A Mob, a Sword, and a Sovereign King - Matthew 26:47-56

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A Mob, a Sword, and a Sovereign King Matthew 26:47-56 Sermon by Micah Green Hill City Reformed Baptist Church Lynchburg, Virginia

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And if you'll turn with me again to Matthew chapter 26 chapter 26 we are in the in the
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Garden of Gethsemane Several weeks ago. We we came to the passage of the
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Lord's Supper and and then Jesus telling his disciples You will fall away because of me and one of you will betray me
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Last week Brian took us through the passage of Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane this the struggling in a sense of the the weight of the magnitude of what
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Jesus was going to accomplish on the cross and and and not a a sinful struggle that Jesus was in but the recognition of what was going to take place and The prayer that he prayed because Jesus is fully
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God and fully man he understood the suffering the very real physical suffering that he would undergo and the very real spiritual suffering that he would undergo as the sins of of all of those who would
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Place their faith and trust in him for salvation were placed on him as the sacrifice
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This was no No small suffering that Jesus was undergoing he had this been just a physical death
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Jesus could have borne under that many people have borne under that before But this was an intense level of suffering that Jesus was going through and would go through in the coming hours as he prays
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He's praying that The cup might pass from him this cup of suffering But he's also praying that the will of the
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Father would be done. So he's he's submitting in this period of time to the will of the
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Heavenly Father as We read this parallel passage these this account in John's Gospel John also gives us some additional information
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John chapters 14 through 17 he records this extended section of Jesus's prayer and In the garden and also the teaching there was this period of in the garden in which
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Jesus was teaching his disciples He was telling them the things that were going to happen reminding them of what he had already said to them that he must suffer he must suffer many things at the hands of the religious leaders and be crucified and then be raised again and There's this according to John this recapitulation of this message that we saw back several chapters back in in Matthew And he's reiterating this to the disciples again
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He's also promising that the Holy Spirit the helper the paraclete the advocate will come alongside them
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When he goes away, he will not leave them helpless He prepares them for the difficulties that are to come and then he gives them assurance of his resurrection
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As Jesus is praying John also records this additional prayer that Jesus prays
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And unlike the model prayer that we saw earlier in Matthew's Gospel that sometimes is referred to as the
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Lord's Prayer This truly is the Lord's Prayer the prayer that only Jesus can pray for his disciples
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The only the only one who can utter this prayer He prays for his disciples, but he prays not only for them, but he prays for all of those who will hear the word
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From those disciples in other words. Jesus is praying for all of those who will ever come to faith in him throughout the centuries
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So as Jesus is in the garden and he's looking ahead to the suffering that he will undergo
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He's praying for you. If you were in Christ this morning, he's praying for me
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And he's praying for all those who will come to faith in him So on the heels of this exchange that has taken place that John records for us and and in light of what we've seen last week
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And we see now the betrayal of Judas coming to fruition We see the point at which he's going to earn the coins that are jingling in his pocket
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And that will soon become so onerous to him So again, we're looking at verses 47 through 56 of chapter 26
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While he was still speaking behold Judas one of the twelve came up accompanied by a large crowd with swords and clubs who came from the chief priests and elders of the people
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Now he who was betraying him gave them a sign saying whomever I kiss. He is the one sees him
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Immediately Judas went to Jesus and said hail rabbi and kissed him and Jesus said to him friend do what you've come for then they came and laid hands on Jesus and seized him and Behold one of those who were with Jesus reached and drew out his sword and struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his ear
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Then Jesus said to him put your sword back into its place For all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword
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Or do you think that I cannot appeal to my father? He will at once put at my disposal more than 12 legions of angel angels
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How then will the scriptures be fulfilled which say that it must happen this way?
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At that time Jesus said to the crowds Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest me as you would against a robber?
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Every day I used to sit in the temple teaching and you did not seize me But all this was taking place to fulfill the scriptures of the prophets
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Then all the disciples left him and fled father.
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We thank you this morning That we read throughout
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Pages of scripture the pages that you have given to us You have preserved for our good we read of a
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God who is sovereign Who is owner creator sustainer over all that there is?
