Adult Sunday School - Going Public Part 6 (Chapter 6)

The Meaning of the Lord’s Table and the Need for Careful Instruction

Father God we come before you in agreement on the name of Jesus Christ our Savior to receive instruction this morning Particularly in the Lord's table and its significance and the blessing and the power That you have vested in that ordinance.

Well for the good of your people for the glory of Christ and we pray Lord that you would now give us your spirit Humble us to mold us to direct us in such a way that this information not be just clanging symbols.

But Lord that this information that this doctrine that this teaching Would be rude in our hearts in such a way that it would be effective on to kingdom fruit. And we pray Lord that you would ready our hearts and our minds not just even now for the study But also Lord for the services that are to To come before us this morning and later this afternoon.

Father we bless those who are here bless those who are on their way Lord and father we bless those who are elsewhere father. And we pray God your blessing over all these things and more in Jesus name.

Amen. Well, we're gonna pick up where we left off. That's in chapter 6 of our book on going public and we are going through today an ordinance so that the book has been really focused on the ordinance of baptism as a symbol of the new covenant Entrance essentially, it's it's a new covenant mark.

And so what we're going to examine today is that other ordinance that other mark of Christian membership Essentially and that is communion now. These are two hotly debated subjects baptism and communion and.

We.

Often have passionate Discussions around them. One of the discussions that will be brought up today. Now the leads in the part of the subject of the book is the difference between a Closed communion a closed community or an open community and all these, you know different I guess administrations of this ordinance.

What I don't want us to be lost here. However, is that which is of most importance and it's what these.

Ordinances.

Symbolize and what I mean by symbolize I don't just mean in symbol but also in true meaning. What is the meaning purpose of these ordinances namely baptism in the Lord's Supper. So we're gonna examine these things today and and I'll start by kind of starting where Bobby Jameson Starts, which is a good phrase that you are what you eat.

The Lord’s Supper as Spiritual Nourishment and Gospel Sign

Okay.

You've heard this expression before. You are what you eat. Oh, you're you're a donut. That's uh, I love. That was like Gordon Ramsey. He says you're a donut.

And.

That phrase is to invoke basically that you're. What you put into the body is reflection of who you usually tend to be on the outside. You know eat a lot. We tend to be on the heavier set. We don't eat a lot.

We're tend to be in a thinner set. Sometimes it doesn't matter what we were either thinner or on the other side.

Regardless.

But it usually is a telltale or a telling mark of who what you do. Right, the things that go into your body is a reflection of of it and you know, Jesus points this out. But in a different way when he says it's not so important what goes into the body as much as what comes out.

Via the mouth, right? So it's not what necessarily goes into the mouth but what comes out of it that is a truer reflection of Who you are and of your heart? But it still rings true that you kind of are what you eat.

I'm not the healthiest eater. I'm gonna just put that out there. I might look a little bit thinner these days, but it's it's not for a lack of not trying. I eat, you know. Poorly, you know my my my salad intake.

Usually consists of an In-N-Out burger. Okay. That I get yeah, I get. I make sure they put in my veggies in there. But but that's usually the extent of my veggie intake is what you can smash into a burger.

I'm not the healthiest of eaters. And that probably means that you know. My life expectancy isn't gonna be maybe as what I like or what it should unless I change my ways. But if you eat garbage, you're gonna feel like garbage if you eat good, you're gonna feel good.

It's usually what happens and it's usually the way it goes. We come here every Sunday and we eat. There's something that we partake in that that we eat that has a substance that has a meaning that has a purpose behind it.

And that which we partake in every week here at the church is the Lord's table is the or is the Lord's ordinance of the bread and the wine symbolizing the body and blood of Jesus Christ. Jesus says this this is my body which is given for me in reference to The bread.

Now, there are three kind of major views on on. What this means? When Jesus says this is my body. This is my blood. Anyone know what those views are called. Basically, there's four views, but there's three major views that we're gonna focus on.

