INTO THE NIGHT: JESUS
Jesus has had a big week. He entered into Jerusalem as the celebrated King riding a donkey colt as people lined the streets praising Him. On Thursday night, Jesus is eating His last meal with His disciples, Judas already having made the deal to betray Him on Tuesday. After the meal, Judas went out into the night and betrayed Him and then hanged himself. Peter went out into the night and failed Jesus greatly by denying Him. The other disciples scattered in the night when Jesus was arrested. But what about Jesus? He also went into a long dark night.
1. THE NIGHT OF GRIEF.
A. Distress in the Darkness.
Lk 22:39-44 39 And He came out and proceeded as was His custom to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples also followed Him. 40 When He arrived at the place, He said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” 41 And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and began to pray, 42 saying, “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.” 43 Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him. 44 And being in agony He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground.
* Jesus praying in the Garden. He was grieved and troubled. He knew what lay ahead of Him. Betrayal by Judas, the rest would desert Him. A long night of false accusations and trials followed by a day of torture and death. He knew that He’d be resurrected, so maybe death wasn’t the thing that troubled Him most. The pain/torture would be horrific, though. He needs strength. God sent an angel came to strengthen Him.
As you go thru your dark times of distress, remember that you are never really alone. God does not forsake His children. He is with you!
Lk 22:45-46 45 When He rose from prayer, He came to the disciples and found them sleeping from sorrow, 46 and said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not enter into temptation.”
Strengthened during His time of prayer, He rises to face His destiny. He had come to the earth and became a man. He did many amazing things in His life, but now is the time to do what He came to do.
B. Betrayal’s Dark Heart.
Lk 22:47-48 47 While He was still speaking, behold, a crowd came, and the one called Judas, one of the twelve, was preceding them; and he approached Jesus to kiss Him. 48 But Jesus said to him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?”
If you’ve ever been betrayed by someone you’ve loved, you can imagine the pain this caused Jesus.
He could have struck Judas and the others dead right there, but He did not.
This ought to bring you and me comfort. We have sinned against God- we’ve broken His laws, we’ve denied Him, and we’ve also betrayed Him. Yet, He does not sit on the edge of His seat waiting for us to fail Him so He can destroy.
Instead,
2 Pet 3:9 He is patient with {us}, not willing for any of {us} to perish, but for all to come to repentance.
C. Trials thru the Night.
Lk 22:53-54 53 While I was with you daily in the temple, you did not lay hands on Me; but [k]this hour and the power of darkness are yours.” 54 Having arrested Him, they led Him away and brought Him to the house of the high priest; but Peter was following at a distance.
Notice as Jesus is led away, Peter is following from a distance. Not just geographically, but spiritually. Why do we so easily fail Christ? Because we don’t stay close to Him. We are satisfied with occasional contact with Him, but, as Peter found out, we cannot be filled with the Spirit from a distance. Are you tired of living a dry empty life of spiritual failure? Why don’t you commit today to worship Him regularly instead of just occasionally from a distance?
Lk 22:63-65 63 Now the men who were holding Jesus in custody were mocking Him and beating Him, 64 and they blindfolded Him and were asking Him, saying, “Prophesy, who is the one who hit You?” 65 And they were saying many other things against Him, blaspheming.
At the home of the high priest, they begin to beat Him and mock Him.
They blasphemed Him and brought false witnesses to lie against Him. These trials lasted thru the night. Morning came and He was weary and exhausted and hurting from the abuse.
The trials continued before Herod and Pilate. Finally, at the demands of the people, Pilate condemned Jesus to death. First, though, the guards stretched Him out and whipped Him until the flesh tore from His body. Then, they put the cross on His back and ordered Him to carry it through the city to the Hill where He would be killed.
2. THE DARKNESS OF DEATH.
A. At Death’s Door.
Lk 23:33 33 When they came to the place called The Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left.
They drove nails in His hands and feet and raised Him up to die for the sins of man. Those watching knew His fate was now sealed, for no one survives a Roman crucifixion. But his fate was already sealed long before any of them were born. Before man was created. Before, even, the Creation of the world.
God knew that you and I and every person that ever lived would sin against Him and receive the curse of death upon us. God purposed, though, that Jesus the Son would come to the earth as the Perfect Lamb of God, to sacrifice Himself on the cross to pay the price for our sins so that we might be forgiven through repentance and faith in Him.
* So, Jesus came to the earth for one purpose and that was to die!
2 Cor 5:21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
As Jesus was dying on the Cross, filled with the sins of humanity all thru the ages, He became a living representation of sin to the Father.
The Father poured out His wrath on the body of Jesus the Son and turned His face from Him for God is Holy and will not look upon sin.
Mt 24:46 records Jesus crying out “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
So, Jesus died on that cross alone that day 2000 years ago. Bleeding in agony on a cross that He did not deserve. Dying in our place.
Lk 23:46 And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, “Father, Into Your hands I commit My Spirit.” Having said this, He breathed His last.
And, it was over. The crowds left. The disciples were scattered. The dream of salvation seemingly destroyed on that day. The body of Jesus was taken down from the Cross and laid on the ground.
* It seems as if it is all over, but is it?
B. The Solitude of the Tomb.
Lk 23:50-53 50 And a man named Joseph, who was a member of the Council, a good and righteous man 51 (he had not consented to their plan and action), a man from Arimathea, a city of the Jews, who was waiting for the kingdom of God; 52 this man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. 53 And he took it down and wrapped it in a linen cloth, and laid Him in a tomb cut into the rock, where no one had ever lain.
So Joseph of Arimethea takes the body of Jesus and places it in the tomb.
And there the body of Jesus lay in the darkest of places known to man, the grave. The place of death.
In your life, you will face times like this. Where all your hopes and dreams seem destroyed and that there is no hope left in this world. But don’t give up!
** God has a way of bringing Light into the darkest of places.
3. THE LIGHT OF THE RESURRECTION.
Lk 24:1-8 But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. 2 And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men suddenly stood near them in dazzling clothing; 5 and as the women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living One among the dead? 6 He is not here, but He has [a]risen. Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee, 7 saying that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.” 8 And they remembered His words,
“They remembered His words”. What came to their minds?
* His Words of Love and Hope.
* His Teaching on salvation and faith.
* His speaking about His own death and Resurrection. Can it be true?
But I imagine their thoughts eventually went back to a dark time maybe a year before when Lazarus had died and Martha and Mary were weeping to Jesus about his death.
* Jesus had told Martha, “Your brother will rise again!”
* Martha responded, “I know he will rise again at the Resurrection.”
* Jesus lovingly said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”
I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE!
He plainly stated Who He is. “I Am” Yahweh, the Eternal God.
I Am the God Who resurrected the dead and dying..........AND....
I Am the God Who resurrected Lazarus, your brother.... even better
I Am the God that will even resurrect Myself. And, even more,
I Am the God that can bring life to anything that has died.
And our Father in Heaven wants you to know Who this Jesus is today!
He is The Great I AM and Whatever you need Him to be today, HE IS!
When your body is sick.... Jesus says “I am Your Healer.”
When your finances are gone...Jesus says “I Am Your Provider.”
When your marriage is falling apart... Jesus says “I Am your Restorer!”
The Lord is saying to us today:
I am the Resurrection!
I am the God Who Delivers!
I am the God Who Saves!
I am the God Who Restores! .......
AND------WHATEVER YOU NEED ME TO BE....... I AM !
The question Jesus is asking you today is the same question He asked Martha 2000 yrs ago, “Do you believe this?”
