The Lord's Supper as a Means of Grace (6)

Driving home: It's their own mucky, foul, remaining, and enlightened solemnity. I mean a solemnity that is born of a biblically enlightened mind with respect to the issues that God says should fill our minds when we come to His table.

Compares the solemnity of a Roman Catholic at Mass or a superstitious person walking under a ladder to a solemnity born of superstition, contrasting it with an 'enlightened solemnity' rooted in biblical understanding.

What do I mean by enlightened solemnity? Well, I mean a solemnity rooted not in superstition such as is present with the average Roman Catholic when he goes to the Mass. It is generally great solemnity. But it's a solemnity born of superstition.

12:32 - 12:54 Read in full sermon

The point: If you go two or three communion services without at least a swelling up within your breast of joyful doxology, something is tragically wrong.

Uses the hymn 'Glory Be to Jesus' as an example of how joyful doxology should swell up in a believer's heart, indicating something is 'tragically wrong' if such a response is absent as a pattern.

But if you go two or three communion services, ever a time when you feel, man, if I don't put my hand over my mouth, I'm going to jump up and raise my hands and beller out a hallelujah.

44:02 - 44:13 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Christ crucified for sinners is the very life and heartthrob of true, vital, spiritual existence. Where will indwelling sin be most active?

Quotes John Owen's observation that indwelling sin is most powerfully discovered when one sets oneself to the most spiritual activity, illustrating how sin hinders devotion at the Lord's Supper.

In Romans 7 verse 21 Paul said, I find, I discover that to me who would do good, evil is present. And John Owen in his usually perceptive treatment of this text observes that no one discovers more to his shame the power of indwelling sin than when he sets himself to the most spiritual activity. If you should go home tomorrow night at the end of a day of work and say, well, I think I'll pick up the paper and see what's happening in Bosnia and see what's happening on Wall Street.

50:31 - 51:15 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Christ crucified for sinners is the very life and heartthrob of true, vital, spiritual existence. Where will indwelling sin be most active?

Compares the lack of spiritual resistance when reading a newspaper to the sudden tiredness and distraction experienced when trying to read a Christian book, illustrating how indwelling sin hinders spiritual exercises.

In Romans 7 verse 21 Paul said, I find, I discover that to me who would do good, evil is present. And John Owen in his usually perceptive treatment of this text observes that no one discovers more to his shame the power of indwelling sin than when he sets himself to the most spiritual activity. If you should go home tomorrow night at the end of a day of work and say, well, I think I'll pick up the paper and see what's happening in Bosnia and see what's happening on Wall Street.

50:31 - 51:15 Read in full sermon

The point: Let your disposition be one of enlightened solemnity, joyful doxology, prayerful dependency, and believing expectancy.

Compares believing when one's spirit is 'floating near to angels' wings' to believing when one feels 'glued to the earth,' arguing that the latter faith, without a 'twitch of feeling,' may be more pleasing to God.

Everything symbolized by the bread is bound up in what Jesus did, not what you feel. And perhaps never is your faith more pleasing to God than without a twitch of feeling you believe everything he says about the body and blood of his Son. It's easy to believe it all when your spirit's floating near to angels' wings, but when you feel like you're

62:54 - 63:36 Read in full sermon

The point: Understand why mom and dad and the rest of us sit here with both seriousness and peculiar joy at the table.

Describes seeing older men and women with glowing faces and trickling tears at the Supper, explaining to children that this peculiar joy and solemnity comes from the preciousness of the realities symbolized by the elements.

Perhaps you've seen one of the older men and women in the midst of the supper, and though their face has been glowing with joy, a tear has been trickling down their face. Do you see why, children? The realities symbolized by that bread and the fruit of the vine in those cups have become precious to the people of God, and we pray they will become precious to you. I leaned over at one of the young lads at the last communion service, and I said to him, May the day come when together we can partake.

68:35 - 69:14 Read in full sermon