ADVANCING TO THE LORD’S TABLE
“Then Josiah celebrated the Passover to the LORD in Jerusalem,
and they slaughtered the Passover animals on the fourteenth day of the first month.”
(II Chronicles 35:1).
The Hebrew custom was to establish and celebrate a covenant by breaking bread in a spirit of communion. We take the bread and the cup as representations of the benefits flowing to us from our relationship with God through Jesus. Our curse required His cross in order for us to stand in the presence of His magisterial throne.
God’s command is clear: “O taste and see that the Lord is good” (Ps. 34:8).
The Lord’s Supper is a sacrament instituted for His Church. The world was not invited to this Holy Supper, just the disciples. Those coming to your Lord Christ’s table should come with open eyes and full recognition of what Jesus means to them. His table is a visual sermon that remains a holy mystery.
When Jesus’ body was nailed to the tree, He experienced the earth’s crudeness, hell’s savagery and heaven’s glory. He knew the vileness of men, the damnation of devils and the brilliance of justice. Jesus Christ achieved more on that Good Friday of the Last Supper than all the world’s armies, all of man’s parliaments, all the earth’s scientists and all the planet’s business and religious leaders have ever accomplished.
How would you describe your communion at Jesus’ table? Do you come to His table with your lusts poisoned, your wounds anointed, your heart softened, His graces strengthened in you and with holy fear? Christians alone appreciate Jesus’ significance. Only Christians glory in His character by acknowledging their ruin (Isa. 6:5).
Christians know that their world fosters emptiness and they want their souls to thirst for greater degrees of holiness. When you come to the Lord’s Supper, will you come with the shout of the demon-possessed boy’s father who cried out saying, “I do believe; help my unbelief?” (Mk. 9:24).
As you prepare for the sacrament of communion, anticipate being seated at God’s banqueting table with the banner of His love enveloping your fellowship. Partaking of the representations of your Lord’s body and blood are visible pledges of God’s love through Jesus to your soul.
“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day” (Jn. 6:53f.).
GLORIA IN EXCELSIS DEO !
To further assist you in preparation for coming the Table of the Lord, the following heart examination is made available. (PDF)
