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by Dr. Walter D. Huyck Jr., D.Min.D.R.S.
To Seek And To Save
A Feast To Remember
Luke 22.1-23
A.
The
Sabotage before the Table
1.
The
Delegates in this passage (vs 1-2; John 3.3; 7.50; 19.39; Matt 7.16; Rom
8.16)
[- Now the feast of unleavened bread drew
nigh, which is called the Passover. 2
And the chief priests and scribes sought how they might kill him; for they
feared the people. – Perhaps it surprises people when they see politics and
corruption embedded in the pulpits and religious systems of our World.
People want to believe that those who hold offices of a religious nature
will be what they assume they should be,
Men Of God. So, when politics
and corruption appears in religious leaders it tends to empower the enemies of
our Lord and disillusion the people of our Lord.]
[We
know from the Bible that not every priest or scribe was corrupt.
In John 3 we read about Nicodemus who came sincerely seeking the truth,
whom our Lord told,]
[John
3:3
. . . Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see
the
[We
find this same Nicodemus defending our Lord in John 7.50 and then helping to
bury our Lord in John 19.39. Hence,
to assume that every religious leader is corrupt based on the corruption of a
few or even many would be equally vain.
Yet, we know that many of the religious leaders in the day of this text
were against the Lord Jesus Christ.]
[It
should not surprise us that the religious systems of our world are cold and
political. Religions are not
established by our Lord, they are established by mere mortal men.
Our Lord did not come to establish a religion He came to establish a
relationship with God, that the creator of the entire universe might become your
Heavenly Father. This relationship
in the lives of mankind will often provide the ground work of a religious
system, which in time looses its spiritual heart and head and becomes the home
of unredeemed wolves and deceivers.]
[A Caution For Born Again Christians
– Don’t allow the political religious corruption of our world, and even those
who enter into local churches to disillusion you toward the Church of our Lord
Jesus Christ. Wolves in sheep’s
clothing have always existed. Be
aware of these deceivers, be alert to their wicked ways, but continue to be a
part of the true body of our Lord Jesus Christ and serve diligently and with
determination in His kingdom work.
How will you know when these are present and where to find the true Church of
our Lord. Jesus said,]
a.
[You
will know them by their fruits (Matt 7.16)]
b.
[The
Holy Spirit will Guide your heart (Rom 8.16)]
[Hence, these religious leaders in our text are found looking for a way to kill
our Lord Jesus Christ.]
2.
The
Devil in this passage (vs 3; Eph 6.10-11; 1 Pet 5.8; Num 32.23) [–
“Then entered Satan into Judas . . .”-
Never fear, the devil in near.
How slow we are to recognize the presence, activity, and influence of the
arch enemy of our Lord and His people.
Lucifer, who was the son of the morning, and became the father of the
night, was ever ready to move into the receptive, rebellious heart of Judas
Iscariot. Make no mistake about it,
our adversary, the devil is relentless in his methods.
Hence the Bible reminds us,]
[Ephesians 6:10-11
10
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
11 Put on the whole armour of God, that
ye may be able to stand against the
wiles of the devil.
]
[The
Bible also warns us that,]
[1
Peter 5:8
8
Be
sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh
about, seeking whom he may devour: ]
[Satan
is methodical in everything that he does.
He is wise and strategic. He
is ever willing to step back two steps that he might take three steps forward.
He will cause you to believe you are doing the right thing, even in sin,
while using you in the battle to gain ground.
Satan will use you and lead you into mortal and eternal traps in order to
forward his rebellious plans and purposes.]
[You
are never doing the right thing when you enter into league with the devil.
Sin may seem like it is the right thing at a given time, but rest
assured,]
Sin
will take you farther than you want to go,
Sin will cost you more than you want to pay,
Sin will keep you longer than you want to stay.
[Numbers 32:23 . . .
ye
have sinned against the LORD:
and be sure your sin
will find you out. ]
[When
you are rebelling against God and His revealed Word, you are in league with the
devil and you are in peril for your soul.]
3.
The
Deceiver in this passage (vs 3-4; John 6.70-71; 13.18; Psalm 41.9;
John 15.18-20)
[– “Then entered Satan into Judas
surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve.
