Communion Spring 2021
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The Magnitude of the Lord’s Supper?
The Magnitude of the Lord’s Supper?
i) BIBLE READING: Matthew 26:17-30
(1) While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.” Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” (Matthew 26:26-28, niv)
The Lord’s Supper has many important dimensions.
The Lord’s Supper has many important dimensions.
“Communion”
“Holy Communion,”
“Communion of the Lord’s Supper,”
“Eucharist,”
“Sacrament.”
“Blessed Sacrament,”
“The Lord’s Supper”
(i) Each name we use for this ceremony brings out a different dimension to it.
1. It is the Lord’s Supper because it commemorates the Passover meal Jesus ate with his disciples;
2. it is the Eucharist (thanksgiving) because in it we thank God for Christ’s work for us;
3. it is Communion because through it we commune with God and with other believers. As we eat the bread and drink of the cup, we should be quietly reflective as we recall Jesus’ death and his promise to come again, grateful for God’s wonderful gift to us, and joyful as we meet with Christ and the body of believers.
b) BIBLE READING:
17 But in the following instructions, I cannot praise you. For it sounds as if more harm than good is done when you meet together.
18 First, I hear that there are divisions among you when you meet as a church, and to some extent I believe it.
19 But, of course, there must be divisions among you so that you who have God’s approval will be recognized!
20 When you meet together, you are not really interested in the Lord’s Supper.
21 For some of you hurry to eat your own meal without sharing with others. As a result, some go hungry while others get drunk.
22 What? Don’t you have your own homes for eating and drinking? Or do you really want to disgrace God’s church and shame the poor? What am I supposed to say? Do you want me to praise you? Well, I certainly will not praise you for this!
23 For I pass on to you what I received from the Lord himself. On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread
24 and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
25 In the same way, he took the cup of wine after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood. Do this in remembrance of me as often as you drink it.”
26 For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord’s death until he comes again.
27 So anyone who eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord unworthily is guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.
28 That is why you should examine yourself before eating the bread and drinking the cup.
29 For if you eat the bread or drink the cup without honoring the body of Christ, you are eating and drinking God’s judgment upon yourself.
30 That is why many of you are weak and sick and some have even died.
31 But if we would examine ourselves, we would not be judged by God in this way.
32 Yet when we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned along with the world.
33 So, my dear brothers and sisters, when you gather for the Lord’s Supper, wait for each other.
34 If you are really hungry, eat at home so you won’t bring judgment upon yourselves when you meet together. I’ll give you instructions about the other matters after I arrive.
i) KEY BIBLE VERSE: For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup you are re-telling the message of the Lord’s death, that he has died for you. Do this until he comes again. (1 Corinthians 11:26, tlb)
The Lord’s Supper reminds us that Christ died for us.
The Lord’s Supper reminds us that Christ died for us.
The Lord’s Supper is a visible representation of the Good News of the death of Christ for our sins, but the Corinthian church was not doing that.
1 Corinthians 11:20–21 (NIV) 20 So then, when you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat, 21 for when you are eating, some of you go ahead with your own private suppers. As a result, one person remains hungry and another gets drunk.
It reminds us of Christ’s death and the glorious hope of his return.
It reminds us of how our participation in the Lord’s Supper strengthens our faith through fellowship with Christ and with other believers.
3 We proclaim to you what we ourselves have actually seen and heard so that you may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.
4 We are writing these things so that you may fully share our joy.
The Lord’s Supper reminds us how Jesus suffered for us.
The Lord’s Supper reminds us how Jesus suffered for us.
Prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane
Many artists and songwriters have depicted this prayer for us, and their descriptions usually show a hushed and tranquil scene, with the light from heaven falling upon a kneeling Savior, his hands clasped devoutly in front, his eyes cast heavenward, and his lips moving faintly as he prays his “cup of suffering” prayer. All is silent, subdued, and serene. But this is not the biblical account at all.
But as we look in the scriptures we can almost hear the shrieks of demons and the crackling flames which filled the gentle Garden of Gethsemane that awful night. Notice our Lord’s own description of his feelings during that hour. He says he was:
In the KJV “Sore amazed”—that is, he was suddenly struck with surprised terror
33 He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled.
“Very heavy”—that is, he experienced the totally unfamiliar which bore down upon his soul and filled it with uncertainty and acute distress (suggested exegesis here by the late Kenneth S. Wuest, Greek Instructor, Moody Bible Institute).
“Exceeding sorrowful unto death”—that is, he was so completely surrounded and encircled by grief that it threatened his very life.
