The Lord's Passover

[0:00] Well, can we turn back to our reading in the Old Testament in Exodus chapter 12. Exodus chapter 12, we read again at verse 12.

[0:12] But I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast. And on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments.

[0:26] I am the Lord. The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you.

[0:39] And no plague will befall you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. This day shall be for you a memorial day. And you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord throughout your generations, as a statute forever.

[0:57] You shall keep it as a feast. As we look at the Old Testament this morning as we come to partake in the Lord's Passover, the Lord's Supper.

[1:12] We do so looking to the Old Testament in light of the New. Someone once said that the Old Testament is like a furnished room. Everything is in there, but the light is off.

[1:27] But when you look in the New Testament, the New Testament puts the light on in the Old. Everything is in there, but we see it so much clearly now.

[1:40] So when we go back to Exodus and to this passage, as we see the scene set for the Passover being instituted, what we see now we see in light of what the Lord Jesus Christ has done for us.

[1:58] The scene is set here for a great deliverance of God's people. They have been under oppression. They have been slaves in Egypt. But God called Moses to go to them and to lead the people of God out in a powerful way.

[2:19] So as we take up our reading in chapter 12, we see, just reflecting back on the previous chapters, that up to this point much has taken place. Moses has come to Pharaoh to ask him to let the people go.

[2:34] Moses has agreed, but then his heart was hardened. And so God sent plagues into the land to show Pharaoh just how powerful God is, unlike any other God.

[2:53] As we see here in verse 12, what does God say? I am the Lord. This is a Lord, a God who is powerful.

[3:04] In chapter 7 up to this point in chapter 12, we can read of the plagues that God sent. There has been nine plagues up until this point.

[3:16] Every one of them indicating God's power. And every one showing that God is going to rescue his people from the slavery and oppression.

[3:30] But then we come into chapter 12. And God is about to work in an even more dramatic, in an even more powerful way.

[3:41] The tenth plague is different to all the others. There is something greater behind it. And God is showing a greater deliverance than merely just from oppression and slavery.

[3:56] He is showing a deliverance from the very power of death. But where is this deliverance to be found?

[4:08] Well, God gives us through Moses real instructions in chapter 12. He outlines just what the people are to do.

[4:19] He tells them exactly what is going to take place. He tells them exactly what they are to do. God is going to come in power.

[4:31] But the people have a part to play as well. They are to faithfully hear what God is saying. And do precisely as he commands.

[4:44] And they are to come under the shelter of the blood of the lamb. Unless they are found in that place where the blood has been sprinkled.

[4:56] Where the lamb has been slaughtered. They will not be safe. And that is what we see as we come into the New Testament too.

[5:08] The lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. And through faith, by God's grace, we are to come and remember what has been done for us.

[5:23] You see Moses being faithful here. You see the people being faithful. You go back to the days of Noah.

[5:35] You see Noah being obedient to God through faith. You look to Abraham and to Isaac. Obedient in faith to God. There was obedience and faith.

[5:47] And so it is with the people here in Exodus 12. There is to be obedience and faith. To do as the Lord commands. And to trust in what God is going to do.

[6:00] The Passover. The instruction of the sacrifice of the lamb. And the sprinkling of the blood. Is where they are to be found in obedience. And as we come to the Lord's Supper today.

[6:15] We are seeing in the same way that a lamb was provided. And the blood was sprinkled. That we have a provision for ourselves today. The lamb of God. And through his shed blood.

[6:28] And his body given. We come to see the protection. That he offers to all who come. To him who worship him. And have faith in him. A deliverance.

[6:39] From sin and the consequences of it. A deliverance from death. And a bringing into a right relationship with him. Eternal life.

[6:49] With our Lord Jesus. We are to remember the Lord's death. Until he comes. And so I want us this morning to look back. To the Passover in light of the New Testament.

[7:03] And to see the revelation of God's love. And God's provision. Of salvation for his people. And how we see it fulfilled. In the work of Christ.

[7:13] We can say there is change that has taken place. But there is continuity as well. We don't come to offer a lamb today.

[7:24] We come because a lamb has been offered for us. And I want us to think of five different things. During our service today. Five different pieces.

[7:37] Three of them we look at first of all. During our service. And the other two. We look at one when we come. To take part in the Lord's Supper. And then after the Lord's Table. But the first thing I want us to think about.

