Remember Me

                                        Scripture Text  1 Corinthians 11:23-26 (NKJV)
²³ For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread;
²⁴ and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, "Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me."
²⁵ In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me."
²⁶ For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till He comes.

Intro: The apostle Paul tells us in these verses of scripture that the Lord Jesus repeated twice something that was very important to Him as His people were observing and honoring His Supper. Jesus said we are to remember Him, His life, death, and love for us.

      Jesus doesn’t want us to forget the tremendous price He paid for our salvation.

I. We remember His life. (John 1:12, 16) John 1:14 (NKJV)  And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

 a. Jesus left the glories of Heaven there with the Father and came to this earth as a man to give salvation “to as many as would receive Him and the right to become children of God” so we could spend an eternity with Him and the Father in Heaven. (v:12)

     He came that we might have life and have it more abundantly. (John 10:10b) He came to show us the love, mercy, grace, and compassion of the Father toward mankind.

    John 1:16 (NLT) From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another.

II. We remember His death. Luke 23:33-36 (NKJV) ³³ And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left. ³⁴ Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do." And they divided His garments and cast lots. ³⁵ And the people stood looking on. But even the rulers with them sneered, saying, "He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ, the chosen of God." Luke 23:44-46 (NKJV) ⁴⁴ Now it was about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. ⁴⁵ Then the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was torn in two. ⁴⁶ And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, "Father, 'into Your hands I commit My spirit.' " Having said this, He breathed His last.

 a. Jesus died a horrible death as a common criminal in our place as our perfect sacrifice so we could be saved and made right with God. Jesus died so we could have peace with God through Him. (Rom. 5:1) It is very important we remember His death on the cross for us. By His death He opened the door to God’s throne,salvation and Heaven. He paid the enormous price for our sins so we might be saved and healed. Isaiah 53:5-6 (NKJV) ⁵ But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement (punishment) for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. ⁶ All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

III. We remember His love. John 15:9-13 (NKJV) ⁹ "As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. ¹⁰ If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. ¹¹ These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.

      ¹² This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
¹³ Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends.

     When we observe the Lord’s Supper, we remember Jesus proved His love for us in leaving the glories of Heaven to come to earth to live a perfect life. He completely fulfilled the law of God for mankind. By living the perfect life, He became the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all mankind when He died on the cross to pay the price for our sins against a Holy God.

     He gave up His life on the cross for us that we could be free from God’s judgment and wrath. There is no greater love than Jesus had for us when He laid down His life for His friends. Jesus’ love for us is the same love as the Father has for Him.

  Invitation: If you do not know Jesus as your Savior and Lord, now is the time to ask Him to forgive and save you from the penalty of your sins. Then you too will have a home in Heaven!

Follow the Good Shepherd

Scripture Text

John 10:1-5

Intro: When we first trusted in Christ for the forgiveness of our sin and were saved, we then entered into a journey of a lifetime to follow the leading of Christ for our lives. It is a daily decision we all must make to follow Jesus. When we follow the good Shepherd, our lives will be full of the blessings of God and we will have an intimate and growing relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. As we follow the good Shepherd, we will avoid many difficulties and the devil’s lies, snares and deceptions as he attempts to lead us away from the Shepherd into harm’s way.

I. Many false shepherds seek the sheep. John 10:1 (NKJV) "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. Jesus calls them thieves and robbers. Jesus calls them that because they did not give their lives for us, only Jesus did. They are hirelings and when hard times come they will flee. (V:12) They are only after money, power, prestige and control over others. They seek to lead and control God’s people without doing it God’s way. They are the devil’s workers, liars and deceivers. They use smooth and enticing words to lead people away from the Shepherd.

II. Jesus is the true Shepherd. John 10:2 (NKJV) But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. Jesus came through the door to the sheep God’s way. The way of God was through the cross. Jesus was the only One who would leave Heaven and become a man, live the perfect life and shed His blood on the cross as the sacrifice required for the salvation of and the sheepfold.

III. God is the doorkeeper to the sheep. John 10:3 (NKJV) To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. God opens the door for the true Shepherd of the sheep. He is allowed access to them. The Holy Spirit helps the sheep to recognize the Shepherd and they respond to His voice. The Shepherd calls each sheep by their name and He leads them out individually to take care of them.

IV. The Shepherd leads His sheep. John 10:4 (NKJV) And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. The sheep follow the Shepherd. Psalms 23:1 (NKJV)  The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. They are personally acquainted with Him and know His voice because He has called them by name and they daily read His word and study it to see what He has to say. Psalms 23:2-3 (NKJV) ² He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. ³ He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name's sake. Jesus the good Shepherd gives us rest and supplies all our needs. He refreshes our soul and      always leads us in the way of righteousness and goodness. He does this for His namesake!

