Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] All right. Well, good evening. Just kidding.
[00:00:04] So last night I had the opportunity to take my wife out to dinner and just have a moment with just her and I. And I have this thing that I do that reminds me of this image here with the crumbs.
[00:00:22] I'm a really, really messy eater.
[00:00:27] She bought me a man bib. I've got three man bibs.
[00:00:31] I wish that was a sermon story. It wasn't true. But I do have three of them.
[00:00:36] I get food all over me. What I love about this picture is it shows that something took place.
[00:00:43] One of the neat things that we're doing this summer is just going through a few of these stories centered around the table. In the Gospels, we see how Jesus took turns the table.
[00:00:55] And for those of you who are hip, I don't mean he's a dj.
[00:01:01] No, no, no. Two turntables and a microphone. No dice. Okay, here we go.
[00:01:07] Here's some of the examples. At Levi's table, he welcomed sinners. At Simon's table, he forgave a sinful woman we know about. In Luke 19, at Zacchaeus table, salvation came to a tax collector's house. And at the money changing table, he turned false religion upside down.
[00:01:26] Every table that we see in the Gospels, it says something about who Jesus is and why he came.
[00:01:35] Within a few hours after this that we're going to read today, Jesus will be arrested, falsely accused, beaten, crucified, and buried. Yet before he goes to Calvary, he gathers his disciples for one final meal.
[00:01:51] It isn't merely one last opportunity to spend time with his friends. Jesus intentionally transforms what they know as the Passover meal into something entirely new.
[00:02:04] He gives his disciples and every believer who would follow him a meal that explains the meaning of his death.
[00:02:13] So this Lord's table that we'll celebrate in just a few moments lets us know what was happening on the cross.
[00:02:22] And so if you have your Bibles, if you would look with me at Luke chapter 22, beginning in verse 7 and following it says this.
[00:02:31] Then came the day of unleavened bread, of which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed.
[00:02:40] So Jesus sent Peter and John saying, go and prepare the Passover for us that we may eat.
[00:02:48] They said to him, where will you have us prepare it?
[00:02:53] He said to them, behold, when you have entered the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him into the house that he enters and tell the master of the house, the teacher says to you, where is the guest room where I may eat the Passover with my Disciples and he will show you a larger upper room furnished.
[00:03:16] Prepare it there.
[00:03:19] And they went and found it, just as he had told them. And they prepared the Passover.
[00:03:24] This one little narrative just in these few verses reminds us of a few things that really apply to our life.
[00:03:31] Jesus is not a victim of his circumstances.
[00:03:35] He is not being swept away by the events that are happening around him. He is intentionally moving toward the cross.
[00:03:44] See, for the disciples, they see logistics. Jesus sees redemption. The cross was not Plan B.
[00:03:51] Jesus had been preparing for this moment all along from the idea that we see in Genesis 3 what happened there. From the covering of Adam and Eve in the garden, the Passover lamb in Egypt, the sacrifices of Leviticus, the promises of the prophets, everything pointed to this table, this moment.
[00:04:15] Jesus is always in control, even when his people cannot see the whole picture.
[00:04:21] And then verse 14.
[00:04:24] And when the hour came, he reclined. Jesus reclined at the table, and the apostles with him.
[00:04:30] And he said to them, and this is something to lock in on. This is so powerful.
[00:04:35] He says, I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.
[00:04:42] It's one of the most emotional statements that Jesus makes in his Gospels.
[00:04:47] You can hear this deep longing for this moment, this meal, as if he had a craving for it ever since as a baby, he drew his first breath. This moment was set.
[00:04:58] In fact, the writer of Hebrews we looked at a few months back, it says, for the joy set before him endured the cross, this idea of preparation, anticipation. And then verse 16, he says, for I tell you, I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God, this future kingdom, this future meal. And he took a cup. And when he had given thanks, he said, take this and divide it among yourselves. For I tell you that from now on, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine. Here it is again. Until the kingdom of God comes.
[00:05:32] For centuries, Israel as a nation had celebrated Passover.
[00:05:39] We see in Exodus 12 where this begins. Israel had been enslaved to Egypt for over 400 years. And God sent nine plagues.
[00:05:50] But Pharaoh repeatedly hardened his heart.
[00:05:54] The tenth plague, which would be the death of every firstborn in Egypt.
[00:06:00] Well, God instructed every Israelite family to select a spotless lamb, one without blemish.
[00:06:06] The lamb was to be sacrificed at twilight.
[00:06:09] Its blood was to be applied to the doorpost of each home.
[00:06:14] The family remained inside the house. Under the blood, they ate the roasted lamb with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. This is why we practice that those who practice Passover in the seder mill. This is where it comes from. They dressed for travel, belt fastened, sandals on, staff in hand, ready to leave Egypt at midnight.
[00:06:38] The Lord passed through Egypt where he saw the blood. He passed over that house where there was no blood. The firstborn in that house died.
[00:06:51] Pharaoh finally relented and ordered Israel to leave Egypt. The Passover became Israel's annual reminder memorial feast, reminding every generation that God redeemed them through the blood of a substitute, a spotless lamb. Well, Jesus is the sinless lamb of God.
[00:07:13] The lamb in this back in Exodus, the lamb died instead of the firstborn. Well, for us, Christ, the only begotten son of God, died in our place.
[00:07:26] The blood turned away God's judgment in Exodus, while Christ's blood satisfies God's righteous wrath for us.
[00:07:33] You see, the first Passover teaches that salvation comes not because death passes over sin, but because death passes over those who are covered by the blood. Here it is of a substitute.
[00:07:46] Jesus takes what we deserve so we can receive what he deserves.
[00:07:53] Every year, every year they were reminded, remembering, paying attention to, and it's powerful for us today. Like every year they participated in Passover, they were reminded of slavery, bondage, but rescue, the blood of the lamb, God's deliverance for them.
[00:08:16] Now Jesus is saying that this Passover that they're partaking in, as disciples had been pointing to him the whole time.
[00:08:26] The lamb is finally at the table. The Old Testament is not this collection of disconnected stories. It's one of the most moving stories that points to one story found in the person and work of Jesus. Every one of those sacrifices every year was a whisper of Jesus name.
[00:08:47] Every Passover anticipated his arrival.
[00:08:52] Verse 19.
[00:08:54] And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, this is my body which is given for you.
[00:09:09] Do this in remembrance of me.
[00:09:12] And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, this cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.
[00:09:23] You see, under the old covenant, sacrifices were repeated, blood was continually shed, sins were covered, but not finally removed.
[00:09:32] Now Jesus declares, I am the sacrifice.
[00:09:37] Not take this and remember Moses, or take this and remember Egypt, but take this and remember me. He says, within hours, this group of men, one of them will betray Jesus. One will deny Jesus, but all will abandon Jesus.
[00:09:56] Yet, as he said, Jesus welcomes this moment. He had been anticipating this moment, this table.
[00:10:05] Why?
[00:10:07] Well, because entrance into God's family is not based on our performance.
[00:10:14] It's based on God's grace.
[00:10:16] Hear that again. Entrance into God's family is not based on our performance. It's based on God's grace. The Covenant table reminds us that salvation rests on Christ's faithfulness, not ours.
[00:10:33] How many of you, like me, continue to have moments where you just self deprecate and just think and wince about all the mistakes you've made rather than not realizing it's the faithfulness of Christ that is your righteousness.
[00:10:49] Every time we have this moment in a month, and sometimes a couple times a month that we gather around the Lord's table, we remember we are saved by grace. It's a declaration of that truth.
[00:11:03] We declare we belong because of Jesus. We are united, each of us, which is great, to a common Savior.
[00:11:11] And if you Remember back in 16 and 18 two times it says Jesus is speaking about eating and drinking again in the kingdom. Which means even this meal, the Lord's Supper, is pointing forward to an ultimate feast that will take place.
[00:11:27] The meal points forward.
[00:11:29] The Lord's Supper is not only a memorial, it's also a promise. There is another table coming. There's another meal, a greater feast. The day when Christ gathers his redeemed people forever. It tells us that that Jesus is the true Passover lamb, whose body would be broken, whose blood would be poured out so that sinners could be forgiven.
