For more information about our teaching and preaching ministry, you can find us online at cornerstoneorlando.org. The following sermon has been brought to you by Cornerstone Orlando, making disciples for the glory of God. The title of our sermon this morning is Esteeming the Supper. Esteeming the Supper. And we're taking a brief hiatus from our regular exposition in the book of Romans in order to consider this subject of the Lord's Supper. It's been a while. It's been a while since we've considered the nature of the Lord's Supper. And that's precisely what we're looking to do this morning. We are looking to rightly understand the nature of the Lord's Supper and why. so that we can esteem it rightly. God has revealed to us in his word how he is to be worshipped. He is to be worshipped in the supper. He has given us the supper so that we can worship him, so that it can be a means of grace, so that it can be an instrument of grace to us. And he has given this revelation to us so that we would rightly understand what the Lord's Supper entails. What does the Lord's Supper entail? What is the meaning of the Lord's Supper? How are we to esteem the Lord's Supper? During the time of the Protestant Reformation, there was much discussion about the nature of the Lord's Supper, particularly the nature of the presence of Christ in the Lord's Supper. In what sense, if any, is Jesus Christ present in the Supper? John Calvin, one of the earliest Reformers, made this statement. He said, For whenever this subject is considered, the subject of the Lord's Supper, whenever this subject is considered, after I have done my utmost, I feel that I have spoken far beneath its dignity. Though the mind is more powerful in thought than the tongue in expression, it too is overcome and overwhelmed by the magnitude of the subject. All then that remains is to break forth in admiration of the mystery, which it is plain that the mind is inadequate to comprehend or the tongue to express. There is a great mystery in the Lord's Supper. It is true The Lord's Supper is worthy of our esteem. We should esteem the supper. What John Calvin is saying is that after he's done his utmost, after he's tried his hardest in explaining the meaning of the Lord's Supper, in what sense Jesus Christ is present in the Lord's Supper, how grace is conveyed through the Lord's Supper, after he's tried his very hardest, he feels that he has spoken far beneath its dignity. The question is, why should we esteem the supper? Why does Calvin speak in this way? What does the Bible reveal about the supper that would make him speak in this way? Why should we esteem it? It would be the height of pride, spiritual pride, if we thought that we were the first interpreters of the Bible in regard to the Lord's Supper. would be the height of pride. Cornerstone doesn't exist in isolation here in the 21st century. We have 2,000 years of the history of Christians interpreting certain texts in the Bible and trying to come to a full understanding of what the Lord's Supper means. We come at the end of 2,000 years of Christian interpretation of texts regarding the Lord's Supper. So what has the church variously thought concerning the Lord's Supper? First of all, the Roman Catholic Church has taught a damnable heresy with regard to the table. The Roman Catholic Church has taught what's called transubstantiation. They believe that with the words of the priest, the consecrating and the blessing words of the priest, that the bread and the cup are actually physically transformed into Jesus Christ's body and blood. Why? Why do they propose this abominable heresy? It's because they don't believe that when Jesus died, he fully satisfied the wrath of God. What they believe is that Jesus Christ needs to be sacrificed again and again and again to forgive venial sins, daily sins. That, folks, is a damnable heresy. It is dangerous ground. The Roman Catholic Church in their superstition has disbelieved the words of Jesus Christ. He hung upon the cross and he cried out, it is finished. His sacrifice is done. There's nothing more for our salvation that needs to be accomplished. Jesus died, He really died. The water gushing from His side flowed as a testament to the fact that He died and He fully satisfied the wrath of God. There is no more need, no more need for us to continually put Jesus to death again and again and again in what the Roman Catholic Church calls the Mass. It's a damnable heresy. We believe in the finality of Jesus's death on the cross. I can rest in the fact that he is fully satisfied the demands that justice makes on my life. Jesus's death was a once for all death. So transubstantiation, that the bread and the wine, or the bread and the cup, are physically transformed into the body and blood of Jesus Christ so that Jesus can be sacrificed again for venial sins is a heresy and is unbiblical. Martin Luther recognized that fact and tried to come up with his own view, which is also unscriptural. He called it consubstantiation. If you're a Spanish speaker, You know that the word kon means with. And so Martin Luther taught that Jesus's physical body and blood were with or by or under the bread or the wine. This is an evasion essentially. It's what Martin Luther did. And it actually led him to believe in the ubiquity of Jesus's human nature. Ubiquity meaning that