COMMUNION
MEANS MUTUAL PARTICIPATION
March 23, 2008
MF Blume
Matthew
26:26-29 KJV And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and
blessed
it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat;
this is my body. (27) And he took the cup, and gave thanks,
and gave
it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; (28) For this is my
blood of
the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of
sins.
(29) But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this
fruit of
the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's
kingdom.
1
Corinthians 11:20-31 (20) When ye come
together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord's
supper. (21) For in eating every one taketh before other
his own
supper: and one is hungry, and another is drunken. (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. (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.
(31) For if
we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.
"UNWORTHILY"
means IRREVERENTLY.
"UNWORTHY" means UNFIT
Irreverence deals with ATTITUDE and does not deal with personally being
fit or not.
Paul was not speaking about people who were not good enough when he
rebuked the Corinthians for receiving the communion UNWORTHILY.
It is interesting that people get the idea that we are personally UNFIT
due to not being good enough when they witness communion supper in many
church circles.
Most people have utmost reverence for communion.
When a person CARES about their attitude and reverence and respect, and
truly CARES whether or not they are good enough, they have perfect
reverence for the occasion!
1 Corinthians 10:16-17 (16) The cup of blessing which
we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread
which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?
(17) For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are
all partakers of that one bread.
COMMUNION means MUTUAL PARTICIPATION.
Rom 6:7 For he that is dead is freed from sin.
His death becomes our deaths when we are baptized.
Romans 6:3 KJV Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized
into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
Romans 6:4 KJV Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into
death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of
the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
We mutually, as a group of people, participated in the breaking of
Jesus in His death, and we SHOW THAT by eating bread which represents
his body.
The problem is that the Corinthians looked at it as mere food, when in
reality it is SYMBOLIC of the death of Jesus that occurred for YOU.
And it perfectly shows we are ONE BREAD.
Now, these people were dividing and forming divisions.
Instead of seeing it emphasize they were all saved FROM THE SAME death
of Jesus, making them ONE BODY and ONE BREAD, they were separating
themselves into groups of who was better than who.
THAT WAS IRREVERENCE for the MEANING of the occasion.
Two things are involved in communion.
John 6:35-36 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of
life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on
me shall never thirst. (36) But I said unto you, That ye
also have seen me, and believe not.
He said He is bread and you must BELIEVE on him to never hunger or
thirst.
John 6:40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that
every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have
everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.
Then he says BELIEF on him gives everlasting life.
John 6:51 I am the living bread which came down from
heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever: and the
bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of
the world.
John 6:53-56 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I
say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his
blood, ye have no life in you. (54) Whoso eateth my flesh,
and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at
the last day. (55) For my flesh is meat indeed, and my
blood is drink indeed. (56) He that eateth my flesh, and
drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.
There it is.
You are said to BELIEVE something if you figuratively EAT IT.
John 6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh
profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit,
and they are life.
He plainly explained himself here: eating literal flesh was not
His point, but it was THE WORDS the flesh represented that was the
point.
Actual flesh does not give eternal life.
THE WORDS HE SPEAKS PROVIDE THE LIFE.
John 6:66-69 From that time many of his disciples went
back, and walked no more with him. (67) Then said Jesus
unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? (68) Then Simon
Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of
eternal life. (69) And we believe and are sure that thou
art that Christ, the Son of the living God.
If you truly believe the only eternal life is in Jesus Christ, then you
will respect the communion supper and eat and drink it to proudly
proclaim to God, the world and angels and demons alike, that you
BELIEVE JESUS SAVES!
Who is worthy?
Romans 3:10-24 As it is written, There is none righteous,
no, not one: (11) There is none that understandeth, there
is none that seeketh after God. (12) They are all gone out
of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that
doeth good, no, not one. (13) Their throat is an open
sepulcher; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps
is under their lips: (14) Whose mouth is full of cursing
and bitterness: (15) Their feet are swift to shed
blood: (16) Destruction and misery are in their ways:
(17) And the way of peace have they not known: (18)
There is no fear of God before their eyes. (19) Now we know
that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under
the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become
guilty before God. (20) Therefore by the deeds of the law
there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the
knowledge of sin. (21) But now the righteousness of God
without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the
prophets; (22) Even the [SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS WE GAIN THROUGH
LIVING PERFECT LIVES AND MAKING OURSELVES GOOD? -- No...]
righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and
upon all them that [DO GOOD DEEDS
AND NEVER MAKE MISTAKES? - No...] believe:
for there is no difference: (23) For all have sinned, and
come short of the glory of God; (24) Being justified freely
by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
The whole point of the cross is that NO ONE IS WORTHY.
And by showing us what all of this means -- YOU CAN SEE A PICTURE ONCE
AGAIN IN OUR BIBLES ABOUT THE FRUIT OF THE TREE OF LIFE THAT WE EAT AND
LIVE FOREVER.
And the truth of the matter is that when people made you focus upon
whether or not YOU are WORTHY, instead of showing us that none of are
worthy anyway, because that is the whole point of HIM doing the work to
save us and not ourselves, YOU WERE HANDED FRUIT OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF
GOOD AND EVIL.
Its not a matter of OUR good or evil and our works.
See how people have been handing out FORBIDDEN FRUIT even in the most
precious time of celebration of the work of the cross?
And if the truth be known,
When you don't discern the Lord's BODY, you do not respect the fact
that WE NEEDED HIS GOODNESS because OUR GOODNESS could never cut it.
Fruit of knowledge of good and evil removes the need for NEW BIRTH.
Do not disrespect His body and blood.
Law is getting righteousness by doing good deeds.
Galatians 2:21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if
righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.
Do not disrespect the death of Jesus by thinking salvation is a matter
of HOW GOOD AND HOW WORTHY WE ARE in and of ourselves!
WATCH THIS:
(John 6:54) Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal
life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
(1Co 11:29-31) For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth
and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. For
this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. For if
we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.
1 Corinthians 11:30 CEV (30) That's why many of you are
sick and weak and why a lot of others have died.
WHEN LIFE-GIVING FOOD KILLS.
The only thing that gives DEATH and not LIFE is fruit of the knowledge
of good and evil.
Taking the cross and twisting it to promote YOUR GOOD DEEDS that take
you to heaven rather than HIS GOOD DEEDS YOU COULD NEVER DO to go to
Heaven is exchanging fruit of Life for FRUIT OF DEATH.