The Lord's Supper

                                                                     
1 Corinthians 11:23-34
23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 25 In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes. 27 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. 28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. 30 For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep. 31 For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. 32 But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world. 33 Therefore, my brethren, when you come together to eat, wait for one another. 34 But if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, lest you come together for judgment. And the rest I will set in order when I come.
 
Paul had warned the Corinthians about divisions in the beginning of the letter but moved on to discuss some of the questions and issues in the church from an individual standpoint. Beginning in ch.11, Paul begins a section on the church and its operation continuing through ch.14. After dealing with some gender issues in the first part of the chapter, he moves to dealing with some major problems with the Lord’s Supper. There were divisions, gluttony, selfishness, drunkenness, and other things that made a mockery of this sacred ordinance.
 
The Lord’s supper is a time when we remember the Lord’s sacrifice on our behalf, and we come humbly to the table acknowledging our sin and His perfection, proclaiming His death till He comes in a bond of unity with the rest of the body of Christ.
 
There is a time of remembering the sacrifice…
 
1 Corinthians 11:23-26
23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 25 In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.
 
The first thing Jesus did was give thanks. The common loaf that was shared indicated a unity and common bond shared among the body of Christ. A visible sermon showing Christ’s death for sin, until He comes again. Note also the presence of Christ. The word here is testament, in ancient Greek, it carried much meaning—it was the act of someone of His own free will distributing gifts upon others after His death, and it was usually conditional. This text also shows the temporary nature of this feast.
 
Short Story:
 
A heart transplant recipient was asked one time if he ever thinks of the person who gave him the heart, that he died and all. And the response was that it was too hard to think of someone dying for you. Several years ago in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada, George and Vera Bajenksi’s lives were changed forever. February 16, 1989. A very normal Thursday morning. The phone rang at 9:15 a.m. "There’s been an accident..." It involved their son Ben. As they approached the intersection of Adelaide and Simcoe Streets near the high school, they could see the flashing lights of the police cars and ambulance units. Vera noticed a photographer and followed the direction of his camera lens to the largest pool of blood she had ever seen. All she could say was, "George, Ben went home…home to be with his Heavenly Father!" Her first reaction was to jump out of the car, somehow collect the blood and put it back into her son. "That blood, for me, at that moment, became the most precious thing in the world because it was life. It was life-giving blood and it belonged in my son, my only son, the one I loved so much." The road was dirty and the blood just didn’t belong there. George noticed that cars were driving right through the intersection--right through the blood. His heart was smitten. He wanted to cover the blood with his coat and cry, "You will not drive over the blood of my son!" Then Vera understood for the first time in her life, one of God’s greatest and most beautiful truths...why blood?
 
Because it was the strongest language God could have used. It was the most precious thing He could give-- the highest price He could pay. Through God’s amazing love we were redeemed with the precious blood of Christ…
 
1 Peter 1:18-19
18 knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.
 
May we never treat lightly nor trample underfoot the blood of God’s Son.
 
 
 
 
Hebrews 10:29
29 Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?
 
So…a great warning is given to those who take the Lords supper lightly. Let us not take the Lords Supper as some kind of a routine/ritual that we have to do. Let us not partake in such a way that we do it because of some religious practice. It is to be taken seriously.
 
This should be a time of thanksgiving for the sacrifice that was made. We are also to do this in remembrance of Him. We should remember how He died and why He died, and what happened because He died. We should rejoice in the new covenant. My debt and yours was paid by an innocent man. Poured out upon Christ on the Cross.
 
There is a time of reexamining the saints, you and I!
 
1 Corinthians 11:27-32
27 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. 28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. 30 For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep. 31 For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. 32 But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.
 
The word used here means for someone to be put on trial, or to examine for genuineness, to find out if one is approved. However, this trial is not for a judgment from a jury of your peers, but an intense personal self-search of one’s own heart, looking for things that displease God.
 
This is a time for confession, church discipline, repentance, and removal of things that disrupt the unity of the body and one’s relationship to Christ. This prevents the judgment that Paul says comes with not taking the supper worthily. The judgment talked about here, and sickness and death, is the chastisement of the Lord.
 
This is an individual and corporate time of examination. During our examination time, ask God to search you, and show you the unapproved areas. Your personal walk with the Lord. A relationship with someone that is damaged. Your commitment to the church. Confess, repent, discern the body, and drink reverently. Remember that failure to do so properly could cause us to receive discipline from God, even death.
Tonight, we will use the church covenant as a helpful reminder of our commitment to one another and most importantly to Christ our Lord.
In Conclusion:
 
It is also a time of renouncing our selfishness…
 
1 Corinthians 11:33-34
33 Therefore, my brethren, when you come together to eat, wait for one another. 34 But if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, lest you come together for judgment. And the rest I will set in order when I come.
 
Having remembered the death of the Lord, and examined themselves, Paul told the Corinthians to begin behaving like Christians should. Caring for one another. Focusing not on what you get out of it, but about the body and its health.
 
We must realize that it is not all about us! It’s about Him. We should use this time to look for ways that we can contribute to the overall health of the body of Christ. We should consider the mission statement and our purpose. Remind ourselves that we are in a war for our own souls and those of our families, neighbors, friends, and coworkers.
 
Looking for ways to serve. Looking for ways to use your spiritual gifts. Looking for ways to build up one another. Looking for ways to show support to the body. Looking for ways to change our behavioral patterns to reflect Christ, and what He wants for the church, and not ourselves, and what we want for the church. This should be a time for strengthening unity in the body, around the Word, and around Christ.
 
So tonight… as we partake together as the covenant body called First Fil-Am Baptist Mission Church, let us judge ourselves that we not be judged.