 Well, if we've opened our Bibles, we're going to be looking at chapter 14, verses 22-26. As we continue our series here in the Gospel of Mark, we're looking at the Last Supper. We're taking a closer look at the Last Supper. And so, as is my normal way of teaching, I'm going to read to you from verse 22 to verse 26. I'm going to remind you, refresh your memory of a few things that are taking place and then pick up at verse 26 and move us, rather verse 22 and move us into verse 26. So beginning at verse 22, Mark chapter 14, reading to verse 26, Mark writes, then the disciples looked at one another, oh rather, excuse me, I'm looking at John. I had to do some, not this John, I don't want to do that too much. I was looking at the Gospel of John and I'm thinking, no, that's not how, okay, we'll start over again, chapter 14 verse 22, as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them and said, take, eat, this is my body. Then he took the cup and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them and they all drank from it. And he said to them, this is my blood of the new covenant which is shed for many, assuredly I say to you, I will no longer drink up the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God. And when they had sunk a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. And so as mentioned, I'm going to give you a little bit of a review, that way we're together on the same page as we move into the verses before us. We know that Jesus had just spoken to his disciples and he had said to them, one of you will betray me. Now that had caused us then to ask among themselves, who could do such a thing? Luke tells us in his gospel chapter 22 verse 23 that they began to question among themselves which of them it might be who would do this. You see, his words had torn into their hearts. It had caused them to introspect, it caused them to look within themselves, to question themselves and one by one each asked if it could have been them. They began to be sorrowful, the scripture says, to say to him, one by one is that I, and another said, is that I. Now Matthew gives more detail in chapter 26 of his gospel, verses 24 and 25. Jesus said there, the Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed. It would have been good for that man if he had not been born. Then Judas who was betraying him answered and said, Rabbi, is that I? He said to him, you have said it. So when Judas asked if it was he, Jesus affirmed his self condemnation. Now notice how Jesus didn't directly accuse him of being the betrayer. He affirmed, he affirmed that Judas had condemned himself. In Matthew's gospel chapter 12 verse 37, Jesus said by your word, you'll be justified by your words, you shall, you will be condemned. So by his own words, he condemned himself. Now at the supper Jesus had been asked to identify who this traitor is. It's found in John 13 verses 23 through 26. It says one of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved was reclining next to him. Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, ask him which one he means. Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, Lord, who is it? Jesus answered, it is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I've dipped it in the dish. And having dipped the bread, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. So at that time, Jesus was presiding over the meal. He was giving each man his portion. So when John asked the question, Jesus was about to give a portion to Judas. Now one commentator pointed out that this act was one of friendship and one of love. It was one more act of kindness and service that Jesus had rendered to Judas. Now to keep Judas from further participating in the supper, Jesus dismissed him. You see, Judas is now fully committed to the betrayal of Christ. In John 13, 27, it says, after the piece of bread, Satan entered him. Jesus said to him, what you do, do quickly. In John 13, verse 30, it says, as soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night. So after Judas left, Jesus continued ministering to his men. You see, in light of Judas' betrayal, Jesus desires to unify the disciples. Judas had tremendous influence on the men. They could have been greatly shaken. For one of the most trusted men to do something like that would shatter the unity of the apostles. So Jesus needed to keep their eyes on who they were and what they were to do. Now why is that so important? Well these were the men who were to take his message throughout the world. To do so required that they would be united in heart and in purpose. Now what's the glue that's going to keep them together? What is going to keep these men unified as they go out into the world preaching the gospel? Well first it's going to be their love for Christ. Their love for Jesus that's built on his sacrificial death for them, that will unify them. Their love for the Lord is going to keep them faithful in the trying days ahead. But his love for them will provoke them to hold fast in love to him. So first it's going to be the love for Christ and their mutual love of Jesus Christ. It's also going to be their love for one another. That is going to keep them going strong. You see relationship with other believers is what strengthens you in your walk. As fellow believers they would draw strength for one another's faith. They would benefit from their knowledge of Christ as it was shared amongst them. And they would also exercise their gifts and build one another up. You see the days ahead were going to grow more difficult. They needed to be there for one another. They needed fellowship when this COVID thing hit. One of the first things that was done was a forbidding of us to gather together. People in general were told remaining in your homes and all of that. Well what also that did is it began to work itself into the church and we discovered that many people were beginning to become lonesome and that they were alone. And the first thing God ever said in Scripture that is not good. It's for the man to be alone. And so we learned even firsthand how difficult it is to live for Christ without having companions or friendship or unity people that you can work together with and fellowship with and pray with and encourage and all of that. When I was in the military I was stationed