Podcasts about Supper

Rev. Jason Braaten welcomes back Rev. John Bussman to work through the CTCR's December 2025 report, "The Proper Administration of the Lord's Supper: Applying Scripture and the Confessions to Contemporary Issues." Prompted by 2023 Synod Convention resolutions, the report addresses three practices that have crept into LCMS congregations: substituting grape juice for wine, using prepackaged communion elements, and substituting non-wheat bread for those with gluten intolerance. Braaten and Bussman walk through each section, weighing the report's appeal to the words of institution and the Lutheran Confessions against its reluctance to flatly call these practices illegitimate. They discuss why clarity—not nuance—serves the truth, how exceptions tend to become rules, and what faithful, pastoral care looks like when a congregation's practice doesn't match Christ's institution. A frank conversation for pastors who want to know not just what the document says, but where it falls short. ----more---- Host: Fr. Jason Braaten Guest: Fr. John Bussman ----more---- Become a Patron! You can subscribe to the Journal here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/subscribe/ You can read the Gottesblog here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/gottesblog/ You can support Gottesdienst here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/make-a-donation/ As always, we, at The Gottesdienst Crowd, would be honored if you would Subscribe, Rate, and Review. Thanks for listening and thanks for your support. 

At what age is a child ready to participate in the Lord's Supper? And what questions should parents even be asking to find out?In this episode, Elizabeth Urbanowicz works through four biblical questions that can help you think through this as a family. Should a child be baptized first? Does the age matter? If so, why? And how can parents include younger children in the rhythm of communion even before they take the elements themselves?If you have been wondering how to handle this question in your own home, this episode gives you a framework to start.

What does Christianity actually teach?In this Adult Instruction Class, we walk through the basic teachings of the Christian faith from a Lutheran perspective. We cover Scripture, God, sin, Christ, salvation, Baptism, the Lord's Supper, prayer, worship, and the Christian life.This class is especially for those new to Christianity, those exploring Lutheranism, and those desiring to become members of the Lutheran Church. It is clear, biblical, and practical, with room for honest questions along the way.

Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you!This topic is near and dear to my heart; it's worth acquiring and protecting, especially if you wear the name of Jesus. We'll discuss apostles and how they were able to do their job so well and continue to do so; a storyteller who may or may not be insane and how you can tell which; a flashback to the mistakes I made in my career as a journalist as well as a preacher and the lessons I learned; and the sources we turn to for guidance and why they matter – both in gaming and in Christ. Check out Hal on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@halhammons9705Hal Hammons serves as preacher and shepherd for the Lakewoods Drive church of Christ in Georgetown, Texas. He is the host of the Citizen of Heaven podcast. You are encouraged to seek him and the Lakewoods Drive church through Facebook and other social media. Lakewoods Drive is an autonomous group of Christians dedicated to praising God, teaching the gospel to all who will hear, training Christians in righteousness, and serving our God and one another faithfully. We believe the Bible is God's word, that Jesus died on the cross for our sins, that heaven is our home, and that we have work to do here while we wait. Regular topics of discussion and conversation include: Christians, Jesus, obedience, faith, grace, baptism, New Testament, Old Testament, authority, gospel, fellowship, justice, mercy, faithfulness, forgiveness, Twenty Pages a Week, Bible reading, heaven, hell, virtues, character, denominations, submission, service, character, COVID-19, assembly, Lord's Supper, online, social media, YouTube, Facebook.  

The communion table reminds us that our salvation is not based on our good works, but on the finished work of Jesus Christ. Walter Colace opened this message by leading students in the Lord's Supper, calling them to remember that they were purchased with the blood of Jesus and given immeasurable value before God. Communion is not just a ritual. It is a reminder that Christ's body was given, His blood was poured out, and His death is proclaimed until He comes again. From there, Walter preached from John 12 and the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. The crowd waved palm branches, a symbol of victory in Jewish history, expecting Jesus to deliver them from Rome. But Jesus came to bring a greater victory than political freedom. He came to conquer sin, the world, Satan, and death. “Jesus wasn't just coming into Jerusalem to give victory to Jewish people,” Walter said. “He was giving the victory to all of humanity that would come to Him in faith.” He also declared, “You have the victory because your victory is tethered to the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.” This message points us to the Lamb who was worthy, the Savior who triumphed, and the King who is coming again. Jesus conquered sin so we no longer have to be enslaved to it. He overcame the world so we can have peace in tribulation. He defeated Satan and put the powers of darkness to open shame. He conquered death so that all who are united with Him will also share in His resurrection. The application is simple: receive the victory Jesus has already secured. Keep the Word of God in your heart. Guard your testimony. Stop living as though defeat is your only future. In Christ, you are an overcomer, and your victory is anchored in the cross, the empty tomb, and the Lamb who sits on the throne.

Part 2 of Joe Stopulos's Uncommon Good interview with Dr. Bud Maher picks up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where Joe is studying at Marquette University — attending daily Mass during Lent (sometimes before the bar closed), seeking out every Jesuit professor he could find, and slowly beginning to ask why the Church teaches what it teaches. Highlights include: College Faith in the Real World: Joe reflects on attending a 10 p.m. Sunday Mass while most of his friend group wasn't practicing. He describes going to daily Mass every day of Lent in college — including a legendary St. Patrick's Day that started at 5:50 a.m. outside a bar and still included 6:30 a.m. Mass. A perfect encapsulation of where he was spiritually. Meeting His First Protestant at 25: A friendship with a Methodist minister friend forced Joe to actually articulate why Catholics do what they do — confession, the sacraments, all of it. He couldn't answer from Scripture. That sent him to CatholicAnswers.com, and every answer he found only deepened his conviction. Father John Ricardo Changes Everything: Introduced to Iowa Catholic Radio through friend John Leonetti (whom Joe famously told "nobody listens to Catholic radio"), Joe started tuning in to Father Ricardo at 11 a.m. and never stopped. He began burning CDs of Ricardo's talks to hand out. Combined with Jeff Cavins' Bible Timeline study and Scott Hahn's The Lamb's Supper, this launched a roughly 24-month transformation that Joe describes as the turning point of his adult faith. The Origin of Man Up: Joe shares how his early on-air appearances during Iowa Catholic Radio fundraisers eventually led to a standing show — made possible, he says, by the theological confidence and credibility of his original co-host, Father Zach. Now approaching 10 years and 400+ episodes, Man Up remains one of the network's cornerstone programs. Life at the Basilica of Saint John: Joe talks about the thriving parish community at Saint John's Basilica in Des Moines, the pastoral transition from the beloved Father Quinn to Father Trevor Sequin, and why surrounding yourself with friends striving for virtue is one of the three most important decisions a man can make. Saint Thomas Classical Academy: Joe highlights this homeschool hybrid co-op as one of the great gifts of his family's life in Des Moines. A major event is coming up — Bishop Conley will be the keynote speaker on October 20th, focusing on his devotion to Saint John Henry Newman. Don't miss it. Hope for the Future of the Church: Joe closes with optimism — men are returning to the Church, communities are growing, and the Forge Conference is proof. As Joe puts it: if Joe Rogan's going to church, a lot of people are going to church. Next week on Man Up: Joe re-airs a two-part interview he recorded with his father during the Heroic Fatherhood series — a tribute to the man he calls the greatest of his life.

This is Part 3 of a 3 part series on the Lord's Supper and upcoming to our practices at Grace Presbyterian Church.Sunday June 14, 2026AM ServiceSermon: In Remembrance of Me - Part 3Series: Sermons on the Lord's SupperSpeaker: Rev. Eugene OldhamScripture: Isaiah 25:6-9

Brent Wilson from Romans 6:3–4  and 1 Corinthians 11:23–26 on June 14th, 2026.

Discussion QuestionsSwedish Method of Bible Study:While reading a Bible passage, use the following symbols to mark what stands out to you as you read. Then talk about the marks you made with a friend, or write about them in a journal.• A lightbulb - anything from the passage that stands out or is interesting.• A question mark - did the passage spark any questions?• An arrow - how does this passage help you move forward in faith and walk in better relationship with others and the Lord?Prayer

This week Pastor Matt preaches about The Lord's Supper from 1 Corinthians 11.Welcome to Heights Baptist Church! Connect with us at heightschurch.org/connect

The Lord's Supper must not be isolated from all that Jesus did and taught during his earthly life and ministry. In recording the ministry of Jesus, Luke includes 7 different meals which Jesus shared with various groups of people during his ministry.In these seven meals, Jesus reveals to us who can eat and drink with him and what they receive from him when they eat and drink with him. From these meals we gain great insight into what Jesus is giving to is when we eat and drink at His table.

Welcome to a powerful message that delves into the ancient story of Joshua and the Israelites as they cross the Jordan River! Have you ever wondered why we commemorate significant events, or how history shapes our present? Today, we're exploring Joshua chapter four, where God commands the Israelites to set up twelve memorial stones. These aren't just rocks; they're tangible reminders of God's miraculous power, His unwavering faithfulness, and the life-giving importance of obedience. Join us as we uncover how these stones served as a perpetual teaching tool for generations, emphasizing God's progressive revelation and the critical role of Word-centered leadership. Discover why God's commands are always for our good, and how the church today is called to live under His theocratic rule, guided by Scripture alone. This sermon will challenge you to reflect on your own "memorials" – the ways you remember God's grace through His Word, baptism, and the Lord's Supper. Get ready to be encouraged and equipped to instruct your children in the truth of the Gospel!

SERMON REFLECTION QUESTIONS:1. What are some things that most strongly shape your identity right now (career, family, politics, hobbies, achievements, etc.)? How does remembering that you are first and foremost one of God's people change the way you view those things?2. Nehemiah 10 emphasizes that God's people were both diverse and distinct. In what ways do Christians today face pressure to blend in with the world rathe than live as a people set apart? Where do you feel that pressure most personally?3. The people specifically committed themselves to honoring God in their relationships, their work and rest, and their giving. Which of those areas is most challenging for you to live differently from the surrounding culture, and what would greater faithfulness look like this week?4. The people renewed their covenant after hearing God's Word and confessing their sin. How do practices like baptism, the Lord's Supper, worship gatherings, and Christian community help us remember who we are in Christ? How can you more intentionally use those means of grace to strengthen your walk with God?

