OPEN: When I was in my early 20s I worked in a mobile home factory. My job was to help install insulation in the sides and roofs of the trailers as they made their way down the track.
One day, as I was blowing insulation onto the roof of one trailer (walking along the trusses), I stepped a little too much to one side and my foot went right through the ceiling tiles into the living room of the mobile home (I was able to my body from falling all the way thru the ceiling).
Aside from making a mess, the entire line had to be shut down for the repair of that one long tile. To make matters worse, the boss came storming over and is NOT HAPPY!!
I was flustered, and I seriously want to make up for my failure, so I volunteered to measure and cut the tile to replace the one I damaged. The man on the roof measured the distance and called down the feet and inches. Then I pull out of my pocket the measuring tape I’d brought from home… mom’s clothing measuring tape (PAUSE).
I dutifully measured and cut the tile and then handed it up the other worker on the roof… who promptly found that it was about 3 inches too short.
Do you know why the tile was 3 inches short? It was 3 inches short because I’d used the wrong kind of measuring tape. I thought all measuring tapes were the same… BUT I was wrong. Mom’s cloth tape measure wasn’t as accurate as the ones used for construction. And because it wasn’t accurate enough for the worksite it gave me the wrong information - and this created confusion and inaccuracies and disappointment.
Now… we as Christians have a measuring tape.
We have a tool that God has given us to accurately and precisely tell us how to measure our lives in accordance with God’s will.
Do you know what that measuring tool is?
That’s right – it’s the Bible (HOLD UP BIBLE)
This is God’s instructions on how to make our lives measure up to His desires for our lives.
In His prayer in John 17:17, Jesus prayed to the Father:
“Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.”
This book – the word of truth - is God’s measuring tape AND it sanctifies us.
Remember that… because there’s going to be a test later.
Now, there are religious people who are not satisfied with just having God’s Word to serve that purpose. They feel the need to add to what God has given us in Scripture and thus they end up creating additional measuring tapes they think are just as good.
But they’re not.
And because they feel the need to add to God’s Word they end up creating confusion, inaccuracy and disappointment.
That brings me to our word for the day
The word is SACRAMENT.
Unlike all the other words we’ve studied over the past few weeks, this word is NOT found in the Bible.
What is a “sacrament?”
A sacrament is a ritual that supposedly imparts God’s “sanctifying” grace (or blessings) on the lives of worshippers. But that sanctifying grace is ONLY imparted by duly recognized priests.
Just in case you didn’t catch it the first time I said it…
the word “Sacrament” NEVER occurs in the Bible.
Now that’s not necessary a bad thing.
The word “Trinity” (for example) never occurs in Scripture either, but that word describes a Biblical reality. We have one God with three personalities – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
But the problem with the word “Sacrament” is that - not only does it not occur in Scripture - it doesn’t even describe a Biblical truth.
Let me repeat what I said earlier:
A sacrament is a ritual that imparts God’s SANCTIFYING grace on the worshippers, and this sanctifying grace is only imparted by duly recognized priests. In short, if the PRIEST doesn’t perform these sacraments, you aren’t “sanctified” - you don’t receive God’s grace.
Now, for the test I mentioned earlier:
Do you remember what Jesus said would “sanctify us”? (God’s Word)
Jesus said – we are sanctified by God’s Scriptures.
But churches who practice “sacraments” declare: it’s the ritual, under the oversight of the ordained priests, that sanctifies the believer.
Jesus said it was the Bible.
These churches say it is the sacraments.
You tell me: who is right?
I’ll stick Jesus.
Back in the 12th century, the church recognized 30 different sacramental rituals. But by the time of the Council of Trent, that number was whittled down to just 7.
Now why did the church of that day reduce the number to 7 sacraments?
Frankly, because they liked the number 7.
Seven was a very Biblical number and that appealed to them.
But there were no Biblical reasons why these 7 were necessarily more important than the other 23 they removed from the list.
http://www.biblestudytools.com/encyclopedias/isbe/sacraments.html
The 7 “Sacraments” were these:
• Holy Orders (the ordination of church leaders)
• Mass – Eucharist (what we call the Lord’s Supper)
• Baptism
• Anointing the sick
• Marriage
• Penance (asking forgiveness from priests and doing or saying specific things to prove your repentance).
• Confirmation (because “baptism” was ordinarily done with infants – who had no say in their baptism – confirmation allowed the child to “confirm” the decision their guardians had made for them in having them “baptized”.)
This morning I’m going to focus on the first THREE of these 7 sacraments:
• Holy Orders.
• Communion.
• Baptism.
And I’m going to focus on these three because they serve to illustrate what is wrong with this whole concept of the “sacrament”.
Let’s look 1st at the “HOLY ORDERS”
ILLUS: According to James P. Campbell, D.Min. (Jesuit)
“There are 3 levels of participation in the Sacrament of Holy Orders: as bishop, as priest… and as deacon… Part of the role of Priests in the local church is administer the sacraments…”
http://www.loyolapress.com/our-catholic-faith/sacraments/holy-orders/sacrament-of-holy-orders
My point is that the priests are the only ones these kinds of churches believe are empowered (by the sacrament of the Holy Orders) to administer the other sacraments.
