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Please turn with me in your Bibles 
to Matthew chapter 26. Matthew chapter 26. I'll begin 
reading in verse 1. Now it came to pass when Jesus 
had finished all these sayings that He said to His disciples, 
you know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son 
of Man will be delivered up to be crucified. Then the chief 
priests, the scribes, and the elders of the people assembled 
at the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, and 
plotted to take Jesus by trickery and kill Him. They said, not 
during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people. 
And when Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, 
a woman came to Him having an alabaster flask of very costly 
fragrant oil. She poured it on His head as 
He sat at the table. But when His disciples saw it, 
they were indignant, saying, Why this waste? For this fragrant 
oil might have been sold for much and given to the poor. But 
when Jesus was aware of it, he said to them, Why do you trouble 
the woman? For she has done a good work 
for me. For you have the poor with you always, but me you do 
not have always. For in pouring this fragrant 
oil on my body, she did it for my burial. Assuredly, I say to 
you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, 
what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to 
her. Then one of the twelve, called 
Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, What are you 
willing to give me if I deliver him to you? And they counted 
out to him thirty pieces of silver. So from that time he sought opportunity 
to betray him. Now on the first day of the Feast 
of the Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus, saying 
to him, Where do you want us to prepare for you to eat the 
Passover? And he said, Go into the city 
to a certain man, and say to him, The teacher says, My time 
is at hand. I will keep the Passover at your 
house with my disciples. So the disciples did as Jesus 
had directed them, and they prepared the Passover. When evening had 
come, he sat down with the twelve. Now as they were eating, he said, 
Assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray me. And they 
were exceedingly sorrowful, and each of them began to say to 
him, Lord, is it I? He answered and said, he who 
dipped his hand with me in the dish will betray me. The son 
of man indeed goes just as it is written of him. But woe to 
that man by whom the son of man is betrayed. It would have been 
good for that man if he had not been born. Then Judas, who was 
betraying him, answered and said, Rabbi, is it I? He said to him, 
you have said it. And as they were eating, Jesus 
took bread, blessed and broke it, gave it to the disciples 
and said, Take, eat, this is my body. Then he took the cup 
and gave thanks and gave it to them, saying, Drink from it, 
all of you, for this is my blood of the new covenant, which is 
shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say to you, I 
will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until 
that day when I drink it new with you in my father's kingdom. And when they had sung a hymn, 
they went out to the Mount of Olives. Amen. Well, let us pray. Our God and our Father, we thank 
you for the written word and we pray now for the ministry 
of the Holy Spirit. We pray that He would guide us 
and lead us and direct us in our consideration of this section 
of Matthew's Gospel. How we thank you for the Lord 
Jesus Christ. How we thank you for what is 
written in this Gospel record concerning Him and His life, 
His death, His resurrection. Our God in heaven, we pray that 
you would help us as your people to worship, to praise, to adore, 
to mark ourselves as a very blessed people and to respond with thankfulness 
and gratitude to such a gracious God. For any and all who have 
come here this morning outside of Christ, we pray that today 
would be the day of salvation. May your Holy Spirit work to 
bring the conviction of sin, and to show that remedy for sin, 
even our Lord Jesus Christ, who shed His blood for the remission 
of sin. We ask that You would forgive 
us now for all transgression of Your holy law, forgive us 
for our lack of conformity unto that word, cleanse us afresh 
in the blood of the Lamb, and we pray in Jesus' most blessed 
name. Amen. Well, up to this particular 
point, our focus this morning is verses 26 to 30, the institution 
of the Lord's Supper. Up to this point in Matthew 26, 
the death of Christ has, in fact, been conspicuous. If you go back 
to the beginning of the chapter, in verses one to two, Christ 
prophesies. He makes, again, another declaration 
concerning his death. He's done this in 16, 17, 20, 
and here he repeats himself in Matthew 26, At verse 2, you know 
that after two days is the Passover and the Son of Man will be delivered 
up to be crucified. We see the conspiracy to murder 
in verses 3 to 5, again highlighting the death of our Lord Jesus. 
When we see this anointing at Bethany, Christ interprets the 
significance of this anointing in verse 12. For in pouring this 
fragrant oil on my body, she did it for my burial." Again, 
his death is central. His death is the focal point. In verses 14 to 16, of course, 
the betrayal by Judas of our Lord indicates the coming death 
of the Savior. And then when Jesus celebrates 
the Passover meal with his disciples, again, the death is conspicuous. When at that Passover, He announces 
in verse 21, "'Assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray 
Me.'" And He repeats in verse 24, "'The Son of Man indeed goes 
just as it is written of Him.'" So Christ is keeping the death 
of Christ as the central focal point with reference to the disciples. Well, here in the institution 
of the supper, he interprets that death. He theologizes, he 
explains, he indicates the significance of this death that he will undergo. Not only is that an explanation 
for what we find here in chapter 26, but it answers the question 
perhaps introduced in Matthew 121 at the naming of our Lord 
Jesus. The angel said, you shall call 
his name Jesus. For it is He who will save His 
people from their sins." Well, we see that that is attached 
or connected specifically to the shedding of the Son of Man's 
blood. In Matthew 20, verse 28, prior 
to going to Jerusalem, on the eve of entering into the city 
of Jerusalem, Jesus says, the Son of Man did not come to be 
served, but to serve and to give His life a ransom for many. So in the institution of the 
supper in verses 26 to 30, we have theological explanation, 
theological interpretation of that great redemptive act of 
God, namely the death of our Lord Jesus. So we'll look at 
verses 26 to 30 under three considerations. First, the setting of the Lord's 
Supper. Secondly, the institution of 
the Lord's Supper. And then thirdly, the conclusion 
of the Lord's Supper. But the setting is most important 
for us to recognize because it's in the context of Passover. Remember, 
Jesus has been celebrating the Passover meal with his disciples. Now at the Passover, what was 
celebrated but the exodus? And this event, the Passover, 
the institution of it, is given in Exodus 12. It precedes the 
actual act of redemption by God in bringing the people out of 
Egypt. And the same thing is true here. Christ institutes 
the supper, and He anticipates in this the coming death, the 
new Exodus, the deliverance of God's people from their bondage 
and sin. It is a particularly applicable 
setting or feast day, feast time for our Lord Jesus to institute 
the supper because redemption is celebrated at the Passover. 
