Walking and Waiting
Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week.
Transcript
Good morning my name is Chad I'm one of the pastors here uh we are in the book of Philippians we're working our way through the book of Philippians and um sorry that pen was going to distract me um just a second I was going to be clicking it it's going to be a problem we're in the book of Philippians we're picking up in verse 17 we're working our way through the book of Philippians studying it together uh as a Church and uh what we're going to do this morning is we're going to read through this entire text as we get started and I'm going to try to help you understand what Paul's doing in this.
Text and then we're going to work our way through it uh kind of verse by verse section by section so we're in Philippians chapter 3 verse 17 it's on page 571 if you grab one of these blue Bibles in front of you Brothers join in imitating me and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us so that's Paul's command join in imitating me and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us.
For many of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears walk as enemies of the Cross of Christ their end is destruction their God is their belly and they glory in their shame with Minds set on Earthly things but our citizenship is in heaven and from it we await a savior the Lord Jesus Christ who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious Body by the power power that enables him even to subject all things to himself Paul says walk imitate join those who are walking in the example set by Paul he's saying that you need to intentionally follow this example.
Because there are those who walk as enemies of the Cross of Christ so what Paul is saying is that there is a way to live in line with following Jesus in line with the Gospel and there's a way to live in in contrast in opposition to following Jesus and you ought to be intentional about who you are imitating and and some of the Assumption here is that you are imitating you are learning from other people how to live you're learning from other people what's important and what's good and what's right and you are right.
Now there are people in your life that are teaching you how to handle your money how to be a spouse how to think about romance how to think about politics how to think about parenting how to dress like your whole life has been imitation that's how you learned how to speak that's how you learned how to walk like you you had to see other people doing that's how you learned to trade that's how you learned all the things that you've learned and you're like no I'm original I came up with things on my own I cut Against the Grain.
Okay maybe a little bit maybe a little bit but maybe there's something that you do that's original to you and I'm willing to bet it's the weirdest thing you do the people around you probably want you to stop it most everything we do is something that we have learned by imitation and even the things that we do that are outside of the norm if you're like no we we we we stuck it to the man we were hippies yeah but you were a hippie like all the other hippies you wore the same things.
Listen to the same music and you all grew your hair the same way wait if you're like no I wasn't a part of the mainstream I was goth yeah but you were goth like all the other goth kids y'all shopped at the same goth stores you actually helped the man out as he sold you things as you stuck it to him or whatever like we we learn by imitation and what Paul is saying is be wise and intentional with who you imitate.
Because you're going to imitate you're going to follow you're going to practice things that other people are teaching you to practice and you ought to as a Christian be wise and intentional about that so that's what we're looking at today and we're going to pray and then we're going to walk through this text section by section father you designed us to learn through imitation you designed us to pick up on the habits and mannerisms and actions of those around us.
So Lord we ask that you would help us to be intentional about that wise about that so that we might not be led astray and that we might look more and more like people who really really love you we ask this by your grace from your kindness in Jesus name amen so go back to verse 17 Brothers join in imitating me so he's saying y'all need to see what I'm doing you need to join in in IM ating me you need to copy me.
Now what is what is Paul doing well we read that together a second ago some of that at least that he forgets what lies behind he's pressing on he's straining forward for the prize of the upward call in Christ Jesus that he has set his mind on his Hope on he has fixed his heart on the rescue of Christ the hope of Jesus what Jesus has done the eternity is coming that belongs to Christ that his whole life is in line with the hope of the Gospel.
So much so that he's writing this letter from prison for telling people about Jesus and people were like hey stop and he was like hey stop me so they arrested him and then he wrote in his letter hey I'm telling all the guards about Jesus I've infiltrated the prison he's not stopping he's lined up his whole life with this is what is supremely important so that's what he's saying imitate me but I want y'all to notice something about this sentence because there's a lot of people in this sentence he says imitate me keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example.
So those can't be Paul it has to be some other people who walk according to the example you so you're the the Church the Phil Philippians who he's writing to have in us well us includes me but it's bigger than just me and it's not those because those are looking at us yeah a lot of people in this sentence so there's Paul that's the me there's the us at the end of the sentence that's probably Paul and Timothy and aphroditus some of the people he's mentioned.
But also any of Paul and his cohorts his Entourage all the people that are following around and and pursuing Mission the way that he is and proclaiming the Gospel the way that he is and then there's those who aren't the us but that are following and imitating Paul and then there's you the Philippians and you the Church that this letter is written to the reason I wanted to point that out is because you ought to as a Christian have a life that that sentence makes sense in.
