The Disgrace of Divided Gatherings- Part 4

Would God’s people please take
their Bibles and turn once again to First Corinthians 11. As we noted when we began our
study of this section of Scripture several weeks ago, disputes and
even division over matters pertaining to the Lord’s table have been
prominent throughout the church, the church’s history. Unfortunately,
there have quite literally been dozens of divisive arguments
about almost every aspect of things pertaining to the observance
of the Lord’s table. In addition to the primary dispute
that Paul is dealing with here in this passage, namely greed
and gluttony that was manifested in of all places the love feast,
which preceded the celebration of communion, There have been
many other controversies as well. We came across several of them
last week in the nature of the bread used in communion, the
significance of Christ breaking that bread, and even in the translation
of the simple passage of Scripture from Greek to English, specifically
when Jesus declared, this is my body, the addition of that
little clause, which is broken for you. It wasn’t in the original
Greek text. Last week, we also crossed briefly
with a long-standing controversy initiated by the Roman Catholic
Church in transubstantiation. Transubstantiation is the belief
that the bread of the Lord’s table literally becomes the body,
the physical flesh of Jesus. And as we noted last week, the
Roman Catholic Church has long held to that position. The problem
with that view is complicated by the fact that If the communion
bread literally becomes the body of the Lord Jesus, then every
time the Mass is celebrated, Christ is essentially re-crucified. That not only is that contrary
to the finished work of Jesus Christ’s one-time sacrifice,
it is blasphemous. But that is not Rome’s only error
in connection with the Lord’s Table. The Catholic Church also
has an unbiblical position regarding the other element of the Lord’s
Table, the cup, the wine or the juice in that cup. We can acknowledge
that when Jesus first instituted the Lord’s Supper, the 12 disciples,
all present at the table, all drank from the same cup. Paul
and Luke both seem to allow for that, but neither of them actually
says so. But Matthew’s account is attended
with a clear command, drink from it, that is the cup, all of you. Mark simply records after the
fact, that they all did just that. They all drank from it. That is the cup. Now, just right
there, we can imagine the logistical challenge, even in a church of
our size, of passing around a single cup to all the believers of the
congregation. And the bigger the church, the
bigger the challenge, right? There would not only be the obvious
concern about spillage as the cup was passed, but even in a
greater health concern of having many people drinking out of the
same vessel. That surely would have been forbidden
during COVID, right? And so the early church was indeed
up against a bit of a challenge here. how to practice this element
of the Lord’s table efficiently and safely. And as near as we
can trace, the early church did enjoy both of the elements of
communion, the bread and the cup. But as the Roman Catholic
Church developed and her doctrine and practices began to influence
the rest of the church, the Lord’s table became a focal point. Since the wine was now believed
to be Christ’s literal blood, spillage of the juice, or better
the wine, as it was being passed around became a momentous concern. And so the Roman Catholic practice
of withholding the cup from the congregation slowly began to
seep into the church in the 1200s. And in 1415 at the Council of
Constance, the Catholic Church officially decided to provide
only the bread to the congregants, but to withhold the cup. And
about 150 years later, that position was ratified at the Council of
Trent. And to this day, that is the
practice in the Catholic Church. Thankfully, the Reformation,
a return to biblical teaching and practice, also came up against
Roman Catholic theology and tradition, including their communion practice. so that in the older confessions,
the Westminster, the 1689, they both address this in the chapter
pertaining to the Lord’s Supper. They state it this way. The denial
of the cup to the people is contrary to the nature of this ordinance,
communion, and to the institution of Christ. We’ll come back to
that element in a moment. In other words, in the celebration
of communion, all believers must be allowed to enjoy both elements
of the Lord’s table, the bread and the cup. As any evangelical Christian
knows, there are two elements to the Lord’s supper, not only
the bread, but the cup as well. Well, we come again to this passage. this week to focus on that second
element of the Lord’s Table, that which all four writers refer
to simply as the cup. And as you might expect by now,
we will brush up against several more polarizing questions in
this week’s passage. But of the dozens of controversies
