The Grand Slam of Grace: Embracing Christ’s Ascended Lordship

[00:05:26] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:05:26] Good morning, everybody. Welcome. We are so glad that you are here on this beautiful morning to worship God.
[00:05:33] For those of you that are here, sign in on the attendance pads and pass those down the row so that everybody can get signed in.
[00:05:39] And welcome to those of you joining us online. We are very glad that you are here and hope that your worship is just as rich, as powerful as it will be right here.
[00:05:47] So a couple things to announce. Saturday is the day, the Great Pumpkin Unload.
[00:05:54] I know it's your opportunity now everybody do this real quick I want you to do this you are qualified and called let's go we're going to unload some pumpkins and that's all you got to
[00:06:09] be able to do right and have a willing heart and show up so next Saturday at 9 a.m. on the front lawn we have a big big truck of pumpkins coming it's really exciting and then sign up for your
[00:06:19] shift after that also something that we haven't done in a long time but is back is Kairos cookies baking if you are a baker and like baking cookies please sign up to supply some cookies for kairos
[00:06:31] ministry um there is an instruction sheet there's some certain requirements you have to follow for baking cookies for the kairos prison ministry but we would love to have you join in with that so just sign up for that there's also a prayer chain for the kairos walk so please join in with that
[00:06:46] um in case you are unaware we are still doing church under the bridge so that's the third Sunday of every month. Please don't miss out. There are lots of folks coming down there that would love to get to know you, and you could serve them a warm meal and some great fellowship
[00:06:59] and prayer time. So join up for Church Under the Bridge. And in case you didn't know, there's a table out on the patio today. It is about our discipleship ministry that is really getting intentional and growing. You will find at that table cards that have—oops, that's the wrong one—this
[00:07:15] one that tells you all the discipleship opportunities coming up. I would encourage you to stop by there, learn about what's going on, and pick up a card so that you can get plugged in and get your discipleship going on. Lastly, this is the last Sunday for you to sign up for Tying
[00:07:31] Up Loose Ends. And this is a four-part class that will, it's really about the critical importance of proactive preparations for handling serious illness and death. It's nothing, it's something that nobody wants to talk about or deal with, but we all need to, and it is a great gift for those
[00:07:49] that you leave behind that you love that will be dealing with all of your goodies.
[00:07:52] Okay, so here's the question.
[00:07:55] Someone laugh.
[00:07:57] Here's the question for the day so you know if you should be in this class.
[00:08:01] Does my spouse, children, or other designated person know how to handle new responsibilities when I'm gone?
[00:08:11] Probably should be in this class.
[00:08:13] How many of you are signed up?
[00:08:16] Okay, the rest of you need to get on it.
[00:08:17] It's important.
[00:08:18] Or maybe you're already set.
[00:08:19] Welcome, let's go, let's worship.

[00:08:21] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:08:21] Yeah, yeah.
[00:08:22] the class is going to be a big party believe that getting ready for death and all David Crowder had a saying everybody wants to go to heaven but nobody wants to die I was actually talking to somebody about that out in the foyer
[00:08:39] earlier weird weird so y'all ready to worship let's have a practice here's a practice why don't y'all stand up first we're going to do a practice see if they're ready if you're happy and you know it clap your hands
[00:08:55] If you're happy and you know it, then your face will surely show it If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands Yep, they're ready Y'all make me happy We're going to do some hymns
[00:09:09] Okay

[00:09:14] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:09:14] God is good And all the time

[00:09:27] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:09:27] He said of the Lord His excellent discipline Will stay to stand As people said, Father, thank you so much for giving us the opportunity to come here this morning and spend time with you.
[00:12:42] the world tries to steal away our time but you alone are worthy of our praise and worship and our focus and so thank you thank you that you called us here it's not by accident you've
[00:12:57] called us here to come and spend time with you and so father I pray that these words would bring you honor and glory these words that we sing and I pray that our prayers that you would reveal
[00:13:09] yourself to us in the midst of those, God, and that you would work all those things out to your glory and our good. Father, I pray that our attentiveness to your word would honor you and
[00:13:21] make your hearts glad. And Father, as we share communion today, I pray that as we share the bread and the cup, that you would be so incredibly present in that moment, that our lives would
[00:13:36] be changed more into the likeness of jesus himself and we pray all that in the name of jesus and everybody said amen and can i get a woohoo too yeah thank you thanks you are just so
[00:13:50] kind jesus blood and righteousness i dare not trust the sweetest pain but holy lean on jesus name on christ the solid rock i stand all of the ground is sinking sand all of the ground is
[00:14:31] sinking sand tells his lovely face i rest on his unchanging grace in every high and stormy gale My anchor holds within the ground On Christ the solid rock I stand All other ground is sinking
[00:14:57] Sin is sinking Support me in my soul His way even is all my hope and stay Christ the solid rock I stand All other ground is sinking Sin is sinking With trumpet sound Lay I then in His righteousness alone,
[00:15:44] Faultless to stand before the throne.