4 And he went his way, and communed with
the chief priests and captains, how he might betray him unto them.”
- It has confounded rational theological
minds about why Judas would betray our Lord.
Some have suggested that Judas, who may have strongly believed that our
Lord would soon set up His earthly kingdom and deliver the Jews from their
oppression, may have thought that he could force Jesus to go ahead and establish
His reign.]
[The truth is, we just do not know why Judas betrayed our Lord, it just is not
revealed in Scripture. We do know
that Judas’ actions were the
actions of an unredeemed mind, for scripture reveals that, ]
[John
6:70-71
70
Jesus
answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve,
and one of you is a
devil? 71 He spake of
Judas Iscariot the son of
Simon: for he it was that should betray him, being one of the twelve. ]
[John
13:18
18
I
speak not of you all: I know whom I have chosen: but that the scripture may be
fulfilled, He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me. ]
[There is every indication in scripture that would lead us to believe that Judas
Iscariot was not saved, and that his soul is eternally lost.
Yet, he was one of our Lord’s disciples, chosen to be an Apostle.
He was privileged to walk daily with our Lord.
He saw the miracles, worked in the ministry, managed the money for our
Lord, and in the end, betrayed our Lord for a mere 30 pieces of silver.]
[While all of this confounds our mortal minds,
none of it caught our
Lord by surprise.
Jesus knew what Judas would do and when.
The Bible prophesied this betrayal in,]
[Psalms 41:9
9
Yea,
mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath
lifted up his heel against me.
]
[The
Enemies of our Lord never sleep
– Let the message of this passage remind us that the methods of the adversaries
of our Lord and his kingdom never rest.
They are relentless. Jesus
said,]
[John
15:18-20
18
If the
world hate you, ye know that it hated me before
it hated you.
19 If ye were of the world, the world
would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you
out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
20 Remember the word that I said unto
you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they
will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.
]
[Don’t
allow the sabotage of our world, our warfare (with the devil), and our workers
(Church folk) to catch you by surprise.]
a.
[There
will be intentional betrayals. ]
b.
[There
will be unintentional betrayals. ]
c.
[There
will be spiritual and mortal traps and obstacles.]
[What
should you do when these hindrances and attacks come?
Stand up like a good soldier of the Cross and continue serving our Lord
and His glorious kingdom.]
B.
The
Symbols on the Table [–
The table that our Lord and the Apostles sat at was actually the table where
they ate the feast of the unleavened bread (Passover).
This feast was supposed to be celebrated annually by the Jews, however
there were many years where the people of
·
[The
first time was the first Passover, the one that occurred in
·
[The
second time was the Pass-over in the wilderness when the Israelites were going
through it heading for the Promised Land (Numbers 9). ]
·
[The
third time was the Passover at Gilgal after the Israelites entered the land
under Joshua's leadership (Joshua 5). ]
·
[The
fourth time was the Passover in Hezekiah's day as recorded in our text [2 Chron
30].]
·
[The
fifth time was the Passover in the time of King Josiah (2 Chronicles 35).]
·
[The
sixth time was the Passover in Ezra's time (Ezra 6). ]
·
[The
seventh and last time was the keeping of the Passover supper by Christ and His
disciples (Luke 22:7-15). ]
·
[Other
Passovers obviously occurred over the years, but these seven were the only ones
mentioned by Scripture.]
[—Bible
Biography Series, John Butler, 2 Chron 30]
[This
Passover Feast, for our Lord and the Apostles was actually a feast, with a
table, properly set and garnished with an accompanying meal.
Certain rituals or traditions were performed during the course of the
feast designed to remind the Israelites of the mighty deliverance God had given
the Jews from
[A
Greater Deliverance - Our Lord, during the course of this Passover
use this feast and its remembrances to point to an even greater deliverance that
would be provided in just a few hours through the suffering, crucifixion, death,
burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.]
[After
the resurrection of our Lord, Jesus appeared to two disciples on the road to
Emmaus. While walking down this
road with these disciples our Lord told them, ]
[Luke
24:25-27
25
Then
he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets
have spoken: 26 Ought not Christ to
have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?
