The Lord’s Supper
By Pastor Jim May
The Apostle Paul had spent nearly two years in the city of Corinth during one of his missionary journeys. For two years he preached daily, and ministered to as many who would listen. During that time there were many people converted to Christ, both Jews and Gentiles, and the Corinthian Church was born.
Paul left Corinth to continue his work in other cities, leaving the church in peace and in perfect harmony. How many of you know that Satan hates to see the church at peace and everyone in harmony? As you can guess, it didn’t take long for that peace and harmony to come under attack.
Almost immediately after Paul departed heresies began to invade the church. False teachers arose teaching bad doctrine, living in immorality and causing confusion among the believers. It is obvious that many of those in the Corinthian church did not have a Bible, for there was no new testament written at that time. They depended upon their leaders, and upon what Paul had taught them. They were hungry and unlearned. Even though Paul had taught them for two years, they were still babies in the Lord and hungry to know more.
Satan used that fertile ground of a hungry heart to bring deception and sin into their midst and not many of them would speak out against it for fear of ridicule from other church members.
Jews who remained there began to add their believes according to the Law of Moses, saying that Christ alone was not enough. The idol worshippers added their beliefs as well, and it wasn’t long before the church that Paul had founded with a simple gospel message began to compromise in order to keep peace and the simplicity of the gospel was lost in the mix. The church was divided and split into several groups that condemned other groups, but all of them were wrong and were being used by Satan to destroy the church in its infancy.
In 55 AD, while Paul was at Ephesus establishing a new church there, he learned of the sin that had entered the Corinthian church and so he sat down to write them a letter, in an attempt to correct some of the wrong doctrines and practices that they had accepted, and there were a lot of them.
1) The Corinthians had allowed incest to go on knowingly without dealing with those who were guilty of that terrible sin.
2) They had become so divided that they were actually taking one another to court, standing before a heathen judge, to decide which of them was right in their doctrine instead of settling the matter among themselves.
3) They were allowing adultery and fornication to continue rampant in the church and no one was preaching against it for fear of upsetting the congregation.
4) There was confusion about what the commitment of marriage was really all about, some saying that it wasn’t meant for a lifetime, but only as long as it was good for both the man and woman and both were happy.
5) There was also the practice of taking those things that were offered to idols and using them in the house of God.
6) There were arguments over how to compensate the ministers in the church. Then there were some who mixed the worship of idols with the worship of Jesus Christ, blaspheming the Holy Ghost in the process.
7) They were abusing and misusing the gifts of the Holy Spirit, speaking things in the name of Jesus that Jesus had not instructed them to speak at all, and trying to control the actions of their fellow Christians by invoking the name of Jesus into whatever issue they wanted to go their way.
8) Some were beginning to deny that there was such a thing as the resurrection of the dead.
9) There was arguing over how to handle the finances of the church, how to take up offerings and who should be in charge and how the poor and widows were to be cared for.
Sadly, as we look at this list, we can see that the lies of Satan have not changed. There is not one thing in that Corinthian church that is named that can’t be found in the modern church too. And like the church at Corinth, if we don’t correct those evils and preach against sin, and teach the right doctrines, then the church is headed for division and destruction.
One of the problems that had entered the Corinthian church was their flippant attitude toward the ordinances of the church, especially that of observing the Lord’s Supper, or as we often call it, taking Communion.
Since we are going to observe this ordinance of the church in a little while, I thought it would be profitable for us to look at what Paul had to say to the Corinthians and make sure that we are not being as unconcerned for its value and meaning as the Corinthians were.
What was happening in the Corinthian church that brought Paul to the point of trying to correct them?
1 Corinthians 11:19-22, "For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you. When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord’s supper. For in eating every one taketh before other his own supper: and one is hungry, and another is drunken. What? have ye not houses to eat and to drink in? or despise ye the church of God, and shame them that have not? What shall I say to you? shall I praise you in this? I praise you not."
First of all Paul says that there are some in the church who are approved of God. They are trying to hold the line against evil and wrong doctrines, and these men and women of God are doing everything they can to reveal the error in the church.
