Hi, and welcome to the Willow Ridge Church weekly podcast.
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the latest message. Thanks for listening.
Good morning. If you've got your Bibles, go ahead and open them up to 1 Corinthians chapter 11
is where we will be today. I want to remind y'all and reinforce a couple of announcements that we
just had, but tonight we will have a meeting for everyone who is interested in being a part of
our Circle of Welcome team as we will be adopting a refugee family that is coming here to the United
States from somewhere in the world. We don't know exactly where this family will come until they're
assigned to us or given to us, but we're looking forward to that. And so this evening, if you've
already signed up to be a part of this, or if you've just got questions and you want to find out more of
what it's about, we'll be meeting at 630 in building two in room 200. And so that's the first room there
on the right as you walk in. And so I look forward to all of you who were interested to be there. I'm
going to share some information, but largely just have an opportunity for you guys to ask questions
about what this ministry will look like. Also, today is the last Sunday to get marriage conference
tickets that'll be this coming weekend. And so I would love for you to join us. We're really excited.
We're excited as a staff. Aaron and I are excited as a couple to walk through this weekend with you
guys to walk through this in our own marriage and to see all that God is going to do and how God's
going to bless us. And so it's going to be a wonderful, wonderful time. This is for newly married
couples. This is for couples thinking about getting married. This is for couples that have been married
for a while and you're in the thick of it with your teenagers. And this is for couples who have been
married for a lot longer than I've been married. All right. It's going to be for all of us. And so
I would love for you to be able to join us. Well, as the pollen on my windshield reminded me this
morning, in spite of the 42 degrees, it is springtime, which means Easter is going to be here
before you know it. And so we've got these little printouts on, I think there's two on each row that
are there. And so this is just an opportunity for you to grab this and throw this on your refrigerator.
Well, last year we did a couple of different things that seem to resonate with our church family.
And so we're going to continue on with some of those and add some different dynamics to it as well.
And so this Easter, April 17th, we're going to have an 8 a.m. We thought about calling it a sunrise
service, but let's be honest, the sun's been up long before then. All right. And so an 8 a.m.
outdoor service in the parking lot. We know that there's a lot of people that enjoyed that time
of worship of being outdoors. We are in prayer that it'll be substantially warmer than it was this time
last year. And so we will have that service at 8 a.m. Now the flow of the service is going to look
a little different, but we will be taking the Lord's Supper together and the message will be the same
as it will in the later service. And then something else that we're going to be doing this year,
which I'm excited about, is we're going to provide a full hot breakfast for our church family
that Easter morning at 9 a.m. And so if you're coming to the eight o'clock service, you can stay,
you can have breakfast with us as a church family, and then the next service will start
at 10 a.m. And that'll be the indoor, our normal service that we have. And so what we're hoping
that we can do as a church family is come together, if you're coming to the earlier service or you're
coming to the later service, and we can come together for a wonderful time of breakfast and
fellowship as we celebrate the fact that the tomb is empty. And so I'd like to encourage you
to be a part of that. Also with that said, this card is a wonderful thing like for you and for us at the
Bradberries to be a reminder, but it's also a wonderful opportunity to invite someone. And so
if you know of someone looking for a place of worship on Easter morning, please use this and
invite them and we'll be looking forward to seeing all that God is going to do that day. We'll take the
Lord's Supper at both, same message at both service, so pick which ones you feel like you would
worship at. As we look at chapter 11 this morning, I want to go and share, we're going to cover the
entire chapter and it's going to be broken down into three parts. I had a pastor at the first
church that I served at and it was getting ready to do something. He said, just give me a little
sermonette. And I'm like, well, what do you mean by that? He's like, you know, take what you would say
and just divide it down. I'm like, all right. So that's what I was responsible for doing. And as I was
going through this chapter this week, there's three definite sections as we walk through that
overlap, and we're going to talk about that in just a second, that overlap, but they seem to be
thematically isolated from each other. And so what we're going to do is we're going to look at each
one of those individually, but understanding that what Paul is doing to the church at Corinth and what
Paul is doing for us is reminding us of the truth of God's standard, of God's expectations, of what it
means to fully surrender to him in his way, that you and I, that we agree that we in society should
not be the ones to dictate and to understand and to set truth, but that Christ does this for us.
