Episode 4

The Road to the Resurrection: Covenant and communion (North OC)

In this fourth sermon from the series 'The Road to the Resurrection,' Dallas Kaauwai explores the Gospel of Luke, focusing on Jesus' final days leading up to His crucifixion and resurrection. The sermon dives deep into Judas' betrayal, the significance of the Passover, and how Jesus becomes the ultimate sacrificial lamb. It emphasizes the importance of communion as an act of unity and remembrance of Christ's sacrifice. The sermon encourages believers to internalize the significance of Jesus' sacrifice, engage collectively in communion, and live transformed lives in Christ.

00:00 Introduction and Series Overview

01:15 The Last Supper: Covenant and Communion

02:47 Judas' Betrayal and Its Significance

12:13 Understanding the Passover

16:01 Jesus as the Ultimate Sacrificial Lamb

18:17 The Last Supper: Jesus' Final Meal with His Disciples

19:08 Personal Reflections on Communion

19:58 The Importance of Unity in Communion

21:01 The True Meaning of Communion

21:34 Challenges and Reflections on Modern Communion Practices

23:10 The Role of Love and Unity in the Church

33:59 Practical Steps for Deepening Communion

35:55 Concluding Prayer and Reflections

Transcript
Dallas:

My name is Dallas Kawai.

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Um, I'm a, uh, the North Orange Sea

Campus Minister, um, here at Cal

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State Fulton and Fulton College.

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And, um, I have the honor and

privilege today to be able

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to preach the word to you.

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Uh, this morning, it's so weird.

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We're having a handheld.

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I haven't had a handheld to preach

in a while, but this is fine.

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We're gonna work with it.

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Um, for those of you guys that

are joining us for the first time.

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Um, we are in a series called The Road

to the Resurrection, and basically

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what it is about is basically we are

on the, in the book of, on the Gospel

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of Luke and we're kind of trailing

Jesus' last few weeks, last few days,

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even before he's about to go on the

cross and die and, and be crucified,

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uh, for the sins of the world, um, and

then be resurrected three days later.

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Um, what's been amazing about

this series is we've been really

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able to kind of dive deep, uh.

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Last week.

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Uh, Mar uh, uh, Eric actually talked

about the end times and talked

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a lot about the widow's offering

as well, which was really great.

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'cause I think sometimes in those contexts

there's a lot of controversy about to,

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about the perspective and what and what

is to be expected at the end times.

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But I feel like he did a great job in the

week before that Marcel was in chapter 20.

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So in, in the fashion that we are,

we're gonna be going into order.

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So we are going to be in the gospel

of Luke, obviously, but Luke 22.

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So if you have your Bibles,

feel free to turn over there.

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Uh, tied to my lesson, by the way.

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Sorry, before I get it here.

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There we go.

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We're gonna do covenant and communion.

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Covenant and communion.

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And today we're gonna be talking

a lot about the last Supper, but

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we're gonna be leading up to it.

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Uh, I'm not gonna go through

all of chapter 22, lemme

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just preface that real quick.

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I'm gonna be going through,

uh, verses one through 24.

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Um, so I'll be kind of

ending it around that time.

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So there's a lot of great

stuff that happens after.

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It's just more of the time to really be

diving into the Last Supper more than into

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the, just covering the entire chapter.

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Just for the chapter's sake.

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I'm not trying to rush through this.

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Like, there's a lot of great

insight and, and, uh, and, um.

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Knowledge and wisdom that comes from

the last Supper that we really should

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really focus on, which is why we're here.

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There's a reason why we're here is because

of the Last Supper, and we'll talk a

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little bit more about that in a minute.

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But with that being said,

um, I'm gonna pray real quick

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and then we'll get started.

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So, bow your heads with me.

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Uh, father God, thank

you so much for today.

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Um, it's a time to come before you.

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Father, I pray you just please, uh,

speak through me, uh, remove me and

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all my, uh, my thoughts and my worries

and, and anxiousness, God, just to

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let your, uh, spirit just be, uh.

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Ever presence, um, in bold and

in just in, in your word that

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speaks more than my words.

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Uh, father, we pray that, uh, you

continue to just lead us God down this

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road to the resurrection, that we can

become inspired and encouraged, um, by

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your son Jesus, and how much he has done

for us, um, beforehand God, so that we

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get to inherit just so much love and

grace, um, the insurmountable amount

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God, that, uh, we could never deserve.

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But we are grateful.

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Father, we love you so much

and pray in Jesus name.

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Amen.

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We're gonna be in verse one.

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So with that being said, let's kind of.

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Bounce on over to here.

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Great.

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Awesome.

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So, verse one, um, Judas

agrees, Toray Jesus.

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So now the festival of unleavened bread

called the Passover was approaching

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and the chief priest and the teachers

of the law were looking for so

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well, some way to get rid of Jesus

for they were afraid of the people.

