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#27 in the appendix.
Remind a perfect peace with God.
O Lord.
And so I'll throw up the destiny.
So that they'll stand in peace.
By being surrounded by practice for a very far from God.
By praise right now to him, really.
Jesus love her to be faith and Jesus falls.
To me, why should I ever?
Carefully, since I'm not.
He watches 40 times.
And tells me about my rooms and.
We didn't get very far this morning, and I would like to suggest that just for continuity, we read again the same portion we read this morning, starting at the seventh verse of the 22nd of Luke. What do you think, Robert?
Our way through verse 10 or something.
Luke 22.
7.
Then came the Day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover must be killed.
And he sent Peter and John, saying, Go and prepare us the Passover, that we may eat. And they said unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare? And he said unto them, Behold, when ye are entered into the city, there shall a man meet you bearing a pitcher of water.
Follow Him into the house where He entereth in, and ye shall say unto the Goodman of the house, the Master saith unto thee, Where is the guest chamber, where I shall eat the Passover with my disciples, And he shall show you a large upper room furnish D There make ready. And they went and found as He had said unto them, and they made ready the Passover. And when the hour was come, he sat down, and the 12 apostles with him.
And he said unto them, with desire, I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof until it be fulfilled in the Kingdom of God. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves. For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the Kingdom of God shall come.
And he took bread, and gave thanks, and break it, and gave unto them, saying.
This is My body which is given for you. This do in remembrance of Me. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the New Testament in My blood, which is shed for you. But behold, the hand of him that betrayeth Me is with Me on the table, and truly the Son of Man goeth as it was determined, but woe unto that man by whom he is betrayed.
00:05:12
And they began to inquire among themselves which of them it was that should do this thing. And there was also a strife among them which of them should be accounted the greatest. And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercised lordship over them, and they that exercised authority upon them are called benefactors.
But ye shall not be so. But he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger.
And he that is chief, as he that doth serve. And whether is greater he that sitteth at meat. For he that serveth is not he that sitteth at meat. But I am among you as he that serveth. Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations.
And I appoint unto you a Kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me, that ye may eat and drink at my table in my Kingdom, and sit on Thrones, judging the 12 tribes of Israel.
I think it would be helpful before we go on to make some comments in connection with the work of the Spirit of God in regard to what we had before us this morning, that is, in regard to being gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. You quoted Brother Robert earlier that verse.
Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
And I just re echoed that. That is one fault with most other modern translations. They put the onus on men where two or three come together, where two or three gather together and so on or meet together. And sometimes when we've spoken of the work of the Spirit of God in connection with Matthew 18 and 20, the objection has been raised. Well, I don't see how you get the Spirit of God in there at all. There's nothing about the Spirit of God. But brethren, we can't divorce that Scripture from other Scriptures that bring before us the work of the Spirit of God in every aspect of our lives, because the Spirit of God is the energy in which God has always moved and always worked.
And remember this, in Christianity the onus is never put on me. And brethren, when I stand at the judgment seat of Christ, whether it's my salvation, any desire there was in my heart to follow the Lord being gathered to the Lord's name, whatever it is, I'm going to realize it was all of grace. And again, as we quoted this morning, I'll realize fully it was God that worked in me both to will and to do of his good pleasure. And that's why the redeemed in the fourth of Revelation, they cast the crowns, the rewards for faithfulness.
Back at his feet and give him all the glory, realizing the import of what we have just said. And so if I can use a simple illustration that I've sometimes used in connection with Matthew, 18 and 20, birds gather together, and especially up north where we come from, as the cold winds begin to blow and herald the winter, birds gather together in great numbers on the wires and in the trees to begin their migration South.
But eggs are gathered. If you see a dozen eggs in a basket, you know those eggs had no power to gather themselves. Birds gathered together. But eggs are gathered. And again, if we find ourselves at the Lords Table, by the grace of God we are gathered. Now that brings us to this little expression in the 10th, 10th verse of our chapter. When they go into the city, a type of the world, they immediately encounter the man bearing the pitcher of water.
And I believe that the man bearing the picture of water is a figure of the Word of God applied in the power of the Spirit. Contained water in a vessel is usually in Scripture a figure of the Word of God. The labor in the Old Testament, the the picture of water here, and the unnamed man or servant singular in Scripture is often a picture of the Spirit of God. I'll give you a couple of examples. So we have in the 22nd chapter.
