Three Looks at the Lord's Supper
Notes
Transcript
Announcements:
We will be finishing up our study this Wednesday on offense in The Bait of Satan. The following week, we will be starting our new study on forgiveness in 70x7 by Bruce Wilkinson.
Worship:
Our God
Goodness of God
See A Victory
Introduction:
This morning we are going to be observing communion/The Lord’s Supper (used interchangeably). Each time we observe Communion, I purposely like to take the whole service to soak in what this means and the importance it has on us as believers. If you are visiting us this morning, welcome! There are a couple of things I would like to share with our visitors and serve as a friendly reminder to those who call Hillcrest AG their home church.
First, we believe that you have to be born again in order to participate in Communion. This refers to anyone who has accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, accepted Jesus’s death on the cross as payment for their sins and believe that Jesus rose again on the third day. Secondly, we also believe that you don’t have to be a member of Hillcrest AG to participate in Communion with us this morning. Communion is to be observed and participated by all who are believers in Jesus Christ and live by His Word no matter what their church membership or denominational affiliation as long as they are Bible-believing believers.
So, this morning, as we prepare to participate in Communion/ The Lord’s Supper, I’d like to make at least three serious, reverent looks: a backward look, a forward look, and an inward look. Please turn to:
23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, 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, and said, “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.
27 So, then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sin against the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Let a person examine himself; in this way let him eat the bread and drink from the cup. 29 For whoever eats and drinks without recognizing the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself.
Body:
I. We need to look backward (1 Cor. 11:23b–25).
1 Corinthians 11:23b–25 (CSB)
23 On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, 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, and said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
1 Corinthians 3. How to Conduct the True Lord’s Supper (23–26)
The Passover meal featured several cups of wine, each with a different title. The cup Jesus referred to was known as the cup of redemption, and Jesus added to the idea of redemption from slavery in Egypt the idea that His blood confirmed a new covenant that changed our relationship with God.
Just as the Israelites were redeemed from their slavery in Egypt, now we can be redeemed from our slavery to sin!
The importance of Jesus dying on the cross was to pay the price for our sin. The Bible tells us in Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
He died on the cross so we can be saved from sin and death! If you have broken just one of the Ten Commandments, then you are in need of a Savior:
For whoever keeps the entire law, and yet stumbles at one point, is guilty of breaking it all.
You see, looking backward is always important as we continue to move forward in living for Christ.
It can show us why we do what we do. It can also show us why we don’t do what we used to do.
Illustration:
The lady who always cut off the end of the ham because her mom did. She always did it because her mom did it. Once she asked her mom why (looking backward), she realized she didn’t have to do that anymore because she had the right size pan to cook the ham in!
In this case, looking backwards is crucial to understanding why we take the time to observe the Lord’s Supper.
We are not perfect and we need a Savior from sin and death.
The Lord’s Supper is a memorial supper that is to remind us of Jesus Christ’s death on the cross for our sins.
Just take a moment and close your eyes.
-Sit in the gloom of Gethsemane’s garden and try to enter into the agony of our Savior as he committed himself to the cross on our behalf.
-We should stand outside the walls of old Jerusalem and survey the wondrous cross on which the Prince of glory died. We should let this experience inform our intellect, stir our emotions, and sway our will.
-We must look back to Calvary if we are to receive the elements of the Lord’s Supper into our mind, heart, attitudes, and ambitions.
Have you asked Jesus Christ to forgive you of your sins? Have you accepted the payment He made for you through His death on the cross? Do you believe He rose again on the third day?
Transition: Just as we are to look backward to understand the importance of the Lord’s Supper/Communion, it is also important for us to:
II. We need to look forward (1 Cor. 11:26).
26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
By our participation in the Lord’s Supper, we proclaim Christ’s death, and we are to do this until he returns. The most glorious event on the horizon is that moment when the heavens will roll back as a scroll and the Lord Jesus will descend with a shout, with the trumpet of God, and with the voice of the archangel. With the apostle John, we should look forward and pray, “Even so, come, Lord Jesus” (Rev. 22:20).
