Verses 1 to 4. I love thee, O Israel. and thus remember thee. Blessed were he that I forget, When to the cross I turned my eyes, the grace of Calvary, O Lamb of God, Let's unite just in prayer together. I want to just Still ourselves in the Lord's presence settle our hearts once again. Our great God and Savior, we come now to Thee. We remember Calvary. I must, the hymn writer said, I must remember Thee. Lord, we pray that we will remember Thee in this sacred ordinance that Thou hast ordained, instituted, Even on the eve of thy death upon the tree, thou didst bring us this tremendous help and this tremendous asset to us as thy people, to remember thy dying love. Savior, thy dying love, thou givest me, nor should I ought withhold, my Lord, from thee. Help us, Lord, to give then ourselves to Thee in light of Calvary and what Christ gave for us. Lord, still now our hearts and solemnize us and yet rejoice our spirits to know that the work is done and redemption is complete. We pray this in our Savior's name. Amen and amen. Can we turn to Luke chapter 22? Luke's gospel in the chapter 22. We'll begin our reading in the chapter of chapter 22 there at the verse 15. Luke chapter 22 in the verse 15. And he said unto them with desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I say unto you I will not any more eat thereof until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God. And he took the cup and gave thanks and said, take this and divide it among yourselves for I say unto you I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God shall come. And he took the bread and gave thanks and break it and gave unto them, saying, This is my body, which is given for you, this do in remembrance of me. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is a new testament in my blood, which is shed for you. Amen. Many are the pivotal events in the life of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We could think about His incarnation, God sending His only begotten, His well-beloved Son into the world in the likeness of sinful flesh was truly a momentous event in the life of the Lord Jesus Christ. We could think about His resurrection, having laid down His life, the Lord Jesus Christ had power to take it up again, and this He did three days on the third day. He rose again from the dead. We thought about his ascension. What a momentous event that was in the life of the Lord Jesus Christ. Having died and been buried, he now rises again. He's taken up to heaven, accompanied by two angels, to appear in the presence of God for us. We could think about his session at the Father's right hand, and how in heaven today the God-man is there, The God-man, he who is born of our bone flesh, of our flesh, he sits in the position of honor at the Father's right hand, and there he prays for us, he advocates on our behalf. And yet as pivotal and as important as these events are in the life of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Christian is exhorted to remember only one event in the Savior's ministry and in the Savior's life. and it's none of the above. It's not His incarnation, it's not His resurrection, it's not His ascension, it's not His cessation at the Father's right hand, although important. And yes, we are to remember them, but God did not give, as it were, a means, a way by which we then can remember these events. But for His death, He did. For His death He did. It is the death of Christ that we are called to remember. And it is by this means, by our partaking of bread and wine, that we achieve the Savior's directive that is given here in Luke chapter 22 in the verse number 19, at the end of the verse, this do in remembrance of me. And so it begs the question, why? Out of all the pivotal events in the Savior's life, why are we commanded only to remember His death? Well, the answer is very simple. The Savior's death upon the cross of Calvary is the most important event that occurred in His life. Calvary trumps every other event in the Savior's life. Beloved, if we forget Calvary, then we can forget about redemption, we can forget about reconciliation, we can forget about satisfaction, we can forget about propitiation, we can forget about expiation, we can forget about our hope, the hope of pardon, the hope of our forgiveness of sins, and we can ultimately, we can forget about assurance of a home in heaven. By this emphasis, this event in the Savior's life, and by God giving us a way by remembering that event, I believe that God is teaching us a very important lesson. You cannot and you must not get away from Calvary. You cannot and you must not get away from Calvary. means everything to the child of God. Calvary is that which overwhelms the Christian, fills their heart with gratitude and thankfulness to God. It is that which stimulates us to obey our God because of what he did and his obedience in his death upon the cross and by going the whole way to Calvary. It is that his death that causes us to go out into the world and to preach Him. Brothers and sisters, the cross should