What do we celebrate when we eat the bread and we drink the 
wine? We are celebrating redemption, the benefit wrought by Christ 
in his life and his death and his resurrection. We're not here 
simply to sort of encourage one another, though that takes place. 
We're not here in some sense to serve our God, but rather 
when we take the supper, it is God's service to us. Notice conspicuously in the institution, 
and we'll see this as we move along, Christ gives. It's not 
us. We do err when we treat the supper 
as our service to God. The supper is God's service to 
men, God's service to His people, Christ's nourishing His saints 
with bread and with wine. He says, take and eat, for your 
spiritual benefit and well-being. So at the time of the Passover 
feast, when redemption was the activity that is celebrated, 
it makes sense for Christ to highlight this new exodus, not 
out of Egypt, not out of that bondage, but out of the bondage 
of sin and slavery. This answers the question, How 
is it that He will save His people from their sins? Now notice, 
secondly, in terms of the institution of the supper in verses 26b to 
29. I'm going to spend most of our time here this morning. First, 
we'll note the administration of the supper. Secondly, the 
significance of the cup. And then thirdly, the anticipation 
of the future. But note in the first place, 
and this was common in the Passover meal. At the time of the Passover, 
the child in the family would ask the father or the head of 
the house, what do we mean by this service? Or what do you 
mean by this particular feast? And the father would explain. 
He'd give the significance. It wasn't just simply an empty 
rite. Well, just eat your lamb and 
your bitter herbs and shut up. No, he would explain the redemptive 
power and act of God with reference to the Exodus. And the same thing 
is going on here. Specifically, the lamb and the 
bread and the herbs and all those things would have been explained 
in terms of their significance with reference to the Passover 
feast. Christ does that. He explains the significance 
of the bread. He explains the significance 
of the cup and this for the encouragement of his disciples and certainly 
the encouragement of the church. It is a most blessed compendium 
of biblical theology that we find here in verses 26 to 29. 
But note with reference to the bread. He blesses it. It says, 
Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the 
disciples and said, take, eat, this is my body. Now the blessing 
probably sounded something like this. Blessed are you, Lord our 
God, King of the world, who bring forth bread from the earth. And 
as we note here specifically, Jesus took bread, Jesus blessed 
the bread, He broke the bread, He gave the bread to the disciples, 
and then He interprets the bread. We deduce from this that Christ 
is the one who gives this ordinance. Christ is the sovereign with 
reference to this ordinance. In other words, we are to listen 
to Christ when it comes to the sacrament of the supper. We are 
to obey Christ. And if Christ says that he gives 
these things for our benefit and well-being, then who are 
we to reject it? Who are we to resist it? As I 
was working through this particular passage and as I consider the 
fact that at times our Lord's Supper service isn't always as 
well attended as I suspect it ought to be, I wonder what is 
our problem with the gifts of God? In other words, God gives 
us the Sabbath day to rest. God gives us one day out of seven 
to come in to his presence, to meet, of course, with the people 
of God, and to praise Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. For whatever 
reason, we resist the gift of rest. For whatever reason, we 
don't cease from our daily labors. For whatever reason, we absent 
ourselves from the house of God. Well, here in the supper, God 
gives us a full course meal. Now, I realize it's a thimble 
full of wine, and it's just a little piece of bread, but it's a full 
course meal. because of what it represents, 
because it's the body and blood of Jesus, because it's our Savior 
who is spiritually nourishing us in this blessed transaction. Why would we say to God, no, 
we don't want this provision that you have given to weary 
pilgrims on the way? We have other things, better 
things, contrary things to do when the supper is served. It's 
a gift from God. It's instituted by Christ himself. And here specifically, Christ 
takes the bread that had been utilized in the Passover meal 
and he consecrates it, he sets it apart. Not in some magical 
hocus pocus sort of way, but he sets it apart from a common 
to an holy use. Notice that he distributes the 
bread to his disciples. Now, there's some question as 
to whether Judas is here or not. That's not really intrinsic to 
my point. The text is conspicuous. The 
supper is served to the disciples. It's not a converting ordinance. 
It's not an ordinance given to unbelievers. Perhaps you have 
attended our church when we've given the supper out, and Pastor 
Porter or myself will make that specific notation. If you're not a believer, please 
don't take. That's not to be unkind, it's 
not to be harsh, it's not to, you know, try to sin shame you, 
or unbelief shame you, or whatever it is they're calling it today. 
But rather it is to respect the sovereignty of Christ, and to 
follow His commandment, and to follow His pattern, to follow 
His precept, and to follow His example. He gives the bread to 
the disciples. Paul interprets this bread in 
1 Corinthians 10, 16, he calls it the communion of the body 
of Christ. It's a blessed reference or a 
blessed statement, literally the fellowship of the body of 
Christ. We commune with Christ. Certainly 
we commune with one another. We don't just, you know, go sit 
out in the parking lot and eat a thimble or eat a piece of bread 
and a thimble full of wine and somehow, no, it is a church ordinance 
to be sure, but it's the communion of the body of Christ. Now, in 
terms of the symbolism, notice what Jesus says. He takes bread, 
He blesses bread, He breaks bread, He gives the bread to His disciples, 
and He says, take, eat, this is my body. That tiny phrase 
has generated no small amount of debate and controversy in 
the church. This is my body, Christ says. I interpret it this way. This 
represents my body. I do not believe for a moment 
that the disciples would have actually believed that the bread 
he was handing to them was his actual body. I do not believe 
that they would have followed that logic or they would have 
understood the later Roman Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation. It is evident in this passage. The bread represents his body, 
and the wine represents his blood. There is no physical change, 
there is no transubstantiation, neither is there a consubstantiation, 
which we'll deal with in just a moment. But in terms of the 
image used, or in terms of the metaphor used, Christ does this 
all over the place. Remember hearing John Gerstner, 
he was sort of the mentor of R.C. Sproul, he's gone to be 
with the Savior. But when he's going on about 
this whole phrase, this is my body, it's not is in the sense 
that it has actually become, it's metaphor, it's simile, it's 
taking a live emblem, a real life thing, and giving a spiritual 
meaning to it. He says Jesus called himself 
the true vine. That doesn't mean you can pick 
grapes off of him, is what Gerstner said. Jesus called himself the 
door. That doesn't mean he had hinges 
on him, does it? We understand metaphor, we understand 
simile, and God uses such things to communicate spiritual truth 
to us. This is my body means this represents 
my body. in the language of our confession, 
which, by the way, is an excellent explanation of the Lord's Supper, 
chapter 30 in the Second London Confession of 1677 and 1689. Second London Confession, chapter 
30, paragraph 5, the outward elements in this ordinance, duly 
set apart to the uses ordained by Christ, have such relation 
to Him crucified as that truly Although in terms used figuratively, 
they are sometimes called by the name of the things they represent, 
to wit, the body and blood of Christ. So we might refer to 
the bread as the body of Christ, or the wine as the blood of Christ. The confession goes on to say, 
albeit in substance and nature, they still remain truly and only 
bread and wine as they were before. There's no change in the actual 
substance. It doesn't actually become the 
body of Jesus. It represents it. The metaphor 
is beautiful. Taken together, the bread and 
the wine. It speaks to man at his most 
basic needs. I love that beatitude in Matthew 
5. Blessed are those who hunger 
and thirst for righteousness. There's probably no more basic 
need than we have. Obviously, breathing. We're all 
dependent upon oxygen. We're all addicted to making 
our lungs take in and expel air. But food and drink, aren't we? 
