An act of corporate worship (Response to Revelation), done in obedience, celebration, and anticipation

Ex 12:14 this day shall be to you a memorial; and you shall keep it as a feast to the LORD throughout your generations…by an everlasting ordinance.
1Cor 11:20 when you come together in one place, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper…23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; 24  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." 25  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." 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes. 27  Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 28  But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup.
29  For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.30  For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep. 31  For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. 32  But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world. 33  Therefore, my brethren, when you come together to eat, wait for one another. 34  But if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, lest you come together for judgment. Acts 2:46; 20:7

1Cor 10:14…flee from idolatry (immorality). 15 I speak as to wise men; judge for yourselves what I say. 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? 17  For we, though many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread…20…I do not want you to have fellowship with demons. 21  You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord’s table and of the table of demons. 22  Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than He? 23  All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify. 24  Let no one seek his own, but each one the other’s well-being  1Cor 14:17 For you indeed give thanks well, but the other is not edified.  1JN 4:20  If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother…how can he love God whom he has not seen?

Preparation:   Searching for leaven with a candle and eliminating it (by the power of the New Covenant Jer 31:31; Heb 8:10).

Lesson 1. From the leaven: We should search our lives by the light of the Word of God to see if there is any leaven, crumbs from our old lives (Self-centered pursuit of temporal power {security/significance}, pleasure and possessions, independent of God) which can putrefy our new lives. When we find any, we should be ruthless in removing it and casting it out of our lives so it can’t return. (1Cor 5:7-9; 11:28)
Heb 8:10…I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.

Roots in Redemption History: Four cups of wine and Exodus 6:6-7
“I will bring you out… ... I will deliver you…    I will redeem you… ...      I will take you to be my people”

The first and third were considered most the important and are the ones highlighted in the Lord’s Supper. They ate reclining on cushions for now they were free men.

Lesson 2. From the cups of wine: Our celebration of the Lord’s Supper should be one of joy and thanksgiving ... for God has redeemed us, and set us free from sin! We should publicly give thanks to God for His goodness to us. (Col 1:12-14)

I.   The Candle and The First Cup (The Cup of Sanctification Lk 22:17)

Starts the meal and sets it apart as something special. “Blessed art Thou, Oh Lord our God, who has created the fruit of the vine...
Blessed art Thou, Oh Lord our God, who has sustained us and enabled us to reach this season.”

Lesson 3. From the first cup: We should set apart our time of worship as the sacred thing that it is, recognizing that God has sustained us during the past week for such a time as this. (Heb 10:24, - 13:15)

II. Washing of Hands

(1Jn 1:9) If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

III. Bitter Herbs (Jn 13:26)

Lettuce and Horseradish were the bitter herbs to be clipped into the salt water “tears”. Lettuce was used because the Rabbis said: “Just as lettuce at first tastes sweet and then bitter. so did the Egyptians treat our ancestors in Egypt. At first they settled them in the best of the land but later they embittered their lives (by making slaves of them).” That’s just like sin or refusing God’s will for us. At first, it seems sweet and pleasant, but afterward the bitterness sets in. Anyone who has walked with God for a while can regretfully point to those times when they wish they had not chosen the way which seem sweet but turned out rotten.

Lesson 4. From the bitter herbs: We should remember the bitterness of our lives before we met Jesus Christ, to remind us of the awfulness and bitterness of sin, so we are not deceived by any of the temptations that face us. Sin always starts out sweet like bread and honey but ends up bitter like a mouth full of gravel. (Heb 3:13)

IV. Second Cup (The Cup of Praise) (poured) Removal of Food (questions and Answers)

Return of Food The content of the instruction is the history from God calling Abraham to redeeming the nation of Israel.
Climaxing with the account of the ten plagues, followed by a time of praise to God for the numerous acts of His love and mercy.
Followed by singing Psalms 113 and 114 (Hallel)

Prayer: “Blessed art Thou Lord ... who redeemed us ... and has brought us to this night... So, Oh Lord ... bring us to other festivals, happy in the building of your city. And there may we eat of the sacrifices and the paschal offerings, whose blood will come unto the walls of thy altar for acceptance. Then shall we give thanks to thee with a new song, for our redemption and the liberation of our souls. Blessed art thou Oh Lord, Redeemer of Israel, Creator of the fruit of the vine.” Second Cup taken.

