It would seem that the New Testament is
not simply concerned with what we believe, and
that we do believe what God has revealed
to us in the gospel of his Son,
but the scriptures are equally concerned with the
depth and the quality of our faith.
It is possible to believe on various levels,
beginning with perhaps the intellectual or the emotional.
Then it may come to include both.
But there is a quality of faith, a
quality of belief in that sense, which ought
to be exceedingly deep in the hearts of
God's people.
And for that reason, the New Testament is
not averse to repeating the same truths over
and over again under different circumstances and in
different words.
The apostle Peter, for example, tells those to
whom he is writing that he is not
simply repeating things at that point in time
as he is writing to them, but he
says, I've even made preparations that after my
decease, after my death, after I leave this
body, I've made preparations, he says, that the
same things should be repeated to you again
and again.
I bring to you this morning some very
familiar truths, not because they are unknown to
any of us, I'm confident of that.
But trusting that as we meditate upon them
at this communion season, the quality of our
faith, the pungency of our faith, the depth
of our faith and confidence in God and
in His Son and in the salvation provided
for us in Christ will become something altogether
new.
After all, our Lord Jesus in the parable
of the soil and the sower and the
seeds, you remember, indicated that there are at
least four stages in the reception of the
seed.
One can be very superficial.
Another, there can be an immediate response even
with a measure of gladness.
But as time goes on, it is discovered
that there is a rock underneath that has
never been broken.
And so there can be no rootage.
The little plant as it grows up cannot
send its roots down into the soil in
order to be fed thereby, and so it
just withers and dies.
And there are others who apparently receive the
word, but when the heat of the day
arises, it just withers away.
All they had promised faith, they had professed
faith, but there was only one kind of
soil that really produced the quality of faith
that our Lord Jesus deemed appropriate and worthy.
God grant us that.
May He use the word of scripture and
the visible word of the sacrament today to
help us toward a deeper, larger, more vibrant
and consistent faith in what we perhaps already
believe and affirm.
I have taken as the title to our
message this morning, In Remembrance of Me.
These words, you will remember, these are repeated
twice over in 1 Corinthians 11 verses 24
to 25.
And I have taken them as a fitting
title to what I want God helping me
to underscore and underline.
When He had given thanks, He broke it
and said, this is my body which is
broken for you.
Do this in remembrance of me.
In the same way, after supper, He took
the cup saying, this cup is the new
covenant in my blood.
Do this whenever you drink it in remembrance
of me, in remembrance of me.
What is this ordinance all about?
Well, among other things, it is essentially a
service of remembrance.
Not remembering one who was dead and is
with us no more, but remembering one who
came from heaven's glory to die our death
and really died.
So died that he was proved to be
dead and he was buried.
Buried in a borrowed tomb where he remained
for three days and three nights until, in
the power of an endless life, he tore
the bars away and changed the face of
death and rose again a prince and a
deliverer.
In remembrance of me, it is a feast
of remembrance that he so loved and so
died, but we do not remember him in
his absence.
We remember him now in the presence of
his endless life and he is with us
at the feast.
So it isn't a funereal attitude that befits
this occasion.
We are saddened when we remember the sin
that occasioned his death, but we are gladdened
when we remember and realize, especially realize, that
the Christ who died is alive and well
and gathers with his people and has said,
Lo, I am with you always.
And what is this ordinance all about?
I want to mention this morning a few
very familiar points and I'm trusting the Spirit
of God with you to make them more
and more potent to our lives, to our
hearts, than we've ever known them to be
hitherto.
Let's look first at the fact we remember.
In remembrance of me, we remember a person,
a person who is utterly and completely unique.
If we come to this service of celebration
today in the spirit in which God would
have us, this is really at the heart
of it.
We shut out our whole continent of truth
and experience and history and what's going on.
Not because we want to turn our backs
on people, we want to go back to
people and we want to have something to
tell them and to do for them, but
for the moment we shut out the world
in order to concentrate upon one and only
unique person.
Any worthy and acceptance participation in the sacrament
of the Lord's Supper requires us to recognize
this fact and especially the uniqueness of the
person we remember.
He was unique in his birth.
He pre-existed his incarnation.
You remember how simply the gospels state this
remarkable truth.
In the beginning was the Word, a reference
to our Lord Jesus Christ.
In the beginning, not after the beginning.
When the beginning was, he was there already.
When the cosmos came into existence, he was
there already.
When the first star appeared in the sky,
he was there already.
When there was light, he was there already.
In the beginning was the Word and then
it qualifies it.
All things were made through him and then
it adds this very mystifying word which we
believe to be the Word of God and
the Word that was in the beginning became
flesh a long time after the beginning and
dwelled among us.
He was the subject of prophetic prediction.
A statement such as Acts 10 43 puts
it all so bluntly and so clearly.
All the prophets testify about him says Peter.
He was born a child through the instrumentality
of the Holy Spirit and his supernatural action
upon his virgin mother.
The angel answered the bewildered Mary, how can
these things be?
The Holy Spirit will come upon you and
the power of the Most High will overshadow
you.
So the Holy One to be born of
you will be called the Son of God.
He was unique in his life.
He was unique, utterly unique in his life
as in his birth.
He was unique in the quality of his
life both Godward and manward.
Both tables of the law were fulfilled in
him in their most ideal and lofty nature.
God the Father said of him not once
nor twice this is my son whom I
love adding these significant words with whom I
am well pleased.
Not just the fact of his divine sonship,
that's important, but the pleasure of the heavenly
Father in his Son incarnate upon earth.
The pleasure of the Father in his Son
and the same goes for his relation manward.
The writer of the epistle to the Hebrews
puts it like this.
He was holy, blameless, pure and to capital
he was he was set apart from sinners.
He was exalted above the heavens.
He was tempted in all points like us
we are sin apart.
He was unique in the quality of his
life.
He was unique in the authority of his
teaching.
You remember when some of the temple guards
were sent and they were expected to have
brought him back under arrest.
They explained to their masters they said no
man ever spoke the way this man does.
John 7 46.
We couldn't arrest him.
He spoke as no one else has ever
spoken.
We couldn't arrest him.
We read in Matthew 7 29 he taught
as one having authority and not as the
teachers of the law.
In his birth, in his life, the quality
of his life, the authority of his teaching
and in his ability to help others.
You and I have often longed in some
situation or another that we could do something.
You visit the sick.
You pause with the aged and the shut
-in.
Those have come to the very borderlands of
eternity and are weary and worn perhaps maybe
very sick as well and there's so little
we can do.
Oh my friends listen, listen.
We remember one who was utterly unique in
his ability to help.
He gave eyes to the blind and they
saw again.
He gave ears to the deaf and they
heard again.
He gave speech to the dumb, they spoke
again.
He gave health to the sick.
He gave liberty to the captives.
He gave sanity to the mentally sick.
He gave comfort to the broken-hearted.
He gave forgiveness to the guilty.
Hope to the hopeless.
He gave life to the dead.
We remember today, we remember one and there
is none other like him.
Never has been, never will be.
We remember a person who is thus utterly
unique.
We remember this unique person in his wholly
unique passion and suffering.
It sounds enigmatic, doesn't it?
Being so unique that he should suffer.
Yes and the enigma of it is made
more forcible when we remember that he was
the author of life.
Even so he suffered and he died as
no man ever died.
Through him all things were made to quote
John one again.
Without him nothing was made that has been
made.
In him was life.
He was the fount of life and this
brings out you see the mystery of his
death.
How could the fount of all life be
put to death?
But he died.
Again he was not subject to death as
you and I are because he had not
broken the law of God and did not
sin and brought death upon himself.
He was not part of the condemnation of
the race.
He was outside of it for there was
no sin in him.
He was not subject to death not worthy
of it yet he died.
I'm always impressed when I read John's gospel
chapters 18 and 19 and see Pontius Pilate
vacillating nevertheless but in due course three times
over in the space of a short passage
coming out and saying the same thing three
times over.
In John 18 38 with Pilate asks Jesus
what is truth?
With this he went out again to the
Jews and he said and here are the
words I find no basis for a charge
against him.
Move on into chapter 19 and verse 4.
Once more Pilate came out and said to
the Jews look I'm bringing him out to
you to let you know that I find
no basis of a charge against him.
And in John 19 and verse 6 as
soon as the chief priests and their officers
saw him they shouted crucify him crucify him
but Pilate answered you take him and crucify
him.
As for me I find no basis of
a charge in him and yet he chose
to die the author of life against whom
sin had no claim.
A man had no ultimate power yet he
died and he died he tells us because
he chose to die and I want to
add to that in a moment but he
chose to die.
The reason my father loves me as he
does says Jesus is that I lay down
my life only to take it up again.
No one takes it from me but I
lay it down of my own accord.
I have authority to lay it down and
authority to take it again.
This command I received of my father so
the mystery of it is that for some
reason or other the author of life chose
to lay his life down in death.
Was he insane?
Why on earth should the wise author of
life with such authority and teaching lay down
his life for any man?
Well here is the greater mystery still we're
plumbing the depths aren't we?
He chose to die for us sinners for
our salvation for our redemption for our reclamation
to lead ultimately many sons to glory.
For Christ died for sins once for all
says Peter explaining this the righteous for the
unrighteous in order to bring you to God.
So he in whom was life and against
whom death had no claim laid down his
life to a sacrificial death upon the grass
because he would save you and save me.
The fact we remember we remember the holy
unique person of the incarnate son of God
dying a holy unique death in our place
as sinners and when we come to the
table of our Lord we partake of these
elements in remembrance of me of Jesus Christ.
Then think of the faith we confess the
passage goes larger than I have indicated goes
wider than I have indicated.
Whenever you eat this bread and drink this
cup you proclaim the Lord's death until he
comes.
In partaking of this sacrament we do not
only remember an historical fact and an historical
person involved in the fact of death but
we proclaim a personal faith.
You see this sacrament is the sacrament of
believers.
Oh everybody is welcome to hear and to
see even but not to partake.
They only can worthily partake of this feast
who have faith in him and love toward
him and gratitude.
This is the feast of love the love
of the beloved and the love of God
for us in Christ his son.
What is the faith we personally profess and
confess as we come to the table of
our Lord?
Well in the first place it is faith
in the total adequacy of the sacrifice of
our Lord Jesus to effect our salvation from
start to finish.
It is faith in his competence to be
our savior from beginning to end in the
things we know about and have experienced to
save us from the guilt of the sins
with which we are all too familiar and
from all that may arise between now and
eternity to save us from them all.
That he is competent that he is qualified
and that he has promised.
In coming to the Lord's table we profess
personal faith in the adequacy of Christ's death
to meet all the demands of God's law
against us.
Individually have you broken God's law then it
is something against you it is a case
against you and it can it can properly
arraign you before the heavenly court but you
see in coming to the Lord's table and
coming with faith in the finished work of
the Lord Jesus Christ we believe that he's
dealt with a law that was against us.
Paul puts it like this he cancelled the
bond which stood against us with its legal
demands and this says Paul he set aside
nailing it to his cross.
Brothers and sisters here is occasion for rejoicing
you know God's case against you individually and
against me individually Jesus the Christ took it
to his cross and in dying for me
and dying for you he nailed it there
as if to say it's done for them
for whom I die.
We also profess the adequacy of Christ's death
to pacify our troubled consciences therefore brothers says
the writer of the epistle to the Hebrews
we have confidence now there it is confidence
includes peace more than peace but it includes
peace confidence to enter the most holy place
by the blood of Jesus by a new
and living way open for us through the
curtain that is his body and since we
have a great high priest over the house
of God let us draw near to God
with a sincere heart full in full assurance
of faith having our hearts sprinkled from an
evil conscience.
God invites you believer this morning to come
with confidence to him with peace the memory
of your sins may be haunting you but
if you're cleansed and forgiven by the blood
of Jesus you may come with confidence and
don't let the devil rob you of what
Christ has purchased for you.
Often have Christian people sung not all the
blood of beasts on Jewish altars slain could
give the guilty conscience peace or wash away
its stain but Christ the heavenly lamb takes
all our sins away a sacrifice of nobler
name and richer blood than they.
Believing and I do like Isaac Watts's word
here believing we rejoice to see the curse
removed we bless the lamb with cheerful voice
and sing his wondrous love that's how you
and I are called to the table today
and we profess the adequacy of our Lord's
death also to satisfy the very nature of
God you see it isn't only that God
has forgiven us God has forgiven us and
all his entire nature his justice his holiness
every aspect every facet of his being is
satisfied with what Jesus did for sinners on
the cross and so he can he can
he can rejoice in forgiving I don't think
we've ever got the music out of that
passage of scripture which says there is joy
in the presence of the angels of heaven
over one sinner that repents God rejoices to
forgive and the angels join in the rejoicing
he doesn't forgive begrudgingly he's satisfied you see
with what his son did and because he's
satisfied he freely forgives as one of the
prophets said in anticipation the Lord delights in
mercy the Lord delighteth in mercy and we
may say therefore since we are justified by
faith we have peace with God and God
isn't anger with us any angry with us
anymore for our sins are purged in a
manner manner that satisfies his holy nature the
fact we remember the faith we confess can
I say something about the fear we overcome
I say this because I know it is
necessary to say it therefore whoever eats the
bread or drinks the cup of the Lord
in an unworthy manner will be guilty of
sinning against the body and blood of the
Lord a man ought to examine himself before
he eats of the bread and drinks of
the cup for anyone who eats and drinks
without recognizing the body of the Lord eats
and drinks judgment on himself oh yes there
are fears to overcome in approaching the Lord's
table any sensitive person knows that if you
have never been challenged by it brother or
sister examine yourself first of all there is
the fear of approaching his table without a
true faith a genuine faith I believe this
is reflected in many places in the New
Testament but it comes out especially in the
epistle to the Hebrews take care brethren says
the writer lest there be in any of
you an evil unbelieving heart he's writing to
professing Christians and he's bidding them draw near
to God come in within the veil and
worship the almighty God in the holiest of
all but now he says now listen take
care lest there be in any one of
you an evil unbelieving heart take care here
we come to the table we must overcome
this fear in at least two ways we
must be sure that our faith is directed
towards and settled upon Jesus Christ God's anointed
messiah and our only savior and settled on
him alone alone where
is your faith this morning friend in your
pedigree don't let's despise good upbringing godly parentage
and grandparents no no that's not the purpose
of the question but if you depend upon
the way you've been brought up in that
way and upon your pedigree to give you
acceptance with God you're of all men the
most miserable it will not do we must
focus our faith on Christ and Christ alone
listen God has put faith in Christ and
Christ alone to save us God ordained no
other he set aside none other he sent
no other when people ask me at any
rate why there isn't any other savior in
any other religion I tell them because God
only appointed one according to his word and
he only anointed one according to his word
if he had anointed two then there would
be two but apparently he's only appointed one
God has chosen one God says all the
earth must look unto him and be said
are your eyes upon him is your heart
set on him is your confidence in him
alone this morning or a little bit of
your own self-righteousness and a little bit
of what Jesus did are you mixing truth
with error righteousness with unrighteousness is it Christ
and Christ alone and then this
we should be sure that our faith in
Christ and Christ alone is authenticated by works
of faith which are really the works of
the spirit of Christ working in us and
through us faith without works is dead Paul
writing to the Thessalonians speaks of them and
he says how glad he was on their
account we continually remember before our God and
father he says your work produced by faith
and then he goes on the very next
line to say how sure he is brothers
loved by God we know that he has
chosen you no question as to whether they
are among the elect of God he says
because there are works of faith not only
a profession of faith but the possession of
faith is exhibited in works and correspond we
must overcome the fear of approaching the table
without a true faith by cultivating a genuine
and fruitful faith in the by the aid
of the spirit and in accordance with the
word and then this we must also learn
to overcome the fear of properly approaching the
table in the wrong attitude attitude is as
important as anything here see if the son
of God died for you for me your
whole attitude to him is so important it's
not enough to think about him along with
thinking of him there must be some dare
i use the word to begin with appreciation
of it all but i take it that
the word appreciation only brings us into in
towards the kind of attitude that is acceptable
appreciation yes a gratitude towards him a rejoicing
in him a pride in him a sense
of evaluation which says take the world but
give me Jesus my Jesus i love thee
i know thou but mine for thee all
the pleasures of sin i resign you see
the attitude to him if God sent his
son to die my death and save my
soul and my life for all eternity and
he's done it and he's alive again as
he's coming to meet me at his table
this morning i want him to meet me
with faith in my heart and with love
in my heart with gratitude and with hope
and with all that corresponds to the reality
of his amazing love for me if your
heart is cold this morning brother sister think
twice remember me in remembrance of me in
remembrance of me i close with this there
is much more to be said but i
close with this why did Jesus do this
was there any danger of people forgetting him
not at all he could not be forgotten
by the world into which he came and
where he lived and taught and died his
marks his finger marks are upon the universe
and upon men and women everywhere out of
every kindred tribe people and nation forget him
he could not be forgotten and most certainly
his people could not forget him his redeemed
could not forget him but this is the
danger of failing to remember him as he
deems it important we should and he
wants you believer and me he wants you
to do all this in remembrance of him
because he wants to be remembered in terms
of these elements his body was broken his
blood was shed he was made a sacrifice
and my dear blood-bought brother or sister
this morning the son of god says to
you look i don't want you to think
of me as the hymns talk about me
merely or even as the bible speaks about
me generally i want you to think of
me in this context when you break the
bread and you pour out the wine and
you eat and you drink do both of
these things in remembrance of me as i
am here represented and it is to this
that we are called oh heavenly privilege oh
blood-bought priceless grace sinners lost and ruined
by the fall sitting at our master's table
and in thinking and remembering him communing with
him god grant it god grant it pray
for me pray for one another pray for
those sitting in your pew this morning pray
for those the other side of the sanctuary
pray that all of us may enter into
the experience of remembering our blessed lord as
he bids and as he deserves to the
everlasting glory of his name and the good
of his people we shall move towards the
table singing a hymn which again