1 Cor 10:21 (The Real Thing)

So, on the last study, we realized that there is this tradition that man has had of partaking of drinks and meats offered to idols. My entire point in bringing this up, is that when Christ came, He spent much time addressing people's traditions of men, He is always trying to get us to think outside of our normal parameters. We like to think "comfortable," and the Lord is always trying to "grow us" in our thinking so to speak.

What i saw as i began to study this out, "drinking from the cup of the Lord, vs the cup of devils," and finding out about the customs of offering unto heavenistic gods, i saw Christ there alone with His closest followers, taking food and drink. He offered up bread and stated that it was His Body, which was broken for us and the remission of our sins. The cup of wine, He said we were to drink it, that it was His Blood, given for us, to do this in remembrance of Him.

I have never fully understood this. Everytime i have been at church and partook of the Lord's Supper, or Communion...what does all of this mean? am i the ONLY one that has posed this question? yes, i know He was foretelling the events to come with His sacrificial death, that part i understand. yet, i have always seemed to be intrigued by the thought that there is more underlying meaning in this than just that. now, i could get into the Jewish Feast of Passover and explain how what they do and eat and say is all a type and shadow pointing to Christ and What He would do for us, but it hardly seems relevant in the form that i am seeking to find this answer. So for the essence of time, i'll refrain from going into that, (although perhaps one day i can share those things, it is truly awesome what God has shown His chosen people, Israel, with their feasts and how they pertain to Gods' timeclock and the gospel of Christ.

What i find most important to address here is the need to understand the scripture and what Jesus is saying as He lifts these items up and calls them His body and blood...saying we are to eat and drink, for we do this to remember Him. Has anyone ever taken communion and heard that scripture at that time about discerning the Lord's body? (wow, id didn't know that we were going here, ok Lord...) Let's look at the scripture:

1 Cor 11:27-29 "WHEREFORE WHOSOEVER SHALL EAT THIS BREAD, AND DRINK THIS CUP OF THE LORD, UNWORTHILY, SHALL BE GUILTY OF THE BODY AND BLOOD OF THE LORD. BUT LET A MAN EXAMINE HIMSELF, AND SO LET HIM EAT OF THAT BREAD, AND DRINK OF THAT CUP. FOR HE THAT EATETH AND DRINKETH UNWORTHILY, EATETH AND DRINKETH DAMNATION TO HIMSELF, NOT DISCERNING THE LORD'S BODY."

This is SO STINKIN' AWESOME! I feel the Holy Ghost leading me with this study! LOL yeahhhh!

ok, what this scripture is saying is CRUCIAL to the reader's walk with Christ! Why, I'll tell you. The greatest thing that the church has lost in it's message of the gospel, is the message of the Cross. I say this because we have multi-million member churches that folks are attending every single day and they are not leave one bit changed. they are coming in and receiving a message that is not the true gospel. the gospel is not just "the good news," which is what gospel means in the greek. there is more to it than that. every ask why it is the good news? the gospel that they preach is either money (for you and for them) making these preachers rich and yet their congregations are still going to hell because they don't know the truth, there's the holiness group that tell people that they can work their way into heaven, the government of 12 group state that there is a 12 step program like they have for addicts, which is man's formula and will never work. there is the word of faith doctrine which says that we are little gods and there is power in the words that we speak, that we can create a new and better situation for ourselves, therefore leaving them in complete bondage to what they do or lack in professing, but denying the power that really can be possessed which is Christ.

I rant and say all of that to say this...let me give an example, a word picture if you will:

i used to be a banker, a teller to be exact. i worked with money for nearly 15 years. after working with money for so long, i got pretty good at being able to catch the counterfeit bills that came through my deposits. they look about the same, but they feel different, there are subtle differences, things that you can check on the bill to see if it is authentic or not. sometimes you have to check for little blue and red threads in the bill, the watermark has to be even the same. i actually encountered a counterfeit bill that was so good, and the makers so deviant that they actually made Benjamin Franklin in the watermark wink! His image's eye, winked...like, HA HA, i got ya! False bills usually feel a little different. But if you had never worked with real bills for such a long time, it's very hard to distinguish what is real and what is not. It takes time and experience. The same it true with the Word of God folks! The church has been so ignorant of what the Word REALLY says, who the REAL Christ really is...that we are overwhelmed, eating any spiritual junk food that is handed to us...which it may have come originally from God, like corn from the stalk, but once it has been tainted and manipulated, it's no longer recognized as corn, nor is it good for us when we eat it. I'm referring to the Word we receive from preachers that they, themselves have not either discerned the Body of Christ, or have rejected the power thereof.