From all this it becomes evident that the devil made an all-out effort to murder or discourage Him from completing this task before him
He wanted bring distraught against the Savior in the garden in order to prevent his blood being shed a few hours later on the cross.
Our Lord realized this and responded accordingly, as we are told in
Hebrews 5:6–10 (NLT) 6 And in another passage God said to him, “You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.” 7 While Jesus was here on earth, he offered prayers and pleadings, with a loud cry and tears, to the one who could rescue him from death. And God heard his prayers because of his deep reverence for God. 8 Even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered. 9 In this way, God qualified him as a perfect High Priest, and he became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey him. 10 And God designated him to be a High Priest in the order of Melchizedek.
The Father heard his cry for aid and sent angels to strengthen him.
Luke 22:43 - 44 (NLT) 43 Then an angel from heaven appeared and strengthened him. 44 He prayed more fervently, and he was in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood.
We are told that he wrestled his way through each prayer sessions in the garden and he referred to “the cup” during each prayer.
What was this cup his soul so dreaded to drink from?
Some say it was the cup of human suffering, but our Lord was no stranger to suffering and pain, for he had known these things throughout his ministry.
Others claim it was the cup of physical death that our Lord abhorred here. But again, it must be realized that he was the Prince of life, and therefore, death would hold no terror for him.
What then, was the nature of this cursed cup?
We are not left groping in the dark here, for the Scriptures plainly inform us that the Gethsemane cup was filled with the sins of all humanity!
Our Lord looked deeply into the cesspool of human sin that dark night and groaned as he smelled its foul odor and viewed the rising poisonous fumes.
We ourselves should have been on that cross because of our sins, but he became a substitute for us
13 Then Pilate called together the leading priests and other religious leaders, along with the people,
14 and he announced his verdict. “You brought this man to me, accusing him of leading a revolt. I have examined him thoroughly on this point in your presence and find him innocent.
15 Herod came to the same conclusion and sent him back to us. Nothing this man has done calls for the death penalty.
16 So I will have him flogged, and then I will release him.”
18 Then a mighty roar rose from the crowd, and with one voice they shouted, “Kill him, and release Barabbas to us!”
19 (Barabbas was in prison for taking part in an insurrection in Jerusalem against the government, and for murder.)
20 Pilate argued with them, because he wanted to release Jesus.
21 But they kept shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”
22 For the third time he demanded, “Why? What crime has he committed? I have found no reason to sentence him to death. So I will have him flogged, and then I will release him.”
23 But the mob shouted louder and louder, demanding that Jesus be crucified, and their voices prevailed.
24 So Pilate sentenced Jesus to die as they demanded.
25 As they had requested, he released Barabbas, the man in prison for insurrection and murder. But he turned Jesus over to them to do as they wished.
Barabbas was released because Christ took his place, and that by the wicked choice of the people, although behind the act of man we see the hand of God’s purpose.
We all by our sin were parties to Christ’s crucifixion.
His death was no accident, it was an accomplishment of Divine intent; therefore we find in the Holy Word that He was the
Frederick Marsh, 1,000 Bible Study Outlines:
God-provided Substitute—
8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.
Sin-made Substitute—
21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.
Curse-bearing Substitute—
13 But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”
Life-sacrificed Substitute—
7 Get rid of the old “yeast” by removing this wicked person from among you. Then you will be like a fresh batch of dough made without yeast, which is what you really are. Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed for us.
Grace-imparting Substitute—
31 What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?
32 Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else?
33 Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself.
34 Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.
Holy-inspiring Substitute—
14 He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds.
16 We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters.
Glory-securing Substitute—
14 For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died.
Was there no other way to redeem man than by drinking this cup of suffering?
There was no other way. In a few short hours he would drain that container of its last bitter drop of human depravity.
Hebrews 2:9: “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.”
Romans 4:25 (NLT) 25He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God.
1 Peter 2:24(NLT) 24 He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed.
1 Peter 3:18(NLT) 18 Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit.
2 Corinthians 5:21(NLT) 21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.
The Lord’s Supper is a spiritual meal.
The Lord’s Supper is a spiritual meal.
When the Lord’s Supper was celebrated in the early church, it included a feast or fellowship meal followed by the celebration of Communion.
In the church in Corinth, the fellowship meal had become a time when some ate and drank excessively while others went hungry.
There was little sharing and caring.
This certainly did not demonstrate the unity and love that should characterize the church, nor was it a preparation for Communion. Paul condemned these actions and reminded the church of the real purpose of the Lord’s Supper.
