Jesus: Born to Die

Luke-Acts, vol. I: The King of Jubilee

Jesus: Born to Die

Baptism

This morning we have the privilege of baptizing the firstborn son of Caleb and Janel Tomulty, which, given the Bible passages we’re going to be dealing with this morning, is quite providential.

In our Gospel lesson, we’re going to read about Jesus celebrating a very special meal in the life of God’s people, Passover, and in our OT lesson, we’re going to read about the institution of that meal.

For people who have been in church for any extended period of time, it is a familiar story.

On the night before God delivered His people out of slavery in Egypt, He had Moses instruct the faithful to gather together in their houses, kill a firstborn lamb or goat, and then cover the doorframes of their homes with the blood so that when God passed through Egypt, He would look at the faithful house covered in the blood of the firstborn lamb and accept that sacrifice in the place of their firstborn son of that household.

Now, we don’t have time to cover all the biblical theology that ties the imagery of blood and water and cleansing together, but suffice it to say, there is a correlation between having our sins, which were red as scarlet, being made white as snow, by the blood of Jesus, and the author to the Hebrews makes the connection to the waters of baptism clear when he writes: “

[19] Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus…let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. (Hebrews 10:19–22)

Even this morning, you all have confidence to enter into the presence of a holy God because you have been baptized, sprinkled clean with water, and covered by the blood of Jesus.

So, coming back to Passover then, we can see a parallel between faithful parents covering their households with the blood of the lamb in the OC and faithful parents in the NC covering their children with the blood of Jesus in baptism.

And so, just as it would have been unthinkable for a family in Moses’s day to leave their firstborn uncovered by the blood of the lamb, so too is it unthinkable for us to leave our kids uncovered by the waters of baptism.

This morning, Caleb and Janel are exercising the very same kind of faith that God has always used to save His children and His children’s children, the kind of faith that trusts God will accept the blood of the Lamb as once, full and complete sacrifice for the sins of His people, and we are always thankful to get to be a part of hearing and witnessing that good news. Amen?

Pray with me.

We thank you, Almighty God, for the gift of water. Over it the Holy Spirit moved in the beginning of creation. Through it you led the children of Israel out of their bondage in Egypt and into the land of promise. In it your Son Jesus received the baptism of John and was anointed by the Holy Spirit as the Messiah, the Christ, to lead us, through his death and resurrection, from the bondage of sin into glory everlasting.

And we thank you, Father, for the water of Baptism. In it we are crucified and buried with Christ, and by it we share in his resurrection. Through it we are cleansed, reborn by the Holy Spirit, adopted into your family, and clothed with the righteousness of Christ.

Now, in joyful obedience to your Son, we ask that what we’re about to do on earth would be confirmed in heaven. As in humble faith, we present this child to you, we ask You to receive him, to endue him with Your Holy Spirit, and to keep him ever as Your own, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Dearly beloved, the sacrament of baptism is of divine ordinance (Matthew 28). The Bible declares that God our Father, who has redeemed us by the sacrifice of Christ, is also the God and Father of our children (Exodus 34; Deuteronomy 6).

Our Lord Jesus said, "Allow the little children to come unto Me and do not hinder them, for of such is the kingdom of Heaven."  Jesus took the little ones up in His arms, and put His hands over them, and blessed them.  

And just as the Apostle Paul wrote that all of God’s children were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea and were baptized into Moses, so too did he declare that the children of believers are to be numbered with the holy people of God, calling them saints and giving them commands to obey in his letters.

Caleb, Janel, the steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and His righteousness to children’s children, to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments. The LORD has established His throne in the heavens, and His kingdom rules over all. - Psalm 103:17–19

He promised to tend his flock like a shepherd; to gather the lambs in his arms; to carry them in his bosom, and to gently lead those that are with young (Isaiah 40:11).

These promises are for you and for your children. (Acts 2:39)

In bringing this child to Jesus, do you confess to believe these promises and that He alone is Lord and Savior? And do you promise, in dependence on the grace of God, to raise this child in the nurture and admonition of the Lord? (We do!)

