Faith Works – Perfect Patience

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A sermon by Adam Barcott

Septemer 15, 2019

Good morning. Let me pray and begin the service. Dear heavenly Father, we thank you for today. We thank you for your goodness to us, or at least we’re trying to get in a position of thanking you. So I ask that your Holy Spirit would calm our hearts and our minds and fill us with the spirit of adoption where we cry out Abba father, we present ourselves to you. Lord, we thank you for what you’ve done. We thank you for what you’re doing and what you will do. And we lift up your name. We give the name of Jesus all power and wealth and wisdom and might and glory and honor and blessing forever and ever. We ask that you would deal with us kindly and gently today as we enter into your presence with your people. Bless us in Jesus name. Amen.

So I want to begin with the prayer of confession on page d. I’ve realized, when you, when you’re praying by yourself, first of all, you should pray during the week. It’s a very helpful thing to do. I think most of you know that, but I just want to be clear. You need to pray just to make it today. You should pray. But I have learned and I have become convinced that this second line, called the prayer of absolution is very, very helpful for you to say out loud during the week as you pray. So as you ask God to forgive you, learn the prayer of absolution and say it as well.

Say Your own name. Adam, I forgive you. I’ve given you my son to die for you and for His sake forgive you all your sin. Then rest in that. Actually recieve that and pick your head up with thanksgiving and praise God, the Son and the Holy Spirit one God now and forever. So today I want to say the prayer of absolution out loud together with me so that it will begin to naturally occur to you when you daily ask God for the forgiveness of sins. I’ve given you my son to die for you and it’s for his sake I forgive you all your sins, so that you can take a deep breath and be encouraged and say to yourself, I’m forgiven for a real thing. And it’s really paid for. So let’s stand and say this whole thing together today.

If you can, let’s pray together the prayer of confession and absolution. “Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against the in thought word and deed by what we have done and by what we have left undone.” Now let’s say together what God says to repentant sinners. “Almighty God in His mercy has given his son to die for you and for his sake forgives all your sins. Amen.” Yeah, that’s the important part to hear.

Let me pray. Father, thank you for forgiving us of our sins. Thank you that you form words through us to speak on your behalf. Thank you that these words are very true and may you give us that peace and that ability to receive this truth that you forgive us for the sake of Jesus. Thank you Lord. And now we can lift up our heads and be truly human with you and with one another and it’s in Jesus name. Amen.

Stay standing and think of one good thing that God did for you this week or something nice that God provided or that you’re thankful for? Then turn to somebody and say it out loud. How has God blessed us this week, then the person responding has to say to your face, praise God! Do you understand the rules? Give thanks. The other person says, praise God and then switch it. (time of congregational passing of the peace).

All right. Thank you Lord. Praise God. Have a seat. Yeah. It’s just one of those days where we need to praise God. You know when you praise God, it puts you in the right headspace to realize everything is a gift. I think we forget that.

Our gospel reading will be found in Luke. Continuing to read the Gospel of Luke before turning to 1 Timothy. So Luke Chapter 15:1-10;

Luke 15:1-10now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him and the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled saying, this man receives sinners and eats with them. So he told them this parable, what man of you having a hundred sheep if he has lost one of them, does not leave the 99 in the open country and go after the one that is lost until he finds it. And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors saying to them, rejoice with me for I have found my sheep that was lost. Just so I tell you, there will be no more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous persons who need no repentance. Or what woman having 10 silver coins if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it. And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors saying, rejoice with me. For I have found the coin that I had lost. Just so I tell you, there’s joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

This is the reading of God’s word. Praise be to God!

We’re praising God today. That’s a beautiful passage. We might refer to it later. Let’s turn to first Timothy chapter 1:3-17 it’s found on page five 76 if you’re gonna follow along in the Bible provided.

So a letter written to Timothy by Paul, verse three;

1 Timothy 1:3-17As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine, 4 nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship[a] from God that is by faith. 5 The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. 6 Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussion, 7 desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions. 8 Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, 9 understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, 10 the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers,[b] liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound[c] doctrine, 11 in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted. Christ Jesus Came to Save Sinners 12 I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, 13 though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, 14 and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 15 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. 16 But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. 17 To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

This is the reading of God’s word. Paise be to God.

