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The Lord's Supper: Looking to Jesus

Seth McDonald
05/26/24 - Sunday AM Worship

 
The Lord’s Supper – Looking to Jesus
What do you think about during the Lord’s Supper?

  1. Look Back
    1. “On the night when he was betrayed” (v23)
      1. The selflessness of Jesus is on full display that night – John 13-17
      2. He knows everything that is coming, but he does nothing to stop it
    2. “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)
      1. It is important for us to study & understand the pain associated with crucifixion, but it is just one aspect of what we should remember.
      2. There is an amazing lack of adjectives describing the crucifixion in the scriptures.
      3. The Bible puts more emphasis on the spiritual impact of His sacrifice
        – 1 Peter 2.21-25; Isaiah 53
    3. “This cup” (v25)
      1. 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)
      2. The cup of wrath that Jesus drank was undeserved. He did it for us.
      3. When Jesus commands us to drink “this cup”, He asks us to share in His shame and suffering – Matthew 20.20-23
    4. Jesus, our Passover lamb – 1 Corinthians 5.7
      1. Jesus is the lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world – John 1.29
      2. “The night Jesus was betrayed” was the Passover meal. – Luke 22.14-19
      3. There are many parallels between the Passover & Jesus
      4. The Passover = a memorial for deliverance from the bondage of Egypt
      5. The Lord’s Supper = a memorial for deliverance from the bondage of Sin

 

  1. Look Up
    1. It is the Lord’s Supper – 1 Corinthians 11.20
      1. The problem in Corinth is that they took the Lord out of the Lord’s Supper
      2. They were making it about themselves instead of making it about the Lord
    2. We feed with Christ
      1. Jesus is at the head of the table, it is His supper
      2. The “covenant meal” goes back to Exodus 24.7-12 when the elders of Israel “ate with God”
      3. When Jesus says “This is the NEW covenant in my blood”, it is a communion, covenant binding meal with God
      4. Not a memorial of a dead hero, but a communion with a living Lord
    3. We feed on Christ
      1. Not a literal extension of His flesh, but symbolic – John 6.48-58
      2. The real nourishment is not in the eating, but in the word of God
        – John 6.67-68; Matthew 4.4
    4. A weekly reminder to set our minds on things above – Col 3.1-17

 

  1. Look Forward
    1. The Lord’s Supper is a feast of mixed emotions.
      1. Most memorials associated with a tragedy is on the anniversary date of that tragedy (9/11, Pearl Harbor Day, etc).
      2. Victory celebrations are on the anniversary of great accomplishments (D-Day)
      3. This memorial is not on a Friday, but on a Sunday. It is the day of resurrection. – Acts 20.7
      4. It is not just a memorial of his death, but a celebration of His resurrection.
    2. The resurrection of Jesus is the link in the chain that connects His death to His second coming. – 1 Corinthians 11.26
      1. 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.”
    3. Our hope for resurrection is rooted in the resurrection of Jesus – 1 Corinthians 15.20-26
    4. It looks forward to a heavenly feast – Isaiah 25.6-8; Revelation 19.6-9
    5. It reminds us of the reason for our endurance - Hebrews 13.13-15


 

Discussion Questions

  1. Why is it important to have the correct mindset when taking the Lord’s Supper?
  2. What is your habit? What do tend to think about during the Lord’s Supper?
  3. What helps you stay focused during the Lord’s Supper?

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