The Lord’s Super 11:17-34

Introduction

I will admit, that personally, I have been known from time to time to get myself out of sync with what matters. Do you know what I mean? Like sometimes you are at your kids game, “watching” and your mind is 40 miles away, thinking about all the other things that need to get done instead of realizing that this game, as inconsequential as it might seem to you now, will never be played again. Your kids will never be this age again. They eventually will grow up and the most you will see of them is flashes as they come into the house and go out from it. In those days, you will think back on all the times you wasted thinking about the grass being mowed instead of being present in the moment of what was happening.

To add some insult to the injury a study was taken out of Washington University that surveyed 718 about the desire to capture photos during “highly enjoyable experiences.” A quick show of hands in here for my own purposes; how many of you in here are a camera person and you end up taking pictures of every get together, every meal, every vacation?

Well, upon surveying people 51% of people said taking pictures of such events had no affect on their real happiness. 21% said it actually decreased their enjoyment of the experience and 27% of you believe it actually increases your enjoyment.

But, here was the twist that there study revealed. When my grandma took pictures of everything but she’d do so on wind up cameras and printed mountains and mountains of photos. What do we do with our photos today? What are 7/10 photos taken really for? That’s right social media. Here is the kicker. When people posted their photos of their vacation or their anniversary or their kids soccer game, 59.8% of people said they ended up feeling decreased enjoyment because of either a lack of positive engagement with their photos or one off colored remark would make their entire attitude towards the experience change.

To justonize it a bit. You could of had the best vacation every but when you post it to facebook and nobody comments on it in the way you think they should, you entire memory of the vacation takes a hit.

Tension

But, I guess my question is this: Should it? Should my entire vacation experience be diminished by the comments of someone in the social sphere or am I focused on the wrong thing. Do I get wrapped up in all the things that seem important but aren’t really? Am I focused on getting the right filter on the photograph on my phone or looking at the awe inspiring sunset that the photo was going to be about? Am I at the game, watching the kids or is my mind and heart on the golf course? Am I at church while my focus is on the 20 things I have to do this week.

You see, everyone of us knows what its like to allow all the things to gather up and distract or even nullify us to the things that really matter. Overtime, we can even loose perspective of what matters entirely.

As we finished up this section of 1 Corinthians, remembering that Paul’s goal here has been to reorder the attitudes of the church, that they would see and understand that their inner lives should match their outer lives, they had gotten their focus off track.

in 9:1-18 they had allowed personal vendettas to cloud how they saw ministers who worked for the Lord, denying them respect and payment for their services.

In 9:19-27 they were focused the right they had to live however they saw fit, caring nothing for the struggles of the jews, greeks, and romans around them.

In 10:1-22 they were caught particpating in pagan rituals as a part of community life and they saw no issues with it.

In 10:23-11:1 we see Paul helping them to see that all of the things they do reflect on Christ and their relationship with Him. Imitate the world and they will think your from the world, so imitate Christ.

IN 11:2-16 we discussed last week, that their desire for personal freedoms were even affecting how men and women blurred roles in worship, cause many in the community to be turned off to even considering Christ.

Today, we see that these issues of personal freedom and attitudes of “I’m going to live my life and my Christianity on my own terms” spilling over even into how the church viewed and practiced the Lord’s super.

Now, I know we did this all a couple weeks ago, and we’ve all heard these verses alot, but today you’re going to see the full context of them and why they were so necessary. So let’s start by reading together verses 27-28 of chapter 11.

Truth

1 Corinthians 11:27–28 (ESV)

27 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord.

28 Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup.

Pray

Exposition

1 Corinthians 11:17–34 (ESV)

17 But in the following instructions I do not commend you, because when you come together it is not for the better but for the worse.

Verse 17 is the opposite of verse 2. Paul Commends them for listening in some areas but this is one area they are completely and totally out of line in. When they gather, doing what they’ve been doing, its actually so bad that it would be better if they didn’t gather at all. They are doing more harm than good. So what is going on?

18 For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you. And I believe it in part,

19 for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized.

First off, camps have been set up. The church was to be a group of people, united in Christ, brought together as a family that transcends earthly divides of culture, social crust, and national borders. However they’ve created cliques and divisions instead of coming together. Perhaps this might have some foundations in the Paul and anti Paul crowds or those who flaunt their liberty in freedom at the expense of the church’s health. We don’t know the exacts but what has been noticeable is that unity is not being championed, not being adhered too, and even being denounced.

