7 Things Churches Do: Eucharist

Intro

We have embarked on a journey. Previously we have talked about what every church needs to be. However, those characteristics need to translate into actions. There are things that the Bible tells us that we should do. In some churches they call them the Holy Sacraments. They are as follows:

Penance (or repentance) - We provide opportunity for people to reconcile with God.

Eucharist - Communion - We provide opportunity for a person to remember all that Christ did for us and the covenant bad between us.

Baptism - We provide opportunity for a person to demonstrate their commitment by symbolically and decisively dying to self and raising to a new life in Christ.

Confirmation - We provide opportunity for people to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit

Anointing of the Sick - We provide opportunity for the sick to come and receive prayer for healing - in their body, mind, and spirit

Marriage - We provide opportunity for people to be married and thereby demonstrate the unity not just between the couple, but also between Christ and the Church.

Holy Order: We provide opportunity for training and sending people for works of ministry.

Intro 2

When I was younger, I had to go through this series of things. One of them was first communion. It was a right of passage on your journey towards adulthood in the church where my grandma took me. Now I am convinced that was not the intention of the practice, but that is how I took it.

As I grew older I left that church and went my own way, but after I recieved the Lord I went to another church. We practiced communion very similar to how we do. Once a month we share the bread and the cup and we did that in remembrance of what Jesus did. But quite honestly it was just as ritualistic as the first time. Some times I would “feel” like God was in it. Other times it didn’t mean much at all.

But to the early church it was a main thing. Acts teaches us the 1st church they basically did 4 things. They devoted themselves to the apostles teaching. They devoted themselves to fellowship. They devoted themselves to prayer, and they devoted themselves to the breaking of bread. It was so paramount that they did it daily in each other’s homes.

I think we miss the emotion and the meaning behind the communion.

Exp

Today I want us to take a solid look at the eucharist, communion, the breaking of bread and bring home what actually happened on the day the Lord instituted it as a thing we do.

Luke 22:7–23 ESV

Then came the day of Unleavened Bread, on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. So Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat it.” They said to him, “Where will you have us prepare it?” He said to them, “Behold, when you have entered the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him into the house that he enters and tell the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says to you, Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ And he will show you a large upper room furnished; prepare it there.” And they went and found it just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover. And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” 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. But behold, the hand of him who betrays me is with me on the table. For the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed!” And they began to question one another, which of them it could be who was going to do this.

Lk 22:7-23

Feast of Unleavened Bread and Passover

The Lamb

2 years old

No Blemish

1 per family and shared with closest neighbors.

1 lamb about 45 people

There were about 600,000 men (not including women and children under 20 - for the sake of argument lets stick with 600,000)

600,000/45 = 13,334 lambs on the day of the first exodus

How prepared.

Slit the throat.. drain the blood ----- 13,334 lambs

Roast all of it’

Use only bitter herbs

How eaten

cloak tucked into your belt, sandals on your feet, staff in your hands.

Eat it fast.

Unleavened Bread (Matzah)

Recipe is simple

A little flour, a little salt, a little water

NO YEAST

Roll it out and on a flat surface cook it till it starts to form air pockets, flip it and it will make a pillow.. your done. Apparently its delicious when cooked fresh. When we have communion later it will be kinda crackery.

Other Rules.

On the 1st day hold a sacred assembly

All household must empty their house of all yeast.

anyone with yeast found in their house must be cut off.

Hyssop as a paintbrush

The Symbolism.

The Spotless lamb - purity, holiness point to an opportunity to make our hearts clean before the Lord. Only something pure can take the sacrifice of things so impure.

Laying on of hands - Traditionally speaking what would happen is the head of the house hold wouldn’t just hold the lamb.... He had to put all his weight on it… this was to symbolise the crushing weight of sin placed upon something that didn’t deserve it. The lamb takes the weight of our sin upon itself gives it’s life without regret.

Yeast always symbolizes sin.

It puffs things up making it bigger that it is.

It draws attention away from what is real.

Yeast is a distraction from the thing that gives life.

It doesn’t take much

Galatians 5:7–9 ESV

You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? This persuasion is not from him who calls you. A little leaven leavens the whole lump.

1 Corinthians 5:6 ESV

Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?

Galatians 5:9 NIV

“A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough.”

The tucked in tunic, sandals, and staff...

Be ready because when rescue comes, it’s IMMEDIATELY time to move on. The time for deliverance is NOW.

On the day the Israelites were rescued, the bread wasn’t even cooked yet… they had to bring it with them.

Eagerly anticipate your deliverance… and when it comes… don’t look back.

