Communion: The Ministry of Justification

Summary

This message is preached at a communion service. Reading 1 Corinthians 11, the preacher explains that to partake worthily we must discern the body of the Lord, not treating the bread and cup as ordinary food. He calls the congregation to examine their hearts, to be at peace with God and one another, and to forgive anyone they hold a grievance against before they come to the table.

The heart of the message comes from Romans 8: if God is for us, who can be against us? He did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, and Christ willingly submitted to the Father's will. The Lord's Supper, then, is not a table of condemnation but a ministry of justification. Contrasting the law of Moses, the ministry that exposes our sin, with the gospel, the ministry of righteousness, the preacher shows that no one is justified by the law, only through the knowledge of Christ who bore our iniquities.

He shares his own testimony of first seeing his sinfulness under the light of the law, and later being drawn back to Christ by the light of God's love. The closing call is to live in that love, to grow into Christ's likeness, to be willing even to die for one another rather than judge each other like the Pharisee in the temple, and to come to the table in faith and forgiveness.

Key Points

• Examine your heart and discern the Lord's body before you partake.
• Be at peace with God and with one another; forgive every grievance first.
• God is not against us but for us; He did not spare His own Son.
• The Lord's Supper is a ministry of justification, not condemnation.
• The law exposes our sin; only the righteousness of Christ can justify us.
• No one is justified by works of the law; the righteous live by faith.
• Grow in love and the likeness of Christ instead of judging one another.