“Remember the CROSS”
Memorial Day 2020
1 Corinthians 11:23-26
Credit:
various sections were taken from K. Edward Skidmore on Dec 13, 2004
Background research from Tom Fuller
Memorial Day is a time when we remember a sobering fact:
• The Cost of Freedom is Blood.
• Once a year we observe Memorial Day.
Tomorrow is the official Memorial Holiday.
• Because men have died for this country,
• we have the right to preach God’s word freely.
• We have the right to live at peace in our own homes.
• We have the right to pursue peace, prosperity and happiness.
We remember those who cannot hear our “THANK YOU”’s
Memorial day is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation’s service:
Tomorrow we remember and honor those who gave their lives for LIVES
Today we remember and honor Jesus for giving His life for our SOULS.
We are forgetful people, we forget:
- Names, faces, phone numbers
- We forget where we put our cell phones when they are in our hands
- We can’t find our purse, wallet and keys
We want to remember important things so:
- We set alarms to grab our attention
- We put things on our calendar
- We have to trip over it, or we’ll likely forget things that are important
- I have started to ask others to “help me remember” this or that.
God wants to make sure we don’t forget THE CROSS OF CROSS:
- The death of Jesus that buys us life
- The fact that Jesus loves us
- That we can have hope and a future in Christ ALONE
-
We NEED a REMINDER THAT WE OWE JESUS EVERYTHING,
and that He is our only need
“For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 25 In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”
26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.” 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 (NKJV)
This, of course, is the Last Supper:
• We find it in each of the Synoptic Gospels
• It was part of the Passover feast where Jesus
• took the piece of bread,
• broke it and had His disciples eat,
• then took the third cup and had them drink of it.
This was a reminder of what God had done:
• for the children of Israel in bringing them out of Egypt
• now became hugely significant of what Jesus was about to do
• To be nailed to the cross and suffer to death
• And on the 3rd day be raised from the dead
• to rescue ALL THE WILLING from the bondage sin
Paul here emphasizes two aspects of communion:
1. Jesus told us to do it “in remembrance” of Him.
a. It literally means “to bring to recollection”.
2. The second thing is that in doing this we “proclaim” the Lord’s death until He returns.
Proclaim reminds me of the town crier saying something like this “Hear ye, Hear ye, Jesus died for the sins of the WORLD!”
THERE IS NO BETTER NEW, THAT IS WHY THEY CALL IT THE GOOD NEWS!
Communion is nothing to be taken lightly:
• We need to RECALL the painful death and horror of
• Jesus being separated from the Father
• so that we would never have to be
Jesus said this was a “new” covenant.
• We are new,
• with a new character and new life,
• so WE MUST LIVE NEW, not act in the “old” way of competition and class?
“Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” Romans 6:4 (NKJV)
Praise God we NOW live under GRACE and NOT LAW!!
God is no debtor to man….
• Still He came to die on the cross for our sins
• He never owed us a thing, but now who is the debtor?
• God owes us nothing, but we owe Him everything (X2)
We have to admit our guilt:
• Jesus loved you enough to die VOLUNTARILY ON THE CROSS
• I am glad Jesus died for you and I, we needed that like we need air, but remember
• If we had never sinned Jesus would never suffered for us
“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23
Mr. Skidmore wrote:
“We realize once again: I am the one to blame. I caused all his suffering. He was humiliated, beaten, spit upon, and treated as a sinner because I am a sinner. And we know that if there only been one sinner who was lost, He still would have died. His love is that great.
Mourning the loss is the first thing we must do as we observe the Memorial of our Lord.
At Communion, the first thing we do with the bread is to break it. Whether we break it with our hands or we chew it, we break the bread. This symbolizes the fact that our sin broke the body of Christ.” (K. Skidmore)
Our Communion Tables are inscribed with these words:
Do this in remembrance of me.
Every week, we set aside time to remember Jesus.
Please stand for the reading of God’s word:
“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.”1 Corinthians 11:23-26
Jesus:
- paid a high price for the souls of the world
- After all Jesus has done for us,
It’s not too much for us to REMEMBER HIS SACRIFICE AND PROCLAIM IT REGULARLY.
At the Lord’s Table we do more than walk around a Monument and grieve:
- We also remember his Victory over Death.
- We remember His resurrection.
- We have fellowship with a living Savior
Too many Christians are treating FLIPPANTLY,
what God says is to be treated with REVERANCE (X2)
“3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,” 1 Corinthians 15:3-4
When we skip Church we miss so much!
- We must hold high the CROSS of CHRIST, which means
- We make it a pattern to be at Church and to join around the Lords’ Table
Acts 2:42 is the pattern for the CHURCH to follow:
“They were CONTINUALLY devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”
Three things stick out of the text to me that should direct our attitudes:
1. we are now both the recipients and the messenger of the Gospel (X2)
The author of 1 Corinthians was passing on the Gospel
Now that we have the message, we SHARE the message
2. We are Humble
When we trade our sin for God’s righteousness
It will leave us humble.
It will remind us that God owes us NOTHING and we owe Him EVERYTHING!
- We are all sinners saved by Grace, or not saved at all
3. God’s grace leaves us thankful.
- Jesus gave thanks during the Lord’s Supper
- we follow in the Lord’s steps and have a thankful heart.
“Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Give thanks in ALL circumstances….
- When the car gets repossessed…..find a reason to praise the Lord
- When the Dr. says you’re staying in the wheel chair….find a reason to thank the Lord
- When you are losing your hair, losing your mind and losing your house. – find a reason to Thank the Lord
If you struggle for a reason to be Thankful, REMEMBER THIS:
God is in the business of turning a ship wreck into a success story (X2)
God is working, NOT SOME, but All things together for good
“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28 (NKJV)
Don’t miss this:
“If everything on this planet goes magnificently against you, be thankful this world will not last and Heaven is prepared for those prepared for heaven! (X2)
The Lord’s Table is a Memorial that the best is not found NOW on Earth, but Later in heaven.
Let’s ask you a personal question:
“Why should God let you into heaven?” (X2)
o You are not good enough to get into heaven without Jesus
o You are not bad enough that Jesus can’t forgive your sin
Acts 22:16 asks and answers the question “how do you get into heaven.”
The question is
“And now what are you waiting for???” (X2)
The answer is
“Get up, be baptized/immersed and wash your sins away, calling on his name.”
What is your next step???
o Do you believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God?
o Have you confessed that Jesus is Lord?
o Have you turned your back on SIN, and committed to follow Jesus?
o Have you been baptized?
You need to know that God’s Grace is GREATER than your sin:
Jesus is the answer for your sin, guilt and shame
We’ve reached our time of decision, and we will be singing:
“Grace that is greater than all our sin”
Credit:
various sections were taken from K. Edward Skidmore on Dec 13, 2004
Background research from Tom Fuller
