Amen, so we're continuing on in our series on Sunday mornings going through the distinctive doctrines or definitive doctrines
And of course we've been looking at each one of those letters in the acronym of Baptist
and we went through of course first of all biblical authority the inerrancy and
Preservation of Scripture the autonomy of the local church the independence of the local body and the priesthood of the believer is what we talked
About last week
Which was where we discussed the fact that we as believers has access have the access of prayer
Through Christ that we come to very throne of God and today we're going to be on
That the tea of that the bat the Baptist part of that is gonna be on the team what we're going to talk about is
The two ordinances of the local church, so there's two ordinances that we believe here that we practice as a church
And that is of course believers baptism and the Lord's Supper now baptism is a subject
I think I've preached on a few times this year already even recently. I think most most of us in here
I've heard some preaching on baptism, so I will touch on that this morning
But I want to focus mainly on that second ordinance of the Lord's Supper. That's not something what we've preached a lot about here
in Tucson, but
What is an ordinance first of all?
What is it to to to say that we believe in two ordinances and that word is ordinance is not something that we use a
Lot, but really what an ordinance is is just a remembrance. It is just a memorial
It can mean some other things as well that we'll see but if you look here in Exodus chapter 12 verse 14
It says and this day shall be unto you for a memorial and you shall keep it a feast to the Lord throughout your generations
You shall keep it a feast by an ordinance. So what was the ordinance?
It was the memorial of the feast right go ahead and jump down there to verse 17
It says and you shall observe the Feast of unleavened bread for in the self same day
Have I brought the brought your armies out of land of Egypt therefore shall you observe this day?
What is they're saying you're gonna you're gonna point out this particular day. This is going to be a special day
It's going to be a memorial to you. You shall observe this day in your generations by what by an ordinance, okay?
So we see again that an ordinance is just a memorial
It's an observance at least as we see it here used in this context of Scripture
So the Feast of unleavened bread, you know, it served as an ordinance
It served as a time for them to observe their deliverance from Egypt and it was a memorial to them
You know, we have something similar here today in United States
We called Memorial Day, you know that we we start everything stops and people think about the veterans that have served and things of that
And and that's a day where everyone stops to do what to remember them. We call them Memorial Day
So this is similar in that sense
It's a day where they were to stop and they were to remember things that have taken place in the past
it was an ordinance to them and
We so we observe things when we say we observe the ordinances in the church
We observe the ordinance of baptism and communion
Why why do we observe those as an ordinance because we observe them as a memorial for our own deliverance, right?
They were observing this
Of course the ordinance of the Feast of unleavened bread and the Passover because of the fact that God had brought them out
Right. He delivered their armies out of Egypt and we do the same thing today as a local New Testament Church
Except we're simply observing something different. We're observing what Christ has done for us
You know our own personal deliverance through the death burial and resurrection of Christ
So we see first of all that an ordinance is a remembrance. It's a memorial
It's a recalling of something that is it should have meeting to us personally
and then also an ordinance is something to be obeyed right if we were to
Say we're going to give somebody an ordinance. It's something that has to be obeyed
It's a command if you would so an ordinance is given by
Sometimes often an authority, I mean is this not God giving the ordinance and he of course is an authority unto them
He's giving them this authority
Or giving this ordinance by authority. So an ordinance can be a memorial
It can also be something that is to be obeyed. It can be either civil or religious in nature, too
Of course, we're here where we're talking about
Observing these things these two ordinances. They're religious in nature
But there's also what we would call civil ordinances and what are they they are decrees. They are things that are just given
Through authority that are to be obeyed
So if we were actually to go to the dictionary and look up the word ordinance, you know
It is an authoritative order or it is a religious right? That's what the Bible or the
definite dictionary would define it as
So an ordinance is something that is ordained. I mean think about the word itself ordinance right ordained
It's the pretty much it's the same word practically
So an ordinance is something that somebody else ordains they say, you know, you're going to do this
The speed limit is going to be such and such miles per hour. It has been ordained by civil authorities
That's the speed limit. God is saying you shall observe this day. It shall be an ordinance unto you
It's something that he has ordained
It's something that has been decreed officially right somebody in a position of authority has decreed something
Officially and said this is an order in ordination
It is an ordinance and we can think of course good turn over to Romans chapter 13
And we'll get a better sense of the word what how it's used the word ordinance in the Bible
You're going to Romans 13, but it says in 1st Peter chapter 2 submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake
What's he talking about?
He's saying obey the laws of the land, you know, as long as they're not
You know in direct conflict with Scripture or if obeying them would put you would cause you to disobey God
Of course Romans 13 teaches us that we have to obey the higher powers. God is that ultimate power
But we are to submit ourselves to every ordinance of man
And what is that again the laws look there Romans chapter 13 verse 1?
Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers for there is no power
But of God the powers that are be be are ordained of God
So God has ordained these powers these civil authorities whosoever therefore resisted the power
Resisteth the ordinance of God they have resisted what God who's ordained
So again an ordinance is something that is ordained is something that is decreed officially whether it be in a religious context or in a civil
context
So we're going to discuss this morning
the ordinances or the things that have been decreed to us as a local New Testament Church and
Those things are of course the believers baptism as well as the Lord's Supper. So what is baptism?
of course, we've talked about this at length and other sermons, but just to go over it very quickly baptism is merely a
Memorial of Christ's death burial and resurrection and that's what it is
It's a picture of his death
If you're there in Romans look over to chapter 6 Romans chapter 6
And it's always important to kind of talk about baptism whenever it comes up because there's a lot of false doctrine concerning baptism
It's always good to go back over these things to be reminded of these things and to remember these things
Romans chapter 6 verse 1 says what shall we say then shall we continue in sin that grace may abound
God forbid how shall we that are dead to sin live any longer there in
Knowing not that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death
Now does it do we literally die when we were baptized?
I'm you know, probably not if you're here this morning
You probably survived your baptism right then hold you down too long
What are you saying when you were baptized into Jesus Christ you were baptized into his death you were relating to that, right?
