OUR TESTIMONY WHILE TAKING PART IN THE LORD'S TABLE
Final Message given at Berachah Church,
Neredmet, Hyderabad on Sunday, 11th Dec 22.
Transcribed on 12.12.22 (since the YouTube recording of this message failed completely)
Notes: (LT=Lord’s Table. What is called Holy Communion in other churches.), Worship= Individual worship by each believer in the church.
TRANSCRIPT
Opening words: We are now going to take part in the Lord's Table. We are all
familiar with the portion from 1 Corinthians chapter 11 which we read often before taking part
in the LT. To save time we are not going to read that portion. But we are going
to read Psalm 24:3-4 altogether. Let us read. “Who may ascend into the hill of
the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and pure
heart, who has not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.” May these words which we have read come with
great force & conviction into our hearts. It is talking about the person
who can come into the presence of the Lord. God’s presence is in our midst
right now as we gather to worship Him. The Table is telling us that God is
present in our midst. When we take part in the bread and in the cup,
it is a very solemn act, a solemn testimony that is coming from us. In taking
part in the LT, you must have clean hands & a pure heart. No pride, not
lifting up yr soul unto vanity , but being humble in God’s presence. And not
behaving deceitfully. God is a God of grace; but He is also a God of judgment.
Shall we pray?
Prayer: We thank you, Lord, for the blessed time of worship
that you have given to us. We pray Lord that all the instructions regarding
worship may be observed meticulously by all the believers gathered in this
church. Save us Lord from routine & mechanical worship. We have become too
much habituated to it. Lord, it is our life, our surrender, our love for Thee,
that is true worship. Lord, when we come into Your presence, may we come with
fear & trembling, with deep reverence for You. Lord, we know that the Table
speaks of Your presence in our midst; and we are told from Psalm 24:3-4 that we
should have clean hands and a pure heart. Our conscience must be very clear. No
deceitfulness, no hypocrisy, which is too much now in our church. Lord, I pray
that Thou, O Lord, will speak very clearly to all of us in this exhortation for
the Table. Hide us both behind the Cross. Grant us both Your divine anointing
to give and translate the word. And also put Your words in our mouth. We claim
Exod 4.12, Jer 1.9 and Lk 12.12 in this regard. I confess, Lord, that without
You, I can do nothing. Lord, we give You all the glory and pray with
thanksgiving in Jesus’ precious name. Amen.
The Message: I was listening to a message by Bro Bakht Singh, where he talks about worship.
Again and again (in his messages on Worship he says, and) in his messages on
the Lord’s Table, he says, “It is not a ritual, it is a testimony”. It is not
some act or practice that you do by tradition, but it is the testimony of your
life that you live. That applies not only to the LT, but also to our (individual)
worship that comes from our lips Sunday by Sunday.
Regarding the Corinthian
believers, they took part in the Lord’s Table during or after their Love Feast.
But they were very careless in their approach to the LT. And Paul is warning
them that if you take part in the LT unworthily, you are bringing condemnation
to yourself. And that’s the reason why many are weak, many are sick, and many
have been taken away by the Lord. So taking part in the LT, you have to be very
very careful.
With what attitude should
we come to the LT? That is what we are going to talk about in this exhortation
for the Table. First, I come as a Sinner saved by Grace. My Lord
loved me and gave Himself for me. That’s why He says, ‘Take eat, when you take
this bread, this is My body broken for you’. And then when we take the cup, ‘This
is My Blood shed for the remission of your sins.’ And we have come into an
everlasting covenant with Him through the shed Blood.
And so, when we take part in
the LT, we are showing forth the Lord’s death till He comes. So the first
attitude is that I come as a Sinner saved by Grace. A sinner redeemed by the
Blood of Jesus. It reminds us of that great Atonement accomplished on Calvary.
