What is Communion?
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Transcript
Opening Comments
Opening Comments
Please meet me in your copy of God’s Word in 1 Corinthians 11:17–34. If you are using one of the Bibles provided near you, you’ll find your place on page 901.
This is the Word of the Lord:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.”
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.”
26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
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.
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.
Introduction
Introduction
If I asked you this morning, “What is the Lord’s Supper?” what would you say?
“It’s a church tradition.”
“It’s a symbol.”
“It’s just something churches do every so often.”
But Paul’s words here in 1 Corinthians 11 remind us that Communion is far more than that.
It is one of two ordinances Christ commanded His church to observe until He returns.
It is sacred.
It is serious.
And when abused, it actually invites God’s discipline.
The Corinthians had forgotten this. They had turned what was meant to be holy into something harmful.
Instead of unity, there was division. Instead of reverence, there was selfishness. Instead of fellowship, there was humiliation of the poor.
So Paul writes to remind them what the Lord’s Supper truly is.
Paul gives us four clear answers in this passage.
It’s Family Meal (v.17-22)
It is a Memorial of the Cross. (v.23-25)
It is a Proclamation of the Gospel. (v.26)
It is a Time of Examination and Anticipation. (v.27-34)
1. The Lord’s Supper Is a Family Meal (vv. 17–22)
1. The Lord’s Supper Is a Family Meal (vv. 17–22)
Paul begins with a rebuke.
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.
The church was meeting for worship and observance of the Lord’s Table, but God was saying, “You would be better off staying home than gathering the way you are now.” That’s how serious this was.
Why such strong language? Because their conduct contradicted the very nature of the Supper.
A. It Calls for Unity (vv. 18–19)
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,
Divisions (schisma)—a ripping apart, a tearing, or a cutting (like in fabric.)
Instead of being united as one body, they were fractured.
Jesus prayed in John 17:21
21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
Paul tells us:
3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
The Lord’s Supper is meant to be an expression of that unity. Yet in Corinth, it had become a display of disunity.
Application: Paul admits in verse 19 that God sometimes allows such factions in order to expose who is genuine and who is not. True believers stand out in moments of conflict. But that doesn’t excuse the sin of division., if you find yourself more loyal to a clique than to Christ, if your heart is more tied to your group than to the gospel, beware. Communion calls us back to unity. The Supper is a family meal.
B. It Exposes False Worship (v. 20)
20 When you come together, it is not the Lord’s supper that you eat.
Think about that. Outwardly they were practicing Communion. They were using the bread and cup. But Paul says it wasn’t the Lord’s Supper at all.
Why? Because the Lord was not honored. They had attached His name to it, but His presence was absent.
Imagine going to a birthday party in your honor. The invitations go out with your name on them, the decorations are all about you, your picture is on the cake… but when you walk in, no one even acknowledges you. Everyone is laughing, eating, and having a good time, but you’re ignored. Your name is on everything, but your presence doesn’t matter.
That’s exactly what was happening in Corinth. They called it the Lord’s Supper, but it wasn’t His Supper at all. His name was on it, but His presence wasn’t honored.
18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.
Application: It is possible to go through the motions of worship while missing the heart of it. We must guard against hollow ritual. The Lord’s Supper is not about eating bread and drinking juice, it is about worshiping Christ with sincerity.
C. It Condemns Selfishness (vv. 21–22)
In the early church, the Lord’s Supper was often preceded by what was called a “love feast.”
Think of it like a church-wide fellowship meal. Everyone brought what they could, and the food was shared so that rich and poor alike could sit at the same table. It was meant to be a beautiful picture of Christian unity.
But in Corinth, that picture was shattered. The wealthy came early with their baskets of food and sat with their friends. They ate and drank without waiting for the others. By the time the poorer believers arrived after a long day’s work, there was little or nothing left.
21 For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk.
So the very meal that was supposed to express fellowship had turned into a scene of division. The “love feast” had become a selfish feast.
What if after service today we held a potluck, but instead of putting all the food out for everyone to share, certain families set up their own tables, piled their plates high, and told others, “Sorry, this is for us.”
Can you imagine how quickly the joy of the meal would turn into resentment and humiliation? That’s exactly what was happening in Corinth.
Instead of showing love, they showed greed. Instead of remembering Christ, they indulged themselves.
Paul asks in verse 22:
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.
Application: The Lord’s Supper is not an individual act. It is not just “me and Jesus.” It is a family meal. We come as one body, in love and unity, at the same table. That’s why selfishness is so destructive here—because it denies the very nature of the ordinance.
And this also carries implications for how we think about who comes to the table. In our day, we often over-personalize the ordinance and treat it as a purely private matter between an individual and God. That’s how “open communion” has become common.
But in Scripture, the Supper is not primarily an individual ordinance—it is a church ordinance. It belongs to the gathered body. The Lord’s Supper is the family meal of the local church, where believers united in covenant together remember Christ as one body.
So Paul’s rebuke in Corinth reminds us: this table is not about self-indulgence, and it is not about personal preference. It is about the church gathered in unity, honoring Christ together.
2. The Lord’s Supper Is a Memorial of the Cross (vv. 23–25)
2. The Lord’s Supper Is a Memorial of the Cross (vv. 23–25)
To correct their abuse, Paul takes them back to the beginning—to the night Jesus instituted the Supper.
A. It Comes from Christ Himself (v. 23)
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,
The words “received” (paralambanō) and “delivered” (paradidōmi) were technical terms for passing down authoritative teaching.
Paul is reminding them that this Supper is not his idea. It is Christ’s ordinance.
B. The Bread Points to His Body (v. 24)
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.”
Remembrance ( anamnesis)— A vivid, deliberate recalling, not a vague memory.
Every time we eat the bread, we are to call to mind the suffering of Christ in our place.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.
