Transcript: The subject of this sermon is communion. And I pray that this will help clarify the matter for some people. And I believe it’s a very important topic, especially at times like these. A lot of churches have been closed and people get concerned that they’re not taking communion. Let’s turn in our Bibles or look at the screen. Mark, chapter 14. I’m going to read verses 22-24.
22 ¶ And as they did eate, Iesus tooke bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gaue to them, and said, Take, eate: this is my body.
23 And he tooke the cup, and when he had giuen thanks, he gaue it to them: and they all dranke of it.
24 And he said vnto them, This is my blood of the new Testament, which is shed for many.
Communion. I’m going to discuss what the literal meaning, also the spiritual meaning is. And I’m going to give an example of what is not communion. And then I’m going to ask some questions and give a conclusion. Communion, this is taken out of the dictionary, literally means fellowship, intercourse between two persons or more interchange of transactions or offices, a state of giving and receiving agreement, concord. And then the second definition, there is mutual intercourse or union in religious worship or in doctrine and discipline. There are also other definitions of communion and people can look independently at what current dictionaries might say. But the bottom line is it’s being with one accord as a Christian community.
And it’s interesting that a secular dictionary made a statement. The Protestant churches have no communion with the Romans church. There was a lot of documentation of this type going back two, 3400 years ago and it has virtually disappeared. And that is something that people should ponder. Why has it disappeared? In one Corinthians chapter ten it says,
16 The cup of blessing which wee blesse, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we breake, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?
In two Corinthians chapter six,
14 Be ye not vnequally yoked together with vnbeleeuers: for what fellowship hath righteousnesse with vnrighteousnesse? and what communion hath light with darknesse?
The key word being believers. And I want everybody to focus on belief and communion. They go hand in hand and there’s going to be additional scriptures that I’m going to share that ties all this together. People need to read and believe their Bibles so that they understand and feel the peace inside them that the Holy Spirit gives us, so that we can have that communion with Jesus Christ, so that we have the comfort knowing that we understand his doctrine. It says in John chapter six,
48 I am that bread of life.
49 Your fathers did eate Manna in the wildernesse, and are dead.
50 This is the bread which commeth downe from heauen, that a man may eate thereof, and not die.
51 I am the liuing bread, which came downe from heauen. If any man eate of this bread, he shall liue for euer: and the bread that I will giue, is my flesh, which I will giue for the life of the world.
Now, reading those verses just among themselves without additional Scriptures, we get a good idea of what Jesus Christ is talking about. But Scripture interprets Scripture. It says in John, chapter six,
52The Iewes therefore stroue amongst themselues, saying, How can this man giue vs his flesh to eate?
53Then Iesus sayd vnto them, Uerely, verely I say vnto you, Except yee eate the flesh of the sonne of man, and drinke his blood, yee haue no life in you.
54Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternall life, and I will raise him vp at the last day.
So does that mean we have to exhume Jesus Christ corpse and hope that there’s DNA so that we can convert it over and somehow get flesh and blood out of it? Of course not. Jesus Christ is ascended. He is in his fleshly, eternal glorified body now, and he doesn’t come down. And we don’t take bites out of his literal flesh because we have the flesh and the blood that sustains us for eternity here in the earth. John, chapter six.
56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.
So as we read more of the Scriptures, Jesus is telling us that if you’re born again of the Spirit, it’s because you ate and drank of his flesh and blood. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father, so he that Edith me, even he shall live by me.
58 This is that bread which came downe from heauen: not as your fathers did eate Manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread, shall liue for euer.
So how do we eat the flesh and drink the blood of Jesus Christ? Do we perform a ritual to transform wafers and wine into the literal body and blood of Jesus Christ? No, we don’t do that. There’s no commandment or any instruction in God’s word that says that we can ever do that. Do we take in the wafers and grape juice of a certified independent Baptist church? Certainly not. How about number three believe on the incorruptible word of God, the words spoken by our Lord Jesus Christ? Absolutely. And you have to do that by belief and faith. Then you’re in communion with God. So I want to clarify this. I’m going to go on to John, chapter five. It says,
24 Uerily, verily I say vnto you, Hee that heareth my word, & beleeueth on him that sent mee, hath euerlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation: but is passed from death vnto life.
Isn’t that comforting? If you’re a true believer and the emphasis is true belief because you have true faith, you have everlasting life because you have a commodity so precious and so sparse and scarce that God gives you eternal life. It’s called faith and belief. It says in John, chapter six,
It is the Spirit that quickeneth, the flesh profiteth nothing: the wordes that I speake vnto you, they are Spirit, and they are life.
So communion is being defined in God’s word as way more than just a literal piece of bread and cup of wine or juice or even blood. It is the words of the Most High that we have to eat and drink worthily with faith. We have to believe the words of God. And then if we do that and God verifies that we’re true believers, then we’ll have eternal life. And Jesus Christ, his yoke is easy and his burden is light because you’re no longer in the flesh, but you walk in the Spirit. You cannot sin. You’re going to have a lot of faults, but God’s seed is in you. And it’s very comforting knowing that we’re not under the burden of the law, because the law has been fulfilled by Jesus Christ our Lord. In Romans chapter 14, it says,
23 And hee that doubteth, is damned if hee eate, because hee eateth not of faith: For whatsoeuer is not of faith, is sinne.
