Closing in on the Cross of Jesus Christ
Part 2: Timeless Truth from the Lord’s Supper
The Gospel of Matthew
Matthew 26:14-29
Sermon by Rick Crandall
(Prepared March 29, 2023)
BACKGROUND:
*Today in Matthew 26, we are closing in on the cross of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. One of the most important things the Lord did in those final hours was institute the Lord's Supper.
*Think back to the scene on the night before the cross. Jesus was with His disciples for the last Passover of His mortal, earthly life. From that Passover meal, Jesus gave us the Lord's Supper to symbolize the new covenant and the sacrifice He was about to make on the cross for us. Let's read about it in Matthew 26:14-29, and as we read, please think about timeless truth we can see in the Lord's Supper.
MESSAGE:
*It seems like everything changes in this world. A couple of times a week Mary and I go to a Neighborhood Walmart a few miles away from our house. And every time we go to the pharmacy, we pass right over the spot where we bought our wedding rings 48 years ago. Back then, it was a shopping center, and Ramsey's Jewelry Store was there.
*Everything changes in this world, -- everything but the most important things. God's Word never changes. In Matthew 24:35 Jesus said, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away." The most important things never change, so think about the timeless truth God gives us in today's Scripture.
1. FIRST: GOD GIVES US TIMELESS TRUTH ABOUT OUR LEADER.
*We can see this truth in vs. 17-19:
17. Now on the first day of the Feast of the Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying to Him, "Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?''
18. And He said, "Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, 'The Teacher says, "My time is at hand; I will keep the Passover at your house with My disciples.'''''
19. So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them; and they prepared the Passover.
*In these verses Jesus gave His disciples some very clear guidance, and that is exactly what they needed. They had known for months that terrible things were going to happen when they went back to Jerusalem. Jesus had told them many times. About 6 to 9 months before this night, in Matthew 16:21 the Bible says, "From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day." Now, so close to the cross, the disciples were as troubled as they could be. In these verses they all were even wondering if they would be the one to betray Jesus.
*On top of all of this, it was time for the Passover, and that was the most important annual feast on the Jewish calendar. What were they supposed to do? This was the question on the disciples' minds in vs. 17. So they asked for the Lord's leadership, "Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?''
*They wanted some guidance. And in vs. 18, the Lord told them just the right thing to do. Again, Jesus said, "Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, 'The Teacher says, "My time is at hand; I will keep the Passover at your house with My disciples.'''''
*Mark 14:12-16 gives us more detail:
12. Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they killed the Passover lamb, His disciples said to Him, "Where do You want us to go and prepare, that You may eat the Passover?''
13. So He sent out two of His disciples (Luke 22:8 tells us that it was Peter and John.) . . . So He sent out two of His disciples and said to them, "Go into the city, and a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him.
14. And wherever he goes in, say to the master of the house, 'The Teacher says, "Where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?'''
15. Then he will show you a large upper room, furnished and prepared; there make ready for us.''
16. And His disciples went out, and came into the city, and found it just as He had said to them; and they prepared the Passover.
*Peter and John took off to find a man carrying a picture of water. That was a very unusual thing to see back then. And I say this because the women usually took care of that chore. Think for example about the Samaritan woman who met Jesus at the well in John 4. Men almost never carried waterpots, so this was unusual, even miraculous guidance from the Lord.
*The disciples could have thought, "What? -- We'll never run into a man carrying a waterpot." And it's not like they had street cameras all around Jerusalem to keep track of people. But Jesus Christ is much more than an ordinary man! And the Lord knew the waterpot carrier would be walking down the street at just the right time for the disciples to see him. Glory to God!
*Thankfully, Peter and John had the wisdom to follow the Lord's leadership. And I like what Mark 14:16 says at this point: "They came into the city, and found it just as He (Jesus) had said to them."
*Church: We will always find it just as Jesus says! He always tells the truth, because He is the Truth, and He cannot lie. Plus, His truth is timeless. It is just as good today as it was 2,000 years ago, and it always will be! Jesus told His disciples the right thing to do, and we can always depend on the Lord to tell us the right things to do.
2. THAT'S THE TIMELESS TRUTH ABOUT OUR LEADER. BUT GOD ALSO GIVES US TRUTH ABOUT CHRISTIAN LIFE.
*Verse 20 tells us that "When evening had come, He sat down with the twelve." There they were, gathered together with Jesus Christ, and so are we. The Lord has always wanted His people to gather together for worship, Bible study, prayer, fellowship, and service.
*God has always wanted His people to gather together to celebrate our victories, and to share our suffering. And by His Holy Spirit, the Lord is here with us, just as surely as He was there with the first disciples. As Jesus said in Matthew 18:20, "Where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.''
*That night they were gathered together for the Passover. This special meal was started by the Lord in remembrance of the when night the Jews were delivered from slavery in Egypt. They took the blood of a spotless lamb and spread it on the door posts. This was the sign for the Lord to pass over their homes when He delivered the judgment of death on all of the first-born in Egypt.
