Home

Services

Location

Beliefs

Sermons & Studies

Bible Institute

Calendar

Missions

Pastor

Contact

Search

Weather

 

 

 

Grace Bible Church

4000 E. Collins Rd.   P.O. Box #3762   Gillette, WY  82717   (307) 686-1516

 

“Preaching the Living Word through the Written Word (2Tim 4:2)”

 

 

 

 

DIFFICULTIES IN CHURCH WORSHIP (CH 11-14):

THE DEMEANOR OF CHRISTIANS AT THE LORD’S TABLE - Part 2

1Co 11:27-34 (11/16/11)

Grace Bible Church, Gillette, Wyoming

Pastor Daryl Hilbert

 

I.        EXPLOITATION OF THE LORD’S TABLE (1Co 11:17-22)

 

A.      Divisions Affect Worship (17-19)

B.      Self-serving Worship (20-22)

 

II.      EXPLANATION OF THE LORD’S TABLE (1Co 11:23-26)

 

A.      Remembrance of the Death of Christ (23-25)

B.      Twofold Proclamation of Christ’s Ministries (26)

 

III.   EXAMINATION OF THE LORD’S TABLE (1Co 11:27-32)

 

A.      Partake in an Unworthy Manner (27-28)

 

1.       [1Co 11:27] - Paul moves from an explanation of the Lord’s Table to an examination of the Lord’s Table. Or perhaps better it is a description of some of the Christians at Corinth who have come to the Lord’s Table with unprecedented carnality. Though the gathering was a called an Agape Feast, it was anything but a spirit of agapê. Instead it was sinful carnality with divisions (18), factions (19), selfish fleshly appetites (21a), gluttony and drunkenness (21b), while others went hungry.

a)       Paul described them of partaking of the Lord’s Table in an “unworthy manner.” It comes from the Greek word anaxi,ōs which means “not of the same weight.” It is not equivalent of what is due a holy and righteous God. It a lifestyle that falls short of a reasonable act of worship towards the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, their carnality was unworthy of the lives they should be living.

b)       To conduct oneself in such a carnal lifestyle is to become guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. It means that while on the one hand a believer is acting like he is celebrating the sacrificial death of Christ, he is at the same time clinging to the very sin for which Christ died. In a sense, it is deliberately crucifying the Lord with sin while at the same time celebrating His death for it.

2.       [1Co 11:28] - What the Corinthians should have been doing was to examine their own words, attitudes, and actions. This examination should not just take place at the Lord’s Table, but should be a continual examination of the believer’s heart and life. Literally it is, (pres imper fr dokima,zō - examine or test and thus approve or disapprove) “a man must keep on examining himself.” Paul adds to this that the believer is to do the same thing when partaking of the Lord’s Table (“and in this manner he must keep on eating the bread and drinking the cup”).

 

B.      Results of an Unworthy Manner (29-32)

 

1.       [1Co 11:29] - Paul gives the results of such carnal lifestyles especially in light of the Lord’s Table. If a believer’s lifestyle is a continuous carnal lifestyle and is partaking of the Lord’s Table as if there were no spiritual problems he becomes subject to the Lord’s discipline.

a)       Such behavior brings the Lord’s chastisement (kri,ma - judgment) against the sinning believer. This does not teach that a believer will lose his salvation. Not only is there no eternal condemnation for a believer (Rom 8:1), but God only chastises His own children (Heb 12:5-7).

b)       To avoid such chastisement, a believer must continually examine (pres part - diakrinō - evaluate, discern) his own life and continually confess his sin (1Jo 1:9).

2.       [1Co 11:30] - However, because some of the believers at Corinth did not examine their own behavior and continued in it, many of them were chastised by the Lord.

a)       How were they chastised by the Lord? It is apparent that they were chastised by becoming “weak” (asthenês - weak as in a bodily ailment), “sick” (arrōstos - without strength as in feeble from illness), or “sleep” (koimaō - a metaphor for a believer’s death). This does not mean that everytime a believer is sick that he is being chastised by the Lord. However, it is clear that the Lord can allow such things as a chastisement to a habitually sinning believer.

b)       We can compare this with John’s comments in his first epistle in 1Jo 5:16-17. John describes serious and habitual sin as “sin leading to death” (hamartia pros thanaton, lit. “sin toward death). Apparently not all sin is serious enough to lead toward death, but all sin is unrighteousness and nailed Christ to the cross.

c)       We see such chastisement happen in the beginning of the Church Age with Ananias and Sapphira (Act 5:1-11). Both of them lied to God and immediate chastisement and death resulted. This was obviously an extraordinary case, but it demonstrated that God desires to keep His church purified.

d)       We have another example which very well could have led to all kinds of sickness and possibly death when Paul turned the immoral brother over to Satan in 1Co 5:5.

3.       [1Co 11:31] - On the other hand, if a believer continues to walk in fellowship with the Lord, which must include examination and confession (1Jo 1:9; Jam 5:16, “confess” - homologe,ō - say the same thing, acknowledge or admit), He will not be chastised by the Lord in such a manner.

4.       [1Co 11:32] - On the other hand, there are milder forms of chastisement that the Lord brings into the believer’s life that ultimately are given to conform him to the image of Christ (trials, difficulties, comments from others, preaching etc.). Furthermore, it proves that we are sons of God (Heb 12:5-7) and that we will not be condemned with the world. Here the word for “disciplined” (NASB) is the Greek word paideu,ō which carries the meaning of child rearing and training to bring him to maturity.

 

IV.    EXHORTATIONS ABOUT THE LORD’S TABLE (1Co 11:33-34)

 

A.      The Agape Solution

 

1.       [1Co 11:33] - Paul continues to call them “brethren” (adelphoi) showing that he considers these carnal (Gentile) Christians, believers in Christ.

2.       The solution at the Agape Feast is to show agape concern for other brothers and not be guided by carnality, divisions, factions, and self-serving attitudes. They were to do this by waiting for the others to show up so that there would be food for everyone and thus meet each other’s needs.

 

B.      The Agape Principle

 

1.       [1Co 11:33] - The practical way in which they were to do this was that if they were so hungry that they could not wait for the others, they were to eat at home. The Lord’s Table was not a time for self-indulgence but agapê love and sacrifice as exemplified by the Savior who died for them.

2.       This would guarantee that no would bring God’s chastisement upon them for their sinful and carnal behavior.

 

V.      OBSERVATIONS AND APPLICATIONS

 

A.      Carnal behavior for Christians is possible but it can be very dangerous for a believer. It will either determine that an individual is giving a mere profession of Christianity (not a possession of Christianity) or if they are true believer will bring upon themselves God’s heavenly discipline and chastisement which could mean premature death.

B.      We must guard against unchecked sin and carnality lest it turn into a habit or lifestyle and bring God’s chastisement. This includes the reverence for the Lord’s Table.

C.      We must make sure that as believers we are always doing introspection of our words, attitudes, and actions. When they do not line up with the Word of God, we must confess our sin to God and those we have offended.