The remembrance God requires is of the highest order. Remember it!
1 Corinthians 11:24-25 – And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.
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Yesterday in our series on Things to Remember, I wrote about taking the bread in Communion “in remembrance” of Jesus. Today I write from that same Text for Today, but concerning the cup of Christ’s blood which is also to be taken “in remembrance” of Jesus.
Now, we know the cup represents the blood of Jesus that was shed in His prayer in the garden of Gethsemane, in the beating He took from the Romans, from the smiting in His face, from the ripping out of His beard, from the crown of thorns on His head, from the re-opening of wounds when His garment was ripped from His body, from the spikes in His hand and His feet, and from the piercing of His side after His death. So often when we think of the shed blood of Jesus, we don’t remember the total picture. We MUST NEVER FORGET what He suffered for us. When we receive the cup of Communion, we should remember His shedding of blood in all these arenas.
Also, in our remembrance of Jesus, we should recognize more fully what His shed blood means for us. First, and foremost, I believe, is the shedding of His blood for the remission of our sins. It is the blood of Jesus that washes away all sin, making it possible for us to be righteous and bold as sons of God without spot or blemish. Never discount the ability of the blood of Jesus to cleanse from sin. But more is required than cleansing from sin. Secondly, the shedding of His blood also opened a new and living way through the veil of the flesh that we can come boldly before the throne of grace to obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Third, the life of the flesh is in the blood. So, because we have been washed in the blood, and the blood of Jesus now flows in us, His live is in us, making it possible for Holy Spirit to quicken even our mortal bodies. And fourth, the blood speaks. If ever there was a time when believers need to hear the voice of the blood speaking of “better things,” it is this hour. When we partake of Communion, we need to be mindful of all these things, “in remembrance” of Jesus.
Manna for Today – Psalm 118; Deuteronomy 8:18; Genesis 9:5; 1 Chronicles 16:12; Psalm 77:6-11; Proverbs 4:20-23; Isaiah 43:26; 1 Corinthians 11:17-34; Philippians 2:1-11; Romans 12:1-2; Leviticus 17:11; Hebrews 12:24
My Second Miler by Dr. Beechard Moorefield 