What Are the Ordinances & Why Are They Important

Lord’s Supper

An ordinance is a ceremonial act that Christ has commanded his Church to perform (Gregg Allison, HT 611). The ordinances act as visible signs and seals of the promises of salvation in Jesus Christ and demonstrate our faith and obedience toward God (Francis Turretin, 3:339).

The HS, the Word, & faith are necessary to enjoy the blessings of the ordinances. (Allison, 323)

“…the office of the sacraments differs not from the word of God; and this is to hold forth and offer Christ to us, and, in him, the treasures of heavenly grace. They confer nothing, and avail nothing, if not received in faith...” —Calvin, Institutes IV:14:17 (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson), 851.

Baptism vs LS — baptism is about our new birth in Christ, LS is about our continuing life in Christ; baptism is passive (we are baptized into), LS is active (take & eat/drink)

1. Luke 22:19 – Jesus has given us LS by a command.

When we neglect the Lord’s Supper we sin by omission

— if you don’t gather with the Church, you are not obeying the clear command to keep the Lord’s Supper

— if you come to Sunday school but don’t remain for the service, you are not obeying the command to keep the Lord’s Supper

— if church is what you do on Sunday as long as nothing else is on the calendar, the odds are good that your obedience will be spotty at best

2. 1Cor 11:24-25 – LS is a sign (1Cor 11:24-26) & seal (1Cor 10:16-17) of the promise of salvation.

Sign– signifies the death

Seal–

We should be saying in our hearts, “As sure as I see and touch and taste this bread and this wine, so sure is it that Jesus Christ is not a fancy but a fact, that he is for real, and that he offers me himself to be my Savior, my Bread of Life, and my Guide to glory. He has left me this rite, this gesture, this token, this ritual action as a guarantee of this grace; He instituted it, and it is a sign of life-giving union with him, and I’m taking part in it, and thus I know that I am his and he is mine forever.” That is the assurance that we should be drawing from our sharing in the Lord’s Supper every time we come to the table. —J.I. Packer [quoted by Ray Van Neste in The Lord’s Supper (Nashville: B&H Academic), 388]

3. LS is an act of faith and obedience.

Mat 26:29 ““But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.””

The LS in Practice

Shared — Mat 26:27-28 “And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.”

Examine — jn

Kathy Merritt says “We’re having family supper Tuesday night” while talking to me and Andy Johnston. What does that mean to me & what does that mean to him?

Grace — Jn 6:37 ““All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.”