This sermon emphasizes the importance of examining ourselves before partaking in communion, highlighting the seriousness of taking the body and blood of Christ in a worthy manner. It warns against mocking the Lord's Supper by living in continual sin and unrepentance, which can lead to weakness, sickness, or even death as a form of God's judgment. The message stresses the need for sincere repentance, self-reflection, and letting go of besetting sins to approach communion with a right heart and reverence for what Christ sacrificed.

But 1st Corinthians 11 27 listen to this therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in a worthy manner will be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. I don't know about you but that's a pretty strong warning. That's speaking volumes about the sincerity of where our heart should be when we do communion. But let a man examine himself so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup for he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself not discerning the Lord's body. For this reason many are weak and sick among you and many sleep many are dead for if we would judge ourselves we would not be judged. And I'll tell you right now there's no way to sugarcoat this verse and I'm not going to. I'm gonna shoot you straight and let you know that it's very important that the body and blood of Jesus we recognize it freed us but we will take it in vain we will mock Christ what he said here we will be guilty of the blood and body of the Lord Jesus Christ if we take this in an unworthy manner. Now the context you'll find is people are coming to these things they're eating all the food they're getting drunk and they're just yeah whatever and take in like mocking the Lord's Supper. But the overarching principle can still apply if we come into the church and we come here we we bring we bring continual sin besetting sin from jealousy and anger and bitterness and arrogance and we keep coming in week in a week after that and we take communion as if God doesn't care. I can hold on to these sins God doesn't care. No we're to examine ourselves and see if there's anything in me that I'm taking this in an unworthy manner. For example if somebody comes in and they're constantly hooked to porn they're constantly hooked to addiction issues and all these things and I don't care I'm going to come to church and they keep taking communion they're not turning from these things that they know is not pleasing to God that's taking it in an unworthy manner. That's what it is. And I don't know how else you can read this but he's saying if we do this many people who are weak and sick and dead are so because they took the Lord's Supper in an unworthy manner. Or they lived their life in an unworthy manner and God judges sometimes through sickness through illness through death. The judgment of God can fall in that area there's no other way to look at this. That's why he says for if we would judge ourselves we would not be judged. So by judging myself I look at myself I say Lord I cannot take this in an unworthy manner. There's issues in my heart all month that I need to deal with and I need to deal with now and I need to deal with tonight. I want to take this in a worthy manner. I'm judging myself I'm examining myself before I take communion and remember the body that was broken the blood that was shed. There's no other way around this. We have to we have to examine ourselves. Can you imagine a person continuing and living in and I mean it happens I'll just give you one example if there's a couple and they're living together and they're in just blatant sexual sin they don't care they'll get married someday and they keep coming to church and hearing the message and worshiping praise you Lord blessed Redeemer amazing grace and out tonight we're gonna go home and get a bottle of wine and you know what and who cares and they keep getting in there communion communion you don't think that's taking unworthy manner so that's if you judge yourself judge yourself then I won't have to judge you and it's not a it's not a you know we think God judging it but it's a loving father if there's illness or sickness or weakness or in God's listen I'm trying to wake you up I'm trying to show you this isn't right and Paul said it right here this is why some are weak and sick among you and some of you have died you're taking you're basically mocking Christ is what he says here weak means lacking physical strength and energy breaking under pressure they're unstable sickness and death can be a judgment I've seen a lot of sickness in homes where dishonesty is taking place I've seen a lot of chaos and confusion and people breaking under pressure because of rebellious attitudes I've seen a lot of to see disease and destruction the lives of those who are addicted I've seen a lot of mysterious illnesses in the lives of those who don't do what God has told them to do so my flesh is avoid this text tonight Shane this is not going to go over well the Spirit of God says preach it because this needs to be said we have so many people in the church because they're not hearing this they're not here you can't just come up and take communion and live and unconfessed sin we all live we're all sinners and that's why that's the point of communion is to remember what Christ did on the cross and we come and we come with the right heart Lord I'm repenting of my arrogance I'm repenting of my slander I'm repenting of dishonesty I'm repenting of all these things or I want to take this in a worthy manner Lord renewing me renewing me a right spirit and he says because the body that was broken you remember when he was whipped watch the passion of the Christ so very give you give you a very good example he was whipped he was scorched you know one of the reasons for the scourging was Roman interrogation they would hit hard like I say Oh stealing I stole from Caesar and then the next one will go lighter next and all they would confess it was a way of getting the confessions out but Jesus opened his mouth and didn't say never open his mouth like a lamb that was led to the slot led to the slaughter he opened not his mouth but he he opened not his mouth so we could never you ever thought about that he said nothing but he says but guys you need to you don't keep your mouth shut and say I'm just gonna keep this hidden I'm gonna keep this hiding I know I know if the if the lights could go on our hearts right now I know there are a lot of besetting sins taking place in this room that we don't want to give up and we come and we take communion I think that's scary and I know there's illness there's weakness there's judgment that God that God will bring to our lives he'll slowly bring things away and take out until we can get this area right look at anybody that's addicted to anything look where they're at now and two years from now are they prosperous great marriage your kids love them the vehicles are paid off no it's the opposite that's why a loving father warns this way if you give me I'm not saying all illnesses you get that right and hopefully I'm not saying all weakness all illness all disease I'm not saying it but there's no other way you can you can what they call exegesis they look at the text they look at the Greek they look at the context there's no way you can come away with this and say that many people are experiencing illness or or things maybe even depression anxiety weakness in their body they're they're experiencing difficulties in life because of sin that they have not confessed from and they're taking the body and blood of Christ they're mocking it and they're taking communion unworthy manner it's very clear very clear if you can come up with any other interpretation I'm open to hear it but you better start looking a lot of commentaries to from John Calvin to John MacArthur to Chuck Smith looked at them all this is this is this is having us examine ourselves I mean how dare we go up and take communion and remember what Christ did but say I'm not gonna give up what you died for I'm not gonna repent you you kept your mouth quiet but I'm not I'm gonna keep mine quiet too I'm not gonna confess anything I mean I know if the truth be told that there should almost not be a dry eye in this room there should be many of us just just saying Lord I need you I need to get my life in right relationship with you I need to take communion in the right way I've been holding on to bitterness I've been holding do you know you can hold on to bitterness and judgmentalism and anger a long time and it just festers and grows and grows and you become something you never wanted to become God says let it go he says no I'm not gonna let it go and those toxic emotions bring in disease and illness and sickness it's God's judgment because we don't judge ourselves