The Lord's Supper: A Memorial Feast (2)

Introduction – This weekend we observe a National Holiday called Memorial Day. People sometimes confuse Memorial Day and Veteran’s Day. Veteran’s Day is to honor those veterans still with us who have served their country. Memorial Day is specifically set aside to honor those military service personnel who have given their lives in the service of their country.

Originally called Decoration Day, from the early tradition of decorating graves with flowers, wreaths and flags, Memorial Day is a day for remembrance of those who have died in service to our country.

It was first widely observed on May 30, 1868 to commemorate the sacrifices of Civil War soldiers, by proclamation of Gen. John A. Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic, an organization of former Union sailors and soldiers.

During that first national commemoration, former Union Gen. and sitting Ohio Congressman James Garfield made a speech at Arlington National Cemetery, after which 5,000 participants helped to decorate the graves of the more than 20,000 Union and Confederate soldiers who were buried there. On that solemn occasion the future President said: (Slide) “We do not know one promise these men made, one pledge they gave, one word they spoke; but we do know they summed up and perfected, by one supreme act, the highest virtues of men and citizens. For love of country they accepted death, and thus resolved all doubts, and made immortal their patriotism and their virtue.” – James A. Garfield, May 30, 1868, Arlington National Cemetery

It wasn’t until 1971 when Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act that established the last Monday in May as the official observance of Memorial Day.

Since 1775, more than 1.1 million military service personnel have died in war. The bloodiest war was the Civil War with nearly 500,000 soldiers who died in battle. WWII is next with 405, 399. At Arlington National Cemetery in Washington DC, there are over 400,000 veterans buried there.

(Show Slide) - I’ve always appreciated this reminder “Your day at the beach is brought to you by their day at the beach.”

The Memorial Day of our Air Force son Ralph’s senior year, we asked him what he wanted to do that weekend. Having already committed to the US Air Force, without hesitation he said “I want to go to DC and visit the Memorials.” Since I was Pastoring an hour and a half up the road in Maryland, this was easy. So Cheryl & I loaded up Ralph & Garrett and headed to DC to visit the war memorials. All of them are powerful and moving. (Slides) Korea, with bronze statues portraying soldiers moving in rice paddies. The Vietnam war memorial wall with thousands of names you can etch on paper.

(Slides) We love going to the WWII Memorial and that particular day I met a WWII vet named Peter Rupinas who was hanging out at the memorial signing his book.

Often times while driving on long distance trips, off on the side of the highway, you will see crosses on the side of the road as a monument to someone who died in a car accident.

I arrived as your pastor in Sept. 2017, and just two months later on Nov. 5, 2017, a madman murdered 26 people who had gathered for worship at FBC Sutherlands Springs. A memorial is in the old church sanctuary with 26 empty chairs with a single rose commemorating a life that was taken that dreadful day.

This past week, I travelled to Uvalde, Texas to care for the families of 21 people who were murdered by an evil man at an elementary school. Those lives lost will be remembered by monuments and various memorials as memories of birthdates, anniversaries, holidays roll through the years.

The Lord gave grace as I was able to visit briefly with at least 4 families coming to make final arrangements for their precious loved ones. I cared for funeral staff who were overwhelmed with grief upon learning the news the husband of one of the murdered teachers was at the funeral home on Wednesday and but Thursday morning had passed of a sudden massive heart attack. When I introduced myself to grieving family members, I asked who they lost. In each case, I recognized their name because we called each name on Wednesday evening and prayed for each family by name. Folks, you wouldn’t believe the impact that simple news to these families meant - visibly I could see a glimmer of hope in their eyes their loved one was remembered by name, and it was church in Corpus Christi, far away from their home in Uvalde!

Transition - Monuments and memorials are specifically designed to help us with our memories, so we do not forget! Today, we are observing the Lord’s Supper as a Memorial Feast, appropriate on Memorial Day weekend. God has given us a Memorial to specifically remember His only beloved Son, Jesus Christ. Read Text - 1st Cor. 11:23-33 & review 6 purposes of the Lord’s Supper.

1. Thanksgiving Feast - vs. 24 4. Evangelistic Feast - vs. 26

2. Fellowship Feast - vs. 24 5. Eschatological Feast - vs. 26

3. Memorial Feast - vs. 24-25 6. Diagnostic Feast - vs. 27-31

Today I want us to notice three encouraging aspects this memorial provides for us. It encourages us to remember:

1. God’s provision for sin in the past.

Explanation - In Ex. 12 & 13 God established the Passover Feast as a memorial for the COI to remind them of God’s deliverance from slavery in Egypt. Read Ex. 12:11-14, 22-28, 13:3-10 (Elaborate as needed) Jesus Christ took the Passover meal with His disciples and instituted the Lord’s Supper, rooted deeply in History to remind us of God’s provision for sin in the past, including your past! “The Lord passed over…” repeatedly! If you have trusted Christ, this bread and juice signify your past sins have been paid for by Jesus Christ. Instead of your body & blood, it was His body & blood that paid for your sin. CF 2nd Cor. 5:21 “He made Him who knew no sin, to be sin for us…”

In over 20 years of pastoral ministry, there are people who are carrying boatloads of guilt because Satan, the father of lies, has convinced them their sin is a special case and cannot be forgiven. They don’t know or believe that Jesus Christ’s atoning work on the cross was sufficient to take care of their sin problem. The problem with that thought is ignorance at best & arrogance at worst! CF Romans 3:21-26 esp. vs. 26! He is the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus! “Just as if I never sinned.”

Romans 8:1 “There is now therefore no condemnation…” Not only does the Lord’s Supper as a Memorial Feast remind us of God’s provision in our past, it encourages us of:

2. God’s provision for sin in the present - “Do this in remembrance of Me” Do is in the present tense! We very well may have lost our cool this morning, fought with our spouse, been harsh with our children trying to get them to church on time. Had some hateful thought or uttered an unkind hateful word. But Christ’s provision for sin covers the sins of our present. When we gather today, none of us are perfect! God doesn’t expect sinless perfection, but He does want us to be forgiven. He tells us to examine ourselves and judge ourselves (Vs. 28 & 31). If we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. Proverbs 28:13 says “He who covers his sins will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.” What sin are you trying to hide? Some are more worried what people think than God. 1st John 1:9…

3. God’s provision for sin in the future.

Explanation - Notice it is

“Is a new covenant” - the blood of a lamb, of bulls and goats would no longer be required because the Lamb of God was slain! “As often as you drink it” - provides encouragement that the sins we commit between now and the next Lord’s Supper are still covered under the blood of Jesus. They should be confessed and forsaken; but it encourages us, we’re covered by the precious blood of Jesus. We don’t have to wait till the Lord’s Supper rolls around again, we can confess and be forgiven immediately. Our sins have been atoned for and it is effective till He takes us home!

Augustus M. Toplady had it right when he wrote “Not the labors of my hands, can fulfill Thy law’s demands, these for sin cold not atone, Thou must save and Thou alone. In my hand no price I bring, simply to Thy cross I cling.” (#463)

Lord’s Supper elements

Close – I began telling you about the impact it had for those Uvalde families that we called their loved ones by name & prayed for their families last Wednesday night. Well listen to what the Apostle Paul said under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in Philippians 2:5-11.

Hallelujah What a Savior! #242