Before, Here and Now, and Hereafter - Hebrews 10:32-39

Welcome to Eat This Bread Drink This Cup!

The communion meditation today is based on a passage of Scripture from the New Testament, Hebrews 10: 32-39. In this passage of Scripture, the author asks his readers to compare their here and now with the excitement and single purpose they knew when they first put their faith in Jesus. He asks them to renew their zeal for the Lord and keep their hope in the hereafter when God would reward His faithful children. As we assemble to partake of the bread and drink from the cup, we remember both His sacrifice and His example for us. All Scripture quotations are from the New Living Translation (NLT) and are used with permission.

Transcript

Welcome to Eat This Bread Drink This Cup. The title of my communion meditation today is "Before, Here and Now, and Hereafter." I read from Hebrews 10: 32-39 (NLT). All Scripture quotations are from the New Living Translation (NLT) and are used with permission.

32 Think back on those early days when you first learned about Christ. Remember how you remained faithful even though it meant terrible suffering. 33 Sometimes you were exposed to public ridicule and were beaten, and sometimes you helped others who were suffering the same things. 34 You suffered along with those who were thrown into jail, and when all you owned was taken from you, you accepted it with joy. You knew there were better things waiting for you that will last forever.

35 So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! 36 Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.

      37 “For in just a little while,

              the Coming One will come and not delay.

      38 And my righteous ones will live by faith.

              But I will take no pleasure in anyone who turns away.”

39 But we are not like those who turn away from God to their own destruction. We are the faithful ones, whose souls will be saved.

As Christians, our lives can be divided into three periods of time: before, here and now, and hereafter. Before refers to who we were before we accepted Jesus as our Savior. The here and now is the life we live today. The hereafter is our hope in the future. The person we were before has died and been buried; we are now a new creation in Christ. Ancient history! The author of Hebrews tells his readers that their present here and now seems to be a lot different from their beginning. They just do not seem to be as excited as they once were. In fact, he was concerned they were in danger of turning their backs to the Lord. They had become trapped in the here and now! The author reminds them that being a Christian is one who lives for today while hoping in a better tomorrow, a much better tomorrow that God will give to those who persevere. I remind myself of this promise and warning every day! This is what the author describes as "patient endurance." One of the things I love about God is that when He asks us to do something, He is the example and sets the standard! God never says, "Do what I say, not what I do." If ever there was an example of patient endurance, it is our Lord Jesus Christ. As Luke writes (Luke 9:51), "As the time drew near for him to ascend to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem." Despite His trials, tribulations, suffering, and death during that last week in Jerusalem, He overcame and emerged victorious! He kept His eye on the prize! We are thankful that He did. His victory was our victory. Just now as we partake of the bread and drink from the cup, we remember our Savior, Jesus Christ, what He did for us and how much it cost Him. We gain strength to live for the here and now and trust in the hereafter. 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, as we assemble today, we remember both His sacrifice and His example. He was not overcome by the events of the day but resolutely continued forward to complete Your plan to save us. We are thankful that He did not waver or falter. We are sorry that our sins caused Him to suffer and die on a cross. We remember Jesus and His sacrifice just now as we partake of the bread and drink from the cup. and look forward to the day we can thank Him in person. 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!