The Communion 3 - the Blood — G.W. North

The Communion of the Blood of Christ

Now tonight, as I promised, or I don't know whether that is a promise or not, but as I said this morning, I want to continue in the great theme of the communion. We started on Saturday night, and we went through this morning and tonight, seeing that we started early, we have quite a nice long time, and it's a holiday tomorrow, and unless you're getting up at 4 o 'clock and going down to the beach to bathe or something, I reckon that we have perhaps a little more time.

Christ's Body Broken for Us

And so I want to come on to this morning the precious truth of the blood, in that we've spent quite a time on this is my body which is broken for you. Thinking this, as it was prayed out this morning, that when the Lord hung on the cross, he was not broken, not a bone of him was broken.

He was sacrificed whole to God, but for us he had to be broken. God could take him, if I may say so, in one mouthful, if only we could. He broke, and he said, now this is my body which is broken for you.

Surely the tragedy among us, beloved, is that we take just little pieces, if only we could have Jesus Christ with understanding and appreciation to capacity. Ours is a progressive experience, isn't it?

The Communion of the Blood in 1 Corinthians

But then tonight I said that I wanted to talk to you about the blood. So shall we turn, first of all, to that great scripture that we were looking at this morning in 1 Corinthians 10. I think perhaps at some time or another, those of you who've read the Bible and love it, and have read this chapter, you may have wondered why the order is as it is in verse 16.

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? And might have wondered, why is the blood put first here?

In fact, I have heard it suggested that sometimes the church ought to do it this way, and drink the blood, the wine, before they eat the body, the bread. Now I don't know what you think about death, and I'm not going to try and make any outrageous statements about it.

But this I am quite sure, that Paul, who himself knew the order of the communion, for he wrote it in the 11th chapter, to which we will turn, and read in verse 23, I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus, the same night in which he was betrayed, took bread.

He knew the order of the communion, as it was established in the upper room. He would do, of course, because Jesus came and told him himself. Not for nothing did Jesus begin Paul's great spiritual life, by a personal appearance to him.

Paul's Encounter With the Living Christ

He appeared to Paul, but Paul was in utter darkness then, and so immediately Jesus appeared as the light, Paul went blind. Straight away. He couldn't bear the sight of him. Afterwards, he appeared again, and again, unto Paul.

And it was marvellous what Paul saw, upon those occasions. So don't be afraid if, for the first time, you come into contact with the real living Christ, and not mere religious idolatry, and you really come into contact with the genuine living Christ, don't be surprised if you're just about overpowered, and overwhelmed, and as we may say, blinded, and can't see anything.

God has to show us, at the beginning of our spiritual lives, that we just don't know anything. In fact, he has to raise us from the dead. The death of self, in the sin, and the trespasses, and the rebellions, and the ideas, wherein we not only loaded up ourselves, but buried ourselves, underneath them all.

And he has to raise us from them. And this is a marvellous thing. Don't be surprised then, if that's the beginning. But he'll lead you on into a greater truth. And you'll come not just to a blinding experience of Christ, but you'll be able to sing, as we were saying, that we have his face shining in our hearts.

And this is the treasure that we have in these urban vessels. What a marvellous thing it is. And this is how we see Jesus. We, who perhaps start by saying, Sirs, we would see Jesus. This is how we see him.

And what a marvellous experience then for us. Well, Paul started then, with his great revelations from the Lord. And he knew. Jesus came and told him what happened in the upper room. It quite tallied with those who had been there.

Testing Revelation by Scripture and Truth

And you must always remember this. If you have revelation, and if you are one of these people who have visions, it must tally with what people know. If not, your revelation, vision, or what not you say you have, is false.

And a product of your own mind. It's written into the scriptures, you see, if you search well and long enough. So that no one need go wrong in this great charismatic euphoria that's arisen. So that we can move on the ground of reality.

Check with those who know. Don't say, I say this and expect everybody to jump up and cling on to their rafters, because you've had a vision. Let it be checked with those that know. It's as simple as that.

We haven't got to all fall down and kowtow at a vision that's coming through. The vision's got to be checked up with reality and truth. There are those who know. That's a marvellous thing. Paul checked with those who knew.

