Would you take your Bibles and turn with me to the book of 1 Corinthians chapter 11 this morning. 1 Corinthians chapter 11. One of the greatest privileges in all the world is that you and I can have a relationship with God. The one who put the stars in place, the one who made every grain of sand is the same God who made you and I. And God desires relationship with you. That is a great privilege. Not only that he desires it, but he has made a way for that relationship through Jesus Christ, his son. Once we're saved, then another great privilege you're going to learn about is not just the fact that you get to have a relationship, fellowship with God. You get to have a fellowship with God's people, the church. For many years, there was a couple that my wife and I would see from time to time. We knew who they were, in fact, they're realtors, a husband and wife realty team. And my parents for a time were looking for a home near us and we actually, we called them and Richard and Anita were their names. They showed a couple houses to my parents. It never worked out. They were never able to move near us, but we would see them. I mean, anywhere we would go. We would go to the farmer's market. Hey, there's Richard and Anita. We'd go to Wendy's to grab a hamburger for lunch. There's Richard and Anita everywhere, and it became like a little bit of a joke, like, guess who's here? Everywhere we went, we saw Richard and Anita. I was in a wedding in Oklahoma City, The wedding was concluded, we had grabbed lunch, and we were at the airport getting on our Southwest flight, and I said to Holly, guess who's here? She goes, you're kidding. I said, no, Richard and Anita, they were in line. Now, we knew who they were, they knew who we were, but you know what? We went over to them, hey, we were strangers in this strange country. And we saw somebody we knew, somebody we recognized. Hey, good to see you guys. And we were much warmer that day than we'd ever been with them before. Because, hey, there was something we had familiar with Richard and Anita. We were citizens of the same community. And that was special. Have you ever done that before? Gone somewhere you never expected to see somebody you knew and there they were. Maybe it was a friend from high school. Maybe it was a relative. You had no idea. And there they were. Every Sunday as God's church gathers together, we ought to have that spirit. Hey, you're here. I'm glad to see you. And especially as we gather around the Lord's table, it ought to be a time where. Warriors who have been in battle all week return. where we gather around the Lord's table once a month and we say together, we have something in common. We have a common Savior and we're in a common fight. And boy, it's precious for us to gather together in communion with Him and with one another. In 1 Corinthians chapter 11, the Apostle Paul has been addressing a number of questions given to him by the church. You remember the Corinthian church was a carnal church. They had some issues. But they were not without hope. They had the gospel of Jesus Christ. They had the indwelling of the Holy Spirit of God. And by the way, if you know a Christian who is a wandering away, they know Christ and they have his spirit. They are not without hope. The Corinthian church was not a lost cause. We are called to celebrate our common citizenship, our camaraderie in the fight, our calling in Christ. But this is not always the case. That's not always what happens when Christians gather together. The passage we'll look at this morning, we're going to find that a careless attitude towards Christ, His cross, and His church will not go unpunished. It's something that we must take very seriously. Not only is it a great privilege of ours, but there's a great responsibility that comes with it. It's common for Christians to gather around the dinner table, and before they eat, to say grace. Paul was not going to be addressing whether or not the Corinthians were saying grace, but whether they were showing grace at the Lord's table. The Christian ordinances and the Lord's table will be spoken of in this passage. It's a passage we read every month as a church. We read through this as we participate in the Lord's table, which we've done two weeks ago and we'll do again in another two weeks. Church ordinances and church interactions are invitations for a closeness with Christ and His bride, the church, for which He died. They're opportunities. They're invitations for us. The Apostle Paul is going to underscore a couple of things for us, and just imagine him taking a highlighter and saying, okay, church, the Lord's table has a specialness to it. There is a seriousness to it. And there is a selflessness to it as Christians gathered together who have received something that they did not earn. As we celebrate what Jesus has done for us, we must recognize that he did that for the rest of us, that he did it for the church, that nobody has earned their way to heaven or bought their way to heaven. We all are born into this world desperately wicked, needy, and there's only one who can save, and that's our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Both ordinances and organized functions of the church unite us to Christ and each other. Look with me across the page in chapter 10, a verse we looked at before we jump into chapter 11 here. Chapter 10 and verse 16, Paul says, 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? For we, being many, are one bread. and one body, for we are all partakers of that one bread." And there's two wonderful things that take place. As we participate and remember Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection with what we call the Lord's Table or communion, where a piece of bread is given and then juice to follow, it's an opportunity for us to not only remember and think on what Christ has done for us, but it's also, according to verse 17, it's a picture of us together as a body, as a loaf of bread in a sense, that we are united together in Jesus Christ, and when we gather, For that practice, that ordinance, we are actually gathering with the Lord. Yesterday, my wife and I were driving. I was going to take her on a little date, and it didn't turn out so well. I saw there was something blocking the road, and so I went around it, and then I went down a one-way, and it was blockaded, and there was a parade going on. It was the St. Patrick's Day parade, and we weren't planning to go to it, but we went to it because there was nowhere else to go. Got to see a couple of our young people from our church who were walking in the parade, like leprechauns, and that was fun. But while we were there, I was just making note of who was in the parade and what they were doing. The only ones who offered me candy were the leprechauns who were in our youth group. They gave me a handful of bubble gum, which I just put in my pocket. No thanks. But while we were there, a church went by, and they all had matching shirts. And it said, the Holy Spirit is welcome here. You know, I thought that's a great thought. For true Christians, the Holy Spirit is actually present here. We have him indwelling us, but collectively, according to the Bible, he is here with us right now. The Holy Spirit is here. And certainly, maybe they were saying they want him to show his power, his word, the holy word of God to be effective. And I'm all about that. But as we gather together as a church, and whether it be the Lord's table or it be a regular scheduled event, a service like this, are we aware of the Holy Spirit's presence? Are we aware that the Lord Jesus Christ is here meeting with us? And that changes everything. It changes not only our attitude in worship, but our attitude towards each other. If we come with conflict, with disagreements, division, Do we really meet with the Lord? That's the question the Apostle Paul's gonna be addressing. Look at the beginning in chapter 11, verse 17. He says, now in this I declare unto you, I praise you, not that ye come together, not for the better, but for the worse. It's good that Christians gather. It's what we're called to do. In fact, the name church is the idea, the word ecclesia, called out people together for a purpose. But he says, you're coming together But it's not better. Verse 18. And I partly believe it, verse 19, for there must also be heresies among you that they which are approved may be made manifest among you. The apostle Paul had a great concern upon his heart. You're gathering together and when you gather together, there's something that's missing. In fact, he suggests it'd be better that you not meet than to meet like this. He's not sure it's better that they meet together. The word heresies in verse 19 is the idea of division, a faction, a conflict. It's not necessarily speaking of somebody who's throwing out gospel truth. It's talking about somebody who doesn't agree with somebody else and they're carrying it with them. And as they gather together as a church, this is a problem. And in a sense, God is saying these things need to happen because it's going to show how people respond to conflict reveals where they are in their heart. And so the Apostle Paul is seeking to help the church understand not only how important it is to observe the Lord's Table or communion, but how important it is, how much more important it is to have communion with Him and with each other. Communion is your Christian privilege, and by that I'm not just talking about when we once a month receive the Lord's Table. Communion with Christ and each other is our Christian privilege. He says in verse He says, when ye come together, therefore, into one place, this is not to eat the Lord's Supper. Or, in a way, what he's saying here is, you're coming together physically, but you're not coming together spiritually. It's not possible for you to genuinely be receiving Communion, because you're not in communion with one another. Verse 21, for in eating, everyone taketh before other his own supper, and one is hungry and another is drunken. What? Have ye not houses to eat and 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. So they were receiving, the Lord's table is a display of God's grace. We're sinners who needed a Savior. He gave us what we couldn't earn or deserve. And here, there were people who were showing preference towards one another. There were some problems taking place in the church. There were some. This church had a custom, and every church is allowed to have their own customs. We have our own way of observing the Lord's table, but there was a custom they had. We see in Acts chapter two, it was probably a custom of many early churches, that they had what they called a love feast. It was a potluck dinner, in a sense, that happened either before or after the service of the Lord's table. And there were those who, when they gathered together, were looking down on some others. There were the haves and the have-nots. And there were some who were trying to guess the motives of other people. If they'd work a day in their life, perhaps they'd have more to eat. And there are other people like, well, that guy, he'll eat anything. And we're going to have the good stuff before he comes. We're going to go get our pie before he shows up. That kind of a spirit. James has