Communion: Religious Ritual Or Life Altering Truth?

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1 Mailing Address: PO Box 797 Molalla, OR Phone: Fax: Pastor Dale Satrum Communion: Religious Ritual Or Life Altering Truth? Intro: Share about strange religious rituals around the world. Is Communion any different? Is this just another religious ritual or does it really represent truth that changes a person s life? Summarize last evening with Disciples / Upper room events / The events that took place after the upper room have changed the course of world history. What is the significance of using bread and juice to remember what Jesus has done? Why did Jesus say to do this in remembrance of Him? What is the significance of Jesus sacrifice? Since communion represents His sacrifice on the cross, why is it so significant? I. Jesus Sacrifice Fulfilled The Old Testament Law Matt 5:17 Don t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writing of the prophets. No, I came to fulfill them. (NLT) The Old Testament had a sacrificial system in place. That system foreshadowed Jesus. The system was preparation for what Jesus would ultimately do. A. Jesus fulfilled the Passover 1. Explain the Passover feast. (Their departure from Egypt under Moses) The blood of a lamb protected the Israelites from God s judgment. God saw the blood and passed over them. 2. Jesus came as the fulfillment of this OT practice. He became the final Passover lamb and now God s judgment passes over us. On the same day that the Passover lamb was killed Jesus was crucified. Not a coincidence! John 1:29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, Look! There is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! (NLT) I Cor. 5:7 Christ our Passover Lamb has been sacrificed for us (NLT) 3. The cross represents that God s judgment has Passed over us. We are protected from judgment because of Jesus sacrifice. B. Jesus fulfilled the Day of Atonement 1. Explain the Day of Atonement Page 1

2 One goat was killed and blood sprinkled; while sin was symbolically transferred to the second goat (priests laying hands) and then lead out into the wilderness to die. (The scapegoat) Heb. 9:28 So also Christ died only once as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. (NLT) Context of Heb. 9 is the Day of Atonement. Is. 53:6 the Lord laid on him the guilt and sins of us all. (NLT) 2. Jesus became our scapegoat. Our sin was placed upon Him at the cross and He carried our sins away for us. Heb. 10:18 Now, when sins have been forgiven, there is no need to offer any more sacrifices. (NLT) Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament Law! It s finished! No more sacrifices are necessary. Forgiveness was accomplished through what Jesus did once for all! He was the Passover lamb and the scapegoat for us! II. Jesus Sacrifice Satisfied God s Justice A. God s justice required punishment for sin. 1. His character will not allow Him to ignore wrong. Justice requires payment. God wouldn t be a just God is He ignored sin. 2. Our justice system works in much the same way. When laws are broken, there are consequences / penalties / fines / jail time / etc Justice requires punishment. 3. This is how it works in God s system as well. We are all guilty for breaking God s spiritual and moral laws. None of us are perfect. We all have sin in our lives. Rom. 3:23 For all have sinned; all fall short of God s glorious standard. (NLT) Where does this lead to? Rom. 6:23 For the wages of sin is death (NLT) Consequences! Physical and spiritual death. 4. Since God s character will not allow Him to ignore sin, He has to punish sin otherwise, he wouldn t be just. B. Jesus took our place to satisfy the justice of God Luke 22:19 This is my body given, for you (NLT) In your place! Rom. 3:25 For God sent Jesus to take the punishment for our sins and to satisfy God s anger against us. (NLT) Justice had to be satisfied. I John 4:10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. (NASB) The satisfying sacrifice Eph. 1:7 He purchased our freedom through the blood of His Son, and our sins are forgiven (NLT) 1. Why the word purchase? Because justice had to be satisfied. If you were in jail for breaking the law, someone could pay your bail and you could go Page 2

