Sermon Tone Analysis

“I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 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.’

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.’”[1]

Whenever I serve the Communion Meal, I make a point of noting for the benefit of those participating that this is a */Meal of Anticipation/*, for we are to continue observing this meal “until [Christ] comes” [*1 Corinthians 11:26*].

Though no particular period between observances is provided, it does indicate an ongoing observance in which participants anticipate the return of the Master to receive His own.

Those who understand the significance of sharing the Meal look forward to Jesus’ return.

Those participating in the Meal draw encouragement from this knowledge.

Again, before distributing the elements, I note that it is a */Meal of Fellowship/*, taken as declaration of our fellowship with one another because of our fellowship in Christ.

“Communion” is a declaration of sharing our lives, and so the Meal is intended for those who share their lives in the congregation as members together.

For this reason the Meal is referred to as “Communion” [see *1 Corinthians 10:16 KJV* contra *NET Bible*].

This is a church ordinance and not a Christian ordinance, in which participants confess their unity in the Faith, particularly in sharing their lives through their mutual ministries.

There is a third reference I make whenever I serve this Meal, and that is that this is a */Meal of Remembrance/*.

This powerful truth will serve as the focus for our study this morning.

“Do this in remembrance of Me,” the Master commanded His disciples as they were gathered for the last Passover Meal He would share with them [see *Luke 22:18*].

Since the time of His resurrection, wherever the Faith is maintained believers gather to observe the Communion Meal on an ongoing basis.

Central to each observance is the knowledge of our Saviour’s sacrifice because of our sin.

As we prepare to observe the Memorial Meal this day, I invite each participant to focus his or her attention on the significance of the sacrifice our Lord has provided and which we have received.

*The Order and Purpose of the Meal were Established by the Lord Jesus* — “I received from the Lord…”  Carefully consider this important truth.

Though the Table is under the administration of the local congregation, the establishment of the Meal was by the Lord whom we worship.

Paul makes it clear that he did not initiate the Meal, nor did he simply repeat what others had communicated to him.

Rather, the Apostle was faithful to the instruction of the Lord, carefully stating that it was Jesus Himself who communicated to him the conduct and the purpose of the Meal.

Consequently, the Meal did not arise from the fertile imagination of grieving Christians attempting to create a new order of worship.

Jesus Himself gave the Meal to His disciples, and Paul asserts that He was instructed by Jesus concerning the order and the purpose of the Meal.

Perhaps you imagine that Paul relied upon either Mark’s account or Matthew’s account of the Lord’s Supper.

If you imagine that, you would be wrong.

When we read the account of the institution of that Meal in the Synoptic Gospels, we note that Matthew and Mark agree substantially in what was said.

Listen to the two accounts as they are read in succession.

Matthew’s account will be first.

“As they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, ‘Take, eat; this is my body.’

And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom’” [*Matthew 26:26-29*].

Now listen to Mark’s account.

“As they were eating, He took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to them, and said, “‘Take; this is my body.’

And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it.

And he said to them, ‘This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.

Truly, I say to you, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God’” [*Mark 14:22-25*].

Jesus’ statements recorded in these two accounts are virtually identical.

Compare, “Take, eat; this is My body,” [Matthew] with “Take; this is My body” [Mark].

In our text, Paul attests that Jesus said, “This is My body,” clarifying the intent by noting that the Master added, “Which is for you.”

Compare what Paul wrote with what is provided in Luke’s account of the institution of the Meal.

“When the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him.

And he said to them, ‘I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.

For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.’

And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, ‘Take this, and divide it among yourselves.

For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.’

And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body, which is given for you.

Do this in remembrance of me.’

And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, ‘This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood’” [*Luke 22:14-20*].

Luke, who apparently heard Paul’s account, recorded under the guidance of the Holy Spirit that Jesus said, “This is My body, which is given for you.”

Likewise, in contradistinction to the other Evangelists, Luke records Jesus as referring to the cup as “the New Covenant in My blood” rather than “the blood of the Covenant” or “My blood of the Covenant.”

In other words, Mark and Matthew appear to have used a common source, and Luke and Paul shared a separate, fuller source.

We know that Mark served as amanuensis to Peter; and so it is reasonable to conclude that he received his information from Peter, who was present at the institution of the Meal.

