1 Corinthians 11:27-34 Grow In Love!

1 Corinthians 11:27-34  Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.  A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup.  For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself.  That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep.  But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment.  When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world.  So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for each other.  If anyone is hungry, he should eat at home, so that when you meet together it may not result in judgment.  And when I come I will give further directions. 

In these verses, Paul gives his best advice on participating in the Lord's Supper.  He warns Christians about taking the Lord's Supper in a cavalier or in an unworthy manner.  When participating in the Lord's supper as a community of believers, we should be sensitive to those around us who are also members of Christ's body.  We must be cognizant that though we are many, we are still but ONE.  As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.  Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.  Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.  There is one body and one Spirit — just as you were called to one hope when you were called — one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.  (Ephesians 4:1-6)  If we fail to appreciate Christ's body as a whole, made up of individual members, we take the sacraments in a dishonorable way.  For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself.  If we focus only on ourselves and our victories in Christ, we expose ourselves to eating the bread and drinking the cup unworthily.  Definitely, each of us has a story of personal salvation, but Jesus Christ came to save many, to bring whosoever will into the beautiful body of Christ.  Paul expressed concern at the opening of his letter because the Corinthians had developed factions, and had engaged in arguments within their body about who they honored.  He continued his correction: In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good.  In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it.  (1 Corinthians 11:17-18)  Their self-interested and self-absorbed cliques have caused them to take advantage of the weaker brethren in their midst.  By not taking care of the poor and failing to attend to the concerns of the weaker brethren, they have despoiled their position with God. "Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?  When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?  When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you? “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’" (Matthew 25:37-40)  Paul tells them to put on Jesus, care for the weak and sick, wait for each other, do not consume all the food and drink, and recognize and consider the whole body of Christ instead of just their own needs and desires.   

Just as it was with the church in Corinth, as members of the body of Jesus Christ, we are to consider each other, prefer one another, and defer to one another in Christ's love.  We should allow each member to express his or her gift in the one body.  In today's passage, we see certain members taking advantage of other members in the body of Christ by not considering the needs of everyone.  This should not be an acceptable behavior of the body, especially in participating in the Lord's Supper.  In the body of Christ, every member is necessary.  Every member should provide his or her part to the body of Christ.  Paul says in Ephesians 4:7, he has given each one of us a special gift according to the generosity of Christ.  If God has generously given us all a role in the body of Christ, every member must do his or her part if the body is to remain truly functional and healthy, doing the work of the Father.  When we take up our responsibility to the body, the body will mature in love and acceptance of each other.  Then we will no longer be like children, forever changing our minds about what we believe because someone has told us something different or because someone has cleverly lied to us and made the lie sound like the truth.  Instead, we will hold to the truth in love, becoming more and more in every way like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.  Under his direction, the whole body is fitted together perfectly.  As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.  (Ephesians 4:14-16 NLT)  Paul's concerns for the Corinthian church go far beyond just taking the Lord's Supper.  Their inappropriate participation in the Lord's Supper reveals a lack of understanding of the body of Christ.  Their selfishness, placing themselves before others, is not the servanthood Christ portrayed and expects from his followers.  Jesus said, The greatest among you must be a servant.  But those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.  (Matthew 23:11-12) 

Consider the Children of Israel.  When God delivered the Israelites out of Pharaoh's hands, He brought all of them out of Egypt.  They all crossed through the Red Sea; they all traveled to the Promised Land.  When we make salvation just a personal issue, we tend to lose sight of the importance of the body of Christ.  We all will gather on the other side as the body of Christ.  On this side, while we are still flesh, we need to understand that spiritual reality.  We are all in this together.  If we do not understand, we will accept and even promote divisions and factions.  We are to encourage and to build up one another in the faith; we are to be gentle, kind, loving, caring.  We are to be concerned about the welfare of others.  We are to pray for them, weep with them, rejoice with them.  We are one because of the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ that goes through our veins.  Without this understanding, we are nothing more than another fraternal organization or club.  The blood of Jesus Christ has made a new reality in our souls.  Jesus, through his sacrifice, has made us new creatures.  As new creatures we should have a new identity, a new purpose, a new life.  Paul told the church at Ephesus to renew their minds and to put off their old selves.  He said, Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.  Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.  (Ephesians 4:31-32)   Our lives should no longer circle around our own interests, desires, hopes, and dreams.  If we continue in that mode, we will reflect this world, not our Savior and his inclusive love.  He has redeemed us from this world.  Let us never go back into the ways of the world.  The Corinthians were acting like the world when they participated in the Lord's Supper in an unworthy manner.  Their self-interest was primary in their thinking.  They lacked the love Christ has for the needy and the lowly.  They partook of the Lord's Supper as Corinthians not as Christians.  We who are alive in Christ must reflect him, not our former heritage or environment.  We must PUT ON CHRIST in everything we do.  If not, we will allow the sick and needy among us to face death without our love and concern.  Let that not happen to any of our Christian communities.  Amen.  

1 Corinthians 11:23-26 Proclaim God's Love!

1 Corinthians 11:23-26  For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.”  In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.”  For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. 

The Lord's Supper commemorates the new covenant that started at the cross when the Lamb of God gave his life for the sins of the people.  On the cross, through the blood of Christ, Good News came to the world.  Our sins that separated us from the Creator were forgiven when Jesus paid the penalty.  Because of Christ's sacrifice, mankind was no longer separated from God, unable to communicate intimately with him and bound for eternal death and damnation.  Christ broke down the barrier that began in the Garden of Eden when the serpent betrayed the human race by saying, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”  (Genesis 3:1)  Because Adam and Eve and the generations that followed were not God, when they tried to handle good and evil, they became corrupted by evil.  Man's desire to be like God betrayed him.  Rather than being like God, men and women became so corrupt that God decided to do away with his creation, except for Noah and his family.  Although God later allowed humankind to exist, He knew their rebellion to his authority was continually in their hearts.  This rebellion that produces violence and corruption remained indigenous to people.  Then Noah built an altar to the LORD and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it.  The LORD smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: “Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though EVERY INCLINATION OF HIS HEART IS EVIL FROM CHILDHOOD.  (Genesis 8:20-21)  To ensure love and harmony, God gave man laws and restrictions to control people's wayward, aberrant behavior; however, man's sinful nature always looked for a way to circumvent God's will.  Man sought to fulfill his own need for recognition, reciprocation, and favors.  Sin separates people, even in the home.  Sin's contamination has affected even nature, for the Bible says, We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.  (Romans 8:22)  Because of this destructive, debilitative nature of sin, a new heaven and earth are promised in the scriptures when the corrupted and damaged will pass away.  If a new heaven and Earth will be created, providing a new pristine beginning for what is seen, what about humans?  What makes them new, pure, and acceptable to God?   John 1 says that everything that was created was created through Jesus Christ.  He is the Creator of all we see, and He is the Creator who by his death on the cross makes fallen man new creatures, acceptable to the Father.  That is the new covenant we celebrate when we partake of the bread and drink of the cup to proclaim his death until He comes.

Nicodemus in his conversation with Jesus wanted to know how to change the human condition of sin, how one could be born again, acceptable completely to God.  Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.  Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.  You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’  The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going.  So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”  (John 3:5-8)  Jesus clearly states, to be acceptable to God, You must be born again.  And how will that happen?  No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven — the Son of Man.  Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.  (John 3:13-15)  In this passage, Jesus establishes his authority of knowing what God desires, for He alone has come from the Father's domain.  If He came from God, He must be acceptable to God: No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven — the Son of Man.  Since He has come from the Father's house, He must have the answers for mankind concerning how to be acceptable to God.  Jesus then goes on to tell about the serpent being lifted up in the desert.  All who simply looked on the serpent were healed from their fatal snake bites and spared from death.  Then the LORD told him, “Make a replica of a poisonous snake and attach it to the top of a pole. Those who are bitten will live if they simply look at it!”  So Moses made a snake out of bronze and attached it to the top of a pole.  Whenever those who were bitten looked at the bronze snake, they recovered!  (Numbers 21:8-9)  The rebellious Israelites were complaining about God's authority in their lives, finding fault with Moses and his leadership.  Because of their complaints, God allowed venomous snakes in the camp.  Many of them were bitten and they were destined to die, just as mankind, bitten by sin, without Christ, remains destined to die, eternally separated from God.  All that the Israelites had to do was to look upon the bronze snake and they would live.  John 3 states that if we look upon Jesus at the cross and believe in him, we will have eternal life.  Whoever believes in him will not perish but will live forever.  This is the New Covenant.  This is why we celebrate the Lord's Supper.

We must remind ourselves daily of what Jesus Christ has done for us.  We should sing and dance for joy!  Psalm 92 expresses some of the joy we feel in our salvation: It is good to give thanks to the LORD, and to sing praises to your name, O Most High: To declare your lovingkindness in the morning, and your faithfulness every night.  (1-2 NKJV)   He has set us free from the bondage of sin and a destination away from our Father God.  We are free, completely free because of HIS WORK, NOT OUR WORK.  The Bible says, Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.  Jesus became that curse for us.  As with the snake on the pole, he became that snake, which was hanging around each of our necks, biting us, delivering certain death to our souls.  Jesus became that curse, that filthy snake.  He carried every person's sins to the cross.  He died as an image of that serpent, killing every snake that has ever bitten us in our disobedience to God.  His death brought light to us because that snake in our lives doomed us to eternal darkness.  We are no longer snake-bitten old creatures under the consequences of the law.  No!  We are new creatures, made in the perfect image of God, without fault.  When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.  (Acts 3:26)  Can you believe this breakfast companions?  Can you believe that God has paved a way for your redemption, that God has provided a Savior for you?  Do you really believe it?  If you do, you can participate in the Lord's Supper with a pure and thankful understanding of what He has done for you.  If you really know that dear friend, tears will fill your eyes; for what a great Savior we have.  Praise God forever!  Amen!  

