Lord’s Supper Service
(before message)
As we prepare to come to the Lord’s table, we should recognize it as a time of celebration. We celebrate what Jesus has done for us in dying for our sins. So we give thanks to Christ for His gift to us. It’s a time for the church body to come together in unity, as a body of Christ should.
Nowhere is Scripture does it imply that you will be saved by taking the Lord’s Supper. There is no saving power in taking the bread or drinking from the cup. But as we partake of it, we are encouraged to do so in remembrance of what Jesus Christ has done for us.
This is a time of devotion, a time of consecration. That means that we give of ourselves to the cause of Christ and we show that we are loyal to the Christian lifestyle by worshiping through this ordinance.
Consecration means that we are set apart, declared as Holy, as we dedicate ourselves to the ministry that God has called us to carry out.
The elements of the Lord’s Supper are symbols. The broken bread symbolizes the body of Jesus Christ. The cup or fruit of the vine symbolizes the blood of Christ that was shed for the remission of our sins.
We should have examined ourselves by now but at this moment we should examine our motives for taking of it. We should examine our relationship to Christ. Have we surrendered to Him completely?
We should examine our relationship to our fellow believers. Have we made amends? Have we forgiven them? Have we asked for forgiveness from them? Have we reconciled any differences we may have?
Once this examination is completed, it is then that we should decide if we should leave the table or not. If we are not right with God or with each other, we should leave the table, reconcile and be reconciled to God and to one another, and then return to the table.
If you have never accepted Jesus as your personal Savior, taking the LS won’t mean a thing to you. You are actually taking it in vain—going through the motions.
But if you have accepted Christ as your Savior, then we encourage you to be obedient to Christ’s command to observe this ordinance until His return.
We have open communion at SEBC. That means you don’t have to be a member of the church to celebrate with us. In fact, we encourage you to do so.
With all that said, we now come to the Lord’s Table, asking Him to create within us a new heart and to renew a right spirit within us. Will you join me?
(Ask deacons and yokefellows to prepare the table)
PASS BREAD AND CUP
READ Matthew 26:26 (take bread)
READ Matthew 26:27 (take cup)
Close with Reading Matthew 26: 28-29
PRAYER
