Just as He Said

Introduction

We’re so glad you’re here tonight. (Welcome visitors, welcome live stream).

Today, we are here to remember. That’s what Good Friday is all about. And there’s kind of a traditional Good Friday message. But, we’re going to do something different tonight.

There’s so many things that lead up to the crucifixion and eventually the resurrection and there are so many connections that we don’t always see!

This December, we did something called “A Month in Matthew.”

Over the course of December we walked through Matthew, one chapter a day.

And as we did that, as I prepared for that, I found myself really considering a series of prophecies that Jesus makes.

See, three times, Jesus prophecies about his death directly three times in Matthew.

Over the course of the three prophecies, Jesus makes more details known to his disciples, and at the end, at the Last Supper he clearly states WHY this must happen! All of these prophecies foreshadow the events that take place in Matthew 26 and 27.

So tonight, I want to invite you to join us as we look at these three prophecies together and see how Jesus’s three prophecies were fulfilled and how we should respond to WHAT HAPPENED!

Prophecy 1

Tonight as we briefly walk through the three prophecies of Jesus and then the Lord’s Supper, which is its own type of a command and foreshadowing, we will be going through the Book of Matthew and for each passage, we will have a takeaway.

Our first passage is Matthew 16:21-23.

For context, in Matthew 15, Jesus feeds the 5,000 and then in Matthew 16, Jesus continues to teach. After he warns the disciples about the bad leaven of the Pharisees and scribes, Peter confesses Jesus as Messiah.

We start to see a shift in Jesus’s ministry at that point. Jesus becomes more clear about WHO HE IS AND WHAT HE HAS COME TO DO!

Matthew 16:21 CSB

21 From then on Jesus began to point out to his disciples that it was necessary for him to go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders, chief priests, and scribes, be killed, and be raised the third day.

Look at this! As they travel, Jesus begins to boldly and BLUNTLY say what will happen!

He prophecies clearly and with GREAT DETAIL!

These aren’t VAGUE takeaways, these are specific details!

Jesus is telling them that HE NEEDS TO GO TO JERUSALEM, where he will suffer because of the elders, the chief priests and the scribes before being killed and resurrecting!

That’s exactly what happens just a few chapters later!

Jesus explains what has to happen because as the Messiah, Jesus came with a mission! Jesus came to SAVE!

And even after claiming to understand, Peter doesn’t get it.

But I don’t blame Peter here. Peter says a lot of things in the gospels, but I don’t think he was alone in his thoughts.

Peter cries out and says Matthew 16:22-23

Matthew 16:22–23 CSB

22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, “Oh no, Lord! This will never happen to you!” 23 Jesus turned and told Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me because you’re not thinking about God’s concerns but human concerns.”

Peter can’t believe this! He just doesn’t understand!

And it isn’t that Peter doesn’t have faith, I think it’s the opposite!

Peter has faith and he can’t understand why THE MESSIAH would let this happen to himself!

Why wouldn’t the Messiah protect himself? We know that Peter would have!

Look at Jesus’s response. “Get behind me satan!”

I think that Jesus’s words reveal something to us. Jesus reveals that Peter is only seeing from man’s perspective.

He doesn’t understand God’s perspective.

But Jesus didn’t just come to teach, Jesus came with a mission!

And that’s our takeaway tonight from Matthew 16:21-23 that I want to leave us with. Jesus CAME WITH A MISSION!

Jesus’s mission wasn’t to amass the most followers. It wasn’t to change the economic structure of Israel. It wasn’t to increase technology or the comfort of our earthly lives.

Jesus came WITH A MISSION! He came to be killed and RAISED AGAIN ON THE THIRD DAY so that WE, YOU AND I, COULD BE SAVED!

Prophecy 2

.The second prophecy comes just one chapter later in Matthew 17:22-23. Jesus has just driven out a demon in front of a crowd and we read Matthew 17:22-23

Matthew 17:22–23 CSB

22 As they were gathering together in Galilee, Jesus told them, “The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men. 23 They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised up.” And they were deeply distressed.

The disciples hear from Jesus and Jesus tells them directly that the SON OF MAN is about to be betrayed, killed, and rise up!

Jesus here calls himself the Son of Man. There is GREAT SIGNIFICANCE to this statement!

Sin entered the world through the sin of ONE MAN!

Romans 5:18–19 CSB

18 So then, as through one trespass there is condemnation for everyone, so also through one righteous act there is justification leading to life for everyone. 19 For just as through one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so also through the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.

See, just as Adam sinned and we all have to deal with a SIN NATURE now, ONE MAN WOULD COME TO GIVE US HOPE OF FORGIVENESS!

The Son of MAN, that is JESUS, came to BE THAT PERFECT, HOLY SACRIFICE!

ONLY THROUGH THE SON OF MAN’S ACTIONS CAN WE BE SAVED!

This matters so much!

The disciples respond not by praising Jesus for the fact that he is saving them, but instead with DISTRESS!

The disciples don’t really GRASP Jesus’s Mission!

They love what they’ve seen and they want it to stay the same and NEVER CHANGE!

They don’t want this to happen to Jesus because they don’t want to LOSE JESUS!