[7:50] Is the provision. That has been made. As you read here in chapter 12. You get a sense of a new beginning. For the people of God. The Lord said to Moses and Aaron.

[8:02] In the land of Egypt. This month shall be for you. The beginning of months. It shall be the first month. Of the year for you. Things are about to change.

[8:14] For the people. There is a new beginning. And he provides for the people. A way to safety. A way to freedom. From the bondage of slavery. And he provides for them.

[8:24] A sign. That will be to them. An everlasting sign. Every provision. Is made for them. And he provides this. Remembrance.

[8:36] For them. And Moses here. Teaches the people. That the provision of God. And his redemption. Is to be reflected. In all of their lives.

[8:46] In their whole. Being. In their whole community. It's almost like their whole calendar. Is about to change. It's a new beginning. A beginning of months.

[8:57] And it shall be the first month. Of the year. For you. Tell the congregation of Israel. That on the tenth day of the month. Everything is being put. Into order.

[9:08] And this is going to be something. That will continue. It is going to be. For their generations. He goes on to say. In verse 24. And verse 25.

[9:19] You shall observe this. Right. As a statute. For you. And for your sons. Forever. And when you come. To the land. That the Lord will give you. As he has promised. You will keep.

[9:30] This service. There is. A continuity. Here. To be an ongoing. Thing. And he says. In verse 26. When your children. Say to you. What do you mean. By this service.

[9:41] You will say. It is the sacrifice. Of the Lord's Passover. For he passed over. The houses of the people of Israel. In Egypt. It's ongoing.

[9:55] Generation. After generation. God has put this. In place. And when you see there.

[10:06] Even the children. Were to be looking on. And seeing it too. They will ask the question. What are you doing? And you are to tell them.

[10:17] This is what we are doing. And doesn't that continue. Into the New Testament. As well. As we take part. In the Lord's Supper. As we see.

[10:27] All the provision. That has been made for us. And as we think of. Even children. Looking on. And watching. And asking. What is this about. Today? Maybe even as adults.

[10:39] We come wondering. What is this? What are we actually doing. Here today? Well we are remembering. God's provision. We are remembering.

[10:51] What God has done. For us. In the Old Testament. As they met. For the Passover. They were remembering. The deliverance. Of God. For his people. How he provided.

[11:03] A Passover. For them. When the children. Ask. What do you mean? You will say. It is a sacrifice. Of the Lord's Passover. For all.

[11:14] That he has. Done. For us. And as we. Read. In the New Testament. We see. That this has. Continued. To be.

[11:24] The case. As the Lord. Was approaching. The time. Of his own. Crucifixion. What were they doing? They were coming. To the time. Of the Passover. They were coming.

[11:35] To continue. To remember. The deliverance. Of God. In Egypt. And the disciples. Came. Saying. Where will we go? What will we do? Where are we going. To have this Passover?

[11:48] And Jesus. Gave them. Clear instruction. He told them. All about it. But you see. Something new. Taking place then. Not just.

[12:00] The Passover meal. But the sacrament. Of the Lord's Supper. Now. The provision. Is being revealed.

[12:10] To all the people. He is showing them. What we have been remembering. Up until this point. Is now being revealed. In the Lord Jesus Christ.

[12:22] What does he say. As they come. To the supper. He says. To them. He took. The bread. And after blessing it. He broke it. And gave it to them. And said. Take. This is.

[12:33] My. My. Body. And then he took the cup. And when he had given thanks. He gave it to them. And they all drank of it. And he said to them. This is my blood.

[12:44] Of the covenant. Which is poured out. For many. The light. Is being turned on. And now people.

[12:54] Are seeing. Why Jesus. Why Jesus. Why Jesus. Why Jesus. Has come. He has come. To fulfill. The Passover lamb. No longer.

[13:05] Do we remember. By bringing. A lamb. Before God. We come to remember. The lamb. Who was slain. And all the provision. Is there for us. God has provided.

[13:18] His word. To instruct it. There is a provision. Of God's word. Complete. We have it before us. Everything you need. To know. For what we are doing.

[13:29] Today. Is before us. In the word. Of God. And God. Has provided. His son. For our deliverance. From sin. He gave.

[13:41] His only. Begotten son. That whoever. Believes in him. Should not perish. But have everlasting life. Has provided. The way.

[13:51] To our deliverance. And even as we see. How. This was ingrained. In the calendar. Of the old testament. We see today. How this is ingrained. In our own.

