Introduction:
A. Today’s sermon continues our series called “Blueprint: God’s Plan for the Church.”
B. I heard about a church that recently began offering “gluten-free” bread for the Lord’s Supper.
1. It has been very well received, but its initial introduction didn’t go so well.
2. The first Sunday when the gluten-free communion bread was offered, the minister excitedly announced, “Before we take the Lord’s Supper today, remember that we have two tables at the front with our staff behind them to administer the communion. The table on the left is a “GLUTTON-FREE” table for those of you who have need of that.”
3. The minister was so embarrassed and the congregation keeps teasing him about it.
C. I also read a heart-warming story about something that happened one day when a family went to the grocery store.
1. When the family arrived in the juice aisle, their six-year-old, said, “Mom, can we get some grape juice?”
2. The mom was surprised because she had never purchased grape juice for her kids to drink, she only bought them apple and orange juice.
3. She asked her six-year-old son, “Do you even like grape juice?”
4. He replied, “Yeah, it tastes like community.”
5. This made the whole family laugh, but they knew what he meant to say.
6. He meant to say, “It tastes like communion.”
7. But later, as his mother thought more about what he said, she realized his slip of the tongue had some truth to it.
8. In many ways, the Lord’s Supper is all about community.
D. Today is Sunday, the Lord’s Day, and that means God’s people will be gathered today around the Lord’s Table to remember Jesus.
1. Some will gather under a spreading tree on the plains of Tanzania, and others will meet in a rented building in downtown Buenos Aires.
2. In the United States large assemblies will take communion in beautiful church auditoriums – in China today, small groups will huddle around kitchen tables, behind locked doors, and drawn curtains.
3. From a tent in Saudi Arabia to a ship in the Pacific, in great cathedrals and tiny prison chapels, all over the world today believers will enact the same simple ceremony: they will take unleavened bread and fruit of the vine, and together they will remember their Lord.
4. And perhaps the most unique communion service took place 50 years ago when Buzz Aldrin took communion on the moon.
5. God’s people have done this week after week, century after century, in one bright chain of devotion that reaches back almost 2000 years.
6. Of one thing you can be certain – on the first day of the week, somebody somewhere will be taking bread and wine, and remembering Jesus.
E. Most of us understand the “WHY” of Communion – it is a reflection of the Cross, a reminder of the sacrifice of Jesus on our behalf.
1. What some have wondered, however, is the “WHEN” of communion.
2. Why do we observe it each Sunday?
3. Other Christian groups set the Lord’s table once a month, once a quarter, or even once a year!
4. Why do we do it weekly?
F. I would like to answer that question this morning, because it is a good question.
1. When Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper, He said to “Do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19), but he didn’t specify any frequency.
2. When Paul described the institution of the Lord’s Supper, he comments “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” (1 Corinthians 11:26), but notice that Paul didn’t say how often.
G. And there is no single proof-text explicitly commanding, “The Lord’s Supper must be a part of your worship every Sunday” – it’s simply not in the Bible.
1. How, then, do we know what is appropriate?
2. We must look to the meaning of the memorial, and the way it was practiced by those early Christians.
3. When we do, we learn four things:
I. First, We learn that it was assumed that on the Lord’s Day Christians would partake of the Lord’s Supper.
A. Perhaps, the reason we don’t have a specific verse about the “when” of communion is because the issue never came up in the first century!
1. The early church understood the significance of the “first day of the week.”
B. Sunday was resurrection day! (Luke 23:1, Mark 16:1, John 20:1).
1. The greatest event in human history – the one thing that changed everything – the cornerstone of our faith and the foundation of our hope – is the resurrection of Jesus on a Sunday morning some 2000 years ago.
2. That’s why we worship on a Sunday, not a Sabbath – because this is the Lord’s Day!
C. Sunday was the day Jesus first appeared after his crufixion (John 20:19, 26).
1. We know from Luke 24:13ff that it was on a Sunday that Jesus appeared to two disciples on the road to Emmaus.
2. Keep in mind that Jesus was not recognized by them until “he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him” (verse 30-31).
3. This was the first post-resurrection communion meal with Jesus!
D. Sunday was also the birthday of the church! (Acts 2/Leviticus 23:15f).
1. The first day of the week had such significance that in Rev. 1:10 it is called “the Lord’s day.”
2. And the Lord’s Supper was so intimately associated with that day that the church understood if it was the Lord’s Day, it was the occasion for the Lord’s Supper!
3. Here’s an example: In Acts 20:7, we are told that Paul arrived in the city of Troas.
a. The Bible says: On the first day of the week, we assembled to break bread. Paul spoke to them, and since he was about to depart the next day, he kept on talking until midnight.
b. This verse indicates that a primary objective in their meeting together on that day was not necessarily to hear Paul; it was to participate in the communion service.
c. The Christians did not have an opportunity to listen to Paul’s encouraging words very frequently.
d. However, these Christians’ coming together was not totally out of respect for Paul.
e. Their coming together was to remember Jesus by participating in the communion service.