“What is the Christian name of this child?”

“Then said Jesus unto them, ‘All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me; Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you,’

Therefore, [James Henry] I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. And may the blessing of God the Father, and God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit descend upon you and rest upon you, now and forevermore. Amen.

Oh, little child, for you Jesus Christ has come, He has fought, He has suffered.  For you, He entered into the shadows of Gethsemane and the terror of Calvary; for you He uttered the cry ‘It is finished.’  For you He rose from the dead and ascended into heaven, and there, for you, He intercedes. For you [James], even though you do not yet know it, in what’s happening today, the Word of the gospel is shown forth, where it says, ‘We love Him because He first loved us!’

Normally, you all would now take vows to help the Tomulties raise James up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, but given that Caleb has abandoned us and taken his family with him, you will not have the chance to keep those vows, so we’re not going to ask you to take them.

We do ask that you join with us in keeping the Tomulty family in your prayers, as we are all a part of the same family, James included.

Brittain, will you pray?

Almighty and everlasting God who of Your infinite mercy and goodness has promised that You will not only be our God but also the God and Father of our children, we humbly ask You, on behalf of the [Tomulties], that Your Spirit may be upon James and dwell in him forever. Take him unto Your Fatherly care and protection.

Guide [James] and sanctify him, both in body and in soul. Grant him to grow in wisdom as in stature, in favor with God and men, all the days of his life.

Abundantly enrich him with Your heavenly grace. Bring him safely through the perils of childhood.  Deliver him from the temptations of youth, lead him to witness a good confession, and preserve [James] in your Covenant to the end of his days.

And God, our Father, give unto [Caleb and Janel] to whom You have committed this blessed trust, the assurance of Your unfailing providence and care. Guide them with Your counsel as they teach and train their children, and help [Caleb] to lead his household into an ever-increasing knowledge of Christ and in a more steadfast obedience to His will.  

Almighty God, we thank you that by the death and resurrection of your Son Jesus Christ you have overcome sin and brought us to yourself, and that by the sealing of your Holy Spirit you have bound us to your service. Renew in us the covenant you made with us at our baptism. Send us forth in the power of the Spirit to perform the service you set before us; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Your brother in Christ!

Scripture Readings

OT: Exodus 12:1-18

Ps: Psalm 114  

NT: Acts 4:23-31

Gospel: Luke 22:1-23

Our OT Lesson is from the passage we referred to in our baptism earlier, Exodus, chapter 12. Hear God’s Word.

OT Lesson - Exodus 12:1–18

[1] The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, [2] “This month shall be for you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year for you. [3] Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month every man shall take a lamb according to their fathers’ houses, a lamb for a household…[5] Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats, [6] and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight.

[7] “Then they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. [8] They shall eat the flesh that night, roasted on the fire; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it…[11] In this manner you shall eat it: with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. And you shall eat it in haste. It is the LORD’s Passover. [12] For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the LORD. [13] The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt.

[14] “This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the LORD; throughout your generations, as a statute forever, you shall keep it as a feast. [15] Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread…[16] On the first day you shall hold a holy assembly, and on the seventh day a holy assembly. No work shall be done on those days…[17] And you shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this very day I brought your hosts out of the land of Egypt. Therefore you shall observe this day, throughout your generations, as a statute forever.

Psalm 114 - Chanted

NT Lesson - Acts 4:23–28

Our NT Epistle reading is from Acts 4, and listen to who ordained the events in the life of Jesus.

[23] When they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them. [24] And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, [25] who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit,

“‘Why did the Gentiles rage,

and the peoples plot in vain?

[26] The kings of the earth set themselves,

and the rulers were gathered together,

against the Lord and against his Anointed’—

[27] for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, [28] to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.

Gospel Lesson - Luke 22:1–23

And our Gospel lesson and sermon text is from Luke 22 where we see Jesus keeping the feasts.

[1] Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called the Passover. [2] And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to put him to death, for they feared the people.

[3] Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was of the number of the twelve. [4] He went away and conferred with the chief priests and officers how he might betray him to them. [5] And they were glad, and agreed to give him money. [6] So he consented and sought an opportunity to betray him to them in the absence of a crowd.

