2006-12-03 Communion Dedication – Baldwin Christian Church 

Mark 14:16-25 

16 And his disciples went forth, and came into the city, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover.

17 And in the evening he cometh with the twelve.

18 And as they sat and did eat, Jesus said, Verily I say unto you, One of you which eateth with me shall betray me.

19 And they began to be sorrowful, and to say unto him one by one, Is it I? and another said, Is it I?

20 And he answered and said unto them, It is one of the twelve, that dippeth with me in the dish.

21 The Son of man indeed goeth, as it is written of him: but woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! good were it for that man if he had never been born.

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.

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. 

The Lord’s Supper is one of the outward ways that we show our appreciation of Jesus together.  We pass this bread and cup to every one who will receive it.  As the Passover was being instituted in Exodus 12, the LORD told Moses and Aaron that “the whole assembly of the congregation” should partake of the lamb.  The word got around, and every one had a personal decision to make.  The angel of death would pass over (or pass by) those houses that showed the blood of the lamb on the door.  When the night came, those who believed and obeyed God’s word were saved.  At the Last Supper, Jesus reinterpreted these Passover elements in Himself.  He became the Passover Lamb on the cross (1 Cor 5:7) that the whole world might now partake of Him, knowing that the night is coming. 

Your decision whether to partake or refrain is personal and private, only between you and the Father. I partake of this bread to admit my responsibility in the death of Jesus, the burden of my sins that the Father poured on Him (2 Corinthians 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.).  I drink this cup to proclaim my need for His righteousness, the need for remission of my sins by His blood (Colossians 1:14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:). 

The problems come when I start thinking that I’ve been making it easy for Jesus.  In my mind I’ll say something like, “I’ve been pretty good lately, at least a lot better than some other people I know.  Let’s just get this over with so we can get some dinner.”  When I catch myself in that frame of mind, I know that I haven’t even begun to examine my heart, and I need to start all over again (1 Cor 11:27-34).  As we get closer to the Father, we should see more things that require repentance, not fewer.  When God finally spelled it out to Job, about all Job could say was, “I abhor myself” (Job 42:6). 

We often refer to this supper as “communion”, which is another way of saying “fellowship”.  Fellowship is a very precious thing that we tend to guard jealously.  Part of remembering Jesus is the fellowship at the Last Supper, where He washed the feet of His disciples, even the feet that were about to walk out and betray Him (John 13:10-11).  He shared this Passover with His betrayer, giving him one more opportunity to repent.  Jesus wanted us to learn by His example and by His word, that we should be happy in placing all others above ourselves in this fellowship (John 13:17). 

1 Corinthians 10:31 Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. 

No one has ever glorified God more than Jesus did on the cross.  If He isn’t the main thing in our hearts this morning, then we are not discerning His body, and we should refrain from this sacrament.  We must partake of this in a worshipful manner.  This is a time to confess our sins as a body, and confess our need for cleansing.  This is a time to give thanks, showing forth the joy and treasure of our hearts, the work of the Father through His Son on the cross.  This is not food and drink to feed our flesh.  This is the type of food Jesus talked about in John 4, the meat that is to do the will of the Father.  This is different than the meal we have after church.  This is spiritual food; fuel to renew our hearts for His service.