THANKSGIVING COMMUNION SERVICE 2019

As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then He broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, "Take this and eat it, for this is My body."

And He took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, "Each of you drink from it,

for this is My blood, which confirms the covenant between God and His people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many.

INTRODUCTION

Good evening, Welcome to our annual Thanksgiving communion service!!

I want to talk tonight on Communion within itself. So tonight we are going to break down these scriptures.

WHEN the Lord says this, He points out to us that His body is not so much His as it is ours, since He received it and suffered it to be broken on the cross, not for His own sake, but for ours;

And that He now also desires that we should look upon it and take it as our own possession.

And with His body, He gives Himself to us, and desires that we should take Him. The fellowship of the Lord’s Supper is a fellowship of giving and taking. Blessed giving: blessed taking.

The Lord’s Table: A Help to the Right Observance of the Holy Supper Chapter I: Take, Eat

Blessed giving: the person gives value to the gift. Who is He that gives? It is my Creator, who comes here to give what my soul needs. It is my Redeemer, who, at the table, will give to me in possession what He has purchased for me.

And what gives He? His body and His blood. He gives the greatest and the best He can bestow: yea, all that it is possible for Him to give—the broken body which He first offered to the Father as a sacrifice for sin, a sacrifice that filled Him with joy. And what He offered to the Father, to put away sin before Him, He now offers to me, to put away sin in me.

And wherefore gives He this? Because He loves me. He desires to redeem me from death, and to bestow on me eternal life in Himself. He gives Himself to me to be the food, the joy, the living power of my soul. O blessed, heavenly giving of eternal love! Jesus gives me His own body: Jesus gives me Himself

The Lord’s Table: A Help to the Right Observance of the Holy Supper Chapter I: Take, Eat

Blessed giving: the person gives value to the gift. Who is He that gives? It is my Creator, who comes here to give what my soul needs. It is my Redeemer, who, at the table, will give to me in possession what He has purchased for me.

Blessed giving: the person gives value to the gift.

Who is He that gives? It is our Creator, who came into our life to give what our soul needs.

It is my Redeemer, who at the table tonight and He will give to me in possession what He had purchased for me.

He giving His body and His blood. He gives the greatest and the best that could ever be given, and all that is possible to give.

The broken body which He first offered to the Father as a sacrifice for sin, a sacrifice that filled the Father with joy.

The question must be why did the Father give me this gift? It is so simple Because He loves me.

He desires to redeem me from death and to give me eternal life with Him.

He gives Himself to me to be the food, the joy, the living power power of my soul.

So Jesus said again, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you cannot have eternal life within you.

But anyone who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise that person at the last day.

For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink.

Anyone who eats My flesh and drinks My blood remains in Me, and I in him.

I live because of the living Father who sent Me; in the same way, anyone who feeds on Me will live because of Me.

I am the true bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will not die as your ancestors did (even though they ate the manna) but will live forever."

Jesus gave Himself.

Let’s us not forget, the blessed taking, just as i receive with my hand the bread that is intended for me and hold it before tonight as my own, so by faith in the Word in which Jesus gives Himself to me.

I take Him for myself and I know that He is really mine. The body in which He suffered for sin is my possession: the power of His atonement is mine. The body of Jesus is my food and my life.

How free is the taking, It cost me nothing, I think of my unworthiness, only to find in it my claim on Him, because the Righteous One died for the unrighteous.

What Jesus in His love would give so heartily and willingly, and so I will so heartily and freely take.

Where God gives, there is power and life. And My taking does not depend on my strength, I have only to receive what my Savior brings to me.

Blessed giving, blessed taking.

In partaking of the blood of the New Covenant, it is important that we understand the full scope of communion in our lives. I want to talk about five great principles of communion.

He gives Himself to us, and desires that we should take Him. The fellowship of the Lord’s Supper is a fellowship of giving and taking. Blessed giving: blessed taking.

WHEN the Lord says this, He points out to us that His body is not so much His as it is ours, since He received it and suffered it to be broken on the cross, not for His own sake, but for ours; and that He now also desires that we should look upon it and appropriate it as our own possession. Thus, with His body, He gives Himself to us, and desires that we should take Him. The fellowship of the Lord’s Supper is a fellowship of giving and taking. Blessed giving: blessed taking.

Blessed giving: the person gives value to the gift. Who is He that gives? It is my Creator, who comes here to give what my soul needs. It is my Redeemer, who, at the table, will give to me in possession what He has purchased for me.

And what gives He? His body and His blood. He gives the greatest and the best He can bestow: yea, all that it is possible for Him to give—the broken body which He first offered to the Father as a sacrifice for sin, a sacrifice that filled Him with joy. And what He offered to the Father, to put away sin before Him, He now offers to me, to put away sin in me.

And wherefore gives He this? Because He loves me. He desires to redeem me from death, and to bestow on me eternal life in Himself. He gives Himself to me to be the food, the joy, the living power of my soul. O blessed, heavenly giving of eternal love! Jesus gives me His own body: Jesus gives me Himself.

