The Sacrifice and Covenant of Jesus

I want to read a passage from Matthew chapter 26. I'll begin reading at verse 26. If you want to find that in your Bibles, follow along. Sometimes it helps you to see it in your Bible and sometimes there are things that you want to note, underline or mark, so it helps you to have your own Bible open. I don't know of but one denomination or group of churches that does not celebrate the Last Supper. There's a group called Quakers or Friends, sometimes they're known by, and there's a group of those on the conservative side and one on the liberal side that don't celebrate the Lord's Supper. But all other religious organizations, Christian organizations that I know, celebrate the Lord's Supper, the Last Supper. They celebrate that in different ways. Some of it, some people call it the Eucharist, which is simply a word that means Thanksgiving. Some people call it communion, which means you join together with someone. It's an idea of joining together with God. Some people call it the Lord's Supper. There are different names for it and people have different ideas about what it means. All of these come from the very same words in the Bible that Jesus gives us. Chapter 26 of the book of Matthew, Jesus here is telling us, I have given my life for you. While they were eating, Jesus took bread and gave thanks and broke it and gave it to his disciples saying, take and eat, this is my body. Then he took the cup and gave thanks and offered 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 the day when I drink it anew with you in my Father's kingdom. When they'd sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. Jesus begins this by telling them from the bread that he's broken at the table, passing it around, this is my body. And then he said from the drink, and this is my blood. Jesus told these two phrases. They have been variously interpreted by many different groups. Depending on which group you're in, whenever they sit down to take this last meal, they have different ideas about exactly what it means. If you go to a church where there's Catholics or where there's the Eastern Orthodox or the Russian Orthodox or the Church of the East, they all believe that something takes place that is very dramatic. They have the idea that in the bread or in the wine, there are two things there. One is the outside appearance, where you see the bread and you can touch it and you can taste it and it tastes like bread and it feels like bread. But then whenever the prayer is given for the bread, it is changed or transformed so that no longer is it just bread or is it just wine, but it actually becomes the body of Jesus Christ and the blood of Jesus Christ. Now they mean by that, not that the outside of it's changed. If you took it to the scientist and said, would you test this bread, it would show bread before the prayer and bread after the prayer. Or you took the blood and took the drink and say, will you test this? It would test this wine before the prayer and after the prayer. But what they believe is that there is some substance inside of the bread that changes. So the inner part of the bread and the inner part of the wine become the body and the blood of Jesus, literally. That's why when you go into a Catholic church or not any Eastern Orthodox around here, you'll notice when the host, that is the bread that's blessed, is sitting on the altar, people come in and kneel because they're in the presence of Jesus. You'll notice when they give the wafer to people who come to take it, they place it on your tongue and there are no crumbs because you don't have any crumbs of the body of Christ. And when the meal is finished, all the bread and all the wine has to be consumed because you wouldn't leave or throw in the trash the very body of Jesus and the blood of Jesus. They call this transubstantiation. The substance is transformed even though the outside remains the same. In the Reformation, Luther, who's a Catholic priest and a monk, came in conflict with some of the beliefs and teachings of the Catholic Church and one of the things he objected to most strenuously was the idea that this substance became literally the blood and the body of Jesus. And so he thought of a different way of seeing it. He said when you come to this time, you're actually joined with Christ, in communion with him. And so when you take the bread and you take the drink, it is with Christ that he's there. In some way, not literally, Christ is with that meal. So you are with him in that meal. And that's called consubstantiation. You come with the substance. The substance of the bread, the substance of the drink, is with the substance of Jesus Christ there. In some way, he's present with it. There was another man who was a friend of his and the two of them both were in revolt against some of the teachings and practices of the Catholic Church. And this man's name was Zwingli. And he was a pastor there nearby where Luther was. And they were friends in many of the things they believed. But on this very issue, they could not agree. Zwingli said, you know, it's not really the body of Christ. It's not really the blood of Christ. Luther said, it says, this is my body. Zwingli said, Jesus said, also, I am the door. But it didn't mean he was a door. It was a symbol. So he started preaching and proclaiming that the supper that you eat is really a memorial time in which you remember who Jesus was and all that he did. Memorialism, it's called in theology. Baptists practice this way. Pentecostals practice this way. Many in the restoration movement see this this same way. And brethren churches and Mennonites all see the Lord's Supper as a memorial to Jesus and what he did. John