May 27, 2018 The Abstinence Of Christ by Conley Owens Deacon

Be I should be good here. All right Let me get begin. I've got well, yeah,

I've got water here. Thanks. I've got more Let us begin by reading

Luke 22 beginning and 14 and going to verse 18

Excuse me. I'll read all the way down to verse 23, but the preaching text for this morning is verses 14 to 18

And when the hour came he reclined at the table and the Apostles with him and he said to them

I have 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 and he took a cup and When he had given thanks, he said take this and divide it among yourselves

For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes

And he took bread and when he had given thanks he broke it and gave it to them saying this is my body which is given for you do this in remembrance of me and Likewise the cup after they had eaten saying this cup that is poured out for you.

It's a new covenant in my blood But behold the hand of him who betrays me is with me on the table for the

Son of Man goes as it has been determined But woe to the man by whom he is betrayed

And they began to question one another which of them it could be who is going to do this

May the Lord bless the reading of his word so today

I have a very Wonderful truth for you. It's very grand truth.

It's something that's become very precious to me At the same time it is a very obvious truth.

It is the truth that Scripture very plainly says something that everyone knows and Not just Christians, but anyone who knows anything about Christianity knows and believes this

Other other sects outside of the true faith believe this other religions

Hindus Muslims believe this atheists even believe this and That is that Jesus is not physically with us partaking the supper with us

Now I could say that in other ways I could say Jesus is not present with us

But that might be confusing because even our confession says that Jesus is really with us and we feed on him spiritually

When we eat the bread and drink the wine And I might say that I Jesus is not bodily with us

But then you might think that I'm talking about what Roman Catholics believe that Jesus through transubstantiation is in the cup in the bread

But that's not what I'm talking about either I'm talking about the fact that Jesus his head arms legs torso

That human Jesus is not with us here sitting with us partaking of the

Lord's Supper and That might seem like I said a very obvious truth and not something to spend too much time thinking about But it's something that Jesus makes a large issue about here in this passage

And it's something that I think communicates a significant amount about what the Lord's table means about what it what it should signify to us and this table

It proclaims the joyous union that we have in salvation It proclaims the kingdom of God This joyous union that we have in salvation

So I'd like to go through this passage with you and show you how Jesus's Current absence from our table his bodily absence from our table what that is to communicate to us

About this joyous union we have in salvation and what it is that we're to be anticipating

About the joyous union that we have in salvation So it says in verse 15

And he said to them I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer For I tell you

I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God So here Jesus it says he is with his apostles.

Of course, they have not been sent out yet But Luke is telescoping looking forward to when they will be sent out of course, one of them

Judas is not sent out but the 11 are and so as Jesus gathers with him as Jesus gathers with them

He is preparing them For the work that they are to do as they are going to be sent out for this meal that is going to commemorate his death

And he says that he will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God Now it seems that he's eating it here

So he's saying he eats it this once and then he will not eat this meal again until we're with him in the kingdom of God and Then he says

And then it says he took a cup and when he had given. Thanks. He said take this and Divide it among yourselves

For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes

So Jesus and the solemn act Taking the cup dividing it is solemnly declaring to the disciples that he will not drink wine

Until the kingdom of God comes essentially he is swearing off wine Letting them know his resolve

To bring that kingdom together bring all the people together With him in that kingdom

This is We have a great salvation in Jesus Christ However, it is not complete.

It is not complete in that there are many Who are God's elect who are not yet counted among his children

We still wander in this world Struggling dealing with the issues of death and sin

And it will not be Fully complete until all of us have reached heaven and so Jesus to show us that he is committed

To this work that he is doing swears off this festive meal swears off wine

To let the disciples know how committed he is to bring all this together into God's kingdom in heaven now that Should impact us and cause us to think about the sincerity of God's words

The sincerity of our own words and you know we've been talking in Sunday school about the significance of oaths and vows how we should feel about the truthfulness of our own words and Think about this

We trust God we trust God to do the things he says because he is God and he is truthful But there's something that scripture is doing in relating to this this to us

Not only does Jesus have divine motivations for bringing this about he has

Human motivations for bringing about this complete salvation He has a vested interest having sworn off the celebratory meal

Having sworn off wine to bring about the kingdom of God in its fullness

That's something that should cause us to To not just be

Convinced of the matter The way that one might be convinced convinced of God's Word, but in a human relatable sense.