And not less blessed taking, for it is so simple. Just as I receive with my hand the bread that is intended for me, and hold it before me as my own, so by faith in the word, in which Jesus gives Himself to me, I take Him for myself, and I know that He is really mine. The body in which He suffered for sin is my possession: the power of His atonement is mine. The body of Jesus is my food and my life.

And how free is the taking. I think of my unworthiness, only to find in it my claim on Him, the Righteous One, who died for the unrighteous. I think of my misery only as the poverty and the hunger for which the festal repast is prepared, this divine bread so cordially given. What Jesus in His love would give so heartily and willingly, I will as heartily and freely take.

And so real is the taking. Where God gives, there is power and life. In giving, there is a communication, a real participation of that which is bestowed. Consequently, my taking does not depend on my strength: I have only to receive what my Saviour brings to me and inwardly imparts. I, a mere worm, take what He, the Almighty, gives. Blessed giving, blessed taking.

Blessed God, may my taking be in conformity with Thy giving; Thy giving, the standard and the measure of my taking. What God gives, I take as a whole. As Thou givest, so I also receive,—heartily, undividedly, lovingly. Precious Saviour, my taking depends wholly on Thy giving. Come Thou and give: give Thyself truly and with power in the communion of the Spirit. Come, my eternal Redeemer, and let Thy love delight itself and be satisfied in me, whilst Thou dost unfold to me the divine secret of the word: My body given for you. Yea, Lord, I wait upon Thee. What thou givest me as my share in Thy broken body, that will I take and eat. And my soul shall go hence, joyful and strengthened, to thank Thee and to serve Thee. Amen.

Murray, A. (1897). The Lord’s Table: A Help to the Right Observance of the Holy Supper (pp. 70–73). New York; Chicago; Toronto: Fleming H. Revell.

In partaking of the blood of the New Covenant, it is important that we understand the full scope of communion in our lives. I want to talk about five great principles of communion.

These principles are outlined here:

1. Communion Is a Celebration of Victory

Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.”

Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.”

Principal One: Communion is a celebration of the New Covenant.

Christ won the victory over the Devil for us.

·        The spirit of communion is a triumphant and victorious one, where we are to be reminded that Jesus Christ conquered the power of the enemy!

The spirit of communion is a triumphant and victorious one, where we are to be reminded that Jesus Christ conquered the power of the enemy!

Jesus Christ told us to drink of the cup of the blood of the New Covenant and to “do this in remembrance of Me.”

We are to remember that Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God whose blood redeemed us from the power of sin, death, and Satan.

The Lord’s Supper—communion or “Eucharist”—comes from the Greek word eucharisteo, which means to give thanks.

Given thanks, eucharisteo. From eu, “well,” and charizomai, “to give freely.” To be grateful, to express gratitude, to be thankful.

During the second century, Eucharist became the generic term for the Lord’s Supper.

During the second century, Eucharist became the generic term for the Lord’s Supper.

The purpose of communion, or the Lord’s Supper, is to “give thanks.”

Communion is to be a celebration of victory.

2. Principal Two - Communion Is a Proclamation of Redemption

“For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.”

When we take communion, we are to take it as a “proclamation of redemption.”

The only way God could redeem humankind was through the blood of Jesus Christ. Humankind was in need of a Redeemer and “redeeming costs something.”

Every time we come to the Lord’s Table, we are saying, “Jesus died for us; Jesus is my victory, and a price was paid.”

When we come to the Lord’s Supper, we are to be reminded of specific things that God has done for us through His redemption.

Communion means a “sharing in common.”

Together, as the body of Christ, we share what Jesus Christ has done for us.

3. Principal Three - Communion Is a Declaration of Dependence

In Jesus said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat of the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.”

When we take communion, we are declaring our total dependence upon Jesus Christ and His power.

As we surrender to His lordship and depend upon Him for our strength, the power of the Holy Spirit is released in us when we partake of His body and blood.

The New Covenant releases supernatural energy into our lives through the blood of Jesus Christ.

4. Principal Four - Communion Is an Examination of Self

Communion is not to be a gloomy and dull ritual, but Communion is a time when we are to search our own hearts in the presence of God and ask to be cleansed from our sins through the blood of Jesus Christ.

In , , we read, “But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.”

The purpose of this scripture is to teach us to become true disciples who accept the discipline that discipleship brings.

We are to examine ourselves in the light of the Holy Spirit, allowing God’s Spirit to point out in our lives areas in which we are “missing the mark.”

It is here that we take advantage of the blessing that the New Covenant brings. It is the complete forgiveness of sins through the blood of Jesus Christ.

We must understand that all of us will sin as we walk with Christ in this life.

Wrong attitudes, living in fear instead of faith, anger, jealousy, and deliberate sins must all be confessed before the Lord, so that we can receive healing, cleansing, and deliverance.

Wrong attitudes and sins, like fear, can bring bondage into our lives and can actually prevent the full release of God’s possibilities in our lives.

In understanding that one of the principles the Bible teaches regarding communion is an examination of self, how can we be sure that we do not turn a healthy examination of self into a dull ritual and self-depreciating ritual?

