CommunionBenefit of Communion

Recognizing Jesus' Real Presence in the Lord's Supper

Chain the Catechism: A topical study through the Lutheran confessions

Memorization Verses:

"Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.”

For where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation.

LSB 643 http://rockhay.tripod.com/worship/music/sentforth.htm 1. Sent forth by God's blessing, our true faith confessing, the people of God from this dwelling take leave. The supper is ended. Oh, now be extendedthe fruits of this service in all who believe. The fruit of Christ's teaching,receptive souls reaching, shall blossom in action for God and for all.His grace did invite us, his love shall unite us

to work for God's kingdom and answer his call. 2. With praise and thanksgiving to God ever-living the tasks of our everyday life we will face. Our faith ever sharing, in love ever caring, embracing the children of each tribe and race. With your feast you feed us, with your light now lead us, unite us as one in this life that we share. Then may all the living with praise and thanksgiving give honor to Christ and his name that we bear.

Sing it!

Communion Gifts

Think of all the communion –like gifts from God throughout the scriptures. What did they mean to the people in context?

PRAYER

• Shed for you• Forgiveness• Live and Salvation• Victory and Strength• Confession and UnityP raiseR epentanceA ppreciationY ouE veryoneR esolve

Pray: 10 He makes springs pour water into the ravines;    it flows between the mountains. 11 They give water to all the beasts of the field;    the wild donkeys quench their thirst. 12 The birds of the sky nest by the waters;    they sing among the branches. 13 He waters the mountains from his upper chambers;    the land is satisfied by the fruit of his work. 14 He makes grass grow for the cattle,    and plants for people to cultivate—    bringing forth food from the earth: 15 wine that gladdens human hearts,    oil to make their faces shine,    and bread that sustains their hearts. 16 The trees of the LORD are well watered,    the cedars of Lebanon that he planted. 17 There the birds make their nests;    the stork has its home in the junipers. 

18 The high mountains belong to the wild goats;    the crags are a refuge for the hyrax. 19 He made the moon to mark the seasons,    and the sun knows when to go down. 20 You bring darkness, it becomes night,    and all the beasts of the forest prowl. 21 The lions roar for their prey    and seek their food from God. 22 The sun rises, and they steal away;    they return and lie down in their dens. 23 Then people go out to their work,    to their labor until evening. 24 How many are your works, LORD!    In wisdom you made them all;    the earth is full of your creatures. 25 There is the sea, vast and spacious, 

Communion

Say Mean Matter

Key phrases Own words Answer the questions/Personal application

•What is the benefit of this eating and drinking? •What is the benefit offered in this sacrament?

•______________________________

SS Shed for you M Forgiveness T Life and Salvation W Victory and Strength Th Confession and Unity

Discussion Or how about this, "Business might be

slow. I might have lost my biggest account but I know I'm not buried, I'm planted. I know God's got another victory in my future. I know my best days are still out in front of me.“

When you're in tough times and everything that could go wrong does, you've got to dig your heels in and say "This attack was meant to destroy me but i've got inside information that it cannot bury me. It's only planting me. And I'm not only going to come out, I'm gonna come out like Job - with twice what I had before.

Sorry…more Olsteen The scripture talks about in James how we should

wait for God's promises like a farmer waits for his harvest. I've never seen a farmer plant a crop, then worry night and day if it's gonna come up. He doesn't lose sleep at night and say, "Please pray that my corn's gonna take root. Please pray that I'm gonna have a harvest." No. He waits with a knowing, with a confidence. In fact he doesn't neccessarily hope that it happens, he doesn't even have to believe that it will happen; He takes it one step further - he knows that his harvest is on its way. He's seen it happen time and time again.

 Somebody asks you, "You still think you're gonna get out of debt with the economy being as bad as it is?" Tell him, "I don't think so. I know so. It's just a matter of time."

But we, as recovering alcoholics, are still prone to the “I-am-Unique” syndrome that many of us felt when we were drinking. We may be even more prone to it now as we look around church at our fellow believers. After all, we are/were the most miserable sinner(s) in this congregation, weren’t we? Our past sins were much larger than their petty sins could ever be, aren’t they? After all, Lord, we “wallowed in alcoholism” and all the sins that came with it, didn’t we? Weren’t we the unfaithful spouses, the bad parents, the gross liars, cheaters and thieves? And on top of all of that, some of us did all that while loudly professing to be “good Christians” didn’t we? Can we really expect equal forgiveness for all that, Lord? I mean, we know that you forgive the ‘regular sinners’, but us, Lord??

These words, "Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins," show us that in the Sacrament forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation are given us through these words. For where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation.

•

SS: Shed for you

A Personal God“No one can read the Gospels

without feeling the actual presence of Jesus. His personality pulsates in every word. No myth is filled with such life.” Albert Einstein

The Lord’s Supper resonates with the human soul because: It is a simple meal between friends It is a sacrificial meal that

underscores a promise fulfilled It is a physical meal that brings to

us the natural designer of both body and soul (as opposed to other “naturals”)

Physically and Spiritually“He who hears you hears

Me” - JesusThe Eucharist, and all the

descriptive and prescriptive sacraments throughout scripture bring to active remembrance in us Christ’s true presenceActive bodily through

elements and wordsActive spiritually through

love and faith

Exegesis: Lk 22, 1 Cor. 10“This is my body given for you;

do this in remembrance of me.” to swma mou to uper umwn didomenon

Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. I speak as to wise men; you judge what I say.  Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ? 17 Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one bread. 

1. Didomenon: giving to you from one’s authority

2. eu)logeÑw That which you set apart and praised.

Allowed to bring forth and prosper

3. Koinwnia Intimate coupling Becoming one flesh, as in intercourse Intimately, spiritually, and physically

united. Context: How to exist in the world

while being loyal to the Supper (which binds us to the church and to Christ) and not be accused of idolatry ourselves.

Christ sees all of the guilt we rack up daily. Understanding we are utterly cut off and in rebellion because of a corrupt nature.

Our sin is like a cancer that boils into violence and destruction

Christ KNOWS how to forgive, DOES the forgiving, and brings that forgiveness like a blood transfusion.

Forgiveness

A. The chief blessing of the Sacrament is the forgiveness of sins which Christ's body and blood have won for us on the cross. (The Lord's Supper is a means of grace.)

Matt. 26:28 This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

1 Peter 1:18-19 You know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.

Col. 1:22 He has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in His sight, without blemish and free from accusation.

1 John 1:7 The blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin.

•Pray: O my God, though I am a sinner, yet I am not a sinner. On my own and apart from Christ, I am a sinner. But in my Lord Jesus Christ and apart from me, I am no sinner. I firmly believe that He has destroyed all my ins with His precious blood. To show this, I am baptized, cleansed by God’s Word, and declared absolved and freed from all my sins. In the Sacrament of the true body and blood of my Lord Jesus Christ I have received the forgiveness of sins as a sure sign of grace. This He has merited, won, and accomplished for me by the shedding of His precious blood. For this I thank Him in eternity. Amen. (Luther).

M: Forgiveness

Michael and Cheryl are married for 24 years. Michael has been fighting kidney disease for 30. Kidney failure was inevitable, and Michael was dying. Cheryl is tested for 3 weeks. Doctors discover a perfect match between them. The odds: 1 in 30,000.

Christ unites with us. Comes down to us. Transplants us.By His bodyBy His bloodA perfect and unique match

This unity is a new organ, a heart of flesh, that longs for forgiveness, repentance, righteousness and peace with neighbor.

His blood creates this new heart in us. We are His bride whom He loves.

Life and Salvation

B. Together with forgiveness, God gives all other blessings as well, that is, "life and salvation."

"We must never regard the sacrament as a harmful thing from which we should flee, but as a pure, wholesome, soothing medicine which aids and quickens us in both soul and body. For where the soul is healed, the body has benefited also" (Large Catechism V 68).

"We are talking about the presence of the living Christ, knowing that 'death no longer has dominion over Him' [Rom. 6:9] (Apology X 4).

Rom. 6:8-9 If we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Him. For we know that since Christ raised from the dead, He cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over Him.

Rom. 8:31-32 If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all-how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?

• Pray: Lord Jesus, I thank You that

in the words of institution You have clearly and unmistakably stated what You desire to give me in the Holy Supper, namely, forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation. O my dear Savior, grant me Your Holy Spirit, that I may fasted my eyes upon these Your words, gathering comfort there in true faith, and so obtain blessing that lasts through all eternity by partaking of Your Holy Supper. Amen. (Zorn).

T: Life and Salvation

“Go Back to the Shadows”Tolkien beautifully illustrates

the Threefold office of ChristGandalf: The prophet who

declares an end to death and sacrificing for his friends

Frodo: The Priest and sin bearer of humble origins who endures evil and pain for his friends

Aragon: The King who rules fairly from both humanity and divinity, and with the unity of authority between the prophet and priest

How could it be said that bread and wine accomplish victory? It is common; of those who are

starving and afflicted. Of those who are defeated. Of those who drink from a sponge

Within a simple meal, the omnipotence of God is intimately revealed to us IN SUFFERING

This suffering covenant speaks directly to a grieving soul, empowering precisely in its weakness Identifying with our plight while

redeeming us from it.Eating with the Sacrificial Lamb

Communion as Victory?

C. In the Sacrament Christ gives victory over sin and hell and strength for the new life in Him.

Rom. 8:10 If Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness.

1 Peter 2:24 He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by His wounds you have been healed.

•

W: Victory and Strength

“For MY sins. For MY sins.” He sounded like he was being given a precious gift. The joy in his voice rivaled the joy of any child I’ve ever seen on Christmas morning. This man, in simple childlike faith actually believed the words spoken by the Pastor. But they were not the Pastor’s words. They were Christ’s words. They were words of forgiveness. They were words of good news. That night this young man with the faith of a child believed the words of Christ and as a result he tasted the forgiveness of HIS sins.

Unity with the Body

Christ bids us by His confession; a simple, child-like confession for which we proclaim in our own examination and partaking

He becomes a child for us. Knowing our weaknesses and difficulties of understanding

We unite with Christ and one another, bended knee, in front of an exposed and available altar that merely foreshadows the real altar in Heaven

Whether we eat or drink, or whatever we do, we do it to the glory of God and in service to neighbor.

The supper is meant to be shared with all who are elected and called. Proclaim its importance however you can!

Unity with the Body

D. As Christians partake of this sacrament together, they make a solemn public confession of Christ and of unity in the truth of His Gospel.

1 Cor. 10:17 Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.

1 Cor. 11:26 Whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes.

Note: See also Heb. 12:22-24: But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, 23 to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24 to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

•

Pray: Lord Jesus Christ, eternal Son of God, I am not worthy to open my lips and receive the most precious sacrament of Your body and blood. For I am a sin-stained man, but You are the Lord whom the heavens cannot encompass. How then can a human being who is but dust and ashes be worthy to receive Your most holy body and precious blood! I well know and acknowledge that my sins are many and that for that reason I am an unworthy guest at Your table. But I also sincerely believe and confess with my lips that by Your grace You can render me worthy. You can transform sinners into true and holy men, when by Your grace You forgive sin and renew us with Your Holy Spirit. Grant me grace, that I may worthily approach Your altar. May I not become guilty of Your body and blood by unworthy eating and drinking and receive death in place of life. Amen. (Johann Habermann, 1516-90).

Th Confession and Unity

It is for precisely this reason, and at this time that Jesus comes to us with his Lord’s Supper. We—just as other ‘regular sinners’ can and do become oppressed and depressed as we each, in our own way, view our past lives of sin. We all can, and sometimes do, doubt that God can forgive us, . . . everyone else, yes, of course, but not us, especially not me. Then Jesus comes to us, much as He did with His disciple Thomas. Thomas needed to see, touch, taste, handle, to believe that Christ had arisen. He had been shaken very deeply by the crucifixion. And we too, as with all other believers—when we are shaken to the point of doubting God’s love and forgiveness by the magnitude of our past sinful lives, we, too, need to see, hear, touch, taste and handle, just as he did. We too need that tangible, visible, able-to-be-sensed- by-our-senses assurance that we are truly and in fact, forgiven. And we alcoholics especially, who so often are so easily reminded of what we have done, lost, or thrown away because of our drinking—we perhaps more than any

LSB 642  1 O Living Bread from heaven,

How well You feed Your guest!The gifts that You have givenHave filled my heart with rest.Oh, wondrous food of blessing,Oh, cup that heals our woes!My heart, this gift possessing,With praises overflows.

2 My Lord, You herehave led meTo this most holy placeAnd with Yourself have fed meThe treasures of Your grace;For You have freely givenWhat earth could never buy,The bread of life from heaven,That now I shall not die.

3 You gave me all I wanted;This food can death destroy.And You have freely grantedThe cup of endless joy.My Lord, I do not meritThe favor You have shown,And all my soul and spiritBow down before Your throne.

4 Lord, grant me then, thus strengthenedWith heav'nly food, while hereMy course on earth is lengthened,To serve with holy fear.And when You call my spiritTo leave this world below,I enter, through Your merit,Where joys unmingled flow.

Sing it!

ConclusionThese words, "Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins," show us that in the Sacrament forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation are given us through these words. For where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation.A. The chief blessing of the Sacrament is the forgiveness of sins which Christ's body and blood have won for us on the cross. (The Lord's Supper is a means of grace.)B. Together with forgiveness, God gives all other blessings as well, that is, "life and salvation.""We must never regard the sacrament as a harmful thing from which we should flee, but as a pure, wholesome, soothing medicine which aids and quickens us in both soul and body. For where the soul is healed, the body has benefited also" (Large Catechism V 68).

"We are talking about the presence of the living Christ, knowing that 'death no longer has dominion over Him' [Rom. 6:9] (Apology X 4).C. In the Sacrament Christ gives victory over sin and hell and strength for the new life in Him.D. As Christians partake of this sacrament together, they make a solemn public confession of Christ and of unity in the truth of His Gospel.•

The Power of Communion

Next Time…(3/23)