A Sacred Supper | Doug Batchelor

of people having to separate at times but paul also tells in hebrews that we should not hebrews chapter 10 do not neglect the forsaking of yourselves together and as you're going to see in our study this morning before we move into the convenience service that a big part of worship in the bible surrounded people gathering together for a meal or a feast and the title of today's message is a sacred supper and it'll be a little shorter than our normal sermon because we also have the the communion aspect to follow but the bible begins and ends with food of course the first meal that evade that didn't go well in the new testament the ministry of jesus begins and ends with a marriage feast and that's sort of just a very important part of life the message a sacred supper is our title today and i thought i'd share some stories with you in the beginning i read this was both of a bitter and a sweet story in february 19 2015 a mother ashley bharati she sent invitations to all of the 16 classmates of her 66 year old son glenn when the time came for the party nobody showed up when she realized no one was coming she was so sad she vented to some of her friends on facebook who i guess began to share it and with a matter of minutes it went viral because her son struggled with autism and here they had a birthday party and she talked about how broken-hearted he was they set up for this party had food and provisions and nobody came that would be heartbreaking for any mother special looking at the face of the child well what happened though is that it spread so quickly that even people in the police department saw and they said let's do something for that boy they found out where he was they went flew the helicopter over and called out and waved and and the firefighters in town came and the policemen in town came and gave presents and all the mothers in the neighborhood maybe they didn't have kids in the same school they came and out of nowhere a party materialized because people's hearts were touched by all of that bharati told the local newspaper you don't know how much this means to us you know the bible tells us that jesus wants to sup with us he told zacchaeus the key has come down for today i must abide at your house the lord wants to have an intimate relationship with us and it's interesting something happens when you eat with somebody it's different i mean sometimes people will make business deals and it's all on the phone and the facts may whether no one has a fax machine anymore but you know contracts and but once someone says let's let's get together and have a meal there's something about the the pleasant aspect of getting that nourishment that you need to say stay alive and sharing that experience with someone else that is it's intimate it's important it's pleasant it's healthy if you're eating the right food it's healthy to eat as opposed to not eating but god's invited us to a very important meal and it's a sad thing when people say i don't want to come just like that mother was broken hearted when no one came to her son's feast the bible tells a story about a king you can look with me in the book of luke chapter 15. that's actually luke 14 luke 14 16 and jesus said a certain man gave a great supper and he invited many and he sent his servants at supper time to say to those who were invited ostensibly they got the invitation said sure i'll be there come for all things are now ready but they all with one accord began to make excuses the first said to him i bought a piece of ground and i must go see it didn't you look at it before you bought it i asked you have me excused and another said i bought five yoke of oxen and i'm going to test them again you didn't test drive your pickup before you bought it i'm going to buy five yoke of oxen and i'm going to test them see as you and i would think that's sort of a lame excuse today it was lame the way it's written i ask you have me excused still another said i've married a wife and therefore i cannot come i'm sure the king would let her come and they all began to make excuses now how did the king fell about that so that servant came and he reported these things to his master then the master of the house being angry and hurt he said to his servant go out quickly into the streets and the lanes of the city bring in here the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind and so the servants did as was said and they came back and said master it is done as you commanded and there's still room then the master said to the servant go out into the highways in the hedges and compel them to come in to my house that it may be filled for i say to you that none of those men who were invited will taste my supper that's a very i think important lesson for us you'll notice one thing about the feast never does it say they run out of room or they run out of provisions there's plenty of room in the family of god the lord has invited all of us to be part of that marriage supper of the lamb but you accept the invitation now and then you live a life like you're planning on going to that event and so many people just become preoccupied with the cares of this life so that day takes them as a thief and another similar parable the lord says none of those that were invited will taste my faith and feast and the king sends an army and destroys him because it's an insult not only that he not only provides the food he provides the place the bible test tells us he provides the garment to where you can't say well i have nothing to wear i can't go i know people sometimes don't come to church they say i have nothing to wear and um well we want people to be you know we don't want anyone to get arrested for indecent exposure but if you don't have perfect clothing we still want you to come amen come to jesus well in the bible we find the meals were especially important because there were times where he would ratify covenants agreements were sealed look for instance in the story of abraham genesis 18 lord jesus himself and two angels came and met with abraham and uh what the big building had a fly buzzing around go over there by that i don't have to worry about them landing on my white hair so god told abraham um what was going to happen he renewed the covenant and it says he took butter and milk and