Greg Laurie - What Is the Cross to You? (03/27/2018)
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Pastor Greg Laurie explores John 19 asking "What is the Cross to You?"—for Jesus it was worse than death as He bore sin and separation from the Father; for Mary Magdalene redemption, Salome rebuke, Mary reward, John responsibility. He urges us to see the cross personally, remember Christ's finished work, and approach communion reverently as believers.
Upcoming Series and Opening Prayer
Let's turn tonight in our Bibles to John chapter 19. John 19. And as Mike said, next Thursday night we start a brand new series that I'm very excited about, "Upside Down Living". It was said of the early church that they churned the world upside down. And you know what? They didn't have television. They didn't have radio. They didn't have the Internet. I don't even think the Apostle Peter ever tweeted anyone. But somehow with all the modern technology of today, in a relatively short period of time, they were able to impact a good part of the world. They turned their world upside down.
Why and how? How can we turn our world upside down? Well let's localize it. How can we turn Orange County upside down? Let's localize it a little more. How about your family? How about you? Or me? Well let's talk about that and look at that template for the church down in the book of Acts. It's coming Thursday.
Let's pray. Now Father as we open Your Word and think about what Jesus did for us. We pray that we will have ears that are open to hear what Your Spirit would say. That we would have attention with intention. These are weighty things we are looking at tonight. Significant things. The most important event of all time that impacts us to this very moment. So speak to us as we open Your Word we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
The Title: What is the Cross to You?
The title of my message is, "What is the Cross to You?" We are on the road to the resurrection. The road that began in Bethlehem, wound through Gethsemane to Calvary. It ultimately ended in a tomb and a garden and led to the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. And then it was a new beginning.
We are seeking as much as possible to use our imaginations and walk the dusty roads that Jesus walked and breathe His air and hear His words and as much as we can try to be there. Because we are looking at the most important event in all of human history. And that was the death of Christ on the cross and His resurrection from the dead.
The Road to Resurrection
We are going to see what the cross meant to four different people who stood at its base. Three of them were women. One of them was a man. And then we will also discover what the cross means to us.
But let us first consider what the cross meant to Jesus Himself. Hebrews 12:3 says, Consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary or discouraged in your souls. That word consider means think over, ponder, and consider by comparing. In other words, the Scripture is saying think about this. Contemplate this. Ponder this. Let this sink in.
Think about what? What Jesus went through for you. Know this at the outset. For Jesus, the cross was a fate worse than death. You say, what could be worse than death? Oh, there are things that are actually worse. Maybe you can remember the most painful moment in your life. There is physical pain. Maybe you had a horrible fall or you broke an arm or a leg or something worse. And the body has this amazing capacity to effectively shut down as you go into a state of shock. And often after a traumatic event, people will feel very little. That is until the state of shock wears off. And then they feel a lot.
But there is physical pain. But there is actually other kinds of pain that can be even worse than pain that is physical. Like the pain of rejection, the pain of betrayal, the pain of abandonment. When that husband says to his wife, I've been unfaithful to you. When that wife says to her husband, I want a divorce. When the child says to their parent, I don't want to live the Christian life. When the parent says to the child, we don't love you or want you. Or when the pastor after preaching for two hours says, and just one more thing.
That was a joke. But when you are betrayed by a friend or someone that you love deeply, it hurts more, doesn't it? It cuts like a knife.
Jesus' Most Painful Moment
Well, we are going to look in a moment at what I believe was the most painful moment for Jesus. Now our mind immediately races to perhaps a scourging. Which in and of itself was unbelievably painful and horrific. But I don't think that, as bad as it was, was the most painful moment of Jesus.
Or we might think of the actual act of crucifixion, where spikes were pounded into His hands and feet. As bad as that was, I don't even think that was His most painful moment. I believe the most painful moment for Jesus was when He bore the sin of the world upon Himself.
