Summary: Lord's supper service- how we remember

Lord’s Supper service

3rd quarter – September 2016

“Do this to remember me”

Psalm 66

John 1:7

Matthew 7:12

James 2:14-20

Luke 23:42-43

1 Corinthians 11:23-26

Remembering is an important part of being a human being and it is also an important part of being a follower of Jesus Christ

We sometimes have some usual ways of remembering simple things

Some tie a string around their finger

Others use sticky notes

In this modern age the use of voice recorders and alarms are common

These are for remembering things

We also remember events in many ways

We honor our men and women who have served and are serving in our military on veteran’s and Memorial Day

With parades

Flags

Cookouts

Speeches

We remember the founders of our country on president’s day with a day off from work and more speeches and ceremonies

For our remembrance of our freedom

We celebrate with Fireworks and more cookouts

Time with family

Parades

We also remember individuals in our lives who we love and had relationships with

Father’s day comes with tools, sporting goods etc

Mother’s day with flowers, cards and dinners

Valentines with Chocolate hearts and more flowers

We remember

We also remember those in our lives who have passed on

Crosses on the side of the road

Memorials such as a dedicated pew or donation to an organization

Flowers on graves

Pictures on walls

Naming children and grandchildren after a lost loved one

All of these things are differ ways of remembering

Today is our quarterly Lord’s Supper service

Jesus said

Do this to remember me

To remember me

So we must ask

How do we remember Jesus?

I mean really remember Jesus

Scripture shows us all through the Old Testament and The New Testament

How we remember

Today

I would like to point out a few ways that we can remember and honor Jesus

How we can remember his sacrifice

How we can remember his love

How we can remember how he pulled us out of the mad and muck of our old lives

And redeemed us

By his Perfection

Not our own

It is amazing that God the Son would sacrifice his life

But the fact that he gave his life while we were still sinners is beyond our limited human ability to completely understand

And

Still it is important that we remember

I told you many ways that we remember many thing, events and people

In order to tell you that we need to remember Jesus in many ways as well

Jesus says in 1 Corinthians 11:24-25

Do this to remember me when he is giving instructions on the Lord’s Supper also known as communion

So today

I want to discuss some ways that we truly remember

The first is our

Worship

Psalm 66:1-7

Shout joyful praises to God, all the earth!

2 Sing about the glory of his name!

Tell the world how glorious he is.

3 Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds!

Your enemies cringe before your mighty power.

4 Everything on earth will worship you;

they will sing your praises,

shouting your name in glorious songs.” Interlude

5 Come and see what our God has done,

what awesome miracles he performs for people!

6 He made a dry path through the Red Sea,[a]

and his people went across on foot.

There we rejoiced in him.

7 For by his great power he rules forever.

He watches every movement of the nations;

let no rebel rise in defiance.

8 Let the whole world bless our God

and loudly sing his praises.

Skipping down to 16-20

Come and listen, all you who fear God,

and I will tell you what he did for me.

17 For I cried out to him for help,

praising him as I spoke.

18 If I had not confessed the sin in my heart,

the Lord would not have listened.

19 But God did listen!

He paid attention to my prayer.

20 Praise God, who did not ignore my prayer

or withdraw his unfailing love from me.

We remember Jesus with our

Worship

When we come with prepared hearts

Repentant hearts

Humble hearts

We honor his sacrifice

When we sing his praises

When we listen to his word and apply it to our lives

We remember

Him

Our worship through song and sermon

Through prayer and fellowship

Allows us to show our thanks

Allows us to express our praise

It allows us to remember the sacrifice

Allows us to remember the love

Unconditional love

Allows us to remember his grace

His mercy

Allows us to encourage our brothers and sisters and be encouraged by them in return

