Three Visible Reminders
Communion • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”
Notice two words: “With you.” He described a meal shared with His people in His kingdom. Paul uses a specific word when explaining communion
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?
The word translated participation is the Greek word koinonia. Meaning: fellowship, sharing, communion, partnership, or participation in something held in common.
This is koinonia.
We share together in Christ, share in His sacrifice, share in His covenant.
1. We Share in the Body of Christ
1. We Share in the Body of Christ
The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?
The bread reminds us of the physical body Jesus offered on the cross.
Reminder: He took on flesh, suffered in the flesh, & carried our sins in His body.
Paul does not say that the bread makes us think about Christ’s body.
He calls it a participation in the body of Christ.
Reminder: We have no righteousness apart from Him, no access to God apart from Him, & no life apart from Him.
The bread declares: We share one Savior.
2. We Share in the Blood of Christ
2. We Share in the Blood of Christ
The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ?
His blood purchased forgiveness, reconciled us to God, cleanses us from sin, & purchased the church.
The cup is a shared participation in Christ’s blood.
We drink from the same spiritual source, stand beneath the same mercy, & depend upon the same sacrifice.
No one comes to the table with a better claim than another.
The mature Christian and the new Christian need the same blood. The strong and the struggling need the same blood. The wealthy and the poor need the same blood.
The cup declares: We share one covenant.
3. We Share in One Another
3. We Share in One Another
Paul then moves from Christ’s physical body to Christ’s gathered body.
Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.
The bread is one. We are many. Communion joins our eyes upward to Christ, but it also turn our eyes toward one another.
We cannot claim fellowship with Christ while treating His people as unimportant.
We cannot honor the Head while despising His body.
We cannot celebrate reconciliation with God while refusing reconciliation with one another.
As we gather around this table we are not simply individuals having private moments with Jesus.
We are brothers and sisters. We are members of the same body. We are part of the same kingdom.
The church is a visible reminder of Christ’s victory.
4. Participation (Koinonia) Demands Loyalty
4. Participation (Koinonia) Demands Loyalty
Paul continues by discussing Israel’s sacrifices and pagan sacrifices.
Consider the people of Israel: are not those who eat the sacrifices participants in the altar?
Those who ate from Israel’s sacrifices shared in the altar. Likewise, those who ate pagan sacrifices shared in what those sacrifices represented.
You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons.
This participation (Koinonia) is not casual.
When we eat the bread and drink the cup, we are saying:
We belong to Jesus Christ. His sacrifice is our only hope. His kingdom is our citizenship.
We cannot proclaim fellowship with Christ while deliberately embracing what competes with Christ.
The Reminders
The bread reminds us that we share in the body Christ gave. We share one Savior
The fruit of the vine reminds us that we share in the blood Christ shed. We share one covenant
The church reminds us that we share one life with the people Christ purchased. We share the one kingdom
This is koinonia
Fellowship with Christ.
Participation in His sacrifice.
Partnership in His kingdom.
Unity with His people.
