1. Seven Facts to remember about the Cross of Christ
Luke 22:7-20
Main points from article, “Aids to Remembrance in the Lord’s Supper,” by Bobby L. Graham

2. Luke 22:7-11
7 Then came the day of unleavened bread, when the passover must be killed. 8 And he sent Peter and John, saying, Go and prepare us the passover, that we may eat. 9 And they said unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare? 10 And he said unto them, Behold, when ye are entered into the city, there shall a man meet you, bearing a pitcher of water; follow him into the house where he entereth in. 11 And ye shall say unto the goodman of the house, The Master saith unto thee, Where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples?

3. Luke 22:12-16
12 And he shall shew you a large upper room furnished: there make ready. 13 And they went, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover. 14 And when the hour was come, he sat down, and the twelve apostles with him. 15 And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer: 16 For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God.

4. Luke 22:17-20
17 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves: 18 For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come. 19 And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. 20 Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.

5. Introduction
Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper in order that we remember him!
He emphasized “this do in remembrance of me”
We can sometimes loose focus on what we should remember
The points in this lesson will:
Give us more insight about the events of the Cross
Refresh our minds on some often forgotten details
Help up us to maintain the proper focus when we partake of the Lord’s Supper
Help us to better remember and appreciate Christ’s suffering

6. #1 – One Lord! The one and only Lord died for all of His creation!
2 Corinthians 5:14; Ephesians 4:5; 1 Timothy 6:15
He was and is Master, the one deserving first place!
Colossians 1:12-22
His lordship indicates ownership and authority!
Matthew 28:18-19
As servants we must acknowledge our submission to Him in reverent praise!
Not our interests, desires, passions or pleasures
1 Corinthians 11:17-22
At the Supper we must remember the one who died to save us from our sins!
2 Cor. 5:14 - For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:
Eph. 4:4-6 - There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; 5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
1 Tim. 6:15 - Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate (dunastes - a ruler or officer:--of great authority, mighty, potentate), the King of kings, and Lord of lords;
Col. 1: READ
Matt. 28: And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
1 Cor. 11: READ

7. #2 – Two Thieves!
Two ordinary robbers, who violated the law of God and of man - Matthew 27:38
They operated on the notion:
Might makes right
What is yours is mine
I will take it if I can
In contrast to the sinless Son of God
Respected the law of both God & man
Came to fulfill the law & the prophets
Matthew 5:17, 18; 22:34-40
Mt. 27:38 - Then were there two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand, and another on the left.
Mt. 5:17, 18 - Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. 18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
Mt. 22: READ

8. #3 – Three Crosses! One cross of repentance - the penitent thief:
Acknowledged his sins and…
Reprimanded the other thief
Luke 23:39-42
One cross of rebellion - the defiant thief:
This thief died and persisted in his slanderous speech toward Jesus
He doubted and did not fear God or man
Luke 23:39
The cross of redemption - the humble Son of God:
Jesus died for the sins of the whole world
1 John 2:2; John 3:16, 17; 1 Peter 1:18-20; 2:24
Lk. 23: And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. 40 But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. 42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.
1 Jn. 2:2 - And he is the propitiation (atonement) for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
Jn. 3:16, 17 - For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
1 Pet. 1: Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; 19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: 20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, 21 Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.
1 Pet. 2:24 - Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

