The Purpose of the Lord's Supper (1 Corinthians 11:17-34)

Announcements

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Before we read our Scripture Reading this morning, let’s pray for the repentance of sins and the adoration of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Prayer of Repentance and Adoration

Give thanks for our gracious, good, and loving God who sent his son to die on a cross for the substitutionary atoning of our sins.

Give thanks for the opportunity that we have to know God

Pray that our eyes will be open to our own sins, that we are convicted and that we repent from our sins

Call to Worship / Scripture Reading

This morning’s Scripture Reading is from Exodus 12, and I realize that it might seem odd because our sermon title is “The Purpose of The Lord’s Supper” and if you’re familiar with the Lord’s Supper at all, you’ll recognize that the Lord’s Supper isn’t actually instituted until the New Testament; but if you read the New Testament carefully (particularly the Gospels), you’ll recognize that the Lord’s Supper was actually instituted during the Passover and that Jesus himself is the fulfillment of all that the Passover lamb foreshadowed, which is probably why God chose Jesus to be crucified during the Passover. If you think in these terms, then what you actually see is that the Lord’s Supper is a memorial event in the same manner that the Passover was to be a memorial event for the Israelites instituted here in Exodus 12. Keep this in mind as we read Exodus 12:1-14

Exodus 12:1–14 ESV

1 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, 2 “This month shall be for you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year for you. 3 Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month every man shall take a lamb according to their fathers’ houses, a lamb for a household. 4 And if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his nearest neighbor shall take according to the number of persons; according to what each can eat you shall make your count for the lamb. 5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats, 6 and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight. 7 “Then they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. 8 They shall eat the flesh that night, roasted on the fire; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it. 9 Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted, its head with its legs and its inner parts. 10 And you shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn. 11 In this manner you shall eat it: with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. And you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord’s Passover. 12 For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the Lord. 13 The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt. 14 “This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord; throughout your generations, as a statute forever, you shall keep it as a feast.

Sermon

Introduction

As I’ve already mentioned, this morning’s message is titled “The Purpose of the Lord’s Supper” and the idea is that as we study 1 Corinthians 11:17-34, we hopefully will understand what the intent behind continuing to partake in the Lord’s Supper is—why we take the Lord’s Supper, what is the purpose behind it, why do we continue to do it, and really, what should I be thinking and doing as we take the Lord’s Supper together? This will culminate in us taking the Lord’s Supper together at the end of the sermon before concluding our worship together.

I do want to make two statements of clarification before we actually jump into the passage. First, concerns the designation that we give the Lord’s Supper. What I mean by this, is essentially, what do we consider the Lord’s Supper to be and there’s typically two different ways that the Lord’s Supper is viewed. Every church will either call the Lord’s Supper an ordinance or a sacrament. And I’m going to be abundantly clear from the onset, at Grace & Peace, we view the Lord’s Supper as well as baptism by immersion as ordinances not sacraments and here’s the difference:

An ordinance—is “a prescribed ceremony” (Merriam-Webster) that is “ordained or decreed” by God.

A sacrament—is “a religious rite or observance” “that is believed to have been ordained by Christ” as a means of divine grace or put another way a sacrament is something through which you obtain grace to be saved.

The difference is that an ordinance is something that we’re told to do by Jesus Christ as a symbolic act, whereas a sacrament is something that is done in order to obtain favor from God. The difference is that an ordinance is simply a symbolic act that isn’t meant to save you; whereas a sacrament is meant to save you.

At Grace & Peace, we believe salvation is through faith in Jesus Christ alone and thus there are no sacraments that lead to special grace in order to be saved. In other words, you can be a believer in Jesus Christ and never take communion and still go to heaven because your salvation is contingent on your belief in Jesus Christ, not whether or not you’ve taken the Lord’s Supper.

Secondly, concerns an issue concerning the elements themselves, the bread and the juice. There is a belief that is predicated from Roman Catholic doctrine, that the bread and the juice as part of the ceremony for the Lord’s Supper (which they call the Eucharist) physically transforms into the physical body and blood of Jesus Christ. This is a belief that’s held by the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and the Anglican church. The Lutheran, Methodist, and Reformed church holds to a variation of this belief, but they don’t believe that the bread and body is literally the body and blood of Jesus Christ.

