"For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.”  — 1 Corinthians 11:26
The Lord’s Table, or Communion, is much more than a meal that blesses us personally.Every time we partake of the bread and the cup, we proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.
It is a remembrance of His sacrifice, a thanksgiving for His finished work, a testimony of our faith in Him, and a declaration of the hope we have because Jesus Christ is alive and coming again.

The Lord’s Table looks in three directions:
Backward — Remembrance & Thanksgiving
Present — Testimony & Identity
Forward — Hope & Preparation

1. Backward — REMEMBRANCE & THANKSGIVING -- “Christ died for us.” When John the Baptist saw Jesus, he declared:
“Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”  — John 1:29
Jesus was the Lamb whom God had promised.The Old Testament pointed forward to the coming Messiah and His sacrificial death. The Passover lamb, the sacrifices, and the prophetic Scriptures all pointed toward the greater sacrifice that would be fulfilled in Jesus Christ.At the Lord’s Table, we look back to Calvary.The bread reminds us of Christ’s body given for us.
The cup reminds us of His blood shed for us.Jesus Himself said:“Do this in remembrance of Me.” — Luke 22:19
But this remembrance is not merely remembering a tragic event from the past.It is remembrance with thanksgiving.  We remember that Jesus willingly gave Himself for us. We remember that our sins can be forgiven because of His sacrifice. We remember that the price for our redemption was paid by Christ.So when we come to the Table, our hearts can say:“Father, thank You for the Lamb. Thank You for the cross. Thank You for the blood of Jesus. Thank You for redeeming me and making me Your own.”

2. Present — TESTIMONY & IDENTITY“  -- We belong to Him and proclaim His finished work.”Paul says:
“For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.” — 1 Corinthians 11:26
Notice the word “proclaim.”The Lord’s Table is not only something we receive; it is something we proclaim. When we partake, we are declaring what Christ has accomplished.We are saying:
Jesus Christ died for me.
His blood was shed for me.
My sins have been dealt with through His sacrifice.
I belong to Him.
His finished work is my foundation.

The Lord’s Table therefore becomes a visible testimony of our faith.It reminds us that our identity is not based on our past, our failures, our achievements, our social position, or the opinions of other people.We belong to Jesus Christ.And His death has changed everything.

3. THE CROSS — CHRIST’S VICTORY OVER THE POWERS OF DARKNESS  -- The death of Jesus was not His defeat.At the cross, Christ accomplished what He came to do.Scripture says that God has:“disarmed principalities and powers” — Colossians 2:15
Hebrews tells us that through death Jesus destroyed the one who had the power of death, that is, the devil:“that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil.” — Hebrews 2:14
And 1 John 3:8 says:“For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.”
Therefore, when we proclaim Christ’s death at the Lord’s Table, we are proclaiming an already-accomplished victory.  Satan's hold over those who belong to Christ has been broken.We have been delivered from the authority of darkness and brought into the kingdom of God's beloved Son:
“He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love.”  — Colossians 1:13
The Lord’s Table does not repeatedly defeat Satan.  Christ defeated the powers of darkness through His finished work. The Table reminds us and proclaims that victory.

4. “HE HAS MADE US KINGS AND PRIESTS” -- There is another beautiful truth connected with our identity in Christ. Revelation 1:5–6 says:“To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father…”
What a glorious statement!Jesus has washed us from our sins by His blood. And He has made His redeemed people a kingdom and priests to God. This does not mean that every Christian must disregard the particular order or practices of his or her local church. Different Christian traditions have different arrangements concerning who presides over Communion.But whatever our denominational background, every believer who belongs to Christ can rejoice in this truth:  Our access to God is based on Jesus Christ—not on human status.  We have been washed by His blood.We belong to Him.We have been brought near to God through Christ.And we are called to live as His people and serve Him faithfully.

5. FORWARD — HOPE & PREPARATION“ -- He is coming again.”Paul does not say that we proclaim the Lord’s death indefinitely.He says:“…till He comes.” — 1 Corinthians 11:26
The Lord’s Table points us forward.Jesus Christ died.Jesus Christ rose again.Jesus Christ lives forever. And Jesus Christ is coming again. Our hope is not in a dead Saviour whose story ended at the cross.Our Lord is alive!Jesus declared: 
“I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen.” — Revelation 1:18
Therefore, when we come to the Lord’s Table, we are looking forward to the return of the living Christ.His coming is our hope. And His coming is also a call to preparation. We are not merely waiting for an event.We are waiting for a Person.And because our King is coming, we want to live faithfully, watchfully and wholeheartedly for Him.

THE THREE DIRECTIONS OF THE LORD’S TABLE
The Lord’s Table gives us a beautiful picture:
BACKWARD — REMEMBRANCE -- Christ died for us.
The Old Testament promises and prophecies pointed toward Him, and He fulfilled what God had promised.  We remember His sacrifice and give thanks.
PRESENT — TESTIMONY -- We belong to Him and proclaim His finished work. We declare that Jesus died for us, redeemed us and has made us His own.  The Lord’s Table is part of our testimony.
FORWARD — HOPE & PREPARATION  -- He is coming again.  Our Saviour is alive forevermore.  His return is our blessed hope, and we want to be ready.

A POWERFUL DECLARATION --  Every time we come to the Lord’s Table, we can remember:
Jesus Christ died for me.
His sacrifice fulfilled God's promises.
His blood has redeemed me.
His finished work is my foundation.
I belong to Him.
The powers of darkness have been defeated through His victory.
He is alive forevermore.
He is coming again.
And I want to be ready.

The Lord’s Table therefore points us from Calvary to the coming Kingdom. We look back with thanksgiving.We stand today with faith and testimony. And we look forward with hope and expectation.
“For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.” — 1 Corinthians 11:26
Jesus died  .Jesus lives.  Jesus is coming again.

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Soli Deo gloria.