Good Friday 2019 6 hours, 3 days, eternity
Mike Doyle · Apr 19, 2019
Holidays, No. 01
Holly Hills Bible Church
https://hollyhillsbiblechurch.org/teaching/messages/49261914377533

Transcribed from the recording by SermonAudio, so expect the occasional misheard word.

It's a beautiful day. It's time to say goodbye. so I've heard it better than anyone I've heard it better than anyone and and and and so so I don't know what to do. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. so so so Yes. Hear me all right. There we go. Welcome. Welcome to our Good Friday service. Thank you, Bob. That was great.

So tonight we're going to do a couple of things. One is we actually have a theme, thanks to Karen. The theme is six hours, three days, and eternity. Six hours on the cross, three days in the grave, and eternity and resurrected life. So that's kind of what we're going to do. We'll do the six hours today. We won't do the three days, but you have to come back Sunday to get the eternity part.

So a lot of different people are going to participate, which we're excited about. And so let's open with a word of prayer. Dear Father, how we thank you for bringing us together this evening. We thank you for the opportunity to praise you and to celebrate the death of your son, the Lord Jesus, which is the paradigm event in all of history. We're thankful for him. We're thankful for what he did. And we ask that tonight that everything we do would glorify you and edify everyone that's here.

And we pray in your son's precious name. Amen. So the first thing we're going to do is have a congregational song. So please stand. Come and give your praise to the Lord, my God. Come and sing the praises of the Lord, my God. Alleluia, Alleluia, Lord Alright, we're going to be reading from a couple of different passages. The first one is John 10, 17-18.

For this reason the Father loves me because I laid down my life so that I may take it again. No one has taken it away from me, but I lay it down on my own initiative. I have the authority to lay it down and I have the authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from my Father. The second one is Isaiah 53, 5 and 6.

But he was pierced through for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities. The chastening for our well-being fell upon him, and by his scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way, but the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on him.

The next day, he, John the Baptist that is, saw Jesus coming to him and said, Behold, the Lamb of God, he takes away the sin of the world. Well, I have the privilege of talking about what was the reason, and actually, after looking at what I put down, I actually should make that plural, because I'm going to present reasons. Because there are many scriptures that talk about the reasons for the cross. So just to kind of give you an overview of where I'm headed, First of all, it was read about God the Father. It was God the Father's will that Christ go to the cross. Christ didn't go as a victim. He didn't go kicking and screaming. He went of his own accord. Ryan read that for us, and we'll talk about that in a minute.

Then Isaiah 53, just a beautiful passage in the Old Testament about the many reasons why Christ went to the cross. Then John the Baptist in that incredible statement where he says, Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. And then we come down, we're going to talk about Paul, and we've been talking about Galatians 2.20. I think there's a part of that where Paul talks about the value of the cross, certainly for us, and for the Savior. And then lastly, we're going to talk about a thing called the Eternal Covenant. I think that the cross fulfilled, and I know it did, from scripture, it fulfilled the eternal covenant. And at the end I'd like to just talk about the gospel a little bit.

So okay, let's start off with the first part is in John 10, it was read, it says, I lay down my life with a purpose that I may take it again or take it back again. So Christ, in His death, looked forward to His resurrection. He looked forward that He was coming back. And we're going to see that at the very end, where from eternity past, it was the agreement between the Father and the Son that the Son would lay down His life, the Father would raise it up again. So that's totally in concord with His plan.

Then in verse 18 there in John 10, it says, No one takes it away from Me, I know debunking the idea that I got robbed of my life. No, he gave it freely. But I lay it down on my own initiative. I have the authority. This is cool. I have the authority to lay it down. I have the authority to take it up again.

This commandment I received from my Father. You know, many times in Scripture, many, many times, in fact, almost every time, Christ never does anything without saying, I'm totally in accord with the Father. There's nothing I do that is in disagreement with the Father. We're one in everything I do.

And then the conclusion of that actually was given at the beginning. For this reason, the Father loves me because I did the following, what I just read. So that's a cool part for the cross. The next part is, Beautiful passage that we probably know or maybe memorized at some point.

Isaiah 53, but he was pierced or wounded through for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. The chastening for our well-being fell upon him. And chastening is actually the idea of discipline. Think about this, the Savior of the world was disciplined on my behalf. He got my discipline that I should have gotten, he got. That's just kind of You know, rock my socks there, so to speak. And by his scourging we are healed.

