Pastor Harlow, 12.7.2025 Isaiah 9:1-7

And so we're going to be talking about about his kingship in preparation of the Christmas season. When you look at how our society celebrates Christmas, it's it's a time for preparation, but not necessarily in a Christian way, right? I know so many of my friends and my

Neighbors that they spend not just hours, but days decorating their home for Christmas. That they have to schedule out all of the different activities and all of the different parties. How many of y'all it just started and you're already kind of partied out already? Anybody there? There's like a few of y'all. All right. Praise the Lord for your honesty. Jesse, we got one this afternoon. So, I mean, it's it's there. I mean, you're you're you're constantly overwhelmed with how much stuff there is to do for the holidays. And what our culture also likes to do is we like to go and buy a bunch of presents. Even though our homes are already full of stuff, we always look around the lake and we always say, "I wonder what's going in there." And the assumption is, "It's probably another storage unit, you know, and because we already have too much stuff around the lake, isn't it?" >> And so, we're looking for stuff. We're looking for a new place to store all the stuff that we can't fit inside of our home, which is already full of stuff. And so, but, when it comes to Christmas, what happens is that, we begin to be tempted to neglect the things that really matter, right? Loving the Lord, goodwill toward men, and, and we do that because we're always so busy. You see, I don't I don't believe that Christ came to bring about stress during the holiday season. He came to bring about salvation. He didn't arrive to be a burden for us this time of year, but to be a blessing to everyone that would trust in him, that would look to him. And so, over the next few weeks, we're going to be looking at the king that was born. And we're going to look at the promises made and the promises kept for you and I and what the return of the king is going to be like. Now, we're going to be in Isaiah chapter 9 and I want to give you

A little bit of context in this passage. Because Isaiah is written to a people at a particular time and yet it's also written for our benefit. You see the nation of Israel, they had gone through a period of civil unrest and they had divided into two kingdoms. There was a northern kingdom that was called Israel that was only wic wicked and evil. They had really bad kings, really terrible kings and they constantly were in disobedience to God. You had a southern kingdom that was called Judah and that was kind of a moderate kingdom. There was kind of some good kings, but then also a lot of bad kings that came along. And this is the king at this time. His name is Ahaz. And Ahaz, he is being called by the Lord to trust in him. Trust in me Ahaz. And I am going to see you through this turbulent period. Because you see Syria and Israel, they had joined forces in this ungodly alliance because Assyria, not Syria, was taking over the whole Middle East. And so they had created an alliance. And what they were going to do is they were going to overthrow Judah, depose Ahaz, and put in their own government down there in the south. So that way they would strengthen their position in the region. And what God is doing is he's calling Ahaz to trust in me. Come to me. I will see you through it. I will be your shield. I will be your strength. I will be your protector. And Ahaz says, "No thanks. I'm going to trust in my own wisdom. I'm going to make an alliance with Egypt and I'm going to take care of my business as the king." And God says, "Too bad. I'm going to I'm going to give you a sign." And that sign is Emmanuel. Ahaz rejects God, but God is still faithful in keeping his promises. And so Isaiah 9 is a prophecy about God's great solution for man's biggest problem. Our biggest problem is not nations that are at war with each

Other. Our biggest problem is sin. And it's all about a new Davidic king that would come. Not some renewed version of Ahaz. [snorts] Because where Ahaz was filled with unfaithfulness and fear and compromise, the king that God was raising up was none of those things. So if you would stand with me in honor of God's word as we read Isaiah chapter 9, verses 1-7, God's word, it says this, but there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time, he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphali. But in the latter time, he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. Those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone. You have multiplied the nation. You have increased its joy. They rejoiced with you as with joy at the harvest as they are glad when they divide the spoil. For the yoke of his burden, and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor you have broken as on the day of Midian. For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult, and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulders, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, mighty God, everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, and of the increase of his government, and of peace there will be no end. On the throne of David and over his kingdom to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness for this time forth and forever more. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this. Let's pray. And so Lord, we do thank you for your word and we do thank you for this time that we get to have and just the season of Advent where we get to take time and realize that all the lights, all the