Spiritually speaking. It is a picture of his death
It is also a picture of his burial look there in verse 4 therefore we are buried with him by baptism
Again, it's we're picturing the going down under the water being buried with Christ
It is also a picture of his resurrection
It continues on there in verse 4 that like as Christ was raised up by the glory of the Father
Even also even so we also should walk in newness of life
You know
Those are literally the words that many of us recite when we baptize somebody to
Buried in the likeness of his death raised to walk in newness of life. And what are we talking about?
We're what is baptism? It is simply a picture of what Christ has done for us
It is a it is a an observance. It is a memorial of the things that have got Christ has done for us
So really the ordinance of baptism is simply a physical picture of a spiritual reality
That's all it is, you know and people want to get real confused about what it is
They'll teach you that you have to be baptized to be saved. They'll call it a sacrament, you know
All these different religions and denominations that want to use baptism
Incorrectly, but really when we look at Scripture all it is is simply a picture of a spiritual reality
That we have been buried with Christ in bet into baptism
Into his death by baptism through salvation and then we've been raised again to walk in newness of life
We're just picturing what Christ has done for us
The Bible says go ahead and turn over to 1st Peter chapter 3
I'll read you from Colossians 12. It says we are buried with him bet in baptism
We are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God and that he hath quickened us together with him
So baptism is a picture of salvation it is not salvation itself
It says there in Colossians choose that we are risen with him through faith in the operation of God
How is it that we're risen spiritually through faith not through our baptism and that he says that he has forgiven us
That's how we're saved
We're born again is through his the operation of God the fact that he died for our sins was buried rose again
The Bible says in 1st Peter chapter 3 look at verse 21 the like figure were like figure where unto
Even baptism doth also now save us not the putting the way of the filth of the flesh
But the answer of a good conscience toward God by the resurrection of Jesus Christ
So he's saying look a baptism saves us in the sense that it's not putting away the filth of the flesh
And that's exactly what you have to do
If you want to be saved you have to get your sins taken care of you can't have any
You can't go to heaven in your flesh, you know, no flesh should glory in his presence
So he's saying it's not you know, it saves us not in the sense that we're putting away its sinful flesh
But that be it is the answer of a good conscience towards God that we have
Have a good conscience that we've come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ that and we're just picturing that in baptism
See a person can get saved
They can receive Christ as Savior and never get baptized and go to heaven
Because baptism is not something that is necessary for salvation
It is not the putting away the self sinful flesh
It is the answer of a good conscience something that has taken place within that it believer
answering back to God
The Bible says in Hebrews chapter 9, I'll read to you how much more shall the blood of Christ
Who through the eternal spirit offered himself without spot purge your conscience? So, how do you get that purge conscience?
How do you get a good conscience? How do you answer back?
How do you how do you have a good conscience to answer toward God? It's through the blood of Christ, right?
It is the blood of Christ that purges our conscience not our baptism not our good works
It's his blood and it says from dead works to serve the living God
You see the ordinance of baptism it simply shows the work of faith in the believer
It's saying look I've got a good conscience towards God. My conscience has been purged through the blood of Christ
I can I can stand before God in good standing with a good conscience because I've been saved through the blood of Christ
And it just that's all baptism is showing that that has taken place and it is a it is the work
It's the work of faith in the believer. All right, and what does the believer do?
They were stay are to serve the living God right now
They don't need to do that in order to go to heaven
but if you're going to serve the living God one of the first things you're going to do is to get baptized and
And that's all baptism is is just showing people. I am a believer. I put my faith in Christ
It is a public declaration of their faith and it is them
The believer responds to God in obedience to his word and they are baptized not be to be saved
But because they are saved
So people who are serious about serving God
One of the first things they're gonna do is they're gonna get in church and they're gonna get baptized
And that's really how you know
Somebody's you know, taking the Christian life seriously if they start to obey the commands and say what's the big deal about that?
Well for a lot of people, you know coming to church is a big deal, you know
Especially if we're more on the shy side if we're more introverted you're walking into a building full of strangers
You know it can for some people take that's a big step of faith
You know, that's why it is an act of obedience or to say hey
I'm gonna be faithful to the services, you know, that's that could take a real discipline that could take, you know some real
You know
Making that a priority in your life that that is something that you have to work into that is serving God
You say well being baptized how hard is that? Well again, you know, everyone's watching you get dunked underwater
You know some some guy you hardly know is gonna grab your face and hold you underwater for a second, you know for kids
It's a big deal. You know, there's the fear of water and things like that
They have to get over all this and and
Everyone's looking at you and that kind of a thing so we can see how going to church and being baptized
These are things that we obey. These are things that we do if we're serious about serving God
We don't do these things in order to go to heaven
We do these things because we are on our way to heaven and we want to serve God on the way there
And we can choose not to do those things, you know, we'll get to heaven
We won't have the rewards and we'll be you know, God probably won't bless us in this life either. So
So we see for that's basically, you know
All I really want to talk about as far as the baptism this morning and if you have more questions about baptism
I don't think anyone in this room does like I said, I've preached twice on it already this year
There's other sermons that I've preached you can go back and listen to you know, Pastor Anderson's preached on it
So and if you have any questions, feel free to ask me
But I do want to move on to the second ordinance
which is the ordinance of the Lord's Supper and that's something that I'd like to spend a little bit more time on and
Really? What is the ordinance of the Lord's Supper again? It's just a remembering
It's a memorial remember our definition. So if you would turn over to Luke chapter 22, we'll start to get into that there Luke chapter 22
And it's important to understand this too, it seems like a simple doctrine and it is but again
These are two doctrines that are twisted by a lot of different churches and denominations
Into saying you have to keep these things in order to be saved
Right that they'll say well you have to be baptized and the Catholic Church will for one will teach you that you have to receive
Communion you have to receive the Eucharist and you have that's how that's you're working your way into heaven
There's one of the I believe there's more there's at least seven
I believe there's more than that as far as the sacraments of the things that you have to do along the way in
Order to earn your way into heaven
And receiving the Lord's Supper is one of them. But what is what is it scripturally again?
