LORD’S SUPPER APRIL 10^TH, 2011

1 COR 11.23-32

As we ask The Lord God to prepare our hearts for The Lord’s Supper his morning, as I was pouring over the texts that we just read and many others, I got this picture in my mind that The Lord’s Supper in a way is like your yearly physical…..you walk in and they take your height, weight, blood pressure and etc…..at the end of the exam, your physician sits with you and evaluates your present health condition with his advice on how to address certain existing problems. At that point, you can either ignore him or you can heed his wisdom and seek to remedy the problems.

Well, with these 2 letters of Paul to the Corinthians (along with his reference to another one that we do not have), we discover from The Great Physician that this church had some real issues that needed to be addressed biblically and swiftly….any delay would only perpetuate the health of the body.

From the 2 letters to Corinth, we probably know more about the church at Corinth than any other NT assembly of saints.

• We know from Acts 18 that this church was founded on Paul’s 3^rd missionary journey and according to 1 Cor 1.4-8, he thanked God for the grace that brought them to saving faith in Jesus Christ and the testimony of Christ that existed.
• We also learn from Acts 18 that Paul taught the word of God there for 1 ½ years. We also now that this church was blessed by God to have received the teaching ministries of Peter and Apollos.
  • From this we learn that being a well taught congregation does not make disciples in and of itself apart from a personal decision to be a doer of the Word.
• We also know that this congregation came to birth in the midst of great opposition and persecution, with Paul himself being driven out of the city.

But as I said at the outset, The Great Physician allows us to read and see for ourselves that this congregation had some very serious problems that provide us with some information about their wrong perspectives and bad attitudes when they came to partake of The Lord’s Supper. I’ll give you 9 specific problems:

• (1) According to 1 Cor 1.10-13 & 1 Cor 3.1-7, the congregation was divided into little religious factions over their favorite teacher’s.
  • 1Co 1:11 For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you. 12 Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. 13 Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?
  • 1Co 3:1 ¶ And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. 2 I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. 3 For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? 4 For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?
  • They got caught up with personalities more than Christ. Paul told them that this divisive spirit was a sign of carnality and a hindrance to unity in The Spirit and true growth in Christ. They were talking more about their favorite teacher than Jesus Christ, they could tell you more about their favorite teacher than Jesus Christ; were divided into their little religious factions based upon how Paul, or Peter or Apollos taught their Scripture. They could only receive the Word from their “pet teachers.”
  • Their focus had quickly shifted from The Lord that saved them to the instruments He raised up to bless them….they were talking more about Peter, Apollos and Paul than Jesus…..I see this as a problem in the church today…just switch the names. What was Paul’s reminder to them?
  • Nobody could state the problem better than Paul himself.
    • 1 Cor 3.5 ¶ Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? 6 I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. 7 So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.
    • 1Co 1:29 That no flesh should glory in his presence. 3 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: 1 That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.
• (2) (1 Cor 5; 6.9,10; 15-19) Another problem that existed was that they tolerated sexual sin that was common knowledge amongst them and did nothing about it. Paul told them in another letter that to keep fellowship with professing saints who was living in unrepentant blatant sin was leaven that was a threat to the spiritual health and growth of the church. Unrepentant people call this command that God gives to the church legalism, Scripture calls it wisdom and church discipline. According to Gal 6.1,2 the ultimate purpose of proper church discipline is always meant to bring about repentance and restoration.
  • 1Co 6:19 What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.
• (3) Then in 2 Cor, when the man caught in sexual sin truly repented, instead of forgiving him and restoring him back into fellowship, they refused to do so. (2 Cor 2). Their unwillingness to forgive this brother that repented was giving the devil a foothold in their fellowship.
• (4) In 1 Cor 6, saints were taking one another to court, before the unsaved and that was a horrible witness for The Lord Jesus Christ. When Christians dislike or hate one another, the Name of Christ is mocked.
• (5) In 1 Cor 7 there were some questions regarding marital issues and singleness that needed clarification.
• (6) In 1 Cor 8,9 there was division over the question of whether or not a Christian could eat meat offered unto idols in the market. Some of these saints were flaunting their “liberty” in Christ, and in the process, they were offending others who did not share that convicion, which is an unloving thing to do. Again, Paul’s wisdom regarding Christian liberty is much needed today.
  • 1Co 8:11 And through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died? 12 But when ye sin so against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ.13 Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend.
  • Rom 14:21 It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak.
• (7) In 1 Cor 12 & 14, when they gathered together in The Name of The Lord, their improper usage of spiritual gifts was so confusing and out of order that Paul said if a non-Christian walked into the middle of one of their services, they would think they were insane. Remember beloved, one of the fruit of The Spirit is self-control.
  • According to 1 Cor 13, they were operating the gifts in the flesh and not driven by love for Christ….
• (8) In 1 Cor 15, there was a huge problem over the doctrine of the resurrection. Some were even embracing the heresy of proxy baptism for the dead as a means of salvation. In this chapter Paul reminded of the only gospel that saves souls (1 Cor 15.1-4) and then exhorts those who belong to Jesus to always abound in the work of The Lord (1 Cor 15.58)
• (9) In 2 Cor 12.19-21 & 13.5, Paul is concerned over the non-repentant behavior of some of the people, and even questions the validity of their conversion with the urgent appeal to examine themselves to see if indeed they are truly saved.
  • READ NLD SECTION ON THESE VERSES
• And then Paul puts down the spiritual gauntlet with these words 1Co 16:22 If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema (cursed) Maranatha (The Lord is coming in judgment).

