Opening

Before we begin this evening, I would like to set forth a question on the outset of this study. And I would venture to say that this one question is the most important questions we could ever ask in our brief, temporal existence.

This one question has been debated and discussed for 2,000 years between philosophers, scientists and Theologians, and these men and women have written volumes of work to give their opinion of this Man, and yet they still seek the answer.

You could say that this question has effectively done it's job in dumbfounding the wise.

The question that I would ask each of us to consider this evening is this: Who is this man named Jesus?

Now many of you here may begin to parrot an answer back to me about this man thinking that you have condensed this answer into a short, single sentence. Yet, I would contend that the answer to this question is much deeper, weightier and important than we could ever imagine. If we are wrong in our answer, it will have eternal consequences.

I will, with the authority of the Gospel according to John, begin to answer this question by making 4 factual statements from the first 4 verses of this Book so that we can uncover the great truths to this answer. And then I would like us to finish today's study in verse 5 of the great Book. Reflecting on its profound implications.

Let's prayerfully ask God to open the eyes of our understanding so that we can clearly comprehend who this Man named Jesus truly is.

Let's pray......

Well, as we begin the study of John's Gospel, I would advise all of us to "Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground."

And this should be the attitude of anyone who attempts the study of this book; for if its testimony is true, the faith we have in Jesus Christ as the Son of God has received it's clearest confirmation. The reasons for this will become clear almost immediately as we dive into the text.

By way of introduction, I would like us to look at the claims that this man Jesus makes of Himself and I would also like us to learn a bit about the author of this book.

Now according to the story, there was a 30 year old Jew named Jesus in the first century, from a tiny village in the middle of nowhere called Nazareth, and one day this man strolls into town and outrageously claimed that he was the Rightful Owner of all things, that he alone was the Bread of Life, that he was the Living Water and the Good Shepherd that would give his life for his sheep, that he was the One that held the power to raise the dead at the last day, that he was the long awaited Messiah, that he was the sum total of all intellect that the Greeks sought, the one and only way to God. This man was a person so completely and in every sense divine that he was able to say with bold confidence: "I and the Father are One."

We can see how outrageous this must have sounded to the people meeting this man for the first time, but what is even more amazing is the author of this book accepts these claims as being absolutely true!

The writer even has the audacity to give this Jew the most exalted of titles. He calls him the very Word of God, and tells us that this Word had been "with God" from all eternity, dwelling in the immediate presence of the Father.

Boldly the author even calls him God, and he does this in the opening verse! From the view of the writer of this book, Jesus is nothing less that what he claims to be. He is the I Am from eternity, the very God he worshiped, in the flesh.

Author

Justifiably, these statements should raise several questions about the author of this Book:

First, is this man sane?

Second, what is the identity of this man that believes these things?

Was this man a total stranger that lived in a country so far removed from the scenes which he describes, that distance lends enchantment to the story?

And is he writing at a time so long after the events, that the "hero" of his story has become by gradual stages a miracle-worker, someone of legend and folklore, in other words, has this "hero" over time been transformed into God?

Well, we will discover over the next several weeks, that this Gospel sufficiently answers all of these questions.

We will also discover that the author of the Fourth Gospel is represented as one who belongs to the same race, the same stock and family as his "hero." He is introduced as an eye-witness of him.

This man belongs not only to the wide circle of the Master's followers, but he is one of the twelve, and within that group he one of the three closest to this man named Jesus.

This is no man on the fringe of the events he describes. He is what the courts of law look for in a case, an eye-witness with a testimony.

No one knew Jesus better than he did. He walked with him from day to day, and had ample opportunity to observe any character-faults and personality-defects, had there been any.

He was even there the most sacred of all nights, the night of the Supper, and he reclined on the bosom of his Master. You could even say this author has heard the very heart beat of God.

He stood by his cross and he even entered his tomb. And yet it is this man that does not shrink from proclaiming to all that this Jesus of history, that he knew so well, is himself God!

