The Water of the Word

Introduction

Last week our work through the book of Exodus centered around the atonement offering and led us into a short discussion around the phrase “according to the shekel of the sanctuary” which as the standard for the shekel that the Israelites were to use. This standard points us as believers forward to the standard that we use in our lives today, God’s Word, the Bible. This morning will take us a little deeper into our thoughts about that standard which is the “

Confessing the Faith: The 1689 Baptist Confession for the 21st Century I. The Holy Scriptures

only sufficient, certain, and infallible standard of all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience.”

As we continue down in chapter one of the 1689 LBCF we come to paragraph 4 where we read:

Confessing the Faith: The 1689 Baptist Confession for the 21st Century I. The Holy Scriptures

The authority of the Holy Scriptures obligates belief in them. This authority does not depend on the testimony of any person or church but on God the author alone, who is truth itself. Therefore, the Scriptures are to be received because they are the Word of God.

This paragraph reminds us that authority of the scripture comes from God alone who is truth and that because they are His words, they are themselves, truth. According to an article published by Barna Research group in May of this year and based on a survey conducted by Arizona Christian University:

The most popular source of truth input remains personal feelings. Approximately three-quarters of all Americans (74%) at least occasionally rely upon their emotions to discern moral truth. Feelings emerged as the sole truth source trusted by a majority of adults.

About two out of every five adults rely on each of four other truth sources. Those included the Bible (44%), public policies and laws (41%), scientific and mathematical claims (40%), and social norms, majority beliefs, and cultural traditions (39%).

About one out of five adults sometimes turn to philosophical or religious views other than the Bible (24%), or personal experience (21%), or to input from family, friends, and peers (18%).

As most of us have witnessed, truth, to the majority of people in this world has shifted from being that of a objective truth to that of a subjective truth, to the point where many people are identifying “their truth” and claiming that it is what they make it to be. In fact this same study suggests that 77% of Americans reject absolute moral truth while at the same time 2/3rds of Americans also claim to be Christians. Of that approximately 67% of Americans who claim to be Christians, only 44% of them cite the Bible as their basis of truth.

For most of us sitting here this morning this information likely comes as no surprise, but it should concern us deeply, because this issue truly affects the way in which we, and other Christians, live our lives as believers. In our text for this morning we will be discussing the laver that God commanded Moses to have fabricated for the priests to wash themselves in before approaching the altar or entering the tent of meeting. This final piece of furniture connected with the tabernacle contains a deep truth for us regarding our lives as Christians before the Holy God and how our lives affect our fellowship. Turn in your Bibles to Exodus 30 and we will read from verses 17 - 21...

Text

Please stand for the reading of God’s Holy, Inerrant, Infallible, Complete, Authoritative and Sufficient Word

Exodus 30:17–21 LSB

And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “You shall also make a laver of bronze, with its stand of bronze, for washing; and you shall put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and you shall put water in it. “And Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet from it; when they come into the tent of meeting, they shall wash with water, so that they will not die; or when they approach the altar to minister, by offering up in smoke a fire sacrifice to Yahweh. “So they shall wash their hands and their feet, so that they will not die; and it shall be a perpetual statute for them, for Aaron and his seed throughout their generations.”

Most Gracious Heavenly Father, as we bow this morning before Your throne of grace and mercy we are grateful that by Christ’s work on the cross we can worship You. You, who are our every need, our sustainer and our only true comfort. We thank You for Your faithfulness and Your mercy, we praise You for Your goodness. Before You we confess and repent of our sins and seek to live by every word that proceeds from You. Lord we ask that as we gather and worship this morning that out hearts would be stirred by Your Spirit, that Your Word would penetrate our hearts and that we would grow in grace and knowledge according to Your will. We ask all of these things in the name of our precious Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus, Amen.

