The observance of the Lord's Supper ought to be the high point of the Christian's week. It is the highest form of the Christian's worship, although most worship services consist only of singing. It ought to be one of the highest priorities in the life of a child of God. Yet for many believers it is none of those things, perhaps because we do not understand the Scriptures' teachings concerning the ordinance of the Lord's Supper . We are taking our time in this passage so that we might fully understand the significance of the Lord's Supper and that we may know and walk in the truth of God's Word concerning this ordinance.
We have learned three facts about the Lord's Supper:
1. It is an ordinance of the church. An ordinance is an outward rite instituted by Christ to be administered in the church as a visible sign of the saving truth of the Christian faith. The Christian church has two ordinances: baptism is the initiatory ordinance of the Christian faith and the Lord's Supper is a frequently observed memorial celebration..
2. The Lord's Supper is rooted in the Passover celebration. The Passover was the Old Testament memorial of physical deliverance; the Lord's Supper is the New Testament memorial of spiritual deliverance.
3. The Lord's Supper was practiced weekly in the early church. According to Acts 20:7 it was the center of their worship.
Last week we began to look at the nature of the Lord's Supper in 1 Corinthians 10:16-17 & 11:23-26. Six elements describe the nature of the Lord's Supper.
1. The Lord's Supper is an expression of Communion. It is an expression of our fellowship with the Lord and with our fellow believers. To be out of fellowship with another believer is to be out of fellowship with the Lord.
2. The Lord's Supper is a memorial, a commemoration of our Lord Jesus Christ in giving of himself in death for us. He said "This do in remembrance of me." A major goal of the Lord's Supper is to elicit remembrance of the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ.
3. The Lord's Supper is a proclamation of the gospel:
1 Corinthians 11:26(NKJV) "For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till He comes.
The word "proclaim" is the Greek kataggello which means to preach, proclaim. This word is commonly used in the Acts and Paul's epistles for the proclamation of the gospel. It is never used in the New Testament in any other sense. The Lord's Supper is a commemoration of his death; by its very nature it proclaims his death. One of the most effective ways that a New Testament church can proclaim the gospel is the observance of the Lord's Supper. It is an object lesson where the church visible sets forth the death of Christ: we take the bread, symbolizing his body given, and the cup, symbolizing his blood shed and we visibly portray the death of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is valuable for our young children and even for lost friends and relatives. They witness a picture of the death of Christ as the elements are explained. Each week as we celebrate the Lord's Supper one of our men focuses our attention on Christ and the significance of this ordinance.
Dr. H. A. Ironside told the story of how he was about to leave for the meeting of the Lord's Supper when a Japanese man named Yataro Yamagouche asked him if he could attend the meeting with him. Dr. Ironside said he was welcome to attend but instructed him that he could not participate in the Lord's Supper because he knew Yataro was not a believer.
(How can we tell who is a believer and who is not? By their lifestyle? No! By their testimony! Most people would say yes when asked if they are a Christian. A good question to ask is "If you were to die right now and God asked you why you should be let into heaven what would you tell him?" Some incorrect answers you might receive are " I've been good, I've been baptized, I am a church member, I believe in God." The correct answer is "Because I am trusting in the death of Jesus Christ on my behalf for my full forgiveness. I believe that Jesus Christ died for me to pay my sin debt, a debt that I could never pay. I realize that nothing I could ever do could pay my debt with God so I trust completely in the finished work of Christ.")
The service began, hymns were sung, they prayed, the elements were passed and taken. Then Yataro stood and said "I would like to pray." Dr. Ironside winced, thinking, "I forgot to tell him he was not to talk during the service either." He became fearful that Yataro would disrupt the service. Yataro prayed, "O God, I all broke up, for one whole year I fight you. I fight you hard, Your Spirit break me all to pieces. O God, today I see your people eating the bread, drinking the cup, tell how Jesus died for sinners like me. O God, You love me so You gave your son to die for me. I cannot fight you any more. I give up. I take Jesus Christ as my Savior." Needles to say he didn't disrupt the service.
Martin Luther said of communion, "This is the gospel in its briefest form." We proclaim the Lord's death as we celebrate the Lord's Supper and his death is the fundamental fact of the gospel. Jesus Christ died for sinners. "Full atonement can it be? Hallelujah what a Savior." He's worthy of our weekly remembrance.
4. The Lord's Supper is an ordnance of celebration and as such it is a time of thanksgiving.
1 Corinthians 11:24-25 (NKJV) "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." 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."
