The Meaning of the Lord’s Supper
The Lord’s Supper, or is one of two ordinances Jesus gave the local church. The Lord’s supper is an object lesson that represents a great spiritual truth of the most important things observed in the NT. The Lord’s Supper declares Jesus’ purpose, mission and work.
a. What is The Lord’s Supper? (1 Cor. 11:23-26)
i. It is a Christ Appointed part of Worship. (1 Cor. 11:1-2, 17-34)
1. Carried out/ practiced by the local church (1 Cor. 11:2)
2. Observed with a right spirit. (1 Cor. 11:17-18)
3. A Time of personal confession of sin. (1 Cor. 11:28)
4. The practice of all Christians (1 Cor. 11:28)
b. It is a significant part of remembrance. We are reminded of:
i. The Body of Christ ( 1 Cor. 11:24 “my body”)
ii. The Blood of Christ (1 Cor. 11:25 “my blood”)
iii. The Death of Christ (1 Cor. 11:26 “the Lord’s death”)
iv. The Sacrifice of Christ (1 Cor. 11:24 – “He broke it”)
v. The Love of Christ (1 cor. 11:24 “broken for you”
c. It is an on-going Testimony of faith. (1 Cor. 11:26)
i. In the sufficient atoning work of Christ (1 Cor. 11:26 “The Lord’s death”)
ii. In the Second Coming of Jesus (1 Cor. 11:26 “till He comes”)
iii. In the blessing of personal obedience. (1 Cor. 11:26 “and keep the ordinances”)
· Who should Take the Lord’s Supper?
a. Only those who are already Christians. (2 Cor. 11:29
· How Do I Prepare Myself of the Lord’s Supper?
a. Self-Examination (1 Cor. 11:27)
b. Confession of sins (1 John 1:9)
c. Recommitment (Rom. 12:1)
d. Restoring Relationships (Matt. 5:23-24)
· When and How often should we observe the Lord’s Supper?
a. Jesus never said when or how often believers should observe The Lord’s Supper. He instituted it on a weekday night. Since it is a ‘supper’, it may seem more appropriate to observe it during an evening service.
b. At Grace we practice it at least once a quarter. We also have it on Sunday Morning and Sunday Night. The Sunday night services have an agape meal (love meal) before the service.
c. We also collect our benevolence offering when we observe the Lord’s Supper.
