Jason Bobis - Class 4: Exhortation

Automatically transcribed. Accuracy is good but not perfect, and words are sometimes wrong. Trust the audio over the text.

1. 0:00

   Well, I'm thankful to be with you this morning, brothers and sisters, to remember the Lord Jesus Christ. It makes my heart happy to be here. And it's a pleasure to share with you the warm and the loving greetings of our brothers and sisters at the Enfield Ecclesia in South Australia, where I attend.

2. 0:17

   In this study, in the pursuit of biblical faith, we've traversed a vast territory in many ways. We've looked at the importance of faith, and we began with the question that if faith is so important that without faith it's impossible to please God, then what are we doing daily to work on our faith?

3. 0:35

   And we've asked the question, well, what even is faith? And we defined it as simply your connection to God, the reality of God in your daily life. Next, we suggested that the largest impact on our faith is our ability to believe that God is intimately involved in our lives, and that while he may not necessarily be the cause of everything that happens, he is certainly aware of it, and he permits things to happen, and he wants to help us through whatever it is that we're going through, and whatever it is that we face day by day.

4. 1:07

   He's deeply interested in our response to the ups and downs of life, because it's in these seemingly small things that the character of Christ is forged in us, or it isn't. We've gone over numerous verses that show what God thinks of us through the blood-covering sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ once we're baptized.

5. 1:29

   In our second session yesterday afternoon, we looked at thorns to our faith, or things that can prevent the growth and the development of it. And we concluded that the great biblical adversary is not some supernatural tempter, of course, but it's the voice in our mind that calls God a liar, that says that while God may be able to present some faultless before the throne of his grace, that surely isn't me.

6. 1:53

   It's the false accusation against the word of God that chokes our faith, and thus our connection to God. And then we looked at ways this morning in which God grows our faith. Specifically, we took a hard look at the role of suffering and the purpose behind it. And Scripture is very clear about the point and the purpose of suffering in 1 Peter 1, verse 7, where we're told it's all about the strengthening, not the severing, of our connection to God.

7. 2:18

   It's about the growth and development of our faith. This morning in Sunday School, we also looked at how we can be involved in growing our faith. And we said that the number one thing that we can do is we can develop our humility. And our humility begins by realizing what it is that God and the Lord Jesus Christ has done for us.

8. 2:39

   We have to keep ourselves from being the center of everything. And we rightfully put Christ at the center of our world. We remind ourselves that it's not about me. And we keep God at the center. We talked about reciprocating the love that God has shown us back to him, that our works have to be performed out of thankfulness and a willingness.

9. 3:01

   It's not that we're trying to prove to God that we want to be in his kingdom. He already knows our heart. Instead, we accept this gift of grace that he has given us in his Son. We believe that our names are actually written in the book of life. And then we go forward in thankfulness and in wonder and in adoration and in love.

10. 3:19

    And that's what we should be preaching to the world and the people around us, that there is this unspeakable gift of grace that's on offer, that God is willing to share with all of humanity if humanity would only come to him. And so what we've done, brothers and sisters, is we've pulled it apart.

11. 3:34

    And at school, we would call it analysis. And now what we want to do is we want to show how all these concepts that we've been looking at together are put together in the Lord Jesus Christ. And we call that synthesis, putting things together. Lord willing, this morning, what we'll do is we'll take some time looking at John chapter 6 at the third Passover during Jesus' ministry.

12. 3:55

    And then we'll examine the mind of the Lord Jesus Christ during that last Passover as he was in the upper room with his disciples. This is the mind of faith in action. And really what I hope you'll see is the culmination of all the principles of faith and action in Jesus Christ, the things that we've looked at together.

13. 4:11

    What you'll see is you'll see humility, which is the cornerstone of faith. You'll see the master not lean on his own ability, but you'll see him defer to God to have God help him through when he's in the garden. You'll see great sorrow and suffering. And yet you'll see this extraordinary confidence in the Father.

14. 4:32

    You'll see that the Lord Jesus Christ allowed himself to be put in situations in which ultimately he would need the Father to be present to solve. And that culminates in the resurrection. You'll see that Christ had an unwavering conviction that God was in everything, orchestrating and directing the events of his life. In short, what you'll see is the mind of faith in action, which is why Christ is called the author and finisher of faith.

