WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:08.660 Amen. Amen. Children, we are ready for Children's Church at this time. You may make your way to the front over here. 00:00:09.179 --> 00:00:14.720 And as they're making their way out, I just want us to think about that last verse that we just sang for just a moment. 00:00:14.720 --> 00:00:16.460 Listen to these words. 00:00:16.640 --> 00:00:22.640 Two wonders here that I confess, my worth and my unworthiness. 00:00:23.359 --> 00:00:27.900 My value fixed, my ransom paid at the cross. 00:00:27.899 --> 00:00:36.799 What a wonderful reminder for us as we come together today to celebrate and think about Holy Communion. 00:00:37.320 --> 00:00:45.140 And as we get our hearts and minds prepared for that, I just also want to encourage you to think about those who aren't with us. 00:00:45.340 --> 00:00:49.519 Some today may be on vacation. We have many that are doing that. 00:00:49.520 --> 00:00:56.720 But also, we've got a team, a group that is not here today because they left at about 6 o'clock. 00:00:56.800 --> 00:01:08.760 It's more 6.30 this morning to make their way down to Clarkston, Georgia, where they will be spending the remainder of this week serving Clarkston International Bible Church and their camp encounter. 00:01:08.760 --> 00:01:14.939 And so I want to encourage you to pray for that mission team as they are in Clarkston this week. 00:01:15.340 --> 00:01:21.060 A few of us are going to try to make our way down throughout the week to see them, to encourage them. 00:01:21.120 --> 00:01:24.780 It is a wonderful ministry that I'm so thankful that we get to be a part of. 00:01:25.140 --> 00:01:30.040 But in addition to that, we have some that will be traveling to Hong Kong this week. 00:01:30.040 --> 00:01:35.360 We have a dental bus that will be taking place here at the church later on at the end of this week. 00:01:35.360 --> 00:01:43.760 So there's so many things that we get to be a part of, of serving and taking the gospel message throughout the world. 00:01:43.880 --> 00:01:49.900 But this morning, today, I just want to say happy 4th of July weekend. 00:01:50.560 --> 00:01:56.360 This is a big year in the history of our country for 250 years now. 00:01:56.359 --> 00:01:59.280 We have been declaring our independence. 00:01:59.280 --> 00:02:06.239 And for us here today, we have the privilege of having many, many freedoms. 00:02:06.400 --> 00:02:10.759 And let's be honest, a lot of times we take those freedoms for granted. 00:02:10.960 --> 00:02:19.219 As a nation, as a people who make up this great nation, we are grateful for and we celebrate our independence. 00:02:19.219 --> 00:02:33.539 But as believers, we come together today celebrating and observing the Lord's Supper, remembering the fact that we are to live in dependence on Jesus. 00:02:34.539 --> 00:02:39.639 As a country, we celebrate our independence, that we do this on our own. 00:02:39.639 --> 00:02:52.319 But as believers, we come together today thinking about the Lord's Supper, thinking about communion, remembering the fact that we must live in dependence on Jesus for everything. 00:02:53.479 --> 00:03:01.739 This week, we're going to be taking a break from Hebrews and looking at 1 Corinthians chapters 10 and 11. 00:03:01.740 --> 00:03:06.060 Now, if you brought your Hebrews journal with you, I'm so excited. 00:03:06.379 --> 00:03:13.300 It blesses my heart each and every week to look out and see people take their Hebrews journals out, make notes in it. 00:03:13.360 --> 00:03:14.760 I love seeing that. 00:03:15.060 --> 00:03:21.580 But today, you may just have to put it beside you and grab a Bible in front of you if you want to follow along. 