[14:02] Calendar. As well. We have our communion. Season. There is an order. About it. There is a way. Of doing things. There is a preparation.

[14:13] In coming. To the Lord's supper. Everything. Is put in order. By God. We have. The Lord's day.

[14:24] The first day. Of the week. When we remember. The resurrection. Of our Lord. Jesus Christ. Today. We have that remembrance. As well. As remembering.

[14:35] His death. The provision. That has been made. For us. He has provided. For us. The sacrament. The way. We come.

[14:45] To remember him. Is to take the bread. And the wine. The provision. Is there. Have you ever imagined.

[14:57] To yourself. What it would have been like. To live. In the Old Testament days. When you had. To bring. A lamb. To be sacrificed. To be offered.

[15:09] Can you imagine. If that's the kind of day. We had today. When everybody. Had to bring a lamb. For their families. And bring it in here. To be sacrificed. And offered. To God. The noise.

[15:22] The mess. When you think. Of the way. Things were done. In the Old Testament. All the. All that was going on.

[15:34] In the sacrifice. In the temple. We come. In peace. We come. In the quiet. In the stillness. Of today.

[15:45] But yet. We look back. To a day. When things were different. I wonder. If it would be easier. For some. Today. To come. And bring a lamb. To God.

[15:58] Do you think. It would be easier. For you to come. Today. And say. Well. Here is something. I can give. To God. I can bring. A lamb. And offer.

[16:08] This to God. Would that be easier? Because. Because. We feel. We can do. Something. Ourselves. And yet.

[16:19] Look at the provision. That God. Has made. For you. No longer. Do we have to bring. A lamb. But God. Has provided. A lamb.

[16:30] He has given. His son. So. Instead of bringing. A lamb. To be sacrificed. We are to come. In the finished. Work.

[16:41] Of Christ. To see. What he did. On the cross. As he cried out. It is finished. No longer. Do you have to offer.

[16:52] A sacrifice. Christ. Sacrifice. Once. For all. Is fulfilled. So. How do we come? We come. Seeing.

[17:03] The provision. That has been made. God. Has provided. For us. God. Has shown.

[17:14] To us. That all. Is done. The provision. Is seen here. By God. The second thing. I want us to see. In this passage.

[17:24] Is the preparation. There is great detail. Given to us here. In all. The preparations. That were to be made. For the Passover. Verse 3.

[17:35] Through to verse. 11. Goes into meticulous detail. Of how the Passover. Was to be prepared. Now. There are some things. For this. First Passover.

[17:46] That are different. To other ones. That would follow. And you see that. And just. The way that they were to take it. In verse 11. In this manner. You shall eat it. With your belt. Fastened. Your sandals.

[17:57] On your feet. And your staff. In your hand. And you shall eat. In haste. It is the Lord's Passover. Now. That wasn't always. To be the case. This was because.

[18:07] As the night. Was to go on. The angel of the Lord. Was going to pass over. And destroy. The firstborn. Of the Egyptians. And they were to be ready.

[18:18] To go the next morning. They were ready. To go in haste. Because God. Was to deliver them. Now. Some of these things. Have changed. Or changed.

[18:29] They didn't have to eat it. In this way. From then on. But everything else. Remained the same. And it may seem. A little. Over the top. How every detail.

[18:39] Is covered. Every detail. Down. In all the ways. The lamb. A male. A year old. The sheep. Or from the goats. You will keep it. For four days.

[18:51] To the fourteenth. Of the month. When everyone. Will come together. And kill the lambs. At twilight. You see. All the details. Are there. And then he goes on.

[19:01] To say. You will take the blood. And put it on the two door posts. And the lintel. Of the house. In which you eat it. Every detail. Is there.

[19:13] Why is that? Well doesn't God. Have to make clear. For us. Exactly. The way. That we are to come. To him. If it was left. Unclear.

[19:24] The people. Would decide. For themselves. Imagine. If he hadn't. Made it clear. Us to be a lamb. Without blemish. A year old. What would they have.

[19:35] Brought to God. Would they have. Brought. The best. Of their lamb. Or would they have said. Well this lamb. Will do. You. You think to yourself.

[19:46] Well surely. No one would come. With that kind of attitude. To God. But yet. You see it. Later on. In the Old Testament. In Malachi. When the people. Are criticized. For bringing.

[19:58] Inferior. Offerings. To God. And they say. To them. Would you offer. This to the king. Of course not. Because it's not your best. And you bring it. To me.