4. Here’s an analogy: The Ten Commandments directed the people of Israel to “Remember the Sabbath, to keep it holy.”
a. Question – which Sabbath? It doesn’t specify, because it was understood to be every Sabbath!
b. In the same way, the early church assumed that when the Lord’s Day rolled around each week, it was time to gather at the Lord’s Table.
II. Second, We learn that it was the practice of the early Christians.
A. Acts 2:42 says “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer.”
1. We note that it was a matter of devotion – not an option or extra, not an haphazard or occasional observance!
B. One of the earliest Christian writings outside the Bible is a document called the Didache, from the early second century.
1. In it we find this comment: “Come together each Lord’s day of the Lord, break bread, and give thanks.”
C. Likewise also Justin Martyr, who was born around the turn of the 2nd century and died for his faith in 165 A.D., tells us that “On the day called Sunday there is a gathering together in the same place of all who live in a city or rural district.”
1. There follows an account of a service of Scripture reading, preaching and prayer; and Justin Martyr continues, “When we cease from our prayer, bread is presented and wine mixed with water. The president of the brethren in the same manner sends up prayers and thanksgiving according to his ability, and the people sing out their assent saying the ‘Amen’. A distribution and participation of the elements for which thanks have been given is made to each person.” A contribution is collected, and then, Justin explains, “We all make our assembly in common on the day of the Sun, since it is the first day, on which God changed the darkness and matter and made the world, and Jesus Christ our Savior arose from the dead on the same day.” [Source: Apology 1, 67]
D. If this was the unanimous practice of the early church, why have so many denominations abandoned the weekly observation of the Lord’s Supper?
1. George Mellone, an evangelical scholar, explains that it came about because of two extremes, one Catholic and one Protestant.
2. He wrote: “You might be wondering what could have frightened the church from participation in the Lord’s Supper. It is difficult to trace the origins of this problem, but we can see by the medieval period that church leaders had altered the affirmation of Christ’s real presence at the Eucharist and substituted for it a view that the bread and wine became the substance of Christ’s body and blood. This was later known as transubstantiation. Some eleventh-century theologians actually maintained that if “you bite the bread you have bitten the body of Christ.” To them, Jesus’ words in John 6:52-59 were literally fulfilled in the Eucharist. Therefore, Christians needed to be extremely cautious about handling the body and blood of our Lord. Hence, a protectorate priest class became necessary to handle the feeding and monitor the frequency.
One other element was present in this pre-reformation theology: the belief that a person needed to be worthy before partaking in the sacrament. Thus fear and a sense of unworthiness combined to lessen the frequency with which the laity actually took part at the Lord’s table. It was no longer a daily or weekly event, but more likely only a yearly celebration. It was not important to participate in the Mass, only to be present at it. The yearly intake of spiritual vitamins was all that was necessary for immortality. As you can see, the church was eventually theologically and emotionally disenfranchised from the Lord’s Supper. As part of the Reformation drive in Geneva in 1536, John Calvin attempted to reinstitute the Lord’s Supper as part of the church’s weekly life. This was met with opposition from church officials. However a compromise of quarterly Communion was arranged. This practice is still common in some churches today; however, most evangelical churches practice Communion on a monthly basis. This again is not because of any particular scriptural merit, but simply as a compromise to the per-reformation taboo of frequent Communion.” (George Mellone, Furnace of Renewal, IVP, 1981, p. 67-68).
E. When we return to the practice of weekly communion, we are returning to the devotion of the early disciples.
1. That, in essence, is the “argument” for regular observance of the Lord’s Supper.
2. However, I must confess – when it comes to something as personal and meaningful as our communion with the Savior, I think we need to go beyond the level of an “argument,” don’t you?
3. I can build a logical case for weekly communion – I can’t give you a specific “proof-text,” mainly because I don’t think the question ever came up in the first-century – but I can demonstrate, both from the Bible and from history, that that’s what they did.
4. But even if I completely satisfied every quibble and question, I still would not have touched your heart – and what good is communion if it doesn’t touch the heart?
5. So, let me give two more reasons for weekly communion:
III. Third, The Lord’s Supper was a personal request of Jesus.
A. There is a statue of Jesus in Eureka Springs – it is impressive, but it’s cold!
1. It is a monument – but the Lord’s Supper is a memorial, a living memorial – not of stone and brick, but of hearts and souls!
2. The Lord’s Supper is communion, between the Savior and the saved!
B. Look at Luke 22:15-20: 15 Then he said to them, “I have fervently desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. 16 For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” 17 Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks, he said, “Take this and share it among yourselves. 18 For I tell you, from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” 19 And he took bread, gave thanks, broke it, gave it to them, and said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 20 In the same way he also took the cup after supper and said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.
