Good morning. Today's message is going to be on Matthew 26, verses 27 to 30. Please follow along as I read. 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 the many for the remissions of sins. But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now until the day when I drink new with you and my father's kingdom. And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. Let's pray. Father, we do thank you for this portion of scripture. We do thank you, Lord, that we are able to gather today to hear your teaching upon this. Father, again, we do thank you for the many hours that were spent in preparation for this day. We pray, Lord, a blessing upon Mr. Brown as he brings us your scripture, your truth, and your word. Oh, Father, we pray that we have open ears, open eyes, and an open heart, Lord, to hear what you have to speak to us this morning. Amen. Well, we've been we've been lingering for a while in the narrative here of the Lord's Supper in Matthew, chapter twenty six. And so far along the way, we've examined the shadow of the Lord's Supper and that is Passover. So the first time we we spoke of this, we we tried to speak in some depth on the Passover as as sort of the backstory, the backdrop of the Lord's Supper. And then last week we spent all of our time talking about the bread, that Jesus Christ is the bread of life. And he says, take, eat, this is my body which is given for you. So we spent our whole time last week talking about the bread, the bread of life, as the first element of the elements of the celebration of the Lord's Supper. And so now this week we're going to focus on the cup. and which contains the wine, which represents the blood of Jesus Christ. And so today, the big focus really will be what does the blood do and what does the wine say? Those are two critical elements. What does the blood do? And what does the wine say? And it matters. Everything has meaning in the Kingdom of Heaven. Everything that God created has meaning. Why trees? Why rock? Why rivers? Why light? Why lightning? Why thunder? Why clouds? Well, the Word of God will tell you why. They all point to something. Why bread? It points to something greater. And why blood? it points to something greater. And why whine? So, that's the essence of what I want us to engage in here today. To speak of the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ and then the symbol that the Lord Jesus gave us to help us understand what the blood is all about. All of this, I think, is summed up in so many of the songs that we sing together. Oh, precious is the flow that makes me white as snow. No other fount I know. Nothing but the blood of Jesus. And so, here as we look at the various sides of the diamond, really, of the Lord's Supper, We recognize that all four gospel writers give an account of this Last Supper, but only two of them tell why. And it's interesting that the why is explained, but only two. Paul and Luke both record these words. Do this in remembrance of me. So the purpose of it is to remember Jesus. To meditate on everything that He is. Everything that He has done. Everything that He will do. It's a meditation upon Jesus Christ Himself. And that's why in Luke 22 and in 1 Corinthians 11, We read, for whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes. So, what does it mean? What does it mean to proclaim the Lord's death? What are we proclaiming? And that's what this sermon is about. That's what this text that we're focusing in on is about. What are we proclaiming? What are we proclaiming in the body which is symbolized by the bread. What are we proclaiming by the blood and the symbol that tells what that blood is all about? Because he says his blood is like wine. And again, we just are always in Scripture brought back to imagery to help us to understand how wonderful God has made the world, to put things before us, to show us about greater things. And it's such a blessing to see that. We know that this is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, who is speaking. We know that, as Revelation 13 says, that Jesus was the Lamb who was slain before the foundation of the world. And so what we find here is that this blood that cleanses us from all unrighteousness is symbolized by something that you drink. You actually partake in it so deeply that you ingest it into your whole system. And it becomes a part of every cell of your body. It's so consistent with the language of salvation. The receiving of Christ. Receiving the implanted Word. As many as believed in Him, to them He gave the power to become the sons of God. Sons. Blood. blood brothers in that sense. There's this intimate connection between Christ And His children that's brought about in this whole matter of the body and the blood. So why did I say all that? Because this ordinance is about a participation in blessing. It's an ordinance that is a participation in the goodness of Jesus Christ. You actually drink Him. And you participate in Him. And He is so good That's the whole image that we find here. And it's a picture of the atonement of people who move from brokenness, from alienation, from heartache to become a new creation through a new covenant marked by forgiveness, marked by new wine. New wine. Wonderful wine. But what does the wine mean? What is it? What is that all about? And so, in this ordinance, Christ forever directs His children to meditate upon the meaning of His life for them. And the bottom line of it is this. It's blessing. It's refreshment. It's nourishment. And you take it into the innermost part of your being and it blesses you for all eternity. Because once you drink that cup, you'll never be the same. Once you've eaten that bread, once you've drunk that cup, you've stepped instantaneously into