We're gonna let the Bible be our final authority
We're gonna let you know that's what this whole series is about, you know, that's that was the bedrock in which this series was laid
That was the first being right the bat in Baptist. That was the first letter
We went over biblical authority letting the Bible define for us
What we ought to believe so what does the Bible say about the ordinance of the Lord's Supper?
We'll look over here at Luke chapter 22 verse 19. It says, of course, this is Christ observing the Passover with his twelve disciples
Right before he is arrested and crucified and it says in verse a luke 22 verse 19 and he took bread
And gave thanks and break it and gave unto them saying this is my body
Which is given for you this do in order to go to heaven, right?
No, I saw what it says. He says this do in remembrance of me
So again, we see that the ordinance of the Lord's Supper is simply a memorial. It's a remembrance of what Christ has done for us
Likewise also after the also the cup after supper saying this is the cup and the new this cup is the New Testament
In my blood which is shed for you
So he did these things as an ordinance because he wanted them to remember the things that he was about to do for them that
His body would be broken that his blood would be shed
So the ordinance of the Lord's Supper is simply a remembering
It's a memorial of what Christ has done for us just as much as baptism is
It's just another way of remembering it and you can see already
There's two different ways. God wants us to keep constantly keep that in mind that Christ has died buried and rose again
It seems like a pretty important
Something that we should keep in front of our minds right every time we see a baptism
It's remind us of that every time we receive the Lord's Supper observe the Lord's suffrage
It'd be reminding us of the same thing that Christ's body was broken that his blood was shed for us to go to heaven
Not that are not of our own works of righteousness
But by his grace he saved us, you know that our all our righteousnesses are his filthy rags
That's what it should be reminding us is that we're saved by grace through faith and that not of ourselves
It is the gift of God
That's what these things should be reminding us of because it'll remind us again of the sacrifice that Christ made so
The ordinance is a remembering it's a memorial of what Christ has done for us and it is not a means of salvation
Again, a lot of false doctrine teaches that you have to do this in order to go to heaven and one such church
That would teach that is the Catholic Church
They will teach you that this is a means of salvation now keep something there in Luke and turn over to John chapter 6
Now I'm gonna you're gonna have to get a little ambidextrous this morning when you keep something in Luke 22
Get to John chapter 6 and I want you to keep a finger in both places
We're gonna come back to John 6 just a little bit later. So you're there in John 6
Why does the Catholic Church teach that I mean, how can one trillion people, you know a seventh of the earth's population
That they claim to be their members or one did I say trillion billion, right? There's that many people boy
Maybe we are running out of room, right?
So but how could so many people have it wrong?
Well, they have scripture they turn to every false doctrine has some scripture that they're gonna turn to and they're gonna twist it or misunderstand
It or misrepresent it and they go to John chapter 6. This is one of their primary
Verses it says in John 6 verse 53
Then Jesus said to them verily verily I say unto you
Except you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood you have no life in you
And that sounds pretty literal. He's talking pretty bluntly saying look you have to eat my flesh. You have to drink my blood
Whoso eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood hath eternal life and I will raise him up at the last day
For my flesh is meat indeed and my blood is drink indeed
He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood dwelleth in me and I in him as a living as the Living Father
Has sent me and I live by the Father so he that eateth me
Even he shall live by me. So if you were to just take that passage say well, there you go. There's your doctrine
You know now we got to figure out how we're gonna go and eat
I mean Jesus isn't here anymore for us to to to eat and to drink. All right, so then they have this whole doctrine of
Transubstantiation, you know, I'm glad I said it
I don't know I could spell it but where they actually believe that when they receive the Eucharist when they receive the wine
That it literally turns into the flesh and blood of Christ literally that after it's consumed in their body in their stomach
It literally becomes the flesh and blood of Christ. That's what they believe
Now that's a very strange doctrine that's a very odd doctrine
But they have to do that. They have to have a company
Obviously, they can't go find it. They can't go down to the grocery store and buy a pack of you know
I don't want to sound sacrilegious here or blasphemous, but they can't go buy a pound of Jesus flesh
They can't go to the cooler and get some blood
You know, so they have to come up the strange doctrine to say well
This is how you receive it
And now they've kind of got if that's the truth now they kind of got they've kind of got us
Because they're the only ones their priesthood is the only one that can that can make that that magical
Miracle happen and now we have to go to that man now
We have to have a mediator between us and God remember we talked about last week
The fact that we don't have a mediator between us and God that Christ is our only mediator
But now we have to go to a man who's going to say that some hocus-pocus
And put a cracker in our mouth and now we can go to heaven
So you can see why why man would want to come up with such a doctor because he puts you gives you a lot
of control over people
And that's why they would ban the reading of the Bible, you know, that's what I find
You know kind of go off in Iran here. That's why I find so funny when people call
People like us, you know that we're in a cult. You're in a cult
No cult says read the Bible for yourself and judge what I say. They say oh, let me have that
I'll tell you what it says, you know
They don't they don't tell you to think for yourself by reading the Bible and you decide whether or not I'm wrong
They say no, I'll tell you whether I'm right or wrong and you let me read the Bible to you
you know the men and I don't know if the Mennonites do that, but definitely the
The Amish, you know, that's a big one. They say it's a scary thing to read the Word of God that it's dangerous
You shouldn't do that
You should just let a few men in there and there's in their community teach you what it says and it's the same thing
You know the for the Catholic Church for a long time
They have it in a language. They would give services in a language that people didn't even understand
So they could keep them they would speak Latin and nobody was speaking Latin
So that they could keep them in the dark and keep the power to keep them under control
but you could see here in John 6 why if we were to just turn that passage and just say you could
Just walk away. That's all you're ready to say. Wow. I've got to literally eat Jesus and literally drink his blood
But we have to remember the context right? Who is he speaking to in this passage? He's speaking to
Unsaved Christ rejecting Jews. He's speaking to his enemies those that would that were rejecting him as Messiah
That's who he's speaking to and he did this so that they could not understand the truth
He deliberately spoke this way so that they could not understand the truth
You say why would he really do that keep something in John 6 turn over to Matthew chapter 13
Yes, he would do that
He would say he would open his mouth in dark sayings
He would speak in parables to confuse them so that they could not understand
Look there in Mark Matthew, excuse me
Chapter 13 verse 10 the disciples came and said unto him why speak us out unto them and without one to them in a parable
See why he's speaking these guys in a parable all the time. He's speaking the same group
The same juice the answer incentive and because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God
But to them it is not given
He said the reason I'm speaking these parables is because it's not giving them to know the mysteries of Kingdom of God
They're shut out from it. He doesn't want them to understand it for
Whosoever hath to him shall be given and he that hath more abundance
But whosoever hath not from him shall be taken away even that he hath and what advantage hath the Jew much every way
Chiefly because unto them belong the oracles of God right they had the scriptures they had the fathers they were in
The priesthood they were they should have been reading
they should have known and understood that this is the Christ, but they had not so it was taken away from them and
And and he's saying look to whomsoever much is given shall also much be required
When he shows up and does the miracles and teaches and say I am he
And except you believe I am he you shall die in your sins and they reject him
Then he says that it's not given unto you to know the king of heaven
See there is a kind of getting off to another doctor
But there is such a thing as being given over being a reprobate being rejected of God
It comes to a point in people's lives where they reject God reject God reject God where God finally rejects them
And they can no longer come to the knowledge of the truth
He says there therefore speak I unto them in parables why because to them it is not given and
in them is filled the prophecy of Isaiah's which saith by hearing he shall hear and shall not understand and
Seeing you shall see and shall not perceive for this people's heart is waxed gross and their ears are dull of hearing their eyes
And their eyes have they closed
Lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and should
Understand with their heart and should be converted and I should heal them
He's saying look these people are not going to see they are not going to hear and they are not going to be
Converted and that's why I'm going to speak to them in parables so that they cannot know
That's why he's telling him. Hey you want to go to heaven you got to eat my flesh
You got to drink my blood
And go ahead and turn back over to John chapter 6
John chapter 6
That's what he got and done saying so that's that's the context of this of the scripture there in John 6
That's who he's speaking to
Those that have been given over those that are not is not given unto them to under know and understand it to believe
And to be healed it
Says there in John chapter 6 verse 60 many therefore of his disciples when they had heard this said
This is an hard saying who can hear it. I mean that is a hard saying it's kind of hard
Well, what did you mean by that? How do we were there saying we don't understand this? Well, you know
Tell us what this means when Jesus knew it himself that his disciples murmured at it. He said of them doth this offend you
What if it what and if you shall see the son of man is sent up where he was before?
It is the spirit that quickeneth. Here's the key the flesh
Propheteth nothing. So he's explaining what he said to them saying look my it's not the flesh. It's the spirit
The words that I speak unto you they are spirit and they are life
You know, Jesus said that believe his words
You know to believe what he said and believe that he is who he said he is and then he did what he said he did
The flesh profit if nothing they're all confused about what do you mean eat the flesh?
What do you mean drink the blood he say look the flesh profit if nothing because he's speaking them in parables
He's saying it's my words that matter. They are spirit. They are life
So we see first of all that the ordinance of the Lord's Supper is something that we are to remember
It's a remembrance of what Christ has done for us and that it is not a means of salvation
It is simply a remembrance of the salvation that we have in Christ through his words through his
through the death barrel and his death barrel and resurrection and
Really when we get into the Lord's Supper kind of just getting the practical part of it
Now we'll talk about there are basically two elements to the Lord's Supper
There's two things that that go into it right we saw that there in Luke chapter 22
Where he gave them the bread and he gave them the cup, right?
And he said the two elements of the Lord's Supper are one breaking bread. Are you still there in Luke?
Luke chapter 22 or we're had you keep one of those fingers, right Luke chapter 22
We're done with all the the placekeeping now for a minute Luke chapter 22
Look at verse 19 and he took bread and gave thanks and break it and said and then this is my body which is
Given for you this do in remembrance of me. So that's one element of the Lord's Supper the breaking of bread
And what that represents, of course is it's very clear that says the broken body of Christ, right?
Just as Christ's body was broken, you know that he breaks the bread
and of course we have the drinking of
Unfermented grape juice. Okay. Now a lot of people say well that's alcoholic wine. No, it's not
It can't be first of all, if he's breaking bread does bread break
Go go buy a loaf of Wonder Bread and see if you can break it
When you think a break you think like snap like a broken bone like a like something that crunches, right?
Well, there's a type of bread that breaks and it's called unleavened bread, right?
And that's what he's using here
And we read that this morning in Exodus 12 about the fact that they were not to have any leaven in their houses
They were not to have any leaven in their food. They were to use unleavened bread
That's what he's using here. And the reason why that is is because leaven in the Bible is a picture of sin
So if he's using this bread to represent his broken body
It would have to be a sinless it would have to represent a sinless body this Christ was without sin
Therefore that's why he used unleavened bread to picture his sinless body, right? That's why it's a bread that breaks
So he's using that and and that's why he also used it unfermented grape juice, you know wine now
Here's the thing people say well it says, you know the wine, you know
Everyone if people have this mistaken notion that every time the word wine is used in the Bible that it's referring to alcoholic beverage
Well, it's not I mean think about all the other beverages that that the the the Bible refers to
It refers to water multiple times right abundantly. It refers to milk, right?
But it refers to something called wine, but and now we're gonna say here and say well every time it says wine
It's just referring to alcoholic beverage. Okay, it sometimes it does that's true. Sometimes it does but what about grape juice?
You know, what about juice? You're gonna tell me the Bible it talks about water and talks about milk. Is it gonna talk about juice?
