In Remembrance of Me

Randall Caselman
Bella Vista Church of Christ
May 26, 2002 a.m.

In Remembrance of Me

Reading - First Corinthians 11.23-30

Memorial Day is the day we remember... In fact that is what memorial means.. To remember. So... Today we remember those who have gone before us...

- We remember our parents and grandparents... Those who sacrificed to give us life... Those who sustained us... Provided for us... Protected us.

- We remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our country... Preserving the freedoms and the liberties we hold so dear today.

- We remember those in this church who have meant so much to us... Those who have helped create such a special spiritual family and fellowship here.

But the special One we come here to honor and remember this morning is none other than the God who created us... His Son who died to save us.

There is no doubt that our God is a memorial-minded God. Over the ages He has provided all kinds of Memorial Reminders for His people...
- There was the Rainbow...
- Passover...
- Pentecost...
- Stacks of rocks in the Jordan River, reminding Israel for generations of their crossing into the Promise Land... We'll talk more about this tonight.

In the New Testament, there is only one Memorial... The Lord's Supper. It was Jesus Himself who instituted this reminder... Commending... This do in remembrance of Me.

It's interesting to note that the narrative of the Last Supper is recorded in all four Gospels. So, what we want to do this morning is to examine each of these narratives and see what we can learn... Go with me now to an upper room in downtown Jerusalem. We find ourselves in the presence of Jesus and His twelve disciples.

First... We consider Matthew's narrative:

Matthew is a tax collector... An accountant... So his record is exact and systematic. Matthew is a Jew, so we can expect him to write from a Jewish perspective. Listen as I read from Matthew chapter twenty-six:

On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Where do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover?" He replied, "Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, `The Teacher says: My appointed time is near. I am going to celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house.'" So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover. While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take and eat; this is my body." Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father's kingdom."

Passover celebrated a great day in Israel's history. It celebrated how God had delivered them from slavery in the land of Egypt.
- Not only did it celebrate deliverance from slavery.
- It also celebrated deliverance from death.

Passover had to do with the final judgement that God brought upon the Egyptians. Their firstborn children and animals would be killed if they didn't repent and let Israel go. So God sent death upon the Egyptians. But to the Israelites, God said... If you cover your house with a lamb's blood above the door and on the door posts, death will pass by you. The sacrificial lamb was a sign of acceptance and forgiveness. It was the blood of the lamb that cleansed their hearts before God.

Church... Matthew wanted to make clear to us that the Lord's Table, Communion, was about acceptance... about Passover and deliverance--Our deliverance from sin through the blood of Jesus... The Lamb of God. Communion is a symbol... Our personal sign... of acceptance and forgiveness.

Not only this... There is another deliverance... The deliverance from death:

Just as death passed over Israel that night in Egypt... Death will pass over us. Listen to Paul's explanation of this concept in First Corinthians 15:

I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed-- in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory." "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

So... As we partake of the Communion this morning, let us remember God's faithfulness. Let us remember that the same God who delivered the Israelites from death and slavery, has delivered us from sin and death. Praise God for His faithfulness!!... AMEN??... AMEN!!

Next... We look at Mark's report of this same Passover Event. As I read from Mark... I want you to watch for the concept of a NEW COVENANT & KINGDOM:

While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take, eat; this is my body." Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, and they all drank from it. "This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many," he said to them. "I tell you the truth, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it anew in the kingdom of God." When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

Folk... There was something new and different about Passover that night in the upper room... And it is still present here this morning...
- There was a new Passover lamb..
- This is new blood on the door post...
- Not the blood of an animal... But the blood of the Lamb of God.

In this NEW ECONOMY... This New kingdom... We have new elements in our celebration.
- Jesus is our Passover Lamb... His body broken and slain for our deliverance.
- It is His blood... Shed at the cross... Which seals our new covenant with God.

Here it is audience... Scripture teaches us that we will either have His blood on our hands in guilt of crucifying Him a fresh every time we sin, or we will have His blood sprinkled on our hearts in life giving forgiveness.

The Hebrews writer says... Let us draw near with a true heart, in full assurance of faith, have our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

The questions this morning are these...
- Have we signed this new covenant with God?
- Are we citizens of His new Kingdom?
- Have we... by faith... acknowledged Jesus as our Savior?
- Have we had our bodies washed in water?
- Do we have His blood on our hands in guilt?
- Or has His blood been sprinkled on our hearts in total forgiveness?

Now... Let's move on to what Luke had to say. In Luke's narrative, we see both the good and the bad in those in the upper room that night. Luke records the Last Supper in similar terms as Matthew and Mark... But then adds a scene the others didn't... He adds a bit of ugliness about a broken fellowship.

