The Remembrance Feast
Key verses
"Then He said to them, 'With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it UNTIL IT IS FULFILLED IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD'. Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, 'Take this and divide it among yourselves; for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until THE KINGDOM OF GOD COMES'. And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, 'This is my body which is given for you; DO THIS IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME.' Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, 'This cup is the NEW COVENANT in my blood which is shed for you.'" Luke 22:15-20
Why the need to remember?
Forgetfulness of things spiritual can be a problem, particularly if we have busy working lives. This is why God set aside the Sabbath day for Israel, so that they could regularly remember how God brought them out of Egypt and gave them a law which provided them with a better physical and spiritual lifestyle than other nations, and in particular, a law that pointed forward to their Saviour in the future. Once the Saviour had arrived, and offered himself as the perfect sacrifice, this then heralded the arrival of the NEW COVENANT, and the need to introduce a NEW FEAST of remembrance, seeing that the Sabbath and other feasts of the law pointed forward to Jesus, and were fulfilled by His sacrifice. Colossians 2:11-23
The First Century style of feast
It appears that the sabbath day was used by the first century church as an opportunity to preach the Gospel message. The remembrance feast was then celebrated in private homes in the evening following the sabbath, which was the first day of the week, (Acts 20:7) seeing that the Jewish day started at 6pm. It is commonly accepted that this remembrance feast was more of a meal than our feast today, although not primarily for the purpose of gratifying hunger, which was what the Corinthian believers were castigated for at a later date. 1 Corinthians 11:17-34
The importance of remembrance
It is vitally important that we set aside some time on a regular basis for the purpose of remembrance, so that it becomes a very important part of our life, for our salvation depends on it. (John 6:24) "For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till He comes" 1Corinthians 11:26 Where possible we should do this with other faithful members of God's household. (see Hebrews 10:25)
Self examination
A very important part of the 'Lord's Supper' is the fact that we must 'examine ourselves'. We have to be constantly vigilant about our own personal standing in God's sight, and the remembrance feast is a good time for this. (See 1 Corinthians 11:27-32)
The bread represents
The bread represents Jesus' body which was not only given in sacrifice on the cross, but was a living example of personal sacrifice throughout His life which was devoted to the well-being of others at all times. The Apostle Paul told us to pursue a similar course when he said, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you PRESENT YOUR BODIES A LIVING SACRIFICE, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service" Romans 12:1
The wine represents
The wine represents the New Covenant and the blood of our Lord that was shed on the cross. God has always required the shedding of blood for the forgiveness of sins. (See Hebrews 9:22) Jesus' sacrifice was effective for the forgiveness of sins because it involved the shedding of blood (giving of life) by the only sinless man that has ever lived, even though He was made of the same flesh and blood and tempted in all points that we are. Hebrews 2:17, 4:15
All Scripture quoted is from the N.K.J.V.
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"Then He said to them, 'With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it UNTIL IT IS FULFILLED IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD'. Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, 'Take this and divide it among yourselves; for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until THE KINGDOM OF GOD COMES'. And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, 'This is my body which is given for you; DO THIS IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME.' Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, 'This cup is the NEW COVENANT in my blood which is shed for you.'" Luke 22:15-20
Why the need to remember?
Forgetfulness of things spiritual can be a problem, particularly if we have busy working lives. This is why God set aside the Sabbath day for Israel, so that they could regularly remember how God brought them out of Egypt and gave them a law which provided them with a better physical and spiritual lifestyle than other nations, and in particular, a law that pointed forward to their Saviour in the future. Once the Saviour had arrived, and offered himself as the perfect sacrifice, this then heralded the arrival of the NEW COVENANT, and the need to introduce a NEW FEAST of remembrance, seeing that the Sabbath and other feasts of the law pointed forward to Jesus, and were fulfilled by His sacrifice. Colossians 2:11-23
The First Century style of feast
It appears that the sabbath day was used by the first century church as an opportunity to preach the Gospel message. The remembrance feast was then celebrated in private homes in the evening following the sabbath, which was the first day of the week, (Acts 20:7) seeing that the Jewish day started at 6pm. It is commonly accepted that this remembrance feast was more of a meal than our feast today, although not primarily for the purpose of gratifying hunger, which was what the Corinthian believers were castigated for at a later date. 1 Corinthians 11:17-34
The importance of remembrance
It is vitally important that we set aside some time on a regular basis for the purpose of remembrance, so that it becomes a very important part of our life, for our salvation depends on it. (John 6:24) "For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till He comes" 1Corinthians 11:26 Where possible we should do this with other faithful members of God's household. (see Hebrews 10:25)
Self examination
A very important part of the 'Lord's Supper' is the fact that we must 'examine ourselves'. We have to be constantly vigilant about our own personal standing in God's sight, and the remembrance feast is a good time for this. (See 1 Corinthians 11:27-32)
The bread represents
The bread represents Jesus' body which was not only given in sacrifice on the cross, but was a living example of personal sacrifice throughout His life which was devoted to the well-being of others at all times. The Apostle Paul told us to pursue a similar course when he said, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you PRESENT YOUR BODIES A LIVING SACRIFICE, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service" Romans 12:1
The wine represents
The wine represents the New Covenant and the blood of our Lord that was shed on the cross. God has always required the shedding of blood for the forgiveness of sins. (See Hebrews 9:22) Jesus' sacrifice was effective for the forgiveness of sins because it involved the shedding of blood (giving of life) by the only sinless man that has ever lived, even though He was made of the same flesh and blood and tempted in all points that we are. Hebrews 2:17, 4:15
All Scripture quoted is from the N.K.J.V.
If you would like to find out more about the Bible Message, please visit the Online Courses
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