“…. For as often as you
eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes."
– 1 Corinthians 11:26
Last night a group of us from
our church celebrated the Lord’s Supper –
virtually. There were about 30 of us
gathered together on the computer screen.
Remembering. Remembering the Lamb
of God who took away the sins of the world.
His body broken and his blood shed as the eternal Passover sacrifice.
“And every priest stands
ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never
take away sins. But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins
forever, sat down at the right hand of God, from that time waiting till His
enemies are made His footstool. For by one offering He has perfected forever
those who are being sanctified. But the Holy Spirit also witnesses to us;
for after He had said before, ‘This is the covenant that I will make with them
after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in
their minds I will write them,’ then He adds, ‘Their sins and their lawless
deeds I will remember no more.’ Now where there is remission of these, there
is no longer an offering for sin.”
– Hebrews 10:11-18
It is important that we pause
in the midst of this COVID-19 “mess” to remember and rejoice. We need to remember what a great gift of life
we, who profess Jesus as Lord, have been given because of Jesus, the Cross and
His resurrection. We need to rejoice in
knowing that our salvation comes by faith and not by human effort. If becoming a Christian required that you
could lift 200 pounds – then only those who are strong would enter heaven. But that
is not the case. Only those who are
humble in heart and will yield themselves to God, by faith, will know eternal
life. Only those who have been born again.
“Jesus answered and said
to him, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see
the kingdom of God.’ Nicodemus said to Him, ‘How can a man be born when he is
old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?’ Jesus
answered, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the
Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is
flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.’” – John 3:3-6
Easter is one of the times
when the church buildings fill up – people taking a break from their worldly
endeavors – “pile” in to the pews for that one day. The celebration of the Resurrection has been
commercialized by the world – just like the Christmas celebration. All of the
hoopla has been stripped away this year because of social distancing. The
church buildings will be empty Sunday morning – but the Church is alive and
well. Now is the time to remember and
rejoice – to draw close to the Father – remembering the Son – yielding to the Spirit
and embracing the Word.
Don’t expect the World to
rejoice with you. It was the World that crucified
Jesus – it wants nothing to do with the Father, the Son, the Spirit or the Word
– or those who are called the children of God. Don’t let that surprise you –
but it should sadden you. But even in
that you can rejoice because Jesus said it would be so. In John 13, after the supper, Jesus gave two
commands – serve one another and love one another – that will be a testimony to
a world that is convinced it is right but is lost in its sin. That is our challenge
and because of the Cross – we are up to the task – by the power that is in us –
a yielded heart fueled by the power of the Holy Spirit.
“These things I [Jesus] have
spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have
tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” – John 16:33
By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For
His Glory Alone
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