I'll be reading John chapter 13 verse 35. By this all men will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another. Please bow in prayer with me. Lord I think that we can come together on this Sunday Lord and just hear the word as Boyd brings it. Please speak through him, use him. to bring your word, Lord, in a way that edifies us, builds us up, convicts us, and through all of it helps us to love you more, Lord, with all of our heart, all that we are, and help us love each other, Lord, as much as we love ourselves. It's in your holy name I pray, amen. Good morning, church family. I do want to remind you on the back table, We have these books available, which we gave at our members meeting. Also, each of you, each family, each family has one of these in the back. It's turned upside down because it has your name written on it, your family's name. So pick one of those up. And we have some extra for visitors and things. But I just want to remind you that these are available on the back table. So we just got those in the mail this past week. So we're glad to be able to have that. It's a monthly devotional. You have February, and there's one for each day. So take that home with you. It's good to be back with you today. I'm thankful for Rob Blair filling in last week as we were away for our 36th wedding anniversary. I know Rob's anniversary I think is this weekend but it's always good to be here once again to worship with you guys. So we're going to review some memory verses that we went over a while back and so I think next week will be our last review and then we'll soon begin a new passage to memorize. Let's say these verses here in Colossians 3 together put on then as God's chosen ones holy and beloved compassionate hearts kindness humility meekness and patience Bearing with one another and if one has a complaint against another Forgiving each other as the Lord has forgiven you So you also must forgive and above all put on these love which binds everything together in perfect harmony Back in April 14, 2024, about 10 months ago, we began the book of Colossians going verse by verse through the study. It's taken us about 10 months. And here we are today wrapping it up. And so we're covering the final words of the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Colossians there. And we're actually covering a lot of verses today. This is the most verses we've covered in our study of this epistle. And we're looking at verses 7 through 18. But before we go there, you're welcome to go ahead and turn there, Colossians 4, beginning with verse 7 today. But we have so much to be thankful for as believers. And if I were to ask you things that you're thankful for, I imagine that you would mention your salvation, your family, your health, your job, your friends maybe. And that's what the Apostle Paul is doing today. He is taking out the last 12 verses that we see here to mention his friends that he loves and that he is thankful for. And so we're going to look at these verses today. really outside of the mention of Mark and Luke These are not very common names that that you would easily recognize I doubt you're maybe I don't want to say doubt because I've learned my lesson on that but maybe This is not a name that you would give your kids some of the names that we're going to read today but But nevertheless, these are people that Paul was appreciative of. And we see that here in the passage. So we're just going to read the entire passage. And like I said, this is a chance for us to see the people that Paul was thanking. And so just follow along as I read. Tychicus will tell you about all my activities. He's a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord. I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are and that he may encourage your hearts. And with him, Onesimus, our faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will tell you everything that has taken place. Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, greets you. and Mark, the cousin of Barnabas, concerning whom you have received instruction. If he comes to you, welcome him. And Jesus, who is called Justice. These are the only men of the circumcision, referring to the Jews, among my fellow workers for the kingdom of God. And they have been a comfort to me. Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayers. that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God. For I bear him witness that he has worked hard for you for those in Laodicea, in Hierapolis, which was a town. Luke, the beloved physician, greets you as does Demas. Give my greetings to the brothers at Laodicea and to Nympha and the church in her house. And when this letter has been read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans. And see that you also read the letter from Laodicea. And say to Archippus, see that you fulfill the ministry that you have received from the Lord. I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my chains, grace be with you. Now, that entire letter, that last sentence is the only one Paul physically wrote himself. The rest was dictated like to a secretary. And so, in our ongoing list here, though, of things that we are to be thankful for, what we see here, and I realize because when you come to a passage like this, a lot of times you're going like, so why is this important? I mean, this isn't like, This isn't like deep doctrine or anything that we're looking at. He's just listing all his friends. And so, but I want us to be thankful for those godly friends and godly relationships that we have just as Paul was and express that here at the close of this letter to the Colossians. And so Paul had been going through some hard times in his life with ministry. And what we see here is that he recognized the importance those godly friendships those people that he was thankful for and this morning I'm hoping that when we finish this book here today that you will be thankful for the godly friendships that you have they are vital to the body of Christ they are so important regarding our spiritual journey they are critical to the ministry now this morning I'm I'm not gonna do like this extensive background on each of these people. I'll certainly refer to most of them. But instead, what I want us to see from this are the patterns of godly friendships, what we kind of see collectively as a whole, knowing all that Paul went through. And so Paul expresses his gratefulness for each of these. He mentions their names. And so the first thing I want to see, the first pattern here is that godly friendships are rooted in Christ Jesus. What we just read here were people from different backgrounds, different upbringings, even various levels of spiritual maturity, and different things they did within the ministry. We know this because, well, they're all different. They all had different means of serving. And so, but one thing, the one big common denominator that runs through all these relationships, all these names that you can pronounce and maybe not pronounce very well, all of them, they were following Jesus at that time. Now, I say at that time, because there is a name mentioned here and that is Demas. It says, Luke, the beloved physician greets you as does Demas. Now Demas, as far as the apostle Paul knew at that time, he was a fellow worker in Christ. We see his name mentioned in Philemon, but here's the thing. Paul, the apostle Paul, even though he was an apostle, he could not read a human heart. He could not see that. And sure enough, Demas, who is mentioned here, later left the faith. He left Paul. He pursued the world. And we see this sad turn in his life in Paul's second letter to Timothy. He says, For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Now, here's the thing. It's possible. that perhaps Paul was starting to see some things maybe in Demas's life, maybe some hints of it, starting to slowly turn away. I say that because in this closing passage in our text today, and it's really just a guess, this is not like what I would ever lay my life down on, but he says the least about Demas of anybody in here. He just makes a quick reference to him. Now, here's the thing. At the time he was writing this, though, they had all these things in common. They were living out the message of the gospel by ministering together in various ways, coming alongside Paul. But here's the thing, Christ was the foundation. They were all striving together, even though they weren't even able to physically always be together. But there was this common love for Jesus as they ministered alongside Paul, alongside the church family, alongside one another, which is an incredible way to live because we have to remember this. There was this huge realization that happened not only within the church, but even the world saw it. There were enemies who were now friends. because of Jesus. Actually, they were more than friends. They now were family. They were church family, the family of God. The Jews and the Greek believers, they did not naturally get along, but now they were family. They were serving together. And in this closing passage, There were three Jews that Paul mentions, Aristarchus, Mark, and Justus. And the rest were Gentiles, but they were all working for the glory of God and the kingdom of God as fellow believers, proclaiming the gospel. And so can you imagine the testimony this is to the world to see outside enemies come together in a church family? To see enemies or people who used to be enemies now worshiping alongside one another. And the Apostle Paul, as he closed out this letter, he's thanking those who served alongside one another for the glory of God. And so this is what the gospel does. It brings people together. All nations, all backgrounds, all social and economic and racial divisions, they're all broken down when we are as one in Christ Jesus. Now here's the thing. This is a little taste of what heaven's gonna be like. Because we read this in Revelation. After this, I looked and behold, a great multitude that no one could number from every tribe, every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages standing before the throne and before the lamb, clothed in white robes with palm branches in their hands and crying out with a loud voice, salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne and to the lamb. Now, my reading that just and this isn't even in my notes, but I remember as I was just reading through this, I thought, wow, that it seems that there's still going to be some distinctions in heaven where you can tell these are different tribes. These are different races. There's going to be it's going to be recognized that the diversity of what heaven is going to be like in some way. I don't know what that looks like and I don't know if that's just going to be something we can. Or is it just something we know? But here's the thing. The Scriptures talk about no one could number. All these different peoples and languages are represented. And so we're going to be standing before the Lord like this. And the Apostle Paul has experienced in a sense a taste of heaven right here as he has ministered. And all these people... from these different backgrounds that have come alongside him. He's sort of had a taste of heaven. The Jews and the Greeks serving alongside one another for the King of kings and the Lord of lords. We're going to worship that way in heaven and we can also do that already on this earth. Now notice this. When you read through these names here in these last 12 verses, there's a few descriptions that will help you understand the diversity