Philippians 3:10a (Amplified)
For my determined purpose is that I may know Him that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly,
Last week we looked at the divinity of Jesus Christ. Last week we realized that Jesus was not the same as the normal human walking the earth. Jesus claimed with His words and actions to be far more than just a human being.
This week we will step a little father into who Jesus really is. Jesus is about to be taken captive by the Temple Guard, He will be tried and then turned over to a battalion of Roman soldiers. The Temple guard was sent out with Judas by the leading priests and the Pharisees. They were going to bring Jesus back to be tried and crucified.
Jesus knows that this is the end of the ministry. Jesus knows that this is the end of His earthly life. We live in a world where people cling to life with everything they have. Not just their own life but also the lives of those around them. Jesus has settled in the Garden of Gethsemane the events that will lead up to His death.
I remember hearing a story about Martin Luther King Jr. He was told that his life was being threatened and maybe he should quit all the public speaking and just sit back and leave it to others. His response was to continue. He believed that to stop was to already be dead. He could not quit and live with himself so he continued.
I don’t want to raise Martin Luther King Jr. to a divine status and I surely don’t want to lower Jesus to the level of a man with an important cause. But Jesus knew the other side of all that was happening. Jesus knew He had an eternal home with the Father. Jesus knew that He had come into this world to die. God was not going to take the one born of a virgin and just lift Him up out of the world. Jesus was going to have to die to get out of the world in which he was born into.
Not everyone is so accepting of death or even the circumstances of life that surround them. Some people desire to fight against reality.
John 18:10-11
10 Then Simon Peter drew a sword and slashed off the right ear of Malchus, the high priest’s servant. 11 But Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword back into its sheath. Shall I not drink from the cup the Father has given me?”
Jesus tried to calm Peter. Jesus was prepared to face whatever came next. Peter wanted to manipulate the circumstances. He wanted to fight against what was happening in his midst.
Now, aren’t you thankful today that Jesus, just like you and me, experienced being born and faced death just like we will? We may not have to face a violent death. We may not have to face a death due to others hatred of us or what we represent. But then again we may have to face a grueling painful death. We don’t know how we are going to die but we must be prepared as Jesus was to drink the cup the Father puts before us.
Far too many fight the Father’s will. They do not accept the reality which they find themselves. This leads to a lot of hurt and pain. Not just for self but for those around us like Malchus.
Today we will be taking communion. Remembering what Jesus did for us but I want everyone to think about the cup that was put before Jesus. Are you willing to drink of the cup God places before you?
Keep that thought and let’s look at Jesus trial before Pilate.
John 18:33-34
33 Then Pilate went back inside and called for Jesus to be brought to him. “Are you the King of the Jews?” he asked him.
34 Jesus replied, “Is this your own question, or did others tell you about me?”
This is a great question. See, Jesus is making Pilate face what he truly believes.
What do you believe Pilate? Am I the King or are you believing what you have been told? Do you believe that I AM?
I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, do not believe upon others words. Figure out what you believe for yourself. Just because you agree with what you’ve been told doesn’t mean you believe it.
Let’s get back to Pilate and Jesus conversation.
John 18:35-37
35 “Am I a Jew?” Pilate asked. “Your own people and their leading priests brought you here. Why? What have you done?”
36 Then Jesus answered, “I am not an earthly king. If I were, my followers would have fought when I was arrested by the Jewish leaders. But my Kingdom is not of this world.”
37 Pilate replied, “You are a king then?”
“You say that I am a king, and you are right,” Jesus said. “I was born for that purpose. And I came to bring truth to the world. All who love the truth recognize that what I say is true.”
Jesus has now claimed to be the King of the Jews. He has told Pilate that His kingdom is not of this world.
Beam me up Scottie this man was born to be a king of a kingdom that is not of this world. What is Jesus talking about? And yet Pilate must have believed Jesus’ words. Pilate did not want to punish Jesus. He had just found himself in a worldly, no win situation.
John 19:4
4 Pilate went outside again and said to the people, “I am going to bring him out to you now, but understand clearly that I find him not guilty.”
Pilate is the Judge. But, Pilate is the judge of the people’s court. He cannot just bang the gavel and say not guilty. He must satisfy the people. Now, the people’s court never judges based upon truth but upon public opinion. Pilate is now bound by the jury of public opinion not upon truth.
So, the people were being roused by the religious leaders and they still wanted Jesus crucified.
John 19:7-11
7 The Jewish leaders replied, “By our laws he ought to die because he called himself the Son of God.”
8 When Pilate heard this, he was more frightened than ever. 9 He took Jesus back into the headquarters again and asked him, “Where are you from?” But Jesus gave no answer. 10 “You won’t talk to me?” Pilate demanded. “Don’t you realize that I have the power to release you or to crucify you?”
