When we know the Lord's Supper is going to be taking place, how do we respond? Do we approach it with a casual attitude or do we prepare our hearts? Do we remember what Christ has done? Does partaking in the Lord's Supper drive us to our knees in introspection, asking God to examine our hearts for any sin that might hinder our walk with Him? Does it drive us to our feet in action as followers on mission with Christ to share the gospel with others? LifeWay's Explore the Bible Study: How Do We Remember? will challenge us to consider these questions as we explore Jesus' final hours with His disciples.

After 1500 years, the celebration of the Passover had become more routine and, in many ways, had lost its meaning during Jesus' time on earth. Jesus changed all this! He not only called attention to the meaning of Passover; He revealed the ultimate purpose. After 1500 plus years of practicing, remembering, and demonstrating to generations of Jews, God's plan for bringing them out of Egypt's captivity, God reveals the ultimate plan for delivering man from the captivity of sin. God's plan for the redemption of man intersected with the practice of the Passover. Now the fulfillment of Passover has arrived!

BACKGROUND HELPS

• 3 Reasons We Observe The Lord's Supper - Explore the Bible Blog Post
• Communion Sermon - Alistair Begg

TEACHING IDEAS

Every year the National Weather Service strives to make everyone aware of the impending threat of a hurricane. Part of their work includes helping everyone prepare for the possibilities of a hurricane. Preparation of a different kind is our focus this week in LifeWay's Explore the Bible Study: What About the Future. It is about being prepared for the return of Christ.

In Matthew 24, Jesus has left the temple area where He had just predicted the destruction of the temple which took place in 70 AD.  He goes to the Mount of Olives and begins to teach his disciples about the second coming of the Son of man at the "end of the age".  He gives very specific instructions about how to prepare for this return in Matthew 24:36-51.

Background Study
The Days of Noah (Matthew 24:37) are used to described life prior to Jesus' second return. Here are some thoughts from Adrian Rogers that might help you understand more fully the scope of all that will be taking place:

• The Days of Noah, Part 1
• The Days of Noah, Part 2
• Love Worth Finding Audio: The Days of Noah (Click Below to Listen)

Imagine receiving a wedding invitation and responding with conditions such as, I'll come if you allow me to dress a certain way; I'll come if I don't have anything else to do; or, I'll come if I like the menu you provide. Or, imagine trying to crash a wedding reception and being called out about it by the father of the bride in front of everyone during the reception. All these scenarios sound far-fetched but are illustrated in LifeWay's Explore the Bible study: Offered to All. 

We all know that, placing conditions on a wedding invitation acceptance is not "kosher." But, isn't this the way people respond to Jesus' invitation for salvation? They say, I'll come based upon certain circumstances or conditions? In Matthew 22:1-14, Jesus uses a parable involving an invitation to a wedding banquet to teach us more about Himself and what is required to follow Him.

Study Summary

1. God will hold all people accountable for their response to His invitation to follow Jesus.
2. His invitation is offered to all people.
3. Only those who come to God on His terms, placing their trust in Jesus alone, will escape eternal wrath.
4. As believers, it is our responsibility to invite people to the wedding!

Background Study Helps

Kingdom of Heaven
He begins by stating that it illustrates the kingdom of heaven. Because most Jews believed that the kingdom of heaven was reserved exclusively for them, and possibly a few Gentile proselytes, the audience in the Temple immediately knew that what Jesus was going to say closely applied to them.

Although they had many perverted ideas about the kingdom of heaven, because the term heaven was so often used as a substitute for the covenant name of God (Yahweh, or Jehovah), most Jews would have understood that it was synonymous with the kingdom of God and represented the realm of God's sovereign rule. There are past, present, and future as well as temporal and eternal aspects of the kingdom, but it is not restricted to any era or period of redemptive history. It is the continuing, ongoing sphere of God's rule by grace.

In a narrower sense, the phrase is also used in Scripture to refer to God's dominion of redemption, His divine program of gracious salvation. As Jesus uses the phrase here, it specifically represents the spiritual community of God's redeemed people, those who are under His lordship in a personal and unique way because of their trust in His Son.

Wedding Feast
In the ancient Near East, a wedding feast was inseparable from the wedding itself, which involved a week-long series of meals and festivities and was the highlight of all social life. For a royal wedding such as the one Jesus mentions here, the celebration often lasted for several weeks. Guests were invited to stay at the house of the groom's parents for the entire occasion, and the father would make as elaborate provisions as he could afford. A royal wedding, of course, would be held in the palace, and a king would be able to afford whatever he desired.

