So let's start off by John chapter 13. You should already be in John with the
Bible reading, but let's look at John chapter 13. And leading up to his
death, you remember he gathered together with his disciples and they
were having the Last Supper. So John chapter 13. Let's read from verse 4. John
13 verse 4. The Bible reads, he riseth from supper and laid aside his garments
and took a towel and girded himself. Talking about Jesus Christ. He took off the
clothes he was wearing, girded himself with towels and verse 5. After that he
poureth water into a baton and began to wash the disciples feet and to wipe them
with the towel wherewith he was girded. Then cometh he to Simon Peter and Peter
saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet? Jesus answered and said unto him,
What I do thou knowest not now, but thou shalt know hereafter. Peter saith unto
him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou
hast no part with me. Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also
my hands and my head. Jesus saith unto him, He that is washed needeth not, save
to wash his feet, but is clean every whit, and ye are clean, but not all. So I
just want to bring this attention to you before the Last Supper, before they
partook of the bread and the grape juice and and then the crucifixion. Following
that Jesus took time to wash the disciples feet. We've heard that story of
Christ washing his feet. Now I've already preached on this on a Thursday which was
talking about confessing our sins if you guys might recall that. I spoke about how
when Jesus was washing the feet of these disciples he was displaying just like
he told Simon. Let's read verse 10 again. He that is washed, so someone that's
saved, someone that's already washed, needeth not. So you don't need to be
washed again. You don't need to be saved again because once you're saved you're
always washed. You're always clean. You're always perfect before the Lord, right? But
he says so you needeth not save or accept to wash his feet. So something as
believers that we ought to do even though we're saved with eternal security
is that we need to wash our feet regularly. Okay on a regular basis and
this is but he's clean every whit and ye are clean but not all. Now look at verse
number eight. What did Jesus say? If I wash thee not thou hast no part with me.
Okay so this is talking about washing the feet. Okay this means because obviously we
spoke about this on Wednesday with some of the men. We have a position before God.
Positionally before God we're righteous. Positionally before God we're
without sin because we're in Christ and Christ sees that. When God sees us he
sees us through the righteousness of Christ, right? But then we have our walk.
Okay our walk with the Lord and our walks not perfect. Our walk you know
we're meant to walk in the spirit. We're meant to crucify that old flesh, that old
man. Okay but more often I mean look it's a battle for all our life. We're going to
be battling between that spirit and the flesh and in your walk you're going to
do wrong. In your walk you're going to sin. In your walk you're going to forget
the Lord and you know but the Lord says look that's why I need to wash your feet
because as you go through life your feet get dirty and I need to wash that because
if I don't wash it you'll have no part with me and what I preached on Thursday, I
don't want to preach the whole sermon again, is that part is the fellowship of
the Lord. Okay we're his son. There's nothing wrong with that. Like you know we
said if your children are obedient you know that relationship between father
and son always exists but if that child disobeys the father, wants nothing to do
with the with the family, they might leave and that will break the fellowship.
In order for us to maintain a good clean fellowship of the Lord, a good
relationship with the Lord, we need to make sure we confess our sins on a
regular basis. Okay that's what I want to bring to your attention because I will
be touching upon this before we take part of the Lord's supper, take part of
the communion. Now turn with me to Luke. Luke chapter 22. Luke chapter 22 verse 19.
So following the feet washing, if you don't already know Judas betrayed Jesus
Christ. He left to do his dirty work and then we take a look at verse number 19.
And he took bread and gave thanks. So Jesus Christ he had taken the bread and these
were during the days of the unleavened bread leading up to the Passover and by
then you know they weren't eating bread that had leaven or yeast. So when we
partake of the Lord's table we'll be take partaking of bread that's without
yeast. Okay unleavened bread. He took bread and gave thanks and break it and
gave unto them saying this is my body which is given for you this do in
remembrance of me. There it is. He says look this this you need to do this to
remember me. This is an ordinance I'm giving the church not just baptism which
is a picture of the death and resurrection of Christ but the ordinance
of communion. Do this this do in remembrance of me. Likewise also the cup
after supper saying this cup is the New Testament in my blood which is shed for
you. Okay so this bread this cup of grape juice that we're going to partake of is
to remember his sacrifice. The bread represents his body. He broke that bread.
