Maundy Thursday

Maundy Thursday

April 20, 2000

1 Corinthians 10:16-17 [18-21]

Holy Communion Is A Participation In Christ

Introduction:  In any poll ever taken of the greatest men in history, Jesus has always come at or near the top. Jesus is universally admired as a self-sacrificing human being and a gifted teacher. For us Christians, Jesus is far more, however. He is the Son of God and our beautiful Savior. As such He is surely worthy of all the admiration we have for Him.

But we do not just admire Jesus from a distance of almost 20 centuries. We actually approach Him so that we come very near to Him and He to us. That’s what Paul is saying in our text.  He reminds us that Holy Communion Is a Participation In Christ.

I.                  It is a exclusive participation

A.               The real Christ unites Himself with us in the bread and wine of Holy Communion.

1.      We take into ourselves His very body and blood.

2.      We participate intimately in God Himself

B.                 We participation in Christ excludes participation in idolatry.

1.         By worshiping the gods of money, prestige, and sex we divorce ourselves from Christ (1 Corinthians 6:25-20)

2.         God will have no other gods before Him (Zech. 1:14)

Transition: The exclusive participation in Christ in Holy Communion reminds us that we are to be done with participation in anything that usurps Christ’s place within.

II.         It is a satisfying participation.

A.       Christ satisfied us with His forgiveness.

1.      We need forgiveness for our unfaithfulness, an unfaithfulness that can never satisfy (Ezekiel 16:28).

2.      We receive full and free forgiveness, for Christ gave His body and blood to secure that forgiveness. His forgiveness takes away our guilt and calms our conscience (Psalm 65:4; 107:9).

B.         Christ satisfies us with abundant life (John 10:10)

1.      We need Christ’s life because we live in bodies that will die.

2.      We receive the life of Jesus, over whose body death no longer has dominion (Romans 6:9)

Transition: The satisfying participation in Christ in Holy Communion results in the life of Jesus being manifested in our mortal bodies. (2 Corinthians 4:10-11).

III.         It is a unifying participation.

A.    Since we partake of one bread we receive the one and the same Christ, we also are one body.

1.      Our oneness manifests itself in our united affirmation of the real presence of Christ in Holy Communion.

2.      Our oneness manifests itself in our unanimous confession of all that  Christ has taught (Matthew 28:20)

3.      Our oneness manifests itself in our sharing tasks, joys, and sorrows (1 Corinthians 12:14-26).

B.      As we participate in the one Christ, we have a oneness that enables us to stand against Satan.

1.      We will not be such easy prey for Satan when we remain in fellowship with one another.

2.      We can better escape Satan as we strengthen our fellowship by partaking of Holy Communion (Acts 2:42)

Conclusion:  The unifying participation in Christ in Holy Communion enables us to be a body of Christians who together confess Christ, support each other, and stand firm against temptation.  As members of families and as citizens of a country we all participate in many kinds of activities. But none of these compares with our participation with Christ in Holy Communion.

Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday

Mark 11:1-11; 15:1-39 

April 16, 2000

An Attitude of Opportunity - "When Triumph & Tragedy Kiss Each Other”

Introduction:  Passion –Palm Sunday consists of mixed emotions.  One does not know whether to laugh or cry, to celebrate or to mourn.  Palm Sunday seems to be triumph for Jesus and Passion Sunday is one of agony, suffering, and death.  Within a week this was Jesus’ experience, and we need to re-live it with Him.

How triumph turns to tragedy –

1.      Was Jesus a King? (v.2) The central issue in the trial, passion and death of Jesus was the matter of kingship. He was accused of making Himself a king. This claim was the subject of Pilate's interview with Jesus. His enemies rejected Jesus as a king.  They claimed to have no king but Caesar. Using the idea of a king, the soldiers had fun with Jesus dressing Him up as a king. While on the cross, His enemies used the King idea as the basis for mockery. The superscription on the cross identified Him as a king. But what a King! He was a king without a crown, throne, and scepter; He had no countries, no army, nor navy. All He had was a kingdom of truth and love.

