The Table: A Seat at the New Covenant

Introduction

Message 2 of The Road to Redemption : A Journey to the Cross and Beyond

Dearly beloved, our Baptist heritage does not place the same liturgical degree of emphasis on Lent as our other denominational brothers and sisters. But dear brothers and sisters we would be amiss if we did not recognize in our devotional aspects the Celebration of Lent. And, climax in our celebration of the the season reflecting on the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ called Easter. Easter can be referred to as Resurrection Day, the hope of the empty tomb.

If you are like myself and you were raised in the Southern Baptist traditions since birth you might ask, What is Lent? When is Lent? What is the purpose in that celebration?

Lent is a time to:

Reflect on Jesus’ 40 days of fasting and His temptation in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1–11)

become keenly aware of the “sin that so easily ensnares us, that draws us away, that causes that chasm in our relationship with the Lord and come clean. We are to confess and repent and God’s Words state:

If we confess our sins “He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

It’s a time of renewal, the Renewing of our faith and strengthening in our spiritual disciplines (like prayer, fasting, and giving), being challenged to be the hands and feet of Jesus.

It is a preparatory time. We prepare our hearts for the celebration of His Resurrection on Easter Sunday and our resurrection from the dead due Him.

Lent in this calendar year began on Ash Wednesday, March 5 and will end on Saturday, April 19th, and we climax in the celebration of Easter, Resurrection Day, April 20th. Amen!

This morning we will celebrate in one of the two ordinances of the church called the Lord’s Supper or we also refer to as Holy Communion. Other denominations refer to as the Eucharist, The Sacrament, the Breaking of Bread, the Lord’s Table, the Holy Mystery, and there may be possibly other names the ordinance goes by.

An important note about our church practice: we exercise open communion. In other words, if you have made public your declaration of your belief and salvation in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, regardless of your denominational background, or whether you are a member of another church, you are welcome to partake of the meal, the elements of The Lord’s Supper here.

Turn in your Bibles this morning as we continue in our message series, The Road to Redemption: A Journey to the Cross and Beyond and we look at today’s message, The Table: A Seat at the New Covenant.

Jesus institutes the Lord’s Supper.

Luke 22:14-23

Luke 22:14–23 NKJV

14 When the hour had come, He sat down, and the twelve apostles with Him. 15 Then He said to them, “With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; 16 for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” 17 Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, “Take this and divide it among yourselves; 18 for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” 19 And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 20 Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you. 21 But behold, the hand of My betrayer is with Me on the table. 22 And truly the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!” 23 Then they began to question among themselves, which of them it was who would do this thing.

Prayer

Message

Satan and his army were in full battle array as Jesus neared His time on earth. Scriptures teach us that Satan entered Judas Iscariot in verse 3 of chapter 22. Satan had already been working on the hearts of the religious elite and they were looking for opportunity to rid themselves of Jesus. Judas had figured out a way in working with the chief priests and captains in the planning of betrayal. Oh listen, dearly beloved, if Judas’ betrayal had not taken place, Jesus would have still went to the cross because all of them in Biblical times and all of us have betrayed Jesus. How many times have we all betrayed Jesus?

“The Feast of Unleavened Bread, which is also called Passover was drawing near.” The time was drawing near for Jesus and the disciples to participate in the Passover Meal. As Scripture reminds us in the preceding verses that Peter and John were sent to prepare a place to partake of the Passover meal.

Luke 22:12 “12 Then he will show you a large, furnished upper room; there make ready.””

Let’s take this moment to thank Jackie & Johnny that prepare the Lord’s Supper we partake of. Let’s give the Lord a hand. Let’s thank Ron & Amy & Garrett for preparing our surroundings to partake of this special celebration. Let’s thank Michael, Barbara, the choir, our audiovisual team made up of Terry, Jackie and Joe that creates the ambiance for worship in this celebration. Let’s thank our greeters, Bill and Billy that welcome you and show you to your seats to enjoy this meal. Amen? Oh dearly beloved, there is more about preparation this morning for this meal than the physical realm. We must come prepared physically, but also mentally, emotionally and spiritually.

