Communion | First Service

Devotional

Day 1: The Donkey’s Dust and the King’s Humility

Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, fulfilling prophecy while defying expectations. The crowd wanted a warrior messiah, but He came as a servant king. His choice of a humble animal revealed a kingdom built on surrender, not conquest. This moment redefined power—not in swords or titles, but in quiet obedience. The same God who spoke creation into being chose dust-covered roads to rewrite our story.
[03:55]

“Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” (Zechariah 9:9, NIV)

Reflection: Where have you expected God to show up with flashy solutions, only to find Him working in ordinary, humble ways? How might His quiet faithfulness reshape your definition of victory?

Day 2: Bread Broken for the Ones Still Bickering

At the Last Supper, Jesus offered His body and blood to disciples distracted by rivalry. While He spoke of sacrifice, they debated status. His grace met their immaturity without condemnation, modeling how love serves even when misunderstood. The bread and cup became mirrors, exposing both their need and His relentless commitment to fill it.
[07:38]

“When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. And he said to them, ‘I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer…’ Then 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.’” (Luke 22:14-15, 19, NIV)

Reflection: What distractions or comparisons keep you from fully receiving Christ’s sacrifice? How does His patience with the disciples’ flaws comfort you in your own?

Day 3: Judas at the Table and Grace in the Shadows

Jesus shared the Passover meal with His betrayer, washing Judas’ feet hours before the betrayal. He didn’t disqualify the disloyal but loved them to the end. This moment reveals a humility that refuses to weaponize knowledge of others’ failures, choosing instead to break bread with those who’ll break His heart.
[17:33]

“Even my close friend, someone I trusted, one who shared my bread, has turned against me.” (Psalm 41:9, NIV)

Reflection: Who feels like a “Judas” in your life right now? How might Jesus’ example challenge you to engage them with compassion rather than suspicion?

Day 4: The Target on the Back and the Cross on the Chest

Jesus warned that leadership in His kingdom means bearing targets, not wearing crowns. True greatness wears the towel of service, not the robe of privilege. His disciples argued about thrones while He prepared for a tomb, proving that influence in God’s economy flows downward, not upward.
[10:31]

“But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves.” (Luke 22:26, NIV)

Reflection: Where does your desire for recognition clash with Christ’s call to hidden service? What practical step could you take this week to lead through quiet sacrifice?

Day 5: Lamb’s Blood on Doorposts and Nail Scars in Hands

The Passover lamb’s blood spared Israel from death; Christ’s blood on the cross spares us from eternal separation. Communion isn’t a ritual but a reckoning—we remember we’re saved by scars, not strategies. Every crumb of bread whispers: “Your striving ends here. My body is enough.”
[13:21]

“Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.” (1 Corinthians 5:7, NIV)

Reflection: What areas of your life still operate under “self-salvation projects”? How does the finished work of the Lamb invite you to rest today?

Sermon Summary

Jesus stands at the center of his story, not like some ESPN biography, but as the one who created the heavens and the earth, came in flesh, died for sin, and is present among his people. Luke 22 brings Jesus to the Passover table after the triumphant entry, where the crowd shouts “Hosanna” while the cross is already coming fast. Zechariah had already pictured the king coming lowly and riding on a donkey, and that image matters because Jesus does not come in on a war horse to crush Rome. Jesus comes humble, and Jesus comes to die.

The Passover carries the memory of Exodus, where the lamb’s blood over the door meant death would pass over the house. Exodus 12 made that remembrance permanent from generation to generation, and Jesus takes that meal and fills it up with himself. The bread becomes his body given. The cup becomes the new covenant in his blood poured out. Communion is not a magical potion where the juice and bread fix everything. Communion is a humbling reminder that the soul cannot be bought with good deeds or money, and only through Jesus can anyone be saved and made clean.

The disciples miss the gravity of the moment. Jesus is laying out the rescue plan for all people, Jews and Gentiles, and the disciples start arguing about who is the greatest. Their argument shows how human pride can stand right next to holy things and still make the moment about self. True greatness does not come from a title, a position, numbers, or being the “best disciple.” True greatness comes from humility, submission to God, sacrifice, and loving God and others.

Jesus alone can make that sacrifice. Peter could die, but Peter’s death would not save anybody. Jesus is the perfect lamb, the one able to take on sin as a perfect person and bring freedom to all humanity. Judas sits at the table too, and Jesus has every right to put him out. Jesus could have looked him in the eye and said, “I know what you did,” but Jesus loves him, serves him, and shares the table with imperfect men.

Humility must move from the communion table into daily life. Pride shows up in traffic, at home, in church, and around difficult people. The call of communion presses the church to be Jesus to someone, show grace, love the neighbor as self, and not become the reason someone turns from Christ. God must check the spirit, knock down pride, and teach humility before humiliation becomes necessary.

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Key Takeaways

1. Communion humbles every human soul [12:37] Communion does not work like a spiritual shortcut or a holy reset button. The bread and cup press the believer to face the truth that sin cannot be managed by effort, money, or religious activity. The table becomes a place where pride has to get quiet because Christ alone saves and makes clean. [12:37]
2. Greatness bends low before God [09:39] True greatness does not rise from being noticed, titled, platformed, or proved right. Jesus defines greatness through humility, submission, sacrifice, and love that lifts Christ and others instead of self. A disciple becomes great in the kingdom by becoming small enough to receive grace and give it away. [09:39]
3. Jesus loved Judas at the table [17:33] Judas did not surprise Jesus, and betrayal did not make Jesus cruel. Jesus shared space, meal, and mercy with the man who would hand him over. That kind of humility exposes how quickly human hearts want sandpaper for enemies while Christ keeps offering love without pretending betrayal is harmless. [17:33]
4. Grace must leave the building [22:11] Humility cannot stay trapped in a church service or a communion moment. The life formed by Jesus must show grace in traffic, at home, around difficult people, and in the ordinary places where pride likes to take over. The warning is sobering: a Christian life can either make Christ visible or become the obstacle that turns someone away.

