Sermon for Lord's Day March 19,2023 Luke 22: 28-30

Prayer for God’s Mercy, Faithfulness, and Spirit-Given Growth

Father, we come to you just to say thank you, Lord, again, for your great kindness, for your great mercy, for your love, for your faithfulness, for your Holy Spirit that bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God.

Lord, it is our prayer today that in this time that you have given us, together with the saints of God, that we would truly exalt you and magnify you as you have been exalted and magnified, that it would be continued and that, God, by the preaching of your Holy Word, you would encourage the saints of God today, that you would edify your church, that you would convict the lost that would hear this Word today, and, Lord, that we, as your people, would truly, truly, not just in a sense, but that we truly would grow in the grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and our Savior, Jesus Christ, so that we might.

Love you all the more.

Bless the reading of your Word, Lord, for your sake, for your honor, and for your glory, we ask these things in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Stand with us, if you would, and turn to Luke chapter 22.

We're going to be reading verses 28 through 30, and you are hearing, these are the words.

Of the living God.

You are those who have stayed with me in my trials, and I assign to you, as my Father assigned to me, a kingdom, that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

Thus far is the reading of God's holy Word today. You may be seated. We'll be reading from the ESV today. I remember in writing out the scripture references, I think they're all ESV as well. But for the sake of those of us who are like me, who tend to be forgetful, and tend to really make connections in the scriptures, if we don't read it a little bit more, I want to go back and read from verse 24 this morning, through verse 30, so that we kind of have a full grasp of what's going on.

The Greatness Dispute and Jesus’ Example of Servanthood

Verse 24 states this, a dispute also arose among them, the disciples, that is, as to which of them was to be regarded as the greatest. And he said to them, the kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those in authority over them are called benefactors, but not so with you.

Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as the one who serves. For who is the greater, one who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table?

But I am among you as the one who serves. And this is where we come to Jesus' next statement. And he states to them, remember, so they began asking, who's going to be the greatest? Jesus communicates to them that it's worldly to seek after greatness in this fashion, but Jesus sets forth the example, if you'll remember from last week, going back to John's gospel, Jesus sets the example by taking off his cloak, wrapping himself in a towel, stooping down and washing these disciples' feet, teaching them that it is better to serve than to be considered a great leader, right?

And so we have here Jesus continuing his speech to them, and he says this, you are those who have stayed with me in my trials. And then there's a comma there before the 29th verse, but this is very, very important because we see here, Jesus, as he does, he takes the circumstance and the situation, what's taking place here, and what Jesus does is he points them to a important truth here.

And he says this, he said, you are those who have stayed with me in my trials. And I assign to you as my father assigned to me a kingdom, there's another comma there, that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones judging the 12 tribes of Israel.

So verse 28, 29 and 30 really is one sentence. It's one thought. And so what we're going to do is look at it as such today. Matthew Henry said this. Matthew Henry said concerning the disciples, he said Christ's disciples had been very defective in their duties.

We find them guilty of many mistakes and weaknesses. They were very dull and very forgetful and often blundered, yet their master passes all by and forgets it. Henry goes on to say this. He says he does not upgrade them with their infirmities, but he gives them this memorable testimonial, and that is that you are they who have continued with me.

The Parable of the Sower and Persevering Faith

Thus does he praise at parting to show how willing he is to make the best of those whose hearts he knows to be upright with him. In Matthew chapter 13, if you want to go ahead and write these scripture references down ahead of time rather than mark them, you can I encourage you to go back and read through them, test what you're hearing today.

But Matthew chapter 13, verse 18 through 23, we have the parable of the sower, Matthew's account of the parable of the sower. And really, we have the interpretation in the section that we're going to read here today.

Matthew 13, chapter 18 through 23, Jesus states this. He said here, then the parable of the sower, when anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart.

This is what was sown along the path. As for what was sown on the rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy. Yet he has no root in himself, but he endures for a while.

And when tribulation and persecution arises, important term phrase here, on account of the word, immediately he falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word. But the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves to be unfruitful.

And as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty and in another thirtyfold. That centerpiece of that particular interpretation of the parable of the sower, when it says when tribulation and persecution arises on the account of the word, he's speaking about the word of truth.

On the count of the gospel, he said, this one immediately falls away. And in the parables of the sower, you only have one true accounting of a regenerate person, someone who has been born again. And that is the last person, the one who hears the word and who understand it because the Lord opens the understanding of your heart and of your mind to receive the engrafted word of truth by which you are saved.

