If you turn to 1 Peter 1, 1 Peter 1, and my subject for this Communion Sunday, the rejoicing of the Christian over the doctrine of redemption when this doctrine is understood and believed by the Christian. The Puritan Thomas Watson in observing the greatness of redemption. In these words, great was the work of creation, but greater the work of redemption. It costs more to redeem us than to make us. In the one, there was but the speaking of a word, in the other, the shedding of blood. creation was but the work of God's fingers, redemption is the work of his arm. All of which reinforces the greatness of the doctrine of redemption, a doctrine that is oftentimes reflected in the hymns that we sing, such as O for a thousand tongues to sing, my great Redeemer's praise. You are the way to God, your blood our ransom paid. In you we face our judge and maker unafraid. Before the throne absolved we stand, your love is met, your laws demand. crown him the Lord of years, the potentate of time, creator of the rolling spheres, ineffably sublime. Oh hell, redeemer hell, for thou hast died for me, thy praise shall never, never fail throughout eternity. Hallelujah, Christ is risen, Death at last has met defeat. See the ancient powers of evil and confusion and retreat. Once he died and once was buried, now he lives forevermore. Jesus Christ, the world's Redeemer, whom we worship and adore. I know that my Redeemer lives. what joy this blessed assurance gives. I will sing of my Redeemer and His wondrous love to me. On the cruel cross, He suffered from the curse to set me free. Sing, O sing of my Redeemer. With His blood, He purchased me. On the cross, he sealed my pardon, paid the debt, and made me free. This is the glorious doctrine of redemption, a doctrine that the New Testament explains and expounds upon as it teaches the fact that Jesus of Nazareth is the Redeemer. So I think it's rather Unfortunate that in our Christian vocabulary, the word Redeemer is not so commonly used as the word Savior. Obviously, we as believers acknowledge the truth that Jesus is the Savior. Jesus is the only one who can save us. But of even greater import is the truth that Jesus has purchased us by means of his own blood. And therefore, of these two terms, Savior and Redeemer, Redeemer deserves as much prominence or even more prominence than the word Savior. Since redemption deals specifically with the cost, the means by which it's accomplished, and the result that comes from what actually happened. And therefore, it's extremely important for us to understand and believe what the New Testament teaches about the doctrine of redemption, such as this text that is found here in 1 Peter 1, that has been rightfully called one of the greatest redemption passages of the New Testament. And we see it in this 18th verse where the Apostle Peter simply records the words, you were redeemed. That is the central message of the Christian faith. And the tense of the verb that is found here in verse 18, you were redeemed, emphasizes that this was an accomplished fact historical event, and the passive nature of the verb reminds us this is something that someone else did for us, since we could not do it on the basis of our own effort or on the basis of our own merit. And therefore, It is absolutely imperative that we understand what the Apostle Peter means when the Apostle Peter writes, you were redeemed. I think of J. Gresham Machen as he was writing about the importance of thinking, and he said this, when any new fact enters the human mind, it must proceed to make itself at home. It must proceed to introduce itself to the previous denizens of the house. That process of introduction of new facts is called thinking. And contrary to what seems to be quite generally supposed, thinking cannot be avoided by the Christian man. But in another context, He writes of how people are hostile when they are told they have to think and think about precise definitions of words. He writes, men discourse very eloquently today upon such subjects as God, religion, Christianity, atonement, redemption, faith, but are greatly incensed when they're asked to tell in simple language what they mean by these terms. So we as Christians have to be able to think and to precisely define terms in simple language, like the term that we think about, redemption, or as the Apostle Peter sets it forth here in verse 18, you were redeemed. So I'd like to focus our attention upon Peter's words that are found here in this paragraph of 1 Peter 1, verses 17 through 21, beginning with the description that ought to characterize the believer in Jesus Christ as depicted in the language of the 17th verse. And as we move into verse 17, I want you to notice that it begins with the little word, and. The NIV doesn't translate the conjunction, leaves it untranslated, but it is there. So when you move into the 17th verse, and it begins with the little word, and, Obviously, verses 17 through 21 is connected to the preceding paragraph of verses 13 through 16, and thus it carries out further what the lifestyle of the Christian