Romans 12. Live together in love.

Romans 12.

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What can you offer God? What can you give him to get right with him?

If you’re thinking “well, I can give him myself as a living sacrifice” you are – WRONG!

Wrong – but it says so right there. There in the passage.

No. What does it say?

Ro 12 And so (therefore), dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God – why? because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable.

ESV I appeal to you therefore by the mercies of God, to offer yourselves as a living sacrifice.

The Bible clearly tells us that there is nothing we can do to get right with God. Nothing. We are dead in our sins. We are in Adam, we rebel against God, choose our own way. And nothing we do can make us right. Rom 3:10 there is no-one righteous. Therefore the gospel is not “this is what you can do to get right with God” – that is the way of every other religion! The gospel is GOOD NEWS. It is bad news if this chapter was what we had to do to get right with God! We’d be in big trouble. No it’s not the bad news, it is good news. In light of God’s mercy – as v1 because of all he has done for you.

The gospel is that when we were in rebellion, when we were dead, when we rejected God – God came for us. Why us? We don’t know. There was certainly nothing special about us. But it is because of God’s great mercy. Because he is full of love he decided to take rebels, sinners, and make them – you and I (if we are in Christ) – make us trophies of grace.

We do not sacrifice to get mercy. We have mercy, therefore we offer sacrifice. And it has always been this way. It was the same with Israel. They were God’s people, chosen by God. Therefore they offered sacrifices – praise offerings, thank offerings, and sin offerings. Now, because of Jesus, we no longer offer sin offerings. Our sin offering was given and accepted once and for all when Jesus gave his life for us on the cross. But we do still offer praise and thank offerings. And we do that by living! Being living sacrifices, living for the glory of God.

My Dad for years hated v1. “I don’t want to be a sacrifice”. Sacrifice has to do with altars and blood and flesh and flies and death. I don’t want that. Then one day as he was reading he suddenly noticed a word he’d never noticed before: living! A LIVING sacrifice. Our sacrifice is to LIVE fully for God. We are called to LIVE for God. To be truly alive. To be what we were born to be.
We were created to reflect God’s glory, his beauty, his love, his power, his love. And in Christ that is what we are called to. We have been remade, renewed, restored, from the inside out. We have the Holy Spirit of God within us. Now, in light of God’s mercies, because of all he has done for you, people chosen, loved, and kept by God: LIVE!

You see, it is one of the great truths of Christianity that death brings life. Christ died that he might win life for all, and proved it by rising form the dead. And for us death brings life. As we die to self we find we live. As we obey we find blessing and truth. As we do what seems unwise we find wisdom.

Ro 12:1 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.

It is very important for us to remember that as we start looking at how we are to live that we remember what has come before. Otherwise we might think that all this is how we impress God so that he will like us and let us in to heaven. No! In light of God’s mercies. We have been forgiven, we have everything!

Now some might argue “but where’s the motivation then? If God has given me everything, if I know I’m saved, if I know I’m going to heaven. Why do anything? Why sacrifice? It takes away the motivation.”

Well, let me tell you about two teachers I had at school. One was called Mr Shone, who I had in the 6^th grade. And one was Mr Liddle, my 7^th grade teacher. Mr Shone was a cruel man. He was petty and vindictive and took particular pleasure in making certain pupils miserable and breaking them down. We were all afraid of him. When he was in the class, everyone obeyed! In fear of what he would do. But when his back was turned…. We hated him. We called him names. We stuck our tongue out at him. Our motivation to obedience only lasted as long as his eyes were on us.
Mr Liddle was the opposite. He loved us and cared about us. Those who had been crushed by Mr Shone Mr Liddle built up again over the year. You know we loved to obey Mr Liddle – even when he wasn’t in the room. We loved him because he loved us. Love is more powerful than fear as a motivation.

What view do you have of God? Do you see a stern taskmaster who demands the impossible. And you’ve got to somehow impress him? If that is the way you think of God, that is the God you will meet. But in the gospel we meet a God who demands the impossible – and then says what is impossible with man, is possible with God, and GIVES us his righteousness, purchased through laying aside his majesty, becoming one of us, suffering with us, dying for us, and then rising to new life. That is the God we serve. A God of such love. If we have met him, if we know him and are known by him, that is motivation enough to live for his glory.

You know, I don’t have to force myself to be married to my wife. I don’t think “oh no, I’m bound by this horrible contract”. It is a JOY to be with her. I know her and she knows me and so I want to please her, to bring her glory and joy.

So that’s what this passage is about. It’s about knowing God so that we can know what pleases him. Just like I know my wife and study her so that I can know what pleases her, we study the Lord to know what pleases him and what brings him joy. Let us delight our Father’s heart in the way that we live.
And, of course, living that way brings us great joy too, because it is the way we were made to live. And our motivation is love. We are loved by God. Rom 8:39 nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

That is what we need to keep in mind as we look at tonight’s passage, and indeed chapters 12-16.

So that was the first point: In light of God’s mercy, live. Be a living sacrifice because he loves you.

The second point is this: To be a living sacrifice you need a renewed mind – and our mind is renewed through the church.

And the third is: A living sacrifice lives a life of sacrificial God-glorifying love

1. Live 2. together 3. in love.

So, how do we live as living sacrifices for God? How do we give glory to God in everything we do? How do we reflect his beauty and love and glory and joy in our lives?

Well, it starts here – in our minds.

2 Don’t copy the behaviour and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

ESV Do not conform to the world but be transformed by the renewing of your minds.

Our minds need to be changed. We need to think God’s thoughts so that we can do what God wants.

And how do we do that? Need to know Him. Need his word. The Bible.

Now v1 and 2 I’ve known very well. Read it lots of times. But I haven’t really paid so much attention to the context. I know. So in preparing this I was amazed to see something that I’ve never seen before. The Holy Spirit through Paul after telling us that our minds need to be renewed – what does he immediately talk about? The church! The church is where we go to renew our minds.

3 Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. 4 Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, 5 so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other. 6 In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well.

I found that fascinating. Because I’m such an individualistic Westerner I think “renew my mind, yes, I’ll lock myself away in my room and read the word.” If I know the Bible. Or if I’m a bit more “spiritual” I might say “I’ll go and seek God and wait for him to speak to me”. Or religious “I’ll go to a monastery”. But it’s all me on my own.
But our brothers and sisters from Africa and the East will be laughing at us now going “duh, no we do this as a COMMUNITY: the church”. We do it together! In the church most importantly we hear God’s word - but we also see it lived out. That’s why we have a body, not just a mouth! 6 In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. We need each other.

It’s like the Law. I’ve been reading the Pentateuch recently (the first five books of the Bible). And there’s a lot of law. Do this do that. And it’s not arranged logically. It’s all mixed up together. Stuff you had to do in everyday life with stuff the priests had to do with rules for the government. All mixed up. It’s impossible to remember. But not if you see it lived out. You’d watch your parents and go “oh that’s how it’s done”. Watch your neighbours. Oh yes, I’m supposed to do that. See the priests doing their duties “Oh that’s what it means”. The Law of God, his word, was lived out, on display, every day.

Likewise in the church. I have learnt so much by watching how my brothers and sister in Christ do things. I remember staying for a few weeks with our friends Paul and Penny Dawson and their five kids. I learned so much about Christian living just watching how they did things. How they balanced ministry and family demands, what they prioritised as important, how they spoke to their kids, how they taught them the Bible at their different ages. Wisdom on display.

Debby and I were both privileged to grow up in Christian families and we have gained much practical wisdom in how to live as a Christian. I know many of you did not – but that’s why we have the church! So watch godly people and see what they do. Ask. A number of people in this church will phone me up and say “I have an ethical dilemma, what should I do”. That’s brilliant. That’s Christian living.

And note that no-one has all the gifts. We need each other. Some teach, some prophecy (that is apply the Bible to everyday life), some exhort, some lead, some are generous, some kind, and so on. We are a team together, helping each other.

I want you to notice something. It is not just that God saves us. But he also gives us gifts and he decides the level of faith we have! 3 Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.
God is not only sovereign over our salvation, but also our sanctification (being holy). So see yourself as you are by how much faith you’ve been given. And if you want more – ask.
Because it is God who even gives us our faith, we cannot be proud. But humble. And as for us leaders – we have been given much, so much is asked. Not pride but humility and responsibility.

Some of you are highly gifted. And we will develop those gifts. How? In submission to Gods word. The more gifted you are the more essential it is that you know the Bible! A prophet needs to know Gods word. A leader needs to know Gods word. That’s why the leaders of the church are elder because an elder is one who teaches the word. We all need each other. The church needs you! Because we are called to be a living sacrifice. And to be a living sacrifice you need a renewed mind – and our mind is renewed through the church.

So then, third point, A living sacrifice lives a live of sacrificial God-glorifying love. As a church, how do we live in a way that glorifies God. How do we live together in love?

Well, the rest of the chapter! There’s a lot here, so I’m just going to read it, make a few comments, and leave it up to each of us before God to repent! Different things will challenge us!

So, brothers and sisters, in light of Gods mercy, because we are forgiven, because we are chosen by God, because nothing can separate us from his love, because we have heaven as our inheritance and because the Spirit of God lives in us – this then is how we are to live, reflecting God’s glory:

9 Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. 10 Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honouring each other.

See, if we see ourselves as we really are, by the FAITH God has GIVEN us, then we will be humble, delighting in others. Let us be quick to praise each other, to honour each other, to thank each other, to admire. When you think about the church, do you think “wow” or do you think “uh, why isn’t that done, why didn’t they do this”. Complaining comes so easy, complimenting so hard. Let’s delight in honouring each other.

11 Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. 12 Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. 13 When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.
Like Christian and Johanna, and my parents. But not just church events. Invite people home from church. Invite non-Christians. Open you home. People SEE Jesus in your home life. Don’t underestimate the work of the Spirit in and through you. Many things we take for granted just the way we do things, for others is ground-breaking.

14 Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. Christian spoke two weeks ago on forgiveness from Philemon. Have you forgiven?
We sin against the Lord and deeply hurt him and others – yet we are forgiven. Therefore can we not forgive others who have hurt us?
This is not easy, and some of you may need help because of deep hurts. But we’ll do it together. Let’s take the ice that is in our hearts and melt it together in the furnace of God’s love.