15. 4:58

    Now, if you've heard Brother Johnny Manal's classes on the breaking of bread, you'll know that so much of what I'm going to share with you is really stuff I've learned from him. But it's no different than so much of what I've learned about faith has been taken and used from Brother Matthew Blewett.

16. 5:12

    Just as so much of what I've learned about humility is from Dennis Gillett. And so much of what I've learned from Harry Tennant is about Christ being able to present us faultless. And it's God's good pleasure to give us the kingdom. And so in all these cases, their exposition, these brothers' exposition of the word of God has had such a profound effect on me that I can't help but share what they've given me.

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    And I hope that doesn't disappoint you in some way. As Brother Matthew Blewett told me in an email, he said, the point isn't who compiled it or who arranged it or set it first. He said, the point is that these are the words of the living God and the living Lord Jesus Christ.

18. 5:49

    And those are life-giving words that need to be shared. He said, I'm glad that you're sharing it with brothers and sisters because it's a message that we can't hear enough. So turn with me, if you would, to John chapter 6 and verse 3.

19. 6:05

    Well, John chapter 6 in general. But it's interesting to note, brothers and sisters, that John in his account of the supper in the upper room, he doesn't directly address the breaking of bread. And that almost seems odd. Why is it that John doesn't address the breaking of bread? And the reason is because he includes those concepts and what the breaking of bread was all about here in John chapter 6.

20. 6:33

    This is where he records Christ's explanation of what is meant by the symbols of the bread and wine. This section is commonly known as the feeding of the 5,000. And actually, in Matthew 14, at verse 14, this is how it starts. Jesus went forth and he saw a great multitude, and he was moved with compassion towards them, and he healed their sick.

21. 6:56

    And when it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, This is a desert place, and the time has now passed. Send the multitude away that they may go into the villages and may buy themselves food. And John chapter 6, the parallel passage, tells us that Jesus specifically singles out Philip. That's in verse 5.

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    And this is what it says in verse 5. And he, that is Jesus, saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread that these may eat? And this he said to prove him, for he himself knew what he would do. You see, he's testing Philip. Now, we know that this is exactly what the Lord does in our life too.

23. 7:36

    Issues come up and challenges and complex situation, and that's life. The Lord does this to us. And this is one of the great ways in which we apply faith, that we put our faith into action. There's a problem, and the Lord wants to see, How are we going to fix it? And we learn from this situation that we first have to have the humility to say, Lord, I don't know.

24. 7:58

    I don't see a solution. Life is like that. The Lord wants us to weigh it up, and to analyze it, and to evaluate it, and then to come to the conclusion that we really don't have a terribly great solution. We have to let the Lord supply it for us. Now, Joseph is a beautiful example of this in Genesis 40, verse 8.

25. 8:18

    This is when the butler and the baker have these dreams. And Joseph asks, he asks them, Why is your countenance so forlorn and so sad? And they said, Well, we've had a dream, and there's no one to interpret it. And without hesitation, what Joseph answers is, he says, Do not interpretations belong to God?

26. 8:36

    Now, that is the mind of faith in action. God is in this man's present reality, and he's in an Egyptian prison. But what's so interesting is that if you look in the Hebrew, it reads like this. He says, Do not solutions belong to God? You see, brothers and sisters, we don't have solutions, but God does.

27. 8:56

    And this is exactly what's happening in John chapter 6, verse 7. That's what Christ is drawing out of Philip. And so what we'll see here in this situation with Philip is another one of our strategies for growing our faith. Not only deferring to God, but also now remembering how God has worked. And so Philip's answer there in verse 7 of chapter 6 is this.

28. 9:18

    He says, In other words, he's saying, I have no idea how this is going to work out. But he could have had an idea if he would have remembered the past. And that's one of our strategies for growing faith. How has God worked in the past? Not only in our life, but also in Scripture.

29. 9:37

    Now, you may know that Jesus is replaying a situation that happened to Moses. Turn with me, if you would, to Numbers 11, and we'll take a look at verse 4 for context.

