Would to first Corinthians chapter 11. We're gonna leave the children in here this morning for a few minutes with us as the message is going to be a bit abbreviated so we can celebrate the Lord's Supper this morning in the service before we head on our way. First Corinthians chapter 11, and we're going to begin reading in verse 23. First Corinthians eleven twenty three. If you're familiar with this passage of scripture in the Lord's Supper, I use this as my template for observing the Lord's Supper every time we have it.

But there's more to the passage than just the three verses. And so we're gonna read the remainder of the chapter beginning in verse 23 and see how that might apply to us not only in regarding the Lord's Supper this morning, but also particularly as we head into a new year. For I have received the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus, the same night in which he betrayed, took bread. And when he had given thanks, he break it and said, take, eat. This is my body which is broken for you.

This do in remembrance of me. After the same manner, also he took the cup when he had supped, saying, this cup is the New Testament in my blood. This do ye as often as ye drink it in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread and drink this cup, you do show the Lord's death till he come. Wherefore, whosoever shall eat this bread and drink this this cup of the Lord unworthily shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.

But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. For this cause, many are weak and sickly among you and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord that we should not be condemned with the world.

Wherefore, my brethren, when ye come together to eat, tarry one for another. And if any man hunger, let him eat at home, that ye come not together unto condemnation, and the rest I will set in order when I come. Let's go to the Lord in prayer once more. Dear heavenly Father, thank you, Lord, for the Jesus Christ, our savior, for what you did for us on the cross, that you are our risen savior, that you have given yourself for us, that you might give to us that eternal life which you purchased on the cross of Calvary for sinners such as I. Lord, I pray that you would be exalted today.

I pray that we would be reminded of your sacrifice, Lord, and also of the fellowship that we are privileged to enjoy with you and one another today. And, that we would not take it for granted, that we might look into our own hearts this morning and not our neighbors, that we would consider, Lord, how we might become more like you in the year to come. In Jesus' name we do pray. Amen. Is it time for a checkup?

Now I'm gonna slide over here a little bit and have a seat on this stool because my head's a little bit out of the sink today. Alright. But maybe it is time for a checkup more literally than I would like. Okay. So is it time for a checkup?

We all know that checkups are important, so we are told health checkups are important. Progress at work checkups are sometimes important. School checkups, we call those tests or exams. Yeah, they're they're important. As we close another year and start a new one, we are reminded of the need to take a quick look at at ourselves.

Check up on how we are doing particularly in our walk and service to the Lord. Making New Year's resolutions is not just about setting new goals, but it's also taking an honest inventory of where we are in reaching our old goals and the ones that God has set for us. We are encouraged in scripture to do this, not not just once a year, not just even when we take the Lord's Supper together, but literally every day. Luke nine twenty three. And he said unto them, if any man will come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me.

In Matthew sixteen twenty four, Matthew records the same statement except Matthew leaves out the word daily that Luke includes here just as a reminder, an emphasis that as we examine our service for the Lord who served us on the cross far greater way than we can ever serve him, that it shouldn't be just an annual inspection, that it shouldn't just be on a special day, that it should be what? It should be every day. Yeah. Nonetheless, being the human beings that we are, we need what? We need reminders, celebrations, holidays, observances that should help us to remember, remind us of what we have in Christ, who we are in Christ, and to do a little introspection or inventory.

Why did God command Israel to keep the Sabbath weekly and the Passover, and the Feast of Pentecost, and the Feast of Tabernacles, and the Day of Atonement annually? Why? Did God need those things? It was not for him so much it was for who? For them.

Okay? To remind them of the faithfulness and the holiness and the love of their God. Behold Israel, the Lord thy God is one Lord, and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart. Why should we love the Lord our God with all our heart? Because he loves us with all of his.

