Father, you know us perfectly.
You know us completely.
You know us deeply.
You know us from the moment of our conception in our mother's womb.
You know us to our present moment.
You know what is our future that we do not know but you know.
You know the dreams we have at night that we cannot remember when we wake up.
You know those things that we have buried in our past and have forgotten about.
You know every face and every front that we use.
And you know how we go from one front to another when we shift and how we shift.
You know those things about us that are strong.
You know those things about us that are absolutely terrible.
And we give you thanks and praise that knowing us so perfectly and so completely.
That still your son came to die for us on the cross.
We ask Father that your Holy Spirit would come and touch the command center of who we are.
That Jesus would truly be the savior and the Lord of our lives.
And that we would rest in his strong grip on us.
And this we ask in the name of Jesus, your son and our savior.
Amen.
Please be seated.
Just as we're starting, you're going to see why in a moment why this might be important.
But if you've forgotten your Bible or you don't own a Bible, there's some Bibles up at the front right there.
And you're welcome to take a Bible if you want.
You can keep it.
It's a gift from us or you could return it afterwards.
I don't know how much, how close attention you were paying to Jeremy when you were reading.
But here's the thing.
If you were listening to that carefully and just sort of listening to it at face value.
Or maybe imagine that you had to read this text to your skeptical boss or your skeptical next door neighbor.
And don't you think that they would say to you that Jesus does not seem wise?
That Jesus does not seem to be a very good teacher.
That Jesus is not very spiritual.
And that Jesus recommends bad things.
And that Jesus, in fact, is a terrible example.
Some of you may be your guests and you're wondering why you've come to church today.
Maybe some of you are saying, hooray, somebody's actually finally pointing this out.
But I don't know.
You're both welcome.
But, you know, if you think about it, it's a very, very common thing that people will say.
That, you know, Jesus is a very wise man.
If Christians were more like Jesus, it would be better that Jesus is a good man.
If Christians were more like Jesus, that would be a good thing.
That Jesus is a really good example.
If Christians followed the example of Jesus, that would be a really good thing.
But if you just listen to what Jeremy read, you'd actually probably start to say,
one moment, maybe I'm going to take some of that stuff back.
Because actually, if you listen to what Jesus does and what he says
and the impact that he's had on people's lives,
I'm not actually sure if he's very good or wise.
And I'm definitely, it's definitely not the case that he's a good example.
That's what some of you might say if you actually read this.
So it would be a great help to me.
Let's go back and see.
Some of you might say, George, that's a very shocking thing to say.
But let's open your Bibles.
Let's go back to the text and let's look at it and just see.
Is, in fact, the Bible showing us that Jesus is a really good example?
Is he a good example because of his wisdom, his spirituality, his access to God,
his ability to make us successful?
Is he a good example to follow?
So if you take your Bibles, we were reading from Luke chapter 22.
And I'm just going to start reading from a few verses prior to where we started.
So if you have Bibles, it's Luke chapter 22.
And we're going to begin at verse 19.
And just if you're not familiar with how the book of Luke goes,
the book of Luke is a book, right?
So it has a structure.
It's not just a series of quotes.
And so in this structure, Jesus is in Jerusalem.
It's a Thursday evening.
And Jesus knows that Judas is going to betray him.
And Jesus knows he's going to die the next day.
And so this is part of that whole sort of final bit of dialogue between Jesus and his disciples.
Next Sunday, we'll look at Jesus being captured.
But that's sort of the context.
And here's how it begins in verse 19.
It begins actually for some people who don't really know where things come from.
And you know about communion.
This is actually where communion comes from in verse 19.
And Jesus took bread.
And when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them saying,
This is my body, which is given for you.
Do this in remembrance of me.
And likewise, the cup after they had eaten saying,
This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.
And so that's sort of a, that's sort of, some of you might say,
No, that's sort of where the Lord's Supper stuff comes from.
I guess that's why Christians do it.
Jesus said to do it.
But then all of a sudden, here we get into the part now,
Which would make many people, if they actually read the New Testament,
Wonder why it is that anybody would want to follow Jesus.
Because look what immediately happens in verse 21.
But behold, the hand of him who betrays me is with me on the table.
Because Judas was there, and Judas, who's going to betray him for money,
Has just received communion from Jesus.
For the Son of Man, that's Jesus referring to himself,
Goes as it has been determined.
But woe to that man by whom he is betrayed.
And they, that's the other 11 disciples, and maybe Judas as well.
Judas is probably going, Whoa, I wonder who he's talking about.
Whoa, do you think he's talking about you?
Like, you know, Judas is right there, right?
Judas doesn't want to come up to everybody and say,
It's me.
I'm the one who's going to slip out in a couple of minutes and betray Jesus.
Judas wouldn't have done that.
He would have been asking the questions just with the rest of them, right?
And so in verse 23,
And they began to question one another,
Which of them it could be who was going to do this?
And we'll just sort of pause.
Keep your finger in the Bible.
We're just going to sort of go through the text
And keep making these little pauses and observations.
So here's the question.
You know, you could say to yourself,
If Jesus is so effective,
Then why is it that after three years with him,
That one of his closest disciples would actually betray him?
Like, I don't know,
Is Jesus actually really that good of a teacher?
That he could spend long hours really closely with somebody,
And then they would betray him for really not that much money.
Like, it's not even like he got tempted, you know,
With five million dollars and, you know,
Medical treatment for his kids or something like that.
Like, it was actually not that much money.
Like, actually, you know what?
Like, why would Jesus have picked,
Like, not so much why he picked it,
But how could they,
How could Jesus actually be a good teacher
If he could spend three years teaching Judas
And then Judas would do this?
And you know what?
If you actually think about it for a second,
Like, what type of effect did Jesus' teaching have on the disciples
If they couldn't actually figure this out?
Like, does that mean that if I spend three years following Jesus
At the end of it,
I still might just betray him?
Or I'll be so clueless that I can't actually read somebody
Who's going to betray one of my friends?
Like, I don't know,
I don't know if maybe Jesus did that good a job
In doing all of this.
And then look at verse 24.
Like, it gets worse as the story goes on, actually.
Verse 24.
So it's very interesting.
They go, they begin by going,
Well, who's going to betray Jesus?
They're all, like, thinking about this.
And then, the next thing you know,
They become unbelievably self-centered.
They forget about Jesus
Because they begin by saying,
Who could do the bad thing?
By saying,
Well, like, I'm the best.
I mean, obviously I'm the best.
Can't be me.
Because I'm the best.
That's what it goes right from, immediately.
Verse 24.
A dispute.
They actually get into argument over this.
A dispute also arose among them,
As to which of them was to be regarded as the greatest.
And Jesus said to them,
The kings of the Gentiles, the pagans,
Exercise lordship over them,
And those in authority over them
Are called benefactors.
But not so with you.
Rather, let the greatest among you
Become as the youngest.
And the leader is the one who serves.
For who is the greater?
One who reclines at table or one who serves?
Is it not the one who reclines at table?
But I am among you as the one who serves.
And, you know, if you think about it for a second,
You think, one moment,
There's two problems with this.
The first problem is that
These guys have spent three years with Jesus,
And they're still just as self-centered
And sort of stupid
As a bunch of drunk guys in a bar.
And that's the result.
That's the fruit of three years of Jesus' teaching.
And at one moment here,
Let's look at this advice.
Does Jesus know my boss?
Does he know my co-workers?
Does he know what my brothers and sisters
And my neighbors and my kids are like?
If I actually start to just serve them,
Does he realize how big a mat that I will be
For people to wipe their feet on?
Like, is this actually good advice?
Like, does he know my boss?
Like, if he knew my boss,
If he knew my co-workers,
And, you know, the sleazy ones
Who just, you know,
If they make a mistake,
It's my fault.
And if I, you know,
If I do something good,
They steal it.
I don't know how many of you
Watch Parks and Recreation.
Very funny show.
And, you know,
If you know the show,
You'll know Jerry.
They all pick on Jerry.
And then even when they do something bad,
They say it's Jerry's fault.
If I listen to Jesus' advice,
I'm going to be the butt of all the jokes.
I'll be Jerry.
And then actually,
And then,
Some of you might say,
You know,
And I just remember what happens
Immediately after this, George.
Jesus does that typical religious thing
And spiritual thing
That just drives me crazy.
Here he sees this bunch of people
That, if you're honest,
Are losers.
And then he goes ahead
And promises them
That they're going to be better
Than everybody else.
Like, look what happens
In verse 28.
Jesus says to them,
You are those who have stayed with me
In my trials,
And I assign to you
As my Father assigned to me
A kingdom
That you may eat and drink
At my table in my kingdom
And sit on thrones
Judging the twelve tribes of Israel?
