The Communion Table

1 Corinthians 11:23–26 ESV

23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

Introduction

There are many churches of various denominations that celebrate communion and they do so in a variety of ways. Although communion is one of the ordinances of the church that Jesus instituted and made a requirement for us, He did not leave a lot of detailed instructions regarding the method and manner that we should use to conduct The Lord’s Supper.

In the “religious life,” we often get too hung up on the technical aspects of what we find in scripture to the detriment of the more important lesson that scripture is really trying to teach us.

For this reason, there are differing view on exactly how communion should be conducted. There are different opinions on who should be partaking in communion, and how often, and the basic elements of the bread and the wine. Some of these issues date back to before Martin Luther's 95 Thesis of 1517 when only the clergy in the church could fully partake of communion. We are not going to debate these details today. Today our goal is to remember our Lord and take communion in a way that honors Him.

I have been in many churches that celebrated communion in many different ways, but I find one thing they all have in common and that is the table.

Today we will look at four points that outline the purpose of coming together at this table. Number one, it is:

I. A place to remember Jesus (23-25)

The table is a place to remember the sufferings of Jesus. We should remember the mental and physical agony that our Lord went through for our sake. We should remember the agony of His prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane.

We should remember His unlawful arrest that came in the middle of night. We should remember the unfair trial He was subject to before Caiaphas and the high council. We should be reminded of the false accusations that Jesus faced.

Another thing that we should remember is the betrayal of Judas. Judas, part of Jesus’ inner circle. Someone who had been taught by and travelled with Jesus for years.

We should also remember Peter’s denial of Jesus in those final hours. Peter who shortly before had said he would stand by Jesus to the death. We should also remember the other disciples and how they fled during the time of Jesus’ greatest need.

We need to remember the brutal treatment that Jesus received at the hands of the Roman soldiers. How He was beaten with fists and spat upon and mocked and slapped in the face and how a crown of thorns pressed into His skull.

Let us not forget the whipping and scourging by the Roman guards. Let us not forget the massive wooden cross that Jesus was forced to carry until He was too weak to bear it any longer. And we cannot forget the piercing of His hands and feet as He is nailed to that rough cross.

As we have that image of Jesus in our mind and everything that body endured, Jesus says in 1 Corinthians 11:24 “This is my body, which is for you..” The words that Jesus uses here, “This my body, which if for you,” has an entirely different meaning when we stop and consider everything that body when through leading to the cross.

Next, we must remember His death on the cross, the hours that he hanged there in excruciating pain.

Remember why He did it - for our sins.

Matthew 26:28 ESV

28 for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

This is why we pause before taking communion. We take some time to examine our lives and confess our sins before the Lord. We take some time to remember why Jesus suffered and died. He suffered and died so that we might be forgiven for our sins.

That sin debt that we owed that was repeatedly paid by the sacrifice of thousands of cattle and sheep and goats during Old Testament times was finally paid, once and for all, by the precious blood of our savior, Jesus Christ.

And that leads us to our second point this morning. The Lord’s Table is not only a place to remember Jesus. It is also a place to celebrate God’s forgiveness and grace.

II. A place to celebrate God’s forgiveness and grace (25)

Let is thank God for the forgiveness of sins.       If communion was only about remembering Jesus’ suffering and death, then that would make communion a pretty depressing time. There is a solemn side to communion, and we must approach the communion table with reverence and deep respect, but communion should also be a time of celebration.

We were separated from God because of our sins, but Christ died so that we might be forgiven! Forgiven and restored. Praise the Lord, now that is a reason for celebration. So thank God the Father for his great love in sending Christ. Thank God the Son for laying down his life for you. Thank God the Holy Spirit for coming into your life and washing you clean. Thank God for the forgiveness of sins.

Not only do we thank God for the forgiveness of sin, but also for His invitation to enter into that new covenant relationship with Him.

John 6:35–37 ESV

35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. 36 But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. 37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.

God did not have to invite you to His table, but He did. God did not have to sacrifice His only begotten Son, ‘but He did. Jesus did not have to lay down His life for our sake, but He did.

So the table is a place to remember Jesus. And the table is a place to celebrate God’s forgiveness of our sins. The table is also:

III. A place to share in Christian fellowship

As we think of Christian fellowship, we come to realize it has two dimensions; vertical and horizontal.

First, we share in fellowship with Christ. Just as Christ shared in fellowship with His disciples at that last Passover meal, we also share in fellowship with Christ when we come to His table. This vertical fellowship is exceedingly important for without it, we have no hope.

John 15:5 ESV

5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

Just as food and drink nourish our physical bodies, so Christ nourishes us spiritually. This is the vertical dimension of fellowship in communion. Our fellowship with Christ.

Then there is the horizontal dimension. That is the fellowship that takes place with other believers.

1 Corinthians 10:17 ESV

17 Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.

We share in fellowship with each other. Now most of the time when I think of fellowship, I am thinking of those grand meals that we share on occasion with each other. Many churches have and area for such activities that they call a “fellowship hall.” But I submit to you today there is no closer time of fellowship that we will share with each other than when we approach God’s table at the time we take communion, at the time we partake of the Lord’s Supper.

And then finally, the last aspect of the Lord’s Table that we will look at today is that the Lord’s Table is:

IV. A place to anticipate Christ’s return (26)

When Jesus shared the Last Supper with his disciples, he told them:

Luke 22:18 ESV

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.”

At the last supper Jesus proclaimed the coming of God’s kingdom. In a manner of speaking, the kingdom arrived when Jesus came in His incarnate form some 2000 years ago. But that was only the beginning. God’s kingdom has continued to advance in this world through the Holy Spirit in the church and in the lives of believers. The kingdom will not come in its fullness until Christ returns and sets all things in order.

Verse 26 says we are to proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. It is important for us to remember the Lord’s death, the reason He sacrificed Himself for us, and remember this until the time when He returns. That’s why we do this. That’s why our table has the words “Do this in remembrance of Me” etched into the wood.

 Conclusion

I would like to close with an invitation this morning with a dinner invitation.

I invite you to partake of the Lord’s Supper. The invitation is extended to all, but there are some requirements.

One requirement is that you come only through faith in Jesus Christ. Apart from Him, you have no place at this table. The other requirement is that you have thoroughly examined yourself and find you are worthy to approach His table. What does it take to find yourself worthy?

Verse 27 of 1 Corinthians 11 tells us that “Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord.”

This does not mean that you can only approach the Lord’s table if you are a pure and sinless being. It means that you can only approach the Lord’s table if you have confessed and been forgiven of those sins that the Lord spilled His blood to cover.