 

 

As we study through the first chapter, we will see that John introduces other eye-witnesses. He tells us that these men were so deeply moved when they met Jesus for the very first time that they gave utterance to their thoughts and emotions with these words:

 

Andrew said: "We have found the Messiah."

Phillip exclaimed: "We have found the One of whom Moses wrote in the Law and of whom the prophets wrote.

Nathanael said: "Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel"

 

To this we can add the testimony of John the Baptist, also recorded in this first chapter:

 

John says of this man: "I am not fit to unloose the straps of his sandals...Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world...I have testified that this one is the Son of God."

 

This book is indeed unique. Even if compared to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, we would quickly see that 90% of what is written in John's account is not even mentioned in the other accounts.

 

Historically speaking, we know that each Gospel was written to a specific people for a specific purpose.

 

For example, we know that:

 

Matthew-The Jewish tax collector, disciple and eye-witness, was presenting his Gospel to Jews, and clearly shows Jesus as the Messiah and King that fulfills the Law.

 

Mark-Was presented his Gospel to Romans and presents Jesus as one who is mighty in deeds and yet is still a servant.

 

Luke-The brilliant doctor, wrote his Gospel to the Gentiles and introduces Jesus as a perfect man of whom all of the Old Testament pointed to. Luke gives us the most historical detail and chronological ordering, he traces Jesus genealogy to Adam to show his humanity.

 

And of course John-The author of our text today, the beloved of Jesus, presents his Gospel to theGreeks and develops an amazing argument of the Deity and Sovereignty of God the Son from the perspective of an eye-witness of these events. John, in writing his epistle in 1st John Chapter 1 verse one even states, "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and our hands have handled concerning the WORD of LIFE."

 

John states, that he heard with his own ears, he saw with his own eyes, and that he touched with his own hands, this Word of Life named Jesus.

 

What an amazing testimony from this eye-witness and follower of Jesus of Nazareth.

 

 

This is also the Gospel that records the 7 "I Am" statements from Jesus own lips. Which is Jesus self-declaration. Jesus says of Himself:

 

1. "I am the bread of life" (John 6:35, 48).

 

2. "I am the light of the world" (John 9:5).

 

3. "I am the door" (John 10:7, 9).

 

4. "I am the good shepherd" (John 10:11, 14).

 

5. "I am the resurrection and the life" (John 11:25).

 

6. "I am the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6).

 

7. "I am the true vine" (John 15:15).

 

 

We can understand to some small degree, why it has been said of this Gospel that it is deep enough for babes to wade, while elephants could drown in it.

 

Men such as Augustine make mention of the first 18 verses of John by saying that "It is beyond the power of man to speak as John does in his prologue."

 

And Calvin even comments: "Rather should we be satisfied with this heavenly oracle, knowing that it says much more than our minds can take in."

 

 

From these quotes I am reminded of my intellectual frailty in preparing to preach on this Gospel. These and many other men bled more Bible than I could ever hope. I pray that God grants each of us unusual wisdom in grasping what He is communicating through John to us in this amazing book. And that God would be pleased to use such a man as myself to bring Him glory and honor.

 

Now as we begin to consider our text this morning, please turn with me the Gospel of John, Chapter 1 verse 1.

 

As I mentioned earlier, I will make 4 factual statements regarding this identity of this Man from Nazareth to answer the question put forth, "Who is this man name Jesus?"

 

 

The first of these four factual statements is this:

 

 

I. Jesus Christ is God

 

Notice with me in verse 1: (1) In the beginning was the Word (Logos), and the Word (Logos) was with God, and the Word (Logos) was God.

 

Another rendering that is a bit more literal is: (1) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was face to face with God, and the Word was God.

 

To ensure that no one is confused about who this word is, John explains in verse 14 "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."

 

In this very first verse, John mentions the Logos or as we translate into the English, Word, three times. Now before we go any further, we would do well to understand what this word means.

