Ordinances of the Church

Good morning everyone…I hope you all had a great week and are happy about being back here this morning. I know I am super excited to be here because we get to be together and worship together as a family. I love Sunday mornings becuase its like a little family reunion every single week. Especially now that we have our coffee and treats back so that we can fellowship around food :) You know thats a good deal for me ;)… Anyway, I would also like to take a moment to welcome those of you that are joining us online. Whether you are in Ogle county or somewhere else we are honored that you chose to spend your Sunday morning here with us. If you are listening to this some time besides Sunday morning, then we pray this will be a blessing to you as you continue to grow in your relationship with God. Those of you in Ogle county we would like to invite you to join us in person every Sunday at 930 am as we gather for live worship, prayer and teaching.

Hey, we have started a new month and that means that the kids are starting a new topic in their classes. Speaking of their classes, right now the kids are back in their classroom and they are studying based on what they can understand and they are learning to become little disciples while we are all in here doing the same thing. How cool is that! Then we will be having our Bible Studies where we will be studying different topics. that will both encourage and challenge you to grow as a disciple yourself. I love so much that we are working to study and grow as believers and that we get to do that together here in person.

So for the last couple of weeks we have been in this series called We are the church. We did another series a couple of years ago by the same name where we focused on what church membership looks like. Well, this year as we go through this series we are looking more at the existence of the church. A couple of weeks ago when we started this we looked at the nature of the church. We talked about the visible and invisible church. We also talked about the local and the universal church. It was really good to look at that and discover what some of these terms meant, and also meditate on where we fit in the church. Then last week we talked about the purpose of the church. If you remember we said that the three main purposes are to exalt God, to edify believers, and to evangelize the lost. We also took a moment to meditate on whether we are individually focused on those goals so that we can be a church that is also focused on those goals. Well, today we are looking at the ordinances of the church. In other words, what are the things that happen within the church that are truly a uniquely special part of the life of the church.

However, before we dive too deep in today I want to share with you something that I read this week. I think it is pretty good, and timely as we are going through this particular series. So, there is a guy by the name of J. Mack Stiles. Now, Mr. Stiles has an interesting story as he is the pastor of a church in Iraq. He used to be the CEO of a technology company called Gulf Digital Solutions. He was also instrumental working with Christian students in the United Arab Emirates. Anyway, he left his position with Digital Gulf Solutions to pastor and focus on ministry with his life. He gives a great definition of the church that I think really speaks to what we are talking about through this series. He says,

“The church is the God-ordained local assembly of believers who have committed themselves to each other. They gather regularly, they teach the Word, celebrate communion and baptism, discipline their members, establish a biblical structure of leadership, they pray and give together.” —J Mack Stiles

So, when I read this, I really appreciated his boldness and clarity in what he says. The church is not a social club or a place to go and get excited about how awesome you are. It is an assembly of believers. This is pretty cut and dry. The idea of gathering to teach the Word and celebrate and care for each other is exactly what we have been talking about over the last few weeks, and will continue to talk about today and next week as well. Actually, in this quote we see the two ordinances of the church, or some would say the sacraments of the church. In order to fully understand what these are, we kind of need to understand the concept of the ordinance of the church. Gregg Allison writes,

An ordinance is a Christian rite, associated with tangible elements (water; bread and wine), that is celebrated by the church of Jesus Christ. The term is closely associated with the word sacrament, which is an outward and visible sign of an inward and invisible grace.— Gregg Allison

The two ordinances that Protestant churches would recognize are Baptism, and Communion (or Lord’s Supper). Now, there is actually alot going on with these two concepts, and so I am going to try to stay out of the weeds while I let you know some of the Biblical and theological consequences of these events, as well as some of the other beliefs around these events. You should know however, that these ordinances, and even the number of ordinances is where many beliefs systems would diverge in their teaching. For instance, the Catholic church would hold to seven ordinances, while Orthodox churches would consider the ordinances to be without number, meaning there are always more to find…However, like I said before, Protestant churches (meaning churches that came out of the Catholic protests of the 1500’s , would hold to two ordinances. So, that is what we are going to focus on this morning.

