By Ronald E.
George Jr. at the Fayetteville Baptist Church
(This service began with a baptism and ended with
communion.)
GOD IS LIKE...
GOD is like Coke...He's the real thing.
GOD is like Pan Am...He makes the going great.
GOD is like General Electric...He lights your path.
GOD is like Bayer Aspirin...He works wonders.
GOD is like Hallmark Cards...He cares enough to send the
very best.
GOD is like Tide...He gets the stains out that others
leave behind.
GOD is like VO5 Hair Spray...He holds through all kinds
of weather.
GOD is like Dial Soap...Aren't you glad you know him?
Don't you wish
everyone
did?
GOD is like Sears...He has everything.
GOD is like Alka Seltzer...Try Him. You'll
like Him.
GOD is like Scotch Tape... You can't see him, but you
know he's there. -author unknown
God is so far above anything that we could imagine
or think that He forbade people to make statues or images to try to represent
Him. He gave us some simple
images that we be reminded of who He is.
Here are three of those images that represent our God who is the one
true God. He is God.
Scripture Text:
Mat. 28:19 Go ye therefore, and
teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son,
and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I
have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, [even] unto the end of the
world. Amen.
A.
God is like water. He
is like the water that He commanded that we be baptized in.
That water that fills every living human being is one of the building
blocks of life. Without water
there can be no life. But with
water it is possible to live and to be. Those
who come today to be baptized were immersed in the water.
They were in the water and the water was in them.
Through the gift of water God reminds us that He can be in us and we
can be in Him. Everyone who
chooses to follow Him decides to put himself or herself in Him and they allow
Him to fill their lives just as water does.
But, without God there can be no life.
The most physical freedom we can enjoy is to be floating about in a
pool of water. The water will
carry you down the river of life and over the rapids.
God will take you all the way and lift you above all the storms of
life. Water is generally
accessible to all. God wants to
be accessible to you. He wants to
be your God. Water is the
cleansing agent that can give life. Today,
those who were baptized have symbolically shown that they have been washed. They have been washed in the water and washed in the blood of
the Lamb. Once washed our sins
are cleansed. We have been made
clean and acceptable in the sight of the Lord.
B.
God is like bread. God
wants to be the bread of your life. Bread
is the food that satisfies and gives you the energy you need to live.
Without bread you would eventually die.
Bread is the common food that people would never guess would be one of
the chosen objects to represent the Lord.
Remember that Jesus said,
John 6:48 I am the bread of
life.
He is the bread that will give you life eternal.
Your eternal life can begin today as you take the Lord into your life.
Bread will never give you the benefit it could unless you take it and
eat it. Today, you will be given
the opportunity to take the bread that represents the body of the Lord. You see the bread in the communion today was broken.
Bread is easily broken. This
reminds us of Jesus’ crucifixion. He
was broken for us. He was broken
so that we wouldn’t have to be. Just
as the bread we have to be willing to take the Lord so that we might receive
the life giving food that He can give. Have
you taken Him into your life?
Take the Lord into your life today?
Take this bread into your life which symbolizes the fact that you have
taken God. If you don’t want God then don’t take it.
God is a God of new beginnings. This
could be a new beginning for you.
C.
God is like Grape Juice (or the fruit of the vine).
When Jesus instituted Holy Communion He told His
disciples.
Mat. 26:27 Then he took the cup,
gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you.
28 This is my blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for many for the
forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine
from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father's
kingdom."
The fruit of the vine
comes from grapes. When the
grapes are picked they are crushed so that the life giving juice can be
squeezed out. Since the grapes
have been already crushed today we can take of the juice that has already been
poured out into the cups. All has
been prepared for us. All we have
to do is to believe and receive. We
must do both. Just to believe is
insufficient. We must receive. In Jesus’ day when two people w would make a contract or
agreement, the deal would be sealed with a toast or the sharing of a cup.
This practice was especially prevalent when a man and a woman would
agree to get married. They would
drink a cup together thus sealing the covenant to become committed to one
another. Once we have
received the cup containing the fruit of the vine we have taken of the benefit
it gives. Once we have believed
in the Lord and His sacrifice for our sin we must take of Him to receive the
benefit. Today we have the
opportunity to take a cup of juice that represents the blood of the Lord that
was given for us. If we take the
cup we are agreeing with the Lord. He
wants to save us. We must agree
too. We are making a covenant
with Him. We are saying that we
want to be with Him now and forever. Take
of His sacrifice today. He was
thinking of you and He wants to be with you.
Will you say yes? Will you
drink of His sacrifice for you sins? Will
you be saved? You may say that
you have already been saved. If
you have then you need to remember when Jesus washed Peter’s feet.
Jesus told Peter that he didn’t need to be washed all over but just
his feet. I John 1:9 tells us
that If we confess our sin He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sin
and cleanse us of all unrighteousness. We
need to be continually reminded of the fact of the blood that was shed for us
and the fact that we continue to get our feet dirty and need washed.
It is the blood that washes our spiritual dirt.
Come to take of the juice symbolically of taking of the blood for
forgiveness of your sins. Come
because you want to be forgiven.