The Family Supper

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Welcome guests to the family gathering, introduce yourself. Thank the band. Invite guests to parlor after service.

We are in the process of collecting our annual Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions during December and January, and this offering is so important for our SBC missionaries around the world. Our goal as a church is $26,000, and as of last Sunday, we have received $25,063. We are so close to our goal! Thank you to all who have given this point. Prayerfully ask how God would have you give to this offering this year. We will see more about the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering at the end of the service.

Many of you might not be aware that we have mailboxes out in the foyer, and many use those boxes to deliver Christmas cards, and then donate the postage saved to the Lottie Moon Christmas offering. But the boxes aren’t that big, so make sure you check them before you go home today. I can speak from experience that the “C” box gets REALLY full.

New Year’s Day is this Wednesday, so there will be no regular Wednesday night activities this week, with one exception: the student ministry will still have Prime Time this week—They’ll have a fun night of games and fellowship at the normal time (6:30).

This coming Saturday, January 4, my family and the Salido family would like to invite our church family to celebrate with us as Maggie and Nathan are wed. It’s at 1:30 here in the sanctuary, and all are invited to come to the ceremony and the cookie reception immediately following.

Opening

Let’s read our focal passage together:

1 Corinthians 11:17–34 CSB

17 Now in giving this instruction I do not praise you, since you come together not for the better but for the worse. 18 For to begin with, I hear that when you come together as a church there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it. 19 Indeed, it is necessary that there be factions among you, so that those who are approved may be recognized among you. 20 When you come together, then, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper. 21 For at the meal, each one eats his own supper. So one person is hungry while another gets drunk! 22 Don’t you have homes in which to eat and drink? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What should I say to you? Should I praise you? I do not praise you in this matter! 23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, and said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. 27 So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sin against the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Let a person examine himself; in this way let him eat the bread and drink from the cup. 29 For whoever eats and drinks without recognizing the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30 This is why many are sick and ill among you, and many have fallen asleep. 31 If we were properly judging ourselves, we would not be judged, 32 but when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined, so that we may not be condemned with the world. 33 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, when you come together to eat, welcome one another. 34 If anyone is hungry, he should eat at home, so that when you gather together you will not come under judgment. I will give instructions about the other matters whenever I come.

1 cor 11:17-

PRAY

Today, as a way of closing out the year of 2019, we will take the Lord’s Supper or communion together. The Lord’s Supper is an observance that belongs to the church. It is a time of fellowship, remembrance, declaration, reflection, and worship. These five aspects will make up our points this morning as we prepare for the Supper together, along with one that must come first:

1: The Supper is for followers of Jesus Christ.

This is where we have to start, not in order to alienate or insult anyone in this room, but instead to invite you. My message this morning is called “The Family Supper”. My extended family’s holiday meals and birthday gatherings have historically included not just our immediate family (mom, Dan, me & my sibs, our spouses and kids), but also other extended family (sibs in-laws), and often friends and neighbors who have been invited to come and be a part of our family for the day. Sometimes our family gatherings get up to 40 people. We’re having our Christmas gathering tonight, in fact.

Anyway, each of these people is invited to come and be a part of the family. Being a part of the family for the day is what gives them the opportunity to sit at the table, eat the food, and join in the relationships that exist around the table.

This is where my illustration falls apart. This morning, as we take the Lord’s Supper, we do as believers… those who belong to Christ through faith. In the chapter before our focal passage, Paul said this about the Supper:

1 Corinthians 10:16 CSB

16 The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ?

Those who share in the body and blood of Christ as those who believe—brothers and sisters in Christ, adopted by God into His family through their faith. And before I explain the Supper any further this morning, I want to start with an explanation and invitation for you, if you have never trusted Christ for your salvation, if you aren’t a brother or sister, a member of the family of God. We must start here, with a clear explanation of the Gospel.

God loves us and wants to be in a relationship with us—a relationship that He designed us for.