27 And beginning at Moses and all the
prophets, he expounded unto them in all
the scriptures the things concerning himself. ]
[This
manifestation of our Lord throughout the Old Testament is what our Lord clearly
referred to when He said,]
[John
5:39
39
Search
the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they
which testify of me. ]
[Hence, our Lord uses the Feast of Unleavened bread to reveal the prophetic
meaning and spiritual truths contained death, burial, and resurrection of our
Lord. ]
As we
consider our Lord’s Table or Communion we notice:
1.
The
Body (vs 19; Isa
53.4-5; Luke 22.44; Rom 3.35; 1 John 2.2;4.10; Heb 4.15;
1 Pet 2.21-24;
Rom 5.8)
[– “And he took bread, and gave thanks,
and brake it, and gave unto
them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of
me.” – Unleavened bread, a picture of our Lord’s broken body.]
a.
[An
Ordinance not a Sacrament –
There
are some religious systems that call the bread and wine used in communion
sacraments. What they mean by this
term is that they believe that the bread and wine used in communion actually has
saving power. In the
b.
[Transubstantiation –
Some
religious systems believe that when the bread and wine are blessed that they
actually transform and become the body and blood of our Lord.
In the
[Broken
for our sins - Hence, the bread on this table is a symbol, a picture
if you will, that is intended to remind us of the broken body of our Lord.
Jesus Body was broken for our sins.
Isaiah recorded,]
[Isaiah 53:4-5
4
Surely
he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him
stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 5
But he was wounded
for our transgressions, he was
bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace
was upon him; and with his
stripes we are healed.]
[Before our Lord was taken in the
[Hence, as Jesus was taken before the high priest and was buffeted, mocked and
spit upon; you and I deserved that, not Jesus.
When Jesus was taken before Herod the Great and had a crown of thorns
place upon His brow and was beaten, mocked, and mistreated; you and I deserve
that, not Jesus. When Jesus was
taken before Pontus Pilate and scourged; you and I deserved that, not Jesus.
When Jesus was taken to mount Calvary, was nailed to the cross, that
cross dropped into that hole pulling all his joints out of joint, as Jesus
gasped for air upon that cross then gave up the ghost and died; you and I
deserved that, not Jesus.]
[Jesus
was the perfect lamb of God, he had never sinned.
The Bible states,]
[Hebrews 4:15
15
For we
have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our
infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as
we are, yet without sin. ]
[1 Peter 2:21-24 21 For even
hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an
example, that ye should follow his steps: 22
Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:
23 Who, when he was reviled, reviled not
again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed
himself to him that judgeth
righteously: 24 Who his own self
bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should
live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. ]
[This
bread is meant to remind you of the gravity of your sin.
It is meant to remind you of the incredible debt that had to be paid for
your sins. God’s goal in the
reminder of this bread is that you might come to know in a very personal way how
much God really loves you. The Bible states,]
[Romans 5:8
8
But
God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ
died for us. ]
[Hence, God is uniting your with His love through the continuous reminder of how
Jesus suffered and broke His perfect body to pay the sin debt that you owed.
As you hold this bread, and remember, you ought to be grieved for the
hideousness of your sins, and grateful for the propitiation of our Lord Jesus
Christ.]
2.
The
Blood
(vs 20; 1 Pet 1.18-19; 1 John 1.7;Eph
1.7;
[The
Unique Blood – Dr. M.R. DeHaan, a medical doctor, once wrote in his book,
The Chemistry of the Blood, that every child gets its first drop of blood from
its father. Hence, the blood
flowing through your veins came from your father, who got it from his father,
all the way back to Adam. So that
every human being has the sinful blood of Adam flowing through his body.]
[However, Jesus did not have a natural father.
Jesus father was Almighty God.
That meant that the blood flowing through Jesus veins was not Adam’s
blood, instead it was God’s blood.
