The Memorial Day of the Lord
1 Corinthians 11:26
Introduction.
Tomorrow is Memorial Day.
We take this time to remember the men and women who have given their lives in service to this country.
In this time of pandemic, we often describe the medical healthcare professionals as working on the front lines as well.
Many of them are risking their lives while some have also made the ultimate sacrifice.
We are all so grateful for the work they have done so that others, including ourselves, may live.
Our Lord has made a similar sacrifice for us.
We often think about the sacrifice He made by giving His life for us.
But He made an even greater sacrifice that we don’t often consider.
He gave up the glory of heaven to be here.
I want you to think for a moment of those we love who have gone on to their reward.
As much as we love them and they loved us, do you think they would choose to leave paradise to return here?
Jesus did—He left that perfect place to come to a land of disease, decay, and death.
And He didn’t come to live in the lap of luxury, but as a poor carpenter only to die a horrible, excruciating, and humiliating death on the cross.
We honor that sacrifice every week in the memorial feast of the Lord’s Supper.
Preview.
As Often.
Eat and Drink.
Proclaim the Lord’s Death.
Until He Comes.
Body.
As Often.
We partake of the Lord’s Supper every week.
Even in a pandemic, we’re doing this because it is essential!
It is important that we remember every week what the Lord has done for us.
Just earlier, we read that Jesus wants us to do this “in remembrance of Me.”
What do you mean, Jesus? How could we forget something so monumental?
Good point, but then again, how could the Israelites forget the plagues upon Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea, and the daily manna coming down from heaven?
Through all that, they still griped, moaned, and complained to God, showing their lack of belief in the God who brought them up out of Egypt!
At the same time, following generations were not there, and many were not told.
The Israelites were told to partake of the Passover every year to remind them of what they, as a people, went through so long ago.
What about things in our own lifetime: 9/11, JFK assassination?
Those were important moments in history, in our national and personal history, but how often do you think about it?
For 9/11, we often tout the phrase, “Never Forget,” but how many of us think about that day? How often? How does that really affect our daily lives?
Sure, some were affected more than others (our Sis. Rosa), but for those of us several states away when it happened?
We are separated from that event by 100s of miles and 10s of years.
I can only guess at how this pandemic will be remembered in 20 years.
But no one alive today was there when our Lord was crucified.
For that, we are separated by 1000s of miles and 1000s of years.
It was the greatest event in history, yet we need a weekly reminder?
Oh yes, even the Israelites who were reminded daily of God’s blessings with the manna fell to idolatry after only 40 days since they heard His voice!
Only those in Jerusalem that day saw Jesus crucified and only several hundred saw His resurrected body.
We all need that reminder of what He has done for us.
While this is not a fool-proof method for keeping faithful (as we see with the Israelites), it certainly helps.
We take it every week not just to remind us, but because they did.
Last week we looked at ways the Bible authorizes us to do things.
One of those is by example.
If they did something, then we are authorized to do it as well.
Some state that “as often” means whenever you feel like it.
Well, when would that be? What if we didn’t take it at all?
No, the example we have is every first day of the week.
They came together for the very purpose of eating the Lord’s Supper (Acts 20:7).
That is confirmed in what the Corinthians weren’t doing in 1 Cor. 11:20.
But since they were supposed to be gathering together to break bread, a collection was to be taken, too (1 Cor. 16:2).
We also note they were gathering every first day of the week.
We need to be reminded of this often!
Eat and Drink.
Jesus tells us this bread represents His body (1 Cor. 11:24).
On that cross, His body went through so much.
In our daily reading, we read about that from Luke yesterday and the day before.
They mocked Him, striking Him, and demanding that He say who struck Him.
They continued to mock Him with a purple robe and a crown of thorns.
He did nothing wrong! And yet, they treated Him as a criminal.
They scourged Him so that even His bones were exposed.
His injuries were so severe that He died not long after being nailed to the cross.
All the depictions of Him on the cross in drawings, paintings, sculpture, TV/movies, all inadequate—the closest might be the Passion of the Christ, and that was R-rated for the violence depicted.
With all the glossing over of the violence of His death, I fear we have lost something.
The reality of such violence was very real and present for those in the first century because the Romans would often crucify people publicly.
The bread that we eat, that we chew, that we swallow reminds us that His body went through all of that.
It was the bread used in the Passover, and was unleavened—no yeast or other leavening agent that would make it rise.
Such leaven was symbolic of sin and decay, the opposite of who Jesus was—He had no sin, and His body did not have time to decay in the tomb.
It’s why we’ve been offering bread while we do this at home because it can be hard to find this in the stores—even Saltines have some leavening agent in them.
Jesus also states that the cup represents the new covenant in His blood (1 Cor. 11:25; Luke 22:20).
Other accounts call it His blood of the new covenant (Matt. 26:28; Mark 14:24).
This shows the connection between His blood and the new covenant/testament that we live under.
The writer of Hebrews tells us that the covenant is dedicated, or goes into effect, with the shedding of blood, with His blood, the blood of Jesus (Heb. 9).