[7] Then came the day of Unleavened Bread, on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. [8] So Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat it.” [9] They said to him, “Where will you have us prepare it?” [10] He said to them, “Behold, when you have entered the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him into the house that he enters [11] and tell the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says to you, Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ [12] And he will show you a large upper room furnished; prepare it there.” [13] And they went and found it just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover.

[14] And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. [15] And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. [16] For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” [17] And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. [18] For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” [19] And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” [20] And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. [21] But behold, the hand of him who betrays me is with me on the table. [22] For the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed!” [23] And they began to question one another, which of them it could be who was going to do this.

Prayer for Illumination

Guide us, O God, by your Word and Spirit, so that in your light we may see light, in your truth find wisdom, and in your will discover your peace. Add Your blessing to the reading, the hearing, and the preaching of Your Word, and grant us all the grace to trust and obey You, and all God’s people said, “Amen.”

For the Kids

I’m going to give you kids a little quiz this morning, and you can just say yes or no, depending on what you think the answer is.

I want you to imagine in your head four Sunday school stories that I’m sure you all know, and I want you to picture the animal that is either in the story or missing from the story, and then I’m going to ask you what animal you had in your head.

First, think about the story of Cain and Abel and what animal was missing from Cain’s sacrifice.

Now, think about Abraham and Isaac and what animal Isaac asked about as being missing from the burnt offering.

Think about the story we just heard about the night before the Exodus and what animal was there.

And last, think about the story we just heard where Jesus and His disciples were eating Passover and what animal was missing from their meal.

Cain and Abel; Abraham and Isaac; Moses and the people; and Jesus and His disciples.

Are you picturing the animal?

Okay, is the animal you’re picturing a bear? A lion? An eagle? - No?

Okay, is the animal you’re picturing a lamb?

If so, you’re picturing the right one!

Introduction

In the Cain and Abel story, Abel’s offering was accepted because Abel brought God the firstborn of his flock like God required, but Cain, the firstborn son, thought he could worship God however he wanted and didn’t bring a sacrificial lamb to worship.

In the Abraham and Isaac story, Isaac asked his father where the lamb was for their offering, Abraham told him that God would provide the lamb, and He did.

And in the Moses story, the families were to kill a firstborn lamb and put its blood on the doorposts so that God would look at the blood of the lamb and not kill the firstborn in that household.

In all those stories, God’s faithful people trusted God to provide a lamb for them, and then they offered that lamb back to God as an act of faith.

But did you catch the difference between those first three stories and the story we read about Jesus?

In the first three stories, the firstborn lamb is present, but in the Jesus story it seems like the lamb is missing.

Now, if you think a little harder, I bet you all can guess why none of the Gospel writers record a lamb being at a meal where having lamb was so important because you know what they wanted you to know all along, Jesus is the Lamb.

At the end of our time today, I want to encourage you all, that just like it only seems like the lamb was missing from their table that night, it still only seems like Jesus is missing from this Table; the Lamb of God and the Firstborn Son really is present with us in amazing ways.

Before we get to that part of the service though, we’re going to walk through the story we read today, sometimes in painstaking detail because so much of it is foreign to us, but we’re going to do that so that when we get to the Lord’s Supper, we can joyfully and gratefully eat and drink with an even greater faith and therefore greater efficacy than we have before. (Ephesians 3:2, 4:7; Romans 12:3-8)  

Instruction

So let’s get going. In verse 1 of chapter 22, Luke gives us a time marker for when these things are happening and a helpful clarifier by writing that the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which is called the Passover, was drawing near.

That little clause, “which is called the Passover,” is an important one to put in your back pocket because it helps provide an answer to the accusation that John and the Synoptic Gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke have contradicting timelines for when these things took place.

Critics of the Bible point out that John says Jesus was handed over and crucified on the day of preparation of the Passover, but the Synoptic writers record Jesus as celebrating the Passover with His disciples.

On the surface, it sounds like there very well might be a contradiction.