mean everything to us, and so can we forget it? God has given us, as I've said, this ordinance so that we would not forget Christ's work on the cross. It does not give us something like this to remember any of these other important events, but it is this ordinance that we remember this event. And I believe by that God is placing emphasis that we must remember him, that we must stay near the cross because Calvary answers for me. Calvary answers for you. And so in these moments, in this house, as we gather as God's people, and we're glad that you've stayed, may we take ourselves off to Calvary, and may we remember there the redemption that he purchased for us, the shedding of his own precious blood, and then may we remember all the blessings that flow out of redemption, and they are many. This do in remembrance of me because Calvary trumps every other event in the life of our Savior. Thank God for the cross. Thank God for the resurrection. Thank God for the Savior's reign. Thank God that He's coming again. and the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ. May God be pleased to bless this single truth to our hearts today as we remember our Savior upon the cross of Calvary. Amen. The Apostle Paul, in writing to the saints there in Corinth, he said these words in the chapter 11, In the verse 23, for I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered on to you, that the Lord Jesus, the same night in which he was betrayed, took bread. He also said, but let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup, for he that eateth and drinketh unworthily eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. May God examine our hearts. May sin be put away, but if sin is held on to, you'd be better not to partake. You'd be better not to partake. To find God, the blood of Christ cleanseth from all sin. And so get your sin under the blood. Examine your own heart, brother, sister. and have sin put away, just even now, lift your heart to God. We all would need to do that, from preacher to the congregation, because we're all brought to the same level when we come to find ourselves at the cross. And so, can I ask one of the brethren here at the front, enabling here by the microphones, to lift their heart to God, thanking God here for the bread that is before us, thank you. God and our Father, we sigh humbly again in thy presence. Thank you, Lord, for the return of thy day. Thank you, Heavenly Father, for the great privilege that we have to come to thy house to worship thee. Thank you, Lord, again for the open book, thy word that has been read to us today. Thank you, Lord, for even the word has been preached by thy servant, Lord. We thank you for him. We thank you for his faithfulness again in the proclamation of the scriptures to us today, Lord. And we thank you that the great promises that we have even within thy word, Lord, and how even in days when we can be discouraged, when we can be downhearted, Yet we can come to thy word and we can be lifted up, Lord. We thank you that we do serve the Lord, who is the King forever and ever. We thank you, Lord, that we serve the risen Savior. And as we've been thinking again of Calvary, Lord, we thank you for that cross work that was done there on our behalf. We think of all that the Savior endured, both in body and in soul, Lord, and how he was even beaten, and the crown of thorns placed upon his head. We think of the nails that were driven into his hands and into his feet, and that spear that was put into his side. And he did it all for us. He did it all that we might have our sins. forgiving me. Thank you that he cried it is finished. The work was completed there at Calvary. Redemption was completed there on our behalf and on God's elect. Lord we thank you for all that was done for us there at the cross. We thank you that our Savior only didn't just do half the work. He did all the work and it was all completed there at Calvary. So Lord we give you thanks for our salvation. We thank you for the redemptive work that was accomplished there on our behalf that we might be saved. We thank you for this and we give you all the praise for it. Remember again, Lord, those today who can't meet with us around the table, Lord, we just pray that you'll meet them at the point of their need, Lord, that you'll bless them, Lord, even today in their homes. or in hospital, or wherever they may be, Lord. I just pray they'll know a touch even from God, even today, Lord. So we thank you for this bread. We pray, Lord, we'll eat worthily, Lord, even before thee. I just thank thee again for thy goodness and thy mercy. And I show great salvation. We ask it all now in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. The hymn writer said, and when I think that God his Son not sparing, sent him to die, I scarce can take it in, that on the cross, my burden gladly bearing, he bled and died to take away my sin. How thankful we are for the crimson, the crimson flood, the fountain open for sin and uncleanness. And we remember the blood of Christ, Rejoice in it