[20:09] But God. Gives. Clear. Instruction. A lamb. A male lamb. A year old. The best. That they have. Some of the details.

[20:20] Such as. Shading with others. Or putting. The door. Blood on the door frames. It's. Clear to them. Exactly. What they had. To do. But you see.

[20:32] If it's left. To ourselves. How would we. Come. To God. Would we not. Decide. For ourselves. Just how we are. Going to come. You see.

[20:42] In the New Testament. As well. Even with the Lord's Supper. When we start. Disobeying. The way that God. Has shown us. How it's to be done. There is chaos. Paul writes.

[20:53] To the church. In Corinth. It's because. They've drifted away. From the way. That they are to be. Remembering. The Lord's Supper. An unworthy manner.

[21:05] He calls it. And then. They are guilty. Of concerning the body. And blood. Of the Lord. So easy. To do it wrong.

[21:19] But you could also say. It's so easy. To do it right. Because God gives. Clear. Instruction.

[21:30] He tells the people. Exactly. What they are to do. And if they follow. The instructions. As he has laid out. They will be delivered. The angel.

[21:42] Will pass. Over. And hasn't God. Given us. Instruction. As we come. To the Lord's Supper. To examine.

[21:54] Ourselves. To confess. Our sins. To see. Our shortcomings. But to see. The grace. Of God. In the Lord.

[22:04] Jesus Christ. And so. We prepare. Ourselves. To come. To the sacrament. Of the Lord's Supper. But we should always.

[22:17] Be prepared. Not just. For this day. But for Monday. For Tuesday. For Wednesday. Of this week. For November.

[22:27] December. January. Always prepared. Because God. Has given us. Such clear. Instruction. He gives us. Instruction.

[22:38] Today. Do this. In remembrance. Of me. Until. I come. Again. Do this. In remembrance.

[22:48] Of me. It's not through. Your own strength. You're doing it. It's not because of. Your own. Works. That you're doing it. You're doing it. Because of faith. In the finished work. Of Christ.

[23:00] We are told. To believe. In him. We recognize. Surely. Our own. Unworthiness. Jesus. But we can come.

[23:12] Saying. Worthy. Is the lamb. Who was slain. Revelation 5. Verse 12. Says. Saying with a loud voice. Worthy. Is the lamb.

[23:23] Who was slain. To receive power. And wealth. And wisdom. And might. And honor. And glory. And blessing. We come. To do it. In remembrance.

[23:34] Of him. Preparation. For the Israelites. Led them. To see. The lamb. Being prepared. Being offered. And the blood. Being put. On the door frames.

[23:47] And our own. Preparation. Leads us. To that point. We would behold. The lamb. Of God. The lamb. Slain. The lamb. Crucified.

[23:58] For us. First Corinthians 5. Verse 7. Again. Makes that so clear. For us. Cleanse out.

[24:09] The old leaven. That you may be. A new lamb. As you really are unleavened. For Christ. Our Passover lamb. Has been sacrificed. The preparation.

[24:24] Has been made. For us. The third thing. I want us to see. At this time. Is the protection. That is offered. What was the Passover.

[24:36] Ultimately about. It was for the protection. Of the Israelites. And the destruction. Of the Egyptians. And Moses gives. That clearly to us.

[24:46] In verse 12. And verse 13. But I will pass through. The land of Egypt. That night. And I will strike. All the firstborn. In the land of Egypt. Both man and beast. And on all the gods.

[24:58] Of Egypt. I will execute. Judgments. I am the Lord. The blood. Shall be a sign. For you. On the houses. Where you are.

[25:09] And when I see. The blood. I will pass. Over you. And no plague. Will befall you. To destroy you. When I strike. The land. Of Egypt. The outcome.

[25:21] For those. Who look. To other gods. Would be judgment. Destruction. But the outcome. For those.

[25:31] Who by faith. In God. Come under the blood. Of the lamb. Will be salvation. Deliverance. Through faith.

[25:43] Hebrews 11. Says of this time. In verse 28. By faith. He. Moses. Kept the Passover. And sprinkled the blood. So the destroyer. Of the firstborn.

[25:54] Might not touch them. There was. Faith. In the blood. Of the lamb. What a night. It would have been.

[26:05] For them. The lamb. Was sacrificed. The blood. Was sprinkled. On the doorposts. And on the lintels. It's there.

