Killed - Acts 10:34-43

Welcome to Eat This Bread Drink This Cup

The communion meditation today is based on a passage of Scripture from the New Testament, Acts 10:43-43. In this passage of Scripture, we read the first sermon preached to a Gentile, Cornelius, a Roman centurion, and are drawn to the Apostle Peter's frank language about Jesus’ death, "They killed him by hanging him on a cross." As we partake of the bread and drink the fruit of the vine from the cup, we are reminded that Jesus allowed Himself to be arrested and killed for our sakes—that is the reality of historical events. All Scripture quotations are from the New International Version (NIV) 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 "Killed." I read from Acts 10:34-43 (NIV). All Scripture quotations are from the New International Version (NIV) and are used with permission.

34 Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism 35 but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right. 36 You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. 37 You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached— 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.

39 “We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a cross, 40 but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. 41 He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. 43 All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

Up until now, the Apostle Peter has been preaching to Jewish audiences. This sermon is the first recorded sermon to the Gentiles. The Apostle Peter was sent to Cornelius, a Roman centurion, who already believed in God and as the visiting angel said, "Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God." God wanted Cornelius to hear the rest of the story first, and then for all the Gentiles to hear the good news of the gospel! The part of the sermon that caught my attention was Peter's statement, "We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a cross, but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen," and in particular, "They killed him by hanging him on a cross." If we are schooled by Paul's letters to the churches, his focus was on the purpose of Jesus death—He gave Himself; He offered Himself; He died for our sins; He became a curse for us; He redeemed us. Peter tells us what happened, they killed Him; they hung Him on a tree! Perhaps in polite society, we prefer to discuss the "why" instead of the "what," nevertheless, Jesus didn't just stop living, He was killed. All the while, His Father, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and all of heaven had to watch Him suffer and die. God is so much better than me. I freely admit I am a house-trained barbarian until someone messes with one of mine, then all bets are off, yet God endured it for our sakes. Jesus endured it for our sakes. So, when we partake of the bread and drink the fruit of the vine from the cup, we remember Jesus, the one who was killed for our sakes. 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. I am still amazed that Jesus would allow Himself to be arrested and killed so that I might have the forgiveness of sins. I am still amazed that You would ask Him to go in the first place, knowing what would happen to Him and what He meant to You. That is really some kind of love that You would give Your life for me. As we partake of the bread and drink the fruit of the vine from the cup, we remember Jesus, Your Son who was killed for our sakes. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Today, Jesus invites you to partake of His supper. I read from Matthew 26:26-28 (NIV).

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, “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you 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!