Pres. Teddy Roosevelt once told of a very interesting incident in his own life.
He wrote, "On the beautiful little island of Islamorada, there are several hundred homes that belong to people who come to stay for the summer. I fell in love with that island & spent 4 summers up there."
To give you perspectives the little town of Islamorada is found in the Florida Keys near Key Largo.
"I had often heard of a salty ‘down easter’ who lived up there & was called ‘Uncle John’ by everyone.
He was so quaint & such a character that he was a welcome guest in the homes of all the prominent families.
Once when I went to visit in one of those homes, I was asked if I had ever met Uncle John & I told them, ‘No, but I’ve been wanting to meet him.’
‘Well, he’s in our kitchen right now. Come on out.’
"They introduced us & we liked each other right off, so we sat & chatted for nearly an hour. When I got up to leave, I held out my hand & said, ‘Uncle John, I surely am glad I got to meet you. If ever I can do you a favor, I want you to feel free to call on me. Will you?’
"He answered, ‘I certainly will, Mr. President. In fact, there is a favor I would ask of you right now, something that you can do & I so wish that you would do it.’
Then Uncle John smiled. ‘Look,’ he said, & he pointed to a little white church up on the hill.
‘Pres. Roosevelt, you’re a Christian, but I haven’t seen you up there at church. If you, the President of the U.S., would come up there to church, all of the people on this island would flock up there. Don’t you want them to go to church? Don’t you think they need to go to church?’”
Teddy Roosevelt wrote, "I hung my head in shame & told him, ‘I’ll be there this Sunday.’ Sure enough, there was standing room only in that church the next Sunday. I never missed another Sunday in that little white church while I stayed up there. I was ashamed of myself before my Heavenly Father that I had been such a poor witness for Him."
You can sympathize with Roosevelt because it never occurred to him.
1st of all he needed to be in church- that is beside the point.
2nd his presence in church would have drawn other people to worship God because he was there.
We look at that and say – man that is obvious – you are the president of the U.S. of course people will be drawn to church by your example.
But I will make a case today that we have missed the point.
Me included – we are making something complicated that is very simple.
What if I told you today that you could rid yourself of anger, resentment, hatred, and just plain unhappiness?
What if I told you that you could find real purpose in life and your purpose for living?
What if I told you that you could be changed where you no longer care about what people think about you or wealth and possessions?
Sounds crazy doesn’t it? But that is exactly what the Bible tells us happens when we become true Disciples of Jesus – Now don’t turn me off yet, you may think this is impossible. But I want to start today with a series of sermons that will get to this very motivation of finding fulfillment in Christ.
What is the purpose of the Church ?
What is the purpose of the Church here at Mimosa?
Last week as we closed out John’s Gospel we simply stated that we come here to encounter the presence of the Living God.
Christ Risen and triumphant is among us, with us, and fellowshipping with us through the Holy Spirit here this morning.
That is a major theme found in John’s Gospel, Romans, and Ephesians.
Worship of God and being in the Presence of Christ is one of our purposes for existing as a congregation.
Worship in the Lord on the Lord’s day should celebrate and exalt God as our Creator and Redeemer as we find in the book of Revelation.
The Heavenly worship on a Sunday that John the Seer is caught up in focuses on these two aspects of God as our Creator and God as our Savior in Christ.
Now- this morning I would like to kick off a series of sermons that focus on the next aspect of what our role as a Church really is.
We need to be sharp about this and have ambiguity at all.
Let us turn to a part of the Bible that is read so much that we know it by heart but I guarantee you that this is one of the most misunderstood passages in all of the Bible.
The Great Commission
Matthew 28: 18-20
18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always , even to the end of the age."
Let us go to the Great Commission – the Risen Christ giving marching orders to His disciples.
Now we are familiar with the idea of baptizing and going into the nations and even maybe teaching but we have become woefully short on Disciplemaking.
Now don’t detach this verse from our reality and make it for some remote part of Africa – the world but change it for our current situation.
Our current situation is Fayetteville, TN and all the circles of travel that we take.
Now let Jesus say to us, Go unto Fayetteville, TN, the Mimosa Community, Huntsville, AL, etc. – and make Disciples.
What is a disciple in the first place?
We got to strip this term away and learn what it means first of all in a 1st century context. The Hebrew term for Disciple is Talmidin.
This term Disciple refers to the relationship of a student with their Rabbi. In 1st century Palestine it doesn’t mean learning a bunch of facts but BECOMING the TEACHER.
You want to be like the teacher in every way possible.
In our Western educational system we have messed this all up. We see learning and Discipleship as just getting the right answer on a test.
Imagine that I give a test to my Chemistry students and one gets a 100 percent on the test. What if I asked them after they turned in their test DO YOU BELIEVE IN YOUR ANSWERS?
My student would think I was crazy. What do you mean by do you believe in your answers all I care about is getting the right information.
In the Church this is totally different. Discipleship is getting the correct answers and then living them out because you believe in them that much.
Imagine if we approached riding a bike to how many churches do church work. What if we walked up to a kid and told them how valuable it is to ride a bike.
What if I did a slide show presentation as to how bike riding was fun and important to their life and success.
Would that help them to learn to ride a bike? It would be much better to show them how to ride the bike and then they will take off with it.
But that is how we do the Gospel message many times. WE talk about being disciples and tell people hey it is great to be a disciple. Come on over and be a disciple with me and we will just grow grow grow.
How absurd – most people have no clue how to become a true follower of Jesus and churches are doing a terrible, horrible, job at showing them how to.
Disciples are made, not born.
A Russian comedian, Yakov Smirnoff talks about when he first moved to America, he was amazed at the variety of instant products he could buy in the store.
There’s powdered milk: just add water and you have milk. There’s powdered orange juice: just add water and you have orange juice.
Then he saw Baby Powder and thought, “What a great country! If you want a baby, just add water!” Some people think that’s how discipleship works.
You take a believer, add a little baptism water, and “poof” you have a fully-devoted follower of Jesus–a real disciple. But it takes more than water to make a disciple. DISCIPLES ARE MADE, NOT BORN
C.S LEWIS SAID THE FOLLOWING IN HIS BOOK MERE CHRISTIANITY
“For mere improvement is no redemption, though redemption always improves people even here and now and will, in the end, improve them to a degree we cannot yet imagine. God became man to turn creatures into sons: not simply to produce better men of the old kind but to produce a new kind of men.”
SO LET US TAKE A STEP BACK AND SEE HOW JESUS DEFINED DISCPLESHIP IN HIS KINGDOM
Definition of Discipleship according to Jesus:
Luke 14: 25-35
25 Now large crowds were going along with Him; and He turned and said to them, 26 "If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. 27 "Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. 28 "For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? 29 "Otherwise , when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him, 30 saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish.' 31 "Or what king, when he sets out to meet another king in battle, will not first sit down and consider whether he is strong enough with ten thousand men to encounter the one coming against him with twenty thousand ? 32 "Or else, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. 33 "So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions. 34 "Therefore, salt is good ; but if even salt has become tasteless, with what will it be seasoned ? 35 "It is useless either for the soil or for the manure pile ; it is thrown out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear."
From this text I would like to pull out a few examples for our benefit:
There are stages of followers around Jesus at this point:
1) The Crowds – Large crowds that followed Jesus –
These were the same groups that only came around when times were good, but when Jesus gave a difficult teaching like In John 6 – they would leave Him.
These are like the people in our present day that show up for Easter service and then you don’t see them again until the next year.
Not much commitment but just there because they might feel obligated to be there once per year.
2) There more inner circle of general disciples that are there for the most part – these are the ones that go with Jesus for the most part but don’t have the level of commitment that the 12 men that are the intimate disciples have.
3) The 12 or better the 11 that are there with Jesus everyday and even though they abandon Him at the crucifixion they are the ones that get going strong after the resurrection.
But look at the level of commitment that Jesus is calling us to.
1) HATE your family over Christ –
Jesus uses Hyperbole and is a comparative term.
Jesus uses a harsh term that one must hate his own life and even his closest family to be His follower.
The word Hate is a strong translation and should be understood as a relative term.
In other words what Jesus is saying that we should love Him more than our own life and even our own family.
2) Verse 27 Carrying our own cross – to these folks this would be absurd. Whey would anyone want to carry the Roman device of execution and torture on their back?
HOG and HEN EXAMPLE OF DISCIPLESHIP
A hog and a hen sharing the same barnyard heard about a church’s program to feed the hungry. The hog and the hen discussed how they could help. The hen said, “I’ve got it! We’ll provide bacon and eggs for the church to feed the hungry.” The hog thought about the suggestion and said, “There’s only thing wrong with your bacon and eggs idea. For you, it only requires a contribution, but from me, it will mean total commitment!” That’s the cost of discipleship.