Why? Because Jesus had never spent a single moment out of fellowship with His Father. And now for a time, He would be completely separated as He bore our sin. And that for Christ was a fate worse than death. His moment of personal pain and anguish was our greatest moment in its effect. In essence, His lowest moment was our highest. His pain, our gain.
The Horror of Crucifixion
Now at this point in our story, Jesus has been scourged, beaten, tortured, and nailed to a cross. You know, it's interesting that we don't really have a graphic description of crucifixion in the Bible. In the Gospels, we'll simply read, And they crucified Him. And the reason for that is because crucifixion was so commonplace in that day. It was not uncommon to see a friend, or excuse me, or someone be crucified. Because this is how the Romans dealt with criminals in their time.
It was a common occurrence to see crosses lining the streets to any city that was occupied by Rome. Where did something as awful as crucifixion even come from? Well, history tells us it originated in Persia, where they would nail a criminal to a cross so he would be raised above the earth so he would not defile it. Alexander the Great introduced it to Egypt and Carthage, and the Romans probably learned it from the Carthaginians.
But the Romans took it to another level. They actually made it even worse than it previously was. The objective of the Romans in using crucifixion was to inflict a maximum amount of pain on a victim before death. They had tried death by spear, boiling in oil, impalement, stoning, strangulation, drowning, and burning. But the Romans thought those were all too quick. They needed a way to punish a criminal that would be long and difficult and torturous. And so they developed, or I might say perfected for lack of a better word, crucifixion.
It was designed to be a long, painful, lingering, humiliating death. And we know from history that the Romans crucified thousands of people. We know from the Jewish historian Josephus that after Herod the Great died, the Roman governor of Syria ordered 2,000 men to be crucified to stop an uprising. Josephus also tells us that when Titus sacked the city that so many people were crucified they ran out of wood. There were no trees left because so many people were nailed to crosses at that time. So a very common sight.
But there has never been a man like Jesus who has been nailed to a cross. And as he hangs there, he gives seven statements. By the way, every one of those statements is important. And the order of those statements is important. And what were those statements?
Statement number one. Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. Statement number two in response to the thief who said, Remember me when you come into your kingdom, was, Verily, verily, I say to you today, you will be with me in paradise. Statement number three. To his mother, woman, behold your son. Looking at John the apostle, son, behold your mother.
Then all of the sins, I believe, of the world were put upon Jesus. And he cried out, statement number four, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani, which is translated, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Then he said, I thirst. Then he said, It is finished. And his seventh and last statement was, Into your hands I commit my spirit.
A Roman centurion was standing there and observing all of this. He said, Truly, this was a righteous man.
Worship Song: The Seven Statements
We have a song that we are going to do right now. I am not going to sing. So don't get nervous. But our worship team is going to come out. And a couple of years ago, I challenged them to write a song with the seven statements of Christ in it, in their proper order. And so they came up with this song. Where are the musicians? Someone wake up the musicians. Oh, musicians. If you don't come out soon, I am going to sing this song. Hang on one sec. Right now. They are back there drinking Espresso. You know, it is always good to know that they are back there listening to my sermon, right?
But anyway, as I was saying, this song was written by, I think, Steve and Hans. Did Ray play a part in that? I knew he couldn't come up with anything this good. No, I am kidding. Ray has written many great songs. But why don't you do this song for us?
Well, that was worth the wait, wasn't it?
First Statement: Father Forgive Them
Statement number one. Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. It is as if Jesus was saying, Father, forgive them, for they need forgiveness so desperately. Forgive them because they have committed a sin that is wicked beyond all comprehension. Forgive them because they don't have a clue as to what they have just done.
But here is what is amazing to me about this statement. He is praying for the forgiveness of the people that did this to him, implying that there is forgiveness available to a person that would even do such a horrific thing. So, the point of this is, no one is beyond the reach of God.
Can you think of somebody right now that you cannot imagine ever becoming a Christian? They are so hard. They are so resistant to the gospel message. Well, don't ever stop praying for them. For the very ones that crucified Him, Jesus said, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.
