The Lord's Supper
Old Man Thanks God for a Solitary Lunch
This week we’re in our second week of our communion series, and before I get into the sermon today, I just want to go ahead and encourage you to grab the elements if you haven’t yet. We’re going to take communion today as part of the message, so if you need to grab those, please feel free to go ahead and do that now.
So as you’re grabbing those, I’d like to start out today with a question for all of you. How many of you know this picture?
It’s a pretty popular piece of American artwork. And I don’t know about you, but when I see this picture – it kind of gives me the feels. Always has. And one of the things that I can sometimes find myself doing when I look at artwork, especially photographs/paintings depicting people is I just make up stories about what is going on, before ever really learning the intention/meaning behind it. So what do we see here? In my head I see an old man – maybe he’s newly-retired. Maybe all of his kids are grown up and they’ve moved out. And his wife is out of town for a few days, visiting her brother or sister somewhere. And so this man is praying and thanking God for peace and quiet. And look at that, a whole loaf of bread for himself. Score.
And when he’s done with lunch, he’s going to finally finish reading that giant book on the table. Maybe he started reading it years ago. So what could we title this artwork? Maybe something like: Old man thanks God for a solitary lunch. Well, the true story behind this famous picture is that it turns out that it’s not called, “Old man thanks God for a solitary lunch” – but I think the name is so much better: it’s simply called: “Grace.”
And originally, it as a black-and-white photograph, taken in Minnesota by a photographer named Eric Enstrom. The old man was a peddler who came to visit Enstrom at his studio to sell him some boot-scrapers. Instead, Enstrom paid the gentleman five dollars to pose for the picture, and afterwards never really heard from him again. But years later, Enstrom’s daughter Rhoda started colorizing some of his artwork by hand, using oil paints – and now we have this version that most of us are familiar with.
I think the story I made up for it is better than what actually happened.
But you know, I think that made up story still, basically, fits with the story that Eric Enstrom was trying to tell with it. This man is having a private moment with God. And I would suspect that’s along the lines of the story that many of us have been told about what we’re doing during communion. That it’s only a quiet, private moment between you and God, or Jesus. But what if we’re missing part of the story? Kind of like I did with this picture – I didn’t know the story, so I just made one up. It made sense, right? It addressed all of the elements in the picture – the lonely old man in prayer, the food on the table, I even had the book in there.
But was that the real story?
And maybe at some point along the way, we dropped or forgot, or maybe for some of us, really never knew the story that our passage today is telling about the Lord’s Supper.
The Church of Corinth
So here’s the story on our reading today, we’re going to be in 1 Corinthians 11:17-34. The Church of Corinth was a church that had some problems. And Paul, well, he’s problem-solving. And I’ve just got to say that as I was preparing for this week, I just had a moment where I thanked God that I live in the time I do, and the place I do – because that means that I wasn’t called to be a pastor at the church in Corinth. Dodged a bullet, there.
Ray Stedman, a pastor who, before he died in 1992, was a pastor in Palo Alto, California, he would jokingly refer to 1 Corinthians as 1 Californians. You know, I’ve heard people say things like, “I wish we could just get back to the church of the New Testament” and my response is usually, “Okay, which one?” There’s so many that had so many problems. And I’ve made the joke before that church will never be perfect, because all of us go to church. But I’d like to add on to that, sure the church will never be perfect because it’s filled with imperfect people, but you know where it is perfect? With its position in Christ. So here’s a different perspective for us this morning when looking at this passage, keep this in your mind: the problems in Corinth actually made it possible for Paul to respond and correct them.
And so often, we can find ourselves having many of the same problems, and so the correction that we read from Paul in 1 Corinthians – it helps us to be able to understand how we should function as a church. So this morning, we’re going to be in 1 Corinthians 11, from verse 17 down to verse 34, the end of the chapter, where Paul actually is dealing with the problem that the church was having with what is known as the Lord's Supper. We call it communion, some call it the eudicrous, which means the giving of thanks. So he's giving them very explicit instruction as to what should take place when they gather together publicly and they celebrate the Lord's Supper as we are again here this morning. So there's two divisions to this text I want you to know:
The first is the problem, and this occurs from vv. 17 to 22. The second is the pattern and the reason for the Lord's Supper in verses 23 to 34. So, let's follow this and see for ourselves.