Therefore, Jesus blood was unique blood, and the Bible states,]
[1
Peter 1:18-19
18
Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things,
as silver and gold, from your
vain conversation received by
tradition from your fathers; 19
But with the precious
blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:]
[Jesus
was able to live a sinless life because He did not begin life with Adam’s sinful
blood in His veins. Jesus was able
to be the propitiation for our sins because He was the perfect Lamb of God.]
[The
Cleansing Blood – Jesus perfect and divine blood is also cleansing blood.
What is it that takes away our sins and washes our iniquities away?
It is not the flow of baptismal waters.
The bible states,]
[1
John 1:7
7
But if
we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with
another,
and the blood of Jesus
Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. ]
[It is
through the blood of Jesus that we have our redemption and forgiveness.]
[Ephesians 1:7
7
In
whom we have redemption
through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches
of his grace; ]
[Colossians 1:14
14
In
whom we have redemption through his blood,
even the forgiveness of sins: ]
[As
you hold this cup of the fruit of the vine you should be reminded that the Lord
Jesus Christ shed the blood of His Father (God) for the purpose of washing your
sins away. You ought to thank God
that there is this precious blood that can make you clean and acceptable to God.
You ought to praise God that your sins have been removed as far as the
east is from the west, only because of the precious Blood of the Lord Jesus
Christ.]
3.
The
Banner (John 20.6-9)
[– The Folded Napkin – Covering the elements of the Lord’s Table we have this
ornate cloth. Even this has meaning
for our remembrance this day. When
our Lord physically rose for the dead, Simon and John ran to the grave.
Listen to what the Bible records as they arrived.]
[John
20:6-9
6
Then
cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the
linen clothes lie, 7 And the
napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped
together in a place by itself. 8
Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he
saw, and believed. 9 For as yet
they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead.]
[They entered the sepulcher and inside they discover the graves clothes
undisturbed where Jesus was laid.
It was as if our Lord rose up through those graves clothes without having to
unwrap them. In Jesus day when they
wrapped someone in graves clothes they wrap them up tightly so that, if they
were alive, they would never be able to unwrap themselves.
We see this distinctly when Lazarus was resurrected by our Lord, Jesus
command that they should unwrap him, because he could not unwrap himself (John
11.43-33). But Jesus was out of
those graves clothes and they were still wrapped up.]
[With one exception, the napkin that had covered Jesus face was neatly folded
and set off to the side. What did
this mean? In Jesus day, if a master sat
down to eat, the servant would stand off to the side and would watch his master.
Every need had a motion or signal.
If the master did his cup a certain way the servant knew to fill it up.
If the master did a certain signal the servant knew what the master
wanted and responded. If the master
wadded up his napkin and threw it in his plate it meant, “I’m done, clean it all
up. I’m not coming back.” If the
master folded the napkin and set it beside his plate it meant, “Don’t touch this
table, I’m coming back.” When John
saw the folded napkin he knew that Jesus was saying, “I’m not done yet, I’m
coming back.”]
[As you watch these men fold this cover during our celebration of the Lord’s
Table, you should be reminded,
“Jesus is not done yet,
He’s coming back.”
C.
The
Savior of the Table
– This
communion Table speaks of two possible outcomes for your life, and reveals God’s
desire for you.
1.
The
Result of Rebellion (vs 21-22) [–
But,
behold, the hand of him that betrayeth me
is with me on the table.
22 And truly the Son of man goeth, as it
was determined: but woe unto that man by whom he is betrayed!
– This
table is the gospel in illustration.
It reveals that God loves you enough to send His only begotten Son to die
in your place that you might receive forgiveness for your sins and be redeemed
through the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ on
2.
The
Result of Repentance (vs 22) [-
And
truly the Son of man goeth, as it was determined: but woe unto that man by whom
he is betrayed!
– How can I know that Jesus can really save?
Because everything that happened to Jesus was foretold at least 400 years
before it all happened. No one can
say God didn’t know what was going to happen; it was all a part of God’s divine
and eternal plan. Nothing catches
God by surprise. Therefore, the
things that God says will happen when you repent will happen.
When you repent and accept Jesus you are born again into the family of
God, your sins are all washed away, and your soul is eternally secured by God.
How do I know, because God said it is so.
You need Jesus Today.]
