Holy Moments Of Communion
Gtcotr/ws030106
Would you turn in your bibles to 1 Corinthians 10. For those of you who are viewing our broadcast, if possible, prepare something and get ready to take communion along with us in a moment. If you are watching this from the archives, click the pause and I will wait for you to get ready.
1 Corinthians 10 (NIV)
1 ¶ For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea.
2 They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.
3 They all ate the same spiritual food
4 and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.
Even in the Old Testament, God’s children were saved from sin, (Egypt), baptized in water, (The Red Sea), and in the Holy Spirit, (The Cloud of God’s Presence) and they partook of Holy Communion with Christ. (The Rock which followed them in the wilderness)
It was all a type and shadow of things to come which we now see and know. The Apostle Paul explains and is setting us up to understand and properly observe the Holy moments of communion God has given to us. Lets look further into the New Testament period. Turn to:
1 Corinthians 11
20 When you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat,
21 for as you eat, each of you goes ahead without waiting for anybody else. One remains hungry, another gets drunk.
22 Don’t you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you for this? Certainly not!
During this period it is thought by some theologians that the church at Corinth, in like manner as other congregations in their respective cities, came together each Lord’s Day, Sunday, which is the first day of the week, in the evening to celebrate The Lord’s Supper.
Since Jesus had first eaten the Passover meal before taking the loaf of bread and cup of wine and sharing the communion with His followers, it is also considered that some congregations, including this one at Corinth, held to that tradition.
In the early evening the church would begin to gather for a festive meal. The rich would set a grand table while the poor of the church a more modest and often meager supply. Those indigent in the church would have nothing of which to bring to the festival and so would come empty handed and empty of stomach as well.
The Apostle Paul observed that the way in which this congregation was coming together was not in accordance with the intent of the Lord Jesus Christ when He first instituted this Holy Communion.
The fact that the rich would segregate themselves from the poor at these meals, eat and drink to drunkenness while allowing the poor to go hungry was in fact a slap in the face if we were to call this The Lord’s Supper.
Paul goes on to tell that eating and drinking was not the goal nor the course of intent for a holy communion. He went further to say that not properly discerning the Lord’s body could bring judgment upon a person and if continued could even result in sickness or premature death for the Christian.
Here are some:
Unworthy Acts & Attitudes
which can bring judgment upon Christians.
1. Carnal participation in a Holy observance
* not having our head and our heart in what we are doing
* losing focus and respect for this holy moment
> There is a difference between church and a party or a game (though church may be fun - fun is not it’s purpose)
> it’s not about how we look, where we sit or who we talk to or how many people are there … but it’s all about Jesus
* We need to realize, “This cost Jesus His life.” It’s not a game
* We must reverence the Holy moments God gives us.
2. Segregation
* Which one of these, rich or poor, black or white, Asian or Hispanic, young or old, is not a child of God?
* If a child of God then a brother or sister to each one of us.
* Who can have the love of God in them and segregate themselves from a brother or sister for image sake.
* Segregation belies our brotherhood in Christ.
3. Greed
* To have enough and more than enough for ourselves while others with us have nothing and we are not compelled to share?
* John says of this attitude, “How dwells the love of God in you?”
The Apostle Paul goes on to say that:
We need examine ourselves to insure these acts have been abolished and these attitudes repented of before we dare call ourselves to partake of The Lord’s Supper.
1 Corinthians 11
27 Therefore, 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.
28 A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup.
29 For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself.
30 That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep.
31 But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment.
Tonight we partake of a Holy moment in which we believe, although we do not know how, we believe that God will transform this bread as the Body of Christ and this cup to contain not just the fruit of the vine, but the Blood of Christ.
I don’t know how God sees the waters of baptism as a grave for our old man … I don’t know how God sees my sins which were as scarlet now as white as snow … I don’t know how God sees these blessed communion sacraments as the broken body and shed blood of Jesus … but just because I don’t know how, does not mean that I don’t know that --- He does!
At Church On The Rock we have open communion. For all who name the name of Jesus and have received Him as Lord and Savior, you are welcomed at the table of the Lord in this house.
Family, Friends, Guest …
Would you pass by the communion tables and receive the sacraments and then return to your seats and maintain a holy attitude of prayer and reverence. When all have gotten their cup and bread, we will partake of this holy communion together.
1 Corinthians 11
23 ¶ For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread,
24 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."
Now lets pray over the bread
Here is the Hebrew blessing of the bread recited by the Jews at their communion table, the yearly Passover:
Barukh attah Adonai eloheinu melekh ha-olam,
ha-motzi lechem min ha-aretz.
Blessed are you Lord our God, King of the Universe, Who brings forth the bread from the earth.
Now the cup.
1 Corinthians 11
25 In 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."
Let’s acknowledge God for this renewing of the covenant and partake of the cup.
Here is the blessing for the cup spoken in Hebrew at each year’s Passover Communion.
Barukh attah Adonai eloheinu melekh ha-olam,
borei peri hagafen.
Blessed are You Lord God our King of the universe Who creates fruit of the vine.
1 Corinthians 11
26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
May the Lord God bless you and keep you and cause His face to shine upon you and give you peace.