00:03:21.640 --> 00:03:27.800 But we're going to be looking at some passages in 1 Corinthians 10 and 11 today. 00:03:27.800 --> 00:03:31.600 We're going to start reading in just a moment in chapter 16. 00:03:31.740 --> 00:03:37.960 But before we do that, in a church, there's always going to be some diversity. 00:03:38.360 --> 00:03:40.040 And this is a beautiful thing. 00:03:40.160 --> 00:03:41.480 This is a wonderful thing. 00:03:41.939 --> 00:03:54.540 We'll have diversity of age, background, class, and race, diversity in our preferences, in our different styles of worship that we prefer in technology. 00:03:54.539 --> 00:04:01.239 We can celebrate all of these different diversities when it comes to the church. 00:04:01.340 --> 00:04:07.780 We even have diversity in our convictions over secondary matters and our political approaches. 00:04:08.459 --> 00:04:10.759 And this is just to name a few. 00:04:11.500 --> 00:04:17.759 But Jesus' vision of the church was not uniformity in all things cultural, 00:04:17.759 --> 00:04:25.000 but a unity in Christ that outweighs many distinctions in these secondary things. 00:04:25.480 --> 00:04:29.680 You see, as a church, we have strength in our diversity. 00:04:30.259 --> 00:04:36.120 It's wonderful that everybody is not just like me or just like you. 00:04:36.439 --> 00:04:39.920 I'm thankful that you didn't say amen when I said everybody's not just like me. 00:04:40.279 --> 00:04:43.480 But we have diversity within the church. 00:04:43.480 --> 00:04:47.439 And this is a healthy response to what it should look like. 00:04:47.580 --> 00:04:49.900 There should be some diversity there. 00:04:50.200 --> 00:04:59.800 But there's things that we come together on, that we remain unified on, that help us with that strength in diversity. 00:05:00.460 --> 00:05:07.840 For the Corinthians, the one place that should have most displayed their unity, 00:05:07.839 --> 00:05:15.599 their sense of coming together around the Lord's table only highlighted their divisions. 00:05:16.619 --> 00:05:22.579 And so before we get into those divisions, I think it's important for us to see the Lord's table, 00:05:23.199 --> 00:05:27.000 the Lord's Supper as a place of unity. 00:05:27.659 --> 00:05:33.199 And so in the passage, we're going to see the Lord's Supper is a time for coming together. 00:05:33.859 --> 00:05:36.819 The Lord's Supper is a time for coming together. 00:05:36.819 --> 00:05:41.839 Listen to those verses in 1 Corinthians 10, starting in verse 16. 00:05:42.439 --> 00:05:43.699 This is what the Word of the Lord says. 00:05:43.800 --> 00:05:44.599 It says this, 00:05:45.339 --> 00:05:51.100 The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? 00:05:51.699 --> 00:05:57.420 The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? 00:05:57.420 --> 00:05:59.939 Because there is one bread. 00:05:59.939 --> 00:06:07.340 We who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. 00:06:07.819 --> 00:06:15.040 Paul here tells us that communion, the Lord's Supper, is a place that we should draw near to. 00:06:15.420 --> 00:06:21.139 This should be a familiar place for us, a time that brings us together. 00:06:21.139 --> 00:06:28.779 There is a right place, there's a right time, there's a right people with whom we should regularly fellowship with. 00:06:29.199 --> 00:06:36.319 At the Lord's Supper, we draw close to Christ in participation with our spiritual family. 