II. JESUS USED THIS OCCASION OF CELEBRATING THE PASSOVER TO INSTITUTE THE LORD'S SUPPER:

A. Note that the Passover and the Lord's Supper are two entirely different orders; yet, they met together on this evening of our text:

1. As has already been shown, the Passover was a Jewish holiday, pointing back to their deliverance from Egyptian bondage. It was an annual foreshadow of the lambship of Christ, who would ultimately come and deliver men from the bondage of sin. On this night, before His crucifixion, Jesus kept this Passover memorial with His apostles. In Matt. 26:17, they came to Jesus asking, "Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat the Passover?" He then instructed them to go to a certain man and say unto him, "The Master saith, My time is at hand; I will keep the Passover at thy house with my disciples," Matt. 26:1& The next verse, Verse 19, says, "And the disciples did as Jesus had appointed them; and they made ready the Passover." Then Verses 26 & 27 of the same chapter says, "As they were eating, Jesus took bread...aad he took the cup." Obviously the bread and the cup He took was that of the Passover; and the eating that they were doing was the eating of the Passover. It was for that exact purpose that they had assembled there.

2. As they were eating this Passover supper, Jesus took the Passover bread and the Passover wine to start a new order with a different point. The new order which He initiated on that night is the Lord's Supper; and it points directly to the broken body and shed blood of Jesus Christ; not to deliverance from Egyptian bondage. As to the point of the broken, unleavened bread, Jesus left no question when He said, "Take, eat; this is my body, "Matt. 26:26. And, He left no question about the cup by saying, "This is my blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins," Matt. 26:28. The broken body and shed blood picture the death of the Saviour; thus, Paul wrote in I Cor. 11:26, "For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death til he come."

3. It is significant to notice that the food and drink of the Passover is the same food and drink that Jesus used in the Lord's Supper. To think He used something different is foolish, in view of the fact the Lord and His apostles had come together specifically to keep the Passover. And, while Jews were keeping the Passover feast, it was unlawful for them to have other foods or beverages present. Ex. 13:7 says, "Unleavened bread shall be eaten seven days; and there shall no leavened bread be seen with thee, neither shall there be leaven with thee in all thy quarters." Annually in the Passover celebration, the Jews were to use unleavened bread and the unleavened fruit of the vine, which is wine. (The fruit of the vine is only unleavened once that it, by fermentation, has thrown off it's impurities and leavening agents.) So, when Jesus took the bread and cup of the Passover, He took unleavened bread and wine; and with these He instituted the Lord's Supper. This is one of several reasons why we continue to this day using unleavened bread and wine in our observance of the Lord's Supper.

B. Whereas the Passover was a Jewish memorial pointing back to Egypt, the Lord's Supper is a church ordinance pointing toward three other great truths:

1. First, and most of all, the Lord's Supper points back to the cross:

a. Remember from Matt. 26:26, that the unleavened bread of the Supper testifies of the broken body of Christ. Paul fortified that truth by quoting Jesus in I Cor. 11:23-24, He said, "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." So the unleavened bread is our visible reminder of Jesus, "whom they slew and hanged on a tree," Acts 10:39. In spite of the fact that "cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree, "Gal. 3:13, Jesus "his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness," I Pet. 2:24. Every time we take the unleavened broken bread of the Lord's Supper, we ought to be reminded of the fact that Christ Jesus "was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities," Isa. 53:5.

b. Furthermore, the wine cup of the Lord's Supper points directly to the shed blood of Jesus. Jesus Himself said so in Matt. 26:27-28, and Paul reaffirmed in I Cor. 11:25, "After the same manner he also 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." God declared, in Heb. 9:22, "Without shedding of blood is no remission," but Jesus was willing to shed His blood; not for Himself, but for us. Heb. 9:12 declares, "Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the Holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us." And folks, by His blood, which even Judas Iscariot had to admit was "innocent blood," Matt. 27:4, Jesus was able to make peace with God for us, Col. 1:20.

c. Together the broken body and shed blood picture the death of Christ, I Cor. 11:26, which is the cornerstone of the gospel by which we are saved from sin's penalty. Rom. 5:6,8 declare, "For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly .... but God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." How everyone of us should daily thank God that He cared enough to die in our place. And how each Lord's day we should be heartbroken as the unleavened bread and wine is served; and we are made to realize afresh that our God gave His all for us, when He went in our place to the cruel cross.