Like, Jesus says that
To these losers
Who get into arguments
About who's the greatest
And can't recognize
That one of them's betrayed him?
We don't know, by the way,
Where in this whole conversation
Judas has quietly slipped out.
Maybe it's while they're having
An argument about
Who's the greatest
That they don't even notice
That Judas has slipped out.
And Judas is now off
In the night
Going to where
The soldiers and the police
Are going to capture Jesus
So he can be killed
The next day.
And so, you know,
We might say, you know,
George, this
Like, George,
Given all of these guys
Would you choose these guys
To judge people?
Like, where's Jesus' judgment
In all of this?
Like, the more I look at this text
The more I sort of wonder
Whether Jesus actually is wise or good.
Like, whether he really is
A good example.
And then in verse 31 to 34
It continues just to get
It gets worse.
Like, Jesus says,
Simon, Simon,
Behold, Satan demanded
To have you
And if you were Irish
And isn't it too bad
That we aren't all Irish?
Just joking.
To have yous
Because it's plural
Or if you're from the south
Satan demanded
To have you all
That he might sift you all
Like wheat
But I have prayed for you
Singular
That your faith may not fail
And when you have turned again
Strengthen your brothers.
Peter said to him
Lord, I am ready to go with you
Both to prison and to death.
And Jesus said
I tell you, Peter
That the rooster
Will not crow this day
Until you deny three times
That you have known me.
Now, here's the thing
That some of you might say
Okay, one moment, George.
Jesus' prayer didn't work, right?
Isn't that what you're going to read next week?
Isn't that what happens later on?
Just after Jeremy stopped reading
That Peter actually
In fact, they all fail.
Jesus says he's going to pray for them
But they all fail.
Like, you know what, George?
I don't have to go to Jesus
To learn how to have God say
Have my prayers not work
I do that all right by myself.
I pray and my prayers don't work
And so now you want me to go to Jesus
And his prayers don't work, George.
Like, what's going on here?
And once again
Like, there's three years with Jesus
And it just
All I've done is
George, all I've done is
Made Satan mad
And made them failures.
Like, what's going on?
Here.
And then
And then, you know, George
One of the things that I think about
Religious people
One of the things I think about
Religious people
Is all they do is incite violence
And then the very next thing I see
Is that Jesus is encouraging
Having weapons and violence.
I mean, this is actually
Becoming very shocking
That in terms of
What's actually here in the New Testament
You know, I've been told
That if you read the Quran
You'll be shocked
And I just didn't think
That would happen
If I read about Jesus
That I would be so shocked
But look at verses 35
To 38
And Jesus said to them
When I sent you out
With no money bag
Or knapsack
Or sandals
Did you lack anything?
They said nothing
And then you sort of say
Well, George
What should you just say
Well, yeah, just keep on doing that
Like, live a simple life
Like, Walden Pond
Like, thorough
Be spiritual
But then all of a sudden
It takes this dark turn
Because he says in verse 36
Jesus said to them
But now let the one
Who has a money bag
Take it
Like, is Jesus recommending
That they start really
Being concerned about money?
And likewise
A knapsack
And let the one
Who has no sword
Sell his cloak
And buy a sword?
For I tell you
That this scripture
Must be fulfilled in me
And he was numbered
With the transgressors
For what is written about me
Has its telos
Or fulfillment
And they said
Look, Lord
Here are two swords
And he said to them
It's enough
In other words
We're ready
We can go out
We're armed
Group of guys
Two swords
Maybe better have more
But we have two
George
I'm really confused
Here by this
He seems to be doing
Exactly what I'm afraid
That religious people will do
I mean, it's one of the reasons
I, you know
I maybe can't go the way
Of the spiritual people
Because a lot of this
Is just sort of
Spiritual hooey, you know
I mean, George
After you've read this text
Doesn't it make you
Just want to go
To the local Starbucks
And just have a good coffee
And read the paper
And not bother
With the rest of this stuff?
Like, I'm not sure, George
Why anybody now
Would say that Jesus
Is an example
And it finally gets worse
Because, George
Jesus
You know
Some of you might say
You know, I've been
At the deathbed
Of a loved one
And they faced death
A lot better than Jesus did
Like, I was just
At a deathbed
A little while ago
Some of you might say
And, you know
The person dying
They were pretty calm
But look at Jesus
He can't even handle that
Like, why would anybody
Think he's an example?
Like, look at verse 39
And he came out
And went
As was his custom
To the Mount of Olives
And the disciples
Followed him
And by the way
It's because as is his custom
That's how Judas
Is going to know where to go
Like, some of you might say
Jesus is so clueless
He knows Judas
Is going to capture him
He doesn't tell his friends
And now he goes to the place
Where he knows
That Judas knows about
So Judas can bring the soldiers
Verse 40
And when Jesus came to the place
He said to them
Pray that you may not
Enter into temptation
And he withdrew from them
About a stone's throw
And knelt down
And prayed
Saying, Father
If you are willing
Remove this cup from me
Nevertheless
Not my will
But yours
Be done
And there appeared
To Jesus
An angel from heaven
Strengthening him
And being in agony
Look at this
He prayed more earnestly
And his sweat
Became like great drops
Of blood
Falling down to the ground
And whether this is
A literal description
There's a medical condition
That it could be
When you're under
Unbelievable stress
And anxiety
It's
I wrote it down somewhere
I can't remember
I have terrible memory
For medical terms
But there's a medical condition
Or it could just
It could be a metaphor
For unbelievable stress
And
And when he rose from prayer
In verse 45
He came to the disciples
And found them
Sleeping for sorrow
And he said to them
Why are you sleeping?
Rise and pray
That you may not
Enter into temptation
Jesus doesn't seem
To be able to face death
Very well
His disciples
Seem to not
Be able to have
The basic strength
Just to stay awake
And
Wow
Wow George
Am I ever glad
I came to church today
This is actually
A perfect time
For me to tell you
My favorite joke
About Anglicans
That many of you
Have heard before
This is the difference
Between the different
Protestant denominations
The Salvation Army
Picks you up
Out of the gutter
The Baptists
They baptize you
And get you that
Basic solid
Discipling beginning
Presbyterians
Educate you
Methodists
Get you
Zealous
For holiness
Pentecostals
They teach you
How to be filled
With the Holy Spirit
And fill the joy
Of the Lord
And how to really sing
Anglicans
Introduce you
To society
And culture
And then
The Salvation Army
Picks you up
Out of the gutter
And some of you
Might say
George
After this
After your talk
I can see
Why Anglicans
After they
Spent some time
With you
You just go back
To the
People are
Picking you up
Out of the gutter
You know
So some of you
Might say
George
Okay George
What do you say
About all of this
What do you say
About all of this
And here's the
Here's the
One of the
Really big things
To say about this
I would say
To people
If they were
To all of these things
You say
You know what
I actually
Basically agree
With you
Jesus isn't
A very good
Example
Jesus isn't
A good example
Years ago
When I was still
Part of the
Anglican Church
Of Canada
There was this
Day long
There was this
Evening workshop
And one of the
Things we had to do
At the table
With other clergy
And the bishop's
Wife was there
And everything
Was talk about
The Bible
And why we
Appreciate the Bible
And they were
All going on
About how the
Bible was really
Great literature
And how the
Bible had so
Much wisdom in it
And I'm not
Making this up
I said to them
You know what
Frankly
For most people
If they had a choice
Between reading
The great literature
In the Bible
And reading like
A Michael Connelly
Novel
Everybody would
Choose the
Michael Connelly
Novel
Everybody would
Pick another
Novel
Because it's
Actually not
Very good
Literature
And if you
Real
And then I
Said
But the
Wisdom
Like I
Don't
Know
Like isn't
The reader's
Digest
With its
Quotes
This is
Like a few
Years ago
Like isn't
That like
An easier
Way to get
Some wisdom
Than the
Bible
And they
All
This is
The reason
Why when I
Was doing
Theology
People weren't
Sure if I
Was an
Atheist
Actually
So
But you
Know I
So if
Somebody said
You know
George all
Those things
You just
Said I
I would
I would say
Well I
Actually I
Agree with
You
Jesus isn't
A good
Example
Probably
Like at
Least
In terms
Of how
You
Understand
It
And so
Then
They'd
Maybe say
To me
Or maybe
You're
Saying to
Me
Well
George
And what
On earth
Is going
On
Like what
Are you
Going to
Say about
This text
And the
First thing
I'd like
To say
Is Andrew
If you
Could put
This up
On the
Screen
I'd
Like to
Say that
Maybe what
The Bible
Is doing
Is
Something which
Is completely
And utterly
Surprising
To us
So you
See the
Part
The big
Problem is
Is that
We look
As if
We think
I'm in
Control
I have
This almighty
Brain
And I
Have this
Almighty
Power
And I
Put my
Cash cards
Somewhere else
But you
Know I
Have the
Money
And so
I'm
Over the
Bible
Reading the
Bible
And what
If
I don't
Understand the
Situation
And actually
The Bible
Is reading
Me
What if
I think
I'm reading
The Bible
And sending
A judgment
On Jesus
Because I
Want to
Figure out
If he's
An example
To follow
And I've
Completely
And utterly
Misunderstood
My situation
And actually
The Bible
Is reading
Me
And I'm
Reading about
Myself
Without
Realizing
It
What
If maybe
What the
Bible
Is showing
Is that
With simple
Clarity
Jesus
Knows us
Human beings
In our
Fragmented
And fallen
Complexity
What if
That's actually
What's maybe
Going on
Just as
An opening
Gambit
That it's
Not about
Me
Trying to
Figure out
Whether
Jesus
Is a
Good
Example
And I
Can
Say oh
Yeah
Okay well
I'm going to
Forget all
That
You know
Be like
Oh
Yeah right
Serve other
People
Like I'm
Going to
Forget about
That stuff
And yeah
Yeah
You know
This is
Not good
And that's
Not good
And that's
Well you know
But there's
A gem
Of wisdom
In there
And I'll
Sort of
Take that
But you
Know what
If
What if
It's
Actually
That the
Bible
Is showing
That
That God
Knows me
What if
It actually
Is that
Jesus
Knows me
What if
It's
Showing
That
Jesus
Actually
Knows me
In my
Fragmented
Fallen
Complexity
Better than
I know
My own
Fragmented
Fallen
Complexity
What if
It is
The fact
That the
Situation
Is that
Often
I go
In my
Own mind
Between being
A legend
In my
Own mind
To being
Despairing
About my
Life
Because my
Life
Doesn't
Match
The legend
I am
In my
Own mind
And what
If it
Is that
I take
Solace
At how
I can
Put others
Down
Maybe I
Don't have
The ability
Like my
Boss
Does
Or my
Snarky
Coworker
To do it
Right in
Front of
Everybody
Else
And then
I cower
Away
Because they're
So good
At putting
Me in
My
Place
But
Afterwards
I think
Of those
Cutting
Statements
In my
Mind
And I
Put them
Down
And I
Cut them
To pieces
And I
Tower
Over
Them
And maybe
I forget
All about
That
All of
The time
Because I
Go back
To the
Comfort
Of my
Idols
And I
Go back
To
I go
Back
To
To not
Recognizing
Just how
Fragmented
And complex
And fallen
I actually
Am
And maybe
The Bible
Is showing
Me
That Jesus
Has clear
Eyed
Knowledge
Like you
Know maybe
It's saying
That
Jesus
Who institutes
The Lord's
Supper
He knows
That the
Apostles
Are going
To abandon
Him
He knows
They're weak
He knows
They're vain
He knows
They're self
Centered
He knows
They're slow
Learners
He knows
That one of
Them will
Betray
Him
He knows
All of
These
Things
And still
He goes
Ahead
And does
What he's
Going to
Do
And you
See
Maybe
There's
Something
In this
Story
At the
End
That
Helps
You
To
Understand
Why
It is
That
Jesus
Isn't
Actually
Fundamentally
An
Example
But
That
There's
Something
Completely
And utterly
Going on
Here
Because
You see
Jesus
Regularly
We want
To avoid
Thinking about
The control
And the
Command center
Of our
Lives
But
Jesus
Always
Wants
Us
To keep
Looking
At
The
Control
And
Command
Center
Of
Our
Lives
And
Looking
At
It
In
The
Context
Of
Who
We're
Really
Going
Where
We've
Really
Been
And
He
Wants
Us
To do
It
All
In
The
Context
Of
A
Real
God
Who
Really
Exists
And
So
He's
Looking
Into
Our
Hearts
And
He's
Looking
Into
Our
Hearts
Because
Of
Something
That
He
Says
In
This
Text
Which
Makes
It
Clear
Why
He's
Not
An
Example
But
Something
Completely
And
Utterly
Different
Than
We
Expect
That
Makes
Him
Completely
And
Utterly
Different
Than
Muhammad
Or
Buddha
Or