INTRO.- ILL.- A tired hunter out in the wilderness stumbled into a camp. “Am I glad to see you,” he said. “I’ve been lost for three days.” “Don’t get too excited, friend,” the other hunter replied. “I’ve been lost for three weeks.”
Have you ever been lost in the woods? How about on the highway or while driving somewhere?
ILL.- When I was in my mid-20’s and living in Iowa farm country I would occasionally drive out of the country just to check out the farms, etc. And I soon found I was lost. Many of those Iowa farm roads all looked the same! It was somewhat frightening, because as they say, “the loster you are, the faster you drive.” YOU GET THE IDEA! When you find yourself lost most people tend to drive faster. I guess because you think you will find your way back sooner!
ILL.- I told an old elder in one church, “I’ve been lost many times.” He replied, “Well, you found your way back, didn’t you? You are here so I guess you did.”
People tried to sidetrack Jesus and get him lost in regard to His mission in life, but it didn’t happen. He knew exactly why He left heaven for earth and what His mission was. He was not going to be deterred in fulfilling His Father’s will!
John 6:38 “For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.”
Jesus came to seek and save the lost. He came to bear our sins in His body on the tree. It was His Father’s plan and Jesus carried out that plan. No one was going to distract Him from His mission. Not the people, not the Pharisees, not the disciples, and not even the devil!
PROP.- Let’s think about His road to Calvary: The plot. The betrayal. The supper. The denial. The garden.
1- THE PLOT
Matt. 26:1-5 “When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples, "As you know, the Passover is two days away—and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified." Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, and they plotted to arrest Jesus in some sly way and kill him. "But not during the Feast," they said, "or there may be a riot among the people."
ILL.- "Cash, check or charge?" A clerk asked, after folding items the woman wished to purchase. As she fumbled for her wallet the clerk noticed a remote control for a television set in her purse.
"So, do you always carry your TV remote?" the clerk asked.
"No," she replied, "but my husband refused to come shopping with me, so I figured this was the most legal evil thing I could do to him."
THAT’S PLOTTING EVIL. Did you ever plot any evil? I am sure not any that you would tell about.
ILL.- Last summer, my daughter Holly and her family came to visit us. Perhaps you recall, because both Holly and Shane were here in church. Hope was 6 last year and Caleb was 3. When they pulled into the driveway, Hope said, “There’s silly papa.” I have no idea why she would say that.
Anyway, after they got in the house little Caleb wandered off into our bedroom. Elaine found him in there, trying to fish money out of the jar she has in there. I guess he figured he needed some cash. IS THAT CALLED PLOTTING EVIL? Not exactly, but from then on, he knew where the cash was!
Matt. 26:3Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, 4and they plotted to arrest Jesus in some sly way and kill him.
How dare those people plot to kill Jesus? Yes, they did dare and didn’t even realize how it was already planned in the mind of God. At first, this might sound bad, but we must remember the redemption of all mankind was in the mind of God from the beginning. And the plot to kill Jesus was a part of it.
However, as far as we are concerned we must refrain from plotting evil, whatever form it may be….lust, greed, revenge, hatred, stealing, ill will, etc.
2- THE BETRAYAL
Matt. 26:14-16 “Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests and asked, "What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?" So they counted out for him thirty silver coins. From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over.”
ILL.- I remember when I was just a kid. I don’t recall how old, maybe 8 or 10. But my older brother Larry and a friend of his suggested that I go across the street and steal a watermelon from the neighbor’s garden. I took their suggestion and did the dirty deed. And I got caught by the neighbor and he promptly marched me across the street and into my house to tell my dad.
My dad wasn’t too happy with me. And I wasn’t too happy with my older brother because he never admitted to dad that he put me up to that dirty deed. IS THAT BETRAYAL? It’s a form of it.
It’s possible that we all have forsaken a friend or family member in times of difficulty and that may be a form of betrayal. And a worse case of betrayal is when someone turns against you when they claim to be a “best friend.”
Sometimes we forget that Jesus chose Judas after praying all night. They spent every day together for three years, talking, eating together, laughing. Jesus sent him out to minister. Judas shared in the miracle of feeding 5,000 people; his hands took the small, round barley loaves from Jesus and tore off chunks of bread for hungry people.
What makes each case of betrayal so painful is that someone who knows your heart—who knows your longings and character—turns from that and chooses to believe you are really dangerous.
Michael Card captures the agony in one song: "Only a friend can betray a friend, a stranger has nothing to gain / and only a friend comes close enough to ever cause so much pain." Never betray a friend.
3- THE SUPPER
Matt. 26:26-29 “While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take and eat; this is my body." Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. “I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father’s kingdom."
We are a “fast food nation.” In fact, there is a book and a movie with that very title. I’ve never read it or seen it but of course, it indicts the American people of killing themselves on fast food: burgers, fries, shakes, etc.
America is obese and we are what we eat. We hear about this almost daily. We eat too much junk food or fast food, which is full of fat. I admit that I love some of this food too.
Brothers and sisters, there is one meal that is always good for us. The Lord’s Supper is good for us. It is never fattening or faulty. If it is faulty it is only because we don’t partake in the right spirit or attitude.
Jesus said, “This is my body. This is my blood.” Not literally, but a reminder of His body and blood that were given so that we could be forgiven. He is the perfect sacrifice for man’s sin.
We all need to be reminded over and over that Jesus left heaven for earth. He left His home and His father to save us, to bear our sins in His body on the tree. We need to be reminded again and again, that He suffered death. He suffered separation from His own Father, “Why has thou forsake me?” He experienced spiritual death so that we wouldn’t have to. This is what the Lord’s Supper is all about. And if we are not humbled at this time then something is wrong with us.
4- THE DENIAL
Matt. 26:33-35 Peter replied, "Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will." "I tell you the truth," 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.”
ILL.- A husband asked his wife, “What do you do with all that grocery money I give you?” She replied, “Stand in front of the mirror and turn sideways.”
Ever heard the words, “you are just in denial”? Someone wrote: "Denial" is not grasping reality, refusing to come to terms with what a situation really is. Denial is rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic as it slipped into the cold ocean.
Yes, and denial is standing in front of the mirror and saying, “I’m not fat at all!” And it’s Peter the apostle saying, “Even if everybody else falls away, I never will.”
ILL.- Someone wrote: Roosters are made to crow and strut, arrogant and dependable. To tell a rooster to be quiet would be as futile as telling Peter he would betray Jesus.
I don’t particularly like the word denial. I guess, because I’ve been guilty. There have been times when I have denied Jesus in some form or another. And denial takes on many forms. It could be missing church when we shouldn’t. It could be not giving when we know we should. It could be not serving in some form when we could. It could be not witnessing when we could have. It could be not praying or not reading the Bible when we needed to. And I’ve been guilty of most of these. Of course, it could even be worse than these. The worse we don’t like to consider.
Any way you cut it, we’re all guilty of denying Jesus at times. We just don’t like to admit it or own up to it. WE DENY THAT WE’RE GUILTY OF DENIAL.
I John 1:8-10 “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.”
If we claim to be without sin. If we claim we have not sinned. That’s denial. The answer for such is v. 9 “if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just…”
How thankful we must be that He does not deny us even though we deny Him at times.
I John 2:1-2 “My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.”
Peter’s story gives us hope. If he could be restored, so can we.
5- THE GARDEN
Matt. 26:36-39 “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."
ILL.- Nine years ago on April 15th something of a disaster happened. Care to guess? APRIL 15th. No, it wasn’t the day that Uncle Sam took all my money and then some, it’s the day when that doctor/surgeon replaced my right hip. I remember saying, “bye” and the next moment waking up in pain as they were sliding me from that bed on wheels to the bed in my room.
I finally recovered, but it’s still not as good as the original equipment. I now wish I had taken better care of my original hip that God gave me. That was a bad deal but I’ve experienced worse. I’ve experienced spiritual setbacks that were far worse. Struggle with sin. Struggle with people, etc.
Jesus experienced all kinds of disrespect, dishonor, and abuse in His ministry on earth but He was about to face the worst deal of all. It was a God-planned deal.
In the garden, Jesus told His disciples, “Wait here while I go pray.” And soon Jesus was overwhelmed with sorrow. I thought prayer was supposed to give some relief to a person? Normally, yes, but not this time. Not for Jesus. This was when perhaps He experienced His greatest struggle in life. He struggled with life and death. He struggled with heaven and hell. His human side battled against the will of God. “Father, if there is anyway possible, take this cup of suffering from me.”
Jesus knew what was coming. He knew what He was about to face on the cross and it was decision time. Do I fulfill my Father’s will or don’t I? WHAT A TOUGH DECISION. Far tougher than any you and I will ever face, because Jesus knew that by going to the cross He would suffer separation from His Father. He would experience hell on the cross.
But in prayer, He gave in. He surrendered. He made up His mind. He said, “Thy will be done.” What about us?
Life is tough. We are faced with all kinds of struggles, troubles and temptation. We must pray and decide and surrender in prayer.
CONCLUSION----------------------------
The road to Calvary was all uphill. It was up to the cross. But then later it was up to heaven. And later, because of the former, it will be all uphill for us. We, too, will go up to heaven and it’s all because of Jesus.
We will experience plots, betrayals, denials, and our gardens, but in the end will be worth it all.
Rom. 8:18 “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.
II Cor. 4:17-18 “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
Heaven will be worth it all. But how can we make it each day? We fix our eyes on the unseen, on the eternal. We fix our eyes on Jesus every day. And soon our day will become an eternal day with Him.
