There's a lot of things you may wonder about, a lot of questions that many people have in regards to what is commonly called the Lord's supper, or the Bible also calls it the communion or the Lord's table. There's different names for it. And this evening I'd like to answer some of these most important questions in how to eat the Lord's Supper, how to eat the Lord's Supper. And so we'll do a little bit of a Bible study, sort of speak together, and look at what say the Scriptures. Amen? That's what the Apostle Paul always asked as a question. What does the Bible actually say? And, you know, we love to look at different aspects of this beautiful, this really life-changing message that is portrayed in the Lord's Supper. We often focus on the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus. We focus on the cost and burden of sin. and so many of the wonderful ways that God has expressed his love in the death, birth, and resurrection of Jesus Christ to us. But tonight we want to look at the Lord's Supper itself. And how are we supposed to celebrate that? And, you know, Why is it a supper? Why not a breakfast? Amen? Why is it this specific food? Was Jesus a Baptist and loved food? The fact of the matter is, anything that we need to know about that, the Lord has clearly given us. that information in the Scriptures. And so in Luke chapter 22, and by the way, we see in Matthew 26, Mark 14, Luke chapter 22, the similar accounts of the Lord's Supper, the parallel accounts there. We see in John chapter 13 to 17 there the same event, just from a different perspective in the Gospel of John as well. But tonight, we look here in Luke 22, verse 19, please. The Bible says there, and he, Jesus, took bread, and gave thanks, and break it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body, which is given for you. Notice that last phrase. This do in remembrance of me. So there was a commandment and a message that was for the disciples themselves that went beyond the gospel message, the symbolism that Jesus was portraying to his disciples. There was something they were supposed to continually do throughout the ages. And we see the Apostle Paul pick that up again in 1 Corinthians chapter 11, where he too emphasizes that the purpose of the Lord's Supper is to remember the Lord's death for us. That sounds a little bit gruesome, maybe even depressing to our, you know, sensitive modern ears, but the fact of the matter is, folks, as soon as we keep out of focus the cost of my sin, sinning will become easier and easier and easier again. The more I leave that out of focus, doesn't it, amen? And so that is why I'm so thankful and appreciate how the Lord knows that we're forgetful creatures, amen, and that we need constant reminders. As we turn over there to 1 Corinthians chapter 11, we'll spend a good amount of time there in the instructions of the Lord's Supper. He starts off there with a lot of practical aspects of church life and so forth. In the beginning of the chapter, He talks about the roles of husbands and wives and how a man ought to have short cut hair and how women ought to let their hair grow the way God gave them. And anyways, we move on there then into verse 24. In verse 24, right in the middle basically or the end of his instructions where he goes then into the Lord's Supper. Again, we're talking about different aspects of church life here, right? And he says in verse 24, Notice. This do in remembrance of me. Once again. This do in remembrance of me. Verse 25, the same. After the same manner also he took the cup when he had stopped saying this cup is the New Testament in my blood. This do ye as oft as ye drink it in remembrance of me. What were we supposed to remember specifically about the Lord? in regards to that cup and to that broken bread? Well, let's drop down to verse 26. 1 Corinthians 11 verse 26. For as often as ye eat this bread and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death till he come. So we're supposed to continue this Lord's Supper celebration until the Lord Jesus Christ comes back for us. Amen? And in the meantime, we're supposed to show, to demonstrate, to picture to the world the gospel message in the celebration of what we call the Lord's Supper or the communion. Now, Now we see the purpose, the message behind this special ceremony, if you will, this ordinance, this commandment from the Lord. Secondly, where is the Lord's Supper to be taken? Where are we supposed to be doing that? Well, the Bible teaches us here in this chapter very clearly that that ought to be practiced in the church, within the family of God. Let's look at those few verses of scripture here in 1 Corinthians 11, verse 18, please. 