Remembering the Cross and Walking in Victory

Oct 25, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: The Bread That Walked Among Us

The Eucharist’s bread isn’t just a symbol—it points to Jesus’ physical presence on earth. He became flesh, walked dusty roads, and broke bread with sinners to show God’s nearness. This tangible act of love invites believers to taste His faithfulness daily. When ordinary routines dull wonder, the bread reminds us God entered time and space to rewrite our stories. Let gratitude rise for a Savior who didn’t stay distant but dwelled among us. [24:07]

“Jesus said, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.’” (John 6:35, NLT)

Reflection: Where do you need to sense Jesus’ nearness today? How might remembering His physical presence on earth reshape your gratitude?

Day 2: The Cup That Cancels Every Debt

The juice in the cup represents more than forgiveness—it’s a receipt stamped “paid in full.” Christ’s blood covers every failure, shame, and hidden wound. This covenant isn’t a temporary fix but an eternal promise: God’s justice and mercy collided at the cross. When guilt whispers, the cup shouts louder. Drink deeply, not from obligation, but from the freedom of unshakable grace. [24:34]

“This is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many.” (Matthew 26:28, NLT)

Reflection: What debt of shame or regret still feels unresolved? How does the cup’s promise silence accusations?

Day 3: When Thanksgiving Resurrects the Routine

Eucharistia—thanksgiving—turns rituals into revolutions. The disciples passed bread in an upper room, unaware their ordinary meal would echo for millennia. Gratitude dismantles autopilot living. It transforms monthly traditions into fresh encounters with the cross. Don’t just go through motions; let thankfulness crack open routines to reveal resurrection power. [23:26]

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.” (Psalm 107:1, NLT)

Reflection: Where has faith become stale? How could thankfulness reawaken awe in your daily walk?

Day 4: Rebuking Shadows with the Blood-Stained Story

The enemy names his lies “divorce,” “failure,” or “hopelessness”—but Christ’s blood rewrites labels. What Satan intends for harm, God redeems for glory. The cup and bread aren’t passive symbols; they’re weapons declaring victory. Every sip and crumb proclaims: the cross outlasts every attack. Stand firm—hell’s threats crumble before a blood-stained covenant. [38:22]

“You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.” (Genesis 50:20, NLT)

Reflection: What lie has the enemy branded onto your story? How does Jesus’ blood redefine that narrative?

Day 5: Love That Wears Work Gloves, Not T-Shirts

God’s love isn’t a slogan—it’s a calloused-hand mission. The church isn’t a social club but a rescue squad. Just as Jesus entered the mess, believers get dirty serving schools, neighborhoods, and broken families. Love without action is noise. Roll up sleeves: the Eucharist’s gratitude fuels a life poured out, just like the cup. [45:40]

“Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.” (1 John 3:18, NLT)

Reflection: Where is God nudging you to trade words for action? How can your hands reflect the Eucharist’s thankfulness this week?

Sermon Summary

The Eucharist is a celebration of thanksgiving, not just another thing on the church calendar. The bread and the cup point to the reason believers can be grateful: God sent his Son in bodily form to walk this earth and die on a cross as payment for sins. Jesus is the bread of life. His pierced body and shed blood bring those who believe into a right relationship with God. These ordinary elements tell the story of how sinners came to have peace with him.

Matthew 26 places Jesus and his disciples at the table as he establishes a celebration that will continue for millennia. The disciples look forward to Christ’s payment on the cross; believers now look backward to that same payment. His blood is the blood of the covenant, poured out for the forgiveness of sins. Remembering that gift calls for more than a passing expression of thanks. Gratitude should realign a believer’s life, putting God at the priority and back in the driver’s seat.

Christ’s victory also gives believers reason to surrender rather than fear. Family trouble, financial pressure, and other struggles may involve the enemy’s opposition, but the enemy does not have the final word. God can turn intended evil toward good. Dependence on Jesus includes asking him to expose anything unclean and revive a spiritually stale heart.

God’s love meets imperfect people where they are and draws them toward himself. That love does not stop at rescue from hell; it changes lives. With God as the boss, love as the mission, and people as the passion, the church is called to be love, not merely wear the T-shirt. Living and speaking the truth in love makes that calling visible in children’s ministry, student gatherings, and practical service in the community.

Key Takeaways

1. Thanksgiving Must Not Become Just Routine. The Eucharist can become familiar enough to feel like another thing the church does. The bread and cup bring attention back to the costly gift of Christ’s body and blood, given so that sinners could have peace with God. Remembering that gift gives thanksgiving a concrete reason rather than leaving it as a passing feeling. [24:34]
2. Remembering Christ Should Realign Daily Priorities. The disciples looked forward to the cross, while believers now look back to Christ’s completed payment for sin. Both perspectives center on the same saving gift, not on human achievement. Gratitude takes practical shape when God returns to the priority and occupies the driver’s seat of a believer’s life. [26:29]
3. Christ’s Victory Calls For Honest Surrender. Confidence against the enemy belongs alongside a willingness to let Jesus expose anything unclean within. Spiritual opposition is not a reason to ignore the condition of the heart or excuse spiritual staleness. Dependence on Christ joins confidence in his greater power with surrender to his searching and renewing work. [38:42]
4. Love Must Become Visible In Service. Being love means more than wearing a T-shirt or claiming a church identity. Truth must be lived and spoken in love, with practical service giving that commitment a visible shape. Care for children, students, and neighbors can change people’s perspective of who God is and what his family is like. [45:40]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[23:06] - The Eucharist as Thanksgiving
[23:52] - The Bread, the Cup, and Christ’s Sacrifice
[26:04] - Remembering the Cross and Realigning Life
[27:08] - The Body and Blood of the Covenant
[38:02] - Christ’s Victory Over the Enemy
[38:42] - Surrender and Spiritual Renewal
[43:48] - Imperfect People, Perfectly Loved
[45:19] - God as Boss, Love as Mission
[45:58] - Love Made Visible in the Community

