right after Jesus said to Lazarus, come out from the grave. So there's a meal after Lazarus is raised from the dead. He's sitting and reclining with Simon the leper, somebody who Jesus probably healed from leprosy, or else you couldn't eat with him. And Mary comes in. having just heard Jesus raise her brother from the dead, and anoints him with nard, a very expensive ointment and oil. Now the scene here is one that's happened at other times, but Mary, she's believing in Jesus, she's seen him raise the dead, she takes this alabaster flask, and what's unique about this flask is it's a one-time open. You know, they don't have a ledge you screw on and you screw off. It's a one-time open opportunity. And you see there, it's costly. It's $300 deny. A deny is a day's wage. This is almost a year's salary. This is most likely the most expensive thing that a rich person would own. Nard was not common in Palestine. It would have to be imported. It was extremely expensive. And she begins to anoint Jesus with the best she has. Notice Mark tells us of other responses to the woman, but these are also responses to Jesus. Look at verse 4. There were some who said to themselves, indignantly, with anger, Why was the ointment wasted like that? For this ointment could have been sold for more than $309 and given to the poor. Now this is religious complaining. You can't just say that's wrong. You got to come up with some kind of really good spiritual better way. We could have been given this to the poor. It's a waste what this woman is doing. And they scolded her. So there you see the, we know at least one disciple's there. We know Judas actually is one who corrected her publicly. Then we see they're scolding her because they don't yet actually see who Jesus is. Notice Jesus wanna have this. He corrects them. Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. For you always have the poor with you, and whatever you want, you can do good for them, but you will not always have me. She has done what she could. She has anointed my body beforehand for burial." Here you see these men who are supposed to be leading the church, and they're indignant at this woman's clear public worship. They're, they're, they're angry and scolding her, and Jesus corrects them. You don't yet get it. Because they don't yet see who He is. They, they're still blind, and they don't see Jesus as the one who is truly worthy of our worship. She's worshiping, but I'm not sure she's even aware of what she's doing fully because I'm not sure she realizes Jesus has to die yet. But Jesus makes it clear in God's ordained perfect plan, she is preparing me for the burial I'm going to have in just one week. This, her worship, is of God. Now the way Barth is writing this is clearly contrasting this unnamed woman, who we do know of from another gospel. But the way he's presenting her is she's the unnamed woman. She'd be someone who would not be esteemed in society. She is actually responding over against, the right way over against, those who would be esteemed. Judas plots with hatred as a disciple. She loves sacrificially as a true disciple. We see here really a clear lesson on worship. This woman is set apart as a model. And what an amazing teaching tool for God to use here. The woman in the story, the unnamed woman, is the model for what faith is. And we saw this, we've actually seen it in Mark before. We can learn a few things. First, worship is public. Christian faith is not meant to be live out privately only. It's not just my faith. No, it's a public worship. It should be on display. It should be demonstratable. Faith should not be just private. Secondly, it's costly. This is what was the most likely the most expensive thing in the home. She gave her best. And let me be very clear, when Jesus says, the poor you'll always have with you, He's not making a value claim that you shouldn't care for the poor. He's actually practicing or teaching the principle He's already taught. Love the Lord your God with all your heart. Love your neighbor as yourself. We see him saying, now that I am with you, the last few days I'm going to be with you, it's right to worship and love the Lord your God with all your heart. The poor, your poor neighbors, you can love them as yourself after the resurrection. Third, true worship requires courage. This woman's fearless. She's fearless because she knows who Jesus is. She's fearless Because he who calms fears, he who is powerful, he who's already raised her brother from the dead, she's with him. What does it matter what the scolders and scoffers say? The last thing I want you to see here about the worship that Jesus commends, look at verse eight. She has done what she could do. She's done what she could do. This is a challenging passage and a very encouraging passage. The worship Christ expects of us is not something far out there beyond our ability. We're actually just called to be good stewards of what He has given to us. She's done what she could do. She had what was her best, and she gave Christ her best. She's done. what she could do. She did not hold back her best for herself or for some other God. It's challenging because we have to consider what could we do to worship Christ? And what are we not offering to Him publicly, sacrificially, and courageously? This story really sets the stage for what happens next. I want you to see that the next few sermons I'll be preaching actually follow the Apostles' Creed. Christ suffered under Pontius Pilate. That'll be the next sermon. Crucified, dead, and was buried. The next sermon on the third day He rose again. Here we're going to