Sunday, August 26, 2007

Taken, Blessed, Broken, Given
Matthew 26: 26 AND John 15: 9 – 17

I. Introduction.
My first church to serve as pastor was First Baptist Church, Maben, Mississippi. After I had been there for a few months, I told our deacons that I thought it was time for us to observe the Lord’s Supper. We talked about which of the upcoming dates would be the best date and settled on the date. Then, I shared with them that I felt strongly that we ought to observe the Lord’s Supper on Sunday morning. Well, they had never done it that way before. We made arrangements for the deacons to be present to help serve the elements of the supper. But there was one thing I was not prepared for. Since the church had only observed the Lord’s Supper on Sunday evenings, our Lord’s Supper set was not large enough to accommodate the number of people who attend on Sunday mornings. We had to buy a brand new Lord’s Supper set in order to start observing this on Sunday mornings.

In the Baptist tradition, we observe only two ordinances in our worship services to symbolize our relationship with Jesus Christ: Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. And I believe our ordinances are important enough that we ought to observe these on Sunday morning for everyone to see and include as many people as possible.

These two ordinances are recognized in one form or another by most, if not all, Christian churches. I know you recognize the different understandings of baptism: there is infant baptism and believer’s baptism; there is baptism by sprinkling and baptism by immersion. But did you know there are three different understandings of the Lord’s Supper?

There are some denominations that refer to the bread and the wine of the Lord’s Supper as the Eucharist. Eucharist is the English form of the Greek word eucharisto, which means “To Give Thanks.” This understanding says that to eat the bread and drink the wine is a way to give thanks to God for the salvation offered in the death of Jesus on the cross.

There are some denominations that refer to the bread and wine as Communion. Communion is a term that describes a mystical relationship between Christ and the person who takes the elements of the Supper. Some believe that the bread and wine actually become the body and blood of Jesus, while others believe that the presence of Christ inhabits the elements in a miraculous way. But either way, in Communion the presence of Christ enters into a person’s body when he or she eats the bread and drinks the wine. Traditionally, Baptists do not observe communion.

Baptists observe The Lord’s Supper. When I say the term Lord’s Supper I mean that we participate in a symbolic meal in which we remember the body of Jesus that was broken for us and the blood of Jesus that was poured out for us.

Eucharist means to give thanks. Communion means to commune with God. The Lord’s Supper means to remember. And this is what Jesus intended when he said, Do this in remembrance of me and Do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.

My message this morning comes from a devotional insight I found several years ago in a book by spiritual writer Henri J.M. Nouwen. Nouwen made an observation that when Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper, he did four things with the bread. He “Took” the bread; He “Blessed” the bread; He “broke” the bread; and He “Gave” the bread.

Read Matthew 26: 26

Nouwen then went on to say that Jesus does these same four things to the 12 Disciples and now does these same four things in our lives as well. In other words, you and I are like the bread of the Lord’s Supper. We have been “Taken,” “Blessed,” “Broken,” and “Given” by Jesus.

Read John 15: 9 – 17

II. Taken (John 15: 16).
Jesus could not serve the Supper to his disciples until he “Took” the bread.

This is one of the most important things for us to remember in order to think of ourselves as the “Beloved of God.” Just as Jesus “Took” the bread, he “Took” his disciples, and he “Took” you and me…Perhaps a better word for this is “Chosen”…The bread was “Taken,” but the disciples were “Chosen.”

Does the word “Chosen” scare you? Do you like to think of yourself as “Chosen” by God? The Disciples were “Chosen.” Remember when Jesus walked by the places where they were working and minding their own business and said, “Come, Follow me.” Abraham was “Chosen” by God to be the father of a great nation…A nation that was eventually known as God’s “Chosen” People.

One of the reasons we are afraid of the word “Chosen” is because we associate “Chosen” with the snobby and superior attitude that Israel had as God’s “Chosen” People. You see, Israel thought that since they were “Chosen” nobody else could be “Chosen.” Instead of thinking of themselves as God’s “Chosen” People, they thought they were God’s ONLY People.

Israel was not “Chosen” to be God’s ONLY People. No. They were “Chosen” so that other people could learn about God’s Grace and that other people could be included in God’s “Chosen” People.

The same thing is true for us today. God has “Chosen” us so that other people might learn about God’s Grace and in turn they can be included as one of God’s “Chosen.”

III. Blessed (John 15: 15).
The next thing that Jesus did with the bread was to bless it…Of course you already know the outline of the message… You heard me say it earlier…And you can see it in the Scripture reading. That means you already know what is coming next…Taken, Blessed, Broken…

Some people have a hard time understanding how “Blessed” and “Broken” can be used together so closely. This is because our world and culture have associated “Blessed” with health and wealth and general happiness.

