His Joy - Hebrews 12:1-2

Welcome to Eat This Bread Drink This Cup.

 The communion meditation today is based on a passage of Scripture from the New Testament, Hebrews 12: 1-2. The author of Hebrews tells us that as Jesus offered His life on the cross, He was sustained by the joy of knowing that God would give His gift of grace to us. His joy would become our joy; something that can never be taken away from us. All Scripture quotations are from the English Standard Version (ESV) and the New Living Translation (NLT).

As you listen to the episode today, my hope is that you will be encouraged from the time spent meditating on what Jesus has done for you. You are a special person; the one Jesus died to save!

Transcript

Welcome to Eat This Bread Drink This Cup. The title of my communion meditation today is "His Joy." I read from Hebrews 12:1-2 (ESV). Scripture quotations are from the English Standard Version (ESV) and the New Living Translation (NLT) as annotated and are used with permission.

1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

As the new generation of believers, we are challenged by the author of Hebrews to imitate the faithful of the past. He encourages us to not give up until we cross the finish line. He encourages us to keep our eyes on Jesus. The author relates to us that Jesus endured the cross because of the joy [#5479] set before Him. Now we understand from studying the Scriptures that the joy Jesus experienced is the joy that comes as the gift of God's grace. Jesus knew His death on the cross, His personal sacrifice, was God's plan to forgive our sins. As He carried His cross through the streets of Jerusalem to Golgotha, His joy sustained Him despite His exhaustion and painful wounds. As He suffered and died on the cross, Jesus knew that God could now give His grace to us. God could redeem us. Jesus was filled with joy because He knew that He would be the source of joy for His disciples, a joy that no one could take away and that would give them peace and hope through the course of their lives. As He would conquer death and ascend to sit at the right hand of God, He knew His disciples would have joy from the same assurance of life after death in heaven with Him. All of this now fulfilling God's plan from before time began. Yes, they would take His life, but it was worth it for those He loved. As we partake of the bread and drink from the cup today, we remember Jesus and what He sacrificed for us. We thank God for His grace and giving us the joy that comes from knowing He has saved us. 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. Abba, Father, thank-you for sending Your Son, Jesus, to save us. From reading this passage of Scripture today, we know He went to the cross for His joy and our joy. Thank-you for Your grace; You have forgiven our sins and given us eternal life with You in heaven. Though the world may take away everything from us, these gifts are ours forever, guaranteed by Your Son, Jesus. As we partake of the bread and drink from the cup, we remember Him. In the name of Jesus, 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!