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.
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.
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
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.
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,
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
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
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
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
chapter 6.
Someone's getting
directions to our
building.
You're here.
John chapter 6
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
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
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
chapter 19
let me remind you
of the words of Jesus
in chapter 14
Mark chapter 14
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
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
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
life
of a
congregation
I
smile at
the
person
that I
get
the
Lord's
Supper
elements
from
and I
say
thank
you
that's
okay
we're
a
community
taking
the
meal
together
in fact
I
would
argue
that
the
way
that
we
do
the
Lord's
Supper
is
probably
not
the
purest
expression
of
it
we
see
particularly
in
the
book
of
Corinthians
the
believers
were
gathering
around
a
table
the
great
admonition
to
them
by
Paul
is
that
there
were
some
who
were
getting
off
of
early
and
they
were
starting
the
meal
before
those
who
got
off
late
particularly
the
slaves
could
come
and
eat
and
the
food
was
gone
the
Lord's
supper
had
been
consumed
before
they
ever
got
there
I
think
the
most
pure
expression
of
it
is
us
sitting
together
in
community
and
sharing
food
with
one
another
and
particularly
commemorating
Christ
in our
gathering
together
however
I do
think
that the
elements
are
there
!
great
juice
as
we've
said
I
don't
know
that
it's
all
that
important
that
it
has
to
be
necessarily
fruit
of
the
vine
although
this
is
the
element
that
Jesus
himself
used
as
well
as
bread
someone
say
that
our
bread
is
leavened
and
that's
not
good
because
Jesus
used
unleavened
bread
because
it
was
the
Passover
meal
again
I
don't
think
it's
all
that
terribly
!
important
I
do
believe
because
we
have
the
proper
elements
the
symbols
once
again
that
were
within
the
biblical
boundaries
of
celebrating
it
in
the
way
that
we
do
there
are
some
challenges
concerning
having
our
Lord's
Supper
being
so
open
the
way
that
it
is
and
if
you
are
here
you
are
invited
to
participate
in
the
Lord's
Supper
with
us
and
our
crowd
being
predominantly
college
students
there's
often
a
fringe
fluctuating
!
We
love
to see
you
more
consistently
but
there
are
people
sometimes
on a
given
Sunday
that
I
just
really
don't
know
about
a
year
and a
half
ago
I
went
to
one
of
George
graduations
and
the
girl
that
was
handing
out
programs
said
Nathan
hey
when I
walked
in
and I
didn't
recognize
her
no
idea
and I
felt
horrible
for
that
but
she
probably
was
part
of
that
group
kind
of
coming
and
going
there
have
been
churches
throughout
history
that
have
held
done
what
they
would
call
closed
communion
and
that
only
members
in
good
standing
of
the
church
were
allowed
to
come
together
and
participate
in
the
Lord's
Supper
in
fact
an
antidote
from
history
Jonathan
Edwards
had
men
stand
guard
over
the
Lord's
Supper
table
and
if
there
was
somebody
coming
up
that
he
knew
was
living
in
sin
had
not
taken
appropriate
steps
of
repentance
he
would
give
a
little
head
nod
and
they
would
escort
him
out
maybe
a
little
severe
I
don't
know
we
are
a
church
that
believes
in
church
discipline
that
there
is
a
place
for
it
that
we
ought
to
be
encouraging
and
pressing
for
it
but
I
am
led
to
believe
that
it
is
okay
for
us
to
allow
to
give
warning
to
people
to
say
to
people
you
have
no
part
in
this
if
you're
not
a
believer
it
doesn't
make
sense
for
you
to
celebrate
a
thing
that
has
not
happened
on
your
behalf
because
it
is
a
symbol
right
it's
not
an
administration
of
grace
to
you
it's
a
symbol
I'm
encouraged
by
the
words
of
Paul
in
1
Corinthians
11
28
where
he
says
let
a
person
examine
himself
then
and
so
eat
of
the
bread
and
drink
of
the
cup
and
so
we
have
Paul's
exhortation
here
that
we're
also
to
be
introspective
of
ourselves
that
there's
a
place
and
a
time
for
discipline
in
the
life
of
the
church
and
that
somebody
may
be
excluded
from
gathering
together
and
being
called
a
believer
the
church
may
say
to
somebody
at
some
point
we
don't
believe
that
you're
even
in
Christ
and
therefore
you
have
no
examine
himself
or
herself
there be
some
moments
of
introspection
that you
be sure
that you're
taking
the
Lord's
Supper
rightly
recall
as a
summary
when we
celebrate
the
Lord's
Supper
together
we're
remembering
firstly
Christ's
death
secondly
our
participation
in the
benefits
of
Christ's
death
now
and
forever
and
thirdly
our
unity
the
unity
of
the
church
in
Christ's
death
we
ought
to
be
asking
ourselves
if
we're
doing
this
appropriately
and
the
reason
that
you're
so
often
warned
against
having
harbored
sin
things
in
your
life
that
you
know
you're
doing
that
you
ought
not
be
doing
or
things
in
your
life
that
you
know
that
you
should
be
doing
that
you're
not
doing
both
sins
of
omission
and
commission
that
you're
fully
aware
of
and
yet
you're
going
and
you're
celebrating
the
redemptive
work
of
Christ
you've
been
given
access
to
the
father
to
repent
of
those
things
and
then
go
celebrate
what
Christ
has
done
on
your
behalf
praise
God
that
when
we
sin
we
can
go
to
the
one
whom
we
sinned
against
right
that
he
and
his
wrath
against
sin
doesn't
destroy
us
because
celebrate
in
the
Lord's
supper
so
we
ought
to
rid
ourselves
of
unrepentant
sin
before
we
go
and
partake
of
the
elements
let
a
person
examine
himself
I
hope
that
this
is
a
thing
that
you
do
as
a
habit
in
your
days
that
you're
constantly
experiencing
the
conviction
of
the
spirit
of
sin
repenting
and
turning
once
again
to
God
that
is
this
cycle
that
you
go
through
because
I
know
we're
all
sinning
this
is
a
thing
it's
a
reality
that's
happening
to
us
I
hope
that
repentance
is
right
on
its
heels
and
you're
continuing
to
press
on
and
pursue
your
walk
in
the
Lord
I
know
that
as
we
take
the
Lord's
supper
together
I'm
at
least
giving
you
a
charge
to
do
it
once
a
week
at
least
then
taking
the
time
to
respond
to
what's
going
on
in
your
life
by
the
power
of
the
spirit
it's
a
chance
for
us
to
respond
to
what
God
may
be
working
in
us
in
the
preaching
of
his
word
some
recognition
of
sin
on
our
part
something
that
we're
not
doing
today
it
may
be
that
your
confession
is
about
how
you've
taken
the
Lord's
supper
in
the
past
the
way
you've
treated
it
and
been
dismissive
!
Maybe
that
this
is
our
invitation
time
when we
do
the
Lord's
supper
together
we
celebrate
the
Lord's
supper
we
remember
Christ's
death
our
participation
the
benefit
of
Christ's
death
and
our
unity
as
the
church
in
Christ's
death
if you
want to
hear it
organized
in
another
way
maybe
a
simpler
way
we
remember
what
he
has
done
in
the
past
the
implications
for
us
in
the
present
and
the
promise
of
his
sure
return
let's
pray
together