🎵Music🎵
Good evening and welcome to Verity Baptist Church.
Can I please have everyone find their seats and grab their song books.
We're going to turn to page number 22.
We're going to be singing
Are You Washed in the Blood.
Find your seats.
Grab your song books.
Turn to page number 22.
And let's sing it out on the first.
Have you been to Jesus for the cleansing vow?
Are you washed in the blood of the lamb?
Are you fully trusting in his grace this hour?
Are you washed in the blood of the lamb?
Are you washed in the blood,
in the soul cleansing blood of the lamb?
Are your garments white and starlit white as snow?
Are you washed in the blood of the lamb?
22 on the second.
Are you walking daily by the Savior's side?
Are you washed in the blood of the lamb?
Do you rest each moment in the crucified?
Are you washed in the blood of the lamb?
Are you washed in the blood,
in the soul cleansing blood of the lamb?
Are your garments spotless?
Are they white as snow?
Are you washed in the blood of the lamb?
When the bridegroom cometh, will your robes be white?
Are you washed in the blood of the lamb?
Will your soul be ready for the mansion sprite?
Are you washed in the blood of the lamb?
Are you washed in the blood,
in the soul cleansing blood of the lamb?
Are your garments spotless?
Are they white as snow?
Are you washed in the blood of the lamb?
Let's sing it out on the last.
Lay aside the garments that are stained with sin,
and be washed in the blood of the lamb.
There's a fountain flowing for the soul unclean.
Go be washed in the blood of the lamb.
Are you washed in the blood,
in the soul cleansing blood of the lamb?
Are your garments spotless?
Are they white as snow?
Are you washed in the blood of the lamb?
Great singing. Let's open up on a word of prayer.
Father God, thank you, Lord, for this church.
Thank you for these people coming out here on a Wednesday night.
I pray that our singing would glorify you, Lord.
I pray that you'd bless the rest of the service.
Bless the preaching to come.
In your holy and precious name I pray. Amen.
Turn to your song books to page number 30.
Page number 30. We're going to be singing Nothing But the Blood.
Page number 30. Let's sing it out on the first.
What can wash away my sin?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
How precious is the flow
that makes me white as snow.
No other fount I know.
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
For my part in this I see.
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
For my cleansing this my plea.
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
How precious is the flow
that makes me white as snow.
No other fount I know.
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
On the third.
Nothing can force an atone.
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
For my part in this I see.
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
How precious is the flow
that makes me white as snow.
No other fount I know.
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
On the last.
This is all my hope and peace.
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
This is all my righteousness.
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
How precious is the flow
that makes me white as snow.
No other fount I know.
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.
And that's a good verse there. We like that.
If you open up your bulletin you'll see our service times.
Sunday morning service 1030 a.m.
And we do invite you to of course be with us on Sunday morning on the Lord's Day.
This Sunday is a very special Sunday of course. It's Easter.
And we've got a lot of things going on between now and then.
We'll talk about those things.
Our Sunday evening service is at 6 p.m.
And we're glad you're here for our Wednesday evening Bible study.
And of course if you look at our main sowing times on Saturday morning at 10 a.m.
Then we have additional sowing times on Thursdays and Fridays at 2 p.m.
That's going to change for this week.
We'll talk about that.
And then on Sundays at 2 p.m.
Of course we are a family integrated church.
What that means is that children and infants are always welcome in the service.
We don't separate children from their parents for any reason.
We do have mother baby rooms and daddy rooms available for your convenience.
All of the rooms have comfortable seating.
They have monitors set up so you can watch the service and listen to it.
So if you have a child that's being distracted during the service or if you need some privacy we encourage you to use those rooms as needed.
If you need to be baptized please let us know.
You can let us know on your communication card in your bulletin there's a place for you to check off that you'd like information about baptism.
And we will follow up with you in regards to that and talk to you about that.
If you look at the announcements and upcoming events, of course we are having a sermon series on Sunday mornings called Happily Ever After.
And we're learning about the establishment of a Christian home.
And on Sunday nights we're going through a series called Journey with Jesus.
And then of course today is a very special Wednesday evening service.
It's our Lord's Supper and it's something we do once a year here at Verity Baptist Church.
We do it the Wednesday before Easter.
So we're glad you're with us.
If you're a first time guest, if it's your first time here at Verity Baptist Church, we're glad you're with us.
And we actually have a gift we'd like to give you.
We want you to know that this is not a normal service for us here on a Wednesday night.
Normally we have a preaching service and everything like a normal service that you would normally have.
But today, of course, is our very special service for our once a year Lord's Supper.
If you are a guest, we'd ask that you please don't leave here tonight without grabbing one of our guest gift bags on your way out.
As you go through the main foyer or the secondary foyer, you'll see these little gift bags.
Please grab one on your way out as a gift from us to you for being our guest tonight.
There are several resources in this bag that we'd like you to have.
The one I'd like to highlight is this documentary. It's called Being Baptist and it's very interesting, very well made.
Our church made it. We think you'll like it, so we want to give this to you as a gift.
And if you're a guest, we'd ask that you please take a moment and fill out the communication card which is inserted in your bulletin.
If you need a pen, just raise your hand. One of our ushers can bring you by a Verity Baptist Church pen.
We'd like to have a record of your attendance. We actually want to be a blessing to you, but we need your info to do that.
