YouTube video iFS3oYoJ8fU

the side. This is real life. The rest you are crucified.

This is real life. This is real life. This is real life.

This is real life. This is real life. Hallelujah.

Hallelujah. Awesome. Welcome everyone.

Hi. Hi. Hi.

Or come to church. All right. I have just um I have just a couple announcements.

Uh, my name is Raul if we have not met. Somebody somebody emailed and was like, "You never introduce yourself." And I was like and I just I just didn't think about it. Um, uh, I have a couple announcements here and then we'll I'll read some scripture and we'll we'll jump right into worship.

Um, but we're so glad you're here. Uh, I know that, you know, especially when when we get sun here in the Northwest, it's you could be doing a million other things. Uh, and so being here tonight loving Jesus, we're it's just it's a joy to have you.

And so we're uh we're so thankful. Um, all right. May 24th, which is in two Sundays, right?

That's in two Sundays. We >> next Sunday. >> Oh, that's the I'm learning.

Oh, yeah. Next Sunday. Okay.

So, next Sunday um uh next Sunday we're going to be receiving communion here at church. So tonight, kind of what I want to do is I want to uh for those of you who've been here over the last several months, um we've been going through Exodus 12 and just really going through communion and and the power of communion according to the scriptures. And I want to kind of summarize it and close it up today.

Um and then next week, what we're going to do is we're going to come to the Lord's table and we're going to receive communion together. and just really believe that uh over the course of what we learn in the scriptures about the testimony of Jesus, his body, his blood, the cross, uh as we'll just we'll see God move through the room and and we're going to pray for the sick and and pray for lost family members and brokenness and financial stuff and and all sorts of stuff. We're just going to contend for the victories of heaven through the finished work of the cross at the table of communion.

And so, um, we just, you know, if you make it to a Sunday at church here at the finding, uh, I will always I will always encourage you that that Sunday be a communion Sunday. Um because through and through um the purpose of the Christian life is to know Jesus, to remember Jesus, to love Jesus, and to look like Jesus. Amen.

>> Awesome. Okay. Okay.

And then the second announcement is then June 7th, which will be two weeks later, uh is we're going to have our second church um water baptism service where where we have several people who um several people who want to give uh who want to be baptized and yield themselves over to Jesus through the uh through the waters of baptism. And so, uh, the following Sunday, not next Sunday, but the following Sunday and the Sunday after that, I want to teach on, uh, I want to teach on water baptism and explain really biblically why why we partake of water baptism. We there's all sorts of, uh, reasons and purposes, but, there's there's one intention that God had through the waters of baptism.

And and so, we'll kind of go through several scriptures that talk about it. And then uh and then on June 7th, we'll celebrate with the people who um who are giving themselves over to Jesus in this way and just love him together. So those are the two dates.

Just kind of keep them in mind and um uh and then we'll we'll go from there. We'll see what the Lord does. Um, the other thing we uh I wanted I wanted to uh kind of keep you posted on, I know I've brought it up uh uh maybe about a month ago, a little bit maybe a little bit more is we've been working on on kids church and uh kids ministry happening and so we're getting closer and closer when it comes to getting all the just all the legal stuff done.

And we already have a team in place um that's you know putting together the logistics and everything that it'll take to do that. And so we're uh we're moving forward and we're getting close. We hope to get it started next month in June, hopefully by mid June.

And really just uh I know that our church um is made up of a lot of young adults. Uh but for the families that are here and and have kids, what we want we want to be really diligent with is raising up our children into the presence of God to know his voice, to know his heart that that they wouldn't be afraid to preach the gospel and to pray for the sick and to uh to express what they're seeing and the prophetic and and just really uh children who oftentimes tend to be significantly more sensitive to the spirit of God that uh we would be able to teach them to grow into Jesus. And so, um, I wanted to give you an update on that.

And then the other thing that I wanted to give you, uh, just a short update on is we've over the last about two and a half weeks, I've really felt strongly from the Lord that, um, we're going to start making strides, intentional strides towards morning services. Um, and we are we're we're engaging with several facilities right now to to try to put the pieces together and start making that happen. Um, and so we um we're going to take time to intentionally pray and fast myself, the team as to what that will look like moving forward and and what God wants how God wants us to approach it.

But um it is something that I that I felt strongly over the last two uh and a half weeks or so. It was it's prayer which is like a kind of what we've been doing at church here is is taking time for corporate prayer and then the second thing was was making a kind of a draw in that direction towards morning services as well. And so I will keep you posted on all of those things.

If if you're in prayer and you're praying for church and and for uh for what God's doing here at the finding, just um include that in your prayers. and um and we'll see where the Lord takes us. Amen.

Okay. So, why don't we all stand up? I want to read from Isaiah Isaiah chapter 60 today.

Verse one, it says, "Arise and shine, for your light has come and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth and thick darkness the people. But the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you, and nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.

Jesus, we thank you that only you can enter a dark and and lifeless tomb. And out of it, you brought forth eternal life. And it's only your testimony that can rest upon dead wood.

And from dead wood comes forth everlasting life for the very ones you love. And only you, Lord, when when we were lost and broken and insecure and in the miry clay and in a pit of darkness when you looked at us, Lord, you you called us yours. And out of sad little lives, Lord, you brought forth children, children children of God.

And so today, we remember, Lord, that we we have so much hope and we have so much to celebrate, so much joy that you are the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, and there's nobody like you, none beside you. You are faithful through the ages. You are constant and consistent, everlasting and true.

You are generous and so kind. You're loving. You're so gentle and so sweet.

And today we remember that it is it is the light of your glory that shines upon us. And your word says that whatever it is you illuminate, whatever it is that you shine light on becomes a light itself. And so we thank you that you call us higher.

And I ask Lord that tonight you would give us a greater hunger, a greater hunger as we lift our voices and our hearts in song as we yield ourselves over to you. May there be a cry of desperation for our bridegroom, the one that we are after, the one that we love. And so we cry, "Come, Lord Jesus.

Come." Why don't we all lift our hands to heaven and and in your own words and in your own prayer ask that the Lord Jesus would come and be with us Lord tonight. Come and rest with us. Come and be with your people.

We love you, Lord. We love you and we know that we are loved by you. So we ask come and rest with us, Lord.

Even if tonight we just sit and bask in your presence, it is more than enough cuz you are all that we need. You are the one thing that's needed. And so we ask, hear the cry of your people.

Hear the cry of your people. Come, Lord Jesus. Come.

Hear the cry of your people. Come, Lord Jesus. Come.

Come, Lord Jesus. Come. Come and be with us tonight, Lord.

Come and be with this precious king. We need the whole Christ. We need you and we want you, Lord.

We want you. We want you, Lord. Come.

Come, Lord Jesus. Come, glorious one. Come.

Come, Lord Jesus. How we need you, Lord. How we need it, Lord.

How we needed, Jesus. Oh, come Lord. We're here to honor you.

We're here to sing to you. We lift our voices to you, Jesus. You're worthy.

You worthy. You to God be the glory. To God be the glory.

To God be the glory for the feast he has done with his blood. He has saved me with his power. He has raised me.

To God be the glory for the things he has done. You're so worthy, Lord. So worthy love.

To God be the glory. To God be the glory. To God be the glory.

For the things he has done with his blood. He has saved me with his power. He has raised me.

To God be the glory for the things he has done. To God. To God be the glory.

To God be the glory. To God be the glory. for the things he has done.

With his blood he has saved me with his power. He has raised me. To God be the glory for the things he has done.

To God, to God be the glory. To God be the glory. God be the glory for the feast he has done with his blood.

He has saved me with his power. He has amazed me to God be the glory for the peace he has done. To God, to God be the glory.

To God be the glory. To God be the glory. For the things he has done.

With his word. He has saved me with his power. He has raised me to God.

