you you You. You. so so You. Good morning and welcome. Welcome to all. It is good to be in God's house. First note of the morning. You may have heard already, we had the prayer chain go around last night regarding Fred and Angela. They are doing well. They are home. So the baby is doing well. Angela is doing all right. I think they got home around one in the morning. last night. It is an unusual circumstance, though, in that Angela is still having contractions, but these may continue for some time, for even a month or more. or she might be going back to the hospital soon, so we don't know. Of course, she's not due until into January, so we'll continue to keep them in prayer. We are giving thanks, but continuing to keep Fred and Angela and everyone in prayer. Another note before we begin. And that is a celebration of the Lord's Supper this morning. Please note there's a number of announcements in the bulletin for that. We will have the communion plates passed by the elders. We also have the small table in the back with individually packaged elements. And there's some directions about that in the bulletin. Also, again, note that wine is in the outer ring, grape juice in the inner two rings. And then there are those four questions regarding, especially, are you a professing member in good standing, confessing the name of Jesus Christ? And with those four questions, we celebrate if you say yes, and you're certainly invited to join with us in celebrating the Lord's Supper. Let us, people of God, come now, beginning our worship with a moment of silent and reverent prayer before him. Let us pray. so so Amen. If you would stand, people of God, our call to worship coming from the Psalms, from Psalm 103. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me. Bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits. who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good, so that your youth is renewed like the eagles. Indeed, directing your attention to the bulletin, I ask, congregation, where does your help come from? Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth. Let us receive then God's greeting this morning. To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ, grace to you and peace from God our Father. Amen. Let us then, people of God, open in song the Trinity Psalter 103E, 103E taken from that 103rd Psalm. Let us sing the odd-numbered stanzas one, three, and five. O come, my soul, bless Thou the Lord, God maker, and all within me bless His holy name. ♪ And God all his mercies ♪ ♪ His pardoning grace and saving love proclaim ♪ ♪ Bless him the angels, one trust in mind ♪ ♪ Bless him his servants who in his will delight ♪ to all who fear his name. For well he knows our weakness and our frailty. He knows that we are dust, he knows our frame. His kingdom come. ♪ Bless his most holy name, O Thou my soul ♪ ♪ Bless him, the angels, wondrous in might ♪ ♪ Bless him, his servants, who in his will delight ♪ Amen. Amen. It is good to sing God's praise. It is good to hear God's will. God's revealed will to us. The 10 commandments reading this morning from Exodus chapter 20. And God spoke all these words saying, I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above or that is in the earth beneath or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work. you or your son or your daughter, your male servant or your female servant, or your livestock or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. honor your father and your mother that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not bear false witness against your neighbor, you shall not covet your neighbor's house, you shall not covet your neighbor's wife or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that is your neighbor's. And then certainly in giving the two-part summary, it is our Lord Himself who said, the first and greatest commandment is this, you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. And the second commandment is like it, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. In short, people of God, we are told what not to do, we are told what to do. And it is a joy that the Lord God has laid before us what his requirements are, even as to consider the fullness of the law is to constantly see our need to confess our sins and to come before God doing so. Let us do that now as a congregation. Let us come with a prayer of confession. Lord, Our Lord, your law is good. We are bad. We are sinners. We are quick to sin. We are apart from you, slaves to sin. Lord God, even By the power of your spirit, we can still never say that we are without sin. Lord, it is as an entire congregation that we come before you confessing our sins. Lord, for each one of us, Whatever our age is, whatever our life situation is, bring us always before you. Bring us before you individually, and bring us before you even as we are here now, confessing together that we are sinners before your perfect throne. And Lord, we rejoice that there is forgiveness in Jesus Christ and in His blood and His work, even that work which we anticipate to see that visible sign and remembrance of, we give thanks that we pray in the name of our powerful, perfect Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen. People of God, let's sing together may remain seated as we sing from the 28th Psalm, number 28, and we'll sing stanzas one, two, six, and seven. One, two, six, and seven, number 28. O Lord, I pray, I pray, O Lord, I