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John 18
Skip Heitzig

John 18 (NKJV™)
1 When Jesus had spoken these words, He went out with His disciples over the Brook Kidron, where there was a garden, which He and His disciples entered.
2 And Judas, who betrayed Him, also knew the place; for Jesus often met there with His disciples.
3 Then Judas, having received a detachment of troops, and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, came there with lanterns, torches, and weapons.
4 Jesus therefore, knowing all things that would come upon Him, went forward and said to them, "Whom are you seeking?"
5 They answered Him, "Jesus of Nazareth." Jesus said to them, "I am He." And Judas, who betrayed Him, also stood with them.
6 Now when He said to them, "I am He," they drew back and fell to the ground.
7 Then He asked them again, "Whom are you seeking?" And they said, "Jesus of Nazareth."
8 Jesus answered, "I have told you that I am He. Therefore, if you seek Me, let these go their way,"
9 that the saying might be fulfilled which He spoke, "Of those whom You gave Me I have lost none."
10 Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant's name was Malchus.
11 So Jesus said to Peter, "Put your sword into the sheath. Shall I not drink the cup which My Father has given Me?"
12 Then the detachment of troops and the captain and the officers of the Jews arrested Jesus and bound Him.
13 And they led Him away to Annas first, for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas who was high priest that year.
14 Now it was Caiaphas who advised the Jews that it was expedient that one man should die for the people.
15 And Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. Now that disciple was known to the high priest, and went with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest.
16 But Peter stood at the door outside. Then the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to her who kept the door, and brought Peter in.
17 Then the servant girl who kept the door said to Peter, "You are not also one of this Man's disciples, are you?" He said, "I am not."
18 Now the servants and officers who had made a fire of coals stood there, for it was cold, and they warmed themselves. And Peter stood with them and warmed himself.
19 The high priest then asked Jesus about His disciples and His doctrine.
20 Jesus answered him, "I spoke openly to the world. I always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where the Jews always meet, and in secret I have said nothing.
21 "Why do you ask Me? Ask those who have heard Me what I said to them. Indeed they know what I said."
22 And when He had said these things, one of the officers who stood by struck Jesus with the palm of his hand, saying, "Do You answer the high priest like that?"
23 Jesus answered him, "If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil; but if well, why do you strike Me?"
24 Then Annas sent Him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.
25 Now Simon Peter stood and warmed himself. Therefore they said to him, "You are not also one of His disciples, are you?" He denied it and said, "I am not!"
26 One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of him whose ear Peter cut off, said, "Did I not see you in the garden with Him?"
27 Peter then denied again; and immediately a rooster crowed.
28 Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas to the Praetorium, and it was early morning. But they themselves did not go into the Praetorium, lest they should be defiled, but that they might eat the Passover.
29 Pilate then went out to them and said, "What accusation do you bring against this Man?"
30 They answered and said to him, "If He were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered Him up to you."
31 Then Pilate said to them, "You take Him and judge Him according to your law." Therefore the Jews said to him, "It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death,"
32 that the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled which He spoke, signifying by what death He would die.
33 Then Pilate entered the Praetorium again, called Jesus, and said to Him, "Are You the King of the Jews?"
34 Jesus answered him, "Are you speaking for yourself about this, or did others tell you this concerning Me?"
35 Pilate answered, "Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered You to me. What have You done?"
36 Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here."
37 Pilate therefore said to Him, "Are You a king then?" Jesus answered, "You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice."
38 Pilate said to Him, "What is truth?" And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, "I find no fault in Him at all.
39 "But you have a custom that I should release someone to you at the Passover. Do you therefore want me to release to you the King of the Jews?"
40 Then they all cried again, saying, "Not this Man, but Barabbas!" Now Barabbas was a robber.

New King James Version®, Copyright © 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved.

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43 John - 2016

As Jesus' time on the earth drew to a close, His disciples might have felt their world was spinning out of control. But Jesus was not a victim of His circumstance; rather, He was the orchestrator, and He knew that it was all in His Father's plan. In this Communion message, we examine Jesus' betrayal and the trials that ultimately resulted in His crucifixion.

The gospel of John is a unique eyewitness testimony of the life of Jesus that emphasizes His deity and provides information about Him that's not found in the other Gospels. John wrote this account so we would know that we can find true, abundant life in Christ alone: "But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name" (John 20:31). In this verse-by-verse study of John, Skip Heitzig takes us through Jesus' public ministry, His teachings to the disciples, His death, and His resurrection.

