The Word Made Plain

Guest (Male): Welcome to the Word Made Playing with senior pastor Tony Clark of Calvary Chapel Newport News in Virginia. Currently, pastor Tony is teaching in the book of John. Please open your Bible to John chapter 18 verses 1 through 11.

Tony Clark: Things have been one big murky river where things have not been clear in your life. You look at a murky river, you can't see the bottom of it. It's murky. It's kind of mingle with mud and dirt. And maybe that describes your life lately. But keep in mind when you mingle the blood of Jesus into the murky river of your life, that's when your life will start to flow properly like a river does. And so when you start to throw dirt back on or sling mud on the people doing it to you, then you have become just like the people throwing the mud on you.

Oh, it reminds me of when King Saul was jealous of David. God's anointing was upon David's life. And the spirit of God had departed from Saul, and he was jealous of him. On one occasion, he when King Saul saw David, he took a spear and threw it at him. And David escaped. Had David taken that spear out of the wall and said, you know what, I'm tired of you throwing spears at me, and threw the spear back, David would have become Saul. And so too it when you have mud thrown on you, you take the mud off of yourself and say, you know what, I'm tired of you slinging this dirt dirt on me, and you throw it back on them, you have become that person.

And this is why I said you have to take the blood of Jesus and apply it to your situation. You said, what do you mean by that? Well, we got to follow what Jesus said. Jesus said in Matthew 5 verse 44, he says, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you. Now, many of you are protesting to out, you know, I just I just can't do that. Well, that's the point. You can't in your own strength. This is why we need to apply the blood of Jesus into the murky river of our lives because he will give us the strength and the power to do what we can't do on our own.

And this is why we need to apply the blood of Jesus into the murky river of our situation. Verse 1 also tells us that near the brook Kidron, there was a garden. According to Mark chapter 14 verse 32 calls this garden the garden of Gethsemane. The owner of this garden is not known. Some scholars suggest that it belonged to the parents of Mark, the author of the gospel of Mark, who ran away naked when the soldiers came to arrest Jesus, according to Mark 14 in verses 51 and 52. Anyway, Gethsemane means oil press because on the lower slopes of the Mount of Olives is a olive grove where olives were crushed in order to produce oil.

And Jesus was able to face the cross of Calvary because he was first crushed in Gethsemane as he submitted to the Father's will. And do you have a Gethsemane? I have to ask cuz do you have a Gethsemane that you can go to before you're about to face your Calvary? And we all need a garden of Gethsemane that we can go to where our wills and our ways are are crushed so that we can submit to the Father's will. There's no way we can submit to the Father's will to our lives as long as we still have our agenda, our will, our way that we want to see happen.

Oh, we have to go to the garden of Gethsemane where our way and our wills are crushed so we can submit totally to the Father's will. Oh, we all need such a place to go to. Look what it says there in verse 2. And Judas who betrayed him also knew the place for Jesus often met there with his disciples. Notice it says in verse 2 and Judas who betrayed him also knew the place. As we can see from verse 2, the one who would betray Jesus is identified as Judas, one of the 12 disciples. And this shows us that so often we too will be betrayed by someone close to us.

This is what makes betrayal so painful because it will come from someone in our inner circle, someone we have spent a lot of time with a spouse, a close friend, a a a coworker, a family member. And notice how verse 2 also says that Judas also knew the place referring to the garden of Gethsemane. Oh, let me ask you this. Do people know where you will go in troublesome times? In difficult days, do they know where to find you? Would they look for you at church studying the scriptures in the place of prayer in your garden of Gethsemane?

Or would they look for you somewhere else? Judas knew Jesus would be in the garden of Gethsemane. Would people find you in your garden of Gethsemane during your troublesome time? Because like Jesus here, you often go there. Or would they know where to find you? You're drowning yourself in some bottle or crying your sorrows on the shoulder of someone who is not your spouse. Judas knew where to find Jesus in Gethsemane in the place of prayer. Look what it says there in verse 3. Then Judas having received a detachment of troops and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees came there with lanterns and torches and weapons.

