The world-wide Church has observed a similar observance for 2,000 years but has failed to observe the Lord’s Supper. I’ve made this point numerous times but it is so very important, it bears repeating. The question is: when did Jesus become Lord? In Philippians 2 is where we learn that it was the Father who gave to Jesus the “name above all other names” at His resurrection. I might ask: who had this name before Jesus’ resurrection?
Of course, the answer is the Father. The Father God was Lord of the old covenant. So what we have in the second chapter of Philippians is a picture of the hand off of power and authority from the old covenant to the new covenant and in Matthew 28, Jesus says, “All power has been given me in heaven and in earth.” Jesus said, “This cup is the new testament in my blood.” The word, testament, is a synonym of the word covenant.
If Jesus’ intent was to institute the Lord’s Supper, one might think He is a little ahead of Himself. We know the new covenant was not enacted on the cross because the book of Hebrews tells us that Jesus, after the resurrection, entered into a heavenly tabernacle with His blood to cleanse the tabernacle and set it aside for the heavenly service for which it was intended. It was by sprinkling His blood over the furniture of the heavenly tabernacle that the new covenant was enacted and ratified. Thus we live in the new covenant age but Jesus died on the cross in the old covenant age.
This truth is supported by Jesus’ behavior with Mary at the tomb. Just after the resurrection, Mary stands at the tomb weeping and she hears a voice saying to her, “Why do you weep and are sad?” As she turns, her eyes full of tears, and supposing this man to be the gardener, she says, “Tell me where you have laid Him.” It was not until Jesus called her name that she recognized Jesus but before she could fling herself on Him, He said, “Wait, don’t touch me, for I have not yet ascended to my Father.”
Jesus’ blood was not poured out at the cross. All of His wounds were superficial. Jesus certainly bled from the many wounds He suffered but none were sufficient to cause Him to “bleed out.” They were specifically inflicted to cause maximum pain but not death. When He stood before Mary, His blood was once again coursing through His veins because He had not yet become the Lamb before the slaughter. This happened in heaven as the Father lovingly held Jesus as the Lamb of God and slowly drew a knife across His neck. and caught His blood in a bowl, as His heart pumped it all out. Jesus then took His blood to sprinkle it over the tabernacle to ratify the new covenant. When He instituted the Lord’s Supper on that fateful night, He was looking beyond the cross as is stated in Hebrews 12:2, “Who for the joy set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame.”
Again, Jesus’ body was not broken on the cross. Psalm 34:20 states, “Not one of His bones shall be broken,” and John makes note of this prophecy in John 19:33. If Jesus’ body was broken, and Jesus said it would be, it was not broken on the cross. The sacrament Jesus instituted on the night He was betrayed has nothing to do with His suffering and death on the cross. The Lord’s Supper commemorates a completely different event.
Again, Jesus was not Lord on the night He was betrayed. He was the Christ, the Saviour, and the Son of Man, but He was not Lord. In fact, the Lord’s Supper would be called the last supper of the Christ if it was a memorial of the death of the Christ. However, even though Jesus died as a man under the authority of the old covenant law to redeem mankind from the law, His purpose was to enact a new covenant with all mankind. He died under the law to fulfill the law so that He could enact a new covenant. This was the “joy set before Him.”
A fulfilled contract goes out of force; it loses all authority. Jesus lived His life up to the standards set by the law then died as one guilty of transgressing the whole law. Since the old covenant was fulfilled, the benefits of Jesus’ suffering and death were rolled into the new covenant. O.K., this is all well and good, but how does it apply to Christians living in the new covenant age? For this answer we need to take an in depth look at covenants.
The word, covenant, is another word for contract. A contract is a legal binding agreement between two individuals or parties, usually containing binding statutes or laws and statements of purpose. We sign contracts with builders which require the builder to perform certain services for certain payment. We sign contracts with television providers which state the provider will supply certain services for certain monetary gain and on and on. Most of modern humanity is somewhat familiar with contract terminology.