And he found it was right. You see, what a truth this is. So then, why did he say, in chapter 10 of that epistle, the cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ, the bread which we break, and so on, putting the cup first.

Well, my beloved, it's because it is first in everybody's experience. And I want to say to you that nobody can break the bread and eat the body of Christ until first they have drunk of his blood. That's the importance of it.

And so perhaps, as I say this is so important, you may have wondered why I've waited till the third occasion, having already talked for somewhere about three hours, about the body and the bread. Why is it that we've only just come to it?

Well, because, you know, there is an order in Revelation. Until Jesus' skin was broken and his flesh was pierced, in other words, until the body was dealt with, the blood didn't flow. There is a logical sequence, a natural train of things, even in the spirit, and God doesn't ordinarily go against the natural order.

Amen. You know, first the blade, then the ear, then the full corn in the ear, and so on. It all works out in our spiritual life. But nevertheless, let every one of us know absolutely surely that the most important thing for every one of us tonight, and I'm not at the moment talking exclusively to Christians, I am talking to whosoever has an ear to hear, the most important thing for every one of us is that we should drink of the cup of the communion that's in the blood of Christ.

We'll come back to that a little later, perhaps. Now, amen. You know that the communion that was in the blood of Jesus Christ was the harmonious communion between the divine and the human. It is not so in your veins.

The harmonious communion, union, common union, intermingling, commingling, whatever you want, of the divine with the human. That was the basic thing in the blood that flowed in the veins of that man. Every other man that had come into the world, and woman, every other child, there was no commingling of divine with human.

Human to human came, and human was the result in birth. In this great birth and coming of Jesus Christ, divine to human came. A visitation from heaven. God broke in. Hallelujah. God came. Amen. God performed a miracle.

And Jesus was born. And immediately then, there was the glorious communion that God wanted. He'd always had communion in heaven with his Father, had Jesus and the Holy Spirit. But now, he has become a man.

Amen. What a glorious communion. Let's ask the question, Jesus, you've been born of a holy seed. You've been born of heaven on earth. Can you keep that glorious communion that's in your blood that you knew nothing about when you were conceived and born from the womb as a child?

Can you keep it now you have it as glorious? Can you maintain the communion? Can you live apart from sin? Can you resist the devil? Can you keep what you have and make it viable, make it possible, make it communicable to man?

If you can, then there's hope for us. If you can't, we're damned. Glory be to God. That's why you've got to believe in the virgin birth. And that's why without a virgin birth, it's all ballyhoo. We might as well break up and finish.

Christ's Humiliation and Incarnation

What a wonderful thing that it is, beloved, that we're in this realm of God coming down to man. Eh? And, of course, you know that he did keep that blood and the communion that was in it as the basis of a greater communion that should spring up.

Let's watch this babe, shall we? Now, purely as he is a human, and he was a pure human, and he is a glorious human now in heaven. The Son has gone back to heaven, taking our humanity. And let's watch him, shall we?

Can he, this babe, this innocent, this one of whom we read, and I suppose we'd better get the background of it in the Scripture, let's anchor ourselves well and truly in the book so that we know exactly the truth that God wants us to know.

We'll read in the Philippian letter. I expect some of you have anticipated where I would read. And in the second chapter of the Philippian letter, we read these words, verse 5 of chapter 2. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.

I don't know what kind of a mind you have in you, but this is what you and I are told. Whatever your brain capacity is, large or small, let this mind be in you, for this is what you have brains for, this mind that was in Christ Jesus.

Let's read about him. Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of slaves, and was made in the likeness of men, and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

Hallelujah. What a glorious beginning this is. Listen. Jesus did not become a slave when he was born. He was a slave before he was born. Now that's the thing that you have to see. He didn't grasp at great things.

Bless him. I bless him from my heart. He made himself of no reputation, and took upon himself the form of a servant, and then he was made in the likeness of men. His humbling of himself began up there in heaven.

Amen. He wasn't humiliated to become a man. He was exalted to become a man. He didn't count it a thing to be grasped at to be equal with God. He sought most dearly to be equal with men. He grasped at that.

