"And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, 'Drink for it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins." Matthew 26:27-28
When Jesus handed the cup to the disciples, they naturally would have thought of the blood of the Passover Lamb that was applied to the doorpost of their ancestor's homes in Egypt. In preparation for the tenth plague, God had instructed the children of Israel to put the blood of the Passover Lamb on the two doorpost and on the lentil of the house. God made a covenant with the people: When the death angel saw the blood of the doorpost, he would passover that house and not take the life of the first born son. But if a house did not have the blood on the doorpost and lentil, the death angel would visit their home and take the life of the first-born male. The Lord said, "And the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live; and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt." Exodus 12:13
As the disciples drank the wine, they remembered the blood covenant. But Jesus gave new meaning to the wine to let it symbolize a new covenant. In the Lord's Supper, Jesus' blood now symbolizes more than salvation from a single night of terror, instead, it celebrates eternal salvation.
As Peter wrote in 1 Peter 1:18-19 "...knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with the precious blood , as a of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ."
See You Sunday...Bro. Alan
Friday, April 17, 2009
Thursday, April 16, 2009
The Bread; His Body Broken For Us
In the midst of their meal, Jesus took some unleavened bread and held it up and said, "Take, eat; this is My body." In the Passover meal, the bread had a particular significance. When the Hebrew women made their household, everyday bread, they took a piece of fermented dough that they had saved from a previous day and mixed it into their fresh flour. With time, the yeast would overtake the dough and she could then make her families daily bread. (After saving a piece for future baking, of course.)
When God delivered the children of Israel out of Egyptian bondage, there wasn't time to bake bread or hassle with the yeast. So God instructed them to make the bread as unleavened.
So, eating unleavened bread became a reminder of the time when God delivered the children of Israel out of bondage. In Exodus 13:8-9 God gives meaning to the unleavened bread. He said, "And you shall tell your son on that day, saying, 'It is because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.' And it shall serve as a sign to you on your hand and as a reminder on your forehead, that the law of the LORD may be in your mouth; for with a powerful hand the LORD brought you out of Egypt."
At the Lord's Supper, the bread that celebrated the people's deliverance from Egyptian bondage took on a new meaning. Now it commemorates Jesus' broken body and celebrates the Christian's deliverance from the eternal bondage of sin. Because of Jesus' death on the cross and resurrection from the tomb, eternal life is possible to all who believe.
Tomorrow the wine...till then...Bro. Alan
When God delivered the children of Israel out of Egyptian bondage, there wasn't time to bake bread or hassle with the yeast. So God instructed them to make the bread as unleavened.
So, eating unleavened bread became a reminder of the time when God delivered the children of Israel out of bondage. In Exodus 13:8-9 God gives meaning to the unleavened bread. He said, "And you shall tell your son on that day, saying, 'It is because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.' And it shall serve as a sign to you on your hand and as a reminder on your forehead, that the law of the LORD may be in your mouth; for with a powerful hand the LORD brought you out of Egypt."
At the Lord's Supper, the bread that celebrated the people's deliverance from Egyptian bondage took on a new meaning. Now it commemorates Jesus' broken body and celebrates the Christian's deliverance from the eternal bondage of sin. Because of Jesus' death on the cross and resurrection from the tomb, eternal life is possible to all who believe.
Tomorrow the wine...till then...Bro. Alan
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Taking It Seriously
In 1 Corinthians 11:26-32 Paul talks of the seriousness of our attitude as we partake of the Lord's Supper. We need to approach this sacrament with jumility, gratefullness and thankfulness--We need to take it seriously.
Before we enter into this sacrament together Paul urges us to confess our sins, to check our motives, to see if there is anything that we have against another believer and go to that person and ask for forgiveness.
As a matter of fact Paul says, "If you give no thought (or worse, don't care) about the broken body of the Master when you eat and drink, you're running the risk of serious consequences. That's why so many of you even now are listless and sick, and others have gone to an early grave. If we get this straight now, we won't have to be straightened out later on. Better to be confronted by the Master now than to face a fiery confrontation later."