“Bless” literally means to speak well of someone or to say something good about someone. When was the last time you had someone speak a blessing over you? Did you receive a “Blessing” from TV and movies as Christianity and biblical values were ridiculed? Did you receive a “Blessing” from the newspaper as you read about the crime rates and the lives that have been destroyed by violence?

Yet we did receive a “Blessing” from one of our Scriptures this morning. Look again at Jesus’ words in John 15: 15… I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his father’s business. Instead, I have called you FRIENDS…

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, has called us his Friends. This means that you and I now have a special, intimate relationship with God himself. In fact, this Greek word “Friend” can also be translated “Beloved.” This is God’s “Blessing” he speaks over us…You are my “Beloved.” And I Love You…

Of course, we don’t always hear that “Blessing,” because it is often drowned out by all the “Curses” of the world. But Jesus is telling us…We are not what the world calls us…We are the “Beloved” of God.

Henri J.M. Nouwen says that this is similar to what God said to Jesus on the day of his baptism. When Jesus walked out of the Jordan River, the Spirit of God descended on Jesus in the form of a dove, and a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, in whom I am well pleased.” And from that moment on, Jesus stopped listening to the voices around him and listened to God’s “Blessing.”

When the world said, “You are a worthless traitor and deserve to die on the cross.” Jesus said, “NO! I am the Beloved of God.” And when the world says you are a misfit and rejects you because you do not accept their ways, you can join with Jesus and say, “NO! I am the Beloved Friend of God.”


IV. Broken (John 15: 12 – 13).
After speaking a Blessing over the bread, Jesus then “Broke” it into small pieces…Again, it is often difficult for us to think of “Brokenness” as a positive attribute. This is especially difficult in a world which promotes competition, success, health and wealth. Yet, “Brokenness” is an important and positive part of being the Beloved of God.

Just as the bread had to be “Broken” in order to be used, Jesus had to be “Broken” to fulfill his role as Savior. He had to die a painful and humiliating death on the cross. This is the ultimate expression of the ultimate Love…Look at Jesus’ words in John 15: 12 – 13… My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

Jesus calls everyone who is Beloved of God to love others as Jesus first loved us. Jesus’ love for us led to his own “Brokenness.” Therefore, “Brokenness” is an important part of following the example of Christ.

Without “Brokenness” we cannot love as Jesus loved us. Without “Brokenness” we cannot fully experience what it means to be Beloved of God.


V. Given (John 15: 16).
Then, Jesus did one final thing with the bread. He “Gave” it to his Disciples…It would not have been enough for Jesus to “Take” the bread. It would not have been enough for Jesus to “Bless” the bread. It would not have been enough for Jesus to “Break” the bread.

No! Everything else has been leading up to this very moment. This was the goal. This is what Jesus had in mind. This is the purpose. This is what it ultimately means to be in a special, intimate relationship with Jesus as God’s Beloved. We have been Taken, Blessed, and Broken so that we can be Given to others.

It would be impossible for us to read the Bible and ignore the fact that God has “Chosen” his people. Again, God “Chose” Israel to be his people…Jesus “Chose” 12 men to be his Disciples. But in every case…Every time God “Chose” someone in the Bible, he “Chose” them to do a job…When God “Chooses” he gives his “Chosen” ones a purpose.

What is that purpose? “Chosenness” ALWAYS leads to service!

John 15: 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last…

Israel was “Chosen” to bring salvation to other nations. Jesus was “Chosen” to die on the cross and be our Savior. And as Disciples of Jesus, we have been “Chosen” to Go and Bear Fruit.
God always has a purpose for the things he does. You and I were saved for a purpose. What do you think our purpose is?

The nation of Israel did not understand that God had a purpose for them. They knew they were God’s “Chosen” people. But they never seemed to realize that they had been “Chosen” for a purpose. They acted like the “Frozen Chosen.” And there are a lot of Christians who act the same way today. We have people in our church who think they were saved so that they could just sit there. You were not saved to sit there. You were saved to serve. God wants every Christian to serve others through evangelism…making disciples by teaching in the church…volunteering our time in mission and ministry.

Think of this in terms of John 15: 13, Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends…

To lay down your life does not necessarily mean that you are going to die. No! There are times when we lay down our lives by laying down our own thoughts, feelings, desires and hopes to put someone else first. In other words, to “Give” up your own life in service to the needs of others.


VI. Conclusion.

When we remember the Lord’s death we also remember that he died so that we can give our lives away in service to others.

Before we observe the Lord’s Supper this morning, we are going to have a time of Invitation. This is a time for each of us to make the decisions we need to make. And it is a time for us to get our hearts in the right place before.