We are to avail ourselves of the means of grace that God sets before us, and as we do, we are to wait on God to perform what He intends to perform. We have come to this Table having confessed our sins, having sung our gratitude to God, and having heard His Word proclaimed. We now come to the next means of grace, which is the Table before us now.
Since His purpose is the salvation of the world, and since His Spirit is gathering multitudes into His church, we can trust that His purposes are for our good and not for our destruction. We come, as we are told, and we wait for God to do what only God can do. We wait on Him in faith, and He strengthens us.
God wants us to have assurance of our eternal life (1 John 5:13). But this assurance cannot be had through close introspection of our own hearts—all we will find there is reason to be unsettled in our assurance. At the same time, we know Christ is present in those He is saving.
We reject moralism—good deeds don’t put us in with God. We reject liturgicalism—prancing in God’s courts doesn’t please Him. We reject doctrinalism—mouthing the right words doesn’t do it. We are saved by the instrumentality of faith. We are justified by faith alone. We trust God. We come before Him in trust.
But how do we detect the presence of this faith? Faith does things, and it makes its presence known. It makes its presence known through good deeds, and through worship that is acceptable to God, and through affirmation of the truths that God has given.
When you look to see the evidence of that faith, this is fine, but never make the mistake of thinking that your faith is the object of your faith. Jesus is the object of your faith. When you hold the bread, and when you hold the cup, you are doing so with your hand. Faith is your hand, and it all right to notice it there. But the object of your meditation is the broken body, and the shed blood.
So come, and welcome, to Jesus Christ.