World communion Sunday means
All over the world, Christians are sharing the lords supper today
In Russia, Mozambique, France, Egypt
We are all on the same team
Not just Methodists...Baptists, Catholics, Presbyterians
I love to illustrate that we are all on the same team
when you family and friends visit
No Baptists in heaven, no Catholics, no Methodists
How can it be that we are all on the same team...
Why do Nebraska fans, KU fans, MU fans etc. rally here?
Something so touching that we are bonded together
The atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ
We proclaim the Lord's death
Why would we proclaim death?
Usually we don't run around talking to someone about who died or someone's loved one who died...Crocodile Hunter...speak carefully...respect for the dead
If we do speak it is short and to the point
I am sorry about your mom. I am sorry about your dad.
So what is it about the death of Jesus that we proclaim.
There is an innate sense within us that we are separated from God, selfish...on our own.
Sinful
We have tried every way to resolve this. Mans philosophies, good works, we have even tried to ignore the problem...it will just go away...
It is our problem
Its not just about Rep Foley...everyone wanted to point the finger,
- but next time it will be someone from the other party,
- and this is not a time for anger, it's a time for sadness, sadness over how great is the human capacity for wrong
If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being, and who is willing to destroy his own heart?
Alexander Solzhenitsyn
How I have tried to resolve it in my life...
I didn't know any better
I tried to be good
I tried to be a better Christian than others...
None of it works
Then the day comes when the message of Grace hits us for the first time.
for whatever reason, it finally sinks in that God loves you
We hear Christian message, Jesus died for you, in a different way
We begin to wonder...
Why, how,
Romans5: 6You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
You see
I am not beating up up today over sin, don't go home and complain that the preacher pounded you about sin in church today...we have good news!
all of your guilt, everything you did when you were young, your selfishness now, your inability to see yourself and your problems, the sins you will commit tomorrow.
Jesus died for all of these.
Oh gosh is that good news or what. That is huge
What is the circumference of the earth? 24,900 miles
Psalm103:12 as far as the east is from the west so he has separated us from our sins
Man that is good news! That is huge!
I can't stand it.
I must proclaim his death! His blood covers my sin.
Going to church doesn't cut it, reading the Bible doesnt' cut it, being good doesn't cut it
Jesus Christ has paid the price for my sin
He died for my sin.
Hanging upon the cruel cross, with his last breath he uttered these words, it is finished.
Friends, it is finished. Jesus dies for your sins. You are forgiven. You are loved. You can live in joy.
Is it no wonder then, that he told his disciples...my body and blood broken for you..take eat, do this and remember me.
1Corintians11:23-26
for I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, too bread, 24and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "this is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me." 25In 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 remembrance of me." 26For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaimthe Lord's death untilhe comes.
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