After all, if Passover is only one day, then Jesus can’t have been handed over before the day of Passover and eaten the Passover with his disciples, and we did hear in our OT lesson God that commanded for the paschal lamb to be killed at twilight on the 14th day of the month which He Himself called the Lord’s Passover.

We also heard that after Passover, for the next seven days, the weeklong feast of Unleavened bread was to be celebrated. So, there is a clear distinction between the single day of Passover and the seven day feast of unleavened bread, but it’s important for us to remember that the Jewish people didn’t always and only count days from morning to morning or midnight to midnight.

There was another way they often counted days and that was from evening to evening.

Thinking about a day like that then, the Passover lamb would be killed just before the sun went down on the 14th, and then once the sun set it was officially the 15th and the weeklong Feast of Unleavened Bread would begin.

That same day for us was two different days for the Jews.

So, technically, yes; Passover was one day on the 14th, and the Feast of Unleavened bread 7 day, but they were so closely tied together in time and theme that by the time of Jesus, and even to this day actually, the two could be referred to interchangeably.

Luke is pointing out that the entire feast week of Unleavened bread was sometimes referred to as Passover and the day of Passover was called the day of Unleavened Bread even though that feast lasted a week.

So, back to when John says Jesus was arrested and crucified on the day of preparation of the Passover, he’s not contradicting the other Apostles. John is simply calling the weeklong festival of unleavened bread Passover, just like Luke says people did during that day.

If that was too much of a whirlwind, and you’ve never had anyone try to point out that supposed contradiction to you, just know that there is no contradiction in the Gospels or in any other part of God’s Word for that matter; it might take some digging, but if we do not give up, we’ll reap the reward that God has stored up for us in His Word.

Okay, back to our text.

Luke says that as these feasts were drawing near, instead of doing what they were supposed to be doing, instead of preparing to celebrate the great day of salvation, when God judged their enemies and accepted the blood of a lamb as a covering for their households, the chief priests and scribes were preparing for a different kind of cover up.

Verse 2 says they were seeking how to put Jesus to death and Luke implies, not for the first time, that these plots were taking place in secret because they feared the people, something verse 6 reiterates.

Jesus had amassed quite the following, and if these guys waited until everyone was in Jerusalem celebrating the festival to try and grab Jesus, they feared they’d have a riot on their hands, so they had to figure out a time when they could get to Jesus without everyone around.

It’s that more opportune time that another one of Jesus’s enemies, Satan, has also been looking for since he left Jesus in Luke 4, so finding a willing participant, Satan entered into Judas, and they were so united in their wills, Luke can write, not that they went away, but that “he” went away to conspire with the chief priests how he might hand Jesus over to them in the absence of the multitude.

Despite being called by Jesus to be one of His twelve closest disciples; even though he’d spent the last three years walking with Jesus, learning from Jesus, and seeing Jesus do miraculous works, Judas ultimately decided the cost of following Jesus was too great, so rather than stay faithful and please Jesus, Judas switches sides, choosing to please Satan and his minions instead.

Like everyone else, Judas knew that these guys hated Jesus, and he also knew that they had a reputation for paying guys to do their dirty work, so, if Jesus is going to die anyway, which He Himself said was going to happen, Judas figures that he might as well profit from it.

This kind of ancient, satanic, brotherly-Cain like betrayal is exactly what the chief priests needed to get to Jesus, and now that they’ve got their man, Luke writes that they rejoiced.

A word typically reserved for people being glad to see Jesus and experience His life giving work is now used to describe the emotions of His betrayers who hate Him and want Him dead.

Having given a glimpse into the plans of those who would ultimately plot in vain, Luke shifts to another scene where more plans are being made.

Verse 7 again highlights the overlap of festivals in saying that it was the Day of Unleavened bread, on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed, which we now know was Thursday of Holy Week.

Knowing that He wanted to eat the Passover with His disciples, Jesus sends Peter and John to go make the appropriate preparations.

Apparently having made plans of His own, Jesus tells these two disciples that when they enter into the city, a man doing something unusual, carrying a water jar, would meet them.

When they saw him, they weren’t to say anything to him; instead, they were to follow him into the house that he entered and tell the master of that house, “The Teacher says to you, “Where is the guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?”

Jesus tells them that once they deliver this message, the man would show them a large upper room that has been furnished for this event, and it was in that specific room Peter and John were to prepare the Passover, which they did.

Narrowing the timeline down even further, from week to day, to hour, Luke says that when the hour came, likely the 3 o clock hour when the lamb was being slain, Jesus was reclining at the table with the Apostles.

Now, Jesus' statement doesn’t quite come across as emphatically in English, but in verse 15, Jesus doubles up that He has desired this desire: to eat Passover with them before He suffered.

He tells them He will not eat of it again until the Passover is fulfilled in the kingdom, and then He does something that seems a bit out of place for how we’re used to reading the story.

We’re probably more used to Matthew and Mark’s account of the Supper because that’s how Paul instructs the Corinthians to practice the rite, and that’s why the Church has always done it since, but Luke, and Luke alone, includes a cup of wine before the breaking of bread and then another cup of wine after the meal.

Now, most of what you’ll find about the significance of multiple cups of wine at the Passover is from Jewish traditions that developed after the destruction of the temple in AD 70, so most modern seder meals aren’t likely accurate representations of exactly what was going on in Jesus’s day, but there does seem to be some precedent for multiple cups of wine with multiple meanings arising during the other period of Jewish history when they were without a temple, the Exile.

According to Jewish tradition, there were five cups used at the Passover meal - the first four were tied to the promises God told Moses to declare to the people of Israel in Exodus 6, and the fifth cup, the cup of God’s wrath, or the cup of iniquity, was poured but left untouched to honor the prophet Elijah.

To this day, some Jews leave this cup on the table and their door open to signify that they would welcome Elijah’s call to repentance if and when he comes to prepare the way for Messiah.

The first cup, though, the cup of sanctification, supposedly went with the promise, “I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians,” and it was to be drunk while reading or recounting the command of God to keep the Passover.

The second cup, the cup of praise, went with the promise, “I will deliver you from slavery,” and was to be drunk after chanting the Hallel or praise Psalms 113 and 114, which we sang earlier.

The third cup, the cup of redemption, went with God’s promise, “I will redeem you with great acts of judgment” and was to be drunk after the meal, and the fourth cup, the cup of acceptance, went with the promise, “I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God.”

Now, again, these things come from extra-biblical Jewish traditions, so we don’t know for sure if that’s exactly what was going on, but if there is some truth to it, then that could give us some insight as to why Luke’s account has Jesus giving thanks for a cup of wine, passes it around, and tells His Apostles to divide the wine amongst themselves before instituting what we now call the Lord’s Supper.

It’s after that first cup and the promise that He will not eat or drink with them until after the kingdom of God comes that Jesus performs the rite that we’ve all become so familiar with.

Taking bread, Jesus gives thanks, breaks it, and then passes it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me,” or perhaps better, “As my memorial.”

I’ve contemplated changing the way we phrase it because I think “my memorial” is not only a better translation but is also probably a better way of getting across what’s actually going on.

But before we talk about what’s actually going on, we need to address two things that are not going on.

The first thing that is not going on is that the bread is not transubstantiating, that is, it is not becoming the literal body of Jesus, in that the true substance of what these guys are eating is somehow Jesus’s eyeballs, gallbladder, and ear lobes.

I realize that some of our brothers and sisters believe that by affirming transubstantiation, they’re simply trying to be faithful to Jesus’s words here and especially in John 6.

For them, when Jesus says, “This is my body,” He must mean, the bread is His body, and for us to say it’s not is to contradict the plain teaching of Jesus.

But they don’t even follow their own line of reasoning because in the next phrase they believe the wine is the blood of Jesus but that’s not actually what Jesus says.

He doesn’t say the wine that is in the cup is the new covenant in my blood. He says that the cup is the new covenant, and they don’t believe the literal cup the priest holds up is literally the new covenant.

No; in this instance, they use their brains and make inferences.

The cup is filled with wine, and so the wine is what Jesus is referring to as being poured out like His blood would be poured out, so the wine is the blood of Jesus which is the new covenant, not the cup. So, if we can make inferences and draw logical conclusions, which we should, then it should be clear that we are not literally eating the flesh of Jesus and drinking His blood once we say the magic words.

That teaching is not only contrary to reason, as the Apostles would have known they were just eating bread and drinking wine and not the literal body and blood of Jesus, which hadn’t even been broken or poured out yet, but it also creates a problem within the very Apostolic tradition that the Roman Catholics claim to uphold because in Acts 15, the Jerusalem Council forbade Christians from eating blood.

So, even though Jesus says, “This is my body,” and “This cup is the new covenant in His blood,” what’s not happening is that the Apostles are not literally eating Jesus’s body and literally drinking His blood, and neither are we.

But what’s also not happening here is that Jesus isn’t just telling the Apostles that they are supposed to remember in their memories that Jesus gave His body and shed His blood for them when they happen to get around eating the Lord’s Supper.

Again, our more baptistic brothers and sisters, rightly reject Rome, and are also trying to be faithful to Jesus’s teaching. When they read that Jesus said, “Do this in remembrance of me,” then they understand that to mean that’s exactly and only what’s going on, but that’s not exactly what the text says.

It’s a little complicated in the Greek, which is likely why traditions with non-educated clergy are the ones who tend to hold this view, but Jesus technically doesn’t say do this in remembrance of me.

Rather, it’s probably better translated: “Do this ‘as’ or “for” my memorial,” and that’s an important distinction because that word memorial is a very important word in the Bible that means far more than just a mental memory.

Ἀνάμνησις, or memorial, is a technical word used primarily in Leviticus to refer to the memorial portion of the offerings God required to be burned and offered up to Him in worship.

In the first step of the worship service, which Cain seems to have skipped, the sin offering, the common person had to bring a female lamb to the priest to be sacrificed as an atonement for their sin; if the sinner couldn’t afford a lamb, they could bring two turtledoves or two pigeons, and if they couldn’t afford that, they could bring an offering of fine flour w/o oil, and the priest would burn that offering as a memorial to the Lord so that the Lord would receive that memorial as an atonement for the sins of the worshipper.

Later, in the tribute offering, the now forgiven sinner would again offer up a memorial to God, but this time the offering was to be unleavened bread baked and mixed with oil.

When this memorial was burned, God is said to smell it as a pleasing aroma, signifying that the works of His people’s hands, no matter how small, are pleasing to Him.

This same memorial language is picked up again in Acts 10 when an angel declares to the Gentile believer, Cornelius, that the Lord has received his prayers and alms as a memorial offering.

This offering up of the tribute offering along with the prayers of the people is why liturgical churches like ours lift up the offering box.

So, when Jesus tells His Apostles that they are to eat this bread and drink this cup “as” or “for” His memorial, He is saying that when His followers do His memorial, God will see the worship of forgiven sinners and receive it as a pleasing aroma because their worship is performed in Christ and in accordance with His offering up of Himself to God on our behalf.

Now, again, it’s not that we are sacrificing Jesus all over again as though Hebrews didn’t say His sacrifice was once for all; it’s simply to say that we are trying to use the language and imagery of the Bible the way the Bible does, and that Jesus said He gave this meal as His memorial is one reason we take it so seriously - memorials are for God’s people, sure, but they’re also something that are for God - memorials unite the worshiper to the offering and bring the worshiper up to God.

So, if and when the memorial is offered the way Jesus said, God will see that, and if and when it’s not done the way Jesus said to do it, He will see that too.

Just like God was pleased with Abel and Abraham and the faithful Israelites who trusted and obeyed His instructions about how to worship and what to do with the lambs He provided them, so too in the NC is God pleased with those who obey His commands regarding this memorial of His firstborn Son, the true Lamb of God to which all those other lambs pointed. But just like the unfaithful OC saints who disobeyed His commands regarding the body and blood of the Passover lamb were judged, so too in the NC does God judge those who disobey His commands regarding the body and blood of Jesus.

