Lord's Supper - Sermon Notes

Sunday, November 18, 2012

                                                       Lord's Supper

I loved this sermon. A gentle reminder of what it's all about.
And a reminder to me that scholars and historians who do not understand that night at that upper room supper in Jerusalem do not understand human history at all -- without an acceptance of God's redemptive purpose in history, nothing else works. All other theories and explanations lead simply to meaningless ruin and destruction.  Full of sound and fury...signifying nothing....

[Note: The event in Luke 22 is known as the Last Supper. It only happened one time. We call it the Lord's Supper, because we are memorializing the original event, not repeating it.]

The main text was Luke 22.

Introduction: Bro Mike reminded us how frustrating it is to come across old photos, which we assume to be family portraits, and have no notations of date and name on the back. How blessed we are to have eye-witness accounts of Christ's days here on earth - often even dated for us.

This event, we know, occurred at the time of Passover...

Verse 1: Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread, called the Passover, was approaching.

Tens of thousands of Jews would be crowding into Jerusalem for this important time.

In Verses 7-8: Then came the day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, 'Go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover.'

We can faithfully search for meanings in every passage of Scripture - every word is God's Word. We might not always like it and might not want to try to defend it, but it is God's message to us - to all mankind.

Notice the two roads - not one road - in verse 2 we read that the chief priests and the teachers of the law were looking for some way to get rid of Jesus, and Judas was pursuing a way to betray Him, but Peter and John were searching for a place to have Passover with Him.

These same two roads are present today - they are parallel and near - not one here in the US and one in China - right here in front of us - two choices.

Even in the same household - one person seeks to pursue God and come near to Him and another finds way to ignore, or even oppose, Him.

We are so aware of responses around us -- most of what we talk about in church is treated as a joke -- ridiculed -- we are pictured as ignorant.

Two roads - -choices then and the same choices now.

Verses 15-16: And He said to them, 'I have fervently desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.'

Did you know (or remember) that Jesus the Son of God desires that you sit at this table with Him? We have an engraved (with His blood) invitation to join Him, He wants you to be there.

Many people still feel as if God is wanting them to suffer. That He is waiting for them to trip up.

NO - God's grace pulls us toward Him. 'I am not good enough,' we say.

 'I know that. That's why I sent my Son Jesus.'

Illustration: A young man entering the military being sent to Afghanistan. His family and friends meet at the airport for lunch before the plane leaves. It is a happy time - but not a joyous occasion. A memorable meal, but toned down.

Jesus knew the time was coming and only He could walk through that door. He discussed it with His disciples, but to hear it foretold is nothing like the actual experience.

Some people are on that road which will led them to sit down with Jesus at that Banquet Supper in the future. Do they deserve it? Did they earn it? Of course not.

GRACE

I don't deserve a seat at this table.But Jesus provided it for me.

We are taking the Lord's Supper in the interim. One of these days He will blow His horn and sound His trumpet and we will join Him at that Great Table.

This should be a time of compassion for those who don't even think of taking a place at that table.


[Note: I loved this sermon so much. I am re-reading the notes and listening on the website. It's  all so profoundly amazing -- between the Last Supper Jesus had here on earth and that great Banquet Table in the future, we are remembering it all with our celebration of the Lord's Supper -- right here on earth -- right now. This today is just a small taste - a brief glimpse - a preview of what's coming someday in the future!

For the ancient Jews is was the most joyous celebration on their calendar -- for us, it is mixed, because we understand better the cost Jesus paid to give us freedom -- in the future, though, it will be the most joyous time!

Is that one reason we call it amazing grace?]

For full sermon - hear it again - go to: fbc-bc.org and click on sermons...

Dean Koontz - Sorrow, Humility and Words

Sorrow.....

To keep sorrow from overwhelming me, I remain focused on the beauty of the world, which is everywhere to be seen in rich variety, from the smallest wildflowers and the iridescent hummingbird that feeds on them to the night sky diamonded with fiery stars....I keep sorrow in check by anticipating the fulfillment of that much-desired destiny...



Humility....

Narcissists are everywhere in this ripe age of self-love, which amazes me because so much in life would seem to foster humility. Each of us is a potential source of foolishment, each of us endure the consequences of the foolishness of others, and in addition to all of that, Nature frequently works to impress upon us our absurdity and thereby remind us that we are not the masters of the universe that we like to suppose we are....


Words....

Maybe it's just that before anything, came the word, and words are the roots of everything that our senses perceive. Nothing can be imagined, nothing can be visualized in our minds, until we have a word for it....tapping into the primal creative power at the heart of the cosmos.

 -- From Odd Apocalypse, by Dean Koontz



And God said...(Genesis 1)

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning....(John 1)

What the Chinese Figured Out - Philip Yancey

[A result of the Turning Point?]



Because of their ambivalence about the West, Chinese bureaucrats face a constant dilemma: whether to crack down on or encourage the growth of Christianity in China.

Is faith in God good or bad for society?

Sometimes they launch campaigns against the Chinese church and sometimes they openly tolerate it.

Chinese leaders know that the top 15 countries ranked on a respected Prosperity Index have a Christian heritage.

Indexes that rank nations by corruption and economic freedom show exactly the same trend.  Even die-hard atheists have to recognize that religious faith can have positive affects on society.

...a statement from a Chinese scientist indoctrinated in Maoism who had carefully studied the west:

      "One of the things we were asked to look into was what accounted for the success, in fact, the pre-eminence of the West all over the world.

     "We studied everything we could from the historical, political. economic and cultural perspective.

     "At first, we thought it was because you had more powerful guns than we had. Then we thought it was because you had the best political system. Next we focused on your economic system.

     "But in the past twenty years, we have realized that the heart of your culture is your religion: Christianity. That is why the West has been so powerful.

     "The Christian moral foundation of social and cultural life was what made possible the emergence of capitalism and then the successful transition to democratic politics. We don't have any doubt about this."


*From the Communist Party's perspective, it can have a dangerous effect, too. In 2009, the human rights organization Freedom Watch certified 89 countries as "free;" 81 of them were predominantly or historically Christian.

        --From What Good is God? by Philip Yancy

Meet Me

I am so touched by these words of this song by Bobby Michaels. He dedicates this work --

This song is for our Cambodian hosts, Setan and Randa Lee, who survived the Cambodian "Killing Fields." Setan was saved from death when, at the edge of a pit with a Khmer Rouge soldier poised to kill him, he called out to the "Lord of the Universe" to save him, promising he would spend the rest of his life telling others about the "Lord of the Universe"  -- Jesus.

 

Meet Me

 

Meet me, I'll meet you

In the quiet of this room

I'll close the door of life, Lord,

For a moment with you.

 

Meet me, Oh, I'll meet you

In the quiet of this room

You'll show yourself in this holy place.

I'll know you.

 

Meet me, Oh, I'll meet you

In the quiet of this room

Prepare me now for things to come

For the honor of you.

 

Lord of the Universe, be Lord of me

Loosing bonds of all wickedness

Setting me free

Break every yoke

That now separates me from you

Lord of the Universe, be Lord of me.

 

 

 

Come near to God and He will come near to you.

(James 4:8)

 

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me

(John 10:27)

 

If the Son therefore has made you free, you will be free indeed. (John 8:36)

 

Is this not the type of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? (Isaiah 58:6)

 

He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets prisoners free. (Psalm 146:7)

What Jesus Revealed to John- Sermon Notes 10/14/12

Turning to the Book of the Revelation...


The declarations and specific datings of Christ's return by William Miller in the 1800s and Harold Camping in the 1900s have scarred the church with the scorn and ridicule of the world.

But the Book of the Revelation has an important message for us today and had an immediate impact on the early Christians.

The early church faced intense persecution -- including death and imprisonment. John's Revelation encouraged them, reminding them that human history is in the hands of God.

[Often, Bro Mike reminded us, we thank God for the freedom we have today - freedom to worship and exercise our faith. But what are we doing with this freedom?]