should be like in contrast to the way the Christian lived as a non-Christian, and certainly in contrast to the way that non-Christians live. So we move into the 17th verse and it's connected with what is already recorded and, and then we read if. Now this is where the NIV has it right in translating the if since, so we could read it. And since you are calling upon the father, Now when you read chapter one in verse two, you read of God the Father, and moreover in chapter one verse three, he's further identified as God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. So we come here to the 17th verse, and since you are calling upon the Father, this is God the Father, this is God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which of course is the only one. So we come to the 17th verse, and since you are calling upon the Father, and they can do that according to verse 14, because we have become children. So since we now are children, we can call upon him as our father. So as you read in the 17th verse, the thought of it, something like, since you are surnaming him now as your father, since you have become his children, sons and daughters, then we read this in verse 17. And verse 17, since you were calling upon the father, now notice it, who without favoritism, without partiality, judges according to the work of each one." So if you read the statement here, he doesn't play favorites. It doesn't matter whether you're rich or poor, Jew or Gentile, slave or master. So as we read the statement here in verse 17, and Since you are calling upon the Father, now as his children, who without favoritism judges according to the work of each one, then he moves into his commandment, live, behave, conduct yourselves, here's your imperative, live, the time of your, and he uses this word sojourning. You're dwelling in this strange land. It is referring to the life of the Christian as long as the Christian sojourns on this earth. So as we're reading the 17th verse, the imperative is you live the time of your pilgrimage and fear. So if I read this, I recognize I'm a temporary resident. I am staying here in this place for a period of time, but it's a foreign, strange place. And he emphasizes this word time, the time of your pilgrimage. And he doesn't use the Greek word that refers to an event or a point in time. He rather uses the word chronos, which you think of time in general, or you think of the duration of time. I very much have always appreciated the definition of time that says, time is a stretch of duration in which things happen. And when you read this statement, He's referring to the stretch of duration, the time that we have here as Christians on this earth as we live in this very foreign place. So I read this 17th verse as he's describing what our lives should be like. And since you're calling upon the Father, who without favoritism judges according to the work of each one, here's your imperative, You live the time, the duration of your pilgrimage in fear. And if there's one little phrase that the apostle Peter is emphasizing, it is that phrase in fear, because he places it in a very emphatic position. If I'm reading the statement in the Greek Bible, it would read something like this, in fear, the time of your pilgrimage, you live. So he's spotlighting this whole concept of fear. We think of the carelessness, we think of the flippancy in the way people talk about spiritual things and the way that people talk about God these days. I think of the words of Bishop Westcott who said a long time ago, every year makes me tremble at the daring with which people speak of spiritual things. He said that over a hundred years ago. I wonder what he would think about in terms of what is said today about spiritual things and about God. So I read the words of the apostle Peter and he says, I'm to live, but I'm to live in fear. Now, when you talk about this word fear, we're not talking about dread. And we're not talking about terror. We're not talking about the dread of a slave who is cowering or cringing before an offended master. That is not the fear that the Apostle Peter is talking about. Rather, this is the fear of standing in awe of God, holding him in reverence and respect. It is the reverential awe of a son towards a beloved and highly esteemed father. It is an awe that shrinks back from whatever would displease or grieve a beloved father, stimulated even further by the consciousness that our father is an impartial judge from whom no favoritism can be expected. So when you read the statement here, verse 17, and since you are calling upon the Father, who without favoritism judges according to the work of each one, you live the time, the duration of your pilgrimage in fear. In other words, since judgment is certain, and our life on earth is a temporary stay. We are to live in obedience and service, inspired by awe and reverence towards God, who has become our father. I think of the words of Jim Elliott, who was speared by those Orca Indians back in 1956, who said, wherever you are, be all there. live