Baptist Catechism 95

 Q. 95. How is the Word to be read and heard that it may become effectual to salvation?

A. That the Word may become effectual to salvation we must attend thereunto with diligence, preparation and prayer, receive it in faith and love, lay it up in our hearts and practice it in our lives. (Prov. 8:34; 1 Peter 2:1,2; 1 Tim. 4:13; Heb. 2:1,3; Heb. 4:2; 2 Thess. 2:10; Ps. 119:11; James 1:21,25)

Scripture Reading: James 1:19–25

“Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.” (James 1:19–25, ESV)

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Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church but without the benefit of proofreading.

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When we talk about the ordinary means of grace, two things must be remembered. On the one hand, we confess that these are the things that God ordinarily uses to work within the lives of his people: the Word of God read and preached, baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and prayer. On the other hand, we must guard against the error of thinking that these things work in an automatic fashion irrespective of the condition of the mind and heart of the one who partakes. No, brothers and sisters, we do have the responsibility to partake of these means of grace in a worthy manner and with hearts prepared.

Does that sound like a strange thing for a Calvinistic minister to say?  I’ll say it again, we do have the responsibility to partake of these means of grace in a worthy manner and with faith in our hearts. It is a common misunderstanding, but a very serious one, that the Reformed only believe in the sovereignty of God over salvation and deny all human responsibility. Have you encountered that misconception before? Or perhaps you have actually held such a view. It simply is not true. 

Is God sovereign over our salvation and our sanctification? Yes, he is. Do we come to be saved and to be sanctified by his grace alone? Yes, we do. But are we also responsible to repent and believe in Christ, to turn away from evil and to cling to what is good, and to persevere in Christ, making use of the means of grace that God has provided? Yes, we are. And this is why the Scriptures call us to do these things. They are things that we must do. But we can do them only by the free grace of God. 

All of this does connect to what we are learning about the means of grace, doesn’t it? God works through these means; that is true. But we are called by God to partake of these means thoughtfully and prayerfully with faith in our hearts.  

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Baptist Catechism 95

So then, the Word of God is a means of grace. People are brought to salvation through the Word, and they are sanctified in Christ by the Word. The Spirit of God works through the Scriptures as they are read and preached. 

Now we ask, “How is the Word to be read and heard that it may become effectual to salvation?’ In other words, how are we to approach the Scriptures?

Let us consider the answer: “That the Word may become effectual to salvation, we must attend thereunto with diligence…” This means that we are to give our undivided attention to the Word regularly. ​​In Proverbs 8:34 we read, “Blessed is the one who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting beside my doors” (Proverbs 8:34, ESV). The one who is wise will run daily to God for wisdom and nourishment. We must diligently partake of the Word of God as it is read and preached.

Next, we find the words, “preparation and prayer”. ”That the Word may become effectual to salvation we must attend thereunto with diligence, preparation and prayer…”  The prayer of the Psalmist in Psalm 119:18 should be our prayer: “Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.” I’ll ask you this, do you pray on Saturday night, or as you come to church on Sunday morning that the Lord would speak to you through his Word as it is read and preached. Do you pray for those who minister the Word that they would speak with clarity and that God’s Spirit would move upon you and others? Do you come to hear the Word eagerly, expecting to hear from the Lord? We should, brothers and sisters. We should expect God to work through the ministry of the Word every Lord’s Day, and we should come to the assembly with our hearts and minds prepared to receive. James says, “Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls” (James 1:21, ESV).

You know, we live in an age where Christians may scour the internet and find audio recordings of the most gifted preachers delivering the very best sermons. Beware of this, friends. Those resources are a blessing, but do not forget that God has determined to work through the ordinary — ordinary preachers reading and preaching God’s Word in an ordinary way. Come expecting to hear from the Lord, and come prepared. 

Next, we are instructed to receive the Word “in faith and love”. To receive God’s Word in faith is to receive it, believing that it is, in fact, God’s word to us, that he inspired the composition of it, and has preserved it so that when we read the Scriptures, we are, in fact, reading the Words of God. To receive God’s Word by faith is also to receive it believing that God will surely keep all of the promises that are found within. One should not expect to be blessed by the Word, nourished and strengthened, if he comes doubting, “for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord” (James 1:6–7, ESV). To receive God’s word with love is to receive it, being reassured of God’s love for us in Christ, and with love in our hearts for God. 

Next, we are to lay God’s Word up in our hearts, brothers and sisters. This means that we are to hear God’s Word, meditate upon it, cherish it, and even devote it to memory. This is what Psalm 119:11 so beautifully describes, saying, “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you” (Psalm 119:11, ESV).

This leads nicely to the last phrase of our catechism, which is “practice it in our lives.” We are to approach God’s Word with the intention of putting it into practice. We must be doers of the Word, and not hearers only. 

Listen again to James: “Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.” (James 1:21–25, ESV)

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Conclusion

The one who diligently hears God’s Word read and preached, with their heart prepared, in faith and with love towards God, with the resolve to obey what God commands, will be blessed. To approach God’s Word in this way is a very good thing. It is a means of grace for the people of God. I am afraid it is a very dangerous thing, however, to approach God’s Word in a careless manner. To come to it casually and unprepared, with unbelief and a lack of love for God, with no intention to obey what is said. Both the Scriptures and experience testify that to approach God’s Word in this careless way leads not to a blessing but a curse. The one who approaches God’s Word in this careless way will find their heart growing harder and harder with the passing of time, and not softer to God and the things of God. Let us approach God’s Word with reverence, brothers and sisters.  

Q. 95. How is the Word to be read and heard that it may become effectual to salvation?

A. That the Word may become effectual to salvation we must attend thereunto with diligence, preparation and prayer, receive it in faith and love, lay it up in our hearts and practice it in our lives. (Prov. 8:34; 1 Peter 2:1,2; 1 Tim. 4:13; Heb. 2:1,3; Heb. 4:2; 2 Thess. 2:10; Ps. 119:11; James 1:21,25)

Old Testament Reading: Deuteronomy 16:1–3

“Observe the month of Abib and keep the Passover to the LORD your God, for in the month of Abib the LORD your God brought you out of Egypt by night. And you shall offer the Passover sacrifice to the LORD your God, from the flock or the herd, at the place that the LORD will choose, to make his name dwell there. You shall eat no leavened bread with it. Seven days you shall eat it with unleavened bread, the bread of affliction—for you came out of the land of Egypt in haste—that all the days of your life you may remember the day when you came out of the land of Egypt.” (Deuteronomy 16:1–3, ESV)

New Testament Reading: Luke 22:14-20

“And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. And he said to them, ‘I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.’ And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he said, ‘Take this, and divide it among yourselves. For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.’ And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, ‘This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.’” (Luke 22:14–20, ESV)

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Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church, but without the benefit of proofreading.

Introduction

As you may know, this is the third sermon I have devoted to the topic of the Lord’s Supper. We have been working our way very slowly through the Gospel of Luke, and in Luke 22:14-20, we learn of the institution of the Lord’s Supper by Jesus Christ. This has provided us with an opportunity to look closely at this holy ordinance. In the first sermon on this subject, we considered the Lord’s Supper, its author, and elements. In the second sermon, we considered its administrators, recipients, and timing. And in this sermon, we will consider its purpose. 

Why did Christ institute the Supper? For what purpose did he give this ordinance to his churches? What is the Lord’s Supper designed to do for disciples of Jesus? This is the question I wish to address today.

When we come to our text in Luke 22:14-20 with the question of purpose in mind, three categories emerge. First of all, the Lord’s Supper is meant to remind us of Jesus. “Do this in remembrance of me”, Christ said. Secondly, the Lord’s Supper has something to do with communion with Jesus. “This is my body”, Christ said. And the cup is said to be the New Covenant in Christ’s blood. When we eat of the bread and drink of the cup, the faithful partake of Christ and commune with him and with one another. Thirdly, the Lord’s Supper has something to do with the covenant that God has made with us in Christ Jesus. Again, Christ said, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.” To eat of the bread and drink of the cup is to renew the covenant that Christ has made with us—a covenant ratified in his blood. 

To Remember Christ

The first thing to say about the purpose of the Supper is that it is designed to remind us of Christ, especially his death on the cross. 

Just as the Passover celebration observed yearly by the Hebrews was meant to remind them of the day when God brought them out of the land of Egypt (Deuteronomy 16:3), so too the Supper is designed to remind us of Jesus, especially his atoning sacrifice, through which we are saved from our sins. 

Is the Lord’s Supper more than a memorial? In other words, is it designed to do more than prompt us to remember Jesus? Yes, of course. But it is no less than a memorial. And I think we should take a moment to consider just how powerful it is to memorialize or remember Jesus.   

Brothers and sisters, we are prone to quickly forget things—even important things—yes, even Jesus. You know how this goes. Something impactful will happen to you. At first, you think about the event all the time—the memory of it naturally comes to mind. But as time goes by, the event does not dominate the mind as it once did, and the memory begins to fade. If you wish to maintain the memory of something, you must choose to remember it. Something must be done to memorialize the person or event. We do this with many things. We memorialize wedding days with anniversary celebrations. We memorialize births with birthdays. If you are like me, you record the dates that those you love passed so that you might remember their lives in a deliberate was. We experience many, many things each and every day. Very few of those events are worthy of being memorialized, but some are, given their life-shaping importance, and so we choose to remember them. 

And what is one thing that God has commanded us to remember by way of memorial in this New Covenant era? Christ is to be remembered. Christ is memorialized in the sacrament of the Supper. “Do this in remembrance of me”, is his command.  

