He is Risen! He is Risen, Indeed!

He is Risen! He is Risen, Indeed!

Miscellaneous Lesson Easter 2014 The Last Supper Preparation the Most Important Event in History I. Introduction A. The most important celebration we as Christians have is Easter Resurrection Sunday B. Important holidays and celebrations should be times of recollection and refection 1. For example, what should we do on thanksgiving, Independence Day or Memorial Day 2. Certainly the need for reflection is present for Christmas 3. But what should the aim of our recollection efforts on Resurrection Sunday 4. Sometimes it s important to remember the power and the glory of the resurrection of our Lord 5. Other times its important to remember the torture and the brutal death that Jesus faced several days before He rose from the dead 6. But few people want to focus on the preparation for these key events in history C. Today we are going to look at the preparation that was done for the most important event in history Preparation for the Crucifixion and Resurrection [Mark 14:12-42] D. The initial preparation [14:12-16] 1. It was clear that the Lord had prepared the owner of the upper room s heart before He ever gave any instructions to His disciples

2. These two disciples, who Jesus selected, went unnamed why? a. Could it be that He wanted us to put ourselves into their position b. Because there is an important principle to be learned from them 3. Now they were given very detailed instructions by Jesus a. If these instruction had come from anyone other than Jesus they would have been considered highly unusual and very questionable b. But what happened in response to these instructions (1) The disciples obeyed Jesus and followed the instructions implicitly (2) And everything happened just a Jesus said it would c. What followed was one of the most important and special times in the disciples lives d. That time was founded upon the radical, unquestioning obedience of these two men 4. From this we can draw an important principle: from unquestioning and immediate obedience, comes great fulfilment and spiritual satisfaction a. God usually does not provide you with a full understanding before He says obey Me b. He may not reveal all of the details, just His command to obey c. But your next chance to obey Him may determine what God does next in your life and in the lives of those around you E. Jesus predicts His betrayal [14:17-21] 1. Each of the disciples claimed loyalty to our Lord and promised that it would not be he who betrayed the Master a. They probably could not imagine being disloyal to their

Master b. Over time great intimacy had been shared between these men, and yet one would leave that intimate setting and betray his Friend and his Lord c. Imagine for a moment you being in Jesus position (1) Think of the three best friends you have (2) Now imagine the pain and heartache that would come from such a betrayal 2. But during the cauldron of emotions that made up Gethsemane events, those men did things they never thought they would do a. Principle: In the pressure of the moment a man s heart will do some surprising things 3. Therefore we must learn to guard our hearts 4. For the failure of Christ s first disciple serves as a warning to us 5. You too are capable of forsaking your Lord a. How does one guard his heart? b. Watching or guarding what comes into your heart c. Consistent fervent prayer [Phi. 4:6-7] F. The Institution of the Lord s Supper [14:22-25] 1. Here the new covenant {14:24] is stressed as Jesus prepares His disciples for the dispensation of the church G. The trip to Gethsemane [14:26-31] 1. If you choose to follow Jesus, you will face moments of great distress {verse 27} a. Events will seem to conspire to bring about intense pressure on these men b. And in this instance with His first disciples, failure was the result c. A failure which Jesus predicted d. Peter had boasted that he was incapable of such failure e. And yet Jesus assured them that failure was inevitable

2. God knew that failure would ensue a. He was prepared for it b. He made provision for their shortcomings 3. Did Jesus ever confront Peter with his failure? a. What happened when Jesus confronted Peter on the seashore in Galilee [Jn. 21:15-17] b. Did He demand that Peter confess his sin and his failure c. Did Jesus even ask for such a confession d. All that Jesus sought that day was a confession of Peter s love 4. We need to come to understand that we will fail a. But that failure never catches our god by surprise b. He has already made provision for every time you will fail c. Our failures are never bigger or more complex than our Lord knows how to deal with d. If you are even today facing challenges that seem impossible, don t be discouraged e. God has made provision for what will happen f. Understanding the word provision (1) Provision provideo [Latin] (2) to see in advance (3) but not only to see in advance but because you see in advance to also make advanced provisions for what you saw 5. The Lord always proceeds you {verse 28} a. Just like the disciples, God never sends you into a situation alone (1) He proceeds His followers into the breach (2) He literally led the nation of Israel into the wilderness and through its dangers and perils (3) Did He not proceed Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah into the fiery furnace