[00:15:48] Your voices.
[00:15:50] On Christ.

[00:16:19] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:16:19] You can be seated.
[00:16:23] When we come and worship and find ourselves in the presence of God, when we're clearly seeing Him as He really is, one of the things we recognize is He is holy and righteous and pure,
[00:16:34] and we're not.
[00:16:36] Let's be honest.
[00:16:37] and so one of the things that is appropriate for when we come before our God is for us to confess our sin and we'll do that in prayer together this morning using the words that are on the screen and
[00:16:50] in the bulletin. Let's pray. Holy, holy, holy are you, Lord God Almighty. We are in awe of you and in the light of your purity we recognize our sinfulness we confess that we have not loved you
[00:17:12] above all else we have not loved our neighbor as we love ourselves and we do not always hear the cry of the needy we come depending fully on your grace poured out on the cross to deal with our
[00:17:28] sinfulness once for all. By the power of your Holy Spirit, enlarge our hearts that we would love you the way you love and willingly give of ourselves to bless others. Help us live in ways
[00:17:45] that would point others to you. Lord, hear our prayers. Lord, we're here this morning because of who you are. Because you are holy and righteous, perfect and pure in every way, we stand in awe of
[00:18:26] you. We see that you are God Almighty, great beyond the bounds of the universe, the creator of all things. And if you had never done anything for us, it'd still be worth worshiping you simply
[00:18:42] because of who you are. But you have done much for us. From the moment of creation to this very day, Your grace has been poured out, giving life, giving every breath we draw, guiding us along
[00:19:02] the way, extending grace for forgiveness, for healing, for new life. And so we come with grateful hearts, counting our many blessings that we tend to take for granted. We give you thanks.
[00:19:21] We come this morning because you have so perfectly and completely loved us that we want to say we love you too but even with all you have done for us and for the wonder of who you are we're
[00:19:37] still broken people we live in a broken world and so we come seeking your help we ask that you would heal our sinful spirits that you would heal our broken bodies that you would heal our anxious
[00:19:51] minds that you would draw us close to you and because we've been close to you we would become more like you. We lift up Joe Belcher, who's recovering after hip surgery. We pray, Lord, that you would be with him during his rehab at home. We thank you that things are going well
[00:20:13] up to this point, and we pray that you'd be knitting those bones back together and give him all the encouragement and strength he needs to do the hard work ahead. We pray for R.G. Leinweber,
[00:20:25] who's dealing with a hip fracture and a back fracture.
[00:20:32] Lord, we pray that you would clear the way that he could get the room that he needs and begin the rehab that he needs.
[00:20:39] And just as we ask for Joe, that you would bring him encouragement and physical strength to do the work that he needs to do.
[00:20:50] We pray for Vicki Bader who's dealing with AFib and high blood pressure.
[00:20:56] Lord we thank you for good medical care that was quick to jump on her situation we pray that you would give them wisdom and guidance and that you would restore her completely we pray for
[00:21:12] Amy Jorgensen's daughter who jumped off her bed and has injured her leg we ask Lord that you would relieve the pain she's in and that the right things would be done that she could be healed
[00:21:26] and restored. We lift up Gilbert Rangel, who's in need of healing. We ask, Lord, that you would be at work there. And we pray with Kim, who is in need of a total hip replacement, that you would
[00:21:48] clear the way for her, that she would receive all the care that she needs and soon, and that you would be with her to do the work that she'll have to do afterwards for rehabilitation.
[00:22:03] Lord, we know all things are possible for you, and so we pray for healing for those who are hurting.
[00:22:11] We ask that you would bring healing to the hearts of Travis McCord and his family as they grieve the death of his nephew, Michael.
