Discernment in Comunion
Text: 1 Corinthians 11:29 “For he who eats and
drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not
discerning the Lord’s body.”
Introduction
Someone once said, “some church congregations need to take
time out to tune up.” Perhaps that’s what the Apostle Paul intended
when he wrote his first Epistle to the Corinthians. The Corinthian Church was
out of tune. Several things were wrong;
in the corporate life of the church and in the lives of self-centered,
worldly-minded individuals.
The things Paul said to the Corinthians may apply to
us as well. Most of us could profit from a change in orientation that would
lead us closer to our Lord. However, I intend to address only one of those
issues here: the one concerning proper observance of the “Last Supper.”
Communion.
As you will see, from the way I interpret the text, we
need to discern the Lord’s body, or recognize His presence among us, as we
gather in His Name. If you have never considered that before, consider it now. Since
Jesus Christ is God He is everywhere present, and especially so in every
observance of the Communion Service.
In other words, He is here now, ready to meet the
needs of all who recognize that fact and ask in faith, expecting to receive. Ask Him to cleanse you from sins that
would inhibit your fellowship with Him. Remember, His death paid for your sins
and His resurrection assures your own. He is your Redeemer, your Lord and your
friend. Enjoy His peace as you partake
of the emblems that represent His broken body and shed blood.
The
Passover
Our
Lord initiated the rite we call
“Communion” at a Passover meal He shared with His Disciples on the
evening before He was crucified. Three of the four Gospels contain accounts of
the event. All but John describe the
occasion, indicating it was a celebration of the Jewish Passover.
Perhaps you recall the story of the original Passover?
The Hebrews were slaves in Egypt for four hundred years. God sent Moses there
to free them from bondage. After Pharaoh refused repeatedly to let them go, God
warned him to expect the death angel to kill all of the first-born males in
Egypt.
God
promised to spare the first-born sons of Hebrew families if they would kill
lambs for a special ceremony and mark their doorposts with the blood of the
slain animals. Pharaoh ignored the warning and a lot Egyptian lives were lost.
The Hebrews obeyed and God spared them from the slaughter. Pharaoh freed the
slaves early the next morning.
As God told Moses, and Moses told the people, the
Passover experience was not to be forgotten. They were commanded to commemorate
it each year on its anniversary. The annual celebration would remind them God
was still present with them, in order to care for them, as long as they obeyed
His commands.
A new covenant.
The Hebrew Passover foretold Jesus’ sacrifice of
Himself at Calvary. His shed blood would validate God’s promise to honor all of
the blood sacrifices demanded by the Law. But that wasn’t all. Jesus’ payment
would cover our sins too. He proclaimed that fact as a “New Covenant” at the
“Last Supper,” one He would seal with His own Blood at the cross. Now all
sinners everywhere can receive redemption from sin through faith in Jesus
Christ as God’s ultimate sacrifice. Of course, the new covenant called for a
new a celebration. We do not look
forward to the Cross; our hope is based on what transpired there in about 32
A.D.
Who is Jesus Christ?
Jesus Christ is “God come in the flesh.” (1 John
4:2-3). Of course
He is God’s only begotten Son but He is also God the Son, The
second person of the Trinity. As God the Son, our Lord was present with
His people in Spirit for centuries before His incarnation. He even appeared to
a few of them on occasion. In Exodus 6:3 He said, “And
I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God
Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them.”
As The Son of God, Jesus became a man, being
born of a virgin in order to be present with men as a man in the flesh. Isaiah 7:14 calls Him “Emanuel,” which means “God with us.” As man, Jesus
lived among men for about thirty-three and a half years. Now he was about to
have His last meal with His disciples. He would die on the cross the next day,
at the same time the Jews would be preparing their own lambs for the Passover
celebration. He wanted His Disciples to commemorate the “Last Supper” often. It
would remind them of His death and His resurrection. They were to observe it,
as often as they wished (1st. Cor. 11:25) until He returned.
Resurrection
Jesus would not remain long with the Disciples after
He rose from the grave. He was about to
return to Heaven. After Pentecost, it would be a very long time before He would
be seen on earth again. In the mean time He wanted us to understand what His
death accomplished and why we should watch expectantly for His return.
