Mark 14:12-25

Very good to see you all back with us here this morning. Please take out your copy of God's Word, which I hope you have with you.

!

Come this morning and enjoy each other's company and see Jesus Christ exalted you.

Praise God for what has been happening amongst us in these past years.

Also in that six-year time, there has never been a Sunday where Wes wakes up early that morning and is just too sick to be here and to sing.

It's happened to me a number of times concerning preaching.

It's never happened to Wes concerning music, but we've talked about what we would do if that ever were the case.

You know, Wes vomiting on a Sunday morning. What would we do?

And I said, my hope is an encouragement to a don't worry about it.

If that ever happens, we've got a plan B. There's something we could do.

And my solution is to do what all the preachers of old did, and I'd just get up and lead you a cappella in a couple of songs.

I believe that Wes has taken that more as a threat than an encouragement to him.

And so he always manages somehow to get here, and when he can't sing, to find somebody who can fill in for him.

And so I appreciate you guys for filling in, Reese and Patrick this morning, and helping out.

Phillip, excuse me, in that way.

Sometimes my mouth gets ahead of my brain on Sunday mornings.

This morning we're going to look together at Mark chapter 14, verses 12 through 25.

Mark 14:12–25

I'm going to read through 26, but we'll look at 12 through 25 together.

So please join me in reading God's Word.

And on the first day of unleavened bread, when they sacrificed the Passover lamb,

his disciples said to him,

Where will you have us go and prepare for you to eat the Passover?

And he sent two of his disciples and said to them,

Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you.

Follow him.

And wherever he enters, say to the master of the house,

The teacher says,

Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?

And he will show you a large upper room, furnished and ready, there prepare for us.

And the disciples set out and went to the city,

and found it just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover.

And when it was evening, he came with the twelve,

and as they were reclining at table and eating, Jesus said,

Truly I say to you, one of you will betray me, one who is eating with me.

They began to be sorrowful and to say to him one after another,

Is it I?

He said to them,

It is one of the twelve, one who is dipping bread into the dish with me.

For the Son of Man goes as is written of him,

but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed.

It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.

And as they were eating, he took bread,

and after blessing it, broke it and gave it to them, and said,

Take, this is my body.

And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks,

he gave it to them, and they all drank of it.

And he said to them,

This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.

Truly I say to you, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine

until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.

And when they had sung a hymn,

they went out to the Mount of Olives.

This is God's word to us.

It was written for his glory and for our good.

We would all do well this morning to listen to it

in order to believe its promises and obey its commands.

Let's pray together.

Father God, we do praise you this morning

for the gathering of your church.

I thank you for every soul that is in this room

that you brought them here for a purpose this morning.

And as we seek out the mystery of that purpose,

as we long to know what it is you intend to do with us,

we thank you for your word that speaks with might and authority,

that has effect in our lives.

It is profitable for so many things.

And Father, there is no degree of preparation or study on my part

which makes this sermon of any value to anyone.

It is by your spirit that you work through my words

as I speak from your word.

So we would ask that you would do a miracle amongst us today,

a miracle in my speaking and a miracle in all of our hearing,

that you would take the activity of our minds and orient it properly,

that our hearts might be guided,

that we may be changed from one degree of glory to another,

that we may look more like Jesus Christ,

our hope and our Redeemer.

It is the great desire of this congregation

that he be exalted in all that we do this morning.

We ask that you would help us, enable us,

empower us to do this very thing.

And we pray this in the precious and holy

and high-lifted name of Christ.

Amen.

Amen.

Well, let me say to you that we're going to primarily deal with

verses 22 through 25 this morning,

the institution of the Lord's Supper.

But to make some comments for you in getting to that place,

I don't want to entirely neglect the verses before that,

but I believe that Mark is giving these things to us

to move us along to the major point of what's before us today.

And we see a number of prophecies.

One that's made and fulfilled in verses 12 through 16.

He tells the disciples how it is they are to find the room

in which they're going to have this very last Passover feast

and the very first Lord's Supper all at the same time.

We see it come to pass.

We see it come true.

Again, Mark speaking of the authority and the power of Jesus Christ.

And then in verses 17 through 21,

again, another prophecy made.

Not yet fulfilled, although we see a bit of a shadow of it

as we look back in chapter 14, verses 10 through 11,

that Judas has already gone and made plans to betray Jesus.

He has yet to actually do so.

But Jesus is very aware of the plan.

He knows the person who will do this very thing.