And he demonstrated that when he when he redeemed them out of Egypt through the Passover and redeemed the firstborn through the blood sacrifice of the lamb, when he provided for them manna in the wilderness and food from the fields later on, the feast of Pentecost, When he provided them lodging and kept their clothes mended for forty years in the wilderness till as they celebrated the feast of tabernacles and as he provided them through atonement for their sins through the blood of the lamb on the day of atonement each year. Reminded them of the faithfulness, holiness, and love of their God, and also reminded them to check up on the state of their own relationship with and service for that wonderful God that they serve. Those things not only remind us of how great he is, but they also are should be a reminder for us to check up on how we are doing in worshiping and serving our savior. Jesus established one of those observances for the church today. Now the Passover was specifically for Israel as was Pentecost, as was the tabernacles, as was the day of atonement.

And we're not under the old covenant. We're under the what? The new. And the atoning sacrifice is that of Christ on the cross of Calvary who shed his blood there for the sins of the world. But the Lord did establish an observance for us to keep as a reminder of the wonderful grace and love of almighty God that's provided us salvation and as an opportunity for us to examine who?

Ourselves. To take inventory on our fellowship and our service for the Lord. The Lord's Supper. The Lord's Supper. We read about here first Corinthians chapter 11.

He established one of these for the church, the Lord's Supper, for a very similar reason. And while he does not designate the frequency with which we are to observe it, his command to do so and reason for having us do so is quite clear in his word. In regards to this, let me pose three questions this morning before we celebrate the Lord's Supper. Some introspection as we head into our new year as well. Number one.

Question number one. Most important question of all. Second Corinthians thirteen five. Examine who? Yourselves.

That is your responsibility. Examine yourselves whether ye be, what, in the faith. Prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates or castaways. Not part of the group.

Okay? It is not other people's responsibility nor their ability capability to determine your relationship with who? With with God. We can be fruit inspectors, so to speak. And there should be fruit, should there not?

Yes. But it is up to us to examine our relationship with God and, first of all, make sure that we are, what, in the faith. Most importantly this morning is this. Are you sure that you are part of the family of who? Of the family of God.

First and most importantly, as another year ticks by, we are ever closer to the coming day when we will stand before Christ. It is appointed unto man once to die, but after this, the what? The judgment. That day is clicking ever closer. Now I don't say that to scare you.

If you know the Lord today and you're sure of that and you're sure of your relationship and your standing with him, that's not a day to be scared of. That's a day to what? To look forward to and to rejoice in. And every Christian should not be shaking in fear over the coming of the Lord or the day that will stand before him because it will be a day of rejoicing and not of sorrow. But but that is if you're sure of your relationship with him.

And I can't make you sure, and I I I can't do that for you. Only you and the Lord can make sure of that today, and it was something I would think you might wanna make sure of. As we are reminded in taking of the element of the Lord's table here this morning, we must not fail to ask ourselves once more, is the testimony I am about to give of having fellowship with God through faith in Jesus' sacrifice on the cross true of me. Was there a day when I was what did what did Jesus say to Nicodemus? Ye must be born again.

Ye must be born again. Have I surrendered to the saving grace of Jesus, received his gift of eternal life in him as my eternal Lord and savior? Have I done that? Have you done that today? I can't answer that question for you.

Only you can do that, and it is an important one. Partaking of these elements in a few minutes isn't going to fix that. It isn't going to make you sure. And it isn't going to save your soul. Only the blood of Jesus Christ can do that.

Only putting your faith and trust in him to secure your eternity and to forgive your sins can do that. For whosoever shall call in the name of the Lord shall be saved. Call in faith to be your Lord and Savior. Now, I didn't understand all the ins and outs of that when I was nine years old, but I understood when I sat in a pew one night that if I died, I was not going to heaven. But that could change if I surrendered in faith to the Lord.

And so I did. And I'm on my way to heaven because Jesus Christ does not fail. The gospel message is clear. Jesus died for your sins. He shed his blood on the cross.

He rose again from the dead according to the scriptures. And those who believe and put their trust in the risen savior are forgiven, saved, given eternal life. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be, what, saved. And when you receive that gift, it is yours. For how long?

