The Way of the Cross

Leading up to Jesus' crucifixion.

Through the course of our message this morning, I want us to come to grips with the fact that Jesus was not a victim of his circumstances.

! Jesus was the master of every circumstance that we'll look at this morning.

He is in complete control. He is in command of all that we will see.

And we'll look at the details of that as we jump into our passage for today.

And as we look at this new segment of time from chapter 18 to chapter 19, the events that lead up to his crucifixion, then his actual crucifixion,

I want us to understand that the journey that Jesus takes is not just a journey that he is on,

but a journey that he intends for followers of him to emulate.

That there is a way of the cross that Jesus moves through in these next two chapters.

And the model that he sets will be the model for us as those who are followers of Christ as we emulate the way of the cross.

Are you a follower of Christ this morning?

You will emulate the Savior's example, as we'll look at specifically this morning, the example of submission.

We'll see coming to the surface the supremacy of Christ in all that takes place, and yet his active submission to the Father's will.

In a book written by David Platt, maybe you've read the book Radical, he recounts this story of going to Indonesia.

And surprisingly, Indonesia has the most Muslims of any other country in the world, heavily populated with Muslims.

And he's teaching in a seminary there, and those who are intending to graduate from this seminary have as a requirement the need for them to plant a church in a new location there in Indonesia,

and to lead 30 individuals to faith, and to baptize them, and to essentially plant a church in a new location.

Well, sitting there in his classroom was a man by the name of Radin, who gives his testimony.

And this young man, in looking at David Platt, with fire in his eyes, recounts this story of how God worked this out in his own life.

There he is going into this community and beginning to share the gospel with these Muslims who are in this community.

And wouldn't you know who shows up at the door is a witch doctor, who are apparently very prevalent in Indonesia,

and challenging this young man named Radin to say,

listen, why don't you meet me outside, we're going to take care of business.

Now, before Radin had become a believer,

he had done some work in terms of becoming very adept in ninja jiu-jitsu.

So he's thinking about this situation, and he knows that he could quite handily take care of this witch doctor without any problem.

But as he begins to exit this house, he is prompted by the spirit who speaks to his heart,

says,

Radin, instead of taking matters into your own hands, trust me in this situation.

So Radin takes a chair, and he sits outside this house, and he faces this witch doctor,

and he says to him,

the Lord will handle this situation.

I do not need to fight you with my fists.

The Lord will deal with you as he chooses.

And in the next few moments,

this witch doctor begins to choke and to gasp for air.

It gets the attention of the people with whom Radin had just been sharing the gospel with,

and now the villagers begin to come and to observe this situation that's unfolding in front of them.

And within moments, this witch doctor is lying on the ground, dead.

His decision to yield and to surrender,

to submit this situation to the power of God,

leads to a dramatic display of God's supremacy in this situation.

And as a result, many of the villagers not only hear the gospel,

but come to faith in Jesus Christ.

The same is true for us this morning.

The same is true for you.

Whatever situation in which you find yourself today,

however small or large,

there is a demand for your life as a follower of Christ

to determine what you will do.

Will you take matters into your own hands,

or will you surrender and submit

to the guidance and instruction of the Scripture

and let God's supremacy work itself out in your life?

There is a privilege of those of us who are followers of Christ

to see the supremacy of God show up in this world.

It's not our supremacy.

It is His.

And as we submit to the Father's will,

in the various circumstances in which you find yourself,

you will see the supremacy of Christ come through for you.

You ever find yourself taking matters into your own hands?

Well, the way of the cross is the way of submission.

Look with me at John chapter 18

John 18 · chapter mention

as I read these first couple of verses.

We're going to take this a couple of verses at a time.

Kind of break this down.

And what I want you to see is

I want you to see through this passage

the complete supremacy of Christ

and yet His full surrender to the Father's will.

It begins this way.

When Jesus had spoken these words,

He went out with His disciples across the Kindred Valley

where there was a garden,

which He and His disciples entered.

Now Judas, who betrayed Him, also knew the place.

For Jesus had often met there with His disciples.