pray, I pray, O Lord, I pray, I pray, O Lord, I pray, I pray, O Lord, I pray, I pray, O Lord, I pray, I pray, O Lord, I pray, I pray, O Lord, I pray, I pray, O Lord, I pray, I pray, O Lord, I pray, I pray, O Lord, I pray, I pray, O Lord, I pray, I pray, O Lord, I pray, I pray, I pray, O Lord, I pray, I pray, I pray, O Lord, I pray, I pray, I pray, I pray, I pray, I pray, I pray, I pray, I pray, I pray, I pray, I pray, I pray, I pray, I pray, I pray, I pray, I pray, I pray, I pray, I pray, I pray, I pray, I pray, I pray, I pray, I pray, I pray, I pray, ♪ Mercy rich I be ♪ ♪ The Lord God is my strength and shield ♪ ♪ My trust in him loosens, he aids ♪ ♪ My heart uplifted beats for joy ♪ ♪ My face to him I gladly see ♪ Amen. And so let us also this very morning be reminded of the assurance of salvation of the strong arm of salvation. and redemption, which is found in God. And so this morning, reading as we work now, slowing down in Isaiah, we've been going through the Old Testament books. Now we're up to Isaiah 44, verses 21 to 23. Remember these things, O Jacob and Israel, for you are my servant. I formed you, you are my servant, O Israel. You will not be forgotten by me. I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud, and your sins like a mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you. Sing, O heavens, for the Lord has done it. Shout, O depths of the earth. Break forth into singing. O mountains, O forests, and every tree in it, for the Lord has redeemed Jacob and will be glorified in Israel. People of God, we come as the New Testament Church, as the new people of God. We are God's redeemed people. He has done it. His arm is strong. That is where our salvation is. That is why we come before God to praise Him, to worship Him, to give thanks to Him. We come before God as His people. And so let us come before him also with prayer again. Time now, people of God, for our congregational prayer this morning. Lord God almighty, almighty over all, God of salvation, God our strength, God, you who have formed us. You have formed us in every way. You are the creator of all. You are the maker of all, and you also mold and shape. You have control over all things. Even in this sin-cursed world, the calamities that come, you know these things. You are over these things. And Lord God, if we think of ourselves as that clay which is molded by the potter, this is indeed the very image which you have given to us more than once. This is who we are. We are clay in your hands. Lord God, mold us and shape us. May we not only be those who are your creatures, for certainly All are your creatures. Every human being is from that first father and that first mother, from Adam and Eve. We are all from Adam and Eve, but Lord God, form us again. Give us the second birth also. May we not only be formed in our mother's womb in that first sense, but may we be formed for salvation. May we be made twice by you. And in having being made twice, in being born again, mold us and shape us to be your vessels of yes, weak vessels on this earth, but vessels of salt and light. Lord, our Lord, bring us in all humility before you then, knowing that all that we do is done as those shaped by you. And in that shaping, make us to live for your glory, for your honor. Lord, our Lord, make us to be often thinking upon your heavenly throne. And make us to be always remembering that you can use Cyrus and Nebuchadnezzar, that you are Lord over all. Lord, may we, in knowing that you are Lord, see injustice and call it injustice, but may we also rest in the midst of all that comes upon us. Lord, may we give thanks when we see good gifts, as you are the giver of every good gift. May we trust when when the calamities come, when the difficulties come. And Lord God, help us to see the immediate needs around us as having a first importance in that this is the place that you have put us. This is the flock which we are a part of. Lord, in short, help us to keep our focus upon you and upon the immediate places you have placed us. Help us to have rightful concern for broader things. And Lord, we do pray broadly and narrowly. We do pray that your gospel would go forth even throughout the whole world this very day. But Lord, in a day of information overload, may we not lose focus on what is right in front of us as well. And so Lord, we do bring before you even specific cares and concerns, specific names within our very congregation. We pray, Lord, that you would be with Angela and with her baby and with Fred and with all of the Carsten family. Lord God, we give thanks that Angela was able to go home. We pray, though, that you would continue to watch over her and this baby. We pray that you would bring this baby, yes, safely, into Ferad and Angela's arms. We do know that it is still early and we pray that that day of birth would not be too immediate. But Lord, we also pray that you would be with and be with the discomfort, and Lord, ensure that you would uphold Angela especially through the days and whatever is coming, and however long this unusual circumstance may continue. Lord God, we pray also for Keith and Dee. We continue to give thanks for for so much recovery that you have given to Keith, but yet the battle with cancer is ongoing. And so Lord, continue to uphold him indeed by his side. Lord, we give thanks that Jocelyn is back with us this morning. We pray that you would be with the unrest in the nation, for even as we pray for