THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE LORD'S SUPPER

Introduction

-In The Christian Reader magazine, author Paul Francisco wrote:

When I was a child, our church celebrated the Lord’s Supper every first Sunday of the month. At that service, the offering plates were passed twice: before the sermon for regular offerings, and just prior to Communion for benevolence offerings. My family always gave to both, but they passed a dime to me to put in only the regular offering.

One Communion Sunday when I was nine, my mother, for the first time, gave me a dime for the benevolent offering also. A little later when the folks in our pew rose to go to the Communion rail, I got up also. “You can’t take Communion yet,” Mother told me.

“Why not?” I said. “I paid for it!”

-If you have been around church for any significant amount of time you have participated in the Lord’s Supper or have at least seen it done—but, I wonder what it means to you personally? Sometimes things become so familiar to us that eventually it just becomes routine—does this drive you closer to Jesus Christ, or is it all going through the motions—today, I want to study the Lord’s Supper a little closer and pray that it turns into a special time of remembering in a tangible way the love that God has toward you

-But there may be some here today who have never seen it, or maybe you have always been curious about this ordinance/ritual that Christians do—I pray that the story that it portrays grabs hold of your heart and changes your life for eternity

Luke 22:14–23 ESV

14 And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. 15 And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. 16 For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” 17 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. 18 For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” 19 And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 20 And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. 21 But behold, the hand of him who betrays me is with me on the table. 22 For the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed!” 23 And they began to question one another, which of them it could be who was going to do this.

-I first want to take a moment to talk about the institution of the Lord’s Supper itself—to look at its significance parts and phrases, and see what it might tell us about Christ’s sacrifice

(1) Before each element, Jesus said “This is” or something similar—that may not seem very significant, but many a significant theological debate has arisen over this—because, if we take it in its most natural sense, that phrase means that what He is about to do symbolizes or represents a truth----this symbolizes my body…blood

-Why that is so important is because several religions take that phrase to an extreme literalism, that they believe the bread and wine literally/physically becomes Jesus’ body and blood, and that it somehow then becomes a means of grace

-But the most natural sense is symbolic—it points us to the great sacrifice that Christ made on our behalf all those years ago, it does not recreate it in any way=so we look at the Lord’s Supper as a picture/photograph of Christ’s atoning death to be repeated constantly by the church

(2) We need to mention the two elements that are used in this ordinance—Jesus kind of goes back and forth between cups and bread following the Passover ritual, but giving them new meaning:

(a) bread=bread was the staple meal of 1st century Judaism, it was eaten for sustenance of life; and in a similar fashion, the body of Christ being sacrificed for mankind is the only means of eternal spiritual life

-and what is interesting is that there is emphasis on the fact that Jesus broke the bread—just like the bread, Jesus’ body was broken to give us life; Isaiah 53:5 says:

But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. (Isa. 53:5 ESV)

(b) wine {without getting into a debate over whether it was wine or grape juice}=as the wine was poured out into the cup, so Jesus’ blood was poured out on behalf of mankind so that their sins may be forgiven—Eph. 1:7 reminds us:

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, (Eph. 1:7 ESV)

(3) I want to make mention about why we still participate in the Lord’s Supper now some 2000 years after the event

1 Corinthians 11:26:

-For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. (1 Cor. 11:26 ESV)

-in a sense, the Lord’s Supper is a gospel presentation without words; and the gospel is to be proclaimed as long as this earth is still cursed, and as long as the gospel is still needed by the lost

-but there will come a day when Christ returns, when the earth is no longer cursed, and the gospel will be completely fulfilled==then and only then do we stop participating in this ordinance, because then we will participate in a different meal==THE WEDDING SUPPER OF THE LAMB, where the bride of Christ, the church, will finally, completely belong to Him, and there will be an eternal celebration

-So the Lord’s Supper is a symbolic act of bread and wine/juice that declares Christ’s death to save sinful men, and we will continue to participate in it until He comes

But, why is it so significant? What does it mean, and what does it point to?

(1) It is for remembrance—Luke 22:19/1 Cor. 11:24 Do this in remembrance of Me—we celebrate the Lord’s Supper to remember Jesus, His character, His work, His word, and His sacrifice

-It is not necessarily that we forget about Him, but it sure is easy to begin to think lightly of it or take it for granted—we celebrate the Lord’s Supper so that we can remember this eternally life-changing event, so it gives us a chance to look back on the meaning and significance of redemption—you could say that it gives Christ’s death a new freshness in our spirits that leads to greater devotion

(2) It is for Communion/Fellowship—1 Corinthians 10:16:

The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation (communion/fellowship) in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? (1 Cor. 10:16 ESV)

-communion was described by one author as: Fellowship through participation----by participating in the Lord’s Supper we are proclaiming and celebrating the intimate relationship we have with Christ based on His finished work; but also the fellowship we share with other believers as Christ has broken down any barriers that may separate us, we share in our common brotherhood in Christ

(3) Thanksgiving—Luke 22:19 And He took bread, gave thanks, and broke it----as we participate in the Lord’s Supper we are reminded that we have eternal reasons to be grateful—during the Lord’s Supper we have time to reflect on the blessings that are ours in Christ; not just the physical blessings we may normally think of, but the numerous spiritual blessings: through Christ’s death we are redeemed, we have been adopted as a child of God, we are free from the power and penalty of sin, death does not have the final say, and so many more----quite often the Lord’s Supper is referred to as the Eucharist, which comes from the Greek term here to give thanks, so this most definitely is a great time to do so

(4) We are reminded of the covenant that God has made for us----as 1 theological work described it: A “covenant” is an agreement enacted between two parties in which one or both make promises under oath to perform or refrain from certain actions stipulated in advance.

