Please read Matthew 26:26-29; Mark 14:22-25; Luke 22:19-20; Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 11:23-29; and 1 Corinthians 10:16. Every point made in this article will be from one of these passages.

The Lord’s Supper is a communion. (1 Corinthians 10:16) The bread is a communion with the body of Christ and the cup is a communion with the blood of Christ. It is our fellowship with Christ.

The Lord’s Supper is a proclamation. It proclaims His life (Matthew 16:26), His death (1 Corinthians 11:26), His mission (Luke 19:10), and His coming (1 Corinthians 11:26). It proclaims that His kingdom is established (Matthew 26:29). It proclaims that He has not come the second time (1 Corinthians 11:26). It proclaims that we are under the new covenant (Matthew 26:28). It also proclaims our faith and love for Him.

The Lord’s Supper is a memorial. Memory is a great factor. Manmade memorials fade away, but Christ has given us a memorial that will not fade away. Man’s greatest danger is to forget God. “Can a virgin forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire? yet my people have forgotten me days without number.” (Jeremiah 2:32). The Lord’s Supper is not an emblem or a representative. It is a memorial – “This do in remembrance of me.”

The Lord’s Supper is an anticipation. (1Corinthians 11:26) “Till I come.” Thus, the Supper is a monument to His coming. Therefore, when we partake the Supper, we must be thinking about His death and His promise to come to receive the faithful to Himself. Else, we eat and drink damnation to ourselves. (1 Corinthians 11:27, 29).

In view of all this, we see that we must partake discerningly (1 Corinthians 11:27-29), reverently, and regularly (Acts 20:7).

We often hear one that serves at the table pray for Jesus to bless the bread. He has already done that (Matthew 26:26). Rather, we should be praying that He bless us as we partake.

The prayer of thanks at the table should be just that. We often hear one pray for some good things, but never thank the Lord for the bread or cup. I have made this point in a number of sermons at Benchley. Brethren, when at the table, please remember to thank the Lord for the bread in memorial of this body and the cup in memorial of His blood. And please center your prayer on this. When one prays for other things at the table, he centers his and others’ thoughts on other things. This is a serious matter. When we let our thoughts be on other things, we eat and drink damnation to ourselves. Surely, we do not want our prayer at the table to do that.

Brethren, please sincerely answer these questions.

What about the one who plans a trip on Sunday and misses the Supper?

What about the one who goes hunting and takes along some bread and grape juice and stops long enough to “partake”?

What about ones who go on a trip to the holy land and take along some elements and take ship-side communion?

In short, what about one who deliberately misses the local church Supper and makes some kind – any kind – of arrangements to take some bread and grape juice and call it the Lord’s Supper? Then answer this question: When one does any of these, is he/she putting the Lord first?

Mike Fleming, who used to be an elder here, has planned many trips to the holy land. But he has always planned the trip so that the ones on the trip could be with a local church on Sunday and take the Supper with a local church. When one goes on a holy land trip and does not so plan the trip, he is not putting the Lord first.

Over forty-five years ago, I saw the following from Jerry Ray. I borrow it from him to close this study.

The Lord’s Supper looks:

• Inward – examine self
• Outward – shows faith to Jesus and others.
• Backward – to Jesus’ death
• Upward – to our King and Savior
• Forward – to His coming

Jesse Jenkins

[Note: We had some technical difficulties with the microphone during this class, so I have edited this audio to remove the dead spots in the recording. -MRW]

Introduction

• Acts 24:25

It leads us toward wonderful outcomes.

• Titus 2:11-14 – We must deny ourselves.
• Luke 9:23
• Jesus had perfect self-control. He is the ultimate example.
• I Corinthians 9:23-27 – Paul also showed tremendous self-control. His self-control gave him the opportunity to do much greater things.
• II Peter 2:14, 18-19 – The false teachers were denying the need for self-control.
• Self-control is more likely than talent to lead to success. Even secular research shows the benefits of self-control.
• You never outgrow your need for self-control.

