5 Steps to Embrace the Risen Jesus Today and Everyday (John 20)

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Scripture: John 20

Translation: ^{John 20.1}And on the first day of the week, Mary from Magdala came early in the morning while it was still dark to the tomb and saw the stone taken away from the tomb. ²So, she ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple that Jesus loved, and said to them, “They took the Lord from the tomb and we don’t know where they put Him!” ³So, Peter and the other disciple left and were going to the tomb. ⁴And the two of them were running together and the other disciple ran ahead faster than Peter and he got to the tomb first. ⁵And taking a look in he saw the linen cloths lying there, although he didn’t go in. ⁶Then Simon Peter also came , following him, and went into the tomb. And he was staring at the linen cloths lying there, ⁷and the face-cloth, which was over His head, not lying there with the linen cloths, but folded up separately in one place. ⁸So, at that point, the other disciple, who came to the tomb first, also went in and saw and believed. ⁹You see, they didn’t yet understand the Scripture that it is necessary for Him to rise from the dead. ¹⁰So, the disciples went back to the other disciples [lit. them].

¹¹And Mary was standing outside right in front of the tomb crying. So, as she was crying, she took a look into the tomb. ¹²And she saw two angels in white clothes sitting, one by the head and one by the feet, where the body of Jesus had been lying. ¹³And those angels were saying to her, “Woman, why are you crying?” she was saying to them that “They took my Lord and I don’t know where they put Him!” ¹⁴After saying these things she turned around behind her and saw Jesus standing and she didn't know that it was Jesus. ¹⁵Jesus was saying to her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who are you looking for?” That woman, thinking that He was the gardener, was saying to Him, “Sir, if you carried Him away, tell me where you put Him, and I will take Him!” ¹⁶Jesus was saying to her, “Mary.” Turning around that woman was saying to Him in Hebrew, “Rabbuni!” which means “Teacher.” ¹⁷Jesus was saying to her, “Don’t touch me, because I haven’t gone up to My Father yet. But go to My brothers and tell them, “I’m going up to My Father and your Father, and My God and Your God.” ¹⁸Mary from Magdala went, announcing to the disciples that “I really saw the Lord!” and that He said these things to her.

¹⁹Then, while it was early in the morning on that day, the first day of the week, and while the doors were locked up tight where the disciples were due to fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the middle and was saying to them, “Peace to you!” ²⁰And after saying this, He showed them the hands and the side. So the disciples celebrated because they saw the Lord! ²¹So, He said to them again, “Peace to you! Just as the Father sent Me, I’m sending you!” ²²And after saying this, He breathed on them and was saying to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit! ²³If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven for them; if you hold anyone’s they are held tight. ²⁴And Thomas, one of the Twelve, the one called Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. ²⁵So, the other disciples were saying to him, “We really have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails on His hands put my finger in the place of the nails and put my hand into his side, there’s no way I will believe!” ²⁶And a week later, His disciples are inside again and Thomas is with them. Jesus comes while the doors were locked up tight and stood in the middle and said, “Peace to you!” ²⁷Then He was saying to Thomas, “Bring your finger here and see My hands; bring your hand and put it on My side. And don’t become faithless, but faith-filled!” ²⁸Thomas responded and said to Him, “My Lord and My God!” ²⁹Jesus was saying to him “ Is it because you really have seen me, you actually believe? Blessed are those you don’t see and believe!”

³⁰So, on the one hand, Jesus did many other signs in front of the disciples, which are not actually written in this book, ³¹but on the other hand these things are actually written, so that you would believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and so that by believing you would have life in His Name!

Interpretation

1.      Structure

a.       The Disciples Run and Find the Empty Tomb (vv.1-10)

b.      Mary from Magdala sees angels and the Risen Christ Jesus (vv.11-18)

c.       Jesus appears in the locked room twice, so that His disciples would believe and know that He was alive, truly raised from the dead, and to send them on their mission with the Holy Spirit (vv.19-29)

d.      John gives a preliminary conclusion: Believe in Jesus as Messiah and God and Have eternal life (vv.30-31)

2.      Themes

a.       Empty tomb

b.      Resurrection

c.       Proof/Evidence of Jesus’ Resurrection

d.      Faith in Christ

e.       Jesus is going to the Father

f.       Running/coming/going

g.      Deity of Christ

h.      Witnesses

i.        Holy Spirit

j.        Mission

3.      Doctrines

a.       Jesus physically raised from the dead

b.      Jesus is God

c.       Jesus is the Messiah

d.      Belief in Jesus brings eternal life in Christ.

e.       Jesus is in heaven

Applications

1.      Outline: 5 Steps to Embrace the Resurrected Jesus the Messiah Today and Everyday

a.       Step 1: Care

                                                              i.      Examples of people who cared

1.      Peter and John cared

2.      Mary cared

3.      The disciples cared

4.      Thomas cared

5.      The angels

                                                            ii.      Things that can keep us from caring

1.      Business

2.      Sin

3.      Skepticism

4.      Laziness

b.      Step 2: Believe

                                                              i.      Jesus actually raised from the dead

1.      Proof 1: The empty tomb

2.      Proof 2: The folded cloths

3.      Proof 3: The angels

4.      Proof 4: The eyewitnesses of the resurrection: Peter, John, Mary, Thomas, etc.

5.      Proof 5: All the other miracles and prophecy of Jesus the Messiah

                                                            ii.      Jesus is God the Son

                                                          iii.      Jesus is the Messiah, the Promised and Prophesied Savior and King

                                                          iv.      Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life

c.       Step 3: Rejoice

                                                              i.      Because Jesus is alive

                                                            ii.      Because your sins are forgiven through faith in the Risen Jesus

                                                          iii.      Because new life—eternal life—is yours through faith in the Risen Jesus

                                                          iv.      Because Jesus gave us a mission and the Holy Spirit

d.      Step 4: Worship

                                                              i.      Worship Jesus as our Lord

                                                            ii.      Worship Jesus as our God

e.       Step 5: Go  

                                                              i.      Go out into the world

1.      You will need to be bold

2.      You will need to be diligent

3.      You will need to be determined

4.      You will need to be directed

                                                            ii.      Go out into the world full of the Holy Spirit

1.      Rely on the Holy Spirit for courage

2.      Rely on the Holy Spirit for strength/discipline

3.      Rely on the Holy Spirit for determination

4.      Rely on the Holy Spirit for direction

                                                          iii.      Go out into the world full of the Holy Spirit to Complete the Mission

1.      To bring the Good News of Jesus the Messiah’s resurrection

a.       He is alive

b.      He is God

2.      To bring the Good News of forgiveness through faith in Jesus

3.      To bring the Good News of eternal life through faith in Jesus

2.      Discussion Questions

a.       Do you ever find yourself apathetic? What about? Is there something you are never apathetic about? What about Christ, do you ever find yourself apathetic about Him? Why or why not?

b.      What proofs of Jesus’ resurrection are most convincing to you? Is there any proof you wish you had?

c.       How do you think Jesus being God’s Son and the promised Messiah are related to His resurrection? In other words, how does the resurrection prove that Jesus is God the Son and that Jesus is the Messiah?

d.      Why/how does Jesus’ resurrection matter to you personally?

e.       Jesus gave us a mission to complete by going out into the world filled with the Holy Spirit. What are some things that make it difficult for you to engage in the mission Jesus gave you? what are some things that are hold us back as a group?

f.       How can the Holy Spirit help you to accomplish Jesus’ mission for us? Be specific.

Illustrations/Explanations

1.      Skepticism that you should care is like when you are trying to convince your friend that this one restaurant is awesome, and he’s all like, “uh…I doubt it.” Or like someone who’s never had pizza before, and you are trying to tell them, “hey man, you have to try pizza! It’s so good.” And the guy is like, “no, I’m fine with the food I’m used to.” And you’re like, no way, dude, you got to try it!

Good Friday--Reflect, Repent, Renew, Re-Engage

Scripture: John 19

Translation: ^{John 19.1}Then at that point Pilate took Jesus and flogged Him. ²And the soldiers wove a crown out of thrones and put it forcefully on His head and dressed Him in a purple robe. ³And they were coming to Him and saying, “Hail! The King of the Jews!” and they were punching Him. ⁴And Pilate came back outside and was saying to them, “Look, I’m bringing Him outside to you, so that you know that I’m not finding any reason for charges with Him. ⁵So, Jesus came outside, wearing the thorny crown and purple robe. And he was saying to them, “Look, it’s the man!” ⁶So, when the high priests and the guards saw Him, they shouted saying, “Crucify! Crucify!” Pilate was saying to them, “You take Him and crucify Him, because I don’t find a basis for charges concerning Him.” ⁷The Jews responded to him, “We have a law and according to that law, He ought to die, because He made Himself God’s Son!”

⁸Then, when Pilate heard this statement, He was absolutely terrified. ⁹And he went back into the Praetorium and was saying to Jeuss, “Where are You from?!” But Jesus didn’t give Him an answer. ¹⁰So Pilate was saying to Him, “You’re not going to speak to me? Don’t You know that I have the authority to release You and I have the authority to crucify You?” ¹¹Jesus responded, “You don’t have any authority concerning Me, unless it was given to you from above. Because of this, the person who handed Me over to you has greater sin.” ¹²From this point on, Pilate was trying to release Him, but the Jews shouted saying, “If you release This Man, you’re not Caesar’s friend! Everyone who makes himself king is against the Caesar!”

¹³So Pilate after he listened to their words brought Jesus outside and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called Stone Mosaic, and in Hebrew “Gabbatha.” ¹⁴And it was the Preparation Day for Passover. The time was around noon. And he was saying to the Jews, “Look, it’s Your King!” ¹⁵So those people shouted, “Kill! Kill! Crucify Him!” Pilate was saying to them, “Should I crucify your King?” The high priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar!” ¹⁶So, at that point, he gave Him to them, so that He would be crucified. So, they took Jesus away.

¹⁷And carrying the cross on Himself, He went out to the so-called Skull Place, which in Hebrew is called “Golgotha,” ¹⁸where they crucified Him, and with Him two others, one on one side and one on the other side, and Jesus in the middle. ¹⁹But Pilate also wrote a notice and put it on the cross. And it was actually written: Jesus the Nazarene, the King of the Jews. ²⁰So, many of the Jews read this notice, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near to the city, and because it was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek. ²¹So the high priests of the Jews were saying to Pilate, ‘Don’t write “the King of the Jews’ instead that That Man said ‘I am King of the Jews.’ ²²Pilate responded, “What I’ve actually written I’ve actually written.

²³Then, the soldiers, when they crucified Jesus, took His cloths and made them four shares, a share for each soldier, plus the shirt. Moreover, the shirt was seamless, woven throughout from the top down. ²⁴So they said to one another, “Let’s not tear it apart, instead let’s gamble for it. Someone will get it.” [This happened], so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, the one that says, “They distributed My clothes to themselves and they threw dices for my clothing.” As such, the soldiers did these things.

²⁵And His mother and His sister, Mary the wife of Clopas and Mary from Magdala were standing right there in front on Jesus’ cross! ²⁶So seeing His mother and the disciple that He loved standing near, He was saying to His mother, “Woman, look, it’s your son.” ²⁷Then He was saying to the disciple, “Look, it’s your mother.” And from that time on the disciple took her into his own home.

²⁸After this, because Jesus knew that everything was already being totally completed, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, He was saying, “I’m thirsty.” ²⁹There was a jar full of vinegar there. So, putting a sponge full of vinegar on a hyssop branch, they brought it close to His mouth. ³⁰So, when He got the vinegar, Jesus said, “It is totally completed!” And His head slumped over, and He gave up His spirit.

³¹So, since it was Preparation Day, so that the bodies wouldn’t stay on the cross on the Sabbath, because the day of that Sabbath was important, the Jews asked Pilate whether they could break their legs and they be taken down. ³²So, the soldiers came and they broke the legs of the first one, and of the other one crucified with Him. ³³But when they came to Jesus, since they saw He had already died, they didn’t break His legs. ³⁴Instead, one of the soldiers stabbed His side with a spear. And immediately blood and water came out. ³⁵And the person who really did see it is actually testifying. And his testimony is true, and that person knows that he’s speaking truthfully, so that you would believe. ³⁶You see, these things happened so that the Scripture would be fulfilled: “his bone will not be shattered.” ³⁷And again another Scripture says, “They will look at the One Who they pierced though.”

³⁸And after these things, Joseph from Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus and had been hiding out of fear of the Jews, asked Pilate whether he could take down Jesus’ body. “And Pilate let him. So he went and took down His body. ³⁹And Nicodemus, the one who came to Him at first at night, also came, carrying a mixture of myrrh and aloe, about a hundred Roman pounds. ⁴⁰So they took Jesus’ body and wrapped it up tight with linen cloths with aromatics, just as it was the custom for Jews to bury. ⁴¹And there was a garden, in the place where He was crucified, and in that garden a new tomb that no one had actually been buried in yet. ⁴²So due to the Preparation Day of the Jews, because the tomb was close by, they put Jesus there.

Interpretation

1.      Structure

a.       Jesus’ Trial before Pilate (19.1 (18.28) to 19.16)

                                                              i.      Verbal and Physical Abuse of Jesus (19.1-3)

                                                            ii.      Pilate finds Jesus innocent, but the Jews accuse Jesus of blaspheme (19.4-7)

                                                          iii.      Pilate questions Jesus about His divinity (19.8-11)

                                                          iv.      Pilate tries to release Jesus, but eventually gives Him to the Jews to be crucified (19.12-16)

b.      Jesus’ Crucifixion on Golgotha (19.17-37)

                                                              i.      Jesus is crucified on Golgotha, between two criminals (19.17-18)

                                                            ii.      Jesus is Entitled “King of the Jews” to the chagrin of the Jews (19.19-22)

                                                          iii.      The Soldiers gamble for Jesus’ clothes fulfilling prophecy (19.23-24)

                                                          iv.      Jesus provides for the care of His mother (19.25-27)

                                                            v.      Jesus fulfills prophecy and dies (19.28-30)

                                                          vi.      Jesus’ bones are not smashed, fulfilling prophecy (19.31-37)

c.       Jesus’ Burial (19.38-42)

                                                              i.      Joseph of Arimathea gets permission to bury Jesus (19.38)

                                                            ii.      Nicodemus provides the burial cloths and spices (19.39)

                                                          iii.      Jesus is buried and put in a nearby unused tomb (19.40-42)

2.      Themes

a.       Trial

b.      Innocence, blemishlessness, no grounds for charges

c.       Jesus is God

d.      Jesus is the Passover Lamb

e.       High-priests, Jews, Leaders

f.       Betrayal

g.      Sin

h.      Fulfillment of prophecy

i.        Death/crucifixion

j.        Suffering

k.      Jesus is the King of the Jews

l.        Rejection

m.    Completion of Jesus’ mission

n.      Burial

3.      Doctrines

a.       Jesus is God

b.      Jesus is the King of the Jews/Messiah

c.       Jesus actually died and was buried

d.      Jesus is our Passover Lamb

Applications

1.      Outline

a.       Reflect on the death of Christ

                                                              i.      Jesus died an innocent death

                                                            ii.      Jesus died a brutal death

                                                          iii.      Jesus died a lonely death

                                                          iv.      Jesus died a prophesied death

                                                            v.      Jesus died an eternal death

b.      Repent of your sins to Christ

                                                              i.      Repent of your sins against others

1.      Family

2.      Friends

3.      Co-workers

4.      Church

5.      Enemies

6.      Self  

                                                            ii.      Repent of your sins against Christ

1.      Sins of commission (things you did, but shouldn’t have)

2.      Sins of omission (things you didn’t do, but should have)

3.      Sins of rebellion (when you knew what you should do, but chose sin instead)

4.      Sins of addiction (sins you keep fighting, but fail to stay clean from)

c.       Renew your affections for Christ

                                                              i.      Your desires for Christ and His Father and His Spirit

                                                            ii.      Your desires for the Will of Christ

                                                          iii.      Your love for Christ

                                                          iv.      Your hope in Christ

                                                            v.      Your peace in Christ

                                                          vi.      Your Faith in Christ

                                                        vii.      Your humility before Christ

                                                      viii.      Your dependence on Christ

                                                          ix.      Your worship of Christ

d.      Re-engage in the mission of Christ 

Jesus, Our Betrayed God, Denied Savior, Rejected King, and Judged Model (John 18)

