In this sermon, the preacher focuses on the testimony of Jesus and his experience on the cross. Jesus expresses his feelings of abandonment by God and questions why he has been forsaken. The preacher explains that the Father turned his back on the Son, as Jesus took on the sins of humanity. The sermon emphasizes the importance of beholding the lamb, not just hearing about him, and encourages the audience to open their hearts to truly see and understand Jesus' beautiful life and the power of his death.

Hello, this is Brother Denny. Welcome to Charity Ministries. Our desire is that your life would be blessed and changed by this message. This message is not copyrighted and is not to be bought or sold. You are welcome to make copies for your friends and neighbors. If you would like additional messages, please go to our website for a complete listing at www.charityministries.org. If you would like a catalog of other sermons, please call 1-800-227-7902 or write to Charity Ministries, 400 West Main Street, Suite 1, AFPA, 17522. These messages are offered to all without charge by the freewill offerings of God's people. A special thank you to all who support this ministry. It's been a sweet day, hasn't it? I have such a powerful witness in my heart from the Lord about all that's happening here and all you dear brothers that are leaving, you sisters that are leaving, going to start another church, how we're doing it, the bond of love that we sense in our hearts for one another, this beautiful picture of all you brothers down there on your knees this morning, I know God will bless that. I know that God will bless that. I know it's the right way. May God help us all to do our part to continue to build those bonds when we have opportunities. So, it's communion this evening. There's a lot of things we could say about communion, but I was thinking about it earlier today and Brother Brian Zielinski reminded me of it again this evening. Communion is, one of the definitions of communion is common union. Amen? Amen. I was thinking about all that we've been through the last few weeks here together and the Wednesday night meetings and the things we've shared and how we've endeavored to draw our hearts together and be like minded and be of the same mind and think the same things and have the same direction and vision for our lives and for our families. I was reminded of the sweet communion service that we had in Africa the last time I was there in January. We don't always do it, but we do sometimes have communion and feet washing over there with the missionaries and I think there was about 55 missionaries over there when I was there in January. Now, that's quite a family, isn't it? But the common union of those missionaries, I mean, nobody had to sit down and decide, you know, are we on the same page? Do we have the same vision? You know, do our hearts beat the same way? I mean, they're all over there going through all the same things. They're suffering. They're denying themselves. They're out on the front line. The battle is fierce sometimes. They lay sick in their beds. Sometimes they're not sure if their little boy or their little girl is going to make it or live and all those things and they're out there preaching the gospel and they have a common union, brothers and sisters. They have a common union. Their love for the Lord Jesus Christ is real. It's sacrificial. It's filled with vision and their vision is united. And I had the blessed privilege of having communion with them. It just put a little different perspective on communion to me. I must say, I was in awe at the spirit of unity and the clarity of their vision together there. It was powerful. So, may God help us to be united like that. Amen. Having said that, let's kneel together for prayer. Yes, our God and our Father. That is the prayer of our heart. Lord, as we come to this communion service and yea, this last service when we'll all be together. We love you, Lord. Lord, we know that we are where we are because you first loved us and sent your Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Oh, thank you, Father. Lord Jesus, we worship you also for your willingness to lay your life down on that cross and shed your blood for us. Thank you, Lord Jesus. And Spirit of the Living God, we also thank you for wooing us, for convicting us, for bringing us into the family of God, for baptizing us into the body of Jesus Christ. We thank you. Now, God, Father, Son, Holy Ghost, open our eyes tonight. What does this communion mean, Lord? Give us a glimpse from the throne. We pray in Jesus Christ's name. Amen. John chapter 1 and verse 29. That's where we want to start reading this evening. Behold the Lamb of God. John said those words to the people that were gathered around him. But God also said those words to us, didn't He? He breathed them out in the Holy Scriptures two times. Behold the Lamb. And really, that's what Jesus said when He said, This do in remembrance of Me. He was saying to us, Behold the Lamb of God. In John chapter 1 verse 29, The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. This is He of whom I said, After Me cometh a man which is preferred before Me, for he was before Me. And I knew him not, but that he should be made manifest to Israel. Therefore am I come baptizing with water. And John bare record saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. And I knew him not, but he that sent Me to baptize with water, the same said unto Me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizes with the Holy Ghost. And I saw, and bare record, that this is the Son of God. And the next day after, John stood, and two of his disciples, and looking upon Jesus as He walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God. And over to verse 10 of the same chapter, through 14, He, the Lamb of God, the Lamb of God was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not. He, the Lamb of God, came unto His own, and His own received Him not. But, hallelujah, as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God. Even to them that believe on His name, which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. In