I didn’t develop up within the church, and for years the Lord’s Supper was unusual and mysterious to me. It wasn’t till I turned a believer and was instructed as to the that means of the Lord’s Supper that it started to make sense to me. I’ve typically mirrored on this as I take into account what unbelievers within the first century thought concerning the church’s apply of partaking of the Lord’s Supper.
I additionally marvel what these outdoors the church within the twenty first century should marvel concerning the church’s apply and language surrounding the Lord’s Supper, significantly the language we use in relation to the physique and blood of Jesus Christ. Many people can solely think about the way it hits an unchurched customer to listen to the phrases of establishment and the fencing of the desk and observe our partaking of the weather of the Lord’s Supper.
Furthermore, as we take into account younger covenant kids in our congregations, the Lord’s Supper should appear to be an odd phenomenon to them. As they develop, it’s so treasured after they start to ask concerning the Lord’s Supper and their partaking of it. As we educate them, by God’s grace, they see the fantastic thing about the Lord’s Supper and acknowledge how particular and vital it truly is. After they profess religion in Christ, their partaking of the Lord’s Supper turns into significant as they joyfully commune with the Lord and his folks, all by his grace.
What we hope they arrive to grasp shouldn’t be essentially how inherently particular we’re who partake of the Lord’s Supper, however, firstly, how particular the Lord’s Supper is, how vital Jesus Christ is, how powerfully the Holy Spirit works by way of it by religion, and the way the wonderful character of our triune God shines forth within the Lord’s Supper.
The Lord’s Supper as an Strange Technique of Grace
Whereas there stays some thriller to us concerning the Lord’s Supper, the Lord has supplied us with a transparent and adequate understanding of what the Lord’s Supper is. Maybe essentially the most useful abstract of the Lord’s Supper is discovered within the “Westminster Bigger Catechism,” query 168.
Q. What’s the Lord’s Supper?
A. The Lord’s Supper is a sacrament of the New Testomony, whereby, by giving and receiving bread and wine in response to the appointment of Jesus Christ, his dying is confirmed forth; they usually that worthily talk feed upon his physique and blood, to their non secular nourishment and progress in grace; have their union and communion with him confirmed; testify and renew their thankfulness, and engagement to God, and their mutual love and fellowship every with the opposite, as members of the identical mystical physique.”
As an odd technique of grace appointed by God, the Lord’s Supper factors us to Christ that we would repair our eyes on Christ who’s the creator and finisher of our religion who has gone earlier than us (Hebrews 12:2). For simply as God has ordained the ends of all issues, so he has ordained the technique of all ends. Like prayer, evangelism, good works, baptism, discipleship, and worship, the Lord’s Supper is an odd means to God’s extraordinary ends. And it’s also an finish in itself, for within the Lord’s Supper we commune with our Savior, worshiping and glorifying him as we bear in mind him.
The Significance of Bread and Wine
When Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper along with his disciples on the Final Supper, he used bread and wine, each of which correlated to many customs and occasions within the historical past of Israel. Bread and wine have been staples within the odd weight-reduction plan of Israel and all historical Close to Japanese peoples. Grain could possibly be harvested in abundance, and wine was typically extra available and more healthy than water. Bread and wine have been understood to be fascinating parts in meals and feasts, they usually have been typically used to point out correct hospitality and honor to visitors (Genesis 14:18; Ruth 2:14; Psalm 104:15).
The abundance of bread (grains) and wine (fruit of the vine) was proof of God’s blessing and sustenance of his folks (Genesis 27:28; Leviticus 26:26; Deuteronomy 7:13, and the dearth of bread and wine was an indication of God’s judgment and curse due to disobedience and idolatry (Hosea 2:9; Joel 1:10). Bread and wine have been additionally among the many tangible blessings the Lord promised by way of his prophets regarding Israel’s hope for the long run (Jeremiah 31:12; Joel 3:18; Amos 9:13).
