Miserable Sinners, Marvellous Saviour (4)
Notes
Transcript
PRAY
PRAY
JOhn’s Gospel is a rich book, full of wonderful and deep theology.
IN the first 17 chapters, we find themes of the:
Sovereignty of God in Salvation.
Supremacy of Christ – Jesus as the only way to the Father, Him, securing salvation.
Work of the Holy Spirit – Regenerating, teaching, and preserving God’s people.
But of course, Jesus, was not just a collection of theological doctrines,
he is a man.
God incarnate.
And so as we prepare for Easter,
We have the opportunity to walk right along with him, the man who is God.
As he quite literally walks to the cross, his death, and resurection for those he came to save.
And It’s not going to be very pretty.
Humanity, people, like you and I are not going to come off very well.
This passage today even, will leave us humbled and lamenting our sin as people..
It reminds us that humans are miserable sinners.
But as we see the detail and choices that Jesus makes,
despite the sinful choices being made around him - by his closest friends even.
it will exult his glorious mercy, grace, love, compassion, strength, majesty, obedience to His father,
It will show us our Marvellous Saviour.
Miserable Sinners
need a Marvellous Saviour
When he had finished praying, Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley. On the other side there was a garden, and he and his disciples went into it.
It’s an interesting detail in v1,
John is not big on identifying the exact geopgraphy and location of events in Jesus’ life,
but here - he’s not only fairly specific,
they crossed the Kidron valley to a garden,
we’re also given detail as to why Jesus now goes to this garden?
Now Judas, who betrayed him, knew the place, because Jesus had often met there with his disciples.
Judas who left Jesus and the other disciples earlier that evening - accepting a bribe - to hand
Jesus over to the Chief priests and Pharisees, ‘knew that place,’
Jesus, as God, knows his betrayal and agonising death is coming, he’s been teaching and predicting it,
Jesus the man, we would think like us, might delay, might avoid, might flee.
No, he takes deliberate steps towards the cross of calvary.
He goes where he knows Judas can find and betray him.
And as Jesus steps closer to the cross, Judas steps deeper into sin.
A miserable sinner, betraying a marvellous saviour.
So Judas came to the garden, guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and the Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns and weapons. Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, ‘Who is it you want?’
Perhaps not with the same drama as Judas,
some of us even here today,
may also have been led away from Jesus by the promises of money.
Like Judas we still follow along with Jesus, but our hearts have departed Him.
Perhaps your own comfortable life, is causing you to put money before Jesus.
The lure, the temptation, the promises of money have, like Judas, caused us to take bigger and stronger steps away from Jesus.
Once a seemingly committed believer, promotions, holidays, childrens’ education, retirement plans have drawn us backwards - towards money that we need, and Jesus takes second place.
To some extent all of us will have found this to be true of us - but here is a warning not to stay on that path!
Or it will end with us surrounding ourselevs with the armies of this world, even the spiritual army of the devil
- as we find we did not and have not given our life to Jesus at all.
If only Judas had repented, humbled himself,
seen the misery of his sin,
Realised money and the needs and wants of this life are nothing compared to Jesus.
- he too could have been saved by the very saviour he was prepared to betray.
Someone else would still have betrayed Jesus to death
- for he must die in the place of miserable sinners - but Judas could have found His marvellous saviour again.
If only those of us struggling with the idol of money and all it brings - would repent before it’s too late.
Pause
Next,
look at the fascinating interaction that comes next between the armies of the world, and Jesus.
very end of v4,
Who is it you want? asked Jesus, and the people respond, v5 - Jesus of Nazereth!
I mean at first we might think this is some Billy Graham rally. ‘Hallelujiah - the soldiers are looking for Jesus!’
But here is the sad truth - they only want Jesus ‘the man’ - Jesus the man from Nazareth - that is all he is and will be to them.
They do not want a God. A lord.
They deny him as the promised saviour, Messiah, Christ of the world!
Their hope is in worldly rulers and commanders, trusting them before their saviour.
Let us flee our trust in the world’s ways, before we find we are in the same sorry state.
And Jesus knows this is the heart problem they have,
becasue look at not just the words of his responce,
but the effect it has on them:
When Jesus said, ‘I am he,’ they drew back and fell to the ground.
