Let's go back now to 1 Corinthians
11. When I finish the message tonight,
there's no reason for anyone here not to have some understanding
of this table of the Lord, its significance, its importance,
what it's all about, I call this message a simple but profound
supper, a simple but profound supper. Let me read two verses
for a text. First Corinthians 11 verse 25,
24. Let's read 24 through 26. And when he had given thanks,
he break it and said, take eat. this is my body which is broken
for you, this do in remembrance of me." That's the first and
important point to remember. After the same manner also he
took the cup when he had supped saying, this cup is the New Testament,
in my blood this do ye as oft as you drink it in remembrance
of me. Now watch this second point here,
the second part here, verse 26, as often As you eat this bread
and drink this cup, you show the Lord's death till he come.
Now, there are many errors concerning the Lord's table. If I were to
spend my time tonight in dealing with the errors in regard to
this ordinance, this supper, I believe we'd waste our time.
And not only that, but we'd mar our fellowship. And we'd forget
the reason for being here. But you know and I know that
men, religious leaders, denominations, have turned this communion table
into an altar. And they have also converted
the bread and wine into a sacrifice, which is error. The body and
blood of Christ actually is not present in this bread and in
this wine. We are not dispensing salvation
tonight when we take this wine and this bread. We're not taking
the actual blood and body of Christ Jesus. And then they've
made the supper a funeral instead of a feast. I'm going to show
you in a moment. It's not a funeral, it's a feast. I've gone places
where they observe the Lord's table and you would think you
were at a funeral rather than a feast. It's solemn. It's a
solemn time, but it's a happy time. He lives. Christ arose. This is a feast. It's a supper.
And then also, men have made this, regrettably so, a church
fellowship ordinance, rather than fellowship with Christ,
instead of fellowship with Christ. Now, I believe that this simple
feast of the Lord's Supper consists of two things, breaking the bread
and eating it, and pouring out the wine and drinking it. And
this bread and this wine has a twofold purpose, and he gives
it right here in these verses. First of all, it is a memorial
of Christ. He says twice, this do in remembrance
of me. This do in remembrance of me. It's a memorial of Christ. Who he is, what he did. It's a memorial feast. And then
secondly, It's not only a memorial feast, but it's a manifestation.
You show something. You're showing something. You're
revealing something. You're showing forth his death
until he comes, and you're showing forth your faith and confidence
in Christ in a threefold way. You're showing it to God, you're
showing it to yourself, and you're showing it to others. Now, that's
very simple. He said, this do. Spurgeon pointed
out several times. He said, this do. Break the bread,
eat it, pour the wine, drink it. This do. Not something else.
Don't add a lot of things to it. This do. This do. In remembrance
of me. Now, I'm going to speak briefly
to these two things. Keep the message simple, clear,
and to the point. I say that the pouring out of
the wine and the breaking of the bread has a twofold purpose. It's a memorial of Christ. first of all. And secondly, it
is a manifestation of our faith in Christ. Now first of all,
let's look at it as a memorial of our Lord. He said, this do
in remembrance of me. This do in remembrance. Now suppose
tonight that one of our children, take any of the children here,
came down here and stood by this table and pointed to this wine
and this bread and looked up at me or at one of you, one of
these men on the front row, and asked this question, what do
you mean by this? Why are you doing this? And that's the basis of what
I'm going to say in the next few moments. I imagined in my
own mind that one of our children would stand here. Sometimes we
get taken up with our theology and our presentation of messages
and we really forget to really answer men's questions. What
do you mean by this? Why do you have this bread? Why
is it the type of bread it is, unleavened? Why is this wine
here? And why do you pass it around
and people solemnly receive it and wait for one another? Why
do you wait for one another? Why do you put the bread in your
mouth and chew it up and bow your head and close your eyes
and utter a prayer and take the wine and the men pray? What are
you doing? Let me put it simply in six points. First of all,
our Lord became flesh. Now we're using bread and wine.
These are very common elements. Bread is a very common element.
And wine is a very common element. It's juice squeezed from grapes
and fermented. And we're using bread and wine,
very common elements. And we're saying, first of all,
that our Lord, God is a spirit. No man has seen God at any time.
He said to Moses, no man can look on me and live. But our
Lord God became flesh. He took on himself something
very common and something very ordinary, something associated
with us, like this bread which we eat every day and think nothing
of it, wine which we drink and think nothing of it. And our Lord became flesh. He
identified himself with us in our nature. He became a man. Bone of our bone, which is very
common. There are bones everywhere. The cemetery is full of them
out here. There's flesh everywhere. Bone of our bone and flesh of
our flesh. The Lord of glory actually came down here to this
earth and became a man. Now the reason I prefer, and
I believe the scripture prefers, unleavened bread is because it
shows that our Lord's body differed from ours in this degree. He
had no sin. He had no sin. an unleavened
bread that has no leaven, which is a type of sin. And this bread
which we use, I can tell you very plainly, it stays in the
kitchen in there all the time. No bugs will bother it, no mold
will touch it, nothing. It's there for weeks and months
and years, and it just lays there. Any other type of bread or crackers
or things like that in a short time are molded, they're eaten
by the roaches and other things and thrown away. But this unleavened
bread is without without the leaven or that which decays and
rots and we use it, symbolic of our Lord's perfect, holy,
sinless body. And then the wine. We use wine
for the same reason. It's pure. And the body of our
Lord and the blood of our Lord was pure. It was without sin.
Now that, there's the bread and the wine. Very simple but most
profound. I don't understand how God can
become a man. I just understand, Ed, simply
he did. That's what I'm saying. He did. He became flesh and dwelt among
us. He identified himself with us.
He was numbered with the transgressor. And we use a very common ingredient,
a very common element that's everywhere, that everyone has,
that everyone knows, that everyone's associated with. We use a very
common element, which is wine, which everyone knows and is associated
with, a very common thing. Our Lord became a common man,
identified with the lowest of low, born in a manger, Grew up
in a carpenter shop walked around in this flesh yet without seeing
all right secondly The bread is broken Every place he said
he took the bread he gave thanks and he break it We don't have
it in whole loaves or whole sheets. We have a broken broken bread
He'd break it and this signifies his body which was broken bruised
in our place instead for our sins this is my body broken I
it tells about our Lord's suffering the awful ignominious wretched
sufferings of the Lord Jesus Christ and then we take the wine
we don't have it here in a bottle or in a keg but it's been poured
into these containers and I'm sure Russell who prepares it
and I think the same thing when I'm preparing the table of the
Lord for you and I break that bread this goes through my mind
this is his body broken for me as I take that wine and pour
it into each cup you see the wine in order to be where it
is now had to be squeezed from the grape it had to be squeezed
it had to be pressed forth and our Lord's blood to cover our
guilt and put away our sins had to be pressed from his body in
great pain and agony and suffering my blood which is shed for you. And so when I take the broken
bread and I drink this wine that has come through this process,
being squeezed from the grape, being extracted from the grape,
and I drink the wine, eat the bread, I think how that his body
was bruised and broken and his blood was shed for me. And then
he said, this is my body broken for you. That's a memorial. Now, I have the word which tells
me that the Lord died for my sins. I have the word. I have
it with me most of the time. It's always laying on my desk
when I go out of town. It's always laying in the motel
on the table. It's always by the bedside. It's
always with me. And I know from the word he died
for me. And I have the gospel which I
preach on a regular basis that Christ died for me. But you know,
there's an old saying, out of sight, out of mind. out of sight, out of mind. Our
friends and our families are with us all the time. They constantly
remind us of their love for us and our love for them. You turn,
there's your wife. She's with you all the time.
You're with her. You love her. There's your children. You love
them. Here are our friends. We love them. Those that are gone and
have been gone a long time, you don't think of them near as much
as you do the ones that are here. And there may be people who do
not need this memorial. There may be churches, Jay, that
do not need it. I need it. I need something. I need something on a regular
basis to remind me of his body broken, his blood shed. And that's
why he gave it. The Lord God is in heaven. He's
at the right hand of the Heavenly Father. He died. He was buried. He ascended. He arose. He ascended. He went back to glory. And he
left this memorial. And it's a picture. It's a memorial.
That's what it is. He said, as often as you eat
this bread and drink this cup, you remember me. And I need it. There may be those who do not.
But I do need this memorial. And this is a very special time
personally for me, the Lord's table. Very, very special time. For it is a memorial. And then
in the fourth place, this memorial is a joint communion. Our Lord
gave this to his disciples. Here they were around the table.
reclining around the table. And he said, take eat. As oft as ye eat this bread and
ye drink this cup, you do show my death until I come. We being
many are one bread, and we being many are one cup. Brethren, I
can't go to my room alone and celebrate this ordinance. I cannot
do without you. The Lord didn't intend it that
way. He meant for all of his people, those who are his people.