2 But, the Lord's Supper also points out the fact that we should live a holy, sanctified life in this present world:

a. In connection with the Lord's Supper, Paul says, "Let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup, "I Cor. 11:28. In Verses 27 & 29 of the same chapter, he mentions the possibility of eating the supper "unworthily." "Unworthily" is from the Greek word "ANAXIOS," meaning in the wrong manner. A person is eating the supper in the wrong manner, if he is (1) not a believer, (2) not a member of the local church, which is serving the supper, or (3) is not in fellowship with God as he takes it. Some have argued that the examination refers only to being sure you are saved, and a member of the local congregation. Although, I Cor. 11:30 shows that not to be the case. Here were some, who were under the severe hand of God's discipline for their failure at self judgment regarding the Lord's Supper; and they were both saved, and members of the local church in Corinth. The problem with these people was that they had gone ahead taking the Lord's Supper as though there was fellowship between them and God, when the truth was that they were out of fellowship with Him. Thus, the picture of God's people working in harmony or fellowship with God, which should be honestly portrayed during the Lord's Supper, was marred.

b. God wants His people to walk in fellowship with Him. He tells us in Titus 2:12, "That denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world." Listen to I Peter 4:1-2, "For as much then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin: that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lust of men, but to the will of God." Hear God speak in Eph. 4:22-30, "That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; and be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor: for we are members one of another. Be ye angry and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: neither give place to the devil. Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, put wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." In Eph. 4:1, the word says, "I therefore the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called." Now brethren, we could spend the next several weeks just going through the pages of God's word looking at passages telling us that God's people ought to live sanctified, separated, godly lives, walking in fellowship with God daily, as did Enoch of Gen. 5:25. Every time a child of God goes to the Lord's table to eat the Lord's Supper, his eating should be a testimonial that he is walking in fellowship with God.

c. If he goes to that holy table and upon self-examination finds himself out of fellowship with God, then he should immediately employ God's method for restoration of fellowship. By repentant confession of our sins that hinder fellowship, we will always be forgiven and restored to fellowship. I John 9 promises, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Once cleansed, we can proceed with the supper, and in so doing, testify of our fellowship and true communion with God.

3. Besides speaking of Christ's death and our fellowship with Him. the Lord's Supper also points forward to the second coming of Christ:

a. While Jesus was eating the supper with His disciples, He said unto them, "I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until the day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom," Matt. 26:29. Here our Lord pointed forward to the future, and His glorious reunion with His people. In establishing the same truth, the apostle Paul put it this way in I Cor. 11:26. He said that by regular observance of the Lord's Supper, we show the Lord's death "till he come." The fact is that every time we observe the Lord's Supper, we are anticipating the day when our Lord will return. We are saying to all observers that our Lord lives, and the day is coming when He will be back. This current role of trials, troubles, and disappointments is not forever. Soon it will all end, and we will be with our blessed Saviour.

b. I cannot say just when this will be, but I know it will happen, and I know it will be soon. When Jesus ascended into the heavens, the angels of God said to those who watched "Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same desus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven," Acts 1:11. Jesus' own promise is, "Let not your heart be troubled, ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also," John 14:1-3. Truly, we can rejoice with Titus, "looking for the blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ," Titus 2:13. The beloved apostle John wrote, "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure," I John 3:2-3. Fellow saints, every time you take the Lord's Supper and hear those words, "til he come," your heart ought to warm with excitement as you realize afresh that soon that same Jesus, who met with His disciples at the Lord's Supper on the night before He was crucified, will come again; not in poverty to be killed, but in glory and power to rule and reign with His people. Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!