In Remembrance of Me: Observing the Lord’s Supper

1:04Sumner suffered serious brain damage and became a martyr for the Northern cause, while Brooks was heralded as a hero in the South. People mailed him dozens of new canes to replace the one he broke over Sumner's head with one inscribed, hit him again. So, if you ever think, our political landscape just couldn't be any worse, just remember Charles Sumner and say to yourself, sure, it could. Good. Sadly, we've come to expect bitter divisions in the American political landscape, but we should never view division as normal or acceptable in the church.

1:42Last week, Pastor Beau helped us understand the nature of the Lord's Supper. It's an ordinance of Christ consisting of bread and wine that symbolizes the real spiritual presence of Jesus with his people. Well, today we're going to be studying 1 Corinthians 11 and answering the question: how should we observe the Lord's Supper? Unfortunately, the Corinthians were struggling to honor God in the way they were observing the Lord's Supper. But in God's providence, their struggles meant lasting instruction for the church through Paul's letter.

2:18So let's take a look now at the text in 1 Corinthians 11, verse 17. How bad are things in the church at Corinth? So bad that Paul actually says in verse 17 that their meetings do more harm than good, that it would be better not to meet at all. Why is that? Well, it's because there are divisions among them. Not the kind of divisions that must exist between Christians and non-Christians, between belief and unbelief. No, these are divisions between Christians, between fellow believers in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Christ.

3:01And the divisions appear to be along socioeconomic lines between the rich and the poor, between the haves and the have-nots. So let's explore the context a little bit more and understand what we're talking about here. First century Corinth was a Greek city that, under Roman rule, served as the capital of the province known as Achaia. When Paul arrived around 50 AD, he shared the gospel in the synagogue, but experienced the typical rejection, so he went to the Gentiles.

3:33Many of the Corinthian converts were Gentiles who were accustomed to social distinctions between the rich and the poor, and who are unaccustomed to taking one day off each week for worship and rest. Now remember, in the earliest days of the church, no local churches had buildings. They met in homes. And often, due to size considerations, a wealthy church member would open up his or her home to host worship gatherings on Sunday. But Paul was upset at the way they were conducting themselves at these gatherings. I want to look again at verses 20 and 21.

4:10Paul writes, 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. So what was the problem here? Well, in short, the wealthy were excluding the poorer. Members of the church from partaking in the fellowship meal prior to their observance of the Lord's Supper. Well, how exactly were they doing that? In one of two ways, if not both of these ways. First, remember that the poorer members of the church would have had to work every day, while the wealthier members did not. And what that meant was that the wealthier members could show up to the fellowship meal at any time they chose. The poorer members would have to work all day, they'd have to get off work, then walk to the house where the church was meeting. And so it could have been the case that the wealthier members were showing up early, eating all of the food, drinking all the wine, and then by the time the poorer members got off work and got there, there was nothing left.

5:15So that could have been the case. Or second, it could have been the case that they were actually eating and drinking right in front of the poorer members of the congregation. Now, a lot of these homes had a room that was called the triclinium. And the triclinium is where you would eat, reclined at the table, like you would see in many of those ancient depictions. And so this wealthy person might have had his wealthier friends over, who are also members of the church, and he would have invited them into the triclinium to recline, to eat the finer food, and drink the nicer wine, while the poorer members of the church had to wait outside of that room, in another room of the house, or perhaps even in the courtyard. And because they weren't a part of this inner circle, or because they weren't wealthy, They weren't invited in.

6:02And so this humiliated them because they had nothing. But no matter the specifics of the situation at Corinth, the wealthier members were excluding poorer members of the church from their full fellowship. And this had created a deep division in the church body. They were eating supper, but as Paul said in verse 20, it wasn't the Lord's supper that they were eating. A time of unity had turned into a time of division. Now, obviously, this isn't how things are supposed to be in the church. After all, in what we call his high priestly prayer in John chapter 17, Jesus prayed over and over for our unity.

6:44And that's why Paul, to say nothing of God himself, is so upset at the situation here in Corinth. Because the Lord's Supper of all things is supposed to be a picture of our unity around the gospel of grace. So, beginning in verse 23, Paul reminds them what the Lord's Supper is. And I want you to notice that he emphasizes right here in verse 23 that he received it from Jesus and then he delivered it to them.

