Scripture: Isaiah 53:4-5; Luke 22:14 – 23
Theme: Thanksgiving
Title: I am Thankful for …. Holy Communion
INTRO:
Grace and peace this morning from God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit!
This month we have been focusing on things in which we need to be thankful. We have been looking at different things that we need to give God both praise and thanksgiving.
We first looked at God’s Grace
+ God’s Grace is Unmerited
+God’s Grace is Unearned
+God’s Grace is Limitless
+God’s Grace is Transformative
Then we looked at being thankful for the Baptism of the Holy Spirit:
+Thankful that we receive the Holy Spirit when we are Born Again (John 3) and are called to a deeper baptism in and with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2)
+Thankful that the LORD wants to live in our Temple; that is to say in our Bodies, Our Minds and in Our Spirits - The LORD desires to be One with Us – John 14-17
+Thankful that the LORD wants US to be His Resource Center; we are to be living water to all those around us (John 7) through the Baptism of His Holy Spirit. We are to copartner with God in transforming our geography.
Wow! That is a lot to receive, to experience and to be thankful for this morning.
But, let’s go on. Let’s take some time to look at another one of God’s amazing gifts to be thankful for this morning – it is Holy Communion, the Lord’s Supper or Eucharist. In our tribe we normally call it Communion or the Lord’s Supper but in other traditions it is called Eucharist – the Meal of Thanksgiving.
The title Eucharist comes from a reading of the Apostle Paul’s first letter to the Church in Corinth:
“For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks (e??a??st?sa? - eucharistesas), he broke it, and said, "This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me". (1 Corinthians 11:23–24)
Eucharist (Thanksgiving) was the term used by many in the Early Church including some of its prominent leaders like Ignatius of Antioch (who died around 100 AD and therefore was a contemporary of St. John) and Justin Martyr (who was known for his Christian writings in the middle of the 2nd Century).
In our tribe we commonly use the terms, The Lord’s Supper, The Last Supper, Holy Communion or just the word Communion. And we normally take communion using a piece of unleavened bread or wafer and a small cup of grape juice. Around 100 years ago our leaders decided to part ways with using real wine and chose instead to go with grape juice.
This morning before we partake of the Lord’s Supper/Communion, I thought it would be a good thing for us to remind ourselves of some of the amazing graces surrounding this beautiful sacrament.
Let’s see how Communion goes with such words as Remember, Identity and Activity or Active.
I. The Bible tells us that the words Remember and Communion Go Together
We all live in a world of forgetfulness. It’s not because we are all suffering from some type of mental illness or dementia, but, it is because as soon as we wake up we are bombarded by a thousand things competing for our attention. It is easy for us to forget what we were planning to do and what we should do.
Before our feet even hit the floors, it is possible for us to be able to read news reports, weather reports and sports reports from all over the globe. It is possible for us scroll through pictures and posts from Instagram and Facebook. It is possible for us to listen to some music from YouTube, Pandora or Apple Music. It is even possible for us to send and receive a number of texts and emails and we still haven’t gotten out from underneath the covers.
By the time we get dressed and have a bite to eat with all that is hitting us from the radio, the TV, from Alexa, Google or other Social Media venues it is possible that we have forgotten what we did last night much less remember what we need to do today.
I know and I am sure that you know people who spend the majority of their day glued to seeing what new posts are put up on Facebook, Twitter or looking at pictures on Snap Chat or Instragram and forget that they either need to be working or doing something more productive.
Our morning lives are literally battlefields for our hearts, minds and souls. Our mornings can be a battlefield for our space; that is to say our time. How much time do we dedicate to social media, news etc… How much time do we dedicated to housework, office work, taking care of those in our families and making a living? How much time do we dedicate to God’s Word, Prayer and our own Spiritual Maturity?
All those are usually answered by what season of life we are enjoying. For some the time has come to be able to dedicate more time to developing your spiritual maturity while for others you are simply doing your best to have a quiet minute or two.
What we can do is to find moments – we can lean into moments to reflect, to contemplate and to remember God’s Grace, His Holy Spirit and Holy Communion. Holy Communion with God that not only includes holding a wafer and a small cup of juice but Holy Communion that involves being one with God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
In 1 Corinthians 11:17-34, the Apostle Paul reminds us of that that Jesus shared Holy Communion with His disciples for the first time. One of the things that Jesus said was these very important words – “Do this in remembrance of Me”.
Those little words are on the front of millions if not billions of Communion tables all over the world.
“Do this in remembrance of Me.”
Remember; now that is not something that God has a problem with at all. God doesn’t need to remember; He lives outside of time. Forgetfulness is not something that plagues the LORD.
Forgetfulness is a human condition. It is something with which we humans have a problem. We see this played out over and over again in the Old Testament. The People of God were forever forgetting how much the LORD GOD AMIGHTY loved them, had rescued them, forgiven them and redeemed them.
They were forever forgetting their covenant with the LORD and His ability to help them live abundant lives. They were forever forgetting that they were a chosen people who were to reflect God’s glory and honor to the rest of the world in order that the entire world would turn and serve the only true and living God – the Good God of Creation – the Lord God Almighty.