of what we're seeing here because some of the names, Luke is a doctor, Epaphras, a pastor. Onesimus was a fugitive. He was a slave who escaped or ran away. And there's a woman named Nympha, probably a wealthy woman because we see later the Bible speaks of they met in her home for church. And then there's Mark who was a Jew and Tychicus who was an Asian. Look at the diversity here of this group. These godly and diverse friends of Paul's. They were coming alongside Him in some way, coming alongside the church in some way, ministering together in some way. They all, like Paul, though needed the grace of God, they served in the kingdom of God, and they proclaimed and ministered the gospel of God. and they love one another as God commands. And so who doesn't want a friend that's like that? Meaning that your closest friends should be your brothers and sisters in Christ because your lives have that common foundation that are rooted in Christ Jesus. Now here's the second pattern that we see, and that is godly friendships grow in shared experiences. Notice what Paul says here in verse seven. Tychicus will tell you about all my activities but then he says this he is a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord and then about Epaphras he says who is one of you a servant of Christ Jesus greets you always struggling on your behalf in his prayers that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God these two men are were fellow laborers alongside Paul in the faith. They walked alongside each other. They experienced together the work of the ministry, the furtherance of the gospel. Antiochus, we're told, is the one who actually took this letter to the Colossians. In fact, the Bible says in verse 8, sorry I missed that one, in verse 8 it says, sent him to you for this very purpose, talking about Tychicus, you may know how we are and that he may encourage your heart. So we also read in Ephesians that Tychicus also delivered the letter to the Ephesians as well. The possibility is that he might have just delivered these both on the same trip because when you study this, The way to travel was through some very rugged terrain, which probably took a toll a little bit physically, but better to carry two letters on one trip than having to make two separate trips on that kind of thing. But either way, he was a beloved minister, fellow laborer with Paul. They shared experiences together in the work of the gospel, co-labors in the ministry, partners alongside Paul. Godly friends. He trusted them and they walked alongside one another. And they had the same goal and were of one mind. And this, we have to understand this. The church of Jesus Christ and the gospel advances through relationships. We have to understand that. And we see that right here in this passage. God uses relationships to further his kingdom, to build his church. And so you're not saved through relationships, you're saved through Christ. But Christ uses relationships to see this happen, to see the gospel furthered. And we see this throughout the entire New Testament. It's one of the many reasons that we are not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together. It's so important for us to have these kind of relationships. You can call it a thousand different names. You can call it co-laboring. You can call it communal mission together or serving alongside one another. You can call it community. You can call it gathering. Call it whatever you want, but the pattern that we see is that godly relationships, their common foundation is in Christ, but there is a shared experience of striving together for the furtherance of the gospel. In fact, I just mentioned her a minute ago, but Nympha there, he says, Paul says, give my greetings to the brothers at Laodicea and to this lady, Nympha. and the church in her house. And so we see the hospitality that also accompanies ministry. The church was meeting in her home. And you know the stories this woman could probably tell at the end of her life about all that took place in her home, having people in and out, the relationships she experienced and seeing the gospel impact her community? Because here's the thing, when you open up your home to others, it always takes relationships a little bit further. Usually much further because there's a vulnerability and openness about being in your home or someone being in your home. And this woman, Nympha, she was all in. We see the gospel further through the use of her home. The church met in her house. And then at the end of the letter, we see the Apostle Paul thanking those here who have ministered alongside him. We all need friends like the Apostle Paul. Every single one of us does. Friends that are more than just people we hang out with. but whom we walk alongside of for the furtherance of the kingdom of God. So do you have friends like that? Not just guys you hang out or girls that you just hang out with, but there is an understanding we are to be furthering the kingdom of God together. And the third pattern we see is that godly friendships, they grow in difficult times. We read here in this passage that There were just a few Jews, three, who were befriending Paul and ministering alongside him. Paul was not liked by many of the Jews, and so there were people, obviously, who did not want to be even around Paul because of his association and the fact that he was hated by so many. But here's the thing, we need friends who can walk with us through those hard times when we feel like the world is against us. And in Paul's case, it was more than just a perception. It was a reality. He had people who wanted him dead. Now to have friends that will stand alongside you when someone's hunting you down to kill you. Wow, that's a that's a good friend. It's even crazier that some of these