Celebrate Communion

Before we dive off into the Lord’s Supper, let’s briefly consider what it celebrates and remembers.

When Jesus came into our world some 2,000 or so years ago, He came with a mission in mind: to seek and to save the lost (Luke 19:10). Jesus was on a rescue mission. You see, our default setting is rebellion toward God. Romans 3:23 (“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”) lays this out pretty plainly. We all sin, and honestly, we have no intention of stopping. Romans 3:23 is actually a summary of what Paul had already said — none of us are righteous, none of us are seeking God, and we’re stuck on this path of ruin and misery. Further, because sin is rebellion toward God, it deserves punishment. Much like a parent who disciplines a rebellious and disobedient child, God says that our sin must be punished — Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

So we have this two-fold conundrum:

We are sinners.

We deserve punishment. When Paul refers to death in Romans 6, it’s more than just dying a physical death. It also involves separation from God eternally.

So, what’s the solution? For that, we have to backtrack one chapter in Romans. In chapter 5, we read: Romans 5:8 “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” It reminds us of God’s great love for us. He demonstrates and declares and gives evidence of His love for us in that while we were still rebellious toward God, He sent Jesus to die for us. 1 Corinthians 15:3 says, “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures,”.

So, we deserve punishment, but Christ took it on our behalf. There’s a beautiful phrase that captures what Jesus did. That phrase is “atoning sacrifice.” It means that Jesus, when He died on the cross, He completely absorbed the wrath and punishment of God toward sin and sinners, and He removed the sinners’ sin(s) as far as the east is from the west.

But, this sacrifice isn’t automatically transferred into our account, so to say. We must respond to this truth. So, we read in Romans 10:9–10 “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”

First, confess that Jesus is Lord. This means freely and openly declare our allegiance to Jesus. We declare it first with our mouth and then we follow up with baptism as an outward show and sign.

Second, we believe in our heart that Jesus is raised from the dead. This is deeper than simply having a firm conviction in the resurrection, though surely that’s involved. But, believing something with the heart means that it is so true to you that it literally changes the way your want to live your life. Being so sure about the resurrection changes us in such a profound way that we don’t just say Jesus is Lord, but we actually surrender our lives to His authority.

If we confess and believe, Romans is clear, the death of Jesus covers our debt and we belong to our Father God. I would have failed at my job if I didn’t now pause and ask, “Have you confessed Jesus as Lord and surrendered your life to Him?” If not, may today be the day of your salvation.

And this, friends, is what we celebrate and look to and remember when we celebrate the Lord’s Supper.

With that in mind, let’s dive a little deeper into the particulars of the Lord’s Supper and what it can teach us.

It Looks Back to the Cross

There are two realities present in the cross of Christ.

Abject and sorrowful loss.

The possibility of brand new life.

There is simultaneously suffering and hope, sorrow and joy. And, when we come to the table of the Lord, we witness and celebrate both of these realities as we remember that “gain from loss, strength through weakness, life out of death” is a beautiful reality of the gospel.

Often in today’s world Christianity is portrayed as this sort of “happy, healthy, and wealthy” life that is made possible through Jesus if only we’ll have enough faith. The Lord’s Supper takes us back to the epicenter of our faith and reminds us that our salvation was bought with a terrible price — the death of our Lord and Savior. It reminds us of the bitter taste of sin: death and separation from God, reminding us that, in the words of Thomas Watson,

“Till sin be bitter, Christ will not be sweet.”

In looking back on the cross, remembering the death of Jesus, we remember that God Himself is no stranger to pain or suffering, and we also remember that God uses suffering to accomplish His purposes. God will use pain in our life to help us develop faithfulness and perseverance in the face of hardship and difficulty. God will use pain in our life to grow our faith so that we can weep with those who weep and offer assurance and hope to others who may be suffering. God will use pain in our life as a witness to the world around us. John Piper often states:

“God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.”

He notes that this is all the more true when we are suffering.

And, the Lord’s Supper and looking back on the cross reminds us that ultimately pain will be dealt a death blow because Christ is no longer buried in a tomb. He is raised to life and seated at the right hand of God the Father. If on the cross Jesus drank full until the last drop the full wrath of God only to emerge victorious from the tomb, then by His strength and through His Spirit, we can, too!

Second, as the Lord’s Supper draws us back to the cross, we remember just what we’ve stated — Jesus completely absorbed God’s righteous wrath due to sinners. If the wages of sin is death (Rom.6:23), then Jesus received those wages in full. There is not an ounce of punishment reserved for those who have placed their faith in Jesus. He suffered once-for-all, and every sin, past, present, and future, are covered fully and freely by the blood of Jesus Christ for those who believe in Him.

It Symbolizes and Creates Unity in the Body

Consider Paul’s instruction to the church at Corinth:

1 Corinthians 10:16–17 ESV

The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?

1 Corinthians 10:16–17 ESV

Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.

