The Lord’s Supper
The Lord’s Supper
Sunday, December 30, 2007
“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.” 1 John 1:7
1. 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.
2. 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,
3. for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized.
4. When you come together, it is not the Lord’s supper that you eat.
5. For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk.
6. 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.
7. 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,
8. 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.”
9. 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.”
10. For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
11. Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord.
12. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup.
13. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.
14. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died.
15. But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged.
16. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.
17. So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one another
18. 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. Today, let us remember that these letters came into being because of a situation that arose in the infant Christian Church. They were wrote with pastoral intent and purpose.
Paul gives specific instructions on how the Lord’s Supper should be observed:
• We should take the Lord’s Supper thoughtfully, because we are proclaiming that Christ died for our sins (11:26).
• We should take it worthily, with due reverence and respect (11:27).
• We should examine ourselves for any unconfessed sin or resentful attitude (11:28). We are to be properly prepared, based on our belief in and love for Christ.
• We should be considerate of others (11:33), waiting until everyone is present and then eating in an orderly and unified manner.
Ironically, the realization that we are not worthy (that we don’t deserve a place at the Lord’s Table) is the very position from which Christ welcomes us to the feast. We are the guests whom the host has graciously invited. Humility must be the engraving on our invitation.
We should prepare ourselves for Communion through healthy introspection, confession of sin, and resolution of differences with others. These actions remove the barriers that affect our relationship with Christ and with other believers. Awareness of your sin should not keep you away from Communion but should drive you to participate in it.
GracePointe Baptist Church
2209 N Post Road
Oklahoma City, OK 73141
Phone: (405) 769-5050