The Laver

As we open up this passage it is interesting and important to note, once again the repetition of the words “And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,” once again reminding us that these words are God’s words, that these commands are God’s commands. As Moses was to deliver these words before the people of Israel it was imperative that they understood that these commands were not something that came from the mind of Moses but that these were dictated to Moses as he stood upon Mount Sinai. The scene from the ground was one of a mountain top covered in clouds, lighting, the ground shaking. Exodus 32 opens in this way:

Exodus 32:1 “Then the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain. So the people assembled about Aaron and said to him, “Arise, make us gods who will go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.””

Since these people were so quick to fall away, much like the church of Galatia where Paul writes in Galatians 1:6 “I marvel that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ for a different gospel,”, it would be necessary to keep in their focus that these were the commands of Almighty God.

Of all of the pieces of the tabernacle this was the least described piece of all. First, like the candlestick this piece contains no measurements, but even beyond that all we know of the item is that it was to be made of bronze. There is an interpretation of the original Hebrew word which suggests that it comes from a verb that means “to be round” although this is not certain. Later in Solomon’s temple the laver of the tabernacle was likely replaced by what is call the “molten sea”. There are two things that we know for sure, it is to be made of bronze and it is to hold water for use by the priests.

The bronze, as you may remember from earlier in our study, reminds us of judgement. Recall the words of Revelation 1:15 “His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters,” as it describes the “Son of Man”. The Son of Man is in the midst of the seven golden lampstands which are identified as the seven churches and it is depicting for us Christ moving through these churches, inspecting them and passing judgement on them, of which the seven letters are the pronouncement of the findings.

Here, the bronze being used to fabricate the laver, an implement that is to be used before the priests approach in their duties of ministering before God is

Gleanings in Exodus 4. Its Composition

the inflexible righteousness of Christ testing, judging His people, condemning that which mars their communion with God. But how blessed to remember that He also supplies that water which removes the very things which are condemned!

The water that it contains is used by the priests to wash their hands and feet before they are to approach, either the altar or enter the holy place. We need to draw a distinction here between the water that was used to wash the priests in their ordination and consecration and this water. They represent two different types. The water used during the ordination and consecration was part of a larger ceremony. In that ceremony Moses performed the washing, representative of the cleansing from sins by faith, pointing us forward to the once for all work of Christ in cleansing His people from their sins. This water was to be used at least daily as they approached the altar or the holy place which should tell us that it represents a different kind of cleansing. When we take into account its placement and when it was to be used it becomes clear that it speaks of the removal of the defilements of life that hinder true communion with God. AW Pink helpful as he writes:

Gleanings in Exodus 1. Its Signification

The blood on the hands of Aaron and his sons evidenced that they had come into contact with death. So we, in our everyday lives, constantly have dealings with those who are dead in trespasses and sins, and their very influence defiles us. In like manner, our passage through this wilderness world, which lieth in the Wicked one (

I need to take a moment here and emphasize a right understanding our the remainder of our conversation today. As you will notice in the description of the laver, it is for the priests to use, and only the priests, those that have specifically been set apart by God for His purpose. As you should recall we, as Christians, are a chosen nation, a royal priesthood, therefore it speaks to something that is part of the life of the believer. Its placement, between the altar and the door, is usage, when they come to the tent of meeting or when they approach the altar, tell us that this has to do with our ability to commune with God.

When we discuss salvation, we speak of it as being both a momentary event and a process that lasts a lifetime. Here in the church we use the terms justification, sanctification, and glorification to speak of the fullness of salvation. Justification is the application of the blood of Christ by grace through faith in which we are declared just in the eyes of God. This happens but once, when those who have been regenerated by the work of the Holy Spirit, have placed their faith in Christ finished work for their salvation. The individual that professes faith is once for all time sealed to God and nothing that the believer does from that point forward can remove them from the hand of God. I am dogging this particular point so that we try and avoid confusion as we move forward in examining the text we have before us and its implications in the lives of believers.