in Fort Bragg. I was a new Christian. I'd only been saved for a few months and I had gone in through my basic went through jump school ended up with the 82nd in Fort Bragg and there I am a young man 20 years old and as I'm there in this particular place I have no friends and and before you know it I began to to just slowly lose the fire that had been burning so so so brightly in my heart. I remember that it was I was alone there was no there were no other believers to my knowledge I was brand new in the in the barracks and all didn't know anybody. And so I would go to bed at night when the sun went down I didn't know anybody so I'd go and I just go to sleep. I'd go to sleep very early. Well there was a sergeant I forget his name I think was Sergeant Garcia. I think that was his name. I know he was a Mexican guy because when I came home he said would you please on leave bring me some chorizo when you get back so I remember him very well. I became his friend because I started smuggling chorizo to him but anyway he and I were talking one day and and I was sharing the gospel with Sergeant Garcia and didn't think anything of it and a little while after that he comes walking into into my cubicle and there's this guy walking with him and I've never seen before and Garcia looks at me and he says he says Rosales he goes this here he goes this guy's like you and I looked at him what do you mean because he's like you he's one of you he's one of you I said what do you mean and so he goes he's a Christian he's a Christian and I looked at his name was Danny I looked at Danny and I said so you're Christian and he looks at me are you a Christian so I look back at him I'm a Christian and he looks back at me so am I and what had happened is Garcia found one of he said one of you when a guy's like you Danny was a very strong believer in Christ he was the answer to a prayer that I'd been praying I was alone I had nobody to fellowship with a I'm a brand-new Christian I'm only a few months old in the Lord it's very easy to backslide in the military every vet knows that it's very easy to just hang around with the guys in where I was stationed there was anything to do so one of the guys in my cubicle he would go to the bar every Friday they go into town in the Fayetteville they drink and get in fights that's what they did that's what they would do they get drunk and jump off of buildings because they're paratroopers are crazy but that's what they would do now I'm by myself I've got nobody to talk to I talked to Garcia Garcia brings in Rindon and before you know it I've got a friend and Danny was very important for me in my early walk with Christ he was part of a group called the navigators the navigators were were known for their memorization of Scripture he began to teach me how to memorize the Bible we had fellowship and for a year a year and a half he and I were very very tight very close and God provided that I needed that and so do all of us in this room everyone in this room needs somebody who can provoke them to godliness everyone of us needs somebody who can pray for us or know our heart every one of us needs somebody that we can call and speak to that we can have fellowship with that we can go out for a meal with that we can bear our burdens to the bible tells us in Hebrews 10 24 and 25 let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works let us not neglect our meeting together as some people do but encourage one another especially now that the day of his return is drying near I'm very grateful that we have the ability to broadcast our message we reach a lot of places different states even other countries with the message of the gospel I'm blessed we do have some from our fellowship who have been kind of like playing hooky from fellowship and I know you're watching so I'm talking to you and you need to come home because we need each other we need to be in fellowship with one another we need to enjoy Jesus as a fellowship and see that's what it that's what it's all about Jesus wants to keep the unity of these people because they're going to go out and preach the gospel it was on that night that that Jesus emphasized the priority of loving one another this love for him and love for one another is actually going to be the earmark of a Christian in John 13 verses 33 through 35 which is taking place this night Jesus said my children I will be with you only a little longer you will look for me and just as I told the Jews so I tell you now where I'm going you cannot come a new command I give you love one another as I have loved you so you must love one another by this all men will know that you are my disciples if you love one another and so this is the night that this is taking place he's commanding them to have fellowship to have unity and to have love for for one another now notice in verse 22 it says as they were eating Jesus took bread blessed and broke it and gave it to them and said take eat this is my body this is the last Passover ever held that God honors this foreshadows Jesus I mentioned to you out of 1 Corinthians chapter 5 verses 6 through 8 that the apostle Paul said this he said to the church your your boasting is not good don't you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast as you really are for Christ our Passover lamb has been sacrificed therefore let us keep the festival not with the old yeast the yeast of malice and wickedness but with bread without yeast the bread of sincerity and truth as we've been going through Mark and and sharing various things I've mentioned to you that the Passover foreshadows the death of Christ that's a picture but the reality has come through Jesus when Paul was writing to a church in Colossae in Colossians chapter 2 verses 16 and 17 Paul said therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink or with regard to a religious festival a new moon celebration or a Sabbath day these he said are are a shadow of the things that were to come the reality however is found in Christ celebrating freedom from Egypt is a weak substitute for deliverance of sin we do not look to a lamb in Egypt as our final symbol of redemption we look to the Lamb of God dying as a substitute for us on the cross well it says again verse 22 as they were eating Jesus took bread blessed it broke it and gave