The fact I mean, that's something that's consumed right? It's been consumed
Throughout all of mankind, of course
the Bible is gonna address that but it just calls it by the same name wine and you have to read the
Context of where that word is used to get the sense of whether or not it's talking about
you know a fermented alcoholic beverage or just the the grape or the
The the fruit of the vine is what it calls it
So it makes sense here that if he's going to represent his sinless body with unfermented or you know
Bread without leaven which is what we would call yeast today, right?
It would only make sense that his his blood would be represented in the same manner as sinless unfermented without leaven
Meaning, you know non-alcoholic wine or we would call today juice. Okay
And it says there in verse 17 and he took the cup and gave thanks
Said and said take this and divide it among yourselves for I say unto you I will not drink of the fruit of the vine
Until the kingdom of God shall come. So what was that he was giving?
He was giving them the fruit of the vine a great people say well, they couldn't make grape juice back then
It's really easy to make grape juice. He just take grapes and you squeeze them and you have grape juice, right? It talks about
It was Ezra or was it? Yeah, I believe was Ezra who who would he was the the king's cupbearer
And he would squeeze the grapes into the into the I think I'm getting wrong with it somewhere in the Old Testament
One of those guys I'm just flying out the cuff here
He would literally take and he would squeeze the grapes into Pharaoh's cup
It was one of the I think it was actually the butler that did that back in Joseph's story
He would take the cups and he would squeeze them into Pharaoh's cup and that's how fresh
I mean you want to talk about getting fresh juice
Right, you know and that's that's a real luxury right? It makes sense that a king would have that you know
We we kind of take that for granted today because there's just machines that harvest these fruits and then they go to some factory
We're just they're just squeezed in mass and then just poured into some bottle and trucked all over the country and kept refrigerated
You know, we take that for granted but back then it was a real luxury
So anyway, I'm kind of going off but the point is is that this juice was unfermented
Why because it was represented the blood of Christ that was shed for the remission of sins, so it had to be sinless
So and both are unleavened right to represent the sinless perfection of Christ
And you know again the wine does not always mean an alcoholic beverage and just to kind of drive that home
I'll read one verse to you because this is a whole nother topic
Isaiah 65 verse 8, you know, you could you could look this up if you wanted to on your own time
But I'll read to you thus sayeth the Lord as new wine is found in the cluster
Right, where do you say it was found in the cluster?
What is he referring to the juice that's in the cluster of a grape and what does he call it wine the new wine, right?
so
We see first of all that the two elements in the Lord's Supper are the bread and the wine. They're unleavened
Okay, they're without their their grape juice and unleavened bread
we see also that
The ordinance of the Lord's Supper is something that is to be observed by believers
It's not something that we just do with anybody
We're not just gonna pull some guy off the street and that's unsaved and say hey, let's go have the Lord's Supper together
It's something that's supposed to be done among God's people with and with believers the unsaved should not partake in it
They don't even understand what it represents. I mean if the whole point is that it's a memorial
The whole point is that it's an ordinance. What what does it profit some unsaved person? They don't it to them
It's just a snack. But when we're when we're eating it when we're partaking of it, you know
It's not some mystical magical thing that's taking it to taste
It's simply us bringing to remembrance again the things that Christ has done for us his suffering for us
So it's to be observed by believers good turn over to Acts chapter 20 Acts chapter 20 actually go to Acts chapter 2
We'll take the time and look at these these are important
Acts chapter 2
Acts chapter 2 look at verse 41 acts 241. It is to be observed by believers
Then Acts 241 it says then they that gladly has received his word were baptized
Okay, so there's that first ordinance again that baptism right and who was being baptized
They that gladly received his word those that had believed on the truth and the same day they were added unto them about
3,000 souls and they continued steadfastly in the Apostles doctrine and fellowship and in breaking of bread and in prayers
Now I believe when they was referring to that in breaking of bread that's talking about communion or the Lord's Supper
That's them talking about again
There's that breaking right the breaking of an unleavened bread and breaking of bread and in prayers jump down to verse 46
And they continue daily with one accord in the temple and breaking bread from house to house, right?
So they're going house to house breaking this bread did their meat
Well, it did eat their meat with gladness and with singleness of heart
So we see there
That who is it that's breaking bread. It's they that received his word they that were added unto the church, right?
They that were one accord in the temple they were breaking bread data from house to house and and and
So we see first of all, that's observed by believers now turn to Acts chapter 20 verse 6 Acts chapter 20 verse 6
We'll see another place where they break bread
It says in Acts 20 verse 6 and we sailed from away from Philippi after the days of unleavened bread and
came on to the came unto them to troas in five days where we abode seven days and
Upon the first day of the league week when the disciples came together to break bread now who is coming together to break bread?
the disciples so we see first of all, it's something to be observed by believers and
What the
What the the the Lord's Supper is in the New Testament it is it is in place of the Old Testament Passover
When did Jesus remember? When did Jesus sit down and have this meal?
When did he Institute the Lord's Supper was when they were observing the Passover, right?
So go ahead turn over. I should add he's saying Luke. Actually. I'll just I'll read to you from Luke 22
You don't have to go there, but turn over to 1st Corinthians chapter 5 1st Corinthians chapter 5 in
Luke 22 Jesus said unto them with desire. I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer
So what are they sitting down? They're observing the Passover
So we see that in the New Testament
We observe the Lord's Supper in place of the Passover because the Passover was all it was just a picture of Christ
And you know, that's what the Old Testament
Pictured and that's what the New Testament pictures in the Lord's Supper. It pictures Christ
So you're there in 1st Corinthians chapter 5 1st Corinthians chapter 5 verse 7
It says purge out therefore the old leaven that you may be a new lump as ye are unleavened
For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us. So who is our Passover today?
