Come - Revelation 22:12-17

Welcome to Eat This Bread Drink This Cup

The communion meditation today is based on a passage of Scripture from the New Testament, Revelation 22:12-17. In this passage of Scripture, the Apostle John invites all who have washed their robes to enter through the gate of the city to eat from the tree of life and drink from the water of life. As we eat the bread and drink the fruit of the vine from the cup, we remember Jesus. He poured out His blood that we might wash our robes and be cleansed of our sins. 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 "Come." I read from Revelation 22:12-17. All Scripture quotations are from the New Living Translation (NLT) and are used with permission.

12 “Look, I am coming soon, bringing my reward with me to repay all people according to their deeds. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”

14 Blessed are those who wash their robes. They will be permitted to enter through the gates of the city and eat the fruit from the tree of life. 15 Outside the city are the dogs—the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idol worshipers, and all who love to live a lie.

16 “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this message for the churches. I am both the source of David and the heir to his throne. I am the bright morning star.”

17 The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” Let anyone who hears this say, “Come.” Let anyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who desires drink freely from the water of life.

Revelation 22 is the last chapter of the book of Revelation. Revelation 22 is also the last chapter of the inspired writings of the Apostle John and the last chapter of the New Testament. The message of the new covenant between God and humankind is concluded. Yes, it is a time of endings for the written word, but these final words are a wellspring of hope for those who hear and heed its message, "Come!" Walk through the gates of the city; eat the fruit from the tree of life; drink freely from the water of life that flows from the throne of God. To those standing at the crossroads of life, there is an enormous crowd beckoning you to come with them. The Spirit calls. The bride of Christ, the church, calls. Anyone who reads the words of this book of revelation calls. Why believe a lie when the truth is so simple? Come! The Scriptures tell us there was a price to pay for God's magnanimous offer of eternal life in heaven with Him. A person must wash their robe; they must cleanse themselves of the dirty stains of sin. There is no whitener on Earth strong enough to cleanse these stains—only the blood of Jesus. Yes, it is a graphic scene—washing a robe in blood—but so is the death of Jesus on a cross. His blood was literally poured out for us. Washing your robe is a metaphor for believing that Jesus is the Son of God, confessing His name before the assembly, and being baptized in water for the forgiveness of your sins. We put our faith in Him. That is why God is willing to invite us to join Him in eternity. As we partake of the bread and drink the fruit of the vine from the cup, we remember Jesus and what He did for us. Jesus' outstretched arms were nailed to the cross; He bids all who believe in Him to come. 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, we long for the day when You will send Jesus to take us home. It will be a surreal moment as we eat fruit from the tree of life and drink water from the river of life in Your presence with all of our brothers and sisters in the Lord. Thank-you for loving us so much that You sent Your Son Jesus to die for us on the cross that we might live in eternity with You. As we partake of the bread and drink the fruit of the vine in the cup together this morning, we remember Jesus and His sacrifice 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!