Luke 22:14-20

 Memorials have always been a part of human life and existence  From years gone by up to our day and age, we do things to remember  We have videos, pictures, notes and other things that we keep to help us remember important events

 There are some memorials that stand out to us that hold some significance in our lifetime  When we see them it probably triggers some memory, lesson, or reaction in our minds  Think about the following…

 God was the one that originated the idea of memorials  The very first memorials we see were from the mind of God  See what comes to your mind when you see these images of memorials from God…

 Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper as a memorial  The New Testament tells us it was a main part of their gathering (Acts 20:7; I Cor. 11:18ff)  Jesus Himself said “do this in remembrance of Me” (Lk. 22:19)

 There are times when we can lose sight of it’s importance and purpose  In our worship we sometimes focus more on the sermon than we do on the Lord’s Supper  The intent of this sermon is to focus and understand the importance of this memorial

 Some have asked why we take the Lord’s Supper so often  The criticism is that once a week will cause it to lose it’s meaning and effectiveness  We look to the Bible and the example the first century church has given us

 Acts 20:7 - It was on the first day of the week that the disciples gathered to take the Lord’s Supper  I Cor. 11:18ff – They came together to partake of the Lord’s Supper  The memorial does not lose it’s meaning and purpose due to it’s frequency

 On the contrary, we need to be reminded often of Christ’s sacrifice  It refreshes me and gives me a renewed drive and vigor to focus on this once a week  The Lord’s death should mean something to us daily!

 We know from the words of Christ that this was to be done in remembrance of Him  What exactly are we remembering or memorializing?  The body and the blood are the two things that are symbolized here (I Cor. 10:16)

 Paul explains further what we are remembering when he recounted what Jesus told him (I Cor. 11:23-26)  We remember the death of Jesus Christ, but we also proclaim it with the Supper  We also proclaim His return (v. 26)

 Not only is it a remembrance and proclamation, but it is a communion as well  Paul said we are fellowshipping or sharing the blood and body of Christ  What a blessing to say that we have communion with our Lord!

 There are two elements to the Supper that we partake of  The bread is to represent the body of Christ  Christ gave His body on the cross to take our place and satisfy the justice of God (Lk. 22:19)

 When we partake of the bread, we should think back to the sacrifice Jesus was willing to make  We should consider how difficult it was for Jesus to suffer for us  There is also the fruit of the vine that we partake of

 Jesus said it was representative of His blood that He shed on the cross (Lk. 22:20)  Without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sins (Heb. 9:22)  All these things are tied into the death of our Lord

 There is also a manner in which we are to take of the Lord’s Supper  Paul speaks on the manner because the church at Corinth had a problem with this  They had turned it into a common meal (I Cor. 11:20-22)

 Obviously there is a certain reverence that should be shown in observing the Lord’s Supper  “whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner…” (v. 27)  There is a misconception about this verse

 “unworthy” refers to the manner in which the Supper is taken, not the state of the person taking it  Paul speaks of the need to separate the bread (body of Christ) of the Supper from a regular meal (v. 29)  Paul said it’s the reason why some were spiritually sick