Communion Message
(Lazarus was raised)
August 28-29, 1999
Pastor Leighton Sheley

We find this passage in James 5:14. It says, Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. What we have done today is fulfillment of that passage. We recognize that God does not exist to serve us, but we exist to serve Him. And sometimes our plans are in conflict with His and we conclude that His plan is more important than ours. God is not a machine; stick in a prayer get out a response. God is sovereign. God chooses to heal some and not others. Blessed be the name of the Lord. Sometimes His healing comes in a physical sense where people are delivered from cancer or whatever the ailment might be, and other people are healed by being released from these tents of flesh that are so weak. Sometimes the healing is a temporary healing. The Scriptures tell us that Lazarus was raised from the dead, but there is no record that he still walks the earth today. We conclude that the tomb reclaimed him at some point until the great day when all of the tombs are going to be emptied. For I have received from the Lord what I've also passed on to you. The Lord Jesus on the night 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 manner after supper, He took the cup saying, This cup is the new covenant in My blood. Do this whenever you drink it in remembrance of Me. For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes.

Lord, as we hold these elements we are reminded of Your great love for us. For as You hung on Calvary's cruel cross that day You did not do it for Your own sin, You have none, but rather for our sin. You paid the wages of our sin that day, and Lord You did it while we were yet enemies of You. You've loved us with an everlasting love. The price that You've paid for our redemption, for our salvation, we're reminded of by these elements. Lord, we do partake this day to proclaim Your death, Your life, Your resurrection, Your gospel, Your good news by so doing. Thank you Lord for Your great love for us. Thank you that we can confess our sins and You're faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Let's partake of the bread and also the cup. Hallelujah, hallelujah. Let's say it together, hallelujah! Let's say it again, hallelujah! Let's say it with fervency, hallelujah! We worship You this day Lord with everything within us for You are worthy of nothing less, in Jesus' name, and together we say, amen. Take this as an opportunity to greet your neighbors, shall we?