00:06:36.939 --> 00:06:45.079 And I think we can oftentimes realize this when we begin to think about what a shared meal together does for us. 00:06:45.079 --> 00:06:51.680 I've shared with you many times, one of the things that my family loves to do around the dinner table each night, 00:06:51.719 --> 00:06:55.599 is when we come together, we have a high, low, bet you don't know. 00:06:56.019 --> 00:07:01.919 And that means that we go around the table, and everybody shares something that was wonderful that happened to them that day. 00:07:02.199 --> 00:07:03.459 Their high for the day. 00:07:03.839 --> 00:07:06.699 And then everybody will share their low for the day. 00:07:06.799 --> 00:07:09.180 Something that didn't go quite according to plan. 00:07:09.180 --> 00:07:10.759 And then a bet you don't know. 00:07:10.879 --> 00:07:16.579 Something that the rest of us may not know that happened to that person during the day. 00:07:16.980 --> 00:07:21.379 And rarely do we ever have to get this cake top because Charlotte will say, 00:07:21.639 --> 00:07:23.400 Hi, low, bet you don't know, I'm going first. 00:07:23.519 --> 00:07:25.740 And immediately starts sharing about her day. 00:07:26.240 --> 00:07:28.160 And so she loves to do that time. 00:07:28.160 --> 00:07:35.160 But this time together around a meal is a time for remembering. 00:07:36.139 --> 00:07:38.720 Foods have a way of bringing us back. 00:07:38.720 --> 00:07:47.420 I can remember one of the most special times that we had on a mission trip from time to time is being in Minagua, Nicaragua. 00:07:47.580 --> 00:07:51.240 And we had been in some pretty remote places throughout the week. 00:07:51.560 --> 00:07:58.200 And during that time, every meal pretty much consisted of rice, beans, plantains. 00:07:58.720 --> 00:08:01.140 Some of you are smiling because you were on that trip. 00:08:01.220 --> 00:08:05.880 And yet we had that every single day, just fixed a little differently for the different meals. 00:08:05.879 --> 00:08:11.279 And one of those special times was when we came back together and went to Pizza Hut. 00:08:11.800 --> 00:08:20.920 You know, we may not go to Pizza Hut all the time, but that was a time it just kind of brought us back home for a moment because it was something that we recognized. 00:08:21.500 --> 00:08:25.079 For others of us, it may be different times for holidays. 00:08:25.740 --> 00:08:31.420 You know, Thanksgiving is just not Thanksgiving if you don't have this to go along with the meal. 00:08:31.420 --> 00:08:34.580 For me, I know this may offend some of you. 00:08:34.620 --> 00:08:35.680 I'm not a big fan of turkey. 00:08:36.039 --> 00:08:39.700 But green bean casserole, that means Thanksgiving for me. 00:08:40.060 --> 00:08:45.259 That means, all right, this is, this is, Thanksgiving meal is not a Thanksgiving meal. 00:08:45.620 --> 00:08:47.700 There's not green bean casserole there. 00:08:48.100 --> 00:08:56.100 And we have these different things for us, these traditions that when we experience this food, it reminds us of something. 00:08:56.100 --> 00:09:01.600 And so the Lord's table, the Lord's Supper should be a place of remembering. 00:09:01.860 --> 00:09:08.300 This table for believers should be a time that draws us together. 00:09:09.100 --> 00:09:13.920 And this is one of the reasons we wanted to have a combined service today. 00:09:14.480 --> 00:09:19.420 A few years ago, we started this of every time that we have the Lord's Supper communion, 00:09:19.419 --> 00:09:22.879 we want to do this where we all come together. 00:09:23.299 --> 00:09:27.620 Because we do have differences in different things in our lives. 00:09:27.799 --> 00:09:31.579 We have, there's diversity within this church, and that's a wonderful thing. 00:09:32.099 --> 00:09:41.479 But we come together focusing on the most important thing, the thing that brings us together, and that is Jesus. 