Good evening. Turn with me, if
you will, to the Gospel of Luke, chapter 22. Luke, chapter 22. I don't know much about being
brief, but I'm going to try very hard, so bear with me. Luke, chapter 22, verse 19. And he took bread, and gave thanks,
and break it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body, which
is given for you, this do in remembrance of me. You and I
are here, and we're about to do the same thing that our Lord
and his disciples did. Here we have the Lord instituting
the Lord's table, or the Lord's supper, the night before he was
to be crucified. Why are we here to do this? Have
we ever wondered why we do this? Well, look at the last part of
that verse. He said, this do in remembrance of me. We're here
to give thanks. We're here to remember what God
has done for us. That hymn we sing, to God be
the glory, great things he hath done. This is all about him.
Now I'm very briefly, hopefully gonna speak to you concerning
the bread and then Gabe the wine. I've got five things that I wanna
show you that this bread represents in the body of Christ. Five things.
And I pray God would enable us to truly remember Him and to
truly give thanks unto Him for what He's done for us. The first
thing I want to show you is that His body, the body of the Lord
Jesus Christ, which this unleavened bread represents, was a prepared
body. Turn over with me to Hebrews
chapter 10. Hebrews chapter 10. And look with me at verse 5.
God the Father prepared a body, a physical human body for the
Lord Jesus Christ from eternity. He really did. Why? Why would God do that? That
seems so foolish. Why would God do such a thing?
Here's why. Because God purposed to save
a people. What he called his name, Jesus,
for he shall save his people from their sins. Now you think,
well, couldn't God have done this another way? He's got, this
is the only way. In the garden, Tony just preached
what happened in the garden. Man sinned, man died, man fell. Man sinned, man must die. And
you and I will die, but our death is not going to take away our
sin. We just read, in sacrifice and offering, thou wouldest not.
You and I, the shedding of our blood can't take away our sins.
It's not going to. You see, you and I are guilty
sinners. We can't put away our sin. My
sin must be put away, but I can't do it. Holy justice must be satisfied. God is holy. This is greatly
misunderstood in our day, but God, the soul that sinneth, it
shall die. God is going to punish sin. You and I can't do it. We need a substitute. We need
someone to die in our place, to die in our stead. We need
a savior. We need one to save us, one who
is able to save us. We need a sacrifice for our sin,
but not just any sacrifice. We need the sacrifice acceptable
to God. Look here in Hebrews 10, verse
6. It goes on, it says, in burnt offerings and sacrifices for
sin, thou hast had no pleasure. Then said I, this is the Lord
Jesus Christ, lo, I come. In the volume of the book, it
is written of me to do thy will, O God. You see, the Lord Jesus
Christ, he came into this world, and he came into this world on
purpose. He was on a mission. He came
here on purpose, and that purpose was to save his people from their
sins. Aren't you glad a body was prepared
for him? Oh, I'm so glad, I'm so glad. The second thing that I want
to show you about his body is that it was a real human body. Nothing is more miraculous to
me than to consider that God became a man. What do we read?
The word was made flesh and dwelt among us. Is that not glorious?
You remember Simon, he beheld the baby, Jesus Christ, God in
the form of a baby. Is that not amazing? And he grew
and he was a man and he worked. He hungered and thirsted just
like you and me. He got tired. He was tempted, like as we are,
yet without sin. He truly was a man. Is that not
remarkable? And when I consider that, I just
think, you know, how wonderful is our God. Is anything too hard
for the Lord? Anything? God becoming a man,
nothing's too hard for our God, is it, brethren? Nothing, nothing. God sent forth his Son, made
of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under
the law. Praise God, praise God. Third, his body was the perfect
body. You know, you and I are sinners.
All we are is sin. We can only do sin. Let me tell
you what the scriptures say about Christ. 1 Peter 2.22 says, He
did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth. He knew no
sin. He could not sin. You see, the
reason we use unleavened bread, what'd the Lord say? He said,
you beware of the leaven of the scribes and the Pharisees, a
little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. You know, unleavened bread
represents perfection, no sin. That's why we use that. It represents
Christ. You see, God sent his son in
the likeness of sinful flesh, but he was not in sinful flesh,
God in human flesh. He was not like us. That's the
problem when we think God's like us, he's not. He's not. All you
and I are sin. The Lord Jesus Christ, He knew
no sin. He never had one sinful deed. He never had one sinful
thought. He gave mention this morning,
the secret sins. Those that we don't let anybody
else see. God sees them all. God searches
the heart. We can't hide any sin from God. The Lord Jesus
Christ had no sin. He never even had a sinful motive.
