9/6/26 “Cross Examined”
“Cross Examined”
1 Corinthians 11:17-34
When you hear the word ‘Examination’....what comes to mind?
Maybe some of you think about going to the Doctor’s office....
...where there’s an actual ‘examination table’
....such a fun experience that is, right?
Maybe when you hear the word examination, you think about food...
...it’s important to examine food – especially produce - before consuming it, right?
Some of you younger people might think of school when you hear the word ‘examination’...
....final exams were always a very stressful experience for me....
.....mostly because I didn’t really believe in studying back in the day..
....and now I love to read...go figure.
Maybe some of you have testified in a courtroom...where you were cross-examined by a prosecutor – or defense attorney...
It’s also common to examine things like financial records, data, maps, user reviews, prospective employees, suspicious marks on the skin....
SO many things can be the subject of examination...
You definitely want to examine your parachute before jumping out of an airplane.....right Don?!
For millennia, we human beings have been examining the world around us....
...and we’ve gotten fairly good at examining things....and learning from those examinations...to better understand the world around us.
But...where we have definitely fallen short...is when it comes to examining - ourselves!
From a worldly perspective, human nature is a puzzle with only a few pieces in place.
It seems as though the observation of people can only bring us so far in understanding the complexities of the human experience...
The fields of Psychology and Sociology are filled with theories about mankind that seem to fail & unravel as time marches on....
My undergrad minor was in the field of Sociology...and I still recall learning about all of these theories describing human interaction....
....and how so many of these theories fall short of reaching an objective, definitive, answer to behavioral issues and complexities....
Well...as many of us know....the central reason why mankind receives a failing grade when it comes to examining ourselves....
..... is because most psychologists and sociologists begin with the wrong premise concerning the intrinsic nature of humanity....
They begin with the assumption that man is inherently good, pure, unblemished....and the things that steal our happiness and emotional well-being are the result of external forces pushing themselves upon our lives...
....worldly therapists convince their clients that they are just innocent victims....victims of their life circumstances....victims of an unjust society....victims of poor parenting....victims of gender inequality....victims of racism...victims of wealth inequality....
You name it....there’s a psychologist out there somewhere who’ll tell you that you’re a victim of it...
....especially if you – and your credit card – keep coming back to see them on a regular basis.
This line of thinking results in the kind of blame-shifting that we see happening today....and to an unprecedented level
So many people today simply refuse to take responsibility for their own actions.
Well...as bad as we are at learning from examining other human beings...
...we are really lousy at examining ourselves.
We tend to be relatively hard on other people....while at the same time – being really easy on that person looking back at us in the mirror....
We see ourselves through those rose-colored glasses – so to speak – while viewing others through scratched-up sunglasses that have been dropped in the mud.
Someone once said, “Intelligence is knowing how to take criticism, stupidity is thinking you’re above it.”
Proper self-examination involves being objectively – and brutally - honest with oneself...
...A practice that will always involve some level of criticism in areas where we can make changes for the better....
It means taking off those rose-colored glasses....and viewing our lives through the honest lens of God’s Holy Word.
Scripture tells us that we are all sinners who have all fallen short of God’s moral standard of perfection... (Romans 3:23)
....It is only through this lens of reality that we are able to come anywhere close to examining ourselves accurately....
...and to also learn from those Bible-based examinations.
A significant portion of today’s passage deals with properly examining ourselves...
Specifically, as we examine our lives through the context of what our savior – Jesus Christ – has done for us on the cross...
How one views the shed blood of Jesus Christ will determine – in large part - how we see ourselves....
...and this task of accurate self-examination happens to its fullest extent whenever the body of Christ meets around the table of Communion...
We will either approach the Lord’s Supper as prideful, arrogant victims of the world around us...
...or we will approach the Lord’s Supper as humble, broken people in desperate need of spiritual healing and restoration...
In other words....our self-perception will either be rooted in a worldly premise of faulty presuppositions...
...Or....our self-perception will be rooted in the truth of God’s Word.
Paul’s message to the church in Corinth was that of needing to establish– and maintain – a sober, biblical view of our position in Christ...
...especially as we take Communion together – as we will be doing next week.
Paul begins in verse 17 (1 Corinthians 11:17) with a stern chastisement of the church in Corinth on account of their ongoing divisions and disputes among themselves....
Something....if you recall....Paul addresses at the beginning of this letter (Divisions over following Paul, Apollos, Peter, etc)
Obviously, this problem of disunity in the Corinthian church was a serious, ongoing issue....
....and it can become a problem in any church – including this one – if we aren’t vigilant about maintaining a spirit of cohesion with each other...