And the beautiful passage in verse 6, all of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way, but the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on him. And that word iniquity is actually in the Hebrew language which the Old Testament was written in, it actually is a synonym of sin or sins. So basically it's very much in line with the New Testament. the missing the mark, the deviation from the standard, but the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him.

Okay, so that's just two reasons so far, which are pretty magnificent. Now we have the beautiful one that John the Baptist recited. He said, the next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, behold the Lamb of God who takes away or carries up or lifts up the sin, and it's the sin of the world, So your first thought is, if you've been to Holly Hills a little bit, you say, well, the sin.

You start scratching your head, what does the sin mean? And of course, we're kind of particular about that. We would say, in some contexts, in Romans, that means the sin nature. But in this case, I think it means the totality, the sin of the world, the total totality of sin he's talking about here. Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the total totality of the sin of the world. Only God can do that. Then fourth, the value of the death of Christ was, I think, given by Paul.

We talked about this last week in Galatians 2.20. I'm just going to read the second part of that.

And the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. So he loved me, he loved and he gave. He loved me and gave himself for me. And I was noticing in some of my studies that Whenever we talk about Christ loving, it's always loving His own.

Always those who are His own, who are blood bought by Him. And the Father is actually a little bit different picture. He talks about the Father, for God so loved the world, He loved the entire world. Christ focuses in on us. He loved me and gave Himself for me, or on behalf of me. Then lastly, the reason for the cross was to fulfill what's called the Eternal Covenant.

You know, if you turn to the Eternal Covenant, which is in Hebrews 13.20, I'm not asking you to do that, and you read that, you know, you first read that and you kind of scratch your head and say, I'm not sure what that said. So I'm going to read it for you, and you'll scratch your head, and hopefully I'll tell you what it meant, Lord willing. Okay, here it is.

Hebrews 13.20.

Now the God of peace, I believe that's God the Father, who brought up from the dead the great shepherd of the sheep, which I believe is the Lord Jesus, through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord." So I think with a little study of that, and we've done that before in past times, we could summarize that saying, this is an eternal covenant. The Father and the Son shook hands, so to speak, if you will. They said, here's what we're going to do. Man has a problem. Christ agreed to shed his blood for the sins, plural, of the world, and the Father agrees to raise him up.

That was the agreement. It was made an eternity past before we ever started. We're doing Genesis at Mike's house before we ever started Genesis there. An eternity past, that agreement was made, was already in place, and then God says, let there be light. Or in the beginning.

So it's pretty amazing. God has us covered there. So I thought, you know, When we do these Good Fridays, we have people come in, and just to kind of make sure everybody's on the same page, there's just a piece of critical information in 1 Corinthians 15, and Paul kind of sets it up for us. He says, Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel, or the good news, which I preach to you, which also you receive, and which you also stand, by which you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preach to you, unless you believe in vain. So he sets the stage. He says, I received something. Paul didn't claim to have originated the gospel. In fact, he absolutely denied that he originated it. He said, I got the gospel directly from Jesus Christ. And the gospel is this.

This is what the significance of the cross means to mankind. For I delivered to you, as of first importance, what I also received. that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, He was buried, and He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and He appeared to Cephas and to the Twelve. So if you kind of go through that, there's a progression. Christ died, Christ was buried, Christ was raised, Christ appeared. Christ died, He died for the sins according to the Scriptures, it says. And He died on our behalf.

And the Scripture that talks about that is in 1 Peter 2.24, He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. For by his wounds you were healed." So he died for our sins first.

He was buried. And you know, typically you don't, and I've mentioned this before, you don't bury a person that's alive. It happens occasionally. But people have written books if they still are alive to write the book after they were alive for some time period. But anyway, in this case, he was buried. And we have good evidence. Scripture talks about this gentleman named Joseph of Arimathea. He asked for the body. After Christ died on the cross, he asked for his body.

And he took it. And he had a tomb that he had purchased, a new tomb, which no one had been buried in there, in that tomb. And he wrapped him in linen cloth and he laid him in this tomb. And I noticed at the bottom it says, oh by the way, who was hanging out there at this tomb while he was doing this? Mary Magdalene and the other Mary. They're sitting there watching this. Oh, they're burying him. They put him in there. So we're going to see, if you come on Sunday, please come on Sunday, you're going to see Mary Magdalene is pretty amazed what happens when she goes to the tomb three days later on that Sunday.

