Until He Comes: Rooted in the Past, Experienced in the Present, Pulled into our Glorious Future
Notes
Transcript
Dear Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ,
At this table, in this meal, those born again in Christ, saved and transformed, united to the head of the new humanity, the forever-people of the Messiah, they are instructed to do two things. Here together We REMEMBER and WE PROCLAIM. The Lord Jesus until He is physically present with us again, says in my physical absence, I want to give you a pledge of My Spiritual presence and of all my saving work with you. Like the OT Passover meal for the Jews for generations to come after being rescued by God out of Egypt, every believing Jew was to come to that meal - syaing the sacrafie has been made, the work of God has been accomplished to leave the life of bondage to become the kingdom of God - and eat this meal in th present - saying those past Passover Events years ago in the past -I was involved in them and they com to me and I particiatpe in them now. And Jessus changing the image says, until I come back to you physcially - I want you to remember my body and blood borken and poured out for you - come participating in the present in all that means. That is usually what we focus on when we come to the Table and rightly so - this great sacrarfice of Christ for our sins, that conquer sin and guilt, death, and hell. But this morning I want us not only to look back, but we will focus this morning on looking ahead. On this second act Jesus gives us the Supper for, that now in the present we need to PROCLAIM and this proclamation is not just of the past events, but its a proclaiming of the death of jesus, like no other event in this world is proclaimed,its a pclamation of the only event in the future that you can be absolutely sure of, even more so than death and taxes, UNTIL HE COMES, not just back from the dead, but until HE COMES IN HIS GLORY AT THE END OF TIME AS WE KNOW IT - to bring this world to the final judgment and full slavation, new heavens and the new earth. At this table as much as we remember Christ’s sacrafice for us, wwe proclaim what it is accopmlishing now and will accomplish in that great and perfect future, and we declare to each other and the world - this relaity of Jesus died, but reisen, reigining and Coming - that’s the reality I particpate in.
Key Truth: Particpatnts in Christ’s sacrafice, keep this meal till He comes again being confirmed and announcing the Gloroioius and Certain Future!
A. Often we Live with too Little Certain Glorious Hope for our Future.
Jesus envisioned a time between his first and second coming, when his salvation to us would be only ralized in part in our lives, suffering and death would remain, A time of testing, purifying, a time when live by faith and not sight, and when we need this meal to experience His spiritual presence and gifts to us. But he held out a time when this age would end, and the glory the Messianic Kingdom Age would begin. Age when we won’ need a meal that present the boody and blood of Jesus, becauuse we will be with HIm in person, physically. And this meal given to not only root us in the past. But orientae our lives to the future. And this is where I think so often non-Christain and so often Christians get their living wrong.
So often we live like our culture with no roots in the past. Rob ourselves of a story that is bigger than the one we’re making for ourselves on facebook, or writiing with our family. The Bible tells us we need Jesus - the God-man to re-write our story - that the events of his life - by faith we can be united - why the Cradle and the Incarnation of the Son and the Cross are so important. But a lot of Christain get this write as come to the Table.
But what about our approach to the future? Some of us so worngly abosrbed in what might happen in the future that it keeps us from living our lives well now. Jesus, had to attack that way of living - sinful type of worry that borrows all the pssible problems of the future brings them into your present, don’t worry about tomorrow, toay has engouh worries anxiety. The unceratin fturue can trip you up if you live inthat. But others of us we live in the future not with all our worries, but with gloroious hope of our own making.
Think of those Olympic athletes - Penny Olisiahk most decorated Canadian athlete - in bettewen Olympics excruciating time and pressure - all they think and dream and have nightmares about TOkyo 2020, then 2021 - And we are like that too: in school or at work but got trip planned, isn’t it wonderful - go tthis hope of the big trip ; or get out of school big exam and then the Big Job. Or some of you - look into the future can hardly wait -move out, get married. These are hopes that function well, and sometimes we can oreintate our whole lives, to them, what we are living for, what captrues our heart. Not bad in themselves. Good things. But guess what they are not enough.. and so you get to a couple of these hopes - accomplished over done in this life - big void - even marriage only for this life and even then only for a time. Like an actor who is always living for the applause and curtain faall of the next perfeormance but been there done that, and deep emptiness sets in. That’s the hopes of this passing world.
