Please turn to 1 Corinthians 15, exploring once again the glorious theme of our own resurrection, Christ's resurrection. We'll be reading from verses 12 through 34. Here Paul writes, Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We're even found to be misrepresenting God because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise, if it is true that the dead are not raised. For the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. And then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order, Christ, the first fruits, then it is coming. Those who belong to Christ and then comes the end when he delivers the kingdom to God, the father, after destroying every rule and every authority and power, for he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. And the last enemy to be destroyed is death, for God has put all things in subjection under his feet. But when it says all things are put in subjection, it is plain that He is accepted who put all things in subjection under Him. When all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subjected to Him who put all things in subjection under Him that God may be all in all. Otherwise, what do people mean by being baptized on behalf of the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized on their behalf? Why are we in danger every hour? I protest, brothers, by my pride in you, which I have in Christ Jesus, our Lord. I die every day. What do I gain if, humanly speaking, I fought with beasts at Ephesus? If the dead are not raised, let us eat and drink for tomorrow we die. Do not be deceived, bad company ruins good morals, wake up from your drunken stupor as is right and do not go on sinning for some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame. Imagine with me for just a moment that tomorrow morning there's a breaking news story from the Middle East realm of Jerusalem. the tales of an archeology dig that dug up the very bones of Jesus Christ. Just imagine it. And with some trick of modern science, they're able to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that these are, in fact, Jesus' bones. It was four years ago, I think, that James Cameron, the producer of the Titanic, the director of the Titanic, I think, that movie, he produced a documentary for the Discovery Channel claiming just that, that archaeologists had found Jesus bones. Do you remember? The news came out appropriately around Easter time, found a box, said these are Jesus bones. And his family was around him. Mary, his mother, Mary Magdalene, whom it is rumored that Jesus married. And one of the boxes spoke of Judah, a son of Jesus. And James Cameron and others said, this is it. These are the bones of Jesus. It was all, of course, completely wrong, completely discredited, even from the scientific archaeological community. But imagine if it were true. Jesus bones have been found. He was not raised from the dead. I wonder, I wonder, would you would you show up at church next week if that were true? Would that discovery destroy your faith? Several years ago, this very question was asked to one of the top Anglican archbishops in Australia, and the question was put to him that Jesus bones were discovered. What would that do to your faith? And his answer was this. It wouldn't do anything to my faith because Jesus Christ has risen in my heart, he said. Now, friends. The Apostle Paul, that kind of language. Is nonsensical. For Paul, everything, absolutely everything, hangs on the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Paul knew nothing of a kind of feel-good, moralistic, flowery, Christ has risen in my heart kind of Christianity. Paul only knows a Christianity that is based on history, based on truth, based on fact. And for us today, there is one central, overarching Christian truth that keeps us from barring these doors and shutting down this church next week. And that is the truth of Christ's resurrection from the dead. And we're here this morning. We're here this morning because it's true. Jesus really has been raised from the dead. In verses 3 and 4, earlier on in chapter 15, Paul calls the resurrection of Christ an issue of first importance. Paul's dealt with a lot of stuff. in his letter to the Corinthians. A lot of really, really important stuff. Idolatry, immorality, Christian love, spiritual gifts, orderly worship, marriage, gender roles, all kinds of things Paul has dealt with in this letter, this epistle to the Corinthians. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is of first importance. For some reason, it seems that some in Corinth were denying the resurrection and all kinds of theories about why, which are of not interesting, but not pertinent to our discussion this morning. In some ways, maybe it makes sense to deny the resurrection. It's hard to believe, isn't it, that someone who died and was put in a grave, their heart stopped beating, their brain stopped thinking, their spirits and life was gone from them. It's hard to imagine them. raising from the dead, being raised from the dead. Perhaps it just makes sense, common scientific sense, that that's the reality. Perhaps that's why they were denying the resurrection. We don't know for sure. Perhaps there are other religious beliefs involved, whatever it is. Paul writes now to show them how it is that if they believe there is no resurrection, their faith actually is futile. They might as well pack