At the Table

Sermon  •  Submitted
0 ratings
· 14 views
Notes
Transcript
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
View more →
When we lived in Cleveland,
we hired three young men to be Bible workers for a few months in one of our churches.
One of the young men was Canadian...
and the other two were Americans.
We invited them over to our house for dinner one evening...
and hosted them for a typical Romanian dinner.
If you ever travel to Romania and someone invites you over for dinner...,
be prepared for a big meal and to receive your meal in courses.
And that’s what we did for our Bible Worker friends.
We first put out appetizers for them to eat...
and they loaded up on the appetizers,...
not realizing that this was only the beginning of their meal.
But once we took the appetizers off the table...
and brought out a big pot of delicious, Romanian soup...,
they were surprised that there was more food.
Of course, at this point we decided to not let them know that we had the main dish next...,
so we let them load up on the soup, eating two or more bowls of soup.
After they were well filled with soup...,
then we brought out the main dishes of potatoes, patties, salads and other good stuff like that.
You should’ve seen the disbelief on their faces that their was so much more good food…
and so little space left in their stomach.
So they somehow ate some of the food, thinking that was it.
But once more, we took the main dishes from the table...
and then brought out some delicious Eastern European cakes and pastries.
That is Eastern European hospitality...,
and if you ever get a chance to go to Romania...,
get ready to enjoy the hospitality of Eastern Europe.
We stopped playing jokes like that on our guests...
and either warn them first or just put all the food on the table for them to see.
But Biblical hospitality is not much different from Eastern European hospitality.
There is great significance in the Bible when families or groups come together for a meal.
In the Bible, people don’t just come together to eat for the sake of eating,
but much symbolisms are understood when people sit down at the table to eat.
Let’s look at some stories in the Bible...,
to understand the deeper meaning of eating together.
Our first story is found in .
The Bible tells us that Abraham is sitting at the entrance of his tent in the heat of the day.
He is resting, enjoying the afternoon...,
wouldn’t it be nice, we could just take time in the afternoon and rest,
sitting on a chair outside of our homes, looking at the cars drive by?
As he is sitting there, Abraham notices 3 strangers passing through nearby.
Now Abraham was very hospitable...
and not everyday do you have people pass by your tent.
So he quickly runs to the strangers and invites them to stay for dinner.
Runs to Sarah and surprises her with the news that he has invited people over for dinner.
(Don’t you love surprises like that?)
Extra people coming over for dinner, when you’re not expecting guests?
Listen how Moses reports the story in .
What is Abraham doing?
What is he saying to the three strangers...,
who turn out to be Jesus and two angels...,
when he invites them over for dinner?
Abraham says at least a couple of things here,
First, Abraham invites them to rest,
kind of like, let your hair down and relax.
You’ve been traveling so much, come and rest.
Second, Abraham invites the strangers under his care and protection.
In Biblical times, traveling was dangerous...,
there were dangers from thieves and robbers...,
and dangers from animals like lions and bears.
With the invitation comes the promise that under my roof there is safety and protection.
Now we go to another story, still here in Genesis, Genesis chapter 31.
Jacob, the grandson of Abraham ran away from home...
because he deceived both his father and his brother...
and did not want to face the consequences of his actions.
He worked for his uncle Laban for about 20 years…,
and in Laban, met a deceiver greater than him.
Laban deceived him once by having him marry Leah instead of Rachel,
and he tricked him many times with the way he paid his wages.
Jacob was longing to return home…,
and even face the consequences that he ran away from.
But instead of putting in his two-week notice with Laban,
he decided to just leave without telling anyone.
When Laban heard of this, he got angry...
and took some friends to catch up with Jacob and let him have it.
When Laban finally caught up to Jacob...,
he asked him why he left so quickly and why he never said goodbye.
And they made peace with each other and what they did next in very interesting.
Read .
Did you notice that they ate a meal together.
So what was the meaning of this meal?
First, it was a covenant of peace...,
that they will not harm each other...,
gossip about each other, or hurt each other.
Second, this was a meal of reconciliation...,
let’s put our differences aside and leave the past in the past.
Let’s put it all behind us.
Our third story takes us to the New Testament...
to a parable that Jesus said. Turn with me to .
The parable is about a father and two brothers.
The older brother was content and hard working,
while the younger brother wanted to leave home.
He had no money and so he shamelessly disrespected his father...
by asking for his inheritance while his father was still alive.
By asking for his inheritance while his father was still alive...
was like telling his father that he wished his father was dead already,
so he could get his money and leave.
Now his father had every right to kick his son to the curb penniless.
But this was no ordinary father...,
he loved his sons very much...
and he did something that no father in those days would do,
he gave his son his inheritance while he was still alive.
The son, happily but foolishly spent all his inheritance...
partying with those he considered his friends.
Of course as soon as the money was gone, his friends were gone as well.
I’m sure there is a lesson about friendship in there somewhere.
Be careful of friends that always seem to gain from your friendship,
but never contribute to the friendship.
Anyway, this younger son, now broke and hungry had to get a job.
So he applied at places like WalMart, Burger King, McDonald’s...,
but none of them hired him, everyone turned him away...,
except a farmer who had pigs.
So he became a pig farmer,
which was the lowest of the lowest jobs for any Jewish person to have.