the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory. We beheld the Lamb of God's glory. The glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. Behold, God says to us this evening, to behold. To behold means to look deeply. To behold means to gaze intently. It means far more than just, oh, look over there. It means so much more than that. To behold. To behold is to ponder with faith. To behold is to look deeply. These are powerful words that we read here in the Scriptures, spoken by one of the greatest prophets that ever lived, John the Baptist. Behold the Lamb of God. In these words, brothers and sisters, four thousand years of prophetic ministry unfolds before them, as he speaks out those words, Behold the Lamb of God. I've often wondered if these people understood at all what those words meant when John the Baptist said them, Behold the Lamb of God. All mankind had been looking to and sacrificing lambs for thousands of years, and now one man stands and points to a man who is the Son of God and says, Behold the Lamb of God. And not just to behold the Lamb of God, but behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world. Awesome! God had taught Adam and Eve to slay a lamb and shed its blood and offer a sacrifice. And even to this day, you will find sacrifice in many parts of humanity. Do you know where those sacrifices came from? They all came from that sacrifice, that first sacrifice, which was made there in the garden, which God did, which God shed the blood of animals and covered Adam and Eve with their garments. It all came from that sacrifice and it was passed down through all of humanity. And you will find it in many, many cultures today. Sacrifice! There were mysteries in the Lamb. There were cleansings in the Lamb. There were blessings in the Lamb. And as the people of God, Israel, as they looked upon the Lamb, they knew there were mysteries in this Lamb that they slain. Noah, Abraham, Job and many others offered sacrifices knowing that there were glorious mysteries in those sacrifices that they were making. Then in the book of Leviticus, God gives Israel clear instruction of what they should do. He speaks to them and tells them, without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sin. And brothers and sisters, that still stands today, doesn't it? No matter how many new religions come on the scene of humanity, no matter how much they try to blend them all together and make God some generic God, the bottom line and one of the dividing lines of the end of this age is, without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sin. Hallelujah! And without the shedding of the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, no man can come to God. We shall be called bigots someday for that testimony. But no man can be forgiven of their sins without the shedding of that blood. In the Old Testament, God told the children of Israel, when you sin, go and get a lamb without blemish. Bring that lamb to the side of the altar, to the priest. Lay your hands on the head of that lamb. That's quite a picture when you think about it. It's not a pretty picture to slay a lamb, by the way, especially if you raised it and most of them were shepherds. It's not a pretty picture to slay a lamb, but God said, I want you to go and get a lamb. Don't bring Me one that's maimed. Don't bring Me one that's got blemishes in it. Go get one of your beautiful lambs. And bring it to the altar there. And there by the side of the altar, put your hands upon the head of that lamb. And with your hands on the head of that lamb, confess your sin. And after you've confessed your sin, you get a knife and you slit the throat of that lamb and watch the blood come gushing out. Take that blood. Give it to the priest. The priest will sprinkle it on the altar. And take that lamb and burn him on the altar. Behold the lamb. Imagine what it would be like. You have raised this lamb. You have a sheep-shepherd relationship with this lamb, which by the way, if you don't have a relationship, you won't be able to lead those sheep. And everyone who's ever had sheep, they know that. You've had a sheep-shepherd relationship with this lamb. And now you go out there into the field. You take that lamb and you bring it in there and you slay it, confessing your sins on its head. Yes, there were many mysteries in those sacrifices in the Old Testament. This is the context of these words that John proclaimed, Behold the Lamb of God. Did they know what He said? Brothers and sisters, let us behold the Lamb this evening. That's what communion is all about. That's what Jesus meant when He said, This do in remembrance of Me. Behold. Look deeply. Look deeply tonight, brothers and sisters. Gaze intently. Ponder with adoration and gratitude the Lamb that was slain. Can I exhort you this evening to behold the Lamb? Can I exhort you to engage your heart beyond My words? Don't sit here this evening and wait for Me to display it all and explain it all. You go in your own heart and behold the Lamb this evening. Ask God to open up the eyes of your own heart that you may behold the Lamb, not just hear a servant talking about Him, but that you may behold Him with your own heart this evening. Behold His beautiful life. The Scripture tells us His death means nothing without His beautiful life. Amen? Amen. It means nothing without His beautiful life. His beautiful life. He is the pure and the spotless and the guileless Lamb. And His beautiful life is what makes His beautiful death so powerful. He was the spotless Lamb. Behold His beautiful life, His birth, His childhood. Think about it this evening, brothers and sisters. He was a little baby. He was a little boy. Think of some of the words that Simeon said to Mary and Joseph. And specifically to Mary. Yea, a sword shall pierce through thine own soul also. He said to Mary. Simeon knew. Mine eyes have seen the Lord's salvation. Simeon knew. I don't know how many other people knew. These things seem to be a mystery. I don't know how much they knew, but it seems that Simeon knew. He knew what he held in his hands