Communion: A New Beginning

All right, take your Bibles if you would, turn with me to 1 Corinthians chapter 11.

1 Corinthians 11 · chapter mention

1 Corinthians chapter 11.

1 Corinthians 11 · chapter mention

If you would put a thumb there and then turn with me over to 1 Peter chapter 1.

1 Peter 1 · chapter mention

So if you want to mark 1 Corinthians 11 and then go over to 1 Peter chapter 1.

1 Peter 1 · chapter mention

If you don't have a Bible, there should be one there in your pew back.

You may have an app on your phone you can use or look on with someone next to you.

1 Corinthians 11 and 1 Peter 1.

As you're turning to these two passages, I'd like to talk to you about the subject of communion or the Lord's Supper.

Those terms can be used interchangeably.

Communion, the Lord's Supper, both represent this time of honoring and recognizing and remembering the sacrifice that Jesus made for us.

And this harkens back to the Passover.

If you read back in the Old Testament, you would understand what we're talking about when we say the Passover.

This became a great Jewish tradition for the Hebrew people, remembering back what God did in rescuing them from His judgment.

So where does this Lord's Supper come from or the communion come from?

We read about it in the book of Exodus, this Passover feast when God's people, the Israelite people, were trapped in the nation of Egypt.

And he would not let them go.

And God sent judgment after judgment upon the Egyptian people because of Pharaoh's resistance to let them go.

And finally, he allowed the death angel to pass over all the households.

And the firstborn son in each household would die.

And so it was a terrible thing.

But he rescued his people from that judgment by telling them to swipe the top and the doorposts of their households with the blood of a sacrificial lamb.

And that, when the death angel passed over, when he saw that blood on the doorpost, he would not take the life of the firstborn son in that house.

So a very dark moment, a very tragic moment, but something that would pave the way for how important blood sacrifice is in paying the penalty for sin.

You see, sin is a huge deal in God's eyes.

We like to gloss it over.

We like to try to act like it's not really as bad as it is.

And yet sin not only separates us from God, it causes irreparable harm to us, those we care about, and then people we may not even ever realize are affected by sin.

So God does not tolerate sin.

Sin must be paid for.

A price must be paid.

And of course, this blood of these sacrificial lambs that was painted on the doorpost was a type, a representation of what would come when Jesus Christ, called the Lamb of God, became a sacrificial lamb himself.

For all people of all time.

And his blood is what is necessary to cleanse us.

And so when God then sees the blood of his son that has washed our sins away, then he says, you're safe.

You're forgiven.

You don't have to pay that terrible penalty for sin.

So that's where we get this idea of the Passover.

And then I'd love to go to 1 Corinthians 11 here.

Because what the question we need to ask or the understanding that we need to come to is the final Passover then became the first communion.

So as Jesus sat in the upper room, we read about it in Luke 22.

He sat there in the upper room before his crucifixion and his disciples are there and they're gathered and they take the Passover together.

He is then paving the way for this transition from the Passover to communion.

So we no longer have to recognize as the Hebrew people did.

And there's nothing wrong with having a Passover feast.

But now we are under a different commandment of now taking communion together.

Well, why do we call it communion?

Because that word represents not only the community of believers, but being in a spirit of communion, communing with the Lord himself as we recognize and remember his great sacrifice that happened for us.

So this Passover, this communion, Lord's Supper are all tied together inextricably.

So let's go to 1 Corinthians 11 now.

1 Corinthians 11, and we'll read down at the end of the passage in verse 23.

For I received from the Lord, Paul is writing to the church in Corinth, and he says,

I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you.

On the night when Jesus was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said,

This is my body, which is for you.

Do this in remembrance of me.

Verse 25.

In the same way also he took the cup after supper and said,

This cup is the new covenant in my blood.

Do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me.

For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

What a powerful thing to proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

That is our instruction.

