1 Corinthians Chapter 11 "The Lord's Table"

Would you please open your Bible to the book of First

Corinthians? And in Chapter 11, we're going

to pick up where we left off last week out of Chapter 11.

The title of tonight's message is The Lord's Table.

It never ceases to amaze me how the Holy Spirit just

orchestrates what we focus on in our teaching through God's Word.

You know, just with the different things that have

perhaps disrupted our our Sunday evenings as we've been

progressing through First Corinthians and we found

ourselves partaking of communion this morning.

And it wasn't planned that tonight I would be teaching out

of this passage on it. So clearly the Lord wants us to

learn and to grow in our understanding and knowledge of

what it is we partake of when we are involved in communion or the

Lord's table or the Eucharist or whatever background you might be

familiar with terminology wise, and we'll explain it.

But if you're unfamiliar with where we're at or you're new to

us teaching through First Corinthians, this is very much a

corrective letter that Paul the apostle is writing to the Church

of Corinth. In fact, many suggests that this

is actually the second letter that Paul wrote to them and the

first that they had received from him.

They were so irritated and annoyed by it that they tore it

up. That's an interesting

speculation. But today people sometimes are

the same when it comes to correction or or feedback, even

on on areas and things that they need to alter or to adjust or to

change. And a lot of us don't like to be

corrected. I know it's a source of

irritation for me. And I think my parents will

testify of that character trait in my life growing up of that

defiance in like, you know, who are you to tell me what to do?

Top thing where your parents, but you know, there's something

that that is within us and sometimes people can come to

God's word, the Bible and say, well, isn't it supposed to be

good news and I want to hear the good news and the message of

that and yes, that is true. That is very much what is the

reality when it comes to the scriptures, but there are also

other parts of it that are that are corrective for us, that are

beneficial for us to hear. And we need that.

And sometimes people are looking for like a a therapeutic sort of

moralistic teaching out of God's word, maybe like a feel good

message. And and we have those at times.

But really it's more akin that if that's what you're

gravitating or or driven towards of what Paul wrote to Timothy

of, of people chasing after teachers who are just scratched

their ears, that itch that they have out of second Timothy

2 Timothy 4 · chapter mention

chapter 4. And there's plenty of other

places you can go to where you'll receive that.

And some like to call themselves churches and give that, but but

the Bible also brings conviction.

And that's what we know when we read it.

You can't help but but read God's word and and feel like

sometimes that it is a A2 edged sword that pierces asunder,

digging into, oh man, that's got me again.

And I need to forgive, seek the Lord's forgiveness and

repentance on that. And and that's not just to non

believers. That's that's to us as

believers. And that's certainly Paul's

heart here and his purpose in writing this letter to the

Church of Corinth. But I don't know about you, but

there might be many times when you're reading God's Word and it

and it kind of runs against the grain of your flesh.

Why did that have to be in there?

And it brings conviction. And you know who needs to

change, right? It's us.

We need changing. And how you handle correction,

how you handle this is actually a mark of maturity in your life.

And that's really what Paul has been after in in the Corinthians

is his desirous of them to move out of infancy, of being baby

Christians, of what he called them as being carnal Christians,

to now becoming more mature and solid and stabilised in their

faith. And part of that requires us to

receive correction and to respond to that rather than than

soak and throw all the toys out in the cot like a kid does and

leave it. Well, you know, that's it.

I've had it with this Bible and, and God's word and all of this

sort of stuff. And it was kind of like when

many people were following Jesus as we read through the Gospels

and there was a hard word that he delivered one time and, and

they said that now this is a hard word, Jesus.

And many left. And Jesus then turned to his

followers, the, the disciples, and said, now what about you

guys? What are you going to do?

Are you going to leave too? Are you going to be like all of

these others who found it too difficult to follow me?

And they said, Jesus, we've abandoned everything and

everyone and where are we going to go?

And now we're with you all of the way.

But he turned and he challenged them with the same correction

that the others had left by. So this is what Paul had to do.

