Holy: The Bread and the Cup

A Communion of Holy People

Intro:

No one likes to be judged. But we all do it.

Don’t have road rage, but I can be at my most self-righteous when driving.

I have this unique double-standard. If it’s me I’ll say “What’s your problem.. why are you on your phone… If it’s my fault, then I say “Oh I guess it’s my fault you are late for work”

Lulu - “Get off Facebook” - My snobby driving dialogue was reflected back to me

It is REALLY easy to judge. Right now, in this 2020 climate, Our country is filled with people who are all holding gavels and finding each other guilty for this pandemic, different political ideologies, racism and brokenness, etc, etc...

I find myself wishing there was a way to get millions of people together in a room and say, can we hash this out.. .But our culture doesn’t have that room.. the world doesn’t have that space.. The world wars and fights and destroys… But the church does. The church has that space. The church has a space where we are all sat down, over a sacred meal and reminded that our Lord said - “They will know you by your love.” The Christian community has an ordained and commanded regular meal where the priority is Judge Yourself for the sake of the whole.

This morning I am going to preach about a Holy people set apart for Holy Communion.

1 Corinthians 10:14–17 (ESV)

14 Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. 15 I speak as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. 16 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? 17 Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.

We eat from the same Bread to represent our “one-ness” as the body of Christ.

The Church is the body of Jesus. Which means we belong to Him and each other.

The famous spiritual gifts passage is right around the corner in 1 Corinthians where Paul explains that the hand can’t say to the hand “I don’t need you.”

1 Corinthians 11:23–34 (ESV)

23 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, 24 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.” 25 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.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

27 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. 28 Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30 That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. 31 But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. 32 But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.

33 So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one another— 34 if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home—so that when you come together it will not be for judgment. About the other things I will give directions when I come.

So there is this idea that we are proclaiming the Lord’s death until He comes, but also if we do not judge ourselves, then the true judge Jesus is present and we can experience His judgement now.

Has anyone seen the movie “Tennet?” I know it just came out and don’t worry about be ruining it for you because I can’t. It was a lot of fun, but jocelyn and I walked out with no solid idea what happened. The Director, Christopher Nolan likes to play around with time - he made Inception. This passage in some ways feels like a time bender… One theologian named NT Wright said it this way.

Paul for Everyone: 1 Corinthians Recognizing the Body (1 Corinthians 11:23–34)

Now he explains, reminding them of the traditional story of the Last Supper, that when the meal is celebrated the Lord himself is there, not simply absent, away in the past, or longed for at his coming in the future, but present through this ‘memorial’. The eucharist is the moment at which the past event comes forward to live again in the present, and the future moment of the Lord’s return comes backwards in time to challenge us in the present. That’s the point of verses 27–32. Misbehaving in relation to this meal is misbehaving in relation to the Lord himself.

Paul for Everyone: 1 Corinthians Recognizing the Body (1 Corinthians 11:23–34)

And because the eucharist is a moment in Christian living when the future comes to meet us in the present, this judgment and discipline is brought into focus there, giving us a choice. Either examine and ‘judge’ yourselves, making sure your behaviour is appropriate at this meal, or face the scrutiny and judgment of the Lord himself (verses 27–31).

There is this past/future convergence of proclaiming his death until he comes. In this moment we profess that Jesus died for sinners, Jesus died to expose the world’s order of power and replace it with an upside down humble Kingdom - built on sacrificial love.

As a kid i did not want my parents to be upset with me. Does any kid? There are also times in a child’s life when they do not know that their parent knows… Especially when they are younger… There are these opportunities given to confess.

God asked Adam and Eve, what have you done? He wasn’t looking around.. ok, partially eaten fruit from tree of life

This was a statement that carried the weight of what they had done, but also a moment for them to say it…

The Corinthian church is both sinning in that those who have more means are showing up and doing their own Lord’s Supper so that they can have an extravagant meal.. while the other’s are left out. There is disunity… factions and clicks… Paul is saying this is not what one body looks like and because you are excluding each other during the Lord’s Supper which is a meal that represents our unity, Jesus is showing up as judge…

Few things here.. 1, I can’t unsay what this says. 2, I personally do not believe that every time any one or any church is not unified while eating Lord’s supper, we will be judged with sickness. I think Paul has been given revelation by the Spirit that this is happening in Corinth, because of this unrepentant offense. 3, I do not want to take my foot off the peddle with the seriousness of this text, but I do believe the ultimate truth here for us is...

When the church gathers around the bread and the cup, Jesus is present as both Savior and Lord.

If we don’t want to be disunified in our proclamation.. Meaning, if we proclaim His reconciling death until he comes then we want to live what we proclaim…

What does Disunity in the body of Christ look like?

Disregard

marginalized, poor, elderly, singles, minorities… Any group within our body that is on the edge or not as easy acclimated. To disregard any among us. I think Covid has birthed disregard among us.

Dishonor

Gossip, slander, belittling… My staff know this about me. I love to be talked to.. I do not enjoy being talked about.. That is the standard for a healthy unified church. If you are having a conversation about another person, or making a comment about them that is in no way self-less love or edifying.. that’s poison..

Disobedience

When someone is living disobediently to the Word or to Holy Spirit conviction, then it effects us all.

At the Lord’s table, we meet grace, correction and forgiveness.

It’s the grace of God, we get to proclaim his death… It’s the grace of God, we get to confess and be healed. It’s the grace of God, Jesus is with us and already knows… so it’s safe to tell Him…

When I talk to my children about calling me if they ever get in trouble, they will say but you will be mad… my response is maybe a little, but the chances of me being upset are greater if you don’t tell me.. But, the main reason I want them to confess to mom and dad when they get into trouble is because, if they don’t - I can’t help them…

Jesus doesn’t sit at the table to scold.. He sits at the table to save and heal.

What does Unity in the Body of Christ look like?

From Disregard to Embracing the “other”

We let our hearts soften toward those in the body who are not like us and we moe from apathy and disregard to embrace and love.

From Dishonor to Honor

“A culture of honor means we celebrate each other’s strength’s without tripping over each other’s weaknesses.” - Bill Johnson

We all have strengths and weaknesses. We can become a culture of critique or a culture of honor. If a weakness is addressed in a culture of honor, it is done in love and for the good of another.

From Disobedience to Obedience

Are you in disobedience? Maybe to God.. maybe subversively against the church. We can hide sin all of the time from people, but not at the Lord’s Table..

“Let a person examine himself”

Are you hiding something that could be hurting you and as a result hurting us? James says confess your faults so that you can be healed.