Sermon – The King’s Table

Sermon – The King’s Table

By Sheri Raynor

August 26, 2018

Luke 14:16-2416 But Jesus said to him, “A man was giving a big dinner, and he invited many guests;17 and at the dinner hour he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, because everything is ready now.’18 But they all alike began to make excuses. The first one said to him, ‘I have purchased a piece of land and I have to go out and see it; please consider me excused.’19 Another one said, ‘I have purchased five yoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out; please consider me excused.’20 And another said, ‘I have [recently] married a wife, and for that reason I am unable to come.’21 So the servant came back and reported this to his master. Then [his master,] the head of the household, became angry [at the rejections of his invitation] and said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and the lanes of the city and bring in here the poor and the disabled and the blind and the lame.’22 And the servant [after returning] said, ‘Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.’23 Then the master told the servant, ‘Go out into the highways and along the hedges, and compel them to come in, so that my house may be filled [with guests]. 24 For I tell you, not one of those who were invited [and declined] will taste my dinner.’”

This parable is a picture of an obviously wealthy man that has, out of the abundance of love that He has in his heart; he prepares a meal – by invitation – to all those that would come.

At the dinner hour,He sends His servant to bid those that had been invited to “Come”. One by one, the Master’s invitation is rejected. As the servant returns & relays this message to His master, the Master becomes angry. Those that were invited to “Come”, those that were extended “such grace”, refused the invitation and made excuses. So the Master says go out and invite the poor, the disabled, the blind and the lame. And when there was still room at the table, the servant was told to “Go out into the highways and along the hedges and compel them to come in.”

This parable paints a picture of the Lord, preparing a feast for His chosen people. Having prepared the feast, He bids His people come and those that you would think that would eagerly come to the dinner table, they begin to make excuses. The Lord’s grace is rejected, and instead of the chosen getting what had been extended to them, the servant (which I believe represents Holy Spirit), is sent out to invite the poor, the disabled, the blind, and the lame….but even then there is more room at the table. So again the servant goes out into the highways and even the hedges and compels all that will to come in.

We have sung the song here quite a few times…..Jesus has a table spread where the saints of God are fed, He invites His chosen people, “Come and dine.” With His manna He doth feed, and supplies their every need O Tis sweet to sup with Jesus all the time! Come and dine, the master calleth, come and dine….You may feast at Jesus’ table all the time, He who fed the multitude, turned the water into wine, To the hungry calleth now, “Come and Dine”.

I want to speak with you for a few minutes this morning about “Dining at The King’s Table”

In 2009, I had a dream about “The King’s Table”. It was full of symbolism that I knew had meaning regarding The King’s Table. Revelation that I felt He was giving me to share at some point, but yet the time had not come. Mostly because I wasn’t able to pull the revelation together. I wasn’t gaining the understanding fully of what the Lord was saying to me. 

We’ve said it so many times here that God still speaks to His people, but are we listening?One of the ways that the Lord speaks to me is through dreams and visions

A few weeks ago, during P&W I began to have a vision…..I saw the throne of God, and I saw Jesus seated there. The river of God was flowing from His throne.  Just below the throne, I saw a banquet table. As I saw these things, I, then, saw the Lord stand.  The Lord then went over to the banquet table and lifted up a huge diamond in His hand.  It was dazzling and beautiful, all of its many facets were reflecting the great light that was there, and as I gazed upon its beauty, the Lord tossed the diamond out to me.

I immediately heard the Lord say, “My Spirit descends in the many different facets that I have for My people, as My Spirit wills.” . This is what I serve My people.  Many people pick and choose.  Many people refuse to accept what I’m giving My people though My Spirit calls, come and dine – Take and eat of what I am releasing from the very Throne of God for My people.  Come and dine and know the grace, Come and dine and know the power, the majesty and the might of what I long to do for My people in this hour.   The scope and the reality of who I Am is too divine for My people to understand, but you know of My glory – Lead My people to Me – lead them to the banquet table that I have spread for them – That which I have prepared for them in this hour saith the Lord.

