Transcription
[Music] Well, the Lord be with you.
If you have a Bible, and I hope you or someone around you does, would you turn with me? We are going to be looking at 1 Corinthians 11 this morning. And we're going to be looking at verses 17-34. 1 Corinthians 11:es 17-34.
And in this series, what we've been seeing is that the Apostle Paul is writing to a a group of Christians in the city of Corinth. And within this city, we see that there is a lot of rampant paganism. And there's this status seeking where within the city, everyone is competing with one another. They're they're evaluating their own social currency on on their education, their philosophy, their income, what they own. And what we find is that though we see this problem in the city, we also are seeing it within the church. And so the culture of the city is actually infiltrating the church in Corinth. And so what Paul is doing in this letter is that he is addressing many of these issues that are within the church where they are being impacted by the culture. And so we see him addressing issues like division in the church. We see factions forming within the church trying to compete with one another spiritually. We see that there were within these factions um certain groups that were suing one another. So there were lawsuits within the church. We also see the problem of sexual immorality where we see um that they were boasting within the church about sexual immorality being practiced within their local community. And then the last thing that we were seeing specifically within this section of the book was the dealing of meat sacrificed to idols. And how are Christians supposed to understand and relate to this practice of meat being sacrificed to idols? And though that doesn't seem like a a common concern for us today, it does allow us to evaluate our our relationship to the culture as Christians. How are we as Christians called to be holy and set apart to live within a world that does have rampant paganism? And so we were looking at these issues that Paul has been addressing. And at the very end, he kind of summarizes us uh summarizes his his points and thoughts thus far by saying, "Whether you eat or drink, do all to the glory of God." And that is our holy calling as Christians. whatever you do, everything is meant to be worship. Everything is meant to be honoring the Lord. So, we must honor the Lord with our lives.
So, then what we saw as we moved into chapter 11, which is where we will be this morning, is now as we've been thinking about Paul addressing the church's concerns relating to the world and to the culture. Now, what he's wanting us to think about is how the church is relating to the church. So, how are we to relate and think about one another specifically? now um as believers and how are we to do what he calls us to which is to bring all things to the glory of God in our local church community. And so the very first thing that we looked at which was a kind of controversial topic and I find it interesting that I feel like I'm just floating all around the controversy right now in the last few messages on Sundays and Wednesdays because you know Wednesday nights we're talking about esquetology and the millennium and we know how there's debate among those things. Um, last week we were talking about men and women and their roles being distinct in the church and how the way that we honor God is by honoring his design. That's how we can give God glory is recognizing that men are supposed to look and act like men and women are supposed to look and act like women. So, we're kind of floating around the controversy as we work through some of God's word. Um, because we see God's word is countercultural. God's word is not meant to just go with what's comfortable with what the what the world with what the pagans say. And so likewise, we'll see that there's a little bit of controversy this morning because what we're going to find here is now Paul starts to correct the abuses in the church in Corenth around the Lord's Supper. And now the Lord's Supper, we might have certain thought processes of, you know, what what do we think about when we hear that term, the Lord's Supper? And you might know it by a couple of other names. So depending on your tradition or your denomination, you might hear it being referred to as the Lord's Supper. You might hear it be called uh maybe like a table talk or communion or maybe even the Eucharist. And so all of these different terms are used to refer to this same communal meal that the church has historically for 2,000 years partaken of. And what Paul is going to specifically address is how this church though they were partaking of communion or the Lord's supper, they were abusing it and they were making it to where it didn't look anything like the Lord had intended and it was not bringing glory or honor to Christ.
