The Lord’s Table: The Heart
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.
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The mission of SHBC “is to seek holiness as we covenant together as a faithful local body of Christ and to engage in the Great Commission by making disciples in our homes, our communities, and around the world.”
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
Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.
Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.
Opening Hymn
Scripture & Prayer: Pastor Bob Psalm 45:1-6
Song #1
Missions Minute: CHILD EVANGELISM FELLOWSHIP (CEF)
Today, our Missions Minute is about Child Evangelism Fellowship, also known as CEF. Our own, Dale Lynam, serves as the Iowa State Director, so I have asked him to come and give you an update this morning.
DALE TO SPEAK
This week, two clubs were started. One on Thursday afternoons in Sloan, led by Pastor Trent Baker from Evangelical Covenant Church. And we are leading the other on Friday afternoons at 1:30 PM at Morningside Elementary. If you are available to help, please let me know. We would love to get you involved.
Offering & Prayer
Song #2
Song #3 (Death Was Arrested)
Pastoral Prayer
World -
Country-
State-
City- shooting in Sioux City (3 dead)
SHBC-
Introduction
If you have your Bible with you, this morning, please turn back with me to 1 Corinthians chapter 11.
(beat)
As we began the chapter a few weeks ago, we saw that Paul was launching into a new section of his letter—where he began to focus on the church’s conduct and practice within the worship service itself.
Over the last two weeks, we have been diving deep into what he has said about the practice of the Lord’s Supper within the church.
First, he discussed with them how the church should approach the table. That we, as members of the church, should approach with the intent of caring for one another and with the goal of the body of Christ being united as they commune with the Father through the Spirit of Jesus.
Last week, Paul discussed the ordinance itself—the practical taking of the Supper, as commanded by Jesus. Not only should the church observe the Supper regularly, but they must do so in the way that God desires. Failure to observe the Supper properly breeds disunity and disgraces the One whose body and blood are represented at the table. As followers of Jesus, all church members should desire communion with King Jesus and unity with the body.
We need to be reminded of who we are and who Jesus is each week. So, as we come together for the Supper, we should be proclaiming the all-sufficiency of His atoning death to each other. That reminder not only keeps us humble and outward-focused, but should encourage us.
We must be reminded that we can accomplish nothing good without the grace of God through the sacrifice of Jesus the Son and His indwelling Holy Spirit.
Every week, as we exhort one another and observe the Supper, we proclaim the sufficiency of His death and His constant presence in our lives, which empowers us for both holy living and for the mission of making disciples.
This week, Paul is going to dig into the details of the issue that he mentioned in verse 21. And as he does, he will cut open the Corinthian body of Christ and expose the hearts of these individuals within the church.
[TITLE SLIDE]
For that is what they still are: individuals. They have not yet learned to become a united assembly of God’s people—they have not learned to become the church. Paul begins, now, to address these individuals. Look with me to chapter 11, starting in verse 27:
[MAIN PASSAGE SLIDE x3]
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. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. (/) For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. (/) But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.
Here, Paul is singling out those who take the Supper unworthily, for as he said in verse 20, “it is not the Lord’s supper” that they are eating. For them, it is something altogether different. Their selfish actions in taking more than their share, and partaking before others even arrive, reveals the true state of their hearts. And, because of their wicked motives, they are not eating and drinking from the body of Christ, but they are eating and drinking their own guilt.
[POINT 1 SLIDE]
Guilt (v 27)
The word “guilt” is a descriptive noun used to describe the status of a person or thing. A violation of law has occured; there has been some legal offense against an authoritative code. In the theological sense, sin has been committed. And all sin is an offense to our Holy God. He has called us to obedience to His law of righteousness, and we have refused. Paul reminds us in Romans 3:23 that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
We, then, stand before Him—in a legal sense—as guilty.
But true followers of Christ—those that have believed in Him as Savior and given Him their loving loyalty—have been covered by His innocent blood before God the judge. In that way, their guilt has been removed, for the judge only sees holiness when he looks upon the sinner.