So please take a moment to fill the card out.
When we're done with the announcements, we're going to sing a song. When we're done singing, we're going to receive the offering.
As the offering plate goes by, you can drop this card in the offering plate.
If you look at the announcements, of course tonight is our Lord's Supper night, our communion night.
So we're going to do things a little different than we normally do.
After the offering on Wednesday nights, usually we take time to pray and we have a prayer sheet.
We're going to hand the prayer sheet out if you did not get one on your way in, but we're not going to take time tonight to go through it.
So we're just going to give it to you and you can take it home and pray.
But because we've got other things going on tonight, we won't take the time to do that.
I'm going to preach a sermon. Of course, we always preach the Word of God around here, but I'll preach a shorter sermon.
And we'll take time at the end after the preaching to observe the Lord's Supper.
And then, of course, this Sunday is Easter. So we want to encourage you to be here.
We are remembering the death of our Savior tonight on Wednesday night.
And on Sunday morning, we will celebrate his resurrection.
So in your bulletin, you should have one of these cards.
I want to remind you that it's Easter this Sunday, so make sure you're in church.
But we want to encourage you to bring someone with you, invite a friend.
Maybe you've been thinking about inviting a co-worker or a neighbor or a family member.
Use this card. And the easiest time to invite someone to church is during Easter.
So invite someone to church. We're going to have special music from our choir, the orchestra.
We're going to have a special gift for all of the guests.
We're going to have Cadbury eggs for all of the kids.
It's going to be a great service, so we encourage you to be with us for Easter.
And we've got some other things coming up here soon.
We've got our annual ladies' tea, and we invite all the ladies to come out for an elegant afternoon tea in honor of Mother's Day on Saturday, May 7th at 3 p.m.
There's a gift basket valued at over $50 that will be given away, and you can sign up through your communication card.
And then the next day, of course, is Mother's Day on Sunday, May 8th, and the VBC Children's Choir will be singing.
We're going to have a special T-shirt for all the ladies that will be given out for the ladies and the girls, everybody, on Mother's Day.
So we encourage you to be here for that. Children's Choir, they're practicing on Sundays at 5.15 in the playroom for Mother's Day.
And then there's other things there for you to look at, VBC Homeschool Group.
Make sure you make note of the date there, Thursday, April 21st.
Don't forget to turn your cell phones off or place them on silent during the service.
They're not a distraction to anybody.
If you look at the back of the bulletin, birthdays and anniversaries for the month of April.
This week we had Emily and Julia Gessler's birthday on April 12th, also Daniel Santo's birthday on April 12th,
and Ms. Christine Ortiz and Jeffrey Love both have a birthday tomorrow on April 15th, excuse me, on Friday on April 15th.
So praise the Lord for that.
Praise Report, Money Matters, all those things are there for you to look at.
And let's go ahead and get these prayer sheets out. If you did not get a prayer sheet on your way in,
will you raise your hand and our ushers will come through and make sure you get one of those.
Like I said, we're not going to go through the prayer sheet tonight, but we'd like you to have one.
If you did not get a prayer sheet on your way in, just raise your hand and we will get one for you.
And I think that's it for all of the announcements.
So let's go ahead and take our songbooks.
We'll go to page number 15, page number 15, and we'll sing Lead Me to Calvary as we prepare to receive the offering tonight.
Page number 15, sing it out on the first.
King of my life, I crown thee now.
Thine shall the glory be.
Lest I forget thy thorn, crown, crown.
Lead me to Calvary.
Lest I forget Gethsemane.
Lest I forget thine agony.
Lest I forget thy love for me.
Lead me to Calvary.
Page number 15, sing it out on the second.
Show me the tomb where thou wast laid.
Tenderly mourn'd and wept.
Angels in robes of light arrayed.
Guarded thee whilst thou slept.
Lest I forget Gethsemane.
Lest I forget thine agony.
Lest I forget thy love for me.
Lead me to Calvary.
Let me like Mary through the gloom
come with a gift to thee.
Show to me now the empty tomb.
Lead me to Calvary.
Lest I forget Gethsemane.
Lest I forget thy agony.
Lest I forget thy love for me.
Lead me to Calvary.
Good, sing it out on the last.
May I be willing, Lord, to bear
daily my cross for thee.
Even thy cup of grief to share
thou hast borne all for me.
Lest I forget Gethsemane.
Lest I forget thy agony.
Lest I forget thy love for me.
Lead me to Calvary.
Amen. Good, sing it.
We'll have the guys come up and help us with the offering at this time.
And let's go ahead and bow our heads and have a word of prayer.
Heavenly Father, Lord, we do come to you tonight asking that you bless the offering.
Lord, we pray that you bless the gift of the giver.
We ask that you meet with us as we take time to open up your word.
And of course, as we observe the Lord's Supper tonight, Lord, we pray that you would help us to take it seriously.
To help us remember the sacrifice that it took for us to be saved, Lord.
And we ask that you would bless this evening, help it to be special.
In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
Amen.
Let's open our mouths to Romans 5.
Romans, chapter number 5.
If you need a Bible, just put your hand up and I'll bring you a Bible.
Romans, chapter number 5.
If you need a Bible, just put your hand up and I'll come by.
Romans, chapter number 5.
We'll read the entire chapter as our custom.