his human nature has received a divine attribute, the divine attribute of omnipresence and that Jesus in his human body is physically present everywhere. It caused Martin Luther to believe that and the Bible nowhere teaches that. Jesus is fully human and he retains all of his human qualities. Where is his human body? It is in heaven, sitting at the right hand of God. And even as Stephen said in Acts chapter seven, he looked up, he saw the heavens opening and he saw the son of man standing. Jesus is there in heaven. He ascended into the clouds and one day he is coming to return. Consubstantiation is also unbiblical. There was another reformer by the name of Ulrich Zwingli. And Zwingli taught what is today known as memorialism. He taught Jesus' presence, Jesus in no sense is present in the Lord's Supper. It's what Zwingli taught. But instead, the Lord's Supper is simply a memorial. It is a time to remember what he did. That's what the Lord's Supper is, according to Zwingli. And we'll see that that's also not true. There is, in fact, a sense in which Jesus is present in the Lord's Supper. I'll say that again. There is, in fact, a sense in which Jesus is present in the Lord's Supper. He is spiritually present to the faith of believers. This is what John Calvin taught. This is what the Bible teaches. It is called the spiritual presence of Jesus Christ. Why am I telling you this? Why am I telling you this? Because I want to expose you to different views and demonstrate to you from the scriptures that Jesus Christ is truly and spiritually present in a special and mysterious way in the Lord's Supper. Why? So that you can esteem it. The Lord's Supper isn't about performing a ritual. It isn't about dead ritualism. Jesus Christ meets us in the supper and we should esteem it as a special time of meeting Jesus Christ. Our Confession puts it this way, worthy receivers, there are unworthy receivers at the table, unbelievers, but worthy receivers, that is, people who believe in Jesus Christ, worthy receivers outwardly partaking of the visible elements in this ordinance, that is, they actually eat the bread and they drink the cup, these worthy receivers do then also inwardly, by faith, really and truly, yet not physically, like their own Catholic Church teaches, but they spiritually receive and feed upon Christ crucified and all the benefits of his death. worthy receivers, when they are eating that bread, that consecrated bread, when they are drinking that blessed cup, they are really and truly feeding, not physically, but spiritually feeding upon Jesus Christ, crucified. That's the way our confession puts it. Our confession goes on, the body and the blood of Christ are not physically. He's in heaven. They are not physically, but they are spiritually present to the faith of believers in that ordinance, as the elements themselves also are to the outward senses, just as truly as you are eating bread. Even so, you are truly feeding upon, spiritually, Jesus Christ's body. Just as truly as you can feel that fruit of the vine going into your mouth and you can taste it, you can feel it going down your throat, into your body. Just as truly are you drinking, spiritually, the blood of Jesus Christ as you apprehend Him and appropriate Him by faith. Let me put it this way. Christ instituted the Lord's Supper so that we could fellowship with him. It wasn't just a time to remember what he did, but it's also a time for us to fellowship with him. He is not, as Martin Luther and as the Roman Catholic Church teaches, he is not physically brought down to us in the supper. But through the supper by faith, we are brought up to him. An eminent man of God from the past said this, put it this way. He was encouraging and exhorting believers as they participate in the Lord's Supper. He said this, when you take the bread, rouse up your soul to behold Christ by faith and to apply his merits to heal your miseries. Embrace him with your faith at the table. Hug him, in other words. As you eat the bread, Think about Christ hanging upon the cross, and by his unspeakable torments, fully satisfying God's justice for your sins, and strive to be as truly a partaker of that spiritual grace, even as truly as you were eating that bread. Christ is truly present at his own supper, not physically, not by coming down out of heaven to you, but Jesus Christ lifts you up from the earth to him in the supper. In other words, to simplify all of that, if you don't know what that means, it's because the supper is very mysterious. But to put it simply, the supper is a time in which we can fellowship truly with Jesus Christ. It is a true time of present fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ. We truly feed on his body and drink his blood, albeit spiritually, not physically. The symbols are simply that, tokens. They're tokens, they're signs, they're meant to point to a spiritual reality. How do we demonstrate this truth? How do we demonstrate this truth? First of all, first of all, we demonstrate it from 1 Corinthians chapter 10. 1 Corinthians chapter 10. And I want you to notice Paul's argument here in 1 Corinthians 10, okay? As we said this morning during Sunday school, 1 Corinthians 1-4 is about division in the church and the way that Paul addresses division in the church. Chapters 5-7 is about Christian sexuality. There's a man who has his father's wife who should get disciplined out of the church, 1 Corinthians 5. 