Cornerstone Church January 8, 2006
"Communion - What Does It Really Mean?”
(the Crackers and Juice)
1 Corinthians 11:23-31
A little girl asked her mother, “Mommy, why do you cut the ends off the meat before you cook it?” The girl’s mother told her that she thought it added to the flavor by allowing the meat to better absorb the spices, but perhaps she should ask her grandmother since she always did it that way.
So the little girl found her grandmother and asked, “Grandma, why do you and Mommy cut the ends of the meat off before you cook it?” Her grandmother thought a moment and answered, “I think it allows the meat to stay tender because it soaks up the juices better, but why don’t you ask your Nana? After all, I learned from her, and she always did it that way.”
The little girl was getting a little frustrated, but climbed up in her great-grandmother’s lap and asked, “Nana, why do you cut the ends off the meat before you cook it?”
Nana answered, “I had to; my cooking pot wasn’t big enough.”
We do a lot of things in life, and seldom stop to ask why. It is easy to develop habits and traditions, and if we’re not careful, we can forget why we do certain things.
This morning is Communion Sunday.
Conceivably you are a new Christian or possibly not even a Christian and you still do not understand what Communion is all about.
It is such a simple ceremony or observance.
There is really not much to it!
Just some bread (crackers) and some grape juice in a cup.
Possibly you came to Cornerstone from another church and wonder why our traditions might differ from the ones with which you are acquainted.
Christians use different titles:
The Lord’s Table
The Lord’s Supper
Communion
The Eucharist
Christians differ over frequency:
Weekly
Monthly
Yearly
Christians differ on how Communion is performed:
Some have very formal services
Some have very informal services
Some use real wine
Some serve with a single cup while others use individual cups
Some come forward while others stay seated.
Maybe you have been a Christian for a long time and you are on autopilot this morning. It is all too familiar to you which makes it easy to go through the motions!
I trust that isn’t the case!
I hope that Communion still overwhelms you with a sense of awe and wonder.
One thing I know for certain.
COMMUNION IS ABOUT JESUS!
While it might appear to be a simple ritual it is not. Its message is profound!
It is given to remind us of our need of a Savior!
It is given to remind us we have fellowship with God because of what Jesus did on the cross.
It is also given to proclaim the gospel message to the unbelieving world.
Communion is one of the two ordinances that Jesus left for the church to practice in His absence until He returns. The other is baptism.
Baptism is an ordinance which symbolizes our identification with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Baptism is a public testimony to others that you belong and are identified with Jesus Christ. He is your Lord and your Savior.
Communion causes us to reflect and meditate upon the death of Christ, where on the Cross He obtained eternal salvation for those who believe.
DO YOU REMEMBER WHAT JOHN THE BAPTIST SAID WHEN HE SAW JESUS?
John 1:29 NIV The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
Communion reminds each of us that we had a problem.
A big problem!
An insurmountable problem!
An eternal problem!
Economists could not solve this problem.
Environmentalists could not solve this problem.
Philosophers could not solve this problem.
Politicians could not solve this problem.
The World’s Religious Leaders could not solve this problem!
The Problem is death! It comes to all! It comes unexpectedly! It comes without partiality or prejudice!
It makes us ask the question, is this all there is? Listen to Job, he had the same question on His mind!
Job 14:14 NIV “If a man dies, will he live again?...”
Death is not mankind’s only problem.
Hebr. 9:27 NIV Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment,
Sin was our greatest problem. If we are going to die (and we know that we are) and if we believe the Bible when it says that we are all sinners, we are in trouble without Christ!
Rom. 3:23 NIV for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Rom. 6:23 NIV For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
WHAT A DILEMMA?
Communion reminds us that God loved us and sent a solution!
John 3:16 NIV “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Communion reminds us that the Lord Jesus Christ came to earth to take care of our greatest need! The need to have a remedy for our sin!
HOW DID HE DO THIS?
He allowed God the Father to pour out His fierce wrath upon Him.
The Lord Jesus bore the full weight and penalty as each and every sin for each and every person who has ever lived on planet earth was placed upon Him!
2 Cor. 5:21 NIV God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Hebr. 9:28 NIV …So Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.
Listen to these words again this morning:
1 Cor. 11:23-26 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 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.” In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
1 Cor. 11:27-32 Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment. When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world.