3 free. Someone could purchase your freedom. This is what Jesus did on the cross. The bail for us was His life! 2. Jesus fulfilled what God s justice / what His character required! III. Jesus Sacrifice Broke The Power Of Satan A. The cross took away the fear of death that Satan inflicted us with Heb. 2:14 For only as a human being could He die, and only by dying could He break the power of the Devil, who had the power of death. (NLT) 1. The only way for Jesus to break the power of death was to become a man and die then to over power-death by resurrection. 2. Why did Satan have this power? It was given to him when Adam and Eve gave into the temptation of Satan in the Garden of Eden. Death didn t exist until sin entered the world. Power of death was given to him in the Garden. 3. Now people lived in fear of death. What was there to expect on the other side of death? Mystery the unknown hopelessness. 4. After the resurrection, the power of death is broken and the truth of eternal life is offered. Death may have a sting, but it has no more power over people who have a relationship with Jesus. WHY? Because to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord! 5. The promise of heaven / eternal relationships / reunions / new bodies B. The cross took away the power of sin that Satan inflicted us with Col. 2:14-15 He cancelled the record that contained the charges against us. He took it and destroyed it by nailing it to Christ s cross. In this way God disarmed the evil rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by His victory over them on the cross of Christ. (NLT) 1. Satan knew we were all guilty before God deserving punishment. In fact, Satan is called the accuser. In a way, he was like the prosecuting attorney with God as the Judge. We were guilty with no alibi. He had us! 2. The cross cancelled out all spiritual charges against us. So, not only was Jesus being nailed to the cross, but also, all the ways we had broken God s spiritual laws. All spiritual charges all our sin was being nailed there as well. 3. This event disarmed all spiritual powers over us. They have no more right to accuse or control our lives. This is why the Bible says there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. No charges! WHY? Because over your life it says Paid in Full! IV. Jesus Sacrifice Established A New Covenant Luke 22:20 This wine is the token of God s new covenant to save you an agreement sealed with the blood I will pour out for you. (NLT) Page 3

4 Covenant: An agreement / a promise / Jesus sacrifice and death established a new promise between God and mankind. Heb. 9:15 He is the One who mediates the new covenant between God and people, so that all who are invited can receive the eternal inheritance God has promised them. (NLT) A. The new covenant is entirely based upon what God has done through Jesus 1. It is based entirely upon God s grace. We didn t do anything! 2. It is based upon God s love for us. God loves you! This is His motivation. Some of you may think Why would God do this? 3. It is based upon God s mercy. God never wanted us to experience His judgment. He never wanted us to taste the consequences of sin. 4. It is based upon providing complete forgiveness. Nothing is beyond the reaches of God s forgiveness for your life. The sacrifice of Jesus is stronger then any sin! 5. It is based upon God s desire to have a personal relationship with those He created. What was lost in the Garden of Eden can be restored! We can go back to the original design. Back to what we were created for Intimacy with God. 6. Jesus did everything for us. This is one of the key reasons Christianity is so unique compared to other world religions. Mohammed did not become the Passover lamb / Buddha did not become our scapegoat for our sins. No other religious figure could possibly satisfy the justice of God! 7. Every other religious system is about what man can do to reach God. Biblical Christianity is all about what God did to reach out to man! B. The new covenant simply requires us to accept it We have a choice we never had before. John 3:16-17 For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life. God did not send His Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it. (NLT) John 1:12-13 But to all who believed in Him and accepted Him, He gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn! This is not a physical birth this rebirth comes from God. (NLT) 1. When we participate in communion, when we take the bread and drink from the cup, we are first saying that we have entered into this relationship with Christ. We ve taken Him up on His offer of forgiveness and relationship. 2. We are declaring that I believe in what He accomplished on the cross and have accepted Him in my life. Only those who have accepted this new covenant should participate. Page 4

5 3. Notice that it says that we have to do more than just believe in Him we must accept Him. (explain difference) Some people miss God by only 18 inches. (explain) 4. If you ve never accepted this relationship, I want to give you an opportunity to do so before we celebrate communion together. In fact, I just want to give us all an opportunity to prepare our hearts and minds. This table these elements represent what Jesus did for us. This is no meaningless ritual This is life altering. These truths alter our eternities! 1. Jesus fulfilled the OT system (Passover lamb / scapegoat) 2. Jesus satisfied God s justice for you 3. Jesus broke the power of Satan for you (death and sin) 4. Jesus established a new covenant for you. Relationship with Him forever! Page 5