But what about those who despise the blood of Jesus? Will their guilt be covered?
Let’s go back to verse 27:
[PASSAGE SLIDE]
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.
Reflecting on the verses before, Paul is saying that “the Lord’s Supper is one place where the church can come and practice entering together into the Most Holy Place to sit and rest at the table of the Lord. It is a place of unity and refreshment, where brothers and sisters draw closer to Christ and closer to one another, building each other up for the work of the ministry.”
“Therefore, [whoever] 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.”
Ok. So let us spend some time breaking down this statement.
First, what is an “unworthy manner?”
The word here in Greek is anaxi’os. It comes from the root word axi’os, but in Greek grammar, adding an “a” or an “an” at the beginning of the word makes it the opposite of the root word. In this case, axi’os means “worthy,” so anaxi’os means “unworthy.”
So, if we want to properly understand what Paul means by taking the Supper “unworthily,” then we must first understand what it is to take it in a “worthy” manner. How can one partake in the Supper in a worthy manner?
Over the last few weeks, we have discussed what this looks like.
The partaker is someone who is, first, a member of Jesus’ church—His family—for they have believed in Him as Savior, bowed to Him as Lord, and been adopted by the Father into the family of God.
Secondly, they have come to the table with a soft heart. That is, that they have fully repented of their sin and have sacrificed their own desires for the desires of King Jesus. They are not holding on to bitterness or unforgiveness. Their heart is pliable and teachable and actively engaging with the Holy Spirit to find any wickedness that remains and put it to death.
And thirdly, they have come to the table with and outward focus. Their eyes are firmly on Jesus and they are willing to sacrifice their needs for the needs of their spiritual family. If there is not enough food at the table, they will forgo their own share for the sake of their brother or sister who is in need.
This is what it is to approach the table in a worthy manner. To approach the table in an “unworthy manner,” then, is to come without fulfilling all three of these requirements.
And this was commonly happening in Corinth. Paul’s sources told him that leaders were coming and gorging themselves ahead of the church gathering. These selfish gluttons had come and fed their own desires, leaving little or nothing for those who were truly in need.
Far from uniting the church body, they were causing greater division and pushing people further from Christ.
In Romans 12:1, Paul appeals to the church in Rome to present their “bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” It seems that the Corinthians don’t understand this either. Instead, they are attempting to approach the throne of God with a profane sacrifice—with bodies that have not been decontaminated of sin and washed free of transgression.
Yesterday my family attended a wedding.
Traditionally, when you hear the wedding march and you stand for the bride, you will turn to fine her wearing a beautiful white gown. The color white signifies her innocence and purity that she has protected for her future husband and that she now offers to him in covenant because of the love and respect that she has chosen to give to him.
Now, I want you to imagine that you hear the music and stand to see a bride. In contrast to your expectations, she presents herself to her husband in all black. And as she walks down the aisle to him, she brags to the crowd about her sexual deviancy and her infidelity to her soon-to-be husband.
This is the picture that we get often from unfaithful Israel in the Old Testament—a picture that the prophet Hosea portrays as a living representation of God’s relationship with His promised bride. Even after she is rescued by her husband, she runs back for more infidelity.
But now, Jesus has come and has shown the church what it is to be a loving and faithful bride—one that is holy and chaste. A bride who will return to God loving loyalty out of her thankfulness for His overwhelming grace and mercy.
But, as Paul looks at this bride that is the local church, he sees only these same unfaithful tendencies in the lives of the Corinthian believers. He indicts their behavior.
He says that those who do this—that those who approach the table unworthily—“will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord.”
The word used to translate “guilty” means liable, or deserving of a penalty. This word is used 10 times in the New Testament and is always used in reference to death, judgment, and hellfire.
These church members who approach God’s holy table in an unholy manner are inviting judgment on themselves as they consume the elements.