Jocelyn, we remember why she had to go out this last week. So Lord God, we pray that you would continue to protect her. And Lord, that you would be with all those who would serve, whether it be National Guard or wearing other badges. Lord, we pray that there would be peace in our land, that there would not be undue unrest. We pray, Lord God, that you would be with our elderly members. We think again of Cal and Bernie, what a difficult year. Lord, it has been for them. And we pray that you would continue to uphold them. And we think also this morning of all our widows and widowers, Lord, being shut in can be another level of loneliness, but you know that there are many who suffer and who no longer have the faithful partners which you gave to them for many years. So Lord, uphold each of our widows and widowers here. Lord, our Lord, we pray that you would be with the preaching of your word this morning. Lord, may the gospel be preached faithfully. May the gospel be heard faithfully. And we rejoice also that we have the privilege of celebrating the Lord's Supper this morning, Lord. That we not only hear, but with the word accompanying it, we also have the visible sign and seal this morning, Lord God, set this upon our hearts. May we be spiritually fed truly this morning. May we know our need of you and be nourished by you. This, Lord God, is our prayer in Jesus' name. Amen. People of God, let us stand and sing a song of Preparation 273. Let us stand and sing together 273. ♪ Let's now dance, break the ropes beside the sea ♪ ♪ Throughout the sacred waves rising below ♪ ♪ My spirit bends for thee, O living Word of God ♪ ♪ As mountains pass the red-lined valley ♪ ♪ Then shall upon its seas the banners fall ♪ ♪ And I shall find my peace, my all in Christ alone ♪ Teach me to love my truth for Thou art my God. ♪ Breath, Lord, now unto me ♪ ♪ That ye may touch my heart and make me sing ♪ ♪ Show me the truth and seal within thy word ♪ ♪ And in thy word reveal thy seed ♪ People of God, if you would turn now to our text for this morning, Galatians chapter one, verses six through 24, page 1,235 in most of the pew Bibles. Our second week here in Galatians, Galatians 1 verse 6 to the end it has been said that that very broadly speaking The six chapters of Galatians can be divided into chapters one and two, autobiography, chapters three and four, doctrine, and chapters five and six, ethics. And so the apostle is going to begin speaking about his own life, although it certainly has doctrinal implications, and that's one of the reasons why he goes into those things. And so we'll consider that this very morning and then into chapter two, Lord willing, next week as well. So let us hear now, people of God, the word of God, Galatians 1, beginning at verse 6. I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel. Not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed. For am I now seeking the approval of man or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ. For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man's gospel. For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ. for you have heard of my former life in Judaism how I persecuted the Church of God violently and tried to destroy it and I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my father's but when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles. I did not immediately consult with anyone, nor did I go up into Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia and returned again to Damascus. Then, after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas, and I remained with him fifteen days. But I saw none of the other apostles except James, the Lord's brother. In what I am writing to you before God, I do not lie. Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia, and I was still unknown in person to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. They only were hearing it said, he who used to persecute us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy. And then they glorified God because of me. So far the reading of God's holy word. Dear congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ, It is almost certain that this is one of, if not the earliest, New Testament letters. And so in that sense, the Emperor Nero has not yet been alive, that great persecutor of the church. But let us step back for a moment and think about this. Why would we consider all of the writings of the Apostle Paul is some of, if not the very strongest language in this text. Wasn't the Apostle Paul beaten? Imprisoned? Didn't he see some awful persecutions? Why is the strong language of verse eight and verse nine reserved for teachers within the church. Anathema is the Greek, that word accursed, ending verse eight, ending also verse nine, because he repeats it for emphasis. Why the strong language for those who are in the church, who are professing Christ, who are even proclaiming to be teachers of Christ? Why not strong language against Emperor Nero in one of his later letters? Why not such strong language against those who persecute him, who beat him, who imprison him? Now let's think about this question. Canons of Dort uses some very strong language, doesn't it? Is doctrine really such a big deal? Are matters of truth within the church really such a big deal? Yes, yes, certainly they are. You see, the gospel can flourish even under persecution, but the gospel cannot flourish under distortion. It doesn't matter