Distorted

Have you ever had something go completely wrong?

A lot of you know that this past summer we had outdoor church services

and these services were fun but one thing we had to do is we had to move all of the electronics from inside to outside

And we had this flat screen tv that was great. I mean it had an awsome picture, it was light, it was a great TV.

and we brought it outside to use as a monitor, and I remember I set up this screen so it was propped up

And so I made sure it was sturdy and would not move.

But there was an issue where right before the service was starting a huge guest of wind came out of no where

and in slow motion I was litterly able to watch the tv lift up into the air and fall over in the church parking lot.

and I remember running over to the TV and thinking well maybe it survived

and I picked it up and the screen was completely shattered.

And i am an optimistic person so I thought well maybe there is a way we can still see the picture a little bit

And so I turn it on and the picutre was just a bunch of colors.

And I forget what teen came up to me when I picked it up but they said “well that doesn’t look good”

And I remember thinking thanks I couldn’t tell...

But have you ever had something go wrong like that?

Because if you have been with us in this series where we have been looking at this letter that this guy Paul has been writing to a church that he started

and this church started well

But over time they drifted away from God and because of it they looked like the TV that was shattered where they looked drastically distorted and really they looked completely different fro who God had called them to be.

and because of this you could not even tell Who’s they belonged to.

Because instead of there church being a life giving place it ended up being a place that was life draining.

Because what would happen in this church is people would come to this church to learn more about God but the church was so toxic people would often leave worse off then when they came.

And this was because of the church as a whole, but it was also because of the individuals in the church.

and can I just say I believe that if we were honest with ourselves and did an honest reflection on our lives this morning we would find that there are times where we allow ourselves to look like that TV.

Distorted and unrecognizable from the message that God had given us.

And so what we will be doing today is we are going to be looking at 1 Corinthians 11:17-32 and we are going to be looking at how do we ensure that our lives do not get distorted.

Because the truth is there are so many churches and people who God has called to be life giving but somehow, we become life draining.

And so today we will be in 1 Corinthians 11: 17-32 and will be looking at how can we be the life giving people God has called us to be.

and we will actually just be starting in the first few verses starting at verse 17-22. It says this:

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.

So I love how this passage starts because Paul actually starts by saying I want to let you know what you all do awful.

And he actually even says when your church meets it actually is worse than if you did not meet at all.

Because what would happen in this church is they would actually gather together for a meal and at the end of the meal they would receive communion together.

which sounds refreshing and like a great time but here is the thing.

Because Paul says there is a big issue here.

Because this is supposed to be an event where the body of Christ comes together in unity, however instead what we see is division

Because this passage tells us that the church is supposed to be doing this together but instead of doing it together they are actually coming to this meal at different times.

And not only that but some people are not getting food when they come and they are starving.

And then there are others who are coming to this meal eating all of the food, and then getting completely drunk on the communion wine.

It would almost be like if our church had a pot luck and we had a few groups at this potluck we have this section of the church where you all have come early to eat all of the food

Then we have this section and you guys are hungry and were really looking forward to this meal, so you are hangry and frustrated (thats a bad combo)

And then we have this section over here where you all show up to the pot luck drunk.

And then at the end of the potluck someone comes up to me and says “Pastor, it would be so nice if you could lead us in receiving communion to end the night.”

And I would probably say what Paul said “WHAT?!”

How can we celebrate communion right now?

Don’t you realize how divided we are, don’t you see how people are intentionally hurting others?

and this is what I want you to get: because divisions might not be this obvious

in fact a lot of times they are not

But Paul who is writing this letter is saying look you need to examine whats going on here.

Because communion is supposed to be a selfless act and you all have made it a selfish act.

And Paul says I cannot stand here and say that this is okay.

And I love the next section because Paul tell this messed up church “I want you to remember why we celebrate communion” and so in verse 23 Paul tells the church this:

1 Corinthians 11:23–25 (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.”

So Paul tells this church about about the night Jesus first served communion and had this meal with his disciples.

And what is so neat about this meal is was that it was also a passover meal.

and if you do not know what passover was it was basically a time that the Jewish people would remember how God freed them from Egypt

And so at the beginning of this meal Jesus he took out the bread and the bread in this meal was actually called the bread of affliction.

And the bread of affliction actually represented the judgement the people deserved

And so the people would eat the bread as a reminder of the judgement.

But whats so neat is when Jesus hands out the bread He says this is my body which is for you.

So in a way Jesus is saying the bread of affliction, the judgement you deserve is now Jesus’s affliction on the cross.

Jesus is saying the affliction you deserve is now on me to bear.

And it does not just stop there because at the end of the meal Jesus rose the cup

And this cup in passover actually represented the event where one of the plagues came to Egypt

and what God instructed the Israelites to do was to put lambs blood on the door frames of their houses and when the plague was coming to Israel God knew to pass over the homes with the blood

and so when Jesus says this is my blood, He is saying I am the new lamb,

And my blood wont be on a door frame, but it is going to be on the cross.

And ultimatly Jesus is saying look this meal that you all have is great, but He says “I am the completion of this meal”

because Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice.

Where we are no bear the affliction of our sin because Jesus did that on the cross.

I mean that is good news.

Good news that transcends race, culture, political views and any other difference

And look at verse 26 because Paul says

1 Corinthians 11:26 (ESV)

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

You know I love that word proclaim because the litteral translation of that word is represent.

So Paul is saying when you receive this Grace in your life you are literally representing Christ.

I mean some of you know that I was an admission counselor before I became a pastor

and one of the scary things they would tell you is that when you are talking to a student you are actually representing Olivet Nazarene University.

And its a big deal because if you chew out a student or are rude to one, it does not just look bad on you but it looks bad on the school.

And you know Paul is telling this church look you all should be unified in Christ but there is division and it is not just looking poorly on you, but it is looking bad on God’s people.

and look at this last part because these last verses really bring everything together

because verses 27-32 says this:

1 Corinthians 11:27–32 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.

You know this last part of the passage is really important.

Because it basically lets us know how we live our lives are important.

and it really ends with this statement in verse 28 saying “let a person examine himself”

And I thought this morning this would be a good way to end.

because the people in this church were a mess and Paul is saying when was the last time you looked at yourself?

Don’t you see how you are acting?

Don’t you know what you are doing?

And most importantly don’t you know who you are in Christ?

Because right now how you are living does not match who you are serving.

This morning I just want us to end by examining ourselves (Take out Mirror)

You know if we were to stand in front of a mirror this morning and look at ourselves what would we see.

Would how we live match whose we serve?

If we looked in a mirror and looked at our schedules would it show that we are serious about growing closer to God?

If we looked at our walk with God are we still living like a child when God has called us to grow?

Are there things we have told God no to?

I mean when we look in the mirror of our life what do we see?

Pause

You know the thing about examining our heart is we do not just do it and see how terrible we are.

But when we examine our heart we are able to come to a graceful God who will meet us where we are.

This morning I do not know where you are, but our God does and you do.

What would happen if you asked God to meet you there this morning.

And really the reason we still celebrate communion is because it represents God meeting you where you are.

Because like we talked about when Jesus gave the disciples the bread and the cup He did not just say okay work your way up, but He said I am going to meet you on that cross,

So no matter how far you fun, no matter how many mistakes you make, I am here for you.

And today as we close we will be celebrating communion together.

And if you are here you are welcome to recieve communion as long as you have placed your trust in Christ.

But I want everyone this morning before you receive it to examine your heart and during this next song ask God to meet you at that place.

Will you pray with me?