Let me explain further, i feel i am confusing some. Let's use some scripture to make it more clear what i am poorly attempting to communicate here:

2Cr 11:4 For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or [if] ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with [him].

Now, why would Paul say this? He KNEW that there would be others that would have some sort of twist to the truth, therefore making it NOT the truth anymore. Here is what the scripture is meaning when it says that we are not discerning the Lord's Body, therefore eating and drinking unto ourselves damnation.

My Jesus is the one that was born of a virgin. (Is 7:14, Lk 1) He is the One that was God made manifest in the flesh. (John 1:14). He was perfect and without flaw (Num 19:2, Jn 1:29) (Lk 23:4, Jn 19:6) He was punished for my death (Is 53:5, 10-11, Mt 27)) READ THESE, it'll help. He was risen on the third day and sent the Holy Ghost to illuminate those who would ask to receive it. He overcame sin, death, hell and the grave through this sacrifice. Because of what He did for me, i am like Barabus, i am set free without deserving it! (that's the typology of setting Barabus free and killing Christ, it is a picture of what He did for us!!!)


He is the Real Thing! Not a sinner like me. So, let me get back to this scripture:

1 Cor 11:27-29 "WHEREFORE WHOSOEVER SHALL EAT THIS BREAD, AND DRINK THIS CUP OF THE LORD, UNWORTHILY, SHALL BE GUILTY OF THE BODY AND BLOOD OF THE LORD. BUT LET A MAN EXAMINE HIMSELF, AND SO LET HIM EAT OF THAT BREAD, AND DRINK OF THAT CUP. FOR HE THAT EATETH AND DRINKETH UNWORTHILY, EATETH AND DRINKETH DAMNATION TO HIMSELF, NOT DISCERNING THE LORD'S BODY."

So, how can we not discern the Lord's Body? What Paul is saying here is this, if you do not receive the One that died for You, if you do not receive the Christ that died, was perfect, poured out His life to cover my worthless life, the One who traded death for life, the One that was the only acceptable Sacrifice that God could accept for sin, and you just take communion without in your heart admitting to God, "i am a sinner, i needed a savior, and Jesus Christ, you are HIM, I need You, I receive You everyday of my life, I yield my life, my dreams, my hopes, my desires...to You and Your will," if you are not realizing what this ceremony is about and Who this is attributed to, for you and your benefit, (not money, not your personal wants, but the biggest prize, which is eternal life and forgiveness for your sinful selfish ways and nature,) than you are in fact eating and drinking damnation to yourself.

What does THAT mean? Unworthily means: to not make disctinction. why am i receiving damnation? i looked it up, damnation in the greek means: "condemnation of wrong, JUDGMENT." Do you know who is going to hell? is it you? is it me? it is those who will not receive God's only acceptable WAY to Him which is Jesus Christ.

Another example:

In Gen 4, there is the story of Cain and Abel. Those of us that have been in church a while, we know the story. Both brought a sacrifice to God, Cain's was the best of his fruit/plants. Abel's was the best out of his flock he kept. Does anyone know why this story is here? it is to show us the only acceptable sacrifice to God. Cain's offering was no doubt the very best, unblemished crops. he didn't bring his worst or his leftovers to God, with every effort he had within himself, he gave God his very very best. but why was that not good enough for God, but that of Abel's was? we assume that God loved Abel more than Cain. or Cain was just born evil and Abel had not a mean bone in his body, right? here is the reason: the only acceptable offering to God is that that consists of blood. it had to be a blood sacrifice! no other would do, because God was trying to line out there, this early on, that He had a plan of redemption for man, but by no other means can we come to him. the reason that Cain got angry and murdered Abel, is because he felt rejected by God not accepting his way, rather than obeying God's way.

God will not conform to us, we MUST conform to Him, and His Way states that He requires the Perfect Blood of Christ. That is why Jesus says, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life." No man can come to the Father, but by Him, being the Door. Remember the blood over the doors of the children of Israel, ever wonder why the blood of a lamb? why they had to EAT the lamb that night?! (another beautiful picture of our AWESOME, GRACIOUS SAVIOR that gave Himself for us). I could go on and on about the types and shadows that are lined out in the old and new for us to see.

Just remember, the old test points forward to the Cross of Christ. The new test. points back the Cross of Christ, but everything revolves around Jesus Christ and what He did for us. Anything other than that is a skewed and perverted doctrine.

This is getting lengthy, so i will conclude for this lesson, but i have more coming on this topic! so much more to the Lord's supper than what we are being taught in churches today....