today. We thank God for the blood that cleanseth from all sin. And so let's again come to the throne of grace and thank God for the wine that is before us here, remembering the blood of our redemption, the blood of Jesus Christ. Mr. Brown, lead us please in prayer. Thank you. Heavenly Father, as we wait on in thy holy presence around this communion table, we do thank thee again for every head bowed in thy presence today. Thank thee again for thy people, Lord, gathered in this fashion. As we've heard already, Lord, from thy word that this is thy will, Lord, that thy people do remember thy death. And, Lord, we realize you have appointed this, Lord, for our blessing, for our good. Right throughout Scripture, where we read of the bread and the wine, Lord, always the blessing of the Lord accompanied it. And, Lord, we look for thy blessing even amongst us here today. We realize, Lord, as we draw near to Calvary, Lord, near to the old rubber cross, Lord, we thank Thee again, how it warms our heart. even like those two on the Amaze Road. Lord, our hearts are strangely warmed when we consider afresh what the Lord Jesus Christ has accomplished for us. And Lord, as we turn now to the wine, we're left in no doubt from Scripture what the wine represents for us, and that is the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Lord, you said it yourself, There in the Gospels, when you took the cup, you said, this is my blood. Lord, not the blood of anyone else, not the blood of any good man, the blood of any prophet, but it was the blood of the God-man. And how we thank the Lord for this fact. Lord, we realize, Lord, how you lived that perfect life, that sinless life. And Lord, how necessary it was, because Lord, your blood then had to be sinless blood. We realize, Lord, it could not cleanse away our sin if there was any defilement there. But we thank you, Lord, and we thank thee as we read there in Romans. Lord, whom, speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ, whom God has ordained, whom God has set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood. Lord, not faith in anything else. Our faith is in the blood of the God-man, the Lord Jesus Christ. We've been hearing this morning, Lord, from thy word, Lord, that you are king. And, Lord, there is no greater word in heaven. And, Lord, we thank thee today, Lord, that this is thy word, Lord, that the blood of Jesus Christ satisfies thy defined justice, Lord. and we praise thee today, Lord, that we have forgiveness of sins. O Lord, what a blessing it is, Lord, for every head bowed in thy presence today, Lord, that we can lift our hearts unto thee. And thank thee for this great fact, Lord, that we will never see hell, Lord. We will spend eternity with thee in heaven, all because of the precious shed blood of our Savior. So, Lord, let us rejoice in that today. We thank thee even For the promise, we read it again in thy word today, Lord, that you would drink the fruit of the vine and you with us in your Father's kingdom. And Lord, we look for that day. And Lord, again, we will meet with thee. and, Lord, spend eternity with Thee. So, Lord, we thank Thee again now, Lord, for allowing Thy blood to be shed, because we realize that without the shedding of blood, there could be no remission of sins. And we thank Thee again for the great love, Lord, that You had for us. Lord, as Alan was praying, Lord, for the sufferings, Lord, that You endured, Lord, we thank thee for it, Lord, and allowing that spear to go in and to your side outflowed blood and water. Lord, what a cleansing fountain was open for sin and uncleanness. So, Lord, accept our thanks now for this wine and what it represents, and as we partake of it, Lord, draw us even nearer to thyself and let us live in the shadow of the cross. For it's in Jesus' name we ask it. Amen. After the same manner also he took the cup when he 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. What tremendous thought. He's coming again. Till he come. And he's coming as king. Let's unite in prayer together. Our Father, we do not want to take away from the simplicity, the solemnness of the act to which we have engaged in. Publicly, we are declaring ourselves to be thine. Thou has shed thy blood, thou has given thy life for me. And therefore, we give our lives back to God. How dare we? How would we even contemplate withholding from Thee, He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all? O may we not hold back from Thee, but may we give our all We pray that thou will bring us again to the house of God this evening. We pray that by our attendance again we will identify ourselves with Christ and his gospel. And we pray that thou will give us, Lord, all the desire to reach our loved ones, our friends, our neighbors with the gospel. Remove, O God, our shyness, our Lord, cowardiceness at times, and may we be bold for God in these days. Give us this boldness, and may we live lives now of victory from this moment on. We offer prayer in and through our Savior's blessed name. Amen and amen. Thank you.