Articles
Communing with Jesus
Communing with Jesus
By Paul R. Blake
I was asked the following question by a young evangelist last week: “I wanted to ask your thoughts and understanding of what Jesus said in Matthew 26:29 when He stated that He wouldn't drink of the fruit of the vine with the disciples again until He would drink it new with them in His Father's Kingdom. My understanding of that is Jesus is referring to the time after His death and resurrection when He brought His kingdom and covenant in and that He communes with us today when we partake of the Lord's Supper. Obviously His partaking is spiritual communion as He doesn't literally eat of the bread and drink of the juice with us.”
(My answer) This matter is also addressed in Mark 14:25 and Luke 22:18; and you will note when you read all three of the synoptic Gospel accounts of this, that Jesus only said this of the fruit of the vine. I think we make the assumption, although perhaps a reasonable and harmless assumption, that the bread is included by implication in His statement.
Matthew 26:28 says: “For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” Here Jesus defines the cup which represents that which ratified the covenant of salvation. The cup points to the covenant, and the fruit of the vine is simply the memorial representative of the blood that validated it. Often in scripture, cups and contents became representative of great abstract matters. For example, there is the cup of suffering Jesus prayed about in the Garden, and the cup of wrath that was prophesied in Revelation, etc. In each case, the cup and contents represented something that does not manifest physically. Likewise with the cup of the communion service: it contains the symbol of the blood that validated the covenant, such a covenant that was ratified by the blood shed at the cross; and, such a covenant that is not partaken of by humankind until we meet the terms of the covenant; that is, obedience to the Gospel in baptism, when we are cleansed by the blood of Christ. Jesus would not share with us the blessings of the covenant that saves us until the kingdom was established in Acts chapter two following Peter’s sermon on Pentecost.
You wrote: “My understanding of that is Jesus is referring to the time after His death and resurrection when He brought His kingdom and covenant in and that He communes with us today when we partake of the Lord's Supper. Obviously His partaking is spiritual communion as He doesn't literally eat of the bread and drink of the juice with us.” I have taught and continue to teach the same thing. However, it is a somewhat overly simplified expression of something far more profound. Jesus was saying that He would not share the new covenant of salvation through His blood with us until the kingdom began and we enter into it. Drinking the cup with us represents Christ sharing the blessings of the covenant of salvation that was validated by His blood. We simplify it by viewing it as He is partaking of the cup with us in a spiritual way. Our view is easy to understand for both new babes in Christ as well as mature souls. And even though it is somewhat oversimplified, it is at worst a harmless and comforting viewpoint. I hope this helps.
Cancel Culture
By Terry Sanders
Isaiah 5:20-21 - “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and shrewd in their own sight!” As some older preachers used to say, “Brethren, it’s later than we think.”
The Cancel Culture has slowly been building a high success rate. They have managed to have statues and pictures removed from public display. They have caused books to be essentially banned from public consumption. Historical accounts are being “sanitized.” What were once popular movies and TV shows are not in rerun due to alleged “uncomfortable content.” The more success, the more emboldened they will become. It is all done under the guise of cleansing society of offensive things and materials. It is really about gaining the power to control lives and behavior.
I am sure I am not the only one who thinks that the Cancel Culture one day will, when convinced of their power, turn their focus upon the Bible. They will vehemently desire its elimination due to the content identifying sin and condemning it. Many of those in the Cancel Culture are heavily laden with Biblical sins. They will pronounce such teaching as offensive and demand that Bibles be removed and then later eradicated.
I wonder how shocked some of our “love and tolerate everyone” Christians will be then. After all, they have denied that the Bible contains anything offensive. I feel that many of them will have the “deer in the headlights look.”
Have you not read Matthew 15:12? “Then His disciples came (to Jesus) and said to Him, ‘Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?” I do not see where Jesus changed what He said or apologized for it. NTL, the Pharisees were determined to “cancel” Him.
Get ready, folks, getting rid of the Bible gets rid of any possibility of morality (what little is left anymore). It will be replaced with nothing and there will be no limit to the sin and depravity that will follow.
“Oh, Terry, you see hobgoblins when there are none.” Yeah? The Bible can’t be read in school due to a wrenching of the Constitution. You can’t stand in a public place and preach the Bible because someone will be offended and report you. Sometimes the hobgoblins are real.
One last thing: “But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived” (2Tim. 3:13).
A Moments Wisdom
--Believing is seeing. It's much more effective than the old notion that seeing is believing.
--You must learn to let go and move on instead of carrying the pain in you. You don’t have the right to cause pain to yourself.
--Be certain your passion for equality is not an attempt to portray your envy as a virtue.
Test Your Bible Knowledge of the Psalms
1. This is the most frequently quoted Psalm __________
2. This is the Psalm of the crucified Savior __________
3. This is the Psalm of David’s intense confession of sin __________
4. This is the longest Psalm __________
5. This is the shortest Psalm __________
6. This is the Psalm of Asaph’s wrestling with doubts __________
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8/22/21 AM - “Stand”; PM - “Your Statutes Have Been My Songs”
8/29/21 AM - “Please Pray for Me”; PM - Guest Speaker: Doug Sanders - “Life is a Puzzle”
9/5/21 AM - What I Want to Say to God; PM - Monthly Singing Service (Congregational choice of songs)
9/12/21 AM - The Faith of the Wise Men; PM - God is Still on His Throne: A Study of Trust
9/19/21 AM - Why Did It Have to be Jesus?; PM - Joseph the Just
9/26/21 AM - The Gospel of Self; PM - God’s Purpose for Planet Eart
