03.14.2010 Galatians 6 and Explanation of Communion

03.14.2010 Grace Summit Sermon - Galatians 6 and Explanation of Communion from Grace Summit on Vimeo.

We are going to close off Galatians this morning – about 15 minutes – and then we’ll have an extended communion time – with a special musical instrumental – and then I’ll give a more thorough explanation of why we break bread – why we do communion.

Galatians 6:11 See with what large letters I am writing to you with my own hand.

It is believed that Paul dictated most of the letters – but NOW he is summing things up and is writing it himself.

12 Those who desire to make a good showing in the flesh try to compel you to be circumcised, simply that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ.

He has talked all about this – the Judaizers – trying to get the believers to be circumcised – and he is giving their motivation for this – his enemies – their problem is the cross. For the Jews – and for all living in this time – the cross was a symbol of shame – (now, we wear crosses proudly – to proclaim something that you believe in – it wasn’t the case back then!) - The cross, at that time, was shameful – a symbol of utter and complete humiliation – the Romans would do this to degrade their enemies. The Jewish Christians there are still ashamed of that.

This is partly the motivation. The other part of the motivation is pride – they wanted to have a good showing. There was a sense of dignity and pride to being Jewish – we are God’s people because of this great Law He has given us and we are exclusively His.

13 For those who are circumcised do not even keep the Law themselves, but they desire to have you circumcised, that they may boast in your flesh.

So their motivation is pride – then there is a manipulation going on – coercing others to be like them – to act like they do. Like belonging, but not belonging. They make them feel like they don’t fit in. That is how manipulation takes place today! You have probably seen this in some circles – the concept of making a person feel ‘out’ unless they are like the group.

Paul goes on and says this:

14 But may it never be that I should boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

What Paul is saying – Look, you are boasting in this – but there is only one thing I can boast in – that thing that everyone else says is so shameful and humiliating – the cross. Paul was a Pharisee of Pharisees – and he is replacing his own religious achievement with this symbol of humiliation.

Pride in the Law has been replaced by pride in the cross – pride in achievement replaced by that which empties of all pride.

Everything outside of Christ that you might boast in, or glory in – to get right with God – is not worth boasting in.

Whatever it is for you – that you would boast in – outside of Christ… We go back to the beginning – Subtraction by addition – anything you add to Christ – subtracts from grace. Those things do not make you right with God – they need to be eliminated – separated from you. I think He is saying – the cross became a permanent barrier between Paul and his relationship with the world. We could use the word, self – it is a barrier between us and our selves.

Tonight I am talking at Kent’s campus church – H2O – and Jason asked if I would speak on relationship conflict – and Cindy thought that was funny because I tend to avoid relationship conflict.

All relationship conflicts boil down to selfishness. That is true, Cindy said – except you need to see that selfishness comes from an inner brokenness where something has gone wrong inside of you and that is where the selfishness stems from. There is only one way to deal with that and the answer to that is Christ.

15 For neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation

We need to fix what is wrong. You can’t just go out and say you will be unselfish – the only way to fix that is Christ – He is the only fix for the problem – the only One who can heal our souls. It is not about trying to be unselfish – but when we come to Christ we are a new creation. That is Paul’s point – it is not by religious activity or efforts – or efforts of service – God has to come in and make you new – and He did that through the cross. He makes us new on the inside – and because we are a new creation – we have the ability to change – we have the power inside of us to really be a new person in every area. But that starts – and has as a foundation – a deep understanding that it is because of Christ – He has done something new inside of us – something has changed when we come to faith in Christ. To make that change happen in reality – it takes a lot of work, effort, prayer, community, and time! It is a constant battle of learning to walk in this new life. The life is there to be walked in – and we need to take those steps to walk in it.

A few summary verses – Galatians 2: 20 "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the [life] which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me.

The first thing – we now have Christ in us when we believe. That is simple – but critical – He is there – and because of that – you need to believe it – You live by faith – believing that He is inside and in light of that I can live as He lived. You have that capability. I want us to leave this knowing that! I understand, it doesn’t always work – some takes a lot of effort, help, counseling, and support – but you do have that inside of you.

Gal. 3: 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus

Christ in you – first –

But second – it is a new community! It can’t be done in and of ourselves, but it must be done in community. Here in America, everything is so individualistic – but in the Bible – it is a coming together – into this community called the church.