00:09:42.500 --> 00:09:44.240 You know, it's not convenient to do this. 00:09:44.620 --> 00:09:45.659 It comes with challenges. 00:09:45.659 --> 00:09:50.059 There's a lot of confusion this morning on different start times of when we're doing things. 00:09:50.199 --> 00:09:53.100 Parking can be an issue when we do things like this. 00:09:53.399 --> 00:10:00.120 But it's worth it because it reminds us we're able to come together around this table. 00:10:00.240 --> 00:10:06.839 The Lord's Supper is a time of fellowship that brings us together as a family 00:10:06.840 --> 00:10:11.440 and reminds us that while we may have many differences in our life, 00:10:11.440 --> 00:10:18.480 we can agree that our only hope in life and death is Jesus Christ. 00:10:19.060 --> 00:10:22.420 So we come to the table together today. 00:10:23.040 --> 00:10:29.360 And as we turn to chapter 11, we begin to see some issues that the church was having 00:10:29.360 --> 00:10:34.060 as they came together to participate in the Lord's Supper. 00:10:34.059 --> 00:10:40.299 And so if you have that, your Bible's still open, turn it over to the next chapter, to chapter 11. 00:10:41.039 --> 00:10:45.419 And I want to encourage you to follow along as we start reading in verse 17. 00:10:46.219 --> 00:10:47.859 This is what the Lord says. 00:10:47.979 --> 00:10:48.299 It says, 00:10:48.299 --> 00:10:55.500 But in the following instruction, I do not commend you, because when you came together, 00:10:55.699 --> 00:10:58.579 it is not for the better, but for the worse. 00:10:59.279 --> 00:11:04.599 For in the first place, when you came together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you, 00:11:04.879 --> 00:11:06.319 and I believe it in part. 00:11:07.279 --> 00:11:14.240 For there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized. 00:11:14.240 --> 00:11:19.220 When you come together, it is not the Lord's Supper that you eat. 00:11:19.620 --> 00:11:23.899 For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. 00:11:24.220 --> 00:11:26.639 One goes hungry, another gets drunk. 00:11:27.039 --> 00:11:27.500 What? 00:11:28.299 --> 00:11:31.580 Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? 00:11:32.220 --> 00:11:36.879 Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? 00:11:37.680 --> 00:11:39.000 What shall I say to you? 00:11:39.060 --> 00:11:40.460 Shall I commend you in this? 00:11:40.820 --> 00:11:42.200 No, I will not. 00:11:42.200 --> 00:11:46.580 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, 00:11:46.720 --> 00:11:51.100 that the Lord Jesus, on the night that he was betrayed, took bread. 00:11:51.600 --> 00:11:54.180 And when he had given thanks, he broke it, and he said, 00:11:54.259 --> 00:11:56.540 This is my body, which is for you. 00:11:57.120 --> 00:11:58.820 Do this in remembrance of me. 00:11:59.400 --> 00:12:02.720 In the same way, also, he took the cup after saying, 00:12:02.820 --> 00:12:04.980 This cup is the new covenant in my blood. 00:12:05.420 --> 00:12:09.800 Do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me. 00:12:09.799 --> 00:12:13.979 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, 00:12:14.399 --> 00:12:18.199 you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. 00:12:18.799 --> 00:12:24.599 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread and drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner 00:12:24.599 --> 00:12:28.659 will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. 00:12:28.659 --> 00:12:34.799 Let a person examine himself then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 00:12:34.860 --> 00:12:38.620 For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, 00:12:38.759 --> 00:12:40.860 eats and drinks judgment on himself. 