Gospel Gifts: Adulthood!

Thank you. Take your Bibles this morning and turn to the fourth chapter of the book of Galatians. This summer we are taking a survey, if you will, of the gifts that we have from the Gospel, from what God has accomplished in Christ. Last week we saw that He has made us one, that we're heirs of the promise. This week we want to look at another gift, the gift of adulthood.

So let's pray, and then we'll look in God's Word and ask Him to teach us of the great things He has done for us. Father, Your grace is marvelous. Your mercy is beyond description. And the things that You have accomplished on our behalf can only be attributed to a grace, to the fact that only out of Your abundant love You have given us these things. we are not worthy.

We have not earned them. We, Father, have these gifts of the Gospel only because You have been gracious to us. Would You please help us now to listen and, Father, to think through our lives in light of the Word of God. Grant that, we pray, for Your glory and our good. Amen. Amen.

Howard Garner is a rich man he's a very successful businessman who made tons and tons of money by developing computer programs software but he's also an old man who doesn't have much time left in the world and he wants to leave his business and all his riches to his favorite grandson he loves his grandson so much that he wants him to get everything all the assets, the company everything that goes with it. So he goes to his attorney and he makes a legal arrangement that will accomplish all those wishes Well when Howard died he left the business to Todd The problem is Todd's only six years old. Now what?

What is he supposed to do? Well, according to this legal document, he appointed two of his most trusted business associates as guardians, as trustees, as those who will run the business until Todd is 25 years old. Now, after the appointed time has run its course, Todd takes over the business. However, until then, he's the rightful owner of the business.

He owns it. But he's got to learn the business from these guardians and submit to their judgment. Such is the way that you ought to understand the relationship of the law, the old covenant that we read about this morning, encapsulized, if you will, in the Ten Commandments, the law and the gospel. They remember the problem that erupted in Galatia in these very first churches that the Apostle Paul founded.

After he had established these churches by the gospel of Jesus, other teachers came in and said, well, you know, since you're the people of God, you must submit to the law of Moses. You must submit to all the minute details and regulations of that law in order for you to live faithfully before God. In order for you to be the kind of people that God wants you to be.

You must submit to the law of Moses because that is the law that God has given for His people. And Paul has responded with this letter that says to these people, no, you've got the idea wrong. That misunderstands the purpose of the law. To introduce the law in such a way is to misunderstand its purpose. So he tries again to help you understand the purpose of the law and see the relationship to the Gospel.

The purpose of the law for God's people and the purpose of the Gospel. You might say to me, oh, this is just an academic discussion. This is quite interesting, but very few people are interested in this anymore. Well, let me just say this. There are two things I want to say as we begin this. Number one, there are still people trying to introduce this law.

For example I don know if you know it but when you drive into Marion and you see that Lutheran church right next to the hospital okay that modern looking and you also see there a sign there that says Marion Bible Fellowship meeting Saturday night. Did you know that that is a group of people who believe that we're missing out on a lot that God has for us because we don't celebrate the Old Testament Jewish festivals anymore? You know, that's why they meet Saturday night.

That's the Sabbath. That is why that church started. It is not academic, and that movement is growing steam, is picking up steam. Let's go back. Let's go back to those old ways because it's much richer than what we have. We don't have any festivals.

We don't have any of those things. That's the first thing you need to remember. It's not academic. The second thing is to remember is whenever anyone tries to impose a set of rules on you that says you must do this, this, this, this, this, this, and this in order to be acceptable to God are reintroducing something that God does not intend. And we're going to see then in a little bit what exactly then guides us.

So you follow as I read Galatians 4 beginning in verse 1. I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he's the owner of everything. But He is under the guardians and managers until the date set by His Father. In the same way, we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world.

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts crying, Abba, Father. So, you're no longer a slave, but a son. And if a son, then an heir through God.

Now, Paul is picking up what he just said above, that if you're in Christ, then you're Abraham's offspring and heirs according to the promise. But then he says, so you're an heir. God's people are an heir, but you have to understand how that heir looked, that inheritor looked, under the law, under the old covenant, under those rules that God had given.

