Jul 25
13
Old Testament Reading: Jeremiah 31:31–34
“Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the LORD. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”” (Jeremiah 31:31–34, ESV)
New Testament Reading: Luke 22:14-20
“And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. And he said to them, ‘I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.’ And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, ‘Take this, and divide it among yourselves. For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.’ And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, ‘This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.’” (Luke 22:14–20, ESV)
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Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church, but without the benefit of proofreading.
Introduction
It was a joy to preach on Luke 22:1-23 last Sunday. In that passage, we learned of the wicked preparations that Judas made to betray Jesus and to deliver him into the hands of his enemies, the holy preparations that Jesus made to celebrate the last Passover with his disciples, Jesus’ faithful observance of the last Passover with his disciples, the institution of the Lord’s Supper, and finally, Jesus’ prediction that one of his own would betray him. You may remember that in that sermon, I said we would come back to this passage to give special attention to the institution of the holy ordinance of the Lord’s Supper, and that is what we will do today.
As you know, the Lord’s Supper, or Holy Communion, is a central feature of New Covenant worship and the life of the New Covenant community. Where does the church gather to hear the Word of God read and preached, to sing and to pray, and to commune with God and with one another, except around the Lord’s Table? Given its great and central importance, it is good and right for us to pay careful attention to its institution. The New Testament has a lot to say about the Lord’s Supper, but Luke 22:19-20 is foundational, for here the Lord’s Supper is instituted, that is, established for the first time.
In this sermon, I will raise several questions about the Supper and attempt to answer them in the hopes that we, as a congregation, will have a better understanding of this sacrament and a greater appreciate for it as one of the outward and ordinary means that Christ uses to sanctify and sustain his people in this New Covenant era.
Here are the main questions on my mind: Who is the author of this ordinance, when was it instituted, and for what era or time? What are the elements to be used, and what do they signify? Who is to administer this ordinance, and how? Who is to receive this ordinance, and how? When is this ordinance to be observed, and for what purpose, end, or goal?
Let us now briefly explore these questions together. We will only consider the first two today. The others will need to wait until next Sunday.
Who Is The Author Of This Ordinance, When Was It Instituted, And For What Era Or Time?
First of all, who is the author or originator of this ordinance? Answer: The Lord Jesus Christ.
Our confession of faith draws attention to this fact in its opening statement on the ordinances of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. 2LCF 28.1, says, “Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are ordinances of positive and sovereign institution, appointed by the Lord Jesus, the only lawgiver, to be continued in his church to the end of the world.”
What is an ordinance? It is something that has been ordered or commanded.
What does our confession mean when it says that Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are ordinances of a positive institution? It means that these laws were added to the moral law when the New Covenant began.
And what does our confession mean when it calls the Lord’s Supper a sovereign institution? It means these laws were added by a great, powerful, and sovereign King. Who is that King? Christ Jesus is the King. He is the King of God’s eternal Kingdom. And these ordinances—Baptism and the Lord’s Supper— were instituted by him.
Notice the authority of Christ in our text. When he instituted the Lord’s Supper, he simply issued this command, “Do this in remembrance of me.” Friends, Moses did not speak with this kind of authority when the positive laws associated with Old Covenant worship were revealed through him. Moses received those laws from God before he delivered them to the people. And listen to how the Apostle Paul speaks about the Lord’s Supper. To the church in Corinth he wrote, “For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 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’”, etc. (1 Corinthians 11:23–24, ESV). The point is this: The Lord Jesus Christ did not receive instructions about the ordinance of the Lord’s Supper from anyone. He spoke with an authority all his own. Our confession is right: “Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are ordinances of positive and sovereign institution, appointed by the Lord Jesus, the only lawgiver, to be continued in his church to the end of the world.”
This is a very significant observation. The Lord Jesus Christ, the Anointed King of God’s eternal Kingdom, instituted the Lord’s Supper and commanded that his disciples do this in remembrance of him. Those who love Jesus will be eager to obey this command, as Christ has said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15, ESV). In another place, Jesus rebukes those who claim to love him but do not keep his commandments, saying, “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?” (Luke 6:46, ESV). Indeed, abiding in Christ’s love involves keeping his commandments. As Christ says in John 15:10, “If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love” (John 15:10, ESV). Dear friends, one of the things that Christ has commanded his disciples is to do is to observe the Lord’s Supper. “Do this in remembrance of me.” And yet so many professing Christians today neglect this Holy ordinance.
Who is the author or originator of this ordinance? Jesus Christ the Lord. And when was this ordinance instituted or established as law? On the night that Jesus was betrayed, the night before the day of his crucifixion.
