Divine Humility

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. (Philippians 2:5-8)

We are not naturally at ease with the concept of humility. The flesh rebels against it. It is not the way we have been taught in the world.

The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called “benefactors.” But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves. For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves? Is it not he who sits at the table? Yet I am among you as the One who serves. (Luke 22:25-27)

The world likes to make a show of having power and authority, of being “in charge.” But that is not God's way. His way is to give and serve. Jesus did not come to be served to, but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45). He through whom all things were created literally bowed down to wash the feet of the disciples. That was not an aberration from the divine nature, but a magnificent expression of it, for God is love, and love “does not seek its own” (1 Corinthians 13:5), that is, it is not self-aggrandizing and does not strive for power. By washing the feet of the disciples, Jesus modeled humility before them, not as a way to eventually rise to a place of authority and power so that they would no longer need to be humble, but precisely as the expression of power and authority.

The concept of humility offends the natural mind, which is always striving for supremacy. But God, who is absolutely supreme, loses nothing by humbling Himself, for as Jesus said, the one who is greater is the one who bows to serve. The God of the universe humbles Himself, not against His nature, but because humility perfectly expresses His divine nature. That is the heart of God, but it offends the mind of man because if the Lord of All is the humble servant of all, then that is what we are forever called to be as well.

True humility is an expression of the divine nature.

The Table of God’s Willingness

When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him. And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed. (Matthew 8:1-3)

Some people think that prayer is about trying to get God to do something that He has been unwilling to do. But as one man of God said many years ago, prayer is not about overcoming God’s unwillingness; it is about laying hold of His willingness.

The leper who came to Jesus had no doubt that Jesus was able to heal him, if only He was willing. Though he had faith, he just did not know what the will of God was concerning his healing. So he asked. Now, this was the only time anybody had ever asked Jesus if it was His will to heal—and the answer was Yes! What joy it must have been for this leper to realize that he had just laid hold of God’s willingness. And immediately he was cleansed.

Prayer that gets results is prayer that lays hold of God’s willingness. The apostle John put it this way.

Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him. (1 John 5:14-15)

It is the will of God to give us every good thing. The Bible says that “no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly” (Psalm 84:11). Every good gift comes from God (James 1:17) and He is unwilling to hold any of it back from us. Why? Because of Jesus. Paul said “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:32).

When we take of the Table of the Lord, we see that God did not withhold His only Son from us, but gave Him freely that we might know His salvation. The bread and the cup demonstrate that God has not withheld any good thing from us, but that He is more than willing to give it all to us. See His willingness, we can pray with God confidence, knowing that we will receive the good that we ask.

The Table of the Lord is The Table of God’s Willingness.

The Table Surrounded by Favor

But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You;
Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them;
Let those also who love Your name be joyful in You.
For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous;
With favor You will surround him as with a shield.

(Psalm 5:11-12)

The favor of the Lord is His delight, the pleasure He has in those who are His; there is nothing He withholds from them. The righteous are those who are in right standing with God, who love His name and trust in Him; there is nothing they withhold from Him. They are under His protection and surrounded by His favor; it is like a shield that takes care of them on all sides. It is cause for great joy, and David describes it in three ways.

• Rejoice. The Hebrew word is samach. It means to be bright and lighthearted. It arises when you put your trust in the Lord.
• Shout for Joy. The Hebrew word is ranan and means to creak, to sing, to shout. It is seeing that God really does protect and provide for you.
• Be joyful. The Hebrew is awlats. It means to exult, even to jump for joy. It is realizing that His blessing and favor is without bounds. The manifestation of His love for us stirs up our love for Him.

Notice the progression as we enter deeper into the wonder of His favor. It goes from lightheartedness, which may be quiet and still, to loud and animated joy — creaking, singing, shouting, dancing and jumping for joy.

All such rejoicing is appropriate at the Table of the Lord, where we ponder the mystery that we are made the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21). The bread and the cup show us the body given and the blood shed on our account, revealing the rich favor God has toward us. For “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not also freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:32).

Enter into the depths of joy at the Table of the Lord, the Table Surrounded by Favor.

The Table of Divine Glory

Lord, I have loved the habitation of Your house,
And the place where Your glory dwells.