15 Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. Odd translation! It’s “don’t be too proud to associate with those you think are beneath you”. I want this church to be full of “losers” outcasts, the “rubbish” of society. Because God is very good at taking those who are least and making them glorious. Let’s see what God can do! Because that’s the heart of Jesus. He was always hanging around with the lowly, the “sinners”.

And don’t think you know it all! 17 Never pay back evil with more evil. (oh how easily that comes to us. Revenge! No. Let GOD handle things). Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honourable. 18 Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. 19 Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord. 20 Instead, “If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.” 21 Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.

Isn’t that the very heart of God? We who are evil have been conquered by good. So let’s do the same thing! Never forget that we were enemies of God. And He has transformed us. He can do the same with that person who makes our life miserable, with that bully, with that pervert, that threat, that grumpy neighbour.
Never forget that we are sinners. But by the grace of God that is us. Perhaps if we’d grown up like them we’d be the same. Maybe all they’ve ever experienced is hatred, attacks, maybe that’s why they’re so hard and messed up. So ask the Lord for his strength, ask Him for His love, His compassion, see them through His eyes, and treat them how Christ has treated you. And see what God will do. Conquer evil with good. And if they are mean and horrible and unchanged – well, leave them in the Lord’s hands. He will pay them back much more than you can with your petty revenge. Leave it to Him.

Right. Wow. Well, aren’t we glad and overjoyed that this isn’t a list of rules to keep in order to be right with God! Praise the Lord that it is because we have been forgiven, renewed, transformed, we are called to live like Christ.
So let’s do it. Together. Let’s encourage each other. Let’s watch each other to see how to live. As they are following God, let us follow. And let’s encourage each other, pick each other up when we fall, carry each others burdens, help each other, push each other, work together until that great day when we see our saviour face to face.

1. In light of God’s mercy, live. Be a living sacrifice because he loves you.

2. To be a living sacrifice you need a renewed mind – and our mind is renewed through the church.

3. A living sacrifice lives a life of sacrificial God-glorifying love

1. Live 2. together 3. in love.

Romans 5: 1-11 Living with deep joy even in suffering

Romans 5: 1-11

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As I began to work on today's sermon, reading through the text, I suddenly saw something that I had never seen before. And that's v3.

Oh, I’ve read this verses many times. Quoted them even. But I’ve realised that v3 follows v1and 2. I’d never seen that suffering flows out of the context of salvation.

For v1 and 2 is the colossal news of God's forgiveness. We have been justified (made right) by faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. And therefore we now live in undeserved privilege. We live in the realm of grace. We were moved from judgment to grace. And so we have a secure future of joy with God.

But then comes the surprising continuation of this theme of joy in salvation v3: We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials (literally “sufferings”).

What? Problems and trials. What does salvation have to do with that?

How can we rejoice in trials?

This is difficult for us to understand, because our culture views all suffering as only evil, and we actually suffer very little compared to, for example, the apostle Paul. But without understanding how God uses our suffering, we will struggle as Christians, and always be dissatisfied, and maybe even believe that God doesn’t like us.

Therefore, we need to understand

First, we live in the realm of grace
Second, the way we respond to suffering shows that we truly belong to God
and third, In our weakness, God is strong.

1. We live in the realm of grace.

Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. 2 Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.

“Therefore” is a most important word because it connects this chapter to those before. Whenever you see a “therefore” you must ask yourself what is the therefore there for.
And it’s there to remind us of the context. What have we learned so far? That we have been made righteous by faith. We are justified, redeemed, propitiated (or reconciled).

Justified: God as judge says we are acquitted. Jesus has taken our punishment. He swapped places with us. He took the punishment we deserved as guilty sinners, and gave his righteousness. We are declared to be in the right with God. Acquitted. Justified. In Christ.

Redeemed: God as rescuer in the slave market frees us from the power of sin. The price was blood money, literally – Jesus’ precious blood was the price he paid to free us from slavery to sin. Let's not play with sin – we are bought at a price. Redeemed

Propitiated: God as sacrifice. For the wages of sin is death. To sin is to reject God, and he is the source of all life. So to reject God is to reject life and so we die. But instead, Jesus has took our place, as our substitute. He is our substitutionary sacrifice. Like a lamb on the altar, he dies in our place, and justice is satisfied, so that we can be reconciled to God. We are propitiated. Reconciled.

In Christ we are justified, redeemed, reconciled. There is no further judgment over us. God is not angry with us anymore. Therefore, v1 we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.

Peace. Before, God was our enemy. We rebelled against him. “No, you shall not be my King. I will be my own king, my own master”. We declared our independence. But we still demand all the good things that comes from God: like life, creation, love, joy – even every breath.

It’s as if we here in Notodden suddenly declared that we are no longer a part of Norway. We are independent! But we still demand roads, electricity, police, hospitals, etc.
How do you think the government would react? And the rest of the country? We would awaken anger. By declaring ourselves independent we made them our enemies. And we would need someone, a peace negotiator who can reconcile us.

That's what Jesus does for us. Through his sacrifice he reconciled us and God. And so now we and God are no longer enemies. We have peace with God.

2 Because of our faith (in this reconciling work of Christ), Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand

We have now been brought out of the realm of wrath into the realm of grace. We now live in grace, under grace. Not under the law, not in sin, but in grace we now stand. Can you grasp that? That's what happened when you trusted in Jesus Christ. Moved from judgment to grace. And that's where you live now. But only in Christ. If you are not in Christ then you are not under grace, but under wrath.
But if in Christ you have nothing to fear. Through him, by faith, we now stand in undeserved privilege, grace. Amen!

and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory

That looking forward, or “hope” as some translate it – it’s the same word as in v5 – that is secure. When we say “hope” there is uncertainty “Oh, I hope I'll succeed”. But when the Bible uses the word hope there is no uncertainty. It’s in the future, but it is as certain as if it already happen. It is certain because God is behind it. So we can confidently look forward to sharing God’s glory. What joy! We who are in Christ will experience the glory of God because we live in the realm of grace. Because it does not depend on what you and I do - but what Jesus has done. It is guaranteed by his blood.
And so, we have a sure hope.

What does it mean, then, to you that you live now in the realm of grace, undeserved privilege?

For most of us live like this is not true. We try to justify ourselves by being good enough for God. Here’ s a way to test yourself: Are you ever proud of yourself because you've succeeded at being holy (or so you think!) and God’s impressed with you? Or are you exhausted or angry because you just can’t be good enough for God, and now your depressed and full of worry and believe that God doesn’t want anything to do with you? Both are wrong and reveal that you are depending on your own achievements instead of Jesus. Repent and be free!

If we are in Christ, we never need to do anything good again. We never need to do anything good again. Because it's not our performance that matters - it's Jesus's performance. And he succeeded! He passed the test. Therefore we have passed the test. That's the first thing we must understand. If we are in Christ, we never need to do anything good eve again.

Of course, because we have a new nature, the Holy Spirit in us, we will do what is good, more and more, not out of desperation to satisfy God, but because this is what Jesus is like and we are becoming more and more like him as He renews from the inside out.

OK. Got that. If I trust in Jesus, I am righteous, I have peace with God, I live in the realm of grace, and look forward to taking part in His glory. But how do I know that I’m actually trusting in Jesus, and not in myself. How do I know that I'm not just fooling myself. I say I'm a Christian, but am I really?

2. The way we respond to suffering shows that we truly belong to God.

3 We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. 4 And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. 5 And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

Rejoice in trials? What kind of problems and trials? Trials because we are Christians: for example, the fight against my own sin? Or is it persecution we are talking about? Or is it just living in a fallen world with sickness and death and lies and cheating and violence and immorality and so on?

Our battle with sin, persecution, or living in a fallen world? Or all three?

And I think this is about all three. The word translated “problems and trials” or “suffering” in other translations means “that which causes pain”. Everything that causes pain, whether it is internal conflict or external pressure, whether it’s because we are Christians or just because we are not yet in the new creation. Problems and trials. Suffering. And this we should rejoice in?

Why?

To explain that let me tell you about Richard Wurmbrand. Richard Wurmbrand was a Christian leader in Romania during Communism, and was brutally tortured and persecuted, along with many other Christians. He said this “When they pressured us Christians, when they hit us, squeezed us - what came out? Love. Love came out.”

We rejoice in our sufferings, or as in Norwegian we have confidence in our sufferings not because we like to suffer, but because of what they reveal in us. They show that we truly belong to Christ.

Remember last week when we talked about sin: the core of sin is ... “I am God”. I am god. I choose. But if I am God, I would never have chosen suffering for myself. Problems and trials clearly show us that we are not God.

As sinners, this makes us angry, despondent, full of fear and bitterness. But if we are Christians then we discover something else at the same time. Calm. Inner peace. Another power beyond us that comes from within and carries us. It is the Holy Spirit. God in us. God with us. And we turn to Him.

As we go through such sufferings, whether it's persecution or just a cold - we are encouraged in our faith. Wow! God is really with me! He's alive! We see the power of God in us (sometimes only afterward as we look back). And those around us noticed it as well.

Because think about this: if everything just went our way, how would we know that we are Christian? And how would others?

Imagine a good-looking couple. They’re both Christians. They both grew up in a good Christian home with Christian parents who loved them. They were popular at school, had many friends, were academically gifted. They met at university, fell in love and had a dream wedding. They deeply loved each other and had no problems in their marriage. They had two children, both of whom were dream children. They also were popular at school, gifted and talented, and they too met their spouse at university, and they too had a dream wedding and a joyful marriage without problems and had dream children. And at a ripe old age this couple died togheter in their sleep. They never had any health problems, financial challenges, or any other form of suffering. Not even a headache.

How would anyone know that they were actually Christian? Did they love God because they loved him? Or did they love God because he gave them what they wanted? If we just love God because he does what we want, then we’re not loving God but loving ourselves! But when we discover that we still love God even while we suffer – then we know that love is real.

For how would this “perfect couple” known that they were actually Christians? Because a Christian is one who sets himself aside and puts God first. A Christian is someone willing to sacrifice everything, to die to himself and to live for Christ. If God only does what you want him to do - are you really a Christian?
You know that you belong to Jesus when you choose to be obedient when it costs. When it hurts. Especially when you think God is wrong. Even when it goes against what society says.
For example, Glenn and Birthe have chosen to get married because they trust what God says and not what society says. It shows that they belong to God.