Jesus is to be remembered by us individually. When each individual disciple of Jesus comes to the Table, they are to remember Jesus.  

And Jesus is to be remembered by us corporately. When the church assembles for worship and partakes of the Supper, it is the covenant community that remembers Jesus collectively. Paul seems to emphasize this corporate or collective dimension of the Supper when he says, “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” (1 Corinthians 11:26, ESV). The eating of the bread and the drinking of the cup proclaim something, namely, the death or Christ. How do these elements, which cannot speak, proclaim the death of Christ? They do so in a sacramental or symbolic way. When we eat the bread and drink the cup a message is communicated to all who have eyes to see—Christ’s body was broken for sinners and his blood was shed to make atonement for sin. Of course, it is the Word of God and the preaching of the Word of God that fills the sacrament with its meaning. To observe the Supper without preaching or without words of explanation is highly inappropriate. Without the preaching of the Word of God and words of explanation concerning the meaning Supper, the sacrament would quickly devolve into a meaningless, superstitious, and lifeless ritual. But when the sacrament is faithfully observed and explained according to the truth of Holy Scripture, its symbolism preaches Christ crucified for us and for our salvation.   

Now, when Jesus commands us to remember him, what, in particular, does he want us to think about?  

Certainly, we are to remember the death of Christ on the cross, for that is the thing most clearly symbolized by the broken bread and the wine poured out. But I do not think our minds are to be fixed on the crucifixion of Christ alone. The significance and supreme importance of the crucifixion of Christ cannot be understood if we do not ponder the things that happened before and after, as it pertains to him. 

You know, there were two others crucified along with Christ, one on the right and one on the left. They were crucified—their bodies were broken and their blood was shed—in much the same way that Christ was crucified. We do not memorialize the crucifixions of those men (or of the thousands of others who were crucified throughout history). Why is it that we memorialize Jesus’ crucifixion, then? It has everything to do with the things that led up to and proceeded from the crucifixion of Jesus.    

When you come to the Lord’s Table, remember Christ, his death, and those things that preceded it. 

There is plenty to consider, brothers and sisters. Though the cross of Christ is at the center of the story of Jesus, it is not the whole story. 

When you come to the Table, remember God’s eternal decree to send the Son to redeem his elect. 

When you come to the Table, remember man’s fall into sin and those promises, prophecies, types, and shadows revealed in Old Testament times, which pointed forward to Christ and the salvation he would one day accomplish. 

When you come to the Table, remember Christ’s virgin birth and incarnation. How did the eternal Son of God (who is a most pure spirit, without body, parts, or passions) come to have a body that could be broken and blood that could be shed? Answer: he assumed a true human body and a reasonable soul through the virgin birth. In other words, he became incarnate for us and for our salvation. Remeber that when you come to the Table. 

When you come to the Table to remember the death of Christ, remember also his life—his teachings, his claims, his miracles, and all of the sufferings he endured. Remember all of these things when you come to the Table, brothers and sisters. 

And when you come to the Table, do not only remember those things that preceded the crucifixion of Christ, but also the things that happened afterward. Jesus died on the cross after his body was broken and his blood was shed. But we do not worship and serve a dead Savior, friends. Our faith is set on the one who is risen, ascended, and soon to return. If Jesus died on that cross but did not rise, then he would not have the power to save. And so we must remember his resurrection, his ascension, and his promise to return. 

The point is this: when Christ said, “do this in remembrance of me”, he intended for his disciples to remember him, not in a narrow way, but broadly and thoroughly. 

You might say, How can I possibly think about all of this each time that I come to the Table? 

First of all, I am not suggesting that you must think about all of these things in great detail when you come to the Table. But you ought to remember the death of Christ within the broader context of the story that is told in the Bible from beginning to end concerning him. Though the cross of Christ is central, there is much more to Jesus than the cross.

Secondly, as you remember the whole Christ, likely, some particular aspect of the story of Christ or some particular truth about him will strike you as you come to the Table one Lord’s Day, and another will strike you the next. 

Why did Christ institute the Supper? What is its purpose or design? It is intended to remind us of Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. And I am suggesting that this is very important and powerful, for we are prone to forget; we are prone to wander for the one we love. The Lord’s Table is a kind of touchstone that brings us back, again and again, to Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. 

To Commune With Christ

But as has been said, the Lord’s Supper is more than a memorial. It is also a means by which worthy partakers enjoy communion or fellowship with Christ and with one another. Stated differently, those who partake of the Supper worthily and by faith do, in fact, come into contact with Jesus through the Supper. 

The question is, what is the nature of this contact? Is it physical? Do we come into contact with the physical body of the ascended Christ when we eat the Supper,  as the Romanists and Lutherans claim? Or is it spiritual, as Calvin and the Reformed have maintained? As was said in the previous sermon, we believe it is a spiritual communion with Christ that is enjoyed in the Supper.

This is what we confess in the Second London Confession 30.7. “Worthy receivers, outwardly partaking of the visible elements in this ordinance, do then also inwardly by faith, really and indeed, yet not carnally and corporally, but spiritually receive, and feed upon Christ crucified, and all the benefits of his death; the body and blood of Christ being then not corporally or carnally, but spiritually present to the faith of believers in that ordinance, as the elements themselves are to their outward senses.”

This principle that we enjoy communion and come into contact with Christ in the Supper is implied in our text when Christ commanded his disciples to eat the bread, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, ‘This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.’” But the key text is 1 Corinthians 10:16, which says, “The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?” (1 Corinthians 10:16, ESV). The word participation may also be translated as communion, sharing, or fellowship. Clearly, when Christ’s disciples partake of the sacrament by faith, they do more than remember him. They also come into contact with him, spiritually speaking. In the Supper we enjoy communion or fellowship with Christ.

I understand these things were stated briefly in the sermon I preached last Sunday, but I do believe they are worth repeating. Brothers and sisters, it is vitally important that you think of the Lord’s Supper, not as a memorial only (as powerful and important as that may be), but as a means of grace—a conduit of sorts—by which the faithful come into contact with the crucified, risen, and ascended Christ. When a minister blesses the elements, the bread remains bread, and the wine remains wine (the elements do not change into anything other than the substance of bread and wine). But when the elements are blessed, these common elements are set apart for a holy use. The bread, though bread, is no longer common bread. And the wine, though wine, is no longer common wine. It is sanctified or set apart as holy. And by partaking of this holy sacrament, God’s people do “really and indeed… spiritually receive, and feed upon Christ crucified, and all the benefits of his death…” 

It is this truth—the truth that the Lord’s Supper is more than a memorial and that real communion or fellowship with Christ is experienced in the Supper—that should motivate us to come to the Table worthily. As Paul warns, “Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body [that is to say, the body and blood of Christ] eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world” (1 Corinthians 11:27–32, ESV). 

What does it mean to partake of the Lord’s Supper worthily? We must partake of the Supper with faith in Christ in our hearts, humbly, having turned from known sin, and with an understanding of what it is that we are doing when we eat and drink of the holy sacrament. We must know that when we eat and drink, we are communing with, and even feasting upon, our crucified, risen, and ascended Lord. We come into contact with him through the Supper, brothers and sisters. It is no wonder, then, that the Apostle warns about the judgment that will come upon those who partake of the body and blood of Christ in an unworthy manner. These unworthy partakers make this fatal error—they eat and drink while failing to discern (to judge, see, and know) that the bread and wine are not common but holy, and that Christ is present in the elements. Those who partake of these holy things irreverently, without faith in their hearts, or while living in unrepentant sin, eat and drink, not a blessing upon themselves, but judgment. 

What is the purpose of the Supper? Why did Christ give it to his church? It is one of the primary ways that Christ communes and strengthens his people by his grace. But we must not forget that we also commune with one another in the Supper.  

Paul speaks of this in 1 Corinthians 10:17 when he says, “Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.” Believers commune with Christ in the Supper through their Spirit-wrought union with him, and therefore, their communion is also with one another. 

What is it that binds us together, brothers and sisters, except Christ and our union with him? Christ is the head, and we are his body. He is Lord, and we are his subjects. He is the Shepherd, and we are the sheep of his pasture. He is the cornerstone in the foundation of the New Covenant temple, and we are the living stones built up upon him. The Scriptures contain many metaphors to speak of our relationship to Christ and our relationship to one another in him. And I am saying that that communion we enjoy with one another is symbolized and experienced at the Lord’s Table. Hear the Apostle again: “Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.”    

To Renew Our Covenant With Christ

So, when we partake of the Lord’s Supper, we remember Christ. More than this, we commune with him. Finally, when we observe the Supper, Christ renews his covenant with us and we with him.  

Baptism, as you know,  marks entrance into the New Covenant community. It is not a private or family ordinance. It is a church ordinance. And those baptized are ordinarily baptized into the membership of a local church. As our catechism says in Q. 101. “What is the duty of such who are rightly baptized?

A. It is the duty of those who are rightly baptized to give up themselves to some particular and orderly church of Jesus Christ, that they may walk in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.”

The Lord’s Supper signifies continuance in the New Covenant. Do not forget what Christ said about the cup. “This is the New Covenant new covenant in my blood.” The cup signifies the entire New Covenant. And those who partake of it are to be members of the New Covenant and partakers of its benefits. 

What is the New Covenant? It is the promise of God to forgive all who turn from their sins and place their faith in Christ Jesus. 

Jesus is not a member of the New Covenant, which is the Covenant of Grace; he is the head and mediator of it! The New Covenant, notice, is ratified in his blood! For Christ, the Covenant of Grace required work—active and passive obedience to God the Father. 

