There is a practice among Christians called the "Lord's Supper" or "Communion." In one of his books, A.W. Pink asks why churches observe the Lord' Supper at the noon time hour? Perhaps, he noted, the symbolism would be more meaningful during an evening hour. Perhaps he is right. It is a minor point really for the Bible never calls the ritual that Christian's observe by any particular name. Freedom is granted to observe a time of special Communion with Christ at any hour (1 Cor. 11:26).
If there is any emphasis in Scripture it is on the frequency Communion is observed. Well did the Lord Jesus know the tendency of our hearts to forget Him. For this reason, and that we might keep "green in memory" His vicarious death, the exhortation comes, "do this in remembrance of me" (1 Cor. 11:24).
Why do Christians observe a Communion ceremony? The Biblical answer is manifold. There are compelling reasons to take Communion in a formal manner.
First, Christians take Communion as part of a spiritual legacy. Of the early Christian community in Jerusalem it is recorded the believers "continued steadfastly in the apostle's doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers" (Acts 2:42). When the story of Sovereign Grace Baptist Church is completed I pray the final line of the recorded history will be "they continued steadfastly in the apostle's doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers". What a testimony that will be especially in day and age when Christians have little sense of Church history.
Radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh has stated the only history many in this generation know concern events from the day of their birth forward. That is tragic. The book of Hebrews reminds believers that a great cloud of witnesses surrounds them.
Enoch and Noah, Abraham and Isaac, Jacob and Rachael, Barek and Deborah, Boaz and Ruth, Joseph and Mary, Peter, James, and John and all the rest who have gone on before are part of the rich spiritual legacy of the Church. Christians take communion because so many others have been known to close with Christ in an intimate way.
Second, Christians take communion because it is the known will of the Lord. It pleases Him. Love longs to please. Love looks for opportunity to discover what another person wants and then love find a way to meet that desire. When the believer discovers the will of the Lord concerning the observance of the Communion meal there is a natural longing to participate if holy love for Jesus is present in the heart. If there is a diminishing love for the Lord let the soul sing:
"More love to Thee O Christ, More love to Thee! Hear Thou my prayer I make On Bended knee. This is my earnest plea: More love, O Christ to Thee, More love to Thee, More love to Thee."
There is a third reason why Christians observe Communion. The ritual provides an opportunity to draw attention to two significant theology doctrines. The first doctrine is the necessity for the death of deaths in the death of Christ. The second doctrine concerns the return of Jesus the second time for all who believe.
Concerning the death of Jesus the Bible teaches that Christ died in order to justify sinners. That is the great theme of Scripture from Genesis to Revelation. God must justify sinners because the disobedience of Adam imputed to his posterity a propensity to evil.
Every child is born into the world a sinner in the sight of God. Children are a heritage from the Lord. They are the gifts of His sovereign grace but children are also depraved by nature. They are born physically alive but spiritually dead and need to be justified in the sight of God.
Every person is by nature an object of divine wrath because everyone will rebel against the Lord. At the earliest age individuals display unnecessary anger, a willful spirit, inordinate pride, and an inclination to disobey. The only hope for forgiveness of sin and freedom from the bondage of sin imputed from Adam to his posterity is for sins to be imputed to Christ. In the divine economy God the Father is pleased to take the sins of the elect and charge them to Christ. It was at Calvary that your sins and mine were imputed to the Lord.
He who knew no sin was made sin for others. Realizing this George Bernard wrote of the Old Rugged Cross.
"In the old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine, A wondrous beauty I see; For twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died To pardon and sanctify me. So I'll cherish the old rugged cross, Till my trophies at last I lay down; I will cling to the old rugged cross, And exchange it some day for a crown."
When then the transgressions of the elect are imputed to Christ then the righteousness of Christ can be imputed or charged to the account of the ungodly. The righteousness of Christ credited to the believer is a most marvelous truth in our sight.
I trust the Lord will help us to understand this great doctrine of the Bible. Our sins, if we believe, were placed upon Christ at Calvary and His righteousness is imputed or charged to our account. No person has any inherited or acquired righteousness to offer to God except the righteousness that is to be found in Christ. Oh may the Holy Spirit enlighten our understanding and help us to maintain the historic faith and believe in the imputation of Adam's sin to the human race, of the sin of the human race to Christ and of the imputed righteousness of Christ to the believer.