And so the first thing that I think Paul draws from this text as we look in verses 17 to 22 is that we hear this call to honor Christ by humbling ourselves. You are to honor Christ by humbling yourself. So once again, as we as we think about communion, we we see and and sometimes we think of it in in our local context is we think of what we get for communion is you get a a wafer or a a cracker, right? And then you get this small cup that usually has has wine or grape juice in it. But when you actually look to the history of the church, it was actually meant to be a much bigger deal. It was it was a communal meal. In fact, what what we actually would see in the early church is that this was a regular thing that the church was doing as they would gather together. And so I just want to read for you just three verses briefly in the book of Acts. So in Acts 2:42 it says, "And they continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and in prayer." So the very first thing, this is right after Pentecost when there are there are thousands of people being saved and coming to Christ. It shows you what were some of the things that the church was emphasizing. What were the the pillars of the church? We see the apostles doctrine. That would be like the teaching of the New Testament that we have. That would be fellowship. That would be deep relationship building in the breaking of bread. That's what we're going to look at today. Communion, these communal meals, and then prayer. And so out of all of the things that we could talk about with with what does it mean to be the church, one of the first things that they were regularly committed to was breaking bread together, taking part in communion. And in Acts 2:46 it says, "So continuing daily with one accord in the temple and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart." So, this makes it seem as if they were partaking potentially daily together. You know, there's this debate within the church of how often should we partake of communion. Well, the Bible doesn't give you a specific command saying you have to take it this day or this many times within the year. But we do see the urgency in the early church of partaking of communion. I actually say I think the best argument is that what we we find is that it was actually probably taken weekly um as as the as the the main rule of how they were practicing this that it was it was every Sunday. And I'm going to read this final text to kind of emphasize that. But they were they were meeting daily it says and going house to house breaking bread together. And then the final verse is Acts 20:7. And it says, "Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight." So what you notice in Acts 20:7, it says, "Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, so that would be on the Sunday, right? So on that first day of the week and they were coming together specifically one of one of the primary reasons they were coming together was to break bread. Isn't that interesting? They didn't say now to hear a sermon. They didn't say to come and sing some songs. Now I'm not saying that they didn't do those things because in the early church we see all those things were present and very important. But the way that's being described is what was the early church doing on a weekly basis? What were they prioritizing? It was coming together to break bread. to partake of the Lord's supper.
Now, as I mentioned, it's a little bit different though than how we typically think of it because once again, we have um you know, the the elements and we typically have them and they're these smaller portions. But what the Lord's supper and breaking bread, it actually had a little bit larger, more broad meaning and connotation to it. So, what the early church was doing as they were meeting weekly and house to house and as they were partaking of the Lord's supper, they actually had what was called love feasts or agape meals. And what they would do is this would be a time where all of the Christians in that local area would come together and they would bring a lot of their resources so that that they could all have a great meal together. They would they would fellowship with one another, spend time together, celebrate what it means to be a part of the kingdom of God and and the family of God. And then what would happen at the very end of each meal is they would then take part in the Lord's supper. So they would they would they would have this fellowship time. They would be eating together and then at the end of the meal they would commune with the Lord specifically. And so it was kind of like these the love feast and the Lord's supper was kind of united into this one big event. And so this is what Paul is now addressing with the issues in the church is how they they're allowing these love feasts to not really promote love anymore. And the Lord's supper specifically what it's meant to sign signify the greatest act of love. we see that rather than it being what it's supposed to be, we see that the Corinthians turned the Lord's supper into a feast of pride and division.
