Our scripture reading this morning will be Psalm 98. Elder Brian will read that for us. This is the word of the only true and living God. I am reading from the Book of Psalms, Psalm 98, the entire psalm. And I'm reading from the NASB 1995, and it is headed there, A Call to Praise the Lord for His Righteousness. Oh, sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done wonderful things. His right hand and his holy arm have gained the victory for him. The Lord has made known his salvation. He has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations. He has remembered his loving kindness and his faithfulness to the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. Shout joyfully to the Lord all the earth. Break forth and sing for joy and sing praises. Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre. with the lyre and the sound of melody, with trumpets and the sound of the horn, shout joyfully before the King, the Lord. Let the sea roar in all it contains, the world and those who dwell in it. Let the rivers clap their hands. Let the mountains sing together for joy before the Lord, for he is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness and the people with equity. It's the word of God. Amen. What the world doesn't seem to realize in this chaotic world we live in today is that there is that one true living God who is truly going to come to judge mankind. That day will be, for some, a very great day, and for many others, a day of terror. So we pray we are all in Christ, and that that judgment we may see, but not be affected by it. As the first chapter, or the first verse in Romans 8 says, Therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Amen? So today we're going to look at just two verses in our study of John chapter 6, the very last two verses in the chapter, verses 70 and 71. And these two verses, the apostle John recorded Jesus' reply to Peter's answer to an earlier question he had asked. of his disciples, because many that were following him had departed from him after they heard these hard sayings that Jesus said to them, and they began to grumble and argue, and they decided, we've had enough of this guy, and they left. So they could not grasp what he was trying to say to them or teach them, and they became offended by his teachings, when he said that they had to eat his flesh and drink his blood in order to receive eternal life. They could not understand that Jesus was saying that he expected those who truly follow him to forsake the world and commit their lives fully to him. There's an interesting problem with the majority of mankind stemming, I think, from our fallen nature. People believe all kinds of ideas and theories and speculations, supposed facts that men and women write about. We see it every day. We listen to TV and believe what we read or see on TV. We read newspapers, if they still exist. You read it, or you read it, you read an article on the internet, it's, oh yeah, we regularly jump in and believe this stuff. And it's many, it's easier to seem to believe the deceptive and twisted teachings of false teachers than it is to believe the pure truth of God's word. When it comes to the word of God, it's rejected. by a great majority of the world. It was easier for the Jews who followed Jesus to believe in their legalistic teachings of the Pharisees than to accept the teaching that Jesus had, even after he demonstrated his power and his claim to be sent from heaven by his signs and wonders that he performed, and that he had the key to eternal life. But it was easier to follow their old legalistic teachings. So the crowd that was interested only in the things of the world departed from him. And after the crowd left him, he asked his 12 disciples that were gathered around him a simple question in verse 67. Do you do not want to go away also, do you? And Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. And we have believed and have come to know that you are the Holy One of God. Well, Peter's answer was a great declaration of faith, of his faith. And he believed that all 12 disciples believed in the same thing, because they were all together, all walked with Jesus, all saw his miracles. But Jesus did not agree with Peter, okay? And no doubt he surprised Peter by his reply to Peter's answer, because there was one man amongst the disciples that secretly was not committed to Jesus. And now Jesus reveals the truth to his disciples. Peter says, we have believed. The question is, did Peter make a mistake here? I don't think he didn't make an intentional mistake. He believed that this group of disciples were all committed to Jesus. and he included Judas Iscariot in his statement, and he would realize later that there was one whose heart had not been changed. So Judas no doubt stuns the 11 of his disciples by saying one of them is deceiving the rest because he knew the heart of Judas from the very beginning of creation. Let's examine the morning's text here. Verse 70 in chapter six says, Jesus answered them, did I myself not choose you, the 12, and yet one of you is a devil? Now he meant Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the 12, was going to betray him. We now know, according to scripture, that this was this particular Judas that actually did betray Jesus while he was praying in the Garden of Gethsemane after his final Passover meal with the disciples in that upper room in Jerusalem. It's important here, however, to make a distinction because there happened to be another Judas, and some people forget this or do not realize this. In Luke 6, chapter 6 of Luke 13 to 16, verses 13 to 16, It says, or Luke writes here, just before Jesus preached the Beatitudes, that was on the other