The ESV translates it as “bread,” but the better understanding of the Greek is loaf or loaf of bread. The NASB footnotes this. The Complete Jewish Bible uses “loaf of bread.” The KJV only uses bread. The Christian Standard only uses bread. The International Standard Version, which Dr. Black helped to translate as part of their translation board, simply uses the word “loaf,” which is what the NASB footnote says is the literal translation. So, one loaf.

And, notice what Paul says and doesn’t say. “Because there is one loaf, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.” When we share of a single loaf, we create unity with the rest of the body. This idea is underscored in 1 Corinthians when Paul says,

1 Corinthians 11:33 ESV

So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one another—

It’s hard to build unity around the single loaf when everyone is simply doing their own thing! Our unity is underscored, undergirded, and strengthened by our participation in the single loaf together.

But, is this something that we can recapture today? And, are we in sin if we retain some of the common practices today, particularly the individual “chicklets” of bread? I won’t go so far as to label us sinners, but it does draw to our attention the need to make sure this oneness of the Lord’s Supper is at least consistently visible somewhere in our practice. This is why we’ve tried to recapture an aspect of this in our Generations service. It’s why the table fellowship and sharing of the Lord’s Supper during our Passover meal is so special.

It Causes us to Expect Christ’s Return

The Lord’s Supper helps us remember that this life is not all there is. Eternity is on the horizon. Jesus will come again soon. This is the kingdom we seek. And Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians:

1 Corinthians 11:26 ESV

For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

But, when’s the last time I took the Lord’s Supper in full awareness that Jesus could return soon? Do I believe that Jesus could return soon? You know, believe it beyond the intellectual? I don’t always live that way. But the imminent, soon-to-happen return of Jesus was seared on the Apostles’ consciences. They believed that the “Lord is at hand” (Phil.4:5).

This reminder that the Lord will return soon shouldn’t lead to lukewarm idleness. Instead, it should spur us to greater obedient fervor. All the more we should pray, preach, and love, knowing that the end is at hand.

As we partake of the Lord’s Supper, proclaiming His death until He comes, readily making ourselves aware that His return is at hand, should we not examine our priorities? Should we not redirect our efforts, away from self and toward service to others?

Dr. Black concludes his chapter:

In a word, live as though He were coming back today — not by sitting around idly staring into heaven but, like Jesus before you, doing all you can to “seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10).

It Preaches a Gospel of Grace

I’ve shared this before, but it’s a good reminder. Our pastor in North Carolina, Roger Wall, he used to say that the Lord’s Supper was the greatest sermon we could ever preach. Being a young, know-it-all seminarian who already had one theology degree in hand…well I disagreed. Not openly, but in my heart, I just couldn’t get on board with what Roger was saying. I’d heard plenty of messages that I found more moving.

Now, let me put your fears at ease. I was saved. I was just ignorant. I didn’t fully grasp it all. But here’s the thing about the Lord’s Supper: in addition to its proclamation of Christ’s death on the cross, satisfying the penalty for our sin, and in addition to the unity that is deepened through our sharing together, and in addition to it spurring us to love and good deeds and gospel proclamation because the Lord’s return is at hand, it also reminds us that this gospel we so cherish is a gospel of grace. There is not a single one of us who will lay our good deeds before the throne of God and be able to say, “Now I’ve done enough to erase my past. Now I’ve done enough to earn my way back to You.”

Rather, Ephesians reminds us:

Ephesians 2:8–9 ESV

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing;

Ephesians 2:8–9 ESV

it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

You might be saying, “How does the Lord’s Supper proclaim grace?” When we celebrate the Lord’s Supper together, we simply partake. That is the gospel of grace. We don’t earn, we simply receive.

With open hands that are simultaneously ready to surrender and receive, we come into the kingdom by grace through faith.

My final question to you today: have you received the free gift of grace, salvation from Jesus our Lord?

Romans is clear how that happens:

Romans 10:9–10 ESV

because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

Confess your allegiance to Jesus. Live because the resurrection has changed your life. This is what it means to receive the gift of grace.

The NT church committed itself to remembering the death and resurrection of Jesus by regularly celebrating the Lord’s Supper. As we leave the table of the Lord, the question before us is not merely, “Did I remember rightly?” but “Will I live differently because of what I remembered?” The Supper looks back to the cross and reminds us that our sin is costly, yet completely forgiven in Christ. It unites us as one body, calling us to love and serve each other. It lifts our eyes to the horizon of eternity, urging us to live with urgency for the sake of the gospel. And it preaches grace, reminding us that all we bring is empty hands, receiving everything we need in Christ.

So how should we respond?

With humility, knowing the price of our redemption.

With love, seeking unity in the body of Christ.

With urgency, living each day as if Jesus could return today.

And with gratitude, resting in the grace that saves us and sustains us.

The Lord’s Supper is not just a ritual we perform; it is a reality we are called to remember and celebrate. May we leave the table proclaiming not only with our lips but with our lives: Jesus Christ is Lord.