Forever. I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never, what? Perish. Never that is yours. Neither is there there is neither no more condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.

For God took care of that on the cross in Christ Jesus for you when you were trusted in him as your savior. But only the Lord can give you assurance in your heart through his word and his spirit that you are one of the children of God. Only if you have received his son, for he is the key. God wants you to be sure today. I want you to be sure today.

You can be sure today if you have received that gift by faith, If you have received Jesus. And this is the record. This is the whose record? Whose record? God's record.

This is the record that God has given to us eternal life and this life is in his son. Who is that? Jesus. He that hath the son hath life. He that hath not the son of God hath not life.

These things have I read unto you that believe on the name of the son of God, that ye may what? Let's say it together. These things were read unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God that ye may know. Know that ye have eternal life and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. What is required?

To know that you only one thing, that you what? Believe and trust in who? Jesus Christ. That's it. And just keep on believing.

God will give you assurance. You can know. And I pray that you do. And if you don't, then more important than taking these elements this morning, you need to make sure that you've got that settled with Jesus today because that is the most important question you need to ask this morning. Have I been born again through faith in Jesus Christ?

Two more questions quickly this morning before we partake in the Lord's Supper. Question number two, how is your faith? Are you growing in the Lord? Are you maturing in the faith? How have you done this past year?

First Peter two two says, as newborn babes desire the sincere milk of the word that ye may, what? Grow thereby. God doesn't expect you to be somebody else. God doesn't expect you to be perfect. God does expect you to, what?

Grow. What does God want for you this coming year? He wants you to grow in your relationship with him. This is his desire, and this you expect of our children that they grow. God expects us of his children as well.

Ephesians chapter four. Till we all come the unity of the faith of the knowledge of the son of God unto a perfect man, the word perfect there means mature, under the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, that we thenceforth be no more children tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the slight of man and cunning craftiness whereby they lay in wait to deceive, but speaking the truth in love may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ. God wants us to grow. How are you growing? Where are you in your in your in your current growth?

How about last year? How about this coming year? That is a question only who can answer. Only you can answer. Only you can answer.

And something that as we go into a new year and something as we come to the Lord's table this morning, you might wanna answer. Not just how many services do you go did you go to this year or how much money did you give or how many sins did you quit or good works did you do? Your spiritual growth is not measured alone by things you did or sacrifices you made. It is about a relationship with God based in trust. How is your faith?

Is it growing? Did it grow? What does what needs to change for it to what? For you to grow this coming year? Is it stagnant?

Do you trust God more than you did? If not, what needs to change? Did you spend more time with him and his word and prayer? Because if you're gonna grow in a relationship with somebody, you gotta do what? You gotta spend time with them.

Did you see more answers to prayer this year? Did you take a leap of faith in some area, or did you hesitate? Are you more sure of your convictions? Are those convictions directing your path each day? Is God a part of each day?

When faced with decisions, does his will is his will part of that decision making process? Are you more like your savior than you were last year? What needs to change for you to be more like him? Why did God save you? To make you more like him.

It's what this verse says. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. God wants to have more children just like his son, Jesus Christ. And he is molding and making you how is your relationship with God? Is it growing?

Is it better? What needs to change for it to be better in 2025? And then finally, this morning, question number three, what today is between your soul and your savior? Is there anything today that is between your soul and your savior? I can't see that on your face.

I can't look into your mind and your heart today. But as I stand here, I know someone who can and so do you. The eyes of the Lord are in every place beholding the evil and the good. And God sees and God knows. Is there anything between your soul and your savior that is holding you back, that is keeping you from being the testimony, that is robbing you of your joy in the Lord.

It may have done it last month and it may have done it last year. It does not have to do it this year. What is between your soul and your savior? Particularly as we come to the Lord's table this morning, why are you here? Why are you partaking of it?

What does it mean to you? The Corinthians had a problem with that. They were abusing it. They were not observing it as a as an opportunity for worship of the honor of the Lord. It was all about who?