it up, go home, forget everything they know about Christianity. If Jesus has not been raised from the dead, It's foolishness. Everything about Christianity is foolishness. If Jesus has not been raised. And what Paul does is he goes on in quite a bit of detail to talk here in this passage about what it means if Christ has not been raised and he goes on to expose the foolishness of believing that, in fact. Six things, at least that I counted in the first is this. And Paul says, verse 14, if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain. Our preaching is in vain, what Paul is saying is that all of his gospel labor, all of his preaching and teaching, all of his words spoken about Jesus, all of it is in vain without Christ's resurrection. What we're doing here right now, hearing God's word, what I'm doing, preaching God's word, there could be nothing more foolish than that, a foolish waste of time if Jesus has not been raised. This says something about preaching, doesn't it? I think. The gospel preached has power, it seems Paul likes to believe. It has very great power to bring hard hearts and dead souls to life. And the power of the gospel preached and proclaimed, God's word preached, rests in the resurrection of Christ, so much so that if Christ has not been raised, then the preaching is in vain. It's lost all of its power altogether. It really is a foolish act, what we're doing here this morning. Ezekiel illustrates this for us. When God takes him to a valley in a vision, the valley of dry bones, it's full of bones. And God, what's God say to Ezekiel? He says, prophesy to them, preach to them, declare God's word to them, declare my promises to them. And so Ezekiel preaches to this valley of dry bones. He he does just that. He speaks God's promises to them. And what happens? The bones live. And that is what preaching does. That is what God's Word does. It brings life to its hearers. You know, Martin Luther. Martin Luther relied so heavily on the power of the preached Word. This is what he says at one point, speaking about how the time of the Reformation, the preached Word took over Germany Because of its power, the power that's grounded in the resurrection of Christ. And I love how he describes the power of the preach word. He says, in short, I will preach the word of God, teach it, write it. But I will constrain no man by force, for faith must come freely without compulsion and take myself as an example. I opposed indulgences in all the papists. But never with force. I simply taught, preached, and wrote God's word, Luther says. Otherwise, I did nothing. And while I slept and drank Wittenberg beer with my friends, Philip and Amsdorff, The word so greatly weakened the papacy that no prince or emperor ever inflicted such losses upon it. I did nothing. Luther says the word did everything he goes on. Had I desired to foment trouble, I could have brought great bloodshed upon Germany. Indeed, I could have started such a game that even the emperor would not have been safe. But that but what would it have been? Mere fools play your fools play. Playing with the power structures of the world, mere fools play. Luther says he had God's word. He proclaimed it. He says, I did nothing. I let the word do its work. I love that illustration, and so I make that a model of my own ministry to preach and then to just sleep and drink beer. Oh, no, I'm just kidding. I'm just a powerful statement from from Luther about the power of God's word. But if Christ has not been raised, then there is no power in God's Word. If Christ has not been raised, then no one will be raised. There is no life possible. All of the power of preaching is gone. And I think Paul's words here also show us... I think it shows us this, and it's very convicting for me as a preacher. If our preaching makes sense without the resurrection of Christ, if our preaching makes sense, even if Jesus has not been raised from the dead, then it is not Christian preaching, is it? I could preach all kinds of sermons that would not be in vain, that would be immensely helpful and moving and motivating for you as a congregation of people. Even if Christ has not been raised from the dead, all kinds of helpful things I could preach and teach and proclaim to help you put your lives in order and to live happier lives, better lives. I could give wonderful sermons on wonderful topics. I could preach with such power and zeal and persuasion and wisdom and relevance and insight that your lives are drastically changed for the better. But if I preach in such a way that my message makes perfect sense, even if Christ has not been raised, then I am not preaching a Christian message. I would not be able to say with Paul that our preaching is in vain without the resurrection. And that kind of preaching, friends, would be truly tragic. Here, Paul is saying that the resurrection of Jesus is so central to his preaching that he would have nothing to go on if the resurrection were not true. This is the real standard of whether or not a sermon is good. If our preaching does not depend completely on the resurrection of Christ to make sense, to not be in vain, then we're not preaching Christian sermons. And think about that as you listen to sermons. To listen to other people preach, think about that as you listen to me preaching. Hope, by God's grace, I preach in such a way that there's a profound sense that it would