The Lord’s Supper as a Sacrament
2 Peter 1:3 His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.
Introduction
This morning I want us to look at the Eucharist
And the reason is, if we are going to be a Sacramental church we need to make sure we have a clear understanding of what the sacraments are and how they work.
Therefore this morning I want to ask three questions
A] The Lord’s Supper is a Sacrament. A Sacrament is a means ordained by God to portray the very heart of the Gospel that Scripture proclaims. Therefore, the message of the Gospel and the message of the Lord’s Supper are exactly the same. In both cases, your faith is directed to Christ and His saving work on the Cross. FN#1
A] First, the Lord’s Supper is not magic. The bread and wine do not become the body and blood of Jesus. Nor do they contain grace like a pill, which works on its own just because you take it FN#2. Instead, the Lords Supper works by faith. That is, when you receive the Sacrament by faith (just as when you receive what God says in Scripture by faith), God assures you that Christ and all His benefits are yours personally. How? God puts the very signs and guarantees of Christ’s redeeming work (the bread and wine) into your hands and onto your tongue.
Importance: just as it is vital for us to remember that the Lord’s Supper is not magic, it is equally important for us to remember that it is not a bare memorial meal. Yes, God tells us to remember. But that is not all that Jesus tells us to do. He also tells you to take and eat. Why? The spiritual reality we are instructed to remember is the very reality that God is giving to nourish and feed us. In other words, what God offers, He truly and actually gives.
1 Corinthians 10:16 Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a participation in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a participation in the body of Christ?
Notice the result: God assures you that when you receive the Sacrament by faith, the grace accomplished by Christ is actually given and the fellowship with God restored by the Cross is truly and actually enjoyed. In other words, the grace is real and Christ’s spiritual presence is real.
Bottom line: the Lord’s Table is a time of real fellowship at the heart of a real relationship. How does the Lord’s Table work? The Lord’s Table works by faith. When you receive the bread and wine by faith, God assures you that He receives you into His very presence and nourishes you with His grace. FN#3.
III. What benefits do I receive from the Eucharist?
A] The Lord’s Supper is a recurrent meal. Why? God intends it to nourish you throughout your life. Why? The grace that God provides is not simply a matter of the distant past or the far off future. Instead, the grace that Christ accomplished for you on the Cross, the grace that will one day fully and finally complete you, is already at work in you and for you.
Philippians 1:6 For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.
B] Notice the result: each week you come to the Table in the very midst of life. As you come, you bring with you your current needs, new situations, and specific sins.
As you partake of the Table by faith, God assures you that Christ is with you in the very midst of your present circumstance and that His grace is already at work in the very details of your life.
Importance: remember earlier we said that God puts the very signs and guarantees of Christ’s redeeming work into your hands. There’s more. He puts them into your hands right now.
Finally, as you leave the Table, you have the confidence and strength to stay the faithful course. Why? You know that you are not alone. Instead, Jesus promises that He is with you right now in the midst of all you face and that His grace is at work right now in the specifics of your life.
Footnotes
1] Note: what distinguishes the two sacraments from other rites and ceremonies is that a sacrament is a sign and seal of the covenant of redemption. As such, those who do not share in the reality signified by the sacrament are not saved. Such cannot be said of the other five rites often called sacraments. Thus while these other rites are instituted and blessed by God for the wellbeing of His people throughout life, they are not signs and seals of redemption. For example, if one is not incorporated into the body of Christ (the reality signified by and sealed in baptism) they are not saved. However, no one is excluded from God’s Kingdom because they are not married.
2] Notice then, God intends you to be an active participant at the Table not a passive recipient of the meal. In fact, it is no surprise to find that there is a fundamental agreement between the dynamics of the Table and the very grace it promises. Remember, the grace that saves you is a grace that changes you so that you can take an active part in the fellowship, relationship, and Kingdom that God has given you through His Son.
3] Notice that we have seen just this sort of thing before. In the Old Testament, God did not become the Ark of the Covenant nor was He contained in the Ark. Rather, God made His name to dwell there (Deut 12:11). In the same way, in the New Testament, at the Table of the Covenant Christ is not in the meal nor does He become the meal. Rather, Christ is at the meal (that is, He has made His name to dwell there). Christ meets with His people in fellowship at the Table. Christ is the host. The bread and wine are the meal that Christ provides to nourish us. The meal that Christ provides is the full grace and peace (salvation and reconciliation) of His one-time sacrifice.
Not only that, Scripture gives clear and unambiguous signs of God’s presence and involvement at the Table.
1 Corinthians 11:30 For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep.
Notice then, Paul does not say when we partake of the Table in an unworthy manner our memorializing is incomplete or our memory is inaccurate. Rather, he says many are sick or have even died. Why? When we come to the Table unrepentantly, we are entering God’s presence clothed in our own sins rather than Christ’s blood. Notice the result: Paul draws a direct parallel between entering the Holy of Holies and partaking of the Lord’s Table. In both cases we are coming into God’s unique and covenantal presence. In other words, how you come is important because of where you come