Celebrating the Lord’s Supper ~ Dr William P. Hohman

Lord’s Supper Overview

In this powerful 69-minute sermon, Dr. William P. Hohman of NTC Ministries takes the congregation on a sweeping biblical journey through the Lord’s Supper, tracing its origins far beyond the Upper Room. Opening in Genesis 14, Dr. Hohman reveals that the very first communion took place when Melchizedek, king of Salem and priest of the Most High God, brought bread and wine to a weary Abram returning from battle. He argues compellingly that Melchizedek was the pre-incarnate Christ — king of righteousness and king of peace — whose priestly order supersedes the Levitical law described in Hebrews 7. The sermon contrasts the law-based priesthood of Aaron, characterized by duty and condemnation, with the fellowship-centered priesthood of Melchizedek, marked by restoration, compassion, and liberty. Drawing from First Corinthians 11, Dr. Hohman addresses the Corinthian church’s misuse of the Lord’s Supper and calls believers to genuine self-examination rooted in fellowship rather than legalistic guilt. He closes with a personal testimony of deliverance from drug and alcohol addiction, illustrating how Christ’s intimate fellowship — not the law — transforms lives from the inside out.

Lord’s Supper Outline

• 0:00 – Introduction: The Intentionality of Jesus in His Final Days: Dr. Hohman opens by establishing that every action Jesus took in his last days was deliberate, prophetic, and purposeful, setting the stage for why the Lord’s Supper matters deeply.
• 6:30 – What Is the Lord’s Supper? Names and Historical Context: An overview of the various names for communion — Eucharist, Lord’s Supper, Love Feast, Feast of Remembrance — tracing their historical and scriptural roots from the first and second century church.
• 14:00 – The First Communion: Melchizedek and Abram in Genesis 14: Dr. Hohman walks through Genesis 14:14-20, showing that Melchizedek’s offering of bread and wine to the victorious Abram is the prototype of communion, instituted long before the Last Supper.
• 26:00 – Who Was Melchizedek? The Pre-Incarnate Christ: A detailed study of Melchizedek as king of righteousness and king of peace, drawing from Hebrews 7 to identify him as the pre-incarnate Jesus Christ — without genealogy, without beginning or end of days.
• 36:00 – The Priesthood of Melchizedek vs. the Law of Aaron: Dr. Hohman contrasts the Levitical priesthood of duty and performance with the Melchizedekian priesthood of fellowship, grace, and liberty, anchored in Hebrews 7:11-19 and Romans 8:2.
• 45:00 – A Personal Testimony: Fellowship Over Law Brings Deliverance: Dr. Hohman shares how Jesus sat with him during a drug overdose in 1972, speaking words of comfort rather than condemnation, and how that fellowship — not law — brought total deliverance.
• 53:00 – The Corinthian Problem: Misusing the Love Feast: An exposition of 1 Corinthians 11:17-26 reveals that the Corinthian church had turned their love feast into a divisive meal. Paul corrects them by restoring the meaning of communion as true fellowship.
• 60:00 – Examining Yourself: Discerning the Lord’s Body: Dr. Hohman unpacks 1 Corinthians 11:27-34, clarifying that self-examination is about checking one’s fellowship with God and others — not rehearsing past sins — and explaining why some are weak and sick.
• 65:00 – Communion as the Word of Our Testimony: The sermon concludes with a call to proclaim what Christ has done through the Lord’s Supper, connecting Revelation 12:11 to the act of celebrating communion as a declaration of victory over the enemy.

Scripture References

Genesis 14:14-20, Jude 12, Hebrews 7:1-3, Hebrews 7:11-13, Hebrews 7:14-19, Hebrews 7:26-27, Romans 8:2, 1 Corinthians 11:17-22, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, 1 Corinthians 11:27-34

