1 Corinthians 11:23-30

                                                         1 Corinthians 11:23-30

For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when 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 also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died.

The celebration of the Lord’s supper has an important purpose in the life of the church as well as in the life of each believer. The church in Corinth was not making the proper observance of these purposes in the Lord’s supper.  As we observe the Lord’s supper in churches today, we need to make sure that we are not forgetting these purposes.

AT THE LORD’S SUPPER WE REMEMBER: People are prone to forget.  It is easy for us to take things for granted.  One of the main purposes of the Lord’s supper is simply to remember what the Lord did for us on the cross and why he had to do it.  It is a time for us to reflect on His mercy, grace, love, and forgiveness.  As the church gathers, we are to remember that He gave His body as a sacrifice for our sin and that He shed His blood to cleanse us from our unrighteousness.  Without the sacrifice of Christ, we would be lost in our sin.  We must never forget the death and resurrection of Christ.

AT THE LORD’S SUPPER WE PROCLAIM: As we take the elements associated with the Lord’s supper or participate in a meal designed for the purpose of celebrating the Lord’s supper, we are also proclaiming His death.  This is one of the reasons it is important to have our children present when we celebrate the Lord’s supper.  Children ask questions.  When they see adults drinking some juice and eating some bread, they will wonder why we do that.  This gives us an opportunity to proclaim the gospel to our family.  As we participate in the Lord’s supper, we are proclaiming that we believe the Gospel and are taking part because of that belief.

AT THE LORD’S SUPPER WE EXAMINE: Another purpose for the Lord’s supper is for us to examine our lives in the light of His Word.  As we look at why the Lord had to die, we must remember our own sin.  It demonstrates just how serious our sin is to the Lord.  In light of the cross, it is impossible to take our sin lightly.  We must examine our hearts for areas of sin that need to be confessed, repented of and abandoned.  The Lord died to free us from sin and give us liberty to walk in holiness.  However, we do not always live in the way we should so regular examination is necessary.  This should be a daily practice in our lives, but as we come to the Lord’s supper, it is a time to make sure that we have been doing that.  The consequences for taking the Lord’s supper are sickness and even death.

APPLICATION: Regularly remember the cross of Christ and His death for us.  Recognize that at the Lord’s supper, we are proclaiming what we believe about forgiveness and holiness.  Let children ask questions so we can explain the Gospel in our answers.  Take the Lord’s supper seriously and examine our hearts for areas of sin.

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