 

 

 

Historical Usage of Logos

 

And before I give you a Biblical definition of the word in its Biblical context, let me give you a historical usage of the word Logos, so that you will understand why this statement was so startling to the Jews and the Greeks.

 

To The Jews who held tightly to their proud religious heritage starting from Abraham to Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David and a host of priests and prophets. We recognize that at the center of their theology was a devotion to the Word of God. For the Hebrews the Word of God was the presence and action of God breaking into human history with unparalleled power and authority. God's Word was a happening, such as creation in Genesis Chapter 1.

Where simply by the power of God's spoken word caused all that there is to be, to be.

You can see why the Jews held such devotion to the power of God's Word.

To them, Gods Word was never given without accomplishing its purpose.

For The Greeks living during the time of this Gospel, they also clung tightly to their proud heritage, a philosophical heritage extending from Heraclitus (540-480 BC), to Socrates (470-399 BC), Plato428-348 BC), Aristotle (384-327 BC), Cicero (106-43 BC) and a host of philosophers, poets, and playwrights. At the fountainhead of Greek philosophy was Heraclitus who was known as the "weeping philosopher" whose image could be found on the coins in Ephesus for several centuries following his death. He was the man made famous by the statement "that a person never steps in the same river twice," because of the constant change in all things, that nothing is ever the same twice. (

For Heraclitus, the creation of the world, the ordering of all of life, and the immortality of the human soul were all made possible solely by the word (or logos) that was the invisible and intelligent force behind all that we see in this world. He went so far as to say that only truth and wisdom could be known, and this was not found in a knowledge of many things, but instead in a deep and clear awareness of one thing - the WORD or in the Greek, the LOGOS.

To the Greek, the Logos was an impersonal power that gave order to all things. It was purely creative, not personal. To ever say that the Logos could be personal, to the Greek, was simply intellectual suicide. Their worldview did not allow such a proposition.

Johns Describes of the Logos

John, however, begins with a declaration that both Jews and Greeks would have agreed to, that before the creation of the world and time, the Word existed eternally.

 

John then scandalizes both groups by stating that Jesus is the Word and was with the one and only God, and in fact was Himself God, and was face to face with God from eternity (John 1:1-2).

 

This thundering statement would have been stunning to both Jews and Greeks who had vigorously argued that God could never become a man. John's eyewitness testimony that God had indeed become a man was absolutely devastating to both camps.

John then explains that the Word is not merely the invisible force of the Greeks, or the agent of God's action for the Hebrews, but a person through whom all things were created (John 1:3; cf. Col. 1:16), and a person in whom is life and light for men (John 1:4).

When the heavens and earth were created, the Word already existed. This is another way of saying that he existed from all eternity. He was not what heretics claim him to be, a created being.

John and the heretics both spoke of the Word; but though the term was the same, the meaning is drastically different. John's doctrine is not dependent on that of popular thought nor on the speculative philosophers like Heraclitus.

The term used by the evangelist was not adopted from Greek thought. John actually redefined the Word because no such definition was remotely suitable to describe the true Logos.

 

 

Turn with me to what is probably the best commentary on John 1:1 found in Proverbs 8:27-30. Please turn with me to Proverbs Chapter 8.

8:27 When He prepared the heavens, I was there, When He drew a circle on the face of the deep,

28 When He established the clouds above, When He strengthened the fountains of the deep,

29 When He assigned to the sea its limit, So that the waters would not transgress His command, When He marked out the foundations of the earth,

30 Then I was beside Him as a master craftsman; And I was daily His delight, Rejoicing always before Him

It is clear that this Logos is not the Logos of Greek thought. Contrary to the Greeks, truth is not found in philosophical ideas. Truth is only found in Jesus Christ, who is the supreme idea and revelation of God. This Logos is both powerful and personal. He is infinite, and yet dwelt with and taught the finite. He could create and dwell with His creation. To the Greeks this was foolishness.

And it is clear that although the Jews had their perception of the Logos, Jesus shocks them in Chapter 8 verse 58 by proclaiming, "I tell you that before Abraham was, I AM." To the Jews this was blasphemous.