1 Corinthians 6, Paul gives motivations and exhortations to sexual purity. 1 Corinthians 7 is about Christian marriage. So 1 Corinthians 5-7 is about Christian sexuality and marriage. 1 Corinthians 8-10 is about Christian liberty. And then following that is about order in the worship of the church. In 1 Corinthians 8, Paul begins this subject of Christian liberty with these words. 1 Corinthians 8, verse one. He says, now, concerning things sacrificed to idols, we know that we all have knowledge. What knowledge is he referring to? He's referring to the knowledge that the meat sacrificed to idols is nothing. and that the idols are nothing. That's knowledge. And he says that knowledge can puff up, but love edifies. And he's going to exhort them to forego this Christian liberty that they have, to eat meat sacrificed to idols. He's going to exhort them to forego that liberty because it could harm a brother spiritually. Here's why, he says, He first of all elaborates, he says, verse four, therefore concerning the eating of things sacrificed to idols, we know, that's the knowledge he's talking about, we know that there is no such thing as an idol in the world and that there is no God but one. We have that knowledge, right? Verse seven, however, Not all men have this knowledge, but some, being accustomed to the idol until now, eat food as if it were sacrificed to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled." So what is Paul exhorting them to do? He's exhorting them to forgo their Christian liberty in eating meat sacrificed to idols because it could harm the conscience of a fellow believer. We should have a love like this. When your knowledge causes you to disregard the conscience of a brother, your knowledge puffs up and it makes you arrogant rather than causing you to love your brother. Paul gives himself as an example. In 1 Corinthians 9, he says, am I not free? Verse one. 3. My defense to those who examine me is this. Do we not have a right to eat and drink? Do we not have a right to take along a believing wife, even as the rest of the apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas? Or do only Barnabas and I not have a right to refrain from working? that he is foregone. He has all these liberties, he has all these rights, that he is foregone for the sake of his brothers. And he is using that to bolster up his argument with the Corinthian believers that they should not eat meat sacrificed to idols. You see? He further uses Israel as an example. Verse six of chapter 10. 1 Corinthians 10, verse six. Israel is also an example of why they should not commit idolatry. Now these things happened as examples for us. He's talking about the Israelites in the wilderness. So that we would not crave evil things as they also craved. Do not be idolaters as some of them were. So not only, this is an interesting point in Paul's argument. Not only is he telling them, don't eat meat sacrifice to idols because it could harm the conscience of your brother. But he's also saying, don't participate in idolatry. What they're doing is truly idolatrous. The question becomes, how is it idolatry to eat meat sacrificed to idols if you just told me that the meat is nothing, and you just told me that an idol is nothing? Paul makes this point in verse 19, 1 Corinthians 10, 19. What do I mean then? That a thing sacrificed to idols is anything, like the meat, the animal that's sacrificed, that it's anything? Or that an idol is anything? The answer is no. So he's perfectly consistent in his argument throughout Hebrews 1 Corinthians 8-10. He's perfectly consistent in his argument. Verse 23, all things are lawful, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful, but not all things edify. Let no one seek his own good, but that of his neighbor. Eat anything that is sold in the meat without asking questions for conscience sake. For the earth is the Lord's and all it contains. That idol is just a piece of wood. It's just a piece of metal or clay. That meat that's sacrificed to that idol belongs to God. The earth is the Lord's and all it contains. So you can eat. The idol doesn't, the meat doesn't become sinful in and of itself. And yet, the strange thing is that Paul is saying, do not practice idolatry. Verse 14, therefore my beloved, flee from idolatry. So in what sense, in what sense can they commit idolatry here in this text? Here's how he elaborates, verse 20. No, no, the meat sacrifice titles is nothing. The idol itself is nothing, just like I've said. No, but I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God. And I do not want you to become sharers in demons. In other words, in other words, the meat sacrificed to idols is nothing. The earth is the Lord's and all it contains. The idol itself is nothing. It's just a piece of wood. It's just a piece of metal. It's just a piece of clay. But the ceremony, the pagan ceremony that they are performing in and of itself is idolatrous because they are sacrificing to demons. Inherently, that pagan ritual itself is demonic because they are making sacrifices to demons. You see? The meat itself is nothing. The idol is nothing, but the ritual is something. The ritual is demonic. The ceremony is demonic. Here's Paul's argument from 1 Corinthians 10 now, as we've laid that groundwork. Here's his argument. He's going to labor the point, flee idolatry. And how is he gonna do it? His first point is this. The church's ceremonial relation to Christ. The church's ceremonial relation to Christ. That's verse 16 through 18. Secondly, the pagan's ceremonial relation to demons. That's verses 19 through 20. And then his conclusion, you can't do both of those. Verses 21 through 22. The church's ceremonial relation to Christ. Verses 16 through 18. The pagan's ceremonial relation to demons. Verses 19 through 20. And his conclusion, you can't do both of those. In other words, flee idolatry. Flee idolatry. Let's look at the first point. Look at verse 14. Look at verse 14. Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. I speak as to wise men, you judge what I say." Here begins his argument that the church has a true ceremonial relation to Jesus Christ. Verse 16, is not the cup of blessing which we bless? Now what cup is he talking about? He's talking about the Lord's Supper. He's talking about the fruit of the vine that we partake of in the Lord's Supper. Is not the cup of blessing, which we bless, a sharing in the blood of Christ? That word that shows up again and again in this passage is koinonia, meaning fellowship. The New King James Version has communion. A communion of the blood of Christ is how the New King James Version puts it, which is fine. I think the NASB translates it really well here. It is a sharing. It is a participation in the blood of Christ. Is not the bread which we break a sharing or a fellowship or a communion in the body of Christ? Notice first of all, notice first of all about verse 16, that he's talking about the vertical relationship that we have in the supper, the vertical relationship. When we partake of that cup, we are sharing In verse 16, the emphasis isn't us sharing with one another. The emphasis is that we're sharing in an object, a certain object, which is the blood of Christ. When I partake of that cup, I am sharing in Christ's blood. When I eat that bread, I am sharing in his body, his actual physical body. And that's the mystery. That's the mystery of the Lord's Supper. And that's really the point that we're gonna emphasize in this sermon, but it has a context and the context helps us to understand its meaning. Verse 16 is the vertical relationship that the church has with Christ in the supper. Verse 17, since there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. The New King James Version says that we are bread. I think it's better understood the way that this translation has it, since there is one bread. In other words, upon the basis that we have one ordinance of the Lord's Supper, we all are one body. For, for we all partake of the one bread. Our partaking of the one bread externally demonstrates our unity as a body. There is, in other words, a horizontal relationship in the Lord's Supper as well. Verse 16 is our vertical relationship. Verse 17 is our horizontal relationship. And both of them are true, true relationships. He also gives the example of Israel, verse 18. Look at the nation Israel. Are not those who eat the sacrifices sharers in the altar? Whatever Paul means by this, one thing is clear. There is a certain identification that the people of Israel have with the altar when they eat those sacrifices. They share a certain identity as a people. And they share an identity as Israelites when they eat those sacrifices. So first of all, verse 16, we have a vertical relationship in the Lord's supper. Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ? We have a vertical relationship, a vertical fellowship in the Lord's supper. Verse 17, we have a horizontal relationship in the Lord's supper. Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body for we all partake of the one bread. We profess, we confess our unity as a body when we are all partaking of that one bread, when we are all partaking of that one ordinance. And then he gives the example of Israel, verse 18, that there's an identification between the Israelites and their altar when they eat those sacrifices. That's the first pillar of Paul's argument here. He's saying, flee idolatry. You don't want to be an idolater. And here is why. Point number one, you have a true ceremonial relation to Jesus Christ and one another in the supper. That's the first reason. The second reason begins in verse 19. The pagans' ceremonial relation to demons. You see where Paul's going with this. Verse 19, what do I mean then? Why does he say that? Why does he say, what do I mean? Because somebody may be confused. You just told me in chapter eight that meat sacrifice to idols is nothing, that the idol is nothing. So why are you telling me that I should flee idolatry? Aren't I free to do that? What do I mean then? That a thing sacrificed to idols is anything or that an idol is anything? Notice he points out, He points out two components of their pagan rituals that really are neither here nor there. One is the idol itself. It's just a piece of wood. And then one is the meat sacrificed to the idols. The earth is the Lord's and all it contains. So the meat sacrificed and the idol itself, both are nothing. Verse 20, no, in other words, no, they are not anything. Really inherently, there's nothing sinful about either of them. One is just a piece