Boys and girls, as you know, in this season of the year, as we call it, we take out a special time to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Not like the world. The world has no concept of what that's all about. But as believers, we celebrate the promise of our God being kept and the coming and the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. But yet this morning, we've been called to prepare to come to the Lord's table next week, which is a celebration of the death of our Lord Jesus Christ. So we celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. We celebrate the death of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now, that doesn't seem to make sense to us, but it should. Because we celebrate His birth because He came to die. He came to give His life for you and me. And that's what the Lord's table teaches us. And of course, we don't celebrate His death because He is still dead. He's risen from the grave. He lives and reigns today. And that's what makes our celebration of His life, His birth, and our celebration of His death so very necessary and so very special. Now, in our consideration of the High Liberate Catechism, we are, in God's providence, up to the Lord's days that deal with the Lord's Supper. There are three of them. Lord's Day is 28, 29, and 30. And Lord's Day 28, if you will, talks about the meaning of the Lord's Table and as well what we as believers do as we partake at the Lord's Table. And Lord's Day 29 then talks about the assurance that God's people have of being nourished, truly nourished as we come to the Lord's Table, nourished by the body and the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Lord's Day 30 talks a little bit about the difference between the Roman Catholic Mass and the Lord's Table and talks about who are to come to the Lord's Table and how they are to come. And what I would like to do this morning for the most part is consider a portion of Lord's Day 30 and a little bit some of the other questions and answers. And next week, the Lord willing, as we come together to celebrate the Lord's Table, We'll back up a little bit, kind of go in reverse order, and consider a bit of a summary of Lord's Days 28 and 29 next Sunday. So, first of all, before we read together the Word of God, 1 Corinthians 11, turn with me to page 40 in the back of the Psalter hymnal. Page 40 and 41, Lord's Day 30. And there are three questions and answers, and 80 is fairly lengthy, so if you would just follow along and listen as I read 80, and then we'll recite together 81 and 82. Question 80 asks, How does the Lord's Supper differ from the Roman Catholic Mass? The Lord's Supper declares to us that our sins have been completely forgiven through the one sacrifice of Jesus Christ, which He Himself finished on the cross once for all. It also declares to us that the Holy Spirit grafts us into Christ, who with His very body is now in heaven at the right hand of the Father where He wants us to worship Him. But the Mass teaches that the living and the dead do not have their sins forgiven through the suffering of Christ unless Christ is still offered for them daily by the priests. It also teaches that Christ is bodily present in the form of bread and wine where Christ is therefore to be worshipped. Thus, the Mass is basically nothing but a denial of the one sacrifice and suffering of Jesus Christ and a condemnable idolatry. And if you would respond on 81 and 82. 81, who are to come to the Lord's table? Those who are displeased with themselves because of their sins, but who nevertheless trust that their sins are pardoned and that their continuing weakness is covered by the suffering and death of Christ, and who also desire more and more to strengthen their faith and to lead a better life. Hypocrites and those who are unrepentant, however, eat and drink judgment on themselves. Are those to be admitted to the Lord's Supper who show by what they say and do that they are unbelieving and ungodly? No. That would dishonor God's covenant and bring down God's anger upon the entire congregation. Therefore, according to the instruction of Christ and his apostles, the Christian church is duty-bound to exclude such people by the official use of the keys of the kingdom until they reform their lives. Of course, that then introduces us to what comes next, the keys of the kingdom. Turn with me to 1 Corinthians chapter 11. 1 Corinthians chapter 11, we read together verses 17 through 34, the text being verses 27 through 29, which is a portion we read in the preparatory form this morning. 1 Corinthians 11, beginning at verse 17, as we give our attention to the Word of God. The Apostle Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, says, In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good. In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it. No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God's approval. When you come together, it is not the Lord's Supper you eat, for as you eat, each of you goes ahead without waiting for anybody else. One remains hungry, another gets drunk. Don't you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you for this? Certainly not. For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you. The Lord Jesus, on the night when He was betrayed, took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, This is My body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of Me. In the same way, after supper, He took the cup, saying, This cup is the new covenant in My blood. Do this whenever you drink it in remembrance of