So what was going on in in the church? Well, Paul starts to describe this in in verses 17 to 22 that what's happening is the rich Christians are getting there first and they are getting all of the good stuff and they are overindulging. So they are starting to eat like all of the good stuff. So just imagine, you know, in our day, like if you got like the steak, you got the the seafood, right? You got the the lobster, all the good stuff, and then there's like the little like side or dessert or, you know, the little finger food items. It's like they're going for all the main course stuff and getting all of that first, and then they're leaving all the other stuff for the for the poor Christians that probably would have had to work longer days. And some of them would have been slaves or servants. And so they might not have the same freedoms and capabilities that some of these other Christians were doing. And not only were they overindulging in food, but they were also overindulging in drink. And so, not only were they coming together in the church and were they eating all of this bread and this food that was prepared and for the the church community, but they were also getting drunk on the wine in the church. So, just imagine what, you know, we've already mentioned all of the other issues going on within this church, right? Lawsuits, sexual immorality, um factions forming, um you know, idolatry, all of these things. And now you have them coming for what's supposed to be the love feast that that is culminated in climaxes in the Lord's supper. And it's a feast of pride and division where people are getting um you know they're becoming glutton and drunks and then the poor are being neglected. And it literally says that they're starving because most of them don't get very good meals. And for the church this was supposed to be a time where they could minister and love on one another as they remember the Lord. And so now you have these poor individuals that are coming hungry and you have these other ones who are just indulging themselves. And so Paul is criticizing them because they are not understanding what this meal signifies. And it's important that we understand this because meals they actually carry a lot of meaning. We might not think about that but you know every single meal that you have with others is is telling a story. Think about it. when you go to a specific place with a specific people group, who cooks, what they cook, how long you stay, and who doesn't come, that is all communicating something. If you were to go and just imagine you were a server going to a restaurant and and you were working there and you go to a table, I bet you if you asked each table, you know, how do you guys know each other? Why are you guys here today? rather than. Now, of course, they would probably not want your server to be so nosy, but but just imagine if you were to be that person asking each table, you would get a lot of different stories, funny ways that people connected h how they know each other, what the relationship dynamic is, um that maybe they met there, maybe they got married or engaged, you know, you know, in in some type of relationship, maybe something like that. There there's this there's this story that's surrounding the meal. And so, whenever you were coming together, you were communicating something.
Well, in the ancient world, it was even greater in scale because the way that communal meals would have been functioning in in the pagan world at this time was that where you sat in what you wore was telling everybody your status in society. And so the thing is if you were not really well to do, if you were not successful financially, you would have had to wear certain garments and you would have been in trouble if you wore something and were trying to pretend to be something that you weren't. And so sometimes you would have to be further away from the food with where you sat in the the feast gathering. And sometimes you wouldn't even be welcome within the feast. And so what we find here is that just like um how we know that just when we have meals today, we we communicate certain things, it's telling a story, so too in this ancient world, it was telling an even more specific story. They were saying who is more valuable in society and who wasn't. And what we find in this church now is that they were basically partaking in that same thing rather than the Lord's supper being radically different. Because what the Lord's supper is meant to convey is that we are all now one. In Christ, we are equal in Christ. It doesn't matter about your education level, about your your your finances on on on where your background is, what your what your ethnicity is. Rather, all it matters is that you are in Christ Jesus, that you are now a brother and a sister. You are a part of the kingdom of heaven. And so the Lord's supper was supposed to be radically different than any dinner party or or social gathering. But what the Corinthians were doing is they were treating it like all other pagan feasts. Well, we're the more successful ones. We matter more in the church and so we give more and so therefore we are going to get what's ours. We're going to benefit the most. And so what we see is that they were communicating that there was a a chasm. there was a a shift and difference between the the the lesser uh financial Christians and and the more wealthy wellto-do Christians. And so Paul is is appalled by this because they are not humbling themselves as they come into the house of God. They are not honoring Christ because they are boastful and they are dividing Christ's body and they were not thinking about this this call that we see in Eccles Ecclesiastes 5:1 where it says walk prudently when you go to the house of God. What does it mean to walk prudently when you walk into the house of God? It means to enter the church with reverence. to recognize who you are and who God is and to recognize what you were about to partake in. How many of us have done that this morning before we walked into the church doors? Were we so fixated and focused on so many other things that we have to do that's going on in our house and and the problems, the stressors? Or we thinking, I am about to enter the house of God with God's people to worship a holy God. See, that's what the Corinthians were missing. They were not thinking that that's what they were doing when they were having these meals and getting drunk and overeating and neglecting the poor. They were thinking all about themselves. And we know what James 4:6 says, God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble. And so God was opposed by what he was seeing in the church. And so we see that God is not honored. Christ is not honored when we are proud. When we come thinking about ourselves in worship, but he is honored when we humble ourselves and we come to the Lord. We come to his table with with humility, with reverence, and with with care for other people. Because one of the things he also mentions in this section is that we are discern or to discern the body. We have to be asking this question when we come to worship, when we come to the table, are we asking who's missing or do we not care? Do you look every single week and ask who is missing? Why are they not with us in this meal? Are there people that maybe aren't coming because they don't feel like they are welcomed to come to the table? See, they didn't care who was at the table. As long as they had a seat at the table, that's all that mattered. But that does not glorify, that does not honor Christ. How we honor Christ is that we humble ourselves as we come before him. There must be reverence. And as we come and specifically think about this meal, we must understand that it is supposed to unite us rather than divide us.
