The Symbolism of the Lord’s Table
Text: I Corinthians 11:23-30
Intro:
- This morning we’re just going to do a bit of an overview of these few verses which outline for us the practice of observing the Lord’s Table.
- The goal in this study is to give us a better understanding of what is taking place when we observe the Lord’s Table, and what our approach should be to the Lord’s Table.
- NBC’s doctrinal statement says the following regarding the Lord’s Supper.
“We believe that the Lord’s Supper is a local church ordinance that only born again, obedient Christians may observe. It is a non-sacramental ordinance observed in remembrance of the death of the Lord Jesus Christ to be preceded by self-examination and confession (Matthew 26:26-29; 1 Corinthians 11:23-32).”
There are a few important things to note:
– The Lord’s Supper is an Ordinance of the local church. Like baptism, the Lord’s Supper is to be observed within the context of the local church.
– The Lord’s Supper requires self-examination before partaking. It is your individual responsibility to ensure that you are in right relationship with God before partaking. Confess any known sin beforehand.
– It is non-sacramental, which means there is no special power in the observance of this ordinance for making the believer more holy or obtaining greater grace from God. The reason for observing this ordinance is for the purpose of continuing in obedience to Christ until He comes.
I. The Lord’s Table Received (Vs 23)
- The pattern for the Lord’s table was given to the Apostle Paul by revelation and he, in turn, gave it to the church.
- Since the Apostle Paul received this pattern by divine revelation, he is both authoritative and correct in his description of these things.
- The practice of observing the Lord’s table was established by Jesus Christ on the eve of his betrayal, the night before his crucifixion. (Luke 22:15-22)
a. The Lord Jesus was about to die for the sins of the whole world and yet there was one sitting at the table who would reject him. And there are still many in this world today who reject Him and are not worthy to partake of his cup of remembrance.
II. The Lord’s Table Given (Vs 24-25)
- The bread is symbolic of the body of the Lord Jesus Christ which was broken for us. (Isaiah 53:4-5)
a. The body of the Lord Jesus was broken for our healing. Sin is a disease with which all humanity is infected, and the only cure for our disease is in the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus. - When we partake of the bread, we are remembering the broken body of the Lord Jesus, not partaking of his body.
a. The Roman Catholic church has misinterpreted this whole thing. They observe the sacrament known as “mass”, and they teach that when you eat the bread and drink from the cup that these elements become the literal body and blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is known as transubstantiation. This view is wrong for a couple of reaons:
i. There is no indication in the Bible that the bread and grape juice ever changed state or were ever anything but bread and grape juice. To suggest that they turned into the literal body and blood of Jesus is to impose a view on the scriptures which doesn’t come out of the natural reading.
ii. Where does the idea come from? Well, there is absolutely no reason to believe in transubstantiation, as such an idea has no scriptural basis whatsoever. Catholic doctrine teaches that transubstantiation is given as a means to offer atonement for sin whenever necessary, however, Hebrews 10:10 says, “By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”Since the Lord Jesus Christ died “once for all” there is no need to make further sacrifices or offer further atonement for sin. - The long and short of it is this; the elements which we partake of are symbolic of the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ.
- These elements are taken in order for the church to maintain a respectful remembrance of the sacrifice which was made on our behalf and to remind us of our identification with the Lord Jesus in His death, burial, and resurrection also.
a. The unleavened bread symbolizes the broken body of the Lord Jesus Christ, which is why we break the bread in remembrance of Him.
i. Luke 22:19 “And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.”
ii. You may wonder why we use unleavened bread in this memorial service. The reason for that is because unleavened bread is symbolic of the sinless nature of the Lord Jesus Christ.
b. The cup is, of course, symbolic of the blood of the Lord Jesus which cleanses us from all unrighteousness.
i. The Bible tells us in Hebrews 9:22, “And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.”
ii. The shed blood of Jesus is what provides us with atonement for sin and cleansing from sin’s stains.
III. The Lord’s Table Explained (Vs 26)
- There isn’t any definite time given in which the Lord’s Table is to be observed.
a. The phrase “as often as ye” means exactly what you think it means. It means that it is to be done with some regularity, but that it is up to the observers to choose how regularly. - The first purpose we’ve already stated which is to remember the Lord’s death.
a. The second purpose is to shew the Lord’s death until he comes.
b. By observing the Lord’s Table, we are proclaiming to others that we believe that Jesus died in our place, that His blood was shed for the remission of our sins, and that He rose again to give us eternal life and that He is coming again one day.
c. As we remember the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, we should also pause to remember the fact that he is coming again.
Conclusion:
- I hope this short study has been helpful to you as you prepare your heart for the Lord’s table and consider why we take this time out of the service here to observe this Ordinance which was given to the local church by the Lord Jesus Christ.