The Things That Matter Most To God
What we do and how we treat other people is what makes a difference to the Lord. In I Corinthians chapter 11 he's talking about the Lord's Supper but it's not only the communion elements that he's focusing on in this section of Scripture; he's focusing on the selfishness of the church members.
He tells them that although they are coming together for the Lord's Supper, the selfishness they are exhibiting is destroying what they are doing. So even though outwardly they are coming together and participating in this religious event, what they are doing inwardly is destroying it. We can see this in verse 17. He says, "But in giving this instruction, I do not praise you, because you come together not for the better but for the worse." Can you actually come to church and be worse off when you leave? Yes.
He continues in this chapter describing how the church members are mistreating each other and he says, "For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep." Sometimes sickness can be a result of your behavior. Notice in this instance it has nothing to do with confession. There is value in the right confession or profession but you can speak positively all the time and it will do you no good if you treat others badly.
It matters how we conduct ourselves and treat our brothers and sisters in the Lord. God is more concerned with that than He is with us just merely coming together as a church. God is concerned with the things that cannot be seen. God is keenly aware of what your attitude is on the inside. Remember, the spirit behind the matter (what is going on on the inside) is what matters to God.
Now, thank God for verse 31, "But if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged." We have to judge ourselves rightly; we don't have to beat ourselves up. We simply have to say this isn't right and I'm not going to do it any more. On the flip side, if you can judge yourself rightly you could also judge yourself wrongly. You might be too hard on yourself or you may be too lenient on yourself. Personally, I'd rather be a little too hard on myself and make Heaven than to be too easy and miss it.