1 00:00:00,440 --> 00:00:04,880 We're going to begin today entering into the 3rd chapter of 2 00:00:04,880 --> 00:00:08,520 Jonah, where we will be the next three weeks. 3 00:00:09,080 --> 00:00:13,400 But I want to begin at verse 10 of Jonah 2 and then read the 4 00:00:13,400 --> 00:00:16,680 first 2 verses of Jonah 3. They're printed in your 5 00:00:16,680 --> 00:00:18,640 bulletin. If you did not have, do not have 6 00:00:18,640 --> 00:00:22,480 your own Bible. And the Lord spoke to the fish, 7 00:00:23,240 --> 00:00:26,600 and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land. 8 00:00:27,880 --> 00:00:31,720 Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, 9 00:00:31,760 --> 00:00:38,600 saying, arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out 10 00:00:38,600 --> 00:00:41,600 against it. The message that I tell you. 11 00:00:42,040 --> 00:00:45,440 This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. 12 00:00:45,800 --> 00:01:01,870 Please be seated in his 64 page commentary on the book of Jonah 13 00:01:02,520 --> 00:01:06,600 O Palmer. Robertson begins chapter 3 in 14 00:01:06,600 --> 00:01:10,680 his commentary on Chapter 3. With these words, we have a 15 00:01:10,680 --> 00:01:16,560 story to tell. The nation's Our story has 16 00:01:16,560 --> 00:01:21,280 greater potential for helping a troubled world than all the 17 00:01:21,280 --> 00:01:27,000 proposals of the politicians of all the nations. 18 00:01:28,400 --> 00:01:32,200 That's why this Sunday matters, and next Sunday and the 19 00:01:32,200 --> 00:01:35,560 following Sunday, and the mission conference Sunday and 20 00:01:35,560 --> 00:01:39,920 every Sunday we have a story to tell the nation's. 21 00:01:40,400 --> 00:01:43,960 And it's a story that you, if you're in Christ, would never 22 00:01:43,960 --> 00:01:47,960 have believed if it wasn't for the sovereign grace of God. 23 00:01:48,720 --> 00:01:51,880 It's a story that today, if you're not in Christ, you might 24 00:01:51,880 --> 00:01:54,960 begin to realize in His sovereign grace, He brought you 25 00:01:54,960 --> 00:01:57,520 here to hear what you're about to hear. 26 00:01:58,600 --> 00:02:02,960 It's the only story that can save. 27 00:02:03,400 --> 00:02:06,360 It's the only story that can redeem. 28 00:02:07,200 --> 00:02:11,680 And it's a story that is not meant to simply have us living a 29 00:02:11,680 --> 00:02:21,000 life that says I'm moral, I'm grounded, I'm conservative. 30 00:02:22,200 --> 00:02:26,880 It is a story that it's at its essence the living God is 31 00:02:26,880 --> 00:02:34,160 saying, I made you to love me with all your heart, mind, body, 32 00:02:34,160 --> 00:02:37,600 and soul. I made you to love your neighbor 33 00:02:37,640 --> 00:02:42,320 as yourself. I made you to abide in Christ 34 00:02:42,440 --> 00:02:46,720 and bear much fruit so that you might bring me glory from 35 00:02:46,760 --> 00:02:50,320 Jesus's own words. If anyone would come after me, 36 00:02:50,680 --> 00:02:53,960 He must take up his cross daily and follow me. 37 00:02:54,280 --> 00:02:56,600 That's what I made you in Christ for. 38 00:02:57,520 --> 00:03:01,480 I made you to go and make disciples of all nations, 39 00:03:01,880 --> 00:03:04,280 baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy 40 00:03:04,280 --> 00:03:09,080 Spirit. Even from this little book 41 00:03:09,080 --> 00:03:14,400 called Jonah. In chapter 3, we're in the book 42 00:03:14,400 --> 00:03:15,720 of Jonah. If you're new to our church, 43 00:03:15,720 --> 00:03:18,240 perhaps this is your first Sunday and we're going to spend 44 00:03:18,240 --> 00:03:21,920 several weeks there, or we have already, but I want to begin in 45 00:03:21,920 --> 00:03:24,240 chapter 2. If you have a Bible, open it up. 46 00:03:24,240 --> 00:03:26,440 If not, grab the Blue Pew Bible in front of you because I want 47 00:03:26,440 --> 00:03:30,080 to start back in or Section 2 for just a minute. 