Category: Uncategorized

In recent years, there’s been a growing trend in some Christian circles to transform the Lord’s Supper from a solemn remembrance of Christ’s death into some “joyous celebration” of His resurrection.

Everything has to be about “joy” or “positive emotional experiences” these days.

While the desire for positive religious experiences is understandable, this shift fundamentally misunderstands the purpose and significance of this somber act of worship that Christ instituted on the very night He was betrayed.

The act is somber, serious and sorrowful because it is a moment we are told to concentrate on the suffering of Christ.

Focusing on Christ’s suffering and death during the Lord’s Supper is not only appropriate but essential to the meaning and purpose of the act of worship that is the Lord’s supper.

The Human Tendency Towards Comfort in Religion

The Desire for Positive Emotions

Human nature often gravitates towards comfort and positivity, even in religious practices. This has created endless problems in religion.

This is because people will inevitably choose to elevate their own emotions and experiences above the commands of God.

This all-too-human tendency can lead to:

• Avoiding difficult or uncomfortable aspects of faith
• Emphasizing feel-good messages over difficult truths
• Reinterpreting solemn observances as celebratory events

As you know, each of these philosophical errors are frequently made in liberal churches and mega churches.

The emotions become the object of worship instead of God.

Personal comfort and positive emotional experience becomes the goal of worship.

Each of these lead directly to a perversion of the acts of worship, as we will see has happened with the Lord’s Supper.

The Danger of Emotional Comfort in Faith

While positive emotions have their place in religious life, an overemphasis on comfort frequently does the following:

1. Dilutes the depth of spiritual experiences
2. Glosses over important and difficult aspects of faith
3. Leads to a shallow understanding of religious practices

And this is where most religious groups are today.

The significance of acts of worship is forgotten.

The seemingly “negative” aspects of the biblical narrative or faith are ignored and buried because they would put a damper on the emotional experience that most people search for in religion.

The Lord’s Supper: Its True Purpose and Meaning

Christ’s Clear Instructions

When Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper, His words were specific and focused:

“This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” (Luke 22:19)

“This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.” (Luke 22:20)

These statements clearly point to His impending death, not His future resurrection.

As modern religionists attempt to shift the focus of the Lord’s Supper from His death to His resurrection, they do so without biblical support.

The only reason for doing this is to avoid the negative, sad part of the story (the death of Christ) and quickly run over to the happy parts of the story (the resurrection of Christ).

It’s a philisophical error reflecting the immaturity of this position.

Apostolic Understanding

The Apostle Paul reinforces this focus in 1 Corinthians 11:26:

“For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”

Paul explicitly states that the purpose is to proclaim Christ’s death, not celebrate His resurrection.

The inspired instructions from Paul and the example of what Christ did on the night of His betrayal are the only information we have about how the Lord supper is to be conducted and what is to be focused on.

Therefore, to go outside these instructions is to modify the Bible, add to the words of the Bible or outright ignore the teachings of scripture on this topic of communion.

Why Focusing on the Resurrection During the Lord’s Supper is Inappropriate

1. It Contradicts Christ’s Direct Command

Jesus specifically instructed His followers to remember His death.

Shifting the focus to the resurrection goes against His direct instructions.

Who wants to be guilty of ignoring the explicit commands of Christ?

2. It Diminishes the Significance of Christ’s Sacrifice

By emphasizing the joyous outcome (resurrection) over the painful process (crucifixion), we risk minimizing the cost of our salvation.

This is not something we want to be guilty of.

Even Paul indicates that if we concentrate inappropriately during the Lord’s supper, we are guilty of the body and blood of Christ.

The most disciplined we can be with the Lord’s Supper is the best guarantee of proper worship because it is the approach that follows the Bible the closest.

3. It Misses the Point of Self-Examination

Paul warns against taking the Lord’s Supper in an unworthy manner (1 Corinthians 11:27-29).

This self-examination is directly tied to recognizing the gravity of Christ’s death for our sins.

That is the “self-examination” that is referenced within the immediate context of the scripture is related to proclaiming the death of Christ.

4. It Disrupts the Historical and Theological Continuity

Though a lesser point, the Lord’s Supper is connected to the Passover, which was an event to remember deliverance through sacrifice.

Focusing on the resurrection breaks this important link.

