Epilogue: A Communion Meditation

Epilogue: Fellowship, A Communion Meditation
Hebrews 10:19-25

Read Hebrews 10:19-25

Today I am wrapping up my series on fellowship. Let me quickly review what we have already considered regarding fellowship:
1. There is a great comfort in Christian Fellowship.
2. Fellowship with the world is not the same as fellowship in the church.
3. Our Fellowship with each other brings us into fellowship with God.
4. We are transformed into Christ’s image (Sanctification) thru fellowship.

I. Miscellaneous Thoughts About Fellowship
Before we look at the text I want to preface it with some items that I did not include in this series on fellowship so far.

1. Paul in 1 Corinthians makes this statement, “not many wise… not many noble… God has chosen the foolish things of this world” and He brings them together and puts them into the church. In other words, God chooses imperfect people and puts them into fellowship with one another and I believe that He does that to teach us to be patient with one another and longsuffering. We learn that that the weaknesses and struggles we see in others are the weaknesses and struggles that we see in ourselves. And so the grace we expect from God for our infirmities is the model for the grace we show to others.

2. Here’s another text, I shared at the men’s breakfast yesterday. It really preaches itself, in 1 Timothy 5, the pastor is exhorted to treat the church as a family: “Do not rebuke an older man, but exhort him as a father, younger men as brothers, older women as mothers and younger women as sisters.”

3. I was given a book on pastoral ministry last week and I read this in the introduction and I immediately wished I had said it. John Macarthur lists 10 basic facts about the church and they underscore the significance of our study of fellowship:
1. The church is the only institution that our Lord promised to build and to bless (Matt. 16:18).
2. The church is the gathering place of true worshipers (Phil. 3:3).
3. The church is the most precious assembly on earth since Christ purchased it with His own blood (Acts 20:28; 1 Cor. 6:19; Eph. 5:25; Col. 1:20; 1 Pet. 1:18; Rev. 1:5).
4. The church is the earthly expression of the heavenly reality (Matt. 6:10; 18:18).
5. The church will ultimately triumph both universally and locally (Matt. 16:18; Phil. 1:6).
6. The church is the realm of spiritual fellowship (Heb. 10:22–25; 1 John 1:3, 6–7).
7. The church is the proclaimer and protector of divine truth (1 Tim. 3:15; Titus 2:1, 15).
8. The church is the chief place for spiritual edification and growth (Acts 20:32; Eph. 4:11–16; 2 Tim. 3:16–17; 1 Pet. 2:1–2; 2 Pet. 3:18).
9. The church is the launching pad for world evangelization (Mark 16:15; Titus 2:11).
10. The church is the environment where strong spiritual leadership develops and matures (2 Tim. 2:2).[1]


4. Koinonia
Another important item that I have not mentioned so far is that the Greek word that is translated ‘Fellowship’ is Koinonia. Why does that matter? Because Koinonia is also translated into words other than ‘Fellowship’ in the New Testament:

i. Contribution
…words like Contribution; contribution carries the idea of having all things in common. It’s like placing ourselves, our lives, our time, our talents… into a big pot so that anyone else can make withdrawals according to their needs. Some make contributions by helping others to move, or by picking up their mail for them when they’re away, or fixing a leaky pipe. Others make contributions by giving of their ability to teach, or leading or serving or praying or administrating. And some give of their resources, their finances, and other material things to help others in need.

b. Distribution
Another way Koinonia is translated is with the word ‘distribution’. Contribution and distribution sound like similar words, but there is mountain of difference. When we make a contribution, it carries the idea of putting things together. When we make a distribution, we are really spreading things out. In our koinonia we really want to make sure that no one gets missed and that everyone is served so we must be intentional about how we distribute ourselves. There should be no cliques in the church; no groupings according to race or age or social status. That means we need to step out of our comfort zones, young people should invite older people out for lunch after the church and vice-versa; we also have a great opportunity in this church to learn about other cultures and discover new foods. Let’s distribute ourselves- spread ourselves out.

c. Communion
Another way that Koinonia is translated in the New Testament is “Communion”:
16 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion [koinonia] of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? 17 For we, though many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread (1 Cor 10:16-17).

II. Exhortation:
Today I want to conclude this series on Fellowship with a look at Hebrews 10 and an exhortation. Our text this morning is a summary of what has been taught before regarding the Priestly ministry of Christ. That is that Jesus is the high priest of a New Covenant and that unlike the imperfect priests of the Old Covenant who had to sacrifice animals daily in the Temple; Jesus, the perfect priest, offered himself as a perfect sacrifice once and for all so that we can say “his blood washes us from our sins and now we as a church have confidence to contribute ourselves into the presence and koinonia of God.”

Prerequisites
But there are some prerequisites to entering God’s presence:
a. Faith
When we draw near to God, we must draw near to Him in faith because without faith it is impossible to please God. By faith, I am not just saying we must believe in God- that seems obvious; it must be a saving faith- a faith that trusts in the finished work of Christ on the Cross, a faith that can only be received as a gift from God, a faith that is free of self righteous works…. “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith…”

Turn to Matthew 25 (Read 1-13). Saving faith is not something that lasts for a while and then runs out. Nor is something that can be borrowed from others. Being a member of Gateway Baptist Church is not going to save anyone. Saving faith is unwavering; it, “hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful”. The true test of real faith is that it perseveres the trials and temptations of life and holds onto the hope of Jesus’ triumphant return- no matter how long it tarries.

b. A Clear Conscience
Another prerequisite is a clear conscience- “having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience”. This is another way of saying- under grace. That is, that we do not approach God in the arrogance and hypocrisy of hidden sin (because nothing is hidden from God). Rather we approach him in lowly state of humility and repentance taking hold of his promise that He is graceful to forgive all our sins.

Today we celebrate communion by taking this bread and this cup as a symbol of our koinonia not only with Christ, but with each other. Let us approach these symbols the way that we would approach the one that they symbolize- with faith and a clear conscience. If you are not a believer, I encourage you this morning to put your faith in Jesus Christ- confess that you are a sinner; that you are like King David who said, ‘surely I was sinful at my conception’ and the great prophet Isaiah who cried out, I am an unclean man and I live among an unclean people. Then accept what Jesus accomplished for you on the cross… that he took the punishment for your sin and offers the reward of his sinlessness- that’s the gospel. Come to this table as a testimony that you believe it.

And if you are a believer, but your conscience is not clear, you have sinned against God and others and you feel unworthy to partake of his grace. Confess your sin to Him- He promises that He is faithful to forgive all sins so that you can come to this table with a clear conscience this morning no matter how undeserving you may feel.

Finally, this table is a reminder of the importance of fellowship. Communion is impossible without it- communion mitigates against the pervasive spirit of privatized faith that permeates our modern world and mandates our fellowship because it must be done in fellowship.

We violate the command of Christ to do this as often as we think of him when we forsake our assembling together. Therefore, as we take of this cup and this bread, let us not just think of ourselves, but,
let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works,   not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see  the Day approaching.
That Day is closer then ever. May he find us as his Bride in unity, with our lamps trimmed with the oil of faith and our consciences sprinkled by the cleansing of his grace.


[1]MacArthur, J., F., Jr, Mayhue, R., & Thomas, R., L. (1995). Rediscovering pastoral ministry : Shaping contemporary ministry with biblical mandates (Electronic ed.). Logos Library Systems (3). Dallas: Word Pub.