Be the glory for the peace he has done. To God be the glory. Glory to God be the glory.

To God be the glory. For the feast he has done. With his blood he has saved me.

With his blood he has raised me. To come be the glory for the things he has done. Tear be all the glory.

Lord, you deserve all the glory. You deserve all the good alone. You deserve I love you.

I need you. Though my world may fall, I'll never let you go. My savior, my closest friend.

I will worship you until the very end of how I love you. I love you. I need you.

Though my world may fall, I'll never let you go. My savior, my closest friend. I will worship you until the very end.

Jesus, you're the lover of my soul. Jesus, I'll never let you go. You've taken me from the clay.

You set my feet upon the rock. And now I know. Jesus, you're the lover of my soul.

Jesus, I will never let you go. Oh, you've taken me from the mighty clay. You set my feet upon the rock.

And now I know Jesus. Jesus, you're the lover of my soul. Jesus, I will never let you go.

You taking me from the mighty clay. Set my feet upon the rock. And I know I love you.

I need you. Though my world may fall, I'll never let you go. My savior, my closest friend.

I will worship you until the very end. I love you. I love you.

I need you. You're my world may fall. I'll never let you go.

You're my savior, my closest friend. I will worship you until the very end. I love I love you.

I need you. Though my world may fall, I'll never let you go. You're my savior, my closest friend.

I will worship you until the very end. Oh, I wor Jesus. Jesus, you're the lover of my soul.

Jesus, I will never let you go. You've taken me from the mighty clay. You set my feet upon the rock.

And now I know Jesus. Jesus, you're the lover of my soul. Jesus, I will never let you go.

You taken me from the mighty clay. You set my feet upon the rock. Let's sing this again.

Jesus, Jesus, you're the lover of my soul. Jesus, I will never let you go. You've taken me from the mighty way.

You set my feet upon the rock. And now I know Jesus. Jesus, you're the lover of my soul.

Jesus, I will never let you go. You're taking me from the mighty grave. You set my feet upon the rock.

And now I know I love you. I love you. I need you.

Know my world before. I'll never let you go. You're my savior, my closest friend.

I will worship you until the very end. Oh, I love you. I love you.

I need you. Though my world may fall, I'll never let you go. You're my savior, my ghost.

I will worship you until the very end. How we worship you, Lord. I worship you.

Oh, how I love you. Oh, how I love you, Lord. I love you, Lord.

I love you, Lord. Worship you. Oh, I will worship you until the very end.

I will worship you until the very end. I will worship you until the very end. I will worship you until the very end.

I will worship you until the very end. I will worship you until the very end. I will worship you until the very end.

I will worship you until the very end. I will worship you until the very end. I will worship you until the day.

I will worship you until the day. I will worship you. And I love you.

And I need you. And though my world may fall, I'll never let you go. Oh, you're my savior.

My clothes is red. Oh, I will worship you until the day. Oh, I love you.

I need you. Though my world may fall, I'll never let you go. Oh, you're my savior, my closest friend.

I will worship you until the very end. And I will worship you until the very end. I will worship you until the very end.

I will worship you until the very end. I will worship you until the very end. I will worship you until the very end.

I will worship you until the very end. Jesus, you're the lover of my soul. Jesus, I'll never let you go.

You've taken me from the Mar. You set my feet upon the rock. And I know sing this again.

Jesus, you're the lover of my soul. Jesus, I will never let you go. You've taken me from the merry clay.

Set my feet upon the rock. And I know and I love. Oh, I need you.

Though my world may fall, I'll never let you go. You're my savior, my closest friend. I will worship you until the very end.

Until the very end. Until the very end. Until the very end.

Until the very end. Until the very end. Until the very end.

Until the very end. Until the very end. Until the very end.

Heat. There is one seated on the throne. He alone will reign forever.

I'm lost in a wonder that I can't explain. Who is this king that makes the mountain shake? There is one seated on the throne.

He alone will rain forever. I'm lost in a wonder that I can't explain. Who is this king that makes the mountain shape?

With eyes like fire, hair like wool, voice like many, waters roar. There's nobody like you. Nobody like you.

With eyes like fire, hair like wool, voice like men, waters roar. There's nobody like you. Nobody like you.

You are holy. Holy. Holy one.

Lamb of God, you are worthy. You're worthy. Worthy one.

Exalted on high. You are holy. You're holy.

Holy one. Lamb of God, you are worthy, worthy, worthy, worthy, exalted. There is one who deserves our praise.

The lamb who rose defeat in death and grave. He's clothed in splendesty. The Lord of hosts, the Lord of everything.

Oh, there is one. There is one who deserves our praise. The lamb who rose defeat death and grave.

He's clothed in splendesty. The Lord of hosts, the Lord of everything. With eyes like fire, hair like voice like men, waters flow.

There's nobody like you. There's nobody like you. With eyes like fire, hair like voice like water.

There's nobody like you. Oh, nobody like you. You are holy.

You're holy. Holy world, lamb of God, you are worthy, worthy, worthy, worthy. If you're on high, you are worthy.

You're holy, holy, lamb of God. You are worthy, worthy, worthy, worthy. Exalted all.

We are Heat. Only one found worthy. Only one found worthy.

We give blessing and honor and glory to the one found worthy. Only one found worthy. We give blessing and honor and glory to the one found worthy.

Holy one found worthy. We give blessing and honor and glory to the one worthy. Holy one worthy.

We give blessing, honor, glory to the one worthy, only one worthy. And we give blessing and honor and glory to the one worthy. Holy one worthy.

We give blessing and honor and glory to the one worthy. Holy ones are worthy and we give blessing honor. Glory to the world.

Holy one worthy we glory to the one. We see all the way. Glory to the world.

Glory to the world. You are you of God. You are worthy.

You're worthy. Everyone ex of God, you are worthy. You're worthy, worthy, worthy.

Exalted on high exerted Now the heart. >> There's nobody like you. There's nobody like you.

>> Nobody like you. >> Nobody like you. >> Nobody like you.

>> There's nobody like you. >> Nobody like you. >> Nobody like >> Nobody like you.

>> Nobody like you. >> Nobody like you. >> Nobody like you.

>> Nobody like you. >> Nobody like >> Nobody like you. >> Nobody like >> Nobody like you.

>> There's nobody like you. Nobody like you. >> Nobody like you.

>> Nobody like you. >> There's nobody like you. >> Nobody like you.

With skies like fire, hair like gold, voice like water through. There's nobody like there's nobody like you. With eyes like fire, head, voice like men, water.

There's nobody like, nobody like with eyes like fire, hail like men, water. There's nobody like, nobody like you. Heat.

Holy one worthy. Holy worthy. We give blessing.

Glory to the world. Worthy. We want you all glory to the world.

Holy worthy blessing. Glory to the world. Heat.

Heat up here. There is no one like you in the heavens or on the earth. There is no one like you in the heavens or on the earth.

There is no one like you in the heavens or on the earth. There is no one like you. In the heavens or on the earth, there is no one like you.

In the heavens or on the earth, there is no one like you. In the heavens or on the earth, there is no one like you. In the heavens or on the earth, there is no one like you.

In the heavens or on the earth, there is no one like you. In the heavens, on the earth, there is no one like you. In the heavens, on the earth, there is no one like you.

In the heavens for all the earth, there is no one like you. In the heavens, there is no like you. Yeah.

Heat. know you. You are holy, holy, holy, lamb of God.

You are worthy, worthy, worthy, exalted on high. You are holy, holy, holy. Lamb of God, you are worthy.

Worthy, worthy one, exalted on high. You are holy, holy, holy one. Lamb of God, you are worthy, worthy, worthy, exalted on high.

Thank you Lord. Thank you for your faithfulness and your presence Lord your nearness always. Thank you.