(Psalm 26:8)

David loved the house of the Lord, the place where God manifested His presence in a special way, the place where the light of His glory shone bright. It was the place David most wanted to be, the place where he could gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and inquire of Him (Psalm 24:4).

The Hebrew word for “glory” is kabod. Literally, it means weight; figuratively, it refers to the weight or value of that which is good. The glory of God is the expression of His goodness, the manifestation of His majesty. In Isaiah 6, the seraphim in the prophet's vision of the temple declared that “the whole earth is fully of His glory.” The glory of God has always been here. What is needed, though, is the revelation of that glory.

In the Old Testament, the tabernacle was the place where God made His special habitation on earth; the Ark of the Covenant was His abode, the throne of His glory. In the New Testament, through faith in Jesus Christ, we are now the house God inhabits, the place where His glory dwells.

Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 2:4-5)

Jesus Christ is the ultimate expression of God’s glory. Indeed, He is called “the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person” (Hebrews 1:3). He is the Word of whom John says, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

Jesus is the full expression of God’s glory. The mystery of the Gospel is that Christ dwells in us with all the glory of God. He is

the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. (Colossians 1:26-27)

As believers in Jesus Christ, we are now the place where God dwells by His glory. There is for us a positive expectation, a joyful anticipation that His glory will be fully expressed in us. This is what John is talking about:

Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. (1 John 3:2)

The Table of the Lord is a divinely instituted sign of Jesus’ presence in His body, the Church. When we take the bread and the cup, we are receiving the signs of His glory into our bodies. Though He is already always with us, the Table of the Lord is a place where He makes His glory known in a special way.

The Table of the Lord is the Table of Divine Glory.

The Table of Victory

Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. (Romans 8:37)

In Jesus Christ, we are more than conquerors, even over tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril or sword (Romans 8:35). As John tells us, “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8). That mission was accomplished for us at the cross, though we must each appropriate it for ourselves.

How do we do that? By faith! “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world — our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” (1 John 5:4-5).

The Table of the Lord is an opportunity to exercise faith in Jesus Christ, the faith that overcomes the world. In the bread and the cup, we receive the sign of the victory Jesus has won for us through His body and blood. Having received it by faith, we give thanks.

But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:57)

Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. (2 Corinthians 2:14)

The Greek word for “thanksgiving” is eucharistia. The Table of the Lord is often referred to as the Eucharist because it is a meal of giving thanks to the Lord for the gift of His Son.

The Table of the Lord is a revelation that the works of the devil have been destroyed, and that in all things we are more than conquerors through Jesus Christ. It is the Table of Victory.

The Table of One Thing

One thing I have desired of the LORD,
That will I seek:
That I may dwell in the house of the LORD
All the days of my life,
To behold the beauty of the LORD,
And to inquire in His temple.

(Psalm 27:4)

David was the commander of an army, and he was in a very tight spot—so tight that he knew he would not make it through unless he had faith that he would see the goodness of God manifest for him in the land of the living (Psalm 27:13). Yet there was one thing he knew he needed even more than that; one thing he desired above all, and sought with everything that was in him. “That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in His temple.”

David had one thing on his mind, one thing he desired, but it had these three facets.

• To “dwell” – the Hebrew word yashab means to remain, abide, and even to marry! David wanted to know the presence of the Lord always.
• To “behold” – the Hebrew word chazah means to gaze upon, perceive, contemplate, to have a vision, a revelation of something. What is it that David want to see and know in such a deep way? The beauty of the Lord; to see God in all His grace and glory, His splendor and majesty, His goodness and kindness, how delightful and pleasant He is.
• To “inquire” – the Hebrew word is baqar means to search out and investigate. David wanted to explore God, to know Him more and more.

Think now of when Jesus came to the home of Mary and Martha. Mary sat at His feet, drinking in His words; Martha was “distracted” — the Greek word behind this means to be dragged away — by many things. She complained to Jesus, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her to help me” (Luke 10:40). How did Jesus answer?

Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her. (Luke 10:41-42)

Martha was anxious about many things, and she let them drag her away from fellowship with the Lord Jesus, who was right there in the midst of everything. But Jesus gently directed her focus away from the many distracting things to the one thing that was needed most of all. Mary had chosen that one thing, the “good part,” and He was not about to let that be taken away from her. Indeed, he was implicitly inviting Martha to enjoy that wonderfully necessary time with Him, too.

The Table of the Lord is the Table of One Thing. It is that “good part” that we need most of all — time to dwell with Him, to gaze upon Him in His beauty and grace, and to explore who He is, to know Him more and more and more. It is listening to His voice and beholding the reality of His body given and His blood shed for us. It is inquiring of Him in a most profound way.

Are you burdened and dragged away by many things? Come to the Table of One Thing and contemplate the Lord Jesus Christ. Explore the revelation of His love for you.

The Table of Good Things

For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
The Lord will give grace and glory;
No good thing will He withhold
From those who walk uprightly.

(Psalm 84:11)

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. (James 1:17)

If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! (Matthew 7:11)

He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? (Romans 8:32)

The Table of the Lord is the Table of God’s Son. For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16). Seeing that He has given us His own dearly loved Son to die upon the cross for our sakes, is there any reason to suppose that He will not now freely give us all things? He who is the giver of every good and perfect gift, shall He withhold any good thing from those who are made righteous in Jesus Christ?

In the Table of the Lord, the bread and the cup speak of God’s great love poured out in the body and blood of the Lord Jesus. It tells us of the righteousness that is now ours through faith in Him. It proves that the will of the Father for us is good in every way, to save us, free us, heal us, and restore us to wholeness and right relationship with our loving God. It demonstrates that He will not withhold any good thing from us.

The Table of the Lord is the Table of Good Things, where we may come to ask and receive all that we need in this life. Thanks be to God.

The Table of Covenant Mindfulness

He will ever be mindful of His covenant. (Psalm 111:5)

God is always mindful of the covenant He has made with His people. This speaks of more than just God’s omniscience; it is about intentionality. He keeps His covenant promises continually set before His eyes.

David made a covenant with Jonathan (1 Samuel 18:3). When David became king, he looked around and asked, Now David said, “Is there still anyone who is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan's sake?” (2 Samuel 9:1). He was mindful of the covenant he made with Jonathan.

The Table of the Lord is a table of covenant. When Jesus took the cup and gave it to His disciples, He said, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you” (Luke 22:20). The essence of covenant is exchange. When we, by faith, enter into this covenant with Him, all we have belongs to Him and all He has belongs to us. The cross is where this exchange took place:

• Jesus took our sin upon Himself and gave us His righteousness (Isaiah 53:6; 2 Corinthians 5:21).
• Jesus took our sickness and pains and gave us His healing power (Isaiah 53:4-5).
• Jesus took or chastisement and gave us His peace (Isaiah 53:5).
• Jesus took the curse of the from us and gave us the blessing of Abraham (Galatians 3:13-14).
• Jesus took our poverty and gave us His prosperity and abundance (2 Corinthians 8:9).

Jesus is always mindful of His covenant and He is always presenting it before the Father by the testimony of His blood. When we take of the Table of the Lord, it is a powerful moment for us, also, to be mindful of the covenant He has made with us. The bread and the cup show us the body that was given and the blood that was shed for our benefit. They demonstrate that, in Jesus Christ, we are blessed with all blessing. It is a time to declare, with David,

How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
How great is the sum of them!
If I should count them,
they would be more in number than the sand;
When I awake, I am still with You.

(Psalm 139:17-18)

God is always thinking about the covenant He has made with us in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The Table of the Lord is an opportunity for us to mindful of all He has done for us and all we have in Him. For this reason, it is the Table of Covenant Mindfulness.

The Table of Quieting Love

He will quiet you with His love. (Zephaniah 3:17)

This morning I took the Table of the Lord with this verse, with this line in particular: “He will quiet you with His love.” In context, the prophet is speaking about how the Lord has taken away the judgments that were on us (v. 15); He will not bring them up any more. In another place, the Lord, “For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more” (Jeremiah 31:34). Our sins, and the judgments we deserve, are all removed from us, as far as the east is from he west (Psalm 103:12). Paul put it this way: “There is now therefore no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).

How is it that God takes away the judgments and no longer remembers our sins? We behold the answer whenever we receive the Lord’s Table. The bread reveals to us the body of Jesus, given for us; the cup shows us the blood of Jesus shed on the cross for our sins. All the judgment of God, all His anger on sin and unrighteousness was poured out on Jesus at the cross. Jesus took our condemnation, the death and judgment that rightfully belonged to us. Now it is no longer ours, and God remembers our sins no more.

