(1 Corinthians 11:23-34)…..23 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; 24 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.” 25 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.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes. 27 Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. 30 For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep. 31 For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. 32 But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world. 33 Therefore, my brethren, when you come together to eat, wait for one another. 34 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.
Salvation is God’s gift to undeserving people. He did not save us because we love God, but because He loved us! (1 John 4:9-10). It cost the Father the sacrifice of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to redeem us (Romans 8:28-33). It cost the Son the setting aside of glory and majesty with the Father in order to suffer and die by crucifixion for our sins (Philippians 2:5-8). It costs the Holy Spirit who suffers long with men/women who grieve and resist Him (Ephesians 4:28-32). Listen, the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is worthy to be remembered in the bread and cup. It is not to be taken in an unworthy manner (11:27-29). Instead, it ought to be taken with reverence for what Jesus Christ has done for us. Failure to observe the Lord’s Supper with proper reverence can bring the condemnation of sickness and even death (11:30). Why? Because if one does not discern (observe. recognize) the Lord’s body (to reason what the Lord’s Supper is really about), that person will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord, eating and drinking damnation to himself. But so that the Christian is not condemned with the world, he/she is chastened by the Lord (11:31-32).
The Lord will chasten His children so that they will have righteous behavior, sometimes removing them so they would not be condemned (Hebrews 12:5-6). So what does God’s word tell us to do? To Examine yourself (11:28). What is a person to do if the Lord’s Supper is such a serious event? He/she is to examine themselves. What does this mean?Examine means to test, to approve, to allow, to discern, to examine, or to prove. We can use the celebration of the Lord’s Supper as an opportunity to examine whether or not we are living for Jesus who died for us (2 Corinthians 5:14-15). Or whether or not there is sin in our life that must be confessed.
I however see another point here, a point brought up to the Church in Corinth in Paul’s second epistle to them (2 Corinthians 13:4-6), where the same word for examine is used. In Paul’s call for self-examination he asks, “Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you?” The fact that Jesus Christ indwells the Christian is a wonderful truth, and you and I should be sure He is in us. His indwelling was promised by Jesus Himself (John 14:16-23). We may wonder at times how He indwells the believer but the key is to KNOW that He does (Romans 8:14-17) (Ephesians 1:13-14) (1 John 3;24) (1 John 4:13). Is the Holy Spirit indwelling you? There should be no doubt in us that we are God’s son/daughter, that we have salvation in His only begotten Son Jesus Christ, unless one is not born-again and is without Christ in this world.
The only appropriate standard to use when we examine ourselves is the Word of God. We cannot trust our feelings, or what others might say, I must trust what the Word of God tells me. Am I in the faith? Are there marks of discipleship in my life?
1. Am I keeping His Commandments? – (John 14:21)
2. Am I abiding in His Word? – (John 8:31-32)
3. Am I bearing fruit from the Holy Spirit? – (Galatians 5:22)
Is it possible to KNOW whether we belong to God or not? YES (1 John 2:1-11) (1 John 5:10-13). I trust that you do have the life saving relationship with Jesus Christ that His word speaks of. If not, maybe today you will realize you are a sinner who will suffer eternal destruction from God’s wrath, unless you receive the one gift that can save you from God’s wrath to come. That free gift is Jesus, who was willing to suffer your death and judgment in order to give you eternal life in Christ.