58a) Directives for Ordering The Lord's Supper (~1987-8)

Driving home: It is to be a supper of remembrance. This primary purpose is to call to present cognitive awareness the person of our Lord Jesus Christ but his person particularly as crucified for us.

Martin uses the analogy of a computer bringing up files from memory onto a screen to explain 'remembrance' (anamnesis) as bringing past realities into present cognitive awareness.

and verse 72. With respect to Peter's denial, we read in Mark chapter 14 and verse 72. And straightway the second time the rooster crowed. And Peter, here's our word. Called to

17:58 - 18:17 Read in full sermon

The point: Beware of any movement away from the simplicity of the apostolic perspectives and directives touching the supper of remembrance.

Martin quotes John Owen extensively to illustrate how a loss of spiritual experience and a desire for tangible efficacy led to the 'horrid monster of transubstantiation and the sacrifice of the mass' in Rome, moving away from the simplicity of the Supper.

and here I commend to you in Owen volume 8 pages 560 to 565 some of the most penetrating insights as to what has led to the gross aberrations of Rome in conjunction with the Lord's Supper it's a sermon by Owen in which he exposes the vicious errors of Rome under the title the chamber of imagery he takes that text from Ezekiel where the prophet is taken into the chambers of imagery and sees all manner of abominations well then he begins to lay open the abominations of Rome and when he comes to this matter of how she developed her abominable doctrine of the mass and transubstantiation

40:41 - 41:25 Read in full sermon

The point: Beware of a legalistic mentality that would rend the body of Christ over circumstantial details pertaining to the supper.

He cites the disparaging term 'cracker and grape juice charade' used by some to describe the simple observance of the Lord's Supper, illustrating the legalistic mentality that can rend the body of Christ over circumstantial details.

of the supper to this day there are those who write articles and in disparaging way they speak of those who have their cracker and grape juice charade rather than really observe the Lord they call it a cracker and grape juice charade where humble earnest true believers may have crushed saltines and welsh's grape juice but in lovering remembrance of the Lord Jesus they eat bread and they drink of the fruit of the vine and they call it their cracker and grape juice charade you have churches

48:05 - 48:48 Read in full sermon

The point: If persuaded of changes in circumstantial details, patiently let the word of God condition the hearts and minds of God's people before implementing.

Martin shares the story of Trinity Baptist Church moving from individual cubes of bread to one loaf for communion, prompted by congregational questions from Scripture, to underscore the unity of the body.

them closer to the elements being distributed in a way that reflects their God given intention then certainly the reformed church is the reforming church let me just give briefly a testimony of how we move from little cut up cubes of of wonder bread I think it was back years ago when I first came into the area to having one loaf it was just in the consecutive reading through the new testament that when we came to the passage it said do we not all partake of one loaf the people began to come to us as elders and say what's that mean we partake of one loaf why can't we have one loaf to underscore...

49:31 - 50:15 Read in full sermon

The point: If persuaded of changes in circumstantial details, patiently let the word of God condition the hearts and minds of God's people before implementing.

He recounts the church's decision against using one cup for communion, weighing the biblical symbolism against the potential for distraction due to societal norms of personal hygiene, prioritizing the remembrance of Christ.

had conditioned people's hearts then we just had a congregational meeting opened up some of the scriptures on it said from here on this is what I'm going to do and this is why and nobody had a fuss over it all there was was a glad reception of an alteration in practice that for some was entirely new well then some others said well would it not be more in keeping with the sense of our unity if we were to have one cup and we wrestled with that matter and having wrestled with it we came to the conviction no the logistics of passing just one cup and living in a society where there is no common exp...

50:15 - 50:59 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: He transitions to baptismal services, noting the New Testament's liberty regarding specific circumstances (when, where, how) but clarity on proper subjects (professed disciples)…

Martin shares a humorous anecdote about a river baptism where the river was declared unfit for fishing and swimming the very next day, highlighting a strange providence and the symbolic nature of the washing away of sins.

backyard pool and we've done all of those over the course of the years we've baptized in a pool at the end of East Bridge Road we've baptized in a river I can never allude to that without remembering the humorous incident we had a baptism on the Lord's day and the next day in the paper that very stretch of the river came out in a local newspaper was declared unfit for fishing and for swimming because the pollutants were above the normal level and the people who were baptized jokingly said well we thought our sins were only being washed away symbolically but the next day the river was declared ...

70:50 - 71:34 Read in full sermon

The point: Describe the circumstances of the baptism (what to wear, how to go through it) to candidates, perhaps with a 'dry run,' to avoid confusion.

He briefly recounts a jingle taught by 'Miss Reynolds' to remember the 'I before E' spelling rule, used to clarify the spelling of 'seize' and lighten the mood.

describe the circumstances to the candidates what to wear how to actually go through the baptism what we do is we have them come and meet in the back with one of the elders the day of their baptism and actually go through a kind of dry run with them so that when we baptize them there's no confusion and distraction in the actual act of baptizing them at the actual baptismal service here I lay before you four words of exhortation first C's the opportunity to explain the visible ordinance with the exposition of the written word now you notice how I spelled C's and I'm very thankful for Miss Reyno...

73:02 - 73:47 Read in full sermon

The point: Seize the opportunity to preach the gospel to the unconverted during baptismal services, highlighting the distinction between those with Christ and against Him.

He relays a story from a missionary periodical about a village where baptisms involved candidates stepping out from their fellow villagers on one side of a river, being baptized, and then joining the church on the other side, vividly demonstrating the spiritual reality of demarcation and identification with Christ.

heard by the word of God or by the word of God. And I think that's a wonderful opportunity to hear or read in a missionary periodical a number of years ago what to me was one of the most moving demonstrations of the real significance of baptism. In this particular village, when they would have a baptism, the whole village would gather on one side of this shallow, narrow river. All of the villagers would gather. The church would gather on one side with the elders. Those

76:23 - 76:50 Read in full sermon