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Well, please turn in your Bibles 
to 1 Corinthians chapter 11. 1 Corinthians chapter 11. We're 
going to be looking at several texts this evening, specifically 
with reference to the three tenses used in connection to the Lord's 
Supper. The Apostle calls us to engage 
in past reflection, a remembrance of events that occurred in the 
past. There is present blessing associated 
with the Lord's Supper and as well there is anticipation for 
the coming of glory. right here in 1st Corinthians 
chapter 11. I'll just read verses 23 to 26. I'll pray and then we'll look 
at each of these tenses that are used with reference to the 
Lord's Supper. For I received from the Lord 
that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the 
same night in which he was betrayed took bread. And when he had given 
thanks, he broke it and said, Take, eat. This is my body which 
is broken for you. Do this in remembrance of me. 
In the same manner, He also took the cup after supper, saying, 
This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do as often 
as you drink it in remembrance of Me. For as often as you eat 
this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death 
till He comes. Amen. Let us pray. Our blessed 
God and our Holy Father, we thank You for the supper. We thank 
You for this ordinance given to us by Jesus Christ. And we 
pray that You would fill our minds and our thoughts now with 
the Word of Truth, cause our meditations to soar Christward, 
cause us to consider Him who is altogether lovely and chief 
among 10,000. And even now we pray that You 
would forgive us for our sins and our transgressions. We ask 
our Father that You would cleanse us afresh in the blood of the 
Lord Jesus Christ. Our God, we pray that the ministry 
of the Holy Spirit would be at work, that He would guide us, 
that He would direct us, that He would bless and strengthen 
and nourish us, confirm our faith, and cause us to grow in the grace 
and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We 
come to You, our great God, our glorious God, through Christ 
our Lord. And it's in His name that we 
pray. Amen. Yes, there is a past aspect, 
a present aspect, and a future aspect concerning the Lord's 
Supper. The first instance is it is a 
memorial ordinance. The Lord's Supper, we are called 
to remember specific facts. Paul says that here specifically 
in 1 Corinthians 11 at 24 and 25. Do this in remembrance of 
me. In the same manner, He also took 
the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new covenant 
in My blood. This do as often as you drink 
it in remembrance of Me. So the bread and the wine, they 
show forth, or they symbolize, or they set us, or point us to 
the reality of the Lord Jesus Christ. I think it's always good 
to remind ourselves that when we gather for the supper, there 
is no change in the elements utilized. Our particular confession 
says, the outward elements in this ordinance, duly set apart 
to the use ordained by Christ, have such relation to Him crucified 
as that truly, although in terms used figuratively, they are sometimes 
called by the names of the things they represent, to wit, the body 
and blood of Christ. Albeit in substance and nature, 
they still remain truly and only bread and wine as they were before. So as we eat this bread and drink 
this cup, we're not ingesting physically the body and blood 
of our Lord. Of course, the Confession is 
arguing against the position known as transubstantiation. They go on to write, That doctrine 
which maintains a change of the substance of bread and wine into 
the substance of Christ's body and blood, commonly called transubstantiation, 
by consecration of a priest or by any other way, is repugnant, 
not to scripture alone, but even to common sense and reason, overthrows 
the nature of the ordinance and has been and is the cause of 
manifold superstitions, yea, of gross idolatry. So the symbols, 
the elements, the bread and the wine, they serve as a means to 
hopefully help us to reflect back on an event that occurred. 
Now specifically defined here in verses 24 and 25, Jesus says, 
do this in remembrance of me. So the supper is a memorial ordinance, 
but as we proceed through the other two tenses, we'll see that 
it's not just a memorial ordinance. But surely, as we gather here 
this evening, we need to reflect upon what these things point 
us to. Specifically, we need to consider 
the Lord Jesus Christ. John Murray said, it is the Lord 
we are remembering. So frequently, believers become 
so introspective that preoccupation with themselves excludes preoccupation 
with Christ. Turn back to Isaiah 53 for just 
a moment. We ought to be preoccupied with 
our Lord Jesus Christ when it comes to the supper. There is 
this remembrance of something that occurred in the past. Now 
certainly as Isaiah is writing it, it is in his future. He is 
writing concerning the suffering servant of the Lord, which is 
Jesus Christ. The New Testament certainly evidences 
and manifests that all these things were indeed true of our 
Lord in His earthly ministry. It's thought for continuity since 
Pastor Cam read this. This would be a good place to 
fuel our thoughts, to consider the Lord Christ, and to remember 
Him accordingly. Notice specifically in verses 
1 to 3, what is indicated there is the humiliation of Christ. 