Yeah, I always I always get a hang-up when I say that as well. Transubstantiation, which is that the doctrine that is found in what Church? Catholicism and in that doctrine what they teach is that that the the body were that the emblems that the bread of the wine actually become the body and blood of Jesus and that it it changes substance it only.

Doesn't seem as if it changes substance, which is therefore the name trans basically a change of the elements. Then there's co substantiation, which is what you'll usually find within kind of Lutheranism and what does that one teach?

Yes.

Yeah.

So the line that Lutheran just say is that the is that the bot is that within the bread and the wine Jesus is in and around The substance but the substance itself doesn't change, but I guess it's added on to right.

And so that's okay, that's that's one that's another view and then yes Trans and then counts as amputation. I'm trying to say that word, right? Conscious cons. Substantiation something like that. Yeah.

Okay. That's the second one. And then the third one is Essentially what our view would be which is there's not a real funny way of saying it. It's the spiritual presence of Christ in the element and so we would say Christ is truly present in the elements.

Similarly when we talk about church discipline, right when we look at Matthew 18, it says, you know I will when there were two or more gathered I will be in their midst. There's a true Presence there, but is it physical is it carnal?

No, but it's it's true nonetheless because the spiritual presence of Christ amongst his people when he exercised the keys of the kingdom similarly the Lord's ordinance of the body and bread of the body and the blood of Jesus.

So to there you find the true spiritual presence of Christ. And then there is another view the fourth view is what's called a memorialist view. Which essentially says that the emblems are just a memorial symbol, there's no there's no Substantive or spiritual Presence of Christ.

It's just a picture. It's just an image. It's just a memorial. So that's the memorialist view of the Lord's table, but we would hold on to the spiritual presence of of the emblems and so that's Important and it's not just nuance because similarly to the importance of baptism and what that signifies.

There are true doctrinal Practical implications to these things a memorialist view which is the mainline Evangelical view of the Lord's table. You see that roof you see that Lackadaisical You know kind of practice of Lord's table in that do do those churches tend to practice communion weekly.

Maybe once a month if that if you're lucky if you go to a church, they usually like something first Sunday of a month. Or maybe once a quarter or maybe once a year or maybe whenever the pastor remembers, you know.

There is no consistency. And why should there be it's just a picture. It's just a picture. It's just an image. It's just a memorial, you know, it's not there's not there's nothing actually substantial Happening in that ordinance and they kind of take the same view oftentimes the baptism.

Well, you know we baptize, you know, whenever you know some so there's there's no there's no regularity to it. There is no regulation behind it. There is no care behind it. It's just something that they it's just there in the ether and you do it when you want to and you know.

It's more of a convenience thing. And then of course you have those who are more, you know Catholic Lutheran or people like us Reformed Baptists where we do the Lord's Supper every week and we do take a Substantial view of the ordinance, but we would differ on the nature of that ordinance.

And so any questions so far yeah, I don't know I'm not sure if I can pinpoint that but I just know that within evangelicalism the Yeah, the Lord's Supper is not substantial it's not practiced with any type of regularity and when I was a pastor in my law non-denominational Church in Wisconsin.

That was kind of the mindset and I was challenged once by a brother. He says, you know. Because in the service we would take an offering. It's the why do we take an offering every week, but we don't do communion every week.

That's a great question. That's totally a fair question, you know. And and so obviously my views have straightened in that area where I believe that it is it should be a weekly ordinance and it should be a regular ordinance as You know as we see in the New Testament, and so we're gonna go more into that Throughout this chapter, but any questions going forward?

The Passover as the Old Covenant Pattern Fulfilled in Christ

Yeah, they tend to be and it's not it's not strictly so but it's my observation that most Evangelicals hold to the moralist view of the of the Lord's Table and They are the ones who tend to be the most non-committal to the table in terms of any sense of regularity.