Unfortunately, we act in ways that go against that relationship—we sin. We think, say, and do things that God hates. And we also refuse to think, say, and do the things that God wants us to do. So we are broken, and the relationship is broken.

Because of how broken we are, we can never be good enough to fix the relationship because God is perfectly holy and just. We deserve the punishment of death and eternal separation from Him because of our sins.

However, because of His love for us, God’s own Son, Jesus the Christ, came to earth as a man and lived the perfect life that we can’t live. Then He took the punishment that we deserve, dying in our place to pay the price for our sins. But since He is also fully God, the Bible says that He beat death and rose from the grave.

If we will trust in Jesus alone, believing that we cannot be good enough to save ourselves and giving up our lives to Him, we will be saved from our sin and from the eternal separation from God that we deserve. We will be made God’s children by adoption, and members of His household.

As members of the family of God, we are promised eternal life that isn’t just later, but power through His real presence in our lives to walk with Him and to honor Him with our lives day by day, and to reflect Him to those we come into contact with.

I invite you to acknowledge your need for a Savior, and trust Jesus to be that Savior. Scripture says:

Romans 10:9 CSB

9 If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

and

The Supper is a time of fellowship.

Romans 10:13 CSB

13 For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

You can call on Him to rescue you right now, where you are, in this moment, and He will save you.

If Jesus is your Savior, even if you just surrendered to Him right now, you are welcome to participate at this table as a member of the family. If you’re still considering Jesus, that’s great… and we are glad you’re here and we love you. I hope that you’ll listen to the rest of my sermon, which is mostly for the believers here, and that when we take the Supper, you’ll observe and maybe even have some questions that you’d like to ask.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, the remaining points are for us to reflect on the meaning and purpose of the Supper:

2: The Supper is a time of fellowship.

The term “fellowship” is sort of one of those Christian buzzwords. But it’s not that far out there, and I think that we mostly get the idea of it. One of my favorite movies of all time is The Fellowship of the Ring. Personally, I like the movie more than I liked the book (which I loved when I was about 13). The Christian idea of fellowship is along the lines of that use of the term. In the movie (and the book), there is a group of nine individuals who intentionally come together and are joined in a common purpose or quest.

While we Christians are not attempting to destroy a ring of power to rid Middle Earth of a dark lord, there’s a bit of a parallel. We belong to one another, as such, we should care for one another. We succeed together and we fail together. Notice what Paul said in the very next chapter of 1 Corinthians about this idea: START WITH “INSTEAD”

1 Corinthians 12:24–26 CSB

24 which our respectable parts do not need. Instead, God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the less honorable, 25 so that there would be no division in the body, but that the members would have the same concern for each other. 26 So if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.

1 cor 12:

The problem that we see in our focal passage this morning is that the church in Corinth wasn’t actually understanding this. They had turned the Supper into an excuse just to come and eat at the same place at about the same time. Each would bring their own food, and some would bring a feast, and some would have little or even nothing, and those with a lot wouldn’t share. This was apparently way before anyone invented the pot luck.

As a result of this, some thought they were better or more important in the church, this created division and conflict in the Body. This is not how it should be, and certainly not something that should be caused by the celebration of the Supper.

So Paul has to chastise them for their selfish perspective and focus. The summary verse of this criticism from Paul is in verse 20, rather than reading 17-22 in it’s entirety again:

1 Corinthians 11:17–22 CSB

17 Now in giving this instruction I do not praise you, since you come together not for the better but for the worse. 18 For to begin with, I hear that when you come together as a church there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it. 19 Indeed, it is necessary that there be factions among you, so that those who are approved may be recognized among you. 20 When you come together, then, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper. 21 For at the meal, each one eats his own supper. So one person is hungry while another gets drunk! 22 Don’t you have homes in which to eat and drink? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What should I say to you? Should I praise you? I do not praise you in this matter!

