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Once again, a very good morning to all of you, and thank you for joining us in knowing the Scriptures and in worshipping our God.

As a church, we have been going through the book of 1st Corinthians, and today it will be no difference. We are coming to 1st Corinthians chapter 11, and verses 17 to 34, which is really about the Lord's Supper.

See, Paul, the Apostle, the writer of the book of 1st Corinthians has addressed many problems within the church. And there is this problem with regard to the Lord's Supper, in that when they gather for a meal as Christians, as brothers and sisters in Christ, it is appropriate that they gather in the name of Jesus, they gather to remember Christ and what He has done for them on the cross.

So, it is supposed to be a fellowship meal to share, to express that love one to another, and to express their allegiance to Jesus. But in the church at ancient Corinth, instead of having a fellowship meal together, it has become a kind of segregational, elitist environment. In that, the richer people have gathered first to eat together, to gorge themselves, to enjoy the food.
And when the food is almost done, or it's already eaten up, the poorer brothers and sisters in Christ would come and realized that there is nothing left for them.

Now, this kind of behavior has caused a division in the church, and it is a shame because something that is so beautiful like remembering Jesus, and His love over a fellowship meal is now perverted to become an occasion for division and elitism. Now, that is the problem Paul seeks to resolve.

And so today's title is "Not The Lord's Supper!". Paul is going to say that, "What you're doing here is absolutely vulgar, it's absolutely wrong, it's absolutely distasteful. How could you do this?" So, I think Paul's reasoning in these few verses are quite simple, let's dive into these verses. And they are, I think organized in such a way, that it will be easy for us to investigate under five headings.

[1] Seriousness
First, I'd like us to notice the seriousness of the problem before us.

In the beginning of chapter 11:2, Paul says, "I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions." So he started with a positive note, not losing the big picture that they were generally quite a good people.

But the tone changes in verse 17 with regard to the Lord's Supper. "In the following instructions, I do not commend you."
So, this is a serious matter!

He goes on to say in verse 18, "For in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you." There's a rich-poor divide. And he says, "In the first place ..."[v18] I highlight that because when you read "in the first place," generally you will read later on in the second place, or secondly. But it does not occur in chapter 11, or chapter 12, nor the rest of the epistle.

So, the idea of "in the first place" is not in the first place with regard to sequence, but "in the first place" with regard to significance. He's saying, "This is of utmost importance! This is serious!"

He goes on to say, "You despise the Church of God and you humiliate those who have nothing." [1 Cor 11:22] "You, who are rich gather first and eat your fill, but in so doing, you have ostracized your poorer brethren, you have shown despise and you humiliate them.

This is serious because now with what you do, you're guilty not only towards them, "But you are guilty concerning the body and the blood of the Lord." [1 Cor 11:27] "In that, when you ostracize people, when you are supposed to have a fellowship meal to remember Christ, you desecrate this whole significance of this meal." We are going to look more into that if you're not so clear as of now, don't worry.

Verse 29, "You eat and drink judgment on yourself." "You are going to suffer consequences, because of your selfishness, your pride, your elitist spirit." "And indeed, some are weak and ill and some even die." [1 Cor 11:30]

So, all these verses is to scare you, so that you'll pay attention to what's going to happen hereafter. So, seriousness of the matter is emphasized.

[2] Selfishness
Secondly, we're going to look at the exact charge on the Corinthians about their selfishness.

Paul says that there are divisions, as I've already kind of alluded to, it's a social economic divide that is very wide and gaping, in the way they conduct the Lord's meal or the Lord's Supper, the fellowship meal they eat together.

Paul says, "I believe it in part." [1 Cor 11:18] "I believe this is what's happening." So, he's not there to see what's happening, but he had his informants who told him what's happening. And he says, "I'm not in the least surprised."

"I believe it in part, for there must be factions among you." [1 Cor 11:18] "There must be such a divide among you. I'm not caught off-guard. I know this will happen in a sense. "In order that ..." [1 Cor 11:18] For what? "In order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized." [1 Cor 11:19] So, Paul is really throwing a curve ball, it's not something you expect, but this is what he understands.

In the church, he says, "There will be those who are genuine followers of Jesus Christ, and there will be those who are not genuine followers of Jesus Christ." He is not surprised that in a gathering of God's people, there will be such kinds of behavior, such kinds of elitist spirit. He says, "I believe it that this will take place, so that those who are genuine will be recognized, and those who are not will also be recognized."