It was all about them. They were abusing it. And Paul says, if you don't judge yourself, then who's gonna have to judge you? God. So it's better off for you to examine yourself and confess rather than to continue deny and come to the Lord's table with false motives and to consume it upon your own lust, so to speak.

Is there something between your soul and your savior that is mudding up your communion with him? Is there something you need to confess? If so, let's read this verse together. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive who? Ourselves and the truth is not in us.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from what? All unrighteousness. So as we come to the Lord's table, let's do as the Lord asked and let's examine who? Ourselves. As we approach another year, let's let's take the moment.

Let's just take a moment today, here, this day, this week, and let's take a little inventory. Where are we? Where are we? Is there something between our soul and our savior? We know it's there that needs to be repented of, that needs to be confessed, that needs to be dealt with if it is, and and you've tried it before and you failed, don't give up on God.

Try again. Try again. I can do you can do all things through Christ who, what? Strengthens you. But don't hide it.

If there's something between your soul and your savior, confess it today. He will forgive you. He will clear your conscience. He will wash it away. He will help you.

So confess it. Is there something that needs to change? And are it something God said, hey, needs to change in my life that I might grow to be more like Christ this year, that I might grow stronger? Is there some more more time I can spend on my knees, more time I can spend in his word, more time I can spend handing out tracts, more time I can spend including him in my life. Most importantly, are you sure today that you are in the what?

In the faith. Because that's what you're saying when you take of these elements. That's what you're signifying is that you have put your faith in the shed blood of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary, and you have fellowship with God in him. Are you sure of that? If not, please make sure today.

As you consider the Lord's Supper in this new year in your life, maybe honestly there are some failures that need to be made right, things which need to be confessed, some things which really need to change, some goals which need to be set and met. Remember this on the screen. This I recall to my mind, Jeremiah wrote, therefore, I have, I hope. It is of the Lord's, what, mercies that we are not consumed because his compassions fail not, they are new. Every morning, great is thy faithfulness.

Every day, every week, every year is a new what? Is a new opportunity to find the mercy and grace of God, to find victory in Jesus Christ and understand that you don't have to be tied down by what happened last week, last month, last year. There is forgiveness. There is mercy. There is grace in the goodness of who?

In the goodness of the Lord. And we celebrate that today as we celebrate the Lord's table. If you're here this morning with us in just a moment, we're gonna partake. If you have the testimony, you know the Lord Jesus Christ as savior, you're sure of that, we invite you to celebrate and observe it with us. If not, you are welcome to stay and to stay with us.

Please do as we partake. But you might wanna hold back from partaking yourself and consider, most importantly, making sure that you have put your faith and trust in Jesus. Before we partake this this morning, we're gonna sing a song of invitation. It is 321 in your hymn book. It is entitled nothing between.

Nothing between. Nothing between. Before we stand to sing, let's go to the Lord in prayer. Dear Lord, thank you for your mercy and grace that is abundant and free and available for us today, symbolized by the the bread and the and the juice that we partake of. We celebrate the grace that has been given to us in Jesus Christ.

And, Lord, we pray that you would forgive us of our sins. We pray that you would help us to seek your will and your guidance and help this coming year to become more like our savior, Jesus Christ. We thank you, Lord, for your mercy and your grace that provides us that opportunity this year to grow. And we pray, Lord, if there's one here that's not sure this morning, above anything else, we pray that they would come as we sing this hymn of invitation, that they would consider before leaving this place today to accept your offer of salvation, not by partaking of elements, of juice and bread, but by partaking in faith of the invitation and offer of Jesus Christ to forgive their sins by calling out to him in faith. Lord, I pray that they would do that even now.

Lord, thank you for dying for our sins on the cross. Thank you for offering salvation to sinners such as I. Lord, forgive us and give us faith. Lord, we pray for that one that may need to pray that prayer of salvation even this moment, Lord, that they would do so and accept you today. In Jesus' name, do pray.

Amen. The Lord