A Table Of Examination...

This Sunday, we continued our Foundations: What Every Christian Should Know series with a sermon titled A Table of Examination. If you would like to listen to the sermon, you can do so by clicking here.

Last week, we focused on what Communion helps us remember. This week, we looked at something just as important: How should we come to the table?

​According to the Apostle Paul, Communion is not something we approach casually. It’s a sacred moment where God calls us to slow down, examine our hearts, and respond honestly before Him.

The sermon began with the story of President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1955. While on vacation in Denver, Eisenhower began feeling sick after a round of golf. At first, he assumed it was just indigestion. It didn’t seem serious. But after doctors examined him, they discovered he had suffered a major heart attack. It took examination to reveal what was really happening beneath the surface. And that’s exactly what Communion does spiritually. You can walk into church feeling fine. You can sit through a service assuming everything’s okay. But when you come to the Lord’s Table, God says, “Let’s look a little deeper.” Communion slows us down and confronts us with the condition of our hearts.

I. Come With True Faith

When Jesus instituted Communion, He shared it with His followers, people who trusted Him. That’s an important distinction because there’s a difference between knowing about Jesus and truly trusting Him. James tells us even demons believe in God’s existence. But knowledge alone is not saving faith. Real faith is trust. It’s placing your hope fully in what Christ has done for you through His death and resurrection. At Communion, believers are declaring, “My hope is not in myself. My hope is in Jesus Christ.”

I used the historical example of George Wilson, a man sentenced to death in the 1800s who was issued a presidential pardon by Andrew Jackson but refused to accept it. The pardon was offered, but because it was rejected, it had no effect. That illustration points directly to the Gospel. Salvation has been provided through Christ, but it must be personally received by faith. Communion reminds us that we don’t come because we deserve a seat at the table. We come because Jesus made a way for us to be there.

II. Come With A Clean Heart

Next, we looked at Paul’s instruction: “But let a man examine himself…” Part of that examination involves our relationships with other people. Communion and unforgiveness do not belong together. Jesus taught us to pray, “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” That’s a sobering statement because it forces us to ask whether we’re extending the same mercy we’ve received.

We walked through Jesus’ parable of the unforgiving servant, a man forgiven of an enormous debt who then refused to forgive someone else a much smaller one. The point is impossible to miss. You cannot cling to the forgiveness of God while refusing to forgive others. That doesn’t mean reconciliation is always simple or immediate. It does mean believers must come willing to release bitterness, surrender offense, and let God deal with the situation. Communion exposes what we’ve tried to hide. It reveals whether our hearts are soft toward God and toward others.

III. Come With A Willing Heart

Finally, we looked at what it means to come with a willing heart. A willing heart prays like David did in Psalm 139: “Search me, O God…” That’s not an easy prayer, because if God searches us honestly, He may point to things we’ve grown comfortable with: attitudes, relationships, habits, priorities, or sins we’ve tried to ignore. Examination requires honesty, but honesty alone isn’t enough. There must also be willingness to respond.

One of the strongest illustrations from the sermon came from the life of C. T. Studd. He was one of the most famous cricket players in England. He had wealth, recognition, and a secure future ahead of him. But after facing the reality of eternity through a family crisis, God began dealing deeply with his heart. Eventually, he walked away from fame and comfort to become a missionary in China and later Africa. Why? Because when God put His finger on something in his life, he chose surrender over comfort. That’s what a willing heart looks like. It says, “Lord, whatever You show me, I’ll deal with it.”

As the sermon closed, we returned to the illustration of Eisenhower’s heart attack. The examination didn’t harm him. It helped him. It exposed what needed attention before it was too late. That’s what Communion is meant to do spiritually. It is not about condemnation. It is about correction. It is not about pushing believers away from God. It is about drawing them back near to Him.

Paul said that when we judge ourselves rightly, we step into God’s mercy instead of ignoring what needs to change. So how should we come to the table? We come with true faith. We come with a clean heart. We come with a willing heart. Not perfect, but honest before God. And when we come that way, Communion becomes more than a ritual. It becomes a moment where God recenters our hearts on Christ and reminds us what truly matters.

– Pastor Charley Munro
Living Grace Church, Tyler, Texas