"The Lord's Supper"
Text: 1 Cor 11:2, 17-34
The administration of the ordinance of the Lord’s Supper is a very important matter.
Ordinance = (1) established rite or ceremony. (1828 edition of American Dictionary of The English Language; Webster)
(2) The Lord’s Supper is an "outward rite prescribed by Christ to be performed by His Churches until He comes."
A. It is very important as to who administers it.
1. It must be a Scriptural New Testament Church
B. It is very important as to whom it is administered.
1. The Lord's Supper must only be administered to the
members of the church where it is being observed.
C. It is also very important as to
the elements that are used in the administration of the Supper.
1. It is to be the unfermented fruit of the vine
(grape juice) and unleavened bread.
2. The recipe for unleavened bread is found in
Leviticus the second chapter, (fine flour, olive oil and salt).
D. It is very important as to why it is administered.
1. It must be for the remembrance of Christ and His
death for us.
I. The Scripture does not give a specific directive as to when and how often we are to administer the Lord's Supper.
A. We are simply told in (1
Corinthians 11:26) For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink
this cup, ye do shew the
Lord's death till he come.
B. Some churches administer the
Lord's Supper monthly, others quarterly, and some only once a year.
C. It is not the frequency, but the fervency that is most important.
II. There are Two Important Judgments to be Observed Before Taking the Supper.
A. First, there is the judgment
where the church is to address open sin among the membership.
1. We are given the standard for this judgment in (1
Corinthians 5:1 13). (1 Cor 5:7-8) 7 Purge out therefore the
old leaven, that ye may be a new
lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed
for us:
8 Therefore let us keep the
feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and
wickedness; but with
the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
2. A church cannot judge non members!
a. This one
passage is sufficient to prove restricted or closed communion!
B. The second judgment is that of the church members judging themselves.
1. We read of this judgment in (1 Cor 11:28
29). But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that
bread,
and drink of that cup. 29 For he
that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to
himself,
not discerning the Lord's body.
2. God still judges today just as He did in Corinth!
He judges the sins of the members who refuse to examine and
judge themselves.
3. The result of taking the Supper unworthily results
in:
a. Some becoming weak.
b. Some
becoming sick.
c. Some dying
(1 Cor. 11:30-32). For this cause many are weak and sickly among you,
and many sleep.
31 For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be
judged. 32 But when we are judged, we are
chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.
4. All because they do not discern the Lord's Body!
(discern = implies a recognizing of something either visually or
mentally)
a. God knows
how to keep His churches free of hidden sins.
C. As we approach the observance
of the Lord’s Supper let’s pray for God to help us to administer the
things of Christ
worthily, in a precious, beautiful, and spiritually appropriate way.
III. What is the Meaning of the Lord’s Supper?
A. The first and perhaps the most
obvious meaning is that the Lord's Supper is a memorial of His death
and atonement
for our sins.
1. Jesus clearly and emphatically said, "This do in
remembrance of me."
2. The memorial supper looks back, to the time when
Jesus suffered and died for our sins.
a. It is a time
of remembrance of what Christ did when He took our place and died for
our sins on the tree
(1 Pet 2:24).
a) If it were not for Him, we
would all be lost.
b) If it were not for Him, we
would all be Hell bound.
c) If it were not for Him, we
would all face God’s judgment, covered in sin, & damned in our own
wrong.
3. It also looks forward to His coming (1 Corinthians
11:26). For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup,
ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.
B. The Lord's Supper is a part of the New Covenant in the New Testament.
1. The Old Covenant was the law given to Moses on
Mount Sinai.
C. The Lord's Supper is to the church, what the Passover was to Israel.
1. The New Covenant rests upon the sacrificial,
atoning death of Jesus Christ and His resurrection.
2. None is worthy, none is righteous, it is the
righteousness of our Lord, which is imparted to us by faith, that gives
us grace to stand in His presence and observe His Memorial Supper as He lives out His life in us.
D. It is an expression of our gratitude to God for saving us from our sins.
1. In this age of dishonesty and selfishness, the
Lord's Supper is saying, "Thank you Jesus for what you have done
for me.
E. The Lord's Supper shows that it
is a communion; a fellowship; a relationship; a sharing (1 Corinthians
10:16). 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?
1. It is the communion of the blood and body of
Christ.
IV. It is the Lord’s Table and it must be approached in the way He directs.
Verse 22 “What? Have ye not houses to eat and to drink in? Or despise ye the church of God, and shame them that have not?
A. To “despise” basically means to look down on, to lightly esteem, or to make secondary.
B. The question of this verse goes
beyond the observance of the Lord’s Supper, and gets down where church
members
live from day to day.
1. Those who say one church is as good as another
despise the church of the Lord.
2. Those who would rob her of her authority despise
the church of the Lord.
3. Those that place their own interests above that of
the church despise the church of the Lord.
4. Those who think lightly of her worship and fail to
attend regular despise the church of the Lord.
5. Those who withhold from her their support despise
the church of the Lord.
6. Those who fail to make preparation for the worship
services despise the church of the Lord
7. Those who live wrong and inconsistent lives
despise the church of the Lord.
V. The Lord’s Supper is the highest expression and the holiest exercise of Christian worship.
A. Three of the four Gospels
record the institution of the Lord’s Supper, and it is repeated in
Paul’s epistle to the
Corinthians.
B. It is interesting that nowhere
are we commanded to remember the Lord’s birthday, but we are requested
and
commanded to remember His death.
C. Paul attached the utmost
importance to the Lord’s Supper. In verse 23 -25 he says, “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.”
24 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. 25 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.
26 For as often as ye eat this
bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.
1. Paul received a direct revelation of the gospel
and a direct revelation of the Lord’s Supper. “For I delivered
unto you first of all that which
I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the
scriptures”
(1 Cor. 15:3).
D. The Lord gave him special
instructions concerning it—remember that Paul was not in the Upper Room
at the
institution of the Lord’s Supper.
E. When we observe the Lord’s Supper we look in three different directions.
1. It is a commemoration. “This do in remembrance of
me.” We look back 2000 years to His death upon the cross.
a. He says,
“Don’t forget that; it is important.”
2. It speaks of the present, of the fact that today
there is a living Christ.
3. It is a commitment; it looks to the future—that He
is coming again Verse 26 For as often as ye eat this bread,
and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.
Conclusion:
(1 Corinthians 11:27) 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.
A. Unworthily speaks of the manner or attitude one assumes in taking the Supper.
B. Verse 29 says “Not discerning the Lord’s body”
1. To eat the Supper for any reason other than to
remember Jesus and what He has done for us is to eat
“unworthily.”
(1 Corinthians 11:28) But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.
A. When a church gathers about the
Lord’s Table, it should be a time of prayer and heart searching.
B. Members are not to examine one another, but to examine their own selves.
C. It’s one thing to be saved and to be a church member.
D. It’s another thing to be living a clean, separated, and a dedicated life to God.
(1 Corinthians 11:33) Wherefore, my brethren, when ye come together to eat, tarry one for another.
A. When we come together for the Lord’s Supper there should be order, respect, and moderation.