So he died for our sins. He was buried. Third, he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures, just as God predicted. But God raised him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for him to be held by its power.

Christ's resurrection is in this thing called the perfect tense. He died in the past, but we serve a risen savior. He stands risen today. Like the song we sing, we serve a risen savior. He's in the world today. We know that he is living and so on. I won't sing it because I'm not that good. Okay. And then fourth, he appeared and actually, cool. Come on Sunday. I'm getting you all pumped up for Sunday. We're going to see 17 appearances,

17. There were 501 just by itself. 17 appearances Christ made after his resurrection.

17. We're going to list 17 and talk about a few of those. Then lastly, so what am I supposed to do with this information? Christ died, Christ was buried, Christ was raised, and then lastly, he appeared to men. At least 17 different occasions. Well, we're to simply, as it says in the book of Acts, we're to believe what God has said. And it says in Acts 16.31, it says, believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household. So that would be my prayer today, that if there is something that has been said or something that you've heard, you would put your faith and trust in him. Thank you.

We have some special music next. And I think it is, yeah, it's Karen and Jefflyn are going to sing for us. In my heart, in my heart, in my heart, in my heart, in my heart, in my heart, in my heart, in my heart, in my heart, in my heart, in my heart, in my heart, in my heart, in my heart, in my heart, in my heart, in my heart, in my heart, in my heart, in my heart, in my heart, in my heart, in my heart, in my heart, in my heart, in my heart, in my heart, in my heart, in my heart, in my heart, in my heart, in my heart, in my heart, in my heart, in my heart, in my heart, in my heart, in my heart, in my heart, in my heart, in my heart, in my heart, in my heart, in my heart, in my heart, in my heart, in my heart, in my heart, in my heart, in my heart, in my heart, in my heart, in my heart, in my heart, in my heart, in my heart, And I know you'll be there again And I know you'll be there again And so, I watch the sky, the skies, they clear and clear, but oh, my heart aches.

I'm talking, I'm talking, I'm talking, I'm talking, I'm talking, I'm talking, I'm talking, I'm talking, I'm talking, I'm talking, Never, never, never will it end. And now, at last, I'm home. The river's a-rushin' away. Never, never, never will it end.

We'll never walk alone again We'll never be apart again What was accomplished by Christ's sufferings and death? Atonement, the New Testament truth which presents Christ as the Lamb of God taking away the sin of the world. Expiation, the active means of making restitution or satisfaction for the offense or sin, removing of guilt by suffering punishment. Forgiveness and remission, divine forgiveness of sin made Divine forgiveness of sin is made possible only through the cross of Christ and is never exercised apart from restitution, whether anticipated as it was in the Old Testament or realized as it is in the New Testament.

Guilt means that the guilty one has offended God's character and will, is stuck on every person, and in two respects. As personal and so related to the historical facts of actual sin, such guilt is non-transferable. Two, as an obligation to justice, which is the theological use of the term guilt. This is transferable in the sense that an innocent person may discharge the obligation of one who is guilty. Justice is a synonym of righteousness. The conduct of one toward another is in view.

And especially the truth that God acts towards men in justice. So perfect in itself is the plan of salvation through Christ that God said to be just, not merciful when he is justifying the ungodly. Justification. Theologically considered, the term justification means to be declared righteous. That which God consequently publishes, He defends. Justification is unchangeable. Penalty. Through and measurable by the finite mind, both reason and revelation emphasize that the penalty for sin is no more than that which Christ's holiness requires.

It is that It is that which Christ satisfied. Whatever these demands were, it is now to be believed that Christ has met these demands for those who trust him. Propitiation. Propitiation is the Godward effect of value of the cross. Since Christ has died, God is propitious or is completely satisfied. The truth is the heart of the gospel and that which is to be believed.

Reconciliation. It represents the effect and value of the cost towards men, since the word signifies a complete change that does apply to men who by the death of Christ is placed in a challenged relation to God and His judgment against man. Redemption and ransom. These two terms are practically in the same meaning. Redemption implies the payment of a ransom price, and in the redemption which Christ has produced, the divine judgments against sin having been fully paid by Christ's voluntary sacrifice. This is something already accomplished and is something to believe. Sacrifice, while this term usually means to release that which one may hold in possession, its doctrinal meaning is that an offering to God.

