The Upper Room
Notes
Transcript
Today, we begin our service by noticing the darkness. No doubt, as Satan, the chief priest, and Judas were conspiring, it seemed as if darkness was winning. No doubt, darkness believed it was winning. For long ago, in the Garden of Eden, a prophetic word by Yahweh himself proclaimed there would be a battle. That one from the seed of woman would crush the head of the serpent.
No doubt, from that time on, Satan and his minions were on guard to make sure that this prophecy would not be fulfilled. They wanted Jesus dead and now the time. The plan was in place. Hearts had been hardened; the people procured. It would seem as if darkness had won in just a few short hours.
As this time was drawing close Luke makes this statement.
Then the Day of Unleavened Bread came when the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed.
Jesus, knowing all that was about to take place, desired to spend with them one last passover meal. The Passover meal celebrated for generations would show them that this rescue plan had begun 4,000(?) years ago. Yet they did not understand fully what they were celebrating. When the disciples gathered to partake of this celebratory time they had no idea that they would be forever celebrating and proclaiming the sacrificial death of Christ.
To be raised in a Jewish home meant that you thought of Moses and Egypt. They would have thought about the ten plagues. They would have remembered the blood on the doorpost that protected the children of Israel from the judgement of God against Pharaoh. This was passover. In their eyes this had little to do with the future.
However Jesus would now reveal to them the true meaning of the Passover. He would reveal to them that he was the rescue plan. That he was the sacrificial lamb. He would forever change its celebration. He was the means by which sin would be forever passed over. He would become the sin for us.
So Jesus instructed his disciples to prepare for this night. He told them what room to reserve so they could all be together.
So they went and found it just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover.
David has added some photos from his recent trip to Israel where they believed the “the last Supper took place”, the upper room.
Now this term “Last supper” is kind of deceiving for while it was the last passover meal that Jesus would celebrate with His disciples before his crucifixion, it was the first of its kind celebrating the “new Covenant”.
When the hour came, he reclined at the table, and the apostles with him.
Then he said to them, “I have fervently desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.
For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.”
Now this might have been a confusing statement. No doubt the disciples were thinking wasn’t the passover already fulfilled. Didn’t our rescue from slavery in Egypt already take place.
or
Perhaps they still thought that Jesus was going to rescue them from Rome like he did from Egypt.
Then the scriptures tell us that Jesus fervently wanted to eat this passover with them before he suffered.
Jesus was pointing them to something huge. The passover had been and always was about Him. About a greater rescue that would finally come. So he would share this meal with anticipation. Not because he was desirous of the suffering and pain he would endure but rather because the rescue would finally be complete.
The Elements
The Elements
The Bread...
And he took bread, gave thanks, broke it, gave it to them, and said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
The bread would have been unleavened bread. Throughout the O.T. and even in the Gospels leaven was a representation of sin. The body that was sacrificed had to be pure it had to be without sin. It had to be a perfect spotless lamb.
But where could a truly perfect sacrifice be found.
He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
As Jesus took the bread and broke it, I can’t imagine how he felt. With His own hands. the hands that would soon be pierced He broke the bread and proclaimed this is me. This is my Body. No doubt there was emotion and agony in his tone and his words. As the God of all creation knew exactly how many strokes of the hammer on the nails it would take to piece his hands and his feet. He knew exactly how many labored breaths he would take before he proclaimed it was finished.
One of the Prophecies of the Messiah’s suffering describes the torture that Jesus was about to endure.
But he was pierced because of our rebellion, crushed because of our iniquities; punishment for our peace was on him, and we are healed by his wounds.
While it would be by the hands of men that he would be beaten, and pierced. It would by the hand of God that he would be crushed under the weight of God’s wrath for our sins.
Yet the Lord was pleased to crush him severely. When you make him a guilt offering, he will see his seed, he will prolong his days, and by his hand, the Lord’s pleasure will be accomplished.
His Body was broken for you.
At this time, I would ask that one person from each table break the bread and distribute it you . If you are sitting as a family, Husbands serve your family in this way. If you are with a friends without deliberation someone break the bread and distribute it. Then Before we eat it we will have a quiet moment of prayer and reflection.
Lord we thank you that you did not run from the pain and agony. Lord we thank you that your love for us and for your glory caused you to endure this torture to freely offer redemption to even those who would refuse. We thank you for your great love.
The Cup
The Cup
In the same way he also took the cup after supper and said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.
According to the law there had to be a blood sacrifice to cover their sins.
According to the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
Death is the only atonement for sin. So Jesus took the cup pointed them to its contents and said just like this was poured into this glass. I will be poured out for you. My life for yours. I am making a new covenant.
By saying a new covenant, he has declared that the first is obsolete. And what is obsolete and growing old is about to pass away.
The prophet Ezekiel foretold this day was coming.
I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be a permanent covenant with them. I will establish and multiply them and will set my sanctuary among them forever.
The New Covenant
The New Covenant
This new covenant is an unconditional covenant. The Old Testament covenant was conditional. Follow my law and I will bless you in the promise land. This new covenant is unconditional. It says allow me to pay for your sins and you will forever be with me. The New Covenant is the good news of the Gospel.
For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
So then what is the purpose of this celebration. Is it to create a mystical experience, no. It is to proclaim the gospel message both to ourselves, in remembrance of Christ sacrifice and our response to his free gift and to preach the message of salvation to all who are witnessing. May we forever preach Christ and never tire of this message.
Let’s pray.