Much like the banquet table that this wealthy man had prepared for His guests in Luke 14, Jesus has a table spread, and the church of the Lord Jesus Christ….many have accepted the invitation to come and dine at that table but I feel like the Lord is saying concerning many in His church, that like spoiled children many have begun to pick and choose, to be very selective about what they are going to receive from Him.

In other words, I have a grandchild that is picky with their food. If it doesn’t look the way they want it to look or it doesn’t taste the way they want it to taste, they aren’t going to eat it. If it isn’t the way they want it to be, it is rejected.

What I’m talking about is in the natural, but when it comes to the things of the Spirit, when it comes to what the Lord is serving at His banquet table, this is serious….many in the church are spiritually malnourished and they don’t even know it.

Now I’m not talking about discerning whether something is really and truly of the Lord, I’m talking about those that have received the invitation of the Lord…That are guilty of willfully rejecting what the Lord is serving at His banquet table…And that can be for whatever reason……how many of you know…..Our soulish realm, our “Mind, will, and emotions” can make us miss out on what the Lord is releasing.

The Lord shared with me some years ago that there are many facets to His Spirit. Like the cuts in a diamond reflect light from many angles and directions, so too does the Spirit of the Lord. – The Spirit of the Lord is Jesus…..His light, His glory is expressed in many different ways according to how He is moving at any given time. Each facet is a reflection of the Lord, but when you consider the entire diamond with its many facets, – the diamond represents fullness or completeness. The facet(s) is only a portion that is being released at any given time.

The Lord God knows what we need and when we need it. Sometimes He releases a portion, but yet at other times He releases “portions”. He is the designer and the refiner of our destiny. He knows exactly what we need and when we need it to get us to where He wants us to be.

Just like we don’t give a T-bone steak to a newborn baby, the Lord will not give us something greater than we can handle at our stage of development in Christ.

We all have fed on the milk of the Word, but we all should hope to grow and mature in Christ where we can one day feed on the meat of His Word.

So we know that the Lord is calling all of us to “Come and dine”. He is calling all of us to come & sup with Him, but are we rejecting what He is serving us? Are we pushing away from the table and saying, “No Lord. I can’t handle that today.” or “That just isn’t what I was hoping to receive today, Lord.” “I’m just going to go down to McDonald’s and get my “Happy Meal” and call it blessed and go about my merry way.” Or I’m going to drive down to “Burger King” so I can have it my way. That is what a lot of Christians do each and every day. They reject God’s best for them.

Why would God’s people come to the Master’s table, accept His invitation, and then not accept what He is serving?

Jesus tells us in Luke 12:48 that “Everyone to whom much was given of him, much will be required and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.” (Another translation…..”To those whom much is given, much is required”) 

Some reject what the Lord is offering, simply because they do not want to be responsible for what they have been given. I had someone tell me once that they didn’t want to learn how to do a thing because they knew if they learned how, then they would be held responsible. In other words, they would no longer have an excuse as to why they couldn’t do it because they had been taught or trained.

The more we receive from the Lord, the more we grow and mature in Christ, the more that will be required of us – the more that will be expected of us.

When I grew up, by the time I was about 5 years old, I knew how to make tea. (not instant). I knew how to make homemade biscuits. My momma went back to work and she trained me how to cook so by the time I was probably 8 or 9, I had to have supper on the table every night when she got home. (for momma, daddy, and my brothers)

Growing up meant that you didn’t stay in the same place you always did. You didn’t always get to enjoy your toys and games, you had responsibilities and you were held accountable for those things you had been trained to do.

It is no different in God’s Kingdom, He calls us to His table so that we will be well fed so that we can become wise, knowledgeable, and well-trained. So that we can do His will, His bidding, and accomplish His purpose for our lives. So that we will become mature sons and daughters of the Kingdom.

Another reason that God’s people reject what is being served at the King’s Table is….

