Series: The Lord’s Table
Title: This Do in Remembrance of Me
Text: Luke 22: 19-20
Date: March 4, 2012
Place: SGBC, New Jersey
Luke 22: 19: And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. 20: Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.
Our Lord Jesus is so gracious to keep us remembering him. It is sad that ones for whom Christ has given his body and shed his blood would need to be continually reminded of him but we do.
How soon after we hear his gospel so many things intrude and would steal away our thoughts from him! So many insignificant cares wrestle for our attention. How easily earthly winds move the dust! That is all our old man of sin is—dust. Each believer would like to be done with our wandering fleshly lusts once and for all. But God in his wisdom has left us in these fragile frames to teach us that our sufficiency, our strength, is not in ourselves but in the God of all grace. And our Redeemer never forgets his redeemed.
Isaiah 49: 16: Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.
Lest we let should let slip the things we have heard he continually turns his dear child to our Lamb, our Redeemer, the eternal Son of God. He has graciously given us this ordinance for that purpose, “This do in remembrance of me.”
Proposition: The one we are remembering is Christ—this do in remembrance of ME.
Divisions: 1) Remember Christ is our Worthiness; 2) Remember Christ is our Life; 3) Remember Christ is our Communion
I. REMEMBER CHRIST IS OUR WORTHINESS
He took the bread and the wine—it represents his body and blood. God the Son came down and took flesh and blood like unto his children. Remember he is Christ our Holy One. Remember the holiness of his person . The Holy One formed in the womb of the virgin—God and Man in One, the Son given, the child born, the holy, spotless, harmless, undefiled, one who is separate from sinners is our great High Priest. What a thing to always remember! In his person he is the very Holiness of God—our Sanctifier is our Sanctification. When his redeemed are born of his Spirit, that born again child is made partakers of HIS HOLINESS!
Psalm 30: 4: Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.
He gave thanks—(to his Father). Christ Jesus gave glory to God his Father as the faithful servant for his people throughout his entire life—it is what his life was for his people. Christ gave to his Father exactly what God required of us, perfect heart obedience. He glorified God in behalf of his people. His life was a perpetual offering up of himself in faithful submission, in faithful righteousness unto God.
He brake it. Christ willingly laid down his life. He willingly took the form of a servant. He willing gave himself into the wicked hands of men. He willing took our sin upon himself. He willingly suffered under the justice of God on the cross unto death and made atonement for each one for whom he died.
He gave unto them, saying. Christ not only gave to the Father, likewise, he gives his body and blood unto his people. In like manner as he assembled his children at his table, he has called each believer here, and taught us what he has done. saying, This is MY BODY which is given FOR YOU: this do in remembrance of me. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in MY BLOOD, which is shed FOR YOU.
Remember Christ is our Lamb—Christ gave his body and his blood for those given him of the Father because every child whom God saves had to have our body broken and our blood shed. Our body of sin had to be buried. Our life had to be taken.
Life is in the blood
The soul that sinneth shall surely die
Without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins
Christ is the Lamb who gave his life FOR his people. And in Christ all who believer are justified from all our transgressions, purged from all our sins, made the righteousness of God in Christ.
Illustration: Remember the robe put on the prodigal son?—Christ our Righteousness!
Remember Christ is our Covenant—the New Testament in my blood—covenant—promise—made before the world began between the triune God and Christ.
Hebrews 9: 15:…he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.
“Behold I have loved you with an everlasting love.”
Christ is the Covenant for his people; Christ fulfilled the everlasting covenant by his blood; Christ is the promise given in our hearts.
Illustration: Remember the ring put on the hand of the prodigal son?—Christ our Everlasting Covenant of Peace and Love.
Remember Christ is our hope of Resurrection. Paul said
1 Corinthians 11:26: For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come. In Christ the believer has lived a holy life; in Christ we have fulfilled all covenant promises; in Christ we died the death required of justice; in Christ we are risen at the right hand of the Father
Illustration: Remember the shoes put on the feet of the prodigal? The good news of Christ Jesus persona and finished work for us are the shoes on our feet. He is the joy set before us, we run the race set before us, looking to Christ the Author and Finisher of faith.
II. REMEMBER CHRIST IS OUR LIFE
We have two ordinances: beautifully simple, beautifully profound; beautifully simple and beautifully setting forth the Lover of our souls.
Baptism is done once, we come to this table repeatedly. The baptismal waters represent the grave—crucified with Christ, buried, raised to the right hand of the Father—it is done.
The Lord’s Table ever reminds us that our Life is Christ. Christ is our Meat—our eternal life and strength in this world.
John 6: 55: For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. 56: He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. 57: As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.
1 Co 11: 24: Take, eat: this is my body, this is my blood, drink it
Many vainly think that a sinner makes a decision for Christ, a profession, is baptized, and that those “so called acts of faith” is their life. The same way many think by eating this piece of bread and drinking this cup of wine, they have life thereby. Not so. Scripture says, "The just shall LIVE by faith."
Faith in Christ is not an act of life, but a way of life. Our Way is Christ and our Life is Christ. Brethren, the same as we must eat and drink natural bread we must eat and drink continually every day of Christ our Bread lest we die.
When Satan tempts remember Christ is our Life--all Strength is in him. He went from baptism straight into wilderness, fasted forty days and was hungry. Then came the beguiling tempter, saying, “If thou be the Son of God command these stones be made bread.” The Lord Jesus said, “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone.” Brethren, Christ gives you this little piece of broken bread and cup of wine to remind us, like he does in the gospel we continually feed upon, that when Satan whispers in your ear to tempt you, “Remember Christ is your Life.” We shall not live by bread alone. Your father knoweth you have need of these things. God has provided Bread enough for our souls in Christ and God shall provide bread enough for our tables.