Now, what does this have to do with what Jesus is telling the disciples? Remember the statement that Jesus makes here. Jesus says, you are those who have stayed with me in my trials. So in verse twenty eight, Jesus says this concerning the faithfulness of his disciples, that they have been there with him and that they are there with him at that particular at this very moment in time, and they have had plenty of opportunities to lead him up until now.

Now, we do know that the sheep are all scattered, that the word of God would be fulfilled, but they didn't ultimately and finally fall away from the faith. This is important here. This is important to understand.

The Bread of Life, Offense, and Those Who Turned Back

So what would be one opportunity that the disciples had that we could truly identify with? I believe that if you turn over to John's gospel, John chapter six, John chapter six and beginning in verse forty one, we won't read the entirety of John chapter six, but to give you context of where we're going to be picking up here, Jesus has fed the five thousand, five loaves and two fish.

He's fed the five thousand. The crowds, maybe not metaphorically, literally laughed it up. Right. They ate to their full. They took up twelve baskets of fragments and it came back at the next point or next part of the day where they wanted to come back and see Jesus for more.

But Jesus had gotten into a boat and gone to the other side of the lake and the crowds literally missed the boat on this. So the Bible says this, picking up in verse one. So the Jews grumbled about him because he said concerning himself, I am the bread that came down from heaven.

They said, it's not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know. How does he now say I've come down from heaven? Jesus answered them, do not grumble among yourselves. No one, no one can come to me unless the father who sent me draws him and I will raise him up on the last day.

It is written in the prophets and they will all be taught by God. Everyone who has heard and learned from the father comes to me, not that anyone has seen the father, except he who is from God. He has seen the father.

Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate manna in the wilderness and they died. This is a clear statement. This is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat of it and not die.

Jesus is speaking of himself again. He states, I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.

The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, how can this man give us his flesh to eat? So Jesus said to them, truly, truly, 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 feeds on my flesh and drinks on my blood has eternal life and I will raise him up on the last day for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me and I in him as the living father sent me and I live because of the father.

So whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. And he repeats again, this is the bread that came down from heaven. It's not like the bread that the fathers ate and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.

Jesus said these things in the synagogue as he taught in Capernaum. And when many of his disciples heard it, they said, this is a hard saying. Who can listen to it? Or this is a hard saying. Who can hear it?

Or this is a hard saying. Who can understand it? But Jesus, the scripture says here, Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, do you take offense at this? Then what if you were to see the son of man ascending to where he was before?

It is the spirit who gives life. The flesh is no help at all. The words that I've spoken unto you, Jesus said, they are spirit and they are life. But Jesus goes on. But there are some of you who do not believe.

For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe and who it was who would betray him, Judas, right? And he said, this is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted to him by the father.

After this, many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. So Jesus said to the twelve, do you go away also? Will you go away as well? And Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go?

For you have the words of eternal life and we have believed and have come to know that you are the holy one of God. Jesus answered them, did not I choose you the twelve? And yet one of you is a devil.

He spoke of Judas, the son of Simon is carried for he one of the twelve was going to betray him. So Jesus gives this hard saying, you must eat the flesh of the son of man. You must drink the blood of the son of man if you want to have eternal life.

And because it was not given to understand to many of them, many of his disciples, the scripture said clearly here went away from him. Now, how easily it would have been where we don't live on ifs or or what what if that happened?

We don't live on that. We live on what is and what the word of God says. But the reality of the matter is truly this. There were many who went away from him. And it's easier to go away with the crowd than it is to go away on an individual basis.

If you know, everybody's looking at you. Right. There was many who ran from Jesus at this time, but it was these disciples who held to Jesus at this time. Oswald Chambers and one of his devotionals said this, he said, are we going with Jesus in the life we are living now?

Are you going with Jesus in the life that you live now? He said, we have the idea that we ought to shield ourselves from some of the things that God brings around us. Never. God engineers circumstances and whatever they may be like, we have to see that we face them while abiding continually with him.

And I love how Oswald Chambers phrases this while we abide or while abiding continually with him in his temptations, for they truly are his temptations, not temptations to us, but temptations to the life of the son of God in us.

Are you remaining loyal to the son of God in the things which beset you in this life? Do you continue to go with Jesus? The way, Chambers said, lies through Gethsemane. The way lies through the city gate.

The way lies outside the camp. The way lies alone. And the way lies until there is no trace of footstep left, only the voice of God saying, follow me. We see this, Jesus encourages his disciples here and he reminds them once again, reminds them, you have stayed with me through all of my trials.

The Kingdom Given by the Father and the Promise of Future Royalty

And he goes on in the next part of this very statement and he says, I assign to you, as my father assigned to me, a kingdom. This word kingdom, right? Abyssalia in the Greek, the word used there for a son, I practice trying to say it in the Greek word.

I'm going to give you the Greek definition of it, rather try to say the Greek word here, because really I'll just butcher it. But the whole point of the Greek term that's used there, it means that it's been willed or given to, bequeathed to.

Jesus states to them that the father has given him a kingdom. And he's not saying here, he's not saying I'm going to give you a separate kingdom because the kingdom is the kingdom of God and they are not going to be the kings of the kingdom.

They are going to get to partake in the kingdom, thereby being considered royalty. So Alexander McLaren said the rewards promised by Jesus here, the rewards promised point onward to the perfecting of the kingdom in the future life.

Again, we're not talking necessarily about the promise of being kings then and there, is not what he was saying to them, but that they would be in the heavenly kingdom in the future. So McLaren goes on, he said, we notice the profound thought that the kingdom, which his servants are to inherit, is conferred to them.

How? As Jesus said, as my father had appointed one to me. So the characteristics of the future royalty of Christ's servants are given here in a figurative type of language. Now, McLaren goes on to explain what he's talking about here.

And he says this, and it's a little confusing. I'll try to break it down. But he says, which is defined figurative language to be understood is a state of which we have no experience. Right. You cannot understand something that you have no experience of.

Everybody with me there? You can't understand what you don't know, basically. He said a state of which we have no experience can only be revealed under forms drawn from experience. You can only know what you know.

OK, but these are only a far off approximations and cannot be pressed. So even concerning the things of God, we can know, we can understand them to a degree. But because we are not God, because we are finite and God is infinite, God communicates through, has communicated through his word, through the scriptures to us in a way that we can get a little bit of a grasp on who he is and what he does.

OK, so concerning these figures of speech that we read in the Bible here and why the Bible is communicated to us in such language is important for us to understand. So as Christian people, we need to understand this.

The Lord does not intend for his people to be ignorant people. Amen or oh my, or you're wrong. I'm sticking by my guns here. The Lord does not intend his people to be an ignorant people. The Lord has provided for us a wealth of knowledge in his word.

And as a matter of fact, the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians chapter 1, verse 26, says this, he said, Consider your calling, brethren, how not many of you were wise according to worldly standards. Not many were powerful.

Not many were of noble birth. But what happened? God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise. God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong. God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not to bring to nothing the things that are so that for this purpose, to this end, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God and because of him, you are in Christ.

Paul says because of him, because of God, because of him, you are in Christ who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness, sanctification and redemption. So that is written, let not so that it is written, let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.

So again, God does not intend for his people to be ignorant people broke down on a completely low level so I can get it. God does not intend for his people to stay dumb to the truth of his word. Right.

God does not intend for us as his people, though we may have all started dumb. He don't intend for us to stay dumb. We have a treasure of scripture given to us. Kenny, I asked Kenny if I could use him as an example this morning.

I was going to him if he said no. Kenny is an example of this. I am an example of this man. When I was young, I hated learning, looking back on it. I still don't. It's a miracle. It's the grace of God.

She'll say, yes, was he dumb? But guess what? The Lord saved him and the Lord sanctifies him, not sanctified peasants, continually sanctifies him, continually sanctifies me, continually sanctifies you as a believer.

And what that sanctification is, it's a desire to know more of God. And you can't get that any other way than from the book here. You cannot get that from any other place other than the word of the living God.

He will create a new desire to learn, to grow. It is painful as well. Let me add that it is painful, but it is a great blessing. So concerning the word of God here, concerning the speech, the figure of speech that's being used here, I hope everyone understands that God knows our inability.

He knows our inability to comprehend the incomprehensibility of his character and nature. God knows that we cannot understand him. If he speaks to us as though he is God, we will never understand him.

And so the Bible was written in figurative language, similes, metaphors, anthropomorphic language, language that shows us or explains to us who God is by using language like the strong arm of the Lord.

Now, we know what does the scripture teach? God is a spirit. Does a spirit have an arm? No, but we can't understand what a spirit does or how spirit works. So God gives it to us in language that we can comprehend it.

