Today's passage is from 1 Corinthians chapter 11. We're starting in verse 17.
But in the following instructions, I do not commend you, because when you come together, it is not for the better but for the worse.
For in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you.
And I believe it in part, for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized.
When you come together, it is not the Lord's Supper that you eat.
For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk.
What? Do you not have houses 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?
Should I commend you in this?
No, I will not.
For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you,
that the Lord Jesus, on the night when 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, also, he took the cup after supper, saying,
This cup is the new covenant in my blood.
Do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me.
For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup,
you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.
Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord
in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord.
Let a person examine himself, then,
and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup.
For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body
eats and drinks judgment on himself.
That is why many of you are weak and ill and some have died.
But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged.
But when we are judged by the Lord,
we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.
So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat,
wait for one another.
If anyone is hungry, let him eat at home,
so that when you come together,
it will not be for judgment.
About the other things, I will give directions when I come.
This is the word of God.
Thank you so much, Karen.
Good morning, everyone.
Okay, that's not bad.
Great. Good morning.
My name is Chris.
I'm one of the leaders here at Watermark,
and it's just really exciting to be here
and to preach God's word as we're going to talk on communion,
which I don't think I have preached a sermon here at Watermark ever on communion.
So let's just start by praying
and asking God to just speak to us today.
Father, we thank you that your word is like a sword
that penetrates, that cuts between the very deepest parts of our soul
and our marrow and every part of our bones,
and it breaks through into areas of our lives
where we have kept hidden for so long,
and it wants to expose us so that it wants to heal us
and to make us truly the people you've made us to be.
And I pray this morning you would do that.
I pray wherever we've come from, wherever we are right now,
that your word would do its work in our lives
so that we might be the people you've called us to be.
We might live in the freedom you have bought for us,
and we might enjoy what it really means to be a redeemed,
loved, restored people of God who are your family together.
And we pray this in Jesus' name.
Amen.
Great.
So we're going through this series,
basically a back-to-basics series,
looking at why do we do what we do.
And we've said that if you lose your why,
then the what of what you do can become dry and lose its life.
But when you know why you're doing what you do,
then actually that can reinvigorate and bring freshness and life
to the things that we do on a regular basis.
And we've looked at why we gather on Sundays.
Last week, Kevin looked at why do we always talk about the gospel?
And today we're going to talk about why do we take communion?
Now, kind of before I start,
it's worth noting that food and meals shape culture.
Because the British eat to live,
but the Hong Kongers live to eat.
Because actually Hong Kong's got it better,
more biblical than the British actually,
because food is more,
and meals are more than gaining nutrients for life.
They're actually about strengthening relationships,
about forming identities together.
They're a communal thing.
You know, I've always been incredibly amazed
at how my wife's extended family,
at festivals, they all get together,
and at these restaurants,
where the food quality is really poor,
the service is terrible,
and yet they love it.
And it's overpriced as well.
Why? Because what's happening
is it's strengthening their sense of being a family together.
And when families stop eating together,
that's always a sign of dysfunction
in their relationships, right?
We know that.
Because who you eat with
displays who you identify with.
It displays where your loyalty is
and where your allegiance is.
And so this passage,
let me just talk a little bit about
the context of the passage
that we're looking at today in Corinth.
Because in the ancient world,
the meal tables you had,
eating was a chance to network.
It was a chance to get into certain social circles.
A chance to get benefits.
You know, like in mainland,
if you want to get some business deals,
you'll eat together and drink together
and form guanxi, won't you?
To be able to form those relationships.
Well, the same would happen in ancient world.
And often meals would take place at pagan temples
where the food was devoted to idols.
And Paul has already talked about this
in the book of Corinthians
because their meals in the world around them
were often self-serving,
they were self-indulgent,
and they were idolatrous.
And in Corinth,
many of the new Christians
who'd come out of that
were bringing the same thinking
of the pagan world into the church.
And here was a church made up,
this house church of about 15
to maybe 50 people maximum,
made up of rich and poor
who would gather together
and be hosted in the home
of a wealthy person.
I think we might have a,
do we have a picture?
Okay, here's a picture.