And this prophecy itself is soon to come to pass.

And so we get more efficacy to who Jesus is in his person

as we're led up to verse 22.

Now, to remind you where we are in the Passion Week,

it's this final week leading up to Jesus' crucifixion

at approximately 3 o'clock on Friday afternoon.

We have seen and continue to see this timeline of the Passion Week

as a beautiful expression of God's providence.

Many people celebrate and teach

that Jesus entered into Jerusalem on Sunday of the week.

And we have shown you,

and I won't take the time to do so this morning,

that it was, in fact, Monday that he did so.

Just as the Passover lambs are being chosen

and brought into Jerusalem,

the lamb who takes away the sins of the world,

who was chosen by God,

enters into Jerusalem.

On Tuesday, Jesus overturns the money changers' tables.

On Wednesday, Jesus deals with confrontations

from the religious leaders

and makes predictions about what the disciples

and we would encounter in future days.

Wednesday evening, Jesus is anointed by the woman in Bethany

and Judas plots to betray him.

Thursday, the disciples celebrate the Passover meal with Jesus

and he is later betrayed and arrested.

This is the evening we find ourselves in our text today.

Friday, as the Passover lambs are being slaughtered,

Jesus is crucified

so that one day we might join the chorus in heaven singing,

worthy is the Lamb who was slain

to receive power and wealth and wisdom

and might and honor and glory and blessing.

It's a picture that John sees in Revelation 5.12.

Saturday is a day of mourning,

but on Sunday,

the tomb that Jesus was buried in is found empty

and he has been raised from the dead.

He is alive so that we may have life.

Now, there becomes a bit of a question

about the day of the week

and as you get into this, chapter 14,

it gets a little bit complex

in trying to understand the very timeline

that Mark records for us.

Now, I spent a lot of time sorting out

and being sure of what I'm going to tell you,

the timeline that I spoke to you already

and what I'm about to say.

And let me just say that I'm going to leave

the cooking in the kitchen

and just tell you what it means.

If you'd like to talk about it further later,

I'd be happy to do so.

But for the sake of time this morning,

it's just really not that important

to get into it.

But you'll note, as I'm saying,

that the disciples are going to celebrate

the Passover meal on Thursday evening.

The rest of Jerusalem is going to celebrate it

on Friday evening.

And why is that?

Why is there seem to be a discrepancy here

in this case?

Some would say that Jesus just really wanted

to get that Passover meal in.

He knew he'd be dead by the time

other people were celebrating it.

But I've come to discover that

the disciples, being Galilean Jews,

they celebrated Passover meal

on Thursday evening,

which for them was Friday.

So it would have been Friday for them

rather than Saturday

when it was typically celebrated

by so many other Jews,

particularly the Jews

that would have resided

in and around Jerusalem.

Right?

So this is the discrepancy settled

in that way.

This is, for Jesus and the disciples,

the last Passover

and the first Lord's Supper.

And it should be observed by us

as well as the last Passover

and the first Lord's Supper.

The Passover meal was to serve

as a reminder of God's protection

as the angel of death

inflicted the Egyptian people

and the Israelites' subsequent delivery

from bondage to the Egyptians.

Do you recall the story

at the forefront of the book of Exodus?

And Moses goes back and asks

that God's people be set free

from bondage,

which is meant to symbolize

the bondage that we are under

to sin.

And Pharaoh refuses to do so.

And so God brings upon him

these ten different plagues.

And this is the tenth and final

that the angel of death came

and killed the firstborn

of all the Egyptians.

But the Israelites were commanded

to kill a spotless lamb,

to take its blood,

to spread it over the doorposts,

over the top of the door,

so that the angel would pass over.

They were later told

in Exodus chapter 12

Exodus 12 · chapter mention

to observe the Passover meal

in remembrance of this thing

that God had done for them.

And I want you to see this with me.

So turn to Exodus 12, verse 21.

Exodus 12:21

Genesis, Exodus,

the second book in your Bible,

beginning in verse 21.

Then Moses called all the elders of Israel

and said to them,

Go and select lambs for yourselves

according to your clans

and kill the Passover lamb.

Take a bunch of hyssop

and dip it in blood

that is in the basin

and touch the lentil

and the two doorposts

with the blood that is in the basin.

None of you shall go out

of the door of his house

until morning,

for the Lord will pass through

to strike the Egyptians.

