Thursday 4/17/14 The Last Supper

Dear Father in Heaven:  Thanks for a great day, and thanks for taking me through it.  Please keep me on track as I go through Holy Week.  And Lord Jesus, thanks for all You did for us that appears to us this week.  Lord, I have a lot of new prayer requests, and Lord, please forgive me as I do not have them in front of me right now to list them.  I do remember one, Lord, please bless Tom Sansoni's new grandbaby and Tom's son and daughter-in-law.  Also, Lord, please keep Your healing hand on Tom's kidneys.  Now, Lord, please help me with the message and help me serve communion to all those who follow this line.  And then help me get the message dispatched.  Also, Lord, I am going to really need Your help on Friday.  I need to lean on You so much, Lord.  In Jesus' Name, I pray.  Amen.

Brothers and sisters, we are having communion this day.  Please get some bread and some juice.  You say you forgot your bread?  Open that sandwich and take some bread!  No juice, no problem, use water and think about when Jesus turned the water to wine.  I want to get right to it this evening getting it ready for tomorrow.  Reminder, please pray for Carry The Light Ministries as we travel some rough road for the next few days.  It will be very busy.  Now to the message, "The Last Supper."

Maundy Thursday:  April 17, 2014, The Last Supper.

Luke 22:7 - Then came the day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover Lamb had to be sacrificed.  8 Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, "Go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover."  9 "Where do you want us to prepare for it?"  They asked.  10 He replied, "As you enter the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you.  Follow him to the house that he enters, 11 and say to the owner of the house, 'The Teacher asks:  Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?'  12 He will show you a large upper room, all furnished.  Make preparations there."  13 They left and found things just as Jesus had told them.  So they prepared the Passover.  14 When the hour came, Jesus and His apostles reclined at the table.  15 And He said to them, "I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.  16  For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the Kingdom of God."  17 After taking the cup, He gave thanks and said, "Take this and divide it among you.  18 For I tell you I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until the Kingdom of God comes."  (NIV)

Let me just take a minute and review some of the scripture that I have typed out for you.  Once again we see Jesus sending two of His disciples, Peter and John, ahead and told them what they would find.  No one else but God could know all these things.  They entered a town, they came to the man carrying a jar of water, and they followed him to a place we have called the upper room.  I can remember years and years ago when Dolores and I took our motorcycle and rode down to Jim Baker's place.  In there they had a building built that was to be just like the "upper room" from the Holy Lands.  It was beautiful.  Anyway, I can remember going to that upper room and being told about it.  They also had prayer requests sent in and in a big glass case, and people would lay hands on those requests and pray over them in faith.  And yes, prayer raised in faith is answered.  Anyway, Peter and John found things as Jesus said they would be.  Here is one thing I would like to point out.  In all the pictures, prints, etc., of the "Last Supper" you always see Jesus at the center of the table, and you see six disciples, or apostles, sitting beside him, six to  His right and six to His left.  More than likely the table was positioned so that the men could gather all around it.  However, that would not work for a "photo shoot" so we see pictures as we have them today.  Let me move on.

Next we pray for the emblems that we will be using.

Dear Father in Heaven, please bless these emblems for us, please have them to be the body and the blood.  The Body of our Broken Jesus if in the form of our bread and the Blood of our Lord Jesus is in the form of our juice.  Please bless them in the name of Jesus, I pray.  Amen.

Next we pray for God to clean us of our sins so we go to His table clean.  I cannot pray this one for you.  I will pray for my own sins to be washed away.  Please pray this now yourself.

Dear Father in Heaven:  Please wash me white as snow with the blood of Jesus that is still flowing from Calvary today, and permit me to dine with Him clean.  In Jesus' Name, I pray.  Amen.

Okay, now we are ready.  Please take your bread, the Body of Jesus!

Luke 22:19 - And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them saying, "This is my body given for you, do this in remembrance of me."  (NIV)

Now your juice, the Blood of Jesus!

Luke 22:20 - In the same way, after the supper He took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is poured out for you."  (NIV)

Thank You, Jesus, for dining with us this day.  I love You, Jesus.  Amen.

Now go forth and share your blessings, and by all means, share communion with someone today.  Go to a Maundy Thursday service if you can.  Love ya, and please share my love with others.

Pastor Dan