30. 9:57

    This is where the children of Israel say, Who will give us meat to eat? And they say that to Moses, of course. And that's in verse 4 of the context. But take a look at 11, verse 11 of Numbers. And you can just hear the frustration in Moses' voice. You can see where Moses goes wrong.

31. 10:18

    Because you can circle how many times he's concerned with himself in this situation. And that's something we described as a thorn to our faith. When we're looking at ourself, and we're not looking at the sufficiency of Christ, like Peter walking on the water, or in this case, Moses looking at the sufficiency of God to sort out this situation.

32. 10:34

    Moses said unto the Lord, Wherefore, or why, hast thou afflicted thy servants? And you can see that this is all about the growth of Moses' faith. He says, And wherefore, or why, have I not found favor in thy sight, that thou layest the burden of all this people upon me? Verse 13. You see, this is about Moses.

33. 10:56

    And here's the mistake. Moses says, Whence should I have flesh to give all this people? For they weep unto me, saying, Give us flesh that we may eat. You see, this is about Moses. And he's feeling isolated. And he needs some orientation. Because he's not alone. God is with him. But there is a thorn that's choking his faith.

34. 11:17

    His eyes are on himself, instead of on the sufficiency of God. Verse 14. Numbers 11. He says, I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me. And God brings us to that point, brothers and sisters, doesn't he? Times when we feel like we are all alone, and it is too heavy for us.

35. 11:38

    And just as Philip's best solution wasn't viable, neither was Moses'. And that's because there's a thorn preventing the growth of their faith. He's looking at himself instead of at God. Like Peter was looking at the waves instead of at Christ. But take a look at verse 22 of Numbers 11. Moses goes on.

36. 11:55

    Shall the flocks and the herds be slain for them to suffice them? Or shall all the fish in the sea be gathered together for them to suffice them? And the Lord said unto Moses, Is the Lord's hand waxed short? Thou shalt see now whether my word shall come to pass unto thee or not.

37. 12:13

    In other words, what he's saying is, Be still and see the salvation of God, Moses. And that was one of our strategies for growing faith. Sometimes we run around at 100 miles per hour, and what we need to do is just spend some quiet time with God. God is asking Moses, Do you think that I can do the impossible?

38. 12:32

    Now, I have no idea what test you are in right now, or what is challenging your faith, or what's especially difficult for you in life. But I know from Scripture why you're in it. And that's because it's about the purification of your faith. It only needs to be as a mustard seed, but it needs to be purified.

39. 12:50

    With faith, God fed 600,000 people in this situation. And in John chapter 6, Christ feeds 5,000. Flip back with me to John chapter 6, if you would. And we're going to look at verse 8 and 9. And I want you to look for what we would call the mustard seed of faith. See if you can spot it.

40. 13:12

    Again, humility is the cornerstone of faith. And that's what we're looking for. John chapter 6, verse 8. One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith unto him, There is a lad here which has five barley loaves and two small fishes, but what are they among so many? You see, sometimes we feel like we have very little to offer in service to the Lord Jesus Christ in our lives.

41. 13:39

    But never underestimate what the Lord can do with your five small loaves and two fishes. Christ is going to extend this lesson further, and he's going to open them, open out to them, what the bread meant. So take a look at verse 10, because I wonder if you can spot the words that Christ uses in the upper room.

42. 13:59

    John chapter 6, verse 10. And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now, there was much grass in the place, so the men sat down, in number about 5,000. And Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples distributed to them that were sat down, likewise of the fishes as much as they would.

43. 14:23

    And what was the response of the multitude in verse 14? Those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth, that prophet that should come into the world. And when Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone.

44. 14:41

    And you know the story that Jesus now comes to them later, walking on the water. But take a look at John chapter 6, at verse 25. This is when the people ask, Rabbi, When camest thou hither? In verse 26, Jesus answers them and says, Truly, truly, I say unto you, you seek me, not because you saw the miracles, but because you ate of the loaves, and you were filled.

45. 15:06

    It's really a sad statement, because what he's saying is, you simply had a good meal. He knew their hearts. He says, And it's just so sad because, well, because all they could see was bread. And sometimes that's all that we see on the table before us. That was the challenge that the Lord was giving to these Jews.