For us, the Covenant of Grace does not require work, but only faith in Christ, and even this faith is a gift from God. 

How appropriate, therefore, to have the cup symbolize the New Covenant. What did Christ have to do to make the New Covenant? He had to live and die in obedience to God the Father (John 17). And what must we do to receive the benefits of the Covenant of Grace, namely, the forgiveness of sins, reconciliation with God,  and life everlasting? We must receive him; we must eat and drink of him. This is what Christ said to the crowds in the wilderness—“Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day” (John 6:54, ESV).

The Lord’s Supper is a covenant renewal. 

When we partake, we are reminded that we are forgiven in Christ Jesus. 

When we partake, we renew our vows to honor Christ as Lord and King.

Conclusion

Baptist Catechism 94

Q. 94 How is the Word made effectual to salvation?

A. The Spirit of God maketh the reading, but especially the preaching of the Word an effectual means of convincing and converting sinners, and of building them up in holiness and comfort, through faith unto salvation. (Ps. 119:11,18; 1 Thess. 1:6; 1 Peter 2:1,2; Rom. 1:16; Ps. 19:7)

Scripture Reading: Psalm 119:1-18

“Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the LORD! Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart, who also do no wrong, but walk in his ways! You have commanded your precepts to be kept diligently. Oh that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes! Then I shall not be put to shame, having my eyes fixed on all your commandments. I will praise you with an upright heart, when I learn your righteous rules. I will keep your statutes; do not utterly forsake me! How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word. With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. Blessed are you, O LORD; teach me your statutes! With my lips I declare all the rules of your mouth. In the way of your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches. I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word. Deal bountifully with your servant, that I may live and keep your word. Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.” (Psalm 119:1–18, ESV)

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Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church but without the benefit of proofreading.

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Let us remember what we learned in the last catechism question before considering this one. In question 93 we learned that God often works through means. In other words, God often uses things to accomplish his purposes. When it comes to distributing to us the benefits of the redemption that Christ has earned, he ordinarily works through four things that are external to us: the Word of God, baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and prayer. These have been called “the ordinary means of grace.” This does not mean that God cannot work in our lives in other ways. He certainly can! But God has determined to work through these things. He brings his elect to faith, strengthens them, and preserves them through these ordinary means of grace. In the questions that follow, our catechism will teach us a lot more about these means of grace. We will learn about how God works through the Word, baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and prayer. Today our focus is on the Word of God. 

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Baptist Catechism 94

Again, the question: How is the Word made effectual to salvation? The answer begins like this: “The Spirit of God maketh… the Word an effectual means…” 

This will be a constant theme as we consider these means of grace. How do they become effective? How do they get the job done in bringing sinners to repentance and faith, in sanctifying God’s people, and in enabling them to persevere? The Spirit of God makes these ordinary things effective.

You know this, don’t you, that many will hear the word of God proclaimed, but only some will believe it? What makes the difference? Is it the skill of the preacher? Is it the inherent goodness or lack thereof of the hearer? No, it is God who makes the difference. In particular, it is the Spirit of God who makes the difference by opening blind eyes and unstopping deaf ears. The Spirit makes the Word an effective means of salvation. This is why Jesus said, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day” (John 6:44, ESV). And how does the Father draw sinners except by his Holy Spirit? 

So it is the Holy Spirit working within the minds and hearts of men and women who makes these ordinary means of grace effective. And notice that our catechism teaches that the “Spirit makes reading, but especially the preaching of the Word an effectual means…” I think it is right that our catechism mentions both the reading and the preaching of the word as a means of grace, while at the same time giving priority to the preached word.  

You should read your Bibles, brothers and sisters. You are blessed to have copies of the Holy Scriptures translated in your native tongue and accessible in your homes. That is a great blessing. Read the Scriptures, friends. But do not forget that the vast majority of God’s people did not have this privilege. How then were God’s people in times past (or in other places in the world today) fed with God’s word? Answer: They assembled together with God’s people to hear the Scriptures read and preached. 

Pastors are given to the church by Christ, and one of their primary responsibilities is to read the Scriptures to the congregation. Paul wrote to Timothy, saying, “Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture…” (1 Timothy 4:13, ESV). I wonder, brothers and sisters, do you listen intently to the Scriptures when they are read? It is God’s word! We should listen intently! 

But Pastors are also to preach the word. They are to proclaim it, teach it, and apply it to the congregation. Listen again to Paul’s words to Timothy: “Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching.” (1 Timothy 4:13, ESV). In another place, Paul says to Timothy, “I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths” (2 Timothy 4:1–4, ESV).

So the word of God is to be read aloud, and it is to be preached, and“The Spirit of God maketh the reading, but especially the preaching of the Word an effectual means” unto salvation.  Are you eager to hear the word preached, brothers and sisters?

Finally, notice what the Spirit of God does within God’s elect when the Word of God is faithfully read and preached. 

He convinces sinners.

He converts sinners.  

He builds those converted up in holiness.

He builds them up in comfort.

Those converted are built up in holiness and comfort “through faith.”

And all of this is “unto salvation.”  

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Conclusion

Let me conclude with three points of application. 

One, if we wish to see sinners come to faith and repentance, we must preach the word of God. 

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” (Romans 1:16, ESV)

Two, if we wish to grow in Christ, being built up in holiness and comfort, then we must listen to the word read and preached.

Three, if the word is to benefit us at all, then we must come to it in faith, which is itself the gift of God. Prepare your hearts to hear God’s word, friends. Pray that the Lord would increase your faith as you come to hear the word read and preached each Lord’s day. 

Q. 94 How is the Word made effectual to salvation?

A. The Spirit of God maketh the reading, but especially the preaching of the Word an effectual means of convincing and converting sinners, and of building them up in holiness and comfort, through faith unto salvation. (Ps. 119:11,18; 1 Thess. 1:6; 1 Peter 2:1,2; Rom. 1:16; Ps. 19:7)

Old Testament Reading: Exodus 24:1–11

“Then he said to Moses, ‘Come up to the LORD, you and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and worship from afar. Moses alone shall come near to the LORD, but the others shall not come near, and the people shall not come up with him.” Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD and all the rules. And all the people answered with one voice and said, “All the words that the LORD has spoken we will do.” And Moses wrote down all the words of the LORD. He rose early in the morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel. And he sent young men of the people of Israel, who offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to the LORD. And Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and half of the blood he threw against the altar. Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it in the hearing of the people. And they said, “All that the LORD has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient.” And Moses took the blood and threw it on the people and said, “Behold the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words.” Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up, and they saw the God of Israel. There was under his feet as it were a pavement of sapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness. And he did not lay his hand on the chief men of the people of Israel; they beheld God, and ate and drank.” (Exodus 24:1–11, ESV)

New Testament Reading: Luke 22:14-20

“And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. And he said to them, ‘I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.’ And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, ‘Take this, and divide it among yourselves. For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.’ And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, ‘This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.’” (Luke 22:14–20, ESV)

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Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church, but without the benefit of proofreading.

Introduction

This sermon is a continuation of the one I preached last Sunday. Given the extreme importance of the Lord’s Supper to the New Covenant community, we are taking some time to consider this Holy ordinance as we consider its institution as reported by Luke.

In the previous sermon we addressed the question, who is the author of this ordinance? The author and originator is the Lord Jesus Christ. He instituted the Supper as he celebrated the Passover with his disciples, on the night he was betrayed, the night before the day of his crucifixion. Christ Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper and commanded that it be observed throughout the New Covenant era, that is to say, until he returns (see 1 Corinthians 11:26).

And in the previous sermon, we also addressed the question, what are the elements to be used when celebrating the Supper? In brief, bread and wine. In my opinion, the wine should be red. And my preference is that it be unleavened, though I would not charge anyone with sin if they chose to use unleavened bread. According to Christ, the bread and wine signify his broken body and his shed blood. Indeed, the cup signifies the entirety of the New Covenant that Christ instituted and mediates. When communicants eat the bread and drink the cup, the substance they consume is bread and wine. And yet we confess that Christ is really present in the elements, not in a fleshly way, but in a spiritual sense. We must take care to discern the body of Christ, therefore, and approach the Table worthily, knowing that it is not common bread or common wine that we partake of, but bread and wine set apart for a holy use. When God’s people partake of these elements by faith, they do actually partake of Christ and enjoy communion or fellowship with him, and with one another. .  

All of that is review. Today, I wish to address these questions: Who is to administer this ordinance, and how? Who is to receive this ordinance, and how? And when is this ordinance to be observed? I’ve left the last question, What is its purpose, end, or goal?, for next Sunday.  

Who Is To Administer This Ordinance And How? 

To answer the question, who is to administer or serve the Lord’s Supper, we must start with our passage in Luke wherein the Supper was instituted and trace things from there. 

It was the Lord Jesus Christ who first administered or served the Supper. It was Christ who first broke the bread and distributed the cup, saying, “Do this in remembrance of me”. 

And to whom did Christ speak when he uttered this command? Notice very carefully, it was not to a natural family that he spoke. Under the Old Covenant, families, or households, were to observe the Passover feast. Sometimes, multiple households would join together to eat the meal if the families were small. Households were observing the Passover throughout Jerusalem on the night that Christ was betrayed. But who was Christ celebrating the Passover with? His twelve Apostles. It was to the Apostles that he spoke when he served the bread and cup of the Lord’s Supper and said, “Do this in remembrance of me.” It should be clear to all, therefore, that the Lord’s Supper is not an individual or a family ordinance. It is a church ordinance, for the Apostles are the foundation stones of the church (see Ephesians 2:20)! 