The book of Ephesians has one of the most powerful passages on unity in the church that you will ever read.
Paul writes, “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit – just as you were called to one hope when you were called – one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”
Paul says to ‘make every effort’ in maintaining unity within any congregation...
Just as in a marriage...or any family relationship....unity takes effort, right?
I like what CS Lewis has to say concerning unity: “Love as distinct from being ‘In Love’ is not merely a feeling. It is a deep unity, maintained by the will and deliberately strengthened by habit.”
Because we are sinful creatures, we need to continually pray for God’s strength of will in overcoming our propensity toward division and discord...
....and that we develop positive habits that will continue to move us in a direction of relational harmony with one another...
In verse 20 (1 Corinthians 11:20) Paul tells the believers in Corinth that their spirit of disunity has negatively affected their participation in the most important corporate event that takes place in the church....
....that being the ordinance of Communion.
Communion is the time we – as a body of believers – come together as family to solemnly commemorate...and celebrate...the sacrifice of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
As many of you know...Communion is one of two ordinances that Jesus told his followers to perform in His absence....the other – of course – being baptism.
Depending on who you talk to, there are differing views on what exactly takes place during the administration of the Communion elements.
Catholicism, for instance, teaches something called Transubstantiation.
It’s the idea that the elements of bread and juice (or wine) actually undergo a physical change during Communion (Or, the Eucharist, as they call it)
....where the bread literally becomes the body of Christ....and the wine literally becomes the blood of Christ....
This would also mean that by physically ingesting Jesus into our bodies, that saving grace is also imputed to an individual as well...
The biblical reality, however, is that we become a brand new creature in Christ the moment we place our faith and trust in him...
2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”
The doctrine of transubstantiation also infers that a believer would continually need to be filled with Christ on an on-going basis in order to wash away one’s sins.....
....But the Bible tells us that Jesus died once for all...one time for every sin we have committed....or ever will commit.
The author of Hebrews writes, “Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest (Referring to Jesus) had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God.”
Communion isn’t about receiving little morsels of salvation one bite at a time....
Communion is about thankfully remembering the once-for-all sacrifice that was made on the cross for each and every one of us!
When Jesus tells the Pharisee Nicodemus in John chapter 3 that he must be born again in order to be saved....
He is saying that salvation is a one-time conveyance upon a soul....much like how one’s birth is a one-time event that cannot be repeated....
So.....when the Corinthians would gather together for communion...
Which – in the early church – was more like a fellowship dinner (or if you grew up Baptist like me, a ‘Pot-luck’)
.... at some point during that dinner, a moment of remembrance would take place where bread and wine would be consumed during a special, solemn time of reflection.
....It seems as though some of the Corinthian congregants were not practicing communion in a Christ-like manner....
In fact, Paul uses some very harsh language here beginning in verse 20 (1 Corinthians 11:20) he writes, “When you come together, it is not the Lord’s supper you eat.”
This is a very serious, accusatory statement.
He’s saying that you – as a body of believers – are going about this all wrong...
....So much so that your observance of the Lord’s Supper no longer qualifies to be an ordinance of the church!
So....what were some of the Corinthians doing that could elicit such a condemning statement?
We get the answer beginning In verse 21 (1 Corinthians 11:21)
We read here about how some people were impatient with others during the administering of the elements....
Also, Some of the wealthier members were also apparently eating and drinking everything they had brought to the feast without sharing their food and drink with those of a lower socio-economic class....
....they were also getting drunk on the wine before the ceremonial portion of the feast took place.....making a mockery of the entire event.
This kind of behavior was completely unacceptable....and Paul let’em know it.
He calls them out in verse 22 (1 Corinthians 11:22) for despising their fellow church family members...and for humiliating others who were less fortunate than themselves....
This kind of mindset and behavior had no part in the church of Jesus Christ...and it has no part in the church today...
....during communion – or at any other time.
Scriptures like these are a good reminder for us today that we need to treat everyone with dignity and respect....even if they are very different than we are.
...ESPECIALLY, if they are different than we are.
If there is any institution in society where cliques and tribal identity should not exist...it should be in the Church.
Now....I think we do a pretty good job here at LACC in the area of tribalism....but we can always do better.
So.....I’d like to issue a challenge to all of us today.
If you’ve been sleeping...or thinking about the Badger game tonight....
Wake up...this is important!
Today, when we have fellowship dinner....I’d like to challenge each and every one of us to sit with someone who you don’t normally sit with.
Many times, we tend to gravitate toward the same people because we know them the best....or we feel the most comfortable around them for one reason or another....
Kind of like growing up in a home where everyone in the family had their own seat at the dinner table
....Does that sound familiar to anyone?