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Detailed Notes

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  1. Introduction
    1. We look forward to taking the Lord's Supper as Jesus did with His disciples (see Luke 22:15)
    2. All things work for good for God's people (see Romans8:28)
      1. God is sovereign
      2. Nothing is out of His control
      3. Jesus was not a victim of His circumstances; He orchestrated the circumstances
        1. He told the disciples where to find the donkey (see Matthew 21:2-6; Mark 11:2-6; Luke 19:30-34)
        2. He sent them to find the furnished room for them to hold the Passover feast (see Matthew 26:18-19; Mark 14:13; Luke 22:10-13)
        3. He knew it was time to lead them to Gethsemane (see John 14:31)
      4. He was not a victim; He was a volunteer (see John 10:18)
  2. John 18:1-9
    1. Jesus took His disciples over the Brook Kidron and tothe garden of Gethsemane
      1. When David was betrayed by a trusted friend and rejected by his nation, he fled Jerusalem by crossing the Brook Kidron (see 2 Samuel 15:7-23)
      2. To make this similarity even stronger, David's friend Ahithophel killed himself, just like Judas (see 2 Samuel 17:23; Matthew 27:5)
      3. When the lambs were killed for Passover in Jesus' time, the blood was drained into the altar, which drained into the Brook Kidron
        1. On one Passover about thirty years after Jesus, 256,000 lambs were slain
        2. The Lamb of God crossed over a brook filled with the blood of lambs that could not take away sin (see Hebrews 10:5-14)
    2. The garden of Gethsemane
      1. The olive press
      2. An olive orchard
      3. The place where olives were crushed into oil
        1. Used as fuel in lamps
        2. Used for cooking
        3. Used in anointing
      4. Life began in a garden
        1. Physical life began in the garden of Eden (see Genesis 2:7-8)
        2. Eternal life began in the garden of Gethsemane
        3. In the garden of Eden, Adam sinned (see Genesis 3)
        4. In the garden of Gethsemane, the last Adam conquered sin (see 1 Corinthians 15:45)
        5. In the garden of Eden, Adam hid from God (see Genesis 3:8)
        6. In the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus presented Himself to God the Father
      5. One of Jesus' favorite places to go with His disciples (see Luke 21:37)
    3. Judas came to the garden with a detachment of troops
      1. Matthew called this "a great multitude" (see Matthew 26:47)
        1. A cohort, a tenth of a legion
        2. They had tried unsuccessfully several times to arrest Him (see John 10:39)
        3. Jesus stirred things up (see Matthew 21:12-13; Mark 11:15; John 2:13-16)
        4. They probably were afraid of a revolt (see Matthew 21:46)
      2. "I am He" (v. 5)
        1. He is not in the original text; it reads "I am"
          1. Egō eimi = I am
          2. Used also in Exodus 3:13-14
        2. Unmistakable use of the divine title Yhvh (Yahweh)
      3. The troops fell to the ground at the sound of His name
        1. Jesus was not a victim; He was a volunteer
        2. Just His words are commanding (see Revelation 19:15-21)
      4. Jesus told the soldiers to let His disciples go (see John 17:12)
      5. Compare to Psalm 2:1-6
  3. John 18:10-17
    1. Peter cut off the high priest's servant's ear with a sword
      1. Peter was a great fisherman, but a not a good swordsman
      2. Capital offense
      3. God's plan was coming together exactly as He intended (see Acts 2:23)
      4. Peter's actions were reactions to Jesus' prediction that he would deny Him (see Matthew 26:34-35; Mark 14:30-31; Luke 22:34; John 13:37-38)
        1. He was trying to prove Jesus wrong
        2. So often we do the same instead of letting Him handle it
    2. Jesus endured not one but six separate trials
      1. Religious trials
        1. Trial before Annas, the former high priest who still wielded great influence
        2. Trial before Caiaphas, the current high priest at the time
        3. Trial before the Sanhedrin early in the morning
      2. Civic trials
        1. Trial before Pontius Pilate
        2. Trial before Herod
        3. Second trial before Pilate
    3. Trial before Annas
      1. Annas was the father-in-law of Caiaphas
        1. Former high priest put under power by Quirinius (see Luke 2:1)
        2. Around AD 15, he was deposed by Valerius Gratus, predecessor of Pilate, and replaced by Caiaphas
      2. Annas still wielded power and influence
        1. He controlled the business of the temple
        2. Jesus had twice disturbed his business
  4. John 18:18-32
    1. Peter had already denied Jesus once
      1. But he was still in the courtyard
      2. Courageous
      3. Peter would be restored (see Luke 22:31-32)
      4. You might feel far from God, but God is never far from you
    2. Jesus knew that this was an illegal trial
      1. According to Jewish law, they could not have a court proceeding during a festival
      2. They could not have a court at night
      3. The high priest could never directly question the defendant
    3. Three phases of Peter's ministry
      1. At the fire
      2. Under fire
      3. On fire
        1. When he was restored, he was on fire for the Lord
        2. Filled with the Holy Spirit
    4. The Jews could not legally enact the death penalty
      1. They took Jesus before Pontius Pilate
      2. The Praetorium
        1. Castle-like structure attached to the Temple Mount
        2. The Romans were afraid of an uprising during festival time
        3. Built so they could see what was going on at all times
        4. Pontius Pilate did not live there but would go to Jerusalem for the festivals
      3. In Jewish tradition, the dwelling places of Gentiles were defiled
        1. They made Pilate come out of the Praetorium to speak with them
        2. Did not sit well with him; this is why he wanted to dismiss the case
        3. Bedikat chametz is the ritual of collecting leaven in the house
        4. Pilate's house was not free from leaven
      4. They wanted the Romans to crucify Him
        1. Jesus predicted He would die by Gentile means (see John 12:32)
        2. Jews did not crucify people; they stoned people
  5. John 18:33-40
    1. Jesus wanted to reach Pilate's heart
    2. Jesus was a King, but not a political, military king
      1. His kingdom is not of this world
      2. Is He the King of your life?
    3. Pilate did not know what to do with a spiritual King
      1. He was not a Roman; he was Spanish
      2. He married the granddaughter of Caesar Augustus, Claudia Procula
      3. She had a dream about Jesus and warned her husband to leave Him alone (see Matthew 27:19)
    4. Verse 37: the incarnation of Jesus
      1. He was born into this world
      2. Connotes His preexistence
    5. Pilate found no fault in Jesus
      1. He asked, "What is truth?" but did not stay around for the answer
      2. To most people, truth can be spun to mean anything
    6. The Jews wanted Barabbas released to them instead ofJesus
      1. A violent criminal who deserved the death penalty
      2. Bar = son; abba = father
      3. Barabbas = son of a father
      4. According to Origen, Barabbas' first name was Jesus
      5. The choice was Jesus son of a father, or Jesus Son of the Father
  6. Closing
    1. Jesus was not a victim of circumstance; He wascontrolling the circumstances
    2. He died for our sins, but He is coming back to ruleand reign forever
Figures referenced: Caesar Augustus, Valerius Gratus, Flavius Josephus, Origen, Claudia Procula,CharlesSpurgeon

Greek/Hebrewwords: abba, bar, bedikat chametz,egōeimi, Yahweh

Crossreferences: Genesis 2:7-8; 3; Exodus3:13-14; 2 Samuel 15:7-23; 17:23; Psalm 2:1-6; Matthew 21:2-6, 12-13, 46;26:18-19, 34-35, 47; 27:5, 19; Mark 11:2-6, 15; 14:13, 30-31; Luke 2:1;19:30-34; 21:37; 22:10-13, 15, 31-32, 34; John 2:13-16; 10:18, 39; 12:32;13:37-38; 14:31; 17:12; Acts 2:23; Romans 8:28; 1 Corinthians 15:45; Hebrews10:5-14; Revelation 19:15-21

Transcript

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[MUSIC PLAYING]

Welcome to Expound, our verse-by-verse study of God's word. Our goal is to expand your knowledge of the truth of God by explaining the word of God in a way that is interactive, enjoyable, and congregational.

So at the risk of sounding a bit mushy, let me just say I love you.

[APPLAUSE]

I love this church, and you may remember in the gospel of Luke, it says that when His hour had come, Jesus sat down with his disciples and he said with fervent desire, "I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer." And I always look forward to the Lord's table, the Lord's supper, with you all. So with fervent desire, all week, I have looked forward to this, the Lord's table with you tonight.

We're in the Gospel of John, we're in chapter 18, if you would prepare your bibles for that text, and prepare your hearts. We'll go to the Lord in prayer. Lord, at this moment, we push away all of those competing thoughts, all of those voices we have heard either from other people, or from within our own hearts that would condemn us or deprecate us, your property that you purchased with your own blood.

