Communion with Christ

The Big Idea:

Partaking of the bread and drinking the cup is more than a symbol; it is a spiritual reality. It is communion with Jesus Christ Himself. The Lord’s Supper, or Communion, also known as the Eucharist, is an experience of the very grace of God in our hearts. Communion is more than some religious ritual. It is taking part in the mystery of the divine, where Christ dwells in the believer and the believer dwells in Christ.

Anchor Scripture

“The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread.” — 1 Corinthians 10:16–17 (KJV)

“He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.” — John 6:56 (KJV)

Introduction

“The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread.” — 1 Corinthians 10:16–17 (KJV)

“He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.” — John 6:56 (KJV)

Church, there is a difference between looking at a photograph of someone you love and sitting across the table from them. A photograph reminds you. A table-meeting connects you. The photograph points to a person who is absent; the table puts you in the presence of a person who is near.

Too many believers have come to the Lord’s Table the way a person looks at an old photograph — with respect, maybe with a little sentiment, but without expectation. We pass the tray, we take the bread, we drink the cup, and we go on with the service. But the Word of God will not let us treat this Table as a mere picture. Paul asks the church a question: “is it not the communion of the blood of Christ… the communion of the body of Christ?” The answer he expects is yes.

Today we are going to walk through three questions. What? — What does the Bible actually say is happening at the Table? So What? — Why does it matter for my life and for this church? And Now What? — How do I come to the Table differently from this day forward?

Abortion and Lord’s Supper! If we as Christians do not hold fast to the Word of God and fight to keep the sacraments of Jesus, than the devil will pervert it!

Part One: WHAT?

What does Scripture teach is taking place when we partake of the bread and the cup?

1. It Was Instituted by Jesus Himself

The Lord’s Supper was not invented by a council or created by a denomination. Jesus Himself set this Table on the night He was betrayed.

“And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”  — Matthew 26:26–28 (KJV)

Notice the words “gave thanks.” In the Greek of the New Testament, that word is eucharisteo — and that is where the name “Eucharist” comes from. Communion is, at its heart, a thanksgiving meal. We do not come to the Table to earn grace; we come to give thanks for grace already given.

Jesus also connected this Table to the Passover. Paul says, “For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us” (1 Corinthians 5:7). In Egypt, God said, “when I see the blood, I will pass over you” (Exodus 12:13). At this Table, we remember and receive the benefits of the blood of the Lamb of God that causes judgment to pass over us.

There is another benefit to the blood of the lamb: Revelation 12:11 “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.”

2. It Is a Communion — a Real Participation

Look again at 1 Corinthians 10:16. The word Paul uses for “communion” is koinonia. It means fellowship, sharing, participation — to have something in common with someone. Paul does not say the cup is merely a reminder of the blood; he says it is a communion of the blood. The bread is a participation in the body of Christ.

That means something is happening at the Table. We are not only thinking about Jesus; we are sharing in Jesus. We are not spectators at a memorial service; we are participants in a living fellowship with a risen Savior. We serve our Living God!

When Jesus was speaking to the Sadducees in Matthew 12, the Sadducees set their trap to ensnare the Messiah with words, and they asked about a woman who had been married and had been had or known seven times, and no child was born. They asked who she will belong to in the resurrection. I love of the response of Jesus:

And Jesus answering said unto them, Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God? For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven. And as touching the dead, that they rise: have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living: ye therefore do greatly err.

(Mar 12:24-27 KJV)

We serve a Living God! When we participate in the Lord’s Supper, we are communing with the Son of the Living God who sits at the right hand of the Father, who intercedes on our behalf and advocates for us!

Pastor’s Note: For the Church of God denomination, we hold the Lord’s Supper as an ordinance commanded by Christ. We do not teach that the bread and juice physically change into flesh and blood. We do teach that Christ is truly present with His people by the Holy Spirit, and that by faith we genuinely commune with Him at His Table. The elements are ordinary; the encounter is holy.

3. It Is Abiding: Christ in Me, and I in Christ

In John 6, Jesus spoke words so strong that many disciples walked away from Him:

“Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.”  — John 6:53 (KJV)

“He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.”  — John 6:56 (KJV)

Then Jesus explained how this happens: “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63). This is a Spirit-reality, received by faith. It is the same mutual indwelling Jesus described in John 15:4: “Abide in me, and I in you.”

Here is the mystery of the Table: the believer dwells in Christ, and Christ dwells in the believer. Paul called it “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27). At the Table, the Spirit takes what Christ has done on the cross and makes it personal, present, and powerful in our hearts.

4. It Is Where Jesus Makes Himself Known

On the road to Emmaus, two discouraged disciples walked with Jesus for miles and did not recognize Him. But then something happened at the table:

“And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them. And their eyes were opened, and they knew him.”  — Luke 24:30–31 (KJV)

Later they testified “how he was known of them in breaking of bread” (Luke 24:35). Church, the Table is a place of revelation. Eyes that were closed by grief, confusion, and disappointment were opened when Jesus broke the bread with them!

That same power and revelation found in the Word of God can take place with us today. Hebrews 13:8 “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.”

5. It Looks Back, Looks Within, Looks Around, and Looks Ahead

“For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come.”  — 1 Corinthians 11:26 (KJV)

• Looks back — “this do in remembrance of me” (1 Corinthians 11:24). Biblical remembrance is not just recalling a fact; it is bringing a saving event into the present with faith.