The 24th chapter of Genesis we have Abraham sending his servant who is not named in that chapter, and the servant goes to fetch a bride for his son Isaac. A picture of the work of the Spirit of God now calling out a bride for Christ here in this world.
It was mentioned the innkeeper when the Samaritan was brought to the inn and the innkeeper was told to take care of him. It's a picture of the Spirit of God ministering to us where the Lord Jesus brings us, where he is in the in the midst, the servant singular that goes out and compels them to come in, that my house may be filled. That's not us. In another gospel, its servants plural, and they bid to the marriage.
00:10:06
That's all we do. We don't compel sinners to come in, but the Spirit of God is compelling sinners to come in that God's house may be full. The Porter in John chapter 10 that opens up. It's the Old Testament prophecies in the power of the Spirit concerning the coming of the Lord Jesus. And so the door opened up for the Lord Jesus to come here. We have this man here and it's immediately on their entrance into the city. Very important because.
On the day of Pentecost, two things happened, brethren. When the Spirit of God descended, He came to indwell every individual believer. And so at the end of First Corinthians 6, our bodies are the temple of the Holy Ghost, and we won't take time to turn to it, but I'll challenge you to look it up. To back up to the third chapter of First Corinthians, there were the temple of the Holy Ghost, not our bodies individually, but the context is collectively. That's confirmed when you go to the end of Ephesians chapter 2.
Where the church is builded together for a habitation of God through the Spirit. So the Spirit of God, when it came on the day of Pentecost, came to indwell each individual believer that was there in the upper room. And that's true today of every believer on the face of planet earth. Plus he came to dwell collectively in the church and he's still here. He won't leave till we leave. The Lord said he'd be with us forever. So when we leave, he goes. The Spirit and the Bride say come, but he doesn't leave till we leave. And so the Spirit of God is here to work.
In many aspects, but in regard to what we have here and what we've been Speaking of here, it is the Spirit of God that takes the Word of God and uses it, applies it to lead us to lead souls to where the Lord Jesus is in the midst and where we can sit down at the Lord's table to partake of the Lord's Supper. And if the Spirit of God LED every believer, if you're led to the Spirit and I'm LED of the Spirit, we're of one mind on everything and we're in one place.
Said to say that hasn't happened. The enemy has been ultra successful in disallowing that and seeking to hinder that work. But I say again, the Spirit of God, if we're all led by the Spirit of God on all things at all times, will be of one mind and in one place at all times.
I could just point out another case in Scripture. I believe it's it brings significance to the portion that we have here. There's one place in the in the Scripture where the Spirit of God is is spoken of as a woman, and that's in Luke chapter 15. There the the purpose of using the.
Figure there of a woman is because he's he's the.
Person of the Godhead who is working behind the scenes and so he's he's seeking that coin which was lost and that's a picture of the work of the Spirit of God in this world. Now who is seeking to find that which is of value to God there there's more probably to the silver, but.
In this case, the Spirit of God is distinguished as a man.
Because he's taking the lead.
In the process of directing souls to.
Where the feast is to be prepared. And so I think it's significant that.
He's seen as the one who takes the lead in in bringing souls to the place where God would have them to be. It's something that I've enjoyed.
That.
There's a significance to this man bearing the pitcher of water.
It's interesting that it's another translation. I believe it's the earthen vessel, and I think it's in Mark's Gospel and Mr. Darby's translation. Don't, don't hold me to that, but it's the earthen vessel. And so the earthen vessel filled with water. And so how often it has been that the Spirit of God has been able to use a man or a woman that has the knowledge of the truth of God and has been able to expound something to open up the Scriptures in a very quiet way.
To guide a seeking soul. And so I believe that it's according to the word of God, but it's in the power of the Spirit, so the innkeeper.
He was a man, he's not identified and the Lord said to him, he says take care of him. And so it's really the oversight in the assembly that in the energy of the spirit and in the leadership by the leadership leading of the spirit to care for those that are brought into the assembly. It's a wonderful little picture. But here they were given instructions. There is responsibility and although we have.
00:15:30
Already noted the sovereignty of God in connection with the activity of the work of the Spirit and saving us, bringing us into the knowledge of the truth, and bringing us into His presence. It's a fundamental in connection with the work of God. But says the Master saith unto thee, shall say unto the good men of the house, The Master saith unto thee, Where is the guest chamber, or where is my guest chamber? Mark's Gospel, chapter 14 in the Darby translation.