It's good for us to remember that concerning Him. He is the 
man of sorrows. He is the one acquainted with 
grief. He is the one who was despised 
and we did not esteem Him. We need to consider what Christ 
went through on our behalf. Yes, the physical suffering and 
the shame of hanging on the cross and certainly divine wrath. He 
is satisfying divine justice when He dies upon the cross, 
but His whole life was characterized as the state of humiliation. Says very clearly, he is despised 
and he is rejected by men. I wonder if we would go through 
what he went through on our behalves. And I can almost absolutely say, 
no we wouldn't. We like to be liked by men. We 
like to be enjoyed by men. We like to be praised by men. 
Jesus, the Bible says, came to His own and His own received 
Him not. He humbled Himself. He came into 
this world of shame and lowliness and He took on our nature and 
He identified with us. and He became something that 
He was not in terms of His essential deity. Notice it goes on in Isaiah, 
the prophet 53, as we remember the Lord Jesus, His suffering. 
His suffering. And one of the things that we 
need to understand is that Jesus suffered in a solitary manner. There was no one to help Him. 
There was no one, obviously the Spirit was there with Him, but 
there was no man that went alongside of Him and upheld Him in this 
great hour of trial, in this great hour of difficulty. His 
was a solitary assignment. He alone was the one who was 
able and equipped to save His people from their sins. The indication 
here, surely He has. All of this is indicative of 
what Christ alone has done on our behalf. It jives with what 
the angel pronounces in Matthew 1.21. You shall call His name 
Jesus. Yahweh is salvation for He. I believe it's emphatic. He alone 
will save His people from their sins. And all that is indicated 
in the remainder of this chapter and fleshed out in the Gospel 
records, Jesus did on His own. Notice the element of substitution 
with reference to His sufferings. He bore our griefs. He carried 
our sorrows. He was wounded for our transgressions. This element of substitution 
is that we can hang our souls upon. Christ stood in the stead 
of His people to satisfy divine justice on their behalf. Christ didn't go to the cross 
simply as an example. He didn't go to the cross simply 
as a display of love. He didn't go to the cross for 
any other reason than to be set forth as a sacrifice to receive 
in Himself the punishment that was due for us. You see, when 
He says, do this in remembrance of Me, when we eat this bread 
and we drink this cup, we are not doing it as a reward for 
our own good behavior over the past week. When we eat this bread 
and we drink this cup, we do not do it as an outward signification 
that we're good people or good guys or good girls. We do it 
because our substitute, the Lord Jesus Christ, took the punishment 
that was due for our sins. And notice, just in verses 4 
to 6 there, the comprehensive nature of the Savior's suffering 
on our behalf. Look at how many things the prophet 
writes that Jesus did. He has borne our griefs. He has carried our sorrows. He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement for our peace 
was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. The Lord Christ 
in His earthly ministry, the Lord Christ in His role as mediator, 
the Lord Christ as the surety of the better covenant, certainly 
confirms or affirms or carries to completion everything that 
was laid upon Him by His Father for the good well-being of His 
elect. Summarized in verse 6, all we 
like sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone to His 
own way, and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. This is what Paul has in mind 
in 2 Corinthians 5.21. God made Him, Christ, who knew 
no sin, to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness 
of God in Him. The Father takes all the sin 
of the elect. He heaps it upon the Son. He 
punishes the Son who stands in our place and receives the wrath 
of God for us. And as a result, we are forgiven. 
