1st Cor 11:17-34 - Communion

under the leadership of King Jesus three common your name Jesus to gather to worship the praise and asking that your word would have its way in each and every one of us. We praise your name. Amen. Amen. Well, I've been in the ministry now since I was 20, I'm turning 37 this October. So almost 17 years of time spent loving caring pouring into people and as a pastor one of my great privileges and things I get to do can oftentimes you one of the more awkward things that we get to do and that is my family gets invited to a lot of homes for dinner and dinner is a pretty intimate setting and when somebody invite our family over but we never really know the agenda of what's going to happen that evening if they're going to blast me with questions, which is more than okay inappropriate if they want to How to get to know a lot and engages but there was one dinner in particular which was one of the most difficult or painful dinners that we stopped through from my position for Ticket early. This family hadn't invited us over under the idea that they wanted to get to know my entire family rates. We love this. And so we get to this home and we find out for the next 3 hours, but apparently that meant all they wanted to do was talk to me while my wife watched our children in their home, which if you have kids, you know how difficult it is to watch kids in somebody else's home. And this was a home that didn't even have kids in it just sharp corners and glass and bases. And it don't mean nothing nothing bro, but you know my children about that back table that their Angels right kids. You're amazing. You don't break Windows. You don't clog drain. You don't I could go on and on right? They don't do any of that stuff. But I remember several moments. Looking over at my wife going to be hitting me because it was as if she didn't even exist.

Now you're going oh my goodness what that mean? Oh, I already surveyed the crowd. You're not here her at your you're fine. You're all in the clear tape. We're good. This was painful to be invited into a home and to be treated as if she didn't even Yeah, we don't wow who on Earth would do that the church at Corinth the church at Corinth for people who aren't very good at Christianity, right? That kind of sums up the vast majority of us and Paul and writing this letter to them and they would have been a little bit excited about this letter think about receiving it and they open it up and going to what is Paul going to tell if he's going to end up going to say you guys are fantastic. You are great and they open this letter and in this 6 section particularly. This is what it says guys. You are an absolute wreck. Bummer bummer. Your Gathering is not going how not to be going. I'm going to get some insight into that right now for in 1st Corinthians 11 verse 17. Now if you miss last week, we talked about head covering masculinity and femininity. It was really fun wasn't at church. Amen. And you ladies got the memo. You didn't need your doily this week. You didn't have time for prayer shawl. You understood you gather what that text was actually saying so first 17, he now says in the following instructions, I do not commend you because when you come together, it is not for the better, but for the worst probably the worst thing talk and write to this church when you get together, it's not for the good of the church. It's actually to the detriment bad. It's horrible. What's going on with you guys for in the first place? When you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you. I believe it in part for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized when you come together and it's not in the Lord's Supper that you eat Frank eating each one goes ahead with his own meal one goes hungry another gets drunk. What do not have houses to eat and drink in or do you despise the Church of God and humiliate those that have nothing what shall I say to you? Should I commend you this morning? No, I will not for I received from the Lord. But I also delivered to you by the Lord Jesus on the night when he betrayed betrayed took bread and we give thanks you 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 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 in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord let a person examine himself then and so either the bread and drink of the cup for anyone who eats and drinks have to strain the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you were weak and pale some of die. But if we judged ourselves truly would not be judged or judged by the Lord. We are disciplined so we may not be condemned among along with the world. So then my brothers when you come together to eat wait for one another the new one is hungry that I get home so that when you come together, it will not be for judgment about the other things. I will give direction when Let me just preface the average Demers over the last seven years. We've had two longer sermons on communion talked about transubstantiation consubstantiation, right big words. We have talked about spiritual presence View and the remembrance view of talked about Calvin and Luther and zwingli and we have discussed in great detail as a church what we believe we're doing when we come together for communion if that interests you listen on line. I do not get an hour and a half this morning. However, what we want to do this morning is tackle the problem that's going on in Corinth and their situation in their set and what Paul tells this church in this moment is when you guys come together, you are not doing a service to one another are glorifying God, but it is actually For the worst and here is why you are reinforcing the social distinction that Christ destroyed on the cross that I'm not still existed in the beginning of creation that you are totally tearing down and destroying what Christ has built up in his life death and Resurrection how and why are they doing this? They're doing it because they're showing preference. Towards possibly the wealthy the rich and they're putting that against those are on the outskirts a little bit marginalized what are followers of Jesus this in this church appears to be a division between the rich and the poor. This is an ugly line that an ancient Society it ran through it and very Vivid colors. If not much more than even today in our society and it was threatening to just face to actually just say the very name of Christ. Could you imagine your in your little community and you're telling your friends and family in your neighborhood about this Jesus who is obliterated these distinctions who said poor Rich doesn't matter what language are background or she previously served God's I have come for them. I have redeem them. Male female Gentile Jew and we're all one in him and then you show up at this dinner and half the crew is like I don't even want to talk to you. I don't want to associate with you. I want nothing to do with you and you think about the kind of rumors and ripple effects that would run through the community when they're trying to build something on the unity of what Christ has done. Become together to celebrate the Eucharist at some of you might call it the Lord's supper or do we often refer to a communion and the Very coming together? Ask that already has fissures in it because of the distinction, but they're created where in the world is this coming from?

Pliny the Younger is a story in a letter wrote this the best dishes were sent in front of himself and a select few talking about the time that he visited a wealthy home the cheap scraps of the food before the rest of the company. He even put the wine into little flap divided into three categories. 1 lakh was intended for himself and is presumably the best another for his lesser friends and a third for his and our Friedman which were former slaves. This was a custom and a practice that if you had this big dinner party at your home and your dining hall may be set at nine or ten people which might even be generous in today's terms and how they are building home and you have friends over you have more than the nine or ten. You had another room in the house. That was the Overflow room and in the Overflow room you treated your left her guests are those that you didn't think we're at important those I didn't bring value to the conversation those I didn't bring value to your life those that wouldn't help you get ahead or get for those that you didn't want to impress, but for whatever reason they still had to be there. It's a what happened in Corinth. If one of two things that I lean towards the seconds, I'm going to share one. Some people think that the rich were holding these love peace in their houses and they didn't it such an hour that the working class and the slave class couldn't arrive till later that's resulting in eating the best foods first then having a few before that everyone. There to loosen up and then had a few more and they're getting drunk in their Gathering. And then just simply giving the leftovers that is one possibility. However more likely. When they come together, they're creating the stratification of society actually to pick it up on them at the wealthy the rich the House Church the home Church. They were setting up who they wanted seated up their table with them and then eventually you better than me getting with big families. Nobody gets another family friend. Alright? Yeah. Okay. There we go. You listening to kids table? Okay, that's kind of what's going on in the situation is you just kidding. You don't bring a lot of value to the conversation. You have a lecture class than us. Maybe if you can promote yourself for some help promote us and make us better will then invites you graduate you to the adult table will in that Society. They're the same thing going on if it wasn't just between children and adult goes between these adult and they were saying you were in the other room. You cannot participate in this with us.

Oh my goodness.

