Let's unite in prayer together. Let's pray. Father in heaven, we rejoice, Lord, today in our Savior. He is our hope, our confidence, our joy. We bless Thee that He is our righteousness. He has redemption and wisdom to His people. And we come to remember Thee, Lord. We pray that Thou wilt still our souls. Returning to Romans chapter number eight, for just a brief time around God's word, Romans chapter eight, The opening three verses of the chapter, we'll read together, bring a number of thoughts here today. Word of God says, there is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit. For the law of the spirit of the life of life in Christ Jesus, hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son, in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh. Amen. I've entitled this communion message, Impotent Law, Omnipotent Lord. Impotent law but omnipotent Lord. Apostle Paul in this letter to the saints in Rome has treated them to a theological masterpiece in the opening chapters of this epistle. Methodically God's servant has taken them to the depths of humanity's sinfulness. and then transported them to the heights of the Savior's salvation. Romans 8 begins with tremendous declaration that is but the summary, the outworking of God's redemptive purposes. There is therefore now no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus. In the verse three, Romans 8, Paul emphasizes that our freedom from the law's condemnation did not come about by our obedience to the law, but rather through the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Let's read the verse three again. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh. Note first of all, impotence of the law, the impotent law. When the Apostle Paul admits in the previous chapter in the verse 12 that the law is holy, the commandment is holy and just and good, there are some things that the law could not do. The law shows us our sin, but the law brings no remedy for sin. The law could not produce a new heart within the sinner, It could not save the lost soul. It could not justify the guilty person. It could not free the sinner from the power of sin and its accompanying condemnation. Galatians 3 verse 11 is clear. No man is justified by the law in the sight of God. And thus we come to read, as we read the scriptures, we come to understand that there is no hope of salvation in the law, in keeping the law. Even if we could keep the law of God perfectly, which by the way we cannot do because we are sinners, keeping the law in a pharisaical way can never save us from sin. There is the need for a greater righteousness, a greater righteousness than the righteousness of the Pharisees. It requires the righteousness of Christ to be reckoned, imputed, credited to our account. The law, yes, it reveals sin, but the law can never redeem us from sin. of the law of God, of the law. However, God has devised a way whereby we can be delivered from sin's condemnation, and that brings us to the omnipotent Lord. The omnipotent Lord. Having written about the law's impotence in the verse three, Paul now turns the focus of his readership to the Lord's omnipotence in that second part of the verse. God sending his own son, in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh. Brethren and sisters, so desperate was our case. So desperate was our case. So depraved were we in our sin. So deplorable was our condition. and it required God the Father to send the Son into the world. He sends his Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, not in sinful flesh. It is in the mere likeness of it. In other words, he takes on our humanity. But there's something about his humanity that's different from our humanity. His humanity is a sinless humanity. His is an impeccable humanity. His is a perfect humanity. Yes, he looked like a man. He was made in the likeness of sinful flesh, but he did not possess sinful flesh as such. Paul is very clear, very guards against that thought. But in that flesh, sin is condemned. It becomes, as it were, the focal point, the very object, the very target of the wrath of God for the punishment of sin. On his son, God visited our transgressions. He becomes the sin offering, the sacrifice. Christ's death on the cross. was the means whereby sin was condemned. God judged our sins in Christ. He is our substitute. He bears the wrath of God. He bears it all. He becomes the atoning sacrifice for sins. And because sin was judged in Him, we are then freed from that judgment. That makes Calvary so wondrous to us. that makes Calvary so glorious to us. Paul is simply informing us here that it is through nothing that we have done, but thank God it is what God has done for us in Christ that has saw us delivered from sin's condemnation. of the bread and wine, and as we do so, we remember our Savior's dying love. As we do that, then all praise and all glory must go to Him. Because what the law could not do, the Lord did. In His death upon the tree, sin