1 Corinthians 11, verse 18. For first of all, when you come together in the church, so that's important, in the church. Now, church is not primarily necessarily referring to, you know, some building out of brick and mortar that somehow is supposed to be special. Church is most and foremost the assembly of the family of God. whether that be in a cave in the woods, or whether that be in a fancy gold-laden sanctuary somewhere in the city, it is where the true blood-bond believers of Jesus Christ are, the assembly. In the church, and so that is the context that he goes into as he gives instructions for the Lord's supper. In verse 20, when you come together, When you come together, therefore, into one place, this is not to eat the Lord's supper. Now, he's not saying we shouldn't be doing that when we get together. Rather, he's saying the opposite. He's rebuking them that they aren't, amen? And he's saying, you get together, but instead of taking the Lord's supper and a holy occasion remembering the Lord's death and sacrifice, in verse 21, we see, nor rather, they're feasting and banqueting. and, you know, being borderline gluttonous, basically. Maybe the believers in Christ are bad. Who knows? And he says, you know, that ought to not be the focus when you get together to eat the Lord's Supper. Verse 21, for eating everyone taketh before other his own supper, and one is hungry and another drunken. And he's rebuking that sort of state. In verse 33, if we drop down there please, verse 33, it says, Now that's important, that reference, my brethren. So he's talking to believers here, to Christians within that local assembly. Wherefore, my brethren, when you come together, There it is again. So it was always something that they would come together for. When you come together to eat, tear one for another. And if any man hunger, let him eat at home, that ye come not together unto condemnation, and the rest will I set in order when I come. So he's making very clearly here the difference. You know what? You have your own private homes to do your feasting, to do your dining, to have your supper for the sake of food and enjoyment or whatever you eat your supper for. to have your fellowships and parties, so to speak. But when you come together in the church with that solemn, that distinct purpose of remembering the Lord's death, that's not to get full and fed. That is for this distinct purpose of remembering the Lord's death. And that ought to be a special, ought to be a holy occasion. And so we see this contrast here between their private home and the assembly of the church. So it ought to be done within the confines of the local assembly of the people of God. Number three, when are we to celebrate the Lord's Supper? When are we to celebrate the Lord's Supper? I'm just quickly gonna give you two references there. If you like, you can go ahead and write that down. In Matthew 26, verse 20, the Bible says, now when the even was come, he sat down with the 12. So that's the introduction there of the Last Supper and the institution of the Lord's Supper in Matthew 26. So what time of the day was that? Well, in the evening. Amen? The same he says in Mark 14 verse 17, in the evening he cometh with the twelve. In John chapter 13, verses 1 and 2, it refers to that they had just finished their supper. They had just completed that ritual of the Passover meal that they had come together for. And so that is why we call it the Lord's Supper, and that's why we eat it primarily in the evening. Now, nowhere do we have a verse of scripture that specifically says, thou shalt not have the Lord's supper in the morning or another time of day. But at the same time, we follow the Lord's pattern for the most part. Sometimes we make an exception on a certain occasion, but almost always we therefore eat it in the evening. Like I always say, it's not called the Lord's breakfast, amen? We do not have specific instructions given in the Bible how often we ought to be doing this. In 1 Corinthians 11, verse 26, it says, So however often we choose to do that. That's within the prerogative of each local church. And you know, one church might take it much more often than another, or the other way around, and that is whatever works for their local church family. We do examples in the scripture in Acts chapter 20 and so forth, where we see the believers get together on the first day of the week. to break bread. Now the phrase break bed always really depends a bit on the context because that can refer to that special Lord's Supper meal but it can also just refer to having a normal food and fellowship as well. But really what it comes down to is we ought to do it often enough to remember and often enough to not forget. Amen? And at the same time, it also ought to not become too commonplace for us. You know, I was thinking, for example, you know, taking up the offering, right? We do that each and every service. That's part of worship to the Lord, as the scripture teaches us. And yet many times we may not even really realize that this ought to be a time of devotion, that this ought to be a time of worship to the Lord. You know, I remember I've given in the offering for years and years and it never occurred to me. Why we do that each and every service, you know? And so I was chatting with a friend about that. I was like, oh yeah, oops, I should have my mind engaged during this time, amen? And yet, because we do it every week, it becomes quite easily very common, right? And that's why we've chosen to have the Lord's Supper only every few months, to make sure it stays a little bit of a special occasion with this very specific focus. Now let's go into number four, the big question then. Who can partake of that Lord's Supper? Who can partake of that Lord's Supper? And there, we want to look at the pattern that we see given to us in the Scriptures. We first see that the individual partaking must be a born-again