throughout church history that have arisen touching the Lord’s
Table, Few have been as disturbing as this first controversy in
Corinth. Only a few years after this ordinance
had first been introduced to these believers by Paul, they
had already set aside its very special design in order to more
indelibly draw the battle lines in the church. And that was a
particular cause for dismay for Paul. This was an occasion that
was supposed to be one that drew God’s people together, and instead
it was pushing them apart. If you would, I’m going to narrow
down our passage this week just to verses 23 through 26. For I received from the Lord
that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus, in
the night in which he was betrayed, took bread, 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. In the same way, he took the
cup also after supper, saying, this cup is the new covenant
in my blood. Do this as often as you drink
it in remembrance of me. For as often as you eat this
bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until
he comes. These are wonderful and familiar
words to us as believers. We review them every time we
celebrate the Lord’s table. Even as we hear them read, we
cannot imagine that these words are in any measure the subject
of controversy. But as we review from last week,
the bread alone brought controversy. By way of reminder, we considered
several things regarding the bread last week. It wasn’t special
bread. Jesus didn’t have it shipped
in. There was nothing in the passage to indicate that. All
three of the synoptic writers state it simply. Jesus took some
bread. It was likely the unleavened
bread there on the Passover table that now found a new purpose. But there is no formal prescription
that unleavened bread must continue to be used for Christ’s institution
of the Lord’s table. Whether you use a flat unleavened
cracker or you use a loaf of bread, it does not matter. But
all four writers, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and Paul himself here in
1 Corinthians, all that we’re told is that he took bread. And
once that bread was in hand, he presented it to his disciples. He called their attention to
it. And then he blessed it or expressed
thanks for it. not just gratitude for a small
piece of bread, but for what that bread represented. It represented
God’s merciful provision of a Savior in Jesus Christ as a sacrifice
to fulfill His plan of redemption for sinful humanity. This was
ordinary bread only made special by Christ’s declaration. As we
noted, Jesus broke the bread. That action simply served the
purpose of distributing it, nothing more. But in distributing the
bread, Jesus declared, this is my body which is for you. He
took the opportunity to speak of the special significance of
that bread. The representative piece of bread
that Jesus held in his hand, broke and began to distribute,
now stood for, represented Christ’s body to be sacrificed on the
cross in only a few hours for the sin of humanity. That’s what
the bread represented. Jesus closes this portion of
the ordinance with a command, do this. in remembrance of me,
he said. In other words, he instituted
it. The Christ’s ordinance of communion is not yet complete.
There is a second element to recognize, the cup, the cup of
the fruit of the vine, or wine, or juice. And as all believers
are to enjoy this element of communion, we must also consider
Christ’s cup. And that’s what we just read
in verses 25 and 26. And so just as Jesus presented
the bread and likely held it up with both hands as he broke
it in two, He also presents the cup. Just glance at verse 25. In the same way, he took the
cup also after supper. Now, when Paul records the account
of the Lord’s Supper here, as communicated to him, remember,
by the Lord Himself, he begins by pointing out that the cup
was introduced in the same way. One does not hold a cup in the
same way that one would hold bread. And so the statement can
only mean that Jesus took the cup in His hands as He had done
the bread, and called His disciples attention to it. Perhaps even
lifting it up before them, seated at the table. You see, the cup
too is special. No more, no less than the bread. And so with the supper ended,
Jesus completes his institution of the Lord’s Supper by introducing
the cup. The Passover supper was not only
a seasonal ritual of remembrance for the exodus from Egypt, it
was also a meal. They celebrated dinner together. And now that meal is finished
and the celebration of the element of bread is complete. And now
Jesus turns his attention to the cup. And it was a common
cup. As we noted earlier, one cup
to be passed around the table. Now, neither Paul nor his fellow
worker Luke records this. But Matthew and Mark both point
out that Jesus likewise gave thanks for the cup. And here
too, Jesus wasn’t merely expressing gratitude for a cup of juice. He was thanking God for His provision
of blood atonement, one that would never have to be repeated.
But having presented the cup to his disciples, he moves to
instruct them about its significance. Would you glance again at verse
25? In the same way, he took the
cup also after supper, saying, this cup is the new covenant
in my blood. Now again, Matthew and Mark both
make clear at this point that Jesus sent the cup around to
his disciples. Matthew does it with a command.
Drink from it, all of you. Mark just simply notes that they
did so after the fact. They all drank from it. And so
as the cup is being passed, Jesus provides explanation about the
significance of the cup. Glance, if you would, at the
end of verse 25. Paul just records Jesus as saying,
this cup is the new covenant in my blood. Now this language,
covenants inaugurated in blood, it would have been exceedingly
familiar language to the gathered apostles, all of them Jewish.
For us, it is important to know that in Scripture, a covenant
is more than just an agreement, like a contract established between
two people. Biblically speaking, a covenant
is a divine arrangement. It’s on God’s terms. So when
Jesus declared in the context of the Lord’s Supper that by
His blood, that is His death, He was declaring that a new covenant
was being inaugurated for His people. The apostles would have
readily grasped this truth. For us, we need a bit of a review. Would you turn back to the second
book of the Bible, Exodus, and chapter 24, where the nation
of Israel was affirming their covenant with God Himself. Exodus chapter 24. And scroll down to verse four,
if you would. Moses wrote down all the words
of the Lord. Then he arose early in the morning
and built an altar at the foot of the mountain with the 12 pillars
for the 12 tribes of Israel. He sent young men of the sons
of Israel, and they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed young
bulls as peace offerings to the Lord. Moses took half the blood
and put it in basins, and the other half of the blood he sprinkled
on the altar. Then he took the book of the
covenant and read it in the hearing of the people. And they said,
all that the Lord has spoken, we will do. We will be obedient. So Moses took the blood and sprinkled
it on the people and said, behold, the blood of the covenant, which
the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.
God’s commitment in this covenant was blessing and protection of
his people. And there in verse eight, Israel
declares they’re part of this covenant. All that the Lord has
spoken, we will do. We will be obedient. We know how that went, right? Because Israel failed so immensely,
God in time promised a new covenant. Would you please find your way
over to Jeremiah? Jeremiah chapter 31. Pass the
Psalms. Find your way over there and
deep into the book, chapter 31, if you would. Sometimes I, this is one of those
words I try and seize back from my more covenantal friends. Kind
of like that, with charismatic sometimes they will say, are
you spirit filled? And I will say, I sure am. But
in time they discover not as they mean it. We also, I think
successfully, at least here in this, body have pulled back and
recovered the word saint. Saint refers to all of you. You’re
all set apart ones for Christ. Well, and same thing with covenant.
There are covenants in scripture, and this clearly is the outline
of God’s dealing with mankind. Jeremiah 31, and scroll down
here to verse 31. Where Jeremiah records, Behold,
days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new
covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah,
not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day
I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt.
My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,
declares the Lord. but this is the covenant which
i will make with the house of israel after those days declares
the lord i will put my law within them and on their heart i will
write it and i will be their god and they shall be my people so god operates with his people
by way of covenants, and the people having broken the first,
he promised a new covenant. That’s simply where we are. Now,
in order to pull this all together, would God’s people please turn
all the way over in the New Testament to the epistle to the Hebrews.
You’re going to be deep into the New Testament here and deep
into that epistle as you find your way to chapter eight. Hebrews
chapter 8. Now here in this section of the
unknown writer’s letter, he draws our focus to the very things
that Jesus is instituting at the Lord’s table. And he details
the new covenant exactly as Jeremiah promised. And in this section,
which courses all the way down to chapter 10, verse 18, he uses
the word covenant 17 times. And he uses the word blood 14
times. And here he unfolds the glories
of the new covenant to us. And I will just, encourage you
to sit back and relax because we will be in Hebrews for a few
moments. Would you just start in verse
one with me? Chapter eight, verse one, where he just introduces
the mediator of a better covenant. Now, the main point in which
has been said is this. We have such a high priest, that
is the Lord Jesus Christ, without doubt here. We have such a high
priest who has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne
of the majesty in the heavens, a minister in the sanctuary and
in the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, not man. So
it’s a better covenant, and Jesus Christ has already finished in
his inauguration of this covenant, and he is now seated. The work
is done. He is seated at the right hand
of God. If you would jump down to verse
six. And here the writer begins to
tell us that Christ, the Lord Jesus Christ, is the mediator
of a better covenant. If you will, back up to 2020
for those of you who are with us, that is the theme of this
epistle to the Hebrews, Christ is better. And it says it over
and over and over again. Christ is better than the angels.
Christ is better than Moses. Christ is better than Moses’
ministry. Christ is better. And here he says, Christ is the
better, or the mediator of a better covenant. Look at verse six.
But now, he has obtained a more excellent ministry. He’s better.
by as much as he is also the mediator of a better covenant,
which has been enacted on better promises. For if that first covenant
had been faultless, there would have been no occasion sought
for the second. For in finding fault with them,
he says, And you can tell probably by the typeset of your particular
Bible. This is a lengthy quote, a quote
from the Old Testament. It’s a quote from Jeremiah 31,
31 through 34, which verse we just read. This is the New Testament writers
argument about the new covenant. Look at verse eight. finding
fault with this Old Testament covenant. He says, Behold, the
days are coming, says the Lord, when I will effect a new covenant
with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not
like the covenant which I made with their fathers on the day
when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land
of Egypt. For they did not continue in my covenant, and I did not
care for them, says the Lord. For this is the covenant that
I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says
the Lord. I will put my laws into their
minds, and I will write them on their hearts, and I will be
their God, and they will be my people. And they shall not teach
everyone his fellow citizen, everyone his brother, saying,
Know the Lord, for they all will know me. from the least to the
greatest of them, for I will be merciful to their iniquities,
and I will remember their sins no more. What an amazing new
covenant this is. Look at the end of verse 12.
When he said a new covenant, he has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete
and growing old is ready to disappear. There’s no need to practice the
Passover supper anymore. There’s no need for all of these
things as he will lay out. So Christ is not only the mediator
of a better covenant. I told you we’re going to be
in Hebrews for a while. Christ is not only the mediator
of a better covenant, Jesus Christ is the priest of a better tabernacle. That’s what he talks about in
chapter 9. Would you look at 9.1. Now even the first covenant
had regulations of divine worship in the earthly sanctuary. In
other words, he says, look, God instituted very clear rules for
worship. The priest could go into the
Holy of Holies once a year, and everything was supposed to be
just as God laid it out. That’s what he talks about in
verses three through five. He talks about the holy of holies
and the golden altar of incense, the ark of the covenant, the
golden jar holding manna, Aaron’s rod, the tables of the covenant,
the cherubim, the angels, all of it was exactly as God prescribed
it to be. Jump down to verse six. Now When
these things have been so prepared, the priests are continually entering
the outer tabernacle, performing the divine worship, but into
the second, that is into the Holy of Holies, only the high
priest enters once a year. Not without taking blood. which
he offers for himself and for the sins of the people committed
in ignorance, the Holy Spirit signifying this, that the way
into the holy place has not yet been disclosed while the outer
tabernacle is still standing. For our sake this morning, if
you would, I want to have you scoot all the way down to verse
11. Not only is Christ the mediator of a better covenant, not only
is he the priest of a better tabernacle, he’s in heaven itself,
Christ is the sacrifice of a better atonement. And he begins to explain
that in verse 11. Chapter 9 verse 11. You should
be down there now. But when Christ appeared, As
a high priest of the good things to come, he entered through the
greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is
to say, not of this creation, and not through the blood of
goats and calves, but through his own blood. He entered the
holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.