all be in vain if Christ is not raised from the dead seminarians among us, elders among us, teachers among us, and that includes many, if not most of you. Think about that as you plan your lessons so that you actually preach and teach in such a way that it would clearly be in vain if there were no resurrection. Second Paul indicates that if Christ has not been raised, then our faith is in vain. Verse 14 says that. All the wonderful doctrines of our faith, all of the indescribable promises that God gives to his elect people, the hope of the gospel, All of it is lost if Christ is not raised. As Christians, we're called to build our entire faith and hope upon the reality of Christ's resurrection. I think of the passage in Colossians 3. It's my theme verse. I went to a Christian college. This was our theme verse for my class in college. Colossians 3, verses 1-4. Paul writes, if then you have been raised with Christ, Seek the things that are above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Friends, without the resurrection of Christ, that is all rubbish, absolute rubbish. It's empty talk. It's a grand hoax. If Christ Jesus is still in the ground today at the Lord's Supper, we proclaim the Lord's death until he comes again. And of course, also, it's complete nonsense if Christ has not been raised, he's not coming again. If his boxes are in a if his bones are in a box somewhere. The meal that we share, the communion table, makes sense only if Christ has been raised. What about the glorious doctrine, the glorious teaching of our union with Christ? The fact, the biblical fact, the spiritual fact and reality that we have communion and fellowship and union with Christ as our Lord and Savior. And that, of course, is all for naught if He is not raised. We cannot abide in Jesus If Jesus' bones are in a box in James Cameron's basement, Jesus says, I am the vine and you are the branches. If the vine is dead, then we as branches don't stand a chance. We cannot abide in him. We are dead, too. I had vines growing up all over some trees at my house and last fall I went around them and they were so prevalent that I was angry at these vines. I kind of maniacally just chopped them off at the base. All of these vines cut off their life bread. the life breath so that the so that they'll die, so they'll perish, so the branches will not grow. And that's that's what situation we would be in if Christ is not alive today. We, too. Would die, perish, wither away. What about prayer? Just just forget about prayer altogether, you're talking to. praying in Jesus name and with the assumption that Jesus has the power to answer prayer, to intercede on our behalf before before God. If there's no resurrection, just throw prayer out the window as well. You see, everything our faith depends literally upon the resurrection of Christ. Paul then says, thirdly, if Christ has not been raised, then we misrepresent God. Verse 15, we're liars. We've lied about God. We've told falsehoods about who he is, about his power, about our sure hope in him. If Christ is not raised, we've led people astray. Everything about the Christian faith becomes a real mess. It crumbles without the resurrection. Fourthly, Paul says, if Christ has not been raised, we are still in our sins. Verse 17. Without the resurrection, there is no answer to the problem of sin. Without the resurrection, Jesus died for no one. Sin still reigns. The power of sin, which is death, still rules the day. And we have no answer to what is by far the greatest, most significant problem that any of us will ever face. How can we be right with God? How can we who are sinners be In a relationship, be made right, enter into the presence of a God who is infinitely holy. There's no answer to that if Jesus has not been raised. If Christ has not been raised, then we just have to get rid of the Christian doctrine of justification by faith. And Paul writes in Romans 4, 25, Christ was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. The justification is nonsense without the resurrection on the final day. If there is no resurrection, God will say to no one. Well done, good and faithful servant. No one. And Christ's perfect righteousness will not have been imparted to us, imputed to us. His death on the cross would hold no power without his subsequent resurrection. In the book of Galatians, Paul tells us that Christ gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, but if there is no resurrection, Then we are delivered from nothing, absolutely nothing. There is no hope of deliverance. Christ was not even able to deliver himself from the present evil age if his bones still lie in the ground somewhere. And certainly he will not deliver you and I, if that is the case. Our faith, every aspect of it, is in vain without the resurrection, and we are still in our sins if it is not true. Fifth, if Christ has not been raised and all who die will perish. Verse 18. So my daughter the other day, I was going to the funeral home to see Mr. Kevin, Kevin Littner, and I explained to her how his brother in law had died. She looked at me and said, Mr. Kevin must be happy. I said, happy, why would you? Why would you say that? Because his brother in law went to be with God, and that's a good thing. Kevin shared the other week how he believed that his brother-in-law embraced the gospel. Certainly, we hope that that is the case. And even my