[26:16] For their protection. But what it says. Is they were not. To go out. They were not. To go out. Until.

[26:27] Morning. None of you. Shall go out. Of the door. Of his house. Until the morning. You wonder. Just what it was like.

[26:37] For them. Hearing. What was going on. Wondering. What was happening. It must have been. Some night.

[26:48] For them. Waiting. And wandering. Afraid. Yet assuring. One another. The blood. Is on the door.

[26:59] The blood. Is there. To protect us. And isn't that. Our protection. Today. As well. Isn't that. Our only assurance. Is there.

[27:10] The blood. Of Christ. Which cleanses us. From all. Our sin. What a day. And what a night.

[27:21] It was. For them. What a day. It was. When Christ. Went. To the cross. All that happened. There. At Calvary. The suffering.

[27:33] He endured. His body. Given. His blood. Shed. The lamb. Of God. Came. To take away. The sin.

[27:43] Of the world. And so. Our protection. Our. And our hope. For eternal life. And forgiveness. Of sin. Is found. Through faith. In the Lord.

[27:54] Jesus Christ. Who gave himself. For us. Paul says. To the Galatians. The life. I now live. In the flesh. I live. By faith. In the son. Of God.

[28:06] Who loved me. And gave himself. For me. Without the blood. Of the lamb. In the exodus.

[28:17] At the time. Of the exodus. In Egypt. There would have been. No protection. For the people. Of God. And so.

[28:27] John the Baptist. Cried out. When he saw. The Lord Jesus. Behold. The lamb. Of God. Who takes away. The sin. Of the world. The light.

[28:38] Comes on. All that we were. Was building up to. In the Old Testament. We see fulfilled. In Christ. He is the protection.

[28:50] For his people. We come. Under the shadow. Of his wings. And there. We are protected. From the wrath. Of God. That our sins.

[29:00] Deserve. He has been. Crucified. He has been. Sacrificed. And we come. Under his blood. And that is what.

[29:12] We come. To do today. Just as the instruction. Was given to. Moses. And all his people. Continue. To do this. In remembrance. Of the deliverance.

[29:22] Of God. So we see. The change. Today. The Passover. Is now. The Lord's Supper. But the purpose. Is still the same. We see.

[29:32] The protection. The deliverance. That God. Has given. To his people. Through his son. The Lord. Jesus Christ. And we come. To do this.

[29:43] In remembrance. Of him. Let us pray. Our father. In heaven. As we. Continue. In our worship. And our praise. Of you. We thank you. That we can come. And see the lamb.

[29:53] Of God. Who takes away. The sin. Of the world. And we pray. Today Lord. That in every reminder. Of the provision. That has been made. And the preparation. That has been done. For us.

[30:04] And the protection. That we are afforded. That we would come. And praise you. As our God. May we. Be taught. Oh Lord. And instructed. By your word.

[30:14] That everything. Is done for us. The preparation. Is made. And we thank you. For all that is before us. Even. Together here. This morning. We thank you Lord. That they are tokens.

[30:25] To all of your grace. Towards us. And help us. To receive. With gladness. And joy of heart. For all that you have done. For us. May we do this. In remembrance of you.

[30:36] We ask it in Jesus name. Amen. For we come now. To the point. Where. Give instruction. To those who are to come. To the Lord's table. To come to what is known.

[30:48] As the fencing. Of the table. I want to think of this. Under another P. Participation. Who is to participate.

[31:00] In this part. Who is to come. To the Lord's table. Again. I just want to look at. Exodus. Chapter 12. At the end of verse 27.

[31:12] There it says. And the people. Bowed their heads. And worshipped. Then the people of Israel. Went. And did so. As the Lord. Had commanded.

[31:23] Moses and Aaron. So. They did. As we have looked. At the Passover. Pointing us. Towards. The sacrament. Of the Lord's Supper. And the great sacrifice.

[31:35] That has been done. For us. As we. Come. To the Lord's table. How. Are we to come. Who is. To participate. In it.

[31:46] Well as you look. At Exodus 12. You see. There's almost. A simplicity. To this. What did the people do. The people. Bowed their heads. And worshipped.

[31:57] They looked. To God. They worshipped. God. As the only one. Who was able. To save. And as we come. To participate. In the Lord's Supper.

[32:08] Do we worship. God. That is the key. For us. Do we worship. The Lord Jesus. The one. Who came. To take away.