a calf that he had prepared he set it before them and he stood by them under the tree as they ate and then god makes a promise and he says i certainly will return to you according to the time of life sarah your wife will have a son whose name was isaac now isaac when he passes on the birthright how does he do that well he's getting ready to do it with eastside says before i bless you gonna eat go catch me some wild venison rebecca hears this she says to jacob i want you to get the blessing i'll put a calf in all season that your father will never know the difference and so it's in the context of a meal you can read here in genesis 27 verse 25 isaac said bring it near to me and i will eat of my son's game so that my soul may bless you so he brought it near to him he ate he brought him wine and he drank then his father isaac said come near now and kiss me my son he came near he kissed them and he gives the blessing to jacob in the context of a feast look at the story of jacob and when jacob had to flee from laban's house and they finally caught up with him genesis 31 44 now therefore come let us make a covenant you and i and let let it be a witness between you and me so jacob took us took a stone and set up a pillar and jacob said to his brethren gather stones and they took stones they made a heap they ate on this heap of stones and they ratified a covenant never to cross that stone pile to do each other harm again promise made ratified with a meal joseph after all of the intrigue and the gauntlet of things that he put his brothers through finally reveals himself to his brothers and it's interesting that he does it in a meal he does it in a meal where you've got the 12 brothers gathered together and a cup plays prominently in the story did jesus sit around the table with 12 apostles and there was a cup that played prominently in the story genesis 43 verse 16 when joseph saw benjamin with them he said to the steward of his house take these men to my home and slaughter an animal make ready for these men will dine with me at noon and it's ultimately following that meal that joseph says to his stunned brother first time he speaks to them in hebrew says i am joseph does my father yet live and they were thunderstruck they were flabbergasted but it's following a meal there's a revelation that's made you notice what's happening covenants are made and contracts are made and meals were very important occasions in bible times just before jesus died it was at a feast in simon's house mary magdalene comes kneels at his feet she not only anoints his feet with oil she pours some on his head you compare the gospels she weeps and dries his feet with her tears and a christ was anointed before his sacrifice by mary the word christ means anointed anointed baptized of the jordan before he died he's baptized in the tears of a woman who represents the church saying basically he was walking in our sorrows when he went to the cross it's happened happening all at a meal it was that a meal the same meal a matter of fact that judas was offended when judah said leave her alone she's done a good thing for me because judas is the one that said well what a waste of money you could have sold that perfume and got 300 denarii years wages and when jesus rebuked him for saying that judas went from that meal and covenanted with the um high priest to sell him for 30 pieces of silver interesting things happen at these meals according to the bible meals are also occasions for announcements families do that they invite everybody over and they've got a big secret and everybody gets together and the young man and the young lady tap on the glass and say we got a little announcement to make we're getting engaged or we're getting married or we elope last week i don't know what the announcement but they make these big announcements or we're expecting and uh it's often at these dinner occasions that people come together and they make an announcement i got the big job i just wanted to tell everyone together when we can celebrate at a meal and so meals are often times like that it's sometimes at a meal that people are reconciled so let me take you to lunch let's let's have a meal together you read in matthew 9 9 talks about and matthew this happened to him and he's writing about it as jesus passed on from there he saw a man named matthew sitting at the tax office and he said to him follow me so he walked away from his cash register and he followed him now it happened jesus sat at the table in the house the old many tax collectors and sinners these are friends of matthew they came and sat down with him and his disciples and when the pharisees saw it they said to his disciples why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners publicans and sinners jesus showed this intimacy in that he was willing to eat with them and yeah people like zacchaeus and like matthew he wants to reach them and sometimes you've got to go to where the people are you know i love history and i've just read several books lately of great missionaries that go to uh very primitive people and sometimes they encounter people for the first time that have never seen western missionaries first they don't know whether they're going to get speared or what's going to happen but when they sit down and they offer them something to eat it breaks the ice they become friends as soon as they eat together there's something about it i was looking for words to try to explain it but something happens there's a connection i think it's important for families in our busy culture today to try as hard as possible to reserve time where the family eats together and everyone is just coming and going so much and and karen will testify that uh nathan's living in his own apartment now until last week but we're all living together and i'd always say here's when i'm eating i hope you can join me we can do it together because everybody's so busy a lot of families they never sit down and share a meal together that's when you talk about how's it going what's happening and it's important for us to have those connections it seems like every important occasion in life weddings have a feast sometimes following funerals people get together for for a meal that one of the great miracles of jesus was multiplying bread we see this theme through the bible