Sermons
The Lord's Supper: Looking to Jesus
The Lord’s Supper – Looking to Jesus
What do you think about during the Lord’s Supper?
- Look Back
- “On the night when he was betrayed” (v23)
- The selflessness of Jesus is on full display that night – John 13-17
- He knows everything that is coming, but he does nothing to stop it
- “This is my body”, “blood of the covenant”, & “proclaim the Lord’s death” should take us back to the horrific nature of the cross (vv24-25)
- It is important for us to study & understand the pain associated with crucifixion, but it is just one aspect of what we should remember.
- There is an amazing lack of adjectives describing the crucifixion in the scriptures.
- The Bible puts more emphasis on the spiritual impact of His sacrifice
– 1 Peter 2.21-25; Isaiah 53
- “This cup” (v25)
- The “cup of wrath” is a frequently used image in the Bible (Psalm 75.8; Isaiah 51.17-23; Jeremiah 25.15; Matthew 26.39; John 18.11; Revelation 14.10; 16.19)
- The cup of wrath that Jesus drank was undeserved. He did it for us.
- When Jesus commands us to drink “this cup”, He asks us to share in His shame and suffering – Matthew 20.20-23
- Jesus, our Passover lamb – 1 Corinthians 5.7
- Jesus is the lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world – John 1.29
- “The night Jesus was betrayed” was the Passover meal. – Luke 22.14-19
- There are many parallels between the Passover & Jesus
- The Passover = a memorial for deliverance from the bondage of Egypt
- The Lord’s Supper = a memorial for deliverance from the bondage of Sin
- “On the night when he was betrayed” (v23)
- Look Up
- It is the Lord’s Supper – 1 Corinthians 11.20
- The problem in Corinth is that they took the Lord out of the Lord’s Supper
- They were making it about themselves instead of making it about the Lord
- We feed with Christ
- Jesus is at the head of the table, it is His supper
- The “covenant meal” goes back to Exodus 24.7-12 when the elders of Israel “ate with God”
- When Jesus says “This is the NEW covenant in my blood”, it is a communion, covenant binding meal with God
- Not a memorial of a dead hero, but a communion with a living Lord
- We feed on Christ
- Not a literal extension of His flesh, but symbolic – John 6.48-58
- The real nourishment is not in the eating, but in the word of God
– John 6.67-68; Matthew 4.4
- A weekly reminder to set our minds on things above – Col 3.1-17
- It is the Lord’s Supper – 1 Corinthians 11.20
- Look Forward
- The Lord’s Supper is a feast of mixed emotions.
- Most memorials associated with a tragedy is on the anniversary date of that tragedy (9/11, Pearl Harbor Day, etc).
- Victory celebrations are on the anniversary of great accomplishments (D-Day)
- This memorial is not on a Friday, but on a Sunday. It is the day of resurrection. – Acts 20.7
- It is not just a memorial of his death, but a celebration of His resurrection.
- The resurrection of Jesus is the link in the chain that connects His death to His second coming. – 1 Corinthians 11.26
- Last verse of “By Christ Redeemed”: “And thus that dark betrayal night with the last advent (2nd coming of Jesus) we unite, by one bight chain of loving rite (Lord’s Supper), until He come.”
- Our hope for resurrection is rooted in the resurrection of Jesus – 1 Corinthians 15.20-26
- It looks forward to a heavenly feast – Isaiah 25.6-8; Revelation 19.6-9
- It reminds us of the reason for our endurance - Hebrews 13.13-15
- The Lord’s Supper is a feast of mixed emotions.
Discussion Questions
- Why is it important to have the correct mindset when taking the Lord’s Supper?
- What is your habit? What do tend to think about during the Lord’s Supper?
- What helps you stay focused during the Lord’s Supper?