WEBVTT 00:00:00.260 --> 00:00:07.540 Wasn't that awesome? Yeah. Man, that was moving. I appreciate that. Well, we are taking a break 00:00:07.540 --> 00:00:13.580 this Sunday from our series in Jonah. We've covered Jonah chapter 1 and chapter 2. Next 00:00:13.580 --> 00:00:19.120 week we'll be in chapter 3, but today we are observing the Lord's Supper. We do this four 00:00:19.120 --> 00:00:25.019 times a year, and so we're taking a break today to kind of focus on that and redirect our minds 00:00:25.019 --> 00:00:32.119 back to the sacrifice that Jesus made for us so many years ago that is just as relevant today 00:00:32.119 --> 00:00:37.280 as at any point in history. So we're talking about communion, the Lord's Supper, 00:00:38.280 --> 00:00:45.640 and we're recognizing that this is a gospel reminder. This is a reminder of the gospel. 00:00:46.780 --> 00:00:53.320 Now, if you were a student attending VBS a couple weeks ago and you came through missions class, 00:00:53.320 --> 00:00:58.079 then on one of those days we asked every student who came through here, what is the gospel? 00:00:58.399 --> 00:01:03.980 We got all kinds of answers. Said the Bible. And it said, certainly the gospel is found in the Bible, 00:01:04.099 --> 00:01:10.180 right? Some of them said Jesus. And said, well, the gospel is about Jesus, but what is the actual 00:01:10.180 --> 00:01:17.460 gospel? And we find that in the scriptures. It is that Paul said, I delivered unto you, 00:01:17.459 --> 00:01:24.759 first of all, that which I also received, that Christ Jesus died for our sins according to the 00:01:24.759 --> 00:01:31.539 scriptures. He was buried and he rose again according to the scriptures. That is the gospel. 00:01:32.159 --> 00:01:38.599 It is the message that gives us hope. It's the message that saves us from our sins. It's the way 00:01:38.599 --> 00:01:46.780 that we can wake up each day and know that we are still God's sons and daughters saved by his blood. 00:01:47.459 --> 00:01:55.079 Washed, sealed forever by the Holy Spirit. And so that is the gospel that saves us and the gospel that 00:01:55.079 --> 00:02:03.259 keeps us. And communion or the Lord's Supper is a reminder of that gospel. Let's go to 1 Corinthians 00:02:03.259 --> 00:02:07.259 chapter 11. 1 Corinthians chapter 11. 00:02:07.260 --> 00:02:15.259 If you're able to join us in standing, when you found your place, would you mind joining us in 00:02:15.259 --> 00:02:23.860 standing? And let's read together 1 Corinthians chapter 11, verse 23. 00:02:23.860 --> 00:02:36.420 3. I'm reading out of the Christian Standard Bible. For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to 00:02:36.420 --> 00:02:43.500 you. On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took bread. When he had given thanks, he broke it 00:02:43.500 --> 00:02:55.180 and said, this is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me. In the same way also he took the cup 00:02:55.180 --> 00:03:02.979 after supper and said, this cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this as often as you drink it 00:03:02.979 --> 00:03:12.719 in remembrance of me. For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death 00:03:12.719 --> 00:03:19.259 until he comes. God, I pray that you would use our observance of your command in scripture 00:03:19.259 --> 00:03:27.599 to remember you through these symbols of your broken body and your spilled blood. 00:03:28.939 --> 00:03:35.840 We'll partake them together, all of your children present here in this place toward the end of our 00:03:35.840 --> 00:03:42.259 time together. But until that, remind us from your scriptures what it means to remember you, 00:03:42.259 --> 00:03:50.060 remember what you've done and how that allows us to begin again fresh with you every day. 00:03:50.659 --> 00:03:55.879 It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. You may be seated. Thank you for standing. The Lord's Supper 00:03:55.879 --> 00:04:05.139 represents our communion with Christ and one another. Now you might have heard it called the Lord's Supper. 