The Lord’s Supper
1 Corinthians: "Life Under Grace" • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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†CALL TO WORSHIP Isaiah 57:15
Pastor Austin Prince
Congregation: For thus says the high and exalted one who lives forever, whose name is holy,
Minister: “I dwell on a high and holy place, and also with the contrite and lowly of spirit.”
Congregation: We gather to worship you, O Lord. Come, dwell with us, work in us that you may work through us. Amen.
†PRAYER OF ADORATION AND INVOCATION
Look upon us, O Lord, and let all the darkness of our souls vanish before the beams of thy brightness. Fill us with holy love, and pen to us the treasures of thy wisdom. all our desire is known unto thee, therefore perfect what thou hast begun and what thy Spirit has awakened us to ask in prayer. We seek thy face, turn thy face unto us and show us thy glory. Then shall our longing be satisfied and our peace shall be perfect. Amen
†OPENING PSALM OF PRAISE #1B
“How Blest the Man”
BEFORE CONFESSION
“O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” (Psalm 51:15–17, ESV)
†CORPORATE CONFESSION OF SIN
based on Psalm 51; Isaiah 44:22
Minister: Let us confess our sins before God and one another:
Congregation: Merciful God, you pardon all who truly repent and turn to you. We humbly confess our sins and ask your mercy. We have not loved you with a pure heart, nor have we loved our neighbors as ourselves. We have not done justice, loved kindness, or walked humbly with you, our God.
Have mercy on us, O God, in your loving kindness. In your great compassion, cleanse us from our sin. Create in us clean hearts, and renew right spirits within us. Do not cast us from your presence, or take your Holy Spirit from us. Restore to us the joy of your salvation. Sustain us with your bountiful Spirit, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Minister: Hear the merciful response of a loving God: My people will not be forgotten by me. I have swept away your transgressions like a cloud, and your sins like mist. Now return to me, for I have redeemed you. Know that your sins are forgiven. Be at peace.
Congregation: God is merciful, offering forgiveness to all who confess their sin in faith. We are forgiven. I am forgiven. Thanks be to God! Amen.
CONTINUAL READING OF SCRIPTURE Exodus 10.1-20
Steven Hoffer, Elder
THE OFFERING OF TITHES AND OUR GIFTS
CONGREGATIONAL PRAYERS
THE LORD’S PRAYER
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
†HYMN OF PREPARATION #172
“Speak, O Lord”
PRAYER OF ILLUMINATION
O Lord, as we open now your word, we pray that the eyes of our heart may be enlightened, so that we may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that we may be filled up to all the fullness of God.
SERMON 1 Corinthians 11:17-34
“The Lord’s Supper” Pastor Austin Prince
TEXT
17 But in the following instructions I do not commend you, because when you come together it is not for the better but for the worse. 18 For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you. And I believe it in part, 19 for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized. 20 When you come together, it is not the Lord’s supper that you eat. 21 For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk. 22 What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I commend you in this? No, I will not. 23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when 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 also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. 27 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30 That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. 31 But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. 32 But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world. 33 So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one another— 34 if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home—so that when you come together it will not be for judgment. About the other things I will give directions when I come.
AFTER SCRIPTURE
The grass withers and the flower fades, but the word of the Lord endures forever. Amen.
Intro
Intro
You know things are pretty bad when Paul tells your congregation that they are better off not going to church anymore if this is the way they choose to do things. You are going to church but becoming a worse Christian.
He said earlier in this chapter (11:2) that he commended the Corinthians for carrying on many of the traditions and teachings that he had brought to them when he founded the church, but when he gets to this section he says that he has no such commendation — they win no prizes.
What was going on?
He says in v.18, “For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you. And I believe it in part, for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized.” (1 Corinthians 11:18–19, ESV).
Paul says, reports have reached my ears that you Corinthians aren’t doing well and that there is division among you. “Yeah, that sounds about right. I believe that”.
Now, he makes a comment about division here that there are times when division is necessary if only to distinguish and clarify which group truly is genuine and which group is false.
This refining of the church is inevitable and needed at times, but it is rough when it happens. I wish that the Reformers were successful in truly Reforming the Catholic church, but there is a time to separate and clarify. I wish that many denominations didn’t split between liberal and conservative factions, but that becomes necessary at times so that the faithful may be recognizable.
And there is division present here among the Corinthians, but it isn’t necessarily over a specific doctrine. It’s more of a schism than it is a heresy. Much of the past few chapters has been focused on how the Corinthians engage in worship — i.e. how they dressed or how they participated in the culture, and though Paul had instruction for them, he also had much to commend then about. But here at the Lord’s Supper, they had missed the mark completely.
