Lest We Forget
January 20, 2002
Introduction
When I was growing up in West Texas cicada (pronounced sikad) “locusts” like the one pictured on the screen filled the giant elm trees at times. During the heat of the summer the shrill buzzing sound of their mating call filled the air. To this day anytime I get in dry, hot weather I remember that buzzing sound.
On the tree trunks we would find the empty shell of the living organism – a dead, dried out, fragile exoskeleton that retained the form of the locust. Life was gone. The locust itself was no longer in the exoskeleton. But there its lifeless claws held to the trunk of the tree. As kids we would pull the empty shell off the tree, drop it to the ground and listen to it pop as we crushed it with our feet.
In II Timothy 3 Paul talks about another lifeless form – those “…having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof…” Follow with me as we read II Tim. 3:1-5.
Here is a powerful prophecy concerning spiritual conditions during the last days. What could cause a condition in which people are “…having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof…”? There are a number of factors we could talk about – a persistence in sin, a love for the world, a neglect of the disciplines of the faith, a failure to abide in Christ – all these and more could contribute to such a decline.
This morning I want to focus on one particular trend that can lead to the kind of deterioration Paul is describing in II Timothy 3- the forsaking of fundamental truth that our faith is built upon. For the last couple of weeks my theme has been “Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” I continue with that theme this morning. Without an on going, solid commitment to the basics, to the cross, to the Christ Who gave Himself for us; without that foundation in place any group of people can slide off the slippery slope of human wisdom and human activity.
In I Corinthians 3 Paul warns us, especially ministers, to be careful how we build ministry. Then he makes this dogmatic statement in I Cor. 3:11 “For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” Church, we begin with Jesus Christ and Him crucified, we continue with Jesus Christ and Him crucified, and we conclude with Jesus Christ and Him crucified. And nothing must ever take the place of that foundational message. We preach Jesus- our Savior, Healer, Baptizer in the Holy Spirit, and coming King! We don’t just preach about salvation. We don’t just preach about healing. We proclaim Jesus and all that He is to us.
Any church or group of people who abandon, forget, or neglect that which is central to our faith, that church will become a dead, lifeless form just like that locust’s shed exoskeleton I talked about earlier. It may look something like a church. It may retain the outward form of godliness, the appearance of Christianity. But the life of God will be gone. Only an empty reminder of what once was will be left.
This morning hundreds of groups like ours are meeting across this city. They all call themselves “church.” In many cases these churches are filled with people who love God, worship the Lord in spirit and truth, and enjoy His presence like we do. I don’t even think God sees the denominational name on the building. He sees the hearts of people who might disagree with us on a number of things but love Him just as much as we do.
But there are other churches that are nothing but a religious shell. The form of Christianity may seem to be there. But God’s not there, the conviction of the Holy Spirit is not there, the refreshing of the Holy Spirit is not there, the power of God is not present to heal and to save. It’s a dead shell clinging to where it was when it died.
What happened? In many cases they abandoned the essentials of the faith for what they considered to be more interesting, more practical, more helpful, more acceptable to visitors. For example, the Unitarian church claims to be Christian but in reality denies the Lord, denies the power of the blood. Their message is not “Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” Their message is how to succeed in life and have it your way.
“Jesus Christ and Him crucified”, the death and resurrection of Jesus, that is the main thing. And as others have so aptly put it-“the main thing is to keep the main thing, the main thing.
That is the primary reason Jesus established two ordinances for the New Testament church: the ordinance of water baptism and the ordinance of communion. Both ordinances are designed to keep ever before us the essence of Christianity.
Water Baptism portrays what? It is a physical representation of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is a public acknowledgement that by my identification with Christ I have died to the old life of sin and am risen in Christ to newness of life.
Water baptism is not an option. It is a command of the Lord. Even in the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19) Jesus said “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
If you have not obeyed the Lord in water baptism do it. If your children are born again and can understand it’s meaning encourage them to do it. Speak to one of our pastors and we will help you in that matter.
The other ordinance designed to keep the essence of Christianity before us continually is the Lord’s Supper. Some refer to it as communion, the eucharist, the table of the Lord-each term emphasizes an aspect of this ordinance. For the rest of our time this morning we want to talk about the Lord’s Supper and how very important it is for us to observe it often and with a pure heart and with an understanding of what it is we’re doing. Turn in your Bibles to our text in I Corinthians 11:23-34 and let’s read about the Lord’s Table. This passage is full of instruction concerning communion- what its about, why we do it, how we are to do it, what we must do and must not do.