As a result, we have a righteousness imputed to us and received by 
faith alone. So we see as we consider this 
idea of do this in remembrance of me, his humiliation, his suffering. Notice thirdly in the prophet 
Isaiah, beginning in verse 7, his death. He was oppressed and 
he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth. He was led as 
a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers 
is silent, so he opened not his mouth. What does this indicate 
to us concerning our Lord? The idea here, at least the type 
or the analogy, he was led as a lamb to the slaughter. Certainly 
that is the case. He is the anti-typical lamb of 
God who takes away the sin of the world. But this suggests 
his willingness. So we do this in remembrance 
of me, Christ, as we consider this bread and this wine, as 
they point us to the Lord of Glory. We need to understand 
that He willingly undertook on our behalf. He was oppressed 
and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth. He did 
not resist. He did not seek to stay this 
procedure. He did not seek to derail it 
or to upbraid it. In fact, suffering in the garden, 
He says, He prays, according to His humanity, Father, if it 
be possible, let this cup pass from Me. The Lord Christ knew 
exactly what was in the cup. It was the wrath and the fury 
and the judgment of God Most High. That would cause any man 
to shrink back. Jesus says, if it is possible, 
let this cup pass from Me. But He resigns. He's resolved 
to do the will of God. Nevertheless, not My will, but 
Thine be done. He doesn't stop the procedure. He doesn't try to find an easier 
way out. Rather, as a sheep before its 
shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth. He willingly undertook 
on our behalf. As we consider the sacrifice 
at Calvary, it was not put up, or it was not engaged in, in 
some resentful and bitter fashion. You know how many times we are 
asked to do things, and there are times when we agree to do 
something, but in our hearts, we don't really want to do it. 
Kids, I want to encourage you that your parents are on to you. 
If you children are like my children, your parents know when you're 
not really willing to do something. You may go through the motions, 
you may go through the procedure, but there's a bitterness that 
exudes. There is this unhappiness that 
comes out. I'm not saying or suggesting 
that Jesus whistled ditties on His way to the cross, but there 
was a willingness for the glory of God and for the salvation 
of His elect. He went all the way for us. His death. Notice, though finely, 
as we consider Christ, because we do this in remembrance of 
Him. Notice His triumph. Isaiah 53, 
verse 10, Yet it pleased Yahweh to bruise him. He has put him 
to grief. When you make his soul an offering 
for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and 
the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. He shall 
see the labor of his soul and be satisfied. By his knowledge 
my righteous servant shall justify many, for he shall bear their 
iniquities." This seems to be the direction that the Apostle 
is going in Hebrews chapter 12, when he sets forth Christ. as 
that paradigm for whom believers ought to look. It says, "...looking 
unto Jesus, the author and finisher of faith, who, for the joy that 
was set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and 
is sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Christ 
went willingly. Christ suffered on the cross. Christ was crucified. Christ 
rose again the third day. And Christ exalted on high to 
the right hand of the majesty of God on high. He shall see 
the labor of his soul and be satisfied. You see, we do this 
in remembrance not only of the one who suffered and died, but 
of him who rose again. of Him who is exalted as King 
of kings and Lord of lords. So as we consider the present 
or the pastness of this supper, we do this in remembrance of 
our Lord Jesus Christ. But secondly, there's a present 
blessing associated with the supper. A present blessing, present 
communion, present fellowship. Turn back to 1 Corinthians and 
you can go specifically to chapter 10. 1 Corinthians chapter 10. Notice beginning in verse 14. Therefore, my beloved, flee from 
idolatry. I speak as to wise men. Judge 
for yourselves what I say. The cup of blessing which we 
bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ?" Now, 
that word, if you have the New King James, in the marginal reading 
it is fellowship. It's the word koinonia. I'm sure 
that's one Greek word that everybody in America and Canada knows. Koinonia. I'm sure you've heard 
that word. I'm sure that either Pastor Cam or I have used that 
word. Notice what he says. The cup 
of blessing which we bless, is it not the fellowship of the 
blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is 
it not the communion of the body of Christ? Or is it not the fellowship 
of the body of Christ? You see, what the Apostle is 
indicating in this particular section is that as we engage 
in the Lord's Supper, there is that remembrance, that reflection 
upon the past event. We consider Christ in His humiliation. We consider Christ in His suffering. We consider Christ in His death. 
We consider Christ in His exaltation, His triumph, His reign, His rule. But primarily we focus on the 
substitutionary atoning death. That's what the bread and the 
wine typify and signify for us in particular. So you see that. 