Saturday, 13 June 2026   But Jesus called them to Himself and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Matthew 20:25   “The ‘also Jesus having summoned them', He said, ‘You have known that the ‘rulers, the nations' they subjugate them, and the greats, they dominate them.'” (CG)   In the previous verse, it said that when the ten heard what was requested by James and John, the other ten were displeased with them. In response to this tiff, Matthew records, “The ‘also Jesus having summoned them'.”   He called all of them toward Himself. This wasn't just an inappropriate request that needed to be corrected. Rather, the attitude of the ten was not right as well. They were upset that James and John had tried to get an early start on what one of them might have been entitled to. Thus, pride in position filled them all. Therefore, “He said, ‘You have known that the ‘rulers, the nations' they subjugate them.'”   A new word is seen here, katakurieuo, to lord against. Hence, it signifies control, subjugation, and the exercising of dominion over others. It is a stern word, the intent of which is seen in Acts 19:16 –   “Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered [katakurieuo] them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.”   Of this clause, the majority of versions translate the word ethnos as “Gentiles.” As if there is a distinction between Israel and the surrounding nations. This is incorrect. Israel is one of the nations of the world, and it was ruled by those who subjugated it. This was true from the first king onward.   It was something these disciples would be keenly aware of as they followed Jesus, knowing that Herod had already had John the Immerser beheaded. John pointed the way to Jesus, so they would be on their guard concerning their own situation.   The people of Israel were even warned by the Lord, right from the mouth of Samuel in 1 Samuel 8:10-17, what treatment they could expect from a king. Along with that, Jesus continues, saying, “and the greats, they dominate them.”   Another new word is seen, katexousiazó, to have (wield) full privilege over. It will only be seen again in the parallel passage found in Mark 10:42. This is something the people of Israel were keenly aware of in their own society. The “greats” included the Herodians, Scribes, Pharisees, and Sadducees.   They wielded authority over the people without a care about their value, something testified to in the gospels. Jesus will speak of this later in Matthew –   “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. 3 Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do. 4 For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.” Matthew 23:2-4   Life application: The Pulpit Commentary, in line with other commentaries, says the following concerning this verse –   “Exercise dominion over them; i.e. over the Gentiles. Κατακυριεύουσιν [katakurieuousin], lord it over - significant of an absolute and oppressive domination. Exercise authority upon them; i.e. over the Gentiles (κατεξουσιάξουσιν) [katexousiaxousin]; use authority harshly and severely. The heathen, when they are raised to pre-eminence, employ their power cruelly and in order to gain their own ends and purposes, and aspire to superiority only with such objects in view.”   There is a problem when evaluating the Scripture from an Israeli/Gentile view, something that happens throughout biblical commentaries. Israel was a nation filled with power-hungry, sinful people. At times, the Bible uses the Hebrew term goy (Gentile/nation) to describe them –   “Alas, sinful nation [goy], A people laden with iniquity, A brood of evildoers, Children who are corrupters! They have forsaken the Lord, They have provoked to anger The Holy One of Israel, They have turned away backward.” Isaiah 1:4   The only thing that makes Israel holy is the Lord. Without the Lord's sanctifying them, they are no better than the other nations. In the church, the only thing that makes us holy is Jesus. When we are sanctified by the blood of Christ, we are set apart as holy. However, we can, like Israel, be filled with sinful thoughts, words, and deeds.   Thus, our position of holiness is something we should strive to live out. But in our attempts at doing so, we need to realize that even under the very best conditions (in regard to our conduct), we will always fall short of the true holiness of God.   Let us be careful not to elevate Israel as a people, or ourselves as the church, to a status that doesn't actually exist. This is the reason the instructions for the Lord's Supper are given –   “Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.” 1 Corinthians 11:27-29   Let us remember our lowly state before God. There is no merit on our part because we are His people. Our relationship with Him is one of God's infinite grace, having been poured out on us.   Lord God, may our lives be an acceptable offering to You. Our lives are often filled with sinful desires, bad thoughts towards others, enmity, strife, greed, and so on. We may not have all of these, but each of us is driven by some at one point or another. Thank You for Your grace that has accepted us as we are. Help us to live lives worthy of that calling. Amen.

Jen Wilkin, JT English, and Kyle Worley to answer questions submitted by their Patreon supporters!  Questions Covered in This Episode: Do you have any recommendations for books on Israel and the church? What have you been studying recently? How has that encouraged you? Do you have resources on the theology/doctrine of life? When thinking of Old Testament Christophanies, is Jesus appearing as a post-resurrection ascended Christ? What is the definition of fellowship? How do you balance fellowship and education spaces? What are your thoughts on paying singers who are not believers to be in the church choir? How do you communicate the difference between performance and worship? Are you a fan of El Clásico? In addition to the deep discipleship program, what Bible studies would you recommend for a student small group? As a female leader, how do you persevere through others' comments about your leadership? Is there a resource that explains the gathering of believers and the Lord's Supper being connected? Revelation discusses the foundation of the 12 apostles. How does Paul become an apostle if he is not part of the 12? How transparent should a church be with its finances? What is the presence of God different in Genesis 3-11? Does Training the Church have other podcasts coming in the future? What words of wisdom would you give to pastors in addressing cultural moments on a Sunday (i.e., Charlie Kurk)? What is the church's position on the Israel-Palestine conflict? Should we think of God as Father before Creator? Do you prefer holding multiple services vs. one large service when a church is growing? How do you keep a spirit of unity with multiple services? How do you navigate serving in church while being fed yourself? What is the balance between a “go and tell” vs. a “come and see” church? Is it biblically appropriate for someone who is not a pastor to officiate a Christian wedding? Our church offers private communion but also teaches strongly against an individual Christian life. How do I reconcile those two practices? When is the Knowing Faith Patreon exclusive Israel trip? Helpful Definitions:  Fellowship: Koinónia (κοινωνία) Follow Us:Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | WebsiteSupport Training the Church and Become a Patron:patreon.com/trainingthechurchYou can now receive your first seminary class for FREE from Midwestern Seminary after completing Lifeway's Deep Discipleship curriculum, featuring JT, Jen and Kyle. Learn more at mbts.edu/deepdiscipleship.To learn more about our sponsors please visit our sponsor page.Editing and support by The Good Podcast Co. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Lord's Supper is not given to profitable servants who have earned a seat. It is given to unprofitable ones. Given precisely where the Law has done its work — where you know you have been the scandal, where you know your forgiveness came out thin and grudging, where your faith on its best day is the size of a mustard seed. “Lord, increase our faith” (Luke 17:5).

What does it mean to stay at the table when disagreement, division, and distrust seem to be everywhere? In this episode, talks with Rev. Terri Hord Owens, General Minister and President of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), about her book Staying at the Table: Being the Church We Say We Are. Drawing on her experience as a denominational leader, pastor, and former corporate executive, Hord Owens reflects on the spiritual practices, theological commitments, and communal habits needed to sustain Christian unity in a polarized age. The conversation explores why staying at the table is both difficult and necessary, how churches can balance accountability with radical welcome, and why biblical literacy and spiritual formation remain essential for Christian witness. Hord Owens argues that churches often become more committed to preserving institutions than embodying the gospel, and she challenges Christians to recover a deeper commitment to love, humility, and community. They also discuss denominational identity, the future of small churches, the role of data in understanding ministry realities, and how congregations can create space for people who are searching for a faith community after leaving more rigid religious environments. Together they explore: What it means to "stay at the table" amid disagreement When unity is possible—and when leaving may be necessary Why spiritual practices and biblical literacy matter The tension between loving institutions and loving the gospel Welcoming people who are deconstructing or leaving other traditions Small churches, bivocational ministry, and denominational realities Rev. Teresa “Terri” Hord Owens is the General Minister and President of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada. She is the first person of color and second woman to lead the denomination, and the first woman of African descent to lead a mainline denomination. Elected in 2017, Rev. Hord Owens was re-elected to a second term as General Minister and President in 2023. Her ministry actively reflects the Disciples' priority of being an anti-racist church, being a movement for wholeness, welcoming all to the Lord's table as God has welcomed us. Her exhortation to the church is “Let's be the church we say we are. It is in being who we say we are that we actively bear witness to God's limitless love for all.” Rev. Hord Owens earned her bachelor's degree from Harvard University and her MDiv from the University of Chicago Divinity School, where she subsequently served as Dean of Students for 12 years. Rev. Hord Owens' resume includes more than 20 years of leadership in corporate America leading diverse teams in data management. She serves on the National Council of Churches as the Vice Chair of the Governing Board and is a member of the World Council of Churches Central Committee. Rev. Hord Owens is married to Walter Owens, Jr. They are the proud parents of an adult son, W. Mitchell Owens, III and daughter-in-law Adriana Owens. She is also the joyful grandmother of Zachary Owens. Mentioned Resources:

Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you!I'm actually on the road this week; apologies in advance for any sound issues I may have being away from my normal microphone. We'll be talking about one road God has prepared for us and the challenges we find walking in it; two roads that converge in the woods and why Robert Frost doesn't care which one you take; another road the devil wants you to take and the rock band that's urging you along; and the road leading back home  -- a home that, God willing, I will have arrived at by now.Check out Hal on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@halhammons9705Hal Hammons serves as preacher and shepherd for the Lakewoods Drive church of Christ in Georgetown, Texas. He is the host of the Citizen of Heaven podcast. You are encouraged to seek him and the Lakewoods Drive church through Facebook and other social media. Lakewoods Drive is an autonomous group of Christians dedicated to praising God, teaching the gospel to all who will hear, training Christians in righteousness, and serving our God and one another faithfully. We believe the Bible is God's word, that Jesus died on the cross for our sins, that heaven is our home, and that we have work to do here while we wait. Regular topics of discussion and conversation include: Christians, Jesus, obedience, faith, grace, baptism, New Testament, Old Testament, authority, gospel, fellowship, justice, mercy, faithfulness, forgiveness, Twenty Pages a Week, Bible reading, heaven, hell, virtues, character, denominations, submission, service, character, COVID-19, assembly, Lord's Supper, online, social media, YouTube, Facebook.  

Guided Question How should believers respond when Scripture challenges modern cultural assumptions about gender roles, authority, and visible expressions of faith? Summary In this sermon on 1 Corinthians 11:2–16, Dr. Robert Lewis addresses one of the New Testament's most debated and culturally sensitive passages: head coverings in worship. Framing the chapter as a theological “Rubik's Cube,” he carefully examines Paul's teaching on Christian tradition, authority, and God's design for order. Dr. Lewis explains that 1 Corinthians 11 discusses two traditions—head coverings and the Lord's Supper—and focuses here on the doctrine behind head coverings: the principle of headship. Drawing from the relationship between God the Father and Christ, he highlights the biblical pattern of equality in essence with distinction in function. Applying this to men and women, he argues that Paul's instruction was rooted not in temporary culture, but in creation order. Rather than promoting legalism, the message calls believers to wrestle honestly with Scripture, to understand the meaning behind tradition, and to consider how visible practices can reflect spiritual realities. The ultimate aim is harmony, humility, and faithfulness to God's design within the church. Outline I. Christian Tradition and Context (1 Corinthians 11:2, 17–34) Two traditions addressed: head coverings and the Lord's Supper The importance of understanding the meaning behind church practices II. The Principle of Headship (1 Corinthians 11:3) God → Christ → Man → Woman Equality in essence, distinction in function Order as part of God's design III. Head Coverings in Worship (1 Corinthians 11:4–6) Worn during public prayer and prophecy A visible symbol of authority and distinction IV. Rooted in Creation (1 Corinthians 11:7–12; Genesis 2) Creation order as the foundation Mutual dependence “in the Lord” V. Nature and Symbolism (1 Corinthians 11:13–16) Hair length as a natural distinction Head covering as a spiritual symbol Affirmed as apostolic practice among the churches Key Takeaways Christian traditions are meant to communicate theological truth. Biblical headship reflects order, not inequality. Equality of worth does not eliminate functional distinction. Visible practices can teach and reinforce spiritual realities. Scripture must be wrestled with, not ignored. Cultural shifts do not automatically nullify biblical principles. Faithfulness to God's design requires humility and courage. Scripture References 1 Corinthians 11:2–16 — Head coverings reflect divine order in worship. 1 Corinthians 11:3 — The order of headship is established. John 5:30 — Jesus submits to the Father's will. John 6:38 — Christ fulfills the Father's purpose. Philippians 2:6–11 — Equal with God, Christ humbles Himself. Colossians 2:9 — Christ possesses full deity. 1 Peter 2:23 — Jesus models trusting submission. Genesis 2 — Creation establishes male–female order. 1 Corinthians 11:7–9 — Creation order shapes distinct roles. 1 Corinthians 11:11–12 — Men and women are mutually dependent. 1 Peter 3:7 — Husband and wife are fellow heirs. 1 Corinthians 11:17–34 — Worship must reflect reverence and order. 1 Corinthians 14 — Corporate worship requires structure and clarity. Recorded 2.21.82

This is Part 1 of a 3 part series on the Lord's Supper and upcoming to our practices at Grace Presbyterian Church.Sunday May 31, 2026AM ServiceSermon: In Remembrance of Me - Part 1Series: Sermons on the Lord's SupperSpeaker: Rev. Eugene OldhamScripture: 1 Cor 11:23-26, Luke 22:14-20