who the emperor is. It matters what's being preached in the pulpit. It matters what's being preached in your pulpit. It matters what's being preached in the next nearest pulpit. That is what should bring out our strongest language. That is what should bring out the most careful examination. That is where the gospel will stand or fall. It matters not. not essentially what goes on all around it. The very flourishing of the truth comes with the clear teaching of the truth. The greatest threat to the gospel is always the threat that comes from within, not the threats of the world. And so the apostle will not fail to speak, to speak clearly, to speak strongly on this matter. And as doing so, he makes it abundantly clear that the gospel is approved by God and God alone, and God is also the one who works out that gospel. And so the apostle will also bring that into his personal testimony in a beautiful way in the middle of our text. The gospel is approved by God, the gospel is worked out by God. This is the truth and this is where the gospel will flourish or not flourish. And so we'll look at not men's gospel and then the changed man's gospel and then we'll consider also briefly some of those travel details that the Apostle is a careful man, it's the careful man's gospel. Well, first, let's think a little bit more. We started touching on verses 6 and 7 last week, but let's stop for a moment and think more specifically about what different gospels could be. There is no other gospel, there is no other good news, and so the apostle speaks in this way, makes that clear. I can't even use the word gospel to talk about a false gospel, because gospel means good news. It's not good news. There is no other gospel. There is no different gospel. But of course there are attempts at good news. But we can summarize it this way, all other forms of good news are either false and hopeless or full of false hope. And then we can just start going down the list, can't we? What about Mormonism and Jehovah's Witness? Well, they have a certain hope which they proclaim, they believe in a heaven, for example. but they're full of a false hope because they're not trusting upon the Lord Jesus Christ, the true Lord Jesus Christ as revealed in God's word to see where our hope is. And so they are full of false hope. Hinduism and Buddhism, they have certain hopes, they have certain ideas about what it means to be reborn, about what it means to ascend to something greater. But these are just completely false. They're fabrications. They mean nothing. They are a false hope. And then, of course, there are other things which are simply both false and hopeless. Atheism and agnosticism. There's nothing even to hope in. although that's very difficult for the human who is made with a soul, and so they often pretend to make up for this hopelessness by putting their trust in something or someone else, often a government and what government might do to usher in some kind of utopia, right? They are all either full of false hope or false and hopeless. And so, returning to the true gospel again, the apostle says, there is one good news, and it's the one which we preached to you. In the middle of verse eight, you have heard it. You have heard the real good news. And you know what? I don't care if an angel says something different to you. That's what he says in verse eight, isn't it? I mean, to hear the voice of an angel, we think that'd be pretty great, although I think scripture tells us that it's always terrifying, so I don't think it's necessarily something we should look forward to. Scripture actually says that it's terrifying, but we kind of think like, wow, that'd just be so great to have an angel speak to me. Well, it doesn't matter if you think an angel said it. Don't listen. It doesn't matter if I say it and contradict what I first said to you. Do you see the apostle saying that also in verse eight? It doesn't matter. If I drift from the truth, an apostle called by God with a special vision on the road to Damascus, if I stray from this, And contradict what I first said to you. Do not believe it. Do not hear any distortion. Do not hear any drifting from the one true gospel. It doesn't matter if an angel says it. It doesn't matter if I say it. It doesn't matter if the most well-spoken person you know says it. Ending with that strong language, let him be accursed. anathema. Herman Rudebas defines this word, quote, it's something yielded up to the wrath of God, surrendered to the curse of God. So it's not taking personal vengeance, personal action. It's remembering that vengeance belongs to the Lord, but it's saying, look, if this distortion happens, if I speak this distortion, let God's wrath come upon me, and let God's wrath come upon anyone else who would speak distortion. There's only one gospel, there's only one good news. You think the word anathema is too strong? Well, now I'm going to repeat myself to make it clear. And I'm gonna use the word again in verse nine. It's something worth repeating. It's something where there's no wiggle room. Remember for those here last week, we spoke about how there's some room for, you know, disagreement or some room for, you know, we don't have to do this regarding the church exactly the same way in some of those things in the first verses. There's no wiggle room here. There's no room for disagreement here. The same apostle who said, I become all things to all people in that specific context. Well, here