SEVEN Sayings of Christ Before the Cross pt.2 **1. “My Temple will be called a house of prayer.” **2. “Be ready all the time.” **3. “This woman’s deed will be remembered.” **4. “This is my body.” ** 5. “I want your will to be done, not mine.” **6. “I am!” ** 7. “All who love the truth recognize that what I say is true.” We are going to look again at 7 sayings of Christ, in 4 Gospels, over 6 days (from His Triumphal Entry on Sunday, to Friday’s Crucifixion). • What was our Lord saying as he entered Jerusalem for the last time? • What did Jesus emphasize/command in these final words? • What is the church to remember and look forward to? This is my body Luke 22:19 (NLT), He took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 20 After supper he took another cup of wine and said, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood, which is poured out as a sacrifice for you. • The Roman Catholic view insists that the bread is literally the physical body of Jesus. When the priest prays a miracle occurs and the substance of the bread becomes 100% the body of Jesus. (transubstantiation). The same is true for the wine… it literally becomes the blood of Jesus. • The Lutheran View says, no… the bread is still bread, it looks, it tastes, it smells/feels like bread, so it is bread. But Christ’s body is still physically present with/under the bread in some mysterious way. (consubstantiation) • The Presence View says, “This is my body”— is a metaphor — like Jesus saying, “I am the vine,” or “I am the door.” In communion, Jesus is with us spiritually. There is even spiritual nourishment for us, grace, in this special time. • Finally, many Christians take a Memorial View. Like any memorial service, we don’t expect our loved ones to be present with us (physically or spiritually). We gather to be present with them in our memories/thanks. What can we agree on when we take Communion? We can agree… Communion follows Christ’s command, “Do this!” Communion focuses our remembrance on Christ/gospel. Communion is a fellowship, with new covenant relationships together in Christ and guaranteed by the blood of Christ. Communion is thanksgiving for Christ’s finished work of salvation, given for us as our substitute and sacrifice. The New Covenant: Hebrews 10:10, “For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time.” I want your will to be done, not mine. Mt. 26:36, When Jesus went with them to ... Gethsemane… 37 He took Peter ... James and John, and he became anguished and distressed. 38 He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” 39 He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” • Jesus prays this prayer just minutes before He was arrested. • This is a submissive prayer. “I want your will to be done, not mine.” • This is exactly how our Lord taught us to pray, “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” What is this cup of suffering? • It is physical torture by crucifixion. • It is forsakenness. Jesus said, “My God, my God why have you forsaken me?” (This is the only time Jesus does not pray to His Father.) • Most of all, this cup of suffering is the cup of God’s wrath against sin. Jesus took our sin on His body and was punished for that sin. (A punishment which was meant for us.) A second important question is what does it mean for God’s Will to be done? There are 3 aspects to God’s Wil: His Sovereign will, His Moral will and His wisdom. • God’s Sovereign Will is God’s secret plan for all things for His glory. We cannot know it in advance. We cannot change it. • When Jesus prayed, “If it is possible take this away” ... it wasn’t possible. It was God’s Sovereign and unstoppable will. • God’s Moral Will is revealed to us in His commands in the Bible. We can know God’s moral will in advance in many areas of life. We can also “miss” God’s moral will through ignorance or disobedience and we suffer for it. • Then there is God’s Wisdom. Everything not governed under God’s Sovereign and Moral will falls under God’s Wisdom. • Ephesians 5:15 (NLT), “So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise.” Reinhold Niebuhr illustrates these 3 aspects in His serenity prayer” • God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; (Sovereign Will) • ... courage to change the things I can; (Moral Will) • ... and wisdom to know the difference. (Wisdom) • Like Jesus we should make the will of God our greatest ambition. • We should learn to pray, “I want your will to be done, not mine.” The last two sayings of Jesus occur after Jesus is arrested. Jesus goes through 3 Jewish trials and 3 Roman trials. After His arrest Jesus is taken to the home of Caiphas, the High Priest. It is here Jesus says… I am! Mark 14:61 (NLT) “… the high priest asked him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?” 