Corrected, Not Condemned: The Love Behind the Warning

Paul Brand was a Christian surgeon visiting a small village outside a hospital in New Guinea, when he saw something he could hardly believe.

A woman was roasting yams over a charcoal fire, when one of them slipped off her stick and rolled under the hot coals. Every time she jabbed at it, she only pushed it deeper. And that’s when she motioned to an old man squatting a few feet away, who knew exactly what she wanted.

The man shuffled over, reached right into the fire, pushed the coals aside with his bare hand, got the yam out, and then calmly went back to his seat.

It happened so fast that Brand couldn’t stop him. But he went straight over to examine the man’s hands. There were no fingers left, just stubs and old scars. That’s when Brand realized this wasn’t the first time that man had reached into the fire.

So Brand lectured him. He told him he had to start taking care of his hands. But the old man didn’t seem to care, and Brand doubted he’d heard a word.

See, Paul Brand spent decades caring for leprosy patients, mostly in India. That’s why he was visiting that hospital. And for the longest time, people assumed leprosy itself just ate away at fingers and toes. Doctors knew it damaged the nerves, but Brand began to suspect that the disease wasn’t destroying the hands and feet. The painlessness was.

And he never forgot that old man reaching into the fire. After spending his life helping people like him, Brand wrote a book called “Pain: The Gift Nobody Wants.”

And that’s so true: The fire wasn’t that man’s problem; his problem was that nothing told him to pull his hand out of it! And that’s why pain is a gift that nobody wants. But it’s also a gift that everyone needs.

That’s exactly what was happening in Corinth. They kept reaching for the bread and the cup while they were hurting the body of Christ, and they didn’t see what it was costing them. So like Brand with the old man, Paul tells them what they were really doing. so they can come to the Lord’s Table the right way. And the question is whether we’ll listen any better than that old man did.

To avoid spiritual numbness that brings judgment at His Table, we must:

1. Search Our Manner, Not Our Worth (vv. 27–28)
2. See the Body for What It Is (vv. 29–32)
3. Share the Table With One Another (vv. 33–34)

1. Search Our Manner, Not Our Worth (vv. 27–28)

It’s no secret that the church of Corinth was a bit of a mess. You name it, they were fighting about it. And as we’ve seen the last two weeks looking at this book, Paul had to remind them what this kind of mess leads to. And in chapter 10, he pointed to Israel’s dead bodies lying across the wilderness and said: “That’s what it looks like.” “It looks like God’s judgment upon you.”

Then last week we looked at chapter 11, and saw how they were approaching the Lord’s Table. Some were going ahead with their own meal, while others went hungry. and some were even getting drunk. The church had become blind to what the bread and the cup signified, and even though they felt close to God. Like John Newton, they never saw the people chained below the deck.

And how does Paul address this? By bringing in Emily Post and her book on Etiquette and good manners? No. He addressed it by pointing them to what Christ had done.

²³ For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, ²⁴ 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.” ²⁵ 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.” ²⁶ For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

1 Corinthians 11:23–26 ESV

My body which is for you. Do this in remembrance… until I come. That’s the heart of it all. And many of the Corinthians Christians had lost that.

See, as I mentioned last week, none of us deserves a seat at Christ’s table. Not me, not you. And yet, we are still invited to come. Why? Well I just read why. Christ body broken for you. Christ blood shed for you. That’s why.

And yet, Paul still warns us that we unworthy people who are made worthy in the death of Christ, can still approach the table in an unworthy manner. Which is why He warns:

²⁷ 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. ²⁸ Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup.

1 Corinthians 11:27–28 ESV

When you read your Bible, you need to follow the author’s logic. And that word “Therefore” is showing you Paul’s logic. The word means: “Because of what I just said” Or: “Because Christ died for you and eating the bread and drinking the cup proclaim His death until He comes.” You must not take the elements in an unworthy manner. Why not? Because then you “will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord.”

To put it bluntly, Paul is saying to take the Lord’s table like the Corinthians Christians were, is just like standing there shouting “Crucify Him, Crucify Him!” It’s like being the one who held the hammer and drove the nail into His hands. And if that’s not a terrifying thought to you. That’s terrifying.

