1 00:00:00,920 --> 00:00:03,840 Well, good morning. I'm Jonah Chitty. 2 00:00:03,840 --> 00:00:06,800 I am the discipleship and family pastor here at LMC. 3 00:00:06,880 --> 00:00:08,520 We're glad you're here. Happy Thanksgiving. 4 00:00:10,400 --> 00:00:13,160 As an American living abroad, it seems weird to do Thanksgiving 5 00:00:13,160 --> 00:00:17,200 right now. I was with some some friends 6 00:00:17,200 --> 00:00:21,000 last night and we were having a Thanksgiving meal and we were 7 00:00:21,000 --> 00:00:23,240 watching the appropriate thing. There was a football game on, 8 00:00:24,800 --> 00:00:29,560 but as soon as it ended, there was the the wrong thing came on 9 00:00:29,560 --> 00:00:30,520 the TV. It was hockey. 10 00:00:31,840 --> 00:00:33,360 So I was confused. I was like, is this 11 00:00:33,360 --> 00:00:35,120 Thanksgiving? But no, it was a great time. 12 00:00:36,200 --> 00:00:39,360 I'm just a little bit confused. So in Thanksgiving, I'll get to 13 00:00:39,360 --> 00:00:40,680 do it all over again. Excuse me? 14 00:00:40,680 --> 00:00:44,520 In Thanksgiving in November, I'll get to do it again and you 15 00:00:44,520 --> 00:00:46,040 guys can join me. We can all have two 16 00:00:46,040 --> 00:00:47,760 Thanksgiving. It's it is the best holiday. 17 00:00:47,800 --> 00:00:52,880 So that being said, family gatherings are on our mind, 18 00:00:52,880 --> 00:00:54,640 right? Thinking about gathering with 19 00:00:54,640 --> 00:00:57,520 your family for meals for Thanksgiving? 20 00:00:59,560 --> 00:01:02,840 Every Sunday when I was growing up and even after I got married, 21 00:01:03,160 --> 00:01:07,040 we would have a family meal at my parents house. 22 00:01:07,520 --> 00:01:10,880 Valerie and I, after we got married, we lived in in Alabama 23 00:01:10,880 --> 00:01:15,040 just above the state line where my parents are from, and we 24 00:01:15,040 --> 00:01:18,280 would drive down for lunch pretty regularly. 25 00:01:18,280 --> 00:01:22,080 Nearly every Sunday we would show up for lunch and so we 26 00:01:22,080 --> 00:01:24,840 would go to the early service at our church and then we would 27 00:01:25,200 --> 00:01:28,920 make our way South for 45 minutes or so and we would be 28 00:01:28,920 --> 00:01:32,960 expecting a real good meal. One of the things my mom cooks 29 00:01:32,960 --> 00:01:36,200 that is my absolute favorite thing to eat is fried cornbread. 30 00:01:36,320 --> 00:01:39,400 It's not the cornbread you guys making like cakes and like looks 31 00:01:39,400 --> 00:01:41,720 like a birthday cake and then you slice it up. 32 00:01:41,720 --> 00:01:44,240 No, this is like, I don't know if you know what hush puppies 33 00:01:44,240 --> 00:01:47,560 are, probably not, but it's like, it's like cornmeal that's 34 00:01:47,560 --> 00:01:50,720 like pattied out really thin and then you fry it and it is the 35 00:01:50,720 --> 00:01:56,520 best thing ever. I love it, But often I would 36 00:01:56,520 --> 00:01:57,760 show up and I would show up late. 37 00:01:57,760 --> 00:02:00,080 Have you ever been somewhere late, like to a family gathering 38 00:02:00,080 --> 00:02:02,040 and what you're looking for and what you expected was missing? 39 00:02:02,920 --> 00:02:06,120 That happens to me, or it did happen to me nearly every time 40 00:02:06,120 --> 00:02:08,680 we would go home, my nephews would get to the cornbread first 41 00:02:08,680 --> 00:02:09,880 and I would say, where's the cornbread? 42 00:02:10,160 --> 00:02:12,440 And they would say, oh, Logan ate like six or seven pieces. 43 00:02:12,440 --> 00:02:15,400 I'm like, come on, man. I was here for the cornbread. 44 00:02:15,400 --> 00:02:17,800 What I got when I got there, I was expecting something. 45 00:02:17,800 --> 00:02:20,800 I was expecting a meal. What I got instead was something 46 00:02:20,800 --> 00:02:23,280 completely different. I got a meal, but it was missing 47 00:02:23,280 --> 00:02:25,280 the most important part, and that was the cornbread. 48 00:02:25,800 --> 00:02:29,120 So I was thinking about that specifically because we have 49 00:02:29,120 --> 00:02:31,440 family gatherings coming up, but also as I was reading our texts 50 00:02:31,440 --> 00:02:33,280 in First Corinthians, we're going to be in First Corinthians 51 00:02:33,280 --> 00:02:36,520 Chapter 11 this morning. So go ahead and turn there and 52 00:02:36,520 --> 00:02:38,800 you'll see why. I hope you'll see why my my 53 00:02:38,800 --> 00:02:42,680 story about the cornbread being missing would make sense. 54 00:02:42,680 --> 00:02:46,000 So we're going to be reading 1st Corinthians 11. 55 00:02:46,000 --> 00:02:48,440 We're going to start in 17, go all the way to 34. 56 00:02:48,440 --> 00:02:55,600 But first I want to pray Father in heaven this morning, Lord, 57 00:02:56,920 --> 00:03:02,960 I'm reminded of how good you are, reminded of the blood 58 00:03:03,600 --> 00:03:10,560 applied. That song is so fitting there to 59 00:03:10,560 --> 00:03:13,880 our heart was the blood applied. And so Lord, we give your name 60 00:03:13,880 --> 00:03:16,400 glory. We pray that you would incline 61 00:03:16,400 --> 00:03:20,760 our hearts to you. Lord, Lord, help us to to see 62 00:03:20,760 --> 00:03:26,320 you, to to be here, to worship together, not for any prideful 63 00:03:26,320 --> 00:03:28,720 gain or false motive, but for your glory alone. 64 00:03:28,720 --> 00:03:33,320 So, Lord, we ask, we, we beg that you would incline our 65 00:03:33,320 --> 00:03:37,320 hearts to you to fear your name. Lord, I pray also that you 66 00:03:37,320 --> 00:03:39,800 would, that you would open our eyes as believers. 67 00:03:39,800 --> 00:03:43,520 Lord, we ask that You would open Your word to us in such a way 68 00:03:43,520 --> 00:03:47,240 that it becomes real to us that we can apply it correctly to our 69 00:03:47,240 --> 00:03:49,880 lives. So are we open? 70 00:03:50,040 --> 00:03:54,200 We ask that You open our eyes to behold the wonderful things in 71 00:03:54,200 --> 00:03:56,640 your word. And not only us, Lord, that are 72 00:03:56,640 --> 00:03:59,840 believers, but those of us here in this room who, who may, may 73 00:03:59,840 --> 00:04:01,360 not have put our faith in You yet. 74 00:04:01,360 --> 00:04:03,760 Lord, I pray for those who are here that haven't put their 75 00:04:03,760 --> 00:04:06,160 faith in you. I pray that you would open their 76 00:04:06,160 --> 00:04:10,080 eyes, that You would open the eyes of their hearts so that 77 00:04:10,080 --> 00:04:13,160 they would see you, that they would be able to behold the 78 00:04:13,160 --> 00:04:17,800 wonderful things in Your word, the truth of the blood applied. 79 00:04:19,440 --> 00:04:22,040 Lord, I pray that this morning that we would we would have a 80 00:04:22,040 --> 00:04:27,720 renewed vision of that Lord, for your name's sake, not for us, 81 00:04:27,800 --> 00:04:31,880 but for your name's sake. Lord, please unite our hearts to 82 00:04:31,880 --> 00:04:35,400 fear your name. Help us to be unified in our 83 00:04:35,400 --> 00:04:40,280 worship as we study the issue of taking the Lord's Supper in the 84 00:04:40,280 --> 00:04:42,720 in an improper way. Lord, Lord, we pray that you 85 00:04:42,720 --> 00:04:49,280 would help us to see how we can avoid worshipping you in an 86 00:04:49,280 --> 00:04:51,320 improper way. Lord, you, you want to be 87 00:04:51,320 --> 00:04:55,440 worshipped in a particular way. And so, Lord, we pray that we 88 00:04:55,440 --> 00:04:59,480 would, that we would be a church, a gathered people that 89 00:04:59,480 --> 00:05:04,800 comes wanting to do worship, wanting to be the church the way 90 00:05:04,800 --> 00:05:08,920 you want us to be. And Lord, I pray that you would 91 00:05:08,920 --> 00:05:10,520 help us to be satisfied with you. 92 00:05:11,840 --> 00:05:16,160 Help us to be satisfied with your sacrificial substitutionary 93 00:05:16,400 --> 00:05:19,280 atonement and your steadfast love. 94 00:05:20,560 --> 00:05:22,760 Help us to imitate that love when we come together. 