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Then Satan entered Judas called Scar

it, one of the 12, and Judas went to

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the chief priest and the officers,

uh, of the Temple Guard and discussed

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with them how he might betray them.

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They were delighted and

agreed to give him money.

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He consented and watched for an

opportunity to hand Jesus over to

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them when no crowd was present.

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Now, Eric, uh, last week talked about

and discussed the difference between,

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you know, the Pharisees and the

Sadducees and the teachers of the law.

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But what they all have in common is

that they're trying to get rid of Jesus.

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He's a threat to their power.

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He's a threat to their popularity.

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He's a threat to their credibility even.

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And so at this point, they're looking

for any way possible to get rid of him.

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So.

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Obviously they understand though

that if they try to seize him in the

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middle of the day, in the middle of

his teaching and in the crowd and

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the masses that are following him,

it's gonna cause some commotion.

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It's gonna cause some chaos

and it's gonna cause a ride.

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Maybe even because you have people

that are trying to take away the

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person that's been healing people,

uh, that has been, uh, foreseeing,

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uh, giving, forgiving of sins.

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Like there's just been so much going

on that if they try to take the person

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that has been bringing so much joy, so

much peace, so much faith to the people.

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Being uprising.

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So for them, they're, they have no

way in to be able to get to him.

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Now, obviously as we see here in verse

three, it says that then Satan entered

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Judas call the scar one to the 12.

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Now, obviously when you read that,

at first glance, it just kind of

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seems like, oh, okay, now Judas is

quote unquote possessed now by Satan.

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Let me clarify real quick, the

idea behind this is, is that

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actually, think about it like this.

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Are we all not tempted daily to sin?

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Can we agree that yes.

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Do we sometimes choose to do that?

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Yes.

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Though.

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Do we also sometimes

not choose to do that?

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Yes.

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So therefore, it is a choice that we all

have when temptation, when Satan comes

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knocking, Hey, with the lies and the

deceit is always a choice that we have.

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And unfortunately for Judas in

this moment, he chooses to accept

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the deceit and the, and the,

and indulge in the temptation.

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To betray Jesus.

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Now, I don't know exactly.

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Scripture does not give us the exact

reason why Judas decides to betray Jesus.

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Now there are, there

are some speculations.

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One of it is greed.

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Now, as you can see, um, as, as I

highlighted here, um, that he agreed to

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give them money is the last highlight.

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That's where I wanna focus on here.

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In another, in another translation

or in another part of the gospel,

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another account in Matthew.

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It says as though they counted

for him 30 pieces of silver.

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He had asked specifically,

I want 30 pieces of silver.

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I'm going to turn over Jesus to you.

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Now, that's honestly, uh, as, as, as

sad as it is, it is part of God's will.

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Why?

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Because in Zacharia nine it's Prophe

says, I told him, if you think it is

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best, give me pay, but if not, keep it.

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They paid him 30 pieces of silver,

and the Lord said to me, throw it

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to the potter, and the handsome

price at which they valued me.

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So I took the 30 pieces of

silver and threw it to the

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potter at the house of the Lord.

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Later on, Judas will be, will, uh,

go on to regret and be remorseful

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about his decision to betray Jesus

and, and try to give the money back.

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But it is part of the prophecy.

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It is part of God's will that even though.

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One of his 12, the disciples decides

to betray it is part of God's will.

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And we'll touch upon that a little

bit later on in the, in the sermon.

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Um, we'll get back to that a little bit,

but I just wanted to preface though it's

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more of the fact that he indulges in it.

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Think of it like this.

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When you're on the freeway and

you're, and you're going and you get

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a notification that you might have a

flat tire, sometimes that flat tire

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is not immediately noticeable, right?

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Sometimes, maybe there's a nail in the

tire and there's air slowly releasing out.

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So over time you don't see

it, you don't notice it.

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But until you go from 32 PSI and

you're down to 22 PSI and you're

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like, that's a noticeable difference.

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There's something wrong with my car.

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But I think of it in this way.

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I think of when I, when I read about

Judas, I don't think it was an overnight

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expectation of I'm gonna portray Judas.

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I'm just doing it now.

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But I think it was over time.

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The idea that he, and there are some other

speculations that come up, is that he had

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this selfish ambition to wanna be almost

like Jesus' second in command, or this

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idea that Jesus was gonna be the ruler

that was gonna overthrow the Roman empire.

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And so when he wanted to be there, he

wanted to have some status between it.

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But I think over time, I think as he

saw Jesus teach people, as he saw him

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combat with the Pharisees, he kind of

got to probably understand that Jesus

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is not gonna be the kind of guy that's

going to war over all these things.

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He's not the kind of guy that's

gonna be looking to pick a fight

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physically after, after these

Pharisees and the Roman Empire.