This is what Jesus is talking about as Discipleship – giving up of our own lives.
3) He gives an example of a person building a tower and a King. Jesus would have been familiar with both of these metaphors.
Jesus being a craftsmen and carpenter would know how crazy it would be to start the building of a house and not have the materials and finances to finish it.
The example of the king that sent 10,000 to fight 20,000 was something that Herod had done just a few years before.
He sent out 10,000 men to fight 20,000 Egyptians and was whipped bad, his advisors had told him to send a delegation out and sue for peace before the battle but he didn’t listen.
Jesus uses this example to drive home His point.
Disciple building is a well thought out program of study. This is not a fly by the seat of your pants undertaking.
You think it out carefully before you embark on becoming Jesus disciple – This is serious business.
How many times do we slow down and think about this – we will spend more time in learning about our favorite sports team, or buying a car and do all the research but do church as if we fly by the seat of our pants.
The amount of time we take to put into it amounts to the drive over and have forgotten about it by the time we are on the way home.
This is absurd in light of Jesus teaching on Discipleship.
So how do we build Christians like this? This is tough to become like Jesus is saying but how do we go about it?
HERE IS OUR SIMPLE ANSWER – LOOK AT HOW JESUS DID IT
I WILL PROPOSE THREE THINGS THAT JESUS DID TO MAKE DISCIPLES
Making Disciples the Way Jesus did:
1) Proclamation of the Gospel
This could be called – good ole fashioned preaching.
One of our tasks of Discipleship is the Preach and proclaim.
This is part of the Great Commission to preach the Gospel – the proclaim to our community through the pulpit and through action in our community that Jesus is King.
The Gospel is simply a proclamation of fact. Many times we simply make the Gospel=salvation but that is not it at all.
It is the Greek word Euangellion and it is really about Jesus being enthroned as King of Israel and King of the World.
It is about Jesus enthronement through the Cross and declared victorious by the Resurrection.
So the Gospel is about proclaiming to the principalities and powers that Jesus is Lord and they are not.
That is one of the roles of the Church in this path of making Disciples is good ole fashioned Gospel preaching.
2) Manifestation of the Gospel and its implications (EXAMPLE)
Works of Mercy and good works would be something that characterizes this category.
James the brother of Jesus says this about how we manifest the teaching of Jesus:
James 1: 26-27
26 If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man's religion is worthless. 27 Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this : to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.
Pure religion is a religion that gets dirty, it is a religion that engages the world.
Christianity is not something that is supposed to be locked up in the Church house but it encompasses all of our lives.
We are to embody what Christ taught:
Last week we saw that in John 20 Jesus breathed upon His disciples and told them to receive the Holy Spirit – New life and new existence.
As soon as He did this he said to them,
As the Father has sent me now I send you - this is heavy stuff.
Stop or you miss what Jesus is saying. Just as God the Father Sent Jesus to Israel and the lost sheep of Israel, now God is sending us into the World to embody and do as Jesus did.
We become the hands and feet of Jesus.
When Jesus washed the feet of His disciples He said the following:
John 13: 15-16
15 "For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you. 16 "Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him.
We become like our Master, we embody what He was to our world.
We want be perfect at this but that is the call nonetheless.
WE AS THE CHURCH NEED TO ENGAGE THE WORLD WHERE IT IS HURTING AND PROVIDE THE ANSWER – WE NEED TO GET DOWN AND DIRTY AND ENGAGE THE WORLD
POVERTY, THE ORPHANED, PREGNANT MOTHERS THAT WANT TO ABORT THEIR BABIES – WE STAND IN THE GAP- WE DO EXACTLY WHAT JESUS DID BY WADING INTO THE WORLD WHERE IT HURTS AND PROVIDE THE ANSWER IN JESUS.
WE LEARN DISCIPLESHIP BY DOING
ALSO THE EXAMPLE OF THE MATURE CHRISTIANS FOR THE YOUNGER AND LESS MATURE – WE NEED MATURE CHRISTIAN MEN AND WOMEN THAT WILL STAND AS EXAMPLES AND SHOW OTHERS – THIS IS WHAT A MASTER APPRENTICE OF JESUS LOOKS LIKE
I NEED TO SEE THAT IN MY OWN LIFE – I NEED A MASTER DISCIPLE TO TAKE ME BY THE HAND AND SHOW ME HOW IT LOOKS – I HAVE A LOT TO LEARN.
THE CHURCH SHOULD BE PRODUCING THESE MASTER APPRENTICES OF JESUS
3) Teaching
2 Timothy 2:2
2 The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also
Paul makes a simple formula here for the Churches that he has planted and the Churches in which Timothy had pastoral authority over.
First of all – you learn these teachings and learn them well.
Secondly – pick out people that are able to learn them and pass them on.
This will develop a class of people in the church called Teachers people that understand God’s word and can teach others.
This is a role that is shared by all and is closely looked over by the Eldership.
The Elders ensure that sound doctrine is taught and adhered to. That is their role.
The Minister or Evangelist is to teach and train under the guidance of the Elders.
This class of people in the Church called teachers are to be sound, knowledgable and able to pass these teachings to others.
The Church should be seen as a university of Christlikeness.
We are creating people that live like Jesus – that are like their Master – that is the crux of our existence.
If we miss this point we have missed why we are here in the first place.
To begin this process we must become helpless – we have people here that may not be Christians and we want to tell you how you start this process of becoming like your Master Jesus.
It has to begin by starting off from nothing – coming to God empty handed needing His salvation.
Pat Summerall spent 50 years with the national Football League.
He was drafted by the Detroit Lions in 1952 and played with the Chicago Cardinals and New York Giants until 1961.
After his retirement from the game, he joined CBS as a broadcaster, and in 1993 switched to Fox. During his CBS years he and a fellow broadcaster partied hard off the field.
"We raised Cain. I was the first guy at the bar and the last to leave." Summerall was told that if he kept on drinking he was going to die.
After checking himself into the Betty Ford Clinic, his counselor urged him to seek a better life through faith.
At age 66, Pat Summerall was baptized. In USA Today he told a reporter that when the minister "leaned me back in the water, I never felt so helpless."
Summerall testified, "I knew I just became a Christian. I can’t tell you how great life has been since then."
You cant say it any better than that – being buried with Christ in baptism into the water that represents the watery chaos found in Genesis 1 and then being raised out of the water to be made anew by the Holy Spirit.
One that happens you start your journey of discipleship and becoming like Jesus.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Christ Comes, We Encounter, Lives are Changed
It was strange being away last week but our family had a really good time. It seems that we have been gone for three weeks instead of one.
The one good thing when I am not here is that you get to hear someone else speak to you.
I know you were blessed to hear Dr. Weimer last week and really see his heart for God’s Kingdom. I hope you loved to hear him and you were blessed by what he had to say.
Trips like the one we took rejuvenate you and refocus you on what is important. God’s beautiful creation and family were two things that stuck out to me.
This morning I want to start off with you a little different. I am going to start with a question that we are coming back to later in this sermon.
This question could simply be asked, WHY ARE YOU HERE TODAY? WHY DID YOU COME TO WORKSHIP HERE AT THIS PLACE?
We will come back to this question in a few moments. But before we come back to this let me share with you some thoughts.
TROUBLE In this life.
We live in a world filled with trouble. I think if we all were honest with each other we could admit that we all have something on our hearts that troubles us or gives us some stress in our lives.
I read a story some time back about the Civil War, It seems as if a Union soldier was shot in the arm during the battle of Shiloh.
His captain saw he was wounded and barked out an order, "Gimme your gun, Private, and get to the rear!"
The private handed over his rifle and ran toward the rear, seeking safety.
But after only going about two or three hundred yards, he came upon another battle. So he ran to the left, and found himself in another part of the battle.
Then he ran to the right, but encountered more fighting there.
Finally, he ran back to the front lines shouting, "Gimme back my rifle, Cap’n .There ain’t no rear to this battle no where!"
Many of us feel just like this soldier. We feel like there is trouble all around us.
I believe if we were to be honest and transparent with each other we all have big questions. We all want to know something or we all want to have closure to some problems
All of us deal with fear of the future or just fear of a sickness or problem that we have to face.
It is with these problems and troubles that we turn to the Lord.
In the Scripture we see this idea over and over again.
We see people with Trouble come to Jesus to get answers. Some want to be healed and some want an answer to a problem.
We have seen this in John’s Gospel. We have seen all types of people come to Jesus for answers to their problems.
John’s Gospel:
We have noticed many themes from this Gospel and you can tell that it is a treasure trove of information.