even after the resurrection listen to this acts chapter 10 verse 40. him god raised on the third day and showed him openly not to all the people but to witnesses chosen before god even to us who ate and drank with him after he arose from the dead it's interesting jesus continued to prove he was real by doing what he ate something that very natural and normal was he said i'm not a ghost what have you got to eat he's trying to emphasize to him he's real luke 24 30 it came to pass as he sat at the table with them he took bread and he blessed that this is after the resurrection and he gave it to them their eyes were open they knew him and he vanished at the very moment he breaks bread and hands it to him he reveals who he is and poof he disappears again at a meal i could go on and on friends all through the bible and then you can read again luke 24 41 but while they still did not believe for joy and marveled jesus said to them children do you have any food to eat and he eats in front of them in john 21 again he meets them up by the sea of galilee and he's on the shore and he says children have you caught any fish and they finally come ashore and he's already got stuff cooking why he's there he says come eat breakfast and he's revealing himself to them in the context of meal now all of this sort of meets its intersection this all comes together in the experience of the last week christ said i'm going to jerusalem for the passover what was the passover well the passover was a sacred meal that commemorated their deliverance from slavery the children of israel after hundreds of years being slaves in egypt moses comes says let my people go a whole kaleidoscope of plagues falls upon the egyptians and pharaoh would say okay i'll let him go and then he'd change his mind and he said no i'm not going to let him go and finally after all these devastating plagues the tenth plague comes and moses said all of the firstborn are going to die throughout the land of egypt there's only one way you can escape you need to slaughter this lamb you take the blood of the lamb you put it on the doorpost the lentil of the home and when that angel of judgment comes through the land he will see the blood and passover that's where you get the name passover and if you didn't have the blood there'd be death in that family sometimes multiple deaths but not only did they offer a lamb they were to eat that lamb now you understand the analogy there jesus said unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood you have no life in you whenever we participate in the lord's supper and for those who may be visiting in our church we practice what we call open communion if you have accepted christ you are welcome to join us today in this celebration he says unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood you have no life in you it's not that you know if when you eat the little the weight the wheat wafer or you drink the grape juice that suddenly it's infusing you with some new medical power of life it represents faith that you have faith in the sacrifice of jesus that through faith in his shed blood that you want his life and his word in you that bread represents the word of god in us that it has a transforming power that through that faith that angel of judgment goes by and you are forgiven he sees you as righteous because of the blood of jesus that's a wonderful truth friends thus you shall eat it how did they eat the passover with a belt on your waist and sandals on your feet and a staff in your hand see when you accept christ you begin a journey after they ate that meal they began a journey by the way very important for us seventh the adventists are sometimes accused of being legalistic because we keep we believe in keeping all ten commandments including the sabbath but it's very important to know that we don't believe that we believe we're saved by faith but we believe if we are saved by faith we'll want to obey all of them especially the one that says don't forget this one you think and um were the children of israel saved from egypt by the law or by the land they ate the lamb in egypt they were saved they got out of egypt saved from their slavery after they were saved god gives them the law he says if you love me i'm the god that saved you keep my commandments so that's why we do it just like the other churches believe in the other commandments we believe in all of them and but we believe we're saved entirely by faith and grace can you say amen so for those listening and watching i wanted some testimony from you that i'm not just saying this so then you had the passover meal now notice with that background in luke 22 at the end of christ's ministry when the hour had come he sat down with the 12 apostles and he said to them with fervent desire i've desired to eat this passover with you before i suffer the communion service was a passover that's not an accident because christ is the lamb i say to you that i will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of god and matthew jesus said you know take this wine which is new for the shedding of my blood says i will not drink of it until i drink it with you again new in the father's kingdom so one reason that this is so special is it's reminding us that we are going to eat and drink with the son of god in the kingdom he says i'm not going to eat again until then we're looking forward to that event and it's a sign of that and then of christ of course it says in luke 22 verse 19 he took the bread and gave thanks and broke it and gave it to them and said this is my body which is given for you do this in remembrance of me we've got a direct command to do this likewise also he took the cup after supper saying this is the cup in the new covenant in my blood which is shed for you you know in looking up amazing facts i ran into one some of you see my facebook page you may have seen this last night it's about the most expensive restaurant in the world it's in a bizarre spain a busiest spain it's an island off the uh eastern coast of spain i've been near there in puerto mahon but never been there they've got a restaurant that's called sublimotion and it's over two thousand dollars per person and that's one place you don't want to fight for the check at the end of the meal maximum of 12 guests interesting number sit