The Lord’s Table: The Approach
Practical Church (1 Corinthians) • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Announcements
Good morning. Welcome to Southern Hills Baptist Church. Thank you for joining us today.
If you are a first-time guest with us, you will find a Connection Card in the pew rack in front of you. We would appreciate it if you would fill that out and place it in the offering plate. That gives us a record of your visit and allows us the opportunity of reaching out to you this week to answer any questions that you might have.
Online giving is available at our website, southernhillsbc.com. By clicking on GIVE, it will take you to our giving page where you can easily give by electronic check or credit card. You can also give during our offertory time or in the box at the info table. If you are a guest, please know that we do not expect you to give. Our members and regular attenders provide for the ministry of the church.
You will notice that our service order will be a little different this morning. We will be moving the Lord’s Supper to the end of the service for the next month as we work through Paul’s teaching on the topic.
See bulletin for Calendar Updates
If you are a guest with us, know that this is our weekly Family Worship service. Our children will remain with us for the entire service. We do have a nursery available for children under 4 just down the hall if you would like to use it.
Please stand as I read our Call to Worship.
Call To Worship
Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
Opening Hymn
Scripture & Prayer: Pastor Bob Revelation 1:9–18
Song #1
Missions Minute: Faith Riders Motorcycle Ministry
Today, our Missions Minute about Faith Riders Motorcycle Ministry. Faith Riders was launched out of a church in Florida in 2002. Their mission is to use their passion for motorcycles to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with anyone who will listen. Today, they have chapters in 22 states, as well as 1 in Canada and 2 in Cuba. They typically try to set up a booth at local and national events to evangelize to attenders.
A group of them came through last month, as they do each year, on their way to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. There, they had almost 1900 individual gospel conversations in one week and 209 people who committed to Christ. Please be praying for their ministry and for these new believers, that they would get connected into churches who would disciple them.
If you would like more information about Faith Riders, you can go to faithriders.com.
Offering & Prayer
Song #2 (Great I Am)
Song #3
Pastoral Prayer
World -
Country-
State-
City-
SHBC-
Introduction
If you have your Bibles with you this morning, please open with me to 1 Corinthians chapter 11.
Throughout the letter, Paul has offered a little encouragement, much teaching, and several corrections to individuals within the church. But the beginning of chapter 11, he transitioned into a new section of his letter, where his focus shifted to the corporate gathering of the church. There, he began critiquing their undisciplined approach to worship and pointing them to the pattern of liturgy and order that God had written into creation from the very beginning.
Last week, he specifically addressed married women in the church who were standing before the assembly and offering prayers to God, while at the same time living in open rebellion to Him in front of the whole church and the community. Paul pointed to their need to be holy and set apart from the world, rather than looking like the world.
This week, Paul is going to begin giving them instruction on the Lord’s Supper. As we approach this topic, we are going to break it into 4 weeks. Over the next month, we will cover our approach to the table, the ordinance that is the Lord’s Supper, the heart of the worshipper, and the practice of the Supper itself.
Today, our focus will be on how we should approach the table of the Lord.
[TITLE SLIDE]
As followers of Christ, we have been reconciled into relationship with Yahweh God. As such, we are able to stand in His presence once again because of the holy covering of the blood of Jesus. It is He alone who makes us holy and mediates for us with the Father. And it is only because of His work and the presence of the Holy Spirit that we can approach the table of the Lord at all.
As those who believe in and give loyalty to Christ, we have been adopted as children of God. And because we are now His beloved sons and daughters, He invites us to His banquet table where we are privileged to enjoy fellowship with Him. And Jesus Himself—as the firstborn Son—has instructed the family in the order designed by God for participation in the meal.
And yet, it seems as if the Corinthian believers were not taking it seriously. If I may say so, they have turned the meal of the Lord into a Baptist potluck free-for-all…
And so, Paul is going to take the rest of chapter 11 to explain exactly how they should be participating in the Supper. In doing so, he is hopeful that his rebuking will lead them to repentance and will help them to eliminate chaos from within their corporate assembly by bringing all aspects of their worship into order.