And basically Paul asserts that the era of the law was a period for God people of their childhood while the era of the Gospel is the period of adulthood First thing he says is, know that the law supervises you before adulthood. Verses 1-3. I mean that the heir, as long as he's a child, is no different from a slave, though he's the owner of everything.

But, he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. In the same way, we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. The old covenant law was a supervising arrangement. Now, God has a people. He always has a people. And in the Old Testament, when he delivered those people whom he had made a promise to through the patriarchs, when he delivered them out of Egypt, he entered into covenant with them. and they established a covenant.

We read that and we find that covenant in Exodus and Leviticus and Numbers and Deuteronomy and referred to in the rest of the Old Testament. That was the covenant that ruled the nation of Israel. And under that covenant, God's people were considered a child. A child, if you will. You were related to God. He was your God. you were even better off than the other nations in that situation because you were related to the one true God.

You were, as it were, the owner of the estate. You had everything that you wanted to from God. You had this relationship with God because of that covenant. You're the owner of the estate. But since you're a child, you're really no different than a slave in terms of your actions. You had no freedom to do what you want to do.

Even as the Lord of the estate, you couldn't do what you wanted to do. The reason was because you were under guardians and trustees who managed you and taught you and ran the estate. The law acted like those guardians, supervising all your activities. So he says in verse 3, like a slave or one under bondage. Now you're not a slave, but you're like a slave.

Why? Because even though you own the whole thing, you don't have freedom to do what you want. You have these minute regulations. The law supervises you with some basic principles that he mentions in verse 4. Enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. Paul uses a phrase that originally meant first principles or basic elemental teachings.

So during the days of the old covenant, the law taught you some elementary truths that you had to learn. And, not only taught you, but they supervised you. They told where you could go and what you could do and when you could do it and so forth. Now, this supervision was only for a particular time, a particular appointed time. Look at verse 2. But he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father.

And so the father has set a certain time limit on that supervisory situation. At the end of the time, you'd be released from the guardians and the trustees. At the appointed time, they would have to relinquish their authority over you. So the law, as these guardians, only had a temporary supervisory role. Now, as a guardian of God's people, how did the old covenant produce this bondage?

Because in verse 1 he says you're no different than a slave. Verse 3, we were in slavery. How does that produce bondage? Well, I think back when I was a kid, and Tim and Andy would go with their folks to somebody's place to eat. All right? Someone had asked us over to their house, and we were admonished in no uncertain terms what would be expected of us when we were at that person's house.

All right? I mean, I can still see it. I can see the Meisner farmhouse, right? Going there for dinner. I can see and remember what was expected of us. We would address any of older people, the host, as Mr. and Mrs.

No first names. Never a first name. A first name was an extraordinarily punishable offense. Okay? It's Mr. and Mrs. You weren't going to be belching and burping at that table.

When you asked for something you always used the word please You always said thank you when it came down the table to you You were not allowed to walk all over their house until you were granted permission to go into certain rooms You couldn't just walk around like you owned the place. You must remain absolutely silent until someone addressed you. Alright?

None of this chattering bunch of children at the table. you kept your mouth shut until someone older than you talked to you. Then you could talk. All these rules, they just seemed like this endless array of rules, but we knew them. We knew them. And so, going to someone's house was not for my brother and my sister and me a time of saying, oh boy, we get to do whatever we want.

As a matter of fact, we could hardly do anything we wanted. Okay? that's the way the law was it told you everything every minute detail of your life for example let's just look at some examples turn to the book of leviticus leviticus chapter 11 Leviticus 11, beginning in verse 1, And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying to them, Speak to the people of Israel, saying, These are the living animals that you may eat among all the animals that are on the earth. Whatever parts the hoof and is cloven-footed and chews the cud among the animals you may eat, nevertheless among those that chew the cud or part the hoof, you shall not eat these.

The camel, because it chews the cud but does not part the hoof, is unclean to you. And the rock badger, because it chews the cud but does not part the hoof, is unclean to you. And the hare, because it chews the cud but does not part the hoof, is unclean to you. And the pig, because it parts the hoof and is cloven footed but does not chew the cud, is unclean to you.

You shall not eat any of their flesh. you shall not touch their carcasses. They are unclean to you. Well, that's quite a list, isn't it? Of course, I'm sure none of you are tempted with camel and rock badger. Nevertheless, they could not eat certain things. Alright?