Decorations, all the presents, the trees, the events, the parties, none of those are really why we do anything around Christmas, God. Everything's about you, King Jesus. And so I pray that you would help our lives to adjust to that, Father. Where we center our lives on what your plan is for us. Lord, you have called us to joy. You have called us to peace. You have called us to hope. You've called us to these things because we are your very own children, God. And Lord, as your children, we pray and we plead that you would work and cause Christ to be born again into our hearts to realize the beauty of his light and to walk in it day by day. Lord, just right now as I think about my brothers and sisters in Christ right now, I think about Carol Webb who's just gone through a season of tremendous loss, losing both of her sisters. God, I just pray for your peace to be on her. We pray that you would continue just to help her to see your goodness as she just walks faithfully before you. Thank you for her. God, I want to pray for Scott Far and his mom, Lord, as she was having a heart attack this morning. And as they have all that anxiousness and what's going to happen and as they transfer her up to Colombia, I pray for healing and that you would spare her life, God. Lord, there's so many people that we know that are sick like brother Steve Marsh who's at home right now just recovering. Lord, I pray that you would just please help him to feel better and to get better. For brother Steve Warren who hasn't been able to worship with us and is still kind of recovering from his major surgeries with cancer. We just pray that you would continue to strengthen him and Cindy. Lord, we just surrender ourselves to you right now. And we just ask that if Christ reigns

Anywhere, may he reign right here, right now. And we know that you do. So we pray for your world to expand in our hearts and in our lives today. We love you in Jesus name. Amen. Well, as I said, the promise of Christ's birth was given to Judah during a time of deep distress and gloom and darkness. Isaiah chapter 8, it ends this way. And they will look to the earth and behold distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish. And they will be thrust into thick darkness. This is prophecy. The prophets, they oftentimes use vivid images. He's not he's talking about darkness and gloom and distress. And he's not talking about cloudy afternoon, okay? He's talking about an absolutely terrible and horrific time in Judah's history where men are going to be killed, women and children are going to be murdered and enslaved, a whole people are going to be crushed. But then there is a promise. Some of your translations probably start out with that word nevertheless. Nevertheless, which means in spite of all this, in spite of how awful these times and these seasons are, there is a sure and unwavering hope that you can find in the Lord Jesus. God's word, it says that there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. That word is not simply for the Jewish people. It is for every person that comes to Jesus Christ because Christ was born for you. You see, God, he allowed Zebulun and he allowed Naphali to be raised to nothing, to be destroyed. But those places, they were the areas where Jesus spent most of his time and did most of his ministry when he was here on earth. It was in those lands that were ransacked by Assyria that Canaa, the very first miracle where Christ turned the water into wine. That's where it took place in Capernaum right there at

The Sea of Galilee. It's in the same land, the whole region. And what does the word say here? It says, "I will wait for the Lord who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob, and I will hope in him." So, this darkness, these terrible times, they're very real, but they're not final. And that's how Christians function in faith. We know that there are terrible times as believers. We know that there there are times of gloom and anguish as Christians. Thousands upon thousands of Christians are brutally murdered for their faith every year all over the world and places like Nigeria, North Korea, Pakistan. And we know that the promise was made in the midst of gloom. You see, faith, it sees the darkness. It sees the gloom, but it believes that the light has overcome it. And that's the truth of Christ's arrival here on earth. In him was life and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not what? >> It has not overcome it. We look at our world and we clutch our pearls and we say, "My gosh, what's going on?" But God has not allowed for darkness to overcome the light. In John chapter 8, it says again, Jesus said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." At the beginning of Luke, it says this, "Because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death to guide our feet into the way of peace." That's how God functions. Paul by inspiration of the Holy Spirit he said for God who said let light shine out of darkness has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the dawn of salvation. He is

