One Week To Live: Faithfulness in Serving

2016-03-06 
Pastor Jonathan Falwell 

Memory Verse:
Matthew 26:28
For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

Matthew 26:17-35 NLT
17 On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Where do you want us to prepare the Passover meal for you?” 18 “As you go into the city,” he told them, “you will see a certain man. Tell him, ‘The Teacher says: My time has come, and I will eat the Passover meal with my disciples at your house.’ ” 19 So the disciples did as Jesus told them and prepared the Passover meal there. 20 When it was evening, Jesus sat down at the table with the Twelve. 21 While they were eating, he said, “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me.” 22 Greatly distressed, each one asked in turn, “Am I the one, Lord?” 23 He replied, “One of you who has just eaten from this bowl with me will betray me. 24 For the Son of Man must die, as the Scriptures declared long ago. But how terrible it will be for the one who betrays him. It would be far better for that man if he had never been born!” 25 Judas, the one who would betray him, also asked, “Rabbi, am I the one?” And Jesus told him, “You have said it.” 26 As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take this and eat it, for this is my body.” 27 And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, “Each of you drink from it, 28 for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many. 29 Mark my words—I will not drink wine again until the day I drink it new with you in my Father’s Kingdom.” 30 Then they sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives. 31 On the way, Jesus told them, “Tonight all of you will desert me. For the Scriptures say, ‘God will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ 32 But after I have been raised from the dead, I will go ahead of you to Galilee and meet you there.” 33 Peter declared, “Even if everyone else deserts you, I will never desert you.” 34 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, Peter—this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny three times that you even know me.” 35 “No!” Peter insisted. “Even if I have to die with you, I will never deny you!” And all the other disciples vowed the same.

In this story, Jesus dealt with betrayal, He dealt with desertion, He dealt with disobedience. And He dealt with broken promises. Yet in the midst of all of these things, Jesus never backed away from His purpose. He never backed away from serving those He came to save.

Today, I want to spend some time talking about this meal, this moment where Jesus gathered those closest to Him and revealed the failures of those who had given their all to serve Him. Revealing to us all how those disciples who were closest to Jesus had failed. Reminding us all that there’s hope, even when we blow it, but also reminding us how important it is to serve Him and others using Christ as our example.

– Betrayal

21 While they were eating, he said, “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me.” 22 Greatly distressed, each one asked in turn, “Am I the one, Lord?”

– Judas had already agreed to betray Jesus to those who sought to kill Him

– Desertion

31 On the way, Jesus told them, “Tonight all of you will desert me. For the Scriptures say, ‘God will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ ”

– Jesus was telling the disciples that they would all turn their backs on their commitment to Him

– Disobedience

34 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, Peter—this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny three times that you even know me.”

– Jesus had called Peter to “follow Him.” To this point, Peter had obeyed, but would soon disobey

– Broken Promises

35 “No!” Peter insisted. “Even if I have to die with you, I will never deny you!” And all the other disciples vowed the same.

– Peter did exactly as Jesus predicted, even though he had promised Jesus to never do so.

Do these stories sound familiar to you? Have you ever been the recipient of betrayal, desertion, disobedience, broken promises? I think this is universal, we all have. Yet in all, Jesus still served. He still loved them with an everlasting love. What’s the example we can walk away with today?

John 13:14-15 And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example to follow, do as I have done to you.

26 As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take this and eat it, for this is my body.” 27 And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, “Each of you drink from it, 28 for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many”

29 “Mark my words—I will not drink wine again until the day I drink it new with you in my Father’s Kingdom.”

Communion

1 Corinthians 11:23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 25 In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.

Examine Yourself

27 Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.