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That can have consequences for their confidence in coming to the Lord's table. It is not unusual to be asked as a pastor, "What should I do if I have lost assurance of salvation or do not have any assurance? Should I stay away from the Lord's supper or come and partake of the Lord's supper?" One thing to remember is that assurance is not of the essence of faith which means that a person can have faith, but not be assured of the fact that he has that faith. He may believe everything in the Bible about God, Jesus Christ, and the way of salvation. But his question is, "How do I know for sure that I believe?" Our forefathers in the faith wrestled long and hard with this question. The early reformers tended to bring the two things together. John Knox would have told you that the person who has faith is assured of his salvation. But a hundred years later the puritans came to see that many people in their congregations struggled with this. In the Westminster Confession of Faith they provided a whole chapter on the subject and Question #172 of the Larger Catechism says, "Q. May one who doubteth of his being in Christ, or of his due preparation, come to the Lord’s supper?" They teach us in the answer that if the person who is doubting is concerned about that doubt, is fighting sin, and without scandal in his life, the Lord's supper is a means of grace in his life whereby his strength may be strengthened.

It is not uncommon for Christians to have varying levels of assurance of salvation. There are periods of time where I feel very confident in my faith. Other periods of time there seems to be a distance between me and God. Or there is sin persisting stubbornly that causes me to feel less assurance. A father asks the Lord for help for his son and Jesus asks if he can believe for the help. The response of this father is wonderful: “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24) I think any Christian who has been in the faith for a while can empathize with that answer. I do believe there is faith in my heart, but I also find weakness of faith and unbelief coexisting beside that. This is not an uncommon experience. What should a Christian do? 1 Corinthians 11:27-28 says, "Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup." Here we have a serious warning about engaging in the Lord's supper in an unworthy manner. What this means is we should never do it in a thoughtless and careless way; we must examine ourselves. But then the exhortation is to take. Our natural disposition should be towards examining ourselves and repenting in the moment, but having a bias towards taking it. The Lord's supper is a channel for grace. It is not magic, but, at the same time, it is not nothing.

What can a person learn from living within a family? Jason Dohm explains in this video that in a family, you know each other. You see each other at their best and at their worst. Family members see each other at all times throughout the day. We can each put on different fronts when we're outside of the home and amongst others, but it's difficult to maintain it within the home. Parents can use times when children act sinfully to point them to the Gospel -- we each are in need of a Savior. We cannot hide our sin or somehow pretend that we deserve salvation. Colossians 3:12-14 (NKJV) - "Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection."

1. Baptism and the Lord's Supper are ordinances of positive and sovereign institution, appointed by the Lord Jesus, the only lawgiver, to be continued in his church to the end of the world. ( Matthew 28:19, 20; 1 Corinthians 11:26 ) 2. These holy appointments are to be administered by those only who are qualified and thereunto called, according to the commission of Christ. ( Matthew 28:19; 1 Corinthians 4:1 )

1. The supper of the Lord Jesus was instituted by him the same night wherein he was betrayed, to be observed in his churches, unto the end of the world, for the perpetual remembrance, and shewing forth the sacrifice of himself in his death, confirmation of the faith of believers in all the benefits thereof, their spiritual nourishment, and growth in him, their further engagement in, and to all duties which they owe to him; and to be a bond and pledge of their communion with him, and with each other. ( 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; 1 Corinthians 10:16, 17, 21 ) 2. In this ordinance Christ is not offered up to his Father, nor any real sacrifice made at all for remission of sin of the quick or dead, but only a memorial of that one offering up of himself by himself upon the cross, once for all; and a spiritual oblation of all possible praise unto God for the same. So that the popish sacrifice of the mass, as they call it, is most abominable, injurious to Christ's own sacrifice the alone propitiation for all the sins of the elect. ( Hebrews 9:25, 26, 28; 1 Corinthians 11:24; Matthew 26:26, 27 ) 3. The Lord Jesus hath, in this ordinance, appointed his ministers to pray, and bless the elements of bread and wine, and thereby to set them apart from a common to a holy use, and to take and break the bread; to take the cup, and, they communicating also themselves, to give both to the communicants. ( 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, etc. ) 4. The denial of the cup to the people, worshipping the elements, the lifting them up, or carrying them about for adoration, and reserving them for any pretended religious use, are all contrary to the nature of this ordinance, and to the institution of Christ. ( Matthew 26:26-28; Matthew 15:9; Exodus 20:4, 5 ) 5. The outward elements in this ordinance, duly set apart to the use ordained by Christ, have such relation to him crucified, as that truly, although in terms used figuratively, they are sometimes called by the names of the things they represent, to wit, the body and blood of Christ, albeit, in substance and nature, they still remain truly and only bread and wine, as they were before. ( 1 Corinthians 11:27; 1 Corinthians 11:26-28 ) 6. That doctrine which maintains a change of the substance of bread and wine, into the substance of Christ's body and blood, commonly called transubstantiation, by consecration o