20 When you come together, it is not the Lord’s supper that you eat.

21 For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk.

Their celebration of the Lord’s super had even taken a turn that completely undermined the practice and purpose entriely. The Lord’s supper, at its core is a retooled passover meal. Passover was meant to help the Hebrew people to eat a meal as family and friends that reminded them of the way God had rescued them from Egyptian captivity. Their lives had been so much struggle during that time, being literally slaves, and having no hope. But God had not abandoned them. He brought his wonder, his power, and his authority in judgment against the nation and brought them out of captivity to freedom.

Jesus took this same meal, with all its lessons, all its themes, all its messages and the hope it pointed too, and helped us see that all those goals are found in and completed by him. We were stuck in captivity of our sin, bound in chains of our own making. We were hopeless with no way out and no strength to change our situation. We however, were not alone, unseen, or unheard. Christ took pity upon us in our situation and came to rescue us, paying the price for our rescue and redemption. Just as the passover required the blood of a lamb to be the marker over the doorpost that would spare the faithful from the faithless, Jesus blood would serve as the payment, marking us as those under his protection.

Jesus shared the passover with his disciples and then changed it transforming it from a meal that celebrated passover to one that celebrated the final sacrifice that would ever be needed: him. However, the church had taken this meal that focused on Jesus selflessness and sacrifice and turned it into the epitome of selfishness.

Instead of the bread and wine to celebrate Christ, the supper became a time for those with wealth to throw themselves and their friends a lavish feast while those with nothing were not even allowed at the table with them. Some went hungry, some gorged themselves just to show they could. Some go nothing to drink others drank until they were falling down drunk. Shame isn’t even strong enough a word at this point. So Paul breaks out the belt and proceeds in giving them the spanking they desperately need.

22 What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I commend you in this? No, I will not.

Such actions are called out for what they really are, a direct revilement of the Church and what it stands for. Spiting in the face of Christ and those that he loves. Why would you choose to treat the super, meant to put Christ in focus, and use it instead to put yourself on a pedestal and belittle your brothers and sisters. What is wrong with you? who do you think you are?

23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread,

24 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.”

The body of Christ was important and worthy of remembering. First off, it was a body that had never been used, not once, to act in sinful rebellion to God. Jesus was a sinless man who was BTW fully man. He had divinity at his disposal but lived in functional subordination to it. He was here to do the fathers will and while he performed miracles and displayed the power of God to those around him, he withstood every temptation that is common to man while walking in the same human frailty of flesh that we do. His body, used only to honor God was beaten, broken, and torn for crimes he never committed by those who did. Every time we take the bread during the Lord’s supper, or in our case a small cracker, it is to remind us of the way Jesus’ body was broken on our behalf. Every time we take the Lord’s supper, no matter where I am I take the bread, pray over it, then I will break the cracker in my hand before we take it. I want to remind myself that it was not the hands of evil men who broke Jesus but me and my sin. I want to remind myself that the sin that hung him on the cross was my sin and my debt was paid by his pain. When we take the supper the goal is and should always be to remember the complete selflessness of Christ and his sacrifice.

25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”

The cup, depending on where you are might be filled with juice or with wine. We were in Haiti, training pastors and church leaders in 2019 and had the oppertunity to join the church that day as they were celebrating the Lord’s supper. They had glass communion cups and as we were walking in, around 10 of us, I saw the pastor’s wife come up to the tray and pour out of her purse 10 more cups of juice. Waste not want not. When they passed the cups to celebrate the supper, we took the juice to find out it wasn’t as much juice as it was jet fuel. Without a word our team took the cup and all started to look at our Pastor Todd, who was last in line. As he prayed and raised the cup to his lips, you could see his eyes widen as he looked up to all the eyes on him. “We will not speak of this to anyone, and not a word out of any of you!”

Whether juice or wine, the purpose is to remind us of the spilled blood of Jesus. This custom in our world my seem redundant when you consider the body symbolizes death just as the blood does. However, that is not the case in ancient thought. While the body and the flesh symbolize death, blood is considered the sign of life. You cannot live without blood. Blood makes life possible.

In addition, we are told in Hebrews 9:22

Hebrews 9:22 (ESV)

22 Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.