I. First consider with me: The REQUIREMENT in verse 24.
Notice these two words “…do this…” He is speaking to His followers. He is speaking to you and me, holding the bread in His hand as saying “Take eat…do this…”
For every believer communion is not an option- it is a commandment from the Lord.
Disobedience to that commandment is serious because this act of obedience in faith can be a powerful connection the God’s life flow of grace.
He is not saying, “Think about the seriousness of participating and decide not to do it.”
He is saying “do it, but do it in a worthy manner.” For a Christian to refuse to participate can only mean one of two things: Ignorance of the provision for forgiveness and strength that the communion itself proclaims or a willful choice to continue in sin, to lay down the symbols of Christ’s sacrifice rather than lay down the sin that is being indulged.
I am personally convinced the main reason Christians don’t participate in the Lord’s Supper is ignorance and the fear that can proceed from that ignorance. When Teddy Roosevelt, our 26th President, was a child he was afraid to go to church because of a creature called “The Zeal.” His mom finally figured out that Teddy’s fear began when the Pastor read John 2:17 “It is written, The Zeal of thine house has eaten me up.”
(Story from sermon preached by Pastor Dan Erickson on 10/1/2000 at Chisholm 1st Baptist Church in Chisholm, MN.) Teddy misunderstood what that verse was saying.
Many Christians misunderstand what I Cor. 11:29 is saying, “For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.” Verse 30 “For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep.” They know in that verse “sleep” is just a nice way of saying, “die” and they say “Woe! I don’t want that. I know I am not without sin. I know I continually come short of the glory of God. I love Jesus. I’m sincere about my faith. But, I’m unworthy, therefore, I had better not partake.”
Understand, these verses in I Corinthians 11 are not designed to talk us out of participating in the Lord’s Supper. They are a call to do what we’re told to do in the next verse- verse 31- “For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged.” In other words, communion is a time for us to examine ourselves and if there is something wrong going on in our lives-repent of it, receive forgiveness, and trust Christ for strength to overcome and live above it. Verse 28 “But let a man examine himself…”Then what does it say? “And decide not to eat?” No, it says “But let him examine himself and so let him eat the bread and drink of the cup.”
If fear or ignorance is cheating you out of the blessing of Communion, today is your day to overcome that fear and in faith participate in the Lord’s Supper with us. In fact, I want to pray with you about that right now!
(Note: This is a good place to conclude the first half of this message and preach the second half the next week.)
II. In this passage we find The REASON we have the Lord’s Supper.
1 Cor 11:26 “For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.” Every time we as a congregation hold the symbols of bread and juice in our hands, by that very act we are preaching a sermon, the most important sermon any preacher could ever preach. We are saying together: “our salvation was purchased at Calvary, all our hope and expectation is based upon the broken body and the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Without His death on the cross there is no salvation. Without His broken body there is no healing or restoration. Without His shed blood there is no forgiveness of sin. By His death the penalty of sin was paid and the power of sin was broken. By His death, and His death alone, we are saved.”
These symbols are concrete reminders of what it’s all about. That’s why the commandment to do it must be done and done often-to keep us on center, to keep the main thing the main thing, to protect us from straying from the central message of Christianity itself.
As a spiritual leader I am very aware of the subtle pressures to divert us from what is really important and what is indeed the source of our life in God: “Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” Over the years I have watched winds of doctrine and spiritual fads come and go. I have seen valid teachings blown out of proportion and become central to people’s religious experience. I’ve seen groups get so excited about deliverance that they forgot the foundational basis of all our deliverance. I’ve seen groups get so caught up in spiritual warfare they forgot when and where the victory was won and they go about trying to win it themselves. I’ve seed styles of worship become central to a group. I’ve seen end time predictions become central-trying to figure out who the anti-christ is instead of winning souls.
There are all kinds of doctrines and methods that need to be taught. But they must be kept in their relative place of importance and not given the preeminence that belongs to Christ and His work alone. We must hold to the Person and hold to the message: “Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” Whether the message is popular or not, it is the message and
and the message does not change! “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes…”
The reason we take communion is to proclaim the Lord’s death. By a concrete act of obedience we are proclaiming it to anyone in our midst who may not know the Lord. We are proclaiming it to ourselves as a reminder of what is essential and central to our faith.
That’s why communion is to be a part of our public services. There are some churches who have taken the communion table out of the public worship service and simply made it available to those who want it in a side room somewhere. That is a theological blunder in my opinion. I understand why they are doing it. But the proclamation of the Lord’s death is too important to relegate to a side room. Not to mention the fact that communion is a “coming together’ not a “coming apart.”
How often should we do it? I do not see in scripture a specific frequency commanded. But I think the implication of the scripture is that we would do it often because the reminder is continually needed.
III. Let’s talk about The REMINDER itself.
What specifically are we being reminded of? In verses 24 and 25 of our text Jesus said “…do this in remembrance of Me.” It is a memorial service in honor of the Lord Jesus Christ. On one of the walls in our home is a little heart shaped plaque. On it are the words “When this you see remember me.” It was given to us by a dear friend named Ann Payne. I had worked with Ann at Bell Helicopter before going into ministry full time. When we planted a church in Amarillo Ann came to that church and became an important part of the life of our church. Eventually her husband, Henry, made a commitment as well. At about 38 years old Ann got cancer and died. It was during those last days that Ann gave us this plaque. The plaque is not only a reminder of our good friend, it is a reminder that one we will see her again in heaven, it is a reminder to pray for Henry, it is a reminder to pray for her kids and grand kids who were also a part of our church.
The elements of bread and juice are like that plaque- concrete reminders of Jesus Christ. God knows we remember things that are visual and concrete much easier than abstract thoughts and concepts. So, He has graciously given us this memory aid.
We find memorials all through the scripture.
After the flood God established a memorial of His promise to never again destroy the earth with a flood. The rainbow is a visual reminder of God’s covenant with Noah.
With Abraham God established the memorial of circumcision-a physical act that memorialized a spiritual reality.
When Israel crossed the Jordan River into the Promised Land, God instructed them to remove 12 stones from the Jordan and stack them in a pile on the shore. Why?
Joshua 4:6 “that this may be a sign among you when your children ask in time to come, saying, ’What do these stones mean to you?’ verse 7"Then you shall answer them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it crossed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. And these stones shall be for a memorial to the children of Israel forever."
Parents, when your children ask you “What does this grape juice and crackers mean?
Answer them with a simple explanation of the cross.
The Lord’s Table is a perpetuation of the Old Testament memorial called The Passover. If we had time we would read about it in Exodus 12. Jesus was celebrating the Passover feast with His disciples when He transformed that feast into the Communion Supper. This is what God said about the Passover feast in Exodus 12:26-27 “And it shall be, when your children say to you, ’What do you mean by this service?’ 27"that you shall say, ’It is the Passover sacrifice of the LORD, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt when He struck the Egyptians and delivered our households.’…”
Parents when your children say to you “What do you mean by this service?” tell them about Christ’s sacrifice as the Lamb that takes away the sin of the world.
Communion is a reminder of what Jesus has done for us! The bread is a reminder of His body broken for us. The wine is a reminder of His blood shed for us. It is not the blood. It does not become the blood. We do not worship the symbols themselves. But it is symbolic of that blood that must be appropriated by faith.
There is a spiritual reality that is to take place at the Lord’s Table. It is not just a meaningless ritual that we go through. It is an act of obedience. It is an act of faith. It becomes a moment when our hearts open up and receive grace and strength for our life in God. When you come to the Lord’s Table come with intentionality. Come expecting to receive from the Lord. Receive what? Receive forgiveness if you need that. Receive strength and courage if you need that. Bread is symbolic of the sustenance of life. As a spiritual reality draw upon the empowering life of the Lord Jesus Christ. Receive healing, “By Whose stripes we were healed.” I can think of no better time than at the Lord’s Table to ask Him to heal your body. Embrace the divine health that is available through the everlasting covenant of grace.
