Communion: A Time to Look…
1 Corinthians 11:23-32
August 9, 2009
NOTE: THE ME/WE/GOD/YOU/WE FORMAT IS FROM ANDY STANLEY’S BOOK, "COMMUNICATING FOR A CHANGE."
NOTE: MUCH OF WHAT I SHARE IN THIS MESSAGE IS FROM "THE NIV APPLICATION COMMENTARY."
Me: Most of you know that before coming to this church, I served as the temporary pastor at our Bristol church.
When the District Superintendent called to see if I was willing to serve, he mentioned that it had been about a year since they had been served Communion.
In the Wesleyan Church, we’re required to have Communion at least quarterly, and more often as each church decides.
Anyway, I had just begun my ministerial studies and had no idea how to serve Communion.
In fact, because I was just getting started and wasn’t yet a licensed minister, I didn’t think I was even allowed to serve Communion.
But, Rev. Smith assured me that he would take care of that, and that the church in Bristol was more than willing to take Communion from me.
And in the back of my mind, I was going, “So? What’s the big deal if you miss Communion once in a while?”
Well, I came to find out that it really is a big deal.
Not because our salvation hinges on it, because it doesn’t.
But because this sacrament has tons of meaning attached to it, and for the serious follower of Jesus, it’s not something to just be blown off.
And truth be told, until that time I was generally of the opinion that Communion was something I could take or leave and it wouldn’t bother me either way.
We: And so as I was praying about how to approach this message about Communion, I got the idea that it might be a good for us if we all examined just how we approach it.
And maybe we’ll all walk out of here today with a fresh perspective, or at least a reinforcing of a perspective you’ve held onto for years.
God: Communion is also called the Lord’s Supper, of course. I prefer Communion because the “supper” was actually a Passover meal during which Jesus gave us the sacrament of Communion.
There are three “directions” with which we can look at Communion, according to 1 Corinthians 11:23-32 –
Verses 23-25 give us the first way to look at communion:
23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night 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, 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."
Communion is a time to look…
> Backward.
Communion is a time of remembrance of a couple things:
First, it’s a reminder that God has always been there to deliver His people, even before the Passover that Jesus was celebrating and about to fulfill.
Adam and Eve had to have the blood of an animal spilled out to provide skins to cover their sin and shame.
Noah and his family were delivered during God’s judgment on earth.
The Hebrews, of course, were delivered out of bondage and slavery during the first Passover – when God’s angel passed over those who had the blood of the lamb of goat on their door frames.
And there have been other times when God delivered His people, all looking forward to the day when Jesus would bring the ultimate deliverance by shedding His blood on the cross for you and me.
And that’s the second thing to remember: God’s ultimate deliverance from sin and its penalty, as well as its power over us if we’ll choose to live in Him.
Because of what Jesus did for us on the cross, we no longer have to be slaves to sin. Because of the new covenant of life that He brought, we can break the chains that hold us slaves to sin.
When we share in Communion, we proclaim not just His death, but everything His death brought – salvation, cleansing from sin, the breaking of sin’s power over us, the promise of eternal life when we die, and the promise of a full life on earth while we live.
Communion is a time to look backward – and to say, “Thank You, Lord.”
Verse 26 tells us direction we can look:
26For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
This verse tells that Communion is a time to look…
> Forward.
The Scriptures say that Jesus is coming back some day. Not just this Scripture, but many, and even Jesus Himself said so.
He’s going to come back to judge all peoples. He’s coming to establish His kingdom once and for all, and to establish the fact that He is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.
And He’s going to celebrate a sweet Communion with us as well.
Back in Matthew 26, Jesus said:
“I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father’s kingdom.”
When that time comes, we’ll be in the presence of God – away from the trauma and the turmoil and the troubles of this earth.
Because of what Jesus did on the cross, and what He did three days later, we face an eternity beyond our imagination in terms of how wonderful and perfect it will be.
Even you perfectionists have no idea how wonderfully perfect it will be.
So when we take Communion, we look forward to sharing it with Jesus someday.
Communion is a time to look forward – and say, “Come soon, Lord.”
Let’s look at verses 27-32 to get the last direction with which we should look at Communion.