If you've been with us over the last couple weeks, I shared how I felt a leading, a drawing from the Lord, a conviction that we we have to spend time praying corporately together. And so I want us to take maybe the next five or 10 minutes and the team will continue to play and and but we will all engage our hearts towards the Lord in prayer here tonight. Amen.

The Bible teaches that there's some measures of God's presence. There's some measures of our walk in and with Jesus that we can only step into in and through prayer. And so tonight I what I want to do is is a couple weeks ago we prayed for hunger.

Last week we prayed for our city and that God would touch our region. Um, this week I want to I want to take our focus and I want us all to contend for for our families. They whether they know Jesus or not.

Maybe they're walking through something difficult or challenging, but that God would grow our families into his presence and that he would keep us strong. That he would keep us strong in our relationship with one another and our love for one another in in union and communion with one another as we love Jesus. If they don't know the Lord, then we will pray that they will be bound to the cross.

That there there is no escape for them. That one day they will bow their knee to the name that is Jesus. For our family members that maybe do know Jesus but have grown jaded or hard-hearted or calloused, that the Lord would reawaken them and that there would be there would be an awakening within our church that would start in the nuclear family, would start in family.

I don't want to uh during these prayer times I I don't want us to be led by anyone. I just I want us to engage corporally. And so if if you want to get on your knees or or stay standing or whatever it looks like for you, but I just I want us all to engage the heart of Jesus tonight in prayer.

All right. for the next 5 to 10 minutes. This is us together with Jesus.

Let's lift our voices for our families and for his pre for his presence in our families. Heat. Heat up here.

Heat up here. Heat up here. Heat.

Oh Lord, we pray. Would you save our families, Lord? Our lost family members, mothers and fathers, brothers, sisters, sons, daughters, aunts and uncles, our cousins.

Lord, would you save those who don't know you? Would you draw them to yourself? We bind them to your cross, Lord.

And we thank you for the salvation of our lost family members. We pray, Lord, for those who have grown jaded or hard-hearted and callous towards your presence and your voice. And we ask, would you meet them where they're at?

Would you meet them, Lord, like you met Paul? Would you meet them and shake their worlds up? Would you meet them?

send people who will cross their paths, who will preach the gospel to them, who will demonstrate your love towards them. And we ask God that you would break through the hardness of the heart and break through the jadedness. Would you break through the callousness and reveal yourself to our jaded and lost family members?

We pray Lord for our children. Would you protect them and watch over them? Guard them, Lord.

That they would be protected from the schemes of the enemy. That they would be protected from the ways of the world. And they would be found in your presence.

They would be guarded by angels on assignments. They would be surrounded by your Holy Spirit. And we ask God that for families that are experiencing brokenness and pain and hurt.

We thank you for a touch of heaven, Lord, the peace of heaven to enter those families, those households, Lord, that you would encounter them, that you would encounter broken and hurting families and redeem them, restore them back to the cross. We pray, Lord, for families within our church. Would you save them?

Would you save them, Lord, and make them whole? Would you save them and make them whole? Would you save them and make them whole?

And with families, Lord, as whole families, may there be an awakening, revival that spark from the deaths of families. May there be an awakening that comes forth in our church that would be rooted in families that love one another. Families that are after your heart.

we ask come Lord Jesus come infiltrate our families as a church we pray and contend God that you would cut our families deep you would keep us Lord you would protect us that we would not fall into the individualism way of life where we don't need anyone or anything else keep us Lord in a love for one another and most important in our love for you. And so I plead your blood over our family members, over our families. And we ask God, cover us, watch over us, keep us, protect us, and lead us, Lord, as families, into your presence, into your heart, into your kingdom.

Lead us, Lord. So we love you, Jesus. We plead your blood.

We thank you for your faithfulness, God. I thank you for what you're going to do here tonight. For the ways that you come, Lord, for the ways that you love us, the way that that we get to stand firm in the truth of the gospel, the way that you hold us in the palm of your hand.

the way you comfort us and and hold us and keep us >> that you hold our heads up, Lord, that in you we always have something to celebrate. >> Yes. >> In you we always have reason to rejoice.

>> Yes. >> In you we always have a reason to celebrate. for you are always good.

Always good. So we yield ourselves over to you tonight, Lord. Have your way in us and the service and all that you want to do.

We yield ourselves over to you. We love you, precious Jesus. We give you all of the glory, all of the honor, and in your most holy name we pray.

Amen. Amen. Amen.

Amen. Thank you, Lord. Amen.

You may find your seats. Um, if you're standing in the back and you need you need a seat, there's several scattered throughout the room. Uh, maybe ushers, you can help you can help people find seats if they need.

Can we thank our precious worship team as um amazing. Thank you, Lord. We've been so um myself and the team I I I forget.

I think I might have shared this uh last week or maybe it was at Bible study, but just over the last over the last three weeks or so, I've really been stirred in my spirit to uh to further engage the Lord in prayer and and like intercessory prayer. I, you know, I I I I pray every day. I I um yeah, I I'm I'm in prayer every day.

um and engaging the Lord's heart. in my time with him, like if I have an hour to spend over the last three weeks, it's um about 40 minutes of it I'll just uh spend in prayer and contending and and for what God's doing here in the room with us, but also for for for our protection as as the body of Christ and and really for us to not lose sight of the the assignment of heaven over over our lives, over uh our church and then the church at large. You know, sometimes it can be really I mean we I think we probably all can relate to this is it can be really easy to lean into a direction because a season of life can get challenging and something else feels more convenient.

And Jesus actually he he warns his disciples about this. I I've brought up this example over the last two two weeks and I and I want to do it again is when Jesus was praying in the garden of Gethsemane and um and he would go back to his disciples and he would find them sleeping and he would wake them up and he would say pray that you may not be tempted. In other words, there are seasons of life when when they get heavy or weighty or difficult.

the some of one of the only ways to resist temptation is to engage the heart of God in prayer. And so in that place when turmoil happens whether it's uh around the world or or locally or in family or in our lives or whatever it is when that stuff happens and we remain faithful and consistent in prayer, what happens is there's there's a shielding. There's some guarding.

there's a divine protection there that um that Jesus encouraged his disciples to um to seek through prayer. And so um so today as as I was praying at home, I I felt kind of draw towards families that we pray for our families and and and plead the blood over them and and and really believe for salvation of households and that the Lord would would bring us back to the you know to the foot of the cross. And so, um, anyways, so we'll, uh, we stand in faith for for what God wants to do.

Amen. >> Amen. Awesome.

Well, we're so glad you're here tonight. Is there anyone who's here for the first time? Anybody?

Awesome. Welcome, guys. Welcome.

We love Jesus and and I just want to grow to love him more. Really, our that's really our hearts. And so he is our message here.

We we rarely talk about other things, not because they're not important, but because Jesus is of utmost importance. And so if he is not the message, any other message loses its purpose, value, and and power. So, um, we've been going through Exodus 12, like I I said at the beginning, and, uh, we're going to, what I want to do tonight is just is a recap of of what we've been building into so that when we go into communion next week, we're kind of going into we're going into it just full of faith, expectancy, and excitement for the power that is found in the body and the blood of Jesus, the cross, and his testimony.

Amen. >> Amen. Awesome.

Well, so before we get into that, uh I just want to receive tonight's offering really uh really quickly and um and then we will we'll jump right into right into Exodus 12. And so, uh, really all I all I want to say tonight, uh, when it comes to offering is, um, offering is our is a form of worship unto the Lord. Because in our in our giving, we're really what worship is, it is a the humbling.

It is the submitting of one's life onto uh unto someone of of greater stature. And in the kingdom, Jesus is of greatest stature. He is he is of utmost worthy of all of our honor, all of our praise, all of our worship, all of our adoration.

