THE LORD'S SUPPER
(Let us love one another in Christ - December 31, 2023)
Series Big Idea: "Learning what the Lord's Supper represents"
Sermon Big Idea: “The unity of the Church in Christ is the central theme of the Lord's Supper“
Key Scripture (1 Corinthians 11:23-26)
There is an old hymn from years past simply called “They’ll know we are Christians by our love.” Whatever you may think about this song, isn’t the title itself a convicting picture of the love we as Christians should have for one another? As we celebrate the Lord’s Supper in just a moment, I want you to keep the word love in the forefront.
We see in our focal passage and the surrounding context that the Christians at Corinth had lost their focus of what the Supper was about. They had turned the Lord’s Supper into a drunken party. They had forgotten that the Lord’s Supper was a celebration of Christ. Paul offers universal Lord's Supper instructions in these four verses. During the Lord's Supper, many churches read or paraphrase this scripture. It is a foundational passage.
(1 Corinthians 11:23-26)
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 gave thanks, broke it, and said, “This is My body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of Me.” 25 In the same way, after supper He also took the cup and said, “This cup is the new covenant established by 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.
Paul was not there the night Jesus instituted this Supper with His Apostles. It was through divine revelation from Jesus to Paul, “I received from the Lord.” What he says here is both authoritative and right. He or someone else did not start the Lord’s Supper, Christ did, “on the night He was betrayed.” The two ingredients that make up the Supper are the bread and the cup, which had already been a part of the Passover meal. These are both symbols of the body and the blood of Christ.
The bread is symbolized by the body of Christ, who was crucified on the cross of Calvary. The cup symbolizes the shed blood of Christ for the remission of our sins. The Supper also involves thanks “Jesus...gave thanks.” Jesus gave the example of the attitude we should have toward the Gospel. Although His disciples weren’t perfect, they were all invited to participate. Judas.
Christ Jesus is at the center of the Supper. His crucifixion is shown through the elements. We are not saved by participating in the Lord’s Supper but by what it represents, the cross of Calvary. And every time we partake in this Supper we gain inspiration, “until He comes.” Inspiration, because we know that Jesus didn’t stay on the cross. He didn’t stay in the grave. He arose! Every time we celebrate this Supper together, we are looking forward to the second coming of Christ.
Conclusion:
The Lord’s Supper is not so much an opportunity for all the members of the church to engage in personal devotion at the same moment, but for all the members of the church to experience together their relationships with Christ and with one another and to proclaim the gospel. Before we partake of the Lord’s Supper, we need first to ask, “How am I treating my brothers and sisters right now?” not, “What sins have I committed since my last confession?” To put it a bit differently, Christ says to us, “Come be with your family,” not, “Go take a bath.
What would a new guest at our church see of the love of Christ in how we celebrate the Lord’s Supper? Would they sense that it is just a ritual, or could they see the community of Christ being lived out beyond the worship service and into the lobby, in our gatherings, and on out into the way we treat one another the other 167 hours in the week?
Pastor Beaver's thoughts and ideas are inspired by:
Holman Christian Standard Bible
English Standard Version Bible
King James Version Bible
Christian Standard Bible
Blomberg, Craig. 1 Corinthians. The NIV Application Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1994.
Vaughan, Curtis, and Thomas D. Lea. 1 Corinthians. Founders Study Guide Commentary. Cape Coral, FL: Founders Press, 2002.
Taylor, Mark. 1 Corinthians. Edited by E. Ray Clendenen. Vol. 28. The New American Commentary. Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 2014.
Vang, Preben. 1 Corinthians. Edited by Mark L. Strauss. Teach the Text Commentary Series. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2014.
Baker, William, Ralph P. Martin, and Carl N. Toney. Cornerstone Biblical Commentary: 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians. Vol. 15. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2009.
Souter, Alexander. A Pocket Lexicon to the Greek New Testament. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1917.
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Blum, Edwin A., and Trevin Wax, eds. CSB Study Bible: Notes. Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017.
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Ciampa, Roy E., and Brian S. Rosner. The First Letter to the Corinthians. The Pillar New Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2010.
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Smith, Jerome H. The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge: The Most Complete Listing of Cross References Available Anywhere- Every Verse, Every Theme, Every Important Word. Nashville TN: Thomas Nelson, 1992.
Brooks, Keith. Summarized Bible: Complete Summary of the New Testament. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2009.
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Keener, Craig S. The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993.
Jamieson, Robert, A. R. Fausset, and David Brown. Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible. Vol. 2. Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997.
Brown, Francis, Samuel Rolles Driver, and Charles Augustus Briggs. Enhanced Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1977.
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