And he will begin this instruction by discussing how they should approach the table. Look with me, starting in verse 17:
[MAIN PASSAGE SLIDE x4]
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. 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, (/) for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized. When you come together, it is not the Lord’s supper that you eat. (/) For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk. (/) 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.
Paul has heard about how their unchecked division has even crept into their worship services.
(beat)
I don’t know if you have ever been in a really unhealthy church, but division doesn’t stay hidden for long. It seeps out and sows discord. First, it’s quiet and hidden in the back classrooms. But if you have a congregation filled with bitter and prideful people, it won’t take long for it to boil over and infect every area of the church body. I have heard stories from pastors about in churches like these, where they have seen arguments and fist-fights happening among members in the middle of the Sunday worship service.
This is how bad Corinth has become in Paul’s absence. He is pointing the Corinthians back to the basics of the gospel—to the death of self—because division has become the status quo in the church. And he lays the Lord’s table and the assembly of God’s people before them as the place where there should be no division, no ego, no pride. For God has called His people to be holy and to strive to be like Jesus.
Therefore, the only way forward is for every member to sacrifice the self for the good of the community. They must give up their own desires for those of the One who they call King. They must put their differences aside and fight for unity within the body.
[POINT 1 SLIDE]
Fight for Unity (vv 17-19)
Paul’s mood in the letter has changed from a tone of correction to a tone of disappointment. It’s almost as if you can hear him shaking his head as he writes this to them. Look back with me at verse 17:
[PASSAGE SLIDE]
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.
In verse 2, Paul commended them for remembering him and for largely maintaining the traditions. But now, as he moves into their approach to the Lord’s table, he does not commend them.
So, if he does not commend them, he offers them the corollary. What is the opposite of commendation?
(beat)
If a commendation is an award of praise, it may be best to say that Paul is offering the Corinthians a condemnation or a rebuke in this section. Whichever it is, he is doing more than offering criticism. He is reprimanding them for their selfish and sinful actions.
And Paul says that the division has become so bad within the church, that things get even worse when they gather on Sunday.
He continues:
[PASSAGE SLIDE]
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,
The divisions in the church at Corinth have become popular news on the lips of messengers. The conduct of the church is so outrageous that news of it has made the tabloids—rumor and gossip roll off the tongues of travelers. But Paul has confirmed this with trusted sources. The light on the hill has been covered in a basket and the flicker is fading.
These divisions in Corinth have become so developed that they have begun breaking into factions. The word “factions” here that Paul uses means party or sect in Greek. This is the word that Jews used of political factions and of different sects within Judaism. They had the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the Essenes, and the Herodians. But they would later also call the followers of Jesus the party of the Nazarenes, or The Way.
The early church would even come to find their own dissenters from within. First, it was the Judaizers—those who refused to believe that Gentiles could come to Christ and be saved without converting to Judaism and taking the law upon themselves. Here in Corinth, it seems that the church has become unduly influenced by the Greek school of philosophy and public opinion.
And later, John would write against Gnostic influence in the churches and Peter would warn of false prophets who would seek control and divide the church. Look at what Peter writes in his second letter:
[SCRIPTURE SLIDE]
But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.
That word translated as heresies is the same word that Paul has used in verse 19 for “factions.” These are divisive ideas or individuals who have claimed territory and begun a political faction within the church. Here, Peter warns that these “factions” won’t just come from outside the church, but will arise from within the church as well.
False teachers are those who love their interpretation of scripture more than they love scripture.
False teachers love themselves more than they love Jesus.
False teachers speak to please the ear and gain an audience.
False teachers claim Jesus as Savior, but do not submit to Him as Lord.
And Peter says that they will bring destruction upon themselves.
But if the church is not vigilant, they will also destroy the local church body.
