Were You There? | Jerry Harris

Well, good morning Crossing Church, how are you doing this

fine day? Doing?

All right, it's a good day. It's been a good weekend,

Alison. I let our third marriage

Retreat, the last two days and God's doing great work there.

The one before that there was a couple that were they they were

in the front table and he kept coming up to me after sessions

and was going that that was just really just really being

appreciative of what he was hearing.

And someone took me aside and said that couple, she's a

Believer. He's not a Believer, and he's

being baptized this week, at Pike, County to praise God for

that, you know, that's, it's just good that God has this

ability to do these incredible things and he does it on his own

and we get to walk with him and we get to Experience it along

with him, but see the Holy Spirit work.

See God, work in such profound ways.

So thankful for that, hope that you are experiencing that in

your life. Welcome.

All the campuses that are joining with us from all over

this region. So thankful for each and every

one of you. If you're inside her online,

we're thankful for you as well. Well, do something.

I don't usually do haven't done for a long time.

But I want to remind you. Of a song.

Very old song. Some of you may remember this

song, Were You There When They Crucified My Lord?

You know the song? Were You There When They

Crucified My Lord? Oh, sometimes it causes me to

tremble. Tremble.

Tremble, Were You There When They Crucified My Lord?

Yeah, that song was sung. Decades. before it was ever

written down in notes and words, That was done in 1899 but it

goes all the way back to maybe the 1810s 1820s.

Is an African American spiritual.

That was it was the first spiritual that was printed in

him books for American church, goers to sing in church and in

worship. And there's only one line in

that in that song that changes with its four verses.

But what it actually does is it conveys this emotion, it's a

powerful song. I don't know what it is about

the way that the the the music is Pictured with the lyrics but

it conveys, this emotion. This understanding of suffering,

And being connected to that suffering.

And that makes sense. Because as an African American

spiritual, that was shared and handed down as people were

singing it. They would understand that in

enslavement, They would understand suffering because

while they could not be eyewitnesses to what happened to

Jesus, that's the ask the question, were you there?

They weren't there, we weren't there, but they were connected

with the suffering and there would be a deeper understanding

Suffering, The Suffering, a proximity to it that of what

Jesus had actually done for them.

And I wanted to think about that because where we are in the Book

of John is in the passion of Jesus.

And what Jesus did when he went to the Cross died, for our sins,

and have all of the writers of the gospels, only John, Could

claim to have personally, experienced all that happened to

Jesus. When he went to that cross.

Because John was there. I mean, he could sing that song

that African American spiritual with authority because he was

there. He was there with the rest of

the Apostles, when Jesus prayed in the garden.

But when Jesus was arrested, John stood alone among the

twelve, he was the only one that witnessed the full impact of

what happened to his best friend.

You know, it's one thing and I want you to think about this,

it's only it's one thing to hear about something that took place.

Ace and to try to feel that emotion vicariously, but it's

quite another when you are immersed, in it yourself.

And while all the other disciples could give an account

of their time in the Garden of Gethsemane because they were

all, they're only Peter and John would know what it was like to

follow Jesus. When he was bound and taken to

the house of the high priest Caiaphas, and then Peter would

deny Jesus and he would run away.

And so it was John and John alone that endured the rest.

Seeing Jesus beaten at the high priest house.

Being blindfolded in mocked and humiliated, you know, prophesy

who who hits you in the face, would have been John, that would

have followed him to the Roman authorities, who would have seen

him scourged beaten with a cat of nine tails.

The 39 lashes would have heard, his anguish would have

witnessed, his pain, would have seen him humiliated heard the

mobs, bloodlust for his death, Death by crucifixion.

He would have watched pilot when he washed his hands and said he

was innocent of Jesus blood, he would have walked behind Jesus

as he carried his cross. He would have seen his best

friend. His savior being held down to

those pieces of wood and having his body nailed to.

That would, he would have heard the agony of it that he would

have experienced the spattered blood.

His body being stripped naked and being laid bare in front of

everyone else, the insults he would have heard the anguish of

Jesus mother because he was right there holding her.

The pain filled words that Jesus shared from the cross, all of

it. And that is why when we come to

the Book of John and we come to this particular part of the Book

of John, we have to listen to him.