condemned in Christ. The payments made. The sacrifice has been offered, and we are free, free from the law's condemnation, all because of Calvary. As in the words of the hymn writer, may our spirits now go to Calvary, and there remember our Savior's dying love. Impotent law, omnipotent Lord, all glory and praise to Him this day. Amen and amen. The Apostle Paul, he writes in 1 Corinthians 11 and verse 23, for I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, The Lord Jesus, the same night in which he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he'd break it and say, take it. This is my body, which is broken for you. This do in remembrance of me. Let me invite one of the elders here. Their microphones should be on. and invite one of the elders here, either side of me, to give thanks for the bread that we will partake of, reminding us of the broken body of Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Brethren, one of you please pray at this time. Thank you. Lord, we just do thank you for our freedom in the Lord Jesus Christ, that we, our souls, are at lever, free from the bondage of sin because you died and purchased our redemption we thank you indeed the highest cost our liberty has been purchased and what liberty and mercy. Lord, we acknowledge that we're not worthy of it. We're not worthy of the least of thy tender mercies. Yet, Lord, in loving mercy, Jesus came, my soul, mercy to reclaim. He died in sin and shame, and from wrath he left it me. The Lord we thank indeed, that the Lord, we're not under the condemnation of God, not because we're not worthy of that condemnation, but because of thy great sacrifice, thy great mercy to us. And we pray, Lord, that we would thank much in these days upon that mercy, upon the love that drew salvation's plan. And Lord, it was drew on in love, Lord. Lord, your justice was satisfied. You were able to enter heaven, able to ascend into glory. for us to present that sacrifice once for all, for thanks. Lord, we don't need a repeated sacrifice. We don't need many sacrifices, Lord. We need it, the one and only sacrifice of thyself. And we pray, Lord, that we would ever, Lord, be thankful for that sacrifice, and ever be thankful And help us, Lord, to walk in light of that sacrifice that they made for us and to stand in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free. May we stand in that liberty, Lord, day and day, and may we walk by faith, not by sight. Bless, Lord, the word that has gone forth. Undertake, for each and every family gathered in here this morning, they know much of thy help and thy blessing in the days that lie ahead. Encourage and be with them. and meet them at all at point of their need. For Christ's sake, amen. The sharing of blood so necessary. Without the sharing of blood there is no remission for sins. Not possible. So Christ, he shared his blood. He didn't spill it. Some hymns and Christian songs say he didn't spill it. He shared it freely, willingly, knowingly. Poured out his life's blood for us. And so let's remember that as we now come to partake of the wine. Before we do so, I invite our brother Mr. Brown now then to lead us in prayer as we think and ponder about this precious, precious blood of our Redeemer, Jesus Christ. Thank you. Heavenly Father, as we wait on in thy holy presence, we do thank thee again, Lord, for everyone gathered around this communion table. We do thank thee again for thy people, Lord. We realize that, Lord, you have instituted this, Lord, for our benefit, for our blessing. So we thank thee again for thy people today. We pray again, Lord, that they will realize, even as they look upon these emblems, that they will realize the great love that you have for them. And Lord, we thank you today that they are a people that have peace with their God because of the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. And as we turn our attention again to the wine, we know from thy word that it symbolizes thy precious blood. And Lord, we thank thee even for what we've heard from thy word this morning. We pray again, Lord, you'll just give us understanding hearts and minds, Lord, to take in thy word. We read there, Lord, in Romans, Lord, that you were delivered because of our offenses. Because of our sin, you were delivered up to the cross. But we also read there, Lord, that you were raised from the dead. because we were justified. Lord, we have heard this this morning from thy word, and we pray again, Lord, you'll give us a fresh understanding, Lord, that because we were already justified, because the work that the Lord Jesus Christ had done on Calvary's cross was acceptable to our God, Then, Lord, you were able to raise your son from the dead. What a testimony it is, what a guarantee it is of our justification today, because the Lord Jesus Christ was raised from the dead. And Lord, we want to thank you again. Lord, for the part that the precious blood of Christ had in our justification, we realize, Lord, what it