Turn to Luke 22, verses 7-32.
So, there are three, I suppose, great, all-time great statements about Jesus as the Son of Man.
! And they're really good memory verses if you don't know them.
The first one is that the Son of Man came to be served,
came not to be served, but to serve and give His rights to run some of many.
The second one is that the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.
And the third great one I want to argue is the Son of Man came eating and drinking.
The Son of Man came eating and drinking.
And you might think, well, that's just because we're at the Lord's Sabbath tonight.
But one of the great themes of Luke's Gospel is Jesus' love to eat and drink.
So, in Luke's Gospel, there are about 16 occasions in Luke where you find Jesus eating and drinking in someone's house
or talking at a feast of some sort.
And tonight, this is the most famous meal of all time, isn't it?
We call it the Last Supper.
And it's here in Luke 22.
Luke tells us, can you sit down verse 14.
He took a cup and when he'd given thanks, he said,
when he'd given thanks, he brought up, sorry, verse 14, isn't it?
And when the hour came, he reclined at table and the apostles with him.
And he said to them, I earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.
For I tell you that I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.
So the time has come.
The hour has arrived and the apostles are with him.
Now, as you read this, immediately, probably, a picture will come into your mind.
Probably, I think it will.
And it is that very, very famous scene of the Last Supper.
It's a well-known piece of art, isn't it?
The Lord's Supper is inspired great works of art,
but one particular in the Lord's Supper by Leonardo da Vinci.
Where Jesus is sitting in the middle of the table
and he's got his disciples on either side of him.
If you can see it, Google it when you get home.
And you might know that when that was first painted,
it was painted on the room of a monastery dining room.
Unfortunately, the wall began to crumble because it was only made of some kind of dirt.
And very soon, after the painting had been done, the wall began to crumble.
Worse was to come.
Some of the early friars cut a door through the wall where Jesus' feet were.
And then later on, after that, he gave a storage chamber,
then a stable, then a prison, and a barracks.
And at one stage, there was restoration work that was done very, very carelessly.
One artist in particular was so casual about the task that he gave James six fingers on one of his hands.
It's a famous work of art,
and yet it's been treated terribly down through the centuries.
And not only has this scene in the upper room inspired that great painting,
but this scene of the Lord's Supper has inspired a great intrigue.
At least that painting has been the source of conspiracy theories.
I don't want to spoil it for you, but if you've not yet read Dan Brown's book,
you know, the Da Vinci Code,
in fact, I will spoil it for you because it's not worth reading anyway.
But in that book, Dan Brown argues that there is a conspiracy.
And the clues to that conspiracy are found in Da Vinci's painting of the Last Supper.
And the conspiracy is the search for the Holy Grail.
The Holy Grail is not the cup,
it's not the relic, it's not the cup that Jesus had in the upper room that he poured wine into.
The Holy Grail is the bloodline of Jesus.
So Jesus got married, according to Dan Brown.
That is the conspiracy that the Catholic Church has been covering up, according to Dan Brown.
There's absolutely no factual basis for it whatsoever.
But he says Jesus married Mary Magdalene,
and he actually has descendants in the world today,
and there's a secret society.
There's a secret society called the Priory of Zion,
and it's their job in life to protect the descendants of Jesus in the world today.
That is the conspiracy.
So what is the reality tonight?
What is the reality behind all that?
What is the reality behind this famous work of ours?
About the Last Supper?
What does the Last Supper have to say to us tonight?
Is there a conspiracy?
Does Jesus have living descendants in the world today?
And what is the secret of the Holy Grail?
Well, we're going to look at the passage,
and I want you to notice there is a conspiracy.
Can you see it in verses 7 to 13?
There is a conspiracy.
If you don't think there's a conspiracy,
you haven't read many detective novels, have you?
Jesus tells his disciples from verse 7 onwards,
go into the city, look out for a man carrying a water jug on his head.
It's like saying, go to King's Cross railway station,
look out for a man with the Times newspaper rolled up under one arm,
and a carnation of his lapel.
