A Lesson in Two Parts

Session One: The Elements and Rites of the Sacrament

1. The Sacrament Defined
   • Thomas Doolittle on Sacraments in general: "Sacraments are glasses for our understanding and monuments for our memories, that by mean and visible sights we might perceive and call to mind sublime and invisible things."
   • According to John Calvin, the sacrament of the Lord's Supper is "a spiritual banquet, wherein Christ attests Himself to be the life-giving bread,upon which our souls feed unto true and blessed immortality." (Institutes, iv.18.1)
   • Calvin also speaks of the God of the Lord's Supper as the "Provident Householder," in that He not only provides for an initial deliverance from sin, but continually supplies us with life-giving spiritual food.
2. The Elements of the Sacrament
   • Why did Christ ordain two elements rather than simply one?
     1. To better represent the death of Christ as a breaking of His body and a shedding of His blood.
     2. To communicate more effectively the fullness of Christ's spiritual banquet for His people.
     3. To allow the communication of certain spiritual truths which only one or the other of the elements can convey (for instance, "joyfulness" in the wine).
   • What significance is there in Christ's command to use bread and wine for this ordinance?
     1. Among other things, the purpose of so base and simple a symbolism is so that our "small capacity" (Calvin) may grasp some understanding of the great and mysterious union of Christ with His folk. Says Calvin, "For this very familiar comparison penetrates into even the simplest minds: 'Just as bread and wine sustain the physical life, so are our souls fed by Christ.'"
     2. Bread and wine are the universal symbols of nourishment.
     3. Turretin: "Christ used bread because with the divine blessing it is of all the elements the most efficacious for nourishing and strengthening the body; the most common, the most familiar to be found everywhere, easily prepared, and most pleasant."
     4. Calvin: "When we see wine set forth as a symbol of blood, we must reflect on what benefits wine imparts to the body...these benefits are to nourish, refresh, strengthen, and gladden."
     5. Perhaps most delightful is the thought that these elements are to be received and eaten, expressing the fact that in some mysterious fashion all believers truly feed upon Christ in their souls. These elements which we see have "been destined as food for our spiritual life." (Calvin)
   • Question: Should the Bread be Unleavened?
     1. Christ likely used unleavened bread due to the circumstance of the Passover. As it was the Passover, leavened bread was nowhere to be found. (cf. Exo.xii.19)
     2. Though the kind of bread is indifferent to the sacrament, leavened bread seems more appropriate to the symbolism of the celebration: that Christ is the sufficiency and full nourishment for our souls.
     3. Further, unleavened bread smacks of Jewish ceremonialism, which is abrogated with the coming of Christ. Actually, it was not until the 9th or 10th century that the Church began to use unleavened bread by conviction.
3. The Rites of the Sacrament
   • Turretin: "The rites which were used with these symbols in the institution are either the actions or the words of Christ. The actions contain the form and example of administration. The words contain the doctrine of the administration and its application."
   • The actions of the sacrament
     1. The taking of the Bread and the blessing of it. This denotes a Divine blessing upon the bread and wine and a reservation of them for sacred use. This blessing does not denote a change in substance, but a change in use.
     2. The breaking of the Bread. This denotes the "breaking" of Christ's Body for our sins. Also, as we all partake, as the Apostle puts it, of the "one loaf," we are reminded of our mutual and communal interest in Christ.
     3. The distribution of the Bread. Says Doolittle, "Christ is the Giver and Christ is the Gift" in the Supper. By this action, believers are taught that Christ offers Himself freely and by His own Hand to His people. Though a Minister may preside over the distribution of the Sacrament, he may never be considered the great Distributor of this grace.
   • The Words of the Sacrament
     1. "Take, eat...and drink." This is nothing less than a Divine command. Christ desires that His folk grow in holiness and Divine fellowship and enter safely into Heaven. He therefore commands those who love Him to partake of the Sacrament which serves to these ends.
     2. "This is my Body, which is broken for you. This is my blood, which is shed for many." This is Christ's promise that all which the bread and wine symbolize as to the salvation of His people is truth indeed. As surely as the bread is broken, so was He broken for you. As surely as the wine is poured out, so has He been poured out for a drink offering on our behalf.
     3. "This do in remembrance of Me." This phrase summarizes the great purpose of the Sacrament. Consider Turretin: "Here not a naked and merely historical remembrance is meant, but a living and efficacious practical application of the merit of Christ and the apprehension of it by faith." In the Supper we are not merely commemorating, but by faith we are receiving afresh the labors of Christ.

Session Two: Preparation for and Use of the Sacrament

• I find it most convenient, in instructing on this subject, to approach it chronologically. In other words, in discussing how we might gain the greatest grace in this sacrament, we will divide our second session as follows:
  1. How do we prepare before the sacrament?
  2. What do we do during the sacrament?
  3. How do we engage ourselves in applying the sacrament after we partake of it?
• As we proceed, let us consider soberly the words of the Rev. Doolittle: "For though God does not bestow the great things in the sacrament [in exchange] for our preparation, yet He will not give them without our preparation."¹