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But we also see a loving and a gracious and a kind Heavenly Father We see a father who is perfectly and totally
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Sovereign and in control over his creation We see Jesus who is
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God with us The one who was truly God and is truly man and we see him also as the sovereign
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Messiah King As a father this morning as we see We see these these men who are engaged in this in this struggle in this the scene of treachery of betrayal of deceit
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Of action and Of steady Faithfulness and perseverance
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Lord, would you speak to our hearts? Would you show us where we are? among these people
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Lord would you hold your word up to us as a mirror that we would see where we fall short of Your glory where we have failed you
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And then father would you call us again to your throne of grace We would find help
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For every time of need We ask this in Jesus name. Amen So humanly speaking things look pretty dire for Jesus at this point
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He's seemingly trapped with no way out he's surrounded by this this group this large group of People of men who are armed and as we as we've seen through the study of Matthew's gospel
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We've used as a as a theme for this study that Jesus Christ is King and we we said that at the outset of our study
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Believe that's been about three years ago now that This is because Matthew has emphasized over and over again throughout his gospel.
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He's shown how Jesus is the king He's the Messiah King. He's the promised Offspring of Jesse that was that was foretold that was prophesied in the
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Old Testament And so while things seem hopeless
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They they seem very dire for Jesus at this point We also know that throughout Matthew's gospel and throughout all of Scripture.
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Jesus is King. He is in control He is sovereign and so despite this seemingly hopeless situation
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There is still hope there is still a sovereign King Jesus is not this victim of some
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Scheming and conniving that has taken place without him knowing he's been aware of that.
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He's told his disciples that he's aware of that And today in this passage we see we see three men
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We see what those three men have and we see the extent to which they are in control of this situation that is taking place
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First of all, we see this deceitful traitor We see the traitor
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Judas who who's brought a crowd of men with him Matthew refers to Judas as one of the twelve which at this point on one hand
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He doesn't really need to say that because Judas has been numbered among the disciples many times throughout
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Matthew's gospel So he's not saying anything new But at the same time we know that Judas is not really one of the twelve.
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He's not acting As a disciple should act. In fact, his actions are showing that he is very much not a disciple
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Matthew's using this term to highlight the the betrayal What is taking place here?
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That Judas is one of the twelve in name and yet He's betrayed the
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Messiah We Know from the passage again in John's gospel the parallel passage of the
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Last Supper that that Jesus is talking to Judas he addresses him and he says what you do do quickly and Then Judas gets up and goes out into the night to deliver
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Jesus into the hands of the religious leaders John says he goes out and it is dark It's hard to miss the symbolism there of Judas leaving this fellowship with Jesus and the other disciples in this room that would have been lit would have been full of Jesus's presence of his teaching of his mercy and going out into this dark night and colluding with the enemies
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Enemies of Jesus, but the enemies of God so it's
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Judas here now not Some distant onlooker not some
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Otherwise unknown Judean who witnessed Jesus's ministry from afar. No, this is
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Judas This is a man who walked with Jesus who talked with Jesus Who had been with him during all of his miracles and all of the teaching?
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If anybody on the face of the earth Had had a reason to follow
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God and be obedient to God it was it was this group of 12 men Of which
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Judas was a part Not only that but but John tells us gives us an interesting detail in this parallel account
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That that John John tells us that Judas had the money box when he left
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Some of the disciples obviously thought that he was going to to do something to buy something for Jesus Buy some supplies or give some money to people in need because he held the money box
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He was in some position of authority At least from the view of the other disciples
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They would have seen him as being some kind of leader among them because he was entrusted with the financial resources
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That the disciples had and yet he was not
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With the disciples when they left the upper room He was not with them in the
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Garden of Gethsemane during the time of Jesus's prayer And now he returns to the group.
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But of course, he doesn't come alone. He is coming with company Matthew says that is a is a large crowd with swords and clubs
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Matthew says they were sent by the chief priests and the elders Going back to John's gospel.