Have you ever waited in a line for a long time for something? What was it? A Disney attraction. Yeah, that’s true Everybody. Thank you. Why? We have many Disney employees, people who made those things for you and they’re thankful you wait in line. Why are people paying so much to get into a park, to just wait?

Because it’s awesome and magical because..(Someone in the audience says… I have friends who work there. followed by someone else saying “praise be to God”) Yeah, so true. So true. Yeah. Right. You wait because it’s worth waiting for. You deem it worth waiting for. We’re waiting for important things like life changing things at work in creating families and relationships. We’re also waiting for in line for a star wars movie. It’s for joy. It’s for longing, whatever it is. It’s worth waiting for. And today what Paul is saying to Timothy and what the Lord is saying to us, and what we’re going to hone in on is that you are worth waiting for. You’re worth waiting for it. You’re not perfect. There are things you know you’ve done wrong and you’re still not ready to make it right. There’s things you don’t know. But God is patient and he’s says, I’m waiting for you. He’s kind, I’m going to walk with you and we’re going to get to, what you want. I want to hear what you want and we’ll move towards it. But you might find out you’ll get something a lot better than you ever imagined. Something you didn’t plan on, so you’re worth waiting for. And then we’ll start to settle into what God wants to give you, now this is why God’s worth waiting for. We wait for him.

So we’re talking about how faith works. And I always have to say this cause we’re fighting a culture that wants to divorce faith from doing anything. And the biblical idea of faith is faith is action. You can’t separate it. The reason the Bible says faith without works is dead, is because faith is producing an imediate action, everytime all the time. I lean on this podium. I have a faith that I can lean on it. I leaned on it and it didn’t fall. My faith in the podium expressed itself through an action. We’re not the people who divorce faith and works. We say, you believe in a God. You Trust his son, Jesus Christ, and it will produce action. That is an active statement. So when people say, don’t you just pray, do! The Christians response is what your saying is impossible. You can’t do one without the other. Everyone has faith in something, and only doing is trying to do something without God. Let’s do something with God. Oh, so that’s praying and walking into places. But here’s my point. Patience is the one fruit of the spirit that we just don’t ever really focus on, right?

When I say the fruit of the spirit, quickly go back and listen to all my sermons from the last whatever years, and almost always I say love, joy, peace, goodness, faithfulness. Rebecca notices that every time, and I noticed it this week, it was a nice surprise to read that, patience is in the fruit of the spirit. Oh Lord, I’m so quick to say the fruits of the Spirit that I intellectually and practically forget about that beautiful word, patience. And am reintroduced to patience the important ingredient that makes almost everything work.

Only an author of something or a creator can use patients to create, you know what I mean? So when you’re making something, you have to wait for the water to boil. Or in farming you must wait, you can’t just make the seed produce something. If you know how to farm, you do your part. And then you know, waiting for the sun and the rain and the oxygen to produce what has been desired, and beyond aggreeing to what you want, you simply maintain what must be waited for. You wait for it. And you’ll see this to the whole story of scripture. Everything is about the faith that has to walk in patience because we’re trusting that the Lord will do what he says he’s going to do. And that means patience is waiting, even though it’s very difficult and it’s against all odds. You’re still waiting for the work to be made perfect outside of yourself. Our temptation, and the temptation of Christ even on the cross is to do something about it. When Christ is on the cross, they say, save yourself. Do something, use your power to save yourself, if you truly want to be blessed by God.

We say that to ourselves every day. Jesus looks like he’s inactive. He looks like he’s doing nothing. It looks like he’s losing, but God says No the ones who wait on the Lord are not failing. Faith will produce patience and although it looks like you’re failing and losing, often with God, that’s the beginning of something eternal.

Paul is writing to Timothy because it’s an impossible situation that’s going to require patience for a lot of people involved. The young church at Ephesus will have to be patient with Paul as he is imprisoned, and very patient with poor, little Timothy. The reason I say poor little Timothy is, try to imagine his situation.