A covenant is no different. Take the old covenant for instance. The Father promised to be the Israelites God, with all the benefits of such a relationship, if they would abstain from certain behavior. This behavior was spelled out specifically by the covenant and the services God would provide the Israelites were likewise enumerated in the contract. Neither party was obligated to perform more than the contract required.
So when Jesus said, “This cup is the new testament in my blood,” the word, testament, is just another word for contract. Jesus fulfilled the contract the Father had with the Jews and drew up and ratified a new covenant with the entire human race. The Lord’s Supper is a commemoration of the new covenant event, while Jesus’ death on the cross fulfilled the old covenant.
Again, if you enter into contract with someone to perform a certain service to you, once the service has been performed and payment made, the contract goes out of force. Jesus paid the price for sin as enumerated by the Father in His contract in full, thus fulfilling the contract. The power and authority to draw up a contract with humanity was then handed off by the Father to Jesus, which is the title and authority of Lord, and Jesus drew up a new covenant with mankind.
Each contract has its own set of requirements for staying “in contract” and the new covenant is no different. Let me explain. The builder is only obligated to perform His services if the entity entered into contract with performs its services. The television provider will not provide television services to someone who does not pay for those services. The person who fails to perform that which is required is said to be in breach of the contract.
So Jesus’ new covenant was drawn up with the whole human race but the status of the whole human race was changed by Jesus’ death on the cross. In 1John 2:2, we read, “My little children, these things I write unto you that you sin not. And if you sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: and He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for our sins alone, but also for the sins of the entire world.” “Sin,” is “a breach of the covenant, disobedience of the covenants commandments.”
Now, there are two covenants. If we sin against the new covenant we have an advocate with the Father. Jesus has already propitiated His righteousness over our sins against the old covenant and stands ready to forgive our sins against the new covenant if we repent of disobedience.
The word, propitiate, means, to cover. Before Jesus came, mankind had an adversarial relationship with God. We were His adversaries because our definition of righteousness is different from His. Jesus covered over sin as defined by the old covenant law with His righteousness, making us friends with God. Jesus’ death on the cross was not just applied to those who come to Him in faith, however; it was applied to the whole human race. All of humanity has become sons of God because of Jesus’ death on the cross, thus, the new covenant was drafted and ratified with sons of God.
To support this idea we will look at Hebrews 12:7 and 8. “If you endure chastening (for disobedience), God deals with you as sons; for what son is he whom the Father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening, whereof all are partakers, then you are bastards and not sons.” If all have become partakers of God’s chastening, then all have become sons. We see this also in the world around us. Christians are not separate in God’s eyes from those who have not accepted Jesus’ death on the cross for sin. Sinner and saint are treated equal.
Walk in any doctor’s office or hospital and you will find Christians and those who have never professed a belief in Christ suffering equally with the same maladies. Any tragedy or disaster treats all men as equals, regardless of their faith, yet both the old and new covenant promises healing and health and safety and protection.
While the Father instituted the old covenant with the Nation of Israel, Jesus instituted the new covenant with the sons of God. Therefore it is not enough to believe Jesus died for you on the cross because each covenant has requirements. Jesus’ requirements for being “in covenant” are found in Acts 1:4, 5 and 8 (Matthew 28).
The first commandment of the new covenant is to wait for a baptism with the Holy Spirit, the second is to preach the gospel of the new covenant, and the third is to disciple converts in new covenant doctrine. The word, baptize, means, to saturate. Jesus said, “If you believe on me, rivers of the Holy Spirit will flow out of your bellies (John 7:37-39). This is because those who want to be “in covenant” with Jesus will daily saturate themselves with the Holy Spirit. This saturation occurs as the gift of tongues pours out of your mouth.