I mean, we know this. I'm I'm preaching to the choir here. But unfortunately, in some weird way, we kind of remove we remove we tend to build these uh these perspectives where we claim here's kind of like my sacred life and it includes church and ministry and the ways that you serve and and then this there's this other part of my life which is my job, education, career, my family maybe.

And and we try to balance often times there we try to balance these two different worlds and and almost like there's a uh there's a lack of bringing the secular so to speak into the sacred. And what happens is when we when we remove the presence of Jesus from the areas of our lives that he intended to bless. It's not that he doesn't want to bless our life in these areas.

It's that when we remove ourselves from his presence, we are left with whatever there is when he's not around. And this is what I mean. You most of you probably know the story of when David uh was when David left the ark of covenant, the ark of testimony at the house of a priest named Oed Edom.

And Oed Edom uh had the ark of the covenant, the ark of testimony in his house for three months. And the scriptures teach that that for three months his entire household prospered simply because the testimony of God rested in his household. We know this the example is that when Jesus rests upon dead things when when the testimony of the Christ when the blood of Jesus the living blood of Jesus rested upon dead wood out from it came forth eternal life.

When Jesus entered a a tomb, a lifeless, cold, dark tomb, when he entered it, walks out everlasting life for you and I. In other words, whatever Jesus enters that seems to be dead and dark and hard and broken, whatever his testimony is applied to, anytime he enters that area, that thing begins to prosper in ways that you can't imagine. >> Do you hear what I'm saying?

You can probably understand where I'm going now. It's the same thing with every and every area of our lives. You remove your family from if you remove praying for your family and you make it a sacred topic, what happens is then you are left for yourself to sustain and seek blessing that is not found outside of Jesus on a cross.

There is no life found in wood in the shape of a cross. There's only life found in the blood of Jesus and the testimony of Jesus. applied to wood in the shape of a cross.

Does that make sense? The same thing happens in with our finances is is is we obviously all of us desire to you know to prosper in that area. Um, you know, I shared it before sometimes sometimes, you know, we have like our conference we do every year and we sell registration there and and every year we get emails and messages and comments of people are like, "I can't believe you're trying to sell church and and they they get upset about the the registration costs." And for me, I'm like, "Man, if we were all planning a trip to Hawaii, I know you would not expect me to pay for you.

you would be like, "Hey, I'm I'm chipping in my So really what we're doing is we're all pulling in to do something for our city that we can all partake of." And anyways, and so people were like, "I can't believe you're you're not doing it for free." And and I'm like, "Listen, if it was up to me, if it was up to me, not only would I make it free, I would I would give everyone $1,000 that walked through those doors. if it was up to if it wasn't that there's costs and that money would grew on trees. Like I'm like that's my heart.

I'm like I would want to be as generous as I know how to be. And but I say this is because we remove we remove the the sacredness and the blessing of the Lord because we make certain topics secular and and we seek and contend there's there's a desire to prosper. But life and prosperity in any area of our life does not come forth from the testimony of Jesus or rather if the testimony of Jesus does not fill that area of our life.

If faith does not fill that area of our life. And so what I want to encourage you is like if there's ache and pain and brokenness in your family, apply the testimony of Jesus to it. If there's sin and darkness and brokenness in your life, apply the testimony of Jesus to that dead thing.

If you're struggling financially and and and there's hardship and you're struggling to make ends meet or you've lost a job, apply the testimony of Jesus to that thing in your life. But do not separate yourself from from the flow of heaven. Amen.

>> Amen. All right. Well, we have um every every regular way of giving up on the screen.

If if you need an envelope, please raise your hand. our ushers are more than happy to get you one of those um if you need an envelope. Otherwise, I want to give you a couple minutes to do that.

And then um we'll play a short video and we'll be right back. We'll jump straight into Exodus 12. So, we'll be right back.

Above all, all powers and possessions your name stands. Sing your name. Your name is the highest.

Your name is the greatest. Your name stands above the above all into position. Your name says the Lord.

And the angels cry, "Holy, all creation cries, holy, you are lifted high, holy, holy forever." And we your people sing holy to the king of kings. Holy you holy, holy, glory. And the angels and the angels cry all creation and you are lifted high forever.

I see the king to the king. Sing your name. Your name is the highest.

Your name. Your name stands above the Lord. Say your name.

Say your name. Heat. Yeah.

Heat. All right. Let's pray.

Let's pray. We'll we'll honor the Lord. So, Jesus, uh, we love you deeply and we thank you that you are faithful.

You're so kind to us. You are constant and consistent. And we thank you that for all of eternity, Lord, we get to celebrate the victory of the cross because of what you have accomplished.

And tonight, as we give in our offering to you, Lord, we uh we pray that it would be one that is that brings up that uh sends an aroma that is pleasing to your heart. And we ask that you would breathe upon it, that in and through it, you would save our city. You would save our nation, Lord, and that you would touch the nations of the world with the with the truth and the power of the gospel.

I thank you, Lord, for every person in this room, those who gave and and didn't, that um that you see every need, whether it's financial or any other. And we come to you, Lord, as children, not not ones who are helpless and hopeless, but children who are confident in the goodness of our father. And so I know Lord that you will take care of our needs.

You will watch over us. You will keep us. And we thank you that you are always faithful, always true.

I thank you Lord for tonight. Whatever it is you want to do, please speak to us, correct us, Lord, rebuke us, cut our hearts deep, encourage us, strengthen us, and help us, Lord, that we would remain faithful uh to the assignment of your word, to the assignment of the gospel. We love you, Lord, and in your name we pray.

Amen. Amen. Awesome.

Amazing. Amazing. Let's open our Bibles to Exodus 12.

So, we're going to we're going to read about 10 verses here and um yeah, and I'll just kind of I'll ex uh expand on it. So, we're going to start in verse 33, which is where we we ended last time we were in Exodus. It says, "The Egyptians were urgent." So, mind you, this is after the Passover.

This is after the um uh the angel of death came through Egypt and took took the firstborn. And uh the the Israelites are now like released to go. And so the scriptures say, "The Egyptians were urgent with the people to send them out of the land in haste, for they said, "We shall all be dead." So the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneading bowls being bound up, bound up in their cloaks on their shoulders.

The people of Israel had also done as Moses told them, for they had asked the Egyptians for silver and gold, jewelry, and for clothing. And the Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians that they let them have what they asked. Thus they plundered the Egyptians.

And the people of Israel journeyed from Ramsy's tok about 600,000 men on foot besides women and children. A mixed multitude also went up with them and very much livestock, both flocks and herds. And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough that they had that they had brought out of Egypt, for it was not leavened because they were thrust out of Egypt and could not wait, nor had they prepared any provisions for themselves.

The time that the people of Israel lived in Egypt was 430 years. At the end of 430 years, on the very day all the h all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt. It was a night of watching by the Lord to bring them out of the land of Egypt.

So this same night is a night of watching kept to the Lord by all the people of Israel throughout their generations. Okay. So, I just I want to do a little recap of of Exodus 12 is um what we learn again and again and again with scriptures and and in some ways, you know, if you've been coming around, you this might almost seem like it's a little bit redundant because I it's just it's so deeply ingrained in our DNA at the finding is the testimony of Jesus.

And you've if you've been coming, you've certainly heard me talk about it uh before because it's just it is it is the emphasis of our house. It is what God God has called us to um to seek out and to pursue and engage in is the testimony of Jesus through the broken body and the spilled out blood of communion. And so what we learn in Exodus 12 is that every detail of the Passover lamb.

So what was going on with the Passover lamb is that Israel was being instructed to what they were really doing is that they were telling the testimony of Jesus, the coming Messiah, who they didn't know who he was. They didn't know who Jesus was at that time. But Jesus, he was the the Passover lamb was a type and shadow of the lamb that was to come.

