The Lord’s Supper

Posted on July 7, 2025 by Don Merritt

1 Corinthians 11:17-34

In the first part of this section, Paul gave the Corinthians praise, followed by instruction. Here, as the second part begins there is no praise for him to give, for the Corinthians have gone very wrong on the Lord’s Supper. It is certainly clear from the New Testament record, as well as from the writings of the early church, that in those days the Lord’s Supper was celebrated each Lord’s Day, but in Corinth, and quite possibly other locations as well, the large Gentile population incorporated some of their culture into the process.

In the Greco-Roman world, it was not unusual for large religious banquets and other meals to take place. First century AD philosopher and moralist Musorius Rufus noted that Greco-Roman meals offered many opportunities for sins to take place; it would appear that many in Corinth saw the Lord’s Supper as such an occasion. People appear to have seen the Lord’s Supper as a big mealtime, bringing in their own food and drink, not to be shared with everyone, but to be consumed to excess by their own party in church, often resulting in drunkenness, while others who had a better understanding of the Lord’s Supper, had nothing.

Paul doesn’t appear to have been amused by this. Yet his reaction to it was to provide instruction as to what the Lord’s Supper was all about to clear up any confusion…

For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 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.” In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. (11:23-26)

The Lord’s Supper is not a banquet, it is a proclamation of the Lord’s death until He returns, a recommitment to following Him… not a party.

So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. (11:27-29)

He continues in 11:30-32 to say that behavior such as theirs could very likely result in discipline from God and suggests that some in Corinth have died as a result. Was that hyperbole or was it literally true? I can’t say for certain, but it is clear that Paul was not messing around when he gave this corrective instruction; the Lord’s Supper, Communion, is not to be taken lightly. He added that those who have received such “discipline” have received it so that they might still be saved when the Lord returns…

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Unity in Christ

Posted on July 7, 2025 by Don Merritt

 Colossians 3: 5-14

Since this is a longer section, I won’t reproduce it here, and I hope you’ll read it on your own…

In the last section, we saw Paul tell us how to live our new lives, by setting our hearts and minds on the things that are above, and not on the things of this world.  In this section, he expands on this theme by listing items which are of the old life, and certain items that are of the new life in Christ.  In verses 5-10a we get a pretty good idea of the kinds of things we are to “put to death” in our lives; these are all from our “old selves” and they include… sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed which is idolatry. He says we must rid ourselves of things like anger, rage, malice, slander, lies and filthy language. I’m quite sure that there is no need for me to elaborate on these things, other than to say that when our attention is drawn to any of them, it’s time to set our minds on higher things.

Verses 10 and 11 move in transition to the next part by pointing out that we are to move away from those old practices into a new way of living where there is no Jew, no Greek, nor circumcised or uncircumcised… and no other social or ethnic distinctions: only Christ. Verse 12 provides a summing up and conclusion in an interesting way:

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

I hope that you will take notice of two things.  First, who are “God’s chosen people” in the New Covenant?  They are not old Israel; they are the redeemed in Christ.  Recall that in verse 11 there is no longer Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, and in verse 12 “God’s chosen people.”  Next, note the listing of things that are attributes of our new selves.  These are coupled with his admonition in verse 13 to forgive one another as Christ has forgiven us, and then in verse 14 to put love over all of this.

Again, I doubt that I should need to expand this picture any further, other than to point out that love is over all things in the Christian life.  How we interact with others, is all about love.  How we relate to God, is all about love… and the old way of living is loveless, for it is all about self.

Overriding love amongst Christians is where unity can be found.  We often wonder why it seems that the Church is divided; can you see why after reading this section?  It’s because we are more interested in disputes about doctrine, tradition and being first, than we are on loving our brothers.  May we all come to the day when we can live our lives as new creations, when we finally get that “old self” put into the grave for good.

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Sunday Sermon Notes: July 6, 2025

Posted on July 6, 2025 by Don Merritt

Please remember that the six lessons we are going over all come as explanations of what it means to present ourselves as living sacrifices to the Lord from Romans 12:1-2…

Lesson 4: Dealing with Government

Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended. For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience.