The end of gloom. He decimates the darkness in distress. Because when Christ is truly born into the heart of a Christian, we no longer live in darkness, but we abide in the light of Jesus. And we know this because the prophet's ministry was to the Jews. That's that's their ministry. It was to them, but it was for us. First Peter chapter 1, it says, "It was revealed to them." talking about the prophets that they were serving not themselves but you. This is hundreds of years after Isaiah was written in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preach the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Things into which angels long to look. You see the Old Testament prophets, they were serving a future people. The land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations according to Isaiah, a diverse people, a people filled with all sorts of different cultures and languages and customs. And they needed the freedom and the deliverance that only the Gospel of Christ can bring. The prophets, they wrote these things down for your instruction, too. Look at Romans 15. For whatever was written in former days, talking about the Old Testament, was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures, we might have hope. The Old Testament is the New Testament concealed. The New Testament is the Old Testament revealed. In other words, the Gospel message of the kingdom of God of Jesus Christ is preached in every book of the Bible. In Genesis, he is the one who crushed the serpent's head. In Exodus, he is the Passover lamb who covered and saved the people from death. In Leviticus, he is the great high priest. In Numbers, he is

The bronze servant serpent that gives life. In Deuteronomy, he's the prophet like Moses whom we must listen to. In Joshua, he's the captain of the Lord's army that leads us to victory. In Judges, he is the true and righteous judge that rescues us from our sins. In Ruth, he's our kinsman Redeemer. In 1 and 2 Samuel, he's the anointed and promised king of Israel. In first and 2 Kings, he's the faithful king that never leads us astray or leads us into sin. In 1 Chronicles and 2 Chronicles, he's the true son of David whose kingdom is forever. In Ezra, he's the one who restores and brings back his people from exile. In Nehemiah, he's the rebuilder of broken lives. In Esther, he's the unseen protector who saves us from destruction. In Job, he is our Redeemer who lives. In the Psalms, he's the shepherd and the stone and the suffering Savior. In Proverbs, he's the wisdom of God. In Ecclesiastes, he's the meaning of life. In the Song of Psalms, he is the bridegroom of his beloved. In Jeremiah, he's the righteous branch who makes a new covenant with us. In Lamentations, he's the man of sorrows who weeps over sin. In Ezekiel, he is the true shepherd. In Daniel, he's the son of man given everlasting dominion. In Hosea, he is the faithful husband who loves his faithless bride. >> Joel, he tells us that he pours out his spirit on all flesh. Amos teaches us that he is the restorer of David's fallen throne. Obadiah, he teaches us that he is the Savior on Mount Zion who judges his enemies. Jonah teaches us he is the resurrected Savior. The prophet Micah tells us that he is the shepherd king born in Bethlehem. Nahm teaches us that he is the stronghold in the day of trouble. Habach teaches us that he is the one in whom the just live by faith. Zephaniah teaches us that he is the mighty Savior who rejoices over his people with singing. In Hagi, he is the desire of

All nations. In Zachchariah, he's the one who comes riding into Jerusalem on a donkey. In Malachi, he is the son of righteousness with healing in his wings. It's just like what was said at the end of Luke that beginning with the with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. Jesus is the story. It's all his story. But God, he's working out redemption and he explains the promise. The promise gives us reasons for joy. I mean, we look at verse three. God, he has multiplied the nations. He has increased its joy. It's kind of like a harvest. Now, my wife, she likes to keep a little garden. And it's nothing big. It's just a few tomato plants, maybe some peppers. And we do not get much in terms of a harvest, okay? But let me tell you, if we got a little tomato on there, I'm going to see that little tomato, okay? Or a little potato. I It was the tiniest little potato I've ever seen. I mean, it was it was that big. Look [laughter] at my potato. I was excited for her. Now, we're not an agrarian society at by any stretch of the imagination. But imagine for a moment that your whole life was dependent upon whether or not you had a decent harvest. How excited would you be if your fields are just full of grain and produce? You see, when the great light has shown in to the darkness of our hearts and has renewed our mind, we experience multiplied and tremendous joy. It increases abundantly, tenfold hundfold. Do you not say there are yet four months and then comes the harvest? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes and see that the fields are white for harvest. Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life so that sewer and reaper may together may rejoice together. For here the saying