This verse tells us that Judas having received a detachment of troops. This refers to a Roman cohort which was around 600 to 1,000 soldiers. And the officers in this verse refers to the temple police who came from the chief priest and the Pharisee. The chief priests were made up of the Sadducees who are the liberal religious leaders of the day, and the Pharisees were the conservative religious leaders of the day. They sent the temple police to arrest Jesus. They were the ones who arrest Jesus, and that's why because the temple police arrest was going to arrest Jesus.

This is why that Jesus was sent to the religious the Jewish authorities instead of sent to the Roman governor. Verse 3 also says that they came with lanterns and torches and weapons. Now, why in the world would they need lanterns and torches seeing that during Passover it would be a full moon giving them adequate amount of light to see who was in the garden. Oh, they brought the lanterns and torches just in case Jesus was hiding in some dark corner of the garden, and just in case the disciples were hiding in some dark place ready to launch an ambush against the soldiers.

Look what it says there in verses 4 through 6. Jesus therefore knowing all things that will come upon him went forward and said to them, whom are you seeking? They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus said to them, I am he. And Judas who betrayed him also stood with them. Now, when he said to them, I am he, they drew back and fell to the ground. Now, in these verses we see that Jesus was not hiding. Verse 4 says that he went forward and said to them, whom are you seeking? Jesus was a man's man.

He was not some sissy or some coward hiding off somewhere. No, he came out to meet them, not afraid. And they answered in verse 5, well, we came here to seek Jesus of Nazareth. Then Jesus said to them, I am he. And as you can see even in your Bible, he is in italics, which means that it was not a part of the original Greek language. It should read I am ego eimi, which is the same name that God gave to Moses out of the burning bush in Exodus 3 verse 14. God says, I am that I am.

Oh, what do you need for God to be to you today? Notice he is the great I am, not the great I was or the great I used to be. No, no, he's the great I am. I I I bring that up because many people they see what's going on in the scripture, and they say, well, you know, God is not doing that today. God no longer works the miraculous. God no longer does these things today. So, in other words, they're saying God is the great I used to be. Now, God says I'm the great I am in in present tense here.

I can be to you whatever it is you need for me to be. And this is why Psalm 46 verse 1 says God is our refuge and our strength, a very present help in time of trouble. Or that Hebrew word for trouble is an amazing word, and it means a tight spot. So, this can read God is our refuge and our strength, a very present help when we find ourselves in a tight spot. And then this maybe this is where you find yourself today. You're in a tight spot relationally. You're in a tight spot financially.

You're in a tight spot vocationally. You see no way out. Just know that God wants to be a very present help to you even when you find yourself in a tight spot. This is why he is called the great I am and not the great I was or I used to be or I I thought I was. No, he's the great I am. Oh, I find the end of verse 5 very interesting. It says, and Judas who betrayed him also stood with them. This seems to imply that whatever is about to happen to all of these soldiers who came to arrest Jesus, Judas is about to experience as well.

Oh, you got to really put your ears on to hear this. Whoever it is you are aligning yourself up to be with, please understand what is about to happen to them is about to happen to you too. Be very careful who is plotting on your job. Be very careful who is plotting in your life, and you're aligning yourself up to be with them because whatever is about to happen to them is about to happen to you as well. Oh, we we can see from verse 6 it says that when Jesus said I am, they drew back and fell to the ground.

The sheer power of the name of Jesus calls them to draw back and fall to the ground. Oh, Jesus was showing them that they had no power at all against him. This reminds me of what will happen to everyone someday. In Philippians 2 in verses 10 and 11 it says that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. And this is what we see happening here. And I will say to you today, you can bow before him now as Lord or bow before him later as judge.