But why would they think that?
How could they justify that?
Well, they justify this, because they base their theology on the Old Testament Priesthood.
In the OLD Testament… only the priests were allowed to serve at the Temple.
Only the priests were allowed to touch handle the bread in the Temple.
Only they were allowed to light the candles in the Temple
Or to offer incense before God.
And Priests were the only ones allowed to offer sacrifices for sins.
So the churches that teach the "Sacrament of the Holy Orders" believe that their priests (like the Priests of the Old Covenant) are the ONLY ONES who are allowed to administer oversee things like the sacraments.
Do you understand how they’re thinking?
It kind of makes sense doesn't it… except that it’s not true.
The “Holy Orders” concept is not found anywhere in the New Testament.
NOWHERE in the New Testament are any of the leaders of the church called priests.
Peter is never called a priest.
Paul is never called a priest.
Timothy, Titus, Barnabas, Silas - NONE of them are EVER called priests.
NOWHERE in the New Testament is there is a separate group of people - called priests - who are the only ones allowed to handle the sacred things of God.
And do you know why that is?
There is no separate priesthood in the New Testament because EVERY believer is a priest.
Peter tells the Christians of his day:
“…you are a chosen people, a royal PRIESTHOOD, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 1 Peter 2:9
John tells gives praise to Jesus in the book of Revelation and declares:
“To him (Jesus) who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and PRIESTS to serve his God and Father — to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.” Revelation 1:5
And in Revelation 5:9-10, we find those in God’s throne room singing a new song, saying:
"You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and PRIESTS to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.”
But wait a minute. How can that be?
In the Old Testament there were only certain people allowed to be priests, but in the New Testament something changed… what could possibly have changed?
(We showed a picture of the Old Testament Tabernacle on the screen)
This is a picture of the Tabernacle.
The Tabernacle was the place where the Israelites worshipped God in the wilderness.
Any Israelite could bring their sacrifice to the gate of this white fence and could come into the “outer court”… but that’s as far as they were permitted to go.
The door to the tabernacle (the tent-like structure toward the back of the fenced in enclosure) could only be entered by the priests. This first room was called the “Holy Place” and every priest was permitted to enter and light the candles, refurbish the bread on the table of showbread, and offer incense before the presence of God.
But only the priests were allowed inside the first room of the tabernacle
Now, there was a King named Uzziah who decided that he (because he was the king) could go into that first room and offer incense, and the priests tried to stop him. But he forced his way in and actually offered incense on that altar.
Do you remember what happened to him?
That’s right – God struck him with leprosy and Uzziah died a leper.
(II Chronicles 26:16-23)
This was pretty serious stuff for God.
So any priest could enter the first room of the tabernacle…
But ONLY the high priest could go into the back room.
This room (which held the Ark of the Covenant) was called the Holy of Holies or the “The Most Holy Place”.
If anyone but the High Priest tried to enter there… they died.
But something changed when Jesus came.
Hebrews tells us that NOW - because of Jesus – every Christian can enter that “Most Holy Place”.
“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the MOST HOLY PLACE by the blood of Jesus… let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.” Hebrews 10:19 & 22
How could we possibly go to this MOST HOLY PLACE where none but High Priests were permitted?
Because of the blood of Jesus.
And because of that Blood of Jesus we have become priests of God to serve and worship Him. And because you and I are priests… we are permitted to handle the holy things of God.
Things like – Communion.
(I showed a picture of Communion table in a traditional “high” church)
In churches where they have a separate class of priests – this is how things are generally set up. Look closely - where is the communion table?
That’s right, it’s up on the stage.
Why?
Because you have to get thru the priest to partake of Lord’s Supper.
Only the “priests” are permitted to officiate at the partaking of this “sacrament”.
Now, where is our communion table?
It’s on the main floor isn’t it?
Do you know why?
It’s on the main floor because you don’t have to go thru me to touch the things of God.
I don’t have to be present for you to take communion.
The Elders don’t have to be here.
The Sunday School teachers don’t have to be here.
In fact, you can take of the Lord’s Supper at home if you like.
Why? Because you are all priests of God.
You are all empowered by the blood of Jesus to touch the holy things of God.
ILLUS: At 2 o’clock we have another congregation that meets in our building. They are refugees from a country in Asia, and they are the sweetest people you’ll ever meet. But they’re not part of our brotherhood and they do some things a little different than we do.
When they first asked to come worship here, the Elders and Scott and I sat down with them to find out where they were doctrinally. The main things we were concerned about were their attitudes toward Scripture and baptism and we came away from those meetings satisfied that we shared common attitudes toward both those subjects.
But over time we’ve come to realize they are different from us in one specific way.
First, we learned that their “pastor” was in training to become a “reverend.”
We don’t use that word here.
To “revere” someone (the core meaning of “reverend”) means to hold someone in “awe.”
Do you hold me in “awe?”
I’d hope not.
There’s only one who deserves our attitude of awe.
There is only one who deserves the description of “reverend”… God.
(Psalm 111:9 KJV)
Sometime after that, Scott volunteered to show them where the communion and communion trays were kept. Their leaders assured us that that was not necessary. Their “Pastor” was not going to be able to be there all the time… and he actually wasn’t a “pastor” because he hadn’t received his full training.
No Pastor – no communion.
Why?
Because “the pastor”, in the teachings they had received, HAD to be there or communion could not be taken.
It’s the sacrament thing.
No Priest (pastor)… no sacrament of the Lord’s Supper.
Now, just to be clear here, I’m not THE PASTOR here.
Outside of the fact that Scripture describes Elders as pastors, that language feeds into this UNBIBLICAL Priest concept.
Don’t call me “Pastor”… just call me “Jeff”.
Now… let’s go on to the “Sacrament” of baptism.
In churches where they have “Holy Orders” only the priest can baptize.
And in many churches where there is THE PASTOR in the pulpit only THE PASTOR is expected to do the baptisms. And that kind of thinking has permeated many churches that aren’t even theologically bent toward the idea of the “sacraments.”
ILLUS: This priest/sacrament concept is part of the reason that some people who misunderstand one of Paul’s comments in I Corinthians. In I Corinthians 1:17 Paul wrote
“Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel…”
And some folks will say: “Well, if Paul wasn’t sent to baptize… baptism can’t be all that important.”
Now that argument has never made any sense.
It’s illogical.
And it’s illogical because - first of all - Paul DID baptize people.
• Just a couple verses earlier in I Corinthians Paul noted that he had baptized Crispus and Gaius and the household of Stephanas, and maybe few he couldn’t even remember at Corinth (I Cor. 1:14 &16).
• Then in the book of Acts, we’re told of the time that Paul baptized several people at Ephesus (Acts 18:1-5).
In addition, Paul always spoke of water baptism’s part in salvation.
• In Acts 22:16 Paul told of his conversion experience and explained that Ananias told him to “rise and be baptized and wash away your sins.”
• In Romans 6:1-5 Paul taught that in baptism we are buried with Christ and rise to “walk in newness of life.”
• In Galatians 3:27 Paul wrote that “as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.”
• And in Colossians 2:12 Paul declared that “having been buried with (Jesus) in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.”
Every time Paul spoke of baptism he drove home its importance in our salvation.
So it would be odd if Paul’s comment about “not being sent to baptize” meant he didn’t think it was important.
So why would Paul say he wasn’t sent to baptize?
Well… because he wasn’t sent to baptize.
That job was parceled out to others in the congregation.
Jesus never intended the church to be built on any single individual.
In Corinth there were already people saying “I follow Paul” and others “I follow Cephas” or “I follow Apollos” (I Corinthians 1:12).
If Paul had the main baptizer at Corinth he would have simply added to the divisiveness the church at Corinth was experiencing. After he’d have left town some would have said “Yes, I know you’ve been baptized, but my baptism is better than yours because I was BAPTIZED BY PAUL.”
Frankly, it’s healthier if a preacher doesn’t do all the baptisms at a church.
We have a saying here at this church – “you bring ‘em, you baptize ‘em.”
ILLUS: Just last month, Roy called me and said Mirakle (his daughter) had been talking with his niece about becoming a Christian and the niece wanted to be baptized. At first I thought he was asking me to come and “officiate” - but no, he just wanted to make sure he did and said everything the “right” way.
In fact, Mirakle (age 10) wanted to do the baptism.
I gave Roy some pointers, but then I told him – “It doesn’t matter if you get all the words right. Your daughter is baptizing her cousin into Christ for the forgiveness of her sins... and right now that’s all they really need to worry about.”
But wait a minute.
Mirakle’s only 10 years old, can she baptize someone into Christ?
Yes she can.
Mirakle’s a Christian… therefore she’s a priest.
And as long as she’s taking this commitment seriously there is absolutely no legitimate reason she shouldn’t be baptizing her friends and relatives into Christ.
Jesus told His followers “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” (Mt. 28:19-20).
This commission was not given to clergy, it was given to all believers.
In other words: each believer is responsible to
bring ‘em,
dunk ‘em
and teach ‘em.
It’s as simple as that.
Bring ‘em
Dunk ‘em
Teach ‘em.
Jesus has given you a great honor and privilege.
Jesus has given YOU the commission of finding, converting and teaching your neighbors, friends and loved ones about how to belong to God.
Why on earth would you want to turn that honor over to me!?
Now, make no mistake, I love doing that stuff.
It’s exhilarating and fulfilling, but why should I have all the fun?
And besides, if I’m the only one bringing ‘em, dunking ‘em and teaching ‘em the church is only going to reach so many people for Christ. Just think of how many other people could be saved if each of us took this as a personal challenge.
Jesus says to you:
Bring ‘em
Dunk ‘em
Teach ‘em.
SO GO GET ‘EM!
