1. Psalm 135 begins and concludes with the exhortation, "Praise ye the Lord." 2. As the writer showed why God deserves to be praised, he mentioned: a. the Lord's name -- it endures forever b. the Lord's memorial -- it endures throughout all generations. 3. In the Old Testament the children of Israel observed a number of memorials. 4. The New Testament teaches in Luke 22:19-20 that the Lord's Supper is to be observed as His memorial today. 5. With the observance of Memorial Day tomorrow as a national holiday, today is an especially good time to study passages that teach us about "the Lord's memorial." 6. Let us begin by showing that . . .
I. THE LORD'S SUPPER IS THE "COMMUNION" OF THE BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST
A. From 1 Corinthians 10:16 we learn that: 1. "the bread" is "the communion of the body of Christ" 2. "the cup" is "the communion of the blood of Christ." B. Let us examine 3 passages that explain this point in more detail. 1. The first passage is Matthew 26:26-29. a. We learn from vs.26a that Jesus gave instructions for eating His Supper as He and His apostles "were eating" [the Passover meal -- vs.17]. b. According to vs.26b, one part of the Lord's Supper is "bread." 1) This is not just any bread -- it is "unleavened bread." 2) Jesus "blessed" [gave thanks for] the bread, He gave it to His apostles, and He instructed them to eat it. 3) Concerning the unleavened bread Jesus said, "This is my body." c. Vs.27 shows us that "the cup" ["fruit of the vine" -- vs.29] is the other part of the Lord's Supper. 1) Jesus gave thanks and instructed the apostles to drink it. 2) Concerning the fruit of the vine Jesus said in vs.28, "this is my blood of the new testament." 3) The Lord's blood is very special in that He shed it so we can receive "the remission of sins." d. Two other important matters are addressed in vs.29. 1) Jesus said His Supper would be eaten in His "Father's kingdom" [His church -- Matthew 16:18-19]. 2) Jesus eats His Supper with His followers (see Matthew 18:20). 2. The second passage is Luke 22:19-20. a. These verses contain a condensed version of the information we covered in Matthew 26. b. However, as we pointed out earlier, Jesus said His Supper is to be eaten "in His memory." 3. The third passage is 1 Corinthians 11:23-29. a. The same basic information we have covered is presented in vs.23-25. b. However, an additional detail is given in vs.26 -- as we eat the Lord's Supper we show the Lord's "death." c. This helps us to understand why Paul emphasized the fact that the Lord's Supper must be eaten "worthily" [in a worthy manner]. C. In these passages the Bible explains what it means when it says that the Lord's Supper is "the communion" of the body and blood of Christ. D. We also need to consider several . . .
II. ADDITIONAL MATTERS THAT RELATE TO THE LORD'S SUPPER
A. The Scriptures reveal when the Lord's Supper is to be eaten. 1. (Matthew 26:29) Jesus said it would be eaten in His "Father's kingdom" [the church] that was established on Pentecost (Acts 2). 2. According to Acts 2:42, the Lord's followers "continued steadfastly" in "breaking of bread" [eating the Lord's Supper]. 3. We learn from 1 Corinthians 11:18 that the Lord's Supper is to be eaten when His followers "come together in the church." 4. The time for eating the Lord's Supper is revealed in Acts 20:6-7 -- "the first day of the week." B. The Lord intends for His followers to eat His Supper until He returns (1 Corinthians 11:26).
1. Eating the Lord's Supper is a special privilege and responsibility for Christians. 2. Let us: a. always remember what the Lord's Supper is -- "the communion" of the body and blood of Christ b. be steadfast in our observance of the Lord's Supper c. always eat the Lord's Supper properly, remembering the Lord's sacrifice as He died so we may have the remission of sins. 3. Have you received the remission of your sins? (see Acts 2:37-38, 41, 47)