Luke describes a dispute among them... After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, "Take this and divide it among you. For I tell you I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes." And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me." In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.... (LISTEN NOW)... A dispute arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest. Jesus said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves benefactors. But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.

Luke adds a picture at the Last Supper that we would rather not see.
- It's a picture of broken community.
- A lack of genuine communion and fellowship.
- It's a picture of envy and jealousy
- It's an argument as to who is greatest in the kingdom.

Ironic isn't it, that Jesus is about to institute a memorial that will last for thousands of years... A memorial that is greater than Passover itself... And His disciples are arguing about who is the greatest among them?

It never ceases to amaze me that at a moment when God wants...
- To speak to us...
- To commune with us...
- To change our lives...
- To enrich our souls...
- To improve our character,
We are often too selfish and too self-absorbed to hear His voice... Just like these apostles in the upper room.

And some twenty years later... Wasn't this the same problem that Paul had to address in First Corinthians 11?:

In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good. In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it. No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God's approval. When you come together, it is not the Lord's Supper you eat, for as you eat, each of you goes ahead without waiting for anybody else. One remains hungry, another gets drunk. Don't you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you for this? Certainly not!

Church... Communion... The Lord's Supper is a time to address the issues...
- Of broken community....
- Of broken fellowship...
- And ruptured relationships.

The Lord's Supper is a time to...
- Come together,
- To reconcile our differences,
- To heal our broken relationships,
- To forgive one another, as we have been forgiven by God.

Paul and Luke are both saying that Communion is a time for the body... the family... the kingdom... the church of God to come together... To sit around the same table eating and drinking in remembrance of Jesus as our Passover Lamb.

So today... As we take Communion... Take a moment to look around... These people are...
- The Body of Christ
- They are God's family.
- They are our brothers and sisters.
- Fellow citizens in God's kingdom
You see... Jesus sits at the head of the table. He is our focus... He's the One we've come to celebrate. But... But... We cannot celebrate HIM... Until we have healed our ruptured relationships. Remember what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount?... If you come to the alter and there remember ought against your brother, leave your gift and go reconcile... Then come worship.

So church... Communion is not just about the 'big I'--
- It is about us together.
- It's about fellowship... family.... togetherness... one anotherness
- It's about mending a broken community.
Paul's admonition about examining the body may be more than just His body on the cross. Paul may be speaking about His body... This body... The church. You see... at the Lord's Table, we can't commune with God if we harbor hate for a brother... RIGHT?

Now... let's close with a look at John. John doesn't record the meal itself... But what happens during the meal:

"It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for Him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved His own who were in the world, He now showed them the full extent of His love. So He got up from the meal, took off His outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around His waist. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash His disciples feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around Him. When He had finished washing their feet, He put on His clothes and returned to His place. "Do you understand what I have done for you?" He asked them. "You call me "Teacher" and "Lord," and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them."

John is saying that celebrating the Lord's Supper is...
- Not just a symbol of Jesus' loving and serving us.
- It's not just a reminder of what Jesus has done for us and to us.
It is a symbol and a reminder of how we should love and serve one another. It is a reminder of what we should do for and with each other.

ARE WE LISTENING TO JOHN?... ARE WE??... "As often as you do it to the least of these My brothers, you do it to Me."

You see... This communion service is about... An exchange of thoughts and feelings... It's an intimate talk... With both God... and with one another.
- YES... There is an intimate communication between us and God due to our unique relationship with Him...
- And there is a feeling of friendship... fellowship... family with one another.

Note now church... That both these relationships are made possible by the One we come here to memorialize each Sunday... Jesus... and him crucified.

Now... With these thoughts in mind... Let us gather around the Lord's table and participate in the communion with Him and with one another.

COMMUNION SERVICE HERE....

What we have just done is a celebration of what God through His Son Jesus has done for us. It is only right that we pause this MEMORIAL DAY... and EVERY SUNDAY... TO REMEMBER... AND WORSHIP HIM.

God so loved us that He sent His one and only Son... So that those who will believe on him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Do you believe in Jesus?
- Jesus said... Unless you believe that I am He... You will die in your sins.
Are you willing to express your faith in obedience?

- Jesus said... Unless you repent you will perish.

- He said... He that believes and is baptized will be saved... He that believes not will be condemned.

Paul says... We are children of God by faith... For as many as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ... Have been clothed with Christ.

If you will become a child of God this morning... You too can celebrate deliverance forgiveness... salvation each Lord's Day in this communion service.

The invitation is yours as we stand and sing.
Will you come!!