In Remembrance Of Me - 11:17-34
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Introduction
Introduction
One of the unique things about Scripture is that it does not cover up failures.
In fact, the entire Bible, is about God’s plan to restore His relationship with mankind after the original failure of Adam and Eve.
We could say that all of Scripture is about failure and redemption.
Failure is a fascinating study.
As we look at the failures recorded in Scripture we find something interesting.
Let me list some names. Adam and Eve, Abraham, Moses, Jonah, Peter, David, Lucifer, and Demas.
What these have in common is failure. Some of them failed in what we would consider massive ways.
When Scripture reveals their failure to us we find a common theme.
That theme is a loss of focus.
Adam and Eve stopped believing in the goodness of God. They took their eyes off of Him and put them on a perceived lack in their own lives.
Abraham took his eyes off of God’s promise and past provision and instead looked at the impossibility of his present circumstances.
Moses didn’t obey God because he allowed himself to focus on His frustration!
Jonah refused to consider his own need of God’s mercy and instead wanted God to punish Nineveh.
Peter, oh Peter. Over and over again he looked at his own desires, his own need for affirmation and acceptance instead of looking to what Christ was doing.
David stayed home instead of finishing the task God have given him. He looked with lust when he should have looked away. He lost his focus.
Lucifer - the fallen angel now known as Satan. He took his eyes off of God, off of his responsibility to bring God glory, instead he focused on his own aspirations for greatness.
Demas. Demas fell in love with the world because he took his focus off of Christ.
Here is our principle today.
Principle:
A loss of focus can lead to devastating consequences.
Guidance:
To maintain our focus we must be reminded of what it is.
Outcome:
When Christ is our focus He is glorified, the church is equipped, and the gospel is advanced.
Taking our eyes off Jesus can lead us to places we swore we would never go!
That is where we find the Corinthians here in the end of Chapter 11.
The Corinthians have lost their focus.
They have started to view the Lord’s Supper, communion as something that it isn’t.
We face this same temptation today!
We celebrate communion and remember Jesus Christ every month here at Grace Church.
But I don’t want us to ever lose sight of why we do it and what it means.
Today we will work through this communion passage and next week we will have our communion service.
To correct their wrong observance of communion Paul presents three realities.
Reality #1…
1. The Wrong Way To Remember Jesus vv. 17-22
1. The Wrong Way To Remember Jesus vv. 17-22
You may have noticed that the society in which we live has trouble remembering.
In the history books villains are often made to be heroes and heroes are turned into villains.
There is a wrong way to remember things.
As the title of the sermon this morning implies, communion is about remembering.
It is therefore vital that we understand how we should remember Jesus.
Paul first addresses how the Corinthians are getting it wrong.
Paul is writing to correct the Corinthians.
Before we can really understand why Paul is correcting them we have to do a little background about how the Lord’s Supper was typically observed in Paul’s day.
They had the observance of the bread and the cup as we do, but they also had a feast that they called the agape (or love) feast.
What Paul writes to them in this first section has to do with their behavior at these feasts.
The first thing that Paul does is expose just how the behavior of the Corinthians is wrong.
There are two problems with how they are observing communion.
Problem #1. They are observing communion…
a. With division vv. 17-19
a. With division vv. 17-19
READ
17 Now in giving these instructions I do not praise you, since you come together not for the better but for the worse.
18 For first of all, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it.
19 For there must also be factions among you, that those who are approved may be recognized among you.
Paul is going to instruct them.
Instructions – παραγγέλλω (parangellō) command; give orders. to order v. — to give instructions to or direct somebody to do something with authority. Verb, present, active, circumstantial participle, singular, nominative, masculine.
Instructions – παραγγέλλω (parangellō)
Paul is issuing an authoritative command.
He needs to address something that is negative, something for which he cannot praise them.
Remember in 11:2 Paul praised them for how they remembered him and kept the traditions.
In how they have been remembering Christ, however, he cannot praise them.
The purpose of the church is to better one another! They made things worse.
