Communion's Purpose | Midweek Service

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with Pastor Jesse Martinez

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all right let's go to First Corinthians
chapter 11. kind of just want to sit
with you tonight and talk about this
passage
it's uh you know it's funny that Warren
mentioned the Eucharist Minister and all
that
there are really three views on what
communion is
um it all comes down to really how
you're going to interpret what Paul says
when Paul says that he received of the
Lord that's a very very large indication
that what he is talking about here is
something that he got from the Lord now
we can see it referenced in the gospels
as the Last Supper but we see that it
was not just merely a thing that they
did because they were hungry
Jesus was doing that because he's going
to use it later and especially when he
was talking with Paul and explaining
proper function and all these different
things boy I just would have loved to
sit in on that study with uh
with Jesus and Paul to see those things
and we can see how
Paul is very educated man of course
everything he wrote was to the
inspiration of the Holy Spirit but a lot
has come down on
this idea of communion and what is the
purpose of it
you know what it is we're going to talk
about the purpose of it tonight and what
it actually does but there are two views
that I want to discuss maybe a third the
third one is hard for me to wrap my mind
around because it's kind of ambiguous
it's not really clear
but of course there's transubstantiation
which teaches and this is prominent in
the Catholic Church good to go down the
street right down here to Incarnation
they would be offering a communion
service at some point this week maybe
even daily I'm not sure if it's a part
of every Catholic Church's Mass some of
them make it
a little less frequent but
the transubstantiation teaches that when
you take
the bread
and the juice they actually use wine we
don't use wine
that's not what we're going to discuss
tonight
but they believe that that literally
becomes the body of Christ his flesh and
his blood
okay that's a literal approach to what
Paul says here we're going to explain
why I why I believe the Bible says that
that is not what is being said
then there's con substantiation which is
not much different from
transubstantiation but there's just a
little bit of a difference and that says
that when you take of the bread and you
drink of the wine
it actually brings you like the physical
presence of God is now with you
so we know that that can't be
necessarily true because the author of
Ephesians Paul tells us that when a
person believes they're sealed with the
Holy Spirit until the day of redemption
and the study on the day of redemption
is going to be twofold for every
believer even in Paul's time when
they're redeemed at the Rapture after
the dead in Christ rise first and then
they are changed or upon the day of
their death where Paul tells us later
that when we are absent from the body
we're present with the Lord isn't it
good to see the Bible answer questions
everything I just gave you you can see
in chapter and verse for that
so we don't believe that the partaking
of communion
makes God more real in your life or
makes him physically with you more than
another person
the third view is that it's more it it
brings the person into a better
spiritual connection with the Lord and I
don't really see any
evidence for or against that it just
kind of sounds like somebody who decided
they wanted to throw their
interpretation in the ring
but the fourth View and typically what I
teach is that this is this is this is uh
the aspect of Memorial
in remembrance of me that's the most
important function of the believer
partaking in communion you do these
things eating of the bread and drinking
of the cup in remembrance
of the Lord's body
and of his blood
and I think it's important that we make
that distinction because if we don't
know what we're doing we're not going to
get any benefit from it right and this
is important with your approach to
communion
we cannot do a better job of this
because
I think sometimes and I'm guilty of this
we rush communion because you got a full
message and you just want to kind of get
through it but communion should be a
time where there is reflection
and we're going to see that as it's laid
out in the scripture because if you come
unprepared you're not in proper
fellowship with the Lord
Paul says I'm not praising you Corinth
this is bad it's actually pretty bad
that you meet in this way
and we can drink or excuse me we can uh
we can bring harm to ourselves and to
our fellow Believers by not taking this
seriously I don't think communion if in
a perfect world I would do communion as
a separate part of the Sunday morning
service
where there's an opportunity for us to
reflect
on what has been done
with in regards to Jesus shed blood and
his body that was broken that doesn't
mean we whip ourselves into an emotional
frenzy this is a reflection in your mind
about the cost your sin put on the
savior
and that is not an easy fun thing to do