## [22:11]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:31] - Jesus at the Center of His Story
[02:06] - Communion and Luke 22
[03:05] - The King Comes on a Donkey
[04:25] - Passover and the Lamb’s Blood
[06:18] - Jesus Breaks Bread and Shares the Cup
[07:38] - The Disciples Miss the Moment
[08:58] - True Greatness Is Humility
[11:04] - Jesus as the Perfect Lamb
[16:26] - Judas at the Table
[18:54] - Jesus Honors Imperfect Friends
[20:24] - Show Grace This Week
[22:11] - Do Not Turn Others from Christ
[22:53] - Prayer for Humility

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Luke 22:14-30 (ESV)
Exodus 12:12-14 (ESV)
Zechariah 9:9 (ESV)

Observation Questions

In Luke 22:19-20, what specific elements did Jesus use to symbolize His body and blood, and how did He connect them to the Passover tradition?
How does Zechariah 9:9 describe the king’s arrival, and how does this contrast with the disciples’ expectations of a conquering Messiah? [03:05]
What did the disciples argue about immediately after Jesus shared the bread and cup (Luke 22:24), and why was this reaction significant? [07:38]
How did Jesus respond to Judas’ presence at the table, even though He knew about the betrayal? [16:26]

Interpretation Questions

Why did Jesus choose the Passover meal as the setting to institute communion, and how does Exodus 12 deepen our understanding of His sacrifice?
The disciples’ argument about greatness (Luke 22:24) happened right after Jesus spoke about His suffering. What does this reveal about human nature’s struggle with pride in sacred moments? [08:58]
Jesus served Judas despite knowing his betrayal. What does this teach about humility’s relationship to love, even for those who hurt us? [17:33]
How does Jesus’ choice of a donkey (Zechariah 9:9) redefine power and leadership in God’s kingdom compared to worldly standards?

Application Questions

Pride often shows up in subtle ways, like frustration in traffic or comparing yourself to others. What practical step can you take this week to “bend low” in humility in one of these areas? [22:11]
Jesus shared a meal with Judas. Is there someone in your life who feels hard to love or trust? How can you intentionally show grace to them, even in a small way?
The disciples missed the gravity of communion because they were focused on themselves. How can you prepare your heart before taking communion next time to focus on Christ’s sacrifice rather than distractions? [12:37]
The sermon warned that our actions could turn others from Christ. What is one habit, attitude, or word you need to surrender to avoid being a stumbling block to others? [22:11]
True greatness is serving others sacrificially. What’s one act of service you can do this week that requires no recognition or reward?
Judas’ betrayal didn’t stop Jesus from loving him. When have you struggled to love someone who hurt you? How can Jesus’ example reshape your response moving forward? [17:33]

Sermon Clips

73s

“``As we go back and we look, our souls cannot be bought with good deeds or money. Only through Jesus can we be saved and made clean. I'm a say that one again. Our souls cannot be bought with good deeds or money. Only through Jesus can we be saved and made clean. I wonder if the disciples at that point when they were talking to each other and seeing who's greatest, they were thinking about, oh, you know, remember when Jesus sent us out with, like, all those 77 people? I healed more people in Jesus' name. Right? Or maybe it's like, you know, hey. You know, I went to this town, and and the numbers were greater than than than Simon. So, you know, whatever. You know, maybe I'm greater than that. That's not what true greatness is. It's humility. Everyone say humility. When we take communion, we are reminded that we are as the Romans said or as Romans say, not the Romans. As Romans says in the Bible, we are all sinners deserving death. But the free gift paid by Christ on the cross is our only way out of that death.”

49s

“So understanding this a little bit, you know, the truth of the kingdom of God is that there's no greater than the other. Pastors don't live above or greater than those he shepherds. He is held to higher standards, obviously, but not immune to pride, greed, and temptation. What the disciples were not getting is the that true greatness comes from humility. True greatness comes from submission to God. True greatness comes from love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. True faithfulness comes from loving God and loving others. True gratefulness comes from using what God has given you to elevate Christ and others. True greatness comes from sacrifice.”

65s

“Jesus looked Judas in the eyes many times. I guarantee you. And as a human, I'm like, dude, that dude would be out of here. He's not even at my table. Get him out of Red Robin. Right? Or, you know, when Jesus was washing the feet, I would have used sandpaper and looked at him the whole time. I'm like, I know what you did, man. I know what you did. Judas didn't or Jesus didn't do that to Judas. What did Jesus do? He loved him. He cared for him. Jesus knew the full gravity of what he was gonna do the next day, but he spent it with the people that were imperfect. He spent it with his friends. He spent it serving them. Man, what an example of humility that is. Above all the other things that we know about Jesus, man, isn't that an example of Jesus' love?”

67s

“Here in church, love your neighbor as yourself. That's an important one that I feel like the Lord really wanted every single one of us to understand, in in this room is is that even in church, we have imperfect people, don't we? Do not look at the neighbor. Don't don't you dare. Even in church, have imperfect people. But God asks us to love our neighbor as ourselves. Everybody has a crazy uncle. I get it. So does churches. Love your neighbor as yourself. And and one thing I'm always reminded of too is that, I I love I love, I love the unity of church, but this isn't just where we need to be. Right? We are going out. We are asked to go out. And and I pray in this last note, I want us to just I really want us to understand this one. And when we go into worship, this is this is the driving force, is that outside of church, don't be the one that causes someone else to turn from Christ.”

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