Significance of Communion

Introduction

Opener

Welcome to Morganfield Christian Church (MCC), if you will please go ahead and open your Bibles to 1 Corinthians 11.

Today, I look to add to our Significance of… Sermon Series by covering the Significance of Communion.

For those who are joining us for the first time today or if you haven’t heard any sermons from this series before, our Significance of… Sermon Series is usually occurs on the first Sunday of the month when our children join us in the sanctuary. It’s a sermon series where I pick an important topic or doctrine of MCC, such as in the past, baptism and prayer, and do a sermon covering Scripture concerning that topic or doctrine.

Lately, one of my reasons for choosing this topic is because of the issues facing the church and how it has troubled by heart, that issues being the constant division we are seeing in our congregations.

These divisions sometimes come from theological disputes, sometimes from political disputes, sometimes from small, insignificant disputes, like what color should the church carpet be, but whatever the cause of the dispute, God’s Word urges us to remain united (1 Corinthians 1:10).

Main Point of the Text (MPT)

As we look to our Scripture reading for today, it is important to understand the context behind why Paul writes of communion to the Church of Corinth (1 Corinthians 1:2).

It is in the first chapter of 1 Corinthians that we learn of division in the church as Paul writes that he has been informed by Chloe’s people, likely a member of the Church in Corinth, that there have been quarrels among them (1 Corinthians 1:11).

These quarrels have came from the establishment of four different groups in the Church, each following the words of different well-known men (Acts 1:12):

Paul: The Apostle concerned with the Gentiles who taught of justification by faith and freedom from the law of the OT.

Apollos: An intellectual man from Alexandria, Egypt, Acts 18:24 describes him as eloquent or persuasive. Alexandria was the center for learning and philosophy, so more than like his followers viewed Christianity as a philosophy rather than a relationship.

Peter: An Apostle of Christ, one of Jesus’s personal disciples, a common man, who would have likely appealed to those in Corinth, especially since he was with Jesus during His earthly ministry.

Christ: Jesus, Himself. More than likely this was a group of people that believed only in the words of Jesus and didn’t look to any other source for instruction such as Paul, Apollos, and Peter.

Each of these men spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, but due to each having different personalities, gifts, and approaches to teaching or preaching the gospel it caused the admiration from members of the Church of Corinth to turn in divisiveness as they preferred the teachings of one over the other.

It is because of these Paul writes to them, beginning in 1 Corinthians 1:9, saying, “God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment.”

He follows this up in verse 13 by asking them, “Has Christ been divided?” (1 Corinthians 1:13).

What a short, yet powerful question, that I believe should be asked to the majority of Christians today as divisions in the Church, the entire Body, are more prevalent than they have every been in the entirety of Church history. We have never been more divided then we are today.

While Paul speaks of more devise issues facing the Church of Corinth throughout the book of 1 Corinthians, and it is in 1 Corinthians 11 that he speaks of what should be one of the most unifying sacraments of the Church, communion, otherwise known as the Lord’s Supper.

What is it that Paul wishes to teach the Corinthians? Let us find out together and so, if you are able, please stand for the reading of God’s Word...

Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 11:17-33

Prayer

Body

Point 1: Issues Concerning Communion

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 11:17-22

Explanation:

Paul again recalls the division of occuring in the Church of Corinth (1 Corinthians 11:18).

From 1 Corinthians 11:1-16, Paul praises the Church of Corinth for remembering his words to them and holding firmly to the traditions he had delivered for them to adhere to concerning headship in the church and the interdependence of men and women in the church.

It is in 1 Corinthians 11:17 that he begins providing instruction concerning the Lord’s Supper as, instead of praising them, he tells them, “But in giving this instruction, I do not praise you, because you come together not for the better but for the worse. For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that divisions exist among you; and in part I believe it.”

Not only were the Corinthians divided due to the teacher they admired most, but they were also divided in their practice of the Lord’s Supper.

Paul believes that this division has provided evidence to show those who have been approved (1 Corinthians 11:19) or as some translations put it, genuine, in the practice of their faith versus those who have not been genuine, rather, those who have faked their faith.

In 1 Corinthians 11:20-21, we learn that they were meeting together to eat, but it was not to eat the Lord’s Supper, and that during their meals together the Corinthian Christians disgraced the observance of the Lord’s Supper and what it truly meant for them to meet to break bread together.

In connection with Communion the early church would often have what was called a love or agape feast (Acts 2:26-27; 1 Corinthians 11:17-34).

It was meant for a time for the fellowship of Christian believers, not meant for the partaking of selfish desires, as we read in 1 Corinthians 11:21 that when they ate together that some took of their own supper first, meaning they brought their own separate stock of food not to be shared, for those who were poor were likely to not be able to provide much food for themselves, this causing division between the poor and the rich, leaving some hungry.

On top of this, some showed up to become drunk, which, again, should not be the goal of breaking bread together.

The result of this, some who came to communion were hungry while watching others become full off food and alcohol.

Paul, finishes this section of Scripture with the appropriate response, “What!”, asking, “Do you not have houses in which to eat and drink? Or do you despise the church of God and shame those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you?”, ending with the statement, “In this I will not praise you” (1 Corinthians 11:22).

Can you see how this might cause division?

Application:

Church, what divides us today? Allow the Holy Spirit to guide!

Sexuality, Abortion, Women in Leadership, Types of Worship Music, Spiritual Gifts, Baptism, Politics from the Pulpit, Alcohol...

Tension between acceptance and approval!

Who I go to:

Wife

Elders

Seasoned Christians

Work

Friends

Family

Communion is about fellowship…look who was at the table:

Fishermen - blue collar

Tax Collector - white collar

Zealot - politician and anarchist

Traitor - full of greed and selfishness

People whose constant failing, struggles, and doubts were recorded and shared with us in the most important book ever written…the Bible!

The reality is, because we are human and we each have our own mind and ability to think, we therefore will have our different interpretations of Scripture and we can either choose to work through them with love or hold Satan's hand as he destroys this congregation from the inside out. That is not something I am personally willing to do!

The truth is, there will always be division amongst our thoughts and interpretations, but those divisions we can work through as long as we are completely on board with one truth, and that truth is the gospel, what brings sinners together in the first place!

Point 2: Institution of Communion

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 11:23-25

Explanation:

Let me read this Scripture to you once again, because no matter which gospel we go to, the simple fact is there in no contradiction here, the story is the same here as it is in Matthew 26, Mark 14, and Luke 22. Paul doesn’t cover much other than what the bread and cup represented.

Paul tells them in 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 that he recieved the following from the Lord, of which, he had delivered to the Corinthians when he was with them in person before, sharing with them the words of Jesus as he tells them that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, ‘This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.’ In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.’”

There is nothing new here, Paul presents the same story, the same 12 Disciples were at the table, and the same Jesus as Matthew, Mark, and Luke presented in their accounts.

Application:

Four components to Communion that I believe are most important for us to consider and understand:

The Cup:

“This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”

The keyword here and across the three gospels is the word covenant.

Both Paul and Luke use the word “new” to describe the covenant.

Both Matthew and Mark use the phrase “My blood of the covenant”.

All three gospels tell us that Jesus said that this blood, His blood, was poured out for many with Matthew adding “for the forgiveness of sins”.

So, let’s put this all together, the blood represents the new covenant that was established by God through Christ’s blood being poured out for the forgiveness of sins of many.

The Bread:

In order for His blood to be poured, His body must be broken.

“This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”

All four account refer to the bread as Jesus body.

Paul adds to this by adding “which is for you” and Luke goes deeper adding “which is given for you”.

Both mean the same, but that word given adds a little extra for us to contemplate.

All four accounts end the same, “do this in remembrance of Me.”

The Believers:

All three gospels speak to who were there:

Now when evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the twelve disciples (Matthew 26:20).

When it was evening He *came with the twelve (Mark 14:16).

...the apostles with him (Luke 22:10)

All 12, the fishermen, the tax collector, the zealot, the traitor, and the other were there, all who believed were welcome to the table.

The Savior of the World, Jesus Christ of Nazareth:

In all four, it is the Man who would pour out His blood, give His body, and eat with the sinners that believed in Him that asked for the Disciples to go prepare a place so He could fulfill His desire to eat that very Passover with Him, the Passover the night before He knew He would suffer for each one of them at the table and for each one of us in this room today (Luke 22:15).

Without any of these four components, Communion wouldn’t exist.

It took all four, the cup, blood had to be spilled to pay for sin once and for all, the bread, a body had to be broken so that the blood could be shed and here is where I want to point you to Scripture because while I have broken Communion into four components, it really is only three, because as Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 10:17, “...there is one bread, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one bread.”

Fellowship, unity, at one table, where ALL, including the Son of God, share the same bread and where all have been brought together as one, the one bread, the one body of Christ!

There is no separation, all are equal and all who believe are welcome, but God does ask some things of us and we must take them seriously...

Point 3: Take Communion Seriously

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 11:26-33

Explanation:

Do not forget that Paul is writing to the Corinthians to deal with division and that Communion, although not it’s intent, has led to division in the Church of Corinth instead of unity.

