2025 Easter Communion Service

Theme: “Do This in Remembrance of Me”

Scripture Focus: Matthew 26:20–30, 1 Corinthians 11:23–32, Luke 22:19

Date: Thursday, April 17, 2025

Duration: Approximately 60 minutes

Welcome and Opening Prayer (5 minutes)

Worship through Song (10 minutes)

Scripture Reading and Introduction to the Lord’s Table (10 minutes)

Read Matthew 26:20–30 aloud (or have a congregant read it).

Briefly explain the context: This was Jesus’ last meal with His disciples, where He instituted the Lord’s Supper amidst the shadow of betrayal and the cross. Highlight that Christ gave the church two ordinances—baptism and the Lord’s Table—and tonight focuses on the latter, often called “Communion” (1 Corinthians 10:16).

Introduction

Transition into the sermon’s main points:

The Lord’s Table is a gift from Christ Himself, but it requires a prepared heart.

The Corinthians corrupted it by not separating from the world and turning it into a feast (1 Corinthians 11:16–22).

We must approach it worthily to receive blessing rather than judgment (1 Corinthians 11:30).

For that reason, verses 23 -27 send us back to the night that Christ gave this wonderful ordinance.

The Proper Use of the Lord’s Table

Note verses 23-27.

1 Corinthians 11:23–27 KJV 1900

23 For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: 24 And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. 25 After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. 26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come. 27 Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.

The sole purpose of the Lord’s Table is noted in verses 24 and 25 with the phrase “this do in remembrance of me.” Christ gave us this ordinance to remember Him. It is a memorial to Him. However, there is one interesting little tidbit about this particular memorial. Christ wanted us remember how He died. This is quite different than most memorial. Anytime we attend a person’s funeral or memorial, the focus is alway on how they LIVED and not on how they DIED. Yet, Christ said, “do in remembrance of me” with an emphasis on remembering His death.

Both elements of the Lords’ Table, the bread and the juice, speak of how Christ died.

The Bread Represents His Broken Body

Look again at verse 24.

1 Corinthians 11:24 KJV 1900

24 And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.

If you go back to the Gospel of Luke, we read the following.

Luke 22:19 KJV 1900

19 And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.

Christ used something very simple. Bread is very ordinary item. We often eat bread at every meal. He took that simple, ordinary item and made it something special by which we might remember Him. Note that He took the bread and He brake it. That one simple gesture contained a world of symbolism.

Going back to verse 24 of our text. The Holy Spirit reminds us that the bread represents Christ’s body which was “broken for you.”

Without any doubt, Christ suffered horribly not just on the cross, but even during the time that led up to His crucifixion. He was bruised, beaten, and spat upon for you and for me.

Listen to the words of Matthew 27.

Matthew 27:27–31 KJV 1900

27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall, and gathered unto him the whole band of soldiers. 28 And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe. 29 And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews! 30 And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head. 31 And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him.

One Bible Commentator wrote concerning the beating Christ suffered at the hands of soldiers the following words.

“…the scourge of leather throngs was loaded with lead, or armed with spikes and bones, which lacerated the back, and chest, and face, till the victim sometimes fell down before the judge a bleeding mass of torn flesh…scourging was the terrible introduction to crucifixion…stripped of His clothes, His hands tied and bent back, the Victim would be bound to a column or stake, in front of the Praetorium…From His bleeding Body they tore the clothes, in mockery arrayed Him in scarlet or purple. For crown they wound together thorns, and for sceptre they placed in His Hand a reed.”

Christ knew the suffering that He would experience. He understood the beating that lay before Him. For that reason, Christ said, “This is my body given for you.”

1 Peter 2:24 KJV 1900

24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

1 Peter 3:18 KJV 1900

18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:

All this He did for you and for me. Hence, the Lord’s Table was given as a time to remember how His body was broken so that we might “live unto righteousness.” It is by His “stripes” we are healed.

The Juice Represent His Shed Blood

Note something interesting in verse 25.

1 Corinthians 11:25 KJV 1900

25 After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.

Here we find that Christ says, “This cup is the NEW TESTAMENT in my blood.” What did He mean by that it was the NEW TESTAMENT in by blood? In the Greek, the word “testament” means covenant. It is a contractual agreement between two parties requiring binding action by one or both parties. In our text, Christ states His blood, which, by the way He willingly shed for us, is the basis of a NEW TESTAMENT (Covenant) between God and men. Christ’s death ushered in a new way in which God dealt with men. Specifically, man’s sin was atoned not by the blood of bulls and goats, but by the blood of God Himself.

Hebrews 9:13–15 KJV 1900

13 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: 14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? 15 And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.

Now, not how often we are do remember the manner in which Christ died.

Look again at 1 Corinthians 11:25

1 Corinthians 11:25 KJV 1900

25 After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.

Essentially, Christ instructed us to do often and do it as memorial to Him.

Three Important Purposes for Remembering the Lord’s Death

The first, we just covered over the last few minutes.

Observing the Lord’s Table causes us to...

Look BACK to an Empty Cross

Yes, He suffered greatly for us. And, yes, He willingly shed His blood as payment for our sins. However, as we look back to the Cross of Calvary we see an empty cross. He is not there.

