Remember The Lord

Remember the Lord ( 1 Cor. 11:23–34 ) TLC Nov. 3, 2002

The passage we are dealing with this morning concerns the Lord’s Supper. The last part of verse 24 says, “this do remembrance of me.” It appears here according to our text, that it is possible for Christians to forget Christ. In fact, the Lord does not just suppose that it might happen, He is saying, do this so that you will remember me. In other words, he is saying, you will forget me. I’m mighty afraid this morning that we all too often forget about the Lord. We forget about him when we wake up in the morning, We forget about him when we lay down at night. We forget about him when we set down to eat a meal. Often times we forget about him on Sunday mornings when it’s time to be in the house of prayer.

It seems impossible that those who have been bought by the blood of the Lamb could ever forget the One that paid the price for our sins. It seems almost possible for those who have been born again and baptized with his precious Holy Ghost could forget about the one who died for us and the one who set you free. I’m glad this morning that even if we so often forget Him, he never forgets us. He promised us that he will never leave us, nor forsake us.

Not only do we forget Christ, but it is easier for us to remember almost anything else but Christ. We remember what happened yesterday in the news. Some of us can remember word for word the conversation that we had with a brother or sister this week. We can remember what time our favorite t.v. programs comes on. We can remember all kinds of gossip. Our young folk can remember a rap song word for word, but if you ask them to remember their multiplication tables… If you ask them to remember a bible verse….

As a bible believing church, we are to recognize two ordinances established by Jesus Christ for His people to observe: (1) baptism and the (2) The Lord’s Supper. (The Supper is also called The Communion). Jesus Christ took the cup and the loaf and transformed them into a meaningful spiritual experience for believers. The value of the experience of taking communion depends on the condition of the heart. If your heart ain’t right, you ought not to participate. If you have an ought against your brother or sister, you need to reconcile with them before you partake of the Lord’s supper. This was the problem at the church of Corinth. They were coming together to eat of the Lord’s supper, but their heart was not right.

It is a serious thing to come to the Communion with an unprepared heart. It is also a serious thing to receive the Supper in a careless manner. Paul says that whosoever eateth and drinketh unworthily eateth and drinkest damnation to his own soul, not diserning the Lord’s Body.

Because the Corinthians had been sinning in their observing of the Lord’s Supper, God had disciplined them. Paul said, “For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep which means have died.”

When we celebrate the Lord’s Supper we are actually remembering the Passover: The Passover was established to commemerate the children of Israel being freed from slavery:

Israel was in slavery in Egypt.

God brought 10 plagues on Egypt because of their treatment of Israel.

Pharaoh wouldn’t listen.

The last plague was the death angel that killed all of the first born in Egypt.

God told Moses to put blood on the doorposts of all Israelite houses to keep the death angel away.

That night they were to have their feast in celebration of their deliverance the next day from Egypt.

Today when we celebrate the communion we celebrate, not the deliverance from Egypt, but the deliverance from death and sin. We celebrate that we were on our way to hell, but Jesus picked us up and turned us around. We celebrate because it was Amazing Grace how sweet the sound that saved a wreck like me. I once was lost, but not I’m found, was blind but now I see. We celebrate because he lives, we can face tomorrow, we celebrate because he lives all fear is gone. We celebrate because he lives, our life is worth the living, because he lives.

In the text, we find Paul, who is speaking to the Church at Corinth, about the Lord’s Supper. The Lord’s Supper is a time of examination. The key here is that we must examine ourselves and not one another. We must discern the body. Whenever you see the word Discern this morning, I want you to define it as RECOGNIZE. Why must we recognize? Well how can we confess a sin we haven’t recognized as sin? If I didn’t recognized you, one would say I’ve overlooked you. Once a sin is overlooked, in our minds it can be classified as accepted behavior. And If it is classified as acceptable behavior, we will not turn away from it. It is overlooked sin that is destroying the world.