There was no hope for me; I was without hope, without God, in this perishing
world. I was born in sin, being filled with & growing in sin, thinking sin,
speaking sin and doing sin. There is nothing in me to boast of (wretched sinner that I am). The problem today
is that we don’t have the conviction of sin. The Spirit of God must cut into
our hearts according to Acts 2.37. Only then will we say, “Woe is me, I’m a
sinner; Lord, save me”. It is my sins that led You, Lord, to make that terrible
sacrifice for my redemption on the Cross of Calvary. Remember, to create the
world our Lord had only to speak a word (Genesis 1), but to deliver us from sin
and Satan and death and hell, our Lord had to die on the Cross. My Lord gave
His life for me. We are saved purely by His mercy and grace. I am no better
than anybody else in this room, no better than any believer seated in this
hall. Like Paul, I must say, ‘I am the chief of sinners’. [Audio Disturbance].
We have no conviction
whatever of sin, but on the other hand some of us will point our
finger at our elders and say, ‘They have sinned; they’ve sinned here,
they’ve sinned there’. (i.e. In this matter, and that matter.) When you point your
finger at anyone, remember there are three fingers pointing back at you. Sin is
the depravity of the human heart. Please read Jer 17.9. Let us read it all together. The heart is deceitful above all
things, and desperately sick; who can know it? It is a fool that trusts in his
own heart; that is what the Book of Proverbs says. We have to go by the Word of
God, not by our feelings or what our eyes see. We have to submit to one another
in the fear of God. But if I live for myself, if I am self-centred, if I am
selfish, (which we all are)– that is the root of sin, and God is dealing with
that root of sin, that self, in our Christian life. He has redeemed me thru His
blood - from sin and Satan and death and
destruction. That is the Atonement on the Cross. But now He is redeeming me
from the world, from the flesh, and from my Self. We have to come to that stage
where we say, like Paul, ‘Not I, but Christ!’
The past work of salvation
is called justification. It is a finished thing; it is done. All those saved
from sin and the penalty of sin are justified by God, by the power of the Blood
shed on Calvary. But salvation continues; the present work in us is Sanctification.
How difficult it is to be pulled out of this world, to be crucified to this
world! How difficult it is to crucify the flesh with its passions and desires! How
difficult it is to keep theself, the ego, the I, under control! How we love to
display ourselves, walking around (while the meeting is going on), as if we are
doing everything! God says, Hide yrself in My presence! Otherwise, My terrible
wrath will fall on you. I am saved by the Cross, and I am being saved by the
cross working in me. The Lord says, Deny yourself, carry your cross and follow
Me!
Gilgal leads to Bethel. 2
Kings 2, Elijah and Elisha were walking together, till Elijah was taken up into
heaven. They started from Gilgal, where Joshua circumcised the flesh of the
Israelites. Until and unless you are crucified, only then will you understand
the meaning of and contribute to the building of God’s church, Bethel. So the
two prophets journey from Gilgal to Bethel. Bethel is the house of God. We
worship at the altar, and the Table speaks of that altar, the great sacrifice
of our Lord Jesus Christ on Calvary. 1 John 4.10 tells us how God’s love is
seen in the Cross of Calvary. (“In this is love, not that we loved God, but
that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins”.) The
Cross is the fountain of love. It is the source of all other loves (human
affections on various fronts: family, friends, husband-wife, etc). Paul says, I
was the worst persecutor of the Church; but my Lord chose me, called me, loved
me and gave Himself for me. What amazing love shown by God in saving Saul of
Tarsus! Paul never forgot it, all thru his life.
In the church/assembly,
there are true believers, weak believers, and there are false believers. There
are those who say they are saved, but there is no evidence of salvation in
them. The church is being attacked from within, by these elements, not by
external forces of the religious right-wing (RSS/Hindutva). If you have ‘bandu
preethi’ that is the root of sin in the church. (‘Bandu preethi’ is love for
one’s flesh and blood, rather than exhibiting spiritual love towards all the
brethren.) God is watching everything; He has eyes like flames of fire. If we
really understood His grace, His sacrifice, His body broken and His shed blood,
we won’t behave proudly and foolishly.
