Why Do We Take Communion? Series

• SLIDE #6

• John 13:30 (HCSB) After receiving the piece of bread, he went out immediately. And it was night.

• So Jesus, knowing He was about to be crucified established communion.

• For the Christian, Communion was to take the place of the Passover. This is why Jesus stated…

• SLIDE #7

• Luke 22:15–16 (HCSB) Then He said to them, “I have fervently desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.”

• Let’s turn to verses 24-26 of 1 Corinthians 11.

• SLIDE #8

• 1 Corinthians 11:24–26 (HCSB) — 24 gave thanks, broke it, and said, “This is My body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of Me.” 25 In the same way, after supper He also took the cup and said, “This cup is the new covenant established by My blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.

• SLIDE #9

II. The significance of Communion. 24-26

• To understand why we take Communion, we need to understand the significance of Communion.

• Paul, through revelation from Jesus as well a collaboration of the Gospels offers us insights to the significance of Communion.

• THERE IS SOME SYMBOLISM IN COMMUNION. Jesus said in verse 24 that the bread was His body and in verse 25 that the cup was His blood.

• Jesus did not mean that the bread and the cup turned into His body and blood, but rather that they represented His body and blood.

• The Catholic faith teaches that the cup and bread actually turn into the actual body and blood of Jesus. This is called TRANSUBSTANTIATION. Say that 10 times. 

• I had a discussion a few years ago with a Catholic friend who believed that, and they could not understand why I did not. They said Jesus SAID it was His body and blood.

• I said that Jesus also said He was a door in John 10:7. Jesus did not turn into a door did he?

• Now here we are given why Communion is so important.

• Jesus also says the cup represents the New Covenant. Blood was required to seal a covenant and Jesus was getting ready to seal the New Covenant with His blood.

• Concerning the word COVENANT, in the Greek language, there are two words one can translate COVENANT. The first one denotes an agreement between equals. This is means the terms of the agreement are negotiated and are subject to change.

• The other word is one that denotes an agreement between UNEQUAL’S. This is the word ALWAYS used when speaking of the covenant between God and man.

• One either accepts or rejects God’s terms, they are not subject to change or discussion, they are what they are.

• This is part of the reason Christians cannot change the Word of God by either addition or subtraction. God’s covenant is not up for discussion or a vote.