Back to BasicsChrist Centered Communion

Intro

Back to Basics Series

Explain --- Vince Lombardi giving the Illustration of this is a football

For us – This is the Bible

This Is a Bible It is the source of truth, The standard for meaningful life, The revelation of Jesus Christ, The key to true freedom and liberty, Food for man's soul.

This Early Church was a church on Fire for God

The Six BASICS I see characteristic of the Early Church are

B “Boldly Share” The Gospel

A “Acquire the Fire” of the Holy Spirit

S Steady Prayer for Life

I Intentional Fellowship

C Christ Centered Communion

S Study The Word

Acts 2:42-47

The Fellowship of the Believers42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching   and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread   and to prayer . 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

I. Communion Background

A. Common Names

1. Agape feast / love feast --- celebrated the love of God and the love they had for one another and the early Christian would conclude this gathering with remembering what Jesus did on the cross

2. Lord’s Supper, Last Supper --- that Jesus had with his disciples in the upper room before His death

3. Holy Communion --- Term that most church use today describing this sacrament of the church

4. Eucharist --- to thank, expressing gratitude to Jesus Christ for his death

We see Communion as a Sacrament of the church just as we do Water Baptism

B. Old Testament Origin

Luke 22

The Last Supper7 Then came the day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. 8 Jesus sent Peter and John,   saying,   “Go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover.”9 “Where do you want us to prepare for it?” they asked.

10 He replied, “As you enter the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him to the house that he enters, 11 and say to the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ 12 He will show you a large room upstairs, all furnished. Make preparations there.”

I Cor.56 Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough? 7 Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.

So let’s look back for a few moments into the OT and discover why Paul is calling Jesus our Passover lamb and when the disciples are being directed to set up for communion, Jesus calls it Passover.

We go back to a time when God’s people, Israel, were living in Egypt as a place of refuge and care under Joseph’s incredible favor of Egypt’s ruler Pharoah.

Ex. 16 Now Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation died, 7 but the Israelites were exceedingly fruitful; they multiplied greatly, increased in numbers and became so numerous that the land was filled with them.

8 Then a new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing, came to power in Egypt.9 “Look,” he said to his people, “the Israelites have become far too numerous for us.

So favor and refuge quickly turned into bondage and slavery.

Pharaoh was ruthless, required more bricks and work to be done while giving them less materials to make them.It was at this time

Ex.223 During that long period, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God. 24 God heard their groaning and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. 25 So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them.

So as we know, God raises up a leader in Moses

God gives Moses a message for Pharaoh and a message for Israel To Israel – I have heard your cries and groaning To Pharaoh – Let my people go, to worship me in the

wilderness

Next came the 10 plagues --- 9 of which were this back and forth of Pharaoh saying ok, stop the plague, I’ll let the people go, ahhh, I change my mind

It was just after the 9th plague that God announces the 10th and final plague --- Death of FirstbornThis plague was a judgment on all of Egypt’s gods, including Pharaoh himself. In Exodus 1, Pharaoh had killedthe sons of Israel. Now the Lord kills the firstborn sons of the Egyptians (Exodus 11-12). Pharaoh will now letIsrael go. He will later loose his army to death in the Red Sea (Exodus 14:4-31).

Ex. 11:4-5

4 So Moses said, “This is what the LORD says: ‘About midnight I will go throughout Egypt. 5 Every firstborn son in Egypt will die, from the firstborn son of Pharaoh, who sits on the throne, to the firstborn son of the female slave, who is at her hand mill, and all the firstborn of the cattle as well.

Ex.12:1-1412 The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt, 2 “This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year. 3 Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb [ a ]   for his family, one for each household.   4   If any household is too small for a whole lamb, they must share one with their nearest neighbor, having taken into account the number of people there are. You are to determine the amount of lamb needed in accordance with what each person will eat.   5   The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect,   and you may take them from the sheep or the goats. 6 Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the members of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight. 7  Then they are to take some of the blood   and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs.   8 That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast. 9 Do not eat the meat raw or boiled in water, but roast it over a fire—with the head, legs and internal organs. 10 Do not leave any of it till morning; if some is left till morning, you must burn it.11 This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is the LORD’s Passover.

12 “On that same night I will pass through   Egypt and strike down   every firstborn of both people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods   of Egypt . I am the LORD.

God was bringing a very clear cut distinction by the use of a sign, and by that it would distinguish between those that were His people and those that were not

 13 The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over   you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.14   “This is a day you are to commemorate;   for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the   LORD —a lasting ordinance.

II. Communion NT and Beyond

A. Correction from Paul

I Cor.11

Correcting an Abuse of the Lord’s Supper17 In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good. 18 In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it.19 No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God’s approval. 20 So then, when you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat, 21 for when you are eating, some of you go ahead with your own private suppers. As a result, one person remains hungry and another gets drunk. 22 Don’t you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God by humiliating those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? Certainly not in this matter!

