BD #10 - The Lord’s Supper | Matthew 26:26-30

Opening Remarks:

Baptist Distinctives series

Last - Autonomy of the Local Church

Communion service coming up on Tuesday, going to skip ahead a couple and deal with the ordinance of “The Lord’s Supper.”

It is referred to in the Scriptures as “the communion” (I Corinthians 10:16), “the Lord’s table” (I Corinthians 10:21), and “the Lord’s Supper” (I Corinthians 11:20). I’ll probably call it all three at different points tonight.

It’s one of two ordinances given to the church, along with Baptism:

In order to qualify for baptism, a person must first be saved

In order to qualify for the Lord’s Supper, a person must be saved and scripturally baptized as a member of a local NT church. The instructions for the Lord’s Supper are written by Paul to the church in Corinth.

If baptism signifies the beginning of the Christian life, the Lord’s Supper signifies our continuing Fellowship with Christ.

So Baptism could be said to signify our relationship with Christ and a Local Church, and the Lord’s Supper could be said to signify our continued Fellowship with Christ and our Local Church.

So following that line of thinking, scriptural baptism is observed only once by each Christian, but the Lord’s Supper is to be observed throughout our lives as a sign of our ongoing and unified relationship with Christ and His church.

Tonight we’re going to take a very simple look at three questions about the Lord’s Table:

What are the proper elements used?

What is the meaning?

Who should participate? 

I.    The Elements of the Supper – Matthew 26:26-30

This is the Last Supper before Christ’s death, but it also serves as the template for the Lord’s Supper in the NT churches.

There are two elements mentioned here: The Bread and the The Cup

The bread symbolizes Christ’s body as He died on the cross, and the cup represents the blood He shed to pay for our sins.

Notice in verse 29 Jesus refers to it as “the fruit of the vine.” Obviously, this is speaking of juice. There is no indication in any of the gospel accounts that this was intoxicating or alcoholic wine.

So the cup contained grape juice, but it was not strong drink. That is why a Scriptural observance of the Lord’s Supper does not use an intoxicating beverage to symbolize the blood of Christ. It would use a non-alcoholic grape juice, because that reflects what Jesus used, the fruit of the vine.

The other element that is part of the supper is the bread. This account is recorded in Mark 14:22-24 and Luke 22:17-20 as well.

Even though the New Testament doesn’t use the term “unleavened” to refer to the bread of the Lord’s Supper, we can be certain this was unleavened. Look at Luke 22:7-14.

Christ instituted His Supper during Passover. When Jesus met with His disciples, Mark 14:12 tells us it was the first day of unleavened bread.

Exodus 12:15 gives some of the instructions for this day: “Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel.”

God’s law clearly forbids anyone eating leavened bread during this time. It was a picture of the Exodus when they had no time to let their bread rise as they escaped Egypt. Leaven in Scripture also pictures sin and corruption, so it would not have been used during the Passover.

In fact, the Jews were told to remove any leaven that was in their house on the first day of unleavened bread. We know Jesus obeyed all of God’s laws perfectly without fault. Because God forbid anyone to eat leavened bread on this day, we can be certain that the bread Jesus used to institute this Ordinance was unleavened. And the fact that it pictures sin both in 1 Cor. 5:7-8 and Gal. 5:9 (A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump), gives us confidence in the use of unleavened bread for Communion.

So, the two elements of the Lord’s Supper are unleavened bread and the fruit of the vine.

II.  The Meaning Of The Supper

A.   What The Lord’s Supper Is Not

1.  It is not the Baptist equivalent of “Mass,” the “Eucharist,” or “Holy Communion.” Those are generally Catholic terms used to describe the ritual that they say aids in salvation, but we know that salvation is by grace through faith alone.

2.   It is not a transubstantiation.

Transubstantiation is the belief that, upon the pronouncement of the priest, the bread and the wine literally and actually change in substance to become the literal, real flesh and blood of Christ.

This teaching isn’t Scriptural:

Jesus was speaking metaphorically, not literally.

Christ is bodily in Heaven. Hebrews 1:3

Eating literal blood is forbidden by the Law. Leviticus 17:10

Christ's sacrifice was once and for all; it is not to be repeated. Hebrews 10:10, 12

Christ, the Creator, cannot be created. 

3.    It is not a consubstantiation, which would be more of the Lutheran view.

This modifies the thought of transubstantiation and states that, even though the elements are not changed, the real body and blood of Christ are mystically present, so that both are in fact eaten.