I mean, when all is said and done, that's what we need. Why 
the image here? Because when all is said and 
done, this is what you need as believers. You need the nourishing 
bread of Christ's body. You need that exhilarating wine 
of Christ's blood that brings forgiveness and redemption and 
liberation, brings you out of the bondage, not of Egypt, but 
out of sin. It brings you from out of darkness 
into marvelous light. This metaphor, or these two metaphors 
in terms of the bread and wine, speak to us at our most basic 
level, our most basic needs. And Christ satisfies these things 
for us. The focus in terms of this bread, 
we learn from a parallel in 1 Corinthians 11, 24. This bread is broken 
for you. Now this bread broken for you 
symbolizes the body of Jesus broken for us. Now we don't have 
to be literalists in the sense that the Passover lamb wasn't 
broken, Christ's legs weren't broken. The idea of being beaten, 
broken, battered, bruised, bloodied for the saints of Christ and 
his death on Calvary's tree. His body was broken for you. One commentator says, the command 
to eat followed by, this is my body, implies participation in 
the death of Jesus or its effects, just as those who partook of 
Passover shared in the redemption from Egypt, so those who take 
and eat share in the benefits of Jesus' atoning death. It's 
beautiful, isn't it? Why wouldn't we make much of 
the supper? Why wouldn't we be about the supper? Why would we 
relegate it to some, you know, thing that we do once in a while 
that we just do it because Christians do it? If we understand the significance 
of the supper and we understand Christ's interpretation of the 
supper, we ought to be crying out for the supper. It's a blessed 
thing. And we are certainly to do it 
in remembrance of Christ, the parallel. In Luke's gospel, Luke 
22, 19, it says, do this in remembrance of me. It's certainly a time 
to remember Christ. Certainly we should remember 
Christ all the time, but God's good. He gives us these particular 
things so that we can, in a special way, focus and concentrate our 
mind and energies upon the Lord Jesus. We focus on his death. We remember his death. It's an 
intriguing thing. D.A. Carson makes this observation, 
and I couldn't agree more. You know, last week, was it last 
week or two weeks ago? Somebody actually drove in on 
Friday, do you have a service today? People ask you, why don't 
you have a Good Friday service? Our Good Friday service is every 
time we take the supper. God's not told us to separate 
one Friday of the year. God's told us that whenever we 
eat this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim the Lord's death. Why don't you have a celebration 
service on Easter Sunday? Because we have 52 Easter Sundays 
in the year. The Sabbath always proclaims 
he is risen. Carson makes this observation 
in his commentary. What is certain is that Jesus 
bids us commemorate not his birth, nor his life, nor his miracles, 
but his death. Now, this is a tough pill to 
swallow in our culture, especially when you say, well, you know, 
there's no command in the Bible to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Heretic, blasphemer. No, why 
don't we just do what God says in Scripture? I mean, certainly 
that's not a bad thing, is it? Why shouldn't we regulate our 
worship based on the written word of the living God? But in 
terms of what Carson says, he's right. We are called, we are 
commanded, we are told to commemorate, to remember the death of Christ. But when we compare the other 
passages, and we look specifically at Paul in 1 Corinthians 10, 
1 Corinthians 11, and what's going on there in terms of the 
supper, we learn again from our confession, it says, for the 
perpetual remembrance and showing forth the sacrifice in his death. We show it forth, we don't actually 
engage in sacrifice. You see, when we participate 
in the supper, again, it's not Romish. We're not changing the 
elements and recrucifying the Son of God in some sort of a 
non-bloody atonement to the Father. No, but we do show forth that 
sacrifice as we eat the bread and as we drink the cup. It goes 
on to highlight several of the other things that we gain by 
this ordinance. It says, showing forth the sacrifice 
in His death, confirmation of the faith of believers in all 
the benefits thereof. You say, well, how does that 
happen? It's just like it happens through the Word. The Spirit 
works in and through and by these things to confirm, to strengthen, 
to build us up, to conform us more into the image of Jesus 
and their spiritual nourishment and growth in Him. See, it's 
a benefit, it's a blessing. And brethren, in the flow of 
the Matthew 26 narrative, it must really figure primarily 
with our Lord. Think about what's happening. 
