Preparation for the Lord's Supper.

 Preparation for the Lord's Supper. 

 The key Bible verse for this sermon is let a man examine himself and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup. 

1 Corinthians 11: 28. 

 Let a man examine himself that is any man every man who intends to eat of that bread and drink of that cup. The word is indefinite that it may be understood to be universal. No man is to come to that table. No woman is to draw near without the previous self-examination. 

 No age will excuse us, for there have been aged hypocrites as well as young deceivers. No office will exonerate us from this examination. For there was a Judas, even among the apostles. 

 The highest degree in the church of God may consist with the most rotten formality. We are to examine ourselves each time we come. Each man is to do so. 

 No one is to sherk the personal duty. 

Everyone is to undertake it as in the sight of God. Brethren and sisters, you members of the church about to come around this table, give you heed to the mandate of the Holy Ghost by the inspired apostle. Let each one here examine himself, and so let him eat of this bread. 

Let a man, a woman, examine himself, or herself. 

The word is forcible. Let him make inquisition into his own soul as to whether all be right or not. Let him search diligently, tracing out every symptom that looks unfavorable, if perhaps that symptom may reveal the truth. Let him dwell upon every dark side or ill-looking spot, if per adventure those dark signs should mean more than is apparent on the surface. We are not to trifle with ourselves by making a superficial survey. 

Let a man examine himself as does the dealer in precious metals when he thrusts the ore into the fire, knowing that only the gold will come out while  the dross will be consumed. Put yourself into a crucible.  Heat the furnace of examination seven times hotter than won't. For since your heart will, if possible, escape from knowing the truth, be resolved that it shall know it, and the worst of it, too. Let a man review, test, prove, search, try. 

 In all the strongest words that I could find that mean the fullest scrutiny would I put the language of the apostle, let a man examine himself. 

 Let a man examine himself. He need not be so particular to examine those that surround him. If there should be unworthy communicants at the table, his communing will not thereby be damaged. 

 Though some may have intruded where they ought not to be, yet if your heart and mind shall come near to Christ in actual fellowship, we shall not have the less indulgence from our Lord because a Judas happened to be there. 

Let a man examine himself. Let it be personal work. I know there is an examination through which the church member among us passes when such as are experienced in the faith ask, "What know you of these things? 

 What is your faith touching this and that? Have you believed? Have you repented? 

 Such an examination, however, must never content you. I pray you never feel that it is any certificate of genuine disciplehip to have been seen by the elders or to have had the pastor satisfied of your conversion. We are poor, fallible creatures. We cannot profess to search the heart. Nay, we never did profess it. It is but your outward life and your profession that we are called upon to judge at all. 

 You must not go by our examination, but let a man examine himself. You are to look into your own heart with your own eyes only, and ask to have them enlightened by the Holy Spirit.

You are to hold the balance yourselves and weigh   your soul therein. You are not to be satisfied with a second-hand judgment or with another man's search. Take the candle yourself, man. Go through every corner and every crevice. Sweep out the old leaven and so keep the feast in simplicity of heart. Let a man examine himself. 

 And so says the apostle, let him eat of that bread. 

That is to say, the examination is to be seasonable. It is to come always at the time of the eating of the bread and the drinking of the wine. It should always be the prelude to communion.

 Examination should preface enjoyment. You should see whether you ought to be there and have a right to be there and that ascertained, then you should come, but not till then. 

 Is it not a very significant circumstance that the very first time our Lord took the bread and broke it and instituted this supper, there was at that very time a self-examination going on. And they then made an appeal to the Lord himself at the conclusion. For each one said, when the question was asked as to who it was that should betray him, 

"Lord, is it I?" Lord, is it I? Not at all an unsuitable question to be passed round tonight when we shall break bread and hear it said, "One of you will betray me." Ah, brethren, I fear there are many more than one here among professors who will betray him. Perhaps there be scores, if not hundreds, among so large a mass of professing Christians who will not prove, after all, to be genuine. 

 Then let the question, though it stir the anguish of your souls, pass round among you. Lord, is it I? 

 Lord, is it I? Nor let any man eat of this bread or drink of this cup till he has humbly in his soul sought to put it to his conscience that he may investigate this matter whether he is Christ's or not. 

 Now, dear brethren, for a few minutes only, we shall look at the matter about which we are to examine ourselves, and then we shall press upon you this  examination by giving you a few reasons for it. May God grant us a blessing in this searching business. Concerning what we are to examine, you will observe that the text does not tell us, "Let a man examine himself as to this or that particular, and so let him eat." 

 He is to examine himself. But the apostle does not say about what. The inference is that he is to examine himself about this supper. He is to    examine himself as to whether he has a right to eat of this bread and to drink of this wine. 

 The supper gives us the clue then as to what we are to examine ourselves upon. I shall see before me presently broken bread in the wine cup filled with the red wine. These two things are the emblems. The bread of the body of Christ, which was bruised and made to suffer for our sake, the wine of that  precious blood of Christ by which sin is pardoned and souls are redeemed. I have no right to touch these emblems unless in my soul I believe the facts that they represent.

 Shall I not begin to question myself then? Do l accept as a certain fact that the word was made flesh and dwelt among us? 

 Do I believe that God descended from the highest throne of glory and became a man of woman born? Do I believe that he suffered in human flesh the just for the unjust to bring us to God? Do I believe that in his blood which was shed for many there is a virtue for the putting away of sin and making atonement to Almighty God and that so sinners may be accepted in the beloved? Unless I believe these things, I am clearly a hypocrite, a terrible hypocrite, if I dare to come to this table at all. 

 I am perverse among the perverse to thrust myself into touch the emblems when I do not accept the facts which those emblems set forth. Now, every man here can easily examine himself by that test. But I hope the most of us here would say we do believe those facts. 

 Yes, but do you believe them as facts that are forcible in themselves and fraught with consequences? Do you apprehend them in their amazing weight and their stupendous bearing upon the judgment of God and the destiny of men? God made flesh, God incarnate, Jesus Emanuel suffering to put away the sins of his people. The Christ of God presenting salvation to every soul that trusts in him. Why this is news such as has never stirred even paradise itself before. It is the best and highest and most wondrous news that angels ever heard. We ought so to hear and so to accept these facts in that same spirit that characterized them when they  transpired in order duly to discern their importance or we have no right to come here. 

Furthermore, brethren, every man who eats of the bread and drinks of the wine sets forth an emblem by the eating of the bread that the flesh of Christ is his, and by the drinking of the wine that the blood of Christ is his, because he has possession of these things, he therefore comes to eat as men eat their own bread, or to drink as men drink their own wine.

 Now, dear hearer,