The gathering of believers is for the purpose of edification and growth!
That is not what has been happening in Corinth.
Hebrews 10:24-25 show us what a church gathering is supposed to accomplish.
Hebrews 10:24-25
24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works,
25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
The author of Hebrews says we are to be exhorting and encouraging one another.
Somehow the Corinthians have lost sight of this truth and when they come together it is doing more harm than good!
How did the Corinthians get to this point?
How do they go from a properly functioning body of believers to a group of people who get together and leave worse off than when they came?
How does this happen?
Paul begins to describe this process in verse 18.
Paul says when they come together in the church he has heard that there are divisions among them.
Paul is making a ironic point we miss in English.
Church – ἐκκλησία (ekklēsia) church; assembly. church n. — an orderly congregation specifically of those who trust in Jesus as the Messiah (or those who compose it). Noun (prepositional object), dative, singular, feminine.
Church – ἐκκλησία (ekklēsia)
Come together – συνέρχομαι (synerchomai) come together; assemble. to meet (get together) v. — to get together for a specific purpose. Verb, present, either middle or passive, circumstantial participle, plural, genitive, masculine.
Come together – συνέρχομαι (synerchomai)
Divisions – σχίσμα (schism) division. schism n. — division of a group into opposing factions. Noun (subject), accusative, plural, neuter.
Divisions – σχίσμα (schism)
Here’s what Paul is saying.
When the assembly assembles they are divided.
This is a ridiculous notion!
If you are divided you aren’t really an assembly at all!
When Paul says he has heard this about them the word “heard” has the idea of continual action.
Paul is saying he keeps on hearing about the divisions in the Corinthian Church.
While there may be some exaggeration, the fact that he keeps on hearing about it has led him to believe it.
This is a contradiction. The ecclesia is divided. Ridiculous!
Yet, Paul says in v. 19 that some division is necessary.
Why?
Division reveals faithfulness and unfaithfulness.
Factions reveal those who are selfish and those who are selfless and others centered.
Divisions can serve a greater purpose because they reveal those who have been approved of God and those who have not.
What Paul is doing in these verses is exposing the fact that there are divisions in the Corinthian church.
Some divisions serve to show who is approved and who is not.
Are the divisions in the Corinthian church going to serve this purpose?
Here is our lesson:
Division harms the body of Christ.
Yes, division can serve to show who is and is not approved.
Yet, here in this passage Paul presents it as a negative.
Division in the body of Christ is like cutting it with a knife.
Don’t be the cause of pain in Christ’s body.
There is a wrong way to remember Jesus. In the observance of the Corinthian church there are two problems.
Problem #1. They are observing communion with division.
Problem #2. They are observing communion…
b. With selfishness vv. 20-22
b. With selfishness vv. 20-22
READ
20 Therefore when you come together in one place, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper.
21 For in eating, each one takes his own supper ahead of others; and one is hungry and another is drunk.
22 What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and shame those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you in this? I do not praise you.
This is where Paul explains what has been happening.
There is a problem in how they are observing the Lord’s supper.
The way they are coming together makes observing the Lord’s supper impossible.
The ESV captures Paul’s point a little better here in v. 20.
20 When you come together, it is not the Lord’s supper that you eat.
Paul is saying that the way they act makes it to where even if they observe communion it wouldn’t really be the Lord’s Supper because their hearts are not right!
Verse 21 really expresses what is at the heart of the issue.
You cannot remember the sacrifice of Christ while simultaneously ignoring the needs of others!
These feasts were supposed to be like the pot lucks or bring your own meals that we have today.
The idea was for those who had more resources available to them to bring more to make up for the little that the less well off ones could manage to bring.
But the Corinthians had basically separated into groups and the rich people would eat together and leave the poor without enough food.
The result was that some are drunk, some are hungry, and everyone is miserable.
The issue is that of selfishness and an unwillingness to share with one another.
This ties into Paul’s overall theme of unity.
This is how the body of Christ is fractured.
Paul’s exclamation in v. 22 is so appropriate.
What?!
The Corinthians had taken what was supposed to be a celebration of the selfless sacrifice of Christ and turned it into something selfish and degrading.
From the way Paul words verse 21 it almost sounds like the rich people were showing up early and eating before their poorer brothers and sisters could even arrive.
If you want to stuff yourself, do it at home.
If you want to have a party, do it at home.
Not to mention that Ephesians 5:18 makes it clear that drunkenness is sinful!
They were coming together to remember Christ’s sacrifice for sin and engaging in sinful behavior!
They shame themselves by this behavior and they shame those who are poor.
Paul accuses them of despising the church.
They are treating the people of God as if they have no value!
He repeats again that he does not praise them for what they are doing.
Paul’s goal is to make them feel a godly sorrow because of this behavior.
Paul seems horrified and almost angry at what they have done to the Lord’s Supper.
They had taken something that should have brought them closer together and allowed it to become a wedge that divided the body of Christ.
Paul reveals in this section that some division is okay. It is okay to have a difference of opinion on things that are not important.
However, the division taking place in the Corinthian church was caused by selfishness and pride.
There was no consideration of others, no thought to how outsiders would view this behavior, and a complete loss of focus on what communion was all about.
In the body of Christ we are to build one another up.
Selfishness makes this impossible.
Here’s our lesson:
Selfishness destroys unity.
There are things in the church today that it is okay to have a difference of opinion on.
But if we allow that difference of opinion to turn into a division we are failing the test!
So often churches get bent out of shape over foolish, pointless, stupid things just like the Corinthians!
Let’s not allow that to be true of Grace Church!
Let’s strive to always be unselfish towards each other!
So Paul exposes the wrong behavior of the Corinthians. He exposes their division and their selfishness.
Paul has shown them what they were doing wrong in regards to the Lord’s Supper.
To correct their wrong observance of communion Paul presents three realities.
Reality #1: The Wrong Way To Remember Jesus.
Reality #2…
2. The Right Way To Remember Jesus vv. 23-26
2. The Right Way To Remember Jesus vv. 23-26
At one of the jobs I had in the past, our boss would constantly yell and curse about how things were done wrong, but he was terrible at explaining how to do things right.
Paul doesn’t do that.
He has shown the Corinthians what they are doing wrong and now he explains how they can do it right.
The Corinthians had taken the Lord’s Supper and the feast that went with it and turned it into a gluttonous feast.
Paul reminds them here exactly what the Lord’s Supper is all about.
There are three aspects to communion.
Aspect #1…
a. The body broken vv. 23-24
a. The body broken vv. 23-24
READ
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;
24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”
Paul is delivering to the Corinthians what he has received from the Lord.
While Jesus was on this earth Paul was not one of His disciples.
In fact Paul was then called Saul and was a Pharisee.
So how did Paul receive this instruction of the Lord?
Two schools of thought.
Some say Paul means he received it from the Apostles but it has the Lord’s authority.
Others argue that Paul received it directly from the Lord.
I’m in that last group. I believe that is what Galatians 1 is talking about.
Also, if he had meant he received it from the apostles he would have said that.
Another question. Is Paul telling them something they have never heard?
I don’t believe so.
I think this is a reminder.
They have been observing the Lord’s Supper just observing it incorrectly.
Paul is treating them as if they had never heard it to emphasize their failure to observe it correctly.
While studying this verse I learned something that I had never heard before.
When Paul says that Jesus took bread “the same night in which He was betrayed” the idea is that Jesus was instituting the Lord’s Supper while He was being betrayed.
What an incredible thought!
In the midst of being betrayed, Jesus is telling His disciples exactly what He is going to do for them.
Jesus takes bread; He blesses it, and breaks it.
He did this repeatedly in meals.
Then He tells His disciples to eat it saying “this is my body which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.”
Some teach that when Jesus says “this is my body” that the bread actually becomes the body of Christ.
But the real sense of the word is that the bread represents figuratively the body of Christ.
Christ wanted all who partake of the Lord’s Supper to remember the physical suffering that He endured for us.
That is what we are to remember when we eat the bread.
Jesus Christ was brutally beaten, whipped, and suffered all sorts of physical abuse in addition to being crucified.
Isaiah said that it was with His stripes that we are healed!
Paul is telling the Corinthians and us what the bread represents.
The Lord’s Supper is about remembering what Christ did on the Cross!
It isn’t about food or drink.
Here’s our lesson:
In communion we remember the physical cost of our Spiritual redemption.
There are three aspects to communion.
Aspect #1: The body broken.
Aspect #2…
b. The blood poured v. 25
b. The blood poured v. 25
READ
25 In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”
In the same way that Jesus took the bread, He took the cup.
The new covenant. Drink in remembrance of Him.
Jesus tells them that the cup represents the new testament or covenant in His blood.
A new covenant implies an old covenant.
We could spend a lot of time discussing the old and new covenant, but we’re not going to.
Let me give you the difference in a nutshell.
The old covenant had to do with obedience to the Law, animal sacrifice, blessing for obedience and judgment for disobedience.
There was no permanent removal of sin nor the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit.
The new covenant is about grace, the sacrifice of Christ that permanently paid for sin, and the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit empowering our obedience.
The necessity of a new covenant is clearly revealed in Hebrews 10:1-4. Turn there please.
Hebrews 10:1-4
We needed a new sacrifice! One that could do away with sin!
Jesus says here in 1 Cor. 11, that the new covenant is in His blood.
When we partake of the cup we are to be reminded of the blood of Christ!
Turn to Hebrews 9:22, 13-15.
Hebrews 9:22, 13-15
9:22
Without the shedding of blood there can be no remission of sin!
Look at vv. 13-15.
Our salvation is purchased by the blood of Christ! And it is because of His blood that we have the guarantee of eternal life!
1 John 1:7 tells us that “…the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.”
Paul is reminding the Corinthians that this is what the Lord’s Supper is all about!
It is about Christ!
It is about His suffering!
It is about His death!
Every single time we partake of the communion cup we should be reminded that our redemption required the death of Jesus Christ, perfect, sinless, spotless Lamb of God.
It is His death that enables us to have life!
In communion we remember the blood that cleanses us from sin.
There are three aspects to communion.
Aspect #1: The body broken.
Aspect #2: The blood poured.
Aspect #3…
c. The broadcast made v. 26
c. The broadcast made v. 26
READ
26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.
Both vv. 25 & 26 use the phrase “as often as you.”
Here at Grace Church, we do communion once a month.
There are churches that do it once a quarter, or once a year, and others that do it every week.
There is no right or wrong way.
We are required to do it, the frequency doesn’t matter.
What matters is the heart and attitude behind our observance of communion.
Communion is intended to be a public proclamation of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ!
It is a proclamation of the penalty of sin!
This is the foundation of why it is so wrong to partake how they have been.
You are proclaiming the death of Christ through communion.
To do so in the midst of blatant sin and abuse of others is disgusting.
It makes a mockery of Christ!
When we partake of the Lord’s Supper we are announcing to everyone that we believe the truth about Jesus Christ!
We believe that He suffered and died bearing our sins on the cross!
We believe that it is His blood that cleanses us from all of our sin!
That is what the Lord’s Supper is all about!
The Corinthians had forgotten what the Lord’s Supper was all about and started looking at it as a time to eat, drink and be merry.
Paul reminds them of the truth.
We need to remember the truth as well.
We observe communion because we don’t ever want to forget what Jesus Christ did for us!
He suffered and died, He shed His blood so that we could have life and have it more abundantly.
Here is our lesson:
In communion we declare that Jesus Christ has set us free from sin.
To correct their wrong observance of communion Paul presents three realities.
Reality #1: The Wrong Way To Remember Jesus.
Reality #2: The Right Way To Remember Jesus.
