The Significance of The Supper | Rev. Terry K. Anderson

I want to talk to us this morning about the significance of the Lord's supplicence, the

significance, the reason why we get up in the rain on the first Sunday, the reason why we

tune in on YouTube or our streaming of our service or Facebook, the reason why every

month or some churches receive it every Sunday. Some persons take it every quarter.

Some churches observe it on the first Sunday as do we and then there are churches where I was

baptized that observed the Lord's supplicence on the fourth Sunday. It does not matter when you

observe the Lord's supplicence, the scripture says, as often as you do it, whenever you do it,

do it in remembrance of me. The Lord left only two ordinances with his church, baptism and the Lord's

supper. In baptism we commemorate our death with him. In the Lord's supper we demonstrate his death

for us. This feast of remembrance was instituted on the most solemn night of Jesus' life.

The Passover feast commemorated by Jesus in the upper room was over done, finished,

after Jesus instituted it, after they partook of the bread and the cup, the Passover feast was

once and forever finished. Its significance was ended when Jesus instituted the Lord's supper.

The true Passover lamb was about to be slain and his blood shed. I was in the barbershop

yesterday morning and if you want to get some deep theology, if you want to hear from some

Harvard scholars, spend some time in the black barbershop. Every theologian in Houston makes

his way to the barbershop with some speculative theology. Many of them know nothing about where

the Lord's prayer is found in the scriptures, but at the barbershop everybody has a Yale

Divinity School degree in theology. This man the other week was talking about the Passover

and the Lord's supper and he calls himself, you know, because there's this new crowd now of black

Hebrew Israelites who say that they are Jewish in the way they observe Christianity. He was trying

to get us to understand that we were taking the Lord's supper the wrong way and we were not observing

it the way Jesus said we ought to observe it. And he said the reason why y'all so ignorant

because y'all not listening to nobody. I'm trying to tell you how to do it. I'm trying to tell you

how to observe it and he kept looking at me and I go to the barbershop to sit in the chair

and fall asleep while he's cutting my hair. I don't do any Bible study in the barbershop.

You want to do Bible study? Come meet me on Tuesday nights here at Lily Grove. I don't do free Bible

study at the barbershop, but I hope he's listening this morning. So let me explain to you by a

young black Hebrew Israelite friend what the Passover and the Lord's supper is all about.

When Jesus instituted the Lord's supper, he negated the Passover. The Passover is no longer

necessary because Jesus is now the paschal lamb. He is now the lamb that takes away the sins of the

world. The blood that was on the doorposts and on the lentils in the Old Testament in Egypt,

Jesus now shed his blood on the cross that now when I go to sleep tonight when death passes over

is not because blood is sprinkled on my doorpost, but because Jesus shed his blood on Calvary's

cross. He died in my place. The just for the unjust, the righteous for the unrighteous.

And there is now no need for a Jewish Passover. We have a lamb slain from the foundation of the

world. That night, Jesus knew that what loomed ahead of him was Gethsemane,

Garbatha, Golgotha, and the grave. By three o'clock the next day, soon to dawn, he would be dead.

The shadow of the cross cast a pall over the assembly in the upper room. But before going out

to face the terrible ordeal of Friday, the Lord paused to initiate a new feast. First Corinthians

11 is the earliest account of the institution of the Lord's supper in Scripture. Indeed,

it is the earliest record of any words of Jesus and of one of the very few incidents in his earthly

life that Paul goes to the trouble to describe. He said, I received what I deliver unto you.

The words received and delivered in verse 23 are almost technical terms for receiving and passing on

tradition. Paul makes an affirmation, brothers and sisters, that he had received the truth concerning

the Lord's supper directly from the Lord himself, not being in the upper room when Jesus actually

instituted the Lord's supper because Paul is an apostle born out of due season. He was not in the

room when it took place and he wrote some 60 years after Jesus went back to heaven. So in order for

Paul to know what happened in the upper room, somebody had to tell him that. And the somebody

who told him that was not Peter, because Peter had already been crucified upside down. James had

already been beheaded. Others of the disciples had been boiled in oil and crucified in the form of

an ex. So for Paul to know what happened in the upper room, he received direct revelation.

It came directly from Jesus. Paul was told some things when he went up to the third heaven

that he was not committed to even talk about. And Jesus gave him this information so that

Paul says, what I receive, I pass on to you. What I got, I give it to you just like I got it. And

this morning, what I got, I give it to you just like I got it. We take the Lord's supper because

the Lord Jesus Christ instituted it. And every time we take it, it's an acting sermon.

So that when we eat this bread and drink this cup, when we leave here, we are a living testimony

of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ from the day.

This new feast was instituted after the Passover and was distinct from the Passover.

Nevertheless, the bread and wine were now used for an entirely new purpose.

Hear me, brothers and sisters, throughout the Old Testament,

rivers of blood flowed in countless animal sacrifices. But all that blood

could not give a guilty conscience peace. All that blood,

bullocks on the altar, lambs without spot of blemish, rams of consecration, pigeons,

turtles of sacrifice, 24 hours a day, all that blood could not wipe away one single stain.

But the blood that Jesus shared for me, I wish I had a witness here,

the blood that gives me strength from day to day, it will never,

you can help me say it, never lose this part. It reaches to the highest mountain.

It flows to the Lewis Valley, the blood that gives me strength from day to day,

to day, to day, to day, to day, to day, to day, to day, it will never.

I don't just shout about it on the first Sunday.

Somebody don't help me talk here. I don't just give God glory for the blood at Easter and Good

Friday. Every time I think about how he washed my sins away, every time I think about when my

conscience is guilty, he stirs up in my soul that there is a fountain.

Fill with blood drawn from Emmanuel's veins. Center you out of plumb.

Beneath that flood and lose all your guilty stain. Let me, let me, before I give you my three little

points here and let me, let me just share this with you. I read a couple of days ago about this,

this little boy who was mischievous, that little boy's are, and he'd go out, leave the house,

go to play, and his mother would always be on him to be back in the house at a certain time.

But he would never get back when the, when the mother gave instructions. He was always getting

home late. Mother would fuss at him, try to get him in the house on time. He wouldn't listen,

wouldn't come in the house on time. And, and so one day he came home late. His mother didn't say a word.

She put some bread in front of him and a cup. She sat down at her place at the table and the

father was at his place in the table with this giant steak and this baked potato with, with butter

and sour cream, chives and cheese. And the father had a large glass of his favorite beverage.

And this boy was at his end of the table with bread and a cup. Mother didn't say a word.

Father didn't say a word, but to teach him who Jesus is.

The daddy took his plate from the boy, put it where his plate was, took that big beautiful

steak and potatoes and put it where the boy was. And for the first time the boy saw the sacrifice

of the lamb. God took that little plate I had and gave me his plate to make me know that when you

trust me, no good thing. I wish I had a Bible reader. No good thing will he withhold from him

who walks up rightly. And that boy never came home late another day because his daddy showed him

if you walk up rightly, no good thing will be withheld from you. If you trust God for your future,

if you let God be your savior, because he will not save you against your will.

You have to open the door and he will come in. The sacrifice has been made,

but you have to appropriate it. Walk with me around the text. Look with me again in verse 23,

for I receive from the Lord what I also handed on to you that the Lord Jesus on the night when

he was betrayed took a loaf of bread. In that one verse, the scripture says, this due in remembrance

of me, it's even written on the Lord's table that we observe every first Sunday. This due in

remembrance of me. What should we remember? We should remember first of all his person.

At the Lord's table, we should be occupied with no man saved Jesus only.

We should focus our thoughts, our music, our scripture reading, our ministry on his person,

on who he is in all the fullness of his nature and personality. He is the eternal.

He is the uncreated one. He is the self existing second person of the Godhead.

He is co equal. He is co existent. He is co eternal. He is co regent with God the Father,

possess of all the attributes and the prerogatives of deity. Yet he lays it aside to become sin for us.

He was made in the form of God and he thought it not robbery to be equal with God,

but he took upon himself the form of a slave, the form of a servant and became obedient even

under death, even to the death on the cross. The death that I should have suffered. Jesus

suffered in my place. The death that I should have died. Jesus died for me.

And when he says this, doing remembrance of me, remember. Remember how he stepped out of eternity

into time. Watch this so that one day I may step out of time into eternity.