that day when he blessed that baby like he had blessed so many babies before. But he seemed to know what he held in his hands. Mine eyes have seen Thy salvation. He was the express image of the Father. Turn with me to Matthew 3. I'll just interject these thoughts to you. I believe this is the Father confirming the Passover Lamb. You see, when they brought a Lamb that was going to be the Passover Lamb, they brought the Lamb to the priests. And the priests confirmed that Lamb. The priests checked out that Lamb. The priests looked it over and gave the okay. Yes, this is an acceptable Lamb for the Passover sacrifice. Here we have the Father confirming the Passover Lamb. So beautifully we see it here in Matthew 3. When Jesus came forth there to be baptized of John in Matthew 3, and John didn't want to baptize Him, and Jesus said, thus it is right for Me to fulfill all manner of righteousness. And John baptized Jesus. And as he baptized Jesus, the Holy Ghost came down upon Him like a dove and remained upon Him. But in that scene and that setting, there was a voice from Heaven that said these words, this is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. The Father confirmed the sacrifice. This is the Lamb. And it is spotless. And it is pure. And it is lovely. And He is My Son. And He is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. Remember, He's going to the cross. He's going to the cross. He stepped out of those waters and started on a path which ended at the cross, brothers and sisters. Yeah, there were a few other things He did along the way, but His path was set. He's going to the cross. Behold His beautiful life. Behold His compassion and His tender care. Watch how He lived, how He walked upon this earth. Brothers and sisters, the way that our Lord Jesus lived His life confirmed to all of humanity that He in fact was the Lamb of God, pure and spotless, tempted in all points like as we are yet without sin. Behold the Lamb, the spotless Lamb, the pure Lamb. Behold His compassion. See how He dealt with the people. See how He walked while He walked on this earth. See the way that He reached His hands down in compassion and healed those that were sick. See the way He reached out to those that were demented and tormented by spirits and chased them away. See the way that He walked upon this earth. The way He looked at the woman taken in adultery and looked upon her and said, neither do I condemn thee. Go and sin no more. And on and on we could go looking at the life, the beautiful life of the Lord Jesus. Yes, behold His beautiful life. Watch His response to the harsh words in the judgment hall when the very ones that He came to, the ones He came to, He came to His own and they received Him not, but instead said, crucify Him. See how He responds to those harsh words. Behold His beautiful life. See Him lay down His life on the cross which we'll speak more of later, but just to see there again. No man ever spake like this man spake. No man ever lived like this man lived. No man ever laid his life down on a cross like this man did. Though many men were crucified on crosses in those days, no man ever laid himself down on a cross like this. No, like a lamb that is dumb before His shearers and as one who is going to the slaughter, He opened not His mouth. Behold the Lamb, the spotless, pure and lovely Lamb of God, our Lord Jesus. Watch Him as He hangs there on the cross. Many of the people who cried crucified Him have heard the words of John the Baptist. Behold the Lamb of God. Now they're crucifying Him. Didn't anyone remember those words? Out of the masses of the sheep of Israel came forth a Lamb and they, the rest of Israel, took Him and beat Him and slew Him. And the invitation still comes ringing down through the ages. Come! Come! Put your hands upon the head of the Lamb confessing your sinfulness, confessing your sin. Come! Put your hands upon the head of the Lamb, consecrating your life to Him, turning your life over to Him. Come! Put your hands upon the head of the Lamb. And oh, aren't we rejoicing this evening, each and every one of us, that we heard that invitation and responded to the call. And we sit here this evening with a free heart and a clear heart washed in the blood of the Lamb. I don't understand that. Why can I be sitting here and others not? I don't understand that. I don't need to understand it. I receive it. There is great benefit this evening, brothers and sisters, in beholding the Lamb. Christ commands us to do it. And that is what the communion service is all about. Beholding the Lamb. We want to take several glances at the Lamb this evening. Several glances from the Scripture. First of all, we want to behold the Lamb from the disciples' perspective. They beheld the Lamb. They were there, some of them, at that day when John spoke those words. They were there. They heard those words. They had great meaning to them. And they have given accounts of what they saw in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The Lamb, the dying Lamb, from the disciples' perspective. Behold the Lamb looking up at the cross from the perspective of the disciples. Can you put yourself for a moment this evening in their shoes? In their shoes. They heard those words. They wondered about those words. They pondered them. They walked with Him. They talked with Him. They beheld His glory. The glory of God's Lamb. They beheld His life. They saw the way He lived. They heard the things that He said. And now there He is, being beaten and scourged and all the things that He went through. They beheld the way He was treated in the judgment hall. And they saw the way He responded. They beheld the scourging that took place, the mockings, the spittle on His face, the crown of thorns that they pushed down upon His head. They saw those things. Some of them. I know John did. And I know Peter did. But I don't know about all the rest of them. They beheld those things. They saw them. They saw the way He struggled to carry His cross and finally breaking down underneath the weight of it. They saw that. They saw Him lay Himself down on that cross. They