It is appropriate that we recall the person and work of our Lord during this Christmas season. Christmas celebrates the point of time when he entered into human history in order to fulfill the will of the Father and provide the only means of salvation for all who believe, to the Israelites first and then to the gentiles. Rom 1:16;
We express our reciprocal love for Him as we concentrate on him through the celebration of the ritual of the Lord's table. Luke 22:19,
By suffering the death of the cross he was obedient to the Father's plan Phil 2:8; that resulted in his humanity being exalted above every created being, such that, every created being will ultimately bow down to him. Phil 2:9-10;
He completely and perfectly fulfilled the directive will of the Father by unilaterally providing a way of salvation for all men. Rom 5:8; as the "lamb slain from the foundation of the world" Rev 13:8; KJV John 1:29;
While we were enemies of God, God demonstrated his love for us by giving his uniquely born Son "monogenes" who entered the world through the virgin birth. John 3:16
As a result, God is free to reconcile mankind from their fallen state of depravity without compromising his perfect righteousness and justice because TLJC willingly laid down his life for us as our substitute. John 15:13; 1John 3:16
This is why believing in TLJC is the only way to a relationship with God John 14:6, salvation Acts 4:12 and eternal life John 3:16;
Anyone can appropriate this Grace gift of salvation which is secured by the Power of God John 10:26-29; simply by believing in TLJC 1Cor 15:3-4 in the same way that Paul and Silas instructed the Philippian Jailer who asked "what Must I do to be saved?"
Their response recorded In Acts 16:31
Anyone, any time, anywhere can become saved in a moment in time simply by believing in TLJC privately in their thoughts only.
TLJC left his friends, the members of The Royal Family of God, this one and only ritual in the church age The Lord's table which we are mandated to observe in remembrance of Him.
The mandate is found in 1Cor 11:24; in the second person plural present active imperative of the Greek word " poieo" that where Paul references TLJC's own instruction found in Luke 22:19-20;
An expanded translation of 1Cor 11:24 taking into consideration the tense mood and voice of "poieo" would be " Keep on doing this in remembrance of me"
As a result of this mandate, the Lord's Table is one and only ritual of the Church Age and it is a test of our capacity to concentrate on our Lord Jesus Christ through the Bible Doctrine that is resident in our soul as we partake of the elements that represent his work on our behalf.
We have these instructions for partaking of the Lord's table from the Apostle Paul starting in verse 26 of 1Cor 11.
1Cor 11:26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes.
27 Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord.
28 But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup.
29 For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly.
30 For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep.
31 But if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged.
We understand from this that we are to evaluate ourselves in the light of the word, privately in our thinking, in the privacy of our priesthood, and when we find we are outside of the word, we apply the first problem solving device, and simply acknowledge the sin as described in 1 John 1:9;
If we acknowledge our sins he is faithful and righteous to forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
Having examined ourselves, and taken appropriate action, we are then instructed to partake of the elements, the bread and the cup.
The bread which represents his body in which he bore the sins and the judgment for our sins and the sins of the whole world, past present and future.
1Cor 11:23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread;
1Cor 11:24 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.
eat the bread
The cup which represents his substitutionary spiritual death on the cross which purchased the freedom from spiritual death and eternal condemnation of everyone who believes in him.
1Cor 11:25 In the same way He took the cup also after supper saying This cup is the new covenant in my Blood do this as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.
drink cup
In our study of the great power experiments that we will now refer to as the great power demonstrations we concluded last time with the idea that Jesus Christ needed a human body to fulfill the mission that was assigned for the great power demonstration of the Hypostatic Union.
The mission included becoming the descendant of David who would sit on the throne of Israel forever, To be our Great High Priest, to be the mediator between God and man, and to be the savior of the world through his efficacious sacrifice on the cross.
Heb 10:6; "You have not been propitiated by whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin (sin offering)." The ritual soteriology of the dispensation of Israel utilized animal sacrifices to depict the salvation work of Jesus Christ on the cross.
The animal sacrifices were only shadows, that pointed to the future reality and were not capable of satisfying God the Father in propitiation. God the Father had to impute the sins of the world to Jesus Christ's perfect humanity before He could be satisfied.
Heb 10:7; "At that time (his birth) I said (from the deity of Jesus Christ), `Behold, I have arrived (in a scroll of a book (Old Testament) it stands written about Me) to accomplish Your will, O God.'"
Here Jesus Christ speaks from His deity on behalf of His humanity. He said this while the baby in the manger could not yet speak. This was the prayer He offered in His deity on behalf of His humanity. To accomplish the will of God He had to be true and perfect humanity. "O God" is a reference from the viewpoint of His humanity.
Jesus Christ was elected by God the Father to execute the salvation plan of God. This was the beginning of the great power demonstration of the Hypostatic Union.
Heb 10:8; "After saying the above, `Sacrifices and offering and whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You have not desired, nor have you been propitiated by them (which sacrifices are offered according to the Law),'"
Church Age believers are not under the Law and do not offer ritual sacrifices. Gal 2:16; "Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law. For by the works of the Law no flesh shall be justified."
The Law belongs only to the dispensation of Israel, not to the church. Rom 10:4;
Heb 10:9; "Then He (Jesus Christ) said, `Behold I have arrived to execute Your will.' He rescinded the first ( the ritual plan of God for Israel) so He could establish the second ( the protocol plan of God for the Church Age)."
The protocol plan of God supersedes the ritual plan of God for Israel. During the church age, the new spiritual species of the Church Age replaces and engulfs the new racial species of Israel. Gal 3:24-28; Gal 6:15;
Heb 10:10; "By which will we (Church Age believers) have been sanctified to God forever through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once and for all."
The substitutionary spiritual death of Jesus Christ on the cross that provided unlimited atonement is the efficacious sacrifice that rescinds the ritual sacrifices authorized by the Mosaic Law.
Rom 10:4; For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
As a result of the great power demonstration of the Hypostatic Union, the person of Jesus Christ is changed forever. Beginning with the great power demonstration of the Hypostatic Union, Jesus Christ is true humanity and undiminished deity in one person forever.
As true humanity (body, soul, and spirit) in Hypostatic Union, our Lord is now superior to all members of the human race and to all angelic creatures. He is presently seated at the right hand of God where he continuously makes intercession for us. Heb 7:24-25;