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A Time To Remember
Contributed by Mike Fogerson on Apr 9, 2007 (message contributor)
Summary: Communion remembrance is us participating with Jesus in His death and resurrection now.
A Time to Remember
Maundy Thursday Sermon
Apr. 5, 2007 FBC, Chester Mike Fogerson, Pastor
Introduction:
A A.M. Hunter suggests, "‘Remembering’, in the Biblical idiom, is not to entertain a pallid idea of a past event in one’s mind, but to make the event present again so that it controls the will & becomes potent in our lives for good or ill."
1 Communion remembrance is us participating with Jesus in His death & resurrection now!
a Jesus, I’m with You!
b I’m standing at the cross with You; hanging on the cross with You; I’m coming out of the tomb with You.
2 I’m with You!
3 Communion is participation
B As we participate, we enter the upper room, everything has been prepared & secured.
1 The food has arrived
2 The Master & His 12 followers were assembled
3 Ready to celebrate Passover, an event that had happened 1,200 years prior.
4 And Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, "Go and prepare the Passover for us, so that we may eat it." Luke 22:8 (NASB)
C The people of Israel are all about remembering.
1 Passover remembers what God did for Israel by setting them free from Egypt’s Pharaoh.
a Red Sea, manna, water from the rock, pillar of fire/cloud
b They still remember to this day
2 Even today, every army officer swears an oath of allegiance on Masada, where 960 Jewish Zealots committed suicide rather than being taken captive by the Romans.
a They swore, "Masada shall never fall again."
3 Holocaust museum has a similar message: "Remember the 6 million Jews who lost their lives under Hitler’s regime! Remember, & be certain it never happens again."
Tonight, let’s prepare & remember as we come to the Lord’s Table (transitional sentence).
I Remember the Covenant-giver And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, "This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me." 20 And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, "This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood. Luke 22:19-20 (NASB)
A Through Jesus, God established a new covenant with His people (both Jew & Gentile) that provided for the forgiveness of sin.
1 The new covenant went way beyond the old sacrificial system of the Jews.
a Once a year, one lamb per household was sacrificed as a sin offering for that family.
b The lamb was to be perfect, without blemish, defect. Just right
2 In the new covenant, people could plainly see the depth of God’s love & the length He’d go just to have a personal relationship with them.
a Although Calvary was still a day away, the cross was squarely in the middle of the upper room.
b The covenant was sealed by a broken & spilled body.
"Do this in remembrance of Me."
II Remember the servant Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come forth from God and was going back to God, 4 got* up from supper, and laid* aside His garments; and taking a towel, He girded Himself. 5 Then He poured* water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. John 13:3-5 (NASB)
A In the Ancient Near East, feet got dirty & needed to be washed upon entering a home (usually done by a servant).
1 In the upper room, Jesus took on the role of household servant.
a He tied a towel around His waist & washed the disciples’ feet.
b The Creator of the Universe cleaning the smelly, sweaty feet of 12 men.
2 If we got uniforms when we became Christians, it would come with a towel to go around our waists.
a Remind us of Jesus’ humbling Himself as a servant
b Remind us that we need to do the same!
B No job is too lowly, menial when you’re serving King Jesus.
"Do this in remembrance of Me."
III Remember the betrayed Now when evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the twelve disciples. 21 As they were eating, He said, "Truly I say to you that one of you will betray Me." 22 Being deeply grieved, they each one began to say to Him, "Surely not I, Lord?" 23 And He answered, "He who dipped his hand with Me in the bowl is the one who will betray Me. 24 "The Son of Man is to go, just as it is written of Him; but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born." 25 And Judas, who was betraying Him, said, "Surely it is not I, Rabbi?" Jesus said* to him, "You have said it yourself." Matt 26:20-25 (NASB)