Vicarious and substitutionary. Again, the two words being considered are identical in meaning and refer to the suffering of one in the place of another, in the sense that Christ suffered and died that men might not be required to bear their burden of condemnation. Thank you. There were twelve of those. You wonder what was going on for six hours on the cross. Those twelve things were happening. All of that was happening in six hours. Nobody could see it because it's a spiritual event. So I thought tonight we'd talk a little bit about what did Christ's suffering accomplish? What did He suffer at the hands of man? And what did He suffer at the hands of God?

Now, in the hands of man, really, it was just a crime. They were just killing Him. That's all they were doing. And that's all they could do. But in the hands of the Father, it was a totally different story, because it manifested God's divine compassion towards man.

And it took the cross to do that. The difference is that Christ came and God allowed man to effectuate the crucifixion on him. But there was a plan in place that Roger talked about long before that had to do with the satisfying of God. And a lot of times we don't think about the value of the cross to the Father. We're all wrapped up in what the cross does for me and takes care of my sins and I get saved and and that kind of thing, but we don't realize what a wonderful thing it was to God to have this event happen. Human hands might inflict physical punishment and suffering on a victim, but only God could make Christ a sin-suffering. He could lay on Him the iniquities of everybody.

In 2 Corinthians 5.31, Paul says, He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf. Why? That we might become the righteousness of God in Him. And Roger read out of Isaiah 53. Isaiah 53, 6 says, all of us like sheep have gone astray. Each of us has turned on his own way, but the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him. I don't know. I'm probably the most amusical person in the whole congregation here. Every time I sing, the guy in front of me says, excuse me, what did you say? I have no voice, and I have no aptitude.

But there's a hymn that I want to refer to. And there's a line in this hymn that says, I lay my sins on Jesus, the spotless lamb of God. Well, that struck me. Does man have the power to do that? Can I lay my sins on the Lord Jesus? Answer. Can I lay your sins on the Lord Jesus? Answer.

No, I can't, because I don't have the power to do it. Even if Pontius Pilate had been a spiritually savvy guy and realized what was going on and he said, well, you know, in a superhuman compassion, he said, what I'm going to do is crucify the Lord and pay for the sins of the world. He couldn't do that. He doesn't have the power to do it. All he could do was crucify Him. God alone must provide the sin bearer, and God alone could impute the sin to that one that He provided. He's the only one who could do that.

And the great thing about it is He wanted to do it because He loved us. So there's a value. There's a value in Christ's sufferings to the Father. The value pertains to the Father and you can compare it again with the value as it pertains to us as man. It's difficult for us, I think, to calculate and to appraise and appreciate those values of salvation which are accrued to us.

As an example, that the one who is saved will never perish. We are now in a present position of eternal life. The Saved One, all of us, is united to Christ to share in His peace and His glory forever. And He shall, when He sees His Savior, you and I, we can't accurately appraise in our own minds what that really means. To us, we think it's terrific, you know, you start out with salvation and you're pretty excited about the fact that it isn't going to get warm where you're going, and so you're going to go be with the Lord, and He has saved you.

But all that's wrapped up in that is part of our spiritual growth as we grow in the knowledge and grace of the Lord Jesus. We begin to find out, gee, what He has done for me is incalculable. I can't get my arms around the totality of it. But over against that truth is God's infinite love. And why did He do it? Why did He do this? What advantage was there or what value was there to Him? You know that because He loved us, He just couldn't make a decision and say, well, I love all of those creatures of mine.

So I'm just going to do an edict, I'm going to write a law, and I'm going to write a pronouncement. I'm going to say sin has been swept away, and now I can save them all. He can't do that. Because sin is against His holiness and His righteousness. Sin is an insult against His person. And so in order for Him to demonstrate and to show this love He has for us, He's got to deal with this impediment that's in the way. And in the way is sin. And from his standpoint, the price of redemption has to be taken on by him because we can't do it. We can't die for our sins. We're not worthy.

So he decides he's going to do it. Yeah, to satisfy the insult, but the real reason he does this is that he loves us and he wants us to be with him. We're of tremendous value to God, way more than we appreciate. He comes up with, he and the father, he and the son come up and decide that they're going to have a substitute, which will be the Son of God. He's qualified. He can do it. He can pay the price of the insult and the penalty of all the sins of all time. And he can die. And why die? You ever thought about that? Why couldn't God just say, okay, I'll just forget about sin. Why does there have to be a death? Death means separation.