The issue with believing that the bread and the juice become the literal body and blood of Jesus is that the concept comes from church history rather than the Bible. In other words, the Bible doesn’t speak of the bread and juice becoming the physical body and blood of Jesus Christ. Rather, the Bible only ever calls communion a symbolic act, which we’ll study a bit more in the passage.

Thus, because the Bible itself calls the Lord’s Supper a symbolic act rather than a physical change into body and blood, at Grace & Peace, we don’t believe that we’re eating the literal body of Christ and drinking the literal blood of Jesus.

Now that I’ve clarified those issues,

Let’s read 1 Corinthians 11:17-34.

1 Corinthians 11:17–34 ESV

17 But in the following instructions I do not commend you, because when you come together it is not for the better but for the worse. 18 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, 19 for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized. 20 When you come together, it is not the Lord’s supper that you eat. 21 For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk. 22 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. 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.

As we study 1 Corinthians 11:17-34, we’re going to divide it into three sections: (1) Vs. 17-22, The Context, is actually going to help us with some background information and it’s going to help us understand why Paul needed to write this section about the Lord’s Supper in the first place; (2) Vs. 23-26, The Lord’s Supper, is going to tell us where Paul received the concept of the Lord’s Supper and we’re actually going to do a little bit more digging through the Bible in that section to get a full understanding the Lord’s Supper; and (3) Vs. 27-34, Practical Ramifications, will actually explain some of the dangers of taking the Lord’s Supper flippantly or as what Paul calls it, “an unworthy manner.” And he gives some solid advice about taking the Lord’s Supper that applies even today. All of this will give us a clear reason for the Lord’s Supper today, it will help us to understand why we do it, and it will allow us to utilize the Lord’s Supper for what it was meant to be—a memorial or reflection on the Lord’s death, burial, and resurrection.

As we prepare to dig into the Word of God, let’s pray for the illumination of the Holy Spirit as we study His Word.

Prayer of Illumination

Give thanks for the Word of God, readily available in our own language for us to read, study, and love

Pray that we never take God’s Word of granted—that we cherish the Word and internalize the Word of God.

Give thanks for the Holy Spirit’s work within us, that through his help we can understand the Word of God

Pray that the Holy Spirit illumines our eyes so that we understand his Word, internalize His Word, and live his word.

The Context (17-22)

1 Corinthians 11:17–22 ESV

17 But in the following instructions I do not commend you, because when you come together it is not for the better but for the worse. 18 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, 19 for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized. 20 When you come together, it is not the Lord’s supper that you eat. 21 For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk. 22 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.

Paul starts this passage concerning the Lord’s Supper with context and I’m actually going to help you by filling in some gaps that he doesn’t mention here.

Corinth was a city of trade and that’s actually the bulk of the industry in Corinth with many of the people working in some way or another as merchants and traders.

Corinth was a city that sat on an isthmus between Greece and the Peloponnesian Peninsula and because of its location between the land masses as well as its strategic position between the Aegean Sea and the Ionian Sea, it became a city prized for trading. In order to trade between the people who lived on the peninsula and for the Roman Empire to trade with the east, they would send all of there shipments to Corinth.

Rome would send everything intended for the East by ship on the Ionian Sea, Corinth would take the goods off the ship, move it to the other end of the isthmus and load the goods onto another ship on the Aegean Sea and vice versa.

Corinth was a large city, with estimates that between 150,000 to 300,000 people lived within the city and it had a reputation as a pagan center for the worship of Roman gods and in part of the worship of Roman gods, Corinth had a significant issue with sexual immorality, which is evidenced in some of the issues that Paul confronts in his 1st and 2nd letters.

Because of the large amounts of people and because of the location, which provided some of the people in Corinth with vasts amount of wealth. There was a growing divide between the rich and the poor—particularly, because in this scenario, the rich oppressed the poor and this divide between the rich and the poor was prevalent in their culture and society.

And this divide between rich and poor was an issue for the church as well, in fact that’s one of the key issues that’s being brought up in the passage that we’re studying today.