Nor does He remind us of them. The devil, however, dearly loves to remind us about our past, our failures, our sins. He even makes things up about us and accuses us of them. That is why he is called the “accuser of the brethren” (Revelation 12:10).

God will have none of that. When we do sin, He has provided a way for us to deal with it: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”(1 John 1:9). There is no condemnation on us, though; it has all been laid upon Jesus, and fully dealt with at the cross.

The Table of the Lord is a place where He quiets us with His love, where He silences the voices of the accuser that come and whisper in our ears. Even as we behold the bread and the cup, God Almighty beholds the body and blood of His Son — and that settles the matter! For Jesus was made to be sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21), and that is how God now sees us in Jesus Christ. And that is how the Table of the Lord teaches us to see ourselves — in Him.

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? …

Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:31-39)

The manifestation of God’s love for us in Jesus Christ is overwhelming — deeper, wider, higher than we can imagine. The Table of the Lord is a wonderful opportunity to dive in and explore it, relax into it, find cleansing and healing in it, and let it quiet our hearts before Him.

The Table of Blessing

Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”) that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. (Galatians 3:13-14)

The Lord Jesus Christ went to the cross to deliver us from the curse of the Law. As Isaiah said, “The chastisement for our peace was upon Him” (Isaiah 53:5). He took our chastisement and gave us His peace. Paul said, “He [God] made Him [Christ] who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. He took our sin and gave us His righteousness.

In the same way, Jesus took the curse that belonged to us, bore it in His own body to the cross and nailed it there. He cursed the curse for our sakes, but that is not all. In place of the curse, He made it possible for the blessing of Abraham to come upon us. This is the blessing that belongs, not only to Abraham, but also to all his “seed.”

For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. (Galatians 3:26-29)

What is the blessing? It is the favor and power of God at work in your life.

What does it look like? It is too much to tell in this short space, but there are some wonderful descriptions of what God has planned for His people, all who are the seed of Abraham through faith in Jesus Christ.

• Deuteronomy 28:1-14
• Psalm 1:1-3
• Psalm 103:1-6
• Psalm 112:1-10
• Malachi 3:10-12
• 2 Corinthians 9:8
• 3 John 2

It was at the cross, where Jesus gave His body and shed His blood, that He exchanged the curse that was on us for the all the blessing the comes with being Abraham’s seed. It is at the Table of the Lord that we receive the signs of His body given and His blood shed for us. When we eat the bread and drink from the cup, we are showing the Lord’s death, which has redeemed us from the curse and opened up to us all God promised Father Abraham.

The Table of the Lord is the Table of Blessing.

The Table of Divine Power and Glory

So I have looked for You in the sanctuary,
To see Your power and Your glory.

(Psalm 63:2)

So here I am in the place of worship, eyes open, drinking in your strength and glory.

The Message

This morning, as I took the Table of the Lord, I meditated on this verse. I sought Him in His sanctuary, the holy place, the tabernacle of His the body and blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, symbolized by the bread and the cup. I sought Him also in the tabernacle of my own being, for as believers in Jesus Christ, we are His holy temple (1 Corinthians 1:19; Ephesians 2:21; 1 Peter 2:5). I looked and I saw the Lord Jesus — His life, His power, His glory — within me.

I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Ephesians 3:20)

To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. (Colossians 1:27)

Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. (2 Peter 1:2-4)

“Power” is strength, the ability to do things. The Hebrew word for “glory” is kabod, and literally means “weightiness.” It is used for the value of every good thing. We have the power and glory, the divine ability to accomplish every good thing, at work in us through Jesus Christ.

Come sit at His table. As you partake of the bread and the cup, let it remind you that you partake of the divine nature, the life of Christ now at work in you. For the Table of the Lord is the Table of Divine Power and Glory.

The Table of Covenant Mindfulness

He has given food to those who fear Him;
He will ever be mindful of His covenant.

(Psalm 111:5)

The Table of the Lord is the table of covenant. When Jesus took the cup, He said, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you” (Luke 20:20). If God was mindful of the old covenant He made with Israel, a covenant cut with the blood of animals — how much more mindful will He be of the new covenant which He made in the blood of His holy Son Jesus.

You were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. (1 Peter 1:18-19)

But now we see that Christ “has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises” (Hebrews 8:6).