And he shall show you where I shall eat the Passover with my disciples, and he shall show you a large upper room furnished there make ready. And so he's going to show us. And the Spirit of God uses the word of God to exercise our souls, exercise our consciences, and to touch our hearts affections that we would desire to give the Lord his portion, that we would desire to be where he is in the midst. And so he shall show you.
And the question is, with each one of us, are we willing to allow the Spirit of God to show us? Are we honest and willing to allow the Word of God?
In the power of the spirit to show us, to reveal to us those things that are precious to his own heart. And so it's not just for the intellect that we read these things, but it's the Spirit of God that is desiring us to understand that God wants fellowship with man and he wants us to be in the Lords presence with him. You'll notice this expression in verse 21. Behold, the hand of him that betrayeth me is with me on the table. And then a little bit later on verse 28.
Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations or in my trials. And so the Lord knew what it was to have those that were with him in his circumstances, that the had been arranged, and that were He was going through. And you and I can be with him in a practical sense, in submission to his will, and give him the portion of his heart's desire to have us in his presence.
We do have that responsibility, but it is the sovereignty of God.
On the part of the Goodman of the house too, wasn't there. And I've enjoyed that in connection with what you say, because are we ready when someone asks us a question? So the man bearing the pitcher of water leads them to the house, A picture of the Spirit of God, the word of God in the power of the Spirit of God. But you know if someone came and asked you a question on this subject.
Would you be able to answer and show them? Would you be able to say come and come and see, as the Lord Jesus said when the disciples asked him?
Where he, where he dwelt. And so I think it's an exercise for all of us. Yes, it's the Spirit of God. It's the word of God. But we all have a responsibility. And in the measure in which we enjoy these things and take them in from the Word of God, then we'll be ready to give an answer to those that ask us.
And again, it's not always explanation. It's interesting here he shows them so we can give a long explanation. Again, to go back to the incident where the disciples said to the Lord, where dwellest thou? He didn't give them a long explanation. He just said come and see. And here we find the Goodman of the house. He'll show you, he'll show you the upper room. So are we in that state of soul where we can show others where we believe the Lord Jesus?
Is gathering to his name and around himself.
Just wanted to make a comment.
Robert too, in connection with the earthen pitcher and I wondered if if if it commends itself to you, but I wonder if we don't have also in that the humanity of the Lord Jesus brought out and I say that because it's it's the Spirit of God as we're bringing before us Christ and his humility, his humanity as the one that was here on this earth and went to Calvary's cross.
If we are left here another day tomorrow, Lord willing, we'll have the privilege of of being in the presence of the Lord Jesus. And it seems like on that particularly on that occasion, the Spirit of God would occupy us with the blessed Lord as the one that was humbled here in this, this world, his humanity. And it's, it's the earthen vessel bearing as we've already brought out the water, the word and the Lord could say, I think it's in Luke 4.
00:20:19
Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God shall man live. And so it's I, I just think of him here as he's going to introduce to them this memorial feast of him going into death. And I, I like to think we don't we don't view him so much as the one that's exalted at the right hand of God on when we come to break bread. But we see him as the one that was brought so low, who humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. I've enjoyed that aspect is is that is that OK?
To see him there, and this is the earthen vessel.
Very good, yes. And so we find here, he shows them a large upper room. We commented on why it was large, but it was furnished. Now we're not told what was there, but we do know one thing that furnished the room, the presence of the Lord Jesus. And that's what makes the place, isn't it? It's the presence of the Lord Jesus. Have often said that four walls and fine furniture don't make a home a fine dining room doesn't provide.
A meal of love. It's the presence of those that sit down at the table. And it's interesting that you only have two descriptions of where they met to remember the Lord in the New Testament. One is here, a large upper room furnished. The other is the third loft that we mentioned this morning in Troas. And other than that, other than the fact that the the church which is in my house and so on, these are the only two descriptions that we we have now that defies what we find around us.
Fine buildings and expensive tapestries and all this, that kind of thing. No, they met simply around the Lord Jesus. And what furnished the room and made the place was the one who was in the midst. And brethren, if we lose sight of that, we're going to be disappointed and we're going to be turned aside. I'm going to speak very plainly for a moment. You know, sometimes I have experienced many times those who have come and they have, by the Spirit of God, seen the Lord Jesus in the midst. They've taken their place at the Lord's table and they rejoice.