Paul couldn’t make this reality any clearer when he tells the Corinthians that the reason some of them are weak and ill and some have died is because they are not rightly discerning the Body, they are not eating and drinking the Lord’s Supper in the way Jesus commanded, so God is disciplining them so that they’ll wake up and repent rather than receive His judgment (1 Cor 11).

Likewise, we shouldn’t be surprised that in our day, when communion is such a disaster in so many places that God’s discipline is coming upon His Church.

If a church disobeys Jesus and doesn’t take communion at all, or if they take it in ways that Jesus didn’t command, like with grape juice or crackers or at home by themselves or in some other way that goes against how Jesus commanded, then those people shouldn’t be surprised that God responds to their tarnished memorial offering with discipline.

Jesus said that this was to be done as His memorial, and God always actually sees and responds to His memorials accordingly - again from Cain and Abel to Abraham and Isaac to Israel in Egypt, when people do not offer to God what God says to offer the way He says to offer it, they are judged accordingly.

So, when we say, “The body of Christ, given for you,” and “The blood of Christ, shed for your sins,” we are not affirming transubstantiation; we are simply using the language of Scripture.

And when take the bread and say, “Do this in remembrance of me or as my memorial,” we are not saying this is a meal of us merely cognitively remembering what Jesus did.

We are saying that while the Lamb seems to be absent from the events in Luke 22 but is actually present because Jesus is there, He is likewise present with us every Lord’s Day at His Table even though we don’t see Him.

Christ, our passover lamb has been sacrificed, therefore we keep His feast the way He instructed His disciples to keep it.

And as we keep His feast, as we eat this New Covenant memorial with God and one another, we can do so trusting that He will receive our worship and the works of our hands, no matter how small, with joy.  

Exhortation

As we prepare to move into the Communion portion of our service, take all these things to heart, and, particularly in light of our Scripture reading in Acts that declared God had predestined everything to take place according to His plan, even the plans of wicked men.

As you prepare to eat with Jesus, consider how much planning has gone into you being so privileged to eat with Him this morning.

Lambs were created; Passover instituted; our forefathers delivered; and the sacrificial system put into place so that in the fullness of time when the Christ who was born to die came, His person and work would all make sense.

At the exact time they were predestined to, no sooner, no later, “The nations raged, the peoples planned in vain; the kings of the land set themselves and the rulers gathered together against the Lord and His Anointed.”

On the exact day God had predestined them to, the chief priests plotted; Satan possessed; Judas conspired; and Pilate crucified; and Jesus knew all of their plans even before they did.

Consider this, that even in the act of calling Judas  Jesus did so because He knew that even His betrayer was a critical part of God’s plan to save you and eventually eat with you, this morning.

For on that night all those years ago, in the exact hour God had predestined Him to, the Passover Lamb and Firstborn Son of God instituted this simple meal with bread and wine, His body and blood, so that every Lord’s Day you might gather for His memorial, eat, drink, and proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.

Yes, you’ve planned your steps, but the Lord has ordered your path, and your being here this morning to partake of the Lord’s Supper is just as much a reflection of Jesus’s desire all those years ago, God desires and predetermined everything in your life up to this very morning because He wants to eat with you, now and forever.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Let’s pray.

Our Father, we have heard wonderful things out of your word. We praise you for revealing Christ by promise and shadow in the OT and for revealing Him as the fulfillment of all of these things in the New. Give us your Spirit that we might understand these words and the fulness of your truth as you have revealed Him to us in the person and work of Jesus, who with you and the Holy Spirit be all honor and glory, now and forever. Amen.

Communion

1 Corinthians 11:17–27

[17] But in the following instructions I do not commend you, because when you come together it is not for the better but for the worse. [18] For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you. And I believe it in part, [19] for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized. [20] When you come together, it is not the Lord’s supper that you eat. [21] For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk. [22] What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I commend you in this? No, I will not.

[23] For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, [24] 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.” [25] In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” [26] For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

[27] Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord.

Now, these verses are likely so familiar to us that, if we’re not careful, we can glaze over while they’re being read, so we revisit them often to hopefully keep that from happening.

