Brother for Whom Christ Died Communion msg.

Introduction to Communion Meditations and the Dominance of the Cross

0:00 The following message was delivered on Sunday evening, November 6, 1994, at the Trinity Baptist Church in Montville, New Jersey. Now, for those of you who are relatively new among us, we should explain that the ministry of the Word of God on the occasion of our gathering to the Lord's table, we have commonly designated as a communion meditation, and those of us who are privileged to minister the Word of God on these occasions are expected to keep that meditation within a much shorter time frame, and that basically for the reason that when we come to the table, we are not mentally, physically, and emotionally exhausted. So that we cannot enter in fully to the significance of the breaking and eating of the bread, and the distribution and the drinking of the cup. And while we would never have the Word of God replaced by the ordinance, nonetheless, we seek to have the measure of that ministry of the Word,

1:18 and also its focus, to be regulated by God. Our coming to the table. And so, for our communion meditation this evening, will you turn with me to 1 Corinthians chapter 8. 1 Corinthians chapter 8, and follow as I read in your hearing verses 8 through 13.

1:46 1 Corinthians chapter 8, beginning with verse 8. But food will not commend. But food will not commend us to God. Neither if we eat not are we the worse, nor if we eat are we the better.

2:07 But take heed, lest by any means this liberty of yours should become a stumbling block to the weak. For if a man see you who have knowledge sitting at meat in an idol's temple, will not his conscience be a witness to you? Will not his conscience, if he is weak, be emboldened to eat things sacrificed to idols? For through your knowledge, he that is weak perishes, the brother for whose sake Christ died.

2:47 And thus, sinning against the brethren and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. Wherefore, if meat causes my brother to stumble, I will eat no flesh forevermore, that I cause not my brother to stumble. I do not believe that there is anyone familiar with the contents of the New Testament, and in particular, that portion of the New Testament that we commonly call the epistles, those letters written primarily to Jesus, to churches and to individuals in one way or another, connected with the life and ministry of various churches. Letters in which the implications of the work of Christ and the responsibilities and privileges of the community of Christ are spelled out in great detail. I say I do not believe there is anyone familiar with the content of those epistles, who would dispute this statement, that there is hardly a doctrine or a duty set forth in the epistles of the New Testament

4:13 over which the cross of Christ does not cast a dominant shadow. Hardly a doctrine or a duty set forth in the epistles of the New Testament over which the cross of Christ does not cast a dominant shadow. And that we rightly perceive that doctrine or duty only when it is viewed in the consciousness of that shadow of the cross. Now in the passage just read in your hearing, this fact is powerfully illustrated and applied. The subject dealt with, in 1 Corinthians chapter 8 is clearly identified in verses 1 and 4 of that chapter. Now concerning things sacrificed to idols. The apostle says I'm going to take up this subject of things that have been sacrificed to idols.

5:28 And what things in particular verse 4 tells us. Concerning therefore, the eating of things sacrificed to idols. We know that no idol is anything in the world. And that there is no God but one.

The Cross as the Apex of Argument for Brotherly Love

5:47 The subject of this chapter was the vexing question that was presently agitated among the people of God at Corinth as to whether or not they should eat meat which had been used, in the sacrificial worship of an idol in a pagan temple. Now surely if there is any question being discussed that we would say excusably would be removed from the dominant influence of the shadow of the cross, it would be the question as to whether or not a believer should eat meat which had been used, as to whether or not they should eat meat which had been used, as to whether or not they should eat meat which had been used, as to whether or not they should eat certain meats in certain circumstances, or whether he should abstain from the eating of those meats. And yet strangely enough, in Paul's dealing with this subject, while he takes up many strands of argument to sort out the issues and to articulate the principles, he comes to the apex of his argument as to how believers are to view this issue

7:11 of whether or not to eat certain meats in certain circumstances and before certain of their brethren by drawing our attention to the issue of the cross. For it is toward the close of the chapter, after marshalling a number of strands of argument, that he says in verse 11, for through your knowledge, he that is weak perishes, the brother for whose sake Christ died. And thus sinning against the brethren and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. Verse 13, is simply then a deduction of that final argument that ought to carry the judgment of every true believer, wherefore, if meat causes my brother to stumble, I will eat no flesh forevermore that I cause not my brother to stumble. Why? Because among the many arguments brought forth, the supreme argument is this, that if by partaking of that meat that has been offered to an idol and eating it in the idol's temple

8:38 or in any circumstance that will embolden a man who cannot view the meat as simply a hunk of protein, but views it in conjunction with the idol and with the idol worship, Paul says that to wound the conscience of this man, to embolden him to do that which violates his conscience, is to do something against a brother whose unique identity is this, it is the brother for whom Christ died. And when I sin against that brother whose unique identity is this, he is one for whom Christ died, I not only sin against that brother, but such is the union between Christ and those for whom he died, I actually sin against Christ himself. And thus sinning against the brethren and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. See the similar emphasis when he deals with a similar problem in Romans chapter 14, and here I will only read the passage,