95 00:05:23,720 --> 00:05:26,560 And as we look at this passage today, Lord, help us to listen 96 00:05:26,560 --> 00:05:30,200 and live your word. I pray these things in Jesus 97 00:05:30,200 --> 00:05:34,880 name, Amen. So let's take a look at Chapter 98 00:05:34,880 --> 00:05:36,720 11, verse 17. We're going to read all the way 99 00:05:36,720 --> 00:05:41,680 down to 34. Now in giving you this 100 00:05:41,680 --> 00:05:46,560 instruction, I do not praise you, since you come together not 101 00:05:46,560 --> 00:05:49,040 for the better but for the worse. 102 00:05:50,200 --> 00:05:52,960 For to begin with, I hear that when you come together as a 103 00:05:52,960 --> 00:05:56,840 Church there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it. 104 00:05:57,680 --> 00:06:01,360 Indeed, it is necessary that there be factions among you, so 105 00:06:01,360 --> 00:06:05,120 that those who are proved may be recognized among you. 106 00:06:06,960 --> 00:06:09,280 When you come together. Then it is not to eat the Lord's 107 00:06:09,280 --> 00:06:11,720 Supper, for at the meal each one eats his own supper. 108 00:06:12,000 --> 00:06:14,680 So one person is hungry while another gets drunk. 109 00:06:15,480 --> 00:06:17,440 Don't you have homes in which to eat and drink? 110 00:06:17,440 --> 00:06:20,880 Or do you despise the Church of God and humiliate those who have 111 00:06:20,880 --> 00:06:23,280 nothing? What should I say to you? 112 00:06:25,080 --> 00:06:28,200 Should I praise you? I do not praise you in this 113 00:06:28,200 --> 00:06:33,280 matter, for I received from the Lord that I also passed on to 114 00:06:33,280 --> 00:06:35,000 you. On the night when he was 115 00:06:35,000 --> 00:06:38,440 betrayed, the Lord Jesus took bread and we had given thanks. 116 00:06:38,520 --> 00:06:42,920 He broke it and said, This is my body which is for you. 117 00:06:43,920 --> 00:06:48,480 Do this in remembrance of me. In the same way He also took the 118 00:06:48,480 --> 00:06:51,920 cup, and after supper he said, This cup is the new covenant in 119 00:06:51,920 --> 00:06:55,240 my blood. Do this as often as you drink it 120 00:06:55,280 --> 00:07:00,080 in remembrance of Me. For as often as you eat this 121 00:07:00,080 --> 00:07:03,280 bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until 122 00:07:03,280 --> 00:07:08,320 He comes. So whoever eats the bread or 123 00:07:08,320 --> 00:07:11,240 drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty 124 00:07:11,240 --> 00:07:14,800 of sin against the body and the blood of the Lord. 125 00:07:16,200 --> 00:07:19,200 Let a person examine himself in this way. 126 00:07:19,200 --> 00:07:20,960 Let him eat the bread and drink from the cup. 127 00:07:21,080 --> 00:07:23,640 For whoever eats and drinks without recognizing the body, 128 00:07:23,640 --> 00:07:26,280 and eats, eats and drinks judgement on himself. 129 00:07:27,440 --> 00:07:30,880 This is why many are sick, and I'll among you, and many have 130 00:07:30,880 --> 00:07:34,640 fallen asleep. If we were properly judging 131 00:07:34,640 --> 00:07:37,320 ourselves, we would not be judged. 132 00:07:38,040 --> 00:07:42,240 But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that 133 00:07:42,240 --> 00:07:43,840 we may not be condemned with the world. 134 00:07:44,600 --> 00:07:48,320 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, when you come together 135 00:07:48,320 --> 00:07:53,000 and eat, welcome one another. If anyone is hungry, he should 136 00:07:53,000 --> 00:07:56,400 eat at home so that when you gather together you will not 137 00:07:56,400 --> 00:07:59,560 come under judgement. I will give you instructions 138 00:07:59,560 --> 00:08:01,360 about the other matters whenever I come. 139 00:08:05,040 --> 00:08:07,880 What a way to end. I'll give you some instructions 140 00:08:07,880 --> 00:08:11,480 later, thanks. It would be nice if he gave us 141 00:08:11,480 --> 00:08:12,960 more, but he didn't. I think we have enough to go 142 00:08:12,960 --> 00:08:17,520 through this morning. My sermon title today is Check 143 00:08:17,520 --> 00:08:19,080 Yourself before you wreck Yourself. 144 00:08:20,320 --> 00:08:22,440 We're playing on the idea that this, this idea of self 145 00:08:22,440 --> 00:08:27,200 examination is the key to coming through our times of worship and 146 00:08:28,720 --> 00:08:32,960 in particular, Paul's addressing the Lord's Supper, coming to the 147 00:08:32,960 --> 00:08:35,159 Lord's Supper, the ordinance of the Lord's Supper with the right 148 00:08:35,159 --> 00:08:38,720 posture of heart. I have three things that I want 149 00:08:38,720 --> 00:08:41,679 us to learn together from this passage when it comes to 150 00:08:41,679 --> 00:08:44,560 checking our hearts. All of these three things point 151 00:08:44,560 --> 00:08:49,600 to this, this key idea here that our attitude and actions toward 152 00:08:49,600 --> 00:08:54,480 each other should mirror the actions and attitude of Christ 153 00:08:54,760 --> 00:08:58,800 toward the church. So when you come together, the 154 00:08:58,800 --> 00:09:01,040 three things that we need to remember are we need to 155 00:09:01,040 --> 00:09:05,320 recognize, we need to remember, and we need to reconcile. 156 00:09:07,040 --> 00:09:12,720 So recognize in verse 17 we see a change of tone. 157 00:09:12,720 --> 00:09:17,000 So last week when Pastor Joe preached his message, we saw in 158 00:09:17,000 --> 00:09:21,360 verse 2, verse 2 Corinthians, First Corinthians 11/2 said 159 00:09:21,360 --> 00:09:24,240 this. It says now I praise you because 160 00:09:24,240 --> 00:09:27,760 you Remember Me in everything and hold fast to the traditions 161 00:09:27,760 --> 00:09:31,560 just as I delivered them to you. So just 15 verses earlier in the 162 00:09:31,560 --> 00:09:35,160 letter, he says, I praise you because you Remember Me in 163 00:09:35,160 --> 00:09:38,880 everything. Now he's changed his tone. 164 00:09:39,080 --> 00:09:42,000 This is like a I'm not beating around the Bush anymore. 165 00:09:42,120 --> 00:09:44,280 He says, now I'm giving this instruction to you. 166 00:09:44,280 --> 00:09:48,440 I do not praise you since you come together for not for the 167 00:09:48,440 --> 00:09:53,360 better, but for the worse. In last week's passage, it seems 168 00:09:53,360 --> 00:09:57,200 like Paul was at least somewhat satisfied with how they were 169 00:09:57,200 --> 00:10:00,280 handling part of an aspect of worship. 