Colossians 3:15-17 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
a) A large prosperous downtown church had three mission churches under its care that it had started. On the first Sunday of the New Year all the members of the mission churches came to the city church for a combined Communion service. In those mission churches, which were located in the slums of the city, were some outstanding cases of conversions—thieves, burglars, and so on—but all knelt side by side at the Communion rail.
b) On one such occasion the pastor saw a former burglar kneeling beside a judge of the Supreme Court of England—the judge who had sent him to jail where he had served seven years. After his release this burglar had been converted and become a Christian worker. Yet, as they knelt there, the judge and the former convict, neither one seemed to be aware of the other.
c) After the service, the judge was walking home with the pastor and said to the pastor, “Did you notice who was kneeling beside me at the Communion rail this morning?”
d) The pastor replied, “Yes, but I didn’t know that you noticed.” The two walked along in silence for a few more moments, and then the judge said, “What a miracle of grace.” The pastor nodded in agreement. “Yes, what a marvelous miracle of grace.” Then the judge said “But to whom do you refer?” And the pastor said, “Why, to the conversion of that convict.” The judge said, “But I was not referring to him. I was thinking of myself” The pastor, surprised, replied, “You were thinking of yourself? I don’t understand.” “Yes,” the judge replied, “it did not cost that burglar much to get converted when he came out of jail. He had nothing but a history of crime behind him, and when he saw Jesus as his Savior he knew there was salvation and hope and joy for him. And he knew how much he needed that help. But look at me. I was taught from earliest infancy to live as a gentleman; that my word was to be my bond; that I was to say my prayers, go to church, take Communion and so on. I went through Oxford, took my degrees, was called to the bar and eventually became a judge. Pastor, nothing but the grace of God could have caused me to admit that I was a sinner on a level with that burglar. It took much more grace to forgive me for all my pride and self-deception, to get me to admit that I was no better in the eyes of God than that convict that I had sent to prison.”
The Lord’s Supper has a variety of meanings within the church. The early church remembered that Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper on the night of the Passover meal
13 They went off to the city and found everything just as Jesus had said, and they prepared the Passover meal there.
14 When the time came, Jesus and the apostles sat down together at the table.
15 Jesus said, “I have been very eager to eat this Passover meal with you before my suffering begins.
16 For I tell you now that I won’t eat this meal again until its meaning is fulfilled in the Kingdom of God.”
17 Then he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. Then he said, “Take this and share it among yourselves.
18 For I will not drink wine again until the Kingdom of God has come.”
19 He took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
20 After supper he took another cup of wine and said, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood, which is poured out as a sacrifice for you.
Just as Passover celebrated deliverance from slavery in Egypt, so the Lord’s Supper celebrates deliverance from sin into a victories lifestyle by Christ’s death.
Quote for the book “The Messenger” by Thomas Horn pages 42-43
Recall that, in Exodus 12:46 Each Passover lamb must be eaten in one house. Do not carry any of its meat outside, and do not break any of its bones. also Numbers 9:12, the Israelites were commanded to prepare the Passover lamb in a way that wouldn’t break a single bone.
You’re probably already trekking with us on this one. This is a “what comes first, chicken or egg?” conundrum, as we wonder whether God didn’t want the Israelites to break the lambs’ bones because not one of
Jesus’ bones would be broken (Psalm 34:20, John 19:30-37), or if none of Jesus’ bones would end up broken because that’s how the Passover lamb was to die. Either way, God orchestrated this additional layer. Neither the lambs’ bones nor the Lamb’s bones would be broken in the carrying out of the sacrifice.
We all saw that one coming, we authors can believe we hear the readers thinking.
Ah, yes, but do we all know how the Israelites had to prepare the Passover lamb in order for no bones to break? Do we know how they carefully roasted the animals in such a way that the entire flesh could be accessed and devoured (Exodus 12:10) without breaking any bones?
The process isn’t one we will go into in great detail, because those with weak stomachs may not appreciate it. Put simply: Once the lamb’s organs were removed, a pole (or branch from a sturdy source such as a pomegranate tree) was inserted horizontally to splay open the chest and upper arms of the animal, guaranteeing even and thorough roasting. Then another pole was inserted vertically and driven into the ground in order to hang he animal upright near the fire. The removed entrails were coiled atop the lambs head, an ancient tradition called the “Crown Sacrifice” or the “Crown of the Passover Lamb.” The result was literally a blood-crowned lamb hanging on a cross...a visual foreshadowing of Christs death. No regular human imagination could have planned that element centuries before He was crucified.