And so he speaks to these disciples in a language in a way that they can understand. So God knows that we have the inability to comprehend the incomprehensibility of his character and his nature. So that's why the scriptures are written in a manner that humanity can at least have a limited knowledge and understanding of who he is and what he has done.

R .C. Sproul, in his book, Everyone's a Theologian, he said this, theologically speaking, concerning the incomprehensibility of God, theologically speaking, incomprehensible does not mean that we cannot know anything about God, but rather that our knowledge of him will always be limited.

We could have an apprehensive, meaningful knowledge of God, but we can never, not even in heaven. Let me say a big amen to this. I've said this before that we can never, not even in heaven, have an exhausted, exhaustive knowledge of God.

When we get to heaven, we are still not going to know everything because guess what? We still ain't going to be God. He's going to be God for eternity. He has been and he will be, and we ain't never going to be.

So going on, going on, he said this, we can never know, not even in heaven, have an exhausted knowledge of him. We cannot totally comprehend all that he is. And one reason for that was articulated by John Calvin in the phrase he used, the Latin phrase, finitum non capax infinitum.

That's hillbilly for Latin right there, which means the finite cannot grasp the infinite. True, right? Plain. Our minds are finite. We lack the capacity. We lack the ability to grasp or understand all that God is for the scripture says in the book of Isaiah, his ways are not our ways, right?

His thoughts are not our thoughts for they are higher than our thoughts. He, God surpasses our ability to comprehend him in his fullness. So he speaks to us in hours and because he speaks to us in the only language we can understand, we are able to grasp it.

In other words, all biblical language, Fro said, all biblical language is anthropomorphic and all language about God is anthropomorphic because the only language we have at our disposal is anthropomorphic language and that is because we are human beings.

So in simple terms, what Jesus is saying to them is in a form by way of simile and metaphor by saying to them that they would eat and drink at his table and sit on thrones.

In essence,.

He was communicating to them in figures of speech that would translate the idea that they themselves, the disciples would find that the promise of the kingdom of God would be a realized fulfillment for them when at the consummation of the ages.

Again, all this time they were looking for a kingdom that Jesus wasn't bringing. Jesus was not talking about setting up a political domain on the earth like.

Rome.

Jesus was talking about his kingdom and his kingdom was not of this world.

Sorry,.

Somebody just busted on my phone that kind of threw me off. It's very important here. So I think it would be helpful very quickly. I think it would be helpful for us to briefly look at an Old Testament example.

Today,.

An Old Testament example so that we can kind of understand what this means. Concerning this statement about about eating and drinking at his table in his kingdom and sitting on thrones, judging the 12 tribes of Israel.

Mephibosheth and the Table of the King

So we want to let scripture interpret scripture here. I think it would be helpful for us to look at an Old Testament example of.

Mephibosheth.

Now Mephibosheth, that's spelled this way. If you want to write this down M-E-P-H-I-B-O-S-H-E-T-H. How many of y 'all have ever heard of Mephibosheth? Good, good, very good. If you haven't, you have now, you're going to read about him.

To get our heads wrapped around the idea of this is what we want to look at very quickly of what, of how the Lord truly does what he says, of how the Lord truly does what he says and the fact that he says what he does in a way that we can understand them, understand these more challenging passages that we can get our mind around.

This.

So if you want to turn over in the Old Testament to the book of 2 Samuel 9, very quickly here as we move to a close, 2 Samuel 9. I'll give you just a little bit of context as you're turning there concerning Mephibosheth.

So anytime we go back into the Old Testament and we look at, we look at scripture to insert scripture concerning, particularly concerning Christ, his person, his character, his work, his nature, who he is, who God is.

It's important that we understand that in the Old Testament we see types and shadows of Jesus, right? We see obscure blurred images of the concerning the prophecies that point to Jesus that were fulfilled in Christ.

And so in particularly in King David, we see types and shadows of Jesus. Now King David was one of those types and shadows of Jesus here in the Old Testament and leading up to chapter 9 in 2 Samuel where we're going to read from, we see some familiar stuff, right?

We see, we have the account of David defeating Goliath. Everybody seems to know about David defeating Goliath. Throughout the world knows about David defeating Goliath and we have the not so familiar account.

Some of you may know these, but not so familiar accounts of Saul throwing a javelin at David because of his jealousy and his hatred in his heart for him. We have those unfamiliar accounts as well. We have recorded in the scripture, because this is so very important, we have the fact of Saul's son, Saul's son named Jonathan.

