Suppers are frequently in conjunction with other events. We have memorial banquets, banquets to honor an individual, birthday celebrations, anniversary dinners, and so on. God has created us in such a way that whenever we really want to mark something as important, we attach it to a meal. God has done the same for us …
Seeing Jesus
The greatest thing that Jesus ever did in His life was actually the sum total of His life, and the effect was to manifest the Father. He did various particular wonders, true enough, but in the cosmic scheme of things, they were little more than attention-getters. When we get distracted by them, we are missing …
The Gift of Body and Blood
In this Supper we partake of bread and wine, representatives of the body and blood of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. This is representative of His sacrifice, of course, but it is also important to note that this rite underscores the fact that Jesus took on a body. He did not do this right …
Renewing the Oath
This is a service of covenant renewal worship. This means that we believe we have assembled here to renew covenant with God. But it is important for us to understand the nature of this renewal. We are not renewing covenant because “if we don’t” it will somehow expire. We are not renewing covenant the way …
Calvinist and Zwinglian
What do we believe is happening here? What do we think about the bread and wine. We obviously think that it is important because we observe the Supper every week. But what is the nature of this importance? The Roman Catholic position is that the elements are actually turned into the body and blood of …
Ordinary Means, Extraordinary Results
We come here to eat and drink. But this is not food from our cupboards at home—this is heavenly food. But it is not heavenly food because there is anything ethereal or magic about the food itself—this is ordinary wine and this is ordinary bread. So how then is it extraordinary? If this is ordinary …
Primarily Food, Not Medicine
We speak a great deal about the grace of contentment. But there is a discontent that can be healthy, and that of course would be a discontent with the level of Christian maturity in your life. But even here we must be extremely careful. I said that this discontent can be healthy, but most of …
All Together Now
We have a tremendous privilege here—two congregations are seated together, partaking of the Lord’s Supper together. This is an emblem, a sign, a small statement of a much more glorious statement—one that actually occurs in the heavenly realms all the time. In the power of the Spirit, all the churches of Christ throughout the world …
The Lord’s Kindness is Here
We have been talking about the problem of the nagging conscience. A sin has been bothering you, a sin that you can’t seem to deal with. If you have a besetting sin, a sin that you keep committing—whether it is irritation with the kids, or attitudes of envy and lust, or discontent in your job—these …
Strength to be Humble
Last week I urged you to come freely to this Table, even if there is a sin gnawing at your conscience, and you know that you have not done what you ought to have done to put that sin right. You know that you need to, and you even know that you are going to. …