It's got that sort of feel.
Look at verse 10.
It's intriguing, isn't it?
He says to him,
Behold, when you've entered the city,
a man carrying a jar of water will meet you.
Follow him into the house that he enters.
Tell the master of the house,
and the teacher says to you,
where is the guest room?
Where I meet the Passover with my disciples.
He will show you a large upper room furnished.
Prepare it there.
It's intriguing, isn't it?
It's mysterious.
Do you know what's the surprise?
Look out for a man carrying a water jug.
But in those days, you didn't see men carrying water jugs, did you?
They still don't do that in that culture.
That was a woman's job, they would say.
I'm not saying it never happens,
but it is an unusual sight
to see a man carrying the water jug.
It feels like, doesn't it, when you read that,
it's got the sense of being a pre-arranged signal.
Why?
Why the secrecy?
Why doesn't he just go to 25 King Solomon Street
in the upstairs flat there,
I booked a room for us.
Why the secrecy?
Well, because it's a security issue, isn't it?
Jesus is a wanted man, we saw this morning.
We saw.
I've come in.
There's a conspiracy.
There's a conspiracy between the religious authorities
and Judas Iscariot.
We're told that in the opening verses we saw this morning.
In fact, it's worse than that, isn't it?
This conspiracy has its origins in hell.
We're told there in verse 2
that Satan entered into Judas,
who was numbered among the twelve,
and he went away with the chief priests
and the temple police
to see how he could hand them over to him.
There is a conspiracy.
There's a conspiracy to get rid of Jesus,
and Jesus is having none of it.
It's not that he's going to die,
but he's not having Judas Iscariot
and the chief priests calling the tomb
and setting the time and the date
of his death.
Hell is conspiring to get rid of the Messiah.
There's a conspiracy here.
In fact, I want to argue
that there are two conspiracies.
You might want to talk to me about this afterwards
if you think I've got it wrong.
But I think there's a conspiracy of evil
and there's a conspiracy of kindness.
And there's a kindness to Judas.
Jesus is protecting Judas.
He is protecting Judas from himself
right up to the last minute.
Did you notice how later on in the evening,
how Jesus refers in verse 22
to the hand of the one who is betraying
and who is at this table?
He doesn't name and shame him.
It is obvious as you read on
that the disciples don't know
who he's talking about.
They begin to argue.
They don't realize it's Judas.
They begin to argue amongst themselves
which of them it could be.
Verse 23.
Who is going to do this thing?
No one is pointing the finger at Judas
saying, well, I knew it was him.
He always looked shifty.
And it's almost as if Jesus
is giving Judas time to think.
He's giving Judas time
to have second thoughts about this.
He's giving him space for repentance
right until the last minute.
So there's two things happening.
There is a conspiracy of evil
which is sort of fueled from hell
to get rid of Jesus.
And yet there is a conspiracy of kindness,
I think.
And yet, woe to that man
by whom he is betrayed.
So there are two plans here.
That is what I'm saying.
There is Satan's plan and God's plan.
There's a plan of destruction.
And a plan of salvation.
And Satan's schemes
are in a mysterious way
woven into God's plan
and they are made to serve God's plan.
Do you see that in verse 23?
The Son of Man
will go as it has been determined.
Verse 22.
So Jesus is going to die.
It has been decided.
It has been decided in the councils of eternity
before the foundation of the world.
The Lamb that was slain
before the foundation of the world.
It has been decided.
The Son of Man will go
as it has been determined.
But woe to that man
by whom he is betrayed.
Now do you see those two things
go together, don't they?
Again, we saw this a couple of weeks ago
in Proverbs.
But think of the book of Job.
Think of Satan
wanting to destroy Job
and question God
and at the same time
what you have in Job
you have God working out his plans
and actually using Satan.
We don't live in a dualistic universe
where good is versus evil
and we don't know
what is going to happen
and who is going to win.
God is sovereign.
He can make
He can make the wrath of men serve Him.
He can bring the greatest good
out of the most unimaginable evil.
And they want to rid themselves
of the Son of God.