00:04:05.259 --> 00:04:10.039 You might have heard it called the Lord's Table. You might have heard it called Communion. Even some 00:04:10.039 --> 00:04:17.399 churches out there will term this as the Eucharist. But really, the Lord's Supper is our communion 00:04:17.399 --> 00:04:24.939 with Christ and each other. It represents that. It's a symbol of what we understand from the scriptures 00:04:24.939 --> 00:04:31.519 that we have in Christ. So the Lord's Supper, Communion, neither is really a wrong name, but it's 00:04:31.519 --> 00:04:37.920 representing the same thing saying, I recognize that by the grace of God, because of his sacrifice on the 00:04:37.920 --> 00:04:44.520 cross for me, I have the opportunity to be in communion with God and in communion with God's 00:04:44.520 --> 00:04:52.780 people. And so when we take the Lord's Supper or the Lord's Table, then we recognize that and we 00:04:52.780 --> 00:04:59.240 celebrate that. Now what's it talking about when we say the Lord's Supper? When Paul referenced in 00:04:59.240 --> 00:05:05.360 1 Corinthians 11 on that night when Jesus took bread and took the cup, what was he talking about? He was 00:05:05.360 --> 00:05:13.639 talking about back in Luke chapter 22. We read about the final Passover. All right. But what are we 00:05:13.639 --> 00:05:20.819 talking about? We say the Passover. This goes back to Exodus chapter 12. Exodus chapter 12. The Israelite 00:05:20.819 --> 00:05:25.040 people, for sake of time, we're not going to dive deeply into that story, but I encourage you, if 00:05:25.040 --> 00:05:30.100 you're not familiar with it, go back, grab a Bible, go back to Exodus chapter 12, read through that whole 00:05:30.100 --> 00:05:36.080 story. It's fascinating. When God's people were in bondage in Egypt and God's judgment was passing 00:05:36.080 --> 00:05:41.480 upon the Egyptian people because they would not allow the freedom of God's people and they were 00:05:41.480 --> 00:05:51.000 persecuting them. And so God judged the Egyptian people who would not worship the one true God. And not only 00:05:51.000 --> 00:05:57.939 that, but persecuted God's people. And so he judged them by taking the life of all the firstborn sons 00:05:57.939 --> 00:06:10.100 in that country. The angel of death would pass over all the homes in that place. And God allowed a way of escape 00:06:10.100 --> 00:06:19.839 for his people from that terrible judgment. They would have to sacrifice an innocent lamb, free of spot, free of 00:06:19.839 --> 00:06:26.379 blemish, and they would have to take the blood from that sacrifice and paint it on the doorposts of their home. 00:06:26.379 --> 00:06:34.600 And when the death angel would pass over that city on that fateful night, he would not judge 00:06:34.600 --> 00:06:46.000 the firstborn in the homes that had the blood painted on the door. He would pass over them and go on to the 00:06:46.000 --> 00:06:56.259 homes that did not have the blood. There's so many analogies that we can take from that. That was a 00:06:56.259 --> 00:07:06.800 type of the one sacrifice that many years later would take place when Jesus called the Lamb of God, 00:07:06.899 --> 00:07:17.159 the Lamb of God, the spotless, sinless Lamb of God, would himself be sacrificed on the cross. And his blood 00:07:17.159 --> 00:07:25.259 would be spilled. And the Bible says that it is the blood of Christ, Jesus himself, by which we have 00:07:25.259 --> 00:07:33.879 remission or cleansing of sins. So you and I can only be passed over from the judgment for our sin 00:07:33.879 --> 00:07:42.579 if Jesus' blood has washed us clean. So there's so much deep theology and understanding about what God 00:07:42.579 --> 00:07:48.920 offers to us in salvation, the background of it, the history of it in the Bible, and that is an incredible 00:07:48.920 --> 00:07:56.080 story