Today we once again gather around the table
to celebrate the Lord’s Supper, there is a text of scripture that
is very closely linked with this service. I would like you to turn
with me to
Matthew 4:4; “Man shall not live by bread
alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”
There are so many in the world today who are
thinking only material things. They are thinking of the food for
today not tomorrow.
Spiritual Bread
But Jesus tells us that temporal bread is not enough. It is true
that Jesus taught us to pray for our daily bread. God wants
us to depend on him. He wishes to supply our daily needs. But
above all God wants us to feed on the spiritual bread.
Matthew 5:6; “Blessed are they which hunger
and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.”
This is a wonderful promise. How much more
important it is to partake of the spiritual food that God has for
us.
Sacred
Bread
Today as we gather around the table we need
to realise that the bread of the Lord’s Supper is sacred bread.
For we are told in
John 6:33; “For the bread
of God is he which cometh down from heaven.”
This is heavenly bread. To partake it is to
live forever. The cross of Calvary is stamped on every loaf. We
need to eat of this bread for it is the spiritual bread which will
bring everlasting life.
John 6:33
says; “For the bread of God is he which
cometh down from heaven.”
By keeping this in mind the Lord’s Supper
takes on a whole new meaning.
Preparation for the Passover
Luke 22:7,8
says; “Then came the day of unleavened
bread, when the Passover must be killed. And he sent Peter and
John, saying, Go and prepare us the Passover that we may eat.”
You will notice that the disciples were told
to go and prepare the Passover. The first step in observing the
Lord’s Supper is preparation. The minister must prepare himself.
If the one who ministers is not in the right spiritual condition,
how can he minister to others. The elders of the church must
prepare themselves. If they do not then they are unworthy to take
part in this service.
The deacons must likewise do the same for
they carry the vessels of the Lord. It is the deacons who offer
the emblems to God’s people. The deaconesses who prepare the bread
and the wine, have they done their work with the right heart
condition?
It is of far greater importance that the
church members must be prepared, for it is a solemn moment. We are
about to partake of the living bread.
Paul says in
1 Corinthians 11: 23,24; “…That
the Lord Jesus the same night in which He was betrayed took bread.
And when He had given thanks, He broke it, and said, take, eat:
this is My body which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of
Me.”
As I have already mentioned we need to
remember that the cross of Calvary is stamped on every portion of
the bread. This is the spiritual bread that will bring everlasting
life. How important that we avail ourselves of this bread while we
may.
A
Spiritual Famine is Coming
Do you know that there is a time coming when
there will be a world-wide famine. How few seem to realise this. Let me read
Amos 8:11; “Behold the days come,
saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a
famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words
of the Lord.”
This is really serious; a famine of spiritual
bread. How important is it that while we have the opportunity we
should avail ourselves of partaking of this heavenly bread.
Keeper of the Bread
Did
you know that often words change their meaning? The word ‘Lord’ in
the New Testament is translated from the Greek word ‘Kurios’,
which means ‘supreme being’. The Anglo-Saxon word ‘Lord,’ comes
from the old feudal system. In those days the Lord lived in a
castle and he controlled the food situation of his servants or
vassals. So in the English, the word ‘Lord’ means keeper of the
bread. What a beautiful spiritual lesson when this is applied to
the Lord of Lords.
The Lord’s Supper is the ceremony instituted
by the Lord Jesus Christ who is the ‘keeper of the bread,’ “Man
shall not live by bread alone”. We need to always remember these
words.
Heavenly Bread and Heavenly Water
For the bread of the Lord’s Supper is He
“which cometh down from heaven”.
But not only do we need to eat of the
heavenly bread, but we need to drink of the living water.
John 4:4
says; “But whosoever drinketh of the
water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that
I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into
everlasting life.”
You have the perfect combination: Heavenly
Bread and Heavenly Water. What a privilege that we should be able to
take of these life giving blessings.
How can
Death Bring Life?
Paul writes in
1 Corinthians 11:26; “For as
often as ye eat this bread and drink this cup, ye do show the
Lord’s death till He come.”
Do you see the significance of this
statement? By doing this, we plainly demonstrate (to
God) our faith in the fact that Christ’s death brings us
everlasting life. What a contradiction! One could ask the
question, ‘How can death bring life?’ Jesus said, ‘I die daily.’ It was day by day
death to sin. Christ gave us an example that we should die daily.
Romans 6:4
says; “Therefore we are buried with Him
by baptism into death; that like Christ was raised up from the
dead…even so we also should walk in the newness of life.”
The Saviour wants each one of us to enter
into the experience of His death and the cross, so when we may
pass from death to everlasting life. While we have the opportunity
let us partake of the living bread and the heavenly water.
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