1Corinthians 11:20-34
It’s Something Special

Tonight we come together to celebrate the Lord’s Supper Most
Christians do not know what this service is about; but in it, we have
the opportunity to fellowship with the Lord in a way which is
different and I believe more real than at any other time. It is
something special.

Tonight, let me share why.

I. The Lord’s Supper was established by Jesus.
    A. The Lord’s Supper was established out of the Passover.
        1. This connection gives us a link all the way back to
            Moses and antiquity.
        2. The Passover was a service of death and deliverance.
            (a) By Passover I am not speaking of the traditional
                 Jewish Passover as  Dr. Ben Alpert demonstrated a
                 few weeks ago.
                 (1) That Passover was developed over time and
                      especially AFTER the temple was destroyed.
                 (2) \\#Ex 12:6-14\\ describes a much less
                      ritualistic Passover.
                 (3) Moses lived around 1400 BC.  Elijah around
                      900 BC.
            (b) The people were under the penalty of death as the
                 death angel was coming through.
            (c) But they were delivered by shedding of an innocent
                 lamb’s blood.
            (d) Their inclusion into the deliverance hung on two acts:
                 (1) They had to have the blood.
                 (2) They had to be under the protection of the blood.
            (f) The Lord’s Supper is a reminder of the death and
                 deliverance we experience through Jesus Christ.
                 (1) We are under the death angel’s sentence!  He
                      passes by every so often just to remind us.
                 (2) We must have the blood (by believing in Jesus)
                      and be displaying it (by repenting of sin.)
        3. But the Passover was also a service of fellowship.
            (a) The Jews ate the lamb that had been sacrificed.
            (b) They ate it quickly but they ate it, house to house
                 and family with family.
            (c) That is not to picture fellowship among ourselves but
                 to picture fellowship with God through Jesus Christ.
    B. The Lord’s Supper was established by Jesus on the night His
        agony began.
        1. It was among His last acts before His crucifixion.
        2. It was birthed out of a yearning to be with His disciples.

Luke 22:15 And he said unto them, With desire I
have desired to eat this passover with you before
I suffer:

        3. Jesus was not just talking to them.  He was desiring to
            have an fellowship with all of His children and He does
            that now by means of the Lord’s Supper
    C. It was established as a service of choice.

1Cor 11:24 …this do in remembrance of me."
25  …this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in
remembrance of me.

        1. There is no time frame forced on us to have this service.
        2. There is no mandate that you come to the service or
            even that you partake of the service if you are here.
        3. If you want to remember Jesus tonight, come.
        4. Whenever you want to remember Jesus, come.
        5. This is a service of choice; but know this, with great
            desire, Jesus desires to fellowship with you.

II. The Lord’s Supper has five purposes.
    A. It is a service of UNION.

1Cor 10:16  The cup of blessing which we bless,
is it not the communion of the blood of Christ?
The bread which we break, is it not the
communion of the body of Christ?
17  For we being many are one bread, and one
body: for we are all partakers of that one bread.

        1. Notice that this is a service to celebrate our oneness
            with one another and with God.
        2. In partaking of this service, we become one bread.
        3. But we also have UNION WITH Christ.
        4. This was what lead Paul to speak of the Lord’s Supper in
            chapter 11.
            a. Corinth was a divided church.

1Cor 11:18  For first of all, when ye come
together in the church, I hear that there be
divisions among you; and I partly believe it.

20  When ye come together therefore into one
place, this is not to eat the Lord’s supper.

            b. You cannot partake of the Lord’s Supper and be
                divided—either among ourselves or from our Savior.
        5. If there is some sin between you and Jesus, deal with it
            right now.
        6. If there is something between you and another, deal with
             it right now.
    B. It is a service of REMEMBANCE.
        1. Do this why?  In remembrance of ME!
        2. For the last several Sundays, we have been remembering
            Jesus.
            a. His knowledge of what would happen to Him.
            b. His determination to go to the cross.
            c. His suffering and death.
            d. And this morning, His resurrection.
        3. If you and I do not relive a memory, we will lose it.

    C. It is a service of EXAMINATION.

1Cor 11:27  Wherefore whosoever shall eat this
bread, and drink this cup of the Lord,
unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and
blood of the Lord.
28  But let a man examine himself, and so let
him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.

        1. God has never liked sin.  He commands us to put it away
            from us.
        2. To have this service of fellowship, we must!
        3. Christians do not wait for sin to affect us.
        4. We seek it out and deal with it before it gets rooted too
            deeply inside.
        5. That is what the examination is for.
            a. It is one of the reasons we read the Bible.
            b. It is one of the reasons we need to be preached to two
                or three times each week.
            c. It is one of the reasons we listen when we pray.

    D. It is a service of REPENTANCE.

1Cor 11:31  For if we would judge ourselves, we
should not be judged.
32  But when we are judged, we are chastened of
the Lord, that we should not be condemned with
the world.

    E. It is a service of ANTICIPATION.

1Cor 11:26  For as often as ye eat this bread,
and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death
till he come.

III. The Lord’s Supper has power.
    A. It has power to CARRY us into the presence of Jesus.
        1. This is not a feeling or vision.
        2. It is a real, intimate, personal fellowship with Christ.
    B. It has power to CONVICT, CHASTEN, and CONDEMN.  This power
        does not comes by virtue of preaching that goes with the
        service but by the nearness to the Holy One Himself.
    C. It has power to COMFORT.
        1. I think again this evening of Peter’s great shame and
            guilt.
        2. He saw the empty tomb but refused to believe.
            a. The Bible tells us that John believed but it does not
                say that Peter did.
            b. As I mentioned this morning
                \\See 2017Sermons on "Matt 28:1"\\, I believe it is
                possible that Peter quenched Mary’s faith.
            c. I also believe Jesus met with Peter alone because
                Peter needed Jesus!
            d. Tonight, you may be filled with sin toward Christ or
                hatred toward another Christian, but Jesus will met
                with you too if you ask Him to!

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