that I encourage you to do. Begin in Exodus 12 with that Passover. But that is then what the 00:07:56.080 --> 00:08:01.980 Jewish people would celebrate every year following that occasion, is the Passover. And they would have 00:08:01.980 --> 00:08:09.120 a feast, and they would have a time of remembrance of God's deliverance from persecution in Egypt and from 00:08:09.120 --> 00:08:16.139 that terrible taking of the firstborn with the blood on the doorway. So the Passover was an annual 00:08:16.139 --> 00:08:22.139 Jewish feast, and the Passover was an annual Jewish feast. And Jesus and his disciples were celebrating the 00:08:22.139 --> 00:08:28.919 Passover in Luke chapter 22. So keep a finger in 1 Corinthians 11, and then let's go over to Luke 00:08:28.919 --> 00:08:40.819 chapter 22 and read down from verse 7 through verse 20. Luke 22, verse 7. The day of unleavened bread 00:08:40.820 --> 00:08:47.560 came when the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. Speaking of this feast that the Jewish people were 00:08:47.560 --> 00:08:55.820 celebrating. Jesus then sent Peter and John saying, go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover. 00:08:56.320 --> 00:09:01.879 So Jesus and his disciples are getting ready to celebrate this Jewish tradition of the Passover meal. 00:09:02.140 --> 00:09:06.920 Where do you want us to prepare it? The disciples asked him. Listen, he said to them, when you've entered the 00:09:06.919 --> 00:09:11.799 city, a man carrying a water jug will meet you. Follow him into the house he enters. Tell the owner 00:09:11.799 --> 00:09:17.059 of the house, the teacher asks you, where is the guest room? I can eat the Passover with my disciples. 00:09:17.279 --> 00:09:24.019 Then he will show you a large furnished room upstairs. Make the preparations there. Man, if only God made it 00:09:24.019 --> 00:09:29.579 that easy for us when he gives us instructions, right? Just spelled it out for him, had it all lined up. 00:09:30.279 --> 00:09:35.919 Nowadays, usually we have to walk by faith. He doesn't always give us the spelled out instructions, 00:09:35.919 --> 00:09:41.439 but we can know that just like he went before those disciples preparing everything ahead of them, 00:09:41.699 --> 00:09:46.479 he is also going before us. He is preparing everything in advance. Even if he doesn't clue 00:09:46.479 --> 00:09:52.459 us in on it beforehand, we know that God is out there making our way straight if we will follow 00:09:52.459 --> 00:09:59.319 as he tells us to do. So they went, verse 13, and found it just as he had told them, surprise, 00:09:59.479 --> 00:10:04.799 surprise, and they prepared the Passover. Verse 14, when the hour came, he reclined at the table, 00:10:04.799 --> 00:10:11.939 at the apostles with him. Then he said to them, I have fervently desired to eat this Passover with you 00:10:11.939 --> 00:10:20.559 before I suffer. Jesus had made allusions to his coming suffering, his death on the cross 00:10:20.559 --> 00:10:27.479 before now, and he's talking about it again. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it is 00:10:27.480 --> 00:10:35.580 fulfilled in the kingdom of God. The fulfillment of this Passover. Why? Because of what we just talked 00:10:35.580 --> 00:10:41.860 about. Because that was all pointing forward, all those sacrificial lambs that had been killed by the 00:10:41.860 --> 00:10:49.379 Jewish people, it was all pointing forward to the one sinless lamb of God, Jesus himself, who would be 00:10:49.379 --> 00:10:57.240 sacrificed. So since that time, though many Jewish people who refused to believe that Jesus was the Messiah 00:10:57.240 --> 00:11:07.200 that they had been looking for, continue to sacrifice the lamb, continue to celebrate the Passover, Jesus was 00:11:07.200 --> 00:11:16.059 actually the fulfillment of that. It was all pointing forward to him. So he says, I will not eat it again 00:11:16.059 --> 00:11:21.379 