170 00:10:01,360 --> 00:10:03,600 And the Corinthians remembered Paul's instructions and they 171 00:10:03,600 --> 00:10:06,400 were holding fast to it. They say, he says you were 172 00:10:06,400 --> 00:10:08,480 holding fast. To this one thing, I commend 173 00:10:08,480 --> 00:10:10,280 you. But here he's not. 174 00:10:10,280 --> 00:10:12,960 They're not doing it. It's almost as if all the things 175 00:10:12,960 --> 00:10:16,200 that Paul had been rebuking them for previously in the letter, 176 00:10:18,200 --> 00:10:22,000 things like favoritism, things like following certain leaders 177 00:10:22,000 --> 00:10:26,920 over others, things like sexual immorality or a confused idea of 178 00:10:26,920 --> 00:10:30,120 headship in the church and in the home, among other things, 179 00:10:30,160 --> 00:10:33,120 all these things, what they're doing is that they're causing 180 00:10:33,120 --> 00:10:36,200 the church pain. They're causing suffering. 181 00:10:36,200 --> 00:10:40,600 When they come together, When they come together, what they do 182 00:10:40,600 --> 00:10:42,920 causes grief. It causes people to feel 183 00:10:43,520 --> 00:10:46,360 alienated, ostracized, when what they should be doing is building 184 00:10:46,360 --> 00:10:50,480 each other up. So Paul starts by, he starts by 185 00:10:50,480 --> 00:10:52,400 recognizing that there are divisions, right? 186 00:10:52,400 --> 00:10:53,880 He says there's factions among you. 187 00:10:56,400 --> 00:10:59,080 He said these factions should not have existed in God's 188 00:10:59,080 --> 00:11:02,040 church. It seems evident that these 189 00:11:02,040 --> 00:11:04,600 these divisions were along the socio economic lines. 190 00:11:04,600 --> 00:11:08,800 So not theological differences, like not like differences on the 191 00:11:08,800 --> 00:11:11,400 Trinity or ideas about how how we're saved. 192 00:11:11,400 --> 00:11:14,600 You know, these differences were like we're I'm dividing the the 193 00:11:14,600 --> 00:11:16,280 congregation up and rich and poor. 194 00:11:16,800 --> 00:11:19,720 They're socio and economic. We can see that by the verse 195 00:11:19,840 --> 00:11:23,560 when he says one goes hungry and another go it gets drunk. 196 00:11:24,440 --> 00:11:26,800 It seems to imply that there were there were people who had 197 00:11:26,960 --> 00:11:30,240 much wealth and could afford to have a lavish meal and there 198 00:11:30,240 --> 00:11:32,840 were people in the congregation that had nothing and couldn't 199 00:11:32,840 --> 00:11:37,600 afford anything. And there are differing views on 200 00:11:37,600 --> 00:11:40,400 how the supper was taken. So like some people think that, 201 00:11:40,400 --> 00:11:46,400 that, that it was like in a big house, like a, like a large 202 00:11:46,400 --> 00:11:48,360 house, somebody, a member of the church had a bigger house and 203 00:11:48,360 --> 00:11:50,320 they invited people over the whole church over to take the 204 00:11:50,320 --> 00:11:53,800 supper. And some, And so sometimes the 205 00:11:53,800 --> 00:11:55,720 rich people would get the, the better seats, right? 206 00:11:55,720 --> 00:11:58,960 They would be, they would get the, the seat that, that gave 207 00:11:58,960 --> 00:12:01,200 the most prominence or whatever. And then the rich people had to 208 00:12:01,200 --> 00:12:03,840 sit outside and take their supper outside. 209 00:12:04,160 --> 00:12:08,160 No matter how you view it, it's very, it's very like evident in 210 00:12:08,160 --> 00:12:11,160 the text that the, the, the supper was a meal. 211 00:12:12,120 --> 00:12:14,160 Not like we take it. I think we take them, I think we 212 00:12:14,160 --> 00:12:17,160 take the supper and sort of reaction to this, like we take 213 00:12:17,160 --> 00:12:20,000 the supper with a little tiny wafer, right, And a little bit 214 00:12:20,000 --> 00:12:23,360 of juice so that we can't be accused of like making people go 215 00:12:23,360 --> 00:12:27,040 hungry or anything like that. So we're we're doing ours in a 216 00:12:27,040 --> 00:12:30,600 response to that in some ways. But here in the text, it seems 217 00:12:30,600 --> 00:12:32,800 evident that in the early church they took it as a full meal. 218 00:12:33,000 --> 00:12:38,960 OK. So it's likely though, that that 219 00:12:38,960 --> 00:12:42,400 what they were doing was like they were, they were eating a 220 00:12:42,400 --> 00:12:45,600 meal like they were instructed to eat, but they had forgotten 221 00:12:45,600 --> 00:12:48,640 and lost the spirit of what the Lord's Supper really means. 222 00:12:49,920 --> 00:12:53,600 They had sort of divorced the meaning from the act. 223 00:12:53,600 --> 00:12:55,280 And we're guilty of that sometimes too. 224 00:12:55,960 --> 00:12:58,840 We, we sometimes put more priority on what we do. 225 00:12:58,840 --> 00:13:02,040 And I think that goes back to Pastor Joe's sermon, what we do 226 00:13:02,520 --> 00:13:04,800 instead of, instead of the meaning and the, the, the 227 00:13:04,800 --> 00:13:07,120 implication behind it, What, what does it mean? 228 00:13:07,120 --> 00:13:11,400 Why do we do what we do? So they had forgotten that, he 229 00:13:11,400 --> 00:13:13,400 writes in verse 20. He says they had forgotten it so 230 00:13:13,400 --> 00:13:14,840 much. It says when you come together, 231 00:13:15,000 --> 00:13:16,880 then it's not to eat the Lord's Supper. 232 00:13:17,960 --> 00:13:20,240 If he were talking to us today, he might, he might say something 233 00:13:20,240 --> 00:13:22,320 like, you know, I don't know what you're doing, but that 234 00:13:22,320 --> 00:13:24,520 ain't it. That is not the supper. 235 00:13:27,480 --> 00:13:31,000 But but what we can see in this text, there is some positives to 236 00:13:31,120 --> 00:13:33,080 to pull from this. I mean, it's a very negative 237 00:13:33,080 --> 00:13:36,360 portion of the text, but I think there's some positives here 238 00:13:36,360 --> 00:13:38,840 because Paul picks up on there. There's a reason for the 239 00:13:38,840 --> 00:13:43,920 factions that is may not be clear, but he says there's three 240 00:13:43,920 --> 00:13:46,560 things I think that that we can see from these factions, from 241 00:13:46,560 --> 00:13:48,280 the divisions. They show us three things. 242 00:13:49,120 --> 00:13:50,400 So I told you my sermon had three points. 243 00:13:50,400 --> 00:13:53,000 It really has 10. So if you're, if you got lunch 244 00:13:53,000 --> 00:13:54,360 plans, I'm sorry, no, I'm kidding. 245 00:13:54,720 --> 00:13:58,040 Little sub points here. The divisions are helpful in 246 00:13:58,040 --> 00:14:01,000 recognizing who is genuine and who is not. 247 00:14:01,280 --> 00:14:04,560 It's helpful for us, like here, it's helpful for the Corinthians 248 00:14:04,560 --> 00:14:08,680 to see who was a true believer. So divisions help us recognize 249 00:14:08,680 --> 00:14:14,720 that how John 310, our first John 310 says this. 250 00:14:14,720 --> 00:14:17,520 It says this is how God's children and the devil's 251 00:14:17,520 --> 00:14:21,880 children become obvious. Whoever does not do what is 252 00:14:21,880 --> 00:14:27,360 right is not of God, especially the one who does not love his 253 00:14:27,360 --> 00:14:30,560 brother or sister. So these divisions in the 254 00:14:30,560 --> 00:14:34,000 church, they display their displays of favoritism, and 255 00:14:34,000 --> 00:14:37,160 they're nothing less than the church following the direction 256 00:14:37,160 --> 00:14:39,280 of culture, right? If you look at our culture 257 00:14:39,280 --> 00:14:42,240 today, you can see that we we also divide by rich and poor. 258 00:14:42,360 --> 00:14:46,280 We also give prominence to rich people and put poor people down 259 00:14:46,280 --> 00:14:49,520 here. That's the culture talking. 