Text: 1 Samuel 19 - when David flees for refuge from Saul to Samuel.
The body of Jesus is food indeed. The blood of Jesus, is drink indeed. Unless we eat His flesh and drink His blood, we have no life in us. Here is our refuge. But this doesn’t mean that eternal life comes directly from taking Communion, like gas comes out of the pump when you pull the trigger. Scripture tells us that whatever is not of faith is sin, and it is true here at our Lord ’s Table. Do you believe you must be united with Jesus to escape the wrath of God? Do you believe that besides just pardoning you, God now favors you, when you are in Christ?
If you do, remember: that union of being in Christ is symbolized here. But this is no empty symbol, or sign, or ritual. No ritual is meaningless or mere routine. Symbols and rituals change reality. When you stand at attention, look to the American flag and listen or sing the national anthem, you are just performing a meaningless ritual with a symbol, right? No, this confirms the loyalty within you toward our country, or it confirms the disgust within you toward our country. It reveals your heart. And so it is with Christ here. He is put before you. Is your heart swelling with loyalty, glad to be under His refuge? Or are you raging against the futility of it all, disgusted with the hypocrisy you are sure is all around you? If so, then pray that everything here would work against sin and hypocrisy, as it is meant to do, and pray that it would work against the sin and hypocrisy in your own life first.
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