Amen, church. Let's stand and worship together this morning. ♪ Merciful and mighty ♪ ♪ God in three persons ♪ ♪ Blessed Trinity ♪ ♪ Santo, santo, santo ♪ Santos escogidos Te adoran sin cesar De alegría lleno Y su coronado Oh the darkness I know the My glory may not seem Only Thou art holy Santo, santo, santo La gloria de tu nombre Vemos en tus obras Santo, santo, santo Te adora todo hombre De Dios en tres persona Bendita Trinidad Good morning. I want to welcome all of you to Santa Rosa Bible Church. It's so good to be here, isn't it? Hopefully, you have some of your decorations put away. The gift wrap is in the recycle, and they've taken that away. And we can kind of get on with 2024, all right? We're looking forward to a great year together as a church family, as a body, as a community of believers endeavoring to worship our great God and Savior this year. to gather together, to grow together, to go into this community together. I'm excited for 2024. I hope you are too, because God can and will do great things. And so we're looking forward to that. We find joy and peace and hope in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The world doesn't offer much of that. But we have that in Christ. And so thank you for coming this morning. If you're new with us, welcome. We're so glad that you have chosen to worship with us this morning. And so we welcome you. We're excited to have you here. If you don't know much about us, there's a table out front in the lobby that you can Stop by there and there's some information there about who we are, different things that you can be involved with. This morning's a little bit different. This is our combined service. We do this on fifth Sundays of the month. This happens to be a fifth Sunday. And so this is our combined service, meaning that our Spanish ministry and our English ministry are coming together. gathering together to worship. And so as you've seen already, it's going to be a little bit different. We're going to have English. We're going to have Spanish. And when Juan is singing in Spanish, just those of you that are singing in English, don't worry about it. Just sing in English. And when we're speaking in English, those of you who are singing in Spanish, just sing in Spanish, because you know what? God works it all out. He hears them both. And so just worship the Lord that way. We're going to have scripture reading this morning. On our combined services, what we have done is we've moved to a format where we do a lot of worship in song. We do scripture reading. There's prayer time. This morning we're going to have communion. And then we are fortunate and blessed enough to have a follower of Jesus Christ who's going to be baptized. He's going to come and share his testimony with us. That'll be a little bit later on. But that's kind of how the morning is going to work. And so I wanted to just briefly let you know who we are. I do this every week, but I like to do this constantly because I love to get this in your head. Who are we as a church? We are simply a gathering of sinners. We're saved by grace alone, through faith alone, and Jesus Christ alone. And we exist for one reason. What is that? The three of you know. Why do we exist in the Bible church? To glorify God. We glorify Him by making, maturing, and multiplying followers of Jesus Christ who will know Him and make Him known. And so hopefully that's who we are as a church family. Hopefully that's who we are as individuals. This morning, just to remind you, some of you that have children, you got an email reminder that this morning we're keeping the kids in the service, so we're not going to be dismissing them to KidZone Church. So they will be staying with you. We would love it if you take it as an opportunity to sit with your children and enjoy the service. and let them experience the communion and the baptism so that they can understand what it's all about. We're going to be talking about that a little bit later. Right now, I think I may have covered everything. Oh, no, I didn't. The Bible reading. Some of you have asked. The Bible reading plan for the new year is sitting in the back. And so you can pick that up. It's in English and Spanish. It's on the back table. And I know several of you are following us along as we are reading through the Bible. And yes, we're going to be out of Ezekiel soon. I mean, I love it, but I really want to get into the New Testament, and that's coming soon. But the Bible reading plan is on the back there, so continue to enjoy God's Word along with us. And we have some Scripture reading. Enrique, if you would, I think you're coming up to read some Scripture for us, so come on up, brother. And we're going to start off with some Scripture reading, and then Scott will lead us in some songs, and we'll just worship our God together. Thank you, brother. Good morning. God bless us. Porque todo sumo sacerdote tomado de entre los hombres es constituido a favor de los hombres en lo que a Dios se refiere. Para que presente ofrendas y sacrificios por los pecados. Para que se muestre paciente con los ignorantes y extraviados. puesto que él también está rodeado de debilidad, y por causa de ella debe ofrecer por los pecados, tanto por sí mismo como también por el pueblo. Y nadie toma para sí esta honra, sino el que es llamado por Dios, como lo fue Aarón. Así tampoco, Cristo se glorificó a sí mismo haciéndose sumo sacerdote, sino el que le dijo, tú eres mi hijo, Yo te he engendrado hoy, como también dice en otro lugar, tú eres sacerdote para siempre, según el orden de Melquisedec. Y