eternity. And you are setting yourself up for the greatest feast that was ever conceived of, the marriage supper of the Lamb, where all of God's children are brought together to eat again with their Lord, as they have been eating with Him over and over and over again. Now, in our church, we celebrate the Lord's Supper every Sunday. It's not true in every church, correct? Well, why do we do that? Why do we do it every Sunday? Some say, no, it'll get so repetitive and people will become bored with it. Is that really true? Has it been that way for you? Well, why do we do it? We do it. We do it because there seems to be this pattern in Scripture, particularly in Acts chapter 20, verse seven, where the disciples met together to break bread on the first day of the week. That was the pattern, at least in the church of Ephesus. So we're going to do it like that. You also find this pattern where they broke bread. rejoicing with gladness and sincerity of heart daily. So there's this pattern of regularity that we think the church should pay attention to. So it should be really regular. Should it be every day? We don't think it should be every day. We think it should rather be more like the pattern in Acts 20, verse 7, where they broke bread on the first day of the week. It was a very special coming together of God's people. And in order to participate in the blessing, the bread and the wine. And it just goes to show us again in another illustration of what the Kingdom of Heaven is really about. What is it when you follow Jesus? What happens to you? Well, the Kingdom of Heaven is not in eating and drinking, but it's in something far deeper than that. It's in righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. That is what the Lord's Supper is all about. This is a long introduction, isn't it, to this text. We're going to be in the text in just a second. Now, why are we here? Why are we in this text? Whenever we are in a passage of Scripture, we should always ask, why am I here? What is going on? What is happening to me? Why is this before me now? Why would God in His sovereignty have me to read these words and to stop on them for a while? Why would He do that to me? Well, there's a reason. There's always a reason for the text that is before you. And so I want us to ask that question with a real meditative pondering spirit about us. Why are we here? Well, is it meant to change you in any way? Is it meant to change the way you come to the Lord's table? Is it possible that that's one reason? I know that just being confronted with it again helps us to sort of rethink how we approach it. Do you have it right when you come to the Lord's Supper? Or could it be sweetened? Could it be improved somehow by being before this text? Is it possible that in this church, God desires to completely renovate, completely recalibrate the way that they come to the Lord's Supper? And that there's a radical change that people now, from this time on, will come to the Lord's Supper completely differently, with more sense of the depth of it, the beauty of it, That they will taste the wine more distinctly than ever. That they would savor the bread more carefully, more slowly, more knowledgeably when they take that bread. Is it possible that we're here for that reason? That God wants us to taste a sweeter taste than ever and to have a more nourishing bite of that bread. than we've ever had before. So there is a reason that we're here. I don't know what it is for you. For me, it's all those things I just mentioned. I know it is. So I'm very grateful for it. Here's what we learn about God. He does so desire to enter His people into greater and greater levels of joy. You see it all over the Scriptures. You see it in the shadows, the tithes, as they escalate in intensity. And here in this ordinance, we see it again. We see how it was accomplished by the blood of bulls and goats. And then there was a Passover celebration. And now, instead of the killing of bulls and goats, here we are in this place. And what does the Lord allow us to do? Well, there aren't thousands of bulls and goats out there being killed in a bloody sacrifice. Not at all. It's bread, and now it's wine. And it fulfills what the Lord Jesus demonstrated when He turned the water into wine. The stuff that He brings out is ever increasingly good. Okay, so that's the introduction. Now, let's go to verse 27. He took the cup and gave thanks. Verse 27 says, then he took the cup. So there's a cup. You have to visualize what's going on here. There is a cup. And the big question is, is this a community cup? Is it one cup that was passed? Is everyone drinking from the one cup? It's quite possible. We think rather the cup was divided because of Luke 22, verse 17, where the Lord Jesus says, take this and divide it among yourselves. Now, you might say, OK, is that the only way to do it, to take it and divide it? Or is it the only way to do it, to make it one cup? You have to ask yourself that question. In our church, we take the inflection point of Luke 22, verse 17. We take it and then we divide it among ourselves in individual cups. That's how we practice it here. And then it says he gave thanks. So he took the cup and then he gave thanks. Every word is critical. in this situation. And he first of all, in giving thanks, he looked up to his father and he recognized it as the cup of blessing, which is really amazing because this cup would cause him to sweat blood. The cup that he was going to drink had some differences in the cup that we drink. But he looked up. He gave thanks. I had lunch with a friend this week and we were talking about the Lord's Supper. And he said that a way that he had heard someone explain to him how to think about the Lord's Supper goes like