Water in Scripture

Hopefully, as we move through the rest of our time this morning we do so, understanding that we are working from the fixed position of those who have professed faith in Christ being saved to the uttermost. It is on that foundation that we turn our attention more fully to the most important of elements in this text, the water that the laver contained, the water for the priestly washing.

Water has a prominent place in scripture. Genesis 1:6-13

Genesis 1:6–13 LSB

Then God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” So God made the expanse and separated the waters which were below the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so. And God called the expanse heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day. Then God said, “Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so. And God called the dry land earth, and the gathering of the waters He called seas; and God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit after their kind with seed in them”; and it was so. And the earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit with seed in them, after their kind; and God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, a third day.

In creation, two of the 5 days specifically dealt with water. The garden is described in Genesis 2:10-14

Genesis 2:10–14 LSB

Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from there it divided and became four rivers. The name of the first is Pishon; it is the one that went around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. Now the gold of that land is good; the bdellium and the onyx stone are there. And the name of the second river is Gihon; it is the one that went around the whole land of Cush. And the name of the third river is Tigris; it is the one that went east of Asshur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.

This is further described by the psalmist in Psalm 46:4 “There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, The holy dwelling places of the Most High.”

God utilized water to pass judgement upon the earth in the flood, He finished the destruction of Egypt with the water closing in on Pharoah and his army. Hagar and her son’s life were spared in Genesis 16:7 “Now the angel of Yahweh found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to Shur.” and later in Genesis 21:19–21 “Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink. And God was with the boy, and he grew; and he lived in the wilderness and was an archer. And he lived in the wilderness of Paran, and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.” God used Moses to bring forth water from the rock when the Israelites were thirsty. Water brought about healing in Naaman in 2 Kings 5 and saved Jehoshaphat’s army in 2 Kings 2.

Jesus described Himself as the true living water, performed His first miracle with water, and water and blood flowed from His pierced side on the cross. As we come to the close of scripture, we find water featured predominately in the final garden, New Jerusalem, where we read in Revelation 22:1–2 “Then he showed me a river of the water of life, bright as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.”

It plays an important role in the life of a believer in that out of obedience we publicly declare our faith in Christ by being baptized by immersion in water. We know that it is an element of life that we cannot live without, both literally in the sense that our bodies are predominantly made of water and figuratively, in the sense that Christ is the living water and those who come to that fountain will find a never ending spring welling up inside them.

But what does this water say to us here this morning, how does it impact our lives. Recall a comment I made earlier about the placement of the laver and its usage having to do with our ability to come into fellowship and communion with God. Again, it is not the water that allows us to enter, that is the accomplished by the blood of Christ, but it is the cleansing that the water brings that allows us to draw near.

Water = Word

Here in this passage, the water itself is a type, but it is a type that points us to the Word of God. The priests are able enter into the presence of God based on God’s acceptance of that which was offered for the forgiveness of their sins, the blood of the sin offering, but in order to truly draw near, to enter into the doorway, they had to clean their hands and feet. The impurities of their tasks and their movements must be removed before they came closer. Recall God’s command to Moses as he approached the burning bush, to remove his sandals. It wasn’t that Moses’ flesh needed to make contact with the ground, it is that the shoes on his feet were defiled and that defilement needed to be removed before he could further approach the presence of God.

You should remember that Psalm 119 in its entirety is a focus on God’s Word and how necessary it is to the life of a believer, it is truly water to a man dying of thirst. The type that we see displayed in the water of the laver is on display for us in Psalm 119:9 “How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Your word.” As Jesus washed the feet of the disciples we see his interaction with Peter in John 13:5-10

John 13:5–10 LSB

Then He poured water into the washbasin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel which He had tied around Himself. So He came to Simon Peter. He said to Him, “Lord, are You going to wash my feet?” Jesus answered and said to him, “What I am doing you do not realize now, but you will understand afterwards.” Peter said to Him, “You will never wash my feet—ever!” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.” Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, not only my feet, but also my hands and my head.” Jesus said to him, “He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.”

