1 Corinthians 11:17-34
17 But in giving this instruction, I do not praise you, because you come together not for the better but for the worse.
18 For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that divisions exist among you; and in part I believe it.
19 For there must also be factions among you, so that those who are approved may become evident among you.
20 Therefore when you meet together, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper,
21 for in your eating each one takes his own supper first; and one is hungry and another is drunk.
22 What! Do you not have houses in which to eat and drink? 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 will not praise you.
23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread;
24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”
25 In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”
26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.
27 Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord.
28 But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup.
29 For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly.
30 For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep.
31 But if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged.
32 But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned along with the world.
33 So then, my brethren, when you come together to eat, wait for one another.
34 If anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, so that you will not come together for judgment. The remaining matters I will arrange when I come.
Theme: Eight exhortations for partaking of the Lord’s supper
I. Beware of three dangers that threaten the purpose and spirit of the Lord’s Supper vv.17-22
A. The danger of divisions vs.18
Exhortation # 1 Don’t contribute to the divisions in the body
B. The danger of factions vs.19
Exhortation # 2 Don’t become the leader or a member of factions in the body
C. The danger of self indulgence and its consequences vv. 20-22
Exhortation # 3 Don’t become guilty of selfishly neglecting others in the body
II. Understand three characteristics of the Lord’s Supper vv.23-28
A. The supper is for Believers vv.23-26
Exhortation # 4 Make sure you are a believer in Christ, if partaking
B. The supper honors Jesus Christ vv.23-26
Exhortation # 5 Focus completely on our Savior, when partaking
C. The supper requires proper preparation by the recipients vv.27-28
Exhortation # 6 Abstain from partaking unworthily
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