And sure enough, as we trace the Lord’s Supper through pages of the New Testament, we find that it was administered within the church. And by church, I do not mean the catholic or universal church. That church is invisible now. It cannot assemble presently, and so the Lord’s Supper cannot be administered there. No, the Supper is administered within local churches. It was observed by the Christians assembled in the cities of Jerusalem, Corinth, and Thessalonica, etc.     

Let us quickly trace the progression. 

Christ gave the Supper to the Apostles and said, “Do this in remembrance of me.”

Later, he commissioned his Apostles, saying, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:18–20, ESV). This is the very thing they did. After the Holy Spirit fell upon them, the Apostles preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8, ESV).

And what did those who were converted and baptized do? Acts 2:42 says, “they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers” (Acts 2:42, ES). Here, the breaking of bread refers to the observance of the Lord’s Supper. 

We see more evidence of this in the Book of Acts. In Acts 20:7, we hear Luke say, “On the first day of the week [Sunday], when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight” (Acts 20:7, ESV).

And this chain of transmission is made very clear in the words of the Apostle Paul to the church in Corinth, saying, “For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when 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’” (1 Corinthians 11:23–24, ESV). So then, Paul the Apostle received this ordinance from the Lord, and he delivered it to the church in Corinth to be observed by them perpetually. 

And so it is within every local church down to this present day. The ordinance of the Lord’s Supper was instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Apostles, who then commanded the churches they planted to administer the Supper until Christ returns. 

Who is to administer or serve the Lord’s Supper? The church is. The Lord’s Supper is an ordinance given to local churches. And who, in particular, is to administer the Supper within local churches? Ordinarily, pastors or elders are to preside over and administer the Supper. 

This becomes clear when one considers that after the extraordinary offices of Apostle, Prophet, and Evangelist ceased, spiritual authority was left in the office of pastor or elder. This progression can be seen in Ephesians 4:11-12, which says, “And [Christ] gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ…” (Ephesians 4:11–12, KJV). And this progression is witnessed in the book of Acts in passages like Acts 14:23: “And when they [Paul and Barnabus] had ordeined thẽ Elders by election in everie Church, and praid, and fasted, they commended them to the Lord in whom they beleved” (Acts 14:23, GB). What did the Apostles and Evangelists do in the days of the early church? They planted churches through the preaching of the gospel, and they appointed elders in those churches by the election of the people. It is no wonder, then, that Paul the Apostle listed qualifications for the office of elder (and deacon) in his letters to the Evangelists, Timothy and Titus. This was a crucial aspect of their job. They were like church planters. And they were to entrust the work of the ministry to faithful men who would carry the work forward. And what would these elders do except devote themselves to the ministry of the word, prayer, and the pastoral oversight of the church? Connected with the ministry of the word is also the administration of the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, these being visible words or signs ordained by Christ. 

Consider the way that Paul speaks of his work as an Apostle, and of the work of pastors, by way of extension. In 1 Corinthians 4:1, he says, “This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.”

Interestingly, our confession cites 1 Corinthians 4:1 as a proof text for the statement made in 2LCF 28.2, regarding baptism and the Lord’s Supper. “These holy appointments [baptism and the Lord’s Supper] are to be administered by those only who are qualified and thereunto called, according to the commission of Christ. (Matthew 28:19; 1 Corinthians 4:1).”

And listen to what Matthew Poole says about 1 Corinthians 4:1: “The apostle here gives us the right notion of the preachers of the gospel; they are but ministers, that is, servants, so as the honour that is proper to their Master… belongeth not to them; they are ministers of Christ, so have their primary relation to him, and only a secondary relation to the church to which they are ministers; they are ministers of Christ, and so in that ministration can only execute what are originally his commands, though those commands of Christ may also be enforced by men… They are also stewards of the mysteries of God, such to whom God hath committed his word and sacraments to dispense out unto his church. The word mystery signifieth any thing that is secret, but more especially it signifieth a Divine secret, represented by signs and figures; or a regious secret, not obvious to every capacity or understanding… Ministers are the stewards of the mysterious doctrines and institutions of Christ, which we usually comprehend under the terms of the word and sacraments.”

Ordinarily, the Lord’s Supper is to be administered in local churches by those ordained to the office of pastor or elder in those churches. As a bit of an aside, I will add that I do believe that under unusual circumstances, in the case wherein a church finds herself without elders for an extended period of time, she may appoint a Gifted Brother, that is, one who has the gift of teaching, who has been approved by the church to preach (licensed to preach), to adminster the Lord’s Supper, so that the church is not left without her spirtual food for a prolonged time. I would argue the point like this: The members of a local church have a right to eat of the Supper. In fact, the Lord Jesus Christ has commanded us to eat the Supper.  Ordinarily, it is to be administered by the elders of the church. But in the absence of elders, a Gifted Brother may be appointed to administer the sacrament so that everything is done decently and in order. This man will have met the character qualifications of 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1. He will have been recognized by the congregation as having the gift of teaching. And given that the sacraments are appended (attached, or added) to the Word as visible signs (as Calvin says,” But as the sacraments are connected with these mysteries as appendages, it follows, that those who have the charge of administering the word are the authorized stewards of them also.”), then one who has been approved to administer the Word of God may also, under unusual circumstances and for a limited time, be approved to administer the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper. The argument is from the greater to the lesser. If a man has been approved by the church to administer the higher, converting ordinance, namely, the preaching of the Word, then he may, for a time, be approved to administer the lower, sanctifying ordinance that Christ has added or appended to the Word, namely, the Lord’s Supper. As you may know, our association of churches has had to wrestle with this question recently, as we presently have two churches without elders. I’m not claiming that this is the position of our association or all the churches in our association, but I do know that others share this opinion, and it is my opinion. Finally, I do believe that our confession is worded in such a way to leave room for this view, when it says, “These holy appointments [baptism and the Lord’s Supper] are to be administered by those only who are qualified and thereunto called, according to the commission of Christ” (2LCF 28.2). 

Who is to administer the Lord’s Supper? The local church is. And, ordinarily,  it is the elders who are to administer the Supper. Now I ask, what are those who administer the elements to do? They are to follow the pattern established by Christ when he first instituted the Supper. Those who administer the Supper are to take the bread, bless it, break it, and distribute it to the disciples. And likewise, the cup is to be blessed and distributed so that all may drink of it. You will find many different opinions within the church and the history of the church as to how exactly the bread and the cup are to be distributed. Are the people to be served, or are they to come forward? If they are served, by whom? Some would say, the deacons. What should the posture of those who partake be? Should they stand, kneel, or sit? Consider this: the disciples of Jesus were likely reclining on the ground at a low table when they partook of the elements. And should the members drink from a single cup, or one that has been divided? These questions, in my opinion, though not unimportant, may be answered by each congregation according to the light of nature. What matters is that the elements be served according to the general pattern established by Christ and in an orderly way so that the worshiper is not distracted from the Lord.

Who Is To Receive This Ordinance And How?

We have answered the question, Who is to administer or serve the Lord’s Supper, and how? And now we turn our attention to the question, Who is to receive this ordinance, and how? The answer to this question may seem obvious to you, but it is not obvious to all, and so teaching is needed. If you were to survey Evangelical churches today and ask them the question, Who is to receive the Lord’s Supper?, you might be surprised by what you hear.  

Let me ask you, are little children to be given the Supper? Are those not yet baptized to be given the Supper? Are those who are unbelieving to be given the Supper? The answer to all of these questions is no. And yet this is precisely what is done in many churches today. It is not uncommon for the Supper tp be distributed indiscriminately to all who happen to be present. This is contrary to the Scriptures. 

To whom is the Supper to be served? 

One, not to little children. 

The Passover was given to little children. But the Lord’s Supper is not the Passover. The Passover was to be celebrated by Hebrew families from generation to generation. It was used to teach about their shared history of redemption from Egypt. But the Lord’s Supper was not given by Christ to an ethnic people. It was given to his disciples, that is to say, those who professed faith in him. Just as the New Covenant is not made with an ethnic people or with families, neither are the sacraments of the New Covenant given to an ethnic people or families. The sacraments of the New Covenant belong to those of whom the symbolism is true. Who is to be baptized? Only those who have made a credible profession of faith and appear to the church to have been united to Christ by faith, washed in his blood, and raised to new life. And who is to partake of the Supper? Those who have, in fact, eaten of Christ with the mouth of faith. 

As you may know, it is very common in Evangelical churches for the Lord’s Supper to be given to little children. I would encourage those who think that this is an appropriate practice to consider two things:  

One, consider again the command of that the Apostle delivered to the Christians in Corinth:  “Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself” (1 Corinthians 11:28–29, ESV). To examine oneself is to test the genuineness of one’s heart and profession. To discern is “to make a judgment on the basis of careful and detailed information—‘to judge carefully, to evaluate carefully.’” Ask yourself, are little ones capable of doing these things? The answer is no. 

Two, consider the relationship between the two Sacraments and the order of the Great Commission. Baptism marks entrance into the covenant community and is to be given once, near the beginning of the Christian life, after a person repents and professes faith in Jesus. The Lord’s Supper marks continuance in the covenant community. It is a kind of covenant renewal. If Baptism may be compared to a wedding, the Lord’s Supper may be compared to an anniversary celebration. My point is simple. Baptism is to be applied first, and then the Supper is to be given.  And this order is perceived in the Great Commission: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19–20, ESV).