And the problem is that when Adam sinned and we all sinned in him, we not only committed an act, but we became the thing, sin itself. We're sinners. That's how we're identified. So in order for God to satisfy the love He has for us, to allow us to be with Him, holy and blameless, before Him in love for all eternity, He's got to resolve this issue of us being sinners.

So when Christ is crucified, guess what? We get crucified with Him. Why? So that we can get separated from all that offends God, which is the sin. And so we are crucified with Him, we're buried with Him, and we rise to newness of life. This newness of life that we rise to thanks to the cross is done because now God is free. He's not impeded anymore. He's free to love us.

He can reveal to us, unhindered, His love for us. And He can carry out His purposes which He had for us from eternity past. He can take a sinner and transform one who trusts Him to appear with Him in glory, conformed to the image of Christ for all eternity. He wants that. He loves us. There's nothing conceivable that would be a greater achievement than him doing this from his perspective. It is produced primarily to satisfy his love for the sinner. That's why he did it. Those who trust him will never perish, but they'll have eternal and everlasting life.

However, this was made possible because of the fact that God so loved that he gave his son. What the freedom to exercise this love, which is secured by the death of Christ, what that means to God is incomprehensible as much as just understanding divine love to us. It's one of those awesome things that you just are in awe of God that He would love us to that degree. To the same end, It may be added that the salvation of the soul demonstrates the exceeding grace of God.

Grace of God, grace is total unmerited favor towards us and it's unlimited and we can't earn it. It's just given to us. Which grace could be exhibited by no other means. Without the cross, there's no grace. There's no, maybe put another way, there's no exhibition of God's grace towards us.

The death of Christ has secured for us and made possible the exalted experience on God's part to exercise his superior and supreme abounding grace towards us, thanks to the cross. Now, in conclusion, I really think that if we were to try to sit down and estimate the value and adequately understand what this means to God, we couldn't arrive at it. We couldn't get our arms around it. the death of Christ, what it means to Him. But for all eternity, we will grow in that knowledge and we will grow in the appreciation of what it really meant to the Father to do what He did.

Down the Via Dolorosa In Jerusalem that day The soldiers tried to clear the narrow streets But the crowd pressed in to see The man condemned to die on Calvary He was bleeding from a beating There were stripes upon His back And He wore a crown of thorns upon His head And He bore with every step The scorn of those who cried out for His dead Down by the adornment of the way of suffering Like a lamb, He came alongside the Christ the King And He chose to walk that road out of His love for you Down at the end of a rose hill, on a way to Calvary He was bleeding from a beating, there were stripes upon his back And he wore a crown of thorns upon his head And He bore with every step the scorn of those who cried out for His death. Thou must be idol of Moses, of the way of suffering, like the Lamb King, the Messiah, Christ the King. And He chose to walk Down the peephole of Osiris, all the way to Calvary. The blood that was clean, the souls of all men, made its way through the heart of Jerusalem. And the Deagola rose out of the way of suffering Like a lamb came the Messiah Christ, the King And He chose to walk that way I feel worthless, I wish to power you. you Okay, I have four readings today.

The first one is John 6, 38-40. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. This is the will of him who sent me, that of all that he has given me, I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in him will have eternal life, and I myself will raise him up on the last day."

Romans 3 21-26 But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets. Even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe, for there is no distinction. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Jesus Christ, whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in his blood through faith. This was to demonstrate his righteousness because in the forbearance of God he passed over the sins previously committed. For the demonstration, I say, of his righteousness at the present time, so that he would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

Romans 5 10-11 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation. And the last reading is 1 John 4, 10. And this is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. So I have seven concluding remarks regarding the cross of Christ. We can observe, number one, while Christ's death is inestimable value to men, it is a far greater value to God.

Not that God himself could realize what it means to him to have a way clear whereby he may, God may, without tarnish of his own holiness, save and justify those who do no more than believe in Jesus. And as Regan read in Romans 3 24 through 26, I'm just going to read 25 and 26, whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation or satisfaction, he was satisfied in his blood through faith that was to demonstrate his righteousness Because in the forbearance of God, he passed over the sins previously committed for the demonstration, I say, of his righteousness at the present time so that he would be just. He's totally just when he does this. And at the same time, he's the justifier to those who have faith in the Lord Jesus.