I know that Christian and Johanna did not want to go through what they went through when Isabella was born. Both Johanna and Isabella nearly died, and they were extremely ill for a long time. No way Christian would have chosen to go through that!
But as Christians, we run to God, because we know that He can carry us through. And that's what they did. They had no choice! But God carried them through. Yes, it was difficult, and we’re not saying that the suffering itself was good. No. But through that suffering they learned to know God better, deeper. Their faith was strenghtened. And that is good.

3 We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. 4 And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. 5 And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

This is how it works (yes I have a drawing!).

For endurance through suffering develops character. We experience that God is with us. We find that we really believe, it's not just something we do. This is our life! And character develops hope. Because when we suffer, we are reminded that this world is not our home and we look forward to the next, where we will experience the glory of God in its entirety. Here there are problems and trials - but we look forward to the day when will we see our Saviour face to face. When all is renewed. Where evil is destroyed. And we are made new and sin in us is crushed. Amen!

When you squeeze people you see what’s in them. When you squeeze an orange, orange juice come out. When you squeeze a Christian, Christ comes out. People do what serves them. But when we suffer because we are obedient to God, it’s proof that we belong to Jesus. And it is a testimony to all around us that Jesus lives in us. Just think of Mia. How she responded to her cancer has been a great testimony to her work colleagues. They have seen Jesus in her.

The way we respond to suffering shows that we truly belong to God.

Therefore, when we suffer, what should we do? Thank God. And pray for his strength to get through. Because We are weak, but he is strong. Richard Wurmbrand and our Christian brothers in Romania were not supermen. They didn’t have some extraordinary gene that allowed them to shout out “I forgive you in the name of Jesus” while they were being beaten by the police. No. They had the power of Jesus in them. Jesus was with them. And this is often what we forget. We fear things and are anxious and worried because we forget God in the situation. Elisabeth Elliot said “there is no mercy for the imagination”. When we sit and worry about everything that might go wrong, we find no comfort because we look only to ourselves and our own strength and then we freak out “I can’t do this!”. We forget God. We forget that if what we are worried about should actually happen (and it usually doesn’t) but if it does - then we're not alone. God is with us. And all his strength is with us. Christian and Johanna experienced it. Richard Wurmbrand experienced it. And you, if you are a Christian, have experienced it. Remind yourself of it. Especially when you are worried about obeying God. You know you need to obey but Oh, it too hard, what if everything goes wrong, what will people say, etc. All the excuses we use. Pull yourself together, be a man, and do what's right. And God will not let you down.

Be a man and do what is right. And you will learn endurance. And endurance develops character, and character delivers a sure hope. Because, though we are weak, he is strong.

3. In our weakness, God is strong.

6 When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.

My brothers and sisters, Jesus died for us when we did not deserve it. When we were weak, ungodly. Against God. In the moment we deserved it least - he died for us, his enemies.

7 Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. 8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.

It’s completely unthinkable. It is as if a Jew stood up and said “I will die instead of Hitler so that he can go free”. Completely inconceivable. There was nothing in us that was appealing. We were sinners in rebellion against God. And then he chooses to save us by giving his life. Hallelujah! In our weakness he is strong.

9 And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. 10 For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son.

I love v10. If he loved us so much when we were enemies - why do we think he will love us less when we have become his friends, his children? For we speak warmly of salvation, about justification - but when we talk about sanctification, living as a Christian – then suddenly it's all serious and hard and duty and we can lose everything. Nonsense! 10 For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son.
God doesn’t save us halfway. Good luck with the rest! We have a sure hope. Because we don’t rejoice over our works v11 So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.

Our trust is not in ourselves, but in Jesus. We live in grace. Therefore, we can rejoice in our sufferings because it makes us dependent on Jesus. And when we call on him for help we are not disappointed. In our weakness, we experience his strength, and that is a great witness to us and to everyone around us.

So next time we suffer, let's say, “Thank you God for these problems and trials, because they make me depend on you, and you will show you glory and strength to me through this and to those around me.” Amen.

One final word: this is for Christians. Those who trust in Jesus. Those who have him as Master and Lord. If that’s not you, then there is no comfort, no help in suffering. But sufferings are a great warning sign that you are not God and you need to repent and accept Christ. So if life is too difficult to bear - you're absolutely right! It's too difficult to bear. None of us can bear the burden of life because we were created to live with God. Repent and come to Jesus.

Almighty God, I am a sinner because I’ve chosen to put myself first. I have ignored you. I have lived as if you were dead.

In your mercy, Lord, forgive me. Thank you for the Cross, for there Jesus died to take away my sins. Let your Word renew me and give me new life.

I choose to set you first, Lord. From today I want to belong to You. Be my Saviour, my Lord, and my God! Amen.

Grace (Romans 3:10-26)

Romans 3:10-26

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In February 1996 I nearly died.

I was on a hike with a bunch of first-year students from the University of Cape Town. It was late in the evening and dark - and my friend Mark and I decided to take a “shortcut”. Why go around when you can climb straight up? And that’s how this genius here found himself stuck halfway up a cliff face unable to move either up or down. I could see the lights of Cape Town city centre below me, and the stars above me, and I began to realize that maybe this had been a rather stupid idea. Fear gripped me as I saw the situation I was in. My arms and legs began to tremble with fatigue.

As the Scriptures say, “No one is righteous— not even one. 11 No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. 12 All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one.”

These verses describe our situation. We have chosen the wrong path. Two ways to live – and instead of choosing God's way, we have gone our own way. And now we begin to realize that maybe this wasn’t our best move. Maybe you’re here today because your arms and legs are starting to shake and you don’t know how long you can hang on before you lose your grip.
Maybe you’re looking at the ground far below and you’ve been tempted to just give up. Take your own life. At least you’ll be at peace? Right?

Maybe I would’ve started thinking like that gripping onto that cliff 300 meters above Cape Town? How long could I have hung on for?

Well, who knows, because suddenly a hand reached down, grabbed my right arms and hauled me upwards. I was saved! I had been in a terrible situation, without hope – until I was rescued by someone standing on solid ground.

20 For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are. 21 But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. 22 We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ.

If you are a sinner today - and you are because you are a human being - you are a sinner here today, so you, like me, need someone to save you from yourself. And that's what Jesus does. He is the mighty hand that reaches down and pulls you up to safety.

In my case on the cliff that mighty hand was my friend Mark, who had climbed with me, was got stuck, but after a moment of intense sweating and equally intense prayer in a slightly higher octave than usual from both of us, he managed to see a tiny shrub that he could grasp. He pulled himself up on the shrub, and then managed to pull me up. We called that shrub “answered prayer”!

I have to say that Mark and I had true faith that evening. Because we risked everything on that little bush. If it had come loose we would both have fallen and probably not survived. I stand here in front of you today because I had faith and trusted that little shrub on Signal Hill in Cape Town in February 1996 - and it held fast!

But how about you? What do you trust? What are you believing in? Is it yourself? Are you betting your whole life now and into eternity on… you? Is it your good morals you’re betting on? Your background? Your church experience? Your “goodness”? Or, are you betting on “science” to save you (which I think is always a bit strange. I believe in science. Everyone believes in science. It explains how the world we live in works and it’s constantly evolving. It's like saying “I believe in the dictionary”). Or maybe you believe in Buddha or Mohammed or Krishna or countless other gods or alternative philosophies. Or religion without Christ - which is really another way of saying “I believe in myself and my own efforts”.

How secure do you feel? Is it working? Is it solid? Or are you feeling the roots begin to losing their grip on the rock, and you see the long fall awaiting you?

God tells us that anything but him is worthless. It will fall. Oh you may succeed in climbing your own way - for a little while. Some of us get a little further than the rest. But we are all of us stuck. None of us can reach up to God on our own. None of us are good enough. We all are miss the mark. And so we are left clinging on for dear life, waiting for the inevitable.

As the Scriptures say, “No one is righteous— not even one. 11 No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. 12 All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one.”

We reject God, and that is the root of what the Bible calls sin. Sin is a term that encompasses everything that is wrong with us and the world. It does not mean naughtiness, and it's doesn’t mean delicious like the adverts use it “oh, that ice cream is sinful”!
Sin is rebellion against God: we have chosen our own way. And because we have turned our backs on God, broken our relationship with him, everything begins to go wrong.

Sin is unfortunately the easiest Biblical doctrine (teaching) to prove. We know it all too well. Turn on the news. Look at your own life. We hurt people - even those we love the most. And we are hurt by them in return.

Why? Because we have chosen our way instead of God's. We were created to function with God as King – then everything just works. But we have chosen the path of death.

Just read v13 to 18. Does this not describe our world and all too often our own lives?

13 “Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave. Their tongues are filled with lies.” “Snake venom drips from their lips.” 14 “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.” 15 “They rush to commit murder. 16 Destruction and misery always follow them. 17 They don’t know where to find peace.” 18 “They have no fear of God at all.”

It is a summary of what the Bible says about humanity without God. And to our shame - he's right. The world is full of violence and abuse of power. Our lives are all too often full of lies and gossip, curses and bitterness. And peace! We lack peace. There is no peace in the world and no peace inside us.

What do we do when we realize this? I'll be better, we say. I'll work harder, be a better person, strive.

We have the story of Israel in the Bible to tell us that this does not work! For they didn’t have their own made-up morality, but God's morality, called the "law". They had the Temple, and miracles, and had experienced God's kindness and faithfulness - and they failed to keep the law.

19 Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses, and to show that the entire world is guilty before God. 20 For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.

As v19 and 20 say the law, or morality, is not the way to salvation, but instead it mocks us by showing us that we can not do it.
The law is laughs at us as it shines a spotlight on those areas in which we fail most.