00:12:41.480 --> 00:12:45.799 That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. 00:12:46.539 --> 00:12:50.659 But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. 00:12:50.719 --> 00:12:53.799 But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined, 00:12:53.799 --> 00:12:57.259 so that we may not be condemned along with the world. 00:12:57.659 --> 00:13:01.579 So then, my brothers, when you come together, eat. 00:13:02.099 --> 00:13:03.099 Wait for one another. 00:13:03.620 --> 00:13:05.939 If anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, 00:13:06.259 --> 00:13:09.399 so that when you come together, it will not be for judgment. 00:13:10.000 --> 00:13:13.859 About other things, I will give directions when I come. 00:13:14.079 --> 00:13:17.719 And so this passage gives us a word of warning 00:13:17.719 --> 00:13:21.139 when it comes to approaching the Lord's table. 00:13:21.139 --> 00:13:26.240 What we see here is that there is a wrong way of coming to the table. 00:13:26.519 --> 00:13:32.620 From this passage, we clearly see there is a wrong way of coming to this table. 00:13:33.120 --> 00:13:35.179 The warning comes in verse 27. 00:13:35.340 --> 00:13:35.480 It says, 00:13:35.720 --> 00:13:39.639 Whoever therefore eats the bread and drinks the cup of the Lord 00:13:39.639 --> 00:13:44.059 in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. 00:13:44.460 --> 00:13:49.539 Let a person examine himself, and then so eat of the bread and drink the cup. 00:13:49.539 --> 00:13:53.360 For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, 00:13:53.519 --> 00:13:57.039 eats and drinks judgment on himself. 00:13:57.339 --> 00:14:02.559 That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. 00:14:03.419 --> 00:14:04.759 Now, that's a lot to take in. 00:14:05.459 --> 00:14:08.939 That puts a little different perspective on our lives 00:14:08.939 --> 00:14:12.219 when we think about taking the Lord's Supper. 00:14:12.699 --> 00:14:16.879 Some people were taking the Lord's Supper in an unworthy manner, 00:14:16.879 --> 00:14:21.220 and Paul says that is why many of you are weak and ill, 00:14:21.220 --> 00:14:22.879 and some have died. 00:14:23.600 --> 00:14:24.620 Well, what does this mean? 00:14:25.399 --> 00:14:28.919 Well, it means that some people got sick and died 00:14:28.919 --> 00:14:32.840 because they were taking the Lord's Supper in an unworthy manner. 00:14:33.259 --> 00:14:35.620 Now, this doesn't mean that this is something that happens 00:14:35.620 --> 00:14:38.720 every time we take the Lord's Supper in vain. 00:14:38.820 --> 00:14:41.399 This isn't something that's a guarantee to happen, 00:14:41.399 --> 00:14:45.319 just like someone who is dishonest about what they give to the church 00:14:45.319 --> 00:14:48.199 concerning their gifts, and it shows dishonesty there. 00:14:48.439 --> 00:14:52.079 It's not always immediately struck dead like Ananias and Sapphira, 00:14:52.659 --> 00:14:57.199 but this is calling us to take this time seriously. 00:14:58.000 --> 00:15:01.240 It's calling us to think about our lives. 00:15:01.720 --> 00:15:03.919 This meal is for believers. 00:15:03.919 --> 00:15:07.740 The Lord's Supper is a holy and sacred practice 00:15:07.740 --> 00:15:12.199 in which believers come together as a body, 00:15:12.399 --> 00:15:17.399 as a unified body to remember, to meditate on, 00:15:17.620 --> 00:15:21.719 and to celebrate the atoning death of the Lord Jesus 00:15:21.719 --> 00:15:24.159 for the forgiveness of sins. 00:15:24.839 --> 00:15:27.279 Now, to understand the strong warning, 00:15:27.479 --> 00:15:31.559 we must understand the context in which this is written. 