Me. For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes. Wherefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment. When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined, so that we will not be condemned with the world. So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for each other. If anyone is hungry, he should eat at home. So when you meet together, it may not result in judgment. And when I come, I will give further directions. Beloved congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord's Supper is indeed serious business. It has the most important place in the life of the church, and therefore it is to also have a most important place in the life of believers. Now boys and girls, as a young boy, I must confess, sadly, that I dreaded walking into church on Sunday morning and seeing the Lord's table all prepared, because that said, that we were going to have communion that morning. And for me, that simply made a long service even longer. I simply didn't understand the beauty, the privilege, the grace, the significance of the Lord's table. But God takes His gift of the Lord's Supper and our participation of it seriously. And we must too. In essence, God says to His people, don't treat it lightly. Don't treat it like it's no big deal. Don't think that you can just come if you feel like it, and if you don't feel like it, then it's okay to not come. In fact, if you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, you must come to the Lord's table. But, you and I must come God's way. And that is prepared. That's how serious the Lord takes His table. We must prepare. Or else, as Paul makes very clear, there is danger. And that's why the Word of God teaches through Paul in this text, as he gives us instruction, it teaches us about coming to the Lord's table. Coming with a severe warning. And coming with a straightforward exhortation. First of all, with a severe warning. Now, this warning that Paul gives is a necessary warning. It's a warning of necessity. And we can understand that when we consider the context a little bit. We know that Paul is writing, obviously, to the Corinthian church, the believers in Corinth, of whom he says already in chapter 1, verse 2, to the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy. And then he says, beginning at verse 4, I always thank God for you because of His grace given you in Christ Jesus. For in Him you have been enriched in every way in all your speaking and in all your knowledge because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you. So very clearly, he's talking to believers, those who have confessed the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, those whom he considers to be saints, those who are recipients of the grace of God. But at the same time, They are sinners. Sinners and saints at the same time. Because we also know that Paul addresses a number of abuses, a variety of abuses in the Corinthian church. We know that there were divisions there. There was disorder in worship services. There were theological problems. There were morality issues. And there was the abuse of the sacraments, especially the Lord's Supper. There was improper participation at the Lord's Supper. Beginning at verse 20, we read again, When you come together, it is not the Lord's Supper you eat. You think you do. But it is not the Lord's Supper you eat. For as you eat, each of you goes ahead without waiting for anybody else. One remains hungry, another gets drunk. Don't you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you for this? Certainly not. Now, this is somewhat difficult to understand, But what we need to know is what is behind some of this is what became known as love feasts. Actual meals that believers shared together. We read about that in different places in the New Testament that they came together for fellowship and for prayer and to break bread. We might say that here we have the first church potlucks. In fact, everybody brought something. The rich brought more, the poor brought less, but all were equal and all shared equally. There was unity among the body in their love feasts. And the love feasts were then followed by a celebration of the Lord's Supper which points to the unity of believers in Christ Jesus. But divisions arose. Class distinctions made their way in. It was the rich versus the poor and some ate over here together, some ate over there together, some ate before others arrived, that some were filled and even drunk. Others had not even eaten yet. Clicks developed. And the unity was destroyed. But that's not all that was destroyed. It also affected their celebration of the Lord's Supper. You think you eat the Lord's Supper. But you're really not. It turned the Lord's Supper into an ordinary meal. They divided the body of Christ, the church, and they separated the Lord's Supper from the purpose for which Jesus gave it. That is, they did not properly remember the salvation that Christ earned and gives through His death. The Lord's Supper became nothing but a formality. It became a meaningless ritual. And their abuse of it served then to undermine the work of Christ and cause them to disobey at the very same time the Word of Christ. And therefore, Paul reminds the Corinthian believers of the institution of the Lord's Supper that Christ Himself gave. He reminds them that the Lord's Supper is all about Jesus Christ. It is all about His body and blood sacrificed for us. And it must be considered and celebrated in truth because of what it is and because of whom it is for. It must be treated and celebrated as Christ intended. It's a necessary warning. But also, it's a warning, the severe warning is a warning of the