THE TABLE MATTERS TO GOD!
Reading 1 Corinthians Ch. 11v23-26.

Introduction:

Doug Oldham sings with great meaning and feeling these beautiful words!

Today I went back to the place where I used to go,
Today I saw the same old crowd I knew before.
And when they asked me what had happened,
I tried to tell them:
Thanks to Calvary I don't come here anymore.

Many of us can say, "Thanks to Calvary, I'm not the man I used to be." When we met the Lord Jesus Christ he made us a new man, a new woman, a new creature in Christ Jesus.

D.L. Moody said that when he got saved, "I went outdoors and fell in love with everything. I never loved the bright sun shining as much as I did that day. When I heard the birds sing, I fell in love with the birds. Everything was different."

On the grave of John Newton, author of "Amazing Grace," are these words:

John Newton, Clerk, Once an infidel and libertine,
A servant of slaves in Africa,
Was, by the rich mercy of our Lord and Saviour,
Jesus Christ,
Preserved, restored, pardoned,
And appointed to preach the faith
He had long laboured to destroy.

Introduction:

On one occasion Newton said to a friend, "I am not all that I should be or what I want to be, but thank God I am not what I used to be."
Jesus makes us a new person and salvation brings a new life.

Today we will participate in a form of worship that is as old as Christianity itself.

In fact, Jesus himself inaugurated the Lord’s Supper observance on the eve of his crucifixion. Matt. 26v26-28.

"And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, take, eat; this is my body.

And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, drink ye all of it; for this is my blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins."

Therefore, it is I believe without doubt, that the Lord’s Table is important to God!

And because the Lord’s supper is important to God, I believe it should be important to us.

By the way, may I remind you that the Lord’s Supper is one of only two ordinances given to the church of Jesus Christ, which we are to practice. One is the Lord’s supper and the other is baptism. The word ‘Ordinance’ simply means a prescribed practice of religious rite, a religious rite to which every true believer is called to partake and therefore should by no manner or means treat lightly.

Something else by way of introduction needs to be rehearsed in your hearing. If you were to attend other services in our town and

district and witness the ordinance of the Lord’s Table being observed you would discover a variety of practices. More importantly, however, are the considerable differences in the practice and understanding of this ordinance which exist among those who call themselves Christians.

There is the view that the Eucharist is both a sacrifice and a sacrament. This is firmly held and taught by the Roman Catholics and is reaffirmed in the catechism of the Second Vatican Council: ‘At the last supper, on the night he was betrayed, our Saviour instituted the Eucharistic Sacrifice of His body and blood. This he did in order to perpetuate the sacrifice of the Cross-throughout all ages, until he should come again….’ It is said to be a sacrifice in the sense that it is a gift offered to God and a sacrament, in that the worshipper is said to ‘receive Jesus Christ, the heavenly food, which is so necessary for the spiritual life of our souls’.

(Catechism of Catholic Doctrine, p86).

Broadly speaking, the view of the Protestant churches is that the Eucharist or Communion is a sacrament but not a sacrifice. However, the word ‘sacrament’ is itself understood differently by different churches and traditions. For example, some would say that the sacrament actually brings grace (that is, God’s favour) to the participants; others that it merely represents grace given to them. This issue arose among the Reformers of the sixteenth century and the different emphases which emerged then are still evident in different traditions within the Protestant churches today.

However, in their statements of faith and belief, all are agreed that if they are to receive blessing the participants must receive the elements of bread and wine in a worthy manner. They must participate in a spirit of repentance and faith, and of love and obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ.

It should be noted, Baptists in Ireland and elsewhere prefer to speak of ‘ordinances’ (observances ordained by Christ) rather than ‘sacraments’ when referring to baptism and the Lord’s Table. They do so because they wish to avoid any suggestion that God’s grace could be earned or merited through religious practices.

Spurgeon’s Catechism has this admirable summary of Baptist understanding of the ordinances.

‘Baptism and the Lord’s Supper become effectual means of grace, not from any virtue in them or in him who does administer them, but only by the blessing of Christ, and the working of the Spirit in those who by faith receive them.’

Baptists believe that, like Baptism, the Lord’s Table is for believers only. It is for those who have come to personal faith in Christ as Saviour and Lord. Those who participate must give evidence of having repented from sin and having believed in Christ for forgiveness and new life.

Now, with those thoughts in mind and heart let’s consider some things set out for us by the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians. 11 and hopefully, these truths will help us take a fresh look at the observance of the Lord’s supper and attend to the preciousness behind the act of observance.

The Lord’s Supper Is A Symbolic Act!
The Lord Jesus said in Luke 22:19.

