John K. Jenkins Sr - Discerning The Lord's Body

Father, we thank You for the privilege of being in the house of worship today. We’ve come tonight to remember the price that was paid for our salvation. We pray that You take these next few moments to speak to our hearts as we celebrate and give thanks for what You did for our deliverance, our freedom, and our ability to have a relationship with You, Father. In Jesus' name, Amen.

You may be seated. Let me thank you for your presence tonight. I’m grateful for people who make it a point to put the communion service on their agenda and in their calendars. People ask me all the time why we don’t have communion during the morning services. Let me tell you why. First of all, the Bible calls this the Lord’s Supper, not the Lord’s breakfast, brunch, or lunch. Secondly, when we had it in the morning, we always rushed through it because there’s so much to get done. I feel it disregards the sacredness of the moment. I believe communion is something that we ought to take our time with and reflect on the price that Jesus paid for us. Finally, we do it at night because it’s a dedicated service. The morning services are like an evangelistic service, so anyone can come to that. When you come to communion, you ought to know why you are here, as we don’t want to put people in a situation where they might be confused about partaking of communion when they shouldn’t. As a matter of fact, that’s what I want to talk about a little bit tonight — how we ought to be.

One of the things we do in communion is discern the Lord’s body, and if people come to church on a Sunday and see everyone around them taking communion, they’re going to feel some level of pressure, amen, to partake. We don’t want you to do anything that might bring condemnation to your own soul. Thank all five of you for the amen! It’s okay; that’s why we do it on Sunday night. I know it’s another service, but when I think about what Jesus did for me in order for me to have life, He’s worthy of me carving out time for Sunday night communion. So that’s why I celebrate and thank you for your presence tonight.

Open your Bibles to 1 Corinthians chapter 11. I’m going to be with you for just a brief moment tonight. I want to talk about discerning the Lord’s body. One of the things I want to address tonight is the Apostle Paul writing to the church in Corinth, which, by the way, is a very carnal church. Their lifestyle and what’s going on in the church are problematic for the body of Christ. Paul is trying to guide the church to a level of maturity, and throughout the whole book of the Epistle of First Corinthians, he’s trying to straighten out some of the mess in the church. It’s an ancient model of what First Baptist Church at Glenarden is today because we’ve got a whole lot of mess in our church. Now, as the pastor, I can say that; don’t you say that! I can say that as the pastor because we’ve got a little bit of everything, and it’s okay. In other words, we’re going to help people get straight. I want drunkards to come in here. I want whoremongers to come in here. I want broken people to come so that we can preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to them because that’s what we stand for. Do I have a witness today from someone who acknowledges that’s where I was, but the blood of Jesus cleansed me, washed me, and got me straight?

So he’s addressing them, and Reverend Queen has already read it; it’s so powerful. Let me walk through it beginning at verse 23. Are you with me? Yes!

For I received from the Lord that which I delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus, on the same night in which He was betrayed, took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, «Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you. Do this in remembrance of Me.» We are here tonight in remembrance of the price that Jesus Christ paid for us on the cross. We don’t push it aside; we don’t ignore it. We set aside the time, and we come because He said, «Do this.» This is the way you show that you remember the price I paid for you on the cross; «in remembrance of Me.»

In the same manner, verse 25 says, He also took the cup after supper, saying, «This cup is the New Covenant in My blood. This do as often as you drink it in remembrance of Me.» I’m a little troubled that we have people in our church who, since they received the right hand of fellowship, have never returned to communion. What does that say about your respect for the price that Jesus paid for you on the cross?