until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God. Verse 17, then he took a cup. 00:11:22.819 --> 00:11:29.719 And after giving thanks, he said, take this and share it among yourselves. For I tell you, from now on, 00:11:29.779 --> 00:11:36.039 I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes. And he took bread. He gave 00:11:36.039 --> 00:11:42.500 thanks, broke it, and gave it to them and said, this is my body, which is given for you. Do this in 00:11:42.500 --> 00:11:48.659 remembrance of me? We read about Paul's account of that in 1 Corinthians. And then in verse 20, the same way, 00:11:48.740 --> 00:11:55.840 he also took the cup after supper and said, this cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you. 00:11:55.940 --> 00:12:02.639 You see, the old covenant was no longer needed because God then made a new covenant. When he was the final 00:12:02.639 --> 00:12:09.419 sacrifice himself, then he made a new covenant that says anyone who places their faith in me for the forgiveness 00:12:09.419 --> 00:12:16.659 of their sins can now be free. They can now be forgiven. They can now be my child. This is the new 00:12:16.659 --> 00:12:24.679 covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you. But look, the hand of one betraying me is at the 00:12:24.679 --> 00:12:29.620 table with me. Somebody always had to ruin it, didn't they? It was Judas. For the son of man will go 00:12:29.620 --> 00:12:35.339 away as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed. So they began to argue 00:12:35.340 --> 00:12:40.800 among themselves, which of them could it be who was going to do it? So this incredible moment in 00:12:40.800 --> 00:12:48.980 history when Jesus is introducing himself as the final Passover lamb, this amazing moment, and then 00:12:48.980 --> 00:12:53.639 sin had to get in there and mess it up. And the disciples had to argue about, is it going to be you? 00:12:53.639 --> 00:13:03.700 Is it going to be me? But the point stands that despite our shortcomings, despite our frailties, 00:13:03.700 --> 00:13:13.480 despite our undeserving nature, Jesus was willing to lay it all down. He sacrificed himself. He didn't 00:13:13.480 --> 00:13:23.960 have to. He was God. He is God. Fully God, fully man. All power is given unto him in heaven and in earth. 00:13:25.240 --> 00:13:32.080 He didn't have to do any of it, but he was obedient to the father's plan. He was obedient 00:13:32.080 --> 00:13:41.139 to before the foundation of the world, the plan that had been set in place for you and for me, for our 00:13:41.139 --> 00:13:50.240 creation, for our salvation. So this final Passover that Jesus celebrated with his disciples 00:13:50.240 --> 00:13:56.740 was actually the first communion, the first Lord's Supper. 00:13:56.740 --> 00:14:06.440 communion. So what are we talking about by when we say communion? What can we learn from this? 00:14:07.120 --> 00:14:11.379 Communion connects us to the harmony of the gospel. 00:14:13.279 --> 00:14:20.240 Communion, the Lord's Supper, connects us to the harmony of the gospel. Would you go back to 1 Corinthians, 00:14:20.240 --> 00:14:27.659 where we were before and go back one page in your Bible, chapter 10 and verse 16, 00:14:28.299 --> 00:14:36.120 chapter 10 and verse 16 of 1 Corinthians? The cup of blessing, which we bless, talking about this cup 00:14:36.120 --> 00:14:41.580 that we take at the Lord's Supper, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? 