The second thing is this, when I take part in the LT.
Remember what Brother Bakht Singh said: ‘The LT is not a ceremony, it is a
testimony.’ I take part as a Saint Separated from the World. Therefore I
show forth the testimony that I am sanctified and separated from the world. Am
I crucified to the world? When I was very young in the Lord, I went to the
neighbouring assembly; and I was surprised that the father and his son were not
present in church throughout the worship service, but were watching cricket on
TV in their house. (where I had gone to have lunch. They were supposed to set
an example to the rest of the church, being a family in a high position.) You
say you are devoted to the church, but what sort of Christian are you?
(watching TV at home, while your wife and daughter are attending church with
me; and people think you are all saved and are important members of that
assembly.)
Let us examine ourselves
as to what sort of Christians we are, and whether we are hypocrites or not! Brother
Bakht Singh had very strong words for those seeking worldly entertainment,
worldly fashions, worldly clothes, worldly sports, worldly riches, worldly
customs, etc. I was shocked listening to his message on Worship at the Lord’s
Table. He says, in Indian weddings, they throw out food left over in banana leaves
into rubbish bins, and there are some beggars,
who out of hunger come and eat that food. And that is the picture he gives of those who are fond
of worldly entertainment, sports, fashions, customs & traditions. I was
terribly shocked with this illustration that Brother Bakht Singh gave. Are we
truly sanctified and separated from the world and its frivolous, foolish and
filthy attractions? When I look at the Lord Jesus hanging on the Cross, I say: “The
world crucified You. The Romans crucified You, the Jews crucified You. Both the
political and the religious world crucified You. The world hated You.” How then
can I have anything to do with the world? When I take part in the LT, can I say
I’m a saint who is separated (sanctified) from the world? Can I say that I have
nothing to do with this hateful filthy perishing world?
The book of Galatians
begins by saying that the LJC gave himself for our sins that He might deliver
us from this present evil world. Let’s read Gal 1.4. There is no hope for this
wicked world. God has already judged this world. From 2019 onwards we see this
world under God’s judgment. Covid is a plague that has come from God. We are in
the last days; the Lord is coming anytime soon. We must be able to say, as John
says in 1 John 2.15. “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If
anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” Read v 16 also. “For
all that is in the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the
pride of life – is not of the Father, but of the world.” So this ‘jeevapu
dumbum’ (pride of life) should not come into the church. (Arrogantly strutting
around.) And the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eye, should not come
into a believer’s life.
I am out of this world;
the Lord has taken me out of this world. Heb 13.13. Let us read it all
together. “Therefore let us go forth to Him, outside the camp, bearing His
reproach.” There is a beautiful song composed on this verse; we sang it here in
this church some months ago.(Yesuni
nindanu bharinchi). The world is very powerful in attracting us (with a
strong magnetic attraction). But Heb 13.13 is telling us: not only out of this
world, but out of the camp. That means the religious world of Christianity is
not for us. Oh, (we say) that is my mother church; I have a natal attachment
there. And what Bro Bakht Singh has taught, I will hold to that also. We cannot
hold on to both. We have to go out of the religious camp (of Christianity),
bearing His reproach, the reproach of the cross. I am now a saint; not just a
sinner saved by grace, but a sinner separated unto the Lord.
Yes, I have been clothed
with His righteousness. But God is not satisfied with imputed righteousness
only. Unless we are practically righteous, and people are able to say, ‘He’s a
righteous man’, you don’t qualify to come into God’s presence. (Psalm 24:3-4).
He who has clean hands and a pure heart and a clear conscience, and does not
work deceitfully, nor lifts up his heart to vanity, that is the person who can
take part in the LT. That means it is obligatory that everyone of us should
live a holy life, not at all involved in this wicked world. Nothing to do with
politicians or courts, running to courts for putting cases (against the
elders); this is nothing but wickedness! If
God wants to use you, you must be a clean vessel, a pure vessel, a holy vessel, sanctified
for the Master’s use. If you think “I have wisdom and intelligence, I’m
a very clever, crafty person, I can manage things” – God is going to strike you
down! The failure of this assembly is that there are too many weak believers.