The Importance of Remembering Christ’s Suffering and Death

1. It Reminds Us of the Cost of Sin

Focusing on Christ’s suffering and death during the Lord’s Supper:

• Emphasizes the seriousness of sin
• Emphasizes the price paid for our redemption

These are not happy things to think about. But they are what we are required to think about each first day of the week.

The biblical narrative clearly lays out the fact that our focus during this act of worship is on the death of Christ – An act that was required to pay the price of sin.

That’s not joyous.

2. It Deepens Our Gratitude

Remembering Christ’s sacrifice:

• Shifts our mind to a profound sense of thankfulness
• Creates a somber humility in the face of undeserved grace

These mental states are only accessible when we concentrate on the cost of our salvation.

Without concentrating on what’s difficult, we default to chasing happy feelings at the expense of true worship.

3. It Strengthens Our Resolve Against Sin

Reflecting on the suffering Christ endured:

• Motivates us to live in a manner worthy of His sacrifice
• Helps us resist temptation by recalling its cost

When we concentrate on the death of Christ, it reignites our motivation to resist sin. It creates a hatred and disgust towards the sin that required His death on the cross.

4. It Unites Believers in a Shared Experience

Focusing on Christ’s death:

• Creates a solemn, shared experience among believers
• Reinforces our common need for salvation

Addressing Common Arguments for “Celebrating” the Resurrection During the Lord’s Supper

Argument 1: “The Resurrection is the Happy Ending“

While the resurrection is indeed vital to Christian faith, the Lord’s Supper is specifically about remembering Christ’s death.

There are other times and ways to celebrate the resurrection. The Lord’s supper is not authorized as being one of those moments.

We have the remainder of each week to be joyous and happy bout the benefits of Christianity.

In the moment of the Lord’s super, we are asked to remember Christ’s death.

Argument 2: “We Should Focus on Victory, Not Defeat“

Christ’s death was not a defeat but a necessary sacrifice.

Focusing on it doesn’t negate the victory but acknowledges its cost – something many are unwilling to do because it makes them feel bad.

Argument 3: “Positive Emotions Draw People to Faith”

While positive emotions can have their place, Bible-Based faith must wrestle with difficult truths.

The Lord’s Supper provides this important opportunity.

Christians are not made stronger by shirking away from negative emotions and difficult topics – this makes them weaker.

Instead we should press head-on into discomfort to allows for an uncovering of the truth.

Practical Ways to Maintain the Proper Focus During the Lord’s Supper

1. Read relevant Scripture: Focus on passages that describe Christ’s suffering and death.
2. Use appropriate hymns or songs: Choose hymns that reflect on Christ’s sacrifice rather than triumphant resurrection themes.
3. Encourage moments of silence: Allow time for personal reflection on Christ’s death.
4. Provide guided meditation: Offer prompts that direct thoughts towards Christ’s suffering and its meaning.
5. Educate the congregation: Regularly teach about the purpose and significance of the Lord’s Supper.

Conclusion

The desire for positive religious experiences is natural, but it’s far more important to maintain the integrity and purpose of sacred observances like the Lord’s Supper.

We focus on Christ’s suffering and death, and in so doing we honor His explicit instructions, deepen our understanding of salvation’s cost, and engage in meaningful self-examination.

This approach doesn’t negate the joy of the resurrection but recognizes that there is a time and place for different aspects of our faith.

The Lord’s Supper is a solemn reminder of the sacrifice that made our salvation possible, calling us to gratitude, humility, and renewed commitment to Christ.

Radical Conservative and Radical Liberal ideologies surrounding Christianity often miss the mark of truth.

An extreme position of any kind is vulnerable to inaccuracy. 

On both sides of these extremes is an underlying premise: accept everything you are told without questioning – unless it’s the other side, then question them relentlessly. 

If you are a conservative, you will swallow conservative ideas whole without a second thought while being extremely critical of liberal ideas.

The same is true if you are a liberal. 

This is a natural human phenomenon.

We will gladly accept information that agrees with our already existing ideas and mindsets. But anything else is worthy of being questioned. 

I think as a Christian we should be careful about this mindset. It can easily lead us to swallow a false idea without a second thought. 

Many false religions exist today because religious people swallow what they are taught without thinking and can never come to a knowledge of the truth. 

Who Is Right?

Do you think that your side is 100% correct about everything?

If you do, congratulations! You’re as stupid as humanly possible and there’s little hope for you until you correct that mindset. 