of wood and one belongs to the Lord. No, but I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God. I do not want you to become sharers in demons. Now this is the point of verses 19 through 20. The point is that in pagan rituals, the Gentiles have a true spiritual relationship with demons. A pagan has a true spiritual relationship with demons when they are making sacrifices to idols. Despite the fact, this is very interesting, despite the fact that the meat is nothing and the idol is nothing, there is still a spiritual relationship. You could say, you could ask, was that meat that was sacrificed to the idol, was that meat transformed into the body of a demon? No, the meat is nothing. But the point is that in the ritual itself that they are performing, there is a true spiritual relationship with demons taking place. He says, notice at the end of verse 20, I don't want you to become sharers in demons. If you participate in pagan rituals, you are fellowshipping with demons. There's true fellowship happening there with demons. So pillar number one, flea idolatry. Pillar number one, there is a true spiritual relationship that we have with Jesus Christ in the supper and with one another in the supper. And we can see that also with the example of Israel. That's point number one, our true relationship that we have with Christ and one another in the supper. Point number two is that a pagan in his pagan rituals has a true relationship to demons in those pagan rituals. I do not want you to become shares in demons, Paul says. Now, when you take both of those pillars together, it drives you and it forces you to a conclusion. Verse 21, here's the third point. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You can't do both. You cannot partake, you cannot drink of the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. The conclusion is you can't do both. There's a true spiritual relation here, and there's a true spiritual relation there, and they're in antithesis to one another. So you can't do both. You better not do both. Why? Why? Why not do both? Verse 22. Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? The Lord is jealous for His worship. That's a concept not only found in the Old Testament, that's in the New Testament too. God is a jealous God. He is worthy of our praise. He is worthy of our fidelity. He is worthy of our allegiance and our loyalty. When we practice idolatry, this is why time and time again in the Old Testament, when God is chastening the people for idolatry, He accuses them of adultery. They're not faithful to Him and He is a jealous God. God is jealous for His worship and therefore we should be zealous for His worship. We should zealously guard His worship. Those of you who think that this is theoretical, those of you who think that this is an intellectual exercise are sorely mistaken. This is entirely moral through and through. We should worship the Lord and guard His table and love His table and come to the table and esteem His table. Our God is a jealous God. We are not stronger than He, are we? We better not partake of the cup of demons and the cup of the Lord. There is a true spiritual relationship between the church and Christ in the supper. There is a true spiritual relationship between pagans and demons in their pagan rituals. Therefore, because God is a jealous God, you better not do both. You better not do both. Flee idolatry, my beloved, is the point that Paul is making. Now, what are some practical, excuse me, what are some practical conclusions that we can draw from this? When we look at Paul's argument from 1 Corinthians 10, what do we learn? What do we learn about the Lord's Supper? Look at verse 16. Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing or a communion or a fellowship in his body? Notice that, as I stated, that there is a true spiritual relationship between the body of Jesus Christ and his physical body. We are actually communing with the Lord when we partake in the Lord's Supper. One theologian put it this way, he said, if Paul is talking about a present, a now communion with the blood and the body of Christ, That's his first point. If Paul is talking about a present communion with his body and blood, and if Christ is no longer dying or dead, then the communion that he's referring to is communion with the living, exalted Christ now. This is present communion with the living and exalted Lord of glory. The communion must be with the present benefits procured by his broken body and shed blood, for his body is no longer broken, it's glorified, and his blood has finished its shedding. There is a present communion that we partake of in the Lord's Supper, in the Lord's Supper. This should cause us to esteem the Supper greatly. is we consider the ramifications. Consider the parallels that Paul also draws between the church and the Lord's Supper and pagans and their demon ritual sacrifices. Consider the parallels between those two things. Verse 19, what do I mean then? That a thing sacrificed to idols is anything or that an idol is anything? We could say the same, right? The bread of the Lord's Supper, in and of itself, there's nothing magical about the bread. That was the error of Rome. That was the error of Martin Luther. There's nothing magical about the bread. There's nothing magical about the wine or the grape