The Old testament sacrificial system was one that engrained this into the eyes, ears, and nose of everyone. Sin cost you. Sin was paid for by blood. The blood of animals was costly and was shed to pay for your transgressions. Going to the altar with the priests and the Levites would have been and experience for all of your senses and left a lasting impact on your heart. Your ears would have been filled with the bleats and cries of animals being slaughtered and waiting to be. Your nose would be filled with the stench of coagulated blood and rotting flesh for miles before you even saw the altar. Flies and buzzing insects would sting your skin as they swarmed over the area covered in death. You eyes would see the carnage and filth, remenecent of the cost of your sin. And the last thing you touched would be the head of the lamb or goat that you brought to pay your debt, before the priest slit it’s throat, spilling its blood all over the stone, running all over everything. Blood was life, and your sinful behaviors and rebellious heart just cost this lamb his. The picture was clear. Replace that lamb in the OT system with Jesus Christ, the spotless lamb. While that practice had to be repeated over and over, never fully being able to pay what was owed, Jesus’ blood, his life poured out on the stone for our sin, would be the once and for all payment for all people, for all time. We live in a new covenant because of that sacrifice. No longer do we pay for animals to butcher for our sins but all outstanding debts have been paid for, for all men. All we must do is accept the payment made on our behalf by repenting of our sin and turning instead to Christ. He died our death so we could be given new life, a life living in devotion and commitment to him rather than our sin.

26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

Paul summarizes the point to the clueless people. The goal of the supper is the proclamation of Christ’s death, the gospel message to the world until he comes back again. Its the reset for us to get our head back in the game. Its the refocus that we need as we re calibrate ourselves towards what really matters. Friends, this is why the supper is so important. Without its message we might be lulled into beleiving that the color of the carpet really is super important. We might think that buildings and services and steeples and meetings are the end goal. We might be lulled into thinking that serving on committees and keeping the lights on is our goal. All of those things can be good things and they can even be utilized to bring Glory to God but they are not the main point and we need to be reminded of that often.

We are not a building friends. We are not bylaws and roberts rules of order. We are a group of diverse, broken, struggling, rescued, and redeemed beggers who have found real lasting bread in Jesus Christ. His death gives us life. In fact, his death is the only thing that can give life to anyone. He is it. The supper calls us to come back and remember that it really is all about Jesus. I’ve often wondered if the building burnt down and we were forced to start all over from scratch: lost all the documents, the orders, the minutes, and the facilities, if it wouldn’t be one of the best things that ever happened to us. Because then all we’d have is Jesus and each other. We’d be forced to meet in each others homes, share meals and become each other’s family again. We’d be forced to look at benevolence and charity as my own personal responsibility again rather than something we pay money to the church to do on our behalf. We’d have to share the gospel again rather than seeing pastors as the one who we pay to do the ministry. We’d have to learn to be the church again.

27 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord.

28 Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup.

29 For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.

Paul gives the insight and the process that we must all embrace when we observe the supper. Guys it can’t be about you and your freedom. Its about you looking honestly and soberly at yourself in full view of the mercy and sacrifice of Christ. That you would study your heart, ask God to reveal your spiritual posture to you and allow yourself to respond as you would to the king of creation. Your sin cost him his life and broke his body. Respond accordingly. His blood was shed on a cross of cruelty and shame to make a way for new life for you while you were his active enemy. Respond accordingly. Tears seem appropriate. Discomfort feels right. Gratitude, thankfulness, humility, perspective, re commitment, selflessness. These all seem right. But if we instead don’t heed these warnings or make the super about something its not, we eat only judgment upon ourselves. .For those who embrace the grace of Christ the super is a reminder of what we’ve been given but for those who resist it, it’s a reminder of the judgment they are still under.

30 That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died.

31 But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged.

32 But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.

33 So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one another—

34 if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home—so that when you come together it will not be for judgment. About the other things I will give directions when I come.

The church is called back to the table but as those who understand what it is for and about. Its a flag that we can all rally too. Its a statement of purpose for all of us to stake in the ground as our cry, “This is who we are. This is why we exist. This is our hope. This is our purpose. This can be yours.” To this table, we are all invited. We all have a seat. We are all given the chance to embrace and proclaim the sacrifice of Christ as we remember and refocus.

It reminds us to take in what we are doing and not to be as concerned about pictures of the event as we are of making sure that we were really fully present for it. Its and invitation to his the reset button and remember who we are. We are so different in so many ways but in this way, the way that really matters, we are united in the sacrifice of Christ.

Landing

As we close today, I want to invite you all to reflect this morning on the body of Jesus that was broken for you. On his blood which was poured out as a drink offering. Ask the Lord to remind you of your first love and recommit your heart to his calling.