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And I think over time he

kind of got unsettled.

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I think he kind of got

discontent, he got prideful.

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And over time to the point where now he

has a decision, he has an opportunity

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if he needs to portray Jesus or not.

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He's already at that 22 PSI.

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He's already at that point

where he's like, you know what?

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I'm just gonna make this.

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I'm gonna make a decision

because I'm already been there.

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But it was over time.

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Think about it.

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I don't think initially he had that idea

when Jesus first elected him to be one

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of the 12, but it was over time, three

years that eventually to the point where

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now he decides I'm going Toray Jesus.

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You guys with me so far?

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Okay.

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You know, one of the things that I,

I got to study out as I was doing

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this was one thing I found very, very

interesting is that Judas, in all four

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accounts of the gospel, whenever he's

mentioned, or he never, he calls to Jesus.

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He only calls him rabbi.

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He never calls him Lord.

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Isn't that interesting?

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One of the 12 never calls Jesus Lord.

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Even when Christ, even when Peter, um,

reveals and from, from, from heavenly

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wisdom, that Jesus is the son of God.

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He is Lord.

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Afterwards, he still calls him

even when Judas turns him over.

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As we will read later on in the

series here, not this, not, not

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today, but later on in the series,

even when he comes to egregious, he

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says, rabbi never calls him Lord.

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Judas is a prime example that

you could hear Jesus' words.

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You could see the miracles.

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You could be around spiritual people,

but your heart is never transformed.

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You can come to church, listen to

the sermons, communicate and commune

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with people in the congregation.

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Give your tithes.

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But if your heart is never transformed,

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there's a problem.

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You can show up all you want,

but it doesn't matter what

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you're doing on the outside.

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It matters what is

transforming you on the inside.

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Is your heart being transformed?

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And like I said, Juda is

a prime example of that.

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He's the prime example that just

because you're around it all

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doesn't mean that you're allowing

yourself to be transformed.

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You guys with me so far,

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so I wanna, I want, I want, first

point I wanna make here is, is

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Jesus Lord, or is he just rabbi?

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You know the point, like I

said, is Jesus Lord, are you

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calling him Lord of your life?

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He reigns.

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You are submitting to the reign and

rule of Christ, or is he just a good

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person, a good example, a good teacher,

someone that did good, or does he reign

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and rule over every part of your life?

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Are you allowing yourself

to be transformed?

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Let's continue eating.

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It then came the day of unleavened

bread on which Passover, the, the

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Passover lamb had to be sacrificed.

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Jesus sent Peter and John

saying, go and make preparations

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for us to eat the Passover.

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Where do you want us to prepare it?

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Uh, prepare for it.

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They asked.

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He replied, as you enter the city, a man

carrying a jar of water will meet you.

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Follow him to the house that he enters and

say to the owner of the house, the teacher

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asks, where is the guest room where I

may eat the Passover with my disciples?

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He will show you a large room upstairs,

all furnished, make preparations there.

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They left and found things

just as Jesus had told them,

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so they prepare the Passover.

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Now, I would love to get into more about

this, about the idea of just how did Jesus

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know all that and this, this and that.

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One thing we always remember

is that said Jesus, Jesus, God,

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and he has the foreknowledge.

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He's omniscient.

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He's all knowing.

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So therefore, him to be able to prophesy

and proclaim that this is going to

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happen, that when you guys go there.

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Like I said, that's just, it's

just proof of his deity of Christ.

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It's just proof that he is God.

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And so, as I said, as much as I want

to go into it and, and, and dissect it,

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like, it's just like there's a lot of,

there's lessons about faith and obedience.

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I mean, if someone told you to go and

like, drive somewhere to a different

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place and said that they, there, you're

gonna find this person and you're

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gonna share with that person, and then

that person's get, like, it's just,

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there's just a lot that it's hard

to believe sometimes when you don't

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know the exact details of a plan.

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When someone's just telling you to do

something, you're like, oh man, I don't,

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I, I, I, I sure you could say that,

but I don't know if I believe that.

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Like I said, there's a lot of lessons

that I'm not trying to glaze over it

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just to go and or glaze over it just

to, just for the sake of the fact

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we're trying to get through a chapter,

but there's a lot of lessons there,

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but I wanna focus more on nothing.

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Who knows what the Passover is?

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Raise your hand.

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Show of hands.

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It's okay.

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Alright.

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And if you do not raise

your hand, it's okay.

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This is, this is a judgment free zone.

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Congratulations.

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You've entered Passover 1 0 1.

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We're gonna give you a

quick history buff on it.

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Well, I will.

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My name is Eric Ennis.

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Just kidding.

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My name is not Eric Ennis.

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But the idea behind it is, though,

I wanna be able to make sure that

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we are all on the same page of

the significance of Passover.