nor is it done adequately in two or
three minutes of silence
but it is a function of how we're
supposed to remember that that's what it
means in remembrance of being
and the other thing is
they were gathering together in Corinth
they were they were they were eating
with one another probably every time
that they met it's not like church today
right they weren't strolling in Sunday
morning at 9 30 for Sunday school and
then at 10 30 service and everyone's
shaking hands and high-fiving and stuff
they lived this was how they lived they
went to church every day in a different
person's home
um I think in I I think an actor in
other places it may have been gayus's
home that was primary but there were
other ones that were going on and when
they met they brought food
I mean food is a part of Fellowship most
of the time people make a joke out of
that like you want to really get on the
pastor's good side bring a meal when you
come to your counseling session
side note wouldn't hurt
you know
but there's a function in
eating with one another there's good
Fellowship that comes as a result of it
and I I think it would be great if there
was an opportunity for us to you know
have a a love Feast afterwards and and
talk with one another and share of a
common meal together because the
function of this is for the body of
Christ it's not for the Lost person
it's not for the person who has not
believed on Jesus Christ this is for the
the weary Soldier
as we walk with the Lord we need to be
refreshed of why we're doing these
things I said earlier in our prayer
requests a lot of times we can get busy
doing the work of the Lord and we forget
the lord of the work I heard David
Peterson say that last Sunday night that
was good
but a lot of times we can think oh I'm
going to do all these things for God and
it's going to be great what is God
asking you to do
are you reminded of the cost that your
sin put on the savior
and if if we don't do these things
properly
we run a great risk of moving away
from a closer walk with the Lord and
this is the purpose of communion but I
want to show we're like almost out of
time it's 7 14. so we don't have a lot
of time left so I I want to look at this
quickly but not too quickly
I want you to see the context in which
Paul makes these statements look with me
and uh
verse 17 of First Corinthians 11.
now in this that I declare unto you I
praise you not
that you come together not for the
better but for the worse
for first of all when you come together
in a church I hear that there be
divisions among you and I partly believe
it now why do you think that Paul partly
believed what he heard
there are 10 chapters before this and
there's a lot of stuff that was going on
so when he hears about this issue it's
kind of like well no surprise no shock
they were doing these other things with
no problem abusing the Lord's Supper
it's par for the course in the church
right now
verse 4 19 for there must also be
heresies among you now this is important
he names the heresy
that he's talking about
that they which are approved may be made
manifest among you what does this mean
it's very common in the Pagan Gatherings
of the occult that they would give
preferential treatment to those men or
women of status
they would come in it's almost like
their name would be announced or they
would have a favored seat close to the
host
there were those who had different
treatment because of who they were
according to the status of the world so
that would be like
everybody coming through the door
and all the deacons and Elders sit up
here
and they have first dibs at the elements
and then if there's enough it goes to
everybody else we're not supposed to do
that
they were that that's exactly what this
says here that they which are approved
may be made manifest
um among you for when you come together
therefore into one place
this is not to eat the Lord's Supper
for an eating everyone taketh before
other his own supper
and one is hungry and another is drunken
what have you not houses to eat and
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
so what was happening is in this Focus
they they had made it a whole meal
a function of it was you bring it you
you bring of your own Supply
so if I'm a wealthy man
I'm gonna bring enough for my family and
probably more for my family and if I'm a
poor man I'm gonna come with my hands
empty and what was happening because
there was preferential treatment was
going on the wealthy are eating
everybody's good
those who had their eating and they're
not sharing and then the ones who don't
they don't tough on them
that's that that is no that is no way a
picture of how the body of Christ is
supposed to operate and I don't think
it's a coincidence that Paul clears this
up in chapter 11 and then in chapter 12
he talks about this is the body of
Christ that there be no divisions among
you
these things are heresies they bring
shame to the church because this is what
the world sees
you know and and this is this whole like
preferential treatment thing this is why
me personally I don't like to
publicly
award and recognize in a major way
