The Real Deal - 1 Cor 10:16
April 7, 2024
Nowhere is God so near to man as in Jesus Christ; and nowhere is Christ so familiarly represented to man, as in the Holy Communion. —Richard Baxter - mid 1600’s
established importance of communion and tithing last week… neither is talked about much… only 4% of Evangelical sermons deal with communion…
1Cor 11:26… “as often as you eat bread and drink cup… proclaim Lord’s death…”
Heb 7:1-10… “received tithes from Abraham… witness that He lives…”
Risen and Remembered will deal with the who, what, when, where, why, and how questions about communion… beware etp… looking for what God says…
John 17:17… “Your word is truth…”
1Thess 2:13… “welcomed word… not as word of men… but as the truth of God…”
communion is good news… all about Jesus… don’t make it about you… who can take it… believers or unbelievers… didn’t fully answer… Paul says each person decides… not our job to judge who is saved or not… examine means to see if we are worthy or genuine… based on our relationship with Jesus… not our behavior…
Matt 26 (Mark 14, Luke 22)… “My body, My blood… do in remembrance of Me…”
Rom 10:17… “faith comes by hearing… that is, hearing the good news…”
1Cor 11:28… “let each person examine himself before eat bread, drink cup…”
1Pet 1:18-19… “redeemed… with the precious blood of Christ…”
tackle the what question today… what is communion… what does it do… pray…
1Cor 10:16… “the blessing of communion… is it not sharing in blood and body of Christ…”
what is communion in the bible… literally opens up millions of answers (42 mil)…
It is a practice the whole church observes in remembrance of Christ’s sacrifice.
Christian sacrament where bread and wine are consumed as memorials of Christ’s death.
Celebrates the Gospel that Jesus was broken for us so we can be fixed by Him.
Gives spiritual nourishment for the week ahead and reminds of us the sufferings of Christ.
Sharing or exchanging of intimate thoughts and feelings on a mental or spiritual level.
internet uses many words to describe communion… all point to same thing…
Eucharist, THE Sacrament, Fellowship, Liturgy, Church, Rapport, Mass, Concord, Togetherness, Blessed Sacrament, Association, Lord’s Supper, Sharing, Communication, Intercourse, Intercommunication, Converse, Supper, Breaking Bread
four main, very different, views on what communion actually means (simplified)…
Transubstantiation - bread and wine literally transform into body and blood of Christ.
Consubstantiation - body and blood are in, with, and under the bread and cup… bread and wine maintain physical properties… but real presence of body and blood mix with elements.
Memorialism - bread and wine purely symbolic… serve as a memorial or remembrance of the Cross… without any literal or spiritual presence of Christ in the elements.
Reformed - bread and wine do not physically or literally become body and blood… yet there is a spiritual presence of Christ during communion… received by faith in personal way.
sharing information… not revelation… must seek revelation on your own…
Matt 13:21… “has no root in himself… but endures only for awhile… they fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted because of the Word…”
John 14; 16… “HS will teach you everything… He will guide you into all truth…”
Gal 1:12… “did not receive from man… nor taught… came by revelation of Jesus…”
obviously not everyone agrees… Paul simply passes on what Jesus said to him… remembrance (love, grace, redemption)… proclamation (death)… anticipation (return)… not just ritual or tradition… declaration of our faith in His finished work…
1Cor 11:23-26… “received from the Lord what I passed on to you… night He was betrayed, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, this is My body, which is for you, do this in remembrance of Me… the cup is NC in My blood, as often as you drink it, do in remembrance of Me… as often as you eat bread and drink cup… proclaim Lord’s death until He comes…”
what is real deal about communion… bread first… Jesus kept it pretty simple…
Luke 22:19… “took, broke, gave… My body, given for you, do in remembrance of Me…”
people didn’t understand first time He talked about communion… disgusting to eat literal flesh and drink blood… pic of His sacrifice on cross… good news for sick…
John 6:48-71… “I am the bread of life… if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever… bread is my flesh… unless you eat My flesh and drink My blood… you do not have life…”
zao… live, breathe, be among living; active, blessed, endless; full vigor, strong, powerful…
many Christians still believe God is source of sickness… to teach them a lesson… don’t recognize Jesus gave His body so we might be healed… by failing to honor and recognize what His body was for… take communion in unworthy manner…
Psa 103:1-3… “do not forget all His benefits… He heals all your diseases…”
Isa 53:4-5… “bore sickness… carried our pains… healed by His wounds…”
1Cor 11:17-34… “whoever eats in an unworthy manner… without recognizing the body eats and drinks judgment on himself… this is why many are sick and ill and have fallen asleep…”
sickness and death are part of curse… Jesus died to set us free… Corinthians were suffering effects of sin because they didn’t judge themselves in light of the cross…
Deut 28:15-68… “all curses… confusion, disease, panic, fear, famine, sickness…”
Gal 3:13-14… “Christ redeemed us from the curse… so blessing would come…”
1Cor 11:31… “if we were properly judging ourselves… we would not be judged…”
diakrino… make a distinction; decide; determine…
what’s the real deal about the cup… too often we treat communion so formally and religiously we forget to realize the benefits of His blood… it’s a celebration…
Psa 103:1-3… “do not forget all His benefits… He forgives all your sins…”
Isa 1:18… “though your sins are like scarlet… they will be as white as snow…”
Matt 26:28… “this is blood of NC… poured out for the forgiveness of sins…”
aphesis… letting them go as if they have never been committed; release of penalty…
Paul answers the what question about communion… judge yourself in light of Christ’s perfect sacrifice… His body heals you… His blood forgives you…
1Thess 2:13… “word of God works effectively in you who believe…”
are you battling sickness, guilt, condemnation, stress, worry… prepare communion table in presence of enemies… proclaim the Lord’s death… not just empty ritual… active declaration of faith in Jesus… remind enemies they are defeated… pray…
Psa 23… “You prepare table in presence of enemies… only goodness and love pursue me…”
1Cor 15:57… “thanks be to God… He gives us the victory thru Christ Jesus…”
Col 2:15… “He disarmed rulers and authorities… He triumphed over them…”