Communion: Remember, Relate, Proclaim | I Corinthians 11:23-26 | Pastor Neil McClendon

Paul tells us in Galatians the law is like a schoolmaster.

It brings us to Christ.

It's like it takes this disobedient kid to the principal's office and said, This boy is incorrigible.

I didn't know what that meant, but it was said about me a lot in middle school and high school.

And I went to the principal a lot.

The Bible says the law is like that, it exposes us as not being able to keep the rules.

Jesus says, Hey, this cup, because you no longer have to do a lot of the things the law required.

Why?

Because Jesus has fulfilled the law in his death and in his rising, he's fulfilled everything.

This is why, if you're here this morning, you're not a Christian, you should consider the claims of Christianity because you've got to ask this question: who has done anything about your sin besides you?

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Amen.

Amen.

Let's pray together, Church.

Lord Jesus, we uh we believe what we just say.

That there's nobody that can stop you.

And so we're not only just want to believe that and sing about that.

We want to live that way.

Uh that you're on the move in this world, that you, the kingdoms of this world are becoming the kingdoms of our Lord and his Christ.

And so we get to be a part of that process, and everything in all creation is gonna yield to that reality.

And so we want to live that way.

We want to think that way, we want to believe that way, and we want to speak that way.

And so, Holy Spirit, remind us today of these truths we ask in Jesus' name.

And all God's people said, Amen.

Amen.

You could have a seat.

If you're visiting today, let me encourage, let me uh explain what you see set up around the room.

Today we observe communion.

And communion here at Grand Parkway is not something we just tack on at the end where we just kind of like, hey, here you take this, I'll take that, here we go.

Uh let me on a practical note, let me say this.

If there's room in the middle of the of the section you're in, kind of scoot in.

Uh, because we have a lot of people that are arriving.

We want to make it easy for them just to slide in.

I know that you got saved seats, Alan Young.

Uh, but when you when someone sits there, just kind of scoot in, and that way when they come in, they can just slide right in and join us, okay?

Today we're observing communion.

We practice open communion here at Grand Parkway, which means if you're a Christian, you're more than welcome.

You say, Man, it's my first time.

That's okay.

You're more than welcome to receive communion with us.

What we do is I just give a brief homily, which is a big word for a short sermon, uh, and then we'll open up the stations, and people will be at every station.

There's 13 stations around the room, and there will be uh couples and individuals at each station.

And when I release you here in just a little bit, you'll go to the station and we'll serve you the elements.

And if you want to be prayed for, just say, hey, pray for me.

Like I met two men this morning already that say, Hey, I lost my job this week.

Uh, and so I'll made a note, I'll be praying for that.

Uh, and so we don't want to just preach to you here, and this is not just a process, this is very personal for us, which is why we do communion this way, okay?

The Bible gives us some direction and some instruction.

So, about once a year, I'd just like to remind us, hey, this is why we do what we do.

This is from 1 Corinthians chapter 11.

1 Corinthians 11 · chapter mention

I'll start reading in verse 23.

He says, This for I received from the Lord what I also deliver to you.

That the Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and he said, This is my body, which is for you.

Do this in remembrance of me.

In the same way, he 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.

There's three things I want to charge us with this morning.

Number one, it's gonna sound real simple, but very necessary.

Number one, remember Jesus.

Number one, remember Jesus.

If you grew up at a Baptist church, you probably had a Lord's Supper table in front of the pulpit, and it was kind of routed in there, this phrase, this do in remembrance of me.

When I say remember Jesus, you're like, do you think we could forget?

No, we just remember all these other things, and Jesus kind of gets pushed to the bottom of the list.

And so he says, twice, he says, this do in remembrance of me.

God is very merciful.

He's given us rituals and realities by which we can help us kind of remember Jesus, okay?

Because here in the next couple months, it's fixed to get real crazy.

People are gonna come to your house and eat your food and drink your wine that you do not like.

And you're related to some of them.

And they're gonna come with empty tubware containers and haul some of your food home.

And you're gonna have to look at your husband and go, remember Jesus.

Remember Jesus.

On the night he was betrayed, he could do the right thing, and I'm being betrayed right now.

And I'm not saying be a doormat, but I am saying this, we'll talk about this next week when we're back in Matthew.

I am saying this, that sometimes you're going in this world full of fallen people, you are going to experience what I call relational injustice.

And Jesus knows what it's like.

Remember, Jesus, secondly, there's a new way to relate to God.

He said, This cup, this cup, it this cup is the new covenant in my blood.

There's a new way to relate to God.

You say, What do you mean?

I'm not inventing something in the moment here.

We've been in Matthew, if you've been with us, we're in Matthew chapter 5 when the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus makes these six anathetical statements where he says, You have heard of old, but I say unto you, and he's not abolishing the law, he's just saying, Hey, there's a different way of relating to God.

Matthew 5 · chapter mention

The law is like a Paul tells us in Galatians, the law is like a schoolmaster.

It brings us to Christ.

It's like being, it takes this disobedient kid to the principal's office and said, This boy is incorrigible.

I didn't know what that meant, but it was said about me a lot in middle school and high school.

And I went to the principal a lot.

Uh the Bible says the law is like that, it exposes us as not being able to keep the rules.

Jesus says, Hey, this cup, because you no longer have to do a lot of the things the law required.

Why?

Because Jesus has fulfilled the law in his death and in his rising, he's fulfilled everything.

This is why, if you're here this morning, you're not a Christian, you should consider the claims of Christianity because you've got to ask this question: who has done anything about your sin besides you?

See, remember Jesus.

And secondly, there's a new way to relate to God.

Now, most people think of relating to God as undeserving sinners, and we're like, hey, I don't deserve what Jesus has done.

