02-05-2023 Communion – Until He Comes
Text: 1 Corinthians 11:23-26
Today is Communion Sunday and this means we will again commemorate the death of Jesus Christ, Messiah, and Son of God. I thought it would be a good time to take some time to talk about why we do this and why it is so important. We know that Jesus died, rose from the grave and is coming again. We know He is coming again because Jesus Himself told us in John 14:1-3. Also, in Acts 1:11 the angel of the Lord told the disciples that Jesus would return in the same manner as He went into Heaven. Then in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 Paul tells us of the Rapture and how we will be united with Jesus. Until that time we are to live in His light. That means we can take comfort in His promises about the future and then go spread His message of God’s love, peace, and joy until that happens. But what does all this have to do with communion and remembering His death?
Let’s read our text in 1 Corinthians 11:23-26: “ (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; (24) And when He had given thanks, He broke it, and said, take, eat, this is My body which is broken for you; this do in remembrance of Me. (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 you, as oft as you drink it, in remembrance of Me. (26) For as often as you eat this bread, and drink this cup, you do show the Lord’s death till He come.” Jesus instituted this memorial at the last Passover that He shared with His disciples and instructed them to remember often until His return. As a result, throughout the centuries, Christians have continued to conduct the memorial. Some churches do it every Sunday, some monthly, some yearly. How often it’s don isn’t the key point. The point is that it is done so His death is remembered.
The communion memorial remembers the death of Jesus where His body was broken and His blood shed on the cross. It’s also a time for us to rededicate our lives to following Jesus, to take stock and forgive those who may have done us wrong, and to obey God regardless of the conditions under which we must live. It’s an opportunity for us to reflect on what communions means to us personally and really think about it because it will tell whether or not partaking of communion isn’t just a faithless ritual and all we’re doing is going through the motions without any sincere thoughts, actions or meaning. Then after remembering His death, we’re to also remember and be comforted by His promise that He is coming back for us. This gives us something to look forward to.
The message of the cross will endure until He returns to earth. As believers we should never forget or take for granted the price that He paid so that we can be partakers of the promise of Jesus’ return to rule this earth. While the times in which we live will change, God’s message of salvation and eternal life is timeless. It hasn’t changed from the time that the disciples shared the first communion service, and will be the same until that day of His glorious return. Until that happens, Christians everywhere are to share this message with all sinners in the hope that they too will want to become sinners saved by grace.
Hebrews 9:11 shows us Jesus had to die because sins cannot be forgiven without the shedding of blood. Before Jesus’s death, the blood of spotless lambs was offered to forgive sins. John tells us in chapter 1 verse 29 that Jesus is the spotless Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world. No longer must lambs be sacrificed to forgive sins and now even Gentiles can receive forgiveness for their sins by accepting Jesus as their personal Savior and Lord. Peter reminds us in 1 Peter 1:18-20 that salvation can’t be bought with money or deeds. It’s only the blood of the spotless Lamb of God that is the acceptable payment for the forgiveness of sins.
We have recently seen how John shows us in Revelation 1:5-7 that the cross is the theme of Heaven’s song so Jesus’ death was an incredibly significant event to the citizens of Heaven. 1 Corinthians 1:18 tells us that the cross shows the power of God because it was there that the total sin debt was paid, giving the Holy Spirit, in Whom the power resides, the latitude to work mightily within our lives. Verse 26 of our text tell us that the power of the cross will change lives until Jesus’ return to earth again. This is why we have been told that we are to remember His death until He returns. Partaking of communion because it allows us to remember Christ’s death, reflect on our own spiritual walk, and take solace that He will return. Both His death and His return give us the incentive and power to live a holy life.
But remembering His death is more than taking the elements that represent His body and blood. It’s a loving act on our part that celebrates His enduring love for us. It reminds us to give thanks for His grace shown to us on the cross. It’s thanking and praising God for sacrificing His only Son so that we can have eternal life. And it rejoicing in the salvation given to each of us at the cross. So you see, it’s both a somber reminder of His sacrifice and a celebration of our eternal salvation.
Communion is for all who have been born again and accept Jesus as Savior and Lord of their life. It’s a time for self-examination and making things right with God and other people. It’s a time to see if we must forgive others as we have been forgiven. And it’s a time of thanksgiving for the precious gift of salvation that has been given to all who accept Jesus. As we prepare ourselves this morning, let’ take time to also prepare our hearts and minds to receive the gift that Jesus feely gave to all sinners. Never forget that our salvation was bought with the agony that Jesus suffered for our sin so that we can now have a personal relationship with God and look forward to eternal life with Him and all those who have gone before us.