Celebrating Communion in a Worthy Manner
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· 60 viewsPastor James preaches on 1 Corinthians 11:17-34
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We finished our series on manhood and womanhood last week with a sermon out of 1 Cor 11:2-16...
In that text, the HS shows us how we are to demonstrate the glorious truth of God creating us male and female…and the truths of Creation order and headship…as the church…with the tradition of head covering…as the gathered church...
We saw in that tradition (and in many other traditions that God has set before us)…in practicing the tradition, there is a physical component associated with the tradition...
In the tradition of head covering…the cloth covering on the head of women…is to show headship and covering…but also in that tradition, there is a ministry opportunity given to women…women who are covered have on them also the power and freedom to pray and prophesy as part of the gathered church…to show another truth...that women are needed…as helpers…in the church as they are in marriage…and in creation order itself...
That is in the context of Paul listing these 3 ways for us to keep order in the church…
It should then interest us that right after listing and commending the practice of head covering, Paul writes this…
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.
So there is another tradition given to the gathered church…and in this one the Corinthian church does not receive commendation but instead…correction...
And this other tradition handed down to the churches of God…is the tradition of communion...
Our text for today...
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. 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. When you come together, it is not the Lord’s supper that you eat. For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. 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? What shall I say to you? Shall I commend you in this? No, I will not.
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, 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.
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. 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 the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.
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.
God’s Word to us His church...
Before we dig in…let us remember...
Similarities…HC and communion...
A tradition for all the churches...
Point to a greater truth...
Use a physical symbol to remind us of the truth...
to be practiced in the gathering together
The physical body is involved…bit different way...
HC uses the physical head and what we do with it, to tell the truth about Headship.
Communion uses physical bread taken into our physical bodies…to remind us of the truth that Christ gave His physical bodies for us who “eat of Hm” john 6...
Like the tradition of covering…which tells us a truth about creation…pointing back to creation into
Genesis 2
…day 6 when God said...
This tradition of communion tells us a specific truth about Christ…so we should expect...
Similarities…HC and communion...
The Bible gives us these physical traditions to practice and celebrate....rituals God’s Word has commanded the church to observe.
These acts...baptism…(last week) baptism...or as we will look at today… communion...
They do not provide, renew, or secure our salvation.
Ephesians 2:8-9
says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
However, these traditions as given...are living illustrations that teach us what it means to be created by God…and today we will see…saved by the body of Christ and now in Christ’s body…the church...
Since I spoke of it last week…today I want to look at the nature, meaning, and practice of the physical tradition we call communion or the Lord’s Supper.
1 Corinthians 11:17-34 is the most comprehensive statement about communion.
And Biblical timeline scholars tell us Paul wrote 1 Corinthians before Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John were written. Which…if true…this means that this text contains the first recorded words of Jesus. And those words are about the Lord’s Supper. And since this Word…in this letter of 1 Corinthians…was given by Jesus…to Paul...
So not only Paul but much more so…Jesus Christ has commanded the church to regularly practice communion to remember Him.
In 3 blocks of the text, we are given 3 reasons for practicing communion as often as we gather for worship...
How often, you may ask?
Neither the gospels nor the text for today to the Corinthians give us a command as to how often to celebrate communion.
All we find is, “do this as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”
However, in the book of Acts, we find that the early church seemingly celebrated the Lord’s Supper every Sunday.
SLIDE
On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight.
So they gathered, and it seems Paul preached longer than 1 hour and 37 minutes even…until midnight?
So the first reason we are given for the importance of communion...
Unity in the church...
Remember last week…we looked at how Paul starts this letter...
SLIDE
To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:
So this letter is to the church in Corinth…and ALSO to us…in the very introduction of the letter WE are addressed…we are those who are to be set apart and in every place call upon the name of the Lord...
The letter goes on to address divisions in the church...over which preacher they like best…and gives us the solution to that problem...
The wisdom of God…not the wisdom of the world or the word of man...
Then the letter addresses things like sexual immorality…legal issues…marriage…divorce…idolatry…and all of that leads to another solution...