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We hear it a lot with this.

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It's a, during this time of the year,

especially in this, in this story,

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just Passover is mentioned a lot,

so I just wanna make sure that we're

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all on the same page about what's

going on and what's going down.

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You guys with me?

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Okay, so the history passed over.

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So the purpose of it commemorates

God's deliverance of Israel

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from the, from slavery in Egypt.

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'cause the Israelites were enslaved

in Egypt for 400 years as it was

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prophesied in Genesis by God when he

made the covenant with Abraham saying,

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Hey, that you will inherit this land,

but your people will be enslaved in

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land, not their own for 400 years.

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So with that, when God calls Moses

an exodus, right, to be able to lead

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his people out of Egypt, Pharaoh,

the ruler at the time in Egypt

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refuses to release Israelites.

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So God sends the 10 plagues to try

to convince him, but after each

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time, Pharaoh hardens his heart.

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So then by the 10th plagues, that's crazy.

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10th plagues is crazy.

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I mean, I don't know how

stubborn you gotta be.

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I mean, I'm pretty stubborn, but

that's, that's it's crazy work.

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But.

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First, the, the 10th and final

plague was the death of firstborn,

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which was the final judgment.

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Now, within that, the, the destructions

were that the angel of death would

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pass over Egypt and would kill any,

any, um, go into households and

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kill the firstborn of every family.

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With that being said, though, obviously

God is not gonna allow his people

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to perish, so he allows them, he

talks to Moses and his brother Aaron,

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about the idea of, hey, this is why

you are be, you're gonna be able

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to protect yourself, and that the

spirit of the Lord will pass over.

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You guys see where I'm you see where

the name, where the Passover comes

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from, it's gonna pass over your home.

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So obviously we have the

selection of the lamb.

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So on the 10th day of the

month, you would select a lamb.

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Then you would sacrifice

it on the 14th day.

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Then you would get the blood from

the lamb that you sacrifice and

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you would paste it on your door.

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Frame that the front door, so that

way when the spirit of the Lord comes,

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if it sees the blood on the door

from it will pass over your home.

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You'll be safe.

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However, if it doesn't, it will enter

and it will kill your firstborn.

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Then there was the eating of the

lamb, there was eating it in haste

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because at this point, after this,

they understood that they were gonna

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have to leave and, uh, leave Egypt

because pH was gonna release them.

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Now there was God's protection and there's

also the festival of the unleavened

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bread where there was the festival

duration, where they were in such a hurry.

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If you know how, if you know how to

make bread, you know, bread takes time.

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You've gotta let it rise, right?

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So they were in a rush too.

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So they were eating unleavened bread,

they mean blood, uh, bread without yeast.

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So they had to make sure that

they were eating that in a sense

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of, to commemorate the fact that

they were in a rush to get out.

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So they remove the lemon, eat the

unleavened bread and the consecration

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understanding that this is going to be.

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Like if you don't, if anyone like said,

would eat, leave bread, basically they

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would be cut off from the community.

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It was very strict.

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God.

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God in the Old Testament was very,

very, very precise, very direct

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about what his expectation was and

for us to obey his instructions.

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Now, the final part here is the lasting

ordinance, meaning that afterwards

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God would want this Passover meal to

be recreated every year, every year,

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and every year, so that the Israelites

could always look back to a time.

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At this time we're God free them.

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God brought his deliverance, right?

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We talked they were 400 years in

captivity and now they're out.

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So this is what the, this

is what the Passover in the

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festival unleavened bread is.

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Are you guys with me so far?

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Okay, great.

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So the point that I wanna make

here is that Jesus is the ultimate

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sacrificial lamb at this point.

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And when Jesus gets to, um, his

pa, his the last supper, the

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final Passover for him, this has

almost been about:

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If you think of it, the, the king,

the, the Israelites have grown

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and grown and grown and grown.

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So therefore that means

there's more households.

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And when there means more

households means more sacrifices.

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So think of the millions or

thousands upon thousands, even maybe

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the millions of lambs and other

animals that have been sacrificed

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to atone for sins to be remembered.

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Like it's just, there's just so many.

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But you know what the significance

is, is that none of them.

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None of those sacrifices

would ever amount.

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They were never enough.

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Enter Jesus Christ.

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Jesus then begins to tell them, and

he's about to change the whole story.

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He's about to change the significance

of what Passover means and is about

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:

to become the ultimate sacrificial

lamb that this, that he himself will

366

:

be the final sacrifice ever needed.

367

:

There's no longer a need to go and

kill millions of, of lambs and,

368

:

and bulls and cattle and whatever.

369

:

But now it's because of through him

that we find that there's no need to

370

:

sacrifice no more through the Passover.

371

:

We're gonna continue reading here.

372

:

Uh.

373

:

Next one here.

