The Lordship of Christ is central to Christian doctrine and practice, as evidenced by its frequent emphasis in Scripture, particularly in 1 Corinthians. It explores the concept of Christ's Lordship, distinguishing between His human name, Jesus, and His title of Lord, which signifies His resurrected authority. The examples highlight how acknowledging Christ as Lord is the ultimate test of true spiritual utterance and a foundational element for authentic fellowship and collective testimony within the church. The sermon emphasizes that recognizing and proclaiming Christ's Lordship is essential for discerning truth from error and for living a life that honors Him.
Restored with Diffio
Audio restored with Diffio. Diffio processed the original archive recording to reduce noise and produce a cleaner listening version; the original stays available.
Speech quality score (model-estimated, SCOREQ): before 2.51 → restored 4.02
I come down, thou my defending frozen vessel far to fill, With the pleasure never let him be severed, my sailing bill. Don't hand the vessel filling From the glory for our God Morning heart forever dealing With the riches of his love Oh, to be by hand your lawyer, May none know
him, and unknown him. the whole earth filled with Christ and Christ the Lord. Not of earth who found our glory, not of self-love like to live. Caring for His wondrous story and He is to be filled with Him.
Would you turn again to number three hundred and sixty before we turn our meeting over to our brother Wilson? I trust that this is the prayer and desire of each one of our hearts this evening. Speak to my soul, Lord Jesus. Speak now in tenderest tone. Whisper in loving kindness. Thou art not left alone. Open my heart to hear thee. So we'll read tonight on the first epistle to the Corinthians chapter ten. Paul's first epistle to the Corinthians chapter ten. We'll read from verse sixteen.
I would like you to notice that the word fellowship is six times in this passage, or may not be obvious when reading it down. Translated in different ways, but the word fellowship occurs six times in the passage. First Corinthians ten, verse sixteen. The cup of blessing which we bless is it not the communion or the fellowship of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break is it not the communion or the fellowship of the body of Christ. For we being many are one bread and one body, for we are all partakers. Here again we get our word, partakers of that one bread.
Behold, Israel after the flesh are not they, which eat of the sacrifices partakers. Then we get our word. partakers of the altar. What say I then, that the idol is anything, or that which is offered and sacrificed to idols is anything? But I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrificed, they sacrificed the demons, and not to God. And I would not that you should have fellowship with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord under a cup of demons. You cannot be partakers, again our word, of the Lord's table under the table of demons. Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy?
Are we stronger than he? Now look at chapter eleven. Verse two. Now I praise you, brethren, that you remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances as I deliver them to you. But I would have you know that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is the man, and the head of Christ is God. Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoreth his head. But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head on her word, dishonoreth her head. For that is even all one, as if she were shaving.
I quote it on the chapter, verse twenty-three. For, I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus, the same night in which he was betrayed, took bread. And when he had given thanks, he break it and said, Take, eat, this is my body, which is broken for you. This do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup when he had stopped saying, This cup is the New Testament in my blood. This do ye as often as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death till he come.
wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread and drink this cup of the Lord unworthily shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily eateth and drinketh damnation through himself, not discerning the Lord's body. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves we should not be judged, but when we are judged we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. For for my brethren will you come together to eat, carry one for another, and if any man hunger let him eat at all, that he come not together unto condemnation, and the rest will I set an order when I come.
Now the first paragraph, chapter twelve. by concerning spiritual gifts for heaven, I would not have you ignorant. You know that you were Gentiles carried away onto these dumb idols, even as ye were laid. Wherefore I give you to understand that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus are cursed, and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost. This morning we read a very vital important passage in the Gospel according to John, and we spoke for a little while about the Lordship of Christ and the individual life. There are five outstanding chapters in the Gospel according to John that deal with it.
It's called the upper room ministry of the Lord Jesus. I personally believe that that section of John's Gospel is one of the most important in the whole of the Bible. We get there the final teaching of the Lord Jesus to his own. On the great vital fundamental doctrines that are later opened up in the epistles of the Apostle Paul, we get there in germinal form. The Lord Jesus, he lays down the foundation of his teaching in John, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, and seventeen. And these are the passages that are opened up by the apostles in the epistles. Everything that we find in the epistles we find in germ, in the teaching of the Lord Jesus, and particularly in that very important passage in John's Gospel.
We just picked out one passage this morning to speak about in some little detail, and that is the Lordship of Christ. The Lord Jesus, before he started to teach them, he first of all adjusted certain things that were wrong among them. And one thing was their attitude to himself. Do you remember the Lord Jesus? He said these words, He called me, Master and Lord, and ye say well, for so I am. Then he reversed the words, If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet, you ought also to wash one another's feet. And it's most not worthy from that time on the men to whom the Lord Jesus was talking, they never forgot that lesson, every one of them.
