Struggle No More

The Communion Table

This morning, we continue in our theme of “Come to the Table.”

And invitation that Jesus has given to his disciples, therefore, his church, and that including each of us to join him in what he is doing.

So far we looked at the table of the Last Supper.

The passover meal and what has become to us, the communion table.

It’s this table that is found in our scriptures for the year.

Luke 22:14–15 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;

This was a table that was just for his friends.

A very important term as it relates to the differences between the Old Testament and the New Testament or covenant.

A table that made us partakers in him and with him.

He invites us to this table to share in his sacrifice and all that means to us.

to be one with him

to benefit from what he did for us

to catch onto the vision of heaven and live it out on earth.

It became the table of commitment.

His commitment to give it all (his life) for us

Our commitment to allow him to change us and for us to become his disciples and carry on what he started so long ago.

Last week, we broke that down a little further and I showed you how this calling to the table leads to our calling to a greater table in heaven.

Jesus tells his disciples that from that night on, he is holding off and will wait to celebrate with them around the great table of his father in heaven.

He says that there is a reward for those who continue with him through the trials of life.

A kingdom and a place at the table in that kingdom.

We said that it’s something to set as a goal in our lives.

We said that these things that we are dealing with now are used to prepare us for it.

It’s the table of self searching.

To look into ourselves and see what is out of sorts or out of control

And to get it right with the Lord.

We said that it is also the table of changes.

That once we see and pinpoint those areas in our lives, that he gives us the strength and the ability to make changes in those areas.

And at that point, it becomes the table of power.

Our lives become lined up with the will of God for us and his power begins to be manifest and seen in our lives.

We are no longer the failures that we used to be.

We’ve moved up to the adult table so to say.

We’ve achieved our greater reward through the power of God’s Holy Spirit in Jesus Christ.

Today I want to look at another scripture that talks about this heavenly table today.

Ephesians 2:1–10 NKJV

1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Ephesians 2:

Paul here is telling the saints what they have in Jesus name.

From the time that God speaks his curse in the garden over the serpent and over Adam and Eve, he predetermines that there will be a savior for all of mankind. His statement is, the serpent will bruise the heal of Eve’s son, but that her son will step on the head of the serpent. Through this sacrifice of Jesus, everyone of us have been predestined to be sons and daughters of God. In other words, Jesus made the way before we could ever know that it was even possible.

And so in chapter one, Paul says that Jesus Christ has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.

Isn’t that we saw last week in ?

Jesus says, I give you a kingdom, that has been given to me. And I invite you to sit with me at that table in that kingdom.

We were dead in our sins, but he has made us alive.

We were once sons of disobedience, now we are sons of God

We were living for the desires of the flesh, now we should be fulfilling the desires of the spirit

and he has raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places with or in Jesus Christ.

Seated in Heavenly places. What a powerful phrase!

It speaks to the end of our fighting and struggling to be someone.

Chapter 1 of Ephesians, is all about what you have through the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus Christ

And yet most of us struggle to live in it.

In the song, “The Struggle” by Tenth Avenue North they sing

Hallelujah We are free to struggle We're not struggling to be free Your blood bought and makes us children So children drop your chains and sing

Paul says it this way in - Why are you struggling? don’t you know who you are? Don’t you know what Jesus has done for you? Live in it. and then in chapter 2 he says, Come and take your place in heavenly places with Jesus.

If you need a better picture of this, think about it’s writer.

Paul was not seated at any royal table, but he was seated in prison.

So what is he saying here? Because it definitely relates to us today.

This Table says that YOU ARE!

This table tells us that when it comes to finding our identity, Jesus fulfills that.

We live life fighting for a place at the table of mankind, don’t we?

If we are honest, we would all have to admit that in someway, everything we do is done to prove that we are special or important.

It’s part of human nature.

One woman whose testimony I read as I was doing some research, said that she wanted to sit with the high achievers, the prestigious and the influential. She goes on to say that I fought to belong in other ways too; I longed to sit with the beautiful, the wealthy and the famous.

And so we have this struggle in us, to be, to be known as or to be known with.

We all struggle with it. It is the root of sin - satan says, I will be like God. I will raise myself up higher than God.

But listen to what Paul says in verse 6 - God raise us up (God raised you up) (God raised __________ UP) with Christ and seated us (seated you, __________) with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.

Jesus says in - there is a greater table, and I will drink this new cup with you when we are all together in heaven.

Father God says, it’s already done through my son. You are seated with him in heavenly places.

In other words,

You Are All That You Can Ever Be In Jesus Christ.

Think about those two words used there for where we are with Jesus - In and With

You are In Jesus

You are With Jesus

In other words, everything that you’ve ever longed for or to be are found in your relationship in and with him.

This Table Says That WE BELONG

This Table Says That WE BELONG

That we are home.

That we have found our niche in life

That we don’t have to look any further for an identity

You are a child of the living God.

That’s really all that should matter.

OSL Rolls and Goals

As a child of God, I am a husband. I am a Pastor. I am a Father

So how will being a child of God influence how I do those things.

Too many times we have the order switched around. But you need to see that you are a child of God first and foremost.

Foursquare Refocusing.

This Table Says That WE ARE KNOWN WE BELONG

That need for recognition has been fulfilled.

All that struggling to be recognized

All that fighting to have people recognize you is over.

God knows who you are

God knows where you are

God knows what you are going through

(Emphasize this for someone)

You are banging your head against the wall trying to see all of your hard work acknowledged

You fight each day to make a name for yourself

If they would only see! Just a little pat on the back would be nice.

But it never happens.

I want you to know today that not only does God know your name and what you have done and who you have done it to, but he gives you a new name and a new calling and a new position (seated in heavenly places with him)

Look at verse 10

Ephesians 2:10 NKJV

10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

We see here that even our good works - that which we will be known for are predestined or secured through Jesus Christ.

Which means these things are already ours

Which means that

This Table Says That WE ARE SECURE WE ARE KNOWN WE BELONG

If our good works are prepared for us in advance, then we can take our eyes off of ourselves and just rest at our seat at the table

In so doing, we will live out the good works that are prepared for us in Christ

and we will take the time to do what we were created for - Worshiping Jesus.

Now keep in mind, that I am not speaking about being lazy and just letting Jesus do it all.

Last week I referenced a part of scripture that speaks to this.

Jesus meets Peter on the shore

He has gone back to fishing. He has left the ministry

He had denied Jesus and though he has seen Jesus resurrected, He is done.

But Jesus calls him back to the table.

Peter do you love me (3x) Lord you know I love you (3x)

Then feed my sheep. Do the work of the ministry of the gospel

Take care of the church and the people in it.

Peter, through the whole time that we read about him and been the perfect example of someone trying to make his mark on the world

He fails miserably

And Jesus calls him back to the table

He lets him know that He is known

That he is recognized

and that he is secure.

and that all of that should enable him to feed Christ’s sheep.

This table of who you are isn’t there to make us lazy

This table is there to empower and enable us to do the work that God had planned for you before you were ever born

As we spend the time around this table with Christ and In Christ, worshiping him and lifting him up

He is all the while, lifting us up, strengthening us and enabling us to fulfill the calling on our life.

This is not a table of laziness. But a table that draws our attention off of ourselves and our own ambitions and places our focus on our savior and his plan for humanity.

This is the table of commission and sending

Now that you know who you were meant to be, go and fulfill that destination in every day that you live.

You were created for Good works - walk in them

AMEN

PRAY