OF COURSE WE OBSERVE THE LORD'S SUPPER

By Pastor Art Watkins of Coden Bible Church (Coden, Alabama)

April 20, 2010

In 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 Paul wrote: For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.

Paul said that what he wrote about the Lord’s Supper he received from the Lord. The Lord gave Paul this revelation concerning the Lord’s Supper. In these verses he gives us a full revelation of the Lord’s Supper and instructions to observe it.

What does the bread and cup represent? The bread represents his body that was broken for us. The cup represents his blood that was shed for us.

How long should we observe the Lord’s Supper? We are told to observe it till the Lord comes again.

What do we show when we observe the Lord’s Supper? We shew the Lord’s death till he comes.

Why should we observe it? Two times the Lord says; This do in remembrance of me.

Every time the church observes the Lord’s Supper it is observing a memorial instituted by Christ in his earthly ministry. The first Lord‘s Supper was observed by Christ and the 12 apostles in the four gospels in Matthew 26:26-29. Therefore when we observe the Lord’s Supper we are obeying a doctrine first announced and observed in the four gospels during the earthly ministry of Christ. Who said we don’t get our doctrine from the four gospels?

Many dispensationalists have a problem with the Lord’s Supper. Some of them do not observe it. I have actually seen them get up and walk out of a service or go and sit in the back pew in defiance of it. It’s amazing because these are the same people who tell us to follow Paul, but when it comes to the Lord’s Supper they turn their back on Paul and the Lord too. Why? Because it is found in the four gospels which they say is not doctrine for the church and because it is a memorial of the New Covenant. They say that because the New Covenant was made with Israel we cannot observe it. But is the church Israel? No. Did Paul tell us to observe it? Yes. Was Paul confused about Israel and the church? No. Then why did he tell the church to observe the Lord’s Supper when he knew it was a memorial of the New Covenant God made with Israel? Because Paul knew something that most dispensationalists are blind to, reject, and will not accept: It’s the undeniable fact that we have been made partakers of the New Covenant.

Romans 15:27 says: It hath pleased them verily; and their debtors they are. For if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their (Israel’s) spiritual things, their duty is also to minister unto them in carnal things.

Paul tells gentile believers like us that we have been made partakers of Israel’s spiritual things and one of them is the spiritual blessings of the New Covenant.

Galatians 3:27-29 says; For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. By being baptized by the Spirit into Christ we become Christ’s. Because we are Christ’s we are counted as Abraham’s seed. Being counted his seed we becomes heirs to the promise and promises God made to his seed and one of those promises is the New Covenant.

Ephesians 2:11-13 says: Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

These verses describe our past and present history. In time past we were strangers from the covenants of promise in verse 12 because we were aliens from the commonwealth of Israel to whom the covenants of promise were made. The greatest covenant he made with them was the New Covenant. But according to verse 13 now that we are in Christ we are made nigh to the covenants of promise. The New Covenant that was originally made with Israel has become ours now in Christ by the gospel. What was theirs by promise has become ours by grace.

This is why God made Paul a minister of the New Covenant.

In 2 Corinthians 3:6-11 he wrote: Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter (Old Testament), but of the spirit (New Testament): for the letter (Old) killeth, but the spirit (New) giveth life. But if the ministration of death (Old), written and engraven in stones, (Old) was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory (Old) was to be done away: How shall not the ministration of the spirit (New) be rather glorious? For if the ministration of condemnation (Old) be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness (New) exceed in glory. For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth. For if that which is done away (Old) was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious. (New)

In view of all these facts it is easy to understand why we should observe the Lord’s Supper. We are partakers of the New Covenant and Paul our apostle was a minister of the New Covenant that the Lord’s Supper is a memorial of. The bread calls to our remembrance Christ’s body that was broken for us on the tree and the cup causes us think about and be thankful for the blood he shed for our sins.

I find it astonishing that there are people today who talk so much about following Paul who turn their back on the Lord’s Supper and even teach people not to observe it! These people are going to have a hard time at the judgment trying to explain their disobedience to the Lord. Can you imagine a Christian standing before the one whose body was broken for them and whose blood was shed for them trying to explain why he refused to partake of the bread and cup of the Lord’s Supper that represents his body and blood? Can you imagine a preacher standing before Jesus Christ at the judgment seat of Christ and trying to explain to him why he told people not to observe the Lord’s Supper even though it is a memorial of his death and shed blood? Its no wonder Paul said that day will be a day of terror to some people in 2 Corinthians 5:11.

I will be honest with you, I would not be a member of a church that did not observe the Lord’s Supper or support a preacher who did not observe it either. They are totally out of the will of God. Don’t tell people you follow Paul if you do not observe the Lord’s Supper. Don’t be a hypocrite and criticize those who do not follow Paul if you refuse to observe the Lord’s Supper either!

(By the way, many of the people who observed the Lord’s Supper were once idol worshipping gentiles. See 1 Cor.12:2, 1 Thes. 1:9)