And when he sees the blood

on the lentil

and on the two doorposts,

the Lord will pass over the door

and will not allow the destroyer

to enter your houses

to strike you.

Verse 24,

if you need to catch up.

You shall observe this rite

as a statute for you

and for your sons forever.

And when you come to the land

the Lord will give you

as he has promised,

you shall keep this service.

And when your children say to you,

what do you mean by this service?

You shall say,

it is the sacrifice

of the Lord's Passover.

For he passed over the house

of the people of Israel in Egypt

when he struck the Egyptians

but spared our houses.

And the people bowed their heads

and worshipped.

So not only were they to do this act,

but they were to continue

to celebrate the sacrifice

of the Passover lamb

in times to come

that they might remind

their children and themselves

what it was that the Lord

had done on their behalf.

But we now,

with fuller revelation,

having now the scriptures

in their entirety,

see that it was ultimately

meant to serve

as a shadow of a thing

yet to come.

I've talked to you extensively

about types.

The Passover lamb

is a type for Christ

meant to show us

the greater thing,

what would be called

the anti-type.

The greater realization

of the thing,

the symbol that's meant

to show us the greater thing.

It's a shadow of the reality

that is to come.

The Christ,

the final Passover lamb.

This is told to us

a number of places

in the New Testament.

Peter expresses this reality

in 1 Peter 1,

1 Peter 1:18

verses 18 and 19.

Knowing that you

were ransomed

from the futile ways

inherited from your forefathers,

not with perishable things

such as silver or gold,

but with the precious blood

of Christ,

like that of a lamb

without blemish

or spot.

Paul says in 1 Corinthians 5,

7,

for Christ,

our Passover lamb,

has been sacrificed.

John the Baptist

calls Jesus

the Lamb of God

in John 1, 29,

and verse 36.

It's implicitly taught

in John's Gospel account

in John 19,

32-36,

because

we find in Exodus 12, 46

that when the lamb

was roasted and eaten,

none of its bones

were to be broken.

This is a commandment

given to the Israelite people.

They were not meant

to break the bones

of the Passover lamb.

It was customary

during execution

by crucifixion

to break the legs

of the prisoners.

They were given

a little block of wood

to stand on

and they could push up

on that

and slow down

asphyxiation

by the weight

of their own body

and often

to speed along

the process,

their legs would be broken

so they could no longer

push up.

In fact,

both of the prisoners

that were hanging

on Jesus' left

and right legs

were broken,

but his were not.

He was already dead.

It's implicitly taught

there to us in John.

Jesus is the Passover lamb.

So this we find

is the final Passover.

We don't celebrate

the Passover meal

any longer

as those who are

followers of Christ.

Certainly we can celebrate

the event of the Passover,

the deliverance

of God's people,

what it means

and its final

and full fulfillment

in Jesus Christ.

But we no longer

sit down

and have the Passover meal.

But we do have

the First Lord's Supper.

We have that

and we continue that

and we celebrate that

because it is

the fulfillment

of what the Passover meal

was meant

to teach us.

So let's read together

verses 22

through 25

once again.

And as they were eating,

He took bread

and after blessing it,

broke it

and gave it to them

and said,

Take,

this is my body.

And He took a cup

and when He had given thanks,

He gave it to them

and they all drank of it.

And He said to them,

This is my blood

of the covenant

which is poured out

for many.

Truly I say to you,

I will not drink again

of the fruit of the vine

until the day

when I drink it new

in the kingdom of God.

And so this ordinance

of the Lord's Supper

or an ordinance

as an authoritative order

or a decree

began and is continued

in our congregational gatherings

because of what it means

now for us.

The hope would have been

for all of the spectators,

all of the people

that saw what happened

on the cross that day

that they would have understood

Jesus to be the Passover Lamb.

He is our Passover Lamb.

He is the ultimate

and final sacrifice.

And this is to be the focus

of the Lord's Supper.

It's the object

that we set our attention

and our affection on

when we take the Lord's Supper

together.

It's that remembering

the person

and the work

of Jesus Christ.

Christ.

No doctrine

stays alive

in the mind

by itself.

It has to be fed.

We have to remember

the work of Christ

on our behalf.

So this morning

I want to

tell you

three specific ways.

I'm sure there are more

categorically

likely

I think that these are good

three specific ways

that we can

wrap our minds around

and remember

what we're meant

to remember

as we take the Lord's Supper

together each and every

Lord's Day

when we meet

as a congregation.

So three things

when we celebrate

the Lord's Supper

we remember

number one

Christ's death.