20 He who testifies about these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!
18 For I tell you, from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”
2 For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night.
Illustration:
KEEP PRESSING ON
Many years ago, a promising Greek artist named Timanthes was under the instruction of a well-known tutor. After several years, the young painter created an exquisite portrait. He was so thrilled with what he had painted that he sat day after day gazing at his work.
One morning, however, he was horrified to discover that his teacher had deliberately ruined his painting. Angry and in tears, Timanthes ran to him and asked why he had destroyed his cherished possession. The wise man replied, "I did it for your own good. That painting was retarding your progress. It was an excellent piece of art, but it was not perfect. Start again and see if you can do even better." The student took his advice and produced a masterpiece called "Sacrifice of Iphigenia," regarded by some as one of the finest paintings of antiquity.
God never wants us to be content with our accomplishments. He wants us to reach even higher plateaus of service and Christlikeness.
Paul even encourages us to look forward:
13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead,
14 I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus.
Paul tells us that we are to keep looking in anticipation and expectancy for the Lord to return!
12 instructing us to deny godlessness and worldly lusts and to live in a sensible, righteous, and godly way in the present age,
13 while we wait for the blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Are we looking ahead or are we still trying to live in the past?
-Guilt over past sins?
-Trying to relive past successes?
We are to be living each day as if it is the day the Lord is returning.
Transition: Just as we are to look backward to understand the importance of the Lord’s Supper/Communion, it is important to look forward at the promise of the return of Jesus Christ! We need to be ready and found to be about our Father’s business! Lastly, we need to:
III. We need to look within (1 Cor. 11:28).
28 Let a person examine himself; in this way let him eat the bread and drink from the cup.
5 Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith. Examine yourselves. Or do you yourselves not recognize that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless you fail the test.
But there is a third thing we should remember as we take communion. We should remember why Jesus suffered and died. He did it for us. He did it for our sins. The gospel of Matthew records Jesus’ words in this way as he gave his disciples the cup:
28 For this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
Jesus did not go unwillingly to the cross. He did not just die a martyr’s death. He went to the cross for a purpose. He went there to die in our place so that our sins might be forgiven. This is why we pause before taking communion to examine our lives and to confess our sin before the Lord. We remember why Jesus suffered and died – so that we might be forgiven for our sins.
If there ever is a time when we should do some serious, reverent heart searching, it is in preparation for taking the Lord’s Supper. Paul says that we are to examine ourselves, not to discover whether we are worthy to participate, but to determine if we are partaking in a worthy manner and for a worthy purpose.
No one merits the privilege of sitting at the Lord’s Table. By God’s grace, we are given the privilege of becoming his children and having fellowship with him.
The psalmist’s prayer is always appropriate as we seek to create a proper attitude for the observance of the Lord’s Supper:
23 Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns.
24 See if there is any offensive way in me; lead me in the everlasting way.
Are we approaching Communion with a proud attitude? Or do you look down at others? “I deserve this” or “I’m so glad I’m not a bad as ________”
Don’t you have homes in which to eat and drink? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What should I say to you? Should I praise you? I do not praise you in this matter!
Let’s make sure we are taking spiritual inventory of ourself only and not others!
Transition: Can the ushers come forward and start handing out the emblems?
(Charity comes and starts playing “Come to the Cross”)
Conclusion:
As the emblems are being passed out, Charity will be playing a song and the lyrics will be on the screen. During the song, I would like for us to take the time to:
Take a look backward at what Christ did willingly for you on the cross.
Take a look forward knowing that Jesus Christ is coming back again soon and make sure you aren’t living in past guilt or past successes!
Lastly, take some time to do some spiritual inventory. Not to see if you are worthy of participating in Communion, but to see if you are living in a way that is honorable to the Lord and being consistent with how we are told to live according to His Word. Not looking down on others or having a proud attitude of thinking you deserve what Jesus did for you.
Pray
23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, 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, and said, “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.
