The Lord's Supper and the Covenant of Grace

Luke 22:14–20

If you would please turn to Luke 22:14. Lord willing we will be partaking of the Lord’s Supper today, and if he wills I hope to focus our attention in this sermon on the Covenant of Grace.

Luke 22:14, “And when the hour was come, he sat down, and the twelve apostles with him. 15 And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer: 16 For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God. 17 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves: 18 For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come. 19 And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. 20 Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.” Mark 12:24- says shed for many, indicating not for all but for a particular people. Matthew 26:28- adds for the remission of sins.

Those whom Jesus shed his blood for, received remission of their sins as part of a new testament- a covenant, that was made before the world began and was made among the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Ephesians chapters 1 & 2 describe that well.

This covenant that Jesus is attesting to was first given in the Old Testament, but not fully revealed or fully accomplished until his death, burial, and resurrection.

Turn to Hebrews 8:8. The writer to the Hebrews is addressing what the Old Covenant was and what the New Covenant is.

Heb 8:8, “For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: 9 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.” In the Old Testament was a covenant that had both temporal and spiritual aspects. There was an expression of a covenant between God and Man, and also a Covenant that was explicitly of God. Verse 10 “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; (quoting from Jeremiah ch 31) I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: 11 And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. 12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. 13 In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.”

That last verse can be puzzling for some folks. Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection is the inauguration of the New Covenant. That covenant is the full revelation of the covenant of grace. But if Jesus began the New Covenant era, how is it that years later the writer of Hebrews says that the Old is decaying and waxing old-- “ready” to vanish away? That means that it is not totally gone. It is ready to die, but there is something left of it.

The Old Covenant contained laws and ordinances that the Scriptures say where types and shadows of things to come-- those things, which is everything in the Old Testament, pointed to Jesus and him accomplishing the covenant of grace. At the time of the writing of the book of Hebrews, there where many Jews that the Lord was converting. And during that time a temple still stood and and religious practices of the Jews continued. But the Lord brought those to an end.

Jesus said in Luke 16:16 that “The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached…” The Old Covenant began to die with John proclaiming the kingdom of God. That covenant was finished off with the Romans destroying the temple in 70AD. No longer where there the old types and shadows, for they had been completely removed by God. All that was left was the covenant of grace in its full revelation in the Gospel.

The Gospel message itself being the very doctrine of the Covenant of Grace.

That Old Covenant was still the Covenant of Grace, but it was administered by types and shadows-- not being a full revelation of the Covenant of Grace. The elect of the Old Covenant looked forward to the Messiah and his accomplishment of the types and shadows. We, as elect believers in the New Covenant, look back to the accomplished work of Christ. The saints throughout all time are saved and justified the same way-- through Jesus Christ.

That Gospel message, at times in an imperfect form, has been preached since the fall in the Garden of Eden, first in Genesis 3:15.

Hebrews 1:1 says, “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds…” God revealed his grace in the Old Testament through progressive revelations, which culminated in the incarnation of the Son of God-- in whom we now have God’s full revelation of grace.

Some folks confuse the Old Covenant in Hebrews with the first Covenant with Adam- referred to as the covenant of works. That first covenant made with Adam was conditional. If Adam obeyed there would be life, if he disobeyed there would be death. Adam as the federal and natural head of all mankind sinned and broke the covenant. Romans 5:12, “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned…” That first covenant with Adam is gone, it has been abrogated.

Once that first covenant with Adam had been broken, God gave Adam and all of the elect, a promise of salvation. Genesis 3:15 was the first proclamation by God of his covenant of grace. It was the first revelation of God’s grace towards sinners. As we have seen in our study on the Gospel According to Matthew, there is a progressive revelation of the glorious covenant of grace.

As time progresses and God continued to reveal himself to mankind, he also revealed more and more about himself and his grace.

Now because Adam received the first revelation and promise of a Savior (who is the mediator of the covenant) it does not mean that the promise is to all of Adam’s descendants. It is to the elect only, to those whom the Lord will reveal his grace to in time.

Although sin separated mankind from God, God determined before the foundation of the world to send his Son, Jesus Christ, to redeem a people to himself and reconcile man with God. “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; 6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.” 1 Tim 2:5–6. There is no other mediator than Jesus Christ. There is no other way for a person to be made righteous before God than through Jesus Christ. “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” Acts 4:12. Jesus is it, and always has been, from the beginning.

The book of Hebrews gives us a list of faithful believers in the Old Testament: Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham & Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David and more, all had faith-- a faith that was in the promise of God to save them. Hebrews 11:1 (which begins the list of the Old Covenant faithful), reads “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 2 For by it the elders obtained a good report.” Verse 39 says, “And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise...” meaning they had faith, but they did not receive the full revelation of the promise, which we have in Jesus. That reflects what Hebrews 1:1 said.

Peter said in, 1 Peter 1:10-11 , “Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.”

Peter again says in Acts 15:10-11, “Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? (referring to perfect obedience to the law) But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.” They being the father’s in the Old Testament. Between these two verses Peter makes it known that the elect in the Old Testament knew the Gospel (albeit dimly lit) and that through the grace of the Messiah they were saved-- just as we are.

After Adam, God revealed more of his grace with Noah, a preacher of righteousness (2 Peter 2:5). If Noah was preaching righteousness he had to be preaching about God’s grace and the promise of a Messiah. There is only one who is righteous and that is God, and the righteousness of Jesus Christ is what justifies a believer before God-- we are clothed in that righteousness, and that is what God sees when he looks at his people- the righteousness of Jesus.

Turn to Romans 3:21.

“But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: (no difference between Jews and Gentiles) 23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God” Rom 3:22–25.

Noah did not have the full revelation of who Jesus Christ was, but had enough revelation from God to distinguish between the righteousness of God and the sinfulness of man. Noah knew God’s grace and had faith. The Scripture says that “Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD”, Genesis 6:7. And Hebrews 11 tells of his faith. God’s gift of grace has been given to his elect throughout all generations—this is a result of the covenant of grace.

The Ark was a type of Christ, where by God’s grace was shown in saving Noah and his family from the wrath of God upon sin. The Covenant with Noah, and the establishment of the covenant sign of the rainbow, was also foreshadowing the covenant of grace –whereby God’s people are saved from the curse and are promised life.

Noah blesses his son Shem, who made a profession that the Lord was his God. Through Shem’s line would come the Messiah. One of Shem’s descendants, Abraham, received further revelation and assurance of the promises of grace.

With Abraham God made a covenant and he also gave him promises of another covenant- which is the covenant of grace. By the way, Shem lived until Abraham was 150 years old. We discussed in the study of our Lord’s genealogy the references to Abraham’s father and grandfather possibly being believers (Genesis 15:15, 31:53-54) knowing that Shem was alive during their days may be how they heard about salvation and grace from God.

God said to Abraham, “And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly. And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying, As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations.” Ge 17:2–4.

God says “my” covenant. Not a covenant that requires anything of Abraham- God’s covenant is the covenant made between the Triune Godhead with the elect- which his the covenant of grace.

Turn to Romans 4:11, “And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also: 12 And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised. 13 For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.” Skipping to verse 16, “Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,(As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were. 18 Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.”

Paul said in Galatians 3:29, “And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” We are heirs of God’s grace and eternal life in Christ.

Jesus said, “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.” John 8:56. Abraham anticipated the coming of the Messiah and rejoiced that Jesus had come to accomplish all that was promised to Abraham.

Moving forward through history, the covenant of grace was again revealed to Moses. Moses himself a type of Christ. He said a prophet greater than him would come, and Jesus was that prophet.

Our Lord said, “For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. 47 But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?” John 5:46–47. Luke records in Luke 24:27, “And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he (Jesus) expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.” All of what Moses wrote in the first five books of the Bible is about Jesus Christ. And you cannot separate all of the writings about Jesus from the covenant of grace that he came to secure. All of the law associated with the Covenant with Moses was about Jesus Christ. All of the laws, the ceremonies, the holy days, every little detail of the Old Covenant established during Moses’ life was about Jesus Christ.

That Old Covenant was only a picture of the Covenant of Grace, it only provided types and shadows of the New Covenant that would be fully revealed with the coming of Jesus.

That Old Covenant was never designed to last. God’s plan was always to reveal his eternal Covenant of Grace in Jesus Christ. The prophet Jeremiah foretells of the Old Covenant passing away and a New Covenant being set by God.

Please turn to Hebrews 9:15–10:10. This is going to be a long quote, but it is important to seeing the Covenant of Grace in history.

Hebrews 9:15, “And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. 16 For where a testament is, there must also of necessity bee the death of the testator. 17 For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth. 18 Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood. 19 For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people, 20 Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you. (sounds like Jesus saying “This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you”)” Verse 21 “Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry. 22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.” Remember that, it is important.