1 Corinthians 11:20 CSB

20 When you come together, then, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper.

Paul says that this thing that they were doing, it wasn’t actually the Supper. It was something else entirely. This is because the Supper is supposed to build up the fellowship of the church family, not tear it down. It’s for us to come around the table together with the same mind, the same heart, the same purpose, so that we will draw closer to one another and to the Lord.

We don’t have the same problem that the church in Corinth had, because we don’t manage the Supper the same way. No one had to bring their own food and drink this morning, and we have enough for everyone to partake. But we might be carrying the same divisive spirit with us, the same idea of pride or superiority, the same thinking that some brother or sister in this room right now is somehow “less than” or unworthy of your fellowship. I hope and pray that this is not the case. This is why Paul said:

1 Cor 11:

It’s not so we have an excuse to eat and drink in the church gathering.

1 Corinthians 11:33–34 CSB

33 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, when you come together to eat, welcome one another. 34 If anyone is hungry, he should eat at home, so that when you gather together you will not come under judgment. I will give instructions about the other matters whenever I come.

1 Corinthians 11:33 CSB

33 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, when you come together to eat, welcome one another.

1 cor 11:330

The Supper should bring us together in a special way. Our brother or our sister passes us the plate with the bread. We receive it from them, take our piece, and pass it to our brother or sister. The same with the cup. We’re in this together. We’re inextricably linked.

3: The Supper is a time of remembrance.

The Supper is also a time when we reflect upon and remember the sacrifice that Christ has made on our behalf, dying in our place and taking the wrath of God against our sins on Himself so that we could be saved. The Supper narratives in the Gospels record that Jesus instituted the Supper on the night of the Passover just before His betrayal, arrest, trial, and crucifixion. Paul had taught this to the Corinthians, as he shares in verses 23-25 of chapter 11:

1 Corinthians 11:23–25 CSB

23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, and said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”

1 cor 11:23-

I shared the message of the Gospel at the beginning of my message this morning, but one thing that the Supper should do is keep bringing us back to the Gospel message. Without Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection, there is no reason for us to take the Supper. Some might wonder why I spend so much time talking about the Gospel when I preach. It’s because if I don’t preach the Gospel, then what am I up here for? But I don’t just preach the Gospel so that some might be saved, but so that all of us will continually reapply the truth of the Gospel to our lives—because it is in the Gospel that we have found true life.

So when we take the Supper, we are reapplying the Gospel in a very real, tangible, sensory manner. We can feel the bread as we hold it. When we eat it, we taste it and smell it. We hear it when we chew. We look at the cup and see the juice it contains. Again, we taste and smell and hear. We have a tactile reminder of what Christ has done for us. It’s a beautiful picture.

4: The Supper is a time of declaration.

This is the WHY of the continual reapplication of the Gospel to our lives, and why the Supper is so important, and why I’m glad that perhaps some are here today who have never trusted Christ for their salvation. Because, sadly, this might be the only time some believers intentionally declare the truth of the Gospel—that Jesus Christ died to save sinners.

Paul said it in verse 26:

Paul said it in verse 26:

1 Corinthians 11:26 CSB

26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

When we choose to take part in the Supper, each of us who does so makes a declaration of the Gospel. And that’s great. Each of us who takes the Supper in a minute will do so as a witness. As an evangelist. As a preacher of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, proclaiming what Jesus has done for us and in us.

But is this the only time you do so? Is this the only place where you make a conscious, public, personal declaration of your faith in what Christ has done? Brothers and sisters, we are to declare the truth of the Gospel with our mouths and our lives in the places where we live, where we work, and where we play. If you don’t feel confident in doing so, sharing the Gospel is something you can learn. Choose to learn how to proclaim the Lord’s death outside of taking the Supper.

5: The Supper is a time of reflection.

