Sermon held prior to celebration of the Lord's Supper

Singing: (Psalms and Hymns are from the "Book of Praise" Anglo Genevan Psalter)
Psalm 26:5
Psalm 26:6,7
Psalm 65:2,3
Psalm 32:1,5

Beloved Congregation of the Lord Jesus Christ!

I want this morning, brothers and sisters, before we go to the table, to consider with you what type of people they were to whom the Lord gave the bread and the cup on the night of the first Lord’s supper. To that end I have chosen to read with you a portion from Luke 22.

Vs 19 tells us that Jesus "took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is My body which is given for you.’" The question we need to consider is this: to whom did Jesus give the bread? Whom did Jesus have in mind when He spoke the words, ‘This is My body which is given for you’?

Vs 14 gives us the answer: "He sat down, and the twelve apostles with Him." In that "upper room", then, sat Jesus together with His twelve disciples. To these twelve Jesus gave the bread; to these twelve Jesus spoke the words of our text: "this is My body which is given for you."

The twelve. Or maybe we need to understand that only eleven partook of the first Lord’s supper; the commentators are divided as to whether Judas Iscariot was present when Jesus instituted the Lord’s supper. In any case, it is certain that the other eleven actually received the bread from the hand of the Lord. But consider for a moment, brothers and sisters, what sort of people these disciples were to whom the Lord gave the bread. Take Peter, for example.

Peter. He was hardly what we would call a hero of faith, or an example of humility and right conduct. Peter. This was the man who walked on the water with Jesus, saw the waves, was overcome by doubt and fear, and so began to sink (Mt 14:30). Faith? Not then. He heard Jesus’ prophecy that He would be arrested, rejected, killed, and promptly responded by rebuking Jesus. To which Jesus said to Peter: "Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men" (Mk 8:32). Godly? Not there; in fact, he was a hindrance to the Lord. He went with Jesus onto the Mt of Transfiguration, and Peter suggested that the glory Jesus received from God on the mountain was good enough; Jesus didn’t need to suffer on the cross (Mk 9:5). A blessing in Christ’s kingdom? Not with words like that! On the night of our text, he confidently told Jesus that, no matter what would happen, he was ready to die for Jesus. But a short time later he fell asleep while he was meant to watch with Jesus (Mk 14:31,37). A man of his word, a man with spiritual back-bone? Not Peter. In fact, he had it in him to utter oaths to the effect that he wasn’t associated with Jesus, didn’t know Jesus, had nothing to do with Jesus (Mk 14:66ff). A holy man? Worthy of the grace of the Lord? ‘Good enough’ to receive the bread and cup of the Lord?? Brothers and sisters, the man was sinful, so terribly sinful, as corrupt and as depraved as you and I! Worthy?? Make no mistake; the man was always talking before he thought. He wasn’t a hero of faith, was rather a man of doubt (cf Gal 1). He didn’t understand the gospel of Calvary, but considered the cross to be an unnecessary trauma for the Master he loved. His intent to stand up for the Lord and protect Him was all there, but...when push came to shove the man was weak-kneed. In a word: Peter did not have perfect faith, and he did not serve God with such zeal as He requires. Daily Peter had to contend with the weakness of his faith and the evil desires of his flesh. Talk about unworthy!

But see now our text: Jesus sets the disciples –including this Peter– at His table, took the bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it also to Peter! More, Jesus said to all the disciples –and so also to Peter!– ‘this is My body which is given for you’.

You see the point, beloved? Peter was a man of like nature as we are, a man who constantly fell into sin, a man who fell so far short of the holy standards God sets. Yet Jesus did not deny him the bread and drink of the Lord; Jesus rather gave the bread and cup specifically to Him. In the midst of all his sins and weaknesses, this man believed – be it that there was so very, very much need for growth in him.

What sort of persons does the Lord Jesus invite to His table? Dear brothers and sisters, the Lord does not invite the perfect, or the near perfect; He knows so well that then there would be none at His table. Rather, God knew how sinful we were, and that’s precisely why He gave His Son for us! It is sinners whom God wants at His table, persons who know themselves to be sinners, persons who detest themselves because of their sins and humble themselves before Him. For such persons Christ died, and such persons receive from Christ’s hand the tokens of forgiveness.

Worthy? No, beloved, no.

Forgiven. That’s the point. And only sinners are forgiven, not the righteous. Come then to this table, to receive from the hand of your gracious God the tokens that your countless, horrid sins are gone, gone. Amen.