God's logos, which the Christ represents, acts as a bridge between man's spiritual need and the answer proclaimed by the Gospel.

We could simplify this definition by viewing the Logos as have a dualistic function:

1. It clearly expresses the inner thought of God

2. and it reveals this thought perfectly to others.

 

 

 

Practical Exposition

We see that Christ is the Word of God in both respects: he expresses or reflects the mind of God; and he reveals God to man.

To know Jesus is to know God, for Jesus is God. Jesus shows us the very nature, the very thoughts, and the attributes of Almighty God in all His perfection. The Logos of scripture has shown us what God's idea of perfection in Humanity is and the attributes of His Holy character revealed to us. We should look towards Jesus with a Holy, reverential fear and awe at His incarnate fulfillment of God's thought.

We also notice that this Logos, as we read in verse one, was face to face with God. The meaning is that the Word existed in the closest possible fellowship with the Father, and that he took supreme delight in this communion. And so deep was this impression upon the Logos that it was never erased from his consciousness, we see this in Christ's prayer:

John 17:5 "And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was."

Jesus coming into the flesh, clearly stands out as a deed of incomprehensible love and infinite condescension.

This great intrusion into humanity as Jesus leaves His throne to enter into a virgins womb and dwell with those He created, is not easy for mans finite mind to grasp.

His great love for his chosen inheritance and His perfect obedience to the Fathers will, is enough to keep anyone interested in the study of God, totally and completely dumbfounded for all ages.

For the believer, this should be sufficient to bend your knee in Holy reverential awe at the majesty of our King. A King that would allow Himself to be subject to the very time and space that He created, so that He might gain His chosen as an inheritance.

Moving to our second factual statement about Jesus...

 

 

II. Jesus Christ is Eternal

Moving to verse 2- "He was in the beginning with God."

As if to emphasize his last statement, for the second time John mentions that Jesus has dwelt from eternity, face to face with God.

Before time ever was, God the Son and the God the Father and God the Holy Spirit dwelt in a perfect triune community. And that Jesus so resembles the Father, that it is said in Colossians Chapter 1 verse 15, 15 "He is the very image of the invisible God."

 

As part of Christ's mission, He is responsible for revealing to us what God is like.

When study the red ink the Bible, we should do so with an understanding that the words we read are the very words of God. To do so with any less reverence is not only foolish, but fatal. Jesus words are the words of the perfect Son that teaches us the heart and mind of the Father.

 

His eternal existence makes His plan of salvation to enter time and space all the more amazing.

The third of these statements is this.

III. Jesus Christ is the Creator

Verse 3- "All things came into being through him, and apart from him not a single thing that exists came into being."

All things, one by one, came into being through this divine Word. The great truth that Christ created all things is stated positively in the in the past and then it is stated negatively in the present: that "Apart from him not a single thing that exists came into being."

We see this again affirmed in Colossians chapter 1 verse 16, 16"For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.

 

You can imagine the uproar that would be created by such statements by John to the culture he was living.

And I would suggest that we as a community founded and established by Christ Himself, should take John's example and create an uproar in our own culture with these claims. I would even venture to say, even in our own "Christian" culture.

That a Church would so shrink back from the proclamation of these truths because of the pressures of political correctness and religious tolerance, is not only reprehensible, but it is eternally damning.

Jesus says in Matthews Gospel, chapter 10 verse 33, "But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven. " Jesus is not simply speaking of the name Jesus, there were several people named Jesus in His day, he was speaking of deny His very nature and office. That if you deny that Jesus is who He claims He is, that "You will perish in your sins."

John as an evangelist is a great example of how we might proclaim truth. He simply could not be silent over a doctrine that Jesus was so vocal. John loudly proclaims his testimony that Jesus created all things and again affirms by doing so, again affirms that He is God.

The last of my 4 factual statements regarding the person of Jesus Christ is this:

IV. Jesus Christ is the Life and Light

Verse 4-"In Him was life and that life was the light of men."