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He gives us again a little bit of additional detail he noted and notes that Judas was accompanied by a
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Roman cohort and then he also Repeats what Matthew says that it is also
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Officers from the chief priests and Pharisees. So this is a mixed group this is a collusion between the
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Jewish leaders and between the Roman the Roman cohort those soldiers who were stationed in the city of Jerusalem to keep keep order and so we can surmise that a story whatever needed to be told to the
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Roman Soldiers the Roman cohort was told to them to get them to come with The Jewish leaders or the the officers the soldiers that they had deputized so this ragtag group of unbelievers enemies of God Some of them would have been seen as enemies of Israel This this is now
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Judas's people. These are the people that he has cast which he has cast his lot He's not among the disciples who have followed
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Jesus And as we saw in our study of Acts Previously we went through the book of Acts One of the first things that the early church does is is they they seek
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God's will and in appointing a replacement for Judas Of course by that time he's dead as we'll see in the coming weeks
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Lord willing but he's not a part of This group of disciples and he will not be a part of those disciples who build
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Christ's Church who are those first church fathers Judas instead has cast his lot with Roman soldiers and this posse that's been gathered by the religious leaders
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We saw previously that that Judas met with the religious leaders and he was given his pay and now
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We see that a signal was prearranged ahead of time He would greet
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Jesus of all things with a kiss a very a very affectionate greeting was common in The ancient world and still is common in many parts of the world including the
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Middle East that area He would have met Jesus with a kiss that would be the sign.
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I have to remember that before the days of photographs Many of many of the leaders themselves would have not been necessarily familiar with Jesus's face
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We have to remember that at this point in time in the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus has only been in the city of Jerusalem for for not a full week yet and so many of the religious leaders would not necessarily have recognized
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Jesus by face without being told who he was and And much less these these soldiers who are here
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It would have been hard to recognize Jesus in broad daylight much less in the darkness where they all are now in Gethsemane And so this this greeting was a signal to get the right get the right man.
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Don't let him get away Again there's this level of deceit that's happening here from Judas and And this this idea this illusion of control that Judas and the religious leaders have that they think they have this
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Sewed up. They think that they have this this foolproof plan for capturing
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Jesus Matthew notes that Judas goes to Jesus now some commentators have noted that that it was customary
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And in a rabbi -disciple Relationship that the disciple never greeted the rabbi first.
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They always waited for the rabbi to speak to them And so it could be that this is a sign of disrespect
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It's a it's a bad form for Judas to go to Jesus first and say hail rabbi
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We don't know that for sure But that's an interesting aspect and and certainly would go along with the fact that Judas clearly had no respect for Jesus He also uses this greeting hail which we'll see this in the next few weeks again
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Lord willing when we come to This this period where Jesus is bound and he's he's having this crown of thorns
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Shoved on to his head by the Roman soldiers and they say hail King of the Jews this
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This empty highly sarcastic mocking greeting that they give to the
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Son of God The one who now sits at the right hand of the
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Father and then he says hail rabbi as we saw a few weeks ago
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Jesus and His disciples are in the upper room Jesus says one of you will betray me and the disciples say
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Lord. Is it I? While Judas says Rabbi, is it
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I there's a difference in how these men view
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Jesus Those genuine followers of Jesus see him as Lord they see themselves as Paul would later introduce himself as a doulas a bond servant a slave of Jesus Christ and yet Judas refers to him as rabbi as teacher and as we remarked a few weeks ago
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We see examples of this all the time People who are not in Christ who are happy to call
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Jesus a good teacher a good man a good moral man I have to question how good a person can be if they say that they are
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God and they and the father are one But that's beside the point they say Jesus was a good man, and he had some good teachings, but they stopped short of calling him
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Lord and So is the case with Judas here
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He refers to Jesus as teacher as rabbi Of course
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Jesus again is not taken by surprise by this It it's amazing to us as we read these pages now and we know the story and we know how it ends and We even know how it was prophesied centuries before but it stretches the the bounds of credulity that that To think that Judas and these of these religious leaders could really think that they were doing something
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Catching Jesus off -guard and yet that's that's their assumption Jesus's response is simple.
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He just says do what you came to do There's no surprise
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There's no shock Some some passages Rendered this as a question.
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What have you come for? The Greek literally renders this friend for which you have come
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And we don't have a punctuation in the Greek so we don't have the benefit of knowing whether this was intended as a question or a
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Statement if Jesus did say it as a question. It was purely rhetorical. It was not
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Jesus saying Judas Why are you here with all of these men? Surprise, I I was wondering where you went.
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There's no surprise here on Jesus's part And and so the context would would indicate that the reading of this would be correct that Jesus would be saying
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Friend do what you came to do You're here do it Jesus had already said that Judas was going to betray him as we've seen in previous weeks
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Even back earlier in the book of Matthew Jesus tells his disciples that he must suffer many things at the hands of the religious leaders and And then be crucified and then be raised again to life
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And so there's no surprise here on Jesus's part Judas thinks he's in control with this motley crew and their swords and their sticks and clubs that they've assembled together
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And in terms of of the numbers of people and the equipment how they're equipped. They do seem to be in Control of the situation.
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They do seem to have the upper hand We see Judas who
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Has a crowd and thinks that he is in control Second man, we see here is
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Peter who has a sword And he wants to take control of the situation.
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He attempts to wrestle control of the situation away from this group away from Judas Matthew only tells us that one of the disciples drew his sword.
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Ultimately. We don't know why Matthew didn't specify that it was Peter But we also know that going back to John's parallel account.
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We learned that it is Peter who drew his sword We also know that the name of the high priest slave was
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Malchus This man who was injured by Peter on one hand is hard.
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It's hard not to admire Peters action When the cards are stacked against him, he's backed into a corner and yet he's ready to defend his master
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And whether this cutting off the ear of this the slave was a was a shot across the bow, so to speak
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Or whether it was intended as a fatal blow and he just missed We can't be certain
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Maybe Peter was anxious to show his loyalty to Jesus again, if we think back to just a short time ago a
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Passage we looked at several weeks ago now, but it was actually less than two hours before this most likely
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Jesus tells Peter in the upper room. You will deny me three times before the rooster crows
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In other words before before the Sun comes up. You're gonna deny me not once not twice, but three times
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So whatever Peters intention, whatever his motivation we see a
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Fallen imperfect person in this situation who's trying to act in their flesh and in their own reasoning
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We might say that they are that Peter in this case is leaning on to his own understanding
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He's using his own Reasoning and Saying I've got a sword.
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I'm gonna use it. I'm armed I'm gonna make use of it So we see
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Judas who has this crowd and thinks he's in control of the situation We see Peter who has a sword and he attempts to take control of the situation
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And finally we see Jesus Christ who has all authority on heaven and on earth
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Jesus will make this statement in chapter 28. So I'm not going to go into it.
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We're not going to consider it in depth now But the theme of our study again of the book of Matthew is
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Jesus Christ is King and at the beginning of his earthly ministry Jesus is in the wilderness and he's being tempted by Satan and One of the things that Satan promises to Jesus is to give him dominion over the whole earth
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Worship me and all of this will be yours Now Jesus as he moves toward the cross willingly displays the true authority and dominion that he has
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It's of this dominion that Daniel writes the Old Testament prophet
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Daniel when he's inspired and moved by the
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Holy Spirit To write I kept looking in the night visions and behold with the clouds of heaven one like a son of man was coming and He came up to the ancient of days and was presented before him and to him was given dominion
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Glory and a kingdom that all the people's nations and men of every language might serve him
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His dominion is an everlasting Dominion which will not pass away and his kingdom is one which will not be destroyed back in Matthew chapter 16
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We saw that even when Jesus and his disciples were still in the region of Caesarea Philippi that he was preparing them for what was to come saw in chapter 16 verse 21 that from that time
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Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem He must suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes and be killed and raised up on the third day
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Jesus knew that all of these things were going to take place Jesus knew that all of these things needed to take place it was the same
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Jesus God with us the third person of the Trinity who was at work and the
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Holy Spirit Inspiring these words of Daniel to speak of the of the Messiah who was to come
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Judas is relying on a force and mass to control the situation Peter's relying on his sword to take control of the situation and all the while the one person who actually has control of the
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Situation is willingly offering himself up to these bloodthirsty men Even at this moment
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Jesus is teaching He's proclaiming truth to the disciples and to this crowd of his enemies anyone who will listen he's teaching them
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Anyone who might listen to his words First he tells
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Peter that a use of force would be pointless in this case now this is this is one verse that has been kind of snatched off the page and and Taken out of context.