The Church of Corinth is, is some five years old in their,

their walk with the Lord and he's correcting them because he

loves them. He's like a father towards his

children and he wants the best for them.

He wants maturity out of them for them to, to like I say, not

be carnal Christians anymore. And so he's correcting the

church at Corinth. Yes.

But as we're reading, haven't you found that he's also

correcting us then as, as we've been reading through it, it's

like, wow, that is so relevant for me, for us as a church.

And the question in all of it when we read it is how will you

respond? How will you react to it?

Are you going to look for ways out?

You know, is the, the little defence lawyer in the brain

going to come out with all of the suitcases and pop them open?

And here's Exhibit A and Exhibit B as to why I'm I'm exempt from

needing to follow this Or will you hear the Holy Spirit's

loving voice through Paul's words to the church at Corinth

and go, thank you, Lord, I, I need that I received that now

please help me to live that out and to change that in my life

and to grow as this correction takes place.

Now the background to the letter is all through chapters one to

six, Paul has been dealing with very known sins in the church at

Corinth, a very common knowledge in in what's called Asia Minor

and in the other churches. And word had gotten back to Paul

of the division in their midst. Some were bragging about being

followers of Apollos and we're followers of Peter and we're

followers of Paul and and some were even even hyper

spiritualizing and said, well, we're followers of Jesus and and

sort of setting themselves above any others.

And where are you at in it? And there was immorality in the

church. We learnt of that and such that

wasn't even named amongst the pagans.

And Paul corrects and breaks them for that.

And there was this serious immorality through the Church of

sexual sin. In Chapter 7, Paul kind of

switches gears a little bit and answers some of the questions

that they had written to him about with respect to marriage

and singleness and divorce and, and wondering what what what

they were to do now, you know, no longer being pagans where it

used to be one way of, of acting and behaving.

And now what do we do as Christians, Paul and he writes

to answer that in chapter 8. What we saw was that he was

addressing what we would call Christian liberties.

When we first read it, we go, it's not really relevant to us,

this idea of eating meat that's sacrificed to idols, but the

connection is to those things in our lives that are permissible

or not permissible that we have liberty, freedom, grace to

participate in or not. And and Paul gave for us some

some clarifiers that we need to abide by that we need to

consider our love for God in it and our love for others in that.

And he used himself in Chapter 9 as an example that though being

an apostle and having a right to receive remuneration, a salary

from them, he, he decided not to take it in this particular

instant and had other churches support his ministry as well as

working as a tent maker to be an example to not cause a stumbling

to others. And then in chapter 10, he

pointed to Old Testament Israel as an example of what not to do

in our Christian liberties in case we go so far as to make

them become idols in our lives and to flee from them.

And he said over all of this, I really want you to understand

that whether you eat or you drink, that whatever you do, you

do all for the glory of God. That's been his priority and the

prominence in that. And now Chapter 11 last week we

looked at the focus and it shifts from 11 into Chapter 1213

and 14 into very much a focus on order, harmony, unity within the

church and the gatherings after Mother's Day, when we return,

we'll start looking at the gifts of the Spirit because they were

abusing them in Chapter 12 and in 13 and 14.

And So what he writes is to to guide them when they would meet

and us when we would meet as to how the gifts of the Holy Spirit

are to look and to function and be in operation.

And overall of it. Chapter 13 sits as the pivot

that you could do all of these things, but if you have not

loved, then then what does it matter?

That's where we're going, That's where we've been, that's that's

where we're at and that's where we're headed.

But this evening it's the importance of communion.

And since the beginning of the church in the 1st century, when

Jesus ascended into heaven and he commanded his disciples to

wait for the empowerment of the Holy Spirit to come upon them,

that they would gather together and they would meet.

And at the end of Acts in chapter 2, we get this, this

explanation that emphasises how it was that they would meet and

they would often distribute goods amongst one another and

they would commune and and eat together.

That was a big part of it. And their their gatherings and

their meals. Typically on a Sunday, they had

given the name of Agape feast. We might call it a love feast,

almost like a, a church potluck dinner.