All throughout Scripture from Matthew 28 and Mark 16, and all throughout the Bible from the Old Testament to the New Testament,

God's people have always been commanded to proclaim him, to proclaim God to the nations.

We are not just to keep our faith silent.

We are to proclaim it.

Proclaiming is the same word in Scripture as preaching.

And that's not just a job for the pastor.

That's a job for all of us to preach this gospel, this good news of the Lord's sacrificial death,

not just for us that are sitting in these pews, but for everyone, everywhere.

So, when we proclaim his death, what are we doing?

We are bringing it back to the gospel.

We're bringing it back to the good news.

My friend Dan Curry preached last week all about the gospel,

how we are supposed to be proud of this gospel, this good news that God has given to us, free gift from him.

We did nothing to earn it.

And we are supposed to let it change us.

Live it out.

How do we do that?

We live the actual gospel.

So, how do you do that?

How do you live the gospel?

Well, you remember the truth that you did nothing to earn God's goodness and favor.

You did nothing to earn Jesus dying on the cross, rising from the dead, and offering forgiveness to you.

And you take that truth, and you remind yourself of it every day, and you live that way.

That I have done nothing to earn God's favor, so I'm not going to make anybody else do anything to earn mine.

I'm going to forgive freely.

I'm going to show love freely.

And I'm going to tell everybody about this saving message that Jesus revealed to me.

That's how we live the gospel.

You live it very practically.

You live it with your family.

Live it with your spouse.

Live it with yourself.

Reminding yourself and those around you daily of the power of the gospel.

Now, guess what?

You're going to fail at that.

We're going to go back to our old way of thinking, and we're not going to let the gospel affect how we think and how we act at times.

But this is one of the biggest reasons why I believe Jesus told the church, and Paul repeated this instruction to the church, to stop and remind ourselves.

He said, do this in remembrance of me.

So stop and remember just what Jesus did and the impact that that has on our life and our relationships.

So the Lord's Supper represents our new life in Christ.

And we could remind ourselves of that every day, every week, every month.

But we are going to stop as a church and make sure we intentionally remind ourselves of that at the Lord's Supper, at communion.

Last time we observed the Lord's Supper, I preached on how the Lord's Supper, the communion time, is supposed to be a remembrance of Jesus' sacrifice.

And that's absolutely true.

That's spelled out in Scripture in black and white.

But if you take it a step further, it's also a new beginning.

Every time that you remember His body and His blood, it's not just a traditional religious rite that we stop and we feel fuzzy inside and we feel solemn and we feel sober and we just think,

Oh, I feel holy in this moment.

I believe that, unfortunately, that's what this kind of religious rite has become for a lot of man-made religions out there.

It's just become an escape from the world around us.

And you get into a holy moment like this and it makes you feel better about everything.

But there's some reality missing there.

There's some reality missing because there's truth missing.

Because we worship a real God.

We worship a real risen Savior who really hears us when we pray.

Who really works actively in our lives.

And so stopping to remember Him re-centers us on a very real power.

And it reminds us of the new life and new beginning we have in Jesus Christ.

So, the Lord's Supper represents our new life in Christ.

Let's go now to 1 Peter chapter 1.

1 Peter 1 · chapter mention

As we think of how Jesus' death represents our life.

What a contrast there.

Jesus died so we could live.

That's how it's always been.

Because of the evil of sin, something has had to die so something else could live.

Now, 1 Peter chapter 1.

1 Peter 1 · chapter mention

Let's look.

Let's start in verse 13.

Before we get there, I want to share a quote with you.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a great theologian from Germany.

A pastor.

God used him powerfully during a very troubled time in Germany.

And look at this that he wrote.

The cross of Jesus is not the terrible end to an otherwise God-fearing and happy life.

Which we understand that Jesus certainly lived and His followers try to live.

So, this cross of Jesus is not the terrible end to this otherwise God-fearing and happy life.

Instead, it meets us at the beginning of our communion with Christ.

