Lord’s Supper - Significance of the Meal

The elements of the Lord’s Supper are symbols of the broken body and the blood of the Lord Jesus. It is a celebration of the New Covenant.  All Christians agree that the Lord’s Supper commemorates Christ’s death on the cross for our sins and points to the coming of His Kingdom in glory.  When we partake of the Lord’s Supper, we show our deep gratitude for Christ’s work on our behalf, and our faith is strengthened.  The death and resurrection of Jesus our Saviour makes this meal very significant.  In I Corinthians 10 & 11, Paul gives us four reasons why the Lord’s Supper is significant.


I Corinthians 11:24-25
[24] 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." [25]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
st Reason) The  Lord’s  Supper  is  a  remembrance  of  Jesus!

What did Jesus wanted the Disciples to remember?
1.  His sacrifice, the basis for forgiveness of sins


2.  His friendship that they could continue to enjoy through the work of the Holy Spirit


3.  Just as the Passover celebrated deliverance from slavery in Egypt, so the Lord’s Supper
celebrates deliverance from sin by Christ’s death.

What is this New Covenant?
1.  Now ALL people can approach GOD and communicate with Him.

2.  The New Covenant completes the Old Covenant - it does not replace it.

3.  The New Covenant fulfills everything the Old Covenant looked forward to in Jeremiah
31:31-34


Jeremiah 31:31-34
[31] "Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, [32]not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the LORD. [33] But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. [34]And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they shall all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more."

We remember Christ in the Lord’s Supper by thinking about what He did and why He did it.
Eating the bread and drinking the cup shows:
1.  We are remembering Christ’s death for us


2.  We are renewing our commitment to serve Him

You and I are to take bread & wine in remembrance of our Lord & Saviour, Jesus
Christ.
1.  Do NOT neglect participating in the Lord’s Supper.


2.  Let the Lord’s Supper remind you of what Christ did for you.



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

(2nd Reason) The  Lord’s  Supper  is  a  means of proclaiming His death!

Jesus was crucified, laid in a tomb, and rose the 3rd day. Then, 40 days later, He ascended into
Heaven.

Acts 1:11
[11] "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven."


The 2 angels proclaimed that one day He would return in the same way He went - bodily and visiblyHistory is moving toward a specific point - the return of Jesus to judge and rule over the earth!!!!!

What should we be doing in the meantime?
1.  We should not be staring, gazing, or wondering when He’ll return.


2.  We should be sharing our faith and how Christ has changed our life.


3.  We should be sharing the Gospel so that when Jesus comes:

? We will be ready
Others will be ready
Others will able to share in GOD’s great blessings!!

Revelation 1:7
[7]Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him.  Even so. Amen.


This is what life is all about!



1 Corinthians 10:16
[16]The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ?  The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?

(3rd Reason) The  Lord’s  Supper  is  a  means of  communion with  Jesus!

Another word for communion is the Greek word, “Koinonia”.
1.  Koinonia means having something in common
, a partnership or a fellowship.


2.  The idea of unity and fellowship with GOD through eating a sacrifice was strong in
Judaism, Christianity, & Heathenism.


In O.T. times, a Jew would eat part of his sacrifice as a means of restoring his unity with GOD.
1.  Christians participate in Christ’s sacrifice when we eat the bread and drink the cup
symbolizing his body and blood.


2.  When we partake of the Lord’s Supper, we are communing with Christ and identifying
with His death.


3.  As Christians, we are to partake of the Lord’s Supper so we may be in fellowship and oneness with Him and with others.

I Corinthians 10:17
[17]Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.



(4th  Reason) The  Lord’s  Supper  is  a  symbol  of  the  oneness  of  GOD’s  people!

We are one body!

Romans 12:4-5
[4]For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, [5]so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of
another.
The parts of the body function under the command of the brain.


1.  We are to function under the command of Jesus Christ.


2.  We are to be one as He and the Father are one.


3.  We are one.

When one celebrates, we should all celebrate!  When one hurts, we should all hurt!

Reflection:
Let us remember the significance of the Lord’s Supper:

?   The Lord’s Supper is a remembrance of Jesus!

?   The Lord’s Supper is a means of proclaiming His death!

?   The Lord’s Supper is a means of communion with Jesus!

?   Lord’s Supper is a symbol of the oneness of GOD’s people!

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