Order at the Lord’s Supper
1 Corinthians 11:17-34 NLT
Order at the Lord’s Supper
17 But in the following instructions, I cannot praise you. For it sounds as if more harm than good is done when you meet together. 18 First, I hear that there are divisions among you when you meet as a church, and to some extent I believe it. 19 But, of course, there must be divisions among you so that you who have God’s approval will be recognized!
20 When you meet together, you are not really interested in the Lord’s Supper. 21 For some of you hurry to eat your own meal without sharing with others. As a result, some go hungry while others get drunk.22 What? Don’t you have your own homes for eating and drinking? Or do you really want to disgrace God’s church and shame the poor? What am I supposed to say? Do you want me to praise you? Well, I certainly will not praise you for this!
23 For I pass on to you what I received from the Lord himself. On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread 24 and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way, he took the cup of wine after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood. Do this in remembrance of me as often as you drink it.”26 For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord’s death until he comes again.
27 So anyone who eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord unworthily is guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.28 That is why you should examine yourself before eating the bread and drinking the cup. 29 For if you eat the bread or drink the cup without honoring the body of Christ, you are eating and drinking God’s judgment upon yourself. 30 That is why many of you are weak and sick and some have even died.
31 But if we would examine ourselves, we would not be judged by God in this way. 32 Yet when we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned along with the world.
33 So, my dear brothers and sisters, when you gather for the Lord’s Supper, wait for each other. 34 If you are really hungry, eat at home so you won’t bring judgment upon yourselves when you meet together. I’ll give you instructions about the other matters after I arrive.
Examine the scriptures:
The Corinthian Church was having a great deal of difficulty doing communion right.
1 Corinthians 11:17-34 NLT
Order at the Lord’s Supper
17 But in the following instructions, I cannot praise you.
Hebrews 12:11 (NLT)
No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.
Proverbs 13:24 (NLT)
Those who spare the rod of discipline hate their children.
Those who love their children care enough to discipline them.
2 Timothy 3:16 (NLT)
All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.
- Those who love their children care enough to discipline them.
For it sounds as if more harm than good is done when you meet together.
What is communion?
Communion
At Corinth, an experience meant to build up the church was having the opposite effect. This was not o.k.
Paul needed to address some serious abuses in worship.
18 First, I hear that there are divisions among you when you meet as a church, and to some extent I believe it.
The church was divided at a celebration which was meant to express unity.
Paul appealed for unity in the Corinthian Church.
1 Corinthians 1:10 (NLT)
Divisions in the Church
10 I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose.
1 Corinthians 3:3 (NLT)
… for you are still controlled by your sinful nature. You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn’t that prove you are controlled by your sinful nature? Aren’t you living like people of the world?
- The division in the Corinthian Church carried over into their participation of the Lord’s Supper.
19 But, of course, there must be divisions among you so that you who have God’s approval will be recognized!
Divisions:
to make it clear who is genuine. CEB
to show who the real believers are! ERV
they who are genuine and of approved fitness may become evident and plainly recognized among you. AMPC
to show which of you have God’s approval. NIV
in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized. ESV
- Genuine believers should be easily identifiable as Children of God.
Matthew 7:16 (NLT)
You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act.
Abuses in the Corinthian Church communion services.
20 When you meet together, you are not really interested in the Lord’s Supper.
Instead of celebrating communion, church members were feasting and drinking.
21 For some of you hurry to eat your own meal without sharing with others. As a result, some go hungry while others get drunk.
Some individuals were eating meals and getting drunk while others were going hungry.
22 What? Don’t you have your own homes for eating and drinking? Or do you really want to disgrace God’s church and shame the poor? What am I supposed to say? Do you want me to praise you? Well, I certainly will not praise you for this!
- The Corinthian Church was disgracing God’s church and shaming the poor by the way they did communion.
Communion, a very sacred event.
23 For I pass on to you what I received from the Lord himself. On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread 24 and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way, he took the cup of wine after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood. Do this in remembrance of me as often as you drink it.”26 For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord’s death until he comes again.
- Communion is a reminder of the sacrifice of the LORD Jesus Christ.
27 So anyone who eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord unworthily is guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.
Christians need to take communion seriously.
- Anyone who 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.
28 That is why you should examine yourself before eating the bread and drinking the cup.
- Believers should examine themselves, their heart, mind, and motives, before taking communion.
29 For if you eat the bread or drink the cup without honoring the body of Christ, you are eating and drinking God’s judgment upon yourself.
30 That is why many of you are weak and sick and some have even died.
- Violating the Lord’s Supper has serious consequences.
Sin has serious consequences.
Psalm 32:1-5 (NLT)
A psalm of David.
1 Oh, what joy for those
whose disobedience is forgiven,
whose sin is put out of sight!
2 Yes, what joy for those
whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt,
whose lives are lived in complete honesty!
3 When I refused to confess my sin,
my body wasted away,
and I groaned all day long.
4 Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me.
My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat.
5 Finally, I confessed all my sins to you
and stopped trying to hide my guilt.
I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.”
And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.
31 But if we would examine ourselves, we would not be judged by God in this way.
1 John 1:9 (NLT)
But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.
32 Yet when we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned along with the world.
- The deplorable behavior of the Corinthians did not cost them their salvation.
33 So, my dear brothers and sisters, when you gather for the Lord’s Supper, wait for each other. 34 If you are really hungry, eat at home so you won’t bring judgment upon yourselves when you meet together. I’ll give you instructions about the other matters after I arrive.
