Sermon Central
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The Sweet Life- Commnunion Celebration
Contributed by John Harvey on Aug 26, 2004 (message contributor)
Summary: Communion service with examples of bitterness and the sweet rewards of following Christ
“The Sweet Life”
A Communion Celebration
The Problem of Sin
Sin= Actions or attitudes by which humans rebel against God, miss His purpose for their life, and surrender to the power of evil rather than to God.
The words used in the Bible for sin mean “to miss the mark.”
Sin had its origins in humanity in Genesis 3.
Adam and Eve were in paradise. The Garden of Eden was the perfect environment that God created to house his most precious creation. The only forbidden thing was the fruit on the tree in the middle of the Garden.
“When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.” Genesis 3:6-7 (NIV)
The result of sin is broken fellowship with God and shame for ourselves.
After Adam and Eve sinned they were embarrassed and hid from God.
Sin is the universal problem of mankind.
“As it is written: ‘There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.’”
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”
** Eat the olives (Piano Only)
Sin leaves a bitterness and a void in our lives.
What Can Be Done About Sin?
Sin requires a payment. If all of mankind is guilty, then all of mankind must pay.
The old covenant of God called for a sacrifice to pay for sin.
“If the offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he is to offer a male without defect. He must present it at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting so that it will be acceptable to the Lord. He is to lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will be accepted on his behalf to make atonement for him.” Leviticus 1:3-4(NIV)
The blood of the animal became a covering for sin.
“Atonement” means reconciliation.
Jesus became the sacrifice for us.
“He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised from the dead to make us right with God.”
Romans 4:25 (New Living Translation)
“During the meal, Jesus took and blessed the bread, broke it, and gave it to his disciples: ‘Take, eat. This is my body.’ Taking the cup and thanking God, he gave it to them: ‘Drink this, all of you. This my blood, God’s new covenant poured out for many people for the forgiveness of sins’”
Matthew 26:26-27 (The Message)
The bread and cup represent the body and blood of Jesus sacrificed on the cross for us.
“For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.”
I Peter 5:18(NIV)
**(Nothing But The Blood)
God allowed Jesus to become our sacrifice because of his love for us.
“But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.”
Romans 5:8 (New Living Translation)
When we experience the communion, we are to remember the love of God and the sacrifice of Jesus.
**Take the bread and the juice.(Your Love Is Deep)
The Result
The result of the forgiveness of sin is a purposeful life and peace with God.
“The thief’s purpose is to steal, kill, and destroy. My purpose is to give life in all its fullness.” John 10:10 (NLT)
“Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.”
Romans 5:1 (NLT)
The forgiveness of our sin takes away the bitterness of life and replaces it with a sweet relationship to God.
** (Come Just As You Are)
** Pass our Tootsie Rolls
** Sing to the King
**God of Wonders
**There is Joy in the Lord
Conclusion
Are you living the sweet life of forgiveness or are you stuck in the bitterness of your sin?
