Old Testament Reading: Exodus 12:1-20

“The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, “This month shall be for you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year for you. Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month every man shall take a lamb according to their fathers’ houses, a lamb for a household. And if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his nearest neighbor shall take according to the number of persons; according to what each can eat you shall make your count for the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats, and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight. “Then they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. They shall eat the flesh that night, roasted on the fire; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it. Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted, its head with its legs and its inner parts. And you shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn. In this manner you shall eat it: with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. And you shall eat it in haste. It is the LORD’s Passover. For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the LORD. The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt. “This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the LORD; throughout your generations, as a statute forever, you shall keep it as a feast. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven out of your houses, for if anyone eats what is leavened, from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel. On the first day you shall hold a holy assembly, and on the seventh day a holy assembly. No work shall be done on those days. But what everyone needs to eat, that alone may be prepared by you. And you shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this very day I brought your hosts out of the land of Egypt. Therefore you shall observe this day, throughout your generations, as a statute forever. In the first month, from the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread until the twenty-first day of the month at evening. For seven days no leaven is to be found in your houses. If anyone eats what is leavened, that person will be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is a sojourner or a native of the land. You shall eat nothing leavened; in all your dwelling places you shall eat unleavened bread.”” (Exodus 12:1–20, 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.

Sermon

At the end of the sermon I preached last Sunday, I mentioned that I might return to the topic of the Lord’s Supper one more time to consider the relationship between the Lord’s Supper and church membership. I think you knew that I would. 

This will be the fourth sermon I have devoted to the topic of the Lord’s Supper. Luke 22:14-20 is about the institution of the Lord’s Supper by Jesus Christ the Lord. This text has provided us with an opportunity to think theologically about this holy sacrament. By that I mean, we have taken the opportunity, not only to consider what this particular passage says about the Supper, but to consider what the rest of the New Testament says about it. This, brothers and sisters, is a very important thing to do. The Scriptures, if they are to be understood, must be interpreted theologically. The Scriptures are not written like a systematic theology or like a church constitution or polity manual. If we wish to know what the Scriptures teach about a particular subject, such as the Lord’s Supper, then we must pay careful attention to all that the Scriptures have to say on the subject. 

As you know, the Lord’s Supper was instituted by Jesus Christ on the night he was betrayed, the night before the day of his crucifixion. Like baptism, the Lord’s Supper is an ordinance of positive and sovereign institution (see Second London Confession 28.1). By that, we mean the Lord’s Supper did not exist before its institution. It was something brand new that Christ gave to his disciples. It was a law that he added to be observed by his people in the New Covenant era. Like with baptism, if we wish to know what this ordinance is all about, we must look to the New Testament Scriptures, therefore. In other words, we must pay attention to the institution of this ordinance and to its development throughout the New Testament. Though we might identify precurses or foreshadowings to baptism and the Lord’s Supper in the Old Testament, it is the New Testament that informs us about the beginning of these sacraments, their meaning, and their proper administration.

In this little series, we have considered the author and elements of the Supper. Furthermore, we have asked who is to administer or serve the sacrament, who is to receive it, and how frequently. In the last sermon, we considered the purpose of the Supper. For what purpose did Christ give the Supper to his church? That was a very important question to answer. In brief, it was said that Christ gave the Supper to us so that we might remember him, commune with him, and renew our covenant with him, until he returns. 

Having said all of that in previous sermons, I do believe it is right for us to give attention to the role that the Lord’s Supper plays in the life of the local church as it pertains to church membership, or we might say, church communion.   

Baptism Is For Those Who Make A Credible Profession Of Faith

To fully appreciate the connection between the Lord’s Supper and church membership, a few words must first be said about the connection between baptism and church membership. The New Covenant has two sacraments or ordinances: baptism and the Lord’s Supper. And both have something to do with membership in the New Covenant community, that is to say, the church. 

Baptism symbolizes many things. When someone is baptized, it is a sign that they have given themselves up to God, through Jesus Christ, to live and walk in newness of life. It also signifies their fellowship with Christ, in his death and resurrection, of their being united to him by faith, and of the washing away of their sins. And as it pertains to membership in the local church, baptism is a prerequisite. Before a disciple of Jesus can be received into the membership of a local church, they must first be baptized upon profession of faith. And those baptized upon profession of faith must join themself to a local church. This is what the Scriptures require. 

Our catechism states the relationship between baptism and church membership well. Q. 101 asks, “What is the duty of such who are rightly baptized?” Answer: “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.” 