Calvin, who was a friend, who was also active in the time when Luther was, didn't accept any of this. He said, there is a spiritual presence of Jesus. And so when you come to take the meal, the spirit of Jesus comes and he's with you at that moment. And he saw this as a spiritual event. The Wesleyan movement, Methodist. Much later, John Wesley was a part of the Anglican Church or the Episcopal Church, we call it here, with a sort of a Catholic background. And he said, no, there is a real presence of Jesus in the meal when you eat it. So when you go to a Lutheran church or a Presbyterian church or a Methodist church or Baptist church or Christian church, and you see people take the same meal, they're thinking of it in many different ways. Well, all of this, you see, is how we think of what took place. What I want to look at in this passage is what was Jesus saying to us about this meal? What was he trying to communicate to us? What was on his mind? The scriptures tell us about what Jesus was doing, not what we think about it, but what Jesus was doing. In verse 26, while they were eating, Jesus took the bread, gave thanks, broke it, and gave it to the disciples, saying, take, eat, this is my body. Now when he picked up the bread and he gave it to the people around him, they looked at him and they saw his body. No one in that group thought they were munching on the arm of Jesus when he passed out the bread. They knew exactly what he meant. His bread represents my body. Now, the background of all this is the Old Testament, where a sacrifice was made and an animal's body was brought and placed on the altar and burned. And when it was burned, if it was a Thanksgiving offering or a fellowship offering, part of that offering was given and burned up to God, and part of it then was given to the rest of the people who made the sacrifice, and they would eat the food, and the burned up part was consumed by God. So it was a meal for them. Here, Jesus is giving the bread as a part of the meal and reminding them of the symbolism of the sacrifice on the altar. As the sacrifice was given, it was a participation of you with God and yourself and your family and your friends. So this represents this great sacrifice that I'm going to make. This is my body. Take it and eat it. It is a fellowship with us. Now, when Jesus came into the world, he came in as a result of the promise of God. And people are very impressed with John 3.16, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, his one and only son, that whoever believed in him would not perish but have everlasting life. And we point to this great event because it shows us the love of God, the intensity of God's love to give us his one and only son. Here, Jesus, who's the result of that promise, comes into the world and recognizes that his life is to be given as a sacrifice in behalf of all of us. Here it says, for many. It really means for everyone. It's a way of Hebrews had of saying everybody, all the people. The body and the blood of Jesus are given for many or all of us. Now, there are many people who do wonderful things for us. We celebrate on this time, Memorial Day, the sacrifice of many people who've given their lives for this country. I was talking to a man the other day who was in the Korean War. He was talking about how difficult it was. And he started fighting to drive the North Koreans back into the place that they are. His group went all the way to what we call the DMZ zone, where the line between the North and South is. And he said it was vicious fighting. He said it was very painful. And he said it was frightening for him. He didn't know if he were going to live or die. But everybody who goes into war does not necessarily expect that they're going to die. Now, in the middle of the fight, the bullet may come and they may die without even anticipating that they were going to. They may be in another situation where they're asked to charge a particular place and they may go and they may know the risk of dying is great, but they're not certain they're going to die. A man might, in the middle of conflict, see a grenade thrown into his group and he might fall on it and in that instant knows that he's going to die. But he doesn't deliberate or consider it. It's just a reaction. Jesus lived his life knowing he was going to die. He now comes to the end of this time and is just ready for his death and he sat down with his friends. At this point, he's already told them that he's going to die. He's going to be turned over to the scribes and the Pharisees and he's going to be crucified. He sees out in front of him what's there. He really has a choice. He has a choice as to whether or not he gives himself away in death. And here he comes with his friends in this last meal and he holds up the bread and says, this is my body. Other places in the scriptures it says given for you. Jesus knew he was giving his body to die for his friends and for us. If God's love is demonstrated because he gave his one and only son, how much greater is the love of Jesus Christ for us who gave himself. This is my body given for you. All denominations, whoever they are, believe that this is the truth of the scripture. Jesus at this moment, knowing his death was coming, looked at his friends and he said, I give myself in your place. What a powerful and gripping thought and reality. No matter what anybody's ever done for you, there's no one who's ever done anything like this for us except Jesus. Jesus sacrificed himself, his body given his blood poured out in our behalf. In this sacrifice that Jesus gave for us, he didn't hold back anything. He was fulfilling the requirement that God had placed that a sacrifice be given. I don't understand how all of these things work. It's just that the scripture makes the point clearly. All denominations believe this. That Jesus Christ gave himself in our behalf. Somehow or other, in this great mystery of all God's work in the world, the death of Jesus Christ enabled all people who are willing to trust Christ with their life to have forgiveness of sins. All of their sins wiped away, no matter what they've done. How serious it was, how repetitive it was, how terrible, how light, all of our sins are forgiven. The price has been paid for all of this. Jesus knew that his death would change the course of human life as long as the world existed. His death was not easy, nor was it comfortable. As soon as this meal is over, Jesus is going to go with his friends to the Garden of Gethsemane where he prayed that prayer of great agony, if there is anything else that can be done, Father, remove this cup from me. Jesus wasn't insane. He didn't want to die. He wasn't interested in suffering. But he knew that there was only one way that this could be done. And in the Garden of Gethsemane, he was asking the Father, am I wrong about this? Is there another way? I would rather not go through the agony that's ahead of me, if it's at all possible. And the Father assured him, there is no other way. Jesus told his friends that night, this is my body. I give it for you. This is my blood. I give it for you. In this passage, Jesus describes what's taking place. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. Jesus was making a covenant with them. A covenant was a promise. It had two sides to it. One person made a promise, and the other person made a promise. It was often done that when a covenant was made, that there would be animals offered as a sacrifice. Sometimes they were cut in half, an animal was, and some put on one side and one on the other. And then the people making the contract, whether it was two kings who promised they would support and fight for each other, or it was a spiritual event like with Israel and their covenant, they would then make the agreement and then walk between the animals, one half on one side and one on the other, in a way of promising to those people with whom they'd made the promise. May what happened to these animals happen to me if I violate the promise that I've made today. A blood covenant. A covenant of blood that promised, I will do this or I will pay. Here, Jesus makes with us a blood covenant. I will forgive your sins. I will erase all those things in your life that have been contrary to what I want. I will guide you in all the choices that you need to make so that you'll know the right thing to do. I will provide all of the needs that you have, no matter what they are. I will protect you from all the things that will destroy you, and I will give your life meaning and value. Those are the promises that God made to His people. And my blood is the seal of this promise. I have already given my life as a guarantee that it will be done. So, whenever you sit down to remember what's taking place, I want you to remember the promise that I've made to you. Now, He asked one thing of them. When He recruited each of them, He asked that they come and follow Him. That they deny their own desires and wishes, and they live in obedience to Him. That's what He required. I only ask that you do what I tell you to do in faith and trust to me. This act of submission and obedience to me is your part of the covenant. My part is to give my life that you might receive the forgiveness of the past. Your part is to begin to live from this day on in submission and obedience to me, that you might receive the fullness of all the promises I make to you. Now, if we look at God, and we see this great act of gift to us, this giving of His Son, and then we look at Jesus, who, knowing full well what it was costing, gave His life to us. What remains for us? What is in this story about us? Jesus said one time that all the Law and the Prophets are wrapped up in one simple thing. That you are to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind. And you are to love your neighbor as yourself. This one section wraps up everything that God expects on our side of the covenant. We have a day in which we celebrate what people have done. They've fought in wars to maintain the independence and freedom of our country. And whenever you see soldiers who've done their service, we applaud them. We make sure that they understand we appreciate what they've done. Because we have a debt to them now within our community of faith. When we remember what Jesus has done for us, how much more is our debt to Him? That's why Jesus said, what you should do is love me with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind. If you know what Jesus Christ has done in your behalf, what is the obligation on your part? That is to place Him in the place of ultimate authority in your life. You, Lord Jesus, are more important to me than any person in the world. You, Lord Jesus, are more important to me than anything in the world. You, Lord Jesus, I owe more than I can ever pay. This is what it means to give yourself in submission to Jesus Christ as Lord of your life. The reality of Jesus giving Himself to us calls from inside of us a passionate desire to give ourselves to Jesus Christ and all that He asks of us. And so when He says to us, come and follow me, we're ready to say whatever it is you want me to do, Lord. If there's a van to be driven that will help your kingdom, I'll drive it. If there's a Sunday school class to be taught, I'll teach it. If there's someone to pray for who's going to camp, I'll pray for them. You tell me in this moment what it is that you want because