46. 15:36

    And that's the challenge for us this morning. Does it have any greater significance in our life? Is it just bread? Is it just a ritual that has lost its meaning? Now, you probably know that the Lord is quoting from Isaiah 55. John 6 at 27 says, Labor not for the meat which perishes, but for that meat which endures to everlasting life.

47. 15:57

    That comes out of Isaiah 55. So, we'll turn that up just very quickly. Isaiah 55, if you would. Now, these words in Isaiah 55, at verse 1, 2, and 3, these are some eternal words that have cut across culture and time and circumstance. These are words that gave people hope that were poor and destitute throughout the history since they were spoken.

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    Isaiah 55 at verse 1. It says, Ho, or alas, everyone that thirsts, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money. Think about the poor people that would have read this. Come ye and buy and eat. Yea, come and buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend money for that which is not bread and labor for that which satisfieth not?

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    And here's the offer of grace, the offer of the gift of God that engenders the right motivation for good works. It says in verse 2 and 3, Hearken, or listen diligently unto me, and eat that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. Incline your ear, and come unto me, hear, and your soul shall live.

50. 17:08

    Hear what? And it says, I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. And how is that possible, brothers and sisters? How do we get these sure mercies of David? Well, we begin with belief, and then we're baptized. And that's how we enter into a covenant relationship with God.

51. 17:28

    But this is really where we get the first idea of what Jesus wants us to even see in the bread. Why does he quote from Isaiah 55? What he's asking them, and he's asking you and I, he's saying, well, what has value in your life? He's saying, you cannot put a price on the bread that we eat week by week.

52. 17:47

    There is nothing in this world that can come close to that which you and I share in the bread and in the cup. And if we spend all of our time pursuing food for our table or clothes for our back, we're going to be left with this gaping hole in our lives. Those things, while necessities, they don't satisfy men and women who are made in the image of God.

53. 18:06

    Christ is challenging them to differentiate between physical things and spiritual things. You know physical things pass away, but spiritual things last forever. And nothing of lasting value in this world can be bought with money. He's saying, all of your lives, you're focusing on those things that you're passing away, those things which give you no lasting benefit.

54. 18:25

    He's saying, the bread that I want to give you, the bread that I want you to be buying day by day is my words. He's saying, they will satisfy you in a way that nothing else can. It's my word that I want you to be eating. Now you may remember that Jeremiah and John, they both ate scrolls in scripture.

55. 18:41

    The word picture is a them of eating the word of God. But what he's saying to you and I is, sometimes all we see is just bread. But does it have greater significance? Look with me at what the Jews' response was in verse 41 of John chapter 6.

56. 19:03

    In verse 41, this is what it says. The Jews then murmured at him. Murmuring is a thorn to our faith. And the reason that they were murmuring is because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven. It was just like the children in the wilderness. That's unbelief. And so the master explains it further in verse 49 where he says, your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness and they're dead.

57. 19:29

    This is the bread which comes down from heaven that a man may eat thereof and not die. In other words, what he's saying is that your fathers had no idea of what they should have been eating in the wilderness, which is evidenced by the fact that they call it manna, which means, what is it?

58. 19:44

    They didn't know what they were even eating nor what they should have been eating. But in verse 56 of John 6, Jesus says, he that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood dwells in me and I in him. And verse 58 says, he that eateth of this bread shall live forever. So when Jesus says that we must eat his flesh, what is he saying?

59. 20:09

    He's saying that we must eat the word, the very thing that made his life what it was. He's not talking about muscle or tissue or bone or that sort of physical stuff. He is talking about his life which was full of the word of God. And that's what we have to be thinking about when we take the bread this morning.

60. 20:29

    So we've looked at some of the events that John has recorded in chapter 6 around the third Passover where Jesus explains what the bread means. That it refers to the word of God. Words that give eternal life. Words and principles that guide our thinking, that establish our faith, and they direct our behavior.

61. 20:46

    And that these words can sustain us and strengthen us in ways that nothing else in this world can. And now what I want to do is just I want to draw out a few thoughts from the final Passover. So turn with me if you would to Mark 14 at verse 12.