Isaiah’s
prediction
When Isaiah foretold Christ’s death on the cross
(eight hundred years before the fact) he mentioned several benefits of the
sacrifice that repentant sinners can enjoy today. “Surely
He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten by God, and afflicted. But He
was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The
chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; We have
turned, everyone, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of
us all.” (Isaiah 53:4-6).
If you can believe it, those benefits are available to
you. So ask Jesus for whatever you need at the moment. “He
bore your grief’s. He ”carried your sorrows. He was “wounded for your
transgressions” and “bruised for your iniquities.” His “chastisement”
brings your “peace.” His
“stripes” paid for your “healing.”
If you have un-confessed and un-forgiven sin in your
account, repent. Ask God to forgive you
now. Then, if you are sick, afflicted, or discouraged, trust Him for health and
peace as you partake of the “Communion emblems.”
No
frivolity
The Last Supper was not a frivolous event. The disciples were not to commemorate it
lightly and we shouldn’t either. Jesus would be among them as they obeyed His
command. He would deserve at least as much honor then as He received in the
original celebration.
It seems the Corinthians didn’t
understand. Christ really was present with them (spiritually) when they
celebrated Communion. They needed this reminder then, as some of us need it
now. Our Communion Service commemorates
a living Christ. Although we cannot see Him in the flesh, He is as alive
and well and present here as He was in the Upper Room. He wants us to discern
His presence and act accordingly. He deserves our praise and our worship. He
anticipates our requests.
The Service.
Let’s read Paul’s directions in I Corinthians 11:17-34
now. They tell us how the ceremony should be conducted:
“Now in giving these
instructions I do not praise <you>, since you come together not for the
better but for the worse. For first of all, when you come together as a church,
I hear that there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it. For there
must also be factions among you, that those who are approved may be recognized
among you.”
“Therefore when you come
together in one place, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper. For in eating, each
one takes his own supper ahead of <others>; and one is hungry and another
is drunk. What! Do you not have houses
to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and shame those who
have nothing? What shall I say to you?
Shall I praise you in this? I do not praise <you>.”
“For I received from the
Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the
<same> night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given
thanks, He broke <it> and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is
broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”
“In the same manner
<He> also <took> the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new
covenant in My blood. This do, as often
as you drink <it>, in remembrance of Me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you
proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.”
“Therefore whoever eats
this bread or drinks <this> cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be
guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so
let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup.”
“For he who eats and
drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not
discerning the Lord’s body. For this reason many <are> weak and sick among
you, and many sleep.”
“For if we would judge
ourselves, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened by
the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world. “Therefore, my brethren,
when you come together to eat, wait for one another. But if anyone is hungry,
let him eat at home, lest you come together for judgment. And the rest I will
set in order
when I come.”
It’s a serious business
As this Scripture passage indicates, the ordinance of
Communion is a serious affair. It is
not a time for honoring men in any fashion; it was meant to honor our Lord
alone. We should not demean the rite in any way. We need to be sober as we remember both Christ’s death and our
part in making it necessary.
Our ceremony need not be an occasion for dark despair,
provided our consciences are not burdened by unconfessed and unforsaken sin. Of
course we should regret the fact He needed to die for us. But we can also be thankful that His
sacrifice bought us God’s pardon.
The
Corinthians
Paul directed First Corinthians 11:23-32 to a
congregation that observed communion by eating meals they brought with them to
their gatherings. Their celebration was not a modern day potluck. These people
did not share. Each one ate his own
food, without concern for the needs and feelings of others.
The Corinthians were not honoring Christ by their
actions so Paul told them to eat their ordinary meals at home. Their observance
of The Lord’s Supper was to be limited to the bread and the wine Jesus
prescribed. Those emblems, of His broken body and shed blood, would remind them
He died for them.
Paul did not even try to set other boundaries for
observing the ceremony. We are free to celebrate with the “bread” and the “cup”
whenever, and wherever, any two or more of us come together for that purpose.
Our observance.
Paul said nothing to discourage Christians from
celebrating at home. Any group of born-again Christians is free to “remember the Lord’s death” in a Communion
observance of their own choosing. When they do, they should always be careful
to “discern the Lord’s body” among them. He is always present spiritually
wherever born-again Christians meet in His Name. (Matthew
18:20). ).
Risk
This rite is meant to honor God in the Person of Jesus
Christ. We must assume that everyone who partakes will do so with that idea in
mind. Anyone who does not discern Christ’s body (or acknowledge His presence)
risks condemnation for slighting Him. Paul cited sickness and death as possible
consequences. However, sickness and death may not have been punishment, per se.