This is not simply saying "by Him is life" which we would agree to. This text is saying that IN Jesus was life. Jesus actually holds and is the sustainer of life in His nature. He is the author and sustainer of life.

Man can not live without Christ first giving him life and man can not see without Christ giving him light.

Any attempt to live with a counterfeit life, will only produce death.

And any attempt to create counterfeit light, will only blind you and keep you stumbling in darkness.

From this context it is clear that the terms life and light belong to the spiritual sphere. When one really posses life, he experiences close fellowship with God in Christ. Between this Gospel and John's first epistle, he uses the word 54 times and it always is used in context of spiritual life. When life is manifested, it is called light.

Jesus has given light to those in darkness. What a glorious light it is.

1 Peter Chapter 2 Verse 9 says, "But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;"

Our new nature should desire to proclaim praises of Him who called you out of darkness. If it is not our new nature, there is a possibility you are still in darkness.

And for the professing believer that walks in continual darkness, John says in his epistle of 1st John chapter 1 verse 5 "This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. 6If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin."

We, as believers of Christ are to "walk as He walked," and so pattern ourselves after His attributes that we practice the truth and not simply agree with it.

For the man, woman or child that sits here tonight that is in Christ Jesus, let me encourage you with the words of our Savior the Logos from all eternity.

Jesus proclaims in Matthew 5 verse 13 "You are the salt of the earth;

In verse 14 "You are the light of the world.

Then He concludes by saying in verse 16 "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

The more that you grow in Christ, the more you are aware that the chief end of your existence is to Glorify God and enjoy Him forever.

These statements are present tense. You are the salt and the light. Not will be, but are. God calls you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called.

This light, which is the Word of God, has given you light in a dark and decaying world. Go and glorify your Father by showing the light of His son in the conversation of your life.

As I have laid forth these 4 facts regarding the Man Jesus Christ, I pray that in doing so, I have given an answer to the Great question regarding the identity of this perfect God Man.

There are some of you here today, that are the object of great concern for me. And, all though you have heard the question that I asked at the outset and have considered the facts, still you remain indifferent to the answer.

You may have the attitude that nothing that this preacher says is going to affect you. You aren't going to be fooled. You are a good enough person without this Man named Jesus.

My friend, I would ask that you consider with me one last verse before leaving, Verse 5-"And the light shines in darkness and the darkness did not comprehend it."

As Jesus is described as light and the fullness of God's essence, his glorious attributes: holiness, truth, love, omnipotence, sovereignty.

Mankind in his natural state out of Christ, is characterized by darkness, evil, and hatred, which is the opposite of light.

This darkness, which is the world of unbelief, is not simply passively disagreeing with the Light. It actively opposes the Light and hates the Light.

Although the man or woman that sits here as an unbeliever, may consider themselves neutral or passively and politely disagreeing with the Light which is Jesus, Jesus says that "He who is not with Me, is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters.

You are either; in and with Christ, doing His will, or you are against Christ and are actively participating in scattering His work. Though you may think you fall into a different category, Jesus doesn't.

This light exposes your wickedness so clearly that the only way to ignore it, is to sear your conscience. The reason Jesus was hated then and is hated now is because he shines light in the eyes of mans darkness.

For those of you here tonight that have an issue with Jesus, let me assure you that your issue with him is miniscule in comparison to the issue that he has with you.

For you to so ignore this light that has broken through the darkness of your sin so that you might see, and yet still you desire to live blind and to glorify your own flesh, is nothing more than pure defiance against your own illuminated conscience.

I wholeheartedly say an amen to the famous preacher/theologian Jonathan Edwards, who states: "Were it not for the sovereign pleasure of God, the earth would not bear you one moment; for you are a burden to it; the creation groans with you; the sun does not willingly shine upon you to give you light to serve sin and Satan; the earth does not willingly yield her increase to satisfy your lusts; nor is it willingly a stage for your wickedness to be acted upon; the air does not willingly serve you for breath to maintain the flame of life in your vitals, while you spend your life in the service of God's enemies."