Corinth had cliques. And Paul is saying your cliques are despising the church of God and putting you on the side of those who crucified Christ. That’s why back in chapter 8, Paul said that when you sin against your brothers you sin against Christ. But why does me sinning against other Christians mean I’m sinning against Christ’s body? It’s because it’s CHRIST’S BODY! That’s what the church is. And Christ died for His church, and when we sin against Christ’s body, we sin against Him.

Now the church isn’t literally Christ’s body. That’s a metaphor. But think about it. If I go home one day, and pull out the old wedding photos. And I start tearing them up right there in front of Becky with an evil grin on my face. How do you think she’s gonna respond? NOT HAPPY! And rightly so. Because even though that picture isn’t her, what I did to it was to her. And even if you don’t believe me, I still wouldn’t recommend trying that.

In verse 28, Paul says: “Let a person examine himself.” And we get that verse wrong quite often. Because we tend to think it means: “Let a person examine everyone else.” But it doesn’t say that. It says to “examine YOURSELF.” Which turns out to be really unfortunate for us, because we are all experts at examining others, but absolutely terrible at examining ourselves.

We see other people’s weaknesses, We see their faults. We see their sins. But we see those all while being blind to our own.

Now think about it. How does that lead to factions and cliques? Oh my goodness, it’s so obvious. Don’t you see it?

When I spent all day examine you all, but don’t examine myself. I’m judging you all and deciding which ones are good enough to be in presence. That’s what Corinth was doing.

But… when I truly examine myself, What do I find? I find out how much I don’t actually belong at this table. That leads to one of two reactions. A good reaction. and a bad reaction.

The bad reaction is guilt and self-loathing - or what we call around here: “Eeyorism” Instead of repenting and looking to Christ, I continue to look at myself.

But second reaction, which is the right reaction, Looks at myself long enough to repent, and then quickly gets my eyes back on Christ. That’s what we are supposed to do when we examine ourself.

And that my friends is the secret to breaking up a cliquey church. Because when we do that. When we JUDGE ourselves. It kills pride and self-righteousness that enables us to humble love and care for each other. Instead of having an: “OHhhhh… let me tell you about THAT person,” mentality.

Actually I take that back. It keeps that mentality, but it reverses it’s effect from a negative to a positive. Instead of us looking down on each other, we look at each other and say: “WOW! Praise the Lord! His grace is enough for even someone like that!” OK, I’m mostly kidding. But you get the idea right? We start seeing each other, faults included, as trophies of grace! Because THAT’S exactly what we all are!

Have you all ever showed up for communion and thought: “Ya know… I know what this passage says…” “It warns me not to take the Lord’s table if I’ve got sin in my life.” Probably all of us have experienced that. But then… what do we do? We say: “I know… I’ll just not take the elements today…” So we pull our hand back from the bread and the cup, and leave it right in the fire.

But don’t you see how stupid that is? And it’s stupid for two reasons.

First - God doesn’t ONLY discipline us when we take the table in a wrong manner. He disciplines for us all sorts of other things as well. In fact, Hebrews 12: says that God scourges every son He loves. and that’s not in the context of coming to the table wrongly. So if your solution to your sin is to keep on sinning while not coming to the table. Now you’ve just added more sin to be scourged for.

But there’s a second reason that’s stupid. And it’s because it goes directly AGAINST what Paul commands here. Look at verse 28. What does Paul immediately say to do after you examine yourself? Let the elements pass until next week? NO! “eat of the bread and drink of the cup.” The solution isn’t to relent from taking the elements, it’s to REPENT of your sin and THEN eat and drink!

And why? Lots of reasons. But what’s the immediate reason Paul just gave in verse 26? “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.”

My, my, my. There’s like 10 sermons worth of material here. But I only get one - so here it is. Why does eating the bread and taking the cup after examining ourselves proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes? Well to answer that question, I’m gonna give you another question. Why doesn’t Paul say: “Taking the bread and cup proclaim the Lord’s return.” Or why doesn’t Paul say, “Taking the bread and cup proclaim the Lord’s resurrection until He comes” Well… that’s because, and this is profound… THAT’S NOT WHAT PAUL IS SAYING THE TABLE PROCLAIMS.

