At the Lord's Table

Order of Service

• Prelude
• Call to Worship — Psalm 67:1-2
• Hymn — Praise to the Lord, the Almighty
• Prayer of Invocation
• Reading of God's Law — Exodus 20:1-17
• Corporate Confession of Sin
• Assurance of Pardon
• Confession of Faith (Heidelberg Catechism, Q&A 43)
• Pastoral Prayer
• Offering
• Hymn — Jesus, the Very Thought of Thee
• Scripture Reading — Luke 22:14-16
• Sermon
• Hymn — Man of Sorrows, What a Name (vv. 1–3)
• Lord's Supper
• Hymn — Man of Sorrows, What a Name (vv. 4–5)
• Benediction — Numbers 6:24-26

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Sermon Title: At the Lord's Table

Scripture: Luke 22:14-16

I. The Fellowship of Jesus at His Table

A. Consider who Jesus is

1. He is the eternal Son of God — "Before Abraham was, I am" — fully God and fully man
2. The Incarnation is not a brief inspection; God came to live, dwell, and share meals with us
3. See the incredible humility of Christ: though he was rich, he became poor (2 Corinthians 8:9); he set aside his rights and veiled his glory

B. Consider with whom Jesus reclines at table

1. The apostles — fishermen, a tax collector, men of low social and spiritual standing
2. Peter is self-confident and fearful; James and John seek personal glory; Thomas demands sight; all are prone to sleep, selfishness, and spiritual blindness
3. Judas, the betrayer, is present at this table of fellowship

C. Application: Christ is not repelled by sinners

1. In Luke 15:2 the Pharisees grumble, "This man receives sinners and eats with them"
2. Like David welcoming Mephibosheth, Christ as host welcomes unworthy guests on account of himself
3. Believers come to this table not in self-confidence or by merit, but in faith as the spiritually empty to be filled

II. The Disposition of Jesus at His Table

A. Jesus' heart is revealed in verse 15: "I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer"

1. The Greek construction (desire with desire) expresses the most intense longing possible — Jesus as the infinite God could not have desired more
2. One commentator notes Jesus is overwhelmed with longing to share this meal with his friends

B. Why such desire?

1. He knew how much his disciples — and all believers after them — would need this sacrament
2. He desired to comfort and strengthen their faith before his death would overturn all their expectations
3. He gives this meal for all the suffering of his people throughout the ages until he comes again — a meal of comfort, nourishment, and sustenance for pilgrims

C. This desire flows from Christ's boundless love

1. John 13:1 — "Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the uttermost"
2. He will demonstrate that love on the cross; he expresses it here at the table
3. Believers may come to this table reassured of Christ's love — his body was broken and his blood was shed for them

III. The Vantage Point of Jesus at His Table

A. As Jesus eats, his eyes are set on the future fulfillment — Luke 22:16: "I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God"

1. The Passover remembered God's mighty deliverance of Israel from Egypt — blood of a lamb on the doorposts sparing each household
2. Jesus now looks through and beyond the cross to the consummation that the Passover and the Lord's Supper both point toward

B. The Lord's Supper is a typological, signpost meal

1. It points forward to the marriage supper of the Lamb in the new heavens and new earth
2. Revelation 19:7-9 — "Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb"
3. William Hendriksen: at that supper, Christ's people will have been fully redeemed and fellowship between Christ and all the redeemed will have been perfected

C. Even with the cross looming before him, Jesus sees through his suffering to the joy beyond it

1. He sees his bride dressed in the fine linen of his own righteousness
2. He directs his people's eyes at this table toward that final fulfillment
3. Believers come to this table rejoicing in the promise of a seat with Jesus at his table in the kingdom of God