They want to crucify Jesus.
And God is going to allow that to happen.
And out of that
out of the most unimaginable evil
where the creatures kill the Creator.
This is day sight.
Out of the most unimaginable evil
God is going to bring about the greatest good.
To see.
It's like the story of Joseph
all over again, isn't it?
His brothers sell him into slavery
and eventually they're brought to Egypt
because of the famine
and they appear before Mice and Joseph.
And they recognize who he is
and they're scared stiff.
And do you remember what Joseph says?
He says you meant it for evil.
They wanted to kill him.
They wanted to get rid of him.
They were jealous of him.
They hated him.
They thought they had got rid of him.
And God says to them
you meant it for evil
but God meant it for good.
To save many people.
So while you were plotting
and you were planning for others
to get rid of me
and you thought you'd got rid of me
and throw me in the ditch
all those things happened.
I was falsely accused.
I was thrown into prison.
All those bad and evil things.
God is not the author of them.
But he takes them
and he uses them.
To carry out his purpose.
It's the same in Acts 2, isn't it?
Speaking of the same crowd
that crucified Jesus
50 days later.
The crowd that cried out
in hysteria.
Crucify him.
Speaking to those same people.
Peter says,
Men of Israel,
Jesus of Nazareth,
the man of chastity to you
by God
with mighty works
and wonders and signs.
But God did through him
in your midst
as you yourselves know.
That Jesus was delivered up
according to the scriptures.
According to the
determinate counsel
and foreknowledge of God.
And you crucify him
with lawless hands.
See those two things?
You killed him.
God foreordained it.
So here it is.
Look at verse 53 of Luke 22.
Jesus says to you,
This is your hour.
The power of darkness.
There is this conspiracy of evil
but in the midst of it
there is God's glorious plan
of salvation.
So there is conspiracy
but there is also
community as well.
Conspiracy and community.
And it is something
that struck me
more than I have ever
seen it before.
It is not a secret society
is it?
It is not
the Priory of Zion.
It is not the physical
descendants of Jesus
through the line
of Mary Magdalene
as Dan Brown
ludicrously suggests.
It is the church.
But do you see
this community?
Do you see
how the church
is pictured
in the upper room?
Sometimes we
miss the obvious
don't we?
What is
happening
at the start
of chapter 22?
It is the Passover.
What was the Passover?
What happened
at the Passover?
It is a family
occasion.
It is a family
occasion
more than anything
else
was it?
The Passover
for the Jewish
people was more
of a family
occasion than
Christmas was
for us.
It is hard
for many of us
isn't it?
We are away
from our families
on Christmas
day.
I like speaking
to my parents
apart from
one day
a year.
I do not
particularly
speaking to
them on
Christmas
day.
Because you
feel so far
from them.
And most of
you try very
hard to be
with your
family on
Christmas
day.
And if that
can't happen
you are sad
about it.
Because Christmas
lunch is a
family occasion
isn't it?
That is our
tradition.
That is our
culture.
But even more
so with the
Passover.
The whole
family was
gathered and
the youngest
member of
the family
would ask
the questions.
Why is
this night
more important
than any
other night
dad?
What happened
to the
lamb?
Tell me
about what
happened in
Israel.
Why is
the blood
on the
doors?
What is
it all
about?
And the
family would
be round
the table
passing
dishes
having a
meal.
And that
is the
interesting
thing here
isn't it?
Jesus has
the audacity
to pull
every single
one of his
disciples away
from their
families on
Passover night.
Doesn't he?
And he is
the one who
is the head
of this
Passover meal
and he's
wanting them
to celebrate
this Passover
with him.
You see
when he
says I
have eagerly
desires to
eat this
Passover
with you.
In other
words what I'm
trying to
say is that
there's a
new family
being brought
into existence
here at
this table
because the
cross of
Jesus,
that's why,
we say
blood is
thicker than
water.
Well the
blood of
Jesus brings
into being a
new family
but grace
is even
stronger than
blood.
And so
here is the
family of
Jesus.