23 “It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24 For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: 25 Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; 26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world (the gift of God’s grace has been given since the beginning): but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself (and the shedding of his blood). 27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: 28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

10: 1 For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.” (The law, the Old Covenant, was a shadow and image of the things to come-- that is what it was and nothing else, it was not a means unto salvation, it was not a guide for a perfect life that could obtain God favor or merit-- the Old Covenant contained the Covenant of Grace- the New fully revealed it). Verse 2 “For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. 3 But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. 4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.” (those sacrifices in the Old Covenant did not save/ could not save, but they pointed forward to the perfect Lamb of God that would be offered up as a spotless, sinless, sacrifice. Blood must be shed for the remission, or forgiveness, of sins-- and nothing but the blood of Jesus can cleanse us from all our sins.) Verse 5 “Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: 6 In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure.” That was quoting David in Psalm 40:6-8. David knew that the law and the sacrifices associated with the Covenant given to Moses was not what saved—it pointed to the Covenant of Grace and it’s mediator that does save.

Continuing on in verse 7 “Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. 8 Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law;” (God did not take pleasure in those sacrifices because they did not take away sin-- they were meant to represent the One whose sacrifice did take away sin- a sacrifice that was pleasing unto God) Verse 9 “Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. 10 By the which will (by God’s will) we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” Heb 9:15–10:10.

Hebrews 8:6-7, “But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises. 7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second.”

Heb 7:19, “For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God.”

Paul said in Galatians 3:24, “… the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ.” You may have heard me say this before- in the Old is the New contained, in the New is the Old explained.

In the Old we have the Covenant of Grace, but we don’t have it fully explained until the New. The New Testament gives us the explanation of the Covenant in the Old.

There is much more we can go into with the Old Covenant with Moses, and also more we can go into with David (of which we covered a lot of, a few sermons back in our study on the Gospel According to Matthew, so I won’t go there now). The Covenant of Grace is a never ending subject. How can it be as it has its roots in eternity? It is as infinite a subject as the God who made it- and in it is his eternal love, mercy, and grace towards his people.

Everything that I have taught when the Lord has given opportunity here, from the Bible studies to sermons, has been based upon this glorious Covenant. Our studies in the Lord’s genealogy in Matthew chapter 1 has seen the Covenant of Grace unfold. Everything that we see of God’s grace towards his people, from Adam till present day, is all a result of the Covenant of Grace that was established before the foundation of the world. All of history is about Jesus fulfilling and securing our place in the Covenant. From eternity God has loved his chosen people and has ordered all things to our good and to his glory. What a wonderful thing to consider, our place in eternity. From before we were conceived till the resurrection and everlasting life in glory with our God and Savior-- from all eternity, we are the apple of God’s eye-- precious, valuable, and loved.

Heb 13:20 reads in part, “... the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant”. The everlasting, eternal, covenant was made by God, for us. From eternity, God the Son entered into a covenant with God the Father- the creator of the covenant- for it is by his grace that is exists. The Son submitted to the Father to be a Surety and a Representative for those whom the Father would chose. The Son would be a redeemer, purchasing a people to himself through his perfect sacrifice and the shedding of his blood. Jesus took on flesh for us (setting aside his divine heavenly glory), he lived a perfect sinless life for us, he died for us, and he raised himself from the dead for us, and he would go and prepare a place for us. He would be the one to reconcile sinners to a Holy and Righteous God. It is from Jesus and him alone that we receive all the glories that spring forth from that most excellent covenant of grace.

All that we have, all that we are, is because from eternity, Jesus determined to take the wrath of God that we deserve as sinners. Through the shedding of his blood, Jesus justified sinners before God. By God’s grace we are declared righteous and no longer under condemnation for our sin.

In the covenant is a believers salvation-- it is their hope, their joy, it is their entire purpose for life. In this covenant we have a new life-- through the power of the Holy Spirit we have been regenerated. Our will, our thoughts, our affections, our desires, all things are now governed by this beautiful covenant.

When we partake of the Lord’s Supper we remember, with great attention to, the blood that was shed by our precious Lord Jesus to make us part of the Covenant of Grace. The cost of purchasing our salvation is more than we could ever know.

Jesus said, “This cup is the new testament in my blood”, the covenant of Grace is fully realized in the new testament. There are no more types and shadows, Jesus Christ has revealed the Covenant of Grace-- and in his Supper we remember what he has done to purchase our portion, our inheritance, in the covenant of God’s free and sovereign grace.