LESSONS IN THE LORD’S SUPPER

LESSONS IN THE LORD’S SUPPER

I. THE DESIRE OF THE SUPPER

Luke 22:14-20 (KJV)

And when the hour was come, he sat down, and the twelve apostles with him.

And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer:

For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God.

And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves:

For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come.

And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.

Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.

Notice Jesus’ desire.

In this case He spoke of the Passover.

He desired to eat the Passover with them.

The Passover and the Lord’s Supper are not the same event but there are some real similarities, just as baptism and circumcision are not the same event but there are some similarities.

·   The Passover is a family event

·   The Passover is an annual event

·   The Passover is a symbolic event

·   The Passover is memorial event

Like the Passover, the believer OUGHT to desire to partake.

But there were seasons in the life of Israel when they were not able to.

·   In the wilderness

·   In the Babylonian captivity

II. THE SOLEMNITY OF THE SUPPER

Mark 14:22-26 (KJV)

And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body.

And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it.

And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many.

Verily I say unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God.

And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.

We often think of singing as an act of celebration.

I think believers ought to see it more as an act of worship.

We ought not sing to be entertained or even to entertain.

Singing should be directed to only one audience, Almighty God.

Jeremiah 20:13 (KJV)

Sing unto the LORD, praise ye the LORD: for he hath delivered the soul of the poor from the hand of evildoers.

Sixteen times the Bible tells us to sing unto the LORD. 

That first Lord’s Supper concluded with the disciples singing a hymn before they went to the Mount of Olives and to the crucifixion of Jesus.

III. THE HOPE OF THE SUPPER

Matthew 26:26-32 (KJV)

And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body.

And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it;

For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

But I say unto you, , I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom.

And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.

Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad.

But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee.

There is a huge contrast in this passage, the one sets up the other. 

It’s like a brilliant image set on a canvas of black.

On the one hand Jesus said, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, …

On the other he said, But after I am risen again…

There would be sadness at the news that this was the last time they would enjoy this fellowship with the Lord in this life.

But there was no question they would enjoy this fellowship again in eternal life.

While there is disappointment in not partaking in the Lord’s Supper together tonight, there is anticipation knowing that we will meet again.

IV. OPPORTUNITY OF THE SUPPER 

1 Corinthians 11:23-31 (KJV)

For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread:

And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.

After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.

For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.

Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.

But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.

For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.

For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.

For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.

We too often forget that the occasion of the Lord’s Supper is meant to be an opportunity of 

·   self examination, of 

·   confession and of 

·   getting things right with the Lord and with others.

I want to end this little service by reminding you that, while it would not be biblical to attempt to observe the Lord’s Supper in any measure except in an assembly of the church, this one very real and very important part of the Lord’s Supper is still available to us all.

·   We can examine ourselves

·   We can confess our sins and

·   We can make things right with others