The Two Thieves at the Cross
Now, on each side of Jesus, there was a criminal. We often refer to them as the thieves on the cross. And I don't know if that is the best word because the word in the original language implies something far more serious than a mere thief. They didn't crucify thieves generally. Crucifixion was saved for the worst of criminals. So, these guys probably were insurrectionists, i.e. rebels against Rome. They were probably involved in some kind of a violent act where maybe they assaulted someone or killed a Roman soldier. But whatever it was, it was a serious offense.
So, there they were crucified on each side of them. Now, they were there for their personal crimes. Contrast that to Jesus, who was there for the crimes of all humanity. They went there against their will. He was there because He willingly went.
And it is fascinating to see how these three men face death. Initially, as Jesus is hanging there on the cross, both thieves joined in the chorus of mockery coming from the base of the cross where the thieves are crying out, He saved others, but He can't save Himself. If He is the King of Israel, let Him come down now from the cross, and then we will believe in Him. He trusted in God. Let God deliver him. For He said, I am the Son of God.
But then something happened that caused the thief to change his tune. Because Luke 23:40 says that one thief rebuked the other saying, Don't you fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation.
Now, what could that have been? Well, that would have been the statement of Jesus from the cross. Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. Suddenly, one of the thieves comes to his senses. And by the way, that is how quickly conversion can take place. Like that. It doesn't take hours. It doesn't take even minutes. It can happen effectively in a flash.
He believes right on the spot and rebukes the other thief for saying those things and then turns to Jesus and says, Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom. He had complete confidence that Jesus was going to another kingdom. He didn't say, Lord, remember me. If you come. But He said, When you come.
And Jesus said, Today you will be with me in paradise. Man, talk about being at the right place at the right time. Talk about getting in by the skin of your teeth. You have heard of deathbed conversions. This was a cross conversion. You couldn't have been any closer to death than this guy was. But he was forgiven by the Lord.
Reactions at the Foot of the Cross
Now we pick our story up in John chapter 19. We will start in verse 25. Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother's sister Mary, the wife of Clopas and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus therefore saw His mother and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, Woman, behold your son. And He said to the disciple, Behold your mother. And from that hour, that disciple took her into His own home.
So let's look now at reactions to the cross. We have the women and we have a single man. Three women, one man.
Mary Magdalene: Place of Redemption
First there was Mary Magdalene. And for her the cross was a place of redemption. Remember Mary had been under the power of demons. Scripture tells us she was possessed by seven of them. You wonder what kind of lifestyle she had lived to come under such demonic control. There are certainly things we can do to open the door to the devil, if you will. Things that we can dabble in. And Mary lived a very wicked life.
But yet Christ forgave her and she became one of His most devoted followers. Speaking of another woman who was immoral and had anointed His head with oil, Jesus said of her in Luke 7:47, Her many sins have been forgiven and she loves much. For whoever has been forgiven of much loves much.
Well that would be true of Mary Magdalene as well. She had been forgiven of a lot. So she wanted to be there with Jesus at the cross. By the way, Mary Magdalene was last at the cross and first at the tomb. That's significant. And she was rewarded for that faithfulness to the Lord.
But there at Calvary she would rejoice in the redemption that Jesus had given to her. She thought, Think of all He did for me. This is the least I could do for Him to just be with Him in this moment of agony.
Salome: Place of Rebuke
For Salome, the cross was a place of rebuke. Now we don't have her name given to us here but elsewhere we find out that Mary's sister, the wife of Zebedee, and the mother of James and John was named Salome. So here now is the mother of James and John.
Now do you remember the brash request she brought before Jesus one day for her sons? A typical mom, you know, wanting to advance her boy, said, Oh Lord, I had a request for you. Yes, what is it? He asks. And she says, Well I was wondering if when you come into glory my sons could sit at your right and left hand.
Is that all? And Jesus went on to say, Well let me ask you a question. Are you able to drink of the cup that I will drink of? And both James and John said, Oh yeah, we are able, no problem. They had no idea what they were talking about.
