The Lord’s Supper
The greatest
privilege ever offered by God to man is the invitation to
dine at the sacred feast of the Lord’s Supper. It is the
memorial feast held in honor of the suffering and
anguish Jesus experienced in death. His death for sinful
humanity is the greatest expression of love (Rom. 5:6-8).
This feast has been described as a bridge “spanning the
entire interval of the Church’s history on earth. One
end of it rests on the shame of the cross; the other is
planted in the glory of the kingdom.”
It
is fittingly called The Lord’s Supper. The Greek
term deipnon denotes “the chief meal of the day,
dinner or supper, taken at or towards evening; in the
plural feasts,” (Matt. 23:6; Mark 6:21;12:39; Luke
20:46); otherwise translated “supper,” (Luke 14:12,16,
17,24; John 12:2; 13:2,4; 21:20; 1 Cor. 11:21). Further,
of “the Lord’s Supper,” (1 Cor. 11:20) and “the
supper or feast” which will celebrate the marriage of
Christ with His spiritual Bride, at the inauguration of
His Kingdom, (Rev. 19:9). (From Vine’s Expository Dictionary
of Biblical Words.) All that is associated with
“supper” in these references is good and benevolent.
Surely supper with the Lord is a great honor.
The
Lord’s Supper is:
1.
A memorial: Jesus
said, “This do in remembrance of Me.” It honors Him as
the Son of the Living God. It is the only thing He ever
asked of anyone to be done in His memory. How often do you
observe it, dear friend?
2.
It calls for inward examination: “Let a man
examine himself and so let him eat.” The examination
determines whether or not the participant truly discerns
the Lord’s body. When you eat the supper, do you realize
that the bread is (by faith) His body, given for your
sins? Do you discern that the fruit of the vine is (by
faith) His blood shed for the remission of your sins?
3.
It is an outward proclamation: “For as often as
ye eat this bread, and drink the cup, ye proclaim the
Lord’s death till he come.” The word for proclaim is
from kataggelo and is defined as, “declare,
preach, shew, speak of, teach.” (Strongs).
You may not be able to go to foreign fields to preach, but
you can proclaim His death by sincerely observing the
Lord’s supper. How often do you do this?
4.
It is obedience to Jesus: “... do this in
remembrance of Me...” “And why call ye me, Lord, Lord,
and do not the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46). Jesus
said, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments”
(John 14:15). How often do you love the Lord in obeying
this command?
5.
It is fellowship:
“The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a
communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we
break, is it not a communion of the body of Christ? Seeing
that we, who are many, are one bread, one body: for we are
all partake of the one bread” (1 Cor. 10:16-17).
How often do you have this sacred communion with Him?
6.
It is a continual privilege: On the birth-day of
the church, those who were added to the church
“continued steadfastly in breaking of bread and
prayers” (Acts 2:42). How regularly do you break this
sacred bread?
7.
It anticipates His return: “Till He comes ...” How
many who claim to be members of His spiritual body will
have neglected this sacred privilege -- even at the time
He returns? Will you be ready?
The
Lord’s Supper may have been the very reason for coming
together on the first day of the week (Acts 20:7). As such
it is the high point in a Christian’s worship of the
Almighty.
The Lord’s Supper is prepared and spread each Lord’s Day here at this congregation. All who are members of the family of God are invited to participate. Of those who read this, how many will decline the invitation?