Of a kind of home
that they found in Corinth
of a wealthy person.
And what would happen is
the rich people,
they didn't need to work
so they would come early
and they'd get seated
in the kind of seated area
and there'd be nice food,
that would be served to them
and there'd be free-flown wine.
And it was a great time,
it was a party for them,
catching up with all their
kind of wealthy friends.
And then the slaves
and the lower classes
would come later
because they got off work
and then there'd be nowhere
for them to sit
so they'd just be
standing room only.
There'd be no food left for them
so they'd be hungry.
And all the time
then they'd have
their worship gathering together
where they were talking
about Jesus,
praying about Jesus,
they were taking communion together
and Paul basically
lays into them,
he's got pretty strong language
in this passage,
and he says three times,
when you come together,
guys,
and that's a technical term
for when you meet
as a church,
when you gather together,
he says firstly,
you can go back
to that slide,
firstly,
you actually do more harm
than good.
It's not for better,
it's for worse.
Secondly,
he says,
it looks more like
Lan Kui Fong
than the church of God.
Your divisions
between the haves
and the have-nots
reflect more your loyalty
to the way the world operates
than to the people of God
that God has created.
And he said,
thirdly,
in light of those two things,
when you come together,
it's not the Lord's Supper
you're taking
because your own behavior
is despising
the very people
Christ died
to bring into his family.
And he says this,
he says,
for in eating,
each of you goes ahead
with his own meal.
One goes hungry,
the other gets drunk.
What?
I mean,
I like how Karen said it.
What?
Can you see,
he's not a happy bunny
at this point.
What?
Don't you have houses
to eat and drink in?
If you want to have
a private party,
do it in your own time.
Don't despise
the church of God
and humiliate
those who have nothing.
What's he saying?
He's saying,
it is possible
to make a mockery
out of communion
if you don't get
what it's all about.
That's the point.
It's possible
to make a mockery
out of communion
if you don't understand
what it's about.
And so what I want us to do
is just go through,
firstly,
what is communion?
Okay?
Very briefly.
And then we'll look at
why we take communion
and then how
we are to take communion.
Because in verses 23 to 26,
Paul basically goes
back to basics
and says,
okay,
let me show you
what communion is.
Let me take you back
to the first communion
Lord's Supper meal
that Jesus instituted
and he says,
I received from the Lord
what I delivered to you
and he's then going to go on
and tell us about the meal.
But what's he saying?
Just spin this phrase.
He's saying communion
is not a man-made ritual.
It's not like a shot of grace
that's just infused
into you in some way.
It is a practice
that is commanded by Jesus.
And if Jesus commanded it
to his church
to be handed down
from generation
to generation
of believers,
you've got to believe
that this is important.
And just as we depend
on food and drink
to live.
So what communion
is proclaiming?
It is a tangible,
tasted proclamation
declaring that our very lives
and our community life
is entirely dependent
on Jesus.
Entirely shaped
by Jesus' life,
his death,
and his resurrection.
It proclaims
the Lord's death
and that's a catch-all
for the gospel.
That's what communion is.
It's a proclamation.
It's a proclamation
of Jesus
and all that he is
and that we depend on him.
So why do we take communion?
Like, what's the big deal?
Okay, it's a bit of bread,
it's a bit of wine.
Well, the main reason
that he gives here
is to celebrate Jesus.
And we're going to unpack this
in a little bit.
But it's to celebrate Jesus.
Here's what he says.
The Lord Jesus,
on the night when he was betrayed,
took bread.
When he'd given thanks,
he broke it
and he said,
this is my body,
which is for you.
Do this in remembrance
of me.
In the same way,
he took the cup
after Sava,
saying,
this is the new covenant
in my blood.
Do this as often
as you drink it
in remembrance
of me.
You see,
the Corinthians
had made the whole meal
about themselves
and they were
the host of the meal.
Basically,
they did things their way.
But in the Lord's Supper,
Jesus is the host
of the meal.
And you notice in here,
who's doing all the action?
It's Jesus.
Jesus,
he gave thanks.
Jesus broke the bread.
He is the one
who offers himself
to us
in the bread
and wine.