And then after they would participate and partake in, we

call it communion, the Lord's Supper, the Lord's Table.

Maybe you're familiar with, like I said, the Eucharist, depending

on your background. But what was happening in

Corinth was even something so simple as sharing a meal

together became problematic. It caused division in their

midst, and some were abusing it to the point that they were

using it as an opportunity towards gluttony and drunkenness

in their meetings. Could you imagine that in a

church gathering? And the idea was that as the,

the practise was back then, when you would eat with someone,

there was this, this unity and coming together that was taking

place. And, and that's the purpose of

these, these feasts. But it was causing the exact

opposite to happen. People were being left out.

People were elevating themselves above, above others and it was

causing division in their midst. And what Paul says in fact, in

verse 17, that this thing that as simple as coming together and

sharing a meal and then partaking of communion, he said

that when you come together, it's not for the better, but

actually for the worse. He says, I'd rather you not meet

instead of what's happening and going on.

And could you imagine such a sad statement to make of a church

that it'd be better that you don't meet then you do for all

the problems that are caused in your gathering?

I hope the Lord would never say that about us, about our

gatherings. You know, it's better off that

those folks at Calvary Chapel, Secret Harbour had never gotten

together. God forbid that would be true of

us. And so to avoid that issue, that

comment about us, let's look at Corinth, the church there, and

what was going on. And the problems consisted of

three things which Paul outlines for us in verses 18 to 21.

Let's go back to verse 17 of chapter 1.

Now, in giving these instructions, I do not praise

you, since you come together not for the better but for the

worse. For first of all, when you come

together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among

you. And in part I believe it.

In other words, what Paul says, I know you guys well enough that

when I'm hearing rumour of this, I don't think it to be rumour

that is made up as, as fictitious, but I think it's

reality because I, I know your character.

I, I know your reputation. And then he, he uses the, the

gift of sarcasm here in the next verse.

He says, verse 19 For there must also be factions among you that,

that those who are approved may be recognised among you.

He says, well, after all, if there weren't these division,

how would we know who's more important than the others?

That's kind of what he's conveying there in that verse.

Therefore, when you come together in one place, it is not

to eat the Lord's Supper, though you pretend it is and though you

label it as such, that's not what's happening.

For in eating verse 21, each one takes his own supper ahead of

others, and one is hungry and another is drunk.

What? Do you not have houses to eat

and drink in? Or do you despise the Church of

God and shame those who have nothing?

What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you in this?

I do not praise you. We'll stop there, and that'll be

our focus initially. First, what we see is that Paul

said that there were divisions, factions among them.

He'd identified that earlier. And and now another example of

it being in existence comes up practically here.

What was meant to be a great time of fellowship and of unity

and of sharing and of coming together and, you know, just a a

glorious kind of heartfelt experience turned out to be

anything but that for for some in the congregation.

And again, like I said, the purpose of the meal and of

coming together is supposed to unite, but it was causing and

having the opposite effect. And Paul said, verse 18, I've

heard of these things and I believe it.

He knew these people well enough that he knew it was possible

that this this is actually happening.

And again, man, I pray that that would never be the case of us in

our gatherings, You know, that that the Lord would so work in

our lives, that our flesh would be so crucified.

That when when people speak of Calvary Chapel, Secret Harbour,

that they would speak of this place of being a people who are

so in love with Jesus and and so affectionate towards one another

that it'd be evident that if a rumour were to start about

divisions taking place here, that their reaction wouldn't be.

Oh, yeah, I believe that. Yeah, I know those people in

Calvary Chapel, Secret Harbour. Yeah.

And they're a divisive lot. No, that rather they would go.

No, I don't believe it. I know that to be a place where

they love Jesus and where they love one another, where that

unity is present, that couldn't be said of the Church of

Corinth. John McArthur, preacher and a

Bible commentator. He said one of the most fearful

things in a church is division because it is one of the 1st and

surest signs of spiritual weakness and sickness.

One of the first symptoms of worldliness and backsliding in a

church, which often shows up before it is seen in compromise,

doctrine or lifestyle, and it's dissension in a congregation.