And so that's why in verses 23 to 26, we have to see what exactly is the Lord's supper all about. And we are called to remember and proclaim the gospel. The Lord's supper is so important for the church because when we understand that it was and is a holy gift given to us by Christ himself. Do you see what he just says in the text here? Verse 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. So Paul actually receives this from the Lord himself. Jesus gives Paul divine revelation here. This is Jesus talking to Paul explaining this event. And so he is giving this to the Corinthians as something that Jesus not only did he do for the disciples, but he's also now telling the apostle here, I want you to get this very clear. This is what the Lord's supper is about. And then he explains at the very beginning that it was on the night in which he was betrayed. So this means that this is the final moments that he has with the 12, his final moments with the people, the the culmination of his three three and a half year ministry. And the very last thing that he does before he goes to the garden and prays to the father and is arrested in the night and then he he dies the very next day, the very last thing he does is he institutes the Lord's supper. He gives them communion. He gives them this gift and he is calling them to partake of this to do this and to remember him. And the specific words of Christ we see are verses 24 and 25 where he says, "Take, eat. This is my body which is broken for you. Do this in remembrance of me." And then likewise, this cup is the new covenant in my blood. this do as often as you drink it in remembrance of me.
I think it's so important that we take some time just to read and meditate on those words. What is the meaning of Jesus's words here where he says, "This is my body which is broken for you. This cup is the new covenant in my blood." because historically the church has actually had some disagreement and differences on how they understand the meaning of his words. And so for just a short amount of time, I wanted to share with you the four prominent views in church history on the meaning of Jesus's words. And so the first perspective on this is known as transsubstantiation. Now that is a fun word. Maybe that's a new word to add to your vocabulary, maybe not. But transsubstantiation, trans means to to transfer, to change, and substantiation is is referring to the substance. And so this is most commonly the Roman Catholic view, though believers typically hold this view without some of the the terminology, but basically hold to the same view. And even shockingly, some Protestants even hold to this view, though it is much more a minority view. But what this is is believe or what the belief is on this when they are reading Jesus's words they believe that that transubstantiation is the that the bread and the wine become the actual body and blood of Christ. So they will say it's true body and blood. So though the what you're looking at and what you're you know you're you're ingesting what you're what you're actually feasting on it doesn't change in the look or the taste right in in in the accidents is what they would use the term for the substance of it what the true essence of it would actually be the body and blood of Christ and so this is one view that they say that Jesus is saying this is my body and so they take this to be very literal and one of the other verses I hear Catholics often recite is John 6:55 and this is Jesus giving the the bread of life discourse where he has fed the 5000 and then he says he is the bread of life and in John 6:55 it says for my flesh is food indeed and my blood is drink indeed. So they say see it's just it's just very very clear Jesus says that it it's truly food and truly drink. It's my flesh it's my blood. So they take it very literally. Now, I don't think this this is a very um persuasive argument because when we look at Jesus's words in many places, specifically in the Gospel of John, you see that if you were to take him literally, you would have a lot of weird theology because just previously in the book of John, he also says that he's going to give the woman at the well living water. And she was taking him literally like, "Okay, so you're saying that I'm you're going to give me some water that's alive and talking to me?" Like, "No, no one thinks that he was literally going to give them water that would he's talking about spiritual life. He's talking about eternal everlasting life in his kingdom. He's not literally saying he's going to give her something to drink. He was using that as a as a a a metaphor for the the greater spiritual reality." Likewise, in John 6 specifically, if you notice that it actually says that these things I'm saying to you are spiritual. So he even clarifies eventually for them that what he's speaking about here is not the the literal carnal means of of the bread and the wine or or the food and drink, but he's talking about spiritual matters. And why I think that this is not a view that any Christian should hold today in love is because I also think that this can become idolatrous. And this is a problem I do have for my Roman Catholic friends is that what they do is they actually adore the Eucharist. that when there is a blessing, when they pray over the bread, the wine, they believe it literally is Jesus, his body and his blood, not resacrificed, but repre uh re um um presented to the church. So, it's almost like the church is taken out of time back to that moment on Calvary. And then they are literally worshiping the elements. Now once again unintentionally idolatry but still idolatry I would say because they are worshiping things that are not really Jesus and they are giving that adoration to the Lord. So that is one view but I think it's very problematic and I would encourage the church to stay away from this view.