God will ever be mindful of His covenant. David realized this in Psalm 103, where he wrote:

Bless the Lord, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:
Who forgives all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases,
Who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,
Who satisfies your mouth with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

(Psalm 103:1-5)

These were benefits of the old covenant (see Deuteronomy 28:1-14); the benefits of the new covenant are even greater. God was ever mindful of them in the old, and David instructed his soul to be ever mindful of them, too. How much more is God mindful of the benefits and promises He extends to us in the new!

When we commit ourselves to God, which is what it means to trust in Him, He commits Himself to take care of us in all things. That is the essence of covenant — exchange. We give Him all that we are; He gives us all that He is, and He is ever mindful to do so.

So I come to the Table of the Lord to remember, to be mindful of the covenant God has made with me through the body and blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is ever mindful of it; Jesus is always before Him, as the perfect Lamb that was slain for our sake. In the Table of the Lord, the bread and the cup put us in mind of the same thing. As we partake of this covenant sign, so may we also partake of the covenant benefits, freely and by faith.

The Table of the Lord is the Table of Covenant Mindfulness, both God’s and ours.

(You can listen to the benefits of Deuteronomy 28:1-14 in streaming MP3, in this track called “Choosing Life,” from one of our Healing Scriptures and Prayers CDs.)

The Table of Union

I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. (Ephesians 4:1-6)

The Table of the Lord is the table of His body, and His body is one. At His table, we all eat of the one bread and drink of the one cup. We do not just partake of Him individually, but together as His body. No matter where we are geographically, we all share in communion with Him, and therefore with each other. We have this communion not only with those of His body who still walk this planet, but also with all the saints who have lived since the beginning of the Church. The Table of the Lord is the sign of this unity.

When I was young, I used to see an old cartoon, which featured a number of vignettes. One of those scenes showed a mailman sorting mail. In this cartoon world, this mailman was actually an octopus, busily sorting the mail into a wall full of slots. It was funny enough watching the him going at it with all eight tentacles, but then we were shown that, on the other side of the wall, all the slots emptied into one mail pouch.

Sometimes I think about that at the Table of the Lord. We all take of the bread and the cup, each of us “sorting” it into our own individual mouths — but then, behind the scenes, it all enters into the same body, the body of Christ.

In the passage above, Paul speaks of the unity we have in Christ, and how we shall walk in view of it. We should be humble, gentle and patient with each other, even putting up with each other for the sake of love.

We are to be diligent to hold on to the unity we have in Christ, who is our peace. For we do not create this unity; we receive it through faith in Jesus Christ, who has given His Spirit to each one of us. Our job is simply to live that out. The Message puts it this way: “pouring yourselves out for each other in acts of love, alert at noticing differences and quick at mending fences.”

In his letter to the Philippians, Paul describes this unity, and how to keep it, this way:

Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. (Philippians 2:1-8)

This is the mind of Christ for the body of Christ.

All those who come to faith in Jesus Christ are made one in Him. We are His body. We see this in the Table of the Lord, the Table of Union with Him.

Years ago, I wrote a little song about the Table of the Lord and the unity we have in Him. It’s called “Celebration” and you can listen to it in streaming MP3. It's from our first CD, Walking Barefoot.

The Table of Joy

You will show me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

(Psalm 16:11)

The Table of the Lord is a table of joy because it is the table of His presence, and in His presence is fullness of joy. The Hebrew word for “presence,” panim, refers to the face. God’s presence is His face turned toward us.

Jacob experienced this presence on the night he wrestled with the angel of the Lord and would not let Him go until he received a blessing. That is when his name was changed to Israel He called the name of the place Peniel, “The Face of God.” He said, “For I have seen God face [panim] to face [panim] and my life is preserved” (Genesis 32:30).

Many people fear the presence of the Lord because they think He is out to destroy them. But the truth is that He wants to show them the path of life. Jesus came that we might have life and have it more abundantly (John 10:10). He is the path of the life.

David declared that at the right hand of the Lord there are pleasures forevermore — lasting happiness, delight that never ends. Paul tells us that Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father (Ephesians 1:20), and that we are seated together there in Him (Ephesians 2:6).

Everlasting life and endless joy are found in Jesus Christ. In His presence is fullness of joy, and the Table of the Lord is a sign of His presence, given to us by the Lord Jesus Himself. It is a powerful manifestation of His presence, when we receive it in faith.