The New Testament scholar, David Garland, puts it this way:
[QUOTE SLIDE]
“Those whose behavior at the Lord’s Supper does not conform to what that death entails effectively shift sides. They leave the Lord’s side and align themselves with the rulers of this present age who crucified the Lord.”
In this way, they effectively throw off the holy covering of Jesus and approach the throne of God stained by their own sin—the sin that Jesus already paid for. They have, metaphorically, gone into the grave to find their sin that Jesus had left there and, then, carried it out of the grave and into the presence of God.
Do they honestly think that they will come away unscathed?
(beat)
Think back with me to the story of Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, from Leviticus 10. These were the two oldest sons of Aaron, who would one day take over as High Priest of the Israelites. But they transgressed God’s instructions for worship and His holiness by approaching the Most Holy Place with unauthorized fire.
It seems that these men were more noble than these Corinthians, and yet they experienced judgment for violating the holiness of the presence of God.
What judgment, then, will those with less worthy motives experience?
(beat)
Is their failure during the Supper to proclaim the Lord’s death in a worthy manner a proclamation of their own death?
Have they knowingly walked away from the forgiveness of Christ, willing to bear their own sin before the Father?
Surely, there will be consequences for such an act.
[POINT 2 SLIDE]
Consequence (vv 29-30)
Consequences are simply the effect of “cause and effect.” And the natural consequence for sin is judgment. Judgment is the effect that our sin has caused.
We reap the consequences of what we have sown. And when we sow sin in our lives, our consequence is difficulty, pain, and suffering—all of which naturally occur when we are separated from God.
These are the results of the curse on creation that comes from sin. In Genesis 3, God tells Adam and Eve that their curse would include strife, pain, weeds, difficult labor, and death. All of these are the natural consequences of sin and separation from God.
When they were expelled to the East of the garden, God posted a Cheribum with a flaming sword to protect His holy garden from any unholy intruders. Do you think that the Cheribum would allow human depravity to enter the garden? No. He would have slain any who would have attempted to enter.
So, why would it be any different when depraved humans attempt to approach God’s holy table through the veil that He has torn by the blood of His Son?
(beat)
Paul continues in verse 29:
[PASSAGE SLIDE]
For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.
Those who partake of the elements of Christ’s body unworthily will eat and drink judgement on themselves. I think that much is clear in this passage. But what does it mean to eat and drink “without discerning the body?”
(beat)
I think the clearest understanding of this is to understand it within the corporate context. Paul has already rebuked these church members for their divisiveness and selfishness at the table. Many have come as individuals only, seeking to gorge themselves as other individuals in the body went without.
With that understanding, Paul is correcting their approach to the table by refocusing their attention away from themselves and to their brothers and sisters within the local church body.
This should lead us to two conclusions.
First, the local body should all come to the Lord’s table at the same time. They are learning to lean on one another and to collectively commune with God through the Holy Spirit as they partake of elements symbolizing the sacrifice of Jesus—the only reason they can even come to the table at all.
And second, anyone who approaches the table without first looking to their spiritual siblings and caring for their needs invites judgment on themselves, for they are not imaging Christ as they walk through the curtain. Those who bear the name of Jesus should approach the table in the way that He would.
Paul goes on:
[PASSAGE SLIDE]
That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died.
Paul directly connects some physical ailments within the church to their approach to the table. He says, “that is why,” or “because of this.”
“Because of the judgment you are inviting on yourself, many of you are weak and ill, and some have died.”
There are a few different ways that we can take this statement from Paul.
He may be saying that spiritual weakness has become pervasive because of their hard-heartedness—that they have fallen spiritually ill and spiritually dead. That would certainly be true, but it doesn’t fit the context of the passage as a whole. There will certainly be spiritual repercussions from approaching a holy God unworthily, but Paul’s emphasis, here, is on the physical.
Or he could mean that it is the needy who have become weak and ill and died because of their lack of resources. Surely, if their greedy leaders are consuming all of the available resources, those who are hungry and helpless would be worse off. However, we would have expected Paul to have spent chapters rebuking them specifically if they were letting members die due to the need of physical resources. Instead, his comments are limited to the Lord’s table alone.