We are remembering. There's a memorial ordinance 
involved tonight. You are to think, you are to 
listen, you are to pay attention, you are to look at texts, you 
are to recall in your own heart that I'm not here because I'm 
a good guy or I'm a good girl, but I'm here because Christ is 
a great Savior, because Christ laid His life down for me. and 
Christ rose again so that I might have everlasting life. You need 
to think, you need to remember, you need to reflect. Do this 
in remembrance of me. But Paul in verses 16 and 17 
here, or verses 15 and 16 rather, in this particular passage indicates 
there is present communion, there is present fellowship, there 
is present enjoyment of the exalted Lord. If we ask the question, 
how in the world can this possibly happen? It is by the Word to 
be sure, but it is by the Spirit. The Spirit is the Spirit of Christ. The Spirit is the Spirit of God. And He comes, and He takes these 
things, and He makes them alive, and He makes them real, and He 
makes them powerful, such that our confession of faith can actually 
talk about the reality that there is a spiritual nourishment in 
the act of the Lord's Supper. It is a memorial ordinance, but 
as my dear brother has written a book, it is more than a memory. It is a means of grace. And look 
at verse 16. The cup of blessing which we 
bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? He's 
talking to the Corinthians that are celebrating the supper. Now, 
the Corinthian church was established after the resurrection, after 
the ascension on high, after the fact that Christ assumed 
his position of authority at the right hand of the Father. 
So Christ is exalted Lord, and the Apostle is writing to the 
Corinthians, and he says, "...the cup of blessing which we bless, 
is it not the fellowship of the blood of Christ? The bread which 
we break, is it not the fellowship of the body of Christ?" Again, 
there's a mysterious element to be sure, but what the Apostle 
is highlighting is true. That God, in a special and peculiar 
way, working in and by and through these particular things, is encouraging, 
is strengthening, is nourishing, and is confirming our faith. 
There is present communion with the risen Lord as we gather together 
here to do this ordinance. Yes, through preaching that is 
there. The preaching of the Word. I'm 
sure I've mentioned before Pastor Albert N. Martin's illustration 
concerning biblical preaching. He says that when a man of God, 
qualified by God, called by the Church, stands before the Lord's 
people and preaches the Word by the Spirit, it's as if there 
is this triangle effect going on. The Spirit comes and blesses 
the man who preaches the Word. And as that Word goes forth, 
the Spirit works in the heart of the recipient, so that they 
may in turn receive that Word and be benefited. As Lloyd-Jones 
once was asked, or once said, he said, I don't know what anction 
means, but I know when I don't have it. I know when the Spirit 
is not present. There is something very unique 
that happens when the Word of God is opened accurately, it 
is exegetically sound, it is attended by the Spirit, there 
is encouragement from the heart of the believer, there is conviction, 
there is reproof, there is instruction in righteousness. There is that 
element where heaven kisses earth through the means ordained by 
God through His servants. The same is true in this instance. The cup of blessing which we 
bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread 
which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? You see, there is something more 
going on in this particular ordinance than we just do this once a month 
because that's what Christian churches do. No, we get the privilege 
to obey our Lord Jesus and to commune with Him in a special 
way. Yes, through the Word is special, 
but through the bread and the wine, these are elements given. 
Again, they're not changed, it's not magic, it's not hocus-pocus, 
but God in His condescension comes to our physical mass and 
gives us these things so that we can recall the Lord Jesus, 
we can remember Him effectively, but in the very act of eating 
and drinking these things, we commune with Him. Note the contrast 
that follows. Notice what Paul goes on to say 
in verse 18. Well, let me just finish verse 
17. For we, though many, are one bread and one body, for we 
all partake of that one bread. There's an expression there of 
the unity of the church, the unity of the saints. You see, 
this was not given to private Christians. This was given to 
the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is a covenantal 
meal. This is interesting, or at least 
has an analogy or a parallel in the Old Covenant. Remember 
in Exodus 24 when God ratifies the covenant through Moses. They 
sprinkle blood. They see God. This is on the 
Mount. And then they eat together. There's 
a covenantal meal associated with the Old Covenant. There 
is a covenantal meal associated with the New Covenant. Now, I'm 
not suggesting that we can't eat by ourselves. I mean, my 
lunch here consists of standing at that counter for about six 
minutes. I get as quick as I can, typically 
because it's cold up there, and typically because I don't want 
to stand up there for any longer. So I'm not saying we can't eat 
on our own. When you talk about eating, though, there's a familial 
element involved, isn't there? There's a social dynamic. There's a fellowship. Even in 
the scriptures, you trace out this whole idea. Feasting is 
a blessing. Coming together for a meal is 
a joy. When the Church of Christ comes 
together for the supper, the bread and the wine, we are exhibiting 
our oneness as the body of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. 