In order to remember

If we truly want to remember we must worship

We must worship

Next we remember by our

Words

Words can speak love

Words can speak hatred

Words can build up

And words can tear down

We honor and remember Jesus and his sacrifice when we speak words of love

We Honor Jesus when we share our testimonies

When we tell others what Jesus has done for us

What he has delivered us from

We show others

In love that they are not alone

That Jesus gave his life so that All have the ability to be saved

Show others that their burdens can be lifted

Testimonies are powerful

And Our Jesus stories honor him

And

Cause us to reflect and remember

1 John 1:5-7 gives us a good example of a testimony

Everyone has a story

But without Jesus in it

It is just that

A story

It may be interesting

It may even be inspiring

But

A testimony gives glory to God

A testimony gives glory to Jesus

A testimony gives credit where it is due

To our Lord

John writes

This is the message we heard from Jesus[c] and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. 6 So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. 7 But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.

Notice john says nothing of anything he has done

His words

Say

Jesus cleanses us

By his blood

By his grace

Worship is a great way of remembering

Words are a great way of remembering

We also can remember by our

Justice

You may be asking

What do you mean by our Justice?

Very simply

We remember Jesus and his sacrifice

By how we treat others

Matthew 7:12

Commonly known as the golden rule

Basic kindergarten stuff

“Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.

Jesus says how we treat others shows them who we are

That we belong to him

How we treat others shows that we take seriously his words

Justice

Means

We treat others with respect

We treat others with love

We treat others fairly in all of our dealings with them

Our Justice can show the light of Jesus

Our lack of Justice can show the evils of this wicked world Our Justice- How we treat others shows Jesus

That we remember his sacrifice

That we remember his love

That we remember his teaching and his example to us

We remember Jesus

When we worship

We remember Jesus by our words

We Remember Jesus by our Justice

And

We Remember Jesus by our

Deeds

James

Jesus’ half brother writes in his book

James 2:14-20

What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? 15 Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, 16 and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do?

17 So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.

18 Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.”

19 You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God.[a] Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. 20 How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless?

James says we have to follow the lead of our Savior

And act on our faith

Letting the world

A lost a dying world

A world that desperately needs Jesus

See Jesus by our deeds

Not earning salvation by works

But Showing evidence of salvation by helping others

Jesus’ never sat back and said look at my faith

He feed people

Quenched their thirst

And healed people

He prayed with and ministered to people

He provided for their needs

Sometimes on an emotional level

Like when he touched the leper when a word was all that was needed for healing

Or gave encouragement to a despised tax collector

Sometimes on a physical level

Like the blind, the deaf, the lame, the afflicted

That he healed

And although the New Testament

Where he forgave sins and restored people to a right relationship with God

Jesus set the bar high on helping people

And if we follow his example

We are honoring him

And if we live as he lived

We are remembering him

Our Worship

Our Words

Our Justice

Our Deeds

All remember Jesus

And all these spell out an acrostic

That most are familiar with

WWJD

What would Jesus Do?

This is how we remember Jesus

Act like Jesus

Love like Jesus

Forgive like Jesus

Imitation is then best compliment

Striving every day to be more like Jesus

Asking what would he do?

How would he handle this situation?

Let’s us truly remember him and his sacrifice

Remember him

Because he remembers you

Luke 23:42-43

One of the thieves on the cross cried out to Jesus

While dying for his sins

His crimes

“Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.”

43 And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

In those words the man found peace

As the men come to pass out the juice and crackers this morning and as

The song------ plays

Take this time to remember

Take this time to reflect

Take this time to come to Jesus

Tell him thank you

Deal with unresolved issues and sins

Take stock of your life and your heart

This is a time of remembrance

And we are to take the Lord ’s Supper with clean hearts and clean hands

I plead with you

Pass if you are not in a place to do that

And if you do take it

Please do this to remember him

SONG

1 Corinthians 11:23-26

On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread 24 and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and said, “This is my body, which is given for you.[a] Do this in remembrance of me

Eat

25 In the same way, he took the cup of wine after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood. Do this in remembrance of me as often as you drink it.”

Drink

For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord’s death until he comes again.

Close from the heart

Pray