The Three “R’s” of Communion
Luke 22:19-20
May 4, 2008
NOTE: THE ME/WE/GOD/YOU/WE FORMAT USED IN MY MESSAGES IS BORROWED FROM ANDY STANLEY’S BOOK, "COMMUNICATING
FOR A CHANGE."
Introduction
My intention for today was to continue in Matthew 20, finishing that chapter where Jesus has compassion on two blind men.
But as I reflected on the fact that we’re having communion today, I thought it would be good if we took some time to talk about what it’s all about.
We don’t have time to go into every detail, but I want to give you an overview as to why this sacrament is so special.
God: The basis of our passage is Luke 22:19-20 –
19 And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me." 20 In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.
It’s very important to remember that this meal that Jesus was sharing with His disciples wasn’t just any meal.
It was the Passover Meal. The meal that commemorated the night God struck down the firstborn of the Egyptians, sparing the firstborn of the Israelites who had spread the blood of a perfect lamb over the doors of their homes so that the angel of death would pass over their homes.
The Jews were commanded to keep the Passover throughout the generations as a remembrance of God’s deliverance.
But this wasn’t just any Passover meal. This would be the last Passover meal Jesus would celebrate on earth, because in a few hours, He Himself would be put to death as the Passover Lamb – the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
The Passover meal was both a celebration of God’s deliverance from Egypt and an anticipation of God’s deliverance from sin and death through the Messiah.
The Passover meal was a very intensive meal in that it involved a number of different requirements. It wasn’t just something a person threw together because the in-laws were coming together.
I won’t get into all the details, but I’m hopeful that sometime in the future we can have someone come in a teach us what the Passover meal was all about and how it pointed to Christ.
Today we’re doing something just a bit different in that the bread is actually unleavened bread with no yeast or any other leavening agent. This was a requirement of the Passover meal.
According to the package of this bread, this unleavened bread would be acceptable for Jews to eat during the Passover.
But the idea this sacrament isn’t just something those disciples in the Upper Room were supposed to do. It’s something that the current disciples – you and I – are supposed to partake of as well.
You: To help us gain a better grasp of what communion is supposed to mean to us, I want us to look at The Three “R’s” of Communion:
* Remember
We start off by remembering that Christ laid down His life on our behalf. That He shed His blood
I’ve printed a quote for you from Robert Holland:
“Communion is never irrelevant, because it always rooted and grounded in real history. It is the memory of real events.” [Robert Holland, “Barnyard Echoes,” Preaching Today, no. 14 (1987), audiocassette. Illustration found in The Year-Round Book of Sermon Ideas, Stories, and Quotes, by Stan Toler and Elmer L. Towns.]
The Jews used the Passover meal to remember God’s deliverance from Egypt. Jesus told His disciples to remember the deliverance He brought through the shedding of His blood.
Remember the suffering He endured for your sake. Remember the fact that He would rather die than spend eternity without you.
The second “R” is…
* Reflect
Reflect on the fact that we don’t deserve what Jesus did for you and me.
Reflect on the fact that Jesus knew that and did it anyway.
Reflect on the fact that we don’t always give Jesus the honor and the priority He deserves.
Reflect on the fact that one of the reasons Jesus died is so that we could be holy for Him, as we allow His Holy Spirit to live and work in us.
Reflect on the fact that the love of God is beyond our comprehension – but that didn’t stop God from showing it to us by sending Jesus to die for our sins.
Reflect on the fact that God wants to be involved in every part of your life (Rev. 3:20).
The third “R” is this:
* Respond
How are we to respond to the sacrifice of Christ on our behalf as we observe Communion?
For those who have come to believe in Christ as their Savior, the proper response is to recommit to Him as their Lord and Master.
A recommitment that says I’m rededicating my life to the one who died for me. A rededication of every area of my life – my ambitions, work, family, money, relationships, and everything else.
A recommitment to allow the Holy Spirit to work in me so that I can truly love the Lord my God with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength, and my neighbor as myself.
A recommitment to make Jesus my first love above all other things, and not just make Him one of many other things that make up my life. A recommitment to make Him the focus of my life, with everything else flowing out of that focus.