*This meal was a time of great worship, and the disciples had the great privilege of spending it together with Jesus. And though it was a night of great trouble for them, the Lord was with them. They were sharing their troubles together, and Christians, so can we. There is a special bond between us, because we belong to Jesus.
*One of my most memorable Lord's Suppers was in 1998, at a children's camp near a small town in Ukraine. They had these camps all over the country. They were built by the Communists when those godless thugs were in dictatorial control of the country for 70 years.
*Sometime after World War II, the Communists began to hustle the children off to summer-long sessions, where their minds could be poisoned by daily doses of atheistic, Communist propaganda. The wonderful thing was that after Ukraine became free in 1991, many of these camps began to rent their facilities for Christian camps for children.
*One day, our mission team was visiting a Children's camp. That afternoon we were upstairs from the craft room. It was near the pool, so kids' towels, wet clothes, and toys were scattered everywhere around the room. Some people sat on rough benches, some sat on the floor, and many stood around the edge of the room.
*I gave my testimony that day, and Pastor Sergei preached. Then we took the Lord's Supper. I had almost nothing in common with those people. We spoke a different language. We lived on opposite sides of the world. Most of them had grown up in poverty under Communist oppression. I grew up with almost everything I ever wanted, in the land of the free and the home of the brave.
*We had nothing in common. But we had everything in common, because of Jesus Christ! It was a holy time of worship for me and many more. Our oneness in Christ is one of the great wonders of Christian life. No matter where we go around the world, there is an instant bond with other Christians.
3. AND THIS IS A TIMELESS TRUTH ABOUT CHRISTIAN LIFE. BUT HERE GOD ALSO GIVES US THE TRUTH ABOUT BEING LOST.
*This is the lesson of Judas Iscariot, and we saw him up in vs. 14-16:
14. Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests
15. and said, "What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?'' And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver.
16. So from that time he sought opportunity to betray Him.
*Verses 21-25 here tell us more about the man who betrayed Jesus:
21. Now as they were eating, He said, "Assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me.''
22. And they were exceedingly sorrowful, and each of them began to say to Him, "Lord, is it I?''
23. Then He answered and said, "He who dipped his hand with Me in the dish will betray Me.
24. "The Son of Man goes as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born.''
25. Then Judas, who was betraying Him, answered and said, "Rabbi, is it I?'' He said to him, "You have said it.''
*Luke 22:3-6 tells us that "Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered among the twelve. So he went his way and conferred with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray Him to them. And they were glad, and agreed to give him money. Then he promised and sought opportunity to betray Him to them in the absence of the multitude."
*It is shocking that someone would be so rebellious against Jesus, and so devoted to greed that that would welcome Satan into their soul. And there is a great warning here for anyone who is so foolish as to oppose the Lord.
*Today, many people are somewhat like Judas Iscariot. They don't think Jesus Christ is worthy of being trusted, worshiped, and obeyed. They think they are better-off on the other side. Many even choose a little money over the Master like Judas did in vs. 15. But in vs. 24, the Lord said, "The Son of Man goes as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born." What could possibly be worse than never being born? The answer is spending all eternity in hell.
*Mark 8:34-38 tells us that:
34. . . When He (that is Jesus) had called the people to Him, with His disciples also, He said to them, "Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.
35. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it.
36. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
37. Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?
38. For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.''
*Nothing we could possibly gain would be worth losing our souls forever. But most people are lost today, because they have not trusted in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.
*I read about an arrogant young man who went up to an old preacher just after he finished preaching one day. The young man mockingly asked, "Can you tell me where hell is?" The old preacher wisely replied, "Yes, young man. -- It is at the end of a life without Christ." (2)
*Hell is at the end of a life without Jesus Christ. Never-ending agony and regret is at the end of a life without Christ. Being lost forever and unforgiven is at the end of a life without Christ. Jesus said it would have been better to have never been born.
4. THAT'S THE TRUTH ABOUT BEING LOST. BUT GOD ALSO GIVES US THE TRUTH ABOUT HIS LOVE.
*John 3:16 tells us that "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." And the Lord's Supper is a visible reminder of the high cost of the love God has for us all. Jesus Christ gave His life on the cross to take all of the punishment for all of our sins.
*This is the life-changing, soul-saving message of the Lord's Supper in vs. 26-28:
26. And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed it and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, "Take, eat; this is My body.''
27. Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you.
28. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission (that is, the forgiveness) of sins.
*We all needed God's forgiveness for our sins. Three key verses from Romans make this truth clear. Romans 3:10 says, "As it is written: 'There is none righteous, no, not one.'" Romans 3:23 says, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." And Romans 6:23 tells us that "The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
*We all needed God's forgiveness, and there is forgiveness with Jesus Christ! Again in vs. 27-28 Jesus "took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, 'Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission (that is, the forgiveness, pardon, and freedom) of sins.'"
*Jesus was about to die on the cross for our sins, and He did die so that all of our sins might be forgiven. On this same night, in John 15:13 Jesus said, "Greater love has no man than this, than to lay down his life for his friends." This is the high cost of the love God has for you and me.