48 00:03:30,080 --> 00:03:36,600 And what I want you to picture is this fish that God made. 49 00:03:39,800 --> 00:03:43,840 If the fish that swallowed Jonah, where Jonah lived for 50 00:03:43,840 --> 00:03:47,160 three days, which we believe to be true is a stumbling block to 51 00:03:47,160 --> 00:03:50,080 you, just let me encourage you. You need to get over the fish. 52 00:03:52,320 --> 00:03:56,200 Many people say I can't believe the fish could do that. 53 00:03:56,200 --> 00:03:59,720 Yet they have no problem with the fact that Jesus rose from 54 00:03:59,720 --> 00:04:02,520 the dead. You need to get over the fish. 55 00:04:03,400 --> 00:04:08,280 We believe it really happened. We believe it at this level that 56 00:04:08,280 --> 00:04:12,360 God created that fish, just like He created every other thing, 57 00:04:13,160 --> 00:04:17,800 every part of it. And when that fish was given 58 00:04:17,800 --> 00:04:21,440 life, the sovereign God knew that this would be the fish that 59 00:04:21,440 --> 00:04:25,240 would grow large enough to be the one to swallow my rebellious 60 00:04:25,240 --> 00:04:30,200 prophet to the people of Israel. He knew when it would happen. 61 00:04:30,920 --> 00:04:34,840 He knew how it would happen, and He knew that He would, as the 62 00:04:34,840 --> 00:04:39,880 Word says, speak to the fish. He spoke to Jonah. 63 00:04:39,880 --> 00:04:43,760 Jonah didn't listen. Jonah rebels. 64 00:04:44,760 --> 00:04:48,840 Jonah rationalizes. Jonah begins to live in terrible 65 00:04:48,840 --> 00:04:51,880 theology, believing he could hide from the living God. 66 00:04:53,240 --> 00:04:57,480 But the sovereign God is going to have his way, and His way is 67 00:04:57,480 --> 00:04:59,760 not a way that we would ever make up. 68 00:05:00,680 --> 00:05:05,760 His way is to use broken, fallen, sinful people to bring 69 00:05:05,760 --> 00:05:09,720 his news of redemption to another broken, fallen people. 70 00:05:11,200 --> 00:05:16,160 And so Jonah's in the well, Jonah describes it this way in 71 00:05:16,160 --> 00:05:19,160 chapter 2, verse 5. He's in the fish. 72 00:05:20,080 --> 00:05:22,520 This is essentially Jonah's Psalm. 73 00:05:22,720 --> 00:05:26,160 He is, He is taking psalms and bringing them into his prayer 74 00:05:26,160 --> 00:05:29,440 because he knows the word. And he says in verse 5, the 75 00:05:29,440 --> 00:05:32,960 waters closed in over me to take my life. 76 00:05:34,080 --> 00:05:36,680 The deep surrounded me. Now picture this. 77 00:05:37,040 --> 00:05:43,480 Weeds were wrapped around my head, about my head, at the 78 00:05:43,480 --> 00:05:48,360 roots of the mountains. I love that phrase. 79 00:05:49,280 --> 00:05:55,680 You cannot go lower than the roots of the mountains. 80 00:05:58,640 --> 00:06:03,000 Jonah has rebelled. He's in the fish. 81 00:06:04,160 --> 00:06:07,400 In the fish. He is experiencing the 82 00:06:07,400 --> 00:06:11,080 discipline of God who's about to deliver him. 83 00:06:11,920 --> 00:06:15,040 He is experiencing the might of God who's about to show him 84 00:06:15,040 --> 00:06:18,360 mercy. He's experiencing the will of 85 00:06:18,360 --> 00:06:21,480 God, the way of God, and the word of God. 86 00:06:23,000 --> 00:06:28,040 And he repents upon his repentance This fish in 87 00:06:28,040 --> 00:06:32,560 obedience to God, speaking to it, the one who made him vomits 88 00:06:32,720 --> 00:06:35,960 Jonah out. Now here's what I want you to do 89 00:06:35,960 --> 00:06:39,880 for a moment. We have no narrative, no 90 00:06:39,880 --> 00:06:44,040 testimony of anyone who saw Jonah come out of the fish's 91 00:06:44,040 --> 00:06:46,600 mouth. But I want you just for a 92 00:06:46,600 --> 00:06:50,080 minute, because this is what God allows us to do through his 93 00:06:50,080 --> 00:06:56,280 Spirit to imagine what that looked like, what he smelled 94 00:06:56,280 --> 00:07:05,960 like, what he did next with seaweed, the inside of a fish 95 00:07:06,560 --> 00:07:11,480 all over him. It's really happened. 96 00:07:12,360 --> 00:07:19,880 It really happened at some point, we assume right away, 97 00:07:21,080 --> 00:07:26,520 verse 3, chapter 3, verse one says then the word of the Lord 98 00:07:26,520 --> 00:07:30,920 came to Jonah the second time. And if you take chapter 1 and 99 00:07:31,000 --> 00:07:34,000 chapter 3 in those first few verses in each one, you'll see 100 00:07:34,000 --> 00:07:38,760 how how close these words are to one another. 101 00:07:38,760 --> 00:07:40,880 We'll begin to unpack that next week in the following. 102 00:07:41,560 --> 00:07:44,000 The word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time. 103 00:07:45,360 --> 00:07:49,040 Before we come to the table in a few minutes, here's how I want 104 00:07:49,040 --> 00:07:52,720 to approach the text. I want to talk about the rock 105 00:07:52,720 --> 00:07:59,320 bottom of sin, and I want to talk about the God of new 106 00:07:59,320 --> 00:08:02,360 mercies. Jonah's at rock bottom. 107 00:08:03,240 --> 00:08:05,640 He's at the roots of the mountains. 108 00:08:06,960 --> 00:08:11,840 The phrase rock bottom begin to enter our narrative in the 19th 109 00:08:11,840 --> 00:08:15,440 century. Around 1865 to 1870. 110 00:08:15,440 --> 00:08:18,320 Miners begin to talk about being at rock bottom when they would 111 00:08:18,320 --> 00:08:22,000 hit bedrock, meaning they could they could go no further. 112 00:08:22,760 --> 00:08:25,560 In our lives, we typically think of rock bottom being when 113 00:08:25,560 --> 00:08:30,440 someone is in such a condition that they are absolutely 114 00:08:30,440 --> 00:08:34,640 desperate. They cannot go on living this 115 00:08:34,640 --> 00:08:37,240 way. If they continue to live this 116 00:08:37,240 --> 00:08:41,000 way, they will surely die. At this point, it's likely 117 00:08:41,000 --> 00:08:44,520 destruction in the wake of destruction has already affected 118 00:08:44,520 --> 00:08:47,480 family members and friends all around them. 119 00:08:48,240 --> 00:08:51,920 Some of you, even as they speak right now, are saying I've been 120 00:08:51,920 --> 00:08:56,680 there, or I'm married to someone who's been there, or I've been a 121 00:08:56,680 --> 00:09:00,360 friend to someone who's been there, or right now I'm with 122 00:09:00,360 --> 00:09:04,480 someone who is, or I'm with someone that needs to see that 123 00:09:04,480 --> 00:09:09,840 they are. Rock bottom is an horrific 124 00:09:09,840 --> 00:09:17,040 place, and that's where Jonah is because he rebelled, because he 125 00:09:17,040 --> 00:09:20,920 rationalized in his own mind to begin to practice horrible 126 00:09:20,920 --> 00:09:25,160 theology. Jonah was in the belly of that 127 00:09:25,160 --> 00:09:29,200 fish at the roots of the mountains. 128 00:09:31,000 --> 00:09:35,000 Rock bottom is a place that leads to desperation. 129 00:09:35,800 --> 00:09:38,600 Often we think of it when we think of somebody that's in the 130 00:09:38,600 --> 00:09:42,560 throes of addiction. I've walked with many, many 131 00:09:42,560 --> 00:09:49,720 people, even in our church who have been in this place. 