friends used to be even enemies of Paul himself. What a great testament to godly friendships we see here. And then there's Aristarchus who is literally called a fellow prisoner. He's called a fellow prisoner. When Paul was in prison, I mean, he was hated by so many Jews and even Gentiles, but this man stood by his side, stood alongside him, even if it might ruin his reputation. even if it could cost them their life just by guilt by association. Back in Acts 21, while in Jerusalem, there was a riot. People tried to kill Paul. That right there is enough reason for most people to say, well, I'm just not going to be your friend. Too many people are trying to kill you. I'm afraid I'll get caught in the crossfire. But you know how crazy that would be to become alongside someone who everybody else is kind of wanting to kill? To try and befriend someone that people are after? but these men and even this woman were co-relations with Paul in some way, furthering the gospel. Now, we're not exactly sure why Aristarchus was in prison with Paul, but it's possible it was just due to the relationship he had with Paul and the fact that he was proclaiming the gospel. So ask yourself, am I that kind of friend? Do I have that kind of friend who would go to prison with you because you're working hand in hand for the furtherance of the gospel? I mean, it's hard to find, think about that, He went to prison, he was in prison with Paul for whatever reason. But it's hard to find friends who will go through lesser things than that with you. Friends who just step in your life and are there for you no matter what. I remember, I guess it was like 18 or 19 years ago, we had a lot of kids in the house. At that time, we had eight kids, all 14 and under. My daughter, Gracie, who's actually here today, she had just been born, and she was born at home. It was weird like that. But one of our friends, Wendy Freeman, and some of you know Wendy and her husband, Van, but one of our friends, Wendy Freeman, she came over to our house on her own. She just showed up. Because, well, she knew that we had just, Gracie had just been born, and she knew that we'd only been in, we'd just moved to Fayetteville five weeks before, and she also heard that our washing machine had broken down. And so, like, the worst storm, in that sense, with a family with eight kids, and a home birth, and no washing machine, And so we have all this laundry and a lot from a home birth, and you can just imagine that, but on top of a house full of kids and still several in diapers or whatever, but no washing machine. And Wendy Freeman comes over unannounced, just shows up, comes into our house, looks at Lori and says, give me all your laundry. And I thought, you'd be a very bad bank robber. But she did it, she was like, give me all your laundry. And Lori's like, what? She goes, I know your situation. She says, give me all your laundry. And Lori goes, no, this is like home birthday, I don't care. Give me all your laundry. She knew our life had been turned upside down a little bit like that. And so Lori tried to convince her to don't worry about it, we'll figure it out. But Wendy ends up walking out of our house with all of our laundry. She's that kind of friend. Now, obviously, dirty laundry and the gospel aren't anywhere close to being on the same level of importance, but what we, what Lori and I still remember this day about Wendy is that she stepped into our life when it wasn't popular and it wasn't easy, and to a certain extent, for those of you who know me, somewhat nasty, but she comes alongside of us and takes all of our laundry. Now, you take that, and we're talking laundry, When we talk about Paul here in the gospel, can you imagine the joy that these people in Paul's life brought to him as they came alongside him because of the gospel, because of the kingdom work that he was involved in? Can you imagine how grateful he was for them, even in the difficult journeys, even being in prison, the hardships that he endured, but that's what godly friendships do. They just step in and come alongside you. When my father died almost 30 years ago, I was a youth pastor. We only had three kids at the time at the house. But we had to go to Charlotte. And my dad's death was sudden, totally unexpected. But we went to Charlotte for about 10 days. And when I returned home, a guy who I didn't have a close relationship with at all, we had a large church, but this man, he did serve in a way in our church, but he came over and just mowed the lawn. Didn't ask anything. We showed up back to the house after about 10 days and I was like, who cut our grass? Come to find out who it was. But he just didn't ask, he just went over and stepped in and did it. Some of you have stories like that of people in your life. People who have sat with you in the hospital, helped you through financial times, maybe tragic times. Sometimes your friends are there and they stick around even when you do foolish things, they're still there. And so we need friends like that that don't go anywhere. who will be there spiritually even as we walk alongside one another for the glory of God and the furtherance of the gospel. Now here's the thing. We see these patterns here in these last 12 verses of Colossians 4. So how do we take what we just read and even these list of names and things that we see and how does this change Monday for us? How can we do that? How can we as believer apply these truths? Well, first of all, acknowledge that you need friends. I know that for some of you introverts, you can live the rest of your life locked in your house with a book and you would be fine. But you also, as a believer, know that's not godly and healthy to live that way. I'm not saying you have to become an extrovert. but even as an introvert, you were to