Do we go out and get a literal lamb? No Christ the lamb slain from the foundation of the world
He is our Passover to us today he is sacrificed for us therefore
Let us keep the feast not with old leaven neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness
But with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth
So there is no there was no lamb at that Last Supper with the Lord's Supper
There is no lamb and we observe this ordinance today because Christ is that lamb. That's why the meats missing there
So we see that both the communion and the Passover they were symbolic of Christ
If you would turn over 1st Corinthians chapter 10 verse 16 verse 1st Corinthians chapter 10 verse 16
1st Corinthians 10 verse 16 the Bible reads the cup of blessing which we bless
Is it not the communion of the blood of Christ?
So communion is a proper term to use you could say the Lord's Supper or you could say communion, right?
That's where we get that it is. Is it not the communion of the blood of Christ the bread which we break?
Well the bread which we break is it not the communion of the body of Christ?
We're there we being many are one bread and one body and we're all partakers of that one bread
so again the bread and the and the and the the
Cup that we drink of and eat that is Christ. That's who it represents
But let's go ahead and back up there in 1st Corinthians. Let's get the context here
Okay, it says in verse 1 more more over brethren
I would not that you should be ignorant
how that all our fathers were under this under the cloud and all passed through the sea and we're all
baptized unto Moses in the cloud in the sea and did all eat that same spiritual meat and we all and did all drink the
Same spiritual drink for they drank of that spiritual rock that followed in that rock was Christ
So we see that even all the way back in the Old Testament that it is a picture of the church, right?
That the our fathers right and it's great that he's speaking to Gentiles there and calling them our fathers, right?
He says that they they passed through the sea and were baptized, right?
So we have a picture of salvation in the fact
You know in when Israel was in Egypt and they put the blood of the lamb on the doorpost, right?
That's a picture of salvation and it was something you had to do personally
You know house to each house had to do that individually and then they so that's a picture of us getting saved
And then God leading us out of Egypt out of the wilderness or out of the out of Egypt out of bondage
You know the bondage to sin that that we experience as as sinners, you know under a cruel taskmaster the devil Pharaoh
Were brought out of that bondage through the blood and
Then and then we go into the the the Red Sea crossing, right?
That's a picture of baptism
It says they were baptized and see we're thinking about you had the water on the sides and they had the cloud above them
Right, so they were surrounded all sides by the water and they went through that's a picture of baptism
Then of course going into the wilderness now, that's a picture of whether or not you're going to obey Christ in your Christian life
You know the salvation parts already taken care of you know, you've already got the blood
Taking care of you're already following Christ out and you're being baptized, you know as an active obedience
But from there when you get to the wilderness, that's where Christians kind of make it or break it as far as their Christian life
You know, are they gonna doubt are they gonna be faithless?
Are they gonna backslide are they gonna murmur and complain and want desire to go back to the world back to Egypt back to
That taskmaster and God's gonna chase in and punish them in this life
Or are they gonna be like that generation that came up after them and went into the Promised Land and yes
They had to fight many battles. They had to fight, you know an enemy but God was with them
So that whole thing that whole story the Old Testament Israel is a beautiful picture is a great picture of the New Testament believer
So we see that one of the things that they did back then was that they observed
The Passover and today we do the same thing when we observe the Lord's Supper
So we see first of all that it was something that was to be communed
Observed by believers that it is a it is in place of the Old Testament Passover
And that it is symbolic of Christ in every instance
But the other thing I want us to understand before we go and this is something where we differ from a lot of Baptist churches
Okay, and this is faithful word Baptist Church
This is what we practice here is when it comes to the Lord's Supper is that we believe that it is that the Lord's
Supper is to be observed privately. It is not a public
Observance now that goes a lot against the grain of a lot of Baptist churches and that's fine
You know and we don't have to condemn other churches that observe it differently. We're not doing that and
And
But I believe that this is correct that it is to be observed privately
Because here's the thing this this doctrine is not something that's expounded a great deal in Scripture
We have these few examples that we look to to get some sense of how it's to excuse me how it's to be done
Well, we have very few examples of
It actually being done in a local church. And if you would look over at 1st Corinthians chapter 11 1st Corinthians chapter 11
So we're gonna look at a church the one instance where we see it being observed by a church
Publicly and see what what the scripture has to say now it says there now this verse 17 now in this that I declare unto
You I praise you not so he's about to rebuke them
He's saying look I'm not about to praise you and if we recall in the beginning of this chapter
He said he praised them that they kept the ordinances that he as he delivered unto them, right?
And he goes on he says I praise you in these ordinances and he talks about hair length on a man and a woman
That's what he was praising them about
You know that they kept those ordinances, but when he gets to verse 17
He says now in this that I declare unto you I praise you not
So now here's here's a place where you're in error and the Corinthian church had a lot of problems
I mean they are not the model church. They're the model church in the sense of a church at getting it, right?
That's a great example
That's something that a church needs to do
You know how to deal with sin and how to receive an one again who has been cast out and that type of a thing
But they are not a model church that we should go to trying to be like them
Okay, so he says now in this that I declare unto you. I praise you not that you come not together for the better
but for the worse
For this for this of all when you come together in a church
I hear that there be divisions among you and I partly believe it for there must
Be also heresies among you that they which are approved may be manifest among you
So these people were not in one accord right they had heresies they had divisions verse 20
He says this when you come together therefore into one place
This is not to eat the Lord's Supper and that can be a confusing verse and people can trip on that
But let's just take it for what it says. It says when you come together into one place
This is not to eat the Lord's Supper
Saying when you come together into one place when we all come together to church
it is not to eat the Lord's Supper and again, this is the only scripture you have in the New Testament of
People coming together as a church to observe the Lord's Supper. He's saying it's not to do that. Okay, and
What this is is the example again the example of the Old Testament Passover. You have to keep that in mind
What's the other examples that we have to look to how we should observe the Lord's Supper
We have the example of the Old Testament if you're there should have had you stay there in Exodus chapter 12
If you want to turn there, you can access chapter 12 and begin reading in verse 1
Let's go back to the very beginning because again, what is the Lord's Supper?