5. AND THIS IS THE TRUTH ABOUT GOD'S LOVE FOR US. BUT HE ALSO GIVES US TRUTH ABOUT ETERNAL LIFE.
*In vs. 29, Jesus said: "I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father's kingdom."
*On this night, Jesus was beginning to feel the full weight of the cross. But Christians, the Lord was also looking beyond the cross to the everlasting life we will share with Him together in the Kingdom of Heaven. What a great future we have, because of Jesus Christ! Yes, the Lord was on his way to the cross and the tomb. But that was just a temporary stop! Jesus was on His way back to His home in Heaven. And that's our future, if Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior.
*In Revelation 21:4, the Apostle John heard a loud voice say this about Heaven: "God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying; and there shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.''
*Well, we're not in Heaven yet, are we? All of our tears have not been wiped away. At our best, we are like the 10-year-old boy who wrote this thank-you letter to the Lord. His name was Spencer, and he said:
"Dear Lord,
Thanks for the bike last Christmas. It has made me very happy, except for May 13th, at 4 o'clock, when I rode into a big ditch that I did not see. I am okay now." (Signed, Spencer) (3)
*Some days all of us are going to ride into ditches like that. Christians: All of our tears have not been wiped away. But one day they will be! No more death. No more sorrow. No more crying. No more pain!
*Melvin Newland told about a Sunday School Teacher who asked her class to tell her what they thought Heaven will be like. She got all kinds of good answers, but Melvin especially liked this answer from a third grade boy. He said, "Heaven is going to be the happiest part of my dead life." (4)
*And it will be for you too, if Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior. So put your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ! Receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Call on the Lord to save you now, as we go back to God in prayer. Then join us today in worshiping Jesus Christ through the Lord's Supper.
INVITATION
LORD'S SUPPER
*We invite all Christians to join with us in taking the Lord's Supper today. The Apostle Paul told us how to take the Lord's Supper in 1 Corinthians 11:23-29.
[1] AND AS WE THINK ABOUT THIS SCRIPTURE, THE FIRST THING WE NEED TO DO IS REPENT.
*Paul made this truth clear in vs. 27-29, where he said:
27. . . Whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.
28. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup.
29. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.
*Paul tells us there that the only way to properly receive the Lord's Supper is to search our hearts, repent and confess our sins to the Lord. And all of us need to do this, because all of us have sinned. Please join me in a time of silent prayer, as we search our hearts before the Lord.
(Silent Prayer of Examination)
(Deacons Come Forward to Serve the Lord's Supper)
[2] TODAY WE REPENT, AND WE REMEMBER.
*It is always a good thing to remember what the Lord has done for us. And the Lord's Supper helps us do that.
*Jesus wants us to remember His body. When we take the Lord's Supper, we eat the bread because it represents the Lord's body. And we remember that Jesus sacrificed His body on the cross to take the eternal punishment for our sins. That's why 1 Peter 2:24 says Jesus "bore our sins in His own body on the tree." When Jesus died on the cross He literally bore all of our sins in His own body. That's amazing grace! And we remember His body with this bread, because Jesus is the Bread of Life.
*As He said in John 6:
35. "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.
47. Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life.
48. I am the bread of life.
49. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead.
50. This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die.
51. I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.''
(Prayer to Bless the Bread)
(Passing of the Bread)
*The Apostle Paul said: "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; 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.''' (1 Corinthians 11:23-24)
(Taking the Bread)
*Through the Lord's Supper, we remember Jesus' body, and we remember His blood. The Apostle John wrote these words in Revelation 1:4-6:
4. John, to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne,
5. and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood,
6. and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
*We remember the Lord's blood, because He "loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood. . ." The blood of Jesus Christ paid the price for every single one of our sins. This cup represents the blood of Jesus Christ, the blood that He shed when He died on the cross for us.
(Prayer to Bless the Cup)
(Passing of the Cup)
*"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.''' (1 Corinthians 11:25)
(Taking the Cup)
*"For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till He comes." (1 Corinthians 11:26) This is what God wants us to do: Proclaim the Lord's death till He comes. And thank God, He's coming again!
(Closing Prayer)
(1) Sources:
-BELIEVER'S BIBLE COMMENTARY by William MacDonald - Edited by Arthur Farstad - Thomas Nelson Publishers - Nashville - Copyright 1995 - William MacDonald - "Preparations for the Passover" - Mark 14:12-16 - Downloaded to e-Sword by Rick Meyers - Copyright 2021
-ALBERT BARNES' NOTES ON THE BIBLE by Albert Barnes - Published in 1847-85 - Mark 14:12-16 - Downloaded to e-Sword by Rick Meyers - Copyright 2021
(2) Original source unknown
(3) David Holwick illustration #2138 - SOURCE: “Redbook” - TITLE: “Dear God, What Religion Were the Dinosaurs?” - AUTHOR: David Heller (From His Book) - DATE: 1/1/1990
(4) SermonCentral sermon “Heavenly Relationships” by Melvin Newland - Revelation 21:1-7