Scripture: John 18

Translation: ^{John 18.1}After saying these things, Jesus left with His followers for the other side of the Kidron Valley, where there was a garden, which He and His followers had gone to. ²And Judas, the one who would betray Him also knew the place, because Jesus gathered with His followers there many times. ³So, Judas, taking a division of soldiers and some assistants of the high ranking priests and of the Pharisees, was coming there with lamps, torches, and weapons. ⁴So, Jesus, because He knew everything that was coming, went out to him and was saying to them, “Who are you looking for?” ⁵They answered Him, “Jesus, the Nazarene.” He was saying to them, “I am.” And Judas the one betraying Him was standing right there with them. ⁶Then, as He said to them, “I am,” they flew back and fell to the ground. ⁷So, He questioned them again, “Who are you looking for?” And they said, “Jesus the Nazarene.” ⁸Jesus responded, “I told you that I am. So if you’re looking for Me, let these people go.” ⁹[He said that], so that the message could be fulfilled when He said that “those You really are giving me, I didn’t lose any of them!” ¹⁰Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and attacked the high-priest’s slave and cut off his right ear (and the name of the slave was Malchus). ¹¹So Jesus said to Peter, “Put the sword into its sheath. The cup that the Father is truly giving Me, is there any way I won’t drink it? ¹²So, the division of soldiers and the commander and the assistants of the Jews arrested Jesus and tied Him up.

¹³And they brought [Him] to Annas first, because he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was the high priest that year. ¹⁴And Caiaphas was the one who advised the Jews “it is better that one man die for the people.”

¹⁵And Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus. And that disciple was cousins with the high-priest and went with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest. ¹⁶Meanwhile, Peter was standing right outside by the door. So, the other disciple known to the high-priest went out and spoke to the doorman and brought Peter in. ¹⁷So, a slave girl, a doorwoman, was saying to Peter, “You’re not one of This Guy’s followers too, are you?” That man was saying, “I’m not.” ¹⁸And slaves and the assistants were standing right there starting to make a charcoal fire, because it was cold. And they were warming themselves up. And Peter was also standing with them and warming himself up.

¹⁹Then the high-priest asked Jesus about His followers and about His teaching. ²⁰Jesus answered him, “I really have been speaking openly to the world. I always taught in synagogues and in the Temple, where all the Jews were gathering; and I spoke nothing in secret. ²¹Why are you asking Me? Ask the people who actually heard what I told them. Look. These people know what I said. ²²And when He said these things, one of the assistants who was right there gave Jesus a slap in the face saying, “You’re responding to the high-priest like that?” ²³Jesus responded to him, “If I spoke wrongly, testify about that wrong, but if accurately, why are you hitting Me?” ²⁴Then Annas sent Him tied up tight to Caiaphas the high-priest.

²⁵Meanwhile, Simon Peter was standing and warming himself up. So they said to him, “You’re not one of His followers too, are you?” That man denied it and said, “I’m not.” ²⁶One of the high-priest’s slaves, who was related to the one who Peter cut an ear off of,  was saying, “Didn’t I see you in the garden with Him?” ²⁷So, again Peter denied it, and immediately the rooster crowed.

²⁸So they led Jesus from Caiaphas to the Praetorium. And it was early in the morning. And they didn’t go into the Praetorium, so that they would get defiled, but rather eat the Passover. ²⁹So Pilate came outside to them and was saying, “What accusation are you bringing against This Man? ³⁰They answered and said to him, “If This Man wasn’t doing evil, we wouldn’t bring Him to you.” ³¹So Pilate said to them, “You take Him and judge Him according to your law.” The Jews said to him, “It’s not allowed for us to kill anyone.” ³²[This happened,] so that Jesus’ message that He said signaling what kind of death He was about to die would be fulfilled. ³³So, Pilate went back into the Praetorium and summoned Jesus and said to Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” ³⁴Jesus answered, “Are you saying this on your own, or did other people tell you about Me?” ³⁵Pilate answered, “I’m not a Jew, am I? Your people and high-priests handed You over to me. What did you do?” ³⁶Jesus answered, “My Kingdom is not a part of this world. If My Kingdom was a part of this world, My assistants would be fighting, so that I would not be handed over to the Jews. But of course My Kingdom is not from here.” ³⁷So, Pilate said to Him, “So then You are a king?” Jesus answered, “You’re saying that I am a king. I really was born for this purpose and for this purpose I really did come into the world, namely that I would testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to My voice.” ³⁸Pilate was saying to Him, “What is truth?” And after saying these, he went back out to the Jews and was saying to them, “I don’t find any reason for a charge concerning Him. ³⁹Moreover, it is your custom that I release one person to you at Passover. So you decide. Should I release the King of the Jews for you? ⁴⁰So they shouted back saying, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” (And Barabbas was a terrorist.)

Interpretation

1.      Structure

a.       Jesus Betrayed and Arrested in the Garden (vv.1-12)

b.      Jesus Tried and Denied at Annas’ House (vv.13-27)

                                                              i.      Setting and Character Intro (vv.13-14)

                                                            ii.      Peter’s First Denial (vv.15-18)

                                                          iii.      Jesus’ Trial and Abuse before Annas (vv.19-24)

                                                          iv.      Peter’s Second and Third Denials (vv.25-27)

c.       Jesus Tried and Rejected at the Praetorium (vv.28-39)

                                                              i.      Pilate and the Jews argue about bringing charges against Jesus (vv.28-32)

                                                            ii.      Pilate questions Jesus, discoving Jesu is King of a different world (vv.33-38a)

                                                          iii.      Pilate offers to free Jesus, but the Jews opt for a terrorist (vv.38b-39)

2.      Themes

a.       Betrayal

b.      Denial

c.       Interrogation/legal proceedings

d.      Truth vs. lying

e.       Deity of Christ

f.       Omniscience of Christ

g.      The faithfulness/obedience of Christ

h.      The substitutionary death of Christ for us

i.        Abandonment

j.        Kingdom

k.      The glory of Christ

3.      Doctrines

a.       The omniscience of Christ

b.      The Deity of Christ

c.       The Sinlessness of Christ

d.      The Faithfulness/Obedience of Christ

Applications

1.      Outline

a.       We Must See Who Jesus Is

                                                              i.      He is God

1.      Jesus revealed His Glory and Deity in v.6

a.       It knocked everyone back and off their feet

b.      But even though they were shocked and amazed for a moment, they still took Him in.

c.       This is a good warning for us, because we can still choose sin, chose to betray Christ even when His glory and Deity are clear to us

2.      Jesus revealed the power of God when He healed Malchus’ ear (v.10)

3.      Jesus revealed His relationship with God the Father in v.11

4.      Jesus revealed His Deity through His perfect knowledge of the future

a.       His betrayal by Judas

b.      His denial by Peter

c.       His trial by the leaders

d.      His rejection by the people

5.      Jesus revealed His Deity by talking with Pilate of a heavenly origin and a heavenly kingdom

                                                            ii.      He is Savior/Sacrificial Substitute

1.      That Jesus is dying for the people is even clear to the Jewish High Priest (v.14)

2.      Jesus is our sacrificial lamb, not just because He is dying for us, but because it is the high priests that are killing Him in our place

3.      Jesus is our sacrificial substitute, because He is innocent, blameless, blemishless

4.      Jesus is our penal substitute because He is arrested, tried, and condemned in our place: Jesus experiences on earth what we would have experienced in heaven before God; He is judged guilty on earth for us, for our guilt, just as a sacrificial substitute

5.      He spoke the truth of salvation

6.      He healed the slave’s cut off ear.

                                                          iii.      He is King

1.      As revealed in His attitude: Jesus is always cool, calm, collected, in control. Even in the face of death, He doesn’t act as if He is any less of the person He claimed to be

2.      Pilate straight up asks Jesus if He is a King. Jesus says Yes. But He is King of a different world. He is the Heavenly King.

                                                          iv.      He is Model

1.      Jesus shows us how to obey God

2.      Jesus shows us how to be humble

3.      Jesus shows us how to suffer

4.      Jesus shows us how to die

5.      Jesus shows us how to deal with false accusation

6.      Jesus shows us how to deal with rejection

7.      Jesus shows us how to live in faith faithfully

b.      We Must Remember What Jesus Suffered

                                                              i.      He was cruelly betrayed

1.      By one of his closest friends

2.      At night

3.      Under threat of soldiers

4.      With all His closest friends put in danger

                                                            ii.      He was violently arrested

1.      There were soldiers

2.      Peter attacked a soldier

3.      There was blood and injury

                                                          iii.      He was unjustly tried

1.      Jesus faced trumped up charges

2.      Jesus was not allowed to speak freely in His own defense

3.      Jesus was hit

4.      Jesus was tried in a shady night court (which was kind of illegal)

5.      Trustworthy Witnesses were not called

                                                          iv.      He was totally denied

1.      By Peter

2.      Three times

                                                            v.      He was falsely accused

1.      No charges, just the vague charge of being “evil”

2.      If anything the charge was that Jesus was a terrorist/rebel leader trying to become king

3.      Pilate dismissed the charges, sort of, but still didn’t free Jesus

                                                          vi.      He was foolishly rejected

1.      He was rejected by the people

2.      He was rejected for an actual terrorist/rebel

3.      He was rejected when He could have been freed

                                                        vii.      all in less than 24hrs.

1.      it happened fast

2.      Jesus has to experience and suffer all these things in less than 24hrs, which means the intensity of the suffering was all amplified and packed together

c.       We Must Beware Our Human Vulnerabilities

                                                              i.      Greed

1.      for money

a.       Judas

2.      for power

a.       the High Priests

b.      Pharisees

c.       Jewish leaders

d.      Pilate

3.      for safety

a.       Peter

b.      Pilate

4.      for sin

a.       Priests

b.      Pharisees

5.      for status

a.       Pilate

b.      Peter

6.      (for sex, love, food, drugs/alcohol, etc.)

                                                            ii.      Fear

1.      Of poverty

a.       Judas

2.      Of powerlessness

a.       the High Priests

b.      Pharisees

c.       Jewish leaders

d.      Pilate

3.      Of danger

a.       Peter

b.      Pilate

4.      Of repentance/holiness

a.       Priests

b.      Pharisees

c.       Pilate

5.      Of humility/humiliation

a.       Pilate

b.      (Peter)

c.       Priests

d.      Pharisees

6.      (Of sexlessness, loneliness, hunger, pain/boredom, etc.)

d.      We Must Respond in Faith

                                                              i.      We must worship Christ as our God

                                                            ii.      We must trust in Christ as our Savior

                                                          iii.      We must obey Christ as our King

                                                          iv.      We must follow Christ as our Model

2.      Discussion Questions

a.       Have you ever been betrayed? What happened? How did it feel?

b.      Why do you think John spends so much time talking about the trials?

c.       Do you think people would believe in Jesus if they just saw some of His Glory and Power? Why or Why not? Try to explain v.6 in light of your answer.

d.      What do you think Jesus meant when He said His Kingdom was part of another world? What relationship does His Kingdom have with this world?

e.       Have you ever felt pressured to avoid acknowledging your allegiance to Christ? What was it like? How would you want to respond to that kind of pressure in the future?

f.       Greed and Fear can sometimes act as two sides to the same coin. Examine how greed or fear could be at work in your own life. Discuss how you could work against it.

g.      Besides Greed and Fear, and there any other human weaknesses or vulnerabilities that can keep us from worshiping, trusting, obeying, and following Christ?

h.      Of the four ways we can respond in faith to Christ (worshiping, trusting, obeying, following), which one is hardest for you to live out daily? Which one is the easiest? Why?