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I would argue By those and the pacifist moment movement or those who are sometimes referred to as conscientious objectors
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Those who refuse to take up arms for a nation's military on on religious grounds
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The point is not to argue for or against that past that that argument
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But what I would say is that Jesus here is not making a blanket statement About armed conflict in general.
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I think it would be incorrect To develop a view specifically on this particular verse that Jesus is speaking to Peter in this particular situation
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Anyone who reads the Old Testament knows that many times God called on the people of Israel to take up arms and fight against the idolaters of the nations around them
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But instead in this situation Jesus knows that Peter is going to play an important part in the early church
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But we saw in our previous study of acts
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It is Peter on the day of Pentecost who delivers this first sermon of the church to those who are listening
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To these disciples proclaim the miracles and the mercies of God the mysteries of God in their own languages
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And so Jesus is really emphasizing the futility here of Peter to try to take matters into his own hands
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He's basically saying this is not going to end. Well if you keep in this direction If you're living by the sword if you're grabbing the sword seizing the sword, that's how you're gonna die
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There's a bit of a bit of play on words here that Jesus is using in this phrasing that he's using
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Jesus literally says the Greek here says that everyone who takes hold of the sword will die by the sword
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The word could describe Peter's physical act of reaching for the sword from its scabbard
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But there's also the trust that Peter was placing in this physical weapon in order to defeat
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Jesus's enemies in order to stop what was happening in order to take control of the situation That there was a physical grabbing for this sword but there was also a spiritual dependence on this sword and Jesus is saying that grabbing hold of this is only going to result in your own death
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Second we see that thanks to Luke's account See Jesus's action after Peter has cut off the ear of this high priest servant man, who would have been
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Basically the the spokesperson he would have gone with the authority of the high priest in this situation
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High priest, of course not wanting to sully himself by being there With someone in his place
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Let's send a delegate we see in the midst of this treachery knowing the accusations that would be made against him in just a short period of time
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Jesus reaches down and Luke tells us he heals the man's ear And we don't know for sure but it's possibly this this act that saves
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Peter from being killed that saves Peter from from retaliation it could be that the armed gang was was now faced with the uncomfortable situation of either arresting
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Peter for something and Having to explain. Well, he cut his ear off. But then this guy that we're arresting to healed him
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Or of just saying well, we'll just forget that it ever happened Because we don't want to try to explain why this guy now is has nothing wrong with his ear
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There's a mercy here that even in the midst of this treachery and deceit and knowing what lies ahead of him
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Jesus and his love for us is extending mercy both to his enemies as well as to This man who made this rash impulsive decision
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Third we see that that Jesus contrasts both Peters attempt with the sword and this this ragtag posse
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He contrasts their their actions and their mindset with his own authority He tells
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Peter to put his sword away and he says do you not think that I could appeal to my father? And he will at once put at my disposal more than 12 legions of angels
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He could have appealed to his father who would sent many times more soldiers
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The approximate math would be over 72 ,000 Heavenly soldiers who he could call down at any moment
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There was ever a definition of asymmetrical warfare. This would be it 72 ,000 angels of the
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Lord armed for battle armed for death against a group of Maybe a hundred men who had swords and sticks fourth
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Jesus Emphasizes that these things have to happen things have to happen in this way in order to fulfill the scriptures
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He says this two times in verses 54 and then in 56
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There are many prophecies throughout the Old Testament that speak of what is happening here of the suffering servant but one that is particularly appropriate here is
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Isaiah 53 and I want to read this because it
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It speaks so clearly and so explicitly to what we're seeing what we have seen and what we'll continue to see in Matthew's gospel
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Who has believed our message into whom as the arm of the Lord been revealed? For he grew up before him like a tender shoot like a root out of parched ground
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He has no stately form or majesty that we should look upon him nor appearance that we should be attracted to him he was despised and forsaken of men a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief and Like one from whom men hide their face.
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He was despised and we did not esteem him Surely our griefs he himself bore and our sorrows he carried
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Yet we ourselves esteemed him stricken smitten of God and afflicted But he was pierced through for our transgressions
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He was crushed for our iniquities The chastening for our well -being fell upon him and by his scourging.
