Sermon - The Lord's Supper - Littleby Baptist Church - January 6, 2019
In my opinion partaking in the Lord’s Supper on the first
Sunday of the year is one of the best ways to start out the new year. Being new
around here, when it clicked that we would be having the Lord’s Supper this
morning I got excited. The start of the new year is a time to look at our lives
and reflect on the things we like and the things we are not to happy about.
When we set time aside for the Lord’s Supper, we should be doing the same
thing, but focused on our walk with Jesus.
The Lord’s Supper is a time to re-connect with God. It is an
act of remembering the sacrifice that Jesus willingly gave for each of us.
1 Corinthians 11:23-25
“23 For I received from the Lord what
I also passed on to you: On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took
bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, broke it, and
said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In
the same way also he took the cup, after supper, and said, “This cup is the new
covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.””
Paul is recapping what Jesus taught at what we call His last
supper.
Jesus broke the bread just as His body was broken. The
breaking of the bread is symbolic of His death.
Jesus then passed the cup saying it represent the New
Covenant that could only exist through the sheading of Jesus’ blood.
Hebrews 9:11-15
“11 But Christ has appeared as a high
priest of the good things that have come. In the greater and more perfect
tabernacle not made with hands (that is, not of this creation), 12 he
entered the most holy place once for all time, not by the blood of goats and
calves, but by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. 13 For
if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow, sprinkling those
who are defiled, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, 14 how
much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered
himself without blemish to God, cleanse our consciences from dead works so that
we can serve the living God? 15 Therefore, he is the
mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called might receive the
promise of the eternal inheritance, because a death has taken place for
redemption from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.”
Jesus’ death paved the way for the New Covenant. This New
Covenant replaced the attempt at salvation through animal sacrifice. Jesus gave
His life to pay the price for all who believe and established the only true way
one can be saved and redeemed. It is through Jesus and His sacrifice that we become
a new creation.
The New Covenant allows each one of us to be part of God’s
family. It allows for us to spend an eternity with our Lord. The Lord’s Supper
is something we do in honor of what Jesus did to establish the New Covenant, so
it is only fitting that we take time to remember that sacrifice.
1 Corinthians 11:26
“For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you
proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”
Every time we celebrate the Lord’s Supper we are essentially
sharing with everyone around that Jesus shed His blood and gave His life so
that our sins could be forgiven. As we celebrate today that Jesus died for us,
we are proclaiming that Jesus body was broken and blood was shed so that everyone
has the opportunity to be forgiven for their sins.
The amazing message of Jesus’ sacrifice is seen in our
celebration of the Lord’s Supper. Which means we need to approach this
celebration appropriately. It is not something that we just do now and again,
it is a holy celebration done in honor of our Lord and what He did for us.
1 Corinthians 11:27-28
“27 So then, whoever eats the bread
or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sin
against the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Let a person
examine himself; in this way let him eat the bread and drink from the cup.”
When Paul wrote these words, he was correcting the
Corinthians as they were not acting in love towards each other. To us here at
Littleby this morning, it is a reminder that as we celebrate our Lord and His sacrifice,
we need to proceed with our hearts focused on Jesus.
2 Corinthians 7:1
“So then, dear friends, since we have these promises, let us
cleanse ourselves from every impurity of the flesh and spirit, bringing
holiness to completion in the fear of God.”
We need to approach the Lord’s Supper with a sense of
holiness. If you are a child of God, you have been cleansed, you have been made
Holy. This morning if there is anything that you are holding onto that you need
to lay before God, confess it to Him, lay it as His feet. If there is
resentment in your heart, ask God to forgive you. Whatever it is, ask Jesus to
take it from you.
Matthew 8:1-3
“8 When he came down from the mountain, large
crowds followed him. 2 Right away a man with leprosy
came up and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make
me clean.” 3 Reaching out his hand, Jesus touched him,
saying, “I am willing; be made clean.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.”
As with the leper, Jesus is willing to cleanse you
completely… all you have to do is ask. When we ask, we are forgiven, we are
cleansed, we are made Holy.
We are going to pause here for a moment this morning so that
each one of us can talk to our God. If there is anything weighing on you, a sin
you need to confess, or anything else. I encourage you to lay it at His feet.
‘Take Time to Pray’
1 John 3:23-24
“23 Now this is his command: that we
believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another as he
commanded us. 24 The one who keeps his commands remains
in him, and he in him. And the way we know that he remains in us is from the
Spirit he has given us.”
We practice open communion here at Littleby. Which means you
do not need to be a member of the church, you simply need to be a follower of
Jesus. You need to believe in the name of Jesus Christ and all it stands for.
You need to believe that He died on the cross to pay for your sins and you need
to have declared that He is your Savior.
It does not mean that your life is all straightened out, it
does not mean that things are going great, it does mean that God is at work in you. If Jesus is your Lord and
Savior, you are welcome to remember Jesus’ sacrifice as we partake of the
Lord’s Supper here in a few minutes.
The Lord’s Supper is one way we connect with our God, but
not the only.
Psalms 19:14
“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be
acceptable to you, Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.”
We should be readying and mediating on God’s Word to connect
to our God.
Philippians 4:6-7
“6 Don’t worry about anything, but in
everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your
requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses
all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”
Prayer is a critical path to connect with our Lord.
Psalms 63:1-5
“1 God, you are my God; I eagerly
seek you. I thirst for you; my body faints for you in a land that is dry,
desolate, and without water. 2 So I gaze on you in the
sanctuary to see your strength and your glory. 3 My lips
will glorify you because your faithful love is better than life. 4 So
I will bless you as long as I live; at your name, I will lift up my hands. 5 You
satisfy me as with rich food; my mouth will praise you with joyful lips.”
Praising God helps us to focus on Jesus and what He has done
for us.
The Lord’s Supper, spending time in God’s Word, Prayer, and
Praise are all ways we can connect with our Lord. Each one of them can bring us
a sense of peace, help us to feel more connected with God and fellow believers,
and encourage us to walk in faith as we head down the path that God has laid
for us.
I am personally excited about celebrating today with the
Lord’s Supper. It is one of many ways we can connect with our Lord when we feel
alone or are in need. If you ever feel you need a ‘pick me up’ open your Bible,
hit your knees, or sing your favorite song about Jesus. All of them are
available to you at any time and will help you connect with your Jesus.
If the Deacons could come forward and prepare the elements.
Luke 22:19-20
Blessings,
Robert
Blessings,
Robert
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