And so that'll be the theme that kind of works through as Paul's working with the Corinthian church.
And so let's begin. We're going to read just the first verse to begin in 1 Corinthians 11, verse 1.
Paul says,
Be imitators of me as I am of Christ.
And what we're going to look at from the very beginning here, what I want us to grasp is the
defining piece of what God is establishing for us, of what Paul is showing of biblical leadership.
Now, the church at Corinth, where Paul is, is a church that is filled with young and new believers.
It's something that we actually talked about a little bit this week as a staff.
I want you to think about this.
These people, a lot of us, maybe not all of us, but a lot of us grew up in church.
A lot of us got saved at a young age, and Christianity and our faith is all that we've ever known.
But some of us, it's a different story, right?
Some of us maybe grew up in church, but came to faith at a different age as an adult.
Or some of you maybe have never had a background or experience with church,
and you've come here, and as an adult, you've become a believer.
Maybe some of you in the last several weeks or several years.
And then some of you may be here today, and you're not a believer at all.
But when you think about the context in which Paul is writing this letter, that Christianity did not exist.
And so the dynamic of which Paul is bringing this to them is everyone here is young.
Everyone is a new believer.
And it's fair to say, not in a way that's condescending, but in establishing the depth of their faith,
they were immature in their faith.
And we're seeing a lot of that for what we're working through.
And so Paul takes a vulnerable step out there and says to them,
be imitators of me as I am of Christ.
Now, it draws a question.
Is this a little arrogance from Paul?
And I would say no.
But this isn't cockiness that Paul is showing.
Instead, this is confidence.
It's confidence in who he is, and it's confidence in who he is in the gospel.
I mean, I want you to think about that.
I don't know if you've ever been shadowed by someone, right?
Whether it be at work.
But when someone's job, when someone's responsibility is to watch you and then emulate you, right?
It can be overwhelming.
And Paul says, watch me, emulate me, not as a tent maker, not as just simply a person,
but as a follower of Christ.
And in that is making himself completely vulnerable and transparent in here.
But what Paul's doing is he's setting the standard.
And I think here's a piece that's important.
If Paul had said, just be like me, be like Paul, he misses it.
He misses it.
But what Paul does here is he says, imitate me as I am of Christ.
So what's Paul seeking?
Paul's seeking to imitate Jesus, and in that, imitate me.
And he sets Christ as a standard.
Now, this isn't the first time he's done this.
In 1 Corinthians 4, starting in verse 16, he does this here as well.
He says, I urge you then, be imitators of me.
That is why I sent you Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord.
And here's what's key.
To remind you of my ways in Christ as I teach them everywhere and every church.
And so Paul's standard is this, Paul's standard for himself and Paul's standard for the church is Christ.
So he's who we look at.
He's who we emulate.
He's the one that sets the standard.
It's not you that sets the standard.
It's not me that sets the standard.
It's not Paul that sets the standard.
It's Christ that sets the standard.
And Paul, in vulnerability of leadership, steps before them and says, then imitate me because this is what I'm seeking after.
And when you see those pieces that don't line up, that's my sin.
Call me out.
Paul's addressed the accountability that comes.
He's addressed what you do with sinful behaviors.
But he says, if you need a standard, if you need to see it in flesh, look at me as I seek to imitate Christ.
Now, the reason I call this biblical leadership and not just church leadership as Paul is a pastor is because this leadership model isn't just for church leadership, but it's for all.
As I challenge you this morning, as we gather in here today, as we go from here to your homes, as you get up in the morning to head to work, as you take your journey to the grocery store, as you go out to coach your little league team, as you go out to lead in your neighborhood association,
is what is the standard for which you are modeling?
What is the standard for which you are emulating?
What is the standard for what you are imitating in your life?
And if it's anything other than Christ, it's insufficient.