Right, so they they don't they don't tend to practice it weekly and they tend to treat it very Almost as an afterthought which we're gonna we're gonna examine in this chapter that really the Lord's Supper was kind of the center of Early Christian worship Lord the Lord's Table was that was the center point of of the Christian community and so You know so much so that you have you guys, you know Evangelicals like Francis Chan everyone ever heard of Francis Chan before I think he doesn't count from like San Francisco area.

All right. I think he used to be like so so Cal now. He's somewhere up in the Yeah, I think now he's somewhere in You know SF trying to do a home church movement or something like that and one of the things that moved him away from evangelicalism was kind of a weak view of of Lord's Supper and he became kind of maybe too close to a Roman Catholic view of Lord's Supper because he saw the deficiency of a evangelical memorialist view of Lord's Supper.

And so I would disagree with him on many things by I appreciate his desire to want to Incorporate the Lord's Table more and also see the seriousness of it. And so any other thoughts or questions? So we are what we eat and the gospel is portrayed vividly in Not only the ordinance of baptism remember how baptism is a picture of the gospel namely the death burn resurrection of Christ.

So too is the Lord's Supper and how is the Lord's Supper portrayal of the gospel?

What is it that is being memorialized in the Lord's Supper, that's right.

So the atonement is really front and center in the ordinance of the Lord's Supper. And The Lord's Supper has an ancient precedent in the Old Covenant. Namely what what's the Old Covenant? Precedent. Passover.

Right. And so Passover was was. Besides the Sabbath was the primary observance or the first Ordinance other than the Sabbath. To be memorialized by the ancient Israelites by the ancient people of God.

Because it was in that ordinance. It was in that.

Memorial of the Passover. What were they memorializing in the Passover? What event. That's right.

So the last plague to come upon Egypt was the death of the firstborn. This is all prefiguring. This is all foreshadowing Christ. Okay. I mean the Passover foreshadows Christ. Brilliantly, which is why the Lord's Supper is the fulfillment of the Passover okay, and we see that in 1st Corinthians chapter 5 where Paul says that Christ our Passover lamb has been sacrificed and in the Passover You have again the call by Moses to the people of Israel in Egypt in a foreign land to to slaughter the innocent blood of a lamb put that blood over the doorpost and.

And they were to you know be safe. And so Christ being our lamb who takes away the sins of the world. We put his blood on the doorpost of our hearts. We receive forgiveness salvation the angel of death God's wrath Passes over us.

As it did the ancient Israelites and we get to have eternal life. But ours is one of eternal security ours is one of eternal salvation. Not just a temporary salvation at what was seen in the original Passover the celebration after that.

So the commemoration of that event the Lord in Exodus and and Deuteronomy points out that the Passover After the initial Passover was to be observed with the usage of bread and. Also. What what else was to be eaten.

There's a couple things that need to be eaten. Bitter bitter herbs are part of it. Yeah. What else? Yeah, they had to cook a lamb and not one piece of lamb could be left over. Okay, which was a picture of the complete?

Sacrifice of Jesus that Jesus's sacrifice is to the other most and so for instance in the ancient Passover Memorial you had to eat the whole lamb. It had to be roasted in fire and you could not leave not even you can have leftovers basically.

And so you had to eat it all. And you couldn't put leaven in the bread. Why? Why was it unleavened bread? It's a picture of sin. That's right, but there was also a practical reason for the. That's right, that's right.

So they were in a hurry so they couldn't put leaven because leaven takes time for it to rise a lot of stuff. So they had to not put leaven so they had to be in a rush in a hurry. And so you see how we get this ancient practice.

So the bitter herbs wine is a bitter Drink, okay. I don't like wine personally. It's always I'm not. I'm not a person who likes alcohol for me all alcohol is kind of bitter and doesn't taste good doesn't add.

Anything to my life.

And so.

