2006-04-16 Communion Dedication – Baldwin Christian Church
Mark 14:22-28
22 And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body.
His life unstained by sin, His body given for all people, offered, not forced. He reached out with this unleavened bread in hand, offering it to those He loved that night, and He offers it to you today. On that night, He gave it to everyone there, to one who denied Him as soon as the heat was on (Mark 14:66-72), to one who refused to believe in the Resurrection, except he see and touch the body (John 20:25), and even to one who betrayed Him to death (Mark 14:45). He reached out to them with that bread, and then He gave the commandment (take; eat). Each one of them had a personal decision to make. With the things of God, we each have to decide for ourselves whether to reach out and take it, refuse it, or put it off ‘til later. If we take it, we then have to decide if we want to hold it or eat it; is Jesus a fish, a cross, a bumper sticker, a church on Sunday, or is He getting into us, transforming us from the inside out?
23 And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it.
24 And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many.
25 Verily I say unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God.
Father does not need to scare us into doing anything with visions of hell-fire and eternal torment, neither does He need to tempt or bribe us with promises of heavenly goodies. His goodness is crying out to our conscience, pleading with us to turn away from empty, earthly pursuits, and tempting us to taste of Him. His goodness is more than sufficient reason.
26 And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.
27 And Jesus saith unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered. (Zechariah 13:7; Matthew 26:56; Mark 14:50-52)
28 But after that I am risen, I will go before you into Galilee.
At this supper, sitting at His table, your conscience should be near enough to hear Him, near enough to take from Him what He is handing you. There is nothing strange or exotic about this.
Isaiah 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Whatever transgressions we are guilty of today, no matter how small or big, He wants to deal with our conscience now. As we lift up our voices in praise and song, and pass around the communion elements, our shortcomings should stand up and convict each of us, individually; not everybody else’s faults, just our own. Repentance should be foremost in our minds as we confess our guilt before Him, and to Him. If your conscience is too far away to hear Him at this time, or if you are unwilling to listen to His call, then it would be better if you did not partake of this sacrament (1 Cor 11:27-32).
Examining ourselves in the light of truth can be a very humbling, even depressing experience, but on days like today, it might help to remember how Jesus treated someone like Mary Magdalene. Seven demons had made their home in this woman. Surely, her life was full of things we would call scandalous, but Jesus had the power to transform her, and her soul found satisfaction. Her starving, empty soul filled with goodness when Jesus Christ came into her life.
Psalm 107:9 For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.
Jesus chose Mary Magdalene, to free her from the bondage of sin, and He chose her as the very first Christian to lay eyes on Him that Resurrection morning. Should we be somber during communion? I think somber should turn into sober. Mary Magdalene was somber as she made her way to Jesus’ tomb that morning, but somber turned to sober when she noticed the stone was rolled away. Sober turned into joy and praise, as she became the first to see that the grave had no power over Jesus. Joy and praise turned into exhilaration and honor, as she ran to tell the other disciples that Jesus was alive. Do you think she felt her feet hitting the ground with each stride?
The goodness of God is leading us to repentance, but that is just the beginning. The blood of the New Testament poured out of Jesus’ side with the intent that we would come into a new relationship with His Father, and our Father; His God, and our God (John 20:17). Today, let’s allow His goodness to convict our hearts (Romans 2:4), and let’s allow His Word and His will to control our hearts forevermore.
Isaiah 25:6-8
And in this mountain shall the LORD of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined. And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the vail that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it.
Isaiah 63:7 I will mention the lovingkindnesses of the LORD, [and] the praises of the LORD, according to all that the LORD hath bestowed on us, and the great goodness toward the house of Israel, which he hath bestowed on them according to his mercies, and according to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses.