Who's Invited to Dinner?

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"Let us come remembering that the gospel is for sinners. It's not for those who can make themselves squeaky clean because here's a little hint you can't do that. If you find this morning that your heart is more awake and more deceitful than you ever imagined, be assured that the door of God's grace and mercy is open for you, and be assured that you have a seat at his dinner table right now. "

John Fonville’s new book is called Hope and Holiness: How the Gospel Enables and Empowers Sexual Purity.  It comes out this Fall and was based on the current series. We hope you will take the time to pre-order and invest in your spiritual growth library.  

Hope and Holiness: How the Gospel Enables and Empowers Sexual Purity

https://www.amazon.com/Hope-Holiness-Gospel-Enables-Empowers/dp/0802428894/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=hope+and+holiness+john+fonville&qid=1670792509&sprefix=hope+and+holiness%2Caps%2C128&sr=8-1

About John

John Fonville is Pastor of Paramount Church in Jacksonville, Florida. Paramount Church is part of the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA). 

The Him We Proclaim Podcast features the preaching and teaching ministry of Dr. John Fonville at Paramount Church. This resource aims to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ to all people. The gospel cannot be assumed. An assumed gospel will, in time, become a denied gospel. Thus, each generation must rediscover the paramount truths of the gospel and apply the gospel's implications to their own day and age. Him we proclaim (Col. 1:28)!

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Original sermons from this series by Dr. John Fonville

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Transcript

 Turn in your Bibles to 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. So the exposition here is very simple. The celebration of the Lord's Supper, Holy Communion, Holy Eucharist, in the worship service is a proclamation of the gospel. It is the preaching of the Gospel visibly and tangibly. Therefore, because this is a visible proclamation of the gospel, therefore, look at this, whoever eats the bread or drinks of the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. Because we saw last week that in communion, the Holy Spirit unites us, to the whole person of Christ, not just spiritually speaking, but to the whole person. He's both God and man. To be saved, is to have communion and is to have fellowship with Jesus, who is both God and man. And so we must be joined to his body and blood, and that happens by the Holy Spirit. That's what we looked at last week. So because this is a visible gospel, giving us the whole Christ, joining us to the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit. If you eat this bread and drink this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, you'll be guilty of the body and blood of our Lord, because that's who's present here by the Holy Spirit. And so Paul says this, but a man must examine himself and so doing his to eat of the bread and drink of the cup for who He who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself. If he does not judge the body rightly if he does not judge Christ President rightly for this reason for not for failing to judge the presence of Christ by the Holy Spirit. Liquid he says many among you are weak and sick and a number sleeves are they're dead. But if we judge ourselves rightly, we will not be judged. But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord, so that we will not be condemned along with the world, in quote. So as I said, this is not going to be an in depth exposition of this passage. I have given that in other places, several times, actually, throughout our time here, but here's, here's what I want us to look at this morning, as we've been looking for the past couple of weeks at the series on the Lord's Supper, the Holy Communion. Here's the question I want to ask in light of the passage you just heard, who may come to Holy Communion. Who's invited to dinner? Right? Because this is a dinner this is a meal. Churches and ministers have misunderstood and missin misapplied Paul's morning to the Corinthians ad nauseam. The tragic result of this misunderstanding in this misapplication is that the design of the sacrament, which is the confirmation and assurance of our faith in Christ has been distorted and destroyed. Rather than being an opportunity to receive assurance, the Lord's Supper has been turned into another opportunity to be whipped by the law. Unfortunately, many, many American evangelicals and even reformed Christians think of the Lord's Supper solely as an opportunity to grieve over their sins. They think of it as an opportunity to grieve over the reality that our sin, sin Christ to the cross and that is a time for repentance and or worse, they think that it's a time to clean oneself up in order to be worthy to partake. I believe those reasons are the principal reasons why many Christians instinctively oppose more frequent communion because who could endure such a weekly experience right? Here's how one author puts it shame is weaponized by preachers to keep people come in back, but many shame weary people are calling it quits. And so the question who ought to come to Holy Communion is play the consciences of many believers and consequently, in many have grown up in the church with a distorted view of the sacrament. They see it as a funeral, not a feast. And seldom if ever found in an assurance life and salvation as Christ has promised to us in Matthew 26, verse 28. So, just this past week, a member of our church shared a moving story with me. About while growing up in another church context, communion this individual said was used quote, as a weapon rather than a means of grace in. And so I want to share with you the letter that this person sent to me and I was given permission to share it. Because I think it's safe to say that many of you here today grew up with a similar distorted view of the Lord's Supper. So listen to this letter that I received. And it begins like this, I had been attending Paramount church for about seven years. I first visited a time when my enthusiasm for church going had reached a low point. After an invitation I reluctantly visited thinking it would be the same gig different place. While it took some time for me to experience a life saving gospel awakening, it happened thanks be to God. The individual says I was raised in the church, I'll be at a version of the church which in retrospect, I have come to believe was significantly flawed. This resulted in years bouncing around different churches. Finally, after moving to Jacksonville almost 14 years ago, I found myself in a church that would be widely considered by evangelicalism as a solid conservative, quote, Reformed Church, carrying on the tradition of the Masters seminary. Nonetheless, I would sit in church each Sunday in here a version of the quote, gospel that didn't ring of the truth, I would attend each Sunday and leave with an overwhelming weight upon my shoulders. It was time for me to go about the upcoming week making sure to pull off the Christian life. Spirituality was measured by devotion and acts of piety. This was best exemplified by taking inventory of our quiet time prayer, live acts of service within the church, being active in outreach ministries, I was living under a modern day do this and live covenant of works. I was never taught that these things are acts of gratitude. They were taught to us in some peculiar way as acts that propelled our sanctification forward. They were our gifts to God, not as I've come to learn God's gifts to us, a life changing distinction, exclamation point, like that. Another thing that I've come to think of differently are the sacraments how critical it is to understand the Lord's Supper and baptism as God's gifts to us. A loving means by which we are delivered Jesus and all of His saving benefits. It is peculiar that I have come to see the sacraments so differently, considering I grew up in, in denomination in which in which we partook at the Lord's supper every week. It was the centerpiece of the service. However, it was the centerpiece of destruction and division in the church. They go on to say I was raised to think of the table as a place in which we gathered for sort of a remembrance. But the question was always to remember what we would be burdened with warnings of what it meant to come to the table worthily where the Li was always about making sure you are as as close to squeaky clean as you could possibly be. Did you sin on the way to church this morning? If so, you better steer clear of the table. It wasn't for you. Did you have a fight with your wife? Of course not. Did you have a fight with your parents? Did you have a fight with your siblings? Look, if so you are you better not dine at the table. You were not welcome. In some sense, being a senator was a disqualification from dining with God. Unless of course you could sufficiently whitewash yourself prior to partaking worthiness found and what he had to offer what we had to offer God when we came to his time April. It was exhausting.

