Worthy Partaking of the Supper
Minister: | Rev. Ronald Van Overloop |
Date: | 5/3/2009 AM |
Text: | II Corinthians 13:5; Lord's Day 30 |
Psalters: | 401, 325, 81, 284 |
- Proper partaking requires that we correctly see our Lord?s death in the Supper.
- It is incorrect to say that Christ?s body and blood are present physically.
- Rome holds to a physical presence of Jesus at the Table, resulting in the priest repeatedly sacrificing Jesus
- To worship something on the earth is idolatry.
- The Reformed churches declare that Christ is only present in the Supper in a spiritual sense.
- The only sacrifice of Christ was once done and it accomplished all (Heb. 7:27).
- Second, Jesus is in heaven, where He is to be worshiped.
- Proper partaking also requires that the sacrament be properly administered.
- First, proper administration is an act of obedience to the Lord?s command.
- Second, proper administration means that the Lord?s Table is to be hosted and guarded properly.
- Not ?open.?
- Proper administration requires the preaching which displays the Jesus and the death He died.
- Third, proper administration means that Jesus is seen as the Host through His representatives, the elders.
- The elders? supervision of the Table is seen in their distributing the elements.
- The elders administer it supper by determining who may partake.
- Proper partaking requires something of those who partake.
- Three groups are identified as not proper partakers.
- Those who by confession and life declare themselves to be unbelieving and ungodly.
- Hypocrites are warned to keep themselves from the Table, lest they eat to their condemnation.
- Believers who do not turn to God with sincere hearts, i.e., believers who are insincere at that moment.
- A proper partaker exercises faith by seeing, not whether I am a believer, but whether I am living and walking in faith.
- When believers do it SO, then blessings result for the believers and for the church.