Maundy Thursday 2025

As we begin our Easter Celebration

I had actually planned to cover some different things in this sermon but as I began to write and think through and pray this is where it went

I am reminded of this

Sunday Morning is coming

As we look at the details of the coming Days we see them through the lens of Sunday Morning is coming

I can’t help but be reminded of my most favorite verse in scripture

Romans 5:8 NASB95

8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

through everything we need to understand that God did all of this

We celebrate Easter and all of this because of God’s great love for us

And church sometimes we need reminding of the small simple things from scripture that make such an impact in our own lives

This evening is Maundy Thursday

This is Holy Thursday

Jesus is revealing somethings to His own disciples

Jesus has come into Jerusalem

He tells his disciples to go and prepare for the Passover

The Passover was something that came out Egypt

Remember it was tied to the last plague God did in Egypt

And then in the New Testament post resurrection Sunday

We see the passover supper or the last Supper mean so much more

Today and tonight the Lords Supper represents so much more

We believe the Lords Supper is for believers only

Understand this God loves everyone as we will see this week God loves you so much not to leave you where you are

So that said the Lords Supper is to remind of us what Jesus did for us

If you are not a believer if you are not saved then you can’t remember what Jesus did for you because you have not accepted that free gift of what Jesus did for you

That is not to say you can’t but you haven’t yet and this is just for believers

1 Corinthians 11:23–28 NASB95

23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread; 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 25 In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes. 27 Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. 28 But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup.

Church this evening in just a few moments when you get up to come and take this bread

This is more than just some flat bread we bought from the store

It represents the broken body of Jesus

As we will see later in the week Jesus’s body was more than just hung on the cross

Jesus’s body was broken in our place because why church

Because of His great and awesome love for us

You have read how He was beaten in your place

So this in not just some bread you eat and grape juice you drink

This reminds us of what Jesus went through for me because of His great love for me

Such a great love that refused to leave me where I was

In a few moments you will get up and take some bread and then you will take a cup of grape juice it is not just a cup of grape juice

It represents the blood of Jesus

Not that we are drinking blood but we are remembering the spilt blood of Jesus that covers you sin

Remember from the passover dinner in the Old Testament how there had to be blood shed and painted on the three door posts and the Spirit of God would pass over that house

We know that the Old Testament sacrificial system was only temporary that one day there would come a perfect lamb of God who’s blood would be spilt to cover our sins once and for all

Church that is what Jesus did

So as you drink this cup of grape juice you are to remember that God split his blood to cover you from your sins

That because of Jesus you stand pure and clean as white before God because of the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross

We will have the musicians play some music

I would ask that you come up as you are prepared to take the Lords Supper this evening

You can take it as a family of believers, or as individuals either up here or off to the side or back at you seat

Then when we are done I will pray for us and we will continue in our worship service this evening

LORDS SUPPER

Also on the Holy Thursday

Jesus had the Lords Supper

Jesus also had a mock trial of Jewish Leaders late at night who and I know you will be shocked but found him guilty and handed Him over to Pilate to be murdered

But before Jesus was arrested

He had gathered in the garden to pray

As a kid I know I have told you this but my mom would always remind me to pray about it

Jeremy just pray about it, I find myself doing the same thing with the girlies now

But I go back to scripture and you always see Jesus going off to pray

Didn’t matter what was going on or where they were going there was always time to prayer

Last weekend we got to do the prayer stop at Be Filled Food Pantry

I had brought doughnuts and there weren’t enough of us for the doughnuts so I started handing out doughnuts

Let me tell you people will come over to the prayer stop and talk if you have doughnuts

What a joy that was to pray with people

And then church i have some great times of prayer all by myself

I share all that to say Prayer is important

Jesus in the garden praying

Mark 14:32 NASB95

32 They came to a place named Gethsemane; and He said to His disciples, “Sit here until I have prayed.”

Jesus comes to place they had been going to and call the disciples sit here and I will go over there and pray

Jesus is a bit stressed knowing that being obedient to God will require Jesus to take on the sin of the world and have the father turn His back on Him

As you read through the Gospel there is plenty of opportunities for Jesus to have done some cool things and yet His rely is always it is not my time

Well now is about to be His time and knowing all of that what does Jesus do

He goes and prays

We do that as believers also

We know things are coming and going to happen and we go and pray

If we don’t do that we should be doing that

So Jesus and the disciples go to the garden and pray

Mark 14:33–34 NASB95

33 And He took with Him Peter and James and John, and began to be very distressed and troubled. 34 And He said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved to the point of death; remain here and keep watch.”

Jesus is stressed because He knows what all is going to happen

Remember this is Gods will

Jesus came to be obedient to the will of His Father that is why Jesus is stressed not that He doesn’t want to be obedient but because He knows what it entails

And so Jesus prays

Church this is what I want us to know about the whole salvation of the lost

Mark 14:35–36 NASB95

35 And He went a little beyond them, and fell to the ground and began to pray that if it were possible, the hour might pass Him by. 36 And He was saying, “Abba! Father! All things are possible for You; remove this cup from Me; yet not what I will, but what You will.”

At first glance it looks as if Jesus is trying to get out of being obedient

If there is any other way lets do that

Remember Jesus is stressed

This is not Jesus trying to get out of doing His Fathers will but that is Jesus knowing and understanding that being obedient to God the Father wil entail

Jesus knows that being obedient to God the Father the God will mean that God the Father will turn His back on Him because He is going to take on the sin of the world

Jesus knew all that, that meant to not be in the presence of God the Father and He was not ok with that to the point of being so stressed He begins to sweat blood while He is praying to God the Father

And this is a perfect picture of obedience

Yet or but knowing all of that I want to do your will that is what Jesus ends with while He is praying

See this is the Love of Jesus that He willingly went to the cross for you sin and my sin

That is exactly why Jesus went to the garden that evening

Not to pray or try and get out of the garden but to pray I believe to show us that we should be obedient

Philippians 2:8 NASB95

8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

What an accurate description of Jesus

Obedient to the point of death and even death on the cross

Jesus was so obedient that He willingly went to the cross to pay for sin and my sin

Praise the Lord for His willingness

And why church because of His great love for us

Romans 5:8 NASB95

8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

God demonstrates His own loves

The cross was Jesus’s act of love and obedience

And church just let that sit and marinate your heart this evening

That the mock trial, the beating, the cross is all an act of obedience and love for you and I

Sometimes we hear that and just sit in awe

You might want to argue that you don’t deserve that and you are right you and I don’t but praise the Lord this is Gods grace and mercy on display for us because of His great and awesome love for you and I

So as we come to a close this Holy Thursday

We will call the band up and the invitation is just that

An invitation to do business with God this evening

If you have questions about salvation please come

If you just want to pray please come

You respond how God leads you this evening