to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God. And I would add that we ought to do it with reverence and awe of God who has become our father. Now, this is the description that should characterize all of us who claim to be believers in Jesus Christ. The motivation behind living that kind of life is found in the opening of verse 18. And as you move into verse 18, it begins with that little phrase, knowing that. That is a formula found in the New Testament that introduces a familiar fact. This knowledge should continually influence the way that we live. And when you read this in verse 18, knowing that, It is grammatically connected with the verb found in verse 17, you live. So when I read this, you live this way, verse 17, because you know this to be true, verse 18. So the Christian life is a life that is lived out of knowledge in terms of redemption. and what God accomplished in order to bring it about. So as I read this 17th verse, I'm certainly understanding something of the description that ought to characterize us who are Christians. But the motivation behind it is this knowledge that I, as a Christian, should possess, knowing that. And then you come into the 18th verse. So we could think of it like this. There's a relationship that exists between God and his child. It is not one of terror or dread. It is one of reverence, respect, awe. He wants us to understand that as his children, we live as strangers on this earth, and we ought to always seek to please him in the way that we live, always with a deep reverence for him and his word, and also with the knowledge that we've been bought with a very costly price to bring about our redemption. And that's what we read here as we think of the description in verse 17 and the motivation behind it, beginning in verse 18. But all of that brings me to the explanation of redemption specifically in terms of the price as set forth in verse 18 negatively and verse 19 positively. Here's the 18th verse. Knowing that, and again, it's connected with your imperative in verse 17, you live knowing that, and then I read this in verse 18 negatively. Not with corruptible things like silver or gold, were you redeemed from your empty conduct, passed down from your forefathers, but, very strong adversative, here's the positive, but with the costly blood of Christ as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. So he's talking about the price of our redemption, and he does it in verse 18 negatively, and that he does it in verse 19 positively. And encased within these two verses is the verb that is found here, translated redeemed. You were redeemed. Now, when you talk about this particular word that is found here in verse 18, you were redeemed, it is only found three times in the New Testament. You think of the word loutron, which is found twice, which has to do with the price of redemption. But then you have the verb loutramai. It's found in Titus 2.14. Gary read that verse earlier. It's found in Luke 24.21 in terms of the redemption of Israel. The only other time this word is found is here. in 1 Peter 1.18. So you have the verb three times. You have it in Luke 24.21, you have it in Titus 2.14, and then you have it here in 1 Peter 1.18. If I think of the meaning of this particular verb, it would be defined like this. to release on receipt of ransom, to redeem, to liberate by the payment of a ransom price. Now that's the way the lexicon defines it. So you'll come to various writers. Here's one. He defines it like this, liberation because of a payment made. Here's another. to purchase by release, by paying a ransom, to deliver by the payment of a price. Now, if you think of this word in terms of a Jew, a Jew would be reminded of that memorable night when they left the slavery and bondage of Egypt during the time of the Exodus. And a Jew would think about emancipation from slavery and deliverance from death. So a Jew, when a Jew would think about this whole concept of redemption, they would go back to Exodus chapter 12 and all of the events that surrounded the time of the Exodus. But they're certainly thinking of emancipation from slavery, and they're certainly thinking about deliverance from death. If you think about a Gentile, A Gentile would think about a slave whose freedom was purchased by some sort of price. That's the way a Gentile would think about this particular term. So if we were in a house church in the first century, there would be at least three kinds of members that would be in that house church. There would be slaves, there would be freemen, and there would be freed men all in that house church in the first century. There would be slaves, half of the Roman empire slaves, and all kinds of reasons why someone would be reduced to slavery. Perhaps it was through war, perhaps bankruptcy, perhaps a parent sold the child into slavery. Perhaps the child was born in slavery. So there were various reasons why an individual would end up in slavery and look forward to some sort of freedom. So you'd have slaves within an assembly, you would have free men in the assembly, and then you would