daughter understands that if there is no resurrection of Jesus, there is no reason to be happy at funerals, at viewings. But if there is, if there is, then we have hope. We have a real hope, a hope that is sure and true because Christ has been raised. If not, there's no peace, no comfort, no happiness at any funeral. It's all bleak despair. But because he has been raised, those who are in Christ we know will be raised as well. And six, if Christ has not been raised and Christians are above all to be pitied, verse 19. And here, Paul, I think Paul is acknowledging. I think he's saying, you know what? This Christian life thing, it's not easy. It's it's it's hard. I think Paul's saying. Paul's calling from the Lord Jesus himself was grounded in suffering, wasn't it? When Jesus called Paul in Acts chapter 9, Jesus said, I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name. Paul was acquainted with suffering. That was what the Christian life was all about to him. Our own Christian calling is grounded in suffering as well. We are called to take up our crosses and to follow Jesus. As Christians, we're called to hold very, very loose ties with the things of this world, the fleeting pleasures of this world, our possessions, even our families, even our very lives. We are called to hold with loosely. Because those bonds may break. Indeed, those bonds may need to be broken for the sake of Christ's name. Christian life is not easy. Just read through the Psalms, just read through the Psalms. I've yet to find the believer in the Bible who's who's kind of all about happy, clappy Christianity that that is Pastor Chris sometimes speaks about. I've yet to find that Christian read through the Psalms. All the faithful in the Bible, and we see this particularly in the Psalms, are well versed in suffering and hardship and persecution. They know intimately the difficulties of living the Christian life, having a Christian faith in a world that's so hostile to Christianity. They know what it's like to be a citizen of heaven that is now in exile on earth. And they know it's not easy. Read the Psalms. So many of the Psalms are written by and for miserable Christians, suffering Christians facing affliction and difficulty because of their faith and trust in God and his word. The Christian life is so very demanding that Paul says, if there is no resurrection, then we are to be pitied above all others, for we've given up so much in this life that we could have enjoyed, taken advantage of, it seems Paul is saying. And so there's a challenge here in these words of Paul as well, and similar to the challenge of preaching. If our lives make sense without the resurrection of Christ, If our lives are not pitiable, if Christ has not been raised, then perhaps we are not living Christian lives at all. Paul, would his life have made sense if Jesus had not been raised from the dead? No, it would not have. Would your life make sense if Jesus has not been raised from the dead? believe, perhaps many aspects of our lives would make too much sense if you're like me at all. Paul speaks of the difficulty of the Christian life that he is living. Others live in verses 29 through 32 in this passage. Verse 29 is that famous famously difficult passage about baptism on behalf of the dead. Paul says, what do people mean by being baptized on behalf of the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why would people be baptized on their behalf? And there are as many interpretations of this passage as there are interpreters. And some of the wisest scholars and pastors admit ignorance on this passage, which is pretty hard for pastors and scholars to do. It's a difficult, difficult passage. The possibilities that I think may make the most sense. Is that in this context, Paul is not speaking about water baptism, but about the baptism of death that Jesus himself spoke of to James and John. Remember, James and John, they want special privileges in the kingdom of God. And Jesus looks at him and I just imagine his eyes at this time, says, Are you able to drink the cup that I drink or to be baptized with the baptism which with which I am baptized? Speaking of that, baptism is his death. And so some commentators, and I think perhaps this is the best suggestion, although it's hard to tell exactly what Paul means, but some suggest Paul is simply saying, why be baptized unto death? Why suffer if there is no resurrection? And certainly that reading would fit in just fine with the Greek behind the English that you're reading here, why? Why be baptized unto death if there is no resurrection? And certainly that would fit in with the context of Paul's words here, isn't it? Paul goes on to speak of himself as being in danger every hour. He says, I die every day all for the sake of this Christian faith. He gives himself up. He denies himself regularly, moment by moment, almost with humor. He he asked what he gained by fighting the beast in Ephesus, perhaps wild beasts, perhaps perhaps those who persecuted him. And he freely acknowledges that if there is no resurrection, then we might as well eat and drink. Now, we might as well simply party today for tomorrow. Tomorrow we die. There's no resurrection. I mean, the only reason to open these doors next week will be to come to party, I think. But Paul says, in fact, he says. First, 20, the Christ has been raised. Christ has been raised, in fact, Paul says. And