Well, just so you know, we're actually in a place in our study of Hebrews that is highlighting the incarnation. So we're going to look at another passage in Hebrews this morning as we continue on in our study of Hebrews. Then next week we'll probably set that aside to look at some other Advent related texts. And then we'll come back and actually for a couple of weeks be immersed in the incarnation. It's one of the principles that's being taught in that wonderful epistle. Well, let's seek the Lord's blessing on the reading and preaching of His Word. Pray with me once more. Our great God in heaven, we're thankful that we have a true word from the true God. We're thankful that we don't grope around for truth, that we're not in a dark cave. trying to find it with both hands and unable. Your spirit has illumined us in such a way that we know your word is true truth. So as we read it this morning and we hear it taught and preached, bless our study of it. May it fill up our hearts that we might come to love the Lord Jesus more and more. We ask in his precious name, amen. Let me ask you to open up your copy of scripture to Hebrews 2. We're going to read verses 5 through 9, then I'm going to skip down and read 14a, just to get a little context so you know where we're heading. Hebrews 2, beginning in verse 5. We'll read down to verse 9, then skip down to 14a. This is God's word. For he's not put the world to come of which we speak in subjection to angels. But one testified in a certain place saying, what is man that you're mindful of him or the son of man that you take care of him? You've made him a little lower than the angels. You've crowned him with glory and honor and set him over the works of your hands. You've put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that's not put under him. But now we do not yet see all things put under him, but we see Jesus. who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor, that he, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone. Verse 14, and as much then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, he himself likewise shared in the same. The grass withers, the flowers fade, but the word of our God endures forever. Well, dearest congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ, you'll recall... that the Hebrew Christians who received this letter were facing enormous pressures because they'd become followers of the Lord Jesus. On one side, there was persecution from the Roman authorities. The emperor at that time, Nero, despised Christians, and these beleaguered folks lived under the shadow of legitimate dangers, dangers of losing their homes, their families, even their lives. If that wasn't enough, Many if not most of these Hebrew Christians had been ostracized by their Jewish families and friends because they followed Jesus. So they're being pressured from two sides, the Romans on one side and their fellow Jewish countrymen on the other. And for some, The trials and the struggles they were facing because of their Christianity were of such a magnitude that they were given serious thought to go back to their Jewish roots. You see, at this particular moment in time, the Romans really were more or less tolerant of the Jews, or at least at a bare minimum, they didn't actively persecute Jews. And since their Jewish compatriots would have been more than happy to receive them back, reverting to Judaism, or at least back to a little bit of Judaism, seemed to be an option that might have alleviated any number of the problems they were facing. And so the main thrust of Hebrews is to say, turning from Christ is never an option, and to do so. would be eternally disastrous. And so to exhort the people in a positive way, the writer of Hebrews shows that Jesus is superior to everything that existed in Judaism because all of the great parts of their tradition in Judaism pointed to Jesus. In Hebrews 1, Jesus is highlighted as our supreme prophet, priest, and king. He's presented to us as the Lord of creation and the Lord of providence. In other words, he's made all things and he holds all things together. He's the very radiance of God's glory and the express image of his person. He's superior to the angels, which is demonstrated by the fact that the angels bow down and worship him. And he has a name that's more excellent than the angels because he's the only one who has the name, the only begotten son of God. And what the writer of Hebrews was communicating to these Jewish converts is that your Messiah, the Christ you follow, he is God. He is true deity. He's not an angel. He's not even a high-ranking angel. His rank has no equal because Jesus the Christ is true God. And now in chapter 2, excuse me, then in chapter 2, a warning was given. Because of who Jesus is, to find yourself drifting away from him could put your soul in peril. And now, having highlighted the deity of Christ, that he is true God, The author will teach us that Jesus was also true man, and specifically why it was necessary for Jesus to be our flesh and blood Savior. And Hebrews is going to pastorally apply the Lord's incarnation to the situation of these Hebrew Christians. Or if I can say that a bit differently, he's going to explain why God Himself was born in a manger some 2,000 years ago. and what that means for you. And that's really quite a thought, isn't it? A thought that ought to captivate our minds and blow us away. That the infinite, eternal, unchanging God took on flesh and was born as a babe for us. Listen what Gavin Ortland wrote about