Communion Message
(The table of joy)
July 17-18, 1999
Pastor Don Sheley

For I have received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, "Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me. In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me." For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till He comes. Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 

Now we've made this observation of recent weeks, that Paul instructs the Corinthian church that as frequently as they participated in the communion service, they did again tell the story of the cross. They proclaimed the Lord's death till He comes. So with that invitation we've gone back into the story of the cross and we've searched for insights, sacred truths that surround that beautiful moment of love. Here's one; Now as they led Him away, they laid hold of a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, who was coming from the country, and on him they laid the cross that he might bear it after Jesus. And a great multitude of the people followed Him, and women who also mourned and lamented Him. But Jesus, turning to them, said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. Hebrews chapter 12; Therefore, we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 

The way from Pilate's judgment seat to Calvary has been called the Via Dolorosa, the way of pain. If by that, it is meant that it was a way whose every step might well invoke our tears, whose simple record should renew deep in our sorrow, then the name is appropriate enough; but, if the name be used to expresses the mind of Jesus, if it be His sorrow we have in view, then its insight is at fault, and its use bestows no honor on Jesus. Jesus has been called the Man of Sorrows outside the New Testament, but the truth is that in most of its aspects Jesus lived a singularly joyous life, and most careless readers cannot escape feeling the calm and the serenity of His words and the perfect peace that purveys His life. So, when we understand the sources of joy, when we penetrate the secret of Jesus, we realize that despite His loneliness, and His separateness, and His higher experiences; despite the burden of man's sin and sorrows, and despite the last awful hour on the cross, no human heart ever thrilled with a joy to match that of Jesus. In fact, when we regard Him closely as He passes nearing the scene of Calvary He says to His disciples, these things I have spoken unto you that my joy, my dream, remain in you and that your joy might be full. 

Look at Jesus now as He walks the way to Calvary. Simon bears His cross and now He's going forward to the last deed of all. A high elation is on His sprit and a rush, and a surge of joy, is feeling, overmastering, pain and sorrow swell in His heart. But the wail of the women of Jerusalem breaks in on His ear. He stops and He turns, and because He will not have them misunderstand Him and give a false accompaniment to this crowning act of redemption, He chides them for their tears. Don't weep for Me, weep for yourselves. The joys of sense have been taken from Him, but He has the joy of the Spirit. He has His deep delight in spiritual things, and it was that inner spiritual eternal joy welling up out of His victorious spirit, which sustained Him and made the way to Calvary an uplifting triumph. 

We often paint the picture with its pain and its sorrow, but look into the heart of Christ and you'll see joy. Don't weep for Me, weep for yourselves. Isaiah the ancient prophet caught a glimpse into this scene when he writes, Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand. He shall see the labor of His soul. That's Isaiah's way of saying, as He's making His journey to the cross, He looks down the centuries of time and He sees the multitude who respond to the gospel and sinners coming to repentance. That's the travail of His soul. That's the purpose of Calvary. To redeem mankind when He shall see the results of His death. Isaiah says, He shall be satisfied. That is, all joy shall fill His heart. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear their iniquities. Joy. 

I'd like for you today to think of this table as the table of joy. Jesus says, likewise I say unto you there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repents. So heaven is a place filled with joy, even now the angels are singing as the lost are responding, and the travail of His soul is taking place. In heaven He is satisfied and that satisfaction brings joy. If we bring Him that joy, think of all the joy that He's brought us. We came to Him as sinners and we said, Jesus, I'm a sinner, forgive me. You and I know that at that moment we understood and experienced His forgiveness. There was a joy beyond compare that filled our heart, to know that all of our sins have been forgiven. We've been washed whiter than snow, never to be remembered against us ever again. He's adopted us into His family. He's given us the gift of life eternal, and one of these days He'll welcome us into heaven. Ahhh, what joy should fill our hearts today. When you life those emblems to your lips rejoice because we've been forgiven. He's happy. He has seen the travail of His soul. I believe that Jesus looks down no this scene this morning and He sees you and me here singing His praises. We could have been a thousand different places today, but we chose above every other place to be in His presence, and He sees the travail of His soul, even this morning, and He's satisfied. We bring Him joy by worshiping Him today, and He fills our hearts with joy because He loves us so much; the table of joy. Let's rejoice together, shall we?

Let's kneel. Lord Jesus, it's difficult for us with our finite minds to grapple with the eternal realities, but it's Your word. Your word tells us that even though You endured that cross, You did it with a joy because You could look down through the centuries of time and You could see the sinners flowing into Your kingdom, and we were one that You envisioned as part of the travail of Your soul. Wonder of wonders, and heaven was filled with joy when we came to You, and heaven is filled with joy today as we bow our knee and worship You; O wonderful Christ. We love You dear Jesus. We praise You. Thank you for the joy of knowing You as our Savior and our Lord. Hallelujah. Let's take the bread together, shall we? And then the cup. Wonderful Jesus. Matchless Redeemer. Glorious Lord, our King; invisible, immortal, and eternal. We love You. Thank you, thank you for loving us, and everybody said, amen. Amen. Let's stand and greet one another, shall we?