Holds true. One sws and another reaps. I sent you to reap for that which you did not labor. Others have labored and you have entered into their labor. Verse four tells us there's another reason for our joy. It's because God, he breaks oppression. The yoke of burden is a reminder of Israel's deliverance out of the nation of Egypt. God, he breaks the yoke of bondage and he sets us completely free in Christ. That staff and that rod that Isaiah talks about here. It's designed to he uses that verbiage to remind us of Gideon and the delivering that he brought. But true freedom is ultimately found in Jesus. Listen to what Jesus said about himself. This is the first time that he ever does public teaching. He stands up and he reads from the scroll and he says, "The spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind to set at liberty those who are oppressed." Do you hear that? Liberty to those who are oppressed. If you want If you want freedom, you come to Jesus. If you want true and lasting hope, you come to Jesus. If you want a joy that's never going to leave you, you come to Jesus. >> You see, another reason that he gives is that God, he will one day, praise the Lord, put an end to war. And I thank the Lord for it. No more fighting, no more memories of war. All of that will pass away. It reminds us that's part of the purpose of the Lord of Hosts. In Psalm 46, he talking about the Lord of Hosts, God. He makes wars cease to the end of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear and he burns the chariots with fire. Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth. And we see that this promise is kept through the son Jesus Christ. What does the Scripture say? For to us a child is

Born. To us a son is given. And the government shall be upon his shoulders and his name shall be called wonderful counselor, mighty God, everlasting father, prince of peace. This child is Emmanuel, which means God with us. In Isaiah chapter 7, he wrote this. Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign. The one that Ahaz said, I don't want a sign. God said, you're going to get one anyways. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name Emmanuel. See, he is the Savior, the one who was born on this day in the city of David, the Savior, Christ the Lord. He is the ruler from eternity past according to Micah chapter 5. But you, oh Bethlehem Africa, who are too little to be among clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me, one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from old of o of old, from ancient days. You see, that is who Jesus is. And we learn about this child. We learn about his identity. He's called the wonderful counselor in Christ. The fullness of God dwelt bodily. Did you know that Jesus always knows exactly what to say to your heart when you're struggling? I have folks that come to me and you know sometimes I'm I'm hit with situations and circumstances where me and my own wisdom I don't know what to say. But that's never the case with Jesus. He sympathizes with us. He understands how we feel. He knows the situations better than we ourselves know the situations. And yet he's also able to speak in such a way that are both full of truth and love and grace. As Paul wrote, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. That's what Jesus has. All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. This child's also called the mighty God. That's the same title used to describe the Lord

God. He is very God of very God. He is mighty meaning that he is powerful overwhelming force. He's the creator and he's the sustainer of all things. As it the writer of Hebrews says, "But of the sun, he says, "Your throne, oh God, is forever and ever. The scepter of our brightness is the scepter of your kingdom." You know, there's people that will say Jesus never claimed to be God, which is totally false. All Scripture is about Jesus, and Jesus claimed to be God in his own I am statements. And he proved that he was God through his victory over death. This child is also, if you're following along, he's the everlasting father. Now point of clarification here, Jesus is not the father. But to see the son is to see the father. Everlasting father does not mean that Jesus is God the father. It means that the Messiah is the eternal king who cares for his people with perfect fatherly compassion and protection. Same nature, different person, fatherlike in his rule. As Jesus himself was careful to say, "Have I been with you so long? You still do not know me, Philillip. Whoever has seen me has seen the father. How can you say, show us the father?" He's careful to make this distinction that he and the father are different, although they are also one. What does he say? John 10, I give them eternal life. They will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. Okay, he's got you. That's Jesus. My father who has also given them to me is greater than all and no one is able to snatch them out of the father's hand. Right? Can't can't can't be lost. I and the father are one. This child is also called the prince of peace. He's prince of peace because he paid for peace with his own wounds. And it is only Jesus that brings true and lasting peace. What does he say in John 14? Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I

