(Matthew) Jesus Is the Messiah — Pat Kenney

This past week has revolved around death it seems the death of Terry Shivo and the death of the Pope and and I'm just so grateful this morning that we have life in Jesus Christ. That we are to look into look unto Jesus.

And not to men. We don't trust men. We trust the author and the finisher of our faith Jesus Christ and because of that. We aren't not a people that have to fear death as we talked about last Sunday. Our victory is in Jesus Christ and and I want to encourage you to focus on that.

Thank God for the hope that we have in and through Jesus. It is because of your relationship with Jesus Christ. That you're going to heaven. That your sins are forgiven. And judged. Isn't that a great thing that our sins have already been judged?

Not a one of us could stand before a holy God if we had to be judged for our sins. We'd be judged what? Guilty and we wouldn't be in heaven. Anymore, but because of Jesus sacrifice on the cross at Calvary all of our sins have been forgiven all of them past the ones 20 minutes ago and We hope not a whole lot ahead, but even in those Jesus has forgiven us.

He went to the cross to forgive us so he is the beginner and the finisher of our faith and our trust is in him and May we just be encouraged in that this week as you encounter people they're going to ask you.

What do you think about the Shiloh case? What do you think about the Pope? And what do you think about this and we can just say you know what I'm thinking about Jesus and. And Jesus has set me free and he can set you free, too.

You know not to get. I don't think it's our place to get into a you know a big Discussion as to the theological positions of the Catholic Church and so forth. You know this is a time when a lot of those people are mourning and and they're very very sad, and we don't.

We don't have to insult them or you know anything along those lines. We just need to talk about Jesus and thank God for what Jesus has done and Let the joy of the Lord be your strength and perhaps bring that joy of the Lord into their hearts as well.

Amen. All right chapter 1 of Matthew. We're going to be jumping now into the New Testament. We're actually we've been in the New Testament. We've got Old Testament on Wednesday nights, and now we're going back to the beginning of the New Testament and Matthew is a the gospel of Matthew is a beautiful bridge from the Old Testament to the New Testament in the gospel of Matthew.

With Matthew writing more towards the Jewish student in mind he's bridging the gap of the Old Testament and the New Testament and explaining how the Old Testament prophecies are fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ and Matthew does this by quoting the Old Testament constantly close to a hundred and thirty different References to the Old Testament in the gospel of Matthew each of the Gospels present a unique picture of our Lord Jesus Christ.

In Mark's Gospel it shows us Jesus as the suffering servant. In Luke's Gospel it shows us the humanity of our Lord Jesus. In John's Gospel it shows us that Christ is the Son of God and Matthew. Writing to the Jews zeros in on Jesus as the Messiah the king of the Jews now Matthew's approach to the way of salvation is Really a call to repentance for entry into the kingdom.

Repent turn from your sins turn to your Savior. He calls us to a commitment of one self to the king as his follower. We are called to be followers of Jesus Christ. Not followers from a distance. But right on his heels walking together with him and.

So Matthew uses language that relates the rule of Christ To each of our lives very personal and this means that the life of faith Which we're all called to amen the life of faith is to recognize Jesus as Lord and ourselves as his subjects.

And that's something Americans don't like to do very much. I mean just by the knit by our Western nature and combine that with our sin nature and we don't like Anybody to tell us what to do? Somebody tells us what to do.

There's something in us that goes. I don't have to do that. You know a kind of kind of rebel. But as we go through the middle of the gospel of Matthew here we'll see it so clearly that to be a Christian to be a follower of Jesus means he is Lord and We are his subjects.

I've heard it once said that if Jesus is not Lord of all he's not Lord at all. I mean, otherwise we're lying. We're not really Trusting him as Lord if we take control of our lives and just do everything ourselves.

We've got to learn to submit to him. Because he's God and he made us and he knows how we tick and he's got a purpose for us. Predetermined before we ever took our first breath. We need to submit our lives to his way.

Our way, but we could line up here for the rest of the morning and give you a test. Testimony on how our way wasn't the way. How our way got in the way of what God wanted to do in our lives. And once we get out of the way Then the way the truth and the life Begins to empower us in a way that we could never know and that never do ourselves.

So God help us to yield to him. Now Matthew introduces us to the king first with his genealogy in chapter 1 which in Jewish history was the most natural and essential way to begin the story of a man's life and To prove to Jewish readers and I think skeptics of all nations that Jesus is The Messiah the Messiah of our hope the Messiah of Jewish hope the Messiah of Gentile Hope the promised Redeemer of all mankind.

And so we begin with verse 1 the book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ. The son of David and the son of Abraham the son of David refers to the royal kingly line. The son of Abraham refers to the line of promise.

The racial line the line of grace as well. Matthew begins our Lord's genealogy with Abraham the man who was called the friend of God the father of the way of faith. Showing that Jesus fulfilled Israel's hopes right there at the beginning.

Remember in the Old Testament God promised that through Abraham all the nations of the earth would be blessed. Genesis 22 18 in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed because you've obeyed my voice.

And in the New Testament in Galatians 316 when Paul is quoting that he makes it very clear that seed that in your seed was Singular. The word seed there was for that promise. He says in 316 of Galatians now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made.

He does not say and to seeds Plural as of many but as of one. And to your seed who is Christ Abraham was promised that through his seed the Messiah would come and that was later repeated to David in 2nd Samuel 7 13.

The Lord said he shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. That had to go beyond Solomon. Verse 16 of that same chapter. And your house and your kingdom shall be established Forever before you your throne shall be established forever.

David understood that the Messiah would come through him and If a person were to lay claim to be the king of Israel He would have to prove that he had kingly lineage a son of Abraham of Judah through David.

Now that's an impossibility today by the way. No Records exist today that any Jew today could trace. Back in 70 AD when the Romans sacked Jerusalem all the genealogical records of the Jewish people were destroyed.

Matthew shows that Jesus is the son of Abraham and David and thus has the right to claim to the claim of the throne of Israel. Ron Daniel another Calvary pastor said this the kingly line of David descended to Joseph.

Joseph's firstborn son would have the right to sit on David's throne. But God had cursed everyone with that bloodline if you remember back in Jeremiah 22 There was one of the kings named Jeconiah or called Kaniah back there in Jeremiah 22.

And there he was a wicked king and and a curse was pronounced upon him and there it's predicted. Back in Jeremiah hundreds of years before Christ that none of Jeconiah's seed would prosper sitting on David's throne.

Had our Lord been the natural son of Joseph Who was descended from Jeconiah and we see that in this genealogy. Then Jesus could never reign in power and righteousness because of that curse. But note this while Jesus had all legal rights to Joseph's lineage He did not have the blood of that line.

For he was born of a virgin conceived in her womb by the Holy Spirit. Does this mean that Jesus is not truly the branch of Jesse and the root of David. No. Because you see the gospel of Luke also gives us Jesus genealogy.

But not through his legal line. Luke tells us his biological bloodline. Which he has had which he had through his mother Mary. You see Mary's line also descends through Abraham Isaac Jacob and Judah through Jesse to David but from David.

Mary's heritage did not extend through the kingly line of Solomon. Instead she was a descendant of David's son Nathan. Thus according to Jewish law Jesus could legally inherit the throne while completely avoiding the blood curse on Jeconiah's line.

So it's apparent from eternity past. That God had the whole thing worked out. He foretold of a specific Messiah who could only be one and that is Jesus Christ our Lord. And so we see the genealogy given in verse 2 and we're not going to comment real closely on on this line just kind of follow it through and You know, you can do a lot of study on your own as you go through this.

Abraham begat Isaac. We're studying Abraham right now in Genesis chapter 15 you can join us in that study on Wednesday night if you so desire. Isaac begat Jacob. Jacob begat Judah and his brothers. Now Judah begat Zerah by Tamar.

Perez begat Hezron. Hezron begat Ram. Ram begat Amminadab. Amminadab begat Nashem. Nashem begat Salmon. Salmon begat Boaz by Rahab. Boaz begat Obed by Ruth. Obed begat Jesse and Jesse begat David the king.

David the king begat Solomon by her who had born who had been the wife of Uriah. But that's another interesting study looking at the four women that are mentioned here in the genealogy. And that is that was very very uncommon In the listing of any Jewish genealogy that was not kosher to mention the women in the genealogy.

But here we've got Tamar and Rahab and Ruth and Bathsheba. One commentator said the presence of these four women in the lineage of the king emphasizes a genealogy of grace. We note that all four of these women were aliens.