Should have known better. The coming together to Worship in Jesus name. They have a tradition that have already been passed down to them. They declare that they are equal in Jesus Christ yet. Paul said one goes hungry while another gets drunk. Hi. Should not be this shouldn't be in your everyday life. How much more so when you gather to worship Sepulveda something really simple and I could actually wrap up the teaching right now and we can say amen and get cooled off, but I'm not going to get information. Don't you have a house that you can drink your wine in and eat your food while yes, we do fine the other with your friends there do it. But when you come to the Gathering of the Saints stop it do not make class distinctions for We Are One in Christ communion in the first century often took place in what we call a love feast or an Agape Feast the wording comes from Jude 1st Peter possibly lose to this idea as well. And so what they would do is is in a home Church on an evening, they would come together and it would serve this meal they would break bread and it would celebrate the very words of Jesus the coveted that's been given to each and everyone of us. Low leak that begin to move and transition into about the second century when the only symbolic asked that we actually participate in his that we're not participating in a full meal. Do we have this token meal of the body of the bread of the cup that represents their the blood? Okay, so things have changed a little bit and how we do communion communion probably looked a little bit more like this Sunday breakfast then it did are would even today this afternoon after I get done teaching. However, that was a transition of the Church begin to make and to do and see when we talked about this passage. There is some gaps that we actually have to get over because we don't participate in communion fig Zack same way they did. Although we have not lost an ounce of a significant or it's me. Hear that understand that with a question for us this morning is do we participate in the same sin, but that church but participating. What was their sin? There's sand was 1 a preference. Pastors are really really fat. I want went to this event. I got invited to it. So I was a friend of a person who's a part of this organization. Therefore. I had no value. I had no meaning and I had no prior contact to this group and I got to sit back and watch but it was intriguing because one of the heads of the organization was there and I sat back around this fire and I just watched the guy trying to position himself next to the head guy to get close to him why they wanted him to hear their idea. They wanted him to know that they were intelligent doing well that they were successful. They can be tapped on it may be moved up any organization. Maybe some of them had some prior or I'd friendship relationship. Maybe I'm reading a little bit into that situation with this is how humans tend to work. We look at people we go to a work party. We maybe even come to the church or community group and we say how will that person benefit my life? How can I give my life for that person? That's a massive distinction that still run rampant through Church community group and life today. We size people up real quickly and we think I wonder how they'll get me ahead in life and even outside of the communion table, we practice and participate in this area of showing preference over one another by the simple jockeying a positioning in order to get ahead in life as if trophies and trinkets and the pursuit of more is what we value most. And that redeemers is a serious problem because what matters most is the person sitting next to you behind you and in front of you what matters is not how can I use them to go ahead in life, but how can I show them that I have value that I want to give them value significance and worth in. I'm not saying don't Network. Not saying that at all. I'm not saying don't do business with one another but I'm asking us to take a step back and to motivate our choosing to look at the motive of our very heart this church and Corrin had a problem by saying, how can I use people rather than how can I give myself to one another? That lead me to asking the question for our church redeemers how we doing in this area being a welcoming loving caring not just friendly and nice but serving kind of church. How about when we find out that we have? different views concerning politics How about we find out we have different views surrounding current events. How about when we find out that we come from different socioeconomic backgrounds?

Do we show preference do we only get to know people in order to get our way and we'll done do we get to know people on the stove premise that we're going to convert and change them not according to what it means to be a follower of Jesus. Are present in current View. In our church specifically there is diversity in the good sense of that word. There is diversity and it's a beautiful thing, but it also means there can be division over some ridiculous thing. Truly can and what we need to do and to understand is that while there is diversity and Views in me coming all eat meat. Hey, man. Yeah, maybe some of you recycle and maybe some of you cringe every time you see me throw away a bottle. Okay, I get it. I get it. Maybe we have some different ideas on something but the reality is we cannot let those distinctions be what bring division among us. Nor. Can we allow for those things to be the things that we say? I'm only going to hang out with people that sings like me talk like me like me have the same color as Skin as me only like the same things that I like. The beauty of the church is diversity. The beauty of the church is at 90% If you could care less if the Blazers lost last night and Andrew and I are Weeping that because how you doing this morning. All right. City of the church though is that we still come together under King Jesus celebrate and we worship him together. Adversity is not the problem division is the whole world went to things equality and community. Easy jockey for fighting for promoting writing about a boiled down to they want equality and community. How you going to get it? How are we going to obtain that? And tell you what not going to be through politics visit. That's not going very well at this present moment. It's a serious problem. Guess what? It's not going to come through morality with a lot of different opinions on morality right now. It's not going to come through issues and agendas concerning gender family marriage kids and all of us other things. The only way that we're going to be brought together is under the leadership of who Jesus is and what Jesus has done its when we looked at him and say I'm heading. Aled but you have rescued me you have redeemed me you have ransomed me and you have brought Austin together under who you are unity. You see what they're doing the communion table. They're celebrating the very fact that Jesus has saved each and every one of them out of their present and current situation and Circumstance. Teeth really then made this plane field level. Let me see each and everyone of you no matter your background has value. Yep. All right, when you come together, it's not the Lord's Supper you eat. Do you know why it wasn't the Lord who they were focused on self.