Key Takeaways

• The Lord’s Supper did not begin at the Last Supper but was foreshadowed thousands of years earlier when Melchizedek brought bread and wine to Abram after his victory in battle.
• Melchizedek, as king of righteousness and king of peace with no earthly genealogy, is the pre-incarnate Christ whose eternal priesthood supersedes the Levitical law.
• The priesthood of Melchizedek operates on fellowship and grace rather than duty and condemnation, offering restoration and strength rather than performance-based religion.
• True self-examination before communion means discerning whether you are in genuine fellowship with God and others, not rehearsing past sins that Christ already forgave once and for all.
• The law alone cannot break bondage — it was intimate fellowship with Jesus, not religious duty, that brought Dr. Hohman complete deliverance from drug and alcohol addiction.
• Communion is a proclamation: every time believers eat the bread and drink the cup, they declare Christ’s death, resurrection, and coming return until he comes again.
• The Lord’s Supper is meant to be a Love Feast — a celebration of what God has done — and believers are called to testify boldly of his goodness rather than minimize his blessings.

Lord’s Supper Notes

Communion Rooted in Genesis Not Gospels

Most Christians assume the Lord’s Supper began in the Upper Room, but Dr. Hohman demonstrates from Genesis 14 that its roots stretch back to the encounter between Melchizedek and Abram. After Abram defeated four armies with only 318 household servants and recovered his nephew Lot, Melchizedek — king of Salem, priest of the Most High God — came out to meet him with bread and wine. This act of sharing bread and wine was not merely hospitality; it was a covenant of fellowship and restoration, a type and shadow of the communion believers celebrate today. The Old Testament consistently presents images of what was to come.

Melchizedek as the Pre-Incarnate Christ

Hebrews 7 provides the theological key to understanding Melchizedek’s true identity. He had no father, no mother, no genealogy, no beginning of days and no end of life — qualities that belong exclusively to the eternal Son of God. Dr. Hohman argues that just as God visited Sodom and Gomorrah in bodily form to experience what was happening firsthand, the pre-incarnate Christ appeared throughout history in a hands-on way. Melchizedek’s dual role as king and priest — king of righteousness and king of peace — perfectly mirrors the nature and mission of Jesus, who came as both ruler and mediator of the New Covenant.

Law Produces Pacing, Fellowship Produces Freedom

Drawing on the Hebrew word nephesh, meaning a restless pacing back and forth, Dr. Hohman paints a vivid picture of souls trapped under the law — unable to rest, constantly performing, never finding completion. He recalls a caged bear in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan that wore a groove into the cement from years of anxious pacing, and equates this image with people bound by sin, addiction, or legalistic religion. The Levitical priests were never permitted to sit because their work was never finished. Jesus, by contrast, sat down at the right hand of the Father after making one sacrifice for all — a finished work that invites believers into rest rather than restless striving.

Personal Testimony of Deliverance Through Fellowship

In one of the sermon’s most moving moments, Dr. Hohman recounts sitting in the corner of a San Diego apartment in 1972, having overdosed on drugs and too afraid to close his eyes. Jesus came and sat beside him — not to condemn, not to lecture, but simply to say it will be all right and I am going to use you. Over time, through ongoing fellowship rather than a dramatic instant deliverance, Dr. Hohman was completely set free from drugs, alcohol, and fear. He has since ministered in 37 nations and met with presidents and kings — a testimony he connects directly to overcoming by the blood of the Lamb and the word of his testimony.

What Unworthy Communion Really Means

First Corinthians 11:27-29 is often used to make believers fearful before taking communion, but Dr. Hohman reframes the passage through the lens of fellowship rather than sin-cataloguing. To eat and drink in an unworthy manner is not about having unconfessed faults; it is about failing to discern the Lord’s body — that is, failing to recognize and value the community of believers and the fellowship Christ died to establish. Self-examination, properly understood, asks: Am I in genuine fellowship with God? Am I holding offense against a brother or sister? Answering these questions honestly restores the communion to its intended purpose as a Love Feast of gratitude and unity.

Communion as Testimony and Proclamation

Dr. Hohman closes the sermon by connecting the Lord’s Supper to Revelation 12:11, where believers overcome the enemy by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony. Every time the church gathers to eat the bread and drink the cup, it is making a bold declaration — proclaiming the Lord’s death until he comes. This is why believers should testify openly about what God has done in their lives: financial provision, physical healing, restored relationships. Staying silent out of fear of judgment or the spirit of Mammon robs others of the testimony they need to be encouraged and set free.

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