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I think finally, our sanctification being complete; we get to see the face of our Savior and the Father. We finally get to fellowship with them forever. What a blessing!

The banquet is fulfilled when the redeemed in Christ are in His and the Father’s presence fellowshipping together for eternity. One can only think that this will be unspeakable beyond words, no more sin, or spiritual warfare, a glorious body that won’t decay, living in the supernatural, makes me wonder what else God has next on His agenda after all this takes place.

It points to the past as a reminder of the death of Christ for our sins, to the present as communion with Him alive and in the spirit, and to the future as a promise of eternal life with Him.

Eating the Bread of Life nourishes our faith, our spirit, and our belief in Christ. When we partake in the Lords Supper, we remember that He died for our sins, that He was the sacrificial lamb sent by God our Father to atone for our sins, we remember the suffering He endured on our behalf. And, we remember God’s Spirit that raised Him from the dead is the same Spirit that gives us spiritual life and will raise us as well.

Jesus emphasizes strongly believing because we must believe in Him and that through Him there is everlasting life, you must believe it to have it. The twelve disciples knew and believed that Jesus was the Son of the true living God; those who did not turned away. True disciples continue to abide in Jesus, they hold to His teachings, they know the truth and obey, and are set free from sin and death.

Jesus emphasizes strongly believing because we must believe in Him and that through Him there is everlasting life, you must believe it to have it. The twelve disciples knew and believed that Jesus was the Son of the true living God; those who did not turned away. True disciples continue to abide in Jesus, they hold to His teachings, they know the truth and obey, and are set free.

Question 3.

Eating the Bread of Life in practical terms means believing in Jesus, not just nibbling a little bit at a time but actually partaking in a full meal by staying in relationship with Him, reading, and studying the bible on a daily basis.

Christ only has one body. Meaning, all the different denominations should be one in Him. There should be no divisions within denominations and the traditions should not have strayed from what Jesus did when He walked this earth. The various denominations are “man-made” and this opens the doors to created differences (that should not be) within the body of Christ. Even still, this should not hinder our love and concern for believers of any denomination. We use the differences as an excuse not to love one another…they think this, they believe that, when others don’t think or act as we do or think they should, then we create an image of them that we use to keep us from loving one another as Jesus commanded.

I attend a very large church and although I help out in membership sometimes when needed, it’s rather difficult for me to see where or what divisions there may be inside my church. I just know that we have some issues (clicks, snootiness’, etc.) because we are people and people come with baggage and a whole lot of other stuff. On occasions, my pastor will blatantly speak in general terms about the problematic things occurring in the church (guilty parties know what he’s speaking about without him calling names). Unity in the body of Christ is imperative and though we partake in communion every month does not mean that we are all on one accord. Only God knows whose heart is truly in the right place.

Forgiveness is the key in here. Believers are the body of Christ and Him being the One Loaf, requires unity….To rightly partake in the Lord’s Supper we have to put aside ill feelings against other Christians and make an attempt to rectify relationships that need mending. That’s to say that people have to be best friends, but there needs to be reconciliation with in the body of Christ in order to be one with Him.

Our focus should be on giving thanks to the Father for the forgiveness of our sins through the death of His Son. Thanksgiving and blessings are toward God Himself when the cup is lifted up to heaven for His blessings towards believers.

It is good to be in fellowship and in the presence of Jesus anytime. Sharing a casual meal with co-workers does not offer a more intimate fellowship and the discussions (if any) are not the same or as personable as with family or friends. Meals with family or friends can be more personable and intimate especially if they are a close-knit group. Between these two meals, both can have rich moments. Then there are the meals where some at the table are not in favor of others and people cannot wait for the meal to be over. The experience of being a guest at the Lord’s Table is of no comparison because He is the Host and He knows how to care for and fellowship with His friends.

The significance of the twelve disciples drinking the Cup of the Covenant was to seal the new covenant Jesus was making on behalf of humanity. Under the ratification of the Old Covenant, they were in correspondence with God (Jesus was God in the flesh and is God). The significance for us today is renew our commitment to the New Covenant, which provided complete atonement of our sins past, present, and future.