danger of abusing the sacrament. In the text, verses 27 and 29, Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and the blood of the Lord. In verse 29, For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. Now, these are sobering words. They are to be sobering even for you and me. Those who consider ourselves to be faithful believers. These words are to cause us to stop and think. It matters how we eat of the bread and drink of the cup. It matters how we come to the Lord's table. Now, this unworthy manner that Paul is talking about is not talking about something like, Like say, once you get that little piece of bread in your hand, you squish it all up before you pop it in your mouth. He's not talking about taking that little cup of wine or juice and taking real tiny sips instead of one big sip. Nothing of that nature. He's not talking about some being worthy to partake and others not being worthy because every one of us is unworthy in and of ourselves. We are only made worthy in and by the Lord Jesus Christ. But an unworthy manner is talking about the state of one's heart and mind. And Paul describes the sin of unworthiness in verse 29. It is to eat the bread and drink the cup without recognizing, another word we know is discerning, without recognizing or discerning the body of the Lord. What does that mean? Well, to partake in an unworthy manner is to eat and drink the elements, the bread and wine, without properly understanding and considering what they represent and the purpose for which Christ calls us to remember His death without partaking in true faith. And as answer 76 begins, well, the question, what does it mean to eat the crucified body of Christ and to drink His poured out blood? This is in Lord's Day 28. It means to accept with a believing heart the entire suffering and death of Christ and by believing to receive forgiveness of sins and eternal life. the elements. Boys and girls, the bread and the wine are the juice that you see as the trays are passed before you. They're just ordinary bread and wine. You buy it off the shelf at the store. It does not become the actual body and blood of Christ as the Roman Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation teaches us. Question 78 of Lord's Day 29, Are the bread and the wine changed into the real body and blood of Christ? No. No, not at all. Answer 80. The Mass teaches us that Christ is bodily present in the form of bread and wine where Christ is therefore to be worshipped. In other words, they say we are to worship Him in the bread and in the cup. No. No. It's just ordinary, off-the-shelf bread and wine. But on the other hand, it's not simply ordinary. I'm not losing my mind here. I'm not contradicting myself. It's not ordinary, but it's special in the sense that it is set apart as holy for a special purpose. And it is to be seen. It is to be treated. It is to be considered as such. It's not just an ordinary meal for our physical body. Now, the idea behind the word unworthy in 1 Corinthians 11 is it means to not treat something according to its value. In other words, to treat it as less than its value. Now, Paul reminds the Corinthian believers and us of the purpose of the Lord's Supper as Christ said. Do this in remembrance of me and proclaim the Lord's death until He comes. Now, that purpose alone is an indictment of our forgetfulness. We forget how necessary and how real and how costly our redemption was. We tend to forget that. We need to be reminded over and over again on the Lord's table is a visible Gospel sermon of God's gracious provision for the salvation of sinners through the crucifixion and death of the Lord Jesus Christ and the bread and the cup are to remind us of Christ's painful and shameful death on the cross. And they are to assure us that just as our bodies are nourished by the physical bread and wine, in the same way, our souls are nourished by the real body and blood of Christ by the Holy Spirit through faith. And therefore, beloved, to partake of the bread and the cup but to not see and understand and consider by faith the sacrifice of the body and blood of Christ means that one does not consider how great is the value of our Lord's death. It is in essence to treat our Lord's death as meaningless. And that is nothing short of a sign of rejecting the saving sacrifice of Jesus Christ. And therefore, Paul's severe warning is also a warning of the result for abusing the sacrament. And very clearly he says the result is judgment. Eating and drinking in an unworthy manner, not treating Christ's sacrificial body and blood as valuable as it is, results in eating and drinking judgment on oneself. Which visibly demonstrates the guilt of treating the redemptive work of Christ on the cross with contempt. Treating it as no big deal. It is to devalue Christ's work. It is to treat it as if I can take it or leave it. It is to mock the very death that is to be proclaimed as salvation at the Lord's table. And one eats and drinks judgment upon themselves. One commits this abuse on the one hand by partaking without repentance for sin and without true faith, without believing the truth of Christ's broken body and shed blood. You see, without faith, one simply cannot and will not properly recognize the body and blood of Christ as represented by the bread and the cup. And that is a downright insult to Christ. And someone might say, well, yeah, but that's no big deal. I mean, if they don't have true faith, all they do is they eat this little piece of bread and they drink this little bit of wine or juice. What's the big deal? No harm done, right? You see, beloved, just as we believe, we