By what? By the way they live, by the way they treat one another. So in Paul's mind, he does not just say that doctrinal accuracy is important, he is also saying that a man's faith or a lack of faith is also seen in the way they live, and in particular the way they treat one another.

So he says, "I'm not surprised that you have such a ... such a problem, such factions, because there will be those who are not genuine Christians, who will treat other people in such a selfish, arrogant and elitist manner."

"When you come together, it is not the Lord's Supper that you eat." [1 Cor 11:20] "You're supposed to come together to remember Christ together, to pledge allegiance to Jesus, to be a proclamation that we are God's people. But when you come together in such a divisive posture, it is not the Lord's Supper that you eat."

"For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal." [1 Cor 11:21] "You're just concerned about yourself, about having your fill."

"One goes hungry, another gets drunk." [1 Cor 11:21] "What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? [1 Cor 11:22] "Can't you just eat at home? Must you come together and gorge yourself in such a separatist manner?"

"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." [1 Cor 11:22] So herein is the selfishness of the Corinthians, they openly acted in such a way that would bring despise and humiliation to their poorer brothers — inconsiderately, blatantly eating amongst themselves who are rich.

And so Paul writes this in order to deal with this problem.

[3] Significance
Now, if you do this anywhere else, it might not be as bad, but in the context of the Lord's Supper, it's particularly grievous.
So Paul, now, in verses 23 onwards, give us the significance of the Lord's Supper.

You got to understand why this is particularly bad in the context of a fellowship meal amongst God's people, commemorating the Lord's death. He brings us to an understanding of what the Holy Communion represents. "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." [1 Cor 11:23]

So, he says, "Now, let me help you understand the Lord's Supper. It was instituted by Jesus on the last night before He was going to the cross, on the night that he was betrayed by Judas Iscariot. Remember that Passover meal that He had with the disciples? That's the night!"

"He took the bread, He broke the bread and He said, "This is My body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of Me."' [1 Cor 11:24] So, I highlight the word, 'remembrance', because we are going to come to that in a while.

And then He goes on to say, "This cup is the New Covenant in My blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me." [1 Cor 11:25] So, another word for you to ... to take note new ... or another phrase "New Covenant".

And then He goes on, "For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes." [1 Cor 11:26] So, there are some key phrases there, that shapes and gives structure to how we are to understand the significance of the Lord's Supper.

So, the scene before us is Jesus with His disciples on the last night, He took that bread, probably something like your chapati, not your Gardenia. And that chapati is broken, shared as a meal with His disciples, the cup is also passed to the disciples. And then Jesus says, "This is My body," referring to the bread, "And this is the New Covenant in My blood," in a cup.

Now, there are some people who teach that when Jesus says, "This is My body," holding that bread, He's saying that ... that bread now becomes the body of Christ. Aah, we don't think that ... that is the case, His body is still there, He's sitting there. But when He says, "This is My body," He is saying, "This is a symbol of My body, this is a reminder, a representation."

Just as I have a picture of my wife in my wallet, I take out the picture and say, "This is my wife." You wouldn't say, "You siow [crazy in Hokkien] ah! You marry a photograph! You wouldn't say that, because you understand that when I say, "This is my wife," this represents my wife.

So when Jesus says, "This is My body, and this is the New Covenant in My blood," He's not saying that the bread suddenly becomes liver and lungs and eye and nose. Wah, like that ah! Nor is He saying that the cup suddenly becomes blood, but He's saying, "These are tokens, symbols of remembrance."

So, I say that because Jesus did not die over and over and over again for us. There are some who teach that every time people celebrate the Lord's Supper, we see the transformation of these elements into the body and the blood of Jesus, almost like re-crucifying Jesus. But that's not what the Bible teaches, Jesus is crucified for us, once for all. For all time, a single sacrifice, and by a single offering, this is so clear, according to the Hebrews' author in chapter 10 - 10:10, 10:12 10:14. Super easy to remember!

The point here is this, there are those who believe in transubstantiation. You say, "What in the world is that?" You know, 'trans' is from one place to another, right? Transport - from one place to another. So, transubstantiation simply is changing the substance from one to another. They believe that somehow when a religious leader prays, the bread and the cup transforms into another substance, into the body, and into the blood of a human being, but that's I don't think what the Bible is saying.

Some then quite try to dilute this teaching and say, "No, no, no, no, we're not saying that the entire bread and the entire cup now becomes literally the liver and spleen and the blood of Jesus." We're saying that, "It is still bread, it is still cup, but there are some elements of the body and blood of Jesus there." So, they call this con-substantiation. 'Con' is with.

So, it's still bread and grape juice or wine, but there are the elements of Jesus there, that's not what the Bible is saying! What the Bible is saying that, is that these are symbols for remembrance.

So take a step back, when we take the Lord's Supper, I hope you don't think, "I'm drinking Jesus, and I'm eating His bones." No, no, no! Eating his meat or flesh? No, no, we are not! We are remembering Christ, having these elements as symbols of remembrance, alright? He was sacrificed for us, the body was crucified years ago and resurrected in new power, is not in these elements anymore.

But it's important not only to know, the remembrance portion, it's also important to know the New Covenant. Now, I really hope that Gospeliters will understand this concept. I know it's not commonly taught, sadly. Really, really sad in my opinion, but it is such an important teaching in the whole of Scripture.

The New Covenant - what is it? Because Jesus says, "This is the New Covenant in My blood." [1 Cor 11:25] You got to understand this, when you partake the Lord's Supper, right? Every time we take of it, you've got to know what this is about. So, to understand the New Covenant, you got to know first of all, the ... ? Very smart church! To understand the New Covenant, you got to know the Old Covenant first. That's logical! So, what's the Old Covenant?

Thousands of years ago, God saved Israel out of Egypt, crossed the Red Sea and brought them to this place called Mount Sinai.
Mount Sinai will be the place, in a sense, God performs a ceremony to marry His bride, Israel. This is properly understood, don't read Exodus 19,20,21, as if it's a scary scene of just giving laws, it is to be understood as a wedding ceremony, a union, a covenanting between God and the people of Israel.

I'll show you a verse that proves that in a while, but there, this wedding is to be performed. And God says, "This is My covenant with you." "If you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, you shall be My treasured possession among all peoples." [Ex 19:5]

So then, God says, "These are My laws." He gives the 10 commandments and others together with it. What did Israel say? Well, imagine today you are at .... Mount Sinai is the ROM (Registry of Marriage situated at Fort Canning in Singapore), alright, the Fort Canning of that day. They are to be married, and Israel was ... is asked, "Do you take God, to be your lawfully wedded Husband?" And Israel said, "I do."

They say, "We will keep all that the words that the Lord has spoken." [Ex 24:4] The people answer in one voice. So there was the con ... that was the beginning of their covenant. And this is what we call the Old Covenant, where the people of God say, "We will keep all the commandments, so that God will be our God."

The problem with this is that Israel, like all of us are sinful people, and we cannot keep God's laws perfectly. We cannot keep God's laws to the degree that God requires of the people. In fact, on the very .... in a very scene when Moses was receiving the 10 commandments from God, the people of Israel, down at the mountain, immediately were gathering the gold earrings and necklaces and whatever, melting them to form the golden calf.

They said, "We will obey God," but the next moment they are worshipping idols. And that is the tragic story of Israel throughout their history, for many years. They worship many other gods, to such a degree, God has to send them in exile to the Assyrians, and then to the Babylonians, so that they may be cured of their idolatry. But that's the story of Israel, they never kept God's laws, they pretended to, but they never were able to.

Therefore, when they were in exile, or when before they were going to go exile, God said through Jeremiah, "Hey, you guys cannot make it! Essentially, you guys blew it! You blew it over and over again throughout your history." "But behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a New Covenant." [Jer 31:31]

"You see your Old Covenant, you guys have proven yourselves to be incurably sinful. So now, I have not forsaken you. I will still reach out to you, but I will establish a New Covenant, a new agreement." And this is the covenant ... well, the reason is because, "Not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband." [Jer 31:32] It was a marriage ceremony in Exodus chapter 19 and 20!

"Now, I ... I ... I have to do away with the old, I'll establish the new." And the new is this, "I will put My law within them, I will write it on hearts. I will be their God, and they shall be My people. No longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, "Know the Lord," for they shall all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sins no more." [Jer 31:34]

If this is not clear, and if Israel still couldn't believe it, God sends another prophet, Ezekiel, saying pretty much the same thing. In Ezekiel, chapter 11:19-20, "I will give them one heart, a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone, I will give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in My statutes and keep My laws, My rules and obey them. And they shall be My people, and I will be their God."

