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Please turn with me in your Bibles 
to Matthew chapter 26. Matthew 26, our focus is on verses 
26 to 30, the institution of the Lord's Supper by our Lord 
Jesus Christ. So Matthew chapter 26, I'll begin 
reading at verse 17. We'll read to verse 30. So Matthew 
26, beginning in verse 17. Now on the first day of the feast 
of the unleavened bread, the disciples came to Jesus saying 
to him, where do you want us to prepare for you to eat the 
Passover? And he said, go into the city to a certain man and 
say to him, the teacher says, my time is at hand. I will keep 
the Passover at your house with my disciples. So the disciples 
did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover. 
And when evening had come, he sat down with the twelve. Now 
as they were eating, he said, Assuredly, I say to you, one 
of you will betray me. And they were exceedingly sorrowful, 
and each of them began to say to him, Lord, is it I? He answered 
and said, he who dipped his hand with me in the dish will betray 
me. The son of man indeed goes just as it is written of him. 
But woe to that man by whom the son of man is betrayed. It would 
have been good for that man if he had not been born. Then Judas, 
who was betraying him, answered and said, Rabbi, is it I? He 
said to him, you have said it. And as they were eating, Jesus 
took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples 
and said, Take, eat, this is my body. 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. 
And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of 
Olives. Amen. Well, let us pray. Our Father, 
we thank you for the written word of the living and true God. 
We thank you for the sacraments that you have given to the church. 
We thank you, Lord God, that you bless us richly and you give 
us these things to help us, to strengthen us, and to fortify 
us as we make pilgrimage in this lower world. We thank you, Lord, 
as the householder, as the God who owns the church. You have 
blessed us with this privilege to gather together in a special 
way to remember our Lord's death. And even now, again, we pray 
for the ministry and the aid of the Holy Spirit and that our 
hearts would be encouraged and strengthened. And we ask through 
Jesus Christ, our Lord, amen. Well, as we look at this particular 
section with reference to the institution of the supper, we 
have in the first place the setting of the Lord's Supper in verse 
26a, and then secondly the institution of the supper in verses 26b to 
29, and then finally the conclusion of the Lord's Supper in verse 
30. Again, I thought it would be good for us in these Lord's 
Supper services to look at Matthew's passion narrative not every jot 
and tittle and not every section, but some of the sections that 
owe themselves or lend themselves well to our meditation at the 
Lord's Supper in our worship services. But in the first place, 
look at the setting of the supper. They are celebrating the exodus. They are engaged in the feast 
of Passover. That's what we find in verses 
17 to 25. The Passover was instituted prior 
to the exodus from Egypt, and in the same way, the supper is 
instituted prior to this new exodus. And that's really what's 
happening in terms of the life and the ministry of our Lord 
Jesus Christ. It is a new exodus. Intriguingly, 
John's gospel is basically structured around three Passover feasts. 
At the Mount of Transfiguration in Luke's gospel, we see that 
Moses and Elijah appear to Jesus and they're talking to him about 
his exodus, literally his departure. But the word is exodus, his departure 
from this earth. Christ is our Passover, according 
to the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians. And this is significant in this 
particular context, that old Passover, that that memorial 
meal connected to that grand redemptive event where God, where 
Yahweh brought the children of Israel out of Egypt, is being 
fulfilled in a greater way now by our Lord Jesus Christ in the 
exodus from sin through the life and the death and the resurrection 
of our Lord Jesus. Notice in verse 21, he prophesies 
his betrayal. Now, as they were eating, he 
said, Assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray me. He's 
already alerted them that he will, in fact, die. on several 
occasions in Matthew's gospel, chapter 16, chapter 17, chapter 
20, and then again at the beginning of chapter 26, he indicates to 
the disciples that it's a necessity laid upon him that he go to Jerusalem, 
that he be tried at the hands of these guilty men, and that 
he ultimately be crucified and resurrected from the dead. So 
they're having the Passover, they're remembering the exodus, 
and then Jesus institutes the supper. And that brings us to 
verses 26b to 29. Notice in the first place the 
administration of the supper. When the Passover was celebrated, 
the various elements involved were explained. The father of 
the family would indicate to the children and to the servants 
and to everybody in attendance the significance of what was 
happening. The bitter herbs and the lamb and the various cups. There were four cups of wine 
that were utilized during this particular feast and such was 
probably the case here in the institution of the supper by 
our Lord Jesus Christ. So the first part of it is the 
bread. Notice in verse 26, as they were eating, Jesus took 
bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples 
