Attitudes Toward the Lord's Supper

Text: 1 Corinthians 11:23–29
Series: Sermons 2001 Rewritten
Date:
Speaker: Ed Rangel
Location: Waupaca Church of Christ
Bible Version: NASB 1995
Sermon Type: Expository

Learning Objectives

1. Explain the authority for observing the Lord’s Supper in New Testament worship.
2. Show why the Lord’s Supper belongs to baptized believers who have been added to the Lord’s church.
3. Demonstrate from Scripture that the Supper is a memorial, proclamation, communion, and act of self-examination.
4. Correct careless, casual, and unworthy attitudes toward the Lord’s Supper.
5. Press the church to observe the Lord’s Supper every first day of the week with reverence, discernment, and hope.

Thesis

The Lord’s Supper must be observed according to Christ’s authority, on the Lord’s Day, by the Lord’s people, with minds fixed on His body, His blood, His return, and our own standing before God.

Introduction.

1. New Testament Christianity is not whatever modern religion chooses to call Christian. a. It is governed by Christ. b. It is taught by the apostles. c. It is practiced under the authority of the New Testament.
2. Acts 2:41–42 shows the beginning pattern of the church. a. Those who received the word were baptized. b. About three thousand souls were added. c. They continually devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, the breaking of bread, and prayers.
3. The Lord’s Supper belongs inside that apostolic pattern. a. It is not a human tradition. b. It is not optional religious decoration. c. It is part of the worship and fellowship of the Lord’s people.
4. The question is not whether we can make the Lord’s Supper meaningful to ourselves. a. Christ already gave it meaning. b. Christ already gave its elements. c. Christ already tied it to His body, His blood, His covenant, and His return.

I. The Lord’s Supper Rests on the Authority of Christ.

A. Jesus instituted the Supper on the night before His death.

1. Matthew 26:26 says Jesus took bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to the disciples. a. He said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” b. The bread points to His body. c. The Supper begins with the Lord’s own words.
2. Matthew 26:27–28 says He took the cup and gave thanks. a. He said, “Drink from it, all of you.” b. He said, “This is My blood of the covenant.” c. His blood was poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.
3. Mark 14:22–25 records the same solemn institution. a. The bread is His body. b. The cup is His blood of the covenant. c. The Supper looks toward the kingdom of God.

B. The Passover background matters.

1. Exodus 12 gives the Old Testament setting of deliverance through blood. a. Israel was in bondage. b. The lamb was slain. c. Blood marked the houses spared from judgment.
2. Jesus instituted the Supper in connection with Passover. a. He was not adding a casual meal. b. He was pointing His disciples to a greater deliverance. c. He is the true Lamb whose blood brings redemption.
3. First Corinthians 5:7 says, “For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed.” a. The old Passover pointed backward to Egypt. b. The Lord’s Supper points back to the cross. c. The church remembers deliverance through the blood of Christ.

C. Paul received and delivered the Supper from the Lord.

1. First Corinthians 11:23 says, “For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you.” a. Paul did not invent the practice. b. Paul did not receive it from Corinthian custom. c. Paul delivered what came from the Lord.
2. This means the Supper carries apostolic authority. a. The church has no right to ignore it. b. The church has no right to reshape it. c. The church has no right to treat it as common.
3. The doctrine of Christ governs the table. a. The Supper is not controlled by preference. b. The Supper is not controlled by denominational tradition. c. The Supper is controlled by the Lord who gave it.

II. The Lord’s Supper Belongs to the Assembly of the Lord’s People.

A. The first Christians continued in the breaking of bread.

1. Acts 2:41 says those who received the word were baptized. a. Baptism came before their continued participation in the life of the church. b. The saved were added. c. The church was made up of obedient believers.
2. Acts 2:42 says they continued in the breaking of bread. a. This phrase belongs with apostolic teaching, fellowship, and prayers. b. The context is the life and worship of the early church. c. The Supper was not treated as occasional religious sentiment.
3. The order matters. a. They received the gospel. b. They were baptized. c. They continued in apostolic worship and fellowship.

B. Acts 20:7 shows the first day assembly.

1. Acts 20:7 says, “On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread.” a. The disciples gathered on the first day of the week. b. The stated purpose of the gathering was to break bread. c. Paul preached to them while they were gathered.
2. The first day of the week is the Lord’s Day pattern. a. Jesus rose on the first day of the week. b. The church assembled on the first day of the week. c. The breaking of bread belonged to that assembly.
3. Every week has a first day. a. The text does not support quarterly observance. b. The text does not support once-a-year observance. c. The apostolic example places the Supper in the first day assembly.

C. The Lord’s Supper is not a common meal.

1. First Corinthians 11:20–22 rebukes Corinthian abuse. a. They came together, but their conduct prevented them from truly eating the Lord’s Supper. b. Some were hungry. c. Some were drunk.
2. Paul asks, “Do you not have houses in which to eat and drink?” a. The Supper is not for satisfying physical appetite. b. Common meals belong in ordinary settings. c. The assembly must not confuse the holy memorial with social eating.
3. The church must keep the distinction clear. a. The Lord’s Supper is worship. b. The Lord’s Supper is remembrance. c. The Lord’s Supper is proclamation, not a fellowship dinner.