He's presiding over this. He, by His Spirit, is blessing. 
He, by His Spirit, is nourishing. He, by His Spirit, is encouraging 
and confirming our faith. Again, the idea in the supper 
is that God is serving His people these good things so that we 
can remember our beloved Redeemer. This isn't first and foremost 
our service to God. God is the householder here. 
God is the owner here. God is laying out the banquet 
here. God invites us to come to His 
table. God calls us to do this for His 
glory and for our edification and our nourishment and our strengthening. So many times we look at our 
church services as our service to God. More often than not, 
it's God's service to His people. It's God providing the bounty 
in the Word. It's God providing the bounty 
in the bread and wine. It's God laying out these things 
for the good of His saints. It is God who is giving to His 
people. Notice this contrast that evidences 
there is something more going on at the supper than simply 
this memorial aspect. As important as that is, the 
past is essential when we come to the supper because we do this 
in remembrance of me. We need to consider the present. Now note the contrast. We have 
verse 16, the cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the 
fellowship of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is 
it not the fellowship of the body of Christ? Now verse 18, 
observe Israel after the flesh. are not those who eat of the 
sacrifices partakers of the altar." What am I saying then? That an 
idol is anything, or what is offered to idols is anything? 
Rather, now notice verse 20, that the things which the Gentiles 
sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I 
do not want you to have fellowship with demons. This is not just 
a memorial aspect involved in verse 20. It's not just a conscious 
remembrance that there are demons out there, but it's fellowship 
with demons. It is communion with demons. Isn't that what Paul says positively 
occurs? For the Christians, when they 
eat this bread and drink this cup, there's fellowship, there's 
communion, there's enjoyment, there is nourishment. Rather 
that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to 
demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship 
with demons. You go through this particular 
procedure. You make yourself open to these 
evil influences. You participate with the Gentiles 
as they engage in this manner of sacrifice. And do you know 
what the end result is? You will have fellowship or communion 
with these demons. You see why the supper is more 
than a memory? Yes, we remember Christ, but 
we presently commune with Christ as we eat this bread and we drink 
this cup. Listen to Hodge. He says, it 
is here assumed that partaking of the Lord's Supper brings us 
into communion with Christ. Is that how you view the supper? 
Is it more than a memory? I hope that it is. It is a present 
means of grace for the people of God, gathered as the Church 
of God, for their nourishment, for their encouragement, for 
their confirmation in the faith. In fact, verse 16 is an assumption 
upon which verse 20 is the necessary conclusion. Paul doesn't argue 
that the supper is a means of grace. Paul doesn't give reasons 
as to why we ought to consider it that way. He simply states 
what is in verse 16. When we engage in this cup of 
blessing which we bless, is it not the fellowship of the blood 
of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the fellowship 
of the body of Christ? This is something we assume. 
This is something we know. This is something that we experience. This is something that we agree 
upon. Rather, the argument in context 
is to caution the Corinthians to flee from idolatry. Chapter 10, verse 14. Chapter 
10, verse 20 indicates that when one opens himself up to this 
degree, he is going to end up in fellowship with demons. And 
that brings him to his conclusion in verse 21. You cannot drink 
the cup. of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake 
of the Lord's table and of the table of demons. Or do we provoke 
the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he? In some 
he says essentially what Spurgeon says. You can't entertain Jesus 
in the parlor and the devil in your basement. You can't, on 
the one hand, bless the cup of blessing and eat the bread of 
blessing and commune with and enjoy the fellowship of the exalted 
Lord by His Spirit, and then, on the other hand, go and sacrifice 
these things along with the Gentiles and fellowship with demons. Simply 
incomprehensible. So Hodge says, it is here assumed 
that partaking of the Lord's Supper brings us into communion 
with Christ. If this be so, partaking of the 
table of demons must bring us into communion with demons. This 
is the apostles' argument. So you see, he is urging upon 
us to consider, yes, we remember the past, but we enjoy present 
communion with the Lord as we eat this bread, as we drink this 
cup. John Gill said, the apostles 
view in this instance, and his argument upon it is this, that 
if believers, by eating the bread and drinking the wine in the 
Lord's Supper, spiritually partake of Christ, of His body and of 
His blood, and have communion with Him, then such who eat of 
things sacrificed unto idols have in so doing communion with 
them, and partake of the table of devils, and so are guilty 
of idolatry which He would have them avoid. So you see, the reality 
of present communion with the exalted Lord by the means of 
this ordinance called the Lord's Supper is assumed as true in 
verse 16. This is not the point of the 
apostle in this section in chapter 10. He is not striving to prove 
that the Lord's Supper is more than a memory. What he is striving 
to prove is that the Corinthians ought to flee idolatry. And their 
participation with these Gentiles, who are offering sacrifices to 
demons, opens up the Corinthians to fellowship, to communion, 
to this ungodly bond with these demons themselves. You see, it 
is an analogous statement. The analogous is, we have communion 
with Christ. We have union with Christ. We 
have nourishment from Christ in the ordinance that we celebrate 
when we gather together as a church. Jeffrey Wilson said, partaking 
of bread and wine is union or sharing with the heavenly Christ. And this is the present communion 
that we enjoy. So there's a memorial ordinance. 