something to say about this. If you have an attitude towards one another within the church, as you gather together, you are in sin. God is not pleased. This was taking place in the church in Corinth as they were gathering together for the Lord's table. Some were coming, and they were coming earlier. Okay, we're gonna have the shrimp and the filet mignon, and we're gonna have whatever else, and we're gonna have the best. And when the other people come, we'll pull out the corn dogs and the Hot Pockets, you know? They'll eat anything, you know? And what does the Apostle Paul say about this? It shouldn't be. You're not in communion. You're not coming together in communion. Picking up at verse 23, he says, for I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you. Now, the word received there, the word delivered, excuse me, is commanded. It was commanded by the Lord Jesus Christ that we receive and participate from time to time. Now, no schedule is given to us delineated in scripture, but it's important that a church, whether it be once a year or once a week or once a month like we do, however a church decides to do it, that it be regular and consistent in some way, okay? Paul was passing on the command that he was given. He says that the Lord Jesus, the same night in which he was betrayed, took bread. When he had given thanks, he break it and said, take it. This is my body, which is broken for you or given for you. We know not one of Jesus's bones were broken. You might try to reinterpret or misunderstand what the Bible is saying here. His body was given for us. He says, this do in remembrance of me. It's a celebration of what Christ has done. Verse 25, after the same manner also, he took the cup. What he ends up saying, this cup is the new testament or new covenant in my blood, which this do ye as often as ye drink it in remembrance of me. The idea there of a covenant. There were always two parties. And there was one who offered, and then there was one who received. And as we received the Lord's table, as we eat the bread as a reminder of the body that was given, as we drink the cup as a reminder of the blood that Jesus shed on our behalf, in a sense, we're saying, I'm remembering that I had partaken of that covenant that was offered to me from Jesus Christ. He says, this do ye as oft as ye drink it in remembrance of me. Verse 26, for as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you do show the Lord's death till he come. And in here, built within these phrases in verse 24, and he says, this do in remembrance of me. The idea is to continue to do this practice. Very likely the Corinthian church was doing this every week. That was common in many of the early churches. And so what was taking place every week is they were not honoring the Lord Jesus Christ. They weren't thinking on him. They were thinking of themselves. Verse 27, he says, wherefore, whosoever shall eat this bread and drink this cup of the Lord unworthily shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup. 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." And so he's addressing here, not the fact that they were having a meal before or after, he was addressing how they were going about it. They were gathering together, but there was not unity. The table, the Lord's table, as presented here in these verses, and as we receive monthly, it's simple, really. Two things, two items, right? There's bread and juice. Very simple. It's a symbol. The bread is a symbol of Jesus's body, and the juice is a symbol of his blood. It's a symbol. It doesn't become the body of Jesus, does not become the blood of Jesus. It's a reminder. And that's significant because it represents not just things that Christians do, but what does it represent? The Lord Jesus Christ and his church. And so we must take it very, very seriously. You know, it's interesting, it's to be repeated. So time is involved, but it's also to be cemented. There's something tactile involved, right? You're taking and you're eating and maybe you smell the juice in your nose before you eat it. And the bread, you taste that with your taste buds. Your sensory elements are involved. I mean, this is something Jesus designed and put forth, not that you would do and forget, but it would be a reminder for you. Something for you to be engaged in. Pastor Josiah had mentioned on Sunday night, people have different learning types. There are auditory learners, there are visual learners, maybe it's reading and through objects. Some of you are tactile learners, like you've got to do something to remember it. It would help you every Sunday if I gave you something physical to do at the end of the sermon. It would help you remember it the better. Well, the Lord Jesus Christ seems to take care of all of those for us at the Lord's table. He wants you to remember what he has done for us, but what it means for us. But what had been happening at the church at Corinth, the Lord's Table had become two things, segregated and sacrilegious. There were those who were, I mean, their stomachs were full by the time they came to it, but there were people who were actually coming to the Lord's Table and they were starving. They had nothing. They hadn't eaten anything. And they were segregated. But they were sacrilegious because they were thinking of themselves and not thinking of Christ. This was an opportunity for fellowship with each other and the table, but they were not thinking about fellowship with the Lord. Earlier when we were talking about meat had been offered to idols, we talked about the fact that meals are a great place of ministry. It's a great place for us to get to know each