Billions and Billions Served
1 Cor. 10:14-22
June 4, 2006 FBC, Chester Mike Fogerson, Pastor
I Introduction
A Sermonspice video or signing of "How Beautiful"
B Special occasions in our lives are marked by special meals
1 Birthdays, Thanksgiving, Easter, Christmas, anniversaries, funerals.
a Over the last month, several people have had funerals at the church
b At service time, the church smelled of bacon fat which made me salivate like Pavlov’s dog
c Couldn’t wait to hear, "come to the table!"
2 This morning, Jesus has set His table & is inviting us, "come to My table"
3 Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. 15 I speak as to wise men; you judge what I say. 16 Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ? 17 Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one bread. 18 Look at the nation Israel; are not those who eat the sacrifices sharers in the altar? 19 What do I mean then? That a thing sacrificed to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? 20 No, but I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God; and I do not want you to become sharers in demons. 21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. 22 Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? We are not stronger than He, are we? 1 Cor 10:14-22 (NASB)
C As we come to His table, there are several things we need to bring with us.
Let’s look at these things as we allow the Holy Spirit to prepare our hearts as we come to the table that has been shared by billions & billions of believers through the ages.
II Before we sit down, we need to have clean hands.
A In 1992, I was working at a NAPA store in Centralia.
1 A man who worked for the garbage disposal (Triple T) would come in for parts with grease-caked hands.
a I saw him at Wendy’s one day on my lunch hour, eating a burger.
b His hands were dirty, & the bun had stripes of grease where his fingers had touched the bun.
2 Before we eat, most of us wash up first if we’ve been in the garden, garage, skinning a deer or cleaning fish.
B The Bible tells us to examine our lives before receiving communion.
1 As we examine our hearts, we may find things that need to be confessed, cleaned up.
a We come to Jesus with remorse/repentance & He gives us forgiveness/restoration & an invitation to His table.
b Every time, that’s what He gives.
2 Some people get so burdened by their sins, they figure God deems them unworthy, & they pass the plate on down.
a None of us are worthy, but if we’ve trusted Christ, He makes us worthy.
b He invites/authorizes us to come to the table.
TS: Clean hands are the beginning, but there’s more.
III Before dining, we also need a great appetite.
A A rookie mistake that is often made by minor-league eaters is the "salad and breadstick error."
1 Fill up on appetizers before the main dish shows up (good stuff).
a We get filled up on "junk" so that we have no appetite for the good stuff.
b Secret? Pass on the salad/breadsticks/poppers/blooming onion.
2 That way, you can enjoy the steak, pasta, etc. (good stuff)
B 21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons.
1 God offers us a meal that will satisfy us spiritually.
a Bread/cup won’t fill you up physically.
b Spiritually...bursting at the seams.
2 If we fill up on the junk food of sin, we will not have an appetite for the banquet God has prepared.
3 God wants us to eat at His table exclusively. 22 Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? We are not stronger than He, are we?
a My Nana used to own a restaurant & if her family ate anywhere else she felt disappointed, hurt.
b She wanted them at her table, bring their friends, tell others to come to her table.
c God is a jealous God!
aa No substitutes. He demands our loyalty
bb No junk food, no eating at other tables.
IV When dining, we also need time to enjoy the meal.
A I’ve read that Burger King & McDonald’s intentionally install uncomfortable seats in order to get you out of the restaurant to make room for the next person.
1 Europe is different, they want you to linger.
a You sit down, and the table is yours for as long as you want it (waiters aren’t slow...just don’t want to rush you).
b We as Americans are used to "eat it & beat it"
2 Sometimes we get into such a hurry, we inhale our meal so we can go do something else.
B The Lord’s Supper should be lingered over
1 We need to savor the moment, reflect, & remember.
a When the bread is in your hand, what is on your mind?
b When the cup is in your hand, what is on your mind?
2 When we come to the Lord’s table, our spiritual meal should be the focus of why we’re here.
TS: Clean hands, good appetite, time to enjoy the meal...
V When we come to the table, harmony is important.
A Most of us have been at a meal where the dinner conversation turned controversial.
1 Religion & politics are banned subjects at many supper tables.
a Not everyone has the same view
b The enjoyment of the meal was lost.
2 We can’t expect everyone in our congregation to agree on every issue, but we are expected to get along! 17 Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one bread.
a I’ve taken communion besides all kinds of Christians (Lutherans, Catholics, Assemblies, 80 different Baptists...)
b We didn’t all agree on all the doctrine/dogma surrounding the Lord’s Supper.
aa Nature of the elements (Trans, sub, consub)
bb How often to receive
cc Some had the tradition of coming forward, staying in pews, kneeling.
c What we did agree on was our unity in Christ.
B What united us was greater than what divided us.
1 There are certain things/hills to die on
a The divinity of Christ, cross, empty tomb, inerrancy of Scripture,
b No compromise
2 There are non-essential doctrines/traditions that should not be seen as hills to die on.
a When we treat our traditions as though they are the only way to do things...we become like the Pharisees.
b It’s not about us, them-it’s about You, Jesus!
TS: Clean hands, good appetite, time to enjoy, harmony
VI We also need to be grateful for the meal!
A Those who prepared the meal appreciate being told that people enjoyed their meal.
1 Apron that says "Kiss the cook"
a When someone asks you, "How did you like the meal?", they’re fishing for gratitude.
b We should be grateful, not take the meal for granted.
2 Appreciate the cost of the meal, too.
a Jesus has prepared a meal for us that cost Him His life.
b Have you ever told a deacon "thanks" for taking the time to prepare our communion table?
c Why not?
B Even more, we should appreciate the sacrifice of our Savior, otherwise we miss the whole point of this meal.
VI Conclusion
Notice to Sermon Central Users:
My name is Mike Fogerson, and I pastor a Southern Baptist Church in Chester, Illinois. I have been a long-time user of Sermon Central and truly appreciate its content and contributors. Some of the best sermons I’ve ever preached have been reworked material from this website. As you use the material from my sermon bank, understand that it is work that has been done from not just myself, but from hundreds of other pastors as well. If you see part of your message, or a bunch of your message with my name on it and this upsets you, please email me and I will quickly respond and cite you as the main source. My intent is not to claim someone’s work as my own. I am disclaiming up front that I use the resources from Sermon Central and appreciate the tool. I simply want all those who use my work to know that some of these messages were inspired by the Holy Spirit working through other pastors. Because I do use the messages of other pastors I waive all claims of originality or origin of creativity for the messages posted under my messages. I pray God blesses your preaching ministry for the glory of His Kingdom.
Respectfully,
Mike Fogerson
