Breaking Bread At New Grace

Breaking bread at new Grace. Breaking bread at new Grace. And what I want us to do and and how I'm going to go about this is I'm going to Simply do this, I'm going to explain the Lord's supper and I want to give three words that start with the letter e. This is what we're going to talk about now, this is on the back of back, your bulletin as well. I'm going to do the first word is explanation. I'm going to explain why. Exactly we have the Lord's Supper, while we're preparing, our hearts for communion, but we need to understand why we're having it. The second word is examination. the Bible says we are to examine ourselves in other words, can any and everybody take the Lord's Supper whoever shows up Can can anyone take the Lord's supper and let me say no. If it's only for a select few, And we'll talk about that. And then the last word is expectation and we're going to look at what we can expect and what the Lord expects. So, we're in First Corinthians chapter 11. And what I want you to do is I'm reading now the King James, this morning and I want you to follow along as I read the first two verses of chapter 11 in a 1st Corinthians. And this is what the Bible says be. Ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ. Now, this is Paul speaking. I watch what he says now. I praise you brother that you remember me and all things and keep keep the W, the ordinances. Keep the ordinances as I delivered them. Unto you. Now what we need to ask is what are the ordinances? For our church for a Southern Baptist Church. What are the ordinances? Where we have to One is the Lord supper, which is what we're going to talk about today and what's the other ordinance? Albino. No. Say that again. Baptism, baptism bats. The two ordinances of the church is the Lord's supper and baptism. And so, That's the two institutions. If you will that the Lord has given us to keep us in spiritual Focus. The two ordinances of the New Testament Church and Paul says that it is praiseworthy if we keep them if we keep them the same way, the Bible says, Paul says, as I delivered them until you, so that's the two ordinances that we follow and it's very important for a church and for individuals to keep the ordinances. So let me say this. If you're here this morning and you are a born again, Christian, you've been saved. but if, but you haven't been baptized You need to be baptized. That's an ordinance. An ordinance is an order and who's the order come from comes from God. So if you're here and you're safe, but you never been baptized, you need to get saved. I mean, you need to get baptized You say well that's not going to send me to have a no that's already decided. If you're saying you're going to have in your names written in the Lamb's Book of Life, you are sealed with the Holy Spirit until the day of redemption that has nothing to do with your salvation, but it is symbolic of what Christ has done as he was buried. And he arose for you, we go under the water and then we come out and we walking in newness of life. If you've never been baptized with your saved, you need to get baptized because you're disobeying God by not getting baptized you say what if I go out today because I'm getting ready to get killed? Am I going to heaven? Absolutely, if you're saved. Yes baptism. Doesn't send you to have in or keep you from Heaven. It's just symbolic of your new life is kind of like the custom just think of a custom that we do. This is God custom he said this is what I want you to do. I want you to show the world in a public way that you are a follower of me and we do Through baptism and we do that through the Lord's supper. And so these are ordinances that are very important. So it's just, as important for the Christian, to take the Lord's. Supper, we do not want to minimize what God in 4 sizes. And this is a memorial meal, if you will, and it's necessary for your maturity. For our fellowship. And it's also a part of your Christian witness. We are witnessing when we partake of the Lord's Supper so we cannot be a successful Christian by eliminating or minimizing or overlooking what the Bible and God has or Dane God has ordered it and therefore it's an ordinance. So I want to give you three words that start with the letter e, to help you tune your heart to get ready for what we going to do here in a few minutes and the first one of course is explanation. What is the Lord's Supper? What do we do, what do we do when we partake of the Lord's Supper? So explanation, number one, This is what we do. We congregate. We congregate, these are five things that we need to understand that we do. We congregate looking verse 20 of chapter 11 The Bible says, when you come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord's Supper. That sounds like he's telling us not to eat the Lord's Supper. No, that's not yet at all. What Paul is saying, here he is scolding the people of the Corinthian Church, because they would come together in one place, and they wouldn't eat the Lord's Supper, they would do everything, but that, they, they would have these big meals before and even people in the church was getting drunk in the church before the Lord supper. And so they were handling it all wrong and so he is scolding them. And you see the Lord's Supper is a family meal and I've heard some people so, you know, I would like to have the Lord's supper at my wedding. What should you have the Lord's supper at a wedding? Well. No. Probably because you going to have a lot of lost people there. You going to have, it's just for a specific family. It's not something to be added to a wedding ceremony. It's a family meal and the emphasis is on the family coming together. Hence the word we congregate. We are, we are, we are congregating this morning, we have a bunch of people here like-minded believers, who come to this place, and we congregate together. It's speaking of the unity of the family, all we all know. The Lord is our personal savior in, that shows Unity. Now About all the scriptures. I'm going to show you today is in chapter 11 but let's do turn back to 1st Corinthians. Chapter 10 and I want you to look at what verse 16 says. The cup of blessing which we bless speaking of the Lord's Supper, it is not the communion of the blood. 