Going Deeper: the One who reveals

1 Corinthians 2:9-14 (NKJV) 9 But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” 10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. 13 These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

Revelation is being let in on something that you wouldn’t be able to figure out on your own. God reveals these things by His Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the One who reveals.

Listening in
I remember when I was a little boy times in the evening when mom and dad would have guests over. There would come a time when we kids had to go to bed, but all of the adults would stay up and talk. I remember getting out of bed with my brothers and sneaking down the hall. We would lay in the darkened hall just out of sight so we could listen in on the conversation. (Early spy training) Sometimes we would try to get a peek at their faces while they talked, but we didn’t want to get caught.

Most of the time we didn’t even understand what they were talking about. We didn’t know the context or understand most of the concepts. Sometimes you couldn’t even make out the words, but we loved to listen anyway. If we got caught we would get sent back to bed and we’d stay there… for a little while.

Today, I like listening in on God’s conversations. I don’t always understand everything He says. I don’t always understand the context or the concepts, but I love to sneak down the hall, lay there quiet and still, and listen in on His thoughts and His plans. Here’s the big plus: I don’t get in trouble when He catches me. In fact, He is the One who sneaks down the hall to me. He reveals these things to me by the Holy Spirit.

‘Reveal’: [Latin] “to withdraw the cover.” (Greek word is: ‘apocalypto’)
The word ‘reveal’ means literally, “to withdraw the cover,” or “to uncover.” The Greek word is ‘apocalypto,’ from which we get the word ‘apocalypse’ or ‘apocalyptic’. The last book in our New Testament is “the Book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ”, or “the Apocalypse of Jesus Christ.”
Let’s look at this most well known example of God’s revealing work.

Revelation 1:1 (NKJV) 1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John,

“The Revelation” means that what follows is not something that John dreamed up or figured out on his own. It was revealed to him. Verse ten is where John begins to describe the revelation:

Revelation 1:10 (NKJV) 10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet,

The revelation that came about was the result of John being in the Spirit. Once again we see the Holy Spirit is the One who reveals.

Peter’s revelation
One more wonderful example from scripture before we make some practical application for ourselves. This time it is the Disciple Peter. In Matthew chapter 16, we are told that Jesus was talking with His disciples and He asked them, “Who do men say that I am?” In other words, what is the natural thinking and intellectual discourse? What conclusions have men drawn from their own minds? The disciples gave Him a run-down of opinions: “Some say John the Baptist. Some say the prophet Elijah. Some say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.”

Then Jesus turned a serious corner and asked, “But who do you say that I am?” The natural way that this works is to study all the prevailing opinions of the greatest minds, evaluate the pros and the cons, and decide which of those opinions you believe to be the most likely. But Peter didn’t follow that natural way of thinking. Instead, he came up with something that none of the intellectual minds or schools of thought had even considered. Peter said, “You are the Christ. The Son of the living God.”

Where did that come from? (Read from top of outline)

Matthew 16:17 (NKJV) 17 Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.”

This is an example of supernatural revelation. Jesus had to tell Peter what it was because Peter didn’t even realize it. It seemed like the most natural thing in the world. If the bible had recorded Peter’s next words, I believe they would have been, “Really? It just seemed like me. It didn’t come as a brilliant flash from heaven. It just came out of my mouth.”

Take note of this normal discussion that Jesus said was revelation from God. As far as we know, Peter didn’t shout in King James English. As far as we know, Peter didn’t have to work it up. It wasn’t in the middle of a church service. It was a simple and confident declaration that Peter made. Jesus said, “That’s revelation.”

READY FOR REVELATION
God is ready to reveal things to you. Are you ready for His revelation? The Holy Spirit is the One who reveals. How do we sneak down the hall and hear what He is saying?

1. Listen for His voice.

Are you listening to the voice of God? Do you really want to know what He has to say? Do you really believe that you can hear what He is saying? Is this promise for everyone else but you?

Quote from Going Deeper, page 35
Perhaps when you hear stories of others’ experiences with God you feel a bit lost. Your mind keeps telling you that “things like that” happen to other people, not you. Maybe you’ve concluded that you aren’t capable of experienceing God up close and personal. Unfortunately, many Christians acquiesce to living in the shallows, thinking a deeper life with God is for a select few – or doesn’t belong to this era of church history at all. Nothing could be further from the truth.

God offers the promise of the Holy Spirit to everyone: “I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions” (Joel 2:28, emphasis added). Peter preached this promise from the Old Testament Book of Joel shortly after Christ was raised from the dead and ascended to heaven. To those living in Jerusalem, his message was clear and simple:

§ Jesus is the crucified, resurrected, and exalted Lord and Christ (Acts 2:22-36, 3:13-15).

§ Jesus, who now sits at the right hand of the Father in heaven, has the authority to pour out the Holy Spirit on all believers (Acts 2:16-18, 32, 33).

§ If you place your faith in Jesus as Lord and repent of your sin, you will be forgiven, and times of refreshing will come (Acts 2:36-38, 3:19).

§ As a believer, you can expect the gift of the Holy Spirit to be poured out on you, and on all generations after you (Acts 1:4-8, 2:38-39, Matt. 3:11).

God doesn’t say, “I will pour out My Spirit only on a select few, the religious elite.” Nor does He say, “I will pour out My Spirit for a few decades, until this generation of the early church passes away.” God says, “I will pour out My Spirit on all people.”