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It was not a place of celebration. This is not even where the bastardization of the Lord's table ended. It was also used as a tool of division in the church. People would routinely fence themselves off from the table, because they either praised themselves as not measuring up, or they had, quote, issues with other members of the body. People would sit in waiting around the Lord's table and seek to identify those whom they had issues and see who would and wouldn't partake, it had become a tool of division, can you believe this? Imagine a place for God's celebration fees for his children was turned into a supper of condemnation. And the opportunity to destroy the faith and brothers and sisters, one of God's gifts to grow the faith and sanctify his children had been turned into the exact opposite of what it was intended to be. After sitting on the proper division of the lawn gospel and appropriate teaching of the sacraments of the seven plus years, I have come to think of them as imperative to my growth as a Christian. They are the very means by which God communicates himself to me. This is not simply quote, a meal of remembrance. That is a truncated and anemic view. It makes the mistake of thinking that the only active thing that is happening at the Lord's table is us remembering and that we're the sole participant. On the contrary, the Lord's table is a living, real, active communication of Christ to us by the Holy Spirit. It is a gift from God addressed to his children delivered by the Holy Spirit. That gift is Christ in all of His saving benefits. It is sanctification in real time. It is God's actively saving us. We are participants in a celebration feast each Sunday, in which we participate by resting and receiving. It is like being invited each Sunday to Christmas dinner. You get to arrive, sit at his table and enjoy the company of God as your host be served by him as one of his adopted children. Be reminded of all that he has done for you then leave without lifting a finger to help clean up. He does that too. He cleans you up. He sanctifies you as part of this feast. You see, my thinking has changed the sacraments were once about me doing something for God, about me somehow seen well, I couldn't remember him each Sunday. I have come to realize that this celebration feast is really about God showing me how perfectly he remembers Me. I come, I rest. I am served, I celebrate. I am saved, I am sanctified. All the while I do absolutely nothing Thanks be to God. Now I can tell you if you're a pastor of a church and you receive a letter like that there's a major whole entire year or perhaps your whole entire life What a blessing to and perhaps you can relate to this individual story we we would be burdened with warnings of what it meant to come to the table worthily worthily was always about making sure you as as close to being squeaky clean as you possibly could be. Listen, in some sense being a senator was disqualification from dining with God. worthiness was found and what we had to offer God when we came to his table, it was exhausting. It was not a place of celebration. I wonder how many of you could identify with that individual who grew up like that? I can. Because I remember and my wife reminded me this past week in a row there's letters she said we used to be like that. She said remember when you're at EB free Fullerton and there were no more software and you ran out the back door and I was thinking gosh, maybe I should go to