A wedding feast that a king prepared for his son would be a feast of all feasts, and Jesus was therefore picturing the most elaborate celebration imaginable. The fact that it was a wedding celebration was incidental to the purpose of the parable, the only mention of the groom being that of identifying him as the king's son. No mention at all is made of the bride or of any other aspect of a wedding.

The point is that because the feast represents the greatest festivity imaginable, given by the greatest monarch imaginable, for the most-honored guests imaginable, a royal wedding feast was chosen as the illustration of the ultimate celebration.

When all the preparations were complete, the king sent out his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding feast. The fact that they had been invited indicates that the guests were invited earlier and already knew they were expected to attend the wedding. To be a pre-invited guest to the king's wedding was among the highest honors possible, and no doubt those who had received invitations were boasting to their neighbors and friends. It is therefore inconceivable that, when the actual call came to attend, they were unwilling to come.

We have all dealt with rejection at some point in our lives. When it happens it can either bring out the best or the worst in us. For Jesus, rejection brought His best, but it also revealed the consequences for those who would reject Him. LifeWay's Explore the Bible: If I Reject Jesus, focuses on helping us understand the sad truth of rejecting Jesus and the love that compelled Christ to look beyond the rejection of some to the salvation He would provide for so many more who would not reject Him through the ages.

Resources to Help You Prepare to Teach This Session

• Explore the Bible Blog Article by David Briscoe: Bad Renters Beware
• Scripture Commentary: Reconnect Sunday School Overview
• Photo: Consider using as an illustration

• Video: Nice video that could be used to help introduce the passage.

So many people long for peace. Most of the time they turn to a leader who they feel can just "fix" things so they can live life without turmoil, pain, or obligation. Sadly, when we look for this kind of person, ruler, or king, we want that person to be formed and shaped into the image that matches our criteria. This was the case for those welcoming Jesus into Jerusalem in LifeWay's Explore the Bible Study: More Than A Prophet. 

Jesus came in on a donkey which symbolized peace, but His peace was much different than what the people desired or even expected. His peace was not for a country, for a world, or for a region. It was for the heart of mankind (your heart). It is the kind of peace that only comes by responding in obedience to the King who conquered sin, death, and the grave!

WARNING
If you search Google for content, please observe where that content has been generated. If you use any search phrases using words such as Jesus, Jesus the King, Jesus a prophet, Jesus God's Son, you will most likely be directed to Mormon research first. Verify all content including research, videos, and images to make sure they aren't of Mormon (LDS) origins or any other non reliable source.

POWERPOINT
PowerPoint images are available to use as needed. CLICK HERE TO VIEW AND DOWNLOAD

KEY WORDS
Fulfilled - Throughout the remaining study of Matthew this word rises in significance. Challenge your group to consider the significance of this word and to look at the Old Testament passages referenced each time. Point out the supernatural circumstances that brought about the fulfillment of these passages. Here are some of the passages from the Old Testament referenced during our study this week:

• Isaiah 62:11
• Zechariah 9:9-10
• 2 Kings 9:13
• Psalm 118:25-26

Lord - When Jesus gave instructions to the disciples in Matthew 21:2-3 regarding selecting a donkey, He used the word Lord to describe Himself. This word means "Master." Observe the directives and promises Jesus gave to His disciples in this context. Use it to discuss the importance of obedience and how Jesus guides us when we obey.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS:
I have provided a list of strong and challenging reflections questions based on the study. Be sure to end with a strong challenge regarding the kind of king we might be tempted to try and make Jesus become. Here are the questions:

• Do you want to cheer on a king like we cheer on our favorite sports team when they enter the stadium, only to boo them when they don’t play like we think they should?
• Do you want a king who goes after those who aren’t fulfilling our agenda? 
• Do you want a king who takes down those who oppose our moral views? 
• Do you want a king who exacts revenge on those who have oppressed us? 
• Do you want a king who brings peace to our country and world so that we can live without any kind of oppression?
• Do you want a king who changes our external circumstances or one who invades our heart and cleanses it of all unrighteousness?
• Do you want a king that will examine our temple (heart) to see what is unclean?
• Do you want a king who will "fix" our circumstances or "fix" us?