because
we're all doing the same thing not to
devalue the individual's work
but you don't know how that makes
somebody else feel
I'm not supposed to elevate anybody
above God
I think sometimes if we we start picking
favorites and having you know little
things with other people and all of a
sudden everyone else gets left
and they're doing work just as important
what is unique about the body of Christ
it's made up of all different kind of
people but it's of the same thing
faith in Christ
and now that group of people that have
all these different cultural differences
societal nuances they're doing the same
thing
about life as a Jewish believer
think about this for a moment
you grew up a Jew
you went to synagogue
you prepared the sacrifices
you went to the meals in different
people's homes
you frequented the temple
you grew up there
Paul comes along
teaches the truth of Jesus Christ and
you believe
everything that you grew up with is gone
now
the relationships
the experiences
you you now have freedom in Christ but
for many people they don't they don't
understand that
they feel alone
and I think one of the greatest
functions of the church is that anybody
comes in these doors here and they put
their faith in Jesus Christ they're
welcomed into this family I don't that I
kind of cringe when I hear that because
so many people abuse that oh we're
family we're family we're family but
honestly people that put their faith in
Christ we're all a part of God's family
now
and the will has been executed we have
eternal life because Jesus died and rose
again
that's unique
to Christianity
but when we shame it by making it
something that it's not promoting
preferential treatment over one or
another
now the world looks at it and says this
is no different than what the world has
to offer
what do you you know what have you done
for me lately and that's where your
status is that's not the purpose of
communion that's what they were doing in
Corinth
so now we get to 23.
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'd break
it
and said take eat this is my body which
is broken for you this do
the action of taking the bread
in remembrance of me
so there's there's no support here that
anything changes
about the bread or about the the juice
the emphasis on the emphasis is on this
action that you do
it in this Frame of Mind remembrance
we talked at length on Sunday morning
about Memorial Day
the flags are supposed to be lowered to
half staff
there's a moment of silence that is
supposed to be observed on Monday at 3
pm for one minute
all these things are done to stop
everyone's activities and specifically
remember
the soldiers who have given their lives
and shed their blood for the freedom of
our country
Believers are supposed to when they are
gathered together
do the same thing but in reference to
adding elements
and the attitude is focused on Jesus
body which was given for us and his
blood that was shed for us why did that
have to happen
because this was the payment for sin
without the shedding of blood there is
no remission Hebrews 9 22.
that is what we are supposed to dwell on
it doesn't make you
I want to be careful when I say this it
doesn't make you more spiritual
it doesn't make God's presence more real
in your life what it does is it makes
you obedient
and that's what you want to be that's
what you should want to be
we all know about employees that are not
good employees
as a matter of fact one of the first
times I faced real peer pressure was in
the workplace
I had a co-worker at TJ Maxx who had a
real sticky hand when it came to the
cash register
invite he invited me to learn his ways
he's like you can get an extra you know
60 bucks every week
it's like and that's not taxed and blah
blah blah this guy was older than me
he was in the he's in the company longer
than me
he's an employee but he's not a good
employee
that's not the kind of employee you want
working for you
okay same thing in the body of Christ
there there are believers who are
obedient and there are those who are
to be honest with you disobedient
the function of communion is supposed to
remind you
this is why I'm doing what I'm doing
I've been saved by the the body and the
blood of Jesus Christ
that was a high cost that he paid for me
25 after the same manner also he took
the cup when he had stopped saying this
cup is the New Testament in my blood
this do ye as often as you drink it in
remembrance of me we started reading 26
as a part of our process because it
completes the thought
Paul says for as often as you eat this
bread and drink this cup
you do show the Lord's death until he
come what does this mean
to the outside world the unified
practice of communion is supposed to
show the death of Jesus until he comes
back physically
so there's two purposes here the inward
purpose for the believer is in Memorial
in remembrance
of Jesus Christ work on the cross
and by doing that you show the outside
world the Son of God died on the cross
and he's coming back
we're going to keep doing this until he
returns
communion becomes powerful
comes becomes very powerful in that way
27.
wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread
and drink this cup of the Lord
unworthily shall be guilty of the body
and the blood of the Lord tough verse
here and it's not going to be my intent
to explain this entire verse but I'll
just say there's one thing you need to
understand about this verse it is
unworthily
this is not for those who have yet to
believe on Jesus Christ Dr Lindstrom
used to do communion in Sunday School
and he would say if you have not
received or if you if you have not
trusted in Jesus Christ I'm paraphrasing
here
this part is not for you
and I remember seeing every once in a
while not all the time someone would
stand and walk out
because they knew
whatever they knew they knew that they
were not going to do this unworthily
because Dr lyncha made it very clear as
this verse says
you're bringing judgment upon yourself
for the unbeliever there's already the
wrath of God that abides upon you
and for the believer there's chastening
and it could it could it could end in a
early exit the hook gets pulled early
look what it says for he 29 that Edith
and drinketh unworthily Edith and
drinketh Damnation to himself not
Discerning the Lord's body for this
cause you Corinthian Believers partaking
in the Lord's Supper inappropriately
many are weak and sickly among you and
many sleep you look up the Greek word
for that there it means dead
so because the church as a whole in
Corinth was abusing this Memorial that
Jesus set up with his disciples and
through Paul expected every believer to
follow
there were heavy consequences people
died
if you want to see a church
go through turmoil you put a pasture in
place that's not properly
leading not leading communion properly
or not doing it at all
and you could you could get some serious
consequences
4 31 for if we judge ourselves we should
not be judged this is where we bring in
the self-judgment and it's not a piling
on on yourself this is a recognition the
sin
that I have allowed in my life
Jesus died for that sin God says it's
wrong
when I come to confession with him
with God not with a priest there's no
man that needs to facilitate that the
mediator is Jesus Christ When you pray
to the Lord about that sin you're
agreeing that what God said about it is
right and you're going to stop it
that's healthy
right a man who's running out on his
marriage if he wants to see the marriage
repaired he stops running out on his
marriage if he just says I'll stop but
he never stops
what are we what are we doing
at that point what's going on
nothing's going on
for if we should judge ourselves we
should not be judged but when we are
judged
we are chastened of the Lord now this
does not mean that every time that you
confess of sin you're going to skip out
on the chastening
it's up to God as to whether he
administers the chastening or not
because it says here when we are judged
we are chastened of the Lord that we
should not be condemned with the world
there's a clear distinction here that
the chastening of the Lord does not
equal
the condemnation on sinners in hell so
God's never going to send you to hell
but boy he will bring a strong loving
hand of Correction
and as Yankee would say might beat the
tar out of you
and you know what
that's between you and God I don't like
when people get the magnifying glass out
and go hmm I don't see it I don't see
you getting chastened how about you mind
your own business can I speak plainly on
that how about you mind your own
business you do what you're supposed to
do and let God deal with you and God
will deal with them
that that drives me nuts
that's the Busy Body just
looking for something to do
God will deal with his children and we
all know that
we all know that
wherefore my brethren when you come
together to eat wait for one another
do this together
and if any man hunger let him eat at
home
the purpose of the Lord's suppers not to
have a huge party
and you know uh visitors go first and
and they get all the good stuff and
everybody else just
all right let's remember the Lord's body
now and some someone's got to crumb the
other one's got a whole meal
and and 34 he says that you come not
together unto condemnation and I love
this about Paul
and the rest I will set an order when I
come
when I come back we'll talk about the
rest
I think that's a good place to stop
don't you
I think it's important we we approach
the scripture in this way
because if we don't
then Things become ritualistic okay
you're you're going to come to church on
Sunday morning and we're going to have
communion
I I think it would be a great practice
if you set an alarm
the Wednesday night before the first