374

:

Sorry.

375

:

When the hour came, Jesus and

his disciples, uh, and his

376

:

apostles reclined at the table.

377

:

Now, I just wanna also preface here,

when we think of recline, it's not how we

378

:

recline like on a, like a big sofa mat.

379

:

Like that's, that's not,

that's not the kind.

380

:

Now we're leaning back.

381

:

Reclining at the table is

actually, the table is about, yay.

382

:

High also.

383

:

Thank you, Eric.

384

:

And it's, Eric's been doing a Seder

meal for us the last couple years

385

:

in campus, and it's been really

cool to be able to participate it.

386

:

But when somebody reclines at the table,

you're actually leaning on your left arm.

387

:

Your right arm is free to be able

to eat, to be able to talk, to

388

:

be able to, uh, pass things along

during the, during a Seder meal.

389

:

But so at the table, it's

a very intimate setting.

390

:

It's not very much just like, like I said,

sofa, like sofa, like lazy boy cushions.

391

:

Like it's not that it's

just on the ground.

392

:

Everyone is around on the table,

reclining on their left side,

393

:

everyone's able to see one another.

394

:

So it's a very intimate setting.

395

:

So I just wanna make sure

you guys preface that.

396

:

And he says to him, I have

eagerly desire to eat this

397

:

Passover with you before I suffer.

398

:

For I tell you, I will not

eat it again until it finds

399

:

fulfillment in the kingdom of God.

400

:

After taking the cup, he gave thanks and

said, take this and divide it among you.

401

:

For I tell you, I will not drink

again from the fruit of the vine

402

:

until the kingdom of God comes and

he took the bread, gave thanks and

403

:

broke it and gave it to them, saying,

this is my body given for you.

404

:

Do this in remembrance of me.

405

:

In the same way after the supper, he took

the cup saying, this cup is a new covenant

406

:

in my blood, which is poured out for you.

407

:

And this is, this is where, this

is where we get communion from.

408

:

This is, this is where, this is

where we originate the idea of the

409

:

bread and uh, and the, and the juice,

the wine really back in the day.

410

:

And one of the things I just wanna share

is I, so I just, for those of you who

411

:

don't know me, I grew up in this church.

412

:

I grew up, um.

413

:

Going to the Kids' Kingdom classes.

414

:

And when we finally were able to come

into this service, you know, outta the

415

:

kids' Kingdom classes, one of the things

I I remember immediately realizing is

416

:

like, when we were passing the trays,

I was like, oh, it's a nice cracker.

417

:

Like, yeah, it, this is cool.

418

:

And little, little cups there

and like, oh, all right.

419

:

This is, this is pretty nice.

420

:

It was, it was cool.

421

:

I mean, I, I wasn't a disciple at this

time when I first came into the service

422

:

because I, I mean, I was very young

and I, I really didn't have a concept

423

:

of a lot of like, who Jesus was and,

and really what he really stood for.

424

:

I mean, I knew he loved me.

425

:

I knew he died, but like, it

just wasn't really resonate.

426

:

As I got older though, as I and I became

a disciple, I, I began to understand,

427

:

okay, like, you know, this is where,

you know, this is where Jesus really

428

:

emphasized his remembrance in us.

429

:

Now, one of the things I do

wanna recognize here is that.

430

:

Ultimately when we, when we, when I

think of doing this in remembrance of

431

:

Jesus, I think sometimes what it's hard

for me, I'll be honest, is that it can

432

:

just feel like I'm just remembering

him, but I'm not engaging in this time.

433

:

You know, as you can see here, he,

Jesus didn't do this by himself.

434

:

He wasn't isolated from his disciples.

435

:

He wasn't in a mass even crowd.

436

:

It was a very intimate setting.

437

:

Communion is an intimate setting.

438

:

Communion is a time of unity.

439

:

Communion is all about unity.

440

:

Also, I just wanna thank, um, Juan

and Erica, thank you so much for

441

:

sharing your thoughts on communion.

442

:

Um, which is.

443

:

I said, thank you for sharing

your thought for communion.

444

:

That's basically all I said.

445

:

Thank you.

446

:

Sorry.

447

:

That's all you're gonna get though.

448

:

But anyway, the idea behind communion

though is it's an intimate setting.

449

:

Jesus did this in his last ti last time

with his disciples all together that

450

:

he says, do this in remembrance me.

451

:

He said, don't just remember me.

452

:

Don't just think of it

as a, as a fond memory.

453

:

Like, no, like when you break the

bread together, when you share the,

454

:

when you share the wine together.

455

:

This is, this is you participating

and being unified with me.

456

:

And you know what?

457

:

I'll be honest.

458

:

I'm, I, I, after reading and doing a lot

of studies, I'm starting to have a gripe

459

:

about these things because they, in my

opinion, it makes us more individualized.

