Psalm 16:1-2

Psalm 16:1-2 ESV
Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge. [2] I say to the LORD, "You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you."

Boy is this one we do not pray;
Often enough
Loud enough
Humbly enough
Sincerely enough

You really can't expect verse 1 without verse 2

It's tough to hang on to the "no good" of verse 2
We really fight that
Or
Ignore that
Or
Conveniently forget it

It's not a comfortable truth
It pricks our flesh
It irritates the abiding sin in us
It pokes us in our pride
It's an "ouch"

But a failure to remember verse 2
Set us up for failure
Disappointment
Despair
Depression
Confusion
Consternation
Complications

We really don't get the power behind the word "Lord"
We forget that to call Him Lord
Is to surrender
Abdicate
Give it all up

We want to be preserved
Our way
Under our power
In ourtime
For our purposes
Admit it's true

But that gives lie to our calling Him Lord

It's tough
It's uncomfortable
It's even a little scary
But
It is imperative

Takes commitment
Focus
Faith
And remembering
Lots of remembering

Great prayer
But
It demands a lot more than we want to think about

Making the Most 04 The Lord's Supper 032714

Making the Most
of the means of grace
04

4.  The Lord's Supper

I won't even try to get into the issues surrounding the exact nature of the Lord's Supper.  Not only are they too broad for this brief devotion but they are pretty much too deep for me.

Let us lean on Paul for our understanding:

1 Corinthians 11:23-26 ESV
For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, [24] and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, "This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me." [25] In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me." [26] For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

For me the key to the grace of the Lord's Supper is found in with phrase, "in rememberance of me."

This rememberance is not just about His death though Paul focuses us on that in verse 26.  Rather I think that it is a broader rememberance which encompasses all of what it means to be the Christ, the Promised One, the Redeemer.

This would take us all the way back to Genesis and the promise to Eve.  It would include the Exodus, David's reign, the Prophets, John the Baptist and so very much more.  The rememberance should overwhelm us as it stems all of the history of redemption and not just three years of ministry.

This rememberance is created by the Word, understood better through prayer and is indeed an act of Worship.  Now we see how the "means of grace" work together supporting and enhancing one another.  They are five pillars if you will upon which we build and which build one another.

But back to our "rememberance."  It is a shame that we have so little time in worship for remembernance.  The plate and cup are passed and it's over in just a few moments.  Hardly time to remember anything.

That is why I suggest strongly that we prepare prior to even getting to the worship meeting.  We all usually know when we will celebrate supper and so we can all prepare for partaking as we prepare for worship.
Now I'm going to get wierd.  The Jews counted days from sunset to sunset and this was certainly critical in their preparation for their Sabbath rest and worship.  Let me suggest that we consider emmulating them at least one day a week.  Let our "Sabbath" or Lord's Day begin at sunset on Saturday and run till sunset on Sunday.

My rational is simple.  Let us prepare for worship the night before, especially when we know we will be partaking of the Lord's Supper.  I know we are used to Saturday being "our" day but maybe we can plan it better and use the evening more productively.

*NO - I'm not trying to create a new "law" just a new and beneficial habit.

The Lord's Supper, the rememberance of His redeeming us, the proclamation of His death with the promise of His return should never be a common endeavor.  It is not a "magical" moment but it is in a sense a mystical moment.  It is, at least for me, the moment when I desire all of me to be focused on Him, what he accomplished and what He has promised.  I can't really do that in the typically all too brief "communion service," but I can do that ahead of time so that in those few moments whenI am actually partaking I am truly remembering Him.

Let us take very seriously Pau's admonition:

1 Corinthians 11:27-29 ESV
Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. [28] Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. [29] For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.

Prepare, oh dearest brothers and sisters, prepare your minds and hearts for those moments when you are partaking.  Do not allow your partaking to be just an act in the moment but make good use of the time before - the night before - to set yoour mind and heart on Him and all there is to remember.

In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord; in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying; my soul refuses to be comforted. When I remember God, I moan; when I meditate, my spirit faints. Selah You hold my eyelids open; I am so troubled that I cannot speak. I consider the days of old, the years long ago. I said, "Let me remember my song in the night; let me meditate in my heart." Then my spirit made a diligent search: (Psa 77:2-6)

"When I remember God . . . ."

It is so easy to go through our day and forget God.  That is until something goes against our plans or our comfort.  Then we remember but do we remember rightly?

Consider:  

Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called "the uncircumcision" by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands-- remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.   (Eph 2:11-13)

Do we "remember" this or do we simply remember the comfort we have lost and that God has allowed (willed) it to pass?  Do we remember that He is sovereign or do we simply remember that He is able to bring us comfort and bring us out of any affliction.  Do we remermber God or our warped and twisted view of God as a Genie or Santa Claus?

Do we remember:

"Remember this and stand firm, recall it to mind, you transgressors, remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, 'My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,  (Isa 46:8-10

Do we remember that God is God and we are not?  Do we remember that we are His slaves and He is not ours?  Do we remember that regardless of our perspective and sense, all He does is good and gracious?  Do we remember rightly or selfishly?

Our God is the God of grace and mercy as well as the God of justice and holiness.  His goal for us is to be holy as He is.  At times this means we see Him protecting and providing comfort.  At other times we see this in His twisting our plans, taking our comfort, saying no to our dreams.  This is the God of the Bible, the God who is first and whose goal is first - at least for Him if not for us.

We read in James and Romans that "patience" is a product of trials.  But we often see patience wrongly.  We tend to see patience as our "putting up with" whatever difficulty we are facing.  We tolerate it until it is over - at least we pretend to.  But this poor view of patience/perseverance is faulty.  It is not a standing still in the face of adversity - it is a moving forward.  It is a pressing on towards the goal we have in Christ Jesus.

There is as much good purpose in God's buffetings as there are in His blessings.  Indeed, from His and the Word's perspective, buffetings are blessings.  

Too often our faith is a facile faith.  We prefer to live by "Jesus loves me this I know," and to ignore that His, "counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose."  

We forget that His purpose is to conform us to the likeness of the Son, to enable us to do the good works He has prepared for us to do, to glorify and enjoy Him.  We forget that even though we are redeemed we still fight the principle of evil that resided in our flesh.  We forget that only heat will bring the dross to the surface that the gold or silver may be pure.  We forget that God is good and we are not - that God is God and we are not.  We forget.

And why do we forget?  Because we do not work at remembering.  We do as little as we can to fill our minds and hearts with Him.  Not in some belly-button meditating manner but rather in intentional, consistent and continuing hard prayerful work and intellectual effort .  We don't mind being told what He has said and He has done but we do mind having to go dig the ore out for ourselves.   We don't want to do the hard work of living as His - which begins with His work in us and continues in our work with Him by the power of His Spirit within us.

Like Israel in the dessert we murmur against Him when either the good He brings doesn't measure up to our expectations or the evil (trials) He allows inconvenience of discomfort us.  We whine and pull our hair and complain to and about Him.  

Where did we ever get the idea that anything He does for, to, in or around us is bad?  How could we ever be brought to such a blasphemous place?  One reason is that we have failed miserably to take advantage of all He has given us to prepare us for all He will give us.

We fail to study and meditate upon His word.

We fail to pray diligently and often.

We fail to be about the work He has given us to do.

We fail to examine ourselves in the light of the Word.

We fail to put Him and His agenda first.

We fail to be grateful.

We fail to be humble.

We fail to submit.

We fail.

And in that failure He works even harder to bring us to Himself.  He may well have to buffet us to bring us to blessings and He will.  What parent would not risk injuring their child to remove a poison from their tiny fist.  What loving friend would not shove one into the dirt to save them from a rushing car?  A surgeon must cut to save.  A doctor must poke and prod to diagnose and yet while we allow this for our benefit we resent God cutting and poking and prodding for our blessing.

I do not, ""remember my song in the night; let me meditate in my heart," if I ever sang one to begin with.

Our Psalmist says he will make a diligent search and this follows:

"Will the Lord spurn forever, and never again be favorable? Has his steadfast love forever ceased? Are his promises at an end for all time? Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has he in anger shut up his compassion?" Selah Then I said, "I will appeal to this, to the years of the right hand of the Most High." I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your wonders of old. I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds. Your way, O God, is holy. What god is great like our God? 

(Psa 77:7-13)

He repents, recalling God as God and nothing else.  Will we?