he says, there's no room for disagreement. There's no room for compromise. This is not some personal animosity. No, if I stray, curse upon myself. The Gospel is no popularity contest. The Apostle is not saying this merely because there are people who disagree with him. It's a curse which would come upon himself as well. This can all be said because The true gospel is not from man. It is a revelation of Jesus Christ, as it says at the end of verse 12. That's where all the authority comes from. And that truth of, I'm not seeking man's pleasure, will then be pulled through each of the next two points, of our second and third point. In our second point, we see the Apostle saying, I'm not in it for the pleasure of man. I'm not here to be a people pleaser. And he does this by in verse 14 saying, Look, I could have climbed to the top of the pharisaical ladder if I wanted. For my age, I was well advanced. I was zealous. I knew all the traditions. I could have climbed to the top. I had everything in front of me. The Pharisees loved me. I could have advanced to that highest position within Judaism. I had it all, but I repudiated those things. climbing the pharisaical ladder, climbing the fill in the blank with whatever ladder we can climb socially today. It matters not at all. Matters not at all. I'm not in it to be a people pleaser. I was converted by the particular calling of God, but I love that word but in the New Testament. But God. Well, here we have it again in verse 15. But when he, that is God, when he set me apart, he knew what he wanted me to do before I was born. He knew that I would persecute and kill his saints. But he also knew that he would call me out of that and make me to be one who preached him among the Gentiles. He knew all this. He knew it before I was born. And he called me how by his grace. It's nothing I did. It's nothing I was going to do. It was all something which He set in motion. It was all that which He determined before I was even born. It is all that which His grace has done. I was on this road of climbing man's ladder, but God's grace intervened and showed me that it matters not to please man. And He turned me around and made me a preacher of the gospel, not something very popular. Not something that his friends appreciated. But this is what God did. And he's not a people pleaser. He didn't please the people in Jerusalem either. That's in our third point. He was called specifically. He was called with a specific vision, the vision on the Damascus road. As he says in 1 Corinthians 9, am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? That's no light thing to say. Your pastor cannot say that, you cannot say that. Saying that is a radical declaration. We live in this kind of charged age where there's this increasing Pentecostalism, where lots of people say that they've seen Jesus. Well, why is the Apostle using such strong language here? It's because he did receive a special call. He saw Jesus. He wasn't merely called by Jesus. He also has seen Him and received a special call from Him. 2 Corinthians 4 verses 5 and 6 for We proclaim, as not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus Christ. For God said, let light shine in the darkness, and it has shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. He has seen the very face of Christ, and he proclaims the very beauty of the face of Christ. But it is no light claim to say that he's had this special calling, this special vision. It is a heavy claim. It is a particular claim, and it's part of his claim to apostleship. In fact, it's his only claim to apostleship, and that brings us into our third point. You see, he's also not a man pleaser, because not only did it displease all his fellow Pharisees and all those in that tradition which he was climbing, but It's not like he was immediately embraced by the Christian Church. This makes sense when we remember that, of course, he was a severe persecutor of the truth. That when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them, Acts 26. You see, Paul is saying, look at my life. Look at the last, as he gets into chapter two, he does like a 17-year overview. You're gonna bring this charge against me that I'm a people pleaser? It didn't make my brethren happy when I repudiated everything in Pharisaical Judaism. And you know what? It didn't make the church happy either. Which is understandable because He had been a persecutor of the church. It wasn't just a flip that was switched overnight. It took years for him to build up trust with the church of Jerusalem. It was three years before he went back even once, and then he only went back for 15 days, and he only saw two of the leaders, Cephas, Peter, and James, the Lord's brother. And then he was still unknown, verse 22, in person to the churches. And only when they continued, we can paraphrase verse 23 and 24 this way, only when they continued to hear about the one who used to be a persecutor who's now preaching, then were they giving glory to God. This is a years, years process. And of course the apostle, he didn't press that issue. He was careful. He knew that he had been a persecutor. He knew it would be difficult for him to be received. That's very much the impression we get. He doesn't force himself upon those whom he was once murdering. Now, the application there is not, you know, go out and be very slow to fellowship with your fellow Christians. No, this is a very specific context, isn't