That represents his broken body for us right. He was a perfect lamb of God. He
was without sin. He was righteous and yet his body was broken for us and then
it's the shed blood of the New Testament. The blood that poured when that body was
broken. That is the blood of the New Testament. Okay the sacrifice and look
you say to me Kevin why did God have to break a man? Why did he have to bleed
this man? You know I don't fully understand all the spiritual connotation
with this but when you think about it it's an amazing sacrifice that God
himself would come in the form of man God the Son and sacrifice his body and
his blood for us. Okay this is why we need to partake of the communion fairly
regularly. I think you know personally I think once every three months you know
four times a year I think is about right. I've been in churches where they do it
every month but I feel like it kind of loses its importance and there are some
churches that do it every year every year but you kind of you know God Christ
wants us to remember he says as often that in other places off as you do so
off often you know so it's something that needs to be done regularly but I
want to make sure that you know there's no right or wrong to that okay so I'm
just saying to you I think once every three months makes pretty good sense I
think. Now moving on to verse 39. Let's look at the suffering of Christ. Luke we
see in Luke 22 verse 39 and he came out and went so this is after they had the
Last Supper he came out and went as he was once to the Mount of Olives and his
disciples also followed him and when he was at the place he said unto them pray
that ye enter not into temptation and he was withdrawn from them about a stones
cast and kneeled down and prayed saying father if they'll be willing remove this
cup from me nevertheless not my will but thine be done. I just love those
words right Jesus Christ knowing what he's about to go through the sacrifice
is going to do not just physically but spiritually to take on he becomes sin
remember he became sin for us he takes on all the sins that we've ever committed
the worst thing we've ever done the sins of the whole world put upon Christ the
spiritual suffering as well as the physical and he says you know because he
was man remember that he was a man he's the father if they'll be willing remove
this cup from me if there's another way you know take this away you know this
wasn't something he was looking forward to do yes it was his mission yes he knew
this goal in his life yes he knew this was going to be the climax of his
ministry but he was thinking is there another way but then he realizes
nevertheless not my will but thine be done the will of the father be done can
we see the obedient son laying down his life and and just going with the will of
the father and you know I've said this before that should be out that should be
our thinking right we should be saying not our will Lord but your will be done
and then a further on in verse 43 and there appeared an angel unto him from
heaven strengthening him so you know the father saw fit to send this angel to
help him all right because Jesus was struggling at this point and being in
agony look at this in verse 44 and being in agony he prayed more earnestly so
even before any of the of the beating any of the whipping any of this he's in
agony at this point being in agony he prayed more earnestly and that that ought
to be a lesson to us right when we're in agony when we're troubled when we're you
know struggling in our life we ought to pray more earnestly the example of Jesus
Christ and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling up down to
the ground so he's sweating he's perspiring you know realizing just what
he's going to go through and his sweat is like great drops of blood falling
down to the ground now look some people say he was bleeding blood like he was
sweating blood I don't know if we can really take that from the scriptures I
just I just believe it's saying that his sweat was like great drops he was just
perspiring heavily and you know that he was literally just just water was
pouring out of him okay it's like great drops of blood I think just using it as
an analogy I'm not sure if that really was blood or maybe some people said
maybe was a bit of blood mixed with sweat you know a certain condition when
someone's greatly stressed that can happen I'm not sure I don't think we can
draw that conclusion from there I just I personally believe he was just perspiring
greatly from from the suffering that was going to do so we see even before he's
arrested even before anything takes place Christ in agony to do the work for
us so we can be free look at verse 47 and while he yet spake behold a multitude
and he that was called Judas so one of his disciples one of the twelve went
before him and Juni unto Jesus to kiss him but Jesus said unto him Judas
betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss and when they were about him saw
and sorry when they which were about him saw what would follow they said unto
him Lord shall we smite with the sword and we won't go to the story but those