this. It's to look, alright? You look up to the Father and you give thanks. And then you look back. You look back to the death. of Christ and you proclaim his death. So you look back and then and then you look inward, you examine yourself and then you look around. And this has to do with the fencing of the table and the potential drinking judgment upon yourself and the reality that the Lord's Supper makes everyone recognize whether they are in the faith or not. whether they ought to take that cup or not, to create the us versus them dichotomy that exists in the body of Christ. Because there is one body, and then it's looking ahead. Look ahead to the marriage supper of the Lamb. and to find your heart drawn to anticipation of that great supper. One way you can understand it is with that word, look. You look up. You look inward. You look around. You look back. It's a way to look at all of life while you're together. But here the Lord looked up and He gave thanks. That was the first thing that He did. And of course, He was giving thanks. He said that He was eagerly waiting to eat the supper with his disciples. And he was happily, it was a joy to him. Now later on, the taking of the cup would mean anguish, but here it's to give thanks. And so he is giving thanks. This is what we ought to do when we come before the table of the Lord Jesus Christ to drink is to give thanks. When we were having our Bible study on Tuesday, somebody pointed out that the difference between the believer and the unbeliever is that the believer gives thanks and the unbeliever doesn't. That's what Romans 1 says. They were not thankful. They were not thankful. And it's a distinguishing mark. And so he gave thanks. doing the will of His Father, delighting to do His will, giving thanks to eat and drink with His disciples. And He was really fulfilling what 1 Corinthians 10, verses 16 and 17 speak of. The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we, though many, are one bread and one body. For we all partake of that one bread." It's so remarkable that he's giving thanks, even though he's going to die. Here is God, the Lord Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, giving thanks to God, his Father, that he is going to die. It's such a remarkable scene. Again, it's a Trinitarian text. Those who don't understand the Trinity should go to this passage of Scripture because you have the son who is giving thanks to his father. That's what's happening. They are two distinct persons. They are not the same. They are two individual people. And so there is this whole matter of giving thanks. And then in verse 27, He gave the cup to them. He gave it to them saying, drink from it, all of you. Now, recognize what's happening here. They are receiving a cup. It does not come from themselves. It comes from him. They are dependent upon him. They are dependent upon him for this cup of blessing. They're dependent upon him for everything that the cup means. We'll get to that in just a minute. But this is just a picture of salvation that you don't generate your salvation by anything that you have in your own spirit. anything that you have in your own life. It's not what your hands have done. It's what His hands have done. It is His cup of blessing. And He gives it. And He gives it to those that He desires to give it to. A man can receive nothing unless it's given him from heaven. And that's what we see here, that He is giving it to them. It was a gift of grace. That's what I'm trying to say. It was a gift of grace. And then they take it together, not separately. He says, drink from it, all of you. This was the 11. Judas has departed by this time. And now he is with his church, his body, his one bread. And it speaks again of the unity that is in the body of Christ. That all drink it together. Not separately. Calvin said that it's a diabolical invention that men separate themselves from the rest of the company and eat the Lord's Supper apart. Of course, he's talking about the Roman Catholic Church where the priest would eat it by himself. But we eat it together because we're brothers and we're sisters. We're family. And we eat the meal together. And that's why in this scene here, the Lord Jesus prays, you can read it in John 17, where he says, Holy Father, through your name, those whom you have given me, that they may be one as we are one. This is a meal of unity. It's a meal of love. It's a meal together. And this is what God has always desired to do, is to bring His people together. He's always done that. And He's doing that today. He's bringing His people together in a geographical location so that they would be together as a family and they wouldn't be separate. It's not appropriate to celebrate the Lord's Supper in your home by yourself. It's only appropriate to celebrate it among the gathered people of God. so that you express your solidarity with one another, your desire to be unified with one another, your hope to love one another, to turn away from anything that would divide the brethren. The Bible says that it's an abomination when brothers divide one another. It's a horrible thing when they do that. And it's contrary to everything that Jesus is doing right here with his disciples. So he says, drink from it, all of you. All of you do it together. That should be the normal practice, that we all drink it together. The only reason that we shouldn't drink it together is if we have ought against our neighbor, we have unconfessed sin and we should let the cup pass. Other than that, we should take it. Jesus said, take, eat, take it. He knows He's giving it to undeserving sinners. He knows He's giving it to people who sinned, even that morning. They don't qualify themselves by their sinlessness. They enter into