The Lord’s Supper was indeed anticipated and prefigured long before in the days of Abraham and Melchizadek. In Genesis 14:17, we read, “After [Abraham’s] return from the defeat of… the kings… the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley). And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.) And he blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth…” (Genesis 14:17–19, ESV). Isn’t it interesting that Melchizedek, the priest-king who was a type of the Christ to come, blessed Abraham while breaking bread and drinking wine? Indeed, we may say that the Lord’s Supper was anticipated and prefigured in this event, but it was not yet an instituted ordinance.
And we may also see that the Lord’s Supper was anticipated in the words that Christ spoke to the multitude in the wilderness earlier in his ministry. In John 6:51-56, we hear Christ say, ‘I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.’ The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, ‘How can this man give us his flesh to eat?’ So Jesus said to them, ‘truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him’” (John 6:51-56, ESV). Clearly, eating the flesh of Christ and drinking the blood of Christ is not to be taken literally. It symbolizes the reception of him by faith—we feed upon Christ and drink of Christ by the mouth of faith. Certainly, the Lord’s Supper was hinted at and anticipated when Christ spoke these words. But the Lord’s Supper was not instituted, ordered, or ordained until Christ broke the bread, distributed the cup, and spoke to his disciples, saying, “Do this in remembrance of me”, on the night he was betrayed.
It is interesting to note that just as the Passover feast was instituted on the night before the Hebrews were delivered from Egyptian bondage, and not afterward, so too the Lord’s Supper was instituted on the night before the accomplishment of our redemption through death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. In other words, the institution of the Passover (Exodus 12:1-28) and the institution of the Lord’s Supper predated the events they would signify. And this was to show these these great acts of redemption were according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God.
When was this ordinance instituted or established as law? On the night Jesus was betrayed, the night before the day of his crucifixion. And how long is this ordinance to be observed? Our Confession is correct. It is to be observed by God’s people until the end of the world. This is stated directly by the Apostle Paul in the words, “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” (1 Corinthians 11:26, ESV). The Lord’s Supper is to be observed by followers of Christ until he comes, that is to say, throughout the entirety of this New Covenant era.
What Are The Elements To Be Used And What Do They Signify?
We’ve considered my first set of questions: Who is the author of this ordinance, when was it instituted, and for what era or time? Now we will turn our attention to the elements. What are the elements to be used in the Lord’s Supper, and what do they signify?
The elements to be used are bread and wine. Luke 22:19 says, “And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them…” (Luke 22:19, ESV). And Luke 22:20 says, “And likewise the cup after they had eaten… (Luke 22:20, ESV). What was in the cup? The fruit of the vine was in the cup (see verse 22:18), that is to say, wine.
The more that I think about it, it is a strange thing that so many churches today have changed one of the elements of the Supper from wine to grape juice. Granted, both wine and grape juice come from the vine. Granted, both have the appearance of blood. And yes, I do understand that some within the church might have personal convictions never to touch alcohol. With these things in mind, if a church serves grape juice instead of wine, or if a church makes juice available to those with the convictions just mentioned, I cannot bring myself to charge them with sin. Nevertheless, it seems odd to alter the elements. What was in the cup that Jesus served? Wine was in the cup. I will not take the time to prove that wine was in the cup, nor will I talk about the use of wine throughout the Bible and its symbolism. There is a little book written by a man named G.I. Williamson, entitled Wine in the Bible and the Church. I’m afraid it’s out of print. You can probably find a digital version online for free. It’s excellent. Perhaps the easiest way to prove that wine was used to celebrate the Supper in the early church is to consider the rebuke that Paul delivered to the church in Corinth, saying, “When you come together, it is not the Lord’s supper that you eat. For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk” (1 Corinthians 11:20–21, ESV). How would some of the members in the church of Corinth get drunk when assembled together if wine were not present? Clearly it was. Paul’s solution to the problem was not to change the elements from wine to juice, but to rebuke the Corinthian church for their sin.
When Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper, he distributed bread and wine. What color was the wine? Given that it represented the shed blood of Christ, it must have been red. And what kind of bread did Christ serve? He served unleavened bread—bread that was flat because it was free from a leavening agent which would cause it to rise— for that was the only kind of bread available to him. Christ instituted the Lord’s Supper while eating the Passover with his disciples, remember. And one of the things God commanded the Jews to do while celebrating Passover was to rid their homes of all leaven.
We serve unleavened bread when observing the Lord’s Supper. But if you were to visit other churches, even in our association, you would find that some serve leavened bread. And if you were to ask them, why do you serve leavened bread and not unleavened bread? I think they would answer you like this: the Scripturers say that Christ broke bread and distributed it to his disciples. True, unleavened bread was the only kind of bread available to him as he ate the Passover. But this does not mean that unleavened bread must be used. Bread is to be used. And either leavened or unleavened bread will do. This is the argument you will find in John Gill’s, Body Of Doctrinal And Practical Divinity (page 917), and I respect it. Nevertheless, I do appreciate the symbolism of unleavened bread.
