Join Bob George on Classic Christianity Radio as he unpacks the profound significance of the Lord’s Supper and its implications for believers today. Explore how the biblical perspective challenges traditional practices and encourages self-examination. Through this transformative teaching, discover the intersection of faith, introspection, and community in the Christian walk.
00:00:12 Introduction to Classic Christianity Radio
Welcome to Classic Christianity Radio with Bob George. Bob’s clear, timeless teachings on the complete forgiveness and unconditional love of Jesus Christ will transform your life as you learn about God’s amazing grace. Let’s join Bob as he teaches us from God’s Word.
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So he says in here, whoever drinks or eats the bread, drinks a cup in an unworthy manner, will be guilty of sinning against the body. If they’ve eaten up all the bread, drank up all the wine, who are they sinning against? The body of Christ. Are you guys all with me? The body of Christ. You’re the body of Christ. He said, I’m going away, and when I do, I’m going to send my spirit to live in you, and you’re going to be my what? My body. My body. Well, how is this Lord’s Supper going to have any meaning to it if all the bread’s gone and all the wine’s been consumed? You’re not looking out after the body, and that’s what he says. Whoever eats the bread and drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be sinning against the body and the blood or the life of the Lord. And where does the life of God live? In you. You’re sinning against the entirety of what I came to do. I made you a part of the body of Christ. And my life came to live within you. A man ought to examine himself before he eats the bread and drinks the cup. What do you mean? Modeling introspection? Or examine himself. What’s it talking about here? Examine myself. Am I being a pig? Or am I waiting on the body? Am I thinking about my brothers? Or am I thinking only about getting my own body filled? Examine yourself. It isn’t sitting around and modeling introspection. It’s saying, am I doing right or am I doing wrong? For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. Judgment from who, folks? How do you know that? That this is judgment from the body and not judgment from God? Because our sins have already been judged. Have they not? Folks, it’s amazing to me. I’ve sat and taught these things to people, and people sit there as dead as a hammer and don’t believe a word of it. Here it’s right in the Bible. Sit there as dead as a mule and don’t believe it because their tradition doesn’t tell me so. That’s sick. That’s sick. And we need to get rid of this tradition stuff and start going to the Word of God and saying, what does the Word of God say in regard to these issues, and then start following them. If we’re going to walk by what? Faith, which is the only thing that pleases God. It’s amazing how stubborn people can be when they’ve learned Baptist theology or Presbyterian theology or Methodist theology, and boy, don’t you tell me anything outside of those. Of course, none of them agree with each other, so somebody’s right or wrong. Examine yourself before you eat the bread and drink the cup. Anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body eats and drinks judgment on himself from the body. That’s why many of you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. That word is passed out. What do you do when you eat too much and drink too much? What do you do? You go to sleep. You fall asleep. You pass out. I’ve seen some of you do that while I’m teaching without drinking the wines. That’s what happens. You gorge yourself. Get there and drink too much wine. What are you going to do? What do you do on Sunday? The head bobbers. If we judged ourselves, we wouldn’t come under judgment. Judgment from who? from the body. If you judged your own actions, you wouldn’t come under judgment from the rest of the body. When we’re judged by God, which he is judging this action, or he would be writing it, we’re being disciplined and will not be condemned with the world. This book is a book of discipline. That’s what’s called discipleship. And every time I, if I was a Corinthian and I was sitting here and this is what I had been doing, this book would discipline me. I’d read that and say, brother, I’ve been acting like a moron according to God. I need to cut this out, and we need to start as a body of Christ recognizing the entire body, wouldn’t you? That’s what it’s for. So, my brothers, here’s the conclusion to this, guys. So, my brothers, when you come to eat, wait for each other. There’s a conclusion to this. Wait for each other. And if anyone’s hungry, he should eat at home so that when we meet together, it may not result in judgment. That’s the Lord’s Supper according to the Bibles. That wasn’t the Lord’s Supper according to the Christian church I grew up in or the Presbyterian church, but that’s what the Lord’s Supper is in regard to the Bible. Now let’s see what this picture is there for. A few guys will come and take this tablecloth away. Go ahead and just take that away, Bob. This was on the night, the day before Jesus was being betrayed. And so he was leaving his disciples with this picture. It’s a visual aid. And he was using this piece of bread as an example. If you were to look for the body of Christ 2,000 years ago, you would have had to go back to Israel and look for Jesus of Nazareth, wouldn’t you? And there you would have found the