Think about what's going on. Think about what's probably going 
to happen, not probably, it's certainly going to happen within 
the space of the day of our Savior. Notice what he's not doing. He 
doesn't call his guy. We all have that guy that we 
call. I've told my wife if I get smacked 
by a car, the name of the guy is in the accordion file. Give 
him a call. Jesus doesn't do that. Jesus 
is doted on by the woman at Bethany. Jesus sits and observes the Passover 
feast with his disciples, obedient to the Father's law to the very 
end. He's not calling the guys, not 
getting his affairs in order, but rather he celebrates the 
Passover with his disciples, and from that vantage point, 
he institutes the Lord's Supper. Brethren, this must figure highly 
in the mind of the Savior. If in the shadow of the cross, 
that impending doom, that cup of God's wrath that He is going 
to empty, this is something that figures in His practice. He institutes 
the supper with His disciples as an abiding and perpetual ordinance 
for the church. We need to take it as seriously 
as our Lord Jesus takes it in this passage. But it's intriguing 
as well. Take, eat, this is my body. The 
implication is that they did, isn't it? You doubt they said, 
well, no, Lord, we're not gonna take that bread and we're not 
gonna eat that bread. John Gill makes this observation on the 
ordinance. He says, the words take, eat, 
show that Christ did not put the bread into the mouths of 
the disciples. You get that, right? Jesus didn't, 
you know, sort of treat them like they were two. You know, 
when your two-year-old says, I don't want to eat it. Do you 
as parents say, okay? If you do, you have capitulated 
to the spirit of the age. Resist that. Make them eat what 
you give them. But that'll offend their delicate 
psyche. No, it'll probably cause them 
to turn out okay. I'd argue you'll offend their 
delicate psyches by treating them as snowflakes. Don't do 
that. But Jesus didn't treat the disciples 
that way. He's not screwing broccoli into their mouths because they 
won't eat it. Gil says, the words, take, eat, show that Christ did 
not put the bread into the mouths of the disciples, but they took 
it in their hands and ate it, expressive of taking and receiving 
Christ by the hand of faith and feeding on him in a spiritual 
manner. Matthew Henry makes a similar 
comment, meat looked upon. or the dish ever so well garnished, 
will not nourish us. It must be fed upon. So must the doctrine of Christ." 
Beautiful. He institutes the ordinance, 
but He doesn't shove the elements into our mouths. He calls us 
to respond in faith. The hand of faith takes the bread, 
the hand of faith takes the wine, the hand of faith ingests those 
things concerned with our Lord's body and blood. So that's the 
bread, verse 26b. Notice the cup in verse 27. Now, 
the cup is utilized in combination or as a metaphor for death in 
Matthew 20, and it will be again in Gethsemane here later in Matthew 
26. But Jesus again gives thanks, and this prayer probably sounded 
something like this, "'Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of 
the world, who create the fruit of the vine.'" The word here 
is Eucharist. The word thanks, and oftentimes 
you'll hear the supper referred to as the Eucharist, and typically 
in a Roman Catholic communion. Now, as Protestants, we have 
a whole host of problems with that concept of the Eucharist, 
so we shy away from the word. But the word Eucharist simply 
means thanks, thanksgiving, thankfulness. I hope that every time we gather 
together to take the Lord's Supper, it is a Eucharist. that we are 
thankful for that broken body and that shed blood, that we 
are thankful for what Christ has done in terms of laying down 
His life for the sheep, in terms of saving us from our sins, in 
terms of becoming a ransom for us. I hope there is a whole heap 
of Eucharist in our hearts. But notice again, He distributes 
the bread and the wine. The Roman Catholics oftentimes 
withhold the cup. You don't see that pattern here. 
This goes back to why I said at the beginning, we need to 
follow Christ who instituted the ordinance. Christ is the 
new covenant mediator. When Christ speaks concerning 
the new covenant sacraments, both Lord's Supper and Baptism, 
we need to listen to Christ. Certainly we can learn things 
from Abraham and Moses and the brothers of old, but Christ has 
dominical authority. He has absolute lordship. They 
are ordinances, which reflects the fact they are ordained by 
Christ. And so Christ doesn't withhold 
the cup from the laity. That was common practice when 
I was a young papist, serving even in the altar, being an altar 
boy. You'd see the priests take the 
wine, sometimes they'd give it to the altar boys, but never 
to the laity. You don't find that pattern prescribed 
here. The saints of Christ get the 
body and the blood of Jesus. They get the whole meal that 
Christ has promised for their well-being. 1 Corinthians 10, 
16, the wine is the communion of the blood of Christ. Again, 
it represents, it cannot be is. Ingesting blood was a huge no-no 
for a Jewish person. And Christ's twelve, or the eleven, 
are Jews. They were forbidden from taking 
blood. And for Christ to say, this is 
the cup of blood, and them to ingest it, does not mean they 
thought it was actually His blood. Now again, those of you who are 
a bit unaware in terms of the Roman Catholic practice, you 
know, Pastor Porter and I were both brought up this way, ringing 
the bells at communion and the whole spiel. A lot of you just, 
you know, look like you're perplexed when we talk about the horrors 
of Roman Catholicism. But there are some horrors. When 
that priest consecrates, and for the priest it's not just 
setting apart from a common use unto and holy, but he's blessing 
it and changing it into the body and blood of Jesus. And when 
that priest takes that wafer or that bread and he lifts it 
up, The boy on the altar, called the altar boy, rings bells. The significance of the bell 
ringing is that the worshipers worship the bread. Do you follow? In any other context, that would 
be described as idolatry. But in terms of the sacerdotal 
or sacramental system in Roman Catholicism, which conveys the 
power upon a priest to change these physical elements into 
the true body and blood of Jesus, to lift it on high so that the 
worshippers actually worship it and then offer up again a 
sacrifice unto God, albeit unbloody, but nevertheless a sacrifice. This is why I keep stressing, 
this is my body means it represents my body. This is my blood means 
this represents my blood. These original disciples would 
have never believed that they were actually engaged in cannibalism. They would have never thought 
for a moment they were ingesting the physical body or the real 
blood of the Lord Jesus. They would have understood it 
the way that Protestants have understood it, that it represents 
And as I said earlier, it's the Roman Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation. Listen to our confession on this. 
That doctrine which maintains a change of the substance of 
bread and wine into the substance of Christ's body and blood, commonly 
called transubstantiation by consecration of a priest or by 
any other way, is repugnant. means it's really bad, not to 
scripture alone, but even to common sense and reason. Makes 
sense, doesn't it? And then it goes on to say, overthrows 
the nature of the ordinance and has been and is the cause of 
manifold superstitions, yea of gross idolatries. And I think that's absolutely 
right. You mess up on what the supper's all about, you mess 
up on what's happening in the supper, and you end up an idolater. You're gonna listen to that altar 
boy ringing them bells and worship a piece of bread. Now, the Lutherans 
are wrong because they divinize or make deity out of the flesh 
of Jesus and say that the flesh is there in, with, and by the 
elements. They don't transubstantiate, 
but they consubstantiate it so that Christ physically is present 
with the elements. Again, there's a whole host of 
problems with that particular view as well. In fact, you realize 
it was the Lord's Supper was the Lord's Supper that garnered 
the most treatment during the time of the Protestant Reformation. 