62. 21:05

    Again, we're going to look at the Passover but this is not simply the feast of the Jews. This is how the Passover is going to be kept by the Lord Jesus Christ. So we're looking at Mark if we can find it. 14 and we're going to start at verse 12. Alright.

63. 21:26

    And it says, And the first day of unleavened bread when they killed the Passover his disciples said unto him Where wilt thou that we go and prepare that thou mightest eat the Passover? And now you can imagine they're thinking. They're thinking that he's so run off his feet that at this rate he may not even be able to keep the Passover.

64. 21:46

    And so out of love for him they ask him where should we go and prepare that you Lord may eat the Passover? You see, you know that the Passover was intended to be a family meal. If you go to Exodus 12 or verse 3 and verse 21 they were to eat it in their houses as families.

65. 22:04

    And these disciples made no presumption no expectation that they were going to eat this Passover with the Lord and be part of his family. But in Mark 14 verse 13 it says, And he sendeth forth two of his disciples and saith unto them Go ye into the city there you shall meet a man bearing a pitcher of water and follow him.

66. 22:23

    Verse 14 says, And wheresoever he shall go in say ye to the good men of the house the master saith Where is the guest chamber where I shall eat the Passover with my disciples? He says. In verse 15 he says, And he will show you a large upper room furnished and prepared there make ready for us.

67. 22:44

    I just want to highlight what he says there in verse 14 where he says with my disciples and in verse 15 where he says there make ready for us. Because what he's saying brothers and sisters is that this is his family. These were the men that he wanted to share the Passover meal with.

68. 22:59

    John 13 at verse 1 tells us Having loved his own which were in the world he loved them until the end. And the Lord was going to have a meal with the ones that he loved most in the entire world. And as we come here week by week we need to remember what God and Jesus Christ think of us.

69. 23:16

    That we are among the people that the Lord loves most in the entire world. Sometimes we may not be the people who love each other the most in the entire world but we need to remember that we are the people that the Lord loves most in the entire world. You see, when we come together at the breaking of bread blood relationships no longer matter.

70. 23:35

    It's our connection to him and to those of like precious faith that matters. And he has prepared a meal for us to eat and share together. So, so now let's go into that upper room. Turn with me to Luke 22 at verse 15.

71. 23:57

    This is where the Lord says with desire I have desire to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. He says, in other words, he's saying I have earnestly and intensely desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. And my question for you is why before Christ suffers? Why did he desire, why didn't he desire to eat it with them after it was all over?

72. 24:20

    Why before? And our clue is a few verses on in Luke 22 at verse 19. these are the familiar words there. And he says, do this in remembrance of me. He wanted them to remember not only what he had done over his past three and a half years of his ministry, but how he was thinking and feeling and what he did just hours now before his crucifixion.

73. 24:47

    And so the question is if you were one of his disciples, what would you have been able to remember? What kind of things would have been etched into your heart and into your mind? Now, the reason that I had the calling of the disciples read this morning is because it's just this extraordinary thing that in the life of a young Jewish boy, one of the great things that they wished for, they desired, was to be called by a rabbi.

74. 25:11

    And so there was a time of year as I understand it, this is kind of traditional stuff, but what would happen was is the rabbi would walk around and he would find a young man, several in fact, that would kind of become his student so to speak. And he would say, you, follow me.

75. 25:29

    You, follow me. And he would gather this group and then begin to teach them and their spiritual growth would begin really. And you think about this because this would have happened to the disciples, but no rabbi chose them. And so they didn't become spiritually adept or grown spiritually because they were never chosen by a rabbi.

76. 25:52

    And so what happened was you have to think, you have to ask the question, why in the world were these men who have lucrative fishing businesses, what was going through their mind and what was their level of faith when they just dropped their nets and followed him? And they had been rejected as little boys.

77. 26:08

    And now as grown men, here comes this master, this wise teacher, and he says, you, come, follow me. And in faith, they believed that this was the opportunity. And you can imagine how wonderful it would have felt for them to finally be accepted and for their spiritual life to begin, even though they were much older than the boys when they were chosen.

