Description
Our Reformed and Puritan forebears were fond of viewing the Lord’s Supper as a feast given by the Lord of Hosts—the faithful, covenant-keeping God who, in Christ Jesus, is the author, founder, master, and divine host of this feast. Christ Himself, the feast’s provider, is the feast’s provision; He is the feast itself. In this booklet, Joel R. Beeke and Ray B. Lanning consider the benefits true Christians have as the Lord’s Supper, by the Spirit, reconnects us with Christ crucified, renews our covenant with God, and refreshes our inner life.
Contents
The Words of Institution
The All-Important Adverb: “Unworthily”
First Benefit: Reconnection with Christ Crucified
The Sin of Forgetting
The Duty of Remembering
The Benefits of Reconnection
Second Benefit: Renewal of Your Covenant with God
God’s Covenant with You
Your Covenant with God
Renewal by Partaking of the Sacrament
Renewal by Giving Thanks to God
Renewal by Rededication
The Benefits of Renewing Your Covenant with God
Third Benefit: Refreshment of Your Inner Life
More Than a Memorial
The Shepherd’s Task
Strengthening and Increase of Faith
Enflaming of Love
Restoration of the Joy of Salvation
Summary of Benefits
Series Description
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones once said that what the church needs to do most all is “to begin herself to live the Christian life. If she did that, men and women would be crowding into our buildings. They would say, ‘What is the secret of this?’” As Christians, one of our greatest needs is for the Spirit of God to cultivate biblical godliness in us in order to put the beauty of Christ on display through us, all to the glory of the triune God. With this goal in mind, this series of booklets treats matters vital to Christian experience at a basic level. Each booklet addresses a specific question in order to inform the mind, warm the affections, and transform the whole person by the Spirit’s grace, so that the church may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things.
Endorsement
“The Lord’s Supper belongs to the worship of the church this side of glory. The Lord Jesus Christ commanded His church to celebrate the Supper ‘until He comes.’ Joel Beeke and Ray Lanning have therefore provided for Christians this thoughtful and heart-searching booklet to help them prepare for the Supper. Just as we should come to hear God’s Word thoughtfully and reverently, so we should come to the Lord’s Supper in the same spirit. Reading this booklet will help you to do so.” — Ian Hamilton, author of The Faith Shaped Life
About the Authors
Joel R. Beeke is president and professor of systematic theology and homiletics at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Ray B. Lanning is a minister of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America, now retired and living in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Beeke, Joel R. & Lanning, Ray B.
Beeke, Joel R.
Beeke, Joel and Mary