Communion

Communion Luke 22:14-23 2-18- 07
I. The hour has come. (14)
Have you ever anxiously anticipated something only to find out that when you experienced it, it was nothing like what you had anticipated. I have done that several times in my life.
For instance, truck diving was nothing like what I had dreamed of as a young boy. Oh, there were some good experiences, but it ended up being a whole lot lonelier than I had anticipated and a lot more work too! I had dreamed of seeing all those marvelous places that you hear and read about in travelogs. The closest I ever got to most of those places was about one inch on the atlas map. At one point when I totaled up my hours away from home and family to the rate of pay I received, I realized that I was getting far less than minimum wage.
I learned a lot about people and myself as a truck driver and the experience was good for me; it just was not what I thought it would be.
When I went to college, I thought about all the great things that I could do when I got out. I thought about going to a church and seeing disciples added to the church on a regular basis, but I didn’t think about the times that I would be up all night trying to resolve a family issue of traveling to the bedside of hurting and dying people. Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t trade the position and place in ministry that God has put me into for anything; it just isn’t like I anticipated it would be.
I think the disciples experienced the same thing as they sat down to partake of this last meal with Jesus before He went to the cross. Even today, orthodox Jewish families and messianic Jewish families will look in great anticipation to observing the Passover Feast. When I first observed this meal I was startled to find that it is not the food on the table that makes the event fo wonderful. In fact, the only two things on the table that I found pleasant to taste was the cup that was passed and the bread that was shared. Then they had to ruin the bread by dipping it into the bitter herbs. This was far from the Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas dinners that I had enjoyed.
Here the focus was not on the great food that was prepared, but on the purpose for them gathering that night. It was to recall to memory the marvelous event of preparing to leave the bondage of Egypt which represents sin in the life of every believer.
These men did not understand the full ramifications of what was happening and would soon happen. If they had understood they would have not been in the positions that they were in. Had they understood they would have ran as far away from that palace as they could go. Yet, because they were there and Jesus chose to complete the task He was sent to complete we can be free from sin and access eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
II. He eagerly anticipated this hour. (15-16)
This was the culmination of everything that Jesus had come to earth to do. Soon it would be over and salvations work finished.
I enjoy doing something profitable like making changes to the house or accomplishing something in teaching or in ministry. I enjoy getting started, but I absolutely relish the end of every project. It gives me a good feeling that I did what I set out to do. All too often when I set out to do something, it ends up taking much longer and costing much more than I anticipated.
Don’t you think that Jesus was sometimes weary in His physical frame and His humanness as He struggled against the ineptitude of man and the outright attacks of the devil.
He was eager for this all to end.
IV. He passed the first cup. (17-18)
Some people never notice that there were two cups that were passed, this, and the one at the end of the meal.
My mother taught me that we should first see that the guests are served before we start eating a meal. The culture here is different. Jesus takes the cup first because he is assuming the roll of a servant, who, when in the presence of his master, would take the first sip and the first bite of every bit of food to demonstrate that it was good and not tainted with anything that would harm his master. Notice that He says He will not eat again until the kingdom of God has come.
V. He broke and passed the bread. (19)
The bread they eat is to be dipped into the bitter herbs and then ingested.
Something is changing here! Previously they always were to recall the exodus from Egypt and the first night that their ancestors introduced to this custom. Now Jesus has told them to remember Him when they participate in this meal. The change is that there will be no more veil over their eyes as to what this represented. Jesus is declaring that their payment for sins is about to be settled. He will pay the ultimate price on the cross, not only for them, but for you and me also.
VI. He passes the second cup. (20)
With this cup Jesus declared what his purpose in life was. He came to pour out His life for us that we might escape the snare of sin and eternal death. His followers still don’t get the picture of what He was about to do. They are still thinking that the coming of the kingdom means that they will cast the Romans out of the land and hence, ever be free from being subjugated and taxed by a foreign government forever. They think that perhaps they all will share a part in the new government which will bring them from rags to riches as well as spiritual purity. Which leads us to the next and final point.
VII. Someone in the group is a betrayer. (21-23)
After Jesus said this, each one of them turned to the other asking who might do such a thing. Even though there had always been conflict in the group, there was also a certain amount of cohesiveness that held them together.
Jesus said that it would have been better if this man had never been born and indeed it would have. It would have been better to have never been born than to live and commit that last incriminating deed that sends a soul to an eternal depravity of hell fire and torture.
Before we partake of this Eucharist, this Communion, lets all examine ourselves. I am pretty sure that there are none of us who would knowingly do anything that would disqualify ourselves from experiencing the joys of eternal life with Jesus Christ our Lord.
However, we should ask ourselves these questions:
1. Have I been loving to my neighbor?
2. Have I been receptive to God’s purpose in accomplishing the "Great Commission"?
3. Have I resolved the issues that stand between me a and a Christian brother or sister?
4. Have I been dismayed that my calling in Christ is not what I anticipated it to be and harbored a grudge between God and myself?
5. Have I claimed ownership of the church when it actually should belong to God who payed the ultimate price for it?
Today, let us really remember what this Communion meal is all about. Let us settle the score with God and those made in His image and get on with the work of the ministry.

