Communion as a Symbol
1 Corinthians 11:23-26
December 4, 2005
Introduction
I mentioned a couple weeks ago that the church board decided to begin having communion, or the Lord’s Supper, on the first Sunday of each month.
I think it’s a great idea, and we’re going to do that today.
Why do this during the Christmas season? We’re supposed to be celebrating Jesus’ birth, not his death, right?
Well, maybe. But I think that it’s important that we reflect on the fact that Baby Jesus had a purpose for coming to earth. He came so you and I could have a home in heaven.
He didn’t stay a baby, you know. He grew up. And he died.
When we come to the Lord’s table, we’re recognizing that fact.
When we took communion a couple weeks ago, I focused on the fact that communion is an act of remembrance. That we take the bread and the juice to remember his sacrifice for us.
Today, I want us to look at this wonderful sacrament as an act rich in symbolism.
I’m going to ask for your participation today as we go through this passage in 1 Corinthians 11. As we go through each section of the message, I’d like you to read aloud that portion from this chapter pertaining to that part of the message, okay?
I’ve got it printed in your note-taking guide, or you can follow along in your Bible if you brought one today, whichever you prefer.
And this first phrase helps to set up our discussion, so let’s read it together, right at the top:
For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you...
Paul’s words here are an indication that it was a regular part of the early church’s practice to come together for communion, and that it was right from Jesus, as he shows in the rest of the passage.
So let’s look at three ways communion serves as a symbol.
My hope is that as we go through this, and as we partake of communion in a bit, that you will gain a deeper sense of what goes on. That it’s not just a part of a church service to fill time. But rather that it serves a purpose - to point to Jesus in a very real way.
Let’s dive in, shall we? First...
Communion is a symbol of sacrifice.
Read this aloud with me:
The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me."
This is probably pretty obvious, but the word sacrifice implies that it cost someone something. In this case it cost Jesus his life.
And here’s the interesting thing: the Father is the one who initiated this sacrifice:
1 John 4:10 -
This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
The Bible tells us that on our own, we’re incapable of loving God.
It says that there is no one who seeks God - but instead, we’ve all turned away, so we could go our own way, to try and be the master of our own destiny.
But God loves us so much, he made a way for us to come to him - he sent Jesus. And Jesus became the sacrifice to pay the penalty for your sins and mine.
Communion serves as symbol of sacrifice - the sacrifice of Jesus on our behalf.
Second...
Communion is a symbol of salvation.
Read this aloud with me:
25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me."
There is plenty of stuff out there that suggests that Jesus died for no other reason than that he ticked off the wrong people. That he was a victim of circumstances.
But that’s a bunch of hooey, folks.
Jesus died on purpose. What was the purpose?
1 Peter 3:18 -
For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit.
Folks, there is no other way to God than through the death of Jesus. None. If Jesus hadn’t died, then we’d have absolutely no hope of heaven. We would die for our own sins, and rightfully so.
But God didn’t want that. And neither did Jesus. So Jesus came to save us. To save us from the penalty of our sins and to save us from the power of sin in our lives.
And so the question comes to you: have you take that salvation for yourself?
The Bible says that we earn hell for our sin, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus.
Have you reached out to take that for yourself? It’s important, because we’re not given heaven automatically. We have to want it and we have to receive it for ourselves.
I’d sure like to think that everyone here will walk out of here today with the assurance that they’re sins are forgiven and they have a home on heaven.
And this leads me to the last way in which communion is a symbol...
Communion is a symbol of anticipation.
Sorry, I couldn’t come up with another word that started with "S" that communicates what I wanted to share about this, but oh well!
Read this aloud with me:
26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes
I mentioned in the beginning of the message that Jesus came not only to be born, but he came to die.
But here’s the good news. Not only did he die and therefore purchase our salvation, he rose again, and even that’s not the end. He’s coming back.
And this time he’s coming back to get us. To take us from this world to spend eternity with him in the presence of the Father.
In the midst of the daily grind of life, we can look with anticipation to the day when this will all be a distant memory.
And I’d bet that I’m in pretty good company when I admit that there are times when I really look forward to that, given some of the stuff we all have to deal with, right?
Communion is a way of saying, "I’m looking forward to seeing you come back in glory, Lord. Please come soon. And in the meantime, I’m going to recognize what you did for me at Calvary."
So as you take communion today, take it with a sense of anticipation, okay?
Conclusion
You know, in all my talk today about communion being a symbol, I want to make something perfectly clear.
Communion is much more than a symbol. This sacrament points to something very real.
Jesus really did die on the cross. He really did give his body to be broken, and his blood really was poured out for the forgiveness of sins.
Please don’t ever approach what we do in communion as just a symbol.
It’s an act of consecration and dedication. And you know, I think that’s one of the reasons I like the fact that we’re going to do it more often than we have in the past.
We come to church, we sing the songs, smile as the kiddos collect the pocket change, and endure the sermon.
But we need to do a better job, both as a church, and as individuals, of consecrating ourselves to God.
To say to God, "I’m yours, Lord. Everything I am, everything I’ve got. Help me, Lord, to be completely yours."
And I think one of the ways to do that is to recognize the lengths that God went to bring us to himself.
Song, "When It’s Time to Go."
Did you catch the change in the lyric - from "go and face the world," to "go and save the world?"
Isn’t it wonderful? I think so.
Let’s pray and prepare our hearts to take the Lord’s supper, shall we?