When He took the bread, He blessed it and gave it to His disciples, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me” (Luke 22:19). Likewise, He took the cup and said, “This is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you” (Luke 22:20). When we take the bread and the cup, we are receiving the sign of His presence. That is why this table is often called “communion,” because we are together with Him, face to face. And that is pure joy.

The Table of the Lord is the table of joy, the table of His presence. Go to this table often and let Him fill you with His life and joy.

The Table of Abundantly Available Help

God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble.

(Psalm 46:1)

Concerning “a very present help,” the margin of my study Bible notes that it means “an abundantly available help.” In other words, God is always there for us with more than enough help to take care of any and every situation fully and completely. He is our refuge, our strength, and our help in all things.

Today I took the Table of the Lord using this Scripture, because Jesus is not only my refuge and strength, He is my abundantly available help — my provision — in all things. In Him I have more than enough to meet every challenge.

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:31-39)

We are more than conquerors in Jesus Christ. Everything about Him means abundance for us, for He came not only that we might have life, but that we might have it “more abundantly” (John 10:10). In Him the love of God is “shed abroad” (literally, “gushing out”) in our hearts, by the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:11). In Him we receive the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness (Romans 5:17). This grace is more than enough so that we might not only be blessed ourselves but also become a blessing to others.

And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. (2 Corinthians 9:8)

All this we have in Jesus Christ, who poured out the love of God for us by His own body and blood on the Cross.

The Table of the Lord speaks to us of the abundantly available help we have in Jesus Christ.

The Table of Provision

And Abraham called the name of the place, The LORD Will Provide; as it is said to this day, “In the Mount of the LORD it shall be provided.” (Genesis 22:14)

Abraham showed his faith and God stayed his hand from slaying his son Isaac as an offering to the Lord. But a sacrifice was now needed for the burnt offering. “Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son” (Genesis 22:13) So Abraham called that place “The LORD Will Provide,” because God had provided a ram for the need.

The Hebrew word for “provide” is yireh, but the root of that word is ra’ah, which means to see. God saw the need and made “provision” for it (you will notice that even our English word has reference to “vision”). A preacher explained it this way: God saw Abraham and Isaac coming up one side of the mountain, and knowing that there would be a need, He brought the ram up the other side of the mountain as a provision to meet that need.

There is a beautiful picture of redemption here. Just as Abraham would not withhold his son from God, God did not withhold His Son from us. And just as Isaac was redeemed by the ram that died in his place, that ram was a type, or foreshadow, of the One who came to die in our place, for our sins. God saw, from the beginning, that mankind would need a savior to deliver us from the terrible results of Adam’s rebellion, and He provided for that need by sending His own Son. That is why Jesus is called “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8). “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

God is the Provider. Jesus is the provision, and in Him we have everything we need. His Hebrew name is Yeshua, which means “salvation.” It includes forgiveness of sins, reconciliation with the Father, deliverance from danger, freedom from captivity, spiritual and physical healing, restoration, preservation and the provision for every need.

David declared, “O LORD, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup” (Psalm 16:5). Jesus is our portion, our provision, the One who fills our cup. And again, “I will take up the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD” (Psalm 116:13). Jesus is the cup of our salvation—the Hebrew word for “salvation” here is yeshuah — and we can call upon Him to take care of us in every way.

This morning I took the Table of the Lord with this name in mind as I contemplated the bread and the cup: The LORD My Provider. I continually have needs, but God is continually my provider, and Jesus is continually my provision. As Paul said, “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:32).

The LORD Will Provide! He has seen our needs, and in Jesus Christ, He freely gives us all things. Lay hold of that provision at the Table of the Lord.

The Table of His Faithfulness

Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. (Psalm 37:3)

Dwelling and feeding — they go together. Many people do not take the time to dwell, so they miss out on the feeding. We live in a fast-food nation, and many Christians are looking for a “microwavable spirituality,” something they can heat up in a minute or two. We need more of a “Paris” mentality, because the French know something about taking the time to really enjoy a meal.

We need to learn how to take time for our relationship with God. That is the real value of spiritual disciplines. If they are nothing more than items to check off our list of “spiritual activities” then they are pretty worthless. Their real value lies in helping us to make room to be with God, to hear Him and fellowship with Him. When we learn to do that, it will not be like “popping in” for a visit. We will find that, when we have to turn our attention to other matters, we will still be dwelling with Him, for we will be more aware of His presence at every moment of life. We will be feeding on His faithfulness.