9. #4 – Four Soldiers & Four Parts!
Four soldiers asked for some of the clothing Jesus - John 19:23, 24
They wanted a souvenir of the crucifixion because of the extraordinary person whom they were crucifying
Divided His garments in four parts
The four cast lots for the seamless cloak
The unleavened bread and the fruit of the vine are our souvenir
Helps us to remember the One who died for us!
His body broken and precious blood shed
Jn. 19:23, 24 - Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also his coat: now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout. 24 They said therefore among themselves, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be: that the scripture might be fulfilled, which saith, They parted my raiment among them, and for my vesture they did cast lots. These things therefore the soldiers did.
1 Cor. 11:24, 25 - 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. 25 After the same manner also he 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.
cf. Eccl. 12:6 - Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern.
Silver Cord - Spinal Cord ; Golden Bowl - The Brain in the cranium; Picture Broken at the fountain - The vena cava (a large vein carrying deoxygenated blood into the heart), which brings back the blood to the right ventricle of the heart, here called the fountain. The wheel broken at the cistern - The great aorta, which receives the blood from the cistern, the left ventricle of the heart, and distributes it to the different parts of the system. These may be said, as in the case of the brain above, to be broken, i.e., rendered useless; when, through the loosening of the silver cord, the total relaxation of the nervous system, the heart becomes incapable of dilatation and contraction, so that the blood, on its return to the right ventricle of the heart, is not received, nor that already contained in the ventricles propelled into the great aorta. The wheel is used in allusion to the Asiatic wheels, by which they raise water from their wells and tanks, and deep cisterns, for domestic purposes, or to irrigate the grounds. - Adam Clark Commentary
Jn. 19:36 - For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken. (cf. Psa 34:20 - He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken).
1 Pet. 1:19 - But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Matt. 26:28 - For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

10. #5 – Five Wounds! Jesus suffered many wounds to his body:
John 20:19-31
Five are easy to identify:
To each foot/lower leg = 2 wounds
To each hand/wrist area = 2 wounds
To his side by the sword piercing it = 1 wound
The crown of thorns inflicted others
Isaiah prophesied of the wounding of the Lord
Isaiah 53:5
“…Every thorn, every nail, every tear was for me…”
# 369 – Mended And Whole, By Don Alexander
Hymns for Worship
Jn. 20: READ
Isa. 53:3-5 - He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

11. #6 – Six Hours on the Cross!
Jesus hung on the cross for six hours
From the 3rd to the 9th hour
Mark 15:25, 34
These were hours of agony
The final three hours were a time of darkness over the land
Luke 23:44
The veil of the Temple was rent at the end of this time the from the “top to the bottom”
Matthew 27:51
Shows the hand of God rather than the hand of man, who would have torn it from the bottom to the top
Mk. 15:25 - And it was the third hour, and they crucified him. 34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
Lk. 23:44 - And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour.
Matt. 27: Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. 51 And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; 52 And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, 53 And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many. 54 Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.

12. #7 – Seven Sayings of Jesus!
While He hung there Jesus uttered seven different statements, each revealing something of his nature, concern, purpose & destiny:
Prayer for forgiveness - “Father, forgive them…what they do”
Luke 23:34
Promise of salvation - “This day shalt the be with me in paradise”
Luke 23:43
Statement of compassion - “Behold thy mother”
John 19:26-27
Cry of human suffering - “I thirst”
John 19:28; Psalms 69:21
Cry of loneliness - “My God, my God why hast thou forsaken me?”
Matthew 27:46
Declaration of victory - “It is finished”
John 19:30; 4:34; 5:36
Statement of trust - “Father into to thy hands…my spirit”
Luke 23:46; Ecclesiastes 12:7
Lk. 23:34 - When said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.
Lk. 23: And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. 40 But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. 42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. 43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.
Jn. 19:26, When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! 27 Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.
Jn. 19:28 - After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst. 29 Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a spunge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth.
Psa. 69:21 - They gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
Prov. 10:6 - As vinegar to the teeth, and as smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to them that send him.
Matt. 27:34 - They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink.
*Rom. 12:20 - Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.
Matt. 27:46 - And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
Jn. 19:30 - When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.
Jn. 4:34 - Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.
Jn. 5:36 - But I have greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me.
Lk. 23:46, And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost. 47 Now when the centurion saw what was done, he glorified God, saying, Certainly this was a righteous man.
Eccl. 12:7 - Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.
Gen. 2:7 - And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

13. Conclusion
May these thoughts help us fully focus on the sacrifice of Jesus when we partake of the Lord’s Supper that he instituted!
One Lord
Two thieves
Three crosses
Four soldiers and four parts of His garments
Five wounds
Six hours of Darkness
Seven sayings of Jesus

14. 1 Corinthians 11:23-26
23 For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread:
24 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.
25 After the same manner also he 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.
26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.