TWO KEY PHRASES:
“…do this in remembrance of me.”
“A man ought to examine himself before
he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup.”
REMEMBER
1 Corinthians 11:23-25
I forget so many things:
I forget what I had for dinner last night
I forget my household chores
Far worse than that, I forget the most basic stories of life that my children or wife remember and periodically ask me about.
Dad, do you remember when I was three and you bought me this shirt? Woe, right over my head!
Even worse, I at times, forget God’s mercy and grace to me!
The Corinthians had already forgotten the importance of the Lord’s Supper. If you look earlier in the chapter you will see that major problems existed:
They were getting drunk and eating too much
They were eating before all had arrived
(white collar folks ate before the blue collar got off of work)
There were divisions in their midst
For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you:
1 Cor. 11:23a NIV
Paul knows how serious the Lord’s Supper is!
It isn’t the invention of Christians to fill time in the service (like greeting card companies creating special days for you to buy cards).
It is a Memorial like God’s Rainbow in the sky after the flood!
Paul is talking about the subject of passing on God’s Revelation concerning Communion.
This is military language. What was received (from God), was passed on to others. Paul’s letter to the Corinthians was written prior to the gospel records of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. It says here that he received it from the Lord. God revealing truth to Paul is confirmed in other New Testament material.
Gal. 1:11-12 NIV I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preached is not something that man made up. I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.
Christians all over the world have celebrated Communion – The LORD’s Supper for over 2,000 years.
WHEN DID IT START?
“…The Lord Jesus, on the night
he was betrayed, took bread,”
What night is this? The night in which Jesus was betrayed! Jesus’ last night on earth and HIS betrayal serve as the backdrop of this Memorial Celebration.
It was this night Jesus celebrated the last Passover Celebration that would ever have to be observed with his disciples. The Passover commemorated the Israelites release from bondage in Egypt were they were slaves for 400 years. The Lord’s Supper commemorates believers being set free form sin and receiving eternal life.
THE PASSOVER
1st Cup – wine passed around
Bitter herbs (slavery) are dipped in stewed fruit sauce (misery making bricks)
The Message of Passover is told
Psalms are sung from the Hallel (Psalms 113-118)
2nd Cup – wine was passed
unleavened bread was broken
meal was eaten
3rd Cup – wine was passed
The rest of the Hallel was sung
This is the cup of blessing which Jesus talked about the New Covenant
Luke 22:20 NIV In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.
4th Cup – wine was passed
Talk about the future Kingdom
THE LORD’S SUPPER - THE BREAD
The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread,
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.”
1 Cor. 11:23b-24 NIV
The Bread and the Cup symbolize the atoning work of Christ on the Cross. Eternal life was obtained for those who believe by His death, burial and resurrection from the dead.
He Blessed it
He Broke it
He Gave it
He said
“This is my body, which is for you;
Jesus wasn’t talking about the Bread mystically becoming the body of Christ any more than HIM becoming a door when HE said, “I AM the Door.”
Jesus is speaking about HIS incarnation – His becoming flesh so that He could die to redeem us. HIS life was given for us so that God and sinners could be reconciled!
All of Jesus’ pain and suffering took place in HIS earthly body! His body was crushed but no bone was broken.
So when we eat the bread we are suppose to think about the suffering and death of Jesus for us!
“…do this in remembrance of me.”
We see a command here! This isn’t a suggestion! It is saying:
“Keep on doing this in remembrance of me.”
THE LORD’S SUPPER - THE CUP
In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying,
“This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this,
whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
1 Cor. 11:25 NIV
WHY A CUP AND NOT WINE? Cup = God’s wrath poured out on Jesus
Jesus’ greatest agony was knowing that HE was sinless and that HIS FATHER would have to turn HIS back on HIM as the full weight and measure of God’s wrath was poured out upon HIM.
1 Pet. 1:18-19 NIV For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.
1 Pet. 2:24 NIV He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.
2 Cor. 5:21 NIV God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
JESUS PAID THE PENALTY FOR:
Our Lust
Our Greed
Our Adultery
Our Divisive and Bitter Spirit
Our Selfishness
Our Pride
Our Gossip
“This cup is the new covenant in My blood;”
Jer. 31:31-34 NIV “The time is coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them,’” declares the LORD. “This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time,” declares the LORD. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares the LORD. “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”
Jesus put an end to the oceans of blood that was shed and the millions of animals that were sacrificed.