And like the song asks a question.

John makes the statement. He was there.

When They Crucified his Lord, he was there in the sweat and the

spit and the blood he was there in all those screams of pain and

the wrenching. Anguish and the Relentless

cursing, he was there. When the sun went out and that

it would they were all subjected to Darkness, he was there in the

hopelessness and in the Despair and in the defeat he was there.

Pushing back his own fear. His instincts for

fight-or-flight his own personal trauma.

And in all of this. What does John choose to see?

What does his gospel reflect? Maybe we need to step back out

of that drama for just a moment and understand a little bit more

about the Gospel of John. So, the Gospel of John was

written between 90 and 100 AD. And John is about the same age

as that time frame so he's probably in his late 80s, his

early 90s, very old man when he wrote the Gospel of John so it

it's showing you not just the event that happened but you're

getting a flavor of how John was processing it through his entire

life and all of his experiences like what he had seen on that

day. And you have to know that by

this late. He has read the other gospels.

He's read Matthew, Mark and Luke but he doesn't rely on them for

his gospel. Somewhat like Solomon in

Ecclesiastes. He sees his life.

John does, as more of a whole because he's at the end of his

life and he's drawing conclusions from that.

But unlike Solomon, you remember Psalm was like everything is

meaningless because he was looking back on his life and he

wasn't seeing any value to his life.

And here, John writing, the Book of John, is looking back on his

life, but unlike Solomon, he doesn't see his life is

meaningless. And instead He sees Jesus as

this Messiah. He sees life is precious and

purposeful because of what Jesus has done what he has

accomplished. And so as we go through this

passage of scripture, I want you to see what John sees, Jesus,

the Messiah, the first place we see it is in Jesus prayer.

In Gethsemane, you know, when we read about John, John was always

close to Jesus. He was always sitting next to

Jesus. He was right by Jesus.

There was always that proximity and so he was able to hear what

Jesus was praying and so Jesus, In John 17, s a reflection of

that, that John was actually hearing that with his own ears

while the others were sleeping. If you might recall.

And what we see in this prayer in John 17 is Jesus being our

high priest. He's being our Advocate, our

defense lawyer before Heavenly Father and where he begins this

prayer is in praying for himself, Jesus prays for

himself, look at 17 verses 1 to 5.

After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed,

father. The hour has come Glorify your

son. This is very interesting because

he's talking about his crucifixion and he uses that

word to describe it. Glorification.

Glorify your son. That your son may glorify you.

For you granted him authority over all people that he might

give eternal life to all those. You have given him now, this is

eternal life that they may know you.

The only true God and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

And now father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I

had with you before the world began.

Glorify me. Lift Me Up.

He is giving himself over to the father.

This is not Jesus praying that God would take this away from

him. This is Jesus saying use this to

its fullest extent to impact. The world used me Father Empower

me in this way. He is praying as the sacrifice.

And I love that because he's the high priest and the sacrifice at

the same time. The moves from praying for

himself to praying for his disciples.

We read that in John 17 a little later.

It says I have revealed you to Those whom you gave me out of

the world, they were yours. You gave them to me and they

have obeyed your word. I will remain in the world no

longer, but they are still in the world that I am coming to

you. Holy Father, protect them by the

power of your name. The name you gave me so that

they may be one even as we are one sanctify them by the truth.

Your word. Is truth.

That's a definition will need that later on in the sermon.

As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.

You see, he knows that even though the group of people that

he's impacted with his personal words is only so big.

He knows that those disciples are going to go out and they're

going to change the world. That the whole world is going to

hear about him through their message.

He thanks, God, that he's set. Those people aside for that

purpose and he's praying that they be empowered to take a

message, the message of the Gospel which is he is in the

process of completing through his death, burial and

resurrection and take it out to a world that so desperately

needs hope. And then he moves to you.

And to me, he prays for us, John 17, 22, 23, my prayer is not for

them alone. I pray also for those who will

believe in me through their message, that all of them may be

one. Father, just as you are in me

and I am in. You may they also be in us so

that the world may believe that you have sent me.

I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be

one, even as we are one i in them and you and me.