So Judas, having procured a band of soldiers

and some officers from the chief priests

and some officers, excuse me,

and the Pharisees went there with lanterns

and torches and weapons.

The public ministry of Jesus had come to a conclusion.

Hear the finality of the first few words of this chapter.

When Jesus had spoken these words,

the message of the Father had been delivered.

The secret, private information

that Jesus sought to deliver to His disciples

had been conveyed.

And now the culmination of all that Jesus had come to do

was about to take place

in His arrest, in His crucifixion,

and then in His resurrection.

Jesus had shown up.

He had come near.

The Messiah was at hand.

His message was accessible to the people.

The Jews saw Jesus

and His display of miracles,

casting out demons,

healing those who were sick,

exercising authority over the elements.

They saw Jesus.

They saw the divine.

They saw God face to face.

And yet, as we'll see

in these next few chapters,

instead of acceptance,

there was rejection.

It's almost too hard to believe

that those who saw Jesus up close and personal

would be those who would reject

the very one who came to rescue them.

And yet,

for those of us who have grown up

in a church,

for many of you who have been here at Maranatha

for years and years and years,

for those of us who have heard about

the significance of making Jesus

the Lord of our life,

who have heard the faithful teaching

of the Scriptures,

unfortunately,

we find ourselves in a similar situation

like the disciples

and like the Jews,

who instead of accept

the message and the knowledge about Jesus,

we choose to take matters into our own hands,

we choose

to do things our way

instead of submitting

to the will of the Father.

And in doing this,

we might say,

God, you are strong,

but I'm stronger.

God, you are good,

but I'm better.

God, you are wise,

but I really don't trust you

in this situation.

Now, we wouldn't say that

in public,

but in our hearts,

that is the posture

of what's taking place

when we refuse to submit

to the knowledge we have about God.

You are sovereign,

you are all wise,

you are all powerful,

but in this situation, God,

I just want things to go my way.

And as we look at Jesus' example

this morning,

as we see the way of the cross,

we will see

the way of the cross

is the way of surrender.

The way of the cross

is the way of submission

to the Father.

First,

in these first three verses,

we see that Jesus

determined the details

of his arrest.

Jesus determined

the details of his arrest.

I want you to see

the supremacy of Christ

in all things,

and yet,

in the midst of supremacy,

there is surrender.

There is submission.

We see it in so many different ways.

I just want to highlight a few.

First, we see

the surrender of Christ

and the supremacy of Christ

in terms of the timing

of his arrest.

The timing of his arrest.

Here in verse 1,

when Jesus had spoken

these words,

he went out with the disciples

across the book

Brook Kidron.

His ministry,

public ministry,

was over.

And now was the time

for Jesus

to be killed,

to be handed over

to the Gentiles,

to be delivered up

for crucifixion.

Chapters 15

and 16

and 17,

we see Jesus

with his disciples

delivering some final

parting words to them.

They've included

faithful reminders

of things that they have heard

in the past

of Jesus' ministry,

but even new things.

He's concentrated

on his departure.

He's tried to comfort them

with the promise

of the Holy Spirit.

He's warned them

about the conflict

that they would face.

He's consistently

pointed their attention

to the unchangeable reality

of the Father's care.

These final words

were vital

for the ongoing

endurance

of this group of men.

But now that the time

has come,

Jesus now makes his way

with his disciples

outside of the city

of Jerusalem,

and now they begin

their trek

to the Mount of Olives

into the Garden

of Gethsemane.

Jesus was concerned

about this band of men.

He talks about

the great celebration

that they will enjoy

in a future day,

looking forward

to when the Father

would come

and to take them home.

but he has predicted

on at least three occasions

that this moment

would come,

the moment of his

arrest,

the moment of his

crucifixion

and his resurrection.

And now the long

awaited day

was here.

Jesus knew

the timing

of his arrest.

Jesus also knew

the betrayal

in his arrest.

He knew the circumstances

of the betrayal

and the betrayer.

Here we see

in verse 2,

it says,

Now Judas,

who betrayed him,

also knew the place.