Romans 5, verse number 1.
Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also, knowing that tribulation worketh patience,
and patience experience, and experience hope.
And hope maketh not ashamed, because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given to us.
For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
For scarcely for righteous man wilt one die, yet perdventure for good man some would even dare to die.
But God commended his love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son,
much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.
Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin,
and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned, for until the law of sin was in the world,
but sin is not imputed when there is no law.
Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression,
who was the figure of him that was to come.
But not as the offense, so also as the free gift.
For through the offense of one, many be dead.
Much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.
Not as it was by one that sinned, so as the gift.
For the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offenses unto justification.
For by one man's offense, death reigned by one.
Much more they would receive abundance of grace, and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.
Therefore, as by the offense of one, judgment came upon all men to condemnation,
even so by the righteousness of one, the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.
For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
Moreover, the law entered, that the offense might abound, but where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.
That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.
Let's pray.
Heavenly Father, thank you for this special evening.
God, I thank you for our church and for everyone that's here.
I ask that you please give us the ten hearts of the message tonight, God.
I ask that you just be with our pastors, strengthen them, fill in their spirit.
We love you. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
Amen.
Alright, we're there in Romans, chapter number five.
And, of course, usually on Wednesday nights we are going through a verse-by-verse study through the book of 2 Corinthians.
And we're going to take a break from that tonight.
Of course, tonight is a very special service with our Lord's Supper.
But we'll be back into that, 2 Corinthians, chapter number 11, next week as we continue through our Bible study.
But tonight we're here in Romans, chapter number five.
And, of course, when we're taking the Lord's Supper and partaking of the Lord's Supper, it's a very special thing.
It's one of the ordinances that the Bible teaches for us to do.
It's one of the very special things that I get to do as a pastor is to administer the ordinances of the Lord's Supper and baptism as an ordained minister.
And tonight what we are doing is we are remembering the death of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We do the Lord's Supper here on a Wednesday night before Easter.
I think it's very appropriate, since on Sunday we will be celebrating the resurrection of Christ, that on Wednesday we will remember the death of Christ.
And the purpose of the death of Christ was a payment for our sin.
That's very basic and very fundamental.
But it's something that we should remember and that we should think about, especially now.
We should think about it often, but especially now.
And I'd like to just for a few moments, I'm not going to preach very long tonight.
I'm going to give you some thoughts and then we will partake of the Lord's Supper tonight.
But I'd like to speak to you on the subject of the payment for sin, the payment for sin and the reason that Jesus came to this earth.
You're there in Romans chapter 5. We read the chapter.
I'd like you to flip over just real quickly to Romans chapter number 6.
And I'd like you to look down at verse number 23.
It's a very well-known verse, a very famous verse, especially in a soul-winning church like ours.
You probably quote this verse a lot if you're a soul-winner.
Romans chapter 6 and verse 23, the Bible says,
For the wages of sin is death.
The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
The word wage means it's referring to something that's earned, something that you get.
Oftentimes when we are out soul-winning, we will maybe use a little illustration to help people understand.
And we'll say, you know, you're probably familiar with the term minimum wage.
And a minimum wage is what you earn. It's the minimum amount that you're allowed to earn.
If you go work at a fast food place, they'll probably start you off at minimum wage.
But the word wages is something you earn, something you get as a result of your work.
Well, the Bible here tells us that the wages of sin, and it's good for us to remember that there are wages for sin.
As a result of being sinners, we earn something. There's something we get.
And the wages of sin is death. The Bible teaches that death is the payment that must be made for sin.
This is why Jesus came to this earth. He did not only come to this earth to live a good life, though He did live a good life.
He did not only come to this earth to teach good lessons, though He taught very wonderful lessons, or to perform miracles,
though He did those things, He came to this earth to die. He came to this earth to give Himself as a sacrifice.
Why? Because the wages of sin is death. Now you're there in Romans 6. Flip back to Romans chapter 5.
And I'd like you to look at these verses, very familiar verses.
The wages of sin, or the payment of sin, is first of all, as we remember tonight, and as we remember tonight as we partake in the Lord's Supper,
what we're really remembering is the physical death of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And you and I need to remember that the wages of sin are, first of all, a physical death.
Romans chapter 5 and verse 12, notice what the Bible says,
Wherefore, as by one man, the one man here being referred to is Adam.
And of course, this is a reference back to the story of Adam and Eve.
And I'm not preaching about Biblical manhood tonight, but let me just point out to the men in this room
that it's interesting when you go back to the story of Adam and Eve
that it was Eve who took of the fruit. It was Eve who gave to her husband.
It was Eve who sinned and who brought sin into the garden.
But as far as God is concerned, the blame lies solely on the shoulders of the man, Adam.
Wherefore, as by one man. You say, why doesn't it say one woman?
Well, God made Adam the leader. God put Adam in charge.
And again, I'm not preaching on the home. That's a different series for a different Sunday.
But men, remember that you're the leader and God holds you accountable.
God is the one that's holding you accountable for your Christian home,
your consistency to church, your wife's consistency to church,
your children's consistency to church, your consistency in soul winning,
your consistency in Bible reading. God holds you accountable.
Wherefore, as by one man, the Bible says, sin entered into the world
and death by sin. Notice that the wages of sin is death.
And so death passed upon all men. Notice, for that all have sinned.
