Should we eat roast lamb in the Lord's Supper? What if people say it was done in the Old Testament and would aid our worship? There is a Lamb in Revelation and people can honor God with their talent in cooking the lamb. And where does the Bible say not to? But all these same reasons are used to justify instrumental music in worship. If we can see why not to eat roast lamb, then why use instruments?
Introduction:
Warning: To understand this sermon, you must consider the whole thing, not just part. You don’t understand any of it till you hear all of it!
This study examines the practice of eating roast lamb in the Lord’s Supper.
We want to examine the evidence for the practice, evidence against it, and other applications.
The Evidence for Eating Roast Lamb in the Lord’s Supper
Throughout the Bible, lambs have had a significant role in the worship of God.
Lambs Were Often Used in Old Testament Worship.
Numbers chapters 28,29 – Lambs were offered in Old Testament worship (28:3,9,11,27; 29:2,13) especially the Day of Atonement (29:8). But the Lord’s Supper is a memorial to our atonement by the death of Jesus.
(Genesis 4:2,4; Leviticus 14:10ff)
Exodus 12:3-8 – In the Passover, a lamb (verse 3) was roasted (verse 6) and eaten (verse 8). But Jesus is our Passover Lamb; He instituted the Lord’s Supper at the Passover.
Why not remember Jesus by eating lamb in the Lord’s Supper as Israel did in worship?
Roast Lamb Would Aid Our Remembrance of Jesus’ Death.
Isaiah 53:7 – Jesus was prophesied to be a lamb led to the slaughter.
John 1:29,36 – John said Jesus was the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
1 Peter 1:18,19 – We are redeemed by the blood of Christ as a lamb without blemish.
1 Corinthians 5:7 – Christ is our Passover lamb who was sacrificed for us.
So eating roast lamb in the Lord’s Supper would help us remember Jesus’ death.
A Slain Lamb Is Part of the Worship Offered in Heaven.
Revelation chapter 5 – The Lamb who had been slain (verse 6) and redeemed us by His blood (verses 8,9) is worshiped in heaven (verses 12,13).
Revelation 7:14,15 – Those who washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb, serve God, because salvation belongs to the Lamb (verse 10).
Revelation 14:1; 15:2,3 – People in heaven sing the song of Moses and the Lamb.
A slain lamb was a symbol of Jesus in the worship offered in heaven. No sin can enter heaven. So how could it be wrong to eat roast lamb as a symbol of Jesus on the Lord’s Supper?
(Revelation 19:7,9 21:9,22,23,27; 22:3)
God Expects Us to Use Our Talents to Serve Him.
Matthew 25:14-30 – The parable of the talents teaches us to use our talents to serve God.
Many excellent cooks should be allowed to use their talents to prepare the roast lamb.
God Nowhere Says Not to Use Roast Lamb.
So lambs are used in worship both in the Old Testament and in heaven. Roast lamb in the Lord’s Supper would remind us of Jesus’ sacrifice for us. People could use their God-given talents to worship Him. Lots of people would enjoy eating roast lamb.
Can you show a passage that forbids eating lamb on the Lord’s Supper? If people oppose it, would they not be “antis” who are causing trouble in the church?
Evidence Against Eating Roast Lamb in the Lord’s Supper
How would you respond to such reasoning? Consider the reasons for opposing the use of roast lamb on the Lord’s Supper. We will first answer the last argument, then the others in order.
Roast Lamb Differs from What the Lord Authorized.
Every passage that teaches what elements to use in the Lord’s Supper says to use bread and fruit of the vine (the cup). No passage ever says to eat roast lamb.
Matthew 26:26-29 (Mark 14:22-25; Luke 22:14-21) – Jesus took bread and told the disciples to eat it, then He took the cup, the fruit of the vine, and said to drink it.
1 Corinthians 10:16,17 – Paul says we break the bread and bless the cup in communion with Jesus’ body and blood.
1 Corinthians 11:23-29 – Paul specifically mentions the bread four times (verses 23,26,27,28) and the cup five times (verses 25,26,27,28).