78. 26:33

    And so my question for you is, if you were one of his disciples, what would you have been able to remember? What kind of things would have been etched into your mind? This was a man who could command the sea and the waves and they would obey. This is a man who did multiple healings, could touch leprosy and make a man whole again.

79. 26:51

    This is a man who could raise the dead, who could heal the eyes of the blind, who overturned the money changers in the temple, a man whose eyes could penetrate into the interior of a man, a man who could feel anger and joy, a man who could laugh and who cried, a man who loved deeply.

80. 27:10

    And somehow, this man had penetrated their deepest parts of their heart and their minds in which they had never experienced before. And this is a man who said, it's with desire, I have desire to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. Why before he suffers? Because what he wanted them to see is his faith in action and to remember it.

81. 27:29

    He wanted to cement all their experiences and all their understanding of himself before his brutal death. He wanted them to remember that he had given himself completely. He had given his all. He didn't want them to remember the things that would inevitably be etched in their minds forever afterwards. He didn't want them to remember the torture and the blood and the crucifixion.

82. 27:50

    They would never forget those things. But what he is saying, he's saying, when you remember me, bring those good things to mind. When you share this meal, think on those things, good things. And so the Apostle Paul speaks of the significance of what Christ did knowing that he was going to be crucified the following day when he says in 1 Corinthians 11, the same night in which the Lord Jesus Christ was betrayed, he took bread.

83. 28:18

    And when he had given thanks, he'd break it. And he said, take, eat. This is my body which is broken for you. This do in remembrance of me. Now, I want to ask you a question. And that question is, when we remember the Lord Jesus Christ, are we supposed to, are we supposed to feel sad?

84. 28:37

    When we take the bread and the cup, is that how we're supposed to feel? And I think we can find our answer by examining his state of mind in the upper room. We know why he was doing what he was doing. John 14 tells us at verse 29, I have told you before it come to pass that when it come to pass you might believe.

85. 28:56

    So what he's doing in the upper room is the ultimate act of stabilizing and generating their faith. He's saying in a couple of days' time you're going to see things that will make you want to totally abandon your faith. And when that does come to pass, I want you to have a context for putting the crucifixion in.

86. 29:13

    That's why I'm telling you these things. That's why I'm sharing this meal with you. And my question is, well, what was that context? What did he want them to remember about this specific situation? Well, take a look back at the beginning of this chapter of John 14. If you turn there with me.

87. 29:29

    This is astonishing. This is what he's saying. He says, I want you to remember that what I said to you in John 14, for example, is let your heart not be troubled. You believe in God, believe or have faith also in me. That's extraordinary. This is about faith. He's saying, believe also in me.

88. 29:53

    In the most challenging moments of his life, these are the words of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, do you think he was lying? Do you think he was distracted or worried about the next 12 hours? Was he forgetting things or mixing things up? Was he stressed out? No, he actually possessed the calmness and the composure of mind that he wanted them to have.

89. 30:13

    And that is a demonstration of faith in God. 100% full of faith. Now, you can only say such things honestly if you are in that state of mind yourself. He says, let your heart not be troubled. If you look at verse 27 of John 14, this isn't the only example. Here it is again.

90. 30:31

    He says in verse 27, peace I leave with you. My peace I give unto you, not as the world giveth. Let your heart not be troubled, neither let it be afraid. Now, can you imagine? He is thinking on a completely different wavelength. He had the strength of mind and the composure to say, I am going to leave you with my peace.

91. 30:52

    On all nights to be able to say such a thing, if there was any guile or phoniness in him, the disciples would have known. They would have sensed it. But he was able to say with peace in himself, despite the circumstances swirling around him, what I want you to have is the peace that I have right now.

92. 31:13

    He says, don't be afraid. Don't let your heart be troubled. I want you to remember my peace because you can have it, he's saying, if you want it. And how is that possible, brothers and sisters? Except by God working in us. But we have to believe that such a thing is even possible.

93. 31:31

    There's more. If you look over the page to John 15 at verse 11, this is where Jesus says, these things have I spoken unto you that my joy might remain in you and that your joy might be full. It's just staggering. Imagine the Lord Jesus Christ feeling and experiencing joy on Passover night.