And we pointed out this morning that in John chapter fourteen, where four questions are asked, as they're sitting at the table by four different disciples, Every man commenced his question with the word, Lord, Lord, Lord. Now whether it's in the proclamation of the Gospel, or whether it's in prayer, in addressing him in prayer, or whether it's in the ministry of the Word of God, I generally prick up my ears when I hear a man get up the breach. And the first thing I try to find out is what is his relationship to the Lord. And you can generally tell by the terms that he uses. Someone that continually uses certain terms that would omit the Lordship of Christ.
There's something vitally wrong with his ministry. It may be either ignorance or else it's something that would deliberately avoid using the term Lord. And beloved brethren and sisters here tonight, those that know and love the Lord Jesus, I want again to emphasize that the teaching of the New Testament is that the one who died upon Calvary's cross and is resurrected. and at God's right hand tonight that he is both Lord and Christ. He has been made there. And all the apostles from that time on, they insist again and again upon his Lordship. Now just by way of clearing the ground what we want to speak about tonight, do let me say that we find the term Jesus Christ quite often in the New Testament.
We also find the term Christ Jesus. We find the terms reversed. And very often in certain epistles we get the term Jesus. And again do let me say that if there's one beautiful name in the New Testament scriptures concerning that one who's at God's right hand, it is that human name. Jesus is the name that brings joy to our hearts. It's the name of the Savior. On eight times in a doctrinal way in the epistles to the Hebrews we get the human name mentioned. It's Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, eight times in the Epistle to the Hebrews. But it's always, always to teach some doctrine.
And then again you remember that the Apostle, in giving us that great revelation of the coming again of the Lord Jesus, in First Thessalonians chapter four, he says this, I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which were asleep, that you saw or not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, we believe also that them which sleep through Jesus will God bring with them. Now to me that is delightful. The very fact that he uses the human name there, I think that there's a very, very special reason for it. What do you think it is? I believe that from the believer comes to that last moment of life, and as the feet went of the dark unto the cold waters of death, the one who is the agent, who will come and close the believer's eyes, and take him by the hand and conduct him to the other side, and take him into the heavenly home, to the Father's heart, I believe it is Jesus, his human name.
There's something so delightful about that for me. It just brings joy and delight to my heart. But when it's a matter of doctrine, it's a matter of prayer, or it's a matter of the proclamation of the gospel, it is always the Lord Jesus. I'm not going to occupy time tonight in quoting passages of Scripture to prove my point, but I do want to just emphasize in a word or two what we were speaking about this morning, more particularly in a relation to the Lord individual. He is the Lord. He's the Lord. And please do give him his title in addressing him or speaking about him. He is the Lord Jesus. Now this is something that runs counter to the religious world today. Everywhere today we hear the term Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ.
But, beloved friend, he is the Lord Jesus. He has been resurrected and he's at God's right hand in glory and majesty and dignity. He is our Lord Jesus Christ. Now what I want to speak about tonight is the Lord Jesus in relation to our collective testimony. And I want to speak of these four passages that we have read together in the first epistle of the Corinthians dealing... with our church life. And I want to point out here to the Lordship of Christ is insisted upon. Now this morning our brother McGee, he read various passages in First Corinthians dealing with the Lord Jesus. And in every single passage that he read it was the Lordship of Christ that was emphasized.
Now I want to underline that. Sixty-eight times in First Corinthians we find the Lordship of Christ is emphasized. Sixty-eight times. For the sake of young believers tonight, I should say that First Corinthians is the epistle that deals with their collective local testimony as churches, as assemblies. We get the teaching there concerning it. And the reason that we get the simple teaching concerning the collective testimony of the believer in his church life is the fact that there were certain difficulties and problems at heart. I don't know that there was any assembly that gives the apostle more heartache, gives him more trouble. on the assembly at Corinth.
You know, if I were to take time tonight to go into all those problems and difficulties at Corinth, I might shock you. You may not have realized some of the terrible things that were occurring in that church. Right at the very commencement, we read how that they were divided among themselves. Wherever you find an assembly, wherever you find a church of God that is linked together in happy fellowship and love, harmony, you find the ground laid there for prosperity, you find the ground laid for blessing. But wherever you find a party spirit, undivided up into little fleets and parties, and in danger of dividing, you'll always find something there that will completely destroy any collective testimony.
Immediately after that we read about a case of immorality. And you know, here again I hesitate even to speak about it. There's some things that we can speak about publicly, And there are other things that be hesitant even in mentioning. But sometimes we're so wishy-washy today that we avoid speaking about these things. But here is a case of gross immorality that was tolerated at heart. Actually a man that was living with his father's wife. And the apostle, in speaking about it, he said, It is commonly reported. It is commonly reported that there is fornication among you. Now again, I don't like to use that word, but the word of God uses it.
