Communion, Part 1 “Celebration”

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S.O.A.P. – “Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer”

What’s something you waited on for a long time—which you really wanted to happen—but it took years for it to finally come?

Scripture:

Eventually, a new king came to power in Egypt who knew nothing about Joseph or what he had done. He said to his people, “Look, the people of Israel now outnumber us and are stronger than we are. We must make a plan to keep them from growing even more. If we don’t, and if war breaks out, they will join our enemies and fight against us. Then they will escape from the country.” So the Egyptians made the Israelites their slaves. They appointed brutal slave drivers over them, hoping to wear them down with crushing labor. They forced them to build the cities of Pithom and Rameses as supply centers for the king. But the more the Egyptians oppressed them, the more the Israelites multiplied and spread, and the more alarmed the Egyptians became. So the Egyptians worked the people of Israel without mercy. They made their lives bitter, forcing them to mix mortar and make bricks and do all the work in the fields. They were ruthless in all their demands. Exodus 1:8-14 NLT

Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: “Throw every newborn Hebrew boy into the Nile River. But you may let the girls live.” Exodus 1:22 NLT

”Years passed, and the king of Egypt died. But the Israelites continued to groan under their burden of slavery. They cried out for help, and their cry rose up to God.” Exodus 2:23 NLT

Sermon Insights:

Throughout history, a lot of people have found themselves in seasons that were almost unbearable. This was the experience of the Jewish people in Egypt. Their ancestors had traveled to Egypt in order to find food amid a famine. When the Jewish people stayed and grew, the Egyptian rulers saw an opportunity to get free labor. They enslaved the Jewish people. When the Jewish population kept growing even in captivity, the Egyptian rulers became even more cruel: they commanded all Jewish baby boys to be thrown into the Nile after birth. Now, let’s think about this. The Jewish people were God’s chosen people. God had promised their ancestor Abraham, “I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt” (Gen. 12:3 NLT). So, where was God in all this suffering? None of this suffering would have made sense to them. They kept praying, but for years and years, they received no answer.

Can you think of a time when you prayed and prayed for something, but it felt like God was ignoring you?

Why do some people keep following God even during really difficult times? Why do other people fall away from God during hard times?

If someone is struggling to hold onto their faith in a season of suffering, what advice would you give?

Lord, I want to acknowledge that, when times are good, you are my God. And when times are bad, you are my God. Help me to trust you at all times. Lift my eyes so that I can see beyond my current situations. Remind me that “my help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth!” (Psalm 121:1).

Do you have a favorite rescue story? Maybe from a book or movie, or maybe from a real-life account?

Scripture:

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh. Tell him, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: Let my people go, so they can worship me. If you don’t, I will send more plagues on you and your officials and your people. Then you will know that there is no one like me in all the earth.’” (Exodus 9:13-14)

While the Israelites were still in the land of Egypt, the Lord gave the following instructions to Moses and Aaron…”Announce to the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each family must choose a lamb or a young goat for a sacrifice, one animal for each household…The animal you select must be a one-year-old male, either a sheep or a goat, with no defects. Take special care of this chosen animal until the evening of the fourteenth day of this first month. Then the whole assembly of the community of Israel must slaughter their lamb or young goat at twilight. They are to take some of the blood and smear it on the sides and top of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the animal…These are your instructions for eating this meal: Be fully dressed, wear your sandals, and carry your walking stick in your hand. Eat the meal with urgency, for this is the Lord’s Passover. On that night I will pass through the land of Egypt and strike down every firstborn son and firstborn male animal in the land of Egypt. I will execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt, for I am the Lord! But the blood on your doorposts will serve as a sign, marking the houses where you are staying. When I see the blood, I will pass over you. This plague of death will not touch you when I strike the land of Egypt. This is a day to remember. Each year, from generation to generation, you must celebrate it as a special festival to the Lord. This is a law for all time.” (Exodus 12:1, 3, 5-7, 11-14)

Sermon Insights:

After God rescued his people through the Passover (the tenth and final plague against the Egyptians), he told them to remember the event and celebrate it from generation to generation by having a Passover meal each year.

Do you have a story of how God rescued you from a sin that was enslaving you?

Why was it important for the Jewish people to celebrate the Passover each year after the event?

Should celebration be an important part of the life of Christians? Why or why not?

Lord, you have rescued us from our greatest enemies: sin, the Devil, and the power of death. Colossians 1:13 says that you have “rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of [your] dear Son.” Romans 6:17 says that you rescued us from our slavery to sin. We thank you for rescuing us. Help us today to remember and celebrate how you rescued us.

What’s your favorite annual celebration?

Scripture:

When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples, “As you know, Passover begins in two days, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.” Matthew 26:1-2 NLT

On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Where do you want us to prepare the Passover meal for you?” “As you go into the city,” he told them, “you will see a certain man. Tell him, ‘The Teacher says: My time has come, and I will eat the Passover meal with my disciples at your house.’” So the disciples did as Jesus told them and prepared the Passover meal there. Matthew 26:17-19 NLT

As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take this and eat it, for this is my body.” And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, “Each of you drink from it, for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many. Mark my words—I will not drink wine again until the day I drink it new with you in my Father’s Kingdom.” Matthew 26:26-29 NLT

“Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed for us. So let us celebrate the festival, not with the old bread of wickedness and evil, but with the new bread of sincerity and truth.” 1 Corinthians 5:7b-8 NLT

Sermon Insights:

Jesus was celebrating the Passover meal with his disciples when he took the bread and wine and gave them new meaning. His body was the bread they were eating. His blood was the wine they were drinking. It was Jesus who was the lamb sacrificed so that the wrath of God would pass over us and we would be safe from God’s judgment.

