Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Good morning and welcome back!

If you would, start turning in your Bibles to .

This morning we are going to make a sharp transition in the themes that Jesus has been covering as we have been going through Matthew.

For the last several weeks, we have read about and learned about Jesus teaching his disciples about being prepared for all things that were to come.

He has wanted them to build a strength and a resolve to endure until the end.

He has wanted them to be able to stay the course, even after he has left them.

He has wanted them to remain vigilant and watch for him always, always being prepared.

And He has wanted the same thing for all of us.

Otherwise none of this would have been included in our Scripture.

And this morning we are going to start to see the real reason why.

Because now we are going to be moving into the final days of Jesus’ earthly ministry.

And it all begins here in .

In our focus for this morning we are going to find two plans to arrest and kill Jesus.

But something strange is sandwiched right in the middle of these two plots.

We find an act of love.

An act of kindness.

An act of faith.

An act that should remind us all that even in the darkest hours we face, God is still there.

Love is still there.

Faith is still there.

Kindness is still there.

And this, is what we need to really focus on.

The fact that God keeps His promises to never leave us or forsake us.

The fact God says and is with us always, even until the end.

Because this is where we find our only hope.

So, if you have found in your Bibles, I’d invite you to stand with me this morning.

I will be picking up and reading verses 10-13, but we will be covering the first 15 verses of that chapter.

Matthew writes this . . . .

Scripture Focus

Matthew 26:10-

The Plot Against Jesus (vs 1-5)

Now, to let the cat out of the bag, we know here that this is what we refer to as the “Alabaster Jar” and what is referenced when we receive an “alabaster offering” because it is an offering made out of love, kindness, and faith.

But before we get there, let’s back up and look at what is going on around this event.

Backing up to verse 1, the Bible tells us . . . .

Matthew 26:1

Now, the “all these things” that Matthew is referring to here, is all of the teachings that we have been covering the last several weeks.

It is almost as if Matthew is saying, “practice is over, it’s time for the real stuff to start.”

Which is really how we should be responding every time we leave church.

Church is where we learn and practice and out there is where we put what we have learned to use.

The same could be said about our private prayer time and our private Bible reading time.

These are places where we practice and gain knowledge and understanding so that when we are confronted with things, we can put what we have learned to use.

And the first thing we see here is Jesus’ matter of fact statement to the disciples in verse 2 . . .

Not really what they wanted to hear, especially since passover was coming.

Passover was a time of celebration and remembrance.

It was a time when Jerusalem would be packed with people coming to worship at the temple for Passover.

It was a time to celebrate God’s deliverance of the Jews from the Egyptians.

But now, during this time though, Jesus was going to be crucified and killed.

But if we really think about it, would Passover not be the appropriate time.

Since Passover is a celebration of a time of deliverance, Jesus through His sacrifice was not only going to offer a way of deliverance for the Jews but for all humanity.

Jesus would become the Passover sacrifice.

But how?

How was this going to happen?

Matthew 26:3-

So, they had started to devise a plan to find Jesus and arrest him.

Not only were they going to arrest him, but they were going to get rid of him once and for all.

He had interfered with them long enough and it was time to deal with Him.

So, they were going to kill him.

And here’s the thing, who did Jesus ever hurt?

Who was he a threat to?

No one, but they hated him so much they literally wanted to kill him.

These people were so full of sin and hate that they had a total disregard for human life.

They were so power hungry that they would destroy anyone who got in their way.

And we see the same thing going on in our world today.

Now, people may not plot to kill others every day but we all know people who so badly want to “get to the top” or “be #1” that they will step on whoever they have to in order get their way.

They don’t care who they hurt or what they do.

Their attitude is “it’s all about me.”

And sadly, we also see this play out in the church.

One of the things we see play out in church after church is the “me attitude.”

People refuse to come to church, leave the church, and all sorts of things because others in the church insist on having things their way.

It is “their church” and they have done things “their way” for the last xxxx years, and nobody is going to change it.

Their heart has grown hard and cold.

They are indifferent to the movement of the Holy Spirit.

And when that happens, the church will soon die because anyone who opposes them is either run off or quits.

And we need to be constantly aware of that attitude creeping up—from the Pastor all the way way.

Because it can.

None of us are always right and we need to be willing to listen to other people and other ideas as well.

But their heart was cold and indifferent.

All they thought about was power.

So they began to plot to kill Jesus.

They just had one problem . . .

They couldn’t risk a riot because the Romans would then get involved.

And the people would riot because these sorts of things were not allowed during the Feast.

And also because Jesus was very popular among the people.

They had be careful and calculating on how they went about doing things.

The Alabaster Jar (vs 6-13)

So, the plot is now set but before it is carried out we find Jesus in a different situation all together . . . .

Matthew 26:6

So, this is altogether pretty strange to happen especially while all of these other things are going on.

The Jews are out plotting to kill Jesus and instead of hiding out Jesus is visiting with a man’s family there in Bethany.

And it wasn’t just any family.

This was the man known as Simon the Leper.

This was one of those unclean, “undesirable people.

And Jesus is having dinner with them.

Most people would be hiding in a cave somewhere, but Jesus is actually drawing more attention to himself by violating Jewish law.

And the reason that none of this is impacting how Jesus acts is because He has accepted his fate.

He has accepted the fact that these things must come to pass in order for humanity to be saved.

Jesus loved each and every person in this room that much, that even before his death, he had already accepted his fate and refused to back down even in the midst of impending doom.

And while none of us in this room will ever likely reach that level of risk for our faith, we need to think about what we are willing to endure for the sake of our faith.

Are we willing to endure hypocrites in the Church?