Do This In Remembrance of Me

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"This table is like a neon sign flashing to you. Good news. Good news. God remembers you in favor, Christ's body was given for you. His blood is poured out for you for the forgiveness of your sins. Do this in remembrance of me. And that's what we do this continually. Amen. "

John Fonville’s new book is called Hope and Holiness: How the Gospel Enables and Empowers Sexual Purity.  It comes out this Fall and was based on the current series. We hope you will take the time to pre-order and invest in your spiritual growth library.  

Hope and Holiness: How the Gospel Enables and Empowers Sexual Purity

https://www.amazon.com/Hope-Holiness-Gospel-Enables-Empowers/dp/0802428894/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=hope+and+holiness+john+fonville&qid=1670792509&sprefix=hope+and+holiness%2Caps%2C128&sr=8-1

About John

John Fonville is Pastor of Paramount Church in Jacksonville, Florida. Paramount Church is part of the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA). 

The Him We Proclaim Podcast features the preaching and teaching ministry of Dr. John Fonville at Paramount Church. This resource aims to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ to all people. The gospel cannot be assumed. An assumed gospel will, in time, become a denied gospel. Thus, each generation must rediscover the paramount truths of the gospel and apply the gospel's implications to their own day and age. Him we proclaim (Col. 1:28)!

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Transcript

Take your Bibles and turn to Luke chapter 22. Luke chapter 22. And we're just gonna take a look at verse 19. This morning, but let's just read verses 19 and 20. Together, Luke chapter 22, and read verses 19 and 20. And so this is what Jesus says to us from the Gospel of Luke, verse 19. And when he had taken some bread, and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them saying, This is My body which is given for you do this in remembrance of me. Verse 20. In the same way, he took the cup after they had eaten, saying, This cup which is poured out for you, is the new covenant in my blood. So on the eve before Jesus's death on the cross, He Institute's a special meal for His church to continually observe, and Luke tells us here, that wow, Jesus is reclining at the table with his apostles. He had taken some bread and he had given things and he broke it, and he gave it to them saying, This is My body which is given for you. And this is what I want us to look at today, Do this in remembrance of me. So to have a better understanding of this special meal that Jesus has given to us, we need to understand what Jesus meant by his cut man to repeat the celebration, odd this meal until he comes again, He says, Do this continuously, in remembrance of me. Know many Christians, which is how I grew up. Many Christians have taken Jesus's command to mean this is that during communion, we are to do our best remember to recollect the story of Christ's death. Now to be sure, there is a memorial aspect to this meal, because Jesus just said, Do this in remembrance of me. So remembering the past work of Christ, obviously, the gospel is a good thing, right? We're gonna preach the gospel to ourselves, we're gonna remember the gospel. So it's a good thing. 