00:14:41.580 --> 00:14:49.600 The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? So you understand it's 00:14:49.600 --> 00:14:56.100 presenting this picture. It's painting this beautiful piece of art showing that all believers, 00:14:56.420 --> 00:15:03.900 all true Jesus followers for all time are part of this greater body of Christ. All those who have 00:15:03.900 --> 00:15:10.879 gone before us and have passed away and are now in the presence of Jesus in heaven. All those who will 00:15:10.879 --> 00:15:17.179 come before and all of us gathered in different bodies of believers around this globe right now, 00:15:17.279 --> 00:15:24.919 we are all part of the greater body of Christ. Now, that doesn't mean that that's one big universal church 00:15:24.919 --> 00:15:29.639 and you don't need to find a church in your local community. That's not at all how God established that. 00:15:30.000 --> 00:15:37.019 He said, yes, you are all part of this great church, this great body of believers, but within that body, 00:15:37.019 --> 00:15:45.159 he established local gatherings of believers in which Henrietta, we have a few. And so we have 00:15:45.159 --> 00:15:52.179 opportunities then to gather with one another for fellowship, for edification, to get the gospel 00:15:52.179 --> 00:15:57.379 message out to those who have not heard it. So God knew what he was doing when he organized the local 00:15:57.379 --> 00:16:05.879 church, even though we are all part of one greater body of Christ. And that's the communion we have with 00:16:05.879 --> 00:16:13.980 one another. It represents the harmony that we find in the gospel. Where else could you find this 00:16:13.980 --> 00:16:20.960 diverse group of people hanging out together, right? Now, some of us have opportunities to get together 00:16:20.960 --> 00:16:26.340 outside of church and we'll hang out together and we'll break bread and we'll fellowship with one 00:16:26.340 --> 00:16:32.960 another. But oftentimes you find such an eclectic group of people within a church doors that would 00:16:32.960 --> 00:16:41.019 never otherwise find each other in community. But God brings us together through the power of the 00:16:41.019 --> 00:16:48.320 harmony of the gospel. Even though we are different notes on a sheet of music, we work in harmony 00:16:48.320 --> 00:16:55.460 together. You understand that? We're not all the same. We're not all singing the melody line of the song, 00:16:55.560 --> 00:17:02.379 so to speak. But even though we're hitting different notes, we're all following the same God 00:17:02.379 --> 00:17:12.240 we're all trusting the same Savior, putting our faith in the same one, and that is how we can have 00:17:12.240 --> 00:17:18.299 harmony together in the gospel. Now, I'd love to say that every church in America and every church around 00:17:18.299 --> 00:17:26.700 this world is in harmony with the gospel, but they're not. Not every church is. And that's why it's 00:17:26.700 --> 00:17:35.640 important for our church to say we are going to follow this book. We're going to trust the gospel 00:17:35.640 --> 00:17:39.559 message that we find in this book. That's what we're going to preach. That's what we're going to 00:17:39.559 --> 00:17:45.519 focus on. We're going to uncover the other doctrines found in this word that support and lead us back to 00:17:45.519 --> 00:17:51.600 the truth of the gospel and how it changes our lives. And even though we might disagree on some lesser 00:17:51.599 --> 00:17:57.439 areas with one another, we're going to stick with these foundational gospel truths. We are sinners. 00:17:57.939 --> 00:18:05.279 Jesus died for our sins. He rose from the dead. And now he offers one way to him, which is faith in Christ. 00:18:07.379 --> 00:18:14.599 So that's the harmony that we can have in the gospel. I hear people say sometimes, well, we're all God's 00:18:14.599 --> 00:18:21.259 children. No, we're not all God's children, but we can be. We all have the same opportunity to be. 00:18:22.339 --> 00:18:26.019 Those of us who repent of our sin, turn from our sin and place our faith in Jesus, 00:18:26.279 --> 00:18:32.379 then we can live in the harmony of the gospel. And that's what we celebrate when we take communion. 