Gentiles. Three of the four were suspected of adultery. Including these women in the lineage of Christ highlights the message of divine grace. God forgave and Accepted persons in the lineage of Christ whose history was clouded men and women.

The fact that these particular women are named makes clear that God in grace Does not discriminate against persons because of their past mistakes. And I don't know how many of you have ever said this or had it heard said to you, but I'm too bad.

I could never be a Christian. I've made too many mistakes. I've sinned too hard. I heard I saw a guy at breakfast this morning and as I was getting up to leave breakfast there were three got three or four guys sitting at the breakfast bar and They were just the language had gotten kind of low and the subject matter had gotten even lower.

And as I went up to the cash register I kind of looked at the gal and looked over at them and said well I know a few guys that need prayer this morning. You know and I was smiling as I said it and the guy sitting next to me as he said he said well I don't think prayer would ever work for me.

You know he said that and I said and I said back to him I said well, you know you never really know God's prayer. God is very powerful. I said I was a piece of work and God got ahold of me. And that's how I left it as I walked out.

But God can do amazing things with pieces of work like us. Sinners like us who at one time people may have looked at us and go they're gonna be a Christian come on. But God Does the does the impossible?

We serve a God of the impossible. You might think it's impossible because of your background. But background was never an impossibility to God and we see that illustrated as we go through This genealogy.

John Corson said what does this say to me? Theologically it says the stage is already set for the Lord to do a new thing. He said my kingdom is a kid is a kingdom of heaven not the kingdom of the nation in Israel.

It's much broader than Israel as we see with these Gentiles included in the genealogy. It's a whole new thing the Lord says in his word behold. I make all things new. But you know what it says to us personally.

Let these words never pass from our lips again. The Lord can't use me because I have sinned greatly. I've let down my family. Responsibilities. I've messed up my family like like Tamar could have been accused of doing with her trickery and her deception.

Oh. But he couldn't use me you might say because I have a bad reputation. Remember Rahab the harlot your reputation isn't any worse than hers. Corson says I don't care who you are where you've been if you're willing to say I'm throwing my lot in with the Lord and Join Rahab in this genealogy.

He'll use you and The Lord Jesus will be birthed in you and shine forth through you and through your life. It is possible. The Pharisees might stick up their noses and say how can this be? Let them Know this he does all things new and He's included people like Rahab along with people like you and me.

In fact the Gospels tell us that Jesus is the friend of sinners. So whatever kind of sinner you were or maybe even are today That can change through Jesus Christ. You might not be able to change it you and in fact you can't change it.

You can't change it. There's only one who can take away the stain of sin, and that's Jesus Christ. But you need to know that he died on the cross and rose from the grave for you. Not just for those religious folk.

Remember Jesus said I didn't come to save the righteous. But to save sinners, and it's interesting I was reading one comment, I think Warren Risby said it. He said and by the way there were no righteous at that time.

There were those that thought they were righteous. But there was none that were truly righteous before a holy God that could only happen through the sacrifice of the Messiah where their sins could be totally washed away and Because our sins have been totally washed away.

We can now have fellowship with the one true God we can we it can be joint heirs with Jesus Christ of heaven. We belong to the Lord now and all through the scripture. We're exhorted now. Let's walk that way.

That's why we gather together week after week. That's why we study the word Chap book by book chapter by chapter verse by verse. Because we want to grow in our faith. We want to be the people that God has called us to be.

Feed us Lord this morning. Amen so We continue on with the list. Solomon begot Rehoboam. Rehoboam begot Abijah. Abijah begot Asa Asa, and these are all the kings of it. These are the kings that we find as you go through the The you know the book of first and second Kings and first and second Chronicles, this is the descent of of the kings that came through David and Solomon and ruled in the southern kingdom of Judah so Rehoboam Abijah, Asa Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, Uzziah Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah, Manasseh, Ammon Josiah and then we came to Jeconiah and His brothers about the time they were carried away to Babylon after they were brought to Babylon.

Jeconiah begot Shealtiel and then Zerubbabel and Abiud and Eliakim and Azor and Zadok and Achim and Eliud and Eliezer and Mithon and Jacob and Jacob begot Joseph. The husband of Mary of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ very specifically pointed out.