[00:22:19] Lord, we ask that in the midst of this unexpected death, that you would wrap your strong arms around that whole family and help them know without a doubt that you are with them, that they would experience your presence, your compassion in a way they never have, and
[00:22:37] that you would give them hope that extends beyond the grave. Father, you know all that's going on in our lives. You know this is just the tip of the iceberg, and so we lift up all things
[00:22:54] to you. We pray that whether we've spoken it out loud or kept it tucked away in our hearts, that your will would be done and that you would receive glory and honor.
[00:23:05] We pray with expectation of good things coming because when you were on this earth, you taught us to pray when you taught the words, Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
[00:23:17] Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
[00:23:22] Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Because God has been so
[00:23:43] good to us, we continue in worship. Now, this would be the time when the children in our midst between three years old and first grade would meet Miss Carol at the back door and head out
[00:23:55] for children's church time, and we will see you all back in here for the end of the worship. We'll see you while we're singing that last song. For the rest of us, you're stuck in the room. You've
[00:24:06] got to listen to me. Sorry. I apologize for that, but that's the way it's set up. We will worship God with yet another song, and during that time, we can worship God also with the giving of our
[00:24:18] tithes and offerings. I know some of you give electronically and some of you by snail mail, But if you've got it with you this morning, you can bring it to the altar while we're singing together.
[00:24:29] Let's worship.
[00:24:30] Please stand.

[00:25:37] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:25:37] You can be seated.

[00:31:22] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:31:22] It is well with my soul.
[00:31:24] And the reason we can sing that is because we know we have an anchor that is unmoved.
[00:31:29] God who is with us at all times in every circumstance, working all things together for our good. One of the ways the church has affirmed its faith in this God is through the reciting of the Apostles' Creed. It's the most ancient of all the universal creeds of the church.
[00:31:46] Let's say that together. I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried.
[00:32:07] The third day he rose from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the
[00:32:21] Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
[00:32:34] Before I dive into the story at the beginning here, I want to just lift up one other announcement.
[00:32:41] We have a meeting this Wednesday evening at 7 o'clock with our district superintendent, who's going to talk to us about the current state of affairs in the United Methodist Church and our place in that. And that is a meeting that's open for anybody who would like to come.
[00:32:55] at his request we're not going to be in the sanctuary but in room 204 205 in the education wing so invite you to come out wednesday evening at seven we'll see you there now imagine it's the final game of the world series it's the bottom of the ninth inning the score
[00:33:16] is seven to four the visitors are ahead the home team is up to bat bases are loaded and it's a full count, two strikes, three balls, and the next pitch, of course, means the game. No one is leaving early
[00:33:32] to beat the traffic at this point. The stands are packed. Everyone is totally absorbed in this game.
[00:33:38] The air is electrified. The batter steps up to the plate, and his jersey says, Jesus, or is that Jesus? Hmm. There's the pitch, the swing. You can hear the ball and the bat connect with each other,
[00:33:55] and it's immediately clear this is a home run, and not just a home run, but a game-winning grand slam, and the crowd goes wild. You could be there at that game. The odd thing is
[00:34:10] that the church sees way too many people go home from the game early, before the game is finished.
[00:34:22] And I'm not just talking about those who walk out before the worship service is finished at the end.
[00:34:27] we neglect the doctrine of the ascension of Jesus. We neglect the doctrine of the ascension of Jesus. Jesus' birth is first base, and the stands are packed during Christmas Eve, right?
[00:34:45] Second base is His death on the cross, and while it's not a big attendance service, everybody knows it's really important, right? The crucifixion. And His resurrection is third base, and on Easter the stands are packed again. But who remembers Ascension Day? Who remembers
[00:35:06] Ascension Day? Do you even know when that is? And yet that's when the runner went home and took everybody in the stands with him. You don't turn the lights out and go home before the end of the game. You got to stay and see him go all the way home. Jesus hits a grand
[00:35:35] slam and brings us all home with Him. Today, we're talking about His last at-bat and His grand slam, His ascension into heaven. Now, the Apostles' Creed says of Jesus, He ascended into heaven and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. Luke is the writer who gives us the
[00:35:58] story of the ascension. He writes it twice, actually, once at the end of his gospel, once at the beginning of his second volume, the book of Acts. This morning, we're going to read the conclusion of Luke, Luke chapter 24, verses 50 to 53, just a very few verses.
[00:36:18] Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands, he blessed them.
[00:36:24] And while he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven.
