BETHESDA CATHEDRAL – WORD EDIFICATION (Oikos on 10th May 2013)
Announcements
1. 21st Anniversary Dinner: Sat, 25 May, 7pm, Roland Restaurant
Adult/ Student - $20, Child (4-12 yrs) - $6. Register with your Oikos leader
or at the service counter.
2. Church Camp 2013: 12 - 15 June, Holiday Inn, Malacca. Adult: $300, Student/
NSF/ Retired + Above 62 yrs: $220, Children: $140 (w/o bed $100). Apply your
leave and sign up now at the service counter.
3. Saturday Worship Service: 5 pm, Daniel Hall, 2nd Floor.
4. Prayer & Praise: Every Wed, 8pm, Chapel.
Word released : “Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and
into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and
destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager
for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many
griefs. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.”
1 Tim 6:9,10&8 (NIV)
Word Edification – Significance of the Lord’s Supper
Speaker: Pastor Tay Cheng Kee
Introduction
We have often misunderstood the phrase “in an unworthy manner”
(1 Corinthians 11:27) to refer to our personal qualification or fitness rather than
our improper attitude towards the Lord’s Supper. Though it is true that none of
us are worthy to partake of the Lord’s Supper, we thank God that by His mercy
and grace we have been sanctified and made whole by the blood of Jesus.
There must be that proper understanding of why we are seated at the Lord’s
Table and its significance.
1. Instructions concerning the Lord’s Supper (1 Corinthians 11:17-22).
It is wrong for us to rush into the Lord’s Supper to partake of the bread and
the wine without the reverential fear and respect for the Lord. During the
time of the Corinthian church, they had a fellowship meal followed by the
Lord’s Supper.
The rich ate lavishly and drank excessively and were drunk while the poor
had nothing to eat and drink. There was strife and division in the church. The
believers had no reverential fear when they approached the Lord’s Table
and there was no remembrance of the Lord. Paul wrote this letter to rebuke
them as they came together not for the better but for the worse.
2. The significance of the Lord’s Supper (1 Corinthians 11:23-26).
Through divine revelation, Paul received instruction concerning the Lord’s
Supper. The bread represents the broken body of Jesus, bruised and
battered for our redemption and healing. The cup represents the blood of
Christ shed for the remission of our sins. When we eat of the bread and drink
of the cup, we proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.
We remember Jesus Christ at the Lord’s Table by meditating on what He
had done for us at the Cross of Calvary. There must be that personal
involvement when we partake of the emblems of the Lord. Without the silent
moments of prayer and meditation, it will soon become a ritual or a religious
habit. When we hold the bread and the cup, it is a reminder for each one of
us of the price Jesus paid for our redemption, our salvation and our healing.
3. We are to examine ourselves (1 Corinthians 11:27-32).
We are to examine our attitude and our conduct of any unconfessed sins
when we come before the Lord’s Table. Before we partake of the emblems,
we plead the blood of Jesus to cleanse us of all our sins. In that silent
moment, we meditate on our sinful nature, our need to have a Saviour and
a Redeemer and we dwell in the love of God. The Lord’s Supper is meant for
the Lord’s people. We do not want to be judged or disciplined by the Lord
for improper attitude towards the Lord’s Supper.
Applications
1. How do we prepare ourselves to partake of the Lord’s Supper?
2. How did God judge the Corinthian church for not properly observing the
Lord’s Supper? Why was it so severe?
3. Paul said, “For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you
proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” How is this proclamation
done?