Lord's Supper

Remembering the Sacrifice: The Heart of the Lord's Supper

Bible Passage: Matthew 26:26–29

Perhaps you have read the torah recently and remember the institution of the sacrificial system through the Law on Mt Sinai.

Many different sacrifices were set up with most of them involving the use of blood as part of the sacrifice.

Any type of sacrifice involved something being given by the one offering the sacrifice.

In other words someone sacrificed something

It could be animal or grain even wine.

Something was paid or given in place of someone.

Summary:

In this passage, Jesus institutes the Lord's Supper during

His Last Supper with His disciples,

He used portions of this ancient ceremony to symbolize His body and blood as a sacrifice for humanity's sins,

He invited His disciples, believers, into a sacred remembrance.

Application:

If we can understand the significance of the Lord's Supper,

We can deepen our relationship with Jesus and

It can help us appreciate the gravity of His sacrifice.

This supper, this ordinance, encourages us to live in community and unity with fellow believers, while we proclaim His death until He comes again.

Big Idea: Through the Lord's Supper, we remember Christ’s sacrificial love and are called to live as witnesses of His grace and unity within the Body of Christ.

Matthew 26:26–29 NASB95

26 While they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” 27 And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; 28 for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins. 29 “But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.”

1. Bread Broken for Believers

Matthew 26:26 NASB95

26 While they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.”

Jesus knew this would be the last time He would eat a meal with His disciples before the resurrection.

So He took a meal that had always been special and made it even more special.

This meal had been implemented before Israel left Egypt.

Remember it was part of the 10th plague, the death of the first born.

For generations now the lamb had been sacrificed for the sin of each individual in the home.

The meal had always involved bread and wine.

But now they both took on new meaning.

He took the bread and broke it and gave it to His disciples.

Then He said, “Take, eat; this is My body.”

Do you see the change?

He said, Take, eat; this is My body.

Never before today had anyone compared the unleavened bread of the Passover meal with their own body.

Why do you suppose Jesus on this last supper chose to equate the broken bread with His body?

He wanted us to remember the true cost of forgiveness.

He needed for us to understand the sacrifice He was making for any who believe.

No one has to be stuck in sin.

God has provided the way of escape.

Jesus is the provision for us to escape this sinful world.

Jesus paid the price for our sin.

No one else could have for no one had ever lived a perfect sinless life until now.

Jesus lived that life yet still died the death of a sinner.

Because your sin and mine was taken to the cross by Jesus Himself.

Yes, Jesus took the bread, gave thanks, broke it and said, take, eat; this is My body.

2. Cup of Covenant and Forgiveness

Matthew 26:27–28 NASB95

27 And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; 28 for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.

Notice the deliberateness of Jesus.

Not only did he take the bread but also the cup

Each time He gave thanks then He gave them meaning.

The bread-His body

The cup?

It was meant for all for He said, “Drink from it, all of you.”

But the cup represented a new covenant.

A blood covenant poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.

Let’s talk about forgiveness for a moment

(26:28) Forgiveness (aphesin): to send off, to send away. The wrong is cut out, sent off, and sent away from the wrongdoer. The sin is separated from the sinner.

1. Forgiveness is needed because of wrongdoing and guilt and the penalty arising from both (see Ro. 3:23; 6:23; 8:1).

2. There is the idea of a once-for-all forgiveness, a total forgiveness.

A man is once-for-all forgiven when he receives Jesus Christ as his Savior.

Belief in Jesus Christ is the only condition for being forgiven once-for-all (Ep. 1:7; Ro. 4:5–8).

3. There is the idea of forgiveness that maintains fellowship.

Fellowship exists between God as Father and the believer as His child.

When the child does wrong, the fellowship is disturbed and broken.

The condition for restoring the fellowship is confessing and forsaking the sin (Ps. 66:18; Pr. 28:13; 1 Jn. 1:7).

4. There is the idea of a releasing from guilt.

This is one of the differences between man’s forgiving a man and God’s forgiving a man.

A man may forgive a person for wronging him, but he can never remove the guilt that his friend feels.

And often he cannot remove the resentment he feels within his own heart.

Only God can remove the guilt and assure the removal of resentment, and God does both.

God forgives and erases the guilt and resentment (Ps. 51:2, 7–12; 103:12; 1 Jn. 1:9).

Matthew-II: Chapters 16:13–28:20 (King James Version) (D. The Messiah’s Last Supper: The Lord’s Supper Instituted, 26:17–30)

Believers must embrace grace and extend grace in our own relationships.

3. Bound Together in Blessed Hope

Matthew 26:29 NASB95

29 “But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.”

This verse makes it obvious that this supper not only reminds us of what Jesus did but also of what He is going to do!!

We, who partake of this supper will one day be with Jesus in heaven.

Romans 8:16–17 NASB95

16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.

Jesus promised to celebrate the Supper with His followers in the future (v.29).

This is the glorious promise to all genuine believers: they shall sit down with Christ at the great marriage Feast of the Lamb

Matthew-II: Chapters 16:13–28:20 (King James Version) (D. The Messiah’s Last Supper: The Lord’s Supper Instituted, 26:17–30)

Lord’s Supper

Let’s take time to remember What Jesus has done that we could be saved from hell.

Also consider the reward promised of eating with the Lord in heaven.

But for now let us take a few moments to ask the Lord to show us where we fall short of being worthy to take this supper. Repent and return to take the Lord’s supper.

1 Corinthians 11:23–25 NASB95

23 … the Lord Jesus in the night in which 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.” 25 In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”

This supper certainly points us to the future in heaven. This song, our closing hymn is on video and asks the Lord Jesus to come soon to take us home.

Please stand and sing this song from the bottom of our hearts.