Allow me to insert myself in the story for the sake of understanding the context. Imagine I’ve been with you several years and then I go to jail. I go to jail for preaching the Gospel. That’s the world we live in. And then I write a letter and send it with vicar Matt, but let’s pretend you don’t know Matt yet and his sweet baby face. Matt shows up in all this youth and it’s the Sunday where he has a letter from me and you’re like, oh, we want to hear from Adam. And he says, yeah, basically Adam’s going to be in jail a lot longer than we anticipated and I’m your new pastor.

There are a lot of feeling that need to be dealt with, no one loves the new replacement right away, right. I don’t, I don’t want the first year person. I want the seasoned veteran. Right, don’t you? So he shows up with bad news and in this letter it says you need to correct all the false doctrine. So the young guy has to show up and say, okay, people are getting too wrapped up in genealogies. You’re starting to look at the Old Testament and believe we need to do a whole list of things in order to be better Christians. We need to be more connected to Judaism. And so sweet little Timothy has to say in his innaugural message… That’s wrong. No one wants to hear from the young guy what’s wrong? Then he has to go over here and say you’re really getting sidetracked with this mysticism thing. You think that you can pray and you have to add more hours of devotion and we need to do this and you can talk to angels, and be more Christian…that’s wrong.

I imagine the response to Timothy from the corrected people would be something along the line of…. do you know how much money we give? Are you sure you want to tell me that’s wrong? And Matt’s is tempted to ease the pain and fix the problem right away. You get what I’m saying, let’s get back to using Paul and Timothy here. Timothy has to respond, Paul told me to say this. Paul is saying, if we corrupt the Gospel, if we corrupt the message of Christ crucified and risen, you lose all fruit of the spirit because it’s now law. This is how you know what law and Gospel, Law is good. But law should always come first. Law is, you need to do better. Yeah, maybe you should stop hurting people. You need to stop lying. Those are bad things, but then it’s followed with, Jesus Christ died for you. You’re forgiven. Receive. You end with receiving forgiveness and the Holy Spirit so that now you can cooperate with the Lord and walk into places of life. But if you do it the other way, it’s not gospel.

If you say, Jesus died for us now, you better be better. People leave heavy and burdened. And so he’s telling Timothy, you have to walk into a hard situation. No one’s going to have patience for you and Timothy you’re not going to have patients for them. But cling to the Gospel and wait for it to create this patience because we’re going to anchor on Jesus.

If you’re like me, I would say, how do you know I’m worth the wait Adam? What if nothing changes and I lose my life? And I’ll tell you why. Because God saved Paul. If he saved Paul, he definitely has room for you. That’s what Paul’s whole point is to Timothy. Get everybody back online with the Gospel use me as an example of God’s great patience in all of this.

Did you read the list of sins, did you read that one sin with me and go, can we say this out loud? Did you feel that? Do you know what I’m talking about? Just nod with me because our phones are listening. Yeah. There’s one sin in there that’s especially like, am I with this or against it? Let me just tell you what you believe about that. Of course, its sin, of course it is sin,, but relax. You have so many other sins in your life. To be focusing on the sin of someone else. Don’t worry about it. Yeah, it’s sin. But so is that bag of chips you ate last night. Oh, now you’re poking paster. You ate the kettle chips!. But the point for us as Christians is don’t get wrapped up on what sin is cool right now and what sin we don’t think is sin or not.

Every one is trying to redefine sin because they’re under the law. And when you are being prosecuted by the law, yeah. You start twisting around the law and trying to say what’s right and what’s wrong. “I wasn’t there, but I didn’t do it and…. We are free. And so what I love about this passage is Paul lists those sins. But you know what goes right under it. He doesn’t say those are the bad sins. He says, look at my life I killed the body of Christ.