Pastor Barcelos has written a book on the Lord's Supper, More Than 
a Memory, The Supper as a Means of Grace. And he indicates there 
was more ink spilled with reference to the supper than even the doctrine 
of justification by faith. And I think we ought to take 
away from that a couple of things. First, Christology mattered at 
the Reformation. He said, what do you mean? Well, 
what we find with reference to the supper in terms of how we 
approach the bread and the wine reflects our Christology. And 
if we are Lutheran or Roman Catholic, we've got problems with our Christology 
as well. The liturgy of the church, the 
function of the church, the practice of the church was a primary concern 
at the Protestant Reformation. We are so individualized today. We are so quiet time oriented 
today. We are so let's go sit up on 
Mount Sham and worship today. Now, I'm not saying any of that's 
wrong, or any of that's bad, or any of that is wicked. In 
fact, I would encourage you to do all of those things, but not 
at the neglect of the public means of grace. Psalm 87, God 
loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwelling places 
of Jacob. That doesn't mean he hates the 
private individuals who live in the dwelling places of Jacob. 
I just despise those subdivisions. I despise those clean-cut lawns. 
I despise those people. That's not what it means. It's 
an idiom. God delights in the public assembly of the saints 
to praise His holy name. God is in the midst of Zion. God hears the songs of Zion. Paul tells us this in Ephesians 
2. Paul, if you take Pauline authorship in the book of Hebrews, 
tells us this in Hebrews 12. Worship is a glorious thing, 
and because there was so much ink spilled on these particular 
subjects in the Reformation, I think it highlights some deficiency 
in us. Religion is a private thing to 
be sure, but not at the neglect of the community, not at the 
neglect of the household, not at the neglect of Zion. Brethren, this is most important. Now notice, Jesus explains the 
significance of the cup. This doesn't mean that the bread 
and the wine are ever separate. It doesn't mean that there's 
some disjunction. You know, the bread means this, 
and the... Of course, body and blood together, but he explains 
the death. in terms of or relative to the 
cup, because as we know, the life of the flesh is in the blood. Leviticus tells us that. The 
life of the flesh is in the blood, and so the blood represents to 
us the entirety of body and blood as that which has been sacrificed. So Christ now highlights the 
significance of the cup, and this is a most blessed section 
for our consideration. Notice in verse 28, for this 
is my blood of the new covenant. That tells us it's in a covenantal 
context. This is my blood of the new covenant. If you've got a non-King James 
or a non-New King James, new is not present in your Bible. 
It's certainly present in Luke 22, and it's present in 1 Corinthians 
11. So it's present here. This is my blood, he says, of 
the new covenant. What does that tell us? Tells 
us something about the way God works, the way God operates, 
the way that God orchestrates his redemptive plan. I think 
the primary passage behind the scenes in Jesus' declaration 
here, wait for it, is Exodus 24. A past reporter read Jeremiah 
31 at the outset of worship. That is certainly behind this 
passage and we're going to go to it in just a moment. But Exodus 
24, in fact you can turn there. just to see the situation, just 
to see the parallel, just to appreciate the contrast. Exodus 24, essentially what you 
have in the book of Exodus is a three-fold movement. Chapters 
1 to 19 deal with deliverance. Chapters 20 to 24 deal with demand. 
And chapters 25 to 40 deal with dwelling. That's the movement in the book 
of Exodus. God delivers his people, God commands his people, and 
then God dwells with his people. Intriguing. The largest section 
in the book is about God's We read those sections and we 
say, wow, that seems a bit boring to hear about the construction 
of the tabernacle and all of the loops and the tenons and 
the various things that go into it. This from people that'll 
watch home show marathons and how basements were built. I just 
don't understand it. The house of God doesn't garner 
that much attention with us as it ought. What's the point in 
that long description of the beauty of God's tabernacle? I 
am Yahweh, your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt. 
And it's not only to bring you out of the land of Egypt, but 
to dwell with you. And not only to dwell with you, 
but to dwell with you in the land that I promised to give 
to your father Abraham. You've got deliverance, demand, 
and dwelling. Well, in the demand section, 
you have chapter 20, which is the central sort of constitution 
of Israel's religious life. It is the Decalogue of the Ten 
Commandments. In chapters 21 to 23, you have application of 
those Ten Commandments. In other words, how do we apply 
these general principles given to us on Sinai to life in the 
land? Then that's what 21 to 23 details. How do we function? How do we 
apply? How do we live in light of this law that we've received? 
And then in chapter 24, the covenant is ratified. The agreement with 
God. An agreement is the basic understanding 
of covenant, but it doesn't do justice to what's involved. It's 
a solemn pledge. oftentimes in blood, and we see 
that here in the Old and in the New Covenant. But it's a solemn 
testimony from God to man, and in this case, man's response. 
But notice specifically in Exodus 24 in terms of the ratification 
of the covenant. Verse 3, so Moses came and told 
the people, all the words of the Lord and all the judgments. 
And all the people answered with one voice and said, All the words 
which the Lord has said we will do. And Moses wrote all the words 
of the Lord. And he rose early in the morning 
and built an altar at the foot of the mountain and twelve pillars 
according to the twelve tribes of Israel. Then he sent young 
men of the children of Israel who offered burnt offerings and 
sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to the Lord. And Moses took 
half the blood and put it in basins, and half the blood he 
sprinkled on the altar. Then he took the book of the 
covenant and read it in the hearing of the people. And they said, 
All that the Lord has said we will do, and be obedient. And 
Moses took the blood, sprinkled it on the people, and said, This 
is the blood of the covenant which the Lord has made with 
you according to all these words." Sounds exactly like what Jesus 
does in Matthew 26. This is my blood of the new covenant. It reflects what is done in Exodus 
24. Brethren, we're not going to 
get through this whole section this morning. We're going to 
spend some time here on this covenantal context because it's important. Note some of the differences 
between that old covenant arrangement and what we find in the new covenant 
with our Lord. Look at verses 3 and 7. It says, 
all the words which the Lord has said we will do, verse 7, 
all that the Lord has said we will do and be obedient. Now, this is a noble confession. Completely misguided, completely 
wrong, absolutely crazy, but noble in light of the context. They had just received the Decalogue. They had just received detailed 
legislation on the application of the Decalogue in chapters 
21 to 23. In terms of the ratification 
of this covenant, they say, all the words which the Lord has 
said, we will do. That's man in the covenant of 
works, arrogating to himself this idea that everything's not 
bad, everything's not messed up in his heart and life. I can 
do it, I can obey. They don't get far beyond this 
before they're dancing before a golden calf and celebrating 
its redemptive power and bringing them out of the land of Egypt. 
