The Victory Meal
I have been asked if I would be willing to lead in a time of Communion on a Give Him 15 post, as we join Matt Lockett and Lou Engle in prayer and Communion regarding the Dobbs abortion case. I felt this was a great idea.
There are many places in scripture we could look to as a jumping-off point to talk about “the Lord’s Table,” as some call Communion. I want to use Genesis 14:17-24. This is a very significant, amazing, and important passage, filled with prophetic pictures of our redemption. I will move slowly as I read the post, in order to make sure you track with me. Though I provide several references, I won’t read them. Let’s begin by reading four of the verses, 17-20:
“Then after his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley). And Melchizedek the king of Salem brought out bread and wine; now he was a priest of God Most High. And he blessed him and said, ‘Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; And blessed be God Most High, Who has handed over your enemies to you.’ And he gave him a tenth of everything” (NASV).
This is the first mention of “bread and wine” spoken of together in Scripture, and they wouldn’t be mentioned again until the night before the Cross. As such, it is an obvious prophetic picture of Christ’s last supper with His disciples.
How else do we know this? Follow me carefully. Melchizedek was a type or picture of Christ (Psalm 110; Hebrews 5:6,10; 6:20; 7:1-10); we are represented by Abraham, our father of faith (Romans 3:27-4:25). Melchizedek was a Canaanite, a race of people under a curse (Genesis 9:25 - “Cursed be Canaan”). As king over a cursed race of people, bestowing a blessing on Abraham, Melchizedek pictures Christ “having become a curse for us” (Galatians 3:13)…that “the blessing of Abraham might come to” us (verse 14).
As mentioned, to show that this occurrence with Melchizedek and Abraham did indeed picture our redemption while at the Last Supper, Christ departed from the traditional meal - and for the first time since Genesis 14 - gave the disciples “bread and wine.”
Also, it is imperative to note that the bread and wine meal in Genesis 14 was a celebration of victory following Abraham’s defeat of unrighteous leaders attempting to steal his family and inheritance. This was a victory meal! But it represented so much more than just Abraham’s victory that day. In the passage and for the first time in Scripture, God refers to Himself as the “Most High God” 4 times, and “possessor of heaven and earth” twice.
This was a declaration that satan, who had tried to become the “most high” through his rebellion in heaven (see Isaiah 14:14), had not only failed in taking over heaven, but he would not become the possessor of earth, either. God was declaring, “satan couldn’t have heaven, he can’t have the human race and he won’t have earth! I will redeem the earth and My family!”
Amazing.
When Christ gave the disciples the bread and wine at the Last Supper telling them these elements represented His body and blood, He was celebrating victory in advance. He knew, of course, the price He was about to pay; but He also knew He would win. And when we partake of communion, yes, we should remember the horrible price Jesus paid to redeem us; but we should also remember that it represents the greatest victory in the history of creation. Satan was defeated, the curse was broken, and we were restored into blessing - redeemed back into the family of God.
Christ’s blood on the mercy seat of heaven is still the guarantee of this new covenant. Because of His blood, we can ask for mercy. We can ask that America be delivered from the curse associated with the shedding of innocent blood, and appeal to heaven for deliverance from this disgraceful evil. We can ask that through His mercy, God moves strongly over the Supreme Court of America, speaking in whatever way necessary to at least five Justices, motivating them to reverse Roe v. Wade. And we can ask for the cleansing and healing of our land.
Father, as we take the bread together in a moment, we remember the broken body of Jesus, sacrificed for our healing and restoration. We thank You, Jesus, for becoming one of us, the Son of Man, to bring us back into Your family. You are the Bread of Life and as we partake of this bread today, it reminds us that we are to partake continually of Your life. Eat the bread. (Feel free to pause the video for a moment or two if you would like, and spend time in personal prayer and Communion with Him.)
And now, as we drink the wine, we honor and place our faith fully in the shed blood of Jesus for the remission of our sins. We also remember that His blood does more than cleanse us of sin; it also makes us new creations in Christ Jesus. We are born again. We celebrate this great victory over sin and the curse. We receive health, wholeness, and salvation as we do this today. And we decree that through the blood of Christ, satan is forever defeated. Drink the juice. (Again, feel free to pause and take any amount of time you would like, to spend personal time with Him.)
And now, Father, we ask for victory in this recent Supreme Court case. We ask You to break the curse of Roe v. Wade off of America. Let this decision be the beginning of the end of abortion in America. We thank You for this, again, doing all in the name of Christ. Amen.
We decree that the power of Christ’s redemption is greater than the power of sin and death.
Click on the link below to watch the full video.