I. Introduction
A. Assigned Seating
1. Perhaps you’ve been to an event recently where you were assigned seating.
a. There is always a little bit (or a lot) of anxiety in finding your name and then figuring out if you are sitting next to people you know.
b. Sometimes people read into where they are seated at an event. To them, it might convey a slight, or it might convey honor.
2. This morning, we will figuratively gather around a table that has no place of honor except for the seat of the host, Jesus.
B. Around the Table with Jesus
1. In three of the four gospel accounts, we read of Jesus instituting the Lord’s Supper at Passover. This is significant.
a. The Passover meal was a reminder to Jews of what God had done to free them from Egyptian slavery.
b. The original night of Passover was the night that death passed over the homes with the blood of the lamb on the doorpost.
c. It was a foreshadowing of what would occur later when Jesus went to the cross to become the lamb that takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29).
2. Jesus teaches us that the bread is symbolic of His body and the fruit of the vine is symbolic of His blood.
a. His sacrifice and His blood are offered as atonement for our sins (Hebrews 9:11-14).
b. In Acts 2:42 and 20:7, it is obvious that the Lord’s Supper was an important aspect of worship, so much so that it was observed every Sunday when they met together.
3. In our passage this morning, Paul returns to the upper room to remind us of the meaning of this time in our worship of God.
II. A Seat at His Table
A. (1 Corinthians 11:17-22)
1. Communion is meant to be a time when we contemplate our to God, which is made possible through the death of His Son.
2. The church at Corinth had lost its connection because it had shifted its focus from Christ’s sacrifice to its stomachs. They had taken a time of remembering Christ’s selflessness and turned it into a time of selfishness. The time of communion in Corinth had become a time of class distinction.
3. Communion is meant to be a reminder that we belong; we can be God’s children and part of His family through Christ. What was happening in Corinth was sending the opposite message; it had become a time of division rather than unity.
4. Warden observes, “The apostle was writing about the institution of the Lord’s Supper because it proclaims the of the Lord and His people.”
B.
1. Communion is meant to be a time of personal .
2. Paul reminds us to examine our lives in light of the sacrifice made for us. (Let a person examine himself…)
3. Observing the Lord’s Supper is not meant to be a time I examine my for the sacrifice of Christ because I will never be worthy, but it is a time to examine how I to the sacrifice of the Savior.
a. Remember that even Judas was present at the institution of the Lord’s Supper.
b. It is a time to reflect on God’s infinite mercy and grace in light of our weakness and sickness due to the sin in our lives. It is meant to humble us.
4. Communion is a time to meditate on my in the eyes of the Almighty
C.
1. There is an aspect of when we observe the Lord’s Supper.
a. Paul reminds us that we are proclaiming His death, “…until He comes.”
b. We get a sense of anticipation when Jesus shares the Passover meal with His apostles in Matthew 26:29, saying, “I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom” (Matthew 26:29).
2. What Does Jesus Mean?
a. This could be a reference to the church. Crain presents Jesus as the host of communion even today because we are to do this in remembrance of Him.
b. Some think this is a reference to Heaven. If that is the case, Jesus is referencing our communion with God for eternity.
c. Whatever the case, Matthew and Paul both create a sense of anticipation centered around the Lord’s Supper.
3. Illustration: One of the things I anticipated as a child was Christmas lunch at Granny’s house. It was a time of family reunions, memory-making, and more. That anticipation would hit me at random times throughout the year. Our time together is a reminder that a great reunion is coming.
4. There is something more that the Christian anticipates beyond what we experience here.
5. Every time we observe the Lord’s Supper together, it is in anticipation of being at home with Him at His table.
III. Conclusion
A. Around His Table
1. Have you ever been to an event and they forgot to assign you a seat? It’s embarrassing!
a. There is plenty of room in Heaven.
b. Revelation 19:6-9, 22:17
2. Everyone is welcome at the Lord’s table if you accept His invitation.
B. The Invitation
1. You must accept the invitation of the bridegroom now to find a place at the Lord’s table in heaven.
2. Have you accepted the invitation?