Communion Message
Friends of God
July 10, 2005
Pastor Leighton Sheley

The psalmist writes in Psalm 15, he says, Who may enter into Your presence, Lord? And then he answers and says those who lead blameless lives and do what is right.

The writer of Romans says no one is good, no one, not even one, no one. No one has real understanding; no one is seeking God; all have turned away from God; all have gone wrong. No one does good, not even one.

In is our sanctuary from Sunday to Sunday we have police officers who dedicate their lives to protecting the laws and protecting the citizens, and we have redeemed sinners who broke the laws and dedicated their lives to that. And it doesn't matter how good or how not so good your background is, every last one of us are in the same condition when it comes to coming into the presence of an almighty holy God. There is no one who is righteous, not even one.

It says the more we know God's law the clearer it becomes that we are not obeying it. The more we know about God's laws, the Ten Commandments, and so forth, the more we realize we are not obeying it. But now God has shown us a different way of being right in His sight. Not by obeying the law, but by the way promised in the Scriptures long ago. We are made right in God's sight when we trust in Jesus Christ to take away our sins, and we can all be saved in the same way no matter who we are or what we have done.

For we have all sinned. All have fallen short of God's glorious standards, and yet now, God in His gracious kindness declares us not guilty. He has done this through Christ Jesus who has freed us by taking away our sins. For God sent Jesus to take the punishment for our sins and to satisfy God's anger against us. We are made right with God when we believe that Jesus shed His blood sacrificing His life for us.

Now God was being entirely fair and just when He did not punish those who sinned in former times, and He's entirely fair and just in this present time when He declares sinners to be right and His sight because they believe in Jesus. Now can we then boast that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on our good deeds, it's based on our faith, so we are made right with God through faith not by obeying the law.

When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, no one is likely to die for a good person, though someone might be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God's sight by the blood of Christ, He will certainly save us from God's judgment. For since we were restored to friendship with God by the death of His Son while we were still His enemies, we will certainly be delivered from eternal punishment by His life. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God--all because of what our Lord Jesus Christ has done for us in making us friends of God.

May God bless the reading of His holy word.

If we come into the presence of a holy God it is because of God's graciousness towards us. You know God has put a desire within us to be in His presence. God has put a desire within us, a new nature, to want to do things that are pleasing to God, and yet, as long as we live in these tents of flesh there is also another nature at work within us, the old nature, the rebellious nature, the nature that wants to sin against God, rebel against God, and sometimes that old nature overwhelms the new nature that God has given to us and we do things that are displeasing to God in thought, word or deed.

Thanks be to God for His word that says if we confess our sin He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. I'd like to invite you, if you are physically able, to join with me now as we kneel in the presence of our Lord and Savior. And the Scriptures say when we gather together at times like this around the table we should examine our self.

Lord we are so thankful that we can come to You no matter how good we have been or how good we think we have been, or how bad we've been or how bad we think we've been, because we don't come based on who we are or what we have accomplished. We can come into your presence based on who You are and what You have accomplished on Calvary's cross there paying the wages of our sin.

Lord we do desire to lead lives that honor and glorify You, but very often we do things that are sinful. We ask You Lord to forgive us and cleanse us this day in Jesus' name, and it's in remembrance of You that we now partake of these elements. Let's partake of the bread, and also the cup.

Thank you Lord. Thank you Lord, in Jesus' name we pray and all God's people said, amen.