10:03 to show that Paul basically follows the same line of argumentation as the apex of his argument. Here he is dealing with matters of indifference, things not specifically condemned by the law of God where the conscience of one brother is weak and another is strong, and he gives various lines of argument by which believers with differing levels of understanding, and different levels of conscientious convictions about certain things can dwell together in peace, but as he's bringing his argument to its focal point, notice verses 13 through 15, let us not therefore judge one another anymore, but judge this, that no man put a stumbling block in his brother's way or an occasion of falling, I know, and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean of itself, save to him who accounts anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. For if because of meat your brother is grieved, you no longer walk in love, destroy not with your meat

11:26 him for whom Christ died. And in commenting upon those words, Professor Murray very perceptively writes, when the Apostle bases his plea upon the vicarious death of Christ, he's reminding the strong believer of two things, the extent of Christ's love for the weak believer, and secondly, the death of Christ as the bond of fellowship among believers. If Christ loves the weak believer, to the extent of laying down his life for his salvation, how alien to the demands of this love is the refusal on the part of the strong to forego the use of a certain article of food when the religious interests of the one for whom Christ died are thereby imperiled. It's the contrast between what the extreme sacrifice of Christ is, exemplified and the paltry demand evolving upon us that accentuates the meanness of our attitude when we discard the interest of a weak brother. And since the death of Christ as the price of redemption for all believers

12:53 is the bond uniting them in fellowship, how contradictory is any behavior that is not patterned after the love which Christ's death exhibited? If because of food thy brother is grieved, you walk no longer in love. Well, you say, Pastor Martin, why in the world have you introduced these passages and those principles on this occasion? Well, the answer is very simple and straightforward.

Relevance to New Church Members and the Greatest Insurance for Fellowship

13:31 And for those of you who are accustomed to me, I would say, Well, the answer is very simple and straightforward. And for those of you who are accustomed to me, I would say, saying, My heads are, and then spell them out, you're going to be disappointed. I normally use a clear, I trust, clean, homiletical method to teach, but tonight I'm giving a relatively simple, focused, fundamental, pastoral exhortation. And I want to answer the question which I hope has arisen in your mind.

13:56 You've directed our attention to 1 Corinthians 8 and the parallel passage in Romans 14 as a living demonstration of the fact that we are not alone. as a living demonstration of the fact that we are not alone. and a demonstration of the truth that there is no doctrine or duty in the New Testament over which the cross does not cast its shadow. Now, what's the relevance of that for this communion service?

14:16 Well, just this, God willing, in about a little more than a half an hour from now one of the elders will stand here and on behalf of the entire Church extend the right hand of fellowship to, I believe, seven men and women who are being welcomed into the membership of Trinity Baptist Church. In a little more than a half an hour, there are seven people who will enter into a formal covenantal commitment to the life and ministry of this body, and this body of Christ will officially and solemnly welcome these into that unique dimension of church fellowship as it is set before us in the New Testament. Now, the grand question on such an occasion is this. What is the greatest insurance that we shall relate to them and they...

15:26 relate to us in these intimate bonds of church life and fellowship in a manner that will bring the most glory to God and do the most good to one another? Now, I think that's a pretty practical question on this occasion, do you not? What is it that will constitute the greatest insurance that we will relate to these seven as they are...

15:58 brought into this fellowship and they to us so as to bring the optimum measure of glory to God and the optimum measure of good one to another in whatever part of our earthly journey we are privileged to share together? Well, I answer, it is a constant reminder of their true identity, of their true identity, of their true identity, of their true identity, as being those for whom Christ died and those who are united. This was Paul's argument on a matter so mundane as whether or not a Christian who had the liberty to get a bargain price on a hunk of meat should or should not get that hunk of meat, in the first place, or whether he should eat it in certain circumstances. And surely, if according to 1 Corinthians chapter 8, it is this recognition that my brother, my sister is one for whom Christ died,

17:25 my brother or my sister is one who is so united to Christ in the virtue of his death, that to sin against them is to sin against Christ himself, then surely, my brothers and sisters, if by the grace of God, with a growing measure of spirit wrought conviction and a spirit-enabled perspective, we can view one another in this light, we have the greatest assurance and the greatest insurance we have the greatest assurance and the greatest insurance we have the greatest assurance and the greatest insurance that we will not deal with one another in a way that will be to each other's harm and will detract from the glory of God. Let me put it this way, as I was seeking to illustrate what I'm trying to say in a way that would stick. If the regulative principle, that is the principle that all things in the worship of God must have the express warrant of the word of God, must have the express warrant of the word of God, must have the express warrant of the word of God, or must be in keeping with the general principles of that word, if the regulative principle did not forbid it, you know what I wish we could do with every single person who came into the membership of Trinity Church?