The Passover lamb that was to come, who was Jesus. And so when God gave them instruction for how it should be cooked and the way that it should be seasoned and the herbs and the way that they should receive it, he gave instruction not because God is like, you know, I've said this before. He's not like he's not just particular about the way things are done for no reason.

It's because in every way that he asked Israel to engage with the Passover lamb is uh was was every every reason was because it was prophesying in nature. What they were doing is they were prophesying the coming Messiah. And so we, you know, I've gone through this over the last handful of months, but when it talked about, for example, that the lamb had to be roasted and blackened, not boiled or eaten raw, it spoke of the fact that Jesus who hung on the cross took on the wickedness and the darkness of humanity.

It says that you must receive it with the readiness mean it says you have your staff in hand, your belt fastened, shoes on your feet, ready to leave the land of of your bondage when you receive of this meal. And so God gave instruction for the way this meal was to be to be received because every detail of the Passover lamb in Exodus 12 was pointing to the was prophesying I should say prophesying of the Passover lamb that was coming in the book of Matthew. So you I hope you remember this right if you were coming.

Yes. Sweet. No.

Okay. Okay. So, that's kind of the context of where where uh where we're starting or where we're going we're going with with tonight.

What you will notice what you will notice in the book of Exodus as Israel is finding their deliverance and I think this is this is important for all of us to to learn and to know to become familiar with is that there was not one time in their portion of deliverance that God asked them to take on sword, spear or shield for battle. There was not a moment where God asked them to create a plot to come against Egypt. There was not a moment where in fact there was not even a moment where where God prompted Israel to pray against Pharaoh or against there.

And not that hear my heart here. Not that uh there's there's something wrong with prayer. We shouldn't we shouldn't pray.

Certainly not. The point that I'm trying to make is that God had one assignment for people who asked for deliverance. And that one that one assignment, that one instruction was, I want you to tell the testimony of this Passover lamb.

And in this telling of the Passover lamb, in telling the testimony of the Passover lamb, what you will find is your deliverance. And I will take care of it on your behalf. When God sent the plague towards Egypt, there was not one time where Israel had to be involved in making it happen.

God said, "I want you to trust me. I want you to trust me, and I want you to be ready to leave the land of your bondage." And so, he begins to come against the the thing that bound Israel, Egypt, that bound Israel. God began to come against with his divine power again and again and again through the plagues.

And the one thing that he asked of Israel is that I want you now. I want you now to stand, not fight. I want you to stand and now tell the testimony of this Passover lamb.

And in the telling of the testimony, in the partaking of the testimony of the Passover lamb, what we find is that God God uh moved. He shifted Pharaoh's heart to the point where where Pharaoh said, "Okay, you leave. Please get out of here." And all Israel had to do was grab their things, the things that that belonged to them, what which wasn't much.

All they had to do is tell the testimony, grab the things that were theirs, and now head out of the land of their bondage without a single sword or spear or shield. Uh, do you do you kind of hear where I'm going with this? >> I I'll elaborate here.

Um, you do not find God being afraid or concerned with Pharaoh. There's not one time where God is fearful wondering can he move can he move the heart of Pharaoh to deliver Israel. There's not one time where God thinks where God explains himself with concern of whether he can stand against Pharaoh's armies.

There is not one time where God is concerned whether he can he can deliver Israel deliver a people from the land of their bondage. There's not one time where God found concern with whether he can deliver you out of your bondage. Not one time.

There's no sin. There's no darkness. There's no brokenness in this room.

Not even collectively. There's no sin, no past dark enough, no bondage so deep that the the testimony, the body and the blood of Jesus is not enough for. There's no mistake that you maybe committed for maybe you committed a mistake decades ago that still haunts you today.

The truth of the gospel, the truth that we learn in Exodus 12 in all of the scriptures and all the scriptures we learn is that the testimony of Jesus is way more than enough for that thing that any of us could be dealing with. >> That's right. >> And God never asks that you take on.

We learn this in the scriptures. God does not ask that we take on sword and spear and shield to fight to fight the our bondage. In fact, what can what would happen is if Israel took on sword and spear and shield, they would certainly die because they could not stand against Pharaoh's armies.

But their dependency did not come upon what they were able to do within their own power. Their dependency came upon the one who was all powerful. And so their deliverance was not a result of like this spiritual warfare.

Their deliverance was a result of obedience again to the testimony of Jesus. >> Do you hear what I'm saying? >> And so when we tell when we tell the testimony of Jesus, we learn that in the testimony there's healing for our bodies.

There's salvation for our souls. There's the rede the red uh the redemptive power for our minds. There's the there's the unity of family within the within the revelation of the cross.

There is a reconciliation back to sunship within the father. But when we don't know when when when there's a lack of awareness of the testimony of Jesus, what happens is we try every which way to experience the deliverance from Egypt and we do not find it. Because deliverance is not found in sword and spear and shield.

Deliverance is found in obedience to the testimony of the cross. Yes. like uh I there's a handful of guys that I I try to spend uh time weekly with and we'll just study the scriptures and I I do my best to um to disciple and um and I've been sharing this example example is like If I was to if I was to uh find an orphan and and the orphan had debt to their name, they they had no food, no clothing, they were poor, had had nothing.

If I came in and I and I paid off their debt and I gave them food to eat and I gave them new clothing and I I I helped them come out of their brokenness, I I I neutralized their hardship. Like I I took the things that were that broke them that were hurting them and I neutralized them to and I brought them to a place of like zero. Meaning like they no longer have debt.

They have food to eat. They have clothes to wear. And Jesus did that for you and I through his passion, his his death, his burial.

But the more significant part of his testimony and the more significant thing that I could do for the orphan is not just pay their debt and feed them and clothe them. What I can do is now give them my last name. And at that point, what happens is not only was their debt neutralized, what happens is now they've inherited something that they never have to lift a finger for.

and everything that I own now because they carry my last name. They've become my son, my child. That orphan who did not put work into having anything that I have, everything I have now belongs to them.

And that's what Jesus did for you and I in his in his resurrection and his ascension and his glorification. He neutralized our debt and his uh our debt in his death, but he brought us back into sunship through his resurrection. But this is where the sad part kind of kicks in is is for so many Christians and so much within the church.

This is the perspective. Like if I perspective, if I brought the orphan into my house and he now has my last name and everything that I have belongs to him, it would be really strange if he's, you know, if he's living in my mansion. I don't have a mansion, but if I was really if I was really wealthy, I'd have a mansion.

It would be really strange if I brought him to my house and he's sneaking around and and he's opening the fridge and stealing food from there and then and then he's going to my closet and stealing some of my clothes and and for me I'm like dude everything you don't have to sneak around. All of this stuff is already yours. You don't have to live in the way in a perspective in the way of life as an orphan.

You don't have to go to the store and steal things. I'll buy it for you. Everything that I have is yours.

And in the Christian faith, unfortunately, what happens is when there's a forgetfulness of the testimony of Jesus, a forgetfulness of his testimony is to forget that we've been adopted as sons and daughters. And when there's a forgetfulness of adoption, you will lean back onto what you know to be normal, the common norm of the world, which is an orphan way of spirit. It's an orphan spirit, an orphan way of life.

>> Do you hear what I'm saying? And so we go like what what what it causes is this approach when it's in prayer. It's like God would you please would you please uh give me more money?

Would you please uh heal me or heal my family member? That's and we come approaching thinking like maybe if I approach him in a specific way, if I if I do if I say the right thing or I say it in the right tone, maybe I'll convince God to move on my behalf. And all it shows is that there is a lack of recognizing what it means to have been adopted as a son of God, as a child of God.

>> Does it do you hear what I'm saying? Or does it make sense? There's nothing in this room.

There's no there's no person. There's no person too far gone. There's no darkness, no sin, nothing that is too far gone for Jesus.