Now yes, it certainly does proclaim all of those things, But look at what it proclaims first! It proclaims HIS DEATH. Now why might that be, you ask. Because look at verse 28. Examine yourself.. then take and eat and drink.

Are you seeing the gospel here yet? When we examine ourselves what do we find? Sin. And when we repent to God, what do find? A Savior. Now do you see why the table proclaims Christ’s death until He comes? It’s because every time we approach it rightly, We are beating our chest like the tax collector, lowered his eyes and said: “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” And that’s the GOSPEL!

But… when we take in an unworthy manner. with unrepentant sin and treating our brothers and sisters in Christ with pride and contempt. We are being like the Pharisee who prayed: “God, I thank you that I am not like the other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this here tax collector.”

Skipping the bread and the cup while you hang on to your sin isn’t repentance. And taking the bread while you defend your sin isn’t either.

“But pastor… I don’t feel forgiven.” “I don’t feel worthy of taking the bread and cup.” OK.. JOIN THE CLUB! Because if I only preached on Sundays I felt worthy of stepping into this pulpit, We’d be live streaming some preacher about every other Sunday, if not more. Feelings make a lousy warning system. Sometimes they tell you you’re fine when you’re getting burned, and sometimes they tell you you’re burning when you’re fine.

So don’t wait until you feel worthy. Come the way my Dad put it in a sermon recently: “I’m not who I want to be tomorrow,” “but I thank God I'm not who I was yesterday.”

Plus, what does Paul say? Does he say: “Examine yourself and if you repent and feel worthy and forgiven come and take?” No… he says examine and take. Look, sooner, or later you’re going to have to make a decision here, and the decision is, “Can you trust the promises of God?” And the answer is, of course, “YES.” And think about it: if God sent HIs one and only Son to die for your sins.. Do you really think He’s gonna say: “Nevermind… that sacrifice wasn’t good enough. I changed my mind.” Because that’s what you’re saying when you say you don’t FEEL forgiven. You’re saying, whether realized or not, Jesus sacrifice wasn’t enough and He didn’t pay it all. And if that’s not doubting the gospel, I don’t know what is.

If you approach the table with the mentality of having to feel a certain level of worth before taking it, that’s JUST SENTIMENTALITY. And sentimentality is the antithesis of worship. Because we do not worship based on how we feel, but upon what is real. And what is real church, is this. Christ body, broken for you - do this in remembrance of HIm. Christ blood, shed for you - do this in remembrance of Him.

When we examine, what are we doing? We examine to see if we are coming as someone who knows Jesus paid it all and all to Him we owe. We come, not resisting our own record of sin, but we come with repentance not explanations or justifications. We come, not remembering every sin we’ve ever committed, but laying all of our sin, even the ones we’ve forgotten at the foot of the cross. Because that is where justice and mercy meet.

To avoid spiritual numbness that brings judgment at His Table, we must:

2. See the Body for What It Is (vv. 29–32)

In verses 29-32, Paul warns about the danger of eating and drinking “without discerning the body.” And he writes:

²⁹ For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. ³⁰ That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. ³¹ But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. ³² But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.

1 Corinthians 11:29–32 ESV

That word “discern” means to recognize it for what it really is, and to treat it that way. And “the body” means two things at once. It means Christ’s body, which was given for us on the cross. And it also means “His people,” which are the church. And again, the point is the same one: You cannot love the Lord God with all your heart without loving your neighbor as yourself. The two go hand-in-hand.

So who are you mistreating? Who have you gone numb to? Who are you ignoring, because you “just can’t stand that person?” Who are you failing to serve, because your time and your resources are too important? Because that’s the person Paul is calling you to “DISCERN” on first before you take the bread and cup. And if you don’t… Cuz you’re “just done with them.” Paul says you’re eating and drinking judgment upon yourself.

The point is simple: Judge or be judged. That’s Paul’s warning. Either you judge (or discern) yourself, Or God will.

And what does that often look like? Well, Paul tells us someone nobody wants to hear: In verse 30 he says:

³⁰ That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died.