Let’s get started this morning with the first ordinance of...

Baptism

Baptism is a pretty important ordinance that we should think about and fully understand the purpose of. Baptism comes from the greek word “Baptizo”, which means to immerse, or to dip. This is a term that when used in that time would have been used to refer to something like dipping fabric into dye, or the immersion of a person into water. However, then in the New Testament it took on a bit of a figurative meaning that woudl show the closeness of two individual people.

1 Corinthians 10:2 ESV

and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea,

Pauls uses this language in order to show the solidarity of the Israelites with their God ordained spokesman and leader, Moses. So, you see there is a range of understanding of the word baptism. However, there are really three types of baptism that many people refer to. First we will look at

Spirit Baptism

This is what some of our Christian brothers and sisters will use to refer to the moments when Christ empowers you to do some particular thing. I have spoken with a friend years ago and he told me that he understood that Baptist didn’t believe in Spirit Baptism. So, I asked him to explain to me what he was referring to. Essentially, he was referring to the moment when you, as a believer, feel the power of God in your life such that it produces a particular feeling. My friend went on to tell me that that feeling is actually the baptism of the Holy Spirit and is how God works in our lives. So, when you are about to witness to someone and you get this powerful feeling, then that is the baptism of the holy spirit. I thought that was a little funny, but I told him we actually believe God works in our lives, I just wouldn’t equate the baptism of the Holy Spirit with some special feeling. Other Christian brothers and sisters would refer to the baptism of the Spirit as evidence by speaking in tongues or preforming some healing miracle or something to that effect. The problem is that is not exactly backed up by Scripture.

Now, frequently the passage in Acts will be used where Peter and the Apostles begin teaching and something like a tongue of fire is seen over their heads as evidence that the spirit baptism is something unique. However, that is the only place that we see that happen, and that was a unique moment in time as the New Testament church was being birthed. Many will claim that actually spirit baptism is like this, and it actually separates the spiritual elite from the ordinary Christian. They will go on to say that all should strive to become the spiritual elite. The problem is that the Spirit baptism is something completely different according to Scripture itself.

Let’s read,

1 Corinthians 12:13 ESV

For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.

You see, in this passage we can see that there is no separate level of beleivers. That we were all baptized into one body. This is using the same phraseology as Paul used to connect the Israelites and Moses. This is not a special level of Christianity. You see, Spirit baptism occurs only once, at the moment of salvation, and should not be sought as a secondary, postconversion experience. That singular Spirit baptism occurs at conversion, when the believer is born again and placed into the Spirit’s sanctifying power and indwelling presence. In other words, when you are saved, there is a moment when the Holy Spirit joins with you…This is the spirit baptism.

Next we should look briefly at the concept of

Paedo-Baptism:

Ok, this is a fancy word that basically just means child baptism. I spend much time on this topic, as there are no Scriptures that would encourage this particular belief. Now, in the Catholic view infant baptism is important as their is a belief that baptism is necessary for salvation, and that the very act of baptism causes regeneration. Basically, they will teach that baptism is how the churches gives saving grace to people. Since they teach that this is how salvation is experienced, then why would they not give it to everyone, including kids and infants.

This was one of the primary concerns that Martin Luther had with the Catholic church that caused the Protestant Reformation. Luther taught, as Scripture confirms that salvation is by faith alone, and not makes on works. Actually, we see this primarily in

Ephesians 2:8–9 ESV

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

There is another view of Paedo-Baptism and that is a protestant view. There are many brothers and sisters who would argue that child baptism is important even in the Baptist belief, but more common in Lutheran, Episcopalian, Methodist, and Presbyterian. This view would say that infant baptism is something that should occur for all children of parents who have faith. In this particular view, they will see a parallel between baptism and circumcision. We know that children were circumcised in the Old Covenant, therefore it would follow that children would be baptized in the New Covenant. This parallel is seen in

Colossians 2:11–12 ESV

In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.