1. The Problem
So first, look at the problem concerning the Lord's Supper in verse 17 down to verse 22. Paul says,
“But in the following instructions I do not commend you, because when you come together it is not for the better but for the worse.”
So this is a pretty huge statement that Paul starts off with here. So in verse 17, he’s saying, “when you guys are getting together as a church, it's actually detrimental.” Oof. He’s saying, “You're not functioning as the body of Christ should. You're getting together not for the better, but for the worse.” He said, now, “in the first place,” continue with me now into verse 18:
“For, in the first place, I hear that there are divisions among you. And I believe it in part,””
Now, earlier in the book of 1 Corinthians, Paul calls them infants in Christ (1 Cor. 3:1). He says to them that they were Christians, but they weren't growing. They weren't maturing. Or in other words, they weren't spiritually minded. They were born of the Spirit, but they weren't following the guidance of the Spirit. And, then as a result, they weren't functioning in a biblical way. Paul is giving them this biblical instruction. We need to be born again, we need to be filled with the Holy Spirit. And as a result of that, we will be walking in obedience. And, by the way, walking and obedience is synonymous with being spirit-filled. Or let’s put it this way: a Spirit-filled Christian is a Bible-filled Christian, an obedient, surrendered, yielding Christian.
So back to the church in Corinth and what Paul is teaching: he says when you come together, it's not for the good, but it's for the worse, why? First, you have divisions among you. These are “factions” and he mentions them again in verse 19,
“for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized.”
The statement just means basically that you have this division and these factions going on so that some people can jockey themselves into a position so that they get glory and get recognition.
What Should Happen When We Gather
1. All Glory, Praise, Focus, and Attention Should Be On Jesus Christ
When we come together as a church, like we are right now, this morning, there's a couple of basic and fundamental things that should be taking place. And one of them is that all the glory, all the praise, all the focus, all the attention should be on Jesus Christ. Not on a pastor, worship leader, small group teacher, you name it. I’ll say it again: all the glory, all the praise, all the focus, all the attention should be on Jesus Christ.
It should never be on the volunteers, should never be on the light, the stage, the atmosphere. It should all be on Jesus. Because if all of the glory, praise, focus and attention isn’t on Jesus, then we're missing why we're gathering together. Just like looking at a painting and making up some story about what it means.
2. There Should Be Mutual Edification
And secondly, whenever the church gathers together, another basic principle is there should be mutual edification. Everyone should be instructed, built up, and taught. Discipleship. Growing. And Jesus Christ should be glorified in and through that as well. You know, we don't come to church individually to just consume, feel great about ourselves – and then try to get to Waldo’s before the crowd. No, you came to church. You made the effort, you got up, got ready, came here. So be here. We come so that we can all be edified, all be instructed, be taught, be built up, and to build up others – why? All for the glory of God. Amen?
That's why we gather together. And we don't want to gather and defeat the very purpose for which we congregate or get together. So he says there in verse 19 and into verse 20,
“for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized. When you come together, it is not the Lord’s supper that you eat.”
Now, here’s where Paul introduces this is topic and saying, you come together and you're coming together for the Lord's supper. Now, the early church did something we don't do.
The Early Church & the Lord’s Supper: The Love Feast
When they celebrated the Lord's Supper, they had what they called the Love Feast before they had Communion. And what we would call potluck, they called a Love Feast. Which is awesome. Just a quick aside:
THE BOOK OF AWESOME:
Every now and then in life I’ll reread books I have on my shelf, and one is called “The Book of Awesome.” Its premise is that it’s easy to forget the things that make us smile, so the goal is to reopen our eyes to these things we come across that we can just label as “awesome.”
Things like:
Popping Bubble Wrap
Wearing clothes just out of the dryer.
Fixing appliances by smacking them.
Watching The Price is Right when you’re home sick.
Hitting a bunch of green lights in a row.
Waking up in a hurry, but then remembering it’s Saturday.