I am sure that Salome was noticing right now that on the right and left of Jesus there were crucified men. And the cup He was speaking of was the cross and the suffering He would face. I think at that moment she must have said, Lord, thank you for not answering my prayer.
Have you ever prayed for something you later regretted? Have you ever said, Lord, thank you for overruling that? You know, sometimes we don't know what we are asking for. And that is why James 4:3 says, When you ask, you don't receive because you ask for the wrong motives that you may spend it on what you want for your own pleasures, sometimes the Lord is so gracious He will just say, Ah, no. I am not going to do that. I love you too much.
Mary the Mother: Place of Reward
Number three, for Mary, the mother of Jesus, the cross was a place of reward. Now think about Mary. It is interesting that we find Mary in the beginning of the Gospel of John in chapter 2 where He performed His first miracle of turning water into wine. And now we find her at the end of the Gospel in chapter 19 but not in the chapters in between. That is not to say her role was not important but clearly she is not the focus of the Gospel story.
Without question, Mary, the mother of Jesus, was the most blessed woman that ever lived. But we should never put her on a pedestal she does not belong on. Needless to say, we should never pray to her or through her but we must see her for what she was. As a blessed woman, a privileged woman but yet just like you and I a sinful person who needed a Savior.
In what is often called Mary's Magnificat, you could also call it Mary's Psalm there in Luke chapter 1 after she discovers she is to be the mother of the Messiah she says, My soul rejoices in God, my Savior. You see, even Mary needed a Savior.
But having said all that, now let's admire for a moment the strength she showed this day. I can't even imagine what it would be like for a mother to look at her son hanging on a cross. That boy that she loved with all of her heart and beaten beyond human recognition. So traumatized, Isaiah tells us prophetically, you could not even tell he was a man.
Listen, nobody knew the perfection of Jesus better than his mother. She raised that boy and he never did a single thing wrong. He never talked back. He never sassed her. He never disobeyed. He did everything he was asked to do and more. He was the perfect son in every sense.
Can you imagine being one of Jesus' siblings and he did have siblings? I mean, how hard that would be. You know, she would say to the boys, Why can't you be more like Jesus? They would say like, Mom, give me a break. He is like, perfect. I mean, he never makes a single mistake. He never loses his temper. And then Mary might say, No, no. I want you to think about your brother. And the next time you are about to make a decision, ask yourself this question, What would Jesus do?
I have a little bracelet. Put this on now. No. W-W-J-D. Just a joke. But here to see her son. No parent ever wants to outlive their child. And any parent would gladly give their life in the place of their child if they were given the choice.
But I think Mary was having a revelation. Was she the mother of Jesus? Absolutely. But I think in another sense she was discovering at this moment that Jesus was not her child. But she was His.
Jesus seeing her there at the foot of the cross utters His third statement. He says in verse 26 when Jesus saw His mother and the disciple whom He loved standing by. That's John the author of the gospel. He's being humble and doesn't want to say John. Nor does He describe Himself as the disciple that loved Jesus. He just says the disciple whom Jesus loved.
He said Woman behold your son. Then He said to the disciple Behold your mother. When Jesus said to Mary Behold your son I don't think He was referring to Himself but rather to the apostle John. It's a beautiful gesture on our Lord's part. Here He is dying under the most excruciating kind of pain imaginable yet He remembers Mary.
John: Place of Responsibility
That brings us to John number 4. For him the cross was a place of responsibility. Remember Jesus was reigning from the cross. In other words He was in complete control of everything that was happening. That's why He turned down the pain numbing wine that they offered Him. He wanted to be in control of His faculties and of His wits about Him.
So when He was saying to John Behold your mother He was saying John take care of Mary for me now. Don't forget that John like the others had run away and fled when Jesus was arrested so He was being restored but at the same time He was saying John you are going to take my place now and be a son to Mary.
