Faith Baptist Church
08/17/25 Worship Service

      • John 10.11-13ESV

      • John 10.14-15ESV

  • Rock of Ages
  • It Is Finished
  • Jesus, Shepherd
  • I Gave My Life for Thee

      • 1 Corinthians 11.17-18ESV

      • 1 Corinthians 11.19-21ESV

      • 1 Corinthians 11.22ESV

  • This morning we are going to observe the Lord’s Supper. We do this every month. It’s important to pause and reflect on why we do the things we do. Why do we partake in the Lord’s Table monthly? There are a number of reasons not least being our Lord instituted and commanded this local church ordinance.
    Primarily we observe the Lord’s Supper to remember Jesus. That’s what Jesus said when he taught us how to observe the Lord’s Table, “Do this in remembrance of me.” We observe the Lord’s Supper to remember Jesus. There is nothing in eating the bread or drinking the cup that gains us favor with God- this doesn’t add to our salvation in any way. We do this to remember Jesus.
    There are many things we can remember. We can remember the awful cost of our salvation. We can remember the humility of our Lord in dying a cross-death. We can remember the delight of Jesus to obey the will of the Father. The Lord’s Supper reminds us of many truths.
    This morning I want us to remember something a little bit different. This morning I want us to remember the idea of shame and its connection to Jesus and the cross.
    It is a connection the Apostle Paul makes in I Corinthians 11.
    1 Corinthians 11:22 ESV
    22 What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I commend you in this? No, I will not.
    There was a problem in the Corinthian church. When the church would gather together and observe the Lord’s Supper they were making a mockery out of it. They were divided as a church. Some were glutenous in their consumption of wine and would become drunk. Others would eat so that their bellies were distended and full, and they would let the poor brothers and sisters in Christ go hungry.
    And Paul denounces this behavior. He said when you act this way you despise the church of God and you humiliate those who have nothing.
    And this was a big deal.
    1 Corinthians 11:30 ESV
    30 That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died.
    God spanked the Corinthian church really hard for this kid of behavior. This was a serious offence and God’s discipline was equal to the severity of the offense.
    Illustration: when my kids burp at the table we discipline them appropriately. What is an appropriate consequence? When my kids were little and they were playing in the yard and they deliberately ran for the busy road. Once or twice it is a teaching moment. Continued disobedience requires an appropriate response. Why? The sin is far more serious than burping at the table. Why was the sin of the Corinthian church so serious?
    It has to do with shame.
    What I want to do in our time this morning is to connect the concept of shame to the Lord’s Table so that we will understand exactly why God’s disciple of the Corinthian church was appropriate to the offense.
    So Let’s talk about some important truths about shame.

    1. Shame is the Primary Outcome of the Fall

    What does that mean?
    Genesis 2:25 ESV
    25 And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.
    Have you ever wondered why God put this verse in the Bible?
    Is this a strange piece of trivia?
    Or, is this verse teaching us one of the first and primary effects of the fall?
    One thing we know- there was a time when man and woman felt no shame. Shame is not part of God’s good design for creation. Shame came as a consequence of the fall. And if this is true- shame is one of the main blemishes on humanity. Shame is a major way that God’s image in humanity was distorted and ruined by the fall.
    And once you now how to look for shame, you will see God undoing the effects of shame all over your Bibles.
    How do we then define and identify shame?

    2. The Defining Aspect of Shame is an Inclination to Hide

    First, if we want to see shame in the Scriptures, let’s clearly define it.
    Before we define shame, lets make a distinction between shame and guilt. Because we are fairly familiar with guilt and not so much with shame.
    When we think about the guilt the image and should come to mind is a courtroom. You are standing in a courtroom and you are looking at one and only one person—the judge. To be guilty is to be condemned by the judge. He not only condemns you, but he pronounces your penalty. And what we need is for our sins to be forgiven. We need the penalty of our sin removed. We need the judge to look at us and pound his gavel and declare, “Not guilty.” That is the picture of guilt.
    Shame is harder for us to picture. Partly, because we do not live in a shame/honor culture like much of the world. We still have shame in our culture, but it is individualized and often it lies hidden underneath words like self esteem.
    Ed Welch gives this wonderful imagery to help us picture shame:
    Shame’s imagery is different from guilt. Shame conjures up the image of a public square. Picture yourself in the middle of the square, it’s a very public place, and all eyes are on you. Some eyes are on you. They are starring. And some eyes are turned away because of your loathsomeness. Shame is a very public thing.
    Ed Welch describes shame well:
    “When children fail at anything—a test in school or are cut from the soccer team—they do not walk with their head held high. They feel shame and want to disappear with their head bowed, not looking anyone in the eye.” —Ed Welch
    Esther Liu identifies the struggle that shame presents:
    “A defining aspect of shame entails an inclination to hide, cover up, and pretend—before others, before God, and even before ourselves.” —Esther Liu
    Illustration: bellybutton rash as a young boy on the swim team. A tremendous need to cover up, to hide, to pretend before others.
    Doesn’t sin do this? What Christian wants to stand up and yell “I struggled with lust this week!”? Sin brings shame and shame causes us to hide, cover up, and pretend.
    Job defined shame this way:
    Job 31:34 ESV
    34 I stood in great fear of the multitude, and the contempt of families terrified me, so that I kept silence, and did not go out of doors—
    The basic idea of shame is you are not acceptable before God and before other people because you are a sinner.
    Some of us feel shame because of our sin. Our sins actually become our identity. “Look, there’s John the unfaithful spouse.” “There’s John the pornographer.” Those people feel shame because of sins they have committed.
    Some of us feel shame because you have been humiliated by sins done to you.
    You may have been picked on in high school. You may have been the target of sexual abuse.
    You need rescue. You need forgiveness of your sins.
    But you also need your shame taken away. This is God’s good plan of redemption. God will not just eliminate your guilt through salvation, he will also take away your shame.