Christian. It must be a born-again Christian. In 1 Corinthians chapter 10, so if you just turn over a little bit there in verse 16, 1 Corinthians chapter 10 and verse 16. The kind 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? For we being many are one bread and one body, for we're all partakers of that one bread. Now, how do you become part of the body of Christ? Well, Colossians chapter 3, matter of fact, the letter of Corinthians, So many other verses of scripture clearly teaches us that there's no way to become part of the body of Christ unless you have been born again. You have been spiritually rebirthed into the family of God. Amen? And so the first question we need to ask ourselves, well, am I born again? Am I a child of God? And you know, the age old question that we ask so many times, if you were to stand before God Almighty tonight, And he would ask you, why would I let you into my heaven today? What would that answer be? And you know, if it's anything that relies upon you, the test is utterly failed. Oh, I prayed that special prayer. Oh, I've been faithful to church. Oh, I do this or I believe that. It's not on you. God is never ever impressed by anything that you or I could ever do. Matter of fact, he calls it filthy, smelly rags. The only thing that could ever impress God is what his son, the Lord Jesus Christ, has done. The Bible says it is impossible to please God outside of faith in the Lord. And so that is our only hope and our only righteousness. Amen. It is in Jesus Christ in him alone. And so I'm only going to heaven and I'm only saved because of what Jesus did for me on my behalf. And hallelujah for that. Amen. And we were just singing about that, of course, when he died on the cross. And he carried the burden that is and should be mine. And he took it away forever into the grave. Praise the Lord for that, amen. And of course, most of all, let me encourage you tonight, if you are not certain that you are a child of God the Father in heaven tonight, this is the very best moment to trust in Jesus Christ. Not in your own works of righteousness, but in His alone. The Bible says how the publican, this corrupt government official, amen, came to God in heaven and with a repentant heart just simply cried out, God be merciful to me, a sinner. He acknowledged the truth that God said about him. He cried out in desperation as God in his only hope. And Jesus Christ himself said, that man went home justified. Amen. And that's where, let's look into Romans chapter 8 just for a second here. Romans chapter 8 verse 1, the Bible says, Romans 8 verse 1, There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus. who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. And my dear friend, if you have the Spirit of God, you have the Spirit of God. You can never be unborn again spiritually, amen? That Spirit of God seals you for all eternity. And you may suppress it, you may grieve it and all that stuff, but you cannot get rid of it, praise the Lord, amen? So we first need to be saved. We also see here in the example of the Corinthian church, that this was a group of believers who were born again and who were assembled and were scripturally baptized individuals. We don't have the time to look into all the verses tonight, but in 1 Corinthians chapter 5, we see the difference there between those that were without those that were not considered to be members or part of that local church, and those that were within. And there is that distinction that the Bible makes, and that commitment that comes with being baptized into a specific local body of the Church of Jesus Christ. We also see that they were in fellowship with the church. Again, 1 Corinthians chapter 5, there in verses 11, 12, and 13, we read that there are certain sins that would separate us from the fellowship of our church family. And so we're warned against those. Again, if we would take the time to read in Acts chapter 2, verses 41 and 42, we see the pattern there. They were first glad to receive the Word and were saved, then they were baptized the same day, and they were added unto the church, and then they continued in the apostles' doctrines and fellowship, breaking of bread, and in prayers. That's why the Lord refers to the believers in 1 Corinthians 11 as saved individuals, as brethren. Now maybe even more importantly though, even as blood-bonded believers of Christ, we want to make sure that we're in fellowship with the Lord, that our relationship with Him is as close as it possibly could be. And, you know, by the way, that is a state we can and we all ought to be in, whether we're members, whether we're baptized, whether we're traveling to another church. Wherever we're at, the fact of the matter is It is always super important to make sure there's nothing between my soul and the Savior. Amen? That the fellowship, that harmony is not broken through disobedience to my Father. By the way, when my children disobey me, they don't become unjancent. All right? Right? They don't all of a sudden lose their descendantship of sorts. Of course not. And the same happens when we sin and disobey our Father in heaven as believers. We're still remaining God's children, of course. Now, there may be some disharmony, there may be almost definitely some sin that will burden