LEST WE FORGET

Luke 22:7–20 NIV

Then came the day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover.” “Where do you want us to prepare for it?” they asked. He replied, “As you enter the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him to the house that he enters, and say to the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ He will show you a large room upstairs, all furnished. Make preparations there.” They left and found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover. 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. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.” After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you. For I tell you I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” And 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.” In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.

Introduction:

The first Sunday of every month, as we gather together in worship, fellowship and stewardship, we celebrate The Lord's Supper. Why? Is it some form of vain tradition that has become a means within itself? Or is it a significant practice? observed for the "building up of the child of God unto a mature person?" If you aren’t sure, don’t feel bad, you're not alone. I believe that most Christians aren’t quite sure about this practice handed down from Jesus to His disciples to the Church. Today we will practice with a heart toward understanding communion.

The Lord's Supper service is all about remembering and honoring the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, lest we forget the significance of what Jesus has done for us and what the Lord's Supper service means to us, we need to spend some time looking into the wonder of this great event.

I. A WORD ABOUT THE BACKGROUND

1. Address The Context Of The Passage:

Jesus used the backdrop of the Passover observance as a canvas upon which He painted the truth of the new covenant. In this passage, we are given the details necessary to understand all we need to know about this event we know as the Lord's Supper, of the Communion.

2. Address The Purpose Of The Lord's Supper - (v. 19)

- 19 And 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.”

The Lord's Supper is not a memorial service! Memorial services are held for those who are dead.

The Lord's Supper is exactly what the Lord says it is right here, and that is it is a "time of remembrance."

It is a time for the church to call to mind the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is to be a time of reverence, yet at the same time it should be a time of extreme celebration. Above all, it must be a time of worship and of focus upon the Person of Jesus, alone.

(Ill. This is the way things ought to be. In the beginning of the church, we find the believers observing the Lord's Supper on a regular basis, Acts 2:42 “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”

Unfortunately, it wasn't many years until the Lord's Supper had been corrupted by the church.

Let's turn now to 1 Cor. 11:17-34 and look at what happened in the early church. Even though these things happened nearly 2,000 years ago, there is still the danger that we might permit some of the same errors in our day. Therefore, let's take a few minutes to look at the events in Corinth and how they speak to us today.)

3. Address The Problems Surrounding The Celebration In The Early Church

A. Notice Paul's tone as he addresses the Corinthians, v. 17. -

In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good.

Paul comes to them in power and tells them that he is about to set the record straight.

I can almost feel the wrath of the great Apostle as he writes these words.

B. Notice the abuses that were present in the church and in the observance of the Lord's Supper in particular.

Again, please note that there is always the danger that we will fall into the same trap into which the Corinthians fell.

There are 4 abuses catalogued here that need to be mentioned this morning.

1. V. 18-19 There Were Cliques And Divisions In The Church -

18 In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it.

When divisions, cliques, factions, and parties exist in any church, then there is disorder in that church.

It always means that there is pain, anger, disturbance, rumors, gossip, pride, selfishness, misunderstanding and misrepresentation in the church. The bottom line is that minds are not fixed on Jesus as they should be. There is no peace with God, or with one another.

(Note: Why does God allow cliques and divisions? verse 19... 19 No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God’s approval.

- So that genuine believers might shine more brightly. You see, when there are divisive and cliquish people in the church it proves that they are not genuine believers.

When the false believers act as they do, it causes the true Christians to be more visible.)

2. V. 20 - There Was Self Deception -

20 So then, when you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat,

When they came together in this divisive and cliquish atmosphere, they only thought they were partaking of the Lord's Supper. In truth, they weren't "remembering and honoring" the Lord, they were putting self on display. Everything they did was for their own benefit.

(Ill. That spirit is also evident today! Many just go to church an go through the motions to be seen of men. Sadly, this is the same spirit in which they approach the Lord's Supper.

3. V. 21 - There Was Selfishness And Neglect Of Others -

21 for when you are eating, some of you go ahead with your own private suppers. As a result, one person remains hungry and another gets drunk.

When the Corinthian believers gathered for the Lord's Supper, there was no sense of fellowship or communal celebration.

The church broke apart along its internal fault lines. It became a case of every men for himself. God help the church that ever loses sight of one another.

4. V. 22 - They Abused The Sanctity Of The Church And Shamed The Poor -

22 Don’t you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God by humiliating those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? Certainly not in this matter!

There was a bad spirit surrounding the entire meal.

There was no sense of community and brotherly love on a horizontal level, and there was no genuine worship of God on a vertical level.

The church had degenerated into nothing more than a social club. That must never be allowed to happen here.

4. The Penalty Associated With Partaking Of The Lord's Supper Unworthily

27 So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.

A. What Does It Mean To Partake "Unworthily"? -

Paul was addressing the Corinthian church about their sins. It was their sins which caused them to partake of the Lord's supper in an unworthy manner. What were their sins?

1. V. 18 Division

2. V. 19 Heresy

3. V. 20 Self-deception

4. V. 21 Selfishness and indulgence

5. V. 21 Drunkenness

6. V. 21 Neglect of the poor

7. V. 22 Irreverence and carelessness in protecting the sanctity of the church.

A general spirit of irreverence and thoughtless surrounding their entire approach to the Lord's Supper.

The bottom line is this, it would appear that having sin in one's heart and life is what is meant by partaking unworthily, Psa. 66:18.