[00:36:29] And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and they were continually in the temple blessing God. Now, try to get a picture of that in your head. And one of the questions
[00:36:44] that comes up, of course, is did he go up like it says, or did he kind of fade into another dimension? And the answer to the question is, I don't know. I wasn't there. We'll find out when
[00:36:58] we get there. But He left this earth and ends up in the heavenly realm. Short, sweet, to the point, just a few verses. In both Luke and Acts, just before Jesus ascended, He gave His followers a
[00:37:17] job to do. In Luke, He says they're to preach repentance and forgiveness of sins. In the beginning of Acts, before the ascension, He says they are to be His witnesses to the ends of the
[00:37:32] earth. That is, they are to point other people to Him by telling about what they know of Him, what they experienced. This is the task that we, the church, and every member in it, are about
[00:37:46] until Jesus returns. This isn't something that's reserved for pastors or is reserved for church staff, but every follower of Jesus to be His witnesses, to be able to tell the story of what Jesus has done in our lives and in the world. But rather than focusing on the mission that we have
[00:38:07] been given, this morning I want to talk about what the ascension says about Jesus, because that is the focus of the creed, not on our mission, as important as that is, but on Jesus. Luke's gospel
[00:38:24] account says that right after Jesus' ascension, they worshiped Him. They worshiped Him because His ascension to heaven nailed down His identity once and for all. If ever there was a question in their mind, there was no more. He was and He is divine, God in the flesh, God in the flesh.
[00:38:54] There's no way they would worship Him unless they knew that to be true.
[00:38:59] For a Jew to worship someone or something other than the one true God would be the worst sort of blasphemy, and it would be punished by death, by stoning to death.
[00:39:10] Even fishermen and tax collectors knew that, and it was a line they would never, ever cross.
[00:39:17] So it must be that they knew Jesus was God.
[00:39:22] His ascension to heaven removed any room for doubt in their minds. He was, He is divine, the second person of the Holy Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Luke says they returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and I would imagine so. Now, think back on what they had so
[00:39:46] recently experienced, having endured what they went through, seeing Jesus arrested and beaten and whipped and brutally crucified and lifted up on a cross to die a slow death of asphyxiation, and then grieving the death of the one that they had loved and followed for three years,
[00:40:06] spent their entire lives with Him during that time, and then fearing for their own lives because they had been so closely associated with Him, His enemies might be after them. But then on the third
[00:40:22] day, the wonder of Easter, the triumph of life over death. He was back with them and somehow not just resuscitated but transformed so that when they're behind locked doors, He can just appear in their midst. Something has definitely been altered here. And then those heady days
[00:40:42] of sharing meals with the risen Christ and hearing more teaching from them, being with the resurrected Jesus, and then His ascension to heaven, and they would know without a doubt He was not a failed revolutionary. He was not just another Jewish rabbi. He was not a prophet
[00:41:07] from God. He was not just another good moral example, not just a resuscitated human being, but Himself, God in the flesh, and now returned to heaven. The flesh, even. Great joy.
[00:41:29] And they stayed continually in the temple, praising God. The temple was the central place for prayers and sacrifices to God, and now they knew better than ever before just how much God could deal with their prayers and how much God deserved their sacrifices. Not animal sacrifices
[00:41:51] anymore, but the sacrifices that the Apostle Paul would later write about when he said, offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God. This is your true and proper worship. Offer your bodies. That is, all you are, all that you are, your very life, all that you are
[00:42:15] and all that you have. Now, ponder that the next time it's time to take the collection.
[00:42:23] Now, those of you who have been around Northwest Hills very long know that it's October, and that means two things at Northwest Hills, the pumpkin patch, right, and the financial stewardship campaign. Every October it's coming, right? Stewardship is not just about your money,
[00:42:46] although that's part of it. Stewardship has to do with more, with your every thought, word, deed with your whole life, with all that you are and all that you have. Offer your bodies as living
[00:43:02] sacrifices, Paul said. This is your acceptable worship, not sacrifice of an animal, but the giving of yourself. Now, the question arises, so what's Jesus doing now? It's been 2,000 years since He ascended to heaven. Is He just up there twiddling His thumbs? Is this a really long
[00:43:26] vacation? What's going on? He's praying for you. He's praying for me. Paul wrote to the church in Rome to say, Jesus is at the right hand of God and is interceding for us. Interceding. He is the bridge
[00:43:50] between us and God. Picture him sitting next to the Father, as a prince would sit next to his Father the King. Jesus sits there. He knows what we need. He hears our prayers. He leans over and
[00:44:07] speaks quietly into His Father's ear, and He says, let's do something about that. He intercedes for us. The letter to the Hebrew Christians goes on for chapters about how Jesus is the great high priest, the one who never needs to be replaced because He is eternal, the one who is without
[00:44:32] sin, and so He doesn't need to offer any sacrifice for His own sins. Everything He offers is for us.