1. Preparing for the Sacrament
   1. Is preparation biblically demanded?
      1. There can be no doubt that Scripture calls us to prepare diligently prior to our reception of the sacrament. Let us examine the matter from the view of both the Old Testament and the New...
      2. The element of preparation was certainly a part of the celebration of Passover, which is the Old Testament parallel to the Lord's Supper.
         • Prior to Passover, a diligent search was made to remove all unleavened bread from the home. Unleavened bread is a picture of moral uncleanness. It's removal at Passover therefore helps to inform us as to the character of our preparation for the Lord's Supper.
         • Consider Doolittle as he applies the matter: "Before we eat the Lord's Supper we must cleanse our hearts and lives from all known sin...we may come with many sins, bewailing, striving against, and groaning under them, but not with one sin allowed and approved of."²
         • Also prior to the Passover, each household kept the sacrificial lamb until the fourth day. (cf. Exo.xii.3,6) The presence of the Lamb was to be a continual reminder of Divine mercy, and was to press them toward loyalty to God for His goodness to them.
         • Regard Rev. Poole: "...by a frequent contemplation of the lamb, as a sign appointed by God, they might have their faith strengthened as to their approaching deliverance..."³
      3. The New Testament celebration of the sacrament demands preparation with the simple admonition of the Apostle Paul regarding the Supper: "But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup." (I Cor.xi.28)
   2. How Shall We Prepare for the Sacrament?
      1. We consider Who's Table it is to which we have been invited.
         • Again Doolittle: "...would you go unto the table of a great king with filthy hands and in your rags? And would you go to the Table of the Great King of Heaven and earth with a filthy heart, and in your sin?"⁴
      2. We consider the nature and purpose of the sacrament itself.
         • The more noble a thing is, the better we ought to treat it. Our behavior toward an old cloak will greatly differ from how we would treat royal robes. The Supper is a heavenly ordinance, given of Christ, to feed us unto eternal life. How great is our guilt should be maltreat this great and solemn gift.
      3. We consider the price paid that we may have access to this sacrament.
         • No less a toll than the blood of the Son of God was required to grant us this birthright. Were it not for His cross-work, there could be no Supper. Ask yourself, "What has my Savior endured so that I may have the promises and graces included in the Supper?" It is no cheap meal that we partake of when we eat the Supper. In truth, it is the most dear feast ever served.
2. Receiving the Sacrament
   1. We receive the sacrament with a proper theology.
      • Few things can have as detrimental an effect on our being properly blessed by the sacrament as coming to the Table with a wrongful understanding.
      • Example: If we view the sacrament in too mystical a way, we can lose track of the objective promises being made in it and wallow in a pool of superstition.
      • Example: If we neglect the Gospel message behind the sacrament, we can be tempted to forsake the sacrament all-together in despair for our sin.
      • In short, the sacrament is not to be "guess work," theologically speaking. The partaker must endeavor to have a precise understanding of what is occurring when he receives the Supper. (Studying the Confession and Catechisms can be helpful to this end.)
   2. We receive the sacrament with a right heart.
      • A right participation isn't only a matter of the mind. The partaker needs to ask questions of his heart, too. We have already quoted the Apostle's word: "But let a man examine himself..." The term signifies a diligent search into the nature of a thing. Imagine a jewel expert examining a diamond to verify its authenticity. This is the spirit with which we are to examine ourselves for receiving the Supper. We ask of our souls...
      1. Is there evidenced in me the elements of spiritual awakening? (e.g. Am I one who grieves over my sins and the sins of others? Do I have a sense of good and evil? Do I possess love to Christ? Do I love Christ's people?)
      2. Do I yearn for more of these graces? Do I desire more of Christ, or am I content with my present state? Says Doolittle, "Dead men neither hunger, nor do they thirst."
      3. What sins hinder my growth and usefulness in the Gospel? How do I view these sins? Am I content with them? Do I pursue their death with all my might? How may I improve in my mortification of sin?
   3. We receive the sacrament with a prayerful disposition.
      • Should we forget the Mighty Power which stands behind us, we may quickly be cast into despair by the above questions. Let us not be discouraged when these inquiries throw us into a painful awareness of our wickedness. Truly, an element of the sacrament is that we might be reminded of the fact that it is our sinfulness which has dragged Christ to His cross! Though the sacrament is a celebration, it is a sober one.
      • Our sorrow and despair turns quickly to fervent supplication to the God who is able to deliver us from our spiritual weakness. We say, "Oh, Lord! How your sacrament has reminded me again that my hands are stained with the blood of Christ! I have been his executioner and my sin the spear which pierced His side! How I would that you might deliver me, Oh God! Teach me to hunger for Christ! Instruct me in hatred of sin! May my desire for Christ-serving holiness so consume me that my chest will burst in anxiety for it!" Such is the stuff of a proper Lord's Supper prayer.
      • Hebrews 4:16: "Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need."
3. Applying the Sacrament Once We Have Received It
   • In addressing this matter, let us come to the study of the Reverend Wilhemus a-Brakel, who has much pastoral advice to give on this subject⁵. In advising Christians in regard to application of the Lord's Supper, he summons you to...
     1. Reflect upon what your condition has been in partaking of the Supper. Did you prepare properly for it? Or as he puts it, "Have you taken the time for it, or did you continually postpone it until time slipped away from you and a slight spiritual motion with a prayer or two had to do?" In short, did you truly examine yourself in accord with the stipulations mentioned above?
     2. Reflect upon the manner in which the Lord has revealed Himself to you. Did you receive encouragement or discouragement from the Supper? If you departed in sorrow, is it because you have an improper understanding of Gospel grace? If you believe you do have a proper understanding of Gospel grace, and yet you departed from the Table in sorrow, is it because your sin remains un-repented for and your love for Christ has gone cold? If your participation was blissful, what thoughts were used by the Holy Spirit to inspire your joy?
     3. Work out the blessings you have received in renewed thankfulness and obedience. As a-Brakel puts it, now that one has received these graces, be all the more devoted to "wearing the livery of Christ."