That is why you should examine yourself before eating the bread and drinking the cup.

5. Principal Five - Communion Is a Receiving of Provision

What is the purpose of self-examination? ()

()

In practical terms, what should be the spiritual result of allowing God to fill our inner beings more completely? Can we rightfully expect to experience greater joy and victory in this process? ()

· The power of the blood is that Jesus Christ sets us free to be all that we are created to be.

· Self-examination, although momentarily difficult, should always lead to personal resurrection and a greater infilling of the Spirit of God.

5. Principal Five - Communion Is a Receiving of Provision

So anyone who eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord unworthily is guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.

To partake of the Lord’s Supper in an unworthy manner means that we do not allow the full power and provision of this cup of the New Covenant to be manifest in our lives

In other words, we limit the full worth of the price He paid for our complete healing and deliverance.

The purpose of the blood of the New Covenant is that Jesus Christ paid not only for our sins, but for the full provision for every need in our lives.

To take the Lord’s Supper in an unworthy manner is to limit, by our unbelief, the full provision of what God has done.

·        The New Covenant was made available to us by the price of Christ’s blood and His death on the Cross.

·        The New Covenant provides healing, financial provision, peace of mind, deliverance, freedom from fear, and spiritual power and purpose.

— "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.[3] Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”" (, NKJV)

·        The awesome reality of this total provision, made possible by the blood of the covenant, should revolutionize our understanding of how good God is and how this goodness can be manifest in every area of our life

Closing:

Closing: In , Jesus said:

— "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.[3] Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”" (, NKJV)

"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.[3] Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”" (, NKJV)

The blood of a new and everlasting Covenant; the blood of Jesus is a celebration of victory over the devil, power over sin, and peace in our hearts.

Awed to Heaven, Rooted in Earth: Prayers of Walter Brueggemann Contents

8. We will not keep silent—Cadences of gratitude

We will not keep silent

You give … and we receive

The God who yearns and waits for us

The gratitude we intend

We are second and you are first

With you it is never “more or less”

Giver, Giver, Giver

Larger than fear

We notice your giving

The Lord’s Table: A Help to the Right Observance of the Holy Supper Chapter I: Take, Eat

“Take, eat; this is My body which is given for you.”—MATT. 26:26; LUKE 22:19.

WHEN the Lord says this, He points out to us that His body is not so much His as it is ours, since He received it and suffered it to be broken on the cross, not for His own sake, but for ours; and that He now also desires that we should look upon it and appropriate it as our own possession. Thus, with His body, He gives Himself to us, and desires that we should take Him. The fellowship of the Lord’s Supper is a fellowship of giving and taking. Blessed giving: blessed taking.

Blessed giving: the person gives value to the gift. Who is He that gives? It is my Creator, who comes here to give what my soul needs. It is my Redeemer, who, at the table, will give to me in possession what He has purchased for me.

And what gives He? His body and His blood. He gives the greatest and the best He can bestow: yea, all that it is possible for Him to give—the broken body which He first offered to the Father as a sacrifice for sin, a sacrifice that filled Him with joy. And what He offered to the Father, to put away sin before Him, He now offers to me, to put away sin in me.

And wherefore gives He this? Because He loves me. He desires to redeem me from death, and to bestow on me eternal life in Himself. He gives Himself to me to be the food, the joy, the living power of my soul. O blessed, heavenly giving of eternal love! Jesus gives me His own body: Jesus gives me Himself.

And not less blessed taking, for it is so simple. Just as I receive with my hand the bread that is intended for me, and hold it before me as my own, so by faith in the word, in which Jesus gives Himself to me, I take Him for myself, and I know that He is really mine. The body in which He suffered for sin is my possession: the power of His atonement is mine. The body of Jesus is my food and my life.

And how free is the taking. I think of my unworthiness, only to find in it my claim on Him, the Righteous One, who died for the unrighteous. I think of my misery only as the poverty and the hunger for which the festal repast is prepared, this divine bread so cordially given. What Jesus in His love would give so heartily and willingly, I will as heartily and freely take.

And so real is the taking. Where God gives, there is power and life. In giving, there is a communication, a real participation of that which is bestowed. Consequently, my taking does not depend on my strength: I have only to receive what my Saviour brings to me and inwardly imparts. I, a mere worm, take what He, the Almighty, gives. Blessed giving, blessed taking.

Blessed God, may my taking be in conformity with Thy giving; Thy giving, the standard and the measure of my taking. What God gives, I take as a whole. As Thou givest, so I also receive,—heartily, undividedly, lovingly. Precious Saviour, my taking depends wholly on Thy giving. Come Thou and give: give Thyself truly and with power in the communion of the Spirit. Come, my eternal Redeemer, and let Thy love delight itself and be satisfied in me, whilst Thou dost unfold to me the divine secret of the word: My body given for you. Yea, Lord, I wait upon Thee. What thou givest me as my share in Thy broken body, that will I take and eat. And my soul shall go hence, joyful and strengthened, to thank Thee and to serve Thee. Amen.