Cling to the Father

Introduction

Well, good afternoon!

Listen, I always love these times of the year where we’re able to together as one church…one faith family…to worship together…to fellowship together…because listen, this is what heaven’s gonna look like, amen? This is what we’re all looking forward to.

And guys, trust me when I say this…this kind of thing, it doesn’t happen in other places around our country…this is something really special. And so, thank you…thank you for your desire to do this…thank you for your pastors…thank you everything you do to make Cambridge about “the Church” and not just about another church…because we’re all in this together…all for his kingdom and all for his glory.

Alright, if you have your Bibles, open ‘em with me to John chapter 18…John chapter 18. Over the past several weeks, the pastors’ve been looking at key events and key people leading up to the crucifixion of Christ. Events that happened just hours before Jesus would be arrested and beaten and hung on a tree to pay for the penalty of our sins.

And as we continue the story and as we come our text this morning…we’re just reminded of God’s sovereignty.

Listen, as you turn there with me this morning, I’ll tell you a story…on January 17, 2004, there was this sixty-six-ton sperm whale that had died and was beached on the southwestern coast of Taiwan. And two weeks later, authorities decided to transport this dead whale to a laboratory, where they could do an autopsy. It took fifty men and three lifting cranes thirteen hours to hoist the whale onto a flatbed trailer. People, they began pouring into the streets of the local city to watch the spectacle of a whale carcass being driven through their hometown.

And then it happened! Listen, as the truck moved through the city, with crowds looking on…the whale exploded. That’s right, the whale, it just exploded! The insides of the whale splattered cars, and people, and local shops. Traffic stopped for hours. The smell was almost unbearable. No one saw it coming. Everything was going great…and then there was whale carcass everywhere.

Listen, I bet no one saw that coming, right? I bet you thought that illustration was going in a completely different direction.

But I mean, isn’t that just life some times? We’re going about our business…and a whale just explodes…We’re left hurt…we’re left broken…we ‘re left confused…we have all these “why” questions, right?

Listen, as we come to our text this morning in John chapter 18…we meet Malchus in the garden of Gethsemane…and here’s Malchus, going about his business, doing what he’s been commanded to do…and his whole world just turns upside down. Almost as if a whale just exploded. Out of no where…his right ear gets cut off by a fisherman from Galilee…no one saw it coming! But listen, there’s a ton here that Jesus shows us about Himself through this text.

And so, let’s go to God’s word together this morning. John 18, verse 1. It says this, “1 When Jesus had spoken these words, he went out with his disciples across the brook Kidron, where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered. 2 Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place, for Jesus often met there with his disciples. 3 So Judas, having procured a band of soldiers and some officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, went there with lanterns and torches and weapons. 4 Then Jesus, knowing all that would happen to him, came forward and said to them, “Whom do you seek?” 5 They answered him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus said to them, “I am he.” Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. 6 When Jesus said to them, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground. 7 So he asked them again, “Whom do you seek?” And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.” 8 Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. So, if you seek me, let these men go.” 9 This was to fulfill the word that he had spoken: “Of those whom you gave me I have lost not one.” 10 Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant and cut off his right ear. (The servant’s name was Malchus.) 11 So Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?”

Listen, there’s a ton here that we could really discuss…but there’s two things I want you to see about Christ and about the Easter story.

First, it’s that life doesn’t always make sense…but secondly, it’s that Christ is always our stability.

1.) Life Doesn’t Always Make Sense

Look at our text again. The first major thing we have to recognize in these accounts…its that every single person, outside of Jesus, they’re just stunned. They don’t know what’s going on. Here’s the disciples…they’ve been to this place over and over again with Jesus…they’ve been celebrating the Passover week, and here’s these soldiers coming to arrest Jesus…and honestly, they’re probably sitting back not too worried because they’ve been in this situation before and Jesus has always dealt with it, right? But here they are and Jesus is like, “Here I am…take Me…this has to happen in order to fulfill what’s been spoken.”

Guys, just imagine being these disciples…they’ve given everything up to follow Jesus…they believe Jesus is the Messiah…that’s He’s gonna save His people in a very physical way…and here He is giving Himself up to be arrested and ultimately to die. There whole world was turned upside down…everything they clung to…everything they believed in was, in their minds, being challenged…it was like a whale just exploded, right?

And just imagine poor Malchus…here he is....doing what’s been commanded of him…I’m sure he’s afraid because Jesus was a popular figure at this point…He always drew a crowd. But here he is arresting Jesus…and his ear gets cut off. Everyone’s just stunned and surprised and caught off guard.

Guys, isn’t that our life sometimes…everything seems to be going great…everything’s going as planned…and a whale just explodes in our life…someone close to us gets sick or passes away…we face some kind of financial hardship…or we lose a job…and our whole world’s turned upside down, right? It almost feels like God doesn’t have this…like He’s not in control…like He’s not sovereign…like He doesn’t have a plan.

I’m sure this is the way the disciples felt as the soldiers took Jesus away to be crucified.

2.) Christ is Always Our Stability

But praise God…we know that what man intends for evil, God uses for good…what seems like chaos to man, God gives those situations purpose and meaning…because just as John suggests here in this passage, Jesus is omniscient, He’s all knowing. And because of that, Christ alone is our stability.

Look at verse 4 again…John says, “Then Jesus, ,knowing all that would happen to him...” Guys, even though everyone else in this story was caught off guard…Jesus was in the know…He was waiting on them. He knew bad things were gonna happen to Him, right? Because He’s one with the Father…and because He’s one with the Father…He knew the Father’s plan for Him. That’s why He says in verse 9, “This was to fulfill the word that he had spoken.” And He says again in verse 11, “shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?”

Listen, there’s nothing that catches Jesus off guard…there’s nothing that surprises Him because He’s always in control…and everything that happens, it happens to advance the purpose and will of God…everything! That includes everything in your life…everything in your family…everything in your church…everything! God has a plan…and we can cling to this God because He’s shown us time and time and again that He’s trustworthy. And we know from the apostle Paul, that no matter what we go through…no matter how chaotic things seem to get, no matter how tragic… “We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.”

Guys, as Christians…that’s exactly what these accounts show us…that’s exactly what the Easter story shows us. In man’s greatest act of rebellion…hanging the Son of God on the cross…leaving Him to die…naked, broken, exposed, tortured…in this greatest evil, God demonstrated the greatest act of love. Because ultimately, everything that happens, happens because God has a plan and He will use those things to bring about order, and meaning, and purpose, and goodness. And restoration in those situations....it alone belongs to God. He’s our stability through anything we face in life. That’s what the Easter story teaches us. He’s a faithful God.

Closing

And so listen, I have no idea what you’re struggling with this morning…I have no idea what you’re walking through…but can I say this? Trust that God does…and that He alone has a plan to bring about goodness…He alone has a plan to take what’s chaotic and broken…and bring about restoration. And so, give it to Him…turn to Him…place your trust and faith in Him alone for salvation in all your circumstances.

Let us pray!