Holy Communion reminds us of just how much God loves us. God so loved us that He sent His Only Son – Jesus Christ – to die on the Cross so that we might be rescued, redeemed and restored into God’s Holy Image. Communion reminds us of God’s Grace. Communion reminds us of Being Born Again. Communion reminds us that we can be baptized in the Holy Spirit. And Communion reminds us that we are able to live an Abundant Life here on this earth and on the New Earth and Heaven to come.
We need to remember that each time we take Holy Communion we remind the Devil and all the principalities of evil of their failure. Their failure to defeat the Lord Jesus Christ and their failure to defeat the plan of salvation.
We need to remember that each time we take Holy Communion the Devil and all evil has to watch as we celebrate Jesus’ sacrifice and His victory over sin, Hell, death and the grave.
We need to remember that each time we take Holy Communion we celebrate the reality of the New Birth, Salvation and Redemption.
II. The Bible tells us that the words Identity and Communion Go Together
When we take Communion we are constantly proclaiming our Identity in Christ. When we take the body and blood of Jesus, we are to proclaiming WHOSE WE ARE AND WHAT WE ARE.
We are proclaiming the full benefit we have in Christ. We are proclaiming that in Christ we are: (The Following was printed in the Worship Folder)
+Forgiven – “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” – 1 John 1:9
+Redeemed – “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace” – Ephesians 1:7
+Justified – “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” – Romans 5:1
+Regenerated/Born Again – “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” – 1 Peter 1:3
+Adopted – “ But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God. - Galatians 4:4-7
+Children of the Most High – “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Galatians 3:26-29
+Citizens of Heaven – “But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which He will bring everything under His control.” – Philippians 3:20-21.
All too often people feel like that they have to approach Communion with sadness, sorrow and guilt. They take the Lord’s words – “To remember” the wrong direction.
Jesus doesn’t want you to remember who you were before you were born again; that person no longer exists. Instead, remember that your sins have been paid for in full. Your slate has been washed as clean as snow! Don’t dwell on your old life. Your sins are gone; they are as far as the east is from the west.
No, the thing that Jesus wants us to remember is who we are today in Him. Jesus did not die on the cross and be raised again for us to live in a guilt laden past. In Christ we are – justified, redeemed, forgiven, born again, adopted, a child of the Most High and a citizen of Heaven. If you want to focus on your identity, then focus on how God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit sees you right now. Focus on how Heaven sees you right. Focus on how all the seraphim, the cherubim and the arch angels see us right now. Focus on your new life in Christ. Focus on the fact that in Christ you are a new creation and filled with His Own Holy Spirit. Focus on the fact that you have been sealed with the promise of the Holy Spirit.
This morning, we can join with the Apostle Paul and say aloud to the whole world:
+I am crucified with Christ – Galatians 2:20
+I am a follower of Christ – 1 Corinthians 11:1
+My mind is being renewed (Romans 12:2) and I am a masterpiece of God (Ephesians 2:10)
+I have peace that passes all understanding – Philippians 4:7
Have you ever thought about the people who took that first Communion – Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Canaanite and Judas Iscariot?
Every last one of them from Peter to John to Judas – every one of them within a matter of hours betrayed Jesus. None of them went to the Cross with Him or volunteered to take His place. None of them led a revolt. None of them did anything to help Jesus escape. None of them did anything other than run away or watch from a distance.
And Jesus knew all of that was going to happen and still He broke the Bread of the New Covenant and shared the Wine of the New Covenant with them. Even though Jesus knew they would fail, He reached out to them with the New Covenant to forever remind them that what He was going to do had the ability to change them forever. No longer would they have to be sinners bound for Hell. But through His body and through His Blood the way would be made for everyone who calls upon Him as Savior and Lord to be saved.
That is amazing. That is amazing grace my friends.
This morning, don’t focus on the past – on the person you used to be – instead focus on who you are in Christ. The person you are today; right now. You are redeemed, approved, accepted and anointed. That is all because of Jesus – Jesus’ sacrifice, Jesus’ redemptive blood has changed your identity.
III. The words Active/Action and Communion Go Together
Holy Communion is not a dead ritual. Holy Communion is not a passive event.
So, often it is treated that way. It is treated as something that we do out of duty. It is something that we must do at least four times a year. We really don’t know why we take it at least four times a year but we do it anyway. We take the little stale wafer and the small cup of juice and we do our best to take it with the right spirit.
However, this morning we need to realize that Communion is alive. It is active. It is transformative. It is a shout of victory and praise.
Listen to what Acts 2:42ff shares with us:
“And they devoted themselves to the apostle’s teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.”
The Early Church focused on four things – the Apostle’s teaching, fellowship, the breaking of bread and prayer.
+The Apostle’s teaching of course is what we now find in the New Testament
+Fellowship is sharing life – sharing stories and building community.
+Prayer of course is just that prayer – intercessory prayer, praying in the spirit, spending time with God in corporate prayer.
+What then was this “breaking of bread”?
The “breaking of bread” meant two things. It meant sharing a meal together. People would get together and have a fellowship meal. And it meant that they would sometime during that meal; usually at the end of the meal, they would share Communion.