If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened;

B. How Then Can Anyone Be Counted Worthy?

Since our only worthiness can be found in the Lord Jesus, it is only when we are counted worthy by Him that we are found worthy to partake of the Lord's Supper.

There are 2 basic necessities for being counted worthy and they are: -

1 John 1:5-10 “This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.”

1. That we walk in the light.

2. That we walk in constant confession.

C. What Are The Consequences Of Partaking Unworthily?

1. V. 27 We become guilty of the Lord's death -

27 So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord

That is, we are held accountable for His death. When we partake of the Lord's Supper unworthily, we are guilty of 5 terrible sins:

a. We insult Christ. -

b. We offend Christ. -

c. We trample Christ under foot. -

d. We treat the death of Christ as a meaningless thing.

e. We shame the name of Christ. -

2. V. 28-29 We condemn Ourselves -

28 Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. 29 For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves.

When we fail to examine ourselves, we bring damnation on our lives.

This does not mean that we will go to Hell, it does mean that we will open our lives up to the chastisement and the judgment of God.

When we fail to exame ourselves, it is an evidence that we do not have a proper respect (discern) for the seriousness and holiness of the Lord's Supper service.

God takes this celebration very seriously, even if we do not!

3. V. 30 - We face the chastisement and judgment of God -

30 That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. (dead!)

When the Lord's Supper is abused to the level witnessed at Corinth, God will step in with chastisement.

This verse plainly tells us that sickness and death are the results of abusing the Lord's Supper service.

5. V. 31 - Address The Procedure For Dealing With Our Sins As Individuals And As A Church -

31 But if we were more discerning with regard to ourselves, we would not come under such judgment.

This verse tells us that self-examinationis the only remedy for sin.

When we examine ourselves against the Word of God, we will see our shortcomings.

Then, we can confess them, forsake them and receive immediate cleansing from the Lord, 1 John 1:9.

Instruct the Deacons to administer the elements to the congregation

II. THE BREAD A SYMBOL OF HIS SACRIFICE

A. It Refers To A Symbol -

Jesus took bread and used it to symbolize His body. When we take the bread, we do not eat flesh, but only a symbol.

B. It Refers To A Sacrifice -

The broken body of our Lord calls to mind the terrible price He paid for our redemption on the cross at Calvary. There, He endured all the brutality, humiliation and degradation the human race could dish out. Notice some of what He endured for you and me.

1. He was Beaten - Luke 22:63-64

2. He Was Scourged - Matt. 27:6; Psa. 129:3

3. He was Spit Upon - Matt. 27:30

4. He was Mocked - Matt. 27:26-29

(Ill. Jesus was delivered to a "band" of soldiers, Matt. 27:27. This is group of between 400 and 600 soldiers.) -

5. His beard was Plucked Out - Isa. 50:6

6. He was Stripped Naked - Matt. 27:35

7. He was Nailed to the Cross and Crucified - Matt. 27:38; John 20:25.

(Ill. The horrors of this kind of death.) -

Note: All of this was done for one reason - YOU, Rom. 5:8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

That is the gift that we are celebrating this morning.

As we take the bread that symbolizes the broken body of the Lord Jesus take the time to "stir up your minds by way of remembrance and actively meditate" upon His broken body.)

Read: 1 Cor 11:23-24, 23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.”

III. V. 20 A WORD ABOUT THE BLOOD

(Again, like the bread, the juice is also symbolic in nature.)

A. The Blood Speaks Of A New Covenant -

Ill. In the Old Testament, the sinner approached God through the blood of a slain animal. Under the new covenant, the one which Jesus inaugurated, men must come to God through the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, Heb. 9:11-15!

B. The Blood Speaks Of A New Cleansing -

The Bible tells us that "without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sin.", Heb. 9:22. It takes blood to save the soul and the only blood that possesses the power to save the soul is the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ,

1 Pet. 1:18-19. 18 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.

Under the new covenant, only the blood of Jesus can make the lost sinner clean and prepare him for a heavenly home. It is simple faith in the shed blood of Jesus that saves the soul!

C. The Blood Speaks Of A Priceless Compassion

Note: Luke 22:20 - Jesus reminds us that His blood was poured out for us.

He did not die for Himself! He did not go to the cross to liberate Himself, but to liberate you and me!

He died to set us free!

(Notice: As we take the cup which symbolizes the shed blood of the Lord Jesus, please allow your mind to actively meditate on the glory and the power of His precious blood which was shed for you.)

1 Cor 11:25, "In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.”

Let us drink in remembrance of our Lord!

Conclusion:

According to 1 Cor. 11:26, "For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.", we have just been part of something very special.

We have, as a congregation, preached a sermon about the death, the resurrection and the return of the Lord Jesus.

If we have carried out this observance in the right spirit, then we have celebrated our Lord's death and we have centered our minds on Him.

As a result, we are brought closer to Him through worship. Also, we have delivered the Gospel to the lost and they will now have the opportunity to come to the Lord for salvation.

If you need Jesus in your life, I invite you to come to Him right now and let Jesus save your soul. Will you do that?

We Christians, who have meditated on the Lord and His glorious gifts this morning, and have been reminded of His greatness, glory and gifts and of all He has done for us,.

Wouldn't you like to thank Him for His blessings?

Now would be a great time!

All I am asking anyone here to do today is to listen to the Lord and do what He is telling you to do right now. Will you do that?