He sought it to become a man like you and me, yet without sin. God started it this way. And there he was. He emptied himself. He emptied himself not of his Godhead, but he emptied himself of the status he had.

He stepped down from his co-equality with God, because God had a vision of redeemed humanity. And he came to fulfill it. And he laid aside everything for you, my friend. And he came right down here for me too, who was never worth it, as worthy as you may be.

And there he was. The only hope of mankind. Jesus, our only joy, art thou. And so on. We go through this. The only hope of mankind. A light, a small light shone in the dark. And it was a babe. And he grew and he grew and he grew.

And as he grew, the basis of all our hope, not just that a pure life had come into the world from God, a pure little baby thing, but the hope that with this new beginning, there should be formed a personality, there should be formed a character that should go through all the vicissitudes and all the temptations and all the hardships and more than men can go through, bless God, and live and retain his spotlessness and retain his character and retain purity and go into the difficult places and go where the temptation was strongest.

Christ's Temptation and Sinless Character

He began his great public career, you will remember. After being pointed out as the Lamb of God, he went out there amongst the wild beasts and the greatest wild beast of all called the devil. For there's no beast as wild as a morality which has power that has gone perverted.

No lion, no dragon, no serpent, no anything is as vile as a human being when it's gone wrong. None. And he went out there and he that was higher than a human being, Lucifer, gone wrong, how much dreadful power did he have?

How much subtlety did he have? How much wickedness? And Jesus went out there into the desert with him and the devil brought his temptations against Jesus and he was tested and found pure then at 30. At 30 he was tested by the devil himself.

Tested, mark you, will you believe it, for God. Tested for man. Hallelujah! God had him tested at the beginning to show you that at 30 he was perfect still as he had been when he was conceived and born.

And when he was 12, I haven't tarried over that, and in those years in between, perfect, not a flicker of an eyelid towards sin. Yielded to temptation, never. Glorious Jesus. Alright to be an innocent babe.

What are you like when you're cast amongst the temptations of sex and work? What are you like when you're thrust out there where it's hard, where men swear and curse and blaspheme, and when you have to mix with people who are devil-possessed?

What are you like there? He, as the Bible says, was tempted in all points, like as we are. Every point of his humanity, every appetite, everything to the nth degree at last. He was tempted in the sphere of pride.

He was tempted in the sphere of greed. These are often much more subtle testings than anything in the physical realm. You believe that? You know, see all these kingdoms of the world, that devil said, they'll all be yours, just fall down and worship me.

Greed. Did he want anything for himself? In all these great, of pride, oh, and of power, all these realms. These are the realms in which he came through perfectly. I'd like to stop just on the character and wonder of Jesus.

The Four Gospels Reveal Christ's Perfection

But, you know, he went on. Oh, you know now. His life is unfolded for us by the synoptists, Matthew, Mark and Luke. And his glorious teachings by John, who understood him in a way, it seems, that very few others did.

And it's all laid bare for us to see. Perfect. Perfect in the eye of the public. Perfect in the eye of God. Perfect in the eye of the devil. Perfect. Perfect in private. Perfect when he was working with his hands at the carpenter's bench.

Perfect when he was laying his hands on some poor leper. Or someone of that nature. Wherever you find him, perfect. Perfect when he met a timorous woman that came through, you know, and so shy and so ill.

And she comes through and she touches the hem of his garment. And she's healed. And she's going off again. Poor, shy, introverted, trembling woman. How does he deal with it? Anybody like that here tonight?

See how perfect he is. To her shame she felt. To her incredible shyness. He brings her back. And makes her stand out in the public eye. And say what's happened to her. Perfectly so. Why didn't he just let her slink off?

Is she the damned of souls? Is she had? Fool! The Bible says that you have to believe with your heart and confess with your mouth if you want to retain anything that God gives you. That's the order. So he made her come and do it for her own good.

Though she was shy. Oh, he's perfect. I see him everywhere. Perfect. How do you see him? Of course, you know, that when it actually came to the time of his death, the pilot, the Roman proconsul said, I find no fault in him.

The thief that hung beside him on the cross, listen to the testimony from a thief. He said, this man has done nothing amiss. We're indeed suffering the due rewards of our sins. But this man, he couldn't point to him.