The beginning
of this new
family.
But you
notice what
happens around
the table
because only
Luke,
the account of
the last
supper is in
all four
Gospels,
but Luke is
the only one
who makes it
clear to us
that there's
this dispute.
There's this
bickering
that breaks
out.
It's just like
Christmas
lunch,
isn't it?
You know
it's like
Christmas
lunch in
the family
is marvellous
isn't it
for the first
course?
And then
somebody says
something and
a dispute
breaks out.
It happens
every Christmas
lunch with
the extended
family in
verse 24.
Luke makes
it clear.
And this
dispute did
not happen
outside the
room.
It didn't
happen a
couple of
days later.
It actually
happened around
the table at
the Passover
meal.
This dispute
about who
would be the
greatest.
And what
Jesus says is
very, very
significant because
it actually
defines for us
what kind of
community he is
bringing into
existence.
notice what he
says in
verse 25.
He says
the kings
of the Gentiles
exercise lordship
over them
and those in
authority over
them are
called benefactors.
They dominate
but verse 26
not so with
you.
It shall not
be amongst
you.
You are not
to have
benefactors.
You are to
be benefactors.
Let me explain
what I mean by
that.
The kings of
the Gentiles
they dominate
they lord it
over.
They are
called
benefactors.
There is this
stark contrast
between the
way the things
are done in
our society
and the way
things are done
in the world
and the way
that Jesus
wants them to
be.
How does the
world organise
itself?
How does your
office organise
itself?
There is a
pecking order.
Isn't that?
That is what
Jesus is referring
to.
When he talks
benefactors it
is this
Greek or
Roman
patronage
culture.
So those
higher up
in the
socio-economic
order they
would give
to help
those lower
down.
And so if
you wanted
to live
and survive
in society
you would
look for
a benefactor.
And you
would look
for a
patron who
will champion
your cause
to look out
for you.
That is the
way it
works.
That is how
you survived.
That is how
society operated.
And then you
owed them for
the rest of
your life.
And Jesus
says that is
not how you
should be.
That is not
the way I
want my
society to
be organised.
It is not
the way my
world works.
It is not
scratch my
back and I
will scratch
yours.
It is not so
much what you
know as who
you know.
That is how the
world works.
And Jesus
says it shall
not be so
among you.
people.
But it is
still like that.
We want to
be seen with
the rich and
the powerful,
with the bold
and the
beautiful,
with the
popular and
the gorgeous.
And Jesus
says it will
not be like
that in my
kingdom.
That way of
thinking goes
out of the
window when
you come to
the cross.
Isn't that
what Paul
says in
2 Corinthians?
Where he
says we
used to view
human beings,
we used to
view one
another in that
kind of way.
We even used
to think of
Jesus in that
kind of way,
but not
anymore.
Now there is
a new
creation.
There is a
new way of
relating.
Everything
is new now.
The old
has passed.
The new
has come.
That's what
Jesus says in
verse 29,
doesn't he?
And I
assign to
you as
my father
assigned to
me a
kingdom.
He is
conferring a
kingdom on
these people.
He is
conferring a
kingdom that
is not about
power or
about
recognition.
And
status and
money is
about dying
to serve.
It's about
laying down
your life
for others.
It's the
people of
the cross.
And so
do you see
there's
community here
isn't there
around this
table?
Radically
new community
appearing.
And just
one other
thing,
there's
something else
which Luke
does which
is quite
striking.
And you
see it in
the context
of this
meal.
Look at
verse 31.
It's still
in the
upper room.
It's part
of the
same meal.
It's part
of the
same event.
We'll
look at it
next Sunday
morning.
He says,
Simon,
behold,
Satan has
demanded
to have
you.
That he
might
sit you
like wheat.
But I
have prayed
for you
that your
faith may
not fail.
Now why
does he
bother to
tell you
that?
Why does
Luke put
that there?
At this
table,
around this
meal?
Well I
think it's
because of
this.
I think
Simon Peter
is going
to be the
new leader
of the
community.
Jesus has
already
appointed him
if you
like as
the chief
apostle.