Earlier I made a strong point of attempting to ensure that we did not confuse this water, this type with something that was demanding another regeneration, or another being made new. To do this suggests that the blood of Christ is lacking not only in sufficiency, but in efficacy. Pink again is helpful

Gleanings in Exodus 2. Its Contents

The defilements of the way do not raise any need for me to be regenerated again: the new birth is once and for all. Nothing can affect it; nothing I do can cause me to become unborn; such a thing is impossible, both in the natural and spiritual realms.

The Washing in the Water of the Word

This brings us to the heart of the matter. The Word of God being integral to the people of God. As we began this morning I gave you some very disturbing statistics. Statistics that stated that only 4 out of every 10 professing Christian sees the Word of God as their basis for truth. I suspect that if we were to dig into that number what we would find would further dismay us. I suspect that if you were to survey those who claim God’s Word as their basis for truth, you would find that very few of them actually spend legitimate time in God’s Word. I am not referring to those who have a short devotional during the day that contains a verse or two of scripture and then they supplement that by listening to a podcast or a preacher, but those who actually open the book, spend time reading the book, studying the book, trying to understand the book, talking about the book with others, truly allowing this Word to shape their lives.

Last week we referred to Scripture as a standard, this means that not only is it that by which all is measured, but that by which we are to live. It does not just give us something to measure our life by, in the sense of being able to tick off boxes, but it, along with the Holy Spirit working in our lives transforms us. Paul writing to the Romans in chapter 12 writes:

Romans 12:1–2 “Therefore I exhort you, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a sacrifice—living, holy, and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may approve what the will of God is, that which is good and pleasing and perfect.”

The only way that we are transformed by the renewing of our mind is by having our mind on God and I do not mean in the sense of just looking around and seeing the beauty and wonder of all that He has created although that is certainly part of it. What I mean is digging into what He has revealed about Himself, so that, as Paul says, we may know and approve what the will of God is, that which is good and pleasing and perfect.

Specifically speaking here, there are three things that we need to understand regarding the use of the water by the priests and what it demonstrates to us regarding God’s Word in our lives.

First, we see that the use of the Word prevents us from falling into evil. Again, notice the command to wash their hands and feet before entering the doorway or approaching the altar, both of which are followed by the warning that this is to be done so that they do not die. For us this is not a warning of true death but of a diminished fellowship or communion with God. For true believers, fellowship with God is the ultimate goal in life. The first question of the Westminster Shorter Catechism is “What is the chief end of man?” and the answer is “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever.” This cannot be accomplished apart from the Word of God. When we are not in the word, the fellowship weakens, our relationship is strained, fellowship with God is hard to come by and if we try and come together in communion with Him, we are sorely affected.

Again, we return to Psalm 119, literally we could sit and read verse after verse after verse that demonstrates to us the necessity of His word in our lives. I have often heard it said from pulpits that prayer is like breath to a Christian, without it we perish… without God’s word we have no light for our path, we loose our way, we cannot focus to pray, we do not know how to truly live. We will falter, stumble and fall. One particular portion of Psalm 119 stands out:

Psalm 119:105–112 LSB

Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path. I have sworn and I have confirmed, To keep Your righteous judgments. I am exceedingly afflicted; O Yahweh, revive me according to Your word. Oh be pleased with the freewill offerings of my mouth, O Yahweh, And teach me Your judgments. My soul is continually in my hand, Yet I do not forget Your law. The wicked have laid a snare for me, Yet I have not wandered from Your precepts. I have inherited Your testimonies forever, For they are the joy of my heart. I have inclined my heart to do Your statutes Forever, to the end.

How blessed it would be if more believers could stand up today and say Psalm 119:11 “Your word I have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin against You.”

It saddens me when I get into conversations with people who claim to be Christians who get highly offended by the mere thought or suggestion that we should obey God’s Word. It evidences for us the grip of the enemy and the effectiveness of his first and most successful campaign that asks, Did God really say?