down our fellowship and our communion with Him. And the Lord encourages us, as we go back to 1 Corinthians 11, to make sure to get that cleaned up first, to make sure there is no known unconfessed sin in our life. I want to read there 1 Corinthians 11, verse 27. Wherefore, whosoever shall eat this bread and drink this cup of the Lord unworthily shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. Now, I've done this so many times, and I've seen many other people do this so many times. They say, well, I'm safe, but hoo, I'm not gonna touch the Lord's Supper, because I feel unworthy. How could I ever be worthy of that? I don't want to become guilty there and put condemnation upon myself. And it's very sad, because we understand what the Lord is actually saying here very clearly. Worthy is an adjective. That means having worth, merit, or value. We would consider it as being deserving of something, right? Worthy. But worthily is an adverb. Worthily is an adverb that describes an action, or how we partake of the Lord's Supper. And so worthily refers to in a worthy manner, in a worthy manner. Unworthily then there in verse 27 means in a matter not suited for it, without the due regard or due respect, not becoming. It means to partake of the Lord's Supper with disdain or disrespect to the Lord's sacrifice. To do it in an unworshipful, just casual, nonchalant way. That is what Paul is warning about here. Because that was the occasion there in the church in Corinth. I mean, they were messed up, amen? And yet, Paul will still thank God for them, and he still loved them too, praise the Lord. So then let's see in verse 28. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup." You know, it is not my job to go around and be fruit inspector for everybody. That is your own personal responsibility before your Savior. to examine yourself and to make sure that there is no unconfessed sin between the Lord. In no way, shape, or form, he's saying unless you're a perfect, ultra-level Christian, you shouldn't partake in this. That's not what he's saying at all here. Matter of fact, he's rather encouraging, really commanding us to say, hey, you deal, you get cleared up with whatever would hinder you from partaking of the Lord's Supper, and then let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup. That's a command. Verse 29, for he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. The word discerning there means to be recognizing or revering. It's the same verse used in Acts 15 verse 9 where it says to put a difference. And so that's what it is referring to here. Notice in verse 30, for this cause, because they've been taken unworthily in an irreverent manner, for this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. That's referring to death in the New Testament. And so there was a serious consequence, Paul warned this carnal church, the Corinthians, about in dishonoring and disrespecting the memory, the remembrance of the Lord's sacrifice. But at the same time, there's such a beautiful verse of hope in verse 31. He says there, for if we judge, excuse me, for if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. We do not have to be afraid of condemnation. As a matter of fact, let's turn to 1 John 1, please. 1 John 1. Can I share a little bit of a personal experience with you? I find the more I grow in the Lord, the closer any one of us gets in our relationship to God, to Him, the more unworthy, the more filthy, the more sinful I feel. Amen? Do you know what I'm talking about? And why? Well, because the more I behold God's holiness and beauty and righteousness, the more wretched I feel in that light. And you know what? That is okay. That is a normal part of spiritually maturing. And that's why there is no way, shape, or form anyone could ever become worthy of the Lord's sacrifice or worthy of communion with the Most Holy God. It is all in what Christ has done for us anyways, amen? All we have the responsibility to do is that when we do celebrate, we do worship, and we do remember Him, that we do it in a reverent, in a suitable, the proper manner that He gave to us. And that is where it is so wonderful to have the opportunity and the promise of God that if we do come and we do confess our sins, He will cleanse that away. I mean, that is dumped into the deepest depths of the ocean, never to be found again. Hallelujah, amen. As that picture that he uses in the Old Testament there. Notice then 1 John 1, verse 7. But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we are fellowshiped one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanses us from all sin. Then verse 9, if we confess our sins, and I can only confess what I'm aware of, amen, And that's why we do take that opportunity here in just a few minutes to allow the Lord to search our hearts, as the psalmist said in Psalm 139, and see if there'd be any wicked way in me, amen? Lord, please show me if there's anything that I've committed in disobedience against you. I love you, I'm so appreciative of what you've done for me on the cross, and I wanna make sure I get that clear out of the way and confess, and wash away and wipe clean with your precious blood. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. I've never met a Christian that was perfect and that would have been deserving of taking the Lord's Supper. None of us here tonight are. Amen? The only one worthy of anything, especially our honor and worship and love, is the Lord Himself. Because He is the one who gave Himself for us. Who would like to read Galatians chapter 2 verse 20 for us, please? If we just turn over a few chapters there to Galatians chapter 2 in verse 20. Some of us may have the verse memorized. It's a very good verse. I want to just take one quick moment here to look at, well, what is the lesson, the message that we ought to see as we're observing the Lord suffer and remembering his death, his broken body and shed blood for us? Who has Galatians chapter 2 verse 20, please? Thank you so much. Notice how easy we say these words. Who loved me? Me! I'm sometimes stunned that any human being especially my precious wife, would dare to love me, but never mind all my people, holy God. Praise the Lord, amen? He loved me. But not just that, He gave Himself for me. I will never understand that. And you know, somebody once asked me, oh, I'm not really sure if I want to go to heaven. You know, I mean, it's going to be super boring there. And what are we going to do all eternity long, time never ending? And I'm like, well, if you're saved, you can't ask that question. Because you realize you're going to try for time never ending to even just begin to grasp. the wonderful depth of His love and His wisdom and His knowledge and the worship and adoration that the Lamb of God deserves and it's just like, whoa, I've spent all eternity on this already and I still feel like I haven't even begun. Oh, the Savior who would give Himself for us. And so that lesson and the message that we see in the Lord's Supper is the greatness of Christ's love for me. It's the depth of Christ's sacrifice. The tremendous cost of my sin. It took His death to pay for all of it. The enormity of my guilt without Christ. Oh, the righteousness and justice of God. and the beauty of having salvation secured for me in the Lamb of God. That is what we consider and what we see when we look at the Lord's Supper. It is a strong reminder of our need to live pure and holy so as to not bring shame or disdain to that great sacrifice that Christ did for us. And I want to look at that sacrifice in our last point here tonight a little bit more in what is called the elements or the bread and the grape juice there of the Lord's Supper, where we see in one way the sacrifice of Christ so beautifully pictured, and then at the same time also his purity, his sinlessness as well. And those little details, I believe, are exceedingly important. And that's why we want to turn to Matthew chapter 26, where we can learn a little bit more about how and why we celebrate the Lord's Supper exactly the way we try to do here. In Matthew 26, in verse 26, Matthew 26 and verse 26. The Bible says this. And as they were eating, Jesus took bread and blessed it and break it and gave it to the disciples and said, take, eat, this is my body. So that's where I want to first look at that bread. And we see here how There was one piece of bread that was ripped apart and broken and shared with the disciples there in front of their very eyes. And that was symbolizing the broken body, the physical suffering and death of the Lord Jesus when he hang on that cross for the payment of our sin. Now it is very important that we picture the Lord Jesus Christ properly. Moses messed that up. He smote the rock twice. Jesus Christ died only once though. And so he had messed up the picture of the Lord. And he had a lifelong consequence for that. He was never allowed into the promised land. And so we find that just as the Lord himself is pure sinless, the symbol and the picture for him needs to represent that same idea. And that is why, folks, we use unleavened bread in our Lord's Supper. Leaven is a substance that causes fermentation and particularly makes bread rice, right? We may know it more as yeast, maybe, or baking powder, whatever. And we find, interestingly, that out of the entire Passover meal, it was quite significant that there was no leaven involved whatsoever. As a matter of fact, in Exodus 12, verse 15, we see that for seven days leading up to this Passover, which is, by the way, that time that the Lord is celebrating there with his disciples, who were Jews, of course, and there was supposed to be an entire set of seven days where there was supposed to be no leaven at all found in the entire house, just to be sure. that the bread and the meal that was involved in the Passover celebration would not have possibly been able to be contaminated whatsoever, not even accidentally, right? And that is what we read in Exodus 12, verse 15. The same in the meat offerings, in the meal offerings, in Leviticus 2, verse 1, which of course, again, is a picture of the Lord being burned up for to, for our justification. There again was supposed to be no leaven, no fermentation in it. Why? Because it pictures how the Lord was pure and sinless. Let's turn to 1 Peter chapter 2, please. 1 Peter chapter 2 in verse 22. Unfortunately, we don't have the time to look at all the passages of Scripture we could look at tonight. This could be a whole study just by itself, to be honest. But if you are interested, you can write down 1 Corinthians 5, verses 6-8. 