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We are healed All of us like sheep have gone astray each of us has turned to his own way
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But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on him He was oppressed and he was afflicted
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Yet he did not open his mouth Like a lamb that is led to slaughter and like a sheep that is silent before its shearers
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So he did not open his mouth By oppression and judgment. He was taken away and as for this generation who considered that he was cut off from the land of the living
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For the transgression of my people and to whom the stroke was due His grave was assigned with wicked men yet He was with a rich man in his death because he had done no violence nor was there any deceit in his mouth
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But the Lord was pleased To crush him putting him to death if he would render himself as a guilt offering
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He will see his offspring. He will prolong his days and the good pleasure of the
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Lord will prosper in his hand As a result of the anguish of his soul
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He will see it and be satisfied by his knowledge of the righteous one My servant will justify the many as he will bear their iniquities
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Therefore I will allot him a portion with the great and he will divide the booty with the strong Because he poured himself out to death and was numbered with the transgressors yet he himself bore the sin of many and Interceded for the transgressors
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This is the good news That reads almost as a summary of the book of Matthew that we've been studying and yet it was written hundreds of years before Jesus Ever came physically and humanly to this earth
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Jesus is sovereignly fulfilling the promises made across the centuries to the people of God Next we see
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Jesus contrasts the actions of this armed gang with his own actions We Saw previously that Jesus after entering the city of Jerusalem on Palm Sunday He went many days if not every day to the temple where he was teaching
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His actions were full of love and mercy not violence Jesus was was giving to the people.
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He was giving truth to them And yet Jesus says you would come to me as a robber
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Jesus will do Jesus was doing the very opposite of robbery He was giving to the people.
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He was giving truth to the people and soon he will give salvation to people
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Jesus says you could have arrested me at any time in the temple and you didn't and of course, we know why they didn't
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Matthew tells us why they didn't we saw that previously in our study that they feared the people they feared an uprising
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And so instead they come to him under the cover of darkness
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And finally we see that the disciples abandoned him They scattered even in this we see
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Jesus's sovereignty in this situation. That seems like well This just went from hopeless to more hopeless
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Only one guy tried to stand up and when he did Jesus told him not to do it anymore It shows
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Jesus's sovereignty because it's the fulfillment of what Jesus told them would happen back in verse 31
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You will all fall away tonight because of me and Jesus's glory is going to be displayed when this same group of fickle scared helpless disciples the same ones who fall away and scatter in just a short amount of time will meet together on the day of Pentecost and Filled with the
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Holy Spirit whom Jesus promised to sin will be filled with the Word of God They will preach
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God's Word with power and with authority These disciples will in the words of the unbelieving
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Jews of Thessalonica, they will turn the world upside down Who could do this other than God in this moment of the disciples collective weakness
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God's power and sovereignty are Displayed and they will continue to be displayed as these men
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Become the fathers of the early church These men for whom Jesus prayed
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Jesus prayed that those who heard their words would come to faith So this was no surprise to Jesus as we saw last week
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Jesus was in the middle of telling his disciples that this was going to happen Yet again, and even as he's saying he says look even now here they come the words
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Immediately being fulfilled Judas comes into view Judas has a crowd and he thinks he's in control
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Peter has a sword and he wants to take control and yet Jesus has all Authority in heaven and on earth and it is he who is fully in control of this situation
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So today we see three men.
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We see their actions We see what they want to have in terms of control in this situation or what level of control they have
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First of all, this is a reminder to us that we should not be bewildered or dismayed when false
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Believers are exposed our passage today reminds us that false converts are nothing new
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If Judas a leader among the twelve the one who held the money for the twelve could be a false convert
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Then we shouldn't believe that things are going to be different today Or that this is some kind of new phenomenon
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It strikes me as I was reading this passage that Jesus in his sovereignty in his sovereign control
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Ordained and and allowed Judas to be the person who held on to the money for the group So something
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Jesus could have prevented from happening and yet he did not Knowing full well that Judas was the son of perdition that he was the betrayer that his faith was not genuine that Jesus allowed this to take place and This is a reminder to us that the gospel and the success of the gospel the power of the gospel does not hinge on One person no matter how important that person may seem to be no matter how important they think that they are
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There is only one indispensable person in the church and that man is the man Christ Jesus the one who is both profit and fulfillment the one who is both priests and sacrifice the one who is both king and suffering servant this man
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Christ Jesus seems like every week we hear a new revelation of someone who
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Has fallen this Christian celebrity or that Christian Superstar Don't be dismayed or discouraged when you hear of these things be grieved for them.