This is Part 2 of a 3 part series on the Lord's Supper and upcoming to our practices at Grace Presbyterian Church.Sunday June 7, 2026AM ServiceSermon: In Remembrance of Me - Part 2Series: Sermons on the Lord's SupperSpeaker: Rev. Eugene OldhamScripture: Luke 22:14-20, Rev 19:9

Introduction: Introduction: How Do I Love? (1 Corinthians 13:1-7) Love ABSENT. (1 Cor 13:1-3) Love ACTIVE. (1 Cor 13:4-7) 1 John 4:8 – God is love. Ephesians 5:1 – Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. LOVE is Patient. LOVE is Kind. LOVE Does Not Envy. LOVE Does Not Boast. LOVE Is Not Arrogant. LOVE Is Not Rude. LOVE Does Not Insist On Its Own Way. LOVE Is Not Irritable. LOVE Is Not Resentful. LOVE Does Not Rejoice At Wrongdoing. LOVE Rejoices With The Truth. LOVE Bears All Things. LOVE Believes All Things. LOVE Hopes All Things. LOVE Endures All Things. Sermon Notes (PDF): BLANKHint: Highlight blanks above for answers! Questions and Answers: How Do I Love? Jeff Miller Download Audio Transcript 00:36Open up your Bibles with me please to the book of 1 Corinthians and chapter 13 While you're turning there as is our custom I'm going to ask that you would please pray for me to communicate God's word clearly and accurately as I should and I will pray for you to have a heart open to receive what it is the Lord wants to teach us from his word today All right? Let's just take a moment and pray. Father, just a few minutes ago we were talking about being watchful in prayer. Father, make us watchful for the fruit that will come as your word is applied. The radical difference There will be when your people in this church apply what it is you've told us in this passage we're looking at today. Let your Spirit be our teacher. Father, open our hearts up. Remove any distractions from our hearts and minds. Help us to really dial in right now. We ask in Jesus' name.02:03And all of God's people said, Amen. Amen. 1 Corinthians chapter 13. If you've been with us through this study in 1 Corinthians, you've seen that Paul was going through problem after problem after problem after problem in the church. This church had a lot of problems. There were cliques and there were lawsuits There was sexual sin, and there was people insisting on their rights, and they made the Lord's Supper a fiasco. But really, if you wanted to sum up chapters 1 through 12, it really all boils down to one thing. Paul's saying, your lack of love for one another is the problem.03:04They just didn't love each other the way that God has called us to love. And because that's the problem, now we get to chapter 13 where we get to the solution. It's love. It's love. And some of you might be like, ah, yes, yes, yes. 1 Corinthians 13, I know this one. This is where Paul writes the wedding poem.03:34But this passage is used a lot at weddings, but I want you to understand, Paul wasn't in the middle of addressing the church's problems and was like, yeah, we've got to figure out this spiritual gift thing because you're all messed up. Oh, I just had an idea for a wedding poem. I better write this down while it's fresh. It's not a wedding poem.04:00Pastor Taylor talked last week about how the Corinthian church was so messed up about spiritual gifts. And Paul's like, no, no, no, I'm going to show you a more excellent way. Here's the more excellent way. The heart of ministry. The heart of using spiritual gifts. It's not talent.04:30It's not who works the hardest. It's not who puts in the most hours. It's not who's the most creative. The heart of ministry is love. And if you're sitting here today and you're like, yeah, love's not really my thing. Well, it's God's thing. And if you're like, well, you know, I'm just not really a loving person.05:00Well, then you better get on board. Because love is at the top, according to God. When the fruit of the Spirit is listed in Galatians 5, what's first? It's love, right? Paul tells us in Romans 13 that love fulfills the law. Jesus in John 13 said, Do you know? Oh, come on. I gave you so many hints. It's love. It's love. We've got to get on board. We have a little problem, though, in our language. We use the word love so generically, right? We say love for everything, right? But it doesn't all mean the same thing, right?06:00I can say I love hockey and I love my dog and I love my wife, but I don't love all those things the same way. You see, the Greek was a more specific language. They had different words for love. One word was eros. That's where we get the word erotic. That's the hubba hubba, husband and wife kind of love. Another word for love is, That's friendship love. Like Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love. But the grandest word for love we're going to be talking about today is agape love. Agape. Agape is self-sacrificing. Agape is you ahead of me.07:02And understand that love isn't about feeling. All right? Feelings come, sure. And feelings go. But love isn't about feeling. Love is about doing. Right? Did Jesus love? Did Jesus love? How do we know? Everything from washing the disciples' feet to laying down his life on the cross, everything he did was an experience.07:30of love.07:35So how about you?07:38Are you a loving person?07:45Oh, in church we certainly idealize it.07:49Right?07:52But do we actually do it?07:56So on your outline today, how do I love?08:00I want to encourage you to not let, look, okay.08:04Because some of you have told me that you like to try to fill in the blanks ahead of time.08:10All right, fess up. Who does that? Raise your hand. Who tries to fill in the blanks? Okay.08:14Come on, this is a safe place to confess, and it's also a good place to repent.08:18I'm going to ask you to please not do that, because you're going to look at the outline today, and be like, oh, this one's easy. Love, love, love, love, love, love.08:25I'm going to ask you to hold on, hold on, all right?08:28and just walk in step with me. Will you do that? All right. So how do I love? In this passage we're looking, it's a very familiar passage, and he just talks about two things. There's two things here, right? And the first one is love absent. Love absent. Look at the first three verses. He says, if I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love.09:01I'm a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.09:08And if I have prophetic powers and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so as to remove mountains but have not love, I am nothing.09:22If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned I have not love.09:31I gain nothing.09:36You see this list here, what he's doing.09:38He's mentioning certain spiritual gifts here.09:42Did you see that?09:43And what he's doing is he's giving exaggerated examples of using spiritual gifts.09:51Like using them to the max.09:54But he says, if I use spiritual gifts, even to their peak performance, if I use them, but I don't genuinely love people, it results in, you see it? Nothing. It's not worth a thing if you don't love. See, the Corinthians, like us, so many times want the gifts of the Spirit, but not the fruit of the Spirit.10:24Paul says anything done without love is useless. Look at this example list of spiritual gifts. First of all, he talks about tongues. We're going to spend in a couple weeks quite a bit of time talking about what the spiritual gift of speaking in tongues is about. But notice here, he says, if I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, like what's angel language? What is that? Well, biblically, there is no such thing.10:54You see throughout these verses, He's exaggerating everything. He's saying, even if I speak a language that they only speak in heaven. He says, even if I did that, but I don't genuinely love people, it's just noise. It's just like banging a gong over and over.11:24How would you last? Probably not very long, right? And somebody would say, well, what happened in church? And you would say, nothing happened in church today. Well, there was some great music. And then the pastor got up and thought he was on the gong show. It was ridiculous. Next, he talks about prophecy.11:54Oh, by the way, he says prophecy is the greatest gift. In chapter 14, verse 1, we talked about this before. Prophecy literally means speak before. It's speaking God's truth before people. We cannot possibly overstate the magnitude of what happens when the Word of God is proclaimed.12:24I was reading about preaching this past week, and one preacher put it this way. He says, when the Word of God is proclaimed, we are bringing eternity into time. I was like, wow, wow, that's what's happening. But to get up and proclaim the Word of God, motivated by self-glory or fame or pride, but not motivated by loving people, it's nothing.12:54Next gift he talks about is knowledge. Do you notice the exaggeration? Here it is again. He says, understand all mysteries and all knowledge. More exaggeration, right? Like, who understands all knowledge? Who understands all mysteries? Like, what do you mean by mysteries? Well, the mystery was just things unknown to man, things only God knows. He's like, even if I knew Every single thing that God himself knows. Things no one else knows. You see, church, you can be highly educated. You can know the Bible frontwards and backwards. But if you don't love people, it's a big nothing.13:55All right, next gift, he talks about his faith. Do you see that? He says, if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains. Does that sound familiar? Faith moving mountains. Jesus talked about that. Matthew chapter 17, Matthew chapter 21. You know, it's the person that's like, you know, I have all faith. I believe. I believe for it. I claim the promise. I believe for it.14:24I just don't love those church people. Paul says you're nothing. And then he talks about the gift of giving. Again, exaggeration, hyperbole. He says I could give away every single thing that I own. And we do know that giving can be motivated by man's applause, right? Matthew 6. Giving can be motivated by guilt or peer pressure or obligation.14:57But if your giving isn't motivated by love, it gets you nothing. Even, even giving your body to be burned. You're like, time out, time out. Who gives their body to be burned? Like, what other motivation could somebody have for giving up their life for someone?15:24or for a cause or... Well, you could ask the Muslims. Because in Islam, dying as a martyr is the only sure way to heaven. They tell these young men, yeah, if you give your life to the cause of Islam, when you get to heaven, you're going to have 70 virgins to enjoy for all of eternity. Do you think they're motivated by love? So see, you can be a martyr.15:56But it doesn't necessarily have to be motivated by love, does it? Here's the bottom line with these first three verses. Paul's saying it doesn't matter what you do in ministry. It doesn't matter how well you do it. Because if you don't love people, you're wasting your time. To what degree? Well, notice in verse 1, he says if you don't love, you produce nothing.16:23Right? Just a clanging cymbal. You produce nothing. Verse 2, he says, if you don't love, you are nothing. And in verse 3, he says, if you don't love, you gain nothing. You've wasted your time. Since this is true, we better understand how to love people.16:53Love Absent. Secondly, let's talk about Love Active. You didn't start filling in your outline yet, did you? Like getting ahead? You didn't start getting ahead, did you? Okay. All right, Love Active. Love Active. Like, okay. A lot of people have different ideas about what love means, what it looks like, how to do it. What does the Bible say? Well, I get some great news for you. There's no ambiguity here whatsoever.17:23Actually, there are 15 words and phrases here that describe love. All right? 15 sub-point sermon. When's the last time you had one of those? All right? Look at verses 4 through 7. He says, love is patient and kind. Love does not envy or boast.17:53It does not insist on its own way. It is not irritable or resentful. It does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Yep.18:27That's not really the point though, is it? The point's not FYI. The point is not for you to walk out here today to say, well, now I have a better understanding of how the Bible defines love. That's not the point. The point is, is this how you love? The point is, Does this list describe you? Does this list describe me? And isn't it just so ironic that church can be the hardest place to love people? Do you notice that? Sometimes it is. Why is that?19:27Well, we're not all BFFs, right? We're just not. We're a family. We're a body. It's easy to love the people that you like. But God allows difficult people in the church.19:53And difficult people are here to test you. To see whether you really love or not. Do you? We'll find out when you encounter somebody that's hard to love. So, here's what we're doing with your outline. You know, 1 John 4 and verse 8 says, God is love.20:26In Ephesians chapter 5 and verse 1, says, therefore be imitators of God as beloved children.20:35So, if God is love, and we are called to imitate God, that means we are to imitate God's love.20:51So your outline here this morning is more of a test. And this is going to show you where you need to grow in love. Since God is love, and since we are to imitate God, here's what we're going to do as we go through, and we're just going to spend a moment on each of these.21:21in the Bible, you should be able to put your name in the blank. And if you truly love like God, the passage should still make sense. Right? So here's what I want you to do. As we go through these, I want you to write your name on the blank. And I want you to hold on to this outline. I want you to keep it as a bookmark in your Bible. And I want this to be a test that you give yourself to say, Does this describe me? Is this how I love people in the church? Alright? It's going to get uncomfortable. But we're committed to this. Right? Put your name down. First it says, love is patient. Put your name down. Can you say that? Can you say, Jeff is patient?22:23Is that you? Because you realize some people just require more patience. Have you noticed? Have you noticed that there are people that we deal with in the church are like, they should have gotten it by now. They should have gotten it six months ago and they still haven't gotten it. Are you a patient person? Patience means I don't write them off.22:51You know what? I'm done. Patience says, you know what? I'm