this. The juxtapositions, again, God and man. The juxtapositions are mind-boggling. Filling the heavens, yet swaddled tightly. Holding every atom in place, yet clinging to his mother. sustaining the stars, yet crying and cranky, adored by the angels, yet sleeping amongst the donkeys. Or as C.S. Lewis put it in the last battle, amazing in our world too, a stable once had something inside it that was bigger than the whole world. And that's what we celebrate in the Advent season. The author of Hebrews is going to apply the incarnation. in several ways that are very distinct. Well, beginning at verse 5, it seems that the writer of Hebrews is anticipating a question that's on the collective mind of the church that initially received this epistle. It's as if these Christians are thinking, okay, you've told us that Jesus is the Lord of creation. You've told us He's the Lord of providence. You've told us He's Lord over the entire heavenly host, all the angels. You've told us that we must be unwavering in our commitment to Him. But if being a Christian is so great and Jesus is supreme and is reigning from the right hand of the majesty on high, why are we struggling so much? Why are our lives so difficult? Why does it seem like our lives are bobbling around in an angry sea that's just waiting to engulf us? My friend, these men and women were feeling small. and inconsequential. And what they really wanted to know is, do we matter to God or are we just specks of dust that are too insignificant for Him to be bothered with us? And while we rarely admit it, most of us at some time or in some way have wondered that very thing. And sometimes those thoughts are intensified around the Christmas season. while others are filled with joy. If you've had something that breaks your heart, it's very easy to wonder, do I matter to God? Is God concerned at all about my existence? Some variation of those questions seem to have been in the minds of at least some of these Hebrew Christians. And if you've ever wrestled with those kind of thoughts, there's actually a word of explanation and blessing for you this morning. Now, the author of Hebrews, he tackles this issue head-on by taking this group of Jewish converts to a very familiar place, a place where God's people have found comfort and encouragement for more than 3,000 years. He takes them to the Psalms, and specifically to Psalm 8. Now, there are four things we're going to draw out of verses 5 through 9. First, man's created dignity in paradise. Again, all of these are going to speak to our worth from God's perspective. First, man's creative dignity in paradise. Second, man's loss of dignity and forfeiture of paradise. Third, paradise being restored in us. And then fourth, paradise complete, which is our ultimate hope for joy. Now whenever I read Psalm 8, which is central in our Hebrews passage here, I'm reminded of a trip that I took many, many years ago. I was driving from Medford, Oregon to Winnemucca, Nevada. This is one of those areas where you could drive and drive and drive and you wouldn't see a house, a car, sign, lights, nothing. You'd go miles and miles. You might see a random cow, but that's it. I imagine it would have been a beautiful drive during the day, but I had to make it at night. At one point, I pulled off the side of the road to stretch my legs, and I'll never forget what the sky looked like. It was massive. It was close. It was powerful. It was brilliant. So many stars illuminating the sky like jewels. It was overwhelming. We forget how much of that beauty is drowned out by artificial lights. Maybe you've been to a place like that, and when you look up at the cosmos and you see the stars and the moon and the brilliance of the night sky, that it's literally for you breathtaking. It puts a lump in your throat. And so on the one hand, you're struck by the way it proclaims the glory of God, but also when you look at the vastness of space, it can give you a sense of smallness. of insignificance. I suspect that's what David experienced and what he had in mind when he wrote Psalm 8. As a shepherd and a soldier, David knew what it meant to live under the stars. It's really quite impossible to know how many countless nights he spent looking up and raptured by the heavens contemplating the enormity of God's creation. But at some point, on one particular evening, it was so overwhelming that he simply burst forth in praise. That's Psalm 8. Oh, Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name. You set your glory above the heavens. When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon, the stars, which you've set in place, now I want you to see the question that David asks after that. And it's repeated for us in Hebrews 2.6, when I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon, the stars which you've set in place, here's the question in Hebrews 2.6, what is man that you're mindful of him, the son of man? that you care for him. You see, David is so enthralled at God's creative power that he wonders how could God be interested and care for a mere man, someone who comes from the dust of the earth. You made that, oh God. You displayed your glory in the cosmos. How could you possibly be interested in a worm like me? But David immediately recalls that man was fashioned by God in a special way and for a special purpose and therefore has a special dignity. And we read that in verses seven and eight. You've made him a little lower than angels, but you've crowned him with glory and honor and set him over the works of your hands. You've put all things in subjection under his feet. Now, David's obviously thinking about the creation story here and what it has to say about the special way in which God created the first man, Adam. I'm sure most of you are familiar with Genesis 1, so I'm not going to have you turn there. But you'll remember when God was speaking the creation into existence, He used the same pattern over and over. So, for example, in Genesis 1, 3, we read, then God said, Let there be light. In Genesis 1, 6, we read, then God said, let there be firmament. And if you were to go home this afternoon and read Genesis 1, you would find that in verses 9, 11, 14, 20, and 24, they all follow that pattern. Then God said, let there be, and he spoke whatever he was creating. And that pattern was followed to a T until he got to man, and the pattern changed. In Genesis 126, we read, then God said, let us make man in our image according to our likeness. So before creating man, God said, let us. It's almost as though there's a pause in the creative work where all three persons of the glorious triune God acknowledge that within the eternal counsel of the Godhead, they're in full agreement, we're going to make this creature, man, in our own image. Beloved, when we look at the vast majesty of God's handiwork, it's astonishing. It ought to blow us away that there's one creature and one only who's been perfectly designed by an infinitely wise designer to bear his likeness, to display his image, and that's man. That's our dignity. Man's created dignity and identity is that he bears God's image. That's what we were created to do, to reflect His glory. Now, for a while, man was made a little lower than angels. And that simply reminds us that angels were created with more power than was initially given to Adam. Adam was created with a physical body, which means he was subject to time and space. Angels are spiritual beings and don't have precisely those limitations. So man was created a bit lower than angels, but nonetheless, It was man, not angels, that are the crown achievement of God's creation. Do you understand that? Man is God's crowning achievement in creation. God not only created man in this remarkable estate, he gave man a glorious divine work to do. Again, Psalm 8 is an echo of the Genesis account. Man was to have dominion over the creation. He was called to subdue it and to rule over all things on earth as God's very own vice-regents. This is the way man was created. This was Adam's inherent created dignity. And David was reflecting on this when he asked the question, what is man that you're mindful of him, the son of man, you take care of him? And he answered that question by drawing our attention to man's created dignity. And the writer of Hebrews is saying, look what God made you for. And remember our context. The Hebrew Christians needed to know if their life is significant to God. And Psalm 8 is used to remind them that God created man to love him, to serve him, and to be in a special covenant relationship with him. Remember, we were created in the image of a triune God who eternally exists in a perfect relationship of love and harmony, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And God created us to be people in relationship. And our chief relationship is to be with Him. That's man's created dignity. God created us in a special way to know Him intimately, to have the privilege, the honor, and responsibility to reflect His glory. and to do so as his own dear children. And notice that immediately following the quote from Psalm 8, the author of this letter tells us how great man's created dignity extended. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that's not put under him. What great authority God gave man. Nothing in all creation was excluded from man's dominion. Nothing. But then look at the last part of verse eight. This is one of those places where our versification does not serve us well. Because this is a significant phrase. But now, We do not yet see all things put under him. God created man to have dominion, that all things would be put under his princely rule, but now that's not the way we see things. That's not our reality. And you have to think when the Hebrew Christians heard this, they were thinking, talk about an understatement. If God's placed everything under man's feet, something has gone seriously wrong. And of course, something did go terribly wrong. God placed Adam in paradise. Adam was given lordship over the things that God had made. And Adam's responsibility was to subject himself to the kind and living rule of his creator. But Genesis 3 tells us that Adam rebelled, that Adam sinned. And that's what brought about man's loss of dignity and the forfeiture of paradise, which is our second point this morning. God made man and woman to be small mirrors that would show forth His glorious imprint that was stamped upon them. But in Adam's sin, that glorious mirror was shattered. And now the image and dignity that God had given man is so completely marred, we can no longer clearly display his likeness. Faint glimmerings are still there, but sin brought about the fracture of our dignity. And so not only did man lose the wisdom, righteousness, and holiness that he was created in on account of sin, He lost his dominion over paradise. Listen, dear ones, even as Reformed believers who hold to a robust doctrine of sin, it is really hard for us to fully recognize the full ramifications and consequences of sin, to be aware of the utter desperation and the