Remembrance

INTRODUCTION

The Israelites were instructed to celebrate Passover in remembrance of the night the angel of death passed by the homes that were smeared with the blood of the lamb. Through the shed blood the chosen people were spared certain death and freedom from the bondage of Egypt soon followed. Today, as Christians, we celebrate a Passover of a different kind; The Lord’s Supper. Just like the Israelites we have been spared certain death. As God’s chosen people we have been freed from the bondage of sin through the shed blood of the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ.

The Lord’s Supper is an ordinance of the church that should be taken very seriously and very soberly. It is not something that someone should just haphazardly partake of. I have been trying to lead you to this day for the past 2 weeks through the messages I have presented.

Two weeks ago we went over 2 Corinthians 13:5 – Examine yourselves whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? I urged you to examine your Christianity by taking a close look at your walk with the Lord. We looked at how important it was not only to examine ourselves, but to prove ourselves as well. We then looked at five things out of the book of 1 John that would allow a person to know for sure that he was saved:

1) A changed life

2) Love for the brethren

3) Hatred by the world

4) Loving actions toward the children of God

5) The chastening of the Lord

Last week we looked at some prophecies concerning the birth of Christ then asked the question, “Why would God send his son in the likeness of sinful man?” We answered that question with two answers:

1) To declare God to man

2) To sanctify and perfect us

Today I would like for us to remember what we have learned over the past two weeks and apply it to the Lord’s Supper. I would like to look at what happened the night Jesus broke the bread and shared the wine with his disciples. For the Christian it should be a time of great introspect and self-examination. It should be a time to remember what our Savior has done for us. For the non-Christian it can be a life-changing event as well. I know of one person who came to grips with the awesome sacrifice of Jesus Christ during a Lord’s Supper ceremony. He was saved and is now in the ministry doing a mighty work for God. My prayer today is that everyone, Christians and non-Christians alike, will be attentive and open to the work of the Holy Spirit of God as we ask the question, “What should we remember about Jesus Christ?”

I. WHAT SHOULD WE REMEMBER ABOUT JESUS CHRIST?

LUKE 22:19-23

A. The Body of Jesus Christ (v.19) – And he took bread, and gave thanks, and broke it, and gave unto them saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.

There is a beautiful phrase stuck right in the middle of this verse, This is my body which is given for you. Jesus knew about the awful beating that he was going to take at the hands of the Roman Soldiers. He knew about the ridicule that was going to come. He knew about the shame he would have to endure as he hung upon the cross. He even knew that the disciples, the same men that were sharing the meal with him, would leave him alone and deserted to face the angry mob that would come to drag him away. The amazing thing is that even though he knew all those things he still chose to use these words, “This is my body which is given for you.”

Jesus Christ, Creator of all things, the Mighty God, the everlasting Father, chose to GIVE his body for us. He GAVE it freely and without a fight. He certainly did not have to. At the wave of a hand he could have struck down the Roman soldiers and left the city of Jerusalem in ruins. But he loved us too much to do that. Jesus Christ loved us so much that he GAVE his body away to be sacrificed for our sins. The only thing that he really asked for in return was for us to remember what happened, “This do in remembrance of me.” The bread is to be used as a way to remember the sacrifice of Jesus body.

THE FIRST THING THAT WE SHOULD REMEMBER ABOUT JESUS CHRIST IS THAT HE FREELY GAVE HIS BODY AS A SACRIFICE FOR US.

B. The Blood of Jesus Christ (v.20) – Likewise also the cup after supper saying, This is the new testament in my blood which is shed for you.