You see how the language changes there in verse 16. To show that he was not from the bloodline of Joseph, but rather through Mary and so all the generations from Abraham to David 14 generations from David to the captivity in Babylon 14 generations and from the captivity in Babylon until the Christ are 14 generations.

Matthew breaks the lineage up into three sections. First was the time of the patriarchs from Abraham to David and if you know your Old Testament in that period it was not a pretty picture the immorality and the sin of the nation the sin that the nation was involved in especially during the time of the judges and then from the monarchy.

From David to their deportation and Babylon again, not a pretty picture. We see their rebellion. Finally bringing the judgment of God upon them and the destruction of Jerusalem. And carrying them away to captivity in Babylon.

I Think of of all of those kids all of those Kings that descended from David up to the captivity in Babylon. There was only five I believe that were truly godly Kings the rest of them gave themselves over to all of the false idol worship of the Canaanite peoples that inhabited that land before they came in and then lastly the Deportation to Babylon up to the birth of Jesus again a period of time filled with apostasy.

And what's the point of all of that again? I think we see the grace of God at work even during some of the darkest periods of history. To bring forth the Messiah and you see the hand of God through all of the genealogies.

From all the way and when you get to Luke's gospel all the way from Adam to Christ God had his hand upon those lineages. Now as we You know, it's just important to remember that that God's work in history is Not limited by human failures or sins and he works through ordinary People.

God had a purpose and a plan and even though There were human beings Involved in that plan God still saw that his purpose would be accomplished and just as God used all Kinds of people to bring his son into the world he uses all kinds of people today to accomplish his will and God wants to use you and Me and that's amazing grace no matter which way you slice it God wants to use each and every one of us.

Let us today say Lord use me Lord work in my life. I Yield it to you. Have your way in me. Use me for your glory and for your purposes. Teach me your way Lord that I might walk in your path. I Want to grow in my love for you Lord.

And I want your love to flow more and more and more out of my life till the day I take my last breath here and I take my next one in that new body that you created for me in heaven. You know why waste our time on things that don't profit.

The things that don't have an eternal impact. That aren't going to make a difference for righteousness and other people's lives. We need to be sold out for Jesus Christ. Now that doesn't mean you all.

Stop, you know y 'all quit your jobs and put on a white robe and you're all just God said you're the salt of the earth and. And all of us have been planted at different places in the earth. We've got different jobs different responsibilities.

All of us are called to be faithful in what God has Given us to do and to honor him in all that God has given us to do and thus we find that we all have mission fields all around us. Amen, how many of you might be in education?

Any of you here involved in education what a mission field right you guys all around you. How about any of you involved in the trades on the construction trades boy? Is that a mission field? How many of you are are Involved domestically like your your your housewives, you know, and your job is your family.

What a mission field your family is. And your kids are and what does God call us in all of those things? He calls us to be faithful and to love him and to honor him and to grow in him. Because those are our mission fields and there's much to be done and many to be reached.

We need to live our lives as unto the Lord in all of those fields and I pray that that would be the cry of your heart today. Recognize God does want to use you and if he is Lord of your life. And you are subject to him then you can be certain that he will use you.

Now as we continue our study of Matthew we focus in the last part on the virgin birth of Jesus Christ. And as we do I hope you'll take a look at your own heart. And examine the work of God in your own life today.

Verse 18 now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows. After his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph. Before they came together. She was found with child of the Holy Spirit pretty radical. In those days girls were often married by the age of 14 or 15.

Often engagements took place by the arranged by the arrangement of their parents when the children were quite young about a year before the actual marriage took place a Second period called the espousal or the betrothal period took place.

It was a year of waiting Preparing courting and keeping themselves from each other. There's no sexual involvement. This was a sacred period it had to be kept pure. It could only be broken by a divorce.

They were legally bound to each other, but not consummated yet. During this period in Mary and Joseph's relationship Mary was found to be with child. But not by Joseph. Luke's gospel gives us greater detail here in Luke chapter 1 verse 26 now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth that would be the sixth month of Elizabeth's Pregnancy.

Elizabeth was the mother of John the Baptist to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph of the house of David and the virgin's name was Mary and Having come in the angel said to her rejoice Highly favored one the Lord is with you Blessed are you among women?

But when she saw him she was troubled at this saying no kidding and Considered what manner of greeting this was. And then the angel said to her do not be afraid Mary. For you have found favor with God and behold.