Verse 24 says he gave thanks before passing the bread and verse 25 says that after the same manner he took the cup. We know from Matthew's and Mark's accounts of the Lord's Supper that our Lord gave thanks for the bread and the cup and then passed them. The Lord's Supper is a time of thanksgiving when we celebrate with deep gratitude and thanksgiving the Lord's giving himself in death for us. According to 1 Thessalonians it is God's will that we give thanks:
1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NKJV) "in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."
The verb "thanks" is the Greek word eucharisteo, to be grateful, to express gratitude. From this we get the name Eucharist, another name for the Lord's Supper.
Our Lord set the pattern for his followers. He did not partake in the bread or cup because he had no sins for which he needed forgiveness. But he gave thanks and gave the elements to the disciples. The early church continued the pattern of thanksgiving when they gathered on the first day of the week. They gathered to give thanks to the Lord and for the Lord. The elders at Faith Bible Church want to continue that pattern and so we also gather weekly for the Lord's Supper.
The weekly observance of the Lord's Supper has been the preference of many great leaders in the church throughout church history. John Calvin said, "The Lord's Supper should be observed very frequently and at least once in every week."
John Wesley practiced a weekly Lord's Supper. Charles H. Spurgeon said, "Shame on the church that she should put it off to once a month. They who once know the sweetness of each Lord's day celebrating his supper will not be content I am sure to put it off to less frequent seasons." H. A. Ironside, when asked to come and be the teacher of the Word at Moody Church in Chicago said he would come providing the elders at the Moody church instituted the Lord's Supper each Sunday, which they did.
It is tragic that so much of Christendom today has moved from weekly celebration of the Lord's Supper. The Lord's Supper is a time of thanksgiving, rather than a morbid, depressing time. It ought to be a time of celebration, a time of joy even though it is a solemn time. We should not be glib or careless or frivolous, but on the other hand we should not be morbid. A victory over sin and death through the provision of redemption is memorialized by the Lord's Supper and we want to give thanks for it.
5. The Lord's Supper is an ordnance of anticipation of the Second coming. Verse 26 says, "We do show forth the Lord's death till he comes." The Greek verb leaves no doubt that he is certainly coming. When Christ is physically present with us, we will no longer need the symbols of his body. The bread and the cup are a pledge from our Lord that he will come again. The world may scoff at his second coming as Peter says but we are confident of it. I see the emblems the bread and the cup and I remember his first coming. He came to deal with the problem of my sin, and I remember his promise of his second coming when he will take me to be with him for all eternity. His coming ought to be anticipated by all believers. The return of Jesus Christ is the blessed hope of the church and the individual believer.
6. The Lord's Supper is a reminder of my accountability before God. The second coming reminds me that I am accountable and will someday answer to him for my life.
2 Peter 3:11-14 (NKJV) "Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. 14 Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless;"
The term "Lord" is used in verse 20, twice in verse 23, 26, twice in verse 27, 29, and 32. The Greek word is kurios, which means supreme in authority, controller, master. Jesus Christ is Lord and we come to His table.
The early church called the Lord's Supper a sacrament. We in the Protestant church do not refer to the Lord's Supper as a sacrament because the word sacrament in our theological circles today implies a vehicle where by grace comes to a man and we do not consider the Lord's Supper a means of grace. But the early church called it a sacrament because in the Roman empire (according to H. A. Ironside on 1 Corinthians) the word sacrament was used for the oath of allegiance which the soldiers of the Roman legion took to their emperor. The early church began to refer to the Lord's Supper as a sacrament because they saw a truth that many of us havenever seen. They saw that their observance of the Lord's Supper was a weekly "pledge of allegiance" to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
As we come to the Lord's Supper we renew our dedication to the Lord Jesus Christ. It's the Lord's body and the Lord's blood and I remember the one who is my Lord. I acknowledge his Lordship and my accountability to Him.
In verse 23-26 we see the nature of the Lord's Supper. The Lord's Supper is a comprehensive ordinance. We remember what Christ has done, we refresh our commitment to him, we commune with Him and other believers, we proclaim the gospel, we give thanks, we anticipate His return.
Supper should be observed. We must observe it in the proper manner according to verses 27-34.
Notice five things that Paul emphasizes.
1. First he said, "Be careful how you treat the Lord's Table." 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. (Verse 27)
Therefore is a very important connective word; it could be translated "it follows that," thus expressing a result. As a result of the sacred nature of the Lord's Supper Christians must be careful in its use.