In the New Covenant, Jesus was the sacrificial Lamb satisfying all requirements of the animal and meal sacrifices. God now puts His laws in our minds and writes them on our hearts. We know Him for ourselves, and He forgives our sins never to remember them again. God promises salvation, eternal life, forgiveness of sins through the death of His Son, indwelling of the Holy Spirit. The Old Covenant was based on physical promises (if you do, I will do), animals were sacrificed, the Holy Spirit came upon certain people, the priesthood changed as men died, we had no access to the Father, and the blood of animals was a temporary cleansing. Under the New Covenant, we must have faith, trust, and believe that Jesus is God in the flesh. Nor, does it require the “works” that was done in the Old Testament.

The people were told what God wanted and expected from them, they agreed, an altar was built to offer burnt offerings and animals were sacrificed as fellowship offerings to the LORD; like having a meal with HIM. Moses read the Covenant and sprinkled blood on the altar and the people. He then along with the priests and elders went and saw GOD, and ate and drank. Twice the people said that “they would do everything the LORD said for them to do”. Animals (bulls) were sacrificed, blood was sprinkled, and the meat was eaten; sealing the covenant between GOD and man.

Jesus’ blood was shed for the forgiveness and pardon of man’s sins and there is no sin that is too great for God to forgive if we ask for His forgiveness. Therefore, it is vital that we repent of any sin especially, before partaking in the supper because we give affirmation of the sacrifice He made for us.

He wanted to remind them of the passage on the suffering servant so they would gain an understanding of why He came and had to die. This chapter explains that Jesus died as a servant who suffered for the righteousness of many beyond the remnant of Israel.

Jesus referred to the violent nature of His death because it was very violent for the benefit of others; He knew that He was the replacement for the animal sacrifices that they killed and placed on the altars (the cross was the brazen altar). I’m sure the disciples probably didn’t understand it at that time that Jesus was the atonement for their sins. However, after He died and rose again they no longer had to kill animals to repent for their sins. I believe it was then they realized (though they may not have had a full understanding of it all yet) that He was the sacrificial lamb and payment for their sins once and for all.

Through the Old Testament sacrifices, God gave man a way to receive forgiveness of his sins by the death of an animal instead his own death. By doing this, He showed His mercy and grace to sinful humans along with His plan of redemption through the death of His Son Jesus, which was later to come.

When I think about what Jesus did for me, it leaves me speechless because no one else could or would do what He did. This makes me feel loved by Him and valuable to Him that He would do such a great thing for me. When I think about what He did and the agony He experienced, it inspires my obedience to Him; helps strengthen my faith and endurance when I experience trials and tribulations. It reminds me that what I experience is nothing compared to the sacrifice He made on my behalf.

Jesus gave Himself as a sacrifice to set us free from the evils of the world, to redeem us from all wickedness and purify for Himself a people of His own eager to do what is good, He gave Himself up as a fragrant sacrifice to the Father. He gave Himself so that He might bring us back into right relationship with the Father.

The insistence of a physical birth, suffering, and resurrection of the physical body is imperative in that anything other than this is false and not of God. Jesus, (both the Son of Man (human) and the Son of God (deity) came to earth in a physical body, suffered as a man in His physical body, and was resurrected in His physical body. Since it was man who sinned, it had to be a man who would redeem humanity back to relationship with the Father. Our faith would not be in Jesus or what He did on the cross if He had not come in the form of a man. Jesus had to be able to relate to humanity just as the high priest related (not necessarily kin) to the Israelites when he went into the Most Holy Place to atone for their sins on the Day of Atonement.

Peter was stressing that Jesus bearing man’s sins in His physical body distinguished and excluded Him from the animal sacrifices or works of anyone other than Jesus; making it known, that it was Jesus and Jesus only who was responsible for the redemption of man. Jesus’ took on man’s sin by suffering in His physical body that was an obvious and outward expression of the agony he endured not for Himself but for humanity so that we may die to sin and might live for righteousness. Jesus bore man’s punishment putting us back into right relationship with the Father.

For me personally, I made a decision to pick up my cross and carry it (Matt 16:24; Luke 9:23) as Jesus said. Therefore, when I experience trials and tribulations, I believe that my suffering (including dying to self) is sharing in the sufferings and sacrifice Jesus endured from the Garden to His death on the Cross. It is not always easy and at times, I have to remind myself that my experiences are nothing like what He experienced for my redemption. I do not partake of the supper lightly, I take the time to examine myself before I take it; it is something that I take very seriously.