Patient Endurance

The communion meditation today comes from the New Testament, Hebrews 10: 32-39. All quotations are from the New Living Translation 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 "Patient Endurance." I read from Hebrews 10: 32-39. All quotations are from the New Living Translation 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.

The author of Hebrews is genuinely concerned that Christians might be reconsidering their commitment to Jesus. The author frankly acknowledges that just because an individual may have decided to follow Jesus in the past is no guarantee the same individual will choose to follow Him in the future. We should not be surprised by this revelation as Jesus told us the parable of the Sower from the beginning. The author is not going to sit idly by and watch this happen! The author asks believers to reflect back on the early days when they first learned about Christ, the challenges they faced, and the confident trust they had in the Lord. The author tells them what they need now is patient endurance, not retreat, surrender, and return to their old life! A Christian must be patient with themselves and others as Christ is not formed in an individual overnight. There will be successes and setbacks. The key is to accept God's grace for yourself and extend God's grace to others. A Christian must also have endurance for the race is long for the majority of us. Not hours, days, and weeks, but months, years, and decades! To the author and the Holy Spirit, our time of faith is "just a little while" until the Coming One comes for us; do not lose heart and turn away to their own destruction.

As we partake of the bread and drink from the cup, we remember our Lord Jesus Christ. He is God's sacrifice for our sins, and to walk away from Jesus is to walk away from God's remedy for sin. We need to meet together to remember Jesus and mutually encourage each other to patiently endure until the Coming One returns 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. Thank-you, Abba, Father, for sending Your Son Jesus to save us from our sins. We appreciate His example of patient endurance as He followed Your will. He is our inspiration and our strength to continue in the faith. Thank-you, Abba, Father, that You are coming in a little while to take us home just as You promised. 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!