2.      And yet there was no answer that Jesus would give to His accusers. (v.4) In the trial with Caiaphas, Herod, and Pilate, a distinctive feature was the silence of Jesus. He refused to defend Himself. To deny the charges, or to expose His enemies. Why did He give "no answer"? An answer would do no good because His enemies had made up their minds that he was guilty of death.  Moreover, they were not open to truth or to change. Jesus' silence indicated He was willing to die for the sins of the entire world.

3.      It was out of envy and spite that these false charges were leveled at Jesus (v.10). Pilate was convinced that Jesus was innocent of the charges. He realized that Jesus was brought to trial because of the envy of the religious leaders.  Well might they envy one who could heal the sick, raise the dead, still the storms, and captivate the people. If Pilate knew this, he had reason to release Him. Pilate was a person who knew what was right but he lacked the courage to act on it.

4.      After a night with no sleep, enduring four trials (three Jewish and one Roman) after repeated beatings and extreme cruelty Jesus was led through the streets of Jerusalem bearing His own cross.  But He fell under the load a pilgrim who had come to the city was compelled (v.21) to carry Jesus' cross to Calvary. His name was Simon, Simon from Cyrene. A cross may be carried voluntarily, but most crosses are thrust upon us.  If it is our own cross, we may choose to carry it. But, it is another matter if the cross belongs to another person. Life often thrusts a cross on us - it is unavoidable and inevitable. Even though the cross is compulsory, we gain from carrying it. Simon must have become a disciple for the early church; for he is identified as the father of Alexander and Rufus, men known by the church to be key leaders. Simon was a role model for his children in bearing the cross for Christ even when it was thrust upon him. May we model Simon as we bear under the crosses that are placed upon us.

5.      When Jesus died, the curtain between the Holy of Holies and the Holy Place was torn from top to bottom (v. 38). The Holy of Holies was the place where God was identified with the Ark of the Covenant. Only the High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies but once a year. The torn curtain indicated that the crucified Christ broke down the partition between God and man. There was not restoration and peace between God and man. Where there was once enmity there was now a bond of peace.

6.      It took a hard man of war and a Gentile to see in the crucified 0ne that Jesus was the Son of God. (v.39)  This is a confession that Jesus is divine and the chosen Messiah. This conviction came as a conclusion to his experience at the cross. He saw and heard a man who acted like the Son of God would speak and act. His conclusion that seemed to explain everything to him was that Jesus was the Son of God. So, it must always be - the truth that Jesus is God's Son is not a priori thesis but a conclusion that is inescapable after experiencing the cross. May this be your story as you begin Holy Week this week.  In Jesus' Name. Amen.

Mid-week Lent 6

Midweek Lenten Service 6 

April 12, 2000

Zechariah 9:9-10

The Attitude of Opportunity 

“What A King!”

INTRODUCTION:   What kind of King do we want to rule over us? Though we do not have a king we do have a president; and in the midst of a national election year that is the question that many are asking themselves these days “what kind of leader do we want to lead us as a people?”  This can lead to a number of questions for us to consider.  Who or what is the master (king) of your life?  In our lesson for today we are told that the King is coming.  Is the King (Messiah) coming to take charge of your life?  Jesus offers to be our king in fulfillment of the promise “Lo, your King comes to you.”  What kind of King would He be?

1.                  A humble King – “humble and riding on an ass”. The Messiah comes riding on a common beast of burden. He is a humble king. He does not ride a horse, which is reserved for a mighty king.  An ass is a humble animal, which symbolizes peace.  The ass carried the Christ to the people. Today we see this same humble king coming to us to take away our sin. He has stilled God's anger and taken away our reproach. His innocent suffering and death save us.

2.                  A victorious King – “triumphant and victorious is He” Jesus began the week as He rode into the city of Jerusalem triumphant accepting the claim and the praises of the people.  By the end of the week He was condemned to die with two common thieves.  His early success turned to scorn along with it the horrors and tragedies of Good Friday.

            And yet, we too can triumph with Jesus even though we know that it meant the cross. Even in the midst of pain and gore there is joy.  Jesus endured the cross for the joy, which was set before Him.

            The joy is that the Savior is coming to die for our sins and to assume His rule over us in our daily lives. Because of the cross Jesus truly is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Yes, He is a victorious king.

