THE BIBLICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THE LORD’S SUPPER
Matthew 26:26-30
INTRO: Before the Lord Jesus Christ left the earth, he established two ordinances for the local church. They are Baptism, and the Lord’s Supper. Neither ordinance has any saving power, but rather, baptism is an ordinance of identification while the Lord’s Supper is an ordinance of commemoration!
While Christians may have participated in hundreds of Lord’s Supper services, that does not necessarily mean they understand all there is to know about it! Let’s search God’s Word, and see if we can discover the biblical significance of this commemoration.
I. CONSIDER THE ORIGIN OF THE ORDINANCE (vv. 26-28).
1. The institution came from Jesus himself. It is not some man-made religious ritual. Instead, it originated in the upper room in Jerusalem just a few hundred feet from the garden where Christ would be betrayed and from the garden where He would be crucified and buried!
2. The instruction for the Lord’s Supper came from Jesus himself.
II. CONSIDER THE OBSERVANCE OF THE ORDINANCE (vv. 24-26).
1. Serves as a reminder of the bodily redemption of our Savior (Luke 24:26-26, 46).
2. Serves as a reminder of the blood ransom of our Savior (Acts 20:28).
3. Serves as a reminder of the blessed return of our Savior (1 Cor. 11:26)
When a believer partakes of the Lord’s Supper he is reminding himself and declaring to others the finished work of Christ on the cross! The ordinance was given as a reminder to keep fresh in our minds all that Jesus has done for us.
III. CONSIDER THE OBSERVERS OF THE ORDINANCE (1 Corinthians 11:27-31).
Verse 27 could be paraphrased into a simple question asking, “Why would a lost person want to commemorate an event that points out their own lostness and rebellion against God’s redemptive plan?”
1. The Lord’s Supper confronts the observer who is unsaved (vv. 27, 29).
2. The Lord’s Supper challenges the observer who is unworthy (v. 28).
Just as it would be foolish for lost men to commemorate the death of Christ by partaking of the Lord’s Supper, it would be foolish for saved men to celebrate his forgiveness while living a life of open rebellion and sin (vv. 30-31).
CONC: The Lord’s Supper is a time of REFLECTION, REMEMBERING, and REJOICING! It should never be entered into without a thorough examination of our heart. Are you saved? Are you in sin? Are you willing to prepare your heart and sit at the Lord’s table?