committed to them. Put your name down. Jeff is patient. Can you say that? Secondly, love is kind. Put your name. Jeff is kind. Are you a kind person? The Greek root for the word kind is literally It's always trying to benefit others. Always looking to bless others. Kindness is not tearing people down. It's looking to build up and encourage. That's what kindness is. Can you say that? Jeff is kind. Put your name in there. Next. Love does not envy.23:51Jeff does not envy.23:56We saw last week in verse 31, Paul says, you're coveting the showy gifts.24:05Paul's like, you just want to look like you're the most spiritual person at the church.24:13They had a problem with envy.24:17So let me ask you, how are you doing with envy?24:23Like when somebody in church is talked about, and somebody says, wow, they are such a godly example. And you hear somebody being honored at church, and ooh, that just rubs you the wrong way. And you're like, they're nothing special. Jeff doesn't envy. You know why? Because love looks at people's gifts.24:50different. Love is glad when someone is used by God. Not critical. Love is cheering the rest of the team on. Not envying. Jeff doesn't envy. Next. Love does not boast. Put your name in. Can you say that? Jeff does not boast. This could literally be translated blowhard boasting. It's the person that does and says everything to make himself look good. Everything they do, everything they say, put the spotlight on me. Do you see how awesome and godly and great and perfect and biggest, best, most, goodest I am? Always wanting the attention, always wanting the accolades, You see, envy, wants what other people have. Boasting is to try to make people envy what you have. And love does neither. Right? Can you say that? Jeff does not boast. Next, love is not arrogant. Put your name in the blank. Write it down. Write it down. You're like, I haven't signed my name this many times since I bought a house. Right? Write your name down. Can you say that? Jeff is not arrogant. Arrogance is just the force behind boasting. Right? It's that belief that I'm better than everyone else. I'm the most spiritual person here. But you know, when you truly love other people, you're not going to exalt yourself over them. You're like, you know what?26:50I'm nothing special. I'm a saved sinner. Just like the rest of you. I'm not on any higher plane or exalted status. We're all in the same place here. Sinners saved by grace. So what do I possibly have to be arrogant about? Put your name in the blank. Can you say that? Jeff is not arrogant. Next, love is not rude.27:21Jeff is not rude.27:26That's just treating or speaking to people with disdain.27:32Right?27:32We talked about the rudeness of the Corinthians, right?27:35They had their potluck and people would show up early.27:41And they brought a tuna new casserole or whatever to share with everyone.27:45But they'd show up early and they'd hog it all down themselves.27:48And then people would come later and there wasn't anything for them. Do you know what that's called? Rude! That's rude! And love is not rude. So Jeff should not be rude. And you should not be rude. Right? Lots of ways to be rude. There's lots of ways. Interrupting people. Just talking right over them. Making sure you get in your jerky comment. Go zing them! Right?28:18Just being dismissive. Love isn't rude. Next, love does not insist on its own way. Can you say that and it still makes sense? It's convicting, isn't it? You think the only reason I'm sweating is because it's 120 degrees?28:51Jeff does not insist on getting his own way.28:59That's the biggest problem in church.29:04We're all self-centered.29:06We're all self-centered.29:08I want everything how I prefer.29:10Okay?29:11Church will be great as long as I get everything that I prefer.29:14The music, the kids' ministry, how money is spent, etc., etc., No, no, no, no. Jeff doesn't insist on getting his own way. Love says, look, I want what's best for everyone. I trust the leadership to make decisions. And if things are decided at the church, even if it's not my preference, I just want what's best for everyone. That's what love says. I was thinking about these characteristics, by Jesus, specifically this one, you realize Jesus never did anything just for himself. Did you ever notice that? Everything Jesus did was in perfect submission to his Father and to benefit and bless other people. Jesus never took a day where he's like, you know what, today's about me. I'm having a me day. I'm having a mental health day. I'm going to the spa. Jesus never did that.30:19Jeff does not insist on getting his own way. Next, love is not irritable. Can you say that? Put your name in the blank, write it down, write your name. Jeff is not irritable. This term, irritable, it's actually an explosive term. It's talking about the outbursts.30:48it comes when you're annoyed to the point of breaking. Do you know what I'm talking about?30:56Do you know what I'm talking about?30:58You're annoying me now. Do you know what I'm talking about?31:02I'm getting a little irritated.31:03Do you know what I'm talking about?31:05Where you're just like annoyed and you just keep eating it and annoyed, you just keep eating it and then find like, enough!31:11I've had enough!31:13It's explosive, right?31:15That's what this word means.31:17Like, irritable. Irritable. And some people just, they're personally offended by everything. Some people are just personally offended by everything. What will offend me today? They just roll out of bed on my way to church. What's going to offend me at church today? Is it going to be something said in a sermon? Is it going to be something said in a conversation where the ironing board used to be?31:50What's going to offend me today? Just constantly looking for something to irritate them. But no, no, no, no. Love doesn't do that. Love doesn't take up an offense. Love doesn't get irritated. I care too much about these people to take issue with everything. Jeff isn't irritable.32:18Next. Love is not resentful. Put your name down. Jeff is not resentful. By the way, your name. I keep saying Jeff because that's my name. I better not see your outline where it says Jeff down. Your name. Okay, so like irritable is the explosive term. Resentful is the slow burn term. Resentful. It's just, it's holding a grudge.32:47That's what it is. Actually, in the Greek, it was an accounting term. That's why some Bibles translate this, love keeps no record of wrong. Jeff is not resentful. Jeff should never keep a record of wrong. Can you say that? Oh, we're so good, right? Our memory is terrible.33:17except when it comes to other people's mistakes. Then our memories are great. Right? I don't like her. Why? Because this one time she said this. I don't like him. Why? Because this one time, you know, back in 1987, he did this. I will never forgive her for doing that. It's resentful. You know, somebody, that person could have been having a bad day.33:46The whole thing could have been a complete misunderstanding, but no, no, no, no. I got that in the vault now. All right? I'm resentful. I'm resentful. But love keeps no record of wrong. Do you know why? Do you know why? Do you know who else doesn't keep record of wrong? God. What is it? Jeremiah 31, Hebrews 8, a promise so glorious. He said, in both testaments. God has promised under Jesus Christ He will remember our sins no more. And if there's ever anybody who is justified to keep a record of wrongs against me, it would be God. That because of Jesus Christ, when you receive Him, when you believe in Jesus Christ, when you accept Him as your Lord and Savior, He takes your sin away.34:48And he keeps no record of it. God keeps no record of sin. Love says, Jeff shouldn't either. Right? Can you say that? Next, love does not rejoice at wrongdoing. Jeff does not rejoice at wrongdoing. You're like, rejoice at wrongdoing?35:16Who does that? Everybody does that. We take pleasure. We take pleasure in other people's sins. Like, what do you mean? But just imagine if one of the leaders of our church was caught in some sin. Oh, you're going to see some nastiness come out of people if that would happen. One is you're going to see, People comparing themselves to that leader. You're like, well, I'm not a great person, but I'm not as bad as him. Or the gossip, right? The leader was caught in some sin. There'd be so much gossip. Hey, did you hear what he did? Did you hear about that? There'd be so much gossip going around about that. We delight in other people's sin.36:16Oh, and the slander. That guy, you know, Gossip's ugly cousin, slander. Like, oh, did you hear what he did? Oh, he's not so high and mighty now, is he? Oh, he, oh, leader in the church, huh? Oh, look at him now. Love doesn't rejoice at wrongdoing. So Jeff should not rejoice at wrongdoing because if something offends God, why would I take joy in that? Love is never happy at someone else failing.36:46But love rejoices with the truth. Jeff rejoices with the truth. Dishonesty leads to distrust. Relationships must be built on truth. Can you say that? You rejoice with the truth. You rejoice with honesty because dealing in truth is God's way. And homestretch here.37:16Love Bears All Things. Jeff Bears All Things. Your name Bears All Things. What does that mean? Bears All Things. Literally, the word means to cover. That's literally what the Greek word means. It's covering. It's covering someone's failures and covering someone's sins. Now, yes, when someone is in sin, we talked all about this, we address sin.37:46But what we do not do is parade it around for other people. Like we tell our kids, don't tattle. Right? Don't tattle. Why? Because love doesn't do that. Right? When I was a kid, you know what we called tattling? See who remembers. Being a narc. How many people remember being a narc? Okay? Don't be a narc. All right?38:16we address sin, but we don't parade it around. All right, next, love believes all things. Jeff believes all things. Your name believes all things. But that doesn't mean you're gullible. She'll believe anything. Like, hey, the moon's made out of ham. Like, oh, didn't know that. Like, no, no, that's not what it means.38:46It means believing the best about a person. That's what it means. It's believing the best about a person. It means not being suspicious. That means if a comment is made, if a comment is made that can be taken one of two ways, you take it the good way. That's what it means. I believe the best about them. I don't believe that he said that to hurt my feelings.39:15I believe the best about them. That's what it means. Does that describe you? Or like you hear some rumor, right? Like somebody's like, hey, you know, last Thursday I heard, I was at Walmart and the Browns were in Walmart and I heard Taylor cussing out his wife. I would say, I don't believe that. I don't believe that. Why? Because I believe the best about Taylor.39:47That's what love does. Like, I know this guy. He wouldn't do that. Love believes the best about people, right? Negative example, Job's friends. Remember we went through Job a while back. Remember them? They come to comfort Job and they're like, so you're having a bad day, are you? Well, you must be a terrible sinner. No, love believes.40:15best. Love hopes all things. Jeff hopes all things. Your name hopes all things. Can you say that? It's never giving up on a person. That's what it means. It's never giving up on a person. Oh, he messed up again. I'm disappointed again. Love remembers. Jeff remembers. You remembers. We are all works.40:45in progress. Every single one of us works in progress. And love says, he'll get there. He'll get there. I'm not giving up hope. And then finally, love endures all things. Jeff endures all things. Your name endures all things.41:18Can you say that? That means we survive. The relationship that we have survives even terrible times. That's what that means. With all this patience and kindness and selflessness, you know, the hard times are going to come.41:48And when the dust settles, I'll still be here.41:56No matter what happens, listen, I am for you.42:04No matter what.42:06Because love never lets go.42:13Our worship team would make their way back up to the platform. You might be looking at your list right now. And like me, you look at some areas here. You're like, wow, this doesn't quite describe me the way that I wish that it did. What do I do about that?42:43that are like, meh, meh. I guess I gotta try harder, huh? No. No. Because you can't, look, when it comes to love, you can't fake love. But you also can't muster it up. There's only one thing you can do with love.43:14And that's funnel it. It has to come from God. So I want you to hang on to this. Because wherever you are deficient, you need to take that to God. And I'd like us to do that right now. If you just bow your heads for a moment, please.43:43Just bow your heads. And I want to pray a prayer that is for all of us. Father, we look at your word, we look at this list that under inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Paul wrote to the Corinthians and ultimately to us. We look at this list, Father, and there's so many ways that we fall short. So many ways we should be doing so much better. So many ways we have completely blown it.44:15But Father, we thank you that this list describes you. You haven't given up on us. You continue to pursue and change us. Father, you have called us to imitate you. But the only way we can have love at all because you first loved us.44:48So Father, I pray not just for myself, but for my brothers and sisters here, for those who are streaming or listening to the podcast later.44:56I pray, Father, that we would take this list before you and take an honest assessment and cry out to you for the kind of heart change that only your Holy Spirit can bring about.45:13And Father, might we be a church where more and more our testimony is.45:25We're not perfect and we've got a lot of growing to do, but we are committed to loving one another.45:34We ask this in Jesus' holy and precious name.45:38Amen. Small Group DiscussionRead 1 Corinthians 13:1-7What was your big take-away from this passage / message?Which aspect of love (1 Cor 13:4-7) seems the easiest (“most natural”) for you? Why?Which aspect of love do you personally find the most difficult for you? How can you grow in this area?Why do you think the kind of love described in these verses can be so difficult in the church? BreakoutPray for one another.