And the word that the Apostle uses in connection with it is that it was in everybody's luck, not only in the church itself, but the idea is that the men on the street, the people outside in the world, they knew what was going on in the church. It is commonly reported. That is what the inference is in the passage. There was a case of gross immorality, and they hadn't taken any steps at all in discipline to be with it. The person was allowed to remain there. and that hadn't acted in discipline upon him at all. And the Apostle, he has to deal with that. Now a little further on on the Epistle we find other difficulties. Can you imagine anyone sitting at the Lord's table intoxicated? Can you imagine any assembly, any church of God today for such a thing, would take place, that actually a man would sit at the Lord's table in an intoxicated condition?
But they had that at Corinth. At the beginning, it was immorality. And here, sitting right at the Lord's table in the center of the passage, the center of the Epistle, we find that there was a person intoxicated for taking of the bread on the cup of the Lord's table. And then at the end of the Epistle, we find that there was heretical teaching among them. We actually find that there were those that were denying the resurrection body of the believer. Now this is a very vital doctrine, and I want to say to young people that are here today, If you hear anyone that would deny the physical resurrection of the believer, that is, of the physical body of the believer, the human body of the believer, and that would deny that, that is a denial of fundamental Christian doctrine.
And the Apostle has to deal with that in First Corinthians chapter fifteen. Now he lives on the ground for what we believe in connection with resurrection at the first part of the chapter. And he speaks of the resurrection body of the Lord Jesus. He is the great prototype. He is the one to whom we look as the patron of what the resurrection body will be like. And when he rose from the dead, he rose from the same body in which he died. Those the marks of the nails in his hands and feet. There was the spear wound in his side, and he said, Cradle me in thee, a spirit hath not flesh and bones as you see me have. The Lord Jesus was the great patron, the prototype of the resurrection body of the believer.
Now these were all errors and difficulties in the church at Corinth, and the Apostle has to deal with him. But right in the center, there are five chapters here that I want to speak about very briefly tonight, and I don't get frightened when I talk about going through five chapters. There are four key words that I want to speak about taken from the four passages that we have read together, and I want to speak about them very briefly tonight. They are infinitely important in connection with our collective church testimony. that have to do with the Lordship of Christ as we gather together in church capacity. We're not speaking here so much about the Lordship of Christ in the heart of the believer. Not as vital. We were looking at that this morning, but here it's our collective church testimony that the Apostle deals with.
The Apostle himself at this time, when he wrote the epistle, was at Ephesus. There were three men from Carl that come down with a letter in their hand. and they had some questions that they wanted an answer to, some difficulties in the assembly. They didn't mention this case of immorality. They didn't mention at all the other fact that they were divided among themselves. They left that alone. But one problem that they did have was divorce, a problem of home life of a believer. And the apostle, down there at Ephesus, the first question they asked in their letter, how the home life of the believer should be regulated. You know, I don't know of anything that gives more heartache and trouble in church life today, right across this country than this very thing.
Now, it's not my purpose to deal with it tonight, but the Apostle got to deal with it. The first question that they asked, what about the broken home? What about these cases where a woman would leave her wife, a woman would abandon her husband, or vice versa? How should these things be regulated in the Church of God? It was the first question that they had in their letters. The second had to do with a pagan heathen temple on the top of a hill, outside Corinth, on the Acropolis, and there was a pagan heathen temple there dedicated to the goddess of love. It was dedicated to Aphrodite. It was a heathen religion. And in that pagan heathen temple, again I hesitated even to talk about it, but there were one thousand abandoned women attached to the worship in that temple.
Now this was the background of Corinth. Their worship was mixed up with the grossest form of license and less on immorality, and this was what they had been in their old heathen life. The heathen pagan temple on top of the hill outside of Corinth was the place where they had formerly gone and where they had worshipped. Now, anyone who wanted to get meat, the meat was, first of all, it was offered in sacrifice to an idol, in the temple... and then it was exposed for sale. And the second question that they asked was, should a Christian, should a believer, it is a legitimate thing for a believer to go to that pagan temple and eat the meat that has been offered in sacrifice to the idol or not?
It was the second question in their letter. Now the third question had to do with spiritual gifts. And again, it's a very modern thing today. Among them there were those who were getting up and who were speaking in tongues. Exercising these spectacular Pentecostal gift. And the third question in the letter was, how should these gifts be regulated? Is it the legitimate thing for a person to speak in tongues on how should that gift be regulated in the Church of God? And then the final question in the letter was, what they should do with money that had been contributed by the believer. Now, again, for the sake of younger people tonight, in answering... the letter that had been sent from Corinth, the Apostle always commences his answer with the same word.
And the word is, Now concerning, now concerning, now concerning, now concerning, now concerning the things of which he wrote unto me, and then in chapter seven he deals with the Christian home. He deals with this question of the broken home, questions of divorce and separation and remarried and so on. He deals with that in chapter seven. And then in chapters eight and nine and ten, he deals with the second matter, concerning meat offered in sacrifice to an idol. He deals with that. And he deals with it in some detail. And then in chapter twelve, he uses the word again, a concerning spiritual gift. I would not have you to be ignorant.
