Peace of the Cross
John 17
http://gbcdecatur.org/sermons/PeaceCross.html
We're backing up to chapter 17 in John's Gospel to cover something we missed. Last time we began studying the trial and torture of Jesus, leading up to Calvary's cross. But the victory wasn't to be completely won on Golgotha. It was won when Jesus prayed this prayer.
Everyone is in search of peace. We want it for ourselves, our family, our church, our nation, and our world. We want it throughout our lives, at every age, and even on our tombstone we say we want to RIP!
ill.--a man owned a business with many locations and he was opening a new location, and people were sending notes and gifts and flowers, congratulating him on his expansion. One day he arrived at work and there was a big beautiful wreath waiting for him. It said on the banner: Rest in Peace. He knew the florist had made a mistake. He called to complain. He explained it all and the florist could tell he was angry. He said to the businessman, "Sir, settle down and look on the bright side -- somewhere today a man is being buried under a wreath that says, 'Good luck in your new location.'"
"Sleep in heavenly peace," we sing.
ill.--one church was singing it and a kid was loudly singing sleep in heavenly beans. His sister elbowed him and said, "It's not beans, it's peas!"
The way most people are today - drowning in inner turmoil - with a hurricane going on inside their mind - it might as well be beans or peas because very few people truly have inner peace.
Jesus made peace for us on the cross.
Colossians 1:20
[Jesus] having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself...
But Jesus found His peace during this prayer, and another which would follow in the garden of Gethsemane.
The last half of the book of John is filled with anxiety, stress and questions, because in these passages Jesus is spending His last few days with His disciples before He dies on the cross. And yet no portion of Scripture has more intimacy, warmth, and practical principles you can apply to your life. These are principles of peace!
Think of the pressure the disciples are under. Jesus is trying to teach them lessons in humility...because they are about to be given the huge responsibility of taking the gospel to the world. This will be difficult because they are so filled with pride that God can't use them.
How prideful were they? The Lord caught them arguing about who was the greatest, and who would get to sit next to Jesus in the kingdom one day. The Lord settled that argument as He put on an apron, knelt, and washed their stinking feet...a task for servants in those days.
It was a principle of servant leadership. Not grasping for the high place and the limelight, but searching for ways to serve.
They also needed to learn some tough lessons about Christ's death. They thought their Messiah was a rescuer to deliver them from the Romans.
Jesus has to explain to them that's not how it's going to go down. The Father's plan for His life is quite different from that...actually much better...He's going to be betrayed, arrested, beaten like none other, and crucified to death. And that didn't fit in with the disciple's plan at all...they can't understand all of this.
We have the advantage today. We can understand that the first time He came as the Savior, and the NEXT time He will be the Sovereign. [cross/crown - Redeemer/Ruler]
Put yourself in their shoes. Everything they have given their lives for is wrapped up in Jesus. They left everything else behind - home/family/careers...and now He says the enemy is going to kill Him?
The rug is pulled right out from beneath them. Imagine what's swirling in their minds. Empathize with the burden of pressure laid upon them. Their anxiety is off the chart!
Then, as if that bad news wasn't enough, they begin to hear about their OWN eventual deaths. Jesus says, the servant isn't greater than the Master...they hate me, they will hate you, and you're eventually gonna die just like me!
Today's prosperity preachers talk about what a great life God has planned for you. "Excuse me, Pastor Osteen, why does Jesus talk different than you?"
The point? This is not a band of merry men frolicking behind the Lord thru the hills of Judea. They are under more stress and about to suffer more loss than any of us could ever claim. They are way out on a limb, at the very end of their rope, which is fraying into pieces!
Jesus is under "pressure" as well. He's God, who cannot be stressed, but He has taken on the life of man, complete with the same difficulties and feelings we have.
He is constantly misunderstood, misquoted, and misrepresented.
The world never believed He was virgin born. "We be not born of fornication." [implying that He was!] And you know the names they call kids that are 'illegitimate.' [There are no illegitimate children/only parents.] Jesus lived under that cloud, which followed over His head every day.
They never understood what He said. He was accused of being a drunk and a blasphemer.
Have you ever been misunderstood? Have you ever tried to sincerely help a person but instead you ended up hurting them? Ever had your good evil spoken of?
This is a danger in my profession. I use my voice a lot. I talk a lot. I preach, counsel, make calls, and visits all the time.
When you open your mouth and words come out as often as they do from my mouth it is only a matter of time before something stupid comes out. The odds are not in my favor!
ill.--old couple rocking on front porch. The wife felt a little romantic and said to her husband, "I'm proud of you." He couldn't hear her. "Huh?" She said it louder. "Huh?" She shouted it. "Well, I'm tired of you too!"
It hurts to be misunderstood!
Even when He did miracles they said He did it in the power of Satan! He couldn't get any respect.
Add to all this the pressure He faces on the cross, still to come. He knows He is going to be tortured, and His humanity does not look forward to that. Then there's His holy side that will have to take on the sins of the world.
