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By instruction and by example, Christ instituted TWO ORDINANCES for the church. Those who believe in Him are to faithfully follow BAPTISM and COMMUNION.
COMMUNION symbolizes our fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Communion is a continued reminder of what Christ did for us on the cross.
BAPTISM symbolizes our identification with Christ after salvation. Baptism by immersion is a one time occurrence for the believer following salvation.
Various terms are used in Scripture to describe the ORDINANCE of the Communion.
In I Corinthians 10:21 it is called THE LORD'S TABLE.
In I Corinthians 14:16 it is called the EUCHARIST from the Greek word meaning to "GIVE THANKS."
In I Corinthians 11:20 it is called THE LORD'S SUPPER.
In I Corinthians 10:16 it is called COMMUNION.
In Acts 20:7 it is called the BREAKING OF BREAD.
Now when it comes to this ordnance in this message let us consider three passages of scripture. We will consider the first two very briefly and the third one more extensively.
FIRST: In Mark 14:12-25 we find the background to the Lord's Supper where we read,
“And the first day of unleavened bread, when they killed the passover, his disciples said unto him, Where wilt thou that we go and prepare that thou mayest eat the passover? (13) And he sendeth forth two of his disciples, and saith unto them, Go ye into the city, and there shall meet you a man bearing a pitcher of water: follow him. (14) And wheresoever he shall go in, say ye to the goodman of the house, The Master saith, Where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples? (15) And he will shew you a large upper room furnished and prepared: there make ready for us. (16) And his disciples went forth, and came into the city, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover. (17) And in the evening he cometh with the twelve. (18) And as they sat and did eat, Jesus said, Verily I say unto you, One of you which eateth with me shall betray me. (19) And they began to be sorrowful, and to say unto him one by one, Is it I? and another said, Is it I? (20) And he answered and said unto them, It is one of the twelve, that dippeth with me in the dish. (21) The Son of man indeed goeth, as it is written of him: but woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! good were it for that man if he had never been born. (22) And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body. (23) And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it. (24) And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many. (25) Verily I say unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”
It was during the PASSOVER MEAL that our Lord initiated the ordinance of COMMUNION. God had instituted the PASSOVER when He delivered His people from their 400 years of bondage in Egypt. The meal celebrated death's angels PASSING OVER the houses of those whose doorposts and lintels were smeared with Lamb's blood. In Exodus 12:14 we read, "And this day shall be unto you for a MEMORIAL; and ye shall keep it a FEAST to the Lord throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance FOREVER." It was during this meal that the Lord initiated the LORD'S SUPPER.
The PASSOVER was but a FORESHADOW of the infinitely greater deliverance that Christ was to bring at the CROSS.
The PASSOVER reminded them of their deliverance from Egyptian slavery by the blood of the lamb.
The LORD’S TABLE reminds us of the CROSS and the blood that was shed by Christ for our ETERNAL deliverance from sin.
Now from Mark's Gospel, the Lord’s Table was introduced as a part of this PASSOVER meal. In the context of this meal, the participants not only sang praises to God but they fellowshipped around the table where they had their main meal of the day.Notice verse 22, "And as they did eat…" THE INSTITUTION OF THE LORD'S TABLE WAS NOT SOMETHING TACKED ON TO THE END OF THIS FEAST, IT WAS AN ESSENTIAL PART OF THE FEAST.
SECOND: In Acts 2:41-47 we find the early church practicing both BAPTISM and the LORD'S SUPPER.
“Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. (42) And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. (43) And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. (44) And all that believed were together, and had all things common; (45) And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. (46) And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, (47) Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.”
In these verses I call your attention to two things:
Number 1: It says here that Communion is only for the saved individual. If one has not been “Born Again” by faith in the Lord Jesus, they have no business partaking of communion.
Number 2: There is an important sequence in this passage. Baptism comes before the Lord’s Supper. Since God has a purpose for everything He does, we must accept that sequence and not try to reverse it. One should first, in obedience to Christ’s command after salvation, be baptized before taking communion.
THIRD: In the context of I Corinthians 11:17-34, Paul complained about the MANNER in which this church was caring on the Lord's Table.