You know, there's a bitterness to to the wine again. This is all picture. You see how this this beautiful Symphony of Scripture just all kind of coat becomes cohesive and finds its climax in Jesus Christ.

And so the old covenant precedent is the Passover. The Passover is now fulfilled in The Lord's Supper. Does that make sense? Okay, and So it says in in Scripture that In first Corinthians chapter 11 verse 26 for as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes and so the Lord's Supper is where we proclaim the gospel and participate in the gospel.

Okay, similarly again to baptism Baptism is our entrance, but also our participation now our Lord's Supper is a weekly participation in the Lord's Gospel. Okay, does that make sense? So you have one sign that is an entrance and then one that is a constant Maintenance.

I'm not sure if maintenance would be the term would be the word correct term here, but is our weekly participation. I think participation is a better term in that gospel activity. And so in one we don't you know, we don't believe in being baptized multiple times like if you've had a legitimate baptism.

And you were truly, you know regenerate it and convert it. We don't believe that you should be baptized again. Why would that be inappropriate?

Baptism, Oath-Keeping, and Reaffirmation in Communion

Yeah, yeah.

So any other reasons why it may be inappropriate? Yeah, you know what it does in an essence that's that's that's partially true I think. Doesn't necessarily negate it as it makes the first one known void but it's it's understanding really the the the meaning of baptism if baptism truly is Entrance into membership in the local church, right?

Then if we do it again it puts into Doubt that first Entry, right. It's like saying well that wasn't good enough. I gotta do it again or you know and the We typically see people wanting to get baptized again because they felt something was off or wrong about their first baptism.

And so and it could be that they weren't saved or that maybe it was administered by a false church, you know. You know like of Mormons or Jehovah Witnesses or something and and so there are appropriate Instances in which one should be baptized again.

Yeah. Yeah, I don't think that and it depends like if it's Presbyterian and or they were, you know baptized as infants or sprinkled I think that's not baptism. So it's not like it's like we're not asking to be rebaptized.

We're just asking to be baptized. Yeah, so because that initial baptism isn't a biblical baptism. And so. So that's that's where I would come in from that. But I don't think that someone who's had a legitimate baptism should be baptized again again legitimate meaning that they were baptized by Bible-believing Church baptized by you know being born again prior to to to that baptism and then obviously You know having a right understanding of it.

So if those those criteria's are met there's that person shouldn't be rebaptized now, sometimes we feel the need let's say a Christian Falls away. So he's a true born-again Christian. But let's say he falls into a season of sin and he falls into a season of backsliding and then he comes back.

Should he be baptized again?

Yeah.

Yeah, what we mean the body of Christ there's also there's clearly the local and the Universal sense in which that is true, right and in a sense the local church is the guardian of the Universal Church.

Right and so because it starts locally and so when we say when we come together we affirm someone's testimony. What we're saying is this person is truly part of the Universal Church, right and we affirm this testimony.

Therefore we baptize them in the name of the Triune God. Okay, so that's that that's the purpose there the reason why it would also be inappropriate is because the it would also Conflate the importance between the entry ordinance, which is baptism and the Maintenance ordinance, which is communion and so communion is a reaffirming also of our baptism.

Okay, so when we partake remember what what we say in here in our church is you you should only partake if you are believer in Christ. If you've been baptized by full immersion upon profession of that faith in Christ and if you're a member of a church in good standing because that Communion is that reaffirming is that reaffirming of that initial sign of that initial oath, right?

And so baptism is an oath. Remember if we get baptized over and over again, it's like You already did the oath so You don't need to do it again, it's it's it's one oath and then that oath is is is maintained in a sense remembered.

You know those vows are Retaken in a sense in the communion table, right? And so to then be baptized numerous times it kind of gates the purpose of the Lord's table. Because that's the Lord's tables job is to affirm and reaffirm and reaffirm that initial oath.

Does that make sense? Okay.

Perfect.

