New Testament Church Series

(XII) ORDINANCES - LORD'S SUPPER - An Outline

by J. Spender in 1984
Permission to transcribe and to distribute the messages in this series had been obtained from
the speaker who retains all rights to these messages.

I. What is the Lord's Supper?

A symbolic feast using common emblems to remind the believer of Christ in His death, I Cor. 11:17- 34; Luke 22:10- 20. The Lord's Supper has its roots in the Old Testament Passover meal, cf. Matt. 26:26- 28 and I Cor. 5:7. Also called communion, or the breaking of bread.

II. Who is invited to the Lord's Supper?

All born again believers in Jesus Christ, Acts 2:42; I Cor. 1 1:29, 33. This, of course, would not include anyone put out of the fellowship through assembly discipline, I Cor. 5.

III. Who invites the believer to attend ?

The Lord Himself. Paul merely delivers the message he has received from the Lord, I Cor. 11:23.

IV. What is the purpose of keeping the Lord's Supper?

  1. To show the Lord's death till he comes, I Cor. 11:26.

  2. To remember the Lord, I Cor. 11:24-25.

  3. The focal point and center of the early church meeting, cf. Acts 20:7, "They came together to break bread, and Paul preached. . . " etc.

  4. To worship the Lord. Since true worship cannot be commanded, there are no references commanding the N. T. believer to worship at any certain time. However, since worship flows out from those in the N. T. who "see" the Lord in a special way, it is not surprising to find worship resulting from a meeting in which the Lord is in the midst and He is the object of our hearts.

  5. As baptism is a picture of union with Christ, the Lord's Supper is a picture of communion with Him.

  6. To visibly display the oneness of the body of Christ, I Cor. 10:16.

V. How often should the Lord's Supper be observed?

I Cor. 11:26 says, "For as often as ye eat this bread. . . etc.," No frequency is commanded but the early church observed the feast each Lord's Day, Acts 20:7. Great men of the past encouraged a weekly observance of the Lord's Supper; e.g., C.H. Spurgeon (Baptist), Jonathan Edwards (Congregational), John Calvin (Presbyterian), John Wesley (Methodist), etc.

VI. Problems of Unscriptural Ideas Relating to the Lord's Supper

  1. Human leadership taking the place of the Holy Spirit in leadership, cf. I Cor. 14:26, multiple participation, cf. Heb. 2:12.

  2. Partaking unworthily, i. e. , in an unworthy manner, I Cor. 11:27- 30.

  3. Transubstantiation: R. C. doctrine that the elements become Christ's actual body and blood. But I Cor. 11:29 speaks of the importance of discerning the Lord's body. "This is my body" is a metaphor like "I am the door. "

  4. Controversy over types of bread and fruit of the vine, etc.

| Referring Page |