In
about 1 month I get to go to something that is one of the
most foreign concepts to me in all the world, a family reunion. Every
Thanksgiving, Carol’s family all gather to eat, play games, and
eat some more. While I enjoy eating, and I enjoy playing games, I don’t
enjoy going to this event because this kind of gathering was not something
that my family did while I was growing up. So I have a hard time getting
excited about spending an afternoon with a bunch of people I barely
know. But since I know Carol enjoys going, Igo year, after year, after
year, unless of course one of you does something that gives me an excuse
for not going. Now if any of you are planning on getting sick on the
Saturday after Thanksgiving, you have my permission.
But seriously,
the concept of a family reunion started a long time ago when God himself
instituted an occasion for his people to gather regularly to eat and
have a good time as
they remembered why Jesus died. This event is what we call the Lord’s
Supper. But just
like everything else that man touches, we have even ruined the true
meaning of the Lord’s
Supper.
This was a meal
like a modern day covered-dish supper. The agape-feast of the early
church was when believers came together to eat & to have fellowship
with each other. They would bring whatever food they could, whatever
drink they could afford, and theyencouraged each other by sharing this
food amongst them all. At first, regardless of howrich you were, or
how poor you were, you all got the same helping of food & drink.
And towards the end of the meal, they would silence themselves and remember
the Lord Jesus Christ in the breaking of bread and the drinking from
the cup.
But the Corinthians
ruined the Lord’s Supper. The Lord’s Supper was no longer
filled with love, it was no longer a time of sweet fellowship, it was
not longer a meal
marked by a time of awesome worship unto the Lord. Instead it was marked
by a spirit of
pride and of selfishness. They had turned it into nothing more than
a gluttonous orgy. It’s
small wonder that the apostle Paul refused to praise them in what they
were doing--v. 17.
This is in stark
contrast to what he had just got through saying to them in v. 2, where
he
praised the people for asking him his opinion about how to handle some
of the unruly
women in the church. But now, as he comes to this issue of the Lord’s
Supper, he
insinuates that they would better off if they didn’t come together
at all. He gives us the reason for this very serious statement in verses
18-19.
The word “division”
in the Greek literally means a tearing apart or a cutting in
half. What was supposed to bring people together, was dividing the church
into little
groups. Now this was a far cry from what the beginning of the church
that we see in the
book of Acts. I amazed to see how far away, in such a short time, the
church had drifted
away from the Holy Spirit’s ideal. From the book of Acts we see
that as the church was
born, it lived and worshipped together. The people who made up the church
had all things
in common.
In other words,
no one had any problem sharing with anyone who had a need. But these
Corinthians not only refused to share their food with other parts of
the body, but some of
them even refused to eat in the same room with those who were less fortunate
then they
were. Communion, which God intended to bring about unity, was instead
causing
division within the church. And this was not what God had in mind--vv.
20-22.
Gathering together
to eat has been a central part of God’s people throughout all of
history. Eating together involves more than just appeasing one’s
hunger. It is an activity that
includes sharing & celebration. It is a ritual that satisfies many
levels of human needs.
The sharing of
food has a special way of breaking down barriers. It provides for a
safe
environment for people to get to know one another. And the Lord’s
Supper is an unique
opportunity to demonstrate the oneness we all have in Jesus Christ.
And this is what
Paul had taught them. Paul taught them of the bonding power of the
shared meal that the Corinthians enjoyed before taking communion. He
had taught them
that everybody, even the rich, was supposed to share food with each
other. After all this
was a feast of love and a feast of fellowship. But something had happened
in the time he
left that church--v. 19.
From this verse,
we learn that there were a small group of people who were trying to
destroy the unity that the agape-fest was creating. Instead of everyone
putting the food
they brought on the tables, like we do in our modern day covered-dish
suppers, the people
were keeping their food to themselves. In today’s covered-dish
suppers, you may have to
ask who brought what, especially if you are looking for the food you
know the best cooks
brought. But in those days, you could only eat the foods that the people
who were like
you brought.
The rich weren’t
willing to share their food with the poor at all! In fact, they made
sure
that they sat up to their three course meal in a place where no one
outside their little group
could get any of it. And they refused to share any of it with those
who were poorer then
they were. Because of that some people would go home hungry. Then there
was the ones, who could care less about the food. All they were interested
in was the drinks. They turned the Lord’s Supper into an occassion
to get drunk!
