Matt 17
9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed them, “Don’t tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”
I have a simple word as we prepare for the Lord’s Supper. Jesus is not dead. We don’t carry around a dead Jesus on our backs. We don’t proclaim a Jesus who is still nailed and hanging on a cross.
He has been raised. He is resurrected. He did battle with Satan and death and won. Jesus is our Victor. We can’t be flippant when it comes to the Lord’s Supper. He died for our sins. We need to repent and be grateful for the finished work of Christ.
However, we also don’t have to be overly somber. He is victorious. He has overcome. Our faith is not one of remembering a deceased ancestor or leader. Our faith is a living faith because Jesus is living. He is standing on God’s right hand and he is reigning with him. And he will one day come and extend his reign on earth.
As you partake in the Lord’s Supper, meditate on the power of the resurrection. We need to meditate on it far more. Easter is not enough. We are imbalanced. We talk way more about his death than we do His resurrection. Let’s bring a sense of worship into our communion. Let’s change our vocabulary. Let’s change our tone. Let’s change our atmosphere. From one of somber repentance to more of a joyous, victorious celebration.
I am going to ask Brother Jae to come forward and stand facing the congregation. As you come forward to partake in the Lord’s Supper, the two of us are going to pray for you silently because it is our commitment as elders to serve you and to lead this congregation first and foremost through the teaching of the Word and through prayer.
We are going to ask you to come forward twice. First, I will invite you to come forward to receive the bread and you are free to take it whenever you are finished praying on your own. This is to stress the individual aspect of the Lord’s Supper. Christ died for you. Second, I will ask you to come forward a second time to receive the cup and this time, I ask that you wait until everyone has been served and we will take the cup altogether. This is to stress the corporate aspect of the Lord’s Supper. Christ died for us, His body.
Before we partake in the Lord’s Supper, Paul advises us to examine our hearts.
28 A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup.
We can’t partake without first examining our hearts. If there is unconfessed sin in your heart, I ask you to refrain from partaking.
Christians are all welcome to come forward. If you are not a committed member of a church, however, I would encourage you to commit here or somewhere else. Otherwise, you will not get the full impact of what the Lord’s Supper represents. Because we are gathered as believers who represent the body of Christ. And our participation in the body is demonstrated by our commitment to a local body of brothers and sisters. If you don’t yet believe in Jesus as your personal Savior and Lord, I would ask you to refrain from partaking in Communion because this ordinance has no meaning for you.
Let me read starting from the second half of v23 —
The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.”
Let’s spend some time in prayer – about 1-2 minutes. When you have finished praying, come forward and take the bread back to your seat. And when you are ready, please take it individually as a symbol of Christ’s forgiveness given to you personally.
You can come forward using either aisle. Let’s pray.
If you haven’t come forward to take the bread already, please come forward at this time. [TAKE BREAD]
Now is the time we invite you to come forward for the cup. This time, I ask everyone to take the cup and wait at their seat until everyone has been served. Then, as a symbol of our corporate unity, we will take it together so please hold on to the cup and wait for everyone to be served. You may come forward. [TAKE CUP]
25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
You may take the cup. Closing prayer.