saw that. Oh, it was a very different way to die. Even for them, they've never seen anything like this. Where a man would simply lay His hands out on the cross. Oh, many had been crucified on crosses in those days. Many a man kicked and squirmed and cursed and growled and squealed and pleaded for mercy and begged and trod. Everything possible. Probably all of them had to have their hands held down by two or three others. And then a nail pounded in there. But this man, this Lamb, He didn't do any of those things, did He? He just simply laid down. Behold the Lamb from the disciples' perspective. They watched Him. They beheld Him, didn't they? They did behold the Lamb. They heard the words that He spake as He hung on the cross. Oh, beautiful words. Powerful words. Father, forgive them for they know not what they do. Woman, behold Thy Son. Son, behold Thy Mother. This day shalt Thou be with Me in Paradise. They heard all those words. They were beholding the Lamb. They beheld the mockings that He received by those that were around Him. They beheld the pain. They saw the blood. They saw the thirst. And all that happened to Him because He was thirsty. They watched His life being drained out of Him. They heard His words. It is finished. He bowed His head and gave up the ghost. Yes, let us behold the Lamb from the perspective of the disciples. Their perspective was one of love. One of love. But I'd like us to quickly move on to the next perspective and that is to behold the Lamb through the eyes of the Jewish nation. Through the eyes of the Jewish nation. We'll turn and read in Isaiah 53 for that glimpse of the cross. Behold the Lamb from the eyes of the Jewish nation. Isaiah is speaking prophetically here. My, what glories Isaiah saw when you think about it. The details in which he described the very crucifixion of the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world. It is amazing. It clearly confirms the inspiration of the Scriptures that hundreds of years before it took place, there was a man named Isaiah who saw, who spoke, who wrote the glorious death of our Lord Jesus on the cross. He saw the Lamb so beautifully and clearly. No wonder the Jews tried to get rid of this chapter after the resurrection. Any sincere seeking Jew who lived in the days when Jesus walked on the earth reading this chapter, they would have to come to grips with some reality or just stop their ears one or the other. And you can be sure that the early disciples, they were quoting verses out of this chapter just like Philip did with the Ethiopian eunuch. Behold the Lamb from the perspective of the Jewish nation. And I say that because you will notice as we read these verses that they are written in the first person. Our sins. We. You will find that all the way through. Who hath believed our report? And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant and as a root out of the dry ground. He hath no form nor comeliness. And when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men. A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid as it were our faces from him. Who did that? Who did that? We hid as it were our faces from him. It was too gruesome to look upon. His visage was so marred, more than any man in his form, more than the sons of men. We hid as it were our faces from him. He was despised. And we, the Jewish nation, we esteemed him not. It's like they're looking back. It's like they're some of those who crucified the Lord. And now they're some of those who have believed on him. It's some of those who heard the words of Peter. And you have crucified him. It's some of those looking back and giving their testimony. We did not know who he was. Surely he hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. And we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God and afflicted. We looked on and thought, Ah, he's just a wicked man. He deserves to die and let him die. But, he was wounded for our transgressions. Now brothers and sisters, again I ask you. Go beyond the words that I'm saying. And let your own heart get into these words. Because he was also wounded for our transgressions. And God wants us to take that into our heart this evening. We're not just here to eat some bread and drink some new wine. We're here to remember the Lord's death. He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon him. And with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheath have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his own way. And the Lord hath laid on him, the Lamb, the iniquity of us all. The testimony of the Jewish nation looking back. Imagine, just for a minute this evening. Imagine being one of those Jews who spoke those words. Crucify him! Crucify him! And now, it's three months later. And the Spirit of God gets a hold of your heart. And you realize that Jesus Christ was the Messiah. And you look back over all that happened. And the judgment hall. And the words you said. And what he went through. And how you turned your head away from his gruesome, broken body hanging there on the cross. And now you realize, it was for me. I can't make any of us see that. I wish I could, but I can't. I can't make you see that. Oh God, open our eyes. Open my eyes. To see. It was for me. It was for me. It was for you. He was oppressed and he was afflicted. Yet he opened not his mouth. He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep before her shears is dumb. So he openeth not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment. And who shall declare his generation? For he was cut off out of the land of the living. For the transgression of my people was he stricken. Verse 10. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him. He hath put him to grief. When thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin. He shall see his seed. He shall prolong his days. And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. He shall see the travail of his soul and shall be satisfied. It is finished. The work has been done, brothers and sisters. There is nothing that you can do. There is nothing you can do that will justify you in the sight of God. On this side of your life, there is nothing you can do. It is finished. Everything we do, we do because of that cross. Every good thing we do, we do it because of that cross. We don't and can't do anything to merit ourselves favor in the sight of God. It is finished. It is finished. Hallelujah! It is finished. They must have felt like Joseph's brothers in the weeks and months and maybe even years after the crucifixion. We did away with our Savior. That's how Joseph's brothers felt, isn't it? Number four, we want to behold the Lamb from the Lamb's perspective. We want to behold the Lamb from His perspective. Up there on the cross, looking down. Have you ever been there? There He is hanging on the cross. Looking down and looking up. Looking down and looking up. Let's turn to Psalm 22. For just a few verses there. We may behold the Lamb from His perspective. Oh my! The beautiful things that the psalmist David saw as he wrote this psalm. We are not going to read all this psalm for time. But as we read these verses, I want you to think about the Lord Jesus. Now He is giving His testimony. This is what I went through, He says. This is how I felt. This is what they did to me. This is what I saw while I hung on the cross. Look at the battle that raged around me while I hung on the cross for you. This is what they did to me. My God! My God! Why hast Thou forsaken me? Why art Thou so far from helping me? And from the words of my roaring. You've helped me. All these years You've helped me. Why have You forsaken me now? Why are You so far away from me? Why don't You hear the words of my roaring as I groan and cry out to You? We know the answer, don't we? We know the answer. The Father turned His back upon His Son. He who knew no sin became sin for you and I. And the Father turned His back upon the Son. And the Son is expressing Himself. Behold the Lamb from His perspective tonight. O my God, I cry in the daytime, but Thou hearest not, and in the night season, and am not silent. Thou art holy, O Thou that inhabitest the praise of Israel. Verse 6, But I am a worm, and no man, a reproach of men, and despised of the people. That's how I feel while I'm hanging on this cross. All they that see me laugh me to scorn. They shoot out the lip. They shake the head. Verse 12, Many bulls have compassed me. Strong bulls of Bishan have beset me round about. They gaped upon me with their mouths, and as a ravening, as a ravening and a roaring lion. And when I read those words, it brings back to my memory. It reminds me that death on the cross stretched our Lord Jesus Christ to His very limits. I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart is like wax. It is melted in the midst of my bowels. My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws. And Thou hast brought me into the dust of death, for the dogs have compassed me and assembled, and the assembly of the wicked have enclosed me. They pierced my hands and my feet. I may tell or see. I see all my bones. They look and stare upon me. They parted my garments among them and cast lots for my vesture. There again, there is our Lord Jesus. He is hanging on the cross. This is what I went through for you, He says. It stretched me to my limits. And my personal opinion, I wouldn't build a doctrine on it, but my personal opinion is, He wasn't just looking at men. There was another world swarming around that cross that faithful day. It was another world, a spiritual world that nobody else saw, but He saw very well. Gaping at Him, growling at Him, screaming at Him. All the accusations that they could come up with, laughing at Him. And there He hangs on the cross, for you and for me. He was not a lamb. He was the Christ, the Son of the Living God. But they took Him and slaughtered Him like a lamb. He was and still is the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world, brothers and sisters. That's who He was and that's who He is today. The Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world. Number five. Let us behold the Lamb from Heaven's perspective. You can turn to Revelation 5 for a little reading there. We're in Heaven now. I wonder how we'll see it all then. If we have any idea tonight what He bought for us. I wonder how we'll see it then. When we're there. It's all done. Our days are over. We're in Heaven now. It's finished. It's all finished. Up from the grave He rose. With a mighty triumph over His foes. He rose the victor over the dark domain. We're in Heaven now. There's holy blood on the heavenly mercy seat. All of Heaven is at peace. There's holy blood on the mercy seat. There are many sons in glory. Heaven is filled with them. Here in Revelation chapter 5. There are many sons into glory now. Heaven is filled with them. The devil and all of his powers have been defeated. The captives have been set free. And God's plan. God's beautiful plan for man is more clearly seen. We're in Heaven now. Revelation 5 and verse 5. And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not. Why is he weeping? Because they look for someone to open the seals. To open the book, the scroll. It's not a book like this book. It's a scroll. To open the book, the scroll. And loose the seals thereof. And they looked. They looked everywhere. No man was found that was worthy to open and to read the book, the scroll. Neither to look thereon. And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not, John. Behold. There it is again. That word. That word. It's in Heaven too, brothers and sisters. It's in Heaven too. Do you think we'll quit looking when we get there? Do you think we'll quit gazing deeply when we get there? We'll gaze like we never gazed. We'll gaze with new eyes. We'll gaze with a heart like we never had before. We'll gaze. We'll gaze deeply. We'll gaze long. We'll gaze for all of eternity. Behold. The lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, that hath prevailed to open the book, the scroll, and to loose the seven seals thereof. And I beheld, and lo, in the midst of the throne, and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne. And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and