So what began as
a love feast, a type of family reunion for the members of the church
of
Jesus Christ, became a disgraceful orgy. For that reason Paul could
not praise them. In
fact the way they were celebrating the Lord’s Supper was the antithesis
of love. Because of this, Paul says that he is ashamed of what he hears
is going on.
This is not how
Paul taught them to treat one another. Over and over again, Paul taught
them that they needed each other. He uses the analogy of the body to
help us see that each
part of our body is just as important, and just as necessary, as the
rest of the parts. So as
Paul wrote this part of the letter, his heart was broken as he thought
about all the
selfishness that was going on during what was supposed to be a love-feast.
The closest illustration
I can think of is the time I got arrested for stealing a carburetor.
When I got home, instead of my dad beating me, he sat on his bed and
cried because he felt that he had failed in teaching me how to live.
Which was wrong, because he had taught me better. I got myself in trouble
because I refused to follow his instructions. As I watched him cry,
it broke my heart to realize that the way I was living was so far from
the way he wanted me to live.
To understand Paul’s
disappointment, we need to think about how unique the early church
was from the rest of the world. In those days, the church was the only
place where every
barrier that man had set up to divide themselves had been torn down.
Although the
inhabitants of the church were both slaves & slave owners, Gentiles
& Jews, highly
educated & illiterates, rich & poor, and men & women, when
they gathered for worship,
they came together as one in Christ. Nowhere else in the world was this
possible. The
oneness we have in Christ as done more for the equality of all human
beings than all
pieces of legislation every government on this planet has passed.
What was true in
the first century church ought to be just as true in the 21st century
church. In the church, we ought to be able to ignore any kind of class
distinctions. We
ought to be able to ignore any kind of barriers that the world uses
to separate themselves
from those who are different than they are. It is our oneness in Christ
that makes it
possible to sit next to someone who may be completely different from
you, and still be
able to reach out and say, “God loves you, and I’m trying!”
But when the Corinthians
had ruined the Lord’s Supper, they were starting to ruin the
unique oneness of the universal church. So Paul gives them a brief history
lesson on
the meaning of the Lord’s Supper--vv 23-25.
Let me note something
that I believe is of very great significance. Most scholars believe
that 1 Corinthians was probably written before the Gospels. That means
that Paul’s
account here of the institution of the Lord’s Supper is the very
first direct quotation from
the mouth of the Lord Jesus. The reason I bring this up is that the
one first things that
Jesus spoke to Paul about was the importance of the Lord’s Supper.
I find it also
interesting to note that Paul reminds us that Jesus instituted the Lord’s
Supper on the same night in which he was being delivered by Judas to
the Jewish leaders
to die. At the same time when Judas gave Jesus over to men for evil,
Jesus told us that he
was giving his body & blood for good. I wonder in making this point
if Paul is trying to
show us that despite the problems that exist in every church, the Lord’s
Supper provides a
way for God to do something good in our midst? I wonder if the point
Paul is making is
that since God still loves us, despite our tendencies towards wickedness
and worldliness,
that we too can still love those who have done us wrong?
If Jesus could
still give his body & blood as the means through which we can be
forgiven by God, then why not use the Lord’s Supper as a means
to reach out and forgive those who may have done you wrong? I know that’s
hard to do, especially if the person is a good friend. But never forget
that the one who betrayed Jesus had been one of his closest friends.
John tells us that Jesus loved all of his disciples, even Judas. This
is what makes the words of Jesus so heart-wrenching when he quoted from
Psalm 41:9, “Even My close friend, in whom I trusted, who ate my
bread, has lifted up his heel against Me.”
Let me briefly
remind you that we hold to the belief that the elements we use in the
Lord’s
Supper are symbolic of Jesus’ body & blood, and at no time
do they ever become, either
literally, or spiritually, Jesus’ actual body & blood. They
are like this picture of Carol I
have put in my Bible. I put it there so when I go on trips, and as I
look at her picture, it
reminds me that she is my wife, and of my commitment I made to be faithful
to her in
both my mind & my body.
But at no time
do I talk to this picture. At no time do I take this Bible to a restaurant
and
put it next to me and order a meal for it. And at no time do I give
this picture a kiss before
I go to sleep. This picture of Carol reminds me of my love for her.
The same is true of
the bread & the juice we take during communion. They remind us of
Jesus’ love for us. And they remind of us the commitment we made
to love only him with our heart, soul, mind, and strength.