11 Then Jesus said, “You would have no power over me at all unless it were given to you from above.
Pilate is lost in all that he is involved in. He doesn’t want to have Jesus crucified but he’s trapped and doesn’t see the kingdom that Jesus sees and can’t let go of his earthly power.
Then the leading priests cried out with a statement that will forever judge them.
John 19:15
15 “Away with him,” they yelled. “Away with him—crucify him!”
“What? Crucify your king?” Pilate asked.
“We have no king but Caesar,” the leading priests shouted back.
Could you have imagined the sword that was driven through Jesus’ heart? Not the one that will draw water and blood but the one that pierced His whole life and ministry. The sword that cut off all those who do not believe in a kingdom whose King is Jesus Christ. We have no king, we have no authority higher than our earthly king.
Many people today don’t believe they have any authority higher than themselves. I am the king of my own destiny. I am lord of my own life. I am ruler of my own domain. I am the master of my own existence. I am creator of my own reality. I am the director of my own path. I am maker of my own outcome.
We are still crucifying Jesus today with our words and actions.
Now, Pilate did something that really upset the religious leaders.
John 19:19-22
19 And Pilate posted a sign over him that read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” 20 The place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and the sign was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek, so that many people could read it.
21 Then the leading priests said to Pilate, “Change it from ‘The King of the Jews’ to ‘He said, I am King of the Jews.’ ”
22 Pilate replied, “What I have written, I have written. It stays exactly as it is.”
So the King of the Jews is put to death. He dies an innocent man. He died because the world at large could not keep Him and continue to lord over itself. If Jesus is King we must revere Him as King. If we don’t desire Jesus to be King, Who then will we submit to?
Man will raise up a king or standard for which he is comfortable following. To submit to the true King and Lord calls for us to adjust to Him. We want kings and leaders that will adjust to us. We want the power and control. We do not want to be lorded over and commanded. So, we raise up kings and leaders that will work for us.
Now, Jesus is King, Lord, Ruler, Master, Head and God come in the flesh. He cannot be lowered by man. He cannot be killed off and ignored. Jesus is above death. You may not want Him as Lord, you may want to crucify Him as an imposter, but He will rise above you killing Him to be your Judge.
John 20:1-9
Early Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. 2 She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. She said, “They have taken the Lord’s body out of the tomb, and I don’t know where they have put him!”
3 Peter and the other disciple ran to the tomb to see. 4 The other disciple outran Peter and got there first. 5 He stooped and looked in and saw the linen cloth lying there, but he didn’t go in. 6 Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside. He also noticed the linen wrappings lying there, 7 while the cloth that had covered Jesus’ head was folded up and lying to the side. 8 Then the other disciple also went in, and he saw and believed—9 for until then they hadn’t realized that the Scriptures said he would rise from the dead.
Could it be that the Apostle John spent three years of his life following Jesus, becoming Jesus best friend , and he not believe in who Jesus really was?
John knew Jesus Christ. Our text for this series says,
For my determined purpose is that I may know Him that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly,
John knew Jesus. He was intimately acquainted with Jesus. He understood Jesus. He recognized Jesus. He had seen the wonders of Jesus’ person. But something happened at that tomb. John believed! John now had an assurance of belief that he did not have before the resurrection.
See, when Jesus died on the cross it was over. The ministry ended. The following ended. The miracles ended. It seemed as though everything that had happened was a waste of three years of life.
But the resurrection was proof positive that everything was true. That nothing in all of this world could stop Jesus and His Kingdom.
Jesus’ death was not the end but a whole new beginning for that which was to come.
We’ve been reading the first part of Philippians 3:10, today we finish the verse.
and that I may in the same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection which it exerts over believers, and that I may share His suffering as to be continually transformed in spirit into His likeness even to His death,
John now believes. Not just in the person of Jesus Christ, John believes in Jesus Christ. From this point on John will be continually transformed in spirit into the likeness of Jesus Christ. John knows who is King. John knows who is Lord. John knows who has all authority. This will affect the way John lives the rest of his life.
Aren’t you thankful today that Jesus rose from the tomb to sit on the throne in heaven to insure everything He came for is true and that we will have life beyond this world?
John 20:30-31
30 Jesus’ disciples saw him do many other miraculous signs besides the ones recorded in this book. 31 But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in him you will have life.
As we prepare to take communion this morning, God’s will is that you know Jesus Christ. God’s will is that you believe in Jesus Christ. God’s will is that you find your assurance in His work on your behalf.
John 6:47
“I assure you, anyone who believes in me already has eternal life.
Eternal life begins now, not sometime in the future when we pass from this world into another realm. The resurrection prove all this to be true.
So, before we pass out the elements to remember what Jesus has done for us, I’d like to hear from you. Does anyone what to stand and testify, remembering the work of Jesus Christ in their own life this morning?
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