He is letting us know that This should give us assurance about what it is that that God will do

So I mentioned this communicates to us about the joyous union that we have in salvation

I'd like to take a moment and talk about that joy He says he has earnestly desired to eat this

Passover He earnestly desired this desire is for this joyous occasion

And it says in verse 17 that he gave thanks Thanks, of course always for something good this word for thanks is

Eucharist Oh, which is why some people call this the Eucharist He's giving thanks to God for this good thing this is a joyful thing and of course feasts are always joyful and Then wine in the

Bible it can represent multiple different things But one of those things that wine frequently represents is joy

Judges 9 13 says that wine Cheers God and man now.

I don't know exactly how wine cheers God but the idea here and maybe it's even talking about maybe it's even looking forward to Christ becoming flesh and drinking wine with his disciples

But it says that wine cheers God and man, it's a symbol of joy in Psalm 104 15

Says that wine gladdens the hearts of man See, it's it's everywhere

Very frequently as a symbol of joy and one of the Old Testament punishments when people would disobey

God One of the Old Testament punishments was that God would take away their vineyards. He would take away their wine

Why because it's representative of their joy. He's taking away their joy because they have disobeyed him

And Think about Jesus first miracle, which is to bring wine at the wedding at Cana Once again, it is to show that his ministry is one of joy

Even Paul when he is as an apostle of Christ conducting the ministry of Christ and 2nd

Corinthians 1 He talks about how he is working together for the Corinthians joy that that is what his ministry is

It's a ministry of joy. And so Jesus and starting his ministry Produces wine out of water to show us that his ministry is one of joy

There's an additional text I would like us to look at in Song of Solomon So if you look at if you look at the

Song of Solomon chapter 2 the church has all throughout the ages recognized the

Song of Solomon as You know, of course it's about Solomon and his bride but is ultimately

Giving a picture of Christ in his church. So as we read this, let's think about this picture of Christ in his church so in chapter 2 verse 3 she speaks an

Apple tree among the trees of the forest so is my beloved among the young men

With great delight I sat in his shadow and his fruit was sweet to my taste

He brought me to the banqueting house and his banner over me was love Sustain me with raisins refresh me with apples for I am sick with love

His left hand is under my head and his right hand embraces me I adjure you O daughters of Jerusalem by the gazelles or does of the field that you do not stir up or awaken love until it pleases

In verse 4 if you're using the pew Bible, you'll notice that there's a little a footnote associated with banqueting house

This is literally the house of wine. This is Speaking of Solomon taking his bride to a house of wine where they can be joyous together

This is this is a picture of what Christ does with this church. He is taking his disciples here Celebrating with them one last time before he is absent for a very long time and then we'll be eventually

Reunited with them. So wine represents joy now

Let me ask you this Jesus right now He has a physical body his you know, he was raised from the dead.

His body did not die again It's not here on earth. So where must it be? It's in heaven.

He's in heaven now. He's with his father He's with all the angels is with all the Saints deceased

Would you say that he is joyous right now I would say the answer to that is of course.

Yes, he's joyous So what does it mean that he is sworn off the celebratory meal and he's sworn off?

Wine, he's sworn off these symbols of joy because his joy is not complete

Because you are not there with him yet His joy is not complete while we are not there with him.

And so he refuses to fully engage in celebration Knowing that there are some of his people away from him still

Now One day he will return and we will celebrate with him

And Isaiah 25 6 says on this mountain. The Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast full of rich food a feast of well aged wine a feast of rich food full of marrow of aged wine well refined that is talking about this day when

Jesus is reunited from us and is willing to feast and engage in celebration with his people when they

Will all be reunited So looking at this Table that is incomplete because Jesus is not here with us and he has sworn off this meal this incomplete joy

Paradoxically should make us even more joyful Because the fact that Jesus is refusing to participate in it and yet commands us to Means that he desires us to be joyous to enjoy the salvation and unity that we have right now even though He is committed to bringing about more fully.

