The Lord's Supper

Have you ever thought about how everywhere we go, we're surrounded by symbols?

Some of you may have come in this morning and you saw a police car or a police officer,

maybe a star on the side of the car.

Some of you may have had an up-close personal picture when you got stopped for speeding.

That happens sometimes.

Most married people in this room, you look down, you see a symbol, this wedding ring.

Look over here, you see the symbol of that flag.

I hope that when you came in this morning, you saw these trays here

and thought about what they contained, the symbol of bread, the symbol of that cup.

That's what we're going to be looking at this morning.

You know, some of these symbols, we just know.

Maybe we're taught growing up, we know how to treat them,

how to show respect or how not to disrespect them.

For example, that flag.

There's a lot of different ways to show respect in terms of the place it's displayed,

the way that it's folded, the way that it's even disposed of when it's worn out.

Do you know, though, how to treat the symbols of the Lord's Supper with respect?

Do you know how to observe the Lord's Supper in a way that will truly honor the Lord

who has given us this ceremony?

The Apostle Paul explains in great detail for us 1 Corinthians chapter 11,

1 Corinthians 11 · chapter mention

what the Lord's Supper is all about, how not to disrespect it,

how to prepare ourselves even for observing it.

I want you to look with me this morning in 1 Corinthians chapter 11.

1 Corinthians 11 · chapter mention

We're not going to look at the whole chapter,

but the section dealing with the Lord's Supper is in verses 17 through 34.

The first section I just want to summarize for you,

that's where Paul condemns the abuse of the Lord's Supper.

17 through 22.

Have you ever thought that the longest section in the New Testament related to the Lord's Supper,

what gives us the actual details of how Jesus instituted it,

the earliest details written in Scripture,

it's in the context of a church that abused it,

that didn't take it seriously.

That's what verses 17 through 22 is actually condemning.

See, the Lord's Supper in the church at Corinth,

took place as a part of a church-wide meal,

what we might call a covered dish supper.

That was fine.

That was not the problem.

The problem in that church was there were some wealthy, affluent members,

and they brought good dishes.

You know, they brought probably pork tenderloin.

No, they wouldn't have brought that.

Some of them were Jewish.

It would have offended them, wouldn't it?

They brought good food.

That's what they had at home.

That's what they were used to.

And they brought their well-filled baskets,

and they spread it out for one another

and absolutely offended the poorer,

less affluent church members

who did not have food like theirs,

or maybe not enough at all.

And so instead of coming together and observing the Lord's Supper

in a way that would honor the Lord

and bring them together as a church family,

focusing on what Jesus had done for them,

the way they observed it,

it divided the church.

It caused hard feelings.

And Paul actually condemns it as dishonoring to the Lord,

and he calls them on the carpet for it.

In fact, he says in verse 20,

we're in 1 Corinthians chapter 11,

1 Corinthians 11 · chapter mention

that what they were doing was so far from what Jesus intended

that it did not even deserve to be called the Lord's Supper.

Look at it.

When you come together,

it is not the Lord's Supper that you eat.

This is here for us to understand.

There's a way to come here as members of the church

and do it all wrong.

Dishonor the Lord

and not in any way bring us together as a church family

with a singular focus on what Jesus has done for us.

We need to observe this meal.

We need to do what we're doing this morning

in a way that will honor the Lord Jesus for sure,

but also unite us in our common faith,

trust, confidence in who Jesus is

and what He did for us when He died on the cross.

Paul explains the way that we need to go about this

by telling us how Jesus instituted it

in verses 23 through 26.

I want you to pause that for just a moment.

We're going to come back to it and read it

as we actually observe or take in these elements.

Let's look at really the lengthiest section.

Verses 27 through 34,

where we are warned to seriously prepare

to observe the Lord's Supper.

Paul's writing to a church that had all kinds of issues

and he tells them,

you can do it right.

Even you can do it right,

he's telling these people.

But it applies to us today.

We need to observe the Lord's Supper

the way that would most please the Lord

and he tells us, beginning in verse 27,

read it with me.

Whoever therefore eats the bread

or drinks of 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.

You may be reading a translation that says,

and some have fallen asleep.

Paul likes to use that way

of describing death for Christians.

Verse 31,

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.

The Lord's Supper is a serious time.

It's a serious time for us

as Pickens First Baptist Church this morning.

We are warned here

not to do this in an unworthy way.

What's he talking about?

Look at verse 27,

the word unworthy.

In the context,

that refers specifically

to the division

that was taking place

in that church

that I told you about at the beginning.

But I want you to think about

why there was division.

Why did some of those church members

exclude others?

There was pride for sure.

There was selfishness.

There was just plain selfishness and greed.

There was prejudice.

No, it wasn't racial prejudice.

