Worthy Partaking: Remembering with Faith & Participating with Repentance
Notes
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Amnesia is debilitating - some of you in old age getting forgetful- your family knows how frustrating - even scary that can be. Some of you have been concussed. Do you know what special term for - what happened, why did you let me do that - what day is it. But perhaps scariest of all is when we forget who we are - in family - remember you are Frielink… what we stand for - When Alzheimer's erodes our identity - especially heartbreaking - Pastor Jack and Jenny - who are you; Now we can praise God that after a head injury, after our minds age and decay even die, safe in the LORD, not destroyed - live on
But this morning I want you imagine that you have Alzheimer but not in old age, retired and have lived most of your life, but in the prime of oyr work, friendship, your traveling… ie. Alice, … I have a pill, a miracle pill that will restore your memory and keep your identity in tack - keep on living the life made for with the people, with the purpose - be the most important memory of who you are and the most important participation of what you are to do in life!
Well congregation, it shouldn’t surprise you that the two main words when it comes to the Lord’s Supper are: Participation, and Remembrance, - sure there is hope, there is proclaim. But biggest from Jesus’s words of institution quoted in our text: Do this in remembrance of me; ,; and The cup of blessing “a participation in the blood of Christ”; the bread which we break “a participation in the body of Christ.”
Christians you and I are prone to a spiritual amnesia - spiritual Alzheimers. Stuff happens in life suffering, hardship, and we begin to doubt God’s love and kindness; our lives gets so crowded by the stuff of earth - that we become oblivious to the stuff of heaven. To Christ’s kingdom and His benefits.
And God has designed this Supper - kind of like that miracle pill to reverse the forgetfulness and the declining activity in our identity and calling. But unlike that pill, this bread and this wine don’t work by magic; they can’t give you the new identity and calling in Christ, that has to happen before. Regeneration, conversion. But they can assure us of our identity and our grasp of all the benefits of Christ’s cross, that the remembering our new identity in Christ. And they can strengthen and deepen our communion and living participation in Christ and His missimon in our lives. This will not magically it comes as you come with faith and with repentance to this table! That is the worthy partaking that enable us to be revived and strengthen by coming to Christ table regularly!
Key Truth: Worthy partaking of the Lord’s Supper assure us of the benefits of Christ’s Cross and strengthens our Communion, our living participation, with the Resurrected Christ!
Key Truth:
Worthy partaking of the Lord’s Supper assure us the benefits of Christ’s Cross and strengthens our Communion, our living participation, with the Resurrected Christ!
Why I want to preach this sermon: some struggle with their worthiness to come to this table. Coming looking to self - doubt if there is grace enough. Others come to this table presuming - for both groups and we maybe swing to extremes - miss the peace and the energy that come from commnioining with living Christ in remembering His death and resurrection in this meal!
Why I want to preach this sermon: some struggle - others presume - for both groups and we maybe swing to extremes - miss the peace and the energy that come from comunioining with living Christ in remembering His death and resurrection in this meal!
A. Worthy partaking requires discerning by faith
We see this in Paul’s instruction about properly examining ourselves and then coming to take and eat and drink. The first step he says
For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.
For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.
Discerning the body - while also refresh to recognizing and living in loving fellowship with the body of Christ the church, the congregation, most basic meaning is that you must come here - discerning what the body of Christ broken as a sin offering for you means, You must discern that he giving up his life-blood, even as the NT puts the blood of God, spilled out - His perfect life in your place
Powerful little word - remembrance - Someone posted on facebook an article on Jewish womeen - doing rememberance - Remember what the motto “We Will Never Forget”. The Jews hav a long history of doing this - the Exodus was t o have a Passover Celebration in it - passed dwon in a meal - why not keep a widow’s garment, soujourner, orphan in pledge , why keep sabbath rest and give to all in your sphere of influence - REMEMBER that you were a slave in Egypt; Jewiwsh celebration, oldest son why is this night more special than all others -remember we were slaves in Egypt, and God brought us out with outstretched; Even generation late - the remember was asign that they weere there in that event - they were delivered! - says all isreael was baptized in Moses in teh Red Sea -
Do you get past events, like remembering your family history - shapes who you are. Well, some how that has to happen by faith at this table with the event of Christ’s Passover HIs Exodus for all who are in him. And that is why we also read from . Every funeral of a baptized Christain I read the beginning paragrpah which concludes with what baptism symoboizes and seals:
For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.
By faith we are to remember the Cross was our death to sin in Christ - sin was a slave master that Lorded it over the whole human race, and when pay day came the only wages he would pay, having tricked us into thinking living for self and sin would make us happy, at the end of the day this task master only pays out death and hell!