They had these restrictions I mean if you ate any of those things you were in big trouble Alright Look at chapter 12 Verses 1-5, the Lord spoke to Moses saying, speak to the people of Israel saying, if a woman conceives and bears a male child, then she shall be unclean seven days. As at the time of her menstruation, she shall be unclean. And on the eighth day, the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. then she shall continue for 33 days in the blood of her purifying she shall not touch anything holy nor come into the sanctuary until the days of her purifying are completed but if she bears a female child then she shall be unclean two weeks as in her menstruation and she shall continue in the blood of her purifying for 66 days wow wow if that were the case neither Lydia nor Deb would be here today.

Alright? They wouldn't be here today. Although Lydia would be here a month earlier than Deb. Right? Good night. If this had been in force, I don't think I ever would have seen my wife for ten years.

You know? So, you see those restrictions. Don't you? They're minute. They cover everything. Let's look at chapter 21.

No, seriously. Think how long I would not have seen Becca in church. Half a year, wouldn't see her in church. And then only for a few months, and here we go again. I mean, you know, that's the way it would be. It would be that way.

It would. Look at chapter 21. verses 5 and 6. They shall not make bald patches on their heads. He's talking about these priests. They shall not make bald patches on their heads nor shave off the edges of their beards nor make any cuts on their body. They shall be holy to their God and not profane the name of their God for they offer the Lord's food offerings, the bread of their God.

Therefore, they shall be holy. Okay? Okay? Priests can't do any kind of exotic things with their hair. Nor their beard. Okay?

Verse 7 They shall not marry a prostitute or a woman who has been defiled Neither shall they marry a woman divorced from her husband for the priest is holy to his God You shall sanctify him for he offers the bread of your God He shall be holy to you for I the Lord who sanctify you am holy Okay? So he's got marriage restrictions. He's got marriage restrictions.

All right? Look at verse 16. Drop down to verse 16. And the Lord spoke to Moses saying, Speak to Aaron saying, None of your offspring throughout their generations who has a blemish may approach to offer the bread of his God. For no one who has a blemish shall draw near a man blind or lame or one who has a mutilated face or a limb too long or a man who has an injured foot or an injured hand or a hunchback or a dwarf or a man with a defect in his sight or an itching disease or scabs or crushed testicles.

No man of the offspring of Aaron the priest who has a blemish shall come near to offer the Lord's food offering since he has a blemish. He shall not come near to offer the bread of his God. Alright? Wow. I mean, about everything is covered there. You know what strikes me?

The one that says he has a defect in his sight. Wow. I'm covered twice there. Defect and blind, both. If I were a priest, I wouldn't be able to minister at all. Even if I was in Aaron's family line.

You see, there was very little freedom under the old covenant. You find these minute, intense, precise regulations over every facet of your life. Just read through the book of Leviticus and see all of those things. Now as the guardian of God's people, how did the old covenant supervise you until adulthood? Just like the Paschal kids going to someone's house with all these rules, it was to help us understand things like courteous, being courteous, being kind, putting others' interests above your own.

All those things were intended to be taught to us by those minute regulations. Not eating pork and certain kinds of food showed in tangible ways the holiness of God's people. For example, the food that they were forbidden to eat was the food common to the Canaanite people. Thus, because they were not allowed to eat that kind of food, they then could not have fellowship with the Canaanite people whom they were to displace.

You know when are your most intimate times with friends? When are they? Around the table, right? Around the table. Well, God shows the separateness of His people from all the rest because He forbids from them common foods that they would have with their neighbors. That would show the world these people are separate.

They're not like anybody else. The law taught the sovereignty of God. What did you learn under the old covenant? You learned that God ruled every single area of your life. There wasn't one area of your life that God did not have something to say to which you must obey. You learned that God was the boss of your entire life.

Okay? The law taught the absolute holiness of God. You see, it wasn't that God was being mean. It was trying to get a point across that I am absolutely holy And not just anybody can walk in. You only had to be of a certain family, right? And then a particular non-blemished character if you're going to serve as a priest.