27 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. 28 A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30 That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. 31 But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment. 32 When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world.
Any guesses where we should look, according to this passage?
> Inward.
Communion is to be celebrated carefully and entered into with spiritual readiness.
We can’t rush into it without thinking about and reflecting on its meaning. When we rush into it like that, we’re treating the symbols of Christ’s sacrifice irreverently.
And while there’s nothing particularly special about a little unleavened bread and grape juice, we need to keep in mind that these symbols represent something very real in Jesus’ sacrifice.
When we don’t, we become guilty of sinning against the body and blood of Jesus. That’s pretty serious, wouldn’t you say?
The very nature of Communion calls for introspection. So we’re told to examine ourselves.
No one should take Communion who has not accepted Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross for salvation.
Neither should they come to the table angry with others, or with known but unrepented sin in their lives.
Coming to the Lord’s table “in an unworthy manner” means to come without a solemn understanding of what is being remembered, and without a repentant and humble spirit before the Lord.
Communion is a serious business.
The seriousness of the matter is revealed in Paul’s words about those who actually brought God’s judgment on themselves, resulting in sickness and even death for some.
This was a disciplinary judgment, not an eternal one, but obviously it was pretty severe.
Now, the idea isn’t to have people approach Communion freaked out that if they don’t do it just right that God’ll strike them down.
But we need to realize the Lord’s Supper is not to be taken lightly; this new covenant cost Jesus his life.
It is not a meaningless ritual, but a sacrament given by Christ to help strengthen believers’ faith.
Communion is a time to look inward – and say, “Cleanse me, Lord.”
You: So we come to communion with a few things to think about.
And I’m guessing that all of us found something for us to ponder as we get ready to take Communion here in just a few moments.
Maybe you’ve never really thought of Communion in any of these ways before, or you’ve never really allowed the occasion to force you to look backward, forward, or inward, at least not in an intentional way.
So today, let me just invite you to take one of these ways and focus on that as move on to our Communion time.
Some of you should look back in gratitude for the sacrifice that we symbolize during this time, intentionally thanking Jesus for the price He paid for your forgiveness, to give you a home in heaven.
Others of you may want to take Communion with a sense of anticipation to that day when you will share it with Jesus Himself in the Father’s kingdom.
And if that’s you, I pray that the joy of that thought will linger with you for a loooonggg time.
And still others will need to spend more time looking inward, asking the Lord to reveal anything in your life that needs to be repented of.
Maybe it’s something that you knew was sin, but you’ve tried to convince yourself that it’s no big deal. But…you know it’s sin and you need to repent of it.
It could be that you’re holding a grudge against someone, and you’ve allowed it to grow into bitterness. Scripture says we’re supposed to get rid of that. Today would be a good day to do that.
Maybe you put yourself and your agenda ahead of Christ and His agenda. You decided that you and your preferences were more important than the peace and unity of the church.
The Bible calls that sin. And it needs to be repented of before coming to Communion.
Or maybe it’s just an attitude that you don’t feel you need to follow Christ, in spite of His love and sacrifice for you.
In any case, can you be brave enough to pray the prayer of the psalmist in Psalm 139 –
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 24 See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
And if He brings something to mind, confess it as sin and accept His forgiveness for it.
Then you can approach the Lord’s table in Communion in a worthy manner.
We: Folks, let’s be people who take the sacrament of Communion seriously. With joy, but with humility and godly sorrow for our sins which caused Christ to have to die on our behalf.
Communion
We’ve been talking about how to look at Communion, but I need to take a moment and address who is “qualified” to take Communion.
Communion is for those who are both believers in Jesus and at peace with others, as much as it depends on them.
In other words, if you have accepted for yourself what Jesus did on the cross on your behalf, and have done all you can to have good relationships with those around you, you are welcome to share Communion with us.
You don’t have to be a Wesleyan. You simply need to be a believer and follower of Jesus who is in good relationship with others.
Parents, if your children have put their faith in Christ and you think they have a good grasp on what Communion is about, they may take Communion if you want to allow it.
Closing chorus
Normally I like to close with a song that’s kind of upbeat, but today I want us to close with the song we used as our prayer chorus – “I’m Forever Grateful.”
