Solely Jesus
1.19.2014
Drastic Problem - Drastic Solution
I read through another Christian magazine this week that is written for pastors
Number of books about Jesus --- 0
Stadium – Concessions – Fans – Seahawk (Bird) – 12th Man
No mention of the team.
Jesus had entered Jerusalem for the last few days of his life.
He came into town surrounded by a massive crowd of people who were celebrating his arrival.
The crowd celebrated him much like a crowd would celebrate a king.
At some point he entered the Temple and where thousands of worshippers were mingling.
He was approached by Philipp and Andrew who brought word that there were some God-fearing Greeks who wanted to meet with Jesus.
Jesus goes off on a tangent about seeds, planting, dying and multiplication.
We are going to look at the very end of Jesus speaking in the Temple/Jerusalem.
This is the last ‘public’ statements of Jesus before his death.
Hear his words with the disciples, prayer, in the garden, under arrest, on the cross – these are the last ‘crowd’ words
The whole dialogue seems disjointed and out of place.
Possibly we only have highlights of what Jesus said in this event.
The crowd was in the thousands.
Animals, money changers, Roman Legion, Temple Guard, Religious leaders
Chaos – maybe somewhat organized but mostly chaos.
"Now My soul is deeply troubled. Should I pray, 'Father, save Me from this hour'? But this is the very reason I came! Father, bring glory to Your name."
We’ll come back to the first part of that verse in a few minutes.
Should I pray, ‘Father, save me …
It is almost like the crowd was watching Jesus own internal struggle over what was transpiring and what was going to transpire.
Should I pray … But I can’t … this … what is happening … this week, these events … this is why I came!
How could I pray to get out of this … I have to go through with this…
Considering what is happening and going to happen – recoils inside him
Father, bring glory to your name.
Somehow – in some way Father use this to glorify your name!
Then a voice spoke from heaven, saying, "I have already brought glory to My name, and I will do so again." When the crowd heard the voice, some thought it was thunder, while others declared an angel had spoken to Him.
For the third time in Jesus three years of living out in the open a voice speaks from heaven.
1st – His baptism –"This is My dearly loved Son, who brings Me great joy." (Matthew 3:17 NLT)
2nd – Transformation – Moses and Elijah appear with Jesus – Peter, James and John see them - "This is My dearly loved Son, who brings Me great joy. Listen to Him." (Matthew 17:5 NLT)
The voice speaking answers Jesus prayer … I have already brought glory to My name, and I will do so again
The crowd is mixed as to what occurred
- Some thought it was thunder
- Others had determined – that it was an angel that had spoken.
Then Jesus told them, "The voice was for your benefit, not Mine. The time for judging this world has come, when Satan, the ruler of this world, will be cast out. And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to Myself." He said this to indicate how He was going to die.
The voice you heard is a sign … It is to help you believe … It is to help you continue
Jesus talks about the spiritual battle that has been going on and is happening for the world
By the world – people and life that is lived in the world.
The time for judging the world system – This sin riddled, selfish and greed driven the world system that is under the rule of Satan – his power will be taken care of.
He’s talking about what happens to the KofD and sin and Satan and Demons on the cross.
That is a subject for another day …
He then describes how he was going to die. – Lifted up from the earth
They understood what he was saying … but it didn’t make sense.
Jews stoned people to death … Romans crucified.
Why is he saying he would be ‘lifted up’?
John’s editorial comment/sentence was for the readers who weren’t there when the event occurred.
The crowd responded, "We understood from Scripture that the Messiah would live forever. How can You say the Son of Man will die? Just who is this Son of Man, anyway?"
Our understanding of the Scripture is that the Messiah would never die
How can you say the Son of Man will die – SofM – Daniel – title given to the Messiah
Jesus had used the title the SofM to describe himself often
If you are going to die – you can’t be the SofM – so who is the SofM?
Jesus does what he so often does – he doesn’t answer their question but goes off on a rabbit trail.
Jesus replied, "My light will shine for you just a little longer. Walk in the light while you can, so the darkness will not overtake you. Those who walk in the darkness cannot see where they are going. Put your trust in the light while there is still time; then you will become children of the light." After saying these things, Jesus went away and was hidden from them. (John 12:27-36 NLT)
My light – life – he’s prophesying his death
Walk with me while I’m still here so that ‘darkness’ – doubt, fear, the world, the world’s system, doesn’t overtake you.
Stay with me … don’t get overtaken.
Walking in darkness is dangerous
Put your trust in the light
You’ll become children of the light
Jesus went away and was hidden from them.
Matthew says he spent part of the time in Bethany
Luke says he spent part of this time camping at the Mount of Olives.
During the day he would travel back to Jerusalem and teach in the Temple.
Let me go back to the start of these verses.
Now My soul is deeply troubled
Jesus’ words pregnant with meaning
This is the same terminology that was used when Jesus was in Bethany as he was watching his friends grief over the death of Lazarus.
Anger – disturbed – troubled – anguish - tormented
Breaking under the stress of what is about to occur
Lake Ann – Glacier – cracking/rocks tumbling as the glacier was moving and cracking and pieces falling
It is not dying that Jesus is fearful/dreading --- Lots of people have died as painful of death or even worse.
No one else has become sin
Verses we looked at last week – centuries of man’s selfishness/sin had been put into containers waiting for this event.
Spent uranium that is put into lead lined/Cement – buried underground – Yucca Mtns 1500 feeet
Won’t sustain a critical earthquake for 10,000 years.
All released at one time – not on the planet – on one person – Jesus.
That is what Jesus was ‘troubled in spirit’ about
Anguish, turmoil, disturbed,
God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
(2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV)
The essence of sin
- Evil - Not - Take our sin upon him – he became it
- Sickness - Not - He got sick for us – he became sickness
- Virus - Not - He didn’t get the bug – he became the bug
Not only did he become the essence of sin
He experienced for the first time ever – separation from his Father.
My God, My God – why have you forsaken me … turned away… turned your back on
The Father didn’t forsake him
The Father looks on sin all the time
Sin created the barrier between Jesus and His father
To him it seemed like he was all alone.
No one else has experienced separation from their Father in the way Jesus did
The anguish of Jesus soul – give us a glimpse of the horribleness of what is going to happen when he becomes sin
Drastic Times Call For Drastic Measures
Drastic Problem - Drastic Solution
The drastic measures that are taken to treat an illness often reveal the seriousness of the illness.
Thus the drastic treatment of the cross and Jesus becoming sin reveals to us the truth about sin and the human condition.
I felt that a personal update was in order so that you could continue to pray for us in a focused fashion as your Network Leader continues in this bout against cancer.I completed a series of 25 days of external radiation therapy and the doctors indicate that I tolerated those better than most with minimal side effects.I have entered the second phase of hormone therapy, and yes, the hot flashes persist as do the mood swings.I cannot and will not become "accustomed" to those! The last phase of treatment will occur January 29 with the surgical placement of radioactive seeds that will work passively for up to about one year.
Angelina Jolie – In May of 2013 he wrote in an OP-ED in the NYT that she had undergone a preventive double mastectomy
The chance of her developing breast cancer was so great and she didn’t want her children to go through life a mother or her grandchildren to not have opportunity to know her.
The problem was so drastic that it required a drastic solution.
During the Civil War it is estimated that ¾ of a surgeon’s time in the Civil war was spent amputating limbs.
An Army of Tennessee surgeon wrote that the shattering, splintering and splitting of a long boneby the impact of the Mine? or Enfield ball were, in many instances, did so much damage that amputation was the only means of saving life (TentingTonight, 92).
Evaluating what we do and others do – lies.
Two of them
It’s not that bad … It’s not as bad as …
Comparison becomes over against what others do
- At least I’m not …
- They deserve it after what they did
Comparison isn’t between what two people did
The comparison is between what happened and the cure
There is nothing wrong with it as long as no one gets hurt
That might be one of the biggest lies of all time
Those of you that are in your 20s, 30’s, 40’s 50’s etc.
You look back now on your life and see that some of what you do is related to what your dad or mom did/didn’t do.
Some of us have sought counseling
Some of us talk about it when we are with your friends
It has become an excuse for what we do
Your Dad/Mom was only doing what ‘didn’t hurt anyone.’
If he wants to sleep around – he’s not hurting anyone --- Except the woman he was involved with and dumped who ends up with trust issues and man issues.
If he wants to look at porn … If she wants to drink that much …
Truth – sin – the breaking of a moral law, the breaking of a conscience, everyone doing what they want to do
Leaves chaos and broken lives
I’m not hurting anyone
Martha – Passenger Pigeon
It is estimated that there were 3 billion to 5 billion passenger pigeons at the time Europeans discovered America.
Cotton Mather described a flight as being about a mile in width and taking several hours to pass overhead.
50cents for a dozen
Flocks were so large – they could be killed by the thousands
By the 1900s there were virtually no passenger pigeons left in the wild
At the Cincinnati Zoo
Last of her species, died at 1 PM, 1 September 1914, age 29
People think that what we do doesn’t matter --- as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone
That is a lie
Sin always has a cost
I was talking to someone this week – “I’m a free spirit… I used to run a porn shop… I’m not uptight about people using porn …”
I pushed back
Not only is it exploitive – it turns boys, girls, and women into a commodity to be consumed.
Consume it … throw the person in the recycle bin.
I could spend all morning telling you stories of things people do/have done that could illustrate the destructive nature of sin
The convincing proof of the seriousness of sin and what the human race has done is not proven by reams of examples
The seriousness/grave nature/the horribleness of sin is proven by the drastic measure taken to cure it
The Drastic Measure – was Jesus the pure/sinless Son of God being overtaken by sin
As we will see in a few weeks – the consideration of what was about to take place
Damaged his heart – sweating drops of blood.
You want to know what selfishness/self-centeredness/personal agendas and demanding rights looks like
Don’t look at yourself or others
Look to what it did to the one who came to be the cure.
Now My soul is deeply troubled