The Sacraments

Introduction

We are deep into our catechism sermon series now, and last week we talked about the importance of the Holy Scriptures.

We learned that they were God-breathed, and a gift of the Holy Spirit.

We acknowledged that we are so fortunate to have a copy of them available to us whenever we would like to read them.

Today, we are going to talk about the sacraments of the Methodist church.

But first, what is a sacrament?

A sacrament is a Christian rite. They are outward and visible signs of inward, invisible grace.

In the Global Methodist Church, we recognize two sacraments: Baptism and Holy Communion.

Christ mandated that Christians observe both Baptism and Holy Communion.

Both of these sacraments are a means of grace.

They are ways that God communicates his love and pours out his grace on us.

Now let’s take a look at each sacrament more closely.

Baptism

The first one we will look at is baptism.

Now, I grew up in the Baptist Church. First Baptist Church in Midland, TX to be exact.

And when I tell you that baptism was an event, I am not exaggerating!

In the sanctuary, the choir loft was behind the main stage and the pulpit.

On the back wall was like a doorway, with a big cross that covered the whole opening.

Well, when there was a baptism, the lights would come down, it was dark, then there would be a spotlight on that doorway with the cross.

Then, all of a sudden, the doors with the cross would split open, and behind it was the baptismal pool!

It was lit up blue-ish green, and the water was shining and reflecting on the pastor in his white robe and waders.

It was a sight to behold!

One of those times I got to dress in my white gown, descend the steps into the pool, and was baptized one Sunday before the whole congregation.

Now, baptism here at Faith Methodist will most likely not be anything quite so theatrical as it was at First Baptist Church in Midland, TX!

But just because we don’t have automatic doors and a lit-up pool does not mean baptism is any less important in the Methodist Church.

So what is baptism?

Well, the idea of baptism began with the law of Moses when God commanded the priests to wash themselves before entering the temple so that they might be cleansed.

The word Baptism isn’t actually used in the Old Testament, but we see where washing of the body was representative of the washing away of sins.

In Matthew, we encounter John the Baptist who was baptizing people in the Jordan River and encouraging them to repent of their sins.

John’s baptizing was a symbolic washing to prepare people for the coming of Jesus the Messiah.

Jesus himself was baptized by John, and he received the Holy Spirit and was acknowledged by God as his son.

Jesus, in the great commission, commands us to make disciples and to baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

So what does water have to do with our sins?

Well, baptism is the initiation of a believer into the family of God.

Baptism is a symbol. When we go under the water, we are symbolizing our death with Christ to our sin, and when we come up out of the water, we are symbolizing our new life in Christ and our resurrection from the dead.

Baptism is a symbol of Christ’s saving work within us!

The words for a service of baptism are this:

“The Holy Spirit work within you, that being born through water and the Spirit, you may be a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ.”

Baptism is the beginning of the Christian life!

Baptism is a symbol, but we also believe that it is more than a symbol, and that God is the actor in Baptism.

The pastor is merely the hands and feet of God, who works within the heart of the candidate and gives his grace.

Baptism is a means of God’s grace.

Methodists also believe that baptism should only be done once in a believer’s life - even if it was as an infant or child.

That’s right, Methodists believe in infant baptism. But why is that?

Because for us, baptism is not a profession of our faith, it is a sacrament and a means of God’s grace.

When we baptize a child or infant, we are asking God to do his work within that child through the Holy Spirit.

Just as an infant is not able to understand or bring about their own salvation, we as adults cannot bring about our salvation either! Only God can do this.

We are asking God to claim this child for himself and to work within the heart of that child throughout their life.

We see numerous examples of entire households being baptized in the book of Acts through the work of the disciples.

We have to imagine that some of these members would have been infants and children.

Something else important to note is that baptism is not the same as salvation.

Just because we are baptized or we baptize our child does not mean that they are saved.

Salvation comes through faith and repentance.

Children who are baptized must later make faith personal before they can claim salvation for themselves.

Holy Communion

Now let’s shift our focus to the second sacrament, Holy Communion.

This is also called the Eucharist or the Lord’s Supper. Each name is correct and can be used interchangeably.

As Methodists, we understand that the celebration of The Lord’s Supper began with the Passover Feast that Jesus celebrated with his disciples the night before his death.

Luke 22:19–20 NIV

19 And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 20 In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.

Jesus talks about the New Covenant in his blood, and what he means by this, is that his death pays the price for all of our sins, and whoever believes that Jesus is the son of God and that he died for their sins, will inherit eternal life.

The bread that we share at Communion is a symbol of Jesus’ body that was broken on the cross.

The wine or juice that we drink is a symbol of Jesus’ blood that was poured out on the cross for us.

We also see the Lord’s Supper as a symbol of the heavenly banquet in heaven that we will all partake in.

However, as Methodists, we do not see the Lord’s Supper as simply symbolic.

We believe that God supernaturally acts on our behalf and gives us his grace each time we partake in the Lord’s Supper.

We cannot explain what takes place when we eat the bread and drink from the cup, but we acknowledge that it is a holy mystery.

Holy Communion is our response to Jesus’ invitation to meet him at the table.

Holy Communion is for us! It is a gift of God that is designed to sustain us in our Christian walk.

It is our spiritual food.

When we eat together at the Lord’s Table, we are also unified as the body of Christ.

Not just those of us gathered here together today, but all believers everywhere from the beginning of the church until now.

John Wesley taught that we should aim to partake in The Lord’s Supper “as often as possible.”

Now, that may seem like a strange thing to us, after all, as Methodists we are accustomed to celebrating the Lord’s Supper once a month.

That tradition did not actually come from John Wesley!

That came out of necessity in America because the circuit riders, the pastors who traveled on horseback from parish to parish on the frontier, were only in town once a month!

Since they were the only ones qualified to give Holy Communion, it was only celebrated once a month, and that tradition has sort of stuck.

John Wesley would tell us that it is absolutely appropriate and even necessary to partake each week of the Holy Meal.

He believed that The Lord’s Supper was a way that God sanctifies us by his grace.

The Lord’s Supper is also a means of God’s grace.

To use an analogy of a hospital, baptism is like the medicine that we take when we are ill and first come to the hospital.

Holy Communion is like the vitamins that we take each day after to stay well. It sustains us in our walk with Christ!

Conclusion

The sacraments are two of the most important acts that we can participate in in the Methodist Church.

We must see them as more than just symbols, more than rituals, and more than just tradition.

These are gifts given to us by God himself, for our benefit!

God himself presides over the sacraments!

They are ways that we receive God’s grace in our everyday life.

So, remember your baptism, and be thankful.

If you have not been baptized, see me after the service!

Now, let us remember Christ our Lord as we celebrate Holy Communion together!