As we prepare for Communion this morning, I’d like you to consider what Jesus did after He took the bread and before He broke it.

What did He do?

He gave thanks, which we are also told He likewise did before distributing the cup.

Have you ever stopped to consider the steadfast, loyal, joyful faith of Jesus in that moment?

Knowing what was coming in just a few hours; knowing that the man he’d invested so much time in was about to betray Him; knowing that the very people He’d gone to such lengths for for so many thousands of years were about to bring Him up on false charges, conduct a sham trial, and have Him crucified at the hands of Pontius Pilate; in the face of all of that, when Jesus took the bread which would forever be associated with His broken body, and when He took the cup of wine which would always represent His own blood poured out for sinners, Jesus gave thanks.

We often talk about how Lord’s Day worship is the training ground for the rest of the week.

In the liturgy of the Lord’s service, God offers Himself to us, and we offer ourselves to Him.

This is clear through Scripture but perhaps most succinctly in Romans 12 where Paul says that in presenting our bodies to God, we do so as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God, and that is our spiritual liturgy, our spiritual worship.

As we do that then, every day, but especially this day, as sons and daughters of God, let us follow the example of God’s firstborn Lord and offer ourselves to God the way He did, giving thanks.

Beloved, I know many of you know the pain of betrayal; you know how lonely the dark night of the soul can be; and you know the agonies of a body ravaged by pain and even impending death.

The world, your flesh, and the Devil would tell you the cost of following Jesus is too great, and they would have you, like Judas, abandon Christ. They would have you avoid any and all suffering and view any trial as evidence that God is not for you. They would have you do anything but give thanks to God in all circumstances because that would result in you having the kind of joy in the Lord that they find so detestable.

Do not buy their lies; do not give into the temptation of the evil one to grumble and complain and ultimately disdain God’s plan for your life if and when His plan includes suffering.

Instead, look to Christ; look to everything that He has done to save you; receive this bread and wine this morning in the same way that Jesus offers it, giving thanks to God even in the face of trials, trusting that just as God delivered His Son not only to but through death, so too will He look at you through the blood of the Lamb and deliver you.

For the glory of God and the life of the world. Amen.

Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed.

Therefore, let us keep the feast! 

1 Corinthians 11:23-24

 “For I 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;

[Prayer for the bread]

"We do not presume to come to your Table, O merciful Lord, trusting in our own righteousness, but in your many and great mercies.  We are not worthy so much as to gather up the crumbs under your Table.  But you are the same Lord, whose character is to have mercy: Thank you, gracious Lord, that our sinful bodies are made clean by his body, and our souls washed through his most precious blood, so that we may evermore dwell in him, and he in us. Amen. (BCP – Prayer of Humble Access)

and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat, this is My body, which is for you; do this as my memorial.”

These are the gifts of God for the people of God. Take, eat, remember, believe and proclaim that Christ the Lord lived, died, and rose again for you.’

1 Corinthians 11:25-26 - 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.”

[Prayer for the wine]

We thank you, Oh God, that you sent your Son to be the Lamb of God to take away the sins of the world. And even as we offer ourselves to you with groanings too deep for words, we thank you now for this cup of the new covenant in His blood which makes glad our hearts. In His name, we give you thanks now and forever. Amen.  

Take, drink, remember, believe and proclaim that the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ was given for a complete remission of all our sins.

Having dined with our God at His Table, let us now rise and give Him thanks.

Almighty God, You gave us the true bread that came down from heaven, Even Your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord: Grant that we who have received this sacrament of His Body and Blood May abide in Him, and He in us, That we may be filled with the power of His endless life, And serve Him with gladness and thanksgiving forever. Amen.

As often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.

Christ has died.

Christ is risen.

Christ is reigning.

And Christ will come again. Amen.

Commission

Romans 12:1–2 - [1] I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. [2] Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Amen.

Benediction

Hebrews 13:20–21 - [20] Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, [21] equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in [you] that which is [beautiful] in his sight, through [this] Jesus Christ, [our Lord], to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.