260 00:14:49,520 --> 00:14:52,280 And so that they had invited the church that, excuse me, they 261 00:14:52,280 --> 00:14:54,080 invited the culture into the church. 262 00:14:56,440 --> 00:14:59,240 In God's Kingdom, though, we know there are no divisions. 263 00:14:59,600 --> 00:15:01,600 There are no divisions along these lines. 264 00:15:01,760 --> 00:15:03,280 There are only two types of people. 265 00:15:03,280 --> 00:15:06,160 Remember from the very beginning of the chapter, those who are 266 00:15:06,280 --> 00:15:09,160 being saved and those who are perishing. 267 00:15:09,160 --> 00:15:13,240 Those are the two types of people, not rich, poor, not 268 00:15:13,240 --> 00:15:18,120 smart, dumb, no, those who are being saved, those who the Lord 269 00:15:18,120 --> 00:15:22,880 is is working in and and and sanctifying in the truth so they 270 00:15:22,880 --> 00:15:24,120 can become more and more like Christ. 271 00:15:24,120 --> 00:15:26,000 And then those who are perishing, those who do not 272 00:15:26,000 --> 00:15:29,400 believe, those are the only divisions in Christchurch. 273 00:15:31,400 --> 00:15:35,360 So they help us recognize who are genuine believers. 274 00:15:35,560 --> 00:15:38,520 Divisions also are helpful in recognizing opportunities to 275 00:15:38,520 --> 00:15:42,280 serve. So he had no nice words for 276 00:15:42,280 --> 00:15:45,440 these rich people. They're filling their own 277 00:15:45,440 --> 00:15:49,000 bellies, full Turkey dinner, whatever it is they're filling 278 00:15:49,000 --> 00:15:52,720 themselves up with, while there's others in the church 279 00:15:53,240 --> 00:15:55,440 that come to celebrate the Lord's Supper. 280 00:15:55,800 --> 00:15:57,960 We'll talk about more what the Lord's Supper means in just a 281 00:15:57,960 --> 00:15:59,680 second. But they're coming to do 282 00:15:59,680 --> 00:16:02,920 something sacred. They're coming to remember 283 00:16:03,000 --> 00:16:07,240 Christ's sacrifice. But there are rich people who 284 00:16:07,240 --> 00:16:10,720 are acting like like, like they own the world and they're not 285 00:16:10,720 --> 00:16:15,360 sacrificing anything. And in one, excuse me, in 11/22 286 00:16:15,360 --> 00:16:18,680 he says, what? Don't you have homes to eat and 287 00:16:18,680 --> 00:16:22,240 drink? Or do you despise the Church of 288 00:16:22,240 --> 00:16:24,400 God and humiliate those who have nothing? 289 00:16:25,480 --> 00:16:28,520 What should I say to you? Should I praise you? 290 00:16:30,240 --> 00:16:32,120 I do not praise you in this matter. 291 00:16:33,960 --> 00:16:37,200 So instead of acting in the, in the way that they had been 292 00:16:37,200 --> 00:16:40,720 treated, those who had much, they, they should recognize the 293 00:16:40,720 --> 00:16:43,400 opportunity. So they, they shouldn't be 294 00:16:43,400 --> 00:16:45,960 acting the way these people did. They should be thinking, OK, 295 00:16:46,000 --> 00:16:48,840 recognizing an opportunity. So we need to recognize that 296 00:16:48,840 --> 00:16:50,600 there's an opportunity to serve others. 297 00:16:52,440 --> 00:16:56,400 The third thing that divisions help us do is they're helpful in 298 00:16:56,400 --> 00:16:59,400 recognizing selfishness in our own hearts. 299 00:17:00,600 --> 00:17:02,520 So if we're at the meal, each one eats his own supper. 300 00:17:02,520 --> 00:17:04,280 So no person. So one person is hungry while 301 00:17:04,280 --> 00:17:09,560 the other gets drunk. 11/21 These people were eating their 302 00:17:09,560 --> 00:17:12,319 own food. They were eating and drinking so 303 00:17:12,319 --> 00:17:14,000 much that they had become gluttonous. 304 00:17:14,000 --> 00:17:19,280 They become drunkards. Paul's pointing this out and it 305 00:17:19,280 --> 00:17:22,640 should cause those who have a sensitive heart, those who are 306 00:17:22,640 --> 00:17:25,520 genuine believers, as he's writing this letter, as this 307 00:17:25,520 --> 00:17:27,119 letter is being read to them in the church. 308 00:17:27,200 --> 00:17:31,840 What it should be doing is it should be like helping them spot 309 00:17:31,840 --> 00:17:33,920 a blind spot in their life right this way. 310 00:17:33,920 --> 00:17:37,280 Oh, wait a minute. Something's wrong here. 311 00:17:39,040 --> 00:17:40,760 They need to stop and recognizing that what they're 312 00:17:40,760 --> 00:17:45,760 doing is a truly selfish act. So as we think about this 313 00:17:45,760 --> 00:17:48,640 portion of the passage, I just ask you to to, to think with me 314 00:17:48,640 --> 00:17:53,480 for a moment and consider the truths that that differences and 315 00:17:53,480 --> 00:17:55,560 divisions in our own congregation. 316 00:17:55,560 --> 00:17:57,760 There are differences in divisions in our congregation. 317 00:17:58,920 --> 00:18:02,040 There are those who have much, There are those who have near 318 00:18:02,040 --> 00:18:04,280 nothing. There are those in between. 319 00:18:06,600 --> 00:18:09,400 We need to recognize that these divisions can be helpful to us, 320 00:18:09,800 --> 00:18:12,000 so long as we look at them from the proper perspective. 321 00:18:13,400 --> 00:18:16,760 We need to recognize that we are all prone to selfishness. 322 00:18:17,120 --> 00:18:20,320 Rich or poor, we are prone to selfishness, and we need to ask 323 00:18:20,320 --> 00:18:22,680 the Lord to help us kill that sin. 324 00:18:24,280 --> 00:18:27,120 We need to look for ways to be a blessing to others in our 325 00:18:27,120 --> 00:18:29,480 church. And we need to recognize that 326 00:18:29,480 --> 00:18:33,600 there are those among us who are not genuine in our midst and we 327 00:18:33,600 --> 00:18:36,280 need to live our lives as an example to them of what true 328 00:18:36,280 --> 00:18:39,600 sacrifice is. We don't need to recognize that 329 00:18:39,600 --> 00:18:42,000 there are that there are non genuine people, that there are 330 00:18:42,000 --> 00:18:44,320 non believers in our midst and ostracize them. 331 00:18:45,200 --> 00:18:48,040 No, we need to show them love by how we love and serve each 332 00:18:48,040 --> 00:18:52,320 other. We need to live in such a way 333 00:18:52,840 --> 00:18:56,680 that that demonstrates to them what Jesus sacrifice really 334 00:18:56,680 --> 00:19:00,480 means and what the Lord's Supper should really look like. 335 00:19:00,680 --> 00:19:05,520 The Lord's Supper is a reflection of the gospel of what 336 00:19:05,520 --> 00:19:08,800 Jesus did to reconcile himself to us. 337 00:19:08,920 --> 00:19:12,160 And so my second point today, main point would be that we need 338 00:19:12,160 --> 00:19:15,280 to remember. We need to remember. 339 00:19:17,880 --> 00:19:21,080 We need to remember that what what Paul taught the Corinthians 340 00:19:21,080 --> 00:19:24,600 about the Supper teaches us three things about the Lord's 341 00:19:24,600 --> 00:19:26,760 Supper. He writes in First Corinthians 342 00:19:26,760 --> 00:19:30,160 12 Excuse me, 1123 to 26. I'm just going to read these 3 343 00:19:30,160 --> 00:19:32,480 verses again. For I received from the Lord 344 00:19:32,600 --> 00:19:35,800 what I also passed on to you. Paul saying I received from the 345 00:19:35,800 --> 00:19:37,280 Lord could mean one of two things. 346 00:19:37,280 --> 00:19:41,760 It could mean he received it from the Lord himself as he was. 347 00:19:42,680 --> 00:19:44,640 He tells us that Jesus discipled himself. 