Various translations of this phrase, “feed on His faithfulness,” include:

• “Enjoy faithfulness.” (Young’s Literal Translation)
• “Cherish faithfulness.” (Jewish Publication Society)
• “Befriend faithfulness.” (English Standard Version)

The Hebrew verb those words render actually has to do with shepherding. It is the word ra’ah, which means to pasture, graze, feed, or tend. We “feed” on His faithfulness, for He is a faithful shepherd, as we see in the Psalm 23, the “Shepherd Psalm.”

At the Table of the Lord, we see Jesus, the Good Shepherd who “gives His life for the sheep” (John 10:11). He Himself is the door for the sheep, who guards the fold and keeps out intruders. He watches over the sheep in their coming and going.

I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. (John 10:9)

The NIV renders Psalm 37:3, “Dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.” Our Shepherd is always there, guiding and providing for us. He who laid down His life for us — is there anything He will withhold from us?

Then Jesus said to them again, "Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep … My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand. (John 10:7-15, 27-29)

The Table of the Lord is a wonderful place to feed on the faithfulness of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd. Come to this table often to luxuriate in His love and soak in His presence. Then as you go, you will know that He is with you always in all the paths you must travel.

Romans 8:31-39 is another great passage to feed on concerning His faithfulness toward all those who trust in Him.

The Table of Divine Judgment

For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup,
And the wine is red;
It is fully mixed, and He pours it out;
Surely its dregs shall all the wicked of the earth
Drain and drink down.

(Psalm 75:8)

Calling the Table of the Lord the Table of Divine Judgment sounds pretty ominous and fearful, as does this verse. And yet, the Lord’s Table does indeed represent a divine judgment that has taken place. For at the cross, the full measure of God’s judgment rained down on the Lord Jesus Christ as He gave His body and shed His blood on our behalf. And now, for all who receive Him, the judgment He willingly suffered at Calvary is counted as ours. It is no longer necessary for us to bear it, because Jesus endured it in our place.

The apostle Paul put it this way, “He [God] made Him [Jesus] who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). That is, Jesus took our sin upon Himself, and we are not just given His righteousness, but we are made the righteousness of God in Him. We are also accepted by God in Him — “accepted in the Beloved” is how Paul says it (Ephesians 1:6). And “there is now therefore no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:1).

The judgment of God has now become a very good thing for us. For it is the nature of judgment to come and set things right, to bring justice where injustice has been done. Because Jesus took our sins to the cross, we are now judged to be righteous through faith in Him. So now the judgment falls on all those things that are our enemies: sin, sickness, demonic strongholds, poverty, even death. They cannot stay on us because they do not belong on us. Even death, which is called “the last enemy,” has been defeated by the cross and the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, the assurance that we shall likewise be raised (1 Corinthians 15).

When we take the Table of the Lord, we are recalling that divine judgment fell on Jesus Christ for our sakes, and that we receive His righteousness, and therefore all the blessings and provisions that belong to the righteous. We no longer need to fear the judgment of God, because Jesus drank that cup for us, and now the divine judgment is to our benefit. We just need to stay close to Jesus, and one of the best ways to do that is to meet Him often at the Table of the Lord.

The Table of the LORD: Let God Arise

Let God arise,
Let His enemies be scattered;
Let those who hate Him flee before Him.
As smoke is driven away,
So drive them away;
As wax melts before the fire,
So let the wicked perish at the presence of God.
But let the righteous be glad;
Let them rejoice before God;
Yes, let them rejoice exceedingly.

(Psalm 68:1-3)

When God arises, His enemies scatter. And when He has made a covenant with us, His enemies become our enemies, and our enemies become His. So there is great rejoicing — lightheartedness, gleefulness, cheerfulness, blithesomeness, gladness, and even triumphing and jumping for joy — among His people. This psalm of David is a celebration of God’s victory on our behalf.

The New Testament people of God have a celebration as well — the Table of the Lord. For it is here that we receive the cup of the new covenant which was cut in the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, and it is here that we lay hold of the benefits of His body given for us. It is the continuing sign that God has arisen on our behalf, and has scattered our enemies. As John observed, “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8). In Jesus Christ, the works of the devil have been destroyed on our behalf. The bread and cup of the Lord’s Supper is our song of rejoicing.