Communion was not something that only happened in Church because frankly at this time there were no established churches. The Early Christians would meet in one another’s home or when they were allowed in a synagogue.
When two or three people or more got together to study the word, to spend time sharing life and to pray for one another and others they would take Holy Communion. It was something that was alive for them. It was active. It was a means of God’s grace.
Communion was a vital part of their daily and weekly lives. They took Jesus’ words to heart – “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." (1 Corinthians 11:25).
“Whenever you do drink it, in remembrance of me”
Let those words sink in – Communion was never just a Church thing in the Early Church. Whenever disciples of Jesus got together – be it a couple, a family, a group of friends they would take the Lord’s Supper together.
Why? Because those Early Christians saw Communion as a means of grace; that is why it is called a sacrament.
The Early Church believed that Isaiah’s words in Isaiah 53:4-5 were talking about Jesus:
“Surely He (Jesus) has borne our grief (malady, anxiety, calamity, disease, grief and sicknesses) and carried our sorrows (pain – physical and mental); Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted, But He was wounded for our transgressions (our sins – all our sins), He was bruised for our iniquities (our rebellion, our carnality), the chastisement of our peace (the peace of Christ, the peace that passes all understanding, the peace that comes through the Holy Spirit), and by His stripes (bruises, wounds) we are healed.”
When the Early Church took communion and when they took the bread they understood it not only as a symbol but as a means of grace – a grace that opened the door for healing – for sozo of heart, mind and soul.
One of the things Jesus loved to do here on this earth was to bring healing; to bring wholeness to humanity. In Communion that love and desire is still to be expressed. Jesus is the Healer. By His stripes, Jesus says we can be healed. By his broken body, we can be made whole.
I believe in many churches and in perhaps many people’s lives Holy Communion has been undervalued. It has not been appreciated for its fullness. In taking Communion we are in effect asking God to bring healing and wholeness to our bodies, to our minds and to our spirits. Jesus wants to touch us!
When they took the cup – the wine/juice of the cup it was to remind them of the blood – the covenant of blood going all the way back to the days of Abraham and then Moses. Abraham who in Genesis 15 watches as the LORD HIMSELF walks through a covenant blood sacrifice signifying to Abraham that forever He will be One with Abraham and His descendants in faith.
In Moses’ time of course we know the story of when upon the night of the 10th Plague the LORD commanded His People to sacrifice a sheep and place the blood on the doorposts of their homes so that the death angel would “Passover” their homes. That blood covenant brought forth their rescue, their redemption and the restoration to be God’s Chosen People.
And of course we know today the Good News of the New Covenant. We know that the blood of Jesus superseded all those covenants. The blood of Jesus changed all of human history. The blood of Jesus changed all of Creation. Today, we no longer have to sacrifice a goat, a bull or a sheep as a substitute offering. Jesus’ blood covers every sin from the sin in the Garden to the last sin committed on this earth. Jesus’ blood has made a way for everyone to be redeemed.
This morning, we can come before the presence of God without sin and without shame. We are a free people. There is something real in Holy Communion. There is a grace of healing of body, soul and mind.
If I shared the following names and told you that these people did the same thing you might be amazed - Augustine of Hippo, Smith Wigglesworth, Symeon the New Theologian, Martin Luther, John Cosin, Cyprian of Carthage, John Wesley, Joseph Prince, Beni Johnson and Basil the Great. In that list are Catholics, Baptists, Pentecostals, Lutherans, Anglicans, Methodist and Non-denominationals. Some of them lived as early as the 3rd and 4th century while others lived during the 17th and 18th centuries up to our present day.
What all of them share is that at certain seasons of their lives and for some all of their Born Again lives they would partake of Holy Communion at least 4 – 7 times a week. Many of them took communion daily.
Why? Because they believed that the Table was open to them anytime and anywhere. They believed that Holy Communion in its essence is spending time with God, remembering, proclaiming and living out a life based on the New Covenant. They believed much like the Early Church that each day could be a day devoted to the Word, to fellowship, to prayer and to taking Communion.
Did they all run to a church? No, they would take it in different settings. By themselves and the LORD. With family and with friends. In Church and out of Church. All they needed was a surrendered heart, some bread and either wine or juice.
All they wanted is to remember the LORD – what He did – His death and resurrection – the New Identity that Christ gave them and for His Presence to be real in their lives – opening themselves up for healing and wholeness.
Today, we close our service by taking communion –
+We take it remembering Christ’s sacrifice and His Victory
+We take it knowing who we are in Christ and rejoicing in both our Salvation and in the Baptism of the Holy Spirit
+We take it knowing that by Jesus’ stripes we are healed
+We take it knowing that our redemption – both now and forever rests in Christ Jesus
+We take it proclaiming Jesus as Savior and LORD
+We take it celebrating New Life
+We take it celebrating Freedom
+We take and go forth as Salt and Light
+We take it in anticipation of that time when we along with all the saints, all the angels and especially with God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit take it together at the Messianic Meal!
THE SHARING OF HOLY COMMUNION