And that's like that's the most glorious and encouraging news because if sometimes we take on this perspective like we're like you do not have anything in your life that is too big for Jesus. In that regard, you are not that special. And so when the scriptures teach about the testimony of Jesus and his uh and all that he has finished on the cross.

We retell it not because we don't simply retell it because we don't want to forget meaning like we don't want to forget this man Jesus who came and died for us 2,000 years ago. We retell the testimony because in our retelling in our declaration of the testimony, the finished work of the cross, what happens is there is a there is a a truth that we point to that says this is the constitution. This is the truth that I live by.

And anything and everything else in my life that does not abide by this truth, it has to bow its knee. And so now when I'm facing sickness or disease or when I'm facing hardship in family or finance financial hardship or I'm facing sin and brokenness and darkness in my life or whatever it is that we can be facing, we turn to the testimony of Jesus. Because only in this place, only in the testimony of Jesus do we not have to pick up sword or shield or spear to gain our freedom.

All we have to do is retell the testimony of the one who is deliverance himself. He is freedom itself. >> And that's why the scriptures again if you read through Deuteronomy which I would like I like what I would one of the things I would encourage you to do sometime is read through the book of Deuteronomy and take a highlighter or a pencil or something and just highlight every time it says it says do not forget the testimonies.

Take heed that you do not forget the testimonies. It's literally almost every single chapter God gives them instruction and then he says do not forget. God gives them instruction, testimony.

Then he says,"Do not forget." It's because in the forgetfulness, the moment Israel would forget where they came from and what God had done for them is the moment that they were turned to an idol of their of their land. And sometimes idols are very obvious like it could be social media. It could be the the fear of man.

It could be uh whatever all sorts of stuff things you have, wealth, cars, whatever. And then other times idols can be clothed in virtuous names where I can call it prayer. I I can call it prayer.

But I left the room. I left the room of prayer just with a laundry list of complaints I have towards God. And so, you know, I I've brought up this example before is like if I'm let's say if I'm dealing with something with sin in my life or something like that and I come to the Lord and I'm like, "God, I'm so sick of this thing.

I'm so tired of it. Would you take it away? Would you remove it?

Would you uh I I hate this thing. It's ruining my life." And it it feels pure because it's it's saying, "I don't want that thing." And we call it prayer. But really what it is, it's a form of complaining that says like I don't believe that you can set me free from this thing or if you could why haven't you already and it becomes so sin conscious that that form of prayer is actually it becomes a it becomes an idol that is you know it's it's sin but it's covered in something that's that glitters and it feels right and because the complaining is done on my knees, all of a sudden it's it could feel like it's okay.

But the reality is that when when prayer becomes a form of complaining and grumbling, what happens is you're looking at a dead tree and you you're watering it day in and day out and you spend you could spend your whole life asking asking and and complaining and grumbling and watering a dead tree expecting fruit to come forth from that thing. But fruit will never come out of something that does not have life in it. It's impossible.

And so when the switch happens and there's a pers there's a perspective you take on that now sees from the testimony of Jesus. When you and I learn that our life's perspective is to is to see from heaven to earth from the testimony of Jesus. What happens in that place is when I get in prayer and I realize, man, this there's a thing that has a hold on my life, whether it's sin or some brokenness or whatever.

Now, I get on my knees and my prayer becomes, Jesus, I need you. And I thank you that in your body, in your blood, there's more than enough power to set me free. I thank you that your table is sufficient.

Your sacrifice has finished the work. And I thank you that this thing has to lose its hold on me as I yield myself over to you. And so Lord, today I don't come weeping and crying over my sin.

I come celebrating and rejoicing over the freedom that is found in your testimony. And so today I remember the way your word says that you were pierced for my transgressions, which means that when you hung on that cross and those nails went through your hands and your feet, you took this very sin that I'm dealing with and you nailed it to that tree so that I don't have to deal with this thing anymore. And so today, I just celebrate you.

I celebrate your goodness and I thank you for how kind and merciful and generous you are. Thank you that you're with me and you love me. And do you see how the prayer is now like it's I found the the living tree, the one who is the source of life, Jesus.

And now my watering my my watering of the tree is the living tree, the only tree that's able to bear the fruit of freedom, the fruit of deliverance. Does that make sense? >> Okay.

And so what we learn with with Israel is that God never asked them to go to war with their bondage. What we learn is that Israel, they didn't have to go to war. All they had to do was remember the testimony of the Passover lamb.

As today you and I are required, we are taught, we are brought forth, we are invited to not fight, not fight our battles with sword, spear, and shield. We are invited to stand strong in who God called us to be by remembering the testimony of the Passover lamb. >> Amen.

And so now tying it to communion, what we learn, what we learn in the scriptures is when we tie it to communion is now when I come to the elements, the body, the body and the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ and we receive it together. Jesus says when you do this, we are this this is this is red text. Jesus says, "When you do this, do this in remembrance of me." He's not saying, "Do this in remembrance of me." Because you and I have been given permission to forget about him the the rest of the month until we get to communion Sunday.

Jesus says, "Do this in remembrance of me." as in retell this testimony that has the power to save and heal and deliver and set free and make whole and right to transform us into the image and likeness of Jesus. And so if if you've received communion with us be before you know like when we come to the Lord's table we retell the testimony. We come, we the scriptures teach you, you come to the Lord's table, you examine yourself and in this manner receive the elements of communion.

And so we do just that. We examine ourselves and I'm and I'm like, okay, what are areas in my life that I recognize do not look like Jesus yet? Because I know that he hung on the cross.

He he went through the passion, his suffering, his agony, and his pain so that this area of my life would be transformed to his image and likeness. And so now when I come to the elements, I'm not like it's not wishful thinking. It's not like I hope something will happen when I receive this.

No, my stance is that I am coming to the only elements, the only the only things in existence that have the power to transform this area of my life into the image and likeness of Jesus. And if that's the purpose of my life, if that's the purpose of my Christian life, then I do not want to approach communion in any other way. if you go back a couple chapters to chapter 6.

Um, I'm going to start in verse two. So I'll read a handful of verses here through verse 9. It says, "God spoke to Moses and said to him, I am the Lord.

I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as God Almighty. But by my name, the Lord, I did not make myself known to them. I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan and the land in which they lived as sojourners.

Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the people of Israel, whom the Egyptians hold as slaves. And I remembered my covenant. Say therefore to the people of Israel, I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm, and with great acts of judgment.

I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the Lord your God who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you for a possession.

I am the Lord. Listen to this. Moses spoke thus to the people of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses because of their broken spirit and harsh slavery.

In other words, Israel, Israel in their hearts, they rejected a promise from God for the deliverance from their bondage because they found themselves wearied down, worn down by the oppression that they were facing. Let me let me elaborate on that a little bit. They sought deliverance from their issues, from their hardships.

And they were so worn out by the by the oppression that they were facing that when the promise of deliverance was announced to them through the testimony of the Passover lamb, they they basically didn't want it. It can happen in life is when the when the when the attempt of deliverance or freedom from sin becomes self-sufficient when it's you know it's like about how I can how I can keep myself away from that thing that tempts me or how I can and it's it's a it's a remedy to a problem that does not go away and Then when when the when when the promise of deliverance is declared through the elements of communion, through the testimony of Jesus, we can sometimes look at it and be like, I don't know. I've tried every other thing already.

I've tried I've been dealing with this thing for a decade. I've been I've been suffering with this thing for a long time. and and the promise at hand, the promise of deliverance is now treated casually because the burden of the weight of the oppression of the sin has been overbearing for so long.

And I say this not not to certainly not to condemn. Quite the opposite actually is I say it to encourage you is like is you might you might feel like man I've been dealing with this thing for so long and I it just it feels like it's just never going to go away and I don't know if anything is going to change at the table of communion. I I just I want to encourage you.