And my own addition today: potlucks.
Shared Meals: A Oneness
But in the early church, there was this concept that when you ate together with someone, there was this closeness, this solidifying, and unifying aspect to it - which is what we're going to do this morning, by the way. We're going to eat the bread, we're going to drink the cup, and we become one as a body of Christ in Christ. But they had what they called the love feast. It was like a big potluck.
And Paul begins to describe how that was causing problems for the communion part of their gathering. So he says, when you come together, therefore, when you gather into one place, is it not to eat the Lord's supper? He's saying, don't forget the purpose you're gathering. You're not gathering to just gorge yourself with food. You're coming for the purpose of the Lord's Supper. He says, and he describes what the problem was for, in eating, everyone takes before another. And many times, what would happen is that they would bring in their own food, eat that, and not sharing it with the poor or probably some of the slaves. And so what happens? And he says, and it’s pretty sad, read with me in verse 21:
“For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk.”
Prepping for today, and just in my own bible study, every time I read that, I think to myself, “I just can't believe that.” So they were actually getting gluttonous, they were just getting stuffed with food, and some people were just starving, and others getting drunk before communion. So that's how messed up this church was. And Paul’s response, I love this – his response at the beginning of verse 22: he says,
“What!” Exclamation point. Awesome. And agreed. Continue reading with me:
“What! Do you not have houses 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 commend you in this? No, I will not.”
So their focus is shifted. And this is, again, this is foundational. Their focus shifted as to the main purpose of their gathering – which is to celebrate the Lord's Supper in a way that honored and glorified the Lord. Instead, the focus shifted inward. It focused mostly on their own felt needs and their own wants. And this, I’ll say, I think is a massively increasing problem with the society in which we live. I see it day after day, problems arising in culture and society from an increasingly inward shifted focus. And beyond just culture and society, it’s something that has been a big problem in the Church for many years as well. People gather for themselves to be blessed with no real focus on blessing others, encouraging others, building others up and for mutual edification for God to be glorified. So, they were basically abusing this love feast. And then they were going into the communion service.
In a way that wasn't in reverence, respect, awe, or worship.
The Pattern and Reason for Communion
So that was the problem in verse 17, down to verse 22. But we move now to the pattern and the reason, and, I know that I’m probably partial to this as I’m teaching this, but I think that this is probably the best instruction we get in the Bible on this, separate from Jesus, when he instituted this communion service in the Gospels that we find in the Bible. And so what we're going to find in verse 23 to 34 is four different aspects of the Lord's Supper, that should be a part of the communion service. So if you haven’t been yet, or if you are a note taker – let me encourage you to write them down or to take notes.
1. Remembrance
If you're following along, the first is recollection, and that is that we look back, verse 23:
“For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 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.” 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.’”
And so the first aspect of taking communion, or of the communion service, this is so important, is that we look back in remembrance. Now, let’s leave verse 23 up on the screen for a second. I want to point out a few things. Paul says, “I received from the Lord.” In other words, this isn’t just some idea or whim from Paul. This is given from the Lord - which was instituted by Jesus in the upper room on the night he was betrayed and he was arrested. And that night, Jesus actually took the bread and said to eat the bread in remembrance of me. And then he took the cup. He said, this is the new covenant, my blood, and do it in remembrance of me. And Paul now amplifies on that institution that Jesus gave us here in this passage, that it was directly revealed to him by the Lord. Amen. And he says, I deliver it unto you, that the Lord Jesus, the same night in which he was betrayed, took bread. Now the bread, though he called it his body, I believe, was a symbol of Jesus. A symbol of his body, that his body was still intact and hadn't been crucified yet, but the bread symbolizes body, like Josh mentioned last week, which was torn, broken, for us. And when Jesus took the bread and had given thanks – hold on. Pump the breaks for a second. Don’t just fly past this. I just want to point out that as Jesus is about to be betrayed, tried, and crucified, He's going to go to the cross, and what does he do?
He gives thanks.
You can always be thankful to God for his blessings.