“Now in this that I declare unto you I praise you not, that ye come together not for the better, but for the worse. (18) For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it. (19) For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you. (20) When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord's supper. (21) For in eating every one taketh before other his own supper: and one is hungry, and another is drunken. (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? What shall I say to you? shall I praise you in this? I praise you not. (23) 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. (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. (28) 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. (30) 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. (33) Wherefore, my brethren, when ye come together to eat, tarry one for another. (34) And if any man hunger, let him eat at home; that ye come not together unto condemnation. And the rest will I set in order when I come.”
Again in verses 11:20-21 we read, “When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord's supper. (21) For in eating every one taketh before other his own supper: and one is hungry, and another is drunken.” In the Greek the LORD'S SUPPER is referred to as the "DEIPON." This word refers to the main meal of the day. During the Lord's DEIPON they not only had the bread and the cup, but they enjoyed a fellowship meal together.
In the first century, the church practiced not only the Lord's Table as a memorial of Jesus’ death, but they believed in doing it in the context of a "LOVE FEAST."
They not only practiced VERTICAL FELLOWSHIP between man and God. They also participated in HORIZONTAL FELLOWSHIP between believers.
We now come to the context of I Corinthians 11. You will notice in verse 2 Paul PRAISES them. However, in verse 17 Paul PRAISES them NOT. Paul was disturbed over the abuse and disorder at the LORD’S TABLE.
In verses 17-22 the Apostle Paul explains the abuses and disorders. Let me remind you that the LORD'S TABLE is not to be a brief ritual tacked on to the end of a Sunday sermon. It involves our fellowship with Christ, and it also involves our fellowship with each other in Christ. Now let me try to summarize for you the problem here in I Corinthians 11.
You will notice in these verses and particularly in verse 18 there were DIVISIONS. There were various "cliques in the church." Each was fellowshipping with their crowd. The issue was a spirit of SELFISHNESS. Their hearts were not right with each other. They were divisive in spirit.
They were practicing the VERTICAL aspect of the LORD'S SUPPER in remembering His death but they were abusing one another in the HORIZONTAL FELLOWSHIP. Let me say this now and later I will restate it.
"You may be spiritually right with the Lord, but unless you are right with fellow believers in the church, you are not worthy to partake of the Lord's Supper."
In the early church, they had what was called an AGAPE-FEAST or LOVE-FEAST. This would be what some call a pot-luck meal. I prefer to call them a pot-trust meal! The rich and the poor would both bring something to eat and share with others. It was a way in which all of the members could be taken care of as far as their food needs were concerned.
The poor people could eat the rich man's steaks and not feel intimidated.
The rich people could eat the poor people's hot dogs and beans and still enjoy a meal.
As the early Christians were partaking of their LOVE-FEASTS, they would also share in the LORD'S SUPPER. This would remind them of their relationship to Christ while uniting them in fellowship with their church.
Now it appears that at times the poor people did not arrive at the start of the meal. So some of the rich people became impatient and went ahead and ate the LOVE-FEAST before the poor arrived.
By the time the poor people arrived, there was nothing to eat except the food of poverty that they had brought. So instead of that meal enhancing the unity of the group and supplementing the nutritional needs of the poor, it spotlighted their differences as the poor people had to eat their poverty food by themselves.
After everyone ate their own food, they would partake of the Lord's Supper as a meal DEPICTING their UNITY. But this was a farce as you again notice:
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? What shall I say to you? shall I praise you in this? I praise you not.”
Verses 33, 34: “Wherefore, my brethren, when ye come together to eat, tarry one for another. (34) And if any man hunger, let him eat at home; that ye come not together unto condemnation. And the rest will I set in order when I come.”
You see, it is not enough just to have the BREAD and the CUP.
"WE NEED TO HAVE THE RIGHT ATTITUDE WHENEVER WE SHARE." If the LORD'S SUPPER is a meal of UNITY, it is not the LORD'S SUPPER if we partake of it in DISUNITY.
As someone said, "We are kidding ourselves when we think that we can have differences and hatreds and jealousies and bitterness with other members in the body of Christ and then partake of the Lord's Supper as some sort of tradition that makes everything okay."