7:18That is so critical to observe and to understand. Paul received it from Jesus and then he delivered it to the Corinthians. Friends, the Lord's Supper is not a man-made tradition. It's not as if some early church father, or even Paul himself, invented the Lord's Supper as a kind of powerful sermon illustration that just happened to stick for the past 2,000 years. Not at all. Jesus himself, on the night when he was betrayed, instituted what we call the Lord's Supper.

7:52This is why, as we continued to study God's Word together, our elders became convinced that we should reform our practice of the Lord's Supper to better reflect that which Jesus Himself instituted. So the Lord's Supper rightly consists of broken bread representing Jesus' body broken for us, and wine representing Jesus' blood shed for us, inaugurating the new covenant God promised to his people. And as Pastor Bow explained last week, it seems clear in the New Testament that the church took the Lord's Supper every time they gathered for worship. And it is certain that churches took the Lord's Supper weekly in worship for hundreds of years. And that a primary concern of all the reformers, Luther, Calvin, Zwingli, Butcher, Melancton, and others, was to restore the ancient practice of weekly observance of the Lord's Supper. Why?

8:57Not only because it seems to be the New Testament model. Not only because it was the historic practice of the church, but because of what the Lord's Supper communicates. Look at the end of verse 25 and 26. Paul, quoting Jesus, says, 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. Every time we take the Lord's Supper together, we are remembering Christ's life, death, and resurrection on our behalf.

9:38It is a tangible, sensory reminder of the costly death of Jesus, his body broken, his blood poured out for you and me. And every time we take the Lord's Supper together, we are proclaiming Christ's death until he returns. It is a declaration to everyone, including those who gather with us who may not yet be believers in Jesus, that Jesus lived and died and rose again and will return one day. So when we take the Lord's Supper, we are remembering. Can I say proclaiming, or can I say preserving the gospel?

10:22And when we take the Lord's Supper, we are proclaiming the gospel. There is no clearer way. To depict our mission statement, then by taking the Lord's Supper when we gather for worship, every time we do so, remembering and preserving the gospel, every time we do so, proclaiming the Lord's death until he comes. And if that's what we're doing when we take the supper, preserving and proclaiming the gospel, then the way we take it must reflect our belief in the gospel.

10:57You see, that was the problem here in Corinth. They were undoing with their divisive behavior what they were proclaiming to believe with their lips. Look on the screen at Galatians 3, verses 27 and 28. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek. There is neither slave nor free. There is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. You see, for the Corinthians, there was a disconnect between the truth of the gospel they said they believed and the way they were living.

11:40Their behavior was totally acceptable in Greco-Roman society. No one would have thought anything of divisions between rich and poor. That was the way things were. More than that, that was the way things were supposed to be. But not in the church. Listen to Jim Hamilton. He says this. To be specific, this behavior shames the church because rather than depicting the need common to all, rich and poor, slave and master, male and female, Jew and Gentile, the need for the gospel that is proclaimed in the supper, the observance of what seemed to amount to class distinctions at the supper, enacts the socioeconomic distinctions of the pagan Roman culture. This behavior of the Corinthians shows that their identity has not been reconfigured by the gospel.

12:34Remember Galatians 3. Everyone who has been baptized into Christ has put on Christ, so we are all one in Christ Jesus. The gospel unifies people from every ethnicity, every income level, every social sphere. So that brings up two important questions. First, how must we observe the Lord's Supper? And secondly, who should observe the Lord's Supper? Well, Paul answers both questions here in verses 27 through 34. Join me there. Verse 27. 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.

13:30For 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.

14:10So, the first question is, how must we observe the Lord's Supper? The answer is in a worthy manner. And that means at least two things. Broadly, taking the Lord's Supper in a worthy manner means we have no unrepentant sin in our lives. Now, the key word here is unrepentant. The Lord's Supper remembers the sacrifice of Jesus and proclaims his death and resurrection until he returns. The whole reason you're taking the supper is because you're a sinner and you agree with God that you need a Savior.

14:51See, some people have interpreted worthy manner to mean if you've sinned in the past week, you can't take the Lord's Supper. Well, obviously, that's the same thing. Would exclude everyone every week. It also does not mean that you've confessed every single sin you've committed in the past week. Now, don't misunderstand me. I'm not saying you can have unconfessed sin and take the Lord's Supper. But, friends, we're only aware of some percentage of our sinful actions, thoughts, and motivations. If we had to confess every sin every week, no one could take the Lord's Supper.

15:32The issue here isn't, have you sinned in the past week? Nor is it, have you confessed every sin you've committed in the past week? The issue is a repentant heart. You've confessed any sin you know of, and you are approaching the Lord's table in repentance and humility. So, broadly, taking the Lord's Supper in a worthy manner means we have no unrepentant sin in our lives. Narrowly, taking the Lord's Supper in a worthy manner means we aren't divided as a body of Christ. That's the immediate context of the passage, isn't it? The problem at Corinth was that the rich were perpetuating class distinctions in the church. So, when they took the Lord's Supper, they were doing so in an unworthy manner. I want you to remember Jesus' teaching from Matthew chapter 5 and the Sermon on the Mount. Look on the Screen.

16:32So, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there, remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First, be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. So, the principle here isn't so much that if you've sinned against someone else in the past week, you can't take the Lord's Supper. The principle is that if that sin has caused division in your relationship, you shouldn't take the Lord's Supper. So, what this meant in Corinth is what Paul says in verses 33 and 34. They needed to wait for one another. That word translated wait for can also be translated share with. They needed to wait for or share with one another. If they were that hungry that they couldn't wait, they needed to eat at home before worship.

17:27Otherwise, they could wait and they could eat together. They could share their food with one another. And that could be a unifying rather than a divisive time for them. What this means for us is that we need to take care to reconcile with other members of our church when something recent or something in the past has caused division in our relationship. So, if there's anyone you avoid, you avert your eyes in the hallway when you walk towards one another.

18:01You intentionally sit on the other side of the room, you feel upset when they're around or you're bitter about their successes. There's your sign. There's your sign that there's a lack of reconciliation, that there's division between you and another believer. And so, for those of you who are members of our church, you know that we have two primary documents here at New Life. The first is our statement of faith, which is what we believe together. And the second is our church covenant, which is a shorter document comprised of promises. It's a covenant that we make to and with one another.

18:40And this is what we say in our church covenant. Look on the screen. We agree to work and to pray for the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. We will admonish those who are disobedient to the word, encourage the timid, help the weak, exercise patience toward all, and work for reconciliation. We will ask God for grace to speak, think, and act toward one another in love at all times. You know, I think, especially in our day, this is so important.

19:18And you no doubt have experienced this yourself. You've observed this, and maybe there are some of you here today who have even done this before. But we know that there is conflict in the local church. The local church is comprised of sinners. And so, of course, there's conflict in the local church. And rather than seeking reconciliation with those who have sinned against us, what do many people do? They just leave and they go to another church in their community. The conflict is unresolved. The sin is not confessed and forgiven. There is a lack of reconciliation. There is still division in the body of Christ. And that is treated as normal and acceptable. But, friends, that's not how it should be.

20:05If God, through His Son Jesus, has chosen to bear the cost of our sin, to absorb the cost of our sin in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, how could we ever conclude that there are certain sins, that there are certain offenses that are too great for us to bear? So we live in unforgiveness. We live in division. That shouldn't be the case in the church. And so, narrowly, taking the Lord's Supper in a worthy manner means that we aren't divided as a body of Christ.

20:43So, what happens if we do take the Lord's Supper in an unworthy manner? Well, Paul answers that question in two ways. First, believers will be disciplined by the Lord if they take the Lord's Supper in an unworthy manner. This is what happened to some of the Corinthians. God made them weak and ignorant. To lead them to repentance. Now, we know that not all weakness and illness in life is because of sin. Paul talked in 2 Corinthians about the thorn in his flesh. And we know that that wasn't a result of weakness or illness. That was so that Paul would learn to trust in the Lord. That was so that Paul could be further sanctified by the Lord. So not all weakness and illness is the result of sin, but some is.

21:25And God uses those things as a disciplining tool. Look at verse 32. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world. That's so important. We're disciplined, why? So that we may not be condemned along with the world. God is a loving Father who disciplines his children. He doesn't seek to punish them, he seeks to discipline them so that they won't be condemned. But what about unbelievers? What if they take the Lord's Supper in an unworthy manner? Well, if an unbeliever is taking the Lord's Supper at all, they're doing so in an unworthy manner. Paul says that they're going to be judged by the Lord. He says in verse 29 that some people were eating and drinking judgment upon themselves, which is why some were weak and ill and some even died. These people were unrepentant about their sin to the very end, and specifically, they were unrepentant about their divisive behavior. They claim to believe. The gospel, and yet their lives told a different story. They claimed Christ's body in the Lord's Supper while denying his body, that is the church, in the rest of their lives.