V. The sheep will not follow anyone else. John 10:5 (NKJV) Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers." Because they are strangers, foreigners, aliens, and outsiders. Outside of the true faith of salvation in Christ alone! They will flee from the false shepherd because they don’t know his voice. They have no relationship to the false shepherd because they did not come through the doorkeeper. When you hear anything that does not line up with God’s word, turn a deaf ear to it and run from it. Don’t listen to what is contrary to God’s word because He has declared His word will stand forever.  Jesus said in Matthew 24:35 (NKJV)  Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away. 1 Peter 1:25 (NKJV)  The word of the Lord endures forever." Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you.

Invitation: Do you know the good Shepherd? Has He saved your soul? If not now is the time to confess your sins to Jesus and ask Him to forgive you and save your soul from Hell and give you a home in Heaven when this life is over. If Jesus is your Shepherd, are you following Him daily?

Evangelism – The Way of God

Scripture Text John 20:19-23

Introduction: This was the first appearance of Jesus to His disciples as a group after His resurrection. What would He say and talk about? What would be the topic of conversation and the subjects covered? Whatever He chose to say would be of critical importance. Jesus used this first appearance to discuss three most important subjects to His disciples.

I.  Resurrection: The first subject was the risen Lord Himself. His presence was very real.

   John 20:19-20 (NLT) ¹⁹ That Sunday evening the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them! “Peace be with you,” he said. ²⁰ As he spoke, he showed them the wounds in his hands and his side. They were filled with joy when they saw the Lord!

a. He used the simple day to day greeting among Jews, "Peace be unto you." Shalom!  By Using the greeting so familiar to the disciples would help to put them at ease. They could see it was really Him and not just a vision or a spirit.

b. He showed them His wounds. They could see that this was His body, the body of their wonderful Lord, the very same Jesus whom they had known before His crucifixion.

c. But now they knew. When Jesus had said that He was going to die, He meant He was going to die. When He had said that He was going to arise, He meant He was going to arise.

    And here He was standing before them, revealing the most glorious truth in the entire universe. Man could now conquer sin and death and live forever. He had actually come "that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." (John 10:10b)

   Can you just imagine the joy of the disciples to see their Lord overcome death!

II. Witnessing: The second subject was the great commission.  John 20:21 (NLT) Again he said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.”

 a. There is one great qualification for being commissioned: receiving, possessing, and knowing the salvation and peace of Christ. Unless a person has been reconciled to God by Christ, and really given peace with God, he cannot represent God before the world.

b.  There is the great link between the mission of Christ and the disciple. The disciple is sent on the very same mission as Christ. God sent Christ on a specific mission of seeking and saving the lost. As Disciples of Christ Jesus, He sends us on the very same mission.

     We are to seek and lead the lost to salvation in Jesus. The disciple is sent forth to proclaim and bear witness of the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ. The disciple is the prophet and witness of the living Lord.

     We Disciples of Christ are to proclaim He is the only Way to salvation. Christ is the Truth; the disciple proclaims the Truth. Christ is the Life; the disciple shares the Life. (John 14:6)

III. Holy Spirit: The third subject was the Holy Spirit. Christ had just commissioned His disciples. He now gave them the power to carry out His orders. John 20:22 (NLT)  Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.

 a. There was the giving of the Spirit. Jesus' breathing on the disciples was a prophetic sign of the Spirit's coming and a spiritual power for the disciples. It was both a symbolic and a spiritual preparation. Jesus was showing His followers that the Spirit's very special presence and power was to indwell believers as the temple of God. The Spirit, of course, came at Christ’s ascension. Acts 1:8 (NLT) But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”                   IV. The authority: Jesus has given the church the authority to preach forgiveness in His name. John 20:23 (NLT) If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” When someone believes this gospel message, the church has the right to declare this person forgiven of their sins against God and to promise them Heaven when they die. If they refuse the message, we are to tell them Hell will be their eternal home. As His disciples we are to be busy about telling others about the salvation that Jesus brings.

Conclusion: We have before us the opportunity to help change the way our nation is going. If we really want our nation to change, one good way is to stand up for the gospel and help take the message of Christ to those around us. We do this in obedience to Jesus’ command to take the good news of Christ to the ends of the earth. Our nation is on the brink of ruin and only a spiritual awakening to the things of God through Jesus Christ can save this nation.

Invitation: Make sure you have received Jesus as your personal Savior and Lord. If you are not sure, now is the time. For God says in 2 Corinthians 6:2 (NKJV)
² For He says: "In an acceptable time I have heard you, And in the day of salvation I have helped you." Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

 If you have received Jesus as your personal Savior and Lord, look for opportunities to share Jesus with those around you in your circle of influence.