1 Corinthians 11:20-21. When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord's supper. For in eating every one taketh before other his own supper: and one is hungry, and another is drunken.
They seem to have brought their own provisions to the assembly, and to have made a feast thereof, and they even thought that was an observance of the Lord's supper. They differed in social position; and, consequently, one had little and another much, and some even went to excess so that they were actually «drunken.» Paul might well rebuke such unseemly conduct.
1 Corinthians 11:22. What? have ye not houses to eat and to drink in? or despise ye the church of God,
«Do you think that, as a nominally Christian assembly, you are constituted merely that you may eat and drink? ‘What? have ye not houses to eat and to drink in? or despise ye the church of God,'»
1 Corinthians 11:22. And shame them that have not?
«Making the poor who come to the gathering feel their poverty by observing the superiority of your provisions to their own.»
1 Corinthians 11:22-23. What shall I say to you? shall I praise you in this? I praise you not. For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you,
«And therefore you ought not to have gone astray. I told you how to observe this ordinance, so you have wilfully erred. This is what I delivered unto you,»
1 Corinthians 11:23-27. That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: and when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death till he come. Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily,
That is, from wrong motives, without sincere faith and devotion to God,
1 Corinthians 11:27-29. Shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh condemnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.
You notice that I introduced the word «condemnation» instead of «damnation.» That word does not correctly give the meaning of the original; it is not damnation, but condemnation, or judgment, as is clear from that which follows.
1 Corinthians 11:30. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.
There is no doubt that God visited upon the Corinthians, in the way of chastisement, their want of reverence at his table; many were weak and sickly among them, and many died. They were not lost if they were believers in Christ, but the church at Corinth sustained a great loss through their departure; and I have no doubt that God still exercises a singular discipline over his own people. They that are without are, to a large extent, left to sin as they please; their punishment will fall upon them hereafter; but the child of God cannot be allowed to do so, and he shall be chastened for his sin. The Lord still says to his spiritual Israel, «You only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.» A father may let another man's child alone, but his own boy shall not transgress without smarting for it. Such conduct as is here described does not bring damnation, for there is no damnation to them that are in Christ Jesus; but it does bring the chastening with which God visits his children when they walk contrary to him.
1 Corinthians 11:31. For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.
But when a church has lost its conscience, and gets into such a state as this Corinthian church fell into, then, as it does not judge itself, God judges it, and chastens it severely.
1 Corinthians 11:32. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.
Perhaps somebody thought just now, «I do not want to be in the Church of Christ if it gets special chastening.» That is one among many reasons why I do want to be in the Church of Christ, for «we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.»
1 Corinthians 11:33-34. Wherefore, my brethren, when ye come together to eat, tarry one for another. And if any man hunger, let him eat at home; that ye come not together unto condemnation. And the rest will I set in order when I come.
This exposition consisted of readings from Matthew 26:17-30; and 1 Corinthians 11:20-34.