You see, while it might have been a noble admission, it was 
misguided. It was wrong-headed. It did not 
take into consideration the sinfulness of man. It did not take into 
consideration the holiness of God. And there might be some 
of you who hear messages like these and say, wow, I need to 
fix my life. I need to correct my problems 
in my life. I just need to do a bit better 
and try a bit harder. Well, you sound like these persons 
at Sinai saying, all that the Lord has commanded we will do. 
You have forgotten sin. You have forgotten the holiness 
of God. You have forgotten the demands 
of that holy God who says, not try your best. See, God wouldn't 
be popular in society today. He wouldn't hand out participation 
trophies. The only one who gets the trophy 
is the winner, and the winner is that one who engages in perfect, 
exact, entire, and perpetual obedience to the law of the Lord. 
That's what they covenant. That's what they subscribe to. 
All that the Lord has said, we will do and be obedient. So Moses sprinkles them with 
the blood of the covenant. The Old Covenant is ratified. 
The Sinai Covenant is made. It's in action. So what happens? They break it. They violate it. 
They sin against God. They break it over and over again, 
such that the Northern Kingdom ultimately ends up being destroyed 
by the Assyrian Empire in 722 BC. Judah, you think, would learn 
from this? We're seeing our studies in 1 
Kings, Judah doesn't learn. God's promise to Judah, we'll 
keep them and preserve them, even through this non-learning 
era, but nevertheless, they didn't learn. Assyria is shut down by 
the Northern, I'm sorry, the Northern tribes are shut down 
by Assyria, Judah continues to perpetuate wickedness. What happens? God shuts them down via Babylon. 
You see, all that the Lord has said, we will do and be obedient. 
How did the book of the law end? How does Deuteronomy end? There's 
certainly passages or chapters at the end, gives us the disposition 
of Moses, gives us Moses' song and all that. The formal end 
in terms of covenant is the blessings for obedience, the curses for 
disobedience. When they swear fealty or fidelity 
to Yahweh on this setting or in this setting, they are saying 
everything Yahweh has commanded, we will do. By virtue of that, 
we will get everything God has promised. No, they won't. Now, 
Matthew does an interesting thing when he presents Jesus to us. 
I mean, he presents him as the Son of God, to be sure. He presents 
him as the Glorious One, to be sure. But Matthew also presents 
Jesus to us as Israel. See, what Israel swears to do 
at Sinai, they fail miserably. They're like Adam. Adam in the 
garden failed miserably. Israel gives it their shot. They 
fail miserably. Luke connects Jesus to Adam, 
and Matthew connects Jesus to Israel. Jesus is the Israel of 
God that does what Israel of old doesn't do. I mean, Matthew's 
gospel starts out this way. Matthew 2, out of Egypt, I have 
called my firstborn son. That's the prophet Hosea. Yes, 
it applied to Israel coming out of Egypt, but it applies to Jesus 
coming out. After that, what happens? Jesus 
passes through the water of baptism, very similar to what Israel passes 
through in terms of the Red Sea. After Jesus passes through that 
water of baptism, he's led by the Spirit into the wilderness. 
Isn't that what happened to Israel? They pass through the Red Sea. 
They get to the other side. They're in the wilderness. There 
they are tested. There they are tempted. There 
they fail over and over again. There they were supposed to learn 
the lesson. Man doesn't live by bread alone, but by every 
word that proceeds from the mouth of God. Jesus in the wilderness, 
however, passes successfully, completely, efficiently, even 
fetching that out of the book of Deuteronomy and quoting it 
to the adversary. Man shall not live by bread alone, 
but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. I submit 
that in Matthew 26, as our Lord says, this is my blood of the 
new covenant, Matthew's presentation of Christ as the true Israel 
is somewhat complete. Everything they swore to obey, 
they didn't. Now here's the blessing of the 
New Covenant. Christ did. Christ never sinned. Christ always did what pleased 
his Father. Christ, to the very end, obeys 
the law vis-a-vis having a Passover feast with his disciples. He 
doesn't just do those things because, you know, that's just 
what people do. Christ is on a mission in his life to obey 
the Father. The law must be upheld. The integrity 
of it must be maintained. The beauty of it must be magnified. And Christ does that as a public 
person. Christ swears fidelity to the 
Father and Christ obeys to the uttermost. Now, why is that good 
news for us? Because what Christ accomplishes 
is given by grace to his people. I'm not saying we can go out 
and be miserable wretches and never seek to do anything God 
says. But I am telling you, your acceptance with God is not dependent 
upon your performance. Your acceptance with God is dependent 
upon the one who said, all that the Lord has said, I will do. See what Christ is doing with 
his disciples? He is saying that what was typified 
at Sinai is fulfilled here in this cup, which is my blood of 
the new covenant. Luke, I'm sorry, Paul, 2 Corinthians 
1, verse 20 tells us, for all the promises of God in him are 
yes, and in him, amen. That's what our salvation is 
built upon. That's what our hope is built 
upon. Nothing less than Jesus' blood 
and righteousness. That's why we dare not trust 
the sweetest frame, but we wholly lean on Jesus' name. Certainly 
when Toplady tells us that we don't trust the sweetest frame, 
he also means we don't trust in our works, we don't trust 
in our accomplishments, we don't trust in our merits, we don't 
trust in our law keeping, because we don't have any. But I love 
the actual choice of words that he uses there. My hope is built 
on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness. I dare not 
trust the sweetest frame. If ever there was a line that 
is applicable to the 21st century, it is that line. Because what 
do we trust in? Well, I feel good today. I had 
a good quiet time today. Church was rewarding and fulfilling 
today. You trust that frame, it's gone 
the next day. But the blood of Jesus Christ, 
his son, cleanses us from all sin and is the basis upon which 
we are accepted by God as righteous. Now I'm not saying don't enjoy 
your sweet frames, but don't capitalize on the sweet frame 
and make them the chief point of your religion. That's a very 
important point, brethren, because sometimes we are governed by 
our sweet frames or the absence of our sweet frames. I'm not 
saying go out and pursue nasty frames. Go out and be miserable. You know, hit your thumb with 
a hammer every day and just be, you know, whining and grumbling. 
