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1 Corinthians 11:23-26

Seven Benefits to Remember as we Come to The Table

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In this sermon, Pastor Albert N. Martin expounds on the meaning of the Lord's Supper, urging believers to remember Christ's death through seven 'facets' of its benefits. Drawing primarily from Galatians 3, 2 Corinthians 5, 1 Peter 3, and Titus 2, he details how Christ's death turns away God's wrath, procures perfect righteousness, opens the way to God, secures the Holy Spirit, effects a radical break with self-centeredness, sets believers apart for holiness, and ensures all things necessary for complete salvation. Martin uses the analogy of a diamond with seven facets to illustrate how these distinct benefits radiate from the singular work of Christ on the cross, calling communicants to fresh acts of faith, worship, and self-examination.

Primary Texts

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1 Corinthians 11:23-26 This passage is the starting point, establishing the command to remember Christ's death at the Lord's Supper.
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Galatians 3:13-14 This passage is central to two 'facets,' explaining Christ's curse-bearing and the securing of the Spirit.
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2 Corinthians 5:15-21 This passage is central to two 'facets,' detailing Christ being made sin for us and our call to live for Him.

Outline 9 sections · 38 min

  1. The Lord's Supper as a Supper of Remembrance Focused on Christ's Death 0:05
  2. Analogy of the Diamond with Seven Facets of Christ's Work 4:15
  3. Facet 1: Christ Died to Turn Away God's Wrath (Galatians 3:13) 5:42
  4. Facet 2: Christ Died to Procure a Perfect Righteousness for Us (2 Corinthians 5:21) 9:48
  5. Facet 3: Christ Died to Open the Way to God for Us (1 Peter 3:18) 16:52
  6. Facet 4: Christ Died to Secure the Gift of the Spirit for Us (Galatians 3:14) 19:18
  7. Facet 5: Christ Died to Effect a Radical Break with Self-Centeredness (2 Corinthians 5:15) 27:27
  8. Facet 6: Christ Died to Set Us Apart for a Life of Real Holiness (Titus 2:14) 30:18
  9. Facet 7: Christ Died to Ensure All Essential Things for Complete Salvation (Romans 8:32) 34:21

Key Quotes

“Central then to this duty and privilege at the Lord's table, that of remembrance, is not a general remembrance of the Lord Jesus in all of the facets of the glory, of his person, and the manifold nature of his work, but he is to be remembered especially in his person and work as connected with his act of dying upon the cross.”
“And surely, if in coming to the table of remembrance, any thought ought to flood our minds and fill us with a fresh sense of wonder, it is that He became a curse for us.”
“He who alone of all who ever trod upon this earth was perfectly, perpetually, impeccably righteous. Yet he becomes sin that you and I might have a righteousness. That fully satisfies all the demands of God. And makes it right for God to declare us righteous.”
“As surely as those blessings could never be righteously ours. If Christ had not died. They would never become experientially ours. If the Spirit were not given.”
“there is no such thing as a true Christian who is not fundamentally and radically committed to live a life in which Jesus Christ and not self is the main goal of one's existence if self is the pattern of your existence face it you've never been united to Christ the virtue of His cross has never touched you”
“But where is the evidence that they live as a people who regard themselves as not being their own, but having been bought with a price? They are fully en toto, the property of another, and are zealous, boiling to do good works.”
“If God has given his son, that's the handful of diamonds. Everything else needed. And because he gave his son, he's committed for everything else to take us safely to heaven.”

Applications

All listeners

  • Allow the different facets of Christ's work in dying for sinners to flash forth from the Word of God and draw out fresh actings of faith, worship, love, and praise.
  • Store away these texts in your mind as a constant index, even memorizing them, to enhance your remembrance of the Lord's dying love.
  • Remember that Christ became a curse for us as you come to the table.
  • Remember that Christ was made sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in Him as you come to the table.
  • Remember that the Savior, by dying the righteous for the unrighteous, opens the way to God for you as you come to the table.
  • Remember that Christ died to secure the gift of the Spirit for us as you come to the table, acknowledging the Spirit's work in adoption, mortification, intercession, and conformation.
  • Ask if the end for which Christ died (not living for self) is being realized as fully in you as it ought to be, and identify subtle ways you please yourself instead of Him.
  • Pray for the Lord to show where you are frustrating the end for which Christ died by your dullness and willfulness, so you may increasingly live not to yourself but to Him.
  • Remember that Christ died to set us apart unto a life of real holiness as you come to the table.
  • Remember that Christ died to ensure we shall be given everything essential to complete our salvation as you come to the table.
  • Ask God to give you an eye to see more benefits of Christ's death in Scripture.

A full transcript is available on the tab. 83 paragraphs, roughly 38 minutes.

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