O.K., now that we understand covenants, we can understand the purpose of the Lord’s Supper. Jesus said, “This do in remembrance of me.” Now in that Jesus is the author of the new covenant, we have to believe it is the new covenant that we should constantly be mindful of. The point of saturation is difficult to establish. Paul said, “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” for this very reason. It is difficult to ascertain when you are saturated. Therefore one must be on guard constantly to remain saturated and constantly remind themselves Jesus’ blood is sprinkled over the new covenant tabernacle to wash sins against new covenant law away and that sins against old covenant law are already propitiated.
The presence of Jesus’ blood should remind us there is forgiveness if we repent. There truly is no condemnation if you are in Christ Jesus and walk not after the flesh. As long as you attempt saturation and are mindful to saturate, obeying Jesus’ commandments with all your heart, Jesus makes up the difference for you with His blood and you are in covenant with Jesus. The old covenant commandments are not applicable because it was fulfilled by Jesus and His fulfillment was applied to the whole human race.
The promise of the new covenant is eternal life. Hebrews 5:9 states: “He gives eternal life to all who obey Him.” So you see, it is not enough to believe Jesus died for your sins. The old covenant was fulfilled by Jesus and a fulfilled contract goes out of power. The benefits of Jesus’ death as a man were rolled into the new covenant and Jesus’ death under old covenant law was applied to the whole human race, making all of humanity sons of God. God now requires obedience of Jesus’ commandments from all humanity in order to receive the benefits of the covenant, including eternal life, and disciplines, chastises, and scourges all humanity for disobedience equally.
Hebrews 12:6 uses the words, chastises and scourges. A scourge, is a multi-pronged instrument used to inflict great pain and the word also denotes the use of said instrument. God is not slack concerning the promise of eternal life. He uses chastisement, discipline, and the scourge to motivate toward obedience. The Lord’s Supper is there to remind us what the Lord requires of us in order to inherit everlasting life, lest any of us forget, and that we have an advocate with the Father and forgiveness if repentance is exercised.
Consider Paul’s treatment of the subject from 1Corinthians 11. Paul’s first words are: “For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup you do show the Lord’s death till He come.” Now the Lord did not die on the cross; the Christ did, so Paul is not talking about Jesus’ death on the cross. He is talking about Jesus’ blood being poured out in heaven. Moreover, it is not the Christ who is returning; it is not the one who laid aside His power and glory. Jesus will return in great power and glory. It is the Lord who is returning.
Paul continues, “Wherefore whosoever shall eat of this bread and drink of this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.” Again, the point is: Are we living our lives worthy of the Lord, not the Christ. To live worthy of the Lord is to keep the Lord’s commandments. It is the sacrifice of the Lord we need to concern ourselves with. If we concern ourselves with the sacrifice of the Christ, we will live unworthy of the Lord.
Let me remind you, there are two covenants, two contracts between God and man. The old covenant was made between the Father and the Nation of Israel but the Father gave Jesus the authority to establish a new covenant upon His resurrection. Jesus died on the cross under the old covenant’s authority but His death in heaven was to enact the new covenant’s authority. The question is: Which covenant do you want to be part of?
Paul continues, “But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eats and drinks unworthily, eats and drinks damnation to himself, because he does not discern the Lord’s body. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.” The world of humanity will be condemned for failure to keep the commandments of the Lord. The Church, all of Christianity, will likewise be condemned if they fail to keep Jesus’ commandments.
Again, according to Hebrews 12, all humanity is subject to discipline, chastisement, and scourging for disobedience of the Lord’s commandments. This discipline, chastisement, and scourging is manifest as sickness and disease. Christians are in double jeopardy however because if they fail to discern the Lord’s body and still receive communion, they receive unto themselves damnation, which is different from chastisement. The chastening of the Lord is to correct behavior that leads to death but damnation is judgment with sentencing.
Once again, it is the Lord’s body we need to discern; it is the new covenant we must remind ourselves of. While it is true the son of man died on the cross, the Son of God died in heaven and it is the Lord we are commemorating. Again, it is not the Christ’s body we need to discern; we are not commemorating the death of the Christ. The Lord’s body is the bloodless body of flesh Jesus exists in today. It represents the authority of the new covenant. If you fail to discern the authority of the new covenant, you will fail to keep Jesus’ commandments.