You will conceive in your womb and bring forth a son and shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the son of the highest Not the son of Joseph The son of the highest and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David Going all the way back and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever and of his kingdom.

There will be no end. Luke clearly understood this To be the fulfillment of the promises of the Old Testament Concerning the Messiah back in Isaiah chapter 9. You've heard it before verse 6 again hundreds of years before Jesus was born for unto us a child is born.

Isaiah 9 6 unto us a son is given and the government will be upon his shoulder and His name will be called wonderful a lot of people. What a wonderful child. Counselor a lot of people are wise but nobody can do the third one mighty God Mighty God everlasting father prince of peace and Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end.

And we're testimony to that 2 ,000 years later Upon the throne of David and over his kingdom to order it and Establish it with judgment and justice. From that time forward even forever the zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

Augsburger notes this he says the Holy Spirit the same divine creative agent who brooded over chaos and brought order at the dawn of Creation morning who acted in the creation of the first man and the first woman.

Was the divine agent who ushered the life of the eternal Christ into the body of Mary? For the miracle of the ages known as the incarnation. Thus the God who created man in the beginning from nothing.

Who created woman from man without the agency of man or woman now? Created Jesus of Nazareth through Mary without the agency of a man. If you believe God created the heavens and the earth out of nothing it is no problem for you to believe That in the Virgin Mary's womb.

Became the Son of God. That's what the scriptures declared and so Mary said to the angel back in Luke 1 34. How can this be since I do not know a man very very normal reaction from a 14 or 15 year old girl.

Who was not whose marriage hasn't but hadn't been consummated yet? How will this be and the angel said to her the Holy Spirit will come upon you the power of the highest will overshadow you. Therefore also that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.

I don't how many of you asked that question. I wonder how can this be? Concerning how God might be wanting and what God might be wanting to birth in your lives. Have you ever thought that concerning the work God is desiring to do in your life.

The new life that God has through how can this be? I mean you hear me preaching up here week after week and no doubt some things are stirred in you. But a lot of times you go out of here. I don't know how that's gonna happen.

He's talking about the mission field. He's talking about us doing this and doing that and you know, how can this be? Do any of you ever ask that question? How about freedom from the grips of sinful habits?

We talked about that extensively last week. How can this be when you're caught in the grip of a sinful habit? It's almost impossible in your thinking to think of you free from that habit and you would say that how can this be?

God is saying I want to set you free. I Want to birth something brand new in you. Bible says if anyone is in Christ, he's a new creation. The old things are passed away. Behold all things become new. How can this be?

Some of us at one time going to church regularly, how can this be. I Mean we treasured our Sundays and our Wednesday nights and Thursday nights and Monday nights and we always had different things Filled in and we wondered how could this be?

Telling others about Jesus. How can this be. Tithing and giving sacrificially you might look at your budget and go. How can this be going to the mission field? How can this be. When Jesus and his calling is birthed within us folks.

Our fleshly reaction is often. How can this be? But as Luke's gospel goes on and The angel is responding to Mary. He says in verse 37 for with God Nothing will be impossible with God Nothing will be impossible.

What was Mary's response. I Pray it's the response we have to. She said behold the maidservant of the Lord let it be to me according to your word. Let it be to me. According to your word not according to how I feel.

Not according to my emotions. Nor even according to my abilities. But Lord let it be done to me let it be done in me. According to your word, what do you want to do in my life Lord? Let it be according to your word.

And that's what God would ask us to pray this morning as we're preparing to come on up to the communion table this morning. And we're gonna take these elements this bread this cup of juice. Reminding us of the body and the blood of Jesus Christ that was given for us.

That we might be His children that we might be called by his name that we might be his servants. That we might follow him wherever he would lead us. As we take those elements this morning I pray that that we could truly from the depths of our hearts say Lord.

I don't know how it can be but I know you're God. I know you can do the impossible and whatever you want to do in my life. Let it be done to me according to your word. I want to be who you want me to be Lord.

I Want to follow you and I pray that we would have that same that response and that encouragement to one another to others. You know sometimes when God really gets a hold of somebody. Their friends. Rather than encouraging them.

They kind of mock them. They go. Whoa, aren't you spiritual? You know Who made you so high and mighty? You know God is telling us in these next couple of verses in Matthew's gospel. What Joseph's reaction was to all of this.

