Lord's Supper: In Remembrance of Me
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Maundy Thursday | 1 Corinthians 11:23-34
Introduction
Introduction
Tonight is a threshold — something is about to happen this weekend that changed everything
Picture the upper room — Jesus knows what's coming, yet He takes the bread and the cup
He turned an ordinary meal into something His people would observe until He returns
This table is an invitation — to be honest about where we've been, hopeful about where we're going, and willing to let the cross do its work in us
Background:
Christ gave the local church two ordinances: and the Baptism & the Lord's Supper
The Lord's Supper = Communion (1 Corinthians 10:16) — a communion with Christ.
The Corinthians had turned it into a mockery — a heart problem, unprepared hearts
Result: God's discipline — weakness, sickness, and death (v. 30)
The Question: How do I approach the Lord's Supper in a way that invites blessing rather than chastening?
The Lord's Supper is an opportunity for us to look back.
The Lord's Supper is an opportunity for us to look back.
Text: 1 Corinthians 11:23-25
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.
The bread = Christ's body given for us
The cup = Christ's blood shed for us
Unlike human loss — we don't want to remember how they died, but how they lived
Yet everything about Christianity centers on the death of Christ
As we look back, we must remember three things:
1. That He died (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)
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:
Not incidental to the gospel — it is the gospel
The cross is non-negotiable
2. Why He died (1 Peter 2:24)
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.
He died for our sins — our substitute
He absorbed a debt we could never pay
He wasn't a victim — He was willing
3. How He died (Romans 5:8)
8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Willingly. Meekly. With love.
While we were yet sinners — not because we were worthy
Transition: The cross doesn't just inform you — it makes a claim on you. That kind of love doesn't leave you the same. It asks something of you in return.
The Lord's Supper is an opportunity for us to look ahead.
The Lord's Supper is an opportunity for us to look ahead.
Text: 1 Corinthians 11:26
26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come.
Key phrase: — two words carrying the weight of the whole Christian hope -"till He come"
We are people living between two world-altering events:
The cross — finished, accomplished, never to be repeated
His return — promised, certain, and coming
The forward lean:
He didn't just die — He rose, He ascended, He promised to return (1 John 3:2)
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.
We come to this table not just looking back at what was, but leaning forward toward what will be
People who are genuinely watching for His return don't coast — they prepare
Transition to the weekend: Sunday is coming. And with it, the promise that the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is available to you.
The Lord's Supper is an opportunity for us to look within.
The Lord's Supper is an opportunity for us to look within.
Text: 1 Corinthians 11:27-28, 31-32
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. 28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.
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.
Coming to this table requires self-examination
Far better to judge yourself than to have God judge and chasten you
The Corinthians learned this the hard way
What does worthy participation look like?
Examine your heart for any unconfessed sin
Judge that sin — call it what it is, don't minimize it
Confess that sin — agree with God and release it
Important: The purpose of examination is not condemnation — it is preparation
God's chastening = the action of a loving Father (Hebrews 12:1-11)
It proves His love. It is done to help us grow.
We leave this table not defeated by what we've seen in ourselves, but ready
Conclusion
Conclusion
Who this table is for:
Those who have placed their faith in Christ (believers only)
Those who have been scripturally baptized
Those who are members of a local, Bible-believing church
If you are not yet saved — Christ extends salvation to all. You can trust Him right now. If you are saved but not baptized — Come talk to me. Let's take that step. If you are not yet in a local church — We'd love for you to call this one home.
Closing charge — bridge to the weekend:
Tonight we remember a death — bread and cup, body and blood
But the story didn't end in that upper room. It didn't end on the cross.
This weekend we're asking: Ready to Change?
Genuine, lasting change always begins right here — at this table
In honest acknowledgment of who we are and what we need
In the humbling recognition of what it cost for us to be made right
In the quiet surrender: "Whatever You want to do in me, Lord, I'm willing"
The dawn is coming. The empty tomb is coming.
The question this table is asking you tonight: Are you ready for what He wants to change in you?
Let's pray.
Altar Call
Altar Call
In just a moment, we're going to come to this table together. But before we do, I want to make sure everyone in this room has the opportunity to respond to what God has been saying tonight.
The Lord's Supper is a sacred ordinance — and as we've talked about tonight, it isn't something we come to casually or carelessly. So before we take the bread and the cup, I want to give you a chance to get right with God and get right with where you stand.
If you have never placed your faith in Christ — if tonight is the first time you've truly understood what that bread and that cup represent — I don't want you to sit here and watch while the rest of us partake. I want you to belong at this table. And that starts with trusting the One the table points to. Come find me right now. Let tonight be the night.
If you've trusted Christ but you haven't taken the step of baptism — that first act of public obedience — I want to encourage you. Don't partake tonight with that step still undone. Come talk to me instead, and let's make a plan to get that right.
And if you're a believer — saved, baptized, a member of a local church — but that examination a few moments ago surfaced something you haven't dealt with, don't come to this table carrying it. Confess it right now, right where you're sitting. Let the Lord make you clean before you come.
We are about to observe something that Jesus Himself gave us. Let's come to it ready.
If you need to respond — come. We'll take all the time you need. And then we'll come to this table together.
Communion Observance
Communion Observance
THE CALL TO THE TABLE
THE CALL TO THE TABLE
Pastor: "As the music plays, I ask our Associate Pastors and Dr. Wirth along with Melvin Lyons to come forward to the Lord’s Table."
(Hand out the trays. As the team moves to their aisles, the pianist plays softly.)
THE BREAD (THE BODY)
THE BREAD (THE BODY)
(Once the team has returned, you have served the leaders, and everyone has a packet in hand:)
Pastor: "This evening we are following the pattern set forth by Christ on the night before His death."
Scripture:
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.
Logistical Instruction: "Please peel back the top layer of your packet to reveal the bread. I will now ask Melvin Lyons to lead us in a word of prayer, thanking God for the broken body of our Savior."
(Deacon/Server Prays)
The Act: "Let us partake together."
THE CUP (THE BLOOD)
THE CUP (THE BLOOD)
Pastor: "In like manner also He took the cup, signifying the New Testament in His blood."
Scripture:
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.
Logistical Instruction: "Please carefully peel back the second layer for the cup. I ask Dr. Wirth to lead us in prayer for the shed blood of Christ."
(Deacon/Server Prays)
The Act: "Let us drink together."
THE CLOSING
THE CLOSING
Pastor: "Having partaken of these elements in unity, let us go forth as the body of Christ. Gentlemen, thank you for your service; you may return to your seats."
(Wait for the team to be seated before moving to the final hymn or benediction.)