it? In the specific context of being one who cast the vote to put the Christians in a city to death, well, then be careful about going to that city and immediately expecting to have the open arms of fellowship wrapped around you. outside of that specific context, rush in and celebrate the bond of faith. But the point here is he's continuing to build on that. Do you really think I'm a people pleaser? It took years for the church to receive me and to glorify God for the change that they saw. Another application is that, again, this is an extreme example, but another application is that rebuilding trust takes time. And the more extreme the sin, the longer that time is. It's a biblical principle. We don't immediately receive the word of a rash sinner. There needs to be trust built. Now, so we take that from the extreme example and seek to apply it in our own lives. It's not always easy, but the point is we see these principles here before us. And the point is a continual repetition of this fact. I am not a people pleaser. I am preaching the gospel. Now, another thing about Galatians is The first two chapters especially are difficult because we don't know exactly what the charge of the false teachers was. Were they saying that he was a second-rate apostle? that you know he didn't sit under the feet of Jesus and so you know Paul's not really an apostle he doesn't really have authority were they saying that you know he trained under he trained under the true apostles but then he distorted their message that that's something which is popular in academic circles for the last two hundred years to say something like that so this continues to be relevant of course for us today it We don't know exactly, but either one, the Gospel of Galatians 1 and 2, would correct. The Apostle is not saying, I'm in disagreement with the brothers. No, he called them part of the Church of Christ. he's he's defending himself separate from them and yet united in what in whom in the fact that he has his authority from Jesus Christ he's like you know whichever one of those And whichever one of those stories against Paul it might have been, neither one can be true. I didn't even train under them. I was only there for 15 days. Where did I get what I proclaimed? I got it from God himself. Again, a radical claim, a specific claim, a claim which only an apostle can make. And so then let's Let's bring it around, let's understand it. It's very helpful for us in this way, and even very comforting for us when we think about the authority of Scripture. What is Scripture as a whole? Is it some story that 12 men in Jerusalem made up? Well, no, the principal author of the New Testament barely even spoke to those men, at least not for 17 years. It's not just their story. It's their account as the eyewitnesses, as the called apostles. And you know what? There's another one, the apostle untimely born, who preaches the same gospel, but he didn't even confide in them barely. In other words, now let's think about not merely the New Testament, but all of Scripture. Let's think about all of Scripture in light of that. What is the unity of all of the Bible? I'm going to read an extended quote from Tim Chaffee. This has been said by others in similar ways. This was merely an accessible example of it. The Bible was written over a period of roughly 2,000 years by 40 different authors from three continents who wrote in three different languages. These facts alone make the Bible one of a kind, but there are many more amazing details that define natural explanations. Shepherds, kings, scholars, fishermen, prophets, a military general, a cup bearer, and a priest all pen portions of scripture. They had different immediate purposes for writing, whether recording history, giving spiritual and moral instruction, or pronouncing judgment. They composed their works from palaces, prisons, the wilderness, and places of exile while writing history, laws, poetry, prophecy, and proverbs. In the process, they laid bare their personal emotions, expressing anger, frustration, joy, and love. Yet despite this marvelous array of topics and goals, the Bible displays a flawless internal consistency. It never contradicts itself or its common theme. And indeed, there is one common theme, one central character. In the New Testament, it doesn't matter if it's the 12 apostles or the apostle untimely born. In all of the scripture, it doesn't matter if it's written on three continents across many centuries by people of all different social structures, by people of all different skin colors, by every, it doesn't matter. It's one thing. It's one central character. There is salvation and Jesus Christ, and all of the old looks forward to that one character, and all of the new speaks of that one character. So, when we read Galatians 1 and 2, the Apostle Paul is in a very specific situation defending that he is not speaking from men. And when we look at the New Testament as a whole, we see that there is the 12 apostles and the apostle untimely born, and they bring the same message. And when we read all 66 books, we still see one message. Do you see it? Do you hear it? It's all about Christ. It's all about God, who is the God of salvation. It's all about people who are sinners who have fallen in Adam, and who from the Proto-Evangelion, from the first declaration of the gospel in Genesis 3, before Adam and Eve even leave the garden, all the way to the end, it's about that seed