And in chapters twelve and thirteen and fourteen, he deals with the question of the exercise of gifts of public speaking in the assembly and how it should be regulated. And then in chapter sixteen, he uses the word for the last time, and he said, now concerning the collection. Now what I want to do tonight is to take this central portion of the epistle, and I want to speak about four words that are in it. And the first word is the word fellowship in chapter ten. And the second word is in chapter eleven. I want to speak for a moment or two about headship. You know, there's three times in that passage we get the word the head.
The head, the head, the head. We get the headship of God. We get the headship of Christ. And we get the headship of the man. I want to speak for a moment or two about headship in this passage. And then at the end of that chapter, the apostle gives us a lovely outline of the Lord's Supper. I think that on a Saturday night, as we think of tomorrow morning having the opportunity of sitting down at the Lord's table and observing the Lord's Supper... I think it's perfectly in order and perfectly in place to speak for a little while about worship, and particularly in its relation to the Lord's Supper. Fellowship, first of all, and then headship, and then thirdly, worship.
And the final thing that we want to look at for a moment or two is the subject of Lordship. The Apostle here, in speaking about public speaking, he lays on the test of all public speaking, and it says, The Apostle, in dealing with it, he said, You know that you were Gentiles carried away onto these dumb idols even as you were led. This was their old life in the pagan temple. The wild ravings down there in the pagan temple. And then he said, Wherefore I give you to understand that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus a curses, and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, except by the Holy Ghost. Here we get the subject.
of Lordship introduced in connection with public ministry of the word. And it is dealt with in three chapters. So the first word I want to look at just for a moment or two is the word fellowship. And then headship. And then worship. And finally, lordship. There's one word in the Bible that I love. Maybe beyond the word redemption. If anyone were to ask me tonight, what is the most beautiful word in the Bible? I had a very good difficulty in getting beyond that word, the Kinsman Redeemer. You know, out where we have lived in Africa, we have various languages that we use there.
We have a beautiful, soft language that we have used for forty years over there in Angola. And the word that we use there for the Kinsman Redeemer is the Anjogoli. It's a lovely word, a lovely, beautiful, soft word. The Angeo Lord. And I think that the word, the Kinsman Redeemer, is one of the most beautiful in the Bible. And certainly as far as our Lord Jesus Christ is concerned, I can't think of anything more beautiful connected with him than this lovely pair. What do you think is the most beautiful hymn in the English language? You know, sometimes we have little pitties and choruses, and it's not very much gospel in them. and to go off with a swing and sometimes we get carried off our feet by them.
But the old hymns that I have known and loved all my life, the older I get, the more I appreciate them. And of this one hymn that I love, it's that hymn that has to do with the Redeemer. My Redeemer, oh, what beauties in that lovely name appear. None but Jesus in his glory shall the honor title wear. My Redeemer, thou hast my salvation wroth. So the word Redeemer is a beautiful word. I love this word fellowship. And I'll tell you the reason why. I have spent practically all my life in isolation. And many, many, many times I'd have given an awful lot to be in a meeting on a Saturday night just like this. Many a Saturday night lying beside a fire, out in the middle of Africa, with a few Africans around, chatting and talking in the middle of the night.
My mind was thousands of miles away. It was among God's beloved people over here. Don't think that we don't appreciate our African. We do. We love them. And we have warm, warm friends among them today. Fellow believers in the Lord Jesus out on that land. But, you know, we have some good friends in this country, too. And of this one word that I have learned to appreciate all through my life, is this lovely word, fellowship. Fellowship, partnership, communion. It's the word that's used by the Apostle here six times. And I want you to notice that it's in connection with this question of eating meat offered and sacrificed for an idol. You know, very often, some of these lovely things that the Apostle teaches is connected with the person of the Lord, and also with the Lord's table and with the Lord's supper, they come out of some practical difficulty.
They said, should we go up to the pagan temple and eat the meat that is offered and sacrificed for the idol? Now, there are three little regulations that the Apostle is done connected with it. And the first one is... What effect is it going to have upon my brother? And he deals with that in chapter eight. And you know, anything that would be a cause of offense to my brother that would make him stumble or lead him off into bypass, I think it's better not to do it at all. You know, sometimes young people come to us with their questions and they say, there's some things that the Bible doesn't talk about at all. And we wonder whether it's right or wrong. Where in the Bible does it say, thou shalt not smoke?
you don't read about in the Bible. And sometimes they come to us and they say, where does it say in the Bible, thou shalt not go to the movie? And then they come and they say, where in the Bible does it say you shouldn't go to a bowling alley? And I want to know, they look at you just out of the corner of their eye and they wonder what you're going to say. You know you don't find these things in the Bible. But I tell you what you do find in the Bible. The Word of God today, doesn't put down the believer under a code of law or rules. You know, any carnal believer at all, you could write out ten commands. Thou shalt not smoke. Thou shalt not go to the movies.
