Consecration 1

This morning we are going to look at consecration. You should all be a week into reading through the consecration Bible plan for 21 days.

1 Corinthians 11:17-34: In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good. 18 In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it. 19 No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God’s approval. 20 So then, when you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat, 21 for when you are eating, some of you go ahead with your own private suppers. As a result, one person remains hungry and another gets drunk. 22 Don’t you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God by humiliating those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? Certainly not in this matter!  23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night 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, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. 27 So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. 29 For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. 30 That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. 31 But if we were more discerning with regard to ourselves, we would not come under such judgment. 32 Nevertheless, when we are judged in this way by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be finally condemned with the world.  33 So then, my brothers and sisters, when you gather to eat, you should all eat together. 34 Anyone who is hungry should eat something at home, so that when you meet together it may not result in judgment.  And when I come I will give further directions. 

Note: when Paul speaks here about those eating and those going hungry, he is not speaking of the communion table as we observe it. He is referring to family meals at which they also remembered the Lord’s sacrifice, some would gorge themselves, s some would go hungry.

Examine the Heart
28: Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. 29 For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. 30 That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. 31 But if we were more discerning with regard to ourselves, we would not come under such judgment.

When I examine myself I have to be honest:
Jeremiah 17:9: The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?

We have to be discerning about ourselves (1 Corinthians 11: 31).
Self-examination is not self-loathing or condemnation. It is not designed to engender guilt. But it is not comparison with others. If I compare myself with you, I might be food into thinking I am a better Christian than you. You may also think the same about me! You might be more right!

Self-examination is recognising that when we consider our sin, the offence before God, we could say like Paul that we are all “chief of sinners.”(I Timothy 1:15).

It is knowing that once more we throw ourselves onto His grace:
Romans 3:23-24: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

As soon as we think we have not fallen in an area (by comparing to others) we have already fallen! By saying we are better we are denying that we are sinners. We are not enough! The Bible says we are lost without Jesus (Luke 19:10).

All are justified by His grace: we make the mistake in thinking that our worthiness and righteousness comes from ourselves. We forget the life we led before we knew HIm. The life you have is the life Jesus is helping you live. It is the work of the Blood of Jesus (Romans 3:22).

When you examine yourself you are being asked if there is any unconfessed sin, anything that your doing that is outside of God’s plan for you; if you look at and like the world more than Jesus there is a problem.

When you examine yourself, you need to ask God to examine you!
Psalm 139:23-24: Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 24 See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

But is at this table today we can come back, repent, put things right.

Examined By God’s Word
To stop the self-delusion of self-examination I need a source that is higher than my self-assessment. I need the Word of God, the Bible.

The word of God is a scalpel
Hebrews 4:12: For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
It slices through my self-deception. It tells me the truth about myself. It divides and cuts, removes cancerous thoughts. I taints me to Jesus and a new life.

The word of God is a lamp
Psalm 119:105: Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.
The lamp being described is not a searchlight kind of torch, that lights ahead. It is an oil lamp. It does not have a directional light. Which is why the psalmist doesn’t begin with direction but character.

It illuminates my feet: where and how I walking. It bathes me in light. I am seen!
It illuminates my path: Not the whole of life journey, not every eventuality. But the next few steps. I can see!

The word of God is true
Psalm 33:4: For the word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful in all he does.
It becomes a plumb line for our lives (Amos 7:7-8). A plumb line in building is used to see if something is straight or true.

I can only tell if my life is off by small margins by the word of God.

Examine Church Relationships
Sometimes relationships break down because there is an imbalance in lifestyle in the church - some are more mature, our some decide to live as though they are not saved, or some decide to follow a secondary doctrine as a first-order doctrine. Many things can divide us.

Paul recognised this when he said:
19: No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God’s approval.
Some divisions come when the sanctify of what we believe is at stake. But that is not where I want to focus this morning.

We often call ourselves a family, and at times we feel like that. Occasionally families fall out. Paul here is not saying there should be an artificial peace, because he acknowledges there at times will be disagreements. He is saying be mindful of what you fall out over.

Story: the first church I pastored had been through some very difficult times. Whilst addressing those, I taught a whole series on forgiveness which culminated in us repenting towards one anther. One lady came up to me and said, “Sister so-and-so is coming to have lunch with me to day after church.” “That’s nice,” I said. She said, “No you don’t understand. We have not talked to each other in three years! We avoid each other in church. But then we both realised we could not remember why we had fallen out in the first place.”
Their relationship broke down before the church’s major troubles. But it takes some skill and determination avoid someone in a church of 25 people, who you sit on the same row with and share communion most weeks.

Note this: if you have an issue with someone in this church - a brother or sister in Christ - Paul says it is not the Lord’s table you are partaking of (1 Corinthians 11:20).

The table of communion is a vertical and horizontal relationship (upwards to God, across to people around us).
Matthew 5:23-24: “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.”
Jesus here is reminding us that our relationship and sacrifices before God are hindered if we are out of sorts with a brother or sister.

Note this verse does not say that if I have a problem in my heart with someone, although the principle would be the same. It says that if I am aware someone else has a problem with me, I have to make the first move!

This should underline how important the relationships are in the church!

Now, I have not finished this message yet. I want to finish with a declaration. But first, we are going to tae communion. We need to get right before God in response to this message before declaring the ‘what next’ over our lives.

COMMUNION

Fellowship of the Unashamed
The origins of this are little shaky, although it does seem to come from Africa. One story is that it was found in the jacket pocket of a Zimbabwean pastor after his death. Truth is, we are uncertain. But the words serve as a modern declarations of faith. I will read it to you before asking you to join with me declaring it together. It is a powerful statement. May it be your prayer of consecration this morning.
“I am part of the fellowship of the unashamed. I have Holy Spirit power. 

The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I am a disciple of His. I won’t look back, let up, slow down, back away or be still.
My past is redeemed. My present makes sense. My future is secure. I’m finished with low living, sight-walking, small planning, smooth knees, colourless dreams, tamed visions, worldly talking, cheap giving, and dwarfed goals.
I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, applause, or popularity. I don’t have to be right, first, tops, recognised, praised, regarded or rewarded. I now live by faith, lean on His presence, walk by patience, am uplifted by prayer and labour by power.
My pace is set. My gait is fast. My goal is heaven. My road is narrow. My way rough. My companions few. My guide is reliable and my mission is clear.
I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of the adversary, negotiate at the table of the enemy, pander at the pool of popularity or meander in the maze of mediocrity.
I won’t give up, shut up, let up, until I’ve stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, preached up for the cause of Christ.
I am a disciple of Jesus. I must go till He comes, give ’til I drop, preach till all know, and work till He stops me. And when He comes for His own, He’ll have no problem recognising me. My banner will be clear.”