Ben Carbone - Psalm 23v5 - The Table 16:8:25

Lord God we just come before you today

we thank you for what you've been

revealing to us through this passage

over the last few weeks and we open our

hearts again for you to speak into our

hearts and that you would transform our

lives and make them all that you would

want them to be in jesus' name amen take

your

seats so today we've been flying through

this so third week we're up to verse 5

which says you prepare a table before me

in the presence of my enemies you anoint

my head with oil my cup

overflows now in this verse five of

Psalm 23 there is a shift of focus in

our journey with God our relationship to

this point has been all about the

shepherd and the Sheep but all of a

sudden it moves from Shepherd and sheep

to host and

guest the shepherd and the Sheep as

we've learned over the last few weeks

shows us the importance of trust and

dependence upon God as the Sheep Depend

and Trust in the

shepherd however with the introduction

of a host it brings a whole new

dimension on how our relationship with

God is to work or new boundaries on how

our relationship with God

functions so verse five as we see says

you prepare a table before me in the

presence of my

enemies now this idea of table is really

Central and critical for us to

understand what this verse is trying to

tell us to get the fullness of the verse

now the idea of a table these days sadly

I think has lost a lot of its value in

our modern society not many families

actually gather together around tables

regularly every night for dinner do they

um in my um upbringing the table or the

our time around the table for dinner

every night was like

sacran it was almost religious in

proportions you you did you couldn't

have a decent excuse not to meet at the

table and and enjoy food together and to

talk with one another and it was a part

of the culture of our family uh because

it my mom believed it was the the

foundation for a healthy life it's what

she had known all her life and so she

tried to raise us kids in the same way

and uh it was where for us as kids I

guess we learned how to communicate and

share in relationship with one another

our and for us the Pinnacle of gathering

around the table came on a Sunday Sunday

lunch was the moment mom would cook for

ages she'd have bges sauce cooking

overnight and and preparing lots and

lots of food and we would always invite

people to enjoy Sunday lunch and to

explain I guess how it worked in our

family there's a lot of noise a lot of

communication and a lot of talking about

sharing about your week and the

different things that were happening in

your life and I remember back to when I

was about five or six I just started

school and um we had this family lunch

on the Sunday and my

brother who's quite a bit older than me

uh had invited uh one of his girlfriends

or his first girlfriend I think she was

or roundabout to Sunday lunch together

and I thought this is a great

opportunity for me to share with her

something exciting that had happened in

my life that week and because that week

I had um gone to school and who knows

what one of these

is yeah a

curtain

hook I'd gone to school one week and one

of my mates that week had said we'd

found one of these on the ground as we

were sitting on the ground listening to

the teacher read a story or something

like that and said wonder what wonder if

you could swallow that and uh and so I

thought I'll give that a

shot and so I put it in my mouth and I

swallowed it and the and somehow he just

laughed or something and they're like

the teacher goes what's going on over

there boys and he goes Benny just

swallowed a curtain hook thing and I'm

like she's like ah what's going on so

she's get calls another teacher and

they're checking me out and it obviously

went straight down and didn't get stuck

anywhere I didn't wasn't in any

discomfort or pain and so at the end of

their investigation and whatever else

they gave me a note to take home to my

mom which pretty well was useless

because she couldn't read English so so

I wasn't going to fill her in on it too

much what I'd done but uh uh and so but

they said to me this is a good lesson

for you Ben because you discover how the

body works that you will that will pass

through your stomach and your intestines

and it will come out the other end when

you do a poo I said oh that's

interesting they said just keep an eye

on your poos and just make sure it's

there so I like okay this is good what

what better thing could you say to a

six-year-old boy than keep an eye on

your poos and so I managed to find the

curtain ring I'm not sure when I think I

remember sort of getting mom's Wooden

Spoons and sort of digging it out and I

don't even know if I really washed it or

whatever but it became a souvenir for me

it became a very it was highlight of my

week and so I wanted to share this

especially with my wife my brother's new

girlfriend so I I I got off my chair and

went to my bedroom got my and I walked

up to her and tapped her on the shoulder

and I said this came out of my bum

and she was shocked she was like she's

like told me years later in our family

we weren't allowed to say the word bum

it was always bottom but uh but this is

the reality of what the table was like

in our home it I had learned as we sat

at the table that there was

opportunities for me to share in the

community that I was a part of and it

was so important to share about the good

things that were happening in my life

like passing a curtain ring um and uh I

think it's important for us to realize

that the simple Act of sharing a meal

together or sitting down at a table

together has a deeper significance than

we generally

realize Recent research tells us or

outlines the beneficial impact of

regular family meal times on young

people it tells us that um it improves

or gives them young people stronger

communication skills improves their

moods it decreases the risk of obesity I

don't think that worked in our house but

there's too much food but and it gave

them an increased sense of belonging and

cultural identity now in mid in the

Middle Eastern culture of the

Bible generous hospitality and the

concept of the table were greatly valued

there are many sto stories throughout

the Bible and even some of jesus'

Parables outline the importance of

hospitality even to the point that the

needs of a guest were gladly

supplied even if the family of the host

had to go

without at the price of their generosity

you know the story of the Widow and her

son and Elijah goes to them and and asks

for food and they give him their last

meal and uh but God then provided for

them but and Jesus tells the story of

you know knocking on the door and asking

their neighbor for bread because they'