Back to Paul in verse 19:
[PASSAGE SLIDE]
for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized.
It is important for us to realize that there will always be those who disagree within a church body. In fact, most of the time it is healthy to have differences in opinion within the church. But those differences should be discussed and worked through and settled in one way or another. To leave an issue unspoken is to breed bitterness and dissension.
I once had a Pastor who told me that he and his wife had never had a single argument about anything for their whole marriage…
I know…
If you can make it through your honeymoon without an argument, your doing better than most.
But to get through 10 years of marriage without an argument is unhealthy, because unless you’ve cloned yourself as the opposite sex, there will be differences in opinion. Failure to express that in a relationship does not help us get along. That is not unity. That is one person dying so that the other can remain justified in their selfishness.
It breeds bitterness and dissension, both within a marriage and within the church.
Needless to say, years later the church found out that this man was disqualified from being an Elder for a whole host of reasons.
That bitterness and dissension that comes from within unhealthy families will make it out of those small circles. As it multiplies, it will create factions, or sects, within the church. And Paul says that there must be some factions in Corinth so that they may recognize those who are genuinely devoted to Christ. At this point, it should be obvious to everyone who is allied with which faction, and which factions are loyal to Christ.
Small factions will appear in every church over time because every church is full of sinful humans. An unhealthy church allows pride and narcissism to thrive as quiet groups of bitter and divisive people begin to form. And failure to deal with those factions will bring destruction upon the church. False teachers will multiply and chaos will reign. This is what seems to be happening in Corinth. The church has become divisive and nobody has the intestinal fortitude to deal with it.
As Christians within the body of Christ, we must deal with division and factions within the local church. But also, we have to understand that failing to deal with it in the right way will also bring harm to the church and to its members. When factions arise, we have 3 options. In Corinth, we are seeing the outcome of choosing to ignore the problem.
The second option is to stamp out the factions—to deal with them in an authoritarian, heavy-handed way. This does not address the concern of the genuine dissenter and causes more conflict within the church as the egos of the church leaders and the false teachers fight over the congregation. More often than not, this approach will lead to either a legalistic local church who refuses to listen to its members and inflicts waves of church hurt or, if it is a large faction, it will lead to a major church split.
The third option is what Paul is describing in his letters to Corinth. When the local church builds a healthy environment of family, where people feel free to disagree with each other and share opinions, factions stay small. Each member is striving to be united in their devotion to Christ and in their pursuit of holiness. In that kind of environment, where order and unity have abolished chaos and dissension, division and narcissism cannot breed. They flounder instead. Those who remain bitter will eventually either surrender to Christ and the unity of His body or they leave the church to find one where their chaos is welcomed.
And if a straggler remains who tried to bring disunity, the church members will love them and try to correct them gently. And then, as a last resort, the church will move to church discipline.
But regardless of where and when it is corrected, a healthy local church will fight for unity throughout the whole process.
(beat)
It is obvious to all that this is not happening in the Corinthian church. Paul expresses his gladness that these factions have come out in the open, because now they clearly know who is committed to unity in Christ and who is not. These believers who are committed must now deal with these factions before their local church is destroyed.
(beat)
As Paul is giving instruction to the church on their approach to the table, let us consider the practical application of fighting for unity in the taking of the Lord’s Supper.
Communion with God at His table is for His children. That is, that only those who have submitted their lives to Christ and been adopted as children of God should participate. In this way, the local church should seek for unity by only inviting those who are true believers to participate.
There are 3 basic philosophies for churches in the giving of the elements of the Lord’s Supper. The first approach is what we call “open communion.” Open communion invites all to participate in the Supper. The only requirement given is that one must believe in Jesus and identify as a Christian. In the 20th century, this has become the dominant approach in evangelical churches.
I suspect that this is because most churches are afraid to offend anyone who may be willing to provide financial support to the church. And many seeker-sensitive churches have even abandoned both membership and the Lord’s Supper altogether so that they can remove those “barriers to entry.”