know and we believe that the grace of God is not bestowed simply in those elements themselves. They do not give the grace that they speak of. In the same way, partaking without true faith doesn't keep one, as they partake, from calling judgment upon themselves. They do. It's hardly meaningless. It's hardly harmless. It's very dangerous. It is a rejection of Jesus Christ. And that's the reason that unbelievers and hypocrites may not come to the Lord's table. They may not come to the Lord's table. And they are to be guarded by the elders from coming. The elders have such a heavy responsibility to guard unbelievers and hypocrites from coming. Why? to protect them on the one hand, to keep them from eating and drinking judgment upon themselves, but also they have the responsibility to guard the purity of the Lord's table. But it's also possible to eat and drink judgment, to commit this abuse in another way, by partaking while clinging to some secret sin that one cannot seem to flee from or simply doesn't want to flee from because they secretly enjoy it. It could be a lack of love for someone. It could be a failure to be reconciled with another. It could be a variety of things. It could be a nasty, nasty habit that some are secretly involved in. And you see, this can even then affect true believers who are drifting for a season because it's still a denial. It is a rejection of the saving work of Christ by partaking all the while forsaking the saving work of Christ and refusing to repent of that sin which Christ's table points to, the forgiveness of sins. Or yet, it's also possible to call down judgment in another way which we might say is by ignorance. And this is dangerous for all of us by partaking simply without even thinking about what is taking place. Coming to the Lord's table in a careless or a complacent fashion with an attitude that says, I really don't care about it. Without even desiring to partake or without even thinking or feeling that it is important, without having one's heart and mind in it. You see, beloved, to come thoughtlessly or without really caring is indeed dangerous business. And that judgment includes, for the Corinthians, verse 30, it says, that is why many among you are weak and sick and a number of you have fallen asleep. Now, that's hard to take. Indeed, there was judgment upon the church, as we confess, but judgment upon individuals too. God killed some for coming to the table in an unworthy manner. Now, we might say, now, wait a minute, That's a little much, isn't it? That's going overboard. But in the early New Testament church, indeed, our God was teaching the people then and you and me now how serious His table is. And praise God, we don't see that happening today and not that we know of. Because God gives to His people time. Indeed, as Paul says, but if we judge ourselves, we would not come under judgment. That's talking about the examination portion that we'll talk about in just a moment. But judgment does not yet mean condemnation. Those who fail to repent, indeed, it will be eternal condemnation. But for those who repent and believe, that judgment can be removed. But for us, how does that judgment come upon our heads? It's hard to say. But eating and drinking in an unworthy manner may reflect very well, may reflect a weak and a lifeless faith, It may reflect a hurting relationship with God. And in that sense, that judgment may result in a lack of contentment with our lot in life. It may result in no joy in salvation. Remember, that's what happened with David. The psalmist says, return to me the joy of my salvation. He didn't lose his salvation when he fell into sin for a season. But he lost the joy of it. That was the judgment of God upon him. That judgment may result in questioning God's mercy and grace of forgiveness, and if God really is in control, that judgment may include more inner turmoil than peace. Very simply, that judgment may include a lack of comfort, a lack of confidence in God. And beloved, that's the result of being malnourished. By first of all, by neglecting the nourishment of the preached Word. But also, secondly, by not being nourished by the Lord's table because that one partakes in an unworthy manner. Indeed, God takes His table seriously. Paul's warning is so severe. Misusing the Lord's table is so dangerous that he also gives then the straightforward exhortation in verse 28. A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. Now these, beloved, are words of hope. A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. This exhortation, you see, is a command. It's not an option. It must be done by each and every believer. And this exhortation is an exhortation to prepare, to give forethought, to give meditation before coming of what the Lord's Supper means. Boys and girls, young people, when you take a test, you study, you prepare for that test. Why? so that you know what you're talking about. And we are called to prepare to come to the Lord's table so that we know what it's all about when we get here. And this preparation is to be done by examination. The idea there is inspection, investigation. Putting ourselves, our whole lives on trial. For what? Well, to see if I have a right relationship with Jesus Christ. To see, do I understand my sin and unworthiness? Do I understand and believe that His Word is true and sure that the body and blood of Jesus was given for me too? For me personally? To see, do I desire to give thanks to Him by being a living sacrifice of praise? Do I have true hope and joy in all that Jesus Christ has done for me? And do I truly desire the nourishment that God alone