ICS Daily Devotions
An Abundant Life In Christ
1 Cor 11:28-32 (NKJV) But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.
There are so many parallels between the teachings of the Old Testament and the New Testament about the Passover and the institution of the Last Supper. Before the Passover, the Israelites were to search the entire house for leaven crumbs and get rid of them as they symbolize evilness and sins. They were expected to be set apart and consecrated unto the Lord.
John 17:16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it.
Jesus said we are in the world but not of the world. Hence, our lives are supposed to be different from the world. The lamb which the Israelites have prepared for the Passover had to be fully consumed before morning and they were not allowed to keep the meat for later use. Any part that was not eaten must have been burned. It signified their complete participation in the death of the lamb. Its life was taken, its blood was shed, the blood was applied, the meat was roasted, and the meat was consumed. Through these measures, the Jews were reminded that their redemption came through the death of a substitute. The lamb died in their place. By eating its meat, it signified their complete identification with the lamb which died for them.
Likewise, Christ saves us when we “eat His flesh and drink His blood” by faith. Jesus became the substitution for our redemption.
John 6:53-54 (NKJV) Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.
Jesus died on our behalf. The wrath and the judgment of God was upon Him for our sake. He was our substitute just as the Passover lamb was a substitute for the Jews. He was made a curse of the law by becoming sin for us on the cross. We are to remember that we are to live our lives very differently whenever we partake of the Holy Communion. We have been given eternal life when we have faith in the redemptive blood of Jesus Christ. We believe that He is the Passover lamb for us and the fulfillment of the Abrahamic covenant. We are joined with God when we partake the covenant blood of Christ. We receive the benefits of His life. Christ is the covenant sacrifice and God’s provision for our sustenance. We have His divine nature in the new creation through the born-again experience. We walk in faith in this covenant relationship.
John 10:10 I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
We have been delivered from the bondage of sin and have become a new creation with God’s nature in it. Therefore, we are to examine our own lifestyle if we are living out the kind of abundant life which God is expecting us to live.
Jesus came not only to give us life but one that is abundant. An abundant life is not about what we have or what we get or what we claim. Ultimately, an abundant life is about what we receive as a gift from the Lord and to live knowing we are stewards of the blessings of God. When we have enough of the blessings of God and we are able to share with others, that is when we truly have an abundant life.
Jesus gave Himself to offer us an abundant life. Similarly, when we give our lives unto Him for His purposes to be fulfilled in our lives, we will experience an abundant life in Christ!
Sermon series: Cell Group Campaign Session 5 – The Passover