You see,
it's personal.
It's not just abstract.
It's personal
from Jesus
to us,
to the original disciples
and then to us.
And so that means
how we respond
to communion
is how we respond
to Jesus.
And how do we respond?
Well, he says,
we're called
to do this
communion thing
in remembrance
of him.
Now,
that's a strange thing
to say,
in remembrance,
because in the Bible,
to forget
doesn't mean
to go,
like to forget
some information.
Go,
Jesus,
yeah,
that kind of name
rings a bell.
That's not what
forget means.
Forget means
you turn in your heart
away from God.
That's what it means
biblically.
And so then,
to remember Jesus
is not to go,
oh yeah,
Jesus,
he died for me.
It's actually
to recall his life,
his death,
and resurrection
for the purpose
of celebrating
and rekindling
your love for him.
You know,
I had an elderly
friend once
who,
she had this little
pendant with her,
you know,
around her neck,
which had her
and her husband's
picture in it.
And she would
take it out
and every time
she'd recall
the memories
of her and her
husband together.
And as she did,
you could see
her face
kind of light up.
And that remembrance
warmed her heart
to her husband
and his love
for her
and it actually
strengthened
their marriage bond
in some kind of way.
We know that
when you rehearse
with like an old friend
and you go back
over the stories
and something,
it just carries
that bond together.
Well,
in some kind
of similar way,
when we take communion,
what it's meant to do
as we intentionally
recall how Jesus
has loved us,
you know,
you're meant to
intentionally do that.
It's meant to warm
your heart
and strengthen
your love for him.
You know,
one of the things
I do,
often before I take communion,
I recall how
I was in a period
of real darkness
for about four years
of my life
and Jesus brought me
out of that.
And a lot of that
was because of
my own sinfulness.
And as I stop
and think about that
and I think,
but Jesus died
even for me,
that then
refreshes
and makes me
delight again
and say,
wow,
isn't Jesus'
love incredible?
That's what it's
meant to do for us.
Because in a world
of performance
and a world
of busyness,
we often forget
his love,
don't we?
So it's to remember
Jesus,
to celebrate him
and to enjoy him
again.
But how do we do that?
What else are we
trying to remember
about Jesus
and what he's
done for us?
Well,
there's three things
that I think
we are to celebrate.
Firstly,
we're to celebrate
that Jesus died
to set us free.
I don't know if you know
this meal.
Who did the Seder meal
on Easter Thursday
with us?
Okay,
a few of you.
Some of you need to go
back next year
and do it again.
It was a great time.
But actually,
we celebrated
that kind of Passover meal.
It's a Passover meal
that Jesus celebrated
on that Lord's Supper.
And that Passover meal
was a remembrance,
a recalling
of how God
had rescued
his people
out of slavery
in Egypt
and brought them
into the Promised Land.
And Jesus
and his disciples
on that evening,
they recounted
the Exodus story
and they would say
as part of that,
we were slaves
and God
brought us out.
And you go,
hey,
but you guys
weren't there.
Like,
this was like
1,500 years
before Jesus
and his disciples.
But they themselves,
as every Jew
since has always done,
they see themselves
in the story
of God's deliverance.
Not just a past story,
but it's a present story
for now.
It's their story
prayed out
in real time.
Which means this,
they would break
the bread
and they say,
this is the bread
of affliction.
All who are hungry
take and eat
and celebrate
God's deliverance
for us.
But what does Jesus do?
He breaks the bread.
He changes
the narrative.
He says,
this is
my body
which is broken
for you.
That you
is plural
by the way.
It's his people.
But as part
of his people,
it's also personal
for every single
one of us.
He's saying,
I died
to set you free.
I died
for your freedom.
That's not freedom
from Egypt.
It's not freedom
from life's difficult
circumstances.
It's not freedom
for you to do you.
It's freedom
from the cramped world
of living for yourself
and your own self-glory
and self-reliance
and focusing on yourself
and being set free
so that you can live
in the spacious place
which is living
for God's glory
and learning to love
others more than yourself
and to find that
there is true life
found in him
no matter what
the circumstances
you're going through.