You understand what he said there?

So, the cross of Jesus is not this symbol of defeat.

Even though that's what they hung Him on.

That's what He suffered on.

That's what He bled on.

And that's what He died on.

So, you would think that that would be the end of it.

As I'm sure the devils rejoiced.

The demons threw a party.

Darkness seemed like it had won the day.

But we knew.

Looking back.

And those who believed Him, followed Him truly, knew that His moment was not over.

The grave could not hold Him.

And Jesus arose powerfully from the dead and proved that He is God.

That we can trust Him.

And so, the cross is not a symbol of defeat.

It's not the end of the story.

It's not the end of your story or mine.

It meets us at the beginning of our relationship, our communion with Jesus Christ.

So, when we stop and we think about His body, we think about His blood, we're not thinking of defeat.

We're not thinking of the tragic end to the story.

We're thinking of the beginning.

The sacrifice that allowed us to have communion.

Allowed us to have communion with God.

Allowed us to have communion with one another.

Allowed us to have communion and real relationship with Jesus Christ.

So, we can say rightly that communion is a new beginning.

Now, you're going to understand why I highlighted the B and the E right there.

We're going to get into a few different B's this morning.

But a communion is a new beginning for us.

So, let's look now at 1 Peter 1 and verse 13.

Therefore, with your minds ready for action, be sober-minded and set your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Did you catch that?

With your minds ready for action, be sober-minded.

And then in verse 14.

As obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires of your former ignorance.

But as the one who called you is holy, you are also to be holy in all your conduct.

Because it is written, be holy because I am holy.

If you appeal to the Father who judges impartially according to each one's work,

you are to conduct yourselves in reverence during your time living as strangers.

For you know that you were redeemed from your empty way of life, inherited from your fathers,

not with perishable things like silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ,

like that of an unblemished and spotless lamb.

He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but he was revealed in these last times for you.

Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory so that your faith and hope are in God.

Man, don't put your faith and hope in anything else.

It will let you down.

But put your faith and hope in God.

Verse 22.

Since you have purified yourselves by your obedience to the truth,

so that you show sincere brotherly love for each other,

from a pure heart, love one another constantly.

Because you have been born again.

Not of perishable seed, like the rest of us are, but of imperishable.

That's what happens when we are born again.

Through the living and enduring word of God.

It means born into a life that cannot die.

For all flesh is like grass.

Everything else dies.

All the glory like a flower of the grass.

The grass withers.

The flower fades or falls.

But the word of the Lord endures forever.

And this word is the gospel that was proclaimed to you.

And is still being proclaimed to you.

And by you.

So, let's dive into this text.

And I pray that it impacts you as it has for me.

I want to give you this line from this quote from John Newton.

And we know it in this very powerful song here.

Well, I'm not sure why it's not showing up.

And I apologize for that.

Here we go.

Here we go.

There we are.

See this up here?

Y'all know this because you've sung Amazing Grace many times.

But have you ever stopped to think about this verse here?

Of this part of this song?

Through many dangers, toils and snares, I have already come.

Grace has brought me safe thus far.

And grace will lead me home.

Now, the first B.

And I'm going to tie these two together in just a moment.

But the first B, B-E, word, that I want to draw your attention to here.

Was back in 1 Peter chapter 1 again that we just read in verse 13.

1 Peter 1 · chapter mention

Be sober.

Be sober.

So if you're going to write something down in the notes section of your bulletin,

write down number one, be sober.

These are our instructions when it comes to proclaiming the Lord's death until he comes.

This communion time when we stop and we recenter ourselves on the death, the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

We are commanded here to be sober.

What does that look like?

It looks like relying on grace.

Relying on grace.

Do you see what it says in the next part right after?

Be sober minded.

Verse 13.

Set your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Do you understand that John Newton caught a glimpse of that when he wrote this great hymn that's probably lasted longer than any other hymn that people have written?