He could only wag his head. For he was nailed on a cross too. This man has done nothing amiss. What a testimony. Hear the Pharisees who hated him, sneering at him. Listen to the tribute they're bound to pay, though they would curse him.

I tell you, this is the wonder of God. They sneered at him hanging on the cross. They said, he saved others. Himself he cannot save. If thou be the Christ, the Son of God, come down from the cross and we will believe thee.

You see? But listen to their tribute. He saved others. They had to pay tribute to him, though they would curse him. Hallelujah. They mocked him. But even the mocker has in the end to pay him tribute. There is no way that men can find a fault with Jesus Christ.

None at all. The world, the sinners, the majesty of earth, all hast thou at him who humbled himself and came down to this earth and he retained the communion. He kept it on his journey to the cross. You will remember we referred to it this morning.

Christ's Communion With the Father Before the Cross

When they rose up from that feast that we are, I hope, going to keep a little later, an hour or two tonight later. When he was on his way in those last hours, this was the thing he said. Listen. He wasn't trying to put over some doctrinal concept.

He wasn't doing anything. They heard him pray. And we read it this morning. They heard him say, O Father, Lord, Father, keep these men that thou hast given me that they may be one as we. There it was.

The communion was still there. He was on his way to the cross. Oh, he said, Father, as thou art in me and I in thee that they may be one. He was living it right at that moment till he stepped onto the cross.

But before he went that way, we're going to read it. You know that Matthew, Mark, and Luke record the story of the establishing of the elements of the communion in that upper room. You, I hope, seeing that our subject is communion, have been assiduously reading in the scriptures concerning it.

Or have you been waiting for me? Shame on you. I expect you've been too busy eating these tremendous meals or dodging the rain of our peculiar English summer. And you will know that the accounts are in Matthew 22, sorry, Matthew 26, Mark 14, and Luke 22.

Hmm. Someone's been reading them anyway. Praise the name of the Lord. We're going to read about the blood. In Matthew and Mark and Luke, as I said before, John does not record the actual setting up of the feast.

In Matthew 26, we read, verse 26 of Matthew 26, as they were eating, Jesus took bread and blessed it and break it and gave it to the disciples. Much more pungently in the Greek, it reads like this. Jesus took bread and blessed and break and gave to the disciples.

And he said, take, eat, this is my body. And he took the cup and gave thanks and gave to them saying, drink ye all of it for this is my blood of the new testament which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

Mark, chapter 14, verse 22. And as they did eat, Jesus took bread and blessed and break and gave to them and said, take, eat, this is my body. And he took the cup and when he had given thanks, he gave to them and they all drank of it and he said unto them, this is my blood of the new testament which is shed for many.

I hope you're carefully taking in the precise things that Jesus said. I want to refer to them presently. And in Luke 22, you will of course know that the part that the the Lord's supper or whatever we call it was instituted on the same night as another feast called the Passover.

There were two feasts on that night. The Passover feast which was the great memorial feast of the old covenant. Now the words new covenant never found a place in Jesus' lips until this feast that he establishes now.

We'll read about it. Here it is. When the hour was come, Luke 22, verse 14. When the hour was come, he sat down and the twelve apostles with him and he said unto them, with desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.

For I say unto you, I will not eat, I will not anymore eat thereof until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God. And he took the cup and gave thanks and said, take this and divide among yourselves. For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God shall come.

He's disposed of the Passover meal now. And he took bread and gave thanks and break it. And gave unto them saying, this is my body which is given for you. This do in remembrance of me. Likewise also the cup after supper saying, this cup is the new testament in my blood which is shed for you.

Jesus Washes the Disciples' Feet

Amen. Now between the Passover supper and the Lord's supper or the communion John comes in with his account. We'll read it in the 13th chapter. Now before the feast of the Passover when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father having loved his own which were in the world he loved them unto the end.

Now isn't that a lovely way of telling us about the cross. Now Jesus knew he was going to be crucified He just knew he was going to depart out of the world to his Father. What communion. You see John is giving us an insight into the true communion state.