And so when you
come to communion
and maybe you're feeling
like,
will I ever break free
of this anger
or this selfishness
or this lack
of self-control
or this habit
that has enslaved me?
When you take
those elements
you're proclaiming
one thing in that.
You're proclaiming
that Jesus died
to set me free
from all of these things
and he will set me free
because he's moving me
on a road to freedom
and I can trust him.
That's the first thing
that communion
reminds us on.
He's died to set us free.
The second thing
he tells us
we celebrate
that he made us
his own people.
I love this part
because if you get
the story
of what's going on
God didn't just
bring his people
out of Egypt
for them just to
kind of wander
by themselves
in the wilderness.
He rescues them
from slavery
to bring them
to himself
and then he takes
them to this mountain
Mount Sinai
where he enters
into a covenant
relationship
with the people
there.
It's like a marriage
ceremony
and if you remember
the Ten Commandments
they start with
you remember
the Lord your God
rescued you
out of the house
of slavery
and then you've got
actually about
613 commandments
that kind of come
as part of this
covenant
and then at the end
of it most of what
people don't realize
in Exodus 24
is it's actually
a kind of
a ratification
ceremony.
There's a ceremony
where Moses
sprinkles blood
on the people
which was a sign
that if they broke
the covenant
commands
then they should
pay for that
with their own blood.
And then what happens
it says the elders
went up
and it says
they beheld God
and they ate
and drank.
Do you see
what's happened?
They had a meal.
They celebrated
their new identity
that now
they were kind of
married as God's people
to the creator
of the universe
and God
is the host
of the meal.
I mean wouldn't
you love to be
a fly on the wall
of that meal
right?
I wonder what
he served.
But in light
of all that
background
Jesus
picks up
the cup
and he says
this cup
is the new
covenant
in my blood.
This is actually
amazing
because the entire
Old Testament
story is a tragedy
telling you
that the people
of God
broke his covenant
not just once
not just twice
but like every
almost all the time
constantly
time after time
they forgot
their God
they turned
to idols
and their blood
should have been
demanded from them
because that was
the deal
that would have
been fair
that would have
been justice
that God
would bring
and actually
the story
says we are
no different
but Jesus
is saying
to sinners
God doesn't
write us off
God doesn't
say that's it
you've had your
chance
I'm just going
to move on
now
our failure
reveals the
depths of
his faithfulness
to us
and what that
means is
he creates
a new
covenant
so that
you and
I and
we as
his people
can be
brought back
to himself
and in
the new
covenant
he places
his own
blood there
instead of
yours
that's why
he dies
on that
cross
his life
is poured
out
for the
forgiveness
of your
sins
that Jesus
paid it
all
all to
him
we owe
sin
your sin
my sin
had left
a crimson
stain
but he
washed it
white as
snow
and he's
made a new
way for us
to have this
marriage ceremony
with God
again
in deep
intimate
relationship
with God
do you know
God actually
wants a
relationship
with you
some of us
wonder
communion is
meant to
remind you
he's done
everything
that he's
he's running
to bring you
back to
himself
but here's
the thing
he died
to make
you own
but you
his own
but it's
not just
you
you and
Jesus
in a
kind of
little
love
in
okay
the
covenant
the new
covenant
isn't just
between
God
and you
the new
covenant
is between
God
and his
people
his
people
so
communion
proclaims
that Jesus
death
has broken
down
all the
social
all the
economic
all the
racial
all the
personality
divisions
that were
there
in
Corinth
and we
have
in
Hong
Kong
right
now
to
create
and to
bring
us
together
as
his
family
so your
worth
and value
in this
community
is not
determined
by your
titles
or your
status
or your
education
or your
clothing
or your
charisma
it's not
determined
by any
of that
it's only
determined
by one
thing
and one
thing
only
and that
is
Jesus
blood
we all
it's the
most democratic
thing in
the world
we all
come
leveled
on the
playing
field
because
there's
only one
way we
can come
it's
through
him
that's
actually
why you're
sitting next
to each
other
I don't
know if
you realize
that
because
communion
is like
a marriage
renewal
ceremony
it's like
a renewal
of your
marriage
vows
celebrating
how Jesus
has made
us his
own
people
again
we are
his
bride
he is
the
heavenly
husband
that's
actually
why you
can't
take
communion
by
yourself
that's
a
snack
because
communion
is a
family
meal
now can
I be
real
just for
a minute
here
I just
thought about
this quite
a bit
because
what I
think