body of Christ. But what did he say? He said, this body is going away. But be glad it’s going away because when I do, then I’m going to send my spirit into you and you’re going to be my body. In other words, right now, my body is confined to Israel. But in a few days, my body is going to be all over the world at the same time. Because you are going to be my body. Do we realize that? We’re the part of the body of Christ. And so he used that as an example, as a picture. This is my body. It didn’t mean that this loaf was his body. It didn’t mean that when you eat it, that you’re eating Jesus. It’s an example. It’s an example. And he said, this represents my body, which is going to be broken for you. And he says, take and eat. Now, as you and I pass this bread around, if we can get our guys to come up and help with this, please. As we do this, this example becomes an example of the day that you became a part of the body of Christ. And we had one loaf, and now as you participate in that, just as you came to Christ individually, not collectively, not in a group, you came one at a time, that’s a picture of the day that you came to Christ one at a time. So as you take the bread… To you, it’s a picture of the day you became a part of the body of Christ. When you see your neighbor, it’s a picture when he became a part of the body of Christ. And you begin to see this going all the way around of all of us from different backgrounds, color, creed, how God touched our hearts individually and made us into this marvelous body of Christ. That’s what this is a picture of. So as we pass this bread to one another, And you partake of that. As you pass this to your neighbor, why don’t you communicate to them what we know is true. And that is that, Bob, we belong to Christ and we belong to one another. Stephen, we belong to Christ and we belong to one another. Charlie, we belong to Christ and we belong to one another. Bob, we belong to Christ and we belong to one another. Take the bread individually just as you came to Christ individually. Don’t wait on anybody else. You didn’t wait on somebody for salvation. You came to Christ on your own. It’s a picture when God reached down to you. Somebody either through the Bible or communicated the good news of the gospel to you and you responded. Could have rejected, but you responded and became a child of God and your life changed. Probably the greatest miracle that you and I will ever experience in our lives is the day we were born again. And when you think of the implication of that day, that’s the day that you inherited eternal life. And you stop to think of how important that is. It is the most important day in your life. When you were born again of the spirit. There’s no greater favor that we can do for a loved one than to show them how they can have eternal life. And you don’t get it through religion. You get it through Jesus. And it’s all him and none of us. Now we started with one loaf. Where is it? It’s gone. Where is it? It’s in you. That’s a picture of Christ in you, your hope of glory. That’s what the Lord, that’s what God gave us that illustration for. It’s a visual aid of what took place in his life. Now, where is the body of Christ? Well, it’s here. It’s all over the world, quite frankly, of whoever’s in Christ Jesus. That is the body of Christ. Again, we’ve kind of brought it down many times. That’s church membership. No, it’s his membership. We’re members of the body of Christ Jesus. How did we get to be that? Not by joining something here, but by being joined to Christ Jesus and him being joined to us. So we read that what I received from the Lord, I also passed on to you, the Lord Jesus, on the night that he was betrayed, he took bread. And when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, This is my body, which is for you, so do this in remembrance of me. In the same way, after the 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, for whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. Now what is, he said, this is the cup of the what? The new covenant. When did the new covenant go into effect in the book of Hebrews? How many of you have wills? When will your will go into effect? On the day that you die, not a day sooner. And so Jesus taught under the old covenant, the covenant of the law, and in so doing buried us under it. Man had studied the law enough to think, well, I haven’t committed adultery. And you had the shufflers. You had all kinds of things taking place. And Jesus said, you know, you’ve missed the whole point because I get underneath the skin. And I deal with things under the skin. The law deals with outward. I deal with the inward. And he buried them. You see, guys, statements like, be perfect, you know, is that encouraging? If God came up to you and said, well, I want you to be perfect, Leroy. How perfect, Lord? It’s perfect because the Father in heaven, that’s all we’ll do. Isn’t that encouraging? Just how are you going to pull that off? Well, Jesus, why did he say that? To bury us, to show you, you can’t. When I say I can’t, I’m ready for the cross and resurrection. You can say, well, I’ve not committed adultery. He said, have you ever looked at a woman with lust in your heart? Well, yeah. Well, then you’ve committed adultery. Say, well, that doesn’t make sense. I don’t care what makes sense or not. That’s what I’m saying. I’m looking on the inside. You’re looking on the outside. And that guy says, I think I’ve had it. He said, yeah, you have. Now you’re ready for the cross.