But most people will acknowledge that it’s extremely unlikely that their side is 100% correct about everything they believe. 

So then based on that premise, we can accept that we are likely wrong about some things, even if we don’t know what those things are. 

If it is true that we are possibly wrong about a few things, we cannot let conservative or liberal ideas flow directly into our mind without questioning them, no matter what side of the aisle we are on. 

The goal should be to become as skeptical about information we agree with as we are about information we disagree with.

Everything must be met with that skeptical mind. 

We have to learn to question everything. Because questions are the bedrock of finding truth. 

Pilate asked Christ “What is truth” during the mock-trial of Christ.

This was and is the most important question known to man.

And most people never answer it because most people never ask it because they believe they are already in possession of the truth. 

Whether political, religious, ideological or otherwise, people with the most extreme positions know and understand the least about any given position.

Because if they were aware of how little they know, they wouldn’t act so convinced of what they believe they know.

For a wise person, the more they learn about everything, the less sure they are of anything.

Because they have seen how many times they have been wrong in the past and are therefore careful about being overly confident about what they believe at any given time. 

True faith is a searching faith.

It is a faith that is constantly examine the scriptures with the mindset:

“Am I missing something here?
Am I misunderstanding something here?
Is there a command or teaching from the mind of God that I am not aware of or that I am not following?”. 

If we were 100% right, there would be no reason to learn anything.

What would be the point of that?

Are we going to become more right about what we believe? 

And this is generally what happens in people with extreme positions. They stop learning.

They think they don’t need to learn because they have it all figured out [even though they have almost nothing figured out].

The less they know, the more confident they are. 

It’s like when a joint is unstable in the body.

When a joint is unstable, the muscles surrounding it become tight in an effort to create additional stability from what is lacking in the joint itself. 

Even so, the extreme person becomes very rigid in an attempt to create stability in their life. 

That extreme positioning is just an attempt to exert control on the world and to thrust some order on an otherwise random and chaotic existence. 

We have to be aware of this human tendency so we can avoid mental fallacy and incorrect thinking. 

Be constantly aware of your own thinking and analyze it regularly. Be a critical and independent thinker.

Only in this way can you find the truth. 

I. Introduction

You’ve been told if you work hard at something, find a calling, uncover your purpose, or other plethora of vague predictions that your work and life will have meaning. You will be peaceful, fulfilled, and happy with what you put your hand to do. 

This is not necessarily the case. 

We have to work. The Bible tells us that we don’t eat [2 Thess 3:10]. That’s the main idea there.

What it doesn’t tell us is that “true meaning in life is found in work”. While work is necessary, there is no guarantee that you will find any meaning or purpose in it. 

How many people do you know who work difficult manual labor jobs?

Do you think they wake up excited to go break their backs for another 12 hours?

Maybe a handful of them but most do the work they have to do for no other reason than they have to do it. 

Many people in the undeveloped parts of the world still live very difficult lives. they work long, hard hours just to barely scrape by and survive.

With as much progress as humanity has made in the past centuries, it’s absolutely amazing that some countries still exist like this. 

Do you think people who live there have meaning and fulfillment in their work?

Or are they simply doing what’s required to survive?

Even in the advanced and developed parts of the world, we continue to work to survive.

We work to earn money so we can spend it on survival. Whatever money is left we spend to distract ourselves from the meaninglessness of that endless cycle of work, earn, spend. 

No matter what part of the world you find yourself in, you will find people doing the work they don’t want to do to pay for lives they don’t want to live. 

Yet every now and then someone will come along and tell you that you can find worth and meaning in what you do.

That may be true for some people, but it isn’t true for all people.

The way Solomon describes work casts some doubt on the idea of purpose and fulfillment being found in our work.

II. The Burdensome Nature of Work

 “And I set my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under heaven; this burdensome task God has given to the sons of man, by which they may be exercised.”

Ecclesiastes 1:13

In the first chapter of the book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon jumps head first into describing work as a “burdensome task”.

Why is it burdensome? It is simply in the nature or work. It is inherently difficult by design. 

Working will challenge your mind and body, leaving you mentally tired and physically exhausted. 

Perhaps you want to work to be free one day. You want to escape the endless cycle of work, eat, sleep and repeat.

It is hard to break this cycle when the very thing you are trying to escape absorbs all your physical and mental energy.