As a woman who just had given birth, you could not appear before God until you had accomplished certain ceremonial cleansings. now what was that teaching them that god was absolutely holy separated from that which is imperfect you learned that the law impressed upon you the necessity of obedience because disobedience could bring punishment and curse you see those minute details taught those things to the people of God. So the old covenant temporarily supervised your life like guardians and trustees until the appointed time set by God when you reached adulthood What ended that supervisory era Not what. Whom.

It's Jesus. Jesus ended that supervisory era. So know then that Jesus brings you to adulthood. When the time, notice, when the time had fully come, When fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who are under the law so that we might receive adoption as sons. When the time had fully come, when it was done, that's when the time of supervision appointed by God ended.

That point of supervision, that period of supervision ended, came to an end when Jesus sent His Son. the sign of adulthood did not come in a great glorious appearing like the like the glorious shekinah cloud that great cloud and pillar of fire that led the people of god it didn't come in that form it came in the form of humanity he was born of a woman that is he became like us in nature in every way he was human he was born under the law he subjected himself to the same supervision and slavery that God's people experienced. But why did Jesus have to become like us and live under the same conditions subject to the law? Because he came to fulfill, then he came to fulfill and redeem us from the law.

He purchased our release from the supervision of the law, even from the curse of the law that came with that supervision. You had to learn to obey. And if you didn't, you were cursed. And of course, what happened? What happened in the Old Testament? Curse after curse after curse because people did not obey the covenant laws of God.

And so Jesus had to come. Look at chapter 3. Verse 13, Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. For it is written, cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree. So He redeemed us from the curse. Releasing us from that.

No more curse. No more condemnation from God. And that release also includes our freedom from supervision God no longer subjects you to such minute regulations Now don misunderstand what God says here He is not saying that you no longer have any code that you must obey. The lordship of the law. Listen, this is so important. By the way, you ever wonder, this is a question that has plagued people through the whole history of the church.

What's the relation of the law to the Gospel? In fact, the two guys that are in Titus School right now are in the middle of a class that is dealing with that very issue. Here's what really makes it a little simpler to grasp. The lordship of the law over every part of your life has been replaced by the lordship of Jesus over every area of your life. it's not the law that old law it it doesn't command you any longer it teaches you you learn from it but it doesn't command you anymore what commands you is the teaching and the example of jesus and what the apostles tell us that jesus is about so the lordship of the law is replaced by the Lordship of Jesus.

Okay? Now let me, I want to go back somewhere now. This is a little off the point, but it helps us. Let's get the big theology picture here. Turn back to Matthew 5. Matthew 5.

A key text in the New Testament that deals with this issue. Matthew 5, Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. Verse 17. Do not think that I've come to abolish the law of the prophets. I've not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot will pass from the law until all is accomplished.

Therefore, whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. Now what's Jesus saying here? The key here is he didn't come to abolish, he came to fulfill. and if you follow Jesus you're going to fulfill everything the law ever commanded anyone to do if you follow Jesus you will accomplish what the law didn do you will be a holy people You will be obedient You will know the sovereignty of God in every area of your life.

You will fulfill the purpose of the law by following the commandments of Jesus. Jesus is Lord. But it's a lordship that gives you much more freedom. The law required that you build a railing around your roof. everybody on their flat roofs had to build a railing. It was required by the law. We don't have that law.

Why not? Well, look at Galatians 5. For you were called to freedom, brothers, only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. Here's what he's saying here. Listen carefully. Here's what he's saying here.

You know what it's like when you grow up in a home that's got all kinds of rules and then you go off to college, right? You got no parents looking over your shoulder. Okay, I can do whatever I want now, right? And some of us did that. We're still reaping the consequences of it in some cases. The point is you don't have that freedom now to do what you want.

So the law doesn't regulate every minute area of your life. Okay, now I can do whatever I want. No, no. What does he go on to say? But through love, serve one another. I have freedom to serve you that I didn't have under the old covenant.

For the whole law is fulfilled in one word. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. You see? I know this. I've got to love my neighbor. Well, if I love my neighbor, I'll make sure that he's safe when he's at my house.

You don't have to tell me to build railings. You don't have to tell me to do those things. I know what I need to do. I know what I need to do. I need to love my neighbor. That's the bottom line.