94. 31:50

    for him. He was to be the Passover lamb. It was his blood that was going to be shed. He's not just telling us that he wants us to see it in him. He's telling us that he wants us to experience it also. So, as solemn as our breaking of bread must be, somehow, when we leave it, by God's help, we have to have Christ's joy in our lives.

95. 32:15

    Now again, why is he saying these things? If you look at John 16 at verse 1, he says, these things have I spoken unto you that you may not be offended. Offended just simply means like a tree or a stick that's bent low to the ground. It means to trip. He's saying, this challenge of seeing the crucified Lord, I don't want it to overrun your faith.

96. 32:37

    This challenge, which is the trial of your faith, he's saying, I don't want my brutal death to cause you to stumble. I don't want the trials of life to destroy your faith. In fact, I want them to refine and to grow your faith. And yet, in a few hours, they would forsake him in the Garden of Gethsemane.

97. 32:54

    And he knew it. And so what Christ did is he set up the symbols of bread and of wine as a way for us to remember his faith. That even in the worst of all situations, his faith would not diminish. Which is why he says in John 16 at verse 4, these things have I told you that when the time shall come, you may remember that I told you them.

98. 33:18

    What time? He's saying, when your life hits rock bottom, I want you to remember that I told you these things. He's saying, I couldn't say them before at the beginning, but now I'm leaving you and that's why I have to share this meal with you before I suffer. He's saying, now I'm going to have to rely on you.

99. 33:37

    Everything that we've been through together, all your memories of me, of what I'm about, of what I've done, of what I can do, of what I stand for, of who I've been and what I've said and what I've taught you. When I'm no longer with you, you have to remember these things. He says, we have to do these things because in a few hours, when you're standing there all alone and you feel like you're on your own, you will remember that I was with you and I told you these things.

100. 34:06

     Now, I don't think the Lord would have wanted the memorial to be a sad situation and the reason is in verse 33 of John 16. This is where Christ says, these things have I spoken unto you that you might have peace. In the world, you will have tribulation but be of good cheer.

101. 34:21

     I have overcome the world. Instead of us, instead I think he wants us to take away something that was not sad, something that was going to be the greatest victory of his life. This was going to be the greatest moment of triumph for him and his father that the world has ever seen.

102. 34:37

     he wants us to sense that and to be a part of it and to take a peace away with us during the week. He says, this is my body. This is my blood. Put it in you and carry it with you during the week. Now, it's interesting, brothers and sisters, that the Bible doesn't tell us great detail, really, about the crucifixion.

103. 34:59

     It's almost mentioned in passing. For example, in Mark 15, it seems to lead, to lend more emphasis to what the soldiers were doing. It says, and when they had crucified him, they parted his garments, casting lots upon him, every man what they should take. It's interesting that the scripture is rather quiet about the details.

104. 35:16

     God didn't measure the nails. He didn't tell us what the Romans did to make their victims suffer. Instead, the Bible uses words like victory and redemption and glorification, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross. And that's what was in the mind of the Lord Jesus Christ. And how else can you cope with crucifixion unless that is your focus?

105. 35:39

     How else will we be able to challenge the ups and downs of our life unless that is our focus? And so we have to have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ that the sure things which the Father has promised, he will perform. And that he is interested in every detail of our lives.

106. 35:55

     And he's quite willing to help us. He's willing to help us respond appropriately and spiritually to all the ups and downs of life that he permits into our life. Turn with me to John 12 if you would because we get another glimpse of how he was thinking. And it's just so valuable to see.

107. 36:15

     Verse 23 of John chapter 12. He says, The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. You see, brothers and sisters, it's in those moments of complete and total reliance on God, complete faith, that we are glorified in the mind of God. God is glorified in us when we willingly sacrifice ourselves to demonstrate a principle, a divine principle in our flesh.

108. 36:42

     That may be when our brothers and sisters mistreat us or misread our motives. It may be when we have to stand up for something that's right even though it's unpopular. It may be when we have to lay down our will to do the Father's will. But we're glorified in the mind of God when we do so.