Jesus reveals to us our sinful nature according to His description of us, not our good opinion of ourselves.

You see, natural man, by his own nature, is woefully inadequate of noticing his own sin. Without the Spirit of God shining light in those dark areas of our wicked sinful hearts, we would not see our need of a savior.

As a master surgeon uses the sharpest scalpel to penetrate the flesh, so Jesus as the great physician, locates our sin, exposes it, and for those that are willing to be put under his care, cuts away the decay and cures the always terminal disease, called sin.

For those of you here that do not know this Jesus, this Word of God that I have been speaking of tonight. Let me give you a solemn warning.

Galatians 6:7 says very clearly. "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap."

Also in Matthew 12:36 Jesus say "But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment."

Every thought, every deed, every attitude or wicked motive, God has seen and His justice will be perfectly administered.

God has appointed a day on which He will judge this world in righteousness by the Man He has ordained. This man I proclaim to you is Jesus the Word from eternity.

And though you may comfort yourself by assuming that any judgment or punishment, resides purely in the future. Let me assure you that your position today is already one of condemnation.

Jesus says in the 3 Chapter of this Gospel verse 18 "He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Why would a man stay in such a horrific state? Jesus assumes the question and answers by stating in the following verse: 19 "And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 "For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.

My friend, although you may have lived a life unworthy of the mercy of almighty God, let me assure you that no one is so deep in sin and iniquity that God can not reach them.

You can not show me in scripture where man does not need the saving Grace of God.

And you can not show me in scripture where any man is beyond the saving Grace of God.

The book of Hebrews states in chapter 7 verse 25 "Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them."

And though you may have lived a short life of 16 years of sin or 60 years of drunkenness and debauchery, Jesus is able to save, even such an individual as you. His saving power is for the sinner.

We read in 1Timothy chapter 1 verse 15 "This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners,"

God so humbled Himself that He left from His eternal throne to dwell with the very creatures that He created and to give light and light to mankind that was blind and dead.

Jesus willfully allowed Himself to be placed on a cross that was shaped from the trees that He created. He allowed the men that He made to take the iron that He placed in the mountains to be shaped into nails that they might thrust it through His wrists and feet so that He would willingly give His life as a sacrifice to His Father so that God could be both the Just and the justifier. His life was lost that you might live.

And after this God Man laid dead in a tomb for three days, He rose Himself form the dead and ascended into heaven to sit at the right hand of God. Proving His deity, his sovereignty and His love for His chosen inheritance.

Jesus alone is sufficient to satisfy the just anger of a Holy God. Jesus only can give you life. In His own words, Jesus shows us our need of His righteousness. In this Gospel, chapter 14 verse 6 Jesus make another profound statement. He says, "I am the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father, but by me."

There is no other way to the Father but by His perfect Son.

Cry out to God while you can, and ask Him to make you aware of your wickedness that you might confess your sins to Him. And may God be pleased to grant you repentance and faith in His son.

So, who is this man named Jesus? God is gracious in teaching us by His written Word and by giving us His Word made flesh.

Let's pray...

As we take communion tonight, I want us to take heed to the words that were spoken this evening. Communion should not be treated as a simple religious ceremony, without any thought to it's purpose.

The scriptures give us instruction to the Lord's Supper and we should heed it's teaching.

Turn with me to 1 Corinthians 11:23 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.

27 Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.

28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup.

29 For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.

Examine your heart in prayer before you take communion. If there is anything that needs to be confessed to God, now is the time to do it.

If you are not a believer in Christ, please do not take communion. I say this as a warning that you will only heap judgment to yourself.

If you are identified in Christ, I welcome you to partake of the Lord's Supper. It is a great honor to serve communion to you and I pray that as this fellowship grows, we will never lose sight of what Christ has done for us.

Please come forward when you are prepared.

 

 

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