Lesson 5. From the Instruction. Underscores the importance of creatively teaching the works of God from one generation to the next. The responsibility of the father is to instruct his children. (Ex 12:26-27, Dt 6:1-7, Eph 6:4)

V. Washing of Hands #2

(An act of respect for the unleavened bread)
Unleavened bread commanded in Ex. 12:8. Significant in 4 respects: 1) haste of the departure from Egypt; 2) symbol of breaking with the past and the removal of-sin from our lives because we are redeemed; 3) picture of the sinlessness of the Messiah (After the ‘temple was destroyed, the Rabbis decreed it to be a memorial of the Passover Lamb); 4) mainstay of life and sustenance for body and soul.

The host breaks the middle loaf in half; then hides one of the halves while the children cover their eyes. He then holds up the two and a half loaves and all recite: “This is the bread of affliction which our ancestors ate in the land of Egypt. Let all who are hungry come and eat. Let all who are in need come and celebrate the Passover.”

Blessings over the Bread, Distribution of Sops, and Eating the Meal
After the meal: hunting for the half loaf that was hidden then distribution of olives sized pieces, ate in silence reverence, or in the
Eastern tradition, with the words:   “In memory of the Passover sacrifice eaten after everyone is sated.” (John 1:29)

Lesson 6. From the piece of unleavened bread which was broken off and hidden. - Just like the Jews caught up in the ritual missed the reality, so too, we can be concerned for the symbol and ceremony and miss the significance of the Lord’s Supper and the whole of the Christian life. Christianity isn’t a religion we do on Sunday. Is a relationship with the living God that should penetrate and permeate every aspect of our lives, every day of our lives. (Matt 15:8-9 These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me 9  And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments/traditions of men)

VI. Third Cup (The Cup of Redemption Lk 22:20)

Gentlemen, let us recite the Blessing: “May the name of the Lord be blessed from now unto eternity. Let us bless Him of whose food we have eaten”… (Lengthy recitation of THANKSGIVING ending in the expression of HOPE in God’s final deliverance in the days of the Messiah, concluding with:)
“Take pity Oh Lord ... on Israel, on Zion, the habitation of thy glory and on the kingdom of the House of David, Thine anointed
The Compassionate One-may He send Elijah the prophet ... that he may bring us good tidings of salvations and consolations
The Compassionate One-may He cause us to Inherit that day which is all Sabbath and repose, in the everlasting life
The Compassionate One-may He find us worthy of the days of the Messiah and of the life of the world to come.”
Singing Psalms 115-118 and. 136 followed by “For His kindness endures forever!”

Lesson 7. From the Blessing. - We should gather to praise the Triune God (Compassionate One) with thanks for what He’s done, is doing, and will do, with an expression of our desire to be found faithful and worthy.

VII.     Fourth Cup (The Cup of Acceptance)

This was not drunk by Jesus and won’t be until He returns to set up His kingdom. It symbolized the acceptance of the Messiah by
the Jews, and the Jews by the Messiah. It points to the fulfillment of the promised kingdom.
Closing Hymn “All thy works shall praise Thee, Jehovah our God ... From everlasting to everlasting, Thou art God, and beside thee we have no King, Redeemer, or Savior.”

Lesson 8. From the last cup of wine symbolizing the acceptance of Jesus as the Messiah and the Jews as God’s people.’ Not only does the Lord’s supper LOOK BACK on the fact that we are forgiven, but it also LOOKS FORWARD to His return, setting up of His kingdom, and fulfillment of His covenantal promises to the nation of Israel, and us (reward). It should direct our thoughts to the Master’s teachings about being found faithful and rewarded when He returns, as 2Corinthians 5:10 instructs.

Let’s CELEBRATE this and every Passover/Lord’s Supper with:
1) a clean break from past sin,
2) expressions of joy and thanksgiving to the God whose presence we enjoy, and
3) an eager expectation of being found faithful in the presence of our God and Savior when He returns to rule.

Questions for Reflection/Discussion/Response:

1. Does most of contemporary Christendom view “Communion” as a sad or glad event? Why?
2. Does Christianity/BAC have any rituals that have lost their meaning? Is ritual amoral?
3. Why should one examine their lives and relationship to the Body before taking participating in the Lord’s Supper? (1 Cor 11:28)
4. How does your expectation of the Lord’s return influence your life this upcoming week?
5. What truth can you apply (eject lies) from your enhanced understanding of the Lord’s Supper?