Discerning the Lord's Body -- 4/15/07 (The Lord's Church)

Sunday, April 15, 2007

DISCERNING THE BODY OF CHRIST
I Cor. 11:17-34

Here we are together this morning. Praise God that we can freely assemble here. But wait a minute. We do remember that there is nothing magic about just meeting together, don’t we? It is not enough to quote, "Not forsaking the assembling or ourselves together, as the manner of some is." But what does the rest of the verse say? It says, "But exhorting one another, and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching" (Heb. 10:25). Our assembling together must have purpose. When we come together, we are to exhort one another. We are to encourage, comfort, counsel, warn, admonish, rebuke, urge one another, come alongside one another in any way we can, that we may stir one another to love and good works.

But let’s pause for a moment. Tonight we will be coming together to share in the Lord’s Super. What if I received a hand-delivered letter this afternoon, with a note that read like this: "Read this to the congregation when you come together this evening." Then the text of the letter reads…

I have nothing good to say about this meeting you are having tonight. If the truth be told, such meetings do more harm than good. Should I commend you for the way you conduct yourselves during these meetings? No, I will not commend you.

What would you think of such a letter? Do you know of any church that ever received such a rebuke? Yes, it was the church at Corinth. In his first letter to the Corinthian church, that is the basic rebuke that Paul included. Let’s take time to read it this morning. Read I Cor. 11:17-34…
Now in this that I declare unto you I praise you not, that ye come together not for the better, but for the worse. 18. For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it. 19. For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you. 20. When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord's supper. 21. For in eating every one taketh before other his own supper: and one is hungry, and another is drunken. 22. What? have ye not houses to eat and to drink in? or despise ye the church of God, and shame them that have not? What shall I say to you? shall I praise you in this? I praise you not. 23. For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: 24. And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. 25. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. 26. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death till he come. 27. Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 28. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. 29. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. 30. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. 31. For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. 32. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. 33. Wherefore, my brethren, when ye come together to eat, tarry one for another. 34. And if any man hunger, let him eat at home; that ye come not together unto condemnation. And the rest will I set in order when I come.

Now many of you know the background of the situation described here. In the early church, they often combined the sharing of the Lord’s Supper with a meal that was designated "The Love Feast." There was certainly nothing wrong with that. A common meal in that day had long been recognized as a symbol of fellowship together. Why shouldn’t brother and sisters in Christ want to come together over a meal? Does the Word of God not say, "How good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity"? (Ps. 133:1). This would seem perfectly natural for a body of believers.

So the problem was not with the fact that they shared a meal in conjunction with the Lord’s Supper, in association with the communion. In reality, this was the problem. Though they called it "a love feast," they didn’t manifest the love of Christ when they came together. Though it was supposed to be the sharing of a meal, there wasn’t much sharing taking place. Then they drank from the cup and broke the bread, as if everything was just wonderful.
Now let’s take a closer look.

The Accusation

In verse 20 Paul makes a bold accusation: "When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord’s Supper." Let me read it to you from the Amplified: "So when you gather for your meetings, it is not the supper instituted by the Lord that you eat." They claimed that they were partaking of the Lord’s Supper, according as they had received it from the Lord, but Paul says that it wasn’t so. They could call it what they wanted to, but their actions made it clear that what they were doing was not what the Lord said to do.

So what was the problem? Were they not using the right kind of juice in the cup? Were they not eating the right kind of bread, which was to represent the Lord’s broken body? No, Paul didn’t call attention to any of the mechanics of what they were doing. Yet there was something in their practice so seriously wrong that Paul could say they were not truly eating the Lord’s Supper.
No doubt, they could have claimed that they were following the pattern of Jesus. They all ate the bread and drank from the cup. Surely they reminded one another of the words that Jesus spoke, when He first shared this with His apostles. They could even say that they combined it with a meal, just as Jesus and the apostles were eating the Passover Meal when Jesus first instituted this special communion. Everything appeared to be right.

The Structure of the Passage (I Cor. 11:17-34)

We might look at this passage of scripture in three sections. In verses 23-26 we find Paul taking them back to the first Lord’s Supper, which Jesus shared with the apostles. Notice verse 23, "For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread." Paul made it clear that this was not some institution of man; he received it from the Lord. In verses 24-25 we see that he even quotes the very words of Jesus.