Another factor
that we often miss when we look at the Lord’s Supper is that the
Lord Jesus and his disciples were celebrating Passover. The Passover
is an important feast to the Jews. During the meal, one of the children
was supposed to ask the question, “Why is this night different
from all other nights?.” This gave the host the opportunity to
tell the story of the historical redemption of Israel from slavery in
Egypt. The feast ended, during Jesus’ day, with a prayer for the
redemption of the land from the hands of the Romans. Today, it ends
with the words, “Next year in Jerusalem.” An expression of
hope that Jerusalem will be restored as the center of Jewish worship.
Paul doesn’t
mention that it was the Passover meal, because he wants to show us that
there’s something new happening here. God is bringing his new covenant
through the body & the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is through
the Lamb of God’s body & blood, not through the body &
blood of the Passover lamb, that not only would we find deliverance
form the bondage of sin, but alos of the hope of better things to come.
The time when we would share in the Messsianic kingdom where there will
be no more tears & no more death.
If we will put
our faith in the fact that Jesus’ body was broken & his blood
was shed for the payment for our sins, then God promises that he will
deliver us from the power & the penalty of sin. The writer of Hebrews
tells us: “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to
enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living
way opened for us through the curtain, that is, His body, let us draw
near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith.” (Hebrews
10:19-20, 22)
Next, Paul shows
us the power of the Lord’s Supper--v. 26. Many people would love
it if churches would do what Paul really says here. For he says that
the Lord’s Supper is a sermon without words. It is not just something
we are to tag on to the end of a sermon. For twice Jesus told us to
do it in remembrance of him.
The Lord’s
Supper is a celebration that ought to be simple We don’t need to
make it into some kind of fancy celebration. It ought to be done in
an attitude of reverence, and an attitude of worship. That is why we
normally have you come and take the elements during the time of singing.
I want to provide a setting where you are confronted with nothing else
but what Jesus did on the cross for you. And since worship ushers us
into the presence of God where we see, in stark contrast, his holiness
compared to our sinfulness, what a better way to take the elements that
remind us of what it cost God so he could have a relationship with us.
And at the same
time, since something spiritual does take place during communion, it
brings us into a level of itimacy with the Lord that nothing else in
a worship service produces, not even singing or praying, the time of
the Lord’s Supper also provides a powerful vehicle for the Spirit
to convict someone of their sins. As we enter into the level of intimacy
that only communion provides, at the same time, the Holy Spirit preaches
to someone who is not a Christian about the need to give their life
to the lordship of Jesus Christ.
Before we move
on, let me briefly remind you not to make essentials out of the non-essentials
concerning the Lord’s Supper. For instance, what is the correct
frequency of taking communion. When the church first started, they probably
observed communion every time they met. But later on, when Paul “Sailed
away from Philippi after the Days of Unleavened Bread, and in five days
joined them at Troas, where we stayed seven days. And upon the first
day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul
preached unto them until midnight.” (Acts 20:6-7) It seems that
by this time, some of the churches weren’t breaking bread every
day any more. Instead, they were having communion on the first day of
the week, Sunday. And this is day that most of the church, throughout
the history of the church, have met to break bread. So the frequency
isn’t what really matters to God.
In fact, if you
want to serve communion at home, go ahead. You don’t need me. I
encourage you, based on the fact that not only does communion draw us
into intimacy with the Lord, but it is also a wordless sermon that reminds
us of Jesus’ death, I encourage you to have a family communion
service. Also, there has been some confusion over what the elements
should consist of.
Some say juice,
some say wine. I don’t have a problem with either one. But what
I do have a
problem with is in those churches that serve wine is if the people keep
coming back for seconds or thirds. Seriously, if you want to use a communion
waver & some grape juice, or if you want to
use some unleavened bread & some wine, or even if you want to use
a Snicker bar & a Pepsi, go ahead. All we really need is something
that is solid, and something that is liquid. Something solid to remind
us of Jesus’ body, and something liquid to remind us of Jesus’
blood. Please remember that it’s not the elements or the frequency
that are significant. It is the level of intimacy that communion brings
us into with Jesus that is significant.
Paul then goes
on to tell us the significance of the Lord’s Supper--vv. 27-28.
