When we talk about the Lord’s Supper we should also talk about worship. And when we talk about worship we should also talk about the Lord’s Supper. This is because the Lord’s Supper exists within the context of worship where it imperatively centers our worship on Christ.
To say that the Lord’s Supper exists within the context of worship is to say that it is not all there is of worship, that there other aspects of worship. For example, perhaps an example that defines worship, Paul uses the language of worship in Romans 12.1 when he says,
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. (Rom 12:1)
Being a living sacrifice indicates that one seeks the things of God rather than self seeking. A holy sacrifice indicates that one is set aside for God and separating from sin. An acceptable sacrifice indicates that one is doing those things which not only please Him, but that He has chosen as that which He will accept.
Paul’s words comport with what the Lord Himself said to the woman at the well about worship (John 4). He said that worship is to be in spirit and in truth. Worship in spirit is the opposite of worship in the flesh, or an outward show. And worship in spirit necessarily refers to worship in the power of the Holy Spirit. Worship in truth is sincere worship. And worship in truth refers to worship that is according to the Scriptures.
And then, what we commonly call worship (that time when we gather together to praise the Lord) arises out of our sacrificed lives as a sweet savour to God. Consider what is indicated by the words, sweet savour. The first mention in the Bible is the sacrifice of Noah upon leaving the ark,
And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And the LORD smelled a sweet savour … (Genesis 8:20-21a)
Noah had presented a sacrifice that was holy and acceptable unto God. Paul uses the same language of worship when he speaks of his own life lived for God, he wrote,
For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ … (2 Corinthians 2:15)
These brief assertions are only meant to say that worship, for the Christian, extends to the character of one’s whole life in Christ, and is not limited to ritual or ceremony. Some of these ideas are discussed in more detail in other chapters. But we can see by them that worship includes a life lived for Christ, born again by, and lived in the power of, the Holy Spirit, and looking forward to the return of the Lord in glory to take us to Himself.
As was said above, the Lord’s Supper is not all there is to worship. Worship extends to our whole life. But when we gather together to praise the Lord, it is the center of worship. It draws all of worship into a singularity, showing before us, Christ, and Him crucified. This is how the Lord has chosen to be known amongst us: the Lamb of God, slain before the foundation of the world (see:
John1:29John1:29
The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.;
Acts 2:23Acts 2:23
Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain …
(note: Him refers to Jesus Christ); &
Revelation 13:8bRevelation 13:8b
… the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.).
And just here is where we begin to simplify worship to understandable proportions. Here is the singularity of worship. It takes on a human face. We worship the Father, Who we cannot see, through the Son, called by Isaiah, … Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. …
(Isaiah 9:6Isaiah 9:6
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.).
The Son, Jesus, Who was seen by the Apostles
(Thomas — John 20:24-29John 20:24-29
… But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe. And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.;
John —
1 John 1:1-51 John 1:1-5
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full. This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.),
Who we see now through their words, just as Jesus said in His prayer:
(John 17:20John 17:20
Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word …),
but Who we will see face to face when He returns
(1 John 3:21 John 3:2
Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.).
Jesus is God in the flesh reconciling the world to Himself
(John 1:1-14John 1:1-14
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.;
1 John 4:1-31 John 4:1-3
Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.;
2 Corinthians 5:192 Corinthians 5:19
To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.).
Jesus is the singularity of worship.
The Lord’s Supper, at the center of our gatherings, magnifies to us the vision of Christ as the Lamb of God, and focuses His light into a burning heat in our hearts (consider:
Revelation 3:15Revelation 3:15
I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.).
This is our sustaining vision. The vision we have is Christ and Him crucified, Hebrews 2:9 sums it up:
But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. (Hebrews 2:9)
The revelation is Christ crucified, dying on the cross for our sins. This leads us to reflect that we have sinned and need salvation. Our response is that we call upon the name of Jesus for salvation, accepting His free gift
(Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.),
and repenting we become worshipers in spirit and in truth, awaiting Jesus’ return to gather us to Himself. (Up, In, Out: Revelation, Reflection, Response)
The singularity of worship is that God will be glorified through the worship of Jesus, giving Him the preeminence. This is God’s declared plan:
And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. (Colossians 1:18)
So then how do we worship? We worship Jesus. Our worship must begin with a personal relationship to God through Christ, based on our salvation, being born again. Then we begin to worship in spirit and in truth. Then we begin to do what Paul said in
Romans 12:1Romans 12:1
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service..
Then we gather together as His body, the Church, to worship in communion with Him.
And when we join together as the Church to worship God we have been given the Lord’s Supper to give form and direction to how we worship.
©FH 2012