Let us talk about the communion of the saints. The why and its application; to the saints of old and for the new testament believer as well.
John 1:29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
Here is our introduction to the problem and also to the answer. In one sentence John opens the door on the greatest mystery of the old testament. The saints of old knew of sin because God gave to them the law. They also knew of the sacrifices that needed to be offered yearly and also for occurrences when they departed from the law and committed a transgression against the laws of God. But they did not know of the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world. John's mission to the children of Israel was to prepare a people to receive their Messiah and then, when the time was right, to declare to all who would listen, who the Messiah is.
The way of God does not falter but stands to the end of time. Why this talk of sacrifice and sin? Because sin is the great separator. It works death in all those who are under its power. It continues outward from those infected with sin to destroy the works of God and those of the righteous. God's word says, "the soul that sinneth shall die." The soul that dies is only receiving within himself the due penalty for his sin.
Through sacrifice, the blood of another, who is free of sin, can be used to pay the requirement demanded of God for breaking the law.
Hebrews 9.22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
Without the sacrifice of blood there is no remission of sin. The old sacrifice given to the children of Israel, of animal blood, was sufficient through faith, to wipe away the penalty of sin temporarily, so that God could bless His people and work through them. It could not however free them from the power of sin within. The sacrifice of animals was for the outward man and left the soul of man without benefit. Hebrews 10. 1-4
Sadly, pride in the old ways, prevented most of the children of Israel from seeing the truth of the sacrifice made by Jesus on their behalf. They clung to the old sacrifices of bulls and lambs and rejected as foolishness the death of Jesus the Messiah, the Christ, on a Roman cross. Not only they but the whole world would look upon this death as a disgusting thing with no power to redeem.
1 Corinthians 1:18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
Thank God that we have been found by God, that we have received grace to accept the truth, that we have received the gift of the Holy Spirit and will receive the gift of eternal life in Jesus.
Yet...
The blood must be applied! (for deliverance)
Let us examine for a moment the example the Lord has left us in the saving of the children of Israel from the cruel bondage of Egypt and its Pharaoh. Not the whole story of signs and wonders but the final preparation for the last plague. Judgment was about to fall on all who were in Egypt. I did say all and this included the children of Israel. Yet God made a way of escape for all those who would believe in the sacrifice. Here is what God commanded...
Exodus 12:
5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year:
ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:
It was a common belief in those days that imperfection was the cause of some evil or of some judgment. We often forget that the people who were living in those days were religious. Each of them had a priesthood. Each of them made sacrifices of one kind or another. It was also believed that you could tell the future by examining the insides of an animal that belonged to the person seeking information on what path to take. If the person was good in the eyes of his god then all that he had would also be blessed. Therefore to give an animal that was marred was an insult to the gods, kings, governors, etc.. In the case of Israel, this line of thought continues.
At this time however God was going to give them a hint about a hidden truth. It was not because the people of Israel were so blessed by God that the animal needed to be perfect, without blemish, but because it foreshadowed the coming of the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. It was to be a reflection of the purity of the one who was to come.
6 And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.
Every family grouping, who was to share in the eating of the lamb, would gather together and in the evening, kill the lamb. This would occur close to or possibly on a full moon.
7 And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it.
Please notice this truth... that the blood of the lamb that was slain had to be applied to the side posts and top of the doorway frame. Not every building but only where the lamb was to be eaten. This lamb was to be eaten by every person within.
13 And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.
If there was no blood on the door frame, God's protection would not be extended to the occupants within. When God saw the blood He passed over judgment. He kept the destroyer from entering that particular building and doing harm to those within. Notice also that the blood marks on the door frame was for the occupants as well. It was a sign to any who walked by that this house and its occupants are obedient to God and are under His protection. It was a confession of faith that would be witnessed by all who survived the night. Both Israeli and Egyptian.
22 And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the bason, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the bason; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning.
Notice here as well a commandment not to venture out during the night. Even though it was God's intention to save the children of Israel, He would not protect those who came out of the buildings where the blood was applied to the doorways. If they came out they were not protected by God for they were not "under the blood."
23 For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the LORD will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you.
Understand that it is God who is bringing forth this judgment at this time. It is the destroyer who is the weapon of choice. It is the first born in the land of Egypt who are its victims. Except... those who are protected by the sign of the blood, those who have applied the blood, those who obeyed.
The blood must be applied! (Today's application)
John 1:29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
John declares that Jesus is the Lamb of God. Jesus, who is the long awaited sacrifice. Yet the people failed to make the connection between the Lamb of God and the Passover Lamb that was sacrificed every year. There are hints of the suffering servant. Hints of the One dying on a tree (a cross). Yet how was one to believe that the Messiah was to be crucified as a payment for their sin? Even the twelve who followed Jesus couldn't believe that the one they followed would die by crucifixion, for their sins.
The day was nearing when the sacrifice for the Passover must be made. A lamb without blemish. The Lamb of God will also be sacrificed. The Lamb without blemish. He who committed no sin was the perfect sacrifice. His offering of blood, pure and clean, would wash away the sin that mars the heart of the sinner. The sin of the world was about to be removed.
Two years earlier Jesus spoke these words:
John 6.53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. 54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. 56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.
What a barbaric act that would be, to eat the flesh of another person. What an act of depravity, to drink the blood of another person. The apostles and those with them could not comprehend what Jesus meant by speaking these words. The real meaning remained hidden from them. Until... the time came for them to partake of "The Last Supper."
As the children of Israel were instructed in the manner and working of the first Passover, so too, the night Jesus was going to be betrayed by Judas, the apostles are instructed in the rites of the last supper. They were in the room:
Matthew 26. 26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. 27 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; 28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
This is the Christian Passover. Here is the body of the lamb that was to be eaten by the followers of God. Here is the blood that was to be taken and used to mark the door posts and lintel of the doorway. However, even at this point, the apostles still would not grasp the truth, that the sacrifice of Jesus still had to be made. Within 24 hours, that sacrifice would take place.
We are all familiar with the story from this point. How Jesus was betrayed, taken, judged, crucified... and raised to live forevermore. In the church that came into being the new Passover is observed.
1/ In remembrance of the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross.
(a sign for you)
1 Corinthians 11.25After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.
After water baptism, which occurs only once showing the death and rebirth of our souls, communion is a reminder to ourselves that we are blood bought by Jesus and that it is His sacrifice for us that saves us from the destroyer of souls.
2/ As a testimony to others of Jesus' sacrifice for sin.
(a sign for others)
1 Corinthians 11.26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.
It is our testimony to the world that we believe the blood of Jesus is sufficient alone to pay the price of our sins and to open the door of fellowship with God. Remembering this:
Matthew 10.32 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. 33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.
3/ As a token of protection
(a sign for Jesus)
It is our sign of faith to Jesus, that we belong to Him and no other. We trust that when God sees us taking communion, He sees the blood and passes over judgment and will not let the destroyer bring destruction into our lives.
In these three ways do we fulfill the same heart, the same meaning, for what had occurred for the children of Israel on the night they were set free from their bondage. We also show the Lord's work to set us free from the bondage of that Egypt which is within our souls. We gain our freedom, our victory, through communion because it is complete:
Revelations 12.11 And they overcame him (the destroyer) by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
Communion is both the blood and the testimony of the work of Jesus in our lives. It is our example for obedience to the will of God. The blood and the testimony are one. The blood must be applied, not to the door posts and lintel of our houses but to the door posts and lintel of our hearts. This is done when taking communion. Do not under estimate its effective working and power. God holds this act sacred for it reflects the work of Jesus. God honors communion.
For those who don't believe this, a warning:
1 Corinthians 1:27 Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. 30 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.
It does not get anymore serious than that my friends.
Wrap up...
There is such a blessing to be had by individuals, as well as the church in general, when communion becomes the heart of who they are. No one should think that they are not worthy to take communion. The truth be told, it is because of God's grace to sinners, we who call ourselves Christian, that we are able to run into the house where the blood is being offered. Like the children of Israel, you must prepare your heart to step under the protection of the blood. To honor the token, which is His body and blood, and never to hold it as common things and eat it in an unworthy manner. Not because you are worthy but because God is willing to protect you from the destroyer. If you will take the blood and mark the door posts and lintel of your own heart, God sees, and calls us His own. Taking communion is simply the act of an obedient, willing heart to obey the voice of God. God does the rest.
Author: Joseph Raymond
Monday, February 12, 2001
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This color: words taken from The King James Bible; Cambridge, Cambridge