Visible Sermons

Why is it that countless American school-children memorize the Gettysburg Address each year? Is it a simple civics lesson? An opportunity to learn about the Civil War, a turning point in American history? Yes, it is each of those things, but also much more. The memorization of that short (just two-minute) speech is also an act of identity formation. It is a chance for students to connect to both the ideals and the aspirations of the people who founded this country. This is how Lincoln begins his speech:

“Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.”

The Gettysburg Address provides an opportunity for every American child who remembers its words to internalize the values and aspirations of their country. As they recite the address, it becomes a part of them.

When the church goes through its liturgy each week, whether it be “high” or “low,” its people are engaging in similar identity formation, through a reenactment of the life of Christ and his call to the church. When we perform the sacraments, we also engage in identity formation, from baptism to the Lord’s Supper. We are reminded of our sin, God’s sending of His Son, and the sacrifice that leads to our reconciliation with the Father. All of this done through the power of the Holy Spirit at work within us.

This goes against my normal of Expository preaching and it is certainly more topical, but I really want us to get this right because I think so often we undervalue the two gifts Jesus has given to us in bap and LS.

I think it is important to really nail down these two things in the context of understanding Exodus and God’s covenants with Israel. We have to get it right how the OT and NT are together. They aren’t two separate workings of God…they are the one unified story of redemption.

The Old Testament and New Testament are not two separate workings of God, they are the one unified story of redemption.

We will not have time to dive into the development of these sacraments through the history of the church.

To answer questions like why do some Bible believing churches baptize infants rather than adults.

Why do some sprinkle or pour while we immerse?

This morning, what I want to do is to help us to understand the role of these ordinances in our worship, rather than to go into great depth on the development and meaning of each. Instead of a traditional application at the end of the sermon, we will come to the table of the Lord together.

You know, I learned many things from Danny Offenbacker through the years…he had a very unique way of teaching that I always seemed to connect with. Danny was a master at using object lessons in his teaching. A couple of his lessons really stand out in my memory.

One involved black ink that represented sin…and during the lesson he would smear this ink all over his face…and of course only Christ could clean that stain at the end of the lesson. Another involved that old science experiment of lighting a piece of paper on fire in a bottle and sucking an egg through the mouth of the bottle. This illustrated the way temptation sucks us in.

Visual aids are often a great way to learn and to remember things.

Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are, in part, visual aids.

Like most sermons, there are really three audiences…the individual, the corporate body, and those on the outside looking in. So, these visible sermons instituted by Christ which we are commanded to follow do address each of those groups, the individual, the corporate body, and those on the outside.

That is what I want to do this morning, to look at the ordinances of the church through those three lenses.

Just a quick word of clarification…you may hear me refer to these two ceremonies as ordinances or as sacraments. I am using those two words interchangeably…knowing full well that each term carries its own baggage.

My use of the term sacrament should not be confused in any way with the Roman Catholic understanding of the same word.

The Church of Rome sees these two sacraments (among 5 others) as being dispensaries of grace.

My use of the term is to affirm that these are ceremonies commanded by Jesus himself for the church to follow and that through them there is a measure of blessing that comes from obedience to his commands and the mutual edification and fellowship that they create…along with their testimony to the world. The grace of God only comes through faith in Jesus Christ, not through ceremony or sacrament performed by the church.

Baptism

Let’s first look to the subject of baptism.

We looked last week at how Baptism, is a public testimony in obedience to Christ’s command. It symbolizes our death, burial, and resurrection in Christ and our union with him…a visible sermon of our new life…dying to sin, and being raised to newness of life.

This is the believer’s personal identification with the Lord Jesus Christ. In obedience through baptism we affirm the repentant paradigm shift in our own lives where Jesus Christ becomes Lord and our source of power and godliness.

It is, in so many ways, the final laying down of arms for the rebel who turns their allegiance to the King Jesus.

We teach that baptism in no way saves. Rather, it is a public testimony and act of submission to Christ that follows one’s profession of faith. Only God’s grace saves, through faith in Christ. Baptism should strengthen and affirm our faith. It should reflect outwardly, one’s inward testimony. But

Baptism isn’t only about the individual, it also has a testimony to the church.

Acts 10, I’ll begin with verse 44,

While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles. For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter declared, “Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to remain for some days.

Here we have the Holy Spirit falling on the Gentiles for the first time…and what do we see immediately? Baptism.

You see, the Jewish Christians seeing the work of God among the gentiles could find no reason to not baptize. Therefore, baptism was a great testimony to the church. Even when Peter met resistance from other Jewish believers who weren’t there…his answer in chapter 11 really shows something powerful…

If then God gave the same gift to them as he gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God's way?” When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.” The testimony and baptism of the Gentile believers led the church to praise God for his faithfulness.

Have you ever noticed that during baptism services we always seem to clap? Baptisms are joyous…the atmosphere is lively. Why is that? Because we recognize what it symbolizes. Someone who was dead in sin has been given new life.

It’s almost like a birthday party…a celebration of what God is doing in a person’s life. Yet, we should also recognize that not all people who are baptized get to celebrate and have cake…for many of our brothers and sisters around the world…baptism is, while an act of obedience to Christ, an act of disobedience to the government or religious leaders.