His presence by their repentance, by their acknowledgement of who they are. So, no private masses. No family communions. No abstaining for the wrong reasons. But take, eat, take it, all of you. So when we take it together, we just need to recognize the goodness that it is. You know, if you're thinking, I'm not going to take it, recognize what that is. You've done something in your soul to separate yourself from the body. And get yourself back in line. Repent. Believe in Jesus. Trust in Him. If there are sins that are pernicious, turn from them. But come and eat so that we can all be together. Don't divide the body of Christ because of your own sinfulness. We have to recognize how much we affect each other in this matter. And how important it is for us to live holy lives individually so that when we come together, we can eat and drink all together and experience what God has always desired His people to do. So, after that, then he explained the cup in v. 29. He says, for this is my blood. Now we come into something of enormous significance. The blood. has always had significance. I read somewhere that the blood of Christ is mentioned three times more often than the cross of Christ in the New Testament. I haven't checked it out. I've read that in a couple of places. The blood is mentioned three times more often than even the cross of Christ. So it is a very, very significant category. Now, as we come to the Lord's Supper each week, it should be a meditation upon the power of the blood of Jesus Christ. we should continue to learn more and more about the blood. The Old Testament gives the shadows. The New Testament gives the fulfillments of it. But the significance of blood has to be considered. Now, in history, there have been four different views of what Jesus meant when he said, this is my blood. What does it mean, this is my blood? Well, you have the Roman Catholic view of transubstantiation. which argues that the wine and the bread, they become real blood and real flesh. They literally are transformed supernaturally. That's the Roman Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation. And then Martin Luther, advocated a view that is called consubstantiation, where the blood and the body of Christ are literally, but not locally present. I know it's hard to understand, but there are benefits of partaking. There are real, physical, spiritual benefits in the very act of partaking. They don't literally change into blood and flesh. That's the Lutheran view. But they are somehow the real body and blood, but not locally. And then there is the view that's been called the Calvinistic view or the spiritual view that the Lord's Supper is like a spiritual banquet. where you enter into the blessings of true faith, where the bread and the wine are a symbol of salvation. And they aid you so that the benefits of the death and the resurrection of Christ are actually experienced by you. And so Calvin wanted to avoid the errors of transubstantiation at the same time to recognize the blessings that are there. And he contended that there were three purposes of the Lord's Supper. First of all, to seal and confirm in your conscience the promises and the blessings of Christ and His Gospel. Secondly, to arouse praise in your heart toward Him. And then thirdly, to exhort you to love and good deeds, to examine yourself, to remove the leaven from your life. which is sin. And then you have the non-sacramental, the view of Zwingli, the Baptist view, sort of the memorial view, where the bread and the wine are simply symbolic and commemorative, and they represent the blood and the body of Christ. And this view would say that participation in the blood and the body are no different than the participation in the normal means of grace, like in the reading of the Word of God or prayer. They all add to your soul. They are all a blessing. They are real blessings to your real soul, but they are symbolic. of that real blessing to your soul. In the same way that all the normal means of grace are a blessing to your soul, so is the participation in the Lord's Supper. So those are the main views. Probably most of us have a mix of the Calvinistic view and the non-sacramental view. One of the dangers of the non-sacramental view Well, there's a danger in almost anything that you believe. One of the dangers, I think, of the non-sacramental view is that it's created a church that really doesn't care that much how often it celebrates the Lord's Supper. And you find lots of churches that celebrate it once a year, or maybe once a quarter, or maybe once a month. Of course, the Bible does argue for regularity, Does it really specify exactly how regular? I think that's a real issue you have to grapple with. But the sacramental view, the non-sacramental view, perhaps, has led to a church that doesn't take as seriously and regularly the body and the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. So he says, this is my blood. What does that mean? And so as we're celebrating the Lord's Supper, let's recognize there is such a value in meditating on the body and the blood of Christ. There are spiritual blessings that come when you consider the meaning of those two things. And of course, today, the big focus is going to be on the blood and what it does and what the wine says about the blood. So learning to meditate more carefully about this will add spiritual blessing. It will build our faith. It will cheer our souls. It will help us to understand who God is. It will allow us to participate with Christ in his life. Now, he says that it's a new covenant in his blood. Not only is it his blood, but it is a new covenant. So there's this big, big picture that Jesus casts forth that the blood has to do with the new covenant. Better