Holy Meals

HOLY MEALS

Exodus 24:1-11, I Cor. 10:31

About ten miles outside of Kiev, Ukraine, is an Outdoor Museum called Peregova Village.  There, on several hundred acres, Ukrainian artisans have transplanted seven actual villages from about 150 years ago.  They have reconstructed homes, barns, pig-pens, windmills, fences, churches and schools, replicating life from that earlier time. 

The homes had an especially interesting feature in the “great-room”.  Around the large table in the great room everyone gathered for the evening meal.  The seat of honor was reserved for the Father who sat in under the so-called “Beautiful Corner”.  The wall and ceiling above the beautiful corner were decorated with Icons – pictures of Jesus, Mary and the Saints.  The Father sat there “under God”, under the Savior, under heaven.  Then he opened his Bible and explained it to his family. 

I am certainly not advocating the use of icons, but the picture I see here is impressive – a Godly Father leading his family in worship and instructing them in scripture.  This was a HOLY MEAL, resembling the meal we see in Exodus 24.  From this text we may teach that:

OUR ORDINARY MEALS SHOULD RESEMBLE THIS HOLY MEAL

God was present at the meal in Exodus. (Read vs. 11b)  Therefore, this was a Holy Meal.

We always begin our ordinary meals asking God to be present.  He is.  Therefore all our meals are

 something like this Holy Meal on the mountain.

Sad Facts:  70 years of Atheistic communism devastated this Ukrainian tradition

American culture is almost as bad – only 30% of American families have any meals together

Worship feature of meals is missing in both cultures and around the world.

Biblical Reality: Exodus 24 HOLY MEAL - precedent for festivals of Passover, Pentecost, Tabernacles.

These feasts are precedents for our LORD’S SUPPER/COMMUNION.

All of these festivities point to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, Rev 19:6-9

All our Ordinary Meals point to this final glorious meal with our Savior, our Glorious bridegroom.

I. GOD IS HERE IN HIS GLORY (“CORAM DEO” before face of God)

       v. 10 …pavement of sapphire, clear as the sky” resplendent majesty in this physical reality      

Today we do not have this physical resemblance of Heaven and of God Himself. GoCovenant

     But we have His promises  as context of the 10 Commandments, vs 7 “Book of the Covenant”

From these WORDS the glory and majesty of God radiates into our hearts and souls.

As the Elders saw God making Covenant with them as they ate, so Disciples saw Jesus making covenant with them as He ate the bread and drank the wine – Lk. 24:22, Acts 10:41

Illustration: About 20 years ago my wife and I were invited to dinner with Alabama governor Guy Hunt.  We shined our shoes, combed our hair, put on our best clothes and got there on time.  We minded our manners and enjoyed a delightful visit with this important man. Then he gave me a document making me a Colonel in the Alabama militia.  Thus he gave us something of his own glory.  So with God.

Parents: Lift your children up before God in your prayer over the meal, bring Him down to the meal.

            He gives you something of His own glory. 

OUR ORDINARY MEALS SHOULD RESEMBLE THE HOLY MEAL ON THE MOUNTAIN

II. JESUS IS HERE IN HIS LOVE

Question: Where do you see Jesus in this Old Testament text?

Answer:  In v 5, Burnt Sacrifices always indicate the presence of Jesus

§        Where there are blood sacrifices, there is Jesus, dying on cross

Isaiah 40:10-11 Sovereign power of vs 10 is linked to tenderest care of vs 11.

§         Both His power and tender care are evident in His death on the Cross

§         Through his Cross he gave us forgiveness and created forgiving community, church.

§         This is our greatest personal need – forgiveness of sin.

§         This is greatest personal need of world – wars because people can’t confess or forgive.

Illustration: When he was 8, son asked why everything was so quiet at our supper table.  I wanted to lie but the Lord gave me the grace to confess that his mother and I had been quarreling - so everything was quiet.  We met each other in the middle of the floor and forgave each other.  Jesus was there enabling us.

By his death on the Cross, Jesus created forgiving communities – families, churches, nations that know how to confess and forgive.

OUR ORDINARY MEALS SHOULD RESEMBLE THIS HOLY MEAL ON THE MOUNTAIN

III. THE HOLY SPIRIT IS HERE IN HIS POWER

Question: Where is the Holy Spirit in this Old Testament Text?

Answer:  v. 6 & 8 “sprinkled” = “applied”.   The Holy Spirit is the one who “applies” redemption.

The Holy Spirit is the personal Agent of the God-head who

(1) Applies redemption, and

(2) Enables obedience

            1. The Elders left that meal ENABLED to lead Israel across Desert

§         Parallel - congregation in Acts 2 is filled with the Holy Spirit  and is enabled  to lead church into Evangelism of “Jerusalem, all Judea and Samaria, to the ends of the earth.

2. Your Family rising from Family worship is enabled to serve Christ in church, evangelism

·         Be aware of something bigger than Crimson Tide and War Eagle, emmy awards and Iraq

·         Our children become active in their churches and in missionary work

·         My personal pleasure to preach Christ in 1994 in a resort occupied by atheistic KGB in previous years.  Now planting churches and Christian schools in same nation, Ukraine.

·         We are now able to spread Gospel with growing success in Muslim lands

            3. Power of Holy Spirit working in us and our children to glorify our Savior

            Power to discover more and more of God in His word – John Piper

Power to lead family and children – Laboratory of nurture, discipleshp

Power to persuade sinners and comfort saints

Power to live under God, rejoicing, anticipating Marriage Supper Revelation 19:6-9

We are ushers at the wedding.

CONCLUSION

While serving as pastor for 43 years, I did many weddings.  It was always an emotional event for me, and the most dangerous point for me was when the bride came through the door dressed in white.  I frequently almost “lost it” at that point.    

Every woman is beautiful when she is dressed all in white.  When we are presented to our all glorious bridegroom on that day, we will all be “dressed in white”.  Our Savior’s imputed righteousness will have accomplished its grand goal in us – making us actually righteous.  We who were once great sinners will be perfectly transformed and fitted to celebrate with our bridegroom forever.

He is making us Holy, one Holy Meal at a time until we come at last into His Holy Glory forever.

Let’s restore the ancient tradition of Holy Meals in our homes.  

Let’s make all our meals HOLY MEALS in the presence of our God.