IV. The RELATIONSHIP that is ours through that covenant.
First with God. We do not have time this morning to teach on the subject of blood covenants. Hebrews 8 and 9 deal with the subject extensively. But in our text,
I Cor. 11:25, Jesus is quoted as saying “This cup is the new covenant in My blood…”
At the Communion table we are celebrating the covenant we have in God because of what Jesus did on the cross. We are celebrating the relationship we have in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
The New Testament word translated “communion” is koinonia. Many of you are familiar with that Greek word. At the Communion table we are celebrating koinonia-
The partnership, community, commonality, family, union-we have through the cross,
not only with God but with one another. John writes in his 1st epistle, chapter 1 verse 3
“that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.”
The same Greek word, koinonia, is translated fellowship. The Communion Table is a place where we come together and celebrate the love relationship we have with each other. That’s why we must examine our hearts in those relationships before we partake.
V. That brings us to The RESPECT we must bring toward God as we come to His table. The respect we must have toward the sacrifice of Christ that purchased our salvation.
The respect we must have for each other as members one of another.
When Paul talks about eating the bread and drinking the cup in an unworthy manner in
I Cor. 11:27 what is he talking about? He is referring to the selfishness and disunity described in the verses just prior to our text. In I Cor. 11:17-22 Paul talks about the divisions and factions that existed in the church. He is essentially saying when we are at variance with a brother or sister, when we refuse to forgive an offense, when we live selfishly in our relationships with other Christians, and then come and celebrate the covenant that we’re in with each other and with God—we are not appropriately respecting what the Lord’s Table is all about. By our attitudes toward each other we’re dishonoring the very thing Christ died to establish.
In verse 29 where Paul talks about “…not discerning the Lord’s body…” he is not talking about Jesus’ physical body. He’s not talking about the physical body that hung on the cross and was resurrected three days later. He is talking about the Body of Christ as described in the next chapter. Not properly recognizing and esteeming the other members of the body—Ananias and Sapphira are an extreme example of that violation.
So, How do we approach the Lord’s Table in a worthy manner?
1. We come with our hearts set on Christ, loving Him because He first loved us,
considering His love for us.
2. We come reflecting upon the sacrifice He made for our salvation. As we hold the
bread in our hand, we remember what it represents-His body beaten, humiliated, and
broken for us. As we hold the cup in our hand we meditate upon the blood He shed to
pay the penalty for our sin, to bring us into covenant relationship with the Father.
3. We look forward with joy and anticipation to His second coming. I Cor. 11:26 says
by this service we do “…proclaim (show forth) the Lord’s death till He comes.”
How sweet those three words are to our hearts “…till He comes.” And as we partake
at the Lord’s Supper we say from the bottom of our hearts “Even so, come Lord
Jesus!”
How do we partake in a worthy manner?
4. We examine ourselves. We examine our relationship with God.
Have you received Christ as Lord and Savior? Have you embrace His covenant of
grace? If not, how can you come to His table and celebrate something you have
rejected? The bread and wine proclaim the way of salvation. It is Jesus Christ and
Him crucified. Examine yourself- have you received His forgiveness of sin? Have
you committed yourself to Him as Lord? If not, do it right now. Christ opens His
arms and heart to you and invites you to come to Him and receive His love,
forgiveness and grace. Then with joy you can sit at His table and eat.
Are you a Christian living in disobedience to your Lord? This is the time to “…lay
aside every weight and the sin that so easily besets us…” This is the time to make a
fresh commitment to the Lord.
Is there a conflict with someone else going on? Is there an offense in your heart
toward any brother or sister in this church or in any other church?
“Love covers a multitude of faults.” Forgive and you will be forgiven. If you
have wronged any other person leave your gift on the altar and be reconciled to your
brother or sister. The words of Jesus in Matthew 5:44 “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.”
Conclusion
As our ushers come and distribute the bread and juice prepare your heart to partake of the communion this morning-Reflect upon what has been said this morning,
Reflect upon your relationship with God and your relationships
with other people.
Reflect upon God’s love for you and the sacrifice Jesus made
for you.
We hold in our hands the symbols of God’s unconditional love toward us. We look at the
bread and we hear Jesus say “Take eat; this is my body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” As you partake receive healing, receive strength in your spirit, soul, and body. Let us eat the bread together.
We look at the cup in our hand and we hear Jesus say, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” And so as we drink we celebrate the covenant of grace, we celebrate our relationship with one another, we celebrate the promise of His coming. Let us drink the cup together.