sacrifices, a better tabernacle, a better priest, better offerings, better promises. Everything is better in the new covenant. So this blood that Christ sheds and the wine that speaks of it is an explanation of the new covenant. So if you want to understand the covenant, you have to understand the blood. And the blood is explained as having such remarkable significance to us. And that's what I want to talk about now. And what I want to do is I want to give you 10 things that the blood has done, 10 things that the blood has done. And then after that, I want to give you 10 things that the wine says about the blood. That's going to be the rest of the sermon right there. So, ten things about what the blood has done. Now, why? Why do this? Why count one, two, three? Well, when we come together, you should be counting your blessings, naming them one by one. I'm going to give you ten blessings of the blood of Jesus Christ, of what it has done for you. So, there are probably a number of ways to take the Lord's Supper in an unworthy manner. Not really knowing What it is like is a kind of unworthiness, though not the unworthiness that I think Paul is speaking of in 1 Corinthians 11. So let's take the Lord's Supper with such a richness of understanding of what the blood did. So we're going to sink into that now. Are you ready? Here we go. Number one. We have been purchased by His blood. We have been purchased by His blood. Acts 20, verse 28. Therefore, take heed to yourselves and to all the flock. The Apostle Paul is speaking to the elders in the church of Ephesus. Among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. He purchased you by His blood. This is why we sing, oh, victory in Jesus, my Savior forever. He sought me and bought me with His redeeming blood. We were bought by the blood of the Lamb. Just think about that. To be purchased with a price of something so precious as the blood of the lamb. You know, I was looking at the Heidelberg Catechism again this week because the very first question in the Heidelberg is a citation about this blood. Here's the question. What is my only comfort in life and death? What is my only comfort? Answer, that I, with body and soul, both in life and death, am not my own, but belong to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ. who with his precious blood has fully satisfied for all my sins and delivered me from all the power of the devil and so preserves me that without the will of my heavenly Father, not a hair can fall from my head. Yea, that all things must be subservient to my salvation and therefore by his Holy Spirit. He also assures me of eternal life and makes me sincerely willing and ready henceforth to live unto Him. It's a picture of the beauty of being bought. Your only comfort in life and death is that you are now owned. You've been bought. He owns you. He owns you and He is not going to let you go. He calls you His inheritance. You are His inheritance. And He does not let His inheritance go. Now, on this earth, sometimes we lose our inheritance. Sometimes thousands or millions of dollars of inheritance evaporates in the wharfs and the woofs of the economies of the world. Not so with God. He doesn't ever lose His inheritance. What He buys, He keeps. So as we're celebrating the Lord's Supper, let's just remember that we have been purchased by His own blood, by the most precious commodity in the world. His blood was precious. Preciousness or value is always driven by scarcity. Why is gold so valuable? Because it's scarce. It's hard to find. It's hard to get. And it's hard to hang on to. But its value is determined by its scarcity. There is nothing more valuable in the universe than the blood of Jesus Christ. It was with that blood that He purchased us. So, the first thing that the blood accomplished was that it caused us to be purchased, to be owned. Aren't you glad that you're owned by Him? He is your owner. He'll take care of you. He will take care of his possessions. Secondly, we have propitiation by his blood. Romans 3.25, whom God set forth as a propitiation by his blood through faith to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance, God had passed over the sins that were previously committed to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. So, we have propitiation. In other words, What is propitiation? Propitiation is to soothe anger. It was the blood of Jesus soothed the anger of God. It quelled, it cooled the hot anger of God against you. So when you come to the Lord's Supper, recognize when you take that blood, when you drink that cup, you're saying that God is no longer angry with you. that all of His anger toward you has been satisfied. Now, do you really believe that? That is almost impossible to believe. If you have any sense of your own sinfulness, how is it possible that God is not angry with you? And that He is not going to propitiate His wrath, fulfill His wrath? But no, He's not. We do not come to the Lord's table with a scowl upon His face toward His children. We don't. We have to understand that. This is one reason why it's the cup of blessing. But His wrath has been propitiated by His blood. William Henderson, the commentator, said that it is a wrath-removing sacrifice. The wrath is removed. And you can hold your head up. You can be happy. You can praise God. You can rest in His love and not be terrified by His wrath. It is true, as Exodus 34 says, He will not leave the guilty unpunished. We do know that the wrath of God is revealed against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of man. We know that if you're impenitent, you're treasuring up a wrath for yourselves. We know that's true. But it is the blood of Jesus Christ that has propitiated the wrath of God. So when