Communion With God

Luke 22:14-20

14 And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. 15 And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. 16 For I tell you I will not eat it[b] until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” 17 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. 18 For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” 19 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.” 20 And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.

 

The Jews ate the Passover meal once per year. The priests served in the Holy Place in the Temple every day, the bread of the presence was placed fresh on the table every week. New bread. But there are vessels on the table of showbread for wine and for oil as well.

 

 

In a world without books, before books were even invented, truth was conveyed through stories, and were conveyed orally. And the stories of the Old Testament about Passover and about the Tabernacle and Temple are what are in view in our Scripture today. The receiving of Communion (it is also called the Eucharist and the Lord’s Supper) has been practiced in the church from the very beginning. And it is the great unifier of all followers of Christ still today. But I fear that many do not understand what it is. So, I will talk about what Communion signifies.

 

Jesus Christ’s ministry in bringing people to God and giving them life is what all of these stories are about. He wants you to know God personally, He wants you to have the best life you can have personally and in this Christian observance, we see how this will happen for us!

 

Lord’s Supper is self-defining, it’s the Jesus/Passover understanding

 

Communion is about fellowship around a common purpose

 

Eucharist means “thanksgiving”

 

 

 

  1. The Lord’s Supper

 

  1. Fulfillment of the Passover meal

Passover is the triggering event that brings Israel out of slavery   to Egypt.

 

They ate unleavened bread and made sure that there was no      leaven in the house at all.

 

        I Cor 5: 6 Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little         leaven leavens the whole lump? 7 Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For       Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. 8 Let us   therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the     leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of     sincerity and truth.

 

  1. Fulfillment of the table of showbread

 

Redemption offerings: Justification

Fellowship offerings: Sanctification

Oil for the minora: Purpose. The power of the Holy Spirit                   to give light to us and through us.

 

 

  1. Fulfillment of manna

You must eat bread to get life from it!          

John 6: 26 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. 27 Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” 28 Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”

 

The people introduce the manna story as a proof that God was working in the Old Covenant. 30 So they said to him, “Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? 31 Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”

 

And so Jesus uses the illustration of the manna to describe what His ministry in the lives of people will be and how they are to respond to Him.

33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”

35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. 36 But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. 

41 So the Jews grumbled about him, because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42 They said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” 

 

47 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

52 The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” 53 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. 55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.

 

  1. Communion with God

 

The meal shared is the most common picture of fellowship in the Bible. Revelation 3:20 Behold I stand at the door and knock, if      any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in and         dine with him and he with Me!

 

  1. We are made for fellowship with God

This is rooted in our common purpose. God reveals His character,        we are created in His image to reflect His character. This is what       sin messes up. This is what salvation today is meant to restore.

 

  1. Fellowship means we reject sinful desires

 

Matt 16: 24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life[g] will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.

 

This is the getting rid of leaven part!

I Cor 5: 6 Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? 7 Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. 8 Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth

 

  1. Fellowship means we accept God’s kingdom

 

I Cor 5: 6 Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? 7 Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. 8 Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

 

Luke 22: 16 For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” 17 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. 18 For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” 19 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.” 20 And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.

 

We accept God’s kingdom when we accept God’s rule over our lives. We cannot have it both ways. Either God rules over us or He does not. We must submit to the power of the Holy Spirit in us! We must set our minds on the Spirit Romans 8. We must sow to the Spirit. Galatians 6. We must walk by the Spirit Galatians 5. We must present our bodies as living sacrifices, having our minds and purposes transformed by God’s kingdom vs. being conformed to the pattern of this world.

 

We must drink wine to get life from it.

 

III. Eucharist means Thanksgiving

 

Eucharist is a term that folks associate with Catholicism. And the Eucharist is the center of every mass. And if we use the word thanksgiving and see it as the center of all of our interactions with God, then I think we have a super healthy and correct view of what is meant by this symbol of real worship give to us by God. The church has argued and killed each other over whether or not the elements miraculously become the body and blood of Jesus. Instead, the question should be do we by faith appropriate Jesus’ sacrifice for us. Being thankful is a sure way to enter into faith in Christ.

 

  1. Thankful for Redemption in His blood

        Ephesians 1: 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us,

 

Ephesians 2: 1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience-

 

4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

 

  1. Thankful for fellowship with God

Ephesians 2: 11 Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— 12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

 

Ephesians 3: 14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family[c] in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

 

  1. Thankful for God’s kingdom purposes

        As a spouse

As a parent

As a child

As a sibling

As a friend

As a citizen

As an employee

As an employer

As a neighbor

 

We all have the opportunity and responsibility to reflect the light and therefore life of God in each of our human roles. God has placed you where you are to be a source of light and life to everyone in your life. This is your purpose.

 

Matt 11: 28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 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. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

 

We must thank Jesus for showing us that we are dying from sin, for dying on our behalf on the cross and for showing us how to submit to God and follow His will!

 

And so we come to the communion table. The elements reflect Christ and His sacrifice. And they reflect our acceptance of the same way of living, I submit to the kingdom of God, just as Jesus submitted to the kingdom of God. I deny myself just as Jesus denied Himself. I am yoked with Him. Whatever desires that the Holy Spirit reveals as keeping me from serving whole heartedly, I agree with Him and I focus my energy on obedience. I repent. I believe in Christ. I receive life from Him.