1 CORINTHIANS 11
6 Outlines
1 Corinthians 11:23-32
LOOK!
We are celebrating the Lord’s Table. There is a certain way we
should approach the Lord’s Table. When we
come to the Lord’s Table, we are to look!
LOOK BACKWARD – Vss. 23-25
There were some irregularities in the way the Corinthians
were celebrating the Lord’s Table. The behavior of at least some was taking
away from the spiritual importance of the Lord’s Table. So, Paul finds it necessary to review his
teaching in this area.
The first thing that we are to do is to look backward to what
Christ has done for us.
Vs. 23 – Paul had received his instruction from the Lord.
Paul takes us back to the same night that Jesus was betrayed.
The most tragic betrayal in all history, the Son of God betrayed
by a disciple, took place that night.
And yet Jesus looked beyond this terrible event and instituted the
memorial we call “The Lord’s Table”, or “The Lord’s Supper”, or Communion.
The Lord Jesus took bread. It would have been unleavened bread,
because it was the Passover.
Vs. 24 – Jesus was talking symbolically when he lifted up the bread
and said “This is my body.” The bread should
prompt us to remember that Jesus’ body was broken that we might have
forgiveness of sin and eternal life. Isaiah 52:14, Isaiah 53:3-6
We look backward and remember the body that was broken for us
and:
We remember the beatings to the face and whipping of the back.
We remember the crown of thorns on the head, the nails in the
hands and feet, and the spear in the side.
We remember the insults hurled at him while He hung on the
cross.
We look backward and remember thankfully all that He suffered
for us.
Vs. 25 – Jesus also took the cup in the same manner.
The blood is
the new agreement, or covenant, or
testament in His blood.
Blood has always been God’s requirement for a sacrifice for
sin. What was new was that this sacrifice
paid in full for all sins and there was no more need for anymore blood
sacrifices.
1 Peter 1:18-19
Again this partaking of the cup was to be “in remembrance” of
Him.
The price is paid for our sin. Remembering in detail helps us look backward and to be thankful for what God through His
Son has done for us.
LOOK BACKWARD – Vss. 23-26
LOOK FORWARD – Vs. 26
Vs. 26 – Please note the word “shew” means
to proclaim or preach.
When you take of the bread and the cup you are preaching!
You are preaching your own faith in the sufficiency of the
broken body of Christ and the shed blood of Christ to pay for you sins. You are making a statement of faith!
That’s why we say that if you are not sure that you have forgiveness
of sins and eternal life based on faith in Christ alone, do not take of the
Lord’s Table. Let the bread and the cup pass by. Ephesians 2:8-9
Every time you take of the bread and of the cup you are
preaching his death.
How long are we to do this preaching?
We are to do it until He comes!
In fact Jesus made an interesting statement in Matthew 26:29 - But I say unto you, I will not drink
henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with
you in my Father's kingdom.
Here is the forward look!
As we take of the bread and the cup now, we look forward to partaking of
the bread and the cup in the future when Jesus comes and establishes His
Kingdom. That is a wonderful thing to look forward to.
In fact we are to eagerly look forward to his return for us as
the church Titus 2:13
So we don’t only look backward to the cross when we partake in
the Lord’s Table, but we look forward to Jesus coming again.
LOOK INWARD – Vss. 27-32
Vs. 27 – We are confronted with an extremely important challenge
in these verses. It is possible to eat and drink unworthily. Now first of all, we are all unworthy. Not
one of us deserves God’s grace or deserves that Jesus should die for them!
What is meant here is that we should not eat an unworthy
manner. Eating in an unworthy manner as
a believer would include:
·
Not taking the Bread and the Cup seriously.
·
Not actively thinking about what we are doing.
·
Allowing sin in our lives as the Corinthians did. Some of them
were guilty of gluttony and drunkenness.
Some Christians come to the table with unforgiving and bitter
hearts. Allowing unconfessed sin in the
life during communion is an affront to the one who paid for that sin!
How serious is this eating and drinking in an unworthy
manner? We become guilty of the body and
blood of Christ!
Vs. 29 – When we eat and drink in an unworthy manner we are
inviting God to discipline us. The word
“damnation” means judgment or chastisement. God judges and disciplines us, so
we will not be condemned with those who are not saved. See verse 32.