run out of bread in their house and they

had to feed their their guest and um

it's important for the

Jew like I shared before the table was

the space where they shared more than

just relationship with each other they

shared about their

identity they they would even the food

they ate the bread they broke the Jews

had multiple types of bread for

different occasions and when they would

break bread they would remember when God

provided the their ancestors Mana in the

desert and there was that idea that you

would share culture because it's this

beautiful idea that as they would

experience the tastes and the sights and

the sounds of the table it would ground

them and remind them that they were part

of something bigger than the

themselves which is really sobering for

us in modern society because in our

modern society it's all about the

individual isn't it we get so caught up

in our lives and my needs and my things

that we forget and so many people in our

society forget that we're part of

something bigger than ourselves we're

part of a bigger story isn't that

right in their um book sitting at the

feet of Rabbi Jesus and Spangler and

Lois I think it's tberg sum up the

beauty of the table really powerfully

where they say though the Israelites

didn't have fancy tables or place

settings they had something better for

them the table was much more than a

place to eat it was a place of mutual

trust and

vulnerability sitting down at the table

to eat with someone meant you had a

protected relationship with them

whom you ate with revealed something

important about who you were showing to

whom you

belong just as the word house could mean

your family lineage or the word bed

could mean your intimate relationship

the word table could stand for family

and friends all those you trusted and on

whom you

depended these were the people with whom

you enjoyed table Fellowship in fact

fact table Fellowship implied a nearly

now

inviable

relationship to be a guest at a family's

table meant you were under their

protection as long as you were with the

family you were they were on aound to

defend you even at the cost of their own

lives so when Psalm 23 moves from the

field to the table there is a deepening

of our relationship with

God it's telling us that we're more than

just a possession that God is Duty bound

to look

after see when it when God says I

prepare a table before you in the

presence of your enemies he's talking

about protection for you but he's

talking also about his incredible

invitation to us to literally be a part

of his

family and in doing so he has committed

himself to our protection and

defense now Jesus confirmed this desire

of God to make us a part of his family

by the way he lived his life when he

walked the Earth he continually went to

people's houses and the the story I love

the most is the story of zakus the tax

collector the short one who Jesus

literally invites himself to his house

to the disgust and abhorrence of the

religious leaders of his day why were

they so disgusted and abhor because

Jesus by inviting himself to zaki's

house Jesus was deeply connecting

himself to a

sinner which was a huge no no for them

in that day and age think about that for

a

moment Jesus was choosing and inviting

himself to be deeply connected with

someone who wasn't perfect who hadn't

proven

themselves just like he does for you and

I inviting us to himself before we are

transformed by him and this is the

beauty of Psalm 23:5 is telling us God

Psalms 23:5

prepares a table for us in the Pres he's

inviting us into his family he's

inviting us into a place of his

protection and his defense and as we

discover in the story of

zakus because this has happened zakus is

transformed we call it repentance but he

decides that I'm going to change the way

I live he chooses to sell half of what

he has and give it to the poor and he

chooses to follow Jesus and this is the

beauty of the table that God is inviting

us into relationship ship with him God

is inviting us into his family we see

the same sort of picture in Acts 2 in

the early

church the early church Acts 2 tells us

was known for four things they were

devoted to the apostles teaching the

word they were devoted to prayer they

were devoted to fellowship with one

another and they were devoted to the

Lord's

table and the Bible tells us that they

met together da

and shared everything they had with one

another generously so none of them was

lacked anything it says how incredible a

picture of God's table of what he has

invited us into his family and the

incredible thing about the early church

is one of the things that they were

persecuted for because the world around

them didn't understand is they called

each other brother and

