Peace under the old covenant could be destroyed by the sin of the people. Therefore, many times, third parties and rulers took steps to destroy the peace God made with His people Israel, by provoking or leading them into sin that violated the covenant. Ultimately, the whole nation was carried off into captivity, cursed by the covenant for their disobedience. But the New Covenant is a unilateral covenant, which does not depend upon our obedience at all! The whole covenant is fulfilled by God through Christ Himself! It is His unbreakable obedience, and not our own! It is His bloody sacrifice, and nothing we do, that brings eternal forgiveness for our sins against God, and imputes righteousness to us before Him. Because of the superior sacrifice of Jesus that takes away our sin, there is no means by which God's peace with us, under the New Covenant, can ever be broken! Meanwhile, the New Covenant produces obedience in the Lord's people, an obedience that could not be attained under the old covenant. Thus, wicked men, and the devil himself, are thwarted in their vain efforts to separate us from God's peace!

Consider the contrast between the Old Covenant, sealed with animal blood at Mount Sinai, with the New Covenant, established by the blood of Jesus Christ. While the Old Covenant required human obedience that Israel could not keep, resulting in judgment and curse, the New Covenant is unilateral, relying on God's power to produce obedience and forgive sin. The Old Covenant sacrifice served merely as a seal of obligation, whereas Christ's sacrifice actively executes the promise of redemption and eternal inheritance. Believers are no longer under the terrifying law of Mount Sinai, but have access to the heavenly Jerusalem, through the superior blood of sprinkling of Jesus. This theological distinction culminates in the celebration of the Lord's Table, where we remember the specific purpose of Christ's death for the remission of sins.

Jesus Christ is the incarnation of divine truth and grace, contrasting His unchanging gospel offer with the lies and self-righteousness of wicked men. While physical heritage or moral effort cannot save, only the truth embodied in Christ liberates sinners from the bondage of sin. Consider the tragic rejection of this truth by Israel, who preferred their own lies and the praise of men over the saving knowledge of God. This rejection is a spiritual inability to hear God's voice without the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit, a condition that persists in the world today in every lost sinner. Believers must embrace the peace and glory found in Christ's sacrifice, and view the Lord's Supper, not as a mere ritual, but as a tangible encounter with the truth that reconciles us to God.

We meditate on the significance of Christ's final day, contrasting the human tendency toward panic or practicality with Jesus' purposeful fulfillment of Scripture. Jesus' death was not merely an end, but the commencement of His ongoing intercession and shepherding of His people. In that last day, Christ instituted the Lord's Supper as a remembrance of the New Covenant, the satisfaction of divine wrath through Christ's sacrifice, and the assurance of resurrection. Christ encouraged His people and prayed for our faith, and promised to take us with Him one day to glory. We seek to speak in a pastoral and comforting way, encouraging believers to find joy in the certainty of Christ's finished work, and His continued presence with us from now through eternity. We must engage deeply with the elements of communion, recognizing them as profound signs of redemption rather than mere rituals.

Jesus Christ is the incarnate truth of God, embodying both divine justice and saving grace in a way that surpasses the law given through Moses. While God's promises are immutable and true, the natural man is spiritually blind and cannot receive this truth without the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit. The condemnation of the law contrasts with the redemption found in Christ, because salvation is mediated solely through faith in Jesus, who is the way, the truth, and the life. Believers must view the Lord's Supper not merely as a ritual, but as a tangible encounter with the person of Christ, who fully reveals God's glory and offers peace to His people.

The absolute truthfulness and immutability of God's word contrasts to human deceit. God's infinite power guarantees the fulfillment of His promises, providing believers with an unshakable anchor for their souls in Christ. Trusting in God's pure and untarnished word protects believers from shame and condemnation. Both the Psalms and Solomon's dedication of the temple affirm that every divine promise remains true from beginning to end. This foundation motivates our worship and obedience, culminating in our weekly celebration of the Lord's Supper as continuing proof of God's faithfulness.

Consider the reliability of God's truthfulness by contrasting human dishonesty with divine faithfulness, using Abraham as a primary example of trusting impossible promises made by God to him. God confirmed His salvation plan through two immutable things: His unchangeable counsel and His sworn oath to Abraham. This divine certainty provides believers with a steadfast anchor for their hope, grounded in Christ's finished work as our High Priest. Believers must rest securely in these promises, while participating in the Lord's Supper as a remembrance of God's fulfilled covenant.

Unlike the dumb animals slain at the Passover, our Paschal Lamb, the Lord Jesus, possessed full knowledge of His sacrificial role and the wrath He would endure. Christ's conscious acceptance of God's judgment for sin is seen in His anguish in Gethsemane and on the cross. It was a deliberate act of obedience and love in the face of His horrible knowledge of the cost. Christ's eternal deity and human experience allowed Him to fully comprehend the horror of sin, thereby satisfying divine justice in a way previous sacrifices could not. This profound understanding and suffering by Christ serve as the foundation for the believer's justification and freedom from condemnation. We ought to reflect on this perfect sacrifice during the Lord's Supper, recognizing the immense cost paid for our redemption.

Old Testament Passover lambs contrast with Jesus Christ, because while ancient sacrifices were provided by imperfect people, God Himself provided His own Son as the perfect sacrifice for sin. Jesus' played a unique role as both the High Priest and the offering! He willingly laid down His life rather than having it taken by force. Our sins were laid upon Him to secure eternal redemption for believers. Scripture describes Jesus' divine awareness of His mission from eternity past, and His human growth in understanding this burden, that He would be sacrificed as God's Lamb to take away our sins. Christ's sacrifice is superior over all animal offerings. Believers ought to view the Lord's Supper as a memorial of this completed work.

There is a theological significance of Christ's betrayal and arrest occurring at night, contrasting the secrecy of evil with the public nature of God's redemptive work. Wicked men operate in darkness to hide their deeds, while believers are called to live in the light of truth. Although Jesus was subjected to unjust nighttime proceedings, His ultimate victory is revealed in glorious public manifestation at His second coming. This future hope assures believers that there will be no more night or opportunity for sin in the New Jerusalem, where the Lamb provides eternal light. Consequently, Christians are encouraged to rejoice in Christ's sacrifice and anticipate a time when all evil deeds of darkness are permanently abolished.

The Old Testament Passover contrasts with the New Testament reality of Jesus Christ as our eternal Paschal Lamb. Unlike the animals provided by the people, God Himself provided His Son as a sin offering, fulfilling the prophecy Abraham spoke at Mount Moriah. Who slew the Lamb? The people sacrificed their own Passover lambs in olden days. But as for Christ, while wicked men carried out the physical execution, it was ultimately Christ's own will and authority as High Priest that laid down His life. This voluntary sacrifice, offered once for all, accomplishes our eternal redemption, and sanctifies believers forever. Only Christ can present His perfect sacrifice to God, excluding any human priest from mediating the atonement, or "presenting" Christ to God as a propitiatory sacrifice for sin.