First Alliance Church ATL

08-01-21 Kevin Goins - How are we present for the Lord's Supper?

“How Are We Present at the Lord’s Supper?” 
Luke 24:30-33 
One of the most debated questions in Christian theology is this:  How is Jesus present at the Lord’s Supper?  There is, however, another question which is of equal significance:  how are we present at the Lord’s Supper?  It may be that we are only here out of habit, or we may be here only mentally while the rest of our person is longing to be somewhere else.  If we cannot be present at the Lord’s Supper fully and unreservedly, it may be that we need a fresh perspective on this meal which has been provided for us by our Savior.  Hopefully, we will find a fresh perspective in out text today.                                        
I Most Bible students believe there are ____________ accounts of the Lord’s Supper in the New Testament:  one in Matthew, one in Mark, one in Luke, and Paul’s account in 1 Corinthians 11.

A. But there is also in the New Testament an account of one occasion on which the Lord’s Supper was celebrated ______________ the death and resurrection of Jesus.

B. How many times was the Lord’s Supper celebrated before Jesus went to the cross?  ________________.

 How many times has the Lord’s Supper been celebrated after the death and resurrection of Jesus?  _________________ __________________.

II Is there anything in this account of the Lord’s Supper that gives us a d____________________ perspective than what we find in the other accounts?

A. First, the Luke 24 account reminds us that celebrating the Lord’s Supper ought to be an e_________-o____________________ experience for us (24:31).

1. The bread and the wine are not i_______________, or visions, or teachings about Jesus. 

2. We have a tendency to think of Jesus as o_______________________.

B. Second, the Luke 24 account reminds us that Jesus, who is with us as we celebrate, is no longer l______________________ in the ways he was on earth (24:31b).

1. Jesus was born with a physical body like ours, but after the resurrection he had a glorified body no longer limited by s_______________ and t______________.

2. Until we are sure Jesus sees us, we will never produce a h__________________.

C. Third, the Luke 24 account reminds us that what we know of the power of Jesus’ death and resurrection, we know from ______________ _________________ (24:32).

1. Holding the bread and cup in our hands reminds us that Jesus is here, but that is _____________ what convinces us that Jesus is our risen Savior.

2. Nothing will strengthen our faith in Jesus so much as ________________ and _____________________ what God’s Word says about him.

D. Finally, we need to hear verse 33: “They got up and r_________________________ at once to Jerusalem.”

1. What they had seen in Jerusalem over the last weekend had s______________ and d______________________ them; it had destroyed their faith.

2. After this experience of the Lord’s Supper they couldn’t wait to get back to that terrible place, because they wanted to tell people about the ________________ _____________________.

III There is no place or situation so unbearable that the presence of the crucified and risen Christ in us cannot bring ____________________ and ____________________.

 

 

10-06-19 Kevin Goins - Free from the Curse

“Free from the Curse”  Galatians 3:13-14

There are many things the death of Jesus did for us, but there is one thing that we rarely think about and that is how the death of Jesus freed us from “the curse of the law.” But what is this curse and how have we been set free from it?

I First, ______ is the curse of the Law?

A. The Law curses us in _______ ways:

1. The Law is a curse because it gives us a cure for the problem of sin, but that cure is a _____________.

2. The Law is a curse because no matter what we do or don’t do, the Law keeps on condemning us.

B. The Law is a double curse – It offers us the ________ hope that we can please God and then it ______________ us when we fail.

II Second, _______ should Christians be concerned about the curse of the Law?

A. The curse of the Law can still _____________ us even though we are Christians.

B. Anytime our confidence in Jesus is strengthened by how we _____________, the Law still has power over us.

III Third, _________ did Jesus save us from the curse of the Law?

A. Jesus took the Law’s curse off ____ and placed it on _____________.

B. The curse of the Law is two-fold:

1. The first curse is the separation that comes when we try to create a relationship with God through p___________, rather than _______.

2. The second curse is the punishment of _________ that comes to us because we have not kept the Law.

IV Fourth, ________ ______________ does it make?

-Not only have we been saved from a curse, but to help us live a life pleasing to God we have been given the _____________ ___________.

01-06-19 Kevin Goins - The Dos and Don'ts of the Lord's Supper

“Do’s and Don’ts of the Lord’s Supper” 1 Corinthians 11:23-32

In 1 Corinthians chapter eleven Paul is dealing with a church who has gotten their celebration of the Lord’s Supper all wrong. His response to them is deeply theological, but it is also very practical. It is his practical instruction that we want to look at today.

I The first Do of the Lord’s Supper is Do t________ o________ what you know about the Lord’s Supper (11:23).
A. The Lord’s Supper began when Jesus gathered with his
disciples to celebrate the Jewish holy day known as _____________.
B. It is easier to remember something when you hold in your hands a t__________, p__________ reminder

II The second Do of the Lord’s Supper is Do c____________ the Lord’s Supper r____________(11:23-24).

III The third Do is a Don’t: Don’t forget h____ m_____ Jesus l________ the church (11:27-29)
A. The Lord’s Supper draws each of us into r_____________ with every other member of the Body of Christ – This is why the Lord’s Supper is also called C______________.
B. What Paul is upset about with the Corinthians is ______ they are celebrating the Lord’s Supper.
C. What Paul is saying is that there is a close and powerful c___________ between the way we t_______ each other in church and whether our celebration of the Lord’s Supper is worthy or unworthy.

IV The fourth Do of the Lord’s Supper is Do e________ y_________.

V The final Do of the Lord’s Supper is Do remember _________.

05-06-18 Kevin Goins - Eating Flesh and Drinking Blood

“Eating Flesh and Drinking Blood”   John 6:53-59

Christians make it our practice to regularly participate in the Lord’s Supper. Some of us, however, have been doing this for so long that we may have forgotten what it is all about. The text we’re looking at today gives us a refresher course in the theology of the Lord’s Supper.

I First, we need to begin by pointing out that not all Christians see the Lord’s Supper in the s____ w____.

A. T________________
B. R________ P___________, or Consubstantiation
C. R_______________ view

II Second, we need to point out that despite what some churches and traditions believe, John 6:53-59 is not focused on the Lord’s Supper.

A. First, John does not ____ what he could easily have _____ to show us that this text is about the Lord’s Supper.

1. John, of all the Gospels, gives ___ account of how Jesus established the Lord’s Supper.

2. John uses language in chapter six which, though it s________ a bit like Lord’s Supper language, is _____ the language of the Lord’s Supper.

B. Second, a focus on the Lord’s Supper would not fit the c_________ of the chapter.

C. Third, a reference to the Lord’s Supper at this point in time would be an a__________.

III Third, what can we learn about the Lord’s Supper from John six?

A. First, when we celebrate the Lord’s Supper we r__________ how Jesus gave his life to take away the sin and shame of the world.

B. Second, when we celebrate the Lord’s Supper we a_________ that Jesus’ death is what gives us life _____ and life _________.

C. Third, when we celebrate the Lord’s Supper we p________ that we will stay with Jesus no matter what.