Do As I Have Done To You

Reid Tait

Midland SDA Church

October 23, 2010

Power Point:  Thursday night I gave a power point presentation on John Calvin, a 16 ^th century reformer who lived in Geneva Switzerland and he had a great impact on Christianity as we know and practice it today.  I needed some help with the Power Point since I could not get it to do the stepping the way I wanted.  Ronny Aerts had already shown me how to do some of the steps, the pastor had sent me outline and background used to put the text on, and Ronny had sent me information he gleaned off of the internet.  After several days of gathering information and trying to set up the Power Point, I was ready for Ronny to make it work as an effective Power Point presentation.  Ronny takes his stick puts it into my computer, pushes some keys and lights blink on the stick and he places it into his computer, pushes more keys and there’s my information is on his computer.  A few more movements with the mouse a click here or there and voila’  the presentation is ready to try.  Mean while I am lost in the rapid moving fingers, clicks on the mouse (right or left), and rapid changing scene that is happening before my eyes.  “How did you do that”, I asked?  He proceeds to show me in slow motion, I realize very quickly that I must do it for myself or I will not remember it.  Communion is both a remembering and a doing activity in order to have a full experience and remember Christ’s wonderful sacrifice.  My desire is for you to obtain the full blessings of this wonderful service Christ has instituted.

Prayer

Read John 13:12-15  “So when He had washed their feet, taken His garments,  and sat down again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you?  13. “You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am.  14 “If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.  15 “For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you”  We are here today to remember Jesus’ gift on the cross by remembering the emblems of the bread and the wine and doing the feet washing.  He specifically designed the foot-washing and the partaking of the bread and cup as an agent to help us remember Him.  To make it more memorable we do as He did.   We remember best when we combine it with action or doing.

Turn to 1 Cor. 11:23-26 “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.”

Christ is standing at the point of transition between two great festivals.  He, the spotless Lamb of God, was about to present Himself as a sin offering, and He would bring to an end of the system of types and ceremonies. The Passover was ordained as a commemoration of the deliverance of Israel from Egyptian Bondage.  The ordinance of the Lord’s Supper was given to commemorate the great deliverance from sin and death, and the awesome gift of eternal life that Jesus gave by His death on Calvary.  Do we remember Jesus and do we do the part that the disciples were loath to do?

Pastor Donald J. Gettys tells the story of a couple who had a very good marriage.  They had a little girl, a beautiful young daughter until one day when little girl was tragically killed.  That seemed to destroy the happiness in that home.  Their hearts were grieved.  As time passed the husband and wife grew apart.  Their love for each other just wasn’t the same any more since their little daughter was killed.  Finally their love grew cold.  A bitter hatred came into their lives.  Finally they agreed to separate and finally to divorce.

As they were in their home one day going over the various items they had accumulated over the years of their marriage, they got tired and sat down a moment to rest.  Their eyes chanced to fall upon a pair of LITTLE RED SHOES which had belonged to their little girl.  This reminder of their precious daughter softened their hearts.  Before long, they were weeping in tenderness.  God convicted them of their mistake.  They got back together.  The marriage was saved.  That little REMINDER—the little red shoes seemed to be the turning point in their lives.

I want this service to be a turning point in your life.  This is just like a little pair of red shoes reminding the parents of happier days.  This service is designed by Jesus Himself to help us to remember what He did for you and me.  As we enter into this service, we need to contemplate Jesus.  We need to go over the scenes of what Jesus did for you in your mind.  Let Jesus bring the reminder of Himself deep into your heart.  As David plays the piano think on Jesus and His love—think on your blessings

“This do in remembrance of me” said Jesus.  Today as you enter into a contemplation of Jesus, let this reminder of Him bring you back into a deeper experience with your Saviour.  Let this be a turning point in your life.  If you have drifted away, Come back to Jesus.  Remember what He has done for you.  Give Him your heart.  You’ll never ever regret it.

You know, Jesus is a very special person.  He established the communion service, the Lord’s Supper, to help us remember Him.  What a beautiful thing He did.  We will celebrate this service in just a few moments, as we separate for the ordinance of the foot-washing.  We do the foot washing because He said, “I set you an example that if you do as I have done to you, you will be blest.  You will be happy.”  And afterward as we re-assemble back in this sanctuary for the Lord’s Supper, for the bread and for the cup, there will be a real blessing for each of us.

“Jesus declares, “Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”  It is by receiving the life for us poured out on Calvary’s cross, that we can live the life of holiness.  And this life we receive by receiving His word, by doing those things which He has commanded.  Thus we become one with Him.  Jesus says, “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 feeds on Me will live because of Me.    John 6:54, 56, 57.  To the Holy Communion this scripture in a special sense applies.  As faith contemplates our Lord’s great sacrifice, the soul assimilates the spiritual life of Christ.  That soul will receive spiritual strength from every Communion.  The service forms a living connection by which the believer is bound up with Christ, and thus bound up with the Father.  In a special sense it forms a connection between dependent human beings and God.

As we receive the bread and wine symbolizing Christ’s broken body and spilled blood, we in imagination join in the scene of Communion in the upper chamber.  We seem to be passing through the garden consecrated by the agony of Him who bore the sins of the world.  We witness the struggle by which our reconciliation with God was obtained.  Christ is set forth crucified among us.

Looking upon the crucified Redeemer, we more fully comprehend the magnitude and meaning of the sacrifice made by the Majesty of heaven.  The plan of salvation is glorified before us, and the thought of Calvary awakens living and sacred emotions in our hearts.  Praise to God and the Lamb will be in our hearts and on our lips; for pride and self-worship cannot flourish in the soul that keeps fresh in memory the scenes of Calvary.

He who beholds the Savior’s matchless love will be elevated in thought, purified in heart, transformed in character.  He will go forth to be a light to the world, to reflect in some degree this mysterious love.  The more we contemplate the cross of Christ, the more fully shall we adopt the language of the apostle when he said, “God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.” Gal.6:14 “.  E. G. White, The Desire of the Ages, pp 660, 661.  Note:  text quotes from the NKJV.

Communion:  What a blessing!

Testimonies:  As the Spirit move you to share your testimonies of God’s great blessings in your life before separating for the feet washing.

The Midland Seventh-day Adventist Church practices open communion.  If you believe in Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, you are welcome to join us in celebrating the communion service.  Those who choose not to take part in the foot-washing may remain in their seats.  The ladies will go to the Activity Center, the men to the Library and class rooms on the South side of the church, and couples or families can meet in the North side class rooms.  So there’s a place for every one of us.  May God bless us as we enter into this service.

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Further Explanation

When the foot-washing is finished we all re-assemble in the sanctuary for the bread and the wine.  The three elders lead the two deacons and two deaconesses to the front of the church.  The three elders sit behind the communion table, the two deacons are on the left on the front row and the two deaconesses on the right side in the front row.  The two deaconesses uncover the table and the bread which lies before them.  Prayer is offered by one deacon for the bread, the bread is broken by the head elder and the other two elders.  The head elder passes the bread to the elder on the right than to the elder on the left.  The two elders than pass the plates containing the bread to the deacons for distribution to the congregation.  The pianist plays music while the emblem is being distributed.  Once the bread has been distributed, the deacons come to the front where they pass the bread to the two elders who then pass the bread to the head elder.  The head elder than opens the scripture to 1 Corinthians 11:24 and reads “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.”  All follow the elder in eating the emblem of Christ’s broken body. 

The process is repeated with the wine (unfermented).   The head elder again turns to 1 Corinthians 11:25 and reads “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.”  Together we drink the emblem of Christ’s shed blood.

The head elder—“The scriptures say in Matthew 26:30 “And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.”.  “Our closing hymn is 398, An Upper Room.”