around one table and receive 15 courses they're small because you'd be uncomfortably stuffed after two or three how many of you are full of chips by the time the burrito shows up you just i'm glad i'm not alone i just it's so hard once you eat one chip it's like you're going when's that food gonna come okay so i get 15 courses of food plus dessert prepared by some of the world's best chefs testimonials of the food is incredible some of it i could not eat i wish they had a vegan option but i still couldn't afford it and it's much more than food the whole room is an immersive experience though the room is a high definition 3d uh screen in the table and the environment changes with every course everything from your undersea and they had incredible imax photography of your you know whales and sharks swimming around you and and uh coral reef and then you're in this beautiful fantasy forest and and uh you're going through different times and and things with every meal that you're eating and at some point when the next course comes you're shocked because it's lowered from the ceiling on these little pulleys and then your dessert comes out and it spins levitates on your plate on your tray and it's just the whole thing is supposed to be just an amazing experience to eat that meal most expensive meal in the world not really most expensive meal in the world is the one that costs the life of the son of god when jesus died for us in john chapter 6 53 jesus said to them most assuredly i say to you unless you eat the flesh of the son of man and drink his blood you have no life in you whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life by the way after christ made this statement it says many stopped following him i mean christ was not endorsing cannibalism it's pretty clear what he's talking about but they didn't understand it and i will raise him up and the last day he's talking about the resurrection we must accept the covenant that he's making with us the lord's supper is our accepting and ratifying that we accept we believe the covenant or renewing it we need to renew it whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life for my flesh is food indeed and my blood is drink indeed he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me and i in him that's basically talking about christ in you how does jesus get in you the words that i have spoken they are spirit and they are life he gets in us through his words and through his spirit as the living father sent me and i live because of the father so he who feeds on me will live because of me this is the bread that came down from heaven not oh by the way notice he says he lives by the word of the father this is the bread that came down from heaven not as your father's eighth of manna and are dead he who eats this bread will live forever this is just such a wonderful promise friends that he's provided that for us a couple more amazing facts talked about the most expensive dinner the most expensive feast in the world happened recently one of the richest men in the world he's the richest man in asia mukesh abami he's got a home that costs i think over a billion dollars he had a wedding for his 27 year old daughter isha abami the cost was 100 million dollars for the wedding feast but he will not feel it he has 43 billion dollars that was december 16. the largest number of people to ever attend a feast and this is also india was a famous indian movie star named jalla litha sure i said that wrong a movie star from tamil nadu and chief minister she not having any children hosted a banquet for a hundred and fifty thousand guests at her foster son's wedding in the 50 acre grounds of madras and it cost 23 million dollars to feed everybody those are big feasts but that's nothing compared to the feast you've been invited to the bible tells us in revelation behold i stand at the door and knock if anyone hears my voice and opens the door i will come into him and dine with him and he with me what does jesus want to do let me into your heart i want to dine with you i want to fellowship with you i want to share the pleasant experience of eating great food the fruit of life revelation 19 6 and i heard as it was a voice of a great multitude and the sound of many waters and the sound of mighty thundering saying hallelujah for the lord god omnipotent reigns let us be glad and rejoice give him glory for the marriage of the lamb has come and his wife has made herself ready and to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen and clean and bright for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints then he said to me write blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the lamb he said these are the true sayings of god you are invited to the marriage supper of the lamb and that is going to outshine any earthly feast and it costs more than any earthly restaurant and you will be able to sit down in the kingdom with abraham isaac and jacob and eat with the son of god isn't that wonderful and whenever we celebrate the lord's supper he's reminding us of that but you know before we get to participate in that a wonderful occasion that great exalted experience there's a humbling that happens before luke 12 37 blessed are those servants when the master when he comes will find watching assuredly i say to you he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat and will come and serve them imagine that jesus said i will serve thee of jesus for your waiter tells you about the spirit of service that you have in heaven christ said i've come to you as one that serves he illustrates this and you only find this in the gospel of john but that's enough for me it tells us not only did they have the lord's supper it was a custom back then that before they ate the passover they usually had a servant wash their feet you and i always wash our hands before we eat probably more in the last two years than usual but they would also wash their feet not that they ate with their feet but they had been walking on roads that were not paved back then usually wearing sandals and they shared the road with the animals and i won't give you any more detail than that but it may not smell very good if you're going to come and enjoy the aroma of good food if your feet smelled like the road and so they would wash their feet