But Did Jesus simply intend to say, by this command? Did he Did he mean to say, Do this meal celebrate this meal? In order to be reminded of me? Is the Lord's Supper merely a time when we gather in worship to remember what Christ did for us 2000 years ago? How are we to understand Jesus's command because this is a command in the original, it's a command do this. However, we understand this command that Jesus gives to us do this in remembrance of me, what is the significance of remembering when we observe this meal that Jesus has given to us? So that's what I want us to look at today. So to understand Jesus's command, we have to note the context in which he gives it. And Luke teaches us that this institution that Jesus gives to us at this special mill, it's not to be understood as an A new as an entirely new independent act of God. Like all of a sudden, Jesus goes, You know what, here's a good idea. Let me just come up with this meal that I'm gonna give everybody. So we need to understand that. In the context, this is not an entirely new and independent act by Jesus, the institution of this meal can only be understood in this most profound sense in the context of the Old Testament. And not only the context of the Old Testament, but especially specifically the celebration of the Passover. So I want you to first of all, we're just going to look at the Old Testament some this morning. And I want you to first of all, see that this memorial language, this language of remembering. This was not uncommon in the Old Testament. This memorial language is found in the Book of Leviticus. I know you love to read the book of Leviticus, I want you to turn there. And since you've been doing so many daily devotions there is this going to open up right. It's those pages where you have to actually pull them apart, because you've never been there. or for or you haven't been there for a while or maybe never. But turn to Leviticus Chapter Two blow off the dust. Leviticus chapter two. Now here in Leviticus chapter two, we find Memorial language and contexts were relating to the people of God who are worshipping at the temple. And so in Leviticus chapter two verses one through 16, here's just one example. The Lord sets forth the laws for the grain offering in the temple. Look at chapter two verse two. He says, He shall then bring it to a or in sons, the priests and shall take from in his handful of his fine flour, and obviously oil with all of his frankincense. And the priest shall offer it up in smoke as a mum, as its Memorial portion on the altar, and offering by fire, have a smoothie have a soothing aroma to the Lord. Look at verse nine. The pre show then take from the grain offering its Memorial portion, and shall offer it up in smoke on the altar as an offering by fire of a soothing aroma to the Lord. Now look at verse 16. He says the pre shall offer up in smoke its Memorial portion, part of its grits and its oil with all its incense is an offering by fire to the Lord. So here this grain offering that the worshiper coming to the temple in the Old Testament, during the Old Covenant, as it were coming to worship, they were offering up a part of their grain offering which was called the memorial portion. And so the Lord instructs the priests to, to burn a handful of this grain offering and he says in verse two as a memorial portion to the Lord. Now this is really important because language of remembrance, this language of memorial is used in the Old Testament to refer to the Lord's favor. Listen to Psalm chapter eight, verse four. The Psalmist prays this he says, what is man that You take thought of him? Literally in the Hebrew is what is man that You remember him? What is man that You remember him and the son of man that you care for him. And so this memorial portion of the grain offering would have served the worshipper, this Israelite worshiper when he was going to the temple, this memorial portion of this grain offering would have served as a way of asking the Lord to remember him to remember her with favor.

 As they were making their requests as ever coming to worship in the temple, Lord, remember me in favor. And so typically, it was not the Israelite worshipper who was remembering in the temple, it was God who was remembering. Listen to Numbers, chapter 10, verse 10, the Lord says, to the Israelites, on the day of your gladness, also, at your appointed feast, and at the beginning of your minds, you shall blow the trumpets, over your burn offerings, and over the sacrifice of your peace offerings, and listen, and the burn offerings and sacrifice of peace offering shall be a reminder of you, before your God, I am the Lord your God. They were reminders to god of us. And so these covenant signs of faithfulness are all over the Scripture. So second, when we see in the Old Testament, scriptures, speaking about God remember him because all over it says God remembered God remembered. We need to understand this as covenantal language. In the context of the Lord's covenant faithfulness to his people, he would often give them signs that didn't just serve as reminders for them, but for him. Let me give you a perfect example. You all know this, and you've all seen it because we live in close to the ocean. So you've gone out to the ocean, and you've seen what you've seen a rainbow, right? So lay a covenant, God consecrates the natural sign of a rainbow and he takes upon himself the curses if he violates His promise. So the rainbow was the sacrament of the Lay a covenant in the rainbow is an assurance to us. Because it is, first of all God's act of remembering his promise to us in the covenant. What was this promise? Turn over to Genesis chapter nine. And let's look at verses 14 through 17.

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Genesis chapter nine, verses 14 through 17. Listen to what the Lord promises. He says, When I bring clouds over the earth, and the bow is seen in the clouds. Look, I will remember my covenant, you see that I will remember my covenant that is between me and you, and every living creature of all flesh, and the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it. Look, I will see it and remember, what will he remember, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth. God said to know, this is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth. And so the rainbow serves as a covenant sign that displays front and center God's promise to never flood the earth again. God says that He sees the sign, he sees the rainbow. And that sign reminds him he remembers his covenant promise, listen, I will see it. And remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth. God's remembering is His covenant faithfulness. It is His steadfast love Psalm 100 that endures forever. He makes a promise, and he is faithful to keep it forever. He upholds His covenant promise to us. What does this mean? God remembers listen carefully. God remembers when he sees the sign of the rainbow. I will look upon them with favor, not judgment. And so the Lord looking upon his favorite look at upon his people with favorite rather than judgment is clearly displayed in the Passover. 

