I Corinthians 11:23  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:
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.
27  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.

The apostle Paul was directed to give some further teaching on the purpose of the Lord’s Supper. There was also a need to understand the responsibility of those who participate in the Lord’s Supper.
There is much corruption regarding the Lord’s Supper.
The Catholics have their corrupt view of this very important ordinance. Of course the Catholics reject God’s purpose for the Lord’s Supper. They believe that salvation is tied to what they call the “Mass”. Many Protestant religions have some form of corrupt understanding of this ordinance as well. The Protestants come from the Catholics and most are going back to the Catholics now. They too reject God’s purpose for the Lord’s Supper. They reject the Biblical need for salvation.
The apostle Paul stated that the instructions he was going to give came from the Lord. He spoke here in the past tense. He must have given instructions to the saints already in the past. However, we do not always grasp everything we need to know about a Bible doctrine, right away. There was a need to reinforce what Paul had already taught in the past. Then there is also the danger of becoming careless with the truth. Thus there is a great need to remind people of the facts.
The Lord’s Supper is a very important picture from the Lord Jesus Christ. When God gave a word picture, He expects it to be followed exactly as given. We saw that when Moses rejected God’s clear command when dealing with the need for water for the nation of Israel. On the second occasion of using the rock to obtain water, Moses was to speak to the rock. Moses was frustrated and angry with the people and he struck the rock twice. His goal was not to defy God. He allowed his humanity to interfere with God’s holiness. God gave the people water, but He also told Moses that he would not enter the promised land because of this sin. There was no second chance. Moses regretted his sin, but he could not be restored as though it never happened. He could be forgiven, but there was a consequence to defying God on this important picture.
The picture there was with regard to Jesus’ provisions for the salvation of souls. Jesus Christ is the fulfilment of the rock that Moses was to speak to. Jesus Christ is the ROCK. He died once on the cross and then He was buried, rose again, and ascended back up to heaven. The Catholics claim their followers need to eat His body every time they come to their “mass”. Other false religions have a similar teaching. Many false religions believe there is some type of forgiveness or opportunity for forgiveness through participation in the Lord’s Supper.
Paul gave the facts regarding the Lord’s Supper. The same night in which He was betrayed, He took bread and He gave thanks for that bread. We know this was unleavened bread. Paul did not need to go into that detail here because it is taught plainly elsewhere in the Bible. Jesus gave thanks for the bread and then He broke it. He did not cut it with a knife. He broke it. There was a violence in His death. His body was broken for us. Jesus taught that this broken bread was His body. The saints were to partake of that bread in remembrance of Him. There is no salvation in partaking of that bread. There is no forgiveness provided in partaking of that bread. We will see the facts as we continue on here.
In verse 25 we are told that “in the same manner also He took the cup”. He took that cup and He gave thanks for that cup. He took a drink of that cup and then He gave It to His disciples and they also took a drink of that same cup. Jesus Christ drank from that cup symbolically before His disciples when He instructed the Lord’s Supper. He drank from that cup experientially when He laid down His life and was nailed to that cross and bled and died there. We are again reminded that in drinking of that cup, we remember Jesus. In reality, Jesus Christ had laid down His life before the foundation of the world. There was a specific time in the history of the world, when He would demonstrate that, but God’s plan of redemption was from eternity past.
In verse 26 we are told that the saints are responsible for how often they partake of the Lord’s Supper. We know from Biblical teaching that the Lord’s Supper is not something that a person should partake of by himself in his own house. Jesus Christ first administered the Supper. The pastor of the local church should be the one to administer that Supper in the local church. He is to be the physical spiritual leader of the local church. As often as a true local church keeps the Lord’s Supper they are showing His death until He comes again. The purpose of the Lord’s Supper is to remember His death. We have mentioned before that the bread should be unleavened bread, signifying the sinless nature of the Lord Jesus Christ. The cup should be red grape juice, signifying the sinless blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
In verse 27 the apostle Paul was directed to begin to give some warnings regarding this important picture. Those who are not worthy to participate in this Supper, are guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. Rather than demonstrating a clean heart, they bring condemnation upon themselves because they choose to make a mockery of this important picture. It is never a wise thing to mock God’s Word.
In verse 28 we see that each person will be accountable for their own actions. Each person who is in a service where the Lord’s Supper is to be kept, must take the opportunity to examine himself. He or she needs to take some time to consider if they are truly spiritually fit to partake of the Lord’s Supper. We know that an unsaved person should never partake of the Lord’s Supper. There are thousands of lost people who partake of this important ordinance. Many of them have already discovered the tragedy of rejecting the truth. Many more will also discover this fact.
We know as well that a saved person should not partake of this Supper if his heart is not right with the Lord. I John 1:9 tells us we must confess our sins after we are saved, to be forgiven. The person who confesses their sin to God is not following the Catholic confessional. He or she is seeking “forgiveness” and then continuing in their sin. I John makes it abundantly clear that God’s salvation is a change of heart that is demonstrated in a changed life.
In verse 29 we are warned that the person who partakes unworthily, brings damnation upon himself. He does not take into account the significance of the Lord’s sacrifice. We know already that the saved person cannot lose their salvation. Partaking of the Lord’s Supper unworthily is not the unpardonable sin. The saved person that has mocked God in partaking unworthily, can be forgiven, if he confesses his sin to God. If he refuses to confess his sin, he will be chastened of the Lord.
In verse 30 we see that there are many saints who are weak and sickly because they do not take God’s Word seriously. There were also saints that had died because they refused to confess their sin. There are many people who are not living for the Lord and are not sickly and weak. They assume they must be right with God. God has given us His Word. We have already seen that we need to examine ourselves before we partake. That examination must be according to God’s Word, not man’s ideas about God’s Word. The New Evangelical poison has encouraged many to remain in their sin. Those who promote those lies will be held accountable before God. Those who believe those lies will also be accountable before God. Be careful what you choose to believe.
Pastor Bartel