The Beauty And Seriousness Of The Lord’s Supper

 

Sermon by Rev John Zuidema B.D., on 1Cor.11:17-34

Scripture Readings; 1 Corinthians 11:17-34;

 

Congregation, I am privileged, not only to bring you a message from God’s word, but also to share with believers the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper this morning.   Now I should add, this message from 1 Corinthians 11 is to prepare us for this sacrament.

However, instead of a three-point message, this message has several points as I seek to answer some questions about this wonderful sacrament of the Lord’s Supper.  So please bear with me.

First, why do we even celebrate this sacrament? We celebrate it for in Luke 22:19, the Lord Jesus gave specific instructions to celebrate the Lord’s Supper in remembrance of Him, proclaiming his death until he returns.   The Lord Jesus knew that we needed something that we could see, taste and touch to confirm our faith, for so often it is weak.

Second, what does celebrating this supper actually do for us?  Well, when we participate by true faith, we are nourished spiritually and our faith is strengthened, because it reminds us of what Jesus has done to redeem us, hence it is a means of grace.  It is a blessing for us to participate, because it takes our focus off ourselves, and directs our attention to the beauty and wonder of what God the Father has done for us through his beloved Son.

Third, should this sacrament be celebrated with reverence and awe?  Yes, absolutely it should be.  There is a both a sacredness and seriousness of participating in this supper, for the elements, the bread and juice /wine represent the Lord’s body and blood.   Now we do not believe that the bread or wine somehow magically become the body and blood of Christ as we partake, but by true faith we are to regard them as such, so there is both a seriousness and a sacredness about participation.

Fourth, who is this sacrament for?   This sacrament is for all who believe that Jesus Christ is their Saviour.  Please notice, Paul calls this sacrament the Lord’s Supper [v20].  So, negatively, this is not the ‘Reformed’ supper, or the ‘Baptist’ supper, or the Roman Catholic supper, or any denomination’s supper.  It’s the Lord’s Supper and all who trust in Jesus Christ alone for their salvation are welcome to participate.

I emphasise this for there have been churches who have refused genuine Christians to participate who were not their members even though the trusted in Christ alone for their forgiveness and salvation. Such a narrow view of participation at the Lord’s Supper is not warranted.  In John 6:28 some people asked Jesus, “What is the work that God requires of us?”  Jesus answered in v29, “the work that God requires is this, to believe in the One he has sent!”  He didn’t say become Reformed or a Baptist or a Roman Catholic, but simply, believe in the one he has sent!  It’s the Lord’s Supper. In the CRCA we welcome all who trust in Christ alone, which includes younger children who are baptised and can give an age appropriate, credible profession of faith in Jesus Christ.

Fifth, who shouldn’t participate?  The text warns us that those who do not believe or who cannot give a credible profession of faith is Jesus Christ should not participate.   Scripture clearly warns that they would be eating and drinking judgement to themselves for they would be drinking it in an unworthy manner because what Jesus did means nothing to them.  They would be acting with contempt, treading what God the Father’s very Son has done to redeem sinners who repent underfoot.

That brings me back to what I said before that participation in the Lord’s supper is serious business.  That doesn’t mean that unbelievers are not welcome to bear witness to what we do.  We want them and the world to know that the Lord’s Supper is not some secret ritual or cultish act done in a dark room with no windows.   The Lord’s Supper is a public act of worship and a visible sign of our Christian faith!  Participation in the Lord’s Supper is a personal thing, but not a private thing.  It is a proclamation of the Lord’s death and resurrection and his eventual return [26].  So, if you are visiting today and it is the first time you have witnessed the Lord’s Supper, don’t leave, for we like it when non-believers see us celebrate this Supper.   And if you wish to know more about what we are doing and why, come and speak to me or one of the elders.  We would love to share our faith in Jesus Christ with you.

But participation in the Lord’s Supper can only be meaningful for those who believe Jesus as Saviour.  So, we also celebrate it in a nursing home or even a private home if some of our members are unable to participate with us due to illness or immobility.  Yet, we need to be careful, for sometimes people have suggested we can celebrate Lord’s Supper anytime and anywhere, even one-on-one or two-on-two, but that is not the norm.   Five times in chapter 11 it says they were celebrating this supper when they came together, v 17; 18 – as a church] v20; 33; 34.

Unfortunately, the church at Corinth was corrupting the Lord’s Supper by mixing it up with their regular supper.  Some came and had lots to eat, while others had nothing to eat. In short, they were making the Lord’s Supper nothing more than a feast of the rich and no longer a love feast that displayed God’s love to them in Christ.  Paul is upset about this for he says in v22, “Don’t you have homes to eat and drink in?”  In other words, stop bringing the Lord’s Supper into disrepute, for that is what they were doing with their gluttony behaviour!