other. There's value in that. But in this particular meal that was taking place at the Lord's table, it was not a ministry. People were coming together with conflicts and division. Heresies, as it says in the passage. It's interesting, in verse 17, it says, ye come together. Verse 18, ye come together. Verse 20, ye come together. It's repeated again in verse 33. Wherefore, my brethren, when ye come together. It's important for Christians to come together. And most certainly, as we gather around the Lord's table, we come together. And how do we come? How do we set the table for the Lord's table? The problem was not the presence of a potluck, but the exclusive nature and favoritism present at the potluck. So what do we do? How do we set it? Let me just give you two simple thoughts this morning. Number one is be utensils of unity. Come together. When our family sets the table, everybody has it done a certain way. I have my own way. I know there's like reasons of why the fork is on the left and the spoon is on the right and the knife. I just disagree with my entire family. I know I'm wrong. I always turn the knife out. So if I go to your house or if I go to a restaurant and I sit down at the table and the knife is turned in, I turn it out. I think it looks better. And if there's a weapon, if there's an enemy to my right, the knife is ready. So I know I'm wrong. but I don't plan on changing. Now, when we gather together at the Lord's table, there is a specific way that we are to gather together. There's a way to set the table for the Lord's table, and that begins with an attitude of unity. As we mentioned in verse 19, conflicts reveal character. When there's conflicts, when there's tension, you find out what you're made of. When there's conflicts that come up in the life of a church, which it happens, According to verse 19, it's okay because some things will be revealed. It'll show who's got a hard heart and who's got a humble heart. It'll show who's being a servant and who's being selfish. And he says these things, they happen. They need to happen. And the reality is, is when there's conflicts. And so the Apostle Paul, when he sees a conflict taking place in the Church of Corinth, in the Lord's table, he's not saying God's done with you as a church. He's saying, okay, here's the chance for us to zoom in and look at what's going on. Whose hearts are right and whose hearts are not? And there were people who were being very selfish, self-minded. They weren't thinking about others. They were thinking of themselves. And that needed to be addressed. They need to be turned to the Lord Jesus Christ and see how important it is that we follow His example. He was sacrificial when He went to the cross and we need to be sacrificial as we remember it and as we celebrate it together as a family. What is the spiritual fruit when there's conflict that shows up? I mean, is there love and is there joy and is there peace? Who's got that? Is there... Demonstration of love we're going to get to in a couple of weeks here. Chapter 13. If you want to understand what love looks like, read 1 Corinthians chapter 13. And it's not talking about a wedding day. It's talking about the church gathering. And the love that's shown in 1 Corinthians 13 is something that needs to be visible and demonstrated week by week in the life of Christ's church. Reactions are revelations. It's James chapter 3, it says, but if you have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descended not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. Self-interest is not God's interest. The passage we read this morning in Micah chapter 6 verse 8, it says, to love mercy, It's the same kind of mercy that God shows to us in undeserving love that pursues us. And he's saying this, Micah is saying, the prophet is saying, what's acceptable to God, your sacrifice? No. To do right, righteousness, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. And right in the middle of that is this idea of loving mercy. Well, you can love God's mercy towards you, but I think what's implied is that we love showing the mercy God shows us towards other people. What you have received, you did not earn. So therefore, you have no right to be prejudiced. You have no right to say, well, this person, yeah, they get my favor, they get my interest, they get my time. Not that person, never, uh-uh. Christian, guess what? We don't get to do that. Especially when it comes to the household of faith, when we gather together as God's people in his church. You don't get to say, well, yeah, I'll take him on my team, take her on my team. That guy, we can leave him out. That lady, no, no. No, we're one family in Jesus Christ. We've been bought by the shed blood of Christ. And together we enjoy communion. Amen. I heard amen back here. Thank you. Some of you can follow his lead. It's a privilege. It's a privilege for us to receive God's mercy, but it's also a responsibility of us to show it. So what do we do? There's a problem with conflict, right? But we need to practice coming together. Verses 21 and 22 gives us some indication of how to do that. Don't bring shame in the name of Jesus Christ or his church by the spirit in which you come together. When we talk about examining our hearts before the Lord, sometimes it's very easy for us to think about our own sins. Have I thought anything I shouldn't have thought or said anything I shouldn't have said? I'm not saying you shouldn't do that. I think it's important. I think it's implied. But I think a question that's very legitimate in light of this context for us all to have is as we gather for the Lord's table, is there anybody