00:15:31.559 --> 00:15:34.799 In the city of Corinth, a meal was an occasion 00:15:34.799 --> 00:15:38.219 for gaining or showing a social status. 00:15:38.619 --> 00:15:41.119 It was a time when you could kind of show off 00:15:41.119 --> 00:15:42.479 how well you were doing. 00:15:42.839 --> 00:15:46.059 You would have an extravagant meal and bring everyone in. 00:15:46.379 --> 00:15:49.359 It was in many ways regards a microcosm 00:15:49.359 --> 00:15:54.639 of the aspirations and aims of the culture as a whole. 00:15:55.219 --> 00:15:58.559 This unfortunately found its way into the church. 00:15:58.979 --> 00:16:00.459 How often does that happen? 00:16:00.460 --> 00:16:02.560 Some of the negative things in our culture 00:16:02.560 --> 00:16:05.560 find their way into the church. 00:16:06.220 --> 00:16:08.620 And because there were no church buildings, 00:16:08.740 --> 00:16:11.320 the church typically gathered in homes. 00:16:11.740 --> 00:16:14.560 And it was usually the home of a wealthy person 00:16:14.560 --> 00:16:16.840 since their homes would have been larger 00:16:16.840 --> 00:16:19.720 and big enough to house the church. 00:16:20.460 --> 00:16:23.480 And this meant this meal that they were sharing 00:16:23.480 --> 00:16:25.740 wasn't just a cracker and juice. 00:16:25.960 --> 00:16:27.360 It would have been a full meal. 00:16:27.360 --> 00:16:30.080 Gathering information from this passage, 00:16:30.080 --> 00:16:33.980 it helps us to understand that what was actually taking place 00:16:33.980 --> 00:16:35.039 is that there were people, 00:16:35.539 --> 00:16:38.720 the wealthy people were inviting certain people to come in 00:16:38.720 --> 00:16:41.800 and gorge themselves and enjoy this meal 00:16:41.800 --> 00:16:43.060 before everyone else. 00:16:43.120 --> 00:16:44.960 And so that when everybody else came in, 00:16:45.220 --> 00:16:47.039 the poor people who were coming to church, 00:16:47.240 --> 00:16:48.860 there wasn't any food for them. 00:16:48.940 --> 00:16:50.279 They weren't able to experience this. 00:16:50.340 --> 00:16:52.300 They were eating and they were getting drunk. 00:16:52.299 --> 00:16:53.359 And then when the poor arrived, 00:16:53.419 --> 00:16:55.179 there was no place left for them 00:16:55.179 --> 00:16:57.599 and no food for them to eat. 00:16:58.039 --> 00:17:02.539 So you have some who are feasting and getting drunk 00:17:02.539 --> 00:17:04.359 and others who had nothing. 00:17:04.359 --> 00:17:07.599 And they were calling this the Lord's Supper. 00:17:08.319 --> 00:17:12.200 And they were calling this a time of remembering Christ. 00:17:12.919 --> 00:17:17.399 Now, no one in here is in danger of gluttony 00:17:17.399 --> 00:17:20.279 and getting drunk from crackers and Welch's grape juice. 00:17:20.279 --> 00:17:22.359 That's not going to happen. 00:17:22.879 --> 00:17:26.639 But it does call us to examine ourselves. 00:17:27.480 --> 00:17:29.519 It does call us to look at ourselves. 00:17:29.720 --> 00:17:32.119 First and foremost, am I a believer? 00:17:32.759 --> 00:17:36.420 This special time is for believers, 00:17:36.619 --> 00:17:38.559 those who profess Christ. 00:17:39.379 --> 00:17:43.160 Also, is there any unrepentant sin in my life? 00:17:43.519 --> 00:17:45.099 Are there unresolved issues 00:17:45.099 --> 00:17:47.119 with a brother or sister in Christ? 00:17:47.119 --> 00:17:49.519 Now, I'm not talking about for you to ask yourself, 00:17:49.799 --> 00:17:50.779 am I perfect? 00:17:50.899 --> 00:17:53.059 We're going to get to that in just a moment. 