And I think it's important for us to look at that. Don't you and. And we can learn from that how to react. How do we how do we react to God working in someone close to us in a good friend in a spouse in a child.

How do we react to God working in those around us? Let's look at verse 19. Then Joseph her husband being a just man and not wanting to make her a public example. Was minded to put her away secretly. By publicly exposing her and declaring that he was not responsible for her pregnancy.

Would subject Mary under the law of being stoned to death. Joseph didn't want to make her a public example. But just divorce her and put her away privately. According to the law he could do that. Joseph was a man of integrity and faith.

He took this turn of events before the Lord and pondered about what to do. He did not want to just react with his feelings. But truly wanted to do the right and honorable and loving thing and he needed God's perspective.

He needed God's wisdom but now divine. Confirmation of the story Mary had given him comes verse 20 tells us. But while he thought about these things behold an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream saying Joseph son of David.

Do not be afraid To take to you. Marry your wife for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit and She will bring forth a son and you shall call his name Jesus. For he will save his people from their sins.

I'm glad Joseph waited on the Lord. You shall call his name Jesus. Jesus is a Greek name for the Hebrew Joshua or Yahweh Shua, which means Jehovah has become our salvation. We're told here that for he shall save his people from their sins Through Jesus Christ alone.

We have salvation. Acts 4 12 tells us there is nor is there salvation in any other for there is no other name under heaven Whereby men can be saved. No other name under heaven given Among men by which we must be saved in John 3 36.

Jesus said he who believes in the Son has eternal life SON. And He who does not believe in the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him. Jesus said in John 14 6, you know it I am the way the truth and the life.

No one comes to the Father except through me in 1st John 5 11 and this is the testimony that God has given us Eternal life and this life is in his son and he who has the son has life. And he who does not have the son does not have life.

Jesus purpose in coming and his mission was to save sinners. Luke 19 10 says for the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost. How can this be. How can I have this certain hope? How can I know I am no longer condemned by God?

How can I have a true eternal perspective the answer simply only through Jesus? Only through Jesus. And verse 22 tells us so all this was done. That it might be fulfilled which which was spoken by the Lord through the prophets saying behold the Virgin shall be with child.

Isaiah 7 14 Quoting there and bear a son and they shall call his name Emmanuel. Which is translated? God with us in the beginning was the word. John 1 1 and the word was with God and the word was God.

He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him and without him nothing was made. That was made in Him was life and the life was the light of man and the light shines in the darkness and the darkness didn't comprehend it.

John 1 14 and the word became flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory. The glory is of the only begotten of the Father full of grace and truth and so Joseph is. Has this angel speaking to him and confirming what was going on in Mary.

And then verse 24 says then Joseph being aroused from sleep did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife and Did not know her that is did not know her intimately sexually. Till she had brought forth her firstborn son, and he called his name Jesus.

He obeyed the Lord. And he rejoiced in the work that God was doing in his wife, even though he would no doubt have to face ridicule scorn. Perhaps embarrassment down the road. Even though he knew that Mary would have to bear the public Ridicule and as we go through the Gospels we find that there were times when the Pharisees even lashed out At Mary because evidently by that time it was knowledge that Joseph was not the father.

But God's Word Clearly tells us who was the father and who is the father? Jesus born miraculously of the Holy Spirit. To do what to be the perfect human intermediary. There's one mediator between God and man the Bible tells us and that's Jesus.

It's not the church. It's not your pastors. It's not any other clergy it's Jesus. And Through Jesus Christ you can have life and have that life. So much more abundantly God has planned for you. Do you dare to say this morning be it done to me Lord according to your word?

How can this be. Through Jesus it can be. And God can do a new fresh work in your life today. And I pray you would open your heart to him and allow him to do that work. I'd like to have the pastors and the worship team come on back up this morning and we're going to invite you to come on up to the Tables here in just a moment and To partake of the cup and the bread and as you do we would invite you to to pray.

Of course, I would ask you to be praying even right now before you come on up. If you have never asked Jesus Christ into your heart as your Lord and Savior and the forgiver of your sins. I Would encourage you to do that right now.

Right now say Lord, I'm a sinner and I can't save myself. Lord would you forgive me? I believe you died on the cross and rose again that all of my sin could be forgiven and washed away. I believe you are God take over in my life.