The Lord's Supper: A Divine Meal

1 Corinthians 10:14–22 KJV 1900

Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry. I speak as to wise men; judge ye what I say. The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread. Behold Israel after the flesh: are not they which eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar? What say I then? that the idol is any thing, or that which is offered in sacrifice to idols is any thing? But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils. Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table, and of the table of devils. Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? are we stronger than he?

Introduction

When I was in my mid-20s, I was invited to guest preach at a predominately Black Baptist church. This was one of the first times I had ever guest-preached anywhere, and I was excited, honored, and humbled all at the same time. Katie and I went, got there a little early, and found the pastor, who was also my history teacher in college. He grabbed a bulletin and explained to me the order of service and when I would preach. There would be a time for singing, a time of announcements, prayer, and so forth. No big deal. It all seemed pretty standard.

So there we were in this large church, and by large I mean a couple of hundred people. The singing began, and then someone spoke and prayed, and there was more singing. After about 45 minutes of singing, a gentleman got up on the platform to speak. I figured it was about time for me to preach and this guy was introducing me. I could not have been more wrong! He was giving the announcements—the second item in the bulletin. The service was just beginning! It would be another 45 minutes before I got up to preach. But I must say, it was one of the best times I ever had in a church service.

Now churches obviously have differing ways of having a worship service. Some are free-flowing; some are much more rigid. But if we are biblical, we all have pretty much the same elements: we have the gospel sung in Psalm, hymns, and spiritual songs. We have the gospel prayed. We have the gospel spoken as we read the Scriptures throughout the service. We have the gospel preached as we open up God’s Word and study it together. And then, depending on your tradition as to how often, we have the gospel demonstrated by the taking of the Lord’s Supper.

That’s what Paul meant—that we demonstrate the gospel—when he wrote

1 Cor 11:26

1 Corinthians 11:26 KJV 1900

For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come.

While it is not the only way to proclaim the Lord’s death, it is an important way. It is a lively way. As we open up 1 Corinthians 10, we need to understand that Paul gives us the greatest theology lesson about the Lord’s Supper that we have in Scripture. Typically, when we think about the Lord’s Supper and 1 Corinthians, one’s mind might go to chapter 11 where Paul recounts Jesus’ institution of it and then warns from taking it in an unworthy manner. I don’t know if Pastor Joe uses that passage or not, but I use it every week. But if we want to understand what the Lord’s Supper really is, we ought to be looking at the text that is before us today.

To get the full picture, we need to back up a few verses and see what Paul wrote leading up to these we read together this morning. Then we’ll come back to the text for today.  So as we look, I want us to see that when we take the Lord’s Supper, we are taking part in a divine meal, and in so doing, there are three considerations we must keep in mind. We’ll go over the first one this morning, and the next two tonight. The first is that when we take of the Lord’s Supper, we must consider is the aspect of participation with Christ. The second idea is the aspect of consolidation of believers. Lastly, we must consider the aspect of separation from our idols.

The Participation with Christ

The Consolidation of Believers

The Separation from Idols

The Participation with Christ

The first thought that we need to consider is that when we take the Lord’s Supper, it is participation with Christ. Now to do that, we need to go back to verses 3 and 4 of 1 Corinthians 10, as I said a moment ago. In doing so, we’re going to find two more truths that we need to keep in mind:

Israel partook of God’s provision of food and drink

Israel forsook God through idolatry

It’s there that we read:

1 Corinthians 10:3–4 KJV 1900

And did all eat the same spiritual meat; And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.

Israel partook of God’s provision of food and drink

So we see that Israel partook of God’s provision of food and drink. Paul, in an effort to juxtapose the manna and water with the elements of the Lord’s Supper, brings up the fact that the elements in the desert even though they were bread and water were also spiritual in nature—they were a spiritual food and spiritual drink for the people of Israel. But the question is: what did he mean by that? Did he mean that they came from some spiritual being?

If that’s the case, then the answer to that would be yes! God is the one who provided the manna every morning to Israel. God is the one who provided the water to them when they were thirsty.

But what if that isn’t exactly what he meant? What if he meant that the food and drink themselves were spiritual? In other words, what if they blessed the people of Israel spiritually? Was manna a spiritual blessing to the people? Did God provide it in an effort to bless the spirit of his people? And the answer would again be yes!

Exodus 16:4 KJV 1900

Then said the Lord unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no.

As one commentator put it, the manna wasn’t just about eating bread. It was about realizing that God would provide for his people—always.[1] It was a way of blessing the people with sustenance but blessing their souls—their spirits—with faith in God. He will never leave them. He will never forsake them. He will always provide exactly what they need, when they need it. Now the question is: will they take him at his word and believe?

So the food was supernatural, manna from heaven and water from the Rock that is Christ himself. Take note of that! Christ was there in the Old Testament, caring for Israel just as he cares for us. And there is the spiritual blessing from God through this food that teaches the person, reminding the person, of God’s provision and his faithfulness to his covenantal promises.