Five passages all say to use bread and cup (fruit of the vine) in the Lord’s Supper. None say to eat roast lamb. If the Lord had wanted roast lamb, why did He not say so?
The gospel expressly warns us not to follow practices invented by men that differ from what God has said.
It is a mistake to require passages that forbid a practice. God never intended to list every act that displeases Him. He tells us what pleases Him and says to avoid practices that differ.
People cannot know what God wants unless He reveals it.
Isaiah 55:8,9 (Luke 16:15) – God’s thoughts and ways are completely different from ours. What we like or want in worship is irrelevant. We must do what pleases God.
Jeremiah 10:23; Proverbs 14:12 – The way of man is not in himself. It is not in man who walks to direct his steps. There is a way that seems right to man, but the end is death.
God’s word says we please Him with bread and fruit of the vine in the Lord’s Supper. Roast lamb is not included, so using it would be man directing his own steps according to what seems right to him. But that leads to death.
(2 Corinthians 10:18; Proverbs 3:5,6)
Practices that differ from what God instructed are unacceptable.
Matthew 15:9,13,14 – Worship is vain (worthless) when based on man-made doctrine.
Galatians 1:8,9 – Any man is accursed if he preaches a gospel different from what inspired men taught. To justify a practice not included in the gospel, would be to preach a different gospel.
2 John 9 – Whoever does not abide in Jesus’ teaching, does not have God. To have God we must abide in Jesus’ teaching.
Instead of asking, “Where does God say not to do this?”, we should ask “Where does God’s word include this act?” Roast lamb differs from what God said to use, so God is displeased.
(See also Colossians 3:17; 1 Peter 4:11; 1 Corinthians 4:6; Romans 10:1-3; Colossians 2:8; Revelation 22:18,19; Deuteronomy 4:2; 12:32; Proverbs 30:6.)
The Old Testament Does Not Constitute Authority for Worship Today.
The use of lamb in Old Testament worship proves nothing about what God wants today.
Today we follow the New Testament, not the Old Testament.
Hebrews 10:9,10 – Jesus took away the first covenant and established the second covenant.
Colossians 2:14,16 – Christ blotted out the handwriting of ordinances which were against us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to His cross.
Galatians 3:24,25 – The law was a tutor to bring us to Christ. We are no longer under it.
(Cf. Galatians 4:21; Romans 7:1-7; Eph. 2:14-16; Matt. 5:17,18; 2 Cor. 3:6-11; Acts 15:5,10; Heb. 8:13; 7:12,18.)
Galatians 5:1-4 – The law is a “whole” (verse 3). We cannot take part and leave part.
If we follow part of the law, we are bound to keep the whole thing. If you accept roast lamb, how can you reject animal sacrifices, Levitical priesthood, circumcision, holy days, the Sabbath?
The contrast between the testaments shows that God does not want roast lamb today.
When God wanted lambs in worship, He clearly said so. If roast lamb is still acceptable in worship today, this should also be clear in the New Testament. But where is it?
Since lambs were so plainly authorized in Old Testament worship, their absence in the New Testament is a powerful argument that God does not want them today, as with other practices.
Lamb Is Not an Aid but an Unauthorized Addition to the Lord’s Supper
We have learned that everything we do in worship to God must be authorized in the New Testament. It must be included or fit the meaning of what God said to do.
An aid is something that simply helps us do what God authorized. We must still do only what fits the definition of what God said. It must not be a different or another kind of act. If it is different, then you have an unauthorized addition. The Bible illustrates the difference.
God told Noah to make an ark of gopher wood – Genesis 6:14.
Tools (hammer, saw, etc.) would be legitimate aids to help him make the ark. When using them, he would be doing just what God said: make an ark. It fits the definition of making an ark.
But making the ark of metal would be different from what God said. Metal does not fit the definition of gopher wood. It is an unauthorized change in what God said.
God said to bury in baptism penitent believers – Romans 6:4; Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38.