Socioeconomic.

They were class conscious.

Bottom line is,

these church family members,

they didn't love one another.

They didn't treat the whole family

like members of the family.

They just weren't acting like God's children.

They were not loving one another

as brothers and sisters are supposed to.

I know brothers and sisters,

some of y'all got in a fight

before you left home this morning.

Some of you probably got in a fight

in the car.

Come in here.

Some of you,

parents threatened you.

I can remember being,

I'll use the word back in my day,

whipped with a belt with my mother

like this from behind.

Brothers and sisters,

a lot of times,

don't love one another

or don't act like they love one another.

But you know,

deep down,

your brother or your sister,

they are special.

They've got the same blood

flowing through them.

And you may some days fight

and try to kill one another,

but don't let somebody

outside the family do that.

You'll take up for them.

Because the family

is supposed to be tight.

They're supposed to be real love.

And deep down,

you know what I'm talking about.

Well, that is supposed to be

how we feel about one another.

We have a common Father.

We have a common Lord.

We're partaking of a common meal

that focuses on

what our Lord has done for us.

And so we need to examine ourselves.

We need to make sure

that we are not guilty of pride.

Maybe not in relation to one another,

but in any way.

You know, this is a warning

about coming to the Lord's table

in an unworthy way.

That could apply to any unconfessed sin.

Anything that you're refusing

to obey God about,

that is a hindrance

to your coming into His presence

and observing this Lord's Supper

in a way that would please Him.

None of us, we know this,

none of us are worthy truly

to observe the Lord's Supper.

But God has acted in grace

in sending His Son to die for us.

Jesus willingly,

out of mercy and love,

gave up His life

to pay the penalty for our sins.

We can come to the Lord's table

in a worthy way,

trusting in Jesus Christ

for our salvation

and humbly seeking God's help

to love one another

like real brothers and sisters.

It's important,

as we observe this meal this morning,

that we examine ourselves

right now

before we partake of it.

To come to the Lord's table

with unconfessed sin

or listen to this,

a casual, flippant,

I don't give a rip attitude.

It's important,

the attitude that we come this morning,

understanding

that these elements,

this bread and this cup,

that symbolizes

the Lord Jesus' body

and His blood.

It symbolizes Him

and giving His life

for us.

This is one time

when you come to church

that you really and truly

need to be serious,

you need to be focused,

you need to be thinking

about who Jesus is

and what He's done

and desire by your attitude

to honor Him,

to thank Him

as you partake

of this meal.

If you don't,

if you refuse to,

it's like bringing judgment

upon yourself

according to verse 29.

Look at it.

For anyone who eats

and drinks

without discerning the body

eats and drinks

judgment on himself.

That could be referring,

probably is referring

to the body there,

not the body of Christ,

but the church body.

He is writing here

specifically to this church

over the way they're

mistreating one another,

the divisions that are happening.

But the point is,

we've got to judge ourselves,

examine ourselves,

look closely at ourselves.

Is there anything

that would hinder us

from real fellowship

with the Lord

and with one another?

In the Corinthian church,

this judgment included

sickness and even death

according to verse 30.

Now the truth is,

God does not often

discipline His people

this severely.

That's why many of us

are here this morning.

Right?

If God judged

all of our sin

like He did occasionally

in the New Testament,

we wouldn't survive either.

But God takes sin seriously.

So seriously that at times

He made examples.

In Acts 5,

a man by the name of Ananias

and his wife Sapphira,

they were killed

because they lied

to the Holy Spirit.

There were people

who so abused

the Lord's Supper,

so dishonored God

by their attitude

or actions,

the guy either

inflicted them

with sickness

or just killed

them outright

to make a point.

Severe discipline.

But let's not overlook

the fact that today,

right now,

God still

takes sin seriously

and He does discipline

His children,

us,

when we need it.

That's because

He loves us

according to Hebrews

Hebrews 12 · chapter mention

chapter 12.

Look,

for the Lord disciplines

the one He loves

and chastises

every son

whom He receives.

God disciplines us

for our good.

He disciplines us

to correct us,

to bring us back

to Himself.

Sometimes to keep us

from doing worse

to ourselves.

The best way

to avoid God's discipline,

verse 31,

is to judge ourselves.

The word judge

here carries out

the idea

of serious

self-examination.

One way you can avoid

God's discipline

is to examine yourself.

Look at yourself

in light of God's Word.

Right now,

let's just take some time.

Ask God to help you

to seriously

examine yourself

just like we're told

here in verse 28.

If you need to confess

sin to God right now,

do that.

Just tune me out

and just agree

with God

about what He's

convicting you about.

Change your mind

about it.

Turn from it.

If you're a Christian

trust that Jesus

paid the penalty

for that sin,

ask God

to forgive you

right now.

