John 6:57-58 (NKJV) As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. This is the bread which came down from heaven—not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever.”
The Lord’s Supper or Holy Communion is also known as Eucharist. It is a giving of thanks.
The Protestantism view (Professor Wayne Gruden of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School pg. 392 of Bible doctrine on essential teachings of the Christian faith) is that the bread and wine symbolised the body and blood of Christ and gave a visible sign of the fact that Christ Himself was truly present. It is that Christ is also spiritually present in a special way as we partake of the bread and wine.
There are many practices in the Old Testament that foreshadow the work of Christ, especially the Passover. Jesus was aware of His purpose of being on earth and what was going to happen to Him. He knew that He is the Lamb of God to take away the sins of the world, the perfect sacrifice that will satisfy the wrath of God towards the sin issue of mankind, that His work of atonement would result in reconciliation between God and man and bring about peace and restored fellowship between them.
We cannot have any relationship with God, unless we believe in His work of atonement through His shed blood, broken body, death, and resurrection. We will have no part with God if we do not accept Jesus Christ because the law and the works of man can never give us a right standing before a just, holy, and righteous God. The only way back to God is through Jesus because He is the way, the truth, and the life, and nobody goes to the Father except through Jesus.
Every sacrifice in the Old Testament was an imperfect sacrifice because the blood of animals could only cover, but never remove the sins of mankind completely. Those sacrifices always pointed towards the final and perfect sacrifice on the cross. The Lord’s Supper mirrors the sacrifices in the tabernacle or Temple where there were offerings of a sacrifice and the application of the blood. The Holy Communion has the bread that symbolises Christ’s broken body, and the cup that symbolises Christ’s shed blood.
Matthew 26:26-28 (NKJV) And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
Sermon Series: The Holy Communion
圣餐
永活的父怎样差我来，我又因父活着，照样，吃我肉的人，也要因我活着。这就是从天上降下来的粮。吃这粮的人，就永远活着，不象你们的祖宗吃过吗哪，还是死了。
主的晚餐或者是神圣的相交也被称为圣餐。是为了献上感谢。
新教观点（三一福音神学院的韦恩·格鲁登教授，《圣经教义》的第392页，基督教信仰的基本教义）认为，饼和酒象征着基督的身体和宝血，这明显的标志让人能够看出基督自己是真实存在的事实。当我们领受饼和酒时，基督也以一种特殊的方式在灵里同在。
旧约中有许多的惯例都预示着基督所做的事，尤其是逾越节。耶稣知道祂来到世上的目的以及在祂身上将会发生什么。祂知道祂是神的羔羊，除去世人罪孽的，是那能完美的祭物，可以平息神对人类罪的问题的忿怒，祂的救赎工作使神与人相和，带来和平，并恢复神与人之间的关系。
除非我们相信神藉着祂的宝血、破碎的身体、死亡和复活所完成的赎罪工作，否则我们就无法与神建立任何关系。如果我们不接受耶稣基督，我们就与神无份了，因为律法和人的行为永远无法使我们在公正、圣洁、公义的神面前称义。回到神那里的唯一道路是通过耶稣，因为祂是道路、真理和生命，若不藉着耶稣，没有人能到天父那里去。
旧约中的每一次献祭都是不完美的献祭，因为动物的血只能遮盖人类的罪，而不能完全除去人类的罪。这些献祭总是指向十字架上最终和完美的献祭。主的晚餐反映了会幕或圣殿里的献祭，在那里有献祭的祭物和血的应用。圣餐用饼象征基督舍上的身体，而杯象征基督所流的宝血。
他们吃的时候，耶稣拿起饼来，祝福，就掰开，递给门徒，说，你们拿着吃，这是我的身体。 又拿起杯来，祝谢了，递给他们，说，你们都喝这个。 因为这是我立约的血，为多人流出来，使罪得赦。
讲章系列：圣餐
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