Do this in remembrance of me. There is present communion. We 
enjoy fellowship with Jesus as we eat this bread and we drink 
this cup. But there is eschatological anticipation. Go back to 1 Corinthians chapter 
11. 1 Corinthians chapter 11. You see, here are the three tenses, 
the past, the present, and the future, connected to the supper. We need to empty our minds or 
rid our thoughts of this idea that this is just something churches 
do because they have to do it. This is something churches do 
because Christ, their gracious Lord, gave it to them. Christ, 
their gracious Lord, loves them. Christ, their gracious Lord, 
wants to nourish them. Christ, their gracious Lord, 
wants to commune with them by His Spirit and Word. Christ, 
their gracious Lord, meets them in this ordinance. Again, He 
meets us in the preaching of the Word. He'll meet you in your 
reading of Scripture. He'll meet you in times of prayer, 
to be sure. But this is another means by 
which He meets you. The Church has identified the 
means of grace. That doesn't mean we go out and 
do a good thing, and as a reward, God gives us grace. No, means 
of grace means those things God commands that serve as conduits 
by which He meets us with gracious deposits of His mercy to us. I'm not suggesting you cannot 
commune with and enjoy the presence of God while you're mowing your 
lawn. The New Testament never says go out and mow your lawn 
and do this in remembrance of Christ. The New Testament does 
say, as you eat this bread and as you drink this cup, you proclaim 
the Lord's death till he comes. This is something we are commanded 
to do, something we are privileged to participate in, something 
that has a past implication, a present blessing, and future 
anticipation. So 1 Corinthians 11, 26, 4, as 
often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim 
the Lord's death, till he comes. Turn back to Matthew 26. Matthew chapter 26. Verse 27, Then he took the cup, 
and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink from it, 
all of you, for this is my blood of the new covenant, which is 
shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say to you, I 
will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until 
that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom. The same thing is enjoined here 
in 1 Corinthians 11, 26. There is anticipation. There is a future orientation 
here in the supper. Yes, the idea is that as long 
as the church shall gather, she shall proclaim the Lord's death 
in this. But that's not all. It's not 
just a reminder that Christ is coming again, but it is a reminder 
of what's going to happen when He comes again. He's going to 
come in His glory. He's going to come in His majesty. He's going to come to usher His 
church in to His special presence, world without end. You see, as 
we eat this bread, we do so in remembrance of Christ. We presently 
enjoy communion with Christ, but we look forward to that day, 
that day typified or foreshadowed by the Mount of Transfiguration, 
that day when we shall see Christ as He is, That day when we will 
enter into His presence. That day when this world and 
all the wickedness and the evil and the wretchedness will be 
remade. Behold, I make all things new. 
There'll be a new heavens and a new earth. There'll be a time 
where there's no more sorrow and there'll be no more pain. 
There'll be no more suffering. There'll be no more death. That 
is the last enemy that is vanquished by our conquering King, the Lord 
Jesus. There is death, and mayhem, and 
suffering, and trial, and prevail, and all sorts of things. And 
that happens as we come to the supper in this generation. We 
come burdened. We come heartached. We come sorrowful. We come tried. We come sore. 