Because you belong to the Church and you're in a in an environment where there are those around you who are good examples for what it means to follow Jesus this is one of the reasons why when We Gather on Sundays we say you need to get in a group and then we say you need to get in a group and the next time we see we say you need to get in a group and if we talk to in after there as we're getting coffee sometimes we'll say hey it's nice to meet you have you gotten in a group.
Because we're supposed to live in relationships with other Christians and be able to walk in life together it's not meant to be something we just think about and study on Sundays and then go out into the world and have all of the rest of our actions and imitations be influenced by people who don't know Jesus we're meant to belong in such a way to to the people of Christ that we might have those that we can join in with that we might walk in life with as they follow.
Jesus that we can join in with them and then maybe at some point like Paul be able to say join in with us we're trying to follow Jesus hop in so the the command is to imitate Paul and anyone imitate Paul imitate the US the ones around Paul that are doing that stuff imitate the those that are following Paul basically look for any Christian who lives their life like they really really really believe that Jesus is the king of all things that they spend their time and their money and their energy and their effort that you can punch them in the face and tell them to shut up and they will not that's the type.
Of Christian that you need to line up behind and imitate that's what Paul's saying now he's GNA give a reason why you need to do that intentionally the reason why you should join that line Verse 18 for many and then he gives in a side here of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears so I want you to understand the people that Paul's about to talk about this many that he's going to talk about he doesn't hate them he's heartbroken he he wants something different.
For them that this group Grieves him but he says many walk as enemies of the Cross of Christ now I think that certainly includes all people who aren't Believers are living their life in opposition to the Cross because you're really your only options are submission to the Cross service to the Cross service to Christ or opposition to him that we're we're by Nature his enemies by Nature we're children of Wrath by Nature we don't want God or the things of God.
And so certainly it includes that group but I think it also because of the way this letter has been written it includes the people that Paul were refer to as opponents in chapter 1 it includes the dogs evildoers and those who mutilate the flesh from chapter 3 it includes those who would say they are Christians but then they're bringing in something that's not the Gospel and in that way they are opposing the cross because they're not pointing you to the Cross they're not pointing you to the hope of.
Jesus they're pointing you to something else and here's what he means by the cross in opposition to C to the Cross Christianity is about Christ and what he's done son Jesus Is God who became a man he joined us by taking on flesh but then instead of joining us in our sin he lived a perfect sinless life differentiating himself from us so that when he went to the Cross he might pay our debt he would have credit in his account it'd be like.
If you came out of a poor family and then worked and worked and worked and worked and worked and worked to finally have the finances to pay off all their debt Jesus shows up and he is not sinful like us therefore he can swap places with us he can give us his righteousness and he can pay the debt of our sin and then you would saywell how does one person pay the debt of all these people and the the answer is.
Because he's worth more be like if I had a dollar and my son had 50 pennies and he was like well 50 is more than one it's like nope you're confused and Jesus Is God who's worth more than all of humanity put together but he was perfectly righteous and he dies for us and so we because of this Gospel message that there's hope in Christ and forgiveness in him we then live our life in line with that message in line with the cross in service to the cross in the hope of the Cross where we love.
Jesus because he's so good and so kind and so merciful and so our lives are lined up as people who love Jesus and want Jesus and want to serve Jesus and then there are those who are in opposition to that they're going to lead you astray if you join with them they're going to point you away from Jesus they're going to point you to anything other than Jesus and so they're walking as enemies of the Cross now he's going to tell us what they.
Look like which is very helpful because if they're telling you they're Christians which some of them would and will you can't just base it off of what they say so he's going to give us a profile to tell us what they look like he's going to tell us how to spot them so here's what he says verse 19 their end is destruction their God is their belly and they glory in their shame with Mind Set On Earthly things their end is destruction their.
God is their belly and they glory in their shame with mindset on Earthly things it gives us four things to see the first one is some information but we can't see it their end is destruction but they don't know that and we can't spot that on them he's just telling us where they're headed he's saying don't follow them because that's where they're going so you can't see the destination but he's going to tell us how to identify them with the other three the other way is to spot who's in that line who's pursuing that destination that he's lined up pursuing.
