A Time of Remembrance

Introduction-Luke 22:7-22

Tomorrow night we will have our annual Lord’s Supper service.

This service is a very special time which is intended to follow the Biblical pattern as closely as is possible.

Often the Lord’s Supper is not given the significance which it deserves, but it is our intent to make our observance of the Lord’s Supper and meaningful event each year that will serve the purpose that we believe it is intended to serve.

The Lord’s Supper at High Plains Baptist Church is structured similar to a memorial service and is a time when we pause to remember the Lord’s death.

At HPBC we believe that the observance of the Lord’s Supper is one of two ordinances given to the local New Testament church (along with baptism) and thus it is to be practiced in the context and under the authority of the local church.

This leads us to limit the observance to those who are currently a part of the membership of the church only.

We certainly do not turn anyone away but this is our general conviction on the matter.

Our observance is done in a somber tone and we encourage everyone to arrive early and to spend a few moments in quiet reflection before the observance.

We do not come to fellowship but rather to remember.

The Lord’s Supper is a time to remember...

The Body That Was Broken (Vs. 19)

So often we fail to consider the terrible suffering that the Lord Jesus endured at the hands of those Roman Soldiers.

Notice here that the Lord speaks of His body being given for you already foreshadowing what was to come in the days following.

The very night that the Lord sat down to this meal with His closest disciples, He would be betrayed by one of them and would be arrested and then a mock trial would be held where He would be judged by the religious leaders.

The religious leaders would then deliver Jesus to the Roman authority in the region Pontius Pilate to be condemned.

Pilate sent Jesus to Herod and then Herod sent Him back to Pilate where for fear of the Jews Pilate condemned Jesus to die.

Jesus was then scourged and mocked by the Roman soldiers and then bloodied and beaten He was forced to carry His cross and then He was brutally nailed to the cross by the soldiers and hung there on the cross to die.

We see a detailed account of what Jesus endured given to us in Mark 15:15-37

It is important that we remember that Jesus voluntarily endured this terrible suffering for your sake and mine.

His body was broken for you and I.

The Lord’s Supper is also a time to remember...

The Blood That Was Shed (Vs. 20)

We also pause to remember the blood that Jesus shed for you and I.

Hebrews 9:22 KJV 1900

And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.

It is the shedding of the blood of the perfect Lamb of God which has granted to us the forgivness of sin.

Revelation 1:5 KJV 1900

And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,

1 Peter 1:18–19 KJV 1900

Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

It is the blood of Jesus Christ which was the purchase price for our redemption. His blood is what has secured our salvation.

The Lord’s Supper is a time to remember...

The Promise of a Coming Kingdom (Vs. 14-18)

It probably seemed an odd thing to the disicples that Jesus would speak in such a way to them in this moment.

It becomes evident that they were not expecting Him to be arrested, to be condemned, and to be cruelly and mercilessly killed by means of crucifixion.

Yet there are hints throughout the conversation He had with them of the fact that He would soon be with them no longer.

One other important aspect of the observance of the Lord’s Supper is our consideration of the promise that Jesus will one day return and set all things right.

Jesus spoke to His disciples of a time when He would once again sit down to sup with them in the Kingdom of God and it is this promise that gives hope to every believer.

As we observe the Lord’s Supper we are reminded that we too will someday have the joy of sitting down at the table with Jesus to sup with Him!

When you consider what was about to take place in the lives of these disciples this promise must have become all the more precious in the days ahead.

When they were tempted to give up hope, to surrender to despair, surely those words from the lips of the savior must have come into their memory and brought renewed joy.

What is the Purpose?

The primary purpose of the observance of the Lord’s Supper is that we would not forget the body of the savior that was broken for us and that we would remember the blood which He shed to purchase our redemption.

We also remember the promise that He made that we will see Him again and that we will sit down to sup with Him in a future kingdom.

When we are reminded of these things it ought to naturally bring us to a place of self-examination.

When we consider all that Jesus has done for us and the fact that He will one day be returning, we should be provoked to examine just how we are living in light of His great sacrifice.

We can see this is important as Paul writes to the carnal believers in Corinth concerning the pattern of their observance of the Lord’s Supper.

1 Corinthians 11:23–31 KJV 1900

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: 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. 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. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come. 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. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.

It is obviously a very serious matter to take of the Lord’s Supper without first examining oneself.

Some have chosen not to partake because they feel unworthy and yet this is not the intent. Rather it is that you and I would closely examine our lives and then correct anything that would hinder us from being right with God before we participate in the observance.

Conclusion

When we pause to remember the Lord’s death and the promise of His coming we should be all the more motivated to live in a manner that would please and honor Him for the great sacrifice which He has made.

I hope that you will even tonight take a few moments here on the altar to examine yourself and make certain that all is right between you and the Lord that you may have a heart that is prepared to participate in this important observance.

The Lord’s Supper is not something we do simply out of tradition or ritual but should be a meaningful memorial which serves to remind us of some important truths concerning our savior and His sacrifice.