Communing with Jesus

 

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on Sunday, the 2nd of October, 2022, at Pilgrim Reformed Church.  Our YouTube streaming channel is: 

http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDIz4WuP8igQstkEOq1AMTg.]

Family, today is World Communion Day.  Ideally, Christians all around the world will, at some point in the day, take of the bread and the cup offered by our Lord Jesus.  So in a way, we will all be communing with Jesus together today, we are all joined together with one another and with our Lord.

The observance of Holy Communion is a sacred rite, a special time of fellowship with God when we remember the sacrifice Jesus made on our behalf.  After all, Jesus commanded us to do this.  During His last meal on this earth with His closest followers, He passed the bread and the wine and said, “Do this in remembrance of Me.”

When we give thanks for the bread and break it, we are to remember how Jesus allowed His body to be broken, taking the punishment we deserve.  When we drink from the cup, we are to remember the covenant God made with us, sealed by the blood of Jesus, the Spotless Lamb sacrificed for us.  Now, while our rite of Holy Communion takes its basis from what we call the Last Supper, this morning I’d like to look at an earlier time when Jesus broke the bead, and when a miracle happened.

Jesus had been near the Sea of Galilee, healing the people of all manner of diseases and infirmities.  And as always happened, a great multitude of people had gathered, seeking healing of their own ills, watching His mighty works.  Jesus led His disciples onto a mountain and the huge crowd followed.

Please listen and follow along to the truly amazing event that occurred that day, as recorded for us by the Apostle John in chapter 6 of his Gospel account, verses 1 through 14, and I’ll be reading from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible this morning…

1 After these things Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. 2 Then a great multitude followed Him, because they saw His signs which He performed on those who were sick. 3 And Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat with His disciples.

4 Now the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near. 5 Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?” 6 But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do.

7 Philip answered Him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little.”

8 One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him, 9 “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?”

10 Then Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. 11 And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted. 12 So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, “Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost.” 13 Therefore they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten. 14 Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.”

--John 6:1-14 (NKJV)

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for sending Your Son to this earth to save us from the tyranny of sin.  He who was without sin bore the burden of our sins, took our punishment, died so that we might live.  Thank You, gracious God, for having mercy upon us.  Forgive us, please Father, when we show ourselves unworthy of the sacrifice Jesus made.  Forgive us when we fail to thank You for our daily bread, when we don’t take a moment to remember our Lord when we eat and drink.  Please help us always remember and never forget the love You and Jesus show.  And Father, please protect us from Satan and from those who do his work.  Please keep us strong in our faith, of one mind and one purpose in our love, worship, and service, and healthy and safe through these trying times.

Speak to us now, Father, that we might hear Your voice through Your Spirit within us and better understand the message You have for us this day.  Bless us, please Father, as we all join together in communing with Jesus.  This we pray in the glorious name of Christ Jesus our Lord.   Amen.

Neil Marten, a member of the British Parliament, was once giving a group of his constituents a guided tour of the Houses of Parliament.  During the course of the visit, the group happened to meet Lord Hailsham, then lord chancellor, wearing all the regalia of his office.  Hailsham recognized Marten among the group and lifting his hand cried out, "Neil!".  Not daring to question or disobey the "command", the entire group of visitors promptly fell to their knees!

Part of communion is communing, and part of communing is communicating.  Sometimes we can send mixed or confusing messages in our communications, messages that can be misunderstood.  What messages are we sending when we commune with our Lord?

Today’s scripture reading is the Apostle John’s version of what we commonly call the Feeding of the Five Thousand.  In the Gospel accounts of the Apostles Matthew and Mark, this great gathering and miraculous feeding took place immediately after John the Baptist was executed.  The Apostle Luke recalls that Herod, when told that some people thought Jesus to be John the Baptist risen from the dead, said, “John I have beheaded”.  The Apostle John, is his account, does not mention the Baptist’s execution, but using the Synoptic Gospels as a timeline, this great feeding takes place right after Jesus received news that John, His kinsman, had been beheaded.

Again, it isn’t too difficult to imagine the state of mind, and of heart, Jesus must have been in at this time, and as the people thronged around Him.  Still, Jesus took this as an opportunity to teach His disciples.

Testing them, He asked, “How are we going to feed all these people?”  Philip responded that the bread that 200 days’ worth of labor could buy would only provide a little to each person.  Andrew, likely feeling frustration sinking in, mentioned that a boy was there who had five loaves of barley bread and two small fish, but what good was so little when so very much was needed?

