Ever run a marathon or made a major physical effort?
When you finish a marathon you become desperate for a drink and a meal and indeed while you are running you mind is often going ahead of you that the banquet ahead of you is worth finishing the race for.
I remember once walking about 15 miles on the roads of the North Island one day when I was travelling as a hitch hiker. There was more hiking than hitching I guess on that day. I was very, very, hungry and went into a milk bar and ordered a good old fashioned mince pie and a milkshake. This didn’t quite satisfy me and so I ordered the same again – five times. By the time I was getting into about the fourth pie people were looking through the curtain at the back of the shop to see this apparently unbelievable event. Hard effort and hard times will whet our appetite for a banquet.
Here in psalm 23 I have to say something that is probably pretty obvious.
Verse 5 follows verse 4. And so it proved in King David’s life. David had been a refugee hunted down by the crack troops of King Saul – Normally such a person would be hunted down and killed but David survived and his former persecuters either died or joined in with his army. God literally prepared a banquet for David in the presence of his enemies.
In Ecclesiastes we read 3:1 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.
In a way, what we are looking at here is a Godly banquet or celebration a time of resting in all that God has done and replenishing oneself for the way ahead.
This morning I would like to look at what is needed to really enjoy the blessings and the abundant times that God wants to bestow upon us.
How to dine well.
Firstly, In order to dine well with God you need to have journeyed well. A great banquet with God will mean that you have journeyed faithfully with him. Thomas Merton said, “The biggest human temptation is to settle for too little.”
In the book of Esther there is a banquet and The King and Queen Esther invite Mordecai and Haman to the banquet – Mordecai has been very faithful to the King and has saved the Kings life when there was a plot against him. Haman had plotted against Mordecai and was determined to have him murdered. At the banquet his evil plot was disclosed and what Haman had been doing ended up in his death. For Mordecai the faithful servant he enjoyed his banquet with the King because of his faithfulness – Haman certainly did not.
For us to enjoy God’s banquet we need to have journeyed well.
To journey well is not just to have an absence of serious sin in our lives it is to have the evidence of God working in what we are working at. We truly need to have been walking in the footsteps of the Master.
An illustration from the life of Sadhu Sundar singh.
A slight incident at Kotgarh, when we were with
him, may be given as an illustration; for it reveals
the source of that inner life which was "hid with
Christ in God."
He got up one night from prayer and was prepar-
ing to go out alone. When questioned why he was
starting out so late at night, he replied that he had
heard the call of someone from the valley below who
was needing his immediate help. Those who were
sleeping by his side implored him to wait until the
early dawn and not to risk the dangers of the forest
throughout the night. But the Sadhu insisted on
starting at that very moment* After a few days'
absence, he returned. The person he had gone to
seek had been very seriously ill and had greatly
needed his assistance.
This sudden call by the Spirit within him, com-
muning with his own spirit during a night of silent
prayer, was in keeping with Sundar Singh's whole life
as a Christian} and his immediate obedience without
fear was of the same character. Such things as these
illuminate with a fullness of new meaning the great
words of the Apostle: "For as many as are led by
The Spirit of God, they are the sons of God."
This kind of close connection with God means that when you come to the banqueting stage of your life there is a sense of quiet satisfaction and continuity of your walk with God.
One illustration would be when you have played a hard game of Netball or Rugby.
Afterwards in the dressing sheds there is a special kind of companionship between the players as they have all contributed to the victory.
Conversely, it isn’t that pleasant sitting there when you are the one who won the game for the opposition because you missed a goal or a tackle.
Secondly: God’s table is a table of righteousness repentance. To sit at God’s table is to be a guest who is pure, Holy and righteous.
But the Bible says there is none righteous not one.
Well how then can we sit at the Lord’s table if no-one is righteous and yet we know that God’s table is for the righteous?
The answer is quite simply that God’s table is not for the perfect but for the forgiven.
But being in a position of grace is dependant on our response to God’s offer of salvation.
Matt 22:2-14; Lk 14:16-24
Matt 22:2-14 "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a certain king, who made a marriage feast for his son, and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the marriage feast, but they would not come. Again he sent out other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, "Behold, I have made ready my dinner. My oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the marriage feast!"‘ But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his merchandise, and the rest grabbed his servants, and treated them shamefully, and killed them. When the king heard that, he was angry, and he sent his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. "Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited weren’t worthy. Go therefore to the intersections of the highways, and as many as you may find, invite to the marriage feast.’ Those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together as many as they found, both bad and good. The wedding was filled with guests. But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man who didn’t have on wedding clothing, and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here not wearing wedding clothing?’ He was speechless. Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and throw him into the outer darkness; there is where the weeping and grinding of teeth will be.’ For many are called, but few chosen."
He prepares a table for me in the presence of my enemies. Who are the enemies of God – Those who want to continue in the way of the world!!!!!!
So it isn’t just that God prepares a table for us it is how we are dressed and how we are dressed will indicate just whose side that we are on.
But what are these wedding clothes? They are the expressions of our faith. The Bible often associates them with Christian behaviors and attitudes.
Ro 13:14 Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.
Col 3:12 Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
1Pe 5:5 Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.
How you are clothed in terms of righteousness in Christ is important….
Nicky Gumbel, the British pastor associated with the Alpha course, tells about a woman in the neighbourhood of his London, England church. The kind of woman we would call a bag lady. Lets say her name is Tilda.
Imagine an older woman with graying hair. Some of it is greasily plastered to her head; some of it is sticking out at odd angles. Layers of ragged clothes hang on her body. She distinctly smells as she shuffles along lugging her cart. She sleeps outside somewhere under some makeshift shelter, eating what she can scrounge.
Now this Tilda was actually a particularly nasty brand of bag lady. She not only begged for money persistently, but if she thought you gave too little, she would revile you. Yell at you. Call you names! Tilda was not into making friends for herself
When Tilda died, Nickys church was approached to have a funeral for her. Nicky was asked to lead it, and he thought: No problem. Who is going to be there, after all? But his Senior Pastor said, ÒBe prepared for the church to fill up at this funeral. Surprised, Nicky asked, What do you mean? To Nickys amazement, the Senior Pastor explained that Tilda was actually a very, very wealthy woman. She owned several houses, famous paintings, and even various hotels.
And, in fact, at her funeral the church filled up with rich and famous people: dignitaries, bankers, politicians, and ladies decked out in jewels and furs. Yet Tilda had lived out her life as a dirty, begging, bag lady.
Tilda was a person with a severe identity problem! We look at her and say, Why in the world would you DO that? Who would choose a grubby life of hunger and poverty and pain and humiliation over what she rightfully owned?
We live in a world filled with people with severe identity problems.
God has prepared a banquet for them and they are free to dine on the richest of fare – God prepares a table for them in the presence of their enemies.
But you know what many choose not to join the banquet – some pretend that they have joined but are not clothed in the righteousness of Christ. I spoke to a man this week who made it clear that although he was in the church that he wanted nothing to do with the banquet that Christ has prepared for him
The bible says that God will throw him out where there will be a gnashing of teeth.
Thirdly:God’s blessings are not temporary they are permanent even when we are surrounded by our enemies.
Someone said – Notice that God does not give us a picnic table a picnic is just temporary It isn’t a Mac Donalds hamburger you get at the take away window or a pack of fish and chips it is a banqueting table you don’t eat alone it is a feast with others.
Yet we are told that we eat this meal in the presence of our enemies even while they are lurking at our door.
Now, generally we would say that we don’t have enemies we would want to say I am a good person so I don’t have any enemies but that is of course wrong. Christ was friends with god and therefore automatically had enemies even thought he was the kindest most righteousness person who has ever lived.
As Charles Spurgeon says -the good man has his enemies. He would not be like his Lord if he had not. If we were without enemies we might fear that we were not the friends of God, for the friendship of the world is enmity to God. Yet see the quietude of the godly man in spite of, and in the sight of, his enemies. How refreshing is his calm bravery! "Thou preparest a table before me." When a soldier is in the presence of his enemies, if he eats at all he snatches a hasty meal, and away he hastens to the fight. But observe: "Thou preparest a table," just as a servant does when she unfolds the damask cloth and displays the ornaments of the feast on an ordinary peaceful occasion. Nothing is hurried, there is no confusion, no disturbance, the enemy is at the door, and yet God prepares a table, and the Christian sits down and eats as if everything were in perfect peace. Oh! the peace which Jehovah gives to his people, even in the midst of the most trying circumstances!
God’s blessings are bestowed on the believer permanently – The situation does not detract from the blessing.
.Matthew Henry says: The Lord's people feast at his table, upon the provisions of his love. Satan and wicked men are not able to destroy their comforts, while they are anointed with the Holy Spirit, and drink of the cup of salvation which is ever full.
Jesus is at the Passover meal – he is surrounded by those he loves and at the passover meal – a meal that celebrates how God passed over the Israelites when he was punishing the Egyptians – at that meal Jesus is enjoying the meal with his disciples.
His enemies not only are plotting against him his enemy Judas is sharing the meal with him.
God prepares a table for Jesus in the present of his enemies represented by Judas.
What do we find on the table?
We find bread and we find wine.
As it says in 1 Corinthians chapter 11 23 For this is what the Lord himself has said about his Table, and I have passed it on to you before: That on the night when Judas betrayed him, the Lord Jesus took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks to God for it, he broke it and gave it to his disciples and said, “Take this and eat it. This is my body, which is given[e] for you. Do this to remember me.” 25 In the same way, he took the cup of wine after supper, saying, “This cup is the new agreement between God and you that has been established and set in motion by my blood. Do this in remembrance of me whenever you drink it.” 26 For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup you are retelling the message of the Lord’s death, that he has died for you. Do this until he comes again.
Let us go back to our passage – You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
For the Christian the table God has prepared for them is very important. If we are very sincere in our commitment to Christ and our following of him our enemies, ( the world cannot harm us.) You see the sacrifice Christ made of his body and his blood were for forgiveness for our sins. So when we are celebrating communion joining at God’s banquet we are in fact declaring that the world has no power over us.
What does that mean? Nothing that the world might throw at us – nothing that our enemies might throw at us ultimately can harm us. Because the banqueting table that God has bought us to is permanent. You might protest and say what about those who suffer and die? Then I encourage you to read some of the passages that expose what eternity with God is like!!!
The Prophet Isaiah can say Isaiah 35:10
and those the LORD has rescued will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.
And we read in Revelation 21 verse 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death' or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."
So we can take comfort in all our situations because God’s blessings are not temporary they are permanent even when we are surrounded by our enemies. No-one can take that blessing away from us it is permanent.
Firstly, In order to dine well with God you need to have journeyed well.
Secondly: God’s blessings are not temporary they are permanent even when we are surrounded by our enemies.
Thirdly God’s table is a table of righteousness repentance. To sit at God’s table is to be a guest who is pure, Holy and righteous.
