Word of Salvation – Vol.41 No.41- November 1996

 

The Lord’s Supper

 

Sermon by Rev W Wiersma on Lord’s Day 28-30

 

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Question 75 spells out what I will be talking about this morning.  It speaks about your share in Christ’s sacrifice and gifts.

The Lord’s Supper is intended to remind and assure you that you have a share in Christs’ one sacrifice on the cross and in all his gifts.

The Lord’s Supper, therefore, focuses our attention on the Lord Jesus and all that He has done and is doing for our salvation.  What that salvation is, is, I think, beautifully expressed in the answer to question 76, which speaks about receiving forgiveness of sins and eternal life, and about being united more and more to Christ, so that we are filled with, and governed by, the same Spirit as Christ is.

So, the first thing the Catechism teaches us is that the Lord’s Supper is intended to remind you and assure you that you share in what Christ has done and won for his people.  You might say the Lord’s Supper is intended to deal with two problems from which we frequently suffer.  I’m referring to forgetfulness – we need reminding; and to doubt – we need assuring.

This sacrament is therefore very much for imperfect and struggling believers.  In this sacrament our Lord meets a real need on our part.  In the celebration of the sacrament, our Saviour draws our attention to himself.  “Do this in remembrance of me…” Jesus said to his disciples.  Think about what the Saviour has done for you.  Now, that, it seems to me, is the heart of what the Lord’s Supper is all about – about what the Saviour has done for us.

As we remember that sacrifice, as we think about the reason for that death of Jesus on the cross, as we think about the benefits of that death for those who believe in Jesus, we are strengthened in faith – we are assured of our salvation.  But only as we focus our attention on Jesus who suffered and died for us to get forgiveness of sins and eternal life for us.

Now, I say it this way because I heard an interesting remark a few weeks ago.  The person who made it said that she used to think that you went to the Lord’s Supper to have your sins forgiven.  I say that is interesting because it made me wonder how many people in our church think about the Lord’s Supper that way.  Is that the way we ought to think about the Lord’s Supper?

A few questions come to mind, for example, are the bread and wine some sort of spiritual detergent which soak up and dissolve all the sins we have committed since the last time we attended the sacrament?  Or, is our coming to the table some kind of spiritual exercise by which we purge ourselves of our sins?  Or, is the celebration of the sacrament the time and place when and where our sins are actually forgiven?  Or, is the sacrament the means by which the Saviour assures me that it is also for me – whenever I confess my sins to God and trust in Jesus for salvation?

I believe that the sacrament is to be seen and experienced as a means of strengthening our faith in Christ and our daily communion with Christ.  If that is true, then we may be greatly assured of forgiveness and eternal life as we participate in the sacrament.  But then we don’t depend on the sacrament for such forgiveness and life.  In other words it is not the Lord’s Supper or our participation in the sacrament that forgives our sins.

Our sins are forgiven by God whenever we confess our sins and trust him to apply the benefits of Christ’s death for our sins to us.  What I am saying is that the Lord’s Supper helps us to believe that God will forgive us our sins for Jesus’ sake.

But, the Lord’s Supper as such is not the means of forgiveness.  The means of forgiveness, as we have seen earlier, is the blood and spirit of Christ.  The sacrament of the Lord’s Supper is not some magical washing ceremony.  The forgiveness of our sins does not depend on the Lord’s Supper.  In that sense we don’t need the Lord’s Supper.  Don’t make a special effort to attend the Lord’s Supper if you are not looking to Jesus for salvation.  Don’t expect the Lord’s Supper to do anything for you if you are not seeking communion with the Lord Jesus.

Let’s briefly look at the point the Heidelberg Catechism mentions.  First, the breaking of the bread and the pouring out of the wine remind us that Christ offered his body and blood on the cross for us sinners.  Second, as surely as I receive the bread and the wine as symbols of the body and blood of Christ, so surely will Jesus feed and refresh our souls with his crucified body and poured out blood.

I take this to mean that just as I am freely and generously offered the bread and wine – so Jesus offers himself to me.  And just as I gratefully receive and accept the bread and wine, so I may know that the sacrifice of Jesus and the benefits of that sacrifice are mine to receive and enjoy.

In Question and Answer 76, the catechism goes on to explain the difficult words of the Lord Jesus, which actually put quite a few of his followers off (quote Q.76).

The answer to this question shows that the catechism wants to focus our attention on Christ, because it is Jesus alone who is our Saviour and because we are saved only by faith in him.  We are called, we are encouraged to accept with a believing heart the entire suffering and death of Christ.  We are to accept that.  That means we should accept the fact of his suffering and death.  We should accept the reason for his suffering and death, namely, that it was because of our sins and for our salvation.

In other words, Jesus died because he gave his life as a ransom for many.  And we should accept the effects of his suffering and death – that is, the benefits of Christ’s sacrifice, namely, the forgiveness of our sins and the gift of eternal life to us.

The Catechism goes on to expand on the gift of eternal life: “Through the Holy Spirit…” (quote it).

The Catechism uses strong physical language here – just as Jesus used strong physical language when he talked about eating his flesh and drinking his blood – to bring home the closeness of a believer’s relationship to Christ.

That is what Christ offers.  That is what we must desire.  This is what the Holy Spirit strengthens and promotes through the celebration of the Lord’s Supper.  That is the whole aim:  The closest possible association with Christ; a living relationship with the crucified and risen Saviour through the Spirit.

Amen.