we take this together, let's ask ourselves, Are we are we thinking about that? You know, are we only thinking about our sins? Or do we recognize that his wrath has been propitiated? Does that need to be recalibrated with you when you come? Number three, the third thing that the blood of Jesus Christ has done, we've been justified by his blood. Romans 5-9, we have been justified by His blood. For when we were still without strength in due time, Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die. Yet perhaps for a good man, someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. much more than having now been justified by His blood. Justified by His blood. That's the phrase. We shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more. Having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. So we have been justified. In other words, a legal transaction has taken place. You have been judicially declared righteous. And set free from the condemnation that you deserve. That's what his blood does. That's why we sing, bearing shame and scoffing rude in my place, condemned he stood. Sealed my pardon with His blood. Sealed my pardon. Not guilty. Sealed. Done. Never, ever to be brought up again. No retrials. One justification. Sealed my pardon with His blood. Hallelujah. What a Savior. we have redemption through his blood. Ephesians 1.7. In him we have redemption through his blood. The forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace. So, this word redemption is one of the most beautiful words in the English language. And it's about being bought back. It's about a price being paid to buy you back, like off the slave market. And redeemed from what? Redeemed from sin? Redeemed from slavery? Redeemed from Pharaoh? Such a lousy taskmaster who pays poorly and never gives you any rest. The devil. That's what he is all about. Redeemed. Taken away from that slave master and set free. That's what the word redeemed means. That's why we sing, redeemed how I love to proclaim it. Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. Redeemed through His infinite mercy, His child and forever I am. Redeemed, redeemed, redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. Number five, we have peace through His blood. We have peace through His blood. Colossians 1 verse 20, And by Him to reconcile all things to Himself by Him. whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of the cross. And you who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death to present you holy and blameless and above reproach in His sight if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven." So, having peace through the blood of His cross. He gives peace. As we enter into the Lord's Supper, we ought to be thinking about His peace. My peace I give unto you, not as the world gives, give I unto you. It's His peace. It's interesting how God does this, isn't it? He gives us His joy. He gives us His peace. Something far greater than our own. We can't duplicate it in our own souls. He has to give it to us. But we have peace through His blood. You know, at nighttime, I've loved to say to my children, the Lord bless you and keep you. Number six, the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you. The Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace. May the Lord lift up His countenance upon you. So, as we celebrate the Lord's Supper, we are under the countenance of the Lord. The Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace. His blood accomplished that. His countenance that brings forth peace in the heart. That's why He's called in Isaiah 9, He was prophesied to be the Messiah who had a particular effect and a particular personhood. His wonderful Counselor. Mighty God. Eternal Father. And what else? Prince of Peace. He's a Prince of Peace. So when we celebrate the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, recognize what it means. What did He do by His blood? We who were far off have been brought near by the blood." Ephesians 2. But now, in Christ Jesus, you who were once far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace. who has made us both one and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in his death the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in himself one new man from the two, thus making peace. and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. And He came and preached peace to you who are far off and to those who are near. For through Him we have access by one Spirit to the Father. Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners. but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the house of God." This is the whole matter of being brought near to Him. Being an outcast. Having no background. Having no credentials at all. Living in the wrong country. Having the wrong family. Possessing the whole wrong upbringing. The wrong father. Everything is wrong. But you're brought near. You're brought near to Him. In Ecclesiastes 5, we read this about drawing near. Drawing near. That's what worship is partly about, is to draw near to Him. Here it says the blood has brought you near. And you're no longer a stranger or an alien. Moses said in Deuteronomy 4, he said, for what great nation is there that God is so near to them? God is near. He's not far off to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. And that's why we sing, Jesus sought me when a stranger, wandering from the fold of God, to rescue me from danger. Interpose His precious blood. And that blood brings you near to Him. And that's why the Bible says nothing can separate you from the love of God. you have been brought near to participate with Him. And this language that arises out of Ephesians 2, verse 13-19, it has to do with being brought