We come vexed. But when we eat this bread and 
we drink this cup, we proclaim the Lord's death till He comes. He is going to come again. He 
will render to every man his due. He will take his bride and 
bring them up into heaven. And they shall be with Him forever 
and ever, world without end. Amen. As we eat this bread, and 
as we drink this cup, let us never forget, not only the past, 
the present blessing we enjoy, but the reality that our beloved 
Savior is coming again for His church. John Gill says, it, the 
supper, leads forward to expect and believe He will come again 
to put us into the full possession of the salvation He is the author 
of. Does that ever just make you want to shout and sing and 
do holy jigs? Can you imagine there is a day 
coming when you will serve the Lord without sin? I'm sure that everybody who comes 
to this church, morning and evening, your minds are always focused 
on everything the preacher is saying, right? Show of hands. Just kidding. Won't it be nice 
to stand before the Lord day and night without sin? Won't 
it be great to stand before the Lord confirmed in righteousness? Won't it be great to stand before 
the Lord with no more free will? I agree with Whitefield. Free 
will got us into the mess that we are in. When we get to heaven, 
God will confirm our will. God will solidify our will. God will so work in us that we 
will only will the good eternally. Can't even imagine such a thing 
in this age. So Gil says, into the full possession 
of the salvation He is the author of, when there will be no more 
occasion for this ordinance, nor any other, but all will cease 
and God will be all in all. We won't eat the supper in Evet, 
because we will be seated at the marriage supper of the Lamb. 
We will be with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. We will be with all 
the elect from all ages, gathered before the King of kings and 
Lord of lords. And we will with one refrain 
say, Salvation belongs to our God and to the Lamb who sits 
upon the throne. The Lord's Supper points us to 
that reality. Your heart is vast. said, when 
Paul enjoins his readers to proclaim the Lord's death until he shall 
come, this certainly is not intended as a mere chronological remark 
concerning the perpetual validity of the observance of the supper 
in the church. As I mentioned before, as often 
as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's 
death till he comes. It's not just chronology that 
is involved, but there's anticipation. When you eat the bread, when 
you drink the cup, think back to the crucifixion of our beloved 
Savior. Think back to the resurrection 
from the grave. Think back to the ascension on 
high. Consider the present communion 
that you now enjoy, the fellowship with Christ and with His Church. Isn't it beautiful to be with 
the people of God? Have you not yet learned that, 
how important the people of God are? How important it is to be 
connected, not in community, but in church. To be with other 
saints and believers so that we may indeed exhort one another 
daily while it is called today. In the supper we have vertical 
communion with our beloved Christ. We have horizontal communion. 
That's why Paul joins upon the church in 1 Corinthians chapter 
11. You cannot come and celebrate the supper if at your love feast 
or at the times when you are engaging in meals, the haves 
neglect the have-nots. It cannot be. Men are eating 
and drinking. The gluttony and drunkenness 
and others among you aren't getting any food or drink whatsoever. 
Whatever it is you're doing, he says to the Corinthians, it 
is not observing the supper. There is a present communion 
with our beloved Savior. There's present communion with 
one another as well. But brethren, remember the future. 
Anticipate the coming age. Vos says, it suggests rather 
the idea that when the Lord shall have come, the necessity for 
further observance of the sacrament will no longer exist. It will 
no longer exist. And this in turn gives rise to 
the thought that in the present observance of it, There is an 
anticipation of what the eschatological state has in store for the believer. We have no idea what lay in our 
future. I mean, we read the Bible, we 
read those texts, probably as you get older, you read them 
more closely, attentively. I'm not saying I do that yet, 
because I'm not that much older, but I would imagine as you get 
older in your Christian life, as you proceed upon that trajectory, 
you're getting closer to the end. You're more curious about 
the end. You're more studious about the 
end. I remember doing a gospel message at a businessman's gospel 
breakfast one time, and this one old brother said, every morning 
I wake up, check the obituaries to see if I'm in there or not. 
There's a closeness in the reality that no man lives forever. I'm 
not Elijah. I am not going to get caught 
up in the whirlwind. I'm certainly not Enoch. I am 
not that godly that I walk with the Lord, and then I am not. 