All mean all – all nations, tribes, tongues, men women, and eras. It also includes the good, bad, rich, poor, intelectual, and those with mental disabilities. When the Holy Spirit lives in you, He persistently draws you like a magnet, into the deep things of God, always pointing you to Jesus.

Are you willing to listen?
§ Reduce the noise in your life.

Often the reason we can’t hear His voice is because there are too many other voices and noises.
You need to reduce the noise in your life.

Whenever there is an interesting astrological event you are told to go out into the country or up on a high hill to view it. Why is that? It’s not that the city stars are duller than the country stars. It is because of all the city lights and street lights in the city. The star is just as bright but it gets lost in the other light that is all around. A star has much greater intensity and brightness than a city street light. But because the light is closer to you and you have to look through it to see the star, the brighter light gets swallowed up by the more mundane light.

What are the ‘streetlights’ in your life – the more mundane noise and busyness that blocks out God’s voice?

§ Set aside time.

It takes time to hear God’s voice. Peter was spending time with Jesus when he received his revelation from God. Make time, set it aside in your schedule, to listen to God’s voice.

2. Read a brief passage of scripture.

God’s general revelation is contained in the Bible. For me, 99% of the time when the Holy Spirit reveals things to me is when I am reading scripture. He takes the written word, makes it come alive and applies it to something I am dealing with or someone I know is dealing with. There is nothing like scripture to give revelation.

There’s another important part that scripture plays. Every revelation that comes must line up with the Word of God. That means that the Bible becomes our standard of evaluating revelation. Is it consistent with God’s Word or not? If not, that’s not revelation. It is revolting.

3. Be sensitive to spontaneous insights.

You may need to teach yourself when to give attention to those spontaneous thoughts that you have. You may be in prayer or reading the Bible and some kind of momentary thought hits your mind, something that says, “What does that mean?” Most of the time we just keep right on going. Stop for a minute. Give it some thought. Is God trying to say something to you?

§ Expect Him to reveal things to you.

A lot of times when we’re spending time with God we’re just there to talk, not listen. Because we really don’t expect that He will say anything.

It is not uncommon these days to call someone on the phone and get an answering machine or voice mail. When you do, you wait for the beep and leave your message. You don’t carry on a conversation with an answering machine. You talk and it listens. It’s great that way. How many people have called someone before hoping to get an answering machine because you didn’t want a conversation, you just wanted to leave some information?

I called someone the other day. The phone rang quite a few times so I figure I’d just leave a message. The phone answered, “Hello, this is so-and-so…” I was waiting for the beep, but it was the real person.

Tom and answering machine wars
Back in the old days, answering machines all used cassette tapes. Pastor Tom and I used to have this battle of the answering machines. When I called him I hoped I got his answering machine. If I did I would just ramble on and on and on, filling up valuable tape space. (It was good preaching practice.) He used to do the same thing to me. Then it got to where we tried to fill up the whole tape so that the other person couldn’t get any more messages. I remember our family coming home one day, checking the answering machine, and Tom read all of the writing on an entire cereal box on our machine. Another day it was the newspaper. Those were the days.

Sometimes, we treat our relationship with God that way. We just want to download with Him. We don’t really expect that He would have anthing to say to me. He is like an answering machine tape. “I’ll just leave a message for Him.”

God doesn’t have an answering machine. He always answers personally and He has something to say to you.

4. Take time.

Once you’ve set the time aside, then take your time. Don’t rush. Don’t feel rushed. If you’re filled with His Spirit and expecting Him to speak to you but don’t hear anything from Him, chances are you are not taking time.

5. Write or share what you hear.

Here is a final step to really seeing God’s revelation make an impact. I would encourage you to either write down what He reveals to you or share it with someone else.

When Jesus gave John his revelation on the island of Patmos, John wrote it down and distributed it to all the churches in the area. Peter’s revelation became Peter’s confession when he spoke out loud in front of all the other disciples, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.

Life Journal
Keeping a life journal is an excellent way to write down what you hear the Spirit revealing to you.

Sharing with others
I often pray for people and ask God, “Reveal something for them.” Ask for it, expect it to happen and share it with them. I remember once praying for another pastor after his ordination ceremony. God revealed to me something about his ministry, relating it to Joshua assigning the Promised Land to the children of Israel. I remember many years ago three bible college students came to me. One of them was having a birthday, so they others wanted us all to pray for her and ask God for a special word for her on her birthday.

I have prayed in groups where there has been revelation. I have prayed one-on-one and received special revelation. I have been alone with God when He has revealed things to me. Many times I have received notes or emails from many of you with words of revelation that God has given to you and you have passed on to me.

God has not taken a vow of silence.

Conclusion
Let’s close with the final paragraph in the reading for this week:

Forget the clock. Lose yourself in the depths of His infinite goodness. Abide with Him. Speak little. Listen much. Write down what you see and what you hear. The Holy Spirit will show you what you need to see to wisely navigate through the issues as hand. Whatever He reveals, He empowers. The insights He gives aren’t simply to satisf your curiosity. They are given to enable you to manage life well, with an unshakable confidence that God is in you, working all things out according to His good pleasure. They are given to sustain you through chaos, direct you in decision, and comfort you in affliction. They impart life. If you want to go deeper with God, go to your heart. Human reasoning won’t reveal God’s perspectives, but His Holy Spirit will.

Going Deeper: the One who seals

An odd sight
In college I took some classes at the pool. One particular semester I would often arrive at the pool before the last class let out. It was a SCUBA class. I remember the walking in and seeing a bunch of SCUBA divers in an indoor pool. It looked very odd. Here they were, equipped and ready for the open ocean swimming around in the university pool. Though they would train in the pool, before they were certified they had to go out into the open ocean.

The pool provided greater safety than the open ocean, but none of the interest or excitement. These people weren’t learning to SCUBA dive to stay in pools, but to head out into deep water.

We are like those SCUBA divers. We are equipped for going much deeper – to leave the safety of the comfortable, predictable physical world and explore greater depths. Don’t you feel that way sometimes? Don’t you yearn to go deeper?

Launch out into the deep
One of Jesus’ first encounters with Simon (later Peter) was at the seashore (Luke 5:1-11). Jesus got into Peter’s boat to teach those who were gathered on the shore. Peter heard His teaching for the multitude, but then Jesus said something personally to Peter. He said, “Launch out into the deep.” You can stay in the shallows with the crowds and hear good teaching. But to see your life used miraculously you must obey and launch out into the deep. Peter had a decision to make. I think you and I do, too.

In order to go deeper we have to be willing to leave the shallows.

“The shallows” is what we can see, what we can feel, what we can control (see Ezekiel 47:5). Do you know that there is more to life than what we can see, touch, taste and measure? There must be more.

You are more than a collection of cells. You are more than biological processes. You are more than you can see. How can you see love and hope and fear and beliefs and faith and dreams and personality – the core of who you really are?

You are spirit. God is spirit. These are the deep things, the really important things. Are you ready to launch out into the deep?

1 Corinthians 2:9-13 (NKJV)
9 But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” 10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. 13 These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

Throughout this eight week series, and in our Host Homes, we are going to dedicate ourselves to the deep things of God. We want to go deeper in the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit, and the things freely given to us by God.

HEAVEN’S SEAL

The Holy Spirit is the One who seals.

Ephesians 1:13-14 (NKJV)
13 In Him [Jesus] you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.

1. A seal has many purposes.

Why does God seal us with the Holy Spirit of promise? A seal has many purposes.

- Ownership

A seal indicates identification or ownership. Something was sealed to indicate that it was identified with, or the property of, someone else. Think of a cattle brand. A rancher rounds up all of his cattle into one pen. These all belong to him. Then, one by one he takes them out and heats up a branding iron until it is red hot. The branding iron has his seal on it – a mark that is associated with his ranch. If it’s the Lazy H ranch, it may be an ‘H’ with a rocker on it. It may be letters or symbols, but it will be some type of appropriate, identifying mark.

We could really illustrate this today if you would, after service today, file by the fireplace in the family room. We’ll have an iron poker there with a very attractive leaf and the initials ‘NH’ on it. As you go by, we’ll just gently give you a little tap with the branding iron. Pay no attention to the screams of the people in front of you. It won’t hurt a bit. This way we’ll put our seal of identification on you.

Instead of putting that kind of seal on you, God has chosen instead to seal you with the Holy Spirit. Isn’t that a better plan? The Seal reflects His ownership. The Seal of the Holy Spirit will always be consistent with the character and nature of God, never contradictory.

- Authority

A seal also denotes authority. Think of the Presidential Seal that you see on lecterns during press conferences or on the side of Air Force One. That seal is used by that office to indicate its authority. In order to establish legimate authority, documents will be stamped with that seal showing it carries the authority of the President’s office. Notary Publics and others use a seal in the same way.

In the ancient world, a seal carried great authority. When Joseph became Prime Minister of Egypt under Pharoah it was designated by the Pharoah’s signet ring. Whenever the authority of Pharoah was needed, wax was melted and the ring was pressed into the wax making a seal. That seal carried the full authority of Pharoah.

When Jesus’ tomb was secured, a large rock was rolled in front of the entrance and it was sealed with cords, wax and the seal of Rome (Matthew 27:66, Daniel 6:17).

The Holy Spirit is the granting of God’s authority and power to us.

- Future promise

A seal also preserves for the future like the seals in the book of Revelations that preserves something for a future time. In relationship to sealing something for the future I kept thinking of tupperware. You put something in it and then you seal it. (Of course you have to burp it to make sure you have a good seal.) That seal locks in the freshness.

Maybe you have never thought tupperware when thinking of the Holy Spirit, but as we just read, the Holy Spirit “is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession.” The Holy Spirit keeps that inheritance fresh for us. The Holy Spirit is a downpayment on our future inheritance. That’s great news!

So, how is this seal used?

2. Jesus was sealed by the Spirit.

Jesus, the Son of God, was sealed by the Holy Spirit.

John 6:27 (NKJV)
27 Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.”

People found out quickly that there was more to Jesus then meets the eye. He appeared to be like every other man. They knew his father, his mother, his brothers and his sisters. They knew He was from Nazareth and one even wondered, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” He ate. He slept. He worked. He got weary. In the natural, He was just one of the guys.

But if you were around Him for long, you couldn’t miss that fact that there was something else about Jesus that you couldn’t see. You had to go deeper. It was the Seal of Heaven in His life.

You could see God in Him. Everything He did was consistent with the character and nature of God. He loved people. He forgave people. Even the Roman centurion standing at His death on the cross said, “Truly this was the Son of God!”

He had authority. He taught with authority, not as the others did. He healed people that no one else could heal. He had authority over demons. He said, “Peace be still” to the waves and they obeyed Him.

This authority that He had was not a governmental authority or an authority bestowed upon Him by the church. It was a supernatural authority. It was the seal of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus lived for a future promise. He knew He was staying here permanently.

3. God’s seal for me is the Holy Spirit.

I have the very same seal as that which Jesus had on Him. “If the same spirit that raised Christ from the dead dwell in you, He will quicken your mortal bodies.” (Romans 8:11) I have His brand, His authority and His promises!

Being filled with the Holy Spirit
About two years after I surrendered my life to Jesus, I was part of a youth study group that met before the regular church services. I was learning a lot during this time and was enjoying everything I was learning from the bible.

One day the teaching and discussion was on the Holy Spirit. I didn’t know anything about that subject. As we studied more, I realized that this wasn’t just something you learned, but something more. I was asked, “Have you ever asked God to fill you with the Holy Spirit to empower your life?” I had no idea what they were talking about. It was like when the Apostle Paul met those believers in Ephesus when he said, “Have you received the Holy Spirit since you believed?” And they answered him, “We’ve never even heard about the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 19:2)

So they prayed for me that morning. They prayed and I prayed. Nobody shouted. Nobody convulsed. All I can tell you is that I was filled with such peace and joy and confidence that I didn’t want to leave that spot. I remember staying right there, in that room, long after everyone else had left. The entire time the church service was going on in the other room, I felt like I was just soaking in God’s presence without moving a muscle. (And I never miss church…)

It was quite a while later when I really began asking God to fill me regularly and allowing Him to use me in supernatural ways. And He does. Not every day. Not even most days. But when it is needed and as I have opportunity.

I have prayed for people and they have been healed. Not by me, but by the Spirit of God. I believe for healing each time and pray. The rest is up to God.

I have been given specific insight and knowledge about people. The bible calls it a word of knowledge. A couple of weeks ago I was praying for a couple up here at the altar and prayed a specific prayer about restoration – something that had been broken down and God was restoring. After the prayer time the woman came to me with tears in her eyes and said, “I don’t know how you knew, but that was the exact prayer that we needed.”

I have shared prophetic words, affirmed by others. I have needed gifts of discernment. I strengthen myself spiritually by speaking in an unknown language. All of these, and more, are gifts of the Holy Spirit that affirm His seal in your life and are talked about in the bible.

- I am a spirit with a body.

I am not predominantly a physical being that carries around a spirit. I am a spiritual being that temporarily occupies a physical body. In fact, the bible calls this body a tent.

- Not a one-time experience.

There are a lot of misunderstandings about the Holy Spirit and His activity. Some refer to a ‘Second Blessing’ or a ‘Second Work of Grace.’ Some ask, “Is it a subsequent event?” I say no. It is many subsequent events. Keep being filled. Keep being used.

- Counterfeits don’t discredit the genuine

“But there are sure many things out there that I know aren’t really genuine,” you might say. Amen! I have also heard of counterfeit twenty dollar bills, but I’m not going to throw all of mine away. (If I had any…) To use counterfeits as an argument against the genuine article just doesn’t make sense.

- No place for spiritual elitism.

One of the certainties of a genuine work of the Holy Spirit is this: It always produces humility, not pride. To think that being used by the Holy Spirit in any way makes you a better Christian than anyone else is about the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.

CONCLUSION
If anything I have said today intrigues you, then stick around through this series as we go deeper. I would also encourage you to be a part of a Going Deeper small group where there will be additional teaching and opportunity for honest discussion.

In closing, I would like to read something from the end of the first chapter in the Going Deeper book:

"One of the nineteenth century’s mightiest men of God was Dwight L. Moody. Not only was he the founder of the Moody Bible Institute, but he was also an international teacher of the Bible. Hundreds of thousands of people came to know Christ under his teaching. Those who knew Moody said that one of the most noticeable characteristics of his life was that of total surrender to God. Every ounc eof his two-hundred-eighty pound frame belonged to God. He wasn’t perfect. He was surrendered. Dwight Moody’s successor, R.A. Torrey, speaks of Mr. Moody’s intense hunger for God, and of one of the divine encounters he had with the Holy Spirit:

The first month I was in Chicago, we were having a talk about something upon which we very widely differed, and Mr. Moody turned to me very frankly and very kindly said: “Torrey, if I believed that God wanted me to jump out of that window, I would jump.” I believe he would. If he thought God wanted him to do anything, he would do it. He belonged wholly, unreservedly, unqualifiedly, entirely, to God. Henry Varley, a very intimate friend of Mr. Moody once said to him: “It remains to be seen what God will do with a man who gives himself up wholly to Him.” I am told that when Mr. Varley said that, Mr. Moody said, “I will be that man.”

In his early days Moody was a great hustler, he had a tremendous desire to do something but he had no real power. He worked very largely in the energy of the flesh. But there were two humble Free Methodist women who used to come over to his meetings in the YMCA. One was Auntie Cook and the other Mrs. Snow. These two women would come to Mr. Moody at the close of his meetings and say: “We are praying for you.” Finally, Mr. Moody, being somewhat nettled said to them one night: “Why are you praying for me? Why don’t you pray for the unsaved?” They replied, “We are praying that you may get the power.”

Mr. Moody did not know what that meant but he asked that he might pray with them and not they merely pray for him. Auntie Cook once told me of the intense fervor with which Mr. Moody prayed on that occasion. She told me in words that I scarecely dared repeat, though I have never forgotten them.

Not long after that, he was walking up Wall Street in New York in the midst of the bustle and hurry of that city, and his prayer was answered. The power of God fell upon him as he walked up the street and he had to hurry off to the house of a friend and ask to have a room by himself. In that room he stayed alone for hours; and the Holy Ghost came upon him filling him with so much joy that at last he had to ask God to withhold His hand, lest he die on the spot from joy.” (Going Deeper, page 25-26)

Why Did Jesus Die?

Watch what you say
Before we get started, I want to help some of you guys out. Guys can put their foot in their mouth sometimes. I know, I used to be a guy before I became a pastor. Guys need all the help they can get.
Last Easter there was this awkward situation which I want to help you avoid this year. A man and his wife were leaving church and I was talking with people in the family room. The guy ended up giving himself away and embarrassing both himself and his wife and he didn’t even realize he had done it. He said as they were leaving, “You’re in a rut, Pastor. You preach about the resurrection every time I come here.”

In case you’re wondering, I do preach about more than just the resurrection. (But there’s nothing I like talking about more.)

Motives
This year I would like to talk about motives. I don’t want to talk about whether or not Jesus died and rose again or about how it happened. I don’t want to talk about what happened but more about why. This is an important question: Why did Jesus die? What do we know about His motivation? What did He accomplish by dying?

As you know, motivation for actions is an important part of relationships. If your child comes into the room, gives you a big hug and says, “I love you,” you would be very touched. What if you found out that your spouse gave them $5.00 to do it? It would change everything, wouldn’t it? My wife used to think that people were her friends because her mom was paying them to be friends with her. (It’s actually how I supplement my pastor’s income…)

Can’t hurt to ask
Agnes Goddard writes in Christian Reader the following story about questionable motives:

My granddaughter, Hannah, begged me long-distance to come help her celebrate her sixth birthday. Unable to resist, I made my plans to join the family. When we sat down for the birthday dinner, my son asked Hannah if she would like to bless the food on her birthday. "Oh, yes, Daddy," she said. She closed her eyes and began, "Dear Lord, thank you for Mommy and this good food she fixed. Thank you for letting Grandma come here today." Pausing momentarily, Hannah opened her eyes to peek at me before she continued. "And please Lord, let us have a good time at 'Toys R Us' this afternoon." (Agnes Goddard, Oceanside, Calif. "Lite Fare," Christian Reader. Leadership.)

So, what do we know about Jesus’ motives in dying on the cross?

WHY DID JESUS DIE?

For a long time in my life, I didn’t get this. Why did Jesus die? I knew about God and Jesus from stories when I was little. I believed there was a God and Jesus was His Son for as long as I could remember. It wasn’t really in dispute for me. I knew that Jesus died on a cross and rose again on the third day. I knew all of that. But I didn’t know why. That’s what I didn’t get. I was absolutely unable to figure out why Jesus died on a cross in the first place. Wasn’t just coming as a baby in Bethlehem enough? Weren’t His teachings enough? Why did Jesus have to die? And, more importantly, what did that have to do with me? These were questions that I had no answers for.

You probably saw the banner outside. It has this artistic picture of Jesus on the cross and says, “Why Did Jesus Die?” I originally wanted it to read, right along that picture of Jesus on the cross, “So What?” That may seem a little more harsh, but that is a legitimate question. “Okay, Jesus died. So what?” Maybe that is your question this morning. You came to the right place.



Before we look at why Jesus died, let’s clarify one important thing:

1. Jesus wasn’t forced to die.

We normally think of death as mandatory, don’t we? Everybody has to die. “There are three certainties in life: birth, death and taxes.” When people die, they don’t chose their death. They die because they have to die.

This is not true of Jesus. He didn’t have to die.

It wasn’t because of His sin

Scripture says, “The wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23) All who sin have earned death. Death is a consequence of sin. Jesus never sinned. His death was because of sin, but not His sin.

There were two thieves who died right alongside Jesus. One of the thieves was insulting Jesus and the other one said, “What are you doing? We are here because we deserve to be here, but He has done nothing deserving of death.” He was right.

It wasn’t without precedent

“Wait a minute, doesn’t everyone have to die?” No. There are two people listed in the Bible, Enoch and Elijah, who never died. If God could take them into heaven without dying, couldn’t Jesus, being God, give Himself the ‘death exemption’? Yes He could, but He didn’t.

John 10:15 (NKJV)
15 As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.


John 10:18 (NKJV)
18 No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.”

§ He voluntarily gave His life, it wasn’t taken from Him.

John Donne was a poet and preacher in the 1600’s. In a sermon, he noted:

Christ died because he would die; other men admitted tot eh dignity of martyrdom are willing to die, but they die by the torments of the executioners; they cannot bid their souls go out and say, “Now I will die.” And this was Christ’s case: It was not only, “I lay down my life for my sheep” (John 10:15), but he says also, “No man can take away my soul; and I have power to lay it down.” And, de facto, he did lay it down – he did die before the torments could have extorted his sould from him.

Many crucifed men lived many days upon the cross. The thieves were alive long after Christ was dead, and therefore Pilate wondered that he was already dead (Mark 15:44). His soul did not leave his body by force, but because he would, and when he would, and how he would…. Christ did not die naturally, nor violently, as all others do, but only voluntarily.”

That’s important to understand. If someone does something voluntarily it tells something about their motives. Jesus died, but He didn’t have to. Then why?

2. Jesus was determined to die.

After you see that Jesus’ death wasn’t forced you see something else. You see His determination to die. If Jesus wasn’t forced to die but died willing, was He at all reluctant? Not at all. In fact, His determination is quite remarkable.

§ Nothing could stop Him.

There were a number of times when Jesus showed His determination to meet with His cruel death on the cross. I guess you could say that the first was when He faced tempation in the wilderness from the Devil. He resisted the temptation and stuck with the plan.

Rebuking Peter
On one occasion, the disciples were aware that Jesus’ enemies were out to get Him and Jesus said by going to Jerusalem they would take Him and kill Him. Peter pulled Jesus aside and said, “Lord, let’s make another plan. You don’t have to die. I won’t let you die.” That’s something a good friend would do, right? Friends don’t let friends get crucified.

Jesus responded to Peter with some of the strongest language you see in scripture, “Get behind Me, Satan!” What Jesus came to do could not have been done without His death. It was not enough that He came. He was determined to die.

Matthew 16:23 (NKJV)
23 But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”

Prayer in the Garden

Later on, just before Jesus would be taken away, He went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. He knew what was ahead and what needed to be done but He was in great agony. He wrestled with what He knew was about to take place. He prayed:

John 12:27 (NKJV)
27 “Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour.

It wasn’t just for His life and His teachings that He came, but it was ‘to this hour,’ the occasion of His death. He was determined to die.

No need for swords

After this prayer, Judas betrayed Jesus and soldiers came out to take Him away. Peter pulled his sword to fight off the soldiers and rescue Jesus.


Matthew 26:52-54 (NKJV)
52 But Jesus said to him, “Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. 53 Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels? 54 How then could the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen thus?”

Jesus could have been rescued. Not by a dozen disciples but by a dozen legions of angels. He chose death over rescue.

“Come down from the cross”

Even at the end, Jesus’ enemies shouted at Him and made fun of Him. “You saved others, now save yourself. Come down from the cross and prove that you are the Son of God.” Jesus could have come down from the cross even then. But it wouldn’t have proven that He was the Son of God, but just the opposite. It would have shown He was not the Son of God, because the Son of God came to die.

Mark 15:32 (NKJV)
32 Let the Christ, the King of Israel, descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Even those who were crucified with Him reviled Him.

3. Jesus died for you.

What is the reason for this determination to die if Jesus didn’t have to? You are the reason. He was determined to die, not for Himself, but for you. You are the ‘why’.

YOU HAVE MUCH TO GAIN; HE HAD MUCH TO LOSE

In order to accomplish all that He wanted to accomplish for you, Jesus had to die.

§ He paved the way for real life.

There’s road construction going on by my house right now. There are workers in big equipment digging up and leveling out to make a new road and new lots for houses. Most of the workers don’t even live around there and will never need the road themselves, but they are there to make a road and places to live for others. Without their work, I would not be able to go through there. There could be no houses there.

Jesus came to pave the way for you because you would never be able to get through without Him. He came so that we could live.

1 Corinthians 15:20-23 (NKJV)
20 But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. 23 But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming.

Acts 26:23 (NKJV)
23 that the Christ would suffer, that He would be the first to rise from the dead, and would proclaim light to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles.”

§ He understands all that you go through.

In order for Him to really understand and have compassion (‘compassion’ means literally ‘to suffer with’) on all the pain that you experience, He had to experience the full range of pain. He really knows what you’re going through.

Hebrews 4:15 (NKJV)
15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.

§ He wanted to show you ultimate love.

There is no greater love than giving your life for someone else. It is selfless, because once your dead they can’t really pay you back. It is sacrificial because you only have one life to give or to keep for yourself. It is ultimate because it is the last act you will ever do in this life.

John 15:13 (NKJV)
13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.

Romans 8:32 (NKJV)
32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?

Have you ever had someone who loved you that much and showed it? Yes. His Name is Jesus. He voluntarily, with great determination, gave His life for you. He has that same determination for you today.

Subway savior, Wesley Autrey
The first week of this year, 2007, a 19-year-old New York film student named Cameron Hollopeter was standing on the subway platform waiting for a train. He suffered a seizure, his body convulsed out of control, and he fell off the plaform onto the tracks below – directly in front of an incoming train. He was helpless.

On the same platform was Wesley Autrey, a 50-year-old construction worker, with his two daughters. Wesley noticed no one else was going to help, so he jumped down from the platform onto the tracks. He grabbed the young man and rolled with him between the two set of tracks into a drainage trough. Seconds later the train cars roared by, with only inches to spare. Neither man was hurt.

Wesley Autrey became an instant celebrity, but that’s not why he did it. He said, “I just did it because I saw someone in distress. Someone needed help.”

Elliot Sander, executive director of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, called Autrey’s rescue “a death-defying act of bravery. We truly have not seen anything like this… He was in the right place at the right time and did the right thing.”

Jesus went to the right place at the right time to do the right thing. He was put to death because you and I are in distress. His death is our only hope for life.

Conclusion

Why did Jesus die?

Hebrews 2:14 (NRSV) [read together]
14 Since, therefore, the children share flesh and blood, he himself likewise shared the same things, so that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by the fear of death.