within this congregation that I have something against? They've hurt me or I've hurt them and I've not sought to resolve it. That's the danger here. And so you're careless, you're thoughtless about what Jesus has done for you because it's showing up in your life that you don't really care for that other person. So, number one, we bring the utensils of unity. Ephesians 2.13 says, but now in Christ Jesus, you were sometimes a far off or made nigh by the blood of Christ. In Jesus Christ, we are made one. Ephesians 4.3, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. In the Holy Spirit of God, we have the ability to be unified as a church. That's what pleases Him. But not only do we set the utensils of unity, we also bring the plate of purity. Christ enables this in verses 23 to 26. As we think about what Christ did, as we would receive the elements, right, the bread and the juice, we're to be reminded of the sinless sacrifice made for us, Jesus Christ, who lived this earth, who walked the dirt, who was the son of God. He was the living word of God. And he sacrificed himself for us so that you could be saved, yes, you could have forever a relationship with him, but also that he could sanctify you, that he could make you like himself. That's what we're told in Ephesians chapter one, that Jesus Christ shed his blood that we might have forgiveness of sins. It says in Ephesians one, in chapter 1 verse 7, in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace. Jesus Christ died that we might be purified. He shed his blood so not only that you would get to go to be with him in heaven, but that you could live for him here on earth. Christ enables this cleansing. In Ephesians 5, it's speaking of the church, and he's giving a picture of a husband-wife relationship. But he says this, that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word. That's what Jesus is doing to Christians. Collectively, to us as a church, that's what he's doing. He says that he would present to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish. Jesus Christ, because of what he did on the cross, enables you and I to live for him. A sinless life, no, but a godly life. And so when we fail, when we sin, Christian, you don't lose your salvation. but you might hinder your fellowship. And so you seek the Lord, you humble yourself. And the Lord's table is one of those opportunities where we do that. We humble ourselves. Lord, is there anything that's hindering my fellowship with you? Is there anything that's hindering my fellowship with my church? Maybe with the Christians outside of my church? Those are legitimate questions. And Jesus provides all you and I need to be what he's called us to be. We're also responsible for the cleansing. We're told in 1 Corinthians chapter 3, he says, Know ye not that you are the temple of God, talking to us collectively as a church? We're the temple of God, indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God. He says, For the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. And so it's the right thing for us as Christians, though we have been forgiven for our sins. It's right for us to examine, to say, Lord, is there anything that's hindering my fellowship with you today. 1 Corinthians 6, 19 reminds us to glorify God in our body and our spirit, which are God. So we have two responses to this, okay? So if I'm going to set the table of unity, and if I'm going to bring the plate of purity, I need to examine myself, and number two, I need to enjoy myself. The Lord's Table is a special occasion. While it's somber and maybe serious, it's something for us to look forward to, to anticipate. Our church has been, for the last year or so, been alternating between morning and evening once a month. We put it in the bulletin so you know when it is. The reason we do that, we know some can't come out at night, different times of the year, because of the darkness. And so we've been alternating it. But whenever we're doing it, it's right for you as a church, as a Christian, to say, I want to make sure I'm there. I'm looking forward to this. If you come and you roll your eyes and you say, oh, it's going to take an extra 10 minutes. I'm going to be late for lunch because of the Lord's table today. You're coming with the wrong spirit. There's an expression used there and it says, he that drinketh this cup unworthily, it's used again in verse 29, he that drinketh unworthily, it isn't saying sinless, it's saying I need, I need what Christ has offered and I need to be reminded of that. The unworthiness in those two verses has to do more with your attitude towards other Christians. If you're unwilling to resolve conflict with another Christian, by all means abstain. But otherwise, if you say, well, I think there might be something, at some time, I might have done something, and I don't, oh, I don't wanna get sick, and I don't wanna die, so I better, no, it's not that. It's the person who's angry, festering, divided. They're being thoughtless of the sacrifice of Christ, and it's showing by how they treat one another. That's what it's talking about. So examine yourself, but also, Christian, guess what? Enjoy yourself, enjoy the Lord's Table. It's a special time for us to remember the most wonderful thing that's ever happened in all of human history, all of world history. It's the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. So, what do we do when we receive the Lord's Table? Number one, consider the crowd. Think about who's there. It's right for us as Christians to think about one another. We're gonna talk more about that tonight. Number two, cherish the church. Jesus died for it, he