To be where, as they say, where the Lord is. Time goes on, things happen and they get discouraged.
When they leave, they never say they leave the Lord. They say they leave the meeting or they leave that group of brethren, or I'm not going to associate with those people anymore. What's happened? They've lost sight of the one that's in the midst. And brethren, what is going to preserve us at the Lord's table is not dear brother, thank God for dear brother, thank God for the unfeigned love of our brethren. Thank God they're precious to the heart of God, the Lord Jesus, and I trust our heart, but that is not what is going to preserve us there.
Our brother Stand in his notes of interest often quotes that verse in Psalm 119. I've seen an end of all perfection, and he quotes it in connection with editorial mistakes and so on. But I often think of it in connection with those we associate with at the Lords Table if we are looking for perfection.
Amongst our brethren, we are going to be sadly disappointed. And remember this wherever you go, there's no perfect group of Christians this side of heaven. And so we're going to see an end of all perfection if we're looking for it in our brethren, but we won't see it in the Lord. When? When the bride and the Song of Solomon got awakened in her affections and awakened to the glories of the person of Christ, what did she say at the end? She said he's altogether lovely. You can't say that about me and I can't say that about you. We're perfect in Christ.
We're lovely as far as Christ's view, but we're still here. And so I just say that we need to have our focus on the person. It is a person to whom we are gathered. And when it says in Matthew 18, the name, we're gathered unto His name. You can't again divorce the name from the person. If I say the name of some famous dignitary, if I say the name of Queen Elizabeth, two of England here immediately comes to your mind. Queen Elizabeth the second, the name is the person and you have come to mind everything you've ever read or known or seen.
As to the person of Queen Elizabeth 2 And so to be gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus is to be gathered to the person of Christ and to lose sight of that, we're going to be discouraged and drift away.
Authority, doesn't it? So we're gathered under his authority.
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And I think too, as a contrast, isn't it? The room was furnished. And so it's not the room that has any. We're not told any details about the room. It was large, but it's a contrast to what they had in Judaism. I was thinking of the Hebrews Chapter 9. And there you have a little picture of the, the camp. You might say, it says, let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp bearing his reproach. So what's a description? They had ornate furniture, they had an ornate building, they had a veil, they had a holy place.
The most Holy place that all kinds of things, so it says in Chapter 9. For then verily, the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service and a worldly sanctuary before there was a Tabernacle made the first, wherein was the Candlestick and the table, and the showbread, which is called the sanctuary after the second veil, the Tabernacle which is called the holiest of all, which had the golden Censure and the Ark of Covenant, while we could read and read.
And they had a holy priesthood and only certain ones that could exercise their priesthood and so on. But God has given us the best. We come into the presence of the Lord, the one who delighted in us, who laid down his life for our blessing, who has honored God in connection with the sin question, and he has invited us into his presence and given us these these instructions that we might understand the privilege that is ours.
And that we might give him that portion of his soul. So they went into that large upper room. Now it speaks of an upper room because it's a place of separation from this world.
And it's we spoke of ecclesiastical evil.
Doctrinal evil, moral evil, and really we could speak of practical separation from evil as well in connection with Second Corinthians chapter 6.
And wherefore come out from among them, and be separate, saith the Lord. And so separation is one of those things that God.
Speaks of in His word, and we shouldn't be afraid of the word at all. We need to be separated from this world unto Christ, unto the person of Christ. We need to be devoted to that man who loved us and gave himself for us. And so separation is a principle that is one that is for our blessing and will allow us to live in a clean path and appreciate being in that upper room.
Comment about in his name I I know I don't want to digress from what was just said but.
Just take a look real quick at Matthew Chapter 7.
Because I think it's such an important thing, Matthew Chapter 7 and verse 21.
Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the Kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my Father, which is in heaven.
Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name, and in thy name have cast out devils, and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you depart from me, ye that work iniquity. So there's I, I think what is done in the Lord's name, or professed to be done in the Lord's name is often abused. And we know that the Lord has magnified his word above all his name. We're told that in I think it's the 138th Psalm.
I have magnified my word above all my name. So I think we can say from that and other Scriptures that if something is done in the Lord's name, it has to be according to His word. And that's the test that we put it to. So if someone is claiming to do something in the Lord's name, it must comport with His Word. Is is that the correct way to put that? That's very helpful. And so that is the last part of the second verse of the 138th Psalm. And let me just follow up what John has said.
