The Lord's Supper

One of my favorite worship services is the celebration of the Lord's Supper. I grew up in a small rural church that changed (or so it seemed), the Lord's Supper until the end of the sermon.

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I let the Lord's Supper be the center of that special worship. We sing hymns, many of them, and "special" music of the cross of Jesus. What I want to communicate is Jesus Christ, and he is crucified for our sins. "We preach Christ crucified." "For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified" (1 Corinthians 2: 2). I have read Scriptures about the death of Christ and the sacrifice of vicarious atonement between hymns and specials. Before the bread and the cup are served, I take time to explain the message of the broken body and the shed blood of the new covenant. The main thing I try to communicate is God's plan of salvation and His saving grace through faith in Jesus Christ. I do not want anyone to leave the service without knowing very well that "God does not want anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ." Everywhere I have pastored, my congregations have said: "Do not change the service, because God visits us."

The celebration of the Lord's Supper is full of great biblical doctrines. Matthew writes: "While they ate, Jesus took the bread and blessed it, and broke it and gave it to his disciples, and said, 'Take, eat, this is my body.' And having taken the cup and having given thanks, he gave them, saying, "Drink from it all, for this is my blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for many for the remission of sins" (Matthew 26: 26-28).

No, the substance of bread is not literally becoming the substance of the body of Jesus Christ. We literally do not handle the body of Jesus. On the other hand, it is not the substance of the bread without changes linked to the substance of the body of Christ. The bread has not changed, and that was evident to the disciples who saw Jesus break bread.

The apostle Paul taught believers in the Corinthian church: "Do this in remembrance of me" (1 Corinthians 11:24). The broken bread symbolizes the martyred body of Jesus. There is no reason to take the words, "this is my body," as a literal statement. The bread represents the sinless body of Jesus, broken in our place. The cup of wine is a symbol of His blood "shed for many for the remission of sins" (Matthew 26:28).

The apostle Paul tells us that Jesus gave thanks, broke it and said, "This is my body, which is broken for you, do this in memory of me." He also took the cup after having supped, saying: "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, do this as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me" (1 Corinthians 11: 24-25).

The bread represents the body of Jesus, and the cup of wine represents His shed blood. However, carefully observe the bread is still bread and the wine is still wine.

Bread teaches us the great doctrine of the incarnation of the Son of God. Jesus took upon himself a true human body (John 1:14, 18). "Since Christ has suffered for us in the flesh, you also arm yourselves with the same thought, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has put an end to sin" (1 Peter 4: 1).

The apostle Paul highlights the great truth of the vicarious atonement in the death of Jesus in I Peter 3:18, "For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unjust, to bring us to God, being a the truth died in the flesh, but quickened in spirit "(1 Peter 3:18).

It was in His incarnate body that Christ suffered for you and for me. Who did not sin, nor was deceit found in his mouth, who, when they cursed him, did not answer with a curse; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but commanded the cause to the one who judges righteously, who himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we, being dead to sins, may live to righteousness, and by whose wound you were healed " (1 Peter 2: 22-24)

"This is my body," which was given as "a ransom for many" (Matthew 26:28).

Jesus Christ died in our place as our substitute (Romans 5: 6, 8; 2 Corinthians 5:21). He took upon himself our guilt and carried the punishment of our sins (Isaiah 53: 4-5).

His body was broken so that his blood would be "shed for many for the remission of sins" (Matthew 26:28). "This is the new covenant in My blood" (1 Corinthians 11:25).

The death of Jesus was the fulfillment and end of all the blood sacrifices and offerings in the old covenant. Jesus, the Lamb of God, is the end of the sacrifices. There is no need for more sacrifices, because He died for our sins. The new covenant is sealed and maintained by the only perfect sacrifice of the perfect, the Lamb of God without sin (Jeremiah 31: 31-34).

All our sins are under His shed blood. We are forgiven of all sin (1 John 1: 6-9). If his blood does not cover all our sins, we have no hope, and we are eternally lost. The blood of Jesus made real atonement for all who believe in Him. His blood removed the wrath of God from all sinners who invoke his name and are saved.

"This is my body, which is broken for you ... This cup is the new covenant in My blood, to do this as often as you drink it, in memory of me."

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