It could be

that your problem

is not between

just you and God.

It could be

your problem

is with someone else.

You see,

that was going on

in the church

at Corinth.

And if you're

out of fellowship

with another Christian,

and let's think about it

as this passage

is talking about it,

in particular,

somebody in this church,

you need to ask God

to show you

what you need to do

in order that you

and that person

can be reconciled.

Now,

it may be

that you already know

it's obvious

something's been said,

something's been done.

there's no doubt.

You know what you need

to say or do

to initiate

the reconciliation process.

But if you know

somebody's got something

against you,

there is a problem,

you don't know

what it is.

Ask God

to give you the wisdom

to know how to approach

that person

to try to find out

what it is

so that you can

be reconciled

with them.

You know,

the Scripture

is real clear.

If we will confess

our sins,

God will forgive us.

Scripture says

in 1 John 1, 9,

if we confess our sins,

He is faithful and just

to forgive us

of our sins

and to cleanse us

from all unrighteousness.

You can be forgiven.

Scripture is also clear

that we have a responsibility

to live at peace

with all people,

at least as far

as we're concerned.

Look at what Paul said

in Romans chapter 12

Romans 12 · chapter mention

and verse 18.

If possible,

so far as it depends

on you,

live peaceably

with all.

Sometimes it's not possible.

Sometimes something happens

and you want to make it right

but somebody's written you off.

You so offended them,

you so wronged them

that they don't want

to forgive you.

They don't want to listen

to your apology.

If that's the case,

you can't do anything

about it.

The Scripture is clear

if possible.

So far as it depends

on you,

live peaceably with all.

But you do what you can do.

You make sure

that the problem's not

your unwillingness

to reconcile.

As we observe the Lord's Supper

this morning,

every Christian

is invited to participate.

You do not have to be

a member of this church.

But the Scripture

is clear

that only Christians

who are seeking to live

in fellowship with the Lord

and their fellow Christians

should participate.

So with that in mind,

let's look now

at how Jesus intends

for us to observe

the Lord's Supper

in verses 23

through 26.

In verses 23

and following,

Jesus tells us.

Paul is telling us

what the Lord

revealed to him.

Look at it.

Verse 23.

For I received

from the Lord

what I also delivered

to you,

that the Lord Jesus

on the night

when he was betrayed

took bread

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.

Jesus took the bread

and said that.

He held up the bread

and said something.

He held up the bread

and said,

This is my body.

What he meant was

that the body,

the bread represents

or symbolizes

his body.

Jesus was not saying

that the bread

was literally his body

or actually became

his body.

That's the Roman

Catholic Church's

incorrect teaching.

What they call

the doctrine

of transubstantiation.

That the bread

and the wine

actually turns

into the body

of Jesus.

To be honest with you,

that's just ridiculous.

That's not what

Jesus meant.

It's not what

Jesus means now.

When Jesus

instituted the Lord's Supper,

he was standing

beside them

with them.

And when he took bread

and said,

This is my body.

They all knew

Jesus is standing there.

The bread

symbolizes

his body.

The cup,

the wine

in it

symbolized

his blood.

No one

had any confusion.

It's like Jesus

giving other

analogies.

He talked about

I am the door.

You think

anybody

who actually heard him

thought he would

thought of himself

as a real literal door?

He said,

I am the vine.

Did people think

he was actually

a literal vine

growing somewhere?

No.

We understand

symbols.

That's what

Jesus

was saying.

He's speaking

figuratively.

this is my body,

he says,

which is for you

or given

for you,

it says in Luke 22,

19.

He's describing

giving his life.

He's describing

dying

for us.

The scripture

says it real clearly.

In the presentation

of the gospel

presented in

1 Corinthians 15,

Christ died

for our sins

according to the

scriptures.

He gave his body,

he gave his life

for us.

And then,

do this in remembrance

of me

calls for us

to carefully

reflect,

think deeply

about

what the Lord

has done

for us.

We must never

fail when we come

to the Lord's table

to make much

of

his death

for our sins.

I mean,

this is the basis

for our salvation.

God accepts us

because Jesus

paid the penalty

for your sins.

You think of it

personally.

As you take that bread,

just a few minutes,

you're going to be

holding it in your hand.

You think about the fact,

Jesus gave his life

in order to save you.

Think to yourself

as you hold it.

Jesus gave his life

in order to save me

from the penalty

of my sin,

which is eternal death,

which is eternal

separation from God

in hell.

That's how much

he loves you.

That's how much

our Heavenly Father

loves us

to send Jesus

to do that.

Let's prepare.

Let's pray together now.

Would you join with me?

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Absolutely.

Amen.

Amen.

Jesus

is

a

Christ.