Easter

Easter; NV 3/31/02AM

OS: When a jeweler displays a fine diamond, he often puts it on black velvet. There, it catches fire from the lights of the room, its beauty multiplied, and its value becomes more apparent.

The Lord's Supper is like that diamond. Sometimes it needs to be pried from traditional settings and emphasized all over again to ensure that it speaks to our hearts as God intended it to. That is our intention this Easter Sunday.

TS] I am going to share with you some of my thoughts about the Lord’s Supper and it’s meaning, and then we are going to have communion. Following communion I’ll conclude our lesson this morning. That way I get to preach twice.

1 Corinthians 11 27 Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.  28 A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup.  29 For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself.  30 That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep.

This memorial service is the center of our spiritual health, because it is the center of the message of God. This memorial we call the Lord’s Supper proclaims the gospel message found throughout the Bible from Genesis to Revelation.

I.       That central message focuses on the cross which was foretold since the beginning.

A.     Genesis 3 – God speaks of one being born of a woman who would defeat Satan.

B.     Passover

                       1.       John 19 36 These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken,”  37 and, as another scripture says, “They will look on the one they have pierced.”

                       2.       Exodus 12 46 “It must be eaten inside one house; take none of the meat outside the house. Do not break any of the bones.

C.     The Last Supper

                       1.       Luke 22 19 And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 20 In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.

D.     So, as you partake of the Lord’s Supper ponder the greatness of God’s plan. Consider the obvious depth of His love to go to such lengths for you.

E.      If the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus is the central message of God to His people, shouldn’t that same message be central in the day to day lives of His people?

II.    The message is not restricted to the initial point of salvation, but also to the day to day living of the Christian life.

A.     Romans 6:1-11(Written to Christians)

                       1.       Paul is reminding Christians that the gospel message is more than a message it is a way of life!

B.     “Lord, I blew it this week – forgive me. Help me live worthy of His death.”

                       1.       When we live beneath the cross we compare ourselves with Him rather than one another.

C.     Memorial in Ukraine – “May we live worthy of their death.”

III. So how do we partake of the Lord’s Supper in a “worthy manner?”

A.     Examine yourself – “Where have I failed in comparison to the cross this week?”

B.     Recognize the body of the Lord – “This is ‘His Body’, this is “His Blood”. (Make it special)

C.     Andy Lanier is now going to come and lead us in our communion this morning.

Text: Matthew 27:62-66

OS: It is possible today to live as it there is no Matthew chapter 28 where the stone is rolled away. It is to live our lives as if Jesus is sealed behind a stone, or maybe hearts become sealed to keep Him out.

PQ: What could be the cause?

I.       The trouble that Jesus sometimes causes in life may cause a person to lock Him out of their life.

A.     I have to be to honest when Jesus is a part of my life.

B.     Every time I bring Him up my friends laugh at me, and call me a Jesus freak.

C.     Scott Norvell reports on Foxnews.com that members of the Music Department at Bloomsburg University in Pennsylvania are creating a disc of holiday music from various religions and cultures because the traditional Christmas carols with their Christian message offended some non-Christians in the area.

D.     In order to un-offensive, I’ll just seal Jesus up and not say anything about Him.

II.    Or maybe the hustle and bustle of everyday life cause a person to set Jesus to the side and seal Him away from their life.

A.     I’m just to busy to give Him a second thought.

B.     The stuff of this world is just to appealing for me to hand it all over to Him.

C.     One teenager was talking to another, "I'm really worried. Dad slaves away at his job so I'll never want for anything, so I can go to college. And Mom spends every day washing and ironing and cleaning up after me. She takes care of me when I'm sick." The other kid says, "So what are you worried about?" The first teenager says, "I'm afraid they might try to escape."

D.     Professor on "Gilligan's Island." While he found time to fashion generators out of palm limbs, vaccines out of algae, he never got around to fixing that huge hole in the boat so he could go home. How many people actually do?

III. The Cure is the Cross

A.     Only after we really grasp the cross are we willing to climb up on the cross and die to this world.

I met with a young business-lady last week. I pointed out these Scriptures to her, and she said, "You mean to say that Jesus Christ wants me to confront the possibility that I might be wasting my life?" I said, "Right!" "And you are trying to tell me that if I hold onto my life, I will waste my life?" I said, "No, I'm not trying to tell you. He said it. And not only that, he said the only way to make sure you really invest your life for eternity in the divine economy is to hand it over to him." She said, "No way." That was last Tuesday morning.

Sunday night she came to me literally trembling and said, "I've not been able to get that thought out of my mind all week: I might be wasting my life." I asked, "Are you the same Pat?" She said, "I'm the same one who rides her motorcycle at ninety-five miles an hour without a helmet and has never been afraid of anything, but now I'm utterly petrified.'' Why? Because she was daring to do what disciples of Jesus Christ do: confront the issues. She quietly submitted her life to the Master last Sunday night. Do you call yourself a disciple of Jesus Christ? Disciples of Jesus Christ confront the issues he raises.