Any other gospel song, amazing grace kind of is at the top of that pile, isn't it?

And he said, grace has brought me safe this far through all the dangers, all the toils, all the snares, and grace will lead me home.

What does that mean?

It wasn't you.

It wasn't me that brought us safely through these dangers, toils, and snares.

It was only by God's grace.

Well, that sobers us up a little bit.

We're completely reliant and dependent on God's grace.

It's not your money.

It's not your retirement.

It's not your skills, your brain power, your expertise, your experience.

None of that will get you safely home.

It's only by God's grace.

So that line is so powerful when we sing it.

Grace has brought me safely this far, and grace will lead me home.

That makes our minds sober.

That kills pride.

That kills ego.

It's not me.

It's God.

Anything good you see in me is God working through me.

It's not me.

I don't deserve the pat on the back.

Jesus deserves the praise.

So being sober-minded means relying on grace.

Being sober-minded also means being ready for action.

Did you catch that line in verse 13 at the very beginning there?

With your minds ready for action, be sober-minded.

So that's what it looks like to be sober is to be ready for action.

You know what I think of when I think of this being ready for action?

I think of back in Judges chapter 7 when Gideon was trying to get an army together to go fight the Midianites.

Judges 7 · chapter mention

And he knew that all their soldiers combined had no chance against this mighty Midianite army that was oppressing them.

And so God told him he had too many soldiers.

And he said, you've got to weed these guys down here.

And he told them to get down by the river and he told them to drink out of the water.

And he said, watch how they do it.

The guys that get down there and they set down their weapons and they just all in on drinking the water because they're thirsty,

that's not the guys you're going to be able to fight with.

The guys that stay ready for action, that's the guys that you can take into battle with you.

Now God knew that he wouldn't even need those soldiers because they wouldn't raise their spears or raise their swords one time in battle.

God was going to win the victory without anyone lifting a finger.

He had the whole plan with the jars and the torches and the trumpets.

God knew how it was going to work.

But he wanted to make that point to Gideon that as this new leader of this army,

and Gideon was the most unlikely candidate for that,

but he says the new leader for this army,

you've got to find the guys who are sober minded,

whose minds are ready for action.

They understand what the task at hand is,

and they're ready to go.

It means they've set aside themselves.

They've set aside their preferences.

They've set aside their passions.

And they've substituted the Lord's in their place.

I am sober minded,

understanding how important this mission is,

understanding that my life has been given a meaning that it never had before,

understanding that all the goals that I personally have

must fall under the umbrella of Almighty God

because his ways are greater than mine.

His goals are greater than mine.

So mine must come underneath his.

My mind must stay ready for action.

So be sober.

And then 1 Peter chapter 1,

1 Peter 1 · chapter mention

we read it just a moment ago,

minds ready for action,

sober minded,

and setting our hope completely on God's grace.

Number two, be smart.

Be smart.

As we're prepared to take the Lord's Supper,

as we leave this place and go on about our daily lives,

be sober,

but be smart.

Well, where do we find that in the Scriptures?

We find that back in verse 14.

As obedient children,

do not be conformed to the desires of your former,

what's that word?

Ignorance.

I say this frequently because the Bible just doesn't hold back, you know.

I didn't write it.

The Lord put it in there.

The desires of your former ignorance.

Because he knows that in our flesh,

in our sinful desires,

we are ignorant.

We're dummies.

So he said,

don't go back to that way of thinking.

That's not smart.

Be smart.

Be obedient children,

and don't go back to the desires

of that ignorant way of thinking.

That's going to lead you where you don't want to go.

Ephesians chapter 4

Ephesians 4 · chapter mention

sheds a little more light on this.

Verse 22,

down through verse 24,

put off your old self,

which is being corrupted

by its deceitful desires.

That's that ignorant way of thinking.

To be made new

in the attitude of your minds.

