Good News Week 56. Good News Of A New Covenant
Notes
Transcript
7 Then the Day of Unleavened Bread came when the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. 8 Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover.”
9 “Where do you want us to prepare it?” they asked him.
10 “Listen,” he said to them, “when you’ve entered the city, a man carrying a water jug will meet you. Follow him into the house he enters. 11 Tell the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher asks you, “Where is the guest room where I can eat the Passover with my disciples?” ’ 12 Then he will show you a large, furnished room upstairs. Make the preparations there.”
13 So they went and found it just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover.
14 When the hour came, he reclined at the table, and the apostles with him. 15 Then he said to them, “I have fervently desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. 16 For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” 17 Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks, he said, “Take this and share it among yourselves. 18 For I tell you, from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”
19 And he took bread, gave thanks, broke it, gave it to them, and said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
20 In the same way he also took the cup after supper and said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.G 21 But look, the hand of the one betraying me is at the table with me. 22 For the Son of Man will go away as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed!”
If you have worshipped with us before you know that Communion / Eucharist / Lord’s Supper is something we partake of every week.
Why?
This morning we will unpack the reasons and hopefully understand the beauty and importance of communion more fully.
The Wesleyan tradition affirms the reality of Christ’s presence, although it does not claim to be able to explain it fully.
John and Charles Wesley’s 166 Hymns on the Lord’s Supper are our richest resource for study in order to appreciate the Wesleyan understanding of the presence of Christ in the Eucharist. One of these hymns expresses well both the reality and the mystery: “O the Depth of Love Divine,” stanzas 1 and 4 (The United Methodist Hymnal, 627):
"O the depth of love divine, the unfathomable grace!
Who shall say how bread and wine God into us conveys!
How the bread his flesh imparts, how the wine transmits his blood,
fills his faithful people’s hearts with all the life of God!
Sure and real is the grace, the manner be unknown;
only meet us in thy ways and perfect us in one.
Let us taste the heavenly powers, Lord, we ask for nothing more.
Thine to bless, ’tis only ours
to wonder and adore."
Article VI of The Confession of Faith of The Evangelical United Brethren Church speaks similarly of the sacraments: “They are means of grace by which God works invisibly in us, quickening, strengthening and confirming our faith in him. . . . Those who rightly, worthily and in faith eat the broken bread and drink the blessed cup partake of the body and blood of Christ in a spiritual manner until he comes”
United Methodists, along with other Christian traditions, have tried to provide clear and faithful interpretations of Christ’s presence in the Holy Meal. Our tradition asserts the real, personal, living presence of Jesus Christ. For United Methodists, the Lord’s Supper is anchored in the life of the historical Jesus of Nazareth, but is not primarily a remembrance or memorial. We do not embrace the medieval doctrine of transubstantiation, though we do believe that the elements are essential tangible means through which God works.
We understand the divine presence in temporal and relational terms.
In the Holy Meal of the church, the past, present, and future of the living Christ come together by the power of the Holy Spirit so that we may receive and embody Jesus Christ as God’s saving gift for the whole world.
Of course we also have in the Luke's second book, The Acts of the Apostles, this account of the importance of communion which we will look at in a few minutes
So, when did this practice begin?
Well it was promised while the Old Covenant was still in place.
The Promise Of A Better Covenant To Come
The Promise Of A Better Covenant To Come
Jeremiah the Prophet under the anointing of the Holy Spirit speaks this word:
“Look, the days are coming”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. This one will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors on the day I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt—my covenant that they broke even though I am their master”—the Lord’s declaration. “Instead, this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days”—the Lord’s declaration. “I will put my teaching within them and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will one teach his neighbor or his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they will all know me, from the least to the greatest of them”—this is the Lord’s declaration. “For I will forgive their iniquity and never again remember their sin.
The New Covenant
For there to be a New Covenant to replace the Old Covenant there has to be an Old Covenant.
What's a covenant?
Basically a covenant is a promise with a guarantee.
The guarantee of the Old Covenant was keeping the Law.
But God tells Jeremiah that a New Covenant will be made and that it's not enacted by ritual law keeping but by God changing our hearts.
Purifying us from the inside out instead of the outside in.
We need to be cleansed because our hearts are evil.
It's from evil hearts that evil actions come.
So we need purified hearts so that we may live good, godly lives.
The Better Covenant Is Here
The Better Covenant Is Here
Jesus says,
20 In the same way he also took the cup after supper and said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.G
Jesus is the initiator of the New Covenant.
His blood is the guarantee of the Covenant's Promise.