I’m glad to know that there are always some in the church who will preach the truth and not compromise. If it were not for those few who held true, where would the church be? The hope of the Corinthian church, as well as the hope of the modern church, lies in the fact that some preachers will not compromise with the world just to be accepted by the crowds. Most of the church world won’t hear the truth and would rather believe a lie because the truth convicts people of sin and no one wants to come under conviction.
The Corinthian church had begun to dilute the message of the Lord’s Supper greatly. In effect, what they were doing, is coming together for what we call Fellowship dinners, and calling it the Lord’s Supper.
There thought was, “Well, we are coming together as a church, to eat a meal as a church. Jesus is the author of the church, therefore this must be His supper, so that makes it “the Lord’s Supper”. But nothing could be further from the truth.
When we come together this afternoon for our time of fellowship and food before our monthly singing service, it will not be for the same purpose, nor in the same spirit as it is for taking part in the Communion.
We will come together, bless the all of the food for all of us at the same time, and then we will each go for the gusto, getting all we want for ourselves. It’s all about having a good time and filling our desire to eat good things. There’s nothing wrong with doing that, but it isn’t the Lord’s Supper.
Paul told the Corinthians that they should have those dinners at their own homes and not try to call it the Lord’s Supper. The Communion dinner, or ordinance of the Lord’s Supper must be done with a different attitude of both the heart and mind. It is to be a solemn occasion, not a party. And we are to observe it as a time of remembrance of the price that Jesus paid for our salvation, not a time of seeing how much we can eat and being self-fulfilling and even gluttonous.
There were many who came to church hungry, but those who got there first, especially the rich among them, consumed everything in sight and there was nothing left for the poor. It was time of selfish indulgence, and they were calling it the observance of the Lord’s Supper.
In spite of all of this, they were expecting Paul to praise them in their observance of the ordinances of the church. Paul’s thoughts were quite different. What they were doing was far from being praise worthy. In fact, they were bringing upon themselves condemnation, sin and shame. And some of them were going to suffer greatly for their behavior.
Paul’s instructions were to get back to observing the Lord’s Supper the way that it is supposed to be done, and here is the proper manner to do so.
1 Corinthians 11:23-24, "For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me."
Paul’s instructions were given to him by the Lord Jesus Christ, speaking to his heart and mind through the Holy Spirit. His doctrine was based upon the truth and not upon the teachings of men.
First of all, Jesus took that bread and then gave thanks, not for the bread itself, but to the Father in Heaven for providing that bread.
Jesus prayer was that the Father would take the bread and use that bread as a symbol that would lead many to eat of the Bread of Life and understand that the bread represented the broken body of Jesus Christ, offered as a sacrifice for the sins of man.
The bread was not to be changed into any other than bread. It was not going to become flesh, as though the body of Christ was to be consumed again and again, but it was to represent that body that was broken once for all time.
We are not to feed on the flesh of Jesus, but we are to feed upon the life and death of Jesus and allow him to change us into his image. Jesus gave himself for us in the work of redemption.
Jesus broke that bread as a symbol of his body being wounded, bruised and beaten. By taking the bread himself, and breaking it, Jesus was signifying that he was willingly going to lay down his life, to suffer and die for us.
Jesus broke the bread and then passed it around, making sure that all had what they needed and no one was to take it all for himself alone. Jesus died for all men, not just those who came first, or those who will come last. His sacrifice if for “whosoever will”, not just for the “first come, first served”.
Jesus said, “take, eat”, thus saying to each of us, “take it for yourself; receiving it for yourself as a emblem of receiving Me unto yourself.” This is a one-on-one experience between you and the Lord. It is a personal salvation and we must each answer for our own lives. The condition of your heart, and the salvation of your soul, is something that only you and God can truly know.
The Lord’s Supper is not, as some of the Jews tried to make to be, a celebration of the Passover meal. It is not in commemoration of any other of the Jewish feasts, but it is strictly observed to commemoration the death of Jesus Christ upon the cross. If it is taken for any other purpose, then we destroy its meaning and we bring reproach upon the sacrifice of Jesus for sin.
