1 Corinthians 11:23-32 – Look Deep – Bible study

1Corinthians 11:23-32 Look Deep Tonight is the Lords Supper. The Lords Supper has several purposes for celebration. 1. It is a feast of obedience. God did not give a lot of rules for this celebration but the fact that He gave it indicates that He wants His people to participate in it. So there is a matter of obedience. 2. It is a means of identifying ourselves with Christ. 1Cor 11:26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lords death till he come. This is not a service for the unsaved. It is only for those who do believe in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This service does the unsaved no good. It has no purpose or meaning for them. 3. \#24-25\ It is a feast of remembrance. This is what gives this service its meaning. It only stirs us as we remember what Jesus did for us. 4. It is a feast of fellowshipnot with one another, but with God. Paul referred to the common cup which is passed as the cup of communion and the common loaf that was used as the bread of communion. 1Co 10:16 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? Hence, this feast represents our efforts to be at one with Jesus. I believe that should be the striving of every believer, but I also believe this service can of itself form a special union with our Lord. 5. It is a feast of anticipation. We are to partake of this feast until our Lord comes \#26\. 6. \#29-32\ It is a feast of examination. I. I notice five words used in this section. A. Two are what Christians are to with themselves specifically at this service. 1. \#28\ We are to examine ourselves. a. The word means to discern, prove, test ourselves. b. This would include all four of the major walks of our life. (1) Our faith (2) Our walk (in the world) (3) Our worship (4) Our service 2. \#31\ We are to judge ourselves. a. The Greek word "to judge" is a powerful word. b. It means to withdraw from, to contend against, to fully separate from, to oppose. c. The notion is that we move to change whatever we discern is wrong. B. Three are what we are attempting to escape. 1. \#32\ "chastening" a. The implication is that if we do not catch our wrong actions and turn from them, God will chasten us. b. The word used here does not mean whip or spank. c. It means to instruct or to teach. 2. \#32\ "condemned" a. The message is that God will chasten us so that we do not end up being condemned with the world. b. The word means being judged or sentenced with the world. c. There are two ways to view this statement of condemnation. (1) Some believe saved people can lose their salvation and be cast into the same hell that the unsaved are cast. (2) The other is to believe that how we respond to Gods instruction manifests whether we are Gods or not. 3. \#29\ "damnation" a. That English word is used 15 times in our KJ New Testament. b. Strangely, only twice does it ever refer to a thing or person being cast into hell. \#2Peter 2:1, 3\ c. The other 13 times, including this one, it means to be condemned or to be judged. d. It is a different Greek word but essentially means the same as the word used in verse 32 for condemned. C. So here is the challenge of the Lords Supper: It is to move us to get close enough to God so that we can see, examine, and fix ourselves as God would, but He is leaving it up to us. II. Paul gave this purpose in a context where illustrates what we are to do and why. A. The Lords Supper had devolved into a drunken feast. 1Cor 11:20 When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lords 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. B. Some say that it was Bacchanal Feast. 1. A Bacchanal Feast is a drunken, debased feast held for the Roman god, Bacchus. 2. Anytime a fertility god is being honored, there are going to sexual wickedness of almost every kind. 3. In studying this, I came across a booking for London, England, that you could make this year. It was in a "Looking for what you can do while in London, England?" article. Feast out ancient Roman style at this opulent five-course feast served in the Ballroom at Islingtons The Dead Dolls House. The banquet pays homage to Bacchus, the infamous god of wine and fertility, so expect decadence, debauchery and unlimited wine and prosecco. Book here. POSTED: THURSDAY FEBRUARY 23 2017 https://www.timeout.com/london/things-to-do/bacchanalian-feast 4. Personally, I am not sure that even the Corinthian church has sunk so low as to allow this to enter into their church. a. The reason I have doubts is not because of my confidence in the Corinthians. b. It is because I believe Paul would have a lot more to say about it if they had. C. But some measure of drunkenness and personal revelry had crept into what was supposed to be a reverent, prayerful, thoughtful service of remembrance. 1. Paul was saying, this should have been caught by them. a. This is exactly what this service was given to do. b. It is a service of self-examination. 2. And if they did not catch it, the Lord should have instructed them and convicted them. 3. And the fact that neither of those things happened indicates that some of the people in that church may indeed end up being condemned with the worldnot because they are losing their salvation, but because they never had any salvation.