Sunday Service
Good morning church. The scripture reading for Mike's lesson today comes from Matthew 26 verses 31 through 56. Then Jesus told them this very night you will fall away on account of me for it is written. I will strike the shepherd and the sheep of the flock will be scattered. But after I have reason I will go ahead of you in to Galilee. He replied even if all fall away on account of you. I never will. Truly I tell you Jesus answered this very night before the rooster crows. You will disown me three times. But Peter declared even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you and all the other disciples said the same. Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane and he said to them sit here while I go over there and pray. He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them. My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me. Going a little farther he fell with his face to the ground and prayed my father if it is possible. May this cup be taken from me yet. Not as I will but as you will Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping couldn't do men. Keep watch with me for one hour. Yes, Peter. Watch and Pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. He went away a second time and prayed my father if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away and less I drink it may your will be done. When he came back he again found them sleeping because their eyes were heavy. So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time saying the same thing. Danny return to the disciples and said to them. Are you still sleeping and resting look the hour has come and the son of man is delivered into the hands of Sinner's Rise. Let us go here comes my betrayer. While he was still speaking Judas, one of the twelve arrived with him was a large crowd armed with swords and clubs sent from the chief priests and the Elders of the people. Now the betrayer had a range of the signal with them. The one I kiss is the man arrest him. Going at once to Jesus Judas said greetings, Rabbi and kissed him. Jesus replied do what you came for friend. Then the men step forward sees Jesus and arrested him. With that Jesus companions reached for his sword drew it out and struck the servant of the high priest cutting off his ear. Put your sword back in its place. Jesus said to him for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. Do you think I cannot call on my father and he will at once put at my disposal more than Twelve Legions of angels. How then would the scriptures be fulfilled to say it must happen in this way? And that our Jesus said to the crowd am I leading a rebellion that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me every day. I sat in the temple courts teaching and you did not arrest me. But this is all taken place that the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled then all the disciples deserted him and fled.
Well gum, hope everything is well with you. It isn't the easiest of time to be trying to communicate with one another but I appreciate you being part of this. I hope you had a good week and you're safe and healthy. Hope you're not totally stir crazy yet and a lot of us are and if you're anything like me, you're probably going through some a hug withdrawal. And I both talked about that we missed it even last Sunday in the same rooms together, but just pray that you're doing well. We're going to be having a little bit of a study today because we still got to keep on learning and growing and being what God wants even in the midst of a huge Corona crisis. So what how we just pray that you'll sit back and maybe enjoy this and learn little bit of this so Last Sunday, we looked at the Last Supper and the reason we did that is because the resurrection did not happen in a vacuum. There were a series of things that led up to it. And so what we're doing is we're trying to look at all of those things as we build towards that Resurrection. Now as we talked about the last meal together the last meal before his death. It was really the last time that the Passover would be like they always remember it being it would take would never be like the good old days again and it was his last chance to let me give them a a beautiful lesson about servant leadership by washing feet. So what I want us to do is take that next transition. I want to read to your first 30 and chapter 26 right after they've had that meal together simply says when they had something to him, they went out into the Mount of Olives. That seems like a very simple Loopers but it's a transition verse they were going from where they were having their meal to the Mount of Olives where everything was going to start to happen. You might even say maybe things unravel but since it was part of the plan of God, it really wasn't unraveling but Jesus is beginning to feel the pressure of the human part of of who he was and he certainly was not looking forward to what he knew was ahead of him here and he just needed some time to be with those he loved and especially since I had to just simply be with his father. I want us to look at his trials, but I wanted to remember that as we look at the elements of his trial. We're remembering the fact that we have some problems going on right now to don't lie. And I mean, I'm I'm here in my office instead of looking at you and I'm talking to the microphone and preaching just to Jerry so things are not exactly like they normally are but you know, there are some parallels are some things that we can learn. I want us to just identify a little bit with what Jesus is doing. So well with you one I want to remember that Jesus had a deep concern for others as you heard in the reading a while ago. We have him literally approaching Peter and saying before the night's over was trying to get Peter to be prepared for it and think about it but Peter was just no way that's going to happen. I'm not going to deny everybody else might but I certainly am not going to do that and I thought it was String that the little little phrase at the end of all that it says and all the other disciple said the same so it really wasn't just Peter they all were feeling very brave and very confident at the time but you know, no matter what your concerns are for others. Sometimes people just have to do what they want to do and all you can do is advise and encourage and pray I couldn't help but think of the other night when Donna and I were FaceTiming with all three of our kids and this is before I restaurants were closed and we both said they were going to go to Los Puentes tomorrow last time before they close in our kids just went eight. They were like, you can't do that can't go out at one of my daughters even texted me later and said what happened to the parents who raised me, you know, of course, she was just joking joking, but there are there a lot worse in California and Tennessee and Dallas and we are here and but I still deeply appreciated their concern for me. But secondly we have I think something we can identify with. And that he had a desire to give support but he was at a time in his life. When he also needed to receive support. They went to that Garden. They went there too and The Garden of Gethsemane to have that private quiet time together and he got his three BFFs with him, you know, and they went off into it a little more secluded place and and I asked I Think Jesus was sort of sort of wanting them to be there to support and say Jesus would get what you're going through a little bit and we're looking for their support and he sort of had to wake him up a little bit and get them moving. But I think it's interesting that again he needed support he needed to be around others the morning needed to be with God. And so why his prayer to God was again to focus on what God want his butt to let God know that this was not easy for him and if it be possible, Let this cup pass from me and I just want to encourage you to I know you want to support others and you want others to support you and that that's incredible to be able to have that support system. But remember the greatest support is our connection with God. We've got to be talkin to him sometimes others were disappointed. But God never will. In fact, that was when I was looking at this again looking at 4120 return to sleep Could You Mend not keep watch with me for one hour. Yes Peter Watch and Pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing but the body is weak but we kind of are getting what that's all about right now. Are me all the things we want to do. We just can't do I want to stay maybe not identify with this one so much because that the the trial is that he had a very clear rejection of the religious leaders and the course We are blessed to have religious leaders who love us and support us, but he wasn't getting any report from these guys and you can you read the passage. You know what it's talking about. He's before the Sanhedrin they brought him up on charges and they're all fake. They're all lies and they're attacking and right and left and the sad part about this is the very people who should have been there to support him and help him where the people who were attacking him and it's just very sad to realize how disconnected they were from God and what God was doing but you know, that's the nature of things to sometimes even even spiritual leaders disappointed but Jesus had a job to do and nothing was going to keep him from that job, which is one of the reasons he didn't say much through all of this and they would have got that point. We finally did speak up tell us are you the Christ and he got to look that up as you got it.