so now he offers a number of implications in light of His resurrection. In verse 22, he says that all in Christ will be made alive because Christ has been raised. He is the firstfruits. Christ's resurrection shows us what our own resurrection will be like. Our bodies, our very bodies will be raised like His. We will live on. And Charles Spurgeon comments on the significance of this. He speaks about funerals today. He says that when we shed tears at a funeral, we don't shed tears over the soul of the person, over their soul. We know that for the Christian, their soul immediately goes on to be in heaven with the Lord upon their death. And Spurgeon says it would be cruel to weep over a soul that is ascended into heaven. And then he goes on, he says, none of you weep because your dear mother is before the throne. But you weep because her body is in the grave. Because those eyes can no more smile on you. Because those hands cannot caress you. Because those sweet lips cannot speak melodious notes of affection. You weep because the body is cold and dead and clay-like. For the soul you do not weep. And he goes on and says, but I have comfort for you. That very body will rise again That eye will flash with genius again. That hand will be held out in affection once more. Believe me, I'm speaking no fiction. You shall see that body once again. It's true and we know it's true because Christ himself has been raised. Christ has been raised and Jesus becomes our true federal head, our representative before God. In verse 22, Paul shows us that without Christ, we are all under Adam. And just as Adam sinned and died, so we too sin and die. We are sinners because we are children of Adam. We are condemned to the grave and to the consequences of sin, to the curse, because we are children of Adam. We are guilty because Adam is guilty. But when we trust in Christ, we're removed from that sonship of Adam to now sonship under Jesus Christ. We're no longer counted as children of Adam who die and perish. Instead, we are Christ. And just as Christ has been raised in victory over sin and death, we too will be raised in victory. He is our representative. He stands for us. His blood speaks for us. Christ has been raised then Jesus really will reign over every power, every enemy, even the great enemy of death. In verses 24 through 26, Paul speaks of this reign of Christ over all power and every enemy. And finally, in verse 26, he says, the last enemy to be destroyed is death. I love John's vision of Christ in Revelation. John is terrified. He's in exile. He's suffering. John's writing to a church that's terrified, suffering. The forces and powers and governments of this world are closing in upon the Christians in the early days of Christianity, about to crush them, quite literally crush them. And John has a vision. He sees Jesus, and Jesus says in Revelation 1, Fear not, for I am the first and the last and the living one. Behold, I died and I am alive forever. Jesus says, and I have the keys to death and Hades. And the message of revelation that follows is that Jesus has come back. He is coming back to establish his reign over every worldly power, over every demonic power, to bring justice against wickedness, to make right every wrong, to protect his people and defeat all his enemies and our enemies. He is the one that has the power over life and death. And that vision gives hope to God's people because Jesus reigns. We have nothing to fear. And we know he reigns because he has been raised. And of course, Revelation culminates with a vision of Christ's kingdom established forever. And this is what John records in one of his final visions in Revelation. He sees I saw a new Jerusalem, Revelation 21. I'm coming down from heaven prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a voice from the throne saying, behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them. They will be his people. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes and. And death shall be no more. Neither shall it be morning nor crying or pain anymore for the former things have passed away. As Paul continues in First Corinthians 15, he offers them one single point of application for the church in Corinth. Since Christ has been raised, let us live. Here's how I would put this point of application, and we'll explore what Paul says here in a moment. Since Christ really has been raised, our calling is to live as if the resurrection really matters because it really does matter. And so Paul basically tells the Corinthians in verses 33 and 34 in light of the resurrection. Stop sinning. He says, do not be deceived, bad company ruins good morals, wake up from your drunken stupor as is right and do not go on sinning. Some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame. And here's what Paul's telling the Corinthians, in light of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, sin, it makes no sense whatsoever anymore. Jesus is coming again. We're all being called into that kingdom of righteousness. We're part of the kingdom of God. Now our hope and our longing, our end, our ultimate end lies in an eternity in which there will be no sin. We saw that already in Revelation 21. There will be no sin, no mourning, no hardship, no wickedness will ever enter the new Jerusalem in eternity. In eternity, sin will not make any sense at all. As we fall at Christ's feet and worship in