Group Guide Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week. 2 Samuel 16:15-17:29 Spencer Cary Download TranscriptMy name is Spencer and I am one of the pastors here. We are going to be in 2 Samuel chapter 16. We're going to go all the way through chapter 17 today. So, if you have a Bible around you, those black Bibles, you can grab one of those. We're going on page 306. and most of the text or all of this text will be on in those Bibles. We'll have some text on the screen as well. I'll try to cue when that comes up, but you can go ahead and follow along there. I've been following Jesus for 20 years at this point.And there are times when you follow Jesus long enough that just feel really dark. whether that's for suffering, whether that's affliction, sadness, all types of things that come upon us. But there are times where it just feels very very dark. But like the words we just sang, when darkness seems to hide his face, as the original hymn said, when darkness veils his lovely face. It's just this idea that if you follow God long enough, you're going to have times where you just don't feel the presence of God. you don't feel his goodness. And then when that happens, there are questions that begin to linger.Does God love me? Is he for me? Does he care about me? And those questions can linger in a way and surface and sometimes resurface when we are going through times that are difficult, when we're traveling through times that are very dark. Man, if you follow Christ long enough, that's that's going to happen. the reality of following Jesus this side of the fall. But then there are moments there are moments where God in the middle of darkness and his kindness breaks through. And it doesn't always mean that your circumstances get better. But in the middle of suffering, in the middle of what feels like hopelessness, God meets us in some wonderful and powerful ways.And that is the experience that all of God's people feel in the lifetime, the marathon of following Jesus. And maybe that's you right now. Maybe that maybe that's where you're at. That you just feel darkness and all the things that come with that we just talked about. And if that is you, and certainly for all of us, it will be us at some point. If that is you, then this part of the story of David is actually going to be, I think, wildly encouraging because David's been in it. We have I mean it's like week after week as we're following his story right now. He's living in the aftermath of his sin against Bathsheba and Uriah and he's dealing with the discipline of the Lord and it just feels unrelenting.But today, we're going to see that in the middle of all of this darkness that he's walking through, we're going to see God shine through like like a like like in a really difficult storm, like a light that just pierces through. We're going to see some hope that's found in that. And then as we look at this as Christians, we'll be able to take a step back and see that this is the hope that he has for us as well. So, I'm going to pray for us and then we're going to work through the story together. Heavenly Father, I thank you for the good news of the gospel that we just got to read, sing, and pray.I pray that you would help us as we seek to understand who you are even as we encounter the sufferings of this present life. So may you give us ears to hear in Jesus' name. Amen. All right. All right. So, before we jump into verse 15, let's recap a little bit where Mike took us last week. Absalom, the son of David, has been leading to this point a very successful rebellion, a civil war against his father, King David. And David has fled Jerusalem. Absalom has entered Jerusalem, is set up on the throne. And now Absalom is seeking to establish his reign. Picking up in verse 15. Now Absalom and all the people, the men of Israel came to Jerusalem and Ahithophel with him. Okay? So Absalom has a party of men of followers of leaders and it's going to be referred to as the men of Israel. And the most prominentfigure in that party is a man named Ahithophel. Ahithophel is a counselor to the king. He was a counselor to David. He was someone that David brought in to give wise counsel and advice. But now he's betrayed David and he's joined his son in this rebellion. And we don't really know why. Some have theorized that Ahithophel that when you follow his line, he has a son named Iliam. And that that might be the same Iliam that is the father of Bathsheba. That this might be the grandfather of Bathsheba and that he's exacting some type of revenge against David here. We don't know that to be true, but he has betrayed David and now he's joined in with Absalom and he's giving counsel to him. But he's not the only one seeking to give counsel to this new king. Verse 16.And when Hushai the Archite, David's friend, came to Absalom, Hushai said to Absalom, "Long live the king." Long live the king. Okay, we'll pause there. There are a lot of names as we're going to see in the story today. There's a lot of names last week, so some of this stuff is hard to track. But if you remember back from last week, Hushai is a spy that David has sent to disrupt Ahithophel. So in 2 Samuel 15, what we read last week in verse 34, this will be on the screen. It says, "But if you return to the city and say to Absalom, I will be your servant, O king, as I've been your father's servant in time past, so now I will be your servant. Then you will defeat for me the counsel of Ahithophel." This is David sending in Hushai to defeat the counsel of Ahithophel, which he knows is going to be veryhelpful to Absalom. And then in verse 37 it says, "So Hushai, David's friend, came into the city just as Absalom was entering Jerusalem." So that's what's happened here. He has sent he sent Hushai in to be rival counsel to Ahithophel to disrupt all of this. And Hushai, who's playing the part of double agent quite well, comes in immediately and says, "Long live the king."Now Absalom may be pretty but he's not that stupid because he knows that Hushai is a friend to David. So he responds verse 17. And Absalom said to Hushai, "Is this your loyalty to your friend? Why did you not go with your friend?" And Hushai said to Absalom, "No, for whom the Lord and this people and all that the men of Israel have chosen, his I will be, and with him I will remain. And again, whom should I serve? Should it not be his son? As I have served your father, so I will serve you." So Absalom says, " don't you like play golf with my dad?Like, aren't y'all boys? What's happening here? Why are you where why are you here?" And he's like, "No, no, no, no, no, no, no. I play golf with whoever sits on the throne. I'm for the position, not the man. And the Lord is with you and the people are with you. So I am with you. So I'm here to help you. And it's great. You're David's son. You're the next. So he plays the part of double agent quite well. He doesn't get immediately thrown out. The question is, is he going to be able to keep his cover as he's trying to infiltrate his way into Absalom's influence? Verse 20, then Absalom said to Ahithophel, "Give your counsel. What shall we do?" So he's looking to what's my next move is now that I've established my place in Jerusalem. And Ahithophel in verse 21 said to Absalom, "Go into your father's concubines whom he has left to keep thehouse and all Israel will hear that you've made yourself a stench to your father and the hands of all who are with you will be strengthened." Okay, that is a diabolical plan. All right, for a variety of reasons. First, this is a egregious sin. This is an egregious violation of the law. Leviticus 20:11 prohibits this. It gives the death penalty for anyone who will lay with his father's wife. And though concubines were seen as lesser status wives in the reign of the kings, they still are wives of the king. So what Ahithophel has recommended is a wicked and gross violation of the law. But as far as evil plans go in and its most brilliant base form, it's smart. From a worldly perspective, from a godless perspective, this is a massive power play. This is his way to show all the rebels that are fighting for him that I mean business.So it's wicked and it's evil and it's vile and it's obscene, but also it's very cunning. So Ahithophel gives him this counsel and Absalom listens. Verse 22. So they pitch a tent for Absalom on the roof. And Absalom went into his father's concubines in the sight of all Israel.Now in those days the counsel that Ahithophel gave was as if one consulted the word of God. So was all the counsel of Ahithophel esteemed both by David and by Absalom. And that's a way of saying that Ahithophel's counsel was so valued. It was like hearing the word of God. Meaning that the word of God says this, you do it. Ahithophel says this, you do it. And he recommends this rebellious, cunning, and wicked act. And Absalom does it. And they pitch a tent. And they work out this plan in front of all of Israel. But this is also fulfilling the prophecy of Nathan after David sinned with Bathsheba and murdering Uriah. For Nathan the prophet in 2 Samuel 12 will be on the screen. It says, "Thus says the Lord, behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house, and I will take your wives before your eyes and givethem to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of the sun. for you did it secretly, but I will do this before this thing before all Israel and before the sun. So God gives up Absalom to his own sinful desires. And this brings judgment upon David and his house. And Ahithophel's counsel is followed. And he makes himself a stench to David and his followers. Now he's got more counsel to give becausenow they've got to reckon with David himself. And this is where we're going to see rival counselors Ahithophel and then Hushai is going to come into the scene and both of them function like the cabinet of the king. Right? So if you follow US history every US president has a cabinet and if you follow some of the biggest battles that have happened between these cabinet members. These are counselors to the king. The biggest one is is the original cabinet. So in Washington's presidency, he had Jefferson and then he had Hamilton. And both of them represented two very different political philosophies. That's why he put them in the counsel in the first place in the cabinet because he wanted to see two rival philosophies go at it, which didn't work out very well. They actually ended up forming two different political parties that came out of that. But if you follow theythey've written all this down. If you follow some of the history of how they fought, there were times where Hamilton would go on these 45minute monologues. He just go on and on and on and on and on and on and on and it's and this recorded that Jefferson would just be like head back just like just so annoying. And then there are times where Jefferson would win the day and he would get the influence of Washington and it's recorded that he would like sneer and like make faces at Hamilton, which is just funny because these are our founding fathers. of the people that helped found this nation and we can all act like children in our own sinful state at times. But that's not abnormal.That's not just US history. That's ancient history. That's happened for thousands of years that kings and presidents and prime ministers and sovereign leaders, they have counsel that they bring in often to oppose one another to find what is the best way forward. So what we're going to see is that type of cabinet battle here starting in verse one of chapter 17. Moreover, Ahithophel said to Absalom, "Let me choose 12,000 men, and I will arise and pursue David tonight. I will come upon him while he is weary and discouraged and throw him into a panic, and all the people who are with him will flee. I will strike down only the king, and I will bring all the people back to you as a bride comes home to her husband. You seek the life of only one man and all the people will be at peace and the advice seemed right in the eyes ofAbsalom and all the elders of Israel. Okay. So Ahithophel's plan I'll be honest is very very good. This is a good plan. He says listen we have a standing army of 12,000 men tonight that we can ride out of here. In fact, I will lead this. I will lead. You can stay put. I'll lead these 12,000 men. And we're going to catch David because David's not just traveling with his warriors. He's also traveling with his wives and probably some of his children, but with some grandchildren. He's got and they're tired and they're discouraged and they're weary. And he says, "You know what's going to happen?We're going to come upon them. It's going to be like lightning warfare. Boom. We're going to come in quick. And then all we have to do is cut off the head of the snake. All we have to do is take out David. There won't be lots of bloodshed. Only one man has to die. And then guess what? You're good. There's no more threat. Everyone gets behind you and you're the king. Now, that's an objectively good plan. All the commentators, everyone's looked at this and said, "That's a smart way to do this." And they hear it and they say, "Absalom likes this. The elders who are sitting in counsel like this." Now seems to be happening here is you got Absalom with a counsel of elders. Ahithophel comes in he makes his pitch and they like it and then he exits. Then verse 5, then Absalom said call Hushai the Architealso and let us hear what he has to say. So Ahithophel leaves Hushai comes in and now Hushai has to follow up a very very good plan. And that's difficult because if you have to outdo a very very good plan, you it's hard. If someone said, you know what, you're going to have to out-pitch ice cream as the staple dessert. That's a hard thing to do. You know why? Because ice cream is amazing. The fact that you can take the best part of milk, which is cream, and slowly turn it to where it's not so hard where it's just like ice, and it's not too soft that it's just this perfectly formed. and you could throw chocolate in it and all types of things. The person who pitches that idea originally, that's a good pitch. It's for you to come in and try to pitch something else. Unless milkhates you, it's a pretty good dessert. So that's what's that's happening here. Hushai is has to come in. He's going to outdo a very very good plan. Verse six. When Hushai came to Absalom, Absalom said to him, "Thus has Ahithophel spoken. Shall we do what shall we do as he says? If not, you speak." So they tell him, "This is Ahithophel's plan. Should we do what he says?" Verse 7. Then Hushai said to Absalom, This time the counsel that Ahithophel has given is not good, which I so appreciate as the opener to what we're about to read as a monologue because it's like Ahithophel has chosen poorly. Like, this is just no. It's the equivalent of Trump just saying wrong when someone says something it's just no immediately we're diverging this is not a good plan so then he starts to pitch his plan first by poisoning thewell of Ahithophel's plan verse eight said you know that your father and his men are mighty men and that they are enraged like a bear robbed of her cubs in the field. Besides, your father is an expert in war. He will not spend the night with the people. Behold, even now he has hidden himself in one of the pits or in some other place. And as soon as some of the people fall at the first attack, whoever hears this, hears it will say, "There has been a slaughter among the people who follow Absalom." Then even the valiant men whose heart is like the heart of a lion will utterly melt with fear. For all Israel knows that your father is a mighty man and those who are with him are valiant men. All right, pause.Hushai basically chooses fear. He chooses fear, which I don't know if you've been bombarded with the most obnoxious political ads that have been ra running right now, but all of them, 95% of them are fear-based because fear is effective. So, he chooses fear. He says, "You ever seen a bear robbed of her cubs? It's not good. You don't want to get in the middle of that." And he's enraged. They're furious. They're very upset with you, Absalom. So, I know you're thinking, "We've got the numbers. We've got 12,000 men. We can catch them off guard. First off, no you won't. You think David is stupid? He's hiding. He's off. You remember how you used to be hiding in the caves all the time? You think you're going to find him easily cut off the head of the snake? No. No.No. You He's not with his people. You're about to enter a hornets's nest. And let me tell you something. This is what he does. He says he says, "Your men, they've got strong hearts. Some of them courageous like lions. But the moment they start taking L's on the battlefield, the moment they start getting slaughtered, it's going to spread like wildfire. And everyone knows that David and his mighty men are bad. And that is 100% true. I mean, you look at some of their resumes, they are bad to the bone. And he says the moment that they start hearing that people are getting slaughtered, your men'll run.Seeing them not super courageous once they start getting defeated, that's a bad plan. So that's how Hushai begins. He poisons the well with fear. Okay. Now that he's poisoned it, he's going to shift to his plan. Verse 11. But my counsel is that all Israel be gathered to you from Dan to Beersheba as the sand by the sea for multitude, and that you go to battle in person. So we shall come upon him in some place where he is to be found and we shall light upon him as dew falls on the ground and of him and all the men who are with him not one will be left. If he withdraws into a city then all Israel will bring ropes to that city. We shall drag it into the valley until not even a pebble is to be found there.Okay. So what Hushai just did is he is wisely buying time. That's what he's doing. Ahithophel's plan is quick. That night he says, "No, no, no, no, no, no, no. You don't want that. Already talked about this. This is this this is going to go wrong for you. Also, Ahithophel's super old. You want him leading you to battle?" No. Here's what's going to happen. We're going to slow it down. We're going to go from Dan to Beersheba, which is basically from north to south. Think Maine to Florida. Okay? We're going to gather all the people of Israel, not 12,000 men, hundreds of thousands of men. We're going to get all of them in our side. that we're going to find David and we're going to surround him. He doesn't matter how mighty his men are, we will have numbers upon numbers upon numbers. And then once we surround him, we're going to win. And ifsomehow he escapes and he makes it to a city where there's where there's walls, guess what? We'll have so many people we'll take ropes, throw it over the wall, rip the walls down, bring all the pebbles into the valley, and guess what? We'll kill every single one of them. That's the option. That's the one you should choose. It's guaranteed. It's going to take some time. But let me tell you something. You don't want to go out without the numbers. That is Hushai's plan. And you've got these two different plans. One, which still, I'll be honest, is way better. Very quick. 