The Sacraments & Faith
Sermon Recording
Sermon Outline
Speaker: Rev. Scott Strickman
Sermon Series: Faith, Hope & Love
1 Corinthians 10:14-17; 11:17-34; 12:12-13 (ESV)
10:14 Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. 15 I speak as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. 16 The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? 17 Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.
11:17 But in the following instructions I do not commend you, because when you come together it is not for the better but for the worse. 18 For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you. And I believe it in part, 19 for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized. 20 When you come together, it is not the Lord's supper that you eat. 21 For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk. 22 What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I commend you in this? No, I will not.
23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when 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 also he took the cup, 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 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30 That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. 31 But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. 32 But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.
33 So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one another— 34 if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home—so that when you come together it will not be for judgment. About the other things I will give directions when I come.
12:12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.
Sermon Outline
Those united to Jesus by faith are given two signs (sacraments) in which God represents and applies grace, forging connections which deepen and grow.
1. Others
12:12-13 “all the members… are one body… for in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body”
10:17 “we… are one body, for we all partake of the one bread”
11:18 “when you come together… there are divisions”; v20 “it is not the Lord’s supper that you eat”
11:21 “one goes hungry, another gets drunk”; v22 “do you…humiliate those who have nothing?”
2. God
10:16-17 “participation… in the blood… in the body… of Jesus Christ”
11:24-25 “this is… do this in remembrance of me”
11:26 “you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes”
3. Self
11:28 “let a person examine himself”
11:29 “anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body…”
11:23-24 “when he was betrayed… when he had given thanks”
Questions for Reflection
If you have not been baptized: why not? What does baptism mean, and what about it have you not yet been ready for? If you have been baptized: how often do you remember your baptism (that you have been baptized)? Does it make any practical difference in your life? Should it?
How do baptism and the Lord’s Supper show that our union with Christ also implies union with his people? What are implications of our having been joined with a particular people?
What does it mean to examine yourself before taking the Lord’s Supper? When should you do this? What should you do? Any cautions?
In what ways does participation in the Lord’s Supper keep us united with Christ? How does it help you stay faithful?
Under what circumstances should you refrain from participation in the Lord’s Supper? Is this a decision you should make on your own? If not, who should you work through that with?
What are causes of the Lord’s Supper becoming merely an outward ritual? Why can it become something we do without thinking? What should you do when you find yourself just going through the motions?
How is the Lord’s Supper a help for the discouraged, the struggling, the weak?
Why is it important to remember frequently that Jesus died for us? What can go wrong when we lose sight of this or take it for granted? How do we keep it meaningful such that it makes a real difference in our lives?
Prayer of Confession
Almighty and most merciful Father, we are in great need of your help and grace. In failing to love you as we ought, we have also failed to love your people. You have given us signs that manifest the true bond we have in Christ, but we remember ourselves, our needs, and our resentments more than we remember with clarity Christ who gave himself for us. Our faith has been weak and we have not lived out of the full reality of what is pictured in baptism and the Lord’s Supper. We are a broken people. Thank you that the body of Jesus was broken for us. We are an unclean people. Thank you that the Holy Spirit has cleansed us, and that our baptism is a sign of this profound truth. Forgive us. May what is signified in the signs of baptism and the Lord’s Supper be a deepening reality in our lives. Amen.