We have noticed the theme of Creation in John’s Gospel – In the Beginning – Jesus is bringing the New Creation.
We have noticed the repetition of the number seven – We have noticed the Seven I AM statements of Jesus that make us think back to the burning bush and Moses – When God says that His name is I AM.
John lays out more than any other gospel that Jesus is the New Temple
John also introduces to the idea of Jesus miracles as being merely Signs- The signs point to a greater truth.
Today as we are wrapping up our series on John’s Gospel I want to give you a new theme – one of Christ’s Coming.
We see this theme of Jesus coming all through this gospel. As a matter of fact this theme is found in all four gospels with the Matthew using this word 25 times.
Jesus comes to certain geographic regions and encounters people in all kinds of situations, we see this theme repeated over and over again.
The theme of Coming in John’s Gospel focuses on different theme:
The Logos coming into the world
God in flesh coming into the world.
Light coming into the world.
Coming from the Father
Coming down from Heaven
Coming in the Name of the Father
Coming to do the will of the Father.
In Matthew’s Gospel the very beginning of the story of the Gospel begins with John the Baptist asking Jesus – ARE YOU THE ONE TO COME?
Jesus can simply be summed up as the COMING ONE – the one that comes into this world to bring peace, resolution to our deepest needs, and healing that only God can bring.
The list goes on an on in John’s Gospel but you get the idea – John is telling us that Jesus is coming into our world and things will never be the same again.
FORMULA – Jesus comes to a region – people come to Jesus to get some type of healing or answer- Jesus blesses them, heals them or answers them – they go away and tell others or go away rejoicing.
In your personal study time pick up the Gospels and see how many times you see that formula play out – Jesus comes into a geographic region, folks come to Him, and He interacts with them.
FORMULA: JESUS COMES, PEOPLE COME TO HIM FOR SPECIFIC REASONS, JESUS BRINGS AND ANSWER TO THAT PROBLEM OR SOME TYPE OF PEACE OR RESOLUTION
This is one of the major themes of the Scripture.
Today we will see that theme play out again in our passage – we will see Jesus after His resurrection come to His followers.
These were the same guys that had fled in fear – they didn’t stay with Him through His toughest hour. They were huddled up afraid of the Romans and what might happen to them.
They have locked the door in fear but this doesn’t stop Jesus.
Jesus is able to come in any way. Lets pick up with our passage today.
John 20:19-23
19 So when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, "Peace be with you." 20 And when He had said this, He showed them both His hands and His side. The disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21 So Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you." 22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 "If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained."
Here are the things that we need to pause and notice:
1) Jesus came in to them- even though they had locked the doors because of fear
2) He revealed Himself to them – He showed them his hands and side
3) He gave them peace
4) He breathed the New life of the Holy Spirit upon them and commissioned them
5) He sent the idea of forgiveness of sins into the world – for ages the Jews had wondered how God would finally forgive the sins of man and now it is being revealed in Jesus
Now consider how refreshing it was for the disciples that Jesus had come to them. They had gathered together and Jesus came- how good that made them feel.
Jesus came to bring healing peace to them in a tumultuous time
He wanted to show them it was Him – he forgives sin. We see this same formula play out later in John chapter 20 You remember the story of doubting Thomas. Thomas is the same one that told Jesus that he would go to Jerusalem and die with Him. Now he is doubting that Jesus rose from the dead. Thomas wants proof postitive of Jesus resurrection.
Just 8 days later Jesus will reappear to the Apostles again. Notice the same formula that occurs.
John 20: 26- 29
26 After eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst and said, "Peace be with you." 27 Then He said to Thomas, "Reach here with your finger, and see My hands ; and reach here your hand and put it into My side ; and do not be unbelieving, but believing." 28 Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and my God !" 29 Jesus said to him, "Because you have seen Me, have you believed ? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed
Notice what happens again. –
The doors are closed again but that cant keep out Jesus.
The risen Lord supernaturally comes through the door, and gives them Peace again.
Jesus wants to bring peace to our chaotic lives.
He then encounters Thomas and reveals His identity to him – Jesus shows that He is God in the Flesh.
And then something that will launch us into our application for today’s lesson - Jesus issues a blessing to those that are coming after Thomas that will believe in Jesus without ever seeing Him in the flesh.
Jesus is talking about people like us!!
People assembled in His name that believe in Him without ever seeing him in the flesh.
Now this goes back to my original question to you this morning. Why are you here?
Why do we come together on Sunday morning?
This morning I will propose to you that we come here to experience the Risen Christ. You may think I have lost my mind by saying this.
You may be saying, I come here every Sunday and I have never seen Jesus walk in the door and sit among us.
I have never seen Jesus walk in here and present his risen body to us like He did Thomas. And I will agree with you about this but with caveats.
I would like to propose to you this morning that we do experience Christ but in a different way. We experience Christ in a way that the Bible anticipates.
I will tell you this morning that Luke the Evangelist answers this question as to how we will experience Christ after Jesus has ascended to Heaven.
Remember that Luke wrote both the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles.
Luke closes out his Gospel with a resurrection appeareance in Luke 24 of two men on the road to Emmaus.
Jesus appears to these two men after He has been resurrected and they are distraught because they think Jesus is a failed Messiah. The resurrection is something that has not crossed their minds.
As Jesus walks with them they don’t not recognize Him at first.
It tells them that Jesus begins to teach these men from the Scriptures about why he had to suffer and die. They still don’t recognize Him but their hearts are burning because of the teaching from Scripture.
It is Scriptural teaching that convicts these men and has their hearts aflame.
Then the climax of the story comes when Jesus eats with these men and shares bread with them.
Now you will notice a striking similarity between this story and the Lord’s Supper.
In the Lord’s Supper narrative we see that Jesus takes break, blesses the bread, and gives it to them.
Breaking blessing giving
Now let us look at this story of Jesus on the road to Emmaus in Luke 24
Luke 24: 30-31
30 When He had reclined at the table with them, He took the bread and blessed it, and breaking it, He began giving it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized Him; and He vanished from their sight.
Notice the similarity between this story and the Lord’s Supper – the same verbs and same Greek is used – it is identical.
Notice something mystical happens – and I don’t mean that hokie but literally. It is a mystery but I think Luke is telling us something important. How will Christians recognize Jesus when he ascends to Heaven and we no longer see Him in the flesh?
Let us continue in Luke 24 to get that answer… These men get up from this encounter with Jesus and go to the other Disciples to tell them what happened. Notice when they recognized Jesus.
Luke 24: 33-35
33 And they got up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found gathered together the eleven and those who were with them, 34 saying, "The Lord has really risen and has appeared to Simon." 35 They began to relate their experiences on the road and how He was recognized by them in the breaking of the bread
They recognized the risen Jesus in the breaking of the Bread.
The early Church picked up on this. The Emmaus Road story is on a Sunday. This is a fact not lost on me.
Now turn to Acts 2 and you will notice something about the early Christian community. When the first Christians start tow worship right after the ascension of Jesus notice how the experience Christ. Jesus has returned to Heaven at the right hand of the Father.
Now IN Acts 2: 42
42 They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
When you make the connection with Luke 24 and realize the same author is telling you something you have a Eureka moment.
What is the Church doing? Teaching from the Apostles (the Emmaus men had the hearts aflame from Jesus teaching) fellowship, the breaking of Bread – and prayer.
This is worship as we know it – Reading Scripture – teaching or preaching, fellowship with each other, and then the taking of the Lord’s Supper.
This is amazing stuff that this connection is made with the early Church – After the ascension this is how the experienced Christ – through the ministry of the Word and the Lord’s Supper.
In the Lord’s Supper the brought to the present time the story and drama of the Cross and the resurrection.
The bread and cup were a time of Communion – Communion with each other – the table unites us as Christians and also communion with God in Christ.
The Cross of Christ is our altar that atones for our sins and the Table is the celebration of God’s fellowship and love for us.
Here are some practical ways this plays out.
1) Come to worship on Sunday with your hands Empty – you cannot bring anything to God that He needs but He has every thing that you need.
Come to worship with your problems and pain and come here expecting to be picked up by Christ.
IN our stories today the Disciples were distraught because their savior was dead but He gives them strength when He appears resurrected.
Thomas is doubting but Jesus gives Him the evidence He needs.
Come here with your problems and doubts and Jesus will give you what you need.
2) Come to worship and make it a God centered experience.
Worship is something that is about glorifying God. When we get that fixed and that attitude right then it will fix us. We will be different when we place God at the center of our worship experience.
That speaks to our attitudes. We should have a sense of Awe for God and what He has done.
A SENSE OF WONDER – EXPERIENCING THE RISEN CHRIST
"I was an observer at the launch of Apollo 17 in 1975.
