The Lord’s Supper
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton
Text: I Corinthians 11:17-34
I. It is a covenant meal
A. Luke 22:19-20 - The cup is the new covenant
B. A covenant that is taken with us in the kingdom - Matthew 26:28-29
C. Covenants were often sealed with a meal shared between the two parties.
1. Jacob and Laban’s covenant - Genesis 31:46,54
2. The Law of Moses - Exodus 24:9-11
D. Each week we remind ourselves of our covenant with God and share a feast with our Lord.
E. This feast is sometimes called breaking bread - Acts 20:7
II. It is a joining of believers in worship
A. Notice how often Paul emphasizes the coming together - I Corinthians 11:17-18, 20, 33-34
B. The early church continued steadfastly in this worship - Acts 2:42
C. Through the Lord’s Supper, we become one - I Corinthians 10:17
D. Because of this, Paul insisted that the Lord’s Supper be done together - I Corinthians 11:33
III. It is a remembrance of Christ’s death - I Corinthians 11:24-25
A. The bread is to be broken to represent Christ’s broken body
B. The fruit of the vine represents his shed blood
C. This is what we remember - Mark 15:16-39
IV. It is a hope for the future
A. Until Jesus comes again - I Corinthians 11:26
B. By taking we are stating our belief that Jesus will come again.
V. The mechanics
A. Unleavened bread
1. The Lord’s Supper was established during the Passover feast. Unleavened bread was all that was used.
2. The lack of leavening represents the lack of sin in Jesus’ life - I Corinthians 5:6-8
3. It is not the literal body of Christ because Christ was in the flesh when he established His meal.
B. Fruit of the Vine - Grape juice
1. Represents the blood that seals the covenant - Hebrews 9:16-22
2. Again, not the literal blood of Christ because Christ had not yet shed his blood when he established this feast.
3. One container is not necessary because the cup was divided before it was drank - Luke 22:17-20
C. Done each Lord’s Day
1. On the first day of the week - Acts 20:7
2. Something the disciples did regularly - I Corinthians 16:1-2
3. It was done by the entire church together - I Corinthians 11:33
a. This has led to some difficulty, because many congregations choose to meet multiple times on Sunday. Should we offer the meal at each service?
b. I Corinthians 11:20 doesn’t have an article in front of “Lord’s Supper,” but the words “Lord’s Supper” are in singular form and I incorrectly concluded that it meant one in number of partakings.
(1) It doesn’t indicate how often it is taken.
(2) It means a single type of event. There aren’t multiple things referred to as “Lord’s Suppers”
(3) For instance in I Corinthians 14:26 lists items of worship in the singular, but it doesn’t imply they were done only once on Sunday. What follows states that tongue speaking and prophecy would be limited to two or three per service.
c. I have to conclude that it is important for all present to partake together - I Corinthians 10:16-17; 11:33
(1) We sing, pray, and hear God’s word at each service, so it would not be out of place to have the Lord’s Supper at each Sunday service.
4. Definitely, it cannot be offered outside of the worship assembly.
a. This would violate the need to come together - I Corinthians 11:17-18, 20, 33
D. Who is to partake?
1. Those in the Lord’s kingdom - Matthew 26:29
E. How is it to be partaken?
1. Examining yourself and not others - I Corinthians 11:27-30
2. Discerning the body in I Corinthians 11:29 means understanding the significance of what is done.