have freed men in the assembly, individuals who were formerly slaves, but they had been redeemed. So if you think of a first century house church, you would have slaves, you would have free men, and you would have freed men in a house church. Now think of slavery as it was practiced in the first century. It certainly would have been possible for a slave to purchase his own freedom if he were able to have the resources to enable him to do it. or a master could sell a slave to someone who would pay the ransom price and then set the individual free. But the point that has to be emphasized when you think of this whole subject, there has to be a price paid. Redemption was based on a price paid, which highlights the problem. And the problem, of course, in terms of all of us, would be the problem of sin. We were enslaved, we were in bondage to sin, and there was no way that we could extrapolate ourselves from that slavery or from that bondage. We could do absolutely nothing about it. In the words of the psalmist in Psalm 49, verses seven and eight, no man can by any means redeem his brother, or give to God a ransom for him, for the redemption of his soul is costly, and he should cease trying forever. So when you talk about redemption, we could never redeem ourselves because of sin. We were enslaved, we were in bondage to sin. And all sin is against God. And he is the one who sets the terms of redemption. and we cannot pay the price. And consequently, he's the one who has to do it. And he does it, of course, through the payment of the price of his own son. And this is what the Apostle Peter is emphasizing here as we read it. Now notice it negatively in the 18th verse. We're living this way, verse 17, verse 18, because we know this. knowing that verse 18, not with corruptible things like silver or gold, where you're redeemed from your empty conduct passed down from your forefathers. So when you talk about silver, or when you talk about gold, these are metals that perish. If you think of silver, silver tarnishes, it corrodes, it loses its value. And even something that's more durable than silver would be gold. And you would say gold is very valuable. I mean, think about it today. It's almost $1,800 a troy ounce. So you think of gold and the value of gold, but gold is subject to decay as well. He says that in verse 7, gold that perishes. So if you talk about silver or you talk about gold, we cannot be redeemed by way of this because these are corruptible things. These are things that are perishable. These are things that are subject to destruction. And when you read the word silver or gold, he uses the words for a small piece of silver, a small piece of gold that would have been used to obtain a slave's freedom. And he says here, it is not by the coinage of silver or of gold. Do you remember the words of John and Peter in Acts chapter three, when they come in contact with the lame man? And they say to him, silver and gold have I none. You remember those words in Acts chapter three. Or do you remember what Peter said to Simon Magus in Acts chapter eight in verse 20? thy silver perish with thee, because thou hast thought to obtain the gift of God with money." So when you read the statement here negatively, the Apostle Peter wants us to understand there is absolutely no way that one can obtain freedom from bondage on the basis of the payment of any sort of metal, whether we're talking about silver or even something more valuable, even gold. So I read the statement here in verse 18, knowing that not with corruptible things like silver or gold, were you redeemed from your empty conduct inherited passed down from your forefathers, which tells us antiquity is no guarantee of the correctness of any opinion or practice. I think of the words of Cyprian who said, antiquity is not authority. So even though this had been passed down from generation to generation, there is absolutely no way that one can be redeemed by this manner. And then you move from the negative and you move to this very positive statement. And the positive statement is found in verse 19, but, and that's a strong adversative word, but, so you were not redeemed in this way, according to verse 18, but this is how you redeemed. And then you move into the 19th verse. And again, when you read it, he wants us to understand there is no way that we could be redeemed with money. I think of the words of Isaiah 52 and verse three, you are sold for nothing and you'll be redeemed without money. You will be redeemed without money. Isaiah chapter 52 in verse 3. So I move from the negative and I move into the positive statement. And this is how we are redeemed. We're redeemed with the precious, costly, valuable blood of Christ as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. So you think now of the price and the price of our redemption was the blood of God's own son. And you would say, this is precious, this is costly because of the person that we're talking about. We're talking about someone who has no defect at all, inwardly, outwardly, absolutely perfect. So when I think