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? He's saying, these are the people that those who know the lord, it's about his body is about his shed blood. So today our church family ought to be in unity as never before because we're coming before the Lord to partake of the Lord's Supper we congregate. That's the first thing we do number 2. We consecrate. We consecrate not look at it and verses, 23 and 24. Well, 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. And when he had given things, he break it and eat. This is my body which is broken for you. This do in remembrance of me, the Lord's, Supper is a token or a sign for us. Where we recognize his absolute authority over us. In other words, we are consecrated to the Lord Jesus. And so, the Lord suffer is only for those Who have bowed the need to Jesus and have crown him, Lord of their life. That's the Lord's. Supper is for those people. Again, I want you to look in chapter 10 in verse 21 what the Bible says. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord Lord's table and the cup of devils. He says, you cannot be partakers of the Lord's table of the Lord's table, and the table of devil, So you can't come in this church and partake of the Lord's supper and you're saved and all and then you go out and just live like the world and it during the week you partake of the devil's cup. So don't come in here and partake of this if that's the way you going to live your life. This is what Paul is saying. So we have to be consecrated to the Lord given over to him. So friends, let me say this. When you come to this table, if you've not given your heart to the Lord, if he's not bow journey to Jesus, if you have not crowned him king of kings and Lord of lords than this table is not for you. It's just not for you, we congregate, we consecrate see. We commemorate now look at Birth 24. Again, he says take eat. This is my body which is broken for you this do. And what remembrance of me, we commemorate we take this bread, this broken bread, it reminds us of Jesus's bruised and battered and broken body on the cross. And then when we drink the juice, it reminds us of his blood that was shed for us. So, when we come to the Lord's table, we remember back at what he has done for us, he died on the cross. His body was broken, he shed his blood for us. So he says this do in remembrance of me, so we remember that d. We celebrate. Now, look what he says in verse 25. He says when you drink of this cup, is the New Testament in my blood. This do you, as often as you drink it in remembrance of me, not look for verse 26. For as often, as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you do show the Lord's death, till he comes. What what does this tell us, is telling us that the Lord is not dated at the Lord, is alive. That we celebrate, he's alive. Why? Because he's coming again, that's what we celebrate today. And so today, my friends, listen, when we come to this and we remember what he did on the cross, I don't want you to think of the Lord's Supper, as a funeral, if not a funeral, we're not mourning his death. We're looking forward to his coming because he is alive. This is not a funeral, it's a feast and we come to it as a celebration. There's nothing wrong. In church with being happy and even joyful. There's nothing wrong with being exuberant. When we take of the Lord's table, it is a feast, and Jesus is the host, and we are celebrating him. It's not a moment of For the day Ed. It's a meal with the best friend that you'll ever have with a friend that will never leave you. Nor forsake you the one who died for you, who gave his life for you. The one who sealed you with his Holy Spirit and the one who's coming by to get you, that's who we are celebrating this morning. So we ought to celebrate, we ought to be joyful congregate consecrate and then commemorate, and then celebrate and then lastly, We communicate. Now, I want you to look at verse 26 again, for as often. As you eat this bread and drink this cup, you do show the Lord's death till he comes. I have noticed before in churches. And I've heard preachers talk about this that many times when they have communion. That lost people come down and get saved during communion. You say, we'll wait a minute, this is not an Evangelistic sermon. You're just kind of explaining what the Lord's table is. But he says here, as often as you do it, you do show the Lord's death. Till he comes. That's what I meant. While ago, when I say this is a witness for you, when we partake of the Lord, you are doing witnessing. Cuz if there's somebody here does not know Christ, they look at you and they see Christ in your life. And so when we talk about the Lord's table, when we talked about his death for Sinners, there's always someone maybe who's listening to that say now I understand in the Holy Spirit, maybe convicting them. So we show the Lord's death in a very visual way at the Lord's table also by baptisms like this when we have the Lord's supper or what if we baptize someone? That's an every time we do that that's like preaching a sermon.