Can you tell the difference between the Old Covenant and the New? What's the difference? The Old Covenant is where Israel has to obey, so that God will be their God. The New Covenant is regardless of whether they can obey or not. The New Covenant is unilateral. The New Covenant's focus is on God, because repeatedly it is - I will, I will, I will, I will, I will.

"I will forgive you. I will give you a new heart. I will put My Spirit within you. I will write My laws in your heart." You see, that's the amazing difference! And again, He says, "I will sprinkle clean water, I will give you a new heart, a new spirit I will put, I will remove, I will put My Spirit within you." [Eze 36:25-27] It's all predicated on God's performance, not on man's performance.

So 2000 years ago, when the old religious ruler knocked on the doors, and when Jesus opened to him, he had a question saying, "How can I enter the Kingdom of heaven?" Jesus didn't say to Nicodemus, "Do more. Try harder." Jesus said to him, "Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God."

In other words, Jesus was teaching Nicodemus, the Jews have always thought that the way to God is via the Old Covenant. No! The Old Covenant was meant to show our hopelessness. The only way anyone can be saved is grace, and grace in the New Covenant, where God supernaturally, unilaterally, unconditionally sends His Spirit to work in our hearts, and to give us a new heart.

So the New Covenant is an amazing, gracious provision from God.
And so Jesus on that night is saying, "The New Covenant, it will be brought into effect through My body that is broken, and My blood that is shed." [Luke 22:20] When you take the Lord's Supper, remember this — a price has to be paid, and it is paid in full by the sacrifice of God's Son.

It is very interesting that Jesus did not say "New Covenant in My body", but the "New Covenant in My blood". And it is very fitting, as the Hebrews' author would explain, he says, "For where a will is involved, the death of the one who made it must be established." [Heb 9:16]

Now, the New Covenant in order for it to be in force, must require the death of the person who made the will. If you made a will for your children, nothing in the will goes to them until you die. Okay? So, nothing in this New Covenant will be ours, if Jesus didn't die. He must die, and that's why he died.

"Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood." [Heb 9:22] Again, in the Old Covenant, there are many sacrifices, and the animals shed their blood or their blood has to be shed. And it is a foreshadowing of the blood that must be shed, from the veins of our Savior.

"And so by means of His own blood, He secures an eternal redemption for those who believe." [Heb 9:12] And to tie it up very nicely, remember, when Jesus instituted the Lord's supper, He was doing it over a meal, and a very special meal like that, it is the passover meal. And the Passover meal is something that was celebrated thousands of years ago, when Egypt was ruling over Israel, God sent 10 plagues. The last plague was that all the first born will die.

But God said, "If you, Israel, listen to me, go get a lamb, a spotless lamb, slay it and smear that blood on the doorposts, so that when My Angel of Death comes, he sees the blood on the door, he will passover you, skip you and spare you." [Ex 11:1-12:32] That lamb that was slain, the blood that were shed, are all meant to be picture lessons of what Jesus will do.

1st Corinthians 5 tells us, "Jesus is our Passover Lamb." And all that, wow, could be missed, if we did not hear from the Lord these words! "For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death." [1 Cor 11:26] There is a proclamation or aspect to the Lord's Supper.

Now, when we say we remember the Lord's death, it's very likely most of us think of it as an internal personal reflection. "Oh, let's remember Jesus, okay, I remember Jesus myself." Nothing wrong with that, it's appropriate, but I think "this remember the Lord's death" not only involves this personal, inward, self-reflection, but I think it involves an outward proclamational aspect, in that we are remembering the Lord's death, like a memorial.

So when we gather for a meal together, we remember, but when we gather together, we are also telling others, we believe in Jesus. Just like we are telling others, we believe Jesus will come back for us again. So there's a witnessing, there's a proclamational aspect, when God's people partake of this Lord's supper.

So, I know it's long, my time is running, but let me just summarize it to be significance as this. What's the Lord's Supper? It is a memorial. It's not just for me, but it is set up as a memorial for all to see. It's a memorial of Jesus and His finished work on the cross, to effect the New Covenant and its benefits for His people, as we eagerly anticipate His promised return. I tried to phrase or frame this from the key elements we read in 1st Corinthians, chapter 11.