It makes it difficult to make any progress outside your day job. It becomes difficult to even find peace in your off hours [as Solomon will confirm in a moment].

If work was fulfilling and purposeful, why would it leave you feeling defeated and exhausted at the end of each day?

And it’s not the exhaustion you feel after doing something effortful that actually provides results like training, but it’s simply exhausting.

III. The Vanity of Labor

“I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and indeed, all is vanity and grasping for the wind.”

Ecclesiastes 1:14

“Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done and on the labor in which I had toiled; and indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind. There was no profit under the sun.”

Ecclesiastes 2:11

“Therefore I hated life because the work that was done under the sun was distressing to me, for all is vanity and grasping for the 

Ecclesiastes 2:17

“For all his days are sorrowful, and his work burdensome; even in the night his heart takes no rest. This also is vanity.”

Ecclesiastes 2:23

After identifying the burdensome nature of work, Solomon states that all the work done under the sun is vanity.

It’s an attempt to grasp the wind.

A meaningless expense of effort. 

Solomon tries to put this realization out of his mind. When he does so he then puts himself to work.

He works himself to the bone, building an incredibly rich empire with all the luxuries a man could dream of having. 

But as our Ecclesiastes 2:11 passage tells us, when he put down his tools, when he stopped working, when he popped his head above water to look at what he had done, he found it empty and meaningless. 

All the accomplishment and success in the world was not enough to make him feel fulfilled.

And you would think that if anyone could accomplish enough to make them fulfilled, it would be Solomon.

His laundry list of accomplishments plants him as one of the best monarchs in known history.

Yet despite all this success, he was still empty inside. 

Why?

Because work does not fulfill.

Accomplishment does not fulfill. 

After this realization, Solomon hates life [Ecc 2:17]. 

Why does he hate life?

Because his work is distressing. That’s what the verse explicitly states.

The stress of work robbed Solomon from the ability to enjoy life.

Even the highly successful king of Israel with every luxury, convenience and pleasure available to a person was not able to find fulfillment in this physical life. 

He later would find out what most people experience: the loss of sleep from work stress. 

Loss of Sleep

Ecclesiastes 2:23 is where Solomon expounds on the days of the working man. All his work is empty, his work is distressing, it makes him hate his life, and then even in the night he can find no rest and no peace from this stress.

It is never ending. 

Despite this clear teaching from Solomon, people still believe in the fulfillment of work.

Solomon tries to teach us by repetition that “all is vanity”. 

The Brevity of Satisfaction

Maybe you’ve had the experience of working extremely hard only to have no satisfaction in your work day.

I remember once at a hospital I worked at where we were supposed to treat 10 patients each day.

I kept working harder to see more people each day and then one day was able to double to my caseload and see 20 patients.

I remember walking out of the building with a feeling of satisfaction at 4:00 PM. And at 4:03 PM that feeling of satisfaction was gone. 

It sprouted wings and flew away.

I could work as hard as I wanted, it would never be enough. No sense of satisfaction would ever remain. 

This is the modern experience of work. 

IV. The Restlessness of Work

This next passage speaks about the life of the working man. 

“For all his days are sorrowful, and his work burdensome; even in the night his heart takes no rest. This also is vanity.”

Ecclesiastes 2:23

Some talk about their head hitting the pillow after a hard day of work and being able to go right to sleep. This is a luxury.

For most people, when their head hits the pillow, they are dreading the next day’s work.

They know what is coming for them. Another 8, 10 or 12 hours of the same exhausting, repetitive, meaningless tasks. 

Many experience the dread of work. “Sunday Scaries” is the new term for it. Why create a term for a phenomenon unless it was widespread? 

Endless goals.
Unfulfilled ambitions.
The waking realization that they might never be able to retire or achieve their financial goals despite years of toil and sacrifice.

This is what keeps people up at night.

This is why “even in the night their hearts take no rest”. 

V. Practical Implications

Solomon’s observations teach us important lessons: that there is more to life than work, that if we look to work for any form of fulfillment, we will be sorely disappointed, and that work is little more than a necessary evil we have to endure while we are here.

But that is the story of humanity. We have to endure struggles and difficulty while we are here in exchange for what we hope will be a great reward. 

That is more fear-provoking than it is meaningful. 

VI. Conclusion

Solomon’s message is simple: work is burdensome and unfulfilling. It is something to be tolerated while we live on the earth.