00:18:32.539 --> 00:18:37.819 That's why in a few minutes when we have that opportunity and we distribute the juice and the 00:18:37.819 --> 00:18:43.019 bread, by the way, the juice and the bread, they're all in one little cup together. So if you see the 00:18:43.019 --> 00:18:48.899 cup, there is a little piece of bread on top of that. I think some of the men told me before the church, 00:18:48.900 --> 00:18:55.300 before church started today, said, uh, when we go and pick up the cups that are left, sometimes we'll 00:18:55.300 --> 00:18:59.780 find the little bread still stuck in there and people didn't realize it was all in one. So I think 00:18:59.780 --> 00:19:05.340 COVID started that maybe where the, they come packaged together, but, uh, but there you go. 00:19:05.339 --> 00:19:12.399 So just so you know, it's all together. You're not, you're not being shorted. Um, so when we take that, 00:19:12.779 --> 00:19:22.799 we're going to make it very clear that anyone who takes that should have given their life to Jesus. 00:19:22.799 --> 00:19:28.559 They should have put their faith in Jesus. If you haven't yet done that, maybe because you're a child 00:19:28.559 --> 00:19:34.000 who hasn't yet reached that full understanding of what it means to become a follower of Jesus, 00:19:34.000 --> 00:19:41.639 or maybe you've just not done that yourself, then don't pretend like you have and don't take part 00:19:41.639 --> 00:19:46.019 in that communion because you're not yet part of that fellowship. And we want you to be, 00:19:46.460 --> 00:19:50.759 we want you to be, you're going to have an opportunity right now at the end of this service to 00:19:50.759 --> 00:19:56.839 make that decision and put your faith in Jesus. And then we invite you into the harmony of the 00:19:56.839 --> 00:20:03.659 communion of the gospel. So communion connects us to the harmony of the gospel. It also connects us 00:20:03.659 --> 00:20:10.019 to the heart of the gospel. Communion connects us to the heart of the gospel back in first Corinthians 00:20:10.019 --> 00:20:20.079 10 and verse 17 for we, though many are one bread and one body for we all partake of that one bread. 00:20:20.079 --> 00:20:29.519 The heart of the gospel is Jesus. Jesus is the bread. Jesus was the one whose body was broken. 00:20:29.740 --> 00:20:37.099 Jesus was the one whose bread was spilled. Jesus is the one way, the truth, and the life. No one comes 00:20:37.099 --> 00:20:42.579 to the Father except through Jesus. Y'all, that's an unpopular message in our world today, isn't it? 00:20:43.599 --> 00:20:49.059 Man, we should all just get along. Everybody's preaching the same thing. All roads lead to the 00:20:49.059 --> 00:20:55.960 same place. No, they don't. There is one way. There is one straight and narrow way that leads to God, 00:20:55.960 --> 00:21:03.980 and that is faith in Christ. That's it. That's the heart of the gospel. A great pastor and writer, 00:21:04.139 --> 00:21:10.659 John Piper, said the purpose of our Lord's Supper is to receive from Christ the nourishment and strength 00:21:10.659 --> 00:21:18.460 and hope and joy that comes from feasting our souls on all that he purchased for us on the cross, 00:21:18.460 --> 00:21:24.819 especially his own fellowship. Did you catch that? That's kind of a big quote there. The purpose of 00:21:24.819 --> 00:21:30.200 the Lord's Supper that we're about to take is to receive from Christ the nourishment and strength 00:21:30.200 --> 00:21:37.860 and joy and hope that comes from feasting our souls on all that Jesus purchased for us on the cross, 00:21:38.279 --> 00:21:44.220 especially, first and foremost, fellowship with God. You and I would not have fellowship with God 00:21:44.220 --> 00:21:50.120 if it wasn't for what Jesus did on the cross for us. That is the heart of the gospel. Man being 00:21:50.120 --> 00:21:58.079 reconciled to God. There's only one way to that. There's only one way. Saying, man, I prayed for years 00:21:58.079 --> 00:22:03.240 and it just seemed like God didn't hear me. Well, maybe it's because you weren't his child. 00:22:04.339 --> 00:22:08.539 He hears the prayers of his children. He answers the prayers of his children. 