However, the context makes it clear that this section which deals with the Lord’s Supper doesn’t begin in verse 23. Rather, it begins in verse 17. In verses 17-22, Paul talks about the way the
people in the church were treating one another. When they came together for their so-called "love feast," they were doing anything but loving one another. It appears that those who had plenty brought their food and quickly helped themselves before the poorer people had a chance to get anything. At the end of verse 21 we read, "…and one is hungry, and another is drunken." Some take this as a reference to drunkenness, while others think Paul is simply saying that some had their fill. Either way, there was not a joyous sharing together.

Notice the stern question in verse 22, "What? have ye not houses to eat and to drink it? Or despise ye the church of God, and shame them that have not? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you in this? I praise you not." Those are strong words. Paul accused them of despising the church of God and shaming the poorer people.

Then the last section is made up of verses 27-32. This section focuses on the need for a person to examine himself or herself before eating the bread and drinking the cup. Why? Because the person who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner "shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord" (27). Again in 29, "He that eateth and drinketh unworthily eateth and drinketh damnation [judgment; krima]to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body." Therefore it is important that they judge themselves, so that they will not be chastened by the Lord (32).

Of course, you notice immediately that we didn’t include verses 33-34. In these verses, Paul seems to go back to the issue of the first section. He tells them to wait for one another. If they are hungry, they ought to eat something at home before they come to the meeting. Why? Verse 34, so that their coming together will not be an occasion of condemnation (judgment; krima).

So that is the structure of this passage of scripture. We tend to put a great deal of focus on verses 23-32, because this is our one glance at how a New Testament church celebrated the Lord’s Supper. We also look at this passage because it relates the seriousness of participation in this special communion. However, we must not miss the fact that verses 23-32 are surrounded by what Paul says about how they were treating one another. That is the specific subject of verses 20-22 and verses 33-34. This is not by accident

What Were They Doing Wrong?

We have already seen their error. Those who had plenty were deliberately and selfishly neglecting those who had little. You will remember that in Acts 4 the believers had all things common. No one called anything his own. They shared freely with one another. But here we see the exact opposite. The focus was on "me" and "our." This much is very clear.

Here is the question: What does that have to do with the way they were celebrating the Lord’s Supper? Certainly, there is a connection because the Lord’s Supper was a part of this meal that was designed to demonstrate the love they had for one another. I want to suggest to you that the connection is much stronger than what we might first expect.

Let’s come down to verse 27. In verses 23-26, Paul gives them a review of how Jesus shared the bread and the cup with His apostles. Then in verse 27 he is ready to give the practical application. Let’s read 27 again, "Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord." That is a very sobering statement. Whoever eats and drinks unworthily shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. Such a person takes lightly what Jesus did when He gave His body to be broken and His blood to be shed. He does not show proper appreciation for the death of the Lord Jesus. Go back and walk through the Garden of Gethsemane with Jesus, and it won’t be difficult to understand why such an attitude is so offensive to God.

That leaves us with another big question: What does it mean to eat and drink unworthily? Most often our problem is that we want to ask that question without taking time to consider the context of this passage. The first question we must ask is this: "How were these Corinthian Christians in danger of eating the bread and drinking the cup unworthily? What is it in their attitude that would cause them to participate in an unworthy manner?"

Think about those questions. What is the one specific error that Paul points out? Is it not in the way they are treating one another? You may say, "Well, he also implies that they are eating and drinking unworthily." That is certainly true. Is there a connection between the two? Does the way they are treating one another have something to do with Paul’s warning not to partake unworthily? If not, then we are left with no clue as to what Paul had in mind.

Now verse 28, "But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup." That is clear enough. We emphasize this all the time. The Lord’s Supper is not something that we treat lightly. Before we take part, we must examine ourselves. In the context of this passage, what did Paul want the Corinthians to specifically examine? Does he give them any hints? We can say, "He wanted them to make sure that had a proper appreciation for what Jesus had done for them." I can’t deny that, but Paul did not specifically say that. Do you think this self-examination might have something to do with the context, with the way they were treating one another?