walk out your Christian life as God commanded in spite of your personality and tendencies. So if that is you, here's what you can do. You can go ahead and be there for other people in your life. Minister, serve alongside others, care for others where they are. Because people are hurting all around us. People are suffering. And here's the thing, whether you think you need people or not, which you do, but right now, whether you think you need people or not, people need you. Whether you think you need others or not, people need you. So be that kind of friend to others that these people here in Colossians 4 were to the Apostle Paul. Be that friend. Secondly, acknowledge that you need to be a friend. This is a little different now. I know it sounds a lot the same, but let me just make it clear here, because here's the thing, reading and me talking about all these great people in the Apostle Paul's life and coming alongside them, some of you heard this and thought, well, I don't have friends like that. Where are those people in my life that do that? Well, to some degree, this is a two-way street. Are you that kind of friend? Because here's the thing. When you invest in others, most of the time, not always, but most of the time you see a friendship return on that investment. Don't just be a taker of relationships and friendships. Be a giver. Don't be someone who just sits and goes, where's everyone come? Why is not everyone coming here to minister to me? Don't have that viewpoint. Be a giver. And some of you can testify to this. When you give and invest, even when you don't feel like it, in godly relationships and you reach out and you serve, you'll find how rewarding and blessed that is just to live that way by itself. And we're actually commanded to live that way. The Bible says in Philippians, let nothing be done through strife or vainglory, but in lowliness of mind, let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also in the things of others. This is how we are to live. We are to be proactive in putting others before ourselves. We are to be servant-minded, but there are always a few within the faith whose perspective is, you know, no one's caring for me, no one's being that kind of friend to me. And to that person, I would say, try living like this in Philippians 2 this week, putting everyone else first, putting everyone else above yourself. and pray to the Lord that you will see an increase in those godly relationships that you so desire. Number three here is to acknowledge with thanks those godly relationships currently in your life. This is what the Apostle Paul was doing right here. He was thanking those in his life at that time. He was thanking those who We're in some way coming alongside him or the church furthering the gospel. We should be people of all people. Believers should be people who express thankfulness a lot. We see that in the scriptures over and over and do so to the people who are in your life right now. They're in your life for a reason. So thank them. Thank God for them and do it specifically. This is so encouraging when someone thanks you specifically for some that you have contributed to their relationship, their maturity, their walk with Christ. And here's the thing, even if there's hard and difficult people that you have in your life, surely you can find one attribute, one thing that you can thank them for. Because a heart of gratitude is such a better way to live as a believer. Thanking God for everyone in your life. Take notice of that this week, whether it's the janitor who works at the office you're at, whether it's your neighbor, maybe it's your parents, your spouse, your children. Even if it's the girl at the grocery store, kind of always smiles as she's checking you out with your groceries. You can always find a reason to thank someone for something, but do so especially to the believers God has placed in your life. And then if there's still time, thank those from your past. It's also good at this point in your life to go back and thank people in your past that perhaps because of your age at the time or your immaturity at the time, that you just failed to thank them in that moment. The Lord convicted me about this back in 2022. And so, Grew up in Charlotte my best friend at the time his parents also happened his dad was the youth pastor and his his mom Taught me in Sunday school for a couple years And so they just lived just around the corner just a five-minute walk And and so I kind of we spent a lot of time together and and I was always welcomed in their home as a kid well, then I think it was in 2021 and that my mom, my friend's mom, found out she had cancer. And I realized she was on my mind a lot more than I thought because other than just seeing a thing here or two maybe on Facebook once a year or something, I hadn't had any contact physically or on the phone or texting or anything with her. She's just someone that was at this point in my life, just in the past, someone I didn't really interact with. But I found out she had cancer, I found out you know, that it was it was not looking good for her. And so the Lord just prompted me just to write a letter to her, thanking her for all that she did. And so, you know, I did that. I said just, you know, I mean, the letter, I cover a lot more things, but I just said, you know, thank you for letting me sit at the dinner table with you. Thank you for making me feel loved in your home. And and I wanted to, you know, send that to her because I knew her time probably wasn't going to be long. And so and when I sent it to her that was in June of 2022. My mom stopped by because she would check in on her because they were still friends. But my mom stopped by and she shared with her how much it meant to her. That was June 2022. She died August I