3.                  A peaceful King – “He shall command peace to the nations.” His victory over sin, over death, and over the power of the enemy guarantees for us peace with God. He has become our peace.  Not a peace which is only temporary.  He gives us a peace that lasts.  And of His kingdom there shall be no end!  Jesus has come to bring blessings and life.  In Him there truly is peace on earth and good will to men. Rejoice in His mercy and the peace that He alone can give.

Conclusion: This is how God chooses to come to us.  He chooses to come to us in a sacramental way. This is how He chooses to deal with us.  We do not come to the King.  Rather, the King chooses to come to us. He comes to us personally to bless us.  We do not decide for Christ. Rather, He decides for us.  We do not choose Christ, but Christ chooses us. God initiates the act of grace. And we live and dwell in safety under the watchful eye of our gracious and humble peaceful king.

Mid-week Lent 5

Midweek Lenten Service 5 

April 5, 2000

Jeremiah 31:31-34

The Attitude of Sacrifice 

“The Coming Days Have Come”

Introduction:  “The Days are coming” when God will make a new covenant with His people. If this is only a promise of a future new relationship with God, where is the good news other than hope for the future? Christians have more than a promise; they have the fulfillment in Christ who effected the new covenant. The days are not coming; they have come in Christ. This is the good news for this day!

Because of Christ and His sacrifice…

1.                  A new covenant has been made v. 31 "I will make a new covenant with the house of Judah and with the house of Israel."

What is new about a covenant between God and man?  After all, there had been a number of covenants made in the past between God and His people. There was Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Moses.  The making of a covenant is nothing new, but this promised covenant would be new - brand new! 

This covenant would not be one like those of the past.  The covenants of the past were only renewals. Here is a whole new deal. God is going to give Israel another chance to be His own people. This new covenant will be made through the blood of God's own Son Jesus Christ.

2.                 A covenant in which we know God in Christ v. 34  " And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother saying 'Know the Lord' for they shall all know me from the least of them unto the greatest of them says the Lord…"

The people are told you will know God. When God is loved with the whole heart, there is no longer any more need to teach someone who God is or anything about God.  They will know Him intimately. That person will know God instinctively.  To know God is not a mere intellectual exercise or a mere understanding of the concept of God. To know God is to have a relationship with Him, a personal, deep, personal experience with God, which is based on trust. This new covenant is what brings us back to God when God instructed us to fear, love and trust in God above all things.  This knowledge of God comes through a relationship with Jesus Christ.

3.                 We experience forgiveness through Christ v. 34  "…for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more."

Here we find the effect of this new covenant.  God must forgive the people past sins that they may begin anew in their relationship with God.  To have this new relationship with God there must be the forgiveness of sins. The sins and misgivings of the past must be removed so that God and man can begin anew in their relationship with God as though nothing had happened.

God not only promises to forgive but to forget!  He tells us that He will remember our sins no more. This is wonderful news!  This good news is that when we confess our sins and are forgiven, those sins are blotted out and will no longer be brought up at judgment day.  God keeps no record of wrong. There are no tapes for playing back all of our sins.  He buries them in the sea of forgetfulness and remembers our sins no more!

This new covenant is given to us in Baptism, and is lived each and every day our lives. We live under this new covenant; it's based on trust, on love and on hope. It's God's final word to us.  It is a word that He will not break.  Thank God for this amazing mercy and grace.

Mid-week Lent 4

Midweek Lenten Service 4 

March 29, 2000

Numbers 21:4-9

The Attitude of Believing 

“Saved By Sight”

INTRODUCTION:  Our lesson for today gives the ingredients of a people’s fall and their restoration.  It all happened by the grace of God.  Our lesson is not merely the pattern for a nation; but it also serves as a model for an individual.

True, we may be tempted to look down our nose at the children of Israel and think to ourselves that we would never fall for such a pitiful attitude as Israel. But if we would be honest with ourselves we might find a lot in common with these restless folk.  If the truth were known the children of Israel haven't quit cornered the market on complaining against God…it keeps happening all the time!  Thanks be to God that He always restores us as His people.  In contrast to man’s impatience, we have the amazing patience of God with sinful humanity. That's what we see in this amazing story of God's people.

 Today, let's consider the pattern of man’s fall and his restoration.

1.      Sin – impatience and rebellion v. 5 "And the people spoke against God and against Moses. 'Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in this wilderness? There is no bread, neither is there any water and our souls loathe this light bread'."