1 Corinthians 11:17-22 Love Brings Harmony!

1 Corinthians 11:17-22  In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good.  In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it.  No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God’s approval.  When you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat, for as you eat, each of you goes ahead without waiting for anybody else.  One remains hungry, another gets drunk.  Don’t you have homes to eat and drink in?  Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing?  What shall I say to you?  Shall I praise you for this?  Certainly not!

Paul speaks sternly to the Corinthians about how they are treating each other.  When they come together they are emphasizing divisions and separation.  Even in the Lord's Supper, they forget to show deference to each other or concern for others, especially the less fortunate.  Instead some satisfy their own needs by consuming all the food and drink before others even have a chance to participate with them in the Lord's Supper.  Of course their demeanor and behavior are in opposition to what believers should emphasize when they come together.  Christians should express love, do good to others by seeing to the needs of others first before they satisfy their own needs.  Instead, their behavior reveals divisions among them.  When Peter talks about redemption through the blood of Jesus, he goes on to say, Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart.  For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.  (1 Peter 1:22-23)  Peter knows believers should love one another as a consequence of their love for God and their salvation experience.  Paul tries to stir up the faith of these wayward Corinthians who have forgotten their responsibilities and bonds of love with God and with each other.  Facetiously, Paul says: No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God’s approval.  He tells them that human nature, the old sinful nature, causes people to enjoy being one up on others, to have the inside track on someone else, to be the one who really knows how to please God.  In this case, the Corinthians were rushing to be the first at the table, the first to have their fill, while totally losing track of the meaning of this holy remembrance.  We will study this further as Paul goes on in the verses following today's passage to describe how Jesus ministered the Last Supper.  

Unfortunately, as we read about the early church's problems, we recognize this self-centered, unloving attitude invading churches today.  Churches tend to meet the needs of the individual rather that the whole, the body of Christ.  They forget about building a loving and caring community where people feel safe and loved.  A while back, we met a friend from another church.  We mentioned that we had heard her church had a new pastor, and we were shocked and saddened by her comments.  "Yes, we got rid of our pastor.  He just would not listen to what we wanted.  My husband and I were talking to one of our fellow church members about how we have gone through 8 pastors, but we are still there!"  She and her other church members were proud of such a legacy: how many pastors they had kicked out for not changing their minds on various theological issues.  With so many scriptures on love at our fingertips, why would people emphasize division and differences that led to separation in the body?  The protestant movement has split hundreds of times in the history of the church with each side in the contest believing they are right.  Since God chose you to be the holy people whom he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.  You must make allowance for each other’s faults and forgive the person who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.  And the most important piece of clothing you must wear is love. Love is what binds us all together in perfect harmony.  Colossians 3:12-14  Scriptures such as these verses from Colossians are important because they tell us to take action.  They say: People of God, you clothe yourselves with the virtues of Christ; you put on the garments that Jesus wore when He walked this earth.  We are not to wait around for God to fill us with kindness or seek him for many years for a loving heart.  No, the Bible says, Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.  (Philippians 2:5)  Let that mind be in you!  If you have the mind of Christ, which is your inheritance, then you will not seek first place.  You will love as Christ loved, serve as He served, give as He gave.  Of course we must walk in the Spirit to attain the will of God.  Jesus said He must go away to send us the Spirit, who would be the great Comforter, our Counselor, and Guide.  He will take our lives and lead us into all truth.

In a place of security, peace, and love, believers should stand fast in their freedom in Christ as the Bible tells us, remembering the great price Christ paid for that freedom.  Paul was concerned for the church in Corinth because he knew a divided church would eventually crumble.  If they lost sight of the true nature of Christ, the significance of his death and resurrection, they would lose the power and victory of the cross.  His words were harsh: your meetings do more harm than good.  He was trying to wake them up and to stir their hearts to remember the truth of who Christ is and who He was in them, to rightly discern his body and his power.  Paul wanted them to stand on solid ground.  What was true to him should be true to them: Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?  Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?  For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  (Romans 8:35 & 38-39)  Return to your first love, Paul tells these willful Christians.  Remember who you are in Christ.  Remember what Christ died for and what we believe.  We are called to spread the Good News of the gospel of Christ.  We bring light into darkness, and we love others as we love our own selves.  If he had to be a little rough in his speaking to get their attention and to bring the church into harmony, Paul would do that for the sake of people he dearly loved.  This same Paul writes to the church in Rome: For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race, the people of Israel.  Theirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises.  (Romans 9:3-4)  He would have given up his own place in the kingdom of God to make a place for his brothers, the people of Israel.  This is a man of love, God's love.  This same love reached out to the Corinthians to return to the right path, the straight and narrow way of a servant of the Lord.  Today if any of us are wandering a bit into self-gratification, serving ourselves before others, putting our needs and wants in the forefront, Lord bring us back to your ways and your will.  Help us to put on the cloak you want us to wear, to clothe ourselves with the characteristics of your sweet spirit.