All of this must be put into the context of the verses that we read from 1 Cor 11 about The Lord’s Supper. Prior to the observance of The Lord’s Supper, the early church had feast that was called the Agape or love Feast. This was to be a time fro those in Christ to solidify their bonds with one another, sharing with one another, walking in kindness and compassion towards one another, and if need be, forgiving one another and asking The Lord to give us right attitudes towards one another…..it was to be a time of focusing on the true meaning of The Lord’s Supper….that we would be one as Jesus and the Father were one.

Instead, they were gathering together divided over who their favorite teachers were, there was dissension and tension amongst themselves. Some of them could not even speak to others because of some deep rooted attitudes. Some of them were living in sexual sin and stumbling others by their display of “liberty”…..they had the gifts of The Spirit but they lacked the love of The Spirit……

This is why in Paul exhorts them in1 Cor 11.28 and 2 Cor 13.5 to examine themselves. This Greek word examine in means to put to the test, discern.

• Lu 12:56 Ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky and of the earth; but how is it that ye do not discern this time?
• 1Jo 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

§ By discerning or looking at certain weather patterns we can tell what kind of weather is coming our way. By testing or discerning the prophecies’ of false teachers with God’s Word, we can tell those that are genuine and those that are false.

§ Likewise, you and I are to put our hearts, lives, attitudes and actions towards others to the test of Scripture to see if we are prepared to partake of The Lord’s Supper in a worthy fashion.

§ Let me make an observation that I have not made recently concerning The Lord’s Supper. It is clear that this is not to be observed if a person is not born again.

§ However, it is clear to me from the background that we covered at the outset of our study and 1 Cor 11.17-22 that neither should The Lord’s Supper be observed if our heart is not right with God or others. My goal as your pastor is not to make sure that we fill and empty more communion cups than last month. My prayerful desire is to see us growing in grace and Christ likeness towards one another.

Verses 29 and 30 tell us the consequences of not examining our hearts and getting them right with God and one another…..

• 1Co 11:29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. 30 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.
• Beloved, do ignore those words; do not let anybody tell you that this kind of severe judgment only happened in the early church.
• Perhaps some of you would say, wow, Pastor Ray, this is heavy stuff….exactly….The Lord’s Supper was never meant to be some dead ritual that we do so that we can get on with our real lives…..the cross of Jesus means that God The Father was serious about the redemption of lost man and how His children lived together.
• It provides an opportunity to (1) look within (what is in my heart right now?), (2) look around (do I have a sinful or bad attitude towards another person in the body of Christ?) and most importantly (3) look up and see where I/we are at this morning.

CALL FOR WORSHIP TEAM/SERVERS

Beloved, as we prepare to take the Lord’s Supper together this morning, our gracious Heavenly Father desires that our fellowship with Him and one another be pure, meaningful and rooted and grounded in Christ alone and the truth of His cross.

How must you (and me) respond to his message this morning?

• Did any of the nine problems that were cited in this message hit home personally? Do not confuse conviction with repentance. Conviction is the work of God’s Spirit telling you to deal with that sin issue in your heart and if need be with another person right now.
• Are you divisive over personalities in the body of Christ? Is there someone or something that is an idol in your life? Something or someone that excites you more than Jesus Christ?
• Are there sinful attitudes in your heart towards another person in the flock here or in the body of Christ? Are you personally guilty of Backbiting? Whispering? Do you allow others to commit these sins in your presence?
• Is there some secret, dark sin in your life that you need to place before The Lord today?
• Do we cross the line of what is Biblical liberty and in the process injure or stumble another person’s walk with Christ?

Perhaps you are with us this morning and you have never repented of your sin and trusted solely in the Person and atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ alone for the forgiveness of your sin. How do you do that?

• From the bottom of your heart, confess your sorrow for your sin to God right now…..
• Repent of your sin by purposing to follow Jesus Christ today…..
• Confess Him as Lord of your life, and from this day forward, present your life to Him for His purposes and His glory.
  • Acts 20.21 repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.
  • Ro 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.