COMMUNION
1 Corinthians 11:23-34
Intro
We do this twice a month
But we’ve not stopped to really reflect on what we are doing – what the bible says about communion
Once after a church service a woman’s son had complained to her that the adults had all been given a snack, but none had been given to the little children.
At first she was unsure of what he was thinking, but when she asked she discovered that he had seen the adults being taking bread and wine and simply assumed it was a snack.
The reason Paul was writing about this in his letter was that the Corinthians had allowed the other festivities of the day to crowd out the meaning and purpose of the Lord’s Supper.
They had lost the point of the meaning a this simple meal - which was not about eating and drinking, but primarily remembering!
Paul talks of examining our selves before we partake in communion -
So let’s do just that . . .
You know, our story started and ended with a simple meal
The start of our story.
First - Created . . . . Man in His image
Second - Given community
- companionship
- can work for good
- serve,
encourage,
fun together
but being with others can also pull us down.
Gen. 2:17 15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”
“Don’t take and eat - just this one fruit from this one tree. if you do you will die.”
Now this is not like the poison apple given to Snow White.
It’s not the apple - it’s the disobedience.
“You’ve got it ALL!!! - everything is yours, But in order to give you freedom, you have to have choice; so here’s the deal. Have it all, but leave that one tree.”
And you know what it’s like.
I say to you, “Think about anything, but do not think about a bar of milk chocolate. Anything - but don’t imagine a bar of milk chocolate.”
And what happens?
Or when you come back tonight and we talk about communion and what I said this morning, just forget I mentioned that I’ve got a blue belly button. Don’t think about it, ok?
Remember everything else I said this morning, but please not the blue belly button”
I can guarantee tonight there will be one thing you will remember from this morning, What?
So Adam was told, “Everything is yours to eat, but don’t eat from the tree of knowledge between good and evil - got it?”
Its the one thing God said, “don’t take and eat.”
So what did he do? He ate it!!!!
But by doing so, it brought sin into our lives.
It’s interesting then, that at the Last Supper, Jesus breaks bread, which represents His body on the cross, and he freely gives it out saying, -
Matt. 26 26 , “Take and eat; this is my body.”
It started with the “First Adam” given the choice, chose to ignore God
Romans 5 12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned
Given the choice, we often ignore God’s counsel and go our own way.
Oh - We know best.
Eating fruit is good or you!
And we pick it!
Romans 3: 23 for ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God
But, as I’ve said before, we can’t go judging others, because we are climbing the same fruit tree.
Cant say “I was putting it back!”
The bible openly declares it - we have ALL sinned and fall short.
fall short of the pass mark. = 100% purity.
So we have all sinned, and the bottom line of that is:
Romans 6 23 For the wages of sin is death,
Sin has consequences - and any impurity in us means we cannot be in God’s presence - heaven. . . . .
but the gift of God is eternal life in[b] Christ Jesus our Lord.
We have a marvellous gift - eternal life - in other words - God has given us the gift of being in His presence - even though we do not deserve to be in it.
why?
1 Cor 5:7b Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed
The very reason Jesus and the disciples were meeting in the Upper Room was to Celebrate Passover - the time when death passed over God’s people, because they put blood from a sacrificed lamb on the door posts.
Romans 8:1 – 8:2 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you[a] free from the law of sin and death.
Did you catch the main headline on this news? You and I are FREE.
1 Cor 15
45 The first man was named Adam, and the Scriptures tell us that he was a living person. But Jesus, who may be called the last Adam, is a life-giving spirit. 46 We see that the one with a spiritual body did not come first. He came after the one who had a physical body.
See, It started off badly with us humans making a mess of it.
- The “first Adam” taking and eating what he should not have.
But the “last Adam” – JC, made the sacrifice and now we can “take eat” of the bread and wine to remember with thanksgiving.
Romans 10 9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.
So declare with your mouth: “Jesus is Lord!”
But saying it is one thing; meaning it is another.
Do you believe that with all your heart? J = Lord
Then, Come to the table of mercy
Jesus is Lord - He has offered forgiveness to you through His death.
BUT (Matt 5:23):
23 “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you,24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.
How can you come and remember, and be thankful for your forgiveness, if you still haven’t forgiven others?
“Forgive, as I forgive”
The Gospel – the Good News is = Very good news!