Now of course the question would arise why not leave this responsibility to one of Mary's other children? Well the answer is John 7:5 tells us His brothers did not believe in Him. Despite living a perfect life His own family did not believe Jesus was the Messiah until after He was crucified and Rose again from the dead. So you might say there was a little bit of a rift in the family if you will.
And Jesus says John you take care of her now. You watch out for her. You are taking my place in that sense. And you know in another way we have been called to take His place now that He's gone back to Heaven. I don't mean that literally of course. But we are the representatives of Christ in this world.
When He was here Jesus said I am the light of the world. But then He also said you are the light of the world. You are a city set on a hill. So when He was here He was the light but now He shines that light through us.
The Darkness and the Cry of Forsakenness
Now an ominous moment happens. It's twelve o'clock noon. Yet the lights are off. The sun cannot be seen. It's pitch black outside. And this darkness covers the land. By the way the word that is used there for land in the Gospels is a word that can be used to indicate the entire world. Was this a global darkness? I believe it may have been.
But I believe it was at this moment that the judgment of God was now coming on Jesus. It should have come upon us. The Creator was dying on the cross and all creation was shrouded in darkness in sympathy with Him. It was Isaac Watts that wrote and I quote Well might the sun in darkness hide and shut His glories in when Christ the mighty maker died for man the creature's sin.
So this darkness is pierced by a statement of Jesus now where He cries out My God My God Why have you forsaken me? One of the reasons I believe the Bible is true is because if you were writing a work of fiction you would never have your hero say this. That's not what heroes say. Heroes so to speak don't show moments of weakness. They show bravado and strength under pressure.
Well Jesus was the strongest man who ever lived. This was not a moment of weakness. This was a moment where He was simply describing what was happening. These words surprise us. They disarm us. They cause us to wonder what He meant.
In many ways we are looking at something that is impossible for us as human beings to fathom. But I believe at this moment Jesus was experiencing loneliness and isolation on a level that has never been known by any person before or to follow. He was not only separated from friends but now momentarily He was even separated from the Father.
You see at the cross even God the Father turned His face away from God the Son. You ask why? Because God in all His holiness cannot look at sin. God is so holy that the angels will veil their face before Him. So holy is God that we are told He is of pure eyes and to behold evil and cannot look on iniquity. Habakkuk 1:13
So God turns away as the sin of the world is placed upon Jesus. Jesus must feel forsaken of God because this is the consequence of sin. Listen Jesus was forsaken of God so I don't have to be. Jesus was forsaken of God so I might be forgiven. Jesus entered the darkness so I might walk in the light. Jesus was forsaken of God for a time that I might enjoy His presence forever.
And there on the cross our Lord Jesus Christ bore the sins of the world. To Him was imputed the guilt of all of our sins and He was suffering the punishment for those sins. And the very essence of that punishment was the outpouring of God's wrath against sinners.
Isaiah 53 describes it well. Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. Yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. The punishment for our peace was upon Him. And by His stripes we are healed.
Fifth Statement: I Thirst
Now we come to the fifth statement of the cross. And by the way this is the first statement that has a personal nature to it. Drop down to verse 28. After this. Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished that the scripture might be fulfilled said I thirst.
Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there and they filled a sponge with sour wine and put it on hyssop and put it to His mouth. The worst of the battle is now behind Him. He has borne the sins of the world and up to this point He has only focused on the needs of others.
It would have made more sense logically if the first statement from the cross was My God, my God why have you forsaken Me? Or even if He had initially said I thirst. But this comes much later after He has taken care of business if you will.
He has remembered the sin of the world the thief that is crucified next to Him His own mother now He thinks for a moment of Himself and He says I thirst. This was not a casual thirst this was a desperate thirst scientists tell us that thirst is the most agonizing of all pain. Every cell in the body cries out for relief it only gets worse with time.
This shows us humanity and He cries out I thirst and He is asking for a favor from an enemy. I mean it is hard enough to ask for a favor from a stranger but He is actually saying to His enemies I thirst someone help me out here and a brave soldier gives Him something to drink.