From 1 Corinthians 11:26-33, Paul gives them, gives us, some important points to consider before partaking of the Lord’s Supper:

1 Corinthians 11:26, “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.”

This was the purpose of taking Communion, to proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes again.

By taking Communion, we as a congregation are proclaiming that Christ died for the sins of all who believe in Him, because just as Jesus told them, “...do this in remembrance of Me.”

By taking Communion, we as a congregation are also proclaiming that we believe in the promise that one day Jesus will return because as He told them, “I shall never again eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God” and that He “will not drink of the fruit of the vine from now on until the king of God comes” (Luke 22:16-18).

By making these statements, Jesus was letting the Disciples and us know that one day He will return and when he does he was once again partake of the Passover once again.

In this we believe and in this, we have hope!

1 Corinthians 11:27, “Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord.”

What is meant by unworthy manner?

In the context of this passage and rebuke from Paul, an unworthy manner most likely was referring to the lack of unity the Church of Corinth was exhibiting when taking Communion, not waiting for everyone to arrive before they did (1 Corinthians 11:21).

They did this with no shame or guilt and with no thoughts of the necessity of unity when taking Communion.

We must consider unity…we must seek forgiveness with God and amongst each other…EXAMPLE

An even broader take of this Scripture is if you take of Communion while having sin in your life that you have not repented of.

No, this does not mean you have to stand before the church and confess your sin, but what this does mean is that you must pray to a God and repentant of that sin.

That is why...

1 Corinthians 11:28-29 tells us, “But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly.”

This is why we must take a moment before we take Communion and pause before we pray, this is called an examination of conscience where we take a moment, just us and God, examine and reflect on our lives and ask ourselves if there is anything that would cause us to not be able to take of body and blood of Jesus.

You will see me do this often as this is why I stand to the side before Communion and before I preach. I pray for forgiveness, I pray to receive the elements and deliver His Word as a clean vessel.

For those who believe there is something, the best practice is to come forward with everyone and instead of partaking of Communion, cross your arms and allow those who are giving Communion to pray a blessing over you as you deal with your sin.

There is no shame in this for...

We must not not eat and drink judgement to ourselves, for besides God we are the best judge of whether or not we should take Communion.

The result of such action was evident amongst the Corinthians as 1 Corinthians 11:30 tells us, “For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number asleep.”

Physical, real, results of people not adhering to the Word of God. A clear evidence of God’s wrath amongst those who would partake of Communion in an unworthy manner.

1 Corinthians 11:31-32, “But if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned along with the world.”

God will judge His children for failing to honor Christ's sacrifice in their observance of the Lord's Supper and that judgement will be as the discipline of a loving Father.

God’s judgement here was clear through physical evidence, but one thing remained intact, their salvation.

Paul doesn’t say anything about this group of people from the Church losing their salvation, but he does give real life examples of God’s judgement, God disciplines them for their error, all so that they might not be condemned along with the world.

His discipline comes from His love, as Hebrews 12:6 tells us, “For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receive.”

Praise the Lord for His discipline as it shows the Fathers love for us, a love that would give up His Son so that we might spend eternity with Him (Romans 5:8, Romans 6:23).

Paul ends this section of Scripture by reminding them of what they must do, he says, “So then, my brethren, when you come together to eat, wait for one another. If anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, so that you will not come together for judgment. The remaining matters I will arrange when I come.”

Application:

So, let’s put this into practice as both the Worship team and Communion team come forward…I ask you to consider today’s Scripture seriously…if there is a sin you need to let go of, now is the time…if there is someone you’ve sinned against and you must confess it to them, go to them, pray with them, reconcile your relationship with them before coming to the table together!

Do not eat and drink judgement upon yourself, but rather take Communion as it was intended to be taken, in unity with Jesus and in unity with each other.

We will conduct Communion as normal, the Elders will speak as they usually do and we will come forward in a line as we usually do while I and the Elders not serving Communion will stand to the side of the lines, for if there is anyone needing prayer we will be there.

Communion

Final Hymn

One of my favorite things my Father did when he would give Communion at the church he was the pastor of was follow in the footsteps of Jesus and His Disciples from that night.

Both Matthew and Mark record that following Communion they sang a hymn before they left (Matthew 26:30; Mark 14:26) and so before we leave today, may we sing a hymn together, no instruments, not additions, just us, a congregation united under one name, the name of Jesus, coming together to sing the first verse of Amazing Grace:

Amazing grace, How sweet the sound That saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now I am found, Was blind, but now I see.