4.   It is not the Christian Passover, which would be more of a Covenant Theology view.

Covenant Theology equates Israel and the “Church” through things like circumcision and baptism and the Passover and the Lord’s Supper. But Israel and the church are not the same.

Christ and the Passover are not the same. The Christian Passover is Jesus Christ Himself (I Cor. 5:7 – Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us). We don’t celebrate the Passover because Christ fulfilled it and did away with the need for it.

In fact, His death ushered in a new covenant. A covenant between two parties typically included the sacrifice of an animal. When Jesus died, He was the Lamb slain, so that ushered in a New Covenant between God and His church, doing away with the need for the Passover celebration.

5.   It is not a Sacrament, which is a means of receiving grace. It has nothing to do with our salvation.

6.   It is not just a Potluck or Fellowship. Early churches practiced “love feasts” which were churchwide meals, but these weren’t observances of the Lord's Supper. Paul rebuked the church at Corinth for turning the Lord's Supper into a regular meal. I Corinthians 11:21-22, 34

B.   Communion is a sign of our relationship with God through Christ, not a means to achieve that relationship.

1.   It is a symbol of who we are in Christ, not a way to be in Christ.

2.    We observe the supper in commemoration. It’s a memorial of what Christ did for us. As Jesus told His disciples in Luke 22:19, “This do in remembrance of me.”

3.   Turn to 1 Corinthians 11. Paul confirms that the Supper is to be a memorial. (Read 23-26).

4.   When we meet to observe the Lord’s Table we are symbolizing the death of Christ. The broken bread symbolizes the breaking of Christ’s body. The fruit of the vine symbolizes the blood that Jesus shed on the cross.

5.   The purpose of communion is to show the Lord’s death.

It’s true that we take the Supper together as a church, but the ordinance is not primarily about unity.

It’s important that we examine ourselves before we partake, but the ordinance is not first about self-examination.

The purpose of communion is to reflect on and symbolize the Lord’s death on the cross.

When we observe it, our minds must be centered on the death of Jesus Christ. We are showing His death until He comes.

We approach the Lord’s Supper with a solemn spirit, remembering and rejoicing in what Christ has done for us by dying in our place, bearing our sins, and taking our judgment so that we can be forgiven and accepted by God. It’s a sober occasion.

That’s why the doors won’t open until 6:45 on Tuesday. We ask that you don’t visit with one another while you’re on the property. Our goal is to focus solely on the death and sacrifice of Jesus Christ. It’s a memorial service.

6.   One more thing to consider: If the Lord’s Supper is a symbol of Christ’s death, then our condition when we partake should also reflect His death.

In other words, we should receive the Lord’s Supper dying to ourselves and cleansed of sin.

If the elements picture Christ’s sinlessness and we come in with unconfessed sin, we come to the Lord’s Table unworthily.

That leads to the last section tonight…

Turn to 1 Corinthians 11

 III.  The Participants Of The Lord’s Supper

A.  First, participants should be saved, scripturally baptized and in a right standing with their local church.

1.   Paul reprimanded the church at Corinth for two things:

FIRST, They weren’t unified in their gathering. 1 Corinthians 11:17-18

The Lord’s Supper requires a spirit of unity in a local church. It goes against the spirit of the occasion for God’s people to come together selfishly and carnally. Christ died so we wouldn’t be carnal. So why celebrate His death with carnality?

SECOND, Paul reprimanded them also for using the occasion of the Lord’s Supper to engage in a party-like fellowship. 1 Corinthians 11:20-22

2. They were getting together to eat instead of focusing on the Lord’s death.

We’ve already read verses 23-26. They recap the Last Supper and the pattern it laid forth for the Lord’s Table.

Verses 27-30. To take the Lord’s Supper with open and unconfessed or unrepentant sin is to completely miss its point. It’s saying, “Let’s honor Christ’s sacrifice for our sins,” but be full of sin and not worried about getting right.

Celebrating Memorial Day - Let’s say we get together to celebrate the freedom we have due to the sacrifice of others. But instead of celebrating freedom, we go break the law together and get arrested, thus losing our freedom. Makes no sense!

3.   We should examine ourselves or we risk judgment, weakness, and sickness. There were even those that had died because of their attitude toward the Lord’s Supper.