He didn't mean for us to go out and recruit people for the Lord's
table. But he did not mean for us to exclude people from the
Lord's table, not those who know him and those who love him and
those who trust him. I would say this regarding who
should come to the Lord's table. I would say all who are in this
congregation tonight who discern the Lord's broken body and shed
blood. By discerning, I mean understand. that Christ died
for our sins was buried and rose again. That's the first thing.
Secondly, I would say those who believe and trust his death as
their death and his broken body as their sin offering, their
sacrifice, their atonement, those who trust him, those who've received
him, those who've been redeemed by his grace, those who've confessed
him publicly in the waters of baptism. I don't believe that
a man has to consider himself worthy to eat this bread and
drink this cup. Because if we waited until we
were worthy to take this bread and this cup, then we would never
come, because we're never worthy. Our worthiness is Christ. Our
fitness is Christ. And so when he talks about eating
the bread and drinking the wine unworthily, he's not talking
about if you've committed a sin today, or if you've had an evil
thought today, or if you've had trouble with your neighbor or
with your family, then you're not to come. That's not so. Because
man that's born of woman is a few days and full of trouble. We
have all manner of conflicts and all manner of infirmities
and afflictions. But what he's saying is that
a person who comes to this table, who does not love Christ and
does not know Christ and does not trust Christ and does not
believe Christ and has not confessed Christ, then he is eating and
drinking in an unworthy manner, not discerning the Lord's body.
And he's eating and drinking destruction and judgment upon
himself because he's trifling with that which is holy unto
God. But now I can take the Lord's table anytime. Anytime. Let it serve. Whether I'm on
the mountain or in the valley. Whether I'm in trouble or whether
I'm free from trouble. Because my hope and confidence
is in His broken body and His shed blood, not in my worthiness. That's what he's talking about
there. So let a man examine himself. What are you examining for? Are
you searching to find out if you're worthy? Are you searching
to find out if you're good enough? Are you searching to find out
if you're holy enough? Are you searching to find out
if you're free from sin? Or are you searching to find
out if you do actually discern or understand what this is all
about? Now that's the question. What
is this all about? Well, it's our Lord became flesh.
His body was broken. His blood was shed. And it was
shed for us for the remission of our sins. And it's a memorial
of Christ. Then in the next place, It's a solemn but a happy feast.
It's solemn in that we're showing his death. There's nothing happy
about death. There's nothing joyful about
death. But we're happy and joyful that he rose again. When the
women came to the tomb on that first day of the week, the angel
made this announcement. He's not here. He's risen. Why
do you seek the living among the dead? He's not here. He's
risen. He's risen. So our Lord is risen. He said,
as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you show
my death till I come. Not only is he risen, but he's
coming back. He's coming back. Now, in the next place, and last
of all, at this table, we have one objective. And this is something
that may be difficult for us, but it's something that we must
make every effort to do. He said, this do in remembrance
of me. of me. This do in remembrance
of me. Do we have trials tonight? You
do. I know some of your trials. My heart weeps for you. But for
this moment, forget you have trials and do it in remembrance
of him. You have burdens? Of course you
do. You have worries? Of course you do. But for tonight,
forget them and lay them aside and come as if you had none.
Have you friends and families that are breaking your heart?
Of course you do. will be as those who have none. Let me show
you a verse in Colossians chapter 3. Colossians the third chapter. This do in remembrance of me.
We have one objective, to remember Christ. We have one thought,
to think on Christ. We together have one love tonight,
and that is Christ. Do we have differences among
us? I don't know if we do, but say we do. Forget them. Forget
them. In chapter 3, verse 2, he said,
set your affection. You notice that's not plural?
For years, I read this this way, set your affections on things
above. No, sir, that's singular. Set
your affection, your primary compassion, affection, love,
heart on things above, not on things of the earth. So this
is what I'm saying. As we come to this table this
evening, as best we can, with what faith we have, God has given
us, and set our affection as if we didn't have a trial, didn't
have any business, didn't have any worries, didn't have any
family, didn't have any friends. Between me and Christ, I set
my affection on Him. I think on Christ. Like the old
hymn writer said, according to thy gracious word, in meek humility. This will I do, my gracious Lord.
I will remember thee. I will remember thee. And by
God's grace, that's what we must do. This, as I said, is a simple
feast, but it's a solemn feast. It's a simple feast, but it's
a profound feast. And it's the feast of Christ.
It's the Lord's table. He's the guest of honor. He's
the reigning master and Lord. We must not come quibbling with
one at the end of the table, set our affection on Christ.
