Lord's Supper - I Cor. 11:17-34

My mother is the world’s best cook and I have great memories of family dinners around the table--except when I got in trouble.  How many of you remember being in trouble for something you did earlier in the day; maybe at school, and now you have to sit at the dinner table and eat your dinner?  It didn’t matter how good it was, it didn’t taste good and it didn’t matter how much you didn’t want to eat something, you knew you had better just eat it without saying anything.  You didn’t dare complain about how something tasted.

In 1 Corinthians we see Paul writing to the church at Corinth and like a good parent he is disciplining his kids.  He has some good things to say about them but also points out some areas that need work.  Paul started this church and so has a deep interest in their well-being and in 11th chapter he chastises them for their table manners.

I read somewhere that Teddy Roosevelt was scared to go to church as a child after reading John 2:17.  His disciples remembered that it is written: "Zeal for your house will consume me." He was scared of the creature "Zeal" and was afraid he was going to be consumed.  The passage in 1 Corinthians could be rather scary where it talks about the consequences of taking the Lord’s Supper in an unworthy manner.

Christ Fellowship is not the church at Corinth and I'm glad because they had a lot of problems but there are some things we can learn from Paul's guidance in the Lord’s Supper.

Evidently it was common in the early church to have a meal together every week when they got together to worship.  Agape feast or love feast.  They basically had a potluck dinner.  Problem was, if you didn't bring a pot you were out of luck!  Some were rich and brought lots to eat.  Some were poor and brought little or nothing and some were slaves and not only did they not bring anything, since they had to work late, they got there late and nobody waited for them.  Then they would end the meal by observing the Lord’s Supper.  You can imagine Paul had a few words for them when he heard about this.

Read 1 Corinthians 11:17-34.  It’s on page 812 in most of the Bibles in the pew. “In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good. ¹⁸ In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it. ¹⁹ No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God’s approval. ²⁰ So then, when you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat, ²¹ for when you are eating, some of you go ahead with your own private suppers. As a result, one person remains hungry and another gets drunk. ²² Don’t you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God by humiliating those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? Certainly not in this matter! ²³ For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, ²⁴ 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.” ²⁵ In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” ²⁶ For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. ²⁷ So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. ²⁸ Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. ²⁹ For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. ³⁰ That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. ³¹ But if we were more discerning with regard to ourselves, we would not come under such judgment. ³² Nevertheless, when we are judged in this way by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be finally condemned with the world. ³³ So then, my brothers and sisters, when you gather to eat, you should all eat together. ³⁴ Anyone who is hungry should eat something at home, so that when you meet together it may not result in judgment. And when I come I will give further directions.”

The first part of this passage (17-22) is Paul’s criticism of the church in Corinth and the second part (23-34) is more along the lines of instruction.  We have eaten together enough times that I know that Paul's criticism to the Corinthians would not be very necessary for Christ Fellowship so I want to focus more on his instructions regarding the Lord’s Supper in verses 23-34 and in his instructions I want us to see that it is important that we look back in remembrance and also to look forward to what will be.

Paul says in verse 23 he received this from the Lord Himself.  Now I don’t know how he received it-- but he takes us back to the upper room where Jesus and the disciples also celebrated a commemorative meal--celebrating Passover.

Jesus knew the importance of looking back in remembrance of what God had done and as was Jewish custom He celebrated Passover which included, in part, eating unleavened bread and drinking wine from a cup.

In verse 24 it says, "When He had given thanks".  I wonder what He thanked God for.  Provision?  Friends?  Fellowship?  Unity?  He knew what was about to happen.  He knew He was just hours away from the cross and He still gave thanks.  He knew He would be abandoned by the very men He was eating with!

I believe all of this was on His mind when He said, "This is my body which is for you; do this in remembrance of me."  I don't believe there is any way the disciples could have fully understood what Jesus was talking about but Jesus knew His body would soon be ravaged to the point of unrecognizability.

Then in verse 25 it says, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood..."  Again, Jesus is looking back in reference to the old covenant--with Moses-that involved animal sacrifices to pay for sins.  Romans 6:23 says that the wages of sin is death.  It was true in the Old Testament and it was true in the New Testament and it is still true today.  It is just different sacrifices.

And so because Jesus willingly gave Himself to be our sacrifice for our sins--a sacrifice that led Him to the cross where He died--we celebrate His death by observing the Lord’s Supper; a celebration He commands, by the way.  There would, of course, be no celebration of His death if not for His resurrection 3 days later but we will talk more about that on Easter!

In no other religion or faith do the people celebrate the death of their god like Christians do.  We celebrate the death of Jesus because we know that while He truly died and was buried, He also rose again on the third day and lives today in Heaven and in our hearts when we give our lives to Him to be Lord of our lives.

So, it is important that we look back in remembrance at what Jesus did for us but I also see in v. 26 a wonderful reason for us to look forward as well.  We talk all the time about wanting to be a church that is bold in its witness for Jesus.  That starts right here.  It starts by standing with your church family and publicly saying, "We remember what Jesus has done for us."

We remember it, we believe it and we celebrate it!  And we do so until He comes again!

I heard the story of a young Muslim man—I don't remember his name—who was invited to church by a friend.  The Lord’s Supper was observed in this church and the Muslim man asked questions about it later.  His friend shared the Gospel and the young man was saved and later became a preacher.

In no other religion or belief system does the savior die and is resurrected as a means for people to get to Heaven.  In no other religion is grace freely given to all who believe.

Invitation:  in verse 28 it says that a person should examine themselves before taking the Lord’s Supper.  I want to give you that opportunity right now.  To begin with examine yourself to see if you truly have a relationship with Jesus. I’m not talking about religion or church membership.  I mean have you asked God for forgiveness of your sin and then repented or turned away from that sin?  Have you asked Jesus to be Lord of your life forever?  If not, I want to talk with you right now before we take the cup and the bread because it is only for true believers.

If you do have that relationship, is there anything (any sin) that might be in the way of that relationship?  King David said in Psalm 26, “Test me, LORD, and try me, examine my heart and my mind.”  Let God have free reign in your heart and mind right now.   Ask Him to look at your life and to show you where there might be anything displeasing to Him.

Your speech; your habits; your way of doing business or how you treat your neighbor or your spouse?  Is there pride or gossip?  Ask God for forgiveness right now.  1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”  Do that now.

*Pass out juice and bread.*

I live just a block away from a cemetery and I pass by it often.  Many times I see people standing all alone in front of a newly covered grave and often times they are crying or maybe putting more flowers on top of it.  When we take the Lord’s Supper, we symbolically visit the tomb of Jesus, remembering what He did on the cross for us.  We do it reverently and with pure hearts but we also do it, not like most people standing at the grave of a loved one who are crying and mourning, but we do it with celebration, knowing that without His death, burial and resurrection then His birth and His life would not have the life-changing effect that we know it does today.

Thank you Lord for what you have done!