What the Lord’s Supper Means For Me

From: September 18 – 24, 2007

Pastor: Edith Cruz

Study: # 510 TOPIC: “What the Lord’s Supper Means For Me” 1 Corinthians 11: 23 - 26

The Lord’s body was crushed for our benefit. We move knowing that Jesus is our Lord and that He died for us, He resuscitated with power and conquered death. We must be careful how we walk. The people, the nonbelievers, know the rules well of how Christians should behave. We sometimes do improper things then we are no longer worthy of Christ. We should be worthy of what we have because our effort should be to love God with all our strength. God is always watching over us. When we begin to walk unworthily it is because we have broken with what the Lord Jesus has wanted for our lives. The Jews had a tradition of celebrating many festivities. The Passover feast was to celebrate when they were taken out of Egypt. But, Jesus died for us and now we celebrate the Lord’s Supper in memory of this great event. The Lord’s Supper is not just another festivity; we have to be prepared to receive it. It is something that our heart must understand everything that it implies. In the times of the Corinthians it was not celebrated as we celebrate it today. They didn’t see the last supper as a solemn memory of the body of Christ that was crushed for us. For this reason Paul teaches about the supper in 1rst Corinthians, because the Lord revealed to him how it should take place. Paul teaches it as a reality for our lives. It is a very violent essence in the church so that the body of Christ will understand. There are men and women who participate of the supper because they had an encounter with Jesus and they do it in memory of our Lord’s death. The Lord’s Supper is not merely to eat the bread but to remember that our Lord Jesus died and resuscitated for the benefit of our lives. That piece of bread that we eat is consecrated for the Lord. Whatever is consecrated for God is taken in sanctity. When we eat it we announce to everyone the deliverance of all our sins, that His body was crushed so that we could be free and receive joy, peace, salvation and that we can go before God in worship. The enemy wants to disturb the earth, but in us there is liberation. In order to have liberation we need the body of Christ that was crushed and which doesn't deserve any other betrayal. The more we hear God’s Word the more we will grow and will be able to get to wherever we have to go. Jesus' body was crushed for us, the blood He shed is upon our body; it does not rot or decompose but is still hot. Jesus' blood covers us, the demons and the angels know it well. In our body we carry the blood of Christ and that blood is sacred. Upon us there is a body that the Father has shattered. Our life should be filled with fire and passion for this blood that covers us. The power and love does not come from men but from the blood of Christ given to us for free. This blood arrived at our lives the day we received Jesus as our Savior. Paul exhorts us to understand the love of God for our lives. We sometimes live desperate, but our problems do not belong to us but to God who wants us to rest in Him. For this He paid a high price and crushed His body, to take our burden; for this reason we make memory of Him when we eat the bread.

We are God’s special treasure, He trusts us to bring us up as His children. When Jesus ate the bread with His disciples, in that same moment He was being betrayed. But, soon He was to give the greatest gift to the earth. Jesus was with those who He loved. His side, His feet, all His body was crushed, there was a living sacrifice to pay our sins, our illness, our ruin. Jesus was sold by a friend that only saw in Christ a business opportunity. Judas thought that he had taken advantage of Jesus and of his friends. He took advantage of our wonderful Jesus, he joined those who hated Jesus and turned Him in. But, Jesus was soon to give His life for us living the betrayal of a friend which would take him to his death. He was left alone, His disciples ran away, escaping, He had no one, no multitudes. Jesus was betrayed while He was having supper and this would bring us the freedom by means of His death. It was not just another supper. After the supper He went to pray for His body was depressed. Jesus gave thanks for the bread, because a mortal body was given to Him so that He would give it for us. The Son of God that was surrounded of millions of angels, the Lamb of God, is entitled to take us to Heaven. The angels knew that He was the Son of God on earth. For this reason we have to make memory of Him every day. He took a human body to bless us, to take care of us. Being God He left everything and came to the earth as the son. With this body He went to an appointment for a friend that betrayed Him and took Him to death. Although He suffered great pain, He knew that we would make memory of Him when taking the Holy Supper. Paul advised us not to take the holy supper unworthily. Maybe we won’t die physically, but in God we die. Let us take the holy supper worthily, in sanctity, not as one more celebration, we must not take it unworthily. Jesus went to the cross, taken by the hand by a friend, He didn't put up a defense, and He didn’t want to. Isaiah 53: 7 He was silent for us when He could have opened His mouth to defend Himself and denounce our sins. In silence He forgave our sins, transformed us in new creatures and gave us talents, gifts, fruits and well-being. He enriched us in everything, then, we must be careful not to eat the holy supper unworthily. Many have betrayed Him; let us take care of our hearts. This is a gift for our lives; let us not be like the Corinthians who did not consider this important. To walk improperly is serious for our lives; there are ordinances that have been given to us. There are some consequences; we will be guilty of the blood and of the body of the Lord. To turn back is to be guilty of the blood and of the body of the Lord and those negligence’s in the behavior are irreverent. It is like saying to crucify Him again and to betray Him as Judas did. That brings illness, weakness and death. We must examine ourselves and see if we have faith. The piece of bread that we eat is to announce that Jesus' body was crucified for us. Our souls must be in an appropriate state to eat the bread. Eating and drinking the holy supper unworthily is to eat judgment when not discerning the body of the Lord. Christ's body was given so that sin would be removed from our lives. The power of Jesus' death has delivered us. The punishments, the illnesses, the weaknesses and even death are measures of discipline. But, if we examine ourselves and we seek whatever is wrong, there will be no need to be judged and accused. We know when something is right or wrong. Then, it is best to examine ourselves and proceed to repentance so that we will not receive the punishment. Let us value what is really important, because whatever is not valuable can separate us from God. And away from Him we are nothing. To God be the glory forever. Amen.