[32:18] The sin. Of the world. The one. Who came. To save you. From your sins. The people. Worshipped. God. If you worship. God.

[32:28] Today. If you believe. In the Lord. With all your heart. You are to participate. In this. Because what you see. After the people. Worshipped God. What did they do? And the people of Israel.

[32:39] Went. And did so. As the Lord. Had commanded. Moses and Aaron. So. They. Did. They were obedient. To the instruction.

[32:49] Of God. They heard. What God. Commanded. And they went. And they did. You know. There is a simplicity. About the Lord's table. Too. If you.

[33:00] If you worship. The Lord. With all your heart. What can you do. Today. Come. And take. Of the cup.

[33:11] Of salvation. Come. And do this. In remembrance. Of him. It is our participation. To come.

[33:23] To the Lord's table. We are going to come. To the Lord's table. Now. We are going to sing. To God's praise. In Psalm 118.

[33:38] Psalm 118. And we will sing. From verse 15. Verse 15. In dwellings.

[33:49] Of the righteous. Is heard. The melody. Of joy. And health. The Lord's right hand. Doth ever. Valiantly. The right hand. Of the mighty Lord. Exalted is on high.

[34:00] The right hand. Of the mighty Lord. Doth ever. Valiantly. We will sing. From verse 15. And we will continue. Singing. Until the elements. Have been. Placed.

[34:11] On the table. Amen. Amen. Lord's right hand.

[34:42] The right hand. That never. Mai knocking.ら Or may none. The right hand.

[34:56] Lord. Than mighty Lord. No. May servi'er. Let the glory of God be mankind.

[35:11] Let the heart be my day and joy and day.

[35:30] O Lord, I shall live and shall the works of God discover.

[35:44] The Lord hath been chastised so, but not to death give no error.

[36:04] O set thee open unto me the gifts of righteousness.

[36:22] Then will I enter into the mountain, the Lord will bless.

[36:42] This is the gift of God that is the just of the earth.

[37:00] It will I pray for thou be heard and hast my faith given.

[37:18] We come now to share at the Lord's table the sacrament that has been prepared for us.

[37:30] We have been made here for us through God's work, how we are to come. And now we come to do this in obedience to him.

[37:40] I want us to read the God's word of the water. The sacrament is we have it in 1 Corinthians chapter 11. And we read it verse 23.

[37:55] What I received from the Lord, what I also delivered to you. That the Lord Jesus on the night when he was be pleased took bread. When he had given thanks, he broke it and said, This is my body, which is for you.

[38:09] Do this in remembrance of me. In the same way also, if you have a cup after supper's day, This cup is the new covenant in my blood.

[38:21] Do this as often as you drink this, in remembrance of me. For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, You proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

[38:33] And the same amount as the Lord gave thanks. Let us pray. Our Father in heaven, words of thanks simply do not seem to be enough.

[38:53] But Lord, your instructions are there for us. And we are to come indeed. To offer up our thanks. And to offer it up in prayer.

[39:07] Recognising how you feel. Even at this very moment. We thank you, Lord, that you are with us. That that is your promise. That you are our Father in heaven.

[39:21] And that you are the one who is precious to us. And we pray that even as we come, To take part in this fact. Amen. We look on, some of us, Maybe not to take part in it.

[39:36] In the way that we should. But yet still, we take part. We pray for those who will watch. You bless them. And you feed them through both word and sacrifice.

[39:50] And we pray for all who come. To take part in the supper. To receive the bread. To receive the cup. That will indeed nourish our souls.

[40:04] That will be for our strengthening. And for our growth in grace. And we pray, O Lord, That however we come. Whether we come in weakness.

[40:15] Whether we come feeling weak. Whether we come feeling encouraged in our hearts. We would all come hungry. And we would come, O Lord, Recognizing our own unworthiness.

[40:29] But worthy is the Lamb who is saved. We do remember, O Lord, today. Those who have been at this table in the past. Those who are unable to be here.

[40:42] Those who are no longer here. We remember, O Lord, With many memories. In different times. In different ways. But we thank you for this day.

[40:53] And we pray as well for the days that lie ahead. That we will see your glory in this place. And that today will be a day. Of fresh awakening in all of our hearts.

[41:06] Of revival coming into our own midst, O Lord. We pray that you will revive us in our hearts. That you will encourage us through this time. That you will go with us and be near to us in all that we do.

