Let Not the Lord’s Supper Become Common

"...in whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins. Peace through the blood of the cross." You know, the longer someone's a Christian, the more the ordinance is that the church ought to become meaningful. And you just think about baptism.

How often is that to be done to a true Christian? One time, right? Why just once? Because it represents the fact that if anyone is in Christ, behold, new creation. One time, you are regenerated. One time, you're converted.

One time, you're brought into union with Christ. One time, you're justified by faith. So that's why we're baptized once as a Christian.

But then you think about what we're going to do here in observing this meal. Why is it recurring? Why not just one time after you were converted? Why do we do it regularly? Because the Lord said as often as you do this. So while the baptism is a one-time event signifying the old man is dead and risen to walk in newness, the Lord's Supper is a communion meal regularly with Christ.

So I just want to briefly talk about this. You know, for the Lord and the disciples, it was the Passover meal. They were observing the Passover meal and He turned it into a New Covenant meal.

Because He said this is My body. This is the blood of the New Covenant. So He turned it into the New Covenant meal.

And it's been called many things. The Lord's Supper. I preach in brethren churches in Michigan almost every year.

And they observe it so wonderfully and they call it, and now we're going to remember the Lord. It's remembering the Lord is the meal. Is the service communion? Breaking of bread? So when we come to this meal, it should have just significant meaning to us.

There are some things we should never do. Don't just go through the motions. We can become as religious and ritualistic as Catholics and just, okay, we're going to have the Lord's Supper again and get used to it.

We should never get used to worship. We should never get used to singing. We should never get used to preaching.

And we should never ever get used to observing the Lord's Supper. Make it meaningful, brethren. Do not just go through the motions.

It's not something just tacked on or added to a service. It is as much important as anything you do on the Lord's Day. It has a unique place unlike virtually anything else because it is an ongoing proclamation of the Lord's death until He comes again.

When you partake of the Lord's Supper properly, biblically, you're proclaiming a message. You do show forth or proclaim the Lord's death until He comes again. So don't get used to it.

We get in the habit, don't we? Don't get in the habit. When you come to observe the Lord's Supper, let our hearts engage. Don't be distracted.

But focus upon Christ and make it personal. Make it meaningful. Make it not a dead tradition, but a living reality.

So, briefly about the meaning. We know the meaning is that this bread represents the body of Jesus Christ. And my favorite verse regarding this is where Peter said, He Himself in His own body bore our sins.

The physical body of the Lord Jesus Christ willingly laid down on the cross and He's nailed and the cross lifted up. And at some point, the great mystery is all the depository of our sin and our guilt is put upon His body. He bears in His body our sins.

So the bread, when you take it, make it a worship moment for yourself. And remember the Lord's giving His body and tell Him. Pray to Him as you partake of the bread about the real spiritual meaning that's going on.

He wants you to remember His death as you partake the bread. And as you partake of that and it becomes part of you all over again, let the meaningful reality that He laid down His body freely for you to bear your sins. And thank Him for that.

Thank Him for His physical death. When you take the cup, He said this cup is the blood of the new covenant. And so, without the shedding of blood, there's no remission of sins.

When you take the cup, you shift your thinking from the body to the blood offered, to the blood poured out. And you thank Him and you worship Him in the moment for shedding His blood for you. Brethren, this is such a great, great, amazing reality.

How significant is it? It's very significant. It's the only thing the Lord gave to His church to have as a repeated corporate ordinance. And so, as you partake every Lord's Day, make it personal and partake of Christ afresh by the Holy Spirit as you remember the Lord.

It's a glorious thing. The Lord's Supper is a glorious, glorious reality. Make it as special to you here as anything that goes on in your corporate worship.

Let's pray. Lord Jesus, we do thank You this morning afresh for becoming our Lamb. Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

Thank You for laying Your life down. Thank You for presenting Your body as the ultimate, one-time, all-sufficient living sacrifice. Thank You for burying our sins in Your body.

Thank You for the shedding of Your blood which is our atonement. Thank You for Your reconciling work on the cross that brings us to God. O Lord, we would partake of You with all our hearts as we partake of this meal.

Thank You, Father. Amen.