Now, the reason that this division, that this dissension

was apparent was really a dependence on and a priority of

self and the flesh that that's at the heart, that's at the root

of, of such symptomatic kind of things that we can look at.

And, and the root cause is selfishness in the heart of

believers in such a gathering, you know, where it's all about

my agenda, my plan, my feelings, me, me, me.

It's interesting that that mindset, that attitude starkly

contrasts the example and the mindset that Jesus displayed,

who it is that we're following. You know, in John chapter 13,

John 13 · chapter mention

Jesus washing the feet of the disciples and they were blown

away by it because that was that was the role of the lowliest of

household slaves and servants back then.

And then Jesus said in John 13 that I have given you an example

in this that you should do as I have done to you.

And it was just mind blowing for them to even see that displayed.

And it set the tone for the disciples, the very beginning of

the church. And Paul writes in Philippians

chapter one, verse 27, and I'll read a little bit out of his

epistle to the Church of Philippi in chapter 1 and

chapter 2. Later chapter one verse 27 he

says only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ

so that whether I come and see you or I'm absent.

I may hear of your affairs that you stand fast in one spirit

with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel.

See what he prioritised that the unity the common mind of being

in Christ in in their gatherings in our gatherings.

Later in Philippians chapter 2 verses one to four, he says

Philippians 2 · chapter mention

Therefore, if there is any consolation in Christ, and is

there, if there is any comfort of love, and is there, if any

fellowship of the Spirit, and is there.

These are rhetorical statements because the answer is obvious.

He goes on, If any affection and mercy fulfil my joy by being

what like minded, having the same love, being of 1 accord of

one mind, let nothing be done through selfish ambition or

conceit, but in loneliness of mind.

Let each esteem others better than himself.

Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but

also for the interests of others.

That is the lifestyle modelled for us by Jesus Christ.

That is the lifestyle commanded and taught by Jesus and the

apostles to the church. And that's why Paul writes this,

because the exact opposite was taking place in the gathering in

Corinth, that their lives weren't marked by this common

goal of unity in Christ Jesus. There was division and and there

were people who who who thought themselves better than others

and would prioritise their own selfish desires to the detriment

of others in their midst. And it was evident in these

agape feasts that would be prior to their participation in the

Lord's Supper and communion. Instead of having lives marked

by a common heart, a servanthood, following the

example of the Lord, they were being selfishly motivated.

You know, it's really so simple when we gather there's no

superstar Saints, we are all just servants serving our

servant king and one another, it said.

Here's an illustration. A hospital visitor saw a nurse

tending the sores of a leprosy patient and commented saying I'd

never do that for $1,000,000 to which the nurse responded

answering neither would I, but I do it for Jesus for nothing.

Now unfortunately that wasn't the case in Corinth.

The believers were divided because of selfishness became

evident in their gathering and in this instance of communion.

And so the second problem in Corinth in regard to the love

feast really is a symptom out of the 1st and it was insensitivity

towards their fellow brothers and sisters in the Lord sharing

in a meal. Understand in the 1st century

was considered one of the most intimate things that could take

place. Culturally speaking.

It was it was a big part of hospitality.

We tend to think of eating more to just meet our needs for

nutrients and for fueling our bodies.

But then back then, literally there was this idea that that

oneness was taking place because as you would eat of food and I

was eating of the same food, that which we're participating

in is now absorbed into US, and what has become a part of you

has become a part of me. So they believe this idea of the

the physical nature of what was happening and transpiring in the

eating created this oneness across those gathered around the

same table. That's interestingly why it was

that Jesus was often criticised by the Pharisees and religious

leaders for eating with those who are sinners.

How could you do that, Jesus? Don't you know what's happening

and taking place here when you're doing that, that you're

becoming like them and you're being contaminated with that.

And so all of this was to create oneness that's wrapped up in in

the significance and the symbolism of eating together.

And so they're eating together in currents should have been all

of us in Christ coming together and, and it being an expression

of unity and a celebration of Christ's work upon the cross.