the four and twenty elders fell down before the lamb, having every one of them harps and golden vials full of odors, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book and to open the seals thereof. Why? For thou wast slain and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation, and hast made us unto our God, kings and priests, and we shall reign on the earth. Yes, they should fall down and worship the lamb, because they see more clearly what his blood purchased for them. Oh, brothers and sisters, we can't, with these eyes and even with these hearts, we can't see into the depth of what that is. But this evening, we can stretch our hearts to look more deeply into that lamb and the mystery of that lamb and the precious blood of the lamb and the broken body of the lamb. We can do that. And that is exactly what God wants us to do. He wants us to exercise our hearts this evening to look at the lamb. And that's what communion is all about. It's not just getting together and eating some bread and drinking some juice and saying, Oh, now we have taken communion. No. You have not taken communion if you just come and eat some bread and drink some juice. You just ate some bread and drank some juice. You have taken communion when you engage your heart and you open your heart and you look deeply into the mysteries of the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. Yes, then you've taken communion. And I beheld and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders, and the number of them was 10,000 times 10,000 and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain. Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing. And verse 14, And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped Him that liveth forever and ever. Heaven is applauding the Lamb. That's the Lamb from Heaven's perspective. He's been given a name which is above every name. That's the Lamb from Heaven's perspective. And lastly, let us behold the Lamb from our perspective. How shall we behold the Lamb? What can we do? The Christ, the Son of the living God, the Word became flesh. That Christ gave His life for you and I. That Christ shed His blood to wash away my sins and your sins. That did that for me. How shall we behold the Lamb? Tonight, we should cast our crowns at His feet. Even tonight, our crowns, all that is good about us, cast it at His feet. Everything that you've done that was good and right, cast it at His feet. Every kind word that came out of your heart and your mouth, cast it at His feet. Every little word of blessing or praise that someone brought to you for some kindness that's in your life, cast it at His feet. Cast it at His feet. You know and I know where we'd be if it weren't for that Lamb and that precious blood. Every single one of us. I don't care who we are. I don't care how good of a home we grew up in. Every single one of us would be lost, lost, lost for all of eternity. What shall we do? But cast our crowns at His feet and join Heaven as they cast their crowns at His feet and worship Hebrews. Hebrews chapter 12 tells us what to do while we're here on the earth as we finish our course. You know what Paul tells us in the book of Hebrews chapter 12? He says, Behold! Behold! Wherefore, brethren, sisters, seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which does so easily beset us and let us run with patience the race that is set before us looking unto Jesus. Beholding. Beholding. And I want you to notice here, it doesn't just say, looking unto Jesus sitting on the throne, but it does say, look unto Jesus sitting on the throne. But it says more than that. It says, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him that endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your mind. Stop and think about what He endured on that cross. Such contradiction of sinners were against Him. Lest ye be wearied and faint in your mind, ye have not resisted in the blood striving against sin. What shall we do? We shall cast our crowns at His feet and join in with heaven and worship the Lamb that was slain, who hath redeemed us to God by His blood and made us kings and priests and we shall reign on the earth. I don't know what all that means. You don't know what all that means, but I'm telling you tonight, it's good. It's way beyond anything we could ever imagine. Let us yield, wholly yield our all and all to Him. You know, the longer that I take communion and the longer that I give communion services, the more I'm convinced every communion service ought to make us all fresh and new consecrated saints to God, holding back nothing, giving up everything. He deserves that. He deserves all that we could give Him. He deserves our heart. He deserves our life. He deserves our future. He deserves our plans. He deserves our all and all and our every desire. He deserves it. May the Lamb that was slain receive the reward of His suffering. We are the joy that was set before Him. Oh, let us be a joy to Him. Let us be a joy to Him. Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. That's what communion is all about. Let's bow our heads for just a prayer. Lord, we come to You again with a longing in our heart to see. Open our eyes, Father. Oh, the mysteries in the cross, the mysteries in the blood, the mysteries in the broken body of our Lord Jesus. Open our eyes to see, Father. Lord, go deep in our lives. I think of that dear man, that Chinaman, who was locked in a mental ward for six months, who saw the cross. You let him see, Lord. He saw You there on the cross with the eyes of his heart. It turned that terrible place into the most glorious seminary that man could ever have. One glimpse of the cross, Lord. One glimpse. Oh, God, open our eyes, Lord. Forgive us, Father. Forgive us. Oh, Lord, how we fail You so many times. Forgive us, Lord. In Jesus' name, amen. We want to open the meeting up at this time. The ushers will get microphones ready. I know there are a few here who need to give a testimony. Maybe you also have something to say. Anyone here just want to open the mic up here for a few minutes? This is