62 Jesus said, “I am. 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.” 63 Then the high priest tore his clothing to show his horror and said, “Why do we need other witnesses? 64 You have all heard his blasphemy. What is your verdict?” “Guilty!” they all cried. “He deserves to die!” • This was an illegal court meeting in the dark of night. • They arrested Jesus! NOW WHAT? They are looking for a crime! Jesus says nothing at first. • V55 – says they were trying to find evidence against Jesus, to put him to death, but they couldn’t find any! UNTIL - Caiaphas stood up and asked the million dollar question, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?” JESUS breaks His silence… “I AM!” • These words have a double meaning. • “Yes, I am the Messiah,” and “I am the I AM.” • NLT note says, – “the I AM is here” • Jesus echoes Ex. 3:14 when Moses stood before the burning bush and asked God His name!) God says, I AM WHO I AM. (Jesus quotes these words exactly as the Gk OT says it). • Jesus adds, “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.” • Jesus quotes from Daniel 7 and Ps. 110. • Jesus wants them to know he is not just a human Messiah but the divine Son of Man (described in Daniel). He will return to earth with God’s glory, God’s authority to establish God’s eternal kingdom. • They will all see HIM seated at the right hand of God (Ps. 110) • Jesus tells them HE is the ultimate Judge of all of them! • The High Priest immediately tore his clothes, Blaspheme! What is blaspheme? • Blasphemy is insulting God, claiming to be God, abusing God’s people or denying God’s work. • Blasphemy is a capital offense beginning at Mt. Sinai. • The penalty was stoning. Some critics say, Jesus never came right out and said He was God! • If Jesus never claimed to be God, why do they all call for His death? • Jesus left them with no other option. Lewis Quote, You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us.” • Jesus leaves us today with just 3 options: He is Lord, a liar, or a lunatic. All who love the truth recognize that what I say is true. John 18:36 (NLT), Jesus answered, “My Kingdom is not an earthly kingdom. If it were, my followers would fight to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish leaders. But my Kingdom is not of this world.” 37 Pilate said, “So you are a king?” Jesus responded, “You say I am a king. Actually, I was born and came into the world to testify to the truth. All who love the truth recognize that what I say is true.” 38 “What is truth?” Pilate asked. • The Jewish leaders take Jesus to Pontius Pilate, the Governor because He has the authority to put Jesus to death. • Pilate asks good questions: • What is the charge? • What have you done? • Are you the King of the Jews? Jesus replies to the same way He did to Caiphas! “I am…” • Jesus explains His kingdom is not an earthly kingdom. • He is not here for a fight. • He is here for the truth. • 3x Pilate tells the Jewish leaders - “I find no guilt in him.” • He tries to release Jesus multiple times. Pilate must choose sides. • On one side, his wife said, leave this man alone. • On another side, the Jewish leaders shout, “Crucify Him!” • On the side of the law, Jesus is not guilty of a capital crime. Jesus says to Pilate the only side that matters is to be on the side of truth! • But Pilate turns away from the truth. • He sides with the crowd, not Christ. • Wants to be on the good side of Ceasar, not Christ. Jesus knew the ways of this wily politician that’s why He said, All who love the truth recognize that what I say is true. • Jesus seems to indicate that conversion is a two-step process. • First, a person must commit to knowing the truth. • Second, a person must recognize Jesus tells the truth. He is the truth. The truth may be costly. • But the cost of denying the truth is always higher. This is one of the saddest scenes in the Gospels. • Pilate stands before Jesus and asks, “What is truth?” • He pretends there is no such thing – especially when it comes to politics. • But I think He knows, the truth is standing in front of him! CONCLUSION: In this noisy and mixed-up world where everyone, and every issue threatens to polarize us, balkanize us, compromise us, and divide us, we must remember, when it comes time to take a side, the only side that matters is the side of truth. To be on the side of Jesus. The Gospel “The gospel is the Good News that God became man in Jesus Christ. He lived the life we should have lived. He then died the death we should have died. Three days later He rose from the dead, proving He is the Son of God and offering the gift of salvation to everyone who will repent and believe the gospel.” - Rice Broocks, God’s Not Dead