00:17:53.159 --> 00:17:55.479 But we are called to examine ourselves 00:17:55.479 --> 00:17:57.819 as we come to the table 00:17:57.819 --> 00:18:02.539 and make sure that we are approaching the table 00:18:02.539 --> 00:18:04.099 with the right heart. 00:18:04.959 --> 00:18:06.939 And so finally, as we look at this passage, 00:18:07.019 --> 00:18:08.319 I want us to understand 00:18:08.319 --> 00:18:10.859 that since there is a wrong manner 00:18:10.859 --> 00:18:13.699 in which we can come to this table, 00:18:13.700 --> 00:18:17.380 we must genuinely ask the question in our lives, 00:18:17.880 --> 00:18:20.059 how do I come to the table? 00:18:21.019 --> 00:18:24.019 How do I come to the table 00:18:24.019 --> 00:18:26.059 and partake in this meal? 00:18:26.160 --> 00:18:29.340 Much of this idea is wrapped around verse 26. 00:18:29.440 --> 00:18:29.860 It says, 00:18:30.259 --> 00:18:33.240 for as often as you eat this bread 00:18:33.240 --> 00:18:34.600 and drink this cup, 00:18:34.920 --> 00:18:39.100 you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. 00:18:39.099 --> 00:18:42.240 You see, the Lord's Supper calls us 00:18:42.240 --> 00:18:44.079 to look to the past 00:18:44.079 --> 00:18:47.119 as we remember our Savior's sacrifice 00:18:47.119 --> 00:18:49.039 for our sins on the cross. 00:18:49.359 --> 00:18:52.980 But now, Paul is also telling us 00:18:52.980 --> 00:18:55.319 to look to the future as well. 00:18:55.839 --> 00:18:57.839 Yes, we look to the past. 00:18:58.339 --> 00:19:00.279 We look at what Christ has done. 00:19:01.079 --> 00:19:02.699 But it's also a time 00:19:02.699 --> 00:19:06.099 that we proclaim and look to the future. 00:19:06.099 --> 00:19:08.459 Danny Akin said it beautifully this way. 00:19:08.460 --> 00:19:08.700 It says, 00:19:08.880 --> 00:19:09.720 the Lord's Supper 00:19:09.720 --> 00:19:11.660 should certainly be a time 00:19:11.660 --> 00:19:14.039 of careful meditation and reflection. 00:19:14.860 --> 00:19:16.860 But it should also be a time 00:19:16.860 --> 00:19:20.299 of joyful anticipation and celebration. 00:19:21.039 --> 00:19:23.180 Yes, Jesus died, 00:19:23.799 --> 00:19:25.579 but he rose from the dead 00:19:25.579 --> 00:19:27.079 and he's coming again. 00:19:27.500 --> 00:19:30.079 This understanding of the Lord's Supper 00:19:30.079 --> 00:19:31.980 is what excites me the most 00:19:31.980 --> 00:19:34.319 about coming together as a church, 00:19:34.319 --> 00:19:36.539 remembering what Christ has done, 00:19:36.799 --> 00:19:37.940 about coming together. 00:19:37.940 --> 00:19:40.120 You know, for much of my life, 00:19:40.160 --> 00:19:41.340 and I probably would say 00:19:41.340 --> 00:19:42.860 that many of us in here 00:19:42.860 --> 00:19:44.080 could identify with this, 00:19:44.360 --> 00:19:46.640 that I had the solemn part 00:19:46.640 --> 00:19:48.380 of the Lord's Supper down pretty well. 00:19:48.740 --> 00:19:50.440 You know, you're supposed to just sit there, 00:19:50.820 --> 00:19:52.200 head bowed, eyes closed, 00:19:52.279 --> 00:19:54.880 with a very serious look on your face, 00:19:54.960 --> 00:19:56.580 remembering what Christ has done. 00:19:56.720 --> 00:19:58.660 And there's part of that to it. 00:19:59.180 --> 00:20:02.440 But it's also a joyful time, 00:20:02.440 --> 00:20:05.340 remembering what Christ's sacrifice 00:20:05.340 --> 00:20:07.420 accomplished for us, 00:20:07.620 --> 00:20:09.779 that we get to have a relationship with him, 00:20:09.940 --> 00:20:11.420 that we get to experience 00:20:11.420 --> 00:20:12.640 a relationship with him. 00:20:13.039 --> 00:20:13.640 Jesus said, 00:20:13.920 --> 00:20:15.539 do this in remembrance of me, 00:20:15.600 --> 00:20:17.360 not in remorse of me. 00:20:18.019 --> 00:20:19.259 We do this in remembering 00:20:19.259 --> 00:20:20.799 what Christ has done for us. 00:20:20.840 --> 00:20:23.320 So yes, we come to it very solemnly. 