For many baptism brings about great hardship and persecution. We need to recognize the blessing we have to enjoy, while remembering to pray for our brethren who’s public profession is potentially far more costly, earthly speaking.

Finally, for the sacrament of baptism let’s look at the testimony it gives to the outside world looking in. In Acts 2:37-41

Acts 2:37–41 ESV

37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” 40 And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” 41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.

Since baptism is a visual representation of an inward reality…the testimony of a new believer symbolically dying to their old self and being raised as a new man or woman in Christ is a powerful message to the unbelieving world.

In our individualistic, ego-centric society…for a person to declare that Jesus is Lord and obey him in baptism is a bold and powerful statement…and one that God uses to proclaim the gospel.

Baptism is one of those first opportunities for a believer to begin giving off that sweet fragrance of the knowledge of God to the world.

The Lord’s Supper

Let’s now shift our focus to the Lord’s Supper. Jesus instituted this command during the Passover meal just before the crucifixion. In Matthew 26 we read,

Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom.”

The Lord’s Supper is God’s ratification of what the gospel teaches

…it is a confirmation for us that Jesus’ sacrifice and resurrection are the reality of our faith.

It accompanies the preached word as a sign and seal of God’s promises.

I mentioned last week that it is like a wedding ceremony…intentions are declared…vows are made…but then what? Rings are given as a symbol and seal of what has been said…a visual representation of the truth being proclaimed.

One author wrote, “In both sacraments, the emphasis falls squarely upon God’s sovereign oath: “I will be your God and you will be my people”

In the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper, the emphasis falls squarely upon what God has done for sinners in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ, and not upon the strength of a sinner’s faith…

At the heart of the sacraments is God’s gracious covenant promise to be our God and that we will be His people, a promise that is ratified again whenever we receive the sacraments through faith. Once the promise of the Gospel is declared to God’s people from the pages of His Word, that Gospel promise is then ratified through the sacraments.”

Go online and find a picture of a cute-looking kitten. Apparently, half the Internet is made up of cat photos, so this shouldn’t be too hard. Print it out and then pin it on a dart board. You can probably see what’s coming. Now throw darts at it. Me-OW!

Those of you of a certain callous disposition might relish this idea. But what about the rest of us? Most of us instinctively hesitate to throw the dart. But why? It is, after all, just a piece of paper. No actual kittens were harmed in the making of this exercise. What’s going on?

“It’s clear why we would be reluctant to hurt an actual kitten, but why do we find it hard to harm a photo of a kitten?

It’s not just kitten photos that have this effect.

…In one sense symbols and signs have no intrinsic value: a photo is just a piece of paper; a flag is just a piece of cloth. But intuitively we know they are much more than the materials from which they’re made. We invest them with meaning, and that meaning is, well, meaningful—they are full of meaning. There can be a real and strong link between signs and the things they signify.

Baptism is “just” water. Communion is “just” bread and wine. But there is no “just” about it. The sacraments are full of meaning. They have power.

What are the individual benefits of partaking in the Lord’s Supper?

We mentioned this briefly last week. Our own BFC Articles of faith say this, “Those who worthily partake in this remembrance of Him feed upon Him to their spiritual nourishment and growth in grace” The Lord’s Supper, then, provides spiritual nourishment. Last week we looked at John 6. I’ll begin in verse 53,

So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.

So we have Jesus giving us a foretaste here of what he will institute toward the end of his earthly ministry. The Lord’s Supper gives the individual an internal confirmation that the benefits of the gospel are real and our faith in Christ is affirmed.

But, I really do not want to say a whole lot about the individual blessings of participation in the Lord’s Supper, because I truly believe that it should not be thought of primarily as a individual activity.

Jonathan Leeman said it well, “the Lord’s Supper is not just an individual activity, it’s a corporate activity. It’s how the church both declares Christ’s death and affirms one another as the body of Christ. It’s not a super-charged quiet time or special moment between you and Jesus. Yes, it’s between you and Jesus, but it’s also between you and Jesus’ people, the church.”

In 1 Corinthians 10, Paul writes

The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.

The Lord’s Supper is our family meal…

Think of your own family, or families you know. Everyone gathers together at the birth of a baby…people come to congratulate the parents and meet the new member of the family. But your larger family also gets together around the holiday season. Where baptism is like the birth of a new member of the family, the Lord’s supper is like our thanksgiving meal…it is that reminder that we are family and are joined together by blood relation…though this is not our blood but Christ’s.

So, when we monthly come to the table together we are making an affirmation, that we are a family and that we are in spiritual union with one another thorough our union with Christ.

This should strengthen our faith and our love for one another. As we look around at the others who are partaking with us, we see how similar we really are.

The Lord’s Supper is our opportunity to affirm our faith together while we both individually and corporately proclaim Christ’s death until he comes again for his bride.

But, in relation to the world…this meal is not open to all. We make it very clear, because the scriptures do, that this celebration of remembrance is only for those who have trusted Christ alone for salvation…for those who are truly children of God through faith in Christ.

