It causes me great concern
to see so many who profess faith in the Lord Jesus Christ absenting themselves
from the ordinance of the Lord's Supper and neglecting this commandment of
Christ. The Lord's Supper is an important part of worship, essential to the
spiritual well-being of God's church. The Apostle Paul said, "As often as
ye eat this bread and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death till he
come."
The purpose for observing the Lord's Supper is that
we might symbolically show forth the death of Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ
instituted this ordinance just before his death on the cross. The bread and
wine symbolically represent the sufferings and death of our Redeemer in our
place. The broken bread symbolizes his immaculate body, crushed under the wrath
of God beneath the load of our sins. The wine poured out symbolizes his blood,
poured out in death, by which our sin was put away. Breaking the bread and
drinking the wine, we are reminded of our need of Christ's substitutionary
sacrifice to put away sin, and we are reminded of God's great love in
sacrificing his Son to redeem us.
This is an ordinance which every true believer should
observe. Regrettably, many of God's children have been taught to fear coming to
the Lord's Supper. They think they are showing reverence for the ordinance by
not receiving it. They do not. Our worthiness to take the bread and wine is not
in ourselves, but in Christ. We come not with perfection, but with faith. By
eating the bread and drinking the wine, we show our confidence in Christ's
finished work to make us accepted in the sight of God. No unbeliever is worthy
to receive this ordinance, but no believer is unworthy.
The
Lord's Supper is to be observed often. A friend recently told me that in his
church they had observed the Lord's Supper only once in twelve years! That is
utterly inexcusable. We need to be frequently reminded of our Lord's love for
us and of the price by which he redeemed us.