Cristo, en los días de su carne, ofreciendo ruegos y súplicas con gran clamor y lágrimas al que le podía librar de la muerte, fue oído a causa de su temor reverente. Y aunque era hijo, por lo que padeció, aprendió la obediencia. Y habiendo sido perfeccionado, vino a ser autor de eterna salvación para todos los que le obedecen. Y fue declarado por Dios sumo sacerdote según el orden de Melquisedec. Acerca de esto tenemos mucho que decir y difícil de explicar, por cuanto os habéis hecho tardos para oír, porque debiendo ser ya maestros, After so long, you need to be taught again what are the first rudiments of the words of God. And you have become such that you need milk and not solid food. And everyone who participates in the milk is inexperienced in the word of justice. Amen. Amen. Let's stand together, Church. I hear the Savior say, Thy strength indeed is small. Child of weakness, watch and pray. Find in me thine all in all. Jesus paid. Jesus paid it all. All to Him I owe Sin had left a crimson stain He washed it white as snow The Word, no word En la sangre de Jesús mis pecados lavaré. Todo debo a Él, Cristo lo pagó. De las manchas del pecar cual nieve me lavó A Valkel precio pagó Sobre la muerte él venció A la Valkel Oh, praise the one who paid my debt And raised this life up from the dead Oh, praise the one who paid my debt And raised this life up from the dead Oh, praise the one who who paid my debt and raised this life up from the dead. Oh, praise the one who paid my debt and raised this life up from the dead. Jesus paid. Because Jesus paid it all. All to Him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain He washed it white as snow Jesus paid, cause Jesus paid it all All to Him I owe Sin had left a crimson stain He washed it white as snow And when before the throne I stand in Him complete Jesus died my soul to save And my lips shall still repeat Jesus paid it all to him I had left crimson stain he washed it white as snow How great the castle that lay between us How high the mountain I could not climb In desperation I turned to heaven And spoke your name into the night Then through the darkness your loving kindness Soar through the shadows of my soul The work is finished, the end is written Jesus Christ, my living hope Imagina piedad tan grande, tan plena gracia al corazón. El Dios eterno dejó su gloria de mis pecados, el ser mismo. La Cruz ha hablado Soy perdonado El Rey de Reyes me ha donado Señor hermoso Te pertenezco Mi esperanza está en eso Alleluia, sea el que me libertó. Alleluia, de la muerte me arrancó. Las caderas quebrantó. En su nombre salvación me esperaba. Oh hallelujah, praise the one who set me free Hallelujah, death has lost its grip on me You have broken every chain, there's salvation in Your name Jesus Christ, my living hope Then came the morning that sealed the promise Your buried body began to breathe And out of the silence the roaring lion Declared the grave has no claim Then came the morning that sealed the promise Your buried body began to break Out of the silence the roaring lion Declared the grave has no claim on me Oh Jesus yours is the victory hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah He's the one who set me free. Hallelujah. Death has lost its grip on me. You have broken every chain. There's salvation in your name. Jesus Christ, my living hope. Oh, Jesus Christ, my living hope. God you are my living hope Well, friends, this morning we've been reading through the book of Hebrews in our combined services. And we just read Hebrews chapter 5. We're going to be in Hebrews chapter 6 now. I'm going to be reading verses 1 through 12. That is page 1190 in your bench Bible, if you want to follow along there. Hebrews chapter 6, verses 1 through 12, this is the word of the Lord. Therefore, let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ. and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, and of instructions about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And this we will do if God permits. For it is impossible in the case of those who've once been enlightened, who've tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the Word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away to restore them again to repentance, since they are recrucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding them up to contempt. For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated receives a blessing from God. But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned. Though we speak in this way, yet in your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things, things that belong to salvation, For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you've shown for his name and serving the saints as you still do. And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. Amen. Let's stand together, church. What gift of grace is Jesus my Redeemer? There is no more for heaven now to give. He is my joy, my righteousness, and freedom. My steadfast love, my deep and boundless peace To this I hold, my hope is only Jesus For my life is wholly bound to His Oh, how strange and divine I can sing, all is mine, yet not I, but through Christ in me. Ni nieblas hay, mas no soy olvidado, Pues junto a mí el Salvador está Si débil soy, gozoso en el avance Pues su poder en mí se mostrará Me aferro a él, es mi pastor y escudo Por profundos valles me guiará. De la noche venció. Su victoria me dio. No soy yo, sino Cristo el mío. See no fate I dread. No fate I dread, I know I am forgiven The future sure, the price it has been paid For Jesus