It is a picture of Christ just as the Old Testament Passover was it's something that has taken place the of the Passover
So let's look at the Passover and get an idea of how it was observed then and let's do it the same
Today it says there in verse 1 and the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt saying
This month shall be unto you at the beginning of months
It shall be the first month of the year to you speaking to all the congregation of Israel saying in the tenth day of
The month they shall bring unto them every man a lamb according house of their fathers a lamb for and house
So they were all supposed to get their own lamb each individual family each house was supposed to get their own lamb, right?
Verse 4 and if the household be too little for the lamb
Let him and his neighbor next unto his house take it according the number of the souls
Because here's the thing he wanted them to eat the entire lamb
There was there not to leave not anything left over until the next day was to be consumed completely
So he's saying look if you have a big family
Just you know eat that lamb
Now if your family's small and you're not gonna be able to consume that whole thing get another family with you and you all partake
You know in that house, right because he wanted the whole thing to be consumed
and he goes on and says they're according a
and if the household verse 4 be too little for the lamb let him take and him and his neighbor next unto his house take it
according the number of souls
Every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb
Your lamb shall be without blemish blemish a male the first year
You shall take it from out of the sheep or of the goats
And he shall keep it up until the 14th day the same month and the whole
Assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening. Now. They were to come together and kill it, right?
They were to kill it and then it says this in verse 7 and they shall take the blood and strike on the two side posts
On the upper door host of the houses where they shall eat it. Yes, they killed it together
Right showing us that Christ died for all
Right, but they you just because you know, he is the Savior of all men, especially of those that believe, you know
Just because you know that lamb was killed that wasn't enough
They then had to go home and put the blood on their house
Personally, right and then they had to go inside and eat that lamb themselves, right?
So that was something that was done house-to-house
That was not something that was done. They didn't get come together as one large body and all eat their lamps
They went into their own homes and ate him privately
So yes, they they they killed it publicly, but they ate it privately and we could also talk about the example of
Given by Jesus. Okay. So let's just look at the passages that tell us about the Lord's Supper and that's let's base our doctrine
on that
When did Jesus we have to turn there again?
We were just there this morning Luke in all the passages who does Jesus eat the supper with 12 disciples
Do you think there was more believers than that at that time?
You bet there were
You know acts records that there was 120 in the upper room at the day of Pentecost and I bet there was even more
Than that, so there's all these believers, you know
The church is large, but he's only sitting down with 12 people in a very intimate
Personal setting in one room and eating that supper with them again
Let's just do it by the examples that were given because the only example you have of an old a New Testament Church doing it
Is in 1st Corinthians 11 there is no other one and it's a bad example of them doing it wrong and messing it up
Okay
So it's the example of Acts chapter 2 what we see there. They were going they were going house to house
Breaking bread, right? They were one accord in the temple. Well, they're all in one accord the temple
Why didn't they just eat then they were all there
No, they ate in the temple or they were in one accord in the temple
But then they daily went house to house did they and break bread house to house is how they did it
So we see again in 1st Corinthians if you kept something there in 1st Corinthians 11 1st Corinthians 11 verse 17
The only example in the epistles is a bad example
It says now in this that I declare unto you verse 17
I praise you not that you come together not for the better but for the worse
For first of all when you come together in the church
Now that's important to remember that that how he's phrasing it when you come together in the church
Okay, I hear that there be divisions among you and I partly believe it
He goes on in verse 21
When you come together, therefore one place this is not eat the Lord's Supper verse 20 now verse 21 for an eating
Everyone taketh before his own supper and one is hungry and one is drunken
What have you not houses to eat and drink in or despise you the Church of God and shame that have not?
What have I just what shall I say unto you which I say to you should I praise you in this I praise you not
So they're eating their own supper some are hungry some are drunken
There's heresies. There's the visions. This is not a model that we want to follow
He says there in look at verse 23 for I received of the Lord
Which I also delivered unto you that the Lord
Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread and when he gave thanks break it and said take eat
This is my body which is broken for you
This do in remembrance of me
After the same manner he also took the cup and when he had stopped saying this is the cup in the New Testament
New Testament in my blood this do you is often as you drink it in
Remembrance of me for as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup you do show the Lord's death till he
Come wherefore
Whosoever shall eat this bread and drink this cup of the Lord unworthily
Shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord and basically that's what was happening in the in the
Corinthian church they were eating of that they were partaking in it
Unworthily some were drunken some were hungry there were divisions there was heresies
They were not they were not worthily taking this this Lord's Supper
So what does it mean to be unworthily you know to be unworthy the Lord stuff now a lot of people say well
That just means that you know
You're not living right
You know that you need to examine yourself in the faith and make sure that you're you're living you're living right for God
You've got unconfessed sin, and you take the Lord's Supper that you're gonna fall over dead all right
They the Baptist churches teach this type of thing and that's the real danger and having it in a large church, isn't it?
Now the pastor has to go around and say are you right with God?