Second Class Standing
Second Class Standing
“When you come together, it is not the Lord’s supper that you eat. For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk. What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I commend you in this? No, I will not.” (1 Corinthians 11:20–22, ESV)
(jump down to vv.33-34)
“So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one another— if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home—so that when you come together it will not be for judgment. About the other things I will give directions when I come.” (1 Corinthians 11:33–34, ESV)
Paul puts what they are doing in striking relief. The kind of gathering that you currently have and the kind of meals that you are partaking in is unrecognizable as the Lord’s Supper. So much so that he simply states: “it isn’t the Lord’s Supper” — it’s something else.
We know a few things about their situation:
Apparently, they wouldn’t wait for each other. It’s likely that some in the congregation had the means to spend all day at the gathering eating and drinking, while others would have had to work. Some were slaves and could only slip away early in the morning or very late to meet.
It also seems that they were bringing their own meals for fellowship. Some would have a rich feast lasting long enough to get drunk, while others may only have a scrap of bread.
Another problem with the timing would have been the seating. Corinthian house churches would have been divided among the larger and smaller rooms of a house — the ones who came early could take the best seats and start their feast and the late comers can stand and watch, eating what remains. One gets drunk and one goes hungry. They had manufactured a system of division and social hierarchy that produced embarrassment and distance between the congregation, creating second-class members at the table of the Lord.
Paul sees this as horrifying. If they are hungry they can eat at home. Whatever supper this is, it isn’t the Lord’s Supper.
And so he reminds them of what the Lord had taught him about the Supper.
A Theological Problem
A Theological Problem
“For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 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.” In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” (1 Corinthians 11:23–26, ESV)
Remember, this isn’t a diversion into an isolated reflection on The Lord’s Supper, it’s Paul’s application to their problem of division.
He turns to their attention to the bread, reminding them that Jesus gave thanks for it, broke it, and then told those with Him that it represents His body, which was for them.
Think for a second about Jesus giving thanks for this bread. This bread, representing His body, is about to be broken but it will nourish those who need it, and He is grateful for it.
And who needs it? And how does Jesus handle it? He breaks it and gives it to His friends.
We just read this a few weeks ago, but notice how Paul speaks of the bread and the body from ch. 10:
“ The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.” (1 Corinthians 10:16–17, ESV)
We distribute bread around the room, but it all comes from one loaf. Tax collectors receive a piece, thieves receive a piece, adulterers, murderers, the poor, the rich, slaves, Jews, Gentiles, addicts, the insufferable, etc. Jesus has called us all to dine at His table, and it is a table where we all sit in equal humility, gratitude, and worship.
The blood of Christ is the blood of the new covenant. A ransom for the nations.
As Paul says so marvelously in Ephesians,
“Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,” (Ephesians 2:11–19, ESV)
By using the supper then to divide and overlook others, the Corinthians could not have flipped the meaning of this meal any more on its head.
It is to be taken evangelistically, proclaiming the Lord’s death until He comes. The death which not only saves the individual, but creates the Church.
It’s no wonder that we need to partake of this weekly–That’s about how long it takes to forget what is at stake in the supper.
So Paul charges the Corinthians to examine themselves:
An Examination
An Examination
“Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.” (1 Corinthians 11:27–32, ESV)
What does he mean by eating and drinking in an unworthy manner?
Are we ever worthy of partaking in Christ, is that what he means? No, we are never worthy on our own — it’s offered to us by grace.
Or, is he talking strictly about taking the elements in a worthy manner? Using wine instead of juice, taking it weekly instead of quarterly, etc. Is he talking about structure and method?
Look at v. 29: “For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.”
He’s talking about trying to partake of Christ without consideration for the body of Christ being a damning thing.
We are instead to examine ourselves before partaking. So often we think of this statement as a mere personal call for reflection without regard to anyone else. But here we are challenged to examine not only our hearts before the Lord, but also our hearts in the Lord, which loves as He loves and loves what He loves.
One writer says, “Suppose a man does everything “wrong” from my perspective. He uses grape juice, he observes (the supper) quarterly, and he is a mere memorialist . . . and he loves everybody in the sanctuary with a true heart. He is a true partaker, while a more orthodox man who approaches it unworthily drinks damnation wine, drinks it weekly, and despises the saints. He is guilty of the Lord’s body and blood. Anybody who forgets that the Supper is a covenantal meal has forgotten that it is a place of winnowing.” — Wilson
It is a covenantal meal with blessings when done worthily and curses when done unworthily. It is a meal of winnowing of dividing.
Paul concludes with a statement on judgment. To partake of this meal without discernment of the body is to drink judgement, even to the point of some in the congregation becoming sick or dying.
As a part of this examination before the supper you can hear verses like Mat. 5:24 ringing in your ear. “leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.” (Matthew 5:24, ESV).