I am! Declares Jesus - mirroring the same name the Lord God gives himself int he OT:
God said to Moses, ‘I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: “I am has sent me to you.” ’
And what happens when anyone comes close to seeing, feeling or getting close to the great God, I am in the OT? The fall to the ground.
The soldiers, Judas, don’t get the sad depravity of their sin at this point!
The great I Am stands before them - he declares his holy name and they fall to the ground,
and yet they will not give up their plans.
As Phil 2 promises, this is all a
sobering foretaste for every human ever, that ultimately,
..at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Every person will one day bow down to the name of Jesus, to the great I am.
Either willingly in humble repentance, joyfully recieving what we don’t deserve from our marvelous saviour,
or, as is foreshadowed here,
by force, as even the unrepentant will be forced to bow the knee, and admit that Jesus is Lord.
This is the point you and I, if we were Jesus - would have played our trump card in full?
“I’m not going to submit to these soldiers - like Superman, I’m going to blow them away so everyone can see my flashing red cape and my magnificence as I save the day!”
But not Jesus - he, even as a man,
who will feel the pain of every step towards the cross
- knows that if he is to be a marvellous saviour
- he must take upon himself this suffering,
His glory, like His followers, will not come through miraculous healings, overthrowing armies, flushing his red cape - it will come through suffering.
Through, ultimately, the very punishment from God that sinners deserve.
people like these soldiers,
people who have betrayed him like Judas,
People like Peter who Loves Jesus, but is about to deny him,
people like you and me who have failed to worship the Great ‘I am’ perfectly and righteously!
He must keep walking to die in the place of all those who will repent and believe.
Miserable sinners, but a very marvellous saviour.
So marvellous that he will ensure every single promise that has been made in the OT,
And every promise that he has made in the New,
Will be fulfilled in HIm.
And as a proof, we get another foreshadowing - this time of his ultimate sacrifice to save his own,
he makes immediate surrender to the soldiers
so that his own disciples may escape arrest and harm: as he’d promised already in john 6v39, and 17v12, :
Jesus answered, ‘I told you that I am he. If you are looking for me, then let these men go.’ This happened so that the words he had spoken would be fulfilled: ‘I have not lost one of those you gave me.’
It is clear - that there is no overpowering of Jesus their target, they can’t even stay on their feet if Jesus so wishes!
No, Jesus, hands himself in to the world.
Simon Peter - still doesn’t quite get it though:
Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, cutting off his right ear. (The servant’s name was Malchus.)
We think perhaps ‘here is a human-being trying to do right by Jesus’ - but the response of Jesus makes things clear…
Peter knew the plan, Jesus had told them,
Peter had seen the soldiers fall back at the simple name of Jesus -
Peter has a better plan.
don’t kids yourself followers of Jesus - he does not only not need our help in salvation -
we simply cannot help him.
- as is clear as Peter is rebuked:
Jesus commanded Peter, ‘Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?’
Do not think you can save me Peter - I am here to save you.
To drink the cup of God’s wrath and full deserved judgement,
talked about in the OT, so that you Peter - do not have to.
Another step closer to the cross.
Pause
The irony of what happens next is extraordinary.
Jesus is taken to the Jewish authorities - one of whom had -
believe it or not -
already prophesied that Jesus would die to save the Jewish nation back in John 11.
The prophecy though, while true, was not to be fulfilled as the Jewish leaders thought.
They thought that if Jesus kept up his ministry on earth
- many would believe,
and there would be an uprising that the Romans
would then have to come in and stop by destroying the Jews entirely!
And so, better for one man to die (Jesus) than a whole nation!
A stark reminder that even religious leaders are not free from ignorance and sin when it comes to the salvation and ways of the Lord.
And a powerful reminder we must trust only the revealed word of God in the scriptures
- just becasue some men or women claim to bring prophetic words that may even come true
- it certainly does not mean they have proved themselevs
to be men or women of God!
Those who believed ‘this prophetic man’ are about to kill Jesus!
Everything and everyone, must be weighed against the Word of God.
But despite their misguided prophesies, and their desire to kill Jesus
- it is ironically true that one man will die for many.
the marvellous saviour Jesus, walking towards death to save miserable sinners
- so long as they will turn to and repent before the great ‘I am’.
Pause
And now of course, Peter, becomes the star of our Miserable Sinners Show!
Simon Peter and another disciple were following Jesus. Because this disciple was known to the high priest, he went with Jesus into the high priest’s courtyard, but Peter had to wait outside at the door. The other disciple, who was known to the high priest, came back, spoke to the servant girl on duty there and brought Peter in.
“You aren’t one of this man’s disciples too, are you?” she asked Peter.
He replied, “I am not.”
pause
Meanwhile, Simon Peter was still standing there warming himself. So they asked him, “You aren’t one of his disciples too, are you?”
He denied it, saying, “I am not.”
pause
One of the high priest’s servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, challenged him, “Didn’t I see you with him in the garden?”
Here’s his chance to humble himself before the Lord Jesus..
Again Peter denied it, and at that moment a rooster began to crow.
That sickening crow of the rooster confirming to Peter that yes, even he,
the most zealous of disciples
the closest of friends too Jesus.
the most well intentioned is:
a miserable sinner,
who denies Jesus when it gets tough,
or the pressure is on.
Afraid of man not God,
Had he believed the words of JEsus that this would happen - perhaps he could have fled temptation,
and not stood amoung the crowds calling or Jesus’ death.
But he didn’t, and he did fall.
We too must immerse our l selves in and trust the word of God, or we too will fall.
Are we being harsh by condemning all these people as miserable sinners!
I don’t think so, Isn’t this the VERY point Jesus is making!
He, Jesus, predicted this miserable denial of Peter back in
Then Jesus answered, “Will you really lay down your life for me? Very truly I tell you, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!
Even Peter!! Even you will disown me,
in all your enthusiasm!
It’s hard lesson, but an essential one - even Peter needs a saviour.
Have we truly realised that for us - even as Christians,
have we begun to think we’re zealous and faithful enough for JEsus!?
No we will need a saviour until our dying day.
Pause
There are more sinners in our narrative,
When Jesus said this, one of the officials nearby slapped him in the face. “Is this the way you answer the high priest?” he demanded.
The shame and irony of this official,
adding another layer to our miserable sin!
The sin of raising others above Jesus -
This official raises a high preist above the King of the universe!
Perhaps we find more joy in the teachings of a popular preacher but are missing Jesus and his Word?
Perhaps it’s the online influencer
Or Our family comes first before Jesus.
To raise anyone or anything above Jesus is to slap him in the face!
Pause
BUt let us not miss this main point!
Surounded by miserable sinners,
betrayed by a disciple,
and denied even by a true friend.
Jesus keeps walking towards the cross of salvation (For them, for us)! What a marvellous saviour.
Pause
What we witness in these chapters of John is the living out of the opening verses of John’s gospel,
The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.
Miserable, wretched, lost, denyers, agressors, proud, lovers of money, lovers of self, lovers of comfort, lovers of influential people, every last one of us a miserable sinner in our total depravity and rejection of Jesus.
And the more we understand that,
the more we, like Peter will - when he later refelcts on his denial of his friend and Lord,
the more amazed we will be with our marvelouss saviour.
Jesus did not go to his death for a few people who were sort of ok,
but got it a bit wrong!
He wasn’t just sticking up for a mate,
reciprocating a favour,
chivvying along a weak friend!
He died for those who all out reject him!
Jesus died - drank the cup of wrath from God the Father,
For miserable sinners,
- to pay the penalty of hell, eternal death and judgement before God.
Such is the love of Jesus he kept walking towards the cross.
Our response then? We either keep denying him, or,
As Peter will… we believe in His love and sacrifice for us:
12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
As we prepare for Easter,
Let us not soften the depth of our sin,
or soften the judgement we deserve,
or soften our gospel message to be warm and fussy!
It only diminishes the death of Jesus for us.
Let us continue in repentacen and faith,
Flee the temptations of money, idolatry and situations that Casue us to deny Jesus.
For in faith,
we have a marvellous saviour,
Who kept walking to his death for us.
We belong to the great I AM - the Lord Jesus. God become man.
Pray
