Coming Together for the Better
Notes
Transcript
1 Corinthians 11:17 (KJV 1900)
17 Now in this that I declare unto you I praise you not, that ye come together not for the better, but for the worse.
Time of Reciprocity
Time of Reciprocity
res-uh-pros-i-tee
1 Corinthians 10:15–17 (KJV 1900)
15 I speak as to wise men; judge ye what I say.
16 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?
17 For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread.
When a Christian goes to the Lord’s table, which incidentally he does regularly, that’s the assumption that Paul makes, because that is so vital in the life of the Christian.
It is continually focusing on the issue of the union of a believer with his Lord and a believer with every body else.
And Paul’s thought is this, when you take the cup and when you take the bread, you are communing with Christ in a very real way, in a very genuine way. That feast, that celebration involves you in a participation with Christ. And it involves you, according to verse 17, in a participation with everybody else who is with you in it.
And that’s his point. He is saying religious feasts, religious celebrations involve the worshiper with all other worshipers and the one being worshiped. And he’s saying that’s precisely why a Christian can’t go to an idol feast because an idol feast means he is involved with the worshipers and the one being worshiped whether he likes it or not. And how can a Christian involve himself at the Lord’s table, turn right around and involve himself at an idol feast when they constitute real communion?
Now that’s his point and now we’ll look at these verses in particular and show you how he gets to that place.
First of all, at 16, the cup of blessing.
What is a cup of blessing?
It basically means is the cup which God has blessed, or the cup which Christ has blessed. And you remember that at that last supper, that night Jesus took the cup and He what? He blessed it … He blessed it.
In other words, it was just a cup. We don’t know what kind of cup, it was just a whatever kind of cup. But all of a sudden it became something very sacred, didn’t it? It stopped being something mundane and became something very sacred because Jesus Christ set it apart from mundane use to something very special, He blessed it. He set it apart.
The cup of blessing which Jesus bless, we also bless, don’t we? Before we take the cup or cups when we partake, we bless, we thank God, we set them apart to a sacred use. The cup was thus set apart to sacred use by Christ and so it is with us.
Communion with the Death of Christ:
Communion with the Death of Christ:
What is this cup? Verse 16 again,
1 Corinthians 10:16 (KJV 1900)
16 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?
“Is it not the communion of the blood of Christ?” Now when you drink the cup at the Lord’s table, listen to this, you are communing with the blood of Christ. Now we have to understand something because this is very very misunderstood.
What does this mean?
What does it mean to commune?
It’s more than a symbol.
We say, “Well, this is a symbol of His blood.” Well, listen to this, the cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the symbol of the blood of Christ? Is that what it says? No. It’s more than the symbol, it is the communion, it is—if you will in the Greek—participation, or it is the sharing. It’s an actual involvement that’s taking place when we take that cup. There is a spiritual reality going on there, far more than just a symbol.
To partake of the elements actualizes Christ’s death, it makes it vivid, it makes it real, it intensifies my sensitivities to the reality of Christ dying for me, see. It isn’t just a symbol.
It is a symbol that is activated by the Spirit of God to make Christ’s death a living reality to me. That’s the idea of communion. You are communing with His death.
His poured out blood was symbolic of His violent death, the death was the thing that paid the price, right?
The wages of sin is … what? Death.
He died for us. It is His death that is the issue. The Hebrews spoke of it as His outpoured blood because that was something that expressed violent death. And they believed, for example, in the Old Testament it said the life of the flesh is in the blood. And so the pouring out of blood was the significance of death.
And so when it says here we are communing with the blood of Christ, it does not mean the literal blood of Christ is involved, it means we enter into a genuine vital participation in His death. But it is not the blood. The blood is only the symbol of the poured out life.
So, taking the cup which Jesus blessed and in turn blessing it, setting it apart for sacred use and then participating in it is an act of communion with the death of Christ.
Communion with the Body of Christ:
Communion with the Body of Christ:
Now let’s go a step further. Verse 16, the bread, or literally the loaf to correspond more with cup, the loaf which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?
Now our Lord said of the bread that last night, “This is My body given for you.” Now body in Hebrew thought refers to the totality of earthy life, earthiness, humanness.
When a Hebrew thought of the body, he thought of earthiness, he thought of man’s connection to the ground, to his humanness.
Now note, when we commune with the bread, it is the body of Christ. This is not primarily a reference to the cross.
By the bread we remember and commune with our Lord’s incarnation, His human life, His humanness.
We remember that which makes Him a sympathetic high priest
15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
as well as a bleeding, dying Savior.
8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
The communion then relates us to the living Christ who came and suffered and
6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
He did it in order that He might become a sympathetic high priest in all points tempted like as … what? We are. The bread reminds us of His life. The bread reminds us of His body, reminds us of His humanness.