Take time today to come before the Father and ask Him to search your heart, to see if there is anything that you have against someone else...and take care of it! Confess to the Father, or you may need to call someone and ask their forgiveness.
Till Tomorrow...Bro. Alan
Before we enter into this sacrament together Paul urges us to confess our sins, to check our motives, to see if there is anything that we have against another believer and go to that person and ask for forgiveness.
As a matter of fact Paul says, "If you give no thought (or worse, don't care) about the broken body of the Master when you eat and drink, you're running the risk of serious consequences. That's why so many of you even now are listless and sick, and others have gone to an early grave. If we get this straight now, we won't have to be straightened out later on. Better to be confronted by the Master now than to face a fiery confrontation later."
Take time today to come before the Father and ask Him to search your heart, to see if there is anything that you have against someone else...and take care of it! Confess to the Father, or you may need to call someone and ask their forgiveness.
Till Tomorrow...Bro. Alan
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Lord's Supper
While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to His disciples, saying, "Take and eat; this is my body."
Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. 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 of this fruit of the vine from now until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father's kingdom. Matthew 26:26-29
Knowing the story of Passover, do you see what Jesus did? He was saying in essence, to His disciples and to us, "I am the new Passover Lamb. Just as the blood of the original Passover Lamb saved the lives of God's people in the old covenant, my blood will save your lives." The big difference? Those protected by the blood of that first Passover lamb still died, those who are saved by the blood of Jesus, the new Passover Lamb, are given life for eternity! That's what communion is all about! So, what should our attitude be? How does this affect our approach to this sacrament? The apostle Paul points us in the right direction in his first letter to the Corinthian church and that's where we will begin tomorrow...I Corinthians 11:26-32...till then...Bro. Alan
Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. 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 of this fruit of the vine from now until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father's kingdom. Matthew 26:26-29
Knowing the story of Passover, do you see what Jesus did? He was saying in essence, to His disciples and to us, "I am the new Passover Lamb. Just as the blood of the original Passover Lamb saved the lives of God's people in the old covenant, my blood will save your lives." The big difference? Those protected by the blood of that first Passover lamb still died, those who are saved by the blood of Jesus, the new Passover Lamb, are given life for eternity! That's what communion is all about! So, what should our attitude be? How does this affect our approach to this sacrament? The apostle Paul points us in the right direction in his first letter to the Corinthian church and that's where we will begin tomorrow...I Corinthians 11:26-32...till then...Bro. Alan
Monday, April 13, 2009
Communion: What Does It Mean?
This week we will be looking at Communion.
Some people refer to communion as the Lord's Supper, or the Eucharist.
Jesus observed a Passover meal with His disciples the night He was betrayed, arrested and eventually led to Calvary. During this Passover meal Jesus gives 'new meaning' to the Passover meal and instates the Lord's Supper. You see, the Passover was a celebration of, a remembrance of God's protection of the lives of the Jews and their deliverance from slavery and captivity in Egypt.
The people of God had been enslaved by the Egyptians for some 400 years and God told Moses to go and lead them out of their captivity. Of course Pharaoh wasn't too wild about the idea of letting his entire work force go free. Who would build his buildings and erect his monuments? Pharaoh refused to let God's people go, so God sent 10 plagues against the Egyptians in an effort to convince Pharaoh to let God's people go. The final plague was the killing of all the first born males in Egypt who did not have the blood of the Passover Lamb upon the doorpost of their houses.
Exodus 12:13
The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will PASS OVER you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt. (Emphasis mine)
As Jesus celebrated the Passover with His disciples, near the end of the meal Jesus did something surprising...He deviated from the normal script of the meal and established something new...
We will look at 'that something new' tomorrow...if you want to read ahead and can't wait till tomorrow, read Matthew 26:26-29.
Till then...Bro. Alan
Some people refer to communion as the Lord's Supper, or the Eucharist.
