In this glorious meal, Jesus Christ is genuinely and truly offered. The divide between historic Protestantism and the Roman Catholic view is not over that—both sides believe that Jesus Christ is truly offered. The difference is not over whether that happens or not. The difference is one of direction, and concerns who receives the offering. …
The Pleasant Rain of Righteousness
We have reminded you on many occasions that the time set aside for confession of sin in our service is at the very beginning of the service. If we visit a friend’s house, we wipe our feet at the door, not two thirds of the way through the evening. This is a time be nourished …
Tokens of Affection
The Lord is kind to us in the tokens of His affection that He gives. He gives them in all affection and kindness, and we are to receive them in the same way. But as we have seen in the sermon today, these are tokens, not props. God loves us through His Word, through His …
A Ritual, Not a Routine
The Supper of the Lord is a ritual that knits us together. We come here, week after week, to worship the Lord — to confess our sins, to sing His praises, to hear His Scriptures read aloud, to hear his Word preached and proclaimed, and to sit down with Him at Table. Some of you …
Receiving the Gift of Being Able to Give
We have been talking about provision—here in this Supper God provides for His people. But God provides for us in His way, and not in the way that we might anticipate. When God gives, He gives gifts that continue to give themselves. He doesn’t give the kind of gift that makes its way to a …
Replace Them All With Diamonds
I said last week that God provides for His people. Open your mouth, God says through the psalmist, and “I will fill it.” As parents and grandparents, it delights us when a child in a high chair sees the spoon and dutifully opens his mouth. God delights to feed us. He delights to provide for …
His Name is Provision
God is the one who provides for His people. Jesus told us not to worry about clothing, because God was thoughtful enough to clothe the flowers of the field. He taught us not to worry because God took care of all the animals. Jesus taught us, in our central prayer, that we are to ask …
Free and Full Forgiveness
As we have told you many times, the designated time for confession of sin is not here at this Table. If you are walking with the Lord, you will confess sin whenever you commit it, and you will put it right with anyone you need to put it right with immediately. As we all need …
Letting the Wine Affect Us
The first mention of wine in the Bible is on the occasion of Noah’s drunkenness. The last mention of wine in the Bible is in the context of a condemnation of Babylon’s luxuriousness. It is not really surprising that many Christians have come to regard wine with suspicion. Other drinks are safer, less wild, less …
Every Other Religious Table
When we come to this Table, the Bible teaches us that we are partaking. In Scripture, this partaking is not a divvying up, after which each person gets a distinct and separate piece. Partaking is a movement of union and communion. The idolater partakes of the idol when he eats the food offered to that …