Jesus was not surprised

by the man

who stood before him

at this point

of time.

From the beginning

of Judas' time

with the group,

Jesus was well aware

of the way

that he would be

instrumental

in betraying him

to the cross.

Early on

in his ministry,

in the feeding

of the 5,000,

Jesus points

to this very issue

in John chapter 6.

John 6 · chapter mention

Turn with me

there for a moment

as we look

at this together.

John chapter 6,

John 6:64

verse 64.

Jesus has shared

some difficult words

with the people

who were participating

in the feeding

of the 5,000.

And as a result

of the difficult words,

it says that

many of his disciples

who heard it

then left him.

But in verse 66,

it says,

After this,

many of his disciples

turned back

and no longer

walked with him.

So Jesus said

to the 12,

Do you want

to go away as well?

Simon Peter asked him,

Lord,

to whom shall we go?

You have the words

of eternal life.

And we believed

and have come

to know

that you are

the Holy One of God.

Jesus answered them,

Did I not choose you,

the 12?

And yet,

one of you

is a devil.

He spoke of Judas,

the son of Simon Iscariot,

for he,

one of the 12,

was going

to betray him.

It's unbelievable

to think

that even

in the selection

process

of his disciples,

as Jesus

submits himself

to the will

of the Father.

He knew exactly

what Judas

would be.

Judas would be

the betrayer.

And all the while,

Judas is participating

with the disciples,

with the 12,

in the ministry

of Jesus,

seeing what he does,

observing the works,

hearing the words,

and even,

at one point,

receiving the power

that Jesus gave

to the 12

to cast out demons

and to do

and perform miracles.

Judas was a

full participant

in the public

ministry

of Jesus.

But Jesus

was not surprised.

Jesus was not

convinced

of Judas'

loyalty.

He knew his heart,

the heart

of a betrayer.

And on this night,

as the disciples

were gathered

for the Passover,

Jesus again

exposes Judas

for what he was.

Turn with me

to John chapter 13

John 13 · chapter mention

now,

verses 10 and 11.

John 13,

10 and 11.

Jesus has just

washed the disciples'

feet.

Peter protests

and says,

wash not just

my feet,

but just wash

all of me.

Jesus' response

in verse 10,

the one who is

washed does not

need to wash

except for his

feet,

but is

completely

clean.

And you are

clean,

but not every

one of you,

for he knew

who was to

betray him.

That was why

he said,

not all

of you are

clean.

Jesus knew

the heart

of Judas.

Jesus knew

his role

in being the

betrayer,

in turning

Jesus over

to the

authorities.

So Jesus

knew the

time,

Jesus knew

the betrayer,

but Jesus

also knew

the place

of his

arrest.

We find that

here at the

end of verse 2.

John chapter

18,

verse 2,

continues this

way.

Judas,

who betrayed

him,

also knew

the place,

for Jesus

often met

there with

his disciples.

from the

other gospel

records,

we find

that Judas'

heart was

just moving

in the

direction of

this betrayal.

So that

likely on

the very

day that

Judas is

about to

betray Jesus,

he goes

to the

authorities,

to the

religious

authorities,

and he

sells Jesus

out.

Now Judas,

looking for

opportunities,

to betray

Jesus,

finds the

perfect

moment.

Now remember

that during

the Passover

meal,

Jesus concealed

the actual

location of

where that

meal would

take place

by sending

the apostles

into the

city of

Jerusalem to

look for

the man

carrying for

the pitcher

of water.

Jesus

masterfully

understood

that in

order to

have this

meal with

his disciples,

needed to

conceal the

actual location,

otherwise it

might be

jeopardized by

Judas

interfering.

So the

next opportunity

that Judas

would have

is to go

to the

place that

Jesus often

met with

his disciples

and where

was that

place?

We find

that as a

pattern,

Jesus and

his disciples

through this

Passion Week

after teaching

the temple

would go

into the

Mount of

Olives and

that's where

he and his

disciples would

stay for the

night until

the next day.

Listen as I

just read

Luke chapter

Luke 21:37

21 verse

37.