gives only through His preached Word and through the sacraments? And do I understand and believe that which the bread and the cup signify and seal? A very thorough, thorough examination. And beloved, the character of this examination is that it is an examination with a purpose toward approval. that this examination will result in approval. You see, in other words, only those who truly believe on the Lord Jesus Christ by the grace of God will hear this examination effectively and will heed the command to truly and carefully examine themselves. Again, verse 28, a man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. We are to understand in that that there is an expectation of coming, of eating and drinking. The expectation is that those who truly examine themselves by the power of the Holy Spirit, that they will come, not because they have found themselves to be sinless and perfect and worthy, but they will come to the Lord's table and they will partake in a worthy manner by the grace of God without eating and drinking judgment on themselves because their examination revealed in truth that they are, as answer 81 says, displeased with themselves because of their sins, but who nevertheless trust that their sins are pardoned and that their continuing weakness is covered by the suffering and death of Christ and who also desire more and more to strengthen their faith and to lead a better life. Or again, as answer 76 says, that they accept with a believing heart the entire suffering and death of Christ and by believing to receive forgiveness of sins and eternal life. You see, Paul is in essence saying that true believers who truly examine themselves are to prepare to come and will prepare to come to the Lord's table by responding, by responding to what is revealed. As the Holy Spirit brings clear that examination, God's people will respond. And therefore, beloved, if you find a secret sin in your life that you delight in, that you take pleasure in, you are called to confess it before God and repent, trusting as you come to the Lord's table that Christ's body was broken and His blood was shed unto a complete remission of all your sins. That you might no longer be a slave to sin. Or if you find that you often don't give much thought about the sacrifice of Christ and that you often partake of the bread and the cup without considering what it means, without considering its value, or that you treat it as no big deal whether you partake of it or not, then may you also confess your sin of treating the Lord's Supper as insignificant, praying that the Holy Spirit will help you understand it clearly and nourish your faith. But also, if you find that you simply can't do without this supper because you understand the saving grace of God represented in the supper, and you earnestly desire your faith to be nourished and strengthened, then praise God for His powerful saving work revealed in and worked in your heart and life. This straightforward exhortation is an exhortation to prepare. but also an exhortation to come. See, this is Paul's command. Examine and come. This examination is not meant to drive us from the Lord's table. Again, unbelievers and hypocrites are not to come. But faithful examination is not meant to drive us from the Lord's table, but to protect us from coming in an unworthy manner and eating and drinking judgment on ourselves. And it's also to prepare us to come. To prepare us to come and be nourished and to be filled that we might rejoice in the body and blood of Christ given unto a complete remission of all of our sins. And that we might exalt Him for such a great salvation and have a closer walk with Him. And that through our partaking of the Lord's Supper, brothers and sisters, we might proclaim to the world that salvation is found only in Jesus Christ and in Him alone. He alone is such a great Savior. You see, the Lord's table will not tolerate unbelief or disobedience because our Lord will not tolerate unbelief and disobedience at His table. For the Lord's table is for those who express true faith in Jesus Christ. It is for those who proclaim His death in expectation of His return one day. And therefore, may God richly bless our preparation by His Holy Spirit that we might see and understand even more next Lord's Day, the Lord willing, than we do today the greatness of His saving work through the only Savior, Jesus Christ. And that we might even more be sanctified for His glory and for His honor. Amen. Let's pray. Our great God and Heavenly Father, as we meditate upon Your Word, we do indeed give You thanks that even though at times it seems harsh for us, yet You have spoken so clearly. And Father, we pray, too, that You would apply that Word to our hearts and lives by the power of Your Holy Spirit. That in a particular way, as Your people, we might indeed examine our hearts and lives. That we might not just assume that because we've been believers, some of us for a very, very long time, that we are okay, everything is in order. Oh, Father, it might be by Your grace, but still You call us to reflect. You call us to examine. You call us to humble ourselves and look only to You. And again, Father, we pray that You would continue to nourish us by Your Word as it is preached. And also as we come together around Your table next week. And even in this evening hour, Lord, as we look forward to the celebration of the administration of Holy Baptism, that thereto our faith as your people would be nourished and strengthened as we remember the blood of Christ shed to wash away all of our sins. Hear our prayer, O Lord, for Jesus' sake and in His name alone. Amen.