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September 2, 2022 6:00 am
I believe that our relationship with God should always be in the present tense, not just in the past. Too many people too many Christians and I remember what it was like all those old days. All those good old days walking with him now now close to his heart.
Now your relationship with God is only a pass on this is the company. It is a present too often we get fixated on the past. Today on connect with Skip Skip shares usual practice to guide you in the present want to let you know about sports others in the church states that the devastating Civil War to overcome a deeply defining issue was of Jesus and people who represent his life. We can help one another deal with this topic today Skip hi thinking Tony Clark speak to white evangelical pastors about how churches we can create spaces for black and brown voices to be heard in a loving atmosphere concerning the atmosphere find this moment because the racism is involved now inside job began to die down and to have a good mindset and also happen in empathy for those who are trying them about this Christianity and their skin may be a little bit darker than yours cultivate the empathy that comes from gaining a biblical perspective on racism your copy of this conversation between Pastor Skip and Tony when you get $20 or more today will send you Pastor Skip's booklet the church and racism, call 892 1888, or get online securely connectwithskip.com/offer Chapter 11 Skip to today's message. Verse 1600 includes it more I could say but if anyone seems to be contentious.
We have no such custom, nor do the churches of God and some people do want to be contentious one argue over this and let them argue, but Paul is saying we don't have any such custom nor the church is just not a big deal.
It's an issue there in Corinth. It's an issue there in certain parts of the world and the church is that Paul started around the Empire. I am convinced of Paul writing to a modern Western culture. He would write the same kinds of issues because they are not the same kind of the cultural mores or signals that were back in that day anyone seems to be contentious.
We have no such custom, nor do the churches of God. So all of that to say this, we have no rules on how you should dress when you come to church except you should be modest and you know you should never dress to draw attention to yourself and some people some some gals will want to dress since in a provocative way. They seem to be saying I it's very important to me that you look at me, check me out because they dress ends in a provocative way so as to direct urgent attention to themselves. So when it comes to the issue of what close to where what kind of haircut to have understand this the real issue is that your old nature needs a haircut and circumcise the foreskin of your heart.
The Bible says that's really the issue. The inward man more than the outward man looks at the outward appearance, God looks at the heart now and giving these instructions. I do not praise you. He did praise him earlier boating in giving these instructions. I do not praise use is going to change subjects since you come together, not for the better but for the worse for first of all, when you come together as a church you gathering your assembly when you come together for your Bible studies in your worship service. I hear that there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it. Now we know there were divisions he said so in chapter 1 and two. Chloe's household had told Paul that there are divisions in that local Caribbean churches. Some work were regrouping themselves as followers of Paul, some Apollo, some SEVIS, some just independent. I don't follow man I follow Christ also draw carnal so she's bringing this back up, but he's bringing them back up in the context of not just little groups that are following the teachings of particular apostles, but rather when they gather together for their worship service. In particular, the Lord's supper, a special feast used 2000 years ago among church is called the agape feast.
The loveseats not agape visa love feast was like a potluck.
People would bring their own food and the ideas you bring food and you share your food with other people. Not everybody was sharing their food with other people. As we will see. So I hear there's divisions among you division is the works means to its skin is Motta. It's to rip or to tear like a garment defraying a garment and so he says I partially believe it. For there must also be factions among you, that those were approved, may be recognized among you. Therefore, when you come together in one place. Is it not to eat the Lord's supper for in eating one takes his own supper ahead of others. One is hungry and others drunk. What do you not have houses to eat and drink in or do you despise the church of God and shame. Those who have nothing what shall I say to you, shall I praise you in this. I do not praise you okay the love feast. The agape feast you bring your own food you gather together you have a meal. The love feast culminates in taking the elements of the Lord's supper together was more than just a potluck.
More than just a meal.
It was the Lord's supper, as well as eating for some people who were slaves very poor. It was the only decent meal they got all week so they were looking forward with anticipation to that day or the night the church gathers together for the agape feast and then take the Lord's supper together.
The problem is some of the richer folks were bringing their own picnic baskets with all sorts of goodies their own flagons of wine but they were sharing it with anybody, and so they were just consuming it on themselves. The poor people didn't have much of anything. If anything at all and so they have to go away hungry, while the rich who brought their own food who work sharing it with anyone, even though they had plenty were gorging themselves and some were bringing wine to the fees and getting drunk matching people come to church with a bottle immuno drink and admin drinking way too much.
Also, as I don't praise you for this. So I praise you for this.
I do not praise you are in effect despising the church instead of sharing with one another for I received from the Lord that which I also deliver to you that the Lord Jesus on the same night that he was betrayed took bread when he had given thanks, he broke and said, take, eat, this is my body which is broken for you. Do this in remembrance of me.
Now Paul is going now through what the Lord Jesus did with his disciples the night that he was betrayed going through what the meaning of taking the Lord's supper together is what it means. What we do, how important an event it is different church groups have differing views of the meaning of communion. The Lord's supper, a Roman Catholic view. The view that I grew up with was a doctrine called transubstantiation. It is the belief that there is a substantive change, a substantial change in the elements themselves, so that the bread and the wine change.
Substance from bread and wine into the literal body and literal blood of Jesus.
Because the Catholic bishops say Jesus said this is my body, this is my blood. They take that very literally. And so they believe in transubstantiation that there is a change in the elements into the literal body and blood of Jesus Christ. I do not hold to that view. I believe that borders on cannibalism. In fact, some of the early adversaries of the church misunderstood the meaning of the Lord's supper and said the Christians were cannibals because of the Lord supper.
Because of this misunderstanding.
So I do not believe in transubstantiation, a second view that is the Lutheran view more Martin Luther's consubstantiation that is the presence of Christ is as they say, when in and under the communion elements so that there is a real presence of the risen Christ with the elements that you take for communion so it's a step down from transubstantiation. There's they don't really become that. But there with present crisis with then a step below that is what John Calvin believed in and you believe that there is a spiritual presence or spiritual union so that the sound they almost sound the same but it's a little bit less than Luther believed then there was another reformer called pool risk sublingually was a Swiss reformer who believed what most Protestants today believe in and that is all emblematic.
There's no presence of Christ for special embodiment of Christ in the elements, but rather there, emblematic date, they speak of the .2. They are a living sermon that remind us of what Jesus did on the cross, nothing less, but nothing more than that. So with that as background will finish out this chapter I received from the Lord. Verse 23 that which I also deliver to you know I believe this should be the aim of every pastor, every preacher, every small group leader who prepares a Bible study that we will have waited on the Lord and the Lord teaches us speaks to us delivers things to us.
We received from the Lord as we wait on him and then we deliver to the people listen to us. What we ourselves have have received from him. That's a good model to take. Also, I did that, that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which he was betrayed took bread, we had given thanks, he broke it said take, eat, this is my body broken for you.
Do this in remembrance of me. So number one when we take the Lord's supper together.
We are looking backwards were looking to the past. We take the elements to remember him to recall that Jesus died for us, shed his blood for us and rose again, we are remembering that sacrifice so we are looking to the past I have always found it interesting that Jesus never said build a mausoleum for me in the place where I raise from the dead. He never said build a monument to work unto me where I preach the sermon on the Mount Gallic said the only thing I want you to do to raise up as a memorial or as a remembrance is this meal take the bread take the wine and when you do that. Remember what I've done for you. That's the key. That's the mausoleum.
That's the remembrance this is my body broken for you. Do this in remembrance of me. So we look to the past number two we look to the present. In the same manner. He took the cup after supper, saying, this cup is the new covenant in my blood. This do as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me. So we look to the present. This is the cup. I believe that our relationship with God should always be in the present tense, not all, not just in the past and too many people too many Christians that I remember what it was like all those old days. All those good old days. I remember the intimacy I had with Christ and how wonderful.
What about now. Did you walking with him now is he speaking to you now. Are you close to his heart. Now if your relationship with God is only a past tense experience needs to be brought into the present tense. This is the covenant. It is a present reality. Your Christian life should be in all of your experiences of the past should never be a hitching post only a guidepost reference point to go further and further and deeper and longer so we look to the past.
We look to the present of verse 26 we look to the future. We look ahead as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he come so when we take communion. See what Paul is doing is like you guys got it all wrong. You are making this all about yourselves when let me tell you what the idea of the Lord's supper is all about religion passionately to the present and you look to the future because when you take the Lord's supper.
You remember that Jesus said when he when he took the elements with his disciples. He held up the wine and he said I will not drink of the fruit of the vine anymore until I drink it with you and new in my father's kingdom.
In essence he saying I'm coming back and so when we take the Lord's supper. We remember Jesus came, but he's coming again. There's a future element to verse 27 therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks, this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord, but let a man examine himself.
So let them eat the bread and drink of the cup, for he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.
So number four we look within.
We examine ourselves we look within. We look to the past. We look to the present.
We look to the future. We look with in. We don't want to do it in an unworthy manner. Some people get all hung up on this ago.
I'm so unworthy to take communion. It didn't say are you worthy to take communion. It says don't take communion in an unworthy way and an unworthy manner. The issue is are you worthy to be saved, none of us is worthy to be saved.
Are you worthy to be in God's presence.
None of us are none of us is none of us are anyway, were not. The idea is the manner in which you take it. The manner in which you take in an unworthy manner so we examine ourselves and I always believe when you know what we can have the Lord's supper. We can have in the couple weeks whenever you know it's coming. You know it's going to be in a Wednesday or weekend before you come to church would be good to have a period of examination self-examination so you don't take it frivolously or routinely or religiously or just traditionally you really think about what it means to you what Jesus did for you. You are there areas of your life you need to bring and ask forgiveness for a confession about an and you do it in a way that is befitting the event itself. The remembrance itself. So we examine ourselves. Verse 28 number was Socrates who said the unexamined life is not worth living. While the unexamined communion is not worth having. We want to examine our hearts, get our hearts right before the Lord in go back to the cross as we do for you eats or drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. What is he mean by that. For this reason, verse 30. Many are we and sick among you, and many sleep.
That is a euphemism for have died if this is interesting because Paul seems to indicate that people in the Corinthian church were getting sick and dying because they didn't properly evaluate and discern the meaning of the Lord's supper that they were doing it frivolously, selfishly, getting drunk, etc. and that that was causing physical discipline in the church via sickness and death.
Now that sounds odd to us and maybe we should be first Allstate. Thank you Jesus that that is and happened to us or at least not the sure knowledge. It has, but in the early church. This was not unusual. Ananias and Sophia rock were part of the early church. They were members of the early church, and I believe went to heaven when they died, but they died. Nonetheless, in judgment for lying to Peter and lying to the Holy Spirit and so they kicked the bucket, they buried them that day outside the streets of outside the city of Jerusalem, but it was physical, direct discipline that cause the end of their lives. Also, first Corinthians chapter 5 there was a case of incest in the church membership also deliver them to Satan for the just the realm of Satan the world deliver them to Satan for the distraction of the flesh, that the spirit might be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
You see, the reason for this kind of discipline was not condemnation but it was protection purification of the church, but also protection so it's like they can't go further so that they don't go any further in in that kind of rebellion, God would spare that by taking their lives as an act of mercy so that they could go no further. For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world. Therefore, my brethren, when you come to gather to eat is still talking about Lord's supper wait for one another. Don't dig into the roast beef and and eat it all. You know some what. When I was a kid and we had four boys on the youngest boat when it was dinner time.
My mom at the dinner on the table and I would sometimes watch my older brother, or brothers like grab almost all of the chicken or beef and there's like a little leg left for me so you know dinner time for some of us was like survival of the fittest and they were fittest because they were bigger than I was allowed was happening in the church because you wait for each other.
You gotta show deference don't pick out you won't find it in the translation for God wait for each other. But if anyone is hungry, let them eat at home, lest you come together for judgment and the rest I will set in order when I come so when we take the Lord's supper. We look to the past remembrance. We look to the present be able to present a covenant relationship with her to the future. Jesus is coming again.
We look inwardly look we look within ourselves, we examine our hearts and now we look around. We consider our brother consider our sister. We wait for them. We show love to them. The family meal first John for God so loved us, we should love one another.
I'm glad Chapter 11 is over.
It's there. I covered it I don't shy away from covering any text of Scripture or or tackling any topic but there are just certain ones that it's like okay next it's going to the next and the next is awfully exciting because it's another issue. They asked Paul the apostle about that is the use of spiritual gifts within the assembly now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, and I don't want you to be ignorant, he said, so he lays out in chapters 12 a little bit, and 13 to balance it out, 12, 13 and 14.
The issue of spiritual gifts in the assembly and we will see the use and the abuse of spiritual gifts within the church of Corinth and you will be amazed at how not much as changed since the days of Corinth when it comes to how church is still in use or abuse of spiritual gifts so we give them some pretty interesting and exciting and very application all important character that wraps up Skip a text message Susan expound first Karen Q Skip to ship you can help keep this broadcast going strong connecting you others around the world with the Lord. The Bible eagerly anticipates the second coming of Jesus. But just as God's Word reveals his plan for the future of the world. It also reveals his plan for your life today. That's why we want to help listeners like you connect to his truth through this broadcast so you can passionately live out his purposes for you every day and right now you can help others discover that same powerful truth. Here's how to do today. Simply call 800-922-1888 that number again is 800-922-1888 or visit connectwithskip.com/donate. That's connectwithskip.com/donate your generosity helps keep this biblical encouragement coming your way and going out around the world to help change more lives you know there's an exciting biblical lease available right at your fingertips through your mobile device can find several of Scripture Bible reading plan version Bible simply download via search Skip next to shares know you spiritual balance them with