I was pursuing people who loved Jesus by taking away their parents, putting them in prison. Orphaning children. I was trying to kill the body of Christ, straight up. If Paul were here today, he would probably say to help you relate. I was the little Hitler of my time, and he really was. He was feared. And here’s what’s interesting. He comes from the tribe of Benjamin and there’s a prophecy over the tribe of Benjamin. It says, you’ll be a ravenous wolf. And so Paul is a ravenous wolf. This is a side note, a fun and tragic historical fact. Adolf Hitler is wolf. So Adolph Hitler always called his stuff wolf. He was a wolf. And Paul is saying I was a wolf, but God found Paul and turned him into a Ravenous Wolf for the Gospel, right? We’re done with Hitler. But I bring this up because my whole Christian life, when I would read Paul saying, I’m the chief of sinners. Of all these sinners, I’m the foremost. I always thought that Paul is so great, he’s just being humble. But he’s being completely sincere. He’s saying, you can’t find a bigger sinner than me. Like that list I just read that’s happening in and among us and it needs to be dealt with, but I killed you all. He’s not exaggerating.

And then he goes on to say in verse 12 after the list of sins, I thank him who has given me strength. Jesus Christ our Lord because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service. Though formerly I was a blasphemer, a persecutor, an insulent opponent, but I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief. I just didn’t know. And then the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with faith and love that are in Christ Jesus, the saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners of who I am. The foremost I am chief, but I received mercy for this reason. That in me as the foremost sinner, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who are to believe in him for eternal life.

Paul saying to Timothy, tell them, get back to the gospel. Because the Gospel is where the patience of God is, the law is always impatient. The law doesn’t work with you. It doesn’t care. The Gospel says God is going to take his time. He’s waiting for you. No matter what you’ve done, how bad you’ve screwed it up. God is patient, he’s loving, he’s all powerful and all loving. And this is a big deal. God’s patient with you. Be patient with yourself. You don’t have to demand perfection on yourself or the people around you. You get to receive the perfection of Christ because he’s patient.

So as we enter into places of waiting, usually you’re waiting because you’re asking for something. If you’re just doing everything yourself, you don’t need patience because you just do it yourself. You don’t need that fruit of the spirit. So that’s the first thing, ask yourself, do I really need to wait for God for anything? And that’s where you enter into this conversation. You’re a person who says, yeah, I need something, everything from God.

Oh, now you’re going to enter into the fruit of patience. And the first part of that is a conversation with God where you say, here’s what I want. He’s a good listener. He’s very patient, he listens to you, he listens to you ramble on and on about all the things that other people aren’t interested in, but he is interested because he cares for you.

And so he brings you in. He listens and he listens and especially when you say, God, where are you? What are you doing? He can handle it. He can handle your doubt. When we say I don’t know. And he’s says, I know. Bring it in, it’s alright, it’s alright. I love you. And he pours out this mercy on you even though you don’t deserve it simply because you’re having a conversation with HIm. We enter in to this conversation because we say God, I want to know some things and I think you can do something for me. I think you can help. We do this until the convesation starts to change. It starts to change you in this process. So he’ll listen, but then he does something else, he draws you near. He says, this is a place of training. While you’re waiting, I want to draw you in. Bring it in for a hug. I’m just going to hold you and get you close to God.

Draw near to him. Okay, so now he’s holding you. So first you have some things. You’re like, God, I want this. I want my work to be better. I want these things. I’m out of my league. I cannot control these things around me. Help, help, help. He hears it. He says, alright, bring it in. It sounds like a patient person, right? Have you ever known a patient person? They listen. They don’t have to know what to say, but then they just go, come here, give you a hug and somehow it works. And really good listeners, they just repeat back what you say.

I know all about active listening, but when people do it to me and I know they’re doing it, my heart still melts. I’m like, it just works, doesn’t it? I know I’ve been heard. His closeness brings you in. So waiting becomes a place of strength and courage. God’s with you.

Then he starts to bring you into this last part, I’m going to make you a display for my perfect patients.

See, we’re waiting for God on things. He’s also waiting for us. He’s waiting for us to catch up and trust him. Isn’t that, funny, we always think of God, where are you? Why aren’t you moving? He’s also saying, where are you? I found you and I’m waiting for you, and it’s this part of waiting where you start to hear God and hear what he wants. Paul is saying, my messed up story of God’s patience is a display. If God can save someone who tried to destroy his church. He can save you. Can you imagine the memories that Paul would have to deal with or seeing the children of somebody he hurt as he’s traveling through cities as a missionary, and he runs into people who rightully say your the guy who separated my family. He’s like, I know, I’m sorry, forgive me. He’s a person. So he knows the patience of God and the love of God and the mercy of God. And so as you wait with God and wait for God to change you then he starts to change you so that you care about what he cares about. And now your life is quietly and patiently becoming a display and now the thing you wanted at the beginning might be different.

