July 9, 2006, Lesson: Matthew 26.26-30

Sermon Title: Ratification

(Back to Study Home Page)   (Back to Sermons for 2005-2006)
(Back to Sermons Home Page)   (Back to Shultz Home Page)

INTRODUCTION:

"Who Was That Man?" by Paul Bussan from A Rage of Intelligence: Poems. © PSB Publishing. (1)

Who Was That Man?

I love those movies
About a stranger
Who rides into town
On the back of a horse,
And proceeds to start
A chain of events
That makes each person
Take stock of their lives,
So that after he's gone
Everyone's better
Or worse for the wear
Than they were
Before he arrived.

  1. Everyone's better or worse for the wear then they were before.

    1. Jesus rides in and makes provision for the better.

    2. You would think that the better is for everyone, and it is.

    3. Jesus makes provision, but it is necessary to accept the provisions.

  2. Jesus inaugurates and ratifies a New Covenant.

    1. Everyone may be better than they were before he arrived.

    2. The proof of this is in the "Lord's Supper."

(Top)    (Back to Study Home Page)   (Back to Sermons for 2005-2006)
(Back to Sermons Home Page)   (Back to Shultz Home Page)

MAIN BODY:

  1. The New Covenant is not like the Old Covenant.

    1. It is entirely new.

    2. This is made perfectly clear in Paul's description in Hebrews 10.

5Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said,
"Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired,
but a body you have prepared for me;
6 in burnt offerings and sin offerings
you have taken no pleasure.
7 Then I said, 'See, God, I have come to do your will, O God'
(in the scroll of the book it is written of me)."
8When he said above, "You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings" (these are offered according to the law), 9then he added, "See, I have come to do your will." He abolishes the first in order to establish the second. 10And it is by God's will that we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

11And every priest stands day after day at his service, offering again and again the same sacrifices that can never take away sins. 12But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, "he sat down at the right hand of God," 13and since then has been waiting "until his enemies would be made a footstool for his feet." 14For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. 15And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us, for after saying,

16 "This is the covenant that I will make with them
after those days, says the Lord:
I will put my laws in their hearts,
and I will write them on their minds,"
17he also adds,
"I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more."
18Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.

(Top)    (Back to Study Home Page)   (Back to Sermons for 2005-2006)
(Back to Sermons Home Page)   (Back to Shultz Home Page)

  1. Jesus takes two elements and creates the New Covenant.

    1. He takes bread and blesses it.

      1. The blessing is a thanksgiving, the thanksgiving is a blessing.

      2. The blessing, "Blessed be he who giveth the bread of the earth.

      3. Under the Old Law the bread represented the suffering endured by the people of Israel in Egypt.

        1. They were slaves and worked mercilessly.

        2. They were to produce brick.

        3. After Moses and Aaron approached Pharaoh, the straw which had been provided was withheld.

        4. They had to gather their own straw and produce the same number of bricks.

      4. In the institution of the Lord's Supper the bread now symbolizes his body, his death.

        1. Jesus hands and feet are pierced.

        2. His side is penetrated by a spear.

        3. This is my body which is broken for you.

      5. It is possible that this was a startling and somewhat confusing statement for the disciples.

        1. Passover was a commemoration of the escape from Egypt.

        2. They are contemplating the past.

        3. Jesus is speaking of the immediate and the future.

        4. But they are not wholly unprepared.

        5. About a year before Jesus had spoken of the need to eat his flesh and drink his blood.

John 6:22-69, NRSVA

22The next day the crowd that had stayed on the other side of the sea saw that there had been only one boat there. They also saw that Jesus had not got into the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone. 23Then some boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. 24So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus.

25When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, "Rabbi, when did you come here?" 26Jesus answered them, "Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. 27Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal." 28Then they said to him, "What must we do to perform the works of God?" 29Jesus answered them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent." 30So they said to him, "What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing? 31Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'" 32Then Jesus said to them, "Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." 34They said to him, "Sir, give us this bread always."

35Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. 36But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. 37Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and anyone who comes to me I will never drive away; 38for I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. 39And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 40This is indeed the will of my Father, that all who see the Son and believe in him may have eternal life; and I will raise them up on the last day."

41Then the Jews began to complain about him because he said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven." 42They were saying, "Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, 'I have come down from heaven'?" 43Jesus answered them, "Do not complain among yourselves. 44No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me; and I will raise that person up on the last day. 45It is written in the prophets, 'And they shall all be taught by God.' Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me. 46Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. 47Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes has eternal life. 48I am the bread of life. 49Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 51I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh."

52The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" 53So Jesus said to them, "Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; 55for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. 56Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. 57Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. 58This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live forever." 59He said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum.

60When many of his disciples heard it, they said, "This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?" 61But Jesus, being aware that his disciples were complaining about it, said to them, "Does this offend you? 62Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? 63It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. 64But among you there are some who do not believe." For Jesus knew from the first who were the ones that did not believe, and who was the one that would betray him. 65And he said, "For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted by the Father."

66Because of this many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him. 67So Jesus asked the twelve, "Do you also wish to go away?" 68Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God."

        1. Jesus is not telling us that we must eat his flesh nor drink his blood in the Eucharist or at any other time.

        2. It is verse 63 that contains the answer to eating and drinking.

        3. The words are spirit and life.

(Top)    (Back to Study Home Page)   (Back to Sermons for 2005-2006)
(Back to Sermons Home Page)   (Back to Shultz Home Page)

    1. Then he takes the cup and blesses it.

      1. The blessing:

We praise you O Lord our God, Ruler of the universe, who in kindness, goodness, and grace gives food to the world. Your love for us endures forever. We praise you, O Lord, who provides food for all life.

      1. This is my blood of the Covenant.

        1. The Old Covenant between God and Israel was ratified at Sinai with the blood of many sacrificial animals.

        2. The blood of Christ is offered once, and for all time.

      2. The blood of Jesus ratifies the Covenant.

        1. As Paul writes in Hebrews 9.22, "22Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.

        2. The Apostle John writing in 1 John 1:7 (NRSVA) says: 7but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

      3. We rejoice and give thanks that we live within a New Covenant.

  1. There are a number of questions that might be asked and answered:

    1. What is the nature of the New Covenant?

      1. The nature of the Covenant is relationship

      2. There is no Covenant without relationship.

Lee Strobel is one of the ministers at Willow Creek. In his latest book about the "Unchurched Harry and Mary," he tells of one kind of Mary who isn't so much "unchurched" as "unrelated." (2)

Mary lives in Michigan and grew up attending church and Sunday school. In her teen years, she became friends with the other youth. She continued attending church on and off through her adult years. By the time Mary was 31, she had two small children. A friend from another church invited her to attend a crusade. Mary isn't sure why she agreed, but she did. Mary heard the gospel message and learned what it means to be a follower of Jesus. It struck her as though she were hearing it for the very first time. Many have had such an experience.

The next day, Mary attended another service with her friend. It was a beautiful experience to see her faith come alive. Following the second service, Mary had some questions for the guest preacher. She shared with him, "I've just realized I've been playing religion all my life," she said. She told how she was active at her church and how she even served on committees. "I've heard about the Crucifixion so much since I was a child that I've been numb to it," she explained. But then it struck her, "I realized today," she admitted, "that I don't have a relationship with Christ. I don't want to play church anymore! I don't want to play any more games."

    1. What are the terms of the New Covenant?.

      1. In John 13:34-35 (NRSVA) Jesus is reported to give a new commandment: 34I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. 35By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."

      2. "Written in Red" by Gordon Jensen ((c)1990 Word Music), sung by Janet Paschal (1996):

In letters of crimson, God wrote his love
On a hillside so long, long ago.
For you and for me, Jesus died,
And love's greatest story was told.

I love you, I love you.
That's what Calvary said.
I love you, I love you
Written in red.

(Top)    (Back to Study Home Page)   (Back to Sermons for 2005-2006)
(Back to Sermons Home Page)   (Back to Shultz Home Page)

    1. What are the obligations of the participating the New Covenant?

      1. It isn't enough to talk about love.

      2. The New Covenant person applies the principles of love.

Richard P. Hansen, "Is a mustard seed enough?" tells a story about going up "Christian." (3)

A 5 year--old girl loves her Sunday school, loves listening to her parents harmonize on the old gospel hymns, even loves the fire--and--brimstone preaching antics of Brother Munroe--loves everything about the First Church of God in Moultonboro, New Hampshire. In Mrs. Nichols' class she is memorizing the books of the New Testament, eagerly anticipating her reward--a gold necklace with a tiny glass bulb containing a real mustard seed, just like in Jesus' story.

