The Divine Story of Jesus and You: A Meal With a Purpose
Copyright: South Bay Community Church
Sermon Reflections: The Divine Story of Jesus and You: A Meal with a Purpose
Date: 1 September 2024
Speaker: Rev. Gerald Mann
Sermon Text: Luke 22:14-20
Sermon Reflections: The Divine Story of Jesus and You: A Meal with a Purpose
Date: 1 September 2024
Speaker: Rev. Gerald Mann
Sermon Text: Luke 22:14-20
Sermon Quick Summary
The scripture text for today is from Luke 22:14-20 (Sections 5.23, 5.24, 5.27 of our booklet on the Life and Teachings of Jesus of Nazareth). You, as a believer in Jesus Christ, are invited to the communion meal with application to your life today. For Jewish people, the Passover provided security on liberation from bondage; for believers, Jesus is our Passover. A reference to the body of Jesus is the bread remembering the body of Jesus crushed and broken for us. Another reference to the body of Jesus is the cup representing the blood of Jesus shed for us and the forgiveness of our sins. The body of Jesus is a new covenant that we remember. God transforms our heart, and we interact with God personally as we walk as children whose sins are forever forgiven. The New Covenant Meal is encouragement of the guarantee of Gods promises through hope. We do the New Covenant Meal to internalize what God has done through Jesus in and for us. .
Scripture Text: Luke 22:14-20 (Easy to Read Version Translation)
14 The time came for them to eat the Passover meal. Jesus and the apostles were together at the table. 15 Jesus said to them, I wanted very much to eat this Passover meal with you before I die. 16 I will never eat another Passover meal until it is given its full meaning in God's kingdom.
17 Then Jesus took a cup of wine. He gave thanks to God for it and said, Take this cup and give it to everyone here. 18 I will never drink wine again until Gods kingdom comes.
19 Then he took some bread and thanked God for it. He broke off some pieces, gave them to the apostles and said, This bread is my body that I am giving for you. Eat this to remember me. 20 In the same way, after supper, Jesus took the cup of wine and said, This wine represents the new agreement from God to Gods people. It will begin when My blood is poured out for you.
You, as a believer in Jesus Christ, are invited to the communion meal with application to your life today
You are invited to the communion meal at the table to be present with Jesus, our host. This meal with Jesus is not like a golf tournament, in which silence is expected. Instead, we should demonstrate excitement in the realization that we are children of God.
Everything about this meal is important and applicable to our lives today. Before the Passover Meal, in humility, Jesus washed the disciples feet in service for them. Are we willing to serve Christ with humility? Or are we like Peter who refused to let Jesus wash his (Peter) feet? Then, the disciples argued at the table about who is the greatest. Today in trying to serve Christ, we may argue about our giftedness and who should have which place in the Kingdom of God.
For Jewish people, the Passover provided security and liberation from bondage; for believers, Jesus is our Passover
For the Jewish people, Passover was their identity and provided feelings of security. Passover is one of the most important days of Jewish history. Passover is when the Death Angel passed over the Israelites homes in Egypt. The Passover lamb blood was on the doorframe of their homes. Exodus provides us with essential directions on the liberation from bondage in the Passover. (See Exodus 12).
Jesus said to them, ˜I wanted very much to eat this Passover meal with you before I die™ (Luke 22:15). Jesus blesses the food and connects that food with bread. Why does God use bread? God brings bread for sustenance. The bread represents the body of Jesus. Jesus is setting the stage for what is to be His last chance to help the disciples understand what is about to happen. The bread the Jewish people were using was bread without yeast; yeast represents sin. The bread was pierced with holes. The bread was the perfect food for God to get the attention of the Jewish people. The disciples remembered the confusion when Jesus declared, I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is My flesh (John 6:51). The bread is an image of what God is doing and wants to do in and through us. When we take this bread, we are receiving into our lives the body of Jesus literally broken and crushed. The Jesus was crushed and torn apart for you. We should not take lightly the brutality of the crucifixion of Christ. God gives us Jesus, the living bread. God is reminding us again that we have the living bread of life in us. For believers in Christ today, Jesus is our Passover.
