Don't Waste the Lord's Ordinances
Why We Must Take the Supper Seriously For One Another's Blessing
Good Morning!
In August we will have the blessings of celebrating the Lord’s Supper. To help us prepare a little bit for that God in His providence has us this week looking at the chapter in our Confession of Faith which deals with this subject. Taking seriously the ordinances of the Church is part of experiencing the mercies of our Redeemer for His Bride. When Paul warns his Corinthian brothers that they are weak in faith, and that lamentably some have even died from misusing the Table of Christ, it should awaken our minds to the seriousness of the taking of the bread and the cup. At the same time spending a moment meditating on its purpose should give us strength.
To open the discussion the first section of the Confession says:
Our Lord Jesus, in the night wherein He was betrayed, instituted the sacrament of His body and blood, called the Lord’s Supper, to be observed in His Church, unto the end of the world, for the perpetual remembrance of the sacrifice of Himself in His death; the sealing all benefits thereof unto true believers, their spiritual nourishment and growth in Him, their further engagement in and to all duties which they owe unto Him; and to be a bond and pledge of their communion with Him, and with each other, as members of His mystical body.
First of all we are reminded that Jesus Christ has established this sacrament. If He has provided it for us then it should change not only how we approach the Table, but how we think about the importance of it in our lives. Skipping this blessing for worldly activities means not only missing out on the goodness which comes from it, but it says something about our thoughts on God Almighty. Should those things which are passing away receive precedence over the spiritual enrichment that is part of His love for you? In Malachi 3:14 the people of God are quoted as saying, “You have said, ‘It is useless to serve God; What profit is it that we have kept His ordinance, and that we have walked as mourners before the Lord of hosts?’” We may not think this is what we are doing, yet that is the case whether we want to admit it or not. Our actions testify to our beliefs. This is especially true when it comes to our hierarchy of needs and how we make decisions about what is more important. While there are obviously going to be moments in life where providential hinderances get in the way of joining together with brothers and sisters in Christ in the celebration of the Supper, the kinds of things that usually keep us from it do not rise to this level. While we can think of other events which help the Christian grow spiritually which suffer under similar battles over what is of greater value, outside of worship on the Sabbath Day itself there is nothing else that we do that gives us more of Christ than the Lord’s Table.
Second, another thing noted in this section we are told that we are to celebrate this act until Jesus comes again. The Confession does not tell us how often (weekly, monthly, quarterly, etc...) but it does tell us that there is great danger to neglecting this sacrament. Part of the reason why comes from what we learn from the Supper. God has provided in the breaking of the bread and the pouring of the cup a visible remembrance of the sacrifice of Christ. He knows that we need this because it is something we sometimes take for granted, or forget all together. The immensity of the Second Person of the Holy Trinity laying down His life for His friends is only surpassed by the love of God for His elect in giving up of His only begotten Son for our salvation. If this does not cause a dry eye or has an effect on your soul something is wrong. The Table can never be something that we treat without proper preparation and consideration of the glory which is exhibited to us through it. Christ is offered to us, to nourish our souls, and by His real presence in the elements effectually works this grace in our hearts. Why would we not run to this mercy? Think of the joyful tears of the people of God in the days of Ezra/Nehemiah when the Temple was rebuilt. Should not our desire to be blessed by the richness of the one whom that earthly temple looked forward to be in the center of our minds?
As we noted in the help on the Sacraments themselves there is also a mutual benefit to our gathering together around the table. In previous generations (and this continues in some of our sister Presbyterian churches) we literally did come as one body in this manner. Many times tables would be set up outdoors and the elders and minister would go from table-to-table handing out the bread and the cup in turn. While we may not need to do this (though it might be a nice thing to consider in the future) for the Supper to “work” it is a picture of what we are doing when the Session calls the people of Bethany ARP Church to gather on the Lord’s Day to enjoy this meal. As an aside some have wondered why the Session has to approve the times this takes place in the local church. It is because Christ has granted the keys of His kingdom to the officers of His Church, and they alone are given the solemn responsibility to oversee and protect the table.
But back to this question on the importance of doing this together. Unfortunately today we far too often are taught by our culture that I, me, and mine are central to happiness and peace. However, the Bible is 100% opposite of this way of thinking. When we come to faith in Christ we are gathered into the body of the Lord and no longer are “on our own”, but are part of the a much bigger thing than ourselves. This especially is the case when it comes to the Supper. Have you ever thought why we don’t just take the bread when we get it, and instead wait until everyone has been served to partake? It is not just because this is good Southern manners, but because we understand that it is a communal act, testifying to the world, to Satan, and to Christ that we need one another and that we have a common bond through the life-giving grace of our Awesome Redeemer. Here we see another reason why it is vital for us not to forsake the gathering together with our brothers and sisters in Christ when we have the chance to grow as one body in Jesus.
To help us think through this a little more here is a helpful article from Ligonier.
https://www.ligonier.org/learn/devotionals/the-importance-of-communion/
As always if you need anything please feel free to give me a holler.
In Christ,
Rev, Benjamin Glaser
Pastor, Bethany ARP Church