1 Corinthians 5 verse 6 to 8, where we see how leaven is used symbolically for sin, to symbolize sin, even in the New Testament. And there's many more scriptures for that in the Old Testament as well. As well as leaven is also symbolizing false teaching in Galatians 5 verse 9. And that is why it was not supposed to be involved in what was supposed to represent and symbolize the Lord's broken body. He was pure. He was sinless. He had to be. because only the innocent could die for the sins of another guilty person, amen? And so there in 1 Peter 2, verse 22, it says about Jesus who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth. Let's turn back to Matthew 26 again, please. Matthew chapter 26. We read there in verse 26 how Jesus took the bread and blessed it. And once he prayed, he gave thanks for it. and then he'd break it in front of his disciples. And you know, I know a lot of churches, they commonly have this all pre-packaged or pre-prepared with some sort of unleavened crackers or whatever, and that's their business to do as they cheese fit. But I remember, we used to do that for years as well, because that's just what everybody does. And all of a sudden, I was studying this passage in preparation for the Lord's Supper, and I looked at it in detail and realized we're really missing out on Maybe even more than just the substance, the element itself, what happens with it in front of our very eyes as it's being ripped apart is very much part of this vital, important message of the Lord's sacrifice of his suffering and death for us. And so the Lord broke it right in front of the eyes of his disciples, and from this one piece of bread, symbolizing his body, he shares to each and every one of them. And with that, they all partake of the same, the one body of bread. And so as we Then look there in verse 26, he says, take, eat, this is my body. So does this, as for example, the Roman Catholic Church believes, does this really become now the body of Christ? Well, let's think about this for a second. He just said, this is my body, which is broken, while he's standing whole and one piece still in front of him. So that doesn't really work, does it? Secondly, the scripture makes it very clear in John chapter 19, for example, that there was an Old Testament prophecy regarding the Messiah, that not a bone of him shall be broken. So it could not possibly be the real body of Christ because otherwise it would have been broken in pieces. Once again, what are we doing? We're remembering the message behind the symbolism and we're showing forth, we're symbolizing, demonstrating what happened physically on the cross. But then we go into what is called the cup. The cup. Notice there in verse 27 of Matthew 26. And he took the cup and gave thanks. and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it. For this is my blood of the New Testament." Again, does this red juice become actual blood? Well, no. Again, the same logic applies, and the same scriptural truth are bared out. This is to show forth, to remember the Lord's shed blood for us. For this is my blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. Now, once again, I think this is important for us to see. And, you know, as I mentioned, we used to always have everything pre-prepared and just pray and all shared and handed out. And when I was studying for this, I looked at it and it says, well, we're again missing the picture of the shedding of that grape juice. The word shed means to be spilled or to be poured. And so in front of the eyes of the disciples, he's taking vika. Now, in Europe, there's the idea that everybody has to take from this one vessel, and they'll all wipe it, and of course, that isn't quite hygienic, but I don't think that's what it is actually referring to here. At other times, I've shown pictures of that and so forth. You find that during Jesus' stay, it was very common to have the authority in the home, to have the head of the table have one big major cup, or maybe we would call it today a pitcher, right? And that was a stone vessel, a stone container with a handle that was chiseled out of a specific soft rock. And out of the inside, the core of this big picture, is what they would chisel out a whole bunch of other cups. And you could buy these whole family sets, so to speak, right? Where out of the one big cup, the inside of it came the many smaller cups for the entire family. And so the head of the home at the Passover for the Jews would lift up this one cup and they would do their prayers and rituals and so forth and would then share it with all the family members and pour it out into each and every one of their cups. So when I looked at this, I said, well, I want to make sure that we keep the symbolism in front of our eyes and we do not miss the idea, the picture, how the Lord's blood was spilled, was poured out for the cleansing of our sins. And so that's why we change things and we said, well, let's do that in front and together as we break the bread apart and as we pour out the grape juice. He says there in verse 29, But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you my father's kingdom. And when they had sung in him, they went out into the mount of Olives. And that's, by the way, where we keep the Lord's tradition and we're singing a song as well. And notice here, I find this interesting. It does not say a vine, does it? It almost seems like the Lord went overboard in trying to make sure to let us know this is not an alcoholic beverage we're supposed to all get drunk on. And God forbid that we would, because once again, we would fail to continue that picture of the Lord's purity and sinlessness. I think there ought to be no question in our mind that we're talking about grape juice when it refers to the fruit of the wine, and it's not talking about alcoholic wine. For one, of course, we get the idea of the grapes being crushed, just as the Lord's body was crushed for the burden of my guilt and my sin. And we read in Luke 22, verse 17, how he took this one cup, it says there, and he took the cup and gave things and said, take this, divided among yourselves. We don't have all the time tonight, but encourage you to look up these verses of scripture for your personal study. But just suffice it to tell you about Isaiah chapter 5 verse 11 and 12, where the Lord warns very clearly that the person who is inflamed with alcoholic wine does not regard the work of the Lord, neither consider the operation of his hands. In Habakkuk chapter 2 verse 15, matter of fact, he warns us and says, And so I don't think the Lord would, in one verse, warn against committing that sin of giving alcohol to another person and at the same time go ahead and do it to his very disciples right before his death. Depending on the context, we see in the scripture, whether we're talking about non-alcoholic wine or grape juice, or the fruit of the wine, as it's called here, or alcoholic wine. You see, for example, in Genesis chapter 9, Noah gets drunk there, and he's in a stupor. He loses his faculty, so to speak. Well, that's obviously referring to alcoholic wine. We see on the contrast then, the Lord at the wedding to Cana, there in John chapter 2, how they were still very well able to taste what wine they were consuming. Now, if they would have first had alcoholic wine, their taste buds would have been burned off and desensitized and their brain clouded. And so they would not have been able to identify that the vine that Jesus made towards the end of the party was the best one and was, too, non-alcoholic. In Mark chapter 15, when Jesus was offered wine and myrrh as a pain medication, it says very clearly, He received the knot. He endured the full pain of the crucifixion. And so here, again, we see from the context very clearly that the vine or the fruit of the vine that the Lord is referring to as he shares this communion, this Lord's supper with his disciples, is referring to non-alcoholic grape juice. In Mark chapter 14, verse 25, he leaves us off without an expectation, with an anticipation for the future. He says there, Mark 14, verse 25, Do you know there will be a Lord's Supper in heaven? Boy, that'll be exciting. I'll be really special, amen? And the Lord will be in our midst, not just by faith, as he is right now, but even right then and there physically and in person. And what a glorious day that will be, amen? To be assembled with all the family of God, no matter which corner of the earth they're from. So as we remember the Lord's death, as we remember the body that was broken for Him, as we remember the blood that He shed on our behalf, let's remember that He was sinless and pure, and therefore, indeed, could bear my sins on the tree, on the cross. In 1 Peter 2 verse 24 says, whose own self bear our sins. Can you imagine the one who's never known sin from eternity past all of a sudden has all the sins ever committed in all human history on him? I can't imagine that. I can barely carry my own guilt for a day or two and I can thankfully find relief and sweet forgiveness with the Lord. Folks, it is through His blood that we have redemption and forgiveness of sins. And so I'm so thankful that the Lord did teach us how we ought to celebrate and how we ought to eat that Lord's Supper, as it's called. And I'm looking forward to having this again, hopefully soon, amen, in the Lord's very presence, together with all the family of God in heaven. But until then, We'll remind each other, we'll remember the Lord's sacrifice for us, the cost of my sin. And we'll, once again, appreciate the wonderful freedom, the salvation that you and I have, that now you and I do not have to be condemned anymore. So before we do that remembrance, Tonight, I'd like to ask Esther to come up, please, on the piano. And as we always do, we do want to take an opportunity. to search ourselves before the Lord and to make sure that there's nothing between our soul and the Savior, amen, and that we uphold the reverence and the beauty and the holiness that ought to be prescribed to this wonderful remembrance of the Lord's death for us. So as Esther plays a stanza or two of invitation tonight, let's all bow our heads in prayer, please. And if there's anything in your heart or life that the Lord is pointing out right now, that as a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ would hinder you from partaking in the Lord's supper, can I encourage you to deal with that right now, to confess that and have that washed away for all eternity with the precious blood of Christ. He is faithful and just to forgive us all sins. Praise the Lord.