Jesus but there are others who are headed towards destruction have you ever uh you've been at a big event concert a play a sporting event and it's halftime or it's uh intermission and you head out to go to the restroom you see lines of people you don't see the destination you just see the line I walk out if I see two lines I will immediately go to the right line if I see three lines I'll immediately go to the right line.
Because I can see the people in the line and I can guess the destination I've never once lined up with all the ladies gotten to the door and been like what I have accidentally walked into a lady's restroom but not when there was a line if I've got a line with all men I know that's the line I'm getting in line with all ladies not my line line with men and ladies those people are buying drinks and they'll be in these lines later I got it I know how to do this what Paul is saying is I'm going to tell you how to identify the people in the line.
So that you'll get in the right line here are the three things he gives us their end is destruction we can't see that but we can begin to identify them the first thing he says is their God is their belly we need to define God and we need to find belly to understand what this means belly means belly but he's using it to identify consumption the things you can feel and taste and touch what you can enjoy physically so what's a.
God well a God is something you serve a God is something that gives you uh identity tells you who you are and a God is something that gives you Direction and purpose and future and Hope so let's take a moment to consider how a belly can be your God so that we might identify tendencies in ourselves we might some of you might read through this list and get to the end and go oh I'm not a Christian some of you might go I am a Christian.
But I'm I'm off some of us are going to help us identify the people that we're listening to and following even if they say they love Jesus we're going to identify we actually shouldn't be following them because this is what they look like okay let's think about service if your God is your belly you can spend a whole lot of time serving working laboring putting your energy your time your hope pursuing things that just terminate on your belly what we eat what we drink where we sit where we relax our next vacation there's a way.
For us to just spend all of our time on things that go on our on our body or go into our body and we're just serving our bellies y That's most that's the world around us it's in service to their bellies and we can get in this too now you say hold on a second the Bible says we're supposed to work and it's okay to eat and it's okay to Feast yeah yeah yeah but all that is meant to when the Bible calls.
For a feast it's meant to be something that rolls up in praise to God that we're feasting because he's good and he has abundance and He blesses and he's kind and he over he watches over us but so much of our feast is just feasting for feasting feasting for our belly some of us have basically biblical level feasts seven times a week we overeat constantly or we spend our whole week looking forward to this day that we're going to get to rest and have this party and have this celebration or whatever and all of our energy goes towards this service to our bellies.
And so if you're trying to identify someone whose God is their belly you're looking for is the thing they're most worried about most working towards all stuff that they can feel and taste and touch and all stuff that just terminates on them is that what they're serving is that what I'm serving it's not just service it's also identity which we've been sold this lie in the US and we've bought into it that consumption what we put on what we take in tells us who we are tells the world who we are we say things like I'm a man I eat meat.
Okay I drive a truck good I mean I'm for driving trucks and eating meat that sounds great but that doesn't tell us anything about who you are it does not affect your character whatsoever it just doesn't what we wear doesn't announce to the world who we are doesn't change us at all might make us look nicer or less nice or whatever it might Identify some of the things about what we care about but it doesn't actually tell us who we are it doesn't actually work on the person of the heart.
But we've been sold on this this is why our advertisements most of the time don't sell you the product they sell you the type of person you'll be if you get this product if you drive this car you'll go look at trees in the mountains is the car good sh look at those trees you drive this car you'll laugh with your friends and hold a surfboard okay what's the gas mileage like I don't the best example of this this and I use it every once in a.
While because it's so clear to me is abian fit used to be a big deal I don't know if it is now but like when I was coming through school like it was a big deal people there's like a whole song about like a guy who liked girls that wore abian fit in the summer and so like that was a thing but if you went and bought something from abian fit they would put your clothes it's clothing store they would put your clothes in a bag said abian Fitch on it and it had a picture of a guy on the bag and the guy on the bag was not wearing clothes this is a clothing.
Store he's not wearing clothes he's not trying to sell you clothes he's trying to sell you the type of person you can be if you wear these clothes if you are cool enough to wear abian fit's clothes you are cool enough to not wear clothes I was born that cool you know like what are you talking about but that's what they're selling you is some image some thing that you become this is why y'all we gather around people based off of our tastes you.
Listen to this music let's be friends couldn't help but notice you drive the same type of vehicle let's have a secret wave let's hand each other Ducks it's a thing that you've consumed that you've taught yourself makes you a type of person it turns you into a thing I wear these kind of boots I buy this kind of stuff we wear these kind of clothes we're now this type of Club it's nonsense but it's an ex example of us buying into that consumption gives us identity.