Give it to you. Let not your hearts be troubled. Neither let them be afraid. He is our peace. And he unifies us where he can reconcile us back together truthfully and honestly. It's only in Jesus. It's not in DEI programs or government things or politics or anything that we're ultimately going to find any peace. It's found in Christ. He's the one that was able to bring together Jew and Gentile, slave, free, male female white black red blue whatever. We can experience this peace when we come to him and we trust in his shed blood for us on the cross. As Paul wrote in Colossians, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. The peace of Christ is not found in our efforts or in our will, but it is found by faith in Jesus's shed blood for you. But notice that the arrival of Christ is also the promotion of his government. The kingdom of heaven. It is not a distant kingdom. It is now. What does it say in Matthew chapter 4? From that time Jesus began to preach saying repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. But saying that it's at hand means like it's here. It's right it's right here. It's right now. It doesn't mean it's soon, it's now. Likewise, the time is fulfilled. The kingdom of heaven is at hand. He goes ahead and he says, "Repent and believe in the Gospel." Christ who is preaching the message of his nation, of his government, of his kingship and authority. It's a message that expands his government. The message of the Gospel is ultimately what changes the world. And as the message of the Gospel goes forth, it should change lives, should change homes, should change communities, and it should change nations. What good is morality if there is no Gospel? Moral people go to hell

Just as quickly as wicked people. It's not about your goodness. It's about faith in Christ. And church, his promise in Isaiah was never intended for it to be locked away and just brought out once a year to say, "This is Jesus. Love him. It was aimed beyond Ahaz, beyond Judah, even to the Gentiles of the nations. Isaiah chapter 91, he calls this region the Galilee of the nations. Not just Galilee of the Jews, Galilee of the nations. Already in Isaiah, the Lord is hinting, I'm going to do something that spills over all the borders of Israel. I'm going to shine this light on the world. And that's exactly what God promised Abraham or Abram. I will bless those who bless you. In him who dishonors you, I will curse and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Is that about the nation of Israel? No, it's not. This is an unconditional promise to Abram to bless the nations not through the Jewish nation but through Jesus Christ. And that's proven by what Paul said, the Scripture for seeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith. Preached the Gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, "In you shall all the nations be blessed." From the beginning, this one who would crush the serpent's head was the king of all creation. That child in Isaiah chapter nine, he is the king on David's throne. Not the just the king of Judah. He's the king of all the nations. The king of the Nigerians and the North Koreans and the Pakistanis who suffer for his name. The king of the Americans who think we're good enough without him. He's the king of every person that is sitting in the pews here at First Baptist Church of Camden this morning. And he demands and he deserves our complete trust and allegiance. And where does Jesus begin his public ministry? Right where he pointed. In

Leaving Nazareth, he went and he lived in Capernaum by the sea in the territory of Zebulun and Naphali. So that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah may be fulfilled. The land of Zebulun, the land of Naphali, the way of the sea beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light. And those and for those dwelling in the region, shadow of death on them a light has dawned. You see, the first place to feel the crushing boot of Assyria became the first place to feel the gentle feet of Jesus Christ. The land that was shamed was the first to experience the light of God. And that's how it works. He steps into the places of deepest darkness with his bright gentle light. And there's no doubt who did it. You see, Isaiah, he was serving you, Christian. This Holy Spirit had you in mind when he spoke of this child, the son, this king. And God, he wanted you to know that in your gloom, in your distress, in your fear, there is a king whose government will never end. He has a peace that will never be broken. And his rule is completely wise. He's completely powerful. He's completely fatherly and peacegiving. And so the question is not was the promise made. It's the question is the promise or has the promise been kept? And so will you believe the promise of God? Look again at verse six. For to us a child is born. To us a son is given and the government shall be upon his shoulder. That word government does not mean your constitutional republic. It's a kingdom. In fact, that word in the Hebrew is misra. It's it means domination. It's not so much about the system of government as much as it is about the extent of his dominion. The government is not on your shoulders. It's not on the shoulders of Washington or Jefferson City.