And so the Lord's Supper is an important subject on this because again we have to rightly understand that the oath that we initially took in baptism and how the Lord's Supper is that Reaffirming oath that we take weekly as we come together.

You know in the church.

And so.

In the page 109. It's there's at the end of that. There's like the second to last paragraph there. He talks about the ecclesial the four foundations of the ecclesial shape of the Lord's table. He says number one the Lord's Supper is a transformation of the Passover as I I'd like to say.

It's the fulfillment of the Passover. The Lord's Supper is a communal participation the benefits of Jesus death and so while there is some truth to Baptism also being communal because there is one who is administering it which is usually the preacher or the minister and.

Then it is also being watched by witnesses. So there is a communal aspect to it similarly to marriage, right? So marriage is communal in a sense to but it's ultimately really between a party of two. Right, it's husband and wife baptism really is primarily an audience of two as well the the believer the baptizee and.

The one to whom we are being dedicated to the Lord Jesus, right? So there is still that two primary two-party. Participation whereas the Lord's Supper is a communal participation where we are all on equal footing.

Partaking participating in the Lord's Supper you had your hand up manual. Yeah, I don't think that that's necessarily the case that's it's it is a it is a sign. So your membership is that sign to the community that you've been baptized, right?

So you say I'm a member of this church meaning that you've been baptized but it is public in that sense. I don't think that the going public part. Necessitates you actually being in a public fountain, you know the middle of town square being baptized there I don't think that's the intention or or the purpose or the meaning of that phraseology and so.

Ultimately what what we mean by going public in the sense that you know, you're baptized being a public event. It means now you are publicly a member of this local community of believers. And so that in itself is the public aspect of it is the fact that you're a member of a church now.

Does that make sense? Yeah, and I think that that's evident by your membership into a church. So, you know you you tell people hey, I'm member of the church or someone ask you. Hey, I'm a member of the church.

That is that public display of baptism and the Lord's Supper is a continuation of that. And so.

Yeah.

What do you do do you go down you go down, you know knocking on doors in your street and say here you hear ye I'm being baptized today. Come see me be public. You know, it's like yeah, that's not necessarily.

Yeah, it's it's I Think it's a misunderstanding of a very basic fundamental Meaning of what it means to go public. It doesn't mean you know to. You know when we use this term going public is used by the world.

More so to talk about someone may be coming out the closet of their sexuality right becoming homosexual. Does that mean that person goes knocking on doors and say hey, I'm a homosexual. I am you know, no, but they make a public declaration may be on Facebook.

Maybe just by the way, they're living their lives that hey, you know, I'm a homosexual. Similarly Christians, you know. We we make that public declaration by the way that we live. Similar to how a homosexual will come out of the closet when we come out of the closet I'm a Christian and it's evident.

My baptism is now evident. It's not public by means of the way I'm living, right? So I think that's I think that's a better way of understanding that does that kind of help Emmanuel? Yeah, again, I don't I don't see the word.

What what the demand is in terms of okay, what would satisfy that demand do we have to go to. If we go to a lake, but there's no one there. Is that public? I mean it's in the public but No one in the public actually saw it.

So does that count?

Exactly. Exactly. And so I don't think that that's a yeah. Yeah, say again.

Exactly. I mean, this is a public service, right? So our church service is an open service anyone can come and attend. And so again, it's public. I mean if we did it outside would it be any more public?

But if it was the same audience Would it be any more public? Not really. You think the angels don't see what we're doing behind closed doors. You know, it's you know, so I think I think it's a I think it's an issue of semantics.

I don't think it's there's anything substantive to the demands there. And so the Lord's Supper is a communal participation the benefits of Jesus death now. It's also an agilist to what we discovered about baptism in chapter 4 namely that the Lord's Supper is the renewing oaf sign of the new covenants.

Remember there's initial oaf sign in baptism and there's the renewing oaf sign in the Lord's Supper and Fourthly the Lord's Supper is celebrated by the church as a church and entails responsibility for the church.

