Lord, Is It I? Guarding the Heart at Communion

Summary

On this communion Sunday the church gathers to remember the suffering and death of Jesus at Golgotha, giving thanks that we were redeemed not with gold or silver but with the precious blood of the Savior. Reading Matthew 26, the preacher walks through the Passover Jesus kept - the unleavened bread, the bitter herbs dipped in salt water that pictured the tears of slavery, and the lamb - showing how every detail pointed forward to the Lamb of God.

The heart of the message is the contrast between the eleven disciples, who grieved and each asked "Lord, is it I?", and Judas, who called Jesus only "Rabbi". The disciples confessed Him as Lord, like Peter's "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God"; for Judas He had become merely one teacher among many. His faith leaked away like water from a cracked vessel, because the unrepented sin of stealing slowly drained the grace from his life until he sold the Lord for thirty pieces of silver.

We are urged to examine ourselves for even a small crack of sin, to repent so God can refill us with grace, and then to receive the bread and the cup worthily. The service closes by proclaiming that Christ paid the full price of divine justice as our substitute, and that this salvation belongs to everyone who personally receives Him.

Key Points

• We were redeemed not with gold or silver but with the precious blood of Christ.
• Every part of the Passover Jesus kept pointed to His own sacrifice as the Lamb of God.
• The disciples called Jesus "Lord"; Judas called Him only "Teacher" - who Christ is to you shapes your destiny.
• Unrepented sin is a crack that quietly drains God's grace from a life, as it did with Judas.
• Stolen gain and hidden sin bring a curse, never a blessing - fear sin and flee from it.
• Examine yourself before the Lord's Table; repent so God can fill you again with His grace.
• Communion is real union with the Lord, so receive the bread and cup worthily and with thanksgiving.