Reality #3…
3. The Preparation To Remember Jesus vv. 27-34
3. The Preparation To Remember Jesus vv. 27-34
We recently went to a wedding.
One thing about weddings that everyone knows is that a ton of preparation goes into it.
There are so many choices that have to be made.
Colors to choose, styles to sift through, options for food, for desert, for location and on and on and on.
While there is always a certain level of decision fatigue, the couple and families involved are willing to go through all the preparation because the final result is worth it.
We prepare because the wedding event is so important.
The remembrance of the suffering and death of Christ is important.
Therefore, preparation is necessary.
Paul told the Corinthians, “You’ve been doing it wrong!”
Then he reminded them of what the Lord’s Supper really was and how it was to be observed.
However, knowing what you have done wrong and how to do it right doesn’t address the deeper issues.
Paul doesn’t want the Corinthians to just go through the motions and look good.
To close this topic and section Paul addresses the condition of the heart when observing the Lord’s Supper.
Preparation has three requirements.
#1. Preparation requires…
a. Examination vv. 27-30
a. Examination vv. 27-30
READ
27 Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.
28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup.
29 For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.
30 For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep.
What is the solution to the wrong observance of the Corinthians? Examination.
In verse 27 Paul is telling the Corinthians that their sinful behavior was making them unworthy to partake of the Lord’s Supper.
The idea is that any sin in our lives makes us unworthy to remember how Jesus Christ died and shed His blood to take away our sin!
That’s like going to a funeral and telling everyone that the deceased person's accomplishments were a meaningless waste of time!
We cannot remember what Christ has done for us if we are harboring unconfessed sin in our lives!
To try and do so leaves us guilty of the body and blood of Christ!
V. 28 tells us to examine ourselves.
Examine – δοκιμάζω (dokimazō) examine; test; approve. to examine (check out) v. — to observe, check out, and look over carefully or inspect. Finite verb, present, active, imperative, third person, singular.
Examine – δοκιμάζω (dokimazō)
We are to test ourselves.
Test our lives and motives to see if there is anything in our life that would make us unworthy to partake of communion.
However, worthiness is possible.
It is implied in verse 28 that if the examination brings to light anything that needs to be confessed we deal with it right then and there.
1 Jn. 1:9 says “If we confess our sin…”
After we have dealt with sin, we are able to eat the bread and drink the cup.
The consequences of partaking in an unworthy manner are given in vv. 29-30.
If you eat and drink unworthily you will be judged for it!
Taking communion with sin in your life is like spitting in Christ’s face!
You are saying that you want to remember Him and His sacrifice on the Cross while harboring the very sin that He died to set you free from!
Paul says in verse 30 that it is for this very reason that many of the Corinthians were weak and sick and many had died!
Sleep is a metaphor for death.
Now notice, not just a few not just some had died because of this, Paul says many were weak and sick, and many sleep!
This is a serious thing!
Taking part of communion with unconfessed sin in your life is serious!
Here is our lesson:
Honesty and openness are necessary for self examination.
I have to be honest with myself.
I have to be open to the reality of my own sin and failure.
That is what is necessary to come to the Lord’s table in a worthy manner.
Preparation has three requirements.
#1. Preparation requires Examination.
#2. Preparation requires…
b. Evaluation vv. 31-32
b. Evaluation vv. 31-32
READ
31 For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged.
32 But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.
The purpose of the time of self examination is to come to the Lord’s Table with a heart prepared to remember and worship Him.
In verse 31, “judge” and “judged” are two different Greek words.
“Judge” is active, meaning we do it to ourselves, and “judged” is passive, meaning it is done to us.
The idea is that if we would always take this time of examination and judge ourselves than the judgment that Paul described in verse 30 would be unnecessary.
However, because the Corinthians had not been examining, or judging themselves God had to step in and judge them.
We either examine ourselves or we are evaluated by God.
Paul reminds them in verse 32 that when the Lord judges, or punishes us it is the chastening of a father for His children and He does it for our good.
