Communion Service

0:00 Thank you to the band, thank you to the guys behind the scenes and everyone who worked so hard to put the service together and make it possible for us to come and worship God this morning. Let me just pray with you. Father, may the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be profitable to our souls, practical to our Christian living and glorifying to you, our God. Amen. We're going to take a pause in our Hebrew series this morning, as Chris mentioned, as we turn our attention to communion. And as we do that, I don't want us to completely leave Hebrews, but rather use parts of the letter to help us to be drawn into the celebration of the Lord's Supper. To help us frame this morning, I want to look ahead into Hebrews chapter 10. So we're going to read that now.

0:46 Hopefully I'll be on the screen behind me. Hebrews chapter 10, verses 1 to 14. The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming. not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year make perfect those who draw near to worship. Otherwise would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins.

1:22 It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said, sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me. With burnt offerings and sin offerings, you were not pleased. Then he said, here I am. It is written about me in the scroll. I have come to do your will, my God. First, he said, sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings, you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them, though they were offered in accordance with the law. Then he said, here I am.

1:57 I have come to do your will. He sets aside the first to establish the second. And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Day after day, every priest stands and performs his religious duties. Again never take away sins. But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sin, he sat down at the right hand of God. And since that time, he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. For by one sacrifice, he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.

2:43 Amen. We're not going to go into an exposition of this passage, but I do want it to act as an anchor, as a reference point as we think through what it means to approach communion. So as we go through the morning, keep your mind on what the writer says here. By one sacrifice, he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy. In 2006, an Airbus A320 was flying a routine service from Liverpool to Northern Ireland. Everything was normal. Visibility was good. The crew had flown similar approaches many times before.

3:19 As they neared the airport, the captain switched to what's called a visual approach. Essentially, I can see the runway. I know where I'm headed. He lined the runway up. Confident in his judgment, he descended and touched down smoothly, safely. When they rolled to a stop, air traffic control radioed the words that no pilot ever wants to hear. You've landed at the wrong airport. The pilot at this stage realized, and he replied simply, I know.

3:54 He had landed at Ballykelly, the military airport, about five miles from his intended target of the city of Derry Airport. The passengers were perfectly safe. It was a harmless event in the end, but one that we can draw some parallels with this morning. And here's why. The captain knew the approach. He relied on what looked right, what felt familiar, what he assumed he already understood. but the runway he aimed for wasn't exactly the runway he should take. As we approach communion, there is a danger that we can do the same.

4:29 We've taken it so many times. We know the routine. We assume we understand it. We see the runway and we go on instinct. However, Scripture offers us a clear and gracious pathway to follow for communion. a set of runway markers that help us to stay aligned with Jesus' heart. And when we stop paying attention to those biblical guideposts, when we begin to rely only on our own familiarity or our own instinct, we can easily drift. And there is a risk that we can end up landing somewhere close, but not actually where Jesus intends us to.

5:10 It's not malicious. It's not dramatic. But it is off target. Today, we're trying to not make that mistake, try not to make those assumptions. We're going to tap the instrument dial. We're going to ask, how does the Bible tell us to approach communion? Because what matters most is what God says in his word. The Bible's instructions for how we approach communion will shape how we remember Christ's sacrifice and how we respond to him.

5:41 Let me be clear. I'm not suggesting a rigid checklist that we mindlessly tick off, but rather biblical calls to our hearts as we approach communion. It's not a legalistic thing. It's a grace thing. So let's open the scriptures and let God speak. And as part of that, we're going to use Hebrews to help reveal the incredible depth of Christ's once for all sacrifice. We're going to reflect upon five biblical calls, five appeals to us as we approach the table. This morning, let's land in the right place.

6:20 The first call is to remember Christ's sacrifice. This call comes directly from Jesus. As he spoke to his disciples in that upper room and said, do this in remembrance of me. He wasn't asking them and by extension us. He wasn't asking to recall an historical event like we would a date in a textbook. He was calling us to actively bring to mind the reality of his suffering, the reality of his love, the reality of his victory. When we remember, we don't merely recall facts. We re-engage with the cost and the love of the cross.

7:01 The Son of God chose the path of suffering. His body was broken. His blood poured out, not as a tragic accident, but as the deliberate saving act of God. The eternal son stepped into time and endured what no one else could bear. He was betrayed by a friend with a kiss, sold for the price of a slave. He was abandoned by his closest followers. Those who had sworn loyalty to him fled into the night. He was dragged before corrupt courts, falsely accused and condemned, though he was innocent.

7:40 Soldiers mocked him. They spat in his face. They hit him with their fists. They scourged him until his back was torn open. A crown of thorns was twisted and rammed onto his head. Each thorn piercing deep, blood running down his face. Then came the cross. nails were driven through his hands and feet tearing through flesh and nerve fastening him to rough timber the weight of his body pulled against the nails with every breath to inhale he had to push up on pierced feet his scraping his shredded back against splintered wood

8:25 every movement agony hours passed the sun beat down his mouth was dry his strength gone and yet worse than the physical pain much worse was the spiritual weight the sin of the world led upon him the spotless lamb became sin for me for you the rejection and the wrath of god that we deserved fell on him. I want to just read a few of the reminders of that sacrifice from Hebrews, from the book that we've been studying, just so we can use Bible to cement what Jesus has done into our minds as we approach communion. So no exposition, just Bible. From chapter two. But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God, he might taste death for everyone. In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered. Chapter 9.