460

:

He says, break the bread together.

461

:

Acts two says they were breaking

bread in their homes together.

462

:

We break no bread with these.

463

:

I'm sorry.

464

:

Like, that's just the reality.

465

:

We open it, we eat it, we pop

whatever left is left in it.

466

:

What happens in evaporated, you know, and

then we, then we just, we just, we say it.

467

:

But no, it's a time to remember.

468

:

It's a time to commune together.

469

:

I add this little chart there, like, or

this little, um, definition first that

470

:

communion is, is, is based in the word.

471

:

The definition is to share

which one has in anything.

472

:

It's a participation.

473

:

It's not just a passive remembrance,

it's an active remembrance.

474

:

And this chart here that I have here, I'm

gonna go here real quick and I'll come

475

:

back to the scripture, but there's us,

our priority is to connect with Christ.

476

:

It's to remember Christ.

477

:

However, though it is also a priority

to connect with our brothers and

478

:

sisters so that we all look across

the aisle and see one another.

479

:

Say, this is why we're here.

480

:

We're not here because

the worship is great.

481

:

We're not here because the welcome

table is so welcoming and that the

482

:

refreshments and the breakfast is amazing.

483

:

Those are great things.

484

:

But we are here because of Christ.

485

:

I, I, I'm being completely honest, I have

taken communion for granted for too long.

486

:

I have.

487

:

Been too busy worrying about the

order of service and when I have

488

:

to do things and, and where I have

to be that I've skipped out on the

489

:

most important part of the service.

490

:

There's a brother in our congregation.

491

:

I will not name his name if he wants to

raise his hand though, he totally can.

492

:

Um, I asked him, if it were up

to you, how would you do church?

493

:

And he said, I would only

have a communion and a sermon.

494

:

I was like, what about the worship bro?

495

:

Like, come on.

496

:

Like as a worship leader, I take that,

I don't take that personally, but.

497

:

Kind of do you know?

498

:

But you know, I, but I, I, I,

I, at first I was like, I mean,

499

:

I mean, those are good things.

500

:

Yeah.

501

:

But after reading and studying out

communion, I understand now because

502

:

even if a sermon is okay, yeah,

you can grab about me all you want.

503

:

I don't care.

504

:

But communion.

505

:

Breaking it, the bread together, sharing

the juice, looking across the aisle and

506

:

being like, dude, your sins are forgiven.

507

:

My sins are forgiven.

508

:

We are here because of Christ.

509

:

Like, like, why would I even just

continue to see it as just a routine

510

:

or as a slot in the service when

this is the reason why we are here.

511

:

You know, and to be honest, a lot of

churches don't do communion weekly.

512

:

Some of it's just monthly.

513

:

Some of it's just on special

occasions, but we get to do it weekly.

514

:

But you know, what's dangerous

about when it's weekly is that

515

:

it can get old real quick.

516

:

It can just feel like, oh, well someone's

gonna come up here and share their

517

:

testimony and, you know, and, and say,

say a scripture, and then we're gonna

518

:

move on to the next part of the service.

519

:

Now when someone comes up here to share

about communion, they are sharing about

520

:

how Jesus has changed their life, how

Jesus has brought them out of darkness

521

:

into the light, that there is hope, that

without it we are not gonna be here.

522

:

We would not be here.

523

:

Man, Alex said, I, I, I, I, I've

grown up in this church for so

524

:

long, so just communion, communion,

communion, communion, I hear all

525

:

the time, but now, almost 10 years

as a disciple, I finally get it.

526

:

Like I, I fi it just, it finally

like, it, it resonates with me to

527

:

the point where like, it brings me

to tears because I understand now.

528

:

I'm like, wow.

529

:

What would it be like if we

just totally disregarded it?

530

:

What would it be like if we just took

it as another slot in the service

531

:

that we were so dependent on the

worship, we were so dependent on the,

532

:

on the fellowship that we forgot?

533

:

The reason that we are here is to

remember him, and it's not just for

534

:

the fact of that we're, we're here to

remember him because it's church, but

535

:

the fact that the church started because

of him, I'm so grateful for Jesus

536

:

Christ and I hope that you are too.

537

:

Because if you're here, like I said,

kicking it for friends, for social clubs,

538

:

if you're here because you wanna feel like

a good person, you're in the wrong place.

539

:

I'm sorry.

540

:

We worship Jesus.

541

:

We're here for him.

542

:

And communion is essential

for us as a family.

543

:

In, in one Corinthians chapter 10,

verse 16, verse 17, it says, it

544

:

is not the cup of Thanksgiving for

which we give thanks a participation

545

:

in the blood of Jesus Christ.

546

:

And is it not the bread that we break

a participation in the body of Christ?

547

:

Because there is one loaf.