Well....today....we’re gonna move the chairs around at the dinner table a bit....
We’re gonna get out of our zones of familiarity....and get to know some of our church family who we don’t normally socialize with....ok?
...And if I see you eating with your usual tribe....
....It’s not going to be pretty....Lisa’s gonna come over and forcibly remove you from that table! 😊
She’s my Huckleberry.
...No, you will not be forcibly removed if you’re sitting with your usual peeps...
But the more we know about each other, the more united we will be as a congregation.....
And the more united we are as a body of believers....the more effective we will be in advancing the kingdom of God here on this earth....
It’s as simple as that....And that should be something we all want.
So.....I’ll be watching! 😊
The next few verses in today’s passage are probably verses that many of you have memorized....you hear them every month when we have communion.
In terms of a timeline, the book of 1 Corinthians was written very early....possibly even earlier than the gospels...
If so, this would mean that what we read here in verses 23 through 26 are perhaps the first biblical record of the institution of the Lord’s Supper.
Paul tells us that this ordinance comes directly from God....that it's not some home-baked idea of his own....
He also lays out a simple – but profound – framework for remembering the sacrifice of the savior using food and drink in a way that echoes how Jesus shared the Lord’s Supper with His disciples before going to the cross...
Jesus’ own recorded words here are one of remembrance.
They are not pointing toward a sacrament of salvation....but one of solemn recollection....
a recollection of what Jesus did for each and every one of us here through His death, burial, and resurrection....
....That sinful man can be seen as righteously pure to God the Father through the blood of the son, Jesus Christ.
This is the good news of the gospel....and this is what we celebrate whenever we come together as the church....
....and - especially – when we come together around the table of communion.
In verse 27 (1 Corinthians 11:27) Paul returns to addressing the irreverent attitudes and practices that some people within the Corinthian church were exhibiting during their fellowship dinners....
He writes, “Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.”
You might be thinking...how is it possible to come before the Lord’s table in an unworthy manner?....what does this actually look like?
....I mean, because of our natural sinfulness, aren’t we all unworthy before God to some extent?
Well...we all are unworthy in a practical sense...a meritorious sense....
But Paul is talking about something a little different here...
He’s talking about our attitude as we approach the ordinance of Communion.
For instance, are we participating in the Lord’s Supper ritualistically....without involving our hearts?
Are we simply going through the motions without allowing any emotion to be part of the process?
Are we under the false assumption that the act of communion conveys grace or merit....rather than being a solemn remembrance?
Are we coming to the table with hatred, bitterness, or discord in our hearts toward another believer?
And folks, this is a big one: Are we coming before the Lord’s table with unrepentant sin in our lives?
....These are all ways in which we can approach this table in an unworthy manner.
It has to do with a heart posture of either indifference or repentance in relation to our sins.
Remember the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector, both worshipping at the Temple?
The Pharisee – a sinner – is all proud of himself before the Lord...
And the Tax Collector – also a sinner – is completely devastated on account of the hideousness of sin in his life....
This is a perfect example of two very different ways to approach worship through the ordinance of communion.
The remainder of today’s passage is a reminder to the Corinthian church – and to us today – that participating in communion in an irreverent way will have consequences in our lives.
Spiritual consequences, for sure...but - according to verse 30 - it can even result in physical consequences.
Verse 30 (1 Coritnthians 11:30) is a very sobering verse.
It seems to say that physical sickness...even death....can result from an attitude of flippancy, irreverence, or apathy for the believer who refuses to place the level of reverence upon the ordinance of Communion that it deserves.
Let this be a warning to all of us today as well.
We all value our health....and this passage tells us that God can – and will – take away what many people value the most if we are not also valuing the sacrifice of the savior.
....Let us never dishonor the ceremony that recognizes the greatest sacrifice ever given for mankind...
In some ways, dishonoring the table of the Lord is like trampling the flag.
When someone tramples our country’s flag, it's not to dishonor a piece of cloth.....but to dishonor the country that piece of cloth represents.
To participate in communion in an unworthy manner does not simply dishonor the ceremony....it dishonors the one in whom we honor during that ceremony.
So...this week as we gear up for next week’s observance of Communion...
Examine yourselves.
Examine your attitude toward Jesus...and toward others...
Examine your relationships....
Examine the sin that may have entered into your life....or sin that has taken permanent root in your life...
Repent...turn away from it. Give it all over to Jesus in the same way that the tax collector did before the alter of the Lord in the Temple...
....and find the preserving and soothing ointment of forgiveness.
Next week, let’s come to this table with a clear conscience....ready to serve God....and God alone.
Let’s Pray.