But we are to remember that Christ on the Cross - was paying the wwages of sin and death and hell, he took God’s curse from us - And just like a jew looking at the Passover Exodus, we are to say what happened to him, by faith united to Him, happened to me: Look how else
We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.
He died the most real and yet most unique dath ever - it was in the place of His peoople - so God didn’t just give him physical death, judgment day - came forward - and sin was judged once and for all for His people - wrath was poured out, God in his justice and holiness was satisfied - and our lives were reconciled; And waht else tdoes says, just like Israel didn’t just get out fo slavery end of story - but God led them to new life to promised land - So too Christ released us from the dominon of sin and death … now what did Jesus Christ go on to do?
Remember the Cross but also the Resurrection and the Ascension -
but the life he lives he lives to God.
For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God.
For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God.
For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God.
For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God.
He’s alive to God, and any who are united by faith - they now live on the other side of the Cross now too - they have this resurrection life from Jesus - where no longer Satan, sin, and death are our overlords - but Christ, righteousness, and abudnant life!
Have to examin e yourself and your living in a moment to come properly, but the first call and for every look to self, better be taking 10 looks to Christ - and by faith remembering and claiming what he did for you! And that’s why the heart of our text, is
For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.
For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.
That’s not just a promise for the future, but that is a certainty that started at the Cross and now comes into your life and will never stop! This is the basis and the motivation for any life-change you will see, but it starts not with you doing anything, but first just putting your faith in what Christ has done for you!
Do you discern Christy body - its not dead, this is not a re-sacrfice of Christ, a mass; Christ is alive and Living Spirit with Livign Body, you discern his body, remembering His death for your sake, and His rising for your sake. So you are indeed dead to the domoion of sin now, and alive to the new life and righteosuness of Christ - just by faith, then you come taking hold of all the benefits of Christ and his atoning sacrafice, his resurreciton! You are holy in him, righteous, innocent, you have immortality - Come recognizingin Christ I’m one with god and all His glory, I am God’s darling child in Christ, I am one with his people on earth, His church and every member in it!
TO discern the body to remember the sacrifice at this table - is to recognize I am not under the law any more, but by my faith in Christ, I am under His grace. Understand this doesn’t mean just the law of Moses, it means all the commandments of God. If you are under law without faith in Christ, the law just pronounces condemnation if you sin and blessing if you are perfect. The law excites and incites sin, as it exposes and convicts you. The law can’t justify you before God, it can’t relieve your bondage of sin - it just keeps you in that bondage to sin! All you will ever be able to do is offer the members of your body, for unrighteousness, you are s lave, a bondservant to the master sin!
But listen if you discern the body of Christ, his work on the Cross, if you are One with him in what happened there and that is why you are coming to this table - Then you are under grace, and all the provisions of redemption, all the spiritual resources that flow from Christ death and resurrection, you are now under the the dominion of this grace. With all your worthiness in Christ, you can be assured that you are pardoned and coutned God’s children.
Examine your faith this morning - is it a wishy washy religion of do good, and hope God accepts you in the end, being spiritual should make me happy, problem free, and maybe even rich? Or is all your hope, including your sense of worthiness in Christ alone. Examine your faith your discerning of Chrsit on the Cross, Christ risen for you. Buy a house, get a home inspection, a Diamond ring - jewelwer to access it - make sure hope is in Christ! Not a question if you are worthy, but if your faith is in him, united to Him, a question is He worthy! Then united to Him sin dealt with, and your new life secure in Him!
Then you are indeed temples indwelt by Christ’ HOly Spirit. and set free from bondage, the literal way Paul puts it is you present yourself, make yourself available for all the parts of your body and your life - as weapons for tools for righteousness.
And this brings us tot he second way of worthily partaking: this is not just a bare remembrance, nor do we come just with faith. When yoou are found in Christ adn He in you, by graec through faith. Then the flip side of your faith, the twin grace that you come tot he table with is repentance. Can you imagine an airplane or a bird trying to fly with just one wing? So too when we are united to Christ in his death and in his reserrection, that grace is not just to rest in passively, being justified, and adopted and reconciled by our lovling God and Father. That grace that justifies is also a grace that is active to sanctify, to transform you, to make you a servantof the Lord, tomake you holy! Being foudn in Christ, is not a cheap or easy grace; it is ifree but it transfroms your life. And so Paul teaches that
B. Worthy Partaking requires Commitment to our Repentance
We see this call to make the taking, receivinng, eating and teh drinking - a participation in Christ’s body and blood. An active partnership in what Christ’s body and blood accomplish. A communion with the new life they represent.