So that they may be brought to complete Unity, then the world

will know that you've sent me and have loved them even as

you've loved me. See, this is Jesus being the

Good Shepherd. He's holding us together.

That's what a Shepherd does, right?

He keeps the flock together. He keeps them from wandering and

straying. He wants them to be one.

And you know what? For what purpose, so that he can

bring us home. He'll bring us all home

together. What is this prayer in the

Garden of Gethsemane? Show us Jesus, the Messiah.

John looks back. Remembers that prayer.

And says he's the Messiah. Can't you see what I see?

He moves forward from the garden because we can also see this

reality in Jesus arrest and his trials.

And in his beating see John remind us reminds us in his

narrative that Jesus never has stopped being who he is.

He is still God In the Flesh. He is still this all-powerful

being who is submitting himself to this.

And that never changes through this whole narrative.

It never changes. He never becomes less than that.

Look at John 18, 4 through 9 Jesus, knowing all that was

going to happen to him because he is God.

Went out and asked him, who is that you want?

See this is a mob of soldiers and Judas is leading them to

arrest Jesus in The Garden of Gethsemane.

Jesus of Nazareth, they replied and Jesus says these words, I am

he That's me only doesn't go that's me.

He uses these two words. Those are profound words in the

Bible. I am.

Jesus said and Judas, the traitor was standing there with

them. When Jesus said I am he look

what happened? They drew back and fell to the

ground. Really, if I said, I am he.

What would you do? Okay, well then put your hands

behind your back. We're going to know.

They draw back and fall to the ground because he's using those

two words. And it has that kind of power

creates that kind of blowback. And again he asked him can you

see can you imagine in your mind?

Can you see them? Like why did I fall back?

Like what what blew me over and they're trying to get back to

their feet and get their swords re situated and and kind of you

know, their armor back and wondering what happened to them.

And in Jesus says, who is it? You want.

And they said, Jesus of Nazareth, they said and he

answered, I told you that I am he, if you are looking for me,

didn't let these men go. This happened so that the words

he had spoken would be fulfilled.

I have not lost one of those you gave me.

Jesus was is and always will be The Great.

I Am. That name of god, Jehovah

Yahweh. Incarnate In the Flesh and he

makes that very, very clear to those people in that Garden,

that shows you the power. He had over that moment.

He didn't have to go through any of this.

But he chose to do it. He willingly did it because of

how much he loves us. But Jesus did not hesitate to

make his innocence. Clear.

Look at John 18, 19 to 24. Meanwhile, the high priest

questioned Jesus about his disciples in his teaching, I

have spoken openly to the world. Jesus replied, I've always

taught in the synagogues or at the temple where all the Jews

come together. I've said nothing in secret.

If I said something wrong, Jesus, replied testify to what

is wrong. Tell me what I've said that's

wrong, but if I spoke the truth, why did you strike me?

Then anise was the former high priest sitting bound to Caiaphas

the present, high priest, that high priest.

So, Jesus makes no bones about it.

That, that he hasn't done anything wrong and they know

that they just want to get rid of him because they see him as

such a threat. And then Jesus is taken to

Caiaphas and then he's taken to Pontius Pilate and John records.

The discussion between Jesus and Pontius Pilate and he explains

the kingdom of God to a pagan. Look at John 1835 be and

following your own people and chief priest hand.

You over to me, this is what pilate said, what is it?

You've done. Jesus said, my kingdom is not of

this world. If it were my servants would

fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders.

But now my kingdom is from another place.

Oh you are a king then pilate said pilate.

Jesus answered. You say that I'm a king.

In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to

testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of Truth,

listens to me. And then pilot responds with

those three words. What is truth?

Retorted pilot with this. He went out again to the Jews

gathered there and said I find no basis for a charge against

him. But it is your custom for me to

release to you, one prisoner at the time of the Passover.

Do you want me to release the king of the Jews?

They shouted back. No, not him.

Give us Barabbas. What is truth?

We have a whole generation of whole culture today in America,

that reflects those very same words.

Truth is whatever you want it to be.

Truth is relative truth moves. My truth and your truth.

Don't have to be the same truth. We live in a post truth.

Culture. Well, that's what pagans

believe, whatever. Fits me at any particular time.

But the truth is and the, as as the truth was, because the truth

was that truth was standing right in front of Pontius

Pilate. The embodiment of it.

And the truth is today that the truth is standing right in front

of you because Jesus is in this room.

He's in every one of these rooms where we're worshipping right

now and he stands before you. And you don't have to ask the

question. What is truth?

Maybe you could answer ask this question, who is truth?

and here Jesus is words from John 14, say I am The truth.

He's the Messiah. We see it in Jesus's crucifixion

because now the scene that John relates to us, turns deadly,

John, 19 1, through 3, then pilate took Jesus and had him

flogged. That's the that's the scourge,

and the soldiers Twisted together, a crown of thorns and

they put it on his head and they clothed him in a purple robe and

they went up to him again. And again, saying hail King of

the Jews, they slapped him in the face.

Hmm. See John writes those words and

you know what he's thinking, he's thinking that was my

beating Jesus that you took for me.

That was my humiliation. But I say the same thing, I read

John's words and I say, Jesus, that was my beating.

That was my humiliation. The sentence that was pronounced

on you. That was my sentence.

That you're taking for me. Because he's the Messiah.

And now John writes the words of that once, and for all sacrifice

in John, 19, starting in verse 17, carrying his own cross.

He went out to the place of the skull, which in Aramaic is

called Golgotha and there they crucified him and with him two,

others, one on each side, and Jesus in the middle and near the

cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother's Sister Mary, the

wife of clopas Yes, and Mary Magdalene.

When Jesus saw his mother there and the disciple whom he loved,

that's John standing nearby. He said to her woman, here is

your son. And to the disciple.

Here is your mother, and from that time, on this disciple,

John took her marry into his home.

John was there. He was there.

And what did he see? the same thing that he saw

reflecting in his mind and in his heart, six decades later, as

an old man, he saw the Messiah and when Jesus said it is

finished from the cross, it was It was finished.

And I can imagine all of those thoughts and memories and and

illustrations and word pictures, flooding into John's mind.

That he finished it all. When he died on the cross, he

was there for all of it. But I wasn't there.

And you weren't there. And I don't wish I was there.

Do you do you wish you could have been there to see that I

want a bit wanted to be as far away from that as possible.

Now, when I think about, it's funny to me, but there are

times, I'm reading God's word and I was, I'm thinking to

myself, I really wish I was there but the things that I wish

I was there for are all the good things I want.

I want to be there for the good ones.

I want to be there for the ones that with without all the fear.

And without all the stress without all the pain, but if I

were there, If I would have been there.

Which part in the story would I have played?

Well, honestly, I don't think I would have been there.

I wouldn't have been at the cross.

I wouldn't have heard what Jesus said.

I wouldn't had have experience with my senses.

What was happening? I don't know what would have

kept me away. It might have been like, the

majority of the apostles who just scattered when Jesus was

arrested in the garden and it just ran away. because, Would

you agree with me honestly that there are times when it's just

easier to run? It's just easier to avoid the

stress and the pressure times. When I'll say inside my head, I

just need to take care of me. I need to regroup, I need to

think this through and then later on when things are

settled, maybe then I'll come back when things get more

comfortable. I might have been like that.

I don't think I would have been there in.

And you know why I might have been like Peter.

Maybe I would have stepped a little further into the danger.

Only to fold up when somebody points the finger directly at me

like they did to him. and in that moment, I would actually

realize like Peter did, how flawed my faith is how shallow

it can be given the right set of circumstances or Temptations and

in those moments. I start to hate what I learn

about myself and I begin to question like you begin to

question is my faith even real at all?

Or God forbid. I might think I know better than

Jesus Does. And I attempt to bend his will

to my will. If he would only do what I tell

him to do, we would all be better off.

In those prideful times, I really look more like Judas.

Than anybody else. I get so caught up in my own ego

that I can't couldn't see the big picture if it were hung

around my neck. You know, when I read the

narrative that John writes for us, I don't think that he

portrays himself as a hero not in this gospel.

