The following message was given at Emmanuel Baptist Church, Coconut Creek, Florida. I have always been intrigued with the reality of the history that has been given to us of the Israelites, specifically in the context of their escape or their exodus out of Egypt. When God saw their dilemma, he sent a messenger. It was Moses to deliver them. Their first question was, who is this God? They doubted what was happening in God's providential leading and getting them out of Egypt. They, in the midst of that great 10 plague miracles, in the midst of seeing the power of God, the wonder of God, were also brought to a greater persecution because of the anxiety or the anger of Pharaoh. And they complained. They came into the point where they were crossing the Red Sea, and there they were with a dilemma of the sea in front of them. The Egyptians followed them. The first thing they did was complain to God of their dilemma. God performed a miracle, split the sea. They walked on dry land. After they got across, the Egyptians came and all were drowned in the sea. They went on in their journey, and in the process of provisions for them, God provided manna for them every single morning. They never lacked all the food that they needed. But they complained. And God gave them, of course, the quail that came, and they were able to eat all the meat. They got sick because they had so much meal. And then we find that they came to the place where they were gonna enter into the promised land. There were 12 spies that spied out the land, and 10 of them said, we'll not be able to do it. It's too great for us. Two of them, of course, Caleb and Joshua, said, we can do it with God's help. But they complained. and 40 years they spent in the wilderness. We have some record in the scriptures in the New Testament in 1 Corinthians chapter 10 by the apostle Paul concerning the Israelites and specifically this area of their journey and their life. And in that record, the apostle tells us examples that they are examples for us, of course, not to follow. And what he says is that we are not to be like them who lusted after evil things. We are not to be like them because they were idolaters. We're not to be like them because they committed sexual immorality. We're not to be like them because they tempted Christ, the words of the scriptures itself. And the last thing, they are not to be like them because of their complaining. The subject that I want to deal with tonight is the subject of contentment. It is surprising to me when I look at or hear from the missionaries or those who are acquainted with some of the saints, our dear brothers and sisters in foreign lands, in foreign lands where they are being persecuted for the sake of the gospel. Communism, Islam, hates the gospel. They persecute the saints of God. Many of them have died for the sake of the gospel. And when the news comes from us, whether it's voice of martyrs, from our own missionaries, the request they make for us is not that they would escape and complain about what they are enduring, but that God would preserve their faith in the midst of the persecution. Remarkable, I think, especially when we look at the fact that so many people are lacking contentment. Our society is full of lack of contentment today. One of the greatest difficulties that we face is people want their way and they're not seeking, of course, God's way. Contentment comes in all areas of life, whether it's a person of older age, even teenagers today find great difficulty with being content. I think there's an important case here that we could consider. Now the reason you say, why are you speaking on the subject of containment? Do you believe that the Emanuel Baptist Church is a church full of discontentment? I don't. I do not. But I do believe that there are areas in all of us that we have lack of contentment, and we find them, some of us more than others. Some of us say our discontentment. Some of us show us the discontentment that we have. Some of us hide our discontentment. But the subject, I think, is important because the Bible does speak quite a bit about being content. You say, well, why is it important? Well, it is an important area because we all face the realities of being discontent. The apostle Paul, that great saint of God, learned to be content. And so it could be important for us that we, if we need to face ourselves in situations, to learn to be content. What are some of the areas? And let me just spell them out for us to even examine ourselves to see if we are not hiding some of the realities of our discontentment. We can be discontent with our circumstances in life right now. We can be discontent even with people around us. They cause a great discontentment within our own hearts and our minds. We can be discontent with ourselves, our condition in life, our wealth or our lack thereof. We can be discontent. We can be discontent with the experiences that we are enduring on a daily basis. We can be discontent with the situation in life that we are in right now. Can't do anything about it, but we're discontent. We can be discontent with God's gifts to others and not to us. Why do they have it and not we? Discontent with singleness of life. Discontent with married life. Discontent with areas of having children or not having children. We can be discontent because we think we have been shortchanged in intellect. We can be discontent because we find ourselves lacking good health like others. We can be discontent because we have physical difficulties that we have to face every day, every morning, or any circumstances of the day. We can be discontent because of our own family backgrounds. Dissatisfied with that. Discontent with our education or lack