Every lustful look, every act of adultery, every murder, every lie ever committed by every person who had ever lived, every person who was alive, and every one of us who would ever live ... it would all be heaped upon Him as if He had done those things ... and then God the Father must pour out His fiery wrath toward that sin, punishing it ... He would become an incarnation of all wickedness of all time condensed into His person ... a sight so grotesque that His own Father will turn His back upon Him, separating Himself from Him...the very definition of what eternity in hell is!
Don't you know the holy side of Jesus dreaded that, just as His human side winced at the thought of the excruciating pain on its way.
There are more pressures, like the time constraints. There's so much to do, and so little time. Life is like that for all of us. Can I get a witness?
ill.--I never knew real time crunch until I began pastoring. As soon as Sunday's sermons are over a bell goes off and timer begins ticking for Wednesday and next Sunday, and I realize I need to feed you something again very soon, and it needs to be full of Bible truth and also be interesting and informative and challenging and inspiring in this electronic view screen generation.
Joke--one day a visitor walked in to the deacon's meeting. The Pastor said, "We were glad to have you in the church service earlier, but what are you doing here?" The man answered, "You announced there would be a meeting of the board this afternoon and I was about as bored as you can be!"
And you have many time constraints between your work and family and errands and taxes and church. We live in a pressure cooker today and we're all about to boil over!
How was Jesus under pressure, when He is timeless? Well, He stepped out of eternity into time, and these are the last few hours that He will be able to spend with His disciples before the cross. And they are still asking questions that they should know the answers to!
For 3 years He's been trying to prepare them for this week, and Philip is still saying, "Show us the Father and we'll have all we need." Jesus said, "How long have I been with you, Philip, and you still don't know me?!" [hear the frustration?]
On another occasion Jesus warned these guys of the leaven of the Pharisees [hypocrisy] and they huddled up and said, "Uh oh, He's mad because we forgot the bread!"
Jesus is human and He knows that He's about to leave the hope of the world in the hands of these 12! One of them is a devil and you've got to wonder who is tying the shoes of the other 11.
How did Jesus handle stress and pressure?
1. He ran to God first.
v. 1a For an entire chapter He poured out His heart to God...and He IS God! This should be our first instinct, not our last resort!
1 Peter 5:7
7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
God is concerned about you personally.
We know He's concerned about the Middle East, and we know His heart must be heavy about what is happening in the now crumbling, once Christian America ... but don't forget that He's concerned about you, so much so that the very hairs of your head are numbered. [some of your are easier to keep track of!]
Our God even cares about the little things.
We live in a vast universe of billions of galaxies each with billions of stars. And the only life in any of it is here on Earth. [intelligent life? Not necessarily!] "Eve" means mother of all living.
The world says, if there's no life anywhere in that massive expanse, then why did God go to all that trouble. And God says, "What trouble?"
And if He can so easily manage all of those star systems, complete with their own planets, gravitational forces, orbits, etc., don't you know He cares for you right here where His attention is focused... the only planet He has personally visited?!
"I don't bother God with the little stuff, just the big."
What could be big or little to Him?
Children will pray for their sick puppy...as if God really cares.
He does!
More kid prayers:
• Dear God, I really want that new pink bicycle. I never asked for anything before...you can look it up!
• Dear God, I read the Bible, but what does 'beget' mean? Nobody will tell me.
• Dear God, is it true that my dad won't get into heaven if he uses his golf words in the house?
• Dear God, I bet it's hard for you to love everybody in the whole world. There's only 4 people in my house and I could never do it. - Signed, Brody.
• Dear God, my grandpa says you were around when he was a little boy. How far back do you go?
• Dear God, please send Dennis Clark to a different summer camp this year.
Kids believe that God cares about such details...and they are right!
God cares about the little things. They are big things on His heart!
*Pride is what keeps us from asking for God's help. Look at the verse previous...
1 Peter 5:6-7
6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
Pride makes us think we don't need the Lord, and can handle things ourselves.
This is a tough one for us guys, because we want to have everything under control. The wife says, "I think that was our exit, honey." We say, "I know, I'm going a different way."
We know we're lost, our wife knows we're lost, God knows we're lost ... even the lady voice on GPS knows we're lost, but on we go!
And mankind needs to realize he is lost, and needs God! Swallow the pride. If even Jesus needed to run to God in His time of need, what makes us think we don't need to do the same?
The peace of the cross was not won on Mount Calvary alone ... the victory was begun to be won in this prayer, and another following where He prayed, "Not my will, but Thine be done!"
We need to bring our burdens to the altar, give them to God ... get up, and leave them there!
Psalm 55:22
Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.
Come claim peace, the peace of the cross!
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pt. 2
A stranger was lost in a new town. He pulled up by 2 rednecks sitting on a bench.
Parlez-vous Français?
Hablas Español?
Sprechen ze Deutch?
Capiche Italiano?
No response, so he drove off. One redneck said to the other, "See, there's no point in us learning a foreign language. That feller learned 4 and it didn't do him no good."