And we stand before you as sons and daughters, those who are cleansed by a once and for all act that renders us not guilty from heaven's court. In a few moments, we're going to take these elements that speak of that finished transaction on the cross, something our Savior commanded that we do often in remembrance of Him. But we pray, Lord, that you would just clear the decks from our thought life. Help us to hone in on what your spirit is saying to us in our lives at this moment. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Now, we know that all things work together for good to those who love the Lord, to those who are the called according to His purpose. That is Romans 8:28, one of your favorites. It's a soft pillow for a tired heart. It's the truth we lean on. It's the truth we rest upon, because it tells us of the sovereignty of God. And one of the most encouraging truths in the universe is that God is sovereign. He is in control. There's nothing out of his control. God never goes, oops. God never says, uh-oh. He's in total absolute control.

Charles Spurgeon said there's probably no other teaching or truth or doctrine that is more comforting to the child of God than that of His sovereignty. And we have seen it displayed on the very night we have been studying about the Passover evening, with Jesus and his disciples. In fact, the whole Passover season, we have seen where Jesus is not a victim of circumstance, he's orchestrating the circumstances. He's the director.

Like when he says to his disciples, go in the village opposite you, and you'll find a donkey tied up. Bring the donkey to me. And when somebody asks you, what are you doing? Just say, the Lord has need of it. And they'll let it go. And they went, untied the donkey, and wouldn't you know it, somebody was around going hey, what are you guys doing? And the disciples looked at each other like, let's try that line. The Lord needs it. OK, take it.

Now, wouldn't that be great if you could walk on a car lot and just say, I think the Lord needs that one. I'll take the keys. Then, when it was time to celebrate the Passover meal and they were wondering where that was going to take place, Jesus said well, when you go into the city, you're going to see a man carrying a clay pitcher of water. Go ask him where the room is to be prepared. And the owner of that house is going to show you a large furnished upper room. There, make ready. And so they did, and so they ate. And Jesus taught them, and we've been studying that.

And then, at the end of that episode, when the Lord on the divine time clock knew it was now time to get this show on the road, he said, arise. Let us go from here. And they rose up. And then-- as we have been studying last time-- the Lord was walking his men from the upper city of Jerusalem down the descent of the Temple Mount toward the Kidron Valley, which faces the Mount of Olives.

And he's going to take them there beyond the Kidron brook into the Garden of Gethsemane. Why? Because he has a rendezvous to keep. He has an appointment to keep. Judas is behind the scenes thinking he's come up with a conspiracy to get Jesus arrested so that he can get 30 pieces of silver. But this was all prophesied. This was all arranged. And Jesus fully knew. And he wasn't a victim, he was a volunteer.

He said, "no one takes my life from me. I lay it down of myself. I have the power to lay it down, and I have the power to take it up again." So he is in sovereign control of this evening and all of these circumstances of the Passover.

And so in chapter 18 verse 1, when Jesus had spoken these words-- that is that prayer that we saw last time-- when Jesus had spoken these words, he went out with his disciples over the brook Kidron, where there was a garden which he and his disciples entered. I wonder if later on-- surely not at this moment, but if later on-- the disciples would have put two and two together, thinking back to this night, the night they walked with Jesus down that decent and over the brook Kidron and into the Garden of Gethsemane. And I wonder if they wouldn't have thought of 2nd Samuel, chapter 15.

When David-- because of a revolt of his son, Absalom-- was betrayed by his trusted counselor, Ahithophel. He was betrayed by his friend and then rejected by his nation. And so David crossed over the brook Kidron, up the Mount of Olives, and out to the wilderness. And I wonder if they wouldn't have thought, wow. Isn't that amazing that David did that, rejected by the nation, betrayed by a friend. Jesus, the son of David, rejected by the nation, betrayed by a friend.

And then even to make that similarity more similar, Ahithophel went and took his own life, just as Judas will take his own life. But at this point, Judas is somewhere in the distance. He's with Roman soldiers. He's with temple officers. And they're coming to get him. So Jesus crosses over the Kidron brook like David did.

But something would have been interesting, you'd never see it if you were to cross over the Kidron Valley today, and you wouldn't have seen it during David's day. But during Jesus' day when the temple was up on that 35 acre complex, that plateau we know as the Temple Mount, when the temple stood there, every Passover when the lambs were killed, the blood of those animals was drained into the altar. And we are told that a stone receptacle collected the blood and a conduit went from underneath the Temple Mount into the Kidron brook. And it was a lot of blood.

The historian Josephus tells us that on one of the Passovers during this era-- not during this particular Passover, but one that happened 30 years later-- there were 256,000 lambs slain in Jerusalem in one single Passover. And I'm bringing that up, because what I want you to picture in your mind is the Lamb of God is crossing over a brook that was filled with the red blood of lambs that could not take away sin. And he saw that. And he knew what that meant. And he knew what he had come to fulfill. Like Hebrews said, the blood of those lambs could never take away sin. But the Lamb of God would and did. And he crossed over that with the disciples. They didn't pick up on that at the moment. They were just following Jesus.

And they come to a garden, a garden we know as Gethsemane, it means the olive press. It was, after all, the Mount of Olives. And on the Mount of Olives was an olive farm. There were several of them, and there were presses because olive oil was like gasoline is today. It was for fuel. It fueled oil lamps. It was used for anointing. It was used in cooking. The country lived off of it. And so there on that spot was a press where olives were crushed to get the fruit out, the olive oil.

Jesus goes to that place of crushing, the olive press Gethsemane, as the sin of the world is being placed upon him. And he voluntarily accepts the cup as he will say, if I get to it. "I will drink this that the father has given me."

It's interesting-- and I think John brings it up for a reason-- that there was a garden. Did you know that life began in a garden? The Garden of Eden. But did you know that eternal life began in another garden? Gethsemane. When Jesus said, not my will, but your will be done. That's when it all began. Life began at a garden. New life began in the garden of Gethsemane.

In the Garden of Eden, Adam sinned. In the garden of Gethsemane, the last Adam-- that's what Paul calls him, the second Adam, the last Adam, Jesus-- conquered sin. Overcame it by the willingness to go to the cross. In the Garden of Eden, Adam hid from God. In the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus presents himself to the father. And life-- having begun in a garden-- will also end in a garden.

In new Jerusalem, there is a garden-like environment with the tree of life. That's for another study. We don't have time to even remark. And Judas, verse 2, "who betrayed him also knew the place, for Jesus often met there with his disciples. Then, Judas-- having received a detachment of troops and officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees-- came there with lanterns and torches and weapons."

The garden of Gethsemane was Jesus' spot to hang out. It was quiet. It was one of his favorite places to go with his disciples. He did it a lot. Luke tells us that during that week of Passover, he was teaching in the temple and healing, and then he would go away and he would sleep on the Mount of Olives. It was in the garden of Gethsemane that he was camping out. He loved to go there. And because it is one of Jesus' favorite places, it has always been one of mine. And because of that, almost every time I've gone to Jerusalem, I like to take a walk from the upper city through the Kidron Valley, into the garden of Gethsemane, just to be reminiscent of all of this that we are reading.