You understand

how the Lord's Supper,

how communion is a new beginning?

It makes us new.

Because every day,

we have to perform this exercise.

Put off the old self.

Because we recognize

it's corrupted

by our old, deceitful, ignorant desires.

And then we're made new

in this new attitude of our minds.

Romans chapter 12 calls that

Romans 12 · chapter mention

changing the way you think,

and then putting on the new self

created to be like God

in true righteousness.

Skipped ahead.

So,

that's how we be smart.

We go to God

every day

and say,

God,

make me new.

Help me put off

my old desires.

The ignorance

that's gonna lead me

away from your wisdom,

from your knowledge,

from your understanding.

Read all about that

in Proverbs.

James.

If any of you lack wisdom,

let him ask it from God.

That's James.

All throughout the Bible,

we read that our wisdom

is found in Jesus

because apart from him,

we're ignorant.

We're not smart.

So,

God says,

be smart

as you're being

sober.

So,

be sober,

be smart,

and then the last one,

be sincere.

Be sincere.

Back in 1 Peter 1.

Verse 22,

1 Peter 1.

Would you look there with me?

Since you have purified yourselves

by obedience to the truth,

we're being sober-minded,

trying to be smart,

don't go back after

those ignorant desires.

So,

you've purified yourselves

by your obedience

to the truth.

What does it say?

Show sincere,

brotherly love

for each other

from a pure heart.

That's what we're

commanded to do.

Show sincere,

brotherly love

for each other.

1 Timothy 1

and verse 5

says this,

the goal of our instruction,

you want to know

why we do this up here?

Why we do the Sunday school classes?

Why we do the d-groups?

Why I'm preaching

on Sunday mornings?

The goal of all this instruction

is that love

comes from a pure heart,

a good conscience,

and a sincere faith.

If that does not

describe you,

and if that does not

describe me,

then we've got to go back

and be more sober-minded.

We've got to go back

and be smart

about our old desires

that's pulling us away

from this,

and then we've got to

check our own hearts

and say,

am I sincere?

Am I sincerely

loving God

and loving my fellow

brother or sister?

Not just the ones

you're blood related to,

but the ones

in the family of God,

the neighbors all around you

in your community,

the people that God

brings across your path

every day,

the people on the other side

of the keyboard online,

are you showing

a sincere love

from a pure heart,

good conscience,

and sincere faith?

1 John 3.18

says it this way,

little children,

I love how he calls us

little children,

just kind of humbles us

a little bit.

Remember,

it kills off that ego

and pride,

just in case you think

you're all that.

John's reminding us

that we're little children

in God's eyes.

He's our father.

We're little children.

We need to take

this instruction from him.

He says,

let us not love

in word or in speech,

but in action

and in truth.

What is that?

That's sincerity.

That's being sincere.

I don't just tell you

I love you.

I don't just tell you

I'll pray for you.

Don't raise your hand

because it would

just kill the vibe

in here, okay?

But how many times

have we said

we'll pray for somebody

and then never did?

Again,

don't raise your hand.

I've gotten in the habit

of trying to do it

on the spot

right then,

whether I stop

and pray with the person

or just pray in my mind

as I walk away

because I'm thinking

I may not remember

this tomorrow.

I might write myself

a note

and forget to look at it.

But there is a difference

in loving someone

in word

and in speech

and loving them

in action

and in truth.

Be sincere.

As we take communion,

as we gather

for the Lord's Supper,

let it be

from a sincere heart.

Not just for show,

not just because

that's the tradition

that we're used to,

but we're sincerely

reminding ourselves

that Jesus gave his life

so we could have life.

So,

Charles Deems

was an old-time

Methodist pastor

who led one of the largest

and most effective churches

in New York City

many, many years ago.

I found this quote by him

and I wanted to share it

with you today.

He said,

the Lord's Supper

has been greatly instrumental

in keeping his cause,

Jesus' cause,

alive.

