Pastor Leon Seaton

Communion - Our Passover Celebration

Palm Sunday

This week is Holy Week, and is celebrated by Christians around the world. Why? Because it marks the turning point between the Old Testament and the New Testaments covenants. Passover was created by God when the Israelites were released after 400 years of slavery. God told His people to sacrifice a lamb and put its blood on the posts of their front door. When the death angel saw the blood he would pass over that home and not take the life of the firstborn male.

We celebrate Passover when we partake of Holy Communion. Why? Because when you receive Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord His blood protects you from eternal death.

Christians have something wonderful to celebrate as well. In this church we call our “gratitude lunch” Communion, which we celebrate at least once a month. Communion should be a sacred time. Communion cannot save you, but receiving Communion in an unworthy manner has serious consequences!

Chuck Colson tells a powerful story that illustrates this point:

Paul wrote, "Whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner drinks judgment to himself." That should be a sobering warning! Furthermore, the apostle adds that because of this offense many have fallen ill or died. Any pastor who takes the Word of God seriously should never administer Communion without adequately warning partakers. Those who are unrepentant should flee the table rather than trivialize the sacred.

The Holy Spirit inspired the Biblical writers to put God’s instructions and warnings in the Bible. If you believe the blessings you should also be aware of the curses! Pat Novak is a pastor that was serving as a hospital chaplain intern just outside of Boston several years ago. Pat was making his rounds one summer morning when he was called to visit a patient admitted with an undiagnosed ailment. John, a man in his sixties, had not responded to any treatment; medical tests showed nothing; psychological tests were inconclusive. Yet he was wasting away; he had not even been able to swallow for two weeks. The nurses tried everything. Finally they called the chaplain's office.

When Pat walked into the room, John was sitting limply in his bed, strung with IV tubes, staring listlessly at the wall. He was a tall, grandfatherly man, balding a little, but his sallow skin hung loosely on his face, neck, and arms where the weight had dropped from his frame. His eyes were hollow.

Pat was terrified; he had no idea what to do. But John seemed to brighten a bit as soon as he saw Pat's chaplain badge and invited him to sit down. As they talked, Pat sensed that God was urging him to do something specific: He knew he was to ask John if he wanted to take Communion. Chaplain interns were not encouraged to ask this type of thing in this public hospital, but Pat did.

At that John broke down. "I can't!" he cried. "I've sinned and can't be forgiven."

Pat paused a moment, knowing he was about to break policy. He told John about 1 Corinthians 11 and Paul's admonition that whoever takes Communion in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself. So he asked John if he wanted to confess his sin. John nodded gratefully. To this day Pat can't remember the particular sin John confessed, nor would he say if he did, but he recalls that it did not strike him as particularly egregious. Yet it had been draining the life from this man. John wept as he confessed, and Pat laid hands on him, hugged him, and told John his sins were forgiven.

Then Pat got the second urging from the Holy Spirit: “Ask him if he wants to take Communion.” He did. Pat gave John a Bible and told him he would be back later. Already John was sitting up straighter, with a flicker of light in his eyes.

Pat visited a few more patients and then ate some lunch in the hospital cafeteria. When he left he wrapped an extra piece of bread in a napkin and borrowed a coffee cup from the cafeteria. He ran out to a shop a few blocks away and bought a container of grape juice. Then he returned to John's room with the elements and celebrated Communion with him, again reciting 1 Corinthians 11. John took the bread and chewed it slowly. It was the first time in weeks he had been able to take solid food in his mouth. He took the cup and swallowed. He had been set free.

Within three days John walked out of that hospital. The nurses were so amazed they called the newspaper, which later featured the story of John and Pat, appropriately, in its "LIFE" section.  Charles W. Colson, The Body,1992, Word Publishing, pp. 139-140.

If you have been a Christian very long you probably know that Christianity is not a cake walk or early retirement. In fact, at times it is plain old hard work. And, if you believe the scriptures, nothing is to be taken for granted.

Let’s look at 1 Corinthians 11:23-32

For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night He was betrayed, took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, "This is My body, which is 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." For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes.

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. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment. When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world.

This is serious stuff… but there is a simple solution. If you have sin in your heart – or a bad attitude, just confess it to the Lord, ask for and receive His forgiveness, and then take Communion. Running out the back door will not help – although I have had people do that in another church.

The Children of Israel were slaves in Egypt for 400 years. A drought had dried up all of their resources and God had made provision for them when Joseph was sold into slavery as a young man. Several years later the Pharaoh had a dream that the wise men could not interpret so Joseph was taken out of prison to explain the message from God. Since Joseph could interpret Pharaoh’s dream he was chosen to lead the nation during the prophesied drought.

After four hundred years the handful of people that moved to Egypt had become several million people. God was ready to move them on to the Promised Land.

Egyptian bondage represents bondage to sin. The Israelites were born into slavery just as we are born into sin. When you were born – when you were a sweet little baby – you were a sinner.

Since a baby cannot determine the difference between right and wrong, he cannot be held liable for those choices. When a child begins to understand (in his heart) that some things are wrong, then he becomes accountable. That is when the child or young person should receive Jesus Christ as their Savior. This is primarily the responsibility of the parents, but any Christian can be use by God to help the child cross this threshold experience.

When God had convinced the Pharaoh that he should let the Israelites leave Egypt God gave them instructions on what God wanted done. Every household was to take a perfect lamb and sacrifice it to God.

Exodus 12:1-14

I am aware that we prefer to focus on God’s love and think that we can get buy with just any old thing we want to. Sometimes our actions say, “I know this is wrong, but God will forgive me.” Well, my friend, He may not keep us out of heaven, but that attitude can certainly rob us of many of His blessings.

The night Jesus was betrayed He and His disciples ate the Passover meal together. During that meal they had the first Communion. Judas Iscariot partook of Communion in an unworthy manner. Twenty-four hours later he was dead! Now don’t freak out – he hung himself. God had nothing to do with that!

We may not have been in Egyptian bondage, but we have been in bondage to sin. The Communion service celebrates our freedom from sin and our bond to God through Jesus Christ. While we may not yet be perfected, we do not have to sin every day! Stop it

Listen as Jesus speaks to His disciples in Matthew 26:26-28: While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to His disciples, saying, "Take and eat; this is My body."  Then He took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in My Father's kingdom."  When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

Judas Iscariot sinned – and suffered so much remorse that he committed suicide. God would have freely forgiven him. I do not know if the problem was too much pride or too much remorse, but he could not handle his failure.

Peter denied Jesus three times… but he wept bitterly, repented and received forgiveness. He was forgiven, restored, and given a prominent place in the Kingdom of God.

God welcomes you to the Communion table… repent, be forgiven, and enjoy God’s love as never before!

April 5, 2009