Three Perspectives of the Lord's Table

I prayed and thought about what to do on this large table service and rather than return to Revelation, which would've lent itself for our time around the table. I thought it best tonight to bring a very conspicuous focus to what the table the Lord is.

So that's what I want to do tonight is believers. We gather around the Lord's table and we do that in obedience to the commandment of Scripture.

There are two ordinances that Christ is given to his church and only two the Lord's table and believers baptism.

Now when we say ordinance and ordinances different than a tradition different than a ritual in that it is a ceremony commanded by Jesus Christ to be permanently practiced by the church so to ordinances believers baptism and the Lord's table. We practice believers baptism by immersion as a testimony of God's saving grace, and the formal uniting with the local body of believers. That's how people come into the church of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord's table is observed by believers in fellowship. As a celebration of the sacrifice of Christ on behalf of sinners, so both of these ordinances are for believers. Both are vitally important.

Baptism obviously is to be observed once although we baptize people who been baptized before for various sundry reasons, but typically, baptism is observed only once, but the Lord's table is an ongoing perpetual observance in our text first Corinthians chapter 11 verse 25 Paul's remembering the words of Christ 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 as often as and that phrase implies frequent repetitive observance so to ordinances both instituted by Christ both commanded to be observed by Jesus Christ, and therefore both vitally important.

So as we think about this tonight I'd like for us to think about three directions were gonna think about the past were going to think about the present and were going to think about the future and get ourselves oriented. In those three realms around the Lord's table. Let me give you those three points number one the Lord's table is a helpful reminder of the past. Number two.

It is an active participation in the present and it is in anticipating hope concerning the future past, present and future.

And as we go to the text in first Corinthians 11. It's obvious that we are directed to something that is occurred in the past, the Lord's table calls us to reflective remembrance of the past when we read again. Verse 23 and 24, 25, Paul says, 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 is often as you drink it in remembrance of me. It is a remembrance of the Lord as we think about the Lord's table. We are looking back and we are remembering our Lord in something very particular that he did for us. Were not remembering him as an example were not remembering him is in his teaching. We are remembering him and he is what in his death, we are remembering him in his death, so is in relationship to the bread and the cup that we are to remember him which combined signify his death in the ordinance, you can't remember him without remembering his death the bread and the cup are symbols. The bread is what the symbol of his body. He said this is my body, this bread represents my body is physical body that he came to this earth with two live out the life that God instructed him to live out in obedience to the law and his sacrificial death on behalf of sinners, so when a believer comes to the Lord's table. He remembers Christ and he remembers his finished work on the cross and it is in their that the body of Jesus Christ secures our eternal redemption.

I want you to notice a preposition in verse 24 that's critical. He says in relationship to the bread take eight.

This is my body which is broken for four you it's for you. And whenever we see that word for used in reference to Christ's death.

It's expressing two things to expressing number one atonement, his death on our behalf, or its expression expressing substitution.

His death in our place. Those two ideas, atonement and substitution.

He died for you for us for his own to an amazing thing we think about what our Savior was willing to do for us.

We ought never get over it and it's times like this where we just pause and think and meditate and dwell upon those realities deepens our affection for him deepens our wonder of God's love for sinners in this wonderful redemption that we have that's been secured for us and it could've been secured for snow other way.

That's what's critical about it. So were to look back were to reflect on the past and were looking a long way back looking back to millennium plus to the cross of Calvary. Some people when they think about their salvation.

They don't look far enough back. A lot of folks have been taught in been instructed to look back at a time when they made a decision when they prayed a prayer when they believed on the Lord Jesus Christ. And although that's all critical and important the Lord's table doesn't direct us to that the Lord's table directs us back to Calvary back to the cross of our Savior. We must never overlook this important reality that the ground of our profession is what Jesus and his blood he giveth me possession of ever lasting Lord's table. It is a reflective look in the past, but it's more than that more than a look backwards. It's an active participation in the present and active participation in the present notice with me. Verse 26 says for as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim stop there. You proclaim talking about an active participation in the present participation number one in proclamation using we come to church where expecting one person to do the proclaiming and the rest of us to do the hearing and responding. But in the Lord's table. We are all proclaimers we are proclaiming the Lord's death. Perhaps it may be a new thought to some of you, but it is something that we enter into corporately.