Mosaic Covenant
New Covenant
Old covenant II Cor. 3:14
New covenant II Cor. 3:6
First covenant Heb. 8:7, 9:1
Second covenant Heb. 8:7, 10:1-9
Came by Moses John 1:17
Came by Christ Heb. 8:6, 9:15
Law of Moses Acts 13:38-39
Law of Christ Gal. 6:2
Law of sin Rom. 7:5-6
Law of righteousness Rom. 9:30-31
Law of the flesh Rom. 7:5-6
Law of the Spirit Rom. 8:2
Not of faith Gal. 3:2
Law of faith Rom. 3:27
Yoke of bondage Gal. 5:1
Law of liberty Jam. 1:25
Ended by Christ Rom. 10:4
Established by Christ Heb. 8:6, 10:9
Law of death II Cor. 3:7
Law of life Gal. 3:11, 6:8
Entangles Gal. 5:1
Makes free John 8:32, 36
A shadow Col. 2:14-17
The reality Heb. 10:1-18
Fulfilled Mat. 5:17-18
Now in force Heb. 8:6, 10:9
Leaves imperfect Heb. 7:19
Makes perfect Heb. 7:19
Glorious II Cor. 3:7
More glorious II Cor. 3:8-10
Powerless to save Heb. 9:9, 10:4
Saves to uttermost Heb. 7:25
Many sacrifices Heb. 9:12-13
One sacrifice for sin Heb. 10:12
Temporary priest Heb. 7:23
Eternal priest Heb. 7:17
Remembers sins Heb. 10:3
Forgets sins Heb. 8:12, 10:17
Yearly atonement Heb. 10:3
Eternal atonement Heb. 10:14
Priests have sin Heb. 5:1-4
Sinless priest Heb. 7:26
Aaronic priesthood >Heb. 7:11
Melchisedec priesthood Heb. 5:5-10, 7:21
Out of Levi Heb 7:11
Out of Judah Heb. 7:14
Animal sacrifices Heb. 9:12
Human sacrifice Heb. 9:14-28
Earthly tabernacle Heb. 9:2
Heavenly tabernacle Heb. 8:2
Imperfect mediator Gal. 3:19
Sinless mediator I Tim. 2:5
No inheritance Rom. 4:13
Eternal inheritance Heb. 9:15
Instituted upon animal blood Heb. 9:16-22
Instituted upon blood of Christ Mat. 26-28
Law of works Rom. 3:27
Law of grace and faith John 1:17
Works wrath Rom. 4:15
Saves from wrath Rom. 5:9
Non-redeeming Heb. 10:4
Redeems Gal. 3:13, Heb. 9:12-15
Non-pleasing Ps. 40:6
Pleasing to God Heb 10:5-18
Abolishment predicted Is. 51:6
Establishment predicted Heb. 8:7
Circumcision Ex. 12:48
No circumcision Rom. 4:9-12
Made to change Heb. 7:12, Gal. 3:25
Made eternal Heb. 13:20
Faulty Heb. 8:7
Perfect James 1:25
Weak Heb. 7:18
Strong Heb. 7:25
Unprofitable Heb. 7:18
Profitable Heb. 7:19,25
Natural program Heb. 9:10-14
Spiritual program II Cor. 3:6, 18
Daily program Heb. 7:27
Finished program Heb. 10:10-18
Infirm high priests Heb. 5:2, 7:28
Perfect high priest Heb. 7:26
Made priests by law Heb. 7:12, 28
Made priests by an oath Heb. 7:21, 28
No salvation Heb. 10:2-4
Eternal salvation Heb. 5:9, 10:10
Perfected nothing Heb. 7:19
Perfects believers Heb. 7:19, 10:14
Earthly priests Heb. 5:1-4
Heavenly priest Heb. 9:24, 10:12
Repeated inability Heb. 10:11
Glorious success Heb. 10:10-18
Many offerings Heb. 9:7
One offering Heb. 10:10-14
Good promises Dt. 28:1-14
Better promises Heb. 8:6
A good covenant Rom 7:12
A better covenant Heb. 7:22, 8:6
Many high priests Heb. 7:23
One high priest Heb. 7:24-28
Typical tabernacle Heb. 9
True tabernacle Heb. 8:2, 9:11
No mercy Heb. 10:28
Complete mercy Heb. 8:12
Handmade things Heb. 9:1-5, 24
Not handmade Heb. 9:23-24
An old way Heb. 8:13
New and living way Heb. 10:19-20
Unavailing ministers Heb. 7:18
Able ministers II Cor. 3:6
Carnal ministry Heb. 9:9-10
Spiritual ministry II Cor. 3:6
Ministration of condemnation II Cor. 3:9
Ministration of righteousness II Cor. 3:9
Glory covered II Cor. 3:13
Glory uncovered II Cor. 3:18
Brings bondage Gal. 4:24-25
Brings liberty II Cor. 3:17
Cannot justify Gal. 2:16
Does justify Acts 13:38-39
Brings a curse Gal. 3:10
Redeems from the curse Gal. 3:13
Live by works Gal 3:10
Live by faith Gal. 3:11
Cannot give life Gal. 3:21
Does give life John 6:63-68
Exposes sin Gal 3:19
Covers sin Rom. 4:1-8
Under law Rom 6:14-15
Under grace Gal. 3:22-25
Done away II Cor. 3:7-14
Not done away II Cor. 3:11
Abolished II Cor. 3:13
Continues glorious II Cor. 3:11
Ministry of death II Cor. 3:7
Reconciliation ministry II Cor. 5:18
For Israel only Dt. 4:7-8, 5:3
For all men Luke 22:20, Mark 14:24
So the Old Covenant, while it served a purpose, was incomplete.
