I Think You'd Better Recognize

Prayer

Introduction

The Lord’s Supper is a symbolic act of obedience, during which we:

· contemplate the price of salvation

· remember the death of our Lord and savior

· anticipate the second coming of Jesus Christ.

Brother’s and Sister’s I am overjoyed and honored to stand before you this morning, prepared to share this message that God blessed me with. As always I want his words to be spoken and mine to be removed.

Our Text can be found in I Cor. 11:23-29, would you please stand for the reading of God’s Word.

1Co:11:23: For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread:

1Co:11:24: And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.

1Co:11:25: After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.

1Co:11:26: For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come.

1Co:11:27: Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.

1Co:11:28: But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.

1Co:11:29: For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.

Now I’m going to jump around in the text a bit so please bear with me this morning. I wrote this just the way it was given to me.

In the text, we find Paul who is speaking to the church in Corinth, about the Lord’s Supper. The Lord’s Supper is a time of examination. The key here is that we must examine ourselves and not one another; we must be honest with the Lord as we confess our sins. We must discern the body. Whenever you see the word DISCERN this morning, define it as the word RECOGNIZE. Why must we Recognize? How can we confess a sin we haven’t recognized as sin? If I haven’t recognized you, one would say I’ve overlooked you. Once overlooked in our minds a sin can be classified as accepted behavior and we will not turn away from it. It is this overlooked sin that is destroying the world; but God in his great and unceasing mercy has provided his grace as a means of redemption. In order to be redeemed what must take place?

· Are you discerning the sin in your life? I think you better recognize!

· Have you been wasting precious time examining your brother or sister? I think you better recognize!

· Are you overlooking a sin that is holding you down? I think you better recognize!

So in order to Contemplate (which means to observe in deep thought) the price of salvation, we must be able to DISCERN or RECOGNIZE ours sins and (and listen closely) TURN AWAY from that sin (for it is this decision that leads to true redemption and the reestablishing of our fellowship with GOD)

Our next stop, this morning is the Lord’s Supper itself. In our text Jesus is eating with the disciples for the last time before the crucifixion. During the meal Jesus says : this is my body, which is broken for you Our Lord was about to become the sacrifice for the sins of mankind. The word broken is usually used to mean destroyed or to be made of no further use. Broken is this case means to make submissive, obedient, and subservient. As in the example of a horse being broken, once this is done that horse is a faithful servant to you. In the past, a lamb was required to bring about redemption from sin but here we find the Lamb of God, who was without blemish or blameless placing himself in a position to take your place on that cross!

· So the Lord is saying this is my Body which will be Broken, so that I may better serve you. My Body is offered to serve you. I think you better recognize!

· Jesus took our place at the cross to be the ultimate sacrifice or the sins of mankind. I think you better recognize!

The Lord’s Supper is our time to Remember the death of our Lord and Savior

Jesus Christ. Remember the pain, the suffering, and the cost of our redemption.

Our Lord then took the cup and said "This cup is the new testament in my blood".. New in this sense means , Of a kind not seen before; and a Testament is a profession of belief. So, a New Testament would be a Profession of Belief of a kind not seen before in my blood, which is shed for you. So in essence what Jesus is saying is that my Blood is required to secure this New Testament. I want to use the Passover feast as an example of God’s power. It celebrates the Hebrews liberation from bondage in Egypt. The 12th chapter of Exodus tells us that The final plague called for the death of the 1st born Egyptians. It required the sacrifice of a year old male Lamb, without blemish. The blood of this lamb was to be spread on the doorposts of each Home, so the Lord’s wrath might “Passover” that household. So over in the new testament we find Jesus that precious lamb without blemish, called to die for the sins of mankind. His precious blood on the doorposts of our souls; So that spiritual death might passover you and me. So in the OLD Testament which was the blood of a Lamb without blemish we were passed over for physical death, but In the NEW Testament which is in the Blood of Jesus, who is that Man without blemish, the Lamb of GOD, we are ( through faith in Him ) passed over from a spiritual death and have everlasting life. Because of that Faith we are overjoyed in knowing the second coming will be soon.