And I'll tell you something else.

The Bible teaches the angels are among us. When we are worshiping the Lord in the Bible, also teaches that the angels, as far as our Salvation AR salvation, the angel desires to look into it to look and understand salvation. Why? Because Angels don't understand salvation. They don't have to be say. They are Eternal. But every time I sent her saying, the Bible says, the angels in heaven, do what they were Joyce. Peter says that the Angels desire to look in the things of God. So I want you to think about this, we're having church here this morning, I'm up here. Preaching, there are angels present Among Us and when the gospel is preached, the Angels, learn from the church. The angels will learn about salvation from the church. So don't think that we are just here on the Wake Durham County Line doing something this morning, we may as well be in heaven. Partaking of this because the angels are watching and they learn from the church, they desire to look into those things. We're communicating the story of the Lord. Jesus Christ. First word is explanation congregate. Commemorate consecrate celebrate and communicate. Well, second word, is this examination. And I want to tell you for things that must be true of every person before they partake of the Lord's Supper. So first we prepare a heart through explanation why we're doing it and what we're doing now, we prepare our heart through examination. We want to look at exactly. Who's supposed to take of the Lord's Supper. So let's look at it and verses, 27 and 28.

The Bible says, where for whosoever shall eat this bread and drink this cup of the Lord unworthily. She'll be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But Lana man hears that word examine himself and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup. Now who should take the Lord's Supper this morning. And I want you to listen very carefully. Because it would be absolutely dangerous. For you to take of the Lord's Supper unworthily. It would be very dangerous for you to do that. So, what year did you do is you are to examine yourself. And I want to give you four characteristics of everyone who takes of the Lord's supper. And if these are not characteristic for you, please, when we take the Lord's supper, please don't take it. Don't. No one's, no one's going to. Look at you funny or anything like that. No one's going to do that. If they do they don't understand the Lord's Supper. Alright. So here they are the Lord's Supper a Is for the redeemed, only those who are saved now. Look at it again. I want you to turn one last time to chapter 10 and I want you to look at verses 20 through 22.