bled and suffered for my part And He was raised to overthrow the grave To this I hold, my sin has been defeated Jesus now and ever is my plea Though the chains are released, I can sing I am free, yet not I, but through Christ in me Quiero seguir a Cristo mientras viva Pues prometió llevarme hasta su hogar Estando aquí renueva Él mi vida Hasta llegar al gozo eternal Me aferro a Él, mi única esperanza A Jesús, la gloria y el honor Cuando llegue el final Estos labios dirán No soy yo, sino Cristo en mí To this I hold, to this I hold My hope is only Jesus All the glory evermore to Him When the race is complete, still my lips shall repeat, yet not I, but through Christ in me. Sing together, when the race. When the race is complete, still my lips shall repeat, yet not I, but through Christ in me. Yet not I, but through Christ in me. Yet not I, but through Christ in me. Amen, church. You may be seated. Hebreos 6, 13 al 20. Porque cuando Dios hizo la promesa a Abraham, no pudiendo jurar por otro mayor, juró por sí mismo, diciendo, de cierto te bendeciré con abundancia y te multiplicaré grandemente. Y habiendo esperado con paciencia, alcanzó la promesa. Porque los hombres ciertamente juran por uno mayor que ellos, y para ellos el fin de toda controversia es el juramento para confirmación. Por lo cual, queriendo Dios mostrar más abundantemente a los herederos de la promesa, la mutabilidad de su consejo interpuso juramento. so that for two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we may have a very strong consolation, those of us who have come to leave the hope placed before us, which we have as a safe and firm anchor of the soul, and which penetrates into the veil where Jesus entered through us as a precursor, Hecho sumo sacerdote para siempre, según el orden de Melchizedek. Amen. Amen. Let's stand together. Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father. of turning with thee. Thou changest not, thy compassions they fail not. As thou hast been, thou forever wilt be. Great is thy faithfulness, is I faithfulness morning by morning new mercies I see all I have Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me. La noche oscura, el sol y la luna Las estaciones del año también Unen sus cantos cual fieles criaturas Porque eres bueno, por siempre eres bueno veo tu fidelidad cada momento la veo en mi nada me falta pues todo proviene grandes señores tu Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth I know near presence to cheer and to guide Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow Blessings all mine with ten thousand beside Great is thy faithfulness Great is thy faithfulness Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me. Great is Thy faithfulness. Great is Thy faithfulness Morning by morning New mercies I see All I have needed Thy hand hath provided Great is thy faithfulness, great is thy faithfulness, great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me. Amen, church. You may be seated. Am I on? There I am. Praise God, He is faithful. Right? Amen? Well, we're going to head into our prayer time in communion, and as a response to the great worship and music that we just had, and worship in Scripture, I'm just going to lead us in prayer. Victor's going to just listen to that along with the Spanish ministries. We're going to just go before our God in prayer, and then following that I'll kind of give us a little bit of a roadmap about how communion is going to work. You can translate this if you want to, Victor, but one of the things that I know that God loves is God loves His Word. One of the things that God loves is His Word. And I don't know about you, but I've had a great time worshiping God by just reading His Word. I'm going to say something really quick. That's fine. I can tell. I'm really excited because I love when we have a… I'm talking in English. I'm very excited because I love to see her come to the community service because here they say the word, we are going to be with the pastor reading about communion and something that says very important that says, let's celebrate the Lord's Supper together with other believers of each language, people, tribe and nation. In English it says, we came together to celebrate the dinner of the Lord. All the believers in different language, towns, tribes, and nations. That's why we're so excited. I caught that part. I didn't catch the rest of what you said, but I'm sure it was great. I'm sure it was great. So, Carlos was actually supposed to be translating today, and Carlos is ill, and so he's not here. So, Victor graciously stepped up to do this. So, thank you, Victor, for doing this. I'll try to do the best. He said he's a little uncomfortable with the translation. So, I'll give you a little bit of a roadmap now. I'll lead us in prayer in a second. Because of that, communion is, we're basically going to read it. And I'm going to be reading kind of large portions and then he's going to be reading large portions. And so, bear with us on that. But we will enjoy communion together in that way. So that's how we're going to have it. I don't know if you want to translate that or not. Okay. I agree. So let's go before God in prayer and then we will do our communion together. God, we want to praise you and thank you for who you are. We want to praise you and thank you for being the source of our salvation. God, we want to praise you and thank you that you sent your son to purify us so that we can know him, so that we can serve him, so that we can honor him. God, thank you for being faithful. Thank you for being