[00:44:38] The one who does offer Himself as a once-for-all sufficient sacrifice to atone for our sins.
[00:44:50] He is the great high priest to beat all high priests. He is the one to pave the way to the Father. In fact, Jesus spoke of His own priestly role when He said, I am the way, the truth,
[00:45:04] and the life, and no one comes to the Father except through Me. That's what He was referring to as His role as a priest, an intercessor. The risen and exalted Jesus is present with the Father,
[00:45:22] bringing to Him our needs, our desires, our prayers, interceding for us. We say in the creed, He is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. And the creed doesn't talk about His intercession, although the Scriptures do. The creed talks about His position, His place,
[00:45:49] seated at the right hand, the place of highest honor, the place of authority, seated at the right hand where the prince sits next to the king, sitting as next in line to take the throne.
[00:46:05] Now, before there was ever an Apostles' Creed, the earliest affirmation of faith was three simple words, Jesus is Lord. Jesus is Lord. Lord, an old English word which means someone of status above where you are, a nobleman. That's someone to whom you are subservient in old English. Not a word we
[00:46:36] like, but that's what it means. Jesus is Lord, that is, boss of the universe and of our lives, the ruler, the one who calls the shots, Lord over every aspect of our lives, every aspect.
[00:46:55] Because there's a saying, and it's true, if Jesus is not Lord of all, He is not Lord at all.
[00:47:04] If I get to pick what parts of my life Jesus can be in charge of and which ones I'm not going to let him have, then who's really in charge? Me, right? If Jesus is not Lord of all, then he's not
[00:47:22] Lord at all. So, obviously, one of the questions that comes with this is, is he the Lord of your life? Is he the Lord of mine? Over all of it? Over my money? Big question. Is he the Lord of my whole
[00:47:51] life, including my resources? Because if He's not Lord of all, He's not Lord at all. So we have to face that question, and each one of us will have to answer it for ourselves. Now, the Bible says
[00:48:12] that even as Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father as a prince next to the king, Jesus already is active in reigning over God's creation. The letter to the Hebrews says, the Son is the radiance
[00:48:25] of God's glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful Word. After He had provided purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the majesty in heaven. It says He's sustaining all things. He's holding it all together. And in the book of Acts,
[00:48:49] It says, God exalted him to his own right hand as prince and savior, that he might bring Israel to repentance and forgive their sins. Prince, ruler. As God in the flesh, he shares in exercising
[00:49:11] the rule and reign of God the Father over the universe. That does not mean that everything that happens is His doing or even His desire, because, well, it doesn't work that way. God is all-powerful, and He could run everything just the way He wants with an iron fist, but God desires
[00:49:33] a personal relationship with you and me, and if there would truly be a relationship, a love relationship, that requires that there would be a level of freedom to say yes or no, so that it's really a relationship. A relationship can only exist where there is some freedom in
[00:49:59] there. And so, at great cost, God limits His sovereignty, holds back His power, and allows freedom for us and for all of His creation. But at the same time, He is able to take our very worst and weave it together into His plan. The Bible says God takes all things
[00:50:25] and works them together for the good of those who love Him. So Jesus didn't just leave earth and go to heaven for a vacation. He's still working in this world, influencing people and events, sometimes working miracles here and there, and working all things together for good.
[00:50:45] One of the primary ways the Bible says He works in the world today is through the church, through you and me.
[00:50:56] The New Testament gives us a picture of the church as the body of Christ, guided and powered by the Spirit of Christ, doing the work of Christ in the world.
[00:51:08] That's us.
[00:51:12] It means our prayers, our presence, our financial gifts, our service, our witness to the world, All of those are things that we have promised when we become members of the church, and all of those
[00:51:25] are things that Jesus uses to continue His work in the world. Are you participating in that?
[00:51:33] Have you become a member and are then pursuing and living up to those promises?
[00:51:44] Are you involved in ways that God can work through you, through what you give, through what you do, through what you say, to touch the lives of other people with the grace of God.