And it got so bad for him, and he was so hungry...
that even the food he fed the pigs, started looking appetizing.
Then a thought came to him, the thought of his father’s goodness.
He remembered how tenderly and kindly his father treated his own employees...
and he decided to go home and not ask to be a son...,
but too at least be an employee of his father.
So he had an apology speech memorized and headed for home.
Let’s pick up the story in .
Wow! What does this good father do, as the son tries to apologize?
He throws the biggest party ever, a welcome home party.
What is the father saying with this party?
That you are forgiven.
That we are reconciled.
That I have put the past behind us and looking forward to a great future.
That you are not just an employee, but my son, your are family.
Now let’s put all these stories together...
with the meaning of Jesus having the last supper with his disciples in the upper room.
Turn with me to (Read).
Jesus gathers together with his disciples for a final meal before his crucifixion.
Jesus is very hospitable and he is an amazing host.
What is Jesus telling the disciples in this meal?
Well, just as Abraham symbolically told his guests that here at my table is rest and protection,
So Jesus lets the disciples know that you may find your rest in me...
and I will protect you from the evil one.
Just as Jacob and Laban made a covenant with each other to leave the past in the past,
So Jesus, with this meal tells the disciples that he is making a covenant with them.
A covenant of peace, a covenant of reconciliation...,
a covenant of putting the past behind them.
And just as the father set a table for his prodigal son...,
to let him know that he is forgiven,
that he is part of the family as a son, and not a hired servant,
So Jesus at the last supper was telling his disciples that they are part of his family...
and that they are forgiven of their sins.
And today my friends, we have the privilege to participate in the communion service...,
also known as the Lord’s supper.
And what Jesus is telling us today is that...
He is our Protector,
We may find our hope and rest in Him.
Jesus wants to renew His covenant of peace with us today.
He wants to put the past in the past.
Leave 2019 in the past and move forward with him in 2020.
Jesus wants you to know that your sins are forgiven,
And that you are part of His family.
A few years ago a messianic Jew by the name of Ilan Zamir...
Zamir was driving through as Arab village in Israel. Suddenly, a figure darted out from the side of the road. Ilad slammed on his brakes—too late. He had struck and killed a thirteen-year-old Palestinian boy. Ilan couldn’t understand why the teenager had ignored the blaring horn and the screeching brakes. Later he learned the reason. The boy was deaf.
was driving through as Arab village in Israel.
Suddenly, a figure darted out from the side of the road.
Ilad slammed on his brakes—too late.
He had struck and killed a thirteen-year-old Palestinian boy.
Ilan couldn’t understand why the teenager had ignored the blaring horn and the screeching brakes.
Later he learned the reason. The boy was deaf.
Haunted by the tragedy, Ilan was determined to make amends by seeking the family’s forgiveness.
Other Jews who heard of his plan thought he was crazy.
An Israeli policeman even warned him, saying:
“Man, that’s dangerous what you want to do.
You can get into serious trouble.
You’re an Israeli and there people you want to meet are Arabs on the West Bank,”
The policeman was merely echoing what Ilan already knew.
According to Arab tradition, the family could kill Ilan as vengeance for their son’s death.
But Ilan persisted, enlisting an Arab pastor...
who suggested he arrange for a Sulha, meal of reconciliation.
Here’s how Ilan describes what happened...
when he sat down with the boy’s family for the ceremonial meal:
The cups of coffee remained on the table untouched.
According to tradition, the father would be the first to taste from the cup...
as a sign that he accepted the reconciliation gesture,
and had indeed agreed to forgive.
The tension in his face had cast a shadow on the proceedings until then,
but at that point, he suddenly began to smile.
The lines of grief softened.
He looked at me squarely...
and his smile broadened as he moved towards me,
opening his arms in a gesture of embrace.
As we met and embraced,
he kissed me ceremonially three times on the cheeks.
Everyone began to shake hands with one another as the father sipped coffee.
The whole atmosphere was transformed, the tension at an end.”
But then something even more surprisingly happened.
A spokesman for the family turned to Ilan with this remarkable invitation:
“Know O my brother, that you are in place of this son who has died.
You have a family and a home somewhere else...,
but know that here is your second home.”
What a picture of reconciliation!!
A Palestinian family inviting an Israeli Jew into their own family!
Come to think of it, this is a striking picture of the way God welcomes us into his family...
through the death of His Son...,
inviting us to sit down at his table...
and partake of the covenant meal.
The covenant meal that we are invited to, is the communion service.
But there is another meal that you and I are invited to in ,
it is called the Wedding Supper of the Lamb.
It is a big, big table, with lots and lots of room as one musical artist puts it.
Everyone who loves Jesus will be there.
You will find Adam and Eve, Abraham, Moses, Ruth, Mary, and Elizabeth.
They will all be there.
And you and I are invited also, to be part of Jesus’ family forever.
What do you say? Should we accept the invitation?
As you take the communion today...,
think of Jesus, of His love for you,
and how He wants to protect you, care for you, and save you.
Respond to his loving invitation and give him your heart and your life today.
Now is our time to respond by partaking in the communion celebration,
I invite the deacons to come forward with the bread and the grape juice.
Read . Prayer.
Related Media
See more
Related Sermons
See more
Earn an accredited degree from Redemption Seminary with Logos.