It was a night launch, and there were hundreds of cynical reporters all over the lawn, drinking beer, wisecracking, and waiting for this 35-story-high rocket.
"The countdown came, and then the launch. The first thing you see is this extraordinary orange light, which is just at the limit of what you can bear to look at.
Everything is illuminated with this light.
Then comes this thing slowly rising up in total silence, because it takes a few seconds for the sound to come across.
You hear a ’WHOOOOOSH HHHHMMMM’ It enters right into you.
"You can practically hear jaws dropping. The sense of wonder fills everyone in the whole place, as this thing goes up and up.
The first stage ignites this beautiful blue flame. It becomes like a star, but you realize there are humans on it. And then there’s total silence.
“People just get up quietly, helping each other up.
They’re kind. They open doors.
They look at one another, speaking quietly and interestedly
. These were suddenly moral people because the sense of wonder, the experience of wonder, had made them moral."
If you think the Apollo rocket brings awe to someone how about the one that made the universe and everything in it. How about the one that can save us for eternity?
If we come to worship with that type of attitude we will leave here different people.
3) Come to worship expecting the Presence of Christ
Speaking of the Church and Christians assembled together Christ says this:
Matthew 18: 18-20
18 "Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven ; and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven. 19 "Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. 20 "For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst."
How many of us believe this today?
Christ makes an unbelievable promise – if we gather in His name He will come to our midst.
He doesn’t make caveats to this claim.
Let me ask you a question- Are we gathered in His Name?
Do you think Christ is here Present among us?
What if you could see Him in the flesh in his glorified resurrected body?
Would you thank Him for what He did for you? We would all be lined up and mobbing Christ wanting to show our love and affection for Him.
Do you think God set up a way we can show that appreciation? Here is one way- Worship and particularly the Lord’s Supper.
What are we saying in the Lord’s Supper – Thank you Christ – Thank you for what you have done. People will spend more time thanking their earthly fathers for what they have done but spend little or no time in thanking God the Father for the gift of Christ.
The earliest name for the Lord’s Supper was not the Lord’s Supper but the Eucharist – this is the word for Thanksgiving- because Jesus gave thanks for the bread.
We are so thankful that we take the Table of the Lord serious. How we do this says a lot about or belief system.
Why are we here today?
I hope to experience the Risen Christ – to be changed to be filled up, to be transformed
To be followers that will go out and be those that are sent as Christ’s ambassadors to the world.
Part of the experience of meeting Christ is forgiveness of sins.
We saw in John 20 that Jesus tells His followers that because of his work forgiveness of sins is given to you today if you want it.
The story of Peter is telling. Later in John’s gospel Jesus appears to the Disciples on the shore of the Sea of Galilee – He is cooking fish on a charcoal fire.
Peter swims to the shore to see Jesus – He is so excited because he was the one that denied Him. He has guilt and Jesus forgives Him.
Jesus is cooking on this fire and the last time Peter smelled a charcoal fire He was denying Christ 3 times.
3 times Christ asks him if He loves him and three times Christ commissions Peter to Pastoral work in the Kingdom.
That is what experiencing Christ is all about – when you come to Him – he forgives you for your sin and then sends you out into His kingdom a changed and transformed person.
The one good thing when I am not here is that you get to hear someone else speak to you.
I know you were blessed to hear Dr. Weimer last week and really see his heart for God’s Kingdom. I hope you loved to hear him and you were blessed by what he had to say.
Trips like the one we took rejuvenate you and refocus you on what is important. God’s beautiful creation and family were two things that stuck out to me.
This morning I want to start off with you a little different. I am going to start with a question that we are coming back to later in this sermon.
This question could simply be asked, WHY ARE YOU HERE TODAY? WHY DID YOU COME TO WORKSHIP HERE AT THIS PLACE?
We will come back to this question in a few moments. But before we come back to this let me share with you some thoughts.
TROUBLE In this life.
We live in a world filled with trouble. I think if we all were honest with each other we could admit that we all have something on our hearts that troubles us or gives us some stress in our lives.
I read a story some time back about the Civil War, It seems as if a Union soldier was shot in the arm during the battle of Shiloh.
His captain saw he was wounded and barked out an order, "Gimme your gun, Private, and get to the rear!"
The private handed over his rifle and ran toward the rear, seeking safety.
But after only going about two or three hundred yards, he came upon another battle. So he ran to the left, and found himself in another part of the battle.
Then he ran to the right, but encountered more fighting there.
Finally, he ran back to the front lines shouting, "Gimme back my rifle, Cap’n .There ain’t no rear to this battle no where!"
Many of us feel just like this soldier. We feel like there is trouble all around us.
I believe if we were to be honest and transparent with each other we all have big questions. We all want to know something or we all want to have closure to some problems
All of us deal with fear of the future or just fear of a sickness or problem that we have to face.
It is with these problems and troubles that we turn to the Lord.
In the Scripture we see this idea over and over again.
We see people with Trouble come to Jesus to get answers. Some want to be healed and some want an answer to a problem.
We have seen this in John’s Gospel. We have seen all types of people come to Jesus for answers to their problems.
John’s Gospel:
We have noticed many themes from this Gospel and you can tell that it is a treasure trove of information.
We have noticed the theme of Creation in John’s Gospel – In the Beginning – Jesus is bringing the New Creation.
We have noticed the repetition of the number seven – We have noticed the Seven I AM statements of Jesus that make us think back to the burning bush and Moses – When God says that His name is I AM.
John lays out more than any other gospel that Jesus is the New Temple
John also introduces to the idea of Jesus miracles as being merely Signs- The signs point to a greater truth.
Today as we are wrapping up our series on John’s Gospel I want to give you a new theme – one of Christ’s Coming.
We see this theme of Jesus coming all through this gospel. As a matter of fact this theme is found in all four gospels with the Matthew using this word 25 times.
Jesus comes to certain geographic regions and encounters people in all kinds of situations, we see this theme repeated over and over again.
The theme of Coming in John’s Gospel focuses on different theme:
The Logos coming into the world
God in flesh coming into the world.
Light coming into the world.
Coming from the Father
Coming down from Heaven
Coming in the Name of the Father
Coming to do the will of the Father.
In Matthew’s Gospel the very beginning of the story of the Gospel begins with John the Baptist asking Jesus – ARE YOU THE ONE TO COME?
Jesus can simply be summed up as the COMING ONE – the one that comes into this world to bring peace, resolution to our deepest needs, and healing that only God can bring.
The list goes on an on in John’s Gospel but you get the idea – John is telling us that Jesus is coming into our world and things will never be the same again.
FORMULA – Jesus comes to a region – people come to Jesus to get some type of healing or answer- Jesus blesses them, heals them or answers them – they go away and tell others or go away rejoicing.
In your personal study time pick up the Gospels and see how many times you see that formula play out – Jesus comes into a geographic region, folks come to Him, and He interacts with them.
FORMULA: JESUS COMES, PEOPLE COME TO HIM FOR SPECIFIC REASONS, JESUS BRINGS AND ANSWER TO THAT PROBLEM OR SOME TYPE OF PEACE OR RESOLUTION
This is one of the major themes of the Scripture.
Today we will see that theme play out again in our passage – we will see Jesus after His resurrection come to His followers.
These were the same guys that had fled in fear – they didn’t stay with Him through His toughest hour. They were huddled up afraid of the Romans and what might happen to them.
They have locked the door in fear but this doesn’t stop Jesus.
Jesus is able to come in any way. Lets pick up with our passage today.
John 20:19-23
19 So when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, "Peace be with you." 20 And when He had said this, He showed them both His hands and His side. The disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21 So Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you." 22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 "If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained."
Here are the things that we need to pause and notice:
1) Jesus came in to them- even though they had locked the doors because of fear
2) He revealed Himself to them – He showed them his hands and side
3) He gave them peace
4) He breathed the New life of the Holy Spirit upon them and commissioned them
5) He sent the idea of forgiveness of sins into the world – for ages the Jews had wondered how God would finally forgive the sins of man and now it is being revealed in Jesus
Now consider how refreshing it was for the disciples that Jesus had come to them. They had gathered together and Jesus came- how good that made them feel.
Jesus came to bring healing peace to them in a tumultuous time
He wanted to show them it was Him – he forgives sin. We see this same formula play out later in John chapter 20 You remember the story of doubting Thomas. Thomas is the same one that told Jesus that he would go to Jerusalem and die with Him. Now he is doubting that Jesus rose from the dead. Thomas wants proof postitive of Jesus resurrection.
Just 8 days later Jesus will reappear to the Apostles again. Notice the same formula that occurs.