If someone asked you how Jesus is our Passover lamb, how would you explain it to them?

What are some similarities between the Jewish people eating their first Passover with the lamb’s blood on their doorposts and Christians who have placed their faith in Jesus?

Jesus in the New Testament reminds us of the Passover lamb in the Old Testament. Can you think of any other things or people in the Old Testament that Jesus reminds us of? That he is a picture of?

Lord, I thank you for being our Passover lamb. You were sacrificed so that your blood would cover our sins and God’s wrath would pass us over. You were sacrificed so that we could be set free from our slavery to sin and we could enter into the “promised land” of heaven. We celebrate what you have done for us, and we cry out with the angels and people in heaven, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slaughtered—to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing” (Rev. 5:11)

What is your favorite meal of the day? Why?

Scripture:

When the time came, Jesus and the apostles sat down together at the table. Jesus said, “I have been very eager to eat this Passover meal with you before my suffering begins. For I tell you now that I won’t eat this meal again until its meaning is fulfilled in the Kingdom of God.” Then he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. Then he said, “Take this and share it among yourselves. For I will not drink wine again until the Kingdom of God has come.” He took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” After supper he took another cup of wine and said, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood, which is poured out as a sacrifice for you.” Luke 22:14-20 NLT

For I pass on to you what I received from the Lord himself. On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, he took the cup of wine after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood. Do this in remembrance of me as often as you drink it.” For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord’s death until he comes again. 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 NLT

Sermon Insights:

After the first Passover, God taught the Jewish people to remember this event which had rescued them from slavery in Egypt. He told them to keep having the Passover meal each year to remember and celebrate their rescue. Then, hundreds of years later, when Jesus was eating the Passover meal with his disciples the night before he was killed, Jesus explained how, all along, the Passover meal was pointing to him. So, in the middle of the Passover meal, Jesus gave his followers a new meal to celebrate: bread to remember his broken body and wine to remember his blood poured out. That way, Jesus’ disciples could keep remembering and never forget what Jesus did for them on the cross. This new meal Jesus gave us is called the “Lord’s Supper” or “communion.”

From the Scriptures above, do you recall why Jesus told us to eat the bread and drink of the cup?

Can you describe your first memory of communion (seeing it or participating in it for the first time)?

Communion is a time in which we remember something sad that happened (the cross), but communion is also meant to be a celebration. How can you fit both somberness and celebration into the moment?

Lord, thank you for reminding us week after week of the event which rescued us from our sins. We need to be reminded because we can so easily drift back into sins which once enslaved us. It’s also easy to drift into feeling unforgiven. Thank you for reminding us of how you rescued us and what our real identity is.

Can you think of a promise someone made to you—and kept—and it means a ton to you?

One of the words you’ll notice when the Bible talks about the Lord’s Supper is “covenant.” What’s a covenant? It’s a sacred promise. A marriage is a helpful example of a covenant, for it’s a sacred promise you make to your spouse. Today let’s focus on God’s promises to us—and why they are worth celebration.

Scripture:

He took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” After supper he took another cup of wine and said, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood, which is poured out as a sacrifice for you.” Luke 22:19-20 NLT

And the Lord gave them rest on every side, just as he had solemnly promised their ancestors. None of their enemies could stand against them, for the Lord helped them conquer all their enemies. Not a single one of all the good promises the Lord had given to the family of Israel was left unfulfilled; everything he had spoken came true. Joshua 21:44-45 NLT

God’s way is perfect. All the Lord’s promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to him for protection. 2 Samuel 22:31 NLT

For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “Yes”) ascends to God for his glory. It is God who enables us, along with you, to stand firm for Christ. He has commissioned us, and he has identified us as his own by placing the Holy Spirit in our hearts as the first installment that guarantees everything he has promised us. 2 Corinthians 1:20-22 NLT

Then I will praise you with music on the harp, because you are faithful to your promises, O my God. I will sing praises to you with a lyre, O Holy One of Israel. I will shout for joy and sing your praises, for you have ransomed me. Psalm 71:22-23 NLT

From Psalm 71:22-23 above, what is the psalmist’s response when he realizes that God has been faithful to keep his promises?

In communion, we celebrate a major promise God has made (the “new covenant”). In this covenant, God forgives our sins and brings us into relationship with him. Placing our faith in Jesus is how we enter that covenant. How do you feel about being in a sacred, lifelong covenant with God (similar to a marriage)?

Fill in the blank with 2-4 responses: God has been faithful to keep his promises. So, I…

Lord, your promises are pure, like silver refined in a furnace (Psalm 12:6). Your promises prove true (Psalm 18:30). You are faithful to your promises (Psalm 71:22). Your faithful promises are our armor and protection (Psalm 91:4). Help us to respond to your promises with worship, as Psalm 106:12 says: “Then his people believed his promises. Then they sang his praise.”

Communion, Part 1 “Celebration”

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