1 Cor. 10:14-22
“Come to the Table”
Introduction
A. The other day Connie, Rick, Will, and Beth were in the parking lot hooking up a trailer to pull Will’s truck with Beth’s truck so that they could would only have to drive one vehicle rather then 2
B. As always the wires for a trailer were being a little ornery
C. So we were trying to figure out what to use to get them to work
D. If we had this one type of wire connector that would work real good, but we didn’t
E. So we thought about what we did have here at the church.
F. Foil, wrapped a little foil around it and bam it worked perfectly
G. Now lets think about this, why do we have foil at the church
H. Well if someone get married what do we do? Have a party with food
I. Someone dies? Have a meal after the funeral
J. New members? Have a reception with food
K. Annual Meeting? Lunch afterwards
L. Special event? We have food
M. Try to reach out to our community? There is usually food involved
N. Men’s Bible study just finished their study of being wild at heart, so what are we going to do on May 22nd? Celebrate! How are we going to celebrate it? With food!
O. We are going to Ci Ci’s
P. Food, dinners, that is something should understand here at Bakerstown Alliance
Q. We should know what we need to bring to the table
R. Today we are going to use are knowledge of what to bring to the table and apply it to what we are to bring to the Lord’s Table
I. Clean Hands
A. Illustration
1. Kid’s are dirty
2. No matter what a kid does, he will be dirty
3. I don’t know how it happens but all kids get dirty
4. So being a good parents what do ask your kids before they sit down at the table
B. Explanation
5. Good. Wash your hands
6. It is a federal law that Employees who handle food must wash there hands before they serve your food
7. That is because your hands can carry bacteria that will cause you to get sick or die
8. Therefore we wash our hands before we come to a table
C. Application
9. Now how do we apply this to the “Lord’s Supper”
10. We should not be approaching the Lord’s Table with dirty hands
11. When we look at verse 27 – 28 we fall into two different categories
12. Category #1 we approach the table with a non chalant attitude
a) No big deal, no thought of what it means, no examination of our lives
b) Just like we own it and deserve it for some reason
c) We are to examine ourselves before the communion making sure that there is not the uncunfessed sins living inside of us
13. Category #2 we don’t approach the table at all
a) We did the self examination, and we realize we are not worthy
b) We have sinned, we do not deserve to be participate in the Lord’s supper
c) That is true none of us are worthy by ourselves
d) But if we have trusted Christ as our savior, then we are eligible
e) We are authorized to come to the table
II. Good Appetite
A. Illustration
1. My mother has ruined a lot of fun in my life
2. There is something that she instilled in me that I can not get over
3. The all famous “no dessert until you eat all your food”
4. I remember being down at Toccoa getting ready to eat my dessert first, knowing that my mom was 650 miles away
5. I just couldn’t do it, all four years of being down there I had to eat my other food before I ate my dessert
B. Explanation
6. If you are going to someone else’s house for supper you better have an appetite
7. If you are invited to someone’s house for supper an 1 hr before you are supposed to be there you have a 20oz coke a bag of chips, a full box of little Debbie’s, you will not have an appetite
8. you will have a little appetite for good stuff
9. Take a look at 1 Cor 10:21 (Read it)
10. That cup of demons is the junk food
C. Application
11. Applying these concept to our lives we need to realize something here
12. God offers us a substantive meal – granted the little bit of bread and the little bit of grape juice will not fill us up physically
13. They will fill our spiritual hunger
14. When we stuff ourselves with the junk food of sin, we loose our appetite for the banquet of God has prepared for us
15. Taste and see that Lord is good (Psalm 34:8)
D. Illustration #2
16. Dr. Leroy Creasy of Cornell university has identified a chemical in gapes that reduces the risk of heard disease
17. He reports that grape juice lowers cholesterol and cleanses the heart of life threatening impurities
18. At the Lord’s table grape juice represents the blood of Christ, which cleanses our spiritual hearts of sin’s deadly effects