part of our communion service. As we have a little family meeting, we just overflow from our hearts about our Jesus, the One who died for me. So we just want to open it up now. If you have something you need to say, a testimony to share, if you just raise your hand, we'll get a microphone to you. One here. Others, keep your hands up so that we can keep this moving along. Yes. I love my Jesus this evening. It's a privilege to be here in the house of God. I'm thankful to be a part of what He's doing in this day and age. It's a longing in my heart for years to come here and be a part of this fellowship. I can't express what I'm experiencing in my spirit. My heart this evening is just overflowing with joy and gratitude for the price that was paid on that cross. I am thankful for the blood of Christ this evening, that He has chosen me, that He has paid the price for me, that His blood is sufficient to cleanse all my sins and to set me free from myself, from who I was. I'm just so thankful for that this evening. I'm thankful for the message this evening. It is my longing to be what Christ wants me to be in every area of my life. In all the conversation of my life. My heart, my mind, and my body. Just that living sacrifice that just laid down for my Lord. And still, that's not enough. But oh, just to follow in His footsteps, to be like Him in these areas. Oh, I just pray, I pray, I pray tonight just to experience that cross afresh. To experience that life that was given, but is alive today and is for me to experience and to rejoice in. I'm thankful for this fellowship. I really am. And where I lack, I pray that God would open my eyes and reveal to me those deep needs in my life, that God has been good and He has poured out His Spirit upon me and His grace is upon me tonight. I can't explain it. Where I was two months ago and where I am today, I don't know other than Christ and Him crucified for me. I am so thankful this evening as well for authority. Because when God began to open my eyes on this issue, this principle of authority, and I began to say, no, I am not going to think that way. No, I'm not going to raise up my heart and think evil against authority. When I began to just lay that down and say, no, I am not going in that way, God's blessing began to be poured out upon my life. That's God's goodness that led me to that place of repentance. It's His goodness and His mercy and His long-suffering that continues with me this long. Though I won't be partaking in the communion, my heart is with this body. It really is. I need to grow. I long to grow. I long to be ever part of that vine which is Christ. And be found in Him, and only in Him continually. That's my longing this evening. I pray that God would bless each one of you and strengthen you and that you might grow up into Him. In Jesus' name, amen. Amen. Okay. I stand amazed in His presence that He would do such a thing for me. That I believe He did that. Two years ago in Colorado, God led me to believe that His death on the cross was sufficient for me and I was born again. And since that time, He has led me out of a life of fear, self-righteousness, bitterness, and legalism into a life of freedom and rest in Him. And I'm just so blessed and continually amazed at His guidance and blessings in my life. That He even led me here to be a part of this body of Christ. And I'm just so blessed and I desire to take communion with you tonight. Amen. Yes, Brother David. I have a desire tonight to join all of you in communion celebrating the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. I know what it means. I know I felt the guilt of standing before God knowing that there's sin between Him and I, knowing that I'm not in a good place, that there's offense, that something's not right. But I can honestly testify that I know too what it is to have mercy revealed and love revealed and to be given the opportunity to repent and to fall on my face and forsake sin and confess Him as the only hope, my only hope, and experience forgiveness, a washing away of sin. So I desire to worship with you all and desire for the Lord to give me another revelation of what that cross meant to Him and what it's supposed to mean to me and seek to pour out my life for you. Amen, Brother. Bless you, David. Yes, I'm just so thankful this evening for my Savior. I was just so blessed at just that little look at what Jesus Christ has done for me. And I just wanted to overflow a little bit. And you know, as I look at the blessing of that Savior that Jesus was and at His sacrifice for me, it makes all other things that anyone could even think about trusting in so small. And they don't even think about reaching when you look at the sacrifice that Jesus paid for my sin that I can be free. You know, people can trust in being a church member. People can trust in religion. But when you look at the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, it just makes all those things so small in comparison. So this evening, I'm just so thankful for my Savior Jesus Christ and His blood that He shed for me there on Calvary. Amen. Greetings to you in Jesus' name tonight. I'm also thankful for the blood of the Lamb not being raised in a Christian home. Very quickly, I had a young teenage boy who got into sin. Some depths of sin at that. At the age of 18, the Lord redeemed me from that life of sin. I'm grateful for that blood that was applied to my life. No doubt there was a change. There was a lot of struggles in my life at the time. A lot of things I had to overcome. I was recently married and it wasn't doing too well. But we're grateful that God not only restored my marriage through all that, but put our family up on the right road. We're just very thankful for what He's done in our life. We have a desire to continue forward. We're not looking backward. There's nothing backward that we desire to go to, but we just desire to continue to go on with the Lord. I desire to partake in communion with you tonight. Others? God has saved me when I was 13. I'm walking with Him and I love Him. I long to take communion with you tonight. Amen. I just want