unchanging. Thank you for being a God that we can rely on, that we can trust in, that you are sovereign, that you are in control. Thank you that you're not surprised by anything. God, we need that, and so we thank you for that. We need peace. We need stability. God, we find that in you. We find that in your Son, Jesus Christ, and so we thank you for that. God, there are people in our church family here that we love and care for. There are people that are struggling with different issues. God, for the health issues that are in our family here. God, we pray for recovery for Kenneth, for Mary-Gwen Neising as they're recovering from these injuries that they had to their physical bodies. God, I pray that you would give them patience to endure, patience to keep doing the things that they know they're supposed to be doing every day that the doctors are telling them to do so that they can get through their physical therapy, so they can restore their bodies. God, we know that you can do that for them and you can help heal them, and so we pray that you would heal up Kenneth and Mary-Gwen. And God, we have so many of our dear brothers and sisters who are struggling with cancer in some form or another. God, we want to pray for Tano this morning. Lord, would you heal him? Would you restore him? Would you be with the family as they come alongside him and help him? And God, those things that he just can't do, Lord, I pray that you would help him to have patience, to trust his family, and that they would function together as a unit. God, would you draw them closer to you? Would you draw Tano closer to you? God, for Rachel, we pray for continued recovery. We thank you for how well she's doing. Pray that you would continue to help her to recover well. God, for Jen, and Vadim, and Cecile, and for Ludd. Lord, they are all in the midst of some treatment of some kind. And Lord, I just pray that You would heal their bodies up. Give them strength. Give them good days. Give them a church family who will be available to come alongside them and encourage them and pray for them and to be with them. God, we just love these people and we just pray Your best on them. We know that You can heal. God, and so we pray for that. We pray that you would heal them. Lord, in those cases where in life where healing is not what you have, Lord, give us grace. Give us patience. Give us understanding. God, we know that all things work together for good to those that love you. God, we pray that you would continue to provide for this church financially. Pray that we would use those resources well to minister here locally, here in the community. God, we pray that you would just take care of us in that area so that we can concentrate on doing the things that we know we should be doing, that we should be gathering, we should be growing, we should be going into this community. God, help us to be able to concentrate on ministry and on the things that you would have us to do here as a local church and as a local community. God, we pray for our Faith Promise missionaries who are scattered around the globe, who are serving you, who are preaching your word, who are discipling, who are evangelizing. God, we thank you that you are building a kingdom of people from every tribe, tongue, nation, languages. God, we thank you for that. We thank you for this little slice of heaven that we get here this morning with the Spanish and the English, just realizing that you are God to so many. You sent your Son for the world. And God, we're thankful for that. We pray that you would bless our Faith Promise missionaries and their efforts around the world. God, we pray that our lives would be marked by humility, that they would be marked by worship, that we would grow in our adoration of your Son, Jesus Christ. And we pray this in your name. Amen. Amen. So family, if you don't have a communion cup, some elders are gonna be making their way through, and if you don't have one, just raise your hand. I think actually, you have one, Victor, good. I didn't see that earlier. I was gonna have them bring you one. If you don't have one of these, just raise your hand. They will find you, and we are going to have communion together. Do you wanna translate any of that or no? Yes, if someone doesn't have the santa sena, here it is, raise your hand because the elders will be able to locate you and give you the elements so that we can share together. All right. As the men are passing the communion, we will start. And like I said, I'm going to be reading, and then Victor is going to be reading. So, communion. It's a picture of sacrifice, and Jesus was the ultimate and final sacrifice. But the question needs to be asked, why a sacrifice? Well, it took death, because as it says in the Old Testament in Ezekiel 18.20, the person who sins will die. As it says in Romans 6.23 in the New Testament, the wages of sin is death. The requirement is death. And God made that abundantly clear throughout the whole Old Testament because the Jews spent most of their lives either coming from or going to a sacrifice. They had to continually massacre animals, millions of them. to deal with sin, to show the people how wicked they were and how sin required death. It wasn't that those animals took away their sin. They didn't. They couldn't. But what they demonstrated to the people repeatedly was that the wages of sin is death, death, death, death. And every time they would sin, it was back to another death, back to killing another animal. And they were wearied of that. and longing for the ultimate lamb who once