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Absolutely but if you feel a sense of sadness or betrayal or disillusionment
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At the failure of someone who claims to be in Christ Know and remember that you do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with your suffering but you can look to Jesus himself who was betrayed by a disciple and yet was steadfast in His mission and in his obedience to his father
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You see Peter's response was to reach for his sword and indeed we've been given resources abilities and knowledge when we face
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Difficulties or challenges we can and we should use the energy and resources that God has given to us
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If I'm sick, I'm going to use insurance and I'm going to seek medical attention If I'm faced with a challenge at work,
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I'm going to work overtime and do whatever I need to do to make that project Complete do what is needed to be done
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If my wife and children are are facing some kind of spiritual issue I will counsel them and pray with them and and use biblical resources to guide them and remind them of truth
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But I'm not to place my hope in any of those things I'm not to grab on to any of those things and think that that's going to be my salvation
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How easy is it for us to reach for the sword?
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to find our hope in those things The first thing I reach for has to be the hope and the help and the strength of my sovereign and loving heavenly father
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In a few weeks, we're gonna see Jesus's words fulfilled as we see
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Peter's denial of Jesus again three times and Thereto will be a reminder for us
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That when I lean on to my under own understanding when I reach for my own resources first when
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I find comfort in those things I Can so easily find myself denying the power of God and the ability to act for my good
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And in those times we can experience the love of God and we can experience his sovereignty and his glory
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By running to the throne of grace To repent of our sins and like Peter to be forgiven and restored
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To the disciples as they scattered all hope seemed to be lost even though things were going
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Jesus as Jesus said they would even though things were going as the Prophets of the Old Testament said that they would go
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Even as Things went the way the psalmist said that they would go as we read earlier
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The disciples were fearful and lacking in truth and all the while Jesus the
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Messiah King was firmly in control In the midst of this encounter
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John records that Jesus knowing all the things that were coming upon him Went forth and said to them whom do you seek and they answered him
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Jesus the Nazarene and he said to them I am he and Judas also who was betraying him was standing with them and when he said to them
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I am he they drew back and fell to the ground This very verbal death
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Declaration of Jesus of who he was was enough to knock his enemies off of their feet
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Now I'm not talking here about some some name -and -claim it heavenly
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ATM machine But if you affirm God's sovereignty and his kingship and You don't acknowledge that God is working for your good if you were in Christ Even in the midst of seemingly hopeless circumstances, then you are neglecting half of the gospel
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The Gospel displays God's glory, but it also displays God's love and his mercy for those who call upon him and come to him in faith
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Look to Jesus who's been given all authority in heaven and on earth
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Father we thank you that you remind us this morning of your sovereignty
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You remind us not in not in a miraculous overwhelming display of your power
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You you did not bring all of the people assembled to their knees at the sight of hail and brimstone and and and and raining sulfur
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Burning and falling and hitting the ground and scorching everything it touched You didn't show your glory and your majesty in a deluge of water or in wind that would strip away
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Every tree in the garden you displayed your glory and your majesty through your son
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Jesus being obedient and Perfectly fulfilling all the promises that you had made concerning him
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Thank you for the reminder in this in this passage today That even when it seems that you are not at work
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Even when it seems that you are not sovereign You are and you are working and at at work in ways that are incomprehensible to us as incomprehensible as it would seem that Peter in this moment would be the same
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Peter who Just a short time later would be preaching of the mercies and excellencies of God To to a mass of people who had come to the city of Jerusalem Men who would give their lives for the sake of the gospel and then see as the gospel raced forward across the world
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Father this is the power
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Of God unto salvation father, would you fill us with a fresh faith?
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To look to you to lean not on our own understanding but to acknowledge you in all of our ways
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That we would honor and glorify you But that we would also
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Rejoice in seeing your work For us and for your glory we ask this in Jesus name.