They do not know the divine principles of the Church or the Cross. Gilgal must
take you to Bethel; Gilgal is the Cross, Bethel is the Church. (2 Kings 2)
What should be, thirdly,
our attitude when we take part in the LT? I come as a Servant of the Lord.
Too many people are passengers; they just want to come and sit here in the
church and go away. And many are just religious paralytics; they will not move
a hand for God and for the church. God has saved us in order that we might
serve Him. Turn to John 12.26. Let’s read it loudly. “If anyone serves Me, let
him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also.If anyone serves
me, him My Father will honour.” If you serve Me, then My Father will honor you.
It is not doing my own will or going my own way, but doing the will of God. The
LJC in Heb 10.9 said, “Lo, behold, I have come to do Your will, O My God!”
Psalm 40.8 says,”I delight to do Your will O my God; Your law is written in my
heart.” We do God’s will out of fear or out of duty, but not out of delight in
the Lord. We fear that if we do not obey God something unpleasant will happen
to us. Or we do God’s will out of duty, unwillingly, coming late to the house
of God, thinking ‘I am safe and secure as a believer’. Oh, don’t test God! His
judgment will strike you down. If you are truly under the New Covenant, you
will delight in doing the will of God. And so, as a servant of the Lord –
meaning, it is not just full-time servant, but - everyone must serve the Lord.
Everyone! If you are having a secular job, your first priority is ‘I am doing
God’s work; I am a witness for the Lord in this office’. I am not going to
carry a Hindu name to obtain job-reservation benefits (as a Dalit). What
hypocrisy and shamefulness! You carry the name of Hindu gods, and you don’t
want to show that you are a Christian! Such shameful things are happening in
our assemblies today, which is why Satan has risen up against us.
God has given us each a
spiritual gift at baptism, and we have to use our gift for the building up of
God’s house. You must take a share in the work of the service of the house of
God. And for those who are having responsibility in God’s house as stewards, we
have to take care that everything is done according to divine order. If they
(stewards) start compromising out of fear of man, then the assembly will
collapse. And everyone of us is given a talent which we have to multiply, like
those three servants in Matt 25, in that parable. What am I doing for the Lord?
How am I serving the Lord? Am I multiplying what He has given me? Do you know
that you are a servant of the Lord, and as such you must submit to the will of
God? But if you are just a passenger or a paralytic, one day, like that wicked
servant, that lazy servant, you will be cast out into outer darkness. There
will be weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth by so-called believers. Why
do they weep and gnash their teeth? Because they lost the glorious opportunity
to serve the Lord. They were living for themselves; they were sleeping and
watching television, instead of coming to the house of God.
Fourthly...Bec time is short, I will stop only at four
attitudes. There are several more attitudes we should have in taking part
in the LT. When I take part in the LT, I am saying I find my Satisfaction in
the Lord Alone. You remember in Samaria in John chapter 4, the disciples
went to get some food, because the Lord was hungry. Meanwhile the Lord was
ministering the precious truths of God’s grace to that Samaritan woman. The
grace of God, offering the living water to her. And so He saved a soul. And she
threw away her waterpot. Oh, that barren life, that lonely life, that sinful
life, was behind her. She must have
avoided society because of her sins, but now she goes forth boldly to witness for the LJ in the city, saying, “The
Messiah has come to our city! (Come, meet Him!) If we taste the living water,
how sweet it is! Have we really found
the Lord sweet and satisfying as living water to our heart? The
disciples came back with food. But the Lord’s hunger was not there! John 4.34.
Let’s read it. “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His
work.” Are we really involved in working for and walking with the Lord,
spending time with the Lord, finding satisfaction in the Lord, or are we
finding satisfaction in earthly things?