Come to verse 29, "For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body." First of all, let’s deal with that word "damnation." That is a very strong English word, but it is simply the translation of the common Greek word that means "judgment." This word has a very broad range of meanings, so much so that the King James translates it in 13 different ways throughout the New Testament. There is a stronger form of this word, but it is not used here or in verse 34. The word "condemnation" in 34 is the translation of this same word. Paul is not speaking of a person being condemned to hell. Rather, he is simply speaking of a believer being judged by God.

So why is a person in danger of falling under this judgment? What is it that will cause him to eat and drink unworthily and be subject to this judgment? It is because he does not discern the Lord’s body. The word translated "discern" is actually a form of the Greek word for "judgment," (krinw, the one that is translated "damnation" in verse 29 and "condemnation" in verse 34). This word "discern"(diakrinw) literally means "to judge through." It speaks of a distinguishing, a discerning.

Let’s compare what Paul says in this verse with what he said in verse 27, "Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord." In both verses he speaks of eating and drinking unworthily. In verse 27, the consequence is that the one who eats and drinks unworthily will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. Here in 29, Paul says he is guilty of not discerning the Lord’s body. Notice that while he is guilty of the body and the blood in verse 27, not Paul speaks only of the Lord’s body. Keep that in mind.

What does Paul mean by not discerning the Lord’s body? Does he mean to say that when a person eats and drinks unworthily, he does not properly appreciate what Jesus did at the cross? That very well could be. Surely when we share in the Lord’s Supper, there is a great emphasis on the death of the Lord Jesus. Remember that when Jesus first gave us this special observance, He was on His way to the cross. However, I remind you again that unlike verse 27, this verse does not mention the blood, but only the body of our Lord.

While the physical body of our Lord is in view throughout the celebration of the Lord’s Supper, there is another body of our Lord Jesus. Is there not? We talked about it two or three weeks ago. We found it in Ephesians 2. Let’s read Eph. 2:14-16…
For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; 15. Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; 16. And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:

Through His death on the cross, Jesus has reconciled all of us who belong to Him in one body. In Rom. 7:4, Eph. 4:12, and I Cor. 12:27, Paul uses the phrase "body of Christ." While he is referring to the physical body of our Lord (His death) in Rom. 7, that is not the case in Eph. 4:12 and I Cor. 12:27. Let’s read them quickly. Eph. 4:11-12, "And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 12. For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:" I Cor. 12:27, "Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular." In these passages, the body of Christ refers to those who are a part of the family of God, those in whom the risen Christ actually lives.

There is one other New Testament passage where the phrase "body of Christ" is used. Does anyone know where it is? This one isn’t nearly as well known as Eph. 4:12 and I Cor. 12:27. Amazingly enough, it is right next door to the passage we have been studying. Come to I Cor. 10. The reference to the body of Christ is in a larger passage that is warning of idolatry. For our purposes, let’s look at I Cor. 10:14-17…
Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry. 15. I speak as to wise men; judge ye what I say. 16. The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? 17. For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread.

To what is Paul referring, when he speaks of "the cup of blessing which we bless" and "the bread which we break"? It is a very obvious reference to the Lord’s Supper or the communion, as it is called in verse 16. Paul asks, "Is not this special observance the communion of the blood of Christ and the communion of the body of Christ?" The word "communion" simply means "fellowship," a common sharing. When we come together in this way, we have a special fellowship with the Jesus who died for us.

We know that, but that isn’t the end of Paul’s thought. Look again at verse 17, "For we being many are one bread, and one body; for we are all partakers of that one bread." Do you see the connection between the physical body of Christ and the body of Christ which is the church? In this one verse, the term "bread" is used for both. We, the people of God, are one bread. We are one body. And we demonstrate that truth as we partake of that one and the same bread. As all the pieces of bread we eat come from the same loaf, so we are all part of the same body of Christ.

So what does all this have to do with what we are studying in I Cor. 11? Everything. Again, verse 29, "For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body." I am suggesting to you that "the Lord’s body" in this verse cannot be restricted to Jesus’ physical body. Surely Paul is also speaking of the body of Christ, the church. The person who eats and drinks unworthily brings judgment on himself, because he has not properly evaluated the body of Christ, the people of the church.