[00:11:51] If you've experienced forgiveness, it's because of this.
[00:11:55] If you know that you're welcome into God's family, it's because of this meal.
[00:12:00] And you've been brought into this new covenant with God.
[00:12:03] And here's what's crazy. I don't know if you've ever had those moments where even if you ate breakfast or maybe you skipped breakfast, and all of a sudden there is this rumbling in your stomach, this discomfort where you may be in a meeting. I don't know if you've ever had this where you're in a meeting that's kind of a serious meeting and you're doing your best to keep quiet, but you can't control your hunger, your stomach's talking.
[00:12:28] You need to know that this is what creation longs for, for the revealing of the sons of God.
[00:12:35] This hunger, pain, longing for this final meal that we'll get to eat in eternity.
[00:12:43] We get to do this because Jesus body has been broken, his blood has been shed. Because the true Passover lamb would die in our place.
[00:12:55] The Covenant table teaches us that our hope is not in our promises that we make to God.
[00:13:01] How many of you have made a lot of promises to God? Anybody besides me? Pretty good at that.
[00:13:07] But our Hope is in the covenant promise of God secured in Jesus Christ.
[00:13:15] The old covenant asks, will you obey? The new covenant declares, christ has obeyed. The old covenant required the blood of lambs. The new covenant has secured, been secured by the blood of the lamb, Jesus.
[00:13:29] This past week, one of my friends sent me as he does sometimes something that means a lot to him, and he'll highlight it.
[00:13:37] And he assumes that I've got great eyesight, that I won't have to zoom in and find some other way to put it bigger.
[00:13:43] And he gave me this quote from this guy named Sam Storms. And here's the scene. I get this text. I'm at my daughter's indoor soccer game. That's in someone's backyard. That's not indoor at all.
[00:13:57] True story.
[00:13:59] It's in the back of somebody's yard at a trailer park. And it's awesome.
[00:14:05] Anyway, so I'm there, and it's neat to be there. And I get this text while they're warming up and at a soccer game. My body is already crying because I'm sweating and my eyes begin to water as well.
[00:14:20] And I read this and I just wept.
[00:14:26] Forgiveness, he says, is real and precious and glorious only because our sin has betrayed us into a situation in which justice demands that God inflict upon us the most serious and eternal consequences.
[00:14:46] That's what we deserve.
[00:14:48] But he has instead visited the judgment on his son, our Savior, Jesus Christ.
[00:14:55] That is the glory of saving grace, that the infinitely holy God, who should take action against us instead has taken action for us.
[00:15:09] There at this soccer game, I wept, realizing the weight of what Christ has done for me.
[00:15:22] In John 2.
[00:15:24] Incredible story. It's Jesus first recorded miracle, the wedding at Cana.
[00:15:30] And they realize that they're out of wine.
[00:15:33] And so Mary just points out the obvious and says they're out of wine. She doesn't tell Jesus to do anything, but it's implied.
[00:15:44] And Jesus response is woman.
[00:15:47] Total respect. I'm just kidding, just joking. It's always made me laugh.
[00:15:53] What does this have to do with me?
[00:15:57] And then this statement which really points to something incredible. He says, my hour has not yet come.
[00:16:07] Jesus uses the word hour 13 times in the Gospel of John. Every time he uses it, he's referring to his death on the cross, the hour in response to his mother. He is not referring to what they see in that moment, because he goes on and tells them to take these water containers and fill them with water, and he just turns it into wine based on the faith of their obedience of doing it.
[00:16:36] He's using that statement to point to an ultimate statement that we see in Revelation 19.
[00:16:45] The wedding supper of the Lamb that would be provided for by the blood of the Lamb when his hour had come.
[00:16:55] There's this past picture of this in Isaiah. Many of us know this text, and I want to read a few verses of it and then read another one from that chapter because it's important.
[00:17:07] Isaiah 60:1, verse 1 and 3. Most of us know this. Jesus uses this as his introductory text in Luke chapter four, speaking of what he came to do.
[00:17:19] Isaiah writes, the Spirit of the Lord God is upon me because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.
[00:17:29] He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and the opening of the prisoners to those who are bound.
