Gtcotr/ss052916
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.
Do this in
remembrance of Me …
Jesus
wanted His death to be remembered. Remembrance is the respect we show for those
who willingly served a cause they deemed greater than their own comfort. This
memorial gives honor to those who gave their lives for us – it is the sacred
duty of all who benefit from the sacrifice that was made.
John 15:13 "Greater love
has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.
Memorial
remembrances are important throughout the Bible. Every Old Testament Feast
commemorates something God wants us to remember. Memorials are important to
those in heaven and on earth. Each year in America we echo this sentiment by
setting aside one hallowed day to remember the brave soldiers, sailors, airmen
and marines who donned the uniform of the United States military and laid down
their lives for our nation’s decided bests interests. These men and women made
possible everything we enjoy in America today.
We
continue to give our brightest and our bravest sons and daughters to stand on
the front lines in each generation defending the freedoms which we hold so
dear. Our thanks and appreciation goes out to all who have served and to those
families who supported them and sent them off to fight the battles to win and
to defend our freedoms. God bless every veteran – however, today is not
Veteran’s Day … Today is Memorial Day!
Memorial Day, which we
observe tomorrow, is the time we set aside to commemorate those who died while
in military service to the United States of America. It is an important holiday
to those of us who have lost family members, friends and comrades in arms.
Beginning in 1775 with the American Revolution until today, our proud nation
has championed causes of freedom and justice in every generation, offering our
bravest and our best in defense of our chosen causes.
To give you an idea of
the numbers of our brave men and women from the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines
and Coast Guard, who have lost their lives while serving in defense of our
freedoms, allow me to show you these figures:
US Casualties of War 1775
– Present
(A total of 67 declared
wars, conflicts, and deployments)
(Source: Wikipedia
online )
Wounded - 1,531,036
Killed In Action - 1,354,664
Missing In Action - 40,917
Average US Military Deaths
per Day 1775 to present:
1775 – Present 241 Years -
89,965 Days
Total US Military Deaths
Since 1775 - 1,354,664 Deaths
Average Deaths per Day
1775 – Present - 15+ Deaths per Day
Since 1775 until today,
the United States of America has averaged deploying its military forces to
fight at least one new war or armed conflict every three and one half years.
The need to process war has always been and will always be present in every
generation and without the brave men and women of our nation who stand willing
and ready to defend our freedoms, the United States of America, along with the
values we so dearly hold and the benefits we so greatly enjoy would long ago
have ceased to exist.
War has been a big part
of our nation’s history and will no doubt continue to be for as long as time
remains. Those who imagine a utopian society where war and famine, sickness and
disease, poverty and stupidity no longer exist are fooling themselves. Only
eternity holds the peace we long for.
I read an article this
past week showing that the United States of America has been at war 91% of its
life. In the 240 years since July 4th, 1776, our beloved nation has known
only 2 decades of peace. Virtually every President of the US has been a wartime
president.
Jesus,
the ultimate Warrior, gave His life in the greatest war the universe has ever
seen. For a moment let us look to the scriptures once again and hear the heart
of Jesus concerning one of His last requests … He wanted His death to be
remembered!
1 Corinthians 11
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."
I
pray we never forget the agony of death suffered by Jesus as He was:
·
Wounded
for our transgressions
·
Bruised
for our iniquities
·
Chastised
for our peace
·
Beaten
with stripes for our healing
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."
Can
we ever forget the blood that was spilled on the cruel cross of Calvary? Many
men have died on the field of battle fighting against the enemy, slain in
conflict and taken in war unable to win the day. However, our Lord Jesus was
not without the power to overcome those who stood before Him but He, when no
man could take His life from Him, gave His life freely so that He could take
our place in death.
·
Death
did not claim His life – you did!
·
Jesus
gave His body and His blood for you … what can you now give to Him in return?
26 For as often as you eat
this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.
Today
Jesus is asking you to:
1.
Eat
and Drink
a. Be a partaker of the
Body and the Blood of Christ
b. Receive Jesus as
your personal sacrifice
c. Don’t allow His
death to be in vain
d. There are three
simple steps any person can take today:
i. Recognize you need a
Savior
ii. Repent – Turn from
trying to do it on your own and realize Jesus is the answer and turn your life
over to Him.
iii. Receive Jesus into
your heart by faith
2.
Proclaim
the Lord’s death til He comes
a. Every time you
identify with Jesus as your Lord and Savior you proclaim your faith in His
sacrifice.
b. Depending on His
broken body and His shed blood is a public profession of your trust in God.
c. This is the
communion we have with Christ …
Have
you partaken of the Body and the Blood of Jesus?
Jesus
wants His death to be remembered. How will you memorialize His sacrifice for
your life? I challenge you to live each day as a memorial to the One Who gave
His all for your eternal freedom.
And,
don’t forget to remember those fallen soldiers of our great nation tomorrow.
God bless their memory and God bless America!
