In the following directive, I have no praise for you.
For your meeting, do more harm than good.
In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions
among you.
And to some extent, I believe it.
No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God's approval.
When you come together, it is not the Lord's supper you eat.
For as you eat, each of you goes ahead without waiting for anybody else.
One remains hungry, other gets drunk.
Don't you have homes to eat and drink in?
Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing?
What shall I say to you?
Shall I praise you for this?
Certainly not.
For I receive from the Lord what I also pass on to you.
The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he
broke it and said,
This is my body, which is for you.
Do this in remembrance of me.
In the same way, after supper, he took the cup, saying,
This cup is the new covenant in my blood.
Do this whenever you drink it in remembrance of me.
For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.
Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in the unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.
A man ought to examine himself before he eats the bread and drinks of the cup.
For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizes the body of the Lord, eats and drinks judgment on himself.
This is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep.
But if we judge ourselves, we will not come under judgment.
When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world.
So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for each other.
If anyone is hungry, he shall eat at home, so that when you meet together, it may not result in judgment.
And when I come, I will further directions.
Well, please keep your Bibles open at 1 Corinthians 11.
And we're going to be looking at verses 17 to 34.
And let's pray together.
Our Father God, as we celebrate, as we remember together the death of the Lord Jesus Christ,
we ask that you would use these words that we look at together to prepare our hearts.
So that we may benefit richly from the grace and mercy, forgiveness and hope that flows from this simple meal of remembering Christ's death.
So please help us all as we gather and remember.
In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
Amen.
Well, when I was growing up in our family home, we had a rule when it came to mealtimes.
You might have the same rule even today.
The rule was this.
We were not allowed to start eating until everyone was served.
In fact, we weren't even allowed to leave the table until everybody had finished.
Sometimes, I think, in our house, people deliberately took their time so that everybody had to wait.
And to a hungry teenager like me who saw mealtime as simply nothing more than a quick refueling stop, it was ridiculous.
It was a stupid rule.
However, over time, I began to see the reasoning of my parents.
For mealtime is much more than just eating food.
It's family time.
It's about sharing, talking, growing in the family relationship.
Now, it seems that the church in Corinth were treating the Lord's Supper as just another meal.
At best, it was a quick, personal reflection before God, which had nothing to do with their relationships to each other.
So, in verse 17, Paul responds to something he's heard about in the church.
In the following directives, I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good.
Their table manners at the Lord's Supper were dreadful.
In fact, their behaviour was so bad.
Look at verse 20.
When you come together, it's not the Lord's Supper that you eat.
Yes, they were eating the bread and drinking the wine.
But really, it had nothing to do with the death of the Lord Jesus.
You see, when God saves us, he saves us into his church.
God not only forgives us, he welcomes us into his family.
And as God's family, we are to gather together as one people.
So, look at verse 18.
He says,
In the first place, I hear that when you come together as church.
Or verse 33.
So then, my brothers and sisters, when you come together to eat.
You see, the church is not a collection of isolated individuals.
We are the forgiven family of God who gather together.
That's why we're all here right now.
That's why we've made it our priority to be here.
And one of the central things we do together as family is to share in this simple meal that is set out before us today.
The Lord's Supper.
It's not a personal refueling exercise where we come individually to get a little bit more grace and a bit of forgiveness until the next time.
No, this is a deeply intimate and communal meal where we gather together as family.
So, what should happen when we gather to celebrate the Lord's Supper together?
Well, three big things we're going to look at.
First, as we gather round the Lord's Supper, we need to root out any division in Christ's body.
Root out any division in Christ's body.
Look at verse 18.
In the first place, I hear that when you come together as church, there are divisions among you.
And to some extent, I believe it.
Instead of being united as one, the church is breaking and falling apart.
No doubt there has to be difference among you to show which of you have God's approval.
Sadly, he's saying, there's always going to be some kind of division.
Because, well, God's family is made up of sinners like you and me.
Messy people.
And we do, from time to time, fall out.
But that is not an excuse.
The desire should always be to root out any division in Christ's body, the church.
And sadly, the division was most evident when they gathered to celebrate the Lord's Supper.
Verse 20.
So when you come together, it's not the Lord's Supper you eat.
For as you eat, each of you goes ahead without waiting for anybody else.
One remains hungry.
And another one gets drunk.
Now, to understand this, we've got to have two things in mind.
But when the church gathered in the first century to celebrate the Lord's Supper,
it was usually part of a much bigger meal,
where they would have a lot more food,
and they would share that with one another.
The other thing we also need to remember is that Sunday was just like any other working day.