Have you ever waited for something to happen and it’s taken years? I have personal examples. I kind of want to use a personal example, but I didn’t get anybody’s permission to share where you were waiting for one thing to happen and then along the way you might get it years later, but you can see what God did during that time of waiting, that time when you thought nothing was happening and as you reflect back you realize, wow, I’m became a hospitable person. I became a person who encourages others. I’m the kind a person who can kind of empathize and love. Oh, I didn’t even realize I forgot that we gave to those people. I forgot about all that. God did remember, people will come up to me and say, do you remember when you said…and I’m like, no, but what? Say it again. I like that. It’s the first time I’ve ever heard that. They’re like, no, you taught me that. I say a lot of things…

You start to become a person then who can receive God’s patience and now you have patience for the people we’re praying for. It’s like they’re never going to get saved. They’re never going to change. That’s okay. We’re the people of patience. God could have easily said that to us, but he didn’t. He said, I love you and now you’re the kind of people who just pray. You just do the ordinary little things. The powerful gifts of the spirit are working out for instance in bringing food for Sunday, writing a prayer request. You have become a person of faith who patiently makes your requests known to God. You patiently love your children. You patiently show up and love each other. We see the fruit of the spirit and patience at work in you.

So there are some issues where we’re putting up our sail. We’re putting everything up, but you have to wait for the wind to push us. So we wait for the wind because the lord is worth waiting for. He’s gonna do it better than you can, he’s going to do it more thoughtfully. He’s gonna do it more generously. He’s going to do it in a kinder way. He’s going to do it in a life giving way. So just put your sail up, be ready, talk to him, hug him. Ask what do you want to say, Lord?

And those times where you ask God, oh, can you be patient with me? That’s a little too extreme. I don’t know if I can give that much. You can have those kinds of conversations, but you’re putting your sail up and he’s like, I’m using you in ways you don’t know how. Because I can use a guy like Paul. I can make something out of nothing. I can make a saints out of a sinners, receive it.

So you are more patient than you think because you have a God who thinks you’re worth waiting for. And as you consider that thank him. Thanks Lord for waiting for me. Lift off the pressure from yourself. Lift the pressure off others and look to God saying… Really this is true. He’s like, oh now you sound like a person of faith because the person of faith believes the crazy things God says, while God counts that as righteousness. That’s all we are as people of faith. You believe the promises of God and you don’t know how you don’t know where, but you just believe him and he’s like you are righteous and you’re worth waiting for.

Paul ends this section with praising God. So I want to praise God with him because part of the patience we have is for Christ to come back. And thethe ability to wait patiently for him to come back is to know how good he is and how worth it.

And so read out loud together with me verse 17. It’s a response. Paul is saying this patience is all rooted in and founded in the fact that God is eternal. God is all powerful. God is all loving. Praise God. He deserves all glory. He deserves all honor. Paul’s not going, Oh, I’ve really turned my life around, aren’t I awesome? He’s saying this is all to the glory and honor God and Jesus Christ by the power of his spirit.

Let’s read it together. Verse 17 “to the King of ages immortal, invisible, the only God be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen”.

Lord, thank you for your word. Thank you for your patience. Work it in us, work it through us, towards others, and just continue to be patient with us. Lord, you’re leading us to life. Bless the reading of your word. Bless the speaking about it in ways we can’t even imagine. We ask in Jesus name. Amen.

So we just kinda did a really great confession. Did that feel good to say that that’s, that’s part of our humanity. We were created to be together worshiping God. So when we do things like that, it feels it. It stirs something in you that God put there from the beginning. So I want to keep stirring that right now and, confess together the apostle’s creed on page B. And again, I do this to connect to the Christians before us to connect to the Christians around us cause all week all we hear about is the opposite of belief in God. So I need at least once a week to hear that there’s other people that believe this with me. So, let’s stand and say it together and give you a chance to confess the patient salvation of our God by His Son Jesus Christ by the Power of His Spirit.