III. The Lord’s Supper Requires the Right Mind and the Right Discernment.

A. The Supper looks backward to the death of Christ.

1. First Corinthians 11:24 says, “Do this in remembrance of Me.” a. The bread calls the mind to His body. b. The Supper demands memory, not mindless habit. c. The cross must be before the heart.
2. First Corinthians 11:25 says the cup is the new covenant in His blood. a. The cup calls the mind to His blood. b. The covenant was sealed at great cost. c. Forgiveness rests on the blood of Christ.
3. The Christian must not drift during the Supper. a. This is not the time to think about lunch. b. This is not the time to check the clock. c. This is the time to remember the crucified Lord.

B. The Supper looks inward through self-examination.

1. First Corinthians 11:28 says, “But a man must examine himself.” a. The command is personal. b. The worshiper must judge his own heart. c. The Supper is not a time for spiritual autopilot.
2. Examination does not mean the perfect alone may partake. a. If perfection were required, no Christian could eat. b. The issue is reverent discernment and honest self-judgment. c. The Christian must come soberly, thankfully, and repentantly.
3. Self-examination should expose sin. a. Am I walking faithfully? b. Am I harboring bitterness? c. Am I remembering the Lord while refusing His rule?

C. The Supper looks outward and forward.

1. First Corinthians 11:26 says, “you proclaim the Lord’s death.” a. The Supper preaches. b. Every observance declares that Christ died. c. The church announces the cross by eating the bread and drinking the cup.
2. First Corinthians 11:26 also says, “until He comes.” a. The Supper looks forward to the return of Christ. b. The church remembers a death that did not end in defeat. c. The crucified Lord is coming again.
3. The Supper is communion with Christ and His body. a. First Corinthians 10:16 speaks of sharing in the blood and body of Christ. b. First Corinthians 10:17 says we who are many are one body. c. The Supper is never merely private thought; it belongs to the gathered body.

IV. Careless Partaking Brings Judgment, Not Blessing.

A. Corinth shows the danger of unworthy conduct.

1. First Corinthians 11:27 warns against eating the bread or drinking the cup in an unworthy manner. a. The warning is not against feeling unworthy. b. The warning is against partaking in a manner that profanes the Supper. c. Corinth was treating the Supper in a way that contradicted its meaning.
2. The guilty person is guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. a. That is severe language. b. The Supper cannot be handled lightly. c. A careless table becomes a place of judgment.
3. First Corinthians 11:29 says one must judge the body rightly. a. The Lord’s body must be discerned. b. The meaning of the Supper must be honored. c. The church must not reduce it to empty ritual.

B. Weakness at Corinth was tied to their abuse of the Supper.

1. First Corinthians 11:30 says many were weak and sick, and some slept. a. Paul connects spiritual danger to their conduct at the table. b. The Lord was disciplining His people. c. Their worship problem was not minor.
2. First Corinthians 11:31 says, “But if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged.” a. Self-judgment is necessary. b. Repentance must happen before discipline falls. c. The Supper should train sober hearts.
3. First Corinthians 11:32 says discipline is meant to prevent condemnation with the world. a. God’s correction is serious. b. God’s correction is purposeful. c. The church must learn before judgment hardens.

C. The church must teach reverence at the table.

1. Children need to see reverence, not boredom. a. They watch how parents behave. b. They learn whether the Supper is holy or routine. c. Careless adults train careless children.
2. New Christians need to be taught the meaning of the Supper. a. They need more than habit. b. They need Scripture. c. They need to know why the church breaks bread every first day.
3. Every congregation must guard this memorial. a. Not by changing it. b. Not by minimizing it. c. Not by rushing through it as though it were an interruption.

Application.

1. For the baptized believer. a. Come to the table with reverence. b. Remember the body and blood of Christ. c. Examine yourself before God.
2. For the careless Christian. a. Do not eat and drink judgment to yourself. b. Do not hold the memorial of Christ while making peace with sin. c. Repent before the table exposes what you refuse to face.
3. For the congregation. a. Keep the Supper on the first day of the week. b. Keep the Supper distinct from common meals. c. Teach the Supper as apostolic doctrine, not inherited routine.
4. For parents and teachers. a. Explain the bread. b. Explain the cup. c. Teach children that the church gathers every Lord’s Day before the memory of a crucified and risen Savior.

Conclusion.

1. The Lord’s Supper was instituted by Christ. a. The bread points to His body. b. The cup points to His blood. c. The covenant was purchased by sacrifice.
2. The Lord’s Supper was delivered by apostolic authority. a. Paul received it from the Lord. b. The church practiced it on the first day of the week. c. The first Christians continued in the breaking of bread.
3. The Lord’s Supper must be observed with reverence. a. Look backward to the cross. b. Look inward through examination. c. Look forward until He comes.
4. The church must not treat holy things as common. a. The table is not entertainment. b. The table is not filler. c. The table proclaims the death of the Lord.

Invitation.

1. Hear the word. a. Romans 10:17 says faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.
2. Believe Christ. a. John 8:24 warns that unless you believe that Jesus is He, you will die in your sins.
3. Repent. a. Acts 17:30 says God commands all people everywhere to repent.
4. Confess Christ. a. Romans 10:9–10 teaches confession with the mouth and belief in the heart.
5. Be baptized for the remission of sins. a. Acts 2:38 commands repentance and baptism in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins.
6. Live faithfully. a. Revelation 2:10 calls the Christian to be faithful until death.

Word Study.

Scripture Interlock Table.