No matter what, the choice is yours. That knee of yours is going to bow. Why not bow before him now as Savior? Instead of bowing before him later as judge, it'd be too late then. This is why the Bible says today if you hear his voice, don't harden your heart. Bow before him now as your Lord and Savior because you're going to bow. It's just either you're going to bow before him as your Lord and Savior or be bow before him as your judge. Look what it says there in verses 7 through 9. Then he asked them again, whom are you seeking?

And they said to him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus answered, I have told you that I am he. Therefore, if you seek me, let these go their way that the same might be fulfilled which he spoke of whom of those whom you gave me, I have lost none. Now, in these verses we see that Jesus is no coward at all after they fell to the ground at the display of his divine power. Oh, he could have easily have walked away and escaped. But no, he stood there, waited until they collected themselves and asked them again in verse 7, whom are you seeking?

Now, by Jesus making these soldiers state their orders twice which were only to arrest him, the Lord was forcing them to acknowledge that they have been given no authority to arrest the disciples. So, when Jesus said in verse 8, therefore if you seek me, let these go their way, Jesus was saying that they had better let his disciples go their way. He had just finished displaying for them his power. You know, and so he was pretty much saying, you better let these go their way. You already see what I am capable of doing. And doing this verse 9 says it was fulfilling what he spoke of of those whom you gave me, I have lost none.

Now, when did Jesus make this statement? Now, he made the statement in his prayer in chapter 17 and verse 12 when he says, while I was with them in the world, I kept them in your name. Those whom you gave me I have kept, and none of them is lost except the son of perdition that the scriptures might be fulfilled. This is where he made that statement. Now, for those of us who belong to Jesus Christ, please remember who is keeping you. It is Jesus keeping you. The Bible says in 1 Peter 1 5 that we are kept by the power of God through faith.

And God is keeping you just like he kept his disciples. So, remember when you feel like giving up. Remember when you feel like throwing in the towel, Jesus is keeping you by his power through faith. Oh, look what he says there in verses 10 and 11. Says, then Simon Peter having a sword drew it and struck the high priest's servant and cut off his right ear. The servant's name was Malchus. So, Jesus said to Peter, put your sword in your sheath. Shall I not drink the cup which my father has given me? Now, in these verses we see Peter caught up in the excitement of the moment and the display of Christ's power coming to the rescue of Jesus and according to verse 10 having a sword, he drew it and struck the high priest's servant and cut off his right ear.

The servant's name was Malchus. Now, the sword that Peter had was a dagger or a knife because the Greek word used here for sword is machaira. And it means a dagger or a long knife. And John is the only gospel writer who tells us that it was Peter who did this. Well, why is that? Maybe some suggest because Peter was already dead when John wrote his gospel here. And and there was no need to expose Peter while he was still alive and have people give him a hard time for doing this. Also by John telling us that Peter cut off his right ear shows that perhaps Peter was left-handed.

And John is also the only gospel writer who tells us the man's name was Malchus. And Peter perhaps could have started a mini war in the garden through his impulsive actions. And I I wonder about this. I wonder how many arguments, how many wars have we started with other people because in our impulsive actions, all in the name of trying to defend Jesus, we come into his rescue and and we we we cause unnecessary arguments and wars with people, all in the name of trying to defend the Lord. I just wonder. Peter could have easily have started war here 600 to 1,000 soldiers there.

Plus the temple police and he in his impulsiveness pulls out his dagger and chops off this guy. They could have it could have been a riot. But Jesus quickly diffused the situation in verse 11 when Jesus told Peter, put your sword into his sheath. Shall I not drink the cup which my father has given me? Well, I believe that we can be just like Peter. We can take the sword of the word of God, you know, in Hebrews 4 12, the word of God is living, powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword. And we can take the word of God, the sword of the word of God, and chop people's ears off with it.

In in our efforts to try to protect or defend Jesus in our anger and frustration, we chop off our spouse's ears, chop off our children's ears. Those on a job are not exempt either. They get their ears chopped off too. And like Luke 22 verse 51 says, Jesus touched the ear of Malchus and healed him. Here's a miracle that goes so often goes unnoticed. Here's Jesus. I mean, I'm sure Malchus was screaming, you know, his ear holding his head, and Jesus just picks up his ear and just puts it back on his head. A a miracle that often goes unnoticed.

