1689 London Baptist Confession (part 68)

Father in heaven we come before you this morning thankful for all that you provide for us, and we think of the moms and the blessings that they are in our lives and Father we thank you for the moms who are here this morning.

Just pray that they would be edified and Lord. We want to thank you for pastor Mike. We thank you for your word we thank you for what it tells us about you about us. About what you've instituted for your church, and we look today.

Baptism as a Sign of New Life

Baptism and maybe even the Lord's Supper and just pray that you'd bless our time in Jesus name. Amen. All right, so we started talking or actually I think yesterday or last week yesterday. How many were here yesterday for Sunday school?

Sorry. Probably not very many. Few might have been here for the ladies conference, but not too many for Sunday school. I wouldn't want to be in competition with Sunita yesterday all right. So we started talking about baptism the need for it.

What the confession says about it. The idea that you have to be a believer. To be baptized I mean what there's a there's a reason we're not Presbyterian. There's several reasons why we're not Presbyterians and one of them would be we don't believe that baptism is for.

The unregenerate is for babies. We talked about how babies can't comprehend the gospel. I mean I there are even young ones. I had a Grandchild asked me a few weeks ago if she can be baptized. She said would you baptize me grandpa?

That's pretty hard to say no to and I said no absolutely not. I Said I said well, you know we we baptize Christians. And she says well, you know I'm a Christian, and I said well, okay, can you explain the gospel to me, and she's like No, so.

So I just encouraged her and you know we'll baptize her in a few years Lord willing. Okay. So I think we I know where we left off, so we'll just start there. We read Romans 6 1 to 5 and we're talking about believers exhibit new desires.

I mean you show me a believer who's unchanged. You know there's a meme that goes around on Facebook and this is just truth if Your life doesn't change if there's no change in your life after You got saved then Your salvation may not be genuine.

No change equals no change no change in life. Desires and everything else equals no change in status, right? So talking about well, let's just read Romans 6 1 to 5. I'll read that and then we'll what shall we say then?

Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means may genitoi the highest level of negation. He's saying no way. There's no way that we're going to continue to sin and the idea is so there could be more and more grace after all the more we sin.

You know I I love to sin and God's a great forgiver. And I love to sin and God's a great forgiver. Paul says wrong. How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death.

In other words? We're dead to ourselves to our old selves to our old way of life. We were buried there for with him by baptism into death in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the father we too might walk in newness of life not in the old life but in the new life.

We put off the old man put on the new man verse 5. For if we have been united with him in a death like his we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. In other words if we identify with Christ in death then we will be identified with him in resurrection coming back from the grave and going to heaven.

So let's talk about a new life what it is what it isn't. And I'll just read you a quote here from the calvinist .net. Paul here is not teaching that baptism is the vehicle which brings regeneration and the new life.

For that is contradicted by everything he laid down in the previous chapters about how justification is by faith and grace alone. Rather baptism is that which signifies and symbolizes the truths of justification and regeneration.

Moreover we should remember the fact that in the early church the believers did not wait a long time to get baptized. Therefore baptism came to be identified with the beginning of the new life. People did not wait months or years to be baptized.

We talked about the Ethiopian eunuch. What prevents me from being baptized. You know there's water. Let's get it done. Then we talked a little bit about the age of baptism. A .H. Strong says this from a systematic theology.

Baptism like the fourth of July the Passover. The Lord's Supper is a historical monument. Pastor I'm gonna I can only see his face. Dave Jeffries. I want to call him Jeff. Dave Jeffries would say you know it's an Ebenezer.

Let's raise an Ebenezer. A monument. It witnesses to the world that Jesus died and rose again. In celebrating it we show forth the Lord's death as truly as in the celebration the supper. But it is more than a historical monument it is also a pictorial representation expression of doctrine.

Into it are woven all the essential truths of the Christian scheme. It tells the nature and penalty of sin that it brings forth death of human nature delivered from sin the person crucified and risen savior of salvation secured for each human soul that is united to Christ of obedience to Christ as the way to life and glory.

Thus baptism stands from age to age as a witness to or for God a witness both to the facts and to the doctrine of Christianity. To change the form of administering the ordinance is therefore to strike a blow at Christianity and Christ and to defraud the world of a part of God's means of salvation.

In other words we're taking away the whole exhibition of Christianity. If we sprinkle babies the confession goes on to say the outward element to be used in this ordinance is water where in the party is to be baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Then it goes on to say this immersion or dipping of the person in water is necessary to the do administration of this ordinance. Immersion or dipping of the person in water is necessary to the do administration of this ordinance.

And so you read that you think what that we have to dump people in water. Well when we give you a quote from a former Baptist man named Chad Vegas he's in Bakersfield he says well says do is an attribute all subjective being used in this manner generally to mean something like suitable according the usual custom.

Right. Or maybe regular says. I am arguing that while a baptism by pouring might be irregular pouring water on somebody it doesn't mean it's invalid words are important here. For example I had a ninety-year-old man who was in a wheelchair who came to Christ.

I poured water on him which is valid baptism but irregular in the way it was administered. And his point is if somebody for some reason who is a believer can't be dunked can't be immersed can't be submerged in water which is typically how we view baptism.

And you know when we say the word baptizo means what means to be immersed in in something. So you know it's the normal course of it. But you know there have to be exceptions depending on if it you know if it's going to electrocute somebody or whatever.

You know if they can't be dunked in water then we have to make exceptions. So any questions about baptism age of baptism what your life should look like after you get baptized anything at all. If not we're gonna move on to the Lord's table.

The Lord's Supper as a Memorial of Christ's Sacrifice

Okay moving on. I like what normally I read the confession first but I like what this person said about this chapter. He says this I believe is the most anti Roman Catholic chapter in the confession says this chapter provides a positive presentation of the reform view of the Lord's table Lord's Supper and rejects the repugnant doctrine of transubstantiation.

It is important for us to understand the different views of the Lord's Supper. The most important of those different views is the Roman Catholic view of transubstantiation. Briefly what is transubstantiation.

Okay they believe the Roman Catholics teach that the host that the bread and the wine literally turn into the body and blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. And we're going to see that there are a number of problems with that.

The Lutheran view is more nuanced which is what's called consubstantiation which means everybody knows that come on. Actually somebody does know that in some way the Lord Jesus is present. You know he doesn't become it doesn't become his body and blood but he is present in some spiritual sense nebulous sense.

And then there's the correct view which is the memorial view. And that's what we're gonna be mostly focused on this morning. The confession says this the supper 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 showing forth of 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.

Let's look at Luke 22 verses 14 and 22. Luke 14 or I'm sorry Luke 22 excuse me verse 14 to 22. And when the hour came he Jesus reclined at table and the apostles with him and he said to them I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.

Okay. So this is just before Judas leaves just before he actually engages in his betrayal. And Jesus institutes this new covenant meal in which his disciples would always have a way to remember and to celebrate his work of redemption on their behalf.

They were celebrating the Jewish Passover as the and the new covenant mediator Jesus institutes the new covenant meal. Passover was the remembrance of God's deliverance of the Israelites from the bondage of Egypt.

We all remember for the movie you take the lamb's blood you put it over your doorpost. And the Lord's Supper is a token and a sign of an even greater deliverance the deliverance from the bondage of sin through the blood Jesus Christ.

And this ordinance Christ institutes is simply based upon his authority as the new covenant high priest he's the mediator the new covenant. So he institutes this ordinance. He did not give this ordinance based on other authorities but he gave it based on his own authority.

And that's the way we should receive. This says Christ was pleased to institute this new covenant meal as a means of remembering him and his work by his people. Christ's words are not do this if you like to in remembrance of me but as a sovereign Lord that he is.

His word is solemn and demands obedience. Do this in remembrance of me. All churches who name the name of Christ must of necessity because of his clear command celebrate this new covenant meal. By the way I have to say Mike and I why were we talking about this recently.

Maybe it was a might have even been on the air. But we were we were talking about it. And he said you know do the Mormons celebrate the Lord's table. I said yes matter fact. They do. You know when I was a a deacon meaning I was 12 and 13.

You know we think of deacons as somewhat mature men up we would pass what we call sacraments the communion Lord's table. And then as a teacher as a 14 -15 year old we would prepare it. And as a priest 16 and 17 -18 we would pray for it.

But it's we would have bread always white bread. Don't ask me why. And water. Bread and water. I think that sort of you know sort of missing the whole point there. But that's what we do says. Virtually all churches from all backgrounds celebrate the Lord's table.

And I like this. Think about this. A church which does not celebrate the Lord's Supper cannot claim Christ as its Lord because it does not follow his commands. Now it is a perpetual reminder of the sacrifice of Christ.

The bread symbolizes the body of our Lord which was broken for our sake 700 years before Christ. Isaiah wrote. Yet is it is or was the will of the Lord to crush him. He has put him to grief is in Isaiah 53.

When his soul makes an offering for guilt he shall see his offspring. He shall prolong his days. The will the Lord shall prosper in his hand and through his death. And atonement is provided for our sins.

It was got the father who sent him to die in our place and it was he who crushed it. The pain that Christ felt was not because of the Roman soldiers are because the Jews they were merely instruments in God's hand.

The pain was the separation the loneliness the Christ felt because of God's holy wrath. The blood symbolizes Christ's life given for us. The forgiveness of sins in the institution. The new covenant. New covenant was issued by the blood of its mediator and its sacrifice Hebrews 12.

Hebrews 13. The Bible teaches that without shedding a blood there is no forgiveness of sins Hebrews 9. But also there was no efficacy in the blood of animals Hebrews 10. Lots of Hebrews there. Therefore Christ says his blood is the means a forgiveness.

In Matthew's account he gives the following explanation of the wine. For this is my blood of the covenant which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. This is the blood which institutes the new covenant.

But it is also the blood which brings about the forgiveness of sins by its sacrifice. Therefore when believers celebrate the Lord's Supper they celebrate the Lord's death in all of its benefits. Now when you think about the Lord's Supper or his death what are the benefits that were celebrating.

And you think about as a celebration. First of all do you think about as a celebration. But secondly what are we celebrating. What did Christ actually accomplish through his death. Reconciliation right between God and man.

Larry. Okay he paid in full our sin debt. Okay. Securing our righteousness by his offering. Right. He lived a perfect life and went the sinless spotless lamb to the cross. Right. Good. Anything else. These are pretty good.

Okay. Victory over death. Okay. Free from the bondage of sin. Good. I like this part of the confession. Those are all all good. But I I like this part of the confession too because it is a celebration and I think Pastor Mike's really been trying to emphasize as we think about it because you know our true or false.

Let's put it that way true or false. Our typical response to the Lord's table is to do two things I think you do you know what those two things are. And I'm not saying they're bad. What do you think. The two things we typically do when we come to the Lord's table are.

Okay now the first one I was gonna say Bob is confessing. But the the second the second one I really I really do like we we tend to think of our own sinfulness. And is that a good thing to do. Yes because it was our sin that put in there.

Right. But you know I think typically it's almost like we want to put on sackcloth and ashes and mourn our way through the Lord's table. The confession really doesn't allow for that. What's the other thing that I think we tend to do besides mourn which I think is you know appropriate.

What's that. Okay take it too lightly lightly. That can be done too and we'll talk more about that in a minute. But here's one thing I don't think we do and I was gonna say I think the two things we tend to do is we tend to mourn our way through it and we tend to I at least tend to think of the death of the actual suffering of Christ.

Right. Because it's it's pretty considerable and I I think you know it's easy to get in the let's put it this way which makes you feel feel more holy kind of that that sort of thinking or you know celebration.

And I think the answer is probably this mourning over our sin which is good. Right. We should identify we should confess. That is to say the same as God does about our sin. We should hate our sin. Right.

And we really should mourn over it. And I think it's good and right to think about the suffering and the death of Christ and our sin that made that all necessary. I think those are good things to think about.

But the confession also talks about it being a celebration. Well why would that be. And part of it is because when we partake of it we were doing a few things we do. What. What it what is even Jesus say you.

Right. You remember Paul says that we proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. Right. That's what we do. And we are affirming our faith in Christ when we do that. And the confession even says that we are affirming our allegiance to him.

You know what. The other night at the Iwana banquet we stood and we said the Pledge of Allegiance and I have to confess. True story. I knew every word of the Pledge of Allegiance. That's not my confession.

The confession is when we did our you know pledge for the Iwana flag I didn't know any of it. Sorry sorry. But when we take communion we are identifying with him again. We're. It's sort of like if we can put it this way we're renewing our vows.

Right. Because we're still we're professing. I mean imagine sitting here while we're taking the Lord's table and just going. You know what. I'm just not gonna partake of that. I think there are reasons to not partake of it.

Why do you think you should not partake of the Lord's table. Okay if you have an issue with your brother or sister I think you should go rectified before you take the Lord's table. But you probably should have done that beforehand.

But yes is there another reason not to take the Lord's table. That's an excellent one. Because you're not a believer. If you're a believer you know. And I think I'll just get this one out of the way. Now we don't want to partake in an unworthy manner.

So what do we typically understand that to mean. What does it mean to take it in an unworthy manner. Okay. So we've confessed our sins have nothing against anybody. I think those are good and right things to do.

I think when Pastor Mike taught through it and I could go to the tape you know the archives. But I think it was something along the lines of you know the way that the Corinthians did it was wrong. Right.

And the people who got there first would eat everything. The rich people. And you know he did this whole social justice thing. Oh sorry. And I think that that was right. Okay. And I think it's good and right to confess your sins and have the right attitude and make sure you don't have anything against anybody.

But here's the wrong attitude. The wrong attitude is to think man I have been so sinful this week that I'm not worthy. Why is that the wrong attitude to have never were worthy. And guess what. You never will be worthy.

Your best week is a horrible week. Right. And and and I wrote this on Facebook the other day. I'm just thinking about it. The problem with our examination of our sin is we tend to do it on that. You know I'll just call the Steve scale.

You know how sinful was Steve. And then how sinful was I compared to Steve. That's really a bad measurement trust me because it misses the whole point. The point is we have this God who is beyond our ability to grasp.

And we want to somehow say well you know what if I have a really good week then I'm somehow worthy enough. I'm close enough to God. I'm close enough to Christ. I'm worthy enough to be his disciple. And therefore I'll take the Lord's table at our best.

What could we say. We are but unworthy servants. We're just doing what we're supposed to do even though we're not worthy we're never going to be worthy. But what we do when we take the Lord's table as we say I love the Lord Jesus Christ.

I'm thankful for what he did on my behalf. And even though I'm never going to be worthy I pledge my allegiance to Lord Jesus Christ. We're in a sense re-upping. We're identifying with him again. The confession says this.

It says 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 that one offering up of himself by himself on the cross once for all and a spiritual oblation of all possible praise unto God for the same.

So that listen as we you know I introduced this. I said it was the most anti-roman catholic chapter. Now listen so that the pope ish sacrifice of the mass. I love words like pope ish potpourri you know etc etc etc.

I love all that stuff. Roman ish you know. So that the pope ish sacrifice of the mass as they call it is most abominable injurious to Christ's own sacrifice. The alone propitiation for the sins or all the sins of the elect.

It is not when we celebrate the Lord's table is not a re-sacrifice of Jesus nor any sort of sacrifice of sins. Well why not. Because Jesus said what it is finished says. The confession says that mass is an abomination because it says that Jesus sacrifice did not actually satisfy the wrath of God fully.

Right. Let's turn to Romans 3 verses 23 to 25. Rome says that if you think that all your sins have been paid for if you think that you are sure of your salvation you're sure that you're going to heaven then you are actually damned.

You are anathema. You are bound for hell. Because nobody can know that nobody can know that their sins are forgiven. So let's look at Romans 3 verses 23 to 25. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and are justified by his grace as a gift.

Now let's just stop and think about that right. Now justified. What does that mean. And please don't say just as if I never sinned declared righteous. Right. It's not enough to say you know just as if I've never sinned because we need that righteousness to get into heaven.

So we're declared righteous by his grace as a gift through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus whom God put forth as a propitiation which means propitiation means satisfaction for sin. Right whom God put forward as a satisfaction for sin by his blood by his death to be received by faith.

This was to show God's righteousness because in his designed for divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It just means this that God's righteousness is vindicated by the fact that the wrath of God was placed on Christ of the cross.

We don't have to pay that he's still righteous even though we're forgiven. So this idea that Jesus is somehow re-sacrifice of the Lord's table would be an abomination because it says he didn't finish his work.

There's some need for him to suffer some more. And in fact purgatory is in it. Purgatory is an abomination because it says we have to suffer for our sins. Christ did that we don't do that. The confession goes on to say this.

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 for a common or 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 and all this is basically I would I would generalize it to say this and I've said this before that baptism communion ought to be done within the the confines of the local church.

Confession goes on to say this the denial the cup to people worshiping the elements. Now just think about that for a minute. Worshiping the elements who would do that. Who would have people bow before a piece of bread.

Catholics 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.

In other words this is contrary to what he said don't do this don't worship this this bread in this wine. These are memorials says 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 by the names of the things they represent to wit the body and blood of Christ.

In other words if we refer to communion as the body and blood of crisis not wrong figurative language I'll be it in substance and nature they still remain truly and only bread and wine as they were before there's no transformation.

They don't become the body and blood of Christ just because we pray for them or we present them to you. And we'll have a discussion here in a moment that doctrine which maintains a change of the substance of bread and wine into the substance of Christ body and blood commonly called transubstantiation by consecration of a priest or by any other way is repugnant not to scripture alone but even a common sense and reason.

Don't hold back. Tell us what you feel overthrowing the nature of the ordinance and has been and is the cause of manifold superstitions. Yes or yay of gross idolatries. Gross idolatries. This idea that of transubstantiation.

This doctrine of transubstantiation. RL Dabney said this. He says it is impossible that they should have understood the disciples talking about them that they should have understood the bread as truly the body because they saw the body handling the bread.

Right. Jesus is saying eat. He's talking to them directly in offer them his leg or his arm or anything. He said here take this bread. This is the same goes for the blood. According to transubstantiation there remains no significance in this ordinance.

In fact as some observe the literalist interpretation destroys any significance for this ordinance. For as we celebrate the Lord's Supper we anticipate what. What it. What is Paul say in first Corinthians 11 we celebrate or we proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

So we anticipate the day when we will celebrate it with him in body. Right. We're saying we are re-upping. We are declaring our allegiance to Christ until the day when he returns for us. Let's look at Matthew 26 29.

Okay. So that's Jesus saying that. And Paul also says that essentially in first Corinthians 11 here's it. The whole point is we're we are celebrating that until the day when we celebrate with him. And yet the Roman Catholic doctrine claims that Christ is physically there in spirit and in body divine and human.

What is the Bible say about Christ's human nature. Right now where is he. He's in the seat. He's in the heavenlies. You know he's seated at the right hand of the Father. He's in heaven. He's not on earth physically speaking.

Therefore to say that Christ's human nature is present with bread and wine is to contradict those passages of Scripture. The words of Christ when he's talking to his disciples in the upper room are figurative.

The bread which he had in his hand in which he broke symbolized his body which was given up for our sins. And the wine symbolized his blood which was shed for the forgiveness of sins. This is the natural way of understanding these words.

Right. This is what he said. Do this in remembrance of me and not in a literalist manner which contradicts Scripture. Christ saying this is my body and this is my blood should not be interpreted literally.

Why. Well much like statements like I am the door. Did he mean he was a door. No. I'm the true vine. Did he mean he was a vine. No. The meaning is that the bread and wine symbolize and are signs of his body and blood.

Let's look at John chapter 6 for a moment because this is another place if you've dealt with Roman Catholics over there. And I remember once talking to a man who consider himself a Roman Catholic apologist and he wanted to go to John chapter 6 in and read it and say.

Well this proves that the host actually is the blood and body of Christ. Let's look at verses 53 and 54. John 6. So Jesus said to them truly truly I say to you unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood you have no life in you.

Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life and I will raise him up on the last day. Now what are some problems with saying this proves that the elements at the table become the literal body and blood of Christ.

Jonathan. Okay. And the second one's really key. Right. Because again it says right there at the end of it verse 54. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life. So the cruelest thing we could do is keep anybody from taking the communion because all they have to do is eat communion drink communion.

And they go to heaven. Now it's ironic to me that Catholics want to argue for that because they say that you can't know that you're going to heaven. And yet their understanding of John 6 says if you eat the mass and drink the mass then you are going to heaven.

So which is it. You can't have a both ways. Or maybe you can because I'm sure they want to. I mean that literalist understanding literally puts anybody who eats it in heaven and denies heaven to anybody who doesn't.

Let's go on to verse 63 of John 6. It is the spirit who gives life. The flesh is no help at all the words that I have spoken you are spirit and life. In other words listen. If it was a physical act if it was a fleshly act that could get you into heaven then their understanding would be right.

But it's not. He explicitly says that it's not. Roman Catholics don't believe anybody can have assurance of salvation. Yet they believe that. About the mass anyone who takes of these elements. Right right right right right.

We already cover that doctor. Okay now I want to get to this here we sort of covered it. The confession says this. Anybody any comments about transit or transubstantiation. The Catholic understanding of it.

Worthy Reception and the Means of Grace

Okay. Worthy receivers. Confession says of communion outwardly partaking of the visible elements in this ordinance. Do then inwardly by faith really and indeed yet not carnally and corporally but spiritually receive and feed upon Christ crucified and all the benefits of his death the body and blood of Christ being then not corporally or carnally but spiritually present to the faith of believers in that ordinance as the elements themselves are to their outward senses.

Now first again I want to say what does it mean to be a worthy receiver. We talked about what it doesn't mean. What does it mean to be a worthy receiver. You have to be a believer. Excuse me. I mean we we don't want to set the bar higher than it is.

Only believers benefit from the Lord's table. In fact unbelievers and not only don't benefit. They eat and drink condemnation themselves. I'm not going to say some three-year-old who you know gets a piece of bread is condemning themselves.

But now it talks about it basically being a means of grace. I mean that's a summary of it. Right. It's it's a blessing to believers. Well what is a means of grace. How do we get. You know what does that mean is a thing which grant grace.

It grants grace to us. Does it mean that you get grace whether you have faith or not. And if so if the Lord's table is a means of grace to anyone who doesn't have faith then again we should give it to them.

But in the Reformed understanding the means of grace supply grace and sanctification to those who already have faith. If you're a believer these are means of grace. In Catholic understanding grace is administered by the work performed for us.

You know he lists this author list nine means of grace. And I think the meaning of means of grace will become evidence. I just read these and then we'll close. We'll talk more about it next week. Means of grace the Word of God.

The reading of the Word the teaching of the Word and the preaching thereof. Second means of grace baptism the Lord's ordinances baptism in the Lord's Supper. Third means of grace church fellowship. Fourth means of grace prayer.

Fifth means of grace worship. Six means of grace spiritual gifts. Seventh means of grace giving. Eighth means of grace church discipline. Rough one. And the ninth is evangelism. What are all these things have in common.

Okay that's exactly right. They built they build up the believer. And that's how there are means of grace. Right. These are things that God uses in our lives. Both to you know in terms of church discipline can convict us of our sinfulness of our need to reach out to somebody.

It could convict us of a lot of things. But it's a reminder again of the grace that God has shed on us. Not that we're better than somebody else but that he's kept a whole. You know tight hold of us. And all these things are just reminders and strength.

There's it's like going to the gym. You know evangelism. How's evangelism a means of grace for us the believer. How does it help us. I mean are you when you give the gospel to somebody are you encouraged or discouraged.

Have you ever let's put it this way another way. Have you ever witnessed to somebody and told them about the Lord Jesus Christ and then gone away and just felt like man. I wish I hadn't done that. Does that ever happen.

I'm so disappointed that I told somebody about the Lord Jesus today. No every time we do these things every time we're involved in these things we are encouraged. We're built up and that's exactly right.

Anyway we need a closing prayer here. Father in Heaven we thank you for your word. We thank you for the confession of faith for the way it brings such clarity of things and really disabuses us of so many of the falsehoods that Rome has instituted over the centuries.

Father we thank you for men who studied your word and distilled its basics so that we might still study them and learn and grow. Father. Would you bless each one here and continue to grow us in the faith and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.