Archive for the 'Sacraments' Category

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How to Run for Your Life

Published on October 8, 2009 in Preaching and Sacraments. 0 Comments

My sermon on 1 Corinthians 10:1-22 is available here.

The central thought of the sermon is that we flee idolatry by properly running to the table.

I continue to be persuaded that one of the greatest needs for local churches is a more thoughtful observance of the Lord’s Supper.

A Vision for the Sacraments Today at the Red Brick Church

Published on October 4, 2009 in Sacraments. 1 Comment

I believe that one of the greatest needs for local churches in North America is to regain a theologically shaped, spiritually motivated commitment to the sacraments/ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper.

This morning at our church, I will be taking a break from the Romans series to preach a sermon, “A Vision for the Sacraments.”  We will also be sharing the Lord’s Supper together.

One of the things that concerns me about our local church is the frequency that we share the Lord’s Supper.  Currently, we only do so every two months.  It’s probably not enough.  While this is not my agenda for our church, a strong case could be made for observing the Lord’s Supper weekly.

Ray Van Neste recently gave a helpful post that quoted Adoniram Judson and his view about the frequency of communion (Click here).

See also this post that quotes Wayne Grudem (click here).

Grudem: “We must be careful here, as with baptism, to avoid the mistake of overreacting to Roman Catholic teaching and maintaining that the Lord’s Supper is merely symbolic and not a means of grace . . .”

Published on August 14, 2009 in Church and Sacraments. 1 Comment

Christians should treasure the Lord’s Supper.

Wayne Grudem:

The Lord’s Supper is not simply an ordinary meal among human beings—it is a fellowship with Christ, in his presence and at his table. Once again, we must avoid the idea that any automatic or magical benefit comes from sharing in the Lord’s Supper, whether a person participates in faith or not. But when a person participates in faith, renewing and strengthening his or her own trust in Christ for salvation and believing that the Holy Spirit will bring spiritual blessing through such participation, then certainly additional blessing may be expected. We must be careful here, as with baptism, to avoid the mistake of overreacting to Roman Catholic teaching and maintaining that the Lord’s Supper is merely symbolic and not a means of grace. . . There is a spiritual union among believers and with the Lord that is strengthened and solidified at the Lord’s Supper, and it is not to be taken lightly (Grudem, Systematic Theology, 954-955).

Michael Horton in reference to the Lord’s Supper:

The question is not where is God present (by itself uninteresting when we are talking about an omnipresent deity), but where God is present for us, in peace and safety rather than condemnation and destruction (Horton, People and Place, 109).