Imperfect.
But Jesus is the perfect enactor of the perfect covenant.
Communion is About Covenant.
Communion is About Covenant.
19 And he took bread, gave thanks, broke it, gave it to them, and said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
20 In the same way he also took the cup after supper and said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.G
Jesus said that every time you eat the bread and drink the cup you are remembering his death in the bread, and enjoying Covenant in the cup.
What's so great about His remembering His death?
4 Yet he himself bore our sicknesses,
and he carried our pains;
but we in turn regarded him stricken,
struck down by God, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced because of our rebellion,
crushed because of our iniquities;
punishment for our peace was on him,
and we are healed by his wounds.
6 We all went astray like sheep;
we all have turned to our own way;
and the Lord has punished him
for the iniquity of us all.
Punishment removed.
Sorrow taken away.
Forgiveness.
Healing.
Peace.
Reconciliation.
All part of the death of Jesus.
What's so great about enjoying the New Covenant?
15 Therefore, he is the mediator of a new covenant,C, so that those who are called might receive the promise of the eternal inheritance, because a death has taken place for redemption from the transgressions committed under the first covenant. 16 Where a will exists, the death of the one who made it must be established. 17 For a will is valid only when people die, since it is never in effect while the one who made it is living. 18 That is why even the first covenant was inaugurated with blood. 19 For when every command had been proclaimed by Moses to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and goats, along with water, scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll itself and all the people, 20 saying, This is the blood of the covenant that God has ordained for you. 21 In the same way, he sprinkled the tabernacle and all the articles of worship with blood. 22 According to the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
23 Therefore, it was necessary for the copies of the things in the heavens to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves to be purified with better sacrifices than these. 24 For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with hands (only a model of the true one) but into heaven itself, so that he might now appear in the presence of God for us. 25 He did not do this to offer himself many times, as the high priest enters the sanctuary yearly with the blood of another. 26 Otherwise, he would have had to suffer many times since the foundation of the world. But now he has appeared one time, at the end of the ages, for the removal of sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27 And just as it is appointed for people to die once—and after this, judgment—28 so also Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.
A Promised inheritance for all who are in the New Covenant.
A Perfect covenant.
A covenant that deals with sin so that we may be received by Him when He returns!
So this Communion is a Remembrance and a Celebration.
But more than that.
What Happens During Communion
What Happens During Communion
Andrew Wilson, a pastor-theologian, did a teaching on communion that I thought was so good I emailed him and asked him if I could share it. He puts is this way.
Communion involves:
Blessing
Participation / Communion
Unity
Thanksgiving / Celebration
Remembrance
Proclamation
Self-examination
We’re going to look at two passages today in 1 Corinthians, to try and figure out exactly what happens when we break bread / share the Lord’s Supper / celebrate the Eucharist / take communion – and why
Let’s read 1 Corinthians 10:14-17; 11:20-28. The church in Corinth, which is near Athens in Greece, was really a mess spiritually, and Paul is writing to confront and correct them
14 So then, my dear friends, flee from idolatry. 15 I am speaking as to sensible people. Judge for yourselves what I am saying. 16 The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ? 17 Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, since all of us share the one bread.
20 When you come together, then, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper. 21 For at the meal, each one eats his own supper. So one person is hungry while another gets drunk! 22 Don’t you have homes in which to eat and drink? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What should I say to you? Should I praise you? I do not praise you in this matter!
23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, and said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
27 So, then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sin against the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Let a person examine himself; in this way let him eat the bread and drink from the cup.
Paul begins with this in 10:16: “The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?”
Blessing at The Table.
Blessing at The Table.
It is a time when God blesses us, and we bless him.
Ps 104: “wine to gladden the heart of man, oil to make his face shine, and bread to strengthen man’s heart”
The physical blessings of bread and wine carry spiritual blessings.
Does anything in creation smell tastier than FRESH BREAD?
Does anything evoke joy, relaxation and peace in scripture more than a glass of WINE?