of education. We can be discontent with some of our financial opportunities. Compared with others, they are able to get. We simply do not have the ability. We're discontent. We can be discontent with our work situation. We're not getting promoted as we ought, as we think we should. We can be discontent because others travel opportunities, have opportunities that we don't. We can be discontent because we look at the comparison to others. We can be discontent because of physical, mental, and emotional hardships. And we find ourselves discontent before God. We can be discontent because others seem to have such a smooth way in life. They just continue to progress every stage and every achievement. They make one achievement after the other, and here we are. Nothing in comparison, so we're discontent. We can be discontent because of lack of recognition. They don't know what I've done. They don't know my capabilities. I've not gotten any accolades for what I have done. We can be discontent because we've made some achievements and nobody recognizes it. We find ourselves discontented. We can become discontented because of our impatience in God's work of transforming our own lives. Others grow by leaps and bounds. We take one step forward and five steps backwards and we find ourselves discontent with what we're doing in our spiritual growth. We can be discontent because we know our spiritual struggles and others seem to have a progress of faith continually going on and moving forward. Many reasons may not have even touched on the things that you perhaps are discontented with, but nevertheless, there is a lot of discontent that can be involved in our lives in various areas of our living. Now, there are a lot of books on discontentment. number of books, a couple of them, they will also often be six ways in which you can find contentment or 10 steps you can take to find contentment. And there may be some helps in some of those. I came across one today even that came, it was interesting, I was going over my notes and Sarah came to me, she often does this, will take a book from somewhere and take something from somewhere and just give it to me. It happened to be on discontent. I looked at that thing, and I stopped, and I said, wow. She didn't have any idea what she was doing, but nevertheless, there are a number of books on discontentment. There's a couple of good books on discontentment. We have the book of Thomas Brooks on divine cordial. Good book. We have that great one, The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment by Jeremiah Burroughs. Good books. Well, I have found some material and put together this message. The goal is, a help to discontent, a help to contentment. Not a help to discontentment, a help to contentment. Before we look at our text, let me just give you a number of scripture texts that give to us the term contentment in them. First is Philippians chapter four, verse 11 says, not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am thereby to be content. 1 Timothy 6.6, now godliness with contentment is great gain. 1 Timothy 6.8, having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. Hebrews 13.5, we looked at this a number of years ago, let your conduct be without covetousness, be content with such things as you have. For he himself has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you. And then that one back in the gospels in Luke chapter three, verse 14, John the Baptist was preaching repentance and the people were asking about what they should do and showing their repentance. And the soldiers, likewise the soldiers asked him, they said, what shall we do? And so he said to them, do not intimidate anyone or accuse falsely and be content with your wages. Interesting, but content, the importance of it. Now, if you have your Bibles, you may turn with me to the book of Ecclesiastes chapter seven. Ecclesiastes chapter seven. Before we look at the context of the text itself, let me just go over some statements of definition, what we mean when we say contentment. First of all, some positive statements on contentment. What do we mean when we say contentment? Contentment is what gives a calmness and composedness of mind in every condition. A calmness and composedness of mind in every condition. Second, contentment is what gives a stillness and coolness of spirit under all occasions of providence. Contentment is when a man likes or when a man accepts whatever God does to him or with him. That's contentment. Now there's a great similarity of nature, though not a perfect identity between contentment and patience. Some negative statements, what do we mean when we talk about discontentment or what contentment is not? Contentment is opposed to all distressing, fretting, and murmuring, and complaining. Contentment is opposed to all wrong anxiety of mind under God's dispensations. Contentment is opposed to God's ordering of things towards us when they are contrary and opposed to our natural desires. Now, without question, this was one thing, if not the main thing, intended by the Apostle Paul when he said, I have learned in whatever state I am to be content. In other words, he is saying, it is as if I am brought to this always to think well of God and in every state into which he is pleased to bring me. Whatever pleases him, pleases me. Whatever it is, whether it's imprisonment, poverty, sickness, reproach, death itself, let God's will be done and I am content. I have learned, he is saying, to bear all things with great steadiness of mind and evenness of spirit. I have learned in whatever state I am to be content. Now, the question comes, what do we come to for, where do we come to to find this contentment, this good frame of