Thou shalt not dance. Thou shalt not do this, and thou shalt not do that. And you could put them up on the wall, and you could have a little code of rules. And any carnal believer at all, he can regulate his life by a code of rules. but it is a spiritual believer to act on the principle that the apostolates gone here in First Corinthians. And the principle is this. First of all, in any particular situation, what effect is it going to have upon my brother? Is it going to be a stumbling block to him? Now, you can imagine me. And this has happened to me. Supposing I were walking down the street here in Minneapolis in the middle of the day, and I had a cigarette in my mouth, and some young person that was converted last night, or maybe last week they see me walking down the street smoking a cigarette and say there's that man that's up preaching the word and look what he's doing and that would give him license to go and do the same thing you know i've never had a cigarette in my life in my mouth in my life and i have the slightest desire to do it on these days when we see young people it just makes our heart bleed we've went to restaurants and we see girls twelve thirteen years of age lovely young people and we see them sitting drinking hard liquor and
not only that but taking the cigarette out of a pack and topping it up on the pack and put it on the mouth to me it just makes my heart really want to see it and as far as a christian is concerned i believe they should leave these things alone but the point is that in fellowship one with the other and their dealings one with the other it's not so much a code of rules but what effect is it going to have upon my brother my sister it doesn't matter what it is You can put it under any category at all, but anything about my life. If it's going to be a stumbling block to my brother or sister, it's far better not to do it at all. And the principle here is love to my weak brother. Now, in chapter nine, the apostle turns it in upon himself, and he said, anything that will make me a slave.
And by the way, one of the great fruits of the Holy Spirit is self-control. And anything that will get a grip on me, it doesn't matter what it is, and makes me a slave to it. It may be a cup of coffee, not only a cigarette. I knew a young woman in Africa. And you know, every day at eleven o'clock she had to get a cup of black coffee or else she would have a blinding headache. And you know what she did? She said, I'm becoming a slave to this thing. I'm becoming a slave to it. And it was just like a cigarette as far as she was concerned. And she threw the thing out through the window. And she decided to put a stop to it. Anything at all that's going to get a grip on me that's going to make me a slave to it, no matter what it is.
It's far better to have done with it. And this is the principle that the Apostle applies in chapter nine. It's the third and the highest. And he applies it here in connection with the Lord's table. On the Apostle here, he shows us three fellowships connected with it. He speaks about three tables here. On the first table is the table of demons there in Karm. The second table he speaks of is the table of Israel. And then he speaks of the Lord's table. And he points out that in connection with each one of these three tables there is a fellowship. Now in connection with the table of demons, connected with the pagan table up there in Corinth.
You know, it's an awful thing to think of. And I think that most people here in North America don't contemplate at all. And that is that these pagan religions at the back of them are inspired by Satan himself. There's a fellowship connected with it, and it is the fellowship of the underworld. I've been thinking a good deal about this recently. I suppose most of us have read an article that was published in one of the popular magazines here in the United States in the month of July. It's called The Crystal Ball. I don't know whether you read that review in the Reader's Digest or not, but it's about a woman that lives in Washington. And she said some very startling things about people in high places today.
And after reading that article, it just made me think. And I believe that many, many today, in this country, on in every country of the world, that the devil is getting a grip upon them on satanic activity in the end time, the word of God tells me will come up with a resurgent who will be a resurrection of demon satanic activity in the end time, not only in politics, but also in the religious world. Before you say, well, do you get that in the Bible? First Timothy chapter four, we'll read these words. In the latter time, some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies and hypocrisy, and so on.
And I believe that that passage, it is linked with doctrine there. And I believe that the men who deny the great fundamental doctrines of Holy Scripture today are demon-inspired. I believe that if the devil is at the back of it, it's satanic activity. In the one case, he's an angel of light. In the one case, he's the God of this world, and you get it in false religion today, satanic activity behind it, but you also get it in other spheres of activity. This is something we can expect at the end time, the satanic demon activity, the underworld, taking control of every sphere of light on this is the day in which we are living. Now, the apostle, he points out, that in connection with that evil wicked worship up there in that temple, it was having fellowship with the demon.
On the person who sat at that table, on it from the table, would be having fellowship with the underworld, with satanic activity. But then he points out this lovely word connected with the Lord's table. Now listen to the word. The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the fellowship? Is it not the communion with the blood of Christ? I am God at age. The bread which we break, Is it not the communion, the fellowship, or the body of Christ? Thank God it is. For we being many are one bread and one body. This is a tremendous truth here, connected with the Lord's table. On the Apostle here, he draws the comparison, at least he draws the contrast between the demon table up there in the temple and the Lord's table.
You know who he said on to the table, have the privilege, God willing, tomorrow morning, many of us of the Lord's table, of sitting down at the Lord's table. And notice here that the cup was mentioned first. We take the bread first, but the Apostle, he mentions the cup first here. And I think there's a very special reason for that. And the reason for that is this. All fellowship in the Bible. All communion in the Bible is this fairly and squarely on the precious blood. The precious blood of our Lord Jesus Christ represented by the cup. Represented by the wine in the cup. It represents that precious blood. were by the new covenant was ratified when the Lord Jesus died upon Calvary's cross.
And then he speaks about the fellowship connected with the bread. The bread which we bread, is it not the fellowship of the body of Christ? For we being many are one bread and one body. Now notice the word. We being many are one bread and one body. When we look at the loaf of bread upon the table, the teaching of the Apostle is that it has a twofold significance. that loaf of bread upon the table it speaks about the material body of Christ that is offered upon the cross and when we break it and we partake of it we're having fellowship with that body that was offered for us that vicarious atonement of the Lord Jesus upon Calvary Scott but it has a second meaning for we being many are one bread and one body it also represents the mystical body and that one loaf of bread upon the table it points out the great outstanding truth the first Corinthians and that is the body of Christ the risen head the one who's at God's right hand and we being linked to him we are members of that one body and as we partake of it we're having fellowship with every saint that loves his name to me there's something delightful absolutely delightful of the teaching of the Apostle here connected with fellowship I
do want to say beloved friends that when we sit at the table on the Lord's day it has a very definite signification of that sacrifice that the Lord Jesus offered upon the cross. But at the same time it has a practical application. And I believe that we should be separate from anything that would not be in conformity with it. This is the teaching of the Apostles concerning fellowship as we sit at the table. Now the second word is headship. Now I'm partly aware of the fact that when we read, first Corinthians, we're so liable to leave out the first part of the chapter. And you know, any man who has the responsibility for the ministry of the Word, there would be a danger just to leave it out and say nothing at all about it.
I know it's a very controversial thing today, but I believe that any faithful minister of the Word who has the responsibility for opening up the Word of God never should sidestep any truth, although it may be unpalatable. Now, while it is something that is sidesteped on something that's distorted, and something sometimes that's missed and true today there's some beautiful teaching behind it and I want to occupy just a few minutes and looking at it now. There's a threefold headship that the Apostle speaks about here and I believe that what we get in first Corinthians it too is it came out of abuse at the Lord's table.
The Apostle here he's speaking about the man and the woman in the relationship in the Church of God. Now I want to point out that in this section, this important section that deals with our collective testimony seven times in the passage we get the term, when you come together, when you come together, when you come together, when you come together, when you come together. He's speaking about our collective gathering together in church and he deals here with the question of headship and the relation of man and woman in the church of God. And the Apostle in dealing with it, he points out that there's a threefold headship First of all, of God, and then of Christ, and then the headship of the man.
Now, just for a moment, I want to show the relation between the headship of God and the headship of Christ. Now, it is a matter of fundamental doctrine, and I suppose all of us here tonight gladly subscribe to it, that the God that we worship is the Trinity, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. And in all the historical creeds, it's a matter of fundamental doctrine that each member of the Holy Trinity, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are equal in power and majesty and glory and dignity. There's no difference as far as majesty and glory and dignity are concerned. And so the apostle here, he speaks about the headship of God.
Now does that mean when he speaks about the headship of God, that the Lord Jesus is inferior to God the Father? nothing of the time. Thank God he's not. Equal in majesty and glory and dignity, our Lord Jesus Christ is absolute God in every sense of the word. God the Father and God the Son. But in the Gospel according to John, we're told again and again that the Lord Jesus here below, he voluntarily took a position of subjection and dependence. When he was a man, he never acted independently. but he acted in complete subjection to the will of his father. The Gospel by John particularly, it points that out again and again.
It was what was involved in the temptation. You remember what Eve did at the beginning of the temptation in the Garden of Eden? She acted independently. And when Satan came, untempted her. Do you remember what she did? Instead of calling her head, that was her husband, she preferred to act independently. And she listened to the tempter's voice. and it got in, and the result was the fall. She acted independently off her head. What she should have done was to say to the devil, now look here, if you want to talk about these things, you just call my husband and he'll talk to you. But she didn't. She acted independently, and the result was the fall. She acted independently off her head.
Now, this is the whole point of the teaching here concerning the person of Christ and the man and the woman. the Lord Jesus at his temptation in the wilderness, he didn't act independently. That was what the devil tried to get him to do, to act independently of the will of his Father. But he determined that he would not do it. And we thank God that where Adam fell and he fell, the Lord Jesus he overcame. Now between God the Father and God the Son, there is that position of dependence on the part of the Son, voluntary subjection, on the part of the Son through the will of the Father. It's not a question at all of superiority or inferiority, and it's exactly the same idea between the man and the woman.
