- 1 Cor 11:23 – end of chapter
- 23For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 25In 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.” 26For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. 27Therefore, 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. 28A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. 29For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. 31But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment. 32When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world.33So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for each other. 34If 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.
- Communion was instituted on the night of the Jesus’s betrayal
- He first gave thanks
- Instituted during the Passover
- By the shedding of blood there was no death
- Jesus held the bread and broke it
- He distinguished between His physical body and he emblem of the bread which portrayed the giving of himself and he distinguished between the cup an His blood in the same way
- “This is my body for you.”
- Old covenant rituals allowed an external cleansing
- Jesus’s sacrifice is permanent cleansing
- And those who partake of communion are expressing their participation in the benefits of Christ’s atoning death
- Unless we take an inventory of our lives and we need to enter the experience in our souls the cleansing work of Christ, communion will remain an OT ritual, ie external
Why communion was instituted:
- 1. Recollection
- “Do this in remembrance of me.”
- Memorial for the benefits of Jesus’ death
- 2. Proclamation
- We proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes
- In communion we do not offer up the sacrifice of Christ to the Father
- We proclaim the person Christ and the redemption He has given us
- 3. Anticipation
- verse 26 – we do this until He comes
- Because the meal is so significant, any unworthy participation is sin; How can we do this, ie sin when receiving communion?
- By not recognizing Christ’s sacrifice for us
- By harboring ill feelings toward our brothers and sisters
- To do it ritualistically, ie to do it just as a matter of course
- When we dishonor communion we do not dishonor the meal, we dishonor Christ
- We must examine ourselves before taking communion
- Do we know Jesus?
- Test our attitudes, motivation, test our relationship to the Lord and the Lord’s people
- Is my heart right with God? and with my brothers and sisters?
- We are all imperfect
- If we fail to recognize that is a way the Lord meets with His people by his appointment then we receive in an unworthy manner