9:37 For this reason, Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant. Again from chapter 9, Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many. Chapter 10, by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy. Chapter 12, for the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. The one who spoke galaxies into existence was shamed before the world he created. The creator hung on a cross, despised and rejected, bearing the curse for his creatures. And he did it willingly. Hebrews 12, 2 says, for the joy set before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame.

10:38 What joy? The joy of saving you. The joy of bringing you near to God. The joy of finishing the work so that you could be free to the glory of God. The joy of seeing you remember that today as you take communion. As you hold the bread and the cup this morning, remember. The eternal son of God took on flesh, walked among us and willingly went to that cross. His body was broken not by accident, but by choice.

11:11 His blood was poured out as the only way to redeem us. Every time we take the bread and the cup, we are declaring, this is who saved me. This is who gives me life. This is who sets me free. Turn your eyes to the hillside where justice and mercy embraced. There the son of God gave his life for us and our measureless debt was erased. let that wonder rise he did this for you let recollection of this become worship this is the price of your freedom this is the proof of his love why should i gain from his reward i cannot give an answer but this i know with all my heart

12:06 his wounds have paid my ransom for by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy the second of the biblical calls to our heart as we approach communion is to examine ourselves let me be clear here self-examination is not about shame it's about truth and trust the bible calls us to draw near with a true heart and with full assurance of faith scripture calls us to approach this moment worthily not meaning that we must earn god's favor because none of us can do that but that we honor christ for what he has done for us examining ourselves helps to recognize helps us recognize whether we are approaching the table with a heart truly mindful of his grace poured out. Self-examination begins with allowing the Holy Spirit to shine his light into our inner lives. We ask honest questions. Is there unconfessed sin? Am I harboring bitterness, pride, rebellion? Have I drifted into spiritual apathy? The purpose is not to push us into despair or shame, not at all, but to bring us into truth.

13:30 God invites us to confession because his forgiveness is full and free. Examining ourselves clears away the spiritual fog so that we can receive communion with clean hands and a renewed heart. As we examine ourselves, we also have to understand that communion is deeply relational, not only between us and God, but also among fellow believers. Jesus taught that if we remember someone has something against us we should seek reconciliation before bringing our gift to the altar. In the same spirit we should examine whether our relationships reflect the unity that Christ died to create. Communion reminds us that we are one body redeemed by one sacrifice. Self-examination includes asking whether we need to forgive, apologize, or restore fellowship with a brother or sister in Christ. Another key part of self-examination is assessing where we are placing our trust.

14:39 It is easy to drift into self-reliance. Chris mentioned that kind of drift last week. We can drift into depending on our own performance. communion wakes us up and brings us back to the center we are saved only through christ's sacrifice as we examine ourselves we reaffirm that our hope is not in our confidence but in his finished work we lay down our attempts to earn favor and rest again in the grace that flows from the cross communion isn't a test that we must pass it is a gift that christ invites us to receive self-examination prepares us to take it with deeper joy knowing we have been cleansed forgiven and welcomed by god but hear this we don't examine ourselves to find reasons not to come. We examine ourselves to come rightly, to come humbly, to come dependent on God's mercy. We come not because we are worthy, but because he is worthy. Let honesty lead to repentance.

15:55 Let repentance lead to joy. Then we can eat and drink with a clear conscience anchored in Christ's finished work. Hebrews says, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. The third biblical call to our heart is a call to discern the body. The implication of the scripture on the screen behind me is that we must discern the body as we approach communion. But what do we mean by that? To discern the body means we recognize both the body of Christ given for us and the body of Christ among us, his people. Communion is a family meal.

16:45 The bread we break is a sharing in Christ. The cup we drink is a sharing in his covenant. Hebrews urges us to consider how to stir one another up to love and good works and not neglect meeting together. Look around. Have a look at the person beside you, the person in front of you, the person behind you. Do it quickly. Just have a look around. I'm going to tell you who you're looking at.

17:16 You see, communion trains our eyes to see our brothers and sisters through the lens of the gospel. Here's an idea of who you have just been looking at. See one another as image bearers made with glory and dignity. See one another as members of the same body, inseparably joined. See one another as siblings adopted by the same father. See one another as living temples of the Holy Spirit, holy dwellings of God. See one another as saints set apart, cleansed and called by God. See one another as God's workmanship, masterpieces under construction.

17:57 See one another as co-heirs with Christ, destined for glory. See one another as people for whom Christ died, worth our patience and our sacrifice. See one another as gifts to the church, each uniquely graced by God. See one another as partners in the gospel. See one another as beloved of God, treasured and delighted in. See one another as new creations, not defined by old sins, not defined by past failures. See one another as fellow soldiers fighting the same spiritual battle. See one another as shining lights.