God gave Himself to us as a human being in order that He might suffer what we suffer, in order that He might hurt where we hurt, in order that He might be tempted where we’re tempted, in order that He might succor us in order that He might be our faithful sympathetic and great high priest.
And so the breaking of the bread does not refer to the cross primarily, although that was part of His human suffering and certainly is included, the breaking of the bread simply a symbol of His humanness.
And the breaking of it has no symbolic connection to the cross. People say, “The Lord’s body was broken on the cross.” It was not broken. The Bible makes a specific point of that.
In
36 For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken.
it says, “And not a bone of Him was broken that the Scripture might be fulfilled.” The only reason that Jesus took the loaf and broke it was to give everybody a piece of the same loaf.
Do you see? We are all partakers of one bread who is Christ and it has to be broken to be passed out to us. The symbolism is only that in distribution, not in death. His body was never broken.
So, what do we have then?
The breaking refers only to the distribution of the one loaf. It relates to the fact that all believers share in that one life. We not only commune with Christ’s death, we commune with His life.
Paul said in
Philippians 3:10 (KJV 1900)
10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
“I want to know Him, the power of His resurrection,” that’s related to His DEATH,
“and the fellowship of His … what?… suffering,” that’s related to His LIFE. Being made conformable to His death.
Paul says I want to be able to suffer for Him. I want to be able to have the humanity of Jesus, as it were, relived in me. I want to bear the marks of Jesus in this body. I want to fill up in my body the sufferings that are meant for Jesus Christ. I want to commune with His humanness. I want to commune with His suffering. I want to be persecuted for righteousness sake as He was persecuted for righteousness sake. I want to be able to go to Him and find in Him a sympathetic high priest who knows everything that I suffer because He suffered it Himself.
So, when you come to the table of the Lord, beloved, the bread represents the humanity of Jesus.
It represents His humiliation.
It represents His humanness,
His human suffering as a man for us … something we definitely commune in, something we definitely relate to as He is our sympathetic high priest and we carry our cares to Him knowing He’s been there and He knows.
And the cup represents His violent death for the forgiveness of sin. Something we also commune with. We also are actualized into being identified in His death for sin.
When we take those things, they’re not just symbols. There is an actual communion that occurs.
Let me show you what I mean. There is confusion about that and there are different views of how that works.
The word koinonia, their communion in verse 16 is the word to participate. The verb means to share or to partake of or to participate or to be a partner in.
The noun koinoniameans participation, partnership, fellowship, communion. As a Christian, we literally participate in Christ.
1 Corinthians 1:9 (KJV 1900)
9 God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.
We participate WITH THE SON.
2 Corinthians 13:14 (KJV 1900)
14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.
We participate WITH THE SPIRIT.
Philippians 2:1 (KJV 1900)
1 If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies,
We participate IN THE MINISTRY
2 Corinthians 8:4 (KJV 1900)
4 Praying us with much intreaty that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints.
We participate IN THE GOSPEL.
Philippians 3:10 (KJV 1900)
10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
We participate IN SUFFERING.
We are fellowshipping all the time with Christ, sharing Him, His Spirit, His ministry, His gospel, His sufferings. And when we come to the table we participate in His death, we are sharing the benefits of His death, that’s what it means. We are sharing in the meaning of His death, the purpose of it, the point of it.
So, it’s more than just remembering. It’s sharing, fellowshipping, participating, partaking, communing.
You come to THE LORD’S SUPPER and you look at the cup and you look at the bread and they aren’t just a cup and bread, they aren’t even just symbols. All of a sudden Christ is alive. All of a sudden you are sensitized. And the reality of Christ is actualized in your mind and you see His cross and you see your union with Him and you see His body and you see it given on your behalf. And you see the fact that He lived and He suffered and He’s a sympathetic high priest. All of that is actualized.
Christ is not in the elements, He is in the believer. But the believer is awakened to His reality in the symbols. And it’s just like, reading the Scripture, coming to worship, praying, any of those things, this is communion with Him. This is what Paul is saying.
Now watch. All of that I’m telling you to give you an understanding of this whole passage and the rest is just going to run right down.
He’s saying, “Look, people, when you come to the Lord’s table, you are communing with Christ. You are actively involved in a partaking of all that He is and all that He has done.
You are fellowshipping, participating in His reality. That’s what that service means.
Verse 17, he goes further.
1 Corinthians 10:17 (KJV 1900)
17 For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread.
There’s only one bread and its Christ. And so everybody who partakes of that one bread is one with everybody else. And this is the second great point of communion.
Communion with Each Other:
Communion with Each Other:
We are all one body. We all partake of one loaf. We are all joined to Christ. So we are inseparably joined to each other.
Now watch. Everybody who comes to the Lord’s table, now watch this, not only enters into communion with Christ but he enters into communion with everybody else who is also at the Lord’s table. You see what he’s saying? We all come to that one bread. We all partake of that one bread. So we all constitute one body. Communion then means we are actually communing with Christ and actually communing with everybody else who is there.