132 00:09:51,200 --> 00:09:56,600 I've walked as a pastor. I've walked as a brother, not in 133 00:09:56,600 --> 00:10:00,520 the spiritual sense and the blood sense, with one of my 134 00:10:00,520 --> 00:10:11,200 siblings whose life was just at a devastating low rock bottom 135 00:10:12,680 --> 00:10:19,120 for people who really get there puts them in a place where they 136 00:10:19,120 --> 00:10:25,280 now know, and sometimes it's so much deeper than they thought it 137 00:10:25,280 --> 00:10:30,200 would ever be or could ever be. They know if I don't admit my 138 00:10:30,200 --> 00:10:35,880 powerlessness, if I don't cry out, I am not going to live. 139 00:10:38,360 --> 00:10:42,560 But there's something worse than rock bottom, and I want you to 140 00:10:42,560 --> 00:10:46,520 hear this carefully. There is something worse than 141 00:10:46,520 --> 00:10:54,040 rock bottom, and that is for a person to never feel their need 142 00:10:54,280 --> 00:11:01,320 for Christ. For a person to never feel the 143 00:11:01,320 --> 00:11:06,280 need they have for Christ. Here's the truth of the gospel. 144 00:11:07,160 --> 00:11:14,600 We all start out at rock bottom. In the Epistle to the Ephesians, 145 00:11:15,160 --> 00:11:18,680 chapter 2, Paul described it this way. 146 00:11:19,640 --> 00:11:23,640 And you, all the people of Ephesus, the Saints of Ephesus 147 00:11:23,640 --> 00:11:26,360 to it's written to. And you were dead in the 148 00:11:26,600 --> 00:11:31,320 trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the 149 00:11:31,320 --> 00:11:34,720 course of this world, following the Prince of the power of the 150 00:11:34,720 --> 00:11:39,400 air, the Spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience 151 00:11:39,760 --> 00:11:47,360 among whom we all, all of us once lived, and the passions of 152 00:11:47,360 --> 00:11:50,760 our flesh carrying out the desires of the body and the 153 00:11:50,760 --> 00:11:52,960 mind. And we're by nature children of 154 00:11:52,960 --> 00:11:58,880 wrath like the rest of mankind. One of the problems with this 155 00:11:58,920 --> 00:12:03,120 image of rock bottom is we tend to look around at other people 156 00:12:03,120 --> 00:12:05,640 even now, and think, that's not me. 157 00:12:06,400 --> 00:12:13,320 I'm glad I'm not like that. But there are other rock 158 00:12:13,400 --> 00:12:17,720 bottoms. One of the rock bottoms that 159 00:12:17,720 --> 00:12:22,880 could be so contagious in our culture is that we don't see 160 00:12:22,880 --> 00:12:26,640 Christianity to the way Christ described it, the way His word 161 00:12:26,640 --> 00:12:31,680 described it, which is a life of joyful surrender. 162 00:12:31,800 --> 00:12:36,880 All of who we are to Him that we, by His grace, seek to love 163 00:12:36,880 --> 00:12:39,920 Him with all of who we are, not just some of who we are. 164 00:12:39,960 --> 00:12:45,240 All of who we are, that we are to abide in Christ, the only way 165 00:12:45,240 --> 00:12:48,120 we can bear fruit. You can't bear fruit apart from 166 00:12:48,240 --> 00:12:53,720 Jesus. That we are to take up our 167 00:12:53,720 --> 00:12:58,800 cross, that image of suffering, not just some days, but every 168 00:12:58,800 --> 00:13:00,560 day. If we're a follower of Christ 169 00:13:02,720 --> 00:13:07,400 every day, then we're to go into the nation's, the Great 170 00:13:07,400 --> 00:13:15,120 Commission, making disciples. Christianity is not about being 171 00:13:15,120 --> 00:13:18,360 a churchgoer. It's not about being a good 172 00:13:18,360 --> 00:13:19,760 little boy or a good little