John 4:23-24 – The Lord’s Supper Is Worship – Bible study

John 4:23-24 The Lords Supper Is Worship I have selected an unusual Bible verse to begin the Lords Supper. Normally, I would read from 1Corinthians 11 or maybe Luke 22. But are these such strange verses for the Lords Supper? They talk about worshipping God, and what is the Lords Supper if it is not an act of worshipping God. Lets consider some thoughts about the Lords Supper. I. The Lords Supper Is A Worship. A. Worship is an eternally important and challenging act. 1. We say that we go to church to worship God, but do we? 2. For most people, church is a time of ENDURANCE not worship. 3. Even for those who are good and godly, church can become little more than ENTERTAINMENT and EDUCATION. B. Worship is the act of adoring and exalting God. 1. Under no circumstances can someone worship God passively. 2. Worship demands that the participants expend their energy, their effort, and their emotions toward God. C. The church of Corinth had many faults concerning the Lords Supper. 1. For some, it had become a drunken festival. 2. For others, it had become a feast. 3. For others, it had become an opportunity to show off ones position. 4. However, you can rest assured that in the beginning, the one fault they all had was they had ceased to adore and exalt God in this service. 5. That one fault lead them to all the others! D. Will you spend any time in worship tonight? II. The Lords Supper Is A Communion. 1Cor 10:16 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? A. The word COMMUNION comes from 2 Greek words meaning UNION WITH. 1. Anytime members of the body of Christ meet together, Christ is in their presence. Matthew 18:20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. 2. In fact, the day you were saved, God moved inside of you. 1 Corinthians 3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? Romans 8:9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. 3. Yet, there is something special and unique about breaking of bread together, with Christ in our midst. a. This service was designed by Jesus. It is the only service which was. b. This service was commanded by Jesus. It is the only service which was. c. And this service has the promise of fellowship with Jesus, both in His suffering and in His glory, like no other service has. B. It is my belief that tonight, at this service, if you are willing, Jesus will come sit beside you and love on you in a way that is unique and different. 1. You need to open yourself to that possibility. 2. You need to adore and exalt Him, worship Him. 3. You need to actively give of yourself to God tonight. III. The Lords Supper Is A Remembrance. Luke 22:19 And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. John 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. A. It is human nature to forget. 1. The Greeks used to say that time wipes all things out of memory, as if the mind were a writing slate and time were the eraser. Taken from http://preachersfiles.com/true-worship-4-the-lords-supper/ 2. The memory can play tricks on us unless something is done to keep it straight. 3. Important things must be remembered on purpose. 4. It is our privilege and responsibility to to keep our memory clear, straight, and focused. B. By remembering, we connect the past to the present and the future. 1. By remembering the past, we are anchored in fact and truth. 2. By remembering the past, we are presently set on a correct course. 3. And by doing both of these two, we end up where God would have us in the future. C. It is my belief that one of the most important things we can do tonight is to remember! 1. Remembering itself is not worship. 2. But remembering can stir our hearts to worship. D. What should we be remembering? 1. We should be remembering what Christ gave up to come to this earth. 2. We should be remembering what Christ endured while He was on this earth. 3. We should be remembering how Christ died. 4. We should be remembering what His death has already done for us. 5. And in all of this, we should be stirring our soul and spirit to adore and exalt God! IV. The Lords Supper Is An Examination. 1Cor 11:28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. A. The Lords Supper is holy ground. 1. When Moses meet God beside the burning bush, he was commanded to remove his shoes in the presence of God. 2. When Joshua meet the Captain of the Lords Host outside of Jericho, he fell to his face and worshipped God. 3. When Daniel had a vision of God, he fainted and was sick certain days. 4. Make no mistake, to be afforded an opportunity to meet with God is no small matter. B. Our church practices an open communion, meaning that anyone may partake of this service. However, 1. If you have never been saved, you should not partake of it. 2. If you have been saved for a length of time and have not been baptized, you should not partake of it. 3. If you know that things are not right in your heart or life, you should not partake of it. What you should do is make things right with Godwhatever it takesso that you can partake in this service. And if things are well with you and God, you should worship Him. I pray that you will.