While his messages change from time to time and he states men are to “enjoy good in their labor”, he is simply talking about enjoying the results of the work, not the work itself. 

Don’t put too much stock in your earthly career.

It won’t bring the meaning or fulfillment that you think it will.

One of the biggest struggles men have is coming to the realization that they will have to work for their entire lives.

They will have to spend the majority of their lives in a cubicle doing something they do not want to do and aren’t interested in doing.

Many men get stuck here because they put themselves in a Position where they have no choice but to work.

It’s not work done from their own free will, it’s work done to survive. Men sell their hours for dollars that they then spend on survival.

All the while they question if survival is worth it in the first place. 

Every man goes through this period of difficulty.

If this is you, don’t worry. This is normal.

Even the wisest man to have ever lived, Solomon, experienced this phenomenon and outlined it in the book of Ecclesiastes. 

While traditional Christian thinking tries to teach young boys that work is all about finding some “purpose” and “fulfillment”, Solomon teaches [through inspiration from the Holy Spirit] that work is a “burdensome task”, a task that “Robs sleep”, and one that is “vanity”. 

“And I set my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under heaven; this burdensome task God has given to the sons of man, by which they may be exercised.”

Ecclesiastes 1:13 (NKJV)

“I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and indeed, all is vanity and grasping for the wind.”

Ecclesiastes 1:14 (NKJV)

“Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done and on the labor in which I had toiled; and indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind. There was no profit under the sun.”

Ecclesiastes 2:11 (NKJV)

“Therefore I hated life because the work that was done under the sun was distressing to me, for all is vanity and grasping for the wind.”

Ecclesiastes 2:17 (NKJV)

“For all his days are sorrowful, and his work burdensome; even in the night his heart takes no rest. This also is vanity.”

Ecclesiastes 2:23 (NKJV)

“For all his days are sorrowful, and his work burdensome; even in the night his heart takes no rest. This also is vanity.”

Ecclesiastes 2:23 (NKJV)

In the end all our work means nothing. All of our work will fade into obscurity.

It might have helped us and our family survive, which itself is noble, but that is where the benefit stops.

Even workers who built something that lasted centuries are quickly forgotten.

How often have you thought about the builders of the Coliseum, the Sistine Chapel, or the Notre Dame Cathedral?

This idea of “Purpose” and “True Fulfillment” that circulates in Christian circles is most likely a Myth. 

Another myth commonly propagated in the church is this idea that if you work, somehow you will stumble on “true fulfillment” and “It will all be worth it”.

Not only can Christian men not define what “fulfillment” even is, but they certainly can’t tell you how to get it.

Even when they can define it, it is very clear that “fulfillment” to them is an emotional state. 

As far as “It will all be worth it” is concerned: understand that this is a complete myth.

Your human nature won’t allow for anything to be worth it. And the “It” is “all that work”.

We can prove this quite easily.

Have you ever noticed that no destination is ever as enjoyable or as exciting as the journey to get there?

No vacation is as exciting as planning for the vacation and the excitement that leads up to it. 

This is by design. 

Our neurological pursuit systems are stronger than our reward systems for some reason. This is not an accident, but something God put within us to ensure we are continually pushing towards some goal. 

Understanding that, we can easily see how nothing is ever truly “Worth it”.

That’s a depressing reality, but it is reality nonetheless. 

No accomplishment will ever be worth the work it took to get there. 

It will only disappoint.

If you find yourself working a day job, being unfulfilled, and coming home every day dreading the next day, you aren’t alone. This is the nature of mankind.

Your job will never be what you wanted it to be.

You will never be as excited about your work as you were when you were a kid and were in such a hurry to grow up and be something.

If you want satisfaction in work, you have to create your own kind of work.

You have to create work where you can do something you semi-enjoy, while being compensated well, while also not having to spend many hours doing that work. 

It’s a tall order, but this is the age of opportunity.

You can research and find ways to accomplish this.

I truly believe that only when you free yourself from the modern slavery that we create for ourselves by the endless pursuit of material gain [while mindlessly following the traditional 9-5 pipeline] can you ever hope to find any happiness or fulfillment. 

You’ll be far happier removing something you hate that you will from adding something you might enjoy. 

Nothing will ever be as enjoyable as its opposite is painful. 

So get rid of the pain. 

Free yourself. 

Conduct yourselves like men