We are corporately making the proclamation we are in a sense, reenacting the gospel. These elements, they are reminders of Christ in his shed blood of the Lord's table was a remembrance is for our sake. But it's also a proclamation for the world sake is good for us to come together and enter into this joint corporate proclamation nest whites only for believers. By the way, because only believers are able to participate in that and proclaim that message. So the Lord's table is a it's a it's a dramatization of the gospel. It's a vivid representing of the gospel that God is come to us in Christ in has redeemed us by Christ's sacrificial death. So the Lord's table is an active participation in the present. You become an active participant. You're not a passive observer, we assume a passive posture when we come to a preaching service, but the Lord's table is an active participation again for as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, chloro proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. So it is a proclamation's with the Lord's table is a dramatization of the gospel. What purpose does it serve to be an active participant in the drama well there's a couple of things that I thought about one it's in aid to us for us in remembering the gospel.

The more senses you, you can engage more likelihood there is retention. If you're only hearing nothing more than that you're reducing your ability to retain what you've heard, but if you can involve.

That's why many of you take notes because you're engaging another part of your faculty. So think about the Lord's table. Your hearing is engaged because you're hearing me preach. Your eyes are engage because you see the elements as they pass before you the ability to taste is involved as you take the bread and you partake of the Jews as you touch the elements as you smell to what degree you can smell it engages the senses, and that aids in our remembrance it aids in the proclaiming of the gospel William Lumpkin man who's written about the Lord's table instructions on how to conduct the Lord's table service. He said this quote the sacraments speak a language independent of the language of the pastor" I like that the sacraments speak a language independent of the language of the past so it it aids us in proclaiming it brings clarity to our proclaiming it brings a reorientation of our proclaiming because in the proclaiming of the Bible. There are so many things there are. There are so many things to proclaim. But the central thing is Christ in the Lord's table brings us back to the centrality of Christ and the gospel so as we consider the Lord's table being an active participation in the present. It's more than dissipation in proclamation is also participation in communion. First Corinthians 10 verse 16 and 17. Paul's writing. He says the cup of blessing which we bless is it not the communion of the blood of Christ, the bread which we break is it not the communion of the body of Christ. So it's active participation in communion and I believe that is one of the central reasons why I am opposed to serving the elements privately to people oftentimes people make not oftentimes but on occasion. People make that request will can you come to the hospital and serve the Lord's table to me or can you come to my home and my answer is no, those that as a church ordinance that is to be observed in in worship with the body of Christ.

See what Paul is saying here the cup of blessing which we bless is it not the communion of the blood of Christ, the bread which we break is it not the communion of the body of Christ. So there's communion into directions.

There's communion with the Lord is reminding us how absolutely critical it is for us to be in communion with the Lord in order to participate in the Lord's table. We walk in the light as he is in the light, we have what fellowship one with the other in the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin.

This communion with the Lord is critical.

It helps us to rethink in dwell upon this and see the importance of it, but it's also communion with the body of Christ, the bread which we break is it not the communion of the body of Christ. So it's good for us to look around and see our brothers and sisters and be reminded that we are not only united to Christ. But what we are united with one another. We are the body of Christ. And we ought to value that we ought to esteem that highly in the Lord's table service helps us in that way. It's a reminder of our communion with Christ in the present and it's a reminder of our ongoing communion with those in the body of Christ and the necessity of make things to make things right. If things are not. We are not in communion. If there are's sin in our life that were unwilling to repent of that disrupts our communion with the Lord that has got to be addressed in the Lord's table is used of the spirit of God to bring focus to that and also if our communion is disrupted with others in the body of Christ that to is to be acknowledged and remedied.

So this communion with Christ in this communion with one another. It is a drawing near. It is a reaffirming our allegiance.