For us, it tends to be a holiday.
We don't necessarily go to work.
So for those who were in the church and had very little,
those who weren't wealthy,
well, you see, they had to go off to work on a Sunday.
For others who had a bit more wealth,
well, they could afford not to go to work.
They could take the day off.
Or perhaps they could even finish up a little bit early.
So we can begin to see what was happening as the church gathered.
The wealthy who didn't have to go to work,
well, they all gathered together for their meal.
Some nice roast lamb,
some nice crusty bread,
and a few bottles of fine wine.
There they sat,
feasting away and enjoying themselves.
Then we could imagine throughout the evening,
after a hard day's work,
the less well-off,
well, they would then arrive.
And by this time,
all the food was gone
and half the congregation were drunk.
At some stage in the meal,
a leader somewhere along the line
had given thanks to God for the bread and for the wine
and then promptly finished off the bottle.
It was a mess.
Verse 22.
Don't you have homes to eat and drink in?
Or do you despise the church of God
and humiliate those who have nothing?
What shall I say to you?
Shall I praise you for this?
Certainly not.
Now, we might be sitting comfortably this morning
and think,
that is an absolute disgrace.
I would never do anything like that.
Well, let's just think about it for a minute.
Generally speaking,
we are able to gather at the same time.
Most of us do have a Sunday off
where we don't have to go to our normal work
so we can gather together.
We all sit,
as we are right now,
in a very dignified way,
ready to come and share in the Lord's Supper together.
The perfect family meal.
Or is it?
You see,
we share in the meal,
but as soon as it's finished,
we're out the door
and we forget each other.
Oh, we might invite somebody back to the house for lunch,
but we only invite those that we like.
We certainly don't invite them
because, well,
they're different.
And socially,
if they did come,
it would be just,
you know,
a little bit awkward.
We all take the bread and the wine together,
but as soon as we get home,
the gossip starts.
Can't stand the way they do that.
Oh, we ask God for forgiveness
of all of our sins,
but we hold grudges
and nurse resentment.
We humbly remember
that Christ died for me,
but we also remember
their sin
and what she said
and what he did.
We ask God for grace
and accept his mercy,
but see no reason
why we should bother
to help somebody
who's struggling.
Oh, we're not,
we're not like
that Corinthian church
in the first century.
We'd never turn up
on a Sunday morning
drunk
and celebrate
in the Lord's Supper.
No,
no,
we're much too dignified
for that.
we share
in
the perfect family meal.
Or do we?
Look at verse 22.
Do you despise
the church of God
with our behaviors?
Shall I praise you
for division
that might exist?
for pushing
certain people out
and not letting
other people in?
Certainly not.
Root out
any hint
of sinful division
that exists
within Christ's body.
the second thing.
We must keep central
the remembering
of Christ's death.
As we come to celebrate
the Lord's Supper,
keep central
the remembering
of Christ's death.
Verse 23.
So Paul says,
I received from the Lord
what I also
passed on to you.
You see,
the celebration
of the Lord's Supper
is to be practiced
by every church
in every age.
It's the Lord's way
of making sure
that we do not forget
the death of Christ,
but keep it
at the very center
of our lives.
Verse 26.
For whenever you eat
this bread
and drink this cup,
you proclaim
the Lord's death
until he comes.
Now there's two things
the death of Jesus
should teach us
in the context
of this passage.
The first is this.
This meal
reminds us
that we are united
to God
through the death
of Christ.
We are united
to God
through the death
of Christ.
Look at verse 23 again.
The Lord Jesus,
on the night
he was betrayed,
picture the scene,
took bread
and when he had
given thanks
he broke it
and said,
this is my body
which is for you.
do this
in remembrance
of me.
The bread
that we have here
on this table
is a picture
of the physical
body of Christ
who was torn apart
for you
and for me
when he died
on the cross.
For when Jesus died
he took my sin
and your sin
on himself.
He was punished.
He was broken
for us
so that we
could be forgiven,
reconciled
and united
to our Father God.
Because of the
death of Christ
we can now
enjoy
oneness with God.
No longer
in separation
but united
with God
through the death
of Jesus.
the second thing
it should teach us
is that we are
united
to each other
through the death
of Christ.
Verse 25
In the same way
after supper
he took the cup
saying
this cup
is the new covenant
in my blood.
do this
whenever you
drink it
in remembrance
of me.
The wine
or the juice
as we have it here
is a picture
of the blood
of Christ
that was shed
on the cross.
The blood
of Christ
which seals
and confirms
our new covenant
or that new
everlasting
unbreakable
relationship
with God.
But this new covenant
relationship
that we have
with God
is not just
an individual
personal experience
it is a family
experience
for together
we are
the new covenant
people
brothers
and sisters
in Christ.
In other words
we are united
to each
other.
Paul has
already addressed
this issue
if you go back
to chapter 10
and verse 16.
Have a look there
chapter 10
and verse 16.
look at verse 16
now as we read
we are going to
come across a word
which says
participation
I am going to
translate it as
fellowship
because that is
what it really
means
it is a sharing
in
a fellowship
in
with God
and with others
so verse 16
is not the cup
of thanksgiving
for which we
give thanks
a fellowship
in the blood
of Christ
and is not
the bread
that we break
a fellowship
in the body
of Christ
in other words
that as we eat
and drink
we share
in the fellowship
with God
with his son
we are together
with him
but not only
are we with him
and enjoy him
it also has a
knock on effect
verse 17
because there is
one loaf
we who are many
and we're many
here today
but yet we are
one body
for we all
partake
of one
loaf
so you see
we are not
just united
and have
fellowship
with God
we're also
one body
we have
fellowship
with one
another
so as we
in a minute
will come
to celebrate
the Lord's
Supper
when we
hear
the words
this is
my body
this is
my blood
when we
see the bread
broken
the wine
poured
out
when we
touch
the bread
and hold
the cup
in our
hands
when we
eat
of the bread
and drink
of the wine
all of our
senses are
engaged
to remind
us
so that we
never ever
forget
that we are
united to
God
and as a
consequence
we are now
united
as brothers
and sisters
with each
other
so
root out
any division
in Christ's
body
keep
central
the
remembering
of Christ's
death
and the
third big
thing
as we
come to
celebrate
the Lord's
supper
we need
to prepare
ourselves
to gather
at Christ's
table
now we need
to think
this through
carefully
each one
of us
there's
three ways
I think
this text
is pushing
us to
be prepared
first
personal
examination
we must
examine
the
motives
in our
own
lives
examine
the motives
in our
own
lives
look at
verse 27
of chapter
11
therefore
whoever
eats the
bread
or drinks
the cup
of the
Lord
in an
unworthy
manner
will be
guilty of
sinning
against
the body
and the
blood
of the
Lord
for us
to come
to this
table
that is
before us
in an
unworthy
manner
means
not to
come
without
sin
it means
to come
with an
unrepentant
heart
an unworthy
manner
means to
come with
an attitude
that ignores
our sin
rather than
confronts
our sin
in other
words as
we come
to the
table
we must
come
ready to
deal with
the sin
in our
lives
confess to
God
what is
really going
on
and ask
God to
change
our sinful
hearts
us
verse 28
a man
or a
woman
ought to
examine
himself
before he
eats of
the bread
and drinks
of the
cup
so before
we even
eat or
drink
check
your
motives
this is
not about
trying to
uncover
every
possible
sin we
may or
may not
have
committed
in the
last
day
this is
about
examining
our
hearts
to see
if I
am really
serious
about
dealing
with my
sinful
nature
am I
ready
to root
out the
grudges
that I
hold
the
anger
the
bitterness
the
unforgiveness
that is
festering
away
am I
ready to
deal with
that
today
do I
truly
desire to
break the
cycle of
destructive
habits
whether it's
pornography
or alcohol
or greed
do I
really want
to root
those out
of my
life
will I
surrender
what takes
the place
of Christ
whatever the
cost
be it
my career
or my
relationships
with one
another
before we
eat of
this bread
or drink
of this
juice
examine
our
motives
love
the
second
thing
we need
to do
in
preparation
is to
look at
our
family
relationships
we
must
sort
out
any
broken
relationship
with
each
other
verse
29
for
anyone
who
eats
and
drinks
without
recognizing
the body
of the
Lord
eats
and
drinks
judgment
on
himself
now
when it
says
there about
recognizing
the body
of the
Lord
the body
of the
Lord
not only
means
Christ
himself
but
the body
of Christ
the church
so
if I
eat
or
drink
without
recognizing
the
church
then
I
eat
or
drink
judgment
on
myself
so
if I
have
fallen
out
with
another
brother
or
sister
in
the
Lord
I
need
to
sort
that
out
before
coming
to
the
table
I
can't
eat
of
this
bread
and
thank
God
for
dying
for
me