it now the Passover supper is still in progress and now Jesus is instituting communion and this may be the point where the roasted lamb is served see we're going to be having communion I encourage you to be with us on Wednesday night you're getting an insight into what takes place notice again in verse 22 he takes bread he blessed it he broke it and then he gave it he's instituting a new celebration it's something that is replacing the old in a few hours he's going to completely fulfill the type of the sacrificial lamb as the Lamb of God he's going to die a bloody death on a cross so a new symbol is about to replace the old Jesus took bread it says in verse 22 he blessed it broke it and gave it now when it says he he blessed it the blessing is part of the Passover supper you see at this point in the Passover supper there is an explanation of its purpose Exodus 12 verses 24 through 27 when it's being inaugurated these are the commands that were given concerning Passover obey these instructions as a lasting ordinance for you and your descendants when you enter the land that the Lord will give you as he promised observe this ceremony and when your children ask you what does this ceremony mean to you then tell them it is a Passover sacrifice to the Lord who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when he struck down the Egyptians I want to emphasize something that was said in the command when your children ask you what does this ceremony mean to you then tell them it would be the head of the home normally the host of the supper who would explain this most often it would have been the father as a father I have responsibility I had responsibility and continue even though my children are all adult children with children of their own but I had and remain having the responsibility of explaining when they ask you tell them it doesn't say when they ask then the mother tells them the father would do that why because the responsibility of raising the kids in the faith of God fell on the father's shoulders unfortunately sometimes that's not possible in a home because perhaps there's no father but the reality of it and the way God designed it was for me as the husband and as the father to be the explainer of these things and it's part of the ritual what would take place and it happens to this day is there's a certain point in the Passover supper where the question is asked what does this mean and it's a father's responsibility to be able to say these things happen in this way and so I encourage all of us as men and all of us who are fathers I encourage us to know the explanation to not rely on somebody else to give the explanations of faith in my home as a man I have the responsibility of quote-unquote being the priest of the home I have the responsibility of leading devotions I have the responsibility of making sure the children get up and get to church I have those responsibilities and so that's how it how it works best so when the children ask then you tell them now Jesus is explaining this new ordinance he first he takes bread he blesses he breaks it and he says take and eat this is my body now let me speak the obvious he is not speaking literally that this bread in his hand is changing into his physical body that's obvious he's holding that bread he's saying that the bread is representing his body but in what way well the bread is unleavened and that would represent separation from the decay of sin it represented to the Jews a separation from idolatry and worldliness you see Jesus referred to himself in John 6 35 as the bread of life Jesus is free of sin he sacrificed himself for us and and this supper is to remind us of this for a lifetime Luke 22 19 says that he he took bread he gave thanks he broke it gave it to them saying this is my body which is given for you do this in remembrance of me Christianity is not simply a philosophy Christianity is not us just performing religious rituals Christianity is the complete assimilation of Jesus Christ into our lives when you eat and you drink you're assimilating into your life but you eat and drink is giving life to your body when you take of communion you're assimilating the reality of what Christ has done for you it is a means of grace whereby God gives to us insight into how he strengthens us in the inner man you see to be saved we receive Jesus Christ whose body was sacrificed whose body was given for us and in giving each of the men a piece of the bread he was not only feeding them in a spiritual way giving a spiritual sense of what's taking place but he's also reinforcing something he's reinforcing their unity because each were given bread from the same single loaf so they're sharing of the same loaf the partaking together in a symbolic way of who Jesus is our bread of life it says in verse 23 he took the cup and when he had given thanks he gave it to them and so once again this cup that is spoken of is the cup that was taken after supper it's traditionally referred to as the third cup during the time of Christ drinking from the cup four times would occur in Passover each time that the cup was filled it had a different name the first cup was called the cup of sanctification the second cup that they had in the meal the cup of plagues the third cup is called the cup of redemption or the cup of blessing and the fourth cup is called the cup of praise or the cup of acceptance now the third cup which is being partaken of here was taken after the Lamb had been served that would be the cup that the apostle Paul speaks of in 1st Corinthians 10 verse 16 when he says the cup of blessing that we bless is it not a participation in the blood of Christ the the bread that we break is it not a participation in the body of Christ and and verse 23 tells us that he gave the cup to them and they all drank from it again we are personally responsible for taking for eating for drinking we all are to personally receive the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on our behalf now notice verse 24 how it says he said to them this is my blood of the new covenant which is shed for many the blood of the new covenant a new covenant has been made and this new covenant which we call the new testament the new covenant is ratified by the blood of Jesus Christ this is how God ratified covenants in the