Sermon Tone Analysis

/Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.

I speak as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say.

The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ?

The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?

Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.

Consider the people of Israel: are not those who eat the sacrifices participants in the altar?

What do I imply then?

That food offered to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything?

No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God.

I do not want you to be participants with demons.

You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons.

You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons.

Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy?

Are we stronger than he/?[1]

It is possible for Christians to dine with demons.

The shattering truth that Christians can be participants with demons in their diabolical activities is presented in these verses by the Apostle.

The truth is that the actions of Christians have both social and spiritual implications which we dare not ignore.

The Apostle insists upon an intimacy between what we declare and what is practised, which actions can bring us under judgement of the Lord.

The message which I propose to present in this present hour is a continuation of the message delivered in the previous week.

It explores the ramifications of the use or the abuse of the liberty we enjoy in Christ the Lord.

Partnership Declared — What do we declare as we join with other believers in celebration of that rite we know as *The Lord's Supper*?

What do we avow as we drink the wine and eat the bread together with others such as ourselves?

The Apostle could appeal to the Corinthians as /sensible people/ capable of judging for themselves.

Above all else, they declared a participation in the sacrifice of Christ.

They avowed a partnership with Him in His sacrifice.

Beyond that, they proclaimed unity and harmony with one another: /Because there is one bread, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one bread/.

As believers sharing the Communion Meal, we affirm our commitment to Christ, and our commitment to one another.

We avow partnership with Christ in the work of His kingdom, and we claim partnership with one another as kingdom subjects.

We aver a life of sharing in the labours of Christ, and a life of sharing with one another in all things.

How often this note of partnership, of participation, of fellowship is missing in our world today.

The aged Apostle John penned insightful words instructing us with respect to our partnership with the Lord.

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life—the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us—that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.

And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin [*1 John 1:1-7*].

I call you to take careful note of a vital truth which is taught in these verses, a truth which serves to underpin every doctrine of the Faith.

The truth which I call you to note is that *partnership with Christ leads to and is seen in partnership with one another*.

To declare fellowship with Christ while out of fellowship with those believers with whom we most intimately associate with is not only incongruous—it is an impossible lie.

Such thoughts need to sink into our consciousness until we are gripped with their reality.

I break the bread.

It is one loaf, a symbol of our unity in Christ.

To each believer sharing the meal with me I am declaring, “I am one with you.

We are one with Christ.

We are sharing our lives, our joys, our sorrows.

We are one.”

This is one reason why the Meal is seen as a Church ordinance.

Among other reasons, this is why we are instructed to examine ourselves before participating in the Meal.

This is why we are instructed to look to ourselves to insure that no sense of disfellowship or lack of unity among us.

To avow unity while practising selfishness is an act which brings us under judgement.

Think of those words which Paul would pen in a very short while.

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 recognised.

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.

…So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one another—if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home—so that when you come together it will not be for judgement.

About the other things I will give directions when I come [*1 Corinthians 11:17-22, 33, 34*].

Partnership Demonstrated — The act of breaking the bread together declares our unity.

We who are called believers and who have identified ourselves as evangelical Christians, have too frequently depreciated the ordinances.

We speak of them as if they were of little importance.

Almost unconsciously, we have reduced them to the level of mere religious acts without significance.

But the ordinances which God has set in the Church *sign-ify* our declarations.

Baptism is a picture of my faith.

In that ordinance I confess my belief that Christ died for my sin and that He was buried and He raised on the third day.

Similarly, I declare that my old nature was dead—separated from God and under judgement, but through faith in the sacrifice of Christ and by His resurrection, I have been born from above.

I declare that I am alive in Christ.

Finally, in my baptism I affirm that I look forward to the metamorphosis which shall occur when Christ comes again.

Though I may die and this body should be buried, I believe that at His return Christ shall raise me up to His glory.

Baptism is, then, a portrayal of the glorious scope of Christ's salvation.

Likewise the Lord's Supper, though it does not make me a better Christian nor in any way make me more acceptable to God, is a declaration of my own faith.

Looking back, as I partake of the Meal I recall the sacrifice of Christ in my place.

Looking about, I declare my participation in His present work of unifying believers in the common Faith.

Looking forward, I confess my hope in His return.

The Meal is a constant and regular picturing of truths to which we adhere.

Though no blessing is conferred through participation in this Meal, a curse may be communicated if I should lie.

If I avow fellowship with Christ and with his people, yet do not experience such fellowship, I am lying and placing myself in jeopardy, even as the Apostle has warned.

In 1* Corinthians 11:31, 32* the Apostle warns believers to examine themselves.

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.

Literally, Paul's solemn words of warning in that passage would be translated something like the following.

If we had been examining ourselves all along, we would not now be undergoing judgement.

When we are undergoing judgement, we are experiencing discipline because we are not under the condemnation of the world [*1 Corinthians 11:31, 32*].

Do you not see, then, that what we picture in our observance of the Meal is important in that it should reveal what is in our heart.

Unless we are lying, we are worshipping in the presence of the Lord!

We are each under obligation to insure that we examine ourselves, bringing our motives and attitudes into line with our profession.

The admonition is not a prohibition; it is an encouragement to draw us into fellowship.

Partnership Demeaned — I declare my partnership with Christ and with His Body as I demonstrate that same fellowship through participation in the Fellowship Meal.

It is shocking to realise that it is possible to demean that sacred avowal, debasing and degrading the very profession made.

If we dare approach the Meal as a mere rite without realising the significance of what we declare, we demean and debase both the act and the declaration we presume to have made.

The Apostle takes the Corinthians to task for that very issue in the following verses.

According to the Mosaic Law, only the priests could eat of the sacrifices.

They, because they were appointed to office, shared in the sacrifices which were presented before the altar.

Listen to the words of *Leviticus 7:28-36* which demonstrate this point.

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, Whoever offers the sacrifice of his peace offerings to the Lord shall bring his offering to the Lord from the sacrifice of his peace offerings.