The thoughts of protestants who practice Paedo-Baptism is that as parents you are blessing your children and they are entering into the covenant community under your care. However, this alone is not cause to follow this particular practice. First of all, it is important to remember that while these are paralleled, they are not the same, just as the Old Covenant and the New Covenant are parallel’s, they are different as well. This leads us to the belief that we hold here at LRBC, that of...

Believers Baptism:

The best way to open this up is to just listen to the words of John MacArther,

“In order to symbolize that internal reality of salvation, the New Testament calls believers to be baptized in water as a public testimony to their faith in and solidarity with the Lord Jesus. Water baptism, then, is the outward, postconversion demonstration of an inward reality that has already occurred at conversion.” —John MacArther

Then we look at

1 Peter 3:21 ESV

Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,

This verse clarifies something else for us as well. You see, there is a segment of people that will teach that Baptism actually is a salving action. In other words, you are not actually saved as a follower of Christ until the moment you have been baptized. Well, this passage shows us that this is not the physical action of being baptized that causes faith, as the Catholic Priest would teach. No, it salvation happens through the acceptance of Christ sacrifice, and baptism is only the physical manifestation of what has happened already spiritually. Basically, baptism is the first act of obedience of a Christian. As a matter of fact, let’s look at

Acts 2:38 ESV

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.

Now, this is in response to a large group of people asking what to do as they have realized their need for Jesus. R. 3:28 tells us that

Romans 3:28 ESV

For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.

One is justified by faith, not works. We looked at that earlier as well when we look at Ephesians. You see, if my obedience in baptism is what caused my salvation, then I can easily say thatI saved myself through baptism. However, that could not be further from the truth. We are saved, through faith!

Acts 16:30–31 ESV

Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”

You see, while some passages will actually say “repent and be baptized” we know that the only one needed for salvation is repentance, otherwise, every single passage that discusses salvation would teach to repent and be baptized. However, we also know that baptism is an act of obedience to God, otherwise it would never be discussed. As a matter of fact, even Jesus was baptized as an example to follow, as well as to fulfill all righteousness…We read that in Matt 3:15 when Jesus is responding to John.

Matthew 3:15 ESV

But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented.

Listen, even though baptism does not produce salvation, it is closely associated with it. In the book of Acts, those who believed were baptized immediately, indicating that it should closely follow a genuine profession of faith. Believers are to be baptized “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”. This isn’t a formula but an acknowledgment of the union believers have with the triune God through faith in Christ. This is the first act of obedience and a way to acknowledge openly and publicly your commitment to Christ in the same way as the early Church did.

Now, I know that there are some here, and maybe online, that have not currently experienced believers baptism. There are some here that may even disagree with what I have said here regarding a baptism that they experienced as an infant. All I can point you to this morning is the reality that Scripture does in fact teach that we are to be baptized as beleivers as an act of faith, not as a means of faith. We see that in the passages that we have covered this morning. Additionally, there may be some here that are beginning to wonder if you should in fact follow Jesus in baptism. To that I would answer, yes you should. If you are here and you have made a commitment to follow Jesus and surrender yourself to him, and you have never been baptized, can you really say that you are following Jesus with your life, or have you been holding back a little? Look, I would love to discuss this with you on a personal basis, so please connect with me and let’s talk about this baptism and if this is a step that you should be making at this point in your life. I will tell you however, that I was already a youth pastor in a church when I realized that i had never been baptized as a believer, and the first thing I did was schedule that to happen...

This is important stuff, but it is not the most important. You see, there is another ordinance that we will discuss briefly as a church this morning and that is...

