 What is communion and why is it important? Many of us take part in communion. However, many times we're not actually sure what's taking place, why we're actually doing this. What is the significance of communion? Well, when we look into the Scriptures we see that communion is first introduced to us by Jesus as he is observing the Passover. And before we get into that point, let's go back and look at when we see the Passover happening. This is in Exodus in chapter 12 and we see that Moses is told by God to tell the people to initiate one the first day of the year, the first month of months, will now be taking place for them, not necessarily for the whole world, but for the Jews. And in that on the 14th day they are going to observe a Sabbath. And on this Sabbath they are going to take the blood of this male lamb and take this blood and put it on the doorpost. And so you know the story that as the death angel passes over and whoever is covered, whoever's house is covered by the blood of that animal, that person's firstborn son will be saved. Now, not going too far into this difference of that, we go forward into now Jesus is having a sharing this Passover meal and he's instituting for us what the Passover is. And so let's go to Luke 2219 and Jesus says when he comes in he has taken the bread and has given thanks and broke it and gave to them saying this is my body which is given to you to do this in remembrance of me. So before we go further let's talk about this doing in remembrance of him as often. There is no prescription, there is no direction or command to say how often we can or should do it as often as you can. So some churches may have or observe communion every Sunday, every time they come together, every other time once a month. There is no prescription but there is a way, a prescription as to how you ought to observe. Let's go back to Jesus instituting the Passover and so continually he says do this in remembrance of me and 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. And so Jesus is for these Jews he's instituting one a new covenant for them taking them out of the old covenant. They might still have a little bit of foggy it's a lot of misunderstanding as to what Jesus means by this. There was some confusion. He's saying this bread is my flesh and this cup is my blood. Well they don't get the full significance of this they'll see this in just a little bit when he is battered and bruised his body being the flesh being broken in torn for them and that they must also consume it not necessarily in a physical manner but in the same also relates to or is spoken of about the blood and we see that also on the cross when his blood is shed. As a matter of fact he makes a statement that kind of confuses a lot of his followers as well as his disciples. So if we go to John 6 49 he says your fathers now he's speaking to the Jews but the disciples are there as well he says your fathers ate the man in the wilderness and they died. This is the bread which comes down out of heaven so that one may eat of it and not die. Notice what Jesus says he says I am the living bread that comes down out of heaven and if anyone eats of this bread he will live forever. And the bread also which I give for the life of the world is my flesh. So that can be a bit confusing to them obviously meaning them don't understand it and the Jew and the disciples are probably scratching their head wondering what does this possibly mean. Notice in 52 he says then the Jews began to argue with one another saying how can this man give us his flesh to eat. So Jesus says today I'm truly truly like say to you unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood you have no life in yourselves. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me and I in him. As the living father sent me and I live because of the father so he who eats me he also will live because of me. This is the bread which came down out of heaven not as the father's ate and died. He who eats this bread will live forever. These things he said in the synagogue as he talked in the prayer. Now this obviously bothered them confused them what in the world is he speaking up. Well them understanding who he is not necessarily that they're supposed to eat his flesh literally and literally drink his blood. We have the benefit of hindsight. We have the benefit of revelation where we know the story and we understand what he's speaking of. This has to relate this ends up relating to what was spoken of the day that he broke the bread and took and gave the disciples the same with the wine. This is what Jesus is speaking of. All of this is speaking obviously not physically but he's speaking of what they must do in terms of their faith in him. Verse 60 says therefore many of his disciples went when they heard this they said this is a difficult statement. Who can listen to it but Jesus conscious that his disciples grumbled at this said and does this cause you to stumble. What then if you see the man ascending to where he was before it is the spirit who gives life the flesh profits nothing the word that I've spoken to you are spirit and our life but there are some of you who do not believe for Jesus knew from the very beginning who they were who did not believe and who it was that would betray him. Now Jesus is speaking all of this in relation to what his flesh and his blood just like he gave on the day when he broke the bread and gave the disciples and told them to eat and also the same way gave the blood or the wine to symbolize the blood and said take eat and drink as well take and drink as well and so he's speaking all of this for them to commemorate him and so they are to do what he does on that Passover day as far as communion is concerned in remembrance of what he is about to do as far as their concern but as far as we're concerned what he did to eat his flesh not physically but in terms of to consume understand who he who he is what he did on the cross for us and then as as also he says to drink his blood obviously again not physically but remembering what he did as he shed his blood for us and so if we go forward to 1 Corinthians 11 Paul makes it a little more clearer for us in chapter 11 23 he says for I receive from the Lord that which I also deliver to you that the Lord in the night in which he was being betrayed took bread and when he had given thanks he broken and said this is my body which is for you do this in remembrance of me so when we do this what are we doing we are remembering what he did notice what he says though he says also verse 25 in the same way he took the cup after also after supper saying this is the cup of the new covenant in my blood do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes so what is he saying anyone that is taking communion here's the point of it when you take communion you are remembering what he's done you are not to take take it and have no idea what you're doing you will be doing so one that's one way of doing it in an unworthy manner which we're going to read just a little bit you do so remembering that he literally died he he poured out his blood and sacrificed his body on the cross for us his blood the wine the cup and his body the flesh all for us and so when you think about that when you take communion you're doing so as a memorial to yourself because of what he's done verse 27 look what he says though therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner this word that's used here means not right and also not worried which can cause a little bit of confusion what's meant by unworthy well I would say that unworthy would refer to either the manner of you doing so kind of in a flippant fashion or just not being saved at all because what is happening is you have not placed your faith in Christ but you are commemorating what Christ has done look what he says if you do so in an unworthy manner the person does so shall be guilty of the body and of the blood of the Lord in other words almost as though you were the ones that put him there as a matter of fact it was our sin that put him there but a man must examine himself and in so doing so he is to eat of the bread and drink of a cup for he who drinks who he I'm sorry he who eats and drinks eats and drinks judgment to himself himself if he does not judge the body rightly very important the whole point in purpose of communion is to remember what Christ did on the cross his body being broken in torn and the blood being poured and if a person were to do so and to do so not necessarily having a bad day that's not what he means in an unworthy fashion but to do so in a flippant fashion not having any care or concern you end up bringing judgment upon yourself you don't do it to get full you don't do it to be ritualistic you do it as a way of reminding you and others before others what he has done for you and so the importance is to remind us and ourselves often as we can what he's done for us amen