In Vs. 17, Paul states, “In the following instructions I do not commend you, because when you come together it is not for the better but for the worse.”

It’s clear, that whatever the Corinthian church was doing, was not in accordance to what Acts has stated is the purpose of the church—which is to teach biblical doctrine, provide a place of fellowship for believers, observing the Lord’s Supper, and praying. And it is clear that whatever the Corinthian church was doing, it wasn’t in accord to Paul’s own statement to the Romans that as a church, “[we should] pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding” within the body of believers.

Whatever the Corinthians were doing, was causing more harm than good, so the question really then is, what exactly were they doing?

Vs. 18, “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 recognized.”

Paul points to this issue of divisions as part of the reason why they’re doing more harm than good and this is actually the second time in the first letter to Corinth that Paul mentions divisions. In 1 Corinthians 1:12, Paul points to divisions within the church concerning people aligning themselves with biblical teachers in an effort to claim that they’re more spiritually mature than the others or that they’re better than the others.

And just as a side-note, I do want to make it clear that in 1 Corinthians 1:12, Paul isn’t speaking about people aligning themselves up according to doctrine, but rather according to the personality of the speaker. Paul, Apollos, and Cephas were all preaching the same things, but their personalities differed and people were claiming that listening to Paul or Apollos was better because of the style of their presentation.

This would be like, today, making claims of importance because you listen to John MacArthur or you listen to John Piper who are theologically correct, but with different personalities. This would be different than arguing about whether or not Creflo Dollar or Joel Osteen, both of whom are proponents of the prosperity gospel (which is heresy) are better to listen to than John MacArthur or John Piper because with Creflo Dollar and Osteen there are significant theological issues in their teaching.

And Paul wouldn’t make the same comparison with them. Paul would lump those teaching false doctrine and heresy in a different category in which we are to reject because they aren’t teaching the truth. In Paul’s situation, the differences are purely based on the personality of the speaker, not the doctrine that they’re teaching.

And this difference between preferred teaches is what is often suggested in 1 Corinthians 11, but I’m actually going to argue that if you keep everything in context, there’s a more likely reason for the divisions within the church

Vs. 20, “When you come together, it is not the Lord’s supper that you eat. For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own mean. 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?”

It seems as if this growing divide between the rich and the poor that was influencing the culture surrounding them in Corinth was also influencing the church within and in this particular instance, it was influencing the culture within the church enough that it was subverting the ordinance of the Lord’s Supper.

In particular, what was occuring was that those with plenty would bring his own meal, those without wouldn’t have anything to bring, and someone is getting drunk in the midst of the Lord’s Supper.

Now clearly, this form of the Lord’s Supper was different than what we’re used to today—today, it’s common for us to have a small cup of grape juice and essentially a cracker, but what was common in the first century was more of a meal shared between the members of the church. Jude 12 and 2 Peter 2:13, calls this type of the Lord’s Supper a love feast and it was actually a full meal with the Lord’s Supper included in with it.

Leon Morris, gave this description of what occured at Corinth: “Clearly at Corinth the Holy Communion was a full mea, of the type called a ‘love feast’. But what happened at Corinth was a travesty of love. The wealthier members of the congregation clearly provided most of the food, and this could have been a marvellous expression of Christian love and unity. But it was degraded into the very opposite. The poor would have to finish their work before they could come, and slaves would find it particularly difficult to be on time. But the rich did not wait. They ate and drank in their [divisions], each eating ‘an own dinner’. The food was gone before the poor got there! One remains hungry, another gets drunk. There was a sharp contrast between the hungry poor, lacking even necessary food, and the drunken rich. There was no real sharing, no genuinely common meal.”

What was happening in Corinth was that the Lord’s Supper had become a joke for the people and they no longer concerned themselves with what the point of continuing to observe the Lord’s Supper is, which Paul explains. After stating that he won’t commend them for what they’ve done to the Lord’s Supper, he then says this in Vs. 23-26.