But it was, like I said, creating the exact opposite.

It was dividing, it was causing barriers, it was seeing people

left out and it was causing some to even sin in front of others.

You see, when they came together, it seems that the rich

people are eating all of the food and that the poor people

were going hungry, gluttony was taking place, people actually

getting drunk. Paul said in verse 22, don't you

have houses to eat in? Do that at home.

Purpose wasn't to stuff yourself silly in the public gathering of

the church, but to come together for fellowship and sharing.

And that's not what you're gathering for.

And if that's what you're gathering for, Paul says, stay

at home. Don't let that be a part of your

gathering. I don't want to praise you in

this verse 22 in the second part or do you despise the Church of

God and shame those that have nothing?

What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you in this?

I don't praise you guys. This isn't good.

It's not a good thing that's happening here.

And I don't give you any commendation for what's taking

place. And the third problem out of

this that he highlights as a result of the second in these

love feasts was leading to a bigger problem in the flow on

into their partaking of communion.

As I mentioned, these love faeces like Galpe feasts would,

would end with what we would call communion.

And so instead of coming together around the Lord's

table, that which Jesus died for to create unity, that separation

between a holy righteous God and man and and brothers and sisters

in the Lord, that separation to no longer be there.

The contrary was taking place and some were drunk, some having

just participated in gluttony and then partaking of the Lord's

table in an unworthy manner. He says in verse 27, jump ahead.

Therefore, whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the

Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood

of the Lord. What does this mean?

What does it mean to come to the Lord in an unworthy manner?

Because rightly you might be thinking, aren't we all

unworthy? And some people get kind of hung

up a bit on this verse 27 here and they go, I'm so unworthy to

take communion. You know when when we do so and

notice that it does not say are you worthy to take communion.

It says, don't take communion in an unworthy way, in an unworthy

manner. The issue isn't are you worthy

to be safe because none of us are worthy to be saved.

That's not what Paul is saying. It's not are you worthy to be in

God's presence because again, none of us are.

The idea is the manner, the heart in which you take it in an

unworthy manner. Basically, it's not giving

appropriate worth to the Lord. He is worthy of our prayers, of

our focus, of our devotion and not being flippant, irreverent

in our attitude, in our involvement, in what we call the

Lord's Table communion. We'll unpack this a little bit

further. How do we do that?

How do we not give worth to the body of Christ?

One way which was their problem is by having this careless,

irreverent spirit which many of them were doing by being drunk,

by by being gluttonous in their behaviour prior.

They were just simply not taking this seriously.

Oh, another opportunity to pass me the cup.

You know, I'll have another one. It was just like ordinary

eating. There was nothing special.

There was nothing sacred about this moment, nothing holy,

nothing important, nothing significant to them in their

involvement, in their participation in it.

Another characteristic of their partaking in an unworthy manner

was the bitterness and the hatred that was among them as a

consequence of the divisions in their midst, of the factions.

They're again, they're supposed to be celebrating something that

is supposed to unite, something that speaks of Christ's

selflessness and of his love for his people.

But if your heart is filled with selfishness, if your heart is

filled with bitterness, then you're making a mockery of the

very thing that Jesus died to do away with.

And they were celebrating this, it seems in their midst.

They weren't united. They didn't have that common

union in Christ. Hence we get the name of

communion from effectively undoing the death and suffering

that Jesus Christ came to achieve when they were together.

And remember this, you know, another way that we can

participate in communion in an unworthy manner is when it

becomes ritualistic for us, when it's just lost its meaning and

it's just, oh, is it Communion Sunday today?

Is it? And that's something that we

need to be conscious and mindful of that, you know, because we

have that rhythm in our gathering of a a Sunday morning

like it was, Yeah, the the first Sunday of each month.

Oh, it's communion Sunday. Oh, here we go.

It's the the cup and the the bread.

And yeah, I'll have that. It's been a while, a little bit

and we've become sort of blase and flippant about it.