That covenant is what we call the New Testament, the Last Will and Testament of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Such went into effect after His death on the cross when He shed His innocent blood for each of us.
And always remember that “without the shedding of blood there is no remission” (Heb. 9:22).
He had to shed His innocent blood on the cross that our sins could be forgiven!
We proclaim that every time we partake (more later).
The emblem in Scripture is never called wine—in Luke and 1 Cor. it is called the “cup,” while in Matt. and Mark, it is the “fruit of the vine.”
The thing that makes grape juice alcoholic is another leavening agent, not allowed at the time of Passover.
And even if it were, the wine of the time did not have nearly the level of alcohol that modern wines possess.
So we use grape juice, something you can purchase, too, while we are doing this at home—100% grape!
It is not just His body and blood, but the communion of the body and blood of Christ (1 Cor. 10:16).
Another term we often use for the Lord’s Supper is communion.
It’s important for us to know what that word is in Greek—κοινωνία.
That word is primarily translated as fellowship, a having of things in common with one another.
That’s an aspect we are somewhat lacking while we are doing all this remotely.
But even if we aren’t in the same room, in the same town, or even the same state, we are doing this together!
It is not just a communion with one another, but our communion with Christ.
We share in His sacrifice when we partake, showing the benefits we have received from what He’s done for us.
And that is what we mean by proclaiming the Lord’s death!
Proclaim the Lord’s Death.
The purpose of the Lord’s Supper.
One purpose is to remember what Jesus has done for us.
Another purpose, no less important, is to proclaim His death.
What does it mean to proclaim?
That word for “proclaim” can also be translated as “preach.”
We sometimes talk about women preachers and how they are not authorized in the NT (1 Tim. 2:11-14) – and that’s right.
Yet here we see that whoever partakes of the Lord’s Supper is proclaiming or preaching Christ!
Of course, this is a different kind of preaching than we see in 1 Tim.
It’s similar to our singing—when we sing, we are teaching and admonishing one another (Col. 3:16).
So, in fact, we all are teachers and preachers when we come and worship together!
Don’t let anyone say you’re any less of a Christian because you can’t preach or teach—because you already are when we worship together!
What do we proclaim?
We proclaim His death.
There’s nothing special about dying, is there? People die all the time. Everyone dies.
Yes, but this is God come in the flesh, our Lord and Savior!
He died on that cross for us, and while we often say this Supper commemorates His whole life, including His death, burial, and resurrection, the focus must always be on His death.
While His death would mean little without His resurrection, it is His sacrifice that saves our souls and cleanses us of our sins.
Until He Comes.
There are those out there who claim Jesus has already come.
It is true that Jesus had already come in one sense to judge Jerusalem in a.d. 70.
But if that were the only return that the Bible talks about, then this verse (1 Cor. 11:26) informs us we don’t need to partake of the Lord’s Supper anymore.
There’s a phrase in debate and logical arguments: “That which proves too much, proves nothing.”
That’s the trap some of these people fall into.
They must also contend that several other things must have happened already, including the resurrection of all, and that the world will not be destroyed.
The Scripture is very clear on these things—they will occur with the Second Coming of our Lord.
If you only had this verse, then this practice would seem rather odd.
Why would you proclaim the death of someone until they come?
They’re not coming, they’re dead.
But we know that He is raised from the dead and will return!
We know that with His return comes the destruction of the world (2 Pet. 3:10).
Peter says, “since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness” (2 Pet. 3:11).
This Supper reminds us, not only of His death, but that He’s coming back.
So how should we act then? As children of God!
He’s going to want to find His church honoring and remembering Him.
Conclusion.
The Lord’s Supper is such an integral part of being a Christian.
It’s not a vain ritual, but a reminder of God’s love and grace.
It tells us that “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).
It is the gospel represented in a single piece of bread and a single sip of the fruit of the vine shared together.
It is the most beautiful thing we can do in our worship to God.
We may be the most beautiful singers in the world, but even that would pale in comparison to this microcosm of the gospel.
I could be the best preacher, speaking so eloquently, but I wouldn’t hold a candle to the proclamation you make every Lord’s Day.
It truly is a great thing we have been told to do, and the time we devote to this deserves all the honor and reverence we can give it.
And I don’t mean pomp and parade, but the somberness and respect it is due, giving us the time and opportunity to meditate on His goodness.
We need this great reminder every week! Why would we do it any less?
This act of worship won’t mean much to you if you’re not a Christian.
He died for you just as much as He died for me.
And He asks you to share in His new covenant and the salvation that He offers in His blood.
That covenant tells us what His terms are: BRCB.
First we must believe in Him, then we might have eternal life.
Then we are to repent of our sins, as the Scriptures say, to live with holy conduct and godliness.
That doesn’t mean we’ll be perfect, but we’re ever-growing, continuing to live better and better each day.
We must also confess His name, something we all do every week when we partake of the Lord’s Supper, but such must also be done with our words (Rom. 10:9-10).
Then we must be baptized into His death, and then and only then are we able to fully share in the covenant of His blood, because then we are raised to walk in newness of life (Rom. 6:3-4).
If you need to make things right with God, please do so today!