Now, Judas comes with a lot of people, many troops. We are told he received a detachment of troops and officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees. Matthew just says a great multitude. It was a cohort-- a cohort is a tenth of a legion, or that would be 600 men. We don't know if this was a representative group of the cohort, but evidently, it was a large group. And why would they bring a large group to arrest somebody like Jesus, the lamb, so gentle?

Well, they had tried to arrest him while he was in the temple-- if you remember a couple of times-- and they were unable to do it. He just vanished out of their sight. Not only that, but Jesus-- well, he stirred things up twice in his ministry, once at the very beginning, once at the very end. He walks into the temple and overturned the tables by himself, ran people out by himself. And that authority they saw and they knew. And so they thought let's bring backup, as if that would do any good.

And so they brought backup. And they probably brought so many troops, because it's not that they were afraid that Jesus was going to pounce on them, but there could be a revolt. You may remember that one of the biggest fears of the leaders was that if they were trying to arrest Jesus in a public place, that it would cause a rebellion in the Temple Mount. So to protect from that, they brought backup.

Jesus, therefore-- now, look how this is words-- Jesus, therefore-- knowing all things that would come upon him-- he went forward and said to them, "whom are you seeking?" They answered "Jesus of Nazareth." He said to them, "I am He." Are you looking at your Bible? Can you see that sentence? Is He italicized? It's because it's not there in the original. "Whom are you seeking?" "Jesus of Nazareth." "I am."

I am. The Greek construction Ego, I, me. Ego, I, me. If you had a Septuagint version of the Book of Exodus and you were reading the spot where Moses was at the burning bush and God commissioned him to be the leader of Israel, and Moses scratched his head and said, what's your name? When they ask me, the children of Israel say who sent you? What name do I give?

If you were to read that in the Greek Septuagint, God says, ego, I, me. I am who I am, same construction. An unmistakable use by Jesus of the divine title known by the Hebrews as the tetragrammaton, the divine name Y-H, V-H, or W-H, yah-weh. "I am," he said. And Judas who betrayed him also stood with them. Now, when he said to them, "I am," they drew back and fell to the ground. See, this is not a victim. This is a volunteer who is in absolute control, and just by speaking a word, can make people fall down just like the Bible says. He will destroy the lawless one in the end times with the breath, or with his word. He'll just speak a word and it's over.

So just his word commands them, and they fall backwards. And he said to them, "whom are you seeking?" And they said, "Jesus of Nazareth." So this is take two. Jesus answered, "I told you that I am. Therefore, if you seek me, let these-- the disciples-- go their way that, that the same might be fulfilled, which he spoke of those whom you gave me. I have lost none." Where did he say that? In the previous prayer in John 17. He says, Lord, all that you have given me, none of them have I lost except for one, the son of perdition, that the scripture might be fulfilled.

Later on, they remembered that, by the Holy Spirit prompting John. And he wrote that down, that it might be fulfilled which he spoke, "all that you gave me, I have lost none." There is a psalm that is a messianic psalm. And when I say that, it has always been regarded from its inception almost by Jewish people for centuries, generations, as messianic. And that is the second psalm. Let me read it to you and see if this doesn't just sound familiar.

"Why do the nations rage and the people plot a vein thing? The kings of the Earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against his Christ or anointed, saying, let us break their bonds in pieces and cast away their cords from us." Let's get rid of God's control. Let's usurp his power and authority. Let's have it our way, our agenda. We'll do our thing. We'll govern ourselves, and do what we want.

Now, listen to God's response. "He who sits in the heavens shall laugh. Ha, ha, ha," God would say, as puny man shakes his fist, and says, he who sits-- God didn't even get up. He just sits back. God rules the universe with his feet up. He doesn't even get up. He didn't cringe in fear, he's just like (YAWNS) that's all you got?

"The Lord will hold them in derision. He shall speak to them in his wrath and distress them in his deep displeasure. Yet, I have set my King on my holy hill of Zion." Wow. The rulers gathered together against the Lord. It's speaking of this convocation coming together against God. It sounds like a massive international ACLU convention or something, trying to push God out of life. God laughs, God has got it all in control.

And so here, that the same might be fulfilled. Then, verse 10. "Then, Simon Peter--" you remember him? We love him, don't we? "Simon Peter, having a sword"-- so I don't know if he got it from one of the soldiers or he had concealed carry or what, but he's got a sword, he drew it and struck the high priest servant and cut off his right ear. The servant's ear was name-- yeah, they named their ears back then. It's a weird thing you may want to try it. The servant was named Malchus.

So Jesus said to Peter, "put your sword into the sheath, shall I not drink the cup which my father has given me." we love Peter. Peter was a great fisherman. Peter was a poor swordsman. Peter wasn't precise. He wasn't aiming at his ear, are you kidding? Peter is going ballistic. He's all ISIS on these people. He wants to cut their heads off. He's going for Malchus just like to do him under. He misses-- being a good fisherman, not a good swordsman-- and cuts his ear off.

This could have been a problem. If Jesus does not heal him-- and he will-- there would have been four crosses on Calvary. This is a capital offense. Jesus says, "put your sword up. Shall I not drink." see, once again, he realizes this is the Father's plan. This is sovereign will. God's sovereign will was being worked out that evening. God had a plan, and everything's going perfectly to plan. Now, yes, the soldiers have their plans. The officers have their plans. Judas has his plan. There is a conspiracy afoot, but their plan and God's plan is coming together. In fact, God is using their plan-- they're like little pawns on his chessboard-- simply to enact his sovereign plan. That's all that is. God's plan is that his son provide forgiveness.

Now, Peter is there. Peter is the guy with the sword. Later on-- bless Peter's heart. That's what they say down south when something's wrong with somebody, bless his heart-- later on, Peter will get this in his head. He'll get this in his heart. He didn't get it now, he's got a sword. Pretty soon, the sword will be down, the Bible will be open. And Peter will say to the people of this city in Acts chapter 3, speaking of Jesus, Him, Jesus, Him being delivered by the determined purpose and fore-knowledge of God you have taken by wicked hands, crucified, and put to death.

You killed him, you put him to death. You are responsible for your choices and your actions, but this is all part of God's divine sovereign plan fore-knowledge of God. The purpose of God was enacted. Finally, Peter, it'll click for him. But at this point, Peter's hurting inside. He's hurting inside. This is a reaction to something Jesus told him. Remember, Jesus said, Peter, I know you love me, or you think you love me more than you really do. And you swear that you'll never deny me and you'll always follow me. You remember Peter said, these guys are flakes Jesus, but you can count on me. I'm with you to the end. I'll never deny you, I'll always be with you. Well, you're going to deny me three times actually tonight.