But are those valid reasons that are submitted to the Word of God?
Can we even become a united local church if we are not committed to each other and share in His table?
There are two major concerns with this approach.
First, it conflates belief and self-identification with the true status of justification. What I mean by that is that one is not saved by praying a prayer or believing that Jesus died for their sins or by claiming the title of “Christian.” This is cultural Christianity nonsense left over from the rubble of Christendom.
Instead, individuals are saved by believing Jesus is Savior and submitting to Him as Lord. Failing to protect nominal believers from themselves hurts that individual and the church at large. It allows them to continue believing that they are loyal to Christ and His table, all the while their hearts are far from Him.
And second, as we will see in a few weeks, to allow someone who is not devoted to Christ to partake in the Supper is to allow them to “eat and drink judgment” on themself. This person is masquerading as a Christian and approaching the table in disguise so that they can blend in. They want to come and go as they please without any judgment or accountability, all so they feel good about themselves. But God sees their heart, and the state of their heart betrays them. Allowing someone to participate who is openly in rebellion to God is not good stewardship on the part of the local church.
That is what “open communion” is.
(beat)
The opposite of “open” is “closed communion.” Churches with the closed communion philosophy only allow members of their church to participate. In this way, they have effectively “fenced” the Lord’s table. Think of the Elks Lodge—you will need to show your ID at the door before you can partake. In “closed communion,” the church has personally vetted all members to ensure their belief in and submission to Christ. Therefore, there is little concern about people “eating and drinking judgment” on themselves.
However, there are two concerns here as well.
The first is that even when we fully “fence” the table for our church members, we still do not know their hearts. Ultimately, it is impossible to keep people from “eating and drinking judgment” on themselves. Some visible church members have not fully submitted to Christ. And others may be rebelling against Him by partaking while holding on to some bitterness or unforgiveness in their heart.
The second concern is that in the practice of only allowing members to participate, we exclude true believers who have fully submitted their life to Christ. Whether they are regular attenders or guests who are traveling through town, we are excluding part of the body of Christ from uniting with Him in fellowship at His table. To my understanding, this seems wholly inconsistent with the early church practices in the New Testament.
That is “closed communion.”
(beat)
Last is the philosophy is what we practice here at Southern Hills. It is called “close communion.”
Close communion ideally allows for both members and committed believers in Christ to participate. That is why, when we give instructions each week, we specifically say that those who participate must be a “follower of Jesus, in that you have accepted Him as Savior, bowed to Him as King, and been baptized in obedience to His commandment.”
There are 3 components that we require:
Belief in Jesus as God in the flesh—who by His death conquered sin, and by His resurrection conquered death—and who now provides for us salvation—that is, reconciliation with God—for any who would truly follow Him.
Submission to Jesus as Lord. He has been raised as King and given authority over all of creation. He alone has the right to rule and reign. True believers have given Him their allegiance and have sacrificed their own desires for His will.
Baptism. Baptism does not save a believer, but is the outward expression—or the sign—of their public confession. We require baptism for membership and participation in the Supper because it is commanded of believers in Scripture by King Jesus Himself. If a believer claims to be in submission to Christ, and yet refuses to obey Him in baptism, there is a major disconnect in their theology. One cannot be loyal to someone they disobey.
Close communion is open to any who meet those 3 requirements. They may fully participate with us in the Supper. In this way—by giving these instructions each week—we are attempting to “fence” the table—to protect people that we care about from “eating and drinking judgment” on themselves.
If you do not fill out the description, we will not judge you. Communion is a time of reflection. Simply let the plate pass or decline the elements when they are offered. There are times when even the most committed of us should let the plate pass us by.
Parents, if your child has not believed, submitted, and been baptized, it is your job to protect them. Use this as an opportunity to instruct them in the practice of the church. Help them to understand that the Lord’s Supper is a special time of communion between a Father and His children, where they come together in unity.
