Word of Life Korea SYME Discipleship Topics



Week 23: BAPTISM & LORD'S SUPPER

How Should We Remember
the Lord's Supper?

1 Corinthians 11:23-34
OTHER DISCIPLESHIP TOPICS

01. Assurance of Salvation
02. Quiet Time
03. Prayer
04. The Church
05. Temptation
06. Evangelism
07. Scripture Memory
08. Godliness/Christlikeness
09. Old Testament Survey
10. Bible Study
11. Follow Up
12. The Tongue
13. Theology 1
14. Money
15. Christian Family
16. World Missions
17. Personal Testimony
18. Will of God
19. Self Image
20. Christian Growth
21. Spiritual Gifts
22. Theology 2
23. Baptism & Lord's Supper
      The Lord's Supper
      I Pledge Allegiance
      Baptism's Important Thing
24. Cults
25. New Testament Survey
26. Lordship of Christ
27. Forgiveness
28. Theology 3
29. Spiritual Warfare
30. Servanthood
31. Discipleship
32. Faithfulness

OTHER BIBLE MESSAGES
A new young navy officer was given an opportunity to show his skill with the ship. He took charge and got everybody doing their job quickly and effectively. Soon, the ship had left and was going out into the ocean. He had set a new record for getting the ship out into the water so quickly. Another seaman came to him with a message from the captain. He was, however, surprised to find that it was a radio message, and he was even more surprised when he heard, "My personal congratulations upon completing your preparation exercise according to the rules and with amazing speed. In your speed, however, you forgot one of the most important things. Make sure the captain is on the ship before your leave."

Today our subject is the Lord's Supper. The main purpose of the Lord Supper is to remember the Lord, to not forget Jesus. In the early church each week they would bring food and eat a meal together. They called this the Agape or Love Feast. At the end of this meal they celebrated the Lord's Supper. Jesus started this practice. Paul tells us about it in 1 Corinthians 11 . The Lord's Supper causes us (1) to look back, (2) to look ahead, (3) to look in and (4) to look around.

1. LOOK BACK (11:23-25)
A. To the Passover.
In the Old Testament after the Jews had been slaves in Egypt for 400 years Moses went to Pharaoh and said, "Let my people go." Pharaoh said, "No" and one by one God sent plagues. For the last plague, the tenth, the Lord came through and in every house that did not have blood around the door the firstborn son was killed. Can you imagine that night in Egypt when the firstborn son in every house died? But in Israel every family believed God and they obeyed what He said. They put the blood on the top and sides of the door. And when the angel of the Lord saw the blood he passed over the door. And that is where the word "passover" comes from. Every year after that the Jewish people celebrated the Passover. That is what Jesus was celebrating in 1 Corinthians 11:23-25.


1 Corinthians
 11:23-25		 "For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, 'Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.' In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.'"

B. To the Crucifixion. When Jesus referred to the bread by saying, "This is my body" and to the cup and said, "This is my blood" what did He mean? Were the bread and the juice the literal body and blood of Jesus? In John 6 Jesus said, "I am the bread." In John 10 Jesus said, "I am the door." In John 15 Jesus said, "I am the vine."

If I came to you and said, "Would you like to see my wife and children?" and then showed you pictures of them you wouldn't say, "That's not your wife and children. That's only a picture of them." We would both understand what I meant. When Jesus picked up the bread and juice and said, "This is my body and blood." He was physically right there with them. Just as a picture helps me to remember my family we observe the Lord's Supper to help us remember what Jesus did on the cross of Calvary.

Why do we celebrate the Lord's Supper? Verses 24 and  25 give us the first reason. Jesus said we are to "do this in remembrance of Me." Jesus did not ask us to remember His birthday but He did ask us to remember His death. We are to remember how He was whipped and beaten, how they put a crown of thorns on His head. We are to remember how they nailed Jesus to the cross. We are to remember how He gave His life for us so that we would have forgiveness from our sins. But we are also to remember that three days later Jesus came out of the grave. The first reason we celebrate the Lord's Supper is to look back and remember what Jesus did for us.

2. LOOK AHEAD (11:26)
Verse 26 gives us the second reason.


1 Corinthians
11:26		 "For every time you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes."

This is not only a time we quietly remember His death it is a time we verbalize or testify or proclaim His death.

How often should we do this? The Bible does not tell us how often to do it. But the example of the early church was they did it every Sunday. Acts 20:7 tells how on "the first day of the week" "the disciples came together to break bread." And Acts 2:42 says they "continued steadfastly in this." It was the practice of the New Testament church to "break bread" every Sunday. They did it often. And we should keep doing this until He comes.

3. LOOK IN (11:27-32)
How should we observe the Lord's Supper? Before you take the bread and the cup what should you do? I would like to share three things we should do.

A. "Give Thanks": When Jesus began the Lord's Supper, before He gave the bread and drink for His disciples to eat, He "gave thanks" (11:24). This is a memorial service to remember what Jesus did on the cross for us. So it is natural that our first response is to sincerely thank Him for dying for us.

B. "Examine Yourself": Sin is the reason that Jesus' body was broken and His blood was shed. So "whoever eats or drinks in an unworthy manner" is taking what represents the cleansing blood of Christ into a life with unconfessed sin. If you are a Christian and have sin in your life, before you take the bread and the cup, bow your head first and with a sincere heart confess your sins to God. Tell Him you were wrong, ask for His help, commit to not do the same sins again. God says we need to "examine ourselves."

4. LOOK AROUND (11:33-34)
C. "Wait on One Another": Verse 33 tells us to "wait on one another." In the early church they passed a big loaf of unleavened bread around through the congregation. Each believer would break off a piece for himself. The small piece each held in his hand represented the truth that Christ died for each individual. The large loaf showed that we as Christians are all one body and that we are to be involved in the lives of one another. The Scripture has a lot to say about us being involved in the lives of one another. John 13:34 says, "Love one another." Galatians 5:13 says "Serve one another." Galatians 6:2 says "bear one another's burdens." Ephesians 4:32 says, "Forgiving one another." 1 Thessalonians 4:18 says "Comfort one anothe." And 1 Thessalonians 5:11 says "Edify one another."

We need to look back and remember what Jesus did. Then look ahead to Jesus' return. Look inside ourselves and give thanks to God and confess our sin. And we need to look around and get involved in the lives of one another.


by Steve Nicholes

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