Many Evangelicals will not give baptism to their infants or children, but wait until they make a credible profession of faith. That’s good and right. But strangely, some will give the Lord’s Supper to their children before their conversion and baptism. This is backwards and highly inappropriate (even sinful). 

Ironically, most Presbyterian and Reformed paedobaptists do not give the Lord’s Supper to their little ones. They wait for a credible profession of faith. This is good and right. But they are inconsistent in their administration of the Sacraments when they baptize their infant children and withhold the Supper. There are some who practice paedobaptism and paedocommunion. These are doubly wrong, but at least they are consistent! They rightly see that those who have the right to receive Baptism then have a right to come to the Lord’s Table.  

Dear friends, in brief, the Lord’s Supper is not for the unregenerate and unbelieving. The Lord’s Supper is for believers. It is to be given to those who make a credible profession of faith, have been baptized upon profession of faith, and are walking worthily (they are living in sin, divisive, or disorderly—see 2 Thessalonians 3:6, 14-15; 1 Corinthians 5:9-11; Titus 3:10). This is what we confess in 2LCF 30.8: “All ignorant and ungodly persons, as they are unfit to enjoy communion with Christ, so are they unworthy of the Lord’s table, and cannot, without great sin against him, while they remain such, partake of these holy mysteries, or be admitted thereunto; yea, whosoever shall receive unworthily, are guilty of the body and blood of the Lord, eating and drinking judgment to themselves.”

Stated even more succinctly, the Lord’s Supper is to be given to those who are members in good standing of a true and orderly church of Jesus Christ. There is no single passage of Scripture that you can point to to prove this (the Scriptures are not written like a church constitution or polity manual). But when all that the Scriptures have to say regarding Baptism, the Lord’s Supper, church membership, and church discipline is considered, this is what the Scriptures teach. The Lord’s Supper is for believers. It is for those who have been baptized in the church upon profession of faith. It is for those who walk worthily within the church, in obedience to the commands of Christ. The Lord’s Supper is not for the world, and neither is it for professing Christians who are walking in a disorderly way (see again 2 Thessalonians 3:6, 14-15).

How are disciples of Jesus to parake of the Supper? Answer: By faith, with hearts prepared, with the confession of sins, in humility, and with much thanksgiving.

When Is This Ordinance To Be Observed?

The last question that I wish to address today is, When should the Lord’s Supper be observed? 

Interestingly, Christ did not speak clearly about the frequency of the observance of the Lord’s Supper when he instituted it.  “Do this in remembrance of me”, he commanded. And when Paul spoke of the observance of the Supper, he was not clear either, saying, “In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.’ For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” (1 Corinthians 11:25–26, ESV).

Throughout the history of the church, there have been differences of opinion concerning the frequency of the observance of the Supper. Some have observed weekly, others monthly, some quarterly, and some yearly. 

It seems to me that the first Christians observed the Supper week. Acts 2:42 says, “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers” (Acts 2:42, ESV). In Acts 20:7, Luke says, “On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight” (Acts 20:7, ESV). In brief, it seems that the church observed the Supper when they assembled to worship on the Lord’s Day Sabbath. Again, “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers” (Acts 2:42, ESV). 

Conclussion

There are many points of application to be drawn from this sermon. I wish to highlight three: 

One, though the pastors and elders of a local church indeed have a primary responsibility to administer the Lord’s Supper and to fence the Lord’s Table, the entire church must take an interest in seeing to the proper administration of this ordinance. The Lord’s Supper belongs not to the elders but to the church. Yes, those who hold the office of elder are to serve the Supper, but elders are ministers or servants. We are servants, first and foremost, of Christ, and secondly, of the members. Though not every member is qualified and called to serve the Supper, every member should be eager to see the Supper faithfully administered and served. 

Two, we must be diligent to prepare our minds and hearts to partake of the Supper. Those who advocate for a less frequent observance of the Supper (monthly, quarterly, yearly) often do so because they wish to encourage preparation. I say, prepare weekly. 

Three, I wish to speak to the young people in our midst who are emerging into adulthood, who have not yet been baptized and who, therefore, do not partake of the Supper.  I must urge you to turn from your sins and to place your faith in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And if, when I say that, you think I have! Then I must urge you to be baptized and then to come to the table. I know that one of the things that holds young people back is a fear of professing faith in Christ in front of other people. This is something you must do.  As Paul says, “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, ‘Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame’” (Romans 10:9–11, ESV).

Baptist Catechism 93

Q. 93. What are the outward means whereby Christ communicateth to us the benefits of redemption?

A. The outward and ordinary means whereby Christ communicateth to us the benefits of redemption are His ordinances, especially the Word, baptism, the Lord’s Supper and prayer; all which are made effectual to the elect for salvation. (Rom. 10:17; James 1:18; 1 Cor. 3:5; Acts 14:1; 2:41,42)

Scripture Reading: Acts 2:41–47

“So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.” (Acts 2:41–47, ESV)

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Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church but without the benefit of proofreading.

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God ordinarily works through means. That is a very important concept to understand. 

Now, sometimes God works in an immediate way. For example, when God created the heavens and the earth in the very beginning, he did not work through means. He simply called the heavenly and earthly realms into existence. But often God works through means, or through conduits. He uses people and things to accomplish his purposes. Take, for example, the parting of the Red Sea. God could have worked in an immediate way. He could have simply caused the waters to part in front of Israel, but he chose to part the sea through Moses. He revealed his will to Israel through Moses and commanded that Moses lift his staff, and in this way, he parted the waters. Though God could always work in a direct way and without the involvement of people and things, he often uses means. He parted the sea by means of Moses and his staff. He brought you to faith in Christ by means of the prayers and gospel witness of others. And he is sanctifying you now by means of your life experiences, and your relationships, among other things. God is at work in the world, and he typically works through means.

Here, our catechism is not only teaching us that God works through means, but that there are few things that God has determined to use regularly to distribute his saving and sanctifying grace to his people. These we call the ordinary means of grace.

How does God bring his elect to faith in Christ? How does he purify, strengthen, and preserve them? I suppose he could do it in an immediate way. He could speak his gospel directly to sinners from on high. He could purify us in the mind and heart directly by zapping us with spiritual power from on high. But he has determined to give us his grace through means. And some of these means are called ordinary means because they are the means that God has determined to ordinarily use. They are the Word of God (read and preached), baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and prayer.   

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Baptist Catechism 93

Let us now consider the answer to Catechism 93 piece by piece.

First, our catechism clarifies that it is talking about “the outward” means. These are things external to us that God uses to work his grace within us. Does God do a work in us when he regenerates us and sanctifies us further? Yes! He does this inward work immediately by the power of the Holy Spirit. But the Spirit of God does also use things that are outside of us to work on our minds and hearts. So, we are talking about the outward means here. 

Secondly, our catechism clarifies that it is talking about the “the ordinary” means. Does the Lord sometimes use things other than the Word, baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and prayer to work within his people? Of course! Often, the Lord will use life circumstances —even the trials and tribulations of life—to purify and strengthen his people. But these circumstances will be unique to each one of us, according to the will of God. We are not called to chase after these sanctifying circumstances, therefore. We are not called to chase after trials and tribulations so that we might be sanctified by them. God may use these things to refine us, but they are not the ordinary means that God has set apart for his people to use, so we need not pursue them. 

Thirdly, our catechism is specifically speaking of those means whereby Christ “communicateth to us the benefits of redemption”. Here, “communicate” does not refer to the dissemination of information, but to distribution. So the question is this: Christ has earned our redemption, but how do we come to have the benefits of it as our own? Or, more to the point, what are the things that God has determined to regularly use to distribute his gift of salvation and sanctification to his people?    

Fourthly, the question is answered in a very succinct way with these words: “The outward and ordinary means whereby Christ communicateth to us the benefits of redemption are His ordinances…” “Ordinances” are those things that Christ has ordered, or commanded, us to use.

Think of it. God has his elect in the world. Every one of them will be saved, for this is the will of God. But how will these elect come to be saved? Well, what has Christ commanded or ordered? He has ordered us to preach the gospel. God works through means, remember? Gospel proclamation is the means that God will use to bring his elect to salvation. It is a converting ordinance. How do we know? Because Christ has ordered it. 

Fifthly, our catechism highlights four things in particular when it says, “especially the Word, baptism, the Lord’s Supper and prayer…” These are the outward and ordinary things that God uses to distribute the benefits of the redemption that Christ has earned to his elect. 

As has already been said, the elect are brought to faith through the preaching of the Word of God. And the elect are further strengthened and preserved in the faith through the word of God. This is why Paul says, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17, ESV). Do you wish to see your loved ones come to salvation? Then one thing you must do is share the word of God with them,  for God brings sinners to salvation through his word. And do you wish to grow in the grace of God? Then you had better be reading and hearing God’s word, for it is one of the outward and ordinary means that God has determined to use to grow his people up in the faith. 

Next, baptism is mentioned. We will learn more about baptism in questions 97-101. For now, I will say, baptism is not something that we are to partake of over and over again. No, we are to be baptized in water in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit at the beginning of the Christian life, after faith and repentance. But God does use baptism to distribute the benefits of the redemption that Christ has earned to his elect. The elect are baptized into Christ. They are baptized by the church and into the fellowship of the church. The Spirit of God works mightily in his people through the waters of baptism. Does baptism save us? Does the water wash away sin? No! It is the thing that baptism signifies that saves us, namely, faith in and union with Christ Jesus. But God does strengthen his people through baptism, for it is a means of grace. 