The Metaphor of the Cross Tattoo and Scarlet Rope

18:53 That when one of the elders stretched out the right hand of fellowship and welcomed them, that we had a professional tattoo, I don't know whether they call them artists or whatever, I don't know what you call a person who tattoos people, whether you call them a tattoo artist, whether you call them a tattoo artist, whether you, I don't know what you call them, never visited one, never planned to, never hoped to, but whatever you call them, a professional tattooer, stand here at the front of the church and take his instrument or her instrument and right on the forehead, between the eyes, tattoo the symbol of the cross.

19:33 Then, someone else, I don't know what his occupation would be, to take a rope made of materials that would not chafe around the wrist, but would be strong enough in the core, regardless of what would be on the surface of that material, and place it on the wrist like that wristband that's placed on you when you go in the hospital, that you can only cut it to get it off, you can't pull it off the harder you pull, the tighter it gets, and that that band around the wrist would be a deep crimson and would have a tail of about six inches to eight inches hanging off it so that no matter what we wore, whether it was a proper suit jacket, whether it was a lovely dress, whether it was this, that, or the other, wherever we went,

20:22 there'd be the tattoo of a cross in our forehead and a scarlet rope hanging down from our wrist.

20:32 And you say, Pastor, you must have worked hard last week and your time away has got to your head. No, no, listen to me now. You see the point I'm making? The tattoo of the cross in the forehead, would be the reminder that every time we looked at one another, we looked at each other in whatever other dimension of relationship we've sustained, as the brother, the sister for whom Christ died,

21:09 the incarnate God has placed such worth upon that man, that woman, that boy, that girl, that older man or woman, that he poured out his life's blood for him. He is one for whom Christ died. The scarlet rope around the wrist that hung down no matter what you were wearing, even though the color combinations were horrible in terms of that scarlet rope constantly being in attendance, I think that it would be a reminder that there is a God who is God. There is a God who is God.

21:48 There is a God who is God. There is a God who is God. There is a God who is God. There is a God who is God.

21:49 There is a God who is God. There is a God who is God. There is an unseen, umbilical cord of spiritual life that unites us to the Son of God in heaven so that whoever sins against one tattooed with a cross sins against one who is so united to Christ that in sinning against that brother and that sister, we sin against the Christ to whom he is joined in sinning. The spiritual bonds of vital living union.

Applying the Identity: 'Brother for Whom Christ Died'

22:23 Now that's the point of this passage. And it's the central and it's the only exhortation that I want to lay before you tonight as we come to this table and as we receive these dear brothers and sisters and as we seek afresh to think of one another in terms of the reality of what we are. This, this is spiritual reality. My brother, my sister is one for whom Christ died.

23:07 Does my contemplated action, do my contemplated words with respect to them indicate that I place anything of the same value upon them that Christ does? You see, that's Paul's argument here. He says, wait a minute. You people so ready to stand on your liberty and saying, we have knowledge.

23:34 An idol is nothing. Therefore, the piece of meat is a piece of meat before it was offered to the idol. It's a piece of meat after it was offered to the idol. I have knowledge.

23:45 I can exercise my liberty, give thanks to God for this meat and rejoice in it as the gift of God. Why should I be concerned about this hypersensitive, conscience of this brother over here who doesn't yet understand this? He's the weak brother, Paul calls him that.

24:06 Ah, but he's something more than a weak brother. He's a blood purchaser.

24:14 And if Christ thought enough of him, not just to forego a piece of meat for him, but to pour out his life's blood for him,

24:27 what value do I place upon the blood of Christ? And I will not, relinquish something like a piece of meat for the spiritual well-being of one for whom Christ died. You see the argument, Paul means.

Practical Implications for Speech and Indifference

24:48 When I begin to think of what I'm going to say about a given brother, if I view him as tattooed with a cross, would I speak so quickly and so easily about his faults to another?

25:05 One for whom Christ died.

25:12 Would I walk by him with indifference? Because my mind was full of what I wanted to do and what I wanted to say and where I wanted to go that I could not stop and turn and as the scripture says, greet one another with a holy kiss. Take the initiative to look my brother or sister in the eye, recognize, the tattoo of the cross upon his forehead and let him know that I regard him or her as worthy of at least the sacrifice of the 30 seconds of my plans to give some present tangible symbol of the love and the goodwill.

26:07 He is the brother, she is the sister for whom Christ died.

