There are many pictures around us that remind us of the existence of God.
This is echoed in Romans 1 verse 20.
For since the creation of the world,
His invisible attributes are clearly seen,
Being understood by the things that are made,
Even His eternal power and Godhead,
So that they are without excuse.
Please join me now as we look at one aspect of nature that is truly awe-inspiring.
One of the most stunning sceneries in the world is seeing a lake reflecting a mountain.
The mountain is a great constant.
It is rock solid.
The lake completely reflects the mountain.
When God created man,
He said,
Let us make man in our image.
This is a picture like the lake and the mountain,
Where the one is reflecting the other.
The lake is not the mountain,
But it reflects that image.
The mountain is a great source of life for the lake.
Water runs down and fills up the lake.
To explain it simply,
Nutrients flow from the mountain to the lake,
Enabling it to be life-giving to fish,
Other animals and plants.
When Adam and Eve sinned,
Our sin nature not only polluted the lake of humanity,
But it built layer upon layer of rubbish between us and God.
This great wall meant that there was no access between us and God.
We were no longer able to be life-giving,
But instead,
Our ecosystem was dying.
In Daniel 2,
You can read about Nebuchadnezzar's dream of a statue made from different metals.
This represented the different kingdoms in the world across the ages.
Then he sees a rock cut out of a mountain,
But not by human hands,
A rock that broke the iron,
The bronze,
The clay,
The silver and the gold to pieces.
The dream talked about Christ,
Our rock cut from the huge mountain,
A representation of the Godhead coming down to earth,
His victory on the cross and his everlasting kingdom.
Please take a look at the piece of communion bread in your hand.
What you see in this broken piece of bread is a representation of that rock that was cut from the bigger mountain.
It is a symbol of the body of Christ that was broken on the cross so that he can smash all the other kingdoms of the world that we allow inside of us and that stand between us and God.
Jesus Christ smashed every obstacle between you and God when he paid the price.
That would stand rock solid like a mountain,
Establishing his kingdom for all eternity.
Please eat the bread.
This cup you hold in your hand represents the life of Christ,
His blood.
Like the water flowing down the mountain into the lake,
Christ's blood washes us clean from all sin and iniquity.
It is this constant flow of life and love between God and us.
When all sin has been removed by the blood of the Lamb,
The wall that obscures the image of the mountain on the lake is removed.
No longer do we have to look at pollution,
But we see the perfect image of the mountain reflected on the surface of the lake.
The place where the two touch is a picture of perfect unity.
When you believe that Christ alone is your Savior,
You become one with him and also become part of that eternal victory.
The blood of the Lamb restores the perfect unity that existed between God and man in the beginning.
The life-giving mountain pours out his life and his love into us,
And the two commandments,
Love the Lord your God,
Top-down relationship,
And love others as yourself,
The relationship from person to person,
Are fulfilled.
As you drink this cup,
Think of your relationship with God that was restored,
But also how he is restored.
As you swallow the wine or the grape juice,
Or any other juice that you might want to use,
Imagine how his life-giving blood cleanses you from all sin,
Restores the relationship between you and him,
And between you and others.
You may drink the cup.
Father,
I thank you for your love and your love for us.
You may drink the cup.
Father,
We thank you that you are the rock of all ages.
Jesus Christ,
You are the only rock we can build upon.
Thank you for your blood that removes the barriers that keep us from reflecting you and living in perfect unity with you.
You are our only source of life.
We thank you that you are a God who wants to restore our relationship with you,
And you are also interested in restoring our relationship with others.
Thank you that the good work you have started in each of us,
You will complete.
Holy Spirit,
Please continue to flow through us and restore us.
Amen.
