Road to Redemption – A Teacher’s Trip – 2/17/08
Date: 2/17/08
Sermon Series: Road To Redemption
Sermon Title: A Teacher’s Trip
Text: Matt. 26: 17-18, 26-28
“Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Where will you have us prepare for you to eat the Passover?” He said, “Go into the city to a certain man and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, My time is at hand. I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.’ ””
“Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”
Theme:
Introduction: Last words – I spent some time this week looking at rather a bizarre collection that has been made of the last words imparted by well known people. Here are a few which I thought were interesting.
Ethan Allen (!738-1789) –
“Waiting are they, waiting are they? Well let them wait.
After being told by an attending minister that the angels were waiting for him
Marie Antoinette (1755-1793) – “Pardonnez moi monsieur”
After stepping on the foot of the executioner
Charlie Chaplin – (1889-1977) – “Why not after all it belongs to Him”
In response to the priest saying may the Lord have mercy on your soul
The Marquis De Favras – (1744-1790) – “I see that you made three spelling mistakes”
Upon being given his written sentence of death by the court clerk on the way up to the executioner
Edmund Gwenn – (1875-1959) – “Dying is easy, comedy is difficult.”
Lawrence, Saint (?-258)
“Turn me. I am roasted on one side.”
Saint Lawrence is one of the most celebrated Roman martyrs. A church deacon during the time Emperor Valerian was vigorously persecuting christians, Lawrence also served as the keeper of the church’s treasures. He was arrested and told that to save himself he must give the church treasures to the government. Lawrence readily agreed and told the official that it would take at least eight days to assemble them. On the eighth day, Lawrence returned to the prefect and presented him with hundreds of poor and disabled men, women, and children. “These,” he said, “are the riches of the church.” The enraged official then ordered Lawrence to be stripped, tied face down on a gridiron suspended over a bed of coals, and slowly burned to death. Lawrence maintained a cheerful appearance through out the ordeal and, when asked if he had any last request, responded with his last words. His behavior was said to have been so impressive that several Roman senators converted to Christianity on the spot, and hundreds of citizens did the same the following day.
Transition: While the institution of the last supper is not the last words which Jesus spoke, the gravity of the night’s conclusion are in the background of everything that goes on in this upper room on that Thursday night. These are the last moments of instruction Jesus will spend with His disciples before His mission of redemption is completed. It is these instructions to which the early Church fastidiously attached themselves. It is to these moments the disciples will return in order to carry out the instructions and find the strength to accomplish the kingdom work Jesus is leaving them in charge of. Over the years I have spent a lot of time thinking about the instructions Jesus gave as he instituted this portion of the Churches continuing worship. As we look at this instruction today I want us to spend some time thinking about the need to use the framework this institution provides us in order to take a good look at our place in the kingdom.
1. Looking Backwards – (wrapped up in the Passover)
a. For the Jewish disciples the incredible symbolism of what was happening in front of them in light of the Passover meal they were sharing would not be lost on them. – Paul makes the meaning clear in 1 Cor. 5:7
b. To the Old Testament promises fulfilled in the Messiah.
i. Some of the passages where the disciples remembered after the fact what were written, that was fulfilled by Jesus.
1. Matt. 2:18 – The killing of the young children by Herod – from Jeremiah
2. Matt. 12:18-21 – Jesus withdrawing from the crowds after healing and teaching – from Isaiah
3. Matt. 21:5 – The Triumphal entry from Isaiah and Zechariah
c. For the Christian today, as we participate in the Lord’s Supper it is imperative for us to spend some time looking back as well. Although we, like the first disciples, can look into the OT scriptures and rejoice in the plan of salvation that God has shepherded through the ages, I think it is more important for us to look back on our lives and attitudes before we became aware of Jesus’ great love for us. We stand here in the presence of God, regenerated by the power of God distributed in our lives by the Holy Spirit and delivered to us by Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross.
d. To a life of futility which has been left behind in the dark recesses of the past invisible in the incredible light of God’s promises fulfilled in Christ. That is why we can celebrate the Lord’s Supper!
e. Transition: While it is imperative that we look backward into the framework out of which we were built as the body of Christ it is also imperative that we look forward.
2. Looking Forwards – “…when I drink it new with you in the Father’s kingdom.”
a. To the final consummation of this meal in heaven.
i. The Old covenant was a promise that God would bring His people to a land of their own and provide a coming Messiah.
ii. The New covenant we celebrate is God’s promise of an eternal home in heaven and of the future wedding banquet we will celebrate there.
1. The wedding feast – (An illustration of the joy of weddings)
a. Taught on by Jesus – Matt. 22:1-14
b. Celebrated in our meal – Luke 22:28-30
c. Promised in the future – Rev. 19:6-9
3. Looking Outward – “Drink of it all of you”
a. One of the main points of this meal is to instruct us on the unity of the body.
i. 1 Cor. 10:17, 1 Cor. 11:17-19 – Give some background on the way that the first century believers participated in the Lord’s Supper.
1. The house churches of the areas.
2. In his book on Biblical backgrounds James Packer gives a picture of a meal shared in a house Church where everyone brought food to participate. The meal was opened with a blessing and a sharing of a piece of bread and ended with another blessing and sharing of a glass of wine this is very different than the formalized structure of the Lord’s Supper which we celebrate today.
a. Share how the believer’s often participated in the Lord’s Supper during the course of their lives.
3. Whatever the form, this meal is an acted out sermon that we all participate in. It is meant to unite us in the very purpose of our gathering. It is a focus point for us to keep in our sights.
a. It is as if we look at the bread, visualize Jesus’ broken body o the cross and become refocused in our purpose as a body. We then take the juice and re-vow our covenant together.
4. Looking Inward – 1 Cor. 11:28 – 32
a. Examine yourselves
b. This self examination occurs in the context of how it is that we feel about the rest of the body.
c. Paul goes on to say to them that some of them are actually suffering physical ailments because God is adjusting their attitude about how it is that they are treating others who are sharing in the body of Christ.
d. Jesus talks about this attitude when we come to worship.
i. Matt. 5:23-24
ii. When we examine ourselves what we need to ask ourselves is am I harboring ill feelings toward a member of the body of Christ that need to be dealt with? If I am I can’t worship God freely and openly.