(4) He always proceeds us into hostile or foreign circumstances (that is why we are called His followers) (5) How do you know that? Consider Deu. 31:8 b. Jesus knew that His disciples would completely fail in the crucible of Gethsemane and Golgotha (1) But He assured them in advance, that He would go ahead of them, and that when they got there, He would be waiting for them H. Jesus prays in Gethsemane [14:32-41] 1. Consider 14:33-34 a. Who can know the intensity and the depth of the heart of God? (1) Could anyone measure the joy He experiences when a lost person is saved or a rebellious child of God relinquishes his life to the Master (2) Or the grief He experiences when one dies rejecting the plan for salvation that cost so much to purchase (3) We can only understand the heart of God only when He chooses to share it with us b. Consider once again the fervent emotions boiling over in the heart of our Lord that night in Gethsemane (1) Literally the weight of the world was on His shoulders (2) And unfortunately, His disciples were unaware of the deep anguish their Master was experiencing that night (3) One would think that they could sense the intensity in His voice and the urgency in His demeanor (4) But if you look back, these disciples seemed strangely out of touch with what was going on in

the heart of their Lord (a) When He wanted to bless the children, they tried to send them away [Luke 18:15-16] (b) When Jesus expressed compassion for a woman living in sin, they could not seem to understand it, much less go along with it [John 4:27] i) in fact there was a time that James and John urged our Lord to let them call fire down from heaven and consume a Samaritan village which had rejected Him ii) but later, when a revival was breaking out in that area of Samaria, God sent John (James was dead) along with Peter to lead it {Acts 8:14-15] (c) While Jesus wept for those who would hopelessly face death alone, His close friends were concerned that Jesus could do nothing for the one who had died, He was just too late [Jn. 11:1-44] c. You can choose to be alert to the heart of God if you wish (1) He may then elect to allow you to know the intensity of His heart (2) He may allow you to experience the love He has for others in your community (3) He may let you sense the compassion He feels for those who are suffering (4) You might be allowed to share in the Lord s elation when a sinner repents and turns to his Savior (5) You would learn to react to evil the way our Lord

does d. Principle: If you remain alert in prayer, our Lord may very well share His heart with you, allowing you to experience its depth and its intensity 2. Consider now 14:35 a. Some believers want only a surface relationship with our Lord b. But others want to share the most intimate of times with their Master c. As Jesus started to pray that night, that possibility was open d. What were others doing that night at that time? (1) Some were indifferent and not even aware that Jesus was in the garden praying (2) Judas knew where Jesus was but he was too busy with his own agenda to be with Jesus right then (3) The other disciples were there but sleep seemed much more important to them at the moment (4) Even those three closest to Him chose sleep over intimacy (a) Jesus had told them of the gravity of the hour, but it seems as if they did not grasp it (b) They no doubt prayed for a while, then drifted off to sleep (c) What if one of those men had moved up next to Jesus and knelt down next to Him and started praying? (5) But that did not happen and Jesus prayed alone (a) He went farther than His disciple were willing to go (b) And longer than they were willing to pray e. Notice what happened: at the greatest moment of intercession in history there was no one to come along

side of God s Son and to pray with Him (1) Throughout history God has looked for people who would be willing to give their lives completely to Him and help carry out His plan to redeem the world (2) There were times when God could not find anyone who would undertake that task [Isa. 63:5; 59:16, Eze. 22:30] f. I believe that God has been calling us to go further and deeper with Him in prayer (1) Is there anyone in here today who can t pray? (2) You could be one of the people who our Lord takes into some of the most sacred of moments (3) you could experience what only the angels shared with Jesus that night [Luke 22:43] 3. When Jesus found the three sleeping, He remonstrated with them and then spoke to Peter, telling him to pray for himself and his coming temptation a. How did Peter respond b. How would we have responded c. How should Peter have prayed for himself that night d. How did Jesus pray? (1) Luke 22:31-32 "Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; 32 but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers." I. Throughout the evening Jesus asked these men to join with Him in what He was doing, and yet they did not 1. Jesus wants you to join with Him in what He is doing 2. How will you respond? 3. What if He asks you to watch and pray for an hour 4. Would you deny your physical needs and desires to join Him

II. in a time of intercession? Some final thoughts A. Resurrection Sunday should be a time of recollection and memory sharing B. But what do you suppose the Lord would want us to focus on C. His figure as it appears on a crucifix? D. Or just on the empty cross as a symbol of His suffering and shame E. Maybe our reflection should be aimed at an empty tomb F. And Jesus kneeling in the garden, distressed, praying in preparation for His sacrifice, wanting the encouragement of companions, but receiving none, having to go it alone and by Himself... may it never be again!

- 2014 Believer s Bible Class, & Douglas W. Brady