[00:17:38] To proclaim the year of the Lord's favor in the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, to grant those who mourn in Zion, to give them a beautiful headdress instead of of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit.
[00:17:55] Why that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.
[00:18:06] This text, many scholars believe it is an illusion, a pointing to something that would really be commanded by God. In Leviticus 25, it's called the year of jubilee. What would happen is when a particular part of land that belonged to a family and they can no longer take care of themselves, they would kind of sell themselves to be servants of somebody else for 50 years. And it 50 year, the 50 year mark, the year of jubilee, they would be set free and would get their land back for their family.
[00:18:38] And Jesus, when he reads this text, he says, this has taken place in your hearing in Luke 4, letting them know that he came to set the captives free.
[00:18:51] Well, a few verses later, there is this image that he gives here, and I want you to see it in verse 10 of Isaiah 61.
[00:19:05] I will greatly rejoice in the Lord.
[00:19:09] My soul shall exult in my God. For he has look at this work that God has done.
[00:19:17] Clothed me with garments of salvation.
[00:19:22] He's given me freedom. He has set me free. He has saved me.
[00:19:27] Notice he has covered me with the robe of righteousness.
[00:19:35] You were able to be seen in righteousness not because you brought it to bear, but because God brought it to bear for you.
[00:19:44] I don't know if you've ever had that moment where you've been able to be at a wedding or maybe it was your wedding or somebody else's wedding, and you get to see an eye. I kind of know it when I'm doing a wedding. I know this is the moment where they come down and I ask everybody to stand up and turn their attention to the bride.
[00:20:02] And honestly, I don't know how many weddings I've done, but it's been a couple over 32 years, but I've done a few of them. And every time, she's gorgeous.
[00:20:15] Every time, no matter all the stress that it took to get to that moment, no matter all the things that she went through, endured in her life to come to that moment, in this moment, in this moment, she's gorgeous.
[00:20:35] We have, because of Christ, been clothed in righteousness.
[00:20:40] When Christ appears, we will appear with him in glory. And we will be clothed not in our dirty rags, but in the righteousness of Christ.
[00:20:50] And keep going. And as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with jewels, this is our future.
[00:21:04] We get to be clothed in the righteousness of Christ.
[00:21:11] This meal, this moment that we celebrate, it's not just a routine. It's something that points to something greater.
[00:21:23] I love this because the Bible began with a meal in the garden, but that meal led to sin.
[00:21:30] But it ends with a meal at the wedding, at a wedding that celebrates our redemption in Revelation 19.
[00:21:37] Why?
[00:21:39] Well, because on the cross, Jesus was treated as if he lived your life, so that you and I get to be treated as if we lived his.
[00:21:51] This is the gospel, and we celebrate what we get. We celebrate today what we get to enjoy tomorrow for eternity. Every time we take communion, it is a preview, it is a foretaste, a reminder that our best meal is still ahead of us.
[00:22:10] So what I want to invite you to do is just to take a moment, just in private prayer before the Lord, say, lord, show me any area of my life that I need to confess and acknowledge before you.
[00:22:25] Not because you haven't forgiven me, but because I know that it gets in the way of our relationship and ask for help to repent, to turn from that. It's the power you get through the Holy Spirit. It's a mercy of God for you.
[00:22:43] So let's just take a moment and prepare our hearts as we take and celebrate this together.
[00:22:57] It.
[00:23:27] Father, in Jesus name, we thank you for this moment that we, as brothers and sisters get to approach you because of Christ.
[00:23:42] Lord, we pray that your spirit would be present with us as we take these elements.
[00:23:48] We thank you. How these elements point not just to a past action but a future Lord God a future reunion Lord, we pray that you would bless this time we thank you for this In Jesus name amen.
[00:24:06] The apostle Paul writes of this he says for I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed he took bread and when he had given thanks he broke it and said this is my body which is for you.
[00:24:27] Do this in remembrance of me church.
[00:24:51] In the same way also he took the cup after supper saying this cup is the new covenant in my blood.
[00:25:01] Do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me church.
[00:25:14] And this is the declaration for as often as you eat this bread and you drink the cup you we proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.
[00:25:26] Come Lord Jesus come Please stand as we sing.
