If you have your copy of God's word, turn with me to the book of First Corinthians. First Corinthians, chapter 11. First Corinthians, chapter 11, beginning in verse 23. Hear now the word of the Lord. For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus, on the same night in which he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, Take, eat. This is my body which is broken for you. Do this in remembrance of me. In the same manner, he also took the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood. This do as often as you drink it in remembrance of me, for as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. Therefore, whoever eats this bread and drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner, eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. For this reason, many are weak and sick among you and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord that we may not be condemned with the world. Therefore, my brethren, when you come together to eat, wait for one another. But if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, lest you come together for judgment. And the rest I will set in order when I come. This is the word of the Lord. Together we say thanks be to God. Let's pray. Now, O Lord, we pray that you might strengthen our faith and walk with you as we look to your word preached to your word made visible to us in the supper. Help us, O Lord, to know more about preparing to come to this meal. In Jesus' name, amen. For many of us, likely a review, but for many of us, we often hear those words in chapter 11 of Paul's instruction of the institution of the supper, but we don't always read further to those words and verses 27 and following, encouraging us, encouraging the church at Corinth to examine ourselves. First, let's talk about the context. And then tonight, our singular aim is to seek to understand better how to take the Lord's supper, how to prepare for the Lord's supper. If we move to the very beginning of the book of First Corinthians, we will remember, of course, that Paul is dealing with a lot of issues at the church at Corinth, issues related to the gifts, issues related to disunity, of discipline, of forgetting that we have been cleansed from former sins. Here, Paul deals with the issue of the Lord's Supper. Verses 17 through 22 give us the Corinthian problem. Let's look there so that we can understand what their particular issue was that caused them not to understand the weight of the table. Verse 17 says this. Now in giving these instructions, I do not praise you since you come together, not for the better, but for the worse. For first of all, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you and in part, I believe it. But there must also be factions among you that those who are approved may be recognized among you. Therefore, when you come together in one place, it is not to eat the Lord's supper for an eating. Each one takes his own supper ahead of others, and one is hungry and another is drunk. What do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and shame those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you in this? I do not praise you. And then the familiar passage for I receive from the Lord that which I deliver to you quickly, then the context is that Paul has no condemnation for commendation, no praise for the church at Corinth in how they are observing the Lord's Supper, because, as verse 18 says, there are divisions There are divisions in the church and those divisions are coming. They're being made manifest at the table. Now, of course, Paul references this here. Some divisions in the church are necessary over doctrine and right understanding of Christ, as he says, in order that those who are approved may be recognized among you. However, the divisions at Corinth. were not divisions that should have occurred. And they were divisions which caused the people to be profaning the Lord's table. What were these divisions? Well, we catch a glimpse of that in verses 21 and 22. Verse 21 says, For in eating, each one takes his own supper ahead of others. And one is hungry, and another is drunk. Factions and distinctions between the rich and the poor in Corinth had led to not observing the Lord's table correctly. The issue here was likely that the rich had been eating ahead of the poor who may have had to come later because of a host of other obligations and the normal feast that would occur around the Lord's supper, which the early church often observed called the agape feast, the love feast. It was turning into the kind of thing that was a focus on food versus spiritual nourishment and communion. Notice what Paul says. For in eating, verse 21, each one takes his own supper ahead of others. And one is hungry and another is drunk. Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and shame those who have nothing? There is a reference to those who have little while there are others who have much. We read in Acts chapter 20, verse seven, that it was the practice of the early church on the first day of the week, the Lord's Day, to gather together for the breaking of bread. But this breaking of bread was not meals we often think of. It was a reference to the Lord's table. The church at Corinth. was observing the Lord's supper. And Paul says that this supper is about spiritual nourishment. It's not primarily about physical nourishment. So in verse 22, he says that I do not have praise for you. Shall I commend you in this? No, I will not. And then in verses 23 through 26, he reminds them of what the supper is. what the supper is, and that we take bread, which is a symbol for the body of Christ. We take wine, which is a symbol for the blood of Christ. And the meal that institutes again for us in our mind the new covenant in Jesus' blood is observed. So for Corinth, the larger issue that caused them not to discern the body and blood of the Lord was their mistreatment for one another. So often then down through the ages, many have thought that a right preparation for the Lord's Supper is simply to make sure that you're not at odds with anyone in the church. After all, the issue in Corinth seems to be factions and divisions, the poor being left out, not being provided for in the supper and in the accompanying meal that was often occurring. But notice what Paul says in verse Twenty seven. After saying that when we eat this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim the Lord's death until he comes, Paul writes these words, therefore, whoever eats this bread and drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. Let a man examine himself and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner, eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. I would submit to you that in order to prepare for the Lord's supper, in order to take the Lord's supper properly, we need to understand what it is that we should avoid. What is this unworthy manner? It's more than just factions in the church. Paul says that drinking and eating in an unworthy manner is, quote, not discerning the Lord's body. So then if we are to come to the table, we must discern the Lord's body. What does that mean? What does that mean? to discern the Lord's body. Well, if you don't, verse 27 says you're guilty of profaning the body and blood of Christ. Verse 29 says you drink judgment upon yourself. In fact, in verse 30, we read that Paul says in the first century, in the Corinthian church, some were even dying because of the mistreatment of the Lord's supper. Now, in our day, we don't necessarily assume the same level of judgment, but we still nonetheless need to understand what it means to discern the Lord's body. So a question, is the body that we are to discern the church body or is it Christ's body? Is it the church body? We might be tempted to think that because what's being discussed here, but factions among the church body, or is it Christ's body and blood, sort of the body standing in for the entire phrase? Well, given the immediate context, discerning the Lord's body would be not discerning one another. but discerning Christ's body, discerning Christ's body. Look at the text again. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner, eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. Now, I should say here just because this is a focal point. This is a very crucial point of the text. Some of our English translations will not have the word Lord's body there, and it's a shame. because it might lead to utterly turning this translation up on its head. I think the majority of manuscripts here that contain the word Lord's body, along with those translations that have been recognized down through the ages that have the word Lord's body actually have it correct here. Now, it's not as though the translators of your various English Bibles are trying to pull one over on you. But again, There are oftentimes questions about which manuscripts we should use to be faithful to our translation. But the majority of manuscripts down through the ages have had the word Lord's body. And that is a crucial word, because when Paul says he who drinks in an unworthy manner and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the body, that might make you think in keeping with what has just happened in Corinth that I'm not discerning you. And so I'm drinking and I'm eating in an unworthy manner. But I would submit to you that while that is an important part of right attendance to the supper, Paul is not talking about Grace Baptist Chapel here predominantly. Paul is not saying when you come to the Lord's supper, you need to make sure that you discern the 40 to 50 to 100 to 120 people on Todd's Lane. Rather, he's saying, you need to discern the body and blood of Christ. Our chief preparation when we come to the table is to go to Christ's finished sacrifice. So what were they doing? because of their factions, because of their disagreements that were causing them to not prepare, that were causing them to miss out on what the supper was really about, namely the new covenant, namely the gospel. They were not truly observing the supper because the body and blood of Christ were not in view. This is where we need to. Join. with those down through the ages who have rightly said that the bread and the wine and the supper remain bread and they remain wine. Boys and girls, when your parents or if any of you are baptized believers in Christ, if you come to this supper, when you partake the piece of bread that you eat, that's what it is. It's bread. It doesn't change into anything. The the juice or the wine that you drink, that's what it is. It doesn't change into anything. But in the supper, the sign or the symbol, bread and wine are so closely related to the body and blood of Christ that when you partake of those elements in faith spiritually, you have communion with Christ in a special way. Now, brothers and sisters, we have labored in our congregation to rightly understand this over the years. But how are we then to take the supper? If we believe that when we come to the supper, we are to discern