[00:51:59] So what we put in the offering plate is not just about paying the electric bill and keeping the staff employed. It's an act of worship, offering our lives as a living sacrifice, and it's about putting our financial resources at His disposal to continue the work of Jesus
[00:52:16] to extend His rule and reign in the world. He's seated at the right hand of the Father, the place of power and authority, as He's seated on the throne of your life and mine.
[00:52:40] Finally, while Jesus is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty and already exercising dominion over creation and hopefully over your life and mine, He is also waiting.
[00:52:53] There is an element of waiting for Him. He's waiting for the day when His kingdom shall come in its completeness. One of the other things we routinely recite in worship is the Lord's Prayer, and sometimes we can say it without thinking about it, but in that prayer we recite
[00:53:17] these words, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father, waiting for the day when His kingdom will come in completeness,
[00:53:32] when His will is done on earth completely without compromise, without hesitation.
[00:53:39] Now, certainly there is a sense in which Jesus, during His earthly ministry, could say the kingdom of God was present, and He did. When He cast out demons, He said, if it's by the Spirit of God that
[00:53:51] I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. Tax collectors and prostitutes are, present tense, are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. He said, the kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news. Now, what was he referring to? The presence of
[00:54:13] the kingdom of God was always there when Jesus was there, because the will of the Father was perfectly done by Him. And so the kingdom was present in that time and place. It had to do
[00:54:29] also with how other people responded to Jesus if they did the will of the Father. But while there is a sense of the kingdom's presence already, there's also a future coming of the kingdom when His will will be done everywhere and by everyone without compromise, without second
[00:54:51] guessing without hesitation, even when it's time to fill out a pledge card. Wow, imagine that, that kind of obedience. He's waiting. Our dog, Bernie, is a good dog. She's family. That's the way our dogs always are. They become family. And Bernie's fairly well-behaved, usually.
[00:55:19] There are exceptions. Sometimes she's, shall we say, a little slow to respond. Not slow, but slow to respond. Sometimes she's a lot slow to respond. Having a good time out snooping in the bushes or barking at somebody who's walked down the road outside the house. If she smells
[00:55:41] something interesting, any of those things going on, she develops selective deafness.
[00:55:49] You can call her and get no response. Whistle for her, get no response. Tell her, I've got a treat. You might get a response, but sometimes even that doesn't do the trick until she decides that she actually hears you. And then she comes back walking very slowly.
[00:56:16] Her posture says, nag, nag, nag. I'm coming already, but I'm not thrilled. You can just see it in her, and it irritates the bejeebers out of me sometimes, until I realize that all too often
[00:56:36] I'm kind of that way with Jesus. Jesus, seated at the right hand, waiting for the day when His kingdom will come in its fullness, when obedience to Him is immediate, wholehearted, complete.
[00:56:57] In Hebrews, Jesus is described as the perfect and heavenly high priest, and in that context, we hear a quote from Psalm 110, carried over into Hebrews. It says, when this high priest has offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right
[00:57:17] hand of God, and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. He waits.
[00:57:26] He waits for the day when there's no opposition, no compromise, no hesitation. It's all eliminated, and there is perfect obedience to the will of the King.
[00:57:42] Paul wrote to the church in Philippi and quoted from a hymn, an ancient hymn that they all knew, tells about Jesus' downward movement from heaven to earth, from earth to death, death even on a cross.
[00:57:56] And then the song turns around and goes up.
[00:58:00] Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
[00:58:11] and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.
[00:58:20] He's waiting for that day. But you and I can bring a little bit of that day into today. We can be a part of the answer to our own prayer, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
[00:58:40] The question is, what is He calling you to do?
[00:58:49] What is He calling you to do?
[00:58:54] Is there some commitment you need to make, some new step to take in stretching and growing, some place where you need to serve, something He wants you to do about giving?
[00:59:13] This month, I hope that's a question you'll really wrestle with.
[00:59:16] Not how much do we need to pay for the electric bill or keep the staff paid.