109. 36:57

     And far more importantly, that's when the Father is glorified in us because we are reciprocating the love that he has first shown us back to him and we're doing so willingly. Now, it's not often that you get an insight into what the Lord was thinking. But John tells us that even though he was troubled, Jesus was prepared to die.

110. 37:17

     And that's not that that was an easy thing just because he had the right focus or because he was full of faith. I would never in any way want to diminish the suffering of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if you have a look at what he says in verse 27, he says, now my soul is troubled and what should I say?

111. 37:34

     Father, save me from this hour? Is that what I should be asking for? Is that what I should want? He says, no way, that's not what I'm going to be asking for. I came for this hour. So in John 12 at verse 27 and 28, he says, but for this cause have I come into this hour.

112. 37:52

     Father, glorify thy name. And he knows his purpose and he knows his destiny. That's what the meal in the upper room is all about. It's about glorifying God and his purpose. It's about winning the greatest victory for mankind that could ever possibly be imagined. It's that glory and that joy that was in the mind of Christ in the upper room.

113. 38:11

     And that's the expression of what he believed. That's his faith. That's his faith in action. So when you get to John 17 and there's this intimate prayer of the Son of God to his Father, he begins it this way. He says, Father, the hour has come. Glorify thy Son that thy Son may glorify thee.

114. 38:30

     And so what you see is you see that the Bible uses words like victory and glory and triumph and redemption to describe what Christ is doing. He was so sure, he was so strong in his faith that God would see him through death that before it even ever happened, he could say to his disciples, I have overcome the world.

115. 38:50

     And so with this mindset of faith, this is what Jesus says to us from the upper room. He says, take my peace. Take my joy. Don't be afraid. Don't be troubled. Be of good cheer. He says, I have done all these things for you. Now, I just want to close with one final thought and that's what the Lord's joy was centered upon and that has to do with where he was going.

116. 39:14

     Now, you expect him to say, I'm going to be arrested. I'm going to be put on trial. I'm going to be whipped and almost beaten to death and then they're going to put me on a stake and that's where I'm going but that's not what he says. He says, he says he's going to the Father.

117. 39:37

     And here's the point, brothers and sisters, the cross might have been a stopping point along the journey but it was certainly not the destination and our trials might be stopping points along our journey but they are not the end of the matter. You see, Jesus was so looking forward to being with his Father and this is the idea that he wanted to imprint upon his disciples' minds before he departed.

118. 40:00

     It's one that I believe he wants us to remember when we take the bread and the wine week by week until he comes. It's a simple idea to share but it just keeps coming up and again and again in Scripture he tells them, I am going to the Father. It's in the beginning of John 13, for example, where he says, now before the feast of the Passover when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world and unto the Father having loved his own which were in the world he loved them until the end.

119. 40:26

     The same idea appears a few verses later in verses 3 to 5. He says, it says, And the famous one which is the beginning of John 14, the one that gets rested, he says, In my Father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

120. 40:59

     So they prepared a place for him to have the Passover but he's preparing a place for them. And he says, And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and I will receive you unto myself that where I am you also may be. And we know the dictinum of God will be on earth but where is he going?

121. 41:20

     He's going to the Father. I'm going to the one who sent me. He's preparing a place for us. That's how much he loves us. Where? In the presence of the Father. Now, can you imagine a better place to be? There is no better place for your life and my life than to be with the Father.

122. 41:38

     You see, brothers and sisters, we are not asked to go to the cross literally but we are asked to crucify our lusts. And the only way that we can do so is by having the faith of the Lord Jesus Christ. Not by willpower but by believing that God is active and he is present in our lives, that he is orchestrating the events and even allowing events into our lives for the express purpose of growing and developing our faith, our connection to him.

123. 42:08

     So, so let us crucify our lusts week by week, day by day, hour by hour, moment by moment, thought by thought and let us go forward not in our own strength but in the strength and the power of the one who lives, the one who loves us, the one who longs to share this meal with us, his family, anew in his kingdom.

124. 42:32

     And let us crucify our lusts by adopting the thinking of the author and finisher of faith, the Lord Jesus Christ who has overcome, who we remember this morning with joy through the emblems of bread and wine.