girl. 173 00:13:21,680 --> 00:13:26,040 It is about admitting that if Jesus Christ doesn't save me, 174 00:13:26,840 --> 00:13:30,640 that if Jesus Christ doesn't save me, the Holy Spirit doesn't 175 00:13:30,640 --> 00:13:32,760 sanctify me, make me more like him. 176 00:13:34,160 --> 00:13:41,320 I can never bear fruit. We're desperate always for 177 00:13:41,320 --> 00:13:44,680 Christ. Those who are in the throes of 178 00:13:44,680 --> 00:13:49,080 that classic sense of addiction, whether it's to alcohol, drugs, 179 00:13:49,080 --> 00:13:55,120 pornography, shopping, gossips, or whatever it might be, when 180 00:13:55,120 --> 00:13:58,040 they come to the end of themselves, which is what God 181 00:13:58,040 --> 00:14:05,440 and His sovereign grace will do, they understand the power of 182 00:14:05,440 --> 00:14:10,000 that one. But for many in a community like 183 00:14:10,000 --> 00:14:16,520 ours, they're ashamed and would be ashamed to admit they're at 184 00:14:16,520 --> 00:14:19,800 rock bottom. There's something worse than 185 00:14:19,800 --> 00:14:24,080 rock bottom, and that is not feeling your need for Him. 186 00:14:24,800 --> 00:14:28,760 And if today you're here and you're even in Christ and you're 187 00:14:28,760 --> 00:14:31,880 honest, and the Holy Spirit speaking to you through His Word 188 00:14:31,880 --> 00:14:38,680 and Spirit, and you don't feel your need for Him, that is your 189 00:14:38,680 --> 00:14:42,920 rock bottom. You don't have seaweed about 190 00:14:42,920 --> 00:14:45,640 your head. You probably have pearls. 191 00:14:46,760 --> 00:14:49,880 You don't have the remains of vomit on you. 192 00:14:51,160 --> 00:14:55,960 You have luxury. We would be tempted to think 193 00:14:55,960 --> 00:15:01,360 that Satan's masterpiece is the one who's on the streets, but I 194 00:15:01,360 --> 00:15:03,120 don't think that's his masterpiece. 195 00:15:03,800 --> 00:15:09,280 I think his masterpiece is the one who almost has it right but 196 00:15:09,280 --> 00:15:17,520 never admits their desperation for Jesus for all of their life. 197 00:15:19,000 --> 00:15:20,880 That's another kind of rock bottom. 198 00:15:23,080 --> 00:15:25,600 One of the ways it benefits itself is when you ask each 199 00:15:25,600 --> 00:15:31,000 other, how can I pray for you? And Christians are like just a 200 00:15:31,000 --> 00:15:33,160 little bit, bless me, my work, my family. 201 00:15:34,000 --> 00:15:35,720 Sometimes people are like, I don't really have anything. 202 00:15:37,480 --> 00:15:40,800 If you tell me you don't have anything, I know what to pray 203 00:15:40,800 --> 00:15:48,240 for you. We are desperate for Jesus, as 204 00:15:48,240 --> 00:15:53,840 desperate as Jonah was. But here's the good news. 205 00:15:55,040 --> 00:16:02,520 That sovereign grace of God reaches us even at the roots of 206 00:16:02,520 --> 00:16:07,240 the mountain, even at rock bottom, even when we've been 207 00:16:07,240 --> 00:16:10,240 deluded into thinking wrongly about Christianity. 208 00:16:10,480 --> 00:16:14,880 And it really is just a nice fragrance or condiment to add to 209 00:16:14,880 --> 00:16:19,360 a little bit of our life. God's grace meets us there, even 210 00:16:19,360 --> 00:16:22,760 on a morning like this and says, this is not my plan for you. 211 00:16:22,760 --> 00:16:27,600 This is not my will for you. Hear my word again, and we need 212 00:16:27,600 --> 00:16:29,920 to. And that's where you see the 213 00:16:29,920 --> 00:16:34,600 good news in this text, verse 1, chapter 3. 214 00:16:34,960 --> 00:16:45,000 Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, and 215 00:16:45,000 --> 00:16:50,320 it's going to need to come again and again and again. 