12,000 men coming upon them as they've been running. They've got women and children with them. Boom. Kill David. Done. or Hushai's plan which is long drawn out buying time.What are you going to choose? Both are given. Verse 14. And Absalom and all the men of Israel said, "The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel. For the Lord had ordained to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel so that the Lord might bring harm upon Absalom. So they choose Hushai's plan. And what we see in this is this is what David prayed for. If you remember back in 2 Samuel 15:31, it says, "And David said this on the screen." Oh Lord, please turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness. He prays this and God answers this prayer. For it says, "The Lord had ordained to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel so the Lord might bring harm upon Absalom." David's prayer is answered because ultimately God is going to bring judgment upon Absalom for his wickedness and his rebellion against David, the Lord's anointed king.So while that's happening, Hushai seemingly he's out of the room. So he's left the room. They're in here discussing this and they are making the decision that Hushai's plan is very very good. Hushai outside the room is now not going to wait to see what happens next because he heard Ahithophel's plan and that's a good plan. So he has got to get a word to David because David is exactly where Ahithophel said he would be. He's out in the open. He's not hiding. So that was all smoke and mirrors and he's got to get word to David in case Ahithophel's plan is taken. And that's what we pick up in verse 15. Then Hushai said to Zadok and Abiathar the priest. Okay, we got a lot of names here. Stay with me. Zadok and Abiathar are priests, Levitical priests that were loyal to David. So Hushai said to Zadok and Abiathar, the priest,thus and so did Ahithophel's counsel, Ahithophel counsel, Absalom and the elders of Israel. And thus and so have I counseled. Now therefore send quickly and tell David do not stay tonight at the fords of the wilderness but by all means pass over lest the king and all the people who are with him be swallowed up. So he says you've got to leave now. If they follow Ahithophel's plan they're going to catch you. You've got to get out of town. You got to get out of the wilderness. You got to get away as far as you can. So that's the word they give to Zadok and Abiathar. Verse 17. Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz were waiting at En-rogel. Okay. Jonathan and Ahimaaz are sons of Zadok and Abiathar. They are Levitical priests as well. And they're waiting at En-rogel which is just outside of Jerusalem. And it says a femaleservant was to go and tell them. And they were to go and tell King David for they were not to be seen entering the city. So what we have here is a chain of spies. One to the next to the next to the next to get to David. so that David and his crew can leave and flee danger. But verse 18, the young man saw them and told Absalom. So both of them went away quickly and came to the house at a man at Bahurim who had who had a well in his courtyard. And they went down into it. And the woman took and spread a covering over the well's mouth and scattered grain on it, and nothing was known of it. So while they're trying to get the message out, one of Absalom's men sees what happens. So they go, they hide in a well and then the woman very smartly spreadscovering over the well, puts grain on top of it, very much like Rahab and the spies in Jericho and hides them so that they can evade capture. Verse 20. When Absalom's servants came to the woman of the house, they said, "Where is Ahimaaz and Jonathan?" And the woman said to them, "They have gone over the brook of water." And when they had sought and could not find them, they returned to Jerusalem. So they successfully evade capture. Verse 21. After they had gone, the men came up out of the well and went and told King David. They said to David, "Arise and go quickly over the water, for thus and so has Ahithophel counseled against you."Then David arose and all the people who were with them, and they crossed the Jordan. By daybreak, not one was left who had not crossed the Jordan. So chain of spies works. They cross and guess what? They didn't even need to because Hushai's plan won. And Ahithophel's plan was defeated because God has determined to bring his judgment upon Absalom. And that plan is now in full effect. And Ahithophel cannot handle the defeat of this rival counselor. Verse 23. When Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled his donkey and went off home to his own city. He set his house in order and hanged himself and he died and was buried in the tomb of his father. Now, it's possible that Ahithophel was so poisoned by his own pride and self-worth and his own great advice, his own great counsel that the moment that he's defeated, he can't handle it and hecommits suicide. It is also possible that at this point he may see the writing on the wall and that David is actually going to win this war and he'd rather take care of it himself as opposed to falling to David's sword. We don't know for sure. I lean towards the former. I think the text more I think pushes in that direction that when he says his counsel was not followed I think what's bound up in here is pride which just for the moment is a very good case study and a warning sign to anyone who puts their worth and their value and their work and their abilities and their talents and what they do. Because if you put so much value into those things and those things are taken from you, what you've done is you've set up an idol to worship. And when that idol is taken, it can lead you to some very dark places.And what this serves as is a cautionary tale to be mindful of not putting so much of your value and your worship and the things that you do because that's what I think Ahithophel does. And when his counsel is not followed because of his shame, he goes and takes his life.So let's finish out the chapter verse 24. Then David came to Mahanaim and Absalom crossed the Jordan with all the men of Israel. Now Absalom had set Amasa over the army instead of Joab. Amasa was the son of a man named Ithra the Ishmaelite who had married Abigail, the daughter of Nahash, the sister of Zeruiah, Joab's mother. and Israel and Absalom encamped in the land of Gilead. Verse 27. When David came to Mahanaim, Shobi the son of Nahash from Rabbah of the Ammonites and Machir the son of Ammiel from Lo-debar and Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim brought beds, basins and earthen vessels, wheat, barley, flour, parched, beans and lentils, honey and curds and sheep, and cheese from the herd. for David and the people with him to eat. For they said the people are hungry and weary and thirsty in the wilderness.The chapter ends with even though they're in the wilderness and even though they're on the run for their lives and even though it seems like things are going against them, God still cares and raises a people to provide provisions for them in the wilderness. And that closes chapter 17 to set up next week which we will see is the great battle between Absalom's men and David's men.Okay. So, if you've been with us the last few weeks, if you study this just in its immediate context, it's very hard to see the light in all of this darkness because we've seen so much of it. At this point, David has suffered for years under the discipline of God. He's watched his family be torn apart. He's watched his nation be torn apart. He's had to deal with the emotional agony of his own son leading a rebellion against him to murder him. I mean, he it's all these chapters, it's dark. And in the middle of all this darkness, in the middle of all this brokenness, in the middle of all of this pain and suffering, is a reminder that God is still for David.Because what commentators will say is that in all these chapters of suffering, right in the middle in verse 14 of chapter 17 is this shining light that breaks through the storm. So it says, "For the Lord had ordained to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel, so that the Lord might bring harm upon Absalom." And that right there is the glimmer of hope that the wickedness and the evil, the dishonor of his father, the dishonor of his nation, the dishonor of his God, Absalom will be judged. and that the covenant that God made with David is remembered. Does David deserve to have favor? Absolutely not. Does God remember his covenant of favor towards David?Absolutely. That no matter how dark it has gotten, no matter how bad has gotten for David, God remembers his covenant to him. God remembers his covenant to his people. That is the glimpse of light that breaks through the storm of all of this darkness that we're reading. And as you take a step back as a Christian, it is a helpful reminder for us because we I think also we forget this because we will go through seasons of intense present darkness, of suffering, of affliction. And in the middle of all of the suffering, in the middle of the affliction, in the middle of all of it, those questions can linger. Is God for me?Does he care about me? Does he love me? Because it doesn't feel like it right now. If you follow Jesus long enough, you will have been there. And the good news is we don't just have the scriptures that testify to how God meets his people in the middle of darkness. We also have wonderful stories from church history. In the modern missions movement in the 19th century, there's a lot of missionaries that went out to parts of the world that were very difficult to reach and very difficult to reach with the gospel. One of them was named John Paton. John Paton was a missionary.Him and his wife, they went to the island of the New Hebrides Islands in the 19th century. It's an island that had zero Christians, had tribes that were cannibals. And he arrived on the island then not long after arriving there, his wife died. And then their infant son also died. And in his autobiography he says, "Then in a moment altogether unexpectedly, she died on March 3rd to crown my sorrows and complete my loneliness, the dear baby boy whom we had named after her father, Peter Robert Robson, was taken from me after one week's sickness on the 20th of March.Let those who have ever passed through any similar darkness as a midnight field for me, as for all others, it would be more than vain to try to paint my sorrows. And he just says that after losing his wife, after losing his son, after being obedient to the Great Commission to go and make disciples of nations that did not know him, that he felt such an intense loneliness it would be vain to try to paint and describe his sorrows. So he dug two graves with his hands and buried his wife and buried his son. and he's alone on an island with people who are trying to kill him.And this is what he writes. I'll put this on the screen. Stunned by that dreadful loss and entering upon this field of labor to which the Lord had himself so evidently led me, my reason seemed for a time almost to give way. The ever merciful Lord sustained me. But for Jesus and the fellowship he vouchsafed to me there, I must have gone mad and died beside that lonely grave. And it's such a wonderful reminder that even in the darkest of moments, even when all hope seems lost, even as he's buried his wife and his son and he's alone on an island under the threat of death, that in the intense darkness that he faced, Jesus Christ came. He says, "The ever merciful Lord sustained me. but for Jesus and the fellowship vouchsafed to me there, he says without it I would have gone mad beside that lonely grave and that story in some versions happenedover and over and over again and he continued and now that island for centuries at this point was converted to Jesus and has a legacy of Christ but God's people sometimes go through intense bouts of suffering I don't think any of us have ever faced anything like that. But in the middle of darkness, in the middle of complete what seems like hopelessness, God shines through to his people. And the reason he does this is because when he saves you and redeems you and seals you with the Holy Spirit, he never leaves or forsakes us. He is for us. And even though darkness may seem like it's prevailing, even though hope may seem like it is lost, even though it feels so sad and lonely, God is for you if you belong to him. He is for your good. It may not seem like it and he may not answer you with the circumstantialchange that you want, but God breaks through to his people. I don't know why some of you have suffered in the way that you have. I don't know why you feel the way that you do, but I do know that if you belong to Jesus Christ, he is with you. And my hope and my prayer is that you would sense it just like Paton did. That he would break through. That you would sense it just like David did and be reminded that just as David had a covenant that was made with him, we because we belong to Jesus Christ have a covenant that was made with us by his blood. that when Jesus Christ goes to the cross and sheds blood for our sin and then captures us and brings us into the family of God, that covenant is remembered and it is never forgotten that our God is for you. And wecelebrate that regularly and remember that as we come to the table. George is going to come up and we're going to prepare to take the Lord's Supper, which is a meal of remembrance that Jesus instituted and gave to the church. On the night that he was betrayed, he took bread and he broke it. He said, "This is my body that was broken for you." And then he took the cup of the new covenant. He said, "This is my blood that was shed for you that as often as you eat and drink this, you proclaim my death until I return." And Jesus gives us that meal to remember the covenant that was made with his blood.That God loves you so much that he gave up his one and only son. that you even in this life that is filled sometimes with suffering and darkness would persevere by faith trusting in the finished work of Christ and finding those moments where God encounters us with his presence and breaks through the dark questions that linger in our soul looking forward to a day when there will be no more questions like that because there will be no more suffering or sin or brokenness. There will only be him in eternity. So as a Christian you get to come to the table remembering the work of Jesus Christ as a reminder as a memorial as remembrance that he is for you. Even if it doesn't feel like it right now he is.So may you prepare your hearts and then in a moment you can come to the table. There's gluten-free at that table back there. If you do not belong to Jesus Christ, we don't want you to come to the table. We want you to come to Jesus. We want you to place your faith in him. We want you to see what it is like to walk with a God who loves you so deeply that he gave himself for you.And the invitation is for you to follow Christ. And if you want to know more about that, find me, find another pastor, find a Christian who brought you here today, and we can show you what it means to follow Jesus Christ. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, I pray that you might prepare our hearts to receive this meal of remembrance. God, I pray that you might help us, especially those of us that belong to you that are right now feeling so hopeless, feeling such darkness as so many of your people have done and felt. God, I pray that you would as they take this meal, would you break through the darkness, would you help them see that you love them, that you're for them, that they belong to you, that they're treasured by you.May they remember who you are. And for those who do not belong to you, I pray, God that you would compel them to faith in you this morning. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. Come when you are ready.