And he denied his denial. No, I'll go to death with you. Even if all others do it, I won't. He is trying to prove Jesus wrong by taking out the sword. I am here for you, I am going to take over. I'm going to muster my way through this, hack my way through this. How often we're like Peter, trying to hack our way through lives, trying to just get stuff done with an axe, instead of letting the Lord-- who tells us, I got this covered, I got it handled-- let him show himself.

Then, verse 12, the detachment of troops and the captain and the officers of the Jews arrested Jesus and bound him, and led him away to Anis first, for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was the high priest that year. Now, it was Caiaphas who advised the Jews that it was expedient that one man should die for the people. And Simon and Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple-- this we think is John, the author of this book.

Now, that disciple was known to the high priest and went with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest. But Peter stood at the door outside. Then, the other disciple who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to her who kept the door and brought Peter in. Then, the servant girl who kept the door said to Peter, "you are not also one of this man's disciples, are you?" And he said, "I am not."

Now, let me try to do this quickly. There was not one trial by Jesus. He's arrested now. And he's going to go to trial. But there's not one trial. There are, in fact, six separate trials, mark them. The first one is before Anis, the previous high priest still wielding great influence in the nation. The second trial is before the actual high priest, the one in power, the son-in-law of Anis named Caiaphas.

So he goes to Anis and Caiaphas. And those are like pre-trials. They're trials, but pre-trials. The third trial is with the whole ruling body of the Jews, the Sanhedrin very, very early in the morning. So there are three trials that are religious trials. The next three are civic trials. And the first one or the fourth one in the list of six, he goes before Pontius Pilate. Pontius Pilate sends him to Herod Antipas. Herod sends him back to Pilate, Pilate renders the final verdict. So six trials altogether.

Now, first he goes to Anis, not do the high priest. The high priest is named Caiaphas. Anis is not the high priest. He is the father-in-law of the high priest. But to complicate things further, Anis used to be the high priest. He was the high priest put into power under a provincial ruler named Quirinius. Do you know that name? You do know that name. Every Christmas, you read that name. Luke chapter 2, Caesar Augustus gave the decree the whole world should be registered. This decree was given while Quirinius was governing Syria.

That Quirinius allowed Anis to be the high priest. But around 15 AD, he was deposed by another provincial ruler named Valerius Gratus, the predecessor of Pontius Pilate. He pulled him out and put in Caiaphas, his son-in-law. Now, why is that important? Because high priests don't have terms. They don't get voted in for four years or eight years and then you get a new one. They're a high priest for life. But the Romans are in charge, so they pull out the high priest, put in a new one that they can control a little bit easier. But Anis still wields power and influence.

And the reason they went to Anis first-- let me tell you why I think it is-- Anis controlled the business of the temple. All the doves that were bought and sold, all the lambs that were bought and sold, all the money changes that were in the temple courts, all of that belonged to Anis. And Jesus twice had upset his business. So Jesus comes before Anis first. Then, to Caiaphas the high priest, then to the Sanhedrin, as I mentioned.

So verse 18. "Now, the servants and the officers who had made the fire of the coal stood there, for it was cold. And they warmed themselves, and Peter stood with them and warmed himself. And the high priest then asked Jesus about his disciples and his doctrine. Jesus answered, I spoke openly to the world." Now before I get to that, Peter has denied Jesus already, has he not? He's going to deny him again. And our Lord told him he would.

Now, let me speak on behalf of my brother, Peter. Preachers love to rag on Peter. Preachers love to make Peter their whipping post. And you know, Peter he did this. And here's all the mistakes Peter made, can I just say there's going to be a long line of preachers in heaven waiting to apologize to Peter for all the things we said about him. And I'll be in that line, because I've had my share of sermons on Peter.

And yes, he denied the Lord. But listen, he's in the courtyard. The other ones have fled. Only John and Peter are there. At least-- listen, this guy is courageous. I know he denies Jesus. There's a lot of reasons we could look as to why I've got my own theories. But Peter's a guy that took the sword out. Not a good plan, but that's not a lack of courage. That's like I'm willing to die now. And he's following Jesus to the center of action.

So for all the bad things you want to say, you at least have to grant Peter that he's there. And by the way, it's not over for Peter. Even when he denies the Lord, Jesus knew he was going to deny him. That's part of the control. That's part of the sovereignty of God. Jesus said to Peter it's recorded in the gospel of Luke. Peter, Satan has been asking for you that he might sift you like wheat. But I prayed for you. And when you are restored, strengthen your brothers.

He'll be restored. Jesus loves to restore failures. Are you a failure? You're in the right place. You're about to take the right elements. You're about to come clean and be covered. And you might feel far from God, but God is never far from you. You can call on him. You can turn back to him right where you are, one step.

Well, the high priest, verse 19, asked Jesus about his disciples and his doctrine. Now, look what Jesus says, very interesting. "I spoke openly to the world. I always taught in the synagogues and in the temple where the Jews always meet. And in secret, I have said nothing. Why do you ask me? Ask those who heard me. What I said to them indeed, they know what I said. And when he had said these things, one of the officers who stood by struck Jesus with the palm of his hand, saying, do you answer the high priest like that? Jesus answered him, if I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil. But if well, why do you strike me? Then, Anis sent him bound to Caiaphas, the high priest."

Our Lord Jesus-- knowing all things-- also knew that in that trial before Anis and the proceedings that will follow, that this was an illegal trial. He knew this was not fair. He knew that this was not according to their law. According to Jewish law, you can never have a court proceeding on a capital offense the night during or before a festival. This is Passover. In fact, for that matter, you can't have a court at night at all. You have to wait for the next morning.

Also, the high priest can never directly question the defendant, because they had laws protecting against self-incrimination. It was a prelude to our Fifth Amendment. When somebody says, I plead the Fifth Amendment. I will not answer on grounds that it might incriminate me. That was part of Jewish law as well. So all of this was rigged, and Jesus knew it. So what he's saying is call a witness. You need to have witnesses here, you can't directly question me according to your law. You always have to have witnesses. Call your witness. I've said nothing in secret.

Well, they reacted. It was an ad hominem attack. They slapped him, struck him. "Simon Peter--" verse 25-- "stood and warmed himself. Therefore, they said to him, you are not also one of his disciples are you? They asked them that before. He denied it and said, I am not. One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of him who's ear Peter cut off said, didn't I see you in the garden with him? Peter then denied again, and immediately, a rooster crowed."

