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Pass the Chicken Before You Eat the Bread |
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I recently came across what is called, "Things You Will Never Hear In Church."
There are many things that you may never hear in Church, oftentimes what you do hear is fussing, fighting, and disagreements. Thank God there are some exceptions, but if you have been in the average Church you know it is not unusual to hear such things. I read about this woman that went to the Post Office to buy some stamps. The clerk asked, "What denomination?" She said, "Oh, good heavens! Have we come to this? Just give me 5 Catholics, 10 Baptist, 5 Lutherans, and 15 Presbyterians." The large number of denominations is a good indication that believers often disagree. The Church at Corinth, as we have seen, was not an exception. There were several factions in the Church and once again in chapter 11 we see this division and the reason for it. The passage before us deals with two meals that were closely connected in the Church. One was called the "Love Feast" and the other as the "Lord's Supper." I read about this fellow that laid out of Church one Sunday to go bear hunting. As he came around a large rock he found himself face to face with a huge bear. It startled him and he slipped, falling down the mountainside, his gun going one way and he going the other. He broke both legs in the fall. He looked up and saw the bear running toward him. The man began to pray, "Oh, Lord, I'm sorry I laid out of Church today. Please forgive me and please make a Christian out of that bear that's coming at me." At that very instant the bear skidded to a halt, fell to its knees, clasped its paws together and began to pray: "Lord, bless this food I am about to receive…" What Paul discusses centers around meals they having together. Let's look at these two meals and consider the rebuke they received for how they were behaving at these meals. 1. THE DIVISION OF A SOCIAL GATHERING! In verses 17-22 Paul speaks to them about their behavior at what was known in the early Church as the "Love Feast." This was a meal where the members would bring food and eat together. It was a beautiful practice in the early Church but the Corinthians had turned it into an ugly matter. This was a meal with: A. A SPIRITUAL PURPOSE The whole purpose of the Love Feast was to promote fellowship, unity, and a spirit of oneness among believers. Each of the members would bring food and they would pool the food together, sharing with one another. In the case where the poorest had nothing to bring, the pooling of the food allowed all to participate. They would eat together and fellowship with one another. Again, the purpose of the meal was to draw believers closer together and deepen their oneness they shared in Christ. It stressed fellowship, affection, and mutual caring. The Love Feast had a wonderful purpose, one that every Church should seek to imitate. The promotion of fellowship and the protection of fellowship should be a priority in every Church. It may be by the means of a meal or some other means, but a Church should create and provide functions and activities that allow people to fellowship, share, spend time together, and express care and love for one another. Such things that will help the people to get to know each other better and get closer to one another. Fellowship is a beautiful experience in a Church. The Psalmist declared in Psalm 133:1-3: "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! [2] It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments; [3] As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life for evermore." In a place where there is a closeness and a blessed unity among believers, the Lord commands a blessing that is wonderful to enjoy and experience. Furthermore, we see that in the case of the Corinthians Church, it was a meal with: B. A SERIOUS PROBLEM In the Corinthian Church, what was intended to help the fellowship was actually hurting the fellowship. Notice verse 17: "Now in this that I declare unto you I praise you not, that ye come together not for the better, but for the worse." As stated, one of the reasons they were coming together was for the Love Feast. Such a gathering and its purpose is something that one ought to be able to commend. But Paul tells them that he could not commend their gathering but had to condemn it. Paul says their coming together was not for the "better." The word used speaks of that which makes one stronger. Their coming together did not strengthen fellowship, unity, and oneness, but as Paul said was "for the worse." The word "worse" speaks of that which morally evil, worthless, depraved, and injurious. Instead of building fellowship, there was something going on that was actually breaking fellowship. What was designed to be a worthy practice, in the Corinthians Church was a worthless practice. Notice verse 18: "For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it." The word "divisions" speaks of that which is being torn or ripped apart. We get our English words "schism" and "scissors" from this word. Instead of unity, there was disunity. Notice verse 19: "For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you." There was not only division in these fellowships, but there was also heresy. The word "heresies" that is used here is not necessarily speaking of a doctrinal heresy. As used here it speaks of "a separation or choosing of sides." When they gathered at these Love Feasts instead of there being a mutual fellowship among all the members, they gathered into their little groups and cliques. Verse 21 describes what was happening. We read: "For in eating every one taketh before other his own supper: and one is hungry, and another is drunken." Paul describes three things that were happening at these Love Feasts. For one thing, Paul said, "For in eating everyone taketh before his own supper." Instead of all of them getting together at the same time, some were coming before the others and having their own little meal. If the Love Feast