  • II Timothy 4:3-4 tell us…. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;  And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

Again our flesh, our desires, can cause us to push away from the King’s table. So much so that the scriptures tell us that some of God’s people will find those that will teach or bring forth the Word of God in a way that it brings them comfort. This text says that this is not sound doctrine. Why? Because it isn’t led of the Spirit. It isn’t what the Lord is serving His people. They again are picking and choosing what “they want” instead of what the Lord wants.

There is great grace that is extended to us….that as “King’s Kids”, we can go and eat at the King’s Table each and every day of our lives.

What are you serving today, Lord?  What have you prepared for me? It might be something we’re not so sure about, something we’ve never tasted before, but because the Lord says it is good (“O Taste and See that the Lord is good”), we should all be willingly to give it a try.

What we receive at the King’s table is powerful spiritual food that has the ability to transform us.

I couldn’t help but think of Popeye with his can of spinach. How it would transform him in a split second. How much more does the spiritual food that the Lord has for us – how much more does it transform us?

It is not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit saith the Lord of Hosts!!!

When the Master sent forth His servant to bid them, “Come and dine”. It was none other than “Holy Spirit”. Holy Spirit is the One moving through the earth looking for those that will willingly receive from the Lord.

In II Samuel 9, we are told of the story of Mephibosheth. Born to be a prince, but lame, he would now never enter into his rightful inheritance. The fact that he was lame would cause him to be dependent on what the world had to offer him, but there was one that he wasn’t aware of that wanted to extend great grace and mercy to him, and the name of that one was King David. Because of the covenant that David had made with Jonathan (his father) Mephibosheth was called to eat everyday at the king’s table.

Amazing Grace….how sweet the sound….that saved a wretch like me….I once was lost, but now am found…..was blind, but now I see.

All have sinned and come short of the Glory of God, but because of Jesus, we now have access, we now have been invited to come to the Master’s table, “Come and dine!!!”

I don’t know how many of you have ever realized that when a healthy, newborn baby is born, it is hungry and ready to eat right away. You don’t have to coax it to it; it wants to eat. But how hungry are we?  How hungry are we for what the Lord has prepared for us? If you come hungry to the King’s table, He will fill you up.

Matthew 5:6 tells us, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.”

A dead body feels no hunger and if our soul is dead, it cannot know of the hunger pangs of a desire for something that only Jesus can fill.  If you are hungry for God, it is proof that there is life inside of you. In the natural, if we hunger after something, we will move in that direction. Like a “Big Mac Attack”, nothing else will do….you’re going to go out and find yourself a “Big Mac”. The same is true with the things of the Lord, if you are hungry for the things of the Lord, you are going to run after the Lord and let Him know of your hunger; and when you do, He will not deny you.

Hebrews 5:14Solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.

Here we are told that a sign of maturity in Christ is that those that are mature have had their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. The Lord isn’t going to force food on you that you can’t digest, but He will move you to a point through teaching and training where you will learn to be more and more discerning…Where you will grow in wisdom and might…

How many of you want to eat “The Solid Food” the Lord has to offer from His table? It is His desire to get us all to that point.

For man, there has been a way prepared for him to return back to the Father. For man, there has been a way prepared for him to come and dine and experience the good things the Father has prepared for him. For man, there has been a way prepared for him to experience the fullness of Christ – one facet at a time – but then continually moving towards becoming whole and complete This is where the Lord is wanting to take His people We should all be striving to be more like Jesus each and every day.

I told you that I had a dream in 2009 about the King’s Table. There are some key things that the Lord revealed to me in that dream that I believe He would have me share with you today.

At the King’s table, the servants are the holy angels of God.

If you want to think of it this way, they are your waiters, they serve you whatever the Lord has prepared for you for the day. They wait on you – they make sure you are enjoying your meal, and the scriptures tell us that, at times, they are told to make us understand.

In other word’s, just like a waiter they will give you revelation regarding what is in a “dish” to make you understand what you are about to eat. The angels can bring you the revelation that you need so you’ll understand what you are being served and even how it will transform you and the circumstances around you.