I Have Eagerly Desired

Catch the Picture

On the Streets

The Israelites were under oppression from the Romans.

Worshiping God could be seen as political unrest and you could be crucified.

It was the Week of Passover so it City of Jerusalem would have swollen to some estimate at least 2 million Israelites. (almost 45000 spotless lamb)

There would have been tremendous political unrest.

The soldier population would be tremendous.

About Jesus

Just abt 3 yrs earlier the 1st prophet in 400 years stated, “Behold the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world!” ()

Just a few days earlier He was welcomed into the city with people shouting, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord. Peace in Heaven and glory in the highest!” ()

He was teaching at the temple every day and people were hanging on his words...... THEY KNEW THE MESSIAH, THE REDEEMER, THE SAVIOR HAD COME.

I eagerly desire ()

Luke 22:15 ESV

And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.

Lk 22:15

Capture the incredible emotion.

millions of people swelling the city around.

miraculously Jesus tells them how to find a place that was already prepared for them.

Upon arrival the king prepares himself and washes the feet of every disciple there.

When its time to eat, it’s not this every-one-mind-your-manners event. Every one was comfortable. Their feet were washed. They were close enough that one of the disciples leaned against Jesus’ breast to speak to him. What I want you to see, was that these men were close friends. The disciples were following who they knew to be the son of God.

If you can catch that emotion when you can almost feel the importance when Jesus says, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.”

Do This in Remembrance of Me

Stay in the Moment.

A couple million Israelites had come to Jerusalem to Celebrate the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

A man would place his hands on the spotless lamb, leaning and pressing his weight against it. Undoubtedly saying the sins of myself and my family are paid for by the sacrifice of this lamb. And as he counts his sins and the sins of his family, He has to lean harder as the number gets bigger.

And the priest comes and cuts the throat of the lamb. Catching some of the blood in a bowl he burns it in the fire.

Then man would then take the lamb somewhere, cook it, and take the sacrifice within himself and giving it to his family. Eating the spotless to cleanse the impurities within himself. Eating the bread with no yeast. Nothing can spoil the life giver. The one who give us strength and sustenance.

Now catch that that happened times 45,000. You would have been able to smell the blood throughout the city. It would have poured through the streets. It would be and ugly picture… again pointing to the ugliness of our sin that needed a perfect sacrifice for our sin.

Commemorate

One of the things I left out was how this was above all festivals the most important.

It was the first sacrifice commanded.

It was so important God commanded to to mark the first month of the Jewish calendar.

It was so important that it didn’t start on the first day because you had to get your house ready.

purified and without yeast

finding the perfect lamb and making sure everyone had opportunity to partake.

Only circumcised people could eat it… no one just passing through… it points to the idea that only if your in the family can you partake.

This is important..... 6 times in & 13 does it point to remembering it. Commemorate it, teach it to your children and explaining what it means for generations. So year after year after year for generation after generation after generation, we have this event that all points to one thing....

I WILL RESCUE YOU. I WILL BE YOUR GOD. AND YOU WILL BE MY PEOPLE. YOUR SINS ARE ATONED FOR AND YOU ARE FREE. REMEMBER ME.

However it must be noted… the sacrifice was insufficient until......

In Remembrance of Me

Go back to the night. Put yourself in the room. The feast is prepared and you have counted your sins. You are in the room with the King of Kings. The Messiah. The one who takes away the sins of the world. The room has been prepared. Jesus grabs the bread. The unleavened bread. He blesses it just like he did when he fed the 5000. A hush falls over the room and he says breaks the bread saying, “This is my body which is broken for you.”

But let me say, the disciples heard something different. They heard all the rules that apply to the unleavened bread are fulfilled in Jesus Christ. The symbolism of yeast being the sin and even the smallest amount can ruin your life is held in contrast with the absolutely sinless purity of the bread of life Jesus Christ.

The Christ grabs the cup. You can smell the blood of the sacrifices that have been pouring for hours and hours. You can hear the flies buzzing around. And that’s something you would have done at the beginning of every year - knowing that the blood of those lamb pay the price for your sins. But Jesus grabs the cup, this cup is the new covenant in my blood which is poured out for you.

He says, “I have eagerly desired to share this meal with you.” Because this is what I want you to remember. All of it hangs on this. Jesus Christ is the bread of life. He is perfect and holy. He is a lamb without blemish. He is the only one worthy of the sacrifice that is put before us. It is wholly and complete and no other sacrifice will ever be needed.

Conclusion

So in conclusion with these thoughts in mind let us take up communion.