Remember how he lived among us as a man among men to show us how man is intended to be

in the eyes of God, but not only ought you remember that he's co equal and co existent and

co eternal and co region. Remember the last time he blessed you. Remember the last time he opened

the door for you. Remember the last time he heard your prayers. Remember the last time the Lord came

to your rescue. Remember the last time you sinned and God washed it clean. Remember the last time

you prayed and God was listening. Remember the last time you were bruised and God healed your

wounds. Remember the last time you were down and God picked you up. When you want to remember his

goodness, this do. Can you remember some of him? I think I said this to you some time ago.

Many of us are kind of awkward when it comes to shouting. We're kind of timid about shouting. We

don't like to carry on like that because we are kind of rigid and you know, especially when you've

been to school or you have a mass a certain amount of whatever it is you have, you become a little

laid back when it comes to church and when it comes to how you give God glory. And I know that's

your personality, your reserve. That's the way you are. That's just the way you were made. And you

say, well, you know, I'm that's not how I am. That's not how I carry on until the rockets play or the

astros play or you win the lottery or or you meet that special someone or you get that new thing or

you have that raise on your job or something goes on that excites you. You can hear you all down the

street screaming and hollering. But when it comes to Sunday morning, that's just not who I am. That's

just not the way I carry on. And then we shake our heads like this when we say that's that's not

what I do. That's not how I carry on. Well, let me teach you how to shout. You don't have to run.

You don't have to break nothing. You don't have to you don't have to hurt yourself. Here's a good

tool to help you shout. Have a good memory. Remember when you were broke and God paid your bill.

Remember when they lied on you and said you'd never be anything and God put your enemy back in

their place. Remember when you thought you would not get that promotion on the job, but the person

who was trying to stop you, God got you over them. If you want to shout, just remember how good God

I will bless the Lord at all times. His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

My soul, I wish I had a witness, shall make her boast in the Lord. The humble shall hear

that of and be glad. Oh, that's that's church talk. Oh, magnify the Lord with me. But listen,

if you don't magnify him with me, I'm a magnifying by myself. Here it is. Here's the shout. Here's

the holler. Oh, taste and see. Don't take my word for it. Don't believe me. Taste and see. Try him

for yourself and you'll come back here next Sunday and say, Reverend, I know for myself. Can't nobody

remember his person. Co equal, coexist, core eternal, core region. But then in verse number

24, remember his passion. And when he had given thanks, he brokered and said, this is my body

that is, here it is for you. Do this in remembrance of me, but what I'm doing is for you. The emphasis

is on the vicarious work of Christ. What happened to his body was for us. That was purpose in his

suffering. They whipped it. They put a crown of thorns on his head. Isaiah said they pulled his

beard out. They scourged him until the blood was on his back. They whipped him until bone was showy.

He was wounded for high transgression, bruised for our iniquities. The chest ties of my peace

was on him. But his stripes, I am here for all we like sheep have gone astray and God has laid on

him the iniquity of us all. The Lord supper is an acted sermon and acted proclamation of the death

which it commemorates. The emblems in the Lord supper, the bread and the cup take us directly

to Calvary. They speak of his body broken and bruised and his blood poured out with all of the

eloquent voice that only that passion can engender. The shedding of his blood ratified the new covenant

with eschatological meaning for the Jews and soteriological meaning for the church.

Eschatological meaning for the Jews, meaning when the Jews repent when he comes again in the

second coming, the eschatological meaning will then take place that those Jews who believe will

then be saved. But those of us who could not be saved as Jews because we are not the seed of

Abraham had to be grafted into the family soteriologically through the shedding of his blood

and now we are children of God as Abraham's children are because he shed his blood on the cross

to bring us soteriology soteriologically to what the Jews have eschatologically.

I couldn't say that again for a thousand dollars.

All I'm trying to get over to you brothers and sisters is that when he died he became both

expiation and propitiation. It has something to do with the sacrifice with the ritual on the

day of atonement. When the high priest would take a goat, two goats, two he goats and he would sacrifice

one goat and shed his blood on the mercy seat and then he would take the other goats and confess

the sins of the people on the head of that goat and turn that goat to loose in the wilderness

and it would become for them escape goat. The goat that was sacrificed was expiation

because without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin. But not only did sin have to

be atoned for sin had to be taken away and the blood that was shed on that goat as expiation

when they turned the other goat loose he took their sins away as propitiation.