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shame is weaponized by preachers to keep people coming back but the shame weary people are just calling it quits because it's too exhausting. So let's come back to our original question, who can come totally communion who who's invited to dinner? Who gets to come to supper? I want to briefly discuss with you three traits that characterize those who can come to Holy Communion. Here's the first the those Who can come to dinner? Those who are invited to dinner are first of all this all who acknowledged their sins and our sorrow truly sorrowful for them. Listen to question 81 In the Heidelberg Catechism, who are to come to the table of the Lord. Listen to the first answer. Those who are displeased with themselves for their sins. Want to tell you that's relief? That's comfort. Nowhere does Scripture teach the Christians achieved sinless perfection in this life. Let me give you a couple of passages of Scripture Romans chapter seven Galatians chapter five and First John chapter one are just a few of the many places in the Bible that lead us from this error that you will be free from sin as a Christian. A Christian is not sinless, but rather one who acknowledges and confesses his or her sin and repentance not once but over a lifetime repeatedly. John Calvin says repentance is not merely the start of the Christian life, it is the Christian life. Martin Luther said the same thing and the first of his 95 Theses that he wrote the very first theses that he said Now was this when our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said repent, Matthew For 17 He will the entire life of believers to be one of repentance in quote. So listen, the Lord's table was not for those who are pleased with themselves. The Lord's Table is for those who are displeased with themselves in their sins. Those are the ones who are not barred from coming. This is why the last part of the answer in question and one of the Heidelberg Catechism, which is just referring to the passage that we read from First Corinthians, it says, the ones who are displeased with themselves for their sins, they're welcome. They're invited to dinner. But those who are pleased with themselves, listen carefully, the impenitent and hypocrites eat and drink judgment to themselves. This is why ministers, you have this thing called fencing the Lord's table, hypocrites and penitent. Paul says in our text, eat and drink judgment themselves when they come to the table. So the Lord's table the sacraments are a double edged sword. The Lord's table is a table of blessing for all who are displeased with themselves for their sins, all who are acknowledging their sins. It is a great spiritual feast for sinners. But Paul says it is a table of judgment for those who are impenitent and who are pretenders they're hypocrites. It is a table of death. This is why many of you are weak and ill and some of you have died, the apostle Paul says. And so these are actors, these pretenders these who professed to be Christ but yet their life has no repentance whatsoever no remorse for sin, no sorrow, that they have offended a holy God. They're not invited to this dinner. Why? Because the gospel is for sinners. Listen, Jesus in Matthew 913, I did not come to call the righteous but sinners. This is a visible gospel. This is for sinners, the gospel is for sinners. And so a Christian is not sinless. A Christian is one who continually and ongoing Lee acknowledges confess his his or her sins. First John chapter one verse six turn there. First John chapter one, verse six. We'll just look at a couple of passages here. First, John, chapter one, verse six. John says, If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. Simply put, it's not possible to have salvation. Ellis ship is salvation is a synonym for salvation. It's not possible to have salvation with God and continue in a life of unrepentant sin. John says, If you do this, we lie we're not practicing the truth. Why? Because the truth the gospel leads you to what repentance is the kindness of God that leads you to repentance. Listen to First John chapter one verse eight. If we say if we make a profession that we have no sin, we're deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in a simply put no genuine unbeliever will ever claim that they have ceased to sin John says is not going to happen. Look at verse 10 of chapter one. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us. John says genuine believers do not claim to have never sinned. To make such an outrageous claim is to make God John says a liar. Why? Because Romans 323 God has said, All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Are you truthful or is God truthful? And so John says, instead of remaining in penitence in sin, verse six, instead of denying sin, verses six and eight, look at verse nine. Look at John says Believers do or walking in the light who are saved, they confess their sin. They acknowledge their sin, authentic Christian living is marred by an honest, ongoing acknowledgement of your sin. This is what Believers do. It may be some scholars say that John has in mind here, the pope the act of public confession of sin and worship in the church. Public corporate confession is a vital element and the worship of God's people. That new life given to us the Holy Spirit produces genuine confession of sin and sorrow for it. And so it is the Holy Spirit who creates within us a great displeasure with our sin. He produces a repentance that Paul says in Second Corinthians 710, that leads to salvation. So that's the first people who can come if you're acknowledging and confessing your sin. You're welcome. Because the gospel is for Senators. Second, who can come to this dinner? Second is those who are trusting that their sins are forgiven for the sake of Christ alone. In other words, you're just trusting Christ, you're not trusting yourself. Listen to the second part of the answer in the Heidelberg Catechism, who may come to the table, Lord, those who are trusting that they are forgiven, and that that remaining infirmity is covered by the passion and death of Christ. Here's the newsflash, Christians sin, and sometimes really bad. And they continue to send their whole life. But John tells us they acknowledge that sin, they are confessing that sin. All the while they are trusting solely in Christ alone, to forgive them for all that sin. Christians throughout their life come to know more and more their sinful nature. How many of you have been growing in grace over the years have begun to realize, you know, I feel like I'm worse now than I was 10 years ago. Yeah, every hand should go up. I got the double barrel right here. You know, when I first came to be convicted of not that I just did a sin committed a sin, but like wanting to do that sin. I was devastated. Because there was this desire in me that was like a cancer of this, like, Ah, really, it's not to say that I did it I was convicted that that's what I who I was, apart from Christ. And so throughout their life, Christians come to know more and more their sinful nature and therefore because of that, guess what Christians are doing? They're more earnestly seeking Christ Who forgives them. The apostle John tells us this in chapter two verses one through two. He says that we don't continue in unrepentant sin. Verse six, we don't deny and cover ups in verses six and eight, we confess acknowledge our sin. And when we're confessing and acknowledging our sin, look where John points us to