see Christ preparing the disciples for His betrayal, crucifixion, and resurrection. Our next point, Jesus is slain so that we can worship Him. This is important because we need to realize We can't just come to God how we want to. We started our worship service with a call to worship. God invites us into worship. God speaks to us so that we can know him in worship. God has actually provided the sacrifice so that we can come to him in worship. Worship is a God-ordained practice that must be followed. Verse 12, and on the first day of the unleavened bread, when the sacrifices And when they sacrificed the Passover lamb his disciples said to him where will you have us go and prepare for you to eat the Passover? He sent two of his disciples and said to them go into the city a man carrying a jar of water will meet you Follow him and wherever he enters say to the master of the house the teacher says where's my guest room? where I may eat the Passover with my disciples and he will show you a large room furnished and ready there prepare for us. And the disciples set out and went to the city and found it just as he had told them and they prepared the Passover. Now notice the Passover is the the key focus here. Now Jesus is helping the disciples know, right, you're going to run to a man carrying a glass, a jar of water. Ask him where we should be going. He's going to lead you the way. Everything is prepared by God beforehand. But it's also prepared by God beforehand in a more significant way. In order to really appreciate what's happening and why this Passover is when Jesus is going to die, and how it is connected to the Lord's Supper, we need to understand what the Passover was about. What Isaiah read earlier from Exodus 12. See, God called one man Abraham. Gave him a son when he and his wife were, his wife was barren. And eventually there's a child who's nicknamed, who's renamed Israel. He has 12 sons. God sends those families into Egypt during a famine. Egypt is the greatest power the world knows at that time. And because Joseph was appointed as the prince of Egypt, as one of the leaders of Egypt, they get the most precious land. And Egypt really functions like an incubator for many years, for many generations. Israel multiplies and grows and grows and grows and grows. And then finally, there's a Pharaoh on the throne who, he forgets Pharaoh, or he forgets Joseph. And he looks at the numerous Israelites and says, they're a threat to us. We've got to do something about it. So they start treating them as slaves, not guests. And then the people of Israel start crying out to God. And then God calls Moses and says, you are going to be the leader of Israel who's going to let my people go. I am with you. I am for you. And God makes it very clear that He is the one God. There's ten plagues. God didn't need to have ten plagues. He could have snapped His fingers. He could have just simply declared, but He wanted to make it demonstratable. Ten plagues. You see this back and forth with Pharaoh. He hardened his heart. God hardened His heart. His heart was hardened. God is making it very clear. I am the one true God. And he attacks different deities of Egypt with each plague. And then there's the final plague. And it comes with a practice. God said, take an unblemished lamb, sacrifice it, eat it all that night, and then take blood from that lamb and put it over the doorpost. And that night, that last plague, what's going to happen is the spirit of judgment is going to go over the entire land of Egypt, and where that blood is not over the mantle, the doorpost, the judgment will come on the family. That home will lose the firstborn. For the Israelites who believed God and trusted Him, they were safe. The judgment passed over because of the blood of the Lamb. For the Egyptians, there was weeping and there was wailing, because they suffered the judgment of God, because there was no blood testimony. That was God's final judgment, and so Israel leaves plundering the Egyptians. Pharaoh comes out having lost his son. Get out! But God was not yet done, because he said he wanted to have glory over Pharaoh. Pharaoh hardens his heart one more time. As Israel, the Red Sea, they see the army coming back. They fear they're all going to be judged. Remember Israelites, they're grumbling after seeing all of this. Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you sent us out? God parts the Red Sea. Israel walks on dry land. As the Egyptians try to come, He crushes them. As we go back to that Passover, the blood over the mantle, the blood of the firstborn, unblemished lamb. Israel is supposed to practice this meal once a year. This was their great deliverance. It was the way they were freed from slavery to go into the promised land. And just think about this meal that had many elements. It's a fantastic, practical, pedagogical tool. Every year, the father would sit down with the children and the family, and they would go through and point out how different elements of this meal, that there's a smell to it, there's a taste to it, it's visual. Every year, they would be able to tell the children and their neighbors, this is who our God is. He was with us. He's for us. He delivered us. There's a lamb whose life was given so that the firstborn lived. And it was very clear that there was something future about this continued practice. Jesus was slain, pointing back to this Passover meal. If we just look at verse 22, he takes the bread that's part of the meal and he says, this is my body. He gives thanks. He takes the cup. This is the blood of the new covenant that's poured out for