Communion 2019

1. Remembrance

1 Corinthians 11:23–26 ESV

23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when 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 also he took the cup, 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.

1 Cor 11:23-26

One of the most powerful themes in the Lord’s Supper is the theme of remembrance.

As Jesus passed both the bread and the cup, he said eat in remembrance of me, and drink in remembrance of me.

It might seem strange that we who are in Church on a Sunday morning, as we are every Sunday, and who know the gospel, would need to be reminded again and again to remember - but we do.

Like sheep, we are so easily distracted by the cares of the world every day. And like sheep we are prone to wander.

And after we have become distracted and have wandered off, the tempter becomes our accuser.

Satan reminds us daily that we have sinned against God, and he will do his best to convince us that we are beyond all hope of being saved

We need to be reminded, as Jesus reminded his disciples on their way to Jerusalem, that Jesus came to suffer and to die on a cross to take away our sin, and that he was raised again for our justification and salvation.

We need to be reminded when we eat the bread, that His body was broken for us, and Jesus took the full weight of God’s justice against our sin in His own body, settling our account in full.

We need to be reminded when we drink the cup, that His blood was poured out for the forgiveness of our sins - not just to hide them, but to wash them away completely.

And finally, we need to be reminded that Jesus’ command to us that we should remember, is not a command to remember just a time, or a place, or the details and facts...

Jesus is commanding us to remember a person.

He says to the disciples, “Do this in remembrance of ME.”

As we eat the bread and drink the cup this morning, let us remember the price that was paid for our salvation.

Let us also remember of a present relationship with Jesus Christ that we now have through the cross.

Jesus said “Come tome all who labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest”

That is not only an invitation to the lost, a one-time ticket to go from lost to found. But it is an everlasting invitation also to His children that we can and must continue coming to him day after day.

As you eat and drink, come again to the throne of grace. Come again to the Lord Jesus Christ and believe.

Come again and receive rest.