That’s why Jesus came.

Who Is This?

A mob scene
We are going to start today with a mob scene. There’s nothing like a nice mob scene to get people’s attention. Have you ever witnessed a large crowd gathering? What do you do? Well, you are drawn to it, because you want to know what it’s all about. You feel like you might miss out on something if you don’t join in – like they all know something that you don’t know.

Flash mob
Have you ever heard of a ‘flash mob’? A flash mob is usually organized over the internet and assembles a spontaneous mob of people for random reasons. The first successful flash mob assembled in June 3, 2003 at Macy's department store. More than one hundred people converged upon the ninth floor rug department of Macy's department store, gathering around one particular very expensive rug. Anyone approached by a sales assistant was advised to say that the gatherers lived together in a warehouse on the outskirts of New York, that they were shopping for a Love Rug, and that they made all their purchase decisions as a group.

A flash mob is unusual because it violates what we know to be true about crowds: They don’t just form out of nothing but something draws them together, and they have a good reason for forming. We naturally want to know what that reason is.

The Palm Sunday mob
Let’s look at a mob of biblical proportions. It is found in the Bible.

Matthew 21:1-10 (NKJV) 1 Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me. 3 And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them.” 4 All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: 5 “Tell the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your King is coming to you, Lowly, and sitting on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.’ ” 6 So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them. 8 And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: “Hosanna to the Son of David! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ Hosanna in the highest!” 10 And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, “Who is this?”

You could separate the crowd into three basic groups that day.

Contrast in the crowd: Cheerers, Jeerers, Inquirers

The Cheerers. Some in the crowd were the cheerers. They recognized that this was no ordinary day and this was no ordinary man. They shouted out, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” And they shouted loudly. They didn’t care who heard them. They cut down palm branches and used their own coats to lay down before Him in reverence. These guys were having fun! They were excited!
Because of them it says that all the city was moved. The word translated as ‘moved’ there is the Greek word ‘eseisthay’. It is from this word we get our word ‘seismograph’. It literally means: “Shaken as by an earthquake.” ‘Moved’ is an understatement.

Jesus and His Cheerers created a spiritual earthquake, and the world is still shaking today.

The Jeerers. Not everyone was joining in on the party. According to Luke’s gospel (Luke 19:39-44), some people in the crowd were offended by this over-exuberant display. They told the people to calm down. When that didn’t work, they told Jesus to tell them to calm down. Nope. Jesus wouldn’t do it.

The Inquirers. The third group we’ll call the inquirers. They may have been attracted to the scene by the crowd but they didn’t really realize what was going on. What’s all the fuss about? They could see that it all centered on this one man, riding on a donkey. So, the natural question was, “Who is this?” It was worth investigation. If He is causing such an uproar – a literal people earthquake – I want to know His story.

Rachel Ray at Busick Court
There was a buzz in the crowd and everyone knew He was the reason for it. A couple years ago I went into the Busick Court Restaurant after Rachel Ray had been there. (Women, you know who Rachel Ray is. Men, I’m sorry that I know who Rachel Ray is but… honestly, many of you do too.) There was still a buzz even after she had left.

The buzz of this day: “Who is This?” This is a great question. This is the question.
I think those same three groups still exist today. There are the cheerers, who can’t and won’t stop shouting about Jesus. We don’t care who hears us. There are still the jeerers, those who say, “Quiet down. Your beliefs are too offensive, or too unscientific, or too out-of-date.” And there are still the inquirers. Thank God for the inquirers who are willing to honestly ask the question, “Who is this?” This is the question we will follow.

WHO DID JESUS SAY HE WAS?
Let’s pursue the question this way: Who did Jesus say He was? Doesn’t it make sense to go directly to the source?

In the famous scene of Peter’s confession at Caesarea Phillipi (Mark 8:27-28, Luke 9:18-20), two questions were asked. We are going to ask the third question. Jesus said to His disciples, “Who do men say that I am?” That’s question number one. Then Jesus asked, “Who do you say that I am?” That’s question number two. Question number three, which would give the best answer of all, is: “Jesus, who do You say that You are?”

“I know who you are…”
A friend of mine was sitting in the coach section of an airplane on an international flight when the guy sitting next to him leaned over and said, “I know who you are.” (He gets this a lot because he looks exactly like the actor, Nick Nolte.) He said, “I know who I am, too.” The guy said, “You’re Nick Nolte.” He said, “No I’m not. I just look like him.” The guy said, “You just don’t want anyone to know you’re Nick Nolte.” So he showed the guy his license and said, “See, I’m not Nick Nolte.” The guy said, “Nick Nolte could easily get a fake license made to hide his identity.” This went on for a while and my friend could not convince this guy that he was not Nick Nolte. Finally, in frustration he said, “If I were Nick Nolte I would be up in first class so I wouldn’t have to ride back here in coach with people like you.” The guy said, “You’re just not in first class because then everybody would know that you really are Nick Nolte.” My friend just gave up.

Jesus tells us exactly who He is. Here are eight ‘I am’ statements that Jesus made about Himself:

1. I am the Bread of Life.

John 6:35 (NKJV) 35 And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.”

Jesus said this after the feeding of the five thousand (men). The conversation was about the manna from heaven that daily sustained the Children of Israel for forty years in the wilderness. Every day that they had need they gathered manna and it sustained them. When did the manna stop? Only after they entered the Promised Land.