Communion

Now, by God’s grace he scheduled this particular sermon on a day that we are planning to worship through communion, and that is fantastic as we will immediately practice what we are talking about today. I am going to go pretty quickly over this however, as I have already used my time talking about baptism this morning. :)

Since communion is something that we experience at least monthly here at LRBC it is not a new concept. However, I remember on my very first Sunday here at LRBC we had communion and I spoke briefly about what communion. This morning we get to remember a little about what communion is and what it isn’t.

First of all, I want to share with you several differing views of Communion. Throughout church history there has been 4 main views of communion. We will look at them briefly this morning.

Transubstantiation:

So, this is the view that is largely held by the Catholic Church. This view says that the elements of communion, the bread and juice, are transformed into the real body and blood of Christ as the moment of the priests blessing. This view is based on Jesus’s words saying “This is by body…This is my blood”. This view actually causes the Catholic church to celebrate the literal sacrifice of Christ every time they offer communion as a church. This view is not supported by Scripture, only by superstition and tradition. Next is...

Consubstantiation (Real Presence):

This view is a softening of the Catholic view that was incorporated by Martin Luther. While Luther rejected transubstantiation, he did maintain and teach that the body and blood of Christ are literally present with, in and under the elements of communion. This is a view that id definitely better than the literal sacrifice of Christ every time you take communion, it does not give any consideration to the symbolism in Jesus’ statements.

Then we go on to look at the final two and these two are actually compatible, Ill show you how. lets take a look at...

Spiritual Presence:

This is a view that was born out of further distancing themselves from the Catholic views of transubstantiation and believing that Luther did not go far enough. This view that was taught by John Calvin says that, although Christ is not physically present in the celebration of Communion, he is nonetheless spiritually present. Now, this is a very true statement and I’m ok with this meaning as we know that Christ is spiritually present with all beleivers at all times. However, this teaching alone has led some to a more mystical belief system that is generally unhelpful. Therefore, we will end with this final teaching of communion...

Memorial Celebration:

This is an amazing view as we can combine the idea of spiritual presence with the original teaching of Jesus saying, “Do this in remembrance of me”. When all the biblical texts are considered, the Lord’s Table is best understood as a memorial celebration that strengthens believers in their walk with Christ. We even see Paul teaching this same concept as he encourages the church in Corinth to participate in Communion. Actually, let’s read about communion this morning in

1 Corinthians 11:23–34 ESV

For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. 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. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world. So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one another— if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home—so that when you come together it will not be for judgment. About the other things I will give directions when I come.

Look, communion is such an important aspect of being the church. This is one of only two things that Jesus left us by way of church ordinances. Communion, and Baptism are the only two things that are set and will not, or cannot ever be removed from the life of the church. Today we will celebrate the last meal that Jesus had with his disciples. However, I want to explain a little bit about what this should actually be. You see, many times people use Communion as a time of simple self reflection and it becomes a somber time that we focus on our sin and how we relate to God. However, I believe that there is actually a lot more to the Lord’s table than that. I believe that there are 6 things that we should be focusing on as we receive communion. Im going to go over these 6 things briefly. For this morning I want to ask that everyone here really reflect on one of these 6 things as you receive today. Reflect and pray or praise accordingly as you take and eat.

First all all...

Look Within:

Examine whether you have any sinful relational tensions with a fellow church member and however it depends on you, make it right.

Look Back:

Remember Jesus’ “cross work” and praise him for what he accomplished.

Look Up:

Celebrate your union with Christ.

Look Around:

Celebrate your union with one another

Look Outward:

Proclaim the Gospel to any unbelievers present (including your kids) …and lastly,

Look Forward:

Anticipate that Jesus is actually coming back.

--Prayer--

So with all of this said I am going to ask that Avolene play some music for us as we each take the time to stand up and walk up to the front and retrieve the elements and then return to your seats. As you are waking to get the elements begin reflecting.

Then Jesus said…

Bread: This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

Juice: This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”

—prayer—