back to indexPassion Week Devotional - Thursday 4.09
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We pray that this week has been going well for you. 00:09:10.280 |
Let's open up our time tonight in a word of prayer. 00:09:36.160 |
We pray that you would really soften our hearts, 00:09:39.920 |
humble us, help us to understand a little bit of your sorrow 00:09:45.760 |
and help us to appreciate more deeply tonight your love. 00:10:58.880 |
♪ When you come in glory for the world to see ♪ 00:12:27.200 |
♪ When you come in glory for the world to see ♪ 00:17:52.400 |
There's a lot that happens on this final day, 00:17:54.780 |
but we can break it up into three major chunks. 00:17:57.880 |
The first is that it's the season of the Passover. 00:18:11.020 |
These are the events that occur on this Thursday. 00:18:13.680 |
To look at the first, it's the season of the Passover. 00:18:17.580 |
We see a continuing theme of everything being preordained. 00:18:26.380 |
and deliberately prepared for Jesus and his disciples. 00:18:36.360 |
And we see God's continuing deliberate action. 00:18:39.200 |
We saw this past Sunday that there's this donkey 00:18:42.780 |
And we see that even in this last Passover meal, 00:19:04.160 |
"when the Passover lamb was being sacrificed, 00:19:12.740 |
"And he sent two of his disciples and said to them, 00:19:25.320 |
"in which I may eat the Passover with my disciples? 00:19:28.420 |
"And he himself will show you a large upper room 00:19:46.720 |
He knew there was gonna be a man they would encounter. 00:19:52.040 |
He knew that this man would go back to another man 00:20:06.400 |
And in verse 16 there, if you look at that again, 00:20:39.160 |
which is now popularly called the Last Supper. 00:20:50.800 |
or one little area, one day, that was prepared. 00:20:59.220 |
Every scene falls under a sovereign and definite plan. 00:21:07.600 |
has been deliberately prepared for the coming of this Jesus. 00:21:16.360 |
It's that Jesus was the whole and entire purpose 00:21:22.960 |
impatient, waiting for Jesus to finally come. 00:21:33.240 |
But every time, every year as the Passover came and went, 00:21:42.120 |
Tragically, the Jews are still practicing it today. 00:21:48.840 |
"And the Father who sent me, he has testified of me. 00:21:52.440 |
"You have neither heard his voice at any time 00:22:16.360 |
"Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father. 00:22:22.600 |
"For if you believed Moses, you would believe me, 00:22:27.040 |
He's saying all of these things written in scripture 00:22:29.940 |
have been deliberately planned out for his coming. 00:22:41.560 |
was an event that occurred during the days of Moses 00:22:45.740 |
Yahweh God was on his way to freeing his people from Egypt, 00:22:49.600 |
and he used these 10 plagues to force his hand. 00:22:56.040 |
God sent an angel of death to kill every firstborn, 00:22:59.560 |
that's important, every firstborn son of Egypt. 00:23:08.060 |
He would not simply spare the Israelites' firstborn sons. 00:23:15.620 |
"a one-year-old male lamb for each household, 00:23:23.080 |
And in this way, if for those who followed that command, 00:23:28.080 |
for those who placed their faith in what he was saying, 00:23:31.160 |
the angel of death would pass over their house, 00:23:38.680 |
he includes an interesting detail regarding this Passover. 00:23:41.580 |
"Now if the household is too small for a lamb, 00:23:46.080 |
"then he and his neighbor nearest to his house 00:23:48.760 |
"are to take one according to the number of persons in them. 00:23:57.400 |
See, this lamb was important not only for the blood 00:24:04.160 |
but the flesh of the lamb must also be consumed 00:24:08.680 |
And in it, God's wrath would pass over those individuals 00:24:13.420 |
who had both the flesh and the blood of the lamb 00:24:22.560 |
The slaughtering of lambs and goats and animals 00:24:41.420 |
This is what the disciples would have been thinking 00:24:56.240 |
And Jesus, just like he has been saying about so many things, 00:25:02.560 |
Jesus is saying, it's not the bread, it's not the water, 00:25:05.420 |
it's not these signs that you see, but it's me. 00:25:25.100 |
There is no more looking at the sign, he is here. 00:25:31.520 |
After thousands of years of waiting, he's saying, here I am. 00:25:35.660 |
And so in Mark 14, 22, on this Passover night, 00:25:40.060 |
it says in scripture, while they were eating, 00:25:46.980 |
he broke it and gave it to them and said, take it. 00:25:51.140 |
And when he had taken a cup and given thanks, 00:25:53.340 |
he gave it to them and they all drank from it 00:25:55.220 |
and he said to them, this is my blood of the covenant, 00:26:16.900 |
It was all to point to him, the only one who could save. 00:26:26.580 |
This brings us to our second part of this evening, 00:26:33.780 |
Now this upper room is where they've been sharing 00:26:37.860 |
This upper room discourse is happening concurrently 00:26:48.920 |
If you could turn with me to John chapter 13. 00:26:51.180 |
Very familiar passage, but it's important to remember 00:26:57.580 |
that this is during the same time as this last supper, 00:27:02.860 |
In John 13 three, Jesus, knowing that the father 00:27:12.560 |
got up from supper and laid aside his garments 00:27:21.720 |
and to wipe them with the towel with which he was girded. 00:27:37.600 |
Peter said to him, never shall you wash my feet. 00:27:50.260 |
Simon Peter said to him, Lord, then wash not only my feet, 00:28:00.080 |
needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean. 00:28:06.320 |
So when he had washed their feet and taken his garments 00:28:09.120 |
and reclined at the table again, he said to them, 00:28:20.900 |
If I then, the Lord and the teacher, washed your feet, 00:28:29.520 |
For I gave you an example that you also should do 00:28:37.120 |
