1 Corinthians 11:27-29, In a Worthy Manner

Psalm 16:8 “I have set the Lord always before me; Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.”

Introduction..

There is a reason for everything and everything should be done in a decent order...

Last week looked at the reason for the Lord’s supper, and i will retouch it a little in a few moments but today we are gonna look in the manner it should be done...

and Lord’s will we look at the results of doing everything the right way according to the way the Lord has set it out..

like i always say, what you put in will be what you get out...

Paul himself has instructed the corinthians do things the right way, 1 Corinthians 14:40 “Let all things be done decently and in order.”

there’s the old saying, it’s not what you say or do but how you say it or do it.

and there are many biblical examples of people doing things in order but Jesus gives us the best example of all...

He left his place on the right hand of the Father and did all that was assigned unto Him to do unto death.

and He did it in a worthy manner for us.

and when it comes to the Lord’s supper, prayfully we understand why, we need to remember

and let’s see what Paul tells the corinthians and us today as he reminds us to take it IN A WORTHY MANNER..

let’s look at the text...

History...

Once again, the reason why we take the Lord’s supper…1st its an ordainance given to us by Christ and next we do it in remembrance of what He did for us...

1 Corinthians 11:24–25 “and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.””

WORK TEXT, from last week...

So Paul now urges the church to be sure and do it in a worthy manner...

The Teacher’s Bible Commentary The Lord’s Supper (1 Cor. 11:17–34)

“Unworthily” (v. 27) is an adverb; it describes the manner of partaking of the Supper. Many have turned this into an adjective and insisted that one must be worthy if he is to partake. This is not the meaning; no one is ever worthy. We can and should partake in a worthy manner.

no one at the corinth church was worthy just as today but its all about how we do it...

and paul showed us last week that the church at corinth there was division, some were eating and some were not, and some was getting drunk...

1 Corinthians 11:18–21 “For first of all, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it. For there must also be factions among you, that those who are approved may be recognized among you. Therefore when you come together in one place, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper. For in eating, each one takes his own supper ahead of others; and one is hungry and another is drunk.”

and the metaphors here are, one is hungry for christ but no one is feeding them and the drunkard, doesn’t have their mind on christ and what he did....TALK, PREACH..

it was not done in a worthy manner..

and this is very important because we are about to see as Paul told the church, If we do it in unworthy manner we are guilty and can bring judgement upon ourselves so we need to examine ourselves before we do..

once again no one is worthy but we can still take it in a worthy manner...

let’s go deeper into the text and make this make sense...

Points...

Let’s start with the basics...

Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

however, John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

so we are not worthy but thru Christ we have become worthy.

so it’s not about us but the manner in which we take it...

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

The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter Nine: Be Wise about … Church Order (1 Corinthians 11)

Paul did not say that we had to be worthy to partake of the Supper, but only that we should partake in a worthy manner

Paul warns the Corinthian Christians to treat the Lord’s Supper with reverence, and to practice it in a spirit of self-examination. However, this is not written with the thought of excluding ourselves from the table, but of preparing us to receive with the right heart.

The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter Nine: Be Wise about … Church Order (1 Corinthians 11)

If we are to participate in a worthy manner, we must examine our own hearts, judge our sins, and confess them to the Lord. To come to the table with unconfessed sin in our lives is to be guilty of Christ’s body and blood, for it was sin that nailed Him to the cross.

Lord, if anyone needs this it is me...

I am a sinner, a sinner saved by grace....Grace, is God keeping us away from what we truly deserve..

and to do it unworthily is to mock and disrespect what Jesus did for us…TALK, PREACH.....

so therefore we need to always be examining ourselves..

1 Corinthians 11:28 “But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup.”

Lexham Context Commentary: New Testament Self-Examination at the Lord’s Supper (11:27–34)

Paul’s application of the truth of the previous verse is that people should partake with serious self-examination. They must test themselves by the great truths that are set before them. Have they trusted Christ’s death for their salvation from sin? Are they continuing to fight sin in the power of the Spirit? Are they continuing to draw grace from the ascended Christ, who lives forever to intercede for his people? Have they begun to grow cold in their love and self-indulgent in their lives? Are they longing for Christ’s return?

TALK, PREACH......

The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter Nine: Be Wise about … Church Order (1 Corinthians 11)

The Corinthians neglected to examine themselves, but they were experts at examining everybody else. When the church gathers together, we must be careful not to become “religious detectives” who watch others, but who fail to acknowledge our own sins.

TALK, PREACH....

let it be known, you may know what someone is doing but we are nobody’s judge, if that person does or doesn’t do a self examination, that’s between then and God..

and God, the righteous judge will judge accordingly...

1 Corinthians 11:29 “For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.”

Lexham Context Commentary: New Testament Self-Examination at the Lord’s Supper (11:27–34)

Paul supports his application (11:28) by making a universal claim: those who partake without “discerning the body,” that is, without seeing the death of Christ in the symbols, bring judgment on the community.

Irreverent conduct at the Lord’s Supper invites God’s corrective discipline; so we should judge ourselves so we would not be judged. If we will discipline ourselves, the Lord will not need to with His hand of correction.

TALK, PREACH..

Conclusion

In conclusion, Paul lays before the Corinthians the danger of receiving unworthily, of prostituting this institution as they did, and using it to the purposes of feasting and faction, with intentions opposite to its design, or a temper of mind altogether unsuitable to it; or keeping up the covenant with sin and death, while they are there professedly renewing and confirming their covenant with God.

we must remember the why..

we must remember the convenant..

we must remember the meaning of the sacrament..

we must come in a worthy manner...

TALK, PREACH, CLOSE...