He wants you to have joy and On top of that it should make us excited for that great joy that we will experience in the future when we are all together

So if you struggle with lack of joy, I can't just tell you to be joyful But maybe as you contemplate this as you contemplate the fact that your

Savior Wants you to be joyful and he does this in this very solemn way of giving us this table

Allowing us and commanding us to celebrate our unity our salvation while he himself

Refuses to in the meanwhile while he has resolved himself to fulfilling it completely

Knowing his his desire for your joy. Hopefully should fill you with some joy. Now.

This is a joyous So I Once heard a story

I once heard a story that I think somebody here told me so I'm sorry if I'm telling your story

I'm telling it poorly, but Someone told me that they once had a Thanksgiving dinner where they invited another family and that and that family came a little late and they

They didn't really eat any food and they asked him. Why aren't you all eating any food? And they said oh we stopped at McDonald's on the way over so Think about think about Jesus joy right now

Jesus He is so anticipating This reunion that we're going to be having this

Thanksgiving dinner In a way that we cannot relate to because he is not participating in it

We are participating in it weekly enjoying this joy. He in being so resolved to bring this together abstaining from it

Will be so much more Enthralled and enjoys he is so much more eager to see this take place to see our reunion in heaven and that union also

Is important in this passage he speaks of Eating and drinking with the disciples

Excuse me. I lost my place in Luke Speaks of eating and drinking with his disciples and You don't see it here, but in Matthew He speaks of when he is when he drinks it again, he eats it again

With them in the kingdom of heaven. He doesn't use that phrase with you here and in Luke 22, but This this table represents union, you know,

I mentioned last week that's why it's often called come union because it represents our unity and And first Corinthians 10 16 says the cup of blessing that we bless.

Is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break. Is it not a participation in the body of Christ?

Because there is one bread we who are many are one body For we all partake of the one bread

So this this table is supposed to represent our unity Now that unity just like that joy is not complete yet, although Jesus wants us to still enjoy it

It's not complete because Jesus is not here with us. It's not complete because we are not with the saints in heaven

It is not complete because there may be a generation yet to come who's not yet known Christ These things are not complete in addition

We get to If I were to ask you, you know, are we united with Christ then hopefully you know that the answer is yes

We're united with him in spirit We have his Holy Spirit He is present with us through his spirit

Now while we have the Spirit of Christ in us so that we are united Christ Christ Has no spirit of us dwelling in him

There is there is a sense and we get in which we get to appreciate this unity with each other this unity with Christ in a way that Christ Does not does not himself

Once again celebrate does not himself Enjoy the way that we get to enjoy and he wants us to enjoy this thing this this union that we have

I've heard of soldiers who while they're away from their families will refuse to Eat any kind of Christmas meal

Once again, the the idea being that they don't want to celebrate This occasion without what

Christmas has come to mean for them, which for many people Christmas is about unity with family You know, of course, we would think of Christmas as primarily being about Christ but for a lot of people it's about unity with their family and So they refuse to participate in Christmas until they have that unity again.

This is this is what Christ is doing Now if he wants us meanwhile to enjoy the unity that we have with one another

You know, I am here with Ken Tompkins and Jesus is not enjoying bodily presence with Ken Tompkins He wants me to enjoy this this fellowship in a very special way, so Think about the ramifications for that if you are not

Appreciating the unity you are not Appreciating what Christ has given you

If you are not reconciling your differences, but you are holding grudges towards others

Think about that. I've had some people I've heard of and I've seen some people Abstain from the

Lord's table because they were upset at somebody else in the body and didn't want to take communion with them Now think about think about what exactly it is that that says that says something along the lines of Jesus I know you want me to celebrate communion with them, and I know that That you are refusing to celebrate because you are not with them and don't get to enjoy their bodily presence

But even though I'm with them and do get to enjoy their bodily presence. It's not good enough for me That that is what is going on when someone does something like that And that is what's going on in a secondary way when we refuse to reconcile with our brothers and sisters

Jesus Christ is not to get to enjoy this thing at the moment that he is allowing all of us to enjoy that this unity with one another and with bodily presence here on earth and So that is not something that should be spited.