Sixth, why bread and wine or juice and not something else.   Well, I make the following comments. The Lord’s Supper isn’t a seven-course meal but a small two course meal.  We eat the bread and drink the wine/juice.  That doesn’t mean we cannot use a wafer of some black currant juice.  Furthermore, Scripture doesn’t tell us what size the bread or glass should be.  Some Christians still believe that the wine or juice should be drunk out of one beaker or glass and not individual glasses.  Well, that is not my preference, but there is freedom to do it if that is what the fellowship decides.  So, let’s not get hung up on what type of bread or whether it is juice or wine, or a communal cup or individual glasses. There is plenty of freedom about these things.   [cf Mat 26:29; Mk 14:25; Lk22:18].  Now a word of caution. That doesn’t mean we should experiment playfully with the Supper or other elements.   Some people think a Mac Burger and coke around a campfire will do.   Well, it may be cool, but the Lord’s Supper is not a play-thing.  Again, there is a sacredness and seriousness about what we are doing.

Seventh, how often should we celebrate this sacrament?   When I was a little tacker, Church services were long and when Lord’s Supper was celebrated it usually meant an extra an hour or longer.  The minister or elder would read the long form and then table after table went to the front and all sat there with sombre faces. At that time the Lord’s Supper was celebrated four times a year.  There is nothing in the New Testament that mandates a quarterly, bimonthly, monthly or even weekly celebration.   It simply says as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup do it in remembrance of me.  John Calvin suggested that we should do it every week.  But the danger is that should we do it more often, it may become less meaningful and ritualistic. So, there is some flexibility but let’s keep in mind that this sacrament comes with the word and is to remain meaningful.

Eighth, the Lord’s Supper is not just a physical action of eating the bread and drinking the juice, it is also supposed to engage the mind, the heart if you will.  V25 “…Do this in remembrance of me.”   So, when you eat and drink your mind should not go into neutral. This is not a passive celebration, but a deliberate and conscious event designed to engage our hearts. We are not called upon to think about who won the footy or the latest gold medal, or whether the minister is going overtime or that the roast might be burning in the oven.   We’re not called upon to think about how the birthday party will go this evening, or what are we going to do tomorrow. We are called upon to remember the Lord’s death until he returns.

And when we remember the Lord’s death, we cannot help but consider that he suffered and died for us.  He bore the nails in his flesh for me.   He took God’s wrath for my sin upon himself.  He wore the crown of thorns for me.  He was spat upon and beaten for me.  He died in my stead.  He was laid in grave showing that he actually died.  He rose victoriously on the third day!  He now sits at the Fathers’ right hand, interceding for me. He did all this so that when I die, believing, I may be assured of forgiveness and eternal life in glory.  And I consciously keep remembering this until Jesus comes again!  This is the reality. It happened!  God, in the person of His Son died and rose for me!  History records the event and the Bible tells us.   Jesus died for my forgiveness and rose to life for my justification and eternal life in glory!

This is where we differ from non-believers. Unbelievers could eat and can drink and remember and even admit that all the facts are true and so could the devil.   However, it is only believers who by faith are nourished by the benefits attained by his death and thus grow in grace.  When we eat the bread and drink the fruit of the vine, we by faith, appropriate, enjoy, receive, and are nourished by the death and resurrection of Christ.  We are comforted and assured that our sins are forgiven, our guilt removed and our fellowship with God restored. When we participate our faith should embrace wholly what Christ did on the cross and draw it into our lives.

In John 6:35ff we read, “I am the bread of life….Come to me…eat and never be hungry again…drink and never be thirsty again!”   With those words Jesus is asking us to eat and drink everything he did for us at Calvary.  Every spiritual blessing is ours in Christ because of Calvary!  Peace with God; joy in Christ; hope for the future, freedom from fear, comfort in time of sorrow, the list is endless.  Or to put it another way, all the promises of God are “Yes” and “Amen” in Christ!

Finally, a little more about the seriousness of this Supper.  Let me read verses 27ff slowly for they are staggering and to believe them causes me to tremble every time for I know I am a sinner!     Verse 27 “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. That doesn’t mean we have to be perfect – the table exists because we are not perfect.  Sometimes people have said that they cannot come for they never feel good enough to come.  Well, that is just wrong thinking.   Having said that, the day you think you are perfect, is the day you should not attend the Supper.

That’s why verse 28 is important. “A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup.” Again, this is not about whether you are good enough. Hopefully when you examine yourself you will notice that you are way worse and it may bring you to a greater trust and love for what Christ has done for you.  And to examine yourself is not an option. It has the force of a command and there is a warning attached.  Verses 29 “For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself.”  And what does this judgement mean? Without doubt we know and are told that God loves us and we are his children and the he is our Father in Christ.  100%.

But note verse 30 that follows 29.  “That is why many among you [we are not speaking here about non-believers, but Christians] are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep.”   Did you get that?  Some of our fellow Christians have fallen asleep, died prematurely, not to be sent to hell, but to be saved from hell! That is what verse 31ff “But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment. When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world.”  Doesn’t that stagger you?  Our loving Father takes some of us home because we misuse the Lord’s Supper.

Do you understand now why I said this is serious business?  That’s why we read the preparatory form, so that people will examine themselves.  It makes us ask the questions of ourselves. Do I acknowledge that I am a sinner in need of forgiveness and trust in Christ alone for the forgiveness of my sins?  Do I really desire to love God and my neighbour in light of what Christ has done?  Do I really desire to fight sin in my life?  It is my prayer that all sinners here can enjoy the Lord’s Supper today, trusting in Christ alone for full forgiveness and eternal life.   Amen.