side of the Sea of Galilee, where he just came from, Jesus called his disciples to him and named his apostles. In verse 14, Simon, whom he also named Peter, and Andrew, his brother, and James, and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, James, the son of Elphais, and Simon, who was called a zealot, Judas, the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. Notice two Judases here. Judas, the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. It was Judas Iscariot who had suddenly left that last Passover supper since it was the love of money that was a higher priority in his life than Jesus Christ. As Jesus and his disciples are eating, he predicted he was about to be betrayed, okay? In John 13, in verse 21, the last part of verse 21, Jesus said, truly, truly, I say to you that one of you will betray me. He's sitting there, or they're not sitting at a table. They didn't have big tables in those days. They're just sitting down on the ground and leaning on one another. They're eating, and this is when he drops his news. One of you will betray me. And so the disciples are looking at one another, wondering who it was. And so Peter asked him, well, who is it? In John 13, 26, Jesus then answered, that is the one for whom I shall dip the morsel and give it to him. And when he had dipped the morsel, he took it and gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. And after the morsel, Satan then entered into him, therefore Jesus said to him, what you do, do quickly. So after receiving that morsel, he went out immediately and it was night. Then Jesus said something to his disciples, something which applies to his church today. Verse 34 and 35, He said, a new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this, all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. And after his betrayal for 30 pieces of silver, Judas then felt remorse. And he confessed. He confessed his remorse. He confessed his sin. The only problem with it is he did it to the wrong man. He made a confession, not to Christ, but to the wrong man. Matthew 27, three to five, says, then when Judas had betrayed him, he saw he had been condemned, saw that Jesus had been condemned, he felt remorse and returned the 30 pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders. And he was saying, I have sinned, See, he's confessing to the chief priest. I have sinned by betraying innocent blood, but they said, what is that to us? See to that yourself. Well, that didn't help him much. In verse five, and he threw the pieces of silver into the temple sanctuary and departed and went out and hanged himself. What a tragedy. What a tragedy. There's a well-known theologian and preacher by the name of J.C. Reilly, and he commented on this opportunity that Judas had to be with Jesus, and to walk with him, and he witnesses miracles, and to really know him well. And I want to quote what he wrote about this. He said, and I begin to quote, it would be impossible to imagine a more favorable position for a man's soul. Yet, if anyone ever fell hopelessly into hell and made a shipwreck to last for eternity, that man was Judas Iscariot. So after the resurrection and the ascension of Jesus, which his disciples had gathered around, they were watching him, they returned to the upper room where they had eaten the Passover meal with Jesus, and then Judas Iscariot is no longer mentioned. He's out of the picture. And Acts chapter 1 verse 13 provides this information. It says, when they had entered the city, we're coming back, when they had entered the city, they went to the upper room where they were staying. That is, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James, the son of Elpheus, and Simon, the zealot, and Judas, the son of James. They're all back together. Now Judas, the son of James, was okay. He's with him. It was the other guy, Judas Iscariot, that did all this damage. So it's about this time the apostle decided then, well, we have to replace Judas here with another man who would be a witness to Jesus' resurrection. We want somebody who was there, who actually saw him. So they put forward two men, Barsabbas and Matthias, And then they drew lots, and in drawing the lots, the lot fell to Matthias, so Matthias was added then to the apostles. So then later, as we all know, the Pharisee we know as Paul, who hated Christians and persecuted them, was confronted on the road to Damascus, what, by the risen Christ, and was immediately converted to Christ and became a great missionary. We all know that. planting churches in the Middle East and perhaps as far away as Spain. So over the course of his ministry, Paul wrote 13 letters to the churches in the New Testament. We have his letters. He was finally beheaded in Rome. He went from persecuting Christians to being, what, beheaded in Rome for his faith. He gave his all. He gave his all to Christ. And surely his reward is great in heaven, while Judas Iscariot, having his opportunity to love Christ, but turned against him, is suffering the terror of the deepest part of hell for all eternity. 30 pieces of silver. So what can we learn about this? No matter what the temptation, No matter how terrible the threats and the persecution, we need to hang firm to the anchor of Christ. Hang firm to the anchor of Christ, never forsaking Him. So Peter said in John 6, verses 68 and 69, And he's talking to the Lord. Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have believed and have come to know that you are the Holy One of God. There is no other. There is no other. So in this coming world where the world is turning, if we end up being persecuted, Even losing whatever we lose, we hold to the anchor of Christ. Amen? Amen. Let us pray. And then we will immediately participate in the Lord's supper. Our Father in heaven, we thank you. We thank you for this entire chapter six of the Gospel of John because there's so much in it. you would have us to be aware of. And we thank you, Father, that we've been led through it by the Spirit, your Holy Spirit, and we benefited from that. So we give you thanks, in Christ's name, amen. So the Lord's Supper, we're going to spend some time this morning on the Lord's Supper. And as we all know, since it's the third Sunday of the month, we're going to prepare to taking the bread and the cup together, as Jesus instituted his last supper at that last Passover meal with his apostles in that upper room in Jerusalem, just before they went to the Garden of Gethsemane, when Jesus was betrayed by Judas Iscariot and arrested. So I want to take note here that Jesus' final Passover meal in that upper room was not a public event. It was a private event between himself and those who had committed their lives to him, believing in who he is, that he is our Lord and Savior, the Son of God. This is the time that his followers of Jesus Christ, that were to remember his death, and that it was his death on the cross that paid in full the penalty for our sins. We find the Apostle Paul's first letter to the church at Corinth. He said that those who participate in the Lord's Supper must first examine themselves. Let me read this out of 1 Corinthians chapter 11, and you can read along with me verses 26 to 29. And Paul is saying here, for as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, You proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. But a man must examine himself, and in so doing, he is to eat of the bread and drink the cup. For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly. And for this reason, many among you are weak and sick and a number sleep. But if we judge ourselves rightly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, We are disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned along with the world. Well, there's a couple of things here. One, what was really going on in Corinth, we have to ask is, why did Paul write this to the letter, write this letter to the church at Corinth? Because there was a problem in the church, and it needed to be resolved, because God does not intend for those in the church to be like those in the world outside. And there's a problem going on. Some of the saints in the church at Corinth were struggling with applying the word of God to their daily lives. And Paul took the story seriously, so he wrote them about their behavior. One of the things that was going on is the more affluent saints in the church were coming together and they were ignoring those who were hungry, the needy. There was two, all kinds of different people in the church. Some were very poor and needy, others wealthy. And so they were ignoring the needy and they were sitting there and eating and eating their food and getting drunk. And the needy were without. And just sat around watching all this, I guess. So Paul takes this seriously, and he wrote about his letters in Galatians 1, verses 11 and 12, and what he said here is, for I would have you know, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ. Okay, so what Paul is writing here is not his opinions, he is writing what he's received from Christ. Revelation. So I want to continue reading here in verse 18 in 1 Corinthians chapter 11. So Paul goes on, For in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that divisions exist among you, and in part I believe it. For there must also be factions among you, so that those who are approved may become evident among you. Therefore, when you meet together, it is not to eat the Lord's supper, for in your eating, each one takes his own supper first, and one is hungry, and another is drunk. Verse 22, what? Do you not have houses in which to eat and drink? Or do you despise the truth of God and shame those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? In this, I will not praise you. Well, there's three things going on church here in Corinth. One, divisions among the saints. In other words, unresolved offenses. Things people said, things people did, somebody else is offended. This was going on. Secondly, factions among the saints, those who were dissenting about the teachings of Scripture. We don't have a problem in this church with ignoring the needy or getting drunk at the So we'll ignore that third point. But we have experienced both divisions and factions. And these things trouble the apostle Paul, and it should trouble us in this assembly, which is a part of the body of Christ. For the sake of time, we'll consider only this first point this morning. The second point will follow at a later date. In following Paul's instructions about examining ourselves, Let's consider divisions. Offenses are bound to happen. Why? Because we all struggle in the flesh, which, as Paul taught in Romans 7, we are in conflict with two natures, the spiritual and the flesh. They fight one another. We're in conflict. So offenses are bound to happen. If I say something, somebody takes it wrong, they get offended. If you do something, say something, do something that somebody takes wrong, they get offended. And when there's a legitimate offense, it needs to be dealt with. There's a very convicting Old Testament scripture about a relationship with others. Leviticus 19, verses 17 and 18. And it goes like this. You shall not hate your fellow countrymen in your hearts. You may surely reprove your neighbor, but shall not incur sin because of him. You shall not take vengeance nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord. This command of God goes beyond those in the church. It extends to all our relationships with others. It's a very convicting verse, especially when I watch TV. God's word extends, means for us, to reflect Christ to the world, not just to one another. There are many references to anger in both the Old Testament and the New Testament, and I want to look at just one more, Ephesians 4, 29 to 32. Paul writes this, let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification, according to the need of the moment so that you will give grace to those who hear. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you along with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other just as God in Christ has forgiven you. So as we examine ourselves in the light of scripture, confessing our sins, we do so for three reasons. First of all, because God said to do so before we participate in remembering the death of Jesus. God said this. Two, we do so because it must be done for the spiritual health of the body of Christ, the church, and we cannot reflect the light of Christ in this community if we are not spiritually healthy. And the third point, we do so because our worship of God and of his Christ, and this is important to understand, our worship of God and his Christ is of no value if we refuse to obey Christ's commands through the apostles who wrote these things of scripture in the New Testament and God's purpose is to conform us to the image of His Son. Is it not? We agree? Peter reminds me of this when he wrote 1 Peter 1 verse 14 and 15. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance. but be like the Holy One who called you. Be holy yourselves also in all your behavior. Preparing this this week, this kind of came down on my head, like a two by four. Because over the course of this last year, especially dealing with the what's called the RTC, or Reno Transportation Commission, and some other things. I was at times not reflecting Christ, if I can put it nicely. But this is convicting. What is our behavior like in the world? What is our language like in the world? We have to think about these things and say, what does scripture say? What are we to do? We are to examine ourselves before we participate in the Lord's Supper. And with that in mind, let's take a few moments of silent prayer, examining ourselves and confessing to the Lord anything that you have struggled with, seeking His forgiveness, and He is sure to do so. Let's do that. So, Father in heaven, as we do this, we come before your throne spiritually relieved, spiritually healthy, and we seek the leading now of the Holy Spirit as we partake of the Lord's Supper. In Christ's name we pray. Amen. I want to read 1 Corinthians 11, 23 and 24. Or Paul begins in 23, for I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which he was betrayed took bread. And when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, this is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me. So if we could serve the bread, please. Elder Brian, would you pray for the bread, please? Our Father in heaven, as we come before you this beautiful Lord's Day that you have made for us, Lord, to come together as a church, as part of the Church of Jesus Christ on this earth, Lord, we lift up this congregation here, Lord, as we Take this bread, Lord, as a symbolic sacrifice of your son, Lord. And we are so thankful that you sent him, Lord, to be a propitiation for us and for our sins. And that we see that no greater love, Lord, could you provide for us than sending your son to die on that cross at Calvary. to take on our sin sword. We just want to give you thanks for this in Jesus name. Amen. Amen. And so we take to bread remembering the death of Christ. We've served the cup, please. beginning in verse 25, in the same way he took the cup also after supper, saying, this cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me. What we, he's saying, do this in remembrance of me. When God handed Moses the law on Mount Sinai, He meant it to be permanent. And so the law has not gone away. The law is there for us to obey. The problem is we find it impossible to obey the law. So what happened is Jesus Christ came and he obeyed that law and fulfilled the entire law for us on our behalf. And they died on our behalf. It shed his blood. And so as we take the cup, we remember that we have been, as believers in Christ, we have been placed into Christ spiritually and Christ in us. Therefore, when he says we have a new covenant, he said this is a new covenant, It's the covenant of grace. It means that God has poured out his mercy and his grace upon us. And Jesus has fulfilled the entire law on our behalf. So in him, in him, we fulfill the law. Does that make sense? We fulfilled the law of God in him. Therefore, God has imputed Christ's righteousness to us. And so when we take the cup and we remember that this is the new covenant, it's a covenant where we really have to give thanksgiving and gratitude because Christ fulfilled the law and God the Father has imputed the righteousness of Christ to us in this new covenant. Isn't that great? Isn't that great? So we thank you, Father, we thank you for the divine shed blood of Christ. And we thank you that he has fulfilled the entire law. We thank you that your grace has been poured out on us. Your mercy has been poured out on us. And we live under the new covenant where Christ has fulfilled the law on our behalf. We thank you for this in Jesus name. Amen. So take the cup. Our Father in heaven, we would truly give thanks for the day, for your word, for this assembly, and for all here who attend, Father. And we thank you for the leading of the Holy Spirit in Jesus' name.