Under Moses the children of Israel left the comforts and the conveniences and the luxury of Egypt.  Although they were slaves, conditions were not half bad compared with the hardships of wilderness living, or so they thought.  They soon forgot about their sufferings, the hard service, and the oppression that they felt under the yoke of oppression. Yet, that was all soon forgotten once they encountered life in the open wilderness.

They complained about the food, they got tired of eating the same food month after month and cried to Moses "if only we had died in Egypt!" Their sin was their complaining, which not necessarily pointed at Moses, it was directed at God. Their complaining insinuated that they deserved something better, in effect they questioned the sovereignty and the providence of God. This showed a lack of faith and confidence in God, which is at the heart of sin. They could no longer trust the promise of life in a Promised Land.  When we complain, or show lack of respect for God we are doing one in the same thing. We are showing a lack of faith and confidence in God our provider. We are demonstrating a lack of confidence in Him who has given us a much better promise and a much better Promised Land. In this season of Lent we are called to return back to the Savior who has promised to direct and sustain us. His providence will surly lead us.

2.      Suffering – snakes of punishment v. 6 "And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people and they bit the people; and many died."

It was a serpent that beguiled the human race way back in the Garden of Eden. Likewise, it is a serpent, which inflicts the children of Israel as punishment for their sin of rebellion. This should not surprise us.  The Scriptures clearly remind us that "the wages of sin is death".  But the passage goes on to say "but the free gift of God is eternal life".  By a serpent death came to the children of Israel. But by a serpent risen up on a pole came life.

As strange as the command must have appeared all those who looked in faith to the raised brazen serpent were spared. Likewise, at the cross, the Son of God, Jesus Christ was raised up, and all who looked to Him in faith are spared of a far more serious and most lethal  and fatal sickness…that is the sickness of sin. And as we know with this sickness the condition is always terminal! As by one-man sin entered the world, so likewise, by one man came life everlasting. Jesus came to bring life and immortality to light through the gospel.  "Today Thy mercy calls us to wash away our sin" the old, old, hymn reminds us. In faith turn to Him to live!

3.      Salvation – confession, prayer, deliverance. vv. 7-9 "The people came to Moses and said; 'we have sinned for we have spoken against the LORD and against you. Pray to the LORD, that He take away the serpents from us…The Lord said unto Moses, 'Make a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole; and it shall be that every one that is  bitten, when he looks upon it, shall live'. Moses made a serpent of brass and put it upon a pole; and it came to pass that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived."

The healing of forgiveness comes simply in a look at the upraised serpent and at the cross. True, preceding the look was a confession of sin and a request for prayer to be relieved of the punishment - the two go hand in hand - you can't have one without the other! You can't have absolution without first having confession and without one you can't have the other!

The people were saved when they looked at the snake on the standard. People today are redeemed from sin when they look in faith to the cross. Just a look is all it takes - that is, if it is the look of faith.  This is what this week's emphasis of Lent is all about. Lent is an attitude of  believing. We are made right with God; we are healed of our brokenness with God; we are forgiven our sin by simply look to God for mercy. By grace, and grace alone we are save through Jesus Christ our Savior.

Mid-week Lent 3

Midweek Lenten Service 3 Noon

March 22, 2000

Exodus 20:1-17

The Attitude of Cleansing

INTRO. The Ten Commandments, “The Big Ten” have received a lot of notoriety in recent years. Congress is considering whether these laws ought to be posted inside the school house door and within the halls of our governmental buildings.  Some contend that these laws our outdated and too restrictive. Still others maintain that they are given for our every day living.  A recent billboard simply read “What part of Thou Shalt Not can’t you understand?” signed –God.

What is the purpose for such laws in our society today?  They all boil down to three.

1.      What to do – These commandments were given for our practical living.

As a result, God has told us plainly in His Word what we are to do. Have no other gods, remember the Sabbath day, honor your father and your mother. By following these laws we are given a better way of living.

God calls us to live a life that is higher and nobler then we would dare to go.  Like an athletic trainer or a demanding teacher God calls us to become what we, of ourselves, could never obtain.  The gracious pupil gives the greatest compliment saying “I could have never done it without you” Likewise, we benefit by following the particulars of God’s directives that we might live better and more productive lives.  These commandments are given to us that we might live a better life.

