The Banqueting Table, Part I

Isaiah 55:1-2 - Invitation to the Lord’s Salvation

1 “Is anyone thirsty?  Come and drink— even if you have no money!  Come, take your choice of wine or milk— it’s all free! 2 Why spend your money on food that does not give you strength?  Why pay for food that does you no good?  Listen to me, and you will eat what is good.  You will enjoy the finest food. 

Psalm 34:8

8 Taste and see that the Lordis good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!  

Spiritual Food Groups?!

• Dairy

1 Peter 2:2 Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment,3now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness. 

• Proteins

Hebrews 5:13 For someone who lives on milk is still an infant and doesn’t know how to do what is right.14Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong.[Line Break]

• Grains

John 6:30  They answered, “Show us a miraculous sign if you want us tobelieve in you. What can you do? 31 After all, our ancestors ate manna while they journeyed through the wilderness! The Scriptures say, ‘Moses gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”

32 Jesus said,“I tell you the truth, Moses didn’t give you bread from heaven. My Father did. And now he offers you the true bread from heaven.33 The true bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

34 “Sir,” they said, “give us that bread every day.”

35 Jesus replied,“I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. 36 But you haven’t believed in me even though you have seen me. 37 However, those the Father has given me will come to me, and I will never reject them. 38 For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do my own will. 39 And this is the will of God, that I should not lose even one of all those he has given me, but that I should raise them up at the last day. 40 For it is my Father’s will that all who see his Son and believe in him should have eternal life. I will raise them up at the last day.”

• Vegetables

Proverbs 15:17 A bowl of vegetables with someone you love is better than steak with someone you hate. 

(Okay, so this one doesn’t have a Biblical application like the others, but a parallel idea here is that much as vegetables supply important nutrients, so do our relationships with others in Christ nourish and sustain us)

• Fruits

Galatians 5:22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! 

• Salt

Mark 9:50 Salt is good for seasoning. But if it loses its flavor, how do you make it salty again? You must have the qualities of salt among yourselves and live in peace with each other.” 

• Water

Luke 7:37 On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds,“Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! 38 Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’”  39 (When he said “living water,” he was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in him. But the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet entered into his glory.)

Seven Characteristics of a Good Father

A good Father provides for His children.

• Matthew 7:9-11 “You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? 10 Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! 11 So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him."

A good Father protects His children.

• Psalm 121:1-8 I look up to the mountains— does my help come from there? 2 My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth! 3 He will not let you stumble; the one who watches over you will not slumber. 4 Indeed, he who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleeps. 5 The Lord himself watches over you!  The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade. 6 The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon at night.  7 The Lord keeps you from all harm and watches over your life. 8 The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever.

A good Father instructs and imparts wisdom to His children.

• 1 John 2:7 But you have received the Holy Spirit, and he lives within you, so you don’t need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know, and what he teaches is true—it is not a lie. So just as he has taught you, remain in fellowship with Christ.

• Proverbs 2:1-11 My child, listen to what I say, and treasure my commands. 2 Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding. 3 Cry out for insight, and ask for understanding. 4 Search for them as you would for silver; seek them like hidden treasures.  5 Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord, and you will gain knowledge of God. 6 For the Lord grants wisdom! From his mouth come knowledge and understanding. 7 He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest. He is a shield to those who walk with integrity. 8 He guards the paths of the just and protects those who are faithful to him. 9 Then you will understand what is right, just, and fair, and you will find the right way to go. 10 For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will fill you with joy. 11 Wise choices will watch over you. Understanding will keep you safe.

A good Father disciplines His children.

• Hebrews 12:5-11 "And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as his children? He said, “My child, don’t make light of the Lord’s discipline, and don’t give up when he corrects you.  6 For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.” 7 As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father? 8 If God doesn’t discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children at all. 9 Since we respected our earthly fathers who disciplined us, shouldn’t we submit even more to the discipline of the Father of our spirits, and live forever? 10 For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness. 11 No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.

A good Father is tender and compassionate with His children.

• Psalm 103:13 "The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him."

A good Father delights in His children.

• Zephaniah 3:17 He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears.  He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.

A good Father blesses His children.

• Psalm 67:1 May God be merciful and bless us.  May his face smile with favor on us.

ALL OF THESE CHARACTERISTICS ARE ROOTED IN ONE QUALITY

A good Father deeply and unconditionally loves His children.

• John 3:16 “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

• Ephesians 3:18 "And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is."

Pentecost Sunday

Genesis 2:7

• Man formed out of dust - lifeless.

• God breathed "the breath of life" into his nostrils.

• God's breath brings new life.

Ezekiel 37:-15

• The dry bones represent Israel, and the return from exile & restoration of hope.

• God's breath brings fresh life. CPR.  Resurrection and revival.  Second wind.

John 15:26,16:5-15

• "I will send you the Advocate"  (Paraclete in Greek -- Comforter, Encourager, Counselor)

• The Spirit of truth.

John 20:22

• "Receive the Holy Spirit..."

• Jesus prepared his disciples for the impartation of the Holy Spirit by breathing on them.