Sunday of the month to remind you to be
in reflection for communion
I I'm guilty of this of not being ready
for communion as far as preparing my
mind
sometimes I don't even find out until
I'm preaching the message
now I'm learning to be bound by a
calendar and I'm doing my very best to
try and organize those things
but it's a good thing to be prepared for
communion
you come in with the attitude and
mindset of I'm thankful
that's exact when he had given thanks
we give thanks first
we go over the things that need to be
reviewed But ultimately the function of
communion is
we look back to Calvary
they didn't do this in the Old Testament
because he hadn't been offered yet
this is unique in that it reminds us of
what Christ did and it shows the world
we believe that he did this
and we're not going to stop
until he comes back
a lot of things about the millennial
Kingdom that we don't know how things
are going to work all sorts of stuff
I know one thing
he's going to be here and he's going to
rule and reign
and if he instructs me to do something
like this it's not a Sacrament you know
the difference between a Sacrament and
an ordinance is the power
a Sacrament is something that you need
to do for your mortality you know like
for your uh for your immortality excuse
me an ordinance is an instruction that
you're supposed to keep
we believe in two ordinances baptism
and the Lord's Supper
so we should do those things properly
okay
let me share the most important news
with you in all the world
this hand represents you and me my
wallet represents sin puts on top of my
hand because the Bible says for all of
sin and come short of the glory of God
loves us very much he hates sin because
sin separates us from him
the wages or payment for sin is death
Eternal separation forever from God in a
place called hell
the standard to get to heaven is
absolute perfection and we all fall
short that's why we're called sinners
God will not accept any good works
turning from sin starting something
stopping something making a commitment
giving a bunch of money being better
than everybody else
is not good enough good works cannot
save you for by grace are you saved
through faith and that not of yourselves
it is a gift of God not of works not of
Works lest any man should boast this
hand will represent God's only begotten
son Jesus Christ and I say that
reverently for the sake of this
illustration
and what God did is he sent his son
Jesus he died on the cross Jesus paid
for all of our sins on the cross past
present and future right there in that
moment he declared it is finished he
gave up the ghost
he died
came back three days later just like he
said he would and in this there is an
escape for every single person
for God so loved the world
that he gave his only begotten son
that whosoever believeth or trusts
whosoever believeth in him in the
finished work of Jesus Christ should not
perish but of everlasting life doesn't
say anything about turning following
none of that
whosoever
believeth in him
should not perish means spend an
eternity separated from him in hell but
has everlasting life
so the moment that you believe you
receive as a free gift everlasting life
that's salvation
now that you're saved
you have instructions and expectations
that God has set for you to obey
as you hear them you're expected to do
them that's what James says don't be
just to hear be a doer
communion is one of those things that we
do not to keep ourselves saved but to
remind us of the price of our salvation
you simply believe on Jesus Christ you
put your trust in his death Beyond
resurrection and you receive as a free
gift everlasting life
what a beautiful message straight from
the Bible
let's pray
that's about pleasing eyes are closed if
you're here tonight and that gospel
invitation makes sense to you
and you say Pastor I the best I know how
I've put my trust in Jesus Christ's
death burial and Resurrection for the
payment of my sin I know I'm going to
heaven would you pray for me I will pray
for you anyone at all before we close by
an uplifted hand Pastor pray for me I
know I'm going to heaven now it made
sense tonight and I put my trust in
Jesus
those are on the internet the invitation
is there for you as well send an email
to us even if you're watching on the
live
replay
send it to us we'd like to know
father thank you for the clarity in
scripture and how we can learn from
others mistakes bring us back here
safely on Sunday night excuse me Sunday
morning as we start a new series looking
at the tribulation period
and then as we also partake in communion
in Jesus name we pray these things amen
all right let's