The Lord’s Supper

1 Corinthians 11:25 Likewise also the cup, after they had eaten, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink, in remembrance of Me.”

We Come To Remember Christ’s Saving Work

We are to remember the work of Christ on the cross. He sacrificed for our sins, and therefore our forgiveness and deliverance from sin. His death for our life.

We Are In The Common Union Partaking of Christ’s Presence

1 Corinthians 10:16 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ?

It is here that we celebrate our common union with Christ. There’s a real communion here. It is a real sharing in the blood of Christ and the sharing in the body of Christ. He embodies the praises of His people.

We Commune With Each Other As Saints

1 Corinthians 10:17 For we, being many, are one bread and one body, for we are all partakers of that one Bread.

The Lord’s table is the reminder of the cross where we all are leveled to the same place, needy sinners at the foot of the cross.

This is what identifies, symbolizes, and celebrates our oneness in the body, our common eternal life. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism. We are one body, one bread; we possess one Spirit. Here’s where we celebrate our common, shared eternal life, oneness in the body of Christ. This is where we’re reminded of the importance of our spiritual unity, of loving one another, of experiencing true  fellowship with one another, ministering to one another, serving one another, and seeking peace with one another.

We Come To The Lord’s Table To Focus On Singular Worship

1 Corinthians 10:20 No, but that the things which they sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to become sharers with demons.

When we come to the Lord’s table, we focus on the fact that our worship is singular. The Corinthian’s situation was that they had come out of this paganism, they had come out of false religion, they had multiple feasts, festivals, and worship experiences tied to the worship of false gods. Paul said, You cannot come to the table of the Lord and then turn around and go to a pagan feast. You have to come apart, you have to separate yourself.

There’s no place for mixed loyalty, or anything that is false, demonic, or that is of the darkness.

The Lord’s Table Brings Us To The Place Of Purification

1 Corinthians 11:28 “But a man must examine himself and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup.” You come to this table to eat the bread and drink the cup; it is necessary that you examine your heart.

If we come to the Lord’s table in a haphazard, frivolous, superficial way, without an honest evaluation of our own spiritual condition, without the kind of self-examination that brings out confession, repentance, and a desire for purification, we will eat and drink judgment to ourselves.

As We Come To the Table We Proclaim

1 Corinthians 11:26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.

Here we have a chance to proclaim that Christ gave His body and His blood on the cross for us.

The Lord’s Supper Symbolizes Our Hope

Matthew 26:29 But I tell you, from now on I will never drink of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in the kingdom of my Father.

The Lord’s table anticipates the Kingdom that is coming. One day we’ll do this with Christ. It’s not going to go away.

The supper is the symbol of our hope. We come to the Lord’s table and we remember that we’re going to share this with Him in His Kingdom after He comes to establish it.

The richness of this table: it is a remembrance of Christ’s saving work on the cross. It is a common partaking of His glorious presence as He inhabits our praise. It is a special time of communion with other believers. It is worship in the purest, most singular, and holy way.
It is a time of purification of hearts. It is the time of proclamation of the glory of the gospel. And finally, it is a time of anticipation of the Kingdom.

Let’s take time to focus on these important aspects of the Lord’s Supper, and be reminded of all that matters most.