We don't know this man's name but Jesus did. But you could literally see of this man that when Jesus was thirsty He gave him water. And you know we can still do this today. Remember when Jesus said when I was hungry you fed me and when I was thirsty you gave me drink? And the response was oh when were you hungry and when were you thirsty? And He said when you did it for the least of my brothers you did it for me.
Sixth Statement: It is Finished
And now statement number six It is finished. It is finished. The sixth statement from the cross was not the whimper of a defeated man it was the triumphant shout of the Son of God.
Now at the age of 33 most people are saying it is beginning. But at the age of 33 Jesus was saying it is finished. He didn't say I am finished. It wasn't the shout of a victim overwhelmed by his circumstances rather it was a shout of a Victor overcoming all of his enemies.
In fact in one gospel we read He shouted this which is amazing. After going through all of this agony and anguish He shouts it is finished. And He uses a word that is very common in the language of the time. It is the word tetelestai and it is a word that simply means completed.
It was a word that a worker would use after they had finished a job. They would say well tetelestai the job is done. Or if you were an artist and you finished the painting you would say tetelestai the painting is completed.
And so this common word that was used to speak of completion is now used of Jesus from the cross to describe what He has just done. He has completed the job the Father has given Him to do. In fact Jesus said in John 17:4 I have finished the work you gave me to do. Tetelestai
That work can also be translated it is paid it is performed it is accomplished. So the debt of mankind was paid. The work that God wanted him to accomplish was performed. It was done.
Seventh Statement: Into Your Hands
And now finally the seventh statement from the cross Father into your hands I commit my spirit.
What the Cross Means to You
So now I ask you what is the cross to you tonight? Is it a place of redemption as it was for Mary Magdalene? A place where you are reminded of your need for the Savior? You saw the blackness of your sin and you realize you need to get right with Him.
Maybe you have come here tonight and you don't have a real relationship with God and I want you to know that Jesus died on this cross because there was no other way for you to be forgiven of your sin. You are never going to do enough good works to outweigh your bad works. You need forgiveness and Jesus has purchased it for you at the cross and just as He gave it to a woman as wicked as Mary Magdalene He will give it to you as well.
I don't care what you have done. I don't care if you have broken God's laws or even man's laws. I don't care how many sins you have committed. God can forgive you. And if you will come to Him like Mary did He will forgive you tonight.
Maybe for some the cross is a place of rebuke as it was to Salome the mother of James and John. Maybe you are a believer but you feel as though there might be some sin in your life that needs to be dealt with. So you need to turn from that sin especially as we come to the communion table.
Maybe the cross tonight for you is a place of reward as it was for Mary. You are just blown away by all that God has done for you and you just rejoice every time you hear the story.
Or maybe finally it is a place of responsibility as it was for John. You are reminded that you have enemies to forgive, friends to help, strangers to feed, lost people to reach. Then do those things especially as we come now to the communion table.
Preparing for Communion
I want to read to you a passage of scripture. You are free to turn there if you would like. It is 1 Corinthians 11 before we receive these elements together. These are the words of the apostle Paul as he talks about how we should approach this table.
You know, in some churches when communion is observed they will just have tables set up and you can go to those tables at will and receive the elements. And while I am all for giving people an opportunity to remember the Lord in this way I think it is very important that we understand there is a weightiness about what we are going to do.
We don't want to do this in a cavalier way or in an overly casual way or in a frivolous way. This is not just a little ritual to do that makes God happy. No. We are going to hold in our hand an element that though it is not in and of itself sacred it represents one who is.
We don't believe in transubstantiation here at Harvest. We don't believe that bread will become flesh and grape juice that is what you are going to be drinking by the way becomes blood. No. We don't believe that. But we believe that it symbolizes the broken body and the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
So listen to what Paul says now about coming to the communion table in 1 Corinthians 11 verse 23 I received from the Lord that which I delivered to you that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which he was betrayed took bread and when he had given thanks he broke it and said take and eat this is my body which is broken for you this do in remembrance of me.