To him it didn't matter that it was going to be torture. To him it didn't matter that it was going to be a cross. It did matter. It mattered everything in the world. But no it didn't matter for love pure love made it all bearable and glorious.

And the pain was lost sight of in the tremendous knowledge of this love that had been in him and which the communion was stably founded. Love. The unalterable love. He knew that he was going out of the world to the Father.

Whichever way made no difference to him. But it made all the difference. Do I sound paradoxical? I hope I do. I'm talking about a paradox. The whole thing is a paradox. But how glorious it is nonetheless.

In fact it's all the more glorious for him. And he's going to his Father and having loved his own in verse 1 he loved them and to the end here it is and supper being ended there it is we've got now to the end of the communion at the end of the Passover and at the end of the Passover listen this is what we are told he loved them and supper being ended the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot Simon's son to betray him Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands and that he was come from God and went to God oh glory.

I hope these great elements of the communion are becoming precious to your heart. These are the basic things in the communion. You know that you've come from God and go to God when you're in the communion you know that you've been cut off from your first birth.

You know you've been cut off from the devil's character and seed which came to you through your first birth. You know you had a death and a resurrection. And you know that in this blessed thing that God has done in your heart you've come from God as our sister prayed out in that prophetical prayer.

I know that that which is in me is from thee. You might almost have thought she knew what I was going to preach about. Wouldn't you there it is. You've heard it in the gifts of the Spirit. You've read it in the Bible.

You're hearing it in the preaching in your ears. What else do you want. What more can you demand if you demand anything more. God save your soul. You're in sin hardened in it. You're going to hell. Sure.

And nothing can prevent you. Only the things of which we speak tonight. Only the grace of God. But what grace you all may look up with joy. For he saved the chief of sinners when he saved me. Look beloved.

The Passover is ended. And the break between the Passover and the Lord's supper was made this way that in this 13th chapter we're told that he rises from supper. Verse 4. He lays aside his garments. He takes a towel and girds himself.

And now we see why he told them to follow the man that was bearing the pitcher of water that was to be the guest chamber. He pours water into a basin acting as host. And he washes the disciples feet. What a glorious thing this washing over.

When it's passed they reassemble round the table. This is the way you must sort out these accounts. One will provide the key to others. They need some sorting out. It isn't always possible to easily define where things end and things commence in some of the incidents recorded in the four gospels.

Reading the Four Gospels Together

But if you will read and I believe that this is the purpose why God gave us all for to make you keep reading till things did come clear. That's what he did it for I adore his wisdom. You're so used to going to universities and schools and having stuff shoved down your throat which often proves to be untrue in the end from one stream like syrup that in the end you can't use your brains at all.

So you got to keep reading reading reading believing that God can show you. And I'll tell you what it was. Because I believed it that God could show me. So I kept reading and reading and reading. I read to have fellowship with God in my reading and find out what was in his mind and what he really had to say.

And he opened my poor blind eyes to see. And so after this is over they reassemble round the table. You know what the table is. Do you? Well I don't even know that they had a table cloth. They didn't have a table to speak of.

They never had tables and chairs. In those days the only people that sat on chairs were kings. And it's very probable that your dining room chair or let me say your lounge chair that you sit in in your lounge is better than David's throne that he sat upon.

Ever thought about that? If so you won't grumble anymore. Very probable. Solomon made a real throne but nothing like that for David. I hope you let this sink in. Complaining is no pointer to sainthood.

None at all. They settle down again. How do I know this? Well they settled down and they were reclining again. That's what they did. They used to recline with their feet outward. See? Round. Well it was on the floor.

The table was in the midst there. It was nothing like that thing that Leonardo da Vinci painted. So you shouldn't get worried about whether you've seen the ceiling in some famous building or is it infamous?

I'm not sure. But but don't get worried about these pictures of the last table last supper. Nothing like that at all. Nothing. Maybe marvellous painting but for the wrong ideas it's implanted in our hearts.

May it all fall down. You say he's a philistine. Well alright. But I'm a finster. I don't care. What you think. I want to be right with God. That's what I want to be. And then I know they were down again because they start.