216 00:16:51,480 --> 00:16:57,720 And it does. The good news of God's new 217 00:16:57,720 --> 00:17:02,160 mercies, new mercies made new each morning. 218 00:17:03,080 --> 00:17:07,119 You might think of it this way. It's God giving us a second 219 00:17:07,160 --> 00:17:17,119 chance, a do over, a fresh start, a Mulligan, a chance at 220 00:17:17,119 --> 00:17:25,079 redemption. But with God, there is no chance 221 00:17:25,640 --> 00:17:33,040 in his plan of redemption. His plan of redemption is going 222 00:17:33,040 --> 00:17:39,200 to accomplish its purpose. And if you belong to Him, no 223 00:17:39,200 --> 00:17:43,880 matter how low you sink, he's coming for you. 224 00:17:45,120 --> 00:17:47,440 That's the message of the book of Jonah. 225 00:17:48,000 --> 00:17:51,400 Jonah's not the hero. The fish isn't meant to be a 226 00:17:51,400 --> 00:17:55,000 distraction. The story is of this sovereign 227 00:17:55,000 --> 00:17:59,760 God who loves his people is coming for them. 228 00:18:03,400 --> 00:18:10,320 Adam needed a second chance. Abraham needed a second chance. 229 00:18:10,560 --> 00:18:16,560 Moses needed a second chance. David needed a second chance. 230 00:18:18,800 --> 00:18:24,920 The parable of the lost sons, they needed second chances. 231 00:18:25,600 --> 00:18:29,840 From the parable to Peter, I will lay down my life for you. 232 00:18:30,760 --> 00:18:34,240 I don't know the man. I don't know the man. 233 00:18:35,000 --> 00:18:38,440 I don't know the man. Do you love me, Peter? 234 00:18:39,040 --> 00:18:40,960 Feed my sheep. Do you love me, Peter? 235 00:18:41,400 --> 00:18:43,640 Feed my sheep. Do you love me, Peter? 236 00:18:44,000 --> 00:18:47,720 He needed that word three times on another shore. 237 00:18:51,200 --> 00:18:58,560 Feed my sheep. Everyone in God's Word needed a 238 00:18:58,560 --> 00:19:03,120 second chance except the second Adam. 239 00:19:06,840 --> 00:19:10,920 Jesus Christ never needed a second chance. 240 00:19:12,360 --> 00:19:19,680 But for every time I need a second chance, for every time 241 00:19:19,800 --> 00:19:25,360 any of his children need a second, third, 70 * 70 chance 242 00:19:26,680 --> 00:19:31,800 Jesus died. And you might say on the cross, 243 00:19:31,800 --> 00:19:37,360 as Jesus cried out those last words, saying it is finished 244 00:19:37,360 --> 00:19:40,520 breathing his last, his side being pierced, blood and water 245 00:19:40,760 --> 00:19:44,760 dripping out, that that was his rock bottom. 246 00:19:45,920 --> 00:19:52,560 And you would be right. The cross is the rock bottom, 247 00:19:53,360 --> 00:20:00,040 and it is as deep as it can go. It is as deep as it can go. 248 00:20:00,880 --> 00:20:05,800 Nothing can be added to it. Your best day can't be added to 249 00:20:05,800 --> 00:20:08,720 it. Your best effort can't be added 250 00:20:08,720 --> 00:20:12,160 to it. Nothing can be added to it. 251 00:20:12,840 --> 00:20:16,840 And though we will at times be at the roots of the mountains, 252 00:20:16,840 --> 00:20:20,800 as Christians we must live in the rootedness of the cross 253 00:20:21,200 --> 00:20:26,800 where Jesus died for every one of your sins and mine. 254 00:20:30,680 --> 00:20:40,800 Placed in the tomb, being raised on the third day, every morning 255 00:20:41,360 --> 00:20:46,840 our Savior gives us new mercies. And so we repeat things over and 256 00:20:46,840 --> 00:20:55,240 over and over again, today, friend, and tomorrow, and until 257 00:20:55,240 --> 00:21:04,040 Christ returns, you are going to be desperate for Christ Jesus to 258 00:21:04,040 --> 00:21:11,480 make you desperate. That's