Perfect. Absolute perfection. He lived
a life of perfect obedience to God. He kept every law every
day, every second of every day. Now what's the significance of
that? Why is that good news for us? He did what you and I can't
do. He brought in everlasting righteousness
for his people. You know, over in Romans, we
read that there are many people who go about, all of us by nature,
go about to establish our own righteousness, not submitting
to the righteousness of God. That's Christ. He brought in
everlasting righteousness. He is the righteousness of God.
When we take this bread, if you take this bread, when we take
this bread, what are we saying? Adam, you're about to confess
the Lord in baptism. When we take this bread, we're
saying Christ is all my righteousness, every bit of it. He is my righteousness
completely before God. He's made of God, are you in
Christ Jesus, who has made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification,
and redemption. How perfect, I said his body's
perfect. How perfect is the body of Christ, so perfect that in
him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. It pleased
the Father. that in him should all fullness
dwell. He's so perfect that you and I, dead dog sinners, are
complete in him. That's how perfect he is. Fourth,
his body was a slain body. The Lord Jesus was crucified.
He really was crucified at Calvary. We just read, this is my body
which is given. His body was given. He died on
purpose. He was given. It was broken for
us. You see, how did he die? I'm
not gonna try to explain it other than what the scriptures make
clear. He died under the full weight of our sin and our guilt. He hath laid on him the iniquity
of us all. He who knew no sin, God made
him to be sin for us, made to be a curse. How can, I can't
explain that. I'm not even gonna try. But I
know that my sins became his. God could not kill his son if
he was not guilty. God's justice demanded he die.
What did the Lord say? David wrote this, but it certainly
speaks of Christ. In Psalm 40, he said, innumerable
evils have come past me about mine iniquities, mine iniquities. He said, I'm a worm, no man. And because of that, because
he truly became my substitute, God's justice demanded he die.
God will by no means clear the guilty. You just consider. My
God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? God forsook God. Is that not amazing? Because
he made him to be sin, he made us to be the righteousness of
God in him. And this all happened because of one reason. Well,
why did this happen? Why did God prepare a body for
him? Why was he truly a man? Why was his body slain? Why was
he the perfect one? Because of his love for his people. You know, Isaiah tells us that
it pleased the Lord to bruise him. Why did it please the Lord
to bruise him? Over in 1 Samuel chapter 12,
it hath pleased the Lord to make you his people. That's why it
pleased the Lord to bruise him. Turn over with me to John chapter
10. John chapter 10. And look at verse 11. John 10, 11 says, this is the
Lord Jesus speaking, I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd
giveth his life. for the sheep. He gave his life
for the sheep. He said, I lay down my life for
the sheep. And over in John 15, he tells us, greater love hath
no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Oh, he was slain. He was forsaken by his father.
But praise God, it was no accident. Delivered according to the determinate
counsel and foreknowledge of God. because of his love for
us. Now look while we're in John
10, look down at verse 17 and 18 here. Therefore doth my father
love me because I lay down my life that I might take it again.
No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have
power to lay it down and I have power to take it again. This
commandment have I received of my father. And that leads into
my last point. His body is a risen body. You know, he died. He really
died. But he did not stay in the grave for long. Praise God. And his resurrection, the fact
that he arose, herein lies my hope. What does that signify?
The fact that Christ came out of the grave. God is satisfied. Fully satisfied. I love thinking
about this. How did he arise from the grave?
He arose victorious. Death is swallowed up in victory,
is it not? He's the victorious Savior. He
was delivered for our offenses and raised again for what? Our
justification. We're justified, like that publican
you mentioned earlier. He went home justified because
of what Christ did. He made propitiation for us.
He atoned for our sin. He redeemed us back to God. Man
sinned, man must die. Only God can satisfy God. Christ
did both. He did both. Satisfied the justice
of God that only He could satisfy. We never could. We never could. He conquered death. Conquered
and by his death, he's given us life. Scriptures say we're
reconciled to God by the death of his son. Oh praise his blessed
name, he is risen. And not only is he risen, he
wrote and he ascended back into glory with his father. I love
thinking about this, you know. The Lord Jesus Christ shall be
glorified for everyone. Moose was here a few weeks ago.
He preached on worthy is the lamb. I just like to think about
this. We're all, if we're God, we'll
be sitting there at the feet of our savior singing worthy
is the lamb. Worthy is the lamb that was slain.