If I love my neighbor, I'll always be looking out for him. I don't need all these minute regulations anymore. Jesus has shown me what it means to love. He's given me a tremendous example. He shows in His life, He even exceeds what the law required. So we don't have those minute regulations any longer.

We do not need it because we have the teachings of Jesus. We have His example. We have the apostles. We don't need that stuff anymore. You don't need detailed regulations to tell you what to do. You don't need now...

Okay, here's an example. I know I've used this before, but... It's the best one I can ever think of given the lack of creativity. What do your children do all the time? Alright, hey, let's go to town. What do you do?

What do they do? Shotgun! Right? But that doesn't get the job done. It's whoever gets to the door first. Someone may call shotgun, but the other one's stronger and faster.

It doesn't matter what you call. As long as I get there first and can beat you off, I get shotgun. Right? So what can you do about that? Well, you can make a whole set of minute regulations. Okay?

Here's what goes on. I will determine who rides shotgun. Alright? And then the next time we go to town, the one who follows in birth order gets shotgun. And then we're going to rotate so that whoever had shotgun first time goes to the back seat and we move up the van until we get to the shotgun position. Like volleyball rotation.

Okay? And you can make all kinds of minute rules like that. Right? But it doesn't do a thing to their hearts. They're still as selfish as they were before. But if you say, and we used to do this to our kids all the time.

You know what? You know what Jesus teaches? Put others' interests above your own. So you ought to say, no, you. You had shot that. Right?

And you know what your reply should be? Oh, no. No, you do it. But see, that's the difference. Now we have a different law. It says, Philippians 2, put others' interests above your own.

In humility, consider others better than yourself. That's the way of Christ. We don't need minute regulations any longer. We're adults. We know how to handle it. We have freedom. to return to the laws to go back to kindergarten is to go and make all those rules again.

We don't need that. By the way, by terms of practical application, because we don't have those rules, we have more freedom to reach out to people with the Gospel. You know what? If a tattoo is going to get me closer to a group of people, you allowed to get a tattoo in order to do that I know some of you parents with teenagers are now cringing because they going to come home and say Pastor said I could get a tattoo Ask about that later You know what?

If it means, if it means, like in the Old Testament, I don't have these dietary restrictions. That opens up a whole new avenue for me, doesn't it? A lot of these rules that we put into place, we lose freedom. and we also lose freedom to serve others. But with this freedom, we can minister in different ways. Jesus redeemed us from the supervision of the lost so that we could receive notice, the full rights of sons.

All right? So that we might receive adoption as sons. We now have the freedom to approach God as sons. The legal relationship has been transformed into a family relationship. What are the marks of adulthood? Know the marks of adulthood.

Verses 6 and 7. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts crying, Abba, Father. So you are no longer a slave, but a son. And if a son, then an heir through God. The first mark of adulthood is intimacy. Verse 6.

Alright? Our Father sends His Spirit into our hearts, the control center of your life. And the Spirit makes you conscious of your sonship. God does not just say to you, you now have the right to approach Me. Here's the legal document that says you can. Rather, God makes you feel a part of His family.

If I can use that terminology, makes you feel. You know what? I know that Jerry Pasmo was my father because every morning I would wake up and look at the wall and there was a framed birth certificate on the wall. Right? No. I knew Jerry Pasmo was my dad because I just knew it.

Right? I just knew it. There's my dad. He's my dad. Well, that's what God is saying here. He sends the Spirit of His Son into your heart so that it's just natural now.

Well, God's my Father. It not just this legal check It not this check list It just I know He my Father I know it He makes you conscious of that Notice, by sending into your life, into your heart, the Spirit of His Son. The Spirit takes the character and the shape of Jesus. And as the One who reflects the character of Jesus, He reproduces in you the same intimate relationship that Jesus has with His Father.

So that you cry out, Abba, Father. So the Spirit of Jesus sent by God cries out, Abba, Father, in your heart. Now, we've all heard this a million times. Abba is a very familiar term. It's like Daddy. It's like Dad.

So the Spirit causes you then to call out to God as Father. And you find that calling to God as your Father is the natural thing to do. It is enforced. It's not a checklist. It's just this intimacy is just the way it is. It's this natural approach.