Because there are many today, real Christians who meet in various groups and they profess to do. They say we do many things in the name of the Lord Jesus. We meet in the name of the Lord Jesus. We claim Matthew 18 and 20, but we are never justified in putting the name above the word. He's put His word above the name. In other words, we are never to do anything in the name of the Lord Jesus without the authority of the word for which what we do.
Let me give you an example. So there was a problem that had arisen in the assembly in Corinth. And the apostle Paul, as an apostle, writes to them by divine inspiration. And in the 5th chapter of that epistle, he gives them very specific instructions as to how they are to handle this matter for the clearing of sin from the assembly, the glory of the Lord, and the the restoration of the individual involved.
00:30:24
Now, when a similar situation arises in the assembly, what do we do?
We turn to 1St Corinthians 5 and we say here's the authority of the Word of God for what we do.
We must have the authority of the Word of God if we're going to act in the name of the of the Lord Jesus. If something arises and we don't have the word of God on which to act, all we can do is commit the matter to the one who's the head over all things to the church, which is his body. Pray with exercise, and in time the Lord will give us the authority of the Word of God so that then we can act in the in the name of the Lord.
So it's vital, brethren, if we claim to be gathered by the grace of God to the name of the Lord Jesus, it must be on a scriptural ground. We must have the word of God as the basis for what we do. It's the basis for everything in our Christian life. And sometimes the tendency may be to put the name above the word. As John has pointed out, we are never justified in putting the name above the word. He's put His word above his name.
There are two things that govern us in our lives, in our assembly lives, in our personal lives, whatever it might be, the will of God and the Word of God. And so we need both. The assembly is governed by the Word of God and the will of God. That's really what shouldn't govern the assembly. So it's not the will of man, it's not the preferences of man and so on, isn't it? Or can't we be thankful for just to have the confidence that the word of God?
Is true, and it gives a bright, bright testimony in connection with what the mind of God is in a certain matter.
Just thinking about that back up to the 11Th, 1St a minute, it says where is where is the guest chamber where I shall eat the Passover with my disciples. And so the the Lord's table is really the place where he has fellowship with his own. We think of the Lord's Table as a place where we go to have fellowship with him, but really the first thought is for him to have a place where there's unhindered fellowship with his disciples.
And if we saw the Lord's Table that way, we would make sure that we were there that we would that would we would be where he can have fellowship with us and his heart is. And this goes along with the comment that Brother Mark made in the last meeting. And with desire, I have desired to eat this Passover with you. It's really are we.
Where his heart?
Receiving the joy of fellowship with his people.
So they go and they find, as He had said, no disappointment there. And the Lord never disappoints faith. Sometimes He leads by very circuitous routes. And we all know stories of brethren who've searched for a long time. But let me tell you a little story, kind of a sad story, but the Lord in the end brought it to fruition. I knew a group of believers and they were taught by one of their leaders, so to speak.
To separate from that which was not according to the mind of God. And they separated from all the church, from the church system that they were with. And for many years they just sat and met in a brothers home.
Years later, the Spirit of God LED them to where there were those gathered to the Lord's name.
And the leader of this group had passed away, the one that had LED them out. And I remember these men, they sat and wept at the Lord's table. And they said, the one that that was our teacher, He taught us separation, but he didn't teach us the rest of the story. He didn't teach us to go forth, to come apart, but not to go forth. And both are very important, aren't they? So the disciples here, they're sent on this mission by the Lord.
They're directed by the man bearing the picture of water. They're instructed by the Goodman of the house. And the end result was that there was no disappointment to faith. And when the hour was come, and we think of what connection with what Phil said, we think of what a thrill it must have been to the disciples to sit down in the presence of the Lord with the Lord in their midst. But I think the joy.
00:35:20
That far outweighed their joy was the joy on the part of the Lord Jesus.
Defined a few of his own. Now, how many real believers were there in Jerusalem at that time? Well, we know there was at least 500, because in resurrection he showed himself to 500 of his own at one time. But here he sits down and all the confusion of religious Jerusalem with a few of his own.
And again, I know, as we said this morning, it was the Passover supper that was celebrated first.
But the Lord then was able to set that aside, and with the joy of his heart he was able to take a loaf and a cup and say this do in remembrance of me.
