For all of you gathered here
tonight who have any acquaintance with the biblical teaching concerning
the Lord's Supper, you know that the duty and the activity described
as remembrance is central to this institution. In 1 Corinthians
11, a passage which almost every time we come to the table is
read and occasionally comments made upon it, the truth of the
centrality of remembrance is very clearly underscored by the
words which the apostle sets before us. In 1 Corinthians 11.23,
he writes, I received of the Lord that which also I delivered
unto you, that the Lord Jesus, in the night in which he was
betrayed, took bread. And when he had given thanks,
he broke it and said, This is my body, which is for you. This
do in remembrance of me. The doing of that which the Lord
commands is to have a specific accompaniment called remembrance
of him. Verse 25. In like manner also
the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new covenant
in my blood, this do, as oft as you drink it in remembrance
of me. So the doing and the remembering
are inseparable duties and privileges for the people of God when they
gather to the table instituted by our Lord Jesus. But now that
raises the question. What are we to remember about
His person? And what are we specifically
to remember that comes out of His body given for us and His
blood shed on our behalf? And recognizing that we have
some who will come to the Lord's table for the first time tonight,
and should the Lord Jesus spare them and us, they with us, will
come many times in days to come should the Lord delay His coming,
it is essential that we come back again and again to these
very fundamental issues pertaining to the kind of remembrance that
we are to engage in when we do what the Lord has commanded in
the breaking and eating of bread and in the drinking of the cup. And because the Scripture tells
us in Isaiah 53, 11, that great Old Testament chapter that tells
of the sufferings of the servant of Jehovah, that he shall see
of the travail of his soul and be satisfied, it is good for
us in coming to the table of remembrance to remember that
which the Lord Jesus has infallibly secured for all of his people
by His once for all death upon the cross. And when we come to
the table, and when we prepare to come to the table, it is these
basic biblical truths that we are to call to remembrance again
and again. to pull them up from the back
drawer of the file drawer of our minds, and to place them
there before the eyes of the soul, and to think with fresh
actings of faith and fresh wonder and thanksgiving and praise of
those things that our Lord Jesus has secured for us by His death. And I want us to take a very
quick and almost an insulting cursory overview of these seven
things that our Lord has infallibly secured for all who, by faith,
are united to Him. And I am not insisting or even
suggesting that we must bring to remembrance all seven of these
every time we come to the Lord's table. for these are only some
of the things that he has secured for us, but surely it will be
helpful to bring one or more of them even to our remembrance
as we come to the Lord's table, and to be familiar with these
pivotal texts, the one or two texts that I will read and upon
which I will briefly comment as we seek to survey this marvelous
procurement of redemptive grace by the Lord Jesus on behalf of
His people. And fundamental to all the blessings
secured, we are warranted to say, number one, He died to turn
away the wrath of God from us. He died to turn away the wrath
of God from us. And Galatians 3 and verse 13
is a text that every Christian ought to memorize and often to
reflect upon For here we read, Christ redeemed us from the curse
of the law, having become a curse for us. For it is written, Cursed
is everyone that hangs on a tree. Christ has redeemed us, His people. He has redeemed us from the curse
of the Lord, not by persuading God to lessen the demands of
His law, not by somehow persuading God to be less stringent in His
dealing with human sin, but by becoming, in the language of
the text, a curse on our behalf. taking into himself the full,
unreserved weight of all of God's fury against the sins of His
people by becoming a curse on their behalf. Or in the language
of 1 John 4 and verse 10, 1 John chapter 4 and verse 10, here
we read, Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He
loved us. and sent His Son to be the propitiation
for our sins. Now, propitiation is a biblical
word, and it means the turning away of wrath by a sacrifice. And what our Lord has done for
us, He has become propitiation for us. The wrath of God was
spent upon Him. It is exhausted with respect
to its demands against us. And when the Lord Jesus says,
Come to this table, break the bread, Drink the cup in remembrance
of Me. Surely, we ought to reflect afresh
upon this basic truth that He died to turn away the wrath of
God from us, the wrath that we would otherwise bear and bear
for all eternity. This do in remembrance of Me. Remember, the Lord Jesus says,
I died. to turn away the wrath of my
Father from you. Secondly, He died to procure
a perfect righteousness for us. We sang of this in the last hymn,
but in 2 Corinthians 5 and verse 21, the Apostle states this in
very straightforward language. 2 Corinthians 5 and verse 21. Him, referring to our Lord Jesus,
who knew no sin, that is, who in His person was never guilty
of sin, was not defiled by sin. Him who knew no sin, He made
to be sin on our behalf in order that we might become the righteousness
of God in Him. He made Him to be sin for us. And in what sense is the apostle
