The Call to the Great Community 3

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05
May '24

The Call to the Great Community 3

Posted on May 5, 2024 by Jerry Ingalls in General, Sermon Notes, The Call to the Great Community |

05
May '24
Lesson #3

Communion Celebrates Christ While Declaring our Unity as His Church!

 

Our current sermon series, “The Call to the Great Community,” is a series of discipleship teachings about the body of Christ and our call to be fellow members of the body of Christ. This is an important call to answer for us individually and corporately for the sake of the mission of Jesus Christ (why He came!) for the glory of God. You have a purpose for belonging!

 

The church is God’s idea; not mine nor yours! The church is the body of Christ because we exist to embody the mission of Jesus to the glory of the Father. The mission of Jesus is the great rescue mission; He came from Heaven to Earth to show us the way to the Father; this has always been God’s Plan A; therefore, the church exists for the mission – to walk in the way of Jesus as His body, making Him known and continuing His mission for the glory of God. We have a purpose for belonging!

 

We are to be one in Christ as His church! In order to express our oneness in Christ we must have unity within our diverse functionality. Just like how God designed and intended men and women to complement, and not compete with, one another. We must treat one another with humility and gentleness, and we must pray for the the Spirit to give us a true John 17 unity. We must practice our belonging on purpose!

 

Today’s big idea: Communion celebrates Christ while declaring our unity as His church!
 

+ Read Luke 22:14-20

+ Watch educational video: https://www.gotquestions.org/communion-Christian.html

+ Read 1 Corinthians 11:23-34

 
What is Communion (i.e. the Lord’s Supper)?
 
  1. It is an ordinance of remembrance, commemorating the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross.

 

“… and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, ‘This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me..’” (v. 24)
 

 

  1. It is a sign and signifier of the New Covenant, which was sealed through the body and blood of Jesus Christ.

 

“In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.’” (v. 25)
 

 

  1. It is a proclamation of your statement of faith – Christ crucified, risen, and coming again.

 

“For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.” (v. 26)

 

How Do I Prepare Myself for the Lord’s Supper? Through faith, confessing, and repenting of all known sin. It is ONLY by God’s grace you can be worthy.

 

“Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup.” (vv. 27-28)
 

 

Who Should Take the Lord’s Supper?

Only those who are believers/disciples of Jesus Christ.

 

“For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly.” (v. 29)

 

When we participate together we declare our unity in anticipation of the Wedding Feast to come (vv. 30-34)! Listen to Jesus in Matthew 22:1-14 (cf. Luke 14:15-24).
 
 
 
 

RESOURCES:

 
For notes in PDF form, click HERE.
 

In order to watch the message click HERE.

 

In order to watch the entire service with music, click HERE.

 
 
 

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