|
Jesus never asked His disciples to remember His birth. But
He did instruct them to remember His death and resurrection.
He gave the church a powerful visual symbol of His death
when he instituted the Lord’s Supper. The Lord’s
Supper is a valuable object lesson that represents a great
spiritual truth for believers.
1. It is a celebration.
“
For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus,
on the night he was betrayed, took bread…” (vs.23)
2. It is a reminder.
“
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.” (vs.
24)
3. It is symbol.
“
In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This
cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you
drink this cup, in remembrance of me.”(vs. 25)
4. It is a statement of faith.
“
For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim
the Lord’s death until he comes.” (vs. 26)
Only those who are already Christians. (Mark 14:22-26)
“
For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body
of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself.” (1
Corinthians 11:29)
“Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup
of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning
against the body and blood of the Lord. A man ought to examine
himself before he eats of the bread and drinks from the cup.” 1
Corinthians 11:27-28
1. Self-Examination
“Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks
the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of
sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.' 1 Corinthians
11:27
2. Confessing my sins
'If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our
sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.' 1 John 1:9
3. Recommitment
'Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy,
to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing
to God–this is your spiritual act of worship.' Romans
12:1
4. Restoring Relationships
'“Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember
that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front
of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer
your gift.' Matthew 5:23-24
“On the first day of the week we came together to
break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended
to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight.” Acts
20:7
We at Island Family choose to serve communion during our
Sunday morning worship services every week.
We can note these historic facts:
(1) The early church assembled. (1 Corinthians 14:23; Acts
11:26)
(2) The early church assembled at a stated time. (Hebrews
10:25)
(3) The early church assembled on Sunday. (1 Corinthians
16:1-2; Revelation 1:10)
(4) The early church assembled to observe the Lord’s
Supper. (Acts 20:7)
|