At the King’s table His rule and His authority exists

Even at the Master’s table, there is a divine order. Everything the Lord does is built on His divine order and plan. So at the King’s table, you’ll find His governmental authority in existence. His governmental authority represents “Kingdom”. Kingdom rule, Kingdom might, Kingdom counsel, Kingdom access, Kingdom dominance and for us the Wisdom and Understanding we need to establish His Kingdom in the earth. Because it is at the King’s table, that we gain the authority that we need for our next assignment. It is at the King’s table, that we have our boundaries and borders established and even extended….

If you think about Esther, when she went to the King’s table, she was able to gain the favor of the King and she saved her people from the evil that Haman planned for the Jewish people.

It is no different for us, it is at the King’s table that we gain favor for a King’s Decree to be released on our behalf. It is at the King’s table that petitions are presented and decrees are released in answer to our prayers.

At the King’s table, only the best is served – you can expect to be totally filled and satisfied when you leave.

The Lord does not serve spiritual junk food or those things that are not nutritionally sound. At the King’s table, you will have everything you need to be Spiritually nourished and complete in Christ. Each time that you come and you dine on what the Lord is serving, you can expect that you will not leave like you came, but you will be continually growing and maturing…Stronger and stronger will you become – because you are being transformed.

At the King’s table, I saw two things being served – I saw that those that were invited were there for a meal, but dessert had to be served first.

The dessert that I saw being served was “Crème Brule”

Definition – Crème Brule (Britain) known locally as “Trinity Cream” because it was introduced at Trinity College in 1879. It is a flaming dessert – fire.

Trinity represents the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – all are represented – completeness. At the King’s Table, the Trinity will always be represented in its fullness and the “fire” of God which comes from His presence (where His glory is revealed) will be there.

You cannot eat at the King’s table without experiencing the presence of the King. That revelation alone should make us want to eat at the King’s table each and every day!!!

At the King’s Table, you are not only served food but also drink. Along with the Crème Brule, I saw drink being served, and what I saw is that all that came to the King’s table were served champagne. (remember this is symbolism)

Definition – Champagne is a sparkline wine (has the effect of carbonation from its 2nd fermentation in the bottle)….

It first gained world renown because of its association with the anointing of French Kings. It is associated with luxury and power, nobility & royalty, and even in the world they would package and advertise champagne associating it with high luxury, festivities, and King’s rites of passage.

To eat and drink at the King’s Table means that you are eating with the Anointed One, and not only is He anointed, but He is sharing what He has with you. To drink what He offers you means that all that He has is becoming a part of you – all of the power, nobility, and everything He has accessible to Him.

The drink what He offers you represents that “The Kings Rites of Passage” have been afforded you. You cannot get where He wants you to go without coming to the King’s table and feasting on what He is serving, and when you do, doors will be open to you that would otherwise remain closed.

The King’s authority will give you access. Coming to the table of the King and eating at His table, is your birth rite.

As a child of the King, we have been given the “Honor and Privilege” of coming before Him by invitation DAILY!!! How many of us understand the privilege that we have been given? How many of us honor the Lord with our presence at His table each and every day? How many of us eat and drink what He is serving?

I saw at the King’s Table that there is a level of revelation and understanding that you will come to understand only when you come to His table and linger there with Him.

Too often we are in a hurry. You can gulp down a meal and not even remember what you ate – or enjoyed its taste We may eat what is offered, but we don’t meditate (or as the Jewish people believe, to meditate on His Word is to chew on it like a cow chews it cud)

When meat is offered at the King’s Table, you have to chew on that revelation. The Lord will begin to reveal the deep things of the Spirit – He wants us to see and understand the deep things of God!!! He wants to reveal to us hidden secrets – things that otherwise would remain unknown to us.

Coming to the King’s Table will cause you to walk in the fear and admonition of the Lord. (humility)

Your level of honor and awe of God will only increase as the Lord reveals to you more and more of His Kingdom plans. The Lord will allow you to experience or be a witness to His power, majesty, and might in the earth. Signs, wonders, and miracles will be evident in your life to the point that you will stand amazed (in awe) at all that He does.