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My little children, I'm writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous one, and He Himself is the atoning sacrifice for our sins and not only his propitiation for our sins, and not only for our sins, but also for the whole world. John says that when you and I are sitting, and we are confessing, acknowledging to God that we're doing this, we are looking to Christ because we know that we stand by Before God only on the basis of Christ advocacy for us, and that's why we're always looking earnestly. When the apostle Paul in Romans chapter seven is lamenting his great sin, because don't miss what he's doing there. The apostle Paul is confessing and lamenting sin. As a believer. I can't do the things I want to do, and I keep on doing the things I don't want to do, wretched man that I am. He doesn't call judgment up down upon himself. He doesn't threaten his conscience with judgment. What does he do? He turns out of himself, and the outward and faith to Christ alone. Listen, wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from this body of death. Verse 25, immediately, thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord, and because of Jesus Christ, our Lord, chapter eight, verse one, therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus who keeps sinning. You have to read the whole context. He's talking in that context about Christians who can't pull it off perfectly, but they're forgiven because of Christ. And so when they sin, there's no condemnation. Because they're looking to Christ. Do you remember Peters really bad sins? On more than one occasion? Right? Post Pentecost. Yeah. Oh, he was this was Peter before Pentecost. Well, after Pentecost, the apostle Paul was stood him to his face while the church listened. That would have been humiliating. I think King David had a fairly bad fall. Adultery, murder. Yeah. Listen to this, and this has always missed sexual abuse and assault on a woman. Bathsheba was not guilty of doing anything. She was doing exactly what she was supposed to be doing. And King David abused that woman. Sexual abuse is huge, should never be tolerated in the church. He was a grave, wicked sinner. The apostle Paul summarizes it like this and Romans for both Abraham and David are ungodly. And so the reason we're not condemned is because Christ has become our propitiation, and He's righteous, He is the righteous one. He has taken our condemnation and sin upon himself and he's given to us his righteousness. And that's where that's where believers are looking. So in self examination, too often believers make the mistake of thinking that because they have examined themselves now they're worthy to come. A self righteousness. Why? Because they're not looking to Christ to be righteous before God, they are looking to what they just did to say, God, I just did this now come receive me. And self examination you don't trust in yourself examination. We've already done that in the worship service this morning. It's called listen to God's law and confess your sin on your knees and then receive absolution. You don't trust in yourself examination you trust in God who justifies Paul says the ungodly. Never make the mistake of thinking that your self examination makes you worthy of coming to the Lord's table. Don't ever make that mistake. John Calvin says the best and only worthiness which we can bring to God is to offer him our vileness and unworthiness so that His mercy may make us worthy. Third, and finally, who can come to dinner? Well, listen to this. It's those who desire earnestly to have their faith more and more strengthened in their lives more holy. This is the last part of the answer in question. Anyone in the Heidelberg Catechism? It says, who may come to the table, Lord, those who desire more and more to strengthen their faith in them in their life. What is it saying? All they're saying is this is the gospel. Grace is not a license for you to go sin. Here's how one other puts it. God loves to forgive. I love to sin so that makes for good relationship. That's a misunderstanding of grace and the nature of salvation. What happens in the gift of salvation is the Holy Spirit enables us to keep God's moral will by uniting us to Christ by faith. John says in John 15 We're like a branch on the vine that brings forth much fruit. That's just obedience. Question 64 and 100 catechism, he says, is impossible that those who are grafted united into Christ by true faith should not bring forth fruits of gratitude, thankfulness. This is why John goes on throughout his letter in first, John, we don't have time to look at it this morning. But this is why he goes on throughout his letter to show you that those who are brought out of darkness into God's marvelous light, have the spirit created desire within them to obey God's commandments. This is just one example. John says believers who are walking in the light. First on chapter two verse three, by this we know that we have come to know Him if we keep his commandments. But let us not make this mistake about what we're talking about here. This obedience is not perfection. Even the holiest believer who has ever lived in this world in which you know, the apostle Paul is a good part. He's a good candidate, even the holiest believer, well, in this life has only a small beginning of this obedience. But even though it's a small beginning, there's this earnest desire to begin to live not only according to some of God's laws, but all of it. The problem is not with God's law, the problem is with us, I love God's law. The problem is, I just don't keep it very well, but I want to. And so in salvation, the Holy Spirit makes us alive. And then He enables us to obey Him as, as the Lord promised in the prophet Ezekiel, listen to this promise of the New Covenant. I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances. And you know what the context of that is motivation by grace. This is the gospel order of holy living. The Gospel says to us live. Now, go do this. But the law is to anew go do this. And you might live if you try hard enough. No, actually, it says you will live if you give 100% Perfection. So this Spirit prompted desire to follow Christ and to lead a godly life leads us to pray prayer, such as the one found in the Book of Common Prayer that goes like this. It says Almighty God, you alone can bring into order the unruly wills and affections of sinners. Grant your people to love what you command and to desire, what you promise. That's the Christian. Grant by Your grace to love what you come in and to desire what you have promised. And so throughout our lives, we as believers are constantly praying to God for the grace of the Holy Spirit, that the Holy Spirit would continually more and more renew us after the image of Christ until after this life. Paul says in Philippians, three, we reached the goal of perfection. So who may come to the dinner? Those who acknowledged their sins,