of the various requirements set forth in the Old Testament concerning a sacrificial animal, that sacrificial animal had to be inspected, evaluated, and be without any kind of defect. But when you talk about Jesus himself, he was without blemish. He was without spot. No character defect was within him. He was unstained by everything around him. Inwardly, outwardly, he was absolutely perfect. So you think about the price, and the price for our redemption was the blood, was the blood of Christ. Now if you think of blood, you think of a shorthand word for death, a shorthand word for sacrificial death. So when I think of the blood of Christ, I'm thinking of his death and what he accomplished upon the cross. There are some these days that talk about the blood of Christ as though his blood was never truly human blood. And you'll hear various individuals who will say erroneously that the physical blood of Christ was somehow preserved at the time of the crucifixion. It was carried up to heaven. where it's now literally applied to the soul of each Christian at salvation. Now that, of course, is a mystical kind of thought, and it's absolutely erodious. When you talk about the blood of Christ, we're talking about what he accomplished when he died. So as I read this, I recognize the price for our redemption negatively. You cannot purchase it in any sort of way, but positively, this is how we were redeemed. Verse 19. with the valuable, costly blood of Christ as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. So I think of the price negatively, positively. I recognize the problem that we all faced, bondage slavery to sin, and I think of the person of Jesus Christ and what he actually accomplished when he died. And when we read through the letter of 1 Peter over and over again, he will talk about his sufferings. Let me just point it out. In chapter 1 in verse 11, you read the phrase, the sufferings of Christ, the sufferings of Christ. When I come to chapter 2 and I read verse 21, Christ also suffered for us. In verse 23, I read the phrase, when he suffered. When I come to chapter 3 and I read verse 18, Christ hath once suffered. When I come to chapter 4 and I read verse 1, Christ has suffered for us in the flesh. When I come to chapter four and verse 13, Christ's sufferings. When I come to chapter five, verse one, the sufferings of Christ. Over and over again, we read of the sufferings of Christ. And Peter tells us what happened when he suffered. In chapter two, Verse 24, who his own self bore our sins in his own body on the tree. Or chapter three, verse 18, Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just, that's Christ, for the unjust, that's all of us, in order that he might bring us to God. So when you think of the sufferings of Christ, we have to recognize what he actually experienced. Sacrificially, and he died, recall, as our substitute. And he bore our sins in his body on the tree, because this is the only way in which we could be redeemed. So when I turn to this text in 1 Peter 1, and I think about the price for our redemption, I recognize it's the blood. It's the blood of Christ. I understand the problem, and the problem is bondage to sin, and that I understand the person of Christ, absolutely flawless, perfect, both inwardly and outwardly, and as a lamb, he sacrificially died for my sins as my substitute. So I look at all of this, in verses 18 and 19, as he's setting forth what we need to know and understand about redemption. I can live this way, verse 17, because I have this knowledge, verse 18. Knowing that, verse 18, not with corruptible things like a silver coin or a gold coin were you redeemed from your empty conduct, passed down from your forefathers, but with the valuable blood. And listen to the way it's stated in the Greek Bible. But with the precious blood as of a lamb without blemish and without spot, Christ. So Christ is mentioned at the very end of the sentence in order to spotlight Christ. So when I read the 19th verse, but with the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. So I see the price, I see the problem, I see the person, I sense the provision that was made in what he accomplished when he died upon the cross. And when you think about all of it, Peter wants me to understand the plan. And the plan is set forth in verse 20. On the one hand, having been foreknown before the foundation of the world, but on the other hand, having been manifested in the last of the times on account of you." So when you read of redemption, this was no afterthought. This was no plan B. This was always plan A. Revelation 13.8 says he was a lamb slain before the foundation of the world. So it already had been ordained. It had already been foreknown that this was happening before anything was created. And then in time, he was historically manifested. So we think of the price, we think of the problem, we think of the person, we think of the provision, but we certainly think of the plan. It was within the eternal plan of God that the second person of the Godhead would take upon himself flesh and