Leader Guide
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“Helping those who are far from God become committed followers of Jesus Christ from the Scenic City to the nations.” Life Group Leader Guide Sermon Text: Matt. 26:26-30| Complementary Text: 1 Cor. 11:17-34 Opening/Community: Ideas for beginning your Life Group ● Icebreaker: Come up with a fun and fitting question to help people get to know one another. ● Sing Together: BX Spotify Playlist ● Highs & Lows: What were the best and the most challenging parts of your week? ● Follow up: How did you apply what you learned from last week’s discussion in your life this week. ● God at work: How have you seen God at work this week? ● Prayer: Thank God for his character and the ways you've seen his faithfulness this week. Sermon Review: Review and discuss the sermon together ● Main Point: ● Sermon Outline: ● What challenged you in the sermon to deepen your commitment as a follower of Christ? Complementary Text: Additional material to help deepen your Life Group’s understanding of Scripture and become more committed followers of Christ. Text: 1 Corinthians 11:17-34 Author & Date: Paul/A.D. 54-56 Audience: The church in Corinth Theme of the Book: Spiritual Correction Immediate Context: The abuses of the Lord’s Supper Main Point: The appropriate administration of the Lord’s Supper 1 How does the sermon text complement this text? Jesus’ instructions to the disciples in Matthew 26 are complemented by Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 11 by giving specific instruction on how the ordinance should be observed in the local church. Christ commanded the observance in Matthew. Paul gave instruction on how to conduct it so as not to bring judgment upon God’s people for conducting it improperly. Richard Pratt comments as follows: The Corinthians had so twisted the celebration of the Lord's Supper that it was hardly recognizable. To correct this problem. Paul applied the three principles which he employed in each subject related to worship. He appealed to: (1) the honor of God worship, (2) proper regard from one believer to another, and (3) the testimony of the church to outsiders. Paul insisted that the Lord's Supper at Corinth no longer met these criteria. (Holman New Testament Commentary) What does this passage teach us about God? God expects us to worship Him with a sense of order and civility. -- vv. 17-22. The Apostle Paul’s purpose for writing the letter of 2 Corinthians was to correct the false doctrine and practices that had crept into the church of Corinth. He begins by condemning their obvious gluttony and selfish behavior toward the poor in the church. He was very frustrated with the church, and called them out for their sin. Richard Pratt comments as follows: In the preceding section, Paul had begun with words of praise. But here he said, I have no praise for you. Paul's disgust with the Corinthians focused on how their meetings, or public worship gatherings, did more harm than good. Paul did not condemn them absolutely and categorically—he had already praised them for holding to many of his teachings on worship (11:2). Yet, his assessment was that the harm of their worship times outweighed the good. What kinds of things would yield this kind of condemnation? The Corinthians had corrupted one of the most sacred events in Christian worship: the Lord's Supper. They had not given due regard to the honor of Christ, nor had they honored or edified one another in the celebration of the Lord's Supper. (Holman New Testament Commentary) The Corinthians had abused the practice of the Lord’s Supper by gorging themselves on the food before them, and not even sharing what they brought to the meal with others. Later, we will talk about the practice of the “love feast,” which has been abandoned by most Christians because of what took place in these verses. However, some Christians are insistent that a fellowship meal should accompany the Lord’s Supper, but these rules should be followed so it is not abused. Paul begins his correction by discussing the divisions within the church. He was condemning the presence of cliques within the body of Christ. You can have close friends, but you should not stick with them alone, and refuse to fellowship with others due to social status or otherwise. Richard Pratt comments as follows: Paul returned abruptly to the issue at hand. When the Corinthian Christians came together to celebrate the Lord's Supper, divisions so corrupted it that it could not be called the Lord's Supper. Although this terminology is common in the church today, this passage contains the only expression of the phrase 2 "Lord's Supper" in the New Testament. It may connote a number of ideas: "the Supper belonging to or hosted by the Lord"; "the Supper which the Lord ordained" (Luke 22:19-20); or "the Supper at which the Lord's body and blood are shared" (Matt. 26:26-28). (Holman New Testament Commentary) God expects us to be kind to the poor and the less fortunate. -- vv. 20-22. His biggest issue was the way they were treating the poor of the congregation. They were putting the rich and important people ahead of the poor and needy, and Paul knew that God was not pleased by their actions. Richard Pratt comments as follows: Paul began his correction by asking several questions. First, he asked if they did not have houses in which to eat and drink ordinary meals. It may have been that Paul's question was an indirect way of saying, "If this is what you do at the Lord's Supper, then stay home." Paul did not approve of discrimination against the poor, but it would have been less offensive for someone to disregard others in an ordinary meal than in the midst of Christian worship. ...When believers disregard the sanctity of the Lord's Supper by keeping the poor among God's people from partaking, they look down on God's people. Because the poor are an integral part of the church community, one cannot hate the poor without despising the church. Those who mistreat the people of God are destined for God's judgment (Deut. 32:43; Isa. 3:13-26; Ezek. 13:9-10; Rom. 12:19). Paul asked if the rich members of the Corinthian church actually wanted to humiliate those who had nothing. The poor of the ancient world were mocked and humiliated by the wealthy. According to the Old Testament and Jesus, however, this was not to be the situation of the poor in God's kingdom. In fact, Jesus blessed the poor (Luke 6:20-21) and warned the rich of the difficulties that accompanied their social status (Mark 10:25). The poor already had nothing in human, worldly terms. In Corinth, they also had their sense of dignity stolen by fellow believers— and this at the Lord's Supper. (Holman New Testament Commentary) Jesus gave the Lord’s Supper as a command to be celebrated until He returns. -- vv. 23-26. The Apostle Paul reminded the Corinthians that the purpose of the Lord’s Supper was to remember the death of the Lord until He returns. When we take the Lord’s Supper, why are we doing it? Are we doing it because it is the “thing to do” at church, or because we understand that Jesus commanded us to do it to truly remember and commemorate His death. The Corinthians were forgetting the reason they had gathered to eat their meal. They were just stuffing their faces and having a good time without recognizing the reason: t0 remember what Jesus had done for them. Brent Belford notes as follows: Did you notice that Paul repeats the phrase, “DO THIS IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME?” Paul uses repetition to emphasize a main point to the Corinthians. The real problem was that they were not only selfish, but they were also very forgetful. They got together and had their meal, yet they forgot who they had come to worship. He also says in verse 27 that the unworthy participation in this supper brings the guilt of sinning against the death of Christ, which was a very serious offence. 3 In verse 20, Paul uses a bit of sarcasm with this church to shame their sinful practices. Notice, you may be passing the bread, drinking the cup, but what you are doing has nothing to do with the Lord. Christ would have no part in this. This is not the Lord’s Supper! We can make this same application about how at times we “play church.” We take the offering, make the announcements, read our Bibles and say our prayers, but do we really come to REMEMBER CHRIST? We must remember Christ when we meet together! (Pursue Love: A Study in 1 Corinthians) The Lord will judge us if we partake of the Lord’s Supper in an inappropriate manner. -- v. 29. God takes worship very seriously, and the observance of the Lord’s Supper is no exception. The Apostle Paul warns us that we are held guilty of the crucifixion ourselves if we do not observe the Lord’s Supper with our hearts before the Lord. Richard Pratt comments as follows: The Corinthians' unworthy observance was no small matter. One can imagine them thinking that they had just been inconsiderate of their poor brothers and sisters in Christ. That much was true enough. Yet, Paul insisted that something much worse was happening. Because remembering and proclaiming Christ is the purpose of the Lord's Supper, violators actually sin against the body and blood of the Lord.