And if they have questions and want to know more, praise God for their wonderful curiosity. Your Pastor-Elders would be happy to help you answer their questions.
(beat)
All that to say, that as we approach the table, we should do so with hearts that desire unity.
[POINT 2 SLIDE]
Sacrifice the Self (vv 20-21)
But we should also approach with hearts that are willing and ready to sacrifice the self for the good of the body and the kingdom. Paul explains to them that this is not what is happening in Corinth. Look with me to verses 20 and 21:
[PASSAGE SLIDE]
When you come together, it is not the Lord’s supper that you eat. For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk.
Paul starts by saying that when they come to the Lord’s table at their gatherings, it is not His Supper that they are partaking in, but something altogether different.
Sure, all the elements for the Supper are there, but the way that they partake is anything but unified.
Imagine for a moment that the church has catered a lunch for the church body. But the leaders knew that there would be food, so they didn’t eat that morning. Instead they arrive early and gorge themselves on food before others even arrive, leaving scraps for the congregation to fight over.
This is what was happening in Corinth.
In the early church, the Lord’s Supper became known as the love feast. It was a meal time of fellowship for the members of God’s family at His table. It was meant to be close and uniting as they each sought to be shaped into the image of Jesus.
But it seems that Corinth was all feast and no love. Paul says that these divisive people are grabbing and eating food on their own. There is no waiting, no unity, no fellowship, no corporate blessing. Just abusive selfishness. Those who arrive early eat all the food and drink all of the wine, leaving some hungry and finding themselves drunk.
This is a classic case of gluttony that is being promoted by the leaders in Corinth. They care nothing of others. There is no helping the ophan and the widow in their distress. There is no caring for the poor and the sojourner. There is only self-indulgence.
(beat)
But as we look to Corinth and join Paul in shaking our heads, I want you to realize that this is more common in local churches than it should be. It was common then and it is common today. We are churches filled with sinful and selfish people. And if we are not intentional about killing the desires of the self and seeking unity, we will begin to resemble the church at Corinth.
Jude speaks of these same false teachers and wicked shepherds in his letter to local churches:
[SCRIPTURE SLIDE x6]
For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. (/)
Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. (/)
But these people blaspheme all that they do not understand, and they are destroyed by all that they, like unreasoning animals, understand instinctively. (/) Woe to them! For they walked in the way of Cain and abandoned themselves for the sake of gain to Balaam’s error and perished in Korah’s rebellion. (/) These are hidden reefs at your love feasts, as they feast with you without fear, shepherds feeding themselves; waterless clouds, swept along by winds; fruitless trees in late autumn, twice dead, uprooted; (/) wild waves of the sea, casting up the foam of their own shame; wandering stars, for whom the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved forever.
These wicked shepherds who consume all at the Lord’s table and fail to care for the sheep will reap their reward. They will be like wandering stars in the darkness, eternally separated from the God they claim to serve.
These are the divisive men that Paul is writing to. “They are fruitless trees,” “twice dead,” and “uprooted.” The second death is coming for them. They have sown in selfishness and they will reap the same. God will give them over to the sin that they lust after.
But Paul is calling them to repentance.
There should only be unity and self-sacrifice at the table of the Lord.
The sad part is that congregations, just like children, learn from the behavior that is modeled for them. If their leaders are selfish and unkind, the church will begin to demonstrate that same behavior. And before you know it, unselfishness and kindness will be wholly absent from the body.
(beat)
The call to holiness, self-sacrifice, and unity is for the whole church. But it must first be demonstrated by its shepherds.
So then, practically, how can we fight against selfishness in the body?
First, we need leaders who will teach and model selflessness. We need faithful Elders and Deacons who will sacrifice themselves for the church. And then, we need church members who are committed to caring for each other just as they care for themselves. They need to see and experience members sacrificing for other members, not just for the sake of love and unity, but for the purpose of lifting up the body of Christ.
