Day 2 - Communion

Tom Marxen Understanding Covenant 18 October 2023 Hits: 39

The “Communion” meal

Matthew 26:26-29

Institution of the Lord's Supper – (It is not just an external “sacrament”)

Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, "Take, eat; this is my body." And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, "Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom." ESV

1 Corinthians 11:23-26

For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, "This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me." In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me." For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. ESV

Jesus was not simply instituting a rite or a formal sacrament here, He was establishing a permanent reminder of His great covenant of Love that released mankind from the bondage of sin into the liberty, provision and restored relationship with God. Jesus is our covenant of restoration. When we proclaim His death we are declaring and reminding ourselves of the magnitude of this covenant. It does not matter how formal or informal this act of remembrance is, it is not scheduled for special days, and it is not intended to be a “rite of passage” or an act of merit to deserve His favor. . “As often as you drink it” reminds us to remember Him constantly. Just like we are to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17) so are we to constantly and continually keep the power of Jesus’ covenant in the forefront of our thinking.

Jesus is the real man in a blood covenant with God

Luke 22:19. He declared, this is my body.

Luke 22:20. He told us that this is the new covenant in my blood.

John 20:26. The nail holes and spear in his side are covenant marks. Jesus was beaten so severely that He no longer looked like a man. It is spoken in Isaiah 52:14 that Jesus was marred beyond recognition at His crucifixion, yet when He appeared in His resurrected body, He was whole and healthy. The only wounds that remained visible were the holes in His hands and Feet and the hole in His side. These are His permanent covenant marks that bear witness to Him in heaven; they will remain with Him there for eternity.

Rev. 5:6. John saw a lamb as it had been slain.

The last part in making a covenant is for the partners to eat a meal together. It was the custom in Hebrew culture to not eat with people who were not part of the commonwealth of Israel because they considered them to be outside of their covenant. But the Lord emphasized that the people of Israel should welcome strangers and offer hospitality to those who were not circumcised.

Leviticus 19:34

You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God. ESV

We can see from this that God had everyone in mind from the beginning.

Jesus spoke about the nature of our relationship this way:

John 6:47-51

Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh." ESV

This is not just figurative language, it is covenant language.

Communion is not salvation.

The act or practice of eating bread and wine or grape juice does not bring us into the saving covenant of Jesus Christ on its own.

Acts 16:30-32

Then he brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" 31 And they said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household." ESV

Mark 16:16-18

Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover." ESV

Ephesians 2:8-10

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship (His poem), created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. ESV

Salvation is salvation

Salvation is not a onetime experience but it begins with an experience with God where we accept the provision of forgiveness and transformation through the covenant Jesus ratified with His Father on the cross. All guilt, shame, dysfunction, malfunction, disease and disorder are removed through this covenant. The covenant of Jesus Christ is not a contract; it is an exchange of lives. We give Him our life and He gives us His. Our identities are changed, we are born from above, and it is a new form of life and living. Old things are passed away and all things are become new (2 Corinthians 2:17).

We need to learn how to operate in this new identity and we often fail to understand the reality of our new lives and our new nature, but the Covenant says that it is all there from the beginning. In our new identity, Liars begin speaking the truth, Haters obtain the love of God, Accusers become forgivers, sick become well and whole, the Insane become sound in mind.

Like Abraham who received many covenant promises from God. It took some time till he saw the reality of them all in operation, but he accepted them all by faith and he never let go. So it is with our salvation.

Romans 4:18-22

In hope against hope he (Abraham) believed, so that he might become a father of many nations according to that which had been spoken, "SO SHALL YOUR DESCENDANTS BE." Without becoming weak in faith he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah's womb; yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform. Therefore IT WAS ALSO CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.

True Salvation has a “beginning” when we accept God’s covenant with Jesus but it has no end. Salvation is continual moment by moment and we grow in it as our lives mature to become like Him in every way. The practice of communion reminds us of the continual never ending life we now have in Christ. It is a sign both to us and for us.

Discussion Questions:

Day 2 - Communion