And so he'd break it and said, take eat, this is my body and it's broken for you. So, it symbolizes the body of Christ on the cross. The bread symbolizes his crucifixion, broken for us, his death on the cross. Now I want you to note the order, and this is why we have first the bread, and then the cup. First the bread, and then the order now is the cup.
Dad Passing Communion Plates
My dad is here this morning, and I just wanted to share a story (he doesn’t know I’m going telling this, by the way) but growing up, in church we would actually pass the communion elements to one another. The team would come to the end of the row, and then they’d pass the bread down the pew, and then the juice. Well, my dad was on that team, and for some reason one morning ends up accidentally sending the juice on down the pew first. So, the people grab the juice, and then he sends the bread. And then he gets to watch (in probably what I would imagine would some combination of horror and humor) as each person gets to mentally process and figure out how they’re going to hold this full cup in one hand, take the plate with bread in the other, and then finagle fingers into the bread to be able to get enough grip to hold on to it and then to pass the plate on to the next person. And now when I’m somewhere that passes a plate – that thought just comes racing into my mind. Thankful that they didn’t send the juice first.
But, aside from logistics – it’s also biblical. Bread listed first. There you go. Continue with me in verse 25:
“In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.””
Now he doesn't tell us how often. Christians sometimes argue how often we should have communion. At New Hope, we have it every Sunday. Some have it once a month, some have it once a week. It doesn't matter how often you have it, but you should follow these important aspects when you do have it. But as often as you drink this, you do it in remembrance of me. Now, the cup is a symbol of a covenant, and that covenant is the new covenant. If you’re taking notes, write down Jeremiah 31, verse 31 to 34. This is where God said He would write His laws upon our heart, and everyone would know Him from the youngest to the eldest. We're beneficiaries of that New Covenant. So this New Covenant is our sins can be forgiven, we can have the hope of eternal life, we can have the life of God in us. His laws are written on our hearts, and it is an everlasting covenant that Jesus is Lord.
2. Proclamation
So we have remembrance, in which we look back. And then we have the second aspect: proclamation. This is now when we look forward, read with me in verse 26:
“For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”
I love this verse 26. It’s easy to pass over it. As often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, notice the word proclaim there. That word in the original Greek is: καταγγέλλω. It can be understood to also mean: show, broadcast, declare, or publish. So when we have communion, it's not just only remembering, looking back, remembrance, but it's proclaiming and expecting when we're looking ahead. We're showing that he died in the elements, his body and his blood. And as Christians, we’re to be a living picture of that. This is why communion is so great. And we're going to see in just a moment, we should never take communion flippantly or half-heartedly, because it's a very holy moment.
So that bread though, a symbol. A reminder and picture the broken body of Jesus on the cross. I’ll just share some of what I do when I take communion. Every time I take communion, I take a moment or two, and I just think about the physical sorrow, suffering, pain, and agony that He endured for me on that cross. Pain that I can't even begin to imagine what it was like to be crucified, and then that just moves right into the awe He actually did it for me. He did it for you. Such amazing love. So it demonstrates, it shows, it's a καταγγέλλω, it's a proclamation of the Lord's death. And then notice the next phrase, until he comes. That's why I say there's proclamation and expectation. We look back in remembrance, we look ahead, and we proclaim. So, another thing before we leave, verse 26, Jesus is telling us in the communion service, we actually look forward to the second coming.
When Jesus instituted the Lord's Supper, you know what he said? He said, I will not drink the fruit of the vine until I drink it again with you in my father's kingdom. Isn't that awesome? Add another one to the list.
I'm not going to drink this again until it's with you in my father's kingdom. What's that mean? It means I'm looking forward to that.
3. Examination
Now there's a third element and that I call examination. It's in verse 27 to 32. So just to recap, we look back in remembrance, then we look forward and proclaim. Then third, we look within. Notice that in verse 27-32, and you can read along with me here:
“Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.”
Now, the Lord is saying through Paul here in these verses, that when we gather together, we need to make sure that we're doing it in a worthy way. Now, it’s easy to misinterpret this section, thinking something like: if you've sinned recently, or you're not walking close with the Lord, you shouldn't take communion. No, you should repent ask God to forgive you.