Number one

Christ's death.

The symbols themselves

are pictures

of His body broken

and His blood

poured out.

Paul writes

in 1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians 11:23

chapter 11

verse 23

and 26

you should turn there

we won't need Mark

any longer.

So why don't you turn

with me to 1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians 11 · chapter mention

chapter 11.

Here we find

Paul's account

of what Jesus

said

when He instituted

the ordinance

of the Lord's Supper

on this very night.

1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians 11 · chapter mention

chapter 11

beginning in verse 23

For I

being Paul

received from the Lord

what I also

delivered to you

the Corinthian believers

the Lord Jesus

on the night

when He was betrayed

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.

In the same way

He also took the cup

after supper

saying

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.

So Paul gives us

a little more

description

than Mark does.

In fact

Paul's account

is a little more

close to the

Lucan account

of what was said

by Jesus.

We're meant

to do this

very thing

to remember

Christ

and specifically

as Paul tells us

in verse 26

the Lord's death.

To remember

what He did

on our behalf.

The ultimate sacrifice

paid for us.

We had an

infinite debt

of sin

against an

infinite God

and therefore

the sacrifice

must have been

infinite

and we celebrate

that together

every time

we take the Lord's

Supper

rightly together.

Secondly,

when we celebrate

the Lord's Supper

we remember

our participation

in the benefits

of Christ's death.

Our participation

in the benefits

of Christ's death.

Now

and forever.

Now

we have

spiritual

life

in Christ

because of His

person

and His work.

Turn to John

John 6 · chapter mention

chapter 6.

Someone's getting

directions to our

building.

You're here.

John chapter 6

John 6:53

verse 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.

Whoever feeds

on my flesh

and drinks

my blood

has eternal

life

and I will

raise him up

on the last

day.

For my flesh

is true food

and my blood

is true

drink.

Whoever

feeds on my

flesh and

drinks my

blood abides

in me

and I

in him.

As the

living Father

sent me

I live

because of

the Father

so whoever

feeds on

me

he also

will live

because

of me.

We have

our very

beginning in

Christ

and we

then have

our

sustenance

our

sustaining

in Christ

as well.

Now there

are two

ordinances

of the

Christian

church

and only

two

to be

very clear

on this

point.

We have

baptism

believers

baptism

and

the

Lord's

Supper.

So those

are two

believers

baptism

and

the

Lord's

Supper.

Baptism

signifies

new birth

and entrance

into the

covenant

community

of God.

The thing

that has

happened

in your

heart

by the

grace

of God.

It's a

symbol

of that.

It's a

picture

of what

has

happened.

Put to

death

and raised

to new

life.

The

Lord's

Supper

the

ongoing

practice

of it

signifies

the

spiritual

feeding

of that

new

life

and

the

continuing

relationship

with the

covenant

community

of God.

In

fact this

is where

the

term

the

coined

term

communion

actually

comes

from.

Augustine

coined

that term

and he

didn't

mean

that

we're

communing

with

Christ

he

meant

that

we're

communing

with

the

community

of God's

people.

That was

what he

meant by

that term

as so many

terms get

hijacked

this is

certainly

one of

them.

in a

sermon

entitled

fencing

the

table

by

Charles

Spurgeon

which

is

one

I

would

strongly

encourage

you

to go

read

at some

point

in your

life

he said

others

come to

the

communion

as a

piece

of

sheer

superstition

really

believing

poor

deluded

souls

that

when they

take

the

wafer

into

their

mouths

they

actually

eat

the

flesh

!

of

Christ

I

love

Spurgeon

I'm

letting

him

say

it

for

me

such

a

monstrous

doctrine

as

that

is

only

fit

for

cannibals

it

is

not

a

doctrine

of

Christianity

what

a

profaning

of

the

ordinance

it

is

to

come

to

it

with

such

a

notion

as

that

it's

a

symbol

it's

a

picture

it's

not

actually

the

body

of

Christ

or

the

blood

of

Christ

we

don't

believe

!