I want to remind you is that that thing that you're dealing with is not too big for Jesus. is it is not too grand for Jesus. It is that thing does not have to define the the direction of your life.

There is so much power in the body and the blood. There's so much power in the testimony of the Christ. There's so much power in the cross that that thing it has to it absolutely has to go.

>> Amen. Every time that Israel was to step into their promise of is to step into a promise, they fought it with the testimony of Jesus. When it was out of Egypt, it was the Passover lamb.

When it was Jericho, they surrounded the walls with the ark of testimony. I've shared this story many, many times here. But every single time, God did not ask them to pick up sword and spear and shield to fight to break into their promise.

What he did require them to do is when they stepped into their promise that they sever they go to war with anything and everything that would try to hinder them from what God has g given over to them >> which is different. >> It's the same thing as like when I step into the when I step into the freedom of my old way of life now I become diligent in my pursuit of Jesus. I'm in the scriptures.

I am in prayer. I I participate uh of communion and fasting and I'm and I'm in community with people who love Jesus. And now I'm standing strong against anything that would try to attack me and pull me back or take away the promises that God's given to me.

But the the the deliverance piece or the stepping into the promise, what you'll find is that in the scriptures, they stepped into it through the testimony of the Christ. Are you here? Did I hope this makes sense because next week we're we're going to go into communion and the very thing we're going to do is we're going to drop every sword, spear, and shield that we know.

And we are going to behold and retell, proclaim, declare the testimony that have that has the only power, the only authority to destroy hell itself, wherever it may have hid itself in your life, in in your family, in your marriage, in your in some sort of sin or addiction or brokenness, in some sort of bondage. that hid itself in in in a provision and finances and wherever that hell may have tried to hide itself in your life. The testimony of Jesus, it pierces all the way through and exposes that thing to the light.

And so what you'll find what you'll find if you look if you study Bible history if you study church history revival history what you'll find is that some of the greatest moves of God were initiated because there was a people who came together for for prayer and for communion. In the 1700s, there was um there was a man named Nicholas and he was he was a wealthy man in Germany and and Christians were being persecuted at that time. spiritfilled Christians were being persecuted at that time.

And uh and so he had a large estate. And so what he would do is he would he would house them. He would hide them.

And so many Christians started to come that they kind of started to build kind of like a city of their own just they began to live on on on together in um not on the property but in the land that he had this this man Nicholas. But there were people who were coming from all sorts of denominations. And so they were all hiding out on on his property, on his land.

And so what began to happen is is because they had different theological beliefs and views, there was that there actually became like a lot of tension and and and arguments and debate and they hated each other and and so he what he started to do is he would go from person to person and just like and beg for their uh their uh compassion and beg that they would show love and mercy towards the other people who believe differently. And one time in August, it was August 13th, 1727, he invited all of them to participate in a communion service. And they all came and as they begin to retell the testimony of Jesus and receive of the body and the blood of the Lord, all of these believers who for a time had tension with one another and and didn't like each other and argued and there was just it wasn't a good situation.

All of a sudden they came to the communion service. He began to retell the testimony of Jesus. They received of the body and the blood.

And in that moment that what they what they call they they say it was it was like an Acts chapter 2 uh Pentecost moment in that room. And from that moment what began is actually a 100year non-stop prayer movement. They prayed.

They had groups that they passed on for to the next generation where they would pray. They prayed for over a hundred years non-stop. There was always somebody praying.

This was in the 1700s. And out of that revival, out of that movement, um um John Wesley, who started the Methodist movement, was touched because these guys, they began to send missionaries around the world who preached the the freedom of Jesus and the power of prayer. And they met John Wesley on a on a ship going somewhere.

They preached the gospel to him. He was touched by the Lord deeply. And then he began to go and preach the gospel everywhere that he went.

And the Methodist movement actually started in it was beautiful, so deeply holy, so deeply rich in the scriptures and in prayer and in a love for people. But it started with somebody. It started with a people who came to the Lord's table and they said, "Listen, we are they they repented.

They turned from their ways from hating one another. They turned from from contention with one another and with the Lord. And they came to the testimony of Jesus.

And they began to declare of it together and receive of his body and blood together. And there was no telling what God could do from one people, one group of people who said yes to him in the manner in which communion was intended to be received. If if you were to write a story, if you did not know the Bible and you were to write a story, I guarantee you would never think that the the way to freedom from slavery and bondage was to kill a lamb and eat it.

You're like, the two are they're like they're in different universes. How does freedom have anything to do with the with the with the lamb, with the sheep? Only in the wisdom of God does God look at broken, hurting people who've dealt with stuff in life and he's like, "You know what I have for you?

Why don't you go Why don't you go eat? Why don't you go Why don't you go eat and just tell this beautiful story that of of my great love for you and everything within us that that it it feels natural to fight and to to do everything other than that. It feels natural to pick up sword and spear and shield and go to war.

And God says, "I see the brokenness of my people. Here's a meal. Here's a lamb.

just receive of it and watch what happens. >> Come on, pastor. >> Which tells me that next Sunday when we gather for communion and we receive of his broken body and his spilled out blood, I'm like, you may I I hope I hope not.

Even if you're in a place like in Exodus 6 where it's like they were just so burdened by their stuff that that when a when the message of hope was preached or a message of promise was preached, they were kind of like, we're just done with this. I pray that next Sunday when we gather in this room and we retell the testimony of Jesus, we just we we we bask in who he says that he is. We thrive.

We celebrate and rejoice in who he says that he is and the testimony of the Christ, the testimony of the lamb, of the Passover lamb, our Passover lamb, who is Jesus. We celebrate that testimony and watch as hell flees from our lives. It's who Jesus is in nature.

And just like there was no telling what God can do through a Passover lamb, just like there was no telling what God could do through this man Nicholas and in this revival in the 1700s through communion. So there's no telling what God could do on a Sunday when there's a group of people who are who do not settle for communion as tradition but engage pursue the heart of Jesus through his broken body and his blood his testimony and his cross for the victory the benefits of what he's accomplished. Yes.

>> And so ne next week I'm like and next week what I want to encourage you to is like bring your most dark broken stuff and just like we will just throw that thing at the foot of the cross. all that stuff. If there's family members, you know, that are sick or struggling with something or whatever, I I mean, I'm just like I I want us to go into this thing just like with a full assurance that a confidence that we believe in the power of the body and the blood.

And we'll retell the testimony. We'll pray for one another. We'll pray for the sick.

whatever it is, we'll we'll worship together. We'll love Jesus together, and we'll celebrate the victory of of communion, of his resurrection. I'm the more the more I grow in Jesus, the more I become convinced just just an unwavering unwavering assurance that a lot of the things that I've prayed for, a lot of the things that I sought out, a lot of the things that I didn't have answers to it, they're they're the answers are deeply rooted in the communion, in the elements, the body, the blood, and the cross of Jesus Christ.

John Wesley when he was when he was preaching and he actually encouraged people he was he was at that time he was doing something that was counterultural is he was encouraging people that they were they could receive communion three four five times a week if they wanted to and he was teaching them he was teaching them again and again and again that the testimony of the Christ it is the declaration of the Christ that gives power to a wafering and grape juice. And so as they would tell the testimony of the Christ and they would their faith would would make contact with heaven as they received the body and the blood. And there was revival throughout America that touched that touched the world eventually because of people who did not have an casual approach to the to the Lord's table.

Amen. >> So, do you hear what I'm saying? Does this make sense?

>> Next week, I'm going to I'll just kind of briefly talk in communion and then we are going to go straight into into his testimony. We're going to declare the truths of Jesus over those things in our lives. And we are we're not going to come, like I said, with sword, spear, and spear, and shield.

We're going to come with with the testimony of the Lord our God. Amen. >> You want to come up?

