TOPIC: TOPIC: THE LIVING DEAD
MEMORISE:
"I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved." Psalm 16:8
READ: 1 CORINTHIANS 11:24-26
24 And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.
25 After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.
26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.
MESSAGE:
In John 6:53, Jesus Christ said that only those who partake of His flesh and blood will have life in them. This implies that anyone who does not accept Him as his or her Lord and Saviour is as good as dead. Such people may seem to be alive, but really, there is no life in them, and it would be correct to refer to them as ‘the living dead'.
As we see in today's Bible reading, Jesus Christ instituted the Lord's Supper, also known as the Holy Communion, to illustrate the eating of His flesh and drinking of His blood. He shared bread and wine with His disciples that night, describing it as the new covenant in His blood. Partaking of the flesh and blood of Jesus gives us life as Christians, and this is why the Holy Communion is such a powerful meal.
The Lord Jesus also commanded His disciples to continue having the meal in remembrance of Him until His return. So, as often as we believers partake of the Holy Communion, we bring the sacrifice of our Lord and Saviour to remembrance. This has several benefits for us believers, one of which is that it helps us to keep Him before us at all times. This means that as a believer, when Christ is always before you, satan has no chance to attack you.
As we see in today's memory verse, David said that he had set the Lord always before him, and because He was at his right hand, he would not be moved. This was the confidence David had that nothing could shake him since the Lord was always before him. When you partake of the Holy Communion often and worthily, you will be secured from evil and surrounded by favour because the Lord will always be before you.
Apart from those who do not partake of the flesh and blood of Jesus, those who do so while wallowing in sin can also be referred to as the 'living dead'. This is because, as they partake of the Holy Communion, God is right before them, and they incur His wrath because they are living in sin. This can also make such persons sickly and even cost them their lives (1 Corinthians 11:29-30).
Beloved, don't be among the 'living dead'. Accept Jesus as your Lord and Saviour if you haven't, stay away from sin, and always make the best of the privilege to sit at the Lord's table as often as you can.
KEY POINT:
Those who reject the sacrifice of Jesus are the living dead.
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: PSALMS 62-68
HYMN 23: ALL TO JESUS I SURRENDER
1 All to Jesus, I surrender,
All to Him I freely give,
I will ever love and trust Him,
In His presence daily live
Refrain
I surrender all,
I surrender all,
All to Thee,
My blessed Saviour,
I surrender all
2 All to Jesus I surrender,
Humbly at His feet i bow,
Worldly pleasures all forsaken,
Take me, Jesus, take me now,
3 All to Jesus, I surrender,
Lord, I give myself to Thee,
Fill me with Thy love and power
Let Thy blessing fall on me.
4 All to Jesus I surrender,
Now I feel the sacred flame,
O the joy of full salvation!
Glory, glory, to His name.
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