08.21.22 - Mark 14:22-26

Open your Bibles to Mark 14:22-26.  •We’re continuing our study of the the Gospel of Mark.  •This morning we come to the portion of Mark’s Gospel that records the institution of the Lord’s Supper by Jesus Christ on the night of Passover.  This morning we find ourselves in one of the high points of Mark’s Gospel.  •We find ourselves in one of the richest texts in Mark concerning the atoning work of Jesus Christ. •We find ourselves at the Lord’s Supper.  Now, the Lord’s Supper (or Communion) is something that we do each week in worship.  •And we do it each week because Jesus Christ commands us to do it. It is an ordinance of Christ. He has commanded it. And so, we observe it.  •Jesus commanded His disciples, “Do this in remembrance of me.”  (Luke 22:19) •And since it is commanded by Christ, we know that it must be important for us to do.  The Lord’s Supper is an incredibly important aspect of our worship of God.  •(And it’s my personal favorite aspect of corporate worship aside from the preaching of the Word.) •The Supper is full of rich symbolism that we need to grasp so as to benefit more and more from it. (Though it is more than a mere symbol.) The Lord’s Supper preaches the Gospel to us if we understand it rightly.  •It is, as many theologians have rightly said, it is the Word of God made visible to our senses.  •And that is what our Lord intended when He instituted it.  •As we come to His Table each week, He wants us to behold His Person and work.  •He wants us to have our attention drawn to Himself.  •He wants us to lift our hearts to Him and renew our faith in Him and what He has done to save us.  There is beauty and glory and encouragement for the believer in our text this morning.  •And that’s because, in the Lord’s Supper, our Lord preaches the Good News to us, reaffirms His covenant promises to us, reminds us of His love for us, and feeds us with Himself.  There is so much that can be said about the Lord’s Supper.  •There are so many complex and deep things that can be taught about it.  •But this morning my goal is to simply show you what the Supper preaches to us as the visible Gospel.  •And, in doing so, I hope to show each of us how much we need Christ. And also how Christ has met our need.  •May God bless us and teach us this morning.  If you would, and are able, please stand with me now for the reading of the inspired, inerrant, and infallible Word of God.  Mark 14:22-26 [22] And as they were eating, he took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to them, and said, “Take; this is my body.”  [23] And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it.  [24] And he said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.  [25] Truly, I say to you, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.” [26] And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. (PRAY) Our God and Father,  We thank you for this Lord’s Day and for all the blessing you have promised to us today.  We are glad to be among your People to worship you and be instructed by your Word and Spirit.  And we are excited to see what you will do in us today as sit humbly before the Word.  And so, we ask now that you would bless us as we consider the Scriptures. Please, work in us this morning and grant us understanding, faith, and joy in what you have revealed in your Word.  Grant us to behold Christ with the eye of faith, revealed in the Scriptures, as our great God and Savior.  Teach us this morning. And glorify yourself.  We ask these things in Jesus’ Name and for His sake.  Amen.  1.) Our text begins with the words, “And as they were eating…” •You’ll remember that Jesus and His disciples are celebrating the Passover meal.  •At this point, Judas the Betrayer is gone. John 13:27 tells us that Jesus had sent him out. And I believe that this occurred prior to Jesus instituting the Lord’s Supper.  •Only the faithful remain. Only the believing disciples are left with Jesus at this point.  And, as I’ve already said, they are celebrating the Passover.  •They are having the meal that celebrated God’s work of redemption for Israel when He brought them out of slavery to Egypt.  •They are having a meal of remembrance about how God spared all houses of Israel from the death-plague. And how God instructed the Israelites to put the blood of a lamb on their doorposts so that He would Pass-Over their houses and those inside would be spared.  They are celebrating a meal that ultimately looked forward to Jesus Christ and His work of salvation.  •Now, the disciples probably didn’t see this. But the truth remains.  •The slaughtered Passover lamb pointed forward to the slaughtered Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, who would make atonement by His blood for all who would believe.  •The freedom of Israel from slavery pointed forward to the freedom from sin for all who trust in Christ.  •The sparing of the Israelites from God’s wrath pointed forward to how those who trust in Christ will be spared from God’s wrath in the final judgment.  •And all of this because Christ would be made a sacrifice, as a substitute for all who believe on Him in all ages.  This Passover meal, instituted by God in the book of Exodus, commemorated God’s work of redemption for Israel out of their slavery to Egypt.  •It was a meal of remembrance about what GOD HAD DONE. How God had worked salvation for an unworthy people. How God had saved them and made them His own.  •It is in this context of remembering God’s work of redemption for Israel that Jesus does something new.  It is during this meal that Jesus institutes a new meal for the Church.  •He is going to institute a new ceremonial meal. A meal that commemorates His work of redemption for His People.  •A meal of remembrance about what He was about to do to work salvation for those who trust in Him.  SEE ALREADY two things: 1. The New Covenant organically grows out of the Old Covenant.  •The Old was full of promises concerning the Messiah and His work of redemption.  •The Old was full of type and shadows and things that pointed forward to Christ and the New Covenant.  •And the New Covenant, established in the blood of Christ, is the fulfillment of what God had promised since the Fall of Man in Eden.  •Brothers and sisters, the Bible tells ONE STORY. And Christ is that story. Christ is the sum and substance of the Scriptures. It’s all about Him.  2. See also that Jesus is God.  •God instituted the Passover. And now Jesus is taking it and transforming it in the Lord’s Supper.  •Only God would have the prerogative to do such a thing. If anyone less than God did this, if anyone less than God altered God’s own ordinance, it would be the height of blasphemy.  •So, we see here that Jesus is showing divine prerogative as God in establishing the Lord’s Supper.  •The Passover is finished. The Lord’s Supper has taken it’s place because God has ordained it.  •The shadow is gone because the substance has come. And the substance is Christ.  2.) Now, before we get into the Supper itself, I want to take a moment and address an issue of controversy.  •I want to talk about the issue of symbolism in the Lord’s Supper and the word “is.” Some, like the Roman Catholic Church, claim that “is” in our text means that the bread and wine are changed into the literal body and blood of Christ.  •They claim that when Jesus says, “This IS my body,” that “is” is basically an equal sign and, therefore, Jesus is saying that He has miraculously turned the bread and wine into His literal body and blood.  •But that is utter nonsense. Let me explain why: 1. Passover was a symbolic meal.  •All of the food represented something: Lamb represented the slaughtered lamb of Exodus. Bitter herbs represented Israel’s bitter slavery to Egypt. Unleavened bread represented the haste with which the Exodus was made.  •All of the food was symbolic. And the Jews understood that.  •And Jesus was continuing that symbolic meal theme when He instituted the Lord’s Supper.  2. Jesus uses metaphorical language all the time. So we have warrant to believe He is doing that here.  •Elsewhere He says, “I am the door.” And nobody believes that Jesus is made out of wood and has hinges.  •So when Jesus says, “This is my body,” common sense tells us that He means this symbolically.  3. To literally drink the blood of Christ would be a violation of the Mosaic Law that was still in effect at that time.  •Leviticus 3:17 and 7:26-27 forbid the consumption of blood.  •And I don’t believe that Jesus was commanding His disciples to break the Law of God. That would be sin.  4. In v25, after the disciples drink the wine, Jesus calls it the “fruit of the vine.” •That means that Jesus affirms that the wine is still really wine, even after His words of institution. It didn’t just still look like wine, but it was still really wine.  •Therefore, He did not turn the wine into His literal blood.  5. There are Christological issues and heresies committed if one affirms that the bread and wine become the physical body and blood of Christ.  •The human nature of Christ is truly human. And it is united to the divine nature, but it is not blended or mixed with it.  •This means that the human nature of Christ is not infinite or omnipresent. There is only so much of it and it can only be in one place at one time.  •To claim that the bread and wine become the physical body and blood of Christ is to say that the human nature of Christ is infinite and omnipresent since the Supper is celebrated all over the world and by millions of people each week.  •And if you believe that the human nature of Christ is infinite and omnipresent, then you are blending the two distinct natures of Christ together and destroying the truth of the true human nature of Christ.  •We don’t want to commit any Christological heresies, so we reject this view.  In light of all of this, we are under the constraint of Scripture and common sense to understand Jesus to be speaking figuratively at the Lord’s Supper.  •The bread and wine represent the body and blood of Christ. They are emblems/symbols of His body and blood.  •The Lord’s Supper is more than a mere symbol, but the elements of the Supper are truly bread and wine and remain truly bread and wine the whole time.  3.) Now, with that said, let’s get into the institution of the Lord’s Supper.  •Let’s consider first the broken bread.  [22] And as they were eating, he took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to them, and said, “Take; this is my body.”  •The bread is broken and distributed to the disciples, just as would be done with all bread.  •But then Jesus says, “This is my body.” The broken bread, given to His disciples, represents His body. •It is a broken body. Jesus would be broken completely.  •As Isaiah 52:14 tells us, “…His appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance, and His form beyond that of the children of mankind…”  •He would be so badly broken that He would no longer look human. His form would be beyond that of a man.  He would be broken by beating. He would receive many blows from many wicked men. They would strike Him with their fists.  •He would be scourged with whips. His back would be laid bare and torn open.  •His beard would be ripped out by mockers.  •His head would receive a crown of thorns that tore His flesh.  •His hands and feet would be pierced with nails.  •His side would be pierced with a spear.  •His body would be broken and separated from His soul in death.  Broken bread is a broken body.  •This is an emblem of His death.  •But it is also bread. Don’t miss that. It is food.  •Bread gives life to men. It sustains men. Without bread, without food, we die.  •So this bread is indeed a symbol of death. But it is death that gives life to others.  And there is a cup of wine.  [23] And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it.  [24] And he said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.  •Jesus blesses and passes a cup of wine to His disciples, just as would be done with all wine.  •But then He says, “This is my blood…poured out…” The red wine symbolized His poured-out blood.  •This is shed blood. Precious blood. The blood of Christ.  •Blood that would poured out by fists that struck His precious face.  •Blood poured out as thorns pierced His brow.  •Blood shed as whips tore His flesh.  •Blood poured as nails were driven through His flesh.  •Blood poured out in agony. The cup of wine is shed blood. •This wine is an emblem of His death.  •But it is also wine. It is drink. And drink is necessary for men to live. Without it, we die.  •More than that, wine is symbol of the blessing of God and the rejoicing of His People.  •So this wine is a symbol of death. But it is death that gives life and brings blessing from God and joy to those who receive it.  The two elements of the Lord’s Supper signify the death of the Lord Jesus Christ.  •As the Apostle Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 11:26, “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death…” •He would die. And the Supper commemorates that.  4.) And why would He die?  •His body was broken and His blood was poured out to established “The Covenant.” •[24] And he said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant…” •What is He referring to? The concept of “the blood of the covenant” goes back to Exodus 24:7-8.  •There we read, Then he (Moses) took the Book of the Covenant and read it in the hearing of the people. And they said, “All that the LORD has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient.” And Moses took the blood and threw it on the people and said, “Behold the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words.” •Moses took the blood of sacrifices and sprinkled it on the people of Israel. And, in doing so, the covenant God made with them was ratified.  •And the Israelites vowed to keep God’s covenant on pain of God’s judgment for breaking it.  •Here is the principle: The blood of a sacrifice ratified the Old Covenant.  •And now Jesus is saying that there is a covenant being made and His blood is what will ratify/seal it.  Jesus is referring to the New Covenant.  •The prophet Jeremiah explicitly prophesied concerning this covenant.  •In Jeremiah 31:31-34 we read,  “Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the LORD. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” This is the Covenant that Jesus is speaking of here.  •And this covenant has to do with the forgiveness of sins.  •It has to do with the covenant members being made new and having God’s law written on their hearts.  •It has to do with the personal, intimate knowledge of God for all in the covenant.  •This covenant is not about land, or physical offspring, or earthly promises of wealth and longevity like the Old Covenant was.  •This covenant is about salvation. This covenant is new and better with better promises and a better Mediator.  •And this is the covenant that Jesus came to establish. •As Jesus said in Matthew 26:28, His blood is poured out “for the forgiveness of sins.” The New Covenant was to be established in Christ’s blood.  •That is, it is established by His death. It was promised beforehand in many ways, but it was not ratified in history until His death.  •Jesus says that the wine is the covenant IN HIS BLOOD.  •His blood is sacrificial. It is the sealing of the New Covenant.  But what does His death have to do with establishing this New Covenant? •Brothers and sisters, His death will be the means that brings about the covenant promises of God.  •His death will bring about the covenant promises of the forgiveness of sins and personal fellowship with God for those who are in His covenant.  Romans 3:25-26 says Jesus Christ,  “…whom God put forward as a propitiation by His blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in His divine forbearance He had passed over former sins. It was to show His righteousness at the present time, so that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” •God will not and cannot wink at sin. •If sinners are to be forgiven, as God promised would happen for those in the New Covenant, if sinners are to be forgiven, an atonement must be made.  •A sacrifice must be made. Someone must pay for the sins of the covenant members. The justice of God demands it.  •God’s majesty has been offended by the sin of men. There is a debt for sin that must be paid.  •And God will have all debts settled. He will not simply forgive without justice being served.  •And so, a propitiation must be offered. A wrath-satisfying death must be given to take away God’s anger against sinners for their sin.  •SOMEONE MUST PAY. Someone must die for the members of the New Covenant.  •If sinners are to know God and be forgiven, if the members of the New Covenant are to receive what God has infallibly promised, someone must pay for their sins. And this is EXACTLY what Jesus Christ did.  •The perfect man, the God-Man, represents all the members of His Covenant, and offers Himself as a spotless substitute for their sins.  •And God punished Him in the place of all of those who would ever come under His covenant headship. (All who would ever trust in Him and be brought into the New Covenant.) •Jesus made atonement for those in the New Covenant. •He is the Lamb of God, the true Passover Lamb, who was slain to take away the sins of the world.  •He became our sin-bearing Savior and did away with our sin by paying for it in His death on a Cross.  •He had His body broken and His blood poured out as a substitute for sinners.  •And, in doing this, He purchased entrance into the New Covenant, He purchased forgiveness and blessing and life for sinners.  The New Covenant brings salvation for all who will trust in the Mediator of the Covenant, Jesus Christ.  •And, praise God, instead of the people being sprinkled with the blood of an animal and agreeing to obey or suffer God’s judgment, like the Old Covenant,  •Instead of that, Jesus pours out HIS BLOOD, sprinkles HIS PEOPLE CLEAN, and offers PERFECT OBEDIENCE on their behalf.  The New Covenant is better than the Old one.  •This one saves sinners.  •This one cannot condemn, for Christ condemns no one under His covenant headship.  •This covenant has better promises than the old one.  •And it has a better Mediator, Jesus Christ, who as God saves all who are under His headship.  The wine represents the blood of Christ, shed to established THIS BLESSED COVENANT.  •The Lord’s Supper shows us our great need for Christ. And how Christ has greatly met our need.  5.) Jesus also tells us that the blood of the covenant is “poured out for many.” •This Covenant is for more than the Eleven present that evening.  •It is for more than the Jews to whom Jesus first came.  •It is FOR MANY.  This language, “for many” reminds us of Isaiah 53:12: •“…yet He bore the sin of many and makes intercession for the transgressors.” •Who are the “many” for whom Jesus died?  •The answer: Transgressors. Sinners. •Please hear me: Jesus didn’t die for good people.  •His body was not broken and His blood was not poured out for good people.  •He died for sinners.  Are you a sinner? Good News for you: Jesus died for sinners.  •If you don’t believe you’re a sinner, you are disqualified from anything Christ might offer you. And you are disqualified by your own self-deception and self-righteousness.  •But if you know you’re a sinner, then take comfort: Jesus’ blood was “poured out for many.” For many transgressors of all kinds.  •It was poured out for any who would seek mercy from Him. Seek mercy found in Christ and you will have it.  It is for sinners. And it is for “the many.” •For all who ever looked forward to Christ in faith living under the Old Covenant.  •For all who ever looked to Him that day when He instituted the Lord’s Supper and died for sinners.  •And for all who would ever look to Him in faith in the future, after He had made atonement.  •He died for many. He died for the Elect in all ages. From the time of Adam until He Returns.  The New Covenant is the one that saves.  •It is the fulfillment of all of God’s promises and covenants throughout the OT.  •It is what EVERYTHING prophesied and pointed forward to. It is the culmination of redemptive history.  •It is the Covenant of Grace ratified in history in the blood of Christ.  •It is the covenant that brings salvation and the forgiveness of sins to all who have ever believe on Christ in the past or will ever believe in the future.  HEAR ME: There only has ever been one way to be saved: Through faith in Christ.  •The OT saints were saved by believing in God’s promises to one day send a Redeemer.  •NT saints are saved by believing God’s has accomplished His promises in the Redeemer Jesus Christ.  •ALL SALVATION is by Christ alone and by virtue of the New Covenant inaugurated in His blood.  •Anyone who has ever been saved or ever will be saved is saved by Christ and His establishment of the New Covenant in His blood. The covenant that He Himself mediates.  •Truly, brothers and sisters, His blood of the covenant was poured out for many.  6.) So, we’ve considered what the elements of the Lord’s Supper (bread and wine) represent.  •But there is more to the Supper than just the bread and wine sitting on a table.  •There is action at the Table.  •Jesus wants His disciples to see something else.  Consider the command in v22: “Take.” •And consider the giving in vv22-23. Jesus GAVE them the bread and GAVE them the cup.  •There is “giving” and “taking” in this meal.  •Jesus gives the bread and wine. And the disciples are commanded to take it.  •Brothers and sisters, Jesus gave His body and blood, and we are to receive it.  We are to receive it with the hand of FAITH.  •We are to “eat” and “drink” with the mouth of faith.  •That is, we are to trust in His broken body and poured out blood.  •And that is simply another way of saying that we are to take in, we are to trust in, we are to depend upon Jesus Christ Himself for our entrance into the New Covenant and the salvation that He gives to His People.  Hear me: You must receive Christ with faith.  •It cannot remain abstract for you. It cannot be a mere set of theological propositions.  •You must take and eat. You must take and drink.  •You must receive Christ by faith. You must depend upon Him. You must seek mercy in Him.  •You must look, with the eye of faith, to the broken body and shed blood of the Savior.  •You must trust in Him to save you from your sins.  •You must take and eat.  Just as we depend upon food and drink in order to live, so also we must trust in Christ if we are to live eternally.  •Just as we know that without food and drink we will die, we must look to Christ, being completely convinced that without Him we will perish under the wrath of God for our sins.  •He must become as real to us as bread and wine.  •He must become more precious to us than food and drink.  •We must recognize our need for Him and receive Him.  •Just as we need food and drink for our bodies, so also we need Christ for our souls.  •And without Him, without receiving Him by faith, there is only death and damnation for sinners.  But hear the Good News: Jesus offers His body and blood.  •He is holding it out, as it were, and saying “TAKE” to whoever will receive Him.  •He did not die for Himself. He died for sinners. As He says, “This is my body, FOR YOU.” •Believe that it is FOR YOU and take it! Receive Him! Brothers and sisters, I hope you can see the glory here: •The bread and wine, symbols of Christ’s death, are at the exact same time symbols of our life in Him.  •They are symbols of His death, and they are at the same time symbols of the salvation that He offers the world.  •His death is our life. Praise God! 7.) For all of the glory we’ve seen so far, we’re still not finished. The Lord’s Supper says more still. •It gives us the promise of another day in the future. •At the end of the Supper, Jesus said to His disciples: •[25] Truly, I say to you, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.” •There is a glorious word in this verse: UNTIL. Jesus is resolute. He is going to die. He says “I WILL NOT drink again…” •He is steadfast and unmovable. He will go to His Cross.  •Great suffering and death awaits Him in a few hours.  •He will die. But that will not be the end.  •He will drink wine again someday. (“Until.”) •His body will broken and His blood will be shed. But that won’t be the end of Him.  •He will be raised from the dead.  •Death is not the end for Jesus Christ. He will rise.  But Jesus is speaking about something even beyond His resurrection: •He is speaking of the End of All Things. He is speaking about the Consummation of His Kingdom.  •He says, “I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the Kingdom of God.” •Jesus has told us many times already that the Kingdom of God came when He came to earth.  •So He’s speaking of something else. Something greater. A greater manifestation of the Kingdom.  •He’s speaking of the Consummation of the Kingdom. The Kingdom in all it’s FULLNESS when He Returns at the end of history.  He will not drink wine again for some time. He will not drink of the cup of gladness for some time. He must first die.  •But He will drink wine again someday.  •He will drink again, with His Bride, once He has conquered sin, Satan, and death IN HISTORY.  •He will drink wine again after He has subdued all tings under His feet.  •He will drink wine again after His work is completed and the world is totally free of sin and sorrow.  •Once His work in history is fully completed, and every enemy, including death, has been destroyed, He will drink wine again.  •Once the dead are raised, His Bride receives new bodies, and the wicked are condemned and earth is free from every stain of sin, He will drink again.  •It’s as if Jesus is saying here, “On that day we will celebrate together my victory over all.” And, brothers and sisters, on that day, we will begin an eternity of rejoicing with our Lord.  •We will feast forever face to face with the risen Lord Jesus Christ in glory untold.  •In the Supper we “proclaim His death UNTIL HE COMES.” •He is coming again. And when He comes, the true and full celebration begins.  But before He would drink the wine of victory and eternal joy with His People, He must first drink another cup.  •He must first drink the cup of the wrath of God down to the dregs.  •And this He did, for us and for our salvation.  Last, at the end of the Supper, Mark records this: [26] And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. •They sung a hymn. Probably Psalm 118 as was customary for the end of Passover.  •And this is so, so fitting. There in Psalm 118 we read,  “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is the LORD’s doing; and it is marvelous in our eyes.” •The promise of God was sung. That God would make the rejected stone, Jesus Christ, the Cornerstone.  •And Jesus would’ve been leading the song to the “amen” and “hallelujah” of His disciples.  •They all sung together about how God would vindicate the Lord Jesus Christ after His death.  And that He did.  •For on the Third Day, He rose in victory.  8.) As we come near the close of this sermon, let me make two things very plain to you all: 1. You must receive Christ by faith.  •You must take and eat. You must take and drink.  •The only way to gain entrance into the New Covenant is by faith in Christ. It is the only way to receive salvation.  •You must receive Him to be saved.  •Just as you eat and drink to live on earth, so you must eat and drink Christ with the mouth of faith in order to be saved.  If there is an unbeliever here this morning, hear me: •If Christ’s blood was shed for many, why not for you as well? •Believe! Believe that Jesus is dead and risen for you! •Take Him by faith and be saved! And hear me: This isn’t just for the unbeliever to hear! •Christian, see once again your own dependence upon Christ! •He must be your spiritual food and drink. You need Him. And you need Him every day.  •You did not need Him at the beginning of your Christian life. You need Him now.  •He is your life! He is everything! •Receive Him daily by faith. Renew your dependence and trust in Him each day! 2. To the Christian coming to the Lord’s Table each week, I want to say something to you: See the seriousness and sober spirit of the Supper.  •It is a memorial of Christ’s atoning work. And that means it’s a reminder to you of your sin that made His death necessary.  •How awful sin must be if it took the blood of the Son of God to make atonement! See the joy of the Supper.  •It is a memorial of Christ’s atoning work.  •It declares that Christ has paid the full penalty for your sins! •It declares that you are a member of the New Covenant that was inaugurated in His blood! •Salvation is yours! Christ is yours! You belong to Him by covenant! •And the bread and wine declare this to you. See the promise of a future day of rejoicing.  •Christ will come again.  •And we will feast with Him forever, having no further need of the Lord’s Supper.  •The Day is coming. And we proclaim it each time we take the Supper.  May God grant each one of us to see our need for Christ.  •And may He likewise grant each of us to receive the needed Christ by faith.  •Amen.