He's saying, I am your teacher, I am your Lord, 00:28:41.720 |
and yet I am stooping down, humbly washing your feet, 00:29:03.320 |
The significance of the feet washing will be realized 00:29:13.000 |
He says, if I don't wash you, you have no part with me. 00:29:16.800 |
He's not talking about the washing of their feet. 00:29:20.360 |
Jesus is showing that he must cleanse them of their sins, 00:29:32.360 |
This is a picture of only what Jesus could do for us. 00:29:36.120 |
This is a picture of only what can be described 00:29:50.520 |
In Philippians chapter two, verses five through eight, 00:30:01.920 |
did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 00:30:05.820 |
but emptied himself, taking the form of a bond servant, 00:30:15.820 |
to the point of death, even death on a cross. 00:30:21.500 |
of these disciples is their master kneeling down 00:30:25.460 |
And this picture was what was extravagant enough, 00:30:30.500 |
but what it points at is infinitely more extravagant. 00:30:36.500 |
We stare at what Jesus is trying to portray here, 00:31:00.820 |
the son of man came not to be served, but to serve. 00:31:12.900 |
To lay down his life, he came not to be served, 00:31:20.020 |
Remember what John says later in 1 John 3.16, 00:31:26.580 |
we know, loved by this, that he laid down his life for us 00:31:30.340 |
and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 00:31:34.220 |
So in John 13.34, when he says in this upper room discourse, 00:31:42.300 |
which is where we get the word mandi, that means command, 00:31:46.100 |
a new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, 00:31:49.080 |
even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 00:31:53.140 |
By this, all men will know that you are my disciples 00:32:02.920 |
We stare at our Lord and Savior, our God, our King, 00:32:16.360 |
showing us how he will in just a few days die, 00:32:22.640 |
This was God in heaven, born in the form of a servant 00:32:26.240 |
as a man, dying the criminal's death on the cross, 00:32:32.960 |
and a debasement, saying that he would take our place. 00:32:42.700 |
And he as God was stooping before these disciples 00:33:06.320 |
do you know what the disciples were fighting over? 00:33:32.740 |
as Pastor Peter talked about Judas last night, who left. 00:34:15.260 |
Jesus walks over to the Garden of Gethsemane, 00:34:30.000 |
And he leaves Peter, James, and John to pray, 00:34:34.740 |
and he goes a little bit deeper into the garden 00:34:39.180 |
We see this in Matthew 26, if you could turn there. 00:34:53.560 |
And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, 00:34:59.680 |
"My soul is deeply grieved to the point of death. 00:35:09.440 |
"My father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me. 00:35:20.320 |
I mean, Jesus was grieved, and he was distressed. 00:35:27.960 |
someone who has a heart that's heavy and weighty. 00:35:35.080 |
I mean, this is Jesus who has never really feared anything. 00:35:43.960 |
in the middle of a storm in the Mediterranean, 00:35:51.480 |
someone who could look at death and bring to life, 00:35:53.960 |
someone not afraid to go against the religious leaders. 00:35:57.280 |
And here he is, in the middle of this garden, 00:36:05.100 |
in a pit, in darkness, with the walls closing around him, 00:36:10.140 |
about to face an eternal, mountainous wrath of God, 00:36:16.380 |
I mean, I remember what it was like to fear hell. 00:36:21.720 |
And I no longer need to feel that fear any longer. 00:36:35.880 |
So he asked Peter and James and John to pray with him, 00:36:43.940 |
because perhaps he had more intimate relationships with them. 00:37:03.560 |
At this point, we might conclude that God the Father 00:37:08.420 |
Maybe that's why Jesus repeats this prayer three times. 00:37:19.720 |
My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me, 00:37:30.760 |
But in his second request, it's very enlightening. 00:37:37.680 |
My Father, this cannot pass away unless I drink it. 00:37:54.720 |
from drinking every drop of the wrath of God? 00:38:13.640 |
His prayer all night long was his passionate plea, 00:38:35.120 |
He lived his entire life to be a sacrifice for others. 00:38:38.340 |
He would give his life so that others may find life. 00:38:51.720 |
Jesus, or he offered up both prayers and supplications 00:39:03.640 |
I think that the Father definitely heard Jesus. 00:39:07.520 |
We get another glimpse in the differing account. 00:39:19.920 |
Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me, 00:39:30.440 |
Being in agony, he was praying very fervently, 00:39:40.520 |
But like it says in Isaiah 53, four, of Jesus, 00:39:46.400 |
the Father's will and the Son's will were in alignment. 00:39:54.800 |
In Isaiah 53, four, surely our griefs he himself bore, 00:40:15.320 |
If he would render himself as a guilt offering. 00:40:44.200 |
yet the Father and Son had the same will this evening. 00:40:53.720 |
with the body and the blood of the Son given for us. 00:40:57.040 |
It was to fulfill a Christ act of service and love 00:41:04.000 |
that the one true God who made all of the world, 00:41:20.040 |
that in his service we might be washed of sin, 00:41:23.040 |
that he would taste death so that we would not have to. 00:41:36.760 |
Tonight in this incredible grief and distress 00:41:49.520 |
with resolve to know what he came here to do deliberately. 00:41:56.120 |
I pray that as we are now right at the precipice 00:42:12.960 |
Thank you, God, that he did not have to walk this path 00:47:21.480 |
Father, we thank you for just your word tonight. 00:47:24.220 |
And we thank you God for praying on our behalf 00:47:44.600 |
Father, that this would not just be religious fact for us, 00:48:11.200 |
We confess, God, that there was no other way. 00:48:18.800 |
And we are thankful, Lord Jesus, for your obedience.