How do we view others? Do we see them as Christ sees them?
As we are taught to pray in the Lord’s Prayer: “forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors”.
If we are attempting to use Christ by taking forgiveness and love and grace and acceptance from Him while denying these things to our neighbor - we are drinking judgement upon ourselves.
When we take communion today make sure you take a look around the room first. See the bread in each person’s hand.
See that person in Christ. If you are a husband and wife who are in tension with one another and not forgiving one another, view that person how Christ views them and treat them accordingly.
You may view others among the body as difficult or unpleasant, not training their kids the same way you would, not making the same life decisions, not having much in common, but take a look at that bread in their hands today. They are with you at the Lord’s table, and this is what we are to proclaim.
We can often feel a sense of hypocrisy and unreality when we come to worship— that our actions are disconnected from the message.
Let it not be said that we are better off not coming together, but rather, let us proclaim genuinely the Lord’s death until He comes.
†HYMN OF RESPONSE #197
“Come, Take by Faith the Body of the Lord”
THE MINISTRY OF THE LORD’S SUPPER
Leader: Lift up your hearts!
Congregation: We lift them up to the Lord.
Leader: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
Congregation: It is right for us to give thanks and praise!
CONFESSION OF FAITH - The Apostles’ Creed (p.851)
INVITATION TO THE LORD’S TABLE
Beloved in the Lord Jesus, the meal which we are about to celebrate is a feast of remembrance, communion, and hope.
We come to remember that Jesus was sent into the world to assume our flesh and blood, to become God with us, that we might be redeemed. We come to have communion with this same Christ who has promised to be with us even to the end of the world.
We come in hope, believing that this bread and this cup are a pledge and a foretaste of a new heaven and a new earth, where we shall behold God.
In his earthly ministry Jesus praised those who provided for him, saying, I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave me drink. Now here, for us, is the bread of life given; let all who hunger come and eat. Here is the fruit of the vine, poured out for us. It is for all who belong to Christ through repentance, faith, baptism, and continuing union with his church. Let all who thirst come and drink.
Let’s pray together:
PRAYER
Congregation: Most righteous God, we remember in this meal the perfect sacrifice offered once on the cross by our Lord Jesus Christ for the sin of the whole world. United with Christ in his suffering, strengthened by the Holy Spirit, trusting in the power of God to triumph over evil, we wait in joyful hope for the fullness of God’s reign. Send your Holy Spirit upon us, we pray, that the bread which we break and the cup which we bless may be to us the communion of the body and blood of Christ.
Grant that, being joined together in him, we may attain to the unity of the faith and grow up in all things into Christ our Lord. And as this grain has been gathered from many fields into one loaf, and these grapes from many hills into one cup, grant, O Lord, that your whole Church may soon be gathered from the ends of the earth into your kingdom. Even so, come, Lord Jesus! Amen.
Congregation is seated.
THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE ELEMENTS
THE WORDS OF INSTITUTION AND SHARING OF THE SUPPER
“Eat and drink.”
Mark 14:22-25
And as they were eating, he took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to them, and said, “Take; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it. And he said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. Truly, I say to you, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”
OUR RESPONSE #213 “Glory Be to God the Father”
Glory be to God the Father, glory be to God the Son,
glory be to God the Spirit, God Almighty, Three in One!
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!, Glory be to him alone!
†BENEDICTION: GOD’S BLESSING FOR HIS PEOPLEMay the grace of Christ, which daily renews us, and the love of God, which enables us to love all, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, which unites us in one body, make us eager to obey the will of God until we meet again through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Grace Notes Reflection
Shocked by the way the Corinthian congregation was partaking in church fellowship and communion, Paul pulls their attention back to the benchmark of behavior within congregational life: the Lord’s Supper. At Jesus’ table, the bread of His flesh is broken and the wine of His blood is poured out for everyone. The grace given at this meal reorients what it means to be in life with others. The members of your church are forgiven. Your spouse is forgiven. Your child or your parents are forgiven. And not only forgiven, but welcomed and loved and supported by the Lord. As we partake of His body broken for us, we must also perceive of what that body was broken for–namely, the creation of a new body, the Church. After all , what we do unto others, we do unto Him (Mat. 25:40).
Seeing the Lord’s supper set in the congregational context of 1 Cor. 11, how does the instruction to “examine ourselves” and “discern the body” teach about our relationship with others?
Are you partaking of communion while not discerning the body of Christ among others in your life? That is, are you gladly partaking of Christ’s benefits but neglecting to give those benefits (forgiveness, grace, love, kindness, etc.) to others? If so, you are only eating and drinking judgement upon yourself (1 Cor. 11:29).