horrors that inevitably accompany it. You know, Adam was created to live forever. Those are good genes. We think if somebody lives to be 90, they have good genes. Those were good genes. But when sin earned the world through his rebellion, bodies that were created in perfect health to live forever began to die. They'd get sick. They'd age. And ultimately, they would return to the dust from which they were created. That's going to be our focus in a couple of weeks when we look at verses 14 and 15. But what we're understanding here is why our world is in a mess. The short answer is sin. Instead of the created order serving in such a way to bless man, the created order has fallen and has brought curse, and man's become subject to an entire creative order. that stands against us. Tornadoes, hurricanes, tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanoes, droughts, those kind of what we call natural occurrences are all a part of the sin, all part of the consequences of Adam's sin. And when man forfeited his creative dignity, it caused man to be consumed with self-love instead of love for God and love for others. And it works out in relationships. You ever wondered why there's so much pain and suffering in the world? Why there are ruthless dictators who rape and torture and murder their own people? Why children arm themselves with guns and go into schools and open fire? Why a nation? thinks it's okay to murder the unborn because they're thought of as an inconvenience. It's because of this sin and the loss of dominion. Why do we get sick? Why do children have cancer? Why is there Alzheimer's? Why, why, why? Because of sin. Why were these Hebrew Christians being brutalized by the Roman government? because of Adam's fall. That's what the author is taking them back to. My friends, all these things happen because sin entered the world. Death became the inherited future of every single person that's born. And the creation that was made to serve man was cursed. And that curse is felt in all those various ways, destruction and death. Those things happen because of man's loss of dignity and the forfeiture of paradise. The Hebrew Christians knew this because everywhere they looked, they saw and experienced the effects and results of sin, perhaps when they observed a Roman scourging, or in children that had been snatched out of their homes to be Roman slaves, or the fact that some of their homes we know were being burnt to the ground. They had no problem understanding that final phrase in verse 8, but now we do not yet see all things put under him. We lost our dominionly rule. That's the loss of our dignity. But here's where we're given a word of comfort in verse 9. They don't see all things under their subjection, but we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death. for everyone. You see, it's in Jesus that paradise is being restored. That's our third point this morning. I'm going to move quickly. Notice what the writer of Hebrews, he is again borrowing from Psalm 8. Jesus was a little lower than the angels. This is simply to remind us that Jesus came in the flesh just like us, and that he was coming to be like us because it was God's intention that he would suffer for our sins. And it's worth mentioning, this is the first time in the book of Hebrews that the name of Jesus appears. And we know why he was given the name Jesus, right? because he'll save his people from their sin, Matthew 1.21. And using his name is to emphasize that he tasted death in a real body, even the death on the cross. Of course, death couldn't hold him. And as we sing around Easter time, up from the grave he arose. And he ascended into heaven where he was crowned with glory and honor, and now he has all authority over heaven and earth, and all things are in subjection to him. In other words, what we lost, he has attained. Do you remember what I said was plaguing these Hebrew Christians? As they're called to endure suffering for the name of Jesus, they're wondering, is God really concerned about us? Does He care about us? Do our lives matter to Him? Are we important to God? And the author of Hebrews is saying, look to the incarnation. Look what God has done for you. that the second person of the Trinity, Almighty God Himself has taken on flesh for you. Do you matter to God? He did this for you. When we're facing suffering, really difficult suffering, one of the questions that inevitably comes to mind is why? By the way, it's not sinful to ask that question. If you go beyond that, you can certainly get into sinful territory, but it's not sinful to say why. And here's the simple truth. We probably will not have an answer to that question on this side of glory. But this is the answer the Bible gives. Why are you suffering? Does God care about my suffering? Is my suffering significant to God? And God always says, look, my child, look what I did to my only begotten son for you. Do you matter to me? Look at the incarnation. Look what He was born to do for you, right? Listen to these sublime words from Romans 5, 8. God demonstrates His own love toward us in that while we were sinners, Christ died for us. See, God so loved the crown of His creation. That even while we were busy sinning and defiling, the very thing He made with such dignity, He sent His Son to fully redeem us from the curse of the law and to deliver us from the bondage of sin. Everything that man was created to be, Christ truly is. What we could never do for ourselves, Christ did perfectly. Finally! Finally, the last Adam has come, the