"And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, this is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me".

The Apostle Paul said in 1 Cor. 11:25.

"After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, this cup is the New Testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me".

If my reading and understanding of these two passages is correct, the Lord’s Supper is an act of remembrance!

I know there are four basic views as to what the Lord’s Supper represents.

The Roman Catholic view, which I believe to be non-biblical says, the bread and wine literally change into the body and blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. The recipient actually eats the Lord’s body and drinks his blood, because Jesus is literally being sacrificed again in the mass. This view is called transubstantiation!

A second view, which once again I believe to be non-biblical, is that the bread and the wine actually contain the body and blood of Jesus, but do not literally change. Christ is actually present, within

and under the elements. This is the Lutheran view and is called consubstantiation!

A third view of the Lord’s Supper is, Christ is not literally present in the elements, but there is the spiritual presence of Christ. The recipient receives grace through partaking of the elements. This is the Presbyterian and Reformed view and in my humble admission is without biblical authority.

Finally we have a fourth view that teaches that Jesus is present, neither physically or spiritually in the elements, but that the Lord’s Supper stands as a symbolic reminder of what Jesus did for mankind at the cross and the tomb. I firmly believe that this view represents the truth of what the bible teaches about the Lord’s supper. We call this a memorial! And a memorial is a time and a place of remembrance.

We Are To Remember A Lord Who Agonized! v24-25.
The blood and the wine represent the broken body and the shed blood of the Lord Jesus.

The bread that had represented the exodus now came to represent the body of Jesus Christ, the Messiah. To the Jewish mind the body represented the whole person, not just his physical body. Jesus’ body represents the great mystery of his whole incarnate life, His whole teaching, His whole ministry, His whole work, in fact, all he was and all he did.

Now, it’s interesting, the word broken in v 24 does not appear in the best manuscripts or in the modern translations. Though the Romans frequently broke the legs of crucified victims in order to hasten death as an act of mercy, John specifically tells us that Jesus’ legs were not broken in order "that the scripture might be fulfilled, ‘not a bone of him shall be broken’ ". (John 19v33, 36).

So the best reading of our text I believe is simply this is my body, which is for you.

‘For you’ are two of the most beautiful words in all of scripture. Jesus gave his body, his entire incarnate life, for us who believe in him.

The cup that had represented the lamb’s blood smeared on the doorposts and lintels now came to represent the blood of the Lamb of God, shed for the salvation of the world. The Old Covenant was ratified repeatedly by the blood of animals offered by men; but the new covenant has been ratified once and for all by the blood of Jesus Christ (Heb.9v28), which God himself has offered.

The old deliverance was merely from Egypt to Canaan. So Jesus took the cup and said it is the New Covenant in my blood. It is important to realise that this was not new in the sense that it was a Covenant of Grace replacing one of works. It is new in that it is the Saving Covenant to which the Old Testament shadows pointed. The new deliverance is from sin to salvation, from death to life, from Satan’s realm to God’s heaven. Passover was transformed into the

Lord’s Supper. We now eat the bread and drink the cup not to remember the Red Sea and the Exodus but to remember the Cross and the Saviour.

But to bring everything to that point it meant an amazing agonising on the Lord’s part. And we are to remember the awful price that Jesus paid to purchase the redemption of our souls. On that old rugged cross he was dying in our place, and his suffering was, let’s be in no doubt, agonising!

Is the crucifixion precious to you?

A certain family lived on a farm alongside a dirt road. Only on rare occasions would an automobile pass by. But one day as one young member of the family was crossing the road on his bicycle, a car came roaring down a nearby hill, struck the boy, and killed him. An older brother said, "later, when my father picked up the mangled twisted bike, I heard him sob out loud for the first time in my life. He carried it to the barn and placed it in a spot we seldom used. Father's terrible sorrow eased with the passing of time, but for many years whenever he saw that bike, tears began streaming down his face." The older brother continued, "since then I have often prayed, Lord, keep the memory of your death as fresh as that to me! Every time I partake of your memorial supper, let my heart be stirred as though you died only yesterday. Never let

the communion service become a mere formality, but always a tender and touching experience".

B. We Are To Remember A Lord Who Achieved! v26a.

As we remember today, do so with a glorious remembrance. Yes our dear Saviour died an agonising death, but Praise God, three days later he rose in triumph and victory from the dead and today with delightful rejoicing we can say, "He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives today!

Matt 28:1-6.

"In the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.

And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.

His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow:

And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men.

And the angel answered and said unto the women, fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.

He is not here: for He is risen, as he said. come, see the place where the Lord lay".

Rev 1:18.

"I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, amen; and have the keys of hell and of death".