And taht’s the significance of the words until he comes! I don’t doubt that you can come to this table - in awe and reverence for Jesus ‘ first comoing, glorious - unexpected -Do you realize how certain it was - proohseied with such detail, so planned out and annoucned to the world. But do you see how starnge it is that Paul would say proclaim the Lord’s Death until he comes again. If he were talking about you or I or anyone lesles death, why couldn’t he say that? Talk about my death or your - and then about a body put in the ground and soul entering the life here after. But he doesn’t say that about Jesus, nor doest his Supper proclaim that. What is Paul assumin here? That Jesus rose bodily, not just resuuciated to dfe and then die angain and leave the world and human life in bodngage to sin death and hell. No He rose in order to receive the Kingdom, justify his people, to come in HIs SPiriti to gather elect from every nation - He ascended to heaven thrrone of th euniverse to see kingdom spread into every nook and cranny of every people group. He made the sacrfice, in order to become saviour of the World, not jsut to forgive us, but to rise and build eternal kingdom!
And just as certain and predicted as His first coming, is His Second, and in fact taht will be evn more glorious - Angel’s at His ascension said, it the same way, you saw Him leave, He will return, Bodily , personally, visibley. Rest of the NT just as full of prhesyies of his second comiong as th OT was of HIs first comoing. And that Second Coming is going to usher in the fulness of judgment and the fulness of his savlation. And Paul says, as much as look back and remember and commenrate the work of Christ on the Cross for us, in this meal we must look ahead - and the wrod is MESSENGER, ANNOUNCE - the Second Comiong of the LORD - and taht we are participating and living towards the Great Second Coming! And this is the only event in your future that can be absolutely certain, it is to be the Christain hope. We are to be a people, who through the lens of Crhist’s Second Coming - look at every thing else in our lives and ffutte. Yes I want to get married, have this vacation, get this job, live this life like this but in the Light of the Biggest Event of My LIfe that’s Comiong - Now why don’t we often live like that?
B. CHRIST’S COMING FOR THE BELIEVER IS OUT OF PURE LOVE NOT JUDGMENT!
What is going to happen when Christ returns? This should wake up and shake up those of us who never think of heaven and comfort those who instead of hoping for that day actually dread it. When Christ returns He returns to judge the living and the dead. He returns to bring a recompense - evil and evil doers will be stopped and punished - justice finally accomplished. And some of us so caught up in the world, living with our lives just stuffed with more and mre of pleasures of this life, consummed by worries of this life - need to be shaken up - Christ is coming and I need to be ready. We remember His coig at the Table tand the glorious future, so as a body of believers, its’ like God says noow in this communion service its your turn to testify - get up in the witness box - Chrsit’s death and his coniong return what does that accomplsih - how does your life reflect that you live in Christ, and for Christ, that the fulnes sof His Kingdom, that now already trying to give yourl ife the shape of things to come.
But for others of us, we do think about Christ’s return - but you know why we kindo f push it away - dread - that as Christ himself has said - every idle word be juge, the works done in the flesh wheteher good or bad. Need to come to this table - recognizing that if your are in Christ - if you partake in this meal as a participatioin by faith - trusting in can know that Christ comes for you - that just like in this firdst coming - takes your sin and unrightoeunss cruficies them on the Corss, and then looks at you and says really paid, reallydealt with sure struggle, but I give you ipute to you -robes of savlation my righteouness, On that Day - declare us innocent if we are in Christ. Even rewwrd the good we’ve been agble to do in him. In this life sure discipleed in Christ weened off of our sin. But in the life to come - see him and be made like Him - no need for that kind of discioline. And We are to hold that glorious day before our eyes as muchas His Death His COmiong agin, He died to bring us to the at gloruoisi and ceratin future - only consummated inthtat moement - heart beeat of the NT COME LORD JESUS. We have communion with Jesus, we are united to HIm but then that communion will be connsummated, it will be made full! There will be the intimacy of face to face union with God, which is life so full we can’t even imgine it!