It is declaring our solidarity. It is speaking of our joint oneness. Our identification with Christ and his church. So as we actively participate in this present service were doing that by participating in proclamation and by number two participating in communion, remembering his present ongoing ministry is 1/3 aspect here, remembering Christ's present ongoing ministry say will wait a minute I thought his death was once for all, never to be repeated sacrifice. I thought he seated at the right hand of God the father. I thought his work was done well. His redemptive work is done, it is finished.

When he said that that's true, but there is an ongoing priestly work of Christ, that we need to be mindful of as we come to the Lord's table.

The writer of Hebrews says this that by his once for all offering of himself.

He has by one offering perfected forever them that are presently being sanctified.

We been set apart. We been sanctified in a complete sense.

But there is an ongoing work of sanctification it's going on in the Lord Jesus Christ is mediating that work in that process.

Christ is continually applying the benefits of his cross work to our life in the in a present sense we are growing in grace and knowledge were growing in our understanding and Christ presently is at work to help us on the way to glory. So the Lord's table, it does number one calls us to reflective remembrance of the past. Number two the Lord's table calls us to active participation in the present and number three the Lord's table calls us to anticipate a future hope. First Corinthians chapter 11 verse 26 Paul says, for as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. We should never partake of the Lord's table. We should never gather around the Lord's table without an eye toward his certain absolute certain return.

There is a reminder here of his coming again for as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death. What till he comes till he comes church are you anticipating is coming. Are you looking for his coming or is not just something that's just peripheral.

Not really. This the Lord's table draws our attention back to the certainty in the vital illness of the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. How long we observe the Lord's table.

We do until he comes. The clear implication here is that he is coming again so there should be in you and in me and in the church at large and anticipation of the Lord's return and his coming kingdom would occupy till he comes were to be busy working. Being faithful until he comes. We are to proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. So in a moment were to be gathering around the Lord's table, and the question is who is this for was it for well is for those who have been made partakers of Christ and have followed the Lord in baptism, publicly identifying himself as followers of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Their times were parents sometimes dad would come and say are my children allowed to participate in the Lord's table. In answer to that question is have they been baptized. If you could think of it this way, we shouldn't think of the two ordinances separate. We should think of them together. One is an initiate an initiatory. The other is our ongoing participation. The first is get you inside the house if we can think of it that way.

Baptism get you inside the house inside the church in the Lord's table get you a seat at the table. It's a place of communion. It's a place of fellowship. The table so is a type of instruction, here's the thing that troubles me troubles me is adults who have who want to be viewed as believers in Jesus Christ, but are not willing to be obedient to these two ordinances someone to participate in the Lord's table, but don't want to be baptized and my question is why would you why would you want to be obedient to one of the ordinances and disobedient to the other makes no sense to me. And if you your participation in the one is that important and why not be obedient to the other so that you have legitimate claim to participation in so again, who is the Lord's table for is for those who delight in active participation is for those who are engaged in proclamation it's for those who are in communion with the Lord and in communion with the body of Christ is for those who are cognizant of the fact that there is an ongoing priestly work of our high priest going on on our behalf is praying for us. He's interceding for us. He's representing us before the father. He's pushing back our adversary who loves to bring accusation against us was it for is for those who love his appearing is for those who are looking with anticipation and expectation for his return. Henceforth there is laid up for me all set a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day not to me only, but unto all them that what love his appearing. Love his appearing. So I trust those thoughts I wanted to be deliberate. I wanted to be intentional wanted to be focus so that we are minds are drawn to the table and the Lord, that we might honor him in this service. Shall we pray father, thank you for our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. What an absolute delight.

It is to remember him to think upon him with fondness as we think about his love for us when we think about his vicarious death.

When we think about his willingness to calm and not only offer of the sacrifice, but being a sacrifice sufficient to grant us cleansing from sin and right standing with you. We rejoice in this ordinance, we rejoice in the church of the Lord Jesus Christ and we rejoice in the opportunity to participate in the Lord's table or use this time to draws near to you and to deepen our affection for you fan the flames of our affection, deepen our love for him who loved us and gave himself for us, a man