When Christ shed his blood and died on the cross he became both expiation and propitiation. What can wash?

Wash away my sin. I wish I had a witness. Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make me

whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. He ratified the new covenant in his blood.

Yes, sir. Some of us will remember from reading the scripture when God got ready to make a covenant

with Abraham when making a covenant with Noah, with Moses, with David. He would have them to

split an animal in two and put the two halves on side of each other and then a smoking pot

fire would pass between the two halves of the animal. I want you to get this because this is

really worth shouting over. The fire would pass through the two animals signifying that God is

passing through the two halves of the animal. Here is the significance of that. God never asked

Abraham to pass through. He never asked Noah to pass through. He never asked David to pass through.

He never asked you or I to pass through because the ratification of the covenant doesn't depend on

you because even when I don't keep my word, the fire that goes through the two halves means God

says if you don't keep your half of the bargain, I'm still going to keep my hand.

So here is the shout. Jesus paid it.

You bring nothing to the table. You bring nothing but your no good soul to the table.

You bring nothing but your dirty heart to the table. You bring nothing but your lying tongue

to the table. But God says if you come to the table, I'll make a covenant with you.

Nothing in my hands I bring simply to the cross I clean.

And so now brothers and sisters, there's not only this matter of his person,

there's not only this matter of his passion, but he wants us to remember his promise.

And the promise is as often as you drink this cup, as often as you eat this bread,

what you are doing is foreshadowing, foretelling another supper.

Jesus is no longer on the cross. He's on the throne.

You want to know why church is so dead in some churches,

while worship is so stale and dry and ritualistic and dead and you fall asleep every time you go.

Because in that church is a crucifix.

And Jesus is no longer on the cross. And so when you go in the church, whether it's a crucifix or

a cruciform and Jesus dead body is still on it, it's a dead experience because we don't serve a dead Jesus.

The Bible says he ever lives to make intercession for us. He is not on a cross, he's on the throne.

And because he's on the throne, because his person was broken, because his passion was executed,

because his promise was made, he is coming back.

He's now our great high priest. He's now our advocate with the Father.

He's now seated at the right hand of majesty on high, transcending all time and space,

coming back for his church and when he comes again, we shall reign forever.

There's not only a promise of his return, but also there's a promise of a rehearsal.

When we take the Lord's supper this morning, we just rehearse it.

Because there's another supper, the marriage supper of the Lamb.

And if you're going to take that supper, you got to participate in this supper.

Because this is just dress rehearsal for when all of us are at the table.

Let me let me let me let me let me let me let me shout by myself.

I'm looking at some folk who's going to be at the table that shouldn't have been there because

of who they are. Rehab and got no business at the table. She's a prostitute, but she's going to be

there. Mephibosheth was crippled and both his feet has no business at the table, but he's going to be

there. Abraham said Sarah was his sister when she was really his wife. He lied, but he's going to be

at the table. Moses killed a man, but he's going to be at the table. David committed adultery,

but he's going to be at the table. I ain't no good in my heart, but I would be at the table.

Because at the cross, at the cross, where I first saw the light and the burden of my heart

rolled away. It was there. By faith, I received my sight. Now I'm happy. I'm on my way to Canaan

land because I've been invited to the marriage supper of the lamb. The reason I'm not going to

hell this morning is because I haven't been invited. My parents taught me, don't ever go

where you haven't been invited. I've been invited to sit in heavenly places with Christ Jesus,

and you think I'm going to miss out on that invitation because you don't want to shop,

because you don't want to give God glory, because you don't want to wave your hands in the sanctuary,

because you're too dignified to tell God, thank you. I need somebody to join me this morning

to thank God that when is all over.

God, some glad moment when this life is over, I'll fly away because I've been invited

to the marriage supper. This is dress rehearsal this morning. When we take this bread and take

this cup, we are rehearsing because Jesus said, I will not take it again until I take it new with you

in my father's kingdom.