Romans 13:1-5

Paul’s message, simply stated, is that human government is ordained by God, and that’s all I should have to say about it. Yet even though human government is ordained by God, human government exists in a corrupted world environment, and we should not pretend to be shocked when it turns out to be corrupt: It happens. What is really instructive in this teaching is that the government Paul was referring to had a nasty habit of persecuting Paul and his readers; yes, maybe we should reflect on that for a while.

If I had been Paul, I might want to write something quite different on this topic, but if I had, or if he had, then a great disservice would have been done to the Gospel. God did not call us to serve His kingdom so that we could engage in political action, for His Kingdom is not of this world. Instead, He has called us to share the Gospel, to share His love with those who have not yet heard it, to nurture and mentor other, younger Christians to maturity in the faith, not to protest stupid court decisions or corruption in Congress or the White House… or wherever it may exist in your location. I will add that if we did a better job of serving His purpose in a free society, it is quite likely that a very different group of people would be elected to represent us, without our ever needing to bring up politics.

By the way, when I teach such self-explanatory texts as this one, this is often where I toss out a question, a rhetorical one of course: When you are driving your car around town, do you observe the speed limit, or do you behave as the pagans do?

That one gets a groan from the group every time…

This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.

Romans 13:6-7

Taxes: Nobody likes taxes, except the ones somebody else must pay. Here in America, we have a horrible tax system, and I will boldly declare that if the entire Tax Code went up for a vote as is, and if it didn’t already exist, no one would vote for it; no one has even read the whole thing, and the people who enforce it don’t even understand it, and if you don’t believe me, ask a tax lawyer!

Now ask yourself, how was the tax system Paul lived under? Well… it was horrible as well. Money is not supposed to be our primary concern in this life; our priority is supposed to be on things that are above, so why should the inequities of the tax system be our priority? Paul’s message is pay them what they want and get on with serving our Lord in peace and love, for that is what we are here for.

Yes, I know… I’m gritting my teeth too, but that only goes to show that we have a long way to go to attain maturity in the faith.

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It is good…

Posted on July 5, 2025 by Don Merritt

It is good to praise the Lord
and make music to your name, O Most High,
proclaiming your love in the morning
and your faithfulness at night,
to the music of the ten-stringed lyre
and the melody of the harp.

Psalm 92:1-3

As he often did, David has given us a psalm of praise. This one is a little different from some of them, just as it is a little different from most modern songs of praise. Notice that in this one, David isn’t putting the praise in the future tense. Sometimes I read his psalms or hear modern songs that say we (I) will praise the Lord, and then it never really seems to take place; just a promise that at some future point we’ll get around to it.

It may interest you to know at this point that I irritate my wife frequently reacting to what she says instead of what she means. Anyway, this time, David is clear that it is a good thing to praise the Lord both in the morning and in the evening.

The praise in this case is through music, in the morning for God’s great love, and in the evening for God’s steadfastness or faithfulness. That way, we begin our day reminded of God’s love for us, setting a certain tone for the day, perhaps reminding us that He has commanded that just as He has loved us, so too should we love our neighbor. In the evening, when the darkness comes and we prepare to lay down and sleep, David would have us be reminded that God is faithful and steadfast, watching over us through the night, no doubt a great comfort to a man who spent so many years being hunted by his enemies.

Yes, this is a good thing for us too, for what better way is there to begin and end each day than by giving all praise and glory to God for all that He has done for us?

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Independence Day Reflections- Redux

Posted on July 4, 2025 by Don Merritt

This morning I was sitting here sipping my first cup of coffee as the first rays of the sun began to gleam in the sky to the east. I could hear the crickets chirping their song, joined by a chorus of frogs down by the creek, and some birds overhead in their trees. I probably wasn’t entirely awake; my mind was wandering around to nowhere in particular, sort of carried away by the warm and humid breeze as I was taken to a place far away and long ago.

I found myself sitting in the front passenger seat of my Dad’s 1964 Ford Galaxy as we drove slowly through a neighborhood in Los Angeles, California. I had a clipboard in my hands as we drove and I was on the lookout for houses that were flying the flag; it was another Fourth of July; July 4, 1968− exactly 50 years ago.

I began waking up in earnest at the thought of that: Fifty Years Ago!