1 Corinthians 15:3–4 KJV 1900

3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

You see Christ did suffer, He died, they buried Him in a tomb, but, praise God, He walked out of that tomb on the third day just as He promised. He walked out victorious over sin, death, and hell.

Accordingly, each time we observe the Lord’s table we LOOK BACK and see an empty Cross knowing all that He has done for all those who will repent and accept His finished work. It is the essence of the Gospel message.

Here is another important purpose for remembering the Lord’s death.

Note in our text 1 Corinthians 11:26

1 Corinthians 11:26 KJV 1900

26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come.

The second purpose is found in the last three words of this verse.

Observing the Lord’s Table causes us to...

Look FORWARD to His Return

Each time we observe the Lord’s Table it should remind us that He is coming again.

John 14:1–3 KJV 1900

1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

Acts 1:9–11 KJV 1900

9 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. 10 And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; 11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 KJV 1900

13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

Our great hope as believers and as a local church is the fact that our Lord is coming again. Not only did He die, He rose again on the third day, He ascended to Heaven, and one day very soon He is coming back for us.

1 John 3:2 KJV 1900

2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

The Lord’s Table provides us the wonderful opportunity to LOOK BACK at what Christ did for us. It is a wonderful opportunity for us to LOOK AHEAD to His return.

Here is the last purpose. It is purpose that I think is vitally important to every believer.

1 Corinthians 11:28–32 KJV 1900

28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. 29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. 30 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. 31 For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. 32 But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.

Observing the Lord’s Table cause us to...

Look WITHIN to Unrepentant Sin

the Holy Spirit clearly indicates that believer were guilty of partaking unworthily of the Lord’s Table. In fact, the Holy Spirit was quite clear that God judges those who do so.

1 Corinthians 11:29–30 KJV 1900

29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. 30 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.

God brought upon those who did so physical weakness and sickness. And, in the end, for some who would not repent, He shortened their life. The word “sleep” is a word used to indicate a believer’s death.

Listen, God’s Word is just a relevant today as when the Holy Spirit uttered these words over 2000 years ago. God expects each believer to come to the Lord’s Table prepared and ready to partake in manner worthy of the Lord’s death, burial, and resurrection. What does that mean?

First, to be worthy, you must be born-again.

No one can identify with the Lord’s death until they have personally accepted all that Christ did for them on the cross of Calvary. This means you must...

Realize you are sinful and without hope.

Romans 3:23 KJV 1900

23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Romans 5:12 KJV 1900

12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

Repent of your sinfulness and turn to Christ as your only source of hope.

Acts 2:38 KJV 1900

38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Acts 3:19 KJV 1900

19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;

Accept by faith alone that Christ paid the penalty for your sin with His own blood upon the cross of Calvary.

Ephesians 2:8–9 KJV 1900

8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Call out to Him with our mouth confessing these things and fully believing them in your heart.

Romans 10:9–10 KJV 1900

9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Second, for us as believers, we must...

Examine our own hearts for any sin we might be harboring or hiding.

1 Corinthians 11:28 KJV 1900

28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.

1 Corinthians 11:31 KJV 1900

31 For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.

Confess those sins and seek His forgiveness.

1 John 1:9 KJV 1900

9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Listen, it is far better to examine and judge yourself than to have God judge and chasten you. There is no doubt that many of the Corinthian believers had experienced God’s chastening hand.

Conclusion

In conclusion, I remind you that the Lord’s Table is reserved only for those who have put their faith in Christ alone. It is for the believer. It is not for the unbeliever. I would also remind you that it the Lord’s Table is for those who have taken the first step of obedience through Scriptural baptism. If you have not been baptized, I would encourage you to do that before you partake. And, then, I would also remind you that the Lord’s Table is reserved for those who are members of a local, Bible believing church.

If you are not saved, please know that Christ extends salvation to all. I invite you this evening to accept the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior.

If you are a believer, but you have not been baptized, come forward this evening and speak with a staff member about baptism. It is important step each believer should make.

If you are Scriptural baptized believer, but you do not have a home church. May I suggest ours! We have a great church that consists of believer who love the Lord and are eager to know Him and follow Him.

Then last, as a believer and a member of our church, have taken the time to examine yourself and asked God’s forgiveness for any unconfessed sin? If not, then please do so before we begin observing the Lord’s Table this evening.

GIVE INVITATION

Requirements for Partaking: Close Communion

Saved

Baptized

Member of church of like faith

Serve Bread and Juice

Distribute

After distributed – “Is there anyone who desires to be served who was not served?”

Distribute to staff/deacons

Staff/Deacon pray

Read 1 Corinthians 11:24 – eat bread

1 Corinthians 11:24 KJV 1900

24 And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.

Staff/Deacon pray

Read 1 Corinthians 11:25 – drink juice

1 Corinthians 11:25 KJV 1900

25 After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.

Closing Hymn and Benediction (5 minutes, if time allows)

Sing a short closing hymn, such as “Amazing Grace” (first and last verses), to reflect gratitude and hope.

Close in prayer.