There is a story told of a little church that had an unusual
ritual every Sunday morning. When they sang the Gloria Patri they stood, turned
to the right facing a blank white wall and sang. Every Sunday without fail they
did this. A newcomer to the church was puzzled by this and asked, “Why do you
do this?” No one knew. The only answer they could come up with was, “we’ve
always done it this way.” That answer did not satisfy the newcomer. Other
people were asked the same question. Finally an elderly man who had gone to
church longer than anyone else remembered the reason. It seems that at one time
they didn’t have hymnals and the words to this song were painted on the large
white wall. Everyone stood, turned to the right facing the wall and sang. Over the years the words faded and the wall
was repainted numerous times yet no one remembered the significance for
standing and turning toward the wall. Often we lose the real significance of why we do certain
things such as partaking of the Lord’s Supper. Just what is the significance of
communion for us in the 21st century? We live in a fast-paced technological
society where we rush through our days failing to look back at the reasons why.
We just go through the motions and go on to something else. We don’t often stop
to think about the meaning behind things that are a part of our worship. It’s
always been DONE THAT WAY. Can we give an explanation for it? So let’s try to Understand the History of the Lord’s Supper:
In Luke chapter 22 the traditional Passover was approaching and Jesus’
disciples had made preparation for the occasion. The Passover was a Jewish
festival commemorating their exodus from Egypt. It was repeated annually. The
bread and the wine were traditional parts of the Passover. They understood
this, but Jesus gave these elements new meaning. In verse 14 he said, “I have eagerly desired
to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you I will not eat it
again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.” The reason why this
was so important to Him was that He was ready to go to the cross and He was
going to use the bread and the wine to explain the significance of what he was
about to do on the cross. He used things that they were already familiar with
to lead them into a new spiritual dimension. The Passover was under the Old
Covenant, but Jesus’ death on the cross seals a New Covenant between God and
people. The Old Covenant involved forgiveness of sins through the blood of
animal sacrifices. In the New Covenant or agreement between God and man, Jesus,
Himself, would become the Lamb of God and die on the cross in place of sinners.
John the Baptist who was the forerunner of Jesus, “cried out Behold the Lamb of
God which takes away the sins of the world” (John 1:29). His blood would be effective in removing the sins of all who
placed their faith and trust in Him because He is God. Jesus sacrifice would
not have to be repeated over and over again. It would be good for all eternity. Does that not just make you want to stop,
close your eyes and say….WOW? It does
me. God
wasn’t going to change his mind. A sign on an airline executive’s desk in Chicago said,
“Don’t bother to agree with me: I’ve already changed my mind.” Thank goodness…God is not like that. Jesus was
drawing from their knowledge of the past--the Passover and the old sacrificial
system to open up their eyes and understanding of the significance of a new
everlasting covenant or agreement. The importance of this particular Passover
Last Supper with them is that the time had come for the long awaited New
Covenant and Jesus wanted them to understand it. He instituted the sacrament of
the Lord’s Supper which we still observe today. He said, “do this in remembrance of me” (v. 19). He retained the emblems off the bread and the wine
by giving them a brand new meaning. He said, taking the bread, “this represents
my body which was given for you.” He took the cup and said, “this cup is the
New Covenant in my blood which is poured out for you.” So, sitting right there in your seat….ask yourself….What is
the Significance for Me?: Jesus is saying “every time you take the bread and
the cup I want it to remind you of me and of what I did for you.” Sometimes we
don’t stop to think about that.At different times we might think of someone who has gone on
to be with the Lord--a grandmother, grandfather, etc. You look back at
something they gave you or you look at their picture. Some symbol or momento
reminds you of this person. I have two
things that remind me of my parents with me today…. My favorite pictures of
them both…..just looking at their pictures you could not know that they were
both Christians, they were Methodists, they were generous person and hard workers. Jesus said, “remember Me--remember my teachings--remember
what I did for you on the cross and remember that the New Covenant is for you
today.” Just as the Passover was a very
significant reminder of their deliverance from slavery in Egypt, so the Lord’s
Supper celebrates deliverance and freedom from sin by Christ’s death. Under the Old Covenant people could only
approach God through the priests and the sacrificial system. The New Covenant
opened up the way to approach God directly. The New Covenant completed the Old
Covenant by fulfilling it rather than by doing away with it. The Lord’s Supper is not an empty ritual for
us today. We do it in remembrance of what Jesus did for us on the Cross. So, What is included in the New Covenant that
we are remembering? What exactly does he want us to remember?
1. Forgiveness from our sins--Ephesians 1:7 “in him we have
redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins...”
2. Peace with God--Romans 5:1 “...we have peace with God
through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
3. Reconciliation with God--II Corinthians 5:19 “All this is
from God who reconciles us to himself through Christ.”
4. Right standing with God--II Corinthians 5:21 “God made
himself who had no sin to be sin for us so that in him we might become the
righteousness of God.”
5. Access to God--Ephesians 2:18 “for through Him we have
access to the Father.”
6. Liberty and Freedom from the devil’s power in our lives.
Gal. 5:1 “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.” (Also see Hebrews
2:14).
7. Christ’s intercession for us--Hebrews 5:16 “Let us
approach the throne of grace with confidence that we may receive mercy and find
grace to help us in our time of need.”
All of this applies to us today. Sometimes we just take it
all for granted. A family moved to a new town and began attending a new
church. Four year old Alisha loved the singing and especially the communion
service. One day while at the baby-sitters she was eating her favorite lunch of
burritos and apple juice. The baby-sitter overheard the little girl doing
communion with her lunch. She seemed to have memorized the words pretty well except
when it came to the cup. She was heard
to say, “and Jesus took the cup and he blessed it and he gave God thanks for it
and he said, “Fill it up with Folgers and wake ‘em up.” You know….How we Approach the Communion Table is important:
Communion is a means of grace to us. We come into His presence with a
thoughtful attitude. In what ways have I been missing the point? In what way am
I overlooking the significance of the New Covenant and the benefits that are
there for me? Come and receive new cleansing from sin. It is for you. Come and
receive peace with God. Come and receive freedom and liberty from the power of
sin over your life. Come and receive His healing. Because it is an everlasting covenant, we
have hope for our future. As a believer today we observe the Lord’s Supper
until he comes again (I Corinthians 11:26).
Today come and apply it to yourself and receive the benefits and comfort
of it. Let it strengthen your faith as you REMEMBER Christ’s death on the Cross
as the Lamb of God.
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