together as one in His body. We were out there and then we were brought inside, literally into Him. brought near, that near, that close. This is all about the participation. that is implied in the Lord's Suffering, that we participate, we enter in, we come near, and we are intimate participants. The term in 1 Corinthians 10-16, the cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion? The communion of the blood of Christ. We are brought near into this communion participation. The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body? of Christ. For we though many are one bread and one body, and we shall partake of that one bread." The communion is the word koinonia, fellowship. It's what we do when we gather. It's the blood that causes us to be brought from alienation into the church to fellowship with one another. We are brought in him to fellowship in him and with one another all together. That's what the blood did. It made us able to be a family. I've heard so many people in this church say, I know a family. I haven't really seen a family like this before. Well, that's how God meant the church to be, to be like a family. The other night we were all praying together. And I just marveled at the detail of the knowledge that people had of each other and their sorrows and their needs and their troubles and the trials they were on. Because people were praying for really specific things that were going on. An outsider might have said, how do they know that? I would never share anything like that. Well, because they're not part of the church. You are part of a fellowship, a participation, You're safe within His body. And it's a participation totally different from the alienation that you used to have before you were brought near. So, we were far off and had been brought near by what? By His blood. Number seven. Our consciences are cleansed by his blood. Hebrews 9.13 and 14. Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with his own blood he entered into the most holy place for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God. Why? To cleanse your conscience. from dead works to serve the living God. The blood cleanses the conscience. Clean consciences are talked about in Hebrews 10. Clear consciences are talked about in Acts 24. Later on, we'll see Pilate, he's going to try to wash his hands to take care of his conscience. And it'll never work that way. Only by the blood of Jesus. Number eight, we are sanctified by His blood. Hebrews 13, 12. Therefore, Jesus, also that He might sanctify the people with His own blood. He's sanctified with His own blood. He changes you. He makes you a different person progressively. And, you know, one year, two year, five years, ten years out, you have been progressively sanctified. There's this great story of Augustine who lived an unrighteous, licentious, immoral life. And he'd been saved and he was walking down the street and he saw one of his old mistresses. And he turned the other way and he started walking, walking the other way. And she said, Is it I? No, she says, It is I. It is I. And he turned around and he says, it is not I. It is not I. That's sanctification. Sanctified by his own blood, made holy. Who was it that said, I ain't what I want to be. I ain't what I'm going to be. But through the blood of Christ, I ain't what I was. That's sanctification. Ninth, we are ransomed by his blood. First Peter 1, 18 and 19, we are ransomed by his blood. Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things like silver or gold from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. Ransomed Number 10, we have been washed by His blood. Revelation 1.5, to Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood. Sins washed in His blood. And He has made us kings and priests to His God and Father. To Him be the glory and dominion forever and ever washed. That's why we sing, would you be free from your burden of sin? There's power in the blood. There's power in the blood. Would you or evil a victory win? There's power. There's wonderful power in the blood. So those are ten things that the blood does. Now, I'm going to give you ten things that the wine says about the blood. I'm going to go really fast. But you have to recognize this is what Jesus is doing. He's saying, here's my blood. Here's a symbol of it. So what you have to do is you have to understand what wine means in the Bible. And of course, there are several things that wine means. It is a symbol of wrath or confusion on the one hand. It's also a temptation that can trip you up and destroy your life. Or, it is a blessing. And that's what Jesus meant. He's using the imagery that fits. So, I'm going to give you ten things that the wine says about the blood. And here's where you get why this is called the cup of blessing. First, wine is a symbol of the abundant provision of God. Psalm 104, verses 14 and 15. He causes the grass to grow for the cattle and the vegetation for the service of man, that he may bring forth food from the earth and wine that makes glad the heart of man, oil to make his face shine, and bread which strengthens his heart. There you have wine and bread right in the same typological prophetic passage about Jesus Christ. But wine is a symbol of abundant provision from God. Remember, He gave. It's a provision. Second, wine is a drink for the worship of God, for victory in war. Genesis 14, 18. Then Melchizedek, the king of Salem, brought out bread and wine. He was the priest of God Most High. So, wine is a drink in the worship of God for victory in war. Number three, and again, each one of these are easily seen in the power of the blood of Jesus Christ. What He's done. What it means. What that blood means. It's victory over sin. It's victory over death. Oh, death, where is your victory? Third, wine is a sign of rejoicing. Jeremiah 31, verse 12. Therefore, they shall come and sing in the height of Zion and shall flow together in the goodness of the Lord for wheat and new wine and oil for the young of the flock and of the herd. And their souls shall be like a watered garden and they shall not sorrow anymore. So, wine is a symbol of rejoicing. So, why wine? What does wine say about the blood? It says that you rejoice. The wrath of God has been propitiated. Rejoice, brothers and sisters. Make it that kind of a celebration. Next, wine is a sign of the goodness of Jesus. He turns water into wine to explain how life with Him is better and better and better. John 2. 