1. Notice that Jesus said that he “fervently desired to eat this Passover with them.”
2. The Lord’s Supper began during the LAST SUPPER – that is, the last meal Jesus ever had before going to the Cross.
3. It is, therefore, the last request of a dying man.
4. He knew what was coming – and he was willing to die, but it is obvious he did not want it to be in vain – if he was going to pay the price, he wanted us to appreciate the sacrifice!
5. So he commands – “Remember me.”
6. Question: How would you honor the request of a dying man, if that man died for you?
IV. Fourth and finally, this memorial is precious to God’s people.
A. The Lord’s Supper is the focal point of our worship:
1. Acts 20:7 says, “we came together to break bread…”
2. 1 Corinthians 11:20 says, “when you come together to eat.”
B. We need to restore and remain faithful in doing this precious jewel of Christian worship!
1. Oscar Cullmann, a famous theologian in the 20th century, believed that the Lord’s Supper was the “basis and goal of every gathering” of first century Christians.
2. John Calvin, a Protestant reformer in the 14th century, considered the Lord’s Supper the highest moment in worship.
3. By 1812, Thomas Campbell, an early restoration movement leader, had categorically stated that “New Testament worship ceases when the Lord’s Supper is not observed every Lord’s day.”
C. Some worry that if the Lord’s Supper is observed each Sunday, it will become “commonplace” or “routine.”
1. That is a legitimate concern, and after all, Paul warns against it in 1 Corinthians11.
2. However, the same could be said of our prayer life, and yet the Bible still says to “pray without ceasing”!
3. If our communion with the Lord is not what it should be, which would make more sense; to cut back on communion, or to re-examine ourselves and our approach?
4. The change that is required is not in the Lord’s Supper – it is in us!
D. My friend, Dan Williams, tells a story about what happened years ago when he invited a friend to come to their Friend Day.
1. The man was from a different Christian group, and had never attended a worship service in the churches of Christ.
2. He sat on the pew beside Dan, and as communion was being served Dan noticed out of the corner of his eye that his friend was weeping.
3. Dan’s first reaction was one of dismay, because he assumed the man had somehow been offended.
4. When Dan questioned him after the service, however, the man responded: “Oh, no, Dan, you don’t understand. In my church we only take communion twice a year. I have begged and begged our church leaders to take it more often, but they won’t do it. That is my time with my Lord, and it is precious to me.”
5. Dan said, “It was not until then that I realized just what a blessing we have in the weekly observance of the Lord’s Supper!”
Conclusion:
A. If Sunday is the Lord’s Day, don’t you think we should observe the Lord’s Supper!
B. Every year millions of Americans visit Washington, D.C.
1. Americans visit our nation’s capital to take in the sights, and there are truly some great sights to see in our nation’s capital; including the White House, the Pentagon, and the Lincoln Memorial.
2. Another important place in Washington, D.C. is Arlington Cemetery.
3. It is a hallowed place because so many heroes are buried there: men and women who gave the “last full measure of devotion” in the service of their country.
4 A must see part of Arlington Cemetery is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the changing of the guard.
5. It is an impressive, solemn, reverent ceremony – the soldiers guard the tomb 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 52 weeks a year.
6. In rain or shine, snow or heat – they faithfully pace back and forth, marking vigil at the tomb.
7. Why spend so much time and effort? Because they are participating in a living memorial to the sacrifices of all the men and women of our armed forces who have paid the ultimate price to ensure our freedom.
C. As great as that memorial is and as significant is the loss of those lives, it pales in comparison with Jesus’ death and the memorial of the Lord’s Supper He instituted.
1. The Lord’s Supper is a living memorial – a way of remembering that our Lord died for us so that we could live with Him forever.
2. Don’t you think that in our worship assembly each Sunday we ought to take the time to pause, and observe the Lord’s Supper, and worship Him?
3. If Jesus is our Savior, why wouldn’t we want to remember Him and His sacrifice?
4. And if it weren’t for the Lord’s Supper part of our worship gathering, it is possible that we could go through worship week after week, and focus on many good things about God the Father, or the Christian life and hope, but not give enough attention to Jesus and His sacrifice.
5. I cannot imagine the church coming together on the first day of the week and not taking time to remember its very reason for existence.
6. Someone might argue that there are other ways that the Lord’s death can be remembered.
7. But we must never forget that the Lord’s Supper itself is our Lord’s own appointed way of remembering his death, the great gospel event.
8. Our task it not to develop ways to remember his death, but to simply honor and obey his instructions to “do this in remembrance of me.”
9. And so, if we are going to skip a meal each week (and skipping a meal might be a good idea for a few of us), let’s make sure we are skipping a meal other than the Lord’s Supper, because the Lord’s Supper is the most important meal of the week!
Resources:
“As Often As Ye Eat This Bread” Sermon by Dan Williams