loved it. Do you love the church? Do you love your church? I mean, are you excited about your church? Are you loyal to it? I'm not saying loyal to me, I'm talking about loyal to him. A loyalty to Jesus Christ that shows in your love for one another. Consider the crowd, cherish the church, and continue in communion. It's something to be actively engaged in as a church. I know of a church in the South that if you miss two Lord's Tables in a row, they'll remove your name from the membership. They take it that seriously. It's important. It isn't just a matter of us gathering together, it's us gathering together with Christ, seriously examining our hearts before him. Now, if you've come today and you've never trusted Jesus as your Savior, Christ came for you. He loves you. He died on the cross for you. It's simple as ABC. A, agreeing with God, admitting that you are a sinner. B, believing that Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay for your sins. And then C, claiming what he's offered to you, calling out to him and saying, God, I know I'm a sinner. I can't save myself. I believe you. I'm trusting you. I'm putting my confidence in what you did on the cross to save me from my sins. And my friend, whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved, the Bible says. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. Salvation is offered, it's offered to you. I was working as a summer youth pastor and living at the pastor's house. One day I was eating my lunch next to their four-year-old daughter, Jennifer. It was just me and Jennifer at the table and she would say the funniest things. I was all ears. She liked the inside of her sandwich, but she wasn't so sure about the outside of it, and she was kind of just flinging it around like this, and she says, is this the crust that Jesus died on? She obviously had misunderstood the word. And while the Lord's table is bread and juice, it's not the body of Jesus, it's a reminder to us. What I should have said to her is no, but it's a picture, it can be a picture. of he who gave his life for us, who shed his blood, that we could be forgiven. I'm grateful she's a pastor's wife today and she has her own brood of children herself. I'm sure they're even funnier than she was. How many of you are vets here? You served in one of our armed forces. Thank you. Thank you for serving. I've been with some friends who are vets when they've come across some fellow comrades in arms. They fought in the same war. Maybe they went to the same region. And even if they didn't know each other, they had some things in common to talk about. And it was almost like, come on, we gotta go. I'm glad you met this guy, but let's go, come on. Because there's such an attachment to people who have experienced the hardships of war, of battle. And so it is for the child of God as we gather together, we have experienced some of the same things. Maybe we don't always recognize or think about the fact that you're not the only one in the world who's struggling. There's other people who come every week and they've got burdens and they've got weights and some of them will never say it out loud. They just give it to God. Sometimes it's physical, sometimes it's financial, sometimes it's relational and they have no answer, they have no hope and they're coming to church and they're looking for help from God. And you're judging them by what they're wearing. Shame on us. Shame on us. We come together because of Jesus Christ, what he's offered for us on the cross of Calvary, and what we have together as Christians. Communion is union with Christ and with each other. When the church gathers, we ought to say, look who's here. Years after I had seen Richard and Anita, I went to a nursing home just about a year ago. A friend of mine was dying, and I went in. You'll never guess who I saw with a walker walking through the nursing home. I came home and told Holly, guess who I saw? Sure enough, and I'm sure, he's a believer, and I'm sure he is probably with the Lord. If not, we'll be before too long. Is he a family member? Not necessarily, no. Close family friend? No. We've got something in common. And me seeing him and his smile on a weekly basis was a reminder of what we had in common. As we gather together with God's people in the church, it's a daily reminder of what we have together in Jesus Christ. We like to say, if you were the only person on earth, Jesus Christ would have come and died for you, that's true. But you're not the only person on the earth. There's others he's died for too. The grace you've received, they've received if they've trusted Christ. And the grace that you've been offered, it's your privilege then to offer that to one another in communion in the Lord Jesus Christ. The communion table that we enjoy, is but a taste of forever. We'll spend forever together with Christ. Let's enjoy it here. Father, thank you for your word, and I thank you for this passage that shows us of your great love, your concern for us. You not only desire to save us, but you desire for us to see the unity that we can have together in you. You put love in our hearts that wasn't there before. You enable us to show Christ's love to each other. And that's wonderful. I pray that we would not only cherish our church, would savor the saints, but that we would work hard to be sure that we are in right fellowship with you and each other. I pray that you would expose areas of our heart that have been selfish or prejudiced, self-serving, and maybe have hindered this church from being what you want it to be. Help us to take very seriously what it means to be a Christian, in Jesus' name, amen.