juice, whatever the fruit of the vine is. There's nothing magical about the cup. So then how is there an actual spiritual significance if there's nothing magical about the elements? Because of verse 20. No, but I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God. There is an actual spiritual significance to what they're doing, even though the elements are nothing and the idol is nothing. There's a spiritual significance to what they're doing because of who they're having communion with in their sacrifices. No, but I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God. And so if you were to go there to a pagan temple, and you were to sit while they sacrifice this animal to an idol, a piece of clay, and then you were to eat that meat, you would be like the Israelites. They ate those sacrifices and they were shares in the altar. You'd be like them. If you went to a pagan temple and you ate that meat, during that sacrifice, you sat together with those people and you ate that sacrifice, you would share in demons. Because that's who they're sacrificing to. What they are doing adds spiritual significance to whom they are relating to. It's the same for the Lord's Supper. What we are doing in practicing the Lord's Supper is what constitutes the spiritual relation that we have with Jesus Christ. Take, eat, this is my body. Not that the piece of bread, as he was talking to his disciples, they saw his body. He didn't transform this piece of bread into an extension of his own flesh when he was speaking to the disciples. They perfectly understood that it was a symbol. It was a symbol. And nevertheless, he said, take, eat, this is my body given for you. Do this in remembrance of me. Just as he said in John chapter six, that we must eat his flesh and drink his blood. That's what we're doing in the Lord's Supper. We don't have to be in the Lord's Supper to do that. We can appropriate Jesus Christ by faith outside of the Lord's Supper as well and partake of his benefits outside of the Lord's Supper as well. But Jesus Christ gave the Lord's Supper specifically to be a physical time to remember what Jesus did on the cross so that we could have present communion with him now because of what he has done for us. because of what he's done for us. If Paul's talking about a present communion with the blood and the body of Christ, and if Christ is no longer dying or dead, then the communion he's referring to is communion with the living and exalted Christ now. We should esteem the supper. It's a time to meet Jesus Christ, just like the ministry of the word is. You hear us say when we're praying at the beginning, asking Jesus Christ to be among us, It's the same with the Lord's Supper. He is spiritually present to us. There is a real spiritual fellowship which we have with the Lord's Supper here by way of application. Number one, value the supper. Esteem the supper. Don't perform it as a dead ritual. There is spiritual significance in what you are doing at the supper. You should value the supper. Why? In the supper, Jesus Christ blesses us with the benefits of his death. I'll say that again. In the supper, Jesus Christ blesses us with the benefits of his death. Is that not what verse 16 is teaching? Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ? In the supper, Jesus Christ blesses us with the benefits of his death. That's why you should value the supper. In the supper, we're united as one body by this one ordinance, verse 17. Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. That's why you should esteem the supper. Think about your brothers. Think about your brethren. You are one body when you partake of this ordinance together. Therefore, you should value that ordinance. Just as pagans are sharers in demons by their sacrifices, So we are sharers in Christ by our supper, just as pagans are sharers in demons by what they do, so we're sharers in Christ by what we do. Verse 20, no, but I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to become sharers in demons. If the meat was nothing, and the idol was nothing, and the ritual was nothing, okay, but the ritual is something. If the Lord's Supper, the bread and the cup were nothing, and the ritual itself was nothing, then God's jealousy isn't necessarily provoked. Not that you should worship demons, but the point I'm making is that God's jealousy is provoked when you do both of those things, because there is real spiritual significance in both of them. There's real spiritual significance in the Lord's Supper. It is more than a memory. It is not just a memorial. In other words, Zwingli was wrong about that, and therefore we should esteem the supper. We should value the supper. Because we are truly sharers in Christ by our supper, therefore we fellowship with him in it. You should esteem the supper because this is a chief way in which you can fellowship with the risen and exalted Lord. You should esteem that. You should place a high priority on that, a high value on the Lord's supper. And therefore, we identify with Christ when we take the supper. Just as the Israelites had a certain identity with the altar when they ate those sacrifices, so we identify with Christ when we take the supper. He should esteem the supper. In it, in the supper, we confess our fidelity and our allegiance to Christ, our loyalty to him. Verse 