and said, take, eat, this is my body. Now this blessing was 
commonplace. We see Jesus on the occasions 
where he fed the multitudes. Blessing God, thanking God, expressing 
His gratitude to the Father for the gift of bread, for the gift 
of food. The language of that prayer would 
sound something like, blessed are you, Lord our God, King of 
the world, who bring forth bread from the earth. The supper is 
instituted here by Jesus Christ, and He transitions now where 
this bread that was commonly used for nourishment alone is 
being consecrated for a special use. It's not being changed, 
it's not becoming something other, it is not taking on new properties, 
but rather it is moving from a common use to a more special 
use, and that is what's highlighted here in the supper. Again, the 
bread and the wine that we participate in do not become changed, they 
do not undergo some metamorphosis, but rather we move them from 
a common ordinary use to a special use. They don't have particular 
beneficial properties in and of themselves, but rather they 
are consecrated for the use by the people of God in this ordinance 
given by God. And then notice the distribution 
of the bread. As they were eating, Jesus took 
bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples. 
And then the symbolism follows. He said, take, eat, this is my 
body. Now when he says, this is my 
body, we need to understand that he is saying, this represents 
my body. They would have never thought 
that a metamorphosis had occurred. They would have never thought 
that there had been a change, that transubstantiation had obtained. They would not have thought that. 
Jesus uses that kind of language throughout his ministry. He uses 
these I am statements with a predicate. He says, I am the bread of life. 
He says, I am the true vine. I am the good shepherd. These 
are things designed to teach us something concerning his ministry, 
concerning his person, and concerning his word. So when he says, this 
is my body, he is not teaching transubstantiation. He is not 
teaching that I have somehow now transferred this or my body 
to this piece of bread and it's actually become my body. No, 
this represents my body is the way that we ought to understand 
it. Our confession says the outward 
elements in this ordinance duly set apart to the uses ordained 
by Christ have such relation to him crucified as that truly 
Although in terms used figuratively, they are sometimes called by 
the name 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. manner of speaking. It's a way of communication. 
There is metaphor used by our Lord, and certainly He is using 
it here. He is not saying, this is actually 
my body, but rather this represents my body. And then He highlights 
the particular focus involved. Remember, he's already told them, 
he must go to Jerusalem, he must be crucified at the hands of 
godless men. And notice the focus here when 
he says, or he says, take, eat, this is my body. The various 
elements involved, or rather just before that, he took bread, 
blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, 
take, eat, this is my body. So it's broken for you, and this 
symbolizes the death of Jesus for us as his people. So again, 
the idea that it actually becomes the body of Christ is foreign 
to this particular context. But the idea that it represents 
the body of Christ is present in the context. So that when 
we participate in this, when we think through this, we ought 
to receive the benefit associated with it. Christ does this, or 
Christ did this for us. He goes to the cross not because 
He's a malefactor. He goes to the cross not because 
He's a political criminal. He goes to the cross not because 
He's an insurrectionist or a robber. He goes to the cross because 
we're all those things. And this broken bread represents 
His body that is broken for us as a result of our sin. And then 
the emphasis is seen in the language, this is my body, and then in 
a parallel passage in Luke 22, do this in remembrance of me. 
And the idea here is spiritual nourishment. Again, our confession 
says for the perpetual remembrance, we definitely do this in remembrance 
of Christ. But the confession does not stop 
there. It is more than a memorial, and 
our confession of faith goes on to say, "...and showing forth 
the sacrifice in His death, confirmation of the faith of believers, and 
all the benefits thereof, their spiritual nourishment and growth 
in Him." In other words, it's not empty ritual, it's not simply 
a time to remember, but God, by the Spirit, is giving grace 
to us as we participate in this particular sacrament. It is a 
blessed thing designed by our Father to encourage and strengthen 
His people along the way. And that's why very often we 
try and remind that it's not good to absent oneself from the 
Lord's Supper. Because if you're struggling, 
if you're hurting, if you're having hardship or affliction, 
you have particular temptations or sins that are sort of seeking 
to overtake you, The idea is not absent myself from something 
that God's going to use to buoy up my soul and fortify me so 
that I can launch a counterattack, but rather it is to take and 
to eat and to do this in remembrance of Christ, believing the benefits 
associated with the gospel are in fact for us. And then notice 
the reception. He says, take, eat, this is my 
body. He doesn't put it in their mouths. 