Just take some of the ten commandments: No other gods before me. Fail. Do not worship anything but me. Oops. Money, power, sports cars ... Fail. Honour your mother and father. Fail. Be sexually pure. Fail. Do not lie. Fail. Do not covet (be jealous of) what other people have. Fail and fail again!
And these are just some of the Ten Commandments, never mind the rest of them. And not to mention what Jesus said!
The law makes a mockery of us. And you totally miss the point if you come to the Bible to find a way to impress God as if you could be obedient to God. The Pharisees who killed Jesus thought that, and so do cults like Jehovah's Witnesses and Iglasio ni Christo (Church of Christ)

20 For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.

What hope is there, then? Because if we have sinned against God and cannot make amends because we can’t be good enough, and if the law is no way of salvation but a judgment, and if religion has no answer and science has no answer and humanism doesn’t work either - because if the Jews who received God's morality direct from God failed, we can be quite sure that following our own made-up morality isn’t going to succeed in impressing God. So, if nothing we do works - what hope is there?
Just like me on the cliff - we need a rescuer. We need someone other, someone above, someone who standing on solid ground to reach down and pull us up. We need someone who can do what we cannot. And that's what Jesus does.

20 For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are. 21 But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. 22 We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. 23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. 24 Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. 25 For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood.

Let us spend a few minutes on these verses. For this is the essence of Christianity.

21 But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago.

That word “but” at the beginning of v21 is probably the most important word in human history. For all hope was lost - but God. We were done for, arms trembling on the cliff face - without hope. And then we hear a voice “grab my hand”. I tell you that I was filled with rejoicing when I heard those words!
But what a fool I would have been if I had said “no thanks, I can manage”
Don’t do that! Accept Jesus and let Him pull you up.

We rather naughtily call v21 God's big butt! Yes, it’s childish I know. But it is God's great big BUT! We deserve judgement. We deserve hell because we chose life without God and life without God is the very definition of hell! As Homer Simpson says "Doh!"
BUT GOD! God set in motion his rescue plan, and instead of US dying, HE died! That is love.

21 But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law,

God’s righteousness is not gained through the law. You don’t have to fix up your life before you come to him. It has nothing to do with what you do or have done. Without keeping the requirement of the law.

22 We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. 23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.

This gospel, this good news, is not only for the “good people”, those who are good at religion, the ethnic Norwegian or those who are “proper” people, good an upstanding citizens. This is for everyone. Because all have sinned. I am a sinner, you are a sinner, the pope is a sinner, the King is a sinner. We are all sinners and we all need Jesus. We all fall short of the glory of God. We fall short, we don’t make it, we run out of steam and we are ridiculously far away from the finishing line.

24 Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.

God’s righteousness is a gift. It is given, not earned. At Christmas you don’t open your presents and then say “how much do I owe you?”! It's a gift. The gift of free grace from God to each of us who is willing to receive it.

24 Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. 25 For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood.

On the cross Jesus took our punishment. We are all sinners, unable to save ourselves, and so in his love and mercy he stretched out his arms and bore all our sins on his shoulders. He dealt with our sins as he carried our sins into death.
When Jesus was on the Cross - the Son of God on the Cross - God the Father gathered all the sins that all his people had committed from the past and the future - all your sins and all my sins - and laid them on Jesus on the cross.
Like when you use a magnifying glass or a prism to gather and focus light to a point, a burning point – really fun when you’re a young boy – I can burn things with LIGHT! – but on the Cross it was as if God had a huge cosmic magnifying glass that gathered all of our sins from all of time and space and focused them down to burn of the cross.
“It is finished!” cried Jesus as he breathed his last.
And dealt with all our sins – our past sins, and even the sins we haven’t committed yet – all our sins were dealt with on the cross. Amen and hallelujah. His sacrifice has made us right with God. He calls us “righteous” because we are now redeemed in Christ Jesus. His death, his blood, has made us clean.
Yes, we are sinners, but we are forgiven sinners, declared righteous by the judge, and so we are righteous.

Imagine if you were unlucky enough to end up in court. You wait for the verdict. The judge's word has power, real power. If he says “guilty” - then you are, and you will be punished.
But if he says “innocent” – then you are, and you are free.

In Christ Jesus we are declared “innocent”. And if an earthly judge has so much power in his judgment - how much more God Almighty?

If you are here today and you feel unworthy, weak, hell-bound – you’re in the right place. We here are not good people who have impressed God, but we are sinful people who have had their eyes opened. We are all by nature selfish egotists who ignore God. And we come to him to say sorry - and then we discover that it is He who has been calling us and working in us to call us to Him.

So I’d like to welcome you here today, especially if it's your first time, and especially if you're not a Christian. Because you are here today because the Holy Spirit is at work in you. God is saying to you: “Come, I accept you as you are”

In this church you come as you are. Here you will find mercy. Here you are allowed to fail, to be a sinner, without judgement. Here we know that we are sinners, but also that we are forgiven! Amen.

Now some of you are maybe sitting there now saying to yourself “yes, yes, but he doesn’t mean me. I'm too bad for Jesus, too far gone. If you knew what I’ve done... Jesus won’t accept me.”
If that's you, then I have a word for you: rubbish! Jesus came for you. You who know you're too dirty, too ruined, too bad, too sinful - it's you he came for. He didn’t come for those who think they can do it, but for those of us who admit that we can’t, that we need him. It is by faith. Not effort.
It doesn’t matter lies in your past. Norwegian society may well judge you and exclude - but Jesus does not. Here there is always hope.
In this church there are people just like you. People who have done the same things as you. Some of them, even worse things! And they have experienced the truth that we read about here. We are forgiven. God forgives us because of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross.

So receive. Don’t hang on the cliff, arms shaking, waiting to fall. Lift up your eyes and see Jesus standing there with an outstretched arm saying “take my hand, you don’t have to struggle any more. With me you are safe. With me you will find peace”.

Mark 15:16-41 The Cross of the Christ

Mark 15:16-41

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1. Welcome to Rock International Church! Church is a family: we are the family of God gathered to hear our Father’s word. Tonight we will be walking in the footsteps of the disciples, as they experienced what it cost for us to be God’s family. They saw how much our salvation cost as they saw Jesus being beaten and then crucified, as they heard Jesus’ cry, as they saw him die.

2. We will open together in prayer. Prayer is simply talking to our Heavenly Father. Let us pray, saying together…
ALL: Almighty God to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and no secrets are hidden from you. Please forgive us for ignoring you, for being selfish, for thinking that we are greater than you.
Thank you that, in your mercy, you accept us just as we are.
Prepare our hearts and minds by your Holy Spirit, that we may listen to and understand what you have to say to us today; through Christ our Lord. Amen

The reason Jesus died was so that he could accept us as we are. We are all sinners. As Jesus said in Mark 7:15,20-23 15 It’s not what goes into your body that defiles you; you are defiled by what comes from your heart.” “It is what comes from inside that defiles you. 21 For from within, out of a person’s heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, 22 adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. 23 All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you.”

And that is why Jesus came. He came in order to die in our place. The perfect, righteous one, for us the unrighteous. So let’s confess our sin together.

3. Confession:. Sin is rebellion against God, saying “no” to Him, letting something or someone else take His place. Let’s pray together

ALL: (5) Almighty God, our Heavenly Father, we have sinned against you in what we have done, said, thought, and left undone.
We repent of our sin. Have mercy on us, most merciful Father. Amen.

Mk 14:12–17 On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb is sacrificed, Jesus’ disciples asked him, “Where do you want us to go to prepare the Passover meal for you?” 13 So Jesus sent two of them into Jerusalem with these instructions: “As you go into the city, a man carrying a pitcher of water will meet you. Follow him. 14 At the house he enters, say to the owner, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is the guest room where I can eat the Passover meal with my disciples?’ 15 He will take you upstairs to a large room that is already set up. That is where you should prepare our meal.” 16 So the two disciples went into the city and found everything just as Jesus had said, and they prepared the Passover meal there. 17 In the evening Jesus arrived with the Twelve.

4. Communion is a visual reminder of the grace at the heart of Christianity.
Jesus died for us: his body, symbolised by the bread, broken; his blood, symbolised by the juice (wine), poured out, for his glory and our salvation.
And as we eat and drink together we are united in the communion of Christ, his body, his church, together, equal in Christ.

Mk 14:22–25 As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take it, for this is my body.” 23 And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them, and they all drank from it. 24 And he said to them, “This is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice for many. 25 I tell you the truth, I will not drink wine again until the day I drink it new in the Kingdom of God.”

Communion is for those who trust Christ for the salvation of their sins, and obey him as Lord. If you are not a Christian, or if you do not want to take communion for any other reason, just let it pass by.

We dip the bread, symbolising Jesus’ body, into the juice (wine) symbolising Jesus’ blood.
Minister: The body of our Lord Jesus Christ, broken for you. Feed on him in your heart by faith with thanksgiving.
Minister: The blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, shed for you. Drink this in remembrance that Christ's blood was shed for you, and be thankful.

14:26 And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

So let’s sing a hymn of thanksgiving to our wonderful saviour! Beautiful Saviour
The Wonderful Cross

After singing a hymn, Jesus went up to pray for strength to face the coming day. Filled with the Holy Spirit’s strength, Jesus did not falter, did not stumble: he went out to meet those who came to arrest him. He did not run, did not hide, but went to meet them. At his trials he was seen to be innocent – the religious leaders wanted him killed because he said who he is: the Son of the Living God, the Messiah, the Son of Man given all authority in heaven and earth. Blasphemy! They said, because they did not want to believe it, did not want to bow the knee to this, this prophet from the North, a ragged preacher. God’s way of humility and service did not match up to their religion of power and prestige and performance. So they missed it!
Then the Roman governor Pilate sentences Jesus to death even though Pilate knew he was innocent! But this is what Jesus said would happen – remember he told his disciples three times that he would be arrested by the religious leaders, he would be put to death, and he would rise again. Because after sharing the communion meal that night he had been praying for strength to go to the cross. To drink the cup that makes men stagger – the cup of God’s judgment. He drank that in our place!
That is why he came. He came to show us what God is like. He came to tell us that we are sinners and need a Saviour. And he came to be that Saviour. He dies for his enemies, like you and me, to make us into his friends. Whatever the cost, he will pay it – and the cost for rescuing us is high, very high indeed. It started with a false arrest, then fake trials, and continues with beating, mockery, and ultimately, death by crucifixion

1. Mocking the suffering servant King

15:16–20 The soldiers took Jesus into the courtyard of the governor’s headquarters (called the Praetorium) and called out the entire regiment. 17 They dressed him in a purple robe, and they wove thorn branches into a crown and put it on his head. 18 Then they saluted him and taunted, “Hail! King of the Jews!” 19 And they struck him on the head with a reed stick, spit on him, and dropped to their knees in mock worship. 20 When they were finally tired of mocking him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led him away to be crucified.

