Everything Changes

John 20:1-31

I said it earlier, I will say it again.  He is risen.  (He is risen, indeed.)  Yes, indeed.  What a glorious thought to consider.  It was not that our lives were bought in exchange for Jesus’ existence.  Yes, He suffered and He died.  He experienced the excruciating physical pain.  Even more painful, He experienced separation from the Father.  But because He was the pure and spotless, holy sacrifice, He overcame death.  He is not in the tomb.  He is not there.  He is no longer dead.  He has risen just as He said.

And now, everything changes. 

When God revealed Nebuchadnezzar’s dream to Daniel, he praised God saying,

“Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his.  He changes times and seasons …”  Daniel 2:20-21

The Worst Day

John 19:17-42 

So the soldiers took charge of Jesus. Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). There they crucified him… John 19:17-18 

I admit that when Carl asked me to preach on this passage, I was dismayed. This is one of the most familiar stories in the whole Bible – what is there to say about it that all of you would not have already heard? The gospel writers are very terse, really. John spends just 26 verses here describing the pivotal event in the history of the world. We sing about the blood of Jesus. We might wear a cross about our necks. It is all very familiar and well-worn. It is easy to gloss over the reality of what was happening that day. The soldiers took charge of Jesus, and they crucified him. Yes, I know it is what saved me, but let’s just move on to the resurrection and happier parts of the story.

Jesus’ death has become too familiar. In history recently we were reading accounts of the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror when thousands of people were publicly executed by the guillotine. It became a spectacle, an entertainment, for the crowd which came to watch. We read about the tricoteuses, the women who would bring their knitting and socialize during the executions. It became so commonplace that the spectators’ emotions were dulled, and they probably thought little of what was actually happening.

Trials

John 18:28-19:16

We are continuing our series on the Book of John and today I am speaking on the trials that Jesus was subjected to as described in the passages from John 18:28 thru John 19:16. 

Last week Carl shared some very insightful information on the high priest Annas and how he and his family were connected with the lucrative business of exchanging money and selling the sacrifice animals at the temple.  This made even more sense of why they were looking for ways to kill Jesus as described in the verses in Mark 11:17 and 11:18 just after Jesus turned over the tables of the money changers and drove them out of the temple.

And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written: “‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’” The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching.--Mark 11:17 -18

Affirmations and Denials

John 18:1-27

Good morning! Today we continue our series on the Book of John, taking up the first part of Chapter 18. Over the past several weeks we have gone through Jesus’ lengthy discourse to the disciples, preparing them for what was to come – He would be leaving them, He would be returning, the Holy Spirit would come – and He also spent time encouraging them, challenging them, and praying for them. At the beginning of Jesus’ discourse, Jesus had sent Judas away, who during this time was betraying Jesus, informing the Jewish authorities where Jesus would be. With today’s passage, we move beyond this discourse to the rapid unfolding of events that would lead in a short amount of time to Jesus’ death on a cross.

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. – John 18:1

I’ve got so much I want to share with you – I could literally spend the entire message on this verse. I’m going to cover as much as I can, but I am going to move quickly, so hold onto your hats.

Sanctification

John 17:1-26

Our message today is a continuation of a study through the book of John.  We've been working through the book of John for several months interspersed with other topics.  However, we have reached the final chapters of John and even the final hours before Jesus' crucifixion.  Today, we will pick up in chapter 17.

In this chapter, we are drawing toward the close of a meal Jesus and His disciples are sharing together, the meal that has come to be called the last supper. As a bit of background, in the days leading up to this meal Jesus had been speaking increasingly about His death, the necessity of it, and He had indicated that it would happen soon. During the meal, Jesus had already dismissed Judas, yet the remaining disciples did not recognize that Judas would betray Jesus.