Skip down to verse number 17, same chapter. Notice what it says.
For if by one man's offense, death reigned by one.
The offense there is referring to sin and by one man's sin, death reigned by one.
Look at verse 19. For as by one man's disobedience, many were made sinners.
Look at verse 21. That as sin hath reigned unto death.
I'm just pointing out to you very quickly tonight that the payment for sin is a physical death.
The result is the fact that we die physically.
Keep your place there in Romans if you would.
And go just real quickly to the book of Genesis. Genesis chapter number 2.
First book in the Bible should be fairly easy to find. Genesis chapter number 2.
In Genesis chapter number 2, I want to point out to you what God had said to Adam and Eve.
Genesis chapter 2 specifically what God had said to Adam. Genesis chapter 2, look at verse 15.
Genesis 2, 15 the Bible says,
And the Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.
And the Lord God commanded the man saying, notice what God commanded the man,
of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat.
He said you can eat of any tree of the garden that you want. Verse 17.
But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil thou shall not eat of it.
Now I want you to notice this. It says,
God said look, the day you eat of the tree, the day you disobey, that day you will surely die.
Now here's the thing. Adam and Eve did not drop dead on that day that they ate of the tree.
Their spirit died and they became in need of salvation.
But their bodies physically began the process of death.
Their bodies began to deteriorate and they eventually would die.
And I just want you to understand that the Bible teaches,
and I know you know this but it's good for us to be reminded of these simple things,
that the payment of sin is death. The wages of sin is a physical death.
Our bodies as we grow older start to not work as well, start to fall apart.
We start to have all sorts of pain. You say why is that?
God did not create our bodies that way from the beginning. It is a result of sin.
Sin brings death and sin is going to eventually, if we don't live to the rapture, kill us all physically.
But there's more. It's not just a physical death.
Go to Revelation if you would. Revelation chapter 20. You're in the first book in the Bible.
Go to the last book in the Bible. It should be fairly easy to find.
Last book in the Bible, Revelation chapter 20. I'd like you to look down at verse number 14.
Revelation chapter 20 and verse 14.
You see, when the Bible says the wages of sin is death, it is referring to a physical death,
but it's not only referring to a physical death.
Revelation chapter 20 and verse 14, the Bible says this, and death.
I want you to notice, death is a reference here to physical death.
And death, but notice it says also and hell were cast into the lake of fire.
Notice these words. This is the second death.
See, according to the Bible, when somebody dies physically, this is just the initial death or the first death.
After that comes the second death. You say what's that? Notice verse 15.
And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
Here we are told that death and hell were cast into the lake of fire.
This is the second death. And whosoever is not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
Real quickly, go with me if you would to the Gospel of Luke. Luke chapter number 16.
Towards the beginning of the New Testament, you have Matthew, Mark, Luke. Luke chapter number 16.
See, the payment for sin. Here's the thing. You're a sinner. I'm a sinner.
As a result of being sinners, there is a payment. There is a wage. There is something that we have earned.
What is it? It is death physically. Physical death. We will die physically.
Our bodies will corrupt. They will decay. They will stop. Our heart will stop breathing.
Our heart will stop pumping. Our lungs will stop breathing. And we will no longer have physical life.
But then the Bible says that there is also a second death. What is that? Luke chapter number 16.
Notice in verse 19, here we have a story. Sometimes people like to say it's a parable. I don't believe it's a parable.
I believe it's a literal story, a real story. Luke chapter 16 and verse 19.
The Bible says,
He fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table. Moreover, the dogs came and licked his sores.
And it came to pass that as the beggar died, notice, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom,
the rich man also died and was buried. This is a reference to a physical death.
The rich man died and his body was buried. Why? Because he was a sinner. Just like Lazarus, he was a sinner.
They both died. But notice, the rich man, the Bible tells us in verse 23, also experienced the second death.
And in hell, he left up his eyes being in torment and seeth Abraham afar off and Lazarus in his bosom.
See, the Bible teaches that the wages for sin is death. But when the Bible says the wages for sin is death,
it's not only talking about a physical death. It includes the second death of being cast into the lake of fire
or of going to hell. Go with me real quickly to Matthew chapter number 10.
Matthew chapter 10, just flip back, pass the mark into the book of Matthew.
Matthew chapter 10.
And let me just explain this. It's not a big deal, but I think it's good for us to make sure that we are using
wording that is correct. Sometimes people will say things like this.
They'll say, you know, the first death is a physical death and the second death is a spiritual death.
And I understand why people say that. And if you said that, I'm not attacking you. Many people say that.
But I want you to understand that that's not necessarily correct because the Bible says in Matthew chapter 10 in verse 28,
And fear not them which kill the body, notice that Matthew 10, 28, but are not able to kill the soul,
but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
See, hell is a both soul death and a physical death. Now, the reason for the confusion is because
what happens is when someone dies physically, their body is buried on this earth.
If they're not saved, their soul, yes, goes down to hell, which is in the center of the earth.
And I'm not trying to turn this into a big theological sermon.
The Bible tells us one day there's coming a future event called the judgment seat of Christ, which is the judgment of believers.
And then there will also be the great white throne judgment, which is the judgment of unbelievers.
We will be judged at the judgment seat of Christ after our resurrection when we are raptured and resurrected in our glorified bodies.