mind in dealing with situations that are difficult with us, where we find discontentment? How do we have the heart calm and quiet in every state There are states when we find ourselves easily, but not every state. And how do we find that calmness in every state without being disturbed or being discontent under anything that happens to us? Well, the purpose of this message, and God willing that we learn something from it, is to find the answer to that. And we find some good advice in the book of Ecclesiastes, and if you turn there, look with me in verse 13 and 14. Hear the words of God. Consider the work of God, for who can make straight what he has made crooked? In the day of prosperity, be joyful. In the day of adversity, consider. Surely God has appointed the one as well as the other, so that man can find out nothing that will come after him. The particular portion of that text is verse 14, the first half. In the day of prosperity, be joyful. In the day of adversity, consider. Now that first part isn't having difficulty. In the day of prosperity, be joyful. Most of us have no problem with that. Some of us do. Some of us think we can't be happy. and seem to have this attitude, if we get happy, something's wrong, because who knows what. But the text says, in the day of prosperity, be joyful, and we should do that. But the following portion of that text says, but in the day of adversity, consider. Now when it comes to anything that is contrary, that runs contrary to our desires, that makes it a day of adversity. And if we would simply, according to the text, if we would simply sit down and consider the matter, it would tend much to the disquieting of our spirits. So the text is teaching us that consideration then is an excellent help to contentment. The man who is not thoughtful or inclined to think about or to consider a matter will never learn from what this text is teaching them. Disturbances, agitations of our mind are not answered by some magical spell that comes, but rather, from the text, it is a solid intellectual consideration. Now, do we want to know what that special and proper thought is to work contentment in every state? Well, the text says consider. You notice verse 13, by the way, begins, but consider the work of God. So we're gonna consider two points. Number one, we want to consider who it is that orders the providence. And the answer to that, of course, is the supreme, sovereign, all-disposing God. That text in Psalm 31, 15, my times are in your hands. In other words, this is true with every man in the world and with everything about every man. All is in God's hands. There is a hand above that directs all events here below. He who numbers the hairs on our head orders our providences. Good and evil do not come by chance. They do not happen by some casual, accidental way. Both good and evil are appointed by God's providence according to His will. This is seen, I think, by most of us in agreement, full agreement. But the problem is, in practice, we do either forget it or flatly deny it. Now here's what to consider. When at any time our heart begins to be angry or fret over our condition, we must sit down and seriously consider who it is that orders the situation. We must let our thoughts dwell on that and see if it is not some advantage that helps us to suppress the proper anxiety that comes to our mind. Christians should not easily be disturbed at what happens to him when he considers, let it be what it will, it is all of God. Is it right for the creature to be angry with God? Like Jonah was. You remember Jonah was asked that question. His answer was, it is right for me to be angry with God, even to death. But the question is, what should a man dispute with God? Should the clay say to the potter, why have you made me thus? Romans 9.20, must providence be arranged according to our judgment where our will clashes with God's will? The answer, of course, is no, by no means. There is all the reason in the world for whatever pleases God should please the creature. You remember Eli, the message that came from God through Samuel, and that message that was fearful on Eli's part, and once it came with that terrible prophecy, Eli said, it is the Lord. Let him do what seems good to him. Remember Job? Job says, the Lord gave, the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. That's contentment, the circumstances that God places us in. And what more effectual help for the stillness of our spirit than the consideration that all is ordered by God. But in our consideration, in order to find this kind of heart that is calm under the circumstances that are difficult for us, it is good not only to think, that all things are ordered by God, but how and in what manner all is ordered by him. This can be, I think, extremely helpful for us if we are thinking of God's providential working. If this is properly considered, the whole idea of the manner in which God deals with us, if this is properly considered and truly digested within our minds, it'll be of great value to a further contentment with us. And so let's consider four things that help us to see the manner, how and the manner in which God deals in ordering all things for us. The first one is this. All is ordered by God irresistibly. Isaiah 43, 12 through 14 says this, I am God, I work, and who will reverse it? Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One. This is applicable to God's providential dealings with every single person in the world. God's providences are carried on with such almighty power that it is a vain thing, it is a foolish thing for anyone to go about and try to resist and reverse God in what He will do. There is no contending with God. It's written in the book of Job, should he repay it according to your terms just because you disavow it? If God gives it, you will have it. If he withholds it, all your earnestness and striving will do no good. Or if you would have an affliction relieved or removed from you, contending with him will not work. If God will take from you, that's the end of it. If he will continue it, you must bear with it. Humble contentment can do much, but proud contending will do nothing. God knows what he has to do, and he will not be reversed in what he has decided to do. So then, whenever discontentment begins to rise in the soul, quickly think of this. If it's true that the work of providence will have its course, then there is no reversing of the almighty sovereign God. Listen to Ecclesiastes eight, three, he does whatever he pleases. Ephesians one 11, he works all things according to the council of his will. Now, knowing this, then our reason and judgment should tell us that it is best to yield and submit to this God and to comply with whatever we cannot change. All is ordered by God irresistibly. Secondly, all is ordered by God righteously. He is righteous. He does only what is righteous. Shall not the judge of all the earth do right? Genesis 8, 30 to 25. The Lord is righteous in all his ways, Psalm 145, 17. Just and true are your ways, O King of the saints," Revelation 15, 3. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne, Psalm 97, 2. Now, this is an important subject for our thoughts to dwell on when any trouble comes upon us. It will be good for our contentment in every state when there is God's righteousness in every state. Providence may sometimes be dark and mysterious, yet it is always just and righteous because God orders all things righteously. God may sometimes oppose our ideas, but He never wrongs us. He does not always see it good in our desires to satisfy us, but it is good for us in all His dealings with us to declare him just. David said, Psalm 51.4, that you may be found just when you speak and blameless when you judge. Jeremiah said, Lamentations 1.18, the Lord is righteous. Proverbs 19, or excuse me, Lamentations 3.39, why should a living man complain? A man complain of the punishment of his sins. Proverbs 19.3 says a smart, which is a smart passage, the foolishness of man twists his way and his heart frets against the Lord. You see, we provoke God to afflict us and then we're angry with him. We have reason only to be angry with ourselves because our sin's being drawn out the cause of all of our miseries. We often have just grounds for being troubled with our own hearts because of our pride, because of our carnality, because of our unthankfulness, because of our unbelief. This is good discontentment. But we never have any just grounds for being disturbed at what God does. He is holy and righteous in all His actings. In a word, we can say it this way. That heart-quietening consideration must be in our thoughts. God is righteously ordered all, therefore we must intently undergo all. God orders all things righteously. Thirdly, all is ordered by God wisely. God at the beginning made all things with infinite wisdom. Psalm 104, 24 says, oh Lord, how manifold are your works. In wisdom you have made them all. And so he does also in the order and the governing of all by his infinite wisdom. This holds true not only with respect to the whole creation in this general part of it, but also in respect to every part of the creation and especially to man." Now, if this is believed and considered, it would be very much contributed to be a means of contentment in every condition. Certainly, it is very foolish for us to find fault with and to dislike that which God does in a loving wisdom. Should we not be content? Contentedly rest in what He sees to be the best for us. It's an interesting statement in Job, contained in Job. It is a statement, for an empty-headed man, it's a foolish man, that's a natural man, he would be wise when a wild donkey's colt is born a man. That's how foolish man is. You see, a man thinks that he would rather order things better than God does, he will be finding fault with God's governing him, but this man, his own wisdom is the highest foolishness. and what a wise choice God always makes for man because of His infinite wisdom. As saints, we will see this when we get to heaven, if not before. Should we not then quietly resign ourselves to Him, saying, He will choose our inheritance for us? Psalm 47, verse 4. On the other hand, We can see the sad choice we, as men, make for ourselves when we will be our own choosers for our own contentment. You remember the example of Rachel, Jacob's wife. She said she must have a child or she will die. Genesis 3, 30, verse 1. She got her desire, but it cost her her life. Jacob, he cannot wait for God's time for the blessing, and what a world of troubles it involved himself in by his choice. Oh, we ought to be satisfied with God's providence and direction for our lives because he's wise. He knows what is right for us. If you just reason with yourself and say, did God know what he was doing when he made me as a person? Does he not know how to order my condition in life? Will he who was never guilty of the least mistake in all his works that have passed through his hands make a mistake in my case? If we reason this way, and God willing, it will calm some of those storms of discontent that arise. And what a blessed serenity of mind we should have in every state if we would live in the steady belief and serious consideration of God's unsearchable wisdom. He knows what's right. All is ordered by God irresistibly. All is ordered by God righteously. All is ordered by God wisely. Consider God's providence. Fourthly, all is ordered by God graciously. Psalm 2510 says, all the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth to such as keep His covenant and His testimonies. Psalm 4517 says, the Lord is righteous in all His ways and gracious in all His works. What's your problem? Is it somehow lack of finances? Is it pain, physical pain you're enduring? Is it sickness that you have? Is it some kind of a loss of relationships that is being developed or has developed? Is it some worldly crosses that you're enduring? Afflictions come from God's love. God designs good by them and nothing but good to them that love Him. Now, this is a special thing to be thought of by us who belong to God. The others, those who do not believe, those who are unbelievers, those who are not Christians, have the sovereignty and the righteous God terrifying them. But saints have the mercy and the goodness of God working in their hearts to have a quiet submission to his will. It's his loving care for us. How much more there is in this, with this frame of mind, if we could only draw out and work it home in the soul, our soul, by this kind of consideration. Can a child of God complain and fret at this and that when all is intended for his good and will be for good according to that great promise? We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose. God always knows what is best for his own. That's his wisdom. He always does what is best because that's his mercy. What a heart-composing consideration this is. All is ordered by a loving Father, not to hurt us, but to do us good. Why then should we give way to discontent? The truth is, it is wrong for us as saints that in every state only barely to be content. We need to be like Eli in that statement that he made, not in what he act, but that statement. There is something higher, you see, for us that we should come up to, and that is we are to rejoice in the Lord always. And in everything, give thanks. Philippians 4.4, 1 Thessalonians 5.18. All is ordered by God irresistibly, righteously, wisely, and graciously. Consider the work of God. All right, we've considered that. Now let's look at our second point. And in this point, again, we're continuing with the theme of the text. We are to consider, in order to attain contentment, the next thing we need to dwell in on is to occupy our thoughts in the subject of contentment itself. Think of what contentment is. Consider what a happy, what a superior frame of mind contentment is. Contentment is a satisfying, frame of mind. You know, it's interesting to me to see the mind that we have. We are so contrary to what is right. We want to be discontent because that seems to be the way to find ourselves, the help. When it is, contentment is what we really want and what we really need. It's a satisfying frame of mind. It carries with it peace. The very fact that we are discontent indicates that we are not at peace and we are finding that circumstances to cause us to be discontent when we should find ourself at peace because we trust in a holy God in his ordering for us. Peace is good, holy, desirable for our soul. Contentment says that a person has a proper view of God in his sovereignty, in his righteousness, in his wisdom, in his goodness. That's what contentment reveals. Contentment says that a person has a proper sense of what he is in himself, and that is a poor, offensive, worthless nothing. Jacob said, I am not worthy of the least of your mercies and of all your truth which you have shown to your servant. Contentment says that a person is properly submitted to his will, to the will of his creator, and that he lives in an entire surrender and resignation of himself to the disposal of his maker. It's a statement of contentment. This is holy, this is good. Peace is found there. Contentment gives evidence of peace. Contentment gives evidence of submission to God. In a contented frame of mind, there is humility, there is faith, there is hope, there is patience, there's a heavenly mindedness, and there's deadness to the world. In a discontented frame of mind, there's pride, there's unbelief, impatience, carnality, and even a practical atheism. The truth is, contentment is better than any comfort or any pleasure that we think we lack. Contentment is satisfying, a satisfying frame of mind. But secondly, contentment is very highly pleasing to God. If you have a desire as a Christian to be pleasing to God, contentment is very pleasing to God. When a man is brought to himself to lay everything and all of his concerns at God's feet and say, it is the Lord, let him do with me what seems good to him, that is pleasing to God. We are well pleasing to him when we accept his providence for us. Listen to the very connection that we have with God. What is the basis of our community? Is it the fact that we have accomplished some righteous acts and therefore made ourselves satisfied with God, or God satisfied with us? No, it's faith. Listen to the text. Without faith, it is impossible to please him, for he who comes to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. That's what's pleasing to God. Our acceptance of this, we trust him, we believe in him. We know that he is a righteous, holy, gracious, wise God, and we believe it. Therefore, we have ourselves pleasing God. Nothing provokes God more than a murmuring and a fretful spirit. Nothing pleases him more than a quiet spirit. Number of texts for that. And so contentment is a satisfying frame of mind. It's also a highly pleasing to God. And thirdly, it's also really advantageous for ourselves. Contentment gives us great comfort. We think, we've got comfort, if I can only get this thing and I can accomplish this thing, or if I... No, comfort comes from