Not only does God’s Word keep us on the right path and help to prevent us from falling into sin but it also helps to cleanse us from the daily grime of life. We live in a fallen world, we are constantly engaged in battle with the enemy and during the everyday walk and the throws of battle we have a tendency to collect grime. As a child of the 80’s I grew up in a time where the war was physically focused, and usually on the evils of rock and roll. We were told how bad the music and lyrics were, we had demonstrations done for us of playing records backward to reveal the hidden messages, but what we did not receive often, were the actual tools we needed to battle the true enemy, the spiritual forces at play around us. Today, we are constantly bombarded with all of the things that this world has to offer and because we are not being trained properly, because we are not spending time in God’s Word, we are susceptible.

Colossians 3:16 “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with gratefulness in your hearts to God.” This is the toolbox we need to do battle with and have this daily grime removed. In Ephesians 5:25–27 Paul writes “… Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she would be holy and blameless.” 2 Corinthians 7:1 “Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”

Daily, we should turn to these pages, let this be that which fills our minds and our hearts, let us have our minds renewed, cleansed, prepared, so that we may stand. So many Christians love the portion of Ephesians that deals with the armor of God, but notice these words in those verses, truth, righteousness, gospel, faith, salvation, and word. These things are the true weapons and these things from studying, understanding and applying the Word of God in our lives. It is then that we begin to understand Revelation 22:14 “Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the authority to the tree of life and may enter by the gates into the city.”

Finally, if you will recall earlier I mentioned that there are no dimensions given to laver nor to the amount of water that it holds. This suggests to us the unlimited provision that has been made by God for our cleansing. The blood of Christ is sufficient and effective to remove every spot, stain, blemish or even wrinkle and the Word of God is sufficient to continually strengthen and encourage us for this walk through life, to have the ability to stand that we may “be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.”

Conclusion

As we come to the close of our time in the Word this morning, we are again reminded of the holiness of our God and the high calling of those who are His. The laver, though small in its description and seemingly simple in its function, carries a profound and enduring message for the people of God. It stands between the place of sacrifice and the place of communion, not to replace the blood but to prepare the worshiper to draw near. And so it is with us. We who have been justified by the blood of Christ are not left to wander aimlessly in the wilderness of this world, but are given the Word of God—living, active, and sharper than any two-edged sword—as a means of daily cleansing, guidance, and sanctification.

The truth is, we need the water of the Word. Not simply as a concept to affirm or a text to quote, but as a continual stream in which we wash, a fountain of truth from which we draw life, clarity, conviction, and comfort. It is in the Word that we see our sin, and it is through the Word that the Spirit convicts, corrects, and conforms us to the image of Christ. Apart from it, we grow dull. Apart from it, we lose our sense of direction. Apart from it, our communion with God grows cold.

The statistics we considered earlier are not just data points—they are warnings. They testify to a church increasingly conformed to the world rather than transformed by the renewing of the mind. They reveal a profession of faith without the power of conviction. But we are not called to live by the shifting winds of culture or by the deceitful desires of our hearts. We are called to live according to every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.

So, beloved, let us ask: are we daily coming to the water of the Word? Are we allowing the Scripture to wash our hearts and minds, to prepare us for communion with our God? Are we rightly handling this laver of bronze, that we may not die, but live in joyful, holy fellowship with the Lord?

Will you continue to let the dust of the world gather on your soul, or will you come and be cleansed, again and again, by the water of the Word?

Closing Prayer

Our Gracious and Holy Father,

We thank You for the clarity and sufficiency of Your Word. It is life to our bones and light to our path. You have not left us in the darkness, nor called us to walk alone, but have given us Your Spirit and Your truth to sanctify us day by day. As we reflect on the laver and the cleansing water used by the priests, we are humbled by the call to holiness that rests upon all who have been purchased by the blood of Christ.