1 John 1:9 - If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
So I’ll put it this way: communion is for sinners.
It's not just for the super-Christians or the spiritually elite. And if you are born again and you've trusted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, then you're worthy in Christ. But you don't want to do it in a way that dishonors Him. You want to examine your heart, and if there's sin in your heart or in your life that you’re just unrepentant of, then, and hear me, you need to get right with God before you take the elements. I said earlier that we can be thankful to God for His blessings. And here’s a blessing right here in communion. One of the blessings of communion is that it causes us to get right with God. Is there anything between me and the Savior? What’s blocking His face from beaming light into my life?
4. Consideration
Now the last aspect is in verse 33 and 34, and that is consideration.
So, we look back: remembrance
We look forward: proclamation
We look inward: examination.
And now, we look around. Consideration.
Notice in verse 33 with me:
“So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one another—”
If I were to paraphrase that verse, It would be this it. When you get together in church, be considerate of one another. When you gather and worship me, consider one another. Or, to paraphrase even more - Be considerate, be thoughtful. If you were to see me in traffic at times, this is something I need to hear. Then he says in verse 34, continue reading with me:
“if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home—so that when you come together it will not be for judgment. About the other things I will give directions when I come.”
I like how practically Paul says this. He’s goes, look, if you can't maintain just - yourself when you come to the love feast, just eat at home, okay? Just eat at home before you come to church so you're not just gorging and pigging out at church and messing everything up and selfishly just cutting in front of others and not being considerate. So, he's basically saying look, guys, consider others. Be considerate. Be thoughtful of others. Or, let’s combine consideration and thoughtfulness: be concerned for others. When you come to church, even aside from the Lord's Supper, think about others. If you spy someone across the sanctuary that looks sad, what's wrong with going over and saying, “Hi, how are you?” “Everything okay? Can I pray for you?” Nothing. Nothing is wrong with that. Reaching out to others, being concerned for others, and loving one another.
So, with those four aspects:
Remembrance
Proclamation
Examination
Consideration
Communion is really an incredibly important and beautiful blessing for the Church, because it has a cleansing effect on the church. And it has a reminder of the cross, and brings us brokenness, and the anticipation of the Lord’s victorious return. So as we get the elements ready and prepare to take communion together: We remember. Just like that image of 'Grace' takes us back to a simpler, yet profound moment of thanksgiving, this bread and this cup take us back to the most pivotal moment in history. Jesus, on the night He was betrayed, didn't just share a meal with His friends; He instituted a forever reminder of His sacrifice. As you hold the bread, think of His body, given up for us — not in solitude, but as the ultimate act of love and grace.
And as we hold the cup, let's remember His blood, poured out for the forgiveness of our sins, sealing a new covenant. His was a sacrifice that turned the world's understanding of power and victory on its head.
As we partake, we're not just looking back; we're also proclaiming something incredible to each other and to the world — that death is not the end, and Christ will come again. We're broadcasting hope, declaring that the story didn’t end on the cross or in the tomb. And after we pray and you take of the elements, take a moment to look inward, reflect on your own heart. Paul urges us to examine ourselves before God in this moment. It's a time to confess, to realign, to surrender anew. And lastly, this act of communion is a shared experience - a commitment to consider others, to lift each other up in our burdens, to celebrate each other’s joys, to build each other up, to edify one another.
And so before we take of the elements, let’s pray: “Father, as we enter into this time of communion, our hearts overflow with gratitude for the gift of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Through Him, You have shown us what true love, sacrifice, and grace mean. We thank You for inviting us into this moment, where we've been reminded of Your great love for us—a love so deep that You would give Your only Son so that we can spend eternity with you. I ask that you help us to carry the significance of this moment with us into our daily lives, and that the unity we've experienced here strengthen our bond as a community of believers and motivate us to live out Your call to love and serve those around us. Renew our spirits, and fill us with Your peace. Grant us the courage to face the challenges of our days with faith and hope, knowing that You are with us. May our lives reflect Your light and love to all we encounter. All glory, honor, and praise be to You, our Lord and Savior, now and forever. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.”