Gal. 5: 16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.

How does this all take place? By His Spirit. When you come to faith, He places His spirit within you – connected, yielded – we will not carry out the desires of the flesh but exhibit Spiritual fruit – a changed life.

Even though Galatians is filled with reproof – there is also hope – hope that we can change and be like Christ. There is hope – in the worst area of your life. That thing you can’t change – there is hope in that.

I heard this analogy this week.

If you travel in America – and go by a farm – and there are some cows there – they are all fenced in – and the fences go all the way to the highway – I don’t know – so the cows can watch the cars go by… and these fences are built to keep the livestock in.

But if you were to go to Australia – with these enormous ranches – they can’t put fences up – it is not affordable – and the livestock cover a tremendous amount of land – but what they do to protect the livestock – the sink a deep well – that water will bubble out – and though they may stray some – they will never stray so far as to leave their water supply. Paul is saying – it is not about keeping us in – but sinking a well so deep – that there is this Spring flowing – a source of life – that keeps us close – because we always want to come back to the Spring. That is the only thing that keeps you close. If you try to stay close by the fences, you will always be at the edge – but if you have sunk a well so deep – that is Christ – you will be flowing with His life.

Let’s pray:

Lord, help us to sink our well so deep into You that we would not stray from You. In Jesus’ Name – Amen.

We are going to break bread – have communion – and I thought it would be good to have a bit of explanation for it – and we say these words a lot…

1 Cor. 11: 23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread;

I received it from the Lord, delivered it to you – and now you are practicing it. There is this tradition – this practice – that came from Jesus. And now – for 2000 some years, the church has been practicing this – some call it a sacrament. But we have the privilege of joining with the millions upon millions who have gone before us who practiced this – all the way back to Jesus on the night He was betrayed. Many of you have done this so many times – it can become commonplace – but it is not commonplace. Many have done this and it has cost them their lives. It was Jesus’ last act with the disciples. Communion – is received – delivered – practiced – but there is no required rate of frequency – but we see it was done in the early church on a regular basis. We do it here once per month – why? Because it is once per month – that is the only reason I can give you. It can be done – and has been done – in smaller settings. There is value to doing that. There is also – a movement in the New Testament – how it is done. It started at Passover – but moved out of Passover to the common meal – then to the Love Feast – and then, as you read here in 1 Corinthians – as part of a worship service. There are four phrases I’d like to give explanation for –

24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it, and said, "This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me."

I think what He was doing – it is important – He was giving them a metaphor – this wasn’t his real body – some believe that – we believe it is a symbol/picture – of what He was about to do.

“do this in remembrance of Me." It is not just a religious activity – but looking back – looking back on His suffering. The Passover meal was to remind them of how God delivered them from slavery in Egypt. Their mind is just full of Passover – this celebration of deliverance – and Jesus is giving them something to remember the rest of their lives – something to do in remembrance. We are remembering what Christ did on the cross – and as the Jews were delivered from slavery in Egypt – so we are delivered from the slavery to sin. Maybe we can learn to have a bit of a celebratory attitude.

25 In the same way [He took] the cup also, after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink [it,] in remembrance of Me."

Jesus takes the cup – and offers a new covenant – a relational agreement between God and man –

He is referring, I believe back to Exodus 24: 6 And Moses took half of the blood and put [it] in basins, and the [other] half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar. 7 Then he took the book of the covenant and read [it] in the hearing of the people; and they said, "All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient!" 8 So Moses took the blood and sprinkled [it] on the people, and said, "Behold the blood of the covenant, which the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words."

They had this relationship with God – and their response was to be obedient to the Law.

What Jesus is saying – there is a new covenant – not based on the blood of bulls and goats, but His own blood – to be poured out to wash away our sins.

1 Cor. 11: 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes.

The final thing we are doing – when we take this – we are remembering what He has done – but we are also celebrating that He is coming back again. As we celebrate this little feast – this bread and juice – it is a picture of a celebration of a hope for a great banquet that we will all celebrate together in heaven.

Come on up and take – there is nothing special in the way it is done –

Lord, thank You that You gave Your body that we might have life and that Your blood was shed that our sins might be washed away – we are grateful for that. We come to these elements which represent what You have done for us – with hearts that are grateful for how You have forgiven us of all our sins. In Your name we pray. Amen.