The Lord’s Supper (23-26)

1 Corinthians 11:23–26 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.

Basically, what Paul is getting at is that what the Corinthian people had done to the Lord’s Supper was wrong and in reality, this is what it ought to look like. He states in Vs. 23, that what he gave to the Corinthians was what he received from the Lord and it is clear from the context that what he’s referring to is the methodology behind how we give communion and in giving this methodology, he actually gives us the purpose of why we continue to take the Lord’s Supper even today.

Vs. 23, “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.” In these four verses, we’re given several important pieces of information:

We’re told that this ordinance is set up as a memorial for what Jesus had done on the cross. After each element, he states this phrase, “in remembrance of me.” This tells us that the Lord’s Supper is specifically for the point of remembering Jesus Christ and his death on the cross.

And you might question, how could we possibly forget the Lord’s death on the cross? It’s actually easier than you think and it reveals itself in the way you act as you live your daily lives and even as you come to church.

It is easy to live day to day and not concern ourselves with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We can easily live our lives in such a way that Jesus and the Gospel is of no concern to us and yet Paul, earlier in 1 Corinthians makes the declaration that “we preach Christ and him crucified.”

Our very faith is built on the fact that Jesus Christ was born of a virgin, lived a perfect, sinless life, was crucified on a Roman cross, died, buried and was resurrected.

Why is that? Because it is his death, burial, and resurrection that provides us with salvation and eternal life. The Lord’s Supper exists partly to remind us of this truth on a regular basis.

We’re told that each element has a specific purpose—the bread, represents his body, which was given for you. The juice, represents the new covenant in his blood. Both elements are meant to cause us to reflect on both the fact that Jesus came to die on a cross and the fact that it is through Jesus’ blood that the new covenant is available for us to enter into with God.

And as we reflect on the symbolic meaning of the bread and the juice, our mind’s shouldn’t be wandering, we shouldn’t be thinking about what we’re having for lunch today or whether or not the person next to us is taking communion—our minds and our hearts need to be focused and directed on the sacrificial atonement of Jesus Christ on the cross and the new covenant that we have with God because of Jesus’ sacrificial atonement.

This means that the Lord’s Supper is definitely a somber act in which we reflect, but it’s also a celebratory act in which we experience hope, joy, peace, and love; and this is reflected in Vs. 26

As we’re told to do all these things in remembrance of Jesus, we’re told that the whole ceremony of the Lord’s Supper, proclaims the Lord’s death until he comes.

Which again reflects an earlier statement that Paul makes in 1 Corinthians 2:1-5, “And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.”

As we take part in the Lord’s Supper, we proclaim the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ because it is through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ from which our salvation comes. In Romans 1:16-17, Paul writes, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith.” When we take the Lord’s Supper together, we’re literally proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Now there’s a bit of an eschatological aspect to this, that as we take the Lord’s Supper and we proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we are to do this “until he comes.” This is part of the reason why we continue to do the Lord’s Supper, even today—that we as believers continue to proclaim the death of Jesus Christ through the Lord’s Supper as a means to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

And because we’re looking at this with eternity in light, that we proclaim the Lord’s death until he returns—we can reflect on the celebratory nature of our hope for the future.

When we think of the Lord’s Supper in light of these truths—that the Lord’s Supper unites us as a body of Christ, that we partake of the Lord’s Supper as a memorial for Jesus Christ, and as a celebration of the hope for the future, there are some very real practical ramifications that come from this and we see them in Vs. 27-34.

Practical Ramifications (27-34)

1 Corinthians 11:27–34 ESV

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.

Because there is a very real seriousness in why and how we are to take the Lord’s Supper, Paul gives some practical advice to prepare oneself for the Lord’s Supper.

He starts in Vs. 27, by saying that “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.” Let’s take a moment, to determine what Paul is speaking of when he means “an unworthy manner.”

In the immediate context, it’s clear that there’s an issue in the church concerning disunity between the rich and the poor. And I do want to be clear that in this instance, the issue itself is not the disunity that is being experienced within the church, but the sin of partiality that is evidenced between the rich and poor. Let me explain that a bit.

In our modern church culture, there is a belief that the only thing that really matters is that we’re unified as a church. And there is some merit to this, because of passages like:

Ephesians 4:1-6, which says “I therefore . . . urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

In 1 Corinthians 1, Paul urges them to “agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought.”