Throughout Scripture, bread symbolises God’s daily provision for our needs, and wine represents the joy of the kingdom to come (when the prophets talk about the new creation, wine is flowing everywhere)
So it’s fitting that they carry with them the blessings of Jesus’ body and blood.
(If you miss out on the Lord’s Supper, you miss out on blessing!)
And so we bless him, too
Participation In Christ.
Participation In Christ.
Again, v16: “It is not a participation in the blood / body of Christ?”
This is the word koinonia
which means communion, joint participation; the share which one has in anything, participation, a gift jointly contributed, a collection, a contribution, etc. It identifies the idealized state of fellowship and unity that should exist within the Christian church, the Body of Christ, and it’s the word often translated “communion”
Often, in evangelical churches, we maintain that communion doesn’t “do” anything – it’s just a symbol
Paul says it is a participation in the body and blood of Jesus.
We share in him as we share in them.
So the Eucharist involves blessing and participation.
United In The Bread
United In The Bread
It also involves unity, if you look at v17: “Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread”
The logic of this sentence looks upside-down.
We think: we are one body : we share one bread.
But Paul thinks: we share one bread : we who are many are one body
Meals bring unity.
Tables make many into one.
Eating unites.
That’s why Paul gets so angry about their social divisions in 1 Corinthians 11:20-22 :
When you come together, then, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper. For at the meal, each one eats his own supper. So one person is hungry while another gets drunk! Don’t you have homes in which to eat and drink? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What should I say to you? Should I praise you? I do not praise you in this matter!
This is not the Lord’s Supper—it’s yours
Now look at 1 Corinthians 11:23-24 .
For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
For you - it’s mean for us - collectively to bring us to unity.
How can we come to the table united and walk away divide?
Meal of thanksgiving
Meal of thanksgiving
The Greek word for “give thanks” here is eucharisteo, from which we get our word “Eucharist.”
This is a thanksgiving meal, in which God gives, and we receive.
God is our host.
He provides, and we thank
And one of the most striking changes to come from the Reformation period was the transformation of ALTARS into TABLES.
He feeds us.
We thank him
Then, also in 11:24-25, comes the most famous bit, at least in our circles: “Do this in remembrance of me. This cup is the new covenant in my blood.”
A Remembrance Of Covenant
A Remembrance Of Covenant
Breaking bread is a remembrance of a covenant.
We look back & remind ourselves of what God has done
The amazing aspect of this, when Jesus originally said it, is that they were in the midst of a covenant meal that was already remembering something: the Exodus.
Imagine: July 4th, Independence Day DAY = Remembrance Day
My followers are not just to remember the Passover.
You are to remember me, and this new covenant
11:26: “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes”
Proclamation Of Christ’s Death And Promised Return
Proclamation Of Christ’s Death And Promised Return
The Lord’s Supper is a proclamation of the death of Christ—and a proclamation that he’s coming back.
It looks both backwards (to the cross, in the past) and forwards (to the resurrection, in the future)
A Time For Self-Examination
A Time For Self-Examination
Finally, because of all this rich symbolism and mystical nearness, the Eucharist is something to take seriously, with self-examination
11:27-28: “Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat & drink”
That, by the way, is why the Lord’s Supper is for people who have repented of their sins.
If you know you haven’t, or aren’t repentant now, you should avoid this meal
But it also makes it a great context to respond to the gospel for the first time.
So we invite you this morning to repent.
and to receive.
That’s why we have an open table - it’s open for all to come, confess their sin and need, find grace and mercy in time of need, and repent of their sin and walk away from sin in fellowship with Jesus
Finally this morning I want to say this Communion is THE Communal Act Of Worship
It’s The Communal Act Of Worship
It’s The Communal Act Of Worship
Acts 2:42–47
42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer.
43 Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and signs were being performed through the apostles. 44 Now all the believers were together and held all things in common. 45 They sold their possessions and property and distributed the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple, and broke bread from house to house. They ate their food with joyful and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. Every day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.
The "Breaking of Bread" is a reference to communion.
One of the first things the church did was to put in practice the eating of the Eucharist.
Again we see it in Acts 20:
7 On the first day of the week, we assembled to break bread. Paul spoke to them, and since he was about to depart the next day, he kept on talking until midnight.
On Sunday, when the church gathered to commemorate and to celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus, the practice of the church was to partake of the Eucharist.
The verse almost seems as if one of the main reasons they were gathered was to partake of communion, the celebration of his body and blood given for us.
The whole gathering center on the Table.
It all led them to Jesus.
Every song sung.
Every scripture read.
Every word spoken.
Every spiritual gift in operation.
It was all to point the church to the Good News of the New Covenant.
This morning we invite you to the table, to encounter Jesus,
to Blessing
Participation / Communion
Unity
Thanksgiving / Celebration
Remembrance
Proclamation
Self-examination
To Worship Together