We will be judged by God at the judgment seat of Christ.
But the Bible also teaches that there will be a resurrection of damnation where the people that are in hell,
their souls will be taken out of hell. Their bodies will be resurrected. They will be reunited both body and soul.
They will be judged at the great white throne.
And that's what's being referred to in Revelation 20-14 when the Bible says,
And death, their bodies, and hell, their souls, will both be cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
They will die a second time and their soul will not only be in hell, but both the Bible says that God will destroy both soul and body in hell.
Now I want you to understand this because this is the payment. These are the wages. This is what's needed to be paid for sin.
And if you and I are going to pay for our own sins and every man can choose to pay for their own sins,
then you will pay for your sins. There's only one way you can pay for your sins for you to die and go to hell and spend eternity in hell.
That's the payment of sin.
You say, why are you bringing this up? Here's why I'm bringing it up.
Because what Jesus came to do, go to 1 Corinthians 15 if you would. I'm not sure if you kept your place in Romans.
If you kept your place in Romans, right after Romans you have the book of 1 Corinthians, 1 Corinthians chapter 15.
What Jesus came to do was he came to pay for our sins.
And in order to do that, he had to pay for it in the same way that you and I would pay for it.
1 Corinthians 15 and verse 3. Notice what the Bible says.
Pride delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.
See, Jesus died to pay for our sins. You say, well how did he do that? What happened?
Well first of all, he died physically.
That's what we're actually remembering tonight as we partake of the Lord's Supper.
Go to Mark if you would, Mark chapter 15.
You've got Matthew, then the book of Mark, Mark chapter 15.
Tonight when we partake of the Lord's Supper, this is an ordinance.
If you remember, I've taught you that in the Old Testament and in the New Testament,
things that are referred to as ordinances are things that are done symbolically.
They are a foreshadow. They are something that is a shadow of things,
symbolism of things either to come in the Old Testament or things that have happened in the New Testament.
Today we are partaking in this religious ritual to remember the death of the Lord Jesus Christ.
When we take the bread tonight and it is broken and it is given to you in a broken way and you eat of it,
it is a picture of the broken body of the Lord Jesus Christ because his body was broken.
By the way, this is one of the reasons why at our church when we do the Lord's Supper,
my wife will actually bake unleavened bread and we will literally tear it apart and hand it out.
Many churches will serve these perfectly cut crackers and these perfectly cut things,
but the whole reason that the bread is broken, it's torn apart, is because his body was broken.
When he was whipped, when he was beaten, his body was broken.
When we take the grape juice and we pour it, it is a picture and a symbolism of the blood that was shed,
the blood that was poured by our Savior when he died physically to pay for our sins
because if the payment of sin is a physical death, then he had to die physically to pay for our sins.
Mark chapter 15, look at verse 15. Notice here we have a description of the death of Christ.
I won't read the whole chapter, but I want you to notice some things here in verse 15.
The Bible says,
Notice,
To be scourged means to be beaten or whipped.
He says,
Notice verse 22, same chapter, Mark 15 verse 22.
And they bring him, referring to Jesus, unto the place Golgotha, which is being interpreted the place of a skull.
They bring him to this mountain called Golgotha or called Calvary.
We're told that it was called the place of a skull.
Some people say that the reason for it is because it has the image of a skull and the way that it is formed.
Notice verse 23,
And they gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrh, but he received it not.
And when they had crucified him, they parted his garments, casting lots upon them what every man should take.
And it was the third hour and they crucified him. They put him on a cross.
They nailed him to a cross in order to die.
Look at verse 33,
And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the night.
They put him on this cross.
And please understand this.
Today, when you and I think of a cross, we think of a religious symbol.
But during the time of the Lord Jesus Christ, the cross was not a religious symbol.
The cross was a symbol of death.
The cross had been invented as a tool of torture and as a tool to kill someone in a very slow and a very painful way.
The Greeks had invented it.
The Romans had perfected it.
It had really become a symbol of the Roman Empire as they would put their enemies upon the cross.
And Jesus had been beaten.
He had been mocked.
He had been spat upon.
He was nailed to this cross and left to die.
Verse 37, the Bible says, notice again verse 33,
And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land.
The whole land went dark until the ninth hour.
Notice verse 37,
And Jesus cried with a loud voice and gave up the ghost.
He died physically.
That's what we're remembering tonight.
Why?
Here's why.
Because the payment, the wages of sin is death.
And when he died, the Bible tells us in verse 38,
And the veil of the temple was rent in twain.
We could preach about that all night.
I won't take the time to do it.
But there's a symbolism here that the veil that separated man from God had now been rent in twain.
Christ, the mediator, had died and had given us access to God the Father from the top to the bottom.
Notice verse 39,
And when the centurion which stood over against him saw that he so cried out and gave up the ghost,
He said, truly this man was the Son of God.
The Bible tells us in other places that there were earthquakes.
The Bible tells us in other places that men resurrected.
Go if you would with me to the book of Acts, Acts chapter 2.
There in Mark, go past Luke, John, Acts.
Acts chapter 2.
Remember that Jesus came to pay for sin.
He came to make the payment for my sin and for your sin.
And the payment for sin, if you remember, we talked about it, is what?
Death and hell.
And when Jesus came to this earth, he had to pay for sin.
And the Bible tells us and the Bible teaches.
And I realize what I'm about to tell you right now is not very popular.
I understand it's fine here.
You know the Bible and you understand the Bible.
It's not something that's taught very much in churches.
And many Christians aren't even aware of this.
But the Bible tells us that when Jesus died on the cross,
the process of salvation was not over.
He said it is finished, but when he said it is finished,
he was meaning to the fact that his physical life,
what he was supposed to do on this earth physically was done.
The Bible tells us that what was needed for salvation was not yet done
because the Bible says that in order to be saved,
we must believe that he rose from the dead.
He still had to resurrect from the grave in order for salvation to be complete.
And between his death and between his resurrection,
there was still a payment that needed to be made.
You say, what was it?
Well, if you and I were to pay for our sin, we would die and go to hell.
And the Bible tells us that for three days and three nights,
Jesus, his soul went down to hell.
Acts chapter 2 verse 31. Notice what the Bible says.
He seeing this before, spake of the resurrection of Christ.
Notice that his soul was not left in hell,
neither his flesh did see corruption.
In Acts 2, 27 the Bible says,
because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell.
See the Bible tells us that Jesus not only died physically,
but that his soul went down to hell. Why?
Because the payment of sin is death and the second death of going to hell.
So he went down to hell to pay for our sins.
In Matthew chapter 12,
if you would, I'd like you to see these verses.
Go to Matthew if you would.
If you're there in Acts, just go back to Matthew, past John, Luke, Mark, Matthew.
Matthew chapter 12.
It's interesting to me that this is such an incredibly unpopular belief.
People will sometimes think that
because we say what the Bible says, that Jesus went to hell,
that we're being disrespectful of the Lord Jesus Christ,
and that is absolutely not true.
He died on the cross, though he did not have to, to pay for our sin.
But if all he would have done was die on the cross,
that would have only paid partially for our sin.
There's another aspect to the payment of sin, which is hell.
And to me, the conversation is over when you have a verse like,
He's seeing this before the spake of the resurrection of Christ,
that his soul was not left in hell,
neither his flesh should see corruption.
Whatever you like, whatever you think, conversation's done.
That's what the Bible says, period.
The Bible says that his soul was not left in hell.
End of story. It's the word of God.
But Jesus taught this himself very clearly in Matthew chapter 12 and verse 40.
Notice what the Bible says.
Matthew 12 and verse 40.
Jesus said, for as Jonas, remember he was asked for a sign.
They said, will you give us a sign?
And he said, here's the sign I'm going to give you.
For as Jonas, Jonas is referring to Jonah the prophet in the Old Testament.
Remember Jonah, who was swallowed by a whale?
Here's what Jesus said.
For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly,
he says, so, that word so means in the same manner or pattern,
shall the Son of Man, referring to himself,
he said, shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
What is the heart of the earth?
It is the center of the earth.
He said, hey, the same way that Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly,
the Son of Man is going to be three days and three nights between his death and his resurrection
in the heart of the earth, in the center of the earth.
I'd like you to go back to the Book of Jonah, Jonah chapter 2.
In the Old Testament, if you find the prophetic book towards the end,
you'll see the big book of Isaiah and Jeremiah and Lamentations,
Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah.
I'd like you to see it.
Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah.
Even science, which is often wrong about a lot of things,
will tell you that in the center of the earth is fire,
that in the heart of the earth is lava,
that in the heart of the earth is what you might call a lake of fire, an inferno.
And Jesus said, as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly,
so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
The really interesting thing is that Jesus said, he said, look, I'm going to die physically.
He talked a lot about that.
I'm going to die.
He said, that's not just it.
Once I die physically, there's going to be three days between my death and my resurrection.
And for those three days, he told us what he was going to be doing.
He said, I will be in the center of the earth.
And then he says, like Jonah, when he was in the whale's belly.
What's really interesting is that when you go back to the book of Jonah,
when Jonah is in the whale's belly, Jonah begins to prophesy about the coming Messiah.
And Jonah makes some statements that do not apply to Jonah.
They apply to the coming Messiah.
And then that coming Messiah referenced back to Jonah and said,
remember when Jonah was in the whale's belly, like he was in there for three days and three nights?
I'm going to be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights.
I'd like you to notice what Jonah said when he was in the whale's belly for three days and three nights.
Jonah chapter 2 verse 1.
Then Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God out of the fish's belly.
Where was Jonah?
Jonah was in the fish's belly, in the whale's belly.
And said, notice what he says.
Here he's prophesying, not about himself, because he's in the fish's belly.
But he said, the Bible tells us there, Jonah 2, 2.
And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the Lord.
And he heard me, notice, out of the belly of hell cried I.
Was Jonah in hell? No.
Where was Jonah? In the fish's belly.
He's prophesying about the Messiah.
Jonah's saying, the same way I'm in this whale's belly for three days and three nights,
the coming Messiah is going to be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights.
And Jonah says, let me tell you where he's going to cry out of.
He will cry out of the belly of hell cried I.
And thou heardest my voice.
Notice he continues to prophesy in verse 6.
He says, I went down to the bottoms of the mountains.
He said, I was in the center of the earth underneath the mountains.
Was Jonah underneath the mountains in the whale's belly?
He says, the earth with her bars was about me.