You guys ever come down to the table and grabbed it and just sitting there and I'm getting ready to pray. You're like Chick-fil-A today sounds so good. I wonder where we're going for brunch. Wonder if that's my number that just got called up there. So we had to make a little things. Our mind can wander on here is in a much more massive distinction. They weren't focused on Jesus. They were focused on the class distinctions that Jesus had already broken down rather than being built up with one another. What's what's the answer to this? personal call He called his church home. But I desire for us but I crave for us is a personal commitment to radical Hospitality to one another whether it's Sunday morning when people walk afterwards as worship continues when you walk out these doors and you invite somebody to eat a meal with you after church or Tuesday evening when you say let's get to know one another. Call do the hospitality. That's a lice chaotic. Everything's a mess. But I'm going to focus on the very people that God has brought to us and we're going to care love and serve one another. It's an inclusion of every person that says it doesn't matter that we have different background. I want to get to know you care for you and love you. It's a commitment to the intentional inclusion. Never going to care and love each and every person. That's my heart for our church. That's what I desire. No, just a quickly finish this out when it comes to what we're about to participate in and practice any idea of remembering our Lord participating in communion again, I talked on this a greater length, believe it or not. Explain it. I just want to reorient our Focus now before we get ready to come to the stable these ideas come from a man by the name of Michael green and when it comes to communion with Paul is talking about the first thing we ought to do when we approach the Lord's table is to look back look back to remember what Jesus has done for us and creating Covenant with us giving himself to each and every one of us as idea remembering as Paul brings up in the situation as we eat at his table with one another number to look in. This is the idea of self-examination examination is not so much so and I worthy Paul uses those worth horse course not. But because of what he has done he has made us in his blood able to come and participate in this but the question for them is they had Division and schisms and factions. They were pretty needs group and they weren't showing love and it's to take a moment to look within your own heart and ask yourself. Am I a person who is showing preference Steven in-body locally is there people that I'm ducking when they come walking through those doors are seeing at Fred Meyer. Are we avoiding one another am I trying to make somebody in out? Look in and ask yourself those questions and self-examination. Are we failing to appreciate what the cup and the bread signify speak to you and talk about a Christ died for us all failing to feel any remorse for attitudes and actions that would come to the table. Are we failing to renounce his attitudes and actions and turn to God and are you failing to trust Jesus that he is able to forgive and has forgiven and we can celebrate the table with one another look back look in look up fellowship with God because of what Christ has done. We've been brought together with him and we get to rejoice in that not how we've acted or behave but as we looked up we realize it's not about me it's about what Jesus has done and making me his own that is the present current reality. I don't know what you brought into the doors this morning. I don't know what attitude action behaviors that you participated in last night this morning last week last month. That is a follower of Jesus when we look up or reminded of who we are in Christ. Shall look back again look up look around. super practical in this church. These are our brothers and sisters. And we look around in this moment of communion and we understand the Christ has brought us together. He has unified us. Inn at the church I wanted to get this so we are to care for one another support each other that tries to bind us together. And even though we have different ideas opinion in philosophy in life. It's under Christ that we are unified and brought to one another next one. Look forward to his return we look or were we will celebrate this meal with Jesus.

I've talked to a lot of people recently and they're doing Lord come with claiming. It's chaos. Borderline when you read the news and washing Anarchy their destruction stealing them. We have to always be looking forward to his return and finally look outward communion with a way to Proclaim Christ is King Caesar is not communion with the way to say. He has defeated death and darkness and he is seated and glory and life on the throne. It's an announcement of who Jesus is. This is what we get to celebrate this morning. And if we come together we invite you to the table. We invite you as a family. If you are a follower of Jesus to celebrated our resurrected King who gets to take communion. Just those exactly that those that love worship Praise Jesus. Is there an age limit not one that I can find in the scriptures, but certainly has his children in the Gathering today. I would want to be sure that my kids know love and worship Jesus. How often should we take it? We participated it almost weekly hit redeemers remembering what he has done. Exactly what he said to remember him. Can I take the Lord's supper if I've had a bad week. Absolutely. This is Christianity for Christians who are bad at Christianity and where to come together and acknowledge that examine ourselves and rejoice that he has invited us in redeemers. We're going to do that this time Michael going to come back up it going to lead us in a song during that song. The tables are going to be open offering boxes in the back to give to a God is doing here. We're going to celebrate at the family and we are going to look back. I would Jesus is done. We're going to look within our own heart. We're going to look up. We're going to look out for going to look forward to his return and we're going to look outward as a visible expression of what Jesus has done. Let's pray God. Thank you for your word for the hope that we have in you. Thank you for your instruction your encouragement and your conviction. Thursday come to the tables we express that we love you and want to see you lifted high in our lives glorified. We went to love one another and then confessed areas in which we have fallen short in that. 54 redeeming Savings in Jesus name amen.

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