Let me plant something in your mind. Next time you think of Peter the Apostle, I want you to think of three phases of his life, three phases of his ministry, how's that? Peter was at the fire, he's warming himself by the fire, cozying up, cuddling up to the world that is amassed against Jesus. So he's at the fire, number one. Number two, he's under fire. You're the guy right? You're the guy. You were with him. You're one of his disciples. No, no, no.

So Peter was at the fire, Peter under fire. Number three, Peter on fire. When he gets restored again, when Jesus sees him at the shores of Galilee and recommissions him again, this boy will be on fire. And you'll see it in the book of Acts. Filled with the Holy Spirit, witness of the Resurrection. And he is on fire. But right now, he's hurting. He denied, and immediately a rooster crowed.

"Then, they led Jesus from Caiaphas to the praetorium. And it was early morning. But they themselves did not go in the praetorium, because lest they should be defiled, but that they might eat the Passover. Pilate then went out to them and said, what accusation do you bring against this man?" There's an old saying that says if you can't find a lawyer who knows the law, find a lawyer who knows the judge.

The Jews had a problem. They could not adjudicate in capital cases and have a positive verdict. They could not enact the death penalty, that had been taken away by the Romans. They knew that. They found him guilty, they wanted him killed. But they could not kill him because of Roman law. And so the best thing to do is take it before the one who can lay his gavel down and bring a positive rendering in this case, and get this man killed.

So they come to Pontius Pilate where? It says the praetorium. Now, the praetorium is a structure. If you go to Jerusalem, you can see it. You can see the remnants of the building. And it's been added to, but it's essentially the same size. It was this huge castle-like structure attached to the Temple Mount on the Northeast side of the Temple Mount. And why was it there? Because during festivals, millions of people from all over the world came for sacrifices and for festivals. The Romans were afraid of an uprising, so they stationed extra troops at festival time. And they had this tower that overlooked the Temple Mount so they could see any activity and be on it right away.

So the Antonia fortress is where troops were stationed during the festival. Not only that, but Pontius Pilate is there. He didn't live there. Listen, Pilate was smart. You know he lived? At the beach. His headquarters was at Caesarea by the sea, a beautiful spot, great weather. Not bad waves, by the way. But whenever there was a festival, it was part of his duty as the Roman governor procurator to go back to Jerusalem, get stationed there, and watch over the proceedings.

Well he's a gentile. And according to Jewish tradition, the dwelling places of the gentiles are defiled, are contaminated. So they want Pilate to give them what they want, which is a guilty verdict for Jesus. But they won't go inside the praetorium. He's got to come out to them, which doesn't set well with them. That's why he wants to dismiss the case. Plus, being Passover, one of the rituals before Passover is to go through the house and get all the leaven out of the house. You take leaven out and you search for it. It's a very elaborate process. It's called the Bedikat Chamtez, the removal of the leaven, the search for the leaven.

And so to go into a gentile's palace or house, I'm sure it's going to be leavened, defiled. So they want to be ceremonially clean. How hypocritical can you get? I want to break the sixth commandment and get a guy killed for no good reason at all and break all of the laws of the court, but I want to make sure that I'm not defiled so that I can celebrate the Passover.

So Pilate comes out. Pilate went over and said to them, "what accusation do you bring against this man?" They answered and said to him, "if he were not an evil doer, we would not have delivered him up to you." Then, Pilate said to them, "you take him." He wants to dismiss it. He didn't want to have anything to do with a religious squabble. You take him. "And judge him according to your law. Therefore, the Jews said to him, it's not lawful for us to put anyone to death." Now, they are showing their hand. They want him killed. We've already taken him to our court, we've already given him the sentence guilty, we just want you to run through the paperwork, get it done.

Now, notice what it says, that "the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled, which he spoke signifying by what death he would die." remember, he said, "if I be lifted up, I'll draw all men to myself." Jesus said that. You know what he was speaking of, right? The cross, the lifting up of the cross, not lifting somebody up in worship. He meant being lifted up on a Roman cross and being stapled to it.

Now, why is this significant? Because Jesus predicted he would die by gentile-- not Jewish-- means, by a cross. Jews didn't crucify people. How did they enact capital punishment? Stoning. They would stone a person to death. But to signify by what death he would die, Jesus already announced I'm going to be killed on a cross. All of this is happening again, all under God's control for you. This is God loving you, controlling the outcome of this to pay for your sin and for mine.

"Then, Pilate entered the praetorium again and called Jesus and said to him, are you the King of the Jews? Jesus answered him, are you speaking for yourself about this? Or did others tell you this concerning me?" Very interesting response. Are you the King? Now, Jesus turns the tables and asks him a question. Why? He's after his heart. He's after even this pagan, Roman, calloused-- and history paints him as a very callous, cynical, truculent individual. Are you King of the Jews? Are you asking this as a Roman, or are you asking this out of rumor? Are you asking this because you realize that I might be? That's the idea of the question back to Him.

"Pilate answered, am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you to me. What have you done? Jesus answered, my kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews, but now my kingdom is not from here. Pilate therefore said to him, are you a King then? Jesus answered, you say rightly that I am a King. For this cause I was born. And for this cause, I have come into the world that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice."

Our Lord is saying, I'm a King, but not a political King. I'm a King, but not a military King. I'm a spiritual King, and I will be the eventual King of all Kings. I'll rule this world one day. But until then, it's a spiritual kingdom. My kingdom is not of this world. He's the King today. He is a King of sorts. Is he the King of your heart? Is he the King of your life? He wants to sit on the throne of your life as King, as Lord.

Now, eventually, he is going to take over the world. The political world, the military world, it's all going to be under his jurisdiction one day. One of the best versus-- one of the best verses in Revelation-- in fact, all of the New Testament-- is Revelation 11:15, when the announcement comes. The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ. And he will reign forever. That day is coming, Pilate--

[APPLAUSE]

--but until then, he's a spiritual King. So now, Pilate's in a quandary because Jesus said this. He said OK, my kingdom is out of this world. You know, if he would have just said yes, I am the King of the Jews, then Pilate could have got him for insurrection. But what do you do with a spiritual King? He's in the corner going oh, man. What do I do with this? This is a hard trial, oh man.

Now, to make matters worse, his wife had a dream. By the way, just a few words about Pilate. You know, Pilate was not a Roman. he works for the Roman government, he's a Roman procurator, governor, prefect, provincial ruler. But he was not a Roman. You know, he was Spanish. He was born in Seville, Spain. He joined the Roman legions as a child. He was not a good leader. He was really flunky.

The only reason he got the job here in Judea is he married the granddaughter of Caesar Augustus. Her name was Claudia Procula. And one evening, Claudia Procula got a weird dream. And Claudia sent a note to her husband, uh, leave this guy alone. I had a nasty dream about him. I don't know what's going on, but hands off. He should have listened to his wife. A lot of men should, but he didn't.

But please, before we finish the chapter, notice the wording of Jesus in verse 37. "For this cause, I was born--" now, watch this-- "and for this cause, I have come into the world." Two things are at play here. You are delving into the incarnation of Jesus from his own lips. I was born like everybody else is born, unto us a child is born. But unto us a son is given. I came into the world. It connotes preexistence and incarnation.

I was born, and it was that birth, that was the means of me who existed from eternity past to come into the world. It's a very interesting grammatical construction. "Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice. Pilate said to him, what is truth? And when he said this, he went out again to the Jews and said to them, I find no fault in him at all." That's a way of saying case dismissed. He didn't want anything to do with him.

It's sad that he asked the question what is truth, but he didn't hang around for the answer. He walked out. A lot of people do. A lot of people say, man, I just want to find the truth. I'm just interested in the truth. But they are predisposed to believe there is no such thing as absolute truth. This is the cry of postmodern philosophy. What is truth? Nobody can know absolute truth. There is no such thing. Your truth is different than my truth. And it's on a sliding scale.

So what is truth? Bot, that's a typical politician too, by the way. What is truth? Because to people in offices like this, truth is a sliding scale determined by spin. You can spin anything to make it say anything. What is truth? Verse 39. Let's finish this up, take the Lord's supper. He goes back, says to them, "but you have a custom that I should release to you someone at the Passover. Do you therefore want me to release to you the King of the Jews? They all cried again, saying not this man, but Barabbas."

Now, Barabbas was a robber. When it says robber, it does not mean a petty thief. Doesn't mean he walked into a 7-Eleven, stole a pack of gum and cigarettes and he was out. This guy was a vile criminal. This guy deserved the death penalty. He was an insurrectionist. Barabbas or Jesus? "Not this man, but Barabbas."

Interesting note. you know what Barabbas means? "Bar" is son in Hebrew. "Abba", anybody know what "abba" means? Father or daddy, "abba". You'll see little children Israel, abba, abba means dad or father, daddy. Barabba or Barabbas means son of a father. That's all it means, son of a father.

According to origin, the Alexandrian Egyptian scholar of the second and third century, the first name of Barabbas was Jesus, common name Yeshua. So the choice is between Jesus Barabbas, and Jesus the Messiah. Do you want Jesus, the son of a father? Or do you want Jesus, the son of the father? That was their choice. And they chose for not Jesus, the son of the father. And that is what happens every day across this planet. People make the choice for anyone but Jesus, the son of the father. And they did.

But he's not a victim. He's a volunteer. He's not a victim of circumstance. These circumstances aren't just happening around him. He is controlling them. I want to close with this, and then we'll have the communion board come up and we'll pass this out.

This is a young boy's understanding of biblical truth. He writes, he said, after the Old Testament came the New Testament. Jesus is the star of the new. He was born in Bethlehem in a barn. I wish I had been born in a barn too, because my mom is always saying to me close the door, where were you born, in a barn? Boy, would it be nice to say, as a matter of fact, I was. During his life, Jesus had many arguments with sinners like the Pharisees and the Democrats. Jesus also had 12 possums. The worst one was Judas Asparagus.

[LAUGHING]

Judas was so bad that they named a terrible vegetable after him. But Jesus was a great man. He healed many leopards, and even preached to some Germans on the Mount. But all those guys put Jesus on trial before Punches the Pilot. Pilot didn't stick up for Jesus. He just washed his hands instead. Anyways, Jesus died for our sins then came back to life again. He went up to heaven, but he'll be back at the end of the aluminum.

[LAUGHING]

His return is foretold in the book of Revolution. I'll tell you, this kid got a lot of stuff wrong. But he got a couple things right. Jesus died for our sins and is coming back to rule and to reign forever.

[APPLAUSE]

The issue becomes is the ruling in your heart right now? As I pray, I'm going to ask the communion board, our leaders of the church to come forward. And we'll pass these out. Father, thank you for the simple truth that Jesus died for sin, rose again from the grave as he predicted and as the scriptures predict, and he's coming back as the King of Kings, as the Lord of Lords. When every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess.

And though Jesus once said, my kingdom is not of this world, otherwise my subjects would fight. One day, the Lord Jesus will return to just take over. Until that time Lord, would you reign, would you rule in our families, in our place of business, in our personal thought life, in the decisions that we make? In our marriages, with our friends? With our neighbors? Would you reign? Would you be Lord and King? Would you rule?

Thank you, Lord, for what these elements speak to us of. And we are doing it in obedience to the commandments of our Savior, to do it often in remembrance of Him. Speak life and forgiveness and love, restoration and acceptance to those of us gathered here through these elements, we ask in Jesus' name, Amen.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