is to be justified today, to be just as if we never had have sinned. And Lord, what a blessed state it is. We read there, Lord, in Colossians, Lord, in thy sight now we are holy, we are unblameable, we are unreprovable in thy sight. And Lord, we thank Thee again that it is because of the shedding of the precious blood of Christ, because we read there again in Matthew, Lord. Lord, You have said that this is my blood of the new covenant that is shed for many for the remission of sins, for the removal of sin. Lord, therefore, that is how we become justified. Our sin has been removed from us because of the blood of Christ. Lord, again today, Lord, even as we partake of this wine, Lord, help us to, again, just thank thee afresh for the great love that you had for us, Lord. that to endure the cross, Lord, we can easily say the shedding of the blood of Christ, but Lord, what pain and suffering and agony, an agony of soul, Lord, that you had to go through on the cross, but Lord, we thank thee. when that spear was thrust into thy side and out flowed blood and water. Lord, that was a cleansing fountain for each one of us. So Lord, we just want you to again, Lord, melt our hearts even before thee. And Lord, it will be a time well spent in thy presence, Lord, if we're drawn nearer to thee. if we were given a better understanding, even, of what the Lord Jesus Christ has accomplished for us. We thank Thee again for help given to Thy servant today. We thank Thee, Lord, again for Thy Word to our hearts. Let us again treasure it. And Lord, as we heard this morning, let us appreciate fully what it is to have a servant of the Lord, prepared, Lord, to study the Word and to deliver the Word. in the power of the Holy Spirit. We ask you to even accept our thanks. For it's in Jesus' name we ask it. Amen. Let's sing together. free to all a healing stream flows from Calvary's mountain. In the cross, in the cross. He is Lord. He is Lord. He is risen from the dead and he is Lord. Every knee shall bow. Every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. After the same manner also he took the cup when he had supped, saying, This cup is a new testament in my blood, this do ye, as oft as ye drink it in remembrance of me. For as oft as ye eat this bread and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come. Amen. Every Christian should be a member of a local church. It's biblical, and I trust that God will bring us all into obedience with respect to that particular matter. Our brother, Mr. Caleb Thompson, in recent weeks made application for membership, was interviewed by to elders and then his application brought to the session that has been granted his application for membership. He has given a personal word of saving grace in his life, the desire to be committed to the work of God here to which we are thankful to the Lord for. And so at this time we want to just invite our brother Caleb to the front and I'll go down and myself and the brethren here will give to Caleb Right hand of fellowship, and then we'll bow together in prayer. We welcome you, brother, in the Savior's precious name. Just stand there, and we'll have a word of prayer. Let's pray together. Let's stand all, please, for prayer. Our gracious and our heavenly Father, we thank thee for the cross, that which unites us all in Christ. We recognize that it is the great leveler for us. All our titles, all our positions within this world, they fade away. We come to our rightful place at the cross. We thank thee for the day and hour that thou didst save Caleb. We rejoice, Lord, in the work of grace wrought within, in his desire to be obedient in this very matter. And we pray that as he joins with us, week by week that thy hand will be upon him, that he might be a great asset to the work of God, hear his testimony, be that which is bright for the Savior. And we pray that we will be an encouragement to him and grant dear God the work of God. Each and every time we meet for a communion supper, we pray that thou wilt continually strengthen the work, adding to the church, Lord, adding to the Church of Christ. Lord, we thank thee for the separate work, separated work. We're separate unto Christ, yes, ecclesiastically, but also, Lord, personally. We pray that we will live those lives. May our testimonies, every member, this preacher, this minister, may his testimony be that which is honoring to the Master, We thank Thee, Father, for the home into which Caleb has been reared in, and we thank Thee for parents who are saved and a brother who's saved. We pray, Lord, that all of our families will be like that, completely united in Jesus Christ. Lord, bless us now as we part one from another. May the blessing of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit abide and be with us. Until the day breaks when all the shadows flee away and we find ourselves in heaven itself. Enter prayer now and part us with thy blessing. We pray this in our Savior's gracious and precious name. Amen.