and for all would take away the sin of the world and end the carnage. The animals were symbols that God's law can only be satisfied through death and made the people long with all their hearts for a final substitute. On the night before he died, Jesus shared a final meal with his disciples. During the meal, Jesus gave to his disciples for all time this special way of remembering him. As bread is broken and shared and as juice is poured out, we celebrate the Lord's Supper because Jesus commands us, do this in remembrance of me. This is the message of the Holy Supper. The Holy Supper is a symbol of sacrifice. Jesus was the last and final sacrifice. ¿Por qué tenía que ser un sacrificio? ¿Fue necesario la muerte? Porque, como dice el Antiguo Testamento en Ezequiel 18.20, el alma que pecare esa morirá. Como dicen romanos 6.23 en el Nuevo Testamento, la paga del pecado es muerte. El requisito es la muerte, y Dios lo dejó muy en claro a lo largo de todo el Antiguo Testamento, porque los judíos pasaron la mayor parte de sus vidas yendo y viniendo y llevando a sacrificios. tuvieron que matar continuamente animales, millones y millones de ellos, para lidiar con el pecado, para mostrarle a la gente cuán malvados eran y cómo el pecado requiere la muerte. No fue que esos animales le quitaran sus pecados, no lo hicieron, no pudieron. por lo que le demostraron al pueblo repetidamente, fue que la paga del pecado es muerte, muerte, muerte, muerte y muerte. Y cada vez que pecaban tenían que volver a matar a otro animal. Y así, se cansaban de eso, Y eso y anhelaban el Cordero Supremo que de una vez por todas quitar el pecado del mundo, y pondría final a esa carnicería. Los animales solo eran símbolos de que la ley de Dios solo podía ser satisfecha mediante la muerte. y haciendo que el pueblo anhelara con todo su corazón un sustituto final. La noche antes de morir, Jesús compartió una comida final con sus discípulos. Durante la cena, Jesús dejó a sus discípulos esta forma especial de recordarle a él, él mientras el pan era partido y repartido, y mientras se servía el vino, celebrando la cena del Señor, porque Jesús nos lo mandó a hacer esto en memoria de mí. Thank you. Victor, I didn't mean to hog the whole poll, but you can set your papers down here if you want. It's okay. It's okay. Hebrews chapter 9, verses 11 through 14, continuing in the book of Hebrews, says this. But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent, not made with hands, that is, not of this creation, He entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves, but by means of His own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God? Hebrews 9, 11, 14. Pero estando ya presente, Cristo, sumo sacerdote de los bienes venideros, por el más amplio y más perfecto tabernáculo, no hecho de manos, es decir, no es de esta creación, y no por sangre de machos cabríos ni de becerros, sino por la propia sangre. entró una vez para siempre en el lugar santísimo, y habiendo obtenido eterna redención, porque así la sangre de los toros y de los machos cabríos, y las cenizas de los becerros rociados a los inmundos, santifica para la purificación de la carne. ¿Cuánto más la sangre de Cristo, el cual mediante el Espíritu Eterno se ofreció a sí mismo, sin mancha a Dios, And then it continues in verses 19 through 22. For when every commandment of the law had been declared by Moses to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats. with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, saying, This is the blood of the covenant that God commanded for you. And in the same way he sprinkled with the blood both the tent and all the vessels used in worship. Indeed, under the law, almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins." Hebrews 9 and 19, 22. Because having announced Moses all the commandments of the law to the whole people, tomó la sangre de los becerros y de los machos cabríos, con agua, lana, escarlate e hisopos, y roció el mismo libro y también a todo el pueblo, diciendo, esta es la sangre del pacto que Dios os ha mandado. Y además de esto, roció también con la sangre el tabernáculo y todos los vasos del ministerio. So I'm going to go off the notes just for a second. Imagine Moses with the wool and the hyssop, and he's mixing the blood with water, and he sprinkles it everywhere. Because that's what it says he's doing, is sprinkling it on the utensils and in the tent and on the people. And it's just, it's a bloodbath. And so he does this blood bath, and the Bible says that that is the cleansing. The blood bath equals cleansing of sin. How disgusting and gross that must have been, really, to be in the midst of that. And if that was cleansed, then imagine How disgusting the sin underneath that, right? And that's us, but Jesus Christ. And so we can praise God for that. Good luck with that. Amen. Yeah. they put it in some, like some lighters, and it sprayed everything, all the people, it sprayed the tabernacle, it was blood everywhere. That's for us to realize how is the sin so bad that it has to be sprayed with blood. That's something disgusting, you could say, to see so much blood everywhere, I think you did a good job. Let's keep reading and then we'll take the cup together. We read this passage earlier, but Hebrews 5 through 10 says, so also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him who said to him, you are my son. Today I have begotten you. As he says also in another place, you are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears to him who was able to save him from death. And he was heard because of his reverence. Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him. being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek. Yo te he engendrado hoy. Como también dice en otro lugar, tú eres sacerdote para siempre, según el orden de Melquisedec. Y Cristo, en los días de su carne, ofreciendo ruegos y súplicos con gran clamor y lágrimas al que le pidió librar de la muerte, fue oído a causa de su temor reverente, y aunque él era el hijo por lo que padeció, aprendió la obediencia, y habiendo sido perfeccionado, vino a ser autor de eterna salvación para todos los que le obedecen, y fue declarado por Dios sumo sacerdote según el orden de Melchizedek. If you'll take your communion element, and that first little layer, you just peel that back, and you can get to the wafer. I know it feels like Styrofoam, but it's a wafer. In 1 Corinthians 11, 23 and 24, the Lord Jesus, on the night 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 then we're going to pray, and then we'll partake together. God, we thank you that this bread represents the body of Jesus Christ, the bread of life. We thank you that Christ lives in us through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, setting us into a family of believers, the body of Christ, your church. And now we receive this bread as a symbol of the body of Jesus broken for us. Amen. Amen. Porque yo recibí del Señor lo que también os he enseñado. Que el Señor Jesús, la noche que fue entregado, tomó pan, y habiendo dado gracias, lo partió y dijo, Tomar y comed. Este es mi cuerpo que por vosotros es partido. Hacer esto en memoria de mí. Vamos a hablar, hermanos. Señor, te damos gracias porque este pan representa el cuerpo de Cristo, el pan de vida. Te damos gracias porque Cristo vive en nosotros a través del Espíritu Santo. And then Jesus said, do this in remembrance of me. Let's eat together. In 1 Corinthians 11, 25 to 26, it says, in the same way, after supper, he took the cup saying, this cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this whenever you drink it in remembrance of me. For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. I'll pray for us and then Victor will do the same. God, we give thanks for this juice. We ask you to bless it as the symbol of Christ's blood, shed for the remission of our sins. Thank you for the sacrifice of your Son, Jesus, your only Son, to die for us, washing us clean and bringing us into peace with you. Amen. Primera de Corintios 11.25.26, así mismo tomando también la copa después de haber cenado, diciendo, esta copa es el nuevo pacto en mi sangre, hacer esto todas las veces que la bebieras en memoria de mí, así pues todas las veces que comieras este pan y bebieras esta copa, la muerte del Señor Oremos, hermanos. Dios, te damos gracias por esta copa y te pedimos que la bendigas como un símbolo de la sangre de Cristo, derramada por el perdón de nuestros pecados. Gracias por el sacrificio de Jesús, tu único Hijo, quien murió por nosotros, lavándonos así de nuestros pecados y trayéndonos la paz contigo. Amen. The cup of the new covenant is Jesus Christ's blood shed for you. And Jesus said, do this in remembrance of me. In a communion, we like to look forward to Christ's return. Hebrews 6, 19 through 20, we also read this earlier, says, we have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf. having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. We will celebrate the Lord's Supper until Jesus returns. At the end of history, Jesus will return, and then there will again be a meal, this time celebrating the marriage of the Lamb. Celebremos la cena del Señor hasta que Jesús regrese. Al final de la historia, Jesús regresará y luego habrá nuevamente una cena, esta vez celebrando las bodas del Cordero, el Cordero que es el nombre que la Biblia usa para indicar que Jesús fue el Cordero perfecto para el sacrificio. Revelations 19, 6 through 9, says this. Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, hallelujah, for the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns. Let us rejoice and exult and give Him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready. It was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure. For the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. And the angel said to me, write this. Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he said to me, these are the true words of God. Apocalypse 19, from 6 to 9. And I heard like the voice of a great multitude, like the sound of many waters, and like the voice of great thunders, which said, Hallelujah, because the Lord our God, Almighty, reigns. ¡Gocémonos y alegrémonos y démosle gloria! Porque han llegado las bodas del Cordero, y su esposa se ha preparado, y a ella se le ha concedido que se vista de lino fino, limpio y resplandeciente. Porque el lino fino es la ocasión justa de los santos. Y el ángel me dijo, escribe, ¡Bienaventurados los que son llamados a la cena de las bodas del Cordero! Y me dijo, estas son palabras verdaderas de Dios. And we want to close our communion time with just this thought from, again, Hebrews, Hebrews 10, 15 through 25. And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us. For after saying, this is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord, I will put my laws on their hearts and write them on their minds. Then he adds, I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more. where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin. Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, And since we have a great high priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith. With our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water, let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering. For he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more, as you see the day drawing near. y nos atestigua lo mismo el Espíritu Santo porque después de haber dicho, este es el pacto que haré con ellos, después de aquellos días dice el Señor, pondré mis leyes en sus corazones y en sus mentes las escribiré. Añade, y nunca más me acordaré de sus pecados y transgresiones, pues donde hay remisión de estos, no hay más ofrenda por el pecado. Así que hermanos, teniendo libertad para entrar en el lugar santísimo por la sangre de Jesucristo, Por el camino nuevo y vivo que él nos abrió a través del velo, este es de su carne, y teniendo un gran sacerdote sobre la casa de Dios, acerquémonos con corazones sinceros, en plena certidumbre de fe, purificado los corazones de mala conciencia, y lavado los cuerpos con agua pura. Mantengámonos firmes y sin fluctuar, la profesión de nuestras esperanzas, porque fiel es el que prometió, y consideremos unos a otros para estimularnos al amor y a las buenas obras, no dejando de congregarnos como algunos tienen por costumbre, sino que exhortándonos y tanto más cuanto veis que aquel día se acerca. Regocijémonos a celebrar el sacrificio de Cristo que resulta en nuestra salvación. Acerquémonos a Dios con seguridad y confianza. Animémonos unos a otros al amor y a las buenas obras. And so we look forward to that day when we're in glory, made possible by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And Victor has already said this for the Spanish Ministries folks, I think, if I caught this right. But we are to rejoice in and celebrate Christ's sacrifice resulting in our salvation. We're to draw near to God in assurance and confidence. We're to stir one another up to love and good works, and we are to meet together and encourage one another all the more as the day is drawing near. And that's what we are to be about until that day comes. But we praise God for His Son, Jesus Christ. We're gonna have a baptism right now. I hope Josh is back there and ready, I think. Or is it music, Scott? I don't know what's next. It's Josh. Okay, so we're gonna enjoy a baptism together. Well, friends, we have done, or are about to do, the two ordinances that Jesus commanded us to do. He commanded us to celebrate his death until he comes. And that wafer that we just partook of and the juice that we just drank of is a picture of what he did for us through his death on the cross. But the other thing that Jesus has commanded us to do is he's commanded his followers to get baptized. And we want to remind all of you, most of you know this, but some of you may not, and it's always good to be reminded because baptism, when people get baptized, sometimes people get confused. This individual who's getting baptized, he is not getting saved. He's already saved, because the only one who can save him is Jesus. And Jesus saved him through his perfect life, his sacrificial death, and his glorious resurrection. So what Ryan is about to do is not in any way saving him or converting him to Christ. Ryan is coming as a saved person, and he's doing a couple different things. We know this from Romans chapter 6, verses 3 through 4, as it talks about our spiritual baptism, because water baptism is a picture of what God has done for us in Christ. And so what Ryan is going to do is, Ryan is going to, number one, he's identifying himself as a follower of Jesus. He wants all of you to know, and anyone who's watching, to know that he is a follower of Jesus Christ. That he belongs to Christ. Not only with his identification, he's also letting all of us know that his allegiance is to Jesus. That he belongs to him, that he is devoted to him, that his life is all about him. And so when he comes into the water, him before his baptism is a picture of who he was before Christ. He was sinful. He was in need of spiritual cleansing, which that water represents. And then when he gets dunked in that water and comes out, it's a picture of his new life in Christ. That through the work of the Spirit, applying Jesus' death and resurrection to him, that Ryan is a follower of Jesus Christ. So it's just a picture. There's nothing special that is happening. But he wants to identify that he belongs to Christ. And so I'm going to invite my good friend, Ryan Anderson, to come out and he's going to share how God saved his wretched soul. Well, that's true. I mean, that's reality, right? Like all of our souls are wretched before Jesus saved us. And he's going to talk about that. Good morning. So I grew up in Santa Rosa Bible Church. I've been coming here. before I can remember my entire life. And I was quickly in the Sunday school program. I heard about the gospel through that. I knew that I was not perfect. I knew that I did bad things. And I knew that I fell short of God's perfect standard. I fell short of what it took to meet that holy requirement, that standard that God had. And through that, I heard the good news of the gospel. The fact that Jesus came to earth as both 100% man and 100% God, and died for my sins on the cross, and the fact that He acted as that perfect sacrifice that I needed, that I could never live up to. And I took what faith I had as a child, and I put my trust in Christ. I prayed that prayer, and I followed Him. And the way that this went down was honestly a bit of an insecurity for me, because you hear a lot of testimonies, and there's this radical