The Voluntariness, Visceralness, and Vicariousness of Christ's Death

This sermon explores the Last Supper as the pathway of communion, highlighting Jesus Christ's intense desire for fellowship with His disciples before His suffering. The preacher connects the Passover ritual to Christ as the fulfillment of the sacrificial lamb, whose body and blood were given as a substitute for humanity. Despite knowing that Judas would betray Him and the other disciples would forsake Him, Jesus remained faithful and steadfast in His mission to Calvary. The message emphasizes that God seeks genuine worship and communion among believers, reflecting Christ's own longing to be with His people. Ultimately, the sermon presents Christ's obedience and love as the foundation for Christian fellowship and hope.

This Sunday we'll consider the Lord's Supper and the astonishing grace behind this meal. Jesus willingly drank the cup of God's judgment so that His people might receive the cup of blessing. As we come to the Table, we'll consider what it means to commune with Christ, to belong wholly to Him, to examine ourselves in faith and repentance, and to look forward to the day when we will feast with Him forever at the marriage supper of the Lamb.

This sermon was preached on September 6, 2026 at Antioch Presbyterian Church, a congregation of Calvary Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church in America located in Woodruff, South Carolina. Pastor Zachary Groff preached this sermon entitled "Righting Wrongs" on Exodus 22:1-15. For more information about Antioch Presbyterian Church, please visit ⁠antiochpca.com⁠ or contact us at ⁠⁠⁠[email protected].

Even in a night the disciples were utterly clueless about, Jesus had already carefully arranged every detail, right down to the surprising sorrow of betrayal, which was itself part of the plan foretold since the Old Testament. At the Passover table, Jesus reveals that he himself, not the lamb, is the true meal: take, this is my body, poured out for many, so that everything we truly need is found not in performance but in receiving him.