The Blessing of the Lord’s Supper
No service is quite as wonderful to me as the service of partaking in the Lord’s Supper, The Holy Communion gives me great joy in gathering together in order to remember Christ’s death, His Resurrection, and His Ascension. Jesus Himself instituted this glorious memorial for us, not that we do it weekly, or monthly, or quarterly, but He said, as often as we do it. It is a blessing to us all in being able to remember that our sins have been washed away by the blood of the lamb. I’m sure that we as Christians have a great desire to do something for Jesus. So why not do what He commanded us to do, remember the cross, remember that grave, remember the Resurrection, and remember the Ascension. The memory of these four events will always bring us into a place of great blessings. But let us not continually live on the cross, but let us remember what the cross is all about. “It is finished!” John 19:30 AMP 30 When Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, It is finished! And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit. And let us not continually live in the grave, but only keep in remembrance that ”He is risen” risen out of the grave. Matthew 28:6 AMP 6 He is not here; He has risen, as He said [He would do]. Come, see the place where He lay. For we are to be seated “with Him in glory.” Colossians 3:4 AMP 4 When Christ, Who is our life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in [the splendor of His] glory. The institution of the Lord’s Supper is one of those settings in scripture, a time in the history of our Lord Jesus Christ, when the mysteries of the glories of Christ were being unveiled. As our master walked among the multitudes, they would gather with eagerness and with a longing in their hearts to hear the words that dropped from His gracious lips. And there were some who missed the vision, they saw the Christ, they heard His words, but to them those wonderful words were like idle tales to them. Let us not miss the vision, for in doing so we will not come into the fullness of the ministry of the Spirit. We must embrace the Resurrection touch. And as we embrace the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. We will boldly preach from this pulpit the uncompromised Word of God, thus unveiling the truth, for the dispensation of the Holy Spirit has come to unfold the fullness of redemption so that we might be clothed with power and authority. But we need to examine ourselves to see what stage are we in, are we just religious or are we truly in Christ? Have we humbled ourselves before Him with a broken spirit and a contrite heart? Psalm 51:17 MSG 16-17 Going through the motions doesn’t please you, a flawless performance is nothing to you. I learned God-worship when my pride was shattered. Heart-shattered lives ready for love don’t for a moment escape God’s notice. THE VOICE 17 What sacrifice I can offer You is my broken spirit because a broken spirit, O God, a heart that honestly regrets the past, You won’t detest. The human spirit, when perfectly united with the Holy Spirit, has but one place to reach, death to the flesh, when this happens, the human spirit will cease to desire to have its own way, and instead of it declaring “My Will” the cry of the heart will be, “May Your will, O Lord be done in me. My brothers and sisters in 2014, Jesus will be interceding for us, to keep us right, to keep us holy, to keep us ready, to keep us a mighty, and to keep us so filled with His character, that we in turn might bring the fragrance of heaven into this chaotic world. Partaking of the Lord’s Supper. Before we partake of the Lord’s Supper, I will assume that I’m addressing believers now who are mature. Let me explain this to you, when we drink the cup of blessing, are we not taking into ourselves the blood, the very life, of Christ? And isn’t it the same with the bread we break and eat? Don’t we take into ourselves the body, the very life, of Christ? Because there is one bread, our many-ness becomes one-ness in Christ doesn’t become fragmented in us. Rather, we become unified in Him. We don’t reduce Christ to what we are; He raises us to what He is. That’s basically what happened even in old Israel—those who ate the sacrifices offered on God’s altar entered into God’s action at the altar. Brethren, we are under a new covenant [ratified and established] in His blood. And we will do this as often as we do, in calling Jesus affectionately to our remembrance. 1 Corinthians 11:26-27 26 For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are representing and signifying and proclaiming the fact of the Lord’s death until He comes [again]. Is there a worthy and unworthy manner of partaking the Lord’s Supper? 27 So then whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in a way that is unworthy [of Him] will be guilty of [profaning and sinning against] the body and blood of the Lord. Eight Ways to Partake Unworthily 1. By taking the Lord's Supper in envying and strife (1Cor. 11:18). 2. By taking it to commemorate a mere historical fact, as the Jews celebrated the passover (1Cor. 11:19). 3. By taking it in gluttony and drunkenness (1Cor. 11:21-22). 4. By taking it in disrespect to God and His church (1Cor. 11:22). 5. By taking it in disrespect to the poor and needy (1Cor. 11:22). 6. By taking it in unbelief, not realizing its true significance, and not discerning the Lord's body and blood to receive the benefits by faith (1Cor. 11:27-30). 7. By taking it as an unsaved man with sin in the life and without making proper confession and acknowledgement of personal needs (1Cor. 11:27-30). 8. By taking it without judging oneself so as to escape chastening from God (1Cor. 11:31-32). 1 Corinthians 11:31-32 (KJV) 31 For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. 32 But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. For if we are judging ourselves correctly, we will not be judged by others. But when the Lord Who is able to judge us does, He will discipline us so that we won’t be condemned along with the rest of the world. 1 Corinthians 11:28-33 28 Let a man [thoroughly] examine himself, and [only when he has done] so should he eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without discriminating and recognizing with due appreciation that [it is Christ’s] body, eats and drinks a sentence (a verdict of judgment) upon himself. 30 That [careless and unworthy participation] is the reason many of you are weak and sickly, and quite enough of you have fallen into the sleep of death. 31 For if we searchingly examined ourselves [detecting our shortcomings and recognizing our own condition], we should not be judged and penalty decreed [by the divine judgment]. 32 But when we [fall short and] are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined and chastened, so that we may not [finally] be condemned [to eternal punishment along] with the world. 33 So then, my brothers, when you gather together to eat [the Lord’s Supper], wait for one another. Let us have order at the Lord's Supper and in the house of God, let us not come together in disorder and condemnation. On the night that He was betrayed He took some bread and gave thanks to the Father for it. Then He broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this to remember Me.” After supper He took another cup of wine and said, “This cup is the new covenant between God and His people—an agreement confirmed with My blood, which is poured out as a sacrifice for you. Let us Pray! Father, we give You thanks for all You have provided for us in Christ Jesus. We confess this day we are the blessed of the Lord. This covenant we’ve entered into at the new birth is a covenant with the exceeding great and precious promises of God, are we are partakers of those promises! We have been delivered from the authority of darkness and translated into the Kingdom of Your dear Son. All that we set our hands to prospers, and we praise you Father, for newness of life we now enjoy in Jesus’ name Amen. Now it’s time to join forces with the kingdom of Heaven. In joining forces every believer should become a living epistle of the word, one who is read and known by all. My Brothers and Sisters your very presence should bring such a witness of the Spirit that everyone with whom you come in contact will know that you’re sent of God, that you are a light in the world, a manifestation of Christ, a Biblical Christian. Dr. Pancho Pastor Tree of Life Church May the Peace of God overwhelm you!!!! |