Why do we take Communion and do Water Baptism?

Matthew 26;26 -29

The Last Supper

“Jesus took the bread and blessed it and broke it, he gave it to the disciples

and said, ” Take eat; this is my body.”

And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, He said, “Drink all of it, for this is my blood of the new testament, which is given for many for the remission of sins.” Remission means forgiveness, or the removing of or to cancel a debt.)

Then Jesus said, ” I will not drink of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

See also Mark 14:22-25 Luke 22: 17-20 says about the same thing, but it adds ” this do in remembrance of me.”

I Corinthians 11:24 Paul is remembering what the disciples told him that Jesus said at the last supper:

Paul was not at the last supper. He was not a believer in Jesus yet.

These verses in Corinthians are often said at Communion time by the preacher. These words of Paul are said: “As often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you show the Lord’s death until he comes.”

After Jesus comes back to earth and we are with him we will not need to remember his death at least not in the same way it has meaning for us now.

Paul goes on in the book of Corinthians to warn people not to take the Communion bread and cup without first making sure their heart is right with God.

Paul says to “examine” yourself look carefully in your heart do you have sin in your heart? Are you walking in sin are you doing sin are you hiding a secret sin?

You need to have a clean heart when you take communion.

If you have sin in your heart and do not take care of it by asking forgiveness and repenting and you take the communion which is a symbol or picture of God’s forgiveness and sacrifice then you are not showing honor and respect for what Jesus has done.

Paul said that was the reason some of the people were sick and some had died—-because they had taken the communion and were not showing the right kind of respect and honor to it.

Asking for forgiveness is only part of being right with God. Jesus often said to the people repent. Repent means go the other way. Stop sinning and go the other way.

Some people are willing to ask forgiveness no problem. And they go right back to doing the same sin they ask forgiveness go back do the same sin. That is not repenting.

Repenting means you have thought about your sin. You have understood what sin means it separates you from God. God’s great anger and wrath is upon sin. Sin in your life will bring punishment for the sin.

Repenting means you understand how serious your sin is. And that you have made a decision to walk away from your sin and walk a new path with God.

Forgiveness of your sin is God’s part repenting and changing your ways is your part.     God will help you.

 

You need to get your heart and attitude right before God and then take communion.

Communion is a holy remembering time of the pain and suffering that Jesus went through to pay our debt of sin so we can go free of paying the debt.

Communion needs to be done with honor and respect to Jesus.

The hardest part Jesus had to do on the cross was being separated from God the Father for a time. The pain, the beatings, the nails, the hanging on the cross was awful! But the part hardest for Jesus was taking all the sin of everyone in world on himself.

Jesus had never sinned. He had always pleased the Father. Jesus always had the Father’s favor. Jesus had never been “at odds” with the Father.

Now all the terrible sins that everyone in the world has ever done was put on Jesus. God the Father looked away. Jesus said, “My God, why have you forsaken me?” It was not that Jesus did not know why, it was the hurt and sorrow of his heart and soul that he cried out. Jesus had never been in such a place as separation from God. This was almost more than he could bear!

Have we thought much about what separation from God would mean for us—–if we let sin continue in our heart/soul? Separation from God is deep darkness hell lake of fire forever and ever. Jesus said “gnashing of teeth”

Sin is not a joke. Sin is not laughable. Sin is not funny. Sin is death of the worse kind!

The Communion time is a special time to remember all that Jesus did to let us go free of all that death and punishment.

In the Communion the bread is a picture or symbol of Jesus’ body. As Jesus took the loaf of bread he tore off pieces to give to his disciples. He said, this is like my body being torn for you. Jesus’ was beaten, thorns in his head, nails in his hands, spear in his side.

The cup of wine or grape juice was a picture or symbol of Jesus’ blood as it flowed down from all his cuts—–and that he died gave up his life.

Jesus said, when you eat the bread and drink the cup remember my body and blood given for you.

As the followers of Jesus began to meet in groups they formed churches. As first, they had meals with food and they remembered Jesus’ death with bread and the cup.

Later, they just had the bread and the cup for a remembrance.

Jesus said, Do this as a remembrance of me until I come again.

Water Baptism

Jesus gave the example of water baptism. He went down to the River Jordon and had John the Baptist baptize him in the river.

John had baptized many people in the river. When Jesus came he was showing others an example. Jesus never sinned so he was not showing that he had been forgiven. It was more of a picture of the resurrection.

Jesus went down under the water like death like being buried he came up out of the water like coming back to life.

For the people who were sinners and had been forgiven and repented to change their ways it was a picture or symbol of their dying to sin going under the water and coming back up a new person in Jesus.

The water was also a picture or symbol of washing a dirty thing going in under the water coming up clean.

Baptism did not wash away sin.

It was only a picture of what had happen to the person and his sin.

The person’s sin had been washed away by Jesus’ blood. The person was clean now. The person had decided to repent be dead to sin die to sin be raised up again was now new, clean.

And as is was for Jesus, it was also a picture or symbol of the resurrection dying and rising up again to life.

Because baptism is a picture of what has happened to the heart/soul this is the reason many churches put people under the water ,

To sprinkle a person with a little water does not show the same picture of what has happened to his heart/soul spiritually.

Jesus told the disciples to go everywhere preach the gospel and baptize people,

Matthew 28:49 Mark 16:15

Jesus thought being baptized was an important symbol for a person to do.

Philip baptized a man in water along the road Acts 8:38-39