Speaker Sermon/Lesson Title Audio   Video  Text   MS Word Category Bobby Stafford The Need to Remember       Lord's Supper

The Need to Remember

Introduction:

How easy it is to forget!  Throughout the history of mankind people have needed to be reminded.  One such occurrence is recorded in Joshua 4:19-24. “Now the people came up from the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and they camped in Gilgal on the east border of Jericho.  And those twelve stones which they took out of the Jordan, Joshua set up in Gilgal.  Then he spoke to the children of Israel, saying:  ‘When your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What are these stones? then you shall let your children know, saying, Israel crossed over this Jordan on dry land; for the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed over, that all the peoples of the earth may know the hand of the Lord, that it is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever.’ ” NKJV  It is hard to imagine the children of Israel forgetting that they passed through the Jordan on dry land.  But they did!

Similarly, how can people forget Jesus’ sacrifice on Calvary’s cross?  But they do!  Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper to help us keep alive the memory of His sacrifice and what He has done for us. (Luke 22:19-20) “And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.’  Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.’ ” NKJV

Body:

I.  What Are the Names of This Memorial?

· The “breaking of the bread”  (Acts 2:42) “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.” NKJV

· The “communion”  (I Corinthians 10:16) “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ?  The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?” NKJV

· The “Lord’s table” (I Corinthians 10:21) “You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord’s table and of the table of demons.” NKJV

· The “Lord’s Supper” (I Corinthians 11:20) “Therefore when you come together in one place, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper.” NKJV

· We should never call it the Eucharist, or a sacrament, or the mass!

II.  What Are the Elements?

· Bread  (Matthew 26:26) “And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body.’” NKJV  The bread Jesus and the apostles used was unleavened; it represented purity.  (I Corinthians 5:6-8) “Your glorying is not good.  Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?  Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened.  For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.  Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” NKJV

· Fruit of the vine (Matthew 26:27-29) “Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you.  For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.  But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.’ ” NKJV  In the Scripture, the Lord’s Supper is not associated with the Greek word for wine.  The vine always refers to the grapevine in the Bible.  Wine is not the fruit of the vine, but rather a product from the fruit of the vine.  So the fruit of the vine is an unleavened drink.

III.  Who Should Partake?

· The Lord’s Supper is a memorial of Christ’s death.  Therefore, it is only for those who have been united in that death.  (Romans 6:3-5) “Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?  Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.  For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection,” NKJV

· It is a great honor to participate.

IV.  When Should the Lord’s Supper Be Observed?

· It should be noted that, in the Bible, all public memorials have a definite frequency. [The Passover, Pentecost, The Sabbath . . .]

·  The 1^st Century church met upon the first day of every week to observe the Lord’s Supper. (Acts 20:7) “Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight.” NKJV Every week has a first day.  (I Corinthians 16:2) “On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come.” NKJV

V.  What to Remember while Partaking?

· In the moments of partaking, we relive in our minds what Jesus experienced that awful day.

·  We remember Christ’s body was broken for us. (I Corinthians 11:24) “and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, ‘Take eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.’ ” NKJV Also, we remember that Christ’s blood was shed for the forgiveness of my sins. (Luke 22:20) “Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.’ ” NKJV

· It is a communion.  (I Corinthians 10:16) “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ?  The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?” NKJV It is a time when Christians are thinking about the same thing at the same time.

·  It is a means of being nourished spiritually. (I Corinthians 11:27:30) “Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.  But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup.  For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.  For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep.” NKJV

· It is a living sermon! (I Corinthians 11:26) “For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.” NKJV  As we partake, we are telling the world of our belief in the death of Christ.  It is also a reminder of His promised return.

 

Conclusion:

It is truly a great honor to partake of the Lord’s Supper every Sunday.  It reminds Christians of Christ’s death, the reason why their sins are forgiven.

Bobby Stafford June 30, 2019