But I say that the things with the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to Devil's. Talkin about unsafe people, they sacrificed the devil and not to God, and I would not that you should have fellowship with devils. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils, you cannot be partakers of the Lord's table and the table or devil. Do we provoke? The Lord to jealousy are we stronger than he is. So, this makes it very clear and very plain, and I want you to turn back to chapter 11 again. And look at what verse 29 says. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily eateth and drinketh Damnation to himself, not Discerning the Lord's body. Only the only the Blood Bought can take the Lord's supper if you have not been saved, if you've never bothered to need to Jesus, if Christ is not your savior friends, do not dare. Take of the Lord's Supper because number one, it won't do you any good. And number two, you're going to bring certain judgment on yourself by doing it because you're taking it unworthily. It's only to be taken by those who are redeemed. Be Not only is it for the redeemed, but it's only for the reconciled. Now, look at Verse 18 of chapter 11, Now, I want you to hear this verse carefully. He says, for first of all, When you come together in the church that we are this morning. I hear that there be divisions among you. He says, now, partly believe it was. This church was a mess. Paul was writing to him because they had people different people at teachers. And some people were following this crowd and other people was following this crowd. If you had people getting drunk at the Lord's Supper, you had a man sleeping with his. I think it was his mother or his his father's wife and he was sleeping where it was just awful. The things that was going on here, you had women speaking up in church not wearing their head. Coverings went when they should have people taking their Christian Freedom too far and doing too many things and he says here, first of all you come together he says I hear there's divisions among you. Well he's exactly right. This is only for the reconciles. Not what you say. What what do you mean by the reconcile? I mean, this That there's nobody in your life, no brother or sister in the Lord Jesus Christ. that you have anger, bitterness and resentment for this is what it means. In other words, if I'm sitting here today and there's somebody that I have a spirit of hate for somebody that I'm angry with somebody that I'm resentful with, whether it's a church member or someone else may be a Christian, but don't go to church, but did you have this hatred toward? Don't take of the Lord's Supper. You say, well, why not? Because you need to go to them first and you need to make it right. Then you can partake of the Lord's supper. If you have something in your life like some hitting the send that no one knows about but, you know it, yeah. Will give you time to confess that and you can come back and you can partake of the Lord's Supper. But if you have enmity, if you have bitterness and anger resentment toward some other person don't take of the Lord's Supper. It's not right, it's what he's saying. He said it's just not right. Look in and we read chapter 11 and verse 18. And now look what he says in verse 30

He says for this calls and what he's talkin about is this enmity and bitterness or maybe not even being safe for this cause many are weak and sickly among you and many sleep. You see what he saying? He says, because you're doing this, you're not taking the Lord's Supper, some of these unsaved. You take some of these got a fought against a brother or sister and yet you're still taking. He said, that's why some of you are sick. He says that's why some of you are weak bedridden and he said, that's why some of them are asleep. What does that mean home in bed? Overslept? Know, if means they're dead. That's what the word sleep. In the New Testament means talking about death. It's like, you're sleeping. So, he says there's some who are sleep. So many are weak and sickly among you there physically ill, because they've been taking the Lord's supper with division and hostility within their own heart. And Paul said you can't do that. So if there's any brother or sister in the whole world that you have division with this morning or hatred toward, do not take the Lord's Supper. You say, but I'm a Christian ought to not. If you have the vision in your heart, y'all come out to Naughty things are not right, so it's for the redeem for the reconciled. See is for the reverent. You say what? What do you mean by that? Well, looking verses 20 through 22 of chapter 11. When you come to gather there for in one place, like we are this morning. This is not to eat the Lord's Supper for an eating, everyone, take it before other his own supper, and one is hungry. And another is, drunken what have you not houses to eat? And to drink in or despise you the Church of God and shame them that have not. What shall I say? You shall I Praise You In This? He says, I will not praise you. They had turned the Lord's Supper into like a big bra lean Feast for some had gotten drunk. They had in connection with the Lord's Supper. They had this big Feast before the Lord's Supper, it was called the Agape feast, and people would bring food and they would drink and these people with the rich people would bring food and they would even get drunk and the poor people, and they wouldn't have any food to eat. And Paul said you won't even, give them any food you laying around here. You get He said, what are you think? I'm going to praise that. He said, I will not appraise that and so they had no reverence at all. They just it was just like a big picnic spreads for them and they would eat the feast in Gorge and they would Overlook other people and there was no reverent there. There was no awareness of the Lord. There was no respect for what this meal represent and that way. And Paul says, because God is going to judge, you Franz Liszt if you cannot take the Lord's supper with the utmost sincerity and total reverence,

Don't take it. Don't know it. You'll bring judgment on yourself. If you just do it flippantly, I'm just going to do it because everybody else does it. I don't care what's in my heart, I don't care. No, don't do it. This scripture right here tells us do not do it. If you can't have reverence for the shed, blood and the broken body of Jesus, don't touch them because you're simply eating and digesting judgement to yourself. And then d.