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those who are trusting in Christ alone for the forgiveness of their sins, and those who through receiving that forgiveness, have an earnest desire to obey and lead a holy life. Recognizing that won't be perfect, but are constantly praying for the grace of the Holy Spirit, Lord, I love this helped me to live in more. Lord, I believe, help my unbelief. And so as we come to the Lord's table this morning, let us come remembering that the gospel is for sinners. It's not for those who can make themselves squeaky clean because here's a little hint you can't do that. If you find this morning that your heart is more awake Given deceitful than you ever imagined, be assured that the door of God's grace and mercy is open for you, and be assured that you have a seat at his dinner table right now. Be assured that the dinner invitation has come to you today. This is John the Baptist and John the Apostle say, Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb. Amen. And let's pray. Father, we thank you for this wonderful gift of grace that you've given to us. And we thank you for this table that we're coming to now. We thank you for the promise of the Gospel we for this morning where Jesus says, I have not come to call the righteous but sinners. Father, we've really acknowledged this morning as we have already done in worship, that we have sinned against you in thought word indeed we are, we are sinful and we commit sin, but we look to Christ now. By faith, and we pray that through the power of your Holy Spirit, you would give us the faith to receive him here. And this sacrament. We pray this the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

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Thanks for listening to the Hebrew proclaim podcast with John Banville. Him we proclaim as a ministry of John Banville of Paramount church in Jacksonville, Florida. You can check out his church at Paramount church.com We look forward to next time

Transcribed by https://otter.ai