those are those are those fighting right some people believe was Peter that
pulled out that sword cut off cut off one of the soldiers ears Christ put
that's that ear back but I just want to show you the what I want to point out to
you here is that Christ was betrayed by one of his disciples one of his close
friends in fact in another I can't remember which book which gospel it is
Christ calls him friend he goes friend you know you've come to betray me you
know Christ being betrayed by his close friends someone that he spent the last
three and a half years of ministry with yes Judas was a devil yes a reprobate if
you will you know yes under the influence of Satan but Christ saw him as
his friend being betrayed by a friend all right verse 47 sorry yeah sorry
let's move on from there verse 55 verse 55 and when they had kindled a fire in
the midst of a hall so here there's this multitude came they've arrested Christ
they've arrested our God they've arrested him and they're going to bring
him to trial and then in verse 55 and when they had kindled a fire in the
midst of the hall and were set down together Peter sat down among them but a
certain maid behold him as he sat by the fire and earnestly looked upon him and
said this man also was also with him and he denied him so Peter this one that
said to Jesus hey I'll never deny you right he denies another friend of Jesus
Christ he's another close friend this one a believer this one a saved man this
one someone that Christ was going to use in the future in a mighty way and he
denied him in verse 57 saying woman I know him not and after a little while
another saw him and said thou thou art also of them and Peter said man I am not
man I am not and about the space of one hour after another confidently affirmed
saying of a truth this fellow also was with him for he is a Galilean and Peter
said man I know not what thou sayest and immediately while he yet spake the
cock crew and the Lord turned and looked upon Peter and Peter remembered the word
of the Lord how he had said unto him before the cock crow thou shalt deny me
thrice and Peter went out and wept bitterly so I just can't imagine what
Christ is going through like okay we see Peter denied the Lord denied him three
times and then Jesus Christ turns to him looks at him you know another friend
another ones turn their back on me you know and all the disciples all the
disciples have fled away from Jesus Christ Jesus Christ is facing this trial
alone okay just think about that being betrayed by your best friends let's go
to verse 63 and the men that held Jesus mocked him
mocked him okay the people that took Christ mocking our Lord God okay making
fun of him laughing about him not taking him seriously this is the God of the
universe the creator of all things being mocked by man and smote him beat him hit
him that's what it means to smite to smote it's just to hit him Jesus Christ
being mocked being beaten and when they had blindfolded him so they put blindfolds
on his eyes they struck him so they beat him again they struck him on the face
and asked him saying prophesy who is it that smote thee and many other things
bless bless and many other things blasphemously spake they against him so
just blaspheme in Jesus Christ blaspheme in God beating him making fun of him
mocking him these are the things I mean obviously these are this is not the
physical suffering right now but these are the things that Christ suffered
leading up to the cross and then if you guys know about the trial who's taken to
the Sanhedrin brought before Pilate let's go back to John chapter 19 where
Callum read from John chapter 19 John chapter 19 verse 1 and then after the
Sanhedrin who was taken to Pilate and I apologize because when I think about
this I get emotional and then I can't get my thoughts right because I don't
like thinking about it you know we read about it in the scriptures we come
sometimes we kind of gloss over it we get through the chapter but when I think
about the suffering Christ went through it gets me pretty upset chapter 19 verse
1 then Pilate therefore took Jesus and scourged him so now they take him and
they whip him right they take Christ and they whip him and this might be the
first time he sheds blood you know I mean you know Christ we talk about you
know shedding his blood on the cross and yes he did but he also shed his blood as
they whipped him they whipped his back and possibly even because it talks about
Christ being bruised so you know obviously when you're bruised there's
internal bleeding taking place in your body so I mean Christ Christ at this
stage he's already losing that blood that blood that was shed for the New
Testament and scourged him they whipped him verse number two and the soldiers
plaited a crown of thorns and put it on his head and they put it put on him a
purple robe so this crown of thorns guys you know just taking these I don't know
if you've ever stabbed yourself with a thorn or or even bindis have you ever
walked just just on bindis just on grass and and the pain that he has in your