In the same manner he took the cup after supper saying this cup is the new covenant in my blood and as often as you drink it do it in remembrance of me. As often as you eat this bread and drink this cup you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.
Now listen to this. Paul says in verse 27 but whoever eats this bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of our Lord. So let a man examine himself and then let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup.
For whoever eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself not discerning the Lord's body. Communion is given to us by Jesus to remind us of something of great significance.
I don't know about you but as I get older I often forget things. Sometimes I lose things. Like my car. I don't remember where I parked it. So I walk around hitting my alarm hoping it will go off. But I have a reminder on my finger right now. It's a wedding ring. It reminds me I'm married. It's not that I need this. I do have a wife as well at home to remind me. But it's just a little thing to jog my memory. There it is. It's a symbol of something.
And so in the same way when we receive these elements they are there to jog our memory to cause us to think about to ponder Jesus and His suffering. As we said earlier there from Hebrews 12 consider Him that went through these things. So it's there to cause me to remember. To remember what He did.
But then at the same time I'm not to receive the elements in an unworthy manner. So you might ask well does that mean I need to be worthy to receive them? No. Because no one is worthy in and of themselves. But we don't want to do it in a way that's casual and flippant. I mean we come with this sense of awe of God and reverence for God and say Lord I recognize these elements represent Your broken body Your shed blood. I'm really serious about this.
And then He goes on to say and if you do it in an unworthy manner you even drink judgment to yourself. Check this out. If you receive communion without believing in the one that it represents it's actually offensive to God.
So if you think it's a nice ritual to go through to make God happy au contraire a little French there means to the contrary. are you impressed? Escargot a little more French. It means snail with garlic. So to the contrary snail with garlic.
Now here is the thing you need to know it won't get you closer to God in a way you will be making fun of God and you certainly don't want to do that. Communion is for Christians only. Only for believers.
Years ago there was a jacket that was very popular. Some of you may have had one. It said for members only. How many of you remember that? How many of you are still wearing it? Get rid of it now. No. Hang on to it. It will become very collectible. We all wore them for members only. Oh I see you have a for members only. I have one too for members only. By the way what are we members of? I have no idea. But it's for members only.
Well listen communion is for Christians only. And by a Christian I mean someone that's put their faith in Jesus. So if you're not a Christian and you have no intention of becoming one I encourage you to not receive these elements. Just let them pass on by.
But better yet put your faith in Jesus Christ ask for His forgiveness as we begin our service and then have your first communion as a real believer. Doesn't that sound like a better idea? Yeah. That's what you should do.
Invitation and Communion Prayer
Alright. So we're going to have a word of prayer together and then we're going to worship the Lord and we're going to distribute the elements. But in this prayer I'm going to give an opportunity for any that may not yet know the Lord to make a commitment to Him tonight.
Let's all bow our heads. Father thank You for Your Word to us now. Thank You for all that Jesus did on the cross for His suffering for His sacrifice for His love. And I pray for any that have joined us right now that may not yet know You. Lord would You help them to see their need for You and help them to come to You this night we pray.
Now when our heads are bowed and our eyes are closed and we're praying how many of you would say today Greg I want Jesus Christ to come into my life. I want to be forgiven of my sin. I believe He died on this cross for me and I'm ready to follow Him now. Pray for me.
If that's your desire if you want Jesus Christ to come into your life if you want Him to forgive you of your sin if you want to know that when you die you will go to heaven wherever you are I want you to stand to your feet and I'm going to lead you in a prayer. Just stand to your feet and I'm going to lead you in a prayer right where you stand. Stand up wherever you are if you want Christ to come into your life tonight. I'm going to lead you in this prayer out there in the lobby. You can stand as well. Stand up and I'm going to have you pray this prayer after me. Stand up now.
Alright, now I want you to pray this prayer after me now right where you are. Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, but You died on the cross in my place. And I turn from my sin now. I choose to follow You, Lord, from this night forward. Thank You for loving me and forgiving me. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.