Preaching and Communion

This sermon continues the theme from the week before: "Who Is Equal to Such a Task?"

It examines the central role of preaching in bringing people to faith in Jesus Christ and reflects on the concept of the means of grace, or the tools God uses to bring us to Christ and strengthen our relationship with him.

While the preaching of the Word is the central and indispensable means that God uses, he uses other things as well, such as: Reading the Bible, praying, singing, fellowship with other believers, and partaking of the Lord's Supper.

The visible church is the church as we see it; the invisible church is the church as God sees it. They are similar and overlap, but they are not one and the same.

This same principle applies to preaching: There is the external call of the gospel; everyone present hears the invitation, but not everyone hears the voice of the Good Shepherd saying, "Come unto me."

These distinctions are also true with regard to the Lord's Supper: Everyone who eats receives the bread and the wine, but only those who are looking to Christ truly partake of Communion.