Victory Life KY

Communion

Episode Summary

Communion is possibly one of the greatest acts of a humility we can display. It's our reverent acknowledgement of Who Jesus is, what He did, but also who He’s made us to be.

Episode Notes

• 1 Peter 2:9-10, NKJV- But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God...

• Communion is possibly one of the greatest acts of a humility we can display. It's our reverent acknowledgement of Who Jesus is, what He did, but also who He’s made us to be.

• The apostle Paul sums it up perfectly, "Because of all I've done I don't deserve to be included in the family of God. But because of God's grace, because of Jesus, here I am."

• Romans 8:29-30,MSG- God knew what He was doing from the very beginning. 
• He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love Him along the same lines as the life of his Son. 
• The Son stands first in the line of humanity He restored. 
• We see the original and intended shape of our lives there in Him.
• After God made that decision of what His children should be like, He followed it up by calling people by name. 
• After He called them by name, He set them on a solid basis with Himself. 
• And then, after getting them established, He stayed with them to the end, gloriously completing what He had begun.

• Think about Jesus' sacrifice, He shed His blood for everyone, knowing some wouldn't receive what He did.

• Communion is a God ordained reminder that Jesus' broken body and shed blood was the price required for our freedom. It was God’s plan from the beginning. Remember, Jesus is the Lamb slain before he foundations of the world.

• Isaiah 53:3-5,NLT- He was despised and rejected— a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on Him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care. 
• Yet it was our weaknesses He carried; it was our sorrows that weighed Him down. And we thought His troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for His own sins! 
• But He was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed.

• Today as we gather around the Lords table let Isaiah’s words from God inspire us to see His new covenant as so much more than just our passage to Heaven.

•  Listen to Peter’s words again, We are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, called out of darkness into His marvelous light; who are now the people of God

• It's easy to get caught up in the day-to-days of everyday life and let the significance of what Jesus did become a religious tradition, sometimes even an after thought.

• And one of the main reasons we take communion together as a family is to acknowledge and honor His sacrifice.

• To remind us of His unearnable grace. To reinforcer of our righteousness.

• And even though it's a very simple thing we do in our humanity, in the eternal, it's a living declaration of our King's death, resurrection, and accomplishment.

• Colossians 1:22, Jesus has reconciled you to Himself through the death of His physical body. Andhas brought you into His own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before Him without a single fault.

• I know I say this every time we take communion, but people still remain confused about it.

• So listen carefully, communion isn't for perfect people, it's for anyone recognizing their need of a Savior.

• Communion is an immortal, eternal declaration of God's amazing grace.

• Colossians 3:1,3,NLT- Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of Heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand.
• For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.

• Communion is an anointed reminder of our new lives in Him.

• It can also provide the sometimes much needed spark of encouragement to draw closer to Him.

• Here's the thing, the closer we are with Jesus, the great our influence will be with others.

• The closer we are with Jesus the more His nature will be evident in our lives.

• And you all know this, His nature is love.

• Paul wrote in Colossians, "Love ties everything together."

• And every time we take the bread and the cup, we’re embracing and declaring His undying love.

• It’s that love that makes us His. A new creation in Him, called, appointed and anointed.

• And this is why God says things like, "Make the most of every opportunity, live reverent, faith filled lives."

• This is why He told us that every time we take it we make sure we have this truth in mind; Communion is our eternal memorial, that His sacrifice alone makes us one with Him.

• And as irrational and unreligious as this may sound to some of you, in the middle of your worst times, on the other side of your biggest failure,

• Jesus' broken body and shed blood still stands eternal, boldly declaring, I’ve made you new.

• You can't blow it so bad in your life that Jesus' unfailing love won't be there.

• Sometimes one of the greatest things communion does is simply redirect those that have gotten distracted. That have allowed the enemy to deceive them with condemnation.

• Remember, someone actually gave their life for you!

• 1 Peter 1:18-20,NLT- For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. 
• It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. 
• God chose Him as your ransom long before the world began, but now in these last days He has been revealed for your sake.

• Think about this, Paul’s writes, “If our hope in Christ is only for this life, we should be pitied more than anyone else in the world.”

• Make no mistake about it, you are not here today by chance or accident.

• God clearly tell us that in the last days He will send times of refreshing. Today is one of those days for many of you.

• Psalm 139:16,NLT- You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.

• For me personally, one of my favorite things communion does is help me refocus.

• Something I’ve discovered over the years is; “If we’re always focused on ourselves then our life in Christ will always be out of focus.”

• I love how Paul says it, “Don’t focus on things that are seen, but on things that are unseen. Because things that are seen are temporary, but things in the unseen are eternal.”

• Jesus alone secured our salvation, so regardless of where you are today in your understanding of this revelation, communion isn't for perfect people, it's for anyone recognizing their need of a Savior.

• Remember Colossians, Jesus has reconciled us to Himself through the death of His physical body. He has brought us into His presence, making us holy and blameless as we stand before Him.

• We are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, called out of darkness into His marvelous light; who are now the people of God.

• This is why He told us that every time we take communion make sure we have this truth in mind; Jesus alone made us righteous people.

• We have communion Sunday, because sometimes in our humanity, we simply need a reminder of just how amazingly awesome our Savior is.