He says, I was in the center or the heart of the earth.
But Jonah's not there, he's prophesying about Jesus.
He says, the earth with her bars was about me forever.
Yet has thou brought up my life from corruption, O Lord my God.
In Acts we're told, he's saying before, spake this of the resurrection of Christ,
that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.
All these things are connected.
Jesus said, I'm going to be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights.
Like Jonah was in the whale's belly.
And then you go back and look at Jonah in the whale's belly and he says,
I'm in the whale's belly like the coming Messiah is going to be in hell for three days and three nights.
You say, why? Here's why.
Because Jesus came to make a payment for our sin,
which included a physical death and the second death of going down to hell.
This is why the Bible says, go to Isaiah 53, you're there in Jonah.
You go backwards, you'll find the book of Isaiah.
You're going to pass Obadiah, Amos, Joel, Hosea, Daniel, Ezekiel, Lamentations, Jeremiah, Isaiah.
Isaiah 53.
I just want you to remember because what we're doing tonight
is we are remembering the sacrifice that was made by the Lord Jesus Christ.
But remember, tonight we celebrate, we remember, excuse me, his death.
But it's not till three days from now on Sunday, on Easter Sunday, that we celebrate his resurrection.
I want you to remember that when he died, he spent three days and three nights in hell as a payment for our sin.
Isaiah 53 and verse 10, notice what the Bible says.
By the way, Isaiah 53 is one of the most amazing, messianic prophecies.
Isaiah 53, I won't take the time to go through it tonight,
but if you go through it, you'll see very clear prophecies of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And one of them in verse 10 says,
Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him.
He had put him to grief, notice these words,
when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin.
See, it wasn't just enough that his body was made an offering for sin.
His soul was also made a burnt offering for sin.
He shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days,
and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.
So what are we celebrating? Why are we doing this?
Why all of this ritual and somberness?
Because of the fact that we are remembering the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The fact that he made a payment for our sin
by dying physically and going down to hell to pay for our sins.
So what's the point of the resurrection?
Well, here's the point of the resurrection, we'll talk about it in Easter,
is that if Jesus would have simply died and gone to hell,
there's nothing special about that.
That's what every unsaved man does.
When he resurrected, he proved that he was who he said he was,
the Son of God, God on earth, God in the flesh,
and that his sacrifice was enough to pay for our sins.
Let's bow our heads and have a word of prayer.
Heavenly Father, Lord, we thank you for this great sacrifice that Jesus made.
He died physically, and then his soul went down to hell to pay for our sin.
And Lord, I pray that you'd help us as we take the next few moments
to partake of the Lord's Supper.
You'd help us to be serious about it, to remember it,
and to worship you for the great payment that was made for our sin.
In the matchless name of Christ, we pray. Amen.
At this time, we're going to partake of the Lord's Supper.
I'll step down and take my place at the table.
What I'll do is we will give you some instructions
as we prepare to partake of the Lord's Supper.
By way of instructions, I want to remind you of a couple of things.
First of all, this should be a reverent time.
This should not be a time when we're talking or fellowshiping
or allowing the kids to be loud or play.
I realize we're a family-integrated church, and that's fine.
But we want to try to minimize distractions and try not to talk
or just be joking around during this time.
We want to remember the sacrifice that was made by the Lord Jesus Christ.
And I want to just give you some instructions.
When you receive the bread and when you receive the cup,
you're going to receive both the bread and the cup before we begin.
So when you get the cup, don't just drink it.
Or when you get the bread, don't just start eating it.
You will have both bread and cup in hand,
and then we will partake of the Lord's Supper together.
The reason we do that is because we want to do it in the same order
and fashion that the Lord Jesus Christ did.
We want to try to follow the pattern given to us in Scripture as much as possible.
So what that means is that we will get out the cups to you.
We will get out the bread to you.
Once you have the bread, we will read a Scripture regarding the bread.
We will pray a blessing over the bread and then we will eat it, partake of it together.
Then we will read a Scripture regarding the cup.
We will pray a blessing over the cup.
And then we will partake and drink of the cup together.
Afterwards, we will end exactly like the first Lord's Supper ended
with the singing of a hymn.
We will sing together as we leave.
One last thing I would like to let you know about the Lord's Supper in regards to instructions
is that the Bible says this. I will read this for you.
In 1 Corinthians 11 verses 27 and 28 it says,
Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, in reference to the Lord's Supper,
and drink this cup of the Lord unworthily shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.
Then the Bible says in verse 28,
But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup.
The Bible says let a man examine himself.
For that reason, we at Verity Baptist Church, we do not police the Lord's Supper.
There are things that the Bible says need to happen in order for someone to take the Lord's Supper.
One of those is that you should be saved.
If you're not saved, please do not partake of the Lord's Supper.
But we're not going to police the Lord's Supper.
We're not going to check your salvation.
The Bible says let a man examine himself.
You have to examine yourself, make sure you're in the faith.
Of course, it's always good to try to make things right with God, with others,
before you participate in the Lord's Supper.
I ask especially with children, I understand it's difficult.
We're a family integrated church.
We don't want this to just be a thing we joke.
These are not snacks.
This is something we do to remember the death of the Lord Jesus Christ.
It is something for believers.
Do your best to help us with that.
Again, we don't police the Lord's Table, but we do encourage you to examine yourself.