It's insufficient.
It will fall and it will fail.
Because Jesus is the standard.
Jesus is the standard.
And so as Paul begins this, it's a continual reminder for the church that's here to imitate Christ.
But in order for them to do that, in order for those young and those, for those immature, Paul says, then I'm going to put myself out there.
And is that what we're willing to do?
Are we willing to do that in our marriage?
Are we willing to do that in our families?
Husbands, what does your wife see in you?
Parents, what do your kids see from you?
Managers, what do your workers see in you?
Coaches, what do your players see from you?
Is it Christ?
And who you are?
Because he's your standard.
Let's keep reading starting verse 2.
He says,
Now I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I had delivered them to you.
But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God.
Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head.
But every wife who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, since it is the same as if her head were shaven.
For if a wife will not cover her head, then she should cut her hair short.
But since it's disgraceful for a wife to cut off her hair or shave her head, let her cover her head.
For a man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God.
But woman is the glory of man.
For man was not made from woman, but woman from man.
Neither was man created for woman, but woman from man.
That is why a wife ought to have a symbol of authority over her head because of angels.
Nevertheless, in the Lord, the woman is not independent of man, nor man of woman.
For as a woman was made from man, so man is now born of a woman, and all things are from God.
Judge for yourself.
Is it proper for a wife to pray to God with her head uncovered?
Does not nature itself teach you that if a man wears long hair, it is a disgrace for him?
But if a woman has long hair, is it her glory?
For her hair is given to her for a covering.
If anyone is inclined to be contentious, we have no such practice, nor do the churches of God.
I was read through this this week and studied this this week.
A lot of this has to do with head coverings.
And I'll be honest with you, I believe is what Paul is journeying through with the church at Corinth
and dealing with head coverings is dealing with a first century Corinth situation of culture that's there.
But there's a lot of truth of application that comes out of this that we can begin to see
as we begin to see God's view and God's standard on gender.
And I don't know about you, but it seems that the topic of gender has become a hot topic over the last several years.
And this debate got even more publicly drawn this weekend, or this past week.
I don't know if you watch sports.
There's a big sports championship going on right now, NCAA March Madness.
My South Carolina Gamecocks still have not lost in March Madness, right?
They're not playing in it either, but they haven't lost in it, right?
The men's team, the women's team, and they're rolling right through.
But there's also been some others, and there was the swimming championships that took place as well.
And the University of Pennsylvania, which is an Ivy League school, has a male swimmer who identifies,
I'll put that in quotes in my notes, as a female.
And this swimmer, this man, competed this past week in the women's 500 freestyle in the women's division,
even though he's a biological male, and he won.
And so this has brought out a lot of discussion, a lot of questions.
I would say if you roll through social media, it's probably one out of every four posts that you see
is something defined in this debate, as we tend to turn to other things to set the standard.
But as we look through this passage of Scripture, and as we look through the Bible as a whole,
what I want us to draw to this morning is this, that God decides, God defines, and God designs gender.
We don't get to decide this, God decides it.
God decides male or female.
All right, go to the garden.
He made man as man, and when he saw that man was incomplete, and we'll talk about this in just a second,
he didn't add a part or take a part away.
Instead, he created woman.
In Genesis 2, verse 15, it said,
The Lord took the man, in a little quick little language, this is man and gender, not mankind.
He took man and put him, what the Bible says, in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.
And then you look down at verse 18,
And then the Lord God said,
It is not good that the man, again, gender, should be alone.
I will make a helper suitable for him.
So he made woman.
Genesis 2, 22.
And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man,
he made into a woman, different gender, and brought her to the man.
God decides.
It's not up for debate.
In a Christian ethic, in a Christian narrative, in the study of God's word,
this is what we come to.
You and I do not get to decide these things.
It's not feelings that decide,
but it's the sovereign Holy Lord who does.
And so men be men,
and women be women,
as God designed.
Now,
in situations like with this swim room,
what do we do with this?
What do you and I do?
What do we say?
How do we respond?
What is our posture?
And coming alongside
in what God's word has laid out for us,
and seeing how Jesus walked alongside individuals
who are hurting and broken,
and walking through the own areas of my life
where I've chosen my set or my standard
before the Lord's,
and where people walk alongside me,
what has drawn me to the Lord?
We stand with truth.
We continue to provide help.
We give prayers.
In church, we show compassion
and love
for those who are seeking anything outside
of the will of the Lord.
So not only does God decide,
but God defines gender.
God defines gender.
And when we look at this,
God defines as male and female,
but equal.
Look back at verses 11 and 12
of 1 Corinthians 11.
So where we are in equality in gender,
men and women is this,
that we were both beautifully and wonderfully made
in the concept of Imago Dei,
the truth of Scripture,
of the Lord.
Back in Genesis 1, 26 through 27.
Then the Lord said,
let us make man in our image
after our likeness,
and let them have dominion
over the fish of the sea,
and over the birds of the heavens,
and over the livestock,
and over all the earth,
and over every creeping thing
that creeps on the earth.
So God made man in his own image.
In the image of God,
he created him.
Male and female,
he created them.
So Aaron and I are equally made
in the image of the Lord.
My son and my daughter
are equally made in the image of the Lord.
And so God gives us the beauty of equal value.
We're equally desirable to him.
God gives equal dignity.
We are equally worthy to him.
And he gives us equally love.
He loves us equally.
This is who he is,
regardless and in the context of gender.
He defines us differently.
I'm sorry,
he describes us differently,
but defines us equally
of who we are in Christ.
But then because he's the creator.
Because he's the one who creates.
He's the one who decides.
He's the one who designs their purpose as well.
It's not just that God decides,
that God defines,
but God also designs their purpose also.
Verse 3 in 1 Corinthians 11.
But I want you to understand
that the head of every man is Christ.
And the head of a wife is her husband.
And the head of Christ is the church.
And so what we begin to see here
is a differing,
not in equality,
not in God's love,
not in the worth that he places,
but in the purpose of what he gives
in the context of gender.
Like you and I are equally called
to live our lives for the glory of God,
but God begins to define differently
in the context of purpose.
In Ephesians 5,
Paul walks through with this.
Several weeks ago,
we talked about this as well,
but he led the charge of men lead.
Men in the context of your marriage lead,
and then again,
he sets the standard.
Not lead because you're a man,
but lead because of Christ.
And you lead like Christ.
Not lead out of your ego.
Not lead out of your preference.
Not lead out of personality.
Not lead out of arrogance.
Not lead out of sin.
Not lead out of,
because you want to tell someone what to do,
but lead in the image
and in the likeness of Christ.
So what does this mean?
What does this look like?
Well, without going through
and reading through all four Gospels,
let's see how Jesus led.
Jesus led in sacrifice.
He was sent here to serve,
is what he tells us.
Jesus led in love
and showed compassion and kindness
to men,
to women,
to religious,
into lost.
He led in love.
He led in forgiveness
and in grace.
It's who he is.
He didn't withdraw,
but he poured this out
and he led
in their betterment,
in their betterment
of seeking for them
to seek after
the things of the Lord.
And to summarize it, men,
Jesus led from the fruit of the Spirit
of the imagery that we see
and every single thing that he did
and every single thing
that he worked toward
and every single thing
that he accomplished,
he led in love,
joy,
peace,
patience,
kindness,
goodness,
faithfulness,
gentleness,
and self-control.
That's the standard
of leadership.
And men,
that's what we're called
to emulate.
That's how we're called
to lead our wives.
That's how we're called
to lead our children.
And that this would be
the standard
what's there.
Right?
And women,
ladies,
the longing
and the desire
to follow
this biblical leadership.
It's what Ephesians 5
points us to.
That they follow,
they submit
like the church does
to Christ.
Right?
We don't follow
Peter.
We don't follow
Paul.
We follow them
in Christ
as they imitate
Christ,
as they work
toward Christ.
And that's the standard
for this as well.
That ladies
come alongside
and when we look
back at the narrative
to be the helpmate
that God has provided,
not in a lessening form,
but as we lead,
as Christ leads,
as we stay in line
with his will,
as we stay in line
with our purpose.
And then you should think
about this.
Why do you follow Christ?
Everyone in here,
why do you follow Christ?
Because you know
who he is.
You know his sacrifice.
You know his love.
You know his forgiveness.
You know his truth.
You know his peace.
And this is what
draws us to him.
This is what causes us
to cling to him.
Right?
And as we see,
this is what we follow
toward and what we go.
Follow like the church.
Follow from biblical leadership.
Now,
whether the topic
that you're working through
is gender or not,
we can sit in here
and say,
and go around
and poll everyone
about their standard
of gender.
Their belief of gender.
And maybe where you are
is where I am
as we draw these things
from scripture.
But here's what I think
the bigger question
I want to draw from.
Are you living your life
under the clear expectations
of the Lord?
Or are we living our life
based off of
what we determine
is right or wrong?
What are we journeying toward?
What are we allowing
to move toward
the definition of that?
Right?
Let's keep you reading
verse 17.
Paul says,
But in the following instructions,
I do not commend you
because when you come together
it is not for the better
but for the worse.
For in the first place
when you come together
as a church,
I hear that there are
divisions among you
and I believe it in part.
For there must be factions
among you
in order that those
who are genuine
among you
may be recognized.
When you come together
it is not the Lord's supper
that you eat.
For in eating
each one goes ahead
with his own meal.
One goes hungry,
another gets drunk.
What?
Do you not have houses
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 commend you in this?
No, I will not.
For I receive from the Lord
what I also deliver to you
that the Lord Jesus
on the night
when he was betrayed
took bread
and would give him thanks.
He broke it
and said,
This is my body
which is for you.
Do this in remembrance of me.
In the same way also
he took the cup
after supper
saying,
This cup is the new covenant
in my blood.
Do this as often
as you drink it
in remembrance of me.
For as often
as you eat this bread
and drink the cup
you proclaim the Lord's death
until he comes.
Whoever therefore
eats the bread
or drinks the cup
of the Lord
in an unworthy manner
will be guilty
concerning the body
and blood of the Lord.
Let a person
examine himself
then
and so eat
of the bread
and drink of the cup.
For anyone
who eats and drinks
without discerning
the body
eats and drinks
judgment
on himself.
That is why
many of you
are weak
and ill
and some
have died.
But if we
judged ourselves
truly
would we not
be judged?
But when we
are judged
by the Lord
we are disciplined
so that we may
not be condemned
along with the world.
So then my brothers
when you come together
wait for one another.
If anyone
is hungry
let him eat
at home
so that when
you come together
it will not
be for judgment
about the other
things
I will give
directions
when I come.
Now one of the
things that you
think would be
a celebratory
time
in the life
of the church
would be
partaking
of the Lord's
supper
together.
It's one of my
favorite things
that we do
together
as a church.
If you're new
here
are typically
what we will
do
is we take
the Lord's
supper
together
the first
Sunday
of every
month
we'll take
the Lord's
supper
together
on Easter
and we'll
take the
Lord's
supper
together
on Christmas
Eve
and so
depending
on how
all those
days fall
on average
we're usually
taking the
Lord's
supper
together
around 14
times a year
and it is a
wonderful part
it is a
wonderful time
of worship
as it causes
us to focus
on who
Christ is
but Paul
says here
that the
division has
been created
in the church
during the
taking of
the Lord's
supper
because how
they are
treating the
Lord's
supper
and so I'm
going to
kind of
explain to
you a
little bit
what is
happening
here at
Corinth
so that
we can
draw from
this
and begin
to look
at our
own lives
with how
we take
the Lord's
supper
not only
as a
church
but more
importantly
individuals
as we
partake
in this
together
so
there
would
be
a
meal
that
would
happen
before
the
Lord's
supper
would
take
place
and
this
meal
that
would
happen
before
the
Lord's
supper
is
where
the
root
of
disunity
had
taken
hold
in
the
church
now
this
meal
was
supposed
to
show
unity
amongst
the
church
now
having
breakfast
together
on
Easter
is
not
just
to
save
everyone
so they
don't have
to fix
breakfast
at
home
that's
not
why
we're
doing
that
we're
having
an
opportunity
where
we can
come
together
as a
family
on a
day
that's
special
to us
and use
this time
of
fellowship
together
and write
worship
for the
Lord
that's
why we're
doing
this
as an
opportunity
as we
come
and we
get our
seats
on Sunday
mornings
and maybe
we don't
see or
know
other people
that are
here
it gives
us an
opportunity
of what
we hope
of building
the unity
of fellowship
amongst the
body
and so the
church at
Corinth and
other churches
have done
this for
years
Baptists
didn't invent
the potluck
even though
we like to
think that
we did
all right
but we
see this
in scripture
we see
churches
coming
together
men
and women
and children
and eating
a meal
together
to bring
unity
amongst the
church
but this
isn't what
was taking
place
in Corinth
and what
the meal
had done
is the meal
had broken
the church
into different
segments
largely the
haves and
the have
knots
so here's
what would
take place
the time
of the
meal
was earlier
in the day
and we know
how our
world works
okay
and so
but I want us
to think
through the
work day
of a
Corinthian
man or
woman
they didn't
have a
five day
work day
and some
of you
don't as
well
they had
for most
of them
a seven
day
work day
and this
work time
could break
off shorter
if you
owned the
business
or you
were a
wealthier
influencer
in the
town of
Corinth
and it
extended on
past that
if you
weren't
wealthier
well because
the beauty
of the
gospel
is the
gospel
crosses
socioeconomic
lines
right
just as it
crosses
lines of
race
lines of
culture
and even
lines of
gender
right
so the
gospel
is for
everyone
so gathered
in here
today
we have
people
we have
individuals
and families
from different
socioeconomic
backgrounds
and standings
within our
community
but what the
church of
Corinth had
done
I'm just gonna
throw out
some generic
times
all right
and let's
say that
everyone was
off work
by 530
they'd start
the meal
at four
and the
wealthier
people because
they could
brought most
of the food
and so
they would
show up
at four
they would
get everything
set out
they have
the nice
cuts of
meat
they have
the nice
dishes
like the
prime
casseroles
in first
cent three
Corinth
they're taking
place there
right
and then
the poor
people
who couldn't
get there
who couldn't
bring the
nicer food
would come
later
well I don't
know about
you but
one of the
things that
we like
to do
one of the
things that
we like
is let's
wait till
everybody
gets here
but instead
of waiting
they decided
no no no
we'll just
go ahead
and go
forward
so by the
time the
other group
of the
church
the have
nots
got there
the seating
in the
house
was taken
most of
the food
was gone
and so
they were
left to
feel as
if they
were
second
class
citizens
now you
sit outside
you get
the scraps
you get
the crumbs
that are
there
and Paul's
driving point
to them
was look
this isn't
a family
of unity
but it's
a family
of division
and so
some show
up and
you're fed
and they're
hungry
some show
up and
you've been
there so
long
you're
drunk
right
and you
see the
brokenness
that's
there
and so
at that
point
in time
of moving
forward
it doesn't
matter
if you
say all
the right
things
in the
Lord's
Supper
it doesn't
matter
if you
have the
proper
elements
during the
Lord's
Supper
it doesn't
matter
if you
have the
right songs
picked out
for the
Lord's
Supper
it doesn't
matter
if you
say the
right
prayers
during the
Lord's
Supper
because