    3. The Benefits of Jesus Fully Undo Our Shame

    Friends, let me say this- if you can identify with the concept of shame. If you heard and understood the explanation of shame from the Scriptures. If you feel your need to have your shame taken away, then I have good news for you. God is seeking you.
    Matthew 5:3–4 “3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”
    Mark 2:17 “17 And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.””
    If you feel shame, if you understand that you are poor, if you mourn because of your shame, if you see yourself as sick- be encouraged, God is seeking you. He wants to take away all of your shame.
    Let’s look at three images that express exactly how God wants to undo your shame through the cross of Christ.

    You need covering- because you feel naked

    This is one of the pictures of shame. You feel naked and exposed in the public square- all eyes are on you or they are turned away from you because you feel repulsive.
    What you need is to be covered.
    Genesis 3:10 ESV
    10 And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.”
    Genesis 3:21 ESV
    21 And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.
    Our own attempts to cover our nakedness are pathetic.
    Isaiah 64:6 ESV
    6 We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.
    Zechariah 3:3–5 ESV
    3 Now Joshua was standing before the angel, clothed with filthy garments. 4 And the angel said to those who were standing before him, “Remove the filthy garments from him.” And to him he said, “Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you with pure vestments.” 5 And I said, “Let them put a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the Lord was standing by.
    Revelation 3:4–6 ESV
    4 Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. 5 The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. 6 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

    You need cleansing- because you feel contaminated

    Leviticus 13:45–46 ESV
    45 “The leprous person who has the disease shall wear torn clothes and let the hair of his head hang loose, and he shall cover his upper lip and cry out, ‘Unclean, unclean.’ 46 He shall remain unclean as long as he has the disease. He is unclean. He shall live alone. His dwelling shall be outside the camp.
    Mark 1:40–42 ESV
    40 And a leper came to him, imploring him, and kneeling said to him, “If you will, you can make me clean.” 41 Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, “I will; be clean.” 42 And immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean.
    Ephesians 5:25–27 ESV
    25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.

    You need inclusion- because you feel like an outcast

    Matthew 1:18–19 ESV
    18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.
    Matthew 9:10–13 ESV
    10 And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. 11 And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 12 But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13 Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”
    There is something about a meal with other people that is intimate. There is something about a meal that joins us together.
    In the NT and OT times to have someone over for a meal, was like saying, “You are my people. I am associated with you and you are associated with me.”
    Here is what God says to us! He invites us to dine at His table!
    Isaiah 55:1 ESV
    1 “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.
    Everyone who thirsts, he who has no money (poverty)- God is identifying the shameful.
    Isaiah 55:2 ESV
    2 Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food.
    Illustration: Having a meal with a family in the church. Every time we eat a meal with this family they always prepare some kind of smoked meat. Usually ribs. And you know when you sit down to eat the meal these dear people have spend an entire day making this food for you. How can you not feel honored?
    This is how God honors us- we who are dying of thirst, we who are impoverished and destitute. We who are outcasts, who know shame. God says this, “Come to the waters, you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come buy wine and mild without money and without price. Eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food.
    This is the good news of the gospel. God fully removes our shame through His Son Jesus Christ. Jesus went to the cross, and what does Heb 12 say?
    Hebrews 12:2 ESV
    2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame,
    Jesus endured the utter shame of the cross for us! Think of all the shameful acts Jesus had to endure.
    They falsely accused Him, they ripped out his beard, they spit in his face, they mocked him, they stripped him naked, and nailed him to a cross in the public square. And Jesus despised the shame so He could fully undo our shame. Because of Jesus our nakedness has been covered, our contamination has been cleansed, and God himself invites us to dine at His table.
    Brothers and Sisters in Christ, there is another table that the Lord invites us to. And we remember that table every month. It is the Lord’s Table, it is the Lord’s Supper.
    And as we come to this table- we remember that Jesus took away our shame. We needed inclusion because we felt like an outcast- and Jesus includes us in the meal. This table is for Christians. We remember what Jesus did for us one the cross. And only Christians can do that. But, the good news is that Jesus’ offer to be included is available to all. If you have never had your sins forgive and your shame removed, you can do that today!
    How? Put you trust in Jesus. How do you do that? One word- help! Cry out to Jesus alone to help you. No one else can cover your shame. No one else can cleans your defilement. No one else can include you in the meal. Only Jesus. If you realize that today, would you cry out to Jesus alone and ask him for help? Help me Jesus because only you can take away my shame. Romans 10:13 “13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.””
    Before we go, I want to bring everything back full circle to our text in I Cor. 11.