This is true. Those baptized are to “give up themselves…” (we might say, join) “some particular…” (that is to say, local or visible) “and orderly church of Jesus Christ.” Stated differently, those baptized are to become members of a local church that is properly ordered (or organized) according to the Word of God. 

The Scriptures clearly require this. 

We may start with the Great Commission. “And Jesus came and said to [his Apostles], ‘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).

The Apostles were commanded by Christ to preach the gospel. Those who responded to the gospel by turning from their sins and placing their faith in Christ were to be baptized. And these baptized disciples were to be taught to observe all that Christ has commanded, including the observance of the Lord’s Supper. Where, I ask you, would this teaching take place, and where would the Lord’s Supper be observed, except in properly ordered local churches?  

Indeed, this is what we see in the book of Acts, beginning with Acts 2:38-47. Peter preached the gospel and “said to them, ‘Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit… 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” (Acts 2:38–47, ESV).

The connection between the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) and this description of the activities of the early disciples of Jesus in Acts 2:38-47 should be obvious to all. Christ commissioned his Apostles, and in the book of the Acts of the Apostles, we see that the Apostles obeyed the commission of Christ. What did they do? They proclaimed the gospel of Jesus Christ, baptized those who believed, and taught those who were baptized to observe all that Christ commanded. Again, those baptized people “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers”.

Furthermore, as the book of Acts unfolds, it is clear that the Apostles of Jesus fulfilled the Great Commission by engaging in what we would call church planting. The gospel was proclaimed. Disciples were made. These disciples were baptized. Local churches were formed. Elders were appointed. And the Lord’s Supper was observed. Acts 13:23 proves that the Apostles were church planters, saying,  “And when they had ordeined thẽ Elders by election in everie Church [they had planted], and praid, and fasted, they commended them to the Lord in whom they beleved.” (Acts 14:23–28, GB). And that these churches, once planted, observed the Lord’s Supper on the Lord’s Day is seen in Acts 20:7, which 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).

Finally, that those who are baptized are to join themselves to properly ordered local churches is clearly observed in the rest of the New Testament. It has been said that the New Testament is a church book, and that is true. The Gospel tells us of the life and ministry of Christ, the Savior and head of the church. The book of Acts describes the planting of local churches by the Apostles in fulfilment of the commission of Christ. And it is impossible to read the rest of the New Testament without local churches in mind. Local churches, if not explicitly mentioned, are always in the background.  

The letters written by Paul, Peter, and others are written to baptized disciples of Jesus who are members of local churches. “Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God…To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 1:1, 7, ESV). “Paul, an apostle—To the churches of Galatia: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ…” (Galatians 1:1–3, ESV). “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood: May grace and peace be multiplied to you… ” (1 Peter 1:1–2, ESV). And a little later he says, “So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you…” (1 Peter 5:1–4, ESV). Even the book of Revelation is addressed to local churches: “John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come… To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen” (Revelation 1:4–6, ESV).

Friends, our catechism is correct. “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” (Baptist Catechism 101). There is a relationship between baptism and church membership. Baptism is a sign that a person is united to Christ by faith. Baptism is a sign that the person has been washed and raised to newness of life. Through baptism, a believer says publicly, Jesus is Lord! And those who have Jesus as Lord will obey their Lord by joining themselves to an orderly local church where the kingdom of God is made visible. Baptism is a kind of rite of initiation, therefore. And what is church membership except an agreement, commitment, or covenant made between professing Christians to walk together in obedience to the commands of the Lord Jesus Christ? 

To whom is baptism to be given? Is it to be given to little infants or little children? No. Is it to be given to those who are ignorant of the truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ? No. Is it to be given to those who show no evidence of being disciples of Jesus? No. Is it to be given to those who hold to heretical doctrines that undermine the foundation of the faith? No. Baptism is to be given by the church, being administered by those “who are qualified and thereunto called, according to the commission of Christ”, to those who make a credible or believable profession of faith.

What is a credible profession of faith? I’ve written a little piece about this. It’s available on the back table. In brief, a person’s profession of faith must be deemed credible when they demonstrate sorrow over and repentance from sin and claim to have faith in Jesus Christ. And to have faith in Jesus Christ, three things must be present: knowledge, assent, and trust. 

By knowledge, we mean that certain truths must be known to have faith in Jesus. They are the truths summarized ever so briefly in the Apostles Creed. They are the truths taught in our catechism.

By assent, we mean that these truths must be known and believed or received as true.

