There is a forward looking aspect to the Lord’s Supper. It is an anticipation of the return of Christ and of the messianic banquet at the end of time. As we partake we look forward to its fulfillment in the consummated kingdom of God.
Read Luke 22:14-23
We are made in the image of God. Part of what that means is that we are essentially social beings. We experience what it means to be human in community. Sin disrupts our relationships. The Jesus delivers us from sin also in this area. The gospel empowered community of the body of Christ is intended by God to be an attraction for the world.
Everyone experiences guilt. The secular approach to dealing with guilt has to do with making amends, trying to do better and not dwelling on what cannot be changed. The biblical approach, as taught in this Psalm, is focused on our relationship with God. It begins with confession of sin and results in forgiveness, cleansing and renewal for Jesus sake.
Read Psalm 51
The Bible teaches that there is a relationship between the lives that God’s people live together in community by the power of the gospel and their mission to the world. This sermon introduces this idea which will be explored in depth in the sermons to follow.
Read John 13:34-35; 1 Peter 2:9-12
This sermon examines the biblical case for the conviction that the fourth commandment is still binding in the New Testament situation. Attention is also given to the question of how the command is to be obeyed.
Read Exodus 20:8-11; Mark 2:23-28
Paul here speaks of his work as an apostle using the imagery of warfare. The weapons he uses are not of the flesh, but spiritual weapons given by God. The greatest of these is the gospel.
Read 2 Corinthians 10:3-5
This Psalm recounts a portion of Israel’s history focusing on Israel’s sin and God’s punishment of that sin. There is also grace and hope because God never does away with his people completely because of his purpose to save the world through them. This is fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
Read Psalm 106
The fellowship that believers have with one another is rooted in their common participation in Jesus Christ. This idea is reflected in the Lord’s Supper. One of the many facets of the meaning of the Lord’s Supper is that it is a celebration of the unity of believers by virtue of their common relationship to Jesus Christ.