• John 1:4 - "In Him was life..."

• Just as God gave life to the old creation with His breath, so Jesus gave life to the new creation with His.

pneúma (from Strong's)

4151 pneúma – properly, spirit (Spirit), wind, or breath. The most frequent meaning (translation) of 4151 (pneúma) in the NT is "spirit" ("Spirit"). Only the context however determines which sense(s) is meant.

[Any of the above renderings (spirit-Spirit, wind, breath) of 4151 (pneúma) is always theoretically possible (spirit, Spirit, wind, breath). But when the attributive adjective ("holy") is used, it always refers to the Holy Spirit. "Spirit" ("spirit") is by far the most common translation (application) of 4151 (pneúma).

The Hebrew counterpart (rûach) has the same range of meaning as 4151 (pneúma), i.e. it likewise can refer to spirit/Spirit, wind, or breath.]

Acts 1

• "He is Risen... Now What?" message - 40 days between resurrection and ascension.

• Jesus promised baptism of the Holy Spirit, resulting in power (among else.)

• About 120 believers together.  Another disciple, Mathias, was chosen to replace Judas.

Acts 2

• Pentecost was originally one of the feast days, 50 days after Passover, also called 'Feast of Firstfruits'.

• The coming of the Holy Spirit sounded like "the roaring of a mighty windstorm".

• Like breath, infusion of life.

• The disciples were the literal firstfruits of what was to come.

Conclusion

Today is Pentecost Sunday, and we commemorate that He gave us His Holy Spirit, that we are here today because He first breathed life into us, and that He constantly revives, renews, and refreshes us.

Just Keep Swimming!

As related by John Cochran:

"It was a fog-shrouded morning, July 4, 1952, when a young woman named Florence Chadwick waded into the water off Catalina Island. She intended to swim the channel from the island to the California coast. Long-distance swimming was not new to her; she had been the first woman to swim the English Channel in both directions.

"The water was numbing cold that day. The fog was so thick she could hardly see the boats in her party. Several times sharks had to be driven away with rifle fire. She swam more than 15 hours before she asked to be taken out of the water. Her trainer tried to encourage her to swim on since they were so close to land, but when Florence looked, all she saw was fog. So she quit. . . only one-mile from her goal.

"Later she said, “I’m not excusing myself, but if I could have seen the land I might have made it.” It wasn’t the cold or fear or exhaustion that caused Florence Chadwick to fail. It was the fog."

Beginnings are exciting. There is nothing quite like the first day of school, of that first day on the job, of those first flushes of love, or of those first cries of a newborn baby. Remember those first days when you received Christ, and you were ON FIRE. Remember times when the hand of God was clearly at work in your life, orchestrating situations in ways that were undeniably divine…. In all of these things, at the beginning of each season, there is a sense of excitement, of enthusiasm, of vision. The world, we feel, is our for the taking.

Conversely, we also remember the endings in our lives, good and bad. The last day of school. Graduation. Leaving home. Break ups. Job transitions. Moving. Goodbyes. Deaths.

We can remember many beginnings. We can recall many endings. But most of life is lived in the middle, on the long road between the two. Yet nobody ever really remembers those mundane middles. In fact, in most stories, sandwiched between the "Once upon a time…" and the "And they lived happily ever after…" lies the middle of the story, the place where conflict is introduced, the main characters are challenged or hindered in their journey. But, then again, no good story can be sustained by the initial start of the story. It is the conflicts, challenges, and even setbacks that create the dramatic tension that drives the plot, and character, forward… and it is the HOPE of reaching a goal that keeps them moving ever forward in the face of doubt and discouragement. And along the way toward the conclusion of any given story, subplots and side stories are also conveyed in a similar fashion. Many times, authors write their books in such a way as to make each chapter answer some questions from previous chapters, while raising more; or resolving some minor conflict even while introducing yet another. That's part of the reason we find ourselves 'hooked' into a good television series.

We start off at 10,000 feet, and expect that's where we'll stay. Is it any wonder, then, when we find ourselves struggling with discouragement and disillusionment at points along those long, dusty roads between the vision and the fulfillment? Is it any wonder that, like Florence Chadwick, when we find ourselves in the fog, we begin to lose our bearings?

Verses on Perseverance in the Middle of the Journey

• Hebrews 12:1-4 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. 3 Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up. 4 After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin.

• Hebrews 12:12-13 So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees. 13 Mark out a straight path for your feet so that those who are weak and lame will not fall but become strong.

• Philippians 3:12-14 I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. 13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

• Galatians 6:9 So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.

• Isaiah 40:28-31 The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. 29 He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. 30 Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. 31 But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.

• Matthew 11:28-30 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

If you're in the fog this morning, or if you feel like you've already signaled the boats, and have given up, don't despair. Don't feel like you've blown your opportunity. Don't dwell on the failed beginning, or the seemingly lost ending.

As John Cochran's story concludes, "Two months after her failure, Florence Chadwick walked off the same beach into the same channel and swam the distance, setting a new speed record, because she could see the land."

Press on toward the goal, and keep swimming!