Sermon Tone Analysis

*Excited About Supper*

10~/1~/06 CC~/AM

Luke 22:14-20

Communion Service

 

Introduction: Do you remember the last time that you got excited about eating supper?

You might answer, “that is easy, it was last night”!

There are some special occasions throughout the year that part of the celebration involves eating a special meal.

On that list would probably be Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, Birthdays, Anniversaries, and perhaps even a picnic or two at the Fourth of July and Labor Day!  Getting together around a nice meal is a good way to bond with others.

In the Scriptures, when you sat down to eat with someone it was an occasion to develop the relationship that you had with them.

On Sundays like this on where we enter the auditorium and realize that it is the week that we observe the Lord’s Supper, what kind of thoughts do you have?

What do you think God?

What do you think about the other people that you are about to sit down with?

In our text this morning we read that when Jesus can to the meal where He established what we know as Communion, we find that He was very excited about the occasion.

As we look at this event and observe the Lord’s Supper ourselves, my we evaluate and perhaps adjust our attitude about it too!

*1.

**The reason for the excitement*

 

a.

He was going to eat the Passover meal.

i.

It was to remind them of the deliverance of God from their enemies and bondage in the land of Egypt.

ii.

Specifically how God protected them from the death angel by following His instructions without compromise.

iii.

By the blood of a lamb they were identified as the children of God and their lives were spared.

iv.

It was a great celebration that commemorated God’s love for these people.

b.

He was going to eat it with His friends.

i.

He was going to eat it with those that He loved and spent the last three years with.

ii.

They were not perfect friends and He knew that they would even let Him down latter that evening, but He also knew that after a brief setback, most of them would lay down their lives for Him.

 

c.

It would be the last time that He would celebrate at a meal for a long time.

i.

He promised them that some day in the future that they would have this kind of fellowship only better!

It would be held in a different place and for a different reason, so this last time for a while would be quite a night to remember!

d.

He was going to fulfill the purpose for which He came.

i.

Three words tell us about it: “before I suffer”

 

                                                         ii.

Why would He look forward to this last supper with great desire when He knew what was to follow?

That He would be arrested, beaten, forsaken, crucified, and even worse… become sin for us.

Because He understood that it was the will of the Father and that it was going to take this act for man to ever have eternal fellowship with Him!

 

e.

He was going to unveil a whole new economy with man.

i.

No longer would the blood from animal sacrifices need to be made to simply cover the sins of each individual that brought the sacrifice.

ii.

No longer would man have to be constantly reminded that he was a sinner because he failed to keep the Law perfectly.

iii.

The One who is perfect would come and fulfill the Law.

iv.

The One who would shed His blood once for all would not simply temporarily atone for our sins but would forgive and remove them from us forever!

 

f.

This New Covenant would be far superior to the Old.

i.

The Old Covenant of rules and regulations that showcased man’s constant failure would be replaced by God’s grace and mercy.

Transition: Jesus had a lot of reasons why He was excited about this meal.

Mostly He was excited about what He would soon do for us!

 

*2.

**The main course*

 

a.

The bread was broken and passed out to His disciples.

(pass out the bread)

 

b.

The symbolism was explained:

 

                                                            i.

This bread represents my body

 

                                                         ii.

My body is being given for you personally

 

c.

Continue to do this so you will never forget me!

 

*3.

**The beverage*

 

a.

The cup was passed around to the disciples.

(pass out the cup)

 

b.

The symbolism was explained

 

                                                            i.

The liquid in the cup represents my blood.

ii.

The pouring out of His blood was for the forgiveness of sins (Matt.

26:28)

 

                                                      iii.

My blood will both fulfill and replace the demands of the Old Covenant with a new one.

Conclusion: The significance of this very special meal was largely missed by the disciples.

They perhaps thought that it was just the same Passover celebration that they had observed for years and had possibly conditioned themselves to take it for granted.

Something that was going to change the whole world and the course of human events forever was going to happen in the next few hours and they were rather oblivious to it all.

I am sure that as they looked back at this evening in the years to come they thought, “how could we have been so blind as to miss the significance of such a special time with Jesus”?

How often do we miss it too?

1.

It is a time when we are to remember what Jesus has done for us. 

2.

A time to consider where we are with Him. 

3.

A time for fellowship with each other

4. Look for the Lord’s return.

It is a very special time and we too should be excited about it.

God made a way for us to be right with Him, to be able to enjoy a personal relationship with Him and for us to be able to spend time with Him for eternity.

We should be reminded of what is ours in Christ every time we come to the table.

We too can be excited!

Invitation

 

Prayer for fellowship offering

 

Chorus