-We are told Luke 22:20/1 Cor. 11:25 This cup is the new covenant in My blood----God made an old covenant, the law, with the Israelites in the days of Moses, and it was ratified by the blood of bulls and goats----but God has made a New Covenant, a covenant of grace, that all those who fully trust in the ultimate sacrifice will be saved from eternal death, and this covenant was ratified by the blood of the spotless Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world

-because of that blood, God will never fail in His part of the covenant—once we believe, we are eternally His, and we celebrate that covenant in the Lord’s Supper

(5) By participating in the Lord’s Supper, you are reaffirming your complete loyalty to Christ; 1 Corinthians 10:21:

- 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. (1 Cor. 10:21 ESV)

-Paul in that passage was specifically speaking about eating and drinking things that had first been sacrificed or dedicated in pagan temples to idols, which are really demons----Paul is telling the people you can’t pledge your loyalty to demons one day, and then try to pledge your loyalty to Christ the next

-Just as Paul is saying you need to make a choice, so too the Lord’s Supper is reminding us where our true loyalties and devotion is to lie—will you live for the world, the flesh and the devil most of your days, and then dare to fake your loyalty to Christ?

-It is at the Lord’s Supper that all other loyalties must be severed, and Christ be reaffirmed as your first love

(6) The Lord’s Supper is a time to separate from sin—1 Corinthians 11:28-31:

28 Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup.

29 For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.

30 That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died.

31 But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. (1 Cor. 11:28-31 ESV)

-This is a time to examine ourselves, as well as allowing the Holy Spirit to examine us—it is a time to search our hearts and make an honest judgment of our lives

-If there is unconfessed, unrepented of sin, now is the time to get it right----now is not the time to excuse your sin or reason it away; now is the time to forsake it, otherwise God’s chastening hand is will come upon us

-The significance of the Lord’s Supper can carry many different meanings, but it involves only one event—during that Last Supper Christ was looking forward to His death on the cross, while we here today look back

-The cross is the most significant event in history—it is there where God’s justice and mercy came together as His just punishment for sin was paid for by Christ opening the doors of mercy for all who believe

-Don’t you ever dare approach the Lord’s Supper as just something we church folks do every few months like it is a mere tradition—come in reverence as you are reminded of the dreadful price that was paid to create a new covenant that opened the door to your relationship with God—so be thankful and remain loyal to Him alone

Conclusion

I read a story about a man named Roger Rose who faced deep sorrow as a child. His young brother was fatally injured in a tragic accident. A dirt road ran alongside their home, and only on rare occasions would an automobile be seen on it. But one day as his brother was crossing on his bicycle, a car came roaring over a nearby hill, and he was run over and killed.

Roger recalled that his father later that day picked up the mangled, twisted bike upon which his brother rode, and sobbed out loud for the first time in Roger’s life. His father carried the mangled bike to the barn and placed it in a spot they seldom used. And although his father’s terrible sorrow eased with the passing of time, for many years whenever his father saw that bike, tears began streaming down his face, recalling all that the bike represented and all that it brought to mind and heart.

With that in mind, Roger made a connection between that particular family memorial and the Lord’s Supper, so he often prayed to God: ‘Lord, keep the memory of your death that fresh to me! Every time I partake of Your memorial supper, may my heart be stirred as if it occurred only yesterday. Never let the communion service become a mere formality, but always a tender and touching experience.’

-I pray, that as we enter into this time of participating in the Lord’s Supper, that this would be our prayer as well; may it be just as fresh to us as the day we were first saved----before we participate, I know we are Baptists and are not prone to follow liturgy, but I felt it appropriate to end the sermon in prayer, by reciting a prayer from puritan theologian Richard Baxter:

Most Holy Spirit, proceeding from the Father and the Son, by whom Christ was conceived, by whom the prophets and apostles were inspired, and the ministers of Christ are qualified and called, who dwells and works in all the members of Christ, whom you sanctify to the image and for the service of their Head, and comforts them so that they may show forth his praise: Illuminate us, so that by faith we may see him who is here represented to us. Soften our hearts, and humble us for our sins. Sanctify and quicken us, so that we may relish the spiritual food, and feed on it to our nourishment and growth in grace. Shed abroad the love of God upon our hearts, and draw them out in love to him. Fill us with thankfulness and holy joy, and with love to one another; comfort us by witnessing that we are the children of God. Confirm us for new obedience. Be the guarantee of our inheritance, and seal us up to everlasting life. Amen.