The keeping of order in the gathering of God’s church…what shall we do…how shall we do it…and why do we do what we do...when we gather?
And in addressing order in the church…starting in chapter 11...we are given instructions in 3 matters important to God in our corporate worship and gathering together...
SLIDE
Those 3 matters are...
- The tradition of covering (and not covering) to remember and display Headship in God’s creation order...
- The tradition of communion to remember and display the death of God’s Son...
- The practicing of the gifts in the gathered church...
We saw how this starts in Chapter 11 v2 with the word Now…or But…depending on your translation...
Verse 2 starts with now…verse 17 starts with but…chapter 12 starts with now...
This word in the greek is the same word…and functions like a bullet point...
The first point Paul addresses when discussing proper order when the Church gathers is the tradition of head covering...
So when when Paul indicates in his letter to the church…that this is a tradition…
SLIDE
Now I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I delivered them to you.
First notice what he is doing…he is telling them…good job…you are doing this one well...
He commends them…for the way they practice head covering…
When he gets to the way they practice the tradition of communion…not so much…look with me to verse 17...
SLIDE
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.
So he will admonish them for how they are practicing communion…
Why?
Because of what they way they are handling this tradition…because of the way they are disagreeing and mishandling this tradition…says about unity in the body of Chrsit...
Reason #1 given for the importance of communion...
1. The Unity of the Church
Verse 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.”
He is about to give “instructions” which are meant to be correction…to correct what?
The fact that the division in the way they were handling communion…was causing their worship services to not be for the better but for the worse.
In verses 18 he defines the issue...
SLIDE
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,
Healthy churches are characterized by leadership, truth, holiness, Spiritual growth, and unity. As we remember Paul had woarned them of this at the end of his discussion on head coverings...
If anyone is inclined to be contentious, we have no such practice, nor do the churches of God.
So here they are being contentious and divided...
As we notice these traditions are to be practiced…when we come together as the church…this goes for the entirety of Chapters 11-14...
This is also BTW one of the reasons us elders decided enough was enough early in the coronavirus timeline…because some of the things we are called to do together…as one another…can not be done over google hangouts…and unified communion is one of those things...
It is to be celebrated when the church meets together…and therefore the church needs to meet together...
Which as another aside…this is what the word church means…an assembly…a gathering of God’s redeemed people...
Paul has said this in the beginning of this letter...
I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.
At the end of verse 18, Paul says…I hear there are divisions among you…and I believe it in part. So he first gives them some grace...
Remember this is the same Paul that will later write them…
1 Corinthians 13:7 “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”
After mentioning the divisions, he says, “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.”
This is a striking comment in the midst of a rebuke.
Paul is not saying that them being split in this practice is OK...
He is, however pointing to the sovereign plan of God and the good that will come from this challenging situation...
That this is a test of their faithfulness and genuineness…and that God must uses factions among His church to grow and mature the genuine among them...
This oddly should be an encouragement to us in that we should always be striving for unity around the truth and at the same time for holiness…as stated in
Heb 12 14
“Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.”
And when we do, there will be factions…and in those God has a purpose…to refine His church...
Whatever the division may be, we can thank God for His sovereignty and His goodness, that He has a good purpose in every trial...
For the Corinthians, it was this...
When you come together, it is not the Lord’s supper that you eat. For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk.
So the Corinthians would seemingly have a meal together and then take communion at the end...
And Paul says…whatever it is you think you are doing…it is not the Lord’s Supper...
Some eat their own food while others go hungry…some get drunk...
Early in the letter Paul had addressed division over which Pastor they liked best…here now he addresses social division...
Then...
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 expressed his righteous anger…with rhetorical questions. They are calling themselves brothers and sisters in Christ, but they are not acting like brothers and sisters in Christ.
They are instead acting just like the world. They are taking the way the world does things…especially in regards to social distinctions…and brining that way into the church…even during the practice of this tradition…communion...
Remember what James says about showing partiality...