Chastened – παιδεύομαι (paideuomai) discipline; educate; train. to be disciplined v. — to be or become subjected to a penalty (as pain, shame, restraint, or loss) for an offense in order to induce some behavior. Finite verb, present, passive, indicative, first person, plural.
Chastened – παιδεύομαι (paideuomai)
Our loving heavenly father disciplines us that we might learn obedience.
If He didn’t chasten us, would be condemned.
This word means that we would be pronounced guilty.
If we fail to confess our sin, we will face the consequences.
However, we will never be condemned because Rom. 8:1 declares that there is no condemnation in Christ Jesus.
There is, however, corrective discipline.
Hebrews 12:5-11 makes this clear. Turn there please.
Hebrews 12:5-11
God corrects us because we are His.
He corrects us to make us more like Him.
He corrects us that we might bear fruit for His glory.
It is much better for us to keep short accounts with God than for God to be forced to chasten us.
Just like parents with their children. When a child confesses their own sin it usually goes easier with them than when you discover their sin for yourself.
Here’s our lesson:
A loving heavenly Father evaluates His children and corrects when necessary.
Submit to His correction.
Observe communion with a right heart.
Preparation has three requirements.
#1. Preparation requires Examination.
#2. Preparation requires Evaluation.
#3. Preparation requires…
c. Expectation vv. 33-34
c. Expectation vv. 33-34
READ
33 Therefore, my brethren, when you come together to eat, wait for one another.
34 But if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, lest you come together for judgment. And the rest I will set in order when I come.
If we are going to celebrate and remember Christ we need to come with a spirit of expectation.
This is a time of fellowship, a time of remembrance.
We come to the table expecting a time of blessing and joy!
Paul’s message to the Corinthians is to correct themselves.
Wait for one another, be patient, share.
If you are super hungry, eat at home.
Why does Paul say this?
Because if they keep going how they are, they will face judgement.
Paul gives us yet another word for judgment.
Judgment – κρίμα (krima) judgment; condemnation. condemnation n. — a legal decision of guilty in a criminal case; often with the ensuing punishment understood. Noun (prepositional object), accusative, singular, neuter.
Judgment – κρίμα (krima)
If the Corinthian believers keep doing what they are doing, they will be declared guilty and punished accordingly.
This is what they need to remember.
Eating isn’t the point here!
The point of communion is to remember Christ! Not stuff your face.
Paul closes by promising to check on this situation when he comes.
He is effectively giving them a timeline for change.
Here’s the lesson:
Come to the communion table with the expectation of fellowship, blessing, and joy.
Fellowship with believers, blessing of remembrance, joy in what Christ has done!
Conclusion
Conclusion
The Lord’s Supper.
To sum it all up.
The Lord’s Supper is about Jesus Christ.
It is about remembering Him, but doing so in a worthy manner.
It is about remembering His death on the Cross for our sins.
May we here at Grace Church always bear in mind the truth about Jesus Christ and who He is.
May we never lose sight of what The Lord’s Supper, of what Communion, is really all about.
We need to be properly prepared when we come to partake of communion.
Taking part with unconfessed sin in our lives is like spitting in the face of Christ.
We need to examine ourselves to be sure that there is nothing between us and the Lord.
Be sure that you take part in communion in a worthy manner.
If you are here and none of this makes sense, and you are wondering what is so important about the death and blood of Jesus Christ than please listen.
Jesus Christ died for your sins.
Because there was no way for you to pay for your sins, Christ paid for them by His death.
In order for you to have eternal life and spend eternity with Him all you have to do is believe that He came, that died for your sins and rose again.
Brothers and sisters, here is the commitment I would have us all make.
COMMITMENT:
I will always seek to take communion in a worthy manner.
Division and selfishness will cripple the body.
Remembering the sacrifice of Christ ought to build unity.
Self-evaluation prevents discipline.
As we focus on Christ may He be glorified in our communion.
May our continual remembrance of Christ and His finished work on the Cross give us a passion to see people saved.