Well, Jesus answered that question.  He took the loaves and gave thanks to God for providing them.  And then He began breaking the loaves into pieces, giving the pieces to His disciples who distributed them among the people.  He did the same for the two small fishes, until all those gathered there that day were fed as much as they wanted.

And when they were all filled, Jesus ordered His disciples to gather up the leftovers so that none would be lost, and twelve baskets were filled.  Jesus was always concerned that none be lost, and I don’t mean bread crumbs.  This collecting up the leftovers, His parable of the lost sheep, they both refer to all the people who are lost to sin, doomed to eternal death.  And the twelve baskets refers to God’s effect multiplied among the people, just as the twelve disciples spread the Gospel to the generations to come, including us.  And just as five loaves of bread and two small fish were multiplied in the hands of our Lord to feed over five thousand people.

This was a miracle, this great feeding.  And I wanted to look at it as a foreshadow of communing with Jesus.  On the mountainside, the people had gathered to be there with Jesus, to hear Him preach and teach.  Later on, during His last days as a mortal man, Jesus chose to be with just His twelve disciples.  Listen to how the Apostle Matthew described the last meal Jesus shared with His closest followers, His dearest friends, from the 26th chapter of his Gospel account, verses 17 through 19 and 26 through 30…

17 Now on the first day of the Feast of the Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying to Him, “Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?”

18 And He said, “Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, “My time is at hand; I will keep the Passover at your house with My disciples.”’”

19 So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them; and they prepared the Passover.

26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.”

27 Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. 29 But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.”

30 And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

--Matthew 26:17-19, 26-30 (NKJV)

And this is where we base our rite of Holy Communion.  In his 1st letter to the church in Corinth, the Apostle Paul describes this Last Supper, and it is from this passage that I take our communion script.  But the gist is the same.  Jesus shared the bread and the cup with disciples, telling them, and us, to always remember Him.

Now while those gathered together that night didn’t really believe what Jesus had said was about to happen, we indeed know what Jesus did for us, and why He told us to remember Him.  Remember the sacrifice He made.  Never forget it.  Not only just when we observe Holy Communion, but any time we eat or drink.

To commune is to converse or talk together, usually with profound intensity and intimacy.  To be in communion with Jesus is to be in intimate communication with Him, to share intimately with Him.

In a few minutes, we too will share the bread and the cup, and then we’ll sing a hymn, just like Jesus and His friends did so long ago.  Christians all around the world will be joining us today in communing with our Lord Jesus.  In this way, as we all share with Jesus, we are all joined together with one another and with our Lord.

The Apostle Paul warns us not to come to this table until we are right with God.  So please take this time to silently confess any wrongs to our Father God and seek His forgiveness.  Remember what Jesus did for us, for you and for me.  He died just for you, just for me, so that we might live.

In the beautiful name of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Almighty God, thank You for offering us salvation through the sacrifice of Your own Son.  You sent Him that through Him we might be saved.  Thank You, Father, for showering such gracious mercy upon us poor sinners.  Father, too often we lose sight of what really matters – of what matters to You and should matter to us.  We think it’s some great sacrifice to give a few minutes of our time serving our Lord, forgetting the truly great sacrifice Jesus made for us.  Forgive us, Father, those times when we fail You and Jesus.  Forgive us when allow ourselves to get too wrapped up in worries and things of this world, shifting our focus away from the things of heaven.  Please, loving Father, help us be more obedient to Your word.  Remind us that You made a new covenant with us, a promise to us, and signed it with the blood of Your Son Jesus.  Help us be better servants.  And Father, please help us remain strong, faithful, and true through all that we face in this age.

Please hear us now, Father, as we pause for just a moment to speak to You through Your Spirit within us, promising to be more obedient to Your commands, and seeking Your help to do so…

Lord Jesus, You gave Your all for us, that we might be spared eternal death and receive everlasting life.   And although Your ministry on this earth was short, You provided us with all the information we need to get through this life with our faith intact.  Thank You, Lord, for allowing Your mortal body to be broken, Your life’s blood to be shed, so that we might avoid being forever separated from God.  Please, Lord, help us always remember You and the sacrifice You made on our behalf.  Please help us not only remember what You’ve taught us, but to share this Good News with others we encounter.  Forgive us when we hesitate to do so, either out of fear or timidity, or for any excuse we might make.  And Jesus, please heal the hurts that separate and divide us one from another.  Help us remain trusting and obedient no matter what we go through.  Help us keep our focus on the things of heaven and the needs of others rather than on anything this life might offer.  This we pray in Your blessed name, Christ Jesus our Lord and our Savior.  Amen.