INTRODUCTION

1. In previous lessons of this series, we have considered our general responsibilities to love one another, edify one another, serve one another, and other such duties that apply to every situation.

2. In this lesson, we will consider a very specific requirement that pertains to our observance of the Lord's Supper and our collective worship.  This requirement is found in 1Corinthians 11:33, which says,

   So then, my brethren, when you come together to eat, wait for one another.

    

THE CORINTHIANS AND THE LORD'S SUPPER

1. The Christians at Corinth were not properly observing the Lord's Supper.

   1. The Corinthians' error is explained by the apostle Paul in 1Corinthians 11:17-22:

      ¹⁷But in giving this instruction, I do not praise you, because you come together not for the better but for the worse.  ¹⁸For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that divisions exist among you; and in part I believe it. ¹⁹For there must also be factions among you, so that those who are approved may become evident among you. ²⁰Therefore when you meet together, it is not to eat the Lord's Supper, ²¹for in your eating each one takes his own supper first; and one is hungry and another is drunk. ²²What!  Do you not have houses in which to eat and drink?  Or do you despise the church of God and shame those who have nothing?  What shall I say to you?  Shall I praise you?  In this I will not praise you.

   2. Their primary fault was division (vv. 18-20).

      1. Division was a problem that tainted everything about the Corinthian church.  They were torn apart by carnal jealousy and strife (1Cor. 1:10-13; 3:1-4).

      2. This division even invalidated their observance of the Lord's Supper.

   3. Their divisive behavior is described in verses 21-22.

      1. Rather than taking the Lord's Supper, each one took his own supper.  These Christians were having a common meal and calling it the Lord's Supper.

      2. Consider the terms "hungry" and "drunk" in verse 21.

         1. The term "drunk" does not necessarily mean that some were intoxicated with alcohol (compare to John 2:10).  Of course, drunkenness has no place in the kingdom of God (1Cor. 6:9-10).

         2. Instead, "drunk" appears to be a contrast to "hungry."  In other words, one had nothing to eat ("hungry"), and another was filled to his capacity ("drunk").

      3. The purpose of their assembly should not have been to eat and drink an ordinary meal, for that could be done in their homes, and it certainly was not to act as gluttons.

      4. Rather than achieving a unified observance of Christ's memorial, they had effectively despised (undervalued, treated as unholy) the church.  They did this by dividing themselves between the "haves" (the "drunk") and the "have-nots" (the "hungry").

2. To correct their error, the Corinthians needed to wait for one another.

   1. Paul reminded them of the purpose of the Lord's Supper in 1Corinthians 11:23-26:

      ²³For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread; ²⁴and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, "This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me."  ²⁵In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me."  ²⁶For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes.

   2. The Lord ordained His Supper as a collective memorial for His body and blood (vv. 23-25).

      1. This is the reason that Christians' relationships with one another are so important concerning the Lord's Supper, for it is a sharing ("communion" -- KJV) in the body and blood of Christ according to 1Corinthians 10:16-17:

         ¹⁶Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ?  Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ?  ¹⁷Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one bread.

      2. The Corinthians could not observe this memorial properly in their divided condition.

   3. The Lord's Supper is also a proclamation of His death and an expression of anticipation for His coming (v. 26).  The Corinthians did neither when they came together.

   4. The Corinthians not only failed to observe the Lord's Supper properly, but they also condemned themselves by their efforts.  Consider the warning of 1Corinthians 11:27-32:

      ²⁷Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord.  ²⁸But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup.  ²⁹For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly.  ³⁰For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep.  ³¹But if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged.  ³²But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned along with the world.

   5. The warning is against those who take the Lord's Supper in an unworthy manner such as the Corinthians were doing (v. 27).

   6. Each individual is to examine himself to determine whether he is observing the Lord's Supper in a worthy manner (vv. 28-32).  If he discovers that his manner is unworthy, then he must correct himself or else be judged and disciplined by the Lord.

   7. Finally, the solution for the Corinthians' error is given in 1Corinthians 11:33-34:

      ³³So then, my brethren, when you come together to eat, wait for one another.  ³⁴If anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, so that you will not come together for judgment. The remaining matters I will arrange when I come.

   8. A proper observance of the Lord's Supper requires the church to assemble with a unified purpose of remembering the Lord.  It is not a time for division with some satisfying their appetites and other going hungry.

       

LET US WAIT FOR ONE ANOTHER

1. The requirement that we must wait for one another shows the importance and the purpose of the assembly.

   1. The assembly is important to each Christian because it satisfies a need and a requirement that Christians cannot satisfy individually.

      1. The church is a body made up of many members (1Cor. 12:12), and a single Christian cannot constitute a church by Himself.

      2. The Lord expects for Christians to assemble with one another as the Scriptures indicate by commandment and example (Acts 2:42-47; 20:7; 1Cor. 16:1-4).

      3. The assembly gives each Christian an opportunity to be edified and encouraged that cannot be found elsewhere (Heb. 10:23-25).

   2. The purpose of the assembly is for the collective body of Christ to achieve God's will.

      1. Some of the activities required by the Lord can only be done collectively in the church. 

      2. The church does not assemble for the satisfaction or glorification of just one or a few members. It assembles for the glorification of God and the edification of each member according to God's will (1Cor. 10:31; 14:26).

2. Specifically, let us observe the Lord's Supper together.

   1. Let us come together in a worthy manner and remember Him by the symbols of His body and His blood.  Let us thus proclaim His death and continue to do so until He comes again.

   2. As we do so, let us wait for one another.

      1. Let us not turn the assembly into an occasion for a common meal where one has his own supper while another goes hungry.  Even if every person can be equally fed, such common meals do not belong in the holy assembly.

      2. Instead, let us wait for one another so that we may truly observe the Lord's Supper as Christ ordained it.  This can be done only in the assembly of the church.

      3. Note that the point of waiting for one another does not indicate that every member of the church must be present in order for the church to observe the Lord's Supper.  However, it is necessary for the church to be united in this memorial, and it is necessary for the members to be present to participate.

          

CONCLUSION

1. By design, the church is to be a unified body (Eph. 4:4-16).  To fulfill this design, each member must make unity with the brethren a priority.

2. This unity must be apparent in our collective activities, such as the observance of the Lord's Supper.  Therefore, let us wait for one another so that we may please the Lord together.