Next, the Lord’s Supper is mentioned. We will learn more about the Lord’s Supper in questions 102-104 of our catechism. For now, let us confess that the Lord’s Supper is not only a memorial. It is not only a time for the church to remember what Christ has accomplished (though it is certainly not less than that). No, the Lord’s Supper is a means of grace. God works powerfully through the Lord’s Supper both to strengthen his church and to purify her.  

Lastly, prayer is mentioned. We will learn more about prayer in questions 105-114 of our catechism. For now, know that God works through prayer, brothers and sisters. You’ve heard it said that prayer changes things, and it does! It does not change the eternal decree of God. But God does work through the prayers of people to accomplish his decree. More than anything, prayer changes us. Prayer is an outward and ordinary means of grace, and so we are to be diligent in it. We are to pray without ceasing. 

The sixth and last phrase of the catechism is, “all which are made effectual to the elect for salvation.” So, who does the word, baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and prayer benefit? They benefit the elect of God. And who is it that makes these things effectual, or effective? We know that it is the Spirit of God who makes these ordinary means of grace effective.

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Conclusion

Please allow me to make two observations by way of conclusion. 

One, our catechism will clarify in the following questions that these ordinary means of grace do not work in an automatic way. No, they are only effective when they are received by faith, and we know that faith is the gift of God.

Two, by identifying these things as outward and ordinary means of grace, our catechism is urging us to use them. You know, it never ceases to amaze me to see professing Christians look to other things besides these things for growth in Christ. They will look to this program and to that discipline, and to this method to find spiritual nourishment while neglecting the ordinary things that God has ordained. 

The first Christians, after being baptized, “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” The rest of the Scripture confirms that these are the ordinary things that we are to make use of for growth in Christ Jesus.  

Old Testament Reading: Jeremiah 31:31–34

“Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the LORD. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”” (Jeremiah 31:31–34, ESV)

New Testament Reading: Luke 22:14-20

“And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. And he said to them, ‘I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.’ And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, ‘Take this, and divide it among yourselves. For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.’ And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, ‘This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.’” (Luke 22:14–20, ESV)

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Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church, but without the benefit of proofreading.

Introduction

It was a joy to preach on Luke 22:1-23 last Sunday. In that passage, we learned of the wicked preparations that Judas made to betray Jesus and to deliver him into the hands of his enemies, the holy preparations that Jesus made to celebrate the last Passover with his disciples, Jesus’ faithful observance of the last Passover with his disciples, the institution of the Lord’s Supper, and finally, Jesus’ prediction that one of his own would betray him. You may remember that in that sermon, I said we would come back to this passage to give special attention to the institution of the holy ordinance of the Lord’s Supper, and that is what we will do today. 

As you know, the Lord’s Supper, or Holy Communion, is a central feature of New Covenant worship and the life of the New Covenant community. Where does the church gather to hear the Word of God read and preached, to sing and to pray, and to commune with God and with one another, except around the Lord’s Table? Given its great and central importance, it is good and right for us to pay careful attention to its institution. The New Testament has a lot to say about the Lord’s Supper, but Luke 22:19-20 is foundational, for here the Lord’s Supper is instituted, that is, established for the first time.  

In this sermon, I will raise several questions about the Supper and attempt to answer them in the hopes that we, as a congregation, will have a better understanding of this sacrament and a greater appreciate for it as one of the outward and ordinary means that Christ uses to sanctify and sustain his people in this New Covenant era. 

Here are the main questions on my mind: Who is the author of this ordinance, when was it instituted, and for what era or time? What are the elements to be used, and what do they signify? Who is to administer this ordinance, and how? Who is to receive this ordinance, and how? When is this ordinance to be observed, and for what purpose, end, or goal? 

Let us now briefly explore these questions together. We will only consider the first two today. The others will need to wait until next Sunday. 

Who Is The Author Of This Ordinance, When Was It Instituted, And For What Era Or Time?

First of all, who is the author or originator of this ordinance? Answer: The Lord Jesus Christ. 

Our confession of faith draws attention to this fact in its opening statement on the ordinances of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. 2LCF 28.1, says, “Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are ordinances of positive and sovereign institution, appointed by the Lord Jesus, the only lawgiver, to be continued in his church to the end of the world.”

What is an ordinance? It is something that has been ordered or commanded. 

What does our confession mean when it says that Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are ordinances of a positive institution? It means that these laws were added to the moral law when the New Covenant began.  

And what does our confession mean when it calls the Lord’s Supper a sovereign institution? It means these laws were added by a great, powerful, and sovereign King. Who is that King? Christ Jesus is the King. He is the King of God’s eternal Kingdom. And these ordinances—Baptism and the Lord’s Supper— were instituted by him. 

Notice the authority of Christ in our text. When he instituted the Lord’s Supper, he simply issued this command, “Do this in remembrance of me.” Friends, Moses did not speak with this kind of authority when the positive laws associated with Old Covenant worship were revealed through him. Moses received those laws from God before he delivered them to the people. And listen to how the Apostle Paul speaks about the Lord’s Supper. To the church in Corinth he wrote, “For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when 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’”, etc. (1 Corinthians 11:23–24, ESV). The point is this: The Lord Jesus Christ did not receive instructions about the ordinance of the Lord’s Supper from anyone. He spoke with an authority all his own. Our confession is right: “Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are ordinances of positive and sovereign institution, appointed by the Lord Jesus, the only lawgiver, to be continued in his church to the end of the world.”

This is a very significant observation. The Lord Jesus Christ, the Anointed King of God’s eternal Kingdom, instituted the Lord’s Supper and commanded that his disciples do this in remembrance of him. Those who love Jesus will be eager to obey this command, as Christ has said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15, ESV). In another place, Jesus rebukes those who claim to love him but do not keep his commandments, saying, “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?” (Luke 6:46, ESV). Indeed, abiding in Christ’s love involves keeping his commandments. As Christ says in John 15:10,  “If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love” (John 15:10, ESV). Dear friends, one of the things that Christ has commanded his disciples is to do is to observe the Lord’s Supper. “Do this in remembrance of me.” And yet so many professing Christians today neglect this Holy ordinance. 

Who is the author or originator of this ordinance? Jesus Christ the Lord. And when was this ordinance instituted or established as law? On the night that Jesus was betrayed, the night before the day of his crucifixion. 

The Lord’s Supper was indeed anticipated and prefigured long before in the days of Abraham and Melchizadek. In Genesis 14:17, we read, “After [Abraham’s] return from the defeat of… the kings… the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley). And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.) And he blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth…” (Genesis 14:17–19, ESV). Isn’t it interesting that Melchizedek, the priest-king who was a type of the Christ to come, blessed Abraham while breaking bread and drinking wine? Indeed, we may say that the Lord’s Supper was anticipated and prefigured in this event, but it was not yet an instituted ordinance. 

And we may also see that the Lord’s Supper was anticipated in the words that Christ spoke to the multitude in the wilderness earlier in his ministry. In John 6:51-56, we hear Christ say, ‘I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.’ The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, ‘How can this man give us his flesh to eat?’ So Jesus said to them, ‘truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him’” (John 6:51-56, ESV). Clearly, eating the flesh of Christ and drinking the blood of Christ is not to be taken literally. It symbolizes the reception of him by faith—we feed upon Christ and drink of Christ by the mouth of faith. Certainly, the Lord’s Supper was hinted at and anticipated when Christ spoke these words. But the Lord’s Supper was not instituted, ordered, or ordained until Christ broke the bread, distributed the cup, and spoke to his disciples, saying, “Do this in remembrance of me”, on the night he was betrayed.   

It is interesting to note that just as the Passover feast was instituted on the night before the Hebrews were delivered from Egyptian bondage, and not afterward, so too the Lord’s Supper was instituted on the night before the accomplishment of our redemption through death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. In other words, the institution of the Passover (Exodus 12:1-28) and the institution of the Lord’s Supper predated the events they would signify. And this was to show these these great acts of redemption were according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God.  

When was this ordinance instituted or established as law? On the night Jesus was betrayed, the night before the day of his crucifixion. And how long is this ordinance to be observed? Our Confession is correct. It is to be observed by God’s people until the end of the world. This is stated directly by the Apostle Paul in the words, “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” (1 Corinthians 11:26, ESV). The Lord’s Supper is to be observed by followers of Christ until he comes, that is to say, throughout the entirety of this New Covenant era. 

What Are The Elements To Be Used And What Do They Signify? 

We’ve considered my first set of questions: Who is the author of this ordinance, when was it instituted, and for what era or time? Now we will turn our attention to the elements. What are the elements to be used in the Lord’s Supper, and what do they signify?

The elements to be used are bread and wine. Luke 22:19 says, “And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them…” (Luke 22:19, ESV). And Luke 22:20 says, “And likewise the cup after they had eaten… (Luke 22:20, ESV). What was in the cup? The fruit of the vine was in the cup (see verse 22:18), that is to say, wine. 

The more that I think about it, it is a strange thing that so many churches today have changed one of the elements of the Supper from wine to grape juice. Granted, both wine and grape juice come from the vine. Granted, both have the appearance of blood. And yes, I do understand that some within the church might have personal convictions never to touch alcohol. With these things in mind, if a church serves grape juice instead of wine, or if a church makes juice available to those with the convictions just mentioned, I cannot bring myself to charge them with sin. Nevertheless, it seems odd to alter the elements. What was in the cup that Jesus served? Wine was in the cup. I will not take the time to prove that wine was in the cup, nor will I talk about the use of wine throughout the Bible and its symbolism. There is a little book written by a man named G.I. Williamson, entitled Wine in the Bible and the Church. I’m afraid it’s out of print. You can probably find a digital version online for free. It’s excellent. Perhaps the easiest way to prove that wine was used to celebrate the Supper in the early church is to consider the rebuke that Paul delivered to the church in Corinth, saying, “When you come together, it is not the Lord’s supper that you eat. For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk” (1 Corinthians 11:20–21, ESV). How would some of the members in the church of Corinth get drunk when assembled together if wine were not present? Clearly it was. Paul’s solution to the problem was not to change the elements from wine to juice, but to rebuke the Corinthian church for their sin. 

When Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper, he distributed bread and wine. What color was the wine? Given that it represented the shed blood of Christ, it must have been red. And what kind of bread did Christ serve? He served unleavened bread—bread that was flat because it was free from a leavening agent which would cause it to rise— for that was the only kind of bread available to him. Christ instituted the Lord’s Supper while eating the Passover with his disciples, remember. And one of the things God commanded the Jews to do while celebrating Passover was to rid their homes of all leaven. 

We serve unleavened bread when observing the Lord’s Supper. But if you were to visit other churches, even in our association, you would find that some serve leavened bread. And if you were to ask them, why do you serve leavened bread and not unleavened bread? I think they would answer you like this: the Scripturers say that Christ broke bread and distributed it to his disciples. True, unleavened bread was the only kind of bread available to him as he ate the Passover. But this does not mean that unleavened bread must be used. Bread is to be used. And either leavened or unleavened bread will do. This is the argument you will find in John Gill’s, Body Of Doctrinal And Practical Divinity (page 917), and I respect it. Nevertheless, I do appreciate the symbolism of unleavened bread.  

Leaven symbolizes sin. And in 1 Corinthians 5:6-8, Paul uses this symbolism while speaking to New Covenant Christians, saying, “Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth” (1 Corinthians 5:6–8, ESV). I’ll admit that Paul may have been using the unleavened bread that was used in the Old Covenant Passover to illustrate his point, but it seems reasonable to me to assume that unleavened bread was being used by the church in Corinth while celabreating the festivle of the Lord’s Supper, and so Paul used this to illustrate his point. “Cleanse out the old leaven”, church. Turn from your sins personally and corporately, and walk in holiness.   

What are the elements to be used in the Lord’s Supper? Bread and wine. And what do they signify? 

The broken bread signifies the body of Christ that was broken for his people. The cup symbolizes his blood poured out for the remission of sins. Notice, the cup also stands for the entire New Covenant—“This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood” (Luke 22:20, ESV).

As you may know, there has been no small debate between the Roman Catholics and Protestants over the question, what did Christ mean when he said, this is my body and “this is my blood.” Rome teaches the doctrine of transubstantiation. According to them, the words of Christ are to be taken very literally. When Christ said, “This is my body”, he meant that the bread was actually transformed into the flesh of Christ, and when he said, “This… is the new covenant in my blood”, the wine was transformed into the blood of Christ. And they imagine that this happens every time Holy Communion is served when the priest pronounces his blessing over the elements. 

This is not our view. Our confession of faith explicitly and firmly rejects the doctrine of transubstantiation in 30.6, saying, “That doctrine which maintains a change of the substance of bread and wine, into the substance of Christ’s body and blood, commonly called transubstantiation, by consecration of a priest, or by any other way, is repugnant not to Scripture alone, but even to common sense and reason, overthrows the nature of the ordinance, and hath been, and is, the cause of manifold superstitions, yea, of gross idolatries.” 

So then, what did Christ mean by the word “is” in the phrase, “This is my body”, and “This… is the new covenant in my blood.” Clearly, he meant that the elements represent, symbolize, or signify his body and blood. His disciples would have understood this clearly, for they could see the body of Christ there in front of them, whole and intact. They could see that his blood was not poured into the cup for them to drink. They could distinguish between the body of Christ and the bread, and the blood that ran through his veins, and the wine. When they are the bread, that is what they taste—bread! And when they drank the wine, they tasted wine. 

The Protestants were right to reject the superstitious and idolatrous doctrine of transubstantiation. But another question arose and eventually divided the Lutherans, the Zwinglians, and the Reformed. The question is this: Is Christ in any way present in the Supper? The Zwiglians (those who followed Ulrich Zwingli) said no. Christ’s body and blood are merely symbolized or represented by the elements, and we merely remember the death of Christ when we partake. While the Lutherans (following Martin Luther) denied the Roman doctrine of transubstantiation (they confessed that bread was still bread and the wine was still wine), they insisted that the physical body and blood of Christ are somehow really present with the elements. This view is called consubstantiation. But the Reformers, following Calvin, insist that, though Christ is not present in the Supper bodily—for his body is in heaven and is not omnipresent or divisible — Christ is really present in the Supper. He is present, not according to his human nature, but according to his divine nature, and through the agency of the Holy Spirit he has poured out.

This is our view.  In 2LCF 30.7, we confess that, “Worthy receivers, outwardly partaking of the visible elements in this ordinance, do then also inwardly by faith, really and indeed, yet not carnally and corporally [in a fleshly way], but spiritually receive, and feed upon Christ crucified, and all the benefits of his death; the body and blood of Christ being then not corporally or carnally, but spiritually present to the faith of believers in that ordinance, as the elements themselves are to their outward senses.”

Is the Lord’s Supper a memorial? Is it a time to remember Christ crucified? Yes, of course! “Do this in remembrance of me”, Christ said. But it is also more than a memorial, and this is made clear in other Scripture texts. That Christ is really present in the Supper is made clear in 1 Corinthians 10:16-17, wherein Paul says, “The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation [communion, or sharing] in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation [communion, or sharing] in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread” (1 Corinthians 10:16–17, ESV). This text is clear. When we partake of the Supper we enjoy fellowship or communion with Christ and with one another through our shared union with him. The question is, what is the nature of this participation or fellowship we enjoy. Is it a carnal, fleshly participation? In other words, do we actually eat the substance of the body and drink the substance of the blood of Christ (as those who belive in transubstantiation and consubstantiation believe)? Or is it a spiritual fellowship that we enjoy? We say it must be spiritual, for the body of Christ is in heaven, and it is a true (albiet glorified) human body that he has. It cannot be divided and dispersed throughout the world so that believers may partake of it. And when we eat the bread and drink the cup, the substance we consume is bread, not flesh, and wine, not blood—this should plain and clear to all who have the senses of sight, taste, touch, and smell functioning. Furthermore, when Christ promised to be with his people always after his ascension, he was clear that, though he would go away from us bodily, he would be with us spiritually according to his divine nature and through the agency of the Helper that he would send forth, the Holy Spirit of promise (see John 14:8-31).      

Here is the takeaway: The elements of the Lord’s Supper are bread and wine. They signify or symbolize Christ’s broken body and shed blood. By these elements, we are helped to remeber Christ’s atoning sacrifice. When we see the bread broken, it helps us to remember that Christ’s body was broken for us—he was crushed for our iniquities. And when we see the read wine in the cup, it helps us to remember that Jesus’s blood was poored out to atone for the sins of those given to him by the Father in eternity (see John 17).  More than this, when we, as believers, partake of these visible elements by faith, we confess that we do “also inwardly by faith, really and indeed, yet not carnally and corporally, but spiritually receive, and feed upon Christ crucified, and all the benefits of his death…”(2LCF 30.7). In other words, God’s people do really enjoy communion or fellowship with Christ and when they partake of the Supper. It is a part of what it means to abide in him. And God’s people also enjoy communion or fellowship with one another at the Lord’s Table, for we are united together in Christ Jesus. When we commune with Christ, we also commune with one another.

I do believe I will return to this idea that the Lord’s Supper is more than a memorial, and that it is, in fact, a means of grace to us—a conduit of sorts, whereby the benefits of Christ’s death and ressurection are delivered to God’s people— in the second sermon I preach on this topic. For now, let it be clear that while what eat is bread and what we drink is wine, by faith God’s people do trully feast upon Christ Jesus when they observe the New Covenant festival that Christ the Lord has ordained.   

Conclusion

I’ll conclude this sermon with a few contemplations or suggestions for application. 

First of all, if you love Christ and have him as your Lord and King, you will be eager to obey what he has ordained or commanded. “Do this in remeberance of me”, is not a suggestion, it is a command. And yet so many who profess faith in Christ and claim to love him, neglect this holy ordinance. Brothers and sisters, do not neglect the Lord’s Supper. Do not forsake the assembly wherein the Lord’s Supper is served (without good reason). And if you assemble, do not forsake that portion of the worship service wherein the Supper is eaten (without good reason). Come to the Table, friends, and, by faith, commune with the Christ you love.    

Secondly, when you come to the Table, be sure to come in a worthly manner. By this we mean, come by faith, with understanding, having confessed and turned from known sin, and with thankfulness in your hearts to God. I do hope that this sermon and the one to follow will help you to come to the Table with a greater understanding and appreciation for what it is that we do when we partake of the bread and the cup—trully, we feast upon Christ!  This is why the Apostle issued this warning: “Whoever… eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world” (1 Corinthians 11:27–32, ESV). What does Paul mean when he warns that we must not fail to discern the body? He means to that we must not fail to discern and distingnish between “ordinary and common bread, and that bread which is the representation of the Lord’s body, [and to eat] the one as carelessly, and with as little preparation and regard to what he [deos], as he [uses] the other” (Matthew Poole’s commentary on 1 Cor. 11:29). Come worthiliy to the Table, brothers and sisters. If you have faith in Christ Jesus, you must come. It is not a suggestion from our Lord, but a command. To neglect the Supper is to live in disobedience to the King. But be sure to come worthily. Discern the body and blood of Christ as spiritually present in these elements that are set apart for a holy use, and prepare to come. Come by faith, with understanding, having confessed and turned from known sin, and with thankfulness in your hearts to God for the salvation that is yours in Christ Jesus. 