Why would the soldiers mock him so? Were they just cruel, bloodthirsty men? Is this how they treated all their prisoners? Well, maybe. We do know that Israel was not the best place to be sent. There were continual uprisings and rebellions, soldiers faced danger all the time. It wasn’t a posting people wanted. So maybe these soldiers were a bit rougher than the others.

But the mock worship goes deeper. Jesus’ claim to be the king made a mockery of their Emperor, Caesar. And their treatment of him is to put him back in his place. Notice in verse 16 how the entire regiment is called out (that’s around 600 men!). “Insult our Emperor would you? Raise yourself up would you? How dare you? King! Ha! Hail O King.” they shout as they push thorns into his head, and beat him and spit on him as they bow and laugh at him in mock worship.

Isn’t that ironic? Jesus is the true King, and deserves all worship. It is the Emperor, Caesar, who is the false king, trying to claim worship and authority that is not his. It is he who should be mocked, should be brought low.

But instead Jesus goes to the cross in our place.

21 A passerby named Simon, who was from Cyrene, was coming in from the countryside just then, and the soldiers forced him to carry Jesus’ cross. (Simon was the father of Alexander and Rufus.)

Look again at v21. Because Simon, who carried Jesus’ cross, is well known to the church. Mark points out this is Alexander and Rufus’ father. Simon carried Jesus cross – but Jesus carried Simon’s sins!

22 And they brought Jesus to a place called Golgotha (which means “Place of the Skull”). 23 They offered him wine drugged with myrrh, but he refused it.

Remember he said 14:25 I tell you the truth, I will not drink wine again until the day I drink it new in the Kingdom of God.” He is still fully in control. Beaten, battered, he goes willingly to the cross. The Passover Lamb. Our Passover Lamb,

24 Then the soldiers nailed him to the cross.

Pick up the nails there in the centre of the table. Feel them. Imagine those going through your hands or wrists. Imagine the pain as your ankles are crossed together and the nail driven through. Incredible pain. No wonder Jesus prayed for strength. He went willingly. At any moment he could have said “enough”. It was love, love for us, love for his father, his own glory, that kept him there. It is the character of our God that kept him there.

But as we will see in a few moments, the physical pain was not the worst of it.

24 They divided his clothes and threw dice to decide who would get each piece. 25 It was nine o’clock in the morning when they crucified him. 26 A sign announced the charge against him. It read, “The King of the Jews.” 27 Two revolutionaries were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left.

He died for who he is: the King of the Jews. The promised Messiah.
And we hated him for it. It’s not just the Roman soldiers who mock Jesus. v29 The people passing by shouted abuse, shaking their heads in mockery. “Ha! Look at you now!” they yelled at him. “You said you were going to destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days. 30 Well then, save yourself and come down from the cross!” 31 The leading priests and teachers of religious law also mocked Jesus. “He saved others,” they scoffed, “but he can’t save himself! 32 Let this Messiah, this King of Israel, come down from the cross so we can see it and believe him!” Even the men who were crucified with Jesus ridiculed him.

Everyone, laughing and hollering and pointing as Jesus is hammered naked onto the cross, beaten, bloodied, humiliated, exposed. The soldiers laughing as they beat him and pretend to worship him. 600 men spitting and hitting and making fun. Passersby mocking and jeering. Religious leaders, priests who represent the Almighty, gleefully slapping each others backs at their own cleverness, and laughing at this Jesus who hangs naked before them. “We showed him”, they would have been thinking.

Now it’s easy for us to see how wrong these people for mocking and abusing Jesus, especially because we know who he is- the God who created all people everywhere. But then point the finger back to ourselves, because we treat God the same way! How?

Maybe we ignore his words when we want to sin sexually – perhaps pornography in front of the computer, perhaps an adulterous affair, perhaps sexual intercourse with our girlfriend – but it’s ok because we “love” each other. Really? We mock the living God and his claim over our lives, and raise ourselves up as king in that situation. I will decide what is right for me. I want to sin sexually. I will do it.

Or maybe it’s not sex, but gossip, saying horrible things about other people, allowing bitterness to rise. Or perhaps its jealousy – thanklessness lies at the heart of jealousy. It’s when I’m not grateful to God for what he HAS given me, and all I can see is what he hasn’t! And we mock him and spit on him with our attitude, saying “I can be a better God than you. I can make better decisions than you about my life and my needs.”

How often are our thoughts about me, me, me. Who’s the King there? Instead of being filled with the glory of God, wanting to worship him and see his name exalted, we want to exalt ourselves. Ugh.

But he died, for us! He has done the unthinkable, and swapped places with us. He has taken the punishment and shame that our sins deserve, and taken it upon himself. We mock the King, but he is responds by being the suffering servant King

2. Jesus takes our place as a sinner

33 At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock. 34 Then at three o’clock Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”

Darkness. In the Bible darkness means judgement. Divine judgement. Remember the Exodus: when Moses led the great rescue of people of Israel out of Egypt? The people of Israel, cowering in slavery to the evil Pharaoh, king of Egypt. God raises up a rescuer: Moses. Moses the miracle-worker, Moses who brought the word of God! See any similarities? Moses pointed to Jesus, the greater miracle worker, the true Word of God. But Moses brought judgement 10 plagues, each worse than the last, fell upon Pharaoh and all those who refused to obey the Living God. And the final two were the worst: darkness covered the whole land of Egypt; and the death of the first-born son of each Egyptian family.

But this time the darkness is not for the wicked. This time the judgement is not falling on those who deserve it, but on Jesus. Because Jesus is carrying our sins – all of our sins. He is taking our place to be beaten by the Roman soldiers like the Israelites were once beaten by the Egyptians. He is taking our place as a slave to experience the full extent of sin. Only sinners can treat other people the way we do. Only sinners can order babies to be taken from their mothers’ arms and slaughtered. Only sinners can beat another human being and feel pleased about it. Only sinners can enjoy another person’s suffering and humiliation.

Because to be a sinner means to have a broken relationship with our Creator. And when that relationship is broken, all our relationships break.

And so we have divorce and abuse and slavery and abortion and murder and theft and genocide and fraud and corruption and greed and deceit and so on. Watch the news: it’s a massive message saying we have abandoned God and we can’t fix our broken relationship.

But Jesus steps into this gap. His relationship is perfect. Ours is broken. So he becomes our representative – born as a human being, fully human, fully God; starts his ministry by being baptised as a sinner; experiences hurt and pain and frustration and joy and gladness and friendship as we do; and all the time with his goal in mind: the cross, where he would pay the ultimate sacrifice of death, a sinners death, and a sinners experience of the wrath of God, of the broken relationship, of being abandoned by God.
34 Then at three o’clock Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”

He who knew no sin became sin for us. Jesus took on our sin. He goes into the darkness for us. He takes the judgement we deserve, and gives up his life, the Son of God, in order to rescue all of us in slavery to sin. He’s leading the great Exodus from slavery to sin, to freedom in Heaven. He is carrying our sins – all of our sins. He has taken our place.

If you are a Christian this is the moment when all your sins were dealt with. God is not bound by time, he stands over it, he commands it, and he looked down at your life and all the wrong things you have done, all your regrets, all your dark secrets, those things nobody knows about, your darkest private thoughts which fill you with shame – all that is poured out on Jesus in this moment. And all the sins you will do! All our sin is upon his shoulders – not just half of it until now then, good luck on your own! No, Jesus’ sacrifice was not half-way there – he carries us through to the gates of Heaven. It’s the true Exodus, the Big Rescue, from the gates of Hell to the gates of Heaven and inside. It’s guaranteed, underwritten by the blood of Jesus. If you trust in Jesus as your Saviour, and follow him as your King, you can be sure of your salvation.

Hallelujah! A shout of Thank you Jesus! Hooray for Jesus!

Jesus takes our place as a sinner.

I just want to make one more comment on verse 34 because some people have spread misunderstandings about this verse. God abandoned Jesus because Jesus is not God, he’s just an angel or a good man, and now he’s failed, so God has left him.

Well, we already know it’s exactly in line with what Jesus has been saying – he was going to take our place. But Jesus also isn’t just crying out something random: it’s a direct quote from Psalm 22, the Psalm of the suffering King. In Psalm 22 King David, the King of Israel, God’s King, is under an attack so fierce he describes it like crucifixion – hundreds of years before crucifixion even existed! And Jesus, the true King, God’s King who is enduring the ultimate suffering, quotes that Psalm with his last breaths, declaring to the world “I am the King”.

35–36 Some of the bystanders misunderstood and thought he was calling for the prophet Elijah. 36 One of them ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, holding it up to him on a reed stick so he could drink. “Wait!” he said. “Let’s see whether Elijah comes to take him down!”

Of course Elijah would not come. This is Jesus’ whole mission. Through the darkness, through hell, through abandonment, our King opens the way to God!

3. Jesus opens the way to God

37 Then Jesus uttered another loud cry and breathed his last. 38 And the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. 39 When the Roman officer who stood facing him saw how he had died, he exclaimed, “This man truly was the Son of God!”

Crucifixion normally took days – but Jesus dies within a few hours. He gave up his own life, breathing his last. He was totally in control. This was a deliberate act of love, planned from before the creation of the world. And what his death achieves is immediately clear: 38 And the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.

The curtain in the Temple was a massive, thick piece of cloth 20m high, 20m wide, and 10cm thick. It was more like a wall than a curtain. Behind the curtain was the Most Holy Place, and that was where God “lived” as a symbol of living with his people. If anyone went behind the curtain without going through a lot of rituals to cleanse them of their sin, they died instantly! God is holy, we are not – and unholy meets holy is like darkness meets light: it is destroyed. The curtain in the Temple separated God and man.

Until now. Now Jesus gives up his life to open the way to God, to make the unholy holy, and the Temple curtain is torn from TOP to bottom. God Himself has torn down the barrier between us! He has done the impossible, and made a way for unholy people to live with a holy God. And it’s not through a Temple, some special building, some special rituals – but through a person, his Son, the Lord Jesus. Christians don’t have Temple, we don’t have holy places. There is one holy place, and that is Jesus himself.