It is important we are prepared spiritually in taking this meal.

1 Corinthians 11:27–29 NKJV

27 Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.

Upon first reading, we might say to ourselves in our prayers, Lord, I would dare not desire to take your Lord’s Supper in an unworthy fashion. Lord, please reveal to me what would cause me to partake it unworthily?

As your pastor, I have always led before the partaking of the Lord’s Supper that we not take it in an unworthy fashion by coming to the meal with any unrepentant sin. The Lord would have us come to His meal with clean hands and a clean heart to the Lord’s Supper.

The first clue of your worthiness to come to the table is if you think you are worthy. Oh dear brother, dear sister, it is in our unworthiness that we can enjoy the privilege of coming to His table.

Ill. I have a pastor friend of mine that has been married for 45 years. He shared the story of how he proposed to his wife in marriage. They had been dating and he asked her on a Wednesday to marry him. He found an outdoor quaint spot after a Wednesday night church service and He popped the question. And, she responded, “let me take a few days to decide.” He was shaken somewhat by her response and thought, “oh my goodness, I am going to be turned down.” And he became a basket of nerves until the next time they were to come together on Saturday. Saturday came and when he saw her there was no beating around the bush, “what is your response to my asking your hand in marriage? Yes.” “Yes, you will marry me?” “Yes.” Well, he went on to say, honey before we get married, I need to tell you some things about my past.” She placed her hands on his mouth, “shoo, I’m not concerned about the man you were in your past, I’m concerned about the man you are going to be.”

Oh listen to me dear brother and sister, your worthiness to partake of the meal is not related to the person you use to be before you met Jesus Christ, that is in the past. Christ is interested in who you are and who you will be in Him. Amen.

V. 14 “the hour had come.”

John 13:1 “Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.”

The Purpose of the Meal (v. 15-16)

Luke 22:15–16 “15 Then He said to them, “With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; 16 for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.””

Jesus expressed a deep longing to share in this last meal because He knew it would be His last meal to share with His disciples and it was the last meal He would partake before going to the cross.

This meal would redefine His mission and bring closure to the time of His earthly mission. Oh the emotion He must of experienced in those final moments.

Oh dearly beloved, this wasn’t just any Passover Meal, but the final Passover meal.

This meal was a living out of the historical Passover Meal. He was about to sacrifice Himself as “the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world” Amen.

You remember Passover. You remember in Exodus 12. God instructed Moses and Aaron to share that each family were to take a lamb, not just any lamb, but a lamb of the first year without blemish. They were to kill that lamb at twilight on that particular night that the death angel would be passing over the homes of every household in Egypt. They were instructed to take the blood of the lamb and place on the doorpost and lintel of that home and they were to prepare a meal, called a Seder Meal, and they were to roast the lamb and eat with unleavened bread and bitter herbs and they were not to allow any be left by morning, but burn what they had not eaten.

Exodus 12:11 “11 And thus you shall eat it: with a belt on your waist, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. So you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord’s Passover.”

The people were to be ready to make haste as the Lord would be delivering His people out of Egypt out of the bonds of slavery.

I want us to consider that verse as we partake in a few moments:

We said the meal is a time to be prepared, but its also a time to propel us into something new.

Lent is a time that we renew our faith and we take an inventory of our life in Christ. Is the Lord calling you to a deeper commitment to Him today? Are you steeped in His Word as He would have you? Are you the hands and feet of Jesus? Is there an area of your life you are holding back on?

I ask you, look at your calendar and your checkbook and see what trumps your time and your resources above the Lord. That is a great starting point to determine what you may need to render over to the Lord.

Oh dearly beloved, Jesus was our new Exodus, no not an escape from Egypt, but an escape from sin and death.

1 Corinthians 5:7 “7 Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.”

The Price of the Covenant (v. 19-20)

Luke 22:19–20 “19 And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 20 Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.”

– “This is My body… this is My blood”

Oh dearly beloved, our time of

Holy Communion is a time of preparation:

It is a time of Purging-a time to confess and repent of sins.

It should be a time to Propel Us-to give more of ourselves over to the Lord.