548

:

We who are many are one body

for we all share one loaf.

549

:

That is why.

550

:

Breaking bread together is so important.

551

:

Like I said, when you look across

the aisle and you're, like I say,

552

:

you're meditating, like I, you have

your time to meditate with Christ.

553

:

Yes, absolutely.

554

:

You have your time to

focus in and lock in.

555

:

But when you finally get to

look across, you're like, man,

556

:

I'm so grateful you are here.

557

:

I'm so grateful that Jesus was worth

everything for you as it was for me.

558

:

As we continue to.

559

:

Remember communion.

560

:

I also want us to remember Jesus himself

in this time when he was presenting it.

561

:

You guys with me so far still, I wanna

focus on this highlighted text 'cause

562

:

I have eagerly desired to eat this

Passover with you before I suffer.

563

:

When Jesus started his his

ministry, he had this date in mind.

564

:

He knew when this was coming.

565

:

When someone is eager to desire

something, even in the midst of

566

:

suffering, how much love does

that person have for these people?

567

:

I mean, he could be worrying about

himself, which we do see later on.

568

:

He goes to pray, but he doesn't go alone.

569

:

He goes with his friends.

570

:

He takes them with him.

571

:

But one thing I, I do, I have

to remember, like, like I talked

572

:

about earlier, Jesus is omniscient.

573

:

He's all knowing.

574

:

He's got John on his right.

575

:

He's got Judas on his left.

576

:

The betrayer is to his left.

577

:

I don't know about you, but if someone

was going to betray me in the hours,

578

:

I would not have them next to me.

579

:

They'll be out the room.

580

:

They would not be next to me.

581

:

But he knows.

582

:

He knows.

583

:

He's like, I know he's gonna betray me.

584

:

I know that Thomas is gonna

doubt me when I get back.

585

:

I know all these guys are gonna desert

me when, when they come to arrest me.

586

:

If I was Jesus, I'd be like, man, I gotta

put up with these guys one more time.

587

:

I gotta have this meal with them.

588

:

Like, let's just get this over with.

589

:

Come on.

590

:

Like, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm ready to go.

591

:

Like, but no, you go

to John and you see it.

592

:

He just pours and pours so

much hope and faith in them.

593

:

He could have been anywhere else,

but he chooses to love them.

594

:

'cause guess what?

595

:

Love hurts guys.

596

:

When people hurt us,

especially within the church.

597

:

Ooh, yikes.

598

:

It struck a nerve there.

599

:

It's really quiet,

600

:

man.

601

:

Love hurts guys.

602

:

Jesus put it all on the line for us.

603

:

And you know, in the same way it says

in um, one Corinthians 11 that we

604

:

have to discern the body of Christ

when we take the bread in the cup.

605

:

That means.

606

:

If we are not in the spirit or in the

heart of unity with one another or

607

:

within Christ, we have to stop what

we're doing before we take communion

608

:

because like I said, if, if communion is

all about unity and you're not willing

609

:

to be unified with your brothers and

sisters, but I'm, I'm unified to Christ.

610

:

No, you're not.

611

:

Let's, let's, let's, let's

stop with the act here.

612

:

Jesus has every reason to dis, unify

and disfellowship all 12 of these guys.

613

:

'cause they all desert and they

all leave, but he pours into them.

614

:

He loves them, he gives them hope.

615

:

He prays for them.

616

:

The love that he has is indispensable.

617

:

One Corinthians uh, one Corinthians 13.

618

:

Love is patient.

619

:

Love is kind.

620

:

It does not envy.

621

:

It does not boast.

622

:

It is not self-seeking.

623

:

It keeps no records or wrong.

624

:

It always hopes, always

trusts, always perseveres.

625

:

Love never fails.

626

:

And you see this right here with Jesus.

627

:

The moment that he's about

to experience agonizing pain,

628

:

he spends it with the guys.

629

:

He spends it with the men that he has

entrusted to carry out his legacy,

630

:

knowing good and well, that they're

gonna be, they're one's gonna betray

631

:

him if you're gonna doubt him.

632

:

Others are gonna turn and run.

633

:

Peter, the rock of the

church is gonna disown him,

634

:

but he still gives them hope.

635

:

He still loves them.

636

:

And I just wanna encourage us.

637

:

Church, like I said, it's it's unity.

638

:

Time that we get to

spend with one another.

639

:

I, I don't want anyone

to take it for granted.

640

:

I don't want you to have to take 10 years

to figure out what communion is all about.

641

:

I don't want you to spend your

time a part of this congregation to

642

:

figure out, man, I, I, I get Jesus

amazing all, but like, but what?

643

:

Like what?

644

:

But what is it though?

645

:

It's love.

646

:

The only way we have unity is

because of the love of Christ.

647

:

The only way that we all look

very different in this crowd is

648

:

because of the love of Christ.

