Examine Yourself

Chuckle: Gallagher opened the morning newspaper and was dumbfounded to read in the obituary column that he had died. He quickly phoned his best friend. "Did you see the paper?" he asked. "They say I died!!" "Yes, I saw it!" his friend replied. "Where are you calling from?"

Good Quote: "Faith is the daring of the soul to go farther than it can see!" --Unknown

EXAMINE YOURSELF

"So if anyone eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord unworthily, that person is guilty of sinning against the body and the blood of the Lord. That is why you should examine yourself before eating the bread and drinking from the cup. For if you eat the bread or drink the cup unworthily, not honoring the body of Christ, you are eating and drinking God's judgment upon yourself" (I Corinthians 11:27-29 NLT).

Continuing our lesson on the Lord's Supper, our passage instructs us in the "how" we should observe this ordinance -- in a manner worthy of the event we are commemorating. Paul gives specific instructions on how we should conduct ourselves during the observance.

1. As we saw in our last lesson, we should partake in the bread and juice with an attitude of humility and worship. It is a holy and sacred observance.
2. We should take the Lord's Supper thoughtfully because we are proclaiming that Christ died for our sins.
3. We should take it worthily, with due reverence and respect for our crucified and risen Lord.
4. We should examine ourselves for any unconfessed sin or resentful attitude and be properly prepared for the worship experience.

When Paul speaks of taking the Lord's Supper worthily, he is cautioning the church members who participate without thinking of its meaning. In reality, no one is worthy to take the Lord's Supper. We are all sinners saved by grace. This is why we should prepare our hearts and minds beforehand for communion with God through healthy introspection, confession of sin, and resolution of differences with our fellow Christians. Such actions will remove the barriers that affect our fellowship with Christ and with other believers.

We examine ours physical appearance in a mirror before going out, and we should examine our spiritual condition in the mirror of God's Word before partaking of the Lord's Supper. We should examine our relationship with our Lord, our motives for worship, and our relationships with others. Prior to taking the elements, we should use I John 1:9 as our guide, confessing our sins, asking for forgiveness, and allow God to cleanse our lives of all characteristics which are contrary to his will for us. Then, and only then, are we prepared to observe the Lord's Supper in a worthy manner with a profound attitude of worship and thanksgiving.

Love, Jerry & Dotse