4.   This is serious stuff. When we take Communion we are essentially saying, “Christ’s sacrifice has made forgiveness of sins possible,” so we should come to the Table with sins confessed and forgiven.

5.   That’s why Paul told the Corinthians in chapter 5 to purge out the old leaven of those who were living in sin. To not fellowship with them.

6.   Meaning, if there were those with open or unconfessed sins, or unrepentant spirits about their sin they shouldn’t engage in the Lord’s Supper with them.

7.   There’s accountability in Communion. And it’s serious to take it unworthily.

B.   These truths are the reasons that we would practice the Lord’s Table as a Local Church Ordinance.

1.   Not everyone holds this position. Plenty of men I love and respect don’t practice it this way. We take that position because it is the safest position.

2. The primary reason is because this instruction was given to a Local Church. 1 Corinthians was written to a church family.

3. Another reason is that unity was a requirement to take it properly. There has to be a relationship between the participants if there’s supposed to be unity.

4.   Another reason is there’s a level of accountability. In I Cor. 5 the church was responsible for removing members from fellowship if they had open, unrepentant sin. There was accountability leading up to the Lord’s Supper.

5. That’s why we practice it this way. It’s not a matter of exclusion. It’s an attempt to be as biblical as possible.

6. The two ordinances are Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.

Baptism is the ordinance of Relationship with Christ and His church. If you’ve been saved, Baptism pictures that Relationship and identifies you both with Christ and a church body.

Communion is about Fellowship. Meaning, our Fellowship with Christ and our church are in good standing. If not, we should make that right before we partake.

7.   Because of who the letter was written to, because of the requirement of unity before taking it, and because of the expectation of accountability, we practice it as a church family.

8. Some call that Closed Communion, because it’s limited to a local church. Eastside has practiced that way for a long time.

9.   Some would be “Close” Communion in that they allow members of other like-minded churches to partake. That’s a decision up to each church and Pastor, and I’ve got friends who operate that way.

10.  Others are called “Open” Communion, which means they open it up to anyone who desires to take it. That would be a tough position to manage, but let every Pastor and every church be fully persuaded in their own minds.

C.   But whatever a church’s position is on the Lord’s Supper, to partake in it, each member must be in proper fellowship with:

1.   Their Church – 1 Corinthians 5:11 “But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.”

2.   The Lord – 1 Corinthians 11:28 “But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.”

3.   One Another – 1 Corinthians 11:33 “Wherefore, my brethren, when ye come together to eat, tarry one for another.”

D.  So if it’s a matter of being in good standing, are you?

IV.  Are You Supper Ready?

Kids come in from outside to eat. Universally, parents will ask a question, “Have you washed your hands?”

In other words, “You’re not supper ready until you’re clean.”

And in the same way, that’s Paul’s warning in 1 Corinthians 11. To be sober and serious as we approach Communion.

It’s not meant to keep members out. It’s meant to have a purifying effect.

We must ask ourselves:

“With Communion coming up, am I supper ready?”

Do I have anything in my heart that isn’t clean?

Do I have any secret sins that I need to get right?

Do I have any ought between myself and another member of my church?

Do I need to make something right with someone else before I partake?

Do I have a spirit of unity with my church family?

Have I made things right with God and others?

Being Supper Ready before Tuesday is very important

Really, purity and fellowship are important all the time, not just when we take Communion.

We should be supper ready whether or not it’s supper time.

Paul told them their divisions meant they were coming together for the worse, not the better.

Let’s decide that we’re going to get things right with God and others before we partake together.

We should display the death of Christ in our confession of sin to God and in our dealings with other people.

Does your life

Every word I say, it should be clear that I’m dying to self.

Every interaction I have - dying to self.

Every ministry I serve in - not about me.

We must strive for unity, fellowship, and deference if we’re to take the Lord’s Supper properly.

So are you Supper Ready? Tuesday is an opportunity to show the Lord’s death, but it’s possible to take it unworthily if we’re not Supper Ready,

Conclusion:

But here’s the exhortation - come Tuesday night, be supper ready. But don’t just wash your hands before supper. Make it a daily habit. Let’s show the effects of the Lord’s Death every single day.

That would be like saying, “I only need to brush my teeth if I’m going to be around people.” No, for the sake of your teeth, brush them every day. Otherwise you’ll have long-term damage.

Same goes with sin. Don’t let it build up. It will be cause long-term damage.

ARE YOU SUPPER READY?