He is worthy. He is worthy. In closing, I want
to show you a few verses in Hebrews chapter 12. Hebrews chapter 12. Hebrews 12 verse 1, wherefore,
seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of
witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which doth
so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that
is set before us, looking unto Jesus. When we take this bread,
who are we looking to? We look unto ourselves, no. Oh,
by the grace of God, we will be looking unto Jesus, the author
and finisher of our faith. Now hear this, who for the joy
that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame,
and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For
consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against
himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. We're about
to take this bread. As we take this bread, may we
do so by faith, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher
of our faith, remembering Christ, remembering him and his perfect,
holy body, which was given for us and broken, completely broken. for us needy sinners. May we
look to him as all our righteousness, all our righteousness, all our
hope before God Almighty. Thanks be unto God for the precious
body of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen. Let us pray. God, our Father, we come to you
tonight as needy sinners in need of thy mercy. Oh, Lord, we thank
you for your son in whom we have redemption. Father, thank you
for preparing a body for him from eternity. Thank you for
sending him into this world to save his people from their sins. Oh, we're so thankful that he's
the friend of publicans and sinners. Lord, that's what we are. Oh,
we need your mercy. We need him. Father, just like
that prodigal son came home and his father robed him in that
precious robe, would you robe us in this righteousness of Christ?
May we be found in him, his righteousness alone. Oh God, thank you for
Christ. Thank you for salvation in him.
Give us faith to look to him right now. Give us faith to trust
in him, to lean on him. For all our hope before you,
oh God, cause us to truly look to Christ. It's in his name that
I give thanks, amen. Great blessing. Aren't you so
glad for the Lord's body? So glad, so thankful. Turn with
me, if you would, to Exodus chapter 12. Exodus chapter 12, I would
like to read the middle line in verse 13. And when I see the blood, I will
pass over you. You know what makes salvation?
I mean salvation, deliverance. You know what makes salvation
so overwhelming to a child of God? So overwhelming. When we enter into these things,
it's overwhelming, isn't it? You know what makes it so absolutely
overwhelming? It's knowing that judgment was
supposed to come to me. Getting a hold of that. Judgment
was supposed to come to me. Our Lord said right here in verse
12, For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night and
will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man
and beast, and against all the gods of Egypt, I will execute
judgment. I am the Lord." I wonder how many people didn't
believe him. I wonder how many people. I wonder
how many people heard the warning and thought nothing of it. I tell you who did believe it.
Every soul that had blood on the doorpost believed it. Every
single soul. That blood said death has already
been here. That's what it said. Death has
already been here. And that's what this table is
saying. And that's what this pool is saying. Death has already
been here. Because of sin, God demands death
and Christ provided death. That's what he demanded. That's
what Christ provided. And he gave us these two ordinances
so we could remember that death and confess something in that
death. In these two ordinances, both
of these ordinances, we go into one and one goes into us. And I'd like to repeat that.
Our God gave us two ordinances. He said, I want you to keep these
two ordinances. This is a remembrance to you.
In one of them, we go into it. And in the other one, it goes
into us. I in him, he in me. I want you to remember that,
that's what he's saying. I want you to remember that. We are
not about to accomplish salvation. In this we are screaming at the
top of our lungs, it is finished. That's what we're saying, it's
finished. It is finished. I died in Him. He lives in me. I cannot keep living if I don't
eat. He said, you eat of me. My body's
flesh, my blood is drink. I died in him. He lives in me. Christ liveth in me. Oh, what a salvation this is.