He doesn't say, open your mouths. Now, if any of you have ever 
attended Roman Catholic Mass, that's precisely what happens. 
You walk to the front, you get on your knees, and the altar 
boy holds a golden plate under your mouth so that if it falls, 
remember transubstantiation, that's actually Jesus. If it 
falls, we'd rather it fall on a golden plate than on the ratty 
old carpet. So they put that plate under 
you, the priest says something, you say something, you open your 
mouth, and he puts the bread into your mouth. Now they withhold 
the cup, at least they used to, I'm sure they still do, which 
we will see is unbiblical. You don't withhold the cup from 
disciples. You don't withhold the cup from believers. Jesus 
didn't say, okay, here's bread, but, you know, I'm just going 
to drink the wine alone. That's not how it works. But 
with reference to what Jesus does here, it's up to the disciples 
to receive this. It's up to the disciples to take 
this. And I think John Gill is on the 
right track. He says the words take, eat, show that Christ did 
not put the bread into the mouths of the disciples. but they took 
it in their hands and ate it." Now listen to what he says in 
terms of a spiritual implication. Expressive of taking and receiving 
Christ by the hand of faith and feeding on him in a spiritual 
manner. So it's not the case that we're 
going to plop it into your mouth. Rather, you receive it, you put 
it into your mouth, and that is analogous to the act of faith. We hear the gospel. By God's 
grace, we believe the gospel. We receive the benefits that 
the Lord conveys to us, and the same is true with reference to 
the ordinance. So that's the bread. Let's look 
secondly at the cup. Again, He gives thanks. Back 
in chapter 20 in verse 22, and then again in chapter 26 at verse 
39, the cup is going to represent death. The cup is going to represent, 
or does represent, God's wrath and judgment and fury poured 
out upon the Son of God Himself. And then as we move through this 
particular passage, Jesus explains further the cup. And we'll get 
to that in just a moment. But for right now, look at what 
he does. He gives thanks and then he distributes 
both elements to the believer, to the disciple. He took the 
cup and gave thanks and gave it to them. Again, we don't withhold 
the cup from true believers. We do not keep that back. It 
is rather given to the people of God. Now, the symbolism, the 
contents of the cup represent ultimately his blood. So the 
same thing obtains here when he says, for this is my blood 
of the new covenant. Think about the word. This represents 
my blood. Jews were prohibited from ingesting 
blood. The thought of drinking a cup 
of blood to the Jews, and dare I say to the Gentiles, is offensive. The thought of taking someone 
else's blood and drinking it down, that is not something we 
are taught to do. So the very idea would have been 
repugnant to them, the very idea would have been nonsensical to 
them, and the very idea would have been a transgression of 
the law. If this is my blood means that this cup, this wine, 
is actually the blood of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, that 
would have been most offensive in this particular context. Listen 
again to our confession when it speaks about the doctrine 
of transubstantiation. 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. So 
you see, the scripture condemns the very notion of transubstantiation, 
but so does common sense and reason. No man would have ever 
thought in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ that he was 
actually handing them a cup of his own blood and calling upon 
them to drink it. This represents my blood. It is an unfortunate era or an 
unfortunate reality in the history of the church that there has 
been so much mistaken theology generated by a failure to appreciate 
metaphorical language. This represents my blood. This is not, in essence, my blood. The confession goes on to say, 
it's repugnant not to Scripture alone, but even to common sense 
and reason, overthroweth the nature of the ordinance and hath 
been and is the cause of manifold superstitions, yea, of gross 
idolatries. Now, my brothers and sisters, 