many. Jesus is the Lamb. As we read from Revelation 19, the call to worship. He'll be called the Lamb of God throughout all eternity after He returns. Because that was the symbol that He came to be like us in every way, yet without sin. He was perfect, unblemished. He was the child of God who took on flesh to become like us in every way, yet without sin. Because we're so unrighteous, we could not make up for our sin. There's no way for us to make ourselves clean. So Jesus became like us. So when He died on the cross, He took the punishment of our sin. He took the penalty. He took on the curse. And then he gave us his unrighteousness. Jesus is the one sacrifice that ends all sacrifices. He is the one final lamb. Here's the beauty of it. In Israel, the sins were passed over. They weren't removed. In Israel, they had to keep sacrificing year after year because there's not a single lamb that could take away the sins of Israel. But when Jesus Christ came, the perfect human, God himself, sin is washed away. It is as far from you, if you're a believer in Christ, as east is from the west. He is the final perfect Lamb of God, the once for all sacrifice. That's why our worship service this morning is not a bloody mess. We get to rejoice in His righteousness. He is a fulfillment of this promise, the Son of God who died so that we can worship Him. His being slain has a lot of elements to it. Let's look at verses 17 through 21, and we're going to consider this more next week as we look at the betrayal. But here there's a certain side of this betrayal that's important. And when it was evening, he came to the twelve, and as they were reclining at table eating, Jesus said, Truly I say to you, one of you will betray me, the one who is eating with me. They began to be sorrowful and say to him, one after another, Is it I? Now, let's just pause here, because this is actually good self-reflection. They didn't all look at the table trying to figure out who it is. They actually were all sorrowful. Is it I? They wanted to assume first, could it be me? And let's just be very honest, the answer is they were all betrayers of Jesus. Now, the one betrayal he's talking about is Judas, who sells him for money, betrays him for money. But Peter denies Jesus out of fear. The other disciples, they flee. These were weak men that turned the world upside down after the resurrection. These are fearful men that are all going to betray Jesus, but the one thing that makes them disciples beyond their own faith is that Christ said, I am with you, I am for you, I have purchased you, you are mine, I'm going to keep you. Let us be on guard of not thinking we have the courage to always be faithful. No, you've got a Savior who is always faithful. We have a Savior who does not let us go. We see here, he's sovereign over sin. He's not the author of sin, but he's sovereign over it. No sin takes place outside of his own control. Verse 20, he said to them, it is one of the 12, one who's dipping bread in the dish with me. For the son of man goes as it is written of him. That is probably a reference to Zechariah 11, a promise that someone would sell the king for 30 pieces of silver. But woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed. It would have been better for that man if he had not been born." Now, this is Judas of Iscariot. We know this because this is what he does in the next chapter. We know this from John 17 where Jesus is praying, I have not lost one that you've given to me. But the Son of Perdition, the Son who was destined for destruction, He has been lost because He was never with us. We have to kind of wrestle here. Was Judas predestined to betray Jesus? We have to say it was part of God's plan. It was prophesied in Zechariah. It's clear that this is according to plan. How do we wrestle with God being a good, merciful God, be it also making it very clear Judas was destined to fulfill this part of the plan and be destroyed forever in judgment? As a result of this, I wanna give you just two verses that really help us see kind of some truth here. Genesis 50, really a thematic verse of everything that happens there in Genesis. What man intends for evil, God uses for good. There's no sinful act that is outside of God's power to actually use what we intend for evil for his good purpose. What Judas intends out of his own sinful will to gain money, God uses it for his plan of salvation for us. Acts 2 verse 20 actually make it a little more pointed in Peter's first Christian sermon. This Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified by the hands of lawlessness. You see there, the Jews, they're gonna have to pay for the judgment. They're gonna have to give an answer to themselves for their own actions and their lawlessness, and they're crucifying the very God who came to save them. But we need to realize also, it was all according to plan. It's very comforting. God is sovereign over, even over our sin. We see the wickedness. Before we move on to Judas, we'd have to realize, wouldn't it be fearful, just like all the disciples were? Is it I? In the name of the Lord's Supper, and we get into the focus of self-examination before the Lord's Supper, is it I? It isn't even, is it I? It's, Lord, how have I failed you? How have I misrepresented you? How have I not loved you? How have I not loved my neighbor? Help me see the sins that reside even deep in my heart, that come off my lips, that affect what I hear, what I say, what I do. Help me. Help my unbelief. Help me to seek forgiveness. The final thing I want us to see this morning is that Jesus ordains the Lord's Supper so that we can