Then - Joel 2:28-32

Welcome to Eat This Bread Drink This Cup

The communion meditation today is based on a passage of Scripture from the Old Testament, Joel 2:28-32. In this passage of Scripture, the prophet Joel gives Judah and Israel good news after a time of punishment for their unfaithfulness. This good news of this prophecy was ultimately fulfilled in Jesus as told to us by the Apostle Peter on the day of Pentecost. That is why we remember Him today! All Scripture quotations are from the New Living Translation (NLT) and are used with permission.

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 "Then." I read from Joel 2:28-32 (NLT). All Scripture quotations are from the New Living Translation (NLT) and are used with permission.

28 “Then, after doing all those things,

      I will pour out my Spirit upon all people.

Your sons and daughters will prophesy.

      Your old men will dream dreams,

      and your young men will see visions.

29 In those days I will pour out my Spirit

      even on servants—men and women alike.

30 And I will cause wonders in the heavens and on the earth—

      blood and fire and columns of smoke.

31 The sun will become dark,

      and the moon will turn blood red

      before that great and terrible day of the LORD arrives.

32 But everyone who calls on the name of the LORD

      will be saved,

for some on Mount Zion in Jerusalem will escape,

      just as the LORD has said.

These will be among the survivors

      whom the LORD has called.

"Then" is an important word in the Scriptures; it connects what happened before to what happens next. When God is speaking, it is always wise to pause and get ready! To be forthright, I always get a little bit anxious. I suspect Judah and Israel felt the same way and waited on edge for the next words of Joel, God's prophet. As they looked around, they saw that their land was in ruins as God had sent "the swarming locusts, the hopping locusts, the stripping locusts and the cutting locusts" to punish them for their unfaithfulness. Contingent on their repentance and return to God, God's words are good with a promise of a bright future. As we learned from Peter's sermon on the day of Pentecost in Jerusalem (Acts 2:17-21), these same words spoken by Joel to Judah and Israel were now good news for everyone! This prophecy within a prophecy was fulfilled on that day. God could make this bold promise, "But everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved," because His resurrected Son now sat at His right hand, having offered His blood on the cross to redeem humankind from their sins. When we first came to Jesus, our lands may not have been decimated by locusts, nevertheless, our spirits were damaged by our sins, and we were ready for forgiveness and a fresh start empowered by the indwelling Holy Spirit! God's promise was indeed good news for us and for the world. Because of Jesus, the "then" in our lives separated our past, sin and death, from our present and future, forgiveness and eternal life. As we assemble today to partake of the bread and drink from the cup, we remember what Jesus did for 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 Jesus to save us! Humankind was wrecked and without hope in this world until Jesus brought the good news of the gospel and offered His blood on the cross so that our sins might be forgiven. This bread and this cup remind us of the sacrifices He made for us. 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!