This is a short sermon before a communion service in a Baptist church. We observe communion quarterly and on special occasions.
COMMANDS, COMISSIONS AND DIRECTIVES
Matt 24:34-40, Matt 28:18-20, Luke 22:19 (NLT)
Intro: A little girl asked her mother, “Mommy, why do you cut the ends off the meat before you cook it?”
The girl’s mother told her that she thought it added to the flavor by allowing the meat to better absorb the spices, but perhaps she should ask her grandmother since she always did it that way.
So the little girl found her grandmother and asked, “Grandma, why do you and Mommy cut the ends of the meat off before you cook it?”
Her grandmother thought a moment and answered, “I think it allows the meat to stay tender because it soaks up the juices better, but why don’t you ask your Nana? After all, I learned from her, and she always did it that way.”
The little girl was getting a little frustrated, but climbed up in her great-grandmother’s lap and asked, “Nana, why do you cut the ends off the meat before you cook it?”
Nana answered, “I had to; my cooking pot wasn’t big enough.”
. Some things we do in life because we have to don’t we?
. There are things that we are told in scripture to do also.
. This morning, I want to take a brief look at the commands we have been given, the commission that we have been given and the directive that we have been given.
.The first thing is:
. The Commands of Jesus.
. Matthew 22: 34-40
. 34But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees with his reply, they met together to question him again.
35One of them, an expert in religious law, tried to trap him with this question:
36“Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?”
37Jesus replied, “ ‘You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’
38This is the first and greatest commandment.
39A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
40The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”
Jesus had been teaching the people and the Sadducees and Pharisees were trying to get him to teach something that they could use against Him as a heresy.
. They asked which is the greatest commandment. They were not just talking about jut The Ten Commandments; they were talking about the dietary laws, things that were Kosher as we call them today. They were talking about all the rules around the sacrificial system.
. Surely with all of that, they could find something in Jesus’ teaching that would allow them to arrest Him.
. Jesus looked at them and said that you know what, I’m not only going to give you the one greatest commandment, I’m going to give you two.
.If you can manage to do these two things then you will have been in compliance with all the other laws.
. If you can just do these two things, you will be keeping all the law.
. The first and greatest commandment is:
. ‘You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’
. Much of the law and demands of the prophets are based on this one.
.For example, Exodus 20: 1-11 tells us this:
. 3“You must not have any other god but me.
.Do not worship idols
. Don’t misuse my name nor take my name in vain.
. Remember the Sabbath. Remember to take time to worship on honor me through the worship.
. The first four commandments within the Ten Commandments.
. Jesus said simply that if you will love God with all your heart soul and mind, all that you are, then all of these commandments will be fulfilled along with anything the prophets have told you.
. Then He said there is another one that is just as important.
. ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
. Love each other
. This encompasses the last six commandments.
. Honor your father and mother, you will do that when you love them.
. Do not murder, we don’t kill the ones we love.
. Do not commit adultery. We stay true to the ones we love.
.Do not steal. We don’t steal from someone we love.
.Don’t provide false witness or lie. We don’t do that to people we love.
. Don’t covet what your neighbor has, we should be happy for the success of other people. Not bitter.
. I know that we have been talking about this around here for years now and it may seen old hat.
. Folks, if we can manage to do this, we are following the commands of Jesus.
. Next we see that we have also been given a commission, a mission for Christ.
. The Commission Of Jesus
. Look at Matthew 28:18-20
. 18Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth.
19Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
20Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
. Jesus tells us that He has been given the Authority to give us a commission.
. Jesus is telling us that you are going to be my Ambassadors. You are going to tell other people what I have taught you. What I want you to say.
. That’s what ambassadors do, they carry the message of the one that sent them.
. When our president commissions an Ambassador, they have a big ceremony and they call it a commissioning ceremony.
. That ambassador is then authorized to tell others what the president wants them to hear.
. Look at 2 Corinthians 5: 19,20 with me.
. 19For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation.
20So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!”
. Paul reiterates what Jesus commissioned us to do.
. Take the message of reconciliation with God through Jesus Christ on the cross to the world.
. You have been commissioned, you are an Ambassador for Christ.
. Tell the story. Tell your story. Tell what you have been commissioned to tell.
. Be witnesses, tell your story to the world.
. That’s what we have been commissioned to do.
. We do this with and through the authority of Jesus Christ who commissioned us.
. Finally this morning, we also have a directive from Jesus as a church. As an assembly of Believers.
. You see, the commands and the commission is to be done individually. I know we do these things as a church but when it comes down to it, the commands and the commission is for us individually.
. Jesus gives us a directive as an assembly of believers.
. The Directive Of Jesus
. We see the directive of Jesus in several places but I want us to look at it in Luke this morning.
. It was Passover time in Jerusalem and it was time for the Passover meal. Scripture tells us that Jesus told his disciples that He has been looking forward to this last time together before He went to the cross.
. They are gathered together for this meal and they are all sitting around the table and Jesus looks at them and says this.
9He took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this to remember me.”
. The directive to those gathered together, this is what you do in order to remember me and what I am about to do for you.
. Do this together as a group or body of disciples.
. These are my directions on how to do this.
. We are about to follow the directive of Jesus this morning as we celebrate the Last Supper or Communion this morning as a body of believers.
. Will our Deacons and ordained folks come forward please.
. Communion
*** To my Christian brothers and sisters, thank you for taking the time to read this sermon. I ask that you take another second and score this for me. I am always open to feedback so that I can continue to grow in the proclamation of God’s word.
May God bless you as you continue to strive to walk worthy of His calling.
Sources: The Holy Bible, NLT
Opening Illustration from sermon central