And in Acts 2 and Acts 4, we’re told that part of the reason the early church grew was because of their unification as a body of believers

However, the issue is that in many of the churches which stress the unity of the body, they take it a step past this and unity becomes more important than anything else, which is actually unbiblical. Unity is actually not the most important thing in a church and in fact, there are plenty of times throughout Scripture in which we’re told that the church itself should disunify or remove someone from the church.

Matthew 18:15-19 teaches us that if a person within the church is in unrepentant sin, that you shouldn’t be unified with that person. You ought to remove that person from the church in order to keep the church pure.

2 Corinthians 6:14, states “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?” And while we typically apply to a marriage relationship situation, it equally applies to the church as a body. That the church cannot be yoked together with unbelievers and to seek unity with unbelievers would be unbiblical.

And in almost every letter that Paul writes, he specifically tells the believers that he’s writing to to be sure that there isn’t false teaching within the church and to actively purge false teachers from the church. Being unified with false teaching simply because we want a unified church is not only foolish, but it’s sinful according to Scripture.

We’re actually taught in Scripture to seek unity when the doctrine is correct and when sin is repented from, but in all other times, we’re told to either purge the false teaching and the false teacher, to remove the unrepentant sinner, or for ourselves to get up and leave.

Unity for the sake of unity is unbiblical.

Martin Luther once said, “Peace if possible, [but] truth at all costs.”

In 1 Corinthians, the issue wasn’t the disunity at this point, the issue was the partiality that was being shown by the rich people towards the poor people. They weren’t unified because there was unrepentant sin within the church that was seen in the rich person’s sin against the poor person.

So the actual issue that Paul is pointing out when he states, “whoever . . . eats . . . or drinks . . . in an unworthy manner” is the issue of unrepentant sin. If you eat and drink the Lord’s Supper knowing that you’re in sin, you’re doing it in an unworthy way and there’s actually a very real punishment for doing this, Vs. 27 and 29-30, “[you] will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord” and there’s a very real possibility that you’ll physically be weak and ill and maybe even die.

The first punishment or repercussion for eating the Lord’s Supper in an unworthy manner is that the guilt of Jesus’ death will be upon you. Or put another way, if you don’t take seriously the Lord’s Supper and you come to the table with unrepentant sin, you also will share in the guilt of those who put Jesus to death.

The second punishment for eating the Lord’s Supper in an unworthy manner is that you physically can become weak or ill or even die and I actually have to pause here in this section because there’s some false teaching that has been pretty prevalent recently concerning this passage about illness resulting from unworthily taking the Lord’s Supper.

There is some false teaching that has been circulating from some prosperity-gospel proponents that if you properly take the Lord’s Supper you will actually be healed from illnesses and they’ll utilize this verse to prove that point.

And I think most of us understand that there are other major theological issues within the prosperity-gospel circles (and if you want to know more about the issues in prosperity-gospel theology, talk with me after), but let me clarify this one point about this verse.

No where in this verse does it say that properly taking the Lord’s Supper can heal you—no where in this passage does it even mention healing from weakness or illness—the only way that you could come to the conclusion that properly taking the Lord’s Supper could heal you is if you completely twist what the verse is saying to fit your own belief.

And because one of our core values as a church is to be completely Bible-based and Bible-oriented, we cannot twist Scripture to match what we want to believe, which includes this verse.

All that we know from this verse is that some people are weak and ill and some have died because they improperly took the Lord’s Supper—this verse does not tell us what the weakness or illness is; this verse does not tell us how some of these people died and this verse certainly does not tell us that we can be healed if we take the Lord’s Supper properly.

This passage is simply teaching us to carefully examine ourselves prior to taking the Lord’s Supper and one of the repercussions for taking the Lord’s Supper in an unworthy manner is the very real issue of physical illness, weakness, and possibly death. We are to carefully examine ourselves prior to communion to be sure that we’re taking it worthily. We are to be sure that we aren’t in unrepentant sin prior to taking the Lord’s Supper

What Paul is teaching then, is that when we come to the Lord’s Supper, we are to examine ourselves to be sure that we’re in a right relationship with God through Jesus Christ. And if we come to the table after examining ourselves and find ourselves in a right relationship with God through Jesus Christ, then we can come worthily to the table:

Vs. 31-32, “But if we judged ourselves truly, we would no the judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.”