His exhortations concerning the proper reception of the Lord's Supper are based upon his exposition of the nature of the Lord's Supper. It is a Holy ordinance in which we express our communion, remember him and his work, proclaim the gospel, express gratitude, anticipate his return, and are remember our accountability. We must be extremely careful in how we partake.
2. We must not partake unworthily according to verse 27. Does this mean we are not to come feeling unworthy? Certainly not! We are unworthy; realizing our unworthiness enables us to partake worthily. Unworthily is the Greek adverb anaxios which means irreverently; it is used only here in verses 27 and 29. Paul does not use the adjective "unworthy," which would have referred to a person's character, but highlights instead the nature of their actions. When a person comes without regard to his sin, as though he was not a sinner, as though he deserves to be there, then he partakes unworthily. To take unworthily is to come complacently, lightheartedly, to come without care about your sin. It is to come with hatred toward another believer, or come with unrepentant sin. The word, unworthily, implies that a certain worth or value is connected with the bread and the cup. The person who uses them without counting their value uses them in an unworthy manner.
To partake unworthily is to participate without giving full heed to the instructions of verses 23-26. It is to come with thoughts other than of His person and work. Do we regard it according to its worth? Do we come remember Him and commune with Him?
3. By taking unworthily we are guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. There is a sense in which every sin, even the slightest, makes a person guilty of putting Christ to death, for every sin deserves God's wrath and curse, both in this life and the life to come. We are guilty of profaning that which is sacred by treating it as something that is common. The Lord's Supper is special, it is sacred.
To despise the symbol is to despise that which it symbolizes. A man who burns the American flag isn't merely burning a piece of cloth, he is guilty of dishonoring this country. To not fully reckon with what the elements mean, to not fully reckon with the substance behind their symbolism is to despise that to which they point: Jesus Christ and His atoning work.
To come to the Table flippantly, casually, and without due reflection and consideration of the meaning and purpose of the Lord's Supper is to despise Jesus Christ and his work.
4. Paul expounded on how to partake in a worthy manner: But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. (Verse 28)
The word examine is the Greek word dokimazo, which means to approve by testing. It implies that there will be a positive outcome; the word assumes the success of the test. It refers to the act of proving or testing something with a view of emerging approved. The purpose of self-examination is not to hinder you from taking the Lord's Supper. Rather, the purpose is to make it possible for you to receive the elements in a worthy manner. Notice that the text says, "examine himself and so let him eat."
Self-examination involves two things: we analyze our understanding of the nature and purpose of the Lord's Supper to heighten awareness of what were doing; we analyze our motives and attitudes. Is there sin in your life? If so, you are to deal with it as 1 John 1:9 instructs. Instead of rushing in to a church service at the last minute, I would suggest that you come in a couple of minuets early and take some time to prepare your heart before the Lord. Notice that we are to examine ourselves. Paul lays the obligation on each individual person. This is self-judgement.
5. Paul talked about the consequence of eating and drinking unworthily. "For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body." (Verse 29)
Verses 27 and 29 both indicate the serious guilt and liability to penalty involved in the unworthy participation in the Lord's Supper. The Lord's Supper is the means which brings judgement upon the unworthy receiver. The food becomes poison as it were. The word judgement is the Greek word krima which has the idea of chastisement as verse 30 illustrates. The King James Version rendering of damnation is unfortunate.
The words translated not discerning are from the Greek word diakrino which means not separating, not making a difference or a distinction. In this context, it is not distinguishing the sacred from the common. When a person eats his lunch he can be thinking about anything he wants, but at the Lord's Supper a person's focus must be on Him.
When Paul spoke about the Lord's body, perhaps was using a duel meaning. The less obvious meaning could be "not discerning the body of Christ, the church around us." Any form of disunity is a form of not discerning the Lord's body. To come to the Lord's Table, which is an expression of communion, and be out of fellowship with another believer is to partake unworthily.
Verse 30 describes the chastisement of verse 29 as sickness and death: "For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep." The link between sin and sickness or death is usually ignored except in certain charismatic circles. We must understand that sickness and death can be part of the loving, painful, and productive discipline of a perfect Father.
The word sleep is a common New Testament metaphor for the death of believers.
John 11:11 (NKJV) "These things He said, and after that He said to them, "Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up."
Acts 7:60 (NKJV) "Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, do not charge them with this sin." And when he had said this, he fell asleep."
1 Thessalonians 4:13-15 (NKJV) "But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep."
A number of believers at Corinth had died for partaking of the Lord's Supper in an irreverent manner. God had put others to death for violating his percepts in the past.