18:36 See one another as those that Christ will one day present blameless and radiant. See one another as blood-bought, precious people. We come together to remember and to proclaim one gospel as one body, And we do so by sharing this meal. The fourth of our biblical calls to our heart is a call to give thanks. Before the bread is broken and the cup is shared, Jesus gives thanks and invites us into that same posture. Gratitude should be the native language of the redeemed. But sometimes it's not that straightforward. I don't know about you, but there are times in my walk with God when my gratitude becomes strangely narrow.

19:21 We might thank him for blessings that are obvious. Food, answered prayers, good health. But we pass over whole landscapes of grace simply because we aren't looking in their direction. It's as if we're wearing blinkers, seeing only the gifts that fit neatly within our expectation, while missing the quiet mercies that surround us every day. And then there are those other seasons, the darker, heavier seasons, where gratitude just isn't narrow. It's off the radar entirely. There are days when the weight of life feels so suffocating that the very idea of giving thanks feels like a foreign language, one that we can't speak. We aren't just overlooking the quiet mercies.

20:10 We are staring at the wall, wondering where those mercies went. in the grit of a trial or in the fog of exhaustion thankfulness can feel like a prayer we don't have the energy to give the danger in these seasons is that when thankfulness narrows or drops off our radar our view of God begins to narrow with it when we struggle to see anything to be grateful for we struggle to see God for who he is. Yet it's in this very struggle that we must ask God to widen our vision, to take off our blinkers, to reach into our survival mode and remind us that his grace isn't dependent on our ability to track it. When we ask God to be thankful, we aren't asking for a change in our circumstances necessarily. We are asking for a heart that can see his hand moving even in the fog. Giving thanks almost forces us to look past our immediate feelings and anchor ourselves in the concrete, unchanging evidence of God's character. A good place to start is by naming the truths that remain true, even when it perhaps feels like they are not true. As we approach communion, consider these foundations of his grace that deserve our thanks, even in the darkest days.

21:38 We give thanks for mercy that cannot be exhausted, for grace that cannot be quenched, for forgiveness that cannot be revoked, for salvation that cannot be lost, for justice that cannot be overturned, for holiness that cannot be eclipsed, for goodness that cannot be restrained, for truth that cannot be silenced, for promises that cannot be broken, for love that we cannot be separated from, for a hope that cannot be shaken, for a resurrection that cannot be undone, for a future that cannot be threatened, for a kingdom that cannot be destroyed, and for a Messiah who cannot stop loving the people that he has purchased with his own blood. Be thankful, church. Thanksgiving helps us to turn this symbol into a celebration, this ritual into a rejoicing. Let your gratitude rise high. How great is our God. We give thanks. And the final biblical call to our heart as we approach communion is a call to proclaim his death until he comes.

22:47 Every time we eat and drink this meal, we announce to our own hearts, to one another and to the watching world. The cross is our hope. The resurrection is our life. And the king is coming. Hebrew calls us to hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering. Communion anchors that confession. We look back to a hill outside Jerusalem and forward to a trumpet yet to sound. A trumpet that will pierce the skies and announce the return of the king.

23:20 On that day, the dead in Christ will rise and we who are alive will rise caught up to meet him in the air. The same Jesus who hung on the cross will come riding on the clouds in glory, crowned as Lord of Lords and King of Kings. You see, we live between two great events, the cross and the crown, the hill and heaven. One reminds us of the price paid. The other promises the glory yet to come. One shows us the depth of the love of God. The other reveals the fullness of his power. And we, well, we live in the in-between.

23:59 So let us live ready, church. Let us live holy, live boldly, and live with our eyes lifted towards heaven, for that trumpet will sound and the King will come. This is not a myth. It's not a story. It's not a dream. This is the promise of God, and his promises never fail. Hebrew 9 says, Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many, and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him. Are you ready?

24:38 It is a day when every tear will be wiped away, every burden lifted, every injustice made right, and every fear banished. The kingdoms of this world will crumble, but the kingdom of our God will stand forever. Church, are you ready? This meal that we take is a bridge from what Christ has accomplished to what he has promised. So we proclaim his death and we wait with joy for his appearing. On that day, we will not need symbols because we will have the substance. We will not need reminders because we'll see Jesus face to face. The Messiah who died on a cross will stand for us in victory and we will be swept into the greatest celebration that the universe has ever known the wedding feast of the land soon the supper will give way to the banquet the shadow will give way to glory and faith will give way to sight god will close this chapter of history christ himself will descend in glory and he will come to take you home

25:49 turn your eyes to the heavens our king will return for his own every knee will bow every tongue will shout all glory to Jesus alone until he returns we remember the sacrifice we marvel in the incredibly deep love of God for us and we mark this meal and so every time we gather at the Lord's table we proclaim his death until he comes. So church, let's come remembering with awe, examining with honesty, discerning with unity, thanking with joy, and proclaiming with hope. Not because we have earned a place, but because Jesus has made a way. for by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy. Let us pray. And as we pray we'll use the words of Hebrews 13. Now may the God of peace who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus that great shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will. And may he work in us what is pleasing to him through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever.

27:20 Amen.