We need to be careful that the significance doesn't get lost in

in the schedule, in the ritual of that in our lives and the

result of their partaking in an unworthy manner.

It's it's a pretty heavy statement as we read in verse 29

to 30 for he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and

drinks judgement to himself, not discerning the Lord's body and

for this reason, many are weak and sick among you and many

sleep. Now that's not sleep like we

understand it literally, which maybe some of you are doing

tonight nodding off Now this was actually the euphemism for

dying. That's a heavy statement, isn't

it, that by them partaking of communion in an unworthy manner,

some had actually died. Could you imagine that happening

in the modern church? And maybe it does and we're just

not giving it that label. But here this this word

judgement is is literally chastisement.

And what does the Bible tells us?

The Bible tells us that God loves God.

God rather chastens those whom he loves.

The result for them was that some were sick, some were weak,

some had even died. That's heavy for us to consider

and to think about. And I don't know about you, but

that statement sobers me up a fair bit.

Not to make us sombre in our participation in communion, nor

fearful of that, but to realise the importance and to be

reminded of the significance of it.

So when we gather in communion like we did this morning and and

heading into future, you know, our participation in the Lord's

table or the Lord's Supper communion.

Then let's look at three things out of this to bring this

through in our understanding out of the text here that we should

remember and consider and be reminded of and put into

practise and learn from Paul's instruction to the church at

Corinth. Verse 23 go, go there with me.

It says I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to

you. And the Lord Jesus on the same

night in which he was betrayed, took bread.

When he had given thanks, he broke it and said take, eat.

This is my body, which is and some translations have which is

for you and the new King James that I have which is broken for

you. Now the Bible tells us there was

not a bone in his body broken but we understand the symbolism

of the brokenness through what he went through on the cross.

But really understand where it says for my body, my body for

you that it's a life giving element here.

And we'll explain that a moment in connection with the bread and

do this in remembrance of me. In the same manner, verse 25, he

also took the cup after supper, saying this cup is the new

covenant in my blood. This do it as often as you drink

it in remembrance of me. For as often as you eat this

bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till

he comes. So first what we can learn out

of this is that we must look back when we partake of

communion. Do this, he said, in remembrance

of me. As Marlon said this morning,

we're forgetful people, but I found it interesting that Jesus

never said, here's what I want you to do.

I want you to when I'm gone, I want you to build me a

mausoleum. If you could just erect a little

monument to me in the place where I was raised from the

dead, that would be, oh, that would be momentous.

I'd really appreciate it. I'd love that when I'm gone,

when I ascend. He never said build a monument

to me where I preached the Sermon on the Mount, though.

That's very significant and important in conveying, you

know, the Kingdom of heaven and what it's like, he said.

The only thing I want you to do to raise up as a memorial, or is

that a reminder as a remembrance of me, is take the bread, take

the wine. And when you do that, Remember

Me. Remember Me.

That's the mausoleum. That's the monument that Jesus

said he wanted put into place when he ascended into heaven.

Now, most of us, when a loved one passes, especially if they

suffered quite a bit in that, we want to forget that experience,

that trauma, that pain. That's the last thing that we

want to remember about them. We want to remember the good

times, to celebrate those fond memories with them, to celebrate

their life, not remember their death, but Jesus Christ

specifically mentions remember my death.

And so remember back on the shores of the Galilee when I

preached that sermon. Remember that time when we're up

on the mountaintop and we were gathered around the campfire.

Once you remember that, no, they were significant moments, yes,

don't get me wrong. But he said, I want you to

remember my death, my body, my blood, as often as you take this

bread, as often as you drink this cup.

Because everything that we have, everything that we enjoy,

everything that we we know and experience as Christians is

centred on his death. That's the power.

It's the power of the cross. So what are we to remember in

that? Let's look at a few things, and

you can see in the slide here, we're to remember what, who,

why, and how. As we look back, we're to

remember what he did. His body bruised and beaten, His

bloodshed, the intense pain, the misery that he experienced, all

of that. Why?

Because He loved us and He left heaven for the very purpose of

coming to give his body and to shed his blood for you and I.