feet they take these thorns they make this crown out of the thorns put it upon
his head you know obviously they'll be cutting into his his into his skin and
you know if you ever cut your head that's where you bleed most mostly from
you know if you any like I don't know if you know this but if you cut your head
that's that's where you're going to bleed the most from so I can just
imagine blood on his face and then verse three and said and this is again mocking
him hail king of the Jews and they smote him they hear him again this time with
the crown of thorns upon his head they smote him with their hands so I don't
you know probably driving those thorns deeper into his flesh I'll just read to
you Isaiah 50 verse 6 says I gave my back to the smiters so this is Christ
the prophecy of Christ being beaten beaten being whipped and my cheeks to
them that plucked off the hair this is not something you're going to read in
the New Testament but you read about this in the Old Testament and my cheeks
in that plucked off the hair so Jesus Christ's beard was being ripped off his
face as they beat him as they whipped him I don't know at what point in his
suffering they do this but they ripped off his beard off his face they plucked
off the hair and then it says this in Isaiah 56 I hid not my face from shame
and spitting so spitting in his face as well we don't read about that in the New
Testament but the Old Testament gives us further indication of the suffering that
he went through now if you can go back to Luke 23 Luke 23 Luke 23 verse 33 and
when they will come to the place which is called Calvary where they crucified
him so they've taken him to Calvary now crucifying him remember his whips
remember his back is is destroyed from the whipping then they would take him
and place him on that cross with his bare flesh bleeding against that you
know that wood the splinters or whatever he's going to have in his his back is an
open wound you know they crucified him the nails through his hands the nails
through his feet the crown of thorns put upon him remember that and the
malefactors one on the right hand and the other on the left then said Jesus
father look at Jesus Christ just his his grace and his mercy then said Jesus
father forgive them for they know not what they do and they parted his raiment
and cast lots so obviously you know the Jews you know the Romans they put him on
the cross and we see Jesus Christ forgive them you know just the same as
us you know he went to the cross for our sins and Christ is forgive them you know
we believe in Christ forgive them
that's 35 and the people stood beholding the people look watching him and the
rules also with them derided him so the rulers here are mocking him deriding him
saying he saved others let him save himself if he be Christ the chosen of
God so you have the rulers of Israel mocking him deriding him verse 36 and
the soldiers also mocked him so the soldiers they put him on his cross
they're mocking him as well coming to him and offering him vinegar and saying
if thou be the king of the Jews save thyself just just making a mockery of
him and I'll just read to you Matthew 27 verse 44 so you know Christ was
crucified with the malefactors now the Bible calls them thieves one on the
right hand one on the left and then I'll read to you Matthew 27 verse 44 the
thieves also the thieves also the same guys that are being crucified who are
about to die themselves the thieves also which were crucified with him cast the
same in his teeth so they also just just mocking Christ these two thieves on the
cross mocking him now you're in Luke 23 look at verse 39 so they both I don't
know if you knew this you know we know the story of the thief on the cross that
turned to Christ but he was mocking Christ as well as both of them doing
this and then verse 39 and one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on
him saying if thou be Christ save thyself in us but the other anson
rebuked him saying so now now he's rebuking him he's finally realized hey
this Christ this is someone else this is something special you know rebuke to the
other thief saying thus not thou fear God seeing thou art in the same
condemnation this guy's realized you know what we need to fear God we're
about to enter into his presence and we're being crucified we deserve to be
on this cross we're thieves we've done wrong and we indeed justly verse 41 and
we indeed justly saying look it's just for us to be crucified for we receive
the jury ward for our deeds but this man have done nothing amiss he's realized
that Christ is righteous that he's got no sin that is perfect and he said unto
Jesus Lord remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom this is his great
prayer you know is he going Lord thank you for dying on the cross for me you
know please you know I recognize that I'm a sinner I mean obviously he's
captioned all that in what he's saying to the other thief he's saying I am a
sinner I deserve to be on this cross and you know recognize that Jesus is perfect
right he's putting his faith on Christ this guy's not going through some you
know magic prayer for salvation he just says what he thinks remember me he says
remember me when thou comest into thy King that's all he knows that's all he
knows what to say he might not know the great theology of the Bible and the
scriptures but he knows I can trust Christ I can put my faith on Christ and
I know that he's going to enter into his kingdom at this point he recognizes that
this is the Messiah this is the king of kings that Christ has a kingdom you know
he's got the crown of thorns put upon him but he looks at Christ and he
realizes no the crown he is a king okay and his sacrifice there he's on that
cross he goes no he's got a throne and I want to be part of that kingdom verse
43 and Jesus said unto him verily I say unto thee today shalt thou be with me in
paradise again just just the love of Christ this thief that was mocking him
right I mean if if you're at the point of death you know you've done nothing
wrong this guy's just mocking you and then he seeks your forgiveness I mean
it'd be hard for me to I just feel like God a hell right but Christ in his mercy
and love today thou shalt be with me in paradise and this is the same thing
Christ says to us you know we're all we're all on the way of death we were
all on the way to hell we're all going to pay for our sins and we've just
turned to Christ and he's he's said the same words to us today thou shalt be
with me in paradise spiritually but then one day in the future physically as well
what an amazing thing and then I look at verse 44 and it was about the sixth
hour and there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour now the six
hour the six hour just trying to get my thoughts on this just in case you say
anything wrong I don't want to do that but if you if you guys know according to
God he starts you know how it says the evening and the morning were the first
day we read about that in well the the new day starts with the evening when the
Sun sets that's the new day okay but I don't want to anyway so this was
sometime in the afternoon and so the Sun should still be out but everything turns
darkness and then it says here and the Sun was darkened and the veil of the
temple was rent in the midst so God has nothing more to do with this Old
Testament temple okay at this point in time that temple had that veil which was
the Holy of Holies and only the great high priest could enter into that Holy
of Holies once a year okay but now that that veil was rent God has nothing more
to do with this system of the Old Testament system we have the blood of
the New Testament being poured out the New Testament is about to be brought
forth which is available through Christ and not through not not the Old
Testament was to be done away with at this point verse 46 and when Jesus had
cried with a loud voice and he said father into thy hands I commend my
spirit and having said thus he gave up the ghost so we have the death of Christ
here Christ controlled his own death Christ controlled his own death he said
now is the time into thy hands I commend my spirit and he gave up the ghost right
and by the way there's no difference there between spirit and ghost you see
that says I commend my spirit and then it says he gave up the ghost that's why
it's fine to call the Holy Ghost the Holy Spirit or the Holy Ghost it's the
same thing the spirit and the ghost so we have the death of Christ and that's
what we're remembering to that tonight okay as a church we're remembering his
sacrifice the shedding of his blood turn with me to 1st Corinthians chapter 11
yeah just my apologies I get emotional I've preached on the on the sacrifice of
Christ in other churches and I get choked up all the time 1st Corinthians
11 verse 27 so we're going to read from verse 27 to verse 32 wherefore whosoever
shall eat this bread and drink this cup of the Lord unworthily I want you to pay
attention to those words because this is very important so if we partake of the
bread and of the cup of the Lord unworthily shall be guilty of the body
and blood of the Lord but let a man examine himself and so let him eat of
that bread and drink of that cup so before we partake of the bread and of
the cup the Bible or were instructed to examine ourselves okay are we unworthy
to partake of that cup there's a few ways to sort of understand what it means
to be unworthy okay but number one should obviously be you ought to be
saved okay because if you're not saved you're unworthy okay we're only worthy
before the Lord if we're in the righteousness of Christ if we're in
Christ positionally before God that what's that's what makes us perfect to
makes it makes us worthy okay we know we're not perfect I know that but in
Christ as far as God is concerned that's what makes us worthy before him is that
we are saved so someone that is unsaved would be very foolish to partake of the
bread and of the cup verse 29 for he that eateth and drinketh unworthily
eateth and drinketh damnation to himself not discerning the Lord's body so being
damned being condemned I mean that's talking about hell right so this is why