most of
us at
Watermark
do
including
myself
at times
is when
we take
communion
we will
today
what we
do is
we'll
kind of
line up
like
no eye
contact
we kind
of look
forward
go and
get the
elements
go back
to my
seat
and it's
just me
and Jesus
in this
beautiful
kind of
communion
of one
how is
that a
communal
meal
that's
individualism
now there's
a moment
for you
and Jesus
and we'll
talk about
that in a
minute
but no
what you're
supposed to
do
is look
around you
you're
supposed to
look around
not just
in like
oh let me
find my
friends
but you're
supposed to
look around
and go
wow
isn't it
incredible
that I get
to sit
next to
this person
and that
person
they're in
the family
they're my
family
and you go
and you look
over and you
look at
he even
brought an
Australian like
Dan
into his
people
wow
isn't his
love way
more expansive
than mine
I don't know
why we always
pick on
Australians
I think
they've just
got thicker
skin than
everyone else
right
and communion
is meant to
not just
rekindle your
love for
Jesus
it's meant
to rekindle
the amazement
and your
love for his
church and his
people
did you know
that
that means
we need to
start thinking
and doing
communion
differently
in our
hearts and
our minds
hearts and
because we
are God's
covenant
people
together
so we
celebrate
that Jesus
died to set
us free
we celebrate
he died to
make us his
own people
thirdly
under why do
we celebrate
he died so
that we can
celebrate
that he is
also resurrected
and he's coming
again to
restore all
things
you see
he says
this in
verse 26
he says
as often
as you
eat this
bread
and drink
the cup
you proclaim
the Lord's
death
until he
comes
you know
in Corinth
in the Roman
Empire
many meal
tables
many gatherings
would at some
point have to
proclaim
Caesar
the Roman
Emperor
is Lord
when the
church
gathered
in their
homes
they were
doing
something
utterly
revolutionary
they were
proclaiming
Jesus was
a king
of a
different
kind
of
kingdom
and while
the world
might look
as if
it's ruled
by powerful
people
ultimately
they're all
under the
authority
of the
one who
is going
to come
back
the one
who is
going
to restore
and return
and rebuild
and bring
in his
kingdom
and so
for those
of us
who are
suffering
right now
maybe you're
hurting
maybe you're
lonely
maybe there's
just struggles
that you're
going through
for those
of us
who are
sojourners
like Kevin
talked about
you just
feel that
sense of
waiting
that sense
of restlessness
that sense
of uncertainty
with where
you are
right at
this time
in life
weighed
down by
the pressures
of the
world
around
you
communion
proclaims
that Jesus
has not
only inaugurated
a new
kingdom
but he's
going to
come in
to establish
it
and that
means your
future
is utterly
secure
that means
no believer
needs to
live with
FOMO
ever
because
Christ
has come
and you
and I
has come
and is
coming
and you
and I
are included
in that
and you
know in the
last book
of the
Bible
in the
book of
Revelation
what happens
to those
of us
who are
part of
God's
people
who have
trusted
him
through the
storms
of life
and have
held on
to Jesus
all through
it
what happens
in the
last book
of the
Bible
there's a
meal
there's a
wedding banquet
that his
people
are finally
reunited with
their husband
Christ
because communion
is just a little
taste that this
is we're looking
forward it's like
the hors d'oeuvre
before the main
meal it's like
we're looking
forward to him
coming as our
husband and
restoring all
things
communion
celebrates that
he set us
free
it celebrates
that he's
made us
his own
we're to
remember and
celebrate that
he's coming
again to
restore all
things
and so then
in the light
of all of
those things
in the light
of this
declaration
and this
proclamation
that we're
doing as
we take
communion
how should
we celebrate
how should
we take
communion
it's my
third thing
I remember
going to
Puyo
for the
first time
anyone been
to Puyo
and the
first time
I went
it was like
I was like
wow this is
amazing
there's just
the mountains
and there's
the beach
and it's
just incredible
and I spoke
to my friend
who lives
there
and I
said to
him
wow
you must
wake up
every morning
thinking
you're just
the most
luckiest
person alive
you're just
amazed
at just
living here
and he
turned around
to me
and he
said
huh
actually
I guess
I've just
got used
to it
because
you know
I've just
been here
so long
it's just
so familiar
with me
and actually
you reminding
me right now
actually is
really helpful
to remember
that actually
this is really
beautiful
because
familiarity
breeds
contempt
doesn't
it
sometimes
and I
think
and I
speak also
personally
but I
think for
many of
us
we can
be so
used to
taking
communion
that we've
lost the
wonder
of communion
I don't
know if you're