It's the voice

of all believers

preaching the Lord's death

till he comes.

That's what Jesus

told us to do.

He who believes

that the Lord

did come

and die for us

and will come again

and take us to himself

will not hesitate

to regard

this last request

of our Lord

and Savior.

Do you understand

the whole point

of this?

The Lord's Supper

is to continue

to proclaim

and preach

the Lord's death

until he comes again.

Someday,

we'll trade in

the Lord's Supper

for the marriage supper

of the Lamb.

We'll all gather in heaven

around a great big feast

and we won't have

to do this anymore.

But until that day,

we gather,

we stop,

we remember,

and we proclaim

the Lord's death.

It's a new beginning

for us.

Every time.

You might have walked in here

laden down with baggage.

You might have walked in here

with all kinds of baggage

in your heart

and in your mind.

I invite you

to lay it down

at the cross.

Remind yourself

of the broken body

and the shed blood

of Jesus Christ

and lay that down.

Let him take it.

Cast your burden on him

because he cares for you.

That's what the Lord's Supper

is there to do.

It's a new beginning

of proclaiming

the Lord's death.

We don't just proclaim it

to those who have never heard.

We proclaim it

to ourselves.

We proclaim it

to our families.

And we remind ourselves

to be sober,

be smart,

be sincere

as we proclaim

the Lord's death.

Would you bow in prayer with me?

God, I pray right now

that you would speak

to our minds.

Our minds

are the devil's playground.

He gets in there

when we lower our guard

and messes us around.

I pray that you would

speak to our flesh.

That we would be smart

and not go back

to those desires

that lead us

away from you.

The lust of the flesh,

the lust of the eyes,

the pride of life

that you warn us about.

I pray that we would be sincere.

That this regular reminder

as we gather to do this

four times a year

would take us back

to that day on the cross

when you held nothing back.

When you gave up everything

so I could stand up here

and preach

so your people

could gather in this place,

sing your songs of praise,

fellowship with one another,

lift up your name,

remind ourselves

of your sacrifice.

Take us back there, Lord,

and let the sincere love

that you showed to us

bear that same kind

of sincere love

within us.

The people we know

would see a difference.

It's in Jesus' name

we ask these things.

Would you keep your heads

bowed in an attitude of prayer?

I'm going to have the deacons

come join me up front

to distribute the elements

of the Lord's Supper

in just a moment.

As they begin to make

their way up front,

let me ask you this question.

Is there anybody here

who would say,

I know beyond a shadow of doubt

that Jesus is my Savior.

I remember the day

when I placed my faith in Him

and He forgave me

and made me His child.

If that's you,

would you just testify to that

and signify that

by slipping your hand up

and say, yes, that's me.

I know I'm a child of God.

Thank you.

You can put your hand down.

Is there anybody

who would say,

I couldn't raise my hand

a moment ago

because I'm not sure?

I've got questions.

I've got concerns

and I'm not sure

that I could raise my hand

and say,

I know I'm a child of God.

Would you slip your hand up

and I'll just pray for you?

Everyone's heads are bowed.

While we have a moment of privacy,

I'd love to pray for you.

Thank you.

How many of you would say,

God's working on me

about something I've heard

in the message today

or something entirely different,

but God's working on me right now

in this moment

of reminder,

of remembering,

of a new beginning.

I'm asking Jesus

to help me with some things

that are on my heart right now.

Would you slip your hand up

and I'll pray for you?

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you, God.

I pray for those

that lifted their hands.

I pray that you would

be powerfully moving

in their hearts right now, God.

Through your spirit,

give them wisdom.

Give them clarity.

Give them understanding

of what they need to do,

the steps they need to take,

but then help them

to remember

who they are

as your child.

Remind them of that, God,

how much you value them,

how much you love them.

And as they take these elements

in just a moment,

let it be a new beginning

with Jesus

that you want it to be.

It's in Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.