I don't want my preaching to just be flowery language, but practical, and helpful for the difficulties of life!
How did Jesus handle stress and pressure?
1. He ran to God first. He found peace before the cross!
One of the calmest places on earth is the center of a hurricane...in the midst of a storm!
2. He understood His purpose.
In this prayer of Jesus we see Him reckoning with the purpose for His life.
vv. 1b, 4 "Finished?" Yes, the victory is won as He submits His life to God's purpose! Then He steps over the little brook Kidron and into the Garden of Gethsemane, and submits His will to the Father's will.
When you have a purpose for your life, it makes the burdens of life bearable. Having a purpose gives you stability even in uncertain times.
A man wrapped up in himself is a very small package!
But when you are living for something bigger than yourself, the problems will seem smaller. They won't seem 'worthy' of worry.
Romans 8:18
For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
Paul probably had more problems than anyone in the Bible, but when he laid all that beside his purpose in life, it wasn't worthy of worry.
What's your purpose? What are your worries? Are they really worth it?
What would make a shepherd boy want to fight a giant?
David said, "Is there not a cause?" [purpose]
Your job is a mission field, not just a means to pay bills.
[neighborhood / relatives / friends]
3. He gave up His rights.
You'll notice that the most stressed-out people also happen to be the most self-centered. They are stressed in part by trying so hard to have things their way, trying to fix everything, rather than letting go and letting God and His will prevail.
ill.--my daughter and I really liked a meal my wife made this week, and scarfed down big plates real quick...and we went back for seconds at the same time, and there wasn't a whole lot left. I said, "If one of us would just back off there would be more for me!"
Usually when we preach this we clarify: God doesn't want you to let people walk all over you. But is that entirely true? Isn't that exactly what Jesus did when called upon to do so? Did He not tell us to offer the other cheek to the one who hits the one side?
Do you have to win every argument, whether in the right or not?
Do you have to have your way in the end? God may let you, and you might miss out on His way!
What truly are our rights? Life, liberty and happiness? Or the pursuit thereof? What are civil rights? Is healthcare a universal right?
I have the right to pay for my sins in hell!
ill.--Lincoln's solution to a $2.50 debt
Jesus is peace. And He is a peace maker. He's the Prince of Peace! He made peace by the blood of His cross. He didn't give us our rights, He gave us something far better!
You can't have an argument with someone who won't fight back. Just as it takes 2 to tango it takes 2 to tangle!
Did you know that if you hold onto a certain right and you grip it tightly and are unwilling to yield ... you open the door for people to control you. They can buy you, put limits on you, and control you.
They said to the Apostle Paul, We don't like you, so we're gonna stone you!
"Would you really? That happened to me before and they thought I was dead but really I got caught up to heaven for a while!"
"OK, nevermind, we'll throw you in prison then!"
"Don't tease me! Could it be the one in Rome where that prison guard was I was witnessing to...I need to follow up on him."
"Oh yeah, we'll just kill you then."
"That would settle my dilemma, I've been torn between being here on earth or up in heaven, and that would settle it."
How frustrating to try to fight with someone like that.
Having to have your way is stressful!
ill.--couples who correct each other about everything, even in public.
Jesus yielded His rights to the Father. He gave up His divine prerogatives.
4. He gave Himself away.
v. 4 There are givers and there are takers. Takers are always looking to get something. And it doesn't have to be material things. It can be attention, respect, special privilege, etc.
Givers are always looking to contribute.
America has a lot of consumers today, and not many contributors.
[church / home / work / school / marriage]
Are you a lifter or a leaner?
Two Kinds of People
by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
There are two kinds of people on earth today,
Two kinds of people no more I say.
Not the good or the bad, for it's well understood,
The good are half bad, the bad are half good.
Not the happy or sad, for in the swift-flying years,
Bring each man his laughter, each man his tears.
Not the rich or the poor, for to count a man's wealth,
You must know the state of his conscience and health.
Not the humble and proud, for in life's busy span,
Who puts on vain airs is not counted a man.
No! the two kinds of people on earth I mean,
Are the people who lift, the people who lean.
Wherever you go you'll find the world's masses
Are ever divided into these two classes.
And, strangely enough, you will find, too, I mean,
There is only one lifter to twenty who lean.
In which class are you? Are you easing the load
Of the overtaxed lifters who toiled down the road?
Or are you a leaner who lets others bear,
Your portion of worry and labor and care?
Leaners are stressed, because they are always looking for who else to lean on and take from.
Find peace and relief from pressure the way Jesus did:
Mark 10:45
For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
v. 4 could be paraphrased: "I gave it my best, and now I'm leaving.
Give it your best, and then leave it there. Don't obsess about it. It's over. No looking back. Move on!
Jesus found great peace, just before going to the cross. He turned to God, remembered His purpose, gave up His rights, and gave Himself away for others!
http://gbcdecatur.org/sermons/PeaceCross.html
