Communion and Prayer
Communion
As we come to the Lord’s table today, our theme is that our God, the God of the bible, is a God of covenants. Our God is a Covenant making and a covenant keeping God.
What is a covenant?
A covenant is a formal and legally binding agreement between two parties.
In modern life many important things are based on a covenant type agreement e.g. marriage is a covenant with vows taken. In sickness and in health…etc. Such an agreement promotes trust and stability. A covenant usually involves vows or promises made by both parties with mutual benefits and may also contain penalty clauses.
Abram had the same dilemma he asked God how he could be sure that God would keep his promise to bless him with millions of descendants. You can read the story of Abram’s covenant with God in Genesis 15:1-18. God guaranteed to fulfil all his promises to Abram by cutting a covenant with him.
What is a blood covenant?
A blood covenant is the most sacred or solemn type of covenant, and the most significant and unbreakable.
In a blood covenant both parties promise to give their life, their love, and their protection forever.
God's new covenant with us
In the same way as God cut a covenant with Abram so he also cut a blood covenant with his New Testament people (us)
When the time came, the eternal, infinite Creator entered time and space through the person of Jesus Christ. Christ, the Son of God, exchanged names with us and became Jesus, the Son of Man. He was the God-Man who came to identify with us in our human condition and cut the covenant for us so that we might be one with God. Because Jesus lived a perfect life, He was able to cut a perfect covenant with God on our behalf. When it was time, Jesus gathered His disciples together to participate in the covenant meal. Jesus took the bread and wine and explained that they represented His own life which was to be offered in our place as the covenant sacrifice for our sins. He further explained that through His sacrifice, we could have our sins forgiven and receive eternal life through union with Him. Afterward, Jesus planted a memorial tree and stained it with His own blood. That blood- stained tree was the cross. There Jesus paid the judgment of sin for-us by "cutting the covenant" with Father God on our behalf. This is where the exchange of natures took place. Jesus took the coat or robe of our liabilities on Himself. He took our sins, our sorrows, and our sicknesses. In return, He gives us His garment of salvation and a robe of righteousness. Through Him, we can have right standing with God and become partakers of His divine nature. Because Jesus never sinned, death could not hold Him in the grave. Three days later, He was resurrected and ascended back to heaven where He now sits on the throne of God with all authority and power over sin, Satan, and death. And He promises to come back to earth to rule over a kingdom of righteousness and peace with His followers (us).
As well as being a covenant meal, communion is more than just a memorial to remember Jesus' death and resurrection, the Lord's Supper is also an acknowledgement of each believer’s continual dependence upon Christ's life and a regular reminder of His soon return.
The Lord’s Supper is described by the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians Chapter 11
23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it 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.”
26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.
Examine Yourself
27 Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. 30 For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep. 31 For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. 32 But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.
As we examine ourselves, if you find any sin coming between you and the Lord, remember to invoke 1 John 1:9 and receive forgiveness by faith and then proceed with your covenant meal.
Jesus always comes to His own table so let us commune with Him this morning and partake with Him and draw His life and strength into us as we partake of His covenant meal.
Blessing the elements and prayer Amen.
Prayer for Fathers
Our prayer for our earthly fathers today is based on Ephesians 3:14-21 Please join in.
14 Today, we bow our knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
We bow our hearts before You Father God today on behalf of all the earthly fathers in our church.
15 from whom the whole family in Heaven and earth is named,
Abba Father we acknowledge that the whole concept of Fatherhood and Family derives directly from you.
16 that You would grant us, according to the riches of Your glory, to be strengthened with might by Your Spirit in the inner man.
Heavenly Father strengthen each of us as earthly fathers with might by Your Spirit to be true fathers like you, full of grace, full of truth, and full of wisdom.
17 that Christ may dwell in our hearts by faith; that we, being rooted and grounded in love,
As your love is poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, we pray that we as earthly fathers might become established in your love.
18 may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height,
Father we pray that we can know as a living and practical reality the full dimensions of your love in our roles as earthly fathers.
19 and to know the love of Christ, which surpasses knowledge, that we might be filled with all the fullness of God.
That we earthly fathers might come to grasp the love of Christ as a living reality and be continually filled to overflowing with love.
20 Now unto You Father who are able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,
Father God you can do much more for us and in us as earthly fathers because your power is at work in each one of us as an earthly father.
21 unto You Father God be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
May all the glory in your church return rightfully to you from the lives of your earthly fathers in each church family. Amen
You can find the full father's day service on video at
edinburghelim.online.church
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