Understanding and believing in the imputed righteousness of Christ to those who are the heirs of salvation will lead to a remembrance of the necessity for the death of Christ. And in the remembrance of Christ's death we honor Him. The imputed righteousness of Christ is one of two great doctrines preserved when Communion is taken.
The second great doctrine is the return of Jesus. One day the Lord is coming again. The Church has believed and taught this for over two thousand years. However, by affirming faith in the Second Advent Christians must be careful not to set dates as to when Jesus is coming again. The setting of dates is dangerous to spiritual health because it easily leads to error and then on to heresy which is extreme error. One way that people set dates is by looking for signs. Jesus said that an evil and adulterous generation seeks after signs. What a commentary of judgment that is upon our generation.
Another way that people set dates is by looking for the Anti-Christ. In 1920 Dr. Harry Ironside wrote about the expectation of the Man of Sin "the false Messiah who will soon be manifested. In fact, it is a solemn consideration that he may already be in this world? Perhaps a babe in arms? Possibly a precocious youth? Not improbably a man of affairs! But he will not be made known until after the church of the first born has been raptured."
More contemporary writers have written the same thing. In a recent book John Hagee says "The Anti-Christ, or deceptive 'man of peace' could very well be alive right now." It is not unusual to hear speakers make the comment that Anti-Christ may be alive in Egypt, or Palestine, or some other mid-eastern country. But here is the irony.
Those Christians who are seeking the Anti-Christ teach a System of Beliefs that is contrary to Scripture. Ronald N. Cooke takes note of this fact and writes "The whole term Anti-Christ is misunderstood by many today. They see a future superman who is against all religions: an anti religious secularist. But the term Anti-Christ means the one who replaces Christ. That is the basic thought. He replaces Christ and so is against Christ, not the other way around. Many atheists and secularists have been against Christ, but certainly did not replace Christ" (The Reformers' View of Anti-Christ). The main point is that the Anti-Christ is a religious figure. Be that as it may, too much attention is being paid to a mythical figure that exists only in the imaginative fears of sensational Christians. Depending upon the speaker or Christian writer the power of the Anti-Christ grows and grows.
It is being said the Anti-Christ will unite world after the Christians are Raptured in a Secret Snatch. That is non-sensical for Christians are not going to go anywhere. Jesus has prayed that His followers remain on earth until the day of His return the second time. You will find that prayer in John 17: 15. "I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil."
It is being said the Anti-Christ will bring peace to the world for three and one half years. Jesus said there would always be wars and rumors of war until His return.
It is being said that the Anti-Christ has awesome powers.
All this is too much. Scripturally, the Man of Sin of whom the Bible does speak in 2 Thessalonians 2 is but a man. He is finite. He is subject to death. He is confined to the present world. He will make mistakes. He is no match for the Lord Jesus Christ who will destroy him at the brightness of His coming (2 Thess. 2:8).
Therefore, there is nothing and no one for the Christian to fear. There is no reason for Christian ministers to instill fear in the hearts of other people in order to get them to get saved so they too can escape great tribulation and the Anti-Christ.
The truth of the matter is that historically the Church has always opposed all men of sin and the spirit of Anti-Christ.
John writes of the spirit of Anti-Christ in his first epistle, chapter 4:1-3. After reading those verses notice 1 John 4:4. "Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world."
Let the Church be the Church. Let Christians stop being afraid of men and mystical figures. Jesus is coming again and we have nothing and no one to fear. "Let not your heart be troubled," says Christ, "ye believe in God, believe also in me" (John 14:1). "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."
Any message which seeks to frighten God's people needlessly and tries to frighten individuals into salvation by promising an escape from tribulation is not the Christian message of hope and faith which overcomes the world. The message of Dispensationalism borders on being in the spirit of anti-Christ. Let the gospel truth go forth afresh. Let the church teach once more that the Sovereign Lord Jesus Christ holds the Man of Sin in absolute derision. Our Lord shall destroy all of His foes at His Second Coming. Therefore, let us eat and drink the symbols of life and hope until Christ comes.
Why do we take Communion? We take communion as part of a spiritual legacy. We take communion because it is the known will of the Lord. We take communion to teach great doctrinal truths. There is the doctrine of the imputation of the righteousness of Christ to His own.
There is the doctrine of the Second Coming. The Lord shall one day return for all that believe. May the Lord Jesus increase our faith and understanding for His sake.
Amen.