By trust, we mean that a person must claim to trust in the person and work of Jesus and not some other thing.  

You know, I will often get the question, How old must a person be before you will give them baptism? Brothers and sisters, I won’t state an age. My answer is this: if a young person (or anyone else) makes a credible profession of faith, baptism must be applied to them. As a minister of Jesus Chris,t I am duty-bound to apply baptism to those who make a credible profession. As a church, we are duty-bound to receive these into the fellowship. We must be very careful, brothers and sisters, not to withhold baptism from those who have a right to it. But we must also be careful not to give it out indiscriminately. 

If your little one claims to have faith in Jesus and desires baptism, we should all rejoice in that. But before baptism is applied, the credibility of their profession must be recognized by the church, with these elders in the lead. Is there evidence of true repentance (it seems to me that parents and maybe peers are in the best position to answer that question). And does the young person know the fundamentals of the gospel? 

If a young person (or anyone else) came to me and said, I have faith in Christ and desire baptism, the first thing I would do is rejoice with them! After that, I would want to have a discussion. I would say, tell me about your faith. Who is Jesus? Why do you trust in him? What has he saved you from? What has he saved you to? Who is God? What is he like? What does it mean to trust in Christ? How are followers of Jesus Christ to live? Etc., etc. The standard for baptism is not mastery of Christian doctrine. The standard is a credible profession of faith. And true faith involves knowledge—a knowledge of the basic truths expressed by the Apostles Creed and taught in our catechism. A person must be able to discuss these truths, even if it is on a basic level, before their profession of faith is deemed credible and baptism is applied. 

The Lord’s Supper Upon The Maintenance Of A Credible Profession Of Faith

What does this have to do with the Lord’s Supper? Well, when all is considered, we must confess that, while baptism is to be given (once) to those who make a credible profession of faith, the Lord’s Supper is to be given (regularly) to those who maintain a credible profession of faith. 

As I say this, I do not mean to suggest that we, as church members, should always be scrutinizing one another’s profession of faith in an attempt to find some flaw in it. No, such a critical, judgmental, scrupulous spirit is not becoming of a Christian. And it is not necessary, for God has a way of exposing sin when it is unrepentant of, as Paul wrote to Timothy, “The sins of some people are conspicuous, going before them to judgment, but the sins of others appear later” (1 Timothy 5:24, ESV).

But the truth remains: The lord’s Supper is for those who maintain a credible profession of faith. If baptism marks the entrance of a believer into the New Covenant community, the Lord’s Supper signifies their continuance in it. 

This principle is clearly seen in those passages in the New Testament that are about church discipline and the removal of those who have undermined the credibility of their profession of faith by living in unrepentant sin, holding to and or spreading false doctrines that undermine the foundation of the faith, or by walking in a disorderly way.

Please allow me to, very briefly, present you with five important passages that speak of church discipline and the removal of those who destroy the credibility of their profession of faith. 

Matthew 18 – The Excommunication Of An Unrepentant Sinner

“If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.” (Matthew 18:17, ESV)

1 Corinthians 5 – The Excommunication Of A Heinous Unrepentant Sinner

“When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 5:4–5, ESV)

“I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one.” (1 Corinthians 5:9–11, ESV)

Galatians 1 – The Excommunication Of False Teachers

“But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.” (Galatians 1:8–9, ESV)

1 John 2 – The Excommunication (Or Exclusion) Of Those Who Walk Away From The Faith

“They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.” (1 John 2:19, ESV)

2 Thessalonians 3 – The Excommunication Of Disorderly Christians

“Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us.” (2 Thessalonians 3:6, ESV)

“If anyone does not obey what we say in this letter, take note of that person, and have nothing to do with him, that he may be ashamed. Do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother.” (2 Thessalonians 3:14–15, ESV)

Conclusion 

Second London Confession 26.2— All persons throughout the world, professing the faith of the gospel, and obedience unto God by Christ according unto it, not destroying their own profession by any errors everting the foundation, or unholiness of conversation, are and may be called visible saints; and of such ought all particular congregations to be constituted.

The Lord’s Supper is a powerful thing. It marks those who have made a credible profession of faith, who have been baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and who have maintained the credibility of their profession by abiding in Christ and in his doctrine. Excommunication is also a powerful thing. It signifies that the credibility of a person’s profession of faith has been undermined by them. It signifies that a person has been cut off from the visible kingdom of Christ and is no longer to enjoy Christian communion or fellowship with God’s people.