Sermon Tone Analysis

Intro

We celebrate Easter in three weeks.

So today we dive into our Easters series called, “Character Traits of Jesus.”

Over the next three weeks we are going to look at three different character traits of Jesus that he displayed on his way to the cross.

We are going to approach this series a little differently.

Today we are going to talk about some moments Jesus had with his disciples leading up to his journey to Jerusalem.

Next week we will look at his triumphal entry.

On Easter Sunday, we will look at his resurrection.

As we begin today, I want to ask you a question.

What is the most courageous thing you have done?

It doesn’t have to be a person-saving situation.

It can be something you did that overcame a fear.

It could be a step you know you needed to take.

It could also be something crazy that just took courage to accomplish.

I went to college in Kentucky which is a beautiful state.

In Grayson, KY you had a man-made lake called Grayson Lake.

Because it is Kentucky, the Appalachian Mountains went through the eastern part of the state.

As a result of a man-made lake in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, there were cliffs that people could cliff jump off of.

In college, on a number of occasions, a group of us would venture out and cliff jump.

The cliffs ranged from 20 feet all the way up to 90 feet.

Maybe the most popular spot had a couple different size cliffs that you could jump off.

There was one section of a cliff that had a pine tree sticking sideways out of the top of the cliff.

The pine tree was only 6 feet tall but the challenge was jumping over the pine tree on a cliff that sat about 45 feet.

The only the way to jump over it was to get a running start.

The only problem was you only had about 20 feet to get enough speed and there was only one spot that your jump foot could land before the tree.

It is a crazy thrill as you run up to the edge of the cliff to jump beyond a 6 foot tree into water 45 feet below.

Not everyone does it because you cannot second guess as you run up.

You have to be all in.

Now that might not be courageous in the heroic sense of the word but it still takes courage.

Prophecy of Jesus death in the OT

When we look at Jesus in the Gospels, we see a man of courage.

In fact, there are going to be a couple passages of Scripture that we look at today that shows the courage of Jesus.

In fact, a couple weeks ago we read which states that:

As you look back on the Old Testament, you will find prophecies concerning Jesus.

There are prophecies about his birth, childhood, adult life and death.

Because we can believe what Jesus says, we can assume that he knew what those prophecies talked about.

In fact, I’m certain he know what he was he doing when he left heaven.

If the Scriptures testify about Jesus, what prophecies are there in the Old Testament that gives us some clues into the courage of Jesus.

Jesus betrayed by a friend

In , Judas betrays Jesus

Jesus betrayed for 30 pieces of silver

In Judas receives 30 pieces of silver to betray Jesus and then returned it only for it to be used to buy a potter’s field.

Jesus spat upon and beaten

In , Jesus was spit on and beaten.

Jesus would remain silent during the false accusations

In , we see Jesus remain silent at his trial in the face of the accusations.

Jesus would die for our sins

He died in .

foreshadows the crucifixion

talks about being surrounded by those who scorn and despise Jesus (Matthew 27:39; Mark 15:29)

talks about a man being mocked (; ; ; )

talks about rescue and people taunt Jesus back asking God to rescue him ()

talks about being numbered with transgressors (; ; ; )

talks about hands and feet being pierced (, , )

talks about being surrounded by people who stared and gloated (; )

talks about people gambling for pieces of clothing ()

Jesus will be numbered with transgressors

talks about two men hung next to Jesus

Jesus would be buried in a rich man’s tomb

Isaiah

and chronicles Jesus burial in Joseph’s tomb.

He was a prominent man on the Council

So all of these Scriptures point to a brutal and humiliating death for us.

Because Jesus was able to quote Scripture in during his temptation and then throughout his many different encounters with Pharisees, I think it is safe to assume that Jesus knew what these verses said.

So how does Jesus’ courage shine through?

Defining Courage

Before we look at our verses in Matthew today, let’s learn what courage is first.

The word courage means according to the “Dictionary of Bible Themes”, “The quality of being able to act bravely under difficulties or in the face of opposition; being prepared to do dangerous or risky things in obedience to God, in the belief that he will strengthen, guard and protect his people.”

“Act bravely under difficulties or in the face of opposition”

The key word in this part of the definition is the little word “act”.

It means you do something.

It’s not standing by and doing nothing.

You move to accomplish something or do something that in the face of difficulties or opposition.

It also says that courage is “being prepared.”

We can use the word “premeditate” here.

It isn’t a knee-jerk reaction.

You have purposed in your heart and mind that you will act and do whatever is asked even if they are dangerous or risky.

The last phrase of this definition gives people in Christ hope in the face of difficulties and opposition.

Why?

Because of a belief in God and that his promises are going to be kept towards us.

Psychology Today had an article that listed several ways that we can define courage.

Here are just a few of them:

Feeling fear yet choosing to act

Have you ever felt fear before?

General symptoms might be sweaty palms, twisting or knotting stomach, inability to sit still, many different pictures running through your head of the possible outcomes, etc.

Those kind of emotions and more pop up during a moment of fear.

Courage then is still acting in the appropriate manner in spite of the fear that is starting to take over.

Persevering in the face of adversity

Have you ever started something and it started smoothly but somewhere along the way things go hard?

Usually I have faced adversity in something when I began something that was of a benefit to me.

You’re attempting to do something good but some roadblocks got in your way.

Do you quit because it became hard or do you persevere?

Standing up for what is right

A phrase you might hear from time to time is social justice.

The International Justice Mission is a great organization that fights against slavery, sex trafficking and sexual violence just to name a few.

It’s putting yourself in the gap between someone who is being oppressed and their oppressor.

It takes courage to stand up for what’s right.

Letting go of the familiar

We might say something like “stepping out of our comfort zone.”

You’re trying something new or trying to tackle a new challenge.