A reference to the body of Jesus is the bread remembering the body of Jesus crushed and broken for us
Jesus quotes Isaiah 53, that the body of Jesus is broken and crushed for us, and with His wounds, we are healed, helping understand how the bread represents the body of Jesus. In Luke 22:19 Jesus taught His disciples what He wants us to remember and practice today, Then he took some bread and thanked God for it. He broke off some pieces, gave them to the apostles and said, ˜This bread is my body that I am giving for you. Eat this to remember me. Jesus shares with us His brokenness. His broken body tells us what Jesus has done for us in His incarnate person. In taking and eating the bread in communion, it is a reminder that when we receive the body of Christ, we are the holy sanctuary of the divine God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.
Another reference to Jesus' body is the cup representing the blood Jesus shed for us and the forgiveness of our sins
The cup represents the life of Jesus and your life as well. The 23rd Psalm notes that my cup runs over. Jesus is helping them understand that His death is about to come. His life here on earth is about to end. In the same way, after supper, Jesus took the cup of wine and said, This wine represents the new agreement from God to his people. It will begin when my blood is poured out for you. (Luke 22:19).
Jesus is giving them life through His shed blood. This is the new covenant. We should let the blood of Jesus cover us because it is the total forgiveness of sins, past, present, and future. The pouring of wine that represents blood tells us what Jesus does for us in His atoning work. Jesus taught at the Passover meal with the Disciples: And He took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins (Matthew 26:27-28). We should drink from the cup of forgiveness. Jesus is not only saying that He is the sacrificial Lamb of God, but he is also teaching that Jesus is Gods perfect sinless sacrifice. Our sins are forgiven by the pouring out of blood. Jesus personal blood shed for you is the guarantee for forgiveness of sin. In the former covenant with the Israelites, the lamb scapegoat was tied up just outside the temple. The priest then takes and pours the blood on top of the scapegoat. The lamb is then released into the wilderness so that their sins are removed from them (See Leviticus 16:10). Jesus is our scapegoat.
An illustration of this principle is an Easter Sunday morning service at the beach. When you write and confess your sins on a brick tablet or in the sand, the waves then come and wash away your sins into the ocean. As a follower of Christ, God receives you; when you confess your sins, God cleanses you and wipes away sins. You will never find the written record of your sins because they have been washed away. Similarly, the blood of Jesus represented in the cup of wine is the atoning work of Jesus to bring us back to God and forgiveness of sin.
The body of Jesus is a new covenant that we remember; God transforms our heart, and we interact with God personally as we walk as children whose sins are forever forgiven
In the same way, after supper, Jesus took the cup of wine and said, This wine represents the new agreement from God to Gods people. It will begin when My blood is poured out for you. (Luke 22:20). Jesus says this is the new agreement (covenant) in Jesus blood. The covenant means that God the father gives us hearts of flesh to respond to God. God has been promising a new covenant since Abraham. The prophet Jeremiah helps us here: But this the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord, I will put My Law within them and on their heart I will write it; I will be their God, and they shall be My people. (Jeremiah 31:33). The new covenant by the blood of Jesus means that God is always present and is approachable knowing that we get to interact with God personally.
We tend to forget that we are forgiven. In the communion meal we remember as we drink from the cup and internalize what represents the blood of Jesus. In our life journey, we then walk as forgiven children of God as we live, walk, and shine light differently.
The New Covenant Meal is encouragement of the guarantee of Gods promises through hope
I will never eat another Passover meal until it is given its full meaning in Gods kingdom. (Luke 22:16). This is a great word of hope and encouragement because Jesus knows a few things that are about to happen. Jesus knows that His friends are about to scatter. Jesus knows that He is about to be arrested. Jesus knows that He is about to go through a trial. Jesus knows that He is about to be crucified. Yet Jesus still maintains this promise to us. The promise is the future that gives us hope and guarantees its surety. See 1st John 1:9 for teaching that God is faithful to forgive and cleanse us when we agree with God about our sins. See Revelation 19:9 for teaching that we are the bride for the marriage supper of Jesus, the lamb of God. See Isaiah 25:6 for teaching that the Lord will make a feast of rich food full of marrow (representing the body of Christ) and refined well aged wine (representing the blood of Christ).
We do the New Covenant Meal to internalize what God has done through Jesus in and for us
When we take communion, we internalize the body of Jesus broken and crushed for us. We ingest the bread, which represents Jesus body because it means that we are part of Jesus and Jesus is a part of us. We drink the wine contents of the cup which represents the blood of Jesus. The wine represents life and celebration. We pour it into ourselves because it reminds us that we have been cleansed from the inside out. Through Jesus Christ, God removes our sins from us.
Remembering the New Covenant and practicing it in the name of Jesus gives us spiritual security and an anchor for us to live and follow Jesus on earth. Our spiritual identity depends on remembering and knowing what Christ has done for us. We experience the New Covenant because of the living presence of the divine Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit in us.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS INCLUDING FAMILY GROUPS
Sermon Quick Summary
-What are the strong links and similarities between the Passover Meal and the redemption of believers?
Scripture Text: Luke 22:14-20 (Easy to Read Version Translation)
-In Luke 22: 14-20, imagine what Jesus was feeling. What are the depths of Jesus feelings at this time and the extraordinary significance of what is taking place?
You, as a believer in Jesus Christ, are invited to the communion meal with application to your life today
How can the communion meal help you exhibit excitement as children of God, willingness to receive from Christ, and willingness in serving Christ? How and why?
For Jewish people, the Passover provided security on liberation from bondage; for believers, Jesus is our Passover
-For believers, Jesus is our Passover. How is Jesus superior to the lambs sacrificed in the Jewish temple? What are the similarities and the differences between Jesus and the lambs sacrificed in the Jewish temple?
A reference to Jesus' body is the bread remembering Jesus' body crushed and broken for us
-Why is it important that Jesus' body was crushed and broken? In what ways is this important to you?
Another reference to Jesus' body is the cup representing the blood of Jesus shed for us and the forgiveness of our sins
-In what ways have you experienced God's promise that you are forgiven of your sins? Why are you forgiven?
The body of Jesus is a new covenant that we remember. God transforms our heart and we interact with God personally as we walk as children whose sins are forever forgiven
-In what ways can we live, walk, and shine light differently as forgiven children of God?
The New Covenant Meal is encouragement of the guarantee of Gods promises through hope
-In Luke 22:14-20 how do these verses exhibit a strong orientation to the future?
We do the New Covenant Meal to internalize what God has done through Jesus in and for us
-Beyond simply remembering Jesus, in what ways do we want the communion meal to cleanse us from the inside?
The scripture text for today is from Luke 22:14-20 (Sections 5.23, 5.24, 5.27 of our booklet on the Life and Teachings of Jesus of Nazareth). You, as a believer in Jesus Christ, are invited to the communion meal with application to your life today. For Jewish people, the Passover provided security on liberation from bondage; for believers, Jesus is our Passover. A reference to the body of Jesus is the bread remembering the body of Jesus crushed and broken for us. Another reference to the body of Jesus is the cup representing the blood of Jesus shed for us and the forgiveness of our sins. The body of Jesus is a new covenant that we remember. God transforms our heart, and we interact with God personally as we walk as children whose sins are forever forgiven. The New Covenant Meal is encouragement of the guarantee of Gods promises through hope. We do the New Covenant Meal to internalize what God has done through Jesus in and for us. .
Scripture Text: Luke 22:14-20 (Easy to Read Version Translation)
14 The time came for them to eat the Passover meal. Jesus and the apostles were together at the table. 15 Jesus said to them, I wanted very much to eat this Passover meal with you before I die. 16 I will never eat another Passover meal until it is given its full meaning in God's kingdom.
17 Then Jesus took a cup of wine. He gave thanks to God for it and said, Take this cup and give it to everyone here. 18 I will never drink wine again until Gods kingdom comes.
19 Then he took some bread and thanked God for it. He broke off some pieces, gave them to the apostles and said, This bread is my body that I am giving for you. Eat this to remember me. 20 In the same way, after supper, Jesus took the cup of wine and said, This wine represents the new agreement from God to Gods people. It will begin when My blood is poured out for you.
You, as a believer in Jesus Christ, are invited to the communion meal with application to your life today
You are invited to the communion meal at the table to be present with Jesus, our host. This meal with Jesus is not like a golf tournament, in which silence is expected. Instead, we should demonstrate excitement in the realization that we are children of God.
Everything about this meal is important and applicable to our lives today. Before the Passover Meal, in humility, Jesus washed the disciples feet in service for them. Are we willing to serve Christ with humility? Or are we like Peter who refused to let Jesus wash his (Peter) feet? Then, the disciples argued at the table about who is the greatest. Today in trying to serve Christ, we may argue about our giftedness and who should have which place in the Kingdom of God.
For Jewish people, the Passover provided security and liberation from bondage; for believers, Jesus is our Passover
For the Jewish people, Passover was their identity and provided feelings of security. Passover is one of the most important days of Jewish history. Passover is when the Death Angel passed over the Israelites homes in Egypt. The Passover lamb blood was on the doorframe of their homes. Exodus provides us with essential directions on the liberation from bondage in the Passover. (See Exodus 12).
Jesus said to them, ˜I wanted very much to eat this Passover meal with you before I die™ (Luke 22:15). Jesus blesses the food and connects that food with bread. Why does God use bread? God brings bread for sustenance. The bread represents the body of Jesus. Jesus is setting the stage for what is to be His last chance to help the disciples understand what is about to happen. The bread the Jewish people were using was bread without yeast; yeast represents sin. The bread was pierced with holes. The bread was the perfect food for God to get the attention of the Jewish people. The disciples remembered the confusion when Jesus declared, I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is My flesh (John 6:51). The bread is an image of what God is doing and wants to do in and through us. When we take this bread, we are receiving into our lives the body of Jesus literally broken and crushed. The Jesus was crushed and torn apart for you. We should not take lightly the brutality of the crucifixion of Christ. God gives us Jesus, the living bread. God is reminding us again that we have the living bread of life in us. For believers in Christ today, Jesus is our Passover.
A reference to the body of Jesus is the bread remembering the body of Jesus crushed and broken for us
Jesus quotes Isaiah 53, that the body of Jesus is broken and crushed for us, and with His wounds, we are healed, helping understand how the bread represents the body of Jesus. In Luke 22:19 Jesus taught His disciples what He wants us to remember and practice today, Then he took some bread and thanked God for it. He broke off some pieces, gave them to the apostles and said, ˜This bread is my body that I am giving for you. Eat this to remember me. Jesus shares with us His brokenness. His broken body tells us what Jesus has done for us in His incarnate person. In taking and eating the bread in communion, it is a reminder that when we receive the body of Christ, we are the holy sanctuary of the divine God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.
Another reference to Jesus' body is the cup representing the blood Jesus shed for us and the forgiveness of our sins
The cup represents the life of Jesus and your life as well. The 23rd Psalm notes that my cup runs over. Jesus is helping them understand that His death is about to come. His life here on earth is about to end. In the same way, after supper, Jesus took the cup of wine and said, This wine represents the new agreement from God to his people. It will begin when my blood is poured out for you. (Luke 22:19).
Jesus is giving them life through His shed blood. This is the new covenant. We should let the blood of Jesus cover us because it is the total forgiveness of sins, past, present, and future. The pouring of wine that represents blood tells us what Jesus does for us in His atoning work. Jesus taught at the Passover meal with the Disciples: And He took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins (Matthew 26:27-28). We should drink from the cup of forgiveness. Jesus is not only saying that He is the sacrificial Lamb of God, but he is also teaching that Jesus is Gods perfect sinless sacrifice. Our sins are forgiven by the pouring out of blood. Jesus personal blood shed for you is the guarantee for forgiveness of sin. In the former covenant with the Israelites, the lamb scapegoat was tied up just outside the temple. The priest then takes and pours the blood on top of the scapegoat. The lamb is then released into the wilderness so that their sins are removed from them (See Leviticus 16:10). Jesus is our scapegoat.
An illustration of this principle is an Easter Sunday morning service at the beach. When you write and confess your sins on a brick tablet or in the sand, the waves then come and wash away your sins into the ocean. As a follower of Christ, God receives you; when you confess your sins, God cleanses you and wipes away sins. You will never find the written record of your sins because they have been washed away. Similarly, the blood of Jesus represented in the cup of wine is the atoning work of Jesus to bring us back to God and forgiveness of sin.
The body of Jesus is a new covenant that we remember; God transforms our heart, and we interact with God personally as we walk as children whose sins are forever forgiven
In the same way, after supper, Jesus took the cup of wine and said, This wine represents the new agreement from God to Gods people. It will begin when My blood is poured out for you. (Luke 22:20). Jesus says this is the new agreement (covenant) in Jesus blood. The covenant means that God the father gives us hearts of flesh to respond to God. God has been promising a new covenant since Abraham. The prophet Jeremiah helps us here: But this the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord, I will put My Law within them and on their heart I will write it; I will be their God, and they shall be My people. (Jeremiah 31:33). The new covenant by the blood of Jesus means that God is always present and is approachable knowing that we get to interact with God personally.