honest for a
minute
but I wonder
how many of you
actually look
forward to
coming and
taking communion
some of us
were going
oh let me
just hear the
sermon and
then we rush
out
and we don't
most of the
church's history
communion has
actually been the
center point of
the church gathering
I don't know if
you know that
the preaching is
meant to lead
you into
communion
but what that
means is
and I think
as a church
I mean I
think we
we can think
more about
how can we
change things
up to make
things fresher
I think there's
a lot of
things like that
just you know
taking just a
wafer and a
cracker you know
a cracker and a
juice it doesn't
feel like a
meal does it
doesn't even feel
like a starter
sometimes and so
there's we're
obviously fighting
against certain
things just because
we have to do it
because of the
the way you know
150 people we
can't have like a
full-blown meal
every Sunday
but in spite of
all that I think
we can still learn
how to love Jesus
more and appreciate
the wonder by not
just mindlessly
coming to
communion but
actually learning
how to have
reminders every
time we come so
this meal really
does what it's
meant to do in
our hearts and
our community
life and so
how should we
come and celebrate
communion I've got
two things first
thing we should
celebrate it
seriously not
flippantly okay
now listen to me
by seriously I
don't mean like
not smiling okay
I don't mean that
kind of seriously
okay I mean
there's there's
there's like a
weightiness to it
you know with your
wedding vows okay
even if the renewal
of your wedding
vows you you don't
just go in there
kind of lightly and
flippantly do you
do you go in there
with someone going
well do you take
this this woman to
be your wife and
you go well I guess
there aren't any
other better options
so why not right
that's not what you
do right you you
think about it you
prepare for it because
you know that that is
a serious moment and
you're declaring
something that is
serious and Paul says
here to the
Corinthians he says
in verse 27 whoever
eats the bread or
drinks the cup of the
Lord in an unworthy
manner will be guilty
concerning the body
and blood of the
Lord
do you know what
an unworthy manner
is it's it's when
you're treating Jesus
sacrifice so lightly
by the reality of
your life lived for
yourself in every
other area of your
life or you just
come and you are
treating his church
you're treating other
people with with the
contempt the
Corinthians were
treating others in
the church without
repentance without a
desire to change it
just kind of walking
in and that makes a
mockery of what
Christ died to
create you know you
you don't say all I
have is yours in your
wedding vow and then
just be treating your
spouse like like dirt
with no desire to
change without
consequences and God
says I will not be
mocked by my people
you're serious and he
ramps up the level a
little bit more and we
need to hear this he
says this he says
anyone who eats and
drinks without discerning
the body eats and
drinks judgment on
himself this is why
many of you are weak and
ill and some have died
just just listen to that
for a minute like let the
gravity of that sentence
just sink for a minute
he says you can drink
judgment on yourself and
some of you are sick and
you've even died because of
it
some of us actually today
you need to hear that
because maybe your career is
your God and you think you
can just kind of play around
with God in your own life
with Christ in your own
life and what he's saying
here and this is I mean I
was kind of a little
disturbed by this but this
is what he's saying he's
saying God is able to
devastate your career in
one instant he's able to
devastate the most precious
things that you are looking
to apart from Christ in one
instant not to be harsh but
to wake you up to avoid you
actually facing eternal
judgment in hell and so
that you can come in out of
slavery to self into the
freedom that he died for you
to bring you into it's
actually his grace that wants
to wake you up you know there
are people in watermark who I
know that have experienced
that and God is so grateful
they are so grateful that God
did that because they see how
where their life was going you
know you can say God can take
away your health he can take
away your relationships he can
even take away your life
there's a sense of a fear of
God here right and we talk
about the grace of God all the
time and we need to right but
sometimes I think we can take
that casually and we don't see
the fear of God and God's
disciplining judgment for those
who mock his grace and we mock
his grace when we just treat
him flippantly and by the way
let me put a caveat here don't
take this as if I've just said
hey you know if you take