you've given your body and your blood for me. And I must love you more than anything in all the world. I don't withhold from you my time, so I'm going to listen every day to you and I'm going to talk to you every day and I'm going to be in church where I can learn your word and know what I'm supposed to do because my passion for you is boiling over for what you have done for me. Jesus expects the response from His people to love Him with all their heart, soul, strength, and mind. And then whenever you get to know who Jesus is and you love Him with everything in your heart, you will find something strange begins to happen to you. You will notice people around you who are struggling with the same things you struggle with, who have the same kind of problems you have, who are looking for answers that you used to look for and now you've found. And you will find Him saying to you, see this person who's struggling with these issues you've faced, I want you to go to them and tell them how I have helped you. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind as your neighbor and love your neighbor as yourself. If I was in the spot that this person's in that I'm a neighbor or friend with, what would I want someone to do for me? Say, well, that's too bad, and walk on by? Would I want them to be concerned about me? Would I want them, if they had the answer to my problem, to tell me? Would I want them to befriend me? You see, this story with Jesus and His disciples here explains so much for us. Why was it that they gave their whole lives for Him? Almost every one of these disciples, history tells us, stories tell us, we don't have any facts in the scripture about it, gave their lives for Christ. There are stories about every one of them, that every one of them died terrible deaths because they were obedient to the command Jesus gave them to go into all the world. That's why we see around the world stories of people who come to God. A story in your bulletin about a young man that comes to a missionary and he's given a Bible, and he takes the Bible home knowing that his family is going to reject him and his family is going to turn against him. All around the world, there are people who come to know who Jesus is and what He's done for them, and they've never heard that story before. It's new to them, and they recognize, I owe Jesus everything. How jaded we've become. We've heard the story so much. It rolls off one side of our head and then the other. It's like growing up with your parents, you know. Sometimes you don't realize until you get to be a parent and almost dead yourself how much they've done for you, and how much you owe them, because they're just there all the time. It's that way with Jesus. But I want to peel back that comfortable nature and have you this morning to look at Jesus, sitting there with these people, saying to them, I'm willing to give my life for you. And I want you to look at Jesus today as the man who did that for you. If this is really true, what do you think Jesus wants from you? What would you willingly do for Him? Would you bow your heads, please, for a moment? I want you to ask this question of God. Do I show respect and appreciation for what you've done for me? Many of you hear God say, yes, you do, my child. If there's a question or doubt in your mind, ask God how you can show Him the respect that's due Him for what He's done for you. Now, that's your assignment. Whatever it is He says to you, you do it. You may be doing something for Him. You may be doing something for someone else. Love me with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind. And if you do that, then I want you to keep your eyes open to the people that I want you to care for in my behalf. Father, what I ask here for myself and all of us is that you would make us aware of the great love you have for us. You did something we never deserved and never even knew to ask for, but you did it. Now, today we're presented with you. This is my body, you said. You gave it away. This is my blood poured out to rescue you from the consequences of the choices you've made and bad decisions in your life. And there it is. I ask, Father, if there's anyone listening today who has never trusted you with their life, who never said to you, I believe that you gave yourself for me. And I want to pledge my life to live in obedience to you that right now they would simply say in the quietness of their own mind, Lord Jesus, what you've done is unbelievable. And today I want to say to you, I will give myself to live in obedience to you. Take my life as you've given yours. And Father, to those of us who've done that, made the promise. Open our eyes to whether or not we're living it. Are you really in charge of our time, our money, our energy, our families, our marriages? Tell each of us whether or not that's true. Does anything we've withheld from you give us a passion to be obedient in every way? In the name of Jesus, we ask it. Amen. I want to ask you just to remain seated in your seats. I want to ask you to sing this song of invitation. It's a promise. A promise to God to say, I know you're calling me to do these things. And I'm saying to you, I will follow you. I hope you can sing it as the promise that you make to God. If God has made you aware there's something that needs to change in your life before you can really mean that, you have an opportunity to come to me and share that promise that you want to make to God. Debbie will be here, you can stand with her and make that promise with her and we'll pray for you. It's God's way of saying, this is what I want you to do. And if you love me, you will do it. As we sing this song, you do what you know God wants from you. Amen.