Jesus has opened the way to God, torn down the barrier. It’s his work, his action, his power which holds the door open. So do not be afraid. You are secure in Christ.

Jesus has opened the way to God. Immediately, IMMEDIATELY, we see the effects of Jesus’ opening the way.

39 When the Roman officer who stood facing him saw how he had died, he exclaimed, “This man truly was the Son of God!”

The statement in verse 39 is utterly incredible: “This man truly was the Son of God!” What is it that turned this man around – from abusing Jesus to worshipping Jesus? V39 says when he “saw how [Jesus] died”. I wonder what he saw? Perhaps he saw in Jesus’ eyes, through the spiritual and physical pain, the love that drove him to the cross? Perhaps Jesus looked at him with eyes so filled with forgiveness it pierced even this rough Roman soldier’s heart? Perhaps it was something else. We don’t know – but it was the death of Jesus that brought him new life, as it has been for every Christian since.

I love how God does things. He chooses this man to be the first one to declare the truth about Jesus! Isn’t that amazing? Here’s the man who nailed Jesus to the cross! He is a Gentile, he is an enemy of the Jews, a soldier of the oppressors – and he’s the first one who declares the truth about Jesus. Not Peter, not John, not the priests, none of the crowd – but an enemy Roman soldier. There is no-one beyond the reach of Jesus, not even you. Not even me. If he can save a man like that, a man who moments before was spitting at him and hitting him and mocking him and nailing his hands to the cross – well, he can save anybody.

The Roman soldier. Simon from Cyrene, father of Alexander and Rufus, most probably a black man, a North African (Cyrene is now Libya). And in v40-41 we read Some women were there, watching from a distance, including Mary Magdalene, Mary (the mother of James the younger and of Joseph), and Salome. 41 They had been followers of Jesus and had cared for him while he was in Galilee. Many other women who had come with him to Jerusalem were also there.

In those days women were second-class citizens, unimportant, not to be taken seriously – a woman could not be a witness in a court case as her testimony was considered unreliable! But Jesus accepts even women(!), takes them seriously, loves them even to death on a cross.

Even there at the cross: the church. The Roman soldier, the oppressor at the top of society; the black tourist or trader, a foreigner; the women, unimportant, nothings in society; and, finally, even a religious leader of Israel! 42–43 This all happened on Friday, the day of preparation, the day before the Sabbath. As evening approached, 43 Joseph of Arimathea took a risk and went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. (Joseph was an honoured member of the high council, and he was waiting for the Kingdom of God to come.) Here is the church! Even at this dark moment, like little glimmers of light, we see a group of people around Jesus from different nationalities, different social status, different political backgrounds, different genders, different religions, just like here – all welcome at the cross, all being given new life as Jesus gives up his life.

This is the hope for the non-Christian: that Jesus has opened the way to God for them. So pray for your friends and family and colleagues and tell them about Jesus. And if you’re not a Christian here today, today turn to him and give up your life to receive his.

This is the hope for the Christian. The cross is just as much for the Christian as the non-Christian, if not more so. Remember you are secure. This is where your sins are carried, taken, dealt with. No guilt in life, no fear in death – this is the power of Christ in me! You are safe. Remember the cross! Let’s live like it! Amen.

Let’s pray our prayer of absolution together:

Absolution: ALL: Our Lord Jesus, thank you that through your death on the cross you swapped places with us. Thank you that you took the punishment of death that our sins deserved.
Thank you that you absorbed the righteous anger of God. You offered yourself once for all, a full, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice.
Thank you that you have forgiven us, set us free, made us your sons and daughters, and given us a place in your eternal Kingdom. Amen

Mark 14:53- 15:15 Rejected!

Mark 14:53- 15:15

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It’s night-time in an olive grove in early spring. The scent of budding flowers is in the air. There’s a full moon, its face shining brightly on the earth, creating strong contrasts of silver beams of lights and dark shadows under the branches of the trees.
And in the shadows we see twelve men huddling in fear. They are fugitives, on the run from the authorities – and they have just been betrayed.
They trusted Judas – he was their treasurer for goodness sake! And now he betrayed them.
They looked at their leader, Jesus, his face drawn with anxiety. They had never seen him like this. He brooded in silence.

Suddenly there was a shout – the soldiers had found them!

“RUN!” shouted Jesus. “Run for your lives”. The twelve men set off in different directions, fear etched on their faces. Jesus threw himself in a ditch, and began to crawl towards the safety of a nearby river.

But it was too late. There were too many soldiers. All too soon the men were rounded up, and their leader, Jesus, his face covered in dirt and leaves and debris, was hauled before the Captain of the Guard. He laughed as Jesus cowered before him, disbelief and fear etched on his face. A shameful end, for a failed prophet.

Or perhaps you’d prefer a the more Hollywood version!

As Jesus crawled away he heard the screams and cries of his friends, his followers, as they were tracked down by the soldiers, bound together, and taken away to judgement and punishment. A few tears escaped before his face grew hard with resolve. Next time, he would teach his men to fight. Next time, he would strike down the authorities. Next time, he will not be skulking away, but be victorious.

As the camera zooms on to Jesus face in close up, his dark eyes glittering with steely resolve. “I’ll be back!” he says, as “to be continued” flashes up on the screen.

If we had to guess or even write about what was going to happen, knowing 200 soldiers were coming to arrest 12 men, wouldn’t that be how we would picture it? If we were Jesus, isn’t that how we would react? Isn’t that what people think about Jesus – just another failed prophet, who accidentally got himself arrested and killed? Or some Che Guvara type leader, sticking up for the poor, rebelling against the authorities?

As we saw over the last two weeks, surprisingly, what actually happened is very, very different. This was no failed prophet, running from death. This is not the weak end to what could have been a lifetime of famous ministry. This is not a tragedy, but a victory!

This is the pinnacle of Jesus’ ministry. This is his crown jewel, the moment he has been working towards his whole life. This is when he will be revealed as the King above all Kings – as he destroys death and Satan, rescues humanity, and glorifies himself!

This is the high point of human history: the reason Jesus came was in order to die.
He came to be the Passover Lamb: sacrificed so that his blood would shield those who trust in Him from the Judgement to come.
He is the King, the one who is strong, the one who prays in deep anguish to avoid the cup of judgement - but faces it anyway. He drinks the cup, the cup which makes men stagger, down to the last poisonous drop.
We are weak, like the disciples, unable to pray, but instead to sleep, unable to stand with Jesus, but instead to be scattered: we are weak, and could not face the judgement to come. So Jesus, in his great love, faces it for us. That is propitiation. He absorbs the judgement, the wrath of God, and shields us from it, by his blood, by his broken body.

That is love.

Last week we saw that Jesus knows that we are weak. And still loves us. Our weakness, our failure is not something we have to try to hide from him. Christianity is not about pretending you’re better than you are!

Jesus is strong where we are weak.

If there’s one thing that stands out about Jesus in these moments leading up to the cross it is his strength. He stands firm while all about him fall. His resolve does not waver, his course is true. He is abandoned, rejected by all – but he stands strong. He does not abandon his Father. He does not reject God. And that gives hope to all of us who have rejected him, failed him, like Peter, like the religious leaders, and like the people.
No-one stood by Jesus. He stood utterly alone. He is rejected by the Jews (represented by the leading priests and high council), rejected by his own dearest friends (represented by Peter), and rejected by the Gentiles (non-Jews, that’s us, represented by Pilate).

1. Rejected by the Jews v55-65

They took Jesus to the high priest’s home where the leading priests, the elders, and the teachers of religious law had gathered...55 the leading priests and the entire high council were trying to find evidence against Jesus, so they could put him to death. But they couldn’t find any.

The trial is a sham (fake). It is highly irregular: they are meeting in the middle of the night instead of the day, and not in the Temple court but in the high priests house. It was a secret trial with hand-picked witnesses, and no-one around to dispute the lies the witnesses would tell.

But even then no evidence could be found! Even though they’d already decided the verdict - back in chapter 11:18 they had decided that Jesus must die and were plotting to kill him. This was no fair hearing, but a loaded gun pointed at Jesus’ head. But even then his innocence shone through

56 Many false witnesses spoke against him, but they contradicted each other. 57 Finally, some men stood up and gave this false testimony: 58 “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this Temple made with human hands, and in three days I will build another, made without human hands.’ ” 59 But even then they didn’t get their stories straight!

If this wasn’t so serious it would be like a comedy sketch! The bungling baddies, oafishly getting their stories wrong. The paid witnesses saying the opposite of each other! You can almost see little fight breaking out between them: “why’d you say that, you idiot, you were supposed to say….” You can almost imagine them getting cream pies out and hitting each other in the face with them. It is so utterly foolish.

So, even the high priest can now see that they’re getting nowhere. Even as a sham trial this is pretty thin. He’s probably beating his head against the wall in frustration – while Jesus stands there calm, resolute, quiet. Eventually in frustration he turns to Jesus v60 “Well, aren’t you going to answer these charges? What do you have to say for yourself?” 61 But Jesus was silent and made no reply. Then the high priest asked him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?”

This is the real question, isn’t it. Are you really the one you claim to be? You can imagine everything going still. Everyone holding their breath. What would he answer? Would he finally give in? I mean, who would risk their life for a lie?

And then Jesus says 62 “I AM.” This was explosive. This was the name of God that he told Moses: I AM the I AM. And Jesus uses God’s name. You can imagine the high priests eyes widening first in horror, then in glee as they thought “we’ve got him”. And because the time is right, because it is now time for Jesus to make plain who he is, he continues: And you will see the Son of Man seated in the place of power at God’s right hand and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

Blasphemy! BLASPHEMY!! You dishonour God! How dare you claim to be God! BLASPHEMY! Death!

But not once did they stop to consider maybe this is true. They did not listen to his words: I AM, the personal name of the God of Israel (Yahweh or Jehovah means I AM.
Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One? Yahweh, says Jesus. I am.
And just to make sure they understand, he then claims to be the human figure in Daniel 7 who is given all authority in heaven and earth by the Father (the “Ancient of Days” in the prophecy).

