The Last Supper - The Promise Of God's Peace Series

Text: Luke 22:v7-23

Title: The promise of God’s peace

Introduction

Today we begin a sermon series titled “Postcards from Jesus.” It’s an Easter series where we visit 4 places connected with the Easter story.

Today we want to visit the upper room – the place of the last supper

Next week we want to visit the Garden of Gethsemane- the place of Jesus’ arrest

The third week we want to visit the Cross – the place of Jesus’ death

The fourth week we want to visit the Tomb – the place of Jesus’ resurrection

As we visit these 4 places we will see a theme that connects all 4 places together; that theme is God’s peace.

The upper room is the place where we see the promise of God’s peace

The Garden of Gethsemane is the place where we see the price of God’s peace

The Cross is the place where we see the place of God’s peace

The Tomb is the place where we see the power of God’s peace.

Today we want to visit the upper room which is the place of Lord’s Supper to see the promise of God’s peace. (Lk. 22:7-23)

Notice the day that Jesus visited the upper room.

“On the day of unleavened bread, the day on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed.” (v7)

Jesus visited the upper room to celebrate with his disciples a special event in Israel’s history. He went to celebrate a time when God brought peace to the nation of Israel.

“Celebrate the feast of unleavened bread, because it was on this very day that I brought your divisions out of Egypt. Celebrate this day as a lasting

ordinance for the generations to come.” (Ex. 12:17)

For the disciples visiting the upper room was meant to be a place where they could look back to a time where God delivered on His promise to bring peace.

But for Jesus it was also a time to look forward to God again delivering on His promise to again bring peace. A promise that God had given the world the night Jesus was born.

“Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.” (Lk. 2:14)

How does Jesus transition from something that represented peace in the past to peace in the future?

He does so by giving a whole new meaning to the bread and the cup.

(v19) And he took the bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them saying, “This is my body given to you, do this in memory of me.”

The bread has now become his body.

Earlier Jesus had said to his disciples “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.” (John 6:35)

Jesus is not only the promiser of God’s peace Jesus is also the provider of God’s peace.

Jesus next takes the cup and says;

“This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you. (for the forgiveness of sins)”

Jesus is more direct about the promise of God’s peace when he takes the cup. He says that it is by His blood that we have peace with God.

“But now in Christ Jesus you who were once far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace.” (Eph. 2:13-14)

You and I can receive the promise of God’s peace today.

“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5:1)