your heart
is filled
with disunity
and brokenness
and there's
no love
for your
brother or
sister in
Christ
that's
Paul's
driving
point
and so
what I
have for
us
to think
through
is our
heart
and the
Lord's
Supper
our
heart
and the
Lord's
Supper
now the
Lord's
Supper
it's for
believers
if you're a
follower of
Jesus Christ
regardless of
your denomination
regardless of
how long
you've been a
Christian or
not
the Lord's
Supper
is for
all of
us
who are
believers
the Lord's
Supper
causes us
to look at
and recognize
the sacrifice
that Christ
made in
his body
as he took
on the
debt and
the punishment
that we
deserved
he died for
my sin
and your
sin
and so we
partake of
the body
and representing
of the bread
and then we
partake of
the cup
which represents
his blood
which washes
us
and makes
us clean
and gives
us proper
standing
and identity
in Christ
alone
and we can
know this
we can talk
about this
but what Paul
presses toward
the church
at Corinth
and what Paul
presses toward
us
as well
even if
you're a believer
there's something
that you need
to work through
there's some
things you need
to dialogue
with yourself
in your heart
in taking
the Lord's
Supper
and the first
one is this
examine yourself
I read
an author
that said
and as he was
continuing through
of Jesus
being the
standard
he said
examine yourself
not based
off the
actions of
others
but examine
yourself
based off
the sacrifice
of Christ
and am I
broken for
my sin
is there
unrepentant
sin in my
life
do I
desire
the will
of God
do I
seek
to be
obedient
not am I
perfect
and got it
all figured
out
but where
is my
heart
in this
time
examine
yourself
and church
I want to
say this
sometimes
we walk
in here
and we're
bringing in
the baggage
last week
right
we're
bringing in
the baggage
of this
morning
and sometimes
in taking
the Lord's
supper
maybe one
of the most
spiritually
mature
things that
we could
do
is say
I'm not
ready
I'm not
ready
not for
me today
because we've
examined
our heart
another
aspect
that's
here
what Paul
points
him to
with going
back to
this previous
dinner and
the standing
between the
church
is examine
your
relationships
examine your
relationships
is there
something
broken
between
me
and another
brother and
sister in
Christ
if so
seek to
restore it
before we
take the
Lord's
supper
do I have
ill will
toward someone
you know when
you see him
and it just
makes you sick
but they're
brother and
sister in
Christ
if so
seek repentance
before you
take
do I not
love my
brothers and
sisters in
Christ
am I so
self-focused
that I don't
have love
for him
if so
take a time
to focus
to God
and prayer
to change
your heart
before I
take
take a time
to examine
your heart
take a time
to examine
your relationships
and I want
to give you
permission
this morning
if you take
the Lord's
supper
out of
obligation
then stop
if you take
the Lord's
supper
out of a
sense of
religious
nature
and piousness
then stop
if you take
out of fear
of what
others will
say
then stop
but start
again
with a
pure heart
with godly
relationships
and recognizing
the sacrifice
of Jesus
and the
power that
it has
on every
aspect of
your life
would you pray
with me
Lord we
come to you
this morning
Lord honestly
and transparent
transparently
with a
heavy passage
of scripture
this morning
but God
could we
be reminded
of the
standard
that you
set for
us
of Christ
Lord in
so many
of these
things that
we are
seeing
at the
church of
Corinth
whether it's
the situation
dealing with
the head
coverings
whether it's
the Lord's
supper
whether it's
meat
sacrificed
to
idols
whether it's
divisions
within the
church
whether it's
lawsuits
amongst
believers
whether it's
the pursuit
of sexual
morality
the pursuit
of idolatry
or the truth
that just
continues to
pour out
is that
it's men
and women
who are
seeking their
own will
and their
own standard
above you
in your
will
and your
standard
and your
desire for
our life
and so
Lord maybe
the topics
that came
out of
chapter 11
this morning
ring home
to some
of us
or maybe
they don't
Lord I'd
ask and I
plead in the
power of
your spirit
that you
would show
us these
areas in
our life
where we
have determined
that we're
going to put
our ego
our pride
and our
sin
above you
and then
Lord in your
discipline
that strengthens
us
that loves
us
that causes
us to
drink out
of the
sweetness
of your
grace
Lord could
you bring
us to that
this morning
it's not
about me
being right
it's about
me glorifying
you
and living
for the
glory of
your name
thanks again
for listening to
the Willow Ridge
Church weekly
podcast we hope
that you enjoyed
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week's message if
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