Let's begin this study in prayer...
Psalm 63:1-8O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek You; my soul thirsts for You, my body longs for You, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. I have seen You in the sanctuary and beheld Your power and Your glory. Because Your love is better than life, my lips will glorify You. I will praise You as long as I live, and in Your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise You. On my bed I remember You; I think of You through the watches of the night. Because You are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.
I. REVIEW
In our previous study we read how our Lord and Saviour instituted the
Passover supper for the Israelites to remember their deliverance from
the bonds or tyranny of the Egyptians. We also read how God had
provided them manna to eat while they, the Israelites, were on their
exodus to the Promised Land. In addition we also found out that all
these events and ordinances were shadows of things that were to come.
Namely, the reality or fulfillment of all things is found in the Lord
Jesus Christ. Hence, as an introduction to this study let us begin by
reading what our Lord Jesus Christ told the people while in Capernaum
after he fed the 5,000.
John 6:25-59
Also in our previous study we saw how our Lord's Words were
spiritually fulfilled at the time He celebrated His last Passover
prior to His arrest, crucifixion and resurrection. To see this, let
us read what had happened during our Lord's Last Supper.
Matthew 26:17-28
QUESTION: What about us? What about the Christians? How does all this
pertain to us...now?
II. THE APPLICATION TO US ... THE CHRISTIAN
Well, in addition to being a dramatic witness to who Jesus really is
and what He did for us, we find that as the Passover in the Old
Testament was to be periodically celebrated by God's chosen, His last
supper is now to be periodically celebrated by His people, i.e. the
Christians. We find this given to us as Paul tells the Church at
Corinth what the Lord Jesus Christ had told him relative to
celebrating the Lord's Supper. To see this, let us read,
1 Corinthians 11:23-26
Notice vs 24 ...in remembrance...
25 ...in remembrance...
However, even though our celebration or participation in our Lord's
Last Supper is performed in remembrance of Him, i.e. our Lord Jesus
Christ, something of spiritual significance happens. The reason we
know this is that the Holy Spirit tells us that one of the reasons
some Christians become weak, sick and fall asleep is that they
partake of the Lord's Supper in an unworthy manner.
1 Corinthians 11:30
And so we find that as the Israelites were to observe the Passover in
a prescribed manner, the Lord's Supper also has some regulations
associated with it. Hence,
III. OUR INSTRUCTION
Let us begin with,
A. ORDERLY PARTICIPATION IN HIS CHURCH
1 CORINTHIANS 11:17-19
QUESTION: What is the Holy Spirit referring to here? What was
the problem?
Well, it is given to us in,
1 Corinthians 1:10-13 etc.
In other words the body of Christ in Corinth was divided up into
factions and various groups not recognizing that they were all
one in Christ Jesus. Hence, before we come to the Lord's Table
we are instructed to recognize the body. To see this, let us
read from,
1 Corinthians 10:15-17
QUESTION: What is this one loaf?
YES!!! our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Hence, the bread served at the Lord's Supper should be one loaf
(representing the Lord Jesus Christ) and broken or torn apart so
each member of His Body can partake of the same loaf. For
similar reasons, all should drink from a single cup.
B. CLEAR CONSCIENCE IN ATTITUDE TOWARD OTHERS IN HIS CHURCH
1 CORINTHIANS 11:20-22
QUESTION: What is going on here? What is the issue?
Well in order to understand, we must remember that in the early
New Testament days there were times when the Christian community
would come together for what was called a love feast or
fellowship meal. This gathering was the time when they would all
eat in common. After the meal they would then celebrate the
Lord's Supper. An example of this let us read about the first
community in Jerusalem where they actually held everything in
common.
Acts 2:44-47
However, in the Church in Corinth, this common meal or love
feast was each man for himself. Those that had plenty gorged
themselves and those that did not, well that was just tough.
Given this background, let us now reread,
1 Corinthians 11:17-22
Now the Holy Spirit through Paul explains to us what the Lord's
Supper is all about.
1 Corinthians 11:23-27
Notice vs 27
OK?
Now let us move on to,
C. RECOGNITION OF THE SIGNIFICANCE OF WHAT JESUS CHRIST DID
1 CORINTHIANS 11:28-32
QUESTION: Does this judging or examining of one self before
eating the bread or drinking of the cup pertain to how that
person has behaved during the love feast? (or) Should this be an
all encompassing examination of our life?
Well, in order to answer this question let us prayerfully read
the following.
1 John 1:5-2:2
Hence three issues to reflect upon,
1. Orderly participation.
2. Clear conscience.
3. Recognition of what Jesus Christ did.
IV. SOME MISCELLANEOUS QUESTIONS
A. HOW OFTEN SHOULD THE LORD'S SUPPER BE CELEBRATED?
First of all there does not appear to be any command in the New
Testament concerning this question. However, it does seem that
whenever the body came together as a church the Lord's Supper
was observed. To see this let us consider the following
observations.
1. EACH DAY
Acts 2:46-47
However, there is also an indication that some gathered on the,
2. FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK
Acts 20:7
However, the general rule seems to be,
3. WHEN GATHERED TOGETHER AS A CHURCH
1 Corinthians 11:18(a)
...when you come together as a church.
B. CAN AN UNBELIEVER PARTICIPATE IN THE LORD'S SUPPER?
NO!
First of all we must consider what our previous instruction
said about partaking of the Lord's Supper in an unworthy manner.
1 Corinthians 11:27-31
QUESTION: How can an unbeliever partake in a worthy manner when
they are rejecting the Grace and Mercy of the only Person who
was put to death to save them?
Secondly, remember those who partake of the Lord's Supper
profess to be of the same body. With this in mind consider the
following exhortation,
1 Corinthians 10:16-17
Given this, namely, what fellowship can there be between the
believer and the unbeliever, let us consider the following,
2 Corinthians 6:14-18
C. SHOULD THE CUP WE SHARE BE WINE OR GRAPE JUICE?
In order to answer this, let us first consider that drinking
wine is not a sin. What is a sin is getting drunk on wine. To
see this, let us consider some of the following observations:
1. JESUS CREATED WINE IN CANNA
We find this incident in,
John 2:1-11
2. PAUL PRESCRIBED WINE FOR TIMOTHY
To read this, let us go to,
1 Timothy 5:23
However,
3. WE ARE NOT TO BE DRUNK ON WINE
To see this let, us read from,
Ephesians 5:15-18
However, if drinking wine would offend a brother or sister
then grape juice is fine. To see this consider the following,
Romans 14:13-18
V. CLOSING
Now with all this in mind, let us close by reading the following Psalm.
Psalm 32:1-11
Let's end this study in prayer...
Revelation 3:20-22Here I am! I [Jesus] stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with Me on My throne, just as I overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
Read the book by John Sweet, Jr.
Send e-mail to John Sweet... Internet address is jsweetj@jsweetj.cnc.net Send e-mail to web page curator... Internet address is kenzy@kenzy.com
Home page for web page curator...