That Others May Eat
To participate in the communion of the body of Christ, we must break bread as Jesus did, symbolizing our willingness to lay down our lives for others.
G.W. North emphasizes the profound truth in 1 Corinthians 10 regarding communion, highlighting that the act of breaking bread is essential for true communion with Christ and one another. He explains that just as Jesus broke the bread for others, we too must be willing to lay down our lives for others to partake in this communion. North urges believers to move beyond childish understandings and embrace the responsibility of breaking bread for the sake of others, as this act embodies the essence of communion within the body of Christ. The sermon calls for a deeper understanding of our role in the community of believers, where each member participates in the act of breaking for the benefit of all. Ultimately, this communion reflects the unity of the body of Christ, where every member contributes to the whole.
Text
In 1 Corinthians 10, Paul opens wider still the immensity of truth, more widely than any other man has done: 'the bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?' Paul saw that when Jesus said, 'this do', He did so having Himself broken the bread. Like John in another connection, the apostle 'saw and understood'. No wonder he later pleads with us to put away childish thoughts and things and speech and understandings and become men. To be in this wondrous Communion we must do more than receive and eat the bread; as Jesus Himself, we too must break the bread. He broke it for others to eat, so we too must break it that others may eat.
The logic of it is inexorable. He laid down His life for us; we must lay down our lives for the brethren.
He broke it for us so that we should see and follow His example. We must or we shall not commune. Strange though it may seem, the act of breaking, not the act of eating, is specified as the act of communing. He broke for others to eat; so must we. In the act of breaking it is as though for the purposes of communing, each member of the body in turn momentarily becomes as the Head Himself who brings the whole body into the Communion. The Communion is of the whole body, Head and members. That, beloved, is the most high and holy of all our privileges, even as it was His on that solemn, dreadful day.
Sermon Outline
- The Importance of Breaking Bread
- The Logic of Breaking Bread
- The Act of Breaking
- The Privilege of Communion
- Paul's Understanding of Communion
- The Example of Jesus
- A High and Holy Privilege
- A Privilege of the Whole Body
Key Quotes
“The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?” — G.W. North
“To be in this wondrous Communion we must do more than receive and eat the bread; as Jesus Himself, we too must break the bread.” — G.W. North
“He broke it for others to eat, so we too must break it that others may eat.” — G.W. North
Application Points
- We must be willing to sacrifice for others in order to participate in the communion of the body of Christ.
- Breaking bread is a symbol of our willingness to lay down our lives for others.
- Participating in the communion of the body of Christ is a high and holy privilege that allows us to become one with the whole body.