It was Christ's death that not only provided eternal salvation for the human soul, but it also brought believers together into ONE BODY. This spotlights for us:
UNITY not FACTIONS,
PEACE not HOSTILITY, and
RECONCILIATION with one another, not ALIENATION.
Any time Christians continue to harbor HATRED, UNFORGIVENESS, HOSTILITIES, SEPARATIONS, or any other attitude that fails to bridge barriers between us, we are abusing the Lord's Table. Paul deals with this at the end of this passage. However, by continuing our examination of this passage, we see:
The PURPOSE of the Lord's Table: Again in verses 23-26 we read, “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.” In this section, the Lord offers INSTRUCTION on this MEMORIAL OBSERVANCE. Here is one of the most beautiful passages in all of Scripture given in the middle of a strong REBUKE of WORLDLY, CARNAL, SELFISH and INSENSITIVE attitudes and behavior. They are like diamonds dropped in a muddy road.
Jesus said in verses 24 and 25, "This do in remembrance of ME." Literally he is saying, "Keep on doing this in remembrance of Me." Do it frequently. In verse 26 we read, “For as OFTEN as ye eat this bread and drink this cup…” How frequently, it does not say.
It appears that the New Testament Church practiced communion every Sunday. Some churches still do that to this day.
Other Churches practice communion quarterly.
Others do so on the first Sunday of every month.
Jesus wants us to REMEMBER HOW He DIED. Why? Because everything we have as Christians centers on HIS DEATH.
We must remember THAT He died, because this is a part of the gospel message: "Christ died … and was buried" It’s not the life of our Lord that saves sinners, but His BLOOD THAT WAS SHED AT HIS DEATH.
We must remember WHY He died. Christ died for our sins. He was our substitute, paying the debt that we could not pay.
We must remember HOW He died, meekly and willingly. He gave His body into the hands of wicked men, and He bore on His body the SINS of the world.
Notice that communion is a symbolic observance. The elements of the TABLE of the Lord are SYMBOLS of what was involved in His sacrifice as the Lamb of God in providing our salvation.
The BREAD represents the BODY of Christ.
The CUP symbolizes the BLOOD of the Lord Jesus.
In verse 24 we read, "…This is my body, which is broken for you." It's true that He did break the bread, which symbolized death, but as a fulfillment of prophecy, NOT A BONE of His BODY was broken.
In reference to the CUP of verse 25, there were always four cups used during the meal. This was the fourth CUP used during the Passover meal. When Jesus held up the fourth CUP, He said, "THIS cup is the New Testament in my blood." It was the fourth CUP that prophetically looked forward to the coming Messiah.
Notice in verse 24, Jesus said, "This is my body." and in verse 25, He said, "In my blood." What is meant by this? There are three views generally held concerning their meaning.
First: There are religions which teach TRANSUBSTANTIATION, like the Roman Catholic Church. They believe that the elements of the bread and the contents of the cup ACTUALLY become the BODY and BLOOD of CHRIST even though the elements still look and taste like bread and grape juice. From this incorrect thinking, comes the notion that when they partake of the elements they are receiving Christ. That's why it is confusing when you ask someone brought up in the Roman Catholic Church, "Have you received Christ as your Saviour?" They will always say yes because they have taken communion, when in fact they have not accepted Christ.
Roman Catholics also take the view that the Lord Jesus Christ is crucified again and again, each time they take communion. However the Bible makes it abundantly clear that the sacrifice of Christ on the cross was a ONCE-AND-FOR-ALL payment for Sin.
Romans 6:10, says "For in this He died, He died unto sin ONCE."
Hebrews 9:18 we read, "So Christ was ONCE offered to bear the sins of many…" and
Hebrews 10:12, 14 says, "But this man, after He had offered ONE sacrifice of sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God. For by one offering He hath perfected forever …"
Christ died only ONCE.
He rose from the grave only ONCE.
He ascended into heaven only ONCE.
Second: There are those which teach CONSUBSTANTIATION. This position believes the elements still are the bread and the juice, but the real presence of Jesus is with them. Again this is not a correct view.
