Communion Message
(Jesus, our substitute)
March 27-28, 1999
Pastor Don Sheley

For I have received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, "Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me. In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me." For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till He comes. Therefore whoever eats this bread or  drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup.

Now Paul makes it very clear to the Corinthian Christians that each time that they participated in the Lord's Supper it was a time of proclamation. It was a time of telling again to the world the story of man's redemption procured through Jesus Christ for us. And I'd like to go back in the Gospel of John and read the record concerning this day we celebrate, and the cross, and the Christ that we honor today. Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead. There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him. Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil. But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, who would betray Him, said, "Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?" this he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it. But Jesus said, "Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial. "For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always." Now a great many of the Jews knew that He was there; and they came, not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead. But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also, because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus. The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out: "Hosanna! 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!' The King of Israel!" then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written: "Fear not, daughter of Zion; Behold, your King is coming, Sitting on a donkey's colt.' His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him and that they had done these things to Him. So then Pilate took Jesus and scourged Him. And the soldiers twisted a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and they put on Him a purple robe. Then they said, "Hail, King of the Jews!" And they struck Him with their hands. Pilate then went out again, and said to them, "Behold, I am bringing Him out to you, that you may know that I find no fault in Him." Then Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate said to them, "Behold the Man!" Therefore, when the chief priests and officers saw Him, they cried out, saying, "Crucify Him, crucify Him!" Pilate said to them, "You take Him and crucify Him, for I find no fault in Him." The Jews answered him, "We have a law, and according to our law He ought to die, because He made Himself the Son of God." Therefore, when Pilate heard that saying, he was the more afraid, and went again into the Praetorium, and said to Jesus, "Where are You from?" But Jesus gave him no answer. Then Pilate said to Him, "Are You not speaking to me? Do You not know that I have power to crucify You, and power to release You?" Jesus answered, "You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above. Therefore the one who delivered Me to you has the greater sin." From then on Pilate sought to release Him, but the Jews cried out, saying, "If you let this Man go, you are not Caesar's friend. Whoever makes himself a king speaks against Caesar." When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus out and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha. Now it was the Preparation Day of the Passover, and about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, "Behold your King!" But they cried out, "Away with Him, away with Him! Crucify Him!" Pilate said to them, "Shall I crucify your King?" The chief priests answered, "We have no king but Caesar!" Then he delivered Him to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus and led Him away. 

Now Paul says every time you and I share in this communion service we proclaim that story all over again. We tell the world in a very visual demonstration of the story of redemption. We take the bread and we know that Jesus said this is My body, and we understand that in His body Jesus became our substitute. For the ancient declaration of almighty God was that the soul that sins shall die, and yet God provided a substitute. Throughout the Old Testament the substitute was a lamb. Man sinned, but the animal died; he died as the substitute for man. And in the New Testament in the story of the cross, Jesus becomes our substitute. It's no longer a lamb that we bring to the temple or the church this morning; Jesus has already paid the price, He's become the sacrifice, it was in His body. So when you and I lift the bread to our lips we're saying Jesus I believe that in Your body You took my sin, became my substitute, and You died so I could live. That's what we say when we take the bread to our lips. When we put the cup to our lips, we're saying Jesus I believe that in Your precious blood I have cleansing from all of my sins. Again, because the ancient declaration of almighty God was that without the shedding of blood there is no covering, there's no remission, there's no forgiveness of sins. And so in the blood of Christ it's His blood that cleanses us from all sin. He's the sacrifice; the supreme eternal sacrifice. 

If you're here today and you've never given your life to Jesus, simply maybe because you didn't understand, the gospel is very simple. We tell it with the emblems of communion. Jesus loves you and He came to die in your stead because as sinners we should do the dying. He died for us so we could live eternally with Him. And in the shedding of His precious blood we have cleansing for all of our sins. And if you today will just open your heart and say Jesus now I understand why You came. I'm a sinner. You died for my sins. I accept You as my savior, my substitute, and I invite You by Your Holy Spirit to come live in my heart. If you'll say a pray something similar to that when we kneel today, one of the most glorious things will happen in your life. Jesus will hear that prayer. He will come by His spirit to live within you. That's the gospel and that's the glorious truth we proclaim in the communion today.

Let's kneel together, shall we? Lord Jesus, it seems such a very simple act. A piece of bread and a small cup of grape juice; and yet to realize that it tells the wondrous story of Your love. You taking our place in death so that we can live. You shed Your precious blood so that we might have cleansing from all of our sins. Wondrous redemption, blessed salvation, wonderful gospel. And Lord Jesus as we all kneel here today, if there are some who kneel with us who have yet to open their heart, may they do that now. Just say Jesus, today, on this beautiful Palm Sunday, I invite You to come and live within my heart and be my Lord and my Savior. May many do that now dear Jesus. Let's take the bread together, shall we? And then the cup. So simple dear Jesus and yet so wonderful. We have told the world again that You love all of us and You died for us, and You're coming again for us. Thank you Jesus. And everybody said, amen. Let's stand and greet one another, shall we?