My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,” have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
This was happening in Corinth…here it is financial…it could be skin color…or education level…are we putting anything other than what is given to us in the Word of God…as an extra add-on distinction?
And why? Because of the importance of Order…God’s Order...
And when we do things God’s way and do not add to it or subtract from it…we will also maintain unity and avoid disunity...
The Corinthian church thought they were celebrating this tradition...the Lord’s Supper, but they were deceiving themselves.
And notice how serious this is...“Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing?”
This shows us the seriousness of this tradition..to God...
Communion is not to be taken lightly.
To eat and drink of it in an unworthy manner…especially here in truth #1…to take communion with divisiveness in your heart towards other believers...is to despise the church of God.
We will have more to say about this…but for now…simply ask yourself...
Are you despising the church of God by the way you treat the Lord’s Supper…communion?
And remember Paul writes this to them…and us…because of not only how important these things are to Jesus…but also because of how much He loves us and wants to protect us from mishandling something God has called us to do...
And so the first corrective instruction…is based on the first truth...
Communion is essential for unity in the church...
Because to take communion with a divisive heart is to despise the church of God.
Reason #2 given for the importance of rightly handling communion...
2. The Sacrifice of Jesus Christ
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,
The first thing for us to notice…this starts with the word for...
So Paul is saying…this is why…this is the reason he cannot commend them but must admonish them for the way they are practicing communion...
First he said communion was being practicied in a way that showed the divisiveness in their hearts...
But ultimately why is that so important! Because of what communion signifies…represents…the deep truth…the fact that the picture of communion is meant to be a physical display of...
Which is what?
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, 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.”
Notice Paul reminds us that what He writes is by divine revelation…received from the Lord...
What Paul teaches is from the Lord…recieved for the church…by Paul…from the Lord...
I asked these questions last week...
What do we do when we gather as a church? We Worship God in the presence of God...
What do we do in worship and where do we get that from?
Not from culture or other churches or denominational statements…not from the reformers or our favorite pastor…who tells us how to Worship God?
Only God…and here Paul reminds us that His Words are from the Lord...
And what is it the Lord has said in regards to the bread and the cup....
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, 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.”
So first…the bread...
So picture this with me…Jesus takes a loaf of bread...
And notice first...Jesus gave thanks. When you gather around a meal as a Christian and before eating it you give thanks…you are being like your Lord Jesus...
And this also is the heart of communion…we remember in communion…but not simply for the reason or remembering…but we remember with thanksgiving to bring us to a place of thanksgiving...
When we take communion…yes it is to remember that Jesus died…but Church…Jesus didn’t stay dead…and Jesus is coming back...
So we take communion with seriousness because of the death of Jesus…and joy because of salvation through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus!
We should take communion with a seriously…joyful…heart filled with thanksgiving!
Then we see…Jesus broke the bread…and said..“This is my body, which is for you.”
Notice…this is affirming what we celebrate on Christmas…that God sent His son...Jesus…in a body…for us! And it is telling us of the substitutionary atonement of Christ for us…His body given for us!
So the bread is a physical picture…it also is a statement of profound Spiritual truth…the bread as the body of Christ...
And then Jesus says why...
Do this in remembrance of me...
This is a tradition, yes…but also a command...
For our good and His glory...
And then the cup…verse 25. In the same way, also he took the cup after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood.’”
He calls it “the cup,” with no reference to wine.
Why is that?
In the Old Testament, “cup” typically refers to the wrath of God…which we will see more of at the end of the text…but for now...
Jesus says in verse 20, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.”
The new covenant...
SLIDE
“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
Notice the amazing promises here, and consider them in light of the fact that it was Jesus’ blood that purchased these benefits for us.
The Lord says in verse 33, “I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts.” This is an amazing promise, because unlike the old covenant law, which was written on tablets and scrolls, this new covenant law is written on our hearts.
To be born again is to have an internal change that God brings about by His sovereign grace…so that our hearts can delight in doing what we ought to do...
Because He writes the law on our hearts...
