Proclaiming our union

Philippians 3:8–11 ESV

Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

Paul expresses His life’s passion and purpose: knowing Christ Jesus his Lord.

He gained Christ through faith. The fact that his coming to Christ resulted in loss was of no consequence to him. He was granted the righteousness of Christ. Christ’s righteousness was credited to his account.

As a result of his identity in Christ… his union with Jesus, his aim became to know Christ… the power of His resurrection, fellowship with His suffering. This way of life, even unto death is the pathway to eternal life with Christ.

And if you are in Christ, this is your life. This is your purpose. This should be your passion. This should be your aim.

As we partake in this meal together. Taking the bread and the cup, we declare our union with Christ. Declaring our desire to fellowship in His suffering and know the power of His resurrection.

Being in Christ means we are part of His family. We have been purchased out of our slavery to sin, received the forgiveness of our sin and adopted into the household of God.

How is this possible?

Jesus made this clear as He instituted the meal we are about to share together.

Luke 22:19–20 ESV

And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.

Jesus was about to fulfill prophecy. From Isaiah: He bore our griefs and carried our sorrows, that He was pierced for our transgressions and crushed for our iniquities is what secured the promise of the New Covenant for His people.

This church is what what we recognize and celebrate today. Jesus’ atoning death. His work of redemption. We invite all who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ as the one, true living Savior for the forgiveness of their sins and as the way, the truth and the life to partake today. We urge you all to consider this carefully. Jesus instructed us to do what we are about to do in remembrance of Him. Not as a mere act of ritual, but as an act of worship and obedience out of a sincere love for Him. If this describes you, you are invited to partake.

Before we proceed, I want to invite you to seek the Lord, in the quietness of your own hearts. Perhaps you need to confess sin. Perhaps you need to seek the forgiveness of a brother or sister in Christ. Perhaps you need to take a moment to dwell upon the rich love of that Christ has for you. Take time to seek Jesus now.

Pray to pronounce pardon

In a moment, I will invite you to come forward to partake of the elements but I want to urge you that you on the authority of God word to be sure that you belong to God through faith in the redemptive work of Jesus on your behalf. If however you are living in sin, and refuse to repent, it would dishonor God for you to partake. We are all sinners, but we do not come unless we have received the forgiveness of our sins through Christ and His gift of everlasting life with Him.

Explain Process

Give elements to elders

Invite people to come forward

Put plates back on table

Serve elders

Ask if anyone needs to be served

Ask elder to bless bread

As Jesus made clear, the bread represents His body which was broken for us. Take now and eat.

Ask elder to bless the cup

Jesus explained that the cup is the New Covenant in His blood. Let us drink in remembrance of Him.

Know brother, know without a doubt sister, Jesus paid the price in full, and on this basis we are members of the New Covenant community. Praise the Lord.

We will sing a hymn together, but before we do, it is our custom on this particular Sunday of the month to take an offering for our benevolence fund that will go towards the immediate physical that exist among us, so that offering will be taken as we sing together.