But here’s the thing that they don’t understand. Jesus going to the cross is not JESUS BEING LOST, that is how JESUS REIGNS VICTORIOUSLY!

Jesus going to the cross is how JESUS REIGNS VICTORIOUSLY!

Just as we did had form Matthew 16:21-23, we have a takeaway from Matthew 17:22-23. Our takeaway is- Jesus’s Mission has often been misunderstood!

Jesus’s mission was never about a worldly empire or worldly power, Jesus’s mission WAS ALWAYS about SALVATION!

Prophecy 3

This brings us to our third prophecy, which comes in Matthew 20, just before the disciples and Jesus enter Jerusalem.

Matthew 20:17-19

Matthew 20:17–19 CSB

17 While going up to Jerusalem, Jesus took the twelve disciples aside privately and said to them on the way, 18 “See, we are going up to Jerusalem. The Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death. 19 They will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked, flogged, and crucified, and on the third day he will be raised.”

This is the third prediction of Jesus’s death. Jesus takes his disciples, just the 12, aside and speaks to them.

Remember, Jesus had many more followers. In Acts 1, we see that this number totals about 120.

But in this case, Jesus just speaks to his 12 disciples that he has personally called and chosen. Jesus speaks to them and yet again he prophecies, this time in the greatest depth.

Look at what Jesus highlights. Yet again, he calls himself the SON OF MAN.

Then, he talks about the chief priests and the scribes who will condemn Jesus to death.

Then, Jesus adds another part. The Son of Man will be handed over to the Gentiles.

Now understand, this is not what the disciples are expecting at all! I mean, the SON OF MAN, THE MESSIAH, came to free the Israelites from the bonds of the Gentiles, NOT BE HANDED OVER TO THEM!

Or at least, that’s what the popular thought was.

But Jesus is saying that he will be given OVER TO THE GENTILES.

It isn’t just that he’ll be given over, he will be MOCKED, FLOGGED, and CRUCIFIED!

Jesus is giving a VERY direct prophecy of what is to come.

Make no mistake about this.

Jesus will be killed by the Gentiles and the chief priests and the scribes.

But Jesus gives another prophecy. He will RISE AGAIN ON THE THIRD DAY!

That’s GLORIOUS HOPE!

BECAUSE EVEN AS JESUS SUFFERS, THERE IS HOPE BECAUSE OF THE END GOAL!

The end is not death, the end is SALVATION!

That’s our takeaway from this third prophecy. EVEN IN JESUS’S DEATH THERE IS HOPE!

Communion

Now, before we move onto a time of application, I want to highlight what is really a fourth prophecy about what is to come. It’s something that Jesus does and then tells us to do in remembrance of him.

We are talking about the Last Supper.

In Matthew 26, Jesus and the disciples gather to take the Passover meal together. And as they eat, Jesus talks and continues to teach them.

In the middle of his teaching, Jesus gives instructions. Matthew 26:26-29

Matthew 26:26–29 CSB

26 As they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take and eat it; this is my body.” 27 Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks, he gave it to them and said, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 For this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 But I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

Jesus reminds the disciples of what is to come.

He first gives his BODY.

Now, think about what is about to happen! Jesus is about to GIVE HIS BODY ON THE CROSS!

So, Jesus starts with his body. TAKE AND EAT!

Then, Jesus takes a cup, gives thanks and then says, “Drink from it, all of you. For this is my blood of the covenant whcih is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”

This is what it has all been building towards. THE BLOOD OF JESUS, SPILLED FOR US!

It is what SEALED OUR COVENANT, OUR NEW COVENANT WITH GOD that covers the forgiveness of sins!

And that is why COMMUNION IS SO IMPORTANT!

We take Communion to REMEMBER what JESUS did FOR US!

As with our other points, we have one takeaway. For this point, our takeaway is “We are commanded to remember what Jesus did for us!”

APPLICATION

This evening we have walked through 4 different passages where Jesus gives a preview of what is to come.

As we’ve gone through each passage, we’ve had 1 “takeaway” from each passage.

These were:

Matthew 16- Jesus came with a mission!

Matthew 17- Jesus’s Mission has often been misunderstood!

Matthew 20- Even in Jesus’s death there is hope!

Matthew 26- We are commanded to remember what Jesus did for us!

And so what do we do with all this?

SALVATION!- THIS IS THE MISSION!

If you are saved- UNDERSTAND THE COST! REJOICE! Although Good Friday is a day of remembrance, remember not in sorrow, but in joy! Remember as we marvel at what JESUS DID FOR YOU AND I ON THE CROSS!

As we sing these next two songs, consider and REMEMBER! Let your hearts MEDITATE on WHAT HAPPENED! And then, as we take communion, reflect on what happened! Reflect on what JESUS DID!

Let me encourage you, consider the COST of what Jesus did! This Good Friday, CONSIDER WHAT JESUS GAVE UP FOR YOU AND FOR ME! This is deeply personal.

So tonight, remember- Jesus’s mission was simple. He came to save us! And He paid the ultimate price to do that. Jesus laid down his life for us and THAT GIVES US FREEDOM AND HOPE! If you remember nothing else tonight, REMEMBER THAT!