In all our daily trials, remember Christ our Life. Christ was born lowly, raised lowly. He was slandered by men. If Lot was vexed in Sodom and Gomorrah, being a sinner like you and I, try to imagine how the Holy and Just One was touched by the feelings of our infirmities as he walked through this Sodom and Gomorrah. Brethren, as we walk as strangers through this world, he says, “Remember Me!” Christ is our Bread of Comfort, our Shield and Defender.
In all you are suffering, remember Christ is our Life. Remember Christ our Life in his suffering in Gethsemane—sweating great drops of blood, in soul agony. Remember Christ our Life in his suffering before the cruel soldiers: stripped naked before all, blind folded, punched in the face and mocked, “Who hit you?” He was spit upon. The hairs of his beard were ripped out by the handfuls. The piercing crown of burning thorns was pressed down upon his brow.
Hebrews 12: 3: For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.
Especially, remember Christ our Life in his suffering on the cursed tree. His hands and feet pierced, fever burning throughout his body, his tongue cleaving for thirst, his
Isaiah 52: 14:…his visage so marred MORE than any man, and his form MORE than the sons of men:”
Hear his cry, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me!” And remember why, dear born again child of God, dear believer, remember HE was forsaken FOR YOU and now you shall never be forsaken ever!
· FOR YOU he made atonement
· FOR YOU he made satisfaction
· FOR YOU he justified you before the holy law of holy God
· FOR YOU he reconciled you to God
· Hear him cry to you, “It is finished!”
Oh, believer, when everything in this world seems to be a bitter cup, when you come to the hour of suffering—he says, “Remember me!” Come to his throne of grace, he will help! He knows the “spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.” He will give Life into your heart whispering again, “Take eat! Take drink!” Christ our Life will be our strength to say:
John 12: 27: Now is my soul troubled, and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour, but for this hour came I unto this hour, Father, glorify thy name,
In the hour of death, remember Christ is our Life--Christ said before he gave up the Ghost, “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.” Christ hands are the Hands of God. We trust all into his hands. Remember his are the hands which feed us—He brake, he gave, he said take eat. Is Christ feeding your soul now? If he ever feed us once, he will feed us till the end.
Remember Christ our Life when your sins burden you most. When you hear the adversary whisper in your ear, saying, “You can’t possibly be a child of God, look at your sin. Look at how dishonorably you walk and talk and think. If you be a son of God, prove it.” Believer, remember Christ!
1 Timothy 1: 15: This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.
Brethren, if we could never sin again we would. When your sins seem to bar the way, remember it is the sinner who Christ came to save. Don’t flee from Christ, flee to Christ! It is true, I am too sinful to come into God’s presence in myself, or even to lift up my head to him, but all my hope is Christ in whom I am complete. Come confessing your sin, he is faithful and just to forgive us of all our sin.
When all around my soul gives way
He is all my hope and stay
Illustration: The watch dropped in the river. Believer, do not let this remembrance slip—Christ says, “Do this in remembrance of me!”
III. REMEMBER CHRIST IS OUR COMMUNION WITH EACH OTHER
1 Corinthians 10: 16: The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? 17: For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread.
Acts 2:46 And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,
Each believer here has been drawn by grace to all sit at the same table together, born of the same Spirit, we eat the same spiritual drink, of the same spiritual Rock—that Rock is Christ (1 Cor 10: 14)
When your soul is cast down within you, when even a dearest brother disappoints as if he were an enemy do we long for “miserable comforters” to comfort us? Even so let us be comforters of one another. In those times, remember the love of Christ for you when you were as an enemy in your own minds to him. The love of Christ for his child is as:
Song of Solomon 8: 6:…coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame. 7: Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it.
Therefore…
Proverb 25: 21: If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink: 22: For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, and the LORD shall reward thee.
When one appears to treat you as an enemy, remember he is hungry and thirsty. Remember when Christ who gave us his Life. In so doing he heaped coals of fire—the love of God—upon our heads which many waters cannot quench, neither the floods drown it.
May we do the same to one another by his grace! Let us comfort and strengthen one another to remember Christ our Life. He is the nourishment of our inner heart, the giver of every grace whereby we have precious communion with God and with each other. Let nothing even attempt to severe this communion we have with each other in Christ.
One final word, take heed to yourselves, “He that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself.” Do not come to this table carelessly. This is the remembrance of Christ; “This do in remembrance of me.”
This remembrance is in spirit in the new man. We did not see Christ in the flesh. This is not a historical remembrance, but much, much more. We, believer, are like the apostle Paul, we know him not after the flesh, but after the spirit by the Holy Spirit of God dwelling in us and bearing witness of Christ in our hearts.
Therefore, to you who are yet in your sins know that what we have never known, we cannot remember. None of us can remember him in spirit (discern his body) if the Spirit of God has not formed Christ in our souls. Better not to eat than to eat if Christ alone is not all our worthiness—for then we eat unworthily.
But to you to whom Christ is All, the Captain of our Salvation says, “This do.” As disobedient as it is for a man who is yet trusting in his own worthiness to come to the Lord’s Table so it is for those Christ has made worthy not to come to this feast he has prepared.
Illustration: When the cook says, “Time to eat”—out of respect for her labor “it is time to come to the table!”
Christ says to his children, “Take eat, take drink! This do in remembrance of Me!” Remember Christ who is our Worthiness, our Life, our Communion.
Amen!