It's not on the economy where where your hope lies is not in your health or your emotions or your performance as a student or as a mom or a dad. It is on his shoulders that we can rest all of our burdens. And some of you, you're living like the whole world rests on you. You're carrying all the fears about your kids and your marriage and your finances and your future and this church and your country and you're crumbling under a weight that was never meant for you to bear. That's Ahaz thinking. That's that's you trying to maneuver and to calculate and trust in your own wisdom and to control the outcomes instead of trusting in the Lord. Isaiah 9 is a call for you to lay that down and to trust King Jesus. If Jesus really is the wonderful counselor, then why do you keep trusting your own wisdom more than the word? If Jesus really is the mighty God, why are you acting as if your sin or your past or this culture is stronger than he is? If he really is the everlasting father, why do you behave like a spiritual orphan searching for identity and security anywhere other than in his presence? If he really is the prince of peace, why are you looking for peace in more money or more comfort or more distractions instead of in his bloodbought reconciliation for you? You see, you cannot have the peace that Christ offers in all the Christmas titles without bowing to the reality of his kingship. You cannot say, "Unto us a child is born." If you refuse to say, "The government shall be upon his shoulder. For some of you, the most honest thing you can say is, "I'm still in darkness. I've heard about Jesus. I've sung about Jesus. I've grown up in church, but I've never really surrendered to the King. I'm still kind of running my own little kingdom." The good news is that the

King, he didn't wait for you to climb up. He came down. He entered into our gloom. He took our sin. He bore the wrath that we deserve. He died on the cross. And he rose again so that the people who walked in darkness could see a great light. And so here his own summary of the kingdom. He says, "The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the Gospel." Repent. Turn from your sin from your self-ruule from your false hopes and idols and believe the Gospel. Trust that this child, this son was crucified and rose again and is enough to save you and to forgive you and to bring you into his kingdom. And Christian, this is also a call for you because where in life are you resisting his authority? Maybe there's a bitterness that you're nursing that the Prince of Peace is come commanding you to lay down. Maybe there's a secret sin that the mighty God is calling you to bring into the light. Maybe there's a fear about the future when the everlasting father is saying, "Child, I have you. Just trust me." This Christmas season, Advent, don't just admire the baby in a manger, but bow to the king on the throne. Open your hands and open your home. Open your calendar, your fear. Say, "Lord, just increase your government in me. Rule over my thoughts, my desires, my family, my church. Let there be no corner of my life where I say no entrance to the king. Because verse seven ends with this promise. Says that the zeal of the Lord of the hosts will do this. Not your zeal, not your willpower, his zeal. The Lord of armies is personally committed to finishing what he started in Christ. He will see to it that the kingdom comes, that his light spreads to every corner of this world, that his peace endures, that his people are kept. And so trust him today

With your soul, with your suffering, trust him with your family, your church. Trust him with the future because the child has been born. The son has been given. And the king is on his throne. Head, heart, hand, head up, up. There we go. God, he wants you to know that Jesus Christ is the promised king of Isaiah 9. He is the child born, the son who is given, whose rule and peace extend to all nations and never ends. Heart. Sorry, wrong way. Heart. God wants you to believe that this king is able and willing to rule your life. His grace is enough for your sin and his power is greater than your darkness and his peace is stronger than your fear. He wants you to believe that with all your heart in hand. This is how to apply it. God wants you to submit a specific area of your life to his rule. Okay? Lay down your self-ruule, trust his word, and walk in the light of his kingdom rather than the darkness of your own understanding. Now, at this time on the first Sunday of the month, we participate in communion. We practice open communion which means that if you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ that you are walking before him you are invited to participate in this table. If you're not sure where you're at in your walk with the Lord or if you have a habitual ongoing unrepentant sin just let the elements go past you and commit in your heart to surrender them to Christ so that you can participate with him. Today. Brother Jim, where are you at? If you would come forward and lead us in the communion time. I'll ask the deacons to come forward while we prepare our hearts for communion. Thank you. Let's pray first. Father, as we come before this table, quiet our hearts. Help us to accomplish your purpose, which is to focus on what you've done for us, for what you have accomplished for us. Just pray your spirit would be felt in