• Looks within — “But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat” (1 Corinthians 11:28).

• Looks around — “For we being many are one bread, and one body” (1 Corinthians 10:17).

• Looks ahead — “till he come” (1 Corinthians 11:26). Jesus said He would not drink of the fruit of the vine again “until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom” (Matthew 26:29).

Summary of “What?”

The Lord’s Supper is a Table Jesus set, a thanksgiving meal, a real fellowship in His body and blood by the Spirit, a place of mutual abiding, a place of revelation, and a proclamation of His death until He returns.

Part Two: SO WHAT?

Why does this matter for my walk with God and for our church?

1. Because Ritual Without Reality Leaves Us Empty

It is possible to go through the motions and miss the Master. The people of Isaiah’s day kept their feasts, yet God said, “this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me” (Isaiah 29:13). If Communion is only a ritual, we will leave the Table the same way we came. But if it is a real encounter with Christ, we can come hungry and leave filled.

“O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him” (Psalm 34:8). The Table is an invitation to taste — not just to talk about — the goodness of God.

2. Because Grace Is Meant to Be Received, Not Just Explained

We can explain grace in a Bible study, but at the Table we receive it. The bread reminds us that “he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities” and the cup reminds us of the blood “shed for many for the remission of sins” (Isaiah 53:5; Matthew 26:28). The same Christ who died for us now ministers His grace to us. Some of us have heard about forgiveness for years; today God wants us to experience it.

3. Because Christ Wants Fellowship, Not Formality

“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.”  — Revelation 3:20 (KJV)

Jesus describes relationship with Him as a meal — “will sup with him, and he with me.” In Bible times, sharing a table meant sharing life, acceptance, and covenant. The Lord of glory wants to sit at the table of your heart. That is not religion; that is relationship. “And truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ” (1 John 1:3).

4. Because the Table Calls Us to Holiness

“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.”  — 1 Corinthians 11:27 (KJV)

Paul takes the Table seriously because it is real. If it were only a symbol, careless participation would not matter much. But because we are handling a communion with the body and blood of Christ, Paul warns the Corinthians that some among them were “weak and sickly” because they were not “discerning the Lord’s body” (1 Corinthians 11:29–30).

Understand this: “unworthily” does not mean “unworthy person.” None of us are worthy on our own. It describes an unworthy manner — coming carelessly, with unconfessed sin, with bitterness toward a brother, or with no regard for what Christ has done. The Table is not for perfect people; it is for repentant people.

5. Because the Table Makes Us One Body

At Corinth, the rich ate first and the poor went hungry; there were divisions at the Lord’s Supper (1 Corinthians 11:18–22). Paul said, in effect, you cannot claim to share in Christ’s body while despising Christ’s body, the Church. “For we are all partakers of that one bread” (1 Corinthians 10:17).

For Wilderness Church of God, this is vital. We are a family being formed in the wilderness. The Table reminds us that the ground is level at the foot of the cross. Whatever our background, our struggles, or our past, we share one loaf and one Lord.

Summary of “So What?”

It matters because the Table turns ritual into relationship, explanation into experience, formality into fellowship, casual religion into holy living, and a crowd into a family.

Part Three: NOW WHAT?

How do I come to the Table differently from this day forward?

1. Prepare Your Heart — Examine

“But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup” (1 Corinthians 11:28). Notice Paul says examine, and so let him eat. Examination is not meant to drive you away from the Table; it is meant to bring you to it clean. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

• Ask the Holy Spirit: Is there any sin I need to confess?

• Ask: Is there anyone I need to forgive or be reconciled with? (Matthew 5:23–24)

• Ask: Have I been coming to this Table out of habit, or out of hunger?

2. Come with Expectation — Discern

Discern the Lord’s body. When you hold the bread, do not just see a cracker; by faith, recognize the Christ who gave His body for you. When you hold the cup, do not just see juice; by faith, receive the benefits of the blood that was shed for you. Come expecting to meet Jesus the way the disciples at Emmaus did — with your eyes opened.

3. Receive by Faith — Abide

As you eat and drink, make it a moment of surrender: “Lord, I abide in You; abide in me.” Then carry that abiding out the doors of this church. Paul testified, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me” (Galatians 2:20). What happens at the Table should continue at the kitchen table, at work, and in every wilderness place you walk this week.

4. Remember and Proclaim — Testify

Every time we take Communion, we “do shew the Lord’s death till he come.” The Table is a sermon without words. Let your life preach the same message: Jesus died, Jesus rose, and Jesus is coming again. Tell someone this week what Christ has done for you.

5. Live as One Body — Reconcile and Serve

If we share one bread, we cannot live as strangers. Call the brother you have been avoiding. Check on the sister who has been missing. Serve alongside one another. The early church “continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers” (Acts 2:42). Let the Table form us into that kind of church.

Summary of “Now What?”

Examine your heart, discern the Lord’s body, abide in Christ, proclaim His death, and live as one body — until He comes.

Conclusion

Remember the difference between a photograph and a table. The Lord’s Supper is not an old picture of a Jesus who is far away. It is a Table where the living Christ meets His people by His Spirit. The bread and the cup are simple, but the reality is holy: Christ in us, and we in Christ.

So today, do not just take Communion. Commune. Do not just remember a Savior who died. Meet a Savior who lives. Come to the Table.