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1 Corinthians 11:26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come.

I was reading an article at Psychology Today written by Dr. Glenn Croston entitled “The Thing We Fear More Than Death”. In that article he wrote:

“Surveys about our fears commonly show fear of public speaking at the top of the list. Our fear of standing up in front of a group and talking is so great that we fear it more than death..”.

When I was first called into ministry I refused to go because of my fear of public speaking. This is not abnormal, but common among people. When God called Moses to go and pastor Israel he initially refused, saying:

“O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.” (Exodus 4:10)

Most of us but the most extroverted are nervous about public speaking. I still feel a little nervousness every Sunday and Wednesday, and even at our Tuesday night group Bible Studies. But God made us for His pleasure, and made us for His glory. He made our mouths, and wants us to use them for His glory.

You may have come to hear me preach today, but today YOU are the preachers. That’s what our text says. You may have missed it because the King James often uses archaic words to describe things. That’s why I like to go back to the original text. Do you see the word shew that is highlighted in our reading for today? This is the Greek word καταγγέλλω katangéllō (pronounced kat-ang-gel’-lo), which means “to preach or proclaim”. What you read is literally:

1 Corinthians 11:26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do preach the Lord’s death till he come.

As the Church comes together to celebrate the Lord’s Table each and every one of us preach a message to others. This same word is used frequently throughout the Book of Acts. It was first used and translated as “preach” in:

Acts 4:2 {Peter and John} …. preached {katangéllō} through Jesus the resurrection from the dead.

Acts 13:5 And when {Barnabas and Paul} were at Salamis, they preached {katangéllō} the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews …

Dear friends, when you are partaking of the Lord’s Table you are – in God’s eyes – preaching Jesus. Unlike Baptist “Eating Meetings” that we periodically have the purpose of this Table is NOT to fill our bellies. Several years ago at a small Church I pastored I was shocked to discover that the leftover elements of the Table were being greedily slurped down by the children of the Church. The lady responsible for the cleanup called the kids in. They then fought one another to try and get as much of the grape juice and bread as they could above their fellow children. I put a stop to that nonsense!

The Lord’s Table Is Not A Time Of Selfishness & Greed

What you do at the Lord’s Table reflects on your walk with Christ. In the CONTEXT of our focal verse we see that the Apostle Paul admonished the Corinthian Church for their perversion of the Lord’s Table. He wrote:

1 Corinthians 11:20-22 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.

The Apostle Paul was not against what we call “Baptist Eatin’ Meetin’s”. When we were building an Education Annex and Fellowship Hall at Rock Hill Baptist I had one member come to me with this text. The member said “the Bible says we’re not supposed to eat at Church!”. No, this is a misapplication of the text. What the Apostle is telling us has nothing to do with eating at Church but the Lord’s Supper. The Corinthians were coming together at the Lord’s Table like it was a buffet line at Farmer’s Restaurant. They were coming together, pushing and shoving, and serving themselves. In fact, they were perverting the table. The Apostle said:

one is hungry, and another is drunken

The Pastor and Deacons at Corinth had allowed the Lord’s Table to degrade into a Roman Bacchanal. For the uninitiated a Bacchanal is a time when Roman citizens would come together to gluttonously eat and drink alcohol until they were in a stupor. They would then crawl to a section that was called the vomitorium where they would empty their stomachs, so they could go back to the feast and gluttonously eat some more. The Bible says:

Proverbs 23:20-21 Be not among winebibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh: 21 For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.

The Lord’s Table is not a time to fill your belly nor to get drunk. The Corinthians were literally getting drunk at that Table. (The Apostle uses the word μεθύω methýō, (pronounced meth-oo’-o) in 1 Corinthians 11:21, which means to be inebriated or drunken).

The Lord’s Table is not a time when we celebrate the flesh, but the love of Christ. We celebrate the fact that Jesus Christ our Lord became Man – Perfect Man – so that He could save us. Jesus came to save us from our sins. The Scripture declares that all are dead in trespasses and in sins.

Colossians 2:13-14 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath {God the Holy Spirit} quickened together with {Jesus Christ}, having forgiven you all trespasses; 14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to {Jesus’} cross;

The Lord’s Table is not a time to feed our flesh or celebrate the sinful flesh. It is a time to praise God for the fact that He has saved us from our sins. We do not need to be like the Roman society which celebrated sexual and fleshly satisfaction. The Christian is the person who has been saved from corruption, saved from damnation, and saved to a glorious now and future eternity with Christ. You WERE dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh. But now you are quickened – made alive together with Christ by God the Holy Spirit. You are a living Creature of God, dear Christian, new and reborn. Unlike the lost who reject the Cross of Christ God has forgiven you all trespasses. You are no longer separated from God because of sin. God is in you, and you are in God, and it is all because of Christ.

At The Lord’s Table We Preach The Reality Of Sin

In our world today sin is out of fashion. The primary reason that many think nothing of what the Bible calls “sin” is because of Hollywood. Marilyn Monroe said: “I am good, but not an angel. I do sin, but I’m not the devil. I’m just a small girl in a big world trying to find someone to love”.

Al Pacino said: “Vanity is my favorite sin”. He also said “I asked God for a bike. But I know God doesn’t work that way. So I stole a bike and asked for forgiveness.”

Jean Harlow said “I like to wake up each morning feeling a new man”.

Two of these stars were from the 1930’s and 1950’s. You probably have only heard of Al Pacino, who came to stardom in the 70s. What these stars said was mild compared the Hollywood’s portrayal of sin. Recently the State of Georgia’s Governor Brian Kemp signed into law a “Fetal Heartbeat” Abortion Law. The law basically says that when doctors can detect a fetal heartbeat they are not allowed to abort the child. Praise God for that! Yet many are crying out against the Law, knowing that the child is a child. The giant film company Disney which made billions of dollars promoting and producing child and family friendly television and movie entertainment has said it will shut down all operations in Georgia. Companies like Netflix have also joined suit. Sin is “in”, apparently, with everyone but God.

When we partake of the Lord’s Table we show the reality of sin. Read again our focal text:

1 Corinthians 11:26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do {preach} the Lord’s death till he come.

Why did God the Son become the Son of Man? Because of sin. Sin separates us from God. Sin puts a wall between we who are created and our Creator. God told Adam:

Genesis 2:16-17 … the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

The devil told Adam “you shall not surely die”. The world tells us today “sin will not kill you – it’s just a little harmless fun”. The entertainment industry tells us “Sin? There’s no such thing as “sin”. There are only choices. Live and let live!” The feminist says “It’s my body, and that thing growing in me is but a parasite. I have the right to kill it.” The Supreme Court says “Ignore what the Bible says. Ignore the Constitution. No one has the right to life. After all, they are only 3/5^th human”. The world says “sin” is nothing. But God says different.

Romans 5:6-10 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. 8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. 10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

Sin separates us from God. Sin brings death with it. It curses all it touches. The Scripture warns “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). Sin is no trifle. Sin is a liar. Sin is a robber. Sin destroys that which it touch. By sin women are enslaved. By sin drugs reign over a life. By sin blindness comes on us all. Christ came to defeat sin. The Bible tells us that …

Philippians 2:6-8 {Jesus Christ}, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: (7) But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: (8) And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

When Jesus came into Jerusalem on the Day of the Passover He knew He would die. He said:

Matthew 26:2 … Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified.

The Bible tells us that Jesus celebrated the Passover Meal with His disciples (see Matthew 26:17-18; Mark 14:14, 16). It was at the end of the Feast of the Passover that Jesus created the Lord’s Table.

Luke 22:15 {Jesus} said unto {His disciples}, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer:

1 Corinthians 11:23-26 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 shew the Lord’s death till he come.

The Bread is symbolic of the Body of our Lord Jesus. He went to the Cross of Calvary. He was beaten and bruised to pay the penalty of sin. Hanging on Calvary at noon day, suddenly darkness eclipsed the sun. In the midst of this unnatural darkness the Bible tells us:

Matthew 27:46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

The breaking of Christ’s body brought no cries of pain from the Master. But the pouring out of our sin on His soul caused His cry of anguish. He went as a sheep the the slaughter. Jesus Christ died for us. Pastor Joel Beeke writes:

“Unanswered, Jesus feels forgotten of God. He is also expressing the agony of unbearable stress. It is the kind of “roaring” mentioned in Psalm 22: the roar of desperate agony without rebellion. It is the hellish cry uttered when the undiluted wrath of God overwhelms the soul. It is heart-piercing, heaven-piercing, and hell-piercing. Further, Jesus is expressing the agony of unmitigated sin. All the sins of the elect, and the hell that they deserve for eternity, are laid upon Him. And Jesus is expressing the agony of unassisted solitariness. In His hour of greatest need comes a pain unlike anything the Son has ever experienced: His Father’s abandonment. When Jesus most needs encouragement, no voice cries from heaven, “This is my beloved Son.” No angel is sent to strengthen Him; no “well done, thou good and faithful servant” resounds in His ears. The women who supported Him are silent. The disciples, cowardly and terrified, have fled. Feeling disowned by all, Jesus endures the way of suffering alone, deserted, and forsaken in utter darkness. Every detail of this horrific abandonment declares the heinous character of our sins!”

The Lord’s Table is such a simple sermon that even a child can understand it. A child sitting next to his father whispers, “Why do we do this thing?” The father says, “My child, we take the broken bread to show how Jesus Christ suffered for our sins. We pour out and drink this cup to show how Jesus shed His Blood for me and for you. We eat this and drink this to show that we are not just saying we are Christians, but that Jesus is inside of us by faith. He lives in each and every one of His believers.”

People make the Lord’s Table out to be complex, but its not complex. It is elegant in its simplicity.

When I eat the Lord’s bread I am eating it for me.
When I drink the Lord’s cup I am drinking it for me.
I am not eating it for my neighbor, my wife, or my child.
I HAVE PERSONALLY RECEIVED CHRIST. HE DIED FOR ME!

My salvation and my hope is all of Christ. My satisfaction is all of Christ. As the Apostle said, so do I say:

Galatians 2:20-21 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. (21) I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.

The Lord’s Table celebrates Christ. It is done in remembrance of Him. What Law saved me? The law of Grace. What right do I enter Heaven. By the right of Grace. How am I held for all eternity? In the arms of Grace. Jesus Christ gave Himself for me, and I eat signifying my faith in Him and Him alone. When I eat of the Lord’s Table I am openly declaring there is no other way unto God but Jesus Christ alone.

1 Timothy 2:3-6 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior; (4) Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. (5) For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; (6) Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

The Lord’s Table clearly sets forth one Mediator for all. Everybody who sits to this Table can eat – anybody can be saved. Who did Jesus Christ die for? He died for all. He gave Himself a ransom for all. Are you not saved? It is not God’s fault. Be ye saved!

At The Lord’s Table We Preach The Family Of God

The world says “All men are brothers”.
Evolution says “All people are evolved animals”.
But God says “My Children are those who love Jesus”.

One day Jesus was sitting and teaching in a crowded room. Someone interrupted Him and said “Your mother and Your brothers are outside. They want to talk to You.” (Matthew 12:46). Jesus replied simply:

Matthew 12:48-50 {Jesus}answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren? 49 And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! 50 For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.

It is the “will of the Father” that we believe in Jesus (John 6:29; 17:21; Matthew 7:21). When we come to the Lord’s Table and partake of it we are preaching that (1) we believe in Jesus Christ as the only Way unto God (John 14:6), and (2) that we are part of the family of God because of salvation available only through Jesus.

We are family. We take this Lord’s Table TOGETHER. We do this because salvation binds us together under His Blood.

Titus 2:14 {Jesus Christ} gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

The Bible warns us to take care and to examine OURSELVES.

1 Corinthians 11:27-32 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.

Every person partaking of the Lord’s Table is to examine HIMSELF or HERSELF. You are not to examine your neighbor. Examine yourself as to whether or not you are saved by faith in Christ. Examine yourself as to whether or not you are in fellowship with God. No one examines you here. You examine yourself. John MacArthur writes:

“The result of coming to the Lord’s Table unworthily is that you are guilty of treating Christ’s unique life and death as something common and insignificant. A man who tramples on his nation’s flag isn’t merely trampling on a piece of cloth; he is guilty of dishonoring his country. Likewise, someone who tramples on the body and blood of Christ, as represented in the elements of Communion, is guilty of dishonoring Christ Himself. Communion is a real encounter with Christ. It’s so real that failure to acknowledge the reality behind it brings about judgment.”

May God speak to your hearts as we now come to His Lord’s Table! Let us preach Christ TOGETHER! And if you are not saved by faith in Him, NOW is the time to call upon Jesus and be saved. May God the Holy Spirit lead you to do so this very moment! Amen!