true perfect man, one who's able to please his creator, the one who truly is the crowning glory of all creation, the man Christ Jesus. And here's the marvel of the gospel. In him, we become unto God a crown of glory. That's the good news of the gospel that our lives are now hidden with Christ in God. In Christ, we're becoming everything that we were created to be. Paradise is being restored in us. That's what the Holy Spirit is doing. Do you want to know if your life has meaning and significance to God? Do you want to know if your suffering matters or if it has a purpose? Look to Christ and you'll see how much it matters to God because when you look to Christ and you see the cross, what you find is infinite love for you, genuine meaning for life and a soul satisfying purpose. Well, man's created dignity in paradise. We've looked at man's loss of dignity and forfeiture in paradise on account of sin and paradise being restored in us in Christ. One final comfort that I want to briefly touch on, and that's the certainty of paradise, complete our fourth point. Look back to verse 5. For He has not put the world, excuse me, for He has not put the world to come of which we speak in subjection to angels. I think about what has just happened before this. He's been teaching us that Christ is superior to the angels and He's heaping up reasons for that. Verse five is a transitional verse that connects back to those and moves us forward. The point is, no, no, no angel has this kind of authority, only the Son of Man. And verse 5 ought to cause us to find hope ultimately not in the here and now, not in the particular burdens of this day, but ultimately in the world to come. To be sure, Jesus has fully conquered sin and Satan and death. He sits at the right hand of the Father where He rules and He reigns. And Christ, His kingdom, His reign, it's marching forward, it's subduing, and it's conquering enemies by His Word and His Spirit. You understand, every time a person is convicted, excuse me, every time a person is converted, God was victorious in conquering their heart. And as God conquers more hearts, people go out and they do things that bring praise and majesty and glory to God. For now, on this side of glory, not every knee bows and not every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father, but that time will come. And when it does, He will usher in the world to come. And that will be the final triumph that you and I are waiting for. Till then, we live amidst those who are hostile to our King, and it's our job to push back through the presentation of the gospel and the expansion of His kingdom into every area of life. And as we are engaged in that work, there will be times when we, the soldiers and citizens of His kingdom, will face persecution. And that's because we're His instruments. We're charged with doing battle on behalf of our King. And even though we know that we're on the winning side, sometimes we are going to get wounded in those battles, sometimes terribly so, sometimes can even cause us to lose our lives. But the reason we can be fierce in our battles today is because we know that we have inherited through Christ the world to come. And we know when He comes again, all of our battles will be over. He's going to make all things right. And at His right hand, we will reign with Him. where we will enjoy pleasures forevermore. The writer of Hebrews is telling this to the precious people of God. As you're enduring difficulties, as you're enduring hardship, you matter to God. And a day will come when you come to a full experience of salvation. So labor on. Walk faithfully. The reign of peace and righteousness is coming. You evangelize, press the claims of Christ into every area of life, and know the consummation of the world is coming soon, and all will be made right. Amen. Let's pray. Father, we thank you for your word. We bless your great and awesome name that we have such a hope. It is amazing that you created man with such dignity. What's even greater is the grace that moved you to save and redeem sin-cursed believers and to give us the sure hope of following a reigning Christ who will inevitably lead us to eternal glories and pleasures forevermore. O God, use that to give us courage and strength to walk faithfully for you. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. As you know, the invitation to participate in the sacrament is extended to those who are trusting in Jesus for their salvation, who believe him as he's presented freely in the gospel. He's the one who has fully secured your salvation, not your works, not your efforts. but His merits and His accomplishments are what you're trusting. And if that's you and you're a member in good standing of a Bible-believing church, then we do encourage you to come and feast upon the Lord. This morning, we're going to actually use the Nicene Creed. We do that sometimes around the Advent season as our confession of faith. You can find that on page 852, 852 in the back of your hymnal. So, dear Christian, what do you believe? I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible, and in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds, God of God, light of light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made, who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary, and was made man, and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate. He suffered and was buried. And the third day he rose again, according to the scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of the Father. And he shall come again with glory to judge the living and the dead, whose kingdom shall have no end. And I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified, who spoke by the prophets. And I believe in one holy Catholic and apostolic church. I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins, and I look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen. Well, let me ask you to give your attention to the reading of God's Word. I'm gonna read John 6, 47 through 58, then I have a meditation from Reverend Howard Griffith printed in your bulletin. But first, give your attention to the reading of God's Word from John 6, verses 47 through 58. Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in me has everlasting life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness and are dead. This is the bread which comes down from heaven that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he'll live forever. And the bread that I shall give is my flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world." The Jews therefore quarreled among themselves saying, how can this man give us his flesh to eat? Then Jesus said to them, Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you shall have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I'll raise him up at the last day, for my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on me will live because of me. This is the bread which came down from heaven. Not as your fathers ate the manna and are dead, he who eats this bread will live forever." Then you can follow along or simply listen. In the desert, God sustained the lives of his people with manna and called it bread from heaven, Exodus 16.4. It was a matter of faith, but also of survival. Like they did, we depend on food to sustain us. As believers, we depend on Christ to sustain and nourish us. The life that we share with him is eternal life, but we never receive it as a completed thing, like an injection of medicine. We depend on him every day. Christ gives us life by the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Notice how strong his statement is. Truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you, verse 53. Feeding on Him is essential to life. In the next verse, he says the same with the force of a guarantee. Whoever feeds on my flesh and blood has eternal life and I will raise him up on the last day. this eating and drinking are the indispensable and infallible guarantee of eternal life. Look at the language, unless and whoever. Jesus was not referring to the Lord's Supper. If he had been, he would have contradicted himself. He just taught that believing is a prerequisite of eternal life. What then did Jesus mean when he said, truly I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life and I'll raise him up at the last day, verses 53 and 54. By these words, Jesus was teaching that faith in him as crucified is the indispensable requirement of eternal life. An important clue to his meaning in verses 53 and 54 is that later in the passage he says that this eating and drinking… will be possible only when the crucified Son of Man ascends to the Father and sends the life-giving Spirit, verses 61 to 63. He was speaking about the reality of which the Lord's Supper is a sign, saving union with Him. Those who heard understood that without bread they would die, either He would die or they would die. Earlier in the discussion, Jesus had spoken metaphorically of the bread of life. He is the one whom the Father has sent to give eternal life. His flesh given up to death is life-giving. It was bred in a way that Moses' man of the type could never be because it could not give resurrection life. As real and life-giving as manna was, it could not finally save from death, but Christ Himself will raise us from death on the last day. Only His flesh and blood save, and we must be joined to Him. We return to where we began. It is Jesus Christ now glorified to whom we are joined by faith. By the Holy Spirit, Jesus sustains our life with his own and will raise us up on the last day. As our hymn writer told us, in human vesture, in the body and the blood, he will give to all the faithful his own self for heavenly food. Of that and of him, this meal assures us. John Calvin wrote, he is now treating of the perpetual eating of faith. There's nothing said here that's not figured and actually presented to believers in the Lord's Supper. Indeed, we might say that Christ intended the Holy Supper to be a seal of this discourse. eat, remember, and believe that the body of our Lord Jesus Christ nourishes you to eternal life. Receive Him once again in the power of His Spirit that He may strengthen and sustain you forever. Let's pray. Father, we thank you that you have given us this covenant meal. We're thankful that this is a sacrament that points us to the accomplishments of Jesus Christ for us. It's also a sacrament by which we enjoy intimate communion and fellowship with him. We pray, oh God, that as intended, that fellowship will nourish our souls, sustaining us on our way to that everlasting kingdom. in glory with him forever and ever. So give us empty hands of faith to reach out and take these elements and to be nourished by the spiritual presence of Christ. We ask this in his precious name. Amen. Well, let me ask you to stand to receive the Lord's benediction. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, the Father, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all now and forever. And all of God's people said, amen.