His joy far outweighed their joy and desire.
We come into the presence of the Lord to give him his portion. We don't come to the remembrance of the Lord to get something for ourselves. We may no doubt enjoy something of the portion of Christ and enjoy whatever the Spirit of God, the theme that the Spirit of God brings us before us that morning in connection with the work and the person of the Lord Jesus.
We may get something of real enjoyment in our souls, real profit, but we come into the presence of the Lord Jesus to give him his portion, and to tell God of how wonderful His Son is, how glorious his work is, how complete it is, and to thank God that he has accepted that work, and to raise his Son from among the dead and seed him in glory. And so we give him his portion.
That's why we come and we come to remember him in death. He died and it was the most horrible death and the circumstances were awful, but he bore the judgment for our sins. So we come to give him his portion. There's another point in verse 13 that we need to remember. And I was spoken of, I think that my brother Phil earlier they went, that's obedient. You know, Brother Gordon Hale used to remind us when we were younger. Often times there are two things that go together.
Obedience and happiness. You can't have one without the other. You can't have happiness without obedience. And if you seek to disobey the Word of God, they'll never be an easy conscience. But isn't it wonderful to think of how these disciples they obeyed and how gracious God is to give us the desire to submit to the will of God, to the Word of God, and to just obey? So they went.
And they found, as he had said, what a blessing there was.
So as we pick up this, the institution of the remembrance, it's important to realize that there were two cups on the table on this occasion. 1 cup had never been instituted by God in the Old Testament. But you remember how in the New Testament, in the Gospels, the feasts of Jehovah are never referred to as such. They're always referred to as the feasts of the Jews. Why? Because from the time they were instituted back in the days of Moses.
Until they work, we have them celebrated by the Lord Jesus and his own. In the New Testament, so much had been introduced by tradition that they were sometimes hardly recognizable as the feasts of Jehovah. Now the Lord didn't set them aside because it was the end of the dispensation. And so he went up to Jerusalem, up when there was a feast of the Jews, and so on. And so there were these things introduced. The Lord did rebuke the Pharisees for introducing those things that were simply the traditions of man and teaching them as the traditions of men.
But you notice here that there was first of all a cup that was connected with the Passover supper. And secular history will tell us, and the Jews and Orthodox Jews still celebrates with a Passover cup today. And this Passover cup was something and is something that is shared at the Passover meal. The Lord didn't rebuke the disciples for having a Passover cup here. He just said I won't drink it because wine speaks of joy and this was not a time of joy for the Lord Jesus.
He was going to very shortly bow in the Garden of Gethsemane under the weight of anticipation of being made sin in those hours of darkness. It was not a time of joy for the Lord Jesus. So He would not drink of that Passover cup. However, He did encourage the disciples to drink of it. They were used to that. It had been introduced by tradition. It was the end of the dispensation and He didn't rebuke them for it. He encouraged them to drink of it. Then after that takes place.
00:40:19
And and and again, I used to when I was a young person, I was confused on all this. Then we have.
He takes the bread and he, he breaks that, then the cup, and that's the way it is it, He institutes it, and that is the way we celebrate it, the low 1St and then the cup. Why is it separate? Because the separation of the blood from the body on the cross was the proof of death. A soldier after the Lord had died, a soldier with a spear pierced his side and forthwith came throughout blood and water. I say again, the separation of the blood from the body.
Was the proof proof of death. Now I want to just say this too, because the early brethren when things were restored to us in the 1800s and they began to remember the Lord Jesus in the breaking of bread at the Lord's table. The early brethren who were men of God and giants in the Scripture. A special instruments that God raised up and gave special discernment. They were exercised about some of the little patterns that are given to us. Now there are some things that are left.
Discernment and and and so on. For I'll give you an example before we go on. Why do we sing a hymn at the beginning of of our meeting usually? Well brethren were exercised of that Psalm. Let us come before his presence with singing. However, I have heard the breaking of bread started with a word of praise, prayer, or a reading of the Scripture. I don't have a problem with that because there's not a specific scripture to say we shouldn't.
Generally we do start with the Him, and I like that, a note of praise and worship in song. But there are some little patterns here in connection with the institution of the breaking of bread that we do not want to violate, and they are violated in some circles today. And I'll just give you a couple of examples. So the Lord Jesus, when he gave thanks for the loaf in the cup, He didn't give thanks for the loaf and then ask one of the disciples to give thanks for the cup.
