Sermon Notes - The Lord's Supper - Littleby Baptist Church - January 9, 2022

 1.     2022 is here.

2.     Today is the first of 4 times this year we will partake of the Lord’s Supper.

a.      As I have said before… great idea doing this on the first Sunday of the year.

b.     Helps us to remember what our Jesus did and to center our focus on Him as the new year begins.

3.     When we gather to partake of Communion it is helpful to remember what it represents.

4.     Matthew 26:26-28

a.      Jesus words – ‘my blood of the covenant.’

                                                    i.     His blood that makes His promise binding, makes it complete.

b.     Jesus words – ‘which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.’

                                                    i.     His sacrifice wipes away all the sin in our lives.

                                                  ii.     A sacrifice that makes us clean, redeemed, holy, set apart for God.

5.     ‘Do this in remembrance of me’ – From Luke 22:19.

a.      If we are remembering Jesus when we partake.

                                                    i.     We should remember the sacrifice.

                                                  ii.     We should reflect on who we were when we met Jesus and who we are today.

                                                iii.     We should be thankful for all of our sin He has forgiven.

6.     1 John 1:9

a.      Jesus’ sacrifice has paved the way.

b.     We are to confess our sins and ‘He is faithful and righteous to forgive’ them.

c.      He is faithful to forgive, now I have not found anywhere that shows that He will only forgive us 5, 500, 5,000, or 5 million times. There really is no limit.

d.     If we confess, He is faithful to forgive us for all we have done.

                                                    i.     An amazing gift that is more than we deserve.

e.      When we confess, Jesus cleanses us from all unrighteousness.

                                                    i.     What does that mean…two things.

                                                  ii.     Frees us from the penalties of our sin.

1.     He Paid our debt, He paid our layaway account, we don’t owe a thing but we still get the amazing gift.

2.     He became the sacrifice that was needed to erase the sins we have committed.

                                                iii.     It also means that Jesus frees us from the contamination, the impurities.

1.     When you buy a brand-new white shirt, it looks sharp.

2.     The more you wear it, it tends to take on a little bit of color, a tinge, some greyness.

3.     Then you spill something on it and the stain really stands out.

4.     Jesus removes those stains; He removes that greyness…

5.     Actually, Jesus removes all of it, no blemish exists.

6.     The shirt covered in our sin and cleansed by Jesus, would look better than it did when it was still sealed in the package.

7.     Jesus wipes away all the impurities.

f.      Through Jesus we are redeemed, we are made Holy.

g.     If The Lord’s Supper represents the actions of Jesus that truly set us apart as God’s beloved children, we should make sure our hearts are right when we partake.

7.     2 Corinthians 7:1

a.      God has promised to be with us always.

b.     He will never leave us or forsake us.

c.      As we draw near to Him, He will, draw near to us.

d.     In response to all His promises… we are to cleanse ourselves of all impurities.

                                                    i.     Does not mean we will live perfect lives; it just is not possible.

e.      What it does tell us is that in response God’s promises we are separate ourselves from those who corrupt the Word of God.

f.      We are to separate ourselves from those who embrace a lifestyle that would draw us into the ways of the world.

g.     Instead, we are to bring holiness to completion.

                                                    i.     We are to embrace the holiness we have been given.

                                                  ii.     We are to pursue it to the best of our ability out of reverence for our God.

                                                iii.     How do we do this?

                                                iv.     We follow the teachings found in God’s Word.

                                                  v.     We seek our Jesus daily.

                                                vi.     As we do, we mature as follower of Jesus.

1.     We bring completion to holiness.

2.     Never perfect, but continuing to be molded into the person God made us to be.

h.     As we approach partaking the Lord’s Supper, we are to cleanse ourselves and seek to grow as followers of Jesus.

i.       We are to approach this ‘thing’ that we do in remembrance of Jesus with a deep respect.

8.     James 4:7-8

a.      As we approach our King, we should be submitting and drawing near to Him.

b.     Praying to Him, remembering who He is, and putting our trust in Him.

c.      As we do this, we are cleansing our hands and purifying our hearts.

d.     We are asking the Lord to forgive us of what we have done.

e.      We are praying for His guidance for the days before us.

f.      Ultimately, we are asking for His will to be done.

g.     You might say, we are preparing to remember what He did for us.

9.     1 Corinthians 11:23-26

a.      Paul is reminding the Corinthian church what Jesus taught during His last supper with His disciples.

b.     Jesus body was broken, and his blood was shed, which are represented by the bread and the juice.

c.      When we eat the bread and drink the cup, we are celebrating Jesus’s death and at the same time remembering why it is needed.

                                                    i.     We are celebrating the victory it brings. The victory that each of us have through the gift of our Savior Jesus.

                                                  ii.     We are remembering that we need to humble ourselves before our God, because we need His gift, we need to be restored, we need to be redeemed.

10.  1 Corinthians 11:27-29

a.      Paul was addressing a significant issue in the Corinthian church and their lack of love for each other.

b.     What I want us to remember is that when we get together to remember what Jesus did, our hearts are to be focused on the King of Kings.

                                                    i.     We are to humble ourselves and purify our heats. 

                                                  ii.     We are to confess our sins and cleanse our hands.

11.  I don’t want to give the impression that we are to approach God full of guilt and worthlessness.

12.  Instead, we are to approach the Lord’s Supper with reverence, with a deep respect, knowing that we needed Jesus to die on the cross for us.

13.  Before I ask the Deacons to come forward, please take a couple of moments to talk to your Jesus.

a.      Thank Him for paying your debt.

b.     Ask Him to remove the sin in your lives, making you spotless.

c.      Take a moment and focus on Jesus.