when we talk about transubstantiation and we distance ourselves from 
it, when we try to make sure that everybody is aware that 
the bread remains bread and the wine remains wine, they are moved 
from a common use into a special use. They are consecrated for 
service in the church, to be sure, but they remain bread and 
wine. We do this not necessarily to 
just pick on Roman Catholicism, but to underscore what the confession 
highlights. It is the cause of manifold superstitions, 
yea, of gross idolatries. In a Roman Catholic mass, the 
priest elevates the bread, he elevates the wine, and the people 
of God are supposed to worship the bread and the wine. Because 
according to Roman Catholic theology, the bread and the wine now are 
not represent, but they are or have become the actual body and 
blood of Jesus. Now, if you think through that, 
even for a moment, you will see that is idolatry. We're not supposed to worship 
creature. We're not supposed to worship 
bread. We're not supposed to worship wine. We're rather supposed 
to see in these elements the great realities of the Christian 
gospel, that Christ was crucified for our sins, that he was raised 
for our sins, and that He has done this consistent with what 
Scripture had prophesied concerning Him. Now let us look at the significance 
of the cup in more detail. The body and the blood are not 
separated. Christ explains the significance 
of His death with specific relevance to the cup. Again, He's not denigrating 
the body, but oftentimes in Scripture, it's the blood that we associate 
with the death of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is the blood of Jesus 
Christ, His Son, that brings that forgiveness. We have redemption 
through His blood. We have Hebrews 9.22, without 
the shedding of blood, there is no remission. So there's this 
emphasis on the blood of Jesus Christ as Son. And so he takes 
this time to amplify the various effect, or rather the various 
implications of this for his people. Now with reference to 
the cup, notice what he goes on to say. For this is my blood 
of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission 
of sins. So in the first place, he underscores 
the covenantal context. This is a covenantal transaction. This is my blood of the new covenant. You will see that there's a variant, 
and that New King James, or the King James tradition, has new 
covenant here in Matthew. Other modern English versions 
do not have that. Hopefully, you have it in the 
margin. It's definitely in Luke, and it's certainly in 1 Corinthians. It is the blood of the new covenant. Now, when it comes to blood and 
covenant, this is consistent with the old covenant. In Exodus 
chapter 24, after the giving of the law, the Ten Commandments 
in Exodus chapter 20, and then the amplification or application 
of that law in chapters 21 to 23, there is then a ratification 
ceremony in chapter 24, where the people of Israel swear fidelity 
to Yahweh. They say everything He has commanded, 
we will do. Now we know that didn't work 
out very well for them at all, because just a few chapters later 
they're dancing before a golden calf. But in terms of that covenant 
transaction, it was ratified with blood. Remember that Moses 
sprinkles blood on the children of Israel there at Sinai. And so this is a connection that 
is certainly obvious that Jesus is highlighting. There is covenant 
expressed in this particular cup of wine that represents the 
blood of Jesus. As well, the prophecy of the 
new covenant by Jeremiah. If you look at Jesus' statement, 
for this is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many 
for the remission of sins. That comes right from the prophet 
Jeremiah. Remember that Jeremiah and Ezekiel 
both foretold a coming new covenant. It all goes back even to the 
plains of Moab. Deuteronomy chapter 30 is a promise 
of the new covenant. The prophets Ezekiel and Jeremiah 
specifically, and Isaiah, take up that idea of new covenant. In fact, in Ezekiel the prophet, 
he talks about the coming new covenant as a time wherein God 
will take out the old stony heart, He will replace it with a fleshly 
heart, He will cause the people that He has set His affection 
and love upon to want to fear Him, to want to glorify Him. 
