Communion Message
God Has Chosen to Love Us
October 19, 2003
Pastor Leighton Sheley

Lord You are everything. Without You we would cease to exist. It's You who created everything. It's You who holds all things together. Without You, Lord, everything would cease to exist. And Lord of all of the miracles of Your creation and Your handiwork, the greatest miracle is in Your love for us and Your redemption of us at so great a cost. Thank you Lord for loving us with an everlasting love, in Jesus' name.

Often times in the course of ministry we have people come who are concerned about their spiritual well-being and ask questions or make comments along the lines of: You know I'm so ashamed of what I've done, I don't know how God could forgive me; I don't want Him to know; or I don't want to have to tell Him. As though somehow or other they have a concept that God doesn't already know what they have done. But the Scriptures are quite clear throughout that God knows everything. And He knows everything that we have done, in fact, He does things that we don't know. He knows what we're going to do. He knows some of the things that are buried deep in our heart that we are even unaware of. And yet, in spite of knowing all that we have done, and what we're going to do, what we're capable of the terms of sinning against Him, God has chosen to love us.

Often, someone will say something like, I think I've committed the unpardonable sin. Without God's Holy Spirit we are spiritually dead. Death, as we discussed earlier, is non-responsive. If someone has committed the unpardonable sin then God's Holy Spirit has been withdrawn from them, in which case they are spiritually dead and insensitive to their spiritual condition. The very fact that someone would ask that question, is an indication that they are not spiritually dead. Thanks be to God for His word that says if we confess our sins He is faithful and just and will forgive us of our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. The Scriptures say at times like this when we gather together that we should examine our self, and so I'd like to invite you, if you're physically able, to join with me now as we kneel in the presence of our Lord and Savior.

We are given these instructions in 1 Corinthians: For I received from the Lord what I 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 way, 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. Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.

A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment. When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world.

Lord, thank you for Your word that says if we confess our sin You are faithful and You are just and You will forgive us our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Lord, sometimes the old nature, which is at enmity with You is rebellious against You, is selfish. Sometimes our old nature wins and we think and say and do things that are displeasing to You.

Lord, thank you for forgiving us of our sin and for cleansing us as we now partake of these elements in remembrance of Jesus. Let's partake of the bread, and also the cup.

Thank you Lord, thank you Lord, thank you Lord.