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Online Text Sermon - 'This is My Body', 1 Corinthians ch.11 v.24

Date21/09/2000
Time18:30
PreacherRev. Maurice Roberts, Inverness
Sermon Title'This is My Body' (Communion Thursday)
Text1 Corinthians ch.11 v.24
Sermon ID187

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"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: 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" (1 Corinthians 11, 23-24).

You will notice here the reference to the institution of the Lord's Supper. At Corinth, there were various abuses - some were eating of the bread to excess, as though this were an ordinary human meal; others, still more shamefully, were taking of the wine to excess, and they were drunken. As a consequence of that, the apostle explains that the judgement of the Lord had come upon their congregation; some were ill and others had actually died or fallen asleep. God has given us this picture of the misuse of the Lord's Supper, not to terrify us with fear, but to show us that, as we prepare ourselves for the Lord's Supper, there are certain things we need to keep in mind - certain things we are to remember. Therefore, I want to clarify one or two of these issues tonight.

Secondly, having done that, I should like to try to encourage some who may be searching for assurance tonight, if, perchance, they may find a word to help them. My second heading, therefore, will be to try to say a word to dismiss the unnecessary fears that some may have - things that unnecessarily prevent them from coming to the table of the Lord.

As time may permit, to say a word or two, thirdly, in connection with the blessings to be had by coming to the Lord's Table.

Let that be the direction of our thoughts.

1. THINGS WE NEED TO KEEP IN MIND

2. SEARCHING FOR ASSURANCE

3. BLESSINGS TO BE HAD

First - some clarification in general, second - to try to help those who are seeking the Lord at this time and would wish to be amongst those who can profess Christ publicly. I know the Lord's people are praying for these, and will be praying for them tonight and in the coming days, as they have been for a long time. Then, if time permits, a word or two concerning some of the blessings to be had by coming to the Lord's Table.

1. THINGS WE NEED TO KEEP IN MIND

Clarification first. The Lord instituted this special sacrament or feast of the Lord's Supper, in order to keep us in mind of something. I think you would have to agree that that must be His purpose because His words are these: "This do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me" (verse 25). Therefore, our Lord in giving us this Supper, has in mind, partly, the problem that even as Christians there are things we can so readily forget. He is reminding us by the repetition of the Lord's Supper, of some of the things of which we need to be reminded.

What are these? Well, above all else, it is the centrality of the cross - the absolute centrality of the cross of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. This is the heart of the Gospel; this is the centre of salvation. You know, as well as I, that in the Christian life there are many things which we experience. A Christian life is a very full life. If anyone wants a life free from boredom, let him become a Christian. If anyone wants a life free from boredom, let him serve the Lord and he will soon discover that one thing not experienced in the Christian life, is boredom, for the simple reason there is so much to be done. In the very multitude of things we have to see to in the Christian life, there is another danger that we, as it were, miss the wood for the trees. We have to deal with sanctification, which is a moment-by-moment concentration. Sanctification - watching our thoughts, controlling our mouths, our actions; making wise decisions - saying yes to some things and no to others; resisting the devil; guiding ourselves, our friends, our families, our children and grandchildren. We have a multitude of things to do. Because of that, it is possible we might overlook what is central. It is always a danger, isn't it, when we have many things to do, that the main thing is slowly forgotten. So our wise and holy Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, foreseeing this possibility, has ordained that regularly, periodically, His people must come together to remember His death - not so much anything else about Him, but His death. His birth was wonderful; His life was marvellous, His words supremely glorious - but His death is the greatest of all things we are to remember. It is by this death and by this blood shedding, that we have any acceptance with God. The life of Christ was not enough; He must needs die and pay the penalty for our sin.

You would think it impossible for Christians to forget that. Experience, however, teaches us that in more senses than one, we do. We can forget, for instance, that we are saved by grace alone and we begin to suppose that we are better than others. Aren't we terrible creatures? We begin to boast in some things - Our denomination is the best! It is possible to get into that mentality - Our churches are the best! Our way of doing it is right! All the rest are wrong! We are the people! That is a terrible spirit and it is to correct that that the Lord brings us kneeling, as it were, to the cross - "God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Galatians 6, 14). We don't boast in our denomination, we don't boast in ministers, we don't boast in learning; we don't even boast in godliness - although that is a wonderful thing when it is to be found. We boast in Christ crucified for us, we the wickedest and worst and most unworthy of people, and that is what the cross does to us - it crucifies our pride, it brings us into the right state of mind once again. It reminds us that as we have been forgiven, so also we must be a forgiving people.

Let us ask ourselves - Is that the way we think? "This do in remembrance of me" (text). Is this the way we are thinking? Is this our spirit? The cross of Christ, which is symbolised in the bread and the wine, is a visible reminder and accompanied with the Word of God, it brings us to see what is central, fundamental, basic and supremely important for us to keep in mind. However, there are, secondly, people in all churches - more-or-less - who have difficulty in ever coming forward to the Lord's Table. Indeed, the purer the message preached in any pulpit, the more people are inclined to be hesitant to come forward to the Lord's Table. The more ignorant the preacher, the more ignorant the people, the fewer there are who ever question themselves as to their suitability to come to the Lord's Table. There are churches where everybody takes the Lord's Supper without a thought or qualm, because nobody ever told them that it is for believers only - for born again believers only. It is for those who are justified and sanctified, and kept and preserved by Christ, for those whose lives are holy, for those who live by faith in Scripture, who are dead to the world and whose hope is Christ crucified. Some congregations are never told these things; they are, tragically, eating and drinking to their own condemnation as the apostle Paul told us was happening in Corinth. It is a terrible thought and the principal cause of their ignorance is the preacher himself, and he will answer to God for his errors one day.

We mustn't carry a good thing too far. We are always in danger of extremism as fallen men and women. Whilst it is true that the Lord's Supper is for believers only, yet, at the same time, it is for all believers - not just a few choice elite believers. It is not just for strong believers or advanced believers. It is for all believers. The devil is very good at getting us in to a state of scrupulosity in which we never feel we dare risk it - it is just too risky - to become one of those who goes to the Lord's Table. Let me try to help if I possibly can. It is very difficult to help people who have these scruples but I am bold enough to try.

2. "EATING AND DRINKING UNWORTHILY"

The first thing I would say to you is this - "Eating and drinking unworthily" (verse 29) cannot be done by those who, in their heart-of-hearts, are truly sorry for their sin, and in their heart-of-hearts love the Lord Jesus Christ. A person may come with a trembling spirit and a prayer that really amounts to this - "Great God, I am the most wicked and unworthy creature on the face of the universe to come to this place. Who am I to take the emblems of His death and Passion, but yet, oh Lord, thou knowest that I love Thee."

I am sure you know this story and have heard it before. In the Highlands, years ago, there was a trembling old lady who came to the Session on the night before the Communion - the Session being the elders. She sat outside the door, as was the custom, and when the elders convened and the minister was in his place, she was invited in and seated in a chair. The minister asked her the questions which were normally put; simple questions - you were not asked to give learned theological answers. She would be asked a question like this: "Woman, on what grounds do you believe that you are a Christian?" She was so nervous she couldn't say a word. The minister tried to make it easy for her and said, "Do you believe this." She was so tongue-tied she could not say a word. After trying hard the minister and the elders said, "Well, lady, come back in six months time and we will ask you these questions again." One of the elders rose up to hold the door open as she went sadly out. Her head was bowed down low. When she got to the door, she muttered something under her breath, which they heard. She was talking to the Lord. "Oh," she said, "Lord, I can't speak for You but I would die for You." When they heard this the minister said, "Woman, come back. That is all we need to know." If you love that Christ, then you are the one, more eligible than many, to come to His Table. It is not the great and the mighty who come, but the sincere and the broken-hearted. If you have that problem then consider Christ's words: "This do in remembrance of me" (text).

Take another problem. Some people say - "How can I be sure that I am a Christian? It may be that I am just a hypocrite. How can I be sure?" There are three ways we can be sure - first of all, by the promises of Scripture. "Do I believe the promises of God? When He says to me, 'Whosoever comes, let him take the water of life freely', if I desire that sincerely then I have the grounds of believing that I am one of His." Nobody ever wanted to believe the promises of God but those whose hearts He touches by grace.

Another basis of assurance is this: "Is my life different from what it used to be? I used to love the things of this world," you can say, "but now, somehow, I am different. The world seems an empty place. It used to be full of a thousand interests but now I find it full of shadows and vanity. I am sick of it. I'd far rather be where the Word of God is now. I would far rather be where people are worshiping the Lord." If that is what you say in your heart, that's another basis of assurance that you are not of the world.

Another ground is this. When you feel some of that warmth of heart which only Christ can give, when sometimes our hearts burn within us, we feel as though He were speaking to us. We feel joy and comfort in our hearts at times, which we know very well were not given to us by any human being - they were given to us by the Lord. This heart-warming experience is to assure us of His love and that we are right with Him.

My dear, dear friends, if you are struggling with this problem, ask yourself - Have you not felt something? Do you not believe His word sincerely? Is there not this change in your heart? That is why we have to examine ourselves - nobody can do it for us. That is why we don't ask little children to come to the Lord's Supper - they are still, normally, too young to be expected to examine themselves genuinely. There are exceptions but they are very rare.

Let me come to a third problem that some people face. Some come from homes, families and communities where they have seen outstanding examples of godliness. Their fathers, mothers, relations or people in the community where they lived and came from, were outstandingly good and godly. Younger people who come up in the next generation say to themselves, "I could never be like him or her, and yet," they say, "these people were never members in their church. Mr. so-and-so was a great Christian; everybody could see it but he never went forward. That lady, Mrs. or Miss Somebody, they never went to the Lord's Table." The argument is simple, isn't it? You say to yourself, "If they couldn't go forward - who are ten times better than me - how can I go forward? I can never do it." What is the answer to that? It is very simple. My dear friends, these people that you have in your minds perhaps, they are not the rule for our duty; the rule of duty is the Word of God. They may have been outstandingly godly but they were not the better for it that they never came to the Lord's Table and they would have been the better for it had they come. The cause would have been better for it and everything would have been better for it. So I say to you, live by the rule of God. Don't seek to be wiser than God. He has given the Lord's Supper to all those who have faith.

I take another case of those things that trouble people. You say it is safer not to go forward if you are in doubt. What is my answer to that? Yes, it is safer if you are absolutely certain that you are not a Christian. However, if you are a believer, consider it like this. It is not safer for your children; it is not safer for your families. The best thing for a Christian to do is to nail his colours to the mast, to make it known so that others will see what you stand for. Others in your families will be affected for good by your stand for the truth and your identification with the Word of God. "This do in remembrance of me" (text). You say to me, "Ah, yes, but you can be saved without going to the Lord's Supper." Yes, I agree, but if everybody took that view, where would the church be? There would be no church on earth. There would be no ministers, elders, deacons, members and no witness; it would all be left to the Muslims, the humanists, the atheists and the wicked. You see, those with faith should declare their faith. "With the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation" (Romans 10, 10).

I take another one. You say, "But I am not yet good enough." My friends, when are we going to be good enough? If the robe of Christ's righteousness is not enough to make you 'good enough' then let us all despair - "Let us eat and drink; for to morrow we shall die" (Isaiah 22, 13). If Christ's robe of righteousness, which we wear by faith alone in His glorious Name, is not enough, then we are all lost together. Look for no other worthiness but Him; faith in Him brings all the worthiness you need. It is the wedding garment. You say, "If I went forward and became a member of this church, I might let the cause down - I might bring disgrace on the cause." That is true, you might! So might I. So might all of us. There is such a thing as the 'keeping power of God', and those who are the Lord's professing people - who have grace and the Spirit in their lives - they are not on their own in this world. There is such a thing as the 'restraining power of God'.

Every Christian should listen to these words spoken by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself - "This do in remembrance of me" (text). If you are not a Christian, don't come. If Christ is nothing to you, don't come. If you know for sure you are a hypocrite, don't come. If, however, in your heart you know very well you are devoted to Christ, then be assured that weak faith is as welcome as strong faith because weak faith has a strong Christ just as much as strong faith has. In any case, we none of us have strong faith; all our faith is weak in this world. We are utterly dependent upon the unspeakable mercy of God for everything. The strongest Christian hangs and leans upon Christ as a man who has a broken leg leans upon his crutch. Christ is all our strength. We have nothing of our own, we never will as long as we are in this world. I say not these things to encourage those who are self-deceived, but I say these things to help those who are genuinely seeking God. Oh, that the Lord may help you to examine yourself.

3. BLESSINGS TO BE HAD

Thirdly and finally - What is to be had at the feast of the Lord's Supper? What is to be had that is not to be had in other places and in other means of grace? I believe part of the answer is - the felt presence of Christ; not always, I grant you, but sometimes. Sometimes at the Lord's Supper, there is a special communication of grace to those at the Table; it registers in a sweet inward quietness of soul. It issues sometimes in tears of unspeakable gladness.

My dear Christian friends let us not allow the troubles of this world to cloud our joy as we prepare to come to the Lord's Table. It is a very evil world, a very evil generation and there are many things to trouble us in church and state. Why should these things spoil our enjoyment of Christ? He lived in a troubled time, just as we do. Christians have, more-or-less, always lived in a troubled time. When was this world not a troubled place since Adam took from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil; it has been troubled ever since. Therefore, let us seek to lay aside our anxieties, fears, worries and troubles. Let us seek to forgive one another and to love one another, and to realise that very soon, you and I, by grace, will be feasting at another table.

There was a dear old minister in Lewis whom I knew - Rev. Malcolm McIver. They loved him so much they gave him a nickname - 'Little Calum'. He was a godly man and a great preacher. His tremulous voice in old age would often use this pattern of words as he thought of the church: "Lord," he would say, "we are at the farther end of the Table, but at the other end of the Table, Thy people are already enjoying the feast above. We are now at this end and we pray that we may one day come to that end of the Table." See the illustration in his mind - one Table, one Church, one Feast, one Christ, one Gospel, one glory to come. That dear man has long since entered in to the better end of the Table and there he is feasting indeed and resting from his many labours for the Gospel's sake. Very soon, we will all be there.

This world needs to see united churches, Christians who are shining and decided with conviction, who are ready to stand together with one mouth, with one voice to glorify God in this world. Is the call then to you, dearest friend? Is He speaking to your heart? Is He saying to you, "This is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me" (text). "This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me" (verse 25). "Let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup" (verse 28).


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