Abusing And Misusing The Lord's Supper

Abusing and Misusing the Lord’s Supper (Stand-Alone Sermon)

1 Cor. 11:17-34

March 6, 2005 FBC, Chester Mike Fogerson, Speaker

Introduction:

Lovefeast (Agape)

Potluck or bring-and-share supper

Rich/poor

But in giving this instruction, I do not praise you, because you come together not for the better but for the worse. 18 For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that divisions exist among you; and in part I believe it. 19 For there must also be factions among you, so that those who are approved may become evident among you. 20 Therefore when you meet together, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper, 21 for in your eating each one takes his own supper first; and one is hungry and another is drunk. 22 What! Do you not have houses in which to eat and drink? 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 will not praise you. 23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which 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 He took the cup also 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 Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. 28 But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly. 30 For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep. 31 But if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged. 32 But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned along with the world. 33 So then, my brethren, when you come together to eat, wait for one another. 34 If anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, so that you will not come together for judgment. The remaining matters I will arrange when I come. 1 Cor 11:17-34 (NASB)

ETS: Paul gave instructions on how a troubled church should approach the Lord’s Supper table.

ESS: There is a proper way for a problemed church to partake of the Lord’s Supper.

OBJ: I hope you’ll allow God to speak to your heart in order to take communion in a worthy manner.

PQ: Who will ask God to point their sin out to them at the end of this service?

TS: Let’s look at two pointers on how to prevent the abuses and misuses of the Lord’s Supper.

I. Paul pointed out the church’s staggering problem with sin. But in giving this instruction, I do not praise you, because you come together not for the better but for the worse. 18 For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that divisions exist among you; and in part I believe it. 19 For there must also be factions among you, so that those who are approved may become evident among you. 20 Therefore when you meet together, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper, 21 for in your eating each one takes his own supper first; and one is hungry and another is drunk. 22 What! Do you not have houses in which to eat and drink? 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 will not praise you.

A. Paul saw at least three sins that the church was struggling with at Corinth:

a. Divisions (v. 18)

1. Tearing, splitting the congregation

2. Rich/Poor (maybe theological, most likely socio-economic)

3. When the church met for the Lovefeast, instead of being one family, they went to divide into separate groups

4. Paul knew there were natural human tendencies for some homogenous human groups to form

5. Division=bad, Factions (v. 19)=maybe not neutral, but natural

b. Selfishness (v. 22a)

1. Because the division existed, not everybody was given the same amount of food (give chicken salad to 3 or 4 people and neglect the rest)