Now, there’s another piece of this puzzle. All of these words, covenant, contract, and testament are all synonyms of the word, will. A will is a contract written up to convey an estate upon death. The New Testament speaks of Christians obtaining an inheritance through Jesus’ death and makes the point that before an estate can be bequeathed, the one who owns the estate must die.
Jesus was 100% human but He had the blood of divinity coursing through His veins. In order for mankind to inherit eternal life, the Son of God must die. Now the word, death, may not mean what you think it does. It literally means to be separated. Jesus was separated from life on earth when His spirit was separated from His body on the cross. From His last words it is clear He was separated from His Father, but He experienced another death when His blood was separated from His body in heaven. This is also when His body was broken. The word broken means to no longer be in working order. Mankind’s body enjoys a codependent relationship with its blood. Once the blood is removed, the body no longer exists in working order. It is broken.
Jesus died multiple times; therefore, He left multiple estates. When He was separated from His body on the cross, He was separated from His righteousness, which was gained in life by living as His Father intended. His righteousness was then applied to the entire human race as an inheritance through propitiation. This is the righteousness of the Son of God, which made all men sons of God. However, when Jesus’ blood was separated from His body in heaven, to be sprinkled over the tabernacle in heaven, another estate was established and it is bequeathed by the risen Lord to those who obey His commandments.
Thus, Hebrews 5:7-9 states: “Who in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard in that He feared; though He were a Son yet learned He obedience by the things that He suffered; and being made perfect, He became the author of eternal salvation to all that obey Him.”
Jesus ratified the new covenant with its three commandments; they are uniquely Jesus’ commandments, when His blood was poured out in heaven and sprinkled over the new covenant tabernacle. Hebrews 5:7 begins by saying Jesus was a man just like you and I, and even goes so far as to say He was a Son of God. His experience being the same and being thus taught the experience of humanity by what He suffered, He became the perfect author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him. Jesus bequeaths the estate of the Son of God with perfect mercy; having been a man Himself.
This brings me back to the parable Jesus taught in Matthew 21:28-32. A man had two sons, he came to the first to say, Go work in the vineyard, and the boy said, no, absolutely not, but he went out to work anyway. The man then came to the second son and said the same thing and the boy said, Yes sir, but he didn’t go. Both boys were sons but only one would inherit the vineyard.
Jesus made the whole human race sons of God when He gave it His righteousness, the righteousness of a Son of God, but only the obedient will inherit eternal life. The power and authority to rule and reign with Christ will be inherited by the obedient. Again, Jesus provides the righteousness of the old covenant law through propitiation. Only the new covenant commandments need to be kept.
The Lord’s Supper commemorates the death of the Lord as stated by Paul in 1Corinthians 11:26: “For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup you do show the Lord’s death till He come.” Contrast this with the statements made at most all observances of the Lord’s Supper in churches today. Most will say, “Body of Christ, broken for you; blood of Christ, shed for you,” but Paul uses the title, Lord, instead of the title, Christ. Paul is speaking of an entirely different event.
The Christ died on the cross under the old covenant law but the Lord died in heaven to ratify the new covenant. In theory, you could observe the last supper of the Christ and the Lord’s Supper as separate events but the sacrament Jesus established just before His death on the cross is the Lord’s Supper, commemorating the death of the Lord and the establishment of the new covenant. The benefits of Jesus’ death as a man were rolled into the new covenant because Jesus fulfilled the old covenant and a fulfilled covenant goes out of force. There are no benefits to observing the last supper of the Christ. Eternal life is gained by observance of the new covenant.
The reason there is so much sickness and disease in the church is because Christians are trying to keep the Ten Commandments while clothed with Jesus’ righteousness. This is offensive to the Christ. They live in the new covenant age but ignore the new covenant commandments. This is offensive to the Lord. Christians are repenting of the wrong sins.