And so so often the Lord has to come behind me and heal the ears I have chopped off in my anger and frustration with people. Jesus tells Peter at the end of verse 11, shall I not drink the cup which my father has given me? The cup is the cup of divine judgment which he would drink as he died for the sins of the world on the cross. The cup the cup of suffering. We can't drink the cup of suffering, the cup of humility, and swing the sword at people all at the same time. And when we do, the Lord will have to come and clean up the bloody mess we left behind.

Heal the ears of the Malchus in our lives that we have hurt with the sword of the word of God, all in the name of trying to defend Jesus. I don't know about you. The Lord has done this in many of our lives, all in the name of trying to defend the Lord. We go and we're frustrated, we're angry, and we're tired, and we're sick and tired, and we give these people the Malchus in our life. We give these people a earful of our anger and frustration, and and we chop off their ears with the word of God, and we leave saying, Lord, I defended you today.

And all the time the Lord is coming behind us with some paper towels to clean up the bloody mess that we have left behind and taken the ears of the Malchus in our lives and putting it back on the side of their head, and we walk away in our pride and in our we thinking we've done something great, and all the time the Lord is coming right behind us and cleaning up the mess. Oh, I know he's done that for me many times. He's done it for you too. You don't even know it. At least I can admit mine.

You know, I can admit he's done that to me. You walk away in your pride I defended you, Lord. Chop one up for me. And the Lord all the time as the Lord took off his outer garments and washed the disciples' feet, I can just see the Lord coming behind us taking off his outer garment so to speak and wiping off and washing up the mess, the bloody mess that we've left behind, all in the name of trying to defend the Lord. What else did the Lord say here? What else happened here? Well, you know, we got to wait until next week when we pick it up in part 2 of betrayed, and this is what this is going to be Easter's message, part 2.

Oh, it gets juicy. The plot thickens. And so this is why you take your invite cards and you invite your friends and family members and you know, people who you know have been betrayed. That means everybody. Nobody's exempt from this thing. Everybody's been betrayed because we we we're connected to people. And all the time we are either betraying or being betrayed. It it happens to all of us. So, betrayed. Let me conclude with this. All of us have been betrayed in one way or another. Let me say if you're here today and you are a Judas about to betray someone or if you with a group of people with Judas about to betray someone, you better think twice because God will step in and you'll find yourselves flat on your back like these soldiers found themselves.

And you need to repent from what you are plotting to do to an ex-spouse, what you're plotting to do to some significant other. I was told I couldn't say boyfriend and girlfriend because I heard that you can't say boyfriend and girlfriend anymore, even though people still call themselves boyfriend and girlfriend, but whatever you're plotting to do you you better you better stop it because it will not end well. It will not end well for you. And if you're here and you've been betrayed, come and allow Jesus to heal your wounded heart and heal you from the anger and bitterness that is the formula by which revenge is made of.

Allow the Lord to heal you because see, you think you over it, but all the time those two ingredients are brewing on the inside of you. And and they they are the stuff the stuff that revenge is made out of. I'm I'm here to encourage you. Get it right. There's going to be some people available to pray with you about these things. Let's pray. Father, thank you so much for this time in your word. I pray for those, Lord, who are here who've been hurt, they've been betrayed. Lord, I pray that you will heal their wounded heart, that they will come and allow you to heal their hearts.

Lord, I pray for those whose life have just been one Kidron brook, a murky water. They have no clarity. It's been as a result of people throwing mud and dirt on them. Lord, I pray that they will come and allow you to apply and mingle the blood of Jesus into the murky river of their lives. And Lord, I finally pray for those who hear who've never repented of their sin and accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior. I pray that today will be the day of salvation for them drawing them to you today in Jesus' name.

Amen.

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