John 20: 26- 29
26 After eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst and said, "Peace be with you." 27 Then He said to Thomas, "Reach here with your finger, and see My hands ; and reach here your hand and put it into My side ; and do not be unbelieving, but believing." 28 Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and my God !" 29 Jesus said to him, "Because you have seen Me, have you believed ? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed
Notice what happens again. –
The doors are closed again but that cant keep out Jesus.
The risen Lord supernaturally comes through the door, and gives them Peace again.
Jesus wants to bring peace to our chaotic lives.
He then encounters Thomas and reveals His identity to him – Jesus shows that He is God in the Flesh.
And then something that will launch us into our application for today’s lesson - Jesus issues a blessing to those that are coming after Thomas that will believe in Jesus without ever seeing Him in the flesh.
Jesus is talking about people like us!!
People assembled in His name that believe in Him without ever seeing him in the flesh.
Now this goes back to my original question to you this morning. Why are you here?
Why do we come together on Sunday morning?
This morning I will propose to you that we come here to experience the Risen Christ. You may think I have lost my mind by saying this.
You may be saying, I come here every Sunday and I have never seen Jesus walk in the door and sit among us.
I have never seen Jesus walk in here and present his risen body to us like He did Thomas. And I will agree with you about this but with caveats.
I would like to propose to you this morning that we do experience Christ but in a different way. We experience Christ in a way that the Bible anticipates.
I will tell you this morning that Luke the Evangelist answers this question as to how we will experience Christ after Jesus has ascended to Heaven.
Remember that Luke wrote both the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles.
Luke closes out his Gospel with a resurrection appeareance in Luke 24 of two men on the road to Emmaus.
Jesus appears to these two men after He has been resurrected and they are distraught because they think Jesus is a failed Messiah. The resurrection is something that has not crossed their minds.
As Jesus walks with them they don’t not recognize Him at first.
It tells them that Jesus begins to teach these men from the Scriptures about why he had to suffer and die. They still don’t recognize Him but their hearts are burning because of the teaching from Scripture.
It is Scriptural teaching that convicts these men and has their hearts aflame.
Then the climax of the story comes when Jesus eats with these men and shares bread with them.
Now you will notice a striking similarity between this story and the Lord’s Supper.
In the Lord’s Supper narrative we see that Jesus takes break, blesses the bread, and gives it to them.
Breaking blessing giving
Now let us look at this story of Jesus on the road to Emmaus in Luke 24
Luke 24: 30-31
30 When He had reclined at the table with them, He took the bread and blessed it, and breaking it, He began giving it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized Him; and He vanished from their sight.
Notice the similarity between this story and the Lord’s Supper – the same verbs and same Greek is used – it is identical.
Notice something mystical happens – and I don’t mean that hokie but literally. It is a mystery but I think Luke is telling us something important. How will Christians recognize Jesus when he ascends to Heaven and we no longer see Him in the flesh?
Let us continue in Luke 24 to get that answer… These men get up from this encounter with Jesus and go to the other Disciples to tell them what happened. Notice when they recognized Jesus.
Luke 24: 33-35
33 And they got up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found gathered together the eleven and those who were with them, 34 saying, "The Lord has really risen and has appeared to Simon." 35 They began to relate their experiences on the road and how He was recognized by them in the breaking of the bread
They recognized the risen Jesus in the breaking of the Bread.
The early Church picked up on this. The Emmaus Road story is on a Sunday. This is a fact not lost on me.
Now turn to Acts 2 and you will notice something about the early Christian community. When the first Christians start tow worship right after the ascension of Jesus notice how the experience Christ. Jesus has returned to Heaven at the right hand of the Father.
Now IN Acts 2: 42
42 They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
When you make the connection with Luke 24 and realize the same author is telling you something you have a Eureka moment.
What is the Church doing? Teaching from the Apostles (the Emmaus men had the hearts aflame from Jesus teaching) fellowship, the breaking of Bread – and prayer.
This is worship as we know it – Reading Scripture – teaching or preaching, fellowship with each other, and then the taking of the Lord’s Supper.
This is amazing stuff that this connection is made with the early Church – After the ascension this is how the experienced Christ – through the ministry of the Word and the Lord’s Supper.
In the Lord’s Supper the brought to the present time the story and drama of the Cross and the resurrection.
The bread and cup were a time of Communion – Communion with each other – the table unites us as Christians and also communion with God in Christ.
The Cross of Christ is our altar that atones for our sins and the Table is the celebration of God’s fellowship and love for us.
Here are some practical ways this plays out.
1) Come to worship on Sunday with your hands Empty – you cannot bring anything to God that He needs but He has every thing that you need.
Come to worship with your problems and pain and come here expecting to be picked up by Christ.
IN our stories today the Disciples were distraught because their savior was dead but He gives them strength when He appears resurrected.
Thomas is doubting but Jesus gives Him the evidence He needs.
Come here with your problems and doubts and Jesus will give you what you need.
2) Come to worship and make it a God centered experience.
Worship is something that is about glorifying God. When we get that fixed and that attitude right then it will fix us. We will be different when we place God at the center of our worship experience.
That speaks to our attitudes. We should have a sense of Awe for God and what He has done.
A SENSE OF WONDER – EXPERIENCING THE RISEN CHRIST
"I was an observer at the launch of Apollo 17 in 1975.
It was a night launch, and there were hundreds of cynical reporters all over the lawn, drinking beer, wisecracking, and waiting for this 35-story-high rocket.
"The countdown came, and then the launch. The first thing you see is this extraordinary orange light, which is just at the limit of what you can bear to look at.
Everything is illuminated with this light.
Then comes this thing slowly rising up in total silence, because it takes a few seconds for the sound to come across.
You hear a ’WHOOOOOSH HHHHMMMM’ It enters right into you.
"You can practically hear jaws dropping. The sense of wonder fills everyone in the whole place, as this thing goes up and up.
The first stage ignites this beautiful blue flame. It becomes like a star, but you realize there are humans on it. And then there’s total silence.
“People just get up quietly, helping each other up.
They’re kind. They open doors.
They look at one another, speaking quietly and interestedly
. These were suddenly moral people because the sense of wonder, the experience of wonder, had made them moral."
If you think the Apollo rocket brings awe to someone how about the one that made the universe and everything in it. How about the one that can save us for eternity?
If we come to worship with that type of attitude we will leave here different people.
3) Come to worship expecting the Presence of Christ
Speaking of the Church and Christians assembled together Christ says this:
Matthew 18: 18-20
18 "Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven ; and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven. 19 "Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. 20 "For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst."
How many of us believe this today?
Christ makes an unbelievable promise – if we gather in His name He will come to our midst.
He doesn’t make caveats to this claim.
Let me ask you a question- Are we gathered in His Name?
Do you think Christ is here Present among us?
What if you could see Him in the flesh in his glorified resurrected body?
Would you thank Him for what He did for you? We would all be lined up and mobbing Christ wanting to show our love and affection for Him.
Do you think God set up a way we can show that appreciation? Here is one way- Worship and particularly the Lord’s Supper.
What are we saying in the Lord’s Supper – Thank you Christ – Thank you for what you have done. People will spend more time thanking their earthly fathers for what they have done but spend little or no time in thanking God the Father for the gift of Christ.
The earliest name for the Lord’s Supper was not the Lord’s Supper but the Eucharist – this is the word for Thanksgiving- because Jesus gave thanks for the bread.
We are so thankful that we take the Table of the Lord serious. How we do this says a lot about or belief system.
Why are we here today?
I hope to experience the Risen Christ – to be changed to be filled up, to be transformed
To be followers that will go out and be those that are sent as Christ’s ambassadors to the world.
Part of the experience of meeting Christ is forgiveness of sins.
We saw in John 20 that Jesus tells His followers that because of his work forgiveness of sins is given to you today if you want it.
The story of Peter is telling. Later in John’s gospel Jesus appears to the Disciples on the shore of the Sea of Galilee – He is cooking fish on a charcoal fire.
Peter swims to the shore to see Jesus – He is so excited because he was the one that denied Him. He has guilt and Jesus forgives Him.
Jesus is cooking on this fire and the last time Peter smelled a charcoal fire He was denying Christ 3 times.
3 times Christ asks him if He loves him and three times Christ commissions Peter to Pastoral work in the Kingdom.
That is what experiencing Christ is all about – when you come to Him – he forgives you for your sin and then sends you out into His kingdom a changed and transformed person.
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Why the Cross? John 18
In John’s Gospel we have been studying the Last Discourse or what is called the Farewell Discourse of John’s Gospel.
In this passage we have watched Jesus move to the Garden of Gethsemane and it will be here that in the Synoptic Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke we will learn that Jesus will pray for the cup to pass.
