Good morning, everyone, and welcome to our Fundamentals of the Faith, the Christian Identity, our foundation series. This is our online series for Calvary Baptist Church of Cardiff. You guys are welcome, whomever would like to partake in this lesson, you can. The PDF file for the handout, the student handouts, are available here on your sermonaudio.com or your churchone.com. app you can follow along that way or you can just simply listen and learn do hope and pray that it helps you and uh guys you know so far this is lesson six and i i do hope and pray this has been a blessing to everyone i hope that it's helped you uh helped you gain some uh biblical knowledge and biblical perspective uh that you need uh to grow into grace and the knowledge of the lord jesus christ there are many many many funny doctrines created by councils creeds men denominations, you name it, out there, and 99.9% of them are not biblically based. They are askew of the Bible with a very minimal amount of truth in them. And so we have to make sure we stay close I mean, not close. We got to stay in line with the Holy Scripture. Just like a plumb line, guys, drawing that which is straight and true, the straight and narrow way. That which is straight and that which is true, that is our guide, our living Word of God. So we finished up last week with the first of the two ordinates. And let me say, the only two ordinates is given to the local New Testament church. given to Christians, which is that of baptism. We cover two weeks on that. We cover the biblical baptism, what it is, what it represents, the meaning, the method, and the motive. All three of those have to be correct for it to be biblically based. And today we're going to cover the Lord's Table, which is the second of the ordinances that was given to the New Testament. And then I think if, should we have the time, we're going to cover individual soul liberty as well. And either that, or I'll split them up into two groups, one for next week. And so nonetheless, guys, let's go ahead and get started. You have your Bibles with you. We're going to be in 1 Corinthians 11. And when we look at the Lord's Supper, also known as the Lord's Table, called Holy Communion as well, we'll cover that here a little greater in time to come here this morning. But in Scripture, the Lord's Supper, the Lord's Table, is a memorial of Christ's death, his broken body and shed blood. And it also represents, we do show that until he comes to take his bride home. So we find our biblical precedents, the order and how we are to maintain the Lord's table found in 1 Corinthians 11, verses 23 through 31. The Bible says in verse 23, for I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus, the same night in which he was betrayed, took bread. And when he had given thanks, he breaketh and said, Take ye, this is my body, which is broken for you, this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the New Testament in my blood, this do ye, as oft as ye drink it in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread and drink this cup, ye shall show the Lord's death until he come. Wherefore, whosoever shall eat of this bread and drink this cup of the Lord unworthily shall be guilty of the body and of the blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. for if we would judge ourselves we should not be judged we should not be judged okay so the apostle paul guys receives the revelation from the lord jesus christ himself we know that to be true paul references the the reception of this revelation in Ephesians chapter 3 verses 1 through 10. We are going to read those verses, but the reason I want to make sure that's vitally clear this morning in this lesson is that many people will say, well, hang on a second, Paul was not even saved when the Lord instituted the Lord's table, and we'll see that here shortly in Matthew 28, so on and so on. We know Paul was saved years after Jesus Christ's death, burial, and resurrection on the cross. We know that Paul is consenting unto the death of Stephen, who was one of the first deacons chosen. And we know that he was breathing out threatening and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, against the church. And Acts chapter 9, Paul is converted. He spends three years in Damascus, a little 40-day interlude in Arabia, but comes back to Damascus, finishes up those three years. preaching and proving that Jesus Christ was the Messiah. He comes to Jerusalem for 15 days with Peter, and after that he goes to Tarsus, his homeland. He was of the city of Cilicia, and he spends roughly 10 years in that area. So 13 years goes by before Paul sets foot into the regions beyond, if you will. During that time, the Lord was preparing him. During that time, the revelation had been received, a revelation that was given to NO ONE until the Apostle Paul, meaning that the Jew and Gentile would both be saved and born again in the same manner, no differences whatsoever, that God is not a respecter of persons. So we know all that to be true. So now that's why that brings us back to 1 Corinthians 11. Why do we utilize this in the local New Testament church? Because it's the ordinance given to the man who is the minister unto the Gentiles and minister to take the gospel, both the Jew and the Gentile, across into the regions beyond. You and I here are saved, born again of the blood of Christ today, right here in the nation of Wales because of the work the apostle Paul had done. As a matter of fact, exactly what I'm teaching you right here today. The Apostle Paul was killed in AD 68 in Rome. He was beheaded for the name of Christ, and yet this doctrine dates all the way back to the original Baptist here in Wales in AD 63. AD 63. So by way of Roman interchange, by way of Roman roads and commerce lines and all this and that, Bible-believing Christians were found, found to occupy this land and begin to win the native people to the Lord Jesus Christ, win the Celts to the Lord Jesus Christ, win the pagans to the Lord Jesus Christ, and on and on. Then you see one of the greatest witnesses that you find in that early church age period, in those early 3-400 years, St. Patrick, who you know was a slave, taken slaves by pagans in Ireland, and then escaped, came back here, and then all of a sudden, you know, the Lord called him in his heart to go back and win those pagans to the Lord Jesus Christ, and he did, responsible of planting over 330 local New Testament independent Baptist churches in Ireland. He wasn't Catholic, by the way. Don't confuse yourself with that. you know and so anyway Catholicism hadn't even reared its head here in Great Britain while when Patrick was serving his ministry in Ireland so nonetheless without further ado so this revelation is received by Jesus Christ of what the Lord's table is instituted to be we see that record in Ephesians chapter 3 verses 1 through 10 saying for this cause I Paul the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles and If ye have heard of the dispensation of grace of God, which is given me to you, how that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery, as I wrote a few and few words, whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ. which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto the holy apostles and the prophets by the Spirit, that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel, whereof I am made a minister according to the gift of grace of God, given unto me by the effectual working of his power, unto me who am less than the least of all Saints is this grace given that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ and to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery which from the beginning of the world had been hidden God who created all things by Jesus Christ to the intent that now under unto the principalities and powers and heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God so having said all that guys and have improved that point I that Paul received the institution of the Lord's Table by revelation of Jesus Christ. It was not passed down to him from those who were with Jesus Christ, if you will, at the Last Supper, the night in which he was betrayed, and so on and so on. What we find is that Jesus Christ Himself gave Paul by revelation not only the mystery that the Gentiles would be fellow heirs with the Jews, fellow heirs with the Lord Jesus Christ, saved and born again, But the institution, again, we come back to verse 23 of 1 Corinthians chapter 11, for I have received of the Lord. He did not say, I have received of the other apostles. I have received by way of transmit. I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus, the Lord Jesus, same night he took bread, same night he betrayed, sorry, took bread. So guys, there are various beliefs concerning the Lord's Supper, also known as Holy Communion or the Lord's Table. We refer to it here in our churches as the Lord's Table. If you want to call it the Lord's Supper, if you want to call it communion or Holy Communion, that's fine. But one of which is considered widely, now there's some of these various beliefs, it's considered widely as one of the sacraments instituted by Christ himself. Guys, the dictionary The dictionary states a sacrament symbolizes or confers grace. Let me make this crystal clear here today. The Bible does not and never has taught either of the ordinances, baptism or the Lord's Table to confer grace. Neither one of them is a sacrament. You can erase sacrament from your brain, take that away, but they are both considered to be and are identified as ordinances of the local New Testament church. The Bible's position on the Lord's Supper It is that it is a memorial, picture in the body, which was broken for us, His blood which was shed for us, and it functions as a reminder, again, or memorial only. It has no special operations, such as transforming into actual flesh and blood, which is a false teaching known as transubstantiation. That is a false pagan teaching. It actually originates from the original pagan teachings that the Catholic Institute so-called Christianized because the pagans partook in drinking blood and eating the flesh of mankind. So we are partaking in the Lord's table to show, S-H-E-W, to show His death with a time limit until He comes. Therefore, it not only speaks of Christ's death, But it also speaks of His descending from heaven to call His bride home. We see that referenced and told in 1 Thessalonians 4, and verse 16 says, Then we which are alive and remain, shall we call it together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air? And so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore, comfort one another with these words. Beloved, that is known as the great catching away. The Greek word is harpuzo, which means snatch away. We use the word rapture. Yes, the word rapture is not in the Bible, but yet the definition is that is when the Lord Jesus Christ will descend from heaven with a shout. He will call His bride home, as we just read in 1 Thessalonians chapter 4. It does not say He's going to descend from heaven with a shout and set up His kingdom, okay? Because see, that's the second advent of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Lord's Table is not referring to that till He comes. The Lord's Table is referring to His appearing in the air. Now, guys, if you have questions and you're confused about the difference between the second coming of the Lord and the rapture, I am going to teach a lesson on dispensationalism, on a bit of prophetical teaching within this same series once we get through these distinctives in a few weeks, guys. So I figured I'll carry it on because, again, as we've mentioned in church there in Cardiff, that, guys, we have one shot on Sunday. I want to give you what you need spiritually and biblically speaking. And I want to lay this foundation on this teaching that you can watch and you can absorb in your own time. Now, let me say this and come back again about the Lord's Table, really and truly the two ordinances, the Lord's Table and baptism. Just as much as we've covered baptism the past two weeks and what we are covering today in the Lord's Table, to believe anything else beyond the biblical stated precept and doctrine of the Lord's Table and the baptism is to commit