But then everything goes wrong. Her father becomes so sick her mother must support the family by waitressing, which includes serving drinks. To the First Church of God, serving alcohol means "breaking the covenant." Hands of friends and neighbors are raised to vote the family out of the church. As Kate Young Caley writes in The House Where the Hardest Things Happened: A Memoir About Belonging: "And so I, who loved the church ... I, too, was out."

Former friends now ignore them. Even Mrs. Nichols turns her back when little Kate runs into her in Ellen's General Store. Her family walks away from church and never returns. In her teens Kate tries a "Jesus People" church on her own, until the leader's wife receives a "prophecy" that Kate must give up her boyfriend because "God says" the wife's niece, not Kate, is intended for that boy. Kate enters young adulthood concluding, "As much as I wanted God, I was sick to death of his people."

      1. This is a sad and too-often repeated experience.

      2. It should not happen.

      3. It need not happen.

      4. We can see that it does not happen here!

      5. Perhaps the code of the People Who Care might be helpful?

      6. When I first moved to Janesville I met the President of Norwood Mills who had created an organization, Apathy Anonymous and the "Code of the People Who Care." (4)

        1. Give a damn; show that you care by, attitude, word, and deed.

        2. Have the courage to improve whatever can be made better, rather than accept things as they are.

        3. Treat the customer and fellow men and women as you would like to be treated.

        4. Always respect the customer's intelligence but never over-estimate the customer's information.

        5. Do today's tasks today--never put off until tomorrow.

        6. Never pass the buck.

        7. Seek an answer to every question; never leave the customer in doubt.

        8. Take positive action whenever required; never wait for someone else to do it.

        9. Go a step beyond what is required to assure satisfaction.

        10. Follow up to make sure a job is well done.

      1. Well I took the Code of the People Who Care and renamed it the "Code of the People Who Do Good."

        1. Live in the present; you cannot change the past only influence the future.

        2. Encourage goodness in others; show that you care by attitude, word and deed.

        3. Have the courage to improve whatever can be made better, rather than accepting things as they are.

        4. Treat all people as you would like to be treated.

        5. Always respect the other person's intelligence, but never overestimate another's information.

        6. Do what needs to be done today; finish what was not completed tomorrow.

        7. Accept responsibility.

        8. Seek an answer to every question, when there is no apparent answer learn to live with doubt until an answer may be found.

        9. Take positive action whenever required; never wait for someone else to do what needs to be done.

        10. Go the second mile to assure achievement of a goal or the completion of a project.

        11. Follow up to make sure that the task is well done.

      2. Does this in some way establish the obligations of loving relationships?

    1. What are the benefits provided by the New Covenant?

      1. What does Jesus say in verse 29?

29I tell you, I will never again drink of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom."

      1. New with you.

      2. In my Father's kingdom.

      3. The New Covenant is not only for the present, but points us to the future with God.

(Top)    (Back to Study Home Page)   (Back to Sermons for 2005-2006)
(Back to Sermons Home Page)   (Back to Shultz Home Page)

CONCLUSION

  1. Covenants require commitment.

    1. We know that the Father-God is committed.

    2. We Know that Jesus is committed.

    3. We know that the Holy Spirit is committed.

  2. This leaves you and me!

    1. I can answer for my self.

    2. You must answer for yourself.

  3. We began this sermon with a poem from the Writer's Almanac.

"Who Was That Man?" by Paul Bussan from A Rage of Intelligence: Poems. © PSB Publishing. (5)

Who Was That Man?

I love those movies
About a stranger
Who rides into town
On the back of a horse,
And proceeds to start
A chain of events
That makes each person
Take stock of their lives,
So that after he's gone
Everyone's better
Or worse for the wear
Than they were
Before he arrived.

    1. Everyone's better or worse than they were before he arrived.

    2. Be better. Amen!

1. Retrieved from: The Writer's Almanac [newsletter@americanpublicmedia.org]

2. Lee Strobel, Inside the Mind of Unchurched Harry & Mary (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan Pub. House, 1993), 118.

3. Richard P. Hansen, "Is a mustard seed enough?" Books & Culture, November--December 2002, Christianitytoday.com.

4. Apathy Anonymous, Copyright 1969, Norwood Mills, Inc, Janesville, Wisconsin

5. Retrieved from: The Writer's Almanac [newsletter@americanpublicmedia.org]

(Top)    (Back to Study Home Page)   (Back to Sermons for 2005-2006)
(Back to Sermons Home Page)   (Back to Shultz Home Page)