to thank you for the message tonight and for being able to really behold the Lamb of God before this communion service. I'm very thankful also for the messages I've heard since we've come here two and a half years ago that have given me hope and claiming the promises. It's transforming my life. It's setting me free. I have long ways to go, but I have coming out of the pits of despair and of self-righteousness and self-effort and fear and just being so thankful for the hope that I have in me and the hope that I have for others and the excitement that I have to see others set free and to share that. And I just praise God for that. And I thank you all for your part in that in my life. Amen. Bless you, sister. Oh, the joy that we have to be in a place like this at a time like this. Anyone else before we move ahead here? Bread. I am the bread of life, Jesus said. Now we have bread here this evening. Jesus said, This bread, this broken bread, this broken bread represents my body which was broken for you. We know his body was broken. It was broken when he was whipped. It was broken when they pushed that crown of thorns down upon his head. It was broken when they nailed those nails in his hands and his feet. It was broken when they thrust that sword in his side. This is my body which was broken for you. This do in remembrance of me. Eat this bread. And as you eat it, eat it in remembrance of me. Those of you that are partaking this evening, if you will stand to your feet at this time. And let's give thanks to the Lord for the broken body of our Lord Jesus Christ. Let's pray. God our Father, we hold a piece of broken bread in our hands. And we do thank you for this bread that we have, which represents your Son, the bread of life. We thank you Father that you've given us such a symbol. We ask you Lord that you'd bless this bread while we eat of it. God, in every way that you can, bless this bread as we partake of it Father. We thank you this evening, all of us from our hearts we thank you for the broken body of Jesus Christ that he was willing to suffer all those things to set us free. Oh Lord my God, we worship you. We give our lives to you as we partake of this bread this evening. We give our lives to you Lord. What else can we do? We thank you for it. In Jesus Christ's name, Amen. And when he had given thanks, he break it, the bread, and said, Take, eat. This is my body, which is broken for you. This do in remembrance of me. When I survey the wondrous cross on which the Prince of Glory died, my riches gained, I count but loss. Well, we have grape juice here before us this evening. New wine, if you may say it that way. The juice of the vine, grapes were taken and squeezed and pressed and we have the juice of those grapes here this evening. They represent the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. That blood, I believe will spend eternity gazing into the mysteries of the blood of the Lamb. But here we are this evening with a command from the Lord that after the same minor also he took the cup when he had stopped saying, This cup is the New Testament in my blood. This do ye, as oft as ye drink it in remembrance of me. Think about me, he says. Think about my blood. Think about it being shed. Think about how it was shed. Think about what it has done for you. Think about its meaning, its value in heaven. The blood. Let's thank the Lord for the blood of Christ this evening together. Lord, we come again to you. In the name of your Son, Jesus, we want to thank you, Lord. Lord, I thank you for this cup. Yes, this cup that we have in our hands, Lord. We thank you for this new wine which represents your blood. Lord, our mind goes back to that evening back there before the cross when you drank this wine just like this you drank with your disciples. And now here we are drinking it. You blessed it there. Oh, now bless it here, Lord. Bless this drinking of this new wine to our hearts and our lives. Father, we thank you. Lord Jesus, we thank you. Spirit of God, we thank you for the blood that was shed, that was spilt there on Calvary for our sins. Oh, God, what can we say except worship you for the precious blood of the Lamb. We thank you for it. In Jesus' name, Amen. This do as oft as ye drink it in remembrance of me, says the Lord. What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make me pure within? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. Oh, precious is the flow that makes me white as snow. No other fount I know. Nothing but the blood of Jesus. Alas, and did my Savior bleed and did my Sovereign die? Would He devote that sacred such a worm as I At the cross, at the cross, where I first saw the light, and the burden of my heart rolled away, it was there by the altar. Down at the cross where my Savior died, down where for cleansing from sin I cried, there to Jesus paid it all. All to Him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain. He washed it white. Sing it again. Jesus paid it all. All to Him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain. He washed it white. I need no other argument. Are you sure about that? It's done. It's finished. Hallelujah for the blood. Hallelujah for the blood for the sin-cleansing content for the Lamb and the... There was no... He was... He was strong to... Sing the... Would you be poured out like wine? Would you be poured out like wine? Yes, I'll be poured out. Yes, I'll be so wild. Yes, I'll... Here we are, Lord. Take our lives and let them be consecrated, Lord, to Thee. My silver, my gold, my all, my talent, my everything that I am, God. Lord, indeed, may we just cast ourselves at the feet of Jesus, casting our crowns at Your feet, Lord. Father, thank You for this sweet fellowship together as we behold the Lamb and remember and do show forth our Lord's death till He come. O God, open my eyes that I may see. O Father, not only tonight, but continually, Lord. Father, open our eyes as a congregation and take us on with You, Lord. Father, we bless You and thank You for loving us and giving Your life for us. And we give our lives to You. In Jesus' name, amen. Amen. You may be seated.