348 00:19:44,640 --> 00:19:47,840 Remember he had that that instance, that miraculous 349 00:19:47,840 --> 00:19:52,080 conversion, or it could mean the word literally means that I 350 00:19:52,080 --> 00:19:54,720 received it from someone who received it from someone else. 351 00:19:54,720 --> 00:19:57,360 So sort of like passing down traditions, like we receive 352 00:19:57,360 --> 00:19:59,320 things today, we receive it here. 353 00:19:59,760 --> 00:20:03,640 OK, so he says this, he says I received from the Lord what I 354 00:20:03,640 --> 00:20:07,240 also passed on to you on the night when he was betrayed, the 355 00:20:07,240 --> 00:20:10,040 Lord Jesus took bread and we had given thanks. 356 00:20:10,040 --> 00:20:13,200 He broke it and said this is my body, which is for you. 357 00:20:14,240 --> 00:20:18,280 Do this in remembrance of me. And in the same way he also took 358 00:20:18,280 --> 00:20:23,320 the cup after supper and said, This cup is the new covenant in 359 00:20:23,320 --> 00:20:27,000 my blood. Do this as often as you drink it 360 00:20:27,200 --> 00:20:30,480 in remembrance of me. For as often as you eat this 361 00:20:30,480 --> 00:20:34,360 bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until 362 00:20:34,360 --> 00:20:37,720 he comes. So he reminds them that that 363 00:20:37,720 --> 00:20:41,960 Jesus delivered them and what they received from the Lord. 364 00:20:42,720 --> 00:20:44,960 This account most closely resembles that of Luke's. 365 00:20:44,960 --> 00:20:47,640 OK, so Luke says, and he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and 366 00:20:47,640 --> 00:20:50,720 gave it to them and said almost almost verbatim what we just 367 00:20:50,720 --> 00:20:53,200 read in First Corinthians. This is my body which is given 368 00:20:53,200 --> 00:20:55,400 for you. Do this in remembrance of me. 369 00:20:56,760 --> 00:21:00,840 So this similarity in the text makes a lot of sense because we 370 00:21:00,840 --> 00:21:03,560 know from the book of Acts, Luke wrote the book of Acts and we 371 00:21:03,560 --> 00:21:06,320 know that that's all about the the Acts of the apostles. 372 00:21:06,480 --> 00:21:10,160 And primarily, most of that book is about Paul and his missionary 373 00:21:10,160 --> 00:21:12,560 journeys. And so we know for a fact that 374 00:21:12,560 --> 00:21:14,560 Luke and Paul spent a lot of time together. 375 00:21:14,560 --> 00:21:19,120 So whether or not Paul received it directly from Lord Jesus or 376 00:21:19,120 --> 00:21:24,040 he received it as teaching from Luke and the other apostles, it 377 00:21:24,040 --> 00:21:28,120 doesn't really matter. It doesn't change the truths. 378 00:21:28,200 --> 00:21:32,160 He delivered it clearly, and we see that here as he reminds them 379 00:21:32,160 --> 00:21:34,960 of that. The three things that I want us 380 00:21:34,960 --> 00:21:40,240 to see that the supper reminds us to do is it tells us to, it's 381 00:21:40,240 --> 00:21:41,880 a reminder that we need to look back. 382 00:21:41,960 --> 00:21:44,280 The first thing that we need to do when it comes to the supper 383 00:21:44,280 --> 00:21:47,920 is we need to look back. So as we're taking communion and 384 00:21:47,920 --> 00:21:50,040 we think about what it means, we need to be looking back. 385 00:21:52,560 --> 00:21:55,280 We need to remember what Christ has done for us. 386 00:21:55,280 --> 00:21:58,600 We need to remember his cross work, right? 387 00:21:58,800 --> 00:22:02,240 The work that he did on the cross for us, we need to 388 00:22:02,240 --> 00:22:06,640 remember that Jesus death and resurrection are central to our 389 00:22:06,640 --> 00:22:08,480 faith. They're not the things that we 390 00:22:08,480 --> 00:22:11,080 just put off to the side and say, OK, being a Christian's 391 00:22:11,080 --> 00:22:12,480 like this, you got to be good to your neighbor. 392 00:22:12,480 --> 00:22:14,160 You got to do this, you got to do nice things for everybody 393 00:22:14,160 --> 00:22:15,520 else. You're going to you're going to 394 00:22:15,520 --> 00:22:16,880 give to the church and do all these things. 395 00:22:17,080 --> 00:22:19,360 Oh, and by the way, you got to believe that Jesus is the Son of 396 00:22:19,360 --> 00:22:20,920 God and he died for his cross for your sins. 397 00:22:21,160 --> 00:22:25,240 No, we believe that it this is central, this is the center 398 00:22:25,240 --> 00:22:29,760 thing for our faith. Jesus death, his resurrection 399 00:22:29,960 --> 00:22:32,120 are the central elements of the Christian faith. 400 00:22:32,120 --> 00:22:34,280 If you don't get that right, you don't get Christianity. 401 00:22:36,000 --> 00:22:45,080 It's central. What he did on the cross in in 402 00:22:45,080 --> 00:22:48,200 ushering in the new covenant is he fulfilled the Passover. 403 00:22:48,440 --> 00:22:51,800 There's no need now for blood sacrifice. 404 00:22:54,200 --> 00:22:56,840 Andrew Nacelli says this. He says Jesus fulfilled the 405 00:22:56,840 --> 00:23:00,760 Passover by accomplishing the ultimate exodus, delivering 406 00:23:00,760 --> 00:23:05,280 people from the bondage of sin. So when we take the supper, we 407 00:23:05,280 --> 00:23:09,080 must remember what Jesus meant when he said this is my body, 408 00:23:09,080 --> 00:23:12,200 which is for you. When we take the bread, we need 409 00:23:12,200 --> 00:23:15,320 to reflect on what Jesus did on the cross. 410 00:23:17,920 --> 00:23:23,200 He bore the wrath for your sin. He bore the wrath for my sin, 411 00:23:23,600 --> 00:23:26,680 for all those who believe He took on our sin. 412 00:23:30,320 --> 00:23:32,680 He died as a substitute for me and you. 413 00:23:33,720 --> 00:23:36,400 So when the Father looks down at me or looks down at you, if 414 00:23:36,400 --> 00:23:40,640 you're a believer, he sees his Son and the atoning work of the 415 00:23:40,640 --> 00:23:44,480 cross, and he sees that you're forgiven. 416 00:23:45,520 --> 00:23:49,400 So when we take the bread, we need to remember that Jesus died 417 00:23:49,400 --> 00:23:51,640 a sacrificial death for our sins. 418 00:23:52,640 --> 00:23:57,000 Our sins separate us from God and Jesus cross work is an act 419 00:23:57,160 --> 00:23:59,720 of ultimate love and reconciliation. 420 00:24:00,520 --> 00:24:05,240 So if we truly reflect on that selfless act and consider all 421 00:24:05,240 --> 00:24:09,160 that Jesus has done for us, then if that doesn't have an effect 422 00:24:09,160 --> 00:24:13,680 on you, if you're sitting there and you're taking the supper and 423 00:24:13,680 --> 00:24:16,040 you're thinking, what is this? It's just bread. 424 00:24:16,040 --> 00:24:18,360 Whatever I'm eating it, it doesn't have an effect on you, 425 00:24:19,080 --> 00:24:23,960 then you really need to consider are you one of his? 426 00:24:23,960 --> 00:24:25,760 Are you genuine? Are you a believer? 427 00:24:26,600 --> 00:24:30,600 If you really truly like reflect on what you're doing, you're 428 00:24:30,600 --> 00:24:34,480 remembering that that that Jesus body was broken for you. 429 00:24:35,840 --> 00:24:38,600 If you if you can do that and not be moved, then I would I 430 00:24:38,600 --> 00:24:40,600 would you need to pray and ask the Lord to help you. 431 00:24:42,040 --> 00:24:43,600 So it brings, I mean, to my second point. 