That is something that should be enjoyed and appreciated and it's something that has serious ramifications for our actions and behavior towards one another and striving for unity

Now this Lord's table also represents The salvation that we have in Christ.

We proclaim the Lord's death until he comes It says and when the hour came he reclined at the table and the

Apostles with him and he said to them I've earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer

So, of course that suffering points forward to his death and resurrection which will result in the salvation of God's people

The Passover points to the salvation that God has provided also, right? The reason why

Jesus is co -opting this meal and turning it into his own ordinance is Because of what it already represented.

It already represented salvation, represented salvation from Egypt So the

Israelites left Egypt and were taken out of the Red Sea and they were spared death because of the blood of the

Lamb painted on their doorposts Now Jesus being the

Lamb of God Whose blood takes away the sins of the world. This is an appropriate co -opting of this into his own ordinance

Now We have that salvation. He wants us to enjoy that salvation But if you think back to the

Exodus, the Exodus doesn't just refer to making it out of Egypt crossing the Red Sea The Exodus plays out further

Into the people wandering through the wilderness and eventually crossing the Jordan into the Promised Land Right now we have crossed over the

Red Sea. We have been freed from the bondage of sin and death But we still wander in this wilderness struggling

Being tested constantly, tried and tempted until we finally make it into the

Promised Land into heaven Across the Jordan Now Jesus wants us to enjoy coming out of Egypt But he is resolved to see to it that we make it across the

Jordan Not just the Red Sea, but the Jordan into the Promised Land into heaven Jesus is hard set on our salvation

Philippians 1 6 says and I am sure of this That if you began a good work and you will bring it to completion on the day of Jesus Christ All right that work, maybe you'll think oh, it'll be complete when

I'm dead because then I'll be perfectly sanctified There's more to it On the day of Jesus Christ when he returns then the kingdom will be completely fulfilled.

Then we will all be together That is what Jesus is hard set gunning towards and He has resolved himself by means of abstaining from the from the celebration abstaining from wine until this occasion occurs

He desires your salvation if you have any doubts about whether or not you're he's willing to forgive your sin about any doubts about whether or not he he is willing to Help you as you

As you repent and you strive against sin if the battle seems too difficult Think about how much more

Jesus is resolved To get us there than we are He is he is vastly

More resolved if our eagerness for this thing, you know the

Peter talks about how we should We should not say that God is slow as some count slowness

He's patient with us and he's he has his own purposes in his own plan So if you are if you are impatient about the

Lord tearing and you are eager to see salvation Completed in the kingdom of God in heaven

Think about how much more eager he is This is something we think about occasionally with little fleeting thoughts

If our eagerness and zeal it's like a little fire. It'd be like a match that goes out occasionally.

Maybe sometimes we've relight it Jesus is like a forest fire He is so eager so desiring our salvation a way that he is

Committed himself to and one of the ways he's showing that us that is by his abstinence from this table

If you have any doubts about that think about how much more eager he is than us

And ultimately this joyous union of salvation in salvation is fulfilled in the kingdom of God He says in verse 18.

I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes Now the kingdom is already among us as Jesus says

But at the same time there's a way in which it's not yet fully fulfilled Jesus will return

We will all see heaven. We will see him and this kingdom will be fully together

That kingdom is what we are striving for right now. Jesus is King, but that kingship is not universally recognized

There's a parallel I'd like to show you that I think illuminates us a little Jesus is frequently called the son of David because it's that Davidic kingship that Jesus is restoring

That kingship of David now David is this is this King who shows us a little bit about who

Christ is I'd like you to turn to 2nd Samuel 23 Where it speaks of David's mighty men And you may be familiar with this story in 2nd

Samuel 23 about How David's mighty men got water for him

So 2nd Samuel 23 verse 13 and Three of the thirty chief men went down and came about harvest time to David at the cave of Adullam So if you remember the cave of Adullam, that is where David hid from Saul.

So this is While in the timeline of 2nd Samuel where after David is fully installed as king

This is at a time where David has been anointed king But his kingship is not recognized kind of like Jesus is right now

He's he's in hiding The David is on this When a band of Philistines was encamped in the valley of Rephaim David was then in the stronghold and the garrison of the

Philistines was then at Bethlehem and David said longingly. Oh that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem.

