I first want to say thank you to my Bible study girls! We are studying a Joyce Meyer book together and it's a great study. The book is title Be Anxious for Nothing and it gives you practical tips on how to really live a worry-free life. Yes it can be done we are learning. We are learning to not fly off the handle when something happens that throws us off. Joyce calls it a wild-spirit.
Funny story regarding flying off the handle...I was getting ready to head over to my friend Kim's house this morning for our study. She just lives down the street which is awesome! I look down and notice my wedding ring is gone! I FREAK OUT! Here is a little background to my wedding ring. As you all know, my mom passed away of cancer last February. My father gave me her wedding ring which I cherish. For a gift my father and David let me design a new ring using the diamonds from my wedding ring, my engagement ring, and my mom's ring. It was completed in November and words do not do it justice. It literally takes my breath away for not only what it looks like but the meaning behind it. Not that losing ANY wedding ring would be good, but my mom's diamonds cannot be replaced. I mean I freak out, I start bawling and my heart is racing. I call Kim crying saying I will be late because I lost my ring. I had been at the gym, Eli's school, and Wal-Mart this morning so it could be anywhere! She calmly talks me down. As I'm talking and running around my house I find it in a very odd place on my bathroom vanity. I definitely had that wild-spirit Joyce mentions in our book!
Back to Communion! Here are a few more interesting reasons why Communion is so important. I used to think the Old Testament was so hard to study and really not worth reading. I said that out loud. I just did not get it. Pairing it with the New Testament is very important. Looking at the transition from old to new with the shedding of Christ' blood is necessary.
The Old Testament is full of stories about animal sacrifices. Being the animal lover that I am I was always greatly impacted by the stories. I mean I can only eat meat if it's chicken and I know it's organic, raised humanely not in cages, fed a vegetarian diet, etc. You get my point. The blood from the animals was used for consecration. Consecration means to make sacred or to dedicate for some purpose. The people of the Old Testament had to see that life had to be given for sin. They sinned and something had to die. Old Testament sacrifices were a foreshadowing of the blood shed by Jesus Christ.
Hebrews 9:22) Indeed, according to the Law almost everything is purified by blood, and sins are forgiven only if blood is poured out.
So we see here that sacrifice was an important part of the Mosaic Law. Animals had to be sacrificed over and over and over again. Why?
Hebrews 9:3-4) As it is, however, the sacrifice serve year after year to remind people of their sins. For the blood of bulls and goats can never take away sins.
If you go on to read further into Hebrews 9 you will see where Jesus comes into this picture and the conversation He has with God about His body being prepared as the one and only sacrifice. I encourage you to read these verses. There was never enough blood shed from the innocent animals to atone for sin. My personal opinion is that animal sacrifice prepared people for the Lamb that would be slain on the cross. They could literally see with their own eyes that something had to die for their depravity.
Not always but most of the time the priest made the sacrifice on behalf of his people. There were occasions of others making sacrifices. I think of Cain and Able and the trouble that arose out of that sacrifice. Both new they needed to offer a sacrifice before approaching God. Can you imagine having to go find a stellar goat to kill before you could talk to God?! Now there alone is a great reason to celebrate Communion! Abel offered the best animal from his flock. Cain, well, he offered fruit and vegetables. God demanded blood.
The high priests of the Old Testament were the supreme religious leaders of the Israelites. Their lineage traced back to Aaron. Aaron and Moses were brothers. A certain time of year the high priest could enter the Most Holy Place behind the veil to approach God. He had to offer animal sacrifice on behalf of himself and the people. He had to sprinkle blood on the mercy seat which is God's throne.
Leviticus 16:14-16) He shall take some of the bull's blood and with his finger sprinkle it on the front of the lid and then sprinkle some of it seven times in front of the Covenant box. After that, he shall kill the goat for the sin offering for the people, bring its blood into the Most Holy Place, and sprinkle it on the lid and then in front of the Covenant box, as he did with the bull's blood. In this way he will perform the ritual to purify the Most Holy Place from the uncleanness of the people of Israel and from all their sins. He must do this to the Tent, because it stand in the middle of the camp, which is ritually unclean.
Sound pretty complicated, huh? I just picture there being blood all over the place. As I mentioned before as long as people kept sinning (which WILL happen) animal blood had to keep flowing. There is only one thing that could stop it or should I say one person. It is Jesus Christ. I love the following passages in Hebrews.
Hebrews 10:10-14) Because Jesus Christ did what God wanted Him to do, we are all purified from sin by the offering that He made of His own body once and for all. Every Jewish priest performs his services every day and offers the same sacrifices many times; but these sacrifices can never take away sins. Christ, however, offered one sacrifice for sins, and offering that is effective forever, and then He sat down at the right side of God. There He now waits until God puts His enemies as a footstool under His feet. With one sacrifice, then, He has made perfect forever those who are purified from sin.
There is no longer a need for animal sacrifice under the New Covenant. I absolutely love this next verse from Colossians! It offers an awesome visual!
Colossians 2:14)...he cancelled the unfavorable record of our debts with its binding rules and did away with it completely by nailing it to the cross.
So the next time we take Communion let's close our eyes and picture The Law being nailed to the cross.
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