It seems, then, that the best understanding is the most straight-forward—that Paul is connecting physical ailments to their flippant attitudes with which they approach the Most Holy God. It appears that there were some who had been participating in the Supper in unworthy manners who had fallen ill and died. And Paul is pointing out a direct correlation between them.
(beat)
There may have been an early understanding in the church that worthy participation in the Supper not only held the church in unity, but also kept them strong physically. One of the Church Fathers was named Ignatius of Antioch. He was a disciple of the Apostle John. He called the Lord’s Supper “the medicine of immortality.” By this, he—of course—is speaking symbolically of the connection through the Supper to eternal life. Jesus Himself says precisely this in John 6:
[SCRIPTURE SLIDE]
So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.
The corollary to that is that those who feed on the flesh and blood of Jesus unworthily are not only lacking health and strength in the here and now, but also eternally in the life to come. That, those who approach a Holy God covered in their own iniquity take up the sweet “medicine of immortality” in their hands, but it turns to bitter judgment in their stomachs.
Approaching the Table of God to stand in His presence without first being purified is putting your welfare in jeopardy—both spiritually and physically.
Craig Keener makes an interesting note here. As Paul is about to begin speaking of Spiritual Gifts in chapter 12, he says “the idea here might be that when the church does not embrace all its members, gifts of healings are inhibited.” In other words, that the lack of unity within the church has left them spiritually impotent—that the power for spiritual gifts is inhibited because of their hard-heartedness. However, considering how Paul rebukes them about boasting in their more flamboyant gifts, it doesn’t seem like the Holy Spirit has limited their spiritual power in other capacities.
I think it, then, better to understand these physical ailments as a consequence of their sinful participation in the Lord’s Supper. The idea, here, being that God has removed His hand of protection from these individuals and has allowed them to succumb to the natural consequences of physical illness. The fact that they could not be healed could be a sign of God’s judgment for their ungrateful and selfish attitudes. And I think this is Paul’s point. He could have killed them for their iniquity as He did Ananias and Sapphira, but He chose instead to let the curse of humanity have its way with them.
(beat)
Let us think of this through the lens of biblical theology—that is, through the lens of the whole story of Scripture. Humanity was designed to live in the presence of God, but most of our story has been spent in exile. We were exiled from the Garden and have spent most of our existence wandering, searching for the way back to Eden—to be as close to God’s presence as possible. By His own actions, His presence came closer to us at Mt. Sinai, then through the tabernacle in the wilderness, and the temple on Mt. Zion.
But, by the blood and body of Jesus, the Holy Spirit now dwells within God’s people. We are as close to the Garden as we ever have been.
And through the practice of the Lord’s Supper, we get the opportunity to step into the Garden—into God’s presence—for just a moment each week.
As we step through the torn curtain and into the Most Holy Place, we get a taste of what it is to rest in God’s presence—the one thing we will do for all eternity when we step out of this life and into the next.
(beat)
Would we dare risk that by casting off the holy covering of Jesus so that we can stand in the presence of God as an filthy sinner?
It would be worse for us than Icarus trying to touch the sun.
(beat)
Actions have consequences.
How are we approaching the table of God?
Have we thoughtfully considered?
If not, this is the moment where we need to look inside and examine our own hearts…
[POINT 3 SLIDE]
Self-Examination (vv 28, 31-32)
It’s never easy for one to be self-critical. Most often, we won’t like what we find. The prophet Jeremiah reminds us that our hearts are deceitful and wicked. And for many people, seeing the truth of their treacherous hearts leads them to self-loathing and depression.
But what if that shame led us somewhere different?
(beat)
What if the shame of our sinful hearts led us to repentance?
Let’s go back to verse 28:
[PASSAGE SLIDE]
Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup.
Self-examination should lead us to realize our sin and to walk away from it. For that is the reason that you have been given the Spirit of God to dwell inside of you…
Not to give you some elaborate spiritual gift.