His sacrifice needs never be repeated. This is Paul’s argument,
the writer’s argument in verses 13 and 14. The blood of goats
and bulls, that had to be constantly done. Christ suffered and offered
his blood one time. That was adequate. It tells us
that Christ is the mediator of this new covenant. Look at verse
15. At this point, I’m just going to hopscotch and pick up a few
verses on our way to the end of chapter 10, verse 18. I’m just skipping along here
now. Look at verse 15. For this reason, he is the mediator
of a new covenant. So that since a death has taken
place for the redemption of the transgressions that were committed
under the first covenant, all of those goats, all of those
bulls, all of those sacrifices for sin, those who have been
called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. For where a covenant is, there
must necessarily be the death of the one who made it. So in
other words, he’s laying out what a covenant is, how it functions.
Jump down to verse 18. Covenants, when they are established,
they’re established in blood. Therefore, verse 18, even the
first covenant was not inaugurated without blood. And he goes on
to explain that, which you’ve already seen. That’s what a covenant
was, and it was inaugurated in blood. Jump down, if you would,
to verse 23. Christ’s first appearance was
as a final sacrifice. Christ’s sacrifice was that pristine
that it only need be offered once. Remember, this was the
blood of an unblemished lamb, the lamb of God. Verse 23, Therefore
it was necessary for the copies of the things in the heavens
to be cleansed with these, but with the heavenly things themselves
with better sacrifices than these. For Christ did not enter a holy
place made with hands, Christ is going into a better sanctuary,
a better tabernacle. He’s going not into the Holy
of Holies. He’s going in to the very presence
of God, into heaven itself. For Christ did not enter a holy
place, verse 24, made with hands, a mere copy of the true one,
but into heaven itself. Now to appear in the presence
of God for us, Nor was it that he would offer himself often
as the high priest enters the holy place year by year with
the blood that is not his own. This is a better atonement. Skip down, if you would, to verse
28. So Christ also, having been offered
once, to bear the sins of many will appear the second time for
salvation without reference to sin. He’s coming back, and it’s
not gonna be about atonement. Look at chapter 10, verse one.
For the law, the law, since it is only a shadow of the things
to come and not the very form of things, can never, by the
same sacrifices which they continually offer year by year, can never
make perfect those who draw near. Those Passover sacrifices, all
that sacrificial system could never atone perfectly for the
sins of humanity. But Christ’s sacrifice is different. Look at verse five. Christ’s
sacrifice initiates the process of sanctification. Verse 5, Therefore,
when he comes into the world, he says, Sacrifice an offering
you have not desired, but a body you have prepared for me in whole
burnt offerings, and sacrifice for sin you have taken no pleasure.
Then I said, speaking of Christ, Behold, I have come in the scroll
of the book it is written to do your will, O God. Jump down to verse 10. By this,
we will have been sanctified through the offering of the body
of Jesus Christ. How often? Once. For who? For all. Look at verse 12. But he, having offered one sacrifice
for sins for all time, sat down. His work was finished. He sat
down at the right hand of God. Look at verse 14. For by one
offering, He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.
Which means when you come to Christ, when you place your faith
in Christ, you are forgiven. You are set apart, sanctified
in that sense. That’s why we’ll steal back the
word saint. I’ll do that every day. We have been set apart for
Christ forever. Look at verse 18 and we’ll close.
Now, where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no
longer any offering for sin. The sacrifice, no sacrifice need
ever be repeated. Christ’s sacrifice doesn’t need
to be repeated once for all. Back, if you would, to 1 Corinthians.