was announced to be at 6:00 they met at 5:00. They did not want to sit with the others, eat with the others, share with the others, or fellowship with the others. Paul also said, "one is hungry." The rich were bringing their food and the poor that could not bring anything were being left out. Instead of everyone pooling their food so that all could have equal, the rich got off in their little groups, ate their food, and the poor had nothing or very little and left hungry. If that was not bad enough, Paul said, "another is drunken." Those who brought food and drink so gorged themselves that some of them were drunk before they left. One can readily see why there was division in the Church. Imagine in your mind this little group coming in with a basket under each arm. They walk in with their sanctimonious chin sticking out strutting like peacocks. One of the women says, "Honey, don't forget the cooler in the back of the chariot. It has that expensive wine that I bought today. You better get someone to help you for it is the big cooler." When they walked in, instead of shaking hands with everyone, they paid them no attention to the poor. I can hear one of the women say to another, "I can't believe she wore that old dress to the Love Feast." Another says, "I know it. She wore that drab old thing last week." Their table is piled high with food. There is an assortment of meat, vegetables, and desserts. As they eat and drink, you can hear them as they laugh and go on with one another. The more they drink, the louder they get. When they are through the men stagger out, laughing and slapping each other on the back. All the time, over here in one corner is the poor who have a small portion of bread before them and water to drink. You can only imagine how they felt. It is no wonder there were divisions in the Church. Notice Paul's strong reaction in verse 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." Paul says, "What?" He can't believe their behavior. He is shocked that a Christian would behave in such a disgusting matter and treat another brother in Christ the way they were treating others. He asks, "Have ye not houses to eat and drink in?" In the mountain Churches I grew up in, this statement was interpreted to mean that it was wrong to eat in Church or at Church. It was B-I-B-L-E for not having a Fellowship Hall! Only liberal Churches had a Fellowship Hall. Those that served a Wednesday meal were apostates! Paul was not saying that it was wrong to eat in Church or at Church, but was saying that they had destroyed the meaning of the Love Feast. Instead of a social gathering that had a spiritual purpose, all they were having was a meal to satisfy the physical. Paul was saying, "If that is all this meal is about, you can do that at home." Paul said their actions revealed their disrespect for the Church. He asks, "or despise ye the church of God?" The word "despise" means to, "think down upon, show disrespect." They not only showed a disrespect of the Church, but also disgraced the poor. Paul asks, "and shame them which have not?" The word "shame" means to "disgrace." Instead of edifying all, they embarrassed the poor. Paul says, "What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you in this? I praise you not." They were not to be commended. They were to be condemned. Their behavior was, as he described in verse 17, a moral evil. It was down right disgusting and sinful! To put it simply, Paul said, "Pass the chicken." As believers we are one in Christ. God does not see us as rich or poor, but as members of His Body. He sees every believer as equal in Christ. God forbid that we should ever treat someone special because of what they have or who they are. Likewise, God forbid that we should ignore someone or esteem one less because of what they don't have. When we come to Church there is no big people or little people. We are all sinners saved by grace. We should look at each other with the blood (of Jesus) colored glasses and treat each other in such a way that will promote and protect unity. The purpose of the Love Feast was to edify every member of the Church. As believers we should never do anything or behave in any way that would hurt another brother. Instead, we should in our words, actions, and deeds, build one another up. We are brothers and sisters in Christ. We should act that way! There are no little shots or big shots, just people that should have been shot. But God in His grace saved us and made us one in Christ. Act like it! Pass the chicken. Love one another, share with one another, care for one another! Before I move on to the next point let me direct your attention back to verse 19 and point out something very interesting that Paul said. We read: "For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you." Paul said that division and trouble in the Church had a way of showing who is who. The word "approved" refers to those who have passed a test. If there is a knot-head in the Church he will surface when there is trouble. Buzzards always show up when there is a stink. If you really want to know what kind of a Christian a person is, watch how he acts when there is trouble. Secondly, we see: 2. THE DEFILEMENT OF A SPIRITUAL GATHERING! Notice verse 20: "When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord's supper." The custom was to meet together socially at the Love Feast to promote and protect their oneness in Christ and then afterwards take the Lord's Supper in celebration of their oneness. Paul says, "You may be taking the bread and the wine and calling it the Lord's Supper, but you are not taking the Lord's Supper. What you are doing is a mockery. It is a disgrace to God and man." Beginning in verse 23 Paul turns his attention of the matter of the Lord's Supper. He gives us the clearest description in the Bible of the meaning of the Lord's Supper and what it means for the believer to take the Lord's Supper. First, we see: A. A PRIORITY OBSERVANCE HE DEMANDS In verse 23 Paul says, "For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you." He wants them to understand