Jesus said this is my body. Now, unfortunately, some have

taken that to mean that he was teaching here that the bread

literally becomes his body in that moment.

Maybe you've heard of something called transubstantiation.

The Catholics are Big Island and some in other parts of the

Orthodox Church. I think it's very clear that he

meant this in a symbolic sense here and instead Jesus was

saying this represents my body, which is for you.

So when we gather, when we partake of the Lord's table,

when we when we break the bread, when we pass it amongst

ourselves, we are reminding ourselves of this, that Jesus is

our life. In those days bread very common

a staple part of their diet, but they would pass it around at the

the love feast going on into communion the the unleavened

bread in a basket and even more. Now this, this clarity in the

symbolism here, just as bread was a staple daily for them, our

participation, their participation, our involvement,

their involvement in it was a testimony, a reminder, declaring

that it is by Jesus body symbolic in this bread that we

have life. Just as bread sustains us, just

as bread nourishes us, just as all of these, these grains that

make up this bread that have come together and now we as a

part of the body have all come together because of Jesus body

broken now as we remember it is the life that he died for that

we experience and enjoy. As Paul says, I am crucified

with Christ. Nevertheless I live yet not I,

but Christ lives in me, and the life which I now live in the

flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and

gave Himself for me. Galatians 2 verse 20.

Galatians 2:20

This is what the bread symbolises, that He is to be our

power by which we obey the demands of God, The word of God,

that because His life, represented by the bread through

His body is now in us. Then the Bible's instructions to

love one another, the Bible's commands to forgive one another,

the Bible's instructions to be tender and merciful, kind and

courteous to one another, to not return evil for evil.

We're now empowered by Christ in us to live that, and to do that.

His life in US enables us to be what God asks us to be.

We live by means of Christ in US and following that, the same is

evident in the Lord taking the cup, the wine of the cup,

symbolising his blood. You know, when you're unwell,

what do you need? Often times if you've lost a lot

of blood, a blood transfusion. And, and think of that with the

symbolism of the cup, that when we drink of it, we're not

literally consuming Jesus blood, but it's symbolic of the fact

that that Jesus life giving blood is, is doing that and

having that effect in US. The way once our blood was

contaminated with sin, that now his righteousness pulses through

our veins and spiritually infuses us to be empowered

supernaturally to live the Christian life by his body and

his blood in US symbolised by the bread, symbolised by the

cup. It is his life force that now

animates us. So we remember what he did and

we also need to remember who he was.

I'm not sure if you're familiar with a statesman called Daniel

Webster is one of the first statesman's out of the US in the

early 1800s, but he was dining with a company of a very

literate men in Boston. During the course of the dinner

conversation it turned to the subject of Christianity, and he

frankly stated his belief in the deity of Jesus Christ and his

dependence upon the atonement of Jesus as Saviour.

And one man responded and said to him, How can you, Mr Webster,

comprehend how Christ could be both God and man at the same

time? To which he promptly replied, No

Sir, I I cannot comprehend it. If I could comprehend him, he

would be no greater than myself. I feel that I need a superhuman

Saviour. And so it is.

We need to remember who Jesus was, who he is, 100% man, yes,

but 100% God. God in the flesh.

He left the glory of heaven and, and and came in humanity and

lived a human life. But he was God.

And we need to remember not only what he did, not only who he

was, but why he died. He died as our substitute.

He paid the price that we owed. He paid the penalty for the

wages of sin. His death.

DL Moody, the famous evangelist, tells the story of a young man

during the time of Napoleon Bonaparte's army, who, having

been drafted a friend actually volunteered to go in his place.

The substitution was made, but sometime later the surrogate in

the course of battle was killed. The same young man who had

originally been drafted through clerical error was drafted

again. You can't take me, he declared,

telling the started officers, I'm dead.

I died on the battlefield. And they argued that they could

most definitely see him standing right in front of them.

But he insisted that they look on the roll to find the record

of his death. And sure enough, there on the

roll was the man's name with another name written beside it.