actually die. And then we come to verse 21, and he sets forth the promise and the pledge. Now here it is, verse 21. who through him believe in God, who raised him from the dead, and gave to him glory, so that your faith and hope be in God." Now that is the promise, and that is the pledge. Now think about it this way. In the Old Testament, God redeemed his people from the bondage of Egypt. And we think of the Passover lamb and we think of all of that, as set forth in the book of Exodus. In Peter's world, in the ancient world, slaves obtained freedom when a sum of money was either paid by themselves or someone else. But in the New Testament, the focus now shifts upon Christ and what Christ actually did in order to bring about our redemption. So now the focus is all upon Christ and the redemption that he offers on the basis of the payment that he himself and only he could pay. And when you read this, Our faith now is in the one true God, the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ, but it comes through the work of Jesus. And so now I read in this verse 21 of his resurrection, which is the foundation of our faith and then glorification, which is the pledge that all of the things that are talked about in scripture will be fulfilled in terms of a believer. So I come to verse 21, who through him, Christ, believe in God, who raised him from the dead and gave to him glory so that your faith and hope be in God. The only way that we can obtain this redemption is through faith in Jesus Christ. That is the only way that we can obtain it. I want to go back to the words of J. Gresham Machen in 1925, in a work entitled, What is Faith, recorded these words. The true reason why faith is given such an exclusive place by the New Testament, so far as the attainment of salvation is concerned, over against love or over against everything else in man, is that faith means receiving something, not doing something, or even being something. To say, therefore, that our faith saves us means, even in slightest measure, that God saves us. And He saves us by means of what Jesus Christ accomplished. And the only other way that we can obtain it is by faith, which Godet referred to as The hand of the heart is the only way that we can appropriate what Jesus Christ has done. So I'll go back to the words of Thomas Watson, the great Puritan, speaking about the greatness of redemption, who said, great was the work of creation, but greater the work of redemption. It costs more to redeem us than to make us, and the one There was but the speaking of a word, in the other the shedding of blood. The creation was but the work of God's fingers. Redemption is the work of His arm. So let's think of redemption because it's very important for us to think and to precisely define terms. If you think of redemption, there are various words that are used in the New Testament for it. One is the word agaritsa, which means agora. You enter into the marketplace. You enter into the marketplace where a slave is being sold. That's one word. Another word is ex-agaratsa. You enter into the marketplace because you want to purchase this slave. And so you purchase the slave and you take him out of the slave market. But then there's this word, lutramai. You set the slave free. So there are three basic words that are used in the New Testament for redemption. One is you enter into the marketplace. You have the money. You want to buy the slave. You buy the slave. You take him out from the slave market. You remove him from the slave market. And then this word that is used by Peter is you set him free. You liberate him. He's emancipated from slavery. So think about the second person of the Godhead. He enters into our realm. He enters into this slave market that we're all in bondage in terms of sin. He pays the price. He's the only one who could do it. He pays the price, his own blood, his death. He takes us out of the slave market and then he sets us free. That's what happens. So we could summarize it like this. We're redeemed from something and what we're redeemed from slavery of sin. We're redeemed by something. And that is the blood of Jesus Christ. And they were redeemed to something. And that of course is freedom. But then the new Testament says in our freedom, we renounce it. and we voluntarily become slaves of Jesus Christ. So I'm to live this way because I understand redemption negatively, positively, and I understand what he did. And when you think of it, obviously it has to be applied. You can go back to 1 Peter 1 and verse 2, and he talks about the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. And you're thinking of the Passover and all the things in terms of the Passover. Sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. So it has to be applied to the doorpost of the human heart. We have to be saved, and we're saved on the basis of Jesus Christ. Now I go back to the words of that great hymn, Oh for a Thousand Tongues to Sing. It begins with that opening stanza, oh, for a thousand tongues to sing my great Redeemer's praise, the glories of my God and