He didn't give the loaf to John to give thanks for in the cup to Peter, he did them both himself. Brethren have taken that, and I believe rightly so, as a little example and that's why gathered to the Lords name, the brother who is led by the Spirit of God to give thanks for the loaf will then get up and give thanks for the cup as well. The Lord Jesus in instituting the feast, I believe gave that little pattern. There are some groups of Christians who sing a hymn between the loaf and the cup.
But turn to Matthew 26 and I think we have a little pattern there.
As to why we don't?
Matthew chapter 26 and we have this same institution.
And after he in verse, from verse 26 on, we have the institution of the feast. And then notice what it says in verse 30. And when they had sung in him, they went out to the Mount of Olives. There was singing at the first breaking of bread. I have no doubt it was a Psalm here. They didn't have Christian hymns, as we thankfully have a rich heritage of them. But I believe the pattern is here. Why don't we sing a hymn between the loaf and the cup?
It was after the Lord had.
Past the loaf in the cup and they had partaken that they sung him so quite often as soon as the loaf in the cup is passed and or the offering we we sing a hymn little again a little a little pattern. And brethren, we want to be careful when brethren were exercised about these things 150 sixty years ago, whatever it's been now these were 200 yet thank you. They used to tell us when we were young, Robert, but.
Yeah, but but.
Point the point is, these brethren were special instruments that the Lord raised up, showed them these Scriptures and these little patterns and gave them discernment and brethren at the end of the dispensation in our weakness, do we think we're wiser than they are? These are things we want to be careful metal not with them that are given to change.
It's nice to see that the Lord taught His disciples in different ways, and as you say, in this particular example, He taught them by example. He actually himself took the loaf, He broke it, He gave thanks, and then afterwards He took the cup himself. He gave thanks for it, He passed it to them, and they drank thereof. But there are other passages of Scripture that show us that He taught in different other ways. So in Matthew chapter 13.
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It says that he went out of the house, great multitudes were gathered together unto him, and he went out in the ship and sat, and the whole multitude stood on the shore. He spake many things unto them in parables. So He taught them by parables, different stories, examples. And so we have He taught by object lesson. He took a child, placed them in their midst. He says, here's a child and you need to humble yourself just like this child. So the Lord taught in different ways.
But in this particular instance he taught by example. And so we have in the Gospels Matthew, Mark and Luke, this incident in the Lorde life at the end of his life here in this scene and taking this loaf and this cup. And so you might say, well, how come we have it in First Corinthians Chapter 11?
Was didn't he do it three times? We have it recorded in the Gospels. Well, it's written really, and I think you mentioned it earlier from a Jewish perspective and its historical perspective, this is what the Lord did. But Paul tells us, and he tells us the doctrinal significance of what took place and he tells us what the loaf means in First Corinthians chapter 10, what the cup means, what the loaf means. And maybe it's a good opportunity to look at.
How Paul speaks of it in One Corinthians Chapter 11.
Why on the Lord's day do we read one Corinthians Chapter 11, verse 23 and down? We don't usually read in Matthew or Mark or Luke in connection with the breaking of bread. We do sometimes, but really we read Paul's doctrine. We read Paul's revelation, the revelation of the Lord Jesus to Paul because it says in verse 23, I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you. Paul wasn't there.
And so the Lord Jesus revealed it to Paul. He said, Paul, this is what happened that night. And so Paul got it by revelation from the risen Christ and glory, and he delivered it to the Saints. And he gives some other details that were not given to the in the accounts in Matthew and Mark and so on, because it was a revelation. So he says that the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed, took bread.
When he had given thanks, he break it and said, Take, eat. This is my body which is broken. It should really be translated, given, which is given for you. This do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup after he stopped saying, This cup is the New Testament in my blood. This do ye as OFT as ye drink it in remembrance of Me. For as often as he eat this bread and drink this cup, ye do show or announce the Lord's death till he come.
So Paul adds some details. He says we're going to be able to remember the Lord Jesus in his death till he come.
The Lord Jesus didn't say that. I don't think we have that revealed in the Lord's words, but from a Christian perspective, doctrinally, we have it in chapter 10, doctrinally what those symbols mean. But really the apostle Paul reveals that we're going to be able to remember the Lord in his death till He comes and not a comfort to our hearts. And then he also says that.
