Unity in the Last Supper

Prayer Item

Pray for our towns. The downpour yesterday has put a strain on the systems, and many homes were impacted negatively. Just pray for those who work behind the scenes to keep everything running smoothly.

Make sure to show some love to your town workers. There jobs can often be thankless, but may God’s people show them the love and thanks that they deserve.

Bottom line

If we are going to accomplish God’s mission, we have to do it together

Opening Line

How far will you go for the sake of the gospel?

Introduction

This is a question I posed to the church a few weeks ago. I reminded us that the mission, the reason the church exists is to make, baptize, and teach disciples of Jesus. In 1 Corinthians 9, we saw that Paul was willing to do anything in order to see some, as many as possible saved. Last week at kickoff, 1 Corinthians 10 taught us that we should do all things to the benefit of others and not ourselves, in order that some maybe saved. So the challenge has been, how far are you willing to go?

Main Point

But as I was praying this week, I paused and asked myself, “How far am I willing to go?” What am I willing to do in order to see the gospel advanced in our region? I remembered how God was stirring me at camp, and a couple conversations I have had about church and what is next for us. I come back to the Redvers campus, and I know what I need to do. The Carlyle Campus is good, the youth centre is good, the Redvers Campus needs help.

So, starting in October, I am going to go back to driving to Redvers and preaching in person before coming back and preaching here at Carlyle. When I look back and think about the life of Redvers, I cannot deny that our campus was the biggest when Louis and I were driving there and preaching. There is something significant about the touch point, and there’s no denying that when we switched to jumbo tron preaching, as some have called it, the campus started to decline.

Why it matters

Why do I tell you that? Because this is not possible without the support and the team that we have here at the Carlyle Campus. See even though it going to be me doing the driving, it is going to be all of us who make this possible. It is going to be the strength and the unity of OneChurch that makes this adjustment a reality.

Which fits well with what we’ve been looking at in 1 Corinthians. Over the next couple of chapters, Paul is really going to start to dive into what our times of worship should look like, and so he is going to dive into spiritual gifts and order of service. This morning in chapter 11, he is going to dive into the significance of communion and why we can’t take it lightly. But all along the way, the cry of Paul, the spiritual father of this young church, is that they would be unified. If OneChurch is going to be the disciple making church we have been called to be, it requires us to be unified in mission, unified by the blood of Jesus, and everyone doing their part, using their gifts, to move the needle. Time is short, and we need to be active.

So with that, let’s dive in.

Scripture

1 Corinthians 11:2–6 NLT

I am so glad that you always keep me in your thoughts, and that you are following the teachings I passed on to you. But there is one thing I want you to know: The head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. A man dishonors his head if he covers his head while praying or prophesying. But a woman dishonors her head if she prays or prophesies without a covering on her head, for this is the same as shaving her head. Yes, if she refuses to wear a head covering, she should cut off all her hair! But since it is shameful for a woman to have her hair cut or her head shaved, she should wear a covering.

blank

Some of you are looking at me like I lost my mind. Why would I talk about being unified and start the sermon with this passage that is potentially very devisive? Are we going to start implementing veils for the ladies? Why is this even in there?

So I need to unpack something for us. When you read your Bible, one of the challenges is understanding if something is a cultural principle that was for that time, and if something is an eternal principle that still applies today. So one of the ways you can know the difference is getting your hands on a good study Bible. Those little notes at the bottom of the page are extremely helpful in understanding the scripture, especially those hard to understand parts. The other thing is prayer, allowing the Holy Spirit to speak to you and reveal spiritual truths from this spiritual book.

The third one is hoping that we will get to the book and I can unpack it for you. So that’s what I’m going to do with this passage. This is a very cultural issue that is hard to understand in our context. I’ve talked a lot about the temple of Aphrodite, and how their practices were impacting the city and the church. Well, at the temple of Aphrodite, the temple prostitutes would pledge their allegiance to the goddess by shaving their heads. So in response to that, the ladies of the Roman empire, especially in Corinth, would wear veils to distinguish themselves from the prostitutes.

What was happening at the church was that the ladies, knowing that Aphrodite was just an idol and not a real god, started taking their veils off because of their new found freedom in Christ, and it was becoming a distraction. It was the same issue Paul brought up earlier about being aware of the weaker consciences of other believers. If your freedom causes them to stumble, you are sinning against the body of Christ. Paul is imploring the church, specifically the ladies, to be aware of how their uncovered heads may be perceived in the context.

He goes on for the rest of the passage to unpack this further. He reminds the ladies that their modesty is a way of honoring their husbands, but it isn’t an authority thing, as men and women both come from God and both are vital and equal in God’s kingdom.

Jump down to verse 13

1 Corinthians 11:13–16 NLT

Judge for yourselves. Is it right for a woman to pray to God in public without covering her head? Isn’t it obvious that it’s disgraceful for a man to have long hair? And isn’t long hair a woman’s pride and joy? For it has been given to her as a covering. But if anyone wants to argue about this, I simply say that we have no other custom than this, and neither do God’s other churches.

blank

Paul ends the discussion by saying he doesn’t want this to become something you are divided over, this is simply the way things are done at most churches at this time. They were to determine for themselves what was appropriate in their setting and go with that.

Which, if you are looking for the eternal principle here, is to be mindful of how the things you do, the things you say, and even the things you wear, can impact your brothers and sisters in Christ. Remember, last week Paul said that you shouldn’t seek your own good but the good of others. In your eating, drinking and all that you do, do it all to the glory of God. I remember when I brought up modesty when we through the letters of Timothy, the push back I got. Well this comes up again, and it is something to take note of. Just because you are comfortable wearing something doesn’t mean everyone is comfortable seeing you in it, and in a culture where porn addiction is so rampant, it would be good for all of us to be aware of how the things we wear may impact a fellow believer negatively. Where’s Garth? It’s not about me, its about we.