26:14 We sit at communion, and partake of one loaf and we drink of the cup that symbolizes the blood of him who died under the curse of God. What a wretched thing to say that we are bound together in the fellowship of a dying Christ who gave his life for us when we'll not give 30 seconds to give more than a grunt to one another. How are things with you, my brother? How are things with you, my sister?

Personal Application and Rebuke on Neglect

26:54 How is the family? How are the children? And I do not say this in any way self-serving. You who are new among us will just have to take my word for it.

27:04 If I were self-serving, I wouldn't stay in one place for all these years. I'd be traipsing around the country where people pack the buildings and sit there and ogle and goo-goo and ga-ga and give this whole distorted, disordered, weird view of who a man is. No, I want to be here where people fall asleep on me and where the little kids come and run and jump up in my arms because the only thing special I am to them is their friend. So I don't say this because I'm grieved or irritated that I'm being neglected, but frankly, I don't understand how some of you can go weeks and months and never once kick out your hand and say to me, Pastor, thank you for your labors on my behalf. I think you're miserable ingrates and I don't want to think that. There are men sitting in this auditorium who'll tell you that if I can't get to whoever's ministered the word from this pulpit before I leave this building, they'll have a call almost without exception before Sunday night is over, thanking them that they labored for me. That's the preacher for whom Christ died, the Sunday school teacher.

28:31 The Sunday school teacher for whom Christ died. Dear people, in an age of total self-preoccupation, nothing will break the nerve of that spirit in our midst but the recognition we are all tattooed with the cross. We are brothers and sisters upon whom Christ has placed such value that he died for us, that he died. And then when we contemplate to give an action or contemplate withholding a given action, or remember it was the withholding, according to Matthew 25, that gets those people in judgment, day in trouble in the day of judgment, because you did it not, because you did it not unto these, the least of my little ones, you did it not unto me. When we view one another with that scarlet cord as the constant reminder that we are united, united in the invisible yet real, eternal, vital bonds of spiritual union with Christ, the only way you can treat Christ now is the way you treat him in his brothers and sisters

29:57 until you see him face to face. If Christ were here, would you walk by him without giving him a greeting? If it were in your power to do so, you'll say, never, that's my savior. Well, my friend, you'll only see your savior in the faces of his people.

Plea for Commitment and Application in the Home

30:18 In sinning against the brother, you sin against Christ. And is it a sin of omission not to be aggressive in my greeting, in my entering into the burdens of my brethren, when the Bible says I am to do so? Yes, it is a sin of omission. And I plead with you in this brief communion exhortation tonight, pray that as we come to the table, and as we together confess, as Professor Murray has so eloquently stated it, that it is the death of Christ that is the bond of fellowship among believers, that we would all pray that as these seven are received into the membership, that we would in our minds' eye behold them as tattooed with the cross and forever accompanied by that scarlet rope indicative of their union to Christ. And in all of our dealings with them, whether in what we give to them or withhold from them, what we are privileged to say and not to say, it may be consistent with their true identity,

31:45 they are brothers and sisters for whom Christ died. They are brothers and sisters united to Christ. And you work out the implications of this in a Christian home. Husbands, your wives are tattooed with the cross.

32:13 They're united to Christ. You sin against them, you sin against them. And you sin against them and show harshness, insensitivity, indifference. You are manifesting, you don't regard them with the love with which Christ died.

32:41 Christ loves them, for she is the sister for whom Christ died, above and beyond the fact that she is the wife whom Christ was given to. And you wives, when you speak disrespectfully of your husbands and buck against his efforts to exercise a godly and a prayerful headship in the home, what are you doing? You're sinning against a husband, tattooed with the cross. You're not the mother of second, and also are you symbolizing certain traits and seniorities of a father, a patron, so they don't think you're serious? Could you know their Кор boomerang, simply because they're in the house of a brother? Sometimes it seems like they're away in a war, sometimes a ministerial matter. estroets, of the New Testament. May God help us as we come to the table tonight, as we receive these

Concluding Prayer for Revolutionary Effect

34:02 into our membership, to come to a new level of commitment one to another, to regard each other for what we are, brothers and sisters for whom Christ died, brothers and sisters who are united. Our Father, we confess with shame how often we have not regarded one another for what we really are. We have denigrated the work of Christ by our treatment one of another, and we pray that the Holy Spirit will take these few moments of meditation upon these verses, and so write them upon our hearts with power. That they would have a revolutionary effect upon us in many relationships, day after day, week after week, month after month, until we are brought home at last into the presence of our Savior and enjoy a completed redemption.

35:26 Bless now our gathering to the table, our reception of these new members, our eating, of the bread and drinking of the cup. Accomplish all of your own holy purposes in our time at the table we plead, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.