It's only for the repentant. We're Dane reconciled Reverend and those who are repentant. Look at it and verse, 29 through 33, Of chapter 11 for he to eat and drink and unworldly eateth and drinketh Damnation to himself, not Discerning the Lord's body for this cause many are weak and sickly among you and many sleep for. If we would judge ourselves, what does that mean? Examine ourselves We went and see descendants in her life and confess it. If we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.

If we judge ourselves, we should not be judged. If any man has seen and in other words, if we confess our sins, Jesus is faithful and just to do what forgive us of our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. So we need to judge ourselves this morning, we need to examine ourselves but when we are judged, we are chasing of the Lord that we should not be condemned with the world wear for my brother, when you come together to eat Terry one for another. He saying when we take the Lord's, Supper you search your heart, judge yourself. If there is any unconfessed unrepentant, sin deal with that sin. Before you take the supper, that's all. He said that there's any sin, I deal with it before the supper. And then I can partake unless I have Division and hatred and anger, bitterness. Resentment toward a brother or sister. That's not here. And if it's still in my heart, I better not take it. But any unconfessed sin that you may have in your life. Other than that, you can confess it right there in that Pew and you're able to take the Lord's Supper. Well, the last word and will close The last word is expectation. You say, what do you mean? Well I simply mean this a it is a time of Covenant and I look at it and verse 25 of chapter 11 After the same manner, he took the cup when he sucked saying this cup, is the New Testament in my blood, the word testament, there is not talk about the New Testament book. The word testament means Covenant. He says it is a cut. It is a blood Covenant that we have. And what it means is that we are in agreement with God and agreement with one another. When I take this cup and when I take this bread, I'm saying to God. God, I'm in a covenant with you and I'm in a covenant with all these like-minded people that I go to church with my brothers and my sisters, we have a blood Covenant with the Lord. You see, this is what it is. It's a coming or what, what's the difference between a covenant and a contract? Well, contract can be broken.

That's why all these people out here to get married today and then get divorce. They don't look at marriage as a covenant between them. And God, they look at it as a contract. And if I'm a ballplayer and I have a contract, I don't like that contract, guess what? I'm going to do, I'm going to get out of it. Trade me to another team. I don't like this contract with us. Wait, a lot of men and women do today. They get married things go wrong. They say well I'm going to trade you, you just get off. I'm going to trade you for nothing. I'm going, find me somebody else. Is what I'm going to do. so, It's a cub, not a blood cut and Covenants are not broken. Well, not only a time, a covenant. It's a time of communion look in verse 26. For as often, as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you do show the Lord's death. Till he comes, we are in, and we are in communion. Why? Because we have a common love, we have a common respect and we have all have a common commitment to Jesus Christ. That's our communion right there. So think about this,

You understand the Lord's Supper? You understand that? We're congregate in this morning that we are consecrated to the Lord. We're remembering commemorate his death for us, we celebrate it by because he's going to return again. When we partake of this, we are communicating with a lost world, that this is what Jesus has done. That's the explanation of why we do it. Who can do it? Examine yourself, must be redeemed, must be reconciled. We have to be reverent when we do it and it's for only those who have repented. And what's the expectation that I'm in a blood Covenant, with the Lord, that Covenant will never be broken. And that's why Jesus said he that the father gives to me, she'll come to me and he to come to me. I will in no wise cast out. It is a blood Covenant. Once saved, always saved, and we are in Covenant, and communion with one another. Amen. And let's pray. Father, we thank and praise you and love you today. Lord, for your word Lord. We thank you for this message and 1st Corinthians 11 lower.