Jesus is in such agony that his sweat is like drops of blood. He knows that He is about to endure the cross.
Jesus is full divine and fully human and his human side is feeling physical as well as mental pain.
He is in anguish over what He has to do.
He knows that His Hour is coming and is upon him. – glory- His Hour is coming.
Evil has its hour but God has His day- Evil is about to come crashing down on Jesus will all the force that it can muster.
The Good Shepherd is about to get struck down and His sheep will scatter for a short time.
I think it is very interesting that much of these events of Christ’s passion happens in a Garden.
Two Gardens where man’s fate hangs in the balance – Eden and Gethsemane
Eden -
Adam rebelled in sin
Adam hid from God
God sought out man
The sword was there to keep man out of the garden of Eden
Gethsemane-
Christ took on man’s sin
Christ interceded with His Father
Christ sought out the Father to do His will
Christ told him to sheave the sword
It is at this second Garden of the Bible that we see that Christ accepts the Cross. It is here that He prays and realizes that there is no turning back.
So this morning lets get specific and talk about what put Jesus on the cross of Calvary.
What put Jesus on the Cross?
1) God’s Plan-
Albert Schweitzer was one who thought Jesus was overcome by circumstances beyond his control.
In his 1906 book, The Quest for the Historical Jesus, Schweitzer said: “There is silence all around.
The Baptist appears, and cries: ‘Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.’
Soon after that comes Jesus, who lays hold of the wheel of the world to set it moving on that last revolution which is to bring all ordinary history to a close.
It refuses to turn, and he throws himself upon it.
Then it does turn; and crushes him.
Instead of bringing in the eschatological conditions, he has destroyed them.
The wheel rolls onward, and the mangled body of the one immeasurably great Man, who was strong enough to think of himself as the spiritual rule of mankind and to bend history to his purpose, is hanging upon it still.”
Obviously, you can, like Schweitzer, make up your own ideas about Jesus and God.
But you should know that the picture which the Bible presents is not of a “mistaken idealist caught and crushed like a rag doll in the wheels of history, [a man] who died in confusion and despair”
The arrest, trial, and crucifixion of Jesus were all part of God’s plan and Jesus full well knew what He was going toward.
This liberal idea that Jesus was just a victim totally misses the point.
It misses the point of John’s Gospel. In John’s Gospel we have been heading to this event since the beginning of the book.
The hour is coming, Jesus talks about His hour – the hour of pain and suffering but it will lead to God’s Day –
In John 7:30 we read that the Jewish authorities came to seize Jesus and take Him away but His hour had not yet come. This hour is the hour of His passion and death.
In John 8:20 we read the same that they could not seize Him because His hour was not yet complete.
In John 12: 27 we see Jesus’ soul become troubled because He knows it is time for His hour of passion.
This hour will produce suffering and anguish for Christ but will also bring great glory and God will be glorified by what happens.
God’s day of resurrection but also God’s day of judgment. Evil and sin may get its hour at Christ.
Satan may get that hour to throw all that he has a Christ and try to destroy the holy One of God but God will have His Day
His day when Christ comes from the grave on that Sunday morning and also His day of judgment when evil will be dealt with finally.
2) The Revelation of His Identity
When Jesus reveals His true identity that is when He is lead to the cross. Man cannot handle WHO Jesus really is.
There were 4 Judges that put Jesus on trial in the passion narrative.
2 religious judges – Annas and Caiaphas
2 were secular judges – Pilate Roman, Herod Edomite – both Gentiles
Different charges were made in different courts –
the religious courts – Blasphemy
secular judges – Sedition
The Religious Court that He appears before - He is too religious to other worldly – He is too much a man from Heaven that they cannot take it.
The secular group crucifies him because He is too political – to worldly - If He would just take His message back to Heaven and stay there all things would be okay with Herod and the Romans. It was just dangerous to these secular authorities when people actually carried out the teachings of Jesus.
In trail of Jesus we see that Jesus reveals both His Humanity (He is the true King of David) and His Divinity – He is the true Son of God.
We see a powerful episode where Jesus reveals his real identity and many times we read through this passage and miss a main point of the entire episode.
John 18: 1-8
1 When Jesus had spoken these words, He went forth with His disciples over the ravine of the Kidron, where there was a garden, in which He entered with His disciples. 2 Now Judas also, who was betraying Him, knew the place, for Jesus had often met there with His disciples. 3 Judas then, having received the Roman cohort and officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, came there with lanterns and torches and weapons. 4 So Jesus, knowing all the things that were coming upon Him, went forth and said to them, "Whom do you seek ?" 5 They answered Him, "Jesus the Nazarene." He said to them, "I am He." And Judas also, who was betraying Him, was standing with them. 6 So when He said to them, "I am He," they drew back and fell to the ground. 7 Therefore He again asked them, "Whom do you seek ?" And they said, "Jesus the Nazarene." 8 Jesus answered, "I told you that I am He; so if you seek Me, let these go their way,"
In this story they have come to arrest Jesus.
In much popular piety we see little pasty Jesus in the Garden and his followers are there with Him.
Then comes along just a few Roman soldiers and they take Jesus off.
John – an eyewitness – tells us that a Roman Cohort came to arrest Jesus. That is a groups of 6 centuria
A Centuria was either 80 to 100 soldiers lead by a centurion.
This would have been from 480 – 600 soldiers lead by 6 centurions. They were not playing around. They were going to make sure that if Jesus were leading an uprising they would be able to put it down right there.
Here is the fascinating part – When Jesus tells them who he Is – look what happens in verse 6- these 400-600 hardened Roman soldiers fell to the ground.
What did Jesus say that scared them so much?
He told them that I AM HE- he used the powerful name of God – this is the same name that was revealed to Moses at the burning bush.
Jesus is the great I AM – they were coming to arrest put God on trial.
Also note that Jesus told them to let His followers go free and they let them. This was not the Roman way to deal with what they perceived as a revolt.
From past experience when Theudas lead an uprising the Romans killed the leader and the followers.
Jesus speaks powerfully and tells them to let the Disciples to go free. This is not a request from Jesus.
Then basically Jesus has to talk them into arresting Him.
This reveals to us that Jesus is all powerful and He willfully gave up His life. They didn’t kill Him, he allowed them to kill him.
Jesus also reveals that He is King to the pagan Roman ruler Pilate:
John 18: 36-37
36 Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews ; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm." 37 Therefore Pilate said to Him, "So You are a king ?" Jesus answered, "You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice."
This is one of the most misunderstood passages of the Bible.
Many people read this passage of Jesus trial before Pilate as Jesus saying that His kingdom is so other-worldly that it is way up in Heaven in some far-off place.
The very reason Christ came to bring His kingdom rule is to bring the rule of God to this earth.
God’s plan is not that He should only reign in Heaven but that reign should be brought to Earth.
That is why we pray in the Lord’s Prayer – they will be done on earth as well as Heaven.
Jesus tells Pilate pretty quick that He was born to be a King.
The very enthronement of this King of the Jews will be the cross. It will be upon the cross for the first time the world will see that Jesus is the King of the Jews.
That is exactly why Pilate had that inscription put on the cross to show the brunt force of Rome and in his own way show that Jesus was not a true king.
So when we look at what put Jesus on the cross we can conclude that from the religious perspective – He was considered a blasphemer – they could not accept He was God Almighty
The Romans wanted to kill Him because he was a King other than Caesar.
3) The third reason Jesus went to the cross was Pragmatism
Better he should die than the country
John 11: 49-50
49 But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, "You know nothing at all, 50 nor do you take into account that it is expedient for you that one man die for the people, and that the whole nation not perish."
Caiaphas is thinking in human, fleshly terms, but it is perfectly pragmatic. God will use this for His own purpose but Caiaphas is all about what is pragmatic.
Not what is right or what is wrong but pragmatic.
Never mind checking this guy Jesus out and seeing if He might be the real deal- we have to keep the Romans happy.
Caiaphas was so compromised with Rome that he couldn’t even see right from wrong He just didn’t want someone to cause problems for Rome.
We see this same pragmatism in Jesus trial before the Romans – the Jews who hated the Romans all the sudden become advocates of Caesar just to get Jesus on the cross.
Accusing him of Treason against Caesar – the one they hated – they were now acting like they were friends of Caesar – human intrigue – pragmatism
John 19: 10-15
10 So Pilate said to Him, "You do not speak to me? Do You not know that I have authority to release You, and I have authority to crucify You?" 11 Jesus answered, "You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above ; for this reason he who delivered Me to you has the greater sin." 12 As a result of this Pilate made efforts to release Him, but the Jews cried out saying, "If you release this Man, you are no friend of Caesar ; everyone who makes himself out to be a king opposes Caesar." 13 Therefore when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out, and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha. 14 Now it was the day of preparation for the Passover ; it was about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, "Behold, your King !" 15 So they cried out, "Away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him!" Pilate said to them, "Shall I crucify your King ?" The chief priests answered, "We have no king but Caesar."