C. But there is a last reason why ew must comei nfatih looking ahead - and that’s because this meal, not a re-sacrfe of Christ, not just the Passover Meal but Christainized… this meal pciture what the Passover meal poinnting ahed too - not just back ot the sacrafice, but after the sacrfice - worshippers who recgonized the Lamb and God’s uprpsoe for it, they went into the holy place - they ate that meal together with God. - fellowship. In thepropehts they said there is a comiong Messainic Banquet: feast on mountain of the Lord Is 25:6
On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined.
The Lord’s Supper, this memorial and particpation isn’t ath feast, it’s just a Small picture of the Messianic banquet to come. That is why Jesus said int eh gospels, and now Paul - because this meal - not perpetual meal, do through out eternity, - No, it will come to an end - when what it pictures and priomsies to us - is had in full with Jesus eating it in Person with his dispcles and you and me - in the kingdom…
After the OT Exodus, the sacraficeial lamb, the covenant at Mt Sinai - on the mountain of the LORD, like after the sacrfice in the temple, their was a great symbolic meal. Kind of like 25th wedding anniversary just had - great meal for sure - but symbol of the fellowship personal relationship - Ex 24 appearance of God with rainbow like crystal floor, Moses Aaron and 40 elders rep the people ate with God. That communion meal became what the prheothets nanounced we can anticipate - when Glory Spirit would one day be in the midst of God’s people and the throne of God would be on earth - and we would live in a fellowhsip meal with God at His feet. And the early Church - recgonzing the Lord’s Day the day of resurrection as a foretaste of the rest and worship and joy o f the tternal sbbatth - when Messiah conssumates, all called this day the Lord’s Day. And recgonizing that this Table not just remember - but proclaim this meal enriches a communion with God, shadow of the great meal God will have with us, when Last Day Comes.
Rev 19:9
And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.”
Jesus said, until that times comes, keep this meal - thankful for all God has done, but meal of hope, Jesus didn’t say see you later, and you probably never will never expect it. But in hopeof a firend seeya and I’;m going to see you again, and live with remembrance, the present experience and future anticipation of the friendship with God.
Why Jesus leaving us for the Cross, says: Matthew 26:29
I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”
How big is that day taht future in your hope, are you in Christ now, so you know you will be in Christ on that great and awesome day of judgment and salvation? Use this meal to grow in that assurance. Jesus gift for you to com and aprticipate in HIm. Like it brings thae reality of that day to pull you into those future realities. And this is why Jesus taught, I am the bread that came out of heaven, unless you eat you have no part of me. Unless drink my bllood. He is saying He is the sacraficial Lamb for us, and if you accept His death , not fofended to say My hope is all tied up in what the Cross accomplished and what His sceond cOicng will complete. - then you will leave this table having received the wisdom of God, being nourished in eternal life already.
Listen to God’s Word, and thoe who is greater than the wisdom of Solomon: Prov 9:1-2
Wisdom has built her house; she has hewn her seven pillars. She has slaughtered her beasts; she has mixed her wine; she has also set her table.
And then she goes out and proclaims in the streets and highest places. Prov 9:4-5
“Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!” To him who lacks sense she says, “Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed.
Do you see this is Jesus and we proclaim His saving death and His gloroious return together with Him to the World, and look what is promised if you come to HIm if you are in Him now: Proverbs 9:6
Leave your simple ways, and live, and walk in the way of insight.”
SAY IT - WE REMEMBER, WE PROCLAIM - but only as living to this future = To say, by participating, “We remember,” and “We proclaim,” while cherishing sin, is to approach this table in an unworthy manner; it is to sin “against the body and blood of the Lord” (11:27). Stop being so full of the world that not full of heaven to live in this world more joyfully more usefully. Stop looking so intensely at yourslf and worrying fi Good neough Never will be. Look to Jesus belive what He has said about you in Him, and know all His ways are love to you as you turn to Him. Wilhelmus à Brakel come to this meal - joyfully confess Christ death, And the coming-again reality to world, each other. THis is our Public Confession of the Lord Jesus. Don’t be not ashamed of Christ, His doctrine, church, children, or cause. Proclaim the LORD JESUS to each other and to those around you through the week: Express yourself freely, and let it be manifested by your speech, deeds, and friends that you are loyal to Jesus. Rejoice when you have the opportunity to manifest how glorious, full of salvation, and precious He is to you