So we can serve it we can get our identity from it we can also Place Our Hope in it our purpose in it it can give us direction that we can use consumption to tell us what we're supposed to be doing where we're supposed to be going and some of us all of our hopes and dreams are just belly hopes and dreams y'all a lot of us when we think about the future our vision is just me but with more stuff like what do you developing into what are you growing into I'm gonna grow into a guy whose house is bigger and has a swimming pool what I'm going to be the type of person.
Who vacations more often in nicer places it's just that's your hope that's your dream it's not character development it's not love for Jesus it's not I'm going to be the type of person who cares less about stuff most of us have bought into the American dream which is if I picture myself in the future I just picture me but with more things a nicer vehicle I I can't wait till I get to you'll say things like I thought I'd be further along by.
Now and most of the time what you mean is with stuff thought my job would be better I thought my truck would be bigger I thought my house would be nicer I thought my yard would be larger I thought I would ride on a low mower not push it like a scrub by now because your whole thing you've bought into is belly service Paul says that leads to destruction and if you're following people who love Jesus or tell you they love.
Jesus but that's all the track they're on they're headed towards destruction they don't actually get it that we can have our God be our belly and that we can identify it in other people if that's ultimately what they care about is what they're wearing what they're eating what they're tasting what's in their bank account the next thing he tells us is they glory in their shame this just means that they celebrate the things that will later make them shrink back when they stand before the.
Lord we do this all the time it's any celebration of sin so we celebrate gluttony win a drinking contest we celebrate fighting people breaking the law if you get around people they'll tell stories about times they broke the law and how great it was little things whatever we just celebrate this stuff we have pride parades we have people who are keeping up with their sexual prowess and all these kind of things and we just celebrate we're just trained to celebrate things that ultimately later are going to have us stand before the.
Lord and and bring shame stuff that he ultimately forgives us of stuff that ultimately is good to our souls where he comes in and rescues and redeems and stuff that doesn't keep us from belonging to each other as we walk in Repentance but it's stuff that we as you look into the world you'll see people just celebrating things that ought to bring shame and then he says they glory in their shame with mindset on Earthly things and that that in some ways is a big helpful category that's just what they're thinking about is stuff that they can.
See stuff that they can feel stuff that they can touch stuff that they can uh partake in that it's it's all Earthly it's all aimed here all their goals all your hopes all your dreams are just here they they're temporal they they end up not matter ing 100 years 200 years 5,000 years from now because they don't roll into eternity they're just here and y'all isn't it easy to spend your time just worrying about Earthly things don't we have things to worry about don't we have things that set our way they can take up our whole thought process is it all we're worried about is physical stuff and it's.
So easy and we can get to the end of this and you can say things like well is it really that bad is it really that bad if I you know thoroughly enjoy Earthly things well there's a way to enjoy stuff that rolls up and praise to the Lord that's not usually what we're fighting for because that helps keep it in its rightful place Paul says it leads to destruction and it makes you in an an enemy of the Cross so yeah it's really that bad.
But y'all this stuff tells us what matters it tells us what is important and it matters who we're listening to it matters who we're following it's very very very very likely that some of the major influences in your life their end is destruction their God is their belly they glory in their shame and they have Minds set on Earthly things it affects what you think is important it affects what you care about some of us listen to financial podcasts political podcast romance we read romance novels and watch romance movies we have all these things that are from people who don't know.
Jesus don't love Jesus and they're telling us how we ought to think about things that are really important let me ask you this if you listen to a a finance podcast an economic podcast a political podcast or if you have a friend who does on a regular basis it's a lot of times easier to see it in other people than in yourself what do they talk about about what do they tell you is important what are they stressed about what are they worried about what are the things that they come and say did you hear this is happening did you hear that they're going to do that did you hear this is going on did.
You hear now's the time that we're supposed to be doing this I'm I'm behind on this financially we're behind on this politically they're they're going to win they're going to get us they're after the children whatever the thing is that they've been soaking in it's been telling them what is important and guess what we have an election this year do you know that neither one of them will be the king King of the universe in eternity I I think anyone in this room could just push both of them down they they're they're not sovereign they're not to pin all our hopes on.