He's going
to become
the new
leader of
that
community.
And
leadership in
the church
is not
the same
as
leadership
in the
world.
And
Jesus
doesn't
choose
Simon Peter
to lead
his
church
because
he's
strong
and
powerful
and
bold
and
beautiful
and
rich
and
influential.
He's as
weak as
water.
He's
weak.
In
my
kingdom,
who are
the
leaders?
Says
Jesus.
What are
they like?
They're
people like
Peter who
repent.
There are
people like
Peter who
are conscious
most of
their weakness
and their
failing and
their utter
need of
divine
grace and
that is
the
community
of the
cross.
And
it's
brought
into
being
in
the
upper
room
around
the
Lord's
table.
Do you
remember what
Jesus said
as he took
the cup?
He said
this is
the new
covenant.
Just as
in the
Old
Testament
when God
brought the
Israelites
out of
Egypt
on that
Passover
night
when God
brought the
Hebrews
out of
Egypt
what did
he do?
He
brought
them to
Mount
Sinai
where the
Ten
Commandments
were given
and God
entered into
a formal
relationship
with Israel.
Mount Sinai
is like
the giving
of the
constitution
to Israel.
Before they
were a bunch
of slaves
who had been
ransomed from
Egypt and
God gathered
them together
at the foot of
Mount Sinai
and he said
he entered into
a covenant
with them
and said
from now on
you are a
holy nation.
You are my
treasured
possession.
You are my
chosen people.
And that was the
old covenant
with Israel.
Israel.
And now
Jesus
in this
upper room
gathers
this
rag tag
and bob
tail group
of followers.
People like
Simon Peter
who is not
a strong
man at
all.
He gathers
around him
these people
he takes
the cup
and he
says now
this is
the new
covenant
in my
blood
shed
for you
shed
for many.
Peter
picks up
on his
letter
and he
says
once you
were not
a people
but now
you are
the people
of God
and you
are a
holy nation
and a
royal priesthood
and you
are God's
chosen people
so there
is a
conspiracy
isn't there?
Satan
Judas
chief
priest
Pontius
Pilate
and unbeknown
to them
they are
doing God's
perfect way
and they are
fulfilling the
scriptures
that's not to
excuse them
they are not
pawns in a
chess scheme
it was unfortunate
wasn't it
on that great
evening we had
Richard Borgen
on it
talking about
John's gospel
he kept referring
himself to
I'm just a
pawn in
God's
game
I wanted
to shout
to him
but you're
not
you're
not
you're
not
pawn
the bible
never ever
talks about
human beings
that way
and we
must never
do that
they're
responsible
for their
actions
and yet
through God
God is
conspiring
with them
to save
the world
and yes
there's a
bloodline
it's a
society
but it's not
a secret
society
it's a
community
but it's not
a secret
community
it's not
the priory
of Zion
to the
physical
descendants
of Jesus
no it's
to the
church
the new
covenant
community
it's those
who've been
redeemed
by the blood
of the lamb
and that leads
me to the
last thing
there's symbolism
here isn't
there
symbolism
you don't
have to make
it up
because it's
here
you don't
have to
write a
novel about
it
because it's
here
and there
is real
suspense
and there
is real
mystery
here at
the last
supper
and there
is profound
symbolism
Jesus took
bread
and he took
a cup
he said
this is my
body
this is my
blood
the bread and
wine are
symbols
they are
powerful
symbols
I don't
know if you've
ever been to
an auction
you've done
that
but you need
to know if you
go to an auction
there are pre-arranged
gestures aren't there
at an auction
the raising of an eyebrow
the scratching of your nose
then you might find yourself going home with a heap of junk
right
you do it
or going home with something more than you bargained for
because if the auctioneer sees your sign
your pre-arranged signal
he will accept your bid
and the hammer will come down
and wonder
going going
gone
to the man with the nervous twitch at the back
and you become the proud owner of something that you didn't really want
your signal
in that auction
in that context
binds you to pay the price
do you understand that?