We must not come with our affections divided to this one over here
or that one. We must come, Christ is the center
of our affection. We must not come mourning and
grieving over those who are not with us. Forget them for the
moment. It's Christ we worship. That's
what we'll do in glory. That's what we'll do in heaven,
worship him. Every eye shall see him, and
every tongue shall confess, and every knee shall bow. So just
press these things away. Listen to the songwriter as he
goes on. Thy body broken for my sake, my bread from heaven
shall be. This testimonial cup I take,
and Lord, I remember thee. And when my failing lips grow
dumb, my mind and memory flee. When thou shalt in thy kingdom
come, Lord, remember me. It's a memorial. That's what
it is. We complicate it. We confuse
it. We frustrate it. We make it an altar. We make
it a sacrament. We make it everything in the
world but what it is. This do in remembrance of me.
And then secondly, the second object of the table is not only
a memorial to Christ, But it's showing the Lord's death till
he comes. It's a revelation. It's a manifestation. He said,
as oft as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you show,
you show, you show. What do I show? I show the Lord's
death. To whom? Well, first to myself. Now, principally to myself. I see the bread broken and the
wine poured forth, and I see in picture Christ crucified to
my own heart, to my own self. Cecil, I can't take it for you,
nor you for me. And John, it's not you taking
it for me or me for you. It's not something we can do
in that way. I've got to think on Christ.
I've got to set my affection on Christ. I've got to communicate
with Christ. My mind and my heart has got
to picture within myself my relationship with Christ. It's wonderful when
husband and wife are both converted. It's wonderful when the children
are in the fold and happy. But this is not a family supper,
not an earthly family. It's a heavenly family. But it's
Christ in me now, Christ in me. I take this bread in remembrance
of thee. I take this cup in remembrance
of thee, as if no one else were there. And then secondly, I not
only show his death to myself, but I show it to God. In effect,
I say to God, this is what I'm saying to the living God, great
God of heaven and earth, I break this bread in thy holy presence
in token that I believe that thy dear son died on the cross
for my sins and his body was broken for my justification. Dear Lord, in heaven I take this
wine poured out in thy holy presence as a symbol of the blood of thy
dear son by which all my sins are washed away. That's what
I'm saying. That gives me strength and that
gives me comfort. That encourages me. And then
I show it, we show it to one another. We're taking it in the
presence of other believers. We show it to one another. We're
saying this to one another. I'm saying, come brethren, Let's
join together in a unity of heart, in a unity of spirit, in a unity
of love before our Lord in remembrance of Him. My brethren, I think
sometimes when we make this table so clannish and we make it something
by which we exclude others, we're more or less saying that we can't
fellowship around the only thing that makes us one on earth, then
how can we in heaven fellowship with one another? In heaven the song is unto him
who loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood. And
that's the song here. That which makes me and you one
is Christ's blood. This is where we meet. This is
our common meeting place. It's the same thing when all
of the Jews came from all different countries to Jerusalem to the
temple. where the ceremonies were practiced and the sin offering
was, the sacrifice was offered. They met there in the presence
of God and we come together in Christ around his broken body
and shed blood. Now if you turn me away from
this, how can I fellowship with you in glory? This is where we
fellowship. We can't fellowship around a
doctrine. We can't fellowship around a prophecy. We can't fellowship
around age. We can't fellowship around color.
We can't fellowship around any of this passing world's class
divisions. But I can meet with any man on
this basis that Christ died for our sin, and his blood was shed
for the remission of our sin. This is what makes us one. This
is what, blessed be the tie that binds, what tie binds us? His
broken body and his shed blood. I'm just a sinner saved by grace.
I have problems, you have problems. I have infirmities, you have
infirmities. I have failures, you have failures.
We need Christ and we're brought together on one common ground,
one common salvation. And that's Christ the Lord. That's
what we're doing tonight. And then we show it to our children.
and others who inquire of us. What must I do to be saved? You mean take this? No. Take
him whom it represents. That's what I say to any person
here. Christ said, I'm the way, the truth, and the life. No man
cometh to the Father but by me. He was wounded for our transgressions.
He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace
was laid upon him by stripes where he. What must I do to be
saved? eat his flesh and drink his blood.
And when you receive Christ as your Redeemer, as your sanctification,
your redemption, your righteousness, your wisdom, all things, and
you know he's all things and all things are in him, God had
vested everything in Christ, when you receive him and trust
him and believe him and know that he died for your sins and
find happiness and joy and security and certainty in him, then you
come to the table and you take the bread and you say this is
his body broken for me. And you take the wine and you
say, this is his blood shed for me. This is my hope. This is
my confidence. Serve the table for us, if you
will.