Our presence here during this process in Jesus name. Amen. Get to the passage here. Okay. Jesus said, "For I have received from the Lord that which I also delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus on the night that he was betrayed, he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it. Would you now pass out the bread, please? As they're passing out the this element, the bread, you remember the passage said [music] when Jesus took the bread, he gave thanks and then he broke it. That's not typically part of what we do during communion. But I thought today if as you take that piece of bread, that little wafer, and as you're thinking about it [music] together, before we eat that bread, let's break it just as he did as a reminder of how he was broken. So when we everyone has the bread, we'll we'll do that. We'll give thanks and break that piece of bread. When something gets broken, it's not a peaceful thing. When something is broken, it's not a pleasant thing. When something is broken, it's a painful thing. So now as Jesus did, let's break the bread. And he said, "This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me." In the same way, he took the cup. Let's distribute the cup. >> [bell] [music] >> The cup [music] in Jewish culture. For the men gathered around that table with Jesus that night would have held [music] shades of meaning that's not that are not common to us. The cup was what sealed [music] the covenant between an engaged husband and a wife. Their families would share a

Cup and that would [music] be representative of the pact or covenant that they were making between the husband and the wife. And Jesus that day was making a pact with his wife. That wife is the church. That wife is us. And he was committing to us just like a husband would be committing to a wife to be pledged and to be in covenant with them for the rest of their time together. So this cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me. For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. If there's anyone here who doesn't understand what this is, what has just happened, get a hold of co Cody or myself or PJ or any one of the deacons here and this proclamation of the Gospel that we just signified by taking communion will all of us would be happy to explain it to you. Go in peace. Any announcement, Cody? >> Yes. One thing deacons and those who help, thank you so much. Y'all can go ahead and have a seat. I want to invite a couple of folks that said, "Hey, I want to I want to join the church on Sunday." And so, Miss Tony, if you would come over here, Miss Tony Smith, as well as Mike and Natalie Forner, if y'all would come on up here. These folks, they, recently participated in, our start lunch. You guys have been here for almost a year now, just about a year. Tony's a bit newer. She said, "I want to jump in with both feet." and they all give good testimony of knowing the Lord Jesus Christ. They're all behind the vision and mission of the church. They said that they really want to participate in this church and join as full members. And so if y'all would receive them into our fellowship church members, would you say amen?

>> Amen. >> Any opposed? Awesome. Praise the Lord. Hey, let's all celebrate what God's doing. [applause] So thankful for you guys. How about I say a prayer of blessing over us as we go. We do have a potluck and business meeting today and so you know you're welcome to join us for potluck and get to know us a little bit more and hope that hope that you have a blessed week. Let's go ahead and let's pray together. Father, I thank you for how you're working in our church. Thank you for Tony and Mike and Natalie. Thank you for just folks that are participating in being a part of this church joining in membership, God. And I just pray that you would help us as a as a church to live just with complete accountability, God, u with full passion and full heart towards each other. I pray that you would bless this food that we're about to receive. Pray that you would be with us in the business meeting that's coming up as we have motions and budgets and all that kind of stuff. Lord, it takes a whole family and I'm thank you for a good church family. We ask that you would continue to work in us, continue to move among us, Lord. We love you in Jesus name. Amen.