1 Corinthians 11:25-26, "After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come."
Again, Jesus took the cup off of the table, and gave thanks, not for what was in the cup, but to the Father in Heaven who had given it. God had sent His only begotten Son to earth, that the blood of Jesus Christ could be offered up.
The fruit of the vine that was in that cup would not be changed into the blood of Christ, but it was a symbol of that blood. The blood of Jesus was shed once for all sin, and there is no need for his blood to be shed and consumed by sinful man every time we have the Lord’s Supper.
Notice this: The cup was taken after they had “supped” or partaken of the broken bread. This is the order in which the Lord’s Supper must be observed for a reason.
We must first recognize that Jesus is the “Bread of Life” and we must take him into ourselves, allowing Him to be the Lord of our lives and giving ourselves to him without reservation. Only then can the blood cleanse us from sin. Only after having taken Jesus into our heart can the cup then be taken in too. The blood will only cleanse from sin, after we have repented of that sin and confessed Christ as the Lord of our lives.
Jesus said, “This cup is the new testament in my blood”, signifying that now there was a new Testament, or covenant, between God and man and it was bought with the price of his broken body and shed blood.
The old covenant of the Law of Moses, and of Abraham, that Israel had relied upon for thousands of years was made null and void by the new covenant of the Blood of Christ. No more would the sacrificial system in the temple be necessary, for the blood of Jesus had accomplished what the blood of bulls and goats could not. This was a new covenant of mercy and grace, paid for in full, to replace the covenant of the Law and sacrifice. Jesus fulfilled the requirements of the Law and he was the perfect sacrifice.
That’s why the Lord’s Supper cannot represent any of the feasts of the Law, for it is a symbol of grace, given only by the blood of the perfect Lamb. It is a symbol of the death of Jesus Christ and nothing else.
Now once Paul had explained the meaning of the Lord’s Supper, he then proceeded to issue a stern warning to those who continued to abuse this ordinance of the church. To know the truth and to yet continue in sin is a dangerous thing, and it can cost you your eternal soul.
1 Corinthians 11:27, "Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord."
The bread and the cup of the Lord’s Supper are symbols of the great sacrifice that Jesus gave for our sins. If we eat that bread or drink that cup with the wrong attitude, or with sin in our hearts, then it’s purpose is lost in us and only brings greater condemnation.
1 Corinthians 11:28, "But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup."
I don’t want to discourage you from taking part in this service this morning. That is not my intention. I want you to know that you must take part with the right spirit and attitude, or don’t take part at all.
Jesus died for all men, not just a select few. Anyone who wishes to join in the observance of the Lord’s Supper is invited to do so, but before you do, make sure that your heart is right before God. It only takes a moment, but it can made a big difference in your life. Ask Jesus into your heart; surrender your life to him; remember that this is a solemn ordinance; and that’s all it takes to be worthy to take part.
But remember this: if you take this Lord’s Supper without making things right with God first, then you need to hear what Paul says next.
1 Corinthians 11:29, "For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body."
Just as Adam and Eve ate of the fruit and it condemned them, so will observing the Lord’s Supper if we are right with God. It’s not that the bread and juice will make you sick, anymore than the fruit made Adam sick. It is all about the fact of disobedience and sin in the heart.
That sin will condemn you, and you will bear the guilt and judgment for the sin that is in your heart. Just as death came into the world through the sin of Adam, death will come to your soul the same way. If you don’t allow Jesus to be the Lord of your life, you are dead already, just waiting for the grave to catch up with you. But if you know Jesus, this body will lie down in death one day, but you will live on forever with Christ.
1 Corinthians 11:30-31, "For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged."
Because of their unworthy participation of the Lord’s supper, many in the Corinthian church were stricken with bodily infirmities and diseases; either by the hand of God who was trying to correct them and bring them into obedience, or by way of judgment against those who refused to listen and continued willfully in their sin.
Some of the Corinthians had already died from the sicknesses that were in their bodies, and I’m convinced that some of them had lost their eternal soul through willful sin. Let us judge ourselves for sin, and confess those sins, before we observe the Lord’s Supper that none of these things come upon us.