It was my first ever experience at working in a political campaign: 50 years ago today. Can I possibly be that old?

1968 was a tumultuous year in America, and outward shows of patriotism were not at all in vogue. Vietnam, Civil Rights, demonstrations, riots, violence, assassinations, long hair, beards, flower power… Even I knew that things were a mess; it wasn’t quite a month since Senator Kennedy had been assassinated right there in LA: In LA! Things like that simply did not happen in my hometown… at least not in those days.

Congressman Corman had a very smart idea. He would ask volunteers to go through every precinct in his district and take down the addresses of every house that flew the flag on the Fourth of July, and then he would send each one a personal thank you, and that was what I was doing with a little help from my Dad that day, my first time as a campaign volunteer… 50 years ago today.

I took another sip of coffee, and that’s when it came to me: July 4th, 50 years, Adams and Jefferson.

Back in 1776, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson were both members of the Continental Congress, they both served on the Committee that drafted the Declaration of Independence along with Benjamin Franklin. Adams and Jefferson became very good friends in the years that followed, both served in the Administration of George Washington, Adams as Vice President, Jefferson as Secretary of State. Yet they fell out over political differences in the second term, and after Washington shocked the world by stepping down, they ran against each other for president.

It got a bit nasty if I’m honest. Adams won the election, but Jefferson defeated him four years later, and they did not speak for many years. Yet as the years went by, both regretted their estrangement, and finally Adams sent a letter to Jefferson, and they renewed their friendship as pen pals. By 1826 both men were in poor health, but as the morning of July 4th dawned, each man had the other on his mind; it was 50 years to the day since the Declaration of Independence.

About mid-morning Jefferson slipped into eternity. A few hours later, Adams joined him. Not knowing what had taken place earlier that day, his last words were, “Jefferson survives.” Thus, the last two living men who signed the Declaration of Independence both died on the fourth of July, 50 years after its signing.

What were the chances of that happening?

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Crazy dogs, fireworks and insomnia

Posted on July 4, 2025 by Don Merritt

NOTE: This post originally ran here in July 2012, and I thought it might be fun to share it again.

Never be fooled by an innocent little face, this dog is a madman!

…and I must add that cute only goes so far!

Over the past several nights, people in the area have been testing out their fourth of July fireworks, including firecrackers, cherry bombs, and M-80’s.  They begin in the afternoon and continue throughout the evening, making this crazy mutt go more and more insane.

Oh, and did I fail to mention what happens when the big fireworks show kicks off at around 9:30 or so?  Bedlam!

Running around the house, jumping up on people, panting, whining, scratching, ripping things up…  Does it ever end?

When things finally wind down sometime after 11, he settles down… and then the neighborhood dudes with firecrackers resume their assault on the night.  Bedlam reigns in the house into the wee hours.  The dog jumping on your face just about the time you think you might get to sleep some time after 3 am… (isn’t there an ordinance or something about shooting off firecrackers at 3 am?)

In our house, the week of the fourth of July each year is sometimes called “Nights of Rage”

Oh, how much fun this is!

Yes, I know this is not like my usual post, but who can think when they haven’t slept in days? Hopefully the folks in the area will run out of either ammo or money soon…

Well, much has changed since 2012, and yet, so much is the same. Our little madman from 13 years ago has gone off the dog heaven, and we have a new furry roommate, only this time we have a sweet little girl. Don’t be fooled- when the thunder, or the firecrackers comes along, this marauding beast can terrorize an entire neighborhood…

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Head Covering and Worship

Posted on July 3, 2025 by Don Merritt

1 Corinthians 11:2-16

We begin a new section in Paul’s letter with 11:2, a section that continues through to the end of this chapter. Here, Paul deals with a couple of areas that involve worship, first head covering, and second, the Lord’s Supper. I should point out that we have a departure from what we have seen in the previous sections thus far, because as you can see, Paul does not say, “Now about…” as we have seen before. Instead, he comes at the subject a little differently. This section has two subcategories, and the first begins in verse 2: I praise you for remembering me in everything and for holding to the traditions just as I passed them on to you. The second begins at verse 17: In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good.

Most scholars seem to agree that unlike the “now about…” sections, this section is not an answer to a question as much as it is a response to a report that has come to Paul’s attention.

