There are three questions I want to ask in this message. First, what is the Lord's Supper? Secondly, who may come to the Lord's Supper? And thirdly, how shall we prepare ourselves to receive of the Table?

First, "What is the Lord's Supper?" To answer this question, it is good to remember that it has its beginning with our Lord at the Last Supper. When, with His disciples, Jesus at the close of their Passover Feast and just before He was arrested "took bread and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.' In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.' (1 Cor 11:24-25)

Thus it is a table of remembrance that we are commanded to keep.

The Lord's table has a past, present and future aspect to it.

As a remembrance it brings to our minds the reality that our Lord left all the glories of heaven above, became man, and as man gave Himself as an atoning sacrifice in our behalf. When we partake of the Lord's table it should bring to our minds that precious truth spoken by Isaiah the Prophet, "Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all." (Isa 53:4-6)

In the present, that is each time we partake of it, as our catechism teaches us, it is a feasting upon and receiving nourishment to our souls to everlasting life, with His crucified body and shed blood. As we partake in remembrance we are once again made aware of His great love toward us. We are made aware that He who knew no sin became sin for us. We are reminded that we are "not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from (our) aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot." (1 Peter 1:18-19) Such awareness can only be food for our souls and deep encouragement in our daily walk with our Lord. It is therefore really, although spiritually, a true partaking of the flesh and blood of our Lord. We become aware that we are in Him and He in us.

As for the future we, "proclaim the Lord's death till He comes." (1 Cor 11:26) And these words remind us of the great hope before us, which Paul calls that "blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ." (Tit. 2:13) Our faith is again strengthened by the awareness that our Lord will come again and receive us unto Himself. That He has gone "to prepare a place for us," that where He is, there we may be also. (John 14:3) What a wonder, dear ones, that the Lord Himself desires us to be with Him for all eternity.

And thus in partaking of the Lord's Table our faith and comfort in Him as our Redeemer is strengthened.

Ursinus speaks of the blessing this Table is to the church in these words. "That it might be a bond of love, declaring that all who partake of it aright, are made members of one body whose head is Christ. "For we being many are one bread, and one body; for we are all partakers of that one bread." (1 Cor. 10:17) Those now who are members of the same body have a mutual love one for another." Thus it is to be a time of being aware of how precious each member of the congregation is, and in this manner it is a means of drawing us closer one to another in Christian love. And what makes our brothers and sisters in Christ so precious? It is this: Jesus loved them in such a manner that He gave His own life in their behalf. How much then should we love one another?

Indeed, it is one of the most precious privileges in which we as members of His church are entitled to partake. For not only is it a memorial, it is also, as our catechism teaches us, a partaking of the one sacrifice of Christ on the cross and all His benefits. And for this reason it is not to be given nor received lightly.

This brings us to the next question. Who then may come to the Lord's Table?

It is of interest to note here that our catechism teaches us that those who come to the table are such as are "displeased with themselves for their sins." Note carefully not those who are sinless, for if that were the case not one of us would dare approach the table, for as the Apostle John writes, "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." (1 John 1:8)

Not one of us is worthy to approach the table even as not one of us is worthy to enter heaven. As Ursinus points out in his instruction regarding the partaking of the Table, "Only those who acknowledge their sins, and are truly sorrowful for them; who trust that their sins are forgiven them by and for the sake of Christ;w Who earnestly desire to have their faith more and more strengthened, and their lives more holy. Those only ought to come to the Lord's supper, and they alone are worthy guests of Christ, who live in true faith and repentance." (Ursinus, Commentary on the Heidelberg Catechism, Page 757).

And finally, how shall we prepare ourselves to approach the Lord's Table?

As one approaches the table it is to be preceded with a self-examination. We are to do this in order that we may approach the table in a "worthy manner". Note, not as a "worthy person", but in a manner acceptable to God. Thus in order to approach this Holy Table in a worthy manner Paul instructs us thus, "Let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup." (2 Cor. 11:28) To examine one's self is to make sure that we have come to God in faith and repentance. We are to so do even as Paul instructs the Corinthian believers, "Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith, test yourselves . . . whether Christ is in you." (2 Cor 13:5)

This is not for the purpose of raising doubts within ourselves, rather it is to assure us that we really are trusting in Christ alone for forgiveness of our sins. Yes, we have seen ourselves as sinners unworthy of heaven, but we are trusting in Christ alone as our hope of heaven. We are trusting in His obedience as our obedience, His righteousness alone as our righteousness that God in mercy has imputed to us.

The Table is to instruct us that " . . . having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God." (Rom. 5:1, 2) Do you find your hope in this promise alone? "For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience many will be made righteous." (Rom 5:19) Ever mindful that "True faith is not only a sure knowledge, whereby I hold for truth all that God has revealed to us in His Word, but also a hearty trust, which the Holy Ghost works in me by the Gospel, that not only to others, but to me also, forgiveness of sins, everlasting righteousness, and salvation are freely given by God, merely of grace, only for the sake of Christ's merits." (Heidelberg Catechism Q. 21)

I would close with two thoughts. First, it is the responsibility of the Spiritual Council to guard the table. Ursinus in his commentary on the Heidelberg Catechism writes, "The church ought to admit to the Lord's supper all those who profess to receive the fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith, and who have a purpose to live in conformity thereto; but should exclude all those who are unwilling to abandon their errors, blasphemies, or sins, when they are properly admonished by the church, and convicted of their errors and sins."

And secondly, I would remind each member or guest who would approach the table that it is their responsibility to examine themselves for Paul warns carefully that if we should partake of the table in an unworthy manner we eat and drink damnation to ourselves, not discerning the Lord's body. As we read in 1 Cor 11:28-31, "But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged."

The table then is a most precious privilege, for it is a time of remembering what Jesus did for us and it is a true feasting upon and receiving nourishment for one's faith and comfort. It brings us into communion with our Lord and with His elect. Therefore as one approaches the table it is always good to ask, "Am I by faith alone trusting in Christ alone for my eternal salvation?" And thus with that faith and confidence in the shed blood of Christ as the covering for your sin and His righteousness as your righteousness, one can boldly and yet humbly come into the presence of the Lord. Knowing that, you have been made a worthy guest, by grace alone, through faith alone, by Christ alone.