So let's look at the Passover back in Luke chapter 22. Turn back there. Luke chapter 22, when Jesus Institute's the supper, he Institute's it within the framework of Passover. Look at verse seven. Luke 22, verse seven, then came the first day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. And Jesus and Peter and John saying, Go and prepare the Passover for us so that we may eat it. When that hour had come, he reclined at the table and the apostles with him. And he said to them, I have earnestly desire to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. Now, listen carefully, just like the memorial offerings in the temple. Just like the rainbow in the no way at covenant, the blood or the Passover lamb involved God's remembering of his promise to spare the firstborn of the Israelites from the Angel of Death, who swept through the land of Egypt, killing all the firstborn of the Egyptians. So when the angel of death swept through Egypt, and the angel of death, listen, sees the sign of the blood of the lamb on the two door posts. God's servant remembers to pass over the firstborn of every Israelite household when he sees the sign. Listen to Exodus chapter 12, verses 12 through 13. The Lord says, he says, For I will pass the land of Egypt at night and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both men and based on all the gods of Egypt, I will execute judgments. He says, I am the Lord. Listen, the blood shall be a sign for you. The blood shall be a sign for you I'm on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you. And no play will befall you, to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. And then listen to what God does after he Institute's this Passover, verse 14, he commands the people of God to repeat this celebration of the Passover throughout their generations continually. He says, verse 14, listen, this day shall be for you a memorial day. This isn't Memorial Day in America. This is God's Memorial Day. And you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord. throughout your generations as a statute forever. You shall keep it as a feast. So as future generations of Israelite worshipers observed Passover, and as they ate each item of food and the Passover, guess what they were doing? Because all future generations of Israelites were not at the Exodus event, right? One generation was there. But future generations would participate in that Exodus event forever. How? Because as they ate each item of food and celebrated this Passover meal this feast, they could relive sacramentally, the events of deliverance and exodus from Egypt. Listen to what they did during the meal of Unleavened Bread. 

During this meal, unleavened bread is eaten. Why? Because the deliverance is accomplished in haste. Suddenly before the dough can rise, and immediate obedience is necessary, bitter herbs. Why? Because the bondage of Egypt in the bondage of the world and the bondage of sin is bitter and hard. That would eat a mixture of fruits and vinegar, which recalls the mod of Egypt, where Pharaoh told them to make bricks without any supplies. And then they would eat the land that gives us blood to indicate and protect the chosen people of God. And so this continual keeping generation after generation of the Passover Feast enabled Israelite worshipers to relive the deliverance of the people of God. This regular observance of Passover them was more than just a mere remembrance for them. This continual observance of Passover was a sacramental participation in the saving event of the Exodus for generation after generation. Future generations of Israelite worshipers became contemporaries with their forefathers and were saved with them. There was a mystery in this, this Niall of a telescoping of two periods of history, the present that we're in and the Exodus, which was in the past. And so the past event of the Exodus became present. Each person participating in this in this meal became a contemporary of the past event of the Exodus, do you hear this? God said, keep this over and over and over. And so this Old Testament context, particularly the Passover is the context in which we have to understand Jesus's command. Do this in remembrance of me because this is exactly where he took this from. Luke is teaching us here in Luke 22, to locate this meal, this supper and the Jewish Passover liturgy, in the context of God's remembering His covenant faithfulness to show us savor. And so the parallels of Passover and the Last Supper are obvious that Luke is giving to us here and Luke 22. Let me just show you three ways that the Passover and the Last Supper are paralleling together. The first thing that Luke teaches us here about this passage is that Jesus is the fulfillment of Passover. It cannot be denied that Jesus is fulfilling this Old Covenant feast. Look at Luke 22 Verse 14, you Luke tells us here before we look at it, but he tells us that there was a definite divine strategy for Jesus instituting the supper on the night of Passover. It wasn't a mistake. Jesus knew what he was doing. Look at Luke 22, verse 14, it says, When the hour had come