The Agape love feasts of the early church which closed with communion had become worldly and carnal at the church in Corinth. They had taken and twisted something that was good and now needed correction. The Agape feast had

become a gluttonous, drunken party. On top of that, the wealthy Christians brought plenty of food and drink for themselves but refused to share, thus letting their poorer brothers and sisters in Christ go away hungry.

Macarthur writes, “The love feast and communion celebration had become so perverted that it was a sinful, selfish mockery. They could not legitimately say it was devoted to the Lord, since it was not honoring to Him.”

B. Paul – to the church in Corinth

1. Reminder

I Cor.11:2323 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: 

This wasn’t new information that Paul was giving them. Other translations use the word “delivered” meaning something that he may have personally taught them when present with them before.

2. Treat with Respect and Reverence Paul gives the instructions about the Lord’s supper, which we will get

to in a moment, but just after that he describes what to do, he instructs on “how to do.”

How many know it’s not only in what we do, but also in how we do, what we do.

The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 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.” 25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.27   So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.

1st – Paul is saying don’t do the things you were doing in having this feast before, acting incredibly selfish, gluttonous, drunken party --- Don’t do that anymore --- But instead…

28   Everyone ought to examine themselves   before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup.   29   For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves.

So what does this mean for us to do. Well, we put ourselves to the test. What’s our heart’s attitude – What kind of outward conduct have we been involved in that

may be contrary to what God would be pleased with? Knowing the true nature and purpose of the Lord’s supper ---

we come with immense appreciation for the spiritual grace and mercy that God has extended to me

Jesus, but for your Blood, I would rightfully receive death for my sins

And as a man and a father, I want to thank God for the precious blood of Jesus that covers them as well even though they may not fully realize it, I can thank God on there behalf

Back in Egypt --- This blood on the door post meant that my son, my son can live, now this blood that Jesus shed on the cross means that all my children have been extended a pardon for there sins.

To be apathietic or complacent towards the Lord’s supper, Paul speaks of

3. ConsequencesNo need to wonder what Paul is getting at, he spells it out right here in verse 30  30   That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep.   31   But if we were more discerning with regard to ourselves, we would not come under such judgment.   32   Nevertheless, when we are judged in this way by the Lord, we are being disciplined   so that we will not be finally condemned with the world.

Here the Bible is saying that this Judgment is not one that is punitive to destruction, but more a fatherly form of discipline to bring us, as His children to a place of repentance and turning away from our sin.

We see the Correction from Paul to the Corinthian church on Communion, that followed by Paul’s instruction and warning regarding communion

Now let’s look at what Jesus did and said when leading communion with His disciples.

C. Example of Jesus

Luke 2213 They left and found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover.14 When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. 15 And he said to them,   “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. 16 For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.”17 After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you. 18 For I tell you I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”19   And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it,   and gave it to them, saying,“This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”

1. He said of the bread --- “This is my body”

This is precisely what a sacrament is. William Barclay says, “A sacrament is something, usually a very ordinary thing, which has acquired a meaning far beyond itself for those who have eyes to see and hearts to understand. There is nothing specially theological or mysterious about this.”

This ordinary bread is going to serve for us today in this moment, as a symbol of an extrodinary act of Jesus allowing His body to be broken, being the qualifying perfect Lamb without blemish

Let me speak of sacrament this way, I have a lot of Bibles in my office that I use for study, but I have two that I never use for study but have so much more meaning than all my others combined.

Let me explain… (My first bible and my Grandmother’s bible)

How many guys have tools at home? Me to…(Grandfather’s tools)

2. He said of the cup --- Luke 22:2020 In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying,   “This cup is the new covenant   in my blood, which is poured out for you.[a]

This cup represents a new covenant, accomplished, put forth, as a result of, made possible because of, could not happen any other way but by the blood of Jesus.

A covenant is an agreement between two people, in this case God and us

Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry

Understanding Covenant is important for several reasons:

1. We learn that God deals with man covenantally.

2. Since a Covenant is an agreement, it is a promise made by God. Because we can rely on God's word for eternity, we can take great comfort in His covenant promising us eternal life in His Son.

3. It helps us to see the Bible as a covenant document.  The Old and New Testaments are Old and New Covenants.

4. With Covenant understood as a framework through which the Bible was written, we can better understand it, God’s dealings with us through it, and our responsibilities to God as well as His to us.

5. We can better understand the symbols used by God in covenant ratification: The Lord’s Supper and Baptism.

This covenant was made and written by the blood of Jesus

ClosingHe Said to Remember

Jesus knew has easy it was for the human mind to forget things. Maybe it was a human trait easy for him to remember from those that were close to Him while here.

Anyone tend to forget things here this morning