And because of this amazing achieving he insures eternal life for all who will receive him by faith. This is why we say the Lord’s supper is a symbolic act. Jesus Christ is alive and well today! Sure he died, but now, Praise God, he is alive forevermore, Hallelujah!

C. We Are To Remember A Lord Who Will Appear Again!

When the Lord Jesus returned to heaven, he took up His Rightful place at the right hand of the Father, Heb. 10v12.

"But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God".

His promise before he left planet earth for that precious position was, "I will return"

Acts 1v9-11.

"And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.

and while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;Which also said, ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven".

Each time we take the bread and the wine, we are to remember He died, He lives, and one day, maybe sooner than we think, He’s coming again.

John 14v1-3.

"Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also".

The primitive church thought more about the second coming of Jesus Christ than about death or about heaven. the early Christians were looking not for a cleft in the ground called a grave but for a cleavage in the sky called glory. They were watching not for the undertaker but for the uppertaker. Alexander Maclaren.

2. The Lord’s Supper Is A Sacred Act!

I’m saying to you that the Lord’s supper, the breaking of bread, our communion service is a sacred act of worship. By sacred, I mean it is to be considered with the deepest respect and reverence.

It possesses absolutely no saving power, but it is still to be entered into with the highest and holiest of attitudes.

Let me give you three reasons why I believe we should treat the Lord’s Supper in this way.

A. Because The Lord’s Supper Was Instituted By Christ!

It was Jesus himself who instituted the very first Lord’s Supper before he went to the cross and he desires his people to follow his example. Rom. 12v1-2.

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God".

Just as Jesus gave himself unto death, even the death of the cross, so he requests of his dear people to follow his example and gave themselves as a living sacrifice in their way of life.

On June 18, 1940, The Times of London published the last letter a young airman wrote to his mother. Pilot Officer V. A. Rosewarne had written: "The universe is so vast and so ageless that the life of one man can only be justified by the measure of

His sacrifice." If that is true, then Christ's life outdistances all others if measured by his sacrifice.

We may not be called to give our physical lives for Christ’s cause but he does call us to be a living sacrifice for him and be willing to give up all for him.

Sir Robert Anderson puts it like this, "Eternity past knew no other future than the cross, Eternity future will know no other past than the cross". End quote.

Therefore, we can do no other than give ourselves wholly and completely in the cause of Christ.

B. Because The Lord’s Supper Is Identifying With Christ!

"Do this in remembrance of me" is a command from the lips of our Lord himself. Sharing in the Lord’s Supper is therefore not an option for believers. We must have communion on a regular basis if we are to be faithful to the Lord who bought us through the act we are called to remember. Not to partake of the Lord’s supper is an act of disobedience and open sin.

For the Hebrew to remember meant much more than simply to bring something to mind, merely to recall that it happened. To truly remember is to go back in one’s mind and recapture as much of the reality and significance of an event or experience as one possibly can.

To remember Jesus Christ and his sacrifice on the cross is to identify with him in his life, agony, suffering, and death as much as is humanly possible.

When we partake of the Lord’s supper we do not offer a sacrifice again, we identify with his once-for-all sacrifice for us and rededicate ourselves to his obedience.

I never made a sacrifice. We ought not to talk of sacrifice when we remember the great sacrifice that He made who left his Father's throne on high to give Himself for us.

David Livingstone.

C. Because The Lord’s Supper Is An Internet For Christ!

"For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes". v26.

As we partake of the Lord’s Supper we are making a proclamation, we are spreading abroad or witnessing to the fact that Jesus Christ is the Saviour of the world and we are not ashamed of our Lord or his precious blood, that we belong to him and are obedient to him.

Be to the world a sign that while we as Christians do not have all the answers, we do know and care about the questions.

Billy Graham.

Christianity spread rapidly during the first century because all Christians saw themselves as responsible for disseminating the Gospel. Erwin W. Lutzer.

3. The Lord’s Supper Is A Searching Act! v27-29.

"Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body".

The Lord’s supper is a searching act because it represents

‘The greatest moment in earth’s history’ Heb. 10v12.

‘The greatest message for the world’s need’ Col. 1v20.

‘The greatest matter for the saint’s on earth’ 1 Cor. 15v3.

‘The greatest melody in the world to come’ Rev. 5v9.

Once again Paul turns to warning, because of all that is involved in the ordinance.

Whoever sits at the Lord’s Table in an unworthy manner, will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. What does he mean by

such a statement? Well, one can come to his table unworthily in many ways. For example, there are times we come to the Lord’s Table in a very ritualistic manner or attitude without participating with our minds and hearts.

