Communion Message
(Falling in the mud hole)
December 16-17, 2000
Pastor Leighton Sheley

Reading from Matthew chapter 26 verses 17 and following: On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Where do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover?" He replied, "Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, 'The Teachers says: My appointed time is near. I am going to celebrate the Passover with My disciples at your house.'" So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover. When evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the Twelve. And while they were eating, he said, "I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me." They were very sad and began to say to him one after the other, "Surely not I, Lord?" Jesus replied, "The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born." Then Judas, the one who would betray him, said, "Surely not I, Rabbi?" Jesus answered, "Yes, it is you." While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take and eat; this is my body." Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

This is my blood of the covenant. The night that the disciples were gathered with Jesus was Passover. It was a celebration that was an annual event for the nation of Israel as they remembered the great provision for the nation's salvation by God in providing an exodus from the land of bondage, Egypt. In Exodus 12:12 and following: "On that same night I will pass through Egypt, this is God speaking, and I will strike down every firstborn--both men and animals--and I will bring judgment on all of the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord. The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt. This is the day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the LORD--a lasting ordinance. The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you.

You know, God did not say, when I see your goodness I will pass over you. God did not say, when I see your morality I will pass over you. God did not say, when I see your good works I will pass over you. God did not say, when I see your fervent religious worship I will pass over you. God said, when I see the blood I will pass over you. It was the blood that protected from judgment in Egypt. It is blood that protects from judgment in eternity. John writes in 1 John 1:5 and following: This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all. It if we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. Chapter 2: My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense--Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.

Peter writes, 1 Peter 1:18: Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; but rather with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you. The writer to Hebrews says in 9:22, without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. The apostle John in Revelation 12:10 writes, Then I heard a loud voice in heaven saying: "Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and of the authority of his Christ. The accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. They, speaking of the saints, overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony. Revelation indicates we're going to overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony.

Dr. Dahan writes, even after we've been saved we're still open to the attacks of the world, the flesh, and the devil. Even after being born again we all too often fall prey to temptation and go down. The characteristic of the Christian who fails is that he seeks the cleansing of the blood of Christ and thereafter pleads the blood of Christ and guards against repetition of the thing that once brought him down. He does not fall into the same sin again, and again, and again. For each experience builds up an immunity against that sin. The difference between the sinner and the saint is that the saint hates his sin and pleads the blood of Christ, whereas the sinner loves his sin and goes back into it. The saint is like a sheep. It may fall in the mud hole, but it's not comfortable there and will bleat until the shepherd lifts it out, and thereafter will avoid that mud hole. The sinner is like a pig. It goes about looking for slime pits. When it finds one it slides in with a grunt of glee and will squeal vehement objections if you try to pull it out. No sooner is it out, but it will return to that slime pit again. The saint may fall into sin, but he will never remain there and he will be unhappy while in it.

Oh Christian do not despair if you have failed. Our precious Lord knew when He came to die for you what a failure you would be. He knew how hard it would be to remain undefiled in this old world which is no friend to grace. He knew the pitfalls in the way and the deceitfulness of the flesh, and so when He died to save you He also shed His blood to cleanse you. For He caused John to write: If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. I'm going to invite you now, if you're physically able, to join with me as we kneel in the presence of our Lord and Savior. The Scriptures tell us at times like these that we should examine ourselves, so let us do at this time.

Lord, in these brief moments Your Spirit has spoken to us and brought to our attention areas in which we are living that is displeasing to You. Lord we thank you that we can ask for forgiveness and it's ours. We thank you for the precious blood that protects us from judgment, that washes away sin and its stain. Thank you Lord for Your graciousness and Your faithfulness to us. Let's partake of the bread, and also the cup. There are some words to a song found on your sheet -- the blood that Jesus shed for me.

(singing)
The blood that Jesus shed for me,
Way back on Calvary.
The gives me strength from day to day,
It will never lose its power.
For it reaches to the highest mountain,
And it flows to the lowest valley.
The blood that gives me strength from day to day,
It will never lose its power.
For it reaches to the highest mountain, yes it does
And it flows to the lowest valley.
Oh the blood that gives me strength from day to day,
It will never lose its power.
It will never lose its power.

Thank you Lord for the blood shed on Calvary is just as capable 2000 years removed of removing our sin. Thank you Lord, in Jesus' name we pray, and together we say amen. Let's stand and greet at least a dozen of our neighbors.