in

John

John 6 · chapter mention

chapter

6

that

he's

saying

that

you

must

be

nourished

physically

by

my

actual

body

and

blood

that's

lunacy

Spurgeon

agrees

with

me

it's

only

fit

for

cannibals

Catholics

and

some

other

denominations

call it

a

sacrament

and

the

belief

is

that

it

administers

grace

it

administers

grace

it

is

actually

a

stacking

up

of

grace

a

putting

good

things

in

the

good

list

side

of

stuff

if

we've

got

a

scale

that

will

be

weighed

by

it's

putting

extra

stuff

on

the

good

side

of

the

scale

rather

than

it

simply

being

a

symbol

of

the

grace

that

is

already

brought

to

us

in

Christ

beloved

we must

be

very

careful

at

this

point

what

are

we

celebrating

when

we

celebrate

the

Lord's

Supper

not

a

giving

of

grace

at

that

moment

but

a

celebration

of

the

grace

that

has

been

given

and

is

continually

being

given

in

the

accomplished

work

of

Christ

Spurgeon

goes on

to say

it is

not a

converting

ordinance

nor a

saving

ordinance

it is

an

establishing

ordinance

and a

comforting

ordinance

for those

who

are

saved

but

it

never

was

intended

to

save

souls

neither

it

is

adapted

to

that

end

and

if

it

be

so

misrepresented

it

is

apt

rather

to

be

the

means

of

damning

than

of

saving

the

soul

for

he

that

eats

so

eats

and

drinks

may

in

very

deed

be

eating

and

drinking

damnation

to

himself

and

what

he

means

is

if

we

teach

to

people

that

it's

a

grace

to

them

that

is

given

to

them

as

something

that

will

bring

them

favor

with

God

when

they

do

not

have

it

it's

misleading

to

them

therefore

the

warning

that I

give

every

Sunday

before

we

take

the

Lord's

Supper

together

if

you're

not

a

Christian

if

you've

not

placed

your

faith

in

the

accomplished

work

of

Christ

don't

think

that

some

religious

practice

is

going to

help

you

find

favor

with

him

the

only

thing

when

you

stand

before

him

that

will

justify

you

is

whether

or

not

you

were

clothed

in

the

righteousness

of

Christ

whether

or

not

you

placed

believing

faith

in

him

the

practice

of

the

Lord's

Supper

just

draws

us

to

that

thing

that

he

has

done

gives

us

reason

to

celebrate

brings

us

comfort

in

the

failing

of

our

lives

Jesus

Christ

died

even

for

these

!