why we pray that God 259 00:21:11,480 --> 00:21:17,400 would do what only God can do. We avail ourselves of the means 260 00:21:17,400 --> 00:21:20,880 of grace, of prayer, of the preached word, of the sacrament 261 00:21:20,880 --> 00:21:24,880 we're about to partake in. I want you to think of this this 262 00:21:24,880 --> 00:21:29,120 morning. The table that we come to this 263 00:21:29,120 --> 00:21:34,720 morning is in obedience to what Christ called us to do. 264 00:21:35,920 --> 00:21:40,160 He knew we would need it. And as we who are in Christ come 265 00:21:40,160 --> 00:21:46,080 forward and take of His body and blood, we are reminded of our 266 00:21:46,080 --> 00:21:50,920 need for Him and what God did and His sovereign grace to meet 267 00:21:50,920 --> 00:21:55,560 that need. Nobody here can come because you 268 00:21:55,560 --> 00:21:58,560 had a better week than the week before or better months in the 269 00:21:58,680 --> 00:22:00,320 since the last time we had communion. 270 00:22:01,320 --> 00:22:07,520 You come as a desperate child of the living God who reveals to 271 00:22:07,520 --> 00:22:15,280 you again and again what He is going to do to make you and keep 272 00:22:15,280 --> 00:22:18,720 you His own friends that are here today. 273 00:22:18,720 --> 00:22:22,680 If you're new to our church, this is not a Presbyterian 274 00:22:22,680 --> 00:22:25,800 table. It is a table for believers in 275 00:22:25,880 --> 00:22:28,840 Jesus, though. And if today you know you've 276 00:22:28,840 --> 00:22:31,960 never trusted Christ, I want you to tell. 277 00:22:32,040 --> 00:22:35,960 I want to tell you how grateful I am that you're here, that this 278 00:22:35,960 --> 00:22:39,240 might be the day that Jesus in his sovereign grace brought you 279 00:22:39,240 --> 00:22:42,280 to hear the good news. So don't come forward and 280 00:22:42,280 --> 00:22:44,240 partake of the elements, lest you would eat and drink 281 00:22:44,240 --> 00:22:48,120 judgement on yourself as the Word of God says, but simply 282 00:22:48,120 --> 00:22:52,960 listen to what's being sung. Watch what the people around you 283 00:22:53,480 --> 00:22:55,520 are doing in obedience to Christ. 284 00:22:56,160 --> 00:23:00,440 And if this is the moment where you really begin to desire to 285 00:23:00,440 --> 00:23:05,680 know Jesus, tell someone around you or even this day, pray a 286 00:23:05,680 --> 00:23:09,880 simple prayer. Lord Jesus Christ, I'm a Sinner. 287 00:23:11,240 --> 00:23:15,880 You're the only Savior. I receive you and I rest in you 288 00:23:15,920 --> 00:23:19,320 as my Savior. Simply pray that prayer and then 289 00:23:19,320 --> 00:23:22,840 tell the person you came with, or me or Tommy or one of our 290 00:23:22,840 --> 00:23:26,480 elders so that we can help. You know what that means? 291 00:23:29,240 --> 00:23:36,760 Jesus Christ is going to meet every need that we have as His 292 00:23:36,760 --> 00:23:45,160 way in His will, with His Word every day until He calls us home 293 00:23:45,960 --> 00:23:51,040 or returns. Until then, avail yourselves of 294 00:23:51,200 --> 00:23:58,640 everything He gives you. Are you desperate for Him? 295 00:23:59,800 --> 00:24:03,280 If not, tell Him because He can make you so. 296 00:24:04,120 --> 00:24:07,800 Father in heaven, as we come to the table, bless us now. 297 00:24:08,280 --> 00:24:12,200 Draw near to us. Encourage us with this powerful 298 00:24:12,200 --> 00:24:17,520 truth. You speak your word, Your Spirit 299 00:24:17,520 --> 00:24:22,280 illuminates. We live in Christ and whose name 300 00:24:22,280 --> 00:24:23,840 we pray. Amen. 301 00:24:23,840 --> 00:24:24,440 Please stand.