sister we don't do that much these days

but in the church I grew up in everyone

was called brother and sister we would

call each other brother so and so or

sister so and so and uh and that because

there was this connection that we are

family we are invited to sit around

God's table and we are family and that

was God's plan from the

beginning and God had decided and wanted

to adopt us into his family and he

wanted us to have everything that he

has Paul explains it really powerfully

in Romans 8 14-17 where he says for all

who are led by the spirit of God are

children of God so you have not received

a spirit that makes you fearful

slaves instead you have received God's

spirit when he adopted you as his own

children think about that for a

moment

notice in our passage of Psalms it moves

from the shepherd with the

Sheep where the the Sheep are owned by

the shepherd usually and he's looking

after them and Judy bound to because

they are his possession or maybe even

that idea of slave

whereas that as we talk about he

prepares a table before me in the

presence of my enemies he is moving to

this relationship of family of father

and child

child so now we call him Abba Father for

his Spirit joins with our spirit to

affirm that we are God's children and

since we are his children we are his HS

in fact together with Christ we are HS

of God God's glory but if we are to

share his glory we must also share his

suffering powerful thought and remember

David is this PSAL 23 David is

reflecting upon his life and seeing

God's hand and progression in his life

maybe it's the same for us today as we

remember back over our lives and see

times when God looked after us like a

Shepherd but now maybe God is bringing

you into a place where he wants us to

call him father and see ourselves as his

child and that everything he has is now

available to us

Psalm 235 then goes on to a to show us

the benefits of the table the amazing

gift that it is to our lives the first

thing it tells us is you anoint my head

with oil now the idea of anointing

someone with oil in the Old Testament is

used in many different ways one of the

most common ways we read about is when

someone is Anointed for a special

purpose you remember those so when David

was anointed to be

king the prophet poured oil over his

head and anointed him and he was now

anointed to be king and uh that was one

way

but this idea of anointing with oil was

much more deeper part of their culture

than just for those special occasions it

happened much much more often basically

it was part of the culture of the table

that when someone came to your house to

share a Mill with you then you would

anoint their head with oil to declare

that you were entering into a covenant

of

commitment and acceptance of one

another think of the story when Jesus

was being Anointed with the perfume of

the woman of disrepute and he was in the

house of a

Pharisee and he turned to the Pharisee

and said you didn't even anoint my head

or wash my feet when I came in and that

pH deliberately did that because he

didn't want to be in Covenant with Jesus

he didn't want others to see that he was

in a connected committed relationship

with Jesus but this woman of disrepute

bit like zakus again same sort of

picture someone who wasn't probably

considered worthy to be doing it chose

to anoint Jesus feet and wash them with

her tears and the perfume and all of

that stuff just a beautiful picture

again of God inviting us into

relationship with

him Dr to Tom Constable tells us in the

ancient east a thoughtful host would

welcome an honored guest into the

protection of his home by pouring some

oil on his head this refreshed and

soothed the weary traveler anointing

with oil in scripture pictured God's

bestow bestow

of his holy spirit on the

believer now interestingly as well oil

does often represent the holy spirit in

the Bible but David also probably was

reflecting back to his time as a

Shepherd whereas Shepherds were also put

oil on their sheep's head to help the

protect them from Bugs and to also

soothe their skin and so again this idea

of anointing our heads with oil it's the

idea of God's care for us

he gives us his holy spirit to help us

to lead us to guide us and God's a

gracious and thoughtful host who not

only anoints our head with oil he feeds

us but he also heals our wounds and

provides us rest and

refreshment this is the picture of

anointing our heads with oil the next

exciting thing it tells us is my cup

overflows It's the final image of this

verse verse

five an overflowing

Cup this reminds us that our

relationship with God the generous host

the one who prepares a table for us

provides us with so much more that we

could ever imagine or conceive but it

even goes further than that what he