[00:59:20] it's not about underwriting the budget. It's about investing in the work of God and doing what God wants us to do. I really hope the question you'll seek out is, what does God want me to do? Is He Lord over all of your life? In the past, pre-pandemic, we used to pass the
[00:59:48] offering plate out in the pews. Maybe we'll do that again at some point, although I kind of like it as an offering at the altar. But you know how it'd go when the plate would be passed down the
[00:59:59] row. The plate comes to the first person, and guilt kind of rears its head in their mind, and they said, oh, I have been bad. I haven't read my Bible or prayed enough. I've always been
[01:00:15] kind of a cheapskate. I'm not as good as I ought to be. Maybe, you know, I just need to put a little bit more in here. Guilt. Comes to the second person, and pride swells up inside. I've
[01:00:29] written this big generous check, and I'll put it in the plate face up to make sure, you know, as it goes down the row. And I want the pastor to see that too. Maybe he'll be impressed. Maybe
[01:00:42] he'll owe me one. And on to the next person, and fear speaks. If I give, there might not be enough for me to get by. And on to the next person, love of pleasure. If I give that much, I might have to
[01:01:02] cut back on how expansive my vacation is. It's in that new car I've been looking at, and the plate finally comes to the last person in the row, and they say, yes, Lord Jesus, I hear your call to be
[01:01:19] a part of your work in the world. I offer you my life. You are my king. Let's pray. Lord Jesus, we do stand in awe of you, who you are, and what you have done for us, and the fact that
[01:01:41] you ascended to heaven. You are in the heavenly throne room at the right hand of the Father.
[01:01:49] Lord, teach us to live our lives in a way that would honor you for who you truly are.
[01:01:58] We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. One of the things that Jesus did before he departed this earth was share a last meal with his friends as a meal also that could be then shared later, and it's passed
[01:02:13] on down to us. A meal in which we can experience His presence with us. That last time with His friends, He was gathered with them to celebrate the Passover meal, remembering when God had set
[01:02:28] the slaves free from Pharaoh in Egypt and made them a new people, a new nation together.
[01:02:35] In the midst of retelling that story and sharing that meal, Jesus began to do and say some things that pointed together to a new act of liberation that God was about to bring, a liberation from
[01:02:48] sin and death. In the midst of the Passover, he took bread, and he gave thanks to the Father, and he broke the bread, and he gave it to his friends, and he said to them,
[01:02:59] this is my body which is broken for you. Do this in remembrance of me. Likewise, after the supper, he took the cup, and he gave thanks to the Father, and he gave it to his friends, and he said to them,
[01:03:14] Take and drink from this, all of you.
[01:03:16] This is my blood of the cup, new covenant, poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins.
[01:03:25] Let us pray.
[01:03:27] Oh, Lord, we thank you for the invitation to meet you at this table, family dinner.
[01:03:33] We thank you that through this we can experience your presence in a very real way.
[01:03:41] Not just a memory, but a real presence.
[01:03:43] send your Holy Spirit on us and on the bread and cup that they would be for us the body and blood of Christ that we might be for the world the body of Christ redeemed by his blood we ask it in Jesus
[01:03:59] name amen when we gather together and share in the bread this is a means of sharing in the body of Christ and when we give thanks over the cup it is a means of sharing in the blood of Christ
[01:04:15] will the servers come forward please the ushers will guide you forward to receive communion you come forward and receive first a piece of bread and eat it and afterwards you receive a small cup of juice you can drink that and afterwards if you would like to kneel at the
[01:04:34] rail on either side to pray you're welcome to do so as you return to your seat by the diagonal aisles there are small waste baskets there to receive your cups we do have gluten-free over here and also sealed elements if you would prefer that. And I would remind you as always,
[01:04:54] this is not Northwest Hills table. It's not a Methodist table. It is the table of Christ himself. And so any and all who seek to be in fellowship with him are welcome to participate

[01:05:04] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[01:05:04] in this meal. Father, thank you so much for letting us come together and share in the body and the blood of Christ. Thank you that when we do that, we remember all that you've done for us.
[01:11:49] And like your word says, we stop and we evaluate ourselves to, you know, where we're at in our walk with you.
[01:11:58] God, make us more like Jesus in our time we spend with you.
[01:12:04] We love you and we pray this in Jesus' name.
[01:12:07] And everybody said, Amen.
[01:12:15] Oh, that was good.
[01:12:18] Okay.
[01:12:19] Next week I get this off and I can actually look down and it'll make things much better.
[01:12:27] God willing, I have had some naysayers that say that's not happening.
[01:12:31] Here we go.
[01:16:01] As you go from this place, keep speaking Jesus, because he's watching over you.

[01:18:38] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[01:18:38] Go in his power.
[01:18:40] In Jesus' name, amen.