change, or these miraculous salvation stories you hear. And for me, I'm like, well, I grew up in the church and I'm still here, but I trust in God. You didn't really see radical change. And so that's one of the main things, honestly, that caused me to neglect baptisms. I thought, what do I have to share? My testimony is pretty lame. You know, I didn't know what I was going to share. But looking back, it's something that I'm incredibly grateful for. The opportunity to grow up surrounded by godly influence, to be raised in a home that loves Jesus, to come here and have friends and mentors who pointed me to God and who shared his love with me and those around us. And so it's something that I've grown to really see as a blessing and I'm incredibly grateful for. You know, I might not have the coolest story, but what God does in my life is the coolest story I'm ever going to be able to tell. And as I grew older, One of the other big struggles I had in my faith was that I felt I needed to justify why my faith was valid. And I found myself thinking every time I stumbled, every time I fell into temptation, I said, I got to get things back on course before I can have God come back into my life. I got to get my act together, clean myself up, and then I'll pray. Then I'll read my Bible again, which is incredibly foolish looking back. And it reminds me of a quote by Jonathan Edwards. And he says, the only thing you contribute to your salvation is the sin which made it necessary. And that's pretty brutal to hear, but it's true. And I don't approach God thinking, all right, I'll take care of like 75%, you can do the rest, right, you know? You don't come to Jesus, he says, you only did two thirds? Come on, man, fine, I'll do the last third. He said, no, as if I can redeem, I can restore, I can heal. You come to him with everything, and he knows this. And one of the most encouraging verses for this for me was in Luke chapter 5, verses 31 and 32. And it says, and Jesus answered them, it is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but the sinners to repentance. And I think the beauty of that is really shown in that verse, saying that God is not expecting you to come having made yourself righteous. He knows that you are broken and you are lost in your sin. And that's why he wants you to come to him, because if you rely on your own strength, your own wisdom, You will accomplish nothing, but knowing that you are broken, you come to him and he can restore you with everything. And that was one of the greatest encouragements that God allowed in my life as he drew me closer to him and as I grew older and grew with more understanding and more wisdom. And it's something he's still working on in my heart. Believe me, I am not perfect even now. Will not happen until I'm in heaven with Jesus. But as he has given me more blessings, more opportunities, I've been incredibly fortunate. I've been able to work here for over the past three years now and had many abilities to serve those around me. He's given me opportunities at school, at work, and all throughout my life. And I'm more grateful than I could ever put into words for everything he's done in my life from the moment I entered this earth until even with this opportunity right now. Isn't it awesome to be a part of God's family, to call these people in your lives like brothers and sisters? Well, Ryan, based on your profession of faith in Christ alone, it's my privilege as your brother in Christ to baptize you in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Well, friends, if you have not been baptized, God would strongly encourage you to do that. In fact, He commands you to do it. It's such a blessing to your family to see people identify publicly that they belong to Christ. Let's pray for us, and then enjoy the rest of your New Year's Eve, and happy almost New Year, and Lord willing, we'll see you next week to worship again. Let's pray. Father, we just want to come before you, and we want to just praise you for who you are. God, you are a God of mercy. You're God of grace. You're God of justice and holiness, and that's just scratching the surface of who you are. And we just want to praise you and thank you for being who you are. Because if you were not who you are, Lord, then you would not do what you do or would have done what you've done. Lord, thank you for an opportunity for us as a family to gather to sing praises to you. Thank you for an opportunity as a family to hear you speak to us through your word that you've preserved for us. Thank you for an opportunity that you have given us to celebrate your death in a tangible way and for what that means for our lives, because it radically changes everything. And thank you, God, for an opportunity for us to see what you've done in someone's life. how you've transformed them from a church kid to a follower of Jesus Christ. Well, we don't deserve any of this, and we're just so grateful that we get to participate in and be a part of it. God, for the individual or individuals who may be here this morning who don't know Christ, may you hound them, may you convict them, may you help them to see who Christ is, and may they turn from their sin and trust in you alone for salvation. For those of us who do know you, Lord, may we go in great joy and gladness, even in the midst of troubling circumstances, rejoicing at our future and rejoicing in our present because you're with us and you always will be. And it's because of your son, Jesus, that we pray and we ask all of these things for your glory and for our good. Amen.