Hoc Est (This Is)

By the words of our Lord recorded no less than four times, Christ instituted His Supper for us Christians to eat and drink. It isn't to be contemplated from afar only in the heart or received only on rare occasions as if somehow that would make it more special. It isn't to be paraded about that we might observe it from afar as if mere looking upon it would provide its benefits. Much less should we doubt it and that Christ has given this Sacrament for us. By His holy words, Christ exhorts repented Christians to eat His very body hidden under the bread. By His words, Christ encourages believing Christians to receive His true blood hidden under the wine. And by these words of His last will and Testament, Christ Himself gives us the Sacrament; gives us and every communicant this Sacrament every time the church celebrates it according to His command.

Now as with many doctrines of the Christian faith, the Lord God has pointed to this Sacrament throughout the Old Testament in many various ways through His holy prophets and other inspired writers, but now in these last days, He has spoken to us definitely by His Son. God was pointing to the Sacrament of the Altar long before Christ our Lord instituted it. But now, in a fourfold unambiguous revelation, God has made known that this meal is a reception of a communion in the very body and blood of our dear Lord and Savior. The Passover sacrifice instituted by God on the night in which He delivered Isreal from its bondage to Eygpt pointed to Christ, our Passover lamb. He delivered us from bondage to sin, death, and the devil by sacrificing Himself for us on the cross of Calvary. For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins. He, Christ, entered once and for all into the Holy places by means of His own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. The blood of the Passover lamb marked the doorpost and the lentils of believing Isreal, and they were safe. How much more then will the blood of Christ through the Eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God purify our consciences. The blood of Christ marks the doorpost and lentils of our hearts, minds, and souls, and we are saved.

Once more, the eating of the Passover meal was itself a foretaste of the Lord's Supper, in which we partake of the very body and blood of our paschal Passover lamb - Jesus. Every time we celebrate the Sacrament of the Altar, God remembers His covenant promises to us in Christ. He reminds us of our Saviors' sacrifice on the cross for us. And we, in turn, preach a mighty sermon, for as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes.

Rev. Prof. Don Wiley