Well, in the prophet Jeremiah, there is a statement concerning 
the new covenant. And one of the particular features 
involved with New Covenant blessing is the forgiveness of sins. And 
Jesus highlights that in his statement, for this is my blood 
of the New Covenant, which is shed for many for the remission 
of sins. And then in terms of the sacrificial 
emphasis, It's a brief statement, brethren. There's not a ton of 
data here, but it's to the point, and it conveys a lot of good 
and rich theology. So it's not only in a covenantal 
context, the inauguration or institution of this Lord's Supper, 
but it also highlights a sacrificial emphasis. Notice, he says, this 
is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the 
remission of sins. Davies and Allison talk about 
ransom for many from chapter 28, is made through sacrificial 
blood. This last fact is emphasized 
by the use of this word, pour out or shed, a sacrificial word 
which connotes a violent death and in connection with the Passover, 
recalls the slaughtered Paschal lamb. Again, these disciples 
understood this. They were just engaged in Passover. They had those great redemptive 
verities right before their eyes when they were thinking through 
the reality that Yahweh of Israel called his people, brought his 
people, delivered his people from Egypt. They understood redemption. They understood what it meant 
to be brought out from. Well, Christ now is telling us 
that this is going to happen, but it's not out of the house 
of bondage. It is rather out of the bondage 
of your sin, your lawlessness, your rebellion, your heart of 
wickedness. The heart is deceitfully wicked. 
are desperately wicked and, I'm sorry, it is deceitful above 
all things and desperately wicked. Who could understand? So Christ 
is saying that it's through His blood that there is this forgiveness 
of sins. And again, this is the emphasis 
in the New Testament, isn't it? I mean, if you told somebody 
they had never heard the gospel about the blood, they'd probably 
think you were a bit odd. They would think, what are you 
talking about blood? What do you mean there's cleansing 
through blood? What does that mean? Well, the 
blood speaks concerning the death of Christ. Why did Jesus die? It was as a sacrifice. It wasn't 
first and foremost an example of God's love for us. It was 
first and foremost a transaction, so that God could be both just 
and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus Christ. 
So the language of sacrifice is obvious in the statement, 
but then as well, notice the language of substitution. And 
I think this speaks volumes of comfort to the people of God. 
For this is my blood of the new covenant which is shed for many 
for the remission of sins. The language proper for many 
and broken for you or for you in 1 Corinthians 11 24 shows 
the referent. In other words, Jesus isn't simply 
doing this, again, as an example of his love, but he is doing 
this in order to procure saving benefit for the people of God. It's not an empty ritual. It's 
not a vain attempt at something. but rather it signifies what's 
going to happen to him shortly in terms of his death on the 
cross and his resurrection from it. And he gives this ordinance 
so that in this particular time frame, we can look back on that 
grand event and feed our souls with the comfort that Christ 
has afforded to us in his life, death, and resurrection. I suspect 
the Old Testament background is Isaiah the prophet 53 12, 
because he poured out his soul unto death and was numbered with 
the transgressors and he bore the sin of many and made intercession 
for the transgressors. That is such a glorious passage. 
I mean, the entirety of Isaiah 53, that fourth servant song 
of the Lord is a beautiful description of the ministry of the Redeemer 
on the part of his people. The language of substitution 
is riddled throughout that section. It comes to fruition here with 
our Lord's language. And then as well, notice the 
many. For this is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed 
for many for the remission of sins, not for all. We talked 
yesterday about the idea of sufficient for all and efficient for the 
elect. Now, there are contexts where 
you could say such a thing, but you don't need to. You affirm 
what Scripture says. Christ will save His people from 
their sins. Matthew 1, 21. Matthew 20, 28. The Son of Man did not come to 
be served, but to serve and to give His life a ransom. For what? 