The second conclusion is the death of Christ represents a sacrifice of infinite proportions. Nothing within the range of finite things can draw upon and illustrate such a sacrifice as this. Our minds can't hope to trace in its full extent or grasp its full significance. Number three, the death of Christ was necessary because it was the only solution of the problem of evil, even within the range of divine possibilities.

And there is therefore no substitute for it. There's no option. There's no plain B, nor any salvation apart from it. Number four, being God's only solution, of his greatest problem, the sin question, it is like everything that God does, all of his works, they're effective to the point of infinity and nothing of man's value needs to be added to it at all. It's all of God. Nor can it be increased in value by any human effort when once it's applied to the individual.

Five, the death of Christ provides a perfect basis for a perfect salvation apart from all judgment upon the sinner. When a sinner comes to God on the ground of the death of Christ, God doesn't strike a blow. He offers no criticism and he requires no payment because it's all been done. Number six, by the cross, by Christ's death, there is a perfect redemption, sinward. There's perfect reconciliation, manward. And there's perfect satisfaction, Godward.

And lastly, because of the extent of the value of Christ's death and the completeness of the value in all of its parts, no other obligation rests on man. who would be saved and that they enter into it by receiving Christ by faith. With all that He is and all that He has done, He is a sufficient Savior. And that's what the cross gave us.

So now, we're going to have some special music, Because He Lives by April. Vocal and flute and piano. God sent His Son They called Him Jesus He came to save Heal and forgive He lived and died To buy my pardon An empty grave is there to prove My Savior lives Because He lives, I can face tomorrow. Because He lives, all fear is gone. Because I know, He holds the future.

And life is worth the living, just because He lives. How sweet to hold a newborn baby and feel the pride and joy he gives. But greater still, the calm assurance this child can face on certain days because he lives. Because He lives, I can face tomorrow. Because He lives, all fear is gone.

Because I know, He holds the future. And life is worth the living, just because He lives. And then one day I'll cross the river I'll fight life's final war with pain And then as death gives way to victory I'll see his face and then I'll see him as he is I can face tomorrow because He lives. All fear is gone because I know He holds the future. And life is worth the living just because He lives.

Got my sidekick here today. Jesus rose to life by John our cross. If Jesus be dead in grip of a tomb, there'd be nothing for us but fear and doom. Life would be sad with no way to cope. Death would reign all without any hope. If Jesus be dead in grip of a tomb, we'd have no future, only dark and gloom. No life after death, no eternity in sight, no hope, no joy, no savior, no light.

But thanks be to God, Jesus rose to life, The debt all paid, though sin was rife. His body lay in the tomb three days, Then up from the grave his life was raised. Yes, thanks be to God, Jesus rose to life, He conquered death, all sin, and strife. To those who believed, from death set free, With hope, with joy, with savour to see.

Let's pray. Father, how we thank you for the opportunity to take part in the Lord's Table. We thank you so much for your dying for us on the cross. Again, we're learning and growing and learning the satisfaction it is to you and the value it is to you. We ask that we may continue to grow in that. And we pray in your Son's precious name. Amen.

For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus, in the night in which he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me. In the same way, he took the cup also after supper, saying, this cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me. For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

So please stand. And we'll close with a congregational hymn. The earth and heaven, the holy hope of love, stand from the foundations of the world. For sinners crucified, O holy sacrifice, Worship Him, worship Him, early is the hour. Praise Him, praise Him, heaven and earth resolve. Behold the Lamb! Behold the Lamb! Slain from the foundation of the world. For sinners crucified, for lowly sacrificed. Behold the Lamb of God! Behold the Lamb!

So in closing, thank you very much for coming. A couple of announcements. We will have refreshments in the back afterwards. And there's a book back there. Everybody can take one. I think we've got enough for everybody. It's called The Gospel. It's a pretty good little book about the reason for Christ dying on the cross.

So let's close with a word of prayer. Dear Father, how we thank you. We thank you again for the opportunity to proclaim the gospel. to proclaim the death of your son, the Lord Jesus, and some of the value of it, not only to us, but especially to you. And we pray in your son's precious name. Amen. you