INTRODUCTION
This week there were huge demonstrations in major cities of America. They were mostly in support of illegal immigrants.
The core of the national debate is what to do with the 11 million illegal immigrants in the country. One side wants to throw them out and the other side wants to give them legal status in the form of a guest worker visa. The author of this idea is the President. Those who oppose believe that this is tantamount to an amnesty.
What is amnesty? This word is a transliteration of the Greek word “amnestia” or “amnesia.” Both words mean “forgetfulness” or the selective loss of memory. The effect of amnesty is forgiveness or the act of releasing someone from the consequence of his act.
In our text (i.e., v.19), the Lord Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper to help us not to forget Him. In this message, we shall consider some of the things that He does not want us to forget.
GOD’S PROMISE
This occasion is about a week before the crucifixion. The Lord Jesus already knows that He is going to die (v.16). He said that this is His last Passover meal with them. He is eagerly looking forward to this meal with great anticipation.
He also revealed a startling fact. He said (vv.16 & 18) that the next time He will celebrate it with them will be at the Kingdom of God. He is basically telling them that He is going to rise again. And sometime in the future He is coming back.
This is a promise of the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. As it is A DECLARATION OF VICTORY!
Dr. George Sweeting said that for every prophecy on the First Coming there are 8 on the Second Coming. This seems to highlight how importance the Second Coming is. Dr. G. Campbell Morgan once said, “To me the second coming is the perpetual light in the path which makes the present bearable.” It is the glorious hope of every believer (Titus 2:13). Do you believe in the PROMISE of the Second Coming? Do you look forward to it with joyous anticipation?
GOD’S PROVISION
V.19 speaks of God’s provision. The Lord Jesus gave His life as a ransom for our sins. HIS DEATH IS VOLUNTARY. John 1:29 says that Jesus Christ is God’s sacrificial lamb for the sins of the world. In short, God provided for our salvation.
V.20 speaks of God’s covenant with us. In other words, He committed Himself to be for us. Romans 8:31-32 says, “What can we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Since God did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t God, who gave us Christ, also give us everything else?”
Psalm 103 tells us about some of the implications of God’s provision.
2 Praise the LORD, I tell myself, and never forget the good things he does for me. 3 He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. 4 He ransoms me from death and surrounds me with love and tender mercies. 5 He fills my life with good things. My youth is renewed like the eagle’s!
8 The LORD is merciful and gracious; he is slow to get angry and full of unfailing love. 9 He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever. 10 He has not punished us for all our sins, nor does he deal with us as we deserve. 11 For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. 12 He has removed our rebellious acts as far away from us as the east is from the west. 13 The LORD is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him.
GOD’S PLAN
V.22 says that the death of Jesus Christ is part of God’s plan. The KJV uses the word decree which intimates God’s will and plan. God’s DECREE IS VERIFIED in this verse!
God came up with this plan before He laid the foundation of the universe (Rev. 13:8). He has the perfect sacrificial lamb (John 1:29). Through Him God is able to justify sinners and remain holy and just (Rom. 3:25). What a wonderful plan it is! And you and I are included in that plan. In fact we are at the very center of His plan.
Jesse “The Body” Ventura, Minnesota’s former governor gave this testimony about four years ago, “God has a plan and a destiny for each one of us. I wasn’t always a believer, but through my wife and a couple of close friends, in the last couple of years, I have come to believe in God and that He has a plan and a destiny for my life. I challenge you to find your destiny. It’s the most important thing for each of you to find.”
CONCLUSION
It is interesting to note that the Lord gave the cup (wine) to His disciples twice, first in v.18 before the actual institution of the Lord’s Supper, and second in v.20 following the partaking of the bread which is the proper place of the cup. I see the first giving of the cup as a toast for the VICTORY which is the Second Coming. You see, the Lord’s Supper looks back at Calvary and forward to the Second Coming.
Before the birth (or rebirth) of the Jewish nation, whenever the Russian Jews celebrate the Passover, they would make a toast to one another saying, “Next year, in Jerusalem!” They set their eyes on their cherished hope of returning to Jerusalem.
Let us, likewise, celebrate the Lord’s Supper with our hearts and minds set on the coming again of our Lord Jesus Christ (Col. 3:1-4). Will you join me in making a toast to His coming again? It is our blessed hope (Titus 2:13).