It says

this,

And every

day he was

teaching in

the temple,

but at

night he

went out

and lodged

on the

mount called

Olivet.

And early

in the

morning all

the people

came to

him in

the temple

to hear

him.

Jesus

set Judas

up.

Jesus in

spending time

at the

Mount of

Olives knew

that this

was the

place where

Judas would

bring this

band of

men.

This was

the place

where Judas

would know

that the

twelve

disciples,

the eleven

disciples now

with Jesus

would be.

A place

where Jesus

often found

refreshment.

A place

where Jesus

often was

encouraged,

was strengthened

by the

comfort of

his relationship

with the

Father.

Do you

have any

of those

kinds of

places?

Places of

refreshment,

places of

comfort?

One of the

things that I

like to do

when I visit

different

cities that

I once

lived is I

like to go

to the

places where

I met

with God.

The places

which were

common

locations of

fellowshipping

with him.

Being reminded

of God's

goodness in

that specific

place.

That's what

the Garden

of Gethsemane

was for

Jesus.

Whenever he

was in

Jerusalem,

the Garden

of Gethsemane

and the

Mount of

Olives was

the place

of refreshment,

the place

of communion

with the

Father.

And Judas

knew that's

precisely the

place where

he could find

Jesus at

this point.

Jesus moved

to the

exact location

where he

had been

the previous

nights this

entire week.

And so Judas

knew where to

find him.

Jesus was

masterfully in

control of

the circumstances.

We also find

the participants

in his arrest.

Jesus understood

who would be

involved in

this process.

We find in

verse 3 more

details related

to that.

So Judas,

having procured

a band of

soldiers and

some officers

from the

chief priests

and the

Pharisees went

there,

with lanterns

and torches

and weapons.

Jesus had

predicted in

Matthew chapter

Matthew 20 · chapter mention

20, he

says,

Behold, we

are going up

to Jerusalem

and the

Son of Man

will be

betrayed to

the chief

priests and

to the

scribes and

they will

condemn him

to death

and deliver

him to

the Gentiles

to mock

him and

to scourge

him and

to crucify

him and

on the

third day

he will

rise.

Jesus knew

who the

players were

going to

be.

Jesus is

not surprised

to see

this band

and multitude

of individuals

show up

to arrest

him.

He knew

who was

coming and

Judas leads

them into

this garden.

Well, who

were they?

Well, a

cohort is a

group of

600 soldiers.

soldiers.

That's a

significant

group of

individuals

coming to

arrest an

individual who

for up to

this point

had been

all but

peace.

He brings

some officers.

These would

have been the

temple officials,

those given

authority in

the Jewish

realm to

exact some

level of

judgment on

individuals within

the Jewish

community.

And then the

Pharisees who

represented the

authority of the

moral law and

the scripture.

You may ask

yourself, why

so many?

Why torches

and why

lanterns and

why swords

and clubs?

Why the

weaponry?

What is

taking place

here?

Well, Jesus

had avoided

life-threatening

situations on

numerous occasions

leading up to

this point.

We find in

several occasions

through the

gospel of John

alone.

that the

officials came

to arrest

Jesus but

because his

hour had not

yet come,

somehow he

vanished from

their midst or

somehow he

moved through

the crowd.

Somehow he

was able to

hide himself

and escape

their captivity.

In one

particular example

in John

John 10 · chapter mention

chapter 10,

it says,

the Jews took

up stones to

stone him,

therefore they

sought again to

seize him,

but he escaped

out of their

hand.

Well, this

wasn't going to

happen again,

at least not

in their minds.

So they bring

this multitude

of individuals

to ensure that

Jesus could not

escape.

But as we'll

see, Jesus is

not only supreme

over the details

of his arrest,

we'll also see

that Jesus

demonstrates

decisiveness of

his authority.

We see that in

the next several

verses from 4 to

6.

Jesus demonstrates

the decisiveness

of his authority.

Let me read

this for us.

Then Jesus,

knowing all that

would happen to

him, came forward

and said to

them,

Whom do you

seek?

They answered

him, Jesus of

Nazareth.