At least in our immediate circles it is agreed that family ties don’t dissolve when passing through the doors of the church. That doesn’t diminish the authority or devalue the role of the church, but it does leave family authority and roles in tact, which leaves us carefully navigating how to rightly interact in circumstances where there seems to be overlap. One such place is in the observance of the Lord’s Supper, specifically, what role a father, as an authority in the family, plays in regulating this ordinance of the church, if any. I would like to explore this subject and provide a few thoughts which I believe are relevant and important. When comparing the Mosaic covenant to the new covenant, one thing which is immediately apparent is the dramatic difference in the number of ordinances. Ordinances under the Mosaic covenant seem almost innumerable, while under the new covenant, there are only two: baptism and the Lord’s Supper. With the coming of Jesus Christ, all of the shadows that prefigured His coming become unnecessary, and so He has left us with only these two great pictorials – baptism, picturing spiritual resurrection, and the Lord’s Supper, picturing the enlivening and sustaining power of Jesus’ self-sacrifice. In light of this, how important it is that we observe these two ordinances with care and precision! Their close association with the gospel message – a preaching in picture, so to speak – makes it absolutely essential that our observances communicate exactly what was intended. No more, no less. This brings us to the topic of this post, which is to explore a father’s role in the observance of the Lord’s Supper. Consider these two central points: 1. The Lord’s Supper is an ordinance of the church. Regarding the Lord’s Supper, the Apostle Paul said, “For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you…” (1 Corinthians 11:23a). That is what we should be striving for: an observance that represents just what Paul received from the Lord and delivered to the churches. And what is that? 1 Corinthians 11 makes it clear that this ordinance is to be observed according to the repeated phrase, “come together” (verses 17, 18, 20, 33, 34). It is an ordinance for a gathered local church, not an ordinance of the family.  This accor

What is the place and purpose of the Lord's Supper? Sadly, in many churches the Lord's Supper is simply an add-on, something haphazardly attached to the worship service once every few months. However, the Lord intended the ordinance as worship and a means of blessing and grace. Jason Dohm examines the Scriptures that teach on the proper place of the Supper in worship, and the purpose of the Supper as a means of grace for the church.

We have before us one of the most beautiful texts, I think, that God has given us on the sabbath because it casts such a beautiful vision of God's intentions toward mankind. There are so many images that have flown through my mind considering this this week. I think of just the many, many occasions where God expresses the beauty of his will. Think of what God did for his own Son during the time of his temptation, how he cared for him and nourished him by the angels and by the beasts of the field. Think about the song that we just sang where we heard of God's great intention for all of his sons and his daughters and that is to bring many sons to glory.  This text so brings out the kind intentions of God's will and, as you have been engaging in this series on the sabbath, we have really wanted to try to reveal by reading very carefully the texts that relate to the sabbath day so that we could understand that by going slowing enough over them so that we could get the contours of specific commands, grasp the different kinds of words that God uses to help us to understand what this day is all about, this day of rest, this day of doing mercy, this day to save yourself from judgment, this day to ride on the wings of eagles. This is a day that God has established for our great blessing.  Let me... I just want to pause for a moment and just communicate something to all of you as a church. You know, we have been bringing very socially contrary patterns to you. We know that many of the things we have brought to you and to ourselves contradict the ways that we have been thinking and living regarding the sabbath. But I just want to tell you how thankful I am for the way that you have received the teaching on the sabbath. It has been a huge encouragement and a blessing.  I keep sharing stories from people, from you, about how God is helping you to understand his will, how God is blessing you, how God is helping you to think better and differently, how God is soothing you, comforting you, increasing your delight, you know, through all these things, while at the same time shaking you up. And I am reminded of Hebrews 13:17 which says, “Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.” <

Is assembling for worship a genuine, heartfelt joy for you? Or is it something you 'get through' with a show of enthusiasm but no real affection? God has intended his worship to be a delight and a joy to his people, not drudgery to be endured. Christians are people who have been brought to know God by the work of Jesus Christ and as a result delight to worship him and fellowship together.

In this audio message, Scott Brown discusses the topic of the Passover. There is much that we can learn about sin and the Gospel. Specifically, families would search for leaven in the house. They would sweep it up and burn it. Are you letting any leaven, or sin, linger in your heart? Have you secretly fostered sin somewhere in a dark corner? If so, leave no stone unturned to rid it from your life. 1 Corinthians 5:7 (NKJV) - "Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us."

In this audio message, Scott Brown discusses the topic of the Lord's Supper. In prior times, he shares, it used to be a topic of fierce controversy. Today, while it may not receive as much controversy and scrutiny as it did, it still deserves our time and attention. In this specific message in a series about the Lord's Supper, he discusses what the "bread" refers to. Matthew 26:26 (NKJV) - "And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, 'Take, eat; this is My body.'”

The ordinances of the New Covenant are used to teach us about Jesus Christ and the work which he has accomplished on behalf of his people. The wine of the Lord's Supper is an ongoing reminder specifically of the blood of Christ, poured out for the sins of all who would ever believe. Being confronted week after week with this picture of the blood of our Savior should cause us to meditate on what our salvation cost and how beautiful our God is. It should also change us and bring us greater and greater joy as we rest in this great salvation accomplished on our behalf.