grow. We're looking here because this is the first Sunday we participate in the Lord's Supper. This practice, this ordinance we're about to participate in together is what Jesus is actually prescribing. Jesus is giving us the very last Passover and he's giving us the first Lord's Supper. He's ending the Passover because he's the lamb who's fulfilled that. There is no more Christian practice of the Passover. I think we can have a teaching lesson where we go through the Passover and see the elements, but that's not a Christian practice. It's not an ordinance. As Protestants, we believe there are two ordinances, baptism and the Lord's Supper. Baptism clearly functions as the introduction, the invitation into God's people. It is that ordinance that Christ has given so that converts and believers are recognized by the church, being baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Lord's Supper is the ongoing reminder. I want you to understand both are similar in that we're going to talk about how they function, but They both point to our union with Christ. You're baptized into his death. You're raised with him in a new life. Here we're going to be partaking of bread and a cup that symbolize his sacrifice so that we are forgiven in union with him. There's four truths about the ordinances, baptism and the Lord's Supper. Four truths I want us to meditate upon. First, they're ordained by Christ. It's his instruction that sets these apart. There's numerous commandments. Fulfill the law of Christ, Paul says. Bear one another's burdens. That's a commandment of Christ. Feed the hungry. We are supposed to actually take care of the poor, even though he said not now here to the event earlier. There's numerous commands, but these are specifically ordained as sacred practices, unique practices for the church. The second thing I want to say about ordinances, they're effectual by faith. They're effectual by faith. If there's no faith at baptism, it's just an awkward public bath. If there's no faith, this is just a very unsatisfying snack. Just a cup, a piece of bread. Faith is what, being ordained by Christ as what we're supposed to do, and our faith in response is what makes it effectual. Neither are empowered by your parents' faith. Just as much as your parents' faith do not save you, neither do the orders of Christ have any effect for you, if only your parents' faith. They're not dependent upon my blessing. I don't bless them at all. I'm up here to simply lead us as a church together, to partake them together. It's not the holiness of the church. It's Christ ordaining. This is what we as Christians are to do, and it's our faith and wanting to respond in obedience that make them effectual. Somebody very clear. The third thing, they're empowered by the Spirit. The Spirit dwells within us. The Spirit is with us as we're gathered. These are ordained by Christ, received by faith, and they're empowered by the Spirit to remind us of the great forgiveness we've received. They're empowered by the Spirit to unite us to Christ and to one another. They're empowered by the Spirit to help us grow up into Christ and be of great courage and be encouraged in Christ. It's not a mere remembrance. This is a spiritual practice that is dependent upon Christ, command our faith and the grace of God to empower it by his spirit. And fourthly, there might be practice as a church. The ordinances belong to the church. They're not merely a private individual. We will get into this in a moment, how we practice this. There is a self-examination, but there's also a corporate examination. It's not just about me and Jesus and the Lord's Supper. It's really about how we together are the people of God. Notice in the text here, My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. It's the one blood of Christ for all who believe. There's something important about 1 Corinthians 11 that says, wait for everyone you expect before you start participating in the Lord's Supper. Anybody ever start Thanksgiving without grandma? Shame on you if you do. Now, when you gather for a family meal, you wait. You wait for everybody you expect to come. And there's something important about being a family, a body, a united church, that when everyone is here that you expect, that you should be expected among the people of God, if you're a child of God. There's something wonderful about being expected that makes you look around and say, we're all united together in Christ. by His blood, by His resurrection, by His Spirit, by faith. This is something that reminds us that we're all rascals together, redeemed by the precious blood of Christ. So the four things, ordained by Christ, effectual by faith, empowered by the Spirit, practiced as a church. Let me just say something. If you're a Christian this morning, I encourage you to let the cup and the bread pass. It's not for you right now. But I want you to not see that as a judgment. I want you to see the cup and the bread that we're gonna go through as a practice or an ordinance together as a church here in a moment. I want you to see it as an invitation. It's an invitation to believe in Christ, who died for sinners like me and like you, who rose again to give new life, is an invitation to not continue to live a life where you're letting the hope of life, the forgiveness of sins, continue to pass by you. No, I urge you, if you're not a Christian this morning, your invitation is to believe in Jesus Christ. That is your salvation. This will do you no good without faith. Believe in Jesus Christ. Do not leave here without talking to someone about what that means, that you are a sinner in need of a Savior, and the only one who's able to actually take away your sin is Jesus Christ. Notice what Christ does, verse 22. As they were eating, He took the bread, and after blessing it, broke it, gave it to them. That's an act of faith. Receive it. There's a command and reception by faith. This is my body. Symbolically, the bread represents the body that is torn apart and broken for us. His incarnation, He came to save us. And He took the cup. He had given thanks. There's Eucharist, that's why some call the Lord's Supper a Eucharist. He gave it to them, and they all drank. Again, there's a beautiful picture here. One cup for all. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. There's a thankfulness that's necessary in the Lord's Supper. because of what He's given us. The Father gave us His Son. Christ gave us His righteousness, His sonship, His perfection. He's given us forgiveness. It's important as we think about we are coming as sinners to remember, I am a sinner saved by grace. My sin can be so overwhelming at times, but there's no way my sin is greater than Christ. It is the only way to be washed. It's the blood of the righteous one. There's a few things we need to do as we think about the Lord's Supper. Recognize that it's effectual by our faith. It's effectual as we, we look inside and we, we see, I am a sinner in need of forgiveness. We look up, we see Christ in the right hand of the Father. He has accomplished that forgiveness and given us His ordinance to remember that forgiveness. And we look around. We're all forgiven together. Those are the beliefs. There's one last thing the Lord's Supper does. It doesn't just remind us of what Christ has done, how we've been forgiven, how we have all been forgiven. Verse 25, truly I say to you, I will not drink again the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God. And that's why we had our call to worship, the marriage supper of the Lamb. Today we're taking an unsatisfying piece of bread, an unsatisfying cup of juice. Other than the fact for our palate and our stomach at least. But it reminds us that Christ has fulfilled and has accomplished all that has been promised. And we're looking forward to the day where we're going to sit down at the marriage feast of the Lamb. We're going to sit down with Christ himself, the bridegroom. And there's something very different. We're not gonna be sinners who are thankful we're forgiven. We're gonna be perfectly redeemed, sin not just forgiven, sin removed. Seeing Him with new eyes, seeing Him with a full heart, rejoicing that we are with Him forever in His love. A few things as we get prepared for the Lord's Supper, how to prepare for the Lord's Supper. Look to Jesus. Believe in Him. If you've not been baptized, this is not for you. The baptism is the first ordinance to initiate you and to bring you into the church. The Lord's Supper is what follows. Pursue the church for baptism. If you're not a member of the church, if you're visiting, if you're a member of another church and you're visiting with us, please partake with us as a representation that we are one in Christ. But if you're not a member of a church at all, Come talk to an elder. Come talk to me afterwards. We want you to be expected as part of a body, either here or somewhere else. As 1 Corinthians makes very clear. If you're a believer, I want you to see that there's an individual aspect and a corporate aspect. First, there's self-examination. Is it I, Lord? We come as great sinners to a great Savior. There's two different tendencies. There's one that says I wanna make less of my sin because I'm actually afraid of it. I wanna make less of my sin because I'm afraid that if I actually really understand what my sin is, I may not trust Christ enough, or He may not love me. No, in Christ, courageously, boldly, show me my sin. so that I can see how great your forgiveness is, so that I can therefore have great love in response. There's a rejoicing that I am forgiven. That's the individual focus of the Lord's Supper. The corporate is, if I'm forgiven, I am called to extend forgiveness. If I am forgiven, then I am called to extend forgiveness and ask for forgiveness. There's a corporate aspect of this. We look around and we ask, who have I sinned against? Or who has sinned against me and that I have not forgiven? There's a corporate aspect of the Lord's Supper that causes us to reflect how much I've been forgiven. And only then can we start looking out and say, I'm eager to seek forgiveness. I'm eager to forgive. Let us pause and reflect before we close. Father, thank you for this perfect plan that's foreshadowed in the lamb whose blood caused you to pass over sins. For all the lambs that represented Christ coming before him. For that perfect lamb of God who died for us when we did not deserve it. You died for us while we are sinners. You love us even while we are sinners. Help us to rejoice in forgiveness. For the one whose conscience is seared with guilt, free them this morning, Lord. Help them to look and to partake with great confidence, not in their own faith, not in their own strength, but in Christ and who He is and what He's done. Lord, for the one who's here and does not yet know You, pierce them, convict them, Lord. Help them to see their need of Christ. Church, Lord, may we look to this ordinance as a way of rejoicing together in who we are together in Christ. Thank you for not treating us as the enemies that we have been to you, but inviting us in to rejoice together at your table in Christ. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.