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New Life Ministry teaching

Holy Thursday Communion

May 9, 2025

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Teaching summary

In this Holy Thursday message, Pastor Leonard Rola reflects on the significance of Jesus' sacrifice as foretold in the scriptures. He walks through prophetic passages in Psalms, Isaiah, Hebrews, and more, highlighting how Jesus fully understood His mission as the Lamb of God. The message emphasizes how Jesus willingly gave His body and blood for our wholeness, peace, and righteousness. Communion is shared in remembrance of Christ’s love and the fulfillment of God's redemptive plan.

Bible verses referenced

Hebrews 10:5-10- “Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He took away the first, and he may establish the second. By which we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”

Psalm 22:1-31- “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring? Oh my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not; in the night season, I am not silent. But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel. Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them. They cried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee, and were not confounded. But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people. All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, He trusted in the Lord that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him. But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother's breasts. I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother's belly. Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help. Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round. They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion. I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted amid my bowels. My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death. For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have enclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet. I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me. They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture. But be not thou far from me, O Lord: O my strength, haste thee to help me. Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog. Save me from the lion's mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns. I will declare thy name unto my brethren: amid the congregation will I praise thee. Ye that fear the Lord, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel. For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard. My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation: I will pay my vows before them that fear him. The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the Lord that seek him: your heart shall live forever. All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the Lord: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee. For the kingdom is the Lord's: and he is the governor among the nations. All that is fat upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his soul. A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation. They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this.”

Isaiah 53:2-12- “For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. He was taken from prison and judgment, and who shall declare his generation? For he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore, will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.”

2 Corinthians 5:21- “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”

Ephesians 1:4- “According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love.”

Teaching notes

Table of Contents

  1. The Purpose of Holy Thursday
  2. The Will of God and the Body Prepared (Hebrews 10)
  3. Jesus’ Cry on the Cross and Psalm 22
  4. The Prophetic Details of Christ’s Suffering
  5. Isaiah 53: A Portrait of the Messiah’s Sacrifice
  6. Made Righteous in Him (2 Corinthians 5)
  7. Before the Foundation of the World (Ephesians 1)
  8. Communion: His Body and Blood
  9. Final Encouragement and Reflection

The Purpose of Holy Thursday

Pastor Leonard begins by explaining that this message is shared on Holy Thursday, the day commemorating Jesus’ final meal with His disciples. It is a time of remembering the Lord’s Supper, a meal where Jesus revealed the new covenant and His soon sacrifice. Pastor Lenny notes how this moment marked the beginning of Jesus stepping into the fulfillment of God's plan.

The Will of God and the Body Prepared (Hebrews 10)

Jesus came into the world with full knowledge of His purpose. As stated in Hebrews 10:5-10, “Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me…”, God desired obedience through Christ rather than repeated temple sacrifices. Jesus' once-and-for-all sacrifice would bring sanctification to those who believe. Pastor Leonard explains that this was not only prophetic but personal—Jesus was born to give His life for us.

Jesus’ Cry on the Cross and Psalm 22

Pastor Leonard moves to Psalm 22, a psalm Jesus quoted from the cross: “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Psalm 22:1). He clarifies that Jesus was not expressing despair but invoking the entire psalm as a teacher would recite a line to bring a fuller context. Psalm 22 describes in detail the suffering Messiah would endure—mocking, pierced hands and feet, and casting lots for His clothing—each fulfilled during the crucifixion.

The Prophetic Details of Christ’s Suffering

Reading through Psalm 22, Pastor Leonard highlights how the psalm recounts torment, abandonment, and pain that Jesus endured. Verses like “They pierced my hands and my feet” and “They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture” show the exact fulfillment in Christ’s death. Yet it concludes in hope, with “He hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted… when he cried unto him, he heard.” (Psalm 22:24)

Isaiah 53: A Portrait of the Messiah’s Sacrifice

In 2 Corinthians 5:21, it says, “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” Pastor Leonard emphasizes the divine exchange—Jesus became sin so we could become righteous. The cross was not just about forgiveness but about transformation.

Before the Foundation of the World (Ephesians 1)

Quoting Ephesians 1:4, “According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world…”, Pastor Leonard underscores that God saw us holy and loved, not because of our actions, but through Christ. Jesus restored God's original intent for humanity—righteous, holy, and in perfect relationship with Him.

Communion: His Body and Blood

Pastor Leonard leads in communion, saying, “This is my body… broken for you.” He encourages believers to receive healing and wholeness through remembrance. The cup represents the new covenant, “Signed, sealed, and delivered by the blood of Jesus.” Jesus’ blood means eternal redemption, deliverance from sin, and a fresh start, as if sin never existed.

Final Encouragement and Reflection

In closing, Pastor Leonard urges viewers to revisit Psalm 22, Isaiah 53, and Hebrews 10. Let these truths stir an attitude of gratitude for Christ's sacrifice. The resurrection celebration is coming, but Holy Thursday prepares our hearts for the price Jesus paid in love.

We hope this article blessed you. Share this teaching with others who need a fresh revelation of what Jesus accomplished for us on Holy Thursday. May you walk in wholeness, peace, and gratitude, knowing He did it all for you.