22:44And so, unbelievers will be judged by the Lord. So, back to our original question: how must we observe the Lord's Supper? The answer is in a worthy manner, which means that we are repentant, and it means that we are unified with the body of Christ. Our second question from this text is: who should observe the Lord's Supper? Well, clearly, the answer to this question is only believers in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I think that much is crystal clear from this passage. However, we need to go a step further and say only baptized believers should take the Lord's Supper. I want you to listen to Wayne Grudem. Look on the screen behind me.

23:37Grudem says, This is because baptism is so clearly a symbol of beginning the Christian life, while the Lord's Supper is clearly a symbol of continuing the Christian life. Therefore, if someone is taking the Lord's Supper and thereby giving public proclamation that he or she is continuing in the Christian life, then that person should be asked. Wouldn't it be good to be baptized now and thereby give a symbol that you are beginning the Christian life? For if they are willing to participate in one outward symbol of being a Christian, there seems no reason why they should not be willing to participate in the other, a symbol that appropriately comes first.

24:22Now, friends, I've heard parents object in this way, but my child is afraid to stand before the church and be baptized, so we're letting him take communion first. Now, listen, not just as a pastor, but as a parent, I understand that objection very well. I have three children of my own. I totally get that. But I want to ask you a couple of questions as a fellow parent and as a pastor. First, if our children are unwilling to stand before their church family and give testimony of God's saving work in their lives, what makes us think they'll stand before their unbelieving friends, their unbelieving classmates, and do the same?

25:22Second, have we considered that there are no warnings in Scripture? About the dangers of being baptized in an unworthy manner. But taking the Lord's Supper in an unworthy manner is linked to weakness, sickness, and even death. Friends, I cannot understand why we would treat baptism with such fear and yet administer the Lord's Supper to our children when we have clear warnings about the dangers of taking it in an unworthy manner. Because baptism is the God-given symbol of beginning the Christian life, and the Lord's Supper is the God-given symbol of continuing the Christian life, it seems clear that only baptized believers should take the Lord's Supper.

26:23Well, friends, last week and today has been a bit like drinking from a fire hydrant, hasn't it? It's a lot to take in, because for many of us, we're having to reevaluate years, maybe decades, of how we've practiced the Lord's Supper. And last week, we had a number of people come up to us and say, after Pastor Beau's sermon, I thought for sure we were going to take the Lord's Supper with wine and start doing it weekly. Well, you know what? Not only did we not take it last week, but as you can see, we're not going to take it. Going to take it today either.

27:04The first reason that we haven't started observing the Lord's Supper weekly with wine just yet is because we believe our calling as elders is to lead the sheep, not drive the sheep. We wanted to be sure that you, like the Bereans of Acts 17, had time to examine these things for yourself, to test them against Scripture and see if they were true. We wanted you to be convinced from Scripture that we should move in this direction. We weren't going to drop a truth bomb on you and give you 10 seconds to get on board.

27:45We know that for many of you, this is a welcome change. This is a long time coming. Over the years of our church, we've been asked many times, why don't we observe the Lord's Supper weekly? Why do we observe the Lord's Supper with grape juice rather than wine? And so we know for a lot of you, this is a welcome change. You're excited about this, but others of you have questions. It's a big change. You need time to think and to process. And so we want to be here for you to answer those questions, and we're glad to have had the opportunity for several of you already to answer questions. So that's the first reason that we haven't started doing it weekly.

28:26Second reason is it's going to mean some big shifts for the way that we prepare for work. Trent Burford, who is one of our deacons and his small team, do a great job of preparing the ordinances, but this is going to require some serious logistical changes. He's going to need many more people to serve on his team, maybe you. And so I want you to remember that we didn't get to where we are today overnight. We've been observing the Lord's Supper with grape juice monthly for a decade.

29:00A decade. And we weren't just going to change all of that in the blink of an eye. But I hope you see, once again, that New Life is not just a reformed church. We are a reforming church, continually submitting what we believe and how we live to the Word of God and trying to be more faithful week after week, year after year. I am so glad to be on this journey with you. A church who loves the Lord, loves his word, and prays for those of us who have the humbling privilege of leading you spiritually.

29:47And I hope and pray that you feel led well through these necessary changes to our worship. Let's pray together. Thank you for listening. Listening to the sermon audio from New Life Baptist Church in College Station, Texas. For more information or to support our ministry, visit us online at newlifecs.net.