that the instructions he is about to give them concerning the Lord's Supper are not merely his suggestions but the Lord's command. He was saying, "This is what the Lord said about the Lord's Supper." The matter of the Lord's Supper is a priority for the Church. It is not just something we should do; it is something we must do for we are commanded to observe the Lord's Supper. It is one of the two ordinances that Jesus gave the Church: baptism and the Lord's Supper. The observance of the Church of these two matters is a priority. They are commands to be obeyed. Then Paul takes us back to the night before the Lord was crucified and lets us visit that sacred moment when Jesus spent His last hour with His disciples. In what has become known to us as the Last Supper, Jesus gave us a model in observing the Lord's Supper. We read in verse 23-25: "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." Jesus gave us an example of what to do. We are to take and eat bread as well as take and drink of the cup. He also told us why we should do it. It is a time of celebration. He gave "thanks" (Vs.24). It is a time that we come with a spirit of thanksgiving that Jesus paid the price for our sins and saved us by His grace. It is also a time of contemplation. Jesus said, "This do in remembrance of Me" (Vs.24,25). It is a time not only to thank but also to think. It is a time to stop and be silent. To mediate and contemplate what Jesus has done for us. The two symbols (bread and wine) are used for the purpose of reminding us what our salvation cost. The bread speaks of His body. It reminds us that God became flesh and became a man that He might be our Saviour. The cup speaks of the blood he shed and the cruel death He died that we might be saved. It reminds us that without the shedding of blood there is no remission or forgiveness of sin. The purpose of the Lord's Supper is so that we never forget what Jesus has done for us. That is why it is to be a priority to the Church and a matter to be observed on a regular basis. Paul said in verse 26: "For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come." He does not tell how often we ought to observe the Lord's Supper but he does tell us that we should regularly observe the Lord's Supper on a permanent basis. Secondly, we see: B. A PROPER OBSERVANCE HE DESCRIBES Notice verse 27 that Paul speaks to them about observing the Lord's Supper in a proper way. He says: "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." He says that it is possible to observe the Lord's Supper "unworthily." The words means to come in an irreverent or improper way. To observe the Lord's Supper in an irreverent and improper way is to "be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord." That is, you bring dishonor to what Jesus did for you. To prevent such a thing from happening Paul gives the instructions in verse 28 that there should be a personal examination before the Lord's Supper is taken. We read: "But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup." The word "examine" means, "to put on trial." Before we take the Lord's Supper we should put ourselves on trial and do an intense searching of the heart to see if there is any unconfessed sin in our life. We should examine our hearts and see if there is anything in our life that displeases God. Beginning in verse 29 Paul describes the seriousness of observing the Lord's Supper in an improper way. We read in verse 29: "For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body." The contamination of the Lord's Supper leads to damnation. The word speaks of judgment. It is a serious matter when one so dishonor's the work and person of Christ in an improper observance of the Lord's Supper. Many of the Corinthians in how they lived and behaved (i.e.: how they were behaving at the Love Feasts) had reaped such judgment. Notice verse 30: "For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep." "For this cause;" because they had improperly observed the Lord's Supper, many of had suffered the judgment of God. Paul says many are "weak" among you. The word speaks of a condition one is left after a long illness. The word "sickly" speaks of those without good health. I remember visiting the hospital with a pastor to see one of his members. I asked what was wrong with her and he said, "Oh, she is just getting her tithe taken out." Paul told the Corinthian believers that many had suffered physically for taking the Lord's Supper in an unworthy way. He even said, "many sleep" because of their behavior. We get our word "cemetery" from this word. He was saying that many had died prematurely because of how they had treated the Lord's Supper. Again, he comes back to the matter of examining ourselves before we take the Lord's Supper. We read in 31-32: "For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. [32] But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world." We are to take the initiative and deal with sin in our life. If we do, the Lord will not judge us. But if not, the Lord will take the initiative and do the judging for us. God does not take it lightly what Jesus did to purchase our salvation and neither should we. Therefore, the observance of the Lord's Supper should be a serious and sacred matter. Notice verse 33-34: "Wherefore, my brethren, when ye come together to eat, tarry one for another. [34] And if any man hunger, let him eat at home; that ye come not together unto condemnation. And the rest will I set in order when I come." If I may put it this way, "Pass the chicken before you eat the bread." We should approach our brother with the goal of spiritual edification and the Lord with the goal of spiritual glorification. We should neither treat our brother or our Lord in a disrespectful way. We should pass the chicken, i.e., share and care for our brother, and therefore be able to eat the bread in a way that is worthy. We must remember: if we are not right with our brother we will not be right with the Lord. Understanding the consequences, we should say, "You take the breast and I'll take the wing." |