The ancient question. What do you believe Christian? I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of Heaven and earth and in Jesus Christ his only son, our Lord who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. On the third day, he rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty. From there, he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit and the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting. Amen.

[inaudible]

As we have a time of responding to God by saying thank you to God for everything you have. And so I give back to the work of your word on earth as it is in heaven. And so this is another opportunity for us to respond by giving and saying thanks and worship. I know many of you give online. Thank you for that. If you need something to do during this time, ask the Lord what he wants you to do. , Try to hear the Lord’s voice about where you’re wanting patients or what you’re trying to rush into right now. Just try to listen to what the Lord wants in terms of that. So father, we give you ourselves and we ask that your word would continue to be announced on earth as it is in heaven and that your kingdom would reign over us and eventually over the whole world. Lord, will you wait for me? Yes, yes I will. Lord, will you help me wait for you? Yes. I’ll help you. Wait for me. Thank you Lord. We love you. In Jesus name. Amen.

And so Jesus sets up a place where he meets with his people. He says, when you’re looking for me, you gotta look in the most obvious place first. Anthony was looking for a microphone that we had misplaced. He looked everywhere for a couple of weeks and then realized it was in the microphone stand in his office the whole time. And he said, I should always look where it’s supposed to be first. Look where it should be. And that’s what the Lord Supper is. Jesus says, you’re going to be looking for me and you’re going to try to locate me in your brain and your heart. But look for me in a place where I should be first, the place of worship, I promise to be there in the Lord’s supper. I will be there. Look for me there first. Oh, that’s makes sense. That sounds kind of obvious. I know. I’ve been patiently waiting for you to realize that. So we look for God. We discern his body and his blood here. He set this up and he sustains it and he redeems it and so that’s why on the night that he was betrayed, he says, this is my body. Looks like a colossal failure, but it’s not. This is my body which is broken for you. I’m doing something here that while it looks like I’m doing nothing, I’m doing something. I’m all in. God is always doing something. I says, I’m going to die for you.

I’m going to take the punishment for you. In the same way he takes the cup and pours the wine and he says, this is my blood for a new covenant for the forgiveness of sins. I’ll restore your DNA. I’ll restore your inheritance. I’ll forgive you.

Peter is sitting there at this meal and several hours later Peter will look at Jesus with disdain on two accounts. He’ll pull his sword and go, Jesus, what are you doing? And he’ll try to kill one of the guys who have come to take Jesus away. Because Peter had this fantasy of how things should go. He had a fantasy of Jesus going to be king. We’re going to rule. And then he saw Jesus being inactive, doing nothing at a key moment. When in reality Jesus was really being patient and going, I know what I’m doing. Peter couldn’t handle that. But Jesus was patient with Peter wasn’t he, I forgive you.

And so at this meal it looks like failure. He’s dying, he’s saying goodbye, but he’s starting something brand new. And so for us as we approach the Lord’s supper again, come expecting to be blessed by God. This is the place where he says, I just want to tell you, you are forgiven and rest assured in the work of Christ, not in me, not in Matt, we’re just stewards. We just are waiters, literally giving you your meal. That’s all we are. And that’s all you are to the world. Jesus saves you. But man, we need to hear it. It’s surprising how good that message is every time.

Father, we thank you for setting up this meal and inviting us to the meal to sit at your table with you. We bring our faith and our faith produces this work where we come forward and we believe that you died for us. We believe that you rose again and we believe that you forgive us our sins and we rest under the work of Christ reclining at the table of the father full of the Holy Spirit as adopted children, looking to their loving father. Bless these elements in the name of the father, son and Holy Spirit. Bless them and nourish them to our hearts and minds and souls. In Jesus name. Amen.

Jesus says that as often as you eat of this bread and drink of this cup, you proclaim his coming, his death and his coming again. He’s coming back. We’re going to have a bigger and better meal one day. Father, thank you for this time. Continue to grow our faith. And now hear our songs of praise in Jesus name. Amen.

May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you. May he look upon you with favor and give you peace now and forever. Amen.