David details some of the practical benefits of this victory:

• The LORD is to us the father of the fatherless, and the defender of widows (v. 5).
• The LORD sets the solitary in families (v. 6).
• The LORD brings out the bound into prosperity (v. 6).
• The LORD goes out before His people, leading us, even through the wilderness (v. 7).
• The LORD sends us plentiful rain, whereby He confirms our inheritance when we are weary (v. 9).
• The LORD has made this inheritance our dwelling place (v. 10).
• The LORD provides for the poor out of His goodness (v. 10).

The blessings are so plentiful that David declares,

Blessed be the Lord,
Who daily loads us with benefits.
The God of our salvation.

(Psalm 68:19)

The Hebrew word for “salvation” here is yeshuah, which in name form is Yeshua, the Hebrew name of Jesus. Truly it is in Him that we have all these blessings. For He was anointed by the Spirit of God to preach good news to the poor, heal the brokenhearted, proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, and proclaim the year of God’s favor (Luke 4:18-19).

This psalm begins with a note of triumph, “Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered,” and only gets better, for it ends with the sure prosperity and protection of His own: “The God of Israel is He who gives strength and power to His people” (v. 35)

The Lord Jesus Christ has arisen on our behalf to scatter the enemy and destroy all the works of the devil. And now the God of our salvation, our Yeshua, daily loads us with His benefits. The Table of the Lord is the perfect place to lay hold of all these provisions, to celebrate the victory with Him, even to jump for joy and dance with abandon in care-free celebration.

The Table of Abundance and Satisfaction

How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God!
Therefore the children of men put their trust
  under the shadow of Your wings.
They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house,
And You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures.
For with You is the fountain of life;
In Your light we see light.

(Psalm 36:7-9)

Here is a table prepared before us in the presence of our enemies. David knows that the wicked are around. That is what the first part of this psalm is about (Psalm 36:1-4).

The wicked are the ones who have no fear of God before their eyes. That is, they do not recognize how mighty and majestic God is and stand in awe of Him. Their eyes are too full of themselves to see the holiness of God, so they are unaware of their depravity. They fill their mouths with wickedness and deceit, and are always plotting trouble, never seeking what is good, never detesting what is evil.

David is well aware of their presence, but he is not troubled one bit because he is aware of a much greater Presence. He has filled his eyes, his mouth, his heart and his thoughts with the goodness of God:

Your mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens;
Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.
Your righteousness is like the great mountains;
Your judgments are a great deep;
O LORD, You preserve man and beast.

(Psalm 36:5-6)

This leads him to the lovingkindness of the Lord — the chesed (Hebrew), the steadfast love of Yahweh, by which He entered into covenant with His people. It is the love with which He has promised to always love us and take care of us. It is the same agape love (Greek) which He showed to us in Jesus Christ: “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

It is in this love that we can trust and find protection under the shadow of His wings. It is by this love that He offers us full access to His house and all its provision. It is this love that prepares a table before us where we can be abundantly satisfied, drinking from the river of His pleasures — the luxuries and delights of God! His love is a fountain of life. That is why Jesus came, that we might have life, and that we might have it more abundantly (John 10:10). “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men” (John 1:4). It is by this love and this light that we can truly see and understand what life is about.

The Table of Abundance and Satisfaction is not just for when we die and go to heaven. It if for us right here and right now, even in the presence of our enemies. Even now we can drink from the river of the pleasures of God, to enjoy, not only His protection and provision, but even His delicacies and delights. It is all portrayed for us, even presented to us, in the Table of the Lord. For there we see Jesus, the love of God manifested in the body given and the blood shed for us. Everything we need — salvation, forgiveness, freedom from captivity, healing, provision, even prosperity — is found in the new covenant made in Jesus’ blood, and can be laid hold of at this Table.

It is here that the petition of David finds fulfillment for us, who have been made the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ:

Oh, continue Your lovingkindness to those who know You,
And Your righteousness to the upright in heart.

(Psalm 36:10)

The Table of the Lord is the Table of Abundance and Satisfaction of every need and godly desire you could ever have. When the enemy shows himself and adverse circumstances press in around you, that is a good time to go this Table and drink from the might river of God.