the throne room of God, the very notion of sin will be an absurdity. Therefore, Paul seems to indicate here that likewise, the very notion of sin today for us, who are recipients of the promise of the resurrection, Sin ought to be for us an absurdity as well, because Jesus really has been raised from the dead. For Paul, everything, everything hinges on the resurrection, and without it, all all is lost. The resurrection of Christ is central, absolutely central. The Christian faith and brothers and sisters, I wonder. I wonder how much of our witness in the world is grounded in the resurrection of Christ. Think about this for a moment. What is it that we are known for in the world today? What is it that our friends and co-workers, neighbors know us for? What is the modern media know Christians for today? What does everyone know us for? Is it for the resurrection of Christ? For our belief in the resurrection of Christ? For our hope in a kingdom that is yet to come when we will be raised to life with Christ again. I hope that's what we're known for. I hope that we live in such a way and speak in such a way that we can make it evident to those around us that this really is central to who we are and what we believe. It's central to us even now as we come to the Lord's table. As I already mentioned, as we come, we will be proclaiming the Lord's death until he comes again. And it is that hope which fuels our worship even now. Let's pray together. Almighty God, we thank you for the life we have in Christ and for the physical resurrected life that we hope in because of Christ's resurrection. It is a truth that is hard for us to grasp, but it's truth nonetheless, so help us to grasp it. And as we commune with you today at this table, help us to see that as surely as Christ has been raised from the dead, we who are united in faith to Christ will be raised as well. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. One of the rich blessings of being part of Reformed tradition, Reformed churches, is that we share a common confessional heritage. That is, it is the pattern of Christ's church to pass on the doctrine, the teachings of the faith, over generations. And although We ourselves hold to the Westminster Confession of Faith. There are some other magnificent reform confessions which we can learn from. And I want to read from the Heidelberg Catechism, which we sometimes use even in our worship this morning that comes from the reformed churches on the continents in Europe. In the Heidelberg Catechism regarding the Lord's Supper, the question is asked, how does the Lord's Supper remind you and assure you that you share in Christ's one sacrifice on the cross and in all his gifts? And the answer is given in this way. In this way, Christ has commanded me and all believers to eat this broken bread and to drink this cup. With this command, he gave this promise first. As surely as I see with my eyes the bread of the Lord broken for me and the cup given to me, so surely his body was offered and broken for me and his blood poured out for me on the cross. And second, as surely as I receive from the hand of the one who serves me, and taste with my mouth the bread and cup of the Lord given me as sure signs of Christ's body and blood. So surely he nourishes and refreshes my soul for eternal life with his crucified body and poured out blood. You hear those words there over and over again, as surely as I receive this meal, so surely are his gospel promises given to me. This meal is very much about the Lord God Himself giving you, His people, absolute assurance that His promises are true. And we know they're true because Jesus has been raised from the dead. If not, if His bones are some box in the Middle East somewhere, then all of this is in vain. All of the promises are foolishness. But they're not, because he has been raised again from the dead. That is why Paul says in 1 Corinthians 11, when we eat this bread, we drink this cup, we proclaim the Lord's death until he comes again. He is coming again, dear brothers and sisters in Christ. This meal is for all who profess Christ and trust in Him as Lord and Savior. This meal is for all who have publicly professed their faith in Christ by becoming members of an evangelical church, a church that proclaims the Gospel. If that is you, please come and partake of this meal and know the assurance of God's promises for you. If it is not you, we call on you to believe in the Lord today. Even as you allow this meal to pass you by this morning, Paul says, whoever therefore eats the bread or drinks a cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. And that is why we we restrict the table only to those who have publicly professed faith in Christ. Let's pray together as we receive. Almighty God, we thank You that as surely as this meal is set before us this morning, that Your promises for us are therefore true. We thank you that as surely as we partake of this bread and this cup that represent Christ's body to us, that we can know we truly commune with Him and have union with Him through faith. And we thank you that as our hope in taking this meal is that He will come again, we can surely know that He will come again and that we ourselves, although we die, will be raised to life again. And we thank you for these promises. We thank you for this meal. Fill us up with these truths today. In Christ's name we pray. Amen.