That is by the gate Then the three mighty men broke through the camp of the Philistines and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem That was by the gate and carried and brought it to David But he would not drink of it

He poured it out to the Lord and said far be it from me Oh Lord that I should do this shall I drink the blood of the men who went at the risk of their lives?

Therefore he would not drink it these things the three mighty men did So this is a picture of David Being an excellent

King being an excellent leader He is not willing to Live off of the blood of his men now think about think about Jesus.

Not only does Jesus have that kind of Servants heart But on top of that he gives us his own blood and the

Lord's table. It's it's even beyond what David did In an act to show his dedication to his men

Jesus abstains from the table as Jesus as David abstained from the water and on top of that he gives of himself

Now ultimately When we are you reunited and we enjoy that kingdom that meal that Eventual Lord's table is called the marriage supper of the

Lamb It's written about in Revelation 19 in Revelation 19 verse 6 it says

Then I heard What seemed to be the voice of a great multitude? Like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder

Crying out hallelujah for the Lord our God the Lord Almighty reigns

Let us rejoice and exalt and give him the glory For the marriage of the Lamb has come and his bride has made herself ready

It was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen bright and pure For the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the

Saints so here we have a picture of the kingdom coming together and that feast being enacted and Jesus participating with all the

Saints and his Celebratory meal this is what it will look like when that kingdom of God is fulfilled in its fullness

Now maybe you've seen political victories before where everyone involved in the campaign celebrates and I've heard they can get pretty wild and I imagine the people who are the most joyous are those people who have

Participated the most and resolve themselves the most to see the progress of that kingdom and who more does that belong to than Jesus?

But at the same time that is something that we can participate in We can also

Push forward this kingdom of God we can advance it By sharing it with those around us by proclaiming the gospel to those who do not know it and by repeating it to those who already do

This kingdom is something that we should appreciate now that Jesus wants us to appreciate now But this kingdom is also something that we should be

Striving for and advancing and we should be regularly proclaiming the Lord's death not just through this

Just through this ordinance, but regularly through our daily lives and the way we talk to others

This kingdom is Something that is to be appreciated through this table

Now I said at the beginning that the truth I had for you was an obvious truth But the fact that it's obvious and everyone knows it doesn't mean that it's a truth for everyone

Even they believe even if they believe it It is not something that everyone would find a good truth.

It would fill them with joy It's only the case for those who love him But if you love him if you trust in Jesus for the forgiveness of sins

Then how much more can this help you It should give you joy Seeing the incompleteness of the joy we have here

But knowing the joy that Jesus wants us to have and that we will have it should help you to appreciate the unity

Knowing that it is incomplete and knowing that Christ does not enjoy it in the special way that you get to enjoy the unity with bodily with Your neighbors here in this church and It should give you strength and confidence about your salvation knowing that Jesus wants you to celebrate that salvation

And it should increase your resolve to advance this kingdom of God I'd like to close off by giving you a picture of that of What it looks like to anticipate that kingdom back in Song of Solomon We see the the bride once again speak of her husband essentially the church speaking of Christ in chapter 3 it says

On my bed by night. I sought him whom my whole my soul loves

I sought him but found him not I will rise now and go about the city in the streets and in the squares

I will seek him whom my soul loves. I sought him but found him not The watchman found me as they went about in the city.

Have you seen him whom my soul loves? Scarcely, I have passed them when I found him whom my soul loves

I held him and would not let him go Until I had brought him into my mother's house and into the chamber of her who conceived me

I adjure you o daughters of Jerusalem by the gazelles or does of the field that you not stir up or awaken love until it pleases

And that's where we are right now Anticipating looking for Christ dreaming of him

Waiting for him while he is currently absent from us and know that he so much more is waiting to be with us

Dear Heavenly Father, I pray that we would be able to appreciate this truth Of your son's abstinence from this table

I pray that it would drive us towards joy and unity and it would drive us towards appreciating the salvation that he has granted us

I pray that we would be able to appreciate that here and today as we come to the table Pray that you would be with us as we seek to advance your kingdom in Jesus name.