“Cannibals!” “Flesh-eaters!” You know, that’s what Christians of the first century were accused of when they took part in the Lord’s Supper. That great mysterious ceremony which Jesus instituted the night before he died has really caused a lot of confusion over the years. Everybody seems to have a different take on what Holy Communion is. Well, as you might have noticed we haven’t celebrated the Lord’s Supper yet here at Divine Savior. That’s not because we don’t think it’s important. To the contrary, because it is so important, we’ve decided to wait just a few weeks. Many of you are now going to begin studying in what we call our “Communion Course” to learn (or for some review) what we need to know to be able to go to the Lord’s Supper and to become members of Divine Savior. But in those studies and in our sermon for this morning we aren’t going to look at what I think about the Lord’s Supper. We aren’t going to look at what Pastor Leyrer thinks about the Lord’s Supper. We aren’t even going to look at what the Lutheran Church teaches about Lord’s Supper. No, we are going to look at what God says in his Word about the Lord’s Supper. So let’s look at the second lesson for this morning taken from 1 Corinthians chapter eleven...
You know one thing really stands out here in our text. When Jesus gave the bread and wine to his disciples telling them that it was his body and blood, he said, “Do this!” “Do this.” The Lord’s Supper is something that God wants us to continually do, make use of. God wants us to participate in the Lord’s Supper, but not in an unworthy way as we see here in verse 27. But in order to receive it correctly, we really need to understand what it is, right? So, that’s what we are going to see this morning. We are going to see that God wants us to receive the Lord’s Supper: 1) according to how Christ gave it and 2) trusting in his promises.
I. According to how Christ gave it
Paul here reminds the Corinthian congregation of the events which occurred the night before Jesus died. Jesus himself had revealed those events to Paul as we see here in verse 23. This was Jesus’ last will and testament. His last moments with his disciples before his death. In just a matter of hours, he would be hanging on a cross suffering the punishment for the sins of all people of all times.
So after eating the Passover meal, a special festival meal of the Jews, Jesus broke the
bread that was there and gave it to his disciples. We know that this was unleavened bread, in other words bread without yeast, because that’s the kind of bread that was eaten during the Passover. So, Jesus gave them this unleavened bread and said, “This is my body.” In the same way he gave them the wine and said “This is my blood.”
Then a miracle. The disciples at that moment were not only receiving bread and wine, but also in some miraculous way, Christ’s body and blood. We know that they received Christ’s body and blood, because Paul warns us here in our text that if we receive the Lord’s Supper in an unworthy way, that we are guilty of sinning against that same body and blood of Jesus.
But you know, there’s been a lot of confusion over the years about this. How can Christ’s body and blood be there with the bread and wine? So people try to explain it according to their human reason. That “the bread and wine represent or symbolize Christ’s body and blood.” Or that “the bread and wine cease to exist and are transformed into Christ’s body and blood and that it just looks like bread and wine.” But Jesus doesn’t say that it symbolizes. He doesn’t say that the bread and wine cease to exist. He just gave the bread and wine and said, “This is!”
So let’s take Jesus at his word. In Holy Communion we receive the body and blood of Jesus in some miraculous way with the bread and wine. Can I explain how? No. But then again there are a lot of things about God that are beyond my human reason. So let’s just trust his words. Because really, that’s what faith is, isn’t it? Taking Jesus at his word.
In the not too distant future when you come forward to receive the Lord’s Supper, you will receive the body and blood of Jesus in, with and under... together with the bread and wine. Wow! That’s pretty incredible when you think about it. We are receiving the body and blood of God himself, the body and blood that was shed on the cross for our sins. That can be kind of intimidating, can’t it. Especially when Paul tells us here that “whoever receives the bread and drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.”
You know, I remember talking to a pastor once who as a young man was afraid to take the Lord’s Supper because he was afraid that he would receive it in an unworthy manner. But God doesn’t want us to be afraid. He tells us that the way to receive his body and blood in a worthy manner is by merely by trusting his promises.
II. By trusting in his promises
Jesus himself when he gave the Lord’s Supper tells us the two reasons why we should receive it. First of all he tells us to do it, “in remembrance of him.” To remember Jesus and especially what he has done for us. It’s real hard to forget what Jesus did to save us from our sins when we have such a vivid reminder, when we are receiving the body and blood that he gave on the cross to pay for those sins.
And the second reason why we should receive the Lord’s Supper is because it is a new covenant in Christ’s blood... and Matthew adds, for the forgiveness of sins. A new covenant for the forgiveness of sins. A covenant is a contract. We have a contract signed here in Jesus blood. It says that when we receive the Lord’s Supper, we are receiving the forgiveness of sins.
The Lord’s Supper is a means of grace, one of the instruments that God uses to offer and give to us forgiveness of sins. Through Holy Communion, God strengthens our faith in the confidence that are sins have been washed in Jesus’ blood. So, really, God is doing everything in the Lord’s Supper. And that’s important. Taking part in the Lord’s Supper is not something that we do for God, but something that he does and gives to us. So, we don’t have to be afraid that to take it. Holy Communion was given as a pledge, a contract signed in blood that our sins are forgiven.
That’s right, the Lord’s Supper is for sinners. It was given to assure us that the payment that Jesus made on the cross applies also to us. If your sins weigh you down, it is then that you need the Lord’s Supper the most, to receive the assurance that your sins are forgiven. If you feel like your faith isn’t very strong, take the Lord’s Supper. It was given to strengthen our faith.
The only thing God wants is that we receive it with believing hearts, that we are able to “examine ourselves” to see that we are sinners and need his grace, and that we understand what we are receiving. And, basically, that’s why we want to study with you before you receive it. So that we can be sure that you understand these things, and also because in 1 Corinthians 10, Paul tells us that Holy Communion is also a way of declaring complete fellowship, unity, oneness with other believers. To be able to declare unity with each other, both you and I need to know what the other believes, right? To make sure that we are one in what we believe.
So, I guess the point of this all is that the Lord’s Supper is an incredible gift that God has given his church, something that God wants us to make us of. Through this sacrament, God offers and gives his body and blood for the forgiveness of sins. So, I encourage you to take part in the classes that we are now offering. If Pastor Leyrer or I have not spoken with you about it, please ask us. We want all of you to receive, with us, this precious gift of God. Oh, and I’m sure that you still have plenty of questions. Some things about which you’re still not quite sure. Honestly, I didn’t explain every last detail about the Lord’s Supper today. That’s what the classes are for. To see what God says in his Word. So go to the class and then come to the Lord’s Supper, because in it we have a contract signed in Jesus’ blood which guarantees us the forgiveness of sins. Amen.