I'm going to die like everyone else. And as we move on in years, 
as we move on, hopefully in grace, we are studying those texts, 
we are looking to see what the Lord has for us, and the supper 
proclaims this. Do this, or as often as you eat 
this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death 
till He comes. Anticipate the future. Look forward 
to the end. Look forward to that time when 
Christ will come for His bride, for His church, to bring them 
into consummate glory. Revelation 22, beginning in verse 
1. Now I saw a new heaven and a 
new earth. for the first heaven and the 
first earth had passed away. Also there was no more seed. 
Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out 
of heaven from God, prepared as a bride, adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from 
heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will 
dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will 
be with them and be their God." That is the consonant Blessing 
of all covenantal dealing. I love the forgiveness of sins. 
As a great sinner, I love the fact that I am forgiven by a 
great Savior. I love the fact that God internalizes 
the law. I love the fact that He writes 
His law upon the heart. I love all that stuff that is 
specified in Jeremiah 31, 31 to 34, and I'm sure you do as 
well. But it's, I will be their God, 
and they shall be my people. this closeness, this covenantal 
union, this blessed bond, this intimacy. God made man upright 
for communion with Him. Remember, when Adam sinned, he 
ran from God. God would come to Adam and Eve 
in the cool of the day to commune with them. What manner of God 
is this, who wants communion with us? But He does. They shall be His people. God 
Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe 
away every tear from their eyes. There shall be no more death, 
nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, 
for the former things have passed away. Then He who sat on the 
throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And He said to me, 
Write, for these words are true and faithful. And He said to 
me, It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, 
the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of 
the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes 
shall inherit all things, and I will be his God, and he shall 
be my son. But the cowardly, unbelieving, 
abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, 
and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns 
with fire and brimstone, which is the second death." I suspect 
some readers in our modern age would get to verse 8 and say, 
wow, that's a real bummer. Boy, why does he put that there? 
I mean, verses 1 to 7 is a glorious picture, a glorious representation, 
a glorious description of what we will enjoy in the new heavens 
and the new earth. Why? Include verse 8. Probably to vet those who have 
deluded themselves. probably as a call to examination 
for the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. You cannot claim participation 
in covenantal blessings if you have not, by the grace of God, 
forsaken these particular sins, you see. But I think it serves 
another function as well. Doesn't it encourage you to realize 
that in the New Jerusalem there will be no murderers? There will 
be no sexually immoral. I'm sure if you were in Syria 
or in Iraq or in one of these other countries, Nigeria, if 
you had felt the burden of Boko Haram, you would delight in verse 
8. It, like verses 1 to 7, portray 
the glory of the New Jerusalem. You see, it's not only the reality 
that God the Father and Christ the Spirit are present, it's 
not only the reality that there'll be no more tears in our eyes, 
it's not only the reality that there'll be no more sorrow or 
death, but the reality that there cannot be. The reality that in 
that age to come, it will not be the case that the righteous, 
like Lot, are vexed day by day by the wickedness of Sodom and 
Gomorrah. You see, brethren, this is a 
means of encouragement. You are going to a place, the 
supper anticipates a reality where there is no more unbelieving, 
cowardly, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, 
idolaters and liars. God, the Lord Most High, so structures 
the New Jerusalem that there is no unrighteousness there. 
The people who participate are confirmed in righteousness, and 
those who have rejected God will be rejected by God. And their 
part will be in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, 
which is indeed the second death. To summarize what we've said, 
past remembrance in terms of memorial ordinance, present communion 
in terms of means of grace, and future glory, the anticipation 
of the age to come. Pastor Barcelos in his little 
book on the Lord's Supper says, the Lord's Supper reminds us 
of the past blesses us in the present and looks to future eating, 
future feasting with the Lamb in all His glory. May God indeed encourage our 
hearts and cause us to do this in remembrance of Him, to enjoy 
present communion with Him and to anticipate that blessed day 
when we shall see Him as He is. Let us pray. Our Father, we thank 
You for Your Word and we thank You for this ordinance that You've 
given. I pray that You would bless and nourish and encourage 
Your church in this place. We thank You for Jesus. We thank 
You for His broken body and His shed blood. We thank You for 
His humiliation, His suffering, His death at Calvary and His 
ultimate triumph and His current session at the right hand. And 
we look forward to that day when He will come again in glory to 
judge the living and the dead. We look forward to that day when 
we will enter into the New Jerusalem, when we will participate in all 
that You have secured for us. God, we pray that You would encourage 
us now, and we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.