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for an hour, what is Luke talking about? Well, the hour means verse 15, the hour to celebrate Passover. But if you look at the whole context of the Gospel of Luke and the whole context of the Gospel of John, the Gospels themselves, this broader sense of the hour was Jesus's suffering, His crucifixion. And so the hour Luke tells us had come for the firstborn, spotless Lamb of God, to be delivered over to judgment in the place of sinners. The hour had come. And what Luke is telling us is that when the Israelites ate the unblemished firstborn, male lamb with wine and bread, they were not only celebrating God's act that night of delivering their firstborn children, what they were doing repeatedly, generation after generation was having held out to them and types and shadows, the greater and better substitution to come. Christ. And so the disciples at this point, in this context, they are miles away from having a clue what Jesus was doing. That's comforting. Instead of sacrificing a lamb and putting his blood on the doorposts, and eating the flesh inside the house, Jesus offers himself up as the Passover lamb. In fact, the apostle Paul in First Corinthians chapter five, verses seven through eight, he says this, clean out the old Lebanon so that you may be in a new lump just as you are, in fact, unleavened for Christ, our Passover also has been sacrificed. Therefore, let us celebrate the feast. Though those are the words of this of the liturgy, when we come to the Lord's table, Christ, our Passover has been sacrificed. Therefore, let us celebrate the feast. Luke tells us that Jesus is the Passover Lamb, who is bringing the ultimate Exodus, the ultimate salvation to God's people. Second, Luke is not only telling us that Jesus is the fulfillment of Passover, but he's telling us that like Passover, and look what the Lord does, he commands His disciples to repeat the celebration of their special meal forever until he comes again. Just like Passover was to be celebrated over and over and over, how could Passover be celebrated forever. Because Jesus fulfills it and continues in the new covenant. He instructs them do this continuing remembrance of me to repeat it until the kingdom of God comes and consummation at a second coming as verses 15 through 18. Do this until I come again. But what is interesting to note about this, do this continually in remembrance of me what is interesting to note is this is that in Bible scholars teaches this is that in western Greek intellectual thinking, when you hear remembering they say, remembering means to recollect it means to recall to mind something that is no longer at present reality. Nothing could be further from a Jewish mindset. Nothing could be further about remembering in the Jewish context. And the Jewish Passover liturgy, remembering listen to what it meant to a Jew, remembering means to participate here and now in certain defining events in the past, and also in the future to come. It's exactly what Jesus just said, just as future generations of Israelite worshippers who by regularly eating and drinking the food of the Passover could participate in the here and now of the saving event of the Exodus from Egypt. Jesus is saying that we by eating and drinking can participate in the here and now in the saving event of the gospel. We can hear it now partake of the unique perfect once for all sacrifice of Christ on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins. And now. And so in this continual observance of Holy Communion, the past event of Christ dying for our sins is a present reality now. corporately, we become contemporaries of the saving event of the gospel as if we were there. And so like Passover, regular observance of Holy Communion is more than just a mere meal of remembrance. When we observed communion, it is not primarily a time for our individual subjective ability to remember Jesus's death. It's not simply a commemoration of events that took place 2000 years ago, and I go, I remember it. Observance of Holy Communion is a sacramental participation in the saving events of Christ here and now. 

