Communion
Notes
Transcript
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
The Full Scope of Communion
Text: Matthew 26:20-27
20 Now when the even was come, he sat down with the twelve.
21 And as they did eat, he said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.
22 And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I?
23 And he answered and said, He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me.
24 The Son of man goeth as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born.
25 Then Judas, which betrayed him, answered and said, Master, is it I? He said unto him, Thou hast said.
26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body.
27 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it;
28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
29 But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.
Introduction: 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
10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
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!
· Jesus Christ told us to drink of the cup of the blood of the New Covenant and to “do this in remembrance of Me.”
o 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. Eleven of the thirty-nine appearances of the word in the New Testament refer to partaking of the Lord’s Supper, while twenty-eight occurrences describe praise words given to the Godhead. During the second century, Eucharist became the generic term for the Lord’s Supper.1
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
First Corinthians 11:26 reads, “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
53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye 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 vibrant and living force (dynamic) 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 (morose) ritual, but it 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.
28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.
29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation 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. Thus we 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 realize 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 morose and self-depreciating ritual? (1 Cor. 11:28)
What is the purpose of self-examination? (1 Cor. 11:29)
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? (Eph. 3:16–21)
16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;
17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;
19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.
20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
21 Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
· 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 Reception of Provision
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 (1 Cor. 11:29–32). 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.
· Communion should symbolize for us that the blood of the Covenant, the blood of Jesus, made it possible for us to receive the full worth of God’s unlimited provision in every area of our lives!
· 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
[2]
6. Principal Six - Communion is about Unity
20 So when you gather for your meetings, it is not the supper instituted by the Lord that you eat,
21 For in eating each one [hurries] to get his own supper first [not waiting for the poor], and one goes hungry while another gets drunk.
22 What! Do you have no houses in which to eat and drink? Or do you despise the church of God and mean to show contempt for it, while you humiliate those who are poor (have no homes and have brought no food)? What shall I say to you? Shall I commend you in this? No, [most certainly] I will not!
23 For I received from the Lord Himself that which I passed on to you [it was given to me personally], that the Lord Jesus on the night when He was treacherously delivered up and while His betrayal was in progress took bread,
24 And when He had given thanks, He broke [it] and said, Take, eat. This is My body, which is broken for you. Do this to call Me [affectionately] to remembrance.
25 Similarly when supper was ended, He took the cup also, saying, This cup is the new covenant [ratified and established] in My blood. Do this, as often as you drink [it], to call Me [affectionately] to remembrance.
26 For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are representing and signifying and proclaiming the fact of the Lord’s death until He comes [again].
27 So then whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in a way that is unworthy [of Him] will be guilty of [profaning and sinning against] the body and blood of the Lord.
28 Let a man [thoroughly] examine himself, and [only when he has done] so should he eat of the bread and drink of the cup.
29 For anyone who eats and drinks without discriminating and recognizing with due appreciation that [it is Christ’s] body, eats and drinks a sentence (a verdict of judgment) upon himself.
Closing: In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus said:
28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
As we consider this weekend of the death and resurrection of our Lord; when we next take of the communion; Let’s keep our hearts centered on the true meaning of the communion of the Lord – 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.
1 Spirit-Filled Life Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1991), 1583, “Word Wealth: 6:11 given thanks.”
[2]Hayford, J. W., & McGuire, P. (1997, c1994). People of the Covenant : God's New Covenant for Today. Spirit-Filled Life Kingdom Dynamic Study Guide. Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
[3] The New King James Version. 1982. Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