Do you see it? This is exactly what the Corinthian believers were guilty of. They were not loving one another. They were not caring for one another. They were not serving one another. I doubt seriously that they were sincerely praying for one another. In terms of what we studied a couple of weeks ago, they were not exhorting one another. They were clearly demonstrating that their focus was "me," not "one another." In short, they were not discerning the Lord’s body. They were not properly appreciating the body of Christ, the church that Jesus is building. As the Amplified puts it, they were not "recognizing with due appreciation" the body of Christ.

And if there is any question that Paul wanted to drive home the connection between eating unworthily and how they were treating one another, verses 33-34 further demonstrates that fact. Paul again instructs them not to mistreat one another. Why? So that they will not come unto condemnation.

What Do We Learn from This?

Does that mean that this is the only way a person can eat and drink unworthily? No, it does not. However, this is the only specific way we are told in the scripture that we can eat and drink unworthily at the Lord’s table. We must understand that participation in the Lord’s Supper can never be just a "me and Jesus" thing. You cannot separate Jesus from His church, any more than you can separate your head from the rest of your body. That is what the Corinthian believers were trying to do.

This brings to mind the simple words of our Lord Jesus. Matt. 5:23-24 (NKJV)...
Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift." If the Corinthians had heeded that warning of Jesus, many of them would have cried out, "Wait, we can’t go ahead with this until we get things right between us.

How we need to heed this great truth from the scripture. We can never divorce our worship of God from our relationship with our brothers and sisters. The specific example of selfishly eating before others was the Corinthian form of not being right with others in the body, but there are many other forms. Are you mistreating a brother or sister? Do you have resentment or bitterness toward a brother or sister? If you aren’t sure, ask the Lord to search your heart. (You might take "the Walmart aisle" test; do you tend to avoid any brother or sister?). Do you hold yourself away from brothers and sisters? Do you gossip about any brother or sister? Do you envy a brother or sister?

Those are just the negatives. What about the positives? Are you loving, caring for, serving, praying for, and in honor preferring your brothers and sisters? Are you coming alongside your brothers and sisters and inviting them to come alongside you? You say, "Do these things really have anything to do with the Lord’s Supper?" Absolutely; they have everything to do with it. They have everything to do with our relationship to God.

I hear someone say, "This is a tall order. If I find that I am failing in these things, does that mean I should just stay home tonight? Does that mean I am unworthy to partake of the Lord’s Supper?" No. Read verse 28 again. "But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup." It is not, "Let him examine himself and then refrain from eating and drinking." No, but, "Let a man examine himself and then eat and drink." It assumes that when we truly examine ourselves, the obvious is going to take place. When the Lord reveals sin, we will repent and come running back to Jesus. That is what Paul desired for the Corinthian Christians. Paul was obligated to write these things because they had deceived themselves into thinking that they could separate their conduct toward the body from their relationship with the Lord. Paul wasn’t condemning them; he was helping them to examine themselves in light of the truth and then inviting them to repent.

Conclusion

Do you see how vital is our relationship with our brothers and sisters? Often times we can judge the seriousness of an offense by the seriousness of the consequences that are attached to it. So how serious were the consequences of eating the bread and drinking the cup, while ignoring sin against the brothers and sisters? Let’s read it again in verses 30-32…
For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. 31. For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. 32. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.
This was such a serious thing that many who were guilty had become sick and many more had died ("sleep"). That’s right. But why would the Lord actually kill someone for what we consider a minor offense? It isn’t a minor offense, or this severe consequence would not be attached to it. Verse 32 tells us that "we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world." The Lord had killed many of them so that they would not live longer and finally be condemned with the world. That word translated "condemned" is the stronger form of the word "judge" that I mentioned earlier. Better to be judged by the Lord and even die, that to be finally condemned with the rest of the world.

The key is in verse 31, "For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged." If we want to avoid the judgment of the Lord, then let us judge ourselves. That is, let us examine ourselves, confess our wrongdoing and wrong attitudes, and repent.

It is a serious thing to be a part of the body of Christ, and yet it is a glorious thing. We see some of that paradox in Acts 5, after God had killed Annanias and Sapphira for lying to the Holy Spirit. Acts 5:11-14…
And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things. 12. And by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people; (and they were all with one accord in Solomon's porch. 13. And of the rest durst no man join himself to them: but the people magnified them. 14. And believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women.)

Tonight when we come together for the Lord’s Supper, let’s share some of the great blessings of being a part of the body of Christ.