[41:20] To confess our sins, O Lord. To recognize how far short we fall. We bless you, O Lord, for the forgiveness that is ours. And the protection that we have.

[41:32] To come under the blood of the Lamb. Lord bless us together. And encourage us in our hearts. And we ask it all. In Jesus' name. Amen.

[41:43] As we read the instructions given to us. In the Corinthians. Night. I received the Lord.

[41:54] From the Lord. And I also delivered to you. The Lord Jesus on the night. When he was betrayed. Took bread. And when he had given thanks. He broke it. And said. This is my body.

[42:06] Which is. for you. Do this in remembrance of me. In the same way also he took the cup after supper, saying, this cup is a new calorie in my blood.

[42:19] Do this as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me. But as often as you eat this drink and drink the cup, he proclaimed the Lord's death to the pastor.

[42:33] It's said that actions speak louder than words. We're reminded of that in the ones in 1st Corinthians. As you take part in the Lord's supper, you proclaim the Lord's death.

[42:48] You don't use words, but there's a strong symbol in taking part. You show your trust in the Lord Jesus. May these actions speak loudly to all of us and especially perhaps to those who look on, who will come to see the Lord as their own senior.

[43:08] We're going to sing the Lord's praise in Psalm 103. In Psalm 103, we'll sing from verse 12 to verse 17.

[43:20] Father, at least, is distant from the West. So, Father, he must remove and be in his love. And I will sing to the Lord's love. It's pity, as the Father has been to his children and he, I pity shows the Lord is such as worshiping and to the Lord.

[43:37] We'll sing from verse 12 to verse 17. As far as district since I've come, the way so far cannot be from the street the blessed in his love All our dignity Such pity as the Father Under his children dear Like pity shows the Lord

[44:38] To such a worship in him dear For he remembers we are just And he your friends well known Where my head is hard like the grass Such the rim-field he grows Mark over in the wind of the past And in the way it's gone

[45:38] And of the place where once it was It shall no more be known But unto them, unto them dear Thoughts where she never ends And to their children, children still His righteousness extends Before we come away from the Lord's table There's one final point I would like to make A final P We have looked at the provision

[46:42] The preparation Protection The participation As we leave here today I want to leave with a prompting We all need prompting At times We all need a pointing In the right direction And it goes for those who have sat At the Lord's table But also for those Who have sat behind The Lord's table May I prompt you At this point There's a story told Long ago It's said that Cyrus The founder Of the Persian Empire He once captured A prince And his family And when they were brought Before him The monarch He asked Those who are his prisoners now What will you give me

[47:42] If I release you He asked it Of the husband Of the father Of the children His response was What will you give me If I release you He said The half Of my wealth And if I release Your children What will you give me Everything I possess And if I release Your wife Your majesty He said I will give myself Cyrus was so moved By this man's Devotion That he set them All free And as they were Making their way Back home The husband Turned to his wife And said Wasn't that Cyrus A handsome man Well his wife Looked at him And said With deep love

[48:43] In her eyes I didn't notice I could only Keep my eyes On you The one who was Willing To give himself For me Today as we Leave here May all of us Be prompted To look to the one Who gave his life For us In Hebrews Chapter 12 It says Therefore Since we are Surrounded by So great A cloud Of witnesses Let us also Lay aside Every weight And sin Which clings So closely And let us Run with Endurance The race That is set Before us Looking To Jesus The founder And perfecter Of our faith Who for the joy That was set Before him

[49:43] Endured the cross Despising the shame And is seated At the right hand Of the throne Of God May I prompt us All To leave here Today Looking To Jesus Our eyes Fixed On him Who gave Himself For us May God Bless All that we Have done Here today And go with us As we Leave The Lord's Table We're going To sing To God's Place In Psalm 72 Psalm 72 The last Three verses Of the Psalm Verse 17 His name Forever Shall endure

[50:44] Lasts Like the Son it Shall Men Shall be Blessed In him Unblessed All nations Shall him Call We'll sing The last Three verses To God's Place Can If YouALL drib会 dos Ni humility is about O blessed be the Lord, our God, the Lord of Israel.

[51:48] For he alone doth wondrous works in glory of Jesus.

[52:06] And blessed be his glorious day to all eternity.

[52:24] The whole earth made his glory fair. Amen.

[52:38] And so let it be. Amen. Now may grace, mercy and peace from God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit rest upon and abide with you all now and forevermore. Amen.

[52:58] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

[53:09] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

[53:20] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.