The significance of the Lord’s Supper is twofold: First to look
inward, and second to look outward. Inwardly it causes us to think if
we are worthy to take the elements. Now Paul isn’t saying that
there is anything we can do to make ourselves worthy to take the Lord’s
Supper. Apart from our faith in Jesus Christ, we all are unworthy.
I want to remind
you that the Lord’s Supper is not for perfect people. It is for
unworthy people who have been made worthy by the blood of Jesus Christ.
The Lord’s Supper is for people who have been healed from the disease
of sin.
It is only for
those who have been made worthy by having their sins exchanged for the
righteousness of Jesus Christ. It is for people who have been honest
enough to tell God that they needed Jesus Christ to come and rescue
them from the destructive pattern of sin. Is that you this morning?
Are you a member
of God’s family? If not, what a great day to beome a member of
God’s family. God has already done his part. He gave his son, Jesus
Christ to die in your place. The only thing that is preventing you from
becoming a child of God is your unbelief. I plead with you today, to
give your life to the lordship of Jesus Christ. It is a decision you
will never regret.
What Paul is talking
about is partaking in the Lord’s Supper in such a way that you
never think about why Jesus body was broken, or why his blood was shed.
If you can go through the motions of eating the bread & drinking
the cup, and your emotions are not touched, you are eating the elements
in a unworthy manner. You eat of it unworthily if you believe that you’re
saved by eating it. Or if you come with bitterness, with hatred toward
another believer in the same fellowship, or come with blatant sin in
your life that you refuse to repent of, that is eating and drinking
unworthily. And Paul says you’re guilty, in a sense, of driving
those nails in even deeper!
The thought is
powerful, and then he says don’t just look inward to whether you’re
right, but also look outward--v. 29. I believe this has a dual meaning.
It can also mean to discern the Lord’s body which are the people
who make up the church. We need to look outward to our relationship
with our fellow brothers & sisters in Christ. Let us not forget
that Paul’s main point is that there is
to be a demonstration of the unity that is unique to the church. He
wants that when we gather together that we show true unconditional love
towards each other. But there was no unity in Corinth and there was
very little love, in fact the celebration of the feast of love, the
Lord’s Supper, was only a demonstration of their divisions.
Brothers &
sisters, the Lord’s Supper is serious stuff. That is why Paul says
every time you come to the Lord’s Supper you ought to examine yourself.
I wonder how much time we spend getting ready to take communion before
we come to the Lord’s Table? I think it would behoove you, before
you started to rush around, washing your face, putting your clothes
on, and speeding down the road to get here on time, that on those days
when we are going to celebrate communion, to first sit down and have
a time of worship where you do nothing but talk with the Lord Jesus
about what’s going on in your life. If you would examine your life,
you would escape God’s hand of discipline--vv. 29-32!
The Greek word,
Paul uses for judgment literally means the sentence handed down by a
judge. Normally, it is a very harsh word. But the way Paul uses the
word here, it means to discipline out of love. We are told that “Whom
the Lord loves He disciplines, And He scourges every son whom He receives.
But if you are without discipline then you are illegitimate children
and not sons.” (Hebrews 12:6 & 8)
This means that if you don’t come to the Lord’s Table and
you eat and drink unworthily, the Lord will discipline you out of love,
even if it means, like some of these in Corinth, to die, or come under
serious diseases. That may sound harsh, it might not seem like love
but it is. Always remember that God loves you so much that he will punish
you severly, rather than see you condemned with those that are in the
world.
Paul concludes
this harsh rebuke with words of wisdom--vv. 33-34. In just a few minutes
we are going to take communion. So let me conclude with some words of
wisdom that relates to where you are today. If you are a child of God,
and if you know that your heart is not right with God, if you know that
there is an unconfessed sin in your life, or if you know that there
is a person in this fellowship you are mad at, then I challenge to either
confess that sin, or try to mend that broken relationship, or just don’t
take communion today. Forget that there is anyone else here today, if
you don’t take communion, nobody is going to ask you why. I want
this communion celebration to be between you & the Lord.
I want to take
a few minutes where we have complete silence. And during that time I
want you to open your heart before the Lord to allow him to show you
what he sees in your life. Never forget that he already knows what’s
in there.
I just want to
provide some time for him allow him to show you what he sees. If what
he sees is not good, if it is a sin confess it, and move away from it.
And if what he sees is a broken relationship between you and another
member of this church family, ask him to give you his grace so you can
forgive that person just as God forgave you.
Let’s
pray
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