The Upper Room: Jesus' Sacrifice and New Covenant

The first to enter is Jesus, the son of God, the lamb who has come to take away the sin of the world, the teacher who spoke with authority, the servant who has now washed the feet of those who would serve him, the savior who would lay down his life. This table was not a surprise to him. He knew the betrayal that was to come. He knew the suffering that would follow. And still, here he is, our God who took on flesh, who took on the form of a servant, who has come to pay for our atonement, a debt we should be paying ourselves. [00:04:08] (78 seconds)  #ServantSavior

Andrew was a fisherman by trade, but a connector by nature. He was one of the first to follow Jesus and immediately went to find his brother, Simon Peter, to introduce him. Andrew did not seek attention. He simply brought people to Jesus, like the boy with loaves and fish or Greeks who wanted to see and meet Christ for themselves. Andrew knew that introducing someone to Jesus was never a small thing. Bound to an x shaped cross in Greece, Andrew hung for days, yet preached the gospel to onlookers until his final breath. [00:11:22] (74 seconds)  #BringPeopleToJesus

James, brother of John, enters next. A fisherman, bold and ambitious, once called a son of thunder. He and his brother asked for seats of honor when Jesus establishes his earthly kingdom, not yet understanding the cost of such a request. James would become the first of the 12 to die for his faith, learning that greatness in God's kingdom comes through sacrifice. As scripture records, James was beheaded by Herod's sword in Jerusalem. The first apostolic blood spilled. His thunderous zeal silenced in martyrdom. [00:08:13] (79 seconds)  #GreatnessThroughSacrifice

Philip enters and approaches thoughtfully. He was practical, analytical. He seemed to always count the cost. When Jesus wanted to feed the 5,000, Philip asked, how can we feed so many? When Jesus said he was going to prepare a place in heaven for them, Philip replied, show us the father and we will believe. Philip was one of the first to preach in Samaria after the door was opened for the gospel there. In Hierapolis, tradition says Philip was crucified upside down or possibly scourged to death. In either case, it was clear his heart was settled, his questions answered, for he died for the one who was the answer to each and every question he ever had. [00:06:48] (78 seconds)  #QuestionsToConviction

We invite you into a moment frozen in time. A moment filled with friendship and fear, with devotion and betrayal, with love that knew what was coming yet chose the path foreseen since the beginning of eternity. This is the final meal Jesus would share with his disciples before the garden, before the trial, before the cross. As each man enters to take his place at the table, we remember not only who they were, but why Jesus chose them. Ordinary men called into an extraordinary story of redemption. [00:03:24] (42 seconds)  #OrdinaryCalledExtraordinary

Finally, here comes Bartholomew, also known as Nathaniel, a man of honesty and integrity. When first told about Jesus, he questioned whether anything good could come from Nazareth. But when Jesus spoken to his life naming him, knowing him, Nathaniel believed. Jesus said of him, here is a true Israelite in whom there is nothing false. Bartholomew reminds us that faith does not begin with blind acceptance, but with honest seeking and surrender when truth is revealed. Tradition recounts that Bartholomew was skinned alive in Armenia, yet he preached Christ until the executioner's blade ended his testimony with beheading. [00:12:44] (64 seconds)  #HonestFaith

And every time we are reminded of what Jesus did on our behalf Because what Jesus did that Good Friday, he did for each of us. The sacrifice for our sins. He paid the debt he did not owe. He paid the debt we are destined to pay. [00:21:42] (32 seconds)  #PaidTheDebt

They have convened in this upper room to celebrate the Passover together. The Passover, the annual reminder of what God had done to rescue the Hebrew people from Egypt long ago, And now to be a reminder of how God would rescue them once again, this time from the very thing that has kept them truly captive. [00:13:51] (61 seconds)  #PassoverRemindsRescue