But also, there's some of you here today that uh you need to be reminded the gospel also condemns you if you relate to God out of your goodness and you think you deserve it all because you're such a good planner and you follow Dave Ramsey.

That's called self-righteousness.

And so there's the people that fall off the other side and they have self-loathing, and then there's the people that that that do quite well and look down, like just get your act together, bro.

Just plan.

I mean, gosh, just meet with a certified financial professional and make a plan.

And you need to come to the table this morning and repent of your self-righteousness because you have all you need.

You don't need anybody else.

And here's how you know you're self-righteous: you treat people with contempt.

There's three emotions in all human relationships: there's frustration, which is just what it sounds like.

There's anger, which oh, and then there's contempt.

Contempt is I punish that person in my mind.

When their name comes up, my first thought is negative.

I heard somebody say this, I was just part of a conversation, and one man asked another man, Hey, do you know so-and-so?

And the man smiled and looked at him and said, Yep, I know enough about him to make a success out of him in any situation.

What do you want to know?

And I thought, I wish I had a pen.

I want to write that down.

They say when I walked off, I pulled my phone out and said, I know enough about him.

Yeah.

You want to be those people.

And thirdly, we're proclaiming the Lord's death.

This is what he says there in verse 26.

For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, the Bible doesn't tell you how often to observe communion.

It says, When you do it, you do it in remembrance of me.

Remember me because there's so much to focus on, especially this time of year, that you will forget.

But he says there in verse 26, for as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

And so listen very carefully, okay?

We're fixing to spend some time just kind of examining ourselves because this is what the Bible tells us to do.

You don't come to the Lord's table in a hurried manner or a throat ritual, empty manner.

You discern the body, you think about, hey, I'm a part of the body of Christ, so how I live matters.

But you proclaim the Lord's death.

Here's what I'm saying: if you leave your seat today and come to one of these 13 stations, what you're proclaiming the Lord's death.

You are saying that I am by nature so sinful and separated from God that I needed a perfect being to die in my place for my sins.

But you're also saying this, we're proclaiming the necessity of the Lord's death, but we're also proclaiming the sufficiency of the Lord's death.

We're also saying, I'm so loved by God that Jesus was glad to do that.

I'm so loved by God.

So when you leave your sea and you come to one of these stations, this is what you're saying.

I am so loved by God.

The God who knew it all gladly died for you.

In your place and for your sins.

So when Jesus comes along in Matthew's gospel, we've been studying, and he says, You have heard of old, but I say unto you, look at me.

He's earned the right to say that.

He's not abolishing the law, he's kind of winking at it, going, Hey, do you understand the degree to which I fulfilled the law?

It's not just, oh, don't get divorced, it's don't lust.

It's not just don't kill people, it's don't be angry.

He's always kind of raising the bar.

But communion, we're remembering Jesus, okay?

We're reminding ourselves that hey, there's a new way to relate to God.

It's not the rules, it's a relationship.

And then finally, we're proclaiming the Lord's death.

We're saying today it was necessary and it was sufficient.

Here's what I want us to do.

I want us to take a minute.

I want you just to be still and just get your head and your heart right.

I don't always like this morning getting here.

If you're like, oh man, we barely made it.

Or you maybe it's like, dude, I'm visiting.

It's not an accident that we're observing communion today.

Again, we practice open communion, which means if you're a Christian, you're more than welcome to come and receive the elements with us.

However, if you're not, you should ask yourself, why wouldn't I want to know a God who sacrifices himself for me when all the other gods of all the other world religions tell me to sacrifice myself for them?

What is unique about Jesus Christ in Christianity?

That's one of the bigger ones.

There's more, but that's enough to kind of pique your interest and go, hmm?

Finally, I say to the Christian in the room who's living in willful, deliberate sin, you should abstain from the elements.

Come to the table and say, Hey, pray for me.

I'm not I'm not living right and I know it.

We're not mad at you, that makes you a bad person.

I I respect your authenticity.

I'll be right here to say, Come to my station.

I want to pray for you.

No sermon.

Look at me.

Because I've been there.

It's been a while, but I remember just thinking, I'm not living right, and I don't know that I care enough to stop.

I'm not making light of that.

I'm just saying you don't want to insult the spirit of grace.

And so come, don't sit there and think I'm a bad person.

No, come to any of these stations and say, I need to abstain, but I also need your prayer.

The Bible says in Galatians 6 that we bear one another's burdens, and when we do that, we fulfill the law of Christ.

If you're carrying that burden, let us carry it with you today, okay?

Let's just spend the next minute just kind of thinking about what we're about to do before we approach the Lord's table.

Lord, our confession today is that we confess that it is a humbling thing to be died for.

A lot of people in our lives have told us they love us and they failed us, they disappointed us, they hurt us, they slandered us, they stole from us.

Basically, they betrayed us.

And you know what it's like to experience betrayal.

So you understand.

And you died for us, and you died for those people.

And their sin is not more heinous than our sin.

And so we want to just be humbled by the cross today.

But we're mindful, Lord, there's no seat at this table for servants.

We don't go to Papasidas and our waiters sit down with us and eat.

No, so when we come to the Lord's table, there's only a place for sons and daughters.

There's not a place for servants.

So we come as sons and daughters today.

The beloved of God, the paid-for people of God whom you redeemed, you purchased with your blood.

He didn't put us on layaway and say, Oh, I'll give five dollars a month and it'll take 80 years.

No, the once-for-all sacrifice of Jesus was enough.

And so, Lord, we want to bask in that.

We want to celebrate that today in our own way.

So, Holy Spirit, brood over us while we do that now in Jesus' name.

And all God's people said, Amen.

Amen.

Thank you for listening to this message.

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