Any pool, large enough to bury someone in, is an aid to baptizing. But sprinkling or pouring, or baptizing a baby, is different from what God said. It does not fit burying a penitent believer.
God said to use bread and fruit of the vine in the Lord’s Supper – Matthew 26:26ff.
Containers would be legitimate aids to help us serve the elements. When we use them we are doing what God said: eating the bread and drinking the fruit of the vine. It fits the definition.
But if we add roast lamb to the Lord’s Supper, we have a different kind of food from what God said. Lamb is not just an aid to bread and fruit of the vine. It is an additional, different kind of food. To use it in the Lord’s Supper would be to follow human authority, not Divine authority.
Symbols in Heaven Tell Nothing about Our Worship Today.
The Lamb in heaven is a symbol of Jesus.
Revelation is highly symbolic. Many people make serious mistakes by misusing the symbols.
Is the Lamb in Revelation literally roasted and eaten as part of the Lord’s Supper?
Things practiced in heaven are not necessarily authorized for worship on earth.
Note some other things in the same contexts that mention the Lamb in Revelation: Mt. Zion (14:1); four living creatures (5:6,8,11; 14:3; 15:7); the throne of God (5:1,6,7); voice of many waters (14:2); a sea of glass mingled with fire (15:2); battle with a beast (15:2).
Should we literally put all these in our worship? If not, then why do so with the Lamb?
Matthew 22:30 – There is no marriage in heaven. The rules of future practices in heaven, like the rules for the past age of the Old Testament, differ from the rules of the present New Testament age on earth. We have no more right to use symbols about events in heaven as authority for our practice today than we have to use the Old Testament practices.
Talents Must Be Used in Ways God Has Authorized.
Matthew 7:21-23 – These people thought they were using their abilities for the Lord too, but they were rejected because they were not following the Father’s will. Consider some examples:
1. A butcher can kill animals. Shall he offer animal sacrifices in our worship?
2. An animal trainer has talent. Shall we have a lion-taming act or dog show in worship?
3. Athletes have talent. Shall we have gymnastics, basketball, and Ping Pong, in worship?
4. Magicians have talent. Shall we have magic for Jesus in our worship?
Romans 10:1-3 – Zeal in God’s service must be directed by His will. This is why many verses tell us not to practice what is human in origin but only what is found in God’s word.
The fact that people have talent does not justify roast lamb in the Lord’s Supper.
The Application to Instrumental Music in Worship.
Consider another practice that is defended by the same arguments we just examined: instrumental music in worship. When you know what’s wrong with roast lamb in the Lord’s Supper, you know what’s wrong with instrumental music in worship. Notice the parallel:
Instruments Differ from What the Lord Authorized in Worship.
Music in New Testament worship is always singing. Instruments are not included.
Matthew 26:30; Mark 14:26 – After the supper Jesus and His disciples sang a hymn.
Acts 16:25 – In prison, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God.
Romans 15:9 – Prophets predicted that Gentiles would glorify God and sing to His name.
1 Corinthians 14:15 – I will sing with the spirit and I will sing with the understanding.
Ephesians 5:19 – Speak to one another, singing and making melody in your heart.
Colossians 3:16 – Teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
Hebrews 2:12 – In the midst of the congregation I will sing praise to You.
Hebrews 13:15 – Let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.
James 5:13 – Is any cheerful, let him sing psalms.
These are all the verses that mention music in the New Testament worship. All say “sing,” “speak,” “teach,” “admonish,” and “lips”: words that refer to vocal music. Just as roast lamb is a different kind of food from what God wants, so instrumental music is a different kind of music.
The gospel says not to follow human inventions that differ from what God said.
One of the main arguments for instruments is that God never said not to use them. But:
Isaiah 55:8,9; Luke 16:15 – Men cannot know what God wants unless He reveals it.
Jeremiah 10:23; Proverbs 14:12; 2 Corinthians 10:18 – There is a way that seems right to man, but the end is death.