As we consider this first section (11:2-16), we have a discussion from Paul that can give a great deal of difficulty to a modern Western reader, and to be sure, a great deal of ink has been spilled in recent decades about these verses, particularly by commentators who come at this passage from a feminist theological perspective. The debates can become quite heated, and tend to go on and on without anyone ever giving any ground, but what is gained by any of this?

After typing out the question I sit at my keyboard trying to think of something that can be gained, other than debating points and high blood pressure… and I haven’t come up with much, other than discord and division.

Rather than putting ourselves through such an ordeal, let’s simply ask ourselves who Paul is sending this to. As we know, Paul is sending this to the church in Corinth, a Roman Colony inhabited primarily by Roman Citizens, along with several other groups that include very few Jews; it was a Gentile assembly. He is writing to this congregation to address problems that they were experiencing in the church c. 55 AD. This is an entirely different place, time, and culture than we find ourselves in anywhere today. Paul is writing to them to address a cultural issue: Head covering. Therefore, why would we be surprised that he would take positions that differ from our cultural perspectives today?

“OK Don, how do you know for sure that this is a cultural discussion and not a message from God that we must follow today?”

Boy, am I glad you asked that question! Here’s how I know it:

Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him, but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering. (11:14-15)

Remember who wrote this: Paul the Apostle, a Jew among Jews, and a Pharisee among Pharisees, right? Traditionally, Jewish men didn’t shave their beards, and they wore their hair long. Who wore their hair short and usually shaved their beards? Greeks and Romans: Paul is making a cultural argument.

Although he doesn’t say it here, he will in the next section: The worship assembly must not put off an outsider who comes as a seeker, open to hear the gospel message preached, thus we should conduct ourselves accordingly to save others… and that should sound familiar to you. In the case of Corinth, c. 55 AD, women should wear a head covering.

You see dear reader, there is nothing for us to fight about in these verses. Today, a woman is free to choose whether she wears something on her head or not. If she wants to: Great. If she doesn’t: Great.

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An Empowering Relationship

Posted on July 3, 2025 by Don Merritt

Our relationship with Jesus Christ is an empowering relationship.  This relationship provides us with all that we need to walk with Him through this life, and no matter what may happen to us along the way, no matter how many trials we might endure, to go through this life victoriously.

Good and upright is the Lord;
    therefore he instructs sinners in his ways.
He guides the humble in what is right
    and teaches them his way.
All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful 
    for those who keep the demands of his covenant. 

Psalm 25:8-10

Our Lord empowers us by giving us comfort in rough times. Our Lord leads us in His ways, He is merciful and quick to forgive when we ask, and all of this is incredibly empowering.  It empowers us to live as God would have us to live.  It empowers us to live free from sin and shame, and it sets us free from the traditions and ways of this world.  Finally, it changes our entire outlook on life and our priority system.

There is no greater blessing in all the universe than to live in relationship with Jesus Christ and living according to His leading will surely improve all of our human relationships.

Why would we ever wish to neglect this relationship?

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BONUS POST: Finding God’s Presence

Posted on July 2, 2025 by Don Merritt

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

What is God’s will for us? Where can we find joy? Is it God’s will that we find joy? What should we pray about?

All these questions are answered in the three short verses above: God’s will for us is that we be joyful, that we pray continually, and that we give thanks in all circumstances.

I don’t know about you, but this seems rather simple to me. Why do so many people say that it is so hard?

When we pray, whose presence are we in?  God’s of course.

How easy is it to slip back into the old ways when we are in His presence?  Not very, for we are centering on our relationship with Him.  We fall backwards when we are looking away from Him, isn’t that right? So, maybe the key is to do what Paul said, and pray continually.

But how− we have families, chores, jobs, school…! The answer is so easy and so obvious that most of us miss it; just talk to Him!

Yes, that’s right, just talk to Him!!!