Did the early Christians wonder what was happening all around them? Did they wonder why saying 'yes' to Jesus seemed to bring them into danger? Was it going to ruin their lives? 

They were reminded in John's Revelation that earthly places are temporary - even Jerusalem and the Promised Land was temporary. So why, they might wonder, did God provide for His people a land and place of worship; why did He encourage them to hold on to it so tenaciously, when it was all temporary?

I KNOW EXACTLY WHAT GOD IS GOING TO DO

IN THE FUTURE

 

Revelation 21:1-5

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.

I saw the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people and God himself will be with them and be their God.

He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."

He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true."


1. God is going to provide a permanent home for people.

       God cares about a physical place. A physical location. There were no clouds - no floating around - no mist hiding John's vision.

       In Jerusalem today we are not impressed with its actual physical beauty. We look around at the stones and dirt. And some other nation has Temple
Mount. This Jerusalem is temporary.

       Why did the God of all space and time and eternity choose a particular physical place?

2. He is going to join us at that permanent home.

        The tabernacle in the desert and the temple in Jerusalem were symbols of God's presence, but in another way, symbolic of where God wasn't. He brought down His shekinah glory and filled the temple with His glory.

       But in reality, He could not live anywhere there was any microscopic cell of sin. He is holy. He was not there in the same way He is going to be with us -- now the dwelling of God is with men - and He will be with them --

3. He will remove all evidence of sin and suffering.

      Preachers spend much of our lives trying to explain pain and suffering - people wonder, 'God, why couldn't You have just made a slight adjustment to Adam and Eve so they would be obedient to You? Why was that tree so important?'

      Doctors in the ER repair bodies from violent acts and people wonder, why? 'I don't know. Pass the scalpel.'

      God is going to remove all evidence of sin and suffering.

      Note from verse 1: there was no longer any sea.
 In ancient literature, including the Bible, the sea represented the unknown, dark, dangerous...a symbol of evil.

      Someday, He will, wipe away all evidence of our pain and suffering.

IMPLICATIONS OF ALL THIS

 

1. This world is not my home. I know this, but I am still caught up in the world.

 

We might think, "Oh, I want Him to return, but maybe He could wait a couple of weeks....we want to go to Hawaii...", or "I have tickets to the big game..."

 

We would be kidding, but not kidding.

 

Question: Do I really long for verse 3 - having God's dwelling place with me?

 

Bro Mike shared that often he is respected and receives special treatment. Other times his forehead is stamped "Party Pooper"! People wonder, why did you invite him? He's no fun! Hide everything til he leaves, which will probably be early because he doesn't like parties!

 

God right there? is that attractive to us? Is that our desire? Or is it like having the Big Boss around....better hide!

 

2. I'm being prepared for it. I'm not ready. Oh, Bro Mike, you can't be serious! No, there are some things I need to take care of --

 

We need to start imaging how wonderful it will be -- that every conceivable fun thing we can think of is nothing compared to what He has for us.

 

This is a fact: I am going to be OK...I'm going to be changed. 

 

We will be ready. He is going to change us. When we take that first breath of heavenly air, we'll be ready!
 

 

ARE YOU GOING WITH ME?

 

Here's the thing: I have believed what the Bible says about Jesus and I have responded. I am a sinner. I am guilty. He is perfect. At the cross I lost my guilt. I asked Jesus Christ to come into my life.

 

I am not perfect. I need to get over some things. He is patient, nudging and guiding me and speaking to me.

 

One day I will arrive in heaven and I don't deserve it. Jesus will introduce me to His Father as one of His because He paid the price for my sin.

 

 

 

Father, thank you for your word. Thank you for what is absolutely going to be true some day. I pray it would make us live differently - and act like it in our loose grip on things and we would look to you as the Author and Finisher of our faith.This I pray in Jesus
name....



Note: This was a really super message - challenging and comforting and uplifting....go to our web site to hear it all - these notes are really inadequate.... I almost deleted them....

Go to: fbc-bc.org