1 Corinthians 11:23

1 Corinthians 11:23 says, For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread:  Paul said that what he was teaching them about the Lord's supper he had received from the Lord Himself.  Paul was not there physically, but God revealed to him spiritually what the Lord's supper was to signify.  We likewise were not there physically, but we know spiritually what the significance is.  We can never treat the Lord's supper as anything less than an opportunity to witness to and remember what Christ did for us on the cross.  Paul said on the same night that Christ was betrayed, He took the bread.  We are not going to be prevented from sharing in the Lord's supper if we are not truly His, but it is going to mean nothing to us.  Verse twenty-four adds, And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.  Paul said that Jesus gave thanks, broke the bread, and then told them why they were to do this.  They were to do it in remembrance of Christ sacrificing His body for their sins.  Christ did not specify a time when they were to observe the Lord's supper, but did say that whenever they did that they were to remember why they were doing it.  Verse twenty-five continues, After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.  Paul said Christ then took the cup, blessed it, and reminded them that it represented His blood shed for them on the cross.  The bread and wine, or drink, do not miraculously change into the actual body and blood of Christ, but they do represent those two things.  This was never intended to be a feast, but it was also never meant to be simply a ritual that we go through periodically.  Verse twenty-six states, For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come.  The Lord's supper is a witness to those gathered of His death until He comes again.  Anytime we observe the Lord's supper, we need to take seriously what it represents.  Verse twenty-seven adds, Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.  I believe that this means not only if we observe the Lord's supper with unconfessed sin in our lives, but also with an attitude that it is just something that we do in church, like singing songs.  I believe the Lord's supper, though observed as a body of believers, is an individual observance for each individual believer.  Each person must examine their own life and motive for observing the Lord's supper.  Verse twenty-eight continues, But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.  We are called on to examine not others, but ourselves.  Verse twenty-nine concludes, For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.  Paul says that when anyone participates in the Lord's supper without first making sure that they truly understand what it represents and remove anything from their lives that make them unworthy to partake, they bring condemnation on themselves.  Each individual believer must determine if their own life meets these criteria.  Verse thirty says, For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.  I believe that Paul was saying that observing the Lord's supper in an unworthy manner could even bring physical consequences.  We cannot be whole in our relationship to God if we do not take salvation seriously.  This can indeed affect our everyday life.  Verse thirty-one adds, For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.  I believe Paul was once again warning us to judge our actions and attitude toward the Lord's supper.  If we deal with any sin in our lives by confessing it beforehand, we do not have to be concerned about God judging us afterward.  Verse thirty-two continues, But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.  God will let us know, will chastise us, when we are not following His will in our lives.  God does this so that we can remain true to Him and not have any reason for the world to condemn our faith.  Verse thirty-three states, Wherefore, my brethren, when ye come together to eat, tarry one for another.  Paul said that when we come together that we should tarry in fellowship that all might go away uplifted.  Verse thirty-four adds, And if any man hunger, let him eat at home; that ye come not together unto condemnation. And the rest will I set in order when I come.  The Lord's supper is to be a witness to Christ's sacrifice for our sins on the cross, and not a time to feast for our own pleasure.  We are to gather as one body, not as haves and have-nots, and are all to examine ourselves individually to make sure that we have nothing in our lives to prevent us from being worthy spiritually to participate.