We could explore counnless other parallels on this trail to understanding how Christ fulfilled the Passover. Here are just a few more that we can mention quickly:
Jesus was thoroughly examined by the Pharisees, Sadducees, and scribes for four days and found to be spotless (1 Peter 2:22), just as the Passover lamb for Seder was continuously examined for four days to ensure perfection before the sacrifice. 1 Peter 2:22 He never sinned, nor ever deceived anyone.
After the building of the temple, when the Jews would gather en masse, preparations took more time to complete, and all the Passover lambs would have to be gathered and tied to their altars at 9 o’clock in the morning in order for the families to assemble to sing the Psalms. Nine in the morning was the same time Jesus would be nailed to the cross.
In order for the lamb to be prepared in time for the feast, however, it needed to be slain at 3 o’clock in the afternoon—the same time of day Jesus died.
At 6 o’clock in the evening, the Passover meal is complete and a new day begins. This is the same time Jesus was laid to rest in the tomb.
When the temple’s high priest had completed the ritual killing of the lamb on the altar, he lifted his hands apart in the air and said, “It is finished.” This was the position of Jesus’ body on the cross when He spoke those same words and then gave up the Spirit.
The bread and wine symbolize Christ’s body and blood.
The Lord’s Supper commemorates the new covenant.
The Lord’s Supper commemorates the new covenant.
What is this new covenant?
In the old covenant, people could approach God only through the priests and the sacrificial system. Jesus’ death on the cross ushered in the new covenant or agreement between God and us.
Dave Miller explained on the one night how the veil was torn from top to bottom at the time of Jesus’s death
Matthew 27:45–52 (NIV) 45 From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. 46 About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”). 47 When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.” 48 Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. 49 The rest said, “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.” 50 And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. 51 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split 52 and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life.
John 19:28–30 (NIV) 28 Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” 29 A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. 30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
Behind the veil was the presence of God
The veil or barrier has been removed
Now all people who have a personal relationship with Jesus can personally approach God through Jesus Christ the great High Priest and communicate with him.
1 Here is the main point: We have a High Priest who sat down in the place of honor beside the throne of the majestic God in heaven.
2 There he ministers in the heavenly Tabernacle, the true place of worship that was built by the Lord and not by human hands.
3 And since every high priest is required to offer gifts and sacrifices, our High Priest must make an offering, too.
4 If he were here on earth, he would not even be a priest, since there already are priests who offer the gifts required by the law.
5 They serve in a system of worship that is only a copy, a shadow of the real one in heaven. For when Moses was getting ready to build the Tabernacle, God gave him this warning: “Be sure that you make everything according to the pattern I have shown you here on the mountain.”
6 But now Jesus, our High Priest, has been given a ministry that is far superior to the old priesthood, for he is the one who mediates for us a far better covenant with God, based on better promises.
The people of Israel first entered into this agreement after their exodus from Egypt (Exodus 24), and it was designed to point to the day when Jesus Christ would come.
The new covenant completes the old covenant, fulfilling everything the old covenant looked forward to
a. Jeremiah 31:31–34 31 “The day is coming,” says the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah. 32 This covenant will not be like the one I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and brought them out of the land of Egypt. They broke that covenant, though I loved them as a husband loves his wife,” says the Lord. 33 “But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel after those days,” says the Lord. “I will put my instructions deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 34 And they will not need to teach their neighbors, nor will they need to teach their relatives, saying, ‘You should know the Lord.’ For everyone, from the least to the greatest, will know me already,” says the Lord. “And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins.”
The Lord’s Supper is remembering.
The Lord’s Supper is remembering.
Jesus said, “Do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” How do we remember Christ in the Lord’s Supper? By thinking about what he did and why he did it. If the Lord’s Supper becomes just a ritual or a pious habit, it no longer remembers Christ, and it loses its significance.
Lets get a picture of His broken and blood marred body
HIS FACE WAS MARRED
And some began to spit on him, and to cover his face, and to buffet him, and to say unto him, Prophesy: and the servants did strike him with the palms of their hands.—Mark 14:65
Isaiah 52:14 (NIV) 14 Just as there were many who were appalled at him— his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being and his form marred beyond human likeness—
HIS BACK WAS MUTILATED
And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged him, to be crucified.—Mark 15:15
HIS BROW WAS SCARRED
And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews!—Matt. 27:29
HIS HANDS AND FEET WERE NAILED
For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.—Psalms 22:16
Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.—Luke 24:39
HIS SIDE WAS PIERCED
But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water.—John 19:34
HE DID IT ALL FOR YOU!
Come and partake of the bread which represents the broken body of Jesus