Matthew 15:9,13,14 – Worship is vain (worthless) when based on human doctrine. Any practice not revealed in the gospel must be human in origin and so displeasing to God.
Galatians 1:6-9 – Any man is accursed if he preaches a different gospel.
2 John 9 – Whoever does not abide in Jesus’ teaching, does not have God.
Instruments constitute a different kind of music from what God said to use, so those who use it are following an unauthorized human invention just like roast lamb!
The Old Testament Is Not Authority for Our Worship Today.
People argue that “David used instruments.” But we follow the New Testament, not the Old.
Hebrews 10:9,10 – Jesus took away the first covenant so He could establish the second.
Colossians 2:14,16 – Christ blotted out the handwriting of ordinances which were against us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to His cross.
Galatians 3:24,25 – The law brought us to Christ. We are no longer under that tutor.
Galatians 5:1-4 – The law is a “whole.” We cannot take part and leave part.
When God wanted instruments in worship, He clearly said so, just like with the roast lamb. If He wants instruments today, the New Testament should clearly say so. Since instruments were so conspicuous in Old Testament worship, their absence in the New Testament is a powerful argument that God does not want them today, just like many other Old Testament practices.
(Compare Eph. 2:14-16; Matt. 5:17,18; 2 Cor. 3:6-11; Acts 15:5,10; Heb. 8:13.)
Instruments Are Not an Aid but an Unauthorized Addition to Worship.
Instruments are also defended as an “aid” to the singing.
But remember, an aid must simply help us do what God authorized. We must still do only what fits the definition of what God said. It must not be a different or another kind of act.
Building Noah’s ark of metal would be different from making it of gopher wood.
Sprinkling of pouring is different from burying in baptism.
Baptizing a baby is different from baptizing a believer who has repented.
Roast lamb would be a different kind of food in the Lord’s Supper.
Instrumental music is a different kind of music from what God specified. To use it in worship would be to change God’s plan without His authority, just like roast lamb in the Lord’s Supper.
Symbols in Heaven Tell Nothing about Our Worship.
People try to justify instruments by harps used in heaven (Revelation 5:8,9; 14:2,3; 15:2,3).
Like the Lamb, there is no evidence that the harps are literal.
Remember that many things in Revelation are symbols. People who take the symbols literally often involve themselves in serious errors.
Things practiced in heaven are not necessarily authorized for worship on earth.
Should we place a literal, physical mountain as part of our worship, along with four living creatures, a literal throne for God, a literal Sea of glass mingled with fire, etc.?
The contrast between Revelation and New Testament worship strengthens our case. The fact instruments are so conspicuously mentioned in the Old Testament and in heaven simply makes all the more obvious the fact that they are not mentioned regarding New Testament worship.
People trying to justify instrumental music in New Testament worship, go everywhere except to the New Testament teaching about worship! They go to the Old Testament to prove what we should do in the New Testament. They go to heaven to prove what we should do on earth. Why don’t they just produce New Testament authority for instruments? Because there is none!
Talents Must Be Used in Ways God Has Authorized.
The chef cooking the lamb, the butcher killing animals, the animal trainer with his lion-taming or dog show, the athletes with their gymnastics, and the magicians all have talent. But this does not authorize these practices in worship to God.
To please God in worship, we must do only what He tells us to do.
Conclusion
So why do people continue using instrumental music? What is the real problem?
* Most people have just grown accustomed to instruments. They grew up with it. It is family or church tradition, and they cannot bring themselves to accept the fact it is not pleasing to God.
* Most people find the sound entertaining, enjoyable, and exciting. They continue the practice because they like it and want it.
Such people need to remember:
Matthew 15:3,9 – Why do you transgress the command of God because of your tradition? Human traditions must not be used to justify practices different from what God teaches:
Luke 16:15 – What is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God. Worship is intended to please God, not men. What we want or enjoy in worship is irrelevant.
Do you serve God according to His word or according to human desires and doctrines?
(c) Copyright David E. Pratte, 2024; gospelway.com