We can go through certain motions without going through any emotions, thereby treating it lightly rather than in a searching fashion. Some even come with a hot head and a hard heart, in a spirit of bitterness and hatred toward another believer. It’s quite possible to come to the Lord’s Table with a sin on our hearts of which we have not repented. If a believer comes with anything less than the loftiest thoughts of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and anything less than total love for his brothers and sisters in Christ, he comes unworthily.

To come unworthily to the Lord’s Supper is to become guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. To trample our country’s flag is not a dishonour to a piece of cloth but a dishonour to the country it represents. To come unworthily to communion does not simply dishonour the ceremony; it dishonours the one in whose honour it is celebrated. We become guilty of dishonouring his body and blood, which represents His total gracious life and work for us, His suffering and death on our behalf. We can so easily become guilty of mocking and treating with indifference the very person of Jesus Christ. So Paul throws a warning shot across our hearts.

Every time we come to the Lord’s Table, therefore, we should take time to examine ourselves. Before we partake of this Supper we are to give ourselves a thorough self-examination, looking honestly at our hearts for anything or anyone in need of repentance and forgiveness.

Our attitudes and motives toward the Lord and his word, toward his people, and indeed toward the communion service itself should all come under private scrutiny before the Lord.

The Table thus becomes a searching place for the purifying of the church. That is a vital use of communion, and Paul’s warning reinforces that ideal.

Paul says, listen! listen! if you come to the Table in a wrong spirit you eat and drink judgement to yourself. Ponder what Dr. John MacArthur say’s.

Judgement (krima) here has the idea of chastisement. Because "there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 8v1), The KJV rendering of damnation is especially unfortunate. The great difference in Paul’s use here of krima (judgement) and katakrima (condemned) is seen in v 32, where it is clear that krima refers to discipline of the saved and katakrima refers to condemnation of the lost. That chastening comes if he does not judge the body rightly, that is, the blood and body used in the communion. To avoid God’s judgement, one must properly discern and respond to the holiness of the occasion.

End quote!

The Lord’s Table, without any doubt must be a place of heart searching!

Reason! Because the Lord will chasten his own dear people who come unworthily, Paul illustrates this in v30. "For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep". God does not

forever condemn those who abuse the Lord’s Table, but he will chasten or punish those who abuse the Lord’s Table, and the way of such punishment is mentioned here. Because you do this, many are weak and sick and some sleep, or are taken home through the vehicle of death.

Paul is saying, there is a remedy for unworthiness. If we judge ourselves in a correct manner, we will not be judged. Now, this, beloved involves discerning what we are and what we ought to be. If we confess our sins, our wrong attitudes and motives, God "is faithful and righteous to forgive us for our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1v9).

But what shall I say of those who do not attend the table of the Lord, or who attend so very irregularly?

Earlier in this message I mentioned those two remarkable words "For You" 1 Cor. 11v24.

"And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me".

The Scripture is saying, my body was broken for you, my blood was shed for you!

It’s an old saying, "The whole secret of true blessedness lies in one word, the little word me." All knowledge of the truth, and all acquaintance with the Gospel are of no avail without the personal appropriation of that short phrase, for me.

And that word of man has, on the other hand, its foundation in the word of Jesus, "For You."

So it was at the Lord’s Table. In speaking of his body and blood, the Saviour addressed his disciples and said to them: given for you; shed for you.

How would the disciples in a later day feel themselves strengthened by that word! How could Peter in his deep fall, and Thomas in his grievous unbelief, and each of the others, fail to encourage themselves by remembering this: he spoke to me so warmly, so lovingly, just as though it was for me alone, when he said, "given for you"

By his Holy Spirit, he is as near to you and me as he was to those disciples, he can make us feel the power of his eye and his voice. not only by reaching the bread and wine to each one separately, but much more by the heavenly operation of his holy spirit does he address us saying, "given for you"

What an amazing word, surely it humbles and subdues my heart! There sits the Son of God in his Glory. There I bow myself in the dust of the ground, I who have been an enemy of the cross and ungodly, who am still by far too unfaithful and a transgressor. And, behold, with an eye in which holy earnestness is mingled with tender love, He points me to his broken body and shed blood, and says to me, for you, for you.

Lord, it is enough: for that precious word my soul thanks you. That word I will lay hold of, and find in it the confidence to return the answer: yes, for me, for me; for many I’ts true but yet also for me, for me!

Precious Saviour, my soul praises you for that loving word, for you. Hear then my supplication as I this day return to this table to remember you. Let your Spirit speak loudly and clearly to me to renew in me a right spirit.

Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me,

Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me,

Break me, melt me, mould me, fill me;

Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me.