it's very important that someone is saved before they partake of the bread
and of the of the cup now I know which of my kids are saved so they're gonna
partake of that but our parents I'm not sure I'm not sure you know you guys know
if your kids are saved or not so I'll let you decide whether they should
partake of this or not because I would not want this damnation to come upon
themselves okay I don't want this this curse to fall upon them verse 30 for
this cause so for this cause for drinking and partaking of this bread
unworthily for this cause many are weak and sickly among you and many sleep
that's many died many have died so some have gotten weak some have gotten sick
some have died for being unworthy in partaking of the Lord's table for if we
should judge ourselves we should not be judged but when we are judged we are
chastened of the Lord that we should not be condemned with the world okay
because obviously the world is referring to the unsaved at that point but I just
want you to notice another thing here it's not just being saved that makes you
worthy to partake of this because it talks about here in verse number verse
number 32 but when we are judged we are chastened of the Lord okay we are
chastened of the Lord now read to you Hebrews chapter 12 verse 6 to 10 Hebrews
chapter 12 verse 6 to 10 which is the right light that one Hebrews chapter 12
verse 6 to 10 but whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth and scourges every son
whom he receiveth so even though we're saved we can be chastised by the Lord
right okay so there's more to being to being worthy than just being saved verse
7 if ye endure chastening God dealeth with you as with sons for what son is he
whom the father chasteneth not but if ye be without
chastisement where of all our partakers then ye are bastards and not sons so God
doesn't chastise the unsaved he does curse them okay but not his sons his
sons are chastised furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected
us and we gave them reverence shall we not much rather being subjection unto
the father of spirits and live for they verily for a few days chasteness us
after their own pleasure but he for our profit that we might be partakers of his
holiness so when the father chastises us he does it for our profit not for his
pleasure but for our profit so we can grow and be better Christians and learn
from our mistakes my point is in order for you to be worthy number one you
ought to be saved but number two you need to have a clean account before the
Lord okay a clean account before the Lord why do I say that because when we
looked at Christ and the washing of the feet remember he came and washed the
feet before they partook of the Lord's Supper before they partook of that last
Supper he made sure their feet were clean they were already saved but they
had to make sure their sins were confessed before God 1st John chapter 1
verse 9 Bible reads if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive
us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness I want you guys to
understand this very clearly because I don't want you first of all obviously if
you aren't saved I don't want this damnation to come upon you but if you
are saved I don't want Christ having to chastise you right big for not
partaking of the Lord's table worthily so what makes you worthy number one
salvation number two confessing your sins to Christ now I've part you know
taking part of the Lord's table in different churches and what have you
quite often people will be fearful of this and rightly so we should have a
healthy fear of the Lord but to the point where you know instead of taking
the bread and taking the juice they refrain and say no you know I just
rather not because I don't want to be chastised by the Lord because obviously
they've got some sin in their life they've got some unconfessed issues that
they need to deal with but here's the thing before we partake of it I'm gonna
have a time of silent prayer and that's your perfect opportunity because we're
none of us are without sin right I mean if we're we've probably seen today I
can't think of right now what sins I've done maybe you probably have right sin
today all we need to do is confess it right let me read it to you again first
John 1 9 if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins
so all God asked from us is for us to confess Christ you know God I'm a sinner
I've done wrong these are things that I've still yet confessed to you please
forgive me and he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins it's not a
complicated thing right so if you think man you know I shouldn't partake in case
I get chastised by the Lord you know what we'll have a time of silent prayer
you guys just confess your sins before the Lord have your feet washed and that
way when you partake of the Lord's table we need to partake of communion you can
make sure that you're partaking worthily and not unworthily okay look God doesn't
make it complicated for us it's something he wants us to partake of and
remember his shed blood and his broken body okay let's pray