Communion Nov 17

1 Corinthians 11:23–32 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. 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. 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.

1 corinthians 11:

Paul is saying some very mysterious and strong things here.

Paul does not mince words

When he was speaking in the book of Hebrews (may not be Paul)

He said about suffering:

4 After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin.

When speaking to the Galatians about the teachers who were saying you needed to be circumcised in order to be saved

12 As for those agitators, I wish they would go the whole way and emasculate themselves!

When telling Titus to establish leaders in Crete, he said to be firm with them because:

As one of their own prophets has said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sternly, so that they will be sound in the faith

And to the Corinthians who were handling the Lord’s supper (their sunday gathering) improperly....he said:

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.

Paul’s Letters to a Troubled Church: I and II Corinthians Word and Phrase Study

Paul is asserting in plain language that believers who violate the unity of the church may suffer temporal physical consequences, even death (cf. 3:17). This is directly connected to a lack of respect for the body of Christ, the church, the people of God

Paul is saying

How we treat and talk about each other

How we respect and honor each other

This has physical/spiritual ramification.

The Corinthian church had all the power gifts happening in their gatherings:

Prophecy

Tongues & interpretation

healings

That was not what God feels is most important

These things DO NOT mean a church is healthy

God’s opinion of what makes a healthy church is:

Caring, respecting and honoring each other.

Paul puts it this way:

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.

Have you and I been guilty of not HONORING each other?

Have we spoken improperly about each other

Have we ignored our responsibility to care for each other

Are we holding grudges & evil thoughts against each other

We are called to look at ourselves today before we take communion

Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the New Testament Chapter 11

At the Lord’s Supper, we take three “looks”: we look within and confess our sins; we look back and remember Calvary; and we look ahead and eagerly anticipate His return. The principle is clear: if we do not judge our sins, God will have to judge us.

Look within.....

Repent

Look back....

Be thankful

Look forward....

Be willing to obey and follow