649

:

The reason that this congregation

is so diverse is because of the love

650

:

of Christ, and it covers us all.

651

:

Jesus is all about unity, and

only through unity can there be

652

:

true love, whether that's a spouse

or a friend, or in the church.

653

:

It's all about love.

654

:

'cause without it, we are nothing.

655

:

Whatever we do, if it's without

love, it's, it's, it's nothing.

656

:

And so, I, I I, I, I know I kind of just

went on a tangent there, but I, I, I

657

:

just felt the spirit I needed to say it.

658

:

Like I said, unity.

659

:

So let's, let's stop with the grudges.

660

:

Stop with the inconsideration.

661

:

Let's be honest.

662

:

Let's be real.

663

:

It's okay to be there.

664

:

That's, that's the only way you

can really have true bondage.

665

:

We can't just continue to just love

at arms distance and just expect

666

:

there to be peace within this all.

667

:

It's like, it's just, it's,

that's just not, it's not Jesus.

668

:

I love you guys.

669

:

I love this church.

670

:

And this is what we all, this is

what, this is all we need to work on.

671

:

This is what our church has

been working on the last year.

672

:

It's hard.

673

:

Sucks.

674

:

I'll be honest.

675

:

'cause it, it, these

conversations are not easy ones.

676

:

People leaving or people coming and going.

677

:

It's, it's not easy to watch that happen.

678

:

But if we desire to be like

Christ, then we have to endure it.

679

:

We have to persevere.

680

:

It's all about unity.

681

:

One practical is some practice I wanna

give you guys and you, and this is where

682

:

we can, uh, we're gonna land the plane

here, but identify one area of your

683

:

heart that needs Jesus to rule over.

684

:

Like I said, don't be Judas.

685

:

Don't let the nail in

the tire flatten you out.

686

:

Go.

687

:

No one go from 32 to 22 PSI.

688

:

Practice giving thanks to God

for the new covenant prayer.

689

:

I think sometimes what you guys, we can

get, I can get so bogged down about is

690

:

the fact that, man, I've been working so

hard and, and doing all these things and,

691

:

and I just feel like I'm not good enough.

692

:

Well, good thing, good.

693

:

Well, guess what?

694

:

Wake up.

695

:

You're not.

696

:

It's only because of the grace and

the love of God that you are here.

697

:

You're not good enough to get

into heaven on your own, but it's

698

:

because of the fact that we now

desire to live a righteous life.

699

:

From the embodiment of Jesus' eye is why

we are so grateful for the new covenant.

700

:

'cause repentance and

grace is so essential.

701

:

And finally, pray and prepare

weekly to make communion,

702

:

both personal and communal.

703

:

Let's not just show up

next Sunday with our cups.

704

:

Like I said, I, I get,

it's more efficient.

705

:

So I'm, I'm not trying to bash

the fact that we do it, I just,

706

:

I just want to preface that.

707

:

But that when we show

up though, we, we, we.

708

:

We look each other in the eye and we see

our brothers and sisters, we see family.

709

:

We see one another as, man, I'm

so grateful that you are here

710

:

and that you made Jesus Lord

of life, and I did as well.

711

:

But with that, it allows us

to center ourself with Christ,

712

:

be unified and go back.

713

:

I'm gonna go back to the slide

here, but then the identity is that

714

:

I belong to Jesus and his people.

715

:

That we are one, that we are

a family, we're one body.

716

:

So I love you guys so much.

717

:

Thank you guys for listening.

718

:

Um, but I'm gonna pray us out and then

uh, I'll have Marcel close us out here.

719

:

God, thank you so much for today.

720

:

Thank you so much for your son, Jesus.

721

:

God, as we, as we walk through

this road to the resurrection, God,

722

:

it just gets more real and real

about how much you truly love us.

723

:

God, where would we be without your love?

724

:

God.

725

:

I know.

726

:

Certainly for me, it's, it's been a, it's

been a, it's been a journey, uh, to be

727

:

able to learn how to truly appre not just

appreciate but speak, just deep gratitude.

728

:

But God, I know that in Ephesians

talks about, you know, that one

729

:

day we just, we're just trying to

grasp how deep, how wide, how big,

730

:

how great your love is for us.

731

:

So father, I pray that as we

remember the last supper, we, as we

732

:

remember communion, we, we pray that

we, we don't take it for granted.

733

:

We see it as a time to be unified with

you, be unified with our brothers and

734

:

sisters, and that ultimately God, that

you remind us that we belong to you.

735

:

God, we're so grateful.

736

:

We pray that you can bless our weeks.

737

:

God let us, like I said,

prepare for next Sunday.

738

:

Let us prepare for communion

and let us be evermore unified.

739

:

As your body and you at the head,

we pray in your son Jesus' name.

740

:

Amen.

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