The Lord's Supper
Introduction: New Market Baptist Church (along with most other Baptist churches) has two ordinances. These symbols of our salvation are baptism and the Lord's Supper. In the New Testament, the Lord's Supper is pictured as being observed in the life of the local church. Because the Lord's Supper is a symbol of salvation, only those who have been saved should participate in it. New Market Baptist practices open communion which means that any true Christian who is in fellowship with God and the local church, regardless of what church they are a member of, is welcome to participate in the Lord's Supper when we have it at church. The observance of the Lord's Supper is a very serious and important time in the life of an individual Christian and the life of a local church. Let's examine what the Bible has to say about it.
I)The Instituting of the Lord's Supper (Mark 14:22-26): It was started by Jesus Christ himself the night He was betrayed
II) Meaning of the Lord's Supper (1 Corinthians 11:18-34): When we observe the Lord's Supper, it is a time of:
1) Unification (v. 17-22): God does not want any divisions in His Body, the Church. Observing the Lord's Supper should remind us that we are the body of Christ that He purchased with His precious blood on the cross, and we should be motivated to restore any broken fellowship we have with a brother or sister in Christ. A lack of unity kills churches. However, according to verse 19, this unity must be rooted in doctrinal truth.
2) Thanksgiving (v. (24-25): Notice that Jesus gave thanks when he was taking the Passover meal with his disciples. If He gave thanks, how much more should we express thanksgiving? When we take the Lord's Supper, we are to thank Him for the wonderful, incredible sacrifice He made on our behalf.
3) Remembrance (v. 24-25): The Lord's Supper is a memorial feast. We are being reminded of what Christ did for us on the cross. This teaches us that the Lord's Supper is a symbolic act.
4) Proclamation (v. 26): By observing the Lord's Supper, we proclaim the truth of the atonement. The Lord's Supper is evangelistic because it pictures the sacrifice of Christ. It is a visual sermon. It also proclaims the return of Christ, " till He comes".
5) Identification: The face that we are internalizing the elements pictures to us that we are identifying ourselves with Christ and His crucifixion. It shows that we are trusting in His death and nothing else for our salvation.
6) Examination (v. 27-32): We are not to take the Lord's Supper flippantly or with sin in our hearts. Paul tells us that taking the Lord's Supper wrongly will bring the discipline of God upon us. He tells us that some people have become sick or even died because they took the Lord's Supper wrongly. We should confess all known sin before we participate in Communion.