mean October 2022. I'm glad I sent that letter because she could read it. So it's good to go back and thank others in your life in some way that have shaped you and guided you to where you are today. Because some of us have people like that and you can't go back. They're not here anymore. Because heaven though is going to be filled with those who even in the smallest ways pointed you a little closer to Jesus by the way they ministered to you or befriended you or walked alongside you. The Apostle Paul was doing that as he closed this letter. He was thanking those that God had put in his place to come alongside him for the furtherance of the gospel. You have a chance to do that too. I'm gonna do something I don't think we've done here before, but I'm gonna give you some heritage homework. So here's what I want you to do, two assignments. And this isn't in your notes, because I really want you to write it down yourself. You're more likely to remember it. And I'll send an email out to the church family reminding. But thank someone for your friendship, for their friendship in your life right now. Thank someone who in some way has helped you in your walk with Christ. They've been there for you. And I want you to put it in writing in some form, whether it's a letter, whether it's a text, whether it's an email, Put it in some form of writing so that years from now they can always go back and reread it. Because we are prone to forget as we get older. So put it in writing so that they'll remember it longer. But thank someone in your life right now. And then secondly, thank someone from your past if there's still time, if they're still here. Think of someone who for whatever reason, maybe they're not in your, I mean, they probably aren't in your day-to-day life right now, maybe not even your year-to-year life right now, but someone who in your past has befriended you, taught you, cared for you, spiritually guided you back in the day when you didn't even realize it, but you look back now and go, wow, they really impacted my life. I didn't see it at the time. and if they're still here, show them thankfulness. Again, put it in writing in some way. If the apostle Paul can thank people who came alongside him, who were helping further the gospel, and he can do that from prison, I think we can do the same thing today, considering none of us here are in jail right now. He can do it from prison. Surely we can do it. from the comforts of our home this coming week. Because as believers, God has put people in our life. And some of you, when I talk about your past like that, I'm sure someone popped right in your head. And you probably haven't had contact with them in years, maybe decades. What a great opportunity to go and thank people. for what they have done in your life, coming alongside you, the influence they've had, because we as believers should always walk in a spirit of thankfulness and gratefulness for what Christ has done for us. Let's share that with others. Follow the example of Paul here. Father, I thank you for the truth of your word today, and I thank you for Lord just what typically seems to be a passage of scripture that we just kind of want to breeze through because there's names we really don't have an easy time saying and Lord it just seems like you know just a closing part but there is such value here in the Word of God as the example of the Apostle Paul sharing with us Lord through his example of how we can be thankful for others who have come alongside us in the gospel. And Lord, I thank you that there's even gonna be people we meet in heaven that not until we get there will we even realize the impact they had. But Lord, for now, in our finite minds, help us to show gratitude to those who were walking with Jesus and in some way came alongside us. Maybe when we were a kid, and Lord, it was just their constant example of joy in their life, whatever it was, Lord, Help us to be a grateful people. And I pray for the young people in here, especially those who, the kids who are still living at home. Lord, I know a lot of times when you're young, it's hard to show a lot of thanks because we're immature. But Lord, I pray that the Spirit of God would be upon the young believers in this room who would begin at an early age just being made more aware of what they can thank the Lord for and the people in their life. And Father, we thank you for your goodness to us. And Jesus, we thank you for your friendship to us, calling us brothers. And so, Lord, we are grateful for you and your kindness to us, Jesus. It's in your name. Amen. If you'll stand with me, we'll sing What a Friend We Have in Jesus. What a friend we have in Jesus All our sins and griefs to bear What a privilege to carry Everything to God in prayer Oh, what peace we often forget Have we trials and temptations? Find a fence or a... Please be seated. we come to the Lord's table this morning and one of the things that I think I mean I'm so thankful we do this every Sunday I'm so thankful that we come and and have this time together as believers to remember the suffering death of Jesus the price that was paid for us and And I know we read, for the most part, the same passages Sunday after Sunday. And the Bible is even itself full of repetition because it's good to be reminded of these truths over and over and over. But one of the things that I think that we sometimes forget when we especially are thinking about the suffering death of Jesus and all that he went through, Because we approach the table, and rightly so, we are to examine ourselves. We read that over and over. We examine ourselves, and before we come to the Lord's table, to thank Jesus for what he has done, and to remember his sacrifice. Now, here's the thing. A lot of times you come, and we've cautioned against this