I knew we’d get there eventually. Thank you for your patience. This new institution of the Lord’s
Supper is a celebration of the new covenant inaugurated in Christ’s
blood. No wonder the synoptic writers
all capture an additional statement by the Lord regarding his blood,
that it is poured out. That’s the language of blood
sacrifice. And in him, That is, in Christ,
as Paul says in Ephesians 1, we have redemption through His
blood. We don’t have to wish for it,
or wait for it, or hope for it. He says that if we placed our
faith in Christ, we have redemption in His blood. Or as Colossians
1.20 says, that Christ has reconciled all things to Himself, having
made peace through the blood of His cross. This blood was
effectual blood. This blood accomplished something.
And so Jesus explains in far fewer words, the significance
of the cup. When he says, this cup is the
new covenant in my blood. It represents his blood shed
in order to inaugurate this new covenant. And with that, Jesus
formally institutes or establishes this second element of the Lord’s
table, the cup. Would you catch this at the end
of verse 25? In the same way, he took the
cup also after supper saying, this cup is the new covenant
in my blood. Do this as often as you drink
it in remembrance of me. Just as he had with the bread
representative of his body, Jesus exhorts his disciples to do this,
to commemorate his death in the sharing of the communion cup.
To do this in remembrance of me, he says. Jesus hereby commands
his disciples to a perpetual observance of the Lord’s table
in his memory. This solemn occasion was not
a one-time observance. There’s a clarifying phrase embedded
in that sentence. As often as you drink it. Do
this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me. And those
little words have been mischaracterized and misunderstood at times. There
are those who have taken these words to suggest that every time
believers gather together, as often as, they are to celebrate
the Lord’s table. But part of the problem in Corinth
may well have been due to too frequent a celebration of the
Lord’s table that it had lost its significance and reverence.
When Jesus says here, as often as, there’s certainly regularity
implied. There was regularity to the Passover.
That was practiced once a year. But there’s nothing here or anywhere
else really to mandate the Lord’s table on a weekly, a monthly,
a quarterly, or even annually. If anything, rather than suggesting
a stipulation about how frequently communion is to be celebrated,
there is liberty in how frequently that ordinance is enjoyed as
often as. And that leaves the frequency question
undefined to be determined, not unlike the head covering issue
that started this chapter. Ultimately, it’s up to the leaders,
the elders of the church. In other words, it is as Paul
says, It’s as if Paul says, whenever you do celebrate the Lord’s table, the Lord’s table is to be celebrated,
and it is to be celebrated with relative frequency, but rather
than addressing anything precise, Paul is more concerned of the
focus when it is celebrated. It must be done, as Paul quotes
Jesus in remembrance of me. And so we have the presentation
of the cup. We have the significance of the
cup. We have the institution of the cup in the Lord’s table. And finally, this morning, I
want to look briefly in closing at the testimony of the entire
ordinance. This is a verse that we oftentimes
just read right past. But what is the testimony of
the entire ordinance when you celebrate communion? And it’s
important to observe right off the bat, verse 26, for as often
as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s
death until he comes. Paul is adding his concluding
thoughts. These are Paul’s words. And Paul
wraps up his presentation of the ordinance of the Lord’s table
as Jesus had communicated it to him. What Paul declares here,
is the extended purpose of the ordinance. Why did Jesus give
us this ordinance anyway? Well, by now we know that the
primary purpose of the Lord’s table is a special and unifying
time of remembrance of the gathered church. But there is yet another purpose
for this celebration of the Lord’s table, and this one is evangelistic. In celebrating communion, as
often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim
the Lord’s death until he comes. And that word proclaim, it’s
the same word throughout the book of Acts that is used to
capture the declaration of the gospel. Many of you might not
ever take the pulpit, and for some good reason. But all of you have the opportunity,
the privilege, the responsibility, the solemn occasion to preach
Christ. And we do it when we celebrate
the Lord’s table. Did you realize that? The celebration
of the Lord’s table proclaims to the world that we believe
and ascribe to these truths about Jesus Christ. And in this sense,
if an unbeliever is in attendance in our midst, They have the opportunity,
regardless of what the pastor’s preaching, they have the privilege
of hearing you participate in the preaching of Christ’s death. The Lord’s table then is not,
it’s not just a feast in the classic sense of that word. It’s not to satiate the participant’s
hunger, But it’s a grand pronouncement to all who would hear that God
has sent in Christ a Redeemer and a Savior. He came and He
died for us. He paid our penalty on the cross.