Lord's Supper

Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you!“All the blessings in the heavenly places” sounds like the greatest gift of all – and it is. But what exactly are the “heavenly places” to which Paul refers in Ephesians 1:3? And why does the devil seem to be there too? Thankfully we have the Bible Geeks, Ryan Joy and Bryan Schiele, here to answer the tough questions in the last part of our conversation. Links are provided in the show notes; make sure you check them out.Check out the Bible Geeks Podcast at https://biblegeeks.fm/podcastCheck out Bryan's blog at https://www.fieldready.faith/Check out the North church of Christ in Fort Wayne, Indiana, at fortwaynechristians.org and https://www.facebook.com/northchurchofchristCheck out Hal on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@halhammons9705Hal Hammons serves as preacher and shepherd for the Lakewoods Drive church of Christ in Georgetown, Texas. He is the host of the Citizen of Heaven podcast. You are encouraged to seek him and the Lakewoods Drive church through Facebook and other social media. Lakewoods Drive is an autonomous group of Christians dedicated to praising God, teaching the gospel to all who will hear, training Christians in righteousness, and serving our God and one another faithfully. We believe the Bible is God's word, that Jesus died on the cross for our sins, that heaven is our home, and that we have work to do here while we wait. Regular topics of discussion and conversation include: Christians, Jesus, obedience, faith, grace, baptism, New Testament, Old Testament, authority, gospel, fellowship, justice, mercy, faithfulness, forgiveness, Twenty Pages a Week, Bible reading, heaven, hell, virtues, character, denominations, submission, service, character, COVID-19, assembly, Lord's Supper, online, social media, YouTube, Facebook.  

നിലനിൽക്കുന്ന അനുഗ്രഹങ്ങളുടെ രഹസ്യം | The Key To Lasting Blessings | Malayalam Christian Message | Br. Damien Antony | Morning Glory 1936 | 04 June 2026ജീവിതസാഹചര്യങ്ങൾ മാറിമറിഞ്ഞ് നിങ്ങൾ ആകെ തകർന്നിരിക്കുകയാണോ? കാറ്റും കൊടുങ്കാറ്റും നിറഞ്ഞ ഈ പ്രതിസന്ധിഘട്ടത്തിലും ഒട്ടും മാറിപ്പോകാത്ത, നിങ്ങളെ കൈവിടാത്ത ദൈവത്തിൻ്റെ ശാശ്വതമായ വിശ്വസ്തതയെ മുറുകെപ്പിടിക്കുക!When life's structural shifts threaten your mental peace and spiritual balance, human resilience fails. True spiritual endurance originates entirely from the immutable character of God, the ultimate baseline of absolute confidence. In biblical theology, specifically outlined within Pauline epistles and Old Testament narrative texts like Lamentations chapter 3, we observe a divine attribute that operates entirely outside of human metrics: perfect faithfulness.

Join Josh Hall for Wednesday Night Bible Study. Tonight we have a discussion on the institution and implementation of the Lord's Supper. Tonight we take an in depth look at baptism. To learn more about First Baptist Church of Tallahassee, visit https://www.fbctlh.org.

Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you!My conversation with Ryan Joy and Bryan Schiele, the Bible Geeks, turns to Psalm 127 and the blessing of children. As each of us is a father, we each have a perspective on the subject. Hopefully we didn't brag on our own children very much. However full or not full your own quiver may be at the moment, or may become in the future, I think you'll be benefitted by what they have to say.Check out the Bible Geeks Podcast at https://biblegeeks.fm/podcastCheck out Bryan's blog at https://www.fieldready.faith/Check out the North church of Christ in Fort Wayne, Indiana, at fortwaynechristians.org and https://www.facebook.com/northchurchofchristCheck out Hal on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@halhammons9705Hal Hammons serves as preacher and shepherd for the Lakewoods Drive church of Christ in Georgetown, Texas. He is the host of the Citizen of Heaven podcast. You are encouraged to seek him and the Lakewoods Drive church through Facebook and other social media. Lakewoods Drive is an autonomous group of Christians dedicated to praising God, teaching the gospel to all who will hear, training Christians in righteousness, and serving our God and one another faithfully. We believe the Bible is God's word, that Jesus died on the cross for our sins, that heaven is our home, and that we have work to do here while we wait. Regular topics of discussion and conversation include: Christians, Jesus, obedience, faith, grace, baptism, New Testament, Old Testament, authority, gospel, fellowship, justice, mercy, faithfulness, forgiveness, Twenty Pages a Week, Bible reading, heaven, hell, virtues, character, denominations, submission, service, character, COVID-19, assembly, Lord's Supper, online, social media, YouTube, Facebook.  

Sunset Sideshow, an up-and-coming Slugblaster crew from the backwater dimension of Null, has never had it easy. They worked their way up from obscurity and into the XBF qualifiers, only to choke in the finals and lose it all. Their star player was poached by a rival crew, and their hotshot new captain (forced onto the team by their coach in a desperate attempt to salvage their playoff chances) has only driven tensions higher since she arrived. Now, they've finally worked their way back into the Grinder League, but the crew remains as divided as ever, and there's a massive target on their back. Can they avoid elimination long enough to have a shot at the big time? Welcome to season 4 of Quantum Kickflip - next episode drops Wednesday June 17th (Monday June 15th on Patreon)! Get the new Slugblaster expansion: Slime, Warp, and Solder!
https://itch.io/s/186203/slime-warp-solder Want to listen to new episodes two days early, AND unlock exclusive biweekly bonus content? Join our Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/quantumkickflip Want to order your own copy of Slugblaster? Do that here! https://wilkies.itch.io/slugblaster

It's a mailbag episode, and Kaitlyn is taking on a wide range of listener questions about church, communion, and Christian formation. Is it okay to take the Lord's Supper by yourself at home if your church only celebrates it once a month? What does it actually mean to "live in light of the resurrection"? And how much theological training should pastors and ministry leaders have before stepping into leadership? Plus, Kaitlyn and Mike wrestle honestly with what to do when every church near you feels too casual, too shallow, or just not what you hoped for.   0:00 - Theme Song   1:33 - Can You Do the Lord's Supper Alone/   11:21 - Living in Light of the Resurrection?   17:22 - Importance of Being "Theologically-Trained"   25:02 - Sponsor - Belonging by Design - Learn how to show up for special-needs families at your church. Go to https://www.accessible.faith/holypost to claim two free lessons and use promo code HOLYPOST gets you $200 off!   26:20 - When Do You Leave a Church?   41:23 - End Credits

In this episode, we discuss The Supper of the Lamb by Robert Farrar Capon—a book that is at first glance a cookbook but is really a meditation on food, creation, and the goodness of ordinary life. Capon invites readers to see meals not merely as fuel or nutrition, but as gifts to be received with gratitude and delight.Together, we explore what a distinctly Christian view of food looks like, how modern food culture has shaped our habits and expectations, and why so many of us struggle to enjoy food without guilt, anxiety, or utility. We also consider practical ways to resist a diet-obsessed culture and recover the joy of gathering around the table, savoring creation, and receiving God's gifts with thanksgiving.ResourcesThe Supper of the Lamb by Robert Farrar CaponBread of Life by Abigail DoddsEpisode 9: Hospitality  

Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you!This month we welcome in, for the first time as a pair on the podcast, Ryan Joy and Bryan Schiele, the Bible Geeks, a couple of the best podcasters I know. Links to the show and to Ryan's work with the North church in Fort Wayne, Indiana, are included in the show notes. We start the blessed ball rolling by talking about the nature of daily bread – what it is, what it isn't, and whether praying for something beyond that is good initiative or just plain rudeness.Check out the Bible Geeks Podcast at https://biblegeeks.fm/podcastCheck out Bryan's blog at https://www.fieldready.faith/Check out the North church of Christ in Fort Wayne, Indiana, at fortwaynechristians.org and https://www.facebook.com/northchurchofchrist  Check out Hal on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@halhammons9705Hal Hammons serves as preacher and shepherd for the Lakewoods Drive church of Christ in Georgetown, Texas. He is the host of the Citizen of Heaven podcast. You are encouraged to seek him and the Lakewoods Drive church through Facebook and other social media. Lakewoods Drive is an autonomous group of Christians dedicated to praising God, teaching the gospel to all who will hear, training Christians in righteousness, and serving our God and one another faithfully. We believe the Bible is God's word, that Jesus died on the cross for our sins, that heaven is our home, and that we have work to do here while we wait. Regular topics of discussion and conversation include: Christians, Jesus, obedience, faith, grace, baptism, New Testament, Old Testament, authority, gospel, fellowship, justice, mercy, faithfulness, forgiveness, Twenty Pages a Week, Bible reading, heaven, hell, virtues, character, denominations, submission, service, character, COVID-19, assembly, Lord's Supper, online, social media, YouTube, Facebook.  