That God would live in me. That's amazing. Verse 13 says, and the blood
shall be to you for a token upon the houses where you are and
when I see the blood I will pass over you and the plague shall
not be upon you to destroy you when I smite the land of Egypt. On the cross of Calvary, Our
Lord accomplished a transaction. An exchange took place. He put
our sin on Him. And He put His blood on us. And when God looked at His own
Son, God saw the sin. And God said, When I see the
sin, when I see the sin, I'm going to rain down absolute judgment
and destruction on you. And he did. And now because of
that, when he looks at us, he sees the blood. And he said,
when I see the blood, I'll pass over you. I'll pass over you. Judgment and destruction will
not come to you. Our salvation is in that blood,
isn't it? He said, when I see the blood,
that's the condition. When I see the blood. Now, this
is what I want us to enter into for just a minute, okay? When
God sees that blood, when He looks at us, He sees blood. When God sees that blood, What
does he see? What does he see? He said, when
I see the blood, I'll pass over you. What does he see in that
blood that causes him to say, I'm satisfied? Go with me, if
you would, to Matthew 27. Matthew 27 verse 3 says, Then
Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned,
repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver
to the chief priests and elders, saying, I have sinned, in that
I have betrayed the innocent blood. When God sees the blood, he sees
innocence. Absolute innocence. When Christ covered us in his
own blood, he covered us in innocence. That's what he did. Now, when
God looks at Christ and when he saw the sin, God saw the guilt. That's what he saw when he saw
the sin. He saw guilt. Christ covered
himself in our own guilt. And God looked at him and God
saw that guilt. Now, when he looks at us. He
stares at that blood. And he sees what that blood is. And with all that innocence,
he says, I'm going to pass over you. The blood of his own son,
that innocent blood. He sees us as innocent as Christ. I'll pass over you. That is what
we are confessing in this table and in this pool. We are confessing
his innocence, not ours. not ours. We are not confessing
ours, we're confessing His. We're not saying in this, we
are worthy. We're saying in this, He is worthy. He alone is worthy and He made
us innocent in His blood. That's what God sees, innocence.
Every time He looks at that blood. Look with me if you would at
Acts chapter 20. Acts chapter 20 verse 28. Take heed therefore unto yourselves
and to all the flock over the which the Holy Ghost hath made
you overseers to feed the church of God which he hath purchased
with his own blood. When God sees the blood, He sees
that payment. That's what He sees. The wages
of sin is death, and that's what Christ paid. That's exactly what
He paid. When God saw the sin on Him,
He said, the wages that you deserve, and that is so amazing. He said
this to His own Son. The wages you deserve is death. And it was the death of Christ
that poured his blood all over us. Every time now God sees that
blood, he sees the payment of his own dear son. And he said,
when I see that payment, I'm going to pass over you. Ephesians
1 says we have redemption through his blood. Peter called it precious
blood. He said we were not redeemed.
That means paid in full. We were not paid for with corruptible
things, but with the precious blood of the Lamb. He made that
payment. He made it in full. And that's
what we're confessing in both of these ordinances. When we
take this, we're saying He made the payment, He paid it in full. The debt's satisfied. God said,
when I see that blood, I'll pass over you. He's going to see that
innocence, and He's going to see that perfect payment. Now
go with me, if you would, to Hebrews 13. Hebrews 13 verse 20. Now the God of peace that brought
again from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ, that great shepherd
of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant. When God sees the blood, he sees
a sinner who has been covered in an everlasting covenant, everlasting
covenant. Christ made a covenant with his
father. He made a promise to his father. He said, I'm going to make every
soul that you give me innocent. They're all guilty, but every
soul that you give me, I'm going to make that soul innocent. He said, you charge everything
they owe to my account and I'm going to pay it. And I'm going
to pay all of it. And I promise I'll pay it. And
now when God looks at that blood, every single time He looks at
that blood, He sees that everlasting covenant. That covenant is never
going to end. It is an everlasting covenant. Christ said everything they need
I'm going to provide it for all eternity. Every single thing
they need. And that's what we're confessing
in both of these ordinances. When we take this table and when
we enter this pool we're saying God made an everlasting covenant
with me. Ordered in all things ensure.
We're not confessing our works. We're not confessing our anything,
not our anything. We're not confessing God saved
me except for this last little smidge that I have to do to finally
put the cap on salvation. We're saying Christ made me innocent. Christ paid all my debt and it's
because he made an everlasting covenant with me. The covenant
of his blood. The song says, there is a fountain
filled with blood drawn from Emmanuel's veins. Every sinner
plunged beneath that flood will lose all his guilty stains. And
in that last day, when we stand before God stainless, absolutely
stainless. covered in the blood from Emmanuel's
veins, God Almighty is going to look at us and He is going
to say, I will pass you by. Welcome in. Judgment is not coming
to you. And that's our confession tonight.
That's what we're confessing. All of us. I'm so glad we're
doing both ordinances tonight. All of us are confessing tonight. We're all confessing the same
thing. There are not two confessions.
It's two ordinances of the same confession. We're either confessing
our union with Him or His union with us, which is the same thing. It's about like saying, I'm married
to Hannah and Hannah's married to me. That's the same thing. He spared us. He delivered us. He saved us. And He did it all
because of our Lord's broken body and that precious shed blood. Let's bow in prayer.