There is another response that would be appropriate during this time, and that is to receive the gift of forgiveness and eternal life that Jesus laid down His life to give you and me.
Here’s what I mean:
The Bible says that through Jesus we can have the gift of forgiveness of our sins and the assurance of a home in heaven when we die.
But for that to be true of you, you need to take that gift for yourself. You need to tell the Father that you want what Jesus bought for you with His blood, trusting that Jesus is the only hope you have.
Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
You can’t get there by following anyone other than Christ. You can’t get there by “being religious.” You can’t get there by being a “good person” – because believe me, you’re not good enough to enter a perfect heaven and stand before a perfect and holy God. It takes the holiness of Jesus to wash you clean.
The only hope for heaven is by putting your faith in Christ.
I’m going to say a prayer that you can say along with me in your heart if this response of receiving Jesus and what He did for you as your own.
(Prayer – heads bowed, eyes closed, respond through eyes)
If you are one of those who responded to Jesus by receiving Him, then I want you to know that you are welcome to take part in communion with us today, and I believe it would please Jesus if you did.
I’ve never been very smooth at making the transition from one part of the service to the communion portion, so let me just say that at this point, I would invite you to prepare your hearts for this special time.
Communion
We usually have a call to worship at the beginning of this sacred time, and it goes like this:
The Lord Jesus himself instituted the holy sacrament we call the Lord’s Supper, giving it to the disciples as a means of remembering Him until He comes again, and as a seal of the new covenant between God and man.
This service is therefore a time of special sacredness and we can only be properly prepared by giving our hearts and minds to reverent worship, and by being freed of all things contrary to the divine nature and purpose.
Therefore let us bow in a period of silent prayer, asking the Holy Spirit to search our hearts and to bring us into conformity with the holiness of the God we serve.
(Silent prayer)
Almighty God, father of our Lord Jesus Christ, maker of all things, judge of all persons, we acknowledge that in Your sight all our righteous acts are like filthy rags.
Outside of Christ we are sinners, and it is only through His atonement that we are forgiven and cleansed. Whatever there is of purity and virtue in our hearts or in our lives is the product of Your grace.
We come today to remember once again how Christ obtained our salvation.
And as we do, we ask that the Holy Spirit shall search our hearts. If we have committed any act which is displeasing to You, or neglected any duty which would have honored You, reveal it and forgive, we pray.
Or if there is any tendency to disobedience, to the love of the world, or to the exaltation of self, reveal it and purge it from our hearts, we pray. You have told us that if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
Our hope, our trust, our righteousness are in Him alone. Have mercy upon us for His sake, and grant that we may serve and please You in newness of life and purity of heart, world without end, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
The elements will now be distributed, and I would ask that you just hang onto them and we will eat and drink them together.
(Distribute the elements. While the elements are being distributed, read the following from The New Minister’s Manual – Copyright 1994, 1996 Annuity Board of the Southern Baptist Convention)
The one incident in His eventful career that Jesus directed to be preserved among all others was His death. He made His death more important than His wisdom, or His power, or His miracles, or His teachings.
Let the world forget everything else He ever taught, but let them not forget His death. By His death the gates of hell were lifted off their hinges; the foundations were cut from under the kingdom of evil; the doors of the prison house of Satan were thrown wide open. It was a day long remembered; it was a deed never to be forgotten.
In what manner did He seek to preserve this one unchangeable thing? Not by tall buildings or shafts of marble, but by two unchangeable customs: eating and drinking. As long as a person lives, he must eat and drink. Jesus chose these two things as the means of keeping alive the story of His death.
Matthew, Mark, and Luke all record the account of Jesus’ observing of the Last Supper.
The apostle Paul interprets this event when he writes –
23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me." 25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me." 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
The body of our Lord Jesus Christ, which was given for you, preserve your soul and body unto everlasting life. Take and eat this remembering that Christ died for you, and feed on Him in your heart, by faith, with thanksgiving.
The blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, which was shed for you, preserve your soul and body unto everlasting life. Drink this remembering that Christ’s blood was shed for you, and be thankful.
Lord’s Prayer
Closing Chorus – White as Snow
