2006-10-22 Communion Dedication – Baldwin Christian Church 

Exodus 12:22-23 And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the bason, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the bason; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning. For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the LORD will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you. 

To partake of the Lord’s Supper is to say, “Jesus died for me, and He is my Passover lamb”. 

If we are not careful in how we partake of the Lord’s Supper, we can turn it into something that Jesus never intended it to be.  This would not only be an insult to Him, but it also does great harm to us.  In the early church at Corinth, some folks were not discerning the body in the way they partook of the Lord’s Supper.  The Apostle Paul warned them, “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 (1 Corinthians 11:29-30). Many people in that church were not discerning the Lord’s body at the Lord’s Supper.  Many people in that church were sick, and many of them died because they had turned the Lord’s Supper into something that Jesus never intended it to be. 

Jesus said, “do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19), but somewhere in our minds we get the idea that partaking of the Lord’s Supper makes us more holy.  I believe that attitude actually takes away from the holiness of this Supper.  In coming to Christ, we must begin to deny our old nature, and take on His nature instead.  Part of our nature is to put too much importance on physical things, and part of our nature is to judge others when we should be judging ourselves.  The moment I start thinking this bread and wine are what make me holy, that’s when you will probably catch me looking around to see who isn’t taking it.  The Scriptures say, “Let a man examine himself, and so let him partake”.  If I find myself examining other people at this table, then out of respect for the body of Christ, I should decline the bread and wine. 

Some of you might be thinking you have this all sorted out already, and it’s not a problem in your mind.  To you I ask this hypothetical question; what would you be thinking if you looked up to see the pastor decline the Lord’s Supper?  Since we know that you were busy examining yourself, I have to assume that it would be an accident for you to look up and see the pastor pass-up the Communion.  I don’t think any of us would deny the pastor’s freedom to abstain, but I’m wondering what would go through our minds if we saw it happen.  Would we be able to stop thinking about it during the rest of the service?  At that point, we might as well start playing the altar call music, wind up the service, and go home, because nobody would be able to concentrate on the sermon. 

Examine yourself; if the pastor, the song leader, the piano player, or even the person sitting next to you refrains from the bread and wine, would you be thinking about it for the rest of the service?  Nobody here should feel obligated to partake of this Supper.  That completely removes the love from it.  If I let the elements of communion pass me by, I should not be distracted by thoughts of “Who saw me decline it?” or “Will I have to explain what’s wrong with me today?” or “Have I caused others to stumble, or be distracted from the worship service?”  When we sit at this table, the mercy of Jesus should be our only distraction/attraction.  If Jesus is not the center of your attention at this time, it may actually be more holy to abstain from the Lord’s Supper. 

The Passover was instituted by the LORD as a yearly memorial of how He delivered His children from bondage (Ex 12:25-27), and so is this Supper.  By faith, the children of Israel painted their doorways with the blood of the lamb.  It was an outward sign that kept the plague of death out of their homes.  After they painted their doorways, they were instructed to remain inside their homes the rest of the night.  To go outside was to invite death.  Even if they were just curious and wanted to take a look around, maybe to see whose house wasn’t painted with the blood, they invited death (Ex 12:22). 

Romans 3:23-25 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; 

Because this supper is a memorial, we should be respecting the wishes of the One we honor.  At this table, we must declare His righteousness, and by simply discerning the darkness in our own hearts, we proclaim that we are not worthy of His sacrifice (1 Cor 11:31).  So let us partake.