Put simply, when we come to the Lord’s Table after examining ourselves, if we examine ourselves truthfully we won’t be disciplined

But if we lie to ourselves and claim to be right with God when we aren’t, there is discipline in order for us to recognize that our relationship with God isn’t right and for us to come to repentance to avoid the ultimate destruction in the eschaton.

Leon Morris explains that, “There is, of course, a sense in which we all partake unworthily, for none can ever be fully worthy. But in another sense we can come worthily, in faith and with a due performance of all that is fitting. It is when we neglect this that we come in an unworthy manner, and sin against the body and blood of the Lord. Instead of proclaiming the Lord’s death, we then misuse the symbols of that death, and share the guilt of those who put Jesus to death.”

The final two verses, are specific for the people in Corinth, but we can glean some wisdom from them, Vs. 33-34, “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 judgment. About the other things I will give directions when I come.”

Paul closes this section concerning the Lord’s Supper by giving the most practical advice that he can for the church in Corinth--”When you come together to eat, wait for one another.”

Of course, remember that they’re practicing the Lord’s Supper in a different manner in which they would eat a meal together in addition to practicing the Lord’s Supper.

And because of the issues in which the rich would eat and drink without the poor and the poor would essentially be left out of the meal together, Paul gives this extremely simple advice—wait for one another.

If you happen to be wealthier and are usually there earlier, if you find yourself hungry, eat something at home before coming.

That way, when you come together, you’re together to celebrate the Lord’s Support properly, worthily and you won’t gain judgment for not taking the Lord’s Supper properly.

In our modern-day scenario, the practical aspect of this verse would be that when you come to church, eliminate distractions like being hungry to properly worship God as worship him together.

Now as we wrap up, before we actually take part in the Lord’s Supper together, let me help you with a little bit of application.

Application

The Context (17-22)--In Corinth, both in the city itself and the church, there were significant issues concerning the relationship between people, particularly between the rich and the poor—we read about how the Lord’s Supper during this time period was more of a full meal and during this meal the rich would eat all the food and get drunk while the poor were left to starve; which of course, is a huge issue because it subverts the meaning of the Lord’s Supper. So some, practical application for this would be:

Be sure that you actually know the meaning of the Lord’s Supper. We don’t just partake of the Lord’s Supper as a meaningless ritual, there is a specific purpose for doing it.

And extend this to the other things that we do as a church. Be sure that you actually know why we’re so invested in studying Scripture Sunday mornings, be sure that you actually know why we practice baptism by immersion, be sure that you actually know the reasons behind what we’re doing (and let me assure you, there are reasons behind every single thing we do).

And if you come to something that you’re unsure of why we do it or why we do it a certain way, please don’t hesitate to ask. There’s no reason for you to not know why your church does something or why the church does it a particular way. And knowing why or how will deepen your understanding and help you as you worship Jesus Christ.

While this isn’t the point of the passage in 1 Corinthians, it is of note—be sure that your relationships with one another within the church are good.

Because we’re human and we have a sin nature to contend with, I can assure you that there will be times when you get upset with me and I get upset with you and we get upset with each other.

I’m not telling you to hide those feelings and emotions and I’m not telling you to never get upset with someone here—I’m encouraging you that if your relationship with someone within the church is strained, do your best to remedy the situation.

And if the relationship strain that you’re struggling with is due to your own sin (like the Corinthian people), I’m calling you to repent from that sin and seek reconciliation with God and with those around you.

The Lord’s Supper (23-26)—In Vs. 23-26, Paul reminds them of what the Lord’s Supper is really supposed to be like and in doing so he gives them the methodology that we still use to this day, as well as the meanings behind each portion of the ordinance. The bread represents his body and the cup represents the new covenant in his blood. Do this all in remembrance of me.