The Gospel of Mark was written prior to Matthew’s account and quite likely served as a source for Levi to supplement his own observation and memories.

However, Paul declares that the Lord Jesus Himself was the source of his information.

Add to this that Luke was in all likelihood schooled by Paul in this matter.

Memory fades with time, but Paul asserts that the One who instituted the Meal was also the One who communicated to Him what was said and what was done on that evening.

Thus, Paul makes a significant claim for precision in transmitting a factual account of the establishment of the Lord’s Table.

Thus, Luke’s Gospel, written later than either Mark’s account or Matthew’s Gospel, likely reflects what Paul learned from the Master.

This background information is important because it informs us that observance of the Lord’s Table is so much more than mere ritual; this is an act of worship that Jesus Himself gave to the churches.

Since He gave it, we are informed of the manner in which He seeks to be worshipped; this means that our actions at the Table either honour Him or dishonour His memory.

Whether we are faithful to His instruction or whether we add our own fanciful imaginations determines the degree of honour given to the One whom we claim to worship.

As is true throughout the whole realm of Christian worship and service, the acceptability of the worship we offer is determined by our faithfulness to His command.

Obviously, then, what we do at His Table is of great importance.

The rite of the Lord’s Supper has become encrusted with formality with the passage of time, and the intent of the Master has in many instances been obscured.

Prayers are prescribed, ornate dress is stipulated and magnificent rituals required in what can only be seen as an apparent effort to awe participants.

Religious organisations set themselves up as keepers of the rite, instituting rules and regulations that were never imagined from the words of the Master.

Too often the observance of the Meal has become a carefully choreographed ritual that hides the simple majesty of congregational worship of the Son of God who loved us and gave Himself for us.

Reacting to this obvious error, some churches have gone to an opposite extreme in attempting to deny the ritualism that characterises the ceremony among churches seeking greater and more complex formality.

Consequently, for these churches the Meal becomes a ten minute act that is tacked onto the conclusion of the service that is required because … well, just because!

Throughout Canadian Christendom, the ceremony is observed with regularity—either weekly, monthly, quarterly or even annually, but few of the participants are able to say precisely why they are partaking of the Meal.

Extreme positions are difficult to justify under the best of circumstances.

Though we do not wish to obscure the intent of the Master, neither do we wish to fall into a trap that reduces the worship to a thoughtless act, as does either extreme in this instance.

Surely, none of us wish to simply go through the motions of a rite and claim that we have worshipped.

Neither do we wish to forget why the Meal is important for us as Christians.

Jesus said we were to eat the bread and to drink the cup in remembrance of Him.

Do you not find it somewhat strange that the Master should find it necessary to instruct the churches to remember Him?

He gave Himself because of our inability to save ourselves.

Paul writes, “*/While we were still weak/*, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.

For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that */while we were still sinners, Christ died for us/*” [*Romans 5:6-8*].

Focus on the fact that we could do nothing for our own salvation; Christ provided all that is required because we could not do anything to make ourselves acceptable to God.

In another place, the Apostle has written, “I have been crucified with Christ.

It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.

And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, */who loved me and gave himself for me/*” [*Galatians 2:20*].

In love, the Master sacrificed Himself for us.

Surely, one would imagine that we would never forget such love!

One would think that it would be impossible to forget the grace that we have received!

However, it is a tragic truth that we are fallen beings, and though we are saved, we are still sinners.

Consequently, we fall under the condemnation of which Isaiah wrote:

 

“All we like sheep have gone astray;

we have turned—every one—to his own way;

and the Lord has laid on him

the iniquity of us all.”

[*Isaiah 53:6*]

 

It is not merely that we once turned aside to pursue our own desires before we came to faith, but we are inclined to continually stray despite being saved.

But for the grace of God and the urging of His Holy Spirit, each of us would continually neglect the Master who gave His life for us.

We become focused on the immediate demands of daily life and forget that we are called by Christ’s Name; so, we need to be reminded of the love Christ has displayed for us.

If we were able to remain focused, perhaps we would need no reminder.

However, we do stray and forget; thus, we need to remember.

The Communion Meal as an act of worship is carried out within local churches, for it is those congregations who have been divinely appointed to instruct participants in the worship expected and to ensure that all approach the Table with a proper understanding.