Pastor Wayne Cordeiro
November 29, 2020 - W2048

"The Gift of Communion"

Gifts Strangely Wrapped

Pastor Wayne Cordeiro

November 28 & 29, 2020

Aloha and Welcome, New Hope--Everywhere and Anywhere!

This weekend is special for New Hope Oahu in that we'll be taking Communion as an ohana, a family, and going back to the cross.  Scriptures doesn't necessarily say that we need to take Communion every week, every day, or every month--there's no systematic or periodic timetable for that, it just says, "As oft as you do this, remember me." 

Whenever we allow small errors to pile up, after a while, we find that Jesus is a long way off, and we missed Him!  Sheep that are around the shepherd don't wander away in one rush--they just wander and get lost one tuft of grass at a time, with their heads down eating this tuft of grass and that tuft. When they finally look up, they wonder where did everybody go? We do that too when we allow small errors to keep piling up! Scientists say that if a trajectory of a rocket from earth to the moon is just an inch off at takeoff, it will miss the moon by 9 miles! As we take Communion today, let's search our hearts and repent for having missed the mark, in allowing small sins to pile up!  

During my junior high years, we moved from Japan to Trail, Oregon, after my father, freshly retired from his career in the army, bought ten acres along the Rogue River.  It was raw land studded with majestic fir trees and a sparkling creek that ran right through our property with spawning salmon. He was a very strict Master Sergeant, and I told people that he would discipline in true military style---he would lay down stripes until we saw stars! We needed to demarcate our property lines from our neighbor's, so my father decided we needed to build a fence around the area that contained our house and our gardens.  Let me read something from my book, Jesus Pure and Simple, about making small mistakes:

"I knew that building a fence would require long days and low pay for this junior high son of a master sergeant.  My dad would do the cementing of the posts and hammering of the slats.  My job was to cut spacing pieces that would go between the boards.  My dad instructed me on how to do this, how to cut an 8?foot 2x4 into 4?inch sections that would be used to space the slats running vertically.  "Measure the first 4?inch section, cut it," he instructed. "After you cut one piece, you can save time by using that same cut piece to measure all the others. I need 200 of them."  I said okay.  Sounded easy enough, so I started.  

"I measured the first one, cut it, then setting that piece on the 2x4, and scribed it with my pencil, cut that one, and threw that piece on the ground; got the second piece, scribed it with my pencil and repeated this pattern faithfully with one glitch, instead of using the original piece, I used the most recently cut one.  Over the next fifty or so, the pieces grew incrementally from 4 inches to 4 1/4, then 4-1/2 inches. By the hundredth, we were up to 4-3/4 inches per piece!  (The pencil mark is about 1/32 of an inch, so in 32 cuts, I have another inch.)   

"Every so often my dad would come and grab a handful of them to use as spacers, but after about two hours I heard him yelling at the me.  I turned to see the fence he was building, and it was growing bigger and bigger.  I had to admit, it looked really funny.  But for some reason it didn't seem funny to my military dad.  He stormed in my direction and asked me, 'What in the world (I use that word in substitute of another) are you doing?'  I sheepishly showed him what I'd been doing, and he quickly recognized the problem and said, 'You always measure with the original cut, not with the successive cuts.  Always go back to the original.  If you don't, you will slowly go off.'

"Well, for the next four hours, my new assignment was to dismantle the fence so we could replace the spacers.  My dad took it upon himself to recut all the spacers. As I walked away, I said, 'Dad, if you really wanted to cut the spacers yourself, why didn't you do it in the first place?'  That's how I got the scar on the side of my head.  It started as a welt 4-3/4 inches long." 

That's the danger of being off just a little bit!  It doesn't seem like much in the beginning, but as time goes on, it gets further off, as one tuft of grass at a time!  Communion brings us back to the Shepherd where He corrects us back to where He wants us to be--His original design. There are  two lessons when Jesus broke bread with His disciples and the two on the road to Emmaus.  