sins

that

I

must

repent

of

from

day

to

day

to

day

what

then

is

the

value

of

the

symbol

if

it's

simply

that

I

don't

wave

a

magic

wand

and

somehow

convert

a

wafer

and

wine

or

grape

juice

in

our

Baptist

case

into

actual

blood

and

body

and

you're

not

actually

feasting

on

Jesus

body

himself

what

then

is

the

value

of

the

symbol

it

draws

us

to

it

draws

our

minds

to

where

they

should

be

John

Calvin

wrote

of

the

Lord's

Supper

and

institutes

of

the

Christian

religion

by

the

showing

of

the

symbol

the

thing

itself

is

also

shown

for

unless

a

man

means

to

call

God

a

deceiver

he

would

never

dare

assert

that

an

empty

symbol

is

set

forth

by

him

and

the

godly

ought

by

therefore

those

of

us

who

desire

to

take

the

Lord's

Supper

rightly

should have

our minds

and our hearts

affections

turned towards

Jesus

the one that the symbols

are there

to represent

now as we've talked about the

benefits that are brought to us

we're celebrating that

remembering that

Christ's death

let's recall that the benefits of Christ's death

bear out in the way

that we live

that has

it has

present

implication

we are given

spiritual life

in Christ

and that means something

for what we're going to look like

and the way we're going to conduct ourselves

in this world

another text for you to turn to

Colossians chapter 3

Colossians 3 · chapter mention

I know I don't always make you turn so much

but it gives me a chance to drink water

and my throat is terribly dry this morning

Colossians 3

1 through 4

and it's of great value for you to see it for yourself too

if then

you have been raised with Christ

seek the things that are above

where Christ is

seated at the right hand of God

set your minds on things that are above

not on things that are on earth

for

you have died

and your life is hidden with Christ

in God

when Christ

who is your life

appears

then you also appear

with him

in glory

you see the language of our participation

in Christ's death there

right

we have died

our life is hidden with Christ

and Christ is now

our life

we're talking of

the spiritual things

not the temporal

but the spiritual thing

the old us

has died

and the new us

should be coming to bear

in the way in which

we live

our lives

further down

in Colossians

if you just notice

beginning in verse 5

Paul writes

put to death

therefore

and gives us a whole list

of things

that we ought not

be doing

as Christians

as those

who claim the name of Christ

who are disciples of his

and then beginning in verse 12

he says

put on then

as chosen ones

another list

of things

that we are to be doing

activity that should exist

in our lives

that are

activities that are nourished

by the very fact

that Christ died

on our behalf

so we're remembering this

we're remembering our participation

the benefit of Christ's death

now

and we're also

remembering it

forever

turn to Revelation

Revelation 19 · chapter mention

chapter 19

let me remind you

of the words of Jesus

in chapter 14

Mark chapter 14

Mark 14:25

verse 25

he says

truly I say to you

I will not drink again

of the fruit of the vine

until that day

when I drink it new

in the kingdom of God

with that in mind

let's read

Revelation 19

Revelation 19:6–9

verses 6-9

then I heard

what seemed to be

the voice

of a great multitude

like the roar

of many waters

and like the sound

of mighty peals

of thunder

crying out

hallelujah

for the Lord our God

the Almighty reigns

let us rejoice

and exult

and give him the glory

for the marriage

of the Lamb

has come

and his bride

has made herself ready

it was granted her

to clothe herself

with fine linen

bright and pure

for the fine linen

is the righteous deeds

of the saints

and the angel said to me

write this

blessed are those

who are invited

to the marriage supper

of the Lamb

and he said to me

these are the true words

of God

and so we see

one day

Jesus will be

united

with his bride

the church

and we will all

feast with him

forever

this is what

the Lord's Supper

also does for us

it reminds us

this participation

in the midst of Christ's death

has implication

now

it means something

now praise God

but it also means

something for

eternity

this is John's glimpse

into this event

that is one day

going to come

to pass

thirdly

when we celebrate

the Lord's Supper

we remember

our unity

in Christ's

death

so we've

remembered

Christ's death

we've remembered

our participation

in the benefits

of Christ's death

but we also

remember our

unity

in Christ's death

do you recall

me saying to you

that baptism

is this thing

representing

the new life

that has been

brought to bear

in us

that we are now

part of the covenant

community of God

and the Lord's Supper

now is a continuing

picture of our

communion

with the people

of God

our unity

in Christ's

death

there slipped

into the

Christian vernacular

a phrase

which I think

is particularly

harmful

and you will hear

it in most

churches

this Sunday

morning

personal

relationship

with Jesus

Christ

now it is

certainly true

that we do

have

personal

relationships

that now

as those

saved

by the grace

of God

he speaks

to us

he is a

friend

he communicates

clearly

to us

by his word

through his spirit

this is true

but this type

of language

has caused

so many people

to think

that what they

can do on a

Sunday morning

is sleep in

and then watch

a little

TBN

later on

not okay

we've been

saved to a

community

of believers

we've been

called out

of darkness

to be part

of a

people

to the

praise of

God

not individuals

parts that

we play

but that's

not the

the impetus

of what's

being communicated

in the

New Testament

concerning

our

salvation

we are

saved as

a

people

1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians 10:16

10

verses 16

and 17

expresses this

Paul says

the cup

of blessing

that we

bless

is talking

about the

Lord's

supper

the cup

of blessing

that we

bless

is it not

a participation

in the blood

of Christ

the bread

that we

break

is it not

a participation

in the body

of Christ

because there

is one

bread

we who are

many are

one body

for we all

partake

of the one

bread

you see what

he's trying to

communicate to us

here with all

of these plural

pronouns

we are

a community

praise God

for that

that we

are his

people

and it

has been

given to us

to draw

his other

people

the sheep

that are

not yet

of this

fold

into the

fold

to make

them part

of this

fellowship

that we

experience

there are

many

expressions

of God's

global

church

I would

give that

a capital

c

church

the

universal

church

which includes

not just

all those

who claim

Christ

now

but those

who claim

Christ

past

and

future

but there

are local

expressions

of this

which is

what

Christ

family

church

is

do you

come

together

because

we're

a people

saved

by the

grace

of God

by the

accomplished

work

of

Christ

or

because

you

like

the

way

we

put

together

programs

I hope

it's

the

former

and not

the

latter

because

I

should

remember

we

celebrate

the

Lord's

Supper

that

we're

doing

it

collectively

together

you know

we've

been

doing

the

Lord's

Supper

every

single

Lord

today

together

for quite

some

time

some

of you

look so

miserable

when we're

doing it

and I

know

you're

not

I

believe

it's

just

because

it's

been

given

to you

as

some

kind

of

a

somber

moment

in

the