I said what I said... SUMMER IS NOT GOING TO SAVE YOU! Let's talk about it!Let's be friends on Instagram!

The Lord's supper

SummaryBenjamin Lee explores the origins and beliefs surrounding the Catholic Church's doctrine of the Eucharist, contrasting it with biblical teachings. This episode clarifies misconceptions about the Lord's Supper and emphasizes the importance of adhering to Scripture.Chapters00:00 Introduction: Questions about Catholic practices00:26 Benjamin's motivation for discussing the Catholic Church01:22 The foundation of the church according to Matthew 1602:02 Distinguishing truth from error in religious doctrines02:51 What is the Eucharist and its biblical meaning04:15 Catholic beliefs about the literal transformation of bread and wine05:23 Problems with the doctrine of transubstantiation06:48 The seven sacraments of the Catholic Church08:09 Misinterpretations of John 6 and their impact10:32 The institution of the Lord's Supper by Jesus11:54 The focus of the Lord's Supper on Christ13:16 Frequency and proper observance of the Lord's Supper14:40 The significance of examining oneself before partaking15:35 The elements of the Lord's Supper: bread and fruit of the vine17:03 Discrepancies in Catholic practice versus biblical pattern20:02 The biblical understanding of Jesus' body and blood21:08 Misinterpretation of John 6 as literal consumption23:26 Faith in Jesus as the true meaning of John 627:04 The importance of biblical authority and apostolic tradition32:13 Conclusion: The importance of adhering to ScriptureResourcesBible Gateway - https://www.biblegateway.com/Acts 2:42 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts+2%3A42&version=ESVJohn 6:53-58 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+6%3A53-58&version=ESVFirst Corinthians 11:23-26 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Corinthians+11%3A23-26&version=ESVCouncil of Trent (1551) - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Council_of_TrentWest Main Church of Christ Sermons - https://westmaincoc.com/sermons/You can find all of my podcasts at https://icandopodcast.com

Communion. Lord's Supper. Eucharist. As we close our Didache series, we explore the meaning and significance of this ancient ritual dating back to the first followers of Jesus.

Today we're continuing in Philippians 2, looking at verse 17,where the Apostle Paul says: "Yes, and if I am being poured out as adrink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad andrejoice with you all." Paul is using an Old Testament picture ofsacrifice. In those days, wine would often be poured out upon a sacrifice as anoffering to God. Paul says that his own life is being poured out like thatdrink offering. What a picture of surrender! Paulwas in prison as he wrote these words. He faced uncertainty, suffering, andpossible execution. Yet he did not speak with bitterness. He spoke with joy. Whywas that? Because he had totally and absolutely surrendered his life to JesusChrist. He saw his suffering as an act of worship. Romans 12:1 tells us that weare to “present our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable untoGod, which is only our reasonable service” after all that God has done forus. Christianity is not merely believing certain truths. It is the offering ofourselves fully to God. Paul'sjoy did not depend upon comfortable circumstances. His joy came from knowingthat his life was being used for the glory of God. Oh, my friend, what adifference it makes when we begin to understand that! This is the secret oflasting joy. The world says today that joy or happiness comes from getting. Butthe Bible, and Jesus Himself, teach us that joy and true blessedness come fromgiving. In Acts 20:35, we read these words that Jesus said: "It is moreblessed to give than to receive." Somany of us today struggle with joy because we are focused mainly onourselves—what we want, what we feel, and what we are going through—instead offocusing on God and His glory. Joy grows when we pour out our lives in servingChrist and others. Have you ever poured out your life? The Scriptures tell usthat Jesus Christ poured out His blood on the cross, and He became brokenbread. That is what the Lord's Supper is about: broken bread and poured-outwine. Today that is what we can become in the hands of our Lord Jesus Christ bythe grace of God. Aswe do, we begin to nourish others until they can learn to nourish themselves. Wemight even become a doormat. Yes, people may wipe their feet on us. Yet werejoice when that happens, just as Paul did in prison. What joy we have insidebecause we know that the feet of those who wipe their feet on us are cleanernow. Perhaps, as a result of our response rather than our reaction, they toowill glorify Christ and come to know Him. Paulrejoiced even while suffering because sacrifice for Christ is never wasted. Missionariesunderstand this great truth. Faithful pastors understand this truth. Godlyparents understand this truth. Godly Christians—believers who give their livesin service through the ministry of their local church—understand this truth. Sometimesserving Christ is costly. It may cost comfort, convenience, popularity, andeven relationships. But nothing given to Christ is ever lost. Jim Elliot, thegreat missionary martyr, once said: "He is no fool who gives what hecannot keep to gain what he cannot lose." Noless than six times, Jesus said in the Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, andJohn—that when you try to save your life, you will lose it. But if you loseyour life for His sake and the gospel's, you will find it. So today, askyourself: Am I living sacrificially for Christ? Am I holding back areas of mylife from God? Am I willing to be poured out for His glory? The greatest lifeis not the comfortable life. It is the surrendered life. I pray that this isyour heart today. Let'spray together. Father, thank You for the example of Paul, and above all, theexample of Jesus Christ. Teach us to live sacrificially and joyfully for Yourglory. Help us to absolutely surrender all of our lives completely into Yourhands. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. Godbless and may you have a wonderful, wonderful day!

The Sound Chaser Progressive Rock Podcast is on the air. On the show this time I have new music from Lifesigns, an In Memoriam feature commemorating Giovanni Parmegianni and Ike Willis, and a heady variety of progressive sounds. All that plus news of tours and releases on Sound Chaser. Playlist1. Multifuse - Day to Day / Your World, from Journey to the Nesting PlaceIN MEMORIAM2. Accordo dei Contrari [Giovanni Parmegianni] - Più Limpida e Chiara di Ogni Impressione Vissuta (pt. III), from UR -3. Frank Zappa [Ike Willis] - Any Kind of Pain, from Broadway the Hard WayEND IN MEMORIAM4. Lifesigns - After All, from Anthology5. Alfy Betz - River of Fire, from Alfy Betz and the Salt Lake City Bad Boys6. Soft Ffog - Focus, from Focus7. Bi Kyo Ran - Silent Running, from Parallax8. Bel Canto - Birds of Passage, from Birds of Passage9. Cliffhanger - Sewers: A) Above B) Inside, from Not to Be or Not to Be!THE SYMPHONIC ZONE10. Amazing Blondel - The Paintings: Landscape, from England11. Ralph Lundsten - Nordic Nature Symphony No. 2: Song of Praise, from Nordic Nature Symphony No. 2 "Johannes and the Lady of the Woods" / Shangri-La12. The New Grove Project - Thoughts Sui Generis, from Brill13. Roswell Six - The Sinking of the Luminara, from Terra Incognita: Beyond the Horizon14. Robert Berry with Hush - Watcher of the Skies, from Supper's Ready [compilation]15. Agents of Mercy - Elegy, from The Black Forest16. Agents of Mercy - Citadel, from The Black Forest17. Mandalaband - Galadriel, from AD - Sangreal18. Steve Hackett - Why, from Wild Orchids19. Steve Hackett - She Moves in Memories, from Wild Orchids20. Steve Hackett - The Fundamentals of Brainwashing, from Wild Orchids21. Steve Hackett - Howl, from Wild Orchids22. Transatlantic - And You And I, from KaleidoscopeLEAVING THE SYMPHONIC ZONE23. Popol Vuh - In den Gärten Pharaos, from In den Gärten Pharaos24. Emily Bezar - Aerial at the Gate, from The Rococo B-Sides25. Brady Arnold - Destruction Sequence, from The Hologram26. We Came From Space - Easily Led, from While You Were Away27. Slapp Happy / Henry Cow - A Worm Is at Work, from Desperate Straits28. Van der Graaf Generator - Meurglys III (The Writer's Guild), from World Record29. Bruford - Forever Until Sunday, from One of a Kind

This Sunday, we are blessed to observe both the ordinances of Baptism and the Lord's Supper at the beginning of the 11:00 A.M. service. We are also beginning our study of the book of 1 John. This short book was written to give believers the God-ordained grounds of assurance. John's first readers were being confused by false teachers who had separated from the church (1 John 2:19) and claimed to have the true knowledge of God and salvation (2:20-21). This led gospel believers to question their standing with God through Jesus. Throughout the book, John will provide tests by which the reader can "know they have eternal life" (5:13), which is the purpose of the book. Assurance is a wonderful blessing and a necessity for following Christ joyfully and faithfully, but assurance not based on God's own word is presumption rather than real assurance. Only God's word gives us the grounds of assurance to examine and know that we have eternal life. But before John launches into any tests of assurance, he immediately proclaims the identity of Jesus. Only the true Jesus, whom the apostles proclaimed, is able to save. If we are wrong about Jesus, it doesn't matter what we are right about. If we are wrong about Jesus, it doesn't matter how morally we live or what spiritual knowledge we have. Everything rests on this foundation: The Christ whom the apostles proclaim is fully God and fully man, and He is the only Word of Life and the only fellowship with God. I. Only the True Jesus Is The Word of Life (v. 1-2) II. Only the True Jesus Gives Fellowship with God (v. 3-4)

Pastor Nate brings the message, “Protecting Unity with the Lord's Supper” - Part 1, from 1 Corinthians 11:17-22.  We are returning back to chapter 11 for the next two weeks and studying the unity of the local church around the Lord's Table.  The problem was that the Corinthians were so wrongfully divided that their practice of the Lord's Supper was actually invalidated.  There are crucial lessons to learn and practices to apply within this important passage so that our church reflects Biblical, God-honoring unity.   

Weekly Sunday sermons from Pastor Mike Powers and other members of our Pastoral Body. Richland Creek Community Church gathers to glorify God in worship, grow as disciples of Jesus, and go on mission with the gospel. For more, visit richlandcreek.com.Main Idea: The Lord's Supper is the family meal of the church.1. The Lord's table unites us.2. The Lord's table levels us.3. The Lord's table reminds us.4. The Lord's table invites us.

Jesus replaced the Last Supper that remembers the Passover lamb with the Lord's Supper that remembers His sacrifice.

In this episode, Tim Chester shares the hard yet good news about changing as Christians. Tim Chester is director of theological studies and lecturer in spiritual formation at Crosslands. He has over 25 years of experience in pastoral ministry, as well as being the author of 'You Can Change: God's Transforming Power for Our Sinful Behavior and Negative Emotions' from Crossway. ❖ Listen to “Are We Undervaluing the Lord's Supper?" with Tim Chester:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠ Apple Podcasts | Spotify | ⁠YouTube⁠ If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to leave us a review, which helps us spread the word about the show.