Even as an adult, when I saw my dad, I didn't think, should I call him dad or is that too familiar? It never occurred to me. It doesn't occur to you when you call out to God. This great theologian, I love him. He's a great theologian and preacher. Sinclair Ferguson wrote this.

Now that the awareness that God is your Father know that awareness that God is your Father is often weakened, then God's children may find themselves doubting their gracious status and privileges. However, even in the darkest hour, there is this cooperative and affirmative testimony given by the Spirit. It is found in the very fact that although He may be broken and bruised, nevertheless, in His need, he cries out, Father!

As instinctively as a child who has fallen and been hurt calls out in similar language, Daddy, help me. When you're even in the darkest hour when you say, I don't even know if I'm a Christian, what do you do? You turn right around and you go, Oh, Father! I don't even know if I'm a Christian. You see? It's this natural, instinctive thing that the Spirit of God transforms your heart so that the Spirit of Jesus that calls out, Abba, Father, is causing that in you.

It this instinctive way of looking at God You don think about it but it just your Father You know it You see So there this mark of adulthood is now we have an intimacy that the people of the old covenant did not have The second mark of adulthood is the freedom of a son. Verse 7. No longer a slave, but a son. Since you no longer have those minute regulations, there's freedom.

It's the freedom of sons to come to the Father without all these governing regulations in the relationship. When my children were younger and they wanted to talk to me, they did not have to fill out a personal data inventory and they did not have to make sure their teeth were brushed and had all the appropriate forms filled out indicating the nature of the matter. You want to raise with me.

That wasn't the nature of our relationship. It's not the nature of our relationship with our Father in Heaven. The freedom we have is like children on Christmas morning who come bounding into the bedroom and jump on your bed and tear off your covers and start pulling you by the hand to go out to the Christmas tree. That's the kind of freedom that we have with God.

That's the kind of freedom we have with our Heavenly Father. It's the freedom to come running into your arms when you return from a trip. It's that kind of freedom. The freedom of sons who have an intimate relationship with their father. The last mark of adulthood here is the fact that you inherit all the promises. Verse 7.

Then an heir through God. No longer under the guardians and trustees. You get all that was promised. You get it all. You're no longer in the area of promise. You're in the area of possession.

It's all yours. Justification, assurance, freedom, deliverance from punishment. All of ours to enjoy to the fullest because we are heirs. And all of it is through God. that little prepositional phrase at the very end of verse 7, it's all through God. Paul reminds us that this intimacy, this freedom, this inheritance is entirely the result of God's work in Jesus.

You didn't have to do anything to get it. You didn't have to do anything to get it. It's all of grace. Your endeavors did not earn such intimacy. Your endeavors, your attempts to do well doesn't gain you that freedom. and toe in the line does not give you the inheritance. It's a result of God working for you in Jesus.

You're here under the illusion that you must earn something from God before you can call Him your Father. You're wrong. It's what He did in Jesus. There's no other way. There's nothing you can do to make Him love you. He sent His Son.

You entrust yourself to Him. He is everything then to you. Not because of what you did, Because of what Jesus did. Never forget that. And Christian, don't you ever forget it either. Now, I'm not making a case here for living life the way you please, but I am making this case.

When you know you've done wrong and you know you haven't obeyed your Father as you should, He doesn't love you any less. You don't earn His love. You don't ever earn your Father's love. He loves you because of Jesus and will always love you because of Jesus no matter what. You remember that. You remember that Well how do we conclude then this table that set before us reminds us of these things it tells us of a new covenant that we have with God through the Lord Jesus a covenant that gives us freedom and intimacy and all the marvelous things that come in a family relationship this table sets before us the fact that we're adults we don't have to go back to kindergarten again that Jesus is our Lord Jesus is our Lord and we are free let's pray Father thank you for your word and thank you for the freedom and the intimacy that we have because of what Jesus has accomplished now as we come to this table which is actually the seal of that new covenant, the guarantee of that new covenant.

We pray that we would rejoice in what we have because of Jesus. Help us to rejoice now as we come to this table, as we commune with our Savior Jesus and with one another. We pray this in His name. Amen.