30.8 Lord's Supper: Does Not Belong to Unbelievers
Table of Contents
The Text
2 Corinthians 6:14–15 (CSB) Do not be yoked together with those who do not believe. For what partnership is there between righteousness and lawlessness? Or what fellowship does light have with darkness? What agreement does Christ have with Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?
The Chapter
All ignorant and ungodly persons, as they are unfit to enjoy communion with Christ, so are they unworthy of the Lord's table, and cannot, without great sin against him, while they remain such, partake of these holy mysteries, or be admitted thereunto; yea, whosoever shall receive unworthily, are guilty of the body and blood of the Lord, eating and drinking judgment to themselves.
The Confession
1 Corinthians 11:29 (CSB) For whoever eats and drinks without recognizing the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself.
Matthew 7:6 (CSB) Don’t give what is holy to dogs or toss your pearls before pigs, or they will trample them under their feet, turn, and tear you to pieces.
Unbelievers, why do you want this bread and wine? It is a tiny meal. It will not sustain you. It will not give you life. It will not make you right with God. It will not cleansed you of your unrighteousness so you are free to go back to sinning. You will not save you so you can go back being afraid of the wrath and judgment of the Holy God!
Why would you want this bread and wine? It does not make sense! It is not for you because it will not benefit you at all.
But, do you know of God? Do you really know him? I mentioned his judgment and wrath. Why is he so vengeful? Because we are born in sin and we are all born to wage war against his holy name. We are treasonous people. We are worthless. We are rebels. We are enemies of God.
We are sinners.
And without someone to save us, we are most certainly doomed to eternal just wrath of God forever.
But God did not leave us to eternal damnation. He has come to save his people. He sent himself--he sent his only begotten Son. He was named Jesus because he has save his people from their sins.
Jesus did not sin. Born of a woman but never sinned. That goes beyond just doing all the right things--he loved the Lord his God with all of his heart. And he loved his neighbor as himself. No deceit. No malice. No hatred. No lust. No sin.
In his sinless perfection, he is the perfect sacrifice. For:
Hebrews 9:22 (CSB) According to the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
There must be a perfect sacrifice to God to atone for the sins of all of his people to wash them pure and clean. Christ is that perfect sacrifice. He is the Worthy Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world.
And we know that the Christ was some madman preacher who claimed to be the Son of God. He was the actual righteous Son of God:
Romans 1:1-4 (CSB) Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God — which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures — concerning his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who was a descendant of David according to the flesh and was appointed to be the powerful Son of God according to the Spirit of holiness by the resurrection of the dead.
Christ is the only Messiah whose tomb is empty. It is empty because he is alive. Only dead people fill tombs. Our Christ is alive and well and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty which in the future he will come again to judge the living and the dead.
And I tell you, unbeliever, that this meal is not for you. It is not for you--unless you believe the things I have told you about the Christ.
Oh, do you believe the Christ who came to save sinners? Do you believe in in the historical perfect work and life of the Christ.
If you believe, if you believe, then you have given the Son. You can now repent of your sins! Be baptized because Christ has saved you!
And now you can partake of this meal. At one time in your life, this meal was not for you. But only because Christ is for you, then this meal is for you.
Amen.