1 Corinthians 11:17–22 NLT

But in the following instructions, I cannot praise you. For it sounds as if more harm than good is done when you meet together. First, I hear that there are divisions among you when you meet as a church, and to some extent I believe it. But, of course, there must be divisions among you so that you who have God’s approval will be recognized! When you meet together, you are not really interested in the Lord’s Supper. For some of you hurry to eat your own meal without sharing with others. As a result, some go hungry while others get drunk. What? Don’t you have your own homes for eating and drinking? Or do you really want to disgrace God’s church and shame the poor? What am I supposed to say? Do you want me to praise you? Well, I certainly will not praise you for this!

blank

Just so everyone is aware, in verse 19, Paul is using a little known literary device known as sarcasm! He’s not encouraging division! He has banging the drum of unity the whole time, why would he shift gears now? He’s trying to point out how ridiculous it is that some have separated themselves because they are holier then the rest. That’s not how holiness works!

One commentator pointed out that the church has in many ways lost the significance and power of communion. See what Paul is describing here is something called a love feast, where the church would gather and they celebrate what Christ has accomplished on the cross, rather then mourn what happened on the cross. The church will often become very somber and reflective, and that was not how Jesus operated. Throughout the gospels, Jesus was often feasting with people, so much so that the Pharisees accused him of being a glutton. So what Paul did was he taught the church in Corinth to come together and enjoy these great feasts, and in the midst of the feast, they would share in the Lord’s supper.

But after he left, the suppers became drinking parties, where the wealthy got drunk and the poor left hungry. That’s not what was supposed to happen.

Jumping to verse 27. We’ll come back to 23-26 when we take communion!

1 Corinthians 11:27–30 NLT

So anyone who eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord unworthily is guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. That is why you should examine yourself before eating the bread and drinking the cup. For if you eat the bread or drink the cup without honoring the body of Christ, you are eating and drinking God’s judgment upon yourself. That is why many of you are weak and sick and some have even died.

blank

So this is where I think we have often missed the point of Paul’s teaching here. I have missed the point of Paul’s teaching. See we often talk about the examine as making sure there’s no sin in your life and confessing anything that comes to mind before you take communion. But one commentator pointed that doing that is the same as a doctor saying to a sick person, “Go, get better, and then come see me,” or a loan officer saying to someone, “You need money? Go, get some money, and then I can help you.” The point of the cross is that the sinner can come and find forgiveness. The point of the cross is that the broken and hurting can come to cross and find healing! The point of communion is to come as you are and experience the life change that only Jesus can accomplish.

So why does Paul say that some are weak, sick, or dead? Because they don’t come to communion looking for the thing that only Jesus can give, and that is what is happening today. We have forgotten the power of cross and all that Jesus accomplished. Instead of coming to communion with your brokeness looking for wholeness, communion has become an empty ritual that is void of any power. Since you end up just going through the motions, you don’t find the healing, and you end up physically sick, emotionally weak, and spiritually dead.

1 Corinthians 11:31–34 NLT

But if we would examine ourselves, we would not be judged by God in this way. Yet when we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned along with the world. So, my dear brothers and sisters, when you gather for the Lord’s Supper, wait for each other. If you are really hungry, eat at home so you won’t bring judgment upon yourselves when you meet together. I’ll give you instructions about the other matters after I arrive.

blank

So why do you exmine yourself before taking the bread and wine? It is an act of humility, coming to Jesus with everything that is wrong and asking him to fix it. It is an examining to remember that without Jesus, you are a broken person in need of saving, and you come to him to find the strength and healing that only he can offer.

Transition to Application

So this morning we are going to take communion because it unifies us in a way that nothing else can. Communion reminds us that Jesus died so that you and I could be brothers and sisters in Christ, and you and I can now call God our Father.

Main To Do

We are kicking off the ministry expo this morning with communion because we are all in this together. We were all once broken people in need of a Savior, and praise God that he sent his Son to die so that you could be saved. But not only are we united in what Jesus has accomplished in our lives, we are united in the cause to share that message of hope with as many people as possible.

Why it matters

So in unity, you pray, and ask God to reveal your gifts and calling, and step into the opportunity that is given you to serve. It may not feel like it, but everyone of those roles out has the potential to have an eternal impact on the life of someone in our community. A greeter’s hand shake and kind words could open a broken heart to be healed. A tech person’s diligence to pay attention and make the adjustments could get the message of the gospel to someone who didn’t know they needed it until they tuned in. Even the right muffin on the right day could help someone know that God loves them and has something amazing in store for them.

Closing Line

Every role matters, but we all need to do our part, and we all need to unified in doing it.

Communion

The gentlemen are going to come around. Please take a cracker and cup of juice and wait until I give further instructions. While you wait, examine yourself, and let the Spirit bring healing to your life in a way only he can.

1 Corinthians 11:23–26 NLT

For I pass on to you what I received from the Lord himself. On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, he took the cup of wine after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood. Do this in remembrance of me as often as you drink it.” For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord’s death until he comes again.

Pray

Discussion Questions

What stood out from the message?

How has the work of the cross brought healing to your life?

What are some specific actions you can take to be unified in mission with OneChurch?

How can you personally contribute to the ministry efforts at your campus?

What does being 'unified in mission' mean to you in your daily life as a Christian?