432 00:24:43,720 --> 00:24:46,080 So we need to remember. We need to look back to 433 00:24:46,080 --> 00:24:47,680 remember, but we also need to look out. 434 00:24:48,800 --> 00:24:50,800 Nacelli again is helpful. He writes this. 435 00:24:50,800 --> 00:24:53,720 He says when we celebrate the Lord's Supper, we proclaim the 436 00:24:53,720 --> 00:24:55,560 Lord's death. Verse 26. 437 00:24:56,040 --> 00:25:00,360 Heralding the gospel in this way not only builds up Christians, 438 00:25:01,080 --> 00:25:03,400 but it's also an an act of evangelism. 439 00:25:04,240 --> 00:25:08,080 It evangelizes non Christians who are in our midst, including 440 00:25:08,360 --> 00:25:13,320 our unregenerate children. So if I had to change this 441 00:25:13,320 --> 00:25:16,640 quote, I would say something like, especially our children 442 00:25:16,880 --> 00:25:20,160 who are not believers. I don't know about you, but like 443 00:25:20,160 --> 00:25:23,920 after taking the supper, sometimes my my kids will ask, 444 00:25:23,920 --> 00:25:26,360 why did it pass in front of me? Why could why can't we take it? 445 00:25:26,360 --> 00:25:28,920 Why can't we do it? And that gives me an opportunity 446 00:25:28,920 --> 00:25:35,200 to what to to tell them what it means It we it gives me an 447 00:25:35,200 --> 00:25:39,040 opportunity to share the gospel, the good news that Jesus died 448 00:25:39,040 --> 00:25:41,280 for their sin. It helps me to point to what sin 449 00:25:41,280 --> 00:25:45,720 is to help them understand the explanation, to realize that the 450 00:25:45,720 --> 00:25:48,600 sacrifice was bigger than anything that they could do. 451 00:25:50,680 --> 00:25:54,120 It helps me helps me point to the to the need of a sacrifice. 452 00:25:55,320 --> 00:25:58,840 It, it tells them and tells me as we remind each other, but 453 00:25:58,840 --> 00:26:04,520 that that it was all paid for like your sin has been paid for. 454 00:26:05,000 --> 00:26:10,160 There's no atonement necessary. You don't have to do anything to 455 00:26:10,160 --> 00:26:15,480 make atonement for your sins. There's nothing you can do to, 456 00:26:15,800 --> 00:26:19,200 to make it right with God. The only thing that you can do 457 00:26:20,040 --> 00:26:25,000 is put your faith and trust in Jesus through repentance and 458 00:26:25,000 --> 00:26:27,680 faith. That's what we do when we're 459 00:26:27,680 --> 00:26:28,720 saved. And so it gives us an 460 00:26:28,720 --> 00:26:31,720 opportunity to evangelize. We're proclaiming the Lord's 461 00:26:31,720 --> 00:26:35,640 death until he comes. So it helps us to look out. 462 00:26:37,400 --> 00:26:41,040 It also helps us to look forward, so we take the Lord's 463 00:26:41,040 --> 00:26:42,480 death. Remember, we're proclaiming the 464 00:26:42,480 --> 00:26:46,280 Lord's death until he comes. We proclaim his death. 465 00:26:46,280 --> 00:26:49,800 Not in a somber and sad way. Yes, there is reverence in the 466 00:26:49,800 --> 00:26:52,080 Supper. There is a time for us to 467 00:26:52,080 --> 00:26:55,120 reflect, but we're not reflecting on some sad event. 468 00:26:55,120 --> 00:26:58,400 Why? Because of the resurrection, his 469 00:26:58,400 --> 00:27:02,160 death saved us from our sins, but thank, thank God he didn't 470 00:27:02,160 --> 00:27:06,160 stay there, right He the power of the resurrection is how we 471 00:27:06,160 --> 00:27:08,200 can live and hope that there's a good future. 472 00:27:09,440 --> 00:27:12,360 We're proclaiming that through Jesus death, there is victory 473 00:27:12,360 --> 00:27:16,960 over sin and death. Which brings me to my main final 474 00:27:16,960 --> 00:27:22,520 point today. Reconcile verses 26 to 34. 475 00:27:25,080 --> 00:27:27,200 I mentioned at the beginning of our time that my main point was 476 00:27:27,200 --> 00:27:28,920 this. It was that our attitudes and 477 00:27:28,920 --> 00:27:33,480 actions toward each other should mirror the actions and attitudes 478 00:27:33,640 --> 00:27:40,680 of Christ toward the church. Jesus attitude and actions are 479 00:27:40,680 --> 00:27:43,000 so contrary to our natural tendencies. 480 00:27:43,000 --> 00:27:46,800 I don't know about you, but for me, because of indwelling sin, 481 00:27:48,280 --> 00:27:53,200 the pressures of the world, the flesh and the devil, I often 482 00:27:53,200 --> 00:27:56,080 fall into those same traps that we read about here in First 483 00:27:56,080 --> 00:28:03,760 Corinthians. Paul says that they that those 484 00:28:03,760 --> 00:28:06,040 who eat the bread and drink the cup of the Lord in an unworthy 485 00:28:06,040 --> 00:28:10,000 manner are guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 486 00:28:10,000 --> 00:28:12,920 And what does he mean by that? It seems that this is the 487 00:28:12,920 --> 00:28:16,400 opposite of verse 26, saying that the supper, taking it in an 488 00:28:16,400 --> 00:28:19,920 unworthy manner is to take the supper without truly remembering 489 00:28:20,000 --> 00:28:22,920 what God did through Jesus. It's like to eat the bread and 490 00:28:22,920 --> 00:28:27,960 not think about it. So to take this, it's like, it's 491 00:28:27,960 --> 00:28:30,200 like taking the supper in a hypocritical way. 492 00:28:32,320 --> 00:28:35,120 This church in Corinth was taking the supper in a way that 493 00:28:35,120 --> 00:28:37,640 marginalized part of their community. 494 00:28:38,960 --> 00:28:41,360 It says no, we're, we're over here, you're over there, you do 495 00:28:41,360 --> 00:28:42,600 your thing, I'm going to do my thing. 496 00:28:42,600 --> 00:28:44,520 We're going to eat and get drunk while you guys have nothing. 497 00:28:45,600 --> 00:28:48,040 They were dividing themselves socially between rich and poor. 498 00:28:48,280 --> 00:28:51,960 They were making a proclamation all like their action by their 499 00:28:51,960 --> 00:28:54,760 act and eating the supper. They were proclaiming that they 500 00:28:54,760 --> 00:28:57,720 were all unified in Christ. But what they were really doing 501 00:28:57,800 --> 00:29:01,440 was dividing up based on what I have and what you don't have. 502 00:29:02,320 --> 00:29:03,520 And so Paul calls him out, right. 503 00:29:03,520 --> 00:29:05,920 He says this is not the supper. You're not doing the supper. 504 00:29:07,080 --> 00:29:08,960 Andy Nacelli adds something again helpful here. 505 00:29:08,960 --> 00:29:12,520 He says this. He says this does not imply that 506 00:29:12,520 --> 00:29:14,240 Christians can make themselves worthy. 507 00:29:14,240 --> 00:29:18,760 So taking it in an unworthy manner does not imply that that 508 00:29:18,760 --> 00:29:22,280 Christians can make themselves worthy of the Lord's Supper by 509 00:29:22,280 --> 00:29:24,720 confessing your sins. So there's nothing like, there's 510 00:29:24,720 --> 00:29:27,320 this like idea, OK, I'll just get my mind right and I'll, I'll 511 00:29:27,320 --> 00:29:28,480 pray and ask the Lord, forgive me. 512 00:29:28,480 --> 00:29:30,960 It's the Lord's Supper today. It's four times a year. 513 00:29:31,320 --> 00:29:32,960 Today's the day I got to get my mind right. 514 00:29:32,960 --> 00:29:35,720 I got to get my heart right. Going to examine myself and make 515 00:29:35,720 --> 00:29:37,000 myself worthy to take the supper. 516 00:29:37,000 --> 00:29:42,160 No, no one's worthy. No one is worthy, and that's why 517 00:29:42,160 --> 00:29:44,080 the Lord's Supper celebrates the gospel. 