Now we can pay attention to some of these things we can care about some of these things but they got to be cared about in light of that we have a hope and an eternity and something that's coming that's beyond that and if all we listen to our financial podcast and listen to financial radio and read all this stuff or we read about romance or whatever we're being trained and indoctrinated by people who don't love Jesus who don't have the same hope that we have don't have the same eternity that we had and they're telling us how to think and how to act and how to behave and you're like.
Well I don't imitate them you say they're you quote them you say their sentences to other people you say things like well you know what's really important and you just spit without words from some other person what if you listened to foreign missionaries for the same amount of time every week talking about what they were praying about what they were laboring for and what they were hoping to see do you think that over the next course of the next month or three months or five months or six months you might start saying things to people like you know how many people don't know.
Jesus in the ball you know what's going to happen if we don't start sending money to the 1040 window if we don't start sending people somebody's got to go we're being trained by somebody and here's the other thing that we're tempted to do because we're just we're good at it what Paul is saying is not don't follow those who are headed to destruction it's actually not his command his command is imitate me don't find someone who says they're a Christian.
Then acts in such a way that you feel good about your lifestyle and say cool they've made it to where I can act this way find the person that makes you the absolute most uncomfortable about how they spend money and how they spend their time and how they talk about Jesus that's the person to follow let me tell you something Paul would be an uncomfortable person to follow we would say things to him same with Jesus people said things to Jesus.
Jesus just responded like that doesn't matter what are you talking about we would say things to Paul like well you know you got to say for this and he's like do I know that why do we have to say for that why is that a thing that we have to do we actually have to tell people about Jesus you're like yeah but they you know they're going to give us a hard time if we do it yeah I do know that I do know that why are you saying that they're going to give us a hard time let's go like that's Paul like he's this thing matters and he just is focused on it you.
Ever been running late for class you were hustling and then you saw someone else who was running late for the same class so y'all stopped laughed and walked very slowly together to class the Christian life isn't meant to be de the Christian Life is meant to be I'm hustling hustle with me and if you see a Christian who's not hustling you don't go that's who I'm going to set my Pace with you find the person who's making you most uncomfortable pressing most on towards the goal of the upward call of the prize in Christ and you get in line and you go.
Because here's what Paul says but our citizenship is in heaven and from it Heaven from heaven we await a savior the Lord Jesus Christ you know why our minds aren't set on Earthly things because this isn't our home this isn't our hope this isn't where our good things are kept that's why Paul says but our citizenship is in heaven you don't belong here your joy isn't found here your Delight isn't found here it's in Christ and it says we're waiting a savior that's what we're waiting on that's what we're longing.
For so much of the things we say I'm just waiting for I'm just waiting for the day that I can finally retire I'm waiting for the day that I can finally have this I'm waiting for the day that this isn't that you know when when we have a financial problem I don't have to worry about it I'm longing for that I'm waiting for that I'm waiting for that I'm waiting for that and Paul says get that out of here we're waiting on.
Jesus that's what we're waiting for that's where our hope is he says this about Jesus but our citizenship is in heaven and from it we await a savior the Lord Jesus Christ who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious Body by the power that enables him to subject even to subject all things to himself okay Jesus has power where he's made all things his subjects he's the king of all things he has power and everything is in subjection to him he's the king of all things and that power that allows him to be king of all things will be used on those who belong to him to transform them into his glorious.
Body that our bodies will be transformed to be like his glorious body what does that mean I don't know it's going to be glorious I also know that I shouldn't worry about this belly because I've got a glorious one coming that I have a hope and a home and a powerful King who's going to return and renew all things and transform me to be like him and that's what I'm waiting for Paul says in Corinthians that this glorious transformation is going to happen is it's like we we're like seeds and seeds.
Look similar but you can't guess necessarily from a seed what the plant's going to look like that's why I can tell you I don't I don't know exactly what it means that we're going to have glorious bodies I know that we'll have a physical existence I Know that heaven is more real not less real than here that you're if you the best food you've ever eaten here pales in comparison to what's going to happen there I know that I know that we have a reality and an eternity that's coming that is glorious and wonderful and that we're told to know that and act that way and we do it with simple stuff stuff.
If I order a pizza and then my two little boys say hey can we have cereal for supper I don't say yes I say no I ordered a pizza wait if they say I'm hungry now I say the pizza will taste better later because you are hungry now if they keep talking I say hush and go away y so many of us with our kids and our spouses and our friends and our co-workers so many of us by Our Lives by our money by our time by our energy are never ever ever saying no I have a savior coming that's what I'm waiting on our kids want to do something that PS away from Church.
