The Lord’s Supper and Assurance

Posted on by Reformed Reader

Heaven on Earth (Puritan Paperbacks) The Lord’s Supper is a holy sacrament that Jesus gave to his church to help strengthen us in the Christian faith.  If you’re a Christian who is weak, weary, full of doubts, and in need of God’s love and grace, don’t avoid the table – go to it with repentant faith.  Thomas Brooks put it this way.

“[Assurance] was the principle end of Christ’s institution of the sacrament of the Supper that he might assure them of his love, and that he might seal up to them the forgiveness of their sins, the acceptance of their persons, and the salvation of their souls (Matt. 26:27-28).  The nature of a seal is to make things sure and firm among men; so the Supper of the Lord is Christ’s broad seal, it is Christ’s privy-seal, whereby he seals and assures his people that they are happy here, that they shall be more happy hereafter, that they are everlastingly beloved of God, that his heart is set upon them, that their names are written in the book of life, that there is laid up for them a crown of righteousness, and that nothing shall be able to separate them from him who is their light, their crown, their all in all.”

“In this sacrament Christ comes forth and shows his love, his heart…his blood, that his children may no longer say, ‘Does the Lord Jesus love us?  Does he delight in us?’ but that they may say with the spouse, ‘I am my beloved’s and his desire is towards me’ (Songs 7:10).”

Thomas Brooks, Heaven on Earth, 27.

rev shane lems

Published by Reformed Reader

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5 thoughts on “The Lord’s Supper and Assurance”

  1. My home church celebrates the Lord’s Supper relatively often, so we tend to use the URCNA’s “Short Form No. 1” in worship. I particularly love what that form has to say about the assurance we receive through the sacrament (emphasis added):

    [A]ll who repent and believe are invited to this sacred meal not because
    you are worthy in yourself, but because you are clothed in Christ’s perfect
    righteousness. Do not allow the weakness of your faith or your failures in the
    Christian life to keep you from this table. For it is given to us because of our
    weakness and because of our failures, in order to increase our faith by feeding
    us with the body and blood of Jesus Christ. As the Word has promised
    us God’s favor, so also our Heavenly Father has added this confirmation of
    his unchangeable promise. So come, believing sinners, for the table is ready.
    Taste and see that the Lord is good (Ps. 34:8a).

    Michael Kearney
    West Sayville URC
    Long Island, New York

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    1. I guess emphasis was NOT added. Here’s how it should have come out: “For it is given to us because of our weakness and because of our failures, in order to increase our faith by feeding us with the body and blood of Jesus Christ.”

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      1. Thanks, MK – I actually had that phrase in mind since we too use that form quite a bit. I try to emphasize that when I read it before we enjoy the bread and wine. Amen!

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  3. Have I been removed from your E-mail list? I haven’t received anything in a long time and wondered if you are still writing and publishing online. Thanks, Dean.

    ________________________________
    DEAN – I have to respond to you in your own comment – hope you get this! Anyway, we don’t do anything with the email list. It’s all automatic. Try resubmitting your email address to the list and see what happens. We didn’t delete your email or anything. Hope we can figure it out!

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