GOD'S WORK – FAITH and WORK

February 2nd

"I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord..." (Philippians 3:8 NIV)

Introduction: The Crisis of Isolation

• 50% of U.S. adults report measurable loneliness (Surgeon General)
• 200,000+ "deaths of despair" 2020-2022 (Brookings Institute)
• 42% of U.S. teens feel persistently sad/hopeless (CDC 2023)

Disconnected Christians are a bit like "amputated body parts" lacking connection and purpose instead of what God calls us to be: “Now you are the body of Christ" (1 Corinthians 12:27 NIV)God's Design for Communion

1. Created for Meal-Sharing like Relationship

"Then they saw the God of Israel... they beheld God, and ate and drank" (Exodus 24:9-11)

1. Biblical Meals as Fellowship

• Old Testament sacrificial meals pointing forward
• Jesus transforms Passover into New Covenant

"Take, eat; this is my body... drink of it, all of you" (Matthew 26:26-29 NIV)III. The Communion Connection

1. Three Requirements (Heidelberg Catechism Q81)

• True sorrow for sin
• Trust in Christ's forgiveness
• Earnest desire for holiness

1. Enemies to Friends: Reconciliation requires vulnerability and commitment

"While we were God's enemies, we were reconciled through the death of his Son" (Romans 5:10 NIV) God designed humans for intimate fellowship with Himself and others. Through Christ's sacrifice, we regain access to our created purpose - knowing God deeply. Regular communion (both spiritual and sacramental) heals isolation and empowers purposeful living as Christ's body. BBCC Verse of the Week: Philippians 3:10–11 (NIV) I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.Study Notes
It seems that there is, for there were instances of eating and drinking in the presence of God in the old covenant as well. For example, when the people of Israel were camped before Mount Sinai, just after God had given the Ten Commandments, God called the leaders of Israel up to the mountain to meet with him: Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up, and they saw the God of Israel … they beheld God, and ate and drank. (Ex. 24:9–11) Moreover, every year the people of Israel were to tithe (give one-tenth of) all their crops. Then the law of Moses specified, Before the LORD your God in the place which he will choose, to make his name dwell there, you shall eat the tithe of your grain, of your wine, and of your oil, and the firstlings of your herd and flock; that you may learn to fear the LORD your God always … You shall eat there before the LORD your God and rejoice you and your household. (Deut. 14:23, 26) But even earlier than that, God had put Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and given them all of its abundance to eat (except the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil). Since there was no sin in that situation, and since God had created them for fellowship with himself and to glorify himself, then every meal that Adam and Eve ate would have been a meal of feasting in the presence of the Lord. - Wayne Grudem  Who should come to the Lord’s Table? [T]hose who are truly sorrowful for their sins,     and yet trust            that these are forgiven them for the sake of Christ;            and that their remaining infirmities are covered by his passion and  
                 death;and who also earnestly desire            to have their faith more and more strengthened,            and their lives more holy; but hypocrites, and such as turn not to God with sincere hearts, eat and drink judgment to themselves.– Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 81 If you have questions about what it means to be truly sorrowful, yet trusting and earnestly desiring to follow Jesus - our pastor, prayer team or elders would LOVE to talk to you about this.                           Pastor Samuel Sutter //  sam@BBCCOnline.org