Vs. 30 – God judges some with weakness and sickness and even
many with death. God is not cruel, He is
holy and righteous. If we do not do what
is holy and righteous at the communion table, he will correct us.
Vs. 31 – The better alternative is for us to judge ourselves when we
come to the Lord’s Table. If we take
care of business, He doesn’t have to.
Vs. 28 – So we are to examine ourselves when we come to the Lord’s
Table. We are to look inward. I suggest that we:
·
Examine our MANNERS. Are
we thinking about the Lord Jesus and the sacrifice he made, is our mind
wandering?
·
Examine our MOTIVES. Is
our heart pure from all bitterness or any other sinful attitude?
·
Examine our METHODS. Is
the anything in our behavior that is displeasing to God?
Psalm 32:5 - I acknowledged my sin
unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my
transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgavest the
iniquity of my sin. Selah.
As we come to the Lord’s Table let us:
LOOK BACKWARD
LOOK FORWARD
LOOK INWARD
ALTERNATE OUTLINE:
THE BACKWARD LOOK
THE FORWARD LOOK
THE INWARD LOOK
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1 Corinthians 11:23-32
A COMMUNION MEDITATION
We must be careful that
the celebration of Communion, or The Lord's Table does
not become a routine addition to our church services without having any impact
on those who participate. It is good to remind our flocks of the importance of
The Lord's Table.
ELEMENTS AT THE LORD'S
TABLE - Vss. 23-25
The bread represents the
body of Christ that was broken.
The cup represents the
blood of Christ that was shed for our sins.
EXPLANATIONS CONCERNING
THE LORD'S TABLE - Vss. 26-27
First, Paul explains
that we are showing or preaching or proclaiming the Lord's death till He comes
back. Each one of us is preaching our
faith in the sacrificial death of Christ for our sins when we take of the bread
and the cup. It is the most important message that we will ever preach!
Second, Paul explains
that we should not partake of the elements in an unworthy manner.
We are all unworthy
because we are sinners.
An unworthy manner is
when we partake of the communion without being saved.
An unworthy manner is
when we partake of the communion with unconfessed sin in our lives.
An unworthy manner is
when we partake of the communion with out paying attention to what we are
doing.
An unworthy manner is
taking the bread and the cup lightly.
EXAMINATION AT THE
LORD'S TABLE - Vss. 28-32
Vs. 28 says that we
should examine ourselves before we partake of the Lord's Table. This concept
can be summed up with two words.
1. CONFESSION - Vs. 28 -
Sin is to be named and confessed to God. Psalm 32:5, 1 John 1:9
2. CHASTENING - Vss.
29-32 - The person who partakes of the Table without confession of sin is
inviting the judgment of God (The word damnation in vs. 29 means judgment.).
God disciplined many who took of the table in an unworthy way with an early
death (sleep). When we judge our own sins through confession, then God does not
have to discipline us.
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1 Corinthians 11:23-31
etc.
FELLOWSHIP AROUND THE
TABLE
There is nothing like
friends gathering around the table for food and
fellowship.
We can all remember
times of great fellowship gathered around the table.
A number of years ago a
tree jumped out into the road and hit me! :-)
This happened a few days
before Thanksgiving, and we could not go to our
family, but would have to eat alone.
As it turns out, we did
not eat alone. Some of our church friends, Bob and
Ann Smith,
was having a house full of company in her small trailer. Ann's
oven was not adequate, so we provided a larger home and the oven
for the
turkey. We pooled our resources and had a great meal. We got to
meet her
sister and brother in-law and four sons from
eating and fellowshipping with God's people.
Later, when my brother
moved to
these same people, Art and Lenore. Besides going to my brother's
house, we
also dropped in to see them because they lived not far away. We
had a
second good time of food and fellowship.
There was a third time
of fellowship with Lenore and her four boys.
Unfortunately, Art was
not there. He was tragically killed in an automobile
accident. Art's body was returned "home" to
and I officiated. We ate a funeral dinner together. I was able
to minister
to this family more effectively when the need came because we
had already
had fellowship around the table. I was now a friend.
Today we are gathered
for a more significant time of food and fellowship
than the one I just described. This is what we call "Holy
Communion" or "The
Lord's Table".
As we contemplate the
fellowship around the table this morning, we are
attempting to prepare our hearts for participation in this, the Lord's
Table. These remarks are made to stimulate our thinking and
sharpen our
awareness of what we are doing. As we prepare for fellowship around
the
table, I want us to consider five things:
THE PERFECT HOST - Luke
22:7-13
Whether you go to a
person's house there is a host, hostess, or both. These
are the providers of the feast, the ones who foot the bill for
the food, and
the ones who prepared the food or made sure it was prepared.
They are the
ones in charge.
There is such a thing as
the perfect host or hostess. One who does things
just right to make the meal go perfectly.
As we come before the
table this morning, I am not the host here. My wife
is not the hostess. The deacons and their wives are not the
hosts and
hostesses either.
We do have a perfect
host. The host is the Lord Jesus Christ.
Read Luke 22:7-13
It was the night before
the Jesus' death.
It was the Jewish feast
of the Passover.
Our Lord chose the place
for the meal, and our Lord's disciples prepared the
meal.
Read Luke 22:14-20
Notice that the Lord was
in charge of the meal. He was indeed the host.
Also notice that Jesus said
to do this in remembrance of him. Thus, the
Lord's table was instituted by Him as a way you and I can have a
memorial of
what He has done for us on the cross.
At this table today:
Our Lord is host because
He established the feast.
Our Lord is host because
He is being remembered.
Our Lord is host because
He provides the reason for the bread and the cup -
His death.
Our Lord is host because
He is right here with us. Matthew 18:20
There should not be
frivolity because He is here as Host and observer.
There should not be
impure thoughts because He is here and knows our
thoughts.
This should not be taken
lightly because the food, the bread and the cup,
are emblems of His body broken for our sins and His blood shed
for our sins.
This should not be done
with a wandering mind for that would be
disrespectful to our host.
THE PROPER ATTIRE
The Lord's table requires certain clothing. The Lord's table is not for
everyone.
Just as there is
required dress for a formal dinner, and a different type of
dress required at a picnic, there is proper attire to come before
the Lord
at His table.
The requirement is that
one is attired or dressed in righteousness before
God. You must be declared righteous before God.
This is difficult because
of our sin. Romans 3:23, Isaiah 64:6
How can we be clothed in
a garment of righteousness? Read and explain, Titus
3:5, Philippians 3:7-9,
and Romans 3:21-22.
In Matthew 22 our Lord
tells the story of a marriage feast. Many made
excuses for not coming, so the Lord sent his servants out into the
highways
and byways and compelled people to come. Evidently the Lord was
providing
the proper attire for those who would come in. And yet one man
did not put
on a wedding garment. He was sent out to punishment instead of
enjoying the
feast.
Jesus Christ has
provided the wedding garment for us. It is righteousness
based on faith in Him. Put on that garment. Be ready for Heaven
and then
come to the Lord's Table. Romans 5:1
THE PRESCRIBED GIFT - 1
Corinthians 11:27-31
Very often when we go to
someone's house we bring a gift. It might be candy,
flowers, or a little something for the hostess. Coming to a table
where the
Lord Himself has died to
declare us righteous, we might hesitate about
bringing a gift. What could we possibly bring to please this host?
1 Corinthians
Christians, who have on
the proper attire of righteousness to come with
clean hearts. Matthew 5:23-25,
1 Corinthians
unworthy, but to eat and drink in an unworthy manner is to come to
the
Lord's Table with
unconfessed sin or frivolity.
We must take action. 1
John 1:8-10
THE PREPARED MENU - 1
Corinthians 11:23-25
Just as there is a menu
of what you will serve when you have folks over for
dinner, there is a menu for the Lord's Table. Of course, the
purpose for
this table is not for the purpose of filling us up, but for
causing us to
reflect, and be thankful for what Jesus has done for us.
The bread is symbolic
for the body of our Lord Jesus Christ. It was the body
that was given for us.
The cup is symbolic for
the blood that was shed on our behalf. 1 Peter
1:18-19
THE PLANNED RESULT - Vs.
26
The planned result of
the Lord's table is that we will preach to others by
out actions.
Just about everything we
do preaches to others.
When you cheer for a
certain team, you "preach" what team you are for.
