Unity - Communion
Notes
Transcript
I was reading this week about how to tell if your church has reached perfection. Here are 10 things that church members will say to prove that a church is nearly perfect:
1. “Hey! It’s my turn to sit in the front pew.”
2. “I was so enthralled, I never noticed your sermon went twenty-five minutes overtime.”
3. “Personally, I find witnessing much more enjoyable than golf.”
4. “I really want to be a teacher in the junior high Sunday school class.”
5. “Forget the denominational minimum salary; let’s pay our pastor so he can live like we do.”
6. “I love it when we sing songs I’ve never heard before.”
7. “Since we’re all here, let’s start the service early.”
8. “Nothing inspires me and strengthens my commitment like our annual stewardship campaign.”
9. “Pastor, we’d like to send you to this continuing education seminar in the Bahamas.”
10. “I’ve decided to give our church the five hundred dollars a month I used to send to TV evangelists.”
Well, I guess we aren’t perfect yet, but we are working on it! Today we are starting a new series on Unity. Specifically unity of believers.
Unity in the church is really important because it’s how we accomplish God’s will in the world. We are called to be a light to a dark world and show that dark world there is a better way. In fact, we are called to show them the way the truth and the life. We should be a reflection of Jesus.
Far too often people look at the church and ask themselves why they would ever want to be part of a group of people who seem no different than anyone else. Sometimes even worse. There are stories I could tell of people in the church who are not in unity, but that’s not what this series is about…that would actually cause disunity!
We are up to big things, how we act towards each other is really important. It’s so important that we are going to take the next few weeks and find out what the Bible teaches us about what it means to be unified. What it means to be united in Christ, to become one Body, and have one Goal.
Our First topic is going to be Communion. Our anchor scripture will be 1 Corinthians 11.
In this chapter Paul is writing instructions to the church. He addresses unity and talks about the Lord’s Supper which is of course Communion.
Our main focus today is going to be on Communion, but we really shouldn’t even start talking about Communion until we address Unity.
Divisions Aren’t Allowed
Divisions Aren’t Allowed
18 First, I hear that there are divisions among you when you meet as a church, and to some extent I believe it.
Communion is all about us remembering Christ and that we are part of His body, saved by the sacrifice of His physical body and blood that He shed.
Eating the bread and drinking from the cup is symbolic. It reveals the truth that we are all partakers of this great gift of God. That we are all united in faith. That we are all part of the Body of Christ. The Body of believers.
When there are divisions in the church, even though they seem hidden, they will show up in the public meetings. The Lord’s Supper speaks of the unity of believers; divisions in the church would negate this wonderful message.
The early church often held a “love feast,” a fellowship meal, in conjunction with the Lord’s Supper. But at Corinth, the rich came with their bounties while the poor sat on the side with a crust of bread. “Eat at home!” Paul commands them. “Your gluttony and drunkenness are a disgrace to the Lord!” (v. 22).
If believers do not love one another, they can never partake of the Lord’s Supper and be blessed.
Anyone can see that it’s wrong to have divisions or factions in the body of Christ. We are all equal in the kingdom of God. Paul was furious that the church was treating people unequally.
Divisions aren’t allowed. When we are united in Christ no one is better than any other.
When we study communion we are reminded that we are all one in Christ. We are all in need of His great love and sacrifice.
Communion should serve as an opportunity to Remember His Sacrifice
Communion should serve as an opportunity to Remember His Sacrifice
24 and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
25 In the same way, he took the cup of wine after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood. Do this in remembrance of me as often as you drink it.”
We are to remember what He has done. It humbles and unites us with the same hope for Salvation.
21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.
There is no scenario in which we are deserving of the gift of God. It’s by His grace we can come to the table of Communion. It’s by His gift we are united as one body.
It we are in unity they we will remember the example that Christ gave to us when He washed His disciples feet.
14 And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet.
15 I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you.
It’s very hard to be in unity if we aren’t willing to serve each other in grace. How many times do we hold grudges that should be forgiven and forgotten.
Jesus humbled Himself and washed feet. We should be willing to do the same.
Communion reminds us our Debt has been paid
Communion reminds us our Debt has been paid
13 But the blood on your doorposts will serve as a sign, marking the houses where you are staying. When I see the blood, I will pass over you. This plague of death will not touch you when I strike the land of Egypt.
In the same way that the blood of the lamb saved the Hebrew babies, we are saved from our sin by the blood of Christ.
Not in our own power or strength are we set free from judgement. Only by the precious blood of the lamb of God.
We must be united in the fact that we are only saved because God accepted the sacrifice of the lamb and that our sin debt has been paid.
Communion reminds us that we should Repent
Communion reminds us that we should Repent
27 So anyone who eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord unworthily is guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.
28 That is why you should examine yourself before eating the bread and drinking the cup.
These are powerful words. Words that should make us seriously consider our relationship with Christ.
Sin has been paid for, when we come to christ is faith we are washed clean, but we have a responsibility to live like and for Him. We need to make sure we are completely and totally surrendered to Christ.
We must be in unity with our Lord and Saviour.
Remember I just told about the Priests that were washed all over, but God provided soap for their hands and feet daily? It’s the same for us, we have been washed, but we need to daily wash.
9 But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.
Communion reminds us of the need to Reconcile
Communion reminds us of the need to Reconcile
29 For if you eat the bread or drink the cup without honoring the body of Christ, you are eating and drinking God’s judgment upon yourself.
Folks, we need to make sure that we are right with other people. Now, I’m not saying they will all want to be right with us, but we need to do our part in reconciling.
What Paul is saying to that early church was “How can you rich eat in front of the poor?” It’s not unity. It’s not fair. And if you do this then a judgement is coming your way.
In our relationships we have the goods. We are rich in Christ. We cannot keep it to ourselves. We must go to those who we may have offended and ask for forgiveness.
You might ask what the consequence to communion without repentance?
Paul says it’s sickness and death.
30 That is why many of you are weak and sick and some have even died.
God allowed sickness and even death to come to the Corinthian church because it was partaking of the Lord’s Supper in an unworthy manner.
Paul never tells us we must be “worthy” to eat at the Lord’s Table; for if that were the case, no one would be able to partake.
Though we are not worthy, we can partake in a worthy manner by understanding what the Supper means: having a heart free from sin; being filled with love for Christ and His people; being willing to obey His Word.
Christians often think they can “get away” with carelessness in church, but this is impossible. If our hearts are not right, God will chasten us to bring us to the place of blessing.
This is serious business that we are doing when we come to Communion.
Today before we partake, we are going to sing a song of Worship to the Lord. While we are singing, please stay seated and think about what we are going to do together as a church.
Get your heart right with the Lord. Repent. Make plans to reconcile.
Communion:
1) examine ourselves
1 Corinthians 11:27-30
…whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.
28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.
29 For he that eats and drinks unworthily, eats and drinks damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.
30 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.
What should Communion cause us to do?
Look back, to the things Christ did on my behalf
Look ahead to the things That Christ will do when He returns
Look within to confirm my compliance with His Commands
Look around to see if I am in right relationship with Gods other children
PRAY - SALVATION - REPENTANCE
2) the Bread,
1 Corinthians 11:24
…when He had given thanks, He broke the bread, and said, Take, eat: this is My body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of Me.
3) the Blood
1 Corinthians 11:25
25 After the same manner He also took the cup, when He had sipped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.