Communion Message
(The blood of the Lamb)
September 29, 2002
Pastor Leighton Sheley

Reading from the familiar passage of 1 Corinthians chapter 11: For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night He was betrayed, took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, "This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me." In the same way, after supper He took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of Me." For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes. Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. This is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment. When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world. So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for each other.

"This is My body," He said, "which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me." In the same way, after supper He took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of Me.

The great prophet Ezekiel wrote, the soul that sinneth, it shall die. The apostle Paul wrote, for the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

When Jesus was introduced in His earthly ministry by John the Baptist, the very first declaration that John made is, behold, the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world. The prophet Isaiah wrote, all we like sheep have gone astray, we've turned everyone to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; he was brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our inequities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed.

John the apostle writes in Revelation chapter 5, And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and the four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb. Having every one of them harps and golden vials full of the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book and to open the seals there of, for thou was slain, and has redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation.

And in Revelation 12 -- And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven: Now is come salvation and strength and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ. For the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accuse them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto death.

The Scriptures tell us the life is in the blood and without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Perhaps there are some, if not many, among us who have not yet declared faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior or invited him to reveal his salvation. The Scriptures say today is the day of salvation, and we invite you to invite him to be your Savior today. The Scriptures say at times like these that we should examine ourselves, and so if you're physically able I invite you to join with me now as we kneel in the presence of our Lord and Savior.

Lord, the elements that we hold remind us of you. They remind us of your power which spans the centuries; your wisdom and your plan of salvation. They remind us Lord that you keep your promises. They remind us Lord of your graciousness and goodness towards us. They remind us of how much you treasure us; that you were willing to come and pay the wages of our rebellion on Calvary's Cross. They remind us of how expensive sin is. If we confess our sins, your word says you're faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. As we partake today, Lord, that is our prayer -- to be forgiven and cleansed and healed. Let's partake of the bread and also the cup.