Jesus is the Bread of Life Who is available to you on a daily basis. What you have need of for today, He is. He said, “I am with you always, even unto the end of the age” (Matt 28:20, Hebrews 13:5). Just like the manna, His compassion is new every morning (Lam 3:22-23).

Who is this? Jesus is my fresh bread, every day.

2. I am the Light of the World.

John 8:12 (NKJV) 12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”

Jesus said this right after the woman who was caught in adultery was brought to her for judgment. According to the law, she was deserving of death. Jesus said, “Let him who is without sin cast the first stone.” Her accusers went away and Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more.”

Then Jesus said, “I am the Light of the World”. The world can be a dark and hopeless place. It is made that way by my own mistakes and their consequences and the guilt that goes along with it.

Who is this? Jesus is my forgiveness and hope for today.

3. I am the Door.

John 10:7 (NKJV) 7 Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.”

John 10:9 (NKJV) 9 “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.”

Picture your house in your mind right now. Now, picture that there is no door. That means one of two things: Either there is a wall where the door used to be or there is a huge, gaping hole. It is either without entry or without protection.

Imagine a builder building a house, getting all done and saying, “Oops, I forgot cut a doorway into the wall.” It just wouldn’t happen. In fact, when you buy a house the last act that seals the deal is: you get the keys to open the door of the house. That door grants access and restricts access. It welcomes those who are guests and protects you from those who are theives. Jesus says, “Come in by Me into heaven’s throne.”

Who is this? Jesus is my heavenly welcome and my security.

4. I am the Good Shepherd.

John 10:11 (NKJV) 11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.”

You may or may not think immediately of Psalm 23, but I assure you that Jesus’ hearers did. “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.”

David wrote that psalm. If I would have been a sheep, I would have wanted to be one of David’s sheep. David knew how to protect his sheep, actually, his father’s sheep. When a lion came to threaten his father’s sheep, David risked his own life and fought the lion. When a bear came to kill his father’s sheep, David risked his own life and fought the bear. David was writing about a Shepherd even greater than him – a Shepherd whose sheep he would want to be.

Jesus is that Shepherd. He layed down his life and died for the sake of His Father’s sheep.
Who is this? Jesus cares for me like no one else.

5. I am the Resurrection and the Life.

John 11:25 (NKJV) 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.”

Jesus was called to the tomb of his good friend Lazarus, who had died three days earlier. Martha, Lazarus’ sister, said to Jesus, “Oh, Lord, if only You would have been here (past tense) You could have done something.” Jesus said, “I’m here now.” Martha said, “I know my brother will rise (future tense) in the resurrection on the last day somewhere in the distant future.” Jesus said, “I am (present tense) the resurrection and the life.” Eternal life starts right now, with Jesus, with no regret of the past or fear of the future. Jesus eliminates fear and regret.

Who is this? Jesus is the Conqueror of death and the grave.

6. I am the Way, Truth and Life.

John 14:6 (NKJV) 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

Here is where we continually find ourselves in trouble. He is the Way (not ‘a’ way; not one among many). He is the truth. He is the Life.

Jesus is inclusively exclusive. Scripture says, “Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Acts 2:21, Rom 10:13, Rev 22:17). The invitation is inclusive. It goes out to everyone without exception. But there is only one way. Anyone can come, but there is only one way that will prove true.

You may think, “Well, it’s just cruel to say there is only one way. We should say there could be many ways.” If there is only one way, nothing could be crueler than to say that there are many ways. Remember, there was no way before Jesus. There was not a single way. Jesus came to be the way that any could take. How is that cruel?

Who is this? Jesus is the One and only.

7. I am the True Vine.

John 15:1 (NKJV) 1 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.”
John 15:5 (NKJV) 5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”

The vine is responsible for getting all of the nutrients to the branches and, ultimately, to the fruit. Have you ever seen a grapevine? It isn’t pretty. The grapes are beautiful. The grapes are rich in flavor. The vine… not so tasty. The grapes are sought after, treasured, harvested and stored carefully. Not the vine. The vine gives up everything for the sake of the branches and their fruit.

Jesus gave up everything. He left heaven. He became a servant. He suffered. He had no beauty that we should desire Him (Isaiah 53:2). He gave up His status as sole heir to make us joint heirs with Him.

Who is this? Jesus is a sacrifical, life-giving vine.

8. I AM.

John 8:58 (NKJV) 58 Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”

When Jesus said this, the Jews that were there picked up stones to stone Him to death. Why? Because of bad grammar. No. This phrase was a claim to be God. Everyone knew it.
Jesus was referring back to when God spoke to Moses in the burning bush. Moses said, “Who shall I say sent me?”

And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ” (Exodus 3:14)

God is eternal and self-existent. That means He owes His existence to nothing or no one else. He isn’t “I am because of…” He isn’t “I am for the purpose of…” He isn’t “I am until…” He isn’t “I am if that’s okay…” He is “I AM.” God is the only eternal, self-existent being. No one else can make that claim. Jesus said, “Yep. That’s me.”

You and I exist because of God and for His purpose.

Who is this? Jesus is the self-existing One. He is God.

Conclusion
How do you answer that question today: “Who is this?” Is He a daily part of your life? Is forgiveness and hope you need? That’s Him. Do you have confident access through Him? Could you use His care and protection? Do you have hope for eternity? It is found only in Him. Will you receive from Him as your source and worship Him as God?