19. What are you filling your body with, the junk of sin, or the cleansing power of blood of Christ?
20. Remember what Jesus promises in Matthew 5:6 (Read)
III. Enjoy the Moment
A. Explanation
1. Ok, lets get started I have a lot to do today
2. After we are done eating I have to go here
3. And then go here
4. Talk to this person
5. Do that
6. Do this,
7. Lets get this over with
B. Application
8. Isn’t that how we approach meals these days?
9. WE are on the go. Too busy to stop and enjoy the food
10. Don’t believe me look at the number of fast food restraints we have
11. The other week the deaconess prepared a meal for people under 40 and we had this dinner at my house
12. The food was wonderful, but you want to know the best part about the whole meal
13. We sat at the table for 2 ½ hrs enjoying the moment
14. None of this eat an run, no hurry up and get on with the show
15. We enjoyed the moment
C. Illustration
16. How are you going to the Lord’s Table?
17. Are you looking at your watch, wondering when this will be over, wandering when you can get out of here to do this and that and the other thing
18. You know what we are really hurting in this area as a church
19. We come here with a fast food mentality, maybe we should start a drive through service
20. I do not think that is what God had in mind,
21. Before we come to the table, and church for that matter, let us be prepared to enjoy the moment
IV. Harmony
A. Illustration
1. So where you watching the news today, did you here what Bush said about Social Security
2. What a messed up plan
3. What you don’t like that plan
4. I think it is stupid
5. It is the greatest plan
6. It will not work
7. And so begins table explosion
B. Explanation
8. Not everyone here will agree on every issue, God makes us different, we are not the same people
9. We cant expect to have everyone here to have the same view on every issues
10. But we are expected to get along
11. In I Cor 10:17 we see that there is one loaf, we are one body
12. Conflict tension, disharmony, can and do ruin a perfectly good meal
13. One thing that we don’t bring to this Lord’s table is divisiveness
C. Application
14. Have you ever wondered why we all eat the bread and drink the cup at the same time
15. It is not so you will be listening to what I say before we take it
16. It is to represent unity
17. What unites must be greater then what divides us
V. Grateful Attitude
A. Explanation
1. I have discovered something to be true in my life and I wonder if you have found this to be true in your life
2. Food taste better when I don’t have to cook
3. I am not saying that I am not a good cook, when I cook and Heather sits down to enjoy the meal that I made, she will often say something like “you are better cook then me”
4. I do not think that I am, I think it is the fact that she did not have to cook it
5. When someone prepares a meal for you, what is your attitude like?
6. I know when I cook for Heather, I really desire a “Yumm” “this taste great” “wow, that’s good stuff”
7. You have seen the apron that says “kiss the cook”, I think that is very appropriate when we are talking about the Lord’s supper
B. Application
8. What type of attitude do you have towards the Lord’s supper
9. God did a lot more then slave over a hot stove for this supper
10. He had his body beaten and broken to prepare this meal for you
11. Kiss the cook
12. We kiss the cook to let the cook know that we appreciate what the cook has done for us
13. The cook is Jesus, have you kissed Jesus
14. Have you told him thanks for the meal
15. Have you expressed your appreciation for his willingness to provide this meal
16. Or as we are all guilty of doing, take it for granted?
C. Illustration
VI. Loyalty
A. Explanation
1. My parents about once a week go to “Rainbow Garden” located by Home Depot
2. The really like the food and the price of the restaurant
3. After going there every week for a while the owners started to recognize them
4. Because the owners value there support, Nearly every time that they are there the owner will come out with a fresh batch of chience doughnuts, for free!
5. The owner rewards their loyalty
B. Application
6. So where does your loyalty lie?
7. Is it in idols, or is God
8. We serve a jealous God
9. He gets upset when we do not remain loyal
10. So are we trying to get him Jealous by not giving him are loyalty?
11. You are sitting there and saying well we don’t have “idolatrous practices” today
12. But that is not the case
13. The mere definition of idolatry is trusting anything else for what God alone provided
14. When we put something, someone a head of God, we have made it an Idol
15. When we are partaking of Communion, we are saying that we are undivided in our commitment to Christ
16. That He is our top priority
17. He is a chief concern
C. Illustration
18. How many of you have experienced something like this in the last week?
19. You get home, and you want to talk to your spouse, you don’t really have anything that has to be decided right then and there, you just want to spend that time with your spouse and enjoy each other
20. And there is your spouse, watching TV, be districted by something else and not giving you that loyalty, that undivided attention, that commitment
21. I know Heather has experienced that this week, Cause I know I was not giving her that undivided attention,
22. Heather I am sorry for that
23. But how often do we do that same thing to God
24. We get so distracted, that we do not give God our undivided attention
25. How many times have you sat there holding the cup waiting for everybody to partake in unity only to be thinking of what you are going to do when you get home
26. Undivided attention, loyalty
27. Can you give that attention to God?
Conclusion
A. So here we sit, at the Lord’s Supper
B. And the burning question on our heart should be this
C. “I’m I ready to eat the Lord’s Supper?”
D. You must ask yourself
a. Are my hands clean?
b. How’s my appetite?
c. Can I sit and enjoy the moment?
d. I’m I Living in Harmony
e. Do I have a grateful attitude towards the Lord’s supper
f. Where does my loyalty lie
E. These are the questions you need to ask yourself every time you go to the Lord’s table
F. Athletes are some of the strangest people you will ever meet
G. They all have their different warm up routines
a. Some run really hard to get their blood pumping, others don’t run at all
b. Some talk and shout and get all pumped up that way, others refuse to speak and just stare
c. Everyone does it different
H. I am not going to tell you how to prepare, you do what you have to be ready
I. We are going to do a new song, some of you might need to ignore it and get yourself prepared that way
J. Others might want to listen intently and use it as your preparation for the Lord’s supper
K. Some of you, and I honestly hope and desire this to be true, came prepared, if that is you, listen to the song and join in praising God
L. Are you ready to come to the Table this morning?
