Communion: The right attitudes at communion

For communion tonight I want to read a few verses from 1 Corinthians 11. This is where the
Apostle Paul tells the believers at Corinth to have the right attitude when taking communion. As
they were a mix of cultures and different religions in the past they needed to focus on the right
things when taking the Lord’s Supper.

1 Corinthians 11:23-29
23 For I pass on to you what I received from the Lord Himself. On the night when He was
betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread 24 and gave thanks to God for it. Then He broke it in
pieces and said, "This is My body, which is given for you. Do this to remember Me." 25 In the
same way, He took the cup of wine after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant between
God and His people--an agreement confirmed with My blood. Do this to remember Me as often
as you drink it." 26 For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the
Lord's death until He comes again. 27 So anyone who eats this bread or drinks this cup of the
Lord unworthily is guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. 28 That is why you
should examine yourself before eating the bread and drinking the cup. 29 For if you eat the
bread or drink the cup without honoring the body of Christ, you are eating and drinking God's
judgment upon yourself.

In this passage there are three main ideas.

1. A past remembrance – In verses 23-25 Paul repeated Jesus’ words when he said this is my
body and my blood. It is a call for us to remember Jesus’ sacrifice and Jesus’ death on the cross
for us. It is a reminder to focus on the One who paid the price for our sin. The One who died in
our place to purchase eternal life for us all.

2. A present reflection – Verse 28 calls for us to examine ourselves. The people in Corinth were
using the Lord’s Supper to fill up. Some were over eating, others were getting drunk. Paul
called them to focus – on Jesus and their relationship with Him. As Christians, we can use this
time to tell Jesus how thankful we are and how much I love Him. We can also use it examine
ourselves and confess any things we have done wrong. 

3. A future hope – In verse 26 it looks forward when it says, “For every time you eat this bread
and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord's death until He comes again”. Our great hope
as Christians is Jesus coming back. He has gone to prepare a place for us. He is coming back so
we can be with the Him forever. As 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 tells us, “16 For the Lord Himself
will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and
with the trumpet call of God. First, the Christians who have died will rise from their graves. 17
Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the
clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever.”

What you must solemnly realize is that every time you eat this bread and every time you drink this cup, you
reenact in your words and actions the death of the Master. You will be drawn back to this meal again and again
until the Master returns. You must never let familiarity breed contempt.
Anyone who eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Master irreverently is like part of the crowd that jeered and
spit on him at his death. Is that the kind of “remembrance” you want to be part of? Examine your motives, test
your heart, come to this meal in holy awe.

If you give no thought (or worse, don’t care) about the broken body of the Master when you eat and drink,
you’re running the risk of serious consequences. That’s why so many of you even now are listless and sick,
and others have gone to an early grave. If we get this straight now, we won’t have to be straightened out later
on. Better to be confronted by the Master now than to face a fiery confrontation later.

So, my friends, when you come together to the Lord’s Table, be reverent and courteous with one another.