Actually, team worship team. Why don't you come up? So, as we've been going through Exodus 12, like one of the things I I felt prompted in my heart at the beginning was that when we every Sunday that as we as we sit on the testimony on Exodus 12 on the Passover lamb is that we end the night by just uh in worship uh celebrating and declaring the testimony of Jesus.

And so what I just I want to invite you all just to stand. Um, and we are going to um, we're going to love Jesus and thank him for the victory of the cross and thank him that his testimony uh is so much more than enough. So, I just I want to ask you is um please don't please don't come to the Lord tonight disengaged.

Please don't just reiterate lyrics that you might be familiar with. Please don't don't let your mouth say something that your heart is disconnected from. rather turn your affection to Jesus and and look at him and love him and and as we sing as we sing and lift our voices to the Lord as we celebrate his testimony um that hell would it would shudder at the thought it would it would tremble at the thought there's a people who believe in in the finished work of of the cross.

And so Lord, we come tonight and >> and we thank you that your broken body and your spilled out your spilled out blood is so much more than enough. And I know Lord that you know we we talk about your testimony a lot. We talk about communion in this room a lot.

And I ask God for your compassion and your mercy and grace over us. That we would never grow complacent with the with the revelation of of communion. That it would never become a a topic we become complacent with just because we've heard it so many times.

We know that this in in these elements in your body, in your blood, is our victory. It's our sunship. It's who we are.

Our identity is found in who you say that we are. Our identity is found in the broken body and the spilled out blood. Our identity is found in what you have finished on the cross in your death, your burial, and your resurrection.

That you have called us children of God. >> And so I thank you for every person in this room, Lord, as we prepare this week to come to your table. I ask Lord that you would sweep over us.

That there would be a grace to let go of the things that hold us, that keep us, Lord, the things that we have grown familiar with, that in some ways may even feel natural or normal now. I pray Lord that you would break through those walls and that there would be a a faithfilled cry, a faithfilled declaration tonight, Lord, and next week of what you have done, what you have accomplished, what you have, what you have finished in your testimony, Lord. And so I plead your blood over this room.

I ask have your way, Lord, over every heart, over every mind. >> Have your way. >> Have your way in and through us, God.

Cut us deep tonight. Reveal yourself to us tonight. We want to know you, to be like you, to talk like you, to walk like you and everything that we do that we would reflect your nature and character.

So we ask, Lord Jesus, come prepare our hearts. Give us a gift over this week, Lord, for repentance that we would we would be truly and genuinely repented in areas of our lives that don't look like you, Lord. To no longer hold on to sin, to no longer hold on to bondage, to no longer complain like Israel did when they were delivered, saying, "We want to go back." Absolutely not, Lord.

Keep us far from it. And so Jesus, we give you all of the glory, all of the honor. We magnify your holy name and we ask Jesus that you would come.

Come again. Come in greater measure. Help us to see you more clearly.

Help us to see you rightly. Open our eyes. Lord, we thank you for the way that you do come, the way that you have come tonight.

And we ask Lord may it only increase in this room that through and through we would be a people who become a habitation place for your presence. A place where you long to dwell. A place where we do not come with contempt.

We do not come to complacency to what you have accomplished. We love you Jesus and in your name we pray. Amen.

Let's love Jesus together just for a few more minutes. Thank you Lord. You're so good.

You're so good. We remember. We remember what you did for us.

We're so grateful. Thank you, Lord. Thank you Jesus.

In the darkest we were waiting without hope and without light. Till from heaven you came running. There was mercy in your eyes.

To the field the law and prophets to a virgin came the word. From the throne of endless glory to a cradle in the dust. In the darkness we were waiting without hope and without light.

Till from heaven you came running. There was mercy in your eyes. To fulfill the law and prophets to a virgin came the word.

From a throne of endless glory to a cradle in the earth. Oh, praise the father. Praise the Son.

Praise the Spirit. Through one, God of glory, mesty, praise forever to the King. Oh, praise the Father.

Praise the sun. Praise his three in one. Oh God of glory, majesty, praise forever to the King of Kings, to reveal the kingdom coming and to reconcile the lost.

to redeem the whole creation. You did not despise the cross. For even in your suffering, you saw to the other side, knowing this was our salvation.

Jesus, for our sake, you died. Oh, praise the father. Praise the son.

Praise the spirit one. God of glory, majesty. Praise forever to the king.

Praise the father. Raise the sun. Praise the spir of king.

In the morning that you rose, all of heaven held its breath. Till the stone was moved for good. For the lamb had conquered death.

And the dead rose from their tombs. And the angels stood in. For the souls of all who come to the father are restored and the church of Christ was born.

Then the spirit lit the flame. Now this gospel truth of Lord shall not kn. By his blood and in his name, in his freedom I am free.

For the love of Jesus Christ, the love for me. Oh, praise the father. Praise the sun.

Praise the spirit. Oh God of glory, majesty, praise forever to the king. Oh, praise the father.

Praise the son. Praise the spirit. Oh God of glory, majesty, praise forever to the King of Kings.

We praise you, Lord. In the moment that you rose, all of heaven held its breath. Till the song was for good.

For the lamb had conquered death. Then the dead rose from their tombs. And the angels stood in a for the souls of all who come to the father are restored.

From the moment that you rose, all of heaven held its breath. To the sorrows moved for good for the lamb that conquered death. And the dead rose from their tombs.

And the angels stood in all. For the souls of all who come to the father are restored. In the moment that you rose, all of heaven held it.

To the song for the land that conquered death and the dead from their angels stood it all. For the sons of all would come to the father are restored and the church of Christ was born. Never sp his name.

It is real. I am free for the love of Jesus Christ. Praise the Father.

Praise the praise the spirit. Oh God of glory. Praise me.

Praise forever to the king. Oh, praise the father. Praise the praise the spirit.

Oh God of glory. We praise forever to the king. We praise forever to the King of Kings.

We praise forever to the King of Kings. We praise forever to the King of Kings. We praise forever to the King.

Oh, you forever more. Halle Hallelujah. Halle Hallelujah.

You forever more. Hallelujah. Hallelujah.

You forever. Halle Hallelujah. You reign forever more.

Heat. Oh, heat, heat. Yeah.

Heat. Hallelujah. You reign forever more.

Hallel Hallelujah. Hallelujah. You reign forever more.

Halle halle hallelujah. Hallelujah. You reign forever more.

Halle hallelu. Oh Jesus, we thank you again for your testimony, Lord, and the victory of the cross. And I ask, Lord, for all of us over the course of this week.

Would you prepare us for what you're going to do next week, God? that we would come here with anticipation, with excitement, expectant. And I pray, Lord, that there would be angels on assignment this week, Lord, that we'll prepare this every seat for the person who will sit in it next Sunday.

>> And that you would prepare our hearts and those who will be here next next week that aren't here now, Lord. that you would prepare us and our hearts for next week for what you're going to do at your table, at the elements, at your broken body and your spilled out blood. Give us a greater hunger, a desperation, Lord, that we would not lose sight of who we are >> in you and the finished work of the cross.

>> And so, Lord, we give you all of the glory, all of the honor. We thank you for being with us here tonight and today, Lord, for your presence. Please continue to build for yourself a home in our midst, God, that this would be a resting place for your presence.

We love you, Lord. We look to you and in your mighty name we pray. Amen.

Amen. Can we give the Lord one more shout of praise? Amen.

Amen. Well, we love you guys. Highly, highly encourage you come back next week for communion.

And um otherwise, we love you so much. We thank you for being with us tonight. Please drive home safely.

We will either see you uh Tuesday, Thursday or next Sunday. Um if you need prayer, our prayer team will be up here and we would love to pray with you for any need you may have. Um otherwise, God bless you.

Have a good night. Um and we will see you next time.