00:22:08.539 --> 00:22:12.559 He wants all to turn from their sin and turn to him. 00:22:14.519 --> 00:22:20.559 But Jesus offers fellowship with him. He offers communion with him and then communion with one 00:22:20.559 --> 00:22:25.619 another. And that is what the Lord's Supper reminds us of. It connects us back to the heart 00:22:25.619 --> 00:22:32.299 of the gospel. And then finally, communion connects us to the hope of the gospel. 00:22:32.299 --> 00:22:38.599 It connects us to the hope of the gospel. Back in 1 Corinthians 11, which we read just a moment ago 00:22:38.599 --> 00:22:44.599 at the very beginning, the verse 26, the last verse we read, for as often as you eat this bread 00:22:44.599 --> 00:22:50.980 and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. You know what that word proclaim 00:22:50.980 --> 00:22:57.639 is? It's the same word that we get preach from. Preach and proclaim. 00:22:57.640 --> 00:23:09.360 So you preach the Lord's death when you take the gospel, the Lord's Supper, I'm sorry. When you take 00:23:09.360 --> 00:23:15.400 the Lord's Supper and you partake in communion and you remember and observe, you proclaim the Lord's 00:23:15.400 --> 00:23:21.340 death until he comes again. And that's what we have been mandated to do. That's what we've been 00:23:21.340 --> 00:23:26.780 commanded to do. That's what we've been commissioned to do. Matthew 28, we call it the great commission. 00:23:26.779 --> 00:23:34.519 Go into all the world and preach the gospel. We proclaim the Lord's death until he comes again. 00:23:35.539 --> 00:23:42.379 One way we do that is in communion with one another. We remember it. We publicly observe it. 00:23:42.799 --> 00:23:50.639 We turn our minds back toward it. And we proclaim to all presence. We believe Jesus died for our sins. 00:23:50.779 --> 00:23:56.539 We believe he was buried. We believe he rose again. We believe he's alive today. He hears us when we pray. 00:23:56.539 --> 00:24:02.299 And we have placed our faith in him for the forgiveness of our sins to become his children. 00:24:03.599 --> 00:24:09.000 Charles Deems, another great pastor, said, the Lord's Supper has been greatly instrumental 00:24:09.000 --> 00:24:17.240 in keeping the cause of Christ alive. It's the voice of all believers preaching the Lord's death 00:24:17.240 --> 00:24:24.420 until he comes. He who believes that the Lord did come and die for us and will come again and take us to 00:24:24.420 --> 00:24:31.420 himself. That person will not hesitate to regard this last request of our Lord and Savior. 00:24:32.060 --> 00:24:36.440 Jesus asked us to do this. He asked us to remember him in this way. 00:24:36.440 --> 00:24:44.580 So now we don't have to celebrate the Passover anymore. The final Passover lamb came and was 00:24:44.580 --> 00:24:51.400 sacrificed. Now we can celebrate the communion that we have with one another and the communion 00:24:51.400 --> 00:25:00.680 that we have with God himself because of the gospel. Communion reconnects us to the hope found in the 00:25:00.680 --> 00:25:12.900 gospel. Just a moment. We're going to observe this. But I want to remind you of a day 23 years ago, 00:25:14.400 --> 00:25:16.100 September 11, 2001. 00:25:19.039 --> 00:25:25.360 This quote stood out to me. It is not just the tragedy of September 11, 2001 that we must remember, 00:25:25.359 --> 00:25:34.319 but the feeling of unity that we felt on September 12, 2001. The next day. How many of you all remember 00:25:34.319 --> 00:25:39.559 where you were the day the terrorist planes flew into the Twin Towers in New York City? They fell. 00:25:41.479 --> 00:25:50.059 Thousands died. Many more gave of themselves. Some even gave their lives. Rescue workers trying to find 00:25:50.059 --> 00:25:59.700 people amidst the rubble. I'd never seen the country come together like it did in the days 00:25:59.700 --> 00:26:08.440 following September 11. I remember that. Turn on the political talk radio shows and all that and 00:26:08.440 --> 00:26:13.440 all they were talking about was how we needed to come together as a country and we did. 00:26:13.440 --> 00:26:21.799 It's incredible to watch. The war on terror began. Over time, the country became just as fractured or more 00:26:21.799 --> 00:26:28.580 as it ever has been. Look around today, you see that. But for a moment there, we were united. 