This last Sunday we served communion at our church service, and as we were serving it I wondered how many realize why we celebrate this ordinance in the body of Christ (the Church). For sure the Lord’s Supper was an important activity in the weekly assemblies of the early believers (Matthew 26:26-28) (Luke 22:17-20) (Acts 2:42) (Acts 20:7). Christians assembled on Sunday, the first day of the week, to break bread with one another as they celebrated the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Just like with many things in life, this can turn into an activity that can be easily abused, becoming a meaningless exercise with grave consequences (1 Corinthians 11:17-22, 27). But when properly observed the Lord’s supper truly is a manifestation of worship, a source of wonderful fellowship and great blessings, a key element of “Serving The Lord With Gladness.”
Notice – what God’s word says in – (1 Corinthians 11:26) – now notice the word proclaim in the text. The word (kataggello) – {kat-ang-gel-lo} – means to declare openly, to declare plainly, to tell out loud. Whenever we share together in the Lord’s Supper we are making a public confession of faith. We are making an open declaration of salvation, a bold announcement that we believe in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ .
The Lord’s supper, by means of symbols for His flesh and blood, preaches Jesus Christ crucified. Jesus Christ the sin bearer, the substitute, the mediator, the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). We are proclaiming in a public way our biblical beliefs, that Christ was substituted for us, that God was satisfied with Christ’s substitution, that man can now be justified, because God is satisfied.
d. Let’s address these three truths…….
- Communion is a proclamation that Jesus is the Perfect Substitute for the sinner – He died in our place
- As a substitute He bore our sins – (1 Peter 2:24-25) (Hebrews 9:28)
- As a substitute He carried our guilt – (Isaiah 53:4, 5, 8, 12) (Galatians 3:13)
- As a substitute He died our death – (Hebrews 2:9)
- As a substitute He became the sin-offering for us
- Read: (2 Corinthians 5:21) (1 Corinthians 1:26-31)
- So it is preached from the Lord’s table – Jesus became a curse in our place
- He bore the wrath of God’s judgment and the necessary penalty of our rebellion in His own body
- His innocent life was given – His flesh was torn like a veil – His righteous blood was poured out
- All so that you and I who are guilty might live forever
- Communion is a proclamation that God is satisfied with Christ’s substitution
- We call this propitiation – which refers to the work of God in setting His Son as the satisfactory ransom to settle justly His wrath against sin-offering
- Our sin – is an offense – is an insult – and is rebellion – against God’s character
- It is a strike – without limits against His holiness – which has produced a necessary wrath
- His holy wrath must be infinitely satisfied before God’s love can be expressed justly
- Man’s dilemma is that he is guilty before God’s law and doomed to pay an eternal debt
- His only hope is that God would show him mercy
- In His own flesh and blood – Jesus bore the full penalty of Divine wrath
- By His death – God remains righteous – and yet is able to pardon the sinner who believes God
- Read: (1 Peter 1:18-21) (2 Corinthians 5:17-19) (1John 4:10)
- Communion is a proclamation that man can now be declared righteous by faith – because God is satisfied with Christ’s substitution
- The word for this is justification – (dikaioo) {dik-ah-yo-o} – means – just – innocent – aquited – free – cleared from any charge
- Read: (Romans 5:17-21) (Romans 5:8-11) (Romans 3:23-26) (Hebrews 10:1-18)