of the woman who destroys the serpent. The snake of Genesis 1 is the same as the dragon of Revelation 22. The seed of the woman in Genesis 3 is the same as the baby born in Nazareth in Matthew and Luke. It's a diverse Bible. It's written by different characters. but it is all from God. And this is part of the very word of God. Now they could even have personal differences. And we'll get into that in chapter two. But when writing as God's servants, when writing the inscripturated word, there is zero disagreement. from any of the 40 authors. Why? Because it's not about pleasing people. It's about proclaiming the word, which is God's word, which comes from God's word. Now, people of God, let's think for a moment also about the faithful exposition of that word. one theme, one central character, salvation in Jesus Christ, repentance of sin. How many different languages has the Lord's Supper been celebrated in? If we say that it's about the same as the number of languages in which scripture has been translated into, we're talking well over 600 languages, How many different continents? Well, scripture was written on three continents, but it's been proclaimed on every continent. It's probably even been, you know, digitally brought into Antarctica. People have been there often enough. One central theme, one central character, one good news. proclaimed all throughout the world, celebrated all throughout the world, celebrated here this morning. Question to ask ourselves is, do we care about the pleasure of men, or do we hear that word which is spoken by Paul, which is spoken by the other apostles, which is spoken by all of scripture, and do we look to that one character, to that one man, Jesus Christ, who is also God, who is our Savior, whose body and blood was given for us. Let us rejoice that we celebrate that in our language, in our church, this morning. Amen. Let us pray. Lord God Almighty, point our eyes away from the ideas and the strain of men's hearts, and leave us only with that which you have given, which is from you, which is about you. Lord, bring us to your word, and in your word, bring us to your son, and then to your table. In his name, in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Let us stand, people of God, and sing number 200. Let's stand and sing number 200. so so yourself with gladness. Leave the gloomy haunts of sadness. Come into the daylight's splendor. There with joy your praises render. Bless the one whose grace unfounded, this amazing liquid founded. He, though heavily high and lowly, aims to dwell with you most holy. open wide the fast closed Saying to the Lord immortal, come and keep your love forever. Dwell within my heart forever. of life is boundless though the souls and feats are countless ♪ My stone blood to us is given ♪ ♪ O most glorious consolation ♪ ♪ Let death seal up my salvation ♪ ♪ Jesus, source of lasting pleasure ♪ ♪ Truest, black and dearest treasure ♪ ♪ Peace beyond all understanding ♪ ♪ Joy into all life expanding ♪ ♪ Only now I bow before you ♪ Love incarnate, I adore you. Worthily let me receive you, And so favored never leave you. It is time now for the celebration of the Lord's Supper. Again, all professing members, repenting of sin, looking to Jesus Christ for salvation, members in good standing of a gospel-proclaiming church, you are invited to celebrate with us. We have a few cards in the back. Little cards to fill out, if you could fill one of those out and give them to either myself or one of our elders, we appreciate it. And we're gonna be reading from Forms and Prayers book, page 45, the smaller Forms and Prayers book. We'll be starting at page 45. I'll give, some cues, but note that our prayer will close with the Lord's Prayer. We have also the Apostle's Creed here in these pages. Page 45, beginning at the bold formulary. Beloved, hear now the words of the Apostle Paul concerning the institution of the Holy Supper. For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you. that the Lord Jesus, on the night when he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, this is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me. And the same way also he took the cup after supper, saying, this cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me. For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. When our Lord said, do this in remembrance of me, he ordained this Holy Supper as a constant memorial and visible proclamation of his death. The Apostle Paul also teaches us that as often as we eat this bread and drink the cup, we proclaim the Lord's death. As we partake, therefore, we bear witness that our Lord Jesus was sent by the Father into the world to take upon himself our flesh and blood. and to bear the wrath of God on the cross for us. We confess that he came to earth to bring us to heaven, that he was condemned to die, that we might be pardoned, and that he endured the suffering and death of the cross, that we might live through him, and that he was once forsaken by God, that we might forever be accepted by him. The sacrament thus confirms us in God's abiding love and covenant faithfulness, sealing to our hearts the promise of His gracious covenant and assuring us that we belong to His covenant family. Let us then be persuaded as we eat and drink that God will always love us and accept us as His children for the sake of His Son. Our Lord also promises that as we eat this bread and drink the cup, we are fed with his crucified body and shed blood. To do this, he gives us his life-giving spirit, through whom the body and blood of our Lord Jesus become the life-giving nourishment of our souls. He unites us with himself and so imparts the precious benefits of his sacrifice to all who partake in faith. As a means of grace, this meal also unites us with one another in the bond of the Spirit. As the Apostle says, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. Thus, even as he unites us with himself, he strengthens the bond of communion between us, his children. Finally, the remembrance of our Lord's death revives us in the hope of His return. Since He commanded us to do this until He comes, the Lord assures us that He will come again to take us to Himself. As we commune with Him now under the veil of these earthly elements, we are assured that we shall behold Him face to face and rejoice in the glory of His appearing. Our Lord Jesus will surely do what He has promised. Let us draw near to His table then, believing that he will strengthen us in faith, unite us in love, and establish us more firmly in the hope of his coming. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priest to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Let us now come in a word of prayer. Note that we close with the Lord's Prayer together. Let us pray. Almighty God, with one accord, we give you thanks for all the blessings of your grace. But most of all, we thank you for the unspeakable gift of your Son, Jesus Christ. We most humbly thank you that your son came to us in human form, that he lived a perfect life on earth, that he died for us on the cross, and that he arose victoriously from the dead. We bless you for the gift of your Holy Spirit, for the gospel of reconciliation, for the church universal, for the ministry and the sacraments of the church, and for the blessed hope of everlasting life. We pray, gracious Father, that you would grant us your Holy Spirit, that through this sacrament our souls may truly be fed with the crucified body and shed blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. Grant us the full assurance of your grace as we draw near to your holy table, filling our hearts with humble gratitude for your mercies. Unite us more fully with our blessed Lord, and so also with one another. Enable us in newness of life to pledge ourselves in service to Christ and all your children. and lift our hearts to you, that in all the troubles and sorrows of this life we may persevere in the living hope of the coming of our Savior in glory. Answer us, O God, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who taught us to pray, together saying, Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen. As we draw near to the table of our Lord, let us also confess together our Christian faith. I believe in God the Father almighty. maker of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified dead, and married. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From there He shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen. Beloved, hear these gracious words of promise spoken by our Lord. Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. Whoever comes to Me, I will never cast out. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Beloved in the Lord Jesus Christ, let us lift up our hearts to the Lord. Let us lift them up to the God of our salvation. The Lord Jesus, on the night when He was betrayed, took the bread, and when He had broken it, He gave thanks, and He said, This is My body, which is for you. so so Take, eat, remember and believe that the body of our Lord Jesus Christ was broken for the complete remission of all our sins. And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. you. Take, drink, remember, and believe that the precious blood of our Lord Jesus Christ was shed for the complete forgiveness of all our sins. Let us now respond in Thanksgiving, page 48, coming from that same song with which we opened our service. Page 48. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me. Bless the Lord, O my soul, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who grounds you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good, so that your youth is renewed by the people's. Let us pray. Almighty God, we give you our most humble and hearty thanks, that of your great mercy you have given us your Son to be our Savior from sin and to be our constant source of faith, hope, and love. We bless you for permitting us to show forth his death and to receive the communion of his body and blood through the Holy Sacrament. We praise you for uniting us more fully with the body of Christ and for assuring us that we are heirs of your heavenly kingdom. Grant that our commemoration of his death may tend to the daily confirming of our faith, the establishment of our hope, and the strengthening of our love. Enable us henceforth to live always for our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us. Amen. It is time now for our morning gifts and offerings this morning for the Building Fund, the Benevolent Fund, following this our parting blessing in Doxology 571. Yeah. If you would stand, receive the parting blessing of our God. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen. ♪ Glory be to the Father ♪ and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, as it was in the beginning, is now, and never shall be, world without end. Amen. Amen. I'm not surprised.