communion today and then
tomorrow you get COVID that
that's kind of the judgment of
God has come on you and whatever
I mean it could be but I'm not
we're not going there because
this is a broken world and
there's there's different
things I mean we don't be
simplistic about that the point
here is that communion is a
health check to examine
yourself that's what Paul says
examine yourself so you discern
the body and by that he means
you discern the body of Christ's
broken few what Jesus has done
for you you think about his love
you ask yourself each time what
has Christ done for me how am I
treating him and then you think
about the body of Christ which is
his people and you go how are my
relationships how am I treating
the church around me this is what
communion is meant to do it's
meant to be like an ECG like a
heart monitor check you know Kevin
can share with me about an Anglican
church in Australia where I think
they said they take communion about
once a month or so but but before
they do that they message all the
members and they say hey listen
we're going to take communion
you've got to get all your
relationships in order as far as it
depends on you before you come
I wonder if we should actually do
something like that because then
you begin to see this actually means
something you know I've have you
ever been this I've done this where
you come to church and I've just
had a big fight with my spouse with
Fiona or you know you've you've got
issues with someone in your CG and
it's cold war and you come in and
you know like this and I'm right I'm
not gonna do anything and then it
comes to communion do you know for
me if I know communion is coming up
I'm going oh flip I've got to deal
with this I've got to either apologize
I've got to move towards that person
and I should never take communion if I
have not resolved in my heart to
actually move towards whether it's
broken relationships it doesn't mean
you have to fix everything but it
means where's your heart moving are
you coming in repentance to God are
you asking God to just work in you
are you resolving that I need to move
towards this because that's what
communion is to do and by the way if
you are a Christian not a Christian we
actually don't take communion not
because we're trying to be mean but
because we don't want you to be a
hypocrite and proclaim something in
your life that is not true of you we
want you to actually come and hear
about who Christ is so that you can
take communion and delight in all he
has done for us so we don't come
flippantly we take it seriously we
confess where we need to we confess
how am I treating the church around me
but then in the light of that we don't
stay at that point okay because you know
what happens straight after you've done
the wedding vows people don't go oh
they go right you celebrate the set
this the weightiness then transforms
into joy not a kind of guilt not a
not a somberness the idea is that you
know in some churches they call this
the Eucharist Eucharist means
Thanksgiving it's meant to overflow that
you know if we've examined ourselves and
if we've seen and brought our sin to
Christ then we can come confidently
here not because we have anything to
offer of ourselves but because we know
that we don't get judgment when we come
to Christ we get unending mercy because
this meal is for people who have not
got everything right this meal is for
people who are not adequate this meal
is for people who just have screwed up in
so many ways I mean just look around you
some of you look great others also look
great but you know if you've experienced
let me just say this is if you've
experienced hurt from someone in the
church what you can do sometimes is you
look around and you go how can they like
what right have they got to take you
meaning like you know don't you know what
they've done but if you've examined
yourself first you realize that somebody
else could say that of you and yet you are
invited by the host of the meal who is
Jesus himself because his blood was not
poured out for people who've done it all
well it's poured out for people who know
they haven't but know they need the grace
of a savior and when you come and
experience that you know that there is
freedom for you you know that you are his
and nothing can separate you from his love
you know that your future is secure with
him and you can celebrate Jesus and what
that does is that then leads you as you
look around and you look around the church
and you go wow what a bunch of sinners but
what a bunch of saints saved only by the
blood of Jesus and that looks meant to lead
you to love the church even more than you do
right now that's why we take communion
you