King, the triumphs of his grace. Now, when you read this hymn, of course, this was written by Charles Wesley, and it was published in the year 1740. And when you think of it, its original title was for the anniversary day of one's conversion. And Charles Wesley composed this hymn one year after he was saved. But what's interesting about this hymn, the original hymn consisted of 18 stanzas. And this opening stanza, this familiar opening stanza that we think about, wasn't the first stanza, it was the seventh stanza. out of the 18. So in the original version, the first stanza was a doxology addressed to God. Then it was followed by five stanzas that were autobiographical that recounted Wesley's conversion and his assurance of salvation. And then it turns from testimony to praise in the seventh stanza, which is the familiar one to us. Oh, for a thousand tongues to sing. That is something that is just impossible. It's inexpressible when you think about it. Oh, for a thousand tongues to sing. My great Redeemer's praise, the glories of my God and King, the triumphs of His grace. all of which is to say that all of us rejoice, should rejoice as Christians over this doctrine of redemption if we truly understand and believe this glorious doctrine. I think of the words of another hymn. I'll sing of my Redeemer and his wondrous love to me on the cruel cross he suffered from the curse to set me free. Or I think of the words, I gave my life of thee, my precious blood I shed, that thou might ransomed be and quicken from the dead. I gave, I gave my life of thee, what hast thou given for me? And if we truly understand and we're thinking and we're precise in our definitions and we're coming to verses 17 through 21, And we're reading up this description and this motivation and this explanation, the application has to be made. First and foremost, I have to apply it to my life, my faith. And then of course I can do nothing but rejoice. Rejoice over redemption. because I've come to know personally the Redeemer. He's the only one who can bring us to the one true God. The just one died for the unjust ones in order that he might bring us to God. 1 Peter 3, verse 18, that is the only way that we can be saved. I'm a sinner. There's not one thing that I can do in terms of my salvation. Jesus Christ did for me what I could never do for myself. He paid the penalty of my sin. And now I have to appropriate that by simple faith in him, trusting in him for my redemption. He's my savior, but he is my redeemer. And we certainly think of that when we think of this whole subject of communion and what our Lord has done for us in terms of his death. And we have all of this recorded, of course, in the Gospels and in the writings of Paul, as he talks about the importance of remembering what Jesus Christ has done. So I'm going to lead us in prayer, and then we're going to go into our communion service. gracious heavenly father how we do thank thee for our lord jesus christ we think of the apostle peter's words in first peter chapter one we think of the way we should live in awe as we think of what has happened in terms of redemption We know this knowledge should motivate us to live this way. And then we thank Thee for this succinct explanation, both negatively and positively about redemption. And we know, Father, it's not by silver or gold, it is by the blood of Christ. of Jesus Christ. And we thank Thee, our Father, that we have understood all of this, and we have recognized the fact that we have been enslaved to sin, that we could do nothing in order to bring about emancipation, and that Jesus Christ actually did all of this for us in order that we might be saved and delivered from all of these things that held us in slavery and bondage. We're thankful for our Lord Jesus Christ, we're thankful for this eternal plan, and we're thankful for what happened historically 2,000 years ago when Jesus Christ, we know the second person of the Godhead, actually became one of us, was willing to go to the cross, and there upon that cross, to die for our sins. We know that he was buried. We know that death could not hold him. We know he was resurrected from the dead. We know he ascended back into thy presence, Father, and we know he's there. seated at thy right hand as our representative. We thank thee for communion and what we can remember as we think of the body and blood of Jesus Christ and we pray as we examine our hearts as believers in Jesus Christ. If there's anything within us, Lord, that's not right, that the Holy Spirit would convict us of any kind of sin, that we would be quick to acknowledge it and confess it and make it right before we observe of these elements. We know this is only for believers in Jesus Christ, but believers who are walking in accordance with the scriptures. So guide us, Lord, and direct us, we pray, as we evaluate our lives in light of the scriptures, submissive to the Holy Spirit, and we pray as we remember the Body and Blood of Christ, that the Holy Spirit might make all of this real to us, even now. For I pray it in Jesus' name, Amen.