God Is Revealed

Welcome to the Eat This Bread Drink This Cup podcast. The communion meditation today is based on a passage of Scripture from the New Testament, Luke 10: 21-24. 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 "God Is Revealed." I read from Luke 10: 21-24. All quotations are from the New Living Translation and are used with permission.

21 At that same time Jesus was filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit, and he said, “O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike. Yes, Father, it pleased you to do it this way.

22 “My Father has entrusted everything to me. No one truly knows the Son except the Father, and no one truly knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”

23 Then when they were alone, he turned to the disciples and said, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you have seen. 24 I tell you, many prophets and kings longed to see what you see, but they didn’t see it. And they longed to hear what you hear, but they didn’t hear it.”

Jesus was right when He said, "No one truly knows the Son except the Father, and no one truly knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him." As we read in this passage of Scripture, Jesus is filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit. He is filled with joy because the seventy-two disciples He sent to heal the sick and declare, "The Kingdom of God is near you now," have returned joyful and triumphant. They tell Him, "Lord, even the demons obey us when we use your name!" Through their childlike faith, they have seen with their eyes and heard with their ears what the wise and clever have rejected, and they want to share it with others! Jesus rejoices to see His Father's plan come to fruition. The revelation of the nature of God and His plan for humankind is available to all who were willing to receive it—through His word and the words of His disciples who would follow Him. At the culmination of His ministry, Jesus reveals the nature of God in one final act. He offers His life on the cross. There we witness the justice of God and the mercy of God. The penalty for sin must be paid, yet He was willing for Jesus to offer Himself in our place. Through faith in Him, we can have the forgiveness of our sins. By His resurrection from the dead, we, too, can conquer death and live forever with Him. He did not abandon His children whom He created; instead, He saved us. Indeed, God is revealed. As we assemble to partake of the bread and drink from the cup, we remember Jesus and the price He paid for redemption. 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 to us that we might know You. He did not come simply to inform us but to demonstrate who You are by offering His life on the cross to save us. We read in the Scriptures about the agony He suffered on the cross and we remember just now what He suffered for us. Oh, how You love us, dear God. 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!