Now Jonathan and David were besties. They were best friends. Matter of fact, the scripture says their souls were knit together. They were, they were joined at, if you ever, if you ever had a friend when you was growing up and your parents said, what are y 'all joined at the hip?

Every time you go somewhere, you see the other one, right? Kind of like that. Saul and Jonathan were, their souls were knit together. And so what happened, what happened was David had promised Jonathan that he would always show kindness to Saul's, his dad's lineage.

David promised that Jonathan would always show kindness to Saul's lineage. And lineage is, is a word that I can understand, that you can understand, kinfolk, right? So he promised that he would always show kindness to Saul's kinfolk, right?

Throughout the ages, throughout the years, as long as King David was alive, he promised that he would show kindness to Jonathan's or Saul and Jonathan's kinfolk. Now you may ask, how does this typify or foreshadow Jesus as we get ready to read this?

It foreshadows our loving Lord by doing three things. It demonstrates in the Old Testament, the steadfast love of God. It demonstrates the everlasting mercy of God and it demonstrates the eternal faithfulness of our great God.

He is the Lord and he does not change. So in 2 Samuel chapter nine, second Samuel chapter nine,.

Maybe wrong on that reference. Let me look here. Oh,.

That's because I'm in 1 Samuel. There we go. Just like Sunday night y 'all, just, just tell me it's okay. 2 Samuel chapter nine. There we go. And David said, this is what David said. Is there still anyone left of the house of Saul that I may show him kindness for Jonathan's sake?

Right? So years past there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba and they called him to David and the king said to him, are you Ziba? And he said, I am your servant. And the king said, is there not still someone of the house of Saul that I may show the kindness of God to him?

Ziba said to the king, there is still a son of Jonathan, but he is crippled in his feet as though that made him any less, right? He is crippled in his feet. The king said to him, where is he? And Ziba said to the king, he is in the house of Mekir, the son of Amiel at Lodabar.

Then King David sent and brought him from the house of Mekir, the son of Amiel at Lodabar and Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, son of Saul, came to David and fell on his face and paid homage. And David said, Mephibosheth called his name and he answered, behold, I am your servant.

And David said to him, do not fear for I will show you kindness for the sake of your father,.

Jonathan,.

And I will restore to you all the land of Saul, your father, and you shall eat at my table always. And he paid homage and he said, what is your servant that you should show regard for such a dead dog as I?

Then the king called Ziba, Saul's servant. And he said to him, all that belonged to Saul and to all his house, I have given to your master's grandson. So he's speaking to Ziba. Who was a servant in Saul's house, right?

He says, I've given this to your master's grandson Mephibosheth and you and your sons and your servants shall till the land for him and shall bring in the produce that your master's grandson may have bread to eat.

So what God did in this promise that David made, what was being demonstrated here is that not only was Saul's kinfolk and Jonathan kinfolk looked out for, but even his servants were looked out for and provided for in this.

It goes on, but Mephibosheth, your master's grandson shall always eat at my table. Now Ziba had 15 sons and 20 servants. Then Ziba said to the king, according to all that my Lord, the king commands his servants, so will your servant do.

So Mephibosheth ate at David's table like one of the king's sons. And Mephibosheth had a young son whose name was Micah and all who lived at Ziba's house became Mephibosheth's servants. So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem for he ate always at the king's table.

Now he was laying in both of his feet. Years had passed. Mephibosheth had been dropped by one of their servants when they were trying to rush him out at a period in time. I think he was five years old, fell with him, broke his legs so that he was crippled his entire life.

Unable to do anything or provide anything for himself. But what happened? God provided for him. God looked out. This promise typifies the love, the mercy and the faithfulness, the eternal faithfulness of our God today, even in this.

And so we see that as we jump back to Luke to close here. And so we see this here. So Jesus said, you will eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and you'll sit on thrones judging the 12 tribes of Israel.

He was speaking to them about the future of their existence. And friends, you can be sure of this one thing today. That the steadfast love of God never ends. That the eternal mercy of God never ends. That the faithfulness of God never ends.

That's why it was sung, the mercy of the Lord endures forever. That wasn't a hypothetical there. That was eternally and always. So you church, you church can take heart today. You can take confidence today.

That the God that we read about here in Luke's gospel is the God that David spoke about in the Old Testament. That the God that you hear proclaimed week to week is the God that made the heavens and the earth.

It is the God who sent his only begotten son to die for your sin. That you who believe might have eternal life. Thanks be unto the living God. Stand with us if you would today.