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Matthew 26:26-28
“As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, 'Take this and eat it, for this is my body.' And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, 'Each of you drink from it, for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many.” [26:13]

John 6:35
“Jesus replied, 'I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” [24:18]

1 John 4:4
“But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.” [38:47]

Observation questions

In Matthew 26:26–28, what does Jesus do before sharing the bread and cup, and what does he connect these elements to?
How does the disciples’ position before the cross differ from that of believers today? What event is at the center of both perspectives? [26:17]
What connection is made between Jesus’ shed blood, forgiveness of sins, and peace with God? [27:48]
Alongside the confidence expressed in 1 John 4:4, what requests are made for Jesus to work within believers’ hearts? [38:55]

Interpretation questions

Why does remembering Christ’s body and blood make the Eucharist more than another church routine? How does Matthew 26:26–28 give thanksgiving a specific foundation? [24:34]
How can gratitude for Christ’s payment for sin lead a believer to put God back in charge of daily decisions, rather than simply feel thankful for a moment? [26:42]
How does the assurance in 1 John 4:4 support honest surrender rather than self-confidence? Why is asking Jesus to expose sin important even when a believer is facing opposition? [38:47]
How should the forgiveness pictured in Matthew 26:26–28 shape the way a church treats imperfect people? What distinguishes a church that claims to love from one that makes love visible? [45:32]

Application questions

When you take the bread and cup, what tends to occupy your thoughts? What might help you remember Christ’s sacrifice with fresh gratitude rather than move through a familiar routine? [23:40]
Gratitude for Jesus can reshape everyday priorities. Looking at your schedule, spending, or relationships, where do you notice a gap between thanking God and letting him lead? What might one small step of surrender look like this week? [26:42]
What current pressure makes it difficult for you to trust that Christ has the final word? How might the assurance in 1 John 4:4 shape your response without pretending the struggle is easy? Share only what you feel comfortable sharing. [38:47]
Is there an attitude or habit you sense Jesus inviting you to face honestly? What would help you respond to him rather than avoid it, and how could this group support you? [38:59]
Where, if anywhere, has your relationship with God begun to feel spiritually stale? What simple space could you make this week to seek his renewing work? [39:29]
Who is one person—a child, student, neighbor, or someone else—who could experience God’s love through your practical care this week? What could you do that would meet a real need rather than simply express good intentions? [45:55]

Sermon Clips

36s

#LoveIsOurMission

“That's why he sent Jesus. He loved you so much that he was willing to pay for your sins with his son. And so, I'm grateful for that. And as a as a church family, that's what we are. As a church family, we we believe God is our boss, love is our mission, and people are our passion. And so we will be love, not just wearing the t shirt. We will be love living the truth and speaking the truth, doing it all in love so that the world can be transformed by the power of Jesus.”

57s

#SavedByHisBlood

“On the bottom is juice, which symbolizes Christ's shed blood. These are symbolically pointing us to what we're thankful for, for God sending his son Jesus in bodily form to walk this earth and to die on a cross as payment for our sins. And when that body was pierced for our sins, out of him came the blood that this juice represents that paid for our sins and put us in a right relationship with God. For those who believe, this is a celebration of thanksgiving.”

41s

#JesusFirst

“And the disciples are looking forward to Christ's payment on the cross, and we are looking back ward to Christ's payment on the cross. And as we read, we give thanks. Lord, thank you. Thank you. Thank you for what you've done in saving me. Thank you. And father, I pray you would realign our lives right now, putting you at the priority. You in the driver's seat in Jesus' name. Amen.”

44s

#RememberTheCross

“but the scriptures tell us to celebrate the Eucharist regularly or often. And we do this once a month, and it's so easy for it to become mundane or so easy for it to just become another thing we do. But I want us to just take a moment because I want us to powerfully... I want us to be powerfully impacted by this experience. As we look at the cup, as we look at the bread on the top, the juice on the bottom, these two have strong connections to our relationship with Jesus.”

33s

#LoveYourCommunity

“She's probably already putting stuff away, but Drew's wife, Marie, directed that event so wonderfully. We're so grateful for her leadership. She she had stuff so organized. I'm grateful, by the way, for all of you who served at that event, who helped us be loved in our community. You know, people's perspective of who god is and what his family's like changed last night because of you. Thank you.”

40s

#VictoryInJesus

“Lord, we trust in that mighty name, Jesus. We know right now there may be people who are afflicted by the enemy. They may call it divorce. They may call it trouble with their kids. They may call it trouble with money, but perhaps the enemy has them marked. And we see from the scriptures that what the enemy meant for evil, god means it for good. And so right now, as we sing this, we know that you can cancel the plans of the enemy. We know that we have victory through your son, Jesus.”

Ask a question about this sermon

Coastal Church This sermon · AI assistant

How does the Eucharist connect believers to God?

Why does Jesus call himself the bread of life?

How can God turn the enemy’s plans toward good?