Subsequently, when Jesus Christ got here performing extraordinary indicators and wonders, it could have been no shock to biblically educated Israelites that he turned water into wine (John 2:1–11) and multiplied loaves of bread to feed 1000’s (Matthew 14:13–21; John 6:1–14), and that he referred to as himself “the bread of life” (John 6:35) and “the true vine” (John 15:1; see additionally, John 6:53-57).
The Lord’s Supper Reminds Us of Who God Is and Who We Are
Within the Lord’s Supper, we’re reminded of who God is and who we’re not. We’re reminded of God’s abounding grace and all he has achieved for us and for his glory all through redemptive historical past. The Lord’s Supper reminds us of God’s mission that he’s fulfilling as he calls and gathers his elect folks from each tribe, tongue, and nation to be his folks with whom he’ll feast within the new heaven and new earth.
The Lord’s Supper reminds us that our God retains his covenant with us and that he’s trustworthy to his guarantees. It reminds us that God has not left us alone to make it on our personal however that he’s close to to us, with us, and in us by his Spirit. It reminds us of our justification by grace alone by way of religion alone due to Christ alone. It reminds us that the one factor sin and righteousness have in frequent is that they have been each imputed to the undeserving on the cross of Christ. It reminds us of our adoption and our union with Christ.
As God’s folks, the Lord’s Supper teaches us that we’re the one, united physique of Christ who partakes of 1 holy meal. The Lord’s Supper is a household meal and a covenant meal. It reminds us that we’re not alone and that we belong to the covenant household of the physique of Christ. Once we come collectively to partake of the Lord’s Supper, we partake with out faction, division, partiality, or self-centeredness (1 Corinthians 11:17–34), and the elders make it clear who’s to partake and who shouldn’t be permitted to partake and the explanation why.
Once we partake of the weather, we’re consuming the bread and wine (or grape juice), partaking of Christ who is actually, spiritually current, and, by the Holy Spirit who indwells us who imagine. We who’re seated with Christ within the heavenly locations feed upon Christ for our non secular nourishment and progress in grace.
As a method of grace, within the Lord’s Supper, Christ communicates to us the advantages of redemption, as reply 88 of the “Westminster Shorter Catechism” reminds us: “The outward and odd means whereby Christ communicates to us the advantages of redemption are, His ordinances, particularly the Phrase, sacraments, and prayer; all that are made effectual to the elect for salvation.”
When We Partake of the Lord’s Supper
Jesus instructed us that every time we partake of the Lord’s Supper we’re to take action in remembrance of him. Nonetheless, too typically once we partake, we solely bear in mind our personal sin and wallow in guilt fairly than fixing our eyes on Christ and basking within the superb salvation that he achieved for us. Too typically we get duped by our Accuser’s lies, and we really feel like we’re being holy and humble once we beat up ourselves with guilt and disgrace fairly than believing our Savior’s phrases of assurance, repenting of our sins, and remembering Christ with pleasure as we partake of his Supper.
To that finish, it’s useful for us to arrange for our partaking of the Lord’s Supper. In our congregation, we partake of the Lord’s Supper as soon as a month within the morning companies and as soon as a month within the night service. And a few years in the past, we started the apply of informing the congregation the week previous to our partaking of the Lord’s Supper.
We do that so we are able to take time to hope, search our hearts, repent of our sins, and search peace and reconciliation as wanted in order that once we come to partake of the Lord’s Supper will probably be a reverent celebration of remembering Christ. Because of this we perceive the Lord’s Supper to be a celebration and never a funeral dirge. And the best way we bear in mind Christ is thru solemn meditation, prayer, studying, and singing as we repair our eyes on all he’s, all he taught, and all he demonstrated and achieved for us and his glory that we would love, worship, and luxuriate in him now and perpetually.
Burk Parsons is senior pastor of St. Andrew’s Chapel in Sanford, Florida.