crime, to commit a crime against the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now that may sound like a fairly harsh statement, but I want to show you this. And I want you to take this on board, and I want you to apply it into your heart, into your life as best as you can. Hypothetically speaking, and I'm using that word, hypothetically speaking, let's say the Lord's Supper, or baptism for that matter, confers grace. Then if it does confer grace, and it's something you do, something me as a pastor that I administer, okay, I baptize people by full immersion, and I conduct the Lord's Table in our local church. then that means there is a work that is done for salvation. It takes us to Ephesians 2, 8 and 9, for by grace are you saved through faith, watch this, and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. I know I've kind of hammered this thought over the past couple of weeks, both in the church and this lesson, but a gift is a gift is a gift is a gift. If you have to do anything to receive a gift. It is no longer a gift. It may merely be a good deal, but it is not a gift. A gift is 100% free to the recipient, okay? We need to understand that here today. So, hypothetically speaking, if the Lord's Table did confer grace, as heretics teach, if baptism did confer grace, thus save a soul, as the heretics teach, okay uh any form of what they refer to as baptism there's only one baptism guys it's by full immersion for the believer there's nothing else nothing more then therefore we find ephesians 2 8 9 to be completely inherently wrong all right which we know that it's not it is without error it's without void it's without contradiction it says for by grace unmerited favor with god You're saved through faith, that is your unfeigned faith, believing on the death, burial, resurrection of Jesus Christ, and that not of yourselves. There's nothing you or I can do to save ourselves, nor save someone else. It's a gift of God, not of works. If you have to partake in the Lord's table, or if you have to be baptized, that is a work that you have to do, and therefore, it removes what grace and faith accomplish in salvation. And Paul closes again with, lest any man should boast. If any man, woman, person, child, whatever, boasts that they did something to earn salvation, they need to be pronounced a liar and a heretic and remove yourself from them. So again, hypothetically speaking, so let's play along. Let's just ignore the scripture, and that's how the heretics do, they ignore scripture. If the Lord's table, does in fact confer grace then grace would be no more grace all right it sounds like i'm double talk but it's not romans 11 6 says for if by grace then it is no more works otherwise grace is no more grace but if it be of works than it is no more grace. Otherwise, work is no more work. Paul makes it very clear in Romans chapter 11, a very clear statement. And what I'm doing is answering scripture with scripture. So those who believe false baptism and devilish communion can't handle the truth. And because they practice the art of deceit and they skew the word of God, or they remove it, or in fact, when it comes to these two ordinances, they completely ignore it. They've come up with their own creed, through their own councils, through their own decisions, and that has become the law in their local assemblies. I really don't want to call them a church. They cannot show one verse where the Lord's table confers grace, They cannot show one verse where an unbeliever or an infant is baptized. Not one verse. In all of the 66 books of the Bible, they cannot show one verse. I challenge you or them to do that. So what about the teaching of transubstantiation? Again, this has its pagan origins because of the practice of drinking human blood. The pagans performed the worship of Baal, the worship of pantheism, panentheism, paganism throughout the land. When Constantine formed the Roman Catholic institution, he formed that in 327 A.D., came to power in 313 A.D., and when he formed that, he tried to do, he tried to Christianize, if you will, these pagan holidays and these pagan festivals, and he renamed them, one of which we know that November 1st, right, you know, renamed All Saints Day, which used to be All Souls Day, which was a practice of praying to the dead, necromancy, if you will. And so what about transubstantiation? Well, the Bible doesn't teach that, but if it happened, but if, let's just hypothetically say, this magic trick happens, guys, it would be impossible to save anyone, okay? Even though we know that the verse I'm going to read to you now is a tribulational verse, because Jesus Christ is killed only one time. But Hebrews 6, 6 says, Again, it's a tribulational verse, and here's what it's saying. They believed and they trusted during the tribulation period, which goes back to faith and works. We can cover that during a dispensational teaching. But if they believe on Jesus Christ because of the preaching of the two witnesses and all that's going on in the world, they have to perform a work. They either have to die or they got to endure into the end. This is tribulational, not church age. Let me emphasize that. If they fall away and they decide not to obey or follow Jesus Christ, the Bible tells us in the tribulation period, they're lost, they're done. They will have no other chance or opportunity to be saved. Why? Because they're killing Jesus Christ afresh. They're re-killing him. So if that bread literally became actual flesh of Jesus and that blood actually became the blood of Jesus, not only is it contrary to scripture, But it's putting him to an open shame, killing him afresh. So guys, we need to understand clearly today, transubstantiation is a lie. The conference of grace, salvation through the Lord's table does not exist. The Lord's table is a memorial to show his death until he come. So concerning the Lord's table, I'm going to give you three or four things, and we'll be done with this point here today. Concern of the Lord's Table, number one, it was instituted by Jesus Christ himself on the eve of his death. Matthew 26, verses 26 through 30, the Bible tells us here, and