and so here we are
the night
he was betrayed
Jesus took bread
and took wine
that is exactly what Jesus is doing
he is not saying
hey Presco
this bread
has now become
my physical body
that is nonsense
it is superstitious nonsense
it is still bread
it is still wine
they are powerful
powerful symbols
they are tokens
of what Christ
is about to do
this is the night
he was betrayed
this is the day
before he went to the cross
and Jesus takes the bread
and the wine
this is my body
broken for you
and this is my blood
poured out
for you
do you see Jesus
is symbolically
laying down
his life there
as he pours
the wine
into the cup
he is pouring
out his life
in the upper room
and what the bread
and wine
symbolise
Jesus is going to
actualise
the next day
and that becomes
even more powerful
when you realise
what is missing
from the table
what is missing
from the table
it is the Passover meal
all four Gospels
draw attention to this
and again it is so obvious
that you and I miss it
what is missing
from the Passover table
the lamb
by its absence
it is conspicuous
isn't it
there is no lamb
so imagine
you come to my house
for Christmas day
and I say
we are going to have
a great Christmas lunch
a traditional Christmas lunch
and you arrive
and there is no turkey
it is unthinkable
but what about
Passover without a lamb
the truth is this
there is no lamb
that is on the table
because the lamb
of God
is at the table
this is my body
this is my blood
he says
why does Jesus
have to die
why does
there have to be a lamb
why does there have to be
a sacrifice
well think about it
is it possible
to forgive
without suffering
is it possible
to forgive
without suffering
so imagine
you have been hurt
some of you have been
you have been
harmed in some way
somebody has really
wronged you
somebody has betrayed you
there is only
two things you can do
you can be hurt
and you can retaliate
you can resent
that person
who has wronged you
and what they have done to you
and if you do that
you suffer don't you
you lose
you allow that person
to hurt you
over and over
and over again
and the evil
that has been done to you
actually enters into you
and it leads away
at you
and you lose
evil times
before you can choose
to forgive
sounds so easy
doesn't it
but it's far easier
to say than done
isn't it
to forgive
we all know that
so somebody has said
that the currency
of words
is not
the currency
of forgiveness
it's quite helpful
the currency of words
is not the currency
of forgiveness
actions are
and if you've been hurt
really hurt
to forgive that person
it's a costly thing
isn't it
you can choose
to forgive
you can choose
to allow
the good
to overcome
the evil
but you still suffer
in doing that
because it's not
it's not as easy
as it just to say
I forgive you
and if it's like that
for us
how hard it is
for us to forgive
and we say
well why doesn't God
just forgive
why does he need
to send
Jesus
his son
whom he loved
into the world
to die
why does there
need to be
a sacrifice
why does
Jesus
need to
eat
if I can put it
in Passover
terms
why does
Jesus need
to eat
the bread
of suffering
drink
the cup
of God's
wrath
why does
he say
I really
I have really
eagerly
desired
to eat
this Passover
with you
before I suffer
why does he
have to suffer
at all
why can't it
just be a little
sacrament
why can't it
just be an
object lesson
in bread
and wine
why does he
have to go
through with it
because the
currency of
forgiveness
is actions
not words
and actions
speak louder
than words
Jesus is
Passover
lamb
that is how
he sees
himself
and that is
why there is
all this
cloak and
dagger stuff
at the
beginning
remember what
he says
in John's
gospel
he says
no one
takes my
life from
me
I have
the power
to lay
it down
and the
power to
take it
up again
but no
one can
take it
from me
and that's
the unique
thing about
the Lord
Jesus
isn't it
for us
in the end
death will
lay hold
of you
it will
death will
lay hold
of you
one way
or another
but Jesus
lays hold
of death
in the upper
room and
that is what
he's doing
in the upper
room
Judas
chief priest
it's not
your timetable
no one
takes my
life
I unlike
any other
human being
I have the
authority to
lay down
my life
and I have
the authority
to take it
up again
and of course
that's what he
does
isn't it
one of the
Puritans
talks about
a warrior
with a
sword
here's the
sword
here's the
sword
and the
warrior goes
into fight
with his
sword
in his
scabbard
doesn't he
he runs
with his
sword
in the
scabbard
and as he
comes near
into conflict
what does
he do
he pulls
the sword
out of
his scabbard
and after
he finishes
after he
puts the
person to
death
he puts
the sword
back
in the
scabbard
and the
illustration
is this
it's a
brilliant
illustration
the sword
and the
scabbard
are united
in the
person
of this
warrior
and Jesus
goes to
the cross
like that
what is
death
is a
separation
of soul
and body
Jesus
says
no one
can take
my life
from me
I have
the authority
to lay
it down
and that
is what
he does
he goes
into the
cross
and he
draws the
sword
from the
scabbard
he separates
body and
soul
for three
days he
holds his
body and
soul
separate
and on the
third day
he puts the
sword back
on the
scabbard
and he
rises from
the dead
and he
says
I have
fervently
desired
to eat
this
Passover
with you
because I
want you
to understand
what my
suffering is
about
and do you
notice this
the writer
of the
Hebrew says
it was for
the joy
that was
set before
him
he
did
the
cross
and now
he's
going to
the cross
and it
is going
to be
traumatic
for his
disciples
and even
though he's
trying to
warn them
again and
again
isn't it
even though
in the
upper room
he is
explaining to
them what
he's
doing
that he
is the
Passover
lamb
you should
be glad
about this
because when
the angel
of death
passes over
he will
see the
blood
not daubed
on a
wooden
doorpost
but on
the cross
and you
find that
when the
angel of
death
passes
over us
he sees
you
and me
and our
lives
and the
way we
have
treated
God
and treated
one another
and he
will pass
over
because of
the blood
of the
lamb
and Jesus
is preparing
for them
for that
do you
notice
what he
says
he not
only talks
about this
being fulfilled
in his
death
the next
day
but look
verse 15
he said to
them
I earnestly
desire to
eat this
Passover
with you
before I
suffer
for I
tell you
that I
will not
eat it
until it
is fulfilled
in the
kingdom
of God
and then
verse 18
for I
tell you
that from
now on
I will
not drink
of the
fruit
of the
vine
until the
kingdom
of God
comes
he's
pointing
them
beyond
what is
going to
happen
in the
next 24
hours
and he's
setting
before his
disciples
that joy
of the
coming
kingdom
and he's
really saying
listen boys
I can't
wait
I cannot
wait until
all the
ransomed
church of
God are
saved to
sin no
more
he can't
wait
and who
is he
talking to
have you
thought about
that
it's not
so now
is it
what God
has
who are
these
people
they are
not heroes
are they
they are
deserters
they would
have been
shot
if they
had been
in the
army
Peter denied
him three
times
all the
other
disciples
ran away
when he
was crucified
and he
says
I
eagerly
desire
to eat
this
Passover
with you
you
treaters
you
betrayers
who
hasn't
betrayed
the
Lord
here
who
hasn't
let him
down
we are
here
tonight
at this
table
and I
have
let him
down
so often
and so
badly
but we
don't follow
King Arthur
do we
this isn't
the round
table
and this
is the
table
of the
Lord
Jesus
Christ
and we
follow
King
Jesus
and this
table
tonight
is not
for heroes
because there's
none here
it is for
sinners
it's not for
Sir Lancelot
and Galahad
it's for
Peter
and James
and John
and Sarah
and Terry
and Mark
and Betty
and Jean
Claude
that's who
it's for
and so I
invite you to
the table
this table
does not
belong to me
it doesn't
belong to
this church
it's the
Lord's table
for the
Lord's people
and if you
know that you
are a sinner
you are a sinner
who needs
saving
then come
to the
table
and eat
of the
bread
and drink
of the
wine
and Jesus
wants you
to know
tonight
how eagerly
he desires
to sit down
with you
in the
kingdom of
heaven
he cannot
wait
and have
fellowship
with you
for all
eternity
so much
so
that he
went to
the cross
for that
time
let's see