thinking of Christ being made sin for us? Well, he's already
told us in the previous verse. God was in Christ, reconciling
the world to Himself, not reckoning unto them their trespasses, and
having committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Our sins were reckoned upon Him
that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. The righteousness
of God is that right standing before God without which we cannot
appear before Him. We have none in ourselves. All
our righteousnesses are His filthy rags. But Christ, the sinless,
becomes sin for us in order that we might have a perfect righteousness
in Him. But then thirdly, As we think
of coming to the table and remembering Him and the benefits of His death
for us, the Scripture teaches us that He died to open the way
back to God for us. Not only did He die to turn away
the wrath of God from us, not only did He die to procure a
perfect righteousness for us, but He died to open the way back
to God for us. In Adam, as we sang, we were
all banished. We were all disinherited sons,
cast out from the presence of a holy God. But 1 Peter 3.18
tells us what Christ has done to reverse that tragic state
in which we are by nature. 1 Peter 3 and verse 18, Because
Christ also suffered for sins once, the righteous for the unrighteous,
in order that, another clause of purpose, in order that he
might bring us to God. Not only that he might turn away
the wrath of God from us and procure a perfect righteousness
for us, but he might bring us unto God. that fellowship might
be restored between the offended God and the offending sinner. And it is on the basis of the
death of Christ that we are bidden to draw near in the language
of the book of Hebrews, drawing near through Him who opened the
way back to God for us. But then in the fourth place,
the Scripture is clear in teaching us that He died to secure the
gift of the Spirit for us. He died to secure the gift of
the Spirit for us. Turn back to the Galatians 3
passage for a moment. Galatians chapter 3. Christ redeemed us, verse 13,
from the curse of the law. having become a curse for us,
for it is written, Cursed is everyone that hangs on a tree."
Now notice another statement of purpose. In order that Christ
became a curse on our behalf, in order that upon the Gentiles
might come the blessing of Abraham in Christ Jesus, in order that
we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. Christ's vicarious curse-bearing
secures for the people of God the gift of the Spirit. Chapter
4, in verse 4 and following, when the fullness of the time
came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the
law. Notice now, a purpose clause,
that He might redeem them that were under the law, that we might
receive the adoption of sons, and because you are sons, God
sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying,
Abba, Father. God could not adopt us as his
sons and daughters as long as the controversy between God and
us was unresolved. Christ resolves it by his vicarious
curse-bearing, not only enabling God to declare us righteous in
Christ, But the controversy being settled, the way open to God,
the way back to God is opened, and as that way is opened, God
gives us the status of sons. And having given us that status
of sons, a legal transaction, it is right that he should send
the spirit of his son into our hearts, enabling us to cry, Abba,
that is, Father, And if Christ did not die and born the curse
of the law, God could not have adopted us as his sons. And if
he did not adopt us and give us the status of sons, he could
not send the spirit of his son into our hearts, enabling us
to enjoy and to enter in to the blessedness of sonship. Think of all the Spirit of God
is to us. The Spirit of adoption enabling
us to cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit who enables us to
mortify sin, Romans 8.13. The Spirit who helps us in our
felt weakness of not knowing how to pray as we ought, Romans
8.26. The Spirit who conforms us to
the image of Christ, 2 Corinthians 3.18. All of the manifold operations
of the Spirit rest down upon the fact that Christ died to
secure that gracious gift for us. This do in remembrance of
me. Remember me. It is because I
died that you have received the Spirit of adoption. In the fifth
place, He died to effect in us a radical break with self-centered
existence in all of his people. He died to effect in us a radical
break with self-centered existence in all of his people. Where are
we taught that? 2 Corinthians chapter 5 and verse
15. Paul has stated that as an apostle,
he is motivated by the constraining power of the love of Christ.
Verse 14, For the love of Christ constrains us, holds us in its
vice-like grip, because we thus judge that one died for all,
therefore all died, and he died for all. that they that live,
here's a purpose clause again, do you see it? He died for all
that. They that live, that is, those
that receive life from his death, should no longer live unto themselves,
but unto him who for their sakes died and rose again. Christ died
not to have a people who would rejoice in sins forgiven, who
would rejoice in the imputation of a perfect righteousness, who
would rejoice that the way of access to God is open to them
again, who would know all the benefits of the indwelling Spirit
in terms of the fruit of His presence, joy and peace, while
they still live with their lives centered in themselves. For Christ
to have a people who do not experience a radical shift from self-centered
existence to Christ-centered existence would be a mockery.
That would be to encourage men to go on sinning with impunity. But this text says, Christ died
with this end in view, that everyone who receives life by his death
has received and experienced a radical break with self-centered
existence. Not a perfect break, but a radical
and a real break. That's what Christ died for. That seeing what our sins have
done in provoking a holy God, in causing this God to send His
Son to die in our place, we would look upon sin and all that leads
to sin are turning to our own way with such abhorrence that
we would deny self, take up the cross, and follow Him who loved
us and died for us. This do in remembrance of me. Remember, I died not only to
give you all of these gifts, but to turn you from the tyranny
of a self-centered existence into the liberty of a Christ-obsessed
existence. And it is liberty for whom the
Son sets free is free indeed. In the sixth place, He died to
set us apart unto a life of real holiness now and perfected holiness
in the age to come. He died to set us apart unto
a life of real holiness now and perfected holiness in the age
to come. And where do we learn that? Ephesians
and the book of Titus. Let's turn to Titus first, Titus
chapter 2. Here again, just these many verses
that have purposed clauses or statements in conjunction with
the death of Christ. Titus 2.14, speaking of our Lord
and Savior Jesus, our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, Paul
writes, who gave Himself for us that... You see, all of the
verses are that verses. That verses. He gave Himself
for us that He might redeem us from all iniquity and purify
unto Himself a people for His own possession zealous of good
works. Christ died to have a people
who are his own purchased possession, who delight in the reality that
they are not their own, they've been bought with a price, and
in the outworking of that reality, they become zealous to do good
works. not because they think their
works will earn them salvation, but because God has graciously
conferred His saving mercy upon them. And as surely as Christ
will not be frustrated in that purpose of His death to turn
away the curse of God from His people, He will not be frustrated
in that purpose to have a people who are set apart unto a life
of real holiness now and perfected holiness at His return. Hear
the Ephesians 5 passage. Again, another purpose passage
in conjunction with the death of our Lord Jesus. Ephesians
5 and verse 25, Husbands, love your wives even as Christ also
loved the church and gave Himself up for it that... There we are,
another that verse. He gave Himself up for the church
that he might sanctify it, having cleansed it by the washing of
water with the word, that he might present the church to himself
a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing,
but that it should be holy and without blemish." Christ died
for no less a purpose than that he should have a people in whom
his eye can find no spot and no blemish. And the prophet says
he shall see of the travail of his soul and he shall be satisfied. Christ is going to have what
he died for. And that's the ground of our hope. that in this present
pursuit of real holiness, with all of our remaining corruption
and a subtle and seductive world and a wily devil, we seem to
make so little progress. And in the midst of the struggle,
we rejoice that a moment is coming. when the eye of the Savior will
find no spot and no wrinkle, no imperfection in His bride
when she is presented to Him wholly and without blemish. And then in the seventh place,
He died to ensure, He died to ensure that we will be given
everything we need to enjoy a complete salvation. He died to ensure
that we shall be given everything essential to complete our salvation. And hear the text from which
I've preached several times over the years, Romans 8 and verse
32, against the backdrop of that marvelous statement of verses
28 and 9, that all things are working together for the good
of those who are called according to purpose, Back of that is His
foreordination and foreknowledge that we would be conformed to
the image of His Son, that when God's redemptive purposes are
accomplished, Christ will be the firstborn, the one of supreme
preeminence, and we will all be His family. He will be the
firstborn, notice the word, among. Many brethren, think of it, Christ
will not think it beneath his dignity to say, Father, here's
my family. Here's my family. Father, I present
them to you, perfectly reflecting my likeness. I have given to
them perfected spirits from which every last taint and spot of
sin has been removed. I have given them perfected bodies
like unto the body of my own resurrection power and glory.
Father, here are my brethren." And how do we know that that
purpose will not be frustrated for the weakest, the meanest,
the most insignificant? I don't mean nasty, I mean mean
in the old sense of small and insignificant. How do we know
that that purpose will be realized and accomplished? Look at verse
32, He that spared not His own Son, and He didn't spare Him.
He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all,
how shall He not also with Him freely give us all things? Not Cadillacs and fifteen-room
houses with seventeen baths, but everything necessary to accomplish
every facet of God's redemptive purpose. If He spared not His
Son, then what's the greatest obstacle in securing the redemption
of fallen, lost, hell-deserving, sin-bound creatures? The greatest obstacle is how
can God be holy and just and do anything other than damn such?