I know plenty of people that pick up the Bible and all they do is, well, I believe this and I don’t believe this. I’m not sure about this. I have to go to the Greek or Hebrew, the lexicons in languages that I don’t understand, and very well could be. The authors of those lexicons don’t really understand those languages either. But I’m searching for the truth. But at the end of the day, the only truth is Jesus Christ our Lord. And when the comforter comes, he testifies of Jesus Christ spiritually because of belief and faith. In one Corinthians, chapter eleven.
29 For hee that eateth and drinketh vnworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himselfe, not discerning the Lords body.
God’s not talking about if you told a lie right before you eat a crouton and drink a little cup of grape juice that you’re going straight to hell. He’s talking about if you pick up the word of God and you read it, but there’s constant doubt in your mind and you pick and choose what to believe or you don’t believe. And even if it is a pure testimony and you have doubt in your heart, you’re not going to get the Holy Spirit. Read chat Acts, chapter eight. People were well intended. They heard, they believed that they were beguiled by Sorcery. And the Holy Spirit was not sent to people, people that were very sincere. That’s a lesson that we should reflect on. And then God sent, I believe it was Peter and John came and laid hands on him and witnessed to them and gave them the truth. They were no longer beguiled by Sorcery.
All glory was given to God instead of Simon. And the Holy Spirit was sent to those people. Well, we know today that the whole world is drunk on the doctrine of Babylon, and she’s deceived all nations by her sorcery and fewer saved, because look at the doubt that’s out there. It’s just endless scholarship, endless will. I have to have the strong lexicon or I need this or I have to listen to this guy or this guy, or I need to do something to please God in my fleshly body. It’s just ultimately, God wants people with belief and faith in Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son, the word of God, the Word made flesh. And if you pick up God’s Word and you’re a true believer, then all his yoke is easy, his burden is light.
You get born again. He chases you and scourges you when he receives you, and then you’re walking in the Spirit, of course you’ll be subject, just like I am, to correction. However, you’re sealed unto the day of redemption. And that is a very comforting thing to know about being a Christian. What is that? Communion. The world’s Romish definition is transubstantiation. Where did they get this word? In the Catholic Bible? It says in Matthew, chapter six, give us today our super substantial bread. Now, if you look at that image, that picture, that is a piece of unleavened bread held in what’s called a monstrance. And they believe in the Catholic Church that that is Jesus Christ. And it’s called Eucharistic Adoration, where you worship Jesus Christ as he sits in the center of this monstrance, and you adore Him by kneeling before a piece of bread or whatever they do at Eucharistic Adoration. I’ve got immediate family members when I was Catholic that participated in such activities. But a lot of people that identify as Christians may find this to be far fetched, but this can be influential even into so called Protestant churches.
Transubstantiation is a magic ritual that the Catholic Church believes transforms the unleavened wafers and wine into the literal flesh and blood of Christ. That’s what they teach, that through a ceremonial magic, the priest has the power to transform pieces of bread and cups of wine into the body and blood of Jesus so that that’s really Jesus that shows up at Mass, which is the ongoing sacrifice, unbloody sacrifice of Jesus Christ that they hold every day. So that traces back to Catholic Scripture. That whole practice, Christian communion using bread and wine or juice as symbols is a self-examination is needed before taking communion, meaning I am saved and believe 100% of the word of God that the Holy Spirit gave the prophets. Everyone that is a Christian should have bold confidence in their salvation. And if a person doubts it, talk to your pastor, pray first and trust Jesus Christ to guide you and lead you to all truth by the power of the Holy Spirit, because all you have to do is believe his words and have real faith.
When your faith is tried by God. If you’re a true believer, you’ll be sent the Holy Spirit. And if a person is just starting their walk as a Christian and is unsure, the body of true believers is there to help shepherd them and guide them. Certainly there’s a structure in the Christian church. There’s pastors and elders, and that’s in place for that reason to help comfort one another, to give bold confidence in salvation. So, in conclusion, a person needs to consume spiritual bread and blood with faith and belief to have eternal life. Jesus Christ has the church using literal objects in remembrance of the sacrifice made for our salvation through faith and belief in His Word.
Literal objects cannot save and should not be worshipped. And people shouldn’t have excessive concern or grief, especially in these times when many of us haven’t been in a physical church in a while, that you can still read your Bibles and with faith and belief, grow in your walk as a Christian and be edified by the Holy Spirit. And when a physical assembly is made, you can participate in taking a piece of bread and a cup of juice, wine, whatever, and remembering the sacrifice that was made so that we can have the word of God to have eternal life. What I do in the church that I’m at, where I’m pastor is I ask everyone before we eat together or drink together, if you believe the word of God, you may eat and you may drink, but you have to believe and have true faith. I’ll pick up on a different topic next week. Thank you for listening and God bless everyone.
Source of Video: Communion-AV1611 – YouTube