Another view is known as sacramental union or actually more commonly known as consubstantiation. So these are some fun words that you can start to, you know, throw into theological conversations and be impressive. But the sacramental union view, which is typically what Lutheran would purs um, you know, they they would prefer. They don't usually like the term con substantiation, but whenever you think about the terms, it's kind of helpful because con means with. And what this view is is that Christ's body and blood are truly present with, in, and under the bread and wine. So they don't want to say that the the bread and wine actually become Jesus, but they do want to say that he is physically present in, with, and under. Those are the common terms that you'll hear Lutheran use. And the thing is, they don't really want to give too much of a a philosophy to argue and defend the view. Now, I'm not saying that there's no Lutheran out there that would do this, but they typically want to appeal to the sacramentalism that it's mysterious. they would say we don't know how it happens but there is a mysterious union that takes place and so Martin Luther was very adamant he says this is my body that's what he tries to Martin Luther would use as his argument is Jesus says this is my body so we must somehow hold to this union that there really is his physical presence here though they didn't believe that it became the uh body and blood like the the Catholics or or transubstantiation proponents would hold
The third view is known as real spiritual presence. Now this is most commonly known as the reformed view and what this is that Christ is not physically present in the elements but is spiritually present. So this was a common view with some of the reformers. And so what this is meant to think of is don't think of Jesus coming becoming the elements or or being in or around the elements, but rather it's almost like what's happening is that the Holy Spirit is bringing the church to Christ spiritually that there's a spiritual dimension, a spiritual relationship that that we are actually being brought to the Lord by the Holy Spirit. And one of the the verses or references that they might use is 1 Corinthians chap 10:16, which we read not that long ago. It says, "The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion or participation is another word for that of the blood of Christ, the bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?" And so what they would say is that there really is communion going on here that we really are partaking of Christ. that we really are embracing him and being relational near to him. Though it's not physical. We're not meant to think of this as a as a local spatial reality, but it's a spiritual reality that we really are present with Christ. That he is really spiritually present with us when we take part in the bread and and the wine.
And then the final view uh so this is the fourth is known as memorialism. And this is popular um by a Swiss reformer with known as the Zwingian view Olrich Zwingley. And he says that the Lord's supper is a symbolic remembrance of Christ's death. And it's actually funny because Zwingley and Martin Luther had a little bit of a a debate at one point about the Lord's supper and after they had disagreed because Zwingley is saying it's it's a symbol. Jesus is literally saying in Luke 22:19, "Do this in remembrance of me." me. And so he's really emphasizing it's it's you memorializing, we're remembering what he did. And then Luther once again is emphasizing the this is my body portion of scripture. And so finally at the end of the debate, uh Zwingley tries to shake Martin Luther's hand and he does not give him the hand of fellowship. He will not shake his hand. And he says, "You are of a different spirit." And so it's interesting there is some debate going on in the church around this topic.