Jesus observed a Passover meal with His disciples the night He was betrayed, arrested and eventually led to Calvary. During this Passover meal Jesus gives 'new meaning' to the Passover meal and instates the Lord's Supper. You see, the Passover was a celebration of, a remembrance of God's protection of the lives of the Jews and their deliverance from slavery and captivity in Egypt.
The people of God had been enslaved by the Egyptians for some 400 years and God told Moses to go and lead them out of their captivity. Of course Pharaoh wasn't too wild about the idea of letting his entire work force go free. Who would build his buildings and erect his monuments? Pharaoh refused to let God's people go, so God sent 10 plagues against the Egyptians in an effort to convince Pharaoh to let God's people go. The final plague was the killing of all the first born males in Egypt who did not have the blood of the Passover Lamb upon the doorpost of their houses.
Exodus 12:13
The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will PASS OVER you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt. (Emphasis mine)
As Jesus celebrated the Passover with His disciples, near the end of the meal Jesus did something surprising...He deviated from the normal script of the meal and established something new...
We will look at 'that something new' tomorrow...if you want to read ahead and can't wait till tomorrow, read Matthew 26:26-29.
Till then...Bro. Alan
Sunday, April 12, 2009
HE IS RISEN
In John's gospel, we find Mary Magdalene coming to the tomb early on Easter Sunday morning. She went with the intention of anointing the body for burial but when she arrived at the tomb she found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance of the tomb. She quickly runs back and let's Peter and John know that someone has stolen the body, so she thinks. Peter and John run to the tomb to check it out for themselves.
After the inspection by Peter and John they return to the house while Mary remains. She is still weeping and upset because she thought that the body of her Lord had been stolen. She looks in the tomb and sees two angels sitting inside and they ask her, "Woman, why are you crying?" Her response is that she does not know where they have taken the body of her Lord. She turns around, still upset and crying, and sees someone whom she thinks is the gardener. She as, "If you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him and I will take him away."
The next thing that happens is for me, one of the most meaningful passages of Scripture. Jesus said to her, "Mary." Did you get it? Jesus calls her by name and she recognizes his voice and falls down to worship the risen Lord.
All the loss, despair, weeping, depression, agony, and grieving is gone in a moment all because He called her name. What an amazing moment when the Savior calls our name. At that moment we realize that life is worth living, that despair is vanquished by the voice of authority and love.
This morning in our Easter worship service we had a young lady who heard the Savior call her name, and she answered and received Christ as Lord and Savior. What a great Easter gift that the risen, living, loving, ruling Savior who defeated sin, death and the grave still calls out to people in this world and they hear His voice and respond to and accept His gift of salvation...
Praise be to the LIVING LORD!!!...Till Tomorrow...Bro. Alan
After the inspection by Peter and John they return to the house while Mary remains. She is still weeping and upset because she thought that the body of her Lord had been stolen. She looks in the tomb and sees two angels sitting inside and they ask her, "Woman, why are you crying?" Her response is that she does not know where they have taken the body of her Lord. She turns around, still upset and crying, and sees someone whom she thinks is the gardener. She as, "If you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him and I will take him away."
The next thing that happens is for me, one of the most meaningful passages of Scripture. Jesus said to her, "Mary." Did you get it? Jesus calls her by name and she recognizes his voice and falls down to worship the risen Lord.
All the loss, despair, weeping, depression, agony, and grieving is gone in a moment all because He called her name. What an amazing moment when the Savior calls our name. At that moment we realize that life is worth living, that despair is vanquished by the voice of authority and love.
This morning in our Easter worship service we had a young lady who heard the Savior call her name, and she answered and received Christ as Lord and Savior. What a great Easter gift that the risen, living, loving, ruling Savior who defeated sin, death and the grave still calls out to people in this world and they hear His voice and respond to and accept His gift of salvation...
Praise be to the LIVING LORD!!!...Till Tomorrow...Bro. Alan
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