1 Corinthians 11:30 ESV

“Wait… does that really happen though?” Well, let’s ask our friends Ananias and Sapphira about that. Because they dead. Sure, it wasn’t over the Lord’s Table, But it was over the unrepentant sin of “telling a little white lie” and saying they gave all the money from a sale to the church when, in truth, they kept some of it back for themselves. And for that, God struck them dead on the spot, and they carried their corpses right out of church.

³¹ It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Hebrews 10:31 ESV

If you ever come to our church’s prayer meetings, and you really should. A lot of what we pray for our health issues. And we can’t know for sure, But it’s not biblically irrational for those of us who are on that list to pause and say: “Do I have a health issue, or do I have a repentance issue?”

And notice I said for US judging ourselves. Not for judging each other. Because despite what the prosperity gospel tells us, Not every sickness is a sin issue. So when someone gets a cold or flu bug, Don’t jump to: “Ohhh I bet I know what that’s for….” “GOD JUDGING EM GOOD!” Cuz that’s false judgment, and you very well may find yourself on the receiving end of that stick.

God uses sickness and disease for a multitude of reasons in our lives. Yes, sometimes for correction and discipline, but sometimes, as he did with Paul, simply to make HIs great power known through weakness.

So let’s not embrace the prosperity gospel approach here that basically boils down to KARMA Christianity But let’s embrace the part that it gets right. And this last week, while I was really sick, preparing to preach a sermon on how God sometimes makes you sick as judgment for sin… I was thinking a lot about all of blessings we miss out on because of disobedience. Think about it. If you’re a self-centered, arrogant person - what do you miss out on? With your marriage - you miss out on a lot of good times that ruined by your bad, sinful personality trait. With your kids - you miss out on the joys of parentings and you see the pain of your kids learning from your selfish ways. With your church - you miss out on the joys of serving, of being the body of Christ, and experiencing a small taste of heaven this side of eternity. And sometimes, you do miss out on prosperity and wealth.

And think about it, why wouldn’t you? Like this is Proverbs 101 stuff… Who wants to a work partner who ‘s a self-centered, arrogant know-it-all? Who wants to invite you to the Twins Game to sit in box-office seats if you’re an insufferable pain? Who wants to help you when you’re hurting, when all you do it cause pain and hurt to those around you?

The way of the transgressor is hard, my friends. And not only is it hard in a proverbs way, but it’s hard in a Lord’s Table way. Because God does bless us for obedience and He does discipline us for disobedience, and those blessings and disciplines come in MANY, MANY ways. And some of those way include sickness and even premature death.

We need to jettison this idea that God of the Old Testament is a God of wrath and anger and the God of the New is a “boys will boys” kind of a God. It’s the SAME GOD! And that same God is a God. God of wrath and anger toward sin, and a God who is merciful and gracious, abounding in steadfast love.

⁸ The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. ⁹ He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever.

Psalm 103:8–9 ESV

Why does God do this? Why does He discipline us even to the point of death? Verse 32.

³² But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.

1 Corinthians 11:32 ESV

Do you see what this verse is saying? It’s saying you CANNOT lose your salvation. Because if it’s not saying that, please, by all means, tell me what on earth it’s saying?

Paul’s point is crystal clear. God will not let His children be condemned along with the world. He’ll discipline us, and sometimes, as verse 30 says, that discipline even means taking someone home early. But whatever it takes, He will not lose one of His own. That’s the logic. That’s the argument.

And as scary as that verse might sound to some to you, Imagine how much scary it would be if that verse wasn’t there? Because if it wasn’t, And we could actually fall into sin to the point where we lose our salvation, That’s the most frightening thing I can think of! Yes, dying early and missing out on reward is frightening, But dying early and missing out on CHRIST is the most frightening thing I can think of!

But our God won’t allow that! Yes, He will deal with our sin severely, But it’s never done cruelly. It’s never done abusingly to harm. But always to heal. For we are Corrected, not condemned! And yes, sometimes His discipline is as severe as premature death. But even then, He hasn't abandoned His children. Paul's point is that His judgment is meant to keep them from being condemned with the world.

¹ There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Romans 8:1 ESV

And why? Not because we finally got good enough. Not because our discipline paid for anything. Paul tells us why two verses later. God sent “his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin,” and “he condemned sin in the flesh.” The condemnation we deserved fell on Jesus. So we can be corrected instead of condemned, because He was condemned instead of us.

