[Sndbox] Are You Prepared?

[Charles]

Are You Prepared?

1 Corinthians 11:20-30

 

The Holy Bible, King James Version

 1 Corinthians 11:20 through 1 Corinthians 11:30 (KJV)
²⁰When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord’s supper. ²¹For in eating every one taketh before other his own supper: and one is hungry, and another is drunken. ²²What? 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.

²³For 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: ²⁴And 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. ²⁵After 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. ²⁶For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord’s death till he come. ²⁷Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. ²⁸But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. ²⁹For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. ³⁰For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.

 

 

Today we are going to celebrate together our observance of the Lord’s Supper.   It is our custom to observe this ordinance on the first Sunday of each month, alternating between the two services.  It takes a bit of preparation on the part of our deacons in order for us to administer the Lord’s Supper each month.  Someone has to fill the little glasses, and prepare the bread for use.  Someone has to bring it into the sanctuary and lay it out on the communion table.  Someone has to be on hand to serve the elements.  It takes preparation.

 Here at South Peninsula Baptist we practice an open communion, by which we mean that anyone who is a Christian is welcome to participate in the observance.  That one knows the Lord is our only requirement.  However, the scriptures give us more requirements, which take precedence over our tradition.  These are requirements that only you and God will know if you meet.  

According to today’s passage of scripture we must prepare ourselves to properly take the Lord’s Supper.  We must examine our lives, and our commitment to the Lord.  We must repent of those areas in our life that God convicts us about, and we must prepare our hearts to be one with God. 

   Repentance was an involved process in the early church. Sin was seen not as a personal matter but as something that destroyed the unity of the church. Penitents fasted and prayed for the forgiveness of their sins, appeared before the church to make public confession, and were barred from the Lord's Supper until they gave evidence of a change of heart and were absolved. (The only exception was for people facing persecution. They were readmitted to the Lord's Supper so they could receive strength.)

   In the first century, the Lord's Supper included not only the bread and the cup but an entire meal. As part of the meal, neighbors who had quarreled made peace again.

 

   -- "Worship in the Early Church," Christian History, Issue 37.

 

See: Eze 18:21; Joel 2:12; Ac 3:19; 1 Jn 1:9.

 

We must make some preparation in our lives if we are to truly appreciate the beauty of this celebration.

 

Prepare Yourself for Walking in Christ 

   It is the beginning of wisdom to look within ourselves and search our own omissions and want of humanity.

 

n      Jan Amos Comenius, Christian History, no. 13.

 

Self-examination is an important duty for the Christian.  One that we must not lay aside or otherwise diminish.  It is how we gauge our walk with Christ.  We use self examination to give us a “soul-check” if you will.  It’s so important to our walk with the Lord that Paul addresses it in 2 Corinthians 13:5: 

2 Corinthians 13:5 (KJV)
⁵Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?

 

We need self-examination because without it we will deceive ourselves because of a lack of accountability.  We must remember to whom we are accountable.

 

George Shultz, when Secretary of State during the Reagan administration, kept a large globe in his office. When newly appointed ambassadors had an interview with him and when ambassadors returning from their posts for their first visit with him were leaving his office, Shultz would test them. He would say, "You have to go over the globe and prove to me that you can identify your country." They would go over, spin the globe, and put their finger on the country to which sent--unerringly.

   When Shultz's old friend and former Senate majority leader Mike Mansfield was appointed ambassador to Japan, even he was put to the test. This time, however, Ambassador Mansfield spun the globe and put his hand on the United States. He said: "That's my country."

   On June 27, 1993, Shultz related this to Brian Lamb on C-Span's "Booknotes." Said the secretary: "I've told that story, subsequently, to all the ambassadors going out. 'Never forget you're over there in that country, but your country is the United States. You're there to represent us. Take care of our interests and never forget it, and you're representing the best country in the world.' "

 

   -- Dr. Wallace Alcorn. >From the files of Leadership.

 

See: 2 Co 5:20: Eph 6:20.

 

Just as those Ambassadors were urged to remember which country they answered to, we must remember whom we answer to.  It is through self-examination that we are able to maintain the accountability to God.  Pride and love of self will destroy our walk with God, and if we don’t take the time to examine our lives on a regular basis we will be in danger of becoming prideful and “puffed up”.  If we are not right with God, the results could be fatal.  Remember, there can be no repentance from the grave.  

A positive self examination will allow us to rejoice in a positive witness to the world.  If we are walking as we should, then our self-examination will be flattering, and the world will see that we are following the will of God.  On the other hand, if our self-examination finds us to be wanting we then have a golden opportunity.  We have an opportunity to make a difference in our life.  To change that which is not honoring God. If we allow the Holy Spirit to examine us we may find the motivation needed to correct the problems and flee from God’s certain wrath.

 

Prepare Yourself Prior to the Lord’s Supper

 

While self-examination is  crucial in our general walk in this world, it is ever so more crucial prior to the Lord’s Supper. 

   Erin, a young girl who was usually the model of good behavior in church, was particularly wiggly one Sunday morning. After distracting all those around her for some time and ignoring her father's warning to be still, her father finally scooped her up and began walking to the rear of the church for "attitude adjustment." Just before they got to the back door, Erin screamed, "Help! Save me!" The heartfelt plea of the penitent sinner was never more sincere, but it didn't do much for decorum that morning.

 

n      Robert E. Hays, D. Min., Lawton, OK. Christian Reader, "Lite Fare."

 

It was too late for young Erin, but for us the time is right now.  Before we come before the Lord we must be repentant.  Verse 28 of our text this morning exhorts us to examine ourselves.  

The Lord’s Supper is an ordinance of solemn devotion.  It is at the Lord’s Supper we see the significance of Christ crucified, as if it were before our very own eyes.  At the Lord’s Supper we commemorate the greatest of all mercies, the representation of all that Christ has done for us.  We must not sit down at this table unprepared. 

If we neglect to prepare our hearts before this celebration we may find ourselves robbed of the blessings of participation.  By preparing our hearts, we will not have the conviction of the Holy Spirit diminishing the impact of the symbolism.  When we walk hand in hand with the Lord, our blessings will increase.  Without the soul searching preparation we are just having another meal, and the significance of the Lord’s Supper is lost. 

Often it is this very same sort of neglect that leads to sin in our life.  Often we neglect the Lord, and neglect his ordinances to our own detriment.  We must not allow this to become our situation.  We must be prepared.  So how do we go about becoming prepared?

 

Preparing for the Preparation

 

We first must understand and examine our knowledge of the ordinance itself.  We must understand it’s significance and know what it means to our walk with the Lord.  Verse 27 is an ominous warning to us.

 

²⁷Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord

 

The Lord’s Supper provides no salvific powers.  It cannot save us.  It was given to us, however, by Christ Himself to remind us of what DOES save us!

 

We must examine the state of our souls before God.  We must ask God’s Spirit to convict us so that we might ask forgiveness for our sins.  We must make our hearts right with God before we share in the Lord’s Supper.  We must do it today, without delay.  Not to glorify ourselves, or to fulfill this law or that, but rather so that we might continue to experience God’s blessing.  Christ is our only hope of salvation and acceptance.  His supper represents all that He has done for us.

 

Are you prepared today to celebrate the ordinance before us?  Is your heart ready?  Have you examined your heart and asked forgiveness where you have fallen short?  I urge you to do just this very thing this morning.  When our invitation is given, make your life right with God today.

 

Charles Mims

http://www.the-sandbox.org

 

Danger - if you meet it promptly and without flinching - you will reduce the danger by half. Never run away from anything. Never! - Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill

 

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