2.      What not to do – Left up to our own devices we would each perish. 

Therefore, God has given us restrictions. They are not meant to fence us in. To the contrary, by following these restrictions we avoid the trappings and the temptations of this sinful age.  Man is his own worst enemy therefore God has given us these 7 commandments to avoid the pain and the misery of sin’s consequences. Do not take God’s name in vain, do not kill, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not bear false witness, and do not covet.

In actuality, these restrictions do not limit us. To the contrary, they free us so that we do avoid the pain associated with sin. It would do us well to heed these commands of God as a means of avoiding the demons of our own fallen nature that would rob us of a life that is pleasing to God.

3.      How to live – “That man a godly life might live God did these commandments give.”  {TLH #287 stanza 1}

These commandments were never intended to help us gain salvation. Our fallen nature prevents us from obtaining moral perfection. Yet, God has given us a standard by which we can measure our conduct as well as obtain a clear perspective by which we see the need of a Savior who followed the will of the Father and was obedient, obedient unto death.  Jesus Christ followed the Father’s will perfectly for us. He exchanges our sinful way of life for His own perfection and goodness. Follow Him and the standard that He gives you, to be His dear children as He is our loving and gracious Father who loves us enough to discipline us and direct us.  

Mid-week Lent 3

Midweek Lenten Service 3 

March 22, 2000 

1 Corinthians 1:22-25 

The Cleansing Power of the Cross

INTRODUCTION:  Paul’s preaching centered not on Christ the great teacher, the perfect man, the inspiring example, or the noble martyr but in Christ the one crucified. (1 Corinthians 2:2)  The cross is the center of all that the Christian and the Christian message stand for. Who should our preaching and our living focus on the crucified Christ? That is the question that our lesson for this evening addressed. As we consider Lent as an attitude of cleansing we find that we are made clean through Christ who suffered on the cross.  Consider this night Christ and Him crucified.

I.                  The cross reveals God’s wisdom.

A.    To non-Christians the Christ crucified is anything but wisdom,

1.     The Jews were offended because they expected a warrior Messiah, who would flash signs from the skies as proof of his conquering power.

2.     The Greeks thought it absurd to call a man branded by His crucifixion as the lowest of criminals to be both Savior and Lord.

3.     Many today think it crude and barbarous that God would require the blood of His son as atonement for human sin.

B.      Yet the crucified Christ displays a wisdom far higher than any  human wisdom.

1.   At the cross God dealt with human sin in a way that did not abrogate the demands of His holiness.

a.     Jesus bore the punishment of sin in our place.

b.     He appeased the wrath of God, which our sin had aroused.

II.                  At the cross God achieved salvation for the whole world ( 2  Corinthians 5:19)

TRANSITION: Human wisdom cannot conceive how the world’s salvation could be accomplished through a cross, an instrument of death and degradation. That it was accomplished is contrary to all human logic. But “the foolishness of God is wiser than men”.  The foolishness of preaching is not the preaching of foolishness it is a preaching of cleansing which comes from God.

III.                 The cross reveals God’s power.

A.    The preaching of the cross has power to work faith (v.24, “who are called”)

1.     Faith is not produced by threats, arguments, or human striving.

2.     Only by the power of the Holy Spirit working through the message of the Crucified do we now believe that we are no longer under God’s condemnation (Romans 8:1)

B.      As our faith is nurtured by the preaching of Christ crucified, we are able to live as people who are no longer under sin’s control.

1.      Since we died and rose with Christ, we can crucify our sins each day and rise to a new life.

     2. Since Christ has reconciled us to God, we can be reconcilers in our relationships with others. 

CONCLUSION:  Christ’s crucifixion seemed to demonstrate utter weakness. But it was God’s weakness, and “the weakness of God is stronger than men” (v.25). the message of the Crucified has power to free us from sin’s condemnation and control. Paul’s words are thus a model for us. We don’t work miracles to satisfy sign-seekers, we don’t propound philosophy to entertain intellectuals, we don’t dispute, and we don’t argue. We preach Christ crucified. Through this message, the message of the cross God demonstrates His saving wisdom and works with His mighty power.