The 5 R’S
1st Corinthians 11: 17 - 34
In these verses we see that the Apostle Paul wanted to make sure the church truly understood the meaning of Communion In
these verses The Apostle Paul gives us five major reasons why we come together around this communion table.
The first reason is to Remember. We see that in verses 23-25.
There are many ways that we have to remember but Jesus chose a meal. Meals are times to come together and to enjoy each
other. Most of the disciples were Jews and they were very familiar with the Passover meal. Remember Jesus was crucified during
the Passover Feast. The principles God laid down in Exodus 12 regarding The Passover meal apply equally to our celebration
of the Lord’s Supper.
We are to remember all of God’s mighty acts in the past. Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper so we would remember
Him and so that we would remember all that He has done for us.
We are also to remember what God is doing for us and we are to remember what God will do for us in the future. As we gathering
around His table we anticipate the great banquet of the new age in God’s eternal kingdom.
In verse 26 we find the second reason - to Rejoice. We are told that we are to proclaim the death, burial, and resurrection
of Jesus. When we proclaim the fact that Jesus came, Jesus suffered and died, and that Jesus rose from the tomb for us we
can not help but rejoice. We rejoice over Jesus’ victory and we rejoice that Jesus loved us enough to die on the cross
in our place. When we celebrate The Lord’s Supper it is truly is a reason to rejoice. If we are not rejoicing when we
tell people about Jesus, either we have not grasped what Jesus did or we have not claimed Jesus as our personal Savior.
We also rejoice when we proclaim Jesus’ second coming. The early church anticipated Jesus’ return any day and
we should also live that way. Jesus is coming back to earth to destroy evil. Jesus is coming back to establish His eternal
kingdom, and Jesus is coming back for us so that we will be with Him in Heaven throughout eternity.
In verses 27 and 28 we see that we are to examine ourselves before we come to The Lord’s Table. When we honestly
look at our attitudes and at our actions we quickly see that we all need to repent. We all fall short of God’s standards;
we are all unworthy disciples. We all need the cleansing power of the blood of Jesus. So the 4th "R" stands for
Repentance.
In verses 27-29 Paul warns us not to take communion in an unworthy manner. All sin has its consequences and sinning against
the body and blood of Jesus has severe consequences and is to be avoided at all cost. We read about this in verse 30.
When we repent we are Reconciled to God but we also need to be reconciled to our fellow man.
In II Corinthians 5:18-21, we read, "All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us
the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them.
And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making
his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for
us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."
You see communion is not just between us and God. Communion with God compels us to be in communion with other people. We
can not have a broken relationship with another person and stay in communion with God. We are Christ’s ambassadors
and Christ has given us the message of reconciliation. We are to be reconciled to others.
The fifth "R" stands for Relationship. When we celebrate this Sacrament of Communion through the power of the Holy
Spirit we are made one with Christ and we are made one with all other believers.
The Lord’s Supper is therefore much more than a reminder of Christ’s sacrificial death and resurrection. It
is a means, given us by Jesus, through which our risen Lord is truly present as a continuing power and a reality, until the
day of His coming again.
While the meaning of Christ’s sacrificial death is at the heart of this sacrament, it is a resurrected, living Christ
whom we encounter through the bread and the cup. We are sustained by the promised presence of Christ
Today as we come to the Lord’s Table let us properly prepare ourselves by:
- Remembering what Jesus has done for us
- Rejoicing that Jesus loved us so much that He took our place on the cross and paid the price for our sins
- Repenting of any sins of commission as well as our sins of omission
- Reconciling ourselves to God and forgiving those who have wronged us and savoring our
- Relationship with our risen Lord
Celebrating the Lord’s Supper is:
- A time to remember
- A time to rejoice
- A time to repent
- A time to reconcile
- A time of relationship
Let us pray.