Old Testament God would ratify Old Testament covenants through the shedding of blood in sacrifice in Exodus 24 verse 8 Moses then took the blood sprinkled it on the people and said this is the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words you see in the Old Testament blood sacrifice was necessary to establish fellowship with God you see he requires complete dedication in Hebrews 9 22 the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness Leviticus 17 14 the life of all flesh is the blood so the shedding of Jesus his blood provides atonement for sin and his blood made atonement for the sins of all mankind Hebrews 9 14 says how much more shall the blood of Christ who through the eternal spirit offered himself without spot to God purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God Jesus was establishing the new covenant and the new covenant is ratified by his blood you see the Old Covenant Israel had had been broken that Old Covenant God had made with the nation was broken in the Old Testament book of Jeremiah one of the prophets Jeremiah in chapter 31 verses 31 and 32 we read behold the days are coming declares the Lord when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt my covenant that they broke though I was their husband declares the Lord Jesus is establishing a new covenant a covenant that had been promised it's a covenant of grace a covenant of salvation in Jeremiah 31 he went on into verse 33 to say this for this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days declares the Lord I will put my law within them I will write it on their hearts I will be their God they shall be my people God has written his word on the tablets of flesh our heart the Old Testament we we see that God gave to the children of Israel tablets of stone it had the 10 words or the 10 commands and it was given to Moses well those words that were were made on on stone were words that you would look at but not necessarily from the inside necessarily respond to what God has done as God has given to us his his his word his command but it's not simply in pages of the the book that we study called the Bible but he has actually written his word on on the tablets of our hearts so there are things within us that motivate us from the inside to love and be obedient to God you know somebody when I first got saved one of my one of my friends said to me hey let's do this I forget whether it was drinking or whether it was smoking some ever one I forget what but he said to me this he says you want someone I said he said you want some of this I said no no I'm good and he says oh that's right he said you're a Christian you can't do that anymore and I looked at him it was drinking I looked at him I said I can't do what he said you can't you can't drink anymore and I'm looking at him I'm thinking I can drink you under the table what do you mean you can't drink anymore but I didn't want to drink anymore that's a difference it's not that I can't I told him that I said listen I can but I don't want to I don't have the want to I don't have the desire anymore see I drank enough of gutter water to know what to what pure water tastes like I prefer the pure I prefer and it's yeah it's true I you know as a little boy I literally drank gutter water to gross girls out I literally did that I know firsthand the difference between you know some nice clean water and gutter water I know the difference I know it by physical act but I also know it spiritually I drank of the water of the world and I don't want it anymore Pastor David why don't you go out on your wife Marie all that's right you're a Christian another reason I don't go out on my wife Marie is because I have a love in my heart for my wife Marie there's something within me that keeps me from ever wanting to be with anybody else and that is because God has given me a woman that I cherish and love and will always forever the rest of my life that's how it works oh you yeah of course even in the pastoral ministry without saying too much other than to say this I've been doing this for a long time I haven't always been an old man and there have been people in my past in this church who've attempted to take me away from my wife I've never been tempted to go with anybody else why not because you're afraid to get caught no because I'm in love with somebody whose her love has been written on the tablet of my heart so I understand God's word being on your heart you don't do things because of any other reason other than God has provoked you from within to be obedient to him and see in the Old Testament that the nation of Israel had the tablets of stone but God said I'll write my word on the tablet of your heart and that's what he's done he has given to us his word it's in us and so the cup of redemption reveals more than just an escape from Egypt it reveals the purpose of God in salvation judgment and salvation wrath and redemption are all revealed in this cup you see Jesus is going to pour out his blood for the salvation of the world and they are all to drink from this cup again that symbolizes the unity that Jesus had with his men it represents their union with him by celebrating together it shows the visible and the spiritual unity of the body of Christ because together they're celebrating they're remembering him and what he has done now in verse 25 he says assuredly I say to you I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until I drink it new in the kingdom of God in Luke 22 verse 16 Luke says I tell you I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God so the promise to drink of the fruit and to eat the meal is really a promise of a future he will again celebrate with them in his millennial kingdom you see that in Ezekiel 45 you see when my kingdom is established you're going to be there with me when you eat of this supper remember me remember me remember me I've mentioned when we receive communion how that part of the connotation of remembering as it is understood in in scripture part of the connotation of remembering is is not just recollecting but re-experiencing there are things that you can remember that may be historic events there are other things that you remember and there's a certain element of memory that has emotional participation I've shared this with you before