before they came together for the sacred supper well when they got to the upper room the disciples had made provision and the food was there the utensils everything they were going to need they had basins and towels and things for the servants to wash the feet jesus said this is a personal meal i just want you and me just the 13 of us there and they got up there and there realized oh there's no servant but someone's got to wash feet well the disciples had been arguing among themselves which of them would hold the highest position in the kingdom of god and so judah said i'm not washing anybody's feet i'm going to be the treasure that will be demeaning it will give the wrong image not good branding for me and james and john they'd asked to sit on the right left hand of jesus he said no that's i'm going to act like we don't see that basin and towel over there one of these guys will do it and they all ignored it and while they're thinking these thoughts and it was very awkward wondering who's going to wash the feet jesus went and picked up the towel he tucked in his robe and they were astonished and humbled as he then went to them one by one and began to wash their feet and when he got to peter you remember peter was aghast and he said lord you'll never wash my feet this isn't right you know you're the lord and jesus said if i do not wash you you have no part with me thinking about that peter said okay lord wash my hands in my head as well and jesus said no if you've been washed by my blood but your feet still need to be washed and christ then made a statement when this all happened after he finished washing their feet this is john 13 12. he took his garments he sat down again he said do you know what i've done to you you call me teacher and lord and you say well for so i am if i then your lord and teacher have washed your feet you also ought to wash one another's feet for i have given you an example that you should do as i have done to you this is as clear as it could be he says the very same thing he says about the bread and wine you should do this in remembrance of me i've given you an example he said i assuredly as servant is not greater than his master nor he that has sent greater than he that sent him if you know these things you're blessed if you do them and in our church as several other protestant churches used to do if you look into it historically we practice foot washing a number of churches have given it up we haven't before we come back to participate which we will in just a few minutes the lord's supper we go and gather in two or three groups and we wash each other's feet and if you're a visitor here you might think well that's kind of strange i remember the first time i saw that done and i lived in the cave and my feet needed washing back then and uh i i thought i want to watch this first and see but it's a beautiful service where we really humble ourselves a good time for us to confess our faults to one another and pray for one another i don't mean we don't believe in that kind of confession but if you've got anybody you're at odds with you ought to be reconciled to them the bible talks about that in first corinthians that when they would celebrate the supper and it says we ought to wash one another's feet several places in the bible so we still practice that and it's a good time also for us to remember this is a sacred occasion we have i would like to have us put a map up on the screen and you see this is kind of an outline of the main floor in the sanctuary the yellow there is the kitchen and the fellowship hall we'll have two groups there there'll be a place for couples to wash feet maybe you'd like to do this with your your spouse and also for the men the women will be in the area that's outlined there in lavender i guess and that is our chapel which is my left over at the end of the hall down here and the basins and everything you need will be there when you're in there it's wonderful if people take up a song or hymn sometimes we know at least one verse by heart and to pray with the person that you're you're washing their feet and remember the sacredness of this occasion you know we're going to divide in just a moment to do this but i wonder if we could stand together before we do and i'd like to pray with you then how many of you know the chorus just the chorus of turn your eyes on jesus we're going to be doing that acapella i saw michelle grabbed the she grabbed her hymnal she's going to run up and play because i didn't tell her about this but let me pray with you let's sing the chorus of that and then we'll be dividing off into groups and if you have children if you think you're safe letting them stay here we like to ask the children either stay with you or stay in here we have someone that's going to bring them a children's story during that time let's pray loving father we are so thankful for the the sacrifice that jesus made that we might renew this covenant knowing that our sins are washed away and we will have eternal life lord we pray that you bless right now so that we might embrace all that you have in store for us through this sacred rite that you've given your people lord i pray that we'll have hearts and minds that are humble if there's anything in our lives where if there's sin that needs to be confessed and forsaken that this will be the starting point for that freedom we pray if there's anybody that we need to reconcile with we'll do that now or determine to contact them and be reconciled forgive each other lord we want to come away from this place today knowing that we will be in the wedding supper of the lamb so please bless with your presence and the practicality of all that happens now we ask in jesus name amen okay let's say turn your eyes upon jesus full in his wonderful face and the things of earth will grow lead in in the light of his glory and grace all right god bless you will return promptly after we've served each other and we'll have the uh the emblems of the lord's body and his blood here in the sanctuary once again the men and the couples will be in the dining area we have two separate compartments there and the ladies will be in the chapel [Music] you

Channel: Doug Batchelor

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Length: 36min 55sec (2215 seconds)

Published: Sat Sep 25 2021