Jesus said to

them, I am he.

Judas, who

betrayed him,

was standing

with them.

When Jesus

said to them,

I am he,

they drew

back and

fell to the

ground.

I want you

to notice two

things from

this circumstance

that demonstrate

that Jesus is

in command.

Jesus is showing

decisive authority

in this situation.

First of all,

notice that he

steps forward.

He takes

initiative.

He is moving

to the front.

How would he

do that?

Especially given

what we find in

verse 4.

knowing all

that would

happen to

him, he

moves forward.

Jesus,

understanding the

circumstances, the

events that would

follow in the

next 12 hours,

his crucifixion,

the scourging that

he would

experience,

he steps

forward.

Jesus has been

stepping forward

since leaving

the ministry in

Galilee.

For the last

six months,

Jesus has been

determined to

move towards the

direction of the

cross.

We find in Luke

Luke 9 · chapter mention

chapter 9 that

he set his face

to go to

Jerusalem.

He knew exactly

what was waiting

for him there and

he knew the

Father's will.

He determined

to himself that

he was going to

follow through

with God's plan

for his life.

He did not run,

he did not cower,

he did not hide,

he did not evade

their advances,

he did not retreat,

but he takes

command of the

situation.

He steps forward

and he is the

one to initiate

this conversation.

The mob who

had come to

manhandle the

Messiah is

actually put in

their place.

As Jesus,

not a victim of

his circumstances,

takes control

of this process.

Who are you

looking for?

Jesus says.

And then they

respond,

Jesus of Nazareth.

Jesus says,

I am he.

And with that,

this mob of

maybe as many

as 650 people

fall backwards

at the word

of God.

Not only does

Jesus demonstrate

his decisiveness

and authority

through stepping

forward,

but he,

with the word,

he knocks them

to the ground.

He demonstrates

his power

over them

in just a word.

I want you

to notice

the undeniable

authority

of the Messiah.

Undeniable

authority.

Jesus will not

escape.

He will not

be taken by

force.

They were

thinking,

he's not going

to be able

to hide.

He won't be

able to resist

to rest.

But then

when he says,

I am he,

he totally

immobilizes

them.

They didn't

anticipate

this turn

of events.

They didn't

anticipate

that they

would be

repelled

with just

a word.

Now they're

flat on their

backs.

Now they're

vulnerable.

Jesus at this

point could

have easily

have escaped,

but instead

he remains

committed to

the task.

In this

display of

divine authority,

Jesus continues

to remain

stationary,

committed to

the plan

of God.

He's not a

victim of

his circumstances.

He is in

complete control.

But if that

wasn't enough,

Jesus continues

to demonstrate

his authority

through the

situation.

Even through,

even though

his authority,

he is humbly

submitting himself

to the

Father.

But now we

see his

power as

he keeps

his promises.

Jesus proves

the dependability

of his

promises in

verses 7 to

9.

Notice what

it says,

So he

asked them

again,

Whom do

you seek?

And they

said,

Jesus of

Nazareth.

Jesus answered,

I told you

that I am

he.

So if

you seek

me,

let these

men go.

This was

to fulfill

the word

that he

had spoken.

Of those

whom you

gave me,

I have

lost no

one.

We see

that Jesus

now takes

command of

the situation

in another

way.

He has

asked this

question a

second time.

He has

asked them

to help

refine their

focus.

Who do

you seek?

Well,

Jesus of

Nazareth.

So if

you seek

Jesus of

Nazareth,

then here

I am,

leave the

disciples

alone.

I kind

of get

this picture

of the

Jedi

waving their

hand and

saying,

leave the

disciples

alone.

That's not

the picture

we're supposed

to get.

The picture

we're supposed

to get is

of Jesus

in command,

the king

of kings,

the master

of the

universe,

is making

a statement,

a command

to his

subjects.

It's

authoritative,

it's

decisive,

and it's

dependable.

The word

that Jesus

had given

to his

disciples,

the word

that he

had preached

in his

ministry,

the word

that he

had prayed

to the

Father,

is a

word that

he intends

to keep

in fulfillment

of the

scriptures.