1-10 Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior, you, have kept the good wine until now. That is your Jesus right there. That is your cup that you're drinking. He makes it better and better as the years go by. Sweeter and sweeter. It's like It's like many marriages. They just get sweeter as the years go by. Next, wine is a drink for sacrifice in Exodus 29, verses 39 and 40. This is the whole sacrificial system. Wine was used in the sacrificial system. So what does wine have to do with the blood? It was sacrificed blood on an altar. Next, wine is a drink for feasts. Deuteronomy 14.26 Deuteronomy 16.13 Isaiah 25.6 Wine is a tithe, an acceptable sacrifice for feasting and the tabernacle service. And it was a part of feasting. So again, we're talking about the abundance. What does wine have to do with the blood? It tells you about the blood. Next, wine is a drink for a freed slave. Deuteronomy 15, 14. This is in the law where you set your slave free and you send him out with blessing. You send him out with resources. You know, it's a picture of what happens to slaves, slaves to sin. How God takes a slave to sin. He sets him free. He puts money in his bag and he gives him wine. And when you send him away free from you, you shall not let him go away empty handed. You shall supply him liberally from your flock and from your threshing floor, from your wine press, from what the Lord has blessed you with, you shall give to him. This is a picture of God the Father rescuing someone and then setting them free and sending them out with resources, the resources of the Holy Spirit. Next, wine is a medicine for the sick. Luke 10.34, 1 Timothy 5.23. Next, wine is used to explain how all of life is for rejoicing. Ecclesiastes 9.7 Go, eat your bread with joy and drink your wine with a merry heart, for God has already accepted your works. Let your garments always be white and let your head lack no oil. Live joyfully with the wife whom God has given you." This is a life of rejoicing. It's symbolic of a whole life. Every part of your life. Your work, your trials, everything. Even your wife. You live rejoicing in life. The wine says, Something about the blood. It's blood that brings rejoicing to every single area of life. Christians should be the happiest people in the community because of blood. Next, wine is a symbol of wisdom. Proverbs 9, verse 2 through 5. Next, wine is a sign of the cleansing of sacrifice. Genesis 49, 10 and 11, Revelation 19, 11-13, where we read a prophecy in Genesis 49 that Shiloh is going to come And he's going to bind his donkey to the vine and his donkey's colt to the choice vine. He washed his garments in wine and his clothes in the blood of grapes. In Revelation 19, he was clothed with a robe dipped in blood. It's a sign of cleansing. What about the cup of wrath? Isn't there something in Scripture that talks about the cup of wrath? Well, that's the cup that he drank. That's not the cup that you drink. You drink the cup of blessing because he drank the cup of wrath. So wine and bread. are these typological, symbolic, metaphorical images that we're given to help us understand things that are so great. There's so much rejoicing in the whole doctrine of wine. And I think it brings out to us the danger that there is in the Lord's Supper. Recounting so much of your sin that you cannot remember your Savior. Are you recounting so much of your sin that you cannot remember your Savior? Is that possible that you've done that? And so the Lord's Supper is this morose, depressing time. Or does it actually fit with what we've just read, what the wine says about the blood? And so after this, they sang a hymn and they went out to the Mount of Olives. And they have done what the people of God have always done, and that is to sing together, to enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Most likely, they sang the Hallel, Psalm 113 to 119. I'll close with that. Praise the Lord. Praise, O you servants of the Lord. Praise the name of the Lord. Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and forevermore. From the rising of the sun to its going down, the Lord's name is to be praised. The Lord is high above all nations, his glory above the heavens. Who is like the Lord, our God, who dwells on high, who humbles himself to behold the things that are in the heavens and in the earth? He raises the poor out of the dust and lifts the needy out of the ash heap that he may seat him with princes, with the princes of his people. He grants the barren woman a home like a joyful mother of children. Praise the Lord. So what does the blood do? And what does the wine say? When we celebrate the Lord's Supper, let's make sure we've got that right. Will you pray with me? Lord, we thank you for the abundant detail that You have given to us to explain Your salvation so that we might know it more and more thoroughly and meditate on it more carefully and more knowledgeably. O Lord, give us that in this church. Let Your praises rise forth in the celebration of Your Great Supper. Amen.