recently I shared how how I I lived in Norwalk my brother Frank got saved I needed he needed fellowship he needed to be discipled he didn't go to church he was living in Ontario I lived in Norwalk and so I began to drive from Norwalk to Ontario to where my brother lived and I began teaching him a Bible study in a small apartment and I still remember and I do with emotion the day a young woman came walking in that door in this teeny little room that only held a handful of people and I remember my brother's voice when he said David this is Marie I still remember that I still hear it and I still get emotional thinking about it today November 13th is my son David's birthday he's 44 years old today my boy and I still remember when I was in that that room when my my girl gave birth to my son how the doctor said David you had a little boy what's his name I was planning on naming my son Aaron that's my favorite male name Aaron and I had told Marie I'm going to name him Aaron she said aren't you going to give him your name I said he could be Aaron David but I love the name Aaron it's my favorite name so the doctor says to me what are you going to name him as a baby was handed to me I still remember this with emotion I looked at that ugly little face his name is David I still remember that and I still tear up 44 years ago and I still transport my heart back to remember so when you take communion it's supposed to have something that grips your heart it isn't simply taking a piece of bread and a cup of juice and eating and drinking together it symbolizes much more again and part of the way we're taught through the way of Hebrew thinking it is not only remembering certain events but participating in them one Jewish scholar wrote in the Bible remembering is not the retention or recollection of a mental image but a focusing upon the object of memory that results in an action and so do this in remembrance of me is not just my emotionally experience something of my love for Christ's love for me but it's also a motivation for me to do something because I remember because I remember what Christ has done I remember he did it for me and I and I'm motivated to action to activity and so he's saying when my kingdom is established you're going to be there with me this ought to motivate you to do these things in remembrance of me remember me sometimes we forget people too easily sometimes we just forget them I think of so much as I'm speaking to you right now any emotions run through me I have a dear very dear friend who's going through some very severe dementia and when they were diagnosed with it they were sitting across the table from Marie and me and with tears in their eyes they said I'm going to forget I'm going to forget and we've watched the severity of this but I remember saying to them when they said I'm going to forget you I remember saying to them but I'll never forget you remember me when you take the bread when you take up the cup remember me and may that provoke you to give my word I will drink it anew with you in the kingdom you see Jesus said in John 14 the same night when he's sharing of these things about betrayal and the apostle Peter and the others are wondering who's it going to be and in the same night in John 14 hearing that there's going to be such a betrayal Jesus could be saying my words may trouble you but remember I'm coming again in John 14 let not your heart be troubled you believe in God believe also in me in my father's house or many mansions if it were not so I would have told you I go to prepare a place for you and if I go and prepare a place for you I will come again receive you unto myself that where I am there you may be also let not your heart be troubled don't be greatly concerned I'm going to come for you and until I come be busy occupy until I come and do so not because you're forced to do so not because oh people have to do this to be good do this because you remember me you remember my love you remember my sacrifice you remember what I've taught you remember everything and my promises do this in remembrance of me remember me because that'll motivate you that'll strengthen you that gives you hope it gives you faith it gives you the ability to perform those things that are so difficult sometimes so difficult sometimes remember me my father's house are many mansions my father's house are many dwelling places as I shared with you in Israel we go to a particular place that that that our guide pointed out and said the way it works in Israel is you'd have the father's house and they would build sons homes next to it so it'd become a family kind of a grouping of houses and when christ was speaking about in my father's house are many mansions a word mansion there is a word that literally means places of a boat or dwelling places he's simply saying the family's going to be together I'm going to come and take you to be with myself and we're going to be together in our community as a family loves one another that's why we don't forsake the assembly of ourselves together as a matter of some is that's why we don't because we're family and so as Jesus is saying this he closes in verse 26 and by simply saying well it says when they had sung a hymn they went out to the Mount of Olives they were singing it what would be called a psalm of praise commentators point out that it's very very likely that that they sang out of the Psalms Psalm 113 to 118 which are called also the Psalms of ascent but their songs of praise and Psalm 118 for example it says in verse 5 and 6 I called on the Lord in distress the Lord answered me and set me in a broad place the Lord is on my side I will not fear what can man do to me Psalm 118 verse 8 it is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man Psalm 118 13 I was pushed back and about to fall but the Lord helped me Psalm 118 24 this is the day which the Lord has made we will rejoice and be glad in it as he's on his way to his betrayal soon to be placed on on a cross they're singing songs of praise because God's work is about to be concluded they're on their way to the Mount of Olives they're making their way to a garden called Gethsemane and he's preparing for the cross and no longer are they the twelve they are now the eleven because Judas has made his way out to betray him our father we ask