Talk to the Lord all the time.  Start when you wake up, “Good morning, Lord, thanks for a new day.”  Was that difficult?  Then, as you get ready, keep talking to Him about your day, about the things on your mind, about how much you love Him, and how thankful you are for all that He has done in your life, and the lives of those around you.  Talk to Him about how much you want to serve Him today, and that you want to serve Him today because you love Him.  Talk to Him on your way out the door, on the bus, in traffic, at your work station.  Talk to Him about your work and how you want to do the very best you can so that that He can be glorified… because of how much you love Him.  Talk to Him at lunch, on your way home, in the kitchen, at the dinner table…

Develop the habit of talking to God!  Approach this not in fear and trembling, but as though you are with your very best friend in all the world… because you are.  He is the friend that you can say everything to, your fears, your sins, your mistakes… He knows about them anyway, so why not get these things off your chest? You see, we don’t need any formal written prayers, that are of dubious value anyway, for this isn’t a corporate or ceremonial thing.  It’s just you and the Lord.  Nobody needs to know, except for the Lord… but soon, everybody will see the difference it makes in who you are and how you behave.  They will see your joy, your inner peace and your new inner strength.  Your whole outlook on life will change as you make this practice a part of who you are in Christ, for this is where spiritual growth will take place.

None of this means that you should not have a more formal time set aside for prayer and reflection− this will enhance it.  This does not mean that you don’t study the Word− it will enhance your study. This does not mean that you skip church− it will enhance it.

Some of you will note that I’m not saying anything that hasn’t been said before by others, and that is true.  This practice of continual prayer is as old as the Scriptures, and over the centuries many have written about it, including Brother Lawrence in the classic “The Practice of the Presence of God.”  You need not take my word for it; you can get that on the internet for free.

Or, you can just start talking to God right now.  Tell Him how much you love Him in your own simple words, in your own heartfelt way, and be ready to be amazed at where He will lead you.

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A Conversation and a Conclusion

Posted on July 2, 2025 by Don Merritt

1 Corinthians 10:23-11:1

We have seen passages in which Paul is so blunt that his meaning is hard to miss, but from our perspective, this is not one of those. If we aren’t careful, we can quote verses from this passage and use them to ‘prove’ both sides of the argument, not to mention things that aren’t even being discussed. For me, the key to following this passage is to remember who Paul is writing to (the church in Corinth), and what he has said about them previously (that they favor the philosophies of men).

With this in mind, we can discern that in 10:23-30 there is a sort of conversation going on between Paul and his readers. At first, we can see slogans and responses, then questions and answers, and finally, beginning at 10:31 Paul’s clear teaching.

“I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive. No one should seek their own good, but the good of others. (10:23-24)

“I have the right to do anything”. There is a slogan we hear a lot in our day too, and Paul is using it to refer to an attitude held by many of his readers. Notice that each time it is used, it is followed by a reply from Paul: but not everything is beneficial; but not everything is constructive and then: No one should seek their own good, but the good of others. The slogan is not Paul’s teaching, it is being refuted here.

Then Paul includes some questions that he is anticipating his readers would ask him as they might try to assert a right to something, in this case, to eat food sacrificed to idols…

For why is my freedom being judged by another’s conscience?

 If I take part in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of something I thank God for?

These questions do not represent Paul’s teaching, but rejoinders his readers might throw back at him. When you see this, the rest is clear enough; we shouldn’t go to the market, or go to someone’s home looking for trouble, but if we are informed that a food was sacrificed to an idol, we should abstain, both for our sake and for the sake of the other, as a testimony to our belief in Christ.

Then Paul concludes the entire section with a clear principle:

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God—even as I try to please everyone in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved. Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ. (10:31-11:1)

The section ends here, with these words summing up the entire discussion that began with 8:1. We might look at this and be tempted to conclude that it doesn’t apply to us in the 21st century because we don’t usually encounter meat sacrificed to idols these days… “but if I do, I’ll keep it mind.”

This, however, is a principle that should apply to most any set of circumstances, or most any controversial subject, and the funny thing is, we might be tempted to offer the same kinds of objections that the Corinthians did so very long ago, we might even say something like, “Those church people just want to control me.”

Have you ever heard that one? Have you ever said it yourself?

I can honestly say “yes” to both questions… I have always found that such a statement is particularly effective when followed by a lengthy rant about how mature the speaker is, and how immature everyone else is. Maybe there’s a little bit of Corinth in all of us.

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