COMMUNION & CP BIRTHDAY Isaiah 55:1-6; Revelation 22:17-20

Transcription

1 COMMUNION & CP BIRTHDAY Isaiah 55:1-6; Revelation 22:17-20 This morning I have two sermons in one. I actually have two different sermons. Both are short, but both are relevant to our situation today. One is related to this being our Church s 209 th Birthday and the other is this being Communion Sunday. THOUGHTS ON WHOSOEVER WILL DOCTRINE OF THE CP CHURCH First, the sermon about our church s birthday. Cumberland Presbyterians as a denomination started on February 4, 1810, in Dickson County, Tennessee, in the home of Rev. Samuel McAdow. CPs are known as the Whosoever will Presbyterians. Where did we get this name and what does it mean? We got the name from the early CPs preachers who were driven to preach the whosoever will Gospel of John 3:16. (John 3:16 NKJV) "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. Now you may ask, What is so distinct about preaching John 3:16? Don t all churches preach this or at least believe this? Yes, hopefully they do. But in the historical context of Presbyterianism in the early 1800s their emphasis was not on preaching whosoever will may have eternal life through faith in Christ, but on God s sovereign grace in saving the elect. They wanted to emphasize the sovereignty of God in salvation. Now both of these viewpoints are Biblical, but the CPs wanted to emphasize whosoever will. CPs focused on the invitation of Revelation 22:17,. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. Therefore we were known in the early days as the whosoever will Presbyterians. Today most Presbyterians have toned down the preaching on God s sovereign grace in saving the elect to the exclusion of preaching the universal call of the Gospel. So what s the point in continuing to call ourselves the Whosoever will church? There is no point unless we make our distinction not just talking about whosoever will, but intentionally going out into our community and explaining it, proclaiming it, applying it to whosoever will listen. Then we would be a distinctive Whosoever will Church. February 3, 2019 Corntassel CP Church Page 1

2 It seems that not many churches who believe the whosoever will gospel are actually going out in their community in a personal way to share this Gospel with individuals. One of the preachers in the Wednesday morning study at Union CP Church made the comment, The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. And the few are lazy! Let s make Corntassel a true whosoever will church! Let s not be lazy in sharing the Gospel! THOUGHTS ON THE LORD S SUPPER Now for my sermon related to the Communion service. Christians call the Lord s Supper by different names and each one helps us to understand what we are doing in this service. SOME CALL THE LORD S SUPPER AN ORDINANCE. Some call it an ordinance. And an ordinance it is. An ordinance is a command. Jesus commanded his disciples to observe this ordinance. This is why the words of Institution are always read at the Communion Service. It is to read to remind us that the authority for observing communion is the command of Jesus, not the command of the church nor of a preacher. These words are usually read from I Corinthians 11, but sometimes from the Gospels at the scene of the Passover where Jesus gave the command to his disciples to eat. Because it is an ordinance, we shouldn t take it lightly if we never come to the Communion Service. We are not being obedient to our Lord if we forsake the assembly of ourselves together to partake of communion together. Partaking of the Lord s Supper is an act of obedience to the Lord s command. He that has my commandments and keeps them is he who loves me, Jesus said. We show our love for Jesus by partaking of Communion. But it is more than just an act of obedience. SOME CALL THE LORD S SUPPER A MEMORIAL Some call it a memorial. And a memorial it is. It is an act of remembering Christ s death for us. Do this in remembrance of me, Jesus said. We partake of the Lord s Supper as a memorial to honor Him as the Son of the Living God. It is the only thing He ever asked of anyone to be done in His memory. The Lord s Supper is very important for remembering and honoring Christ. February 3, 2019 Corntassel CP Church Page 2