In Luke chapter 22 and verse 14, the Bible says this,
And when the hour was come, he sat down, and the twelve apostles with him.
And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.
For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God.
And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves.
For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God shall come.
So at this time we will begin to hand out and pass out the cups and to pour the juice.
So at this time we will begin to pour the juice.
Luke 22 19 says that he took bread and gave thanks and break it.
He gave unto them saying this is my body which is given for you this do in remembrance of me.
At this time we will begin to break the bread and pass it out.
Luke 22 19 says that he gave unto them saying this is my body which is given for you this do in remembrance of me.
Luke 22 19 says this is my body which is given for you this do in remembrance of me.
1 Corinthians 11 says this, For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you,
that the Lord Jesus the same night in which He was betrayed took bread.
Luke 22 19 says this is my body which is given for you this do in remembrance of me.
Let's pray a blessing on the bread and then we will partake of the bread together.
Heavenly Father, Lord we do thank you for sending your son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for our sins.
And as we partake of this bread and help us to remember that his body was broken by his stripes we are healed.
And Lord we thank you and we bless your name for it. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
1 Corinthians 11 25 says, After the same manner also he took the cup when he had supped saying,
This cup is a New Testament in my blood. This do ye as oft as ye drink it in remembrance of me.
We'll pray a blessing on the cup and then we will drink of the cup together.
Let's bow our heads.
Heavenly Father, Lord again we thank you for what this juice represents.
The shed blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Bible says without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins.
And help us to remember what this represents.
That his blood was shed for us.
That it was sprinkled in heaven as a payment for our sin.
And Lord we thank you for it.
In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
For as often as ye eat this bread and drink this cup ye do show the Lord's death till they come.
In Matthew 26 and verse 30 at the end of the very first Lord's Supper instituted by the Lord Jesus Christ himself.
The Bible says that when they had sung an hymn they went out into the Mount of Olives.
So we will end tonight the same way that they ended at that very first Lord's Supper.
And we will sing a hymn together.
So I'd like you to take your song books if you would and go to page number 19.
And we will sing there is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Immanuel's veins.
Page number 19. Page number 19. We'll sing it together.
On the first.
There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Immanuel's veins.
And sinners plunge beneath that flood.
Lose all their guilty stains.
And sinners plunge beneath that flood.
Lose all their guilty stains.
Page number 19. Sing it out on the second.
There their lying feet rejoice to see that fountain in his day.
There may I though vial as he wash all my sins away.
Wash all my sins away. Wash all my sins away.
There may I though vial as he wash all my sins away.
Dear dying lamb, thy precious blood shall never lose its power.
The ransomed church of God be saved to sin no more.
Be saved to sin no more.
All the ransomed church of God be saved to sin no more.
Ere since by faith I saw the stream, thy flowing womb supply.
Redeeming love has been my theme.
And shall be till I die.
Redeeming love has been my theme.
And shall be till I die.
Sing it out on the last.
Then in a nobler, sweeter song, I'll sing thy power to save.
When this cordless spring's damring done, lie silent in the grave.
Lie silent in the grave.
When this cordless spring's damring done, lie silent in the grave.
God bless you. We want to thank you for being with us tonight, of course, for our annual Lord's Supper.
And we want to encourage you to remind you of a couple of things.
Of course, tonight we remember the death of the Lord Jesus Christ.
On Sunday we will celebrate the resurrection and that up from the grave He arose.
He did not stay dead. In victory He arose.
And I want to encourage you, of course, to be here on Sunday for Easter.
I want to encourage you to use this card and invite someone to church with you on Sunday.
Invite a friend, a co-worker, family member. Bring somebody with you.
And then, of course, I want to remind you that between tomorrow and, well, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday,
we have a big soul-winning push.
And, of course, Easter is a big time for people to come to church.
We want to take advantage of that.
So tomorrow, on Thursday, we have a soul-winning time at 6 p.m.
On Friday, we have a soul-winning time at 6 p.m.
And on Saturday morning, we have a soul-winning time at 10 a.m.
And we'd love for you to join us for one or two or all of those.
And I'd love for the entire church family to participate.
Even if you say, I don't know how to give the gospel, I don't know what to do, we'll partner you with somebody.
You'll just be a silent partner. You won't have to do anything.
But just be there and participate.
But don't forget and plan to be here Thursday, 6 p.m., Friday, 6 p.m., Saturday morning, 10 a.m.
as we have our final soul-winning push for Easter. Be here for Easter.
If there's anything we can do for you, please let us know.
We appreciate you being here tonight.
I'll end the service with a word of prayer and we'll be dismissed.
Let's bow our heads together.
Heavenly Father, Lord, we do thank you for allowing us to gather.
Thank you for this church family.
Thank you for this beautiful ceremony that we can do every year, once a year, to remember the great sacrifice that was paid.
It was not easy for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.
And Lord, we thank you for that, that Jesus would be willing to lay down His life
and for His soul to go down to hell and to resurrect three days later as a payment for our sin.
Lord, I pray you'd help us to take that message with us over the next three days as we have a soul-winning push
to preach the gospel, the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And Lord, I pray you'd help us on Easter to have a great day as we celebrate the resurrection.
In the matchless name of Christ, we pray. Amen.
God bless you. You are dismissed.
You are dismissed.
.