January 10, 2007

“And when the hour came, he reclined at the table, and the apostles with him. And he said to them, I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “This this, and divide it among yourselves. For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.” Luke 22:14-20

If you read our devotionals regularly you know that we have spent the last few days studying this passage of Scripture where Jesus institutes the Lord’s Supper the night before His death.

When we gather as a church to celebrate the ordinance of the Lord’s Supper we do so with three primary objectives. First, we are given an opportunity to look back and reflect upon what Christ has done for each of us on the cross. We should spend time thinking about the amazing sacrifice that Christ made for each of us when He went to the cross. Secondly, we are given an opportunity to examine where we are in our spiritual journey. Prior to taking the bread and the cup we should allow the Holy Spirit to search deep with us in order to root out any sin that might be keeping us from experiencing the fullness of God.

But there is a third objective, and that is to anticipate the return of the Lord. In I Corinthians 11 as Paul gives instructions regarding the Lord’s Supper he says, “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until He comes.” Christ is coming back! There is coming a day when He will establish a new heaven and a new earth. Take a few moments and just ponder these verses in Revelation 21:1-4.

“Then I say a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice form the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

We will experience this future reality when we, by faith, trust Christ as our Lord and Savior. And all of this was made possible because of the sacrifice that was made…the body that was broken…and the blood that was poured out for us!

Are you anticipating His return?