He changes our hearts, before we can love Him or obey Him...and this undeserved blessing is rooted in the blood of Jesus.
We also see the new covenantal promise that God will be our God and we will be His people.
Oh the intimacy and glory of knowing the fellowship that we have with God…which would not be possible without the blood of Christ...
All this is possible because of the forgiveness that is mentioned at the end of verse 34, “I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
Full forgiveness purchased by the blood of Jesus, for all whom He was sent to save!
Which is why Paul can say to us in Romans 8 1 “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
This is the truth we tell when we take the cup that represents the blood of Jesus poured out for us as the new covenant for us.
The new covenant is grounded on Christ’s blood so we can say in Ephesians 1:7, “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace.”
So when verse 25 says, “Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
The purpose of the Lord’s Supper never changes: “Do this in remembrance of me.”
Just as the Passover meal celebrated how the Lord redeemed the children of Israel from the bondage of slavery…and the unleavened bread reminded them of the haste with which they left...
Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper that we would remember how he redeemed us from the bondage of sin.
And like in all traditions…we not only remember but we proclaim truth…to be knows by all and handed down to the generations...
For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
What do we proclaim?
The cross…We proclaim the Lord's death...
Not Just that He die…but how He died and why He died!
And notice…God again tells a truth with a physical visual...
We SEE the gospel in communion.
And communion also proclaims something else…did you catch it...
We are also proclaiming that he will come again!
We proclaim it until He comes...
So we are remembering and anticipating…
This is a memorial and a promise...
So like the way we practice the other traditions…it is a statement of truth…and an act of faith...
But here, the faith is in the fact that Jesus WILL come again!
We believe the crucified Savior died on the cross for us.
We believe the risen Savior is coming back again for us.
When we practice this physical tradition…we proclaim that the Lord came in a physical body, and that body was put to death for us...
And that He will return in a physical body for our physical bodies…to return with Him!
Although it is about bread entering your mouth and a cup coming to your lips…that physical act tells a powerful truth…the gospel!
Reason number 3 given for the importance of communion...
Reason #3 Judgment
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. 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 the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.
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.
We must remember that although the cross tells the ultimate story of amazing grace for those whom God saves…the reality of the cross is that it is the righteous judgement of God against sinners that is the ultimate reason for the necessity of the cross…
This is why the cross is so full of amazing grace…because we deserve wrath…all of us…deserve the full cup of God’s wrath to b poured upon us forever....
We have all sinned and fallen short…and God cannot be righteous and pass over sin…all sin must be paid for…and so Jesus went to the cross…to take that cup of wrath for all whom He came to save...
So how do we practice the tradition of Communion in light of the judgment of God?
Well we can either take communion in an unworthy manner…or a worthy manner...
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.
Let me first say Paul is not saying you must make yourself worthy before practicing communion…it is not our personal goodness that earns us communion…it is faith in Jesus Christ that makes us worthy…it is His righteousness alone that makes anyone worthy...
That is what the death of Jesus on the cross is saying…that Christ alone makes sinners worthy by his body and His blood. If you have faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior and follow Jesus as your Lord…you are worthy because He is worthy…and your life of bcoming myre like Christ…day by day killing the sin in your life is also by His power and righteousness…and because of the cross...
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
So then what does this text mean?
To take the Lord’s Supper in “an unworthy manner.”? How do you know if you should take communion week by week?
Well first…are you a follower of Jesus Christ by faith? Are you living your life by faith in Jesus?
Second…do you have a sinful attitude toward Jesus and the church?
Unconfessed selfishness, rebellion, or divisiveness or unforgiving towards a brother or sister in Christ...makes you guilty of sin that needs to be repented of before taking of the bread and the cup...
So then...
Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup.
To take in a worthy manner is to first examine ourselves.
“Examine” means to test or approve. Test or approve of what? The genuineness of our confession of faith and our unitywith one another…are you genuinely living by faith in Christ and in love and forgiveness and unity with those in His church?
And when we examine ourselves and find that we have a sin to confess…forgiveness to give to or ask for from someone in the body…or bitterness towards someone that needs to be dealt with...