We tend to forget that we are forgiven. In the communion meal we remember as we drink from the cup and internalize what represents the blood of Jesus. In our life journey, we then walk as forgiven children of God as we live, walk, and shine light differently.
The New Covenant Meal is encouragement of the guarantee of Gods promises through hope
I will never eat another Passover meal until it is given its full meaning in Gods kingdom. (Luke 22:16). This is a great word of hope and encouragement because Jesus knows a few things that are about to happen. Jesus knows that His friends are about to scatter. Jesus knows that He is about to be arrested. Jesus knows that He is about to go through a trial. Jesus knows that He is about to be crucified. Yet Jesus still maintains this promise to us. The promise is the future that gives us hope and guarantees its surety. See 1st John 1:9 for teaching that God is faithful to forgive and cleanse us when we agree with God about our sins. See Revelation 19:9 for teaching that we are the bride for the marriage supper of Jesus, the lamb of God. See Isaiah 25:6 for teaching that the Lord will make a feast of rich food full of marrow (representing the body of Christ) and refined well aged wine (representing the blood of Christ).
We do the New Covenant Meal to internalize what God has done through Jesus in and for us
When we take communion, we internalize the body of Jesus broken and crushed for us. We ingest the bread, which represents Jesus body because it means that we are part of Jesus and Jesus is a part of us. We drink the wine contents of the cup which represents the blood of Jesus. The wine represents life and celebration. We pour it into ourselves because it reminds us that we have been cleansed from the inside out. Through Jesus Christ, God removes our sins from us.
Remembering the New Covenant and practicing it in the name of Jesus gives us spiritual security and an anchor for us to live and follow Jesus on earth. Our spiritual identity depends on remembering and knowing what Christ has done for us. We experience the New Covenant because of the living presence of the divine Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit in us.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS INCLUDING FAMILY GROUPS
Sermon Quick Summary
-What are the strong links and similarities between the Passover Meal and the redemption of believers?
Scripture Text: Luke 22:14-20 (Easy to Read Version Translation)
-In Luke 22: 14-20, imagine what Jesus was feeling. What are the depths of Jesus feelings at this time and the extraordinary significance of what is taking place?
You, as a believer in Jesus Christ, are invited to the communion meal with application to your life today
How can the communion meal help you exhibit excitement as children of God, willingness to receive from Christ, and willingness in serving Christ? How and why?
For Jewish people, the Passover provided security on liberation from bondage; for believers, Jesus is our Passover
-For believers, Jesus is our Passover. How is Jesus superior to the lambs sacrificed in the Jewish temple? What are the similarities and the differences between Jesus and the lambs sacrificed in the Jewish temple?
A reference to Jesus' body is the bread remembering Jesus' body crushed and broken for us
-Why is it important that Jesus' body was crushed and broken? In what ways is this important to you?
Another reference to Jesus' body is the cup representing the blood of Jesus shed for us and the forgiveness of our sins
-In what ways have you experienced God's promise that you are forgiven of your sins? Why are you forgiven?
The body of Jesus is a new covenant that we remember. God transforms our heart and we interact with God personally as we walk as children whose sins are forever forgiven
-In what ways can we live, walk, and shine light differently as forgiven children of God?
The New Covenant Meal is encouragement of the guarantee of Gods promises through hope
-In Luke 22:14-20 how do these verses exhibit a strong orientation to the future?
We do the New Covenant Meal to internalize what God has done through Jesus in and for us
-Beyond simply remembering Jesus, in what ways do we want the communion meal to cleanse us from the inside?
Posted in The Divine Story of Jesus and You
Posted in Meal With a Purpose, Luke 22:14-20, Passover, communion, forgiveness, body, blood, New covenant, bread, body broken, cup, wine, transform heart, promise, guarantee, hope, internalize Jesus, Jeremiah 31:33, John 6:51, Exodus 12, Isaiah 53, Leviticus 16:10, Matthew 26:27-28, 1 John 1:9, Revelation 19:9, Isaiah 25:6
Posted in Meal With a Purpose, Luke 22:14-20, Passover, communion, forgiveness, body, blood, New covenant, bread, body broken, cup, wine, transform heart, promise, guarantee, hope, internalize Jesus, Jeremiah 31:33, John 6:51, Exodus 12, Isaiah 53, Leviticus 16:10, Matthew 26:27-28, 1 John 1:9, Revelation 19:9, Isaiah 25:6
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