When you smile or make a
nasty face at the mention of someone's name you
"preach"
your feelings about that person.
Your good works and bad
works also "preach" what kind of a person you are.
The purpose of the
Lord's Table is to preach his death to others until Jesus
comes. The greatest message that you and I will ever preach is at
the
Lord's Table.
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1 Corinthians 11:23-32
NOT FOR GRANTED
(A SERMON FOR CELEBRATION OF THE LORD'S TABLE)
We take many things for
granted.
We flip a switch, and we
turn on a faucet and we take for granted that someone is providing us with
electricity and running water.
We go to McDonald's or
some other fast food restaurant and take for granted that someone has stocked
food and arranged for, and trained people to cook and serve it properly.
We come to church and
take for granted that the door is open, the church is clean, the bulletin is
typed, the lawn is mowed and that someone is there to
play the organ and/or piano.
We probably take parts
of the service for granted as well. We would miss the hymns if we didn't sing
them, but do we ever concentrate on worship as we sing? We would miss the Scriptures if they weren't
read, but do we try to get anything out of the Word while it is being read? We
would be upset if we didn't hear a Bible-based message, but is the preaching of
the Word viewed by us as something that will help change our lives, or mere
entertainment? How much of the worship service are we taking for granted?
Today we come to a
routine time in our worship. It is the time that we regularly come to the
communion table. We call the celebration
"Holy Communion" or "The Lord's Table". Do we take this
part of our service for granted, not paying much attention to our
responsibilities at the Lord's Table? Or
do we allow this time to really minister to our lives.
It is my prayer that the
verse by verse study of this passage will help us get more out of our
participation at the Lord's Table, and that we will not take the Lord's Table
for granted. As we 1 Corinthians
1. CELEBRATION OF THE
LORD'S TABLE IS A SACRED EVENT. Vs. 23
It was received "of the Lord".
2. CELEBRATION OF THE
LORD'S TABLE MEANS REMEMBERING THE LORD'S DEATH AND PROCLAIMING FAITH IN IT FOR
SALVATION. Vss. 24-26
3. THE BREAD AND THE CUP
REMIND US OF THE BROKEN BODY AND SHED BLOOD OF CHRIST. Vss. 24-25
4. EACH BELIEVER IS TO
EXAMINE HIMSELF BEFORE PARTAKING OF THE BREAD AND THE CUP. Vs. 27-28
5. THE LORD WILL CHASTEN
US IF WE PARTAKE OF THE LORD'S TABLE IN AN UNWORTHY MANNER. Vss. 29-32
There is a difference
between being unworthy (We all are!) and partaking in an unworthy manner. An
unworthy manner means I am partaking without confessing sin, or taking the
Lord's Table lightly.
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1 Corinthians 11:23-34
THE LORD’S TABLE
WHAT A SCENE! – Vss. 23-25
The first communion service is described.
WHAT A SERMON! – Vs. 26
When we take of the bread and the cup we proclaim His
death
WHAT A SCANDAL! – Vs. 27
We are all unworthy to partake of the bread and the
cup but are to do so anyway.
However, we take of the bread and the cup in an
unworthy manner, then it is sin!
WHAT A SEARCH! – Vs. 28
We are to examine ourselves before we partake of the
bread and the cup. 1 John 1:9
WHAT A SUMMARY! – Vss. 29-34
1. When we eat
and drink in an unworthy manner we are inviting judgment. Vs. 29
2. Judgment
includes sickness and death. Vs. 30
3. If we judge
ourselves before we partake of the Lord’s Table, God will not judge us. Vs. 31
4. When we are
judged it is because we are God’s children. Vs. 32
5. We are to be
very careful in our approach to the Lord’s Table. Vss. 33-34
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1 Corinthians 11:23-34
YOU ARE HERE (A communion meditation.)
As we gather around the Lord's table,
we often do not consider its significance. As you come to the table, you must remember
that you are here for a purpose.
YOU ARE HERE TO REMEMBER JESUS - Vss. 23-25
See Isaiah 53:4-8 and 1 Peter 1:18-19
YOU ARE HERE TO PREACH HIS DEATH - Vs. 26
The word "shew"
means to proclaim.
YOU ARE HERE TO EXAMINE YOURSELF - Vss. 27-34
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