For many. You see, it is particular redemption. In Jesus' high priestly prayer 
in John 17, he says specifically in verse 9, I do not pray for 
the world. I pray for those whom you have 
given me out of the world. You see, this concept is thoroughly 
biblical. When you go out and preach limited 
atonement or particular redemption, you're going to get Arminians 
and Pelagians and humanists and a lot of people getting upset 
with you, saying, well, what about the world? God so loved 
the world that he gave his only begotten son. We certainly affirm 
that wholeheartedly. But it doesn't mean everybody 
in the world without exception. It means people in the world 
without distinction. Jews, Gentiles, every tribe, 
every tongue, every people, every nation. The reality is that Christ's 
death satisfied for the ones the Father gave Him. It is a 
glorious and a wondrous truth that we shouldn't shrink back 
from declaring. Our hope is built on nothing 
less than Jesus' blood and righteousness. That is the glorious truth of 
God's holy gospel. And it's nothing to be embarrassed 
about. It's nothing to be ashamed about. It's nothing to try and 
hide from sinners. The blessed truth is, is that 
the blood of Jesus Christ, his son, cleanses us from all sin. What a blessed and a glorious 
thing. And if we by grace are counted 
among the many, we give honor and glory to our great God, not 
meekly and feebly try to defend a position. Brethren, this is 
correct theology and we ought not to shrink back from it. And 
then in terms of that particular redemptive benefit, he could 
have said all number of things. He could have said a whole lot 
of things that obtain in salvation. This will secure the gift of 
the Spirit. Not that that's anything we ought to balk at, because 
the gift of the Spirit is wonderful and glorious. This is the provision 
or entitlement to a life of glory in the future to come. It certainly 
does do that, but he underscores the remission of sins. He knows 
his audience. He knows what they need. He speaks 
peace to our hearts, brethren. When we come to this supper, 
we don't come as spotless, holy, harmless, pure people. We come 
broken. We come destitute. We come, in 
many respects, bankrupt, even as God's people. We need him 
to speak this peace to our heart afresh, that our sins are forgiven. We don't need a popish priest 
in a box to convey that upon us. We have the glory of the 
Lord Christ himself instituting his supper, telling us the primary 
focus that we are to receive when it comes to this blessed 
transaction is to consider the blessed reality that my sin, 
oh the bliss of this glorious thought, My sin, not in part 
but the whole, is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more. 
Brethren, this blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, does cleanse 
us from all sin. The blessing of forgiveness is 
a chief boon of salvation. The New Testament everywhere 
connects the forgiveness of sins with the blood of Christ our 
Lord. You see it in Paul's letters. 
You see it in Peter. You see it all throughout this 
reality that we are washed in the blood of the Lamb. Matthew 
Henry made this comment. He said the new covenant, which 
is procured and ratified by the blood of Christ, is a charter 
of pardon. I quite like that. It's a charter 
of pardon. An act of indemnity in order 
to a reconciliation between God and man. For sin was the only 
thing that made the quarrel, and without shedding of blood 
is no remission. What a blessed way to understand 
this ordinance in terms of our receipt of the forgiveness of 
sins. Again, there are other benefits 
associated with the gospel. Paul says, we praise God and 
we bless God. who has blessed us with every 
spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. Certainly that involves 
sanctification. It involves the work of the Spirit 
in us to do that which God calls us to do. It certainly involves 
and includes that prospect of glorification where we are heaven-bound. We are going to Emmanuel's land, 
and that's something we ought to contemplate and to consider. 
That reality, though, that he does highlight relative to our 
standing before God, that justification of a sinner before God, that 
is where he puts the primary focus in terms of the reception 
of the supper. This is my blood of the new covenant, 
which is shed for many for the remission of sins. Now, when we look at the Supper, 
when we look at it in 1 Corinthians chapter 11, we see there's a 
past, a present, and a future. Well, the same thing is true 
here. In terms of past, we reflect upon what Christ has secured 
for His people. With reference to the present, 
we see how these things benefit us and confirm our faith and 
strengthen us even now. But what does Paul say in 1 Corinthians 
11? As often, we eat this until the 
Lord comes. He causes us to reflect upon 
the reality that the Lord is coming again. Well, Jesus does 
the same thing here. He has a future referent. Notice 
in verse 29, 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 language of new and my father's 
kingdom points to the consummation. Some of the fathers thought it 
meant after the resurrection of the dead. I think the more 
common approach is that it refers to that eschatological kingdom, 
the kingdom in its fullness, what we call the consummated 
glory, when Christ comes again in glory to judge the living 
and the dead, and he ushers in the eternal state. And I think 
that's what he is referring to at this particular place. The 
language points beyond the death on the cross to the future glory 
that Christ and his people will experience together in heaven. It really is a wonderful thing. 