To

demonstrate

that his

word is

true,

and

dependable,

and

trustworthy.

Jesus

demonstrates

the

mastery

over

the

situation.

Let

these

men

go.

Jesus

had

just

prayed

for

his

disciples

in

John

John 17:12

chapter

17

verse

12.

He

says,

Jesus

will

make good

on his

promises.

They are

dependable.

They are

trustworthy.

You can

trust them.

in

the

moment.

And even

in this

moment,

where Jesus

seems to

be at

the moment

of

weakness,

he

demonstrates

his

supremacy

of the

situation,

and yet

his

surrender

and

submission

to the

Father.

Challenges

will come

in our

lives.

Hardships

will be

faced.

But if

we walk

the way

of the

cross,

we will

walk in

the way

of

submission

to

Christ.

And when

we submit

to Christ,

we will

experience

the

strengthening

of his

spirit

in those

hard times

as Jesus

does here.

And finally,

Jesus shows

his supremacy

and submission

to the

Father

in verses

10 and

11 by

confirming

the

determination

of his

obedience.

confirming

the

determination

of his

obedience.

Then

Simon

Peter,

verse 10,

having a

sword,

drew it

and struck

the high

priest's

servant

and cut

off his

right ear.

The

servant's

name was

Malchus.

So

Jesus

said to

Peter,

put your

sword in

its sheath.

Shall I

not drink

the cup

the Father

has given

to me?

Peter,

in an

impulsive

fit of

courage,

decides that

he's going

to hack

his way

through

this

cohort

of 600

trained

military

men.

Peter

was

presumptuous.

Peter

thought he

knew what

God's plan

was in

the situation.

But rather

than follow

the lead

of his

Messiah,

rather than

walk in

the steps

of the

Savior,

Peter

decides to

take matters

into his

own hands.

Well,

that proves

to be

foolishness

as all

he's able

to do

is cut

off an

ear,

which again

gives

Jesus

the opportunity

to show

up in

divine

display,

healing

this man's

ear and

showing again

that he

is the

one who

is in

control

of all

that's

taking

place.

Peter

represents

presumptuous

action.

Those who

say they're

moving forward

in faith,

but are not

following the

lead of

their Savior.

But Jesus,

determining to

do what the

Father has

commanded him,

rebukes Peter

and we get a

glimpse of the

motivation for

Jesus that

comes again to

the surface.

He says,

put your sword

into its

sheath.

Shall I not

drink the

cup that the

Father has

given to me?

Missing from

this narrative

is the

discussion or

the

discourse of

Jesus in

committing himself

to the

Father in

terms of

prayer.

Three times

Jesus goes

to the

Father in

prayer and

says,

not my

will but

yours be

done.

And although

that is

missing from

this gospel

record,

we see that

that was the

heart of

Jesus in

this moment.

shall I not

drink the

cup the

Father has

given to

me,

Peter?

Shall I

not do what

the Father has

determined for

me to do

since the

beginning of

time?

Fighting was

not for this

night as

evident from

the other

gospel record

where Jesus

says,

don't you

know,

Peter,

that I

could call

a legion

of angels

to deliver

me?

But

scripture must

be fulfilled.

in this

way.

I need to

follow the

plan of

the Father.

Jesus

was interested

in doing

what the

Father had

said.

He would

drink the

cup of

the Father's

wrath for

the sake of

those who

would come to

him in

faith.

He would

drink the

judgment of

God for

sin by

dying on

the cross.

He would

absorb the

wrath of

God for

you.

And he

would offer

salvation to

any who

would come

to him in

repentance and

faith.

Jesus would

drink the

cup, the

bitter cup of

the Father.

He would

move forward

following after

the will of

the Father to

do what the

Father had

commanded.

As we've

moved through

this passage,

I hope that

it's been

clear that

we've seen

the supremacy

of Jesus

show up

through this

narrative.

And yet,

though he was

supreme in

all of these

circumstances,

he committed

himself to

obedience.