Coming to the King’s Table brings a level of intimacy with the Lord that you will not be able to gain any other way.

And what I saw in my dream was that the level of intimacy that you obtained was all gained by your level of desire to not only get to the King’s table, but that you were willing to wait, if need be, to be served, and that you willingly received what was being served when it was served.

The revelation I received was that you couldn’t get caught up in any one area – say like a certain revelation – like we had the healing movement, or the faith movement. The Lord is progressive – He is always trying out new recipes on us because His goal for us is always that we move toward fullness or completion – that we receive everything the Father has for us. So in order to obtain this level of intimacy, you had to remain humble, you had to remain teachable.

We have 24/7 access to the Master’s table.

Jesus’ table is always spread, it is always available to us….(morning, noon, and night – even snacks). He always has plenty for us to eat all we have to do is come and dine.

The final thing the Lord showed me is that there is a generational blessing that comes from coming to the King’s Table. (comes as a result of covenant)

I’ve already mentioned II Samuel 9, where Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan who was the son of Saul.

David had made covenant with Jonathan, but Jonathan is now gone. David said, “Is there yet [a]anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” David is told of a son of Jonathan who is crippled in both feet.” So the king says “Where is he?”

King David sends for Mephibosheth and says to him,,,

“Do not fear, for I will surely show kindness to you for the sake of your father Jonathan, and will restore to you all the [b]land of your [c]grandfather Saul; and you shall [d]eat at my table regularly.

 Then King David makes a decree to his servant, “All that belonged to Saul and to all his house I have given to Mephibosheth and he shall [f]eat at my table regularly.” So Mephibosheth ate at [g]David’s table as one of the king’s sons.

King David remembered the covenant that he shared with Jonathan. “Is there yet [a]anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”

There is an inheritance in Christ that is strengthened by the faith of those that have gone on before us.

The Lord showed me in my dream that there were those that had gone on before me that had not completed the work that He started in them. The Lord looks for the next generation to pick up the baton & go further; to go beyond. He builds on each generation, successively looking for the one that will obey him, and so we have to ask ourselves this morning are we going to be faithful in our generation to take up the baton and run with it? Are we going to be those that will willingly go beyond?

We are in a race, and we are nearing the finish line…the Lord will serve you what is necessary at His table to make you strong so that you will finish strong. All we have to do is come into agreement with His will and purpose….and say, “I’m in it Lord….I’m in this race…I lay down my life….it is no longer I that lives, but it is You in me….and I’m going to finish in my generation what you have called me to do.”

Mephibosheth did not deny David by not coming to the King’s table.

He didn’t feel worthy, but in humility he came – He came and ate as one of his sons, and all of his lost inheritance was restored.

We are in many ways like Mephibosheth, once living very far away from the advantages of what one could enjoy in a King’s palace, until grace extended to us through salvation has brought us near, and the continual favor of God has given us privilege where we can eat at the King’s table continually.

What is the Lord saying to us this morning?

He is saying to us, “Be sensitive to My Spirit and recognize that I choose how I will move on any given day and at any given time – you cannot nor should you try to control what I am trying to do in your life.”  (SUBMIT TO MY WILL AND PURPOSE IN YOUR LIFE)

We cannot get stuck on our favorite dishes or be determined to have everything made just like momma made it. We have to be willing to accept what the Lord is releasing to us for the day – and corporately, we have to be willing to accept what He is releasing to His people now. If not, we are in danger of missing out on what He is releasing to the Body of Christ in this hour.

Individually we will not be able to find our place, corporately the Body of Christ will be missing a vital part of its function if you aren’t in place where God has called you to be.

The Lord is also saying that “What He is serving today will be totally different from what He serves tomorrow.”

Heed the call, “Come and Dine” – the Lord says “Come and dine, take and eat of what He is releasing from the very Throne of God for His people. Humble ourselves and receive His grace, know of His power and majesty and might.”

Come and dine. Eat that which He is releasing and see the power of His transforming grace, power, and might. For this is an hour where the Lord will transform His people in such powerful ways that it will be a sign and a wonder for all to see.