Pilate is making every effort to release Jesus but the Jewish authorities will hear nothing of it.
All the sudden it is pragmatic for the Jews to become fans of Caesar. They tell Pilate, if you don’t crucify Him, you are not loyal to Caesar.
They could care less about Caesar and actually hate Caesar but they are using this to their advantage.
That is how pragmatism works, doesn’t matter what is right or wrong but what is easiest or best for the greater good.
Sometimes what man thinks is for the greater good is actually evil.
It is amazing that one of the driving forces that puts Jesus on the cross is good ole pragmatism
Many times mankind does what is expedient, not what is right.
If you think that that was just a problem in the 1st century you are wrong.
The Nazis could blame the Jews for all of Germany’s problems after WWI and just prior to WWII. It can become pragmatic to blame this group of people and then decide to exterminate them systematically.
The Palestinian’s today can blame the modern Jewish state for all of the their problems and justify suicide bombers to kill innocent women and children. You can hear some politicians justify that behavior and say well the Israelis are killing Palestinians.
But we can easily get on that bandwagon and point the finger overseas or in history and say I cant believe that happened, how could people do those things.
But folks we do here, we do it in our community, we do nationally.
I will propose to you this morning that we are heading down a path of destruction if we don’t change.
Consider that we make it legal for a person to kill a baby in the womb and call it choice.
We can defend it all kinds of ways, we can say well the baby would have been born in a bad situation, that baby could have had medical problems.
We can turn a blind eye to the rule of Law, we can allow public Laws to be broken and the wrongdoer to go unpunished because they have a good lawyer.
We can give people free money from taxpayers that are able to work but refuse to work and call it welfare and violate a Biblical principle that a man that will not work should not eat.
We can subsidize bad behavior with public taxpayer money while another citizen works hard for their existence doing things right.
Folks that do things by God’s way and do it right don’t need a pat on the back from our government but all we would ask is for a level playing field.
All we cry for is what is Right and not what is pragmatic or practical.
4) Sin put Christ on the cross
Human nature recoils from death – natural for human nature to shrink from this pain. Jesus is in agony over the cross because He knows how terrible sin is.
I believe that it will not just be the pain of the scourging, the beatings, the nails, and the gasping for each breath on nail torn feet that Jesus fears most, but it is the separation.
At the cross of Christ for the first time ever in all eternity the Son will be cut off from the Father.
The very fabric of the Trinity will be torn and that family ruptured when Jesus literally experiences Hell.
Jesus will take on all sin at the cross – it will be the very existence of sin that sends Him to the cross.
We have become so used to sin that we don’t take it serious.
The one thing that man doesn’t become better at through experience is sin.
It is the virtuous that stand outside the stream of sin that can look at sin as it is and diagnose it for what it is.
Christ has to face the strong human will and bend it to the will of the Father – he had to bear the sin of all.
The sin of Adam,
the sin of Cain was there,
the abominations of Sodom and Gomorrah were there.
The darkest sins the Nazi concentration camps was there
The sin of the darkest soul of a 9/11 terrorist was there at calvary
The sin that we commit in private or public, the sin of hate, the sin of abuse, all the sin that we commit are there.
Whether we care or not, whether it means much to us or not, He still did it, he still took on sin.
He still said yes to God – he takes on the sin, he becomes sin – and His choice to do this have nothing to do with what we might think about it.
That is what is radical and revolutionary.
He was guiltless, He didn’t deserve this, if you think sin is not serious just consider the cross.
The thing that should disturb us most is that the cross is not abstract but Personal – Jesus took on our personal sins.
The sins I have committed put him there. We need to pause and consider that for a second – Jesus knew me, and knew he died for me, he knew everyone of us and why He was doing what He did.
Now what do I do with that information? Does my actions show that I am thankful that he took on that wrath for me, that separation for me?
What about my attitude toward Him? Does He come first in my life out of thankfulness? Just look at our actions and we will realize that really quick.
What about our actions? When we take the Lord’s Supper – do we truly treat this event as something that memorializes what Jesus did? That gift is
In this passage we have watched Jesus move to the Garden of Gethsemane and it will be here that in the Synoptic Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke we will learn that Jesus will pray for the cup to pass.
Jesus is in such agony that his sweat is like drops of blood. He knows that He is about to endure the cross.
Jesus is full divine and fully human and his human side is feeling physical as well as mental pain.
He is in anguish over what He has to do.
He knows that His Hour is coming and is upon him. – glory- His Hour is coming.
Evil has its hour but God has His day- Evil is about to come crashing down on Jesus will all the force that it can muster.
The Good Shepherd is about to get struck down and His sheep will scatter for a short time.
I think it is very interesting that much of these events of Christ’s passion happens in a Garden.
Two Gardens where man’s fate hangs in the balance – Eden and Gethsemane
Eden -
Adam rebelled in sin
Adam hid from God
God sought out man
The sword was there to keep man out of the garden of Eden
Gethsemane-
Christ took on man’s sin
Christ interceded with His Father
Christ sought out the Father to do His will
Christ told him to sheave the sword
It is at this second Garden of the Bible that we see that Christ accepts the Cross. It is here that He prays and realizes that there is no turning back.
So this morning lets get specific and talk about what put Jesus on the cross of Calvary.
What put Jesus on the Cross?
1) God’s Plan-
Albert Schweitzer was one who thought Jesus was overcome by circumstances beyond his control.
In his 1906 book, The Quest for the Historical Jesus, Schweitzer said: “There is silence all around.
The Baptist appears, and cries: ‘Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.’
Soon after that comes Jesus, who lays hold of the wheel of the world to set it moving on that last revolution which is to bring all ordinary history to a close.
It refuses to turn, and he throws himself upon it.
Then it does turn; and crushes him.
Instead of bringing in the eschatological conditions, he has destroyed them.
The wheel rolls onward, and the mangled body of the one immeasurably great Man, who was strong enough to think of himself as the spiritual rule of mankind and to bend history to his purpose, is hanging upon it still.”
Obviously, you can, like Schweitzer, make up your own ideas about Jesus and God.
But you should know that the picture which the Bible presents is not of a “mistaken idealist caught and crushed like a rag doll in the wheels of history, [a man] who died in confusion and despair”
The arrest, trial, and crucifixion of Jesus were all part of God’s plan and Jesus full well knew what He was going toward.
This liberal idea that Jesus was just a victim totally misses the point.
It misses the point of John’s Gospel. In John’s Gospel we have been heading to this event since the beginning of the book.
The hour is coming, Jesus talks about His hour – the hour of pain and suffering but it will lead to God’s Day –
In John 7:30 we read that the Jewish authorities came to seize Jesus and take Him away but His hour had not yet come. This hour is the hour of His passion and death.
In John 8:20 we read the same that they could not seize Him because His hour was not yet complete.
In John 12: 27 we see Jesus’ soul become troubled because He knows it is time for His hour of passion.
This hour will produce suffering and anguish for Christ but will also bring great glory and God will be glorified by what happens.
God’s day of resurrection but also God’s day of judgment. Evil and sin may get its hour at Christ.
Satan may get that hour to throw all that he has a Christ and try to destroy the holy One of God but God will have His Day
His day when Christ comes from the grave on that Sunday morning and also His day of judgment when evil will be dealt with finally.
2) The Revelation of His Identity
When Jesus reveals His true identity that is when He is lead to the cross. Man cannot handle WHO Jesus really is.
There were 4 Judges that put Jesus on trial in the passion narrative.
2 religious judges – Annas and Caiaphas
2 were secular judges – Pilate Roman, Herod Edomite – both Gentiles
Different charges were made in different courts –
the religious courts – Blasphemy
secular judges – Sedition
The Religious Court that He appears before - He is too religious to other worldly – He is too much a man from Heaven that they cannot take it.
The secular group crucifies him because He is too political – to worldly - If He would just take His message back to Heaven and stay there all things would be okay with Herod and the Romans. It was just dangerous to these secular authorities when people actually carried out the teachings of Jesus.
In trail of Jesus we see that Jesus reveals both His Humanity (He is the true King of David) and His Divinity – He is the true Son of God.
We see a powerful episode where Jesus reveals his real identity and many times we read through this passage and miss a main point of the entire episode.
John 18: 1-8
1 When Jesus had spoken these words, He went forth with His disciples over the ravine of the Kidron, where there was a garden, in which He entered with His disciples. 2 Now Judas also, who was betraying Him, knew the place, for Jesus had often met there with His disciples. 3 Judas then, having received the Roman cohort and officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, came there with lanterns and torches and weapons. 4 So Jesus, knowing all the things that were coming upon Him, went forth and said to them, "Whom do you seek ?" 5 They answered Him, "Jesus the Nazarene." He said to them, "I am He." And Judas also, who was betraying Him, was standing with them. 6 So when He said to them, "I am He," they drew back and fell to the ground. 7 Therefore He again asked them, "Whom do you seek ?" And they said, "Jesus the Nazarene." 8 Jesus answered, "I told you that I am He; so if you seek Me, let these go their way,"
In this story they have come to arrest Jesus.
In much popular piety we see little pasty Jesus in the Garden and his followers are there with Him.
Then comes along just a few Roman soldiers and they take Jesus off.
John – an eyewitness – tells us that a Roman Cohort came to arrest Jesus. That is a groups of 6 centuria
A Centuria was either 80 to 100 soldiers lead by a centurion.
This would have been from 480 – 600 soldiers lead by 6 centurions. They were not playing around. They were going to make sure that if Jesus were leading an uprising they would be able to put it down right there.
Here is the fascinating part – When Jesus tells them who he Is – look what happens in verse 6- these 400-600 hardened Roman soldiers fell to the ground.
What did Jesus say that scared them so much?
He told them that I AM HE- he used the powerful name of God – this is the same name that was revealed to Moses at the burning bush.
Jesus is the great I AM – they were coming to arrest put God on trial.
Also note that Jesus told them to let His followers go free and they let them. This was not the Roman way to deal with what they perceived as a revolt.
From past experience when Theudas lead an uprising the Romans killed the leader and the followers.
Jesus speaks powerfully and tells them to let the Disciples to go free. This is not a request from Jesus.
Then basically Jesus has to talk them into arresting Him.
This reveals to us that Jesus is all powerful and He willfully gave up His life. They didn’t kill Him, he allowed them to kill him.
Jesus also reveals that He is King to the pagan Roman ruler Pilate:
John 18: 36-37
36 Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews ; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm." 37 Therefore Pilate said to Him, "So You are a king ?" Jesus answered, "You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice."
This is one of the most misunderstood passages of the Bible.
Many people read this passage of Jesus trial before Pilate as Jesus saying that His kingdom is so other-worldly that it is way up in Heaven in some far-off place.
The very reason Christ came to bring His kingdom rule is to bring the rule of God to this earth.
God’s plan is not that He should only reign in Heaven but that reign should be brought to Earth.
That is why we pray in the Lord’s Prayer – they will be done on earth as well as Heaven.
Jesus tells Pilate pretty quick that He was born to be a King.
The very enthronement of this King of the Jews will be the cross. It will be upon the cross for the first time the world will see that Jesus is the King of the Jews.
That is exactly why Pilate had that inscription put on the cross to show the brunt force of Rome and in his own way show that Jesus was not a true king.
So when we look at what put Jesus on the cross we can conclude that from the religious perspective – He was considered a blasphemer – they could not accept He was God Almighty
The Romans wanted to kill Him because he was a King other than Caesar.
3) The third reason Jesus went to the cross was Pragmatism
Better he should die than the country
John 11: 49-50
49 But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, "You know nothing at all, 50 nor do you take into account that it is expedient for you that one man die for the people, and that the whole nation not perish."
Caiaphas is thinking in human, fleshly terms, but it is perfectly pragmatic. God will use this for His own purpose but Caiaphas is all about what is pragmatic.
Not what is right or what is wrong but pragmatic.
Never mind checking this guy Jesus out and seeing if He might be the real deal- we have to keep the Romans happy.
Caiaphas was so compromised with Rome that he couldn’t even see right from wrong He just didn’t want someone to cause problems for Rome.
We see this same pragmatism in Jesus trial before the Romans – the Jews who hated the Romans all the sudden become advocates of Caesar just to get Jesus on the cross.
Accusing him of Treason against Caesar – the one they hated – they were now acting like they were friends of Caesar – human intrigue – pragmatism
John 19: 10-15
10 So Pilate said to Him, "You do not speak to me? Do You not know that I have authority to release You, and I have authority to crucify You?" 11 Jesus answered, "You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above ; for this reason he who delivered Me to you has the greater sin." 12 As a result of this Pilate made efforts to release Him, but the Jews cried out saying, "If you release this Man, you are no friend of Caesar ; everyone who makes himself out to be a king opposes Caesar." 13 Therefore when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out, and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha. 14 Now it was the day of preparation for the Passover ; it was about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, "Behold, your King !" 15 So they cried out, "Away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him!" Pilate said to them, "Shall I crucify your King ?" The chief priests answered, "We have no king but Caesar."
Pilate is making every effort to release Jesus but the Jewish authorities will hear nothing of it.
All the sudden it is pragmatic for the Jews to become fans of Caesar. They tell Pilate, if you don’t crucify Him, you are not loyal to Caesar.
They could care less about Caesar and actually hate Caesar but they are using this to their advantage.
That is how pragmatism works, doesn’t matter what is right or wrong but what is easiest or best for the greater good.
Sometimes what man thinks is for the greater good is actually evil.
It is amazing that one of the driving forces that puts Jesus on the cross is good ole pragmatism
Many times mankind does what is expedient, not what is right.
If you think that that was just a problem in the 1st century you are wrong.
The Nazis could blame the Jews for all of Germany’s problems after WWI and just prior to WWII. It can become pragmatic to blame this group of people and then decide to exterminate them systematically.
The Palestinian’s today can blame the modern Jewish state for all of the their problems and justify suicide bombers to kill innocent women and children. You can hear some politicians justify that behavior and say well the Israelis are killing Palestinians.
But we can easily get on that bandwagon and point the finger overseas or in history and say I cant believe that happened, how could people do those things.
But folks we do here, we do it in our community, we do nationally.
I will propose to you this morning that we are heading down a path of destruction if we don’t change.
Consider that we make it legal for a person to kill a baby in the womb and call it choice.
We can defend it all kinds of ways, we can say well the baby would have been born in a bad situation, that baby could have had medical problems.
We can turn a blind eye to the rule of Law, we can allow public Laws to be broken and the wrongdoer to go unpunished because they have a good lawyer.
We can give people free money from taxpayers that are able to work but refuse to work and call it welfare and violate a Biblical principle that a man that will not work should not eat.
We can subsidize bad behavior with public taxpayer money while another citizen works hard for their existence doing things right.
Folks that do things by God’s way and do it right don’t need a pat on the back from our government but all we would ask is for a level playing field.
All we cry for is what is Right and not what is pragmatic or practical.
4) Sin put Christ on the cross
Human nature recoils from death – natural for human nature to shrink from this pain. Jesus is in agony over the cross because He knows how terrible sin is.
I believe that it will not just be the pain of the scourging, the beatings, the nails, and the gasping for each breath on nail torn feet that Jesus fears most, but it is the separation.
At the cross of Christ for the first time ever in all eternity the Son will be cut off from the Father.
The very fabric of the Trinity will be torn and that family ruptured when Jesus literally experiences Hell.
Jesus will take on all sin at the cross – it will be the very existence of sin that sends Him to the cross.
We have become so used to sin that we don’t take it serious.
The one thing that man doesn’t become better at through experience is sin.
It is the virtuous that stand outside the stream of sin that can look at sin as it is and diagnose it for what it is.
Christ has to face the strong human will and bend it to the will of the Father – he had to bear the sin of all.
The sin of Adam,
the sin of Cain was there,
the abominations of Sodom and Gomorrah were there.
The darkest sins the Nazi concentration camps was there
The sin of the darkest soul of a 9/11 terrorist was there at calvary
The sin that we commit in private or public, the sin of hate, the sin of abuse, all the sin that we commit are there.
Whether we care or not, whether it means much to us or not, He still did it, he still took on sin.
He still said yes to God – he takes on the sin, he becomes sin – and His choice to do this have nothing to do with what we might think about it.
That is what is radical and revolutionary.
He was guiltless, He didn’t deserve this, if you think sin is not serious just consider the cross.
The thing that should disturb us most is that the cross is not abstract but Personal – Jesus took on our personal sins.
The sins I have committed put him there. We need to pause and consider that for a second – Jesus knew me, and knew he died for me, he knew everyone of us and why He was doing what He did.
Now what do I do with that information? Does my actions show that I am thankful that he took on that wrath for me, that separation for me?
What about my attitude toward Him? Does He come first in my life out of thankfulness? Just look at our actions and we will realize that really quick.
What about our actions? When we take the Lord’s Supper – do we truly treat this event as something that memorializes what Jesus did? That gift is
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