It probably resulted when people who were already sick failed to understand
that Jesus was available to exercise the healing graces they needed.
Diakreno
The Greek word Paul used for “discerning” in this
passage was “diakreno,” which relates the value of Christ’s sacrifice to the emblems
used in celebrating it. We can partake of the bread and the cup as if they are
Christ’s broken body and shed blood, even though it is important to remember
they are not. (see Hebrews 7:27).
Christ’s sacrifice need not, and can not, be
repeated. It is physically impossible
for men to transform bread and wine directly into living tissue. There is no
need for our Lord’s body to be bruised and broken over and over again
anyway. He died once for all the sins
of all mankind. (Hebrews 7:27).
No
idolatry
It was Christ’s sacrifice that paid for our
redemption. We gather in His Name. We
acknowledge the fact His body was broken and His blood was shed for us. We do not worship the emblems of Communion.
We worship the living Christ who dwells within us. His presence with us at
Communion verifies His acceptance of the symbols we use. This kind of
discerning precludes idolatry, or worship of the bread and the wine. It involves respectful participation in a
ceremony that honors Christ alone.
He died for you.
Think
about it. Jesus died in your place, to pay for your sin. His death made it possible for your sins to
be forgiven. He did this because He loved you in spite of yourself. He knew you
were not worthy and could never become so. Remember His death regularly, not
only at Communion services but every time you are tempted to act in any way
that might dishonor His Name.
Invitation
When
you approach the communion table today be sure your relationship with Jesus is
as it should be. Don’t go there with
unconfessed and unforgiven sin on your heart. If you need to apologize to the
Lord, for any reason, do so now, before the Communion symbols are offered. Meet
Him at the table with “clean hands and a pure heart.” (Psalm 24:3-4).
If you are an unsaved sinner, this would be a good
time for you to find Jesus as Savior. You can ask Him to save you where you
are, but feel free to make your decision public at this altar now.
Song
- “Open The Eyes Of My Heart”
Let us pray:
Lord Jesus Christ, we are here to remember Your death
as You commanded. As we do, we are
grateful for Your resurrection. It
gives us hope for one of our own. We know we are not worthy to be in your
presence, now or ever. But you promised to join us in this ceremony and we know
you are here. Thank you for sharing our celebration. We trust you to meet our
needs and we thank you for doing so.
- - - -
Serve the emblems:
- - - -
Thank God we don’t have to quit the Communion
celebration limited only to thoughts of the cross and the grave. We can rejoice
because our Lord was resurrected from the dead. Since He lives, we too shall
live - eternally.
Verses four and five of Psalm thirty describe two very
strong emotions the disciples experienced.
One resulted from the crucifixion, the other from the resurrection. Jesus
predicted both in John 16:16-22, speaking to the Disciples shortly before He
was crucified: “Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and
lament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow
will be turned in to joy.” Psalm
30, verse 5, predicts the same two emotions as a result of the same two events. It speaks to us as well. “Sing
praise to the LORD, You saints of His, And give thanks at the remembrance of
His holy name. For His anger is but for
a moment. His favor is for life;
Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning.”
Christ’s death was necessary because we sinned, and
that is to our shame. But we rejoice today because His resurrection bought us
eternal life with Him. Let’s honor Him always, not only by remembering His
death at the Communion Service but also by recognizing His presence among us
continually.
He
goes with us
Our Lord does not spend all of His time in church
buildings. He will not remain here when we go home today. If you are His, He dwells in you and He goes
where you go. Remember that. Honor His presence in you continually by the way
in which you live for Him moment by moment.
Let us pray:
Again we acknowledge your presence among us Lord
Jesus. And we are grateful that we need not leave here without you. You are
Christ in us, our hope of glory. (Col. 1:27). It is in You that we live and move and have
our being. (Acts 17:28). Keep us ever mindful of your presence.
Help us rely on your indwelling Spirit to guide us in our daily walk with you.
Amen.
- - - -
Song - “I Am Covered Over” (Isaiah
61:10)
- - - -
David E. Beneze, 1006 Fairview Ave., Canon City, CO 81212-2873, 30 October 1999. Latest revision 03/22/07.
Page last updated 10:51 AM 5/24/2007