I think I can hear somebody saying, well, now, what are we going to get now? Well, the Word of God is just so plain and so simple, and I believe that the teaching here is so absolutely beautiful. But I don't think that anyone who had examined it carefully ever would have any difficulty with it at all. The Apostle here, in teaching this subject of headship, he points out that when the man comes into church, he uncovers his head. And why does he do that? If he covered his head when he came into church, he would insult his head, which is Christ. Supposing someone were to come in here tonight with his hat on, what would we think of? We would think, why that man, he doesn't know his place. That man is just an insult. Even to the congregation, to do a thing like that, the man uncovers his head.
but conversely if a woman were to come in in church capacity while men and women are gathered together in church and if she uncovers her head she insults her head which is her husband now this is the teaching of the passage and beloved friend I'm not saying this to hurt anyone here tonight but I think we should look at the beautiful teaching that we have here connected with it and I think anyone that would read the passage gone read it carefully, would see the beautiful teaching that there is concerning it. You know, we who are men, sometimes we do take a superior attitude, and sometimes the women will throw things at us and say, brother, so-and-so, he's a woman here.
And he wants to trample the women in the desert. Well, now, as far as I'm concerned, I never would want to do that. I think I can honestly say tonight, if there's anyone in this congregation, in this meeting tonight that has more appreciation, for the devoted service of godly sisters that we have seen for many years, particularly in the mission field, as the man who's standing before you tonight. And as far as I'm concerned, absolutely no prejudice or bias in my mind against the godly sisters in the church of God today. But this is the teaching of the Word of God. That when the man comes in, he uncovers his head, and when the woman comes in, she puts a sign of authority upon her head.
Now, it's not a question at all of superiority and inferiority, but it's simply a question of God's order. You know, we who are men, generally when we come into middle life, we start to lose our hair. You know, any man that would come up today with a remedy for falling hair, for bald pitch, I think he would make a fortune in a very short time. There's been all kinds of remedies for baldness. But, you know, it's one of those things that generally happen to most men. It's a nice thing to see an old man with a good head of hair, but it's not usual. Our hair starts to get gray and white, and then it starts to drop off.
And, you know, the man generally in middle life is a very dry-looking individual. But, you know, it's not like that at all in nature. You know, in nature, it's usually the male that wears the glory. In the country where I come from... over there in Africa, generally among animals and birds. It's the meal that wears the glory. You take the lion. It's a lovely thing to see a lion with its mane, the king of beasts walking through the forest. And he really is a king. I've heard him many a time go to the head of the ground and give one roar in the middle of the night. And you could almost hear the pin drop. You could certainly hear a leaf falling off a tree and writing on the ground.
All nature is silent. When the king speaks, and he wears the glory. He wears the name. It's the same with the peacock. Possibly one of the most beautiful birds in creation that God has made. It's the male that wears the glory. But the lovely thing about it is between the woman and the man. It's the female that wears the glory. And this is the king of the family. And where is her glory? Her glory is in her hair. And you know, it's a lovely thing to see a woman with a lovely head of hair. Beautiful thing. it is the teaching of Holy Scripture. Her glory is in her hair. And the man is a very drab creature in comparison with it. But when he comes into church, he uncovered his head because he's the one that's responsible to his head, which is Christ.
But the woman, when she comes into church, she covers her glory. And why is that? Well, now there's a twofold reason given why she covers her glory. And the first one is that only one glory may be seen. And that is the supreme glory, the glory of the risen head, our Lord Jesus Christ. And she covers her glory for that is the first reason, so that only one glory may be seen, and that is the supreme glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. And the second reason is because of the angels. Now, some of my learned brethren, the audience who are here tonight, I would like to get your opinion of what this word means, because of the angels. Why do you think that that term is used here because of the angels?
Well, I would just like to make a suggestion. You know, in the presence of God, read about those created intelligence in the presence of God. They cover their glory. If you remember in Isaiah chapter six, read about them. When they come into the presence of God, they cover their faces and they cover their feet. They cover their glory in the presence of God. And do you mean to say that they are not the on-scene spectators among the people of God today? As we gather together in church capacity... we find that it's because of the angel, these on-scene spectators, and a woman whose head wasn't covered in the assembly, it certainly must be quite a shock to them to see that she wouldn't conform to what the Word of God teaches in connection with it.
I don't want to say anything more about it at all, but all I just want to leave it there, anyone at all that would look at the passage and consider... The beautiful, beautiful teaching connected with it, I don't think there's any difficulty at all with the fantasy. First of all, fellowship, and secondly, headship. Now, just a word or two about worship. At the end of chapter eleven, we have a lovely passage here concerning the Lord's Supper. In chapter ten, it's the Lord's table, but here it is the Lord's Supper. And the apostle, he deals with it. Now, there are five Luke's in the passage, and again, don't get Christ. I'm just going to mention it. It may be a help while we're gathered together and sitting, remembering the Lord Jesus and the sufferings and death upon the cross.
As we look at the passage and read his eyes, we get five looks. Now the first one is the Apostle. He takes a look back to the institution. In Matthew and Mark and Luke and the three synoptic Gospels, we get the institution of the Lord's Supper. And he said that he's just passing on something that he had himself received. And he speaks of the institution of the Lord's Supper. He takes that Luke back to the upper room. And then he takes a look up. And the idea is that when we sit at the table, we remember him. You know, sometimes we talk about remembering the Lord in his death.