00:20:23.480 --> 00:20:25.360 But yes, we come to it 00:20:25.360 --> 00:20:28.700 with much joy in our hearts as well. 00:20:28.700 --> 00:20:31.039 So as we come to the table, 00:20:31.180 --> 00:20:33.660 first let us come with thanksgiving. 00:20:34.340 --> 00:20:34.519 It says, 00:20:34.640 --> 00:20:35.860 For I received from the Lord 00:20:35.860 --> 00:20:37.680 what I also delivered to you, 00:20:38.059 --> 00:20:39.140 that the Lord Jesus, 00:20:39.340 --> 00:20:40.759 on the night when he was betrayed, 00:20:41.380 --> 00:20:42.319 took bread, 00:20:42.580 --> 00:20:44.120 and when he had given thanks, 00:20:44.440 --> 00:20:45.380 he broke it. 00:20:46.019 --> 00:20:47.580 The table is a time 00:20:47.580 --> 00:20:50.700 where we proclaim our thanks to God. 00:20:51.240 --> 00:20:54.100 But also, as we come to the table, 00:20:54.099 --> 00:20:58.939 we recognize this meal is for sinners. 00:21:00.019 --> 00:21:01.319 It says that when he had given thanks, 00:21:01.379 --> 00:21:01.939 he broke it and said, 00:21:02.039 --> 00:21:03.079 This is my body, 00:21:03.159 --> 00:21:04.939 which is for you. 00:21:05.679 --> 00:21:08.019 If you are a you here today, 00:21:08.019 --> 00:21:10.139 then I have good news. 00:21:10.659 --> 00:21:12.759 No matter your background 00:21:12.759 --> 00:21:14.500 or the things that you've done, 00:21:15.019 --> 00:21:17.779 what Jesus accomplished on the cross 00:21:17.779 --> 00:21:20.619 can be counted for you. 00:21:21.159 --> 00:21:23.799 By placing your faith and trust in Jesus, 00:21:23.799 --> 00:21:27.079 you can go from death to life. 00:21:27.539 --> 00:21:29.940 And if this is something that you have done, 00:21:30.460 --> 00:21:33.680 place your faith and your trust in Jesus, 00:21:34.159 --> 00:21:36.159 then he invites you to the table. 00:21:36.700 --> 00:21:39.000 Not on the basis of your works, 00:21:39.240 --> 00:21:41.779 but on the basis of his works, 00:21:42.039 --> 00:21:45.000 of what he accomplished on the cross. 00:21:45.680 --> 00:21:47.720 And so let us go to the Lord in prayer, 00:21:48.159 --> 00:21:51.980 asking him to prepare our hearts and minds 00:21:51.980 --> 00:21:54.099 as we experience the Lord's Supper. 00:21:54.799 --> 00:21:56.720 Father, thank you so very much 00:21:56.720 --> 00:22:00.079 for everything that you do for us. 00:22:00.779 --> 00:22:04.279 Thank you for the sorrow and the joy 00:22:04.279 --> 00:22:06.440 that come together at this meal. 00:22:07.299 --> 00:22:10.559 Be with us as we prepare our hearts and minds 00:22:10.559 --> 00:22:14.140 to remember all that you accomplished on our behalf. 00:22:14.819 --> 00:22:16.880 Lord, I pray that this meal together, 00:22:16.880 --> 00:22:21.100 this time of fellowship will be a time of remembering 00:22:21.100 --> 00:22:24.640 and the sorrow of remembering the cross, 00:22:24.740 --> 00:22:27.580 but it will also be a time where we proclaim 00:22:27.580 --> 00:22:29.380 what you have done, 00:22:29.620 --> 00:22:33.220 where we proclaim the joy that we get to experience 00:22:33.220 --> 00:22:36.920 because of your finished work on the cross. 00:22:37.540 --> 00:22:40.240 And so Lord, help us to remember well 00:22:40.240 --> 00:22:41.880 what you have done 00:22:41.880 --> 00:22:44.800 and the promises that we get to experience 00:22:44.800 --> 00:22:45.880 because of that. 00:22:46.380 --> 00:22:48.900 And we ask all of this in Jesus' name. 00:22:49.220 --> 00:22:49.500 Amen.