Da 7:9–14 I watched as thrones were put in place and the Ancient One sat down to judge. His clothing was as white as snow, his hair like purest wool. He sat on a fiery throne with wheels of blazing fire, 10 and a river of fire was pouring out, flowing from his presence. Millions of angels ministered to him; many millions stood to attend him. Then the court began its session, and the books were opened. … 13 As my vision continued that night, I saw someone like a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient One and was led into his presence. 14 He was given authority, honour, and sovereignty over all the nations of the world, so that people of every race and nation and language would obey him. His rule is eternal—it will never end. His kingdom will never be destroyed.

Jesus says “I am that person. I am the King of the eternal Kingdom”. He is the Messiah. He is God Almighty. He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

But they miss it. Their sin blinds them to the truth, and drives them to murder their own king, their God.

We, too, are blinded by our sin. Without his grace we too would be shouting Crucify him! Blasphemer! Playing our religious games while murdering the Son of God.
Religion does not lead you to God, but away from God. Unless you know Jesus, religion is dangerous. Paul the Apostle was a very religious man, and loved God (or so he thought) – but that love expressed itself in murdering Christians until the day that Jesus met him and turned his life around.
Unless you know Jesus, religion is dangerous, poisonous, futile, and hellish.

65 Then some of them began to spit at him, and they blindfolded him and beat him with their fists. “Prophesy to us,” they jeered. And the guards slapped him as they took him away.

Why did Jesus suddenly openly proclaim his divinity (that he is God, the Son of God), the Son of Man in power, and that he is the Messiah? Up to now he has always refused to proclaim this publically, always told demons to be quiet, and those whom he has healed not to tell anyone. Why now?

Because now, chained, arrested, beaten, abandoned, there is no misunderstanding what type of Messiah he is. He is the suffering servant of Isaiah. He is the conquering King as well, but it is a spiritual conquest, not a political. Jesus can openly claim to be the Messiah because now no-one will want to force him to be the political king. He is arrested, weak, with no followers. Who’d want this fellow to be king?
Now there is no risk to his mission being compromised – he came to die, and he will achieve it. Now it is unstoppable, and so he can reveal himself because no-one will believe it. In fact, revealing who he is will achieve his goals!

64 You have all heard his blasphemy. What is your verdict?” “Guilty!” they all cried. “He deserves to die!”

So the Jews, the very people of God, with the religion of God, the word of God, the rituals of God, the Law of God – reject God.

And even Jesus’ closest friends reject him.

2. Rejected by his own

66 Meanwhile, Peter was in the courtyard below. One of the servant girls who worked for the high priest came by 67 and noticed Peter warming himself at the fire. She looked at him closely and said, “You were one of those with Jesus of Nazareth.” 68 But Peter denied it. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said, and he went out into the entryway.

Earlier on that same evening Peter had boldly claimed that he was ready to “die for Jesus”. And maybe he had convinced himself that he could still do it. Although he ran away when Jesus was arrested, he then went back and v55 says that he followed Jesus right in to the courtyard. “I’ll do it this time”

Really, Peter? You’ll stand for Jesus this time – despite the fact that, unlike Jesus, he had not prayed for strength, but fallen asleep. And despite the fact that Jesus had already told him that he would fall.

He did not believe Jesus. He thought he was fine by himself. How often is that us? Or our friends, or family members, or work colleagues?

We don’t want to hear the uncomfortable truths. We don’t want to hear that we are sinners who sin. That there is a God, and we are not him! That God is angry with us and will judge us and condemn us to hell if continue to rebel against him. That shame covers us. We have dishonoured our King. Lalalala we say with our hands over our ears, trying to block it out. The problem is, is that it is true. And reliable, true, truth. There is no escape.

Jesus said a few hours before: v30 “I tell you the truth, Peter—this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny three times that you even know me.”

A servant girl questions him v67 “You were one of those with Jesus of Nazareth.” 68 But Peter denied it. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” One.

V69 She began telling the others, “This man is definitely one of them!” 70 But Peter denied it again. Two.

“You must be one of them, because you are a Galilean.” 71 Peter swore, “A curse on me if I’m lying—I don’t know this man you’re talking about!” Three.

And he broke down and wept.

There is no escape. We are weak. We reject Jesus in our own strength and condemn ourselves to hell.

This morning I showed this piece of junk - sorry, I mean “modern art”. This is a mess, a bunch of meaningless scribbles, worthless trash. Yet someone paid $52 000 000 for it! Kr440 000 000. And that is what it is now worth.

You see, although it has no intrinsic value – it’s crap – it has been given value by the purchaser. Someone has said that mess of scribbles is valuable to me.

And that is what Jesus does with us. Maybe our life looks like that. That’s probably how Peter was feeling when that rooster crowed. Like he’d just scribbled over his life. Wrecked it. But later we find Peter boldly preaching “Believe in Jesus, he is the Messiah, the Lord”. What happened? Jesus met him, after he rose from the dead. He found Peter and gave him a new value. No longer worthless, but of infinite value.

And you and I are the same. If we are in Christ, our value is his body and his blood. You may look like scribbles on a page, but in Christ you are a world-class work of art!

We are weak. We deny our King. Jesus was rejected by his own.
But He is strong.
Praise Him that he knows our weakness, and is able to cover over our failure with his blood. Peter, after meeting with Jesus after his resurrection, became the head of the church, its first evangelist and missionary. Jesus knows our weakness, yet still loves us.

Rejected by the Jews, rejected by his own disciples, and

3. Rejected by the Gentiles

Because the Jews were under Roman occupation, they had no authority to put someone to death. So they needed Pilate to find Jesus guilty in order to sentence him to death. Unfortunately “blasphemy” was not punishable under Roman law – so they accuse Jesus of being the King, and therefore rebelling against the true ruler: the Emperor of Rome! Ironic, isn’t it. 2 Pilate asked Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?” Jesus replied, “You have said it.”

Jesus then makes no further defence, says no further words – to Pilate’s amazement. He just says “yes, I am the King” 3 Then the leading priests kept accusing him of many crimes, 4 and Pilate asked him, “Aren’t you going to answer them? What about all these charges they are bringing against you?” 5 But Jesus said nothing, much to Pilate’s surprise.

The Jewish leaders should have understood. This is exactly what the prophet Isaiah said. Again Jesus fulfils Scripture: Isaiah 53:7 says “He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth”.

Even though he makes no defence, even Pilate is not fooled. Just as in the first trial, Jesus’ innocence shines through: 10 (For he [Pilate] realized by now that the leading priests had arrested Jesus out of envy.)

But Pilate is a crowd-pleaser, amoral, with no fear of God. He was not a good man, forced into a bad situation. He was a bad judge who condemned a man he knew was innocent to a brutal and disgusting death. He rejected the King, he rejected God, he even rejected his own conscience. 15 So to pacify the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He ordered Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip, then turned him over to the Roman soldiers to be crucified.

Jesus was rejected by the chief priests and the Jewish nation, rejected by his closest friends, rejected by the whole world. He stood alone, bearing the weight of our cruelty, our injustice, our sin upon his shoulders. And that’s why he came. This is the cup he came to drink. This is why he died for us. To take our cruelty and injustice and sin – and to conquer it, so that he can say to us, like Peter, come with me, you are restored.

What about you? What will you do with Jesus?

Mark 14:26-52 No guilt, no shame – Jesus has taken it!

Mark 14:26-52

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Look at yourself in the mirror. And say to yourself these words: “I am strong. I am confident. I am powerful. I will overcome.”

This is the kind of pastoral advice that people like Joel Osteen are giving. It sounds good. It sounds like advice I want to hear. But is this advice that Jesus would give?

Well, based on tonight’s passage, the answer is a resounding “no!”

In fact what Jesus says is “don’t fool yourself. You are weak.”

And then he says “but do not fear, for I am strong, and my will will be done”

“I am weak. I am a sinner. But Jesus is strong. Jesus is my saviour. Jesus has overcome!”

“In Christ, I am strong. In Christ, I am confident. Christ is powerful. Christ will overcome.” Amen!

1. We are weak (27-32)

2. Jesus is strong (33-42)

3. God’s will will be done (41-52)

1. We are weak (27-32)

27 On the way, Jesus told them, “All of you will desert me. For the Scriptures say, ‘God will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’ 28 But after I am raised from the dead, I will go ahead of you to Galilee and meet you there.” 29 Peter said to him, “Even if everyone else deserts you, I never will.” 30 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, Peter—this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny three times that you even know me.” 31 “No!” Peter declared emphatically. “Even if I have to die with you, I will never deny you!” And all the others vowed the same.

How often do we see ourselves as better than we are? Especially us guys – we always want to do it alone, in our own strength. That’s the disciples, confidently asserting that they would rather die than deny Jesus. But a few hours later 50 Then all his disciples deserted him and ran away.

It’s brutal isn’t it, to have your weakness so cruelly exposed. We (people) want to be strong, wish we were strong – but we are weak. Often we know the right thing to do, we want to do the right thing, but we don’t do it. It’s too hard, too costly, and so we chicken out, take the easy road.

We are weak.

And Jesus knows this. And he still loves us!

Our weakness, our failure is not something we have to try to hide from him. Christianity is not about pretending you’re better than you are!

Because Jesus is strong. Although he was “deeply troubled and distressed” he still went through with his suffering and death on the cross, bearing the sins of the world – in order that he, the strong, can lift us, the weak, up.

It’s fantastic news!

And that’s why we see the disciples “warts and all” – with all their failures. I can imagine Peter sitting with Mark as he writes this book says “no Mark, you must put my failure in. I don’t care about my reputation! People must understand the gospel. Jesus came for sinners.”

I thank God for the disciples. Because they are real people like you and me. They make mistakes, they get things so wrong, they don’t understand, they are foolish, they are cowards – these are no super-spiritual giants, ticking all the right religious boxes! I mean Peter even tells Jesus off at one point, telling him he’s wrong. Oops.

And Jesus still loves them, still accepts them, still allows them to follow him – and uses them, makes them part of his great glorious work of salvation! And builds the church upon their weak and frail backs!

I heard someone tell a story about Jesus returning to Heaven after his resurrection. The angels are standing there singing praise, congratulating Jesus about his great work of salvation, his great achievement. All glory to the King!

But then one angel comes up to him and says

“uh, Jesus, I’ve got a question....”

“Yes?”

“Um, how are you, you know, going to get the message out? About what you’ve done? How are people going to hear about it”

Jesus points to the little band of weak and small disciples.

“Ah, hahaha, hmmm, yes, yes, them, yes. Do you, um, have any other plan?”

“No, no other plan.”

Don’t you love our God, who chooses the weak to shame the strong, who reveals truth to children and conceals it from the “wise”, who loves the unlovable and forgives the unforgiveable – even at the cost of his own life. Who builds his unstoppable church through people like you and me!

The God who is strong in our weakness.

“No guilt in life, no fear in death, this is the power of Christ in me. From life’s first cry to final breath, Jesus commands my destiny.”

Did you notice v27 27 On the way, Jesus told them, “All of you will desert me. For the Scriptures say, ‘God will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’

Jesus knew hundreds of years before that the disciples would fail him. It’s from Zechariah 13:7. The big themes in Zechariah are the LORD returning to his Temple, and blessing the whole world through “Jerusalem” – the new people of God. The last time we heard a quote from Zechariah was during the triumphal entry: Jesus, the King, riding in on a donkey. Rejoice O Zion! But now the King, the Shepherd, will be struck and the sheep scattered. This is all part of God’s to bring about his purposes: here is the King, ready to be struck, the sheep, bleating their cries of “we will not be scattered” – but He will be struck and they scattered.
He knows. He knows they will fail him. And he has already forgiven them! 28 But after I am raised from the dead, I will go ahead of you to Galilee and meet you there.”

They will fall, but have no fear, for Jesus will bring them together again in Galilee, where he began his ministry, this time the risen, victorious Christ, giving them power to enable them to do the works he has given them to do: to spread the word about Jesus, his victory over sin and death, and forgiveness for all who come to him. No guilt, no shame, but forgiveness, acceptance, and a new way of living, a new purpose, a new goal: the glory of God Almighty.

What a God we serve. He knows their coming failure, yet has already forgiven them as he goes to the Cross to pay the price that forgiveness costs. Remarkable.

What is it that you feel guilty about? Have you let Jesus down? Have you some secret sin which you could never reveal to anyone, certainly not Him? Do you sit awake sometimes in the dark watches of the night, your room closing in about you, as your thoughts accuse you “guilty! Guilty! Weak! You are no Christian! How dare you call yourself a Christian! Failure!”. Are you ashamed of boldly claiming to stand for Jesus “If I must die with you, I will not deny you.” – only to shrink away in denial when the time came?

Well, welcome to the human race! This is us. We are not righteous. We do not seek God.

But, thankfully he seeks us. He knows our weakness. He knows our shame. He knows our guilt. And he has covered it with his blood.

It is gone.

No guilt in life, no fear in death! This is the power of Christ in me.

I am weak – but he is strong. And in Christ, I am strong.

Confess your sins with joy, not fear, for he knows and has forgiven you!

We may not be the best Christian in the world – but we have the best Christ! Where we are weak, he is strong. So trust him. He will hang on to you. His grip will not fail. You are secure in him.

I am weak, but

2. Jesus is strong (33-42)

33 He took Peter, James, and John with him, and he became deeply troubled and distressed. 34 He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” 35 He went on a little farther and fell to the ground. He prayed that, if it were possible, the awful hour awaiting him might pass him by. 36 “Abba, Father,” he cried out, “everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”

That night in the garden was the worst of Jesus’ life. Here before him lay the final choice: to go through with torture and death, and worse, face the anger, the wrath, of the Father as he carries our sins to the cross; or to turn aside, to call down myriads of angels to fight for him, to be carried up in glory to his rightful place in the throne room of heaven. What would you have chosen?

Like Jesus, deeply troubled and distressed – what would you have done?

Like Jesus, saying “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death.” – so deeply full of sorrow you feel like you’re going to die, simply because of sorrow, of dread of what is to come – what would you have done?

Like Jesus, throwing yourself before God Almighty in prayer, begging him to get you out of this, open another way “Abba (Daddy), Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me.” – what would you have done?

Well, we know what Jesus DID. He did not fall away. He did not yield to temptation. He did not fall asleep but prayed for strength. He did not turn back. Instead he prays the most remarkable prayer in the Bible, and the prayer that should be echoed in the heart of everyone who follows Jesus, everyone who calls themselves a Christian, in every area of our lives because we belong to him: 36 “Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”

Not my will, but yours be done. That is the cry of a heart yielded up to God.
Jesus here is the perfect human being, willing to do whatever the Father asks in order to glorify him.
We were created to bring God glory – that is our purpose and our destiny. We were made to reflect back to God his beauty, his splendour, his majesty, crying out with every action, every thought, every prayer, every word spoken, at work, at home, in the garden, up on the mountain: you are glorious, you are holy, you are amazing. Your will be done.

We pray that in the Lord’s Prayer, don’t we? “Your will be done on earth as in heaven.” That doesn’t mean out there somewhere, distant from us – no we’re praying that his will is done in our lives, we’re praying that we would yield to his will, praying that we would not fall into temptation and follow Satan along the path of comfort and death, but Jesus along the hard path – but glorious and fulfilling and the path of life eternal.

And so often we fail. So often we do what WE will. We are weak. We are like the disciples – when they were supposed to be praying what were they doing? Sleeping!
37 Then he returned and found the disciples asleep. He said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Couldn’t you watch with me even one hour? 38 Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” 39 Then Jesus left them again and prayed the same prayer as before. 40 When he returned to them again, he found them sleeping, for they couldn’t keep their eyes open. And they didn’t know what to say.

While we are sleeping. While we are giving in to our desires, our “needs” – Jesus is praying. Jesus is doing exactly what he should be doing – even though he was totally alone. Even though he knew what was coming. His “sheep” were about to be scattered. His friends would abandon him. He was about to be arrested. “The time has come” he says.
And he was about to drink the Cup. In the Old Testament the Cup was often used as a symbol of God’s judgement on sin. For example Jer 25:15-16 This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, said to me: “Take from my hand this cup filled to the brim with my anger, and make all the nations to whom I send you drink from it. 16 When they drink from it, they will stagger, crazed by the warfare I will send against them.” Similarly Jer 49, Isaiah 51, and Psalm 75:8.

Set before Jesus was that cup. A foaming cup of poisonous punishment. Anger upon anger, wrath upon wrath, poured out for the sins of the world from all of time and space all gathered into one concentrated poisonous dose. Like a witches’ brew – but a thousand, a million, a trillion times worse. We will never know what Jesus knew he was facing.

But he faced it.

Three times he prayed for steely resolve to drink this cup to its last drop. And he did not falter, did not stop. “Up”, he says, “let’s be going. Look, my betrayer is here”
He did not run, did not call down legions of angels to defend him, did not use his awesome power to simply swat away the soldiers who had come to arrest him. He had prayed. He was at peace. Not my will, but yours, Father.

We may be weak, but Jesus is strong.

3. God’s will will be done (41-52)

48 Jesus asked them, “Am I some dangerous revolutionary, that you come with swords and clubs to arrest me? 49 Why didn’t you arrest me in the Temple? I was there among you teaching every day. But these things are happening to fulfill what the Scriptures say about me.” 50 Then all his disciples deserted him and ran away.

Jesus offers no resistance to his arrest - in fact he goes out to meet them. No playing hide and seek amongst the trees. No fighting. No running. One of the disciples gets it wrong – hacking off someone’s ear.
He should have prayed – he’s totally on the wrong page!
And then when Jesus simply gives himself up, terror grips them all and, just as Jesus prophesied in v27, quoting Zechariah’s prophecy from hundreds of years before, the sheep do indeed scatter: v50“they deserted him and ran away”. One disciple, a “young man” who is probably Mark, the writer of this gospel, was so frightened that when the soldiers grabbed him by his long shirt he 52 he slipped out of his shirt and ran away naked.

They all abandon Jesus. The spirit was willing “I will die for you Jesus!” – but the flesh was weak.
But Jesus, the perfect man, prayed, was strengthened, and did not fall away. Where we are weak, he is strong.

All this is happening according to God’s plan. 49 But these things are happening to fulfill what the Scriptures say about me

This was written down hundreds of years before so that we would KNOW that it is true. We would KNOW that Jesus is truly the Messiah, the Christ, the Rescuer – and our King. The Bible is not one book written by some old dude in a tower. It’s a library (so the name “Bible” from the Latin biblia meaning library): 66 books written by 40 authors, written over 1500 years. So hundreds of years before Jesus, men were writing, inspired by the Holy Spirit, about what he would be doing and what he would be saying. Isn’t that amazing?

Last week we saw how all the different promises of God come together in Christ. He is our King, our Priest, and our Prophet. He is the new and better Moses leading the new and better Exodus: the rescue of God’s people. Jesus is the Temple, the meeting palce between mand and God. And he is the Passover Lamb. The sacrifice that can protect us from the angel of death. His body is broken for us. His blood shed for us. He is the Suffering Servant the prophet Isaiah saw. He is the King the prophet Zecahriah saw. He is the LORD – Yahweh - coming to his Temple from Malachi.
Again and again we see that Jesus fulfils Scripture. Someone counted up all the prophecies that Jesus fulfilled – somewhere between 300 and 400, depending on how you count (some people count one verse saying two things as two prophecies, others one)! And Jesus fulfilled all of them. Every single one. Statistically impossible to do by random chance – the only way to fulfil these prophecies is if you are the one who was prophesied!

Have assurance. This is true. This is the gospel: Christ Jesus came to save sinners. Do you think he would bother with all this if that weren’t true. He could have blasted all these fools out of the garden with a word. But he didn’t, because this is why he came. He, the perfect man, came to take our place. He came to be found guilty, to die a sinners death, so that you and I can be found righteous, and live for him. And he rose to life again

He came because we are weak. So if you’re feeling like a failure. If you are agonising over sins that you just keep committing, over sins that you choose to do – remember the disciples, and remember that they ran away from Jesus! And he knew they would. And yet he carried on to the cross so that he could forgive them, and so that he could forgive you.

Yes, sin is serious. Yes it is painful and ugly and damaging. But it can be forgiven. Our confidence is not in ourselves. But our confidence is in Christ.

We may be weak, but Jesus is strong. He knows our weakness, knows our guilt – and has covered it.
Pray without fear. Pray without guilt. Come to him knowing your darkest secrets are covered. And walk in new life, to his praise and glory. Hooray for Jesus!