But to empower you for holy living. To shape you into the image of Jesus.
To shine a light on the sinful tendencies remaining in your heart so you can put them to death once and for all.
Shame of that sin can be useful, because it reminds us that there is still work to be done in killing sin by the power of God’s sanctifying Spirit.
But, if we don’t get busy working with the Spirit to kill it, the enemy will use it as a tool to try and separate us from God.
He will constantly remind you of it and tell you that “you are not good enough. You don’t deserve God’s grace.”
And Satan is right. You and I don’t deserve it. But that is why it is called grace. We can never be good enough.
But Jesus was.
And He went to the cross as the ultimate sacrifice so that you and I might be able to approach God’s table and find a little bit of rest during our time in this weary world.
Paul offers this same hope to even those in Corinth who are transgressing the table of God. There is forgiveness available to them, if they would only stop and examine themselves, and repent.
Verses 31 and 32:
[PASSAGE SLIDE]
But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.
The world likes to remind us of the verse from Matthew 7:1, “judge not, that you not be judged.”
But if they only read the other 31,000 verses, they might understand this concept a little better.
As followers of Christ, we are reminded not to judge the world, for they have one judge. Let us instead share with them the gospel in both Word and life.
But, as Christians, we are called to judge each other—to encourage one another and hold each other up to the standard of holiness. For we are each called to be shaped into the image of Christ. But, as Jesus continues in Matthew 7, we find that self-examination is even more important that examining each other.
Matthew 7:3–5 “Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.”
We must examine our own hearts…
(beat)
Do you approach the table with a log in your eye? Do you come with sin remaining in your heart?
Repent of it. Today. Put it to death.
Are you holding something against your brother or sister? Do you still need to forgive someone?
Let it go this morning. Give it over to Jesus.
(beat)
We should come to the table with soft and pliable hearts, seeking to be molded into the image of Jesus and to be unified with our church family.
(beat)
God uses these moments of self-examination and even our failures of sin to discipline us and make us more holy. The Lord’s Supper should give us a quiet time to reflect on our hearts each and every week.
If there is something your still holding onto, let the tray pass.
If you take the elements and find that you are not ready, set them down.
No one here will judge you for it. For it is better to recognize a heart condition that needs repair than it is to eat and drink judgment on yourself.
(beat)
Let us learn to be like King David, who—when confronted with his sin by the prophet Nathan, fell on his knees before the Lord.
Let us, too, cry out the words of Psalm 51:
Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin!
For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me.
Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you may be justified in your words
and blameless in your judgment.
Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
and in sin did my mother conceive me.
Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being,
and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones that you have broken rejoice.
Hide your face from my sins,
and blot out all my iniquities.
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from your presence,
and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and uphold me with a willing spirit.
Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will return to you.
Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God,
O God of my salvation,
and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.
O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;
you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
Do good to Zion in your good pleasure;
build up the walls of Jerusalem;
then will you delight in right sacrifices,
in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings;
then bulls will be offered on your altar.
Can you honestly cry out to God with those words, seeking forgiveness for your sin?
If so, you are ready to follow the King. And if you have submitted your life to Jesus and been obedient in baptism, you are ready to approach His table.
If you have not yet submitted your life to Christ and been obedient in baptism, let the elements pass by you this morning. But let today be the day that you profess your decision to follow the King. Come and speak with one of our Pastor-Elders about what it is to be in God’s family. Come and be obedient in baptism.
[LORDS SUPPER SLIDE]
Application
As we move to our time of communion. I want to invite you to sit for a few moments in quiet and to examine your hearts as we prepare to approach the table.
As you do that, I am going to invite our ushers to quietly come forward.
(beat)
Lord’s Supper
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 1 Corinthians 11:23-26
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, 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.” 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.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
Prayer of Blessing on bread and cup
Invite everyone to stand for the closing hymn
CLOSING HYMN
CONGREGATIONAL BLESSING