the Lord's body and blood, namely, we are to take that in our hands, the sign and let it point us like a sermon to those things that are signified, the body and blood of Christ. How are we to then come to the supper? Three simple truths coming out of this then. How should we come to the table? Number one, we must prepare with reverent expectation. We must prepare with reverent expectation. The Corinthians were told by Paul that they were neglectful in their preparation. Their preparation was so lacking that they didn't even think about one another, that the meal itself surrounding the Lord's Supper had become such a chaotic mess. that certain friends were gathering and drinking and some were getting drunk and others were showing up later, arriving at the supper and the meal that surrounded it and there was nothing left. This lack of preparation is the backdrop for which Paul rightly corrects the church. We must be reverent when we come to this meal and that we realize the meal is not just checking a box, Not just a ritual, but it's an actual participation of fellowship in the body and blood of Christ. Turn with me over to one chapter prior to ours. First Corinthians 10 here speaking about idolatry. And the fact that. If you participate. In. idolatrous sacrifices. You participate with demons. Paul uses that as a backdrop to say this in verse 16, the cup of blessing which we bless. Is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? Or is it not the fellowship in the blood of Christ, the bread that we break? Is it not the communion of the body of Christ? Greek scholars will recognize, of course, that word communion is koinonia. This cup that we bless, is it not the koinonia of and with the body and blood of Christ? So when we come to the supper, there is a sense, brothers and sisters, in which we are having fellowship with the crucified, buried, risen again, ascended Lord Christ by his spirit in the supper. But the elements stay exactly what they are. But we mistake the supper if we take in our hands bread and wine and we don't let that be a sermon which takes us to Christ. We don't discern the body and the Corinthians were in such neglect of this that that caused them to disregard even the church body of Christ. We must prepare with reverent expectations. So I would humbly submit to you that when you see the email that goes out that says these are the times this month when we have the Lord's Supper. When you hear the call from this pulpit that says next Lord's Day or tonight, we're going to have Lord's Supper. Do you pray? Do you ask the Lord to prepare your heart for the two sermons that you will receive, the audible one and the visible one? Do you think to yourself, though the church is gathering at the table which my savior instituted? Therefore, if at all possible, not only do I want to be there, but I want to pray expectantly that the Lord would remind me again of his new covenant, that he would preach his covenant of grace to me visibly, that I might know by the Spirit the sweet communion of Christ in the supper. We need to do more in our own hearts to prepare for the Lord's day, undoubtedly, and even for what happens on the Lord's day, like the supper. Think of this, brothers and sisters, the most important meal you eat at any time in your life is the Lord's supper. And often it is the meal that we spend the least amount of preparation over. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and chips for the kids take more work sometimes than we put into, Lord, I'm going to meet you in the supper. We must prepare with reverent expectation. Secondly, we prepare by reminding ourselves of what the supper is. Paul does that, doesn't he? In verse 23 through 26, I receive from the Lord that which I delivered to you. And then he simply gives those words of institution again. Jesus taking bread and taking wine and saying these things signify, they are signs. Guideposts on the road which point to my body and my blood. And then he says this cup, verse 25, is the new covenant in my blood. This do as often as you drink it in remembrance of me. So what is the supper? Well, it is a new covenant sign. What does the writer, the preacher of Hebrews, tell us in chapter eight of the book of Hebrews, the new covenant? is that promise of God that he will remember our sins no more. So when we come to the supper, we are reminded that this is our Passover meal. This is our covenant feast, our celebration. So when the church observes the Lord's Supper, several questions should come through our minds. Am I a Christian? Am I resting in Christ alone because I dare not come to the supper? For his people, if I'm not one of his. Have I been identified with Christ in the sacrament, the ordinance of baptism, if I've not been baptized, then I'm not ready to come to the supper because the Lord has given his church to sacraments or ordinances, one which marks the entrance into the covenant community and the other which marks the ongoing participation of his work. among the saints. But as we've seen in First Corinthians 10, verse 16, the supper is a special time of communion with Christ. In the 1600s, James Durham, you could call him perhaps a Scottish Puritan, wrote these words. To what is Christ made discernible and communicable? We answer. First, he is not discernible nor present after the corporal or bodily manner to the eye, though he be really and truly present. Now, speak with me after service if you are wrestling as a Baptist with the idea that Jesus is actually present in the