Thirdly, we as a congregation, and especially the pastors or elders of the church, must be diligent to teach Christians how to properly obserbve the Lord’s Supper. That this is to be of concern to us is made clear in the Great Commission. After his resurrection and before his ascension, Christ spoke to the Apostles, saying, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:18–20, ESV). No doubt, many things are included in the phrase, “teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you”, but the Lord’s Supper is certainly one of those things. The Apostles are dead and gone. Now it is the mission of the local church to preach the gospel to all nations, to baptize those who make a credible profession of faith, and to teach these to observe all that Christ has commanded, including the faithful and worthly observance of the Lord’s Supper. May the Lord help us and may we be found faithful. 

Baptist Catechism 92

Q. 92. What is repentance unto life?

A. Repentance unto life is a saving grace, whereby a sinner, out of a true sense of his sin, and apprehension of the mercy of God in Christ, doth, with grief and hatred of his sin, turn from it unto God, with full purpose of, and endeavor after, new obedience. (Acts 2:37; Joel 2:13; Jer. 31:18,19; 2 Cor. 7:10,11; Rom. 6:18)

Scripture Reading: 2 Corinthians 7:1-13

“Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God. Make room in your hearts for us. We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have taken advantage of no one. I do not say this to condemn you, for I said before that you are in our hearts, to die together and to live together. I am acting with great boldness toward you; I have great pride in you; I am filled with comfort. In all our affliction, I am overflowing with joy. For even when we came into Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were afflicted at every turn—fighting without and fear within. But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, and not only by his coming but also by the comfort with which he was comforted by you, as he told us of your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced still more. For even if I made you grieve with my letter, I do not regret it—though I did regret it, for I see that that letter grieved you, though only for a while. As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us. For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. For see what earnestness this godly grief has produced in you, but also what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what punishment! At every point you have proved yourselves innocent in the matter. So although I wrote to you, it was not for the sake of the one who did the wrong, nor for the sake of the one who suffered the wrong, but in order that your earnestness for us might be revealed to you in the sight of God. Therefore we are comforted. And besides our own comfort, we rejoiced still more at the joy of Titus, because his spirit has been refreshed by you all.” (2 Corinthians 7:1–13, ESV)

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Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church but without the benefit of proofreading.

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Introduction

What would you say if I were to ask you the question, how does a person receive the salvation that Jesus Christ has earned? The most direct and precise answer is, through faith in Jesus Christ. We receive salvation, and all of the benefits that accompany it, by believing upon Christ — trusting in him; resting in him. Now, more may be said. In fact, our catechism does say more, as you can see. But please hear me. More may be said, not because more than faith in Christ is required to receive salavtion, but to provide greater clarity concerning what true faith in Jesus Christ is.

Let me ask you, is it possible to turn to Christ to trust in him for salvation without also turning from sin? No. True faith in Christ will always involve repentance. And let me ask you this: how will those who turn from sin to place their faith in Christ live? They will abide in him, will they not? They will walk in his ways. They will partake of the means of grace he has provided. Now granted, no one repents or walks with Christ perfectly, but the lives of those who have true faith will be characterized by repentance, and they will more and more walk in the ways of the Lord. If someone claims to have faith in Christ but does not turn from sin or walk in his ways, they show by their fruits that their faith is not true. This is why the Apostle John wrote 1 John 2:4-6, which says, “Whoever says ‘I know [Christ] but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked” (1 John 2:4–6, ESV).

Question: How many things are required for us to be saved from our sins and to escape God’s wrath and curse due to us for sin? Answer: One thing is required. Faith alone in Jesus is the required thing. But true faith is never alone. It will always be accompanied by repentance from sin. Furthermore, those who turn from sin to Jesus will strive to walk according to his will. And all of this – the faith, the repentance, and the abiding – is by God’s grace. It is a gift from him. By the way, chapter 14 of our confession is about faith. It’s really good. You should read it.   

Last Sunday we considered Baptist Catechism 91 where faith in Christ is defined. Today we turn our attention to question 92 where repentance is defined. What is repentance? The answer that our catechism provides is very helpful. Let’s consider it piece by piece. 

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Baptist Catechism 92

First, we are told that “Repentance unto life is a saving grace…” So, faith is a saving grace, and so is repentance. Both faith and repentance are things that we must do—we are to believe, and we are to repent. But the ability to do so is the free gift of God. 

This reminds me of that verse in Acts where, after Peter gives a report to the church concerning the Gentiles coming to faith, the church “fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, ‘Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.’” (Acts 11:18, ESV). The word translated as “granted” means to “give a gift”. So God gave this gift to these Gentiles who believed: the gift of repentance unto life. 

Secondly, our catechism says, “whereby a sinner, out of a true sense of his sin, and apprehension of the mercy of God in Christ, doth, with grief and hatred of his sin, turn from it unto God…” That is a mouthful, but it is very rich. 

This is what repentance is: it is a turning from sin and to God through faith in Jesus. Repentance is a spiritual U-turn. Sinners must repent. This means that sinners must turn from their sins and to God in Christ Jesus in order to be saved. And Christians are to repent too. This they are to do throughout the Christian life, for though we are no longer “sinners”, having been washed by the blood of Christ, justified, sanctified, and adopted, we do struggle against sin. Corruptions remain in us. We do still commit sin. And when we do, we must repent. 

This turning is to be prompted by a “true sense of [our] sin… with grief and hatred of [our] sin”. Think of this: men and women may turn from sin for all kinds of reasons. Maybe they see that it would benefit them to walk in a better way. Perhaps they fear the consequences of their sin. And these are valid motivators for repentance— am not denying that. But the one who is truly repentant will grieve over their sin and hate it, why, because they have sinned against God! 

In the 2 Corinthians 7 passage that I read earlier, Paul rejoiced over the repentance of the Christians in the church of Corinth. He had rebuked them in a previous letter concerning some sin, and they had turned. His rebuke was used by God to produce grief in them, and they turned, verse 10, “For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.”

The point is this, true repentance is prompted by a “true sense of [our] sin… with grief and hatred of [our] sin” in our souls. Some will take this too far and expect repentant sinners to be really, really sorrowful for their sin. In other words, they will expect true repentance to be accompanied by extreme displays of sorrow and grief. We must be careful here. Everyone is different. And everyone’s experiences are different. But the point remains. True repentance is prompted by a “true sense of [our] sin… with grief and hatred of [our] sin” in our souls.”

And true repentance does also involve an “apprehension of the mercy of God in Christ”. That word apprehension can mean “anxiety or fear”. It can also mean “to capture or seize”. That is how we often use the word today. But here it means “to grasp or to understand”. To apprehend “the mercy of God in Christ” is to understand or see God’s mercy in Christ and to grasp it. 

Why must it be said that repentance unto life involves an “apprehension of the mercy of God in Christ”? Think of it, a person may turn from sin for one reason or another, but never will they turn to God if they do not comprehend that he is merciful and kind in Christ Jesus. 

So then, for repentance to be true one must see their sin as truly detestable, grieve inwardly over it and hate it, and apprehend the mercy of God in Christ. Only then will a sinner be compelled to make that spiritual U-turn, moving away from sin and running towards God in Christ.    

Thirdly, our catechism says, “with full purpose of, and endeavor after, new obedience.” In other words, true repentance is not temporary or half-hearted repentance, but permanent and resolved. 

Notice what our catechism does not say. It does not say that true repentance is perfect repentance. As I have said before, corruptions remain in God’s faithful ones, and even the best of Christians do still struggle with sin. So our catechism does not say with perfect obedience, but “with full purpose of, and endeavor after, new obedience.” In other words, the one who is truly repentant will sincerely hate the sin and love God. They will turn from sin and run after God. And they will be fully resolved in the heart and mind to walk in obedience from that forward. 

You can’t fake repentance, friends. God knows your heart. He knows who is sincere and who is false, and he has a way of exposing that in due time. So you may fake faith and repentance for a time, but it will eventually become clear.

The parable that Jesus told regarding the different kinds of soils is very descriptive and instructive, I think. Do you remember it? He spoke of seed being scattered on a variety of soils — some on the road, others on rocky ground, some amongst thorns, and some on good soil. It was only the seed scattered on the good soil that sprouted in a lasting way and produced a harvest. The seeds that fell on the road were plucked up by the birds, never to sprout. The seeds that fell on rocks and amongst the weeds sprouted, but they quickly withered, being scorched by the heat, and being choked out by the competing and overwhelming weeds. That parable is meant to be an encouragement to those who sow seed, which is the word of God. Preach the word! And some will fall on good soil, which God has prepared! But the parable is also meant to describe the condition of man’s heart and to warn us. 

I’m afraid that there are many false believers and temporary receptors in the church today. There is the appearance of life for a time, but when the heat gets turned up, or when the cares of this world encroach upon them, they wither away. May it not be so for any of us. Instead, may the Lord grant us true faith and true repentance. 

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Conclusion

Q: What is repentance unto life?

A. Repentance unto life is a saving grace, whereby a sinner, out of a true sense of his sin, and apprehension of the mercy of God in Christ, doth, with grief and hatred of his sin, turn from it unto God, with full purpose of, and endeavor after, new obedience. (Acts 2:37; Joel 2:13; Jer. 31:18,19; 2 Cor. 7:10,11; Rom. 6:18)