Overview
Communion is a remembrance of our deliverance and salvation, and a celebration of the end of bondage and the beginning of freedom. In this short teaching Rev. Rico Magnelli traces it back to the Passover, where Israel ate with their loins girded, their shoes on their feet and their staff in their hand because they were ready to leave Egypt. That readiness was physical, but it represented something in the heart. Jesus Christ is our Passover and our salvation has already come, so what remains is being ready to leave bondage in our hearts: to enter in through the door, to lay down our own works, and to forgive ourselves through the faith of Jesus Christ. It is as simple as eating and drinking.
Transcript
What Communion Is: A Remembrance of Deliverance and Salvation
I’m very thankful for this opportunity to share the word with you very briefly on communion. What is communion? People say a lot of different things about it, but I would like to summarize it this way. It is a remembrance of our deliverance and salvation, and it’s a celebration of the end of bondage and the beginning of freedom.
The Passover on Israel’s Last Night in Egypt
The children of Israel were in bondage for 400 years, and they sighed unto God for a Messiah, a deliverer who would bring them out. Moses was sent, as we heard from Reverend Smith this morning. Moses was sent, and on the last day before they were to leave Egypt, God wanted them to do what was called the Passover.
And they had to eat this certain meal, and they had a lamb with it, and they had all these different things they had to do. But I’m just going to read the last verse of this commissioning of the Passover. In Exodus 12:11, it says, And thus shall ye eat it, with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, your staff in your hand. Ye shall eat it in haste, for it is the Lord’s Passover.
Loins Girded, Shoes On, Staff in Hand: Ready to Leave
And what does this mean, the staff in your hand, the shoes on your feet, your loins girded? What does that mean? It means they were ready to go. They were ready to go. It’s a physical representation. It’s a physical thing that you do, but it represents something in your heart.
The children of Israel were going to leave Egypt physically. They had to be ready to leave bondage in their hearts. This is true for us today. Jesus Christ has already come. He is our Passover. Our salvation has already come, but we must be ready to leave bondage in our hearts. It’s time to let it go.
Jesus Christ Is the Door That Leads to Pasture
Jesus Christ, in John 10:9, says, I am the door. By me, if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out and find pasture. This pasture is all the things for a wonderful life.
He says, I am the door, which means he’s the access point. It’s through Jesus Christ. It’s not through anything else. There’s no other idea, there’s no other man, there’s no other woman, there’s no other thing that you can do to find this wonderful life than through Jesus Christ. It’s time to find this pasture. It’s time to find this.
Why We Forgive Ourselves: Justified by His Work
It’s time to forgive ourselves. It’s time to let go of our own works. And why do we forgive ourselves? Why do we forgive others? Why do we forgive ourselves? Not necessarily because we deserve it, but because of the faith of Jesus Christ we all have. We have been justified by his work. No man can judge you anymore. Do not let the old man judge you anymore. He has no hold on you. These words should ring true in our hearts.
Crucified with Christ: Letting Go of Our Own Works
Galatians 2, section very dear to my heart. Galatians 2:20 and 21. I’ll read it from the English Standard Version. I have been crucified with Christ. I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life that I now live, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness will come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.
Galatians 2 talks about people building their own works again, we’ve all been saved. We’ve all let go, in that moment we did. But along the way we go and we pick things up again, and we try to build back our works for salvation, and we can’t do it. It’s time to let them go. It’s time to let our own works go. It’s time to forgive ourselves.
Newness of Life and Our Real Independence Day
And when we forgive ourselves, through the faith of Jesus Christ, we have this newness of life. In Romans 6:4 it says, therefore we, the text is were, were buried with him by baptism into death, that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we should walk in newness of life.
Today is July 4th. This is our Independence Day as a country. But our independence from bondage happened 2,000 years ago. When that man lived, that man died, that man was in the ground for 3 days and 3 nights. He rose again and was ascended on high. That is where our salvation came. This is what we should remember. Nothing else.
It’s time to lay down our works. It’s time to forgive. It’s time to accept what Jesus Christ has done. And it is as simple as eating and drinking. That is communion. And that, family, is what I encourage you to do today.
Key Takeaways
- Communion is a remembrance of our deliverance and salvation, and a celebration of the end of bondage and the beginning of freedom.
- At the Passover, Israel ate with loins girded, shoes on their feet and staff in hand (Exodus 12:11) because they were ready to go; the physical act represented something in the heart.
- Jesus Christ is our Passover, so our salvation has already come; what is left is that we must be ready to leave bondage in our hearts.
- In John 10:9 Christ is the door, the access point: there is no other idea, no other man, no other woman and no other thing that finds this wonderful life.
- We forgive ourselves not necessarily because we deserve it, but because of the faith of Jesus Christ we all have; we have been justified by his work and the old man has no hold on us.
- Our real independence from bondage happened 2,000 years ago, not on July 4th, and remembering it is as simple as eating and drinking.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is communion?
Rev. Rico Magnelli summarizes it as a remembrance of our deliverance and salvation, and a celebration of the end of bondage and the beginning of freedom. It looks back to the Passover, where Israel ate the meal ready to leave Egypt, and to Jesus Christ, who is our Passover. It is not a mysterious ceremony to work out; as he puts it, it is as simple as eating and drinking. That is communion.
What does it mean that Israel ate the Passover with their loins girded and their staff in their hand?
Exodus 12:11 describes a posture of readiness. It means they were ready to go. Rico Magnelli explains that it is a physical representation, a physical thing that you do, but it represents something in your heart. The children of Israel were going to leave Egypt physically, and they had to be ready to leave bondage in their hearts. This is true for us today, because our salvation has already come.
Why should we forgive ourselves?
Not necessarily because we deserve it, but because of the faith of Jesus Christ we all have. We have been justified by his work, so no man can judge you anymore and the old man has no hold on you. Rico Magnelli ties this to letting go of our own works: along the way we pick things up again and try to build back our works for salvation, and we can’t do it, so it is time to let them go.
Scripture References
Exodus 12:11; John 10:9; Galatians 2:20; Galatians 2:21; Romans 6:4
This text was prepared from the teaching audio. Please verify scripture references against your own Bible.