Now, as we think about some of these views, I would actually personally hold to it a a kind of middle ground view between the real spiritual presence and the memorialism view because I think that there is weight to both of those things. I really do think that when we partake of the Lord's supper, I think that we really do possess Christ in a unique way. I think that there is a manifest presence of Christ where we really spiritually encounter Jesus, but I also think that there is clear symbolic um language and and and emphasis going on in this and and the the specific about remembering what he did. And I also think it's really important that we understand this that when Jesus instituted this, he wasn't dead yet. I think that's another problem by the way for some of these other views like transubstantiation is that he couldn't have been dead and bloodied when he hasn't even died yet. Another very important thing is what was Jesus instituting the Lord's supper from the Passover seder? The Passover was a highly symbolic meal. Literally every single element on the table the the salt water was meant to symbolize the tears that they had in bondage. The lamb was meant to represent the the lambs that were sacrificed, the blood on the doorpost. The unleaven bread was meant to to explain the urgency that they must go. There's so many different things. Every single thing on the table, the bitter herbs was the the bitterness of slavery. Everything on the table was symbolic. And so when Jesus now takes a symbolic meal and says this is this, I think it clearly the context seems to suggest that there is symbolism going on here. Once again, Jesus isn't giving literal u living water. He's not the door. He's not a door with a handle. He's not um all of these other things that that he uses this metaphorical language for. But I do think that we need to hold to these two truths that that Jesus is telling us the significance that we are to remember what he's done and that we really encounter and commune with him as we partake together.
But all of that debate, here's the important thing. The church though with their differences universally agrees that Jesus died and is coming back. And that's what we have to remember here. Every single view believes Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins. Rose from the dead conquering sin and death and he is coming back. We really have to remember this that when we are partaking of communion that is what we are remembering. That is what we are proclaiming. Jesus says remember what he's done for us. And and Paul says when you do this you are proclaiming you are remembering and proclaiming the gospel the power of God to salvation. this good message that God gave himself for you. Death, sin is defeated because of Jesus. And as we've been studying the Olivet discourse, talking and thinking about his second coming, that is our hope. There is no other hope but the return of Jesus Christ. Jesus died. He has conquered. And he is coming with his kingdom. Jesus's body was broken for you so that you could be whole. When we come to communion, that is why we can rejoice. We are remembering that by his broken body and shed blood, we are whole. Isn't that just so amazing and counterintuitive? He is broken, so you are mended. He is broken so you can be healed. And that's what 1st Peter chapter 2:24 says. Who himself bore our sins in his own body on the tree that we having died to sins might live for righteousness. By whose stripes you were healed by this sacrifice. You are healed. You are whole. You're no longer lost. You're no longer broken. You're no longer poor or insignificant. Once again, what the Corinthians were missing, this whole meal is supposed to remind you that we are all now partakers of Christ. Partakers of his kingdom. I would actually argue that communion is the moment that we are nearest to heaven. This is the closest thing that you can taste heaven on the earth. It's partaking of communion with the saints. We are experiencing heaven on earth. When we come together, we are in fellowship with with Christ through the Holy Spirit. And as we partake together, then as we remember this reality that Christ really makes us whole, that he really has conquered our greatest enemies, that he is bringing his kingdom, that all joy is true, that everlasting life is is a reality. What this does to the believer when we partake, it communicates grace. It gives you strength. It nourishes your faith when you feast on Christ and it renews weary believers. I know that there might be some weary believers out there. And when we partake, when we feast on Christ, he renews. He nourishes. He empowers us. And I know that there's sometimes that we as Christians, we get so caught up with the conferences and the retreats and these different things that we do as Christians. And I'm not against those things. I think those can be helpful and supplemental. But we need to understand that the primary thing if you want spiritual renewal in your life, come to the table. Remember what this means. When you partake in faith, you are proclaiming that you really believe the good news of the gospel. And that will ignite your faith. That will revive your soul if you really understand the gospel. You don't need to go to all these other things to find spiritual revival. And sometimes I hear Christians that they want to get baptized to to get a new revival in their lives. And though you know there's debate on that, I think that the that we have to understand that that's what communion is. That's the primary focus. Baptism has its place. There is a meaning and significance to that ordinance as well. But communion, the reason we come every single week is we are coming to be fed, to be nourished, to be renewed spiritually. And Christ meets us at the table every time. So we are proclaiming, we are remembering the gospel and we are encountering a holy God. You encounter Christ in his kingdom when we come to the table.