David’s great desire was
to be in the presence of the Lord. Psalm 27.4. Let’s read it. “One thing I have
desired of the Lord; that will I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the
Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to meditate
in His temple.” When you come to God’s
house and are listening to the word of God, do you feel the presence of God? Or
is your mind on the World Cup that is going on in Qatar? When we are fully
involved in God’s work, we will find our hunger vanishes. Satan is always
trying to take our eyes away from the Lord and make us look at other things. He
always puts some diversions, some attractions, some temptations, to make us go
off-track. But if you are determined to stay with the Lord, and want His
presence continually, you will come to Jericho. Satan will put up the walls of
Jericho before you; you will come face to face with the strongholds of the
enemy. Very few have come to that stage: from Bethel to Jericho (2 Kings 2). To fight the battle of the Lord,
to stand with the Lord -- against these carnal elements that have infiltrated
the church.
And then, further, I get
my delight, not in getting things from the Lord, but giving to those who are
poor and needy. You know David, he fought many battles, and all the treasure
that he obtained, that he got as spoil from the battles, do you think he used
it for himself and his family? Read 1 Chron 29 - we don’t have time to read it
- he says, “All that I have gained, I am
using that treasure for building the house of God, the Temple.” (Which was later
built by Solomon). We are finding satisfaction in looking after our children
and seeing that they grow up, study and get good jobs in the world, but we have
no thought or concern about the house of God. We are living stones built up
into a spiritual temple. It is not a material building. God is building us, and
we must have concern that we are built up into a spiritual temple (as a
habitation for God).
Let us pray for Berachah;
it is under the attack of the enemy, and you must pray! Only prayer is the
great weapon you have. David gave so much for building God’s house, and then he
says, “Over and above that, I am giving my special treasure, something that I
love very much - even that I am giving for building the temple of God”. Read Song
of Solomon, that is satisfaction. ‘I am my Beloved’s, and my Beloved is mine’.
I am belong to my Beloved, and my Beloved belongs to me. There are three
references on that. Let’s read Song of Solomon
2:16. We don’t have that love, that passion for the Lord. We are not
able to say, “He is the joy and delight of my heart.” When we leave the meeting,
do we talk about spiritual things? The moment we leave the gates of Berachah,
we begin talking about worldly things. We listen superficially to the message,
and leave it behind us, when we leave the premises of the church. The joy of
the Lord is better than any earthly pleasure. Let us remember that.
Paul was in prison when he
wrote some of his important letters. He writes in his Philippian letter, “Rejoice
in the Lord, and again I say, rejoice!” How is he rejoicing in the Lord, when
he is shut up in prison and is not able to go on missionary journeys, and
further the churches he established have turned away from him? He is not able
to do gospel work, or anything actively for the Lord; yet he says, ‘Rejoice in
the Lord’.
Four attitudes. First, I’m a sinner by grace. I am a saint, having
nothing to do with the world. And I am one who is serving the Lord, not this
world or my self-interest. I delight to do His will; I am a bond-servant of the
Lord. And He is my satisfaction; there is nobody who is sweeter than the Lord.
And you know how this
happens? The Lord’s Table is telling us, ‘Remember the Lord’s death till He
comes’. But His death must work in me. When I die to myself, die to the
world, die to the flesh with all its passions and desires, die to that ‘I’ that
always to raise its ugly head; when I willingly accept crucifixion,
allowing the cross to do its work in me
– only then will I experience the full joy and satisfaction of the Lord. So
it’s not a ritual, coming on Sunday to take part routinely in the LT. If we do not have the experience of being a
sinner saved by grace, a saint separated from the world, submitting willingly
to the service of the Lord, and having a heart of love for the Lord, delighting
in Him, then we are fooling ourselves; we are blind and deceived. It is because
they ignore and reject these truths of God’s word (these ‘four attitudes’) that
many hearts are hardened, and they become instruments of the devil. Let’s
read 1 Pet 4.17. “For the time has come
for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what
will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?”
May the Lord search our
hearts thru this word of exhortation, and let us take part worthily in the LT. Amen.
THE MESSENGER
