Scripture: “After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.” – 1 Corinthians 11:25
Examination: Paul is explaining to the Corinthian believers how the worship of God should be honored, and that there are definite gender roles and responsibilities in the church. The last half of this chapter focuses on the observance of the Lord’s supper. Paul stresses that there must be reverence for the Lord’s supper. It should never be taken lightly or participated in when there is unrepentant sin in one’s heart, nor should there be discord among themselves. If there is, they need to seek forgiveness and make restoration before they partake of the Passover meal. If they dishonor the Lord by ignoring these directives, they will be judged by God accordingly.
Application: Yesterday, our church had a communion service in the evening. This practice was instituted at the “last supper” when Jesus and His disciples were celebrating the Passover Seder. Jesus used this time to teach His final lesson to His closest followers.
There were two items that Jesus used to illustrate the sacrifice He was soon to make. The first was the unleavened bread. When Jesus broke the bread, He told them it represented His body that soon would be “broken” for all mankind. This was representative of the physical suffering He would go through just prior to and during the crucifixion. Isaiah 53:5 was the prophetic declaration of what would happen to the Messiah. “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.” The scourging, the crown of thorns, the nails…
The second element was the cup. The cup of wine was a representation of His blood that would be shed for the sins of the world. Hebrews 9:22 reminds us, “…without shedding of blood is no remission.” As He passed the single cup around to each disciple, He stated, “For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” (Matthew 26:28), and instructed them to remember this each time they gathered for the Passover seder and partook of the wine.
During the 400 years of bondage in Egypt, God used Moses to lead the Israelites to freedom from the tyranny of the Egyptian ruler. Because of the Pharaoh’s hardheartedness, ten terrifying plagues fell upon the land of Egypt showcasing God’s power and majesty. The last plague involved the death of every firstborn males in each household unless the blood of a lamb had been applied to the doorposts as directed by the Lord. The Israelites did as He said, and they were spared from the angel of death, but every Egyptian household without the blood on the doorposts experienced the judgement of God in the death of their firstborn son. Because of this event, the Pharaoh released the Israelites from their captivity. Passover is the Jewish holiday that celebrates their freedom from Egyptian slavery.
The picture of Christ is seen in the Passover lamb. 1 Peter 3:18 explains this, “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:” Jesus, like the Passover lamb, shed His blood for the sins of all mankind. Those who choose to believe in His sacrifice and accept Him as their personal Saviour will be saved from the future wrath of God’s judgement upon this earth. If a person has rejected Jesus as Saviour… that is, they have not placed their faith and trust in the work that Jesus accomplished on the cross by the shedding of His blood, one future day, they will face the judgement of God.
Our salvation costs us nothing, but it cost God everything. He allowed Himself to be brutally tortured and then slain on a cruel Roman cross for us. Jesus was the sinless sacrifice that purchased our redemption; He was our Passover lamb… whose precious blood “taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).
Memory Verse: “The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” – John 1:29
Stretching your thoughts:
1. Some people believe that there are many different ways to get to heaven. How would you respond to this?
Your only Son, no sin to hide, But you have sent Him from Your side
To walk upon this guilty sod and to become the Lamb of God
Oh Lamb of God, sweet Lamb of God, I love the holy Lamb of God.
O wash me in His precious blood. My Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God.
Your gift of love, they crucified. They laughed and scorned Him as He died.
The humble King they named a fraud and sacrificed the Lamb of God.
Oh Lamb of God, sweet Lamb of God, I love the holy Lamb of God.
O wash me in His precious blood. My Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God.
(from “Lamb of God” by Twila Paris)