518 00:29:44,640 --> 00:29:48,880 But Christians must participate in a worthy manner by 519 00:29:48,880 --> 00:29:53,120 maintaining unity in the body. So by by truly thinking about 520 00:29:53,120 --> 00:29:56,200 what we're doing, what we're proclaiming to the world, and 521 00:29:56,200 --> 00:30:02,800 not separating based on certain like just tangible things, but 522 00:30:02,800 --> 00:30:06,520 really understanding that in Christ we are together. 523 00:30:08,240 --> 00:30:10,920 So the next thing Paul says is that they should examine 524 00:30:10,920 --> 00:30:15,320 themselves in 28 to 30. He says let a person examine 525 00:30:15,320 --> 00:30:17,640 himself in this way. Let him eat the bread and drink 526 00:30:17,640 --> 00:30:19,520 of the cup forever eats the drink and drinks without 527 00:30:19,520 --> 00:30:22,240 recognizing the body eats and drinks judgement on himself. 528 00:30:23,280 --> 00:30:27,040 This is why many are sick and I'll among you and many have 529 00:30:27,040 --> 00:30:29,680 fallen asleep or your version may say died. 530 00:30:31,640 --> 00:30:34,960 What Paul is saying here is that when you don't take sin 531 00:30:34,960 --> 00:30:40,000 seriously in your life, when you don't see sin as God sees sin, 532 00:30:42,320 --> 00:30:45,240 and you come together and you participate in the Lord's 533 00:30:45,240 --> 00:30:49,360 Supper, or let's, let's make it even more close to home. 534 00:30:49,360 --> 00:30:52,680 When we participate in worship at all, when we come together 535 00:30:52,680 --> 00:30:59,160 and we worship at all, if we don't take it seriously, we're 536 00:30:59,160 --> 00:31:02,440 pronouncing judgement on ourselves instead. 537 00:31:02,440 --> 00:31:05,360 What they must do and what we must do is we have to check our 538 00:31:05,360 --> 00:31:08,240 pride at the door. We have to examine ourselves in 539 00:31:08,240 --> 00:31:12,920 light of Christ's sacrifice, and that examination is helpful in 540 00:31:12,920 --> 00:31:16,960 understanding that the body in this section most likely refers 541 00:31:16,960 --> 00:31:21,080 to, yes, Christ's body. When we, we, and also the church 542 00:31:21,080 --> 00:31:24,320 has a body. If we eat the supper and neglect 543 00:31:24,320 --> 00:31:27,360 the body of Christ, which is the church, we're also neglecting 544 00:31:27,640 --> 00:31:30,800 each other because of our union with Christ. 545 00:31:31,480 --> 00:31:36,080 To act in a way that disparages the church is to act in a way 546 00:31:36,080 --> 00:31:43,200 that disparages Christ. The result can be catastrophic, 547 00:31:43,200 --> 00:31:44,240 right? Detrimental. 548 00:31:44,560 --> 00:31:48,920 We see that here, that some people got sick, Paul saying 549 00:31:48,920 --> 00:31:51,160 this is this is the reason some of you are sick and this is the 550 00:31:51,160 --> 00:31:54,280 reason some of you are died. I can think of at least one 551 00:31:54,280 --> 00:31:57,720 instance as like an experiential thing for my life where I had 552 00:31:57,720 --> 00:31:59,920 some issues going on that I couldn't figure out why. 553 00:32:00,000 --> 00:32:03,280 I was getting cluster headaches, migraines, I was suffering from 554 00:32:03,680 --> 00:32:09,920 severe anxiety, crippling depression, which I had no 555 00:32:09,920 --> 00:32:11,880 reason for. I had no reason for it. 556 00:32:12,680 --> 00:32:15,000 The the headaches the doctor, I went to the doctor and the 557 00:32:15,000 --> 00:32:16,600 doctor says there's no reason for you to have that. 558 00:32:16,720 --> 00:32:18,800 There's nothing wrong. Everything's fine. 559 00:32:19,680 --> 00:32:22,240 All things check out. Well, one of my friends had the 560 00:32:22,240 --> 00:32:26,080 wisdom to say, hey, Jonah, how is your Christian walk? 561 00:32:26,080 --> 00:32:28,160 How is your walk with the Lord right now? 562 00:32:29,560 --> 00:32:33,920 And I had to be honest that I had not been as Pastor Joe so so 563 00:32:34,000 --> 00:32:36,040 well put it last a couple weeks back. 564 00:32:36,040 --> 00:32:40,280 I have not been feeding my soul for the Lord. 565 00:32:41,320 --> 00:32:43,560 I had been coming to church. I had been doing everything I 566 00:32:43,560 --> 00:32:44,960 was supposed to do. You look at me, you wouldn't 567 00:32:44,960 --> 00:32:46,720 think anything's wrong. I was teaching Sunday school, 568 00:32:47,000 --> 00:32:49,280 saying all the right things, doing all the right things in 569 00:32:49,280 --> 00:32:52,160 public. But when it came to my personal 570 00:32:52,160 --> 00:32:54,200 relationship with the Lord, I was neglecting it. 571 00:32:56,680 --> 00:33:01,320 My friend helped me see that. He helped me see that that what 572 00:33:01,320 --> 00:33:06,680 I needed to do was confess and to repent, to check my pride at 573 00:33:06,680 --> 00:33:08,280 the door. And as soon as I stopped, 574 00:33:09,480 --> 00:33:13,960 realized that and I acted in true repentance, the headache 575 00:33:13,960 --> 00:33:15,440 stopped. I felt better. 576 00:33:17,720 --> 00:33:20,040 That worked for me. I'm not saying that every 577 00:33:20,040 --> 00:33:24,360 ailment that we have is a result of a sinful attitude or sinful 578 00:33:24,360 --> 00:33:28,480 acts or a hypocritical life, but we do see here in First 579 00:33:28,480 --> 00:33:33,640 Corinthians in Chapter 11 that it certainly can be, and I can 580 00:33:33,640 --> 00:33:35,520 attest to experiencing that in my life. 581 00:33:36,840 --> 00:33:39,240 So Paul's solution for the problem we have, we've seen the 582 00:33:39,240 --> 00:33:42,920 problem, the whole problem around this issue, and it's 583 00:33:42,920 --> 00:33:46,040 really his solution for a lot of the other issues that that we 584 00:33:46,040 --> 00:33:51,000 saw throughout the letter. And we will see his solution is 585 00:33:51,000 --> 00:33:54,480 that our attitudes and our actions toward each other should 586 00:33:54,480 --> 00:33:57,160 mirror the actions and attitudes of Christ toward the church. 587 00:33:57,160 --> 00:34:00,120 That is to say, we should all be about the ministry of 588 00:34:00,120 --> 00:34:09,360 reconciliation, find ways to foster unity in the body and 1st 589 00:34:09,360 --> 00:34:11,520 John, we see that one of the the marks of a true believer is 590 00:34:11,520 --> 00:34:12,760 this. I know it's small on the screen. 591 00:34:12,760 --> 00:34:16,560 I apologize for that. Says this is how we have come to 592 00:34:16,560 --> 00:34:20,719 know love. He laid down his life for us. 593 00:34:22,120 --> 00:34:24,800 We should also lay down our lives for brothers and sisters. 594 00:34:26,440 --> 00:34:29,760 If anyone has this world's goods and sees a fellow believer in 595 00:34:29,760 --> 00:34:34,480 need but withholds compassion from him, how does God's love 596 00:34:34,480 --> 00:34:39,159 reside in Him? Little children, let us not love 597 00:34:39,159 --> 00:34:42,880 in Word or speech, but in action and in truth. 598 00:34:44,000 --> 00:34:48,239 This is how we will know that we belong to the truth and will 599 00:34:48,239 --> 00:34:53,080 reassure our hearts before Him. I think Paul has something like 600 00:34:53,080 --> 00:34:56,199 what John says here in mind when he says in verse 33 and 34. 601 00:34:56,199 --> 00:34:58,320 He says, therefore, my brothers and sisters, when you come 602 00:34:58,320 --> 00:35:01,320 together, eat to eat, welcome one another. 