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"OUR LIFE TOGETHER"
The Secret Of The Supper
INTRODUCTION
1. As we continue this study on "Our Life Together", we are looking at
how various "acts of worship" have a part in strengthening the kind
of fellowship Christ intends for His church
2. Our previous study looked at "the collection" or "contribution", in
which we saw that...
a. It not only supplies the needs of the saints and the preaching of
the gospel
b. But it also builds fellowship between the givers and the
recipients
3. In this lesson we will focus our attention on "The Lord's Supper",
which is also called:
a. The "breaking of bread" - Ac 2:42; 20:7
b. The "Communion" - 1Co 10:16
4. People who visit our services for the first time may often be
perplexed as to its meaning
a. Indeed, what IS its meaning?
b. And what does this observance have to do with "fellowship between
Christians"?
[Let's begin by first defining...]
I. THE MEANING OF THE SUPPER
A. IMPORTANT ASPECTS ARE OFTEN POINTED OUT...
1. It is "a memorial" - 1Co 11:23-25
a. Instituted by the Lord Himself
b. To commemorate the death of Jesus on the cross for our sins
- Mt 26:26-28
2. It is "a proclamation" - 1Co 11:26
a. In which we proclaim our faith in the efficacy of Jesus'
death in our behalf
b. To be done till He comes again (so it also a proclamation
of our faith in His Second Coming)
3. It is to be "a period of extreme reverence" - 1Co 11:27,29
a. It is to be observed "in a worthy manner"
b. Out of respect for the supreme price Jesus paid for our
sins
1) E.g., the cruel torture and humiliation of His physical
body
2) E.g., the spiritual anguish suffered as the Son of God
bore the punishment for our sins - cf. "My God, My God,
Why has Thou forsaken Me?"
c. To make light of this memorial is to put one in the same
category as those who mocked Him as He hung on the cross!
4. It is "a time for self-examination" - 1Co 11:28
a. Reflecting upon our own spiritual condition in relation to
the sacrifice of Christ
b. Are we living in a manner that makes His sacrifice
worthwhile?
1) By our accepting the grace of God in our lives? - cf.
2Co 5:18-6:1
2) By living for Him? - cf. 2Co 5:14-15
c. Or are we by willful sinning, guilty of having...
1) "trampled the Son of God afoot"?
2) "counted the blood of the covenant by which [we were]
sanctified a common thing"?
3) "insulted the Spirit of grace"? - cf. He 10:26-29
d. Do we, by refusing to repent of our sins, "crucify again
for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an shame"? -
cf. He 6:4-6
5. It is "a communion" (sharing, fellowship) - 1Co 10:16
a. With the blood and body of Christ
b. Certainly, then, a "vertical" relationship and fellowship
with Christ as we commune
B. BUT THERE IS SOMETHING ELSE...
1. It also has something to do with "our oneness in the body of
Christ"! - 1Co 10:17
a. Though many, we are "one bread and one body"
b. Why? "for we all partake of that one bread"
c. There are at least two possible ways to view this...
1) Partaking of the one bread together "reminds" us of our
oneness, i.e., our fellowship
2) Partaking of the one bread together "strengthens" our
oneness, or fellowship
-- Both views are plausible, and both are accomplished,
whether or not that is what Paul actually had in mind
d. In this way "The Lord's Supper" is an act of worship in
which there is both:
1) A "vertical" fellowship (communion with the Lord's body
and blood)
2) A "horizontal" fellowship (communion with one another)
2. This helps us to see some implications in several passages
a. E.g., Ac 20:7 - "...when the disciples came together to
break bread..."
b. E.g, 1Co 11:33 - "...when you come together to eat, wait
for one another"
c. The Supper is designed to be a "communal" meal...
1) Even as the Passover, from which the Lord took elements
to institute the Lord's Supper, was a communal meal
2) For this reason I personally question such practices as:
a) Observing the Supper by one's self when camping
b) Observing the Supper on Sunday night when just one or
a couple of the congregation are partaking
c) Taking the elements to the sick or shut-in who were
unable to assemble with the saints
-- However, these are things I am willing to leave in
the realm of "opinion"
[Yet I am convinced there is sufficient evidence for us to appreciate
that "The Lord's Supper" is more than just a personal act of devotion
between a Christian and his Lord. As we do it together, it should
remind us our fellowship in the one body of Christ, and by such
remembrance actually strengthen our sense of fellowship!
With this understanding, allow me to make some suggestions for...]
III. PRESERVING THE "FELLOWSHIP" ASPECT OF THE SUPPER
A. THOSE WHO ASSIST US IN PARTAKING CAN HELP...
1. The fellowship aspect of the Supper can be alluded to from
time to time
a. Those who lead the song in preparation for the communion
might point out when a song refers to the shared nature of
this supper (e.g., the song entitled "The Lord's Supper")
b. Those making comments or reading Scripture might
occasionally make reference to the relationship between
Christ's death and our fellowship with one another - e.g.,
Ep 2:13-16
c. Prayers offered can include thanksgiving for the
reconciliation between men made possible by that suffering
of Christ which we now commemorate
2. By occasionally making a connection between the "communion"
and the "collection"
a. It is true the "collection" is not a part of the
"communion"
b. But taking up the "collection" immediately following the
"communion" need not be thought of as simply "a matter of
convenience"
c. What better time is there to have "fellowship in the matter
of giving"?
1) We have just completed having "fellowship in the matter
of the communion"
2) It is the death of Christ who has made our fellowship
possible - cf. Ep 2:16
3) And it is His sacrificial example we are to follow - cf.
2Co 8:7-9
B. AS PARTICIPANTS AND PARTAKERS...
1. We should keep in mind the significance of Paul's statement in
1Co 10:17
a. "For we, being many, are one bread and one body;"
b. "...for we all partake of that one bread."
2. We should think not only of the communion we are having with
the Lord, but with one another as well
3. We should make every effort to be present when the church
"comes together to break bread" - cf. Ac 20:7
CONCLUSION
1. The fellowship we enjoy in Christ...
a. Was made possible by His death on the cross
b. Is strengthened whenever we participate together in the "breaking
of bread"
2. Is this how you view the Lord's Supper?
a. Or do you consider it simply as a personal act of worship?
b. With no bearing on your relationship with other Christians?
3. The "fellowship" aspect of the communion has not often been pointed
out in teaching about the Lord's Supper, and for this reason it has
been called "The Secret Of The Supper."
I hope that this "secret" is no longer a secret to us, and that we
might get more out of the time we spend together around "The Lord's
Table"...
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Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2009