provides will never ever run

out this overflowing

cup so the picture I get is that

bottomless

cup like a bottomless coffee at the

buffet or whatever you can keep going

back and get it filled up over and over

and over

again but we need to understand that

this overflowing cup that God

provides is often very

different looking to what we think we

desire or need

because this is that space again and

we've talked about this a lot over the

first few months of this year but the

battle of the two

kingdoms you see there's the kingdom of

God and there's a kingdom of this world

isn't that right and the kingdom of this

world tells us that an overflowing cup

is all about the amount of material

possession that we have or the

overflowing cup is all about that

promotion to a high position in our in

our job or in our church or whatever it

might be or that overflowing cup is

popularity amongst our peers and amongst

those around us interestingly all those

things as I Was preparing I think what

was Jesus tempted within the Wilderness

it was all these types of things

provision and popularity and power all

those types of things and they are the

things that the world tells us we need

to have an overflowing cup of isn't that

right but in God's Kingdom the things

that matter and what God gives us in

abundance looks very very very

different you see this

abundance that God provides this

overflowing cup that God

provides the greatest place it can be

found is at the table that Jesus be

prepared before he paid the ultimate

price for our sin

you see in the upper room with the

disciples as he prepared to face the

cross Jesus instituted a

meal that would be a sign of his

unbreakable Covenant between God and his

people the incredible thing about this

meal is that at this

table God was not only the

host but he was also the meal to be

shed a meal of bread and wine that

represented his body that was broken and

his blood that was shed as a sign and a

reminder of the Covenant that was made

at the

cross you see at the first

communion as the bread and wine was

passed from hand to

hand each person who eats and drinks is

reminded that they have been invited

into jesus'

family think about that for a

moment

even

Judas was invited to be a part of that

meal even Peter who Jesus knew would

deny him was invited to be a part of

that

meal another reminder to us

you see this common thing coming through

is you don't have to be perfect to be

invited to a table that God has prepared

for you in the presence of your

enemies in this day and age this is what

that table looks like for us

now the emblems that represent his

body and his blood that was shed

you see this meal Jesus gave us to

remind us throughout history for all his

followers that I have provided an

overflowing cup for

you in this little cup is this

juice that reminds us of the UN abundant

overflowing never ending love and

forgiveness available to each of us

who choose to follow

Jesus I'll say that

again this little cup that doesn't have

much in

it is

your

symbol that represents God's

abundant

NeverEnding

overflowing love and forgiveness for you

take a moment to consider

that this will never ever ever ever run

out this is the overflowing

cup and David in the psalm says my cup

overflows of for me I'm sure there were

other people in the Bible but David is

one of the great examples of someone who

Stu up in a big way he

knew the importance of this

cup the cup of God's

forgiveness the cup of God's love the

cup of a second chance a third chance a

fourth chance however many chances we

need it's not about us being perfect but

it's about us accepting the invitation

to the table isn't that right that's the

overflowing cup but it goes even further

than that because it was a

meal and a table to be shared again and

again to remind all of Jesus followers

that the bread or the cracker as we have

where's my

cracker the broken

cracker is a symbol or it represents his

broken body that was provide that

provided a Covenant of abundant peace

between man and

God you remember his body was the veil

that was torn in two so that we could

have access to

God in other words peace between God and

man was made because of jesus' broken

body and that peace never ever runs out

that peace is the overflowing cup

that is always always there for

us the thing about this abundant peace

is it not only breaks down the barrier

between man and God but that abundant

peace that God gives also breaks down

the barriers between his

followers between you and I as we're

taught in the Bible that we there is no

longer Jew or Gentile does doesn't

matter where you come

from we have peace with one another

because of jesus' broken body we are no

longer male or

female in jesus'