And Paul says, that a worthy participation involves us judging whether we are committed to turning from sin in our lives to living for Christ and righteousness and His kingdom! he even says we need to judge ourselves, and receive God’s judgment and discipline - look at these sobering yet deeply freeing words:
But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.
But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.
At first this might seem a downer - but if we’re honest, we recognizethat though through faith in Christ - got this new life, set free from bondage, yet still this doesn’t mean the battle with the old-self, with sinful passions is copmletely over. Paul declares that sin no n longer has domionion, we have been set free.
But remember the Stockholm syndrome, so long a slave to captures, start to join them. When set free though not dominated still … that’s alive in us too.. Delivered from the guilt of sin, dominion, punishment, but we in this life are not delivered from the presence of sin.
And while we no longer have to sin, it no longer drives us like slave-driver that own us, we all do fall to our sinful passions from time to time. We all have indwelling sins even as faithful Christians - and this is what drives some of us to say - I am not worthy, and others of us to say what does it matter - doesn’t God forgive sin, I can live how ever I want, under grace means its already taken care of… lighten up! Well Paul says, no don’t lighten up to the latter and look to Christ not yourself to the former.
To the former - neither your salvation nor your sanctification is by m,oralism, by your own effort to be holy, so look to Christ, and for the libertine - in Christ you must find that finding salvation in Him, you also find newl ife as you PRESENT YOURSELF and each member ofyour body, and all of your life to what
Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.
Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.
Paul writing to the Corinthians with rich going before the poor - not discrnign body of Christ, the church not honuring and serving one another. Paul is saying, come tothsi tagble must comein repentance. The question this morning for you is not are you perfect, are you sinless. The question is as God’s law exposes the sin in yoru life, asthe Holy Spirit convicts you of ongoing indwelling sin - what do you do with it?
“Do you just allow it? Are you displeased with it? Do you strive against it? Then though sin be in us (against our will), yet our sin is not dominating us so we have become slaves to sin, so that our sins separate us from God.” John Bradford
He says: Give yourself to obedience, although you do it not with such feeling as you desire. Faith must first go before, and the feeling will follow!
No rather, though Satan accuse us, we say yes and more so, but My Saviour know s all about it,I freely confess and I turn to Him and I come to this table having purposed unfeignedly to be that sins enemy. In repentance, I offer myself to Christ’s desire in regard to that sin.
In our culture wuite a thing when somone outs themself. But did you know that Chrsitian are to out themselves?
Like the whole world just fine with sin, little peccadilloes - literally little sins, no one perfect - made this way - fine to pursue what ever I want;./ But a Christian outs himself coming to this table in repentance. says, I’m not fine with any of my sin. It displeases me so much, that I now trust God’s mercy in Christ, and I declare war on all known sin.
Picture like this King Charles II killing years, so got Scotland under his thumb, any little resistance sends dragoons, with blood hounds, smallest gathering s burns them out crushes them, … But Richard Cameron - little brash - but giving speech - two young men, recently acquired rescued ponies… come up on scene - and then the n - chatterbox Malcolm - heart on his sleeve, into the middle with informers lively all around - Blurts it out - “I will fight the usurper King Charles!
That’s what it means to come in true repentance - turning from sin in your life, and earnestly purpose before God to amend our lives and give ourselves to serve the LORD in holiness and righteousness all the days of our lives! Is it not what Jesus said when someone in faith was saved and healed by Him: your sins are forgiven, go your way and sin no more! Paul puts this way, and in repentance, participating in the grace that not only forgives but transform you come to this table saying - yes in repentance this is how I live, this is what i really want: Paul put it this way in
for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light
We now come to the Lord - pledging to clean the house that is our lives, to open the doors of our hearts tot eh Risen Jesus with faith and repnants. Pledging our participation in His graces!
And if you are doing that this morning - comiongin faith in Christ’s worthiness - discerning salvation on the Crosss, and coming in repenantce - I as if an angel from heaven am sent you, as minster of the gospel - to as it were hand deliver this invitation to you - Come as Worthy Guest to God’s Table. And as you come be assured you are welcomed by Christ Hismelf, that your sins were parndoned for His sake, endued with the girftof his Spirit - his grace will have domoion in your life. That because Christ dwells in you and you in him forever - this a commuion for you with Christ and Father and with his Spirit and his whole Church.
This is covenant meal, and Christ has done all on the Cross and in His Resurrection and send you His Spirit, nothing more he could do for you, but now in response - 1. fighting indwelling sin, 2. recommitting to the duties and callings given you in home, church society, recommitting to prayer, listening to his voice in your daily life through his Word - come with reverence because in Christ you are worthy of His name as you foollow him. . Come and let God renew His covenant with you and hear Him whisper it in your ear even now “ You are clean and healed of sin you are my darling child.”
for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light