Before I give this to you unworthily and you eat and drink damnation to yourself
It's not talking about damnation the sense that you lose your salvation that that you bring on the judgment of God
Because you're not observing that Supper as you should you're not doing it in remembrance of him
People just sit there, and they just pop a little crack or drink some juice
And they think well I observe the Lord's Supper. They're just sitting back and just letting it take place
They're not they're not it's not bringing to remembrance the things which Christ has done now
I'll say this when a purple when people observe this privately you know there
It's done on purpose you have to decide to do this it causes you to start to rethink your spirituality
It causes you to examine yourself in the faith. You know when you're just showing up
Oh, it's Lord's Supper tonight. Let's make sure we get there on time and
No one and everyone's eating it. There's people in there that are eating in a word Lee
And they're receiving damnation and again not loss of salvation
Receiving judgment from God because they're not doing it worthily
Really just means yet. You know you have to be saved. You know so you have unsaved people coming in
I mean how do we know who's coming in here keep some stranger you some visitor comes in well
We're doing Lord's Supper today, and we're gonna give unsaved people the Lord's Supper right and again
This is another thing that I found is great about observing Lord's Supper
Privately in a small group you know when people's homes and things like that it gives you opportunity to discuss with them
Their salvation hey tell me about the time you got saved, and then you find cuz people come to church all the time
So yeah, I believe in Jesus
But when you know you never really have when you really pin somebody down you sometimes you find out this person isn't saved
Nine times out of ten you find out all this person's definitely safe
And then you can go ahead and drink that then you can observe it
Look there in verse 28
But let a man examine himself and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup
For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily eateth and drink them nation to himself not discerning the Lord's body
Not allowing it that supper to do what it's supposed to do to bring over again remembrance of what Christ has done for us
For this cause many are weak and sickly among you and many sleep, so that's what's going on there
There's people that are weak and what says sleep there that they're dead
You know talking about that's me refers to as Christians. They're sleeping and they got it
They took a dirt nap all right. That's what he's saying is going on
That's why you guys are observing this together
You're coming together for the bet not for the better, but for the worse, and you guys are suffering for it
This is not a good example friend
But when you're judged we are chasing the Lord that we should not be condemned the world
It says if we should judge ourselves
We should not be judged and that's really what we should be doing when we're observing the Lord's Supper and privately
When we set out and say you know what I'm gonna do this. That's something. I'm gonna allow it to
Work in my heart the way it said
I'm gonna allow it to bring to remembrance the things that if Christ you and maybe it'll cause you to reflect and say you know
What?
Man, I could do better in this area in my life
You know there's something in my life that the Lord isn't pleased with I'm gonna get right
You know it causes you to think that and to examine yourself. You know and to see what your walk is really like
So Paul admonishes them to come together, right?
He says the for them to come together
Where is he trying to find that there he says they should come together, but not to eat
But they should come together to eat, but not all come together at once
Remember I mentioned that just a minute ago. This is when you come together in the church
You know when you all come together in the church
He's saying I you know I praise you not in this
Look at verse 33 wherefore my brother when you come together to eat Terry for one another say yeah come together
But it is say you need to come together in the church, and he's saying to come together, but do it right
So this is and that's consistent with the other examples
I mean you could disagree with them, and that's fine, and we don't have to agree with this
This isn't a point of division. You know there's we have plenty of Baptist friends that don't believe like this
you know I just had a
Just this last week. It was talking to a Baptist preacher in another church, and he's like well you guys are wrong
So that's your opinion you can have you can have your opinion, and here's the thing as a small church
You could do this you know we're a small enough group
I feel like we could do it here
You know we could talk amongst ourselves
You know parents can make sure that they understand where the kid whether or not the kids should be observing it
We're a small enough group we could do that if we wanted to
But you know and you don't have to agree with this
But here's the thing show me the example of a New Testament Church doing it
That's doing it right that isn't suffering as a consequence, and then and then show me you know then then show me how
How we're wrong about interpreting the examples that are given in the Old Testament how Jesus did it?
I mean that's exactly how they did it. They did it in their homes privately
He did it with a small group just as 12 disciples
Intimate gathering and that's the examples that we see we see then you know we could get into and for sake of time
We're gonna stop here it says how often should it be done right if you're there look at verse 25
How often should it be done? That's another thing that comes up people will say hey, you know you should do it every week
You should do it once a month. You should do it once a year, but what does it say?
He said in verse 25 after the same manner also
He took the cup when he had supped saying this is the New Testament in my blood
This do ye as oft as you drink it in remembrance of me so often
You should do it as often as you do it
There is no see how this doctrine is not something that's just nailed down in Scripture
This is exactly how you're supposed to do it, and this is when you're supposed to do it
How many times there's a lot of Liberty given here?
It's not something that's completely clear in Scripture, and that's why we shouldn't be so dogmatic about it
You know and if other churches do it a different way. That's fine
You know I don't have any I don't have a bone of contention with them
They can do whatever they want, but this is how you know our pastor has ordained that we do it here
That's how we're gonna do it, and I believe he's correct
So he says as oft as you drink it you know and and you could get into like
People want to do it on certain days like some people say well
Let's let's do it on the Lord you know on the on the on the Passover
If there was one day you should probably not do it on it's probably that day
You want to start observing times and moons and seasons right?
He said avoid that kind of thing and in fact if you're calling acts
That's exactly we see they have they can't the disciples came to the break bread after the Feast of Unleavened Bread, right?
So you could do it that day
But I'd probably be the one day you don't want to do it
Because then you start having to you know get on the Jewish calendar and all these things and it gets weird
I think you should just do it as you're moved
You know it's something that you should just do now to understand exactly how to do it
I you know for sake of time. I would just encourage you to go to the website the church website and
Just go on the preaching page
There's a search bar and just type in how to observe Lord's Supper or just type in Lord's Supper or supper
You know these things will come up and watch that sermon how to observe the Lord's Supper
That was just preached recently and if there's anyone here that has any questions about how to observe the Lord's Supper
you can come talk to me and we can even have somebody come and
Observe it with you just to show you how it's done to me
It's not that complicated most people pick it up pretty quick
But if you want to know more about how to actually do it
You know what things we should keep in mind when we do it watch that sermon or come talk to me
But other than that that's the gonna be the sermon this morning again
So why do we see you know?
We're going through this series, and I came it can seem like a dry subject on the surface doesn't it?
We're gonna talk about the two ordinances. I mean why aren't we why aren't you debunking flat earth?
You know why aren't you why aren't you debunking Nephilim? Why aren't you? Why aren't you talking about the raging sodomites again?
Why aren't why aren't you preaching some you know just off major you know?
Provocative sermon, but these are the things that matter these are the nuts and bolts of the Christian life
These are the things that are make up make us who we are you know and this is and every time we get into it
I get into it and study it out
I'm amazed at these doctrines you know the one of the the priests and believers amazing doctrine
This is no different. You know it should move us. You know we have
a great privilege that we can take the time to stop in our busy lives and
Observe what Christ has done for us through the ordinances of baptism and through the ordinance of observing the Lord's Supper
Let's go ahead pray