A time of reflection of the Price Paid by our Savior.

“This is my body, which is given for you.”

The bread, broken and given, is a symbol of sacrifice — His body would be:

Whipped and pierced.

Stripped and nailed.

Broken, not for His benefit, but “for you.”

This is personal. It’s not abstract. Jesus is telling His disciples (and us), “I am doing this for you — willingly, lovingly, sacrificially.”

“This cup… is the new covenant in my blood.”

The cup represents His blood, soon to be poured out. This is covenantal language, echoing Exodus 24:8, where Moses sprinkled blood to seal God’s covenant with Israel.

Exodus 24:8 “8 And Moses took the blood, sprinkled it on the people, and said, “This is the blood of the covenant which the Lord has made with you according to all these words.””

Ill. The Bridge Operator and His Son

There once was a man who operated a drawbridge for a railroad track. His young son would often come to work with him, watching the trains pass over the river. One day, the man left the control room briefly and didn’t notice that his son had climbed down to the gears beneath the bridge.

Suddenly, a passenger train came around the bend — full speed, full of people. The father saw the train and realized that he had no time to save both the passengers and his son. If he pulled the lever to lower the bridge, the massive gears would crush his child. If he didn’t pull the lever, the train would plunge into the river, killing hundreds.

In that moment of horror, the father pulled the lever — and the bridge came down. The train sped safely across, the passengers unaware of what had just happened — laughing, talking, sipping coffee — all the while unaware of the bloodstained cost of their salvation.

That father gave his son to save people who didn’t even know they needed saving.

That’s what Jesus did at the Last Supper. That’s what He did at the cross.

“This is my body, broken for you.” “This is my blood, poured out for you.”

Oh listen church family, Jesus gave His body and His blood, His life for you and me.

It was not just death, but sacrificial, substitutionary, covenant-establishing death.

The remembrance Jesus calls for is not a ritual, not to a commitment in religion or rules and regulations, but to a deepening relational reflection on what it cost our Savior that He paid for us.

The Promise of the Kingdom (v. 18, 29-30)

– The future fulfillment

When you read these two texts, you may ask the question, “why did the Lord choose not to eat this meal with His disciples?”

**Joe-please place the slide with verse 16 & 18 on the screen

Luke 22:16 “16 for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.””

Luke 22:18 “18 for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.””

Oh listen church, Jesus took a pause and in His participation in the meal and shared these words as spelled out in verse 16 & 18.

He reminds us of His act in His ultimate fulfillment in His Heavenly Father’s plan for all mankind.

Dearly beloved, as we go through this Lent Season and we climax in our celebration of Resurrection Sunday, it was for that purpose He came. For you see, He is “the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.”

The Kingdom of God was fulfilled with the “death, burial and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ” and ultimately when He returns to take us home.

Oh you see dear brother and sister, it is a looking ahead to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb when we will commune and celebrate with the people of God and the Lord.

Revelation 19:9 “9 Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’ ” And he said to me, “These are the true sayings of God.””

-that great reunion with the people of God, but a reunion with our Savior.

So, as you partake of Holy Communion today and you prepare:

It’s a time of Purging-Confession and Cleansing

It’s a Time to Propel us in an area of our life to render over to the Lord

It’s a time of Planning-Who do you desire to attend the Marriage Supper of the Lamb with you?

Ask yourself this question this morning. Who is not here with me today that should be here? Who in my circle of influence that seemingly is far from the Lord and apparently has not relationship with Him? Listen, I’m not just speaking to moms and grandmothers, dads or granddads, I’m speaking to you to. I’m speaking to you as a man, woman, neighbor, coworker, friend, husband, wife and the list goes on to all the hats we wear.

Who do you love and know as best you can tell that has no apparent relationship with God? And out of your love for them, I simply ask you, do you desire they go to heaven too?

Remember: When Jesus looks into your eyes, like the pastor that proposed to his bride to be:

I’m not interested in who you were, I’m interested in who you will be and become in Me.

Application: Communion is not just remembrance; it’s participation in the new life Christ gives.

Let’s pray: