Kingdom Principle: The Lord’s Supper is an important and weighty matter. It is one that should be approached with the utmost attention. Paul’s words in 1Cor. 11 demand it. What we see is that those who partake in an unworthy manner are liable to God’s judgment. How do we protect against this?
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Why Does it Matter?
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The ____________________________ of the Lord’s Supper
1 Corinthians 11:20–22 (ESV) — 20 When you come together, it is not the Lord’s supper that you eat…
The Lord’s Supper is not a casual event.
The Lord’s Supper signifies the death of Jesus for his bride.
Ephesians 5:25 (ESV) — 25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,
His death for our death. His life for our life.
All of those who enjoy being reconciled to the Father, should partake of the Lord’s Supper. But also, only those who have enjoyed this reconciliation and life should partake in the Lord’s Supper.
Unworthy = Not giving the proper ____________________ to something.
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The ________________ Consequence of taking in an unworthy manner
Discern = to judge rightly or to separate out
The one takes of the Lord’s Supper ought to properly consecrate (set apart as holy) it in their own hearts.
It might be hard to discern what Paul is actually referring to when he cites weakness, illness, and death, but what is not hard to discern is that the Lord takes the Supper seriously and so should we.
“It is not the worthiness of your persons, but the worthiness of your faith, desire, and acceptance of Christ, that is necessary… Christ inviteth you to come as sinners, but not as careless or impenitent sinners.” -Richard Baxter
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How do we guard to the Lord’s Table?
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Elders are responsible to _______________ sanctify the Lord’s Table
1 Corinthians 11:23 (ESV) — 23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread…
Something must happen in order for a meal to be consecrated (set apart as holy), it must be clearly delineated as such.
How can we, as a church, discern to the best of our ability, who belongs to the one body of Christ, in order that they participate in the elements rightly?
1 Corinthians 12:12–13 (ESV) — 12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.
One of the ways that we can clearly discern who belongs to the body of Christ is through baptism.
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Individuals are responsible to ___________________ themselves
1 Corinthians 11:27–30 (ESV) —28 Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30 That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died.
The final say for the one who eats, is you.
We as elders will do our best to guard the table, but we are not going to block it. We are going to do our best to consecrate the table, we are going to invite those who have been baptized to partake, but at the end of the day, you have to make the decision for yourself, based on your own examination of your own heart, whether or not you will take the elements.