TWO LESSONS IN THE BREAKING OF BREAD:  

1. The Last Supper (Luke 22)

Towards the time of the crucifixion, Jesus knew that His disciples would be scattered, confused, and disenchanted because the Lord of lords would be on a cross!  He tried his best to explain to them that He would be going to the cross for the redemption of the world, but He knew that, like sheep, they would be very confused. So, at the Last Supper in 1 Corinthians 11:24-25 NKJV says; "²⁴ and when He had given thanks, He broke it [bread] and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” ²⁵ In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”

Jesus was saying that His body would be broken so yours doesn't have to; His blood was shed so yours doesn't have to; and I will welcome you into my Father's kingdom.  Don't keep this message to yourself--you must share it as it gives us purpose--we are the messengers of Christ. 

Communion reminds us of the story of redemption, of forgiveness in Colossians 1:14 NKJV: "in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins."

Something interesting happened after Communion in Luke 22:22 Amplified Bible says: "For indeed, the Son of Man is going as it has been determined; but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed and handed over!”

The Lesson: God's plan will be fulfilled, but woe to that one by whom He will be betrayed.  In other words, God's plan will be fulfilled, but we choose which part we'll play in that plan.  In the end, God's plan will be fulfilled; it does not matter what man does--it will be done!  

The Sovereignty of God: He holds all the power, controls the results, and has the last say, but He wants us involved!  We must settle the issue of the sovereignty of God--He has the last say! 

Humanity: I control the results, but I need Him to be involved so I get the right results! 

1 Timothy 2:1-2 NIV says: "¹I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people—² for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness."

2. On The Road to Emmaus

Just hours after the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, Luke 24 records about two disciples walking, and they were angry because they expected Jesus to conquer the Romans and bring a new kingdom in--and now He is crucified, dead!" 

Luke 24:13-24 NIV says: "¹³ Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem.¹⁴ They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. ¹⁵ As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself [in His resurrected state] came up and walked along with them; ¹⁶ but they were kept from recognizing him. ¹⁷ He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?” They stood still, their faces downcast. ¹⁸ One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” ¹⁹ “What things?” he asked. “About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people." ²⁰ The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him;²¹ but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. ²² In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning ²³ but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. ²⁴ Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus.” ²⁵ He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken!" [I'd like the Holy Spirit to reach into my heart and put my heart on fast to believe. He said your knob is set on slow, that's the reason you're having so many problems--you're critical, cynical, disenchanted, downcast. Why don't you set it on fast and He will correct it? Now, watch this.]  ²⁶ Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” ²⁷ And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. ²⁸ As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if he were going farther.²⁹ But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them [they still don't recognize Him]. ³⁰ When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. [They stopped and took Communion in the middle of their disappointment and they recognized Jesus' presence!  We forget that His presence is permanently with us!] ³¹ Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. ³² They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” ³³ They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. [They were disenchanted, discouraged, despondent, but suddenly in the middle of Communion, something happens. Their hearts were burned because He is changing the knob from slow to fast.]  There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together ³⁴ and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon." ³⁵ Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread." 

They went back to Jerusalem to get back to what they were called to do in the first place--to spread the news that He's alive!  Interesting, from Jerusalem to Emmaus Jesus walked with them in His physical form.  The Holy Spirit is with them.  So, in essence, His presence was with them from Jerusalem to Emmaus, and His presence was with them from Emmaus to Jerusalem. But notice, even though His presence was with them both ways, they're disenchanted, discouraged, despondent, ready to give up--but coming back, His presence is with them again, but they were stoked.  They were ready to go--inspired, encouraged, renewed!  

What made the difference?  Listen carefully:  When they took Communion, their eyes were opened, and they recognized Him!  It's not His presence; it's recognizing that we are in His presence! This takes place in worship. It doesn't matter who invited you here; ultimately, it was the Holy Spirit that invited you at the request of the Sovereign Lord! When you recognize that, suddenly something in your heart becomes very sensitive to His voice.  If God invited you, He must have something for you so start listening for a word, a phrase, a statement that will alter your future, your mind--and everything straightens up!  

It's time to hear the voice of Jesus afresh and simplify our lives--it's time we get back to Jesus--Pure and Simple!   

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: 

1.      What does the gift of communion mean to you?
2.      How are you getting back to Jesus?
3.      How has Jesus’ presence in your life made you a better person?
4.      What challenges have you overcome with the help of Jesus?
5.      How are you recognizing Jesus’ blessings in your life?