Questions Concerning Everlasting Life

Two Questions Concerning Everlasting Life:
1. Is there a heaven?
An optimist will declare that this is the best of all possible situations that life could possibly offer. The pessimist fears that the optimist is correct in his assumption.
I am not going to argue with people about the earth age or evolution. I stand on a biblical perspective that the Genesis account is God breathed and absolutely right. When it says "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth", it is truthful. As to how that might have happened, I take the literalness of the Scripture as pure and honest.
Isa 14:12) How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
(Isa 14:13) For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
(Isa 14:14) I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
Here God speaks to the king of Babylon and the spirit that has ensnared him. The spirit is the devil, Lucifer, Satan, the devil who was at one time the second in command to the Almighty Three in One, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
He led a rebellion in heaven and was defeated and condemned to the pit of hell. God made that place for the torment of Satan and the angels that followed him in that rebellion.
The apostle Paul gave an account where he was taken up into the third heaven and saw things that he was not permitted to relate to us because it is just to beautiful for us to comprehend.
Yes there is a heaven and the book of Revelation is very depictive in describing just what a marvelous place it is, but when you really get to the meat of it all you need to understand that it is just too marvelous for words.
2. Is there a hell?
If you are going to say that you believe in the Bible and in Jesus Christ then you must also grasp what is related to us concerning hell and its literalness.
It is a real place. Jesus described a picture of hell when He told the parable of Lazarus and the rich man (Luke 16:19-31).
Understand that the book of Revelation is not simply a dream that John had while he was suffering in exile on the island of Patmos. The one who is revealing the revelation is Jesus Christ. What He says is true and what He delivers is a wake-up call to the seven churches and we are indeed either one or all of those churches combined. I would contend that we are all of them combined for the troubles that I see in the each of the seven churches I see also in the Church today. The victories that are described are seen in the Church today. The message was not just tto them it is to us also.
God is telling us to get our stuff together and get back in the fight of winning souls because the time is fast approaching when there will be no more time, meaning that time itself will cease on earth, heaven and hell. The situation that we end up in will last forever; it will be either eternal torment or eternal joy.
Bill Wiese has written a book called "23 Minutes in Hell". In the book he describes his experieneses when God took him to hell and permitted him to go through some of the torments of that horrible place. There are some things that I do not agree with that he says concerning theology of angels but I applaud his description of the things he saw. He gives Scripture references that bring to light his personal experience. I am not saying that I totally believe that he went to hell, what I am saying is his description of his vision is what I would expect hell to be.
Questions Concerning Hell:
1. Why did God make it?
A. To eternally punish those who ked the rebellion against God in heaven.
2. Won’t the fire burn everything up?
A. In Deuteronomy 4:24 It says, "For the Lord your God is a consuming fire." This refers to the love of God consuming everything in my being and purpose. God wants us to totally consumed in loving Him and obeying Him. However, the fire of hell is not a consuming fire, it is a fire that brings great suffering and pain but does not consume those who are in it. Can you imagine people being burned but not burned up? It never stops!
3. How will people feel?
A. Have you ever been very tired and not been able to sleep, so weak yet not able to rest? In hell people will be that way yet they will have every sense of their being enhanced to the point that they understand everything about the hopelessness of their situation and even though they are so tired they could sleep on live coals sleep will not come to them. They will feel every pain inflicted upon them at the most highest intensity possible. I can recall doctors and nurses asking me to rate the pain that I feel from a one to ten, every pain in hell is going to be a ten or even higher and it never will stop.
4. How will Satan and his angels feel about all this aren’t they having fun inflicting pain on those in hell?
A. No! They are frustrated and in pain themselves of the worst kind possible.
Even though it is not mentioned specifically in any book about hell or directly in the Bible, I think one of the most frustrating things about hell for the devil is the fact that in all the punishment he and the demons can lay upon those condemned to hell, they are not destroyed.
Jesus said about the devil, "the thief comes but to steel, and kill, and destroy" (John 10:10)
Understand that these demons and the devil himself are feeling the same torment that the rest of those in hell are feeling and also their eternal hate has been leveled at all of God’s ultimate creation, mankind. It would be like hitting a rock with your fist and kicking it with your feet; you would do more damage to yourself than the rock and this would go on forever.
Concluding statements about hell:
1. Hell was not made for people. It was made for Satan and his angels. The Bible tells us that God doesn’t will that any should perish but that all would come to repentance through Jesus Christ.
2. Our knowledge about hell and our knowledge about heaven should inspire us to do what ever we can to reach people with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
We need to get back to the basics and back to the vision that those who erected this church in this particular location had for reaching people with the gospel message. It might include betting bigger and indeed it should.
We should be having discipleship classes for those who are being won to the Lord on a weekly if not also on a daily basis.
All this means there will need to be some soul searching on our part. Do we really love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, and strength, or are we simply playing church.
I want to propose a new philosophy to guide us and a goal that will not actually eve be reached. You have heard the schools and government adopting the motto "No child left behind". Well I heard another one recently and that was dedicated to assure that every father was given the right to see his children... "no dad left behind". I think it is even more important that we adopt a new policy of "No soul left behind." Because "God so loved the world that He gave His Only Begotten Son, that whoever believes on Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
Do you have that kind of a goal in life that you will do whatever it takes to make yourself, your that this is the place and the altar is open for you to get serious with God.
Do you need to ask Jesus Christ into your life so that you can escape an eternal hell? Now is the time, you can be sure of where you will be spending eternity in just a few moments if you will come and ask Him to take control of your life.