When we remember the Lord in his death, we announce to this world the death of the Lord Jesus. If there's one thing that this world doesn't want to remember is that Christ died in the way that he died and how he was treated before he died, all those sorts of things. They don't mind how he was born and.
The celebration that goes on at the end of the year and so on, all of that sort of thing. But we announced to the world and we announced to one another.
That Christ died and he died for us, He died.
To make salvation available to all. And he was made sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. But we remember what the price of our redemption is.
And what it costs God to bring us into relationship with His Son.
On which to do it. God never asks us to do anything without providing, maintaining that scriptural basis that we spoke of earlier. But it might be helpful just for a moment to back up to the 10th chapter because the significance and the order is very different. And remember, there are two subjects taken up here in First Corinthians 10:00 and 11:00.
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What Robert has brought before us in the 11Th chapter is the subject of the Lord's Supper. And so we have the loaf 1St, and when we break the loaf, it is to remind us of the Lord's body given in death for us. The the cup is is given Then secondly, because, as we said, the separation of the blood from the body was the proof of death. That's the way the Lord instituted it, and that's the way we always celebrate it. But lest there be any confusion, go back to the 10th chapter of First Corinthians and the 16th verse.
And you'll find the order and the significance quite different. The cup of blessing which we bless, is that not the communion of the blood of Christ?
The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we being many are one bread and one body, for we are all partakers of that one bread. Now you notice the cup is given here first, because this is the subject of the Lord's table in this chapter. And what is our title to be at the Lords Table? What is our title to be in the Lord's presence? It's the blood of Christ. We have brethren, we have nothing else, no spark of divinity, no good in US, no response from the natural man. We were dead in trespasses and sin. It's the blood of Christ and the only.
Thing which is the only thing that gives us title for His presence, whether it's at the Lord's table or the Father's house in a future day, and so on. So the cup is given first here when it's our title to be at the Lord's table. The lope here has a very different significance too. On the table tomorrow there will be one loaf, not many loaves, not wafers, not crackers, one loaf as we have here. And in that unbroken loaf God sees every believer.
Alive on the face of the earth at that one given time. That loaf tomorrow will not just represent the believers that are in this room, nor will it just represent believers who practically express the truth of the one body in the breaking of bread. It will it it represents to the heart of God, every believer. God sees every believer in that loaf, whether they recognize it or not, or whether they practically express it or not. Now, brethren, that's the way we need to view it as well.
Because if we don't view the one loaf in that way, we are going to become narrow and sectarian in our view. We are not the body of Christ here in Pala tomorrow. We represent, by the grace of God, we seek to express the truth of the one body by sitting down with one loaf on the table and breaking bread in remembrance of the Lord Jesus. But God again sees in that one loaf every believer gathered to the Lord's name. And that's another thing we never want to violate, we never want to have.
More than one loaf or any other anything else on the table. So I just say that. So what? It's the Lords table, it's the cup. First our title to be there is the blood of Christ. The loaf is representative of all believers on the face of the earth at that moment. When it's the Lords Supper, it's the Lord's body given in death for us. And then the reminder that the blood was **** was shed and the Lord Jesus died for us.
As a part of Paul's doctrine, as he says in verse 17, for re being many are one bread or one loaf and one body. For we are all partakers of that one bread or that one loaf. And so when we take a part of that loaf, we're professing publicly that we are member of the body of Christ, that we are living members. And so we take it and we eat it. And it's a profession publicly that we are his. And then it's a cup of blessing, isn't it?
It doesn't represent the judgment that Christ bore. It's not the cup of judgment that he drank to the last dark drop and so on. Not to minimize the sufferings of Christ, obviously, but really there's a reason it's revealed by the apostle Paul that this the cup speaks of the blood of Christ that was shed to bring us back into communion with God. We were enemies of God. We needed to be reconciled to God and it could never happen. We could not be brought into communion or fellowship with God.
Unless the blood of Christ was shed. And so when we thank the Lord for the loaf at the table, we remember the sufferings of Christ. We remember the sorrow of those hours of darkness. We remember the judgment. But when we give thanks for the cup, we thank God for that cup of blessing, and we're blessed. We're brought into fellowship with Him. It doesn't represent the cup of judgment.
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146.
All your soul to win, to be.
I would hurry, our hearts strangling.
Lifeburger in your mouth, wherever you.