Communion Message
(Check your course)
April 10-11, 1999
Pastor Ralph Huddleston

In Luke 22:19-20 this is what God's word says, And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me." Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is shed for you. Of the many things that the Lord supper is, it is also a time of new beginnings, it's an opportunity for the Christian to make, if you will, maybe a midcourse correction in their spiritual life. You could imagine traveling from here to New York in a straight shot. You set your course, plot your course, check the compass, and you take off; but you are off one degree on the compass. By the time you reach New York, in matter of fact, you wouldn't reach New York. You'd be off by hundreds of miles. Maybe in our spiritual lives this week we're drifting off from the Lord's course. The Lord's Supper can be an opportunity to correct that course. Praise God for that. It is also a time for fresh dedication to God's will. Maybe sin has crept its way into your life and into my live, and it has caused us to pull off the course. It's a time of fresh dedication to God's will. It's also a time for self- examination. In 1 Corinthians 11:28 the apostle Paul says, But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread and drink of the cup. Paul's emphasis here is on the word 'himself'. We are not here to examine others, to judge others, we are here for self-examination. Self-examination admits sin, whatever it is, wherever it is in our lives. It is simply to be honest about ourselves with God. That's it. It's a time for meditation in regards to the death of Christ. This last week, tomorrow starts a new week, and all of these things are going to crowd into our lives, and they may very well crowd out the remembrance of why Christ had to die, for whose sin He died, for what reason and for what result. This time around the supper table is an opportunity to begin again. It's also a time for humility. We will never admit our need to begin again as long as we are filled with pride. Only the humble of heart will say I am wrong, I have sinned, forgive me Lord Jesus. If this is you, then you have come to the right place, at the right time. The Lord's Suppertime is for fresh dedication, self-examination, meditation on the death of Christ, and humility. If you want to begin again, bow your knee with me and tell that to Jesus Christ.

Would you bow with me? Heavenly Father, as we realize that we may be off our course, to be off that narrow road that You so gently placed us on, as You look down upon us and as we begin this process of self-examination, open our hearts that we might see and be able to confess and be forgiven as the song says, washed by the blood of Jesus, whiter than snow. Cause us to remember the death of Your Son. Cause us to be humble in Your presence and to seek Your forgiveness. Cause us to want to begin again, anew, and fresh. Lord Jesus we thank You for Your sacrifice that made this table possible. Without it, none would be here. Let's partake of the bread together. And then the cup. Thank you Jesus for this time, this quiet time, that You have provided that we might kneel around Your table. And through this, we come to the realization that someday we will be around this table again; new lives, new bodies, and we will be surrounded by Your glory. Help us to keep just a glimpse of that right now, right here on earth. Heavenly Father, continue to lead us and guide us, in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. As you get up, would greet those around you and let them know that you're glad they're here today.