Israel forsook God through idolatry

So we have Israel that partook of God’s provision; the intent of spiritual blessings was there, but for most Israelites, they never caught on to it. Most of Israel did not grasp the concept of God’s covenant faithfulness or His utmost provision that He was willing to give.

Instead, they complained and accused and rejected and forsook God by their idolatry.

1 Corinthians 10:5–7 KJV 1900

But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness. Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.

Think back to when you’ve studied or read through Exodus. We have God providing manna in chapter 16, we have the golden calf worshipped in chapter 32. You’ll remember how Aaron took of the gold from everyone and melted it down and fashioned a calf so that when it was presented, the people ate and drank and rose up to play.

The spiritual sustenance that God had given them so they might grow their faith in him was used to dance and play before an idol.

And Paul said that he brings this up as an example to us. When we put this up against the Lord’s Supper, can we see the similarities? Absolutely. We know that it was Jesus who instituted the Lord’s Supper, and so it has been divinely given. But what about the other part? Does it give a spiritual blessing? The answer is the same, yes! The issue with Israel is the issue that the Corinthians faced and we face today.

Now let’s take a look at verse 13.

1 Corinthians 10:13 KJV 1900

There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

We see Paul saying that the temptations that the Corinthians were facing: sexual immorality and idolatry in particular, were nothing new. The Israelites faced them; we face them today. But then he wrote, “God is faithful.” That’s not by accident. He wasn’t simply trying to encourage the Corinthians with empty platitudes. He was making a statement of fact because on too many occasions we doubt God’s faithfulness.

One does not need to go down the road of idolatry or the road of sexual immorality or any other tempting road. The road of grumbling, of anger, of bitterness, of dishonoring parents, of lying, stealing, or murder. God is faithful. Our issue is that we doubt that and when we doubt it, we live in doubt rather than trust. Doubt leads us to all manner of sin and rebellion—just as with Israel.

That’s why Paul gives us his conclusion: “If God is faithful and provides a way out—take the way out!” Or as he put it:

1 Corinthians 10:14 KJV 1900

Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.

We participate in Christ with bread and wine

And he follows it up with 1 Cor 10:15-16

1 Corinthians 10:15–16 KJV 1900

I speak as to wise men; judge ye what I say. The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?

At this point, Paul is getting a bit sarcastic with the Corinthians. Many of them prided themselves on being wise, intelligent people. And so in sarcasm, he wrote, “I’m speaking as to the wise; you should know what I mean.” And then he asked two questions: The first about the cup and the second about the bread. This is where we finally get to this idea of participation with Christ. I know it’s been a long time coming, but we’re finally here.

In his question, Paul used the word that is translated as “communion” in the King James and “participation” as is translated in the ESV. The word is a very familiar word for many Christians: koinonia. It means fellowship, communion, partnership, participation, sharing. It really means to join together.

Picture it this way: imagine that it’s getting close to the holidays. Thanksgiving and Christmas are just around the corner. You know that there are going to be party invites going out. You’ve got some decisions to make. Which of all the invitations will you choose to participate in? In essence, which ones will you join yourself to? Which ones will you share in the festivities with? Maybe it’s the ugly-Christmas-sweater party or perhaps the white-elephant-gift party. You see, you’re not hosting the party. The party isn’t contingent on you doing anything on your own. The biggest thing you need to do is show up and participate in the festivities.

Thus, Paul asked if we, when we bless the cup, are not actually participating in the blood of Christ? The answer is clearly yes! We are! How? There’s certainly the taking of the cup and the drinking of the cup.

But notice that Paul calls is the cup of blessing. It is “the cup of blessing that we bless.” This was the last cup, the cup that the Lord took and used to institute the Lord’s Supper. It was called the cup of blessing. Remember that this cup has to do with Passover—the first of which was eaten in Egypt, in the midst of slavery, so that God would passover the houses that had blood on the posts and lentils of the door. And so the last cup of wine shared symbolized the blessing of the sacrifice upon the people.

All the Passover meals after that first one was a reminder of the first, but they were a means to bless those participating.

As one commentator stated, “Just as participation of the Passover celebration entailed participation in the benefits of the sacrifice. . . so participation in the Lord’s Supper entails participation in the benefits of his sacrificial death on the cross.”[2]

So we bless the cup of blessing, meaning that we thank God for giving us the cup of blessing, and in doing so demonstrating that we experience communion with Christ. He is blessing us and we in turn give thanks.

There is a participation—an exchange—between God and us. When someone pours you a glass of cold water, you typically will engage that person with at least a word of thanks. Your host has blessed you and you in turn thank the host for the blessing. There is a participation, a fellowship, a communion between the two.

