The Church: Her Table
 

LISTEN TO AUDIO SERMON                                                                                                  RETURN TO MAIN SERMON PAGE
The Church: Her Table
Luke 22:14-23 

Why do we come to partake in the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper? 

Five infinitives (a brief overview):  

  1. To sit at the Lord’s Table
    1. This is the Table of Our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the one who offers his body and his blood to us and has prepared the feast of which we partake (Psalm 23). If he offers to feed us on himself, then he owns the Table.

                                                              i.      Luke 22:14-23

  1. To acknowledge our sinful need and humble reliance on Christ 
    1. As a result of our acceptance of this meal we are by default acknowledging our need for Christ. We have nowhere else to turn for our salvation. Christ is the only way.

                                                              i.      Noah’s story and the ark – Heb. 11:7

1.      The world ridiculed him for his trust in the Lord, but Noah stood firm in his refuge and was reward. The Lord Jesus Christ is the ark of our faith.

  1. To be satisfied by Christ (fed and refreshed) –
    1. The Children of Israel ate manna from heaven and drank water from the rock during their journey from Egypt to the Promised Land (Ex. 17)

                                                              i.      In this precursor to the great Exodus in Christ, they were fed and refreshed by God, out of his miraculous providence.

                                                            ii.      In the same way, we are fed and refreshed by God in his providence through the Table of our Lord Jesus Christ.

1.      He is the Bread of Life (John 6)

2.      He is the Living Water (John 4)

  1. To share in communion with all believers (one Lord, one faith, one family’s meal)
    1. We eat this meal in common with all believers; all of those who have been adopted into the Lord’s family (Eph. 1:5)

                                                              i.      This is the children’s food.

                                                            ii.      As children of the king we share this in common with one another.

1.      As we pass the elements from person to person, we are symbolically passing Christ among the family of God.

2.      We share him in common.

a.       One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism (Eph. 4:4-6)

  1. To make public profession of Christ (belief in him)
    1. By partaking in the Sacrament, we are actively proclaiming the Lord’s death and Resurrection until he comes again (1 Cor. 11:26).

                                                              i.      We proclaim to one another and the world boldly that we are Christ’s. He is our Savior.

 

RETURN TO MAIN SERMON PAGE