Church, be grateful that you have faithful leaders and church members who care for each other. Learn from them and model that same unselfishness to others.
[POINT 3 SLIDE]
Exhort the Body (v 22)
We must approach the Lord’s table in a posture of self-sacrifice and with a desire to build up in love those around us. That is what makes communion with our God a love feast.
The Corinthians have lost their way. As the saying goes, they have “jumped the shark.” They have “lost the plot,” “abandoned their first love.” And all for the sake of feeding their own egos. They don’t even notice—or care—that those in greatest need have to approach an empty table.
Paul continues in his rebuke of them. Verse 22:
[PASSAGE SLIDE]
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.
Paul’s point here is that communion is for the purpose of fellowship with the body—for the purpose of breaking bread with God and each other. It is not to feed their human appetites.
He says that they should eat before they come. No one should over-indulge in the feast at God’s table, for they should practice caring for one another. He then points to their selfish motives. They must either hate the church—in which case they are wolves in sheep’s clothing—or they desire to humiliate the poor—those for whom the kingdom of heaven is prepared.
For the rich need nothing from God, and yet many come in camouflage to His table to consume.
But the poor need everything to be provided by the hand of God, and wolves have even taken their share.
It reminds me of the story of the sheep that the Prophet Nathan told Kind David. Turn with me there for a few minutes. 2 Samuel chapter 12.
(beat)
We will start in verse 1:
[SCRIPTURE SLIDE x5]
And the Lord sent Nathan to David. He came to him and said to him, “There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor. The rich man had very many flocks and herds, (/) but the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought. And he brought it up, and it grew up with him and with his children. It used to eat of his morsel and drink from his cup and lie in his arms, and it was like a daughter to him. (/) Now there came a traveler to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take one of his own flock or herd to prepare for the guest who had come to him, but he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.” (/)
Then David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves to die, and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.” (/)
Nathan said to David, “You are the man!”
You see, King David in this moment acted much like these wicked leaders. God had given him the whole kingdom of Saul, wealth, land, and wives. And yet, he was still not satisfied. He coveted Bathsheba, the wife of his friend. So like Adam and Eve in the garden, he took what he wanted for himself, and then panicked and tried to cover it up.
Nathan called him out in the sight of God, just as Paul is calling out these wicked leaders.
King David responded by repenting of his sin. But how will the Corinthians respond?
Will they repent and sacrifice themselves for the good of the body of Christ?
Will they seek to build each other up, especially the weakest and neediest of them?
Will they fight for truth and unity and become known as a faithful church?
(beat)
Will we?
(beat)
How will we approach the Lord’s table?
[COMMUNION SLIDE]
Lord’s Supper
As we come to our time of communion this morning, let us consider all that we have learned from Paul’s rebuke of the Corinthian believers. May we approach the throne of God and His table with humility. May we seek to sacrifice ourselves, to care for our spiritual siblings, and to seek unity this morning as we come to the love feast.
If you are here this morning and cannot approach the table in these 3 ways, please just let the plate pass by. Use the time to reflect on your heart and seek to be reconciled in repentance to your Creator. Pray that the Holy Spirit would help you let go and submit to Christ. And pray that you would engage with the Holy Spirit be formed into His image.
At this time, I am going to have our ushers come forward. As a reminder, if you are a follower of Jesus, in that you have accepted Him as Savior, bowed to Him as King, and been baptized in obedience to His commandment, we invite you to participate with us. In just a moment, we will pass the plates. Please take a piece of bread and a cup and hold it until we take together.
Pass
Instruction from Jesus: Read Mark 14:22-25
And as they were eating, he took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to them, and said, “Take; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it. And he said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. Truly, I say to you, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”
Prayer of Blessing on bread and cup
CLOSE IN PRAYER
CLOSING HYMN
Invitation
Gospel presentation and call to belief
CONGREGATIONAL BLESSING