And so the final thing then in verses 27 to34 is as we then come to honor Christ humbly as we remember and proclaim what this meal actually signifies. We do hear this warning that we are to examine ourselves before eating. You need to examine your heart this morning. You need to think about who you are, what you have done, and what Christ has done for you. Because communion is never meant to be taken lightly or flippantly. And what we actually see in this text is that it says that not only are we to take this in an a in a worthy manner and are we to examine ourselves, but it says that the Lord will actually discipline those who dishonor his supper. Some people don't even know about this passage. But Paul is saying here that there's many in your church who are are weak and are sick. And he says even some of them have gone to sleep. That's another euphemism for for they died. He says the reason that you are weak that you are sick that you have people in your congregation that have died is because they took this supper in an unworthy manner. Do you have reverence for God? Do you have reverence for when we partake of the Lord's supper every single week? You need to hear this. hear a wakeup call. People were killed by Christ because they were not worthily taking this. There is serious repercussions if we do not understand the significance of the table. If we are not examining ourselves because what we find in communion is that it has a dual purpose. It's meant to comfort those who are afflicted with their sin. If you recognize that you are a sinner, that you struggle, that that you need a savior, that Christ is your Lord, and you are coming to the table asking to be healed, then it's comfort. But if you are coming to the table comfortable in your sin, in your spiritual apathy, it's going to be an affliction for you. The Lord's table will be judgment. It literally says you will be eating and drinking judgment upon yourself. So God will judge those who partake of the Lord's table in an unworthy manner. And it's so important that you understand unworthy manner does not mean unworthy person. Because I don't want you to hear that and be like, "Oh, well, I'm not going to partake then because I know my faults. I know my shortcomings. I know I fall short of the glory of God." He's not saying you have to be perfect to come to the table. He says you have to have an honest self-examination of yourself or of your life. Because when we come to the table, we know we are not worthy. But that's the heart to come to the table is rejoicing in the worthiness of Christ. And so what are we to do as we examine ourselves? We are to confess our sins to the Lord and then celebrate his grace. That's what you do when we come to the table. Say, "Where am I struggling? Where have I fallen short this week? Where am I maybe not drawing near to the Lord?" Now, as you come to the table, say, "Lord, I am sorry. I have done this. I have thought this. I haven't done this. But Lord, please give me your grace. And then as you get the elements handed to you, you know what Jesus is saying? It's here. It's available for you. That's why I died. Communion is meant to communicate this this grace. And we celebrate in 1 John 1:9. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. No matter what you have done, confess your sins and come to the table and celebrate his grace. It is gone. It is finished. Your sins have been cast as far as the east is from the west. Celebrate his grace. That's what we do when we come to the table. We encounter him. We remember and proclaim the good news of the gospel. But we must do this examination process.
And the final thing that we need to consider as we partake of the table is we need to embody the words of Christ. Don't just hear them. Don't just celebrate what that he did it that he said it where he says my body broken for you. That should be your life mantra. So many times we as Christians, we live as your body broken for me, but we need to live my body broken for you. When we come to the table, we need to live selflessly. We need to live as servants. We need to follow in the footsteps of Christ. And not only do we celebrate what he did, but once again, we proclaim it. We proclaim it when we eat. We proclaim it with our lives. We proclaim it with our words. We must embody the words, "My body broken for you."
And so now in a second we're going to partake of communion. We're going to have Russ come up and lead us with the time where we we gather around the table together. And this communion, this supper, it is open to all baptized believers in Christ. If you have taken that on, if you have said, "Lord, I'm following you." If you have identified with him, then this meal is for you. If there's a sin in your life right now, confess it. Come to the table and celebrate, experience, encounter the risen and glorified Christ as we partake. You are going to be in his presence. Don't take that lightly. Rejoice in this moment. The the Corinthians, they missed it. I pray that our church will not miss the significance and the reverence of this moment. So So come to the table with reverence this morning. Remember, his body was broken for you.