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Classic Christianity Radio thanks you for your support of our online and radio ministry. Make sure to visit bobgeorge.net to order a copy of the Closer Look Bible Study Series. A Closer Look Bible Studies features eight in-depth study guides that detail hundreds of Bible verses to help you deepen your understanding of the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. A Closer Look Bible Study Guides are an excellent tool for both individuals and larger Bible study groups. So the whole teaching of Christ Jesus
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was in essence showing us what pure righteousness was in him, and in so doing, showing me I don’t have any righteousness. If I read the Gospels thinking, hey, I’m a pretty good dude, I’ve missed the whole point. Because the purpose of the Gospel is to show him is the one who’s good. But in so doing, it shows me I’m not. Now I’m ready for the Gospel. If I don’t believe I’m a sinner, what do I need his cross for? If I don’t know that I’m dead spiritually, what in the world do I need his resurrected life for? So his whole mission was to show me I’m a sinner and I’m dead. And that was his mission here on this earth. And so after he fulfilled the law, which Jesus did, fulfilled the law in its entirety through his life by walking in perfect love, and love is the fulfillment of the law, And then upholding the law. Upholding means that the wages of sin is death. And sin must be punished through death. And therefore he became death for us. He upheld the law through his death. And then he ushered in a new covenant. That’s in Hebrews. And in that new covenant it says. Their sins and lawless acts. I will remember no more. And where these have been forgiven. There is no longer any sacrifice for sins. That’s a new covenant. I’ve taken it away. I’ve dealt with it. And I’m not going to deal with it again. Do you believe that? That’s a new covenant. I have dealt with the man’s sins, the whole world’s sins. I was judged at the cross. The verdict was guilty. The punishment was death. And Jesus stepped in between God and me and said, I’ll take it all. And God looked down on the quality of that sacrifice and said, propitiation has taken place. I am satisfied with the sacrifice of my son. It’s not a bull, not an animal sacrifice. It’s a human sacrifice whose blood was of such value that it was able to cover and take away the sins of the entire world for eternity. That’s God. So he says, this is the cup of the new covenant. What’s the new covenant? Your sins are forgiven. I remember them no more. What would that be saying to the Jew who had been going to the Day of Atonement to get his sins forgiven? What would it say to them? I mean, that’s their tradition. What would he have said? He didn’t have to say it in those words. What was he saying to me? There’s no more sacrifice for sins. What is he saying, guys? Put aside your Day of Atonement. Am I right or wrong? Now, was that good news to people who felt so good after they did the Day of Atonement? Just think how good they felt and how clean they felt until they probably walked away from where they’d offered the sacrifice and sinned on the way back to their booth. Then they got to wait until the next time. That’s why he said day after day every priest stands. Why did the priest stand? A chair was a prohibited piece of furniture in the temple. Why did the priest stand? Because his work was never over. He didn’t have a chair. But when he said when this priest had finished his work, what did he do? He sat down. Why did he sit down? His work was over. It’s finished. When are we ever going to get a hold of this? It’s finished. It’s done. So he said to The Jew, no more sacrificial system. We’ll put it away. It’s finished. He’d say to the Catholic today, put aside your confession booth. Should have never had one to begin with. It’s over. And to the self-righteous evangelicals, He’s saying, put aside your 1 John 1, 9. You’re misinterpreting that piece of scripture. It’s over. If you think that your confession brings about God’s forgiveness, you don’t understand what he did at the cross. Forget it. There’s only one thing that you and I can do when we sin. Thank him for his forgiveness. And ask him to continue to renew your mind to show you that every sin, the root of every sin is, I wasn’t trusting Jesus. And have him renewing your mind. That’s the Christian life. Getting your mind renewed. That’s discipline. That’s what it’s called there in the Bible. That’s why they call this discipline. Because he’s disciplining our minds. I beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of God. To present your bodies as a living sacrifice. Holy and acceptable in the sight of God. Which is your reasonable act of worship. And do not be conformed to the world but transformed how? By the renewing of your mind. Teaching truth. And so again, instead of us celebrating the fact that we are forgiven people, and just saying thank you and praising Him from the bottom of our hearts, while like I say, in most of our churches we have sat around and modeled an introspection, dimming the lights, playing the organ, and trying to be sure that we don’t have any unconfessed sin, because it’s okay to sin, just not so it’s unconfessed. And we don’t have any of that sin in our lives so that I don’t eat and drink damnation upon myself. Now, how could anything be further from the truth in regard to the teachings of the Scripture? The covenant that we’re supposed to be celebrating is a covenant that said, I will remember your sins no more. And where these have been