Numbers 4:1-5 (NKJV) "Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying: "Take a census of the sons of Kohath from among the children of Levi, by their families, by their fathers' house, from thirty years old and above, even to fifty years old, all who enter the service to do the work in the tabernacle of meeting. This is the service of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of meeting, relating to the most holy things: When the camp prepares to journey, Aaron and his sons shall come, and they shall take down the covering veil and cover the ark of the Testimony with it."
Numbers 4:15 (NKJV) "And when Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, when the camp is set to go, then the sons of Kohath shall come to carry them; but they shall not touch any holy thing, lest they die. These are the things in the tabernacle of meeting which the sons of Kohath are to carry."
Numbers 7:6-9 (NKJV) "So Moses took the carts and the oxen, and gave them to the Levites. Two carts and four oxen he gave to the sons of Gershon, according to their service; and four carts and eight oxen he gave to the sons of Merari, according to their service, under the authority of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest. But to the sons of Kohath he gave none, because theirs was the service of the holy things, which they carried on their shoulders."
2 Samuel 6:1-7 (NKJV) "Again David gathered all the choice men of Israel, thirty thousand. And David arose and went with all the people who were with him from Baale Judah to bring up from there the ark of God, whose name is called by the Name, the LORD of Hosts, who dwells between the cherubim. So they set the ark of God on a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill; and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drove the new cart. And they brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill, accompanying the ark of God; and Ahio went before the ark. Then David and all the house of Israel played music before the LORD on all kinds of instruments of fir wood, on harps, on stringed instruments, on tambourines, on sistrums, and on cymbals. And when they came to Nachon's threshing floor, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled. Then the anger of the LORD was aroused against Uzzah, and God struck him there for his error; and he died there by the ark of God."
God gave specific instructions for handling the ark and on taking the Lord's Supper. God killed Uzzah for his disobedience and he killed the Corinthians who partook of the Lord's Supper in an unworthy manner.
Malachi 3:6 (NKJV) "For I am the LORD, I do not change; Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob."
Our text says, "many sleep." The word many is hikanos which means a sufficient number, a good many. Throughout the Bible, God does not hesitate to severely chastise those who violate his instructions about worship.
Leviticus 10:1-3 (NKJV) "Then Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it, put incense on it, and offered profane fire before the LORD, which He had not commanded them. So fire went out from the LORD and devoured them, and they died before the LORD. And Moses said to Aaron, "This is what the LORD spoke, saying: 'By those who come near Me I must be regarded as holy; And before all the people I must be glorified.' " So Aaron held his peace."
Nadab and Abihu violated God's precepts for worship and God killed them. Such stark reminders of God's holiness and man's sinfulness show what we all deserve. Our response should not be to question God's actions; rather, believers ought to ask, "Why aren't we killed for our disobedience and disrespect for God's holiness?" God is Holy. He is to be feared. The Lord's Supper is a sacred act of worship: don't take it lightly lest you bring God's judgement upon yourself.
Paul urged the Corinthians to avoid God's judgement in verses 31 and 32:
For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.
When we judge ourselves God does not have to. Human self-judgement and Divine judgements have the same purpose to bring us to a knowledge of our real condition and relation to God. The Corinthians could have escaped illness and death if they had engaged in some self-examination. The word chastened is the Greek word paideuo which connotes the fathers' bringing up or educating his children. It means child training.
Therefore, my brethren, when you come together to eat, wait for one another. 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. (11:32&33)
Paul urged the Corinthians to wait one for another, in contrast to the greedy haste spoken of in 11:21. He called on them to treat one another in love, "to in honor prefer one another," "to look not every man on his own things but every man also on the things of others." If they had no self control and couldn't wait to eat then they were to eat at home. There was no point in coming together to sin because that was simply coming together for judgement.
We have no details on what Paul meant with the phrase "the rest I will set in order when I come". But "the rest" probably meant "the other questions you asked about how to properly celebrate the Lord's Supper," not other questions in general, since he does go on to deal with other matters in this letter.
The Lord's Supper assists us to look Back at the death of Jesus Christ. We look up and see Him as Lord. We look around and see the body of Christ with whom we fellowship. We look ahead to the second coming. We look inside and we examine ourselves.
The prayer of the elders is that you will come each week with a heart prepared to worship Jesus Christ through the Lord's Supper. May we become like the early church, devoted to the Lord's Supper.
|
|
|||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||