Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Series Introduction

Looking to Easter: Luke's Reflections on the Resurrection

We will take a break from the book of Acts and move over to begin a short series leading up to the celebration of Easter.

In keeping with the book of Acts, we will be following the documentation of Luke’s writing of the Gospel as he is the author of the book of Acts.

We are going to explore various themes and the story board will take us through the last days of Jesus’s ministry before the Easter Story.

The other day, I was asked are we doing anything specifically for Lent.

In years past, during this time we have done a collaborative piece as believers as we look forward to Easter.

This year we are just spending sometime looking at the story line on Sundays.

If you have taken on a personal commitment to prepare yourself for Easter, I would love to hear about your journey.

I am excited to share that in the preparation for Easter, we are planning on having a baptism in the coming weeks and if you have been thinking of taking he steps of obedience in believer’s baptism, please talk with either Pastor Josh or myself and we would love to accommodate your following in the steps of obedience.

This morning we are going to begin our series by looking at a key part of the story.

The plot begins

Looking for a Betrayer

How many of you enjoy the writings of Agatha Christie.

She was a famous writer often known for her detective stories.

Recently we watched a movie based upon one of her stories.

A good story, especially a murder mystery has a good plot and a key character that does something, well, Bad.

In today’s text, we are introduced to this character,

This is not a mystery novel but the very Word of God.

Turn with me as we look into Luke chapter 22 and I will begin with verse 1

Let’s Pray

Understand the Enemy

In the mystery we watched the other week, they began to tell the stories of the various characters.

We knew there was going to be a murderer, but we were unsure who it would be.

But in this story, like any story, you need to understand the enemy.

As you read through this passage, we recognize that the enemy is anyone who is against the work of Christ’s mission.

We look at various people, but we must remember that the enemy who is out to thwart the work of Christ is Satan.

But to clearly understand the enemy we need to understand the following.

He works through people

He works through people to accomplish his goals.

If there is a greater caution, it is this,

If we are not careful,

The devil’s plans

the Devil’s desire is to destroy the work of Christ here on this earth.

Although Christ’s work on the cross has given us victory, there is still that awareness that we can, if not careful, be used to aid his Cause.

Be Sober Minded.

It takes a willingness to look inward as to how we are living.

It takes a willingness to own up to our own failures and to give them over to Christ to work through us.

Be Watchful.

I can always tell when I work with someone who has had experience with the evils of the world.

They could be a police officer, prison officer, former solder or a past criminal themselves.

When you spend time with them they are always watchful for the enemy and can spy them out quicker than most people.

In this current age of technology, we are to be very diligent to scams that are so easily affect our lives.

We are bombarded sometime weekly with either a phone call, an email, a letter, a text, all promising that we have either won some money or a prize, need to check our bank account, please enter your password, send money, buy this product, or my favourite, a warrant for my arrest.

Be Watchful, be careful

Well the Christian Life is also filled with the same warning,

Be watchful,

Be Sober minded.

Before we are too hard on the characters in this passage and their choice to go against Jesus, we need to be reminded that we too need to be sober minded about our lives and be watchful.

The devil is not picky on who fails, he is looking for those who are not watching.

Let’s take a moment at these folks in the text and their actions.

The Chief Priest

The first are the leaders in the established faith

Take note, at this point in the passage we are a long way into the earthly ministry of Christ.

There has been various interactions with the leaders of the established faith.

I find it interesting to note

that the leaders of the established faith,

one set out by God to prepare the people for the coming messiah.

To know the way to God do the very opposite.

The Chief priest were the spiritual leaders of the day.

They were established by God to lead the people to God.

Ironically, here sits a person empowered with spiritual responsibility and social power and when they came face to face with God in the flesh their desires to hold onto their importance and power turned them away from God.

They knew that the Messiah was to come.

They knew the signs of the Messiah and when they saw and witnessed these signs, they did everything within their power to remove Jesus.

The chief priest wanted Jesus out of the way of their success and power.

The Problem for them was this

One person put it this way

Waiting for him to slip up isn’t working.

He isn’t saying anything that they can drag him away for.

He was becoming popular with the people.

His message, that Jesus brought was resonating with the people’s spirit.

If we jump to the book of Mark, we see their plan

The very people they were serving and ministering to in the temple were not with them on their Thoughts about Jesus,

The Chief Priests in some way needed their support, but were currently were against them.

They needed to find another way to stop Jesus.

A way of secret.

Doing this out in the open would cause a great uproar at this time in Jesus’ ministry.

John Wesley penned this poem dealing with FEAR

FEAR for a moment may withhold,

And curb the man to evil sold;

But if a stronger passion rise,

He every consequence defies,

And nature all restraint disdains,

And sin and Satan take the reins.

- Taken from John and Charles Wesley poems

Fear of what could happen

Their cause was about to be aided by what seemed to be an allie

Judas

The perfect opportunity arises.

Along comes Judas

This individual has a key point in Christ’s Story.

It was a friend that betrayed him, but it was brought about by Satan.

I would imagine one of the greatest sorrows that Jesus had to endure was that of Judas,

The movie the passion of the Christ has one scene when Jesus sees Judas after the betrayal and stares at him.

The movie captures what I believe to be the heart of God.

He had great compassion for him but at the same time great remorse.

Christ came in obedience to the father and subjected himself to the road of death, but it was triggered at the hands and work of Judas.

The indwelling Spirit of God has not yet come to the people, as we have learned in Acts, so Satan had the ability to enter into the life of Judas.

He had a hold on him, and now Judas is looking for an opportunity away from the crowd to hand his friend, his master over to the people.