forgiven, there’s no more sacrifice. That’s what we’re supposed to be celebrating. We’re sitting around saying, no, God, you’re a liar. You just don’t know how dedicated I am to keep short accounts with God. You just don’t know how good my memory is. Because that’s what you’re getting based on is your memory. Have you ever thought that you sit down at night, have you ever done this, and say, oh, Lord, please forgive me for all the sins I committed today, and then think, what if I forgot one? Or what if you had a bad dream? Guys, how many think that we’re smart enough to even remember if what sin is to God is anything that’s not a faith is sin? How many times a day do you and I not have faith? And we’re too dumb to even recognize that. So the only thing we can do is to say thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for your goodness and mercy that took away the sins of the world, including mine. so that i could have life eternal so what we’re going to do today is to celebrate what the new testament or new covenant is all about that’s the fact that it is finished now as we celebrate this together and as much as we’re celebrating an event that took place and we participate in let’s hold the cup and we’ll all celebrate the fact that we are all under this new covenant of grace where he said their sins and lawless acts i remember no more So we’ll celebrate that together. If you forget and drink your juice, we’ll have another one for you. We’ve had that happen numerous times. Let’s communicate what is truth. God loves you and I love you too. gave us the privilege of going boldly into the throne of grace calling him daddy father it’s amazing isn’t it that the god who is big enough to make this universe is small enough to live in our hearts you think we’re not blessed It’s a part of our identity, guys, that what has happened is the world has taken our identity away from us. God said to as many as received him to them, he gave a right to become a child of God. And we have realized that’s the jar filled with Jesus called a child of God. And we’ve said, yeah, but I want to put a label on it that’s different than that. And so we put Baptist and Presbyterian, Methodist and charismatic and so forth and so on. So that it’s kind of like with a name like Smucker’s, it’s got to be good. It doesn’t make any difference what’s inside the jar just as long as you’ve got a good label. And we have ruined our identity. Our identity is not in being a Baptist or a Presbyterian or a Methodist. Our identity is you’re a child of the living God. That’s who you’re going to be through eternity. And we have to understand the truth of that. I’m not a, if my identity was based up in being a surgeon as an example, who are you going to be if your hands get cut off? I’ve spoken a number of a time to athletes, pro athletes, and I’ve said to them, you have a pretty sick identity if you think you’re a pro athlete because you’re only going to be one of those for a very short period of time. And when you don’t have the stamina to continue playing basketball, who are you going to be? you’re not going to have any identity. But if you know I’m a child of God who happens to be praying pro-athletics, why, when you quit playing that, you’re just a child of God that’s going to do something else. But the religious world many times has ruined us in regard to teaching us that we have an identity, and it’s called a child of the living God. That’s who we are. And as a child of the living God, I am a forgiven person. I’m not a person who gets forgiven any more than I’m a person who gets eternal life or gets justified. I am a person who I am a forgiven person. And so are you. Now, that ought to be good news to us. And we ought to be joyful with the fact that we can together celebrate this marvelous new covenant that brought this about. This covenant of grace. where he said your sins and lawless acts I’ll remember no more. And where these have been forgiven, not will be, but have been forgiven, there’s no more sacrifice for sins. And the question we need to ask ourselves is do we believe that? Are we still playing games? Do we really believe it? Because, folks, there’s a world of difference between believing in something and putting faith in something. You can say I believe that, but my faith is still in my short accounts. And what’s happened is you’re shifting your faith off of Jesus onto you and your memory system. And without faith, it’s impossible to please God. So don’t believe you’re pleasing God by asking God to do what in him you’ve already been accomplished. That’s presumption, but it’s not faith. So if you want people to walk by faith, you’re going to have to teach them truth in regard to what faith is. It’s not in me. It’s in him. So let’s stand together. and together celebrate this wonderful occasion when God said, there are sins and lawless acts. I’ll remember no more where these have been forgiven. There’s no longer any sacrifice for sins. Celebrate the new covenant. This is the cup of the new covenant that was given for you and for me. That’s good stuff, isn’t it?
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Thank you so much for tuning in to Classic Christianity with Bob George. We hope you’ve enjoyed today’s program. We truly hope that today’s message has inspired you to walk a life of faith in the Lord. Find more information online at bobgeorge.net. There you’ll also find available CDs, DVDs and Bible studies available for purchase. It’s through your help that we are able to spread the good word of Jesus Christ. Until next time, walk in faith, be good to one another and praise the Lord. Amen.