They're round the table. You see. And it's here. This is what's happened. How shall I start? Verse 21. Jesus said he was troubled in spirit when he said the preceding words. You must read them. And he testified and said verily verily I say unto you that one of you shall betray me.

Now if you read the other accounts carefully you will find this was not the first time he said it. He said it whilst they were still partaking of the Passover as well. And he kept on saying that one of them was going to betray him.

Listen. The disciples looked one another doubting of whom he spake. Now there was leaning on Jesus bosom. That's how I know. They were back at table again. You see they were now reclining again. He'd washed their feet.

He'd put on his clothes again and his outer coat and his girdle. And he was lying down again. And dear old John had got his head on Jesus' breast where he loved to have it praise him. And you know he was one of the disciples whom Jesus loved only one of them.

But that's what he seemed to feel most of all. And Simon Peter therefore beckoned to him that he should ask who it should be of whom he spake. He then lying on Jesus' breast said unto him Lord a voice from his breast spoke to him Lord just that whisper into the ears of Jesus who wrote the gospel because he was the one that said it got his head on Jesus' breast.

The voice from the breast is a precious voice to speak in the ear. Jesus said verse 26. He it is to whom I shall give a sop when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the sop he gave it to Judas Iscariot the son of Simon.

He'd never owned up before. Again and again Jesus had said it. You must read it carefully. One of you going to betray me. Oh he was distressed about it. He would not come clean. Listen verse 2. The devil had put into Judas Iscariot's heart to betray Jesus.

And he'd received it. He put it in his heart. Then he asked him a question. Will you let me put my head on your breast and talk to you. What's in your heart. What's in your heart. Is it something God's put there as the seed of everything else that shall latterly come or presently.

Or is it what the devil's put there as the seed of what shall ever be in your life or death. These are the important things. What's in your heart lassie. What's in your heart laddie. What's in your heart man.

What's in your heart woman who put it there. Jesus had given him equal opportunity with everything else with everyone else. He'd said one of you are going to betray me. And then he went and he knelt at Judas' feet.

It's written in the scripture. He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me. That's what it says in the scripture. Jesus speaking prophetically. And he washed that man's feet. Oh how will you go.

How deep will you remain in your duplicity. How silent when God gives you opportunity. Will you seal your damnation by the silence of your lips. Will you be strong in your pride. Be lower to the ground than a serpent that slithers on its belly.

Will you. He knelt at Peter's feet and Peter had come up. You're not going to wash my feet. Oh all the guilt all this sense of unworthiness all this that was in his heart. It was out of his mouth. It came out.

Jesus said just let me do it. Peter if only Judas when he had his opportunity had come clean. If only he had he sat there as hypocritical as 10 ,000 times 10 ,000 Pharisees ever were. And he sat there looked like all the rest because nobody knew who it was.

He looked as smug and self-complacent and pious and religious as anybody else. Jesus washed his feet and let him get away with it until a voice from his breast said so he dipped the sop and gave it to Judas.

Judas, Satan, and the Two Communions

And after the sop verse 27 Satan entered into him. Now you see what happened first. Satan put something in your heart. And if you don't come clean when your opportunity is given you Satan comes in on the thing that he's put in your heart.

And you wonder why you become devil possessed plain as a pipe star this Bible. Isn't it plain as a pipe star. You don't need to go to schools to teach. You need to read the book. Keep reading the book.

It's there. God has said it all for those who are just as ignorant as the plough man. And this is the great man that the Bible was aimed at. Did you know that when the Bible was translated into the English and they sealed their work with their blood of these great martyrs of old the great purpose of it was that the man that drives the plough should know as much if not more about God and the gospel than the king on his throne.

That was the purpose of it. So none of you are ignorant and none of you can claim you don't know. And none of you can say well you know I'm not educated. Hallelujah. For that you saved yourself a lot.

Listen. You're ever so educated in the ways of sin aren't. You didn't need anybody to teach you. That did you. No. Let's be honest. Satan entered into him. And then Jesus said. And not till then he was talking to the devil.

Listen. He was in control. He said to the devil. Satan now not an evil spirit. Satan himself was in Judas just like he went into the serpent in the garden. Satan who confronted Jesus at the beginning of his ministry in the wilderness now was in the devil.