And if anyone would see him in any light, that way it would

just be. Because of this, he just didn't

leave. And that's a lot more than we

may think. Jesus could see him from the

cross while he's dying holding on to his mother, he could speak

to him and be heard by him even while he was in agony.

Jesus knew that he wasn't alone, his friend was there.

When all everyone else abandoned him, his friend was there.

And maybe that is the most powerful thing we can do, when

we walk in faith with Jesus to refuse to walk away.

Even when it doesn't make sense, even when it hurts, even when

I'm confused, even when I'm discouraged, even when I feel

like I'm alone, I just don't walk away.

Even when it gets hard, when I don't have all the answers, what

it looks like everything is upside down when our feelings in

our Temptations, get the best of us to just hang in there.

because that is what friends do. And that is what Jesus did for

me. And that is what Jesus did for

you. literally, He hung in there.

In that space between worlds. Where he bore our sins.

Where he endured the rejection of God, because of the sin that

he bore. And that makes him whether I

recognize it or not. Whether I live according to it

or not, it makes him my best friend.

Even when sometimes I'm a pretty poor friend.

To him. I want you to be thinking today,

all of our locations. as we spend time, thinking about

Thanksgiving and thinking about the birth of the Lord Jesus,

That we remember. That, that all led to a cross.

So that he could be what John is sharing with you today.

The Messiah, your Messiah. Would you think about that as we

move to a time of decision? So, I want to encourage you

today. To think.

About this reality. To look back at that question,

Were You There When They Crucified My Lord?

Were You There When They nailed him to the tree?

We were you there. When the sun refused Shish to

shine, Were You There When They laid him in the Tomb?

Want you to think about that. In your heart and your mind.

Because we weren't there. but I wonder, It's the reality, the

truth of that story and how it affects you across two

millennia. I wonder if In This Moment.

It might cause you. To tremble.

To tremble. To tremble.

Some of you in this room have never Come into an intimate

personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Maybe you've attended church for a long time.

Maybe you're related to people that have been committed to the

Lord, but for you, it's been more.

Tradition than relationship more rules.

Than relationship. and I wonder, If In This Moment, the fact that

Jesus is real, that he's here that what he did actually

happened and that he did it for you, he prayed for you in the

garden. He was arrested for you.

He's beating for you, he's crucified for you.

He died on that cross in Haiti for you. if maybe, for the first

time, it becomes personal. And it causes you.

To tremble. Maybe to the point where you

would walk up to the front of this church over by the

baptistry right there, where someone will be standing and say

it's just no good anymore. 22 just know the story.

He has to be my savior. I want to step in to that

reality. because someday, if you do that, you will be there.

Not Where They Crucified My Lord.

But where he sits on his throne. And where he looks at you with

familiarize. And recognizes you.

And maybe points you out and says, I know you, I know you.

Do you make that decision today? If you've never made it and many

of you here today, have made that decision.

And, you know, we're just right here on the front edge.

The cusp of this crazy season of the year, for some of us, it's

heartbreaking. For some of us, it's incredible.

And the distractions are overwhelming. and in the midst

of all the stuff that's happening, all around us, and in

our homes and with our families and in our relationships, and

our communities, That we would just say Lord I want to be

there, I want to live in this moment with you.

And I'm going to invite you to come up and get down on your

knees up here at these steps and just commit your way to the

Lord. Just spend some time with him,

you know, in the garden, they all fell asleep.

While he was begging them to pray with him.

Watch with me. And you can just kind of be

here. But you could say, you know,

Lord, I'm going to live in this moment.

I'm going to be here, right? I want you to see that I'm right

here with you. In This Moment.

And you can come up here, get down on your knees and spend

some time with the one who went far further than his knees for

you. Would you stand with me?

Let's pray. Heavenly Father and Jesus name.

This moment as every moment belongs to you, but we pray.

Father, that would, we would relinquish any illusion of

control and let you reign in our hearts, in this moment, as we

respond. Pond to you the king of kings,

and the Lord of lords, even while you're bleeding, even

while you're dying, even when you're in agony, no, less the

king. Glorified before your heavenly

father, lifted up to draw all of us to the foot of your cross.

In Jesus name, amen. In Jesus name, amen.