great contentment with God and with the circumstances that He places in front of us. A contented spirit is a cheerful spirit. It is heaven on earth as opposed to hell on earth. It is a mind at rest in every condition. The contented man is not only has not only the comfort of what he has, but also what he does not have. We think, I've gotta have this. But a contented spirit is comforted in the fact of what he does not have. If a man lacks any outward experience, it's made up for inward submission to God. And so contentment fills us with comfort. It's advantageous to us. It is pleasing to the Lord. And thirdly, it is fitting for us to accomplish what we have been called to do, our duties, our obedience to Him. When our spirit is still and quiet, all is done well. Not forcefully, not angrily, not with great difficulty, but it's easy for us to obey when we are contented with God's providence to us. Contentment always obtains the very mercy we desire or other better than what we desire. God knows what's well. How many people have experienced some circumstances and they didn't get what they wanted but God gave them something better because they were content with whatever God gave them to do. Fretting never removes a cross nor produces comfort. Quiet submission does both. The father continues to correct that disobedient, self-willed, difficult child. But once the child yields and is quiet, he gives the child anything. Contentment and God's provision with our contentment. Contempt also sweetens the bitter cup. We find some difficulties that really are bitter to us. But when we find ourselves content with God in his providential directions for us, it'll take away that bitterness. It's like that wood that Moses threw into the water to make the bitter water sweet. Well, let me close our point and our message tonight. We are discontent because of lack of consideration. The worldly-minded man groans under the effects of inconsideracy. He does not consider God. And as Christians, we can consider a loving, wise, gracious God. The worldly-minded man is impatient, he's fretting, he's quarreling with God. Why is it that so many live in the dislike of their condition? The answer to discontentment is, to a great measure, the general neglect of consideration. God has given us so much knowledge. Let's pull it in and make application in our own situation. Now, I do not think this one means to be the only means sufficient. It's not the only, but it is the word of God. And it will go very far, in my mind, according to the scriptures, to bring contentment to us. Again, the text says, in the day of prosperity, be joyful, but in the day of adversity, consider. May God help us to make application for the help of whatever difficulty, whatever discontentment that you find in your own mind, which may rise up, may be a great thing, may be a small thing. Some of us hide it. but it's still there. Some of us make excuse for it. You see, I'm a Dutchman, I have a right to do that. Or I'm an Italian. Or I'm, is there any other nationality that has any problems? No, we don't make excuses. We come with the reality of our condition. and trust and believe in a sovereign God who loves and cares for us. We consider that God orders all things. May God add his blessing to the word. Let's pray together. Our God and our loving Heavenly Father, we praise you now and will offer everlasting thankfulness to you because you sent your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, who offered his life for our sake on the cross. He has become our salvation because you made him who had no sin to be sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God in him. Our father, you sent your son to redeem us from our bondage to sin. He took our place, carried our guilt to the cross. He bore for our sakes the just punishment for sin. And so he put away our sin forever by the sacrifice of himself. We now fully embrace him alone as our Savior, resting in his work as fully sufficient. We come to this supper wholly resting on the merits of our Savior, the Lord Jesus, and we hide ourselves in his righteousness. Father, we thank you for this means of grace, and we ask that you would teach us to see your loving purpose, and also to find strength for our souls in this service. By your spirit, we ask that you would enliven our faith to rightly discern and to spiritually apprehend our Savior's work. As we remember by the means of the elements represented by our Savior's death, representing our Savior's death, may we consider again that he died and that he gave his life to purchase ours, that he shed his blood to blot out our guilt. that He endured our curse and set us free, that He bore our condemnation to satisfy divine justice. Our Father, help us to grasp, rightly grasp, the breadth and the length of Your design, to take the bread and to receive the cup as we eat and drink the symbols of our Savior's work, to be for us spiritual life, to be for us our spiritual strength, to be for us our spiritual nourishment, to be our reason for joy and happiness. In this supper, we remember His eternal love, His limitless grace, His infinite compassion. We remember His agony, His cross, His redemption. And by this remembrance, we receive assurance of our pardon, our forgiveness of sins, our adoption, our eternal life, and our future glory. And by this remembrance, we ask that you would keep us always near the cross. It is in the name of the one crucified, our Lord Jesus, that we pray, amen. We hope you were edified by this message. For additional sermons, as well as information on giving to the ministry of Emmanuel Baptist Church and on our current building project, you can visit us online at ebcfl.org. That's ebcfl.org.