Paul actually gives a warning to the church at Corinth regarding the Supper, and it should give us some pause and concern as well. This warning is one of the reasons that we do not want those who don’t profess that Jesus is their Lord and Savior to take part in the Supper. It’s not because we have something against you. It’s because we love you and don’t want you to further incur the wrath of God:

1 Corinthians 11:27–32 CSB

27 So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sin against the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Let a person examine himself; in this way let him eat the bread and drink from the cup. 29 For whoever eats and drinks without recognizing the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30 This is why many are sick and ill among you, and many have fallen asleep. 31 If we were properly judging ourselves, we would not be judged, 32 but when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined, so that we may not be condemned with the world.

1 cor 11:27-

Christians, we will have a short time for additional reflection before we take the Supper. But right now, give some thought to these questions:

Do I have any unconfessed sin in my life?

1 John 1:9 CSB

9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Am I harboring some habitual sin in my heart?

Am I holding onto a grudge or some ill will toward my brother or sister?

Is there a root of pride, or anger, or bitterness growing in my heart?

1 John 1:9 tells us:

1 John 1:9 CSB

9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

If the Lord is pointing these things out to you in this moment, don’t shy away. He wants to cleanse us of those things and make us more like Jesus. Confess, repent (turn away from) those sins, and then take the Supper. Reflection is a necessary part of the Supper’s meaning.

6: The Supper is a time of worship.

Ultimately, this is the point of the Supper. As we take the Supper together, each of these aspects of the Supper: the fellowship in Christ, the remembrance of His sacrifice, the declaration of His death, and the reflection on and examination of our hearts and lives, should all point us to a place of adoration and praise to God because of what He has done for us in Christ.

And as we come to this point of praise and worship because of what He has done, then we are reminded that there was nothing that we could do to earn our salvation. There was no way for us to be saved because of our brokenness in sin, and Jesus gets all the glory and honor and praise! God loved us so much that He gave His one and only Son, so that we who believe in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. He did all the work. We surrender in faith and receive the blessings.

Closing

And this brings us full circle, doesn’t it? We started at the Gospel. We end at the Gospel. In a moment, the believers here will take part in this ordinance of the Lord’s Supper. Before we do that, I want to make one more invitation to those who are here who have never before trusted in what Jesus has done to save you. I pray that someone, somewhere in this congregation or listening later on the podcast, has realized their need for Christ and trusted Him to save you. Or maybe right now is that moment of salvation for you. Come and share that with me, or with Joe or Kerry, who will be down front with me, so we can celebrate your new life in Christ! The church family would love to celebrate that with you as well, and take the Supper with you.

You don’t have to be a member of Eastern Hills to take the Supper this morning. If you’re a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, you’re a brother or sister, and you’re a visiting family member. But if God is leading you this morning to join with this family in a more formal way through church membership, please come and share that with us as well. We’d love to talk with you about it.

If you have a prayer need before we take the Supper, feel free to come and share that with one of us as well, or to come and pray at the steps if that would help you focus as you pray.

Invite the band.

PRAY

THE SUPPER

Thank you for your attention this morning. We will now take the Supper together. I would like to invite the deacons to come and prepare to serve the Supper to the church family. As they are coming, take the time to reflect upon your walk with the Lord, asking Him to reveal any sins hidden away in your heart, and then confess and repent of those sins.

Distribute the bread to the deacons.

records records that Jesus took the bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to His disciples.

Have someone ask the Lord to bless the bread. Then the deacons distribute it.

says that Jesus told His disciples, “Take it; this is my body.”

Distribute the cup to the deacons.

Mark also records that Jesus also gave thanks and gave the cup to His disciples.

Have someone give thanks for the cup. Then the deacons distribute it.

Mark records that Jesus said in 15:24, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.”

Thank the deacons for their service to the family, and send the deacons back.

Invite the ushers to come down for the morning offering during the video.

Send the deacons back. Pray.

Invite guests to the parlor.

Pray, thanking God for the gift of the Supper and for the offering.

Invite guests to the parlor.

Invite guests to the parlor.