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DEVOTION//The power of Lord's Supper

DEVOTION//The power of Lord's Supper

Devotions, Blog

The Lord Jesus, on the night when he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”  In the same way, after the meal, he also took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new testament in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me” (1 Corinthians 11:23-25).

A true miracle happens at Lord's Supper. The infinite, eternally ruling Savior of the world physically touches those who come to his Table. With that touch he assures of forgiveness and adoption, and he gives peace, hope, and joy.

Blood that makes us fire-breathing lions

John Chrysostom (c. 349 – 407) was an influential early church father. He described Lord’s Supper this way:

Let us then return from [the Communion] table like lions breathing fire, having become terrible to the devil; thinking on our Head [Christ] and on the love that He has shown for us.…

Our Lord says: “I feed you with my own flesh, desiring that you all be nobly born, and holding forth good hopes for your future.… I have willed to become your brother. For your sake, I shared in flesh and blood, and, in turn, I give you the flesh and the blood by which I became your kinsman.”

This blood causes the image of our king to be fresh within us. It produces beauty unspeakable and prevents the nobleness of our souls from wasting away.… It nourishes our souls and works in them a mighty power.

This blood, if rightly taken, drives away devils, and keeps them far from us, while it calls the angels and the Lord of angels to us. For wherever they see the Lord’s blood, devils flee and angels run together.

Blood greater than Temple sacrifices

This blood poured forth and washed all the world clean.  [The  holy writer] uttered many wise sayings concerning it in the Epistle to the Hebrews.

  • This blood cleansed the secret place and the Holy of Holies. And if the type of this blood had such great power in the temple of the Hebrews, and in the midst of Egypt, when smeared on the doorposts, much more the reality!

  • The type sanctified the golden altar. Without it [the blood of the sacrifices], the high priest dared not enter into the secret place. It even consecrated priests.

  • It cleansed sins [in the Old Testament]. But if the blood [of the sacrifices] was but a type and had such power, if death so shuddered at the shadow, tell me how would it not have dreaded the very reality?

  • The blood [of Christ] is the salvation of our souls. By it the soul is washed, is beautiful, and is inflamed! This blood causes our understanding to be more bright than fire and our soul more beaming than gold.

This blood was poured forth and opened heaven.