when they were eating, Jesus took bread and blessed it and break it and gave it to his disciples and said, take eat, this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it, for this is my blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins." We know that it was juice in the glass. We know that Jesus didn't pop a little bit of blood in there under the table and pass it around to people. So we understand that very clearly, okay? So that was a memorial, guys, a memorial on the Institute on the eve of his death. Its purpose is a memorial service. We've already read that in 1 Corinthians 11, verses 25 and 26. We will not read that again. It has a two-fold application, both of which is found back in 1 Corinthians 11. And we can look at those real quick, like in a hurry. Number one, it has the first application, that of worship. According to the law first mentioned when you look in Genesis 22, we find that the first time worship ever shows up, it is associated with sacrifice. And so we understand there was a sacrificial death. We're showing the Lord's death as a memorial service in the Lord's table. That's 1 Corinthians 11, verses 23 through 27. And then it is for the period of examination. So the twofold application is for worship, as well as examination. Remember the last few verses that we read in 1 Corinthians 11 beginning in verse 28 saying, but let a man examine himself. It's speaking about partaking in the Lord's table worthily, worthily. So let a man examine himself and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup. So why would a man examine himself? Why would a woman examine herself prior to partaking in the Lord's table? Well, if you are living in the midst of sin, open, unrepentant from sin, and you're just living like a hellion, if you will, and you partake in the Lord's table, that is a portion of partaking in the Lord's table unworthily. Number two, if you are lost, you are unsaved, you have not made your confession clear, you have not accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, then you would be partaking in the Lord's table unworthy. The Lord's table is meant for believers and believers only, okay? So it is a period of examination for you. When we partake in the Lord's table, we always have a time of prayer, an invitational call, if you will, prior to partaking in the bread. and the Jews so that we have a period of time that we can examine ourself so that we can come to the Lord Jesus Christ, ask forgiveness of any unconfessed sins, ask forgiveness of anything that we have done that may bring shame to his name and to help us go forward in that midst and not continue to live that lifestyle. I also opened that door within the local New Testament church and I conveyed the truth, the thought, that if today is the Lord's table, it is meant for believers only. So we go to that verse there, verse 29, "...for he that eateth and drinketh unworthy, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body." You must discern what the Lord Jesus Christ went through for you, for me, for eternal salvation. And because of that, because of that reality today, because of that truth today, we must know Okay, and we must accept by way of truth biblical Biblical fact that the Lord Jesus Christ died for us. He died on the cross Calvary for us He died for us guys. And so we need to understand and discern his body verse 29 says he then drinketh unworthy eateth and drink a damnation to himself not discerning the Lord's body for this cause Many are weak and sickly among you and many sleep." That's not talking about a slumber, taking a nap, but that is talking about death. That weakness is because people have not examined themselves and they are partaking the Lord's table unworthy and judgment has come upon them. How do we know that? Very next verse, verse 32. For if we judge ourselves, that's that examination process, okay? we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that's the saved individual, that we should not be condemned with the world. That's the condemnation of the lost. So guys, we must understand very clearly today that as we begin to look and understand the Lord's table, is it a simple process? Yes, it is. Do men and denominational teachings and religions and false religion, do they confuse it? Absolutely they do. They do it for their own will, their own way. their own glory, their own control. Yes, they do that. However, we have to understand that we do not have to fall into that situation. We do not have to fall prey to the troubles and the trials and the issues, if you will, of of partaking the Lord's table unworthily. So, guys, that brings us to a conclusion of the two ordinances. Again, those two ordinances are baptism and the Lord's table. They're the only two ordinances that the local New Testament church has been given, and they are to be followed biblically. The meaning, the motive, the method of baptism is for believers only. It is by full immersion up and down, and it is for public profession of salvation, okay? It does not do anything other than identify you with the Lord Jesus Christ the Lord's table shows the Lord's death until he comes so it's something for us to look forward to him coming with a shout in the air and calling us home but it also brings to a memorial sorry brings to memory this memorial worship service of examination the death of the Lord Jesus Christ guys any questions whatsoever that you have concerning this lesson please feel free to hit me up grab me after church, preferably not before church, but grab me after church, sit down with me, and again, I challenge everyone. Search the scriptures. Get your AB 1611 out. Search the scriptures, okay? So search the scriptures to see if these things be so. That's one of the things that we need to always understand, guys, is that we need to let the Bible answer the Bible. Despite what man, creeds, and councils have decided, let's stick with the Word of God. Amen? Have yourself a blessed day, guys. Looking forward to the next lesson next week as we get into individual soul liberty. Again, should not be a very long lesson. Love you. Look forward to seeing you in church soon.