I'm not suggesting that. Seek God in the private place. 
Seek God in the public place. God in his grace and his mercy 
will cause his face to shine upon his people as God wills. 
But in the absence of that smile, we ought not to conclude the 
absence of the God of that smile. If the Bible is true and we believe 
it is, If the Bible is true and we believe it is, then everything 
it says about Christ's life and his death and his resurrection 
is true. Romans 4.25 is true. Christ was delivered up because 
of our offenses and he was raised for our justification. Romans 8.32 is true. God did not spare his own son, 
but delivered him up for us all. And if he's done that, how shall 
he not with him give us all things? In other words, brethren, if 
God sent his son to die upon the cross, if the father delivered 
him up in that context, is God going to abandon you on Thursday 
morning? So you can't judge God's presence 
by the sweet frame. Please judge God's presence by 
the written word. And you say, well, that's just the 
Charismatics and the Pentecostals, the Reformed are every bit as 
guilty. Every bit as guilty, being tossed to and fro by the 
winds of feeling, by the winds of emotion, by the winds of whatever 
that is not written in God's word. We're gonna celebrate, 
well, I don't know if we are personally, but this year is 
the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther, that instance where he 
nailed those 95 theses on the castle door there. Luther was 
an interesting fellow, very colorful fellow. He was certainly not 
a perfect fellow. That's why I think he appreciated 
the doctrine of justification by faith alone. One of the things 
Martin Luther said that I think ought to be etched in every believer's 
heart and mind. I can't bind your conscience 
with that. I can bind your conscience with 
1 John 1.9. You should memorize 1 John 1.9. I can suggest that 
you get Martin Luther's quip in your mind. Feelings come and 
feelings go, but feelings are deceiving. My warrant is the 
word of God. None else is worth believing. That's a bit of a off the beaten 
path, but now let's bring it back. We can do this, we can 
believe this, we can have confidence in this, not because it's us, 
but because it's Christ. Our hope is built on nothing 
less than Jesus' blood and righteousness. These men at the base of Sinai 
would have had to say, our hope is built on nothing less than 
our performance and our obedience. That was the terms in that old 
covenant arrangement. You say, well, why did God allow 
that? It was for a purpose. God had his reasons. We don't 
have time to develop all of that right now, but one of the reasons 
was to show them their need for Jesus. The law served as a pedagogue. The law served as a child tutor. 
That old covenant arrangement pushed them forward to Christ. But you see, brethren, what we 
have in Matthew 26, 28, in the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
this is my blood of the new covenant, summarizes that concept or summarizes 
that blessed fulfillment, what was typified there in Sinai on 
the mouths of those Israelites is fulfilled here by this Israelite. A second passage I've already 
mentioned, Pastor Porter read it at the outset of worship, 
is Jeremiah 31. You can turn there. It's to appreciate 
this covenantal context or this covenantal background for what 
this cup of Christ's blood represents. Again, not is, but represents. 
We can say is, actually. It is. But by that I don't mean 
the physical, actual fluid. Notice in Jeremiah 31, 31. Behold, 
the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new 
covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. 
Now, some would dispensationalize this and put it way off into 
our future. The author to the Hebrews applies 
it to the church in Hebrews 8 and 10. House of Israel, house of 
Judah is the language, the convention at that time pointing forward 
to the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. So behold, the days are 
coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the 
house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not according 
to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that 
I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt. 
That's that Exodus 24 thing we just saw. Remember, the Bible's 
a unity, the Bible's a whole, the Bible is a consistent body 
of literature. And this is the covenant that's 
in view, not according to the covenant that I made with their 
fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them 
out of the land of Egypt. My covenant... Now notice, which 
they broke. It's not surprising they broke 
it based on the doctrine of total depravity and total inability, 
right? We as Calvinists are reformed people and go, I don't know how 
they ever broke that. Have you ever looked at the law? 
Have you ever reflected upon your own wretched heart? Have 
you ever for 20 seconds actually done what God says? Vis a vis, 
love to God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, love 
to your neighbor as yourself. I mean, if you've gotten two 
seconds of that in your life, I'd be pretty amazed. And I'm 
not a pessimist. My wife says, you're such a pessimist. 
I like to think of myself as a realist. I'm probably not a 
half full cup kind of guy, but I don't think I'm necessarily 
a half cup empty kind of guy. I'm a realist. Imagine every 
optimist and pessimist says the same thing, so. Doesn't surprise 
us they broke it, does it? But this is a feature of the 
old covenant that is not duplicated in the new covenant, which they 
broke. Can we break the new covenant? Can one for whom Jesus died be 
finally lost? Can that precious blood cleanse 
a guilty, vile, helpless sinner and they end up in hell? Absolutely 
not. This is a distinctive feature 
that is a difference between the Sinai and the new covenant, 
which they broke. We might say in the New Covenant, 
which they cannot break because it's grounded upon and founded 
in the Israel of God, Jesus, who did everything that was given 
to him. It's one of the reasons why we 
cannot understand apostasy passages the way, and I mean this in respect 
to some of our paedo-baptist brethren. If somebody's actually 
in the New Covenant, then they are privy to all the benefits 
that are specified here in Jeremiah 31, 31 to 34. To suggest that they're in and 
then they're out is to reflect the Sinai covenant, which they 
broke. Isn't the blessed teaching of 
the New Covenant, for those of us who are in, you can't break 
it? Because we would, wouldn't we? Wouldn't we? Well, not me, 
Pastor. Sure you would. The moment you 
didn't love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. 
The moment you didn't love your neighbor as yourself. The beauty 
is that it cannot be broken because it's grounded in the finished 
work of our Lord Jesus Christ. So my covenant which they broke, 
though I was a husband to them, says the Lord. But this is the 
covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those 
days, says the Lord. I will put my law on their minds 
and write it on their hearts. I will be their God. They shall 
be my people. No more shall every man teach his neighbor and every 
man his brother, saying, No, the Lord, for they all shall 
know me from the least of them to the greatest of them, says 
the Lord, for I will forgive their iniquity and their sin. 
