Eric Bechler's sermon on 'Of the Resurrection of the Dead' delves into the understanding of who is deemed 'ignorant' and 'ungodly' concerning the Lord's Supper. He explores the distinction between ignorance and ungodliness, referencing Ephesians 4:17-24 to highlight the alienation from God due to ignorance. The sermon stresses that the Lord's Supper is instituted for baptized believers who repent and aim to grow in faith and holiness. Bechler emphasizes self-examination before participation, citing 1 Corinthians 11, to determine one's worthiness and understanding of the Supper's significance. The exclusion of certain individuals, including unbaptized believers and those unable to examine themselves, is discussed, with references to church discipline in Matthew 18. The sermon concludes with a warning from 1 Corinthians 11:27-29 about the dangers of partaking unworthily, equating it to an insult to Christ and resulting in judgment. The terms 'holy mysteries' and 'sacraments' are examined, noting their roots in the Latin and Greek languages.

As I first read this, I thought to myself, ignorant, all ignorant and ungodly persons. And it seemed strange to me that they would use that word, so I thought about it a little bit. In some ways it could seem redundant, but it's not. Maybe the ignorant are actual believers who have not yet been taught about the Lord's Supper. I looked at Noah Webster to define ignorant.

We kind of all know what that means but I looked anyway because sometimes he has some really good stuff. Anyway, ignorant is just destitute of knowledge, uninformed, untaught, uninstructed. The ignorant may not know Christ. These would maybe be considered the ungodly, right? Or many may not know about the Lord's table.

In Ephesians chapter 4, 17 through 24, we have some mentioning of ignorance here, more towards the ungodly. This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk in the vanity of their mind, having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them Because of the blindness of their heart who being past feeling have given themselves Over until I civisness to work all in cleanness with greediness. But ye have not so learned Christ. If so, be that ye have heard him and have been taught by him as the truth is in Jesus. That ye put off concerning the former conversation, the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts.

And be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that ye put on to new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness." As we go through here, I want to, before we go into some of the phrases, I want to go over two questions that relate here that will help us understand this paragraph a little bit better maybe. To who was the Lord's Supper instituted? Baptized believers. That's pretty straightforward. But if you look a little closer, maybe it's not quite so simple as that.

In reading the Heidelberg Catechism, they answer that question the following way. For those who are truly displeased with themselves for their sins, and yet trust that these are forgiven them for the sake of Christ and that their remaining infirmity is covered by his passion and death who also desire more and more to strengthen their faith and amend their life. So not just believers but those who a earnestly repent of their sins, They trust these sins have been covered by the atoning blood of Christ. They desire to increase their faith, and they desire to grow in true holiness in life. This should be the quintessential description of every Christian, but we are still sinners.

So the second question would be, who are they to be excluded from the Lord's Supper? Since this is a sacrament to the church and for the church, The obvious answer is those outside the church should not partake, those who are not baptized believers. But are there others that should be excluded? Paul comments in 1 Corinthians 11.20, but let a man examine himself. And then further in verse 29, not part of what Colton read, not discerning the Lord's body.

So we must be able to examine ourselves sincerely and honestly and we must understand the difference between the Lord's Supper and a common meal and the significance of it. What is meant by examine yourself? To prove, to test your own state of mind, to recognize the true sense of sin, sorrow and repentance for it, or to thoroughly search oneself to condemn and set right what we find wrong. We're searching for how we're sinning. We should be sorry for it.

We should be repentant and turn to God, cry out. So we ask ourselves, are there folks in the church who are unable to fully examine themselves? Children of a young age are not able to sincerely examine themselves. Those within the church who exhibit behavior, which requires church discipline to be applied, even to the extent of barring access to the table, which reminds us of the process in Matthew 18. Moreover, if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone.

If he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses, every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church. But if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as a heathen man and a publican. Verily I say unto you, whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatsoever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." So we have here a behavior in the church of someone that's unrepentant for their actions for whatever reasons.

And then the third group here those who may fall slightly into that, but those within the church whose attitudes or behavior towards God or other believers would disqualify them for partaking in the Lord's Supper. If we look at 1 Corinthians 5, 11 and 2 Thessalonians 3, 6, we see in 1 Corinthians, but now I have written unto you not to keep company if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator or covetous or an idolater or a railler or a drunkard or an extortioner with such a one know not to eat." And from 2 Thessalonians 3, 6, Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us. So back to the ignorant and ungodly persons. These would be those who do not believe in God, the ungodly, and those who do not know about the Lord's table, what it is, its significance. Maybe these again are new believers and have just not been instructed in that yet There might be other reasons as well But that's what I could think of another phrase in there that caught my eye Without great sin against him in this paragraph This comes straight from scripture out of 1st Corinthians 11 27 through 29 and is a dire warning for those who partake of the Lord's Supper who should not partake and who are unworthy and unqualified.

Wherefore whosoever shall eat at this bread and drink this cup of the Lord unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and 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 or judgment to himself not discerning the Lord's body. The elements of the bread and wine symbolizes the Lord's body and blood, therefore the one who partakes unworthily insults Christ himself. Calvin had a comment on it that I thought was interesting. To eat unworthily then is to pervert the pure and right use of it by our abuse of it.

Hence, there are various degrees of this unworthiness, so to speak, and some offend more grievously, others less so. Some fornicator perhaps or perjurer or drunkard or cheat intrudes himself without repentance. As such downright contempt is a token of want and insult against Christ, there can be no doubt that such a person, whoever he is, receives the supper to his own destruction. As in, there are various degrees of unworthy participation, so the Lord punishes some more slightly, on others he inflicts much severe punishment. The last phrase that caught my eye was where it talked about these holy mysteries.

That was interesting. I didn't find a whole lot of commentary on that particular phrase, but what I did find was that that phrase, holy mysteries, and the word sacraments is used fairly interchangeably. And to understand why, in our sacraments there's a combination of an outward visible sign with an inward spiritual grace. And the description of that sometimes is deemed as a mysterious thing, something that we can't fully understand. If we look at the roots of the word sacrament, if we go to the Latin, it comes from the Latin word sacramentum, which is a consecrated thing or act, which the word sacramentum is actually derived from the Greek word mysterion, which means mystery.

So thus we can see the connection between the word sacrament and this phrase holy mysteries and perhaps that's why I still don't understand why in the confession that's the phrase they used, but anyway, that's what was there. So finally, in summary for this paragraph, paragraph eight serves as a warning against any unworthy or unqualified person from partaking in the Lord's Supper, pointing out the consequences, eating and drinking judgment or damnation to themselves.