What do we do?
Well it could mean that we do not take of communion on that day…but that should not be our first response...
This should not be an excuse to miss communion…it should be first and foremost a reminder and a motivation to confess…repent…to one another or one of the elders...
Or go seek out forgiveness and reconciliation…and then take of communion...
And how important is it that we do this each week before taking communion?
For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.
This is extremely important…we should never take communion thoughtlessly or flippantly....
So may show up here and sing some songs…hear a sermon…and then...
If you take of communion without discerning what is in your heart and considering what kind of sacrifice Jesus made to save you from sin…asking yourself if you should be taking communion…or is there something that you must do first? Because otherwise what are you doing?
Eating and drinking judgment on yourself.
Please hear me say that the issue is not whether you ever sin...
The question is whether you are repentant of your sin and knowing that Christ is your only hope of forgiveness. Or are you living in a continual and unrepentant sin?
This is why unbelievers must not take communion...because they would necessarily be eating and drinking in an unworthy manner. Those who are not trusting in Jesus do not see the beauty of the Gospel and therefore cannot honor God by taking communion...
We invite and encourage unbelievers to be part of our worship and to be here among us as we celebrate God’s glory and goodness…but unbelievers should not take communion...
It is for believers only…and we pray that all unbelievers who come would hear the gospel and put their faith in Jesus and then take with us!
And if you consider yourself to be a believer but you know that you are straying from Christ, stuck in a continual unrepentant sin...
Or maybe you’re holding bitterness in your heart or jealousy or disunity with someone in the body...or hiding some secret sin which you refuse to turn away from—if this is describing your heart then you are warned as a believer to not to take communion...
The warning, though, is not to walk away from communion or from the fellowship. The warning is meant to bring you to repentance so that you can and will take communion!
What a grace that weekly communion is to the church…thanks be to God for His wisdom and grace...
These warnings should startle you a bit…hear the Word of God say…if you are not in unity…if you are unforgiving…if you are hiding sin…do not eat and drink judgment upon yourself...
That is a serious warning against wrongly practicing this tradition of communion...
So hurry and confess…and reconcile…so that you can join us in communion!
That’s the attitude we should all have every Sunday!
Don’t think of the worthiness that is required in terms of being good enough. The worthiness that is required is understanding your unworthiness.
So don’t let your brokenness over sin keep you from communion. That’s precisely the attitude that we need in order to be eating and drinking in a worthy manner. Recognize your sinful actions and attitudes. Repent of those sins, turn away from them, and look to Jesus in faith for the forgiveness of those sins. Then eat and drink in a worthy manner.
If you have a child who professes faith and takes of communion…ask them questions week to wee as you are examining yourself…help them examine themself…and in doing to you are also showing the importance of communion...
Then...
That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died.
Again, these warnings should take our breath away in terms of how serious the Lord’s Supper is. God revealed to Paul that the sickness and death that had been experienced in the church of Corinth was directly related to their mistreatment of the Lord’s Supper. God was judging them for eating and drinking in an unworthy manner. Then Paul reiterates the need for self-examination.
The way we handle the traditions is of utmost importance to God…and specifically in regards to this tradition...communion....
To take of communion with unconfessed sin…or unforgiveness…bitterness…or any partiality towards a brother or sister here in the body…may lead to weakening of your body…sickness…or even death...
This is not to say a true believer can lose their salvation…it is not to say every sickness or death is caused by taking communion in an unworthy manner...
But it is to say…for a true believer to take communion in an unworthy way...can cause this type of physical judgement upon our physical bodies...
And again God is showing a deep spiritual truth by using our physical bodies...
To take communion with unrepentant sin or a bad heart towards another here in the body…is like saying the death of Jesus is not powerful over sin…not enough for forgiveness…and does not reconcile us in unity with those in His church...
It is like saying our own body and life is more important than unity with the body…and so God will bring judgment upon our bodies...
So first examine your self...
But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged.