Heb 9:12-15 NIV He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.
As His children of the New Covenant Community we are suppose to act and behave differently
This is why Paul was upset. The Corinthians were living selfish lives. They were not living up to the title: Christians. As New Covenant people we are to live by higher principles and for a higher calling.
We serve a different Master – Jesus is Lord
We have different goals –
We are going in a different direction – our mind is on the eternal
We live for a different purpose – “to know Christ and to make Christ known”
REJOICE
1 Corinthians 11:26
For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup,
you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
1 Cor. 11:26 NIV
All of this gives us reason to rejoice!
This is why Communion is so important! Communion proclaims / declares a powerful statement to the world!
Communion is not just a passive remembrance like a memorial. It is an active remembrance thinking about what Jesus and what HE accomplished on the Cross for us.
Actively thinking about His suffering.
Actively thinking about His Sacrifice.
Actively thinking about His being Lord of All.
It is the Lord’s table and as His guest we commune with the Eternal God!
REPENT
1 Corinthians 11:27-28
Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup.
1 Cor. 11:27-28 NIV
Most of us are familiar with either an annual or semi-annual job review. Even if we are doing a good job this time makes us a little nervous.
Neither do men like an annual physical. Because the doctor is paid “big bucks”, they work hard to find something wrong with us.
How many of you start flossing right before you see the hygienist?
Communion is suppose to serve as a time where you commune with the LORD to see how your relationship with HIM is going. A time where we have fellowship with HIM.
We can shuck and jive most of the time, but Communion is to open our heart so we can cease running from the FATHER!
A man ought to examine himself before he eats
of the bread and drinks of the cup.
WHY IS IT WE ARE EXPERTS AT EXAMINING OTHERS?
Examine yourself is what Paul is saying here. You prayerfully judge your heart before the Lord before you partake.
In all that we have studied so far this morning, Did you notice what isn’t stated?
Not much is stated about how often and who may serve communion.
No specific Command as to frequency or style
No specific Command as to who may administrate or officiate
No specific Command as to who may serve or distribute the elements
However, much, is said about heart attitude. The Corinthians displayed an improper attitude towards others of another class. Their actions were wrong. They were profaning the Lord and the New Covenant Community of believers. The Lord is always after our internalizing and living out His ways more than keeping the rules which breed pride within us.
WHAT IS AN UNWORTHY MANNER?
Many of you I’m sure do not feel you measure up when it comes to living for the Lord. Guess what, you cannot measure up in your own strength. This is why salvation is God’s free gift. Those who believe stand faultless before God not because of what they have done. We have been made righteous through the shed blood of Christ.
Unworthy manner
Not concerned for the needs of your fellow believer
Habitual / willful sin
Fighting and at odds with others in the body
Matt. 5:23-24 NIV “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.
Partaking in an unworthy manner makes us guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. It places us on the side of those in the crowd who cried, crucify HIM!
Why do we get so upset when an American Flag or any other flag of one’s country is burned? Isn’t it just a piece of cotton? We know, however, that there is more behind what that symbol means.
Communion serves as a checkpoint, to weigh our relationship with the LORD and others in the Body of Christ.
REDEDICATE
1 Corinthians 11:29
For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body
of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself.
1 Cor. 11:29 NIV
This time is suppose to be a time that we recommit ourselves to the LORD making sure we are living the way HE wants us to live in the world.
THE LORD’S SUPPER REVEALS MANY TRUTHS ABOUT OUR WALK WITH CHRIST
WE LOOK BACK – (Remembering the Death of Christ for our sins)
WE LOOK IN – (Self-examination)
WE LOOK UP – (Communion and Fellowship with God)
WE LOOK AROUND – (Our fellowship with God gives sweet fellowship with others)
WE LOOK FORWARD – (Christ will return any time for us – Perhaps Today)
WE LOOK OUTWARD – (To Proclaim the Gospel)
Six points were gleaned from Michael Green
Concerning Communion:
It is imperative that we keep on doing this in remembrance of Jesus
The Duration = Until He comes
Frequency = Whenever you do it
The focus is Jesus and our relationship to HIM and with others
Remember
Rejoice
Repent
Rededicate
“Examine your motives, test your heart,
come to this meal in holy awe.”
The Message