It is it is listen, in this special meal, Christ is not only remembered he has shown and he is here, and saving power. And then third, and finally, what Jesus teaches us is that like Passover, Jesus Institute's the special meal as a covenant sign as a covenant sign, look at verse 20. Again, 20 Luke 22, verse 20. Look what he calls the cup, the Lord's Supper, he says the cup is the new covenant. In my blood, it is a covenant sign. The cup is the new covenant in my blood. When Jesus exhorts His disciples to observe this meal for his memorial, it wasn't merely so that they wouldn't be reminded of the gospel. It was so that they would read present or convey through the tangible sign before God. Listen carefully, like the Angel of Death, who saw the sign of the blood of the lamb on the two doorposts. And when he saw the sign, he passed over every Israelite household. So God sees the signs of bread and wine, and he passes over us in our sin, and takes away judgment and gives us his favor. Jesus remembers us, God the Father, and the son remembers Jesus is saving work on our behalf. Just like the rainbow, which serves as God's covenant sign, God sees the rainbow. And he remembers his covenant promise not to bring judgment on the whole earth again, but to spare the whole earth from judgment. In the same way. Jesus says, God sees the shore signs of bread, this is my body. He sees the shore sign of line, this is my blood. And he remembers his covenant promise to us. What is His covenant promise. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins. Holy Communion holds forth to us through the shore signs of bread and wine, the faithful memory of God to us who are sinners. God remembers in our favor, Christ, crucified for our sins, and He passes over us doesn't give us judgment, but gives us his favor. And so again, I refer to the letter that I read to you last week, because it was so helpful. And I want to remind you of what this individual wrote me, a member of our church. This is what they wrote. This is not simply a meal of remembrance. That is a truncated and anemic view. It makes the mistake of thinking that the only active thing that is happening at the Lord's table is us remembering that we are the sole active participant. On the contrary, the Lord's table is a real, living, active communication of Christ to us by the Holy Spirit. The sacraments are wants about me doing something for God, about me seeing how well I could remember him each Sunday, but I have come to realize that this celebration feast is really about God showing me how perfectly he remembers me. That's wonderful. Would that every single person who comes to this church leave here knowing that even though I can't remember God well enough Oh, He remembers me perfectly in Christ every time. First Corinthians chapter 11, verse 26, Paul says that the celebration of the Lord's Supper is a visible proclamation of the gospel. Listen, he says, For as often as you eat this bread, and drink this cup, you proclaim

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when we eat this bread and when we drink this cup, it is a proclamation. What is it proclaiming, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes again. Listen carefully, wherever the gospel is proclaimed, Christ, by the Holy Spirit is present, and saving power for the forgiveness of all your sins. This table is that proclamation to you in visible signs. And God sees it and God remembers it and he's faithful to forgive you. In the preaching of the gospel, and in the administration of the sacraments, Christ by the Holy Spirit feeds us with himself, he does not feed us with memories. Listen to that, again, in the preaching of the gospel, and administration of the sacraments. Christ by the Holy Spirit feeds us with himself, not with mere memories. When we gathered to do this in remembrance of Me, we are proclaiming Christ's death as a memorial before God. God sees the signs of bread and wine and he remembers us. He looks upon us with favor, he blesses us, he nourishes us with Christ's Body and Blood by the Holy Spirit. And so just as the memorial portion of the grain offering served as the Israelites worshippers way of asking the Lord to remember him or her in favor, so to the bread and wine and Holy Communion serve as a memorial before God. This special meal, this sacrifice of Jesus 2000 years ago, is being set forth before us now as a memorial before God. This is why we pray in the celebration of Holy Communion and you'll hear this prayer in just a little bit. Remember, Father, our Lord's humble birth, His holy life, his innocent, sacrificial sufferings, His death, His burial, his resurrection, His ascension for us, faithfully keep your covenant with us for Jesus's sake. That's why we pray this prayer. Remember, in other words, remember the whole Christ and His whole saving work on our behalf, and faithfully keep the covenant promise you have promised to make for us in this look upon us with favor for Christ's sake. And so in Holy Communion, God listen, God and Holy Communion God remembers and we receive. God remembers his gospel promises to us for the sake of Christ alone. And he says, these promises before us on the table in the signs of bread and wine, and this table is like a neon sign flashing to you. Good news. Good news. God remembers you in favor, Christ's body was given for you. His blood is poured out for you for the forgiveness of your sins. Do this in remembrance of me. And that's what we do this continually. Amen. Let's pray. Father, we thank You. We thank you that Your gospel power and sufficiency doesn't rest on our ability to even remember it perfectly. Because you are saving us by remembering us faithfully, perfectly. Always. What a wonderful and comforting truth that is. And so as we come to your table this morning, Father, we pray that you would with favor look upon us and remember Christ's body and blood shed for the forgiveness of our Since we pray this in the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit, amen


Transcribed by https://otter.ai