This section calls us to remember the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ during the Lord’s Supper, which explains a bit of what we should be thinking of and reflecting on when we take part of the Lord’s Supper—we aren’t just eating a piece of bread and drinking grape juice, we’re reflecting on the sacrifice of Jesus Christ to atone for our sins.

And while we’re thinking on this truth, it should draw us to give thanks for what Jesus has done for us in our lives, repent from our sins, and reflect on who God is. This is what we’re supposed to be doing every time we take the Lord’s Supper

This should be our mindset when we gather together for the Lord’s Supper, but let me encourage you to make the Lord’s death, burial, and resurrection for the atoning of your sins something that you think about on a daily basis—doing so, will cause you to be thankful every day, to soak in who God is, and it will cause you to think twice before committing additional sins that day.

Practical Ramifications (27-34)—This final section, is where Paul calls them to take seriously the Lord’s Supper and what it means because of the very real repercussions that could happen if you don’t take the Lord’s Supper seriously.

If you take the Lord’s Supper in an unworthy manner, you’ll be guilty of the blood of Jesus Christ, which means that we need to take the time to carefully examine ourselves prior to communion to be sure that we are taking it worthily.

Be sure that you aren’t holding onto unrepentant sin—Paul teaches to mortify or put to death sin. That starts with repentance from that sin

As we prepare to take the Lord’s Supper this morning and every time from now on, take the Lord’s Supper as an opportunity to see your sin and repent from your sin—use the reminder of the Lord’s Supper to regularly make your heart right with God

In short, our application for today is this: (1) do your best to make sure your relationship between each other is good—and if not, repent from your sin or wrongdoing and reconcile with your brothers and sisters, (2) remind yourself daily of the Lord’s death, burial, and resurrection, and (3) use the remembrance of the Lord’s Supper to regularly make your heart right with God.

We’re going to pray, Natalie will cut Facebook Live, and then we’ll take the Lord’s Supper together.

Pastoral Prayer

Cut Livestream

The Lord’s Supper

This morning, as we move into celebrating the Lord’s Supper with one another, I’d like to explain just a few details that I have yet to explain, after which, we’ll take about a minute to quiet our hearts and minds, repent of sins, pass out the elements, and take part of the Lord’s Supper.

At Grace & Peace, we practice what is a called an open communion, which means that it doesn’t matter whether or not you’re a member of our church, a regular attender, or a first-time visitor—anyone can take part if they have truly repented from their sins and believed in the name of Jesus Christ.

The one thing that we ask you to do prior to taking communion is to consider the words of Paul in 1 Corinthians 11:27-29:

“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. 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 . . . eats and drinks judgment on himself.”

In particular, Paul is referencing the taking of communion while knowingly being in unrepentant sin. It is the person who partakes in the Lord’s Supper while refusing to repentant from sins that they know they’re guilty of, who eats and drinks judgment on himself.

What this means is that we as individuals need to discern whether or not we’re taking part of the Lord’s Supper in a worthy or unworthy manner

I’ve asked Natalie to quietly play a song over the speakers—for the next minute or so, take time to quietly reflect on the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ and take time to examine yourself to be sure that you take communion in a worthy manner.

After 1-2 minutes, At this time, I’m going to pass around a communion plate—if you are a believer in Jesus Christ and you aren’t holding onto any unrepentant sin in your life, I invite you to take one of the cups as the plate is passed around.

When you get the cup, feel free to go ahead and peel back the top layer to reveal the bread and peel back the second layer to access the juice, but please hold the elements until we can all eat and drink them together.

Prayer for Communion

Heavenly Father, we give thanks for the sacrifice of your Son, Jesus Christ who died on a cross for the sins of mankind—for our sins. We give thanks for the invitation that you’ve given us to take part in your Supper as a memorial and symbol of your love for us and as a reminder of the covenant that you’ve made for us in the blood of Jesus Christ. May we forever take the ordinance of the Lord’s Supper as serious as you do especially in this time. We pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen.

On the night that our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ was betrayed, he took the bread and after giving thanks he broke the bread and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

In the same way, after supper, he took the cup and said, “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.

This concludes our service. Let me encourage you as you leave this place, to intentionally go and make disciples of Jesus Christ from every nation.