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. John Calvin said, thus we see 
how Christ leads his disciples by the hand to the cross and 
then raises them to the hope of the resurrection. You see, 
the very language itself shows or demonstrates that the shedding 
of the blood of the Son of God and the broken body of the Son 
of God isn't the end of the story. There is more wine to be enjoyed. There is more feast to be celebrated. There is more blessedness to 
share one with another. And I will do this in my father's 
kingdom with you. So the cross is there to be sure, 
but there's also a crown. And I think Calvin is absolutely 
right. He leads his disciples by the hand to the cross and 
then raises them to the hope of the resurrection. And then 
notice finally the conclusion of the supper in verse 30. It 
says, And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the 
Mount of Olives. Now as much as we might like 
hymns by Augustus Toplady and John Newton, he's talking about 
a psalm. There were the Psalms of Hillel 
that were sung in connection with the Passover, and they were 
Psalms 113 to 118. So it is most likely that they 
sang one of those particular Psalms at this particular place. One commentator says, the hymn 
normally sung was the last part of the Hillel, Psalm, either 
Psalm 114 to 118 or 115 to 18. It was sung antiphonally. Jesus, as the leader, would sing 
the lines. Could you imagine that? Being 
with Jesus, singing, and then we repeat or rehearse it? Well, 
we have that in our future. It was sung antiphonally. Jesus, 
the leader, would sing the lines and his followers would respond 
with hallelujah. Parts of it must have been deeply 
moving to the disciples when after the resurrection they remembered 
that Jesus sang words pledging that he would keep his vows. 
Psalm 116 verses 12 and 13. Ultimately triumph despite rejection. Psalm 118. And call nations to 
praise Yahweh and his covenant love. Psalm 117. I think that's 
a great observation. They sang these things with Jesus 
after the institution of the supper. Lo and behold, he goes 
to the cross. Lo and behold, he's raised from 
the dead. He then ascends on high. He leads 
captivity captive. And these men get to muse on 
the reality that as they sang with the Savior, they sang from 
the Zion songbook, the very words of the Savior himself expressed 
in Psalms 113 to 118. Brethren, this is, in fact, the 
institution of the supper, and I hope it's an encouragement 
to us that this is not empty ritual, this is not just something 
we do because we have to, but it is a means by which God confers 
upon His people grace, strength, help, fortification, security, 
and stability so that we can march onward. Now before some 
thoughts with reference to application, there is some symbolism or anti-type 
going on. David is a type of Christ I think 
no one will deny, but in 2 Samuel, there is a departure of David 
to the Mount of Olives after his rejection as king. There 
is the revelation of betrayal by Ahithophel, the plan of Ahithophel 
to capture David, and then ultimately the suicide of Ahithophel. The 
same thing happens with Jesus. Judas makes this deal with the 
devils themselves and sells the master. And then we see him hang 
himself in a manner similar to Ahithophel. So what you have 
in 2 Samuel by way of type, you have fulfilled in Jesus by way 
of anti-type. He is, in fact, David's greater 
son. Well, in conclusion, again, just 
a few thoughts. First, the threefold orientation 
of the supper. The supper looks back. There 
is a retrospection with reference to the supper. We concentrate, 
or we do this in remembrance, not of us, not of our past week 
and our good performance as believers, and now we've come to get our 
award. That's not what the past is about. We reflect upon the 
broken body and the shed blood of our Savior. The supper speaks 
to the church's present privilege of observing the supper. We get 
to do this with one another. In fact, some of the richest 
language connected to the supper isn't in 1 Corinthians 11. It's 
in 1 Corinthians 10. It is there where the means of 
grace character of the supper is even more vividly seen. There 
is something actually happening. It's not the real presence of 
Christ vis-a-vis Rome, transubstantiation. It's not the real presence of 
Christ vis-a-vis Lutheranism, consubstantiation, but it is 
the real presence of Christ. He isn't thrown at the right 
hand of the father and he sends the spirit here to have dealings 
with our souls so that we commune with Jesus Christ as we gather 
together to remember his death on our behalf. But there is a 
horizontal element as well, wherein we get to commune with the people 
that we love and the people that we call brother and sister. It 
is a blessed thing. And then the supper looks forward 
to the marriage supper of the lamb. And then secondly, in terms 
of the specific focus of the supper, it is the death of Christ. 
Now there is this faulty understanding, and I know I say this a lot, 
but persons at time treat the supper as if it's a reward for 
good behavior. Okay, I didn't really go too 
far astray this past month, so I think I'm fit and I think I'm 
ready to participate. Brethren, if we actually contemplate, 
we are never fit and never ready to receive anything connected 
to our Lord Jesus. It's all of grace, isn't it? 
