Flaming maple?

The hardest choice of them all

²³For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, ²⁴and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me." ²⁵In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me." ²⁶For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

²⁷Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. ²⁸A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. ²⁹For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself.

[I must confess that part of this message has its roots in the Communion service I attended yesterday, and it’s only here in the blog because I realized that a lot of times, we simply forget or fail to think about the awesome complexity of the Lord’s Table. ]

Let us go back in time shall we? Back to those days when God gave men the list of do’s and don’ts. The underlying theme shows through. There is no forgiveness without the shedding of innocent blood. The Bible has always been particular about the sanctity of blood. So much in fact, that God commanded the people of Israel to have cities of refuge so that no innocent blood would be shed without cause.

Meanwhile, for every sin that one committed, he/she went to the priest with a sin offering, and the ceremony included the priest ‘transferring’ the sin of that individual onto the animal or bird and then killing it. Teaches us something about how much God hates sin, doesn’t it? The Old Testament laws could not be clearer. Eye for an eye. Tooth for a tooth. I don’t know about you, but I alone could possibly have made sure the turtle dove became extinct were I born in those times.

But here we are. Beneficiaries of God’s profound grace, thanks to the Man who made it all possible. You see, ever since Adam and Eve sinned against God in the Garden of Eden, we’d lost it. The very purpose for which God created man, foiled. God created us in His likeness, to share an everlasting life with Him, which meant there was no place for sin. But… And remember – there’s no point in blaming Adam and Eve for what happened there because you and I would have done in the same mistake anyway. Being able to think for ourselves somehow means we end up doing what is wrong, almost always.

God decided there was but one way. He had to come down and give His life. His innocent blood had to be shed, because there was no other way we could enjoy what we’d been created for. Says a lot about God’s reasons for creating you and I doesn’t it? He desires our company, no matter how difficult it is to believe. And of course, truth is always stranger than fiction – one reason no teacher would believe why you haven’t done your homework when you were in school.

And it happened. Not immediately; God waited over 2500 years before He came down. Says a lot about His perfect timing, if you’d only just think about it. It’s amazing how interconnected the Bible actually is. By the time God came down in our likeness, He fulfilled everything that had been written about Him. Next time you go bananas wondering why something hasn’t happened, keep this in mind. He knows when.

God came down, with the intention of dying for us so we could live. For eternity. But still, He had to endure agonizing moments as a human. Tortured. Beaten. Whipped. Spat upon. Crowned with thorns. Nailed and hung on a hard wooden cross. And yet, it hurt Him more, being associated with sin. Our sin. And He endured it all without a sound. So great was His love.

All I ask, to anyone who is reading this blog, is to remember what He went through. The agony He felt, when sin separated Him from His beloved Father. The same sin which separates us from Him. Remember to treat the Lord’s Table with respect; Because the Bible says so. Come into His presence in a manner worthy of acceptance. A life of eternity and glory awaits us, and all because He chose the hardest choice of them all.

posted by Finney @ 11:35 AM