Leaven symbolizes sin. And in 1 Corinthians 5:6-8, Paul uses this symbolism while speaking to New Covenant Christians, saying, “Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth” (1 Corinthians 5:6–8, ESV). I’ll admit that Paul may have been using the unleavened bread that was used in the Old Covenant Passover to illustrate his point, but it seems reasonable to me to assume that unleavened bread was being used by the church in Corinth while celabreating the festivle of the Lord’s Supper, and so Paul used this to illustrate his point. “Cleanse out the old leaven”, church. Turn from your sins personally and corporately, and walk in holiness.
What are the elements to be used in the Lord’s Supper? Bread and wine. And what do they signify?
The broken bread signifies the body of Christ that was broken for his people. The cup symbolizes his blood poured out for the remission of sins. Notice, the cup also stands for the entire New Covenant—“This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood” (Luke 22:20, ESV).
As you may know, there has been no small debate between the Roman Catholics and Protestants over the question, what did Christ mean when he said, this is my body and “this is my blood.” Rome teaches the doctrine of transubstantiation. According to them, the words of Christ are to be taken very literally. When Christ said, “This is my body”, he meant that the bread was actually transformed into the flesh of Christ, and when he said, “This… is the new covenant in my blood”, the wine was transformed into the blood of Christ. And they imagine that this happens every time Holy Communion is served when the priest pronounces his blessing over the elements.
This is not our view. Our confession of faith explicitly and firmly rejects the doctrine of transubstantiation in 30.6, saying, “That doctrine which maintains a change of the substance of bread and wine, into the substance of Christ’s body and blood, commonly called transubstantiation, by consecration of a priest, or by any other way, is repugnant not to Scripture alone, but even to common sense and reason, overthrows the nature of the ordinance, and hath been, and is, the cause of manifold superstitions, yea, of gross idolatries.”
So then, what did Christ mean by the word “is” in the phrase, “This is my body”, and “This… is the new covenant in my blood.” Clearly, he meant that the elements represent, symbolize, or signify his body and blood. His disciples would have understood this clearly, for they could see the body of Christ there in front of them, whole and intact. They could see that his blood was not poured into the cup for them to drink. They could distinguish between the body of Christ and the bread, and the blood that ran through his veins, and the wine. When they are the bread, that is what they taste—bread! And when they drank the wine, they tasted wine.
The Protestants were right to reject the superstitious and idolatrous doctrine of transubstantiation. But another question arose and eventually divided the Lutherans, the Zwinglians, and the Reformed. The question is this: Is Christ in any way present in the Supper? The Zwiglians (those who followed Ulrich Zwingli) said no. Christ’s body and blood are merely symbolized or represented by the elements, and we merely remember the death of Christ when we partake. While the Lutherans (following Martin Luther) denied the Roman doctrine of transubstantiation (they confessed that bread was still bread and the wine was still wine), they insisted that the physical body and blood of Christ are somehow really present with the elements. This view is called consubstantiation. But the Reformers, following Calvin, insist that, though Christ is not present in the Supper bodily—for his body is in heaven and is not omnipresent or divisible — Christ is really present in the Supper. He is present, not according to his human nature, but according to his divine nature, and through the agency of the Holy Spirit he has poured out.
This is our view. In 2LCF 30.7, we confess that, “Worthy receivers, outwardly partaking of the visible elements in this ordinance, do then also inwardly by faith, really and indeed, yet not carnally and corporally [in a fleshly way], but spiritually receive, and feed upon Christ crucified, and all the benefits of his death; the body and blood of Christ being then not corporally or carnally, but spiritually present to the faith of believers in that ordinance, as the elements themselves are to their outward senses.”
Is the Lord’s Supper a memorial? Is it a time to remember Christ crucified? Yes, of course! “Do this in remembrance of me”, Christ said. But it is also more than a memorial, and this is made clear in other Scripture texts. That Christ is really present in the Supper is made clear in 1 Corinthians 10:16-17, wherein Paul says, “The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation [communion, or sharing] in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation [communion, or sharing] in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread” (1 Corinthians 10:16–17, ESV). This text is clear. When we partake of the Supper we enjoy fellowship or communion with Christ and with one another through our shared union with him. The question is, what is the nature of this participation or fellowship we enjoy. Is it a carnal, fleshly participation? In other words, do we actually eat the substance of the body and drink the substance of the blood of Christ (as those who belive in transubstantiation and consubstantiation believe)? Or is it a spiritual fellowship that we enjoy? We say it must be spiritual, for the body of Christ is in heaven, and it is a true (albiet glorified) human body that he has. It cannot be divided and dispersed throughout the world so that believers may partake of it. And when we eat the bread and drink the cup, the substance we consume is bread, not flesh, and wine, not blood—this should plain and clear to all who have the senses of sight, taste, touch, and smell functioning. Furthermore, when Christ promised to be with his people always after his ascension, he was clear that, though he would go away from us bodily, he would be with us spiritually according to his divine nature and through the agency of the Helper that he would send forth, the Holy Spirit of promise (see John 14:8-31).
Here is the takeaway: The elements of the Lord’s Supper are bread and wine. They signify or symbolize Christ’s broken body and shed blood. By these elements, we are helped to remeber Christ’s atoning sacrifice. When we see the bread broken, it helps us to remember that Christ’s body was broken for us—he was crushed for our iniquities. And when we see the read wine in the cup, it helps us to remember that Jesus’s blood was poored out to atone for the sins of those given to him by the Father in eternity (see John 17). More than this, when we, as believers, partake of these visible elements by faith, we confess that we do “also inwardly by faith, really and indeed, yet not carnally and corporally, but spiritually receive, and feed upon Christ crucified, and all the benefits of his death…”(2LCF 30.7). In other words, God’s people do really enjoy communion or fellowship with Christ and when they partake of the Supper. It is a part of what it means to abide in him. And God’s people also enjoy communion or fellowship with one another at the Lord’s Table, for we are united together in Christ Jesus. When we commune with Christ, we also commune with one another.
I do believe I will return to this idea that the Lord’s Supper is more than a memorial, and that it is, in fact, a means of grace to us—a conduit of sorts, whereby the benefits of Christ’s death and ressurection are delivered to God’s people— in the second sermon I preach on this topic. For now, let it be clear that while what eat is bread and what we drink is wine, by faith God’s people do trully feast upon Christ Jesus when they observe the New Covenant festival that Christ the Lord has ordained.
Conclusion
I’ll conclude this sermon with a few contemplations or suggestions for application.
First of all, if you love Christ and have him as your Lord and King, you will be eager to obey what he has ordained or commanded. “Do this in remeberance of me”, is not a suggestion, it is a command. And yet so many who profess faith in Christ and claim to love him, neglect this holy ordinance. Brothers and sisters, do not neglect the Lord’s Supper. Do not forsake the assembly wherein the Lord’s Supper is served (without good reason). And if you assemble, do not forsake that portion of the worship service wherein the Supper is eaten (without good reason). Come to the Table, friends, and, by faith, commune with the Christ you love.
Secondly, when you come to the Table, be sure to come in a worthly manner. By this we mean, come by faith, with understanding, having confessed and turned from known sin, and with thankfulness in your hearts to God. I do hope that this sermon and the one to follow will help you to come to the Table with a greater understanding and appreciation for what it is that we do when we partake of the bread and the cup—trully, we feast upon Christ! This is why the Apostle issued this warning: “Whoever… eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world” (1 Corinthians 11:27–32, ESV). What does Paul mean when he warns that we must not fail to discern the body? He means to that we must not fail to discern and distingnish between “ordinary and common bread, and that bread which is the representation of the Lord’s body, [and to eat] the one as carelessly, and with as little preparation and regard to what he [deos], as he [uses] the other” (Matthew Poole’s commentary on 1 Cor. 11:29). Come worthiliy to the Table, brothers and sisters. If you have faith in Christ Jesus, you must come. It is not a suggestion from our Lord, but a command. To neglect the Supper is to live in disobedience to the King. But be sure to come worthily. Discern the body and blood of Christ as spiritually present in these elements that are set apart for a holy use, and prepare to come. Come by faith, with understanding, having confessed and turned from known sin, and with thankfulness in your hearts to God for the salvation that is yours in Christ Jesus.
Thirdly, we as a congregation, and especially the pastors or elders of the church, must be diligent to teach Christians how to properly obserbve the Lord’s Supper. That this is to be of concern to us is made clear in the Great Commission. After his resurrection and before his ascension, Christ spoke to the Apostles, saying, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:18–20, ESV). No doubt, many things are included in the phrase, “teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you”, but the Lord’s Supper is certainly one of those things. The Apostles are dead and gone. Now it is the mission of the local church to preach the gospel to all nations, to baptize those who make a credible profession of faith, and to teach these to observe all that Christ has commanded, including the faithful and worthly observance of the Lord’s Supper. May the Lord help us and may we be found faithful.