In the same manner, God has provided us with the spiritual food and drink and at very least we bless Him for it. But it is even deeper than that. It more than just an exchange of drink and thanks. The Lord’s Supper spiritually blesses the person partaking of it if they do so in the right manner. The idea is that as the bread brings sustenance to the body, so Christ brings sustenance for our souls. Christ, by his Spirit, keeps us going! Just as wine brings joy to the heart, so the blood of Christ has redeemed us to a joyful salvation. That means that when we participate in the Lord’s Supper, we are being told by the Lord that he will see us through to the end, and he is restoring unto us the joy of our salvation, no matter how we may have failed in the past week.

Spurgeon himself said,

Those who have had fellowship with his body and his blood at this table may have the Lord as an habitual Guest at their own tables: those who have met their Master in this upper room may expect him to make their own chamber bright with his royal presence. Let fellowship with Jesus and with the elect brotherhood be henceforth the atmosphere of our life, the joy of our existence. This will give us heaven below, and prepare us for heaven above.

Thus, when we take of the Lord’s Supper, we should fully expect that we take the blessing of it with us throughout the week.

It may seem like I’m making a mountain out of a mole hill, but I want everyone to understand how lowly a view the Lord’s Supper has become among many Christians. In an effort to keep away from transubstantiation and consubstantiation—the doctrines of Romanists and Lutherans, we have made the Lord’s Supper of little effect, no effect really.

We have taken the Holy Spirit out of it, and nearly all of Christ out of it except to say that it reminds us of his death. It does that, but it does much more than that. Richard Barcellos wrote, “Though it is not a converting ordinance, the Supper is a sanctifying ordinance. Like the Word of God and prayer, it is a means through which grace comes to us from Christ. It is not a means of special grace, but a special means of grace.”

I just want us to stop and think for a moment: when we read the stories of Israel in the wilderness and how God supernaturally provided for them with manna and water (and how their clothes or sandals did not wear out, etc.), and we read how they grumbled and committed idolatry, we come away scratching our heads. Did they take the Lord’s provision for granted? Did they not see how God cared for them and was with them—literally indwelling the tabernacle, guiding them with light and cloud, giving them food and drink? How easy it is to point the finger and say, “How could you not see all that the Lord has done for you?!” and miss all he has done for us.

For he is the one who cares for us, literally indwelling us as he did the tabernacle, guiding us with his light, inviting us to his table to eat and drink with him through a supper he has provided, not so we can grumble about him or some other aspect of our lives during the week, and not so we can commit idolatry Monday through Saturday. He has done it so we can be sanctified—made holy by sustaining us with his bread and restoring the joy of his salvation through the cup.

Conclusion

So far, we’ve made it through one of the considerations. I’ll go over the next two tonight. But these next two are dependent on this one: the participation in the blood of Christ.

You see, God made a covenant with Israel. He established the Sinaitic covenant there on Sinai and the people accepted the covenant. At that point, God called upon Moses, Aaron, Aaron’s sons and the seventy elders to come up and have a meal with Him. It was a covenant meal that few got to participate in, commune in.

Yet when Christ established the new covenant, though the first meal was with the twelve, the continued practice of the meal is with any and all who have received him as the Lord. Those who have been washed and freed by the blood now have the opportunity to not only have the remission of our sins accomplished, but our joy renewed.

Why, then, would we ever want to delay such communion? Why would we hesitate to go to the Lord’s house for dinner, or invite him to ours, or prepare a table since he is here? Why would we abstain from taking of the Lord’s Supper that God has given to us as a special means of his grace?

I know that many have been taught—and me being among them—that if there is any sin in our lives and we partake of the Lord’s Supper, we do so unworthily. But brothers and sisters, we are always unworthy of God’s grace. Yet when he graciously saved us by the blood of Christ, we gladly received it. This is simply a continuation of that—a reminder of that grace. So let us gladly receive it.

This is the gospel message preached by eating and drinking. We proclaim to every person here the grace that God has in our lives through Jesus Christ. It is a message that the person sitting next to you needs to see and hear. So let us understand it to be a holy meal that builds up and sanctifies ourselves and those around us.

I would encourage you not to hold back from taking it unless 1. You are not a believer, 2. You are factious—in other words, you’re causing division among your church family, or 3. You are currently under church discipline. Otherwise, participate with Christ in taking the bread and cup and proclaim the gospel by doing so to your brothers, sisters, and those who are not yet Christians.

Receive God’s special means of grace that he gives to his children.

Benediction

In light of St. Patrick’s Day on Tuesday, I give you this blessing adapted from one of his prayers:

Christ with you, Christ before you,

Christ behind you, Christ in you,

Christ beneath you, Christ above you,

Christ on your right, Christ on your left

Christ when you lie down, Christ when you sit down

Christ when you arise.

[1]Douglas Stuart, The New American Commentary: Exodus, (Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 2006).

[2]Roy E. Ciampa and Brian S. Rosner, The Pillar New Testament Commentary: 1 Corinthians, (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2010), p. 447.