Third: There are those who believe that the elements are symbolic. Remember on a number of occasions, the Lord did use symbolic or figurative language. He said "I am the vine." "I am the door." "I am the bread." Certainly He is not a door or a vine or bread. He is a symbol of these. So these elements are not the real body or blood of Jesus; they are symbolic representations of them.
In verse 26 please notice the words "you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes." Each time you or I partake of the Lord's Supper we are visually PREACHING a sermon, about our faith in the Death, Burial, and Resurrection of Christ. By this MEMORIAL, we are preachingour FAITH in Christto the unsaved world.
The Lord's Supper ought to be a time when we give sincere thanks and praise for the great mercies of God. This is not a time to just sit silently while the pastor or one of the deacons prays. It ought to be a time when believers pray in thanksgiving for the CROSS and also stand up and offer TESTIMONY and PRAISE unto our God for the CROSS OF CHRIST and what it means to them.
The PREPARATION of the Lord's Table: again in verses 27-34 we read, “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. (28) 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. (30) 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. (33) Wherefore, my brethren, when ye come together to eat, tarry one for another. (34) And if any man hunger, let him eat at home; that ye come not together unto condemnation. And the rest will I set in order when I come.” In this section the Apostle offers a WARNING. Notice the phrase in verse 27 and 29, "unworthily." It does not mean that the person himself is WORTHY or UNWORTHY. This warning describes an ATTITUDE.
Now in proper context, the unworthy manner refers to one thing and one thing only: "THE FACTION AND DIVISION AND ALIENATION THAT WAS GOING ON AMONG THE MEMBERS OF THE CHURCH."
The real root of the problem is found in verses 18-20, “For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it. (19) For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you. (20) When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord's Supper.” They didn't eat together because they didn't have the stomach to do so. Since they had not settled their differences between themselves, they were DESTROYING THE TESTIMONY OF THE LORD'S SUPPER.
How are we to examine ourselves at the Lord's Supper? I believe from the context, that we are to determine if we have a right relationship to all others in the body of Christ. We ought to be aware of the people sitting in FRONT of us, of the people sitting ON EITHER SIDE ofus, and of the people sitting BEHIND us.
During the Lord's Supper, we ought to thank God for other believers, even bringing their needs and hurts before God.
During the Lord's Supper, we ought to cleanse our minds and hearts of any DIVISION, ALIENATION, or UNFORGIVENESS that separates us for one another.
I believe far too many go through the motions of communion and do it in an UNWORTHY manner. They have not yet made things right with each other in the Church.
Folks, if you are at odds with another believer in Jesus Christ, and you know it, I challenge you not to partake of this Lord’s Table until you make things right with that brother or sister in Christ. Do not hold on to that grudge, be the first to forgive and ask forgiveness.
In the early church, there were those who were sick and some had even died because of an unforgiving spirit. That's why Paul suggested that we judge ourselves, and clear up the problems so the church would be physically and spiritually healthy.
If you are saved and know it, then let’s remember what Christ did for you at Calvary, as you gather around the Lord’s Table.
If you are at odds with another believer in the body of Christ, then I would encourage you to make things right, immediately.
If at this very moment, you have not by faith believed on the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour, I would encourage you to do so right now!
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If God has spoken to your heart after reading the sermon “The Lord’s Supper” then right now talk to God about what He has spoken to you.
Do you have the assurance that one day you will go to heaven? If you have no assurance that you know Jesus Christ, then I trust you will decide to accept Him as your personal Savior. The Bible tells us in
Acts 16:31, “…Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved…”
Romans 10:13, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
This prayer is here for those who need to ask Jesus to be their personal Savior: “I do want to go to Heaven. I know I am a sinner, and I do believe Jesus Christ died for me. I realize I cannot buy this great salvation, nor can I earn it. Knowing Jesus died on the cross and arose from the grave to pay my sin debt and to purchase my salvation, I do now trust Him as my Savior, and from this moment on I am completely depending on Him for my salvation.”
If you made the decision to accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior let me know. Please send an e-mail to pdmikBBM@aol.com and I will send you some literature that will help you in your Christian life.
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In His Amazing Grace,
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