Tag: Lord’s Supper

Remember

On By BrianIn PASSION ReflectionsLeave a comment

Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are designed to picture and so remind us of Christ’s saving work for us.

Baptism pictures and reminds us of Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection, and how in Him we have spiritually died and been buried to our old sinful way of life and been raised to a new life with Him (Romans 6:3-4).  Baptism also pictures and reminds us that in Christ our sins are washed away (Acts 22:16).

The Lord’s Supper pictures the broken body and shed blood of our Savior, which we are specifically told to remember (I Corinthians 11:23-25).  The same passage also reminds us that the cup is the New Covenant in His blood – it pictures our new relationship with God made possible through Christ in which are sins are forgiven and His Word is written on our hearts (Hebrews 8:10-12). 

And so both baptism and the Lord’s Supper picture and remind us of Christ’s sacrifice, and how in Him our sins are forgiven and we are now able to follow Him. 

So let us remember and rejoice.  I tell people when I prepare them for baptism, that it is a celebration.

Sometimes we talk about celebrating Lord’s Supper, because it should be a celebration.  As we remember Christ’s saving work for us, how could we not celebrate?  As we consider forgiveness of sins and a new life in Christ, how could we not rejoice?  Remember and rejoice!

Let us also remember and rest.  And in two ways: rest in Christ’s love and rest in His finished work.

First, rest in Christ’s love that brought Him to the cross to die for your salvation.  Everyone is looking for love, and as Christians we have found an undying, unselfish, unending, amazing love.  No matter what others think of you, no matter how they may reject you or mistreat you or ignore you, the God of universe, your Creator and Savior, loves you and will not reject or mistreat or ignore you.  As we witness a baptism or gather for the Lord’s Supper, we remember His saving work for us and rest in His love.

Second, rest in Christ’s finished work.  Jesus died and rose again to cleanse you of all your sins.  In Christ, you are clean.  There is nothing you have to do but believe.  It is not of works, so no one can boast.  No penance, no earning, no striving – just rest in His finished work.  Again, He died and rose again to change you, to give you a new life – something you could not do on your own.  You cannot fix yourself.  He has already done it – just rest in His finished work.  As we witness a baptism or gather for Lord’s Supper, we remember His saving work for us.  It is finished, so we can rest.

As you witness a baptism or gather around Christ’s table, remember His saving work for you.  And as you remember, rejoice and rest.

The Lord’s Supper

On By BrianIn Church Life

Our church looked at the significance of the Lord’s Supper yesterday from I Corinthians 11:23-26.  As we think about what the Lord’s Supper is all about, at least four things come out of the passage.

  • It is a meal of remembrance.  We are to eat and drink in remembrance of Jesus.  Specifically we remember his suffering and death for us.  And we remember his great love that led him to make this sacrifice on our behalf.  And so our time around the table is a somber, reverent time of remembrance.  We dare not partake in a flippant, careless manner.
  • It is a meal of affirmation.  “This cup is the new covenant in my blood” (v25).  The Lord’s Supper is then a covenant meal.  In participating we affirm our place in the new covenant.  We affirm our relationship with God thru Jesus.  We affirm that our sins are forgiven through Jesus.  We affirm our new life in the Spirit.  We affirm our faith in Jesus.  And so only believers should partake of the Lord’s Supper, for only believers can affirm these things.
  • It is a meal of proclamation.  In eating and drinking we “proclaim the Lord’s death” (v26).  It is a visible tangible proclamation of his death and hence the gospel.  We proclaim the gospel to each other as we partake.  And we proclaim the gospel to any unbelievers who may be present as they see the central importance of Christ’s death.
  • It is a meal of anticipation.  We “proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” (v26).  As we remember his death we recognize that he did not remain dead, but rose, ascended, and is one day returning.  We look forward to the day when we will partake of a new meal – the wedding feast of the Lamb (Revelation 19).  We look forward to the day when we will be with the Lord forever, and there will be no more suffering or pain or death or sin.

Acts Articles – Church 02B

On By BrianIn Book of Acts, Church Life

In Acts 2:42, the early church devoted themselves to the breaking of bread.  There is some debate as to whether this refers to simply eating meals together (part of their devotion to fellowship) or to the Lord’s Supper.  As the Lord’s Supper was often connected to eating together (see I Corinthians 11), the answer might be both.  As we already addressed their devotion to fellowship, let’s consider briefly their devotion to the Lord’s Supper.

As Jesus commanded, they were devoted to coming together to celebrate the Lord’s Supper.  They came together to remember Christ’s death for them.  We too need this devotion.  We too need to regularly remember what Christ has done for us.  Indeed Christ’s sacrifice for us is a large part of our motivation for the other three devotions, and all of our devotion. 

He died for me.  In amazement and gratitude, I’ll live for him.

Passion Points

On By BrianIn PASSION Points

Let’s do numbers this weekend:

7 Motives in Our Work – We spend a lot of our lives working, but too many people live for the weekends when they can escape work.  Here are seven motives to spur us on in our work.

36 Purposes of God in Our Suffering – Your suffering has a purpose!  Read through this list, and be encouraged at what God is doing in you.

10 Marks of the Holy Spirit in a Believer – Do you see the Holy Spirit working in your life?

7 Questions to Ask As You Prepare for the Lord’s Supper – These are great questions to use to examine your life.  I suspect the answers will not only spur you forward, but also make you incredibly grateful for the forgiveness that is ours in Christ.  I just made a copy for my own personal use.

Hope you have a great Lord’s Day worshipping the Lord with your local church!