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  JESUS CHRIST IS LORD
  by G.W. North
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Summary: The Lord's Supper is a law that must be obeyed, and its purpose
is to remind us of the Lord's bounty and presence.

Topics: "Church Discipline", "The Lord's Supper"
Scripture References: 1 Corinthians 11:20

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DESCRIPTION
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G.W. North emphasizes the significance of the Lord's Supper as
established by Jesus, highlighting the serious issues within the
Corinthian church, where rebellion against God led to disorder and a
lack of true communion. Paul rebukes the church for their egotistical
behavior and failure to recognize the sacredness of the ordinance, which
had devolved into gluttony and chaos. North points out that the Lord's
Supper should be a reflection of obedience and reverence, not a platform
for self-indulgence. He stresses that the elements of bread and wine are
not merely symbols but a command from the Lord, and any deviation from
this is an affront to Him. The sermon calls for a return to the true
purpose of the Lord's Supper, free from the influences of paganism and
ritualism.

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CONTENT
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The second title, the Lord's supper, is used by Paul in 1 Corinthians
11.20. The emphasis here is laid not so much upon the manner in which we
partake of the ordinance as upon the nature and timing of it; it is the
Lord's supper: it is the Lord's supper. A thorough reading of the
chapters surrounding this section will be sufficient to convince every
heart as to why Paul mentions the ordinance at this point. It is part of
a lengthy and necessary rebuke to the church at Corinth.

In the first pamphlet of this series it was shown that much of the
trouble which existed in the church there was caused by open rebellion
against the Lord. This was quite blatantly displayed in their meetings;
all authority was flouted, division promoted and love destroyed. As may
be expected in these circumstances, when they came together carnal,
egotistical demonstrations of powerless 'gifts' ruined the meetings.
Instead of true communion, their gatherings became orgies of eating and
drinking; weakness and sickness was prevalent among them, and a spirit
of deathly lethargy hung over everything like a cloud. The result of
this was that where formerly spontaneous life and ministry had
flourished, heavy, monotonous ritual ruled the meetings. To make things
worse, on one hand poverty abounded and on the other riches were
callously and ostentatiously paraded; complete disorder reigned and the
Spirit of God was grieved. They had sunk so low that they could no
longer distinguish between their own gluttony and the Lord's supper.

It was to this vitiated condition that Paul addressed himself when he
wrote this letter. Therefore he did not hesitate to rebuke them sharply
and to inform them plainly what he had received about it from the Lord.
Strongly reproving, he reminds them that when Jesus originally
established the ordinance, He did so as Lord of the table, and that all
He provided then was bread and wine. This therefore must be considered
as law, and any refusal on their part to accept those bare elements
could only be interpreted as an insult to their Host. They must
understand that their action was nothing other than an open rejection of
the Lord and His bounty.

Surely they knew that He not only commanded and provided the means of
the feast, but was also present at it Himself. Their behaviour was
inexcusable; they were acting like brute beasts. They impudently
substituted self-will for obedience, and denied and destroyed the
purpose of the ordinance. Their suppers had become their greatest
testimony to their profoundest ignorance. Paul's correction and
instruction reveals that the feast is no more to be thought of or made
an excuse for pagan orgies than to be thought of or made an excuse for
the Jewish Passover. By it the Lord has outlawed and displaced both.

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Source: https://sermonindex.net/speakers/gw-north/jesus-christ-is-lord/
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