[A] Forgiveness
It is in such a definition that we see that the Lord's Supper is meant to remind us of our forgiveness. We are saved not by our works, but by Jesus' finished work.

[B] Fellowship
It is in such an understanding that we understand, that we are called to a fellowship. We all are blood bought, we are now people in Christ. Just as the passover lamb formed the nation of Israel out of Egypt, Jesus formed a church out of our sins. And so, we are a new people called to a fellowship, called to be one.

[C] Future
And in the Lord's Supper, we are reminded about our glorious future. People often say, "Pastor, could you explain more during Lord's Supper, what all these means?" I try to but you know, so long ah, I hope this one sermon, you all can remember, and then, you can share one with another if needed. But that's a lot, it's a rich, symbolic process that we go through, when we do remember the Lord's Supper.

[4] Sinfulness
Now, don't lose the big picture! The reason why Paul explains the Lord's Supper is so that the act of selfish, prideful, elitist separation is particularly sinful in such a background.
Knowing what Christ has done, and knowing how He has gathered us as one people, by the way you despise and humiliate the others, it is exceedingly sinful.

You see that contrast? That's the force of Paul's argument!
So, Jesus died to create one new people, despising any of His people, is therefore a grievous sin. And his logic flows from verse 27, "Who ever therefore eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner." Now, in this case, it's contextually bound to understand this as despising our poorer brothers.

"If you do so, you will be guilty concerning the body and the blood of the Lord." [1 Cor 11:27] "You despised, you do shame, you do injustice to what this whole fellowship meal is to commemorate."

So, "Let a person examine himself." [1 Cor 11:28] This is not meant to be a morbid kind of self-introspection, like you must go on a witch hunt to see if there's any sin in you. Again, I think nothing wrong to have that wise and necessary, searching of our hearts, but contextually, I think it's more about the way we treat one another.

"For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself." [1 Cor 11:29] You just will invite the chastising hand of God upon your life.

"And that is why many of you are weak and ill and some have died." [1 Cor 11:30] Again, I want to say, it's not that the next day you see someone, "Eh, you sick ah? Wah, you ... you must ... must be you ...." "Achoo!" "Then you, "Wah, you must have sinned!"

No, that's not the teaching of the Bible! The Bible does not attribute every sickness and pain and trial to be some fault or sin in your life. Sometimes you may not have any obvious sin, but God will still send you a trial. So we must not assume that every sickness, or that every death is because of some sin, although some sin can lead to sickness and death.

So, that's what's happening, and Paul says, "If we judge ourselves truly, we will not be judged." [1 Cor 11:31] He's saying, "If you are vigilant and responsible about examining your own life and the way you treat others, and you will repent quickly, if you should fall into such sin, then you will not be chastised by God, you would have learned your lesson and that will be fine."

"But when we are judged by the Lord ..." [1 Cor 11:32] "But if you don't, and you continue in such a selfish, proud and elitist spirit, then God will judge you, chastise you, punish you." And we are disciplined not so that He hates you, but you're given this illness, this sickness, this weakness, so that you may learn, so that you may then repent, so that ultimately, "You may not be condemned along with the world." [1 Cor 11:32]

So it's not all bad, even if you should be sick, as a result of despising the Lord's table in such a way.

[5] Suggestion
Finally, Paul gives a suggestion.

"So then my brothers when you come together to eat wait for one another -" [1 Cor 11:33] "In particular, in this fellowship meal where you are intentional about remember remembering Christ, wait for one another. Don't be a greedy pig! Don't go straight for the food!"

If you're really hungry, what to do? "Wah, but Jason, guy chin yeow [I'm very hungry in Hokkien]. I look at food, I cannot take it. What to do?"

Practical suggestion — "If anyone is hungry, let him eat at home." [1 Cor 11:34] Go cook your Maggi mee first, eat one pack, two pack, when you're reasonably full, then you will not be so greedy, right? "So, don't desecrate this fellowship meal with your greed. If you need to eat at home, but don't gather, gorge yourselves, and then do it in such a way that your poorer brothers feel despised and ostracized and alienated. That is contrary, absolutely contrary to why Jesus went to the cross. You will be desecrating His body and blood that way."

"About the other things I'll give directions when I come." [1 Cor 11:34] Now, Paul ends here in chapter 11 this way, we are not sure what other things he's talking about. Is it other things about Lord's Supper or is it about other matters? We are not clear, and what is it about Lord's ... Lord's Supper, he wants to say. We do not know, but I think we satisfy ourselves knowing that whatever we need to know, God has already given in these verses we have studied.

During COVID, there has been an increased interest, more questions with regard to Lord's Supper. People asked, "Can I take Lord's Supper at home, since we can't gather in church and we can't do it as we used to?" "Can I DIY?" "And how often should we do it?"

So there are questions like this, so I like to answer them based on the principles we have learned.

[A] Frequency
How should we conduct Lord's supper today? There are questions like frequency, how frequent should we have it?

I want to caveat all that I say with this admission, I think how we do Lord's Supper today, in church services, pretty much across the globe is not quite what was done in biblical times.
Mainly because the Lord's Supper in biblical times was really over a proper meal, we are not! We have a meal downstairs later on, but not here.

I think across the globe in the recent years of history, for the sake of practical expedience, convenience, we have changed it to be via the elements that you hold in your hands today. I'm not entirely excited about it myself now that we have read the Bible in such an understanding, but I guess it is not entirely wrong too.

But if you ask me, what is the frequency? I say to you, "I do not know the frequency." The Bible does not tell us about the frequency. The Bible says, "As often as you eat," that's all! There's no prescribed frequency to it. I suppose, it will be left to various churches, and their sense of what is appropriate to do so.

[B] Elements
People ask about elements, what do we use as bread and cup? Er ... it defers I think again, I want to say historically, people have it over a meal and in those days, they eat the bread and drink the cup. That's the standard meal!

Today, in churches, it is done differently. For example, when I go to China, or when I go to the Telegu Worship Service, here in Singapore, they do it very differently from the way we do it here. We ... we pass out elements, but in China, they have one big wafer, and they break it up into pieces, and they spread it out and they use one big cup. I'm not sure, now after COVID, do they still use one big cup. But in those days, they use one big cup, but when I'm there, they're very kind, they usually let me have the first sip.

So, they let me have it first and then it goes, but I ... I wait wah. Imagine one cup pass here ah, you all will be quite hungry at the end of it. But I liked the symbolism of course, we all drink from one cup — one people, there's a rich symbolism! But that's one way they choose to do it.

During COVID, people ask, "How do we do it?" People ask, "Can I ... what bread do I use?" "Pastor, what's the right combination? A1, B2, what ... what is the combination we should choose?" And ... and I know in the first few days, or first few weeks of COVID, I see social media on how people celebrate the ... or try to remember the Lord's Supper.

They put on their phone, the pastor preaching there, they see the video, how it's conducted, and then they take their own wafer and their own drink. Or they use grape jelly and potato chips, "This is my Lord's Supper!" For those who are more minimalistic, they use just water and small bits of biscuits.

Now, what is the right thing to do? Is what we give out today the absolute right thing to do? No! Again, I want to say, the proper understanding and context of it, was that they had a fellowship meal amongst Christians, and remembering Christ thereby. So, I don't have rules for this, but a general sense of what is wise and appropriate and representative, I think would be where we go to.

[C] Personnel
Finally, personnel.

Must a pastor be the one to conduct or preside over a Lord's table? I don't think so! I think in those days, in the days of the Acts church, they gathered from house to house breaking bread. I don't think the 12 apostles had time to run through the hundreds of houses conducting.

"Wah, chiong [rushing in Hokkien] ah!" Because everyone lunch hour 12 to 1, "I got to chiong here, chiong here chiong here." 12, how to divide by the thousands! The pastors must be very slim after that, you know. I don't think that's what they do, but I think they had that belief that amongst us as Christians, we can remember the Lord's death.

So people often asked me, "Pastor, can we do the Lord's Supper in our CGs?" I say, "Do you understand how it was? It was a meal." This is the significance, and if you can guard the table in a wise and meaningful way, I don't think you need to get your pastor to go there. You can, but then again to say anyone and everyone can do this would also be dangerous. So there is a balance, I think we need to strike based on the principles we have learned.

Another question that people have is this, "Do we take the Lord's supper for healing?" It's a significant question, especially here in Singapore because there is someone who teaches this, and a lot of people tend to believe this — that if I am sick, I should take the Lord's Supper, because that's the means, by which God will heal me.

I know of someone in our church, who used to be in our church who left to be a part of that church. When I met up with him, he said, "Well, this is what the Lord's Supper is, it's meant to bring healing." He shared about his example, he was having nose bleed, and as he was having nose bleed, he take the Lord's Supper. I wonder how do you do it? "I mean, you see your blood dripping, and you just eat ah?" But that's what was done, that's his belief!

Now, does the Bible teach anywhere that the Lord's Supper is taken to heal you of your bodily illnesses? No! Just as we do not take the Lord's Supper to receive forgiveness, we do not take the Lord's Supper to receive physical healing. I think it is superstitious to think of that, because that's not biblical, and I think this is pure gimmicks.

I hope that we understand the significance of the Lord's Supper, as we have looked at, it's a memorial of Jesus Christ, and His finished work on the cross, to secure the benefits of the New Covenant for us, as we proclaim our testimony that Jesus is coming again. That's what it is! It's not about healing.

Now, you can pray for healing, but the Bible does not say you eat the Lord's Supper for healing. At the end of the day that becomes self-serving, that's not worshipping the Lord, as I think you can understand.

So, let me take a step back, and end it all by saying. Now, we did investigate how they did it wrong, and we then understood what it should be. A negative example, so that we may learn what is right, but really 1st Corinthians 11 is not about the Lord's Supper. I think 1st Corinthians 11, together with the rest of the book is about their heart.

Paul is not just dealing with the conduct of the Lord's Supper, but the attitude they had with regards to one another. You see, they were a church struggling with a lack of love! There was schism, there was division within the church, they sued one another. They did not care about one another and went to idols' temple to eat food offered to idols. They were brimming, they were reeking selfishness. And this is just another manifestation of selfishness.

So we take a step back and realize, alright, Paul is really dealing with the heart of the issue about love, and the lack of love. And so I say to you, perhaps what we need to take away today is - Are we in any way similar to the people at ancient Corinth? Is our lives marked with evidence of ... evidences of love for one another, or marked by pride and selfishness and elitism? Do we despise the poor amongst us?

Because if we continue to live such a life, where we are causing division, where we are inconsiderate towards others, it may be that we are not saved. As Paul said, "So that the genuine may be recognized, and they're not so genuine will also be recognized."
And I do not want anyone, one of us to presume upon our salvation, as we have said.

But I also want to encourage you, that Paul after this will deal with spiritual gifts in chapters 12 to 14, and he's going to say in chapter 14, verse 1, "Pursue love." At the end of the day, he's saying, "Pursue love." I hope that Gospel Light will not be a church that just says, "Oh, we have biblical teaching! We go through the Bible, New Testament, Old Testament, expository blah, blah, blah." But we are not a people of love, oh, how tragic that will be!

"By this shall all men know you are My disciples, if you have love one for another," Jesus said. And the greatest demonstration of love is seen every time we partake the Lord's Supper. Jesus' body was broken, His blood was shed to bring about the promise of the New Covenant to you. Freely we are forgiven, freely we receive, and I pray today, your life, your sacrifice, your love would be because Jesus first gave Himself for you.

Let's bow for word of prayer together.

If you're here with us and you do not know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, let me say this to you, "Believe upon Him because He gave His life for you."

He gave His life for you because there is no other way you can be saved from your sin, if there was another way, He wouldn't have to come to die. But in order for the righteous God to forgive sinners, and to remain righteous, God had to pour His wrath upon His own Son, and Jesus came exactly to do that.

And if you today were to repent, and believe upon Him, you may be saved. Except the man be born again of the Spirit, he cannot enter nor see the Kingdom of God. Plea with God this morning, that His Holy Spirit would work in you, ask Him for mercy, and in your own life and heart, choose today to repent of your sin and your self-righteousness, to believe in Jesus Christ.

Don't assume your salvation just because you know some doctrines. Has your life changed? Didn't God say, "I will give you a new heart, and I'll write My laws in you." And if your heart, your life has no difference before and after you have come to church or you have proclaimed faith, then do not presume.

Father, thank You so much for this morning. So many things said, but establish what you would have for each and every one of us in our hearts, by the grace of Your Spirit. Thank You, we pray all this in Jesus' Name. Amen.



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