Well, that's perfectly true. We do. We think about his death. We think about his sufferings upon the cross. But, you know, after all, if the person that we come to remember... And that one who is in the midst, while we gather together in the Lord's day morning, we remember him. Do you remember what he said? Remember me. And where is he today? He's at God's right hand, seated upon the throne. And when we sit at the table, not only do we take a look back to the upper room, and to look back to the cross, but we take a look up to the throne, to that one seated there, and we remember him in the suffering of his death. Right. Now the third look here, we take a look around.
The apostle, in speaking about the remembrance of the Lord, he said, ye do show forth the Lord's death. Ye do show forth the Lord's death. Now this word show forth, that means to preach or to proclaim. You know, again, I don't know anything at all about conditions in this part, but sometimes I've sat at the Lord's table. and the whole service which we're through from beginning to end and not a single word of scripture would be read now the word here it actually means to preach you do show forth you proclaim as a herald of the Lord's death and personally I feel a little bit sorry if ever the ordinance is observed and the word of God has never opened and read you know it is a good thing to give out hymns and it's a much better thing to give up and pray Again, I don't know anything about conditions here, but I've noticed that in some places there is a reluctance to worship, to get up and to pray while we're seeing what the Lord did.
But I think that the supreme thing is to remember Him, the Lord Jesus Christ, and I think it's a good thing to open the book of God and just proclaim in some audible way His death. And it is for the benefit of those that are sitting around while we're observing the ordnance. And the fourth thing is the loop forward. It is till he comes. He's coming back again, thank God, and coming soon. He may come tonight. But here we get the loop forward, and we find the Lord's coming incorporated with this wonderful passage dealing with the Lord's Supper. And then the final thing is the loop inside. Let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup.
Anyone who protects of the cup onwardly he eateth and drinketh condemnation to himself, not observing the Lord's Supper. Someone might say just exactly what does this mean. When I was at a meeting some little time ago, almost a young man sitting there, and while not very solemn, observance was going on of the Lord's Supper, he said, and chewing gum. Now there are places where people could chew gum. Perfectly legitimate thing. I wouldn't make anybody an offender for doing that kind of thing. but it's not the Lord's stable. It's not why we're seated there. And do let me say to young people here that why we're seated at the table, on thinking about that one who is our Lord, and who's seated upon the throne, let us behave ourselves in such a way, in a becoming way, that would show that it really means what we're doing.
He does show forth the Lord's death till he comes. And then finally, let a man examine himself, and so let a meat of that bread, and drink of that cup. Now just in closing, just a moment, the final thing we get is Lordship. And the Apostle, he brings this very, very important passage to a climax into a head considering public speaking in the assemblies. Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I wouldn't have you ignorant. You know that you were Gentiles carried away onto these dumb idols even as you were led. Wherefore I give you to understand that no man speaking by the Spirit of God call it Jesus or curse it, and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.
This is the final test concerning all public speaking. I have been very much concerned recently, a number of experiences in my life where I have found people who profess to be able to speak in tongues. Now, this is neither the time nor the place to speak about this. It's something that I've had a good deal of practical, intimate experience with in recent days. I was over in Africa last year. I was in Ethiopia. And I found a young man over there who had been commended by an assembly in another part of the world, given a letter of commendation and sent out to the commendation of an assembly out of the heart of Africa.
And as soon as they arrived there, he started to speak in tongues and exercised these Pentecostal gifts. I was completely ignorant of the conditions until I arrived here, and they called me in and talked to me about it. We decided to have a little prayer meeting, and to consider this thing. There were six missionaries there, along with myself and this particular man. And on three occasions, we sat around God's knees, and before we even started to talk about the thing, we started to pray, and that is always a good thing to do. And we prayed right around in the circle. And you know that young, that you never addressed, That one who sits at God's right hand, he never addressed them as Lord. And he was so surprised and so shocked.
He thought he was using these endearing terms and these exaggerated adjectives on expressing his devotion to the Lord in that way. But it never seemed to occur to him that he had never called him Lord. Now this is the test. On it's vital. On any man who professes to know and to love him, I believe he should give him that sight. On those who get up to minutes of the word. Either in the gospel or to pray or to minister the word of God, I think we should be very careful to consider this hallmark, the sign manual of all public speaking. It is the lordship of our Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, may God bless His word to each one of our hearts tonight.
I do want to say that I haven't said anything tonight, at least intentionally, of hurting anyone unnecessarily. That's not my object at all. But these vital, important things from God's precious word, I believe that we should know them, and we should understand them. And then I believe that in fellowship with God, we should seek to carry them out, and with we give him his true place, in the midst of preeminent, and that he is Lord, not only of our hearts and lives, but also of our public, collective testimony, I believe that we will be carrying out, in all sincerity, the teaching of God's holy word concerning his lordship. May God bless his word for this morning.