at times, that this is not a time to beat yourself up. This is a time, maybe you had a rough week, sin was a lot more present in your life and whatever reason but here's the thing you come gratefully to the table confess your sins be reunited with Christ and fellowship because this isn't this isn't about you today this is about what Christ has done so there is that moment where we examine ourself but we don't stay there We turn that into rejoicing in what Christ has done, celebrating the bread and the cup. But here's the thing that I think we need to be reminded of, is that when we think of how horrible the crucifixion was, all that Jesus went through, I want you to know this, he wasn't dreading it. He wasn't dreading it. looking to Jesus, founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. He went with joy. think sometimes in our mind we it's like we're weeping alongside Jesus because we're so sad that he has to go through it for our sin and there is an element of that we should be that sorry for our sin that it caused him to have to do this but here's the thing Jesus did not dread that for the joy that was set before him he was more than than joyful to go to the cross in obedience to the Father and for his love for us. And that right there, it kind of changes your world just a little. Because if I had to go through that, I would be dreading it. I mean, I dread getting my blood taken. I mean, I really, I struggle with stuff like that. I can't imagine knowing and Jesus fully knowing what he's gonna go through with the crucifixion. I mean, people, they see it because it was such a public display. Knowing all that he was going through, but it says for the joy that was set before him. And I think, wow, why did we miss that so much? But you know what? Here's another thing. I think we catch a hint of this earlier in the scriptures. And so when we're reading, It says, as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it, broke it, gave it to the disciples, and said, take ye, this is my body. And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sin. And then he tells them, I will tell you, I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my father's kingdom. And then the next verse, I'm like, if you're about to be executed in one of the worst ways imaginable, who does this? And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. Jesus was able to sing with his disciples knowing that he was headed to an execution. I don't know about you, but think about that for a minute. You're about to be executed, and you know what? Hey, let's sing. Let's sing. Can you imagine that song? And the disciples still not having an idea really about what was to happen. Jesus fully knowing, and yet here he goes singing with his disciples. Why? How can you sing when you're about to be executed in the most horrific ways? Because you're not dreading it. It's for the joy that was set before him. So we come to the table. We should not just thank the Lord for his sacrifice, but thank him that he was not doing this kicking and screaming. for the joy that was set before him. How much more should we give thanks to God for the sacrificial gift of his son, who for the joy set before him went to the cross for us? So let's take a few moments, examine ourselves, make things right if that needs to be done today, but then run to Jesus, celebrating the joy that he had and providing our sacrifice. And as we remember the bread and the cup this morning. So let's take a few minutes to pray. Let's pray. Lord Jesus, we're just so thankful that you joyfully went to the cross for us to save, to redeem us as a people. We're thankful that the scriptures tell us you are that friend that sticks closer than a brother. That a greater love hath no man than this that he laid down his life for his friends. You laid down your life for us, your body was broken, blood was shed, you did it joyfully. We thank you and just pray that as we receive it, you receive it rightly, just resting in you and your finished work. In Jesus name we pray, amen. The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread. When he had given thanks, he broke it and said, this is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me. In the same way, also he took the cup after supper, saying, 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 till he comes. If you'll stand with me, we'll sing in Christ alone. In Christ alone, my hope is found He is my hope, my strength, my song This cornerstone, this solid ground Firm through the fiercest drought and storm What heights of love, what depths of peace When fears are still, when striving cease My God forever Here in the love of Christ I stand In Christ alone, took on flesh Fullness of God in helpless pain This gift of love and righteousness Storn by the ones He gave to save Till on that cross as Jesus died The wrath of God was satisfied. This is the proof of Christ in me Your face is my light, my breath Jesus commands my destiny Amen. Would you pray with me? Lord Jesus, we are so grateful that there is nothing that can pluck us from your hand. Lord, that you are almighty and that you love us so much. We ask that you would give us the strength and the vision and to see the opportunities to take the love with which you love us, Lord, and to show that to others in friendship. Lord, to give as you gave for us, to be there for the people around us, Lord, to build relationships so that we can encourage each other and exhort each other to be more and more like you every day. Lord, we do ask for your blessing on the meal that you've given to us today and the family that you've given to share it with at that time would be honoring to you. And now from Romans chapter eight. For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen. Thanks, James.