We can exercise and develop it like a muscle.

• Peter developed enough self-control to be qualified as an elder.
• Galatians 5:22-25 – Self-control is a choice.
• II Peter 1:5-8 – These qualities must increase in our lives.
• Secular research shows that building self-control in one area of your life helps build self-control in other areas also.
• We can help our children exercise self-control by giving them opportunities to do so.

Introduction

• Ephesians 4:14-15

“Contrary to sound teaching” (I Timothy 1:10)

• I Timothy 1:8-10 – Homosexuality is contrary to God’s law.
• Sinful people especially need God’s law to guide them.
• Mark 2:17
• Homosexuality was a common sin in Paul’s day.
• We have all committed sin. We all need God’s grace.
• I Timothy 1:12-14
• We should not look down our noses at other people because we are all guilty of sin.
• Luke 18:9-14
• Just because we all sin doesn’t mean that any sin is okay.
• The reason Christians come out so strongly against this sin is because the world puts such a spotlight on it.
• Matthew 16:24; Colossians 3:5; I Peter 4:3; I Corinthians 7:11; I Timothy 1:10

“Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord” (I Corinthians 1:31)

• I Corinthians 1:25-31 – No one may boast before God.
• Sometimes the attitude about the sin is just as bad as the sin itself.
• I Corinthians 5:1-6
• Romans 1:26-27, 32 – Homosexuality is clearly wrong. Giving approval of homosexuality is also wrong! Compare Acts 8:1.
• Romans 6:23 – Sin causes spiritual death.
• II Timothy 3:1-5
• I John 2:16

“Such were some of you; but you were washed” (I Corinthians 6:11)

• I Corinthians 6:9-11 – The church in Corinth was made up of people who had put away all these sins.
• Whatever sin you are drawn to, God loves you!

II Corinthians 7

• II Corinthians 7:2 – Possibly, Paul had been charged with taking advantage of them in taking up a collection. See also II Corinthians 11:20; 1:3-4
• II Corinthians 7:5 – This could be describing the anxiety Paul had for the state of the Christians in Achaia and how they responded to his last letter.
• II Corinthians 7:8 – Paul’s rebuke caused them sorrow, but he did not regret it once he saw the way they handled it. He did not like rebuking them at the time, though.
• II Corinthians 7:9-10 – Godly grief causes repentance, which leads to a life with a clean conscience.
• II Corinthians 7:12 – This is an extended not-but passage. Paul did write I Corinthians for the sake of both the offender and offended, but that was not his primary purpose.
• II Corinthians 7:14 – Paul had boasted to Titus about the Corinthians and was validated in that boasting.

Introduction

• Matthew 25:31-46

“He will separate them”

• Matthew 25:31-33
• We need to live like we know the judgment is coming!
• Hebrews 9:27
• Matthew 12:26 – This will be an exacting judgment!
• Acts 10:40-43
• Am I ready to meet the judge?

“you did it to Me”

• Matthew 25:37-40
• This is not a comprehensive list of how to serve God. But these are things Jesus cares about!
• These are all relatively easy things to do. We can’t be so afraid that we can’t do something big that we end up doing nothing at all.

“you did not do it to Me”

• Matthew 25:42-45 – These are sins of omission.
• Matthew 25:18, 26-30 – The one talent man did wrong by doing nothing.
• I Timothy 5:16
• Do I assist a needy widow when I should?
• Let us not be guilty of failing to act.

“the eternal fire”

• Matthew 25:33, 41, 46 – This is Jesus saying what’s going to happen.
• Jesus did not shy away from talking about hell:
  • Matthew 5:22, 29, 30
  • Matthew 10:28
  • Matthew 12:37, 41, 42
  • Matthew 13:41-42, 49-50
  • Matthew 18:8, 9
  • Matthew 23:15, 33