I will remember no more. I hope that this aspect or this 
idea or this part of or this benefit or virtue of the New 
Covenant is one of your favorites. When Jesus says, this is my blood 
of the New Covenant, which is shed for many for the remission 
of sins, when he there basically reflects what the prophet Jeremiah 
has written, what the prophet Jeremiah has prophesied, what 
the prophet Jeremiah has declared, I hope it thrills our hearts. My sin, oh, the bliss of this 
glorious thought, my sin, not in part, but the whole, is nailed 
to the cross, and I bear it no more. Praise the Lord. Praise 
the Lord. The significance of the cup is 
seen in its covenantal context. Jesus Christ is the antitype. Jesus Christ is the true Israel 
of God. Jesus Christ successfully obeys 
all that the Father had given him, and he dies as a substitute 
and a sacrifice at Calvary. We'll see more of that as we 
move through the passage, God willing, next week. But Jesus 
fulfills all the promises of God. They are yea and amen in 
him. That's the significance of his 
statement in verse 28 in terms of the covenant. For this is 
my blood of the new covenant. And if you think, wow, this just 
seems like a stretch, this is precisely how the apostle applies 
it in Hebrews chapter nine. At verse 15, he says, and for 
this reason, Christ is the mediator. of the New Covenant, by means 
of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the 
First Covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise 
of the eternal inheritance. For where there is a testament, 
there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. 
For a testament is in force after men are dead, since it has no 
power at all while the testator lives. Therefore, not even the 
first covenant was dedicated without blood. For when Moses 
had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, 
he took the blood of calves and goats with water, scarlet wool, 
and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, 
saying, This is the blood of the covenant which God has commanded 
you. Then likewise he sprinkled with 
blood both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry. 
And according to the law, almost all things are purified with 
blood. And without shedding of blood, 
there is no remission. And that seems as good a place 
as any to conclude the exposition on this final observation. Listen to the emphasis there 
in Hebrews 9. Without the shedding of blood, 
there is no remission. In other words, if you are in 
your sins, the way to get out of your sins is not by your performance. The way to get out of your sins 
is not by memorizing a few passages of Scripture. The only way to 
get out of your sins is through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, 
that perfect sacrifice, that one who is speaking of himself 
in this passage, for this is my blood of the new covenant. 
The Bible is crystal clear on this reality. Without the shedding 
of blood, there is no remission. The one who has shed his blood 
is the perfect Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. 
And the way these benefits are received are by faith. It's faith. There's an interesting 
parallel in John 6, when Jesus feeds the multitude with bread. 
And then he discourses about the significance of that situation. And he says, you need to eat 
my flesh and drink my blood. I read a quote, a man said, if 
you ask me if John 6 is about the Eucharist, I'll say no. But 
I'll also have to say, when I want to see the significance of the 
Eucharist, John 6 does it. What's Jesus mean by eat my flesh 
and drink my blood? You can turn there. John six, 
wrapping up. John chapter six. Look at verse 53. Jesus said 
to them, Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh 
of the son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 
Again, I'm not suggesting that this is a Lord's Supper institution 
passage. I'm not suggesting that Christ 
here is teaching the church, the disciples about, you know, 
what we will call the Lord's Supper later on. But when we 
consider the supper and the significance of the bread, and we consider 
the significance of the wine, and we consider this eating and 
this drinking and this whole idea, this is a helpful place 
to kind of go and get educated, get informed, get instructed. 
Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the 
Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever 
eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will 
raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is food indeed, 
and my blood is drink indeed. He who eats my flesh and drinks 
my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent 
me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on me 
will live because of me. This is the bread which came 
down from heaven. Not as your fathers ate the manna 
and are dead. He who eats this bread will live 
forever." You see his emphasis. You need to eat the bread. You 
need to drink the blood. You need to ingest Christ. Now, 
are we to suppose that here he is, abandoning this whole, this 
represents thing, and is actually teaching people they need to 
bite him in order to gain redemptive benefit. Brethren, this is a 
metaphor to explain verse 40. Remember, he's just fed them 
with bread. They've just eaten. They've just 
gotten their bellies full. What better metaphor to present 
to them faith in Christ than eating his flesh and drinking 
his blood? He's not telling them, you need to actually eat my body 
and drink my blood. He's using a metaphor towards 
people that now have full bellies full of bread. And this metaphor 
explains the clarity of 640. And this is the will of Him who 
sent me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may 
have everlasting life, and I will raise Him up at the last day. That's how you escape your sin. everyone who sees the Son and 
believes in Him. So I will end by saying what 
we try and say every Sunday, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. 
And you say, well, that can't mean me. But Jesus says, this 
is the will of God that everyone who sees the Son and believes 
in Him will have everlasting life. Is God going to be angry 
at you because you do the will of God? Is God going to be angry 
at you because you flee to the Savior? Is God going to be angry 
at you because in the preaching, as imperfect as it's been, the 
Spirit has worked, presented Christ to you, you've seen Him, 
you've seen Him in His doctrine, you've seen Him in His Word, 
and now you believe in Him? That's the will of God. Let us pray. Our Father, we thank 
you for your word and we thank you for this section on the supper. I pray that you would help us 
to have a proper and a biblical view of it. Help us, God, to 
celebrate it in a way that brings glory to you and good to our 
souls. Thank you that you give it to 
us. It's not our service to God, but God's gift to us. help us 
to receive it as such. And for any and all here who 
have not seen and believed the Son, we pray that by your grace 
and by the power of your Holy Spirit, today would indeed be 
the day of salvation, that sinners would look and live and know 
the joy of being found in that one who did all that the Father 
commanded, who died in the place of sinners as a sacrifice and 
a substitute, and who was raised the third day and now sits enthroned 
at the right hand of the majesty of God on high. We ask that you 
would continue with us in this day, help us at our lunch tables 
to bring glory to you as we eat and drink, bring us together 
tonight where we can again worship you in public, for God does love 
the gates of Zion, and we praise you for that. Go with us now, 
we pray, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Well, why don't 
we close by singing the Doctrine