family there is no difference between

male and female we are equal in God's

eyes the battle the curse is broken

because of his

body there's no longer slave or

free we are all equal

no matter what your standing is Rich or

poor educated or

uneducated in God's body we have peace

with one

another we have peace with God and we

have peace with one another none of us

are better than anyone else we are

equal in God's

body what a great reminder and that e

equality is never ending

so I want you to take the emblems the

ushers aren't going to come and pass

them around you just hand them around

take your bit and hand it

around there you go

joyy and we're going to share communion

together this

morning and I want you to see it as the

overflowing

cup that God has given you

the overflowing cup of

acceptance the overflowing cup of

abundance the overflowing cup of His

abundant love for you the overflowing

cup of his forgiveness for you and the

incredible thing is you don't have to

come perfect you don't have to come

worthy you just have to come and accept

what he has prepared for you you just

let them pass it along Brian that's

cool you see when we come to communion

and we sit down to eat and drink in the

presence of God himself his the emblems

represent God

himself that's just we could explore

that

forever but I want you to consider even

this morning

that this

sharing of communion together is not

only about you it's also involves the

other guests that are

involved and invited to the table as

well if we have entered a covenant that

is symbolized by the bread and the wine

then each person who takes it is part of

the same Covenant and therefore each

person who takes it in this

room is part of the same family

sharing in the same overflowing cup of

God's abundant love God's abundant

forgiveness and God's abundant

peace and this is where it gets really

tricky because for Jesus the table that

he's presented to us or prepared for us

also became an altar for him to give his

life

and that

means in reality that it's the same for

us that the table that God has prepared

for us all also becomes an altar for

us the place where we not only

fellowship with God and with each

other but the place where we sacrifice

our self-importance

to take our place within God God's

kingdom that Kingdom governed by

Covenant of Love forgiveness and

peace I say that again to

you that this table is

also an

altar because if we accept jesus'

invitation to the table he has prepared

for us then we also accept the

responsibility

that we are now in a committed Covenant

relationship with

him that we need to sacrifice our own

self importance for the sake of him and

each

other so if God is our

host and our host is inviting us to this

table that he has prepared for us in his

body and his blood then I want to just

give you some questions because I think

there's some critical questions we need

to ask

ourselves and I just want you to take

some time to reflect on

these how do I view the person next to

me when we break

bread do I see them as someone that I'm

Duty bound to protect

someone that I am called to

defend because God invites all of us to

this table he's

prepared and so everyone who sits at

that table enters a covenant not just

with God but also each

other so

sometimes how much are we protecting

those who are sitting next to us in

their words and the way we speak

or how much are we complaining about

them or thinking negatively about them

it's a

challenge it's a

reality but we are sitting at a table

that our host has prepared for us and

we're in this

together which brings us to the next

question is does this remind me of who I

am

if this is a family

table whose child am

I am I seeing myself as a child of

God or am I maybe still seeing myself as

a

sheep and does it remind me of what I'm

a part

of that I am part of his body

where every part is important and

valuable and matters and if one part

hurts we all

hurt as you look at those emblems do

they remind you of who you are a child

of

God adopted into God's

family everything he has is now

yours you are an heir with

Christ you are are his valued guess that

he will do everything he can to defend

and protect

you and if the table shows me I am the

object of God's abundant love and grace

and if he has anointed my head with oil

and my cup is full to overflowing with

his love and

forgiveness and

peace then the

question must be asked

how am I

responding how am I

responding to this invitation to sit at

the table at God's

table you have in your hands the emblems

that show what he was prepared to do and

give to make this possible to prepare

the table he gave his very best

the question is how will we

respond I just want to give you a moment

to consider

that it's not a question I can answer

for you it's only a question you can

answer but why don't you take a

moment to talk to

God and let him know what you're

prepared to give in response to what he

is given to you