00:26:32.019 --> 00:26:35.960 George Bush was president at the time and he said this, 00:26:35.960 --> 00:26:43.240 one of the worst days in America's history saw some of the bravest acts in Americans history. 00:26:44.600 --> 00:26:51.840 We'll always honor the heroes of 9-11 and here at this hallowed place, we pledge that we will never 00:26:51.840 --> 00:27:00.380 forget their sacrifice. Might be wondering why I brought up 9-11 today. It's not September 11th. 00:27:00.380 --> 00:27:10.360 It's July. It's July. But I brought it up because if social media hashtags were as big a deal back 00:27:10.360 --> 00:27:17.740 then as they are nowadays, the hashtag would have been everywhere. Never forget. We remember. 00:27:20.740 --> 00:27:29.500 That is what Jesus commanded us to do. Just as we stand in awe of the sacrifice that those rescue 00:27:29.500 --> 00:27:36.220 workers gave. Sacrifice that those people went into work that day not expecting that that day would be 00:27:36.220 --> 00:27:46.519 their last. And they gave their lives. We never forget that loss. We never forget all those who stood up. 00:27:46.799 --> 00:27:52.960 We never forget those soldiers who in the months and years to follow went over and tried to wipe out 00:27:52.960 --> 00:28:00.400 the terror cells that had instigated that attack, etc. So many gave their lives as a result of that tragedy 00:28:00.400 --> 00:28:11.579 and we don't forget their sacrifice. But how often do we live as though we don't remember 00:28:11.579 --> 00:28:21.299 what Jesus did in his sacrifice for us? All of us were in the same boat. We were all sinners. 00:28:21.299 --> 00:28:28.399 Some of us might talk a little nicer. Might dress a little nicer. Might try to act a little nicer on the 00:28:28.399 --> 00:28:35.859 outside. But the truth is all of us are just as rotten inside as anybody else. And we're all just as in 00:28:35.859 --> 00:28:45.720 need of a savior as anybody else. And Jesus stepped forward. And according to God's plan, he said, 00:28:45.720 --> 00:28:54.220 I am the sacrifice. I am the one who will pay the price. I am the one who will give up my life. And he did it. 00:28:54.519 --> 00:29:01.720 And that is the hope that we have. That is what we must never forget. That is why we celebrate the Lord's 00:29:01.720 --> 00:29:09.660 Supper. Why we take communion together. To remember. To do it in remembrance of him. To never forget the sacrifice 00:29:09.660 --> 00:29:16.860 that was made. So I'm going to call you into prayer. And at this moment, would you bow your heads? 00:29:17.720 --> 00:29:23.700 Would you enter into this time of saying, God, I recognize that in this time of communion with you, 00:29:23.960 --> 00:29:30.460 of communion with my fellow believers in Christ, I'm going to remember what you did. Say, man, I've never 00:29:30.460 --> 00:29:36.279 forgotten that Jesus died for me. Sure you do. Sometimes all we can think about is ourselves. 00:29:36.279 --> 00:29:41.759 All we can think about is the present day. All we can think about is our needs, our wants, right now, 00:29:41.799 --> 00:29:47.500 our problems. And we forget the sacrifice that was made. It puts everything else into perspective. 00:29:48.139 --> 00:29:55.700 That's why Jesus said, do this in remembrance of me. It will draw you back to your hope. It will draw 00:29:55.700 --> 00:30:00.960 you back to the heart of the gospel. It'll draw you back to the fact that we all can live in harmony 00:30:00.960 --> 00:30:07.200 because of the gospel. So let's remember. Let's remember now.