In fact at least vs. Here. I don't know if you're like me. I hadn't really noticed who's doing the action here. It says versus 65 chapter 26, then the high priest tore his clothes and said he is spoken blasphemy. Why do we need any more witnesses? Look now, you have heard the blasphemy. What do you think he is worthy of death. They answered then they spit in his face and struck him with their fists other slapped him and said prophesied us Christ. Who hit you. I don't know maybe if you're like me you boys just as soon as told you for doing that but it doesn't say that it's the same people who are making accusations. Maybe the Sanhedrin people themselves. Look at the last one. And again, maybe a hard to identify with but you have to say that this crowd we were I would call it even sold out by politics, you know, you like to think that people who are in charge And of course, we're watching the news everyday and we're trying to make sure that me we get all the information about what local state and federal governments doing to help us in this in this very difficult time. But pilot was the chief politician there and he was looking at Jesus from a very different standpoint of fact, I think he's one of the more interesting characters in this entire drama because pilot who clearly did not want to do anything to Jesus. He realize if there was nothing wrong with him that he hadn't had broken any laws or done anything and he was really kind of torn apart by this as so he's walking that fine line between between doing what he would like to do. But what politics was calling on him to do and I'm sure you remember this but then vs. 18 of her death chapter 27 It's explaining why he wanted to release Barabbas where he why you offered ravasaur Jesus and says for he knew it was out of envy that they had handed Jesus over to him. So his experience as a politician and a soldier he knew that these guys were doing this for all the wrong reasons, which makes it even has better when you think about what's going on, but then it went on to point out what the what happened between him and his wife which we don't get this in all the accounts when Tyler was sitting on the judge's seat. His wife sent him a message don't have anything to do with this innocent man for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him Does anything that will mess up your personal needs is to have your wife tell you don't do it and he really didn't want to make this happen. But of course he did he tried to get the by the way out of it, but they screamed even louder crucify him. And so he literally the classic example of washing his hands just dismissing the whole case and saying okay you can have him do what you want with him. And you know, when you think about it, I think about pallet being torn here between what he wants and what the crowd was saying to do and generally speaking. We are going to be disappointed when we trust in the world and let the world guide us and what we're going to do. Let me put this together by simply pointing at you know in and all the stuff going on with the coronavirus right now and watching TV like we all are your hearing a lot of talk about cooperation and support and being responsible, especially in the midst of the national crisis. It is sad that these are not words that we hear happening at the time Jesus as needing it. I mean there's nobody wanted to help him. Nobody want him to cooperate support or being responsible at all their all being political to say the least. So I want you to think about that is we take just a second to do a little personal introspection here. You know, I think we have to be careful not to let our trial become Jesus being on trial, you know how we treat difficulties in life and how we treat things that are going out like right now being in our homes and not getting to do what we like and maybe being worried and Afraid you ever ask the question. How do we put Jesus on trial and then do it and I think we do and here is just three real quick suggestions. I want to give you as we closed. I think we would Jesus on trial in our inconsistency and by that I simply mean because we're not constantly representing him. It's speaking up for him. It's for makes it clear that we're not totally sold out there that we we at we have not sold into rather Jesus and being like him like we need to be the one that That if we continue to live a simple life, we crucify Jesus again and again and even said we opened him up to Public Disgrace we can put Jesus on trial by the influence of others, you know, when you're around people that dispense Jesus or laugh off Jesus or make fun of Jesus and you sort of agree with them were certainly don't take God's side where we really really saying something about what we believe about Jesus and what he's doing and what's going on in and we let it be put on trial in our life and we lost the case. And then the last one I would just mention as an option to we we put Jesus on trial with our doubts that we have to have to understand doubting is part of growing. We have questions about Jesus and we do with them we can prove them were growing. But if we allow those questions to become things that keep us from accepting his reality is existence in in leading to our transformed life. Then our doubts are destructive. I always like to think of doubts as building blocks not Optical and God will it will allow us to have those as part of our growing struggle, but we cannot let them be barriers to what he wants us to be. I just want to encourage you to think about these things. I hope that you'll have a great day and a great rest of the week. I would encourage you to go to the church's website which of course, of course in Church of Christ out or were you can go to mine Micra books.com and there's actually an additional study listen to where you can go deeper into these verses on your own and that we're going to have some of the things that are going to be available hopefully on our website and with the Facebook and other opportunities that God has given us so please Have a blessed day and thank you for being part of this. Let me just close this with a quick prayer to God father. We love you. We put everything in your hands. We know you're in charge. Take care of us bless us while we're apart by the keep us safe and healthy and allowed to be back together again as soon as possible if father where we are in our homes alone or wherever we find ourselves. We want to be sure that we glorify you with everything we do. Thank you so much for loving us and letting us be your children in Jesus name. Amen.