Well, the case eventually went to the Emperor Napoleon himself,

and after examining the evidence, Napoleon said these

words through a surrogate. This man has not only fought,

but he has died in his country service.

No man can die more than once, therefore the law has no claim

on him. It's an, I think, an insightful

illustration of what has happened and transpired with us

2000 years ago. Jesus came to the cross to bear

the penalty that rightly belonged to you and I.

He died in our place and through him.

Our names are written in the book with His name written

beside ours. Additionally, remember when we

look back how He died again, not just the brutality of it, but

the willingness of his death, that meekly he went to the

cross. It displayed his love.

It was love that held Jesus to the cross.

And so our remembering is not just a recollection of

historical facts, but a participation in spiritual

realities in our lives. And when we partake of communion

at the Lord's Table, we're not. Walking around the monument,

we're not just in awe of it, but we're having fellowship with our

living Lord and saviour in and through it.

Came across a pretty cool story that illustrates why we need to

look back. The stories told of a British

soldier in the First World War who had lost heart for the

battle and deserted trying to reach the coast for a boat back

to England. That night he ended up wandering

in the pitch black night, hopelessly lost in the darkness.

He came across what he thought was a signpost, and being as

dark as it was, he began to climb the post, to be able to

read it, to get some sense of direction and bearing.

And as he reached the top of the pole he struck a match to see

and found himself looking squarely into the face of Jesus

Christ. He realised that rather than

climbing up a signpost, he had climbed up A roadside crucifix.

Then he remembered the one who had died for him, who had

endured, who had never turned back.

And the next morning the soldier returned back to the trenches.

True or not, an interesting story.

But you see, we are in a battle and that is the Christian life.

It's been said, the Christian life.

It's not a playground but a battleground.

We wrestle not against flesh and blood, the Bible tells us, and

looking back to Jesus death helps us to keep going, moving

forward in the victory that he won on the cross.

To persevere in the midst of that battle in the intensity of

it, to know that the victory has been won in him, that our

salvation is secure, is guaranteed in him, and that we

can hang in there because Jesus hung upon the cross for us.

So first, look back. 2nd, we need to look forward verse 26

for as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you

proclaim the Lord's death till he comes.

And when we partake of communion, we, we look back, we

reflect on his death, yes, and it's heavy for us and it can be

sobering and sombre, but it's also to be a time of celebration

because his death wasn't the end of the story.

Three days later he rose again. He is very much alive.

The Bible tells us that he is seated at the right hand of the

Father, that he's interceding for us.

And in John 14, Jesus said that he goes to prepare a place for

us, that where he is, we may be also that one day very, very

soon, he is coming back to take us to be with him and to never

be separated ever again. That is what we look forward to.

So we look back, we look forward to that moment.

And then thirdly, we should look within verse 28.

But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread

and drink of the cup. 4 verse 31, If we would judge ourselves,

we'd not be judged. But when we're judged, verse 32,

we're chastened by the Lord that we may not be condemned with the

world. So we need to examine look

within when we partake of communion to see that our hearts

are right if we're partaking in an unworthy manner, any

unconfessed sin, any compromise, any bitterness in our hearts,

any division with others as was the issue in Corinth.

You know every time that we participate are involved in the

Lord's Supper, the Lord's table should examine ourselves.

That's why we'll often pause and we'll have that moment for, for

you to just reflect, to, to seek forgiveness and repentance

again, to examine our motives, our attitudes towards the Lord,

towards his word, towards his people, towards the communion

service itself, and to go through that process.

And I think that our each time we are involved in the Lord's

table, it's a means by which Jesus instituted the the

purifying of his church continually a constant

reflection for us that each time that you eat my body, each time

that you drink my blood symbolic in the bread and in the cup.

It's to be a time of examination of coming together before me and

of seeking repentance and and restoring that sweet fellowship

with me. The psalmist said Psalm 139,

Psalms 139:23

verse 23 and 24. Search me O God, and know my

heart, try me and know my anxieties and see if there is

any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting.