Only Jesus

The meditation today comes from the Old Testament, Psalms 52: 2-3. All Scripture quotations are from the New Living Translation (NLT) and are used with permission

My hope is that you will benefit personally from this time with Jesus and encourage others to observe the Lord's Supper. In these trying times, we need to keep our eyes on Jesus!

Transcript

Welcome to Eat This Bread Drink This Cup. The title of my communion meditation today is, "Only Jesus." I read from Psalms 52: 2-3 (NLT). All Scripture quotations are from the New Living Translation and are used with permission.

2 God looks down from heaven
        on the entire human race;
he looks to see if anyone is truly wise,
        if anyone seeks God.
3 But no, all have turned away;
        all have become corrupt.
No one does good,
        not a single one!

Our God is omnipresent. This means He exists in our past, present, and future. Yes, it is a difficult concept to grasp. Time has no relevance for God as He exists in eternity; it is simply a convention He created for us and our world. In reading this psalm, we might ask ourselves, "When did God look down from heaven on the entire human race and assess that none of us are truly wise, or seek Him, or does good?" I believe it was at the beginning. God took a look at the entire human race He created and knew they would reject Him and His moral code. While this outcome was a predictable consequence of His decision to give free will to His children, yet He moved forward with creation. And although He loved us, He had no choice but to condemn us. His justice demanded it! In looking for a way to save His errant children, He knew a solution would not come from within the human race. Only He could save them! The Apostle John writes (John 3: 16-18),

16 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. 18 “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son."

Now, when God looks down from heaven, He sees a different picture of the human race. There are those who remain condemned because they reject Jesus. He also sees the kingdom of God on earth composed of those who believe in His Son, Jesus. God is now able to give His mercy and grace to all who believe in His Son. All whose sins are covered by the blood of His Son. This is the choice now given to the human race, and it all hinges on the answer to the question, "Who is Jesus?" Jesus asked us to never forget the price He paid for our redemption. He was condemned that we might go free. He was killed that we might live. He saved the human race. We remember Him now by partaking of the bread and drinking from the cup just as He asked us to do. Let us pray.

Abba, Father. Today we bless and set aside this bread and the fruit of the vine in this cup to remember Your Son, Jesus. We know that the bread represents His body that was nailed to the cross, and the fruit of the vine represents His blood that He shed for us. As we pour out the wine from the cup, we are reminded of how Jesus poured out His own blood that our sins might be forgiven. Thank-you, Abba, Father, that you did not abandon us even though we abandoned You. Thank-you, Abba, Father, that You loved us even though we did not love You, and You continue to bless us and reach out to us day-by-day. Who could ever bring a charge against You? Who but You, Abba, Father, ever gave His only Son to save us? Thank-you for Your mercy and grace that we receive from You because of our faith in Jesus. We assemble just now to remember Him. In His name I pray. Amen.

Today, Jesus invites you to partake of His supper. I read from Matthew 26: 26-28 (NLT).

26 As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take this and eat it, for this is my body.” Let us partake of the bread.

27 And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, “Each of you drink from it, 28 for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many." Let us partake of the cup.

And the assembly of believers said, "Amen!"

Until next time, from Numbers 6: 24-26, "May the LORD bless you and protect you. May the LORD smile on you and be gracious to you. May the LORD show you his favor and give you his peace."

Artist's Note: If you have questions about the Lord's Supper, I invite you to visit my website, https://eatthisbreaddrinkthiscup.com, for a brief overview. The Eat This Bread Drink This Cup podcast is listed in most podcast directories, and I invite you to add my podcast to your favorites and be notified of new posts. There is a written transcript that accompanies each podcast, and you are free to use the transcript in accordance with US copyright law. My prayer is that you will benefit personally from this time with Jesus and encourage others to observe the Lord's Supper. In these trying times, we need to keep our eyes on Jesus!