The Ordinances of the Church:

The Lord's Supper

Aim: to teach a proper understanding of and the importance of the Lord's Supper.

Point of Contact: Show a piece of Unleavened Bread and ask what it is. Say: "This is a special kind of bread. Do you know what's special about it?" Invite answers. In our lesson today we are going to learn what's important about this special bread as we study about the Lord's Supper.

Introduction: We previously learned that an ordinance was that which had been decreed or appointed and that Christ instituted two ordinances for the local church. One was baptism which was the first ordinance and the other was the Lord's Supper. The purpose of the ordinances are for perpetuating the great truths of the gospel. Today we will study about the Lord's Supper.

I. The Purpose of it. (I Corinthians 11:23-32)

It was instituted by Christ just before He went to the cross. (Matthew 26:26-30) Bible scholars generally all agree that Jesus was present when this was instituted. Jesus partook of it with the eleven disciples that constituted His church. He did it at the time of the Passover which was an ordinance of the Jews. The Passover was a memorial that reminded the Jews of their deliverance from the physical bondage of Egypt. (Exodus 12)

Jesus instituted the Lord' Supper at the time of the Passover, turning the shadow of the Old Testament into the substance of the New Testament. In so doing, He was showing that the Lord's Supper was to take the place of the Passover and would now be a memorial of our deliverance from spiritual bondage which was brought about by Christ's death.

A. It was to be a Memorial. (I Corinthians 11:24, 25)

"This do in remembrance of Me'. Jesus said that this ordinance, when we partook of it, would remind us of: Him:

1. When we put the piece of unleavened bread to our mouth and eat it, it would remind us of His Body which was broken and bruised for us. Herein we are reminded of His love.

2. When we drank of the fruit of the vine, we would be reminded of His shed Blood which was necessary for the forgiveness of our sins. (Hebrews 9:22; Matthew 26:28) Herein we are reminded of His love.

3. When we partake of this ordinance we are reminded that one day, He is coming back. I Corinthians 11:26. His people are to observe this until He returns.

4. The partaking of these elements were not for the receiving of special spiritual benefits.

The bread does not become the "body of Christ', nor does the juice from the fruit of the vine become the "blood of Christ.' (Matthew 26: 26-28) When Jesus said, "this is my body,' He did not mean that the bread became literally and actually His body, but only that it was a picture of His body. Eg. Show your class a picture of a member of your family and say, "this is my daughter,' for instance. "Actually, that is not my daughter but is a picture of my daughter'. It is in this sense that Jesus spoke. The Lord's Supper is a reminder of His death and His Coming Again.

B. It is for Self-examination. (I Corinthians 11:27-32)

Christians need regularly to examine their lives and see if they are living right. God knew this and knew that we are prone to neglect this. So He teaches that we are to examine ourselves and get out lives right with Him before we partake of the Lord's Supper. A prayer we should each consider at such a time is found in Psalms 139: 23,24.

To fail to examine our lives, forsake our sin and then partake of the Lord' Supper is to partake of it unworthily. This is a serious offence. Many of the Corinthian church members had died (sleep) and many were sick because they had partaken unworthily. To do so will definitely bring the chastening hand of God upon us.

C. It is a Commandment.

I Corinthians 11:24,25 "This do'.God does not say we ought to do this or that it would be nice to do but God says, "this do'. God commands it. It is a grievous sin to absent ourselves from church when the Lord's Supper is observed unless we are providentially hindered.

II. The Participants of it.

It is very evident in the scriptures that the only participants in the Lord's Supper were Born Again Christians who had been Scripturally Baptized and who were members of a local Scriptural New Testament Church. (Eg. Matthew 26:26-30; I Corinthians 11:23-32; Acts 2:41,42)

In Acts 2:41-42, we note that those who broke bread (the Lord' Supper) had all of these requirements. Also, they were in fellowship with each other and were steadfastly living by the Apostles' doctrine which we can apply now to those who are living as the Bible teaches they should.

Note five prerequisites to participation:

A. A Born Again Christian.

B. Scriptural Baptism.

C. A Member of the Local Scriptural Church.

D. A Christian who is living right.

E. A Christian who is in fellowship with other Christians in the church.

III. The Practice of It.

The Lord's Supper is a Church Ordinance. It was given to the local church for observance and protection. (I Corinthians 11:2,23-32) Only the local church is ever seen observing it in the New Testament and there is no command given to Christians to observe it outside of the local church.

If the local church was instructed to guard it and keep its practice pure, then the local church would have to be the only one with the authority for observing it.

The local church was also instructed to disassociate itself from those members who were living in sin before it partook of this ordinance. (I Corinthian 5:1-13)

If the local church is to determine who is worthy to partake of the Lord's Supper, then it must only be able to observe it with those who are its members. It can extend its privileges no further than its responsibility, no further than her discipline.

IV.The Parts of It.

The Elements of the Supper:

A. Unleavened Bread.

In Israel's Passover Supper, they used unleavened bread. (Exodus 12:8) Unleavened means without any yeast in it which has reference to sin. Leaven is always referred to as evil, sinful, impure, and unholy, but unleavened speaks of the sinless nature of Christ. Again in I Corinthians 5:6-8, reference is made to the leavened and unleavened bread and again the line is drawn between the Holy and the unholy. When the bread is broken, it symbolizes the broken body (crucifixion) of Christ. John 6:35 states, "I am the Bread of Life, he that cometh to me shall never hunger'. When we eat this Bread at this memorial supper, its purpose is not to give us life, but it is in memory of the life already given to us by Christ as a result of His going to the Cross.

B. The Cup, the Fruit of the Vine.

In Matthew 26: 28 it is the fruit of the vine. In Deuteronomy 32: 14, it is referred to as the blood of the grape. In I Corinthian 11: 25, He speaks about it being the New Testament in His Blood.

The scriptures are very clear that this cup was to be drunk, not to give everlasting life or wash away our sins, but in memory of the one that has already forgiven us of our sins. "This do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of Me'. (I Corinthians 11:25)

In this bread and this cup, we are remembering every time we do it, how we were saved and by Whom we were saved. May we never forget this memorial service as we worship and serve the Lord.

Conclusion: God has decreed that the local church observe the Lord's Supper properly until He returns. He has commanded church members to partake of it. He has instructed the church to guard its truths. Therefore we must realize its importance and determine to do our part in seeing that these things are done as our Lord would have them. Have you fulfilled the requirements for observing the Lord's Supper?

Questions:

1. What is an ordinance?

2. How many church ordinances are there?

3. What are their purpose?

4. When did Jesus first observe the Lord' Supper?

5. What is the Lord's Supper a memorial of?

6. What does the unleavened bread remind us of?

7. What does the juice from the fruit of the vine remind us of?

8. How long is His church to partake of this ordinance?

9. What did Jesus mean when He said, "This is my body" in speaking of the bread?

10. Why is it necessary that we partake of this ordinance?

11. Why must we examine ourselves before we partake of this ordinance?

12. What are the prerequisites for partaking of this ordinance?

13. Who is the guardian of this ordinance?

14. Why is it important to use unleavened bread?