And God must send His own Son, His own dear Son, Deliver Him
up for us all. Deliver Him up to the hands of
wicked men, to the powers of darkness, and to His own righteous
fury. If God has overcome the greatest
obstacle, how shall He not with Him overcome every other obstacle
and bring us all safely home at last? He shall see of the
travail of His soul and be satisfied. And therefore He died to ensure
That we shall be given everything essential to complete our salvation. Well brethren, just that brief
survey, doesn't that make remembrance of our Lord Jesus a delight to
us? To come to his table and remember
we're taking into our hands the symbol of that body. That body
which is for us. He assumed it in Mary's womb
for us. In that body He was brought forth
to live among us, to suffer among us, to manifest His glory and
power among us, and in that body to bear our sins to the tree. This do in remembrance of me,
Lord Jesus, why did you take a body? Why in that body did
you live and pray and heal and suffer and die and be raised
from the dead? He says, I did all of this that
I might confer all of these blessings. that I might turn away the wrath
of my Father, that I might procure for you a perfect righteousness,
that I might open the way to God for you, that I might secure
the gift of the Spirit for you, that I might provide the basis
by which you can be delivered from the tyranny of a self-centered
life. I did all of this to set you
apart from a life of sin unto real holiness now and perfect
holiness in the age to come. I die that I might give to you
everything essential to bring you safely home at last to heaven. This too, in remembrance of me. Remember me, the Lord says, in
all that my death has procured for you. And as we will come
to the table in a few moments, you who are not in Christ, think
for a moment. What is your state? all of the
things which are ours in Christ and because of Christ. As we
remember Christ, not a one of them is yours out of Christ.
It's a sobering thing to say to my fellow human beings, you
are still under the wrath of God. That's where we once were. You're still there. The scripture
says in John 3, 36, he that believes not the wrath of God abides upon
him. Think of it, the wrath of God,
that which fell upon Christ and caused Him to cry, my God, my
God, why have you forsaken me? That hangs over your head. That
hangs over your head. You have no acceptable righteousness
before God. There is an unrighteous, no,
not one. You are at a distance from God.
You are without God and without Christ. As Ephesians 2 says,
you do not possess the Spirit. And Romans 8, 9 says, if any
man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. You're still
living for yourself and for this world. You have no real holiness
now and no prospect of any perfected holiness in the age to come.
Nothing but your miserable sins to be your companion for all
eternity in the presence of fellow miserable sinners and a miserable
devil and his angels. And you have no assurance of
anything good from the hand of God, though He continues to give
you life and breath, and His goodness is shown in a thousand
ways. You have no assurance of anything
good from the hand of God. But all that we remember as we
remember Christ, and all that we have is available in Christ
crucified for sinners. We have obtained it in Christ. And we've obtained it in Christ,
when by grace we came, nothing in our hands did we bring. Simply
to His cross we found ourselves clinging. And the Scripture says
this is a faithful saying, worthy of all acceptation, Christ Jesus
came into the world, sinners to save. My unconverted friend,
everything we have in Christ right now can be yours right
there, repenting, believing on the Lord Jesus Christ. You say that's too simple. Ah,
my friend, don't let the simplicity be a stumbling block to you. It was nothing complicated that
God called upon the children of Israel to do when bitten by
the fiery serpents and Moses raises up a serpent of brass
and cries out, look and live! And the Scripture says the Son
of Man must be lifted up, that whosoever believes in Him should
not perish, but have everlasting life. Looking is no act of a
hero, I know, but looking to Christ, laying hold of Christ,
fleeing to Christ, coming to Christ. Go to Christ, and all
that is ours in Him, all of the blessings we remember with fondness
and gratitude, and with renewed outpourings of love and faith
directed to Christ, they are yours if you will have Him. They are yours if you will have
Him. Let us pray. Our Father, we acknowledge that
eye has not seen nor ear heard nor has entered into the heart
of any man the things you have prepared for those who love you. But we thank you that they are
revealed unto us by the Spirit, and that you have put them here
in your written word. And as we have briefly surveyed
this spectrum of all that Christ has secured for all who will
trust Him, How we thank You. We thank You this night that
these are not notions, but these are realities revealed to us
in the Gospel and in Your Word, and that we are privileged to
come this night as Your people and here at the table to bring
into sharp, fresh remembrance all that Christ has done for
us. O Lord Jesus, may we gladden
your heart by faith suffused remembrance of you at your table. And as we lay hold afresh upon
all that you have purchased for us by your cruel death upon the
cross, may our hearts be stirred with fresh actings of love and
faith and yearning and desire For the consummation of that
redemption, when we shall be presented faultless before your
presence with exceeding joy, do bless our time at the table,
that faith may be strengthened, and that our understanding and
appreciation of all that you have done for us will be deepened. And may it please you, Holy Father,
to take the simple declaration of those truths clustering around
Christ and Him crucified, and make them your instrument of
power to bring some to life and salvation, even as we come to
the table. Hear us and answer us, we plead,
in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.