³² for, though he cause grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love;

Lamentations 3:32 ESV

But what if I never seem to receive discipline from the Lord? What if He never brings me grief for my sin? Well, in Hebrews 12, Paul says that shows God isn’t actually your Father. Because like all good fathers, God disciplines His sons. And where there is no discipline, it shows we are not sons.

But that doesn’t mean we should pursue discipline either. The best discipline is the kind you rarely need. And in verse 31, Paul shows us how to avoid it.

³¹ But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged.

1 Corinthians 11:31 ESV

And so church, judge or be judged. Because both are a mercy of God. Instead of continually reaching your hand into the fire, hear the great physician’s warning and turn and be healed!

To avoid spiritual numbness that brings judgment at His Table, we must:

3. Share the Table With One Another (vv. 33–34)

In verses 33-34, Paul returns again to how we gather as the church.

³³ So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one another— ³⁴ 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.

1 Corinthians 11:33–34 ESV

Paul mentions that phrase “come together” five times in this passage. And it’s because he’s concerned with how we come together as the church. And his fix for the problem is incredibly ordinary. “Wait for one another.” Or… “Put others first.” That’s it. Not a new program. Not a new policy manual. Just a simple practice: “Nobody eats until everybody can eat.” But that’s a profoundly spiritual discipline that gets right to the heart of the second commandment, which is to love your neighbor as yourself.

But not only does it get to the heart of the second commandment, it get’s the heart of the first. Why do we love God with all our heart? Because He first loved us. And why do we love our neighbor? Because Christ loved us, all the way to death, even death on a cross. That’s why we wait. That’s why we welcome. That’s why we kill Christian cliques and love the unlovely. And it’s because that’s what Christ did for you.

⁷ Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.

Romans 15:7 ESV

In verse 34, Paul is evidently addressing the people with diabetes who can’t wait, and he says: “Eat a granola bar in the truck.” That’s my translation. But his point is, figure it out man! Be practical and do what you have to do so you can love your neighbor! Stop making excuses and start making uses of your creativity.

And this where you need to get practical, What do you gotta do to prioritize our gathering? What needs to go off the schedule so you can be here every week and serve throughout the week? What needs to change so you can get enough sleep to be ready to worship and love God by loving others? What needs to change so you can “figure it out, man?” I can’t answer that for you. Though I might have ideas if you asked. But I do know you gotta get that raging appetite under control. The appetite for your convenience. The appetite for your preferences. And especially the appetite for your comfort. It’s amazing what we’ll reach into the fire for. Sometimes it’s nothing more than a yam.

Because if we don’t, as verse 34 says, we aren’t coming together for good, but for judgment.

So all that to say: To avoid spiritual numbness that brings judgment at His Table. we search ourselves on Christ’s merit, we see His body and His people for what they really are, and we share His Table with one another. That’s Paul’s warning. The question is, will we hear it? Or… will we be like that old man in New Guinea who ignored it, and continue to stick our hands into the flames, Only to be surprised when we find ourselves burnt with fingers missing?

Instead, let’s hear the warning. And not shrink back in fear, but in praise for our God who is mighty to save! And He saves through His body, which is broken for you. And His blood which was shed for you. And let us come together and do this in remembrance of Him.

And so come to the table boldly. With a heart that can sing, as Charles Wesley put it: “No condemnation now I dread; Jesus, and all in Him, is mine! Alive in Him, my living Head, and clothed in righteousness divine.”

That’s how we come. Yes, with a warning of discipline if we fail to take our sin seriously. But with the full assurance that NOTHING can separate us from the love of God.

³⁸ For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹ nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:38–39 ESV

Trust this gospel and eat and drink. Knowing that by God’s grace, Jesus Christ has paid for our sins, and through faith, we are completely forgiven.

If you’ve trusted in Christ, followed Him in believer’s baptism, and are walking in covenant fellowship with this church or a church of like faith and practice, we invite you to come and lay down your own supper, and receive His.

And if you’ve never trusted Christ, the bread and the cup can’t save you. But the Savior they proclaim can. And so turn from your sin and trust Him today. Because as often as we eat this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.

This is the manuscript the sermon was preached from, so the recording may differ in places.