3 What are we to remember? The two elements remind us that Christ s sacrifice on the cross was for our remission of sin and that it inaugurated the New Covenant. The bread reminds us that Christ s body was given for us as a sacrifice. And the cup reminds us that His blood was shed for our remission of sin. As Leviticus reminds us, Without the shedding of blood there is no remission of our sins. We it reminds us that the New Covenant was inaugurated in this act. We are living in the New Covenant Age promised by Jeremiah 31. As we remember these benefits of the Cross of Christ we are honoring him. How long are we to remember Him in this way? Paul adds, For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes. 1 Corinthians 11:26 HCSB The Lord s Supper is the means by which the church throughout all ages is to remember and honor Christ dying for our sins and bringing in the New Covenant. It is an ordinance and it is a memorial, but it is more. SOME CALL THE LORD S SUPPER A SACRAMENT Some call it a sacrament. And a sacrament it is. A sacrament is a means by which God communicates his grace to His people to strengthen and spiritually nourish them. It is a means of grace. But what specifically does God communicate to us in the Lord s Supper? God communicates His pledge or promise that Christ s death on the Cross seals your salvation. It is God s visible pledge of salvation to the believer. This is the idea behind the sacraments being a seal or testimony of God s covenant of grace. Think of a notary public s seal. It authenticates someone s signature. The Communion Service is God s seal to authenticate his promise that the death of Christ is the sure and certain basis of your salvation. This pledge and promise contain the grace that God uses in the communion service to strengthen our faith and walk of his people. The grace communicated in the Lord s Supper is the same grace that is communicated in the preaching, reading, or hearing the Gospel as recorded in the Scriptures. We would agree that God uses the Scriptures to communicate the grace of his promises in the reading, hearing, and preaching of His Word. It is the same principle and the same grace that is communicated when we partake of Communion. This communication of grace is not automatic just because the physical act is done. Some Churches believe that just because someone partakes of communion God s grace is communicated to them. No, it is the Holy Spirit working through February 3, 2019 Corntassel CP Church Page 3

4 the Lord s Supper as the elements are received by faith that God communicates His grace. SOME CALL THE LORD S SUPPER A COMMUNION SERVICE Some call it a Communion service. And a communion service it is. Calling the Lord s Supper Communion points to the reality that the believer truly has communion with the living Lord. The Lord is present in the partaking of communion in a special way. The real presence of Christ is in the Lord s Supper. The real presence of Christ is not in the elements. The real presence is not even in the words spoken. The real presence is the work of the Holy Spirit making Christ real to the hearts of the believer. The reality of His spiritual Presence is communicated in the Communion Service. Jesus glorified body is in heaven, but He is presence is spiritually present in the heart of the believers through the Holy Spirit. Partaking of the Lord s Supper in obedience and love to Christ, to remember and honor His death for us, to accept by faith God s pledge of forgiveness through Christ brings the Presence of Christ real in our hearts in a special way. WHAT IS REQUIRED TO EXPERIENCE THE LORD S SUPPER AS AN ORDINANCE, MEMORIAL, SACRAMENT, AND COMMUNION What is required of the participant to truly experience the Lord s Supper as an ordinance, memorial, sacrament, and as an experience of communion? What is required is that you be a member of God s covenant people. The meal is meant only for the people of God. The meal is not meant for the unsaved. But the invitation is to all of God s people. It is not the church s table. It is the Lord s Table and we just extend the invitation from the Lord. What is required? Faith is required. Without faith it is just another meal. This is part of the meaning of the phrase not discerning the body of the Lord. Only by faith can a person discern and receive the benefit of the body of the Lord dying for you. This is why small children are not encouraged to partake. Do they have faith to discern the body of the Lord? What is required? A repentant heart is required. Let a man examine himself. No one is worthy to partake, but we are not to have un-confessed sin in our hearts. We are to make things right with God and others to eat in a worthy manner and thereby receive grace in the communion service. February 3, 2019 Corntassel CP Church Page 4

5 What is required? A desire for communion with the Lord is required. There is real communion with the Lord in the participation of the Lord s Supper. If you come to the table with a desire for communion with the Lord, your desire will be fulfilled. You will have communion with the Lord. What is required? A thankful heart is required. Some call the Lord s Supper the Eucharist. Eucharist is the Greek word for Thanks. We come giving God our heart-felt thanks for the salvation Christ has procured for us on the Cross. CONCLUSION I hope these thoughts on the Lord s Supper will help you to be strengthened and nurtured spiritually as we partake of the Communion elements. You see that actually both of my two sermons this morning are related. Both are on the whosoever will Gospel. Some called the Lord s Supper a visual picture of the essence of the Gospel. We see the Gospel message symbolically portrayed when we partake of the Lord s Supper. Come, let us partake of the Lord s Supper in faith, remembering the Lord s death for us, that our sins may be forgiven, receive by faith God s pledge to forgive us, and to give thanks to God for reaching down and saving us through Jesus willing to die for us. Amen? Amen! February 3, 2019 Corntassel CP Church Page 5