supper. There's so much to say and I won't linger there. But even our own confession declares him to be present spiritually. But Durham continues, the bread that he gives is his body and the cup his blood. And yet it was bread and wine which was given and not his body and blood bodily. Secondly, he is not present and communicable by any local mutation, by taking us up to heaven to him or by bringing his body out of heaven to us. But he is these three ways present and communicable first to our spiritual senses, to an enlightened understanding which considers Christ's body broken and his blood shed. Secondly, to the faith of his people, he is present in his own ordinance. When his spirit goes along and quickens their hearts and their faith is in exercise, they are made to apprehend Christ's body and to have a union with him sitting in glory as really as they partake of the elements with their hand and feed upon them with their mouth and stomach as union, as really as betwixt the head and the members and betwixt the root and the branches. These two, the spirit on Christ's side and faith on our side, make up a real union. And therefore, though this presence be real, it's spiritual faith looking. Going through the elements takes up Christ, according to the end appointed, and this makes the union, do you see what Durham is after, even in that old kind of English? that there is real communion with Christ, spiritually though, not physically, spiritually in the supper. So we prepare with reverent expectation and we prepare reminding ourselves of what the supper is. But thirdly, and we'll close with this, we prepare by examining ourselves in the gospel. That's Paul's point, isn't it? Unworthy partaking of the supper is neglecting to discern the Lord's. body. So we must come with a view to Christ and him crucify. We come with repentance for sins committed against him. We come to the table more focused on his accomplished sacrifice than on our unaccomplished sanctification. You see, many times people will say, I don't have enough faith this week. I haven't confessed every sin this week. So which I humbly ask, since when was the work of Christ ever based on your ability to do anything? So by all means, use the table as a time to confess sins to God. It is a time of reaffirming the covenant, but. Discerning the body is remembering to hold Christ's broken body for you and his shed blood for you in view and that no other sin is larger in your view than that. No other sin is larger in the sense that you want to hold on to it without repentance. But no other sin is larger than the view of Christ's broken body and blood in the sense that you let it keep you a sin conquered in the past from coming to the supper. John Calvin, I know I've read this to you before, said this, but now it is asked what sort of examination that ought to be which Paul exhorts us. Papists, boys and girls, that's the old usage of the word for Roman Catholics, those following the Pope. Papists make it consist In out loud confession, they order all that are to receive the supper to examine their life carefully and anxiously that they may unburden all their sins in the ears of the priest. Such is their preparation. I maintain, however, that this holy examination of which Paul speaks is widely different from torture. Those persons, after having tortured themselves with reflection for a few hours and making the priest such that he is privy to their vileness, imagine that they have done their duty. It is an examination of another sort that Paul here requires, one of such a kind as may accord with the legitimate use of the sacred supper. You see here a method that is most easily apprehended. If you wish to use a right, the benefit afforded by Christ, bring to the supper faith and repentance. So we prepare with reverent expectation, we prepare by reminding ourselves of what the supper is. And we prepare by examining our own hearts in the light of the gospel. And as we do all of this, Paul says in First Corinthians 11, 26, as often as we eat this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim the Lord's death till he comes. Oh, how I wish we had time to talk about the sermon that the Lord proclaims. That the Lord's death is proclaimed by the Spirit of God in the midst of the people. And let me leave you with this word from Puritan Thomas Goodwin when talking about the Holy Spirit and his meeting us in the supper. He says, the Spirit follows us to the sacrament and in that glass shows us Christ's face. smiling on us. And through him, we go away rejoicing that we saw our Savior that day. This supper, brothers and sisters, is a supper that we need to prepare for. All of the work has been accomplished by him. And the spirit lets us see in supper by our faith, the smiling face of Christ upon his covenant people. Let's pray. Almighty God, we ask that you would give us a greater reverence for the supper, a greater desire to prepare for it in our minds and souls to meditate upon the gospel. when we know that it is to come to confess our sins, to come to the table humbly and yet boldly because Christ has done everything necessary to give us a seat. And as we partake. The bread and the wine cross our lips and tongues, may we and our souls feast upon the promises of the new covenant. that you will forgive our sins and remember them no more, that Christ has promised to be with us to the end of the age and that in the supper we might know the sweet communion of Christ with his people spiritually. These things we pray in Jesus name. Amen.