Additional Messages in this Series

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3/30/2016
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John 1:1-25
John 1:1-25
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Message Summary
The book of John is the go-to gospel for new believers. While the other Gospels were written for specific groups of people—the Jews, Romans, and Greeks—John was written for the whole world. As we begin our study in John, we discover that it is a studied portrait of Jesus' life, and it shows Him for who He really is: the Son of God.
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4/6/2016
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John 1:19-51
John 1:19-51
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What is your view of Jesus? John the Baptist was very aware of who Jesus is: "the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). We learn that our faith should not be dictated by the world's opinion of God because the majority of people have not received Him—but those who do have the right to become His children.
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4/13/2016
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John 2
John 2
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Jesus' first miracle could have been performed in front of all of Israel, demonstrating that He was their Messiah; instead, He performed His first miracle in private, bringing joy to a group of people at a wedding and cementing the disciples' faith in Him. In this study, we learn about that first miracle and why it was significant to Jesus' ministry.
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4/20/2016
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John 2:23-3:19
John 2:23-3:19
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When Jesus began His ministry on earth, many people were interested in who He was and what He was doing because of the signs and miracles He performed—not because they believed in His mission. In this study, we learn that Jesus' mission was to save all people, and He already did the hard part: He bled, suffered, and died on the cross for our sins.
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4/27/2016
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John 3:22-4:24
John 3:22-4:24
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Many people believe the church is a society of perfect people; it is, however, a society of redeemed people who express their personality through God's spirituality. In this teaching, we learn that Jesus chooses sinful people to do His work, and He loves everyone regardless of who they are and what background they come from.
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5/4/2016
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John 4:19-54
John 4:19-54
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As we study Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well, we learn He was not there by accident. Through that one woman's testimony, word of Jesus spread throughout Samaria. In this teaching, we learn that we should not underestimate how God uses the seeds we are planting in those around us.
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5/18/2016
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John 5:1-36
John 5:1-36
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When Jesus healed the paralyzed man at the pool of Bethesda, He proved He was the ultimate Healer—but not everyone saw Him that way. In this teaching, we learn that this was the point in Jesus' ministry that most of the Jewish nation formally set itself against Him, and the opposition would only continue to mount until they finally succeeded in crucifying Him.
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5/25/2016
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John 5:31-6:21
John 5:31-6:21
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Jesus provided many reasons for why people should believe in Him. As we look at some of His miracles, we see that when we go God's way, He will get us to our destination and teach us vital lessons along the way.
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6/8/2016
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John 6:22-6:71
John 6:22-6:71
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Miracles bring awareness that God is real and near to us. But along with that awareness is the danger of seeking the Lord not for who He is, but for what He does. Some people only seek Him because they want what He can give them. In this study, we see that Jesus wanted people to know the true miracle: that they can be eternally saved simply by believing in Him.
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6/15/2016
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John 7:1
John 7:1
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God gives us all the information we need, even if it's not all the information we want. In this Communion message, we learn that adjusting to God's sovereignty is always better than suffering the consequences of our own obstinacy. As we take the Lord's Supper, we remember that the Jews wanted to kill Jesus because they hated Him, but He willingly gave His life to save the world.
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8/17/2016
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John 7:1-36
John 7:1-36
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When Jesus came to Earth, people responded to Him with disbelief, debate, and division. In this Communion message, we learn that the Jewish leaders' hatred and animosity toward Jesus grew, culminating with His death on the cross. As we take the Lord's Supper, we remember that it has always been the plan of God to send His Son to the earth as a sacrifice for our sins.
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8/24/2016
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John 7:37-8:11
John 7:37-8:11
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The highest place of satisfaction in our lives is when we allow God to use us for His glory and purpose. He desires for us to be conduits of His love, not just reservoirs. As we study Jesus' ministry, we are reminded that He gives the most incredible invitation to quench the thirst of our lives.
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8/31/2016
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John 8:12-59
John 8:12-59
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God treated Jesus like we deserved to be treated so we could be treated like Jesus deserved to be treated. We are all slaves to sin, but Jesus took that burden from us so we could be children of God. As we continue our study in the gospel of John, we learn how Jesus explained His deity to the Jews.
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9/14/2016
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John 9
John 9
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Nobody enjoys suffering, but God can use it to bring about good. Suffering equips us for ministry, strengthens us, and sometimes even corrects us. As we study John 9, we learn how Jesus healed a blind man and demonstrated that spiritual sight is more important than physical sight.
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9/21/2016
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John 10:1-24
John 10:1-24
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Sheep recognize the voice of their shepherd and follow him because they trust him. Scripture refers to humans as sheep and calls Jesus our Good Shepherd. As we study John 10:1-24, we learn that Jesus gave His life for His sheep, and He desires to lead us to an abundant life in Him.
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10/5/2016
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John 10:21-42
John 10:21-42
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To believe or not to believe—that is the eternal question. John 10:21-42 highlights the fact that even though Jesus said He was the Son of God, many people in the world still do not believe this truth. As we take the Lord's Supper, we learn there is a huge difference between doubt and unbelief.
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10/26/2016
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John 11:1-35
John 11:1-35
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Sometimes God doesn't answer our prayers exactly when or how we think He should. Tragedy happens to all people, even those who love Jesus. As we study the story of Lazarus, we learn that God's delays are not His denials, and He does things on His own perfect timetable.
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11/2/2016
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John 11:33-12:11
John 11:33-12:11
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There is no question about whether God can heal people—He absolutely can. Jesus did more than heal Lazarus—He raised him from the dead. As we take the Lord's Supper, we are reminded that although we will all die, we will one day be raised to eternal life because of the redemptive love of Jesus Christ.
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11/9/2016
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John 12:12-50
John 12:12-50
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Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem was an exciting time, but many of the people who shouted, "Hosanna!" on that day would be demanding His death less than a week later. In this message, we learn about Jesus' countenance in the week leading up to His crucifixion.
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11/30/2016
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John 13
John 13
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During the Last Supper, Jesus spent a private moment ministering to His disciples. In this Communion message, we learn that God is not shocked by our failures; in fact, we are expected to learn from them. And one day, we will eventually be restored because of Jesus' humility in sacrificing Himself for us.
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1/4/2017
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John 14:1-26
John 14:1-26
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When Jesus' public ministry was over, He shared the Last Supper with His disciples, teaching them more before His death. He promised that though He was leaving them, He would send a Helper to aid them as they shared the gospel. In this Communion message, we learn that obedience to Christ opens the door to intimacy and satisfaction with Him.
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1/11/2017
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John 14:12-15:27
John 14:12-15:27
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The Bible is filled with God's promises, and we know He always keeps them. In this study of the Upper Room Discourse, we see Jesus promising His disciples His comfort through the Holy Spirit, His peace through His omniscience, and His joy through a life devoted to Him.
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1/18/2017
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John 16
John 16
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Jesus' disciples had a hard time understanding that He was going to die, rise again, and ascend to heaven. In this study of the Upper Room Discourse, we see that Jesus told His disciples He was leaving them and they would eventually suffer persecution, but they would be filled with everlasting joy in the Holy Spirit.
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1/25/2017
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John 17
John 17
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Jesus' ministry began, continued, and ended in prayer. John 17 records Jesus' one-on-one communication with His Father about Himself, His disciples, and us. In this teaching, we learn just how important prayer was to Jesus and how it should be the same in our own lives.
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2/15/2017
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John 19:1-22
John 19:1-22
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Jesus endured extreme torture up to and including His death on the cross. In this message, we examine the political and spiritual circumstances surrounding His trial and crucifixion, and we learn how this historic event was all part of God's ultimate plan.
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2/22/2017
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John 19:23-42
John 19:23-42
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Jesus suffered a gruesome death on the cross. Not only that, but the majority of his followers abandoned Him in His greatest hour of need. In this message we examine the Roman practice of crucifixion, and what Jesus must have felt as He paid the atoning sacrifice to save us from our sins.
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3/1/2017
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John 20
John 20
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After Jesus' death and burial, His followers were confused and in despair. Little did they know their sorrow was about to turn to joy—Jesus was alive. As we take the Lord's Supper, we examine the experiences of those who saw Jesus after His resurrection and learn about the commission He gave them and all believers.
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3/8/2017
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John 21
John 21
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As we conclude our study in the book of John, we learn Jesus had a mission when He invited His disciples to have breakfast with Him. Jesus gave Peter a chance to redeem himself and commissioned the disciples to spread the gospel to the ends of the earth.
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There are 28 additional messages in this series.
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