Father, forgive us for the times we have neglected the cleansing of Your Word. Forgive us when we have drawn near to You with defiled hands and unwashed feet. Cleanse us again this day, O Lord, and cause us to walk in Your statutes and to treasure Your precepts. Let the water of Your Word refresh our weary hearts and prepare us for deeper communion with You.

Strengthen us to walk in obedience, and give us a growing hunger for Your truth. May we be a people of the Book—shaped by it, guarded by it, and joyful in it.

In the name of our great High Priest, Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.

The Lord's Supper Liturgy - Christ Reformed Baptist Church

Call to Worship

Psalm 95:6–7 LSB

Come, let us worship and bow down, Let us kneel before Yahweh our Maker. For He is our God, And we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand. Today, if you hear His voice,

Confession

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. And in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. The third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father; from there he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen

Prayer

Almighty God,

We come before You in humility and reverence. We thank You for Your grace poured out through Christ Jesus our Lord. We confess our sins, asking Your forgiveness, trusting in the finished work of the cross. Prepare our hearts, O Lord, that we might partake of this holy ordinance in a worthy manner. Strengthen our faith, deepen our repentance, unite us in love, and conform us more to the image of Your Son. Bless this congregation, grant us boldness to proclaim Your gospel, and preserve us in Your truth until Christ returns. We ask all this in His holy name. Amen.

Scripture

Luke 22:7–22 LSB

Then came the first day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. And Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover for us, so that we may eat it.” And they said to Him, “Where do You want us to prepare it?” And He said to them, “Behold, after you have entered the city, a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him into the house that he enters. “And you shall say to the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher says to you, “Where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?”’ “And he will show you a large, furnished upper room; prepare it there.” And they left and found everything just as He had told them; and they prepared the Passover. And when the hour had come, He reclined at the table, and the apostles with Him. And He said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I say to you, I shall never again eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He said, “Take this and share it among yourselves. “For I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine from now on until the kingdom of God comes.” And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of Me.” And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood. “But behold, the hand of the one betraying Me is with Me on the table. “For indeed, the Son of Man is going as it has been determined; but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!”

Fencing of the Table

Brothers and sisters, this Table is for those who have repented of their sins and trusted in Jesus Christ alone for salvation, who are baptized and members in good standing of a gospel-preaching church. If that describes you, come and partake. If you remain unrepentant or outside of Christ, we urge you to refrain, lest you eat and drink judgment upon yourself. Brothers and sisters, even those who have repented and believed are commanded to examine themselves to ensure that they come prepared to this table. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 11:27–29 “Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. But a man must test himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly.”

Let us now take a moment to examine ourselves and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup.

Prayer of Consecration

Gracious Father,

We set apart these common elements of bread and the cup for this holy use. We acknowledge that they do not physically become the body and blood of Christ but serve as a reminder for us. We thank You for Christ’s body broken and His blood shed for the remission of our sins. May this Supper be a means of grace to nourish our faith and strengthen our covenant bond with You and with one another. Amen.

Bread

As we come to the observance of the ordinance of the Lord’s Supper, given to us to celebrate in memory of His broken body and shed blood. It is said that on the the night before He was betrayed, at the conclusion of the feast of the Passover, which He and His disciples were celebrating, He took bread and having blessed it, broke it and gave it to His disciples and said “this is my body, which is given for you.”

Prayer

After bread is passed out:

John 6:58 ““This is the bread which came down out of heaven, not as the fathers ate and died. He who eats this bread will live forever.””

Cup

On that same night our Lord took the cup and having blessed it, gave to His disciples as said “This is My blood which was shed for you.”

Prayer

Hebrews 9:22 “And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”

1 John 1:7 “but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.”

Drink

1 Corinthians 11:26 “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until He comes.”

Conclusion

After our Lord and His disciples ate the bread and drank the cup, celebrating the first Supper of our Lord, it is said that they sand a hymn and went out.