and
at
the
same
time
pretend
that
the
way
I
spoke
to
my
brother
or
sister
doesn't
matter
I
can't
sit
here
and
drink
of
this
cup
and
ask
God
for
the
forgiveness
in
my
life
and
at
the
same
time
ignore
the
way
I
treat
certain
people
because
they're
not
like
me
you
see
coming
to
this
table
is
not
a
private
personal
experience
it
is
a
family
meal
and
we
cannot
start
this
meal
without
first
putting
right
what
is
wrong
so
that
means
that
it
might
be
that
what
we
have
to
do
is
we
need
to
be
calling
somebody
during
the
week
and
asking
look
can
I
meet
up
with
you
not
texting
that's
not
reconciliation
we
need
to
come
face
to
face
say
sorry
where
we
need
to
say
sorry
ask
for
forgiveness
before
we
eat
or
drink
we
need
to
sort
out
our
family
relationships
so
in
preparation
personal
examination
think
about
our
family
relationships
and
the
third
we
need
to
listen
to
God's
serious
warning
look
at
verse
30
that
is
why
many
among
you
are
weak
and
sick
and
a
number
of
you
have
fallen
asleep
literally
people
have
died
in
the
church
in
Corinth
this
is
how
seriously
God
takes
sin
and
how
deeply
he
loves
his
church
God
will
not
put up
with
believers
who
persistently
remain
unrepentant
God
will
not
tolerate
broken
relationships
that remain
undealt
with
you see
if we
don't
take
sin
seriously
if we
don't
deal
with
broken
relationships
well
then God
will
verse
31
if
we
judged
ourselves
we
would
not
come
under
judgment
in
other
words
if
we
did
what
we
were
meant
to
do
then
there
would
be
no
need
for
God
to
intervene
and
judge
us
now
as we
read
this
I
know
that
it
can
cause
great
concern
and
it
can
trouble
us
unnecessarily
but
we
need
to
understand
clearly
what
they're
saying
so
let
me
just
say
two
things
about
this
warning
in
verses
30
to
32
the
first
thing
I
want
to
say
to
us
is
this
not
every
illness
ache
or
pain
is
a
sign
of
God's
judgment
on
our
life
because
of
some
sin
in
our
life
that
would
be
very
wrong
to
say
that
we
may
have
repented
of
sin
we
may
know
the
joy
of
forgiveness
we
may
be
in
right
relationship
with
each
other
and
in
right
relationship
with
God
but
you
know
what
we
can
still
have
aches
and
pains
and
be
sick
not
every
sickness
is
because
of
sin
second
it
may
be
that
God
allows
or
uses
some
illness
in
our
life
to
awaken
us
to
our
unrepentant
hearts
look at
verse
32
when
we are
judged
by the
Lord
we are
being
disciplined
so that
we will
not be
condemned
with the
world
in
other
words
God
can
allow
me
to
be
weak
or
sick
in
some
way
so
it
causes
me
to
stop
and
face
up
to
ignored
sin
or
a
broken
relationship
this
is
not
a
sign
of
God's
anger
but
a sign
of
his
love
and
mercy
upon
his
church
look at
the end
of verse
32
so that
we
will
not
be
condemned
with
the
world
so that
we
would
not
be
separated
from him
for an
eternity
God
would
intervene
in our
lives
and cause
us to
stop
and check
God
loves his
church
and he
loves us
enough
not to
leave us
in the
mess of
unrepentant
undealt
with
sin
so
before
we
eat
of
this
bread
and
drink
of
this
juice
listen
to
God's
serious
warnings
we
are
together
here
to
celebrate
in the
Lord's
supper
together
look at
verse
33
so
then my
brothers
and
sisters
when
you
come
together
to
eat
wait
for
each
other
this
is not
some
private
personal
experience
where we
come in
for our
top up
of grace
and to
get a
little
bit of
forgiveness
and then
go off
and do
whatever
we like
and forget
each
other
no
this
is a
deeply
intimate
family
meal
where we
remember
that through
the death
of Jesus
we are
united
to God
and we
are united
to
one
another
it is
the place
where we
can come
openly
and freely
and come
and receive
the forgiveness
to know
that cleansing
and the
washing away
of our guilt
and shame
to come
and do
business
with God
to change
our hearts
to be more
like him
we are
going to
continue
in celebration
of the
Lord's
Supper
we are
going to
sing a
song
you can
remain
seated
as we
sing
we sang
it
I think
even
last week
but I
think it is
appropriate
for us
to sing
we will
sing it
a couple
times
as we
are
gathered
Jesus
is
here
he is
present
with us
by his
spirit
and his
presence
with us
is
demonstrated
in the
symbols
of the
bread
and the
juice
reminding
us
that
Christ
has died
for us
so we will
remain
seated
as we
sing
and
him
in
his
bridge
he
and
he