That's why Paul spends an entire chapter talking about the importance of Lord's Supper in 1st Corinthians chapter 11 clearly laying out regulations and You know. The responsibility that comes along with participating in the Lord's Supper and so building.

The Church’s Responsibility to Guard the Table

So his argument here is that that the Lord's Supper plays a role in making a church a church. And I think that is absolutely right. So what makes a Christian a Christian is what faith in Christ and then baptism, right?

You can't separate the two.

The.

Apostle the apostolic declaration in Acts chapter 2 by the first, you know preacher of the New Testament Church of the Apostle Peter. He says repent. He says believe repent and be baptized. That's the that's that's the sign of a Christian.

Someone who believes repents and is baptized. And so what makes a church a church is not only that initials of seeking sign of the Baptism, but also the continuation of that oath keeping in the Lord's Supper.

So both ordinances of The of the Lord Jesus Christ are a sign of the oath and the oath keeping, okay.

Yes, say that part again. I think that that's a fair assessment.

I mean, you know, there's more details in between but generally I think that's true. Obviously, I think that a church Needs to proclaim the gospel whether in a Church should have a pastor a preacher. But there are seasons in which a church doesn't have a preacher does that mean that church is any less legitimate.

Not necessarily so. There's a time in which a church can be in its infancy. They're building up elders and preachers and so. But I think that's generally true. Yeah. What's of interest as well is again, so one the The analogy of marriage comes to mind greatly with when it comes to these two ordinances.

Obviously, I always say that, you know baptism when I do when I preach on baptism. It's kind of like the the ring on the finger. It is that initial sign to an outside world, right? So You know, our membership is that ring?

It's that public display that I was mentioning to you earlier. Just like you know, I don't have to go around proclaiming. I'm married. It's evident by the ring. So I don't think I don't have to just go around saying it all time.

What's also true, however, is that the Lord's Supper excused my Excused my example, but I think it's a right example. I think it's a I think it's a it's a good example but but but The Lord's Supper is kind of like the consummation.

It's like it's like sexual relations in the marriage sexual relations is is a way of renewing that Intimacy. Renewing that commitment and it's a reminder of that initial commitment that was made which is why sex is sacred.

And why it is to be enjoyed in the in the bonds of holy matrimony. Because it is it is that sacred renewal within the relationship of that covenant in a sense. Similarly, we enjoyed this intimacy in the Lord's Supper in the Lord's table.

Well, I'm partaking Spiritually in the body and blood of Jesus and what happens in sexual relations again, I'm sorry for the crude example, but there is that that that intimacy that that is. You know, you don't you don't get that by shaking hands with someone.

Okay? I've heard a joke about that once that that sex is like shaking hands, but this is totally different. There's an intimacy there that Cannot be replicated elsewhere. The Lord's table is that intimacy?

Okay in which we are renewing that oath. That we initially took so analogy of the wedding ring and the consummation. Same thing marriage or the Lord, you know church you're being a Christian. You have that initial oath the the the baptism and the renewing of that local that that intimacy That is shared in the Lord's table.

That's right. That's right. So that's a that's a great example, right? So the Bible says that your husband and wife are two persons or two beings or two flesh. But according to Scripture they become what?

One flesh.

The church though many is one body. It's that intimacy again. This is not you know man, this there's such a richness here and. And that's why even the Bible uses these terms of like consummation in regard to what's to come in the future.

Between the intimacy between Christ and the church, right? And so so the the body of Christ that the church is his body Similarly to a husband's wife. That's that's that's that's in a sense an extension of him.

That's his body. That's that's his person. That's that's a person he shares intimacy with Christ shares intimacy with people we see that in the spiritual presence of the Lord Jesus Christ in the Lord's table.

But that will actually one day be truly consummated in the new heavens new earth. Okay, and in that language of consummation is very much Sexual in a sense, okay, there's a sexual connotation and people get uncomfortable that but it's exactly what's happening there.

There's a sexual connotation there. But in the most holiest and godliest of ways in which which God literally Enters into his people and his people enter into him. There's just this sacred union that happens that is a that is mimicked in Earthly marriage, which is why the Bible time and time again throughout the Old and New Testament Pictures the relationship between Christ and the church as a husband and his wife.

Okay, that's right. You know even in Isaiah 54 the Bible says that that Jehovah is our husbandly owner use that term husbandly owner to refer to God's Covenant arrangement with his covenant people. That's right.

Yeah.

That's a great question, I'm not sure if it changes the legitimacy of that. I don't think it does. I don't it certainly doesn't change the legitimacy of it. What I love is that like with most things of the Bible it's almost like an onion that needs to be peeled and The more I learn about God the more I learn about the gospel more learn about scripture the greater appreciation I can have.

For the things that I have already done or experience. So for instance, you know, I got baptized in April of 2009. Okay, and that was my Christian baptism. Did I understand everything that I understand today?

Well clearly not. I was 17 years old. I did not have a full concept of what it was that I was entering to. I knew enough. But now looking back learning about these things in scripture I have a great appreciation now for what that event meant and for what it means for me today.

And so it certainly doesn't change the legitimacy of the initial oath-keeping and it's similar to marriage, right? When you get married, do you know what do you really know what you're getting yourself into?

Gosh yeah, no, you don't that's the answer. You don't I don't care if you're getting married at 19 like I did or at 40. You you do not know exactly what you're getting yourself into but over time you grow into greater levels of appreciation.

For that initial. Oh and so. But that's a good question. And so in pages 110 111, we kind of went over some of this already. But again, the Lord's Supper is a transformation I would say fulfillment of the Passover the Passover being again that ancient commitment that God gave to his people to listen to Obey should the Israelites have listened they would have lived you know, and they would have had the the angel of death pass over them and.

And that's exactly what the Lord's Supper is a picture of today is that we are a oath Covenant keeping people and the wrath of God does not abide on us but passes over because of the blood of Jesus right and so there is the the perfect work of Christ that By our faith and our recognition of that perfect sacrifice Christ our Passover lamb our ransom sacrifice.

We can have eternal life and that deliverance of sin and of death is Also remembered in the Lord's Table. Why. Because it says in Scripture that the Lord's Supper the Lord's Table the bread and the wine we do this as As a memorial of his death, but also until he comes and he comes and brings final deliverance.

And so this is a temporary ordinance. This is a ordinance that is only in application until the Lord returns which is also why side note why the the heresy of Preterism that's right of preterism is so dangerous because it if preterism is true.

Then there shouldn't be baptism or the Lord's Supper right because We're ready the eternal state we've already reached the consummation. So what what purpose is there in being baptized? What purpose is there in?

Keeping the Lord's Table. And so it truly undoes any type of biblical ecclesiology in this age. Which is again why? Preterism is is a full heresy and should be rejected because of the connotations that it has.

Also for the organization of the local church, right and so that's a that's a it's a dangerous precedent to set. Any thoughts or questions so far?

Why Preterism Undermines Baptism and Communion

Yes.

So preterism says that Jesus has already come that all prophecy has been fulfilled and that we're essentially already in the eternal state. Most predators would say that we enter into that eternal stay upon death.

But if if Jesus has indeed come back, so they say that he came back in 70 AD.

Then.

What purpose is there in baptism if baptism is an ordinance for the local church? But if we already received the consummation Then there's no need for it. Similarly also, there would be no need for the Lord's Table because it says in Scripture that we do so until he comes.

But if he came already You know, there's no reason to keep it. And actually it's interesting because a lot of preterists they'll get around that by saying well. We observed the Lord's Table Just simply as a memorial so that initial significance that I had in the first century no longer applies.