It doesn't lead them towards Christ we want to handle money in a certain way the way we talk about money the way we talk about finances the way we talk about our time our energy our effort is only ever aimed down here and there's never a time where we go we don't handle our money that way because we're awaiting a savior because my home isn't here my hope isn't here that's why I handle my money that way that's why I handle my time that way that's why I'm intentional about being a part of this group that's why I've had to change my job schedule.
So that I could belong to this group of people so that I could serve so that I could give so that I could chase after people and tell them about Jesus because I will tell you one thing I don't have my hope set here I have my hope set there and I'm awaiting a savior who's going to transform my lowly body to be like his glorious Body by the power that allows him even to subject all things to himself that's what I'm waiting on that's where my hope is.
But we don't do that so often we're hoping for the weekend or amount of money so that we can we can finally get extra cheese on everything that we want to add extra cheese I just want to get to where I can order cheese dip at a Mexican restaurant that's my hope it's like what on Earth that's your hope that's your dream that's the thing you're wanting to serve that's the thing you're getting after that's the thing that you've got in your head is like the Glorious future.
For you that's nonsense do you know Christ oh do you know how good he is do you know how wonderful he is do you know the love that he has do you know he's going to transform Us by his glorious power by which he subjects even the world to himself that all things are under his feet and that he's going to rescue us and redeem us and make us his why on Earth are we wasting our time on silly things that don't matter.
When there are people around us who don't know Christ don't have hope don't have joy don't have rescue don't have forgiveness and we're sitting around just walking around with them and we're listening to them tell us how to handle our money nonsense we're listening to them tell us how to think about marriage nonsense we're listening to them tell us how to raise our kids that's insane what so that we can go to destruction find somebody who looks like Paul and figure out how to line your life up that way.
Because there's going to be a day when the king of all Kings returns and so many things just don't matter but whether or not you know him does and whether or not when you see his face his smile Shines on you and your smile reaches back or whether or not you shrink for all the things that you have chased after that only lead to shame and you don't know the king Christians Paul says live like you know Jesus and he says.
If you don't know what that looks like I know Jesus look at me the band's going to come back up I want you to take a moment to consider who you're learning from I want you to take a moment to consider who's training you who are you listening to I'm not saying don't have non-Christian friends I'm not saying don't have people around you that don't know Jesus I'm not saying you're not allowed to listen to the radio but my goodness be intentional with who you're imitating be intentional with how much you're soaking that stuff up be intentional with telling you how to think who's telling you how to think about romance and sex and relation.
Relationships and money and time and energy and effort and the goal of life because there are so many who are headed towards destruction don't get in that L it doesn't take you where you want to go and if you belong to Jesus your home's not here so take a moment right where you are close your eyes pray ask the Lord to help you see by the power of His Spirit Lord we ask for your help it's so easy to serve our bellies it's.
So easy to just gather with the crowd of people who are telling us this is how to live this is what to buy this is how to handle your finances it's so easy to have Minds set on Earthly things Lord help us right now work through your spirit to help us see where we're wrong to help us see how good you are Lord for the person in the room who can only set their mind on Earthly things because they don't know you may they run to you may they run to the Cross not be an enemy of the Cross.
But may they ask for forgiveness and rescue and Lord may they get in line with those who are going to be transformed by your glorious power we ask this in Jesus name amen Church family we're going to take communion together and it's a regular meal that Jesus gave us that reminds our bellies what we really need you're going to take something tangible it's a picture of Christ that you need Christ and that his body was broken for us and that his blood was shed.
For us and we're going to remind ourselves again that I need Christ and I have Christ if he's if I've trusted in him he's a savior for me and he's My Hope and he's my eternity that's what matters that we stand right now in between Jesus coming to rescue us on dying for us on the cross to do what was necessary so that we might be saved in the moment that he returns and transforms our lowly bodies to be like his glorious body even by the power that he has which he subjected all things to himself.
If you are a Christian this is for you take a moment repent and then go remind yourself that you need Jesus and where your hope is and then yeah let's change how we live let's get in let's pursue let's give away money let's live lives in line with people who believe that Jesus will one day return and that we'll have all our good things there and if you're not a Christian then communion is not for you because you don't know Jesus.
But we want you to know Jesus we want you to have the hope that is held secure for us not by our good works or morals or effort but by Christ who is the king and who claims Sinners to be his own when you're ready ask that you take communion and then we'll sing together.