This morning,

as we think

about the

elements,

it's a picture

really of what

Jesus has done

for us.

A picture of

his body and

a picture of

his blood.

The broken

body of

Christ,

broken for

us, to

make way for

salvation.

The life's

blood that

was spilt for

us.

A picture of

this Passover

time, where

the blood was

painted on the

doorposts, and

back in Egypt,

Israel was

delivered, the

Jews were

delivered because

of this portrait

which pointed to

Christ, future

deliverance through

salvation.

Salvation through

the blood of

Christ, being

cleansed because

of the washing

of his blood.

Let's pray as

we commit our

time to him.

Lord, we're

grateful this

morning for

the supreme

example of

your son,

Jesus, who

in these

moments commanded

the situation.

He was in

control, and

yet he

willingly gave

himself up to

death, to

betrayal, to

be crucified, and

then to rise

again.

And Lord, because

of his obedience

to the Father, we

can participate in

salvation and in

fellowship.

Lord, this

morning we

understand the

way of the cross

is the way of

surrender.

surrender.

It's the way of

submission.

It's not the

way of working

out our situation

for ourselves, of

taking matters into

our own hands, but

of seeing the power

of God working

through our lives as

we submit to your

sovereignty.

We trust that your

way is best, and we

prove to the world

that you are good.

Lord, as we come to

the elements this

morning, we pray that

you would unite our

hearts, call our

attention to the

wonder of our great

God.

May we submit once

again to your name

and follow you this

week in obedience.

We pray in Jesus'

name.

Amen.

Amen.

As we move to the

communion time, I

just want to call your

attention to Philippians

Philippians 2 · chapter mention

chapter 2.

Philippians chapter 2.

Philippians 2 · chapter mention

We see what the

obedience of Christ

did for us in

Philippians chapter 2.

Philippians 2 · chapter mention

beginning with verse

5.

It says,

Have this mind

among yourselves,

which is yours in

Christ Jesus, who,

though he was in the

form of God, did not

count equality with

God a thing to be

grasped, but made

himself nothing,

taking the form of a

servant, being born in

the likeness of men,

and being found in

human form, he humbled

himself by becoming

obedient to the point

of death, even death

on a cross.

We find from Isaiah

Isaiah 53 · chapter mention

chapter 53 that it was

God's will to crush

him.

It was God's will to

bring his wrath down on

the Son.

And Jesus, willingly

surrendering to that

will, obediently

followed God's plan,

and was obedient to

the point of death,

even death on a

cross.

This morning, as we

consider the obedience

and submission of

Christ, it stands for

us as an example of

people who need to

follow the pattern of

Jesus' life.

The way of the cross is

the way of submission.

And maybe this morning

you say, but Pastor

Scheer, you don't know

my husband, or you

don't know my wife.

The Bible says for us

as husbands to love

your wife as Christ

loved the church.

That's what I call

surrender.

That's what I call

sacrifice.

That's what I call

love.

Or maybe you say,

Pastor Scheer, you

don't know my boss.

And all we need to do

is look at Ephesians

Ephesians 6 · chapter mention

chapter 6, and we

find that servants are

to obey their

masters with fear and

trembling as to the

Lord and not to men.

We find that we're to

work heartily as to the

Lord and not to men.

Or maybe those of you

who are students would

say, well, Pastor Scheer,

you don't know my

teacher.

You don't know how

difficult things are in

my classroom.

And to that, Jesus

would say, respect your

authorities.

Follow after them as

those who are

representatives and

stewards of God.

God's in control of

those things.

He desires for us to

submit to the

governing authorities

as to Christ.

Christ.

Rather than take

matters into our

hands, we submit to

the will of the

Father as Christ did.

And then we can see

the power of God

show up in our

lives.

So this morning, as

we consider the

elements today, we

consider the obedience

of Christ and what he

accomplished for us.

And as we take those

elements, and I'm

going to ask the men

to come as I pray, as

we take those elements,

consider this morning

how God wants us, how

he wants you, to obey

and submit to him in

the circumstances in

which you find yourself

this week.

Let me pray for us

again.

Amen.