    4. The Practice of Christians Should Never Contradict These Benefits

    When we come to the Lord’s table it should be a vivid reminder of how Jesus erases our shame.
    We should we filled with awe and wonder that Jesus has covered us, and cleansed us, and included us.
    Nothing that we do should detract from this glorious reminder. We should all leave this place filled with gratitude and assurance and love.
    How do you think half of the church in Corinth felt after the Lord’s table?
    1 Corinthians 11:20–22 ESV
    20 When you come together, it is not the Lord’s supper that you eat. 21 For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk. 22 What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I commend you in this? No, I will not.
    What were the Corinthians doing to picture of the gospel?
    Galatians 2:11–14 ESV
    11 But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. 12 For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party. 13 And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. 14 But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all...
    This is exactly what the Corinthians were doing. Their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel.
    They were associating humiliation and shame with the cross? May it never be!
    And God spanked them hard!
    Pastor, we don’t behave that way! You might not act exactly like the Corinthians. But, do we act in ways that cause our brothers and sisters in Christ to feel shame?
    Examples:
    Someone next to you is singing slightly off key. As good midwestern folk we never say anything out loud. But, we get the message through anyhow. An eyeroll here, a shifting of the weight, an audible sigh. We attempt to make our brother or sister uncomfortable, to feel shame for the way they sing.
    You only talk and associate with a certain group of people after church on a Sunday morning. Meanwhile there is always that one family who is left out. There is always that one teenager who doesn’t get included in the group. There is always the one child who is loud and rambunctious and their parents get the could shoulder.
    There are only certain people in the church you would invite to your house for a meal. Now we are getting closer. Remember, there is something about eating a meal with someone else that says, “These are my people.” And you don’t want to say that about a certain brother or sister in the church.
    Is our conduct in step with the truth of the gospel?
    Do our practices contradict the benefits of the cross? Are we guilty of humiliating others?
    How do we stop? Remember how God has removed your shame! As we come to the Lord’s Table- remember because of Christ you are no longer unacceptable before God. Now, make other people around you feel the same thing.
    1 Corinthians 11:33 ESV
    33 So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one another—
    to wait (in place) v. — to stay in one place and anticipate or expect something.
    Illustration: when my wife goes away for a retreat or a conference. Even if it is just a day or two. I am always eagerly waiting for her to get home. I anticipate the moment I hear the door open and the sound of her footsteps on the stairs. I make sure the house is clean and orderly and welcoming for her return. Why? She is my kind of people.
    This is the way God thinks about us. Is this the way we think about one another?
    Prayer:
    Lord’s Supper:
    1 Corinthians 11:23–24 ESV
    23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when 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.”
    1 Corinthians 11:25–26 ESV
    25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
    Closing Song: I stand redeemed. Changed the words on the chorus.
    Chorus
    I stand redeemed
    By the blood of Jesus.
    The price is paid;
    My debt is gone.
    The shame (chains) that bound me
    No longer holds me.
    Because of Calv'ry,
    I stand redeemed.
    They do not walk with their head held high. They feel shame and want to disappear with their head bowed, not looking anyone in the eye.
    If you came this morning with you head bowed low, would you lift up your head? If you came this morning not looking anyone in the eye, would you lift your eyes to the cross? As you remember how the benefits of Jesus fully undo your shame, would you stand with me. Let’s sing this song with our heads held high in honor. Not because of what we have done, but because of our Savior.

      • 1 Corinthians 11:22ESV

      • 1 Corinthians 11:30ESV

      • Genesis 2:25ESV

      • Job 31:34ESV

      • Genesis 3:10ESV

      • Genesis 3:21ESV

      • Isaiah 64:6ESV

      • Zechariah 3:3–5ESV

      • Revelation 3:4–6ESV

      • Leviticus 13:45–46ESV

      • Mark 1:40–42ESV

      • Ephesians 5:25–27ESV

      • Matthew 1:18–19ESV

      • Matthew 9:10–13ESV

      • Isaiah 55:1ESV

      • Isaiah 55:2ESV

      • Hebrews 12:2ESV

      • 1 Corinthians 11:20–22ESV

      • Galatians 2:11–14ESV

      • 1 Corinthians 11:33ESV

  • I Stand Redeemed
Faith Baptist Church
faith@fbcocon.org
262-567-0040
http://www.fbcocon.org
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