603 00:35:02,600 --> 00:35:04,280 If anyone is hungry, he should eat at home. 604 00:35:04,280 --> 00:35:06,320 So if you're starving to death and you feel like you're at risk 605 00:35:06,320 --> 00:35:09,560 of gorging yourself, eat at home so that when you gather, you 606 00:35:09,560 --> 00:35:14,720 don't come under judgement. So I have a few final thoughts 607 00:35:15,040 --> 00:35:20,160 today as we close. We need to live our lives 608 00:35:20,160 --> 00:35:25,040 sacrificially for one another, especially when we gather as the 609 00:35:25,040 --> 00:35:26,880 church. There shouldn't be any 610 00:35:26,880 --> 00:35:30,440 favoritism among us. There shouldn't be any division 611 00:35:31,120 --> 00:35:34,320 among us. So when you come together, 612 00:35:34,520 --> 00:35:39,120 recognize that we're all prone to like division for all sorts 613 00:35:39,120 --> 00:35:41,320 of reasons. We need to see the fact that 614 00:35:41,320 --> 00:35:43,480 some of us have more. There are haves and there are 615 00:35:43,480 --> 00:35:48,240 have nots in our midst as a way to serve one another. 616 00:35:49,120 --> 00:35:51,800 Some of you may be more financially secure than others. 617 00:35:52,120 --> 00:35:55,240 Some have may have more spiritual wisdom than others. 618 00:35:56,960 --> 00:36:00,840 We can all serve each other by sharing what God has blessed us 619 00:36:00,840 --> 00:36:04,880 with. We also need to remember that 620 00:36:04,880 --> 00:36:08,040 the Lord's Supper. As we take the Lord's Supper, we 621 00:36:08,040 --> 00:36:11,960 need that it that it points us to look back to remember just 622 00:36:11,960 --> 00:36:15,520 how much Jesus sacrificed for us to be made right with him. 623 00:36:16,280 --> 00:36:19,680 We need to look around, recognizing that that taking the 624 00:36:19,680 --> 00:36:24,120 Supper is an act of evangelism. It's demonstrating to the lost 625 00:36:24,120 --> 00:36:26,600 in our midst the importance of Jesus death. 626 00:36:28,000 --> 00:36:31,680 And as we look forward to the day when we'll be able to 627 00:36:31,680 --> 00:36:37,400 celebrate and share a meal in the presence of Jesus, when the 628 00:36:37,400 --> 00:36:40,360 work is done and he has fulfilled his promise to make 629 00:36:40,360 --> 00:36:42,520 all things new, we look forward to that day. 630 00:36:42,800 --> 00:36:45,880 And until that day, we'll proclaim Jesus death. 631 00:36:48,080 --> 00:36:50,920 So finally, when we come together, we must be about 632 00:36:50,920 --> 00:36:54,640 reconciliation. When there's division among us, 633 00:36:54,920 --> 00:36:59,160 we need to be quick about examining our hearts, looking 634 00:36:59,160 --> 00:37:03,320 for ways that we've either caused division or been an 635 00:37:03,320 --> 00:37:06,640 accomplice in it. We need to take our sins 636 00:37:06,640 --> 00:37:11,120 seriously and truly ask ourselves if our attitudes and 637 00:37:11,120 --> 00:37:15,560 our actions toward each other truly mirror the actions and 638 00:37:15,560 --> 00:37:23,320 attitudes of Christ Jesus. His attitude was one of selfless 639 00:37:23,400 --> 00:37:29,480 living, one of total sacrifice in humility. 640 00:37:30,200 --> 00:37:36,800 He took on flesh and He came and He lived among men, being 641 00:37:36,800 --> 00:37:39,120 subject to all the same temptations and all the 642 00:37:39,120 --> 00:37:41,600 different things about it, like being tempted to sin but never 643 00:37:41,600 --> 00:37:43,920 doing it. He lives a perfect, sinless 644 00:37:43,920 --> 00:37:49,360 life, and He died on the cross, bearing the wrath of the Father 645 00:37:49,520 --> 00:37:51,440 so that our sins could be forgiven. 646 00:37:55,960 --> 00:37:58,400 When we come together for the Lord's Supper or even just for a 647 00:37:58,400 --> 00:38:02,600 normal service like this, we need to remember this good news 648 00:38:03,120 --> 00:38:05,520 that Jesus came to seek and to save the lost. 649 00:38:06,560 --> 00:38:09,080 He sought out those who are on the margins, right? 650 00:38:09,080 --> 00:38:14,720 Those who are on the fringe of society, and he offered them 651 00:38:14,720 --> 00:38:16,920 hope and freedom from the bondage of sin. 652 00:38:17,960 --> 00:38:20,120 And that's good news for them. And it's the same good news for 653 00:38:20,120 --> 00:38:23,240 me and for you. Maybe you're here this morning 654 00:38:24,440 --> 00:38:26,320 and you've been coming to church your entire life. 655 00:38:27,120 --> 00:38:30,760 Maybe you're here this morning and the Lord has been good to 656 00:38:30,760 --> 00:38:35,160 open your eyes to see that trying to earn your way, trying 657 00:38:35,160 --> 00:38:38,720 to pay for things that are already paid for isn't working. 658 00:38:40,440 --> 00:38:42,760 Or maybe you've thought that that somehow you needed to. 659 00:38:42,760 --> 00:38:45,160 Like before you had to get your mind right, you had to get your 660 00:38:45,160 --> 00:38:46,720 body clean. You had to do all this cleaning 661 00:38:46,720 --> 00:38:49,120 your life up before you can come to salvation, that you just 662 00:38:49,120 --> 00:38:51,600 somehow need to pay for it. Brothers and sisters, friends, 663 00:38:52,320 --> 00:38:55,200 it's paid for. That's what the Lord's Supper 664 00:38:55,200 --> 00:38:57,840 represents. When we take the supper, we're 665 00:38:57,840 --> 00:39:00,920 reminding ourselves that that the sacrifice has been made. 666 00:39:02,360 --> 00:39:04,680 There's no, there's no reason for you to like get to the end 667 00:39:04,680 --> 00:39:08,440 of your life and say, I hope I did enough to be saved. 668 00:39:09,160 --> 00:39:12,520 It's already paid for. And if we can get that through 669 00:39:12,520 --> 00:39:16,280 our thick skulls and we can really just truly open our lives 670 00:39:16,280 --> 00:39:19,440 to the fact and reality of that, we will live so much more joyful 671 00:39:19,440 --> 00:39:23,800 lives. If you sense that call in your 672 00:39:23,800 --> 00:39:25,920 life, if the Lord has opened your eyes to that today, talk to 673 00:39:25,920 --> 00:39:28,680 one of us. Grab a pastor, grab a Deacon, 674 00:39:28,840 --> 00:39:31,440 grab a trusted friend, talk to your mom or dad at your 675 00:39:31,440 --> 00:39:33,640 gathering, whatever. But don't like. 676 00:39:33,640 --> 00:39:38,120 Wait around, put your faith in Christ, repent and believe the 677 00:39:38,120 --> 00:39:40,200 gospel. He saved. 678 00:39:40,680 --> 00:39:42,400 He came to seek and to save the lost. 679 00:39:42,400 --> 00:39:47,440 That's what He came for. And as we take the supper, we 680 00:39:47,440 --> 00:39:52,000 proclaim that good news and we will do it together until He 681 00:39:52,000 --> 00:39:54,400 comes. Would you guys pray with me? 682 00:39:57,600 --> 00:40:00,200 Father, thank you so much for for this text. 683 00:40:01,000 --> 00:40:05,120 Thank you for what it has done in my own heart this week. 684 00:40:06,280 --> 00:40:10,080 Lord, I pray for for those who who haven't put their faith in 685 00:40:10,080 --> 00:40:11,600 you. Lord, I pray that they would not 686 00:40:11,600 --> 00:40:18,800 waste another moment, that they would recognize that You paid it 687 00:40:18,800 --> 00:40:23,600 all to recognize that the blood shed at the cross is applied. 688 00:40:27,680 --> 00:40:32,200 Father, help us to live your word and to love you more. 689 00:40:32,400 --> 00:40:34,520 I pray these things in Jesus name, Amen.