The Bible never says we should forgive ourselves…but it does say we should judge ourselves...
And then confess of any sin we may find...
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
We need to examine ourselves as we come to the table. We need to humble ourselves and soften our hearts towards the Lord.
We need to confess our sins and admit our unworthiness.
Because if we don’t examine ourselves—if we don’t judge ourselves—then God will judge us....He will discipline us. He will do something to get our attention.
And He may even kill us to prevent us from further abusing the Lord’s Supper.
We must take it in a worthy manner…and that the Lord judges us by punishing us when we do not…take communion without examining ourselves...
But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.
And it is a good thing that He does...
There are two types of judgment.
The judgment of the world, which is eternal condemnation. All who are not living by faith in Christ will be judged eternally in hell...
But God also judges His people...which is to discipline us…and this is a very good thing…because we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.
For the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
and chastises every son whom he receives.”
So Verse 32 is Paul ending on a positive note.
“But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.”
In other words, the purpose of the Lord’s discipline upon us is to keep us from going to hell.
He preserves us in faith by disciplining us...
And when we see this we also will see that communion is a chance for us to practice...Self-Denial.
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.
He is not saying we should not have meals together…he is saying that our meals together are not about us filling our hungry bellies…but to be in fellowship with those whom we love and are in unity with…and to see it that way will lead us to show our love for and unity with one another…and to wait for one another.
Fellowship with one another in the Lord’s Supper isn’t about satisfying your appetite.
It’s about proclaiming the gospel in what the bread and the cup represent.
I hope we see the deep glory in communion and to practice it in this way unifies us as believers…and as the other things listed here in 1 Cor 11-14…keep order in the church...
I hope we will each make a practice of examining our hearts before we take communion...
Confessing our sin to the Lord, admitting our unworthiness, and making sure we are unified with His body the church…and waiting for one another…as we take of His body and blood...
And we do all of this to remember…proclaim…and to celebrate...
As we saw last week with the tradition of head covering...traditions are for us to...
Remember...
Hand down...
Celebrate...
So as we week by week celebrate communion together…not only here at Revival church but remembering...1 cor 1 2 we are...called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:”
May we remember in unity...the death of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on the cross...
A truth we are to hand down from generation to generation...
So we can all celebrate together…and for all time…the good news…that God saves sinners...
Let me end with a question that I will answer...
Why would God want us to practice these traditions we have seen in the last 2 weeks…head covering and communion…as often as we gather?
Have you thought about the picture these 2 when practiced together tell? What truth are we telling by combining these 2 traditions?
The truth of creation to the cross…the gospel...
God created us as humans with a purpose…for us as male and female…to have dominion…in our living our the headship-helper relationship...but the devil attacked that manhood and womanhood relationship…deceiving Eve…leading Adam to sin…and we as the church…saved by Christ…are to live out that dominion commission by His power in us…as male and female…head and helper...
But the only reason any of us can overcome sin…be saved from our sin…under the curse in the fall of Adam…is if God would send His Son to live a perfect life…die a death for us…and rise again to life to put sin and death to death...
And God did precisely that…on the cross!
That is the story we tell without even using Words by practicing these 2 traditions…together…as often as we meet...
God in His wisdom has given us a way…to show these truths…physically displayed…over and over…for us His church…as we gather together...
The truth...
That although we all since Adam...
Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” and
Rom 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death....eternal death…we all deserve hell…and yet...
But God…Eph 2:4 “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,”
In Christ…there is forgiveness of sin…by grace from God…John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
Mark 1:15 “and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
Because the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord…for all who repent and believe...
And that is because…Romans 5:8 “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Church that kind of love for us should cause us to overflow in joy…to outdo one another in love…to 1 Thess 1 10 “and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.”
And as we gather as His church...Titus 2 13 “waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,”
We practice these traditions to remember…to hand down…and to celebrate…the truth about God from creation to the cross...
So let us sing and then we will celebrate together that...
Jesus died…gave His body and shed His blood for us...
He rose again…and is coming back…for all whom He came to save!
Amen!