And then He was raised. He was raised and now He sits
at the Father’s right hand. It’s glorious news. And that
little temporal clause, until He comes, I want to pause for
just a moment and look at that. That little temporal clause,
until he come, insists that this commemoration be continued. It’s a perpetual celebration,
but it’s to be continued in the church until the Lord’s eventual
return. He’s coming back. Just as the celebration of the
Passover had served the Jewish people as a memorial of their
redemption from Egypt. Now the celebration of communion
commemorates our redemption by Christ from the bondage of sin. What Paul is saying here is that
whoever is gathered there in the church during the celebration
of the Lord’s table, there is a clear, unmistakable testimony
to the fact that the Lord Jesus died for sinners, you and I. Of course, there’s more to the
gospel than just Christ’s death, but that one remarkable fact
of the gospel must be proclaimed. And it is every time the church
celebrates communion, it is proclaimed to all who would hear it. And I want you to pause and consider
one last thing in that regard. And it’s captured, now distill
it down, it’s captured in that one little word, until. Until. You proclaim the Lord’s
death until he comes. Do you realize that for every
last Christian believer, there will be one final celebration
of the Lord’s table? Whether you celebrate it and
then you’re taken home by the Lord, or whether you celebrate
it only to immediately welcome the Lord’s return. There will
be one day, one last celebration of the Lord’s table. The Lord’s
table then will have completed its usefulness because we will
be face to face with our Savior. We don’t need a memorial. We
don’t need a commemoration. While the Lord’s table does look
backward, it does look backward to remember the Savior, it also
looks forward. It looks forward to another supper,
doesn’t it? This one with the Christ. This
one with our Savior in the marriage supper of the Lamb, where the
church will be unified with Christ for eternity. Now I ask you, if there is one
last occasion to celebrate the Lord’s Supper, can you imagine
tainting it with your petty little quibbles like the Corinthians
were doing? That’s Paul’s point. This is
the Lord’s table. This is where he is inaugurating
the celebration of his blood atonement on our behalf. What a sweet privilege we have
as believers to celebrate the Lord’s table. Would you humble
yourself before him? Our merciful King, we do pause
and bow before you and rejoice in your goodness and grace. Lord,
after squandering and rebelling against that first covenant that
you made with your people, you would have been justified had
you just wiped out humanity entirely. But in your mercy, you had a
purpose in that first covenant, and that first covenant was to
point to the the new and final covenant, the covenant established
by your son in his blood, in his sacrifice made once for sin. Lord God, we thank you and praise
you that you included us in that covenant And if we are here and
we have placed our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, we know that
that sacrifice needs never to be repeated. We can’t add to
it, we couldn’t possibly. Lord God, we thank you that our
sin in that one sacrifice was forgiven. And that by your grace,
we are sanctified, set apart, You have justified us before
Yourself, declaring us righteous. Lord, we thank You and praise
You for this undeserved blessing in our life. And Lord, if there
is anyone here dabbling in other methods of approaching
God, Lord, we plead with You that You would open their eyes
to this new covenant blessing of Christ having come to pay
for the sins of sinners. Draw them to yourself, Lord.
Draw them to an understanding of the great truth of justification
by faith that we can be right with God simply by humbly placing
our faith in the finished work of Christ. Lord, do that work. here even in our midst. Lord,
we pray these things in Jesus’ name. Amen.