What does it mean to be forgiven? That’s something we want to look at this morning. And we are going to look at it through the image of Jesus dying on the cross. We know the story of the crucifixion: we hear it every Easter. When know that Jesus died for our sins. But WHY did he died on that particular day?
Different times we see recorded in Scripture Jesus saying, “My time has not yet come” - almost as if he knew there was a set day he had to die. Look with me if you will in Matthew 26 and we will see what that day was.
Read Matt. 26:17-30.
Jesus knew his time had come. And the time was the Passover. Jesus chose to die on the Passover. Why? To understand this, we need to look at what the Passover was. To do that, we need to go back to Exodus.
Read Exodus 12:1-28
What is the Passover? It is the time when God spared the nation of Israel. Who was spared? Every one who took a lamb, killed it, and placed it’s blood over the doorpost of the house. Why did God have them perform this ritual? He could easily have separated the Jews from the Egyptians. The death angel didn’t need God’s help in determining who to kill. Rather, it was a lesson for the Jews. Their life was costly. The would find protection and safety in the shedding of blood. Why the blood of a lamb? Because years later, a spotless lamb would have to be killed for the sins of man once again.
Each year the Jews celebrated the Passover. It was a ritual. It was a picture of the time when Christ would shed his blood for our sins. 1 Cor. 5:7 tells us Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Christ died for our sins on the cross. Yet, who benefits from that salvation? Only those who apply his blood to their sins.
We know that Christ died for the sins of the world. John 3:16 tells us "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.
This morning as we think about the first Passover, we remember the believing Jews received life; the unbelieving Egyptians experienced death. When we think about God’s salvation today, we remember that God has offered salvation to all, but only those who believe and ask Christ for salvation has their sins forgiven and their lives changed.
So, having said all that, we know that Jesus comes to the time for his death. He meets with his disciples to celebrate the Passover. Yet, for them, it was only a Jewish feast they were celebrating. They did not understand what Passover would mean from this night on. It is often easy for us to look at ritual and ceremony and forget the meaning. It would have been easy for the disciples to get caught up in the ritual as well. In fact, the book of Luke tells us they got caught up arguing about who was the greatest. It might have looked something like this!
****Show first video clip from “In Remembrance”***
Often we think about the disciples being these great saints; the truth is they were common sinners, just like you and me, who had experienced the power of the grace and forgiveness of God.
When we think about the communion service, often we think of a sacred and holy time. And it should be special to us. But the amazing truth for us to understand is that communion is not a statement about our worthiness: No, just the opposite is true. Communion is a statement about our sinfulness and need of forgiveness.
Paul records for us in 1 Cor. 11:23-26 - For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 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." 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." For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
When we celebrate communion, we celebrate the great forgiveness of God. If we have trusted Christ for salvation, what has happened?
*2 Cor. 5:17 - Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
*Ps. 103:11-12 - For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
*Rom. 6:6+ - For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin-- because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. . . In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. . . but rather offer yourselves to God. . . For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.
*1 Cor. 10:13 - No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
*Rom. 8:28-29 - And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son
Our sins are forgiven - we have a new nature - we no longer are slaves to sin - we are free to live for God and be changed to be like him.
Now, this morning as we come into the time of communion, I ask you, not how good are you, not if you are worthy, but have you received his forgiveness. The wonderful thing about forgiveness is the way it continues on throughout our lives. We received forgiveness for the penalty of our sin once, in salvation, when Jesus takes upon himself our sins. But even after we are saved, we still commit sins. For these sins, the penalty has already been paid by Christ’s death, but they separate us from fellowship with Christ. We confess these sins to restore the fellowship with us.
Jesus gave Peter an illustration of this by washing his feet. He already was clean, but he needed his feet cleaned because they had gotten dusty on the road. Peter wanted Jesus to wash all of him, but Jesus said he only needed his feet cleaned, because that was the part of him that was dirty.
This morning, as we prepare to remember the Lord’s death by the communion service, I wonder what part of you needs cleaned? Dirty feet? Dirty hands? Dirty eyes? Need your tongued washed? Dirt behind the ears?
Communion is not about our worthiness, but about God’s forgiveness. Is there an area of your life that you need him to cleanse? As the disciples argued about their greatness, Jesus showed what it meant to be a servant.
**show second video clip from “In Remembrance”
This morning, I stand before you as a man full of weakness, a man who time after time needs the forgiveness of God. And each of us needs to spend time in examining ourselves. Where did we blow it this week. What struggles did we give in to? When did we lose our temper? What did we look at when we should have turned away our eyes? where have we been prideful?
This morning, as we prepare to come to the Table of the Lord, let’s take time to examine ourselves. Let’s not think of this as a ritual celebration this morning. Rather, this is a special time to meet with God. This is a time to once again experience his forgiveness offered freely to us. This is a time to loot at ourselves and to make some changes to be more like Christ. This is a time to commit to serving Christ with our lives.
It doesn’t matter how bad we are. It doesn’t matter what we’ve done. Christ calls us to remember the greatness of his forgiveness.
SHALL WE PRAY: Maybe you’ve never accepted Christ -
Maybe you are a Christian, but there is a sin you’ve been struggling with -
Maybe you live a life of ritual, with no meaning -
Today is a day to experience the presence and power of the forgiveness of God.
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Communion: Acts 2:42 tells us They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. this morning, we beak bread together in remembrance of the great forgiveness of our Lord.
1 Cor. 11:26 tells us For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. We celebrate, for we serve a living Savior, one who died, but who also rose again. If you have trusted Christ for salvation, and if your heart is right and you have confessed and forsaken your sins, we invite you to join with us in celebrating the great forgiveness of God.
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Jn.13:12 - When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. "Do you understand what I have done for you?" he asked them. "You call me `Teacher’ and `Lord’, and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.
**Receive a blessing - be a servant to one another this week. PRAY