Some churches, especially in history have made communion an entirely private service only for members of the church held at a different time. While I understand how they arrive there theologically, I do have to disagree.

We want those who do not yet believe to see the Lord’s Supper…but they cannot partake. Thus, the testimony to the unbelieving world is that this exclusivity means something…it means that we believe something they do not…and the picture of the gospel it gives proclaims the truth of what they need to be saved.

A friend of mine reminded me this week how during the first passover in Egypt, the areas in Egypt where the Israelites lived would have smelled like cooking lamb. We know how smells travel, especially BBQ. You can imagine how Egyptians would not be able to ignore what was happening among the Israelites.

We don’t want people to be able to ignore what Jesus is doing for his church.

I can remember the first few family meals with my wife’s family when we started dating. You are in some sense uncomfortable, yet feel welcomed…you don’t understand the background to their stories, don’t understand their unique family customs, but then one day you become a “part of the family” right?

Those stories become yours, their little unique way of doing things no longer seem foreign. Such as it is with the Lord’s Supper…the unbelieving world looks upon our meal and doesn’t understand. But, once they become part of the family they join in the meal and can partake freely.

Because, the reality is the scripture warns of judgment for those who do not take this ceremony seriously. We should take a few moments to talk about the worthy manner in which the Lord’s Supper should be taken. Paul mentions this in 1 Corinthians 11:27-29

1 Corinthians 11:27–29 ESV

27 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.

So, Paul instructs us not to partake unworthily but to examine ourselves. These phrases have been often misunderstood and taken out of context throughout the history of the church.

So, lets look at this instruction in context. What were the Corinthians doing wrong that led Paul to say this?

Ultimately it was an issue of unity.

The church was not united when it came together for the Lord’s Supper. People were acting selfishly and overindulging while others in the congregation had nothing.

One commentator noted, ” The “worthiness” of which Paul speaks is adverbial, not adjectival. That is, it does not describe the people who participate but the manner in which they do so.

We are all, every one of us, unworthy of the love that invites us to the Lord’s Table.

We do not examine ourselves to see whether we are worthy or whether we have done anything to make us more worthy since last we participated in the sacrament. But we do examine ourselves to make sure that our eating and drinking are worthy, that we have a title and a right to be at the table, and that our taking the bread and wine is appropriate and fitting”

When we examine ourselves before communion, we need to be asking whether or not our manner of life reflects the character of Christ in relationships in the church. Are we coming to the table understanding that this is a family meal and our relationships need to be characterized by love and sacrifice for one another, not selfishness and quarreling.

You will recall Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 5:23-24,

So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

The point is this…examining oneself has far more to do with our relationships and character within the body of Christ than it does about our inward struggle with sin.

Think about it, what is the Lord’s Supper portraying…the sacrifice of Christ for our sin. A humble repentant sinner coming to the table remembering Jesus’ words, love, and grace is exactly what should be happening. The Heidelberg Catechism asks the question “For whom is the Lord’s Supper instituted?” the first part of the answer reads:

For those who are truly sorrowful for their sins, and yet trust that these are forgiven them for the sake of Christ, and that their remaining infirmities are covered by his passion and death, and who also earnestly desire to have their faith more and more strengthened, and their lives more holy.

And now, as we daily die to our sins and live of life characterized by repentance and faith we look to our Lord who alone is our salvation. We come to the table and find peace…we come to the table and find forgiveness…we come to the table and be spiritually nourished together with your brothers and sisters in mutual love and affection that comes only though our unified testimony of the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

These two visible signs of God’s covenant with us are important to the life of every believer. I want to encourage you moving forward to see the supper as more than just something we do on the first Sunday of the month.

I want to encourage you to see it as a feast you would never want to miss…as a unique opportunity that happens nowhere else. Jesus communes with the church gathered. We come around his table and He feeds us.

That’s a dinner date I just cant imagine missing…and can’t imagine not wanting to get the most out of it I can.

Likewise, baptism is an important step of obedience in the life of a believer. If that is something you would like to speak to me about, I invite you to come and talk.

Our Great Shepherd

Above all church, this is why this is so important to our understanding of Exodus. These two ordinances are not just something to be taken for granted…they are direct actions by God to shepherd His flock.

These are shepherding actions by God.

Jesus says His sheep know His voice…His sheep follow him. Baptism identifies us with the great shepherd.

As we’ve seen, God feeds us in the supper…another shepherding function.

And here’s the thing…shepherds were not well liked…especially in NT times. They were seen as dirty outcasts. They lived with animals…smelled like animals…and it is that picture that Jesus uses to describe himself to the church.

Baptism and the Lord’s Supper remind us that Jesus, our Chief Shepherd, does not keep us at arms length…no, he comes near. He feeds, he protects, he guides.

Next week the wilderness journey begins. We wander with Israel through the desert on the way to the sea with Egypt in pursuit.

If God doesn’t lead them, they will die. But, God shepherds Israel...

So be encouraged this morning. Remember your baptism…look forward to the Lord’s Supper. Understand that Jesus has come in the flesh to dwell among us…and he has given us himself to die that we might live.

To Him be the glory.