Worship is identification… communion with whoever is being worshiped.
Communion with Christ at the Lord’s supper for the Christian means fellowship with Christ and everybody else at His table.
We can’t participate in idol feasts, any of the idolatrous godless Christless activities of our world without becoming identified with them, without becoming one with all the rest of the people that are doing it.
You say, “Well, you know, I don’t do what the world does. I’ve been attending some of the wild social deals around, but I just kind of stay back.” You are one with what’s going on. You have identified in that kind of communion with the system. That’s his point. You have liberty but if your liberty takes you out to the places where the world is communing with its own system which is run by Satan, then you’re a part of that whole fellowship. And that is hopelessly inconsistent. Can’t do it. It’s just inconsistent. It doesn’t make sense.
Time of Rebuke
Time of Rebuke
Now, Look at our text.
1 Corinthians 11:18–19 (KJV 1900)
18 For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it.
19 For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you.
33 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.
Chaos of Authority
Chaos of Authority
Divisions - Schism, Tear, Crack
Heresies - religious parties or divisions and their teachings.
When we are taking advantage of freedom, liberty, and not recognizing authority through submission, the communion we should be experiencing is lost.
20 When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord’s supper.
21 For in eating every one taketh before other his own supper: and one is hungry, and another is drunken.
22 What? have ye not houses to eat and to drink in? or despise ye the church of God, and shame them that have not? What shall I say to you? shall I praise you in this? I praise you not.
Chaos of Submission
Chaos of Submission
The Corinthians were tragically abusing the Lord’s Supper. The abuses may seem strange to some churches today because they simply partake of a bread crumb and a small glass of wine or grape juice to celebrate the Lord’s Supper. However, as stated in the introductory note, the Corinthians observed the Lord’s Supper with a full-fledged meal or Love Feast.
Selfishness and Shaming
The Corinthian church had begun to abuse the Supper.
Instead of sharing, everyone sat off in their own little group of friends and shared their food only among themselves.
The result was tragic:
→ Some were neglected, having little if anything to eat. This would be true in particular with the slaves.
→ Some were indulging, acting as gluttons.
→ Some were treating the affair as a social gathering, drinking off to the side and becoming drunk.
There was no real Christian fellowship or love whatsoever being experienced. And although the church was partaking of the bread and the cup, it was not celebrating the Lord’s Supper. What they were doing was totally meaningless and useless. What they were celebrating was a feast to the evil spirit of selfishness and indulgence, not to the Lord.
You cannot Worship Christ without recognizing His authority and submitting to Him.
Note that this verse is a series of questions that answer themselves and should stir conviction within the heart of the guilty.
22 What? have ye not houses to eat and to drink in? or despise ye the church of God, and shame them that have not? What shall I say to you? shall I praise you in this? I praise you not.
→ Do you not have houses in which to eat and drink? The church is not the place where we are to eat and drink. It is the place of worship.
→ Are you not abusing the church and shaming the poor through your division, cliques, selfishness, indulgence, and hoarding? Of course you are!
→ “What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you in this? I praise you not!”
Time of Reflection
Time of Reflection
1 Corinthians 11:23–26 (KJV 1900)
23 For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread:
24 And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.
25 After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.
26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come.
Reflect on His Authority
Reflect on His Authority
Reflect on His Submission
Reflect on His Submission
Time of Review
Time of Review
1 Corinthians 11:27 (KJV 1900)
27 Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.
Notice verse 27. There is a word in that verse that bothers me. It is the word “unworthily.” We are told that if we take of this bread and this cup “unworthily”; we bring God’s wrath upon our lives by not reverencing the Lord’s body.
1 Corinthians 11:28–29 (KJV 1900)
28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.
29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.
In fact, the phrase “not discerning the Lord’s body,” has the idea of treating Jesus like the mocking and jeering crowds did at His crucifixion. It means that we treat His broken body and His shed blood as if they were nothing!
The Lord is telling us to “examine” our own lives. We need to be sure that we are clean, before we come to His table. When we partake of His table with an unclean heart, we need to be aware that there will be a price to pay.
30 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.
1. Some are sick because of it—verse 30a
2. Some are dead because of it—verse 30b
32 But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.
3. All will be chastened because of it—verse 32
What are we to do? The answer is in verse 31!
31 For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.
We are to examine ourselves and bring our sins to His altar in confession and repentance, 1 John 1:9.
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
When we do that, we can expect His forgiveness.
When we do not, we can expect His chastisement!
Is it that serious? Yes it is!
In fact, it is so serious that I would say to you that if you have sin in your life because you have not submitted to the authority of Jesus Christ and you do not plan to confess it and deal with in this altar; then you should let the bread and the juice pass you by!
When you come to the Lord’s Table, are you recognizing His authority as King of kings and Lord of lords, if so, you will be submitting to Him in obedience.