Lord’s Supper: Express Your Love

Express Your Love

When we are saved we enter into a love covenant with God. Jesus would call the cup at the Lord’s Supper, “The cup of the covenant.”

The Lord’s Supper is described in detail 5 places:

1-3. The Synoptic Gospels. Matthew 26:17–29; Mark 14:12–25; Luke 22:7–38;

4. By Paul in I Corinthians 11:23–25.

5. In John 6:22-59. Jesus used bread and blood to refer to salvation; symbolized in the Supper.

1 Corinthians 11:23-26

• His Body represents our salvation, given to rescue us.
• His blood is a symbol of covenant. By his blood we are brought into covenant.

I. I want to take you there!

1. He sends disciples ahead to make preparation.

2. That evening they eat Passover. (Bitter herbs, lamb, bread, wine)

3. Jesus slips behind and washes their feet. (John 13:1-20)

4. Jesus would have told the Exodus story.

5. Jesus predicted one of the disciples would betray him. He dismissed Judas.

6. Jesus declared the bread his “body.” The cup his “blood.”

7. After the Supper there was an extended discussion where Jesus shared his heart. (John 14-17)

8. They sang a hymn and left for Gethsemane, crossing the Kidron.

II. The Early Church practiced the Lord’s Supper (Acts 2:42)

• What is happening in Acts 2 seems to be much more than just eating together.
• Luke pairs the breaking of bread with other essential parts of the church’s community. (Apostles teaching, etc.)
• “Breaking bread” came from something Jesus did when he “took the bread, broke it and gave it to his disciples.”
• This supper was called, “The Agape Feast” the “Lord’s Supper” and the “Eucharist.” Eucharist is Greek, Eucharisto, means, “To thank.” We come with gratitude to the cross.

III. What is the Lord’s Supper?

• Transubstantiation is the Catholic view that the bread actually becomes the body, the cup becomes the blood. This view also makes the taking of the elements sacramental, required for salvation. No where does the Bible actually say the bread transforms at the ringing of a bell into the body of Jesus.
• Consubstantiation is the idea that Christ is somehow physically present in the elements. (*on- meaning “together,” substantiation still meaning “substance.”) Though they don’t transform into his body, he is there spiritually inside the bread or cup. This view, held by many of the reformers, puts a high emphasis on the elements themselves.
• Memorial view.  That the Lord’s Supper is a memorial looking back at what Jesus did.
• Spiritual view.  (Calvin’s view.) I believe Christ is present with his people at the taking of the loaf and cup. That is, he’s not in the bread, or in the cup – he’s with us! Your bride doesn’t become the wedding rings, she’s present at the ceremony.

In the Symbolism:

1. An act of worship. Personalizes the death of Jesus.

2. A means of thanksgiving. “The cup of thanksgiving” 1 Cor. 10:16

3. A reminder. “Eat in remembrance” (Never forget what I’ve done)

4. A statement of faith. “For whenever you eat the bread and drink the cup you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes back.” (1 Cor. 11:26)

5. A stirring of Hope: We will take it again in when he returns.

IV. Practical guidelines for us:

1. It should be observed often. (1 Corinthians 12:26)

2. It should be observed carefully. (1 Corinthians 12:27-28)

• When should I not take the Lord’s supper? When I am active in unrepentant sin.
• A person should examine himself. (1 Cor. 11:28)

Two forms of Lord’s Supper, open and closed. Open allows anyone to take, while closed is for church members only. (Sometimes closed communion is for members of that specific church only.) We practice “open communion” because of 1 Corinthians 11:28, which says a person is to examine “himself” not be examined by the church.

3. It should be observed thoughtfully. (1 Corinthians 11:29-30)

• Bible asks us to focus ourselves. This isn’t about food.
• The Corinthians had so abused the table of Christ, Paul says that it had brought God’s judgment on them.
• I think this is a deep call to all of us not to be flippant with he table of Christ, or careless or rebellious. We should come seriously, with thanksgiving, obedience and submission.

V. The Importance of Bread and Blood:

• The symbols come out of the Passover.
• Bread is a picture of his physical salvation. He came into this world to save us with his very Being.

What does the Blood of Jesus do?

1. The Blood of Jesus (Romans 3:25)

2. The Blood of Jesus (1 John 1:7)

3. The Blood of Jesus (Romans 5:9)

4. The Blood of Jesus (Ephesians 1:7, 1 Peter 1:18-19

5. The Blood of Jesus (Colossians 1:19-20)

6. The Blood of Jesus Sets me (Revelation 1:5)

7. The Blood of Jesus Gives me (Revelation 12:10-11)

Michael Frost, British Missionary, Shares about going to a Emerging Church conference. They entered a traditional church building; Columns, stain glass. But the sanctuary had been cleared of the pews and was now empty. The floor had been covered in plastic, and in the middle of the sanctuary, was a mountain of trash. Food scraps, fish bones, milk cartons, meat vegetable juice.

With wo introduction, worshipers were invited around the garbage. Then wwo men came out in robes. They lead the people in prayers, responsive readings. Moving toward Lord’s Supper, they removed their robes and had swim gear on. They waded into the garbage! Dived in! Then then came up from the garbage holding a bottle of wine and a brown in a brown bag. The other brought out a loaf of bread wrapped in plastic.

“When we eat this bread and eat this wine we do celebrate the death of Jesus as the atoning sacrifice for our sins. And his resurrection. We also celebrate that our Holy God, pure, pristine and perfect took on flesh and waded into all the garbage of this world. So if you choose to eat this bread and this wine, take off your shoes, hitch up your dress or skirt, and come into the rubbish to receive this. In so doing, you say: Lord Jesus, in eating this bread and wine I acknowledge that the incarnation was an overwhelming burden for you to bear. And just as the father has sent you into this world, so I ask: Lord send me.”