I've told you the story about the Scottish Covenanters. They 
would do the supper, I don't know, very infrequently, and 
there was a time when several churches were gathered together, 
and there was a woman sitting there, and as the cup was getting 
closer, she was sobbing even more uncontrollably at the reality, 
at the thought of her lack of holiness and her lack of purity 
to receive the cup. And the minister puts it right 
in front of her face and says, it is for sinners. Now, there 
are provisos that the apostle attaches to the supper. 1 Corinthians 
chapter 11. If we are living in known sin, 
if we are having truck with sin and not dealing with it, whether 
it be against God or whether it be against one another, we 
are harboring those things. It's not a struggle. It's not 
a, boy, I hate it. It's not the evil I don't want 
to do, I find myself doing, and the good I want to do, I don't 
find. That's not the issue. Paul condemns 
the kind of a mindset that makes peace, at least temporarily, 
with sin. And he says to those persons, do not participate in 
the supper. But if you're participating in 
the Christian life, and you're struggling against sin, and the 
fact is you're not a perfectly, you know, pure sinner person, 
you still participate. This is a means God has given 
for the good of the soul. So the death of Christ, the redemptive 
benefit secured by Christ, and then the gracious nature of our 
Savior. Christ gave the bread and Christ 
gave the cup. The Lord's Supper is not our 
gift to God. The Lord's Supper is God's gift 
to us. We look at services of the church 
as if they're our service unto God. Better it is to see it as 
God's service unto us. He provides a house. He provides 
a place for us to come. He provides these means for our 
benefit, for our growth in grace, and for our establishment in 
the faith. And then the glorious gospel 
demonstrated by the supper. Turn to John 6 for just a moment. John 6. And specifically look at verse 
54. Now, brethren, I do not believe 
that Jesus is talking about or teaching here with reference 
to the Lord's Supper. I don't think that's in the context. 
I don't think that's in the mind of the Savior. However, when 
we contemplate the Supper, this is a wonderful place to go to 
get some further education, some further illustration, some further 
information concerning redemptive benefit. Now what Christ says 
in verse 54, whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has 
eternal life and I will raise him up at the last day. The same 
thing is true when he institutes the supper. The persons hearing 
him would have been repulsed at the thought of actually biting 
into Jesus and sucking out his blood. That would have been absolutely 
contrary and foreign to any thought that they would have possessed 
whatsoever. I believe that Jesus' listeners probably followed metaphor 
a whole lot better than Rome or Lutherans. And in this particular 
instance, verse 54 is a metaphorical representation of John 6, 40. John 6, 40 says, and this is 
the will of Him who sent me, that everyone who sees the Son 
and believes in Him may have everlasting life, and I will 
raise Him up at the last day. Augustine made this observation 
in his commentary on the Gospel of John, for to believe on him 
is to eat the living bread. He that believes eats. He's not calling them to physically 
eat. He's calling them to believe, 
and that is the emphasis in the supper. Its purpose and its design 
is to confirm and to strengthen our faith in the Son of God so 
that we may continue to walk by faith and not by sight. This is an ordinance given by 
our Lord for the good of His people, and may God bless our 
reception of it tonight, and may He strengthen us with might 
in the inner man so that Christ may dwell richly in our hearts 
through faith. Well, let us pray. Our Father, 
we thank You for Your Word, and we thank You for the institution 
of the supper by the surety of the new covenant Himself, and 
we thank You for the things represented. The bread and the wine represent 
the body and the blood of our blessed Savior. We know His body 
was broken, His blood was shed for wretches and for sinners 
like us, and in this we greatly rejoice. And we have great hope, 
Lord God, if that blood avails for sinners like us, it avails 
for other sinners as well. And this gives impetus to gospel 
preaching and to calling sinners, repentance, and faith. And I 
pray that as this word goes forth, many, many more people would 
come to a saving knowledge of our Lord Jesus. And even in this 
place, Lord God, for those who perhaps do not confess faith 
in Christ, I pray that you'd open their hearts tonight, that 
you would show them the glory of the Savior and show them that 
there is forgiveness to be had with you through him. And we 
ask in Jesus' name, amen. Well, you can turn with me over 
to 1 Corinthians chapter 11,