22, or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? By abstaining from the table of demons, because you are partaking of the table of the Lord, you are demonstrating your allegiance to Jesus Christ. You are demonstrating your loyalty to Jesus Christ. When you partake of the Lord's Supper, it is a way which you can profess your unwavering loyalty and fidelity to him as your bridegroom. we should esteem the supper. As a result, as a result, we think about the fact that Christ blesses us with the benefits of his death. We think about how we're united as one body by this ordinance. We think about how we're truly shares in Christ by our supper. We fellowship with the risen Christ in the supper, and we identify with Christ when we take the supper. We confess our allegiance to Christ when we take the supper. When you have such a high esteem of the Lord's supper, when you consider all of these things, it should cause you to place a high value on the supper, which leads you to come to the supper. That's the second point. Come to the supper, brothers. Come to the supper, sisters. Consider Christ's command. He said, take, eat. That's a command. Take, eat. This is my body given for you. Do this in remembrance of me. Consider Christ's command. Will you come to the supper? He has commanded you to. He's commanded all worthy recipients to come, take of the supper. And by worthy, I mean those who believe, those who are believing in him. Consider the benefits. And we'll talk more about that this afternoon, about what a worthy recipient is. Consider the benefits. the Supper. It's a mysterious impartation of grace and fellowship with the risen Christ. So come to the Supper. Come to the Supper, knowing that it's a mysterious impartation of grace. It's a means of grace to you. It's a vehicle of grace to you, just like the preaching of the Word is. The preaching of the Word is a vehicle of grace to you. So the Lord's Supper is as well. So you should come. Come to the Lord's Supper. Consider your brother. In the supper, we're all one, so you should come. Demonstrate your unity with the body by coming to the Lord's supper. And lastly, consider Christ's jealousy. Consider his jealousy, as it says in verse 22, or do we provoke the Lord, meaning Jesus Christ, to jealousy? We're not stronger than he, are we? Consider his jealousy. If he's jealous, think with me. If he is jealous that we not partake of the cup of demons, how else might we substitute for the supper? ways that might provoke him. In other words, what are we prioritizing above the supper that might provoke him to jealousy? I would rather do such and such. When it's not a work of necessity, it's not a work of mercy, I would rather do such and such than come to the Lord's supper. Do you provoke the Lord to jealousy? He's jealous for his worship, right? So come to the supper, take, eat. This is my body, as Jesus Christ has said. Now, the reason why we're preaching this right now is because of changes of administration that are coming. We are moving the Lord's Supper. As many of you know who've come to our council meetings, we're moving the Lord's Supper from the morning service to the afternoon service so that we can devote more time to the supper and for other reasons. We are moving the supper to the afternoon still once a month. And so that is why it is necessary for us to talk. about the dignity of the supper, why it's so important, what we're actually doing in the supper. And that's why it's important that we exhort you again, again, prioritize the supper. We need to be a church as one body who's partaking of the Lord's supper together when we move it to the afternoon. Let's pray. O Lord, we thank you for your supper wherein Jesus Christ is shown forth in his body and in his blood and his body broken and his blood shed for us, for his people. We thank you, O God, that we don't come to the supper to try to earn righteousness before you or anything of the like, but we have our righteousness in Jesus Christ. We have a right standing with him. We thank you for the grace that's imparted to us in the supper. We thank you, O God, that it is a means of our sanctification. We thank you that it's a means in which we can meet with our Lord, when we can find Him, a place where we can find Him. We thank you for all of these things that you've given us. They are gifts, and we receive them as such, as gifts straight from you. And we pray, O God, through your Holy Spirit, please give us our right esteem of the supper, like Calvin had. He said when he did his utmost, he felt that he had spoken far beneath its dignity. I ask that you would give us a similar esteem in that way. and that we would come, that we would obey Jesus Christ, take, eat, this is my body, do this in remembrance of me. I pray that we would do the same. It's in his name that I pray. Hello, and thanks for listening. My name is Mark Brashear, and I have the blessed privilege of serving with the saints at Cornerstone Church near Orlando, Florida. We're so grateful that you've connected with us through the sermon that you've just heard. For more information, visit us at cornerstoneorlando.org, or better yet, come and see us on the Lord's Day at 3370 Snow Hill Road in Oviedo, Florida. We're just east of Orlando and about 15 minutes from the campus at UCF. It would be a joy to have you worship with us.