Remember Me

[This sermon was preached on Remembrance Day and was inspired by a chapter in Herbert Lockyer's book The Man Who Died for Me.]

“Do this in remembrance of me.”

1. THE REQUEST: “Do this”

a. It is the command of a Lord

The Lord’s Supper is not optional or unimportant. It should be observed regularly and in a meaningful way.

b. It is the request of a Friend

It’s as if Jesus said, “When I am gone, do not forget Me. As you eat the break and drink the wine, remember Me and all that I suffered for your sake.”

Today, poppies are worn as a symbol of remembrance, a reminder of the blood-red flower that still grows of the former battlefields of France and Belgium. During the terrible bloodshed of the second battle of Ypres in the spring of 1915, Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae, a doctor serving with the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps, wrote of these flowers which lived on among the graves of dead soldiers:

In Flanders Fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

As Christians, we also have symbols of remembrance: the bread and cup of the Lord’s Supper. Why do we need Remembrance Day and the Lord’s Supper? Because we are forgetful people. We need to be reminded to remember.

2. THE REMEMBRANCE: “In remembrance of me”

There is a tendency to think more of the Feast than the Friend, more of the Supper than the Savior, more of the emblems than Emmanuel. We must, however, strive to make more of “the Lord of the Feast,” rather than “the feast of the Lord.”

a. He is the lowly Nazarene

The bread and wine tell us that Jesus, though divine, possessed a human body and human blood, just like ours.

b. He is the crucified Savior

When Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper, He said, “This is my body given for you” (Luke 22:19). And, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you” (v. 20). The broken bread symbolizes the bruised and pierced body of Jesus. The outpoured wine symbolizes His shed blood.

c. He is the victorious Redeemer

Luke writes in Acts 20:7, “On the first day of the week we can together to break bread.” It’s interesting to note that Jesus didn’t specify any particular day on which the Lord’s Supper should be observed. Why did they break bread on the first day of the week? John writes, “On the evening of the first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you!’ After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord” (John 20:19-20). The Lord’s Supper was celebrated on the first day of the week (Sunday) to remind us that Jesus did not remain dead, but rose again.

d. He is the ascended Lord

Today, the symbols of our Lord’s body and blood are with us because He is not physically present. But that doesn’t mean He is not with us right now. Before Jesus ascended into heaven, He declared, “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). Jesus is now in heaven, but He promised to always be with us—especially when we are gathered around the Lord’s Table. At this very moment, Jesus is here!

e. He is the interceding Advocate

John writes, “My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense [we have an advocate with the Father, KJV]—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One” (1 John 2:1). The writer of Hebrews adds, “He is able to salve completely [or forever] those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them” (Hebrews 7:25). As we remember Jesus down here before the Lord’s Table, He remembers us up there before the Father’s throne.

f. He is the coming King

“For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” (1 Corinthians 11:26). The Lord’s Supper points in two directions: (1) backward to the cross (“the Lord’s death) and (2) forward to His return (“until he comes”). The Lord’s Supper covers the journey of the Savior from His cross to His crown, from the tree to the throne.

When we remember on this day the sacrifice of Canadian soldiers, we are challenged to live with the same kind of selfless devotion. In a similar and much greater way, the death of Christ also shows us how we should live.

As you remember the sacrifice Christ made for you, what sacrifice is He telling you to make for Him?