24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.
C. The Cup Points to His Blood (v. 25)
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 word “covenant” (diathēkē) points back to Jeremiah 31:31–34 where God promised a new covenant: one that would forgive sins and write His law on His people’s hearts.
The old covenant, sealed with the blood of animals, was temporary. But Christ’s blood sealed the new covenant forever. Hebrews 9:14–15 says His blood purifies our conscience and secures our eternal inheritance.
14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.
15 Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.
D. It Is a Memorial, Not a Re-sacrifice
The Supper is not Christ being sacrificed again.
10 And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
The Supper is the God-ordained memorial that keeps the cross ever before our eyes.
Think of a wedding ring. The ring itself doesn’t make the marriage, but it symbolizes the covenant. In the same way, the bread and cup don’t re-sacrifice Christ but remind us of the covenant He sealed with His blood.
Application: Every time you take the bread and cup, you are saying: “This is what Christ did for me. I will never forget.”
3. The Lord’s Supper Is a Proclamation of the Gospel (v. 26)
3. The Lord’s Supper Is a Proclamation of the Gospel (v. 26)
26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
A. We Proclaim His Death (Past)
We look back to the cross.
8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Every time we take Communion, we declare that Christ’s death was for us.
B. We Proclaim Our Fellowship (Present)
Communion proclaims not only His death but also our unity.
17 Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.
When we eat together, we proclaim that we belong to Christ and to each other.
C. We Proclaim His Coming (Future)
Paul says we do this “until he comes.” The Supper points forward to the day when Jesus returns.
9 And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.”
Communion is a foretaste of that great feast.
The table is like a sermon without words. Bread and cup are the preachers. Their message is always the same: Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.
Application: When you take Communion, you are preaching. You are saying to those around you, “I believe this gospel. I belong to this Savior.”
4. The Lord’s Supper Is a Time of Examination and Anticipation (vv. 27–34)
4. The Lord’s Supper Is a Time of Examination and Anticipation (vv. 27–34)
Because of its seriousness, Paul warns us about a careless approach.
A. The Danger of Unworthy Participation (v. 27)
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.
This doesn’t mean you must be sinless to take Communion. None of us could. It means you must be repentant.
Hebrews 10:29 warns of treating the blood of Christ as common. To take the Supper lightly is to dishonor Him.
29 How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace?
B. The Call to Self-Examination (v. 28)
28 Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup.
Examine (dokimazō)—to test for genuineness
Like testing gold.
Before you take Communion, test your heart.
Am I harboring sin?
Am I walking in repentance?
Am I reconciled with my brothers and sisters?
C. The Discipline of the Lord (vv. 29–32)
29 For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30 That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died.
That is sobering. Some in Corinth were physically suffering—even dying—because they treated the Lord’s Supper casually.
This was not random. It was the discipline of the Lord.
But notice carefully: this is not condemnation.
In verses 31–32 Paul explains:
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.
Do you see the difference? God’s judgment here is not punitive, but corrective. He was not casting His children away, He was drawing them back. His discipline was a mercy meant to shake them out of their sin and restore them to holiness.
6 For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.”
19 Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.
Application: God takes His table seriously. Yes, there are real consequences for irreverence. But that discipline is evidence of His fatherly love. He disciplines us so that we will not be condemned with the world.If you feel the weight of conviction when we come to the table, don’t despise it. That is not God pushing you away—that is God pulling you closer. His discipline is proof that you belong to Him.
E. The Anticipation of His Coming (vv. 26, 33–34)
26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
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 Supper points forward. We proclaim His death “until he comes.” Paul says, “Wait for one another.” This is not just “me and Jesus”—it is us together, waiting for Him.
The Lord’s Supper is like a rehearsal dinner. Every time we gather at this table, we practice for the wedding feast to come when Christ returns.
Application: Approach the table with honesty, humility, repentance, and hope.
Conclusion
Conclusion
So, what is the Lord’s Supper?
It is a Family Meal— we come as one body.
It is a Memorial of the Cross— we remember His sacrifice.
It is a Proclamation of the Gospel— we preach His death, unity, and return.
It is a Time of Examination and Anticipation— we repent of sin and long for His coming.
This table is not for the sinless but for the repentant. Not for the perfect but for the forgiven. Come today with humility, come with gratitude, come with hope.
Prayer of Meditation and Invitation
Prayer of Meditation and Invitation
“Father, we pause now before we come to Your table. Your Word tells us to examine ourselves, to come with repentant hearts, and to discern the body of Christ. So Lord, we ask You to search us. If there is sin we need to confess, bring it to light. If there is bitterness we are holding, help us release it. If there are ways we have wandered, draw us back to Yourself.
We thank You that this table is not for the perfect but for the forgiven. It is not for those who boast in their own righteousness but for those who cling to Christ alone. So we come, not in our strength, but in the strength of the Savior who gave His body and shed His blood for us.
Holy Spirit, prepare our hearts now. Fix our eyes on Jesus. Knit us together as one body. And may this meal proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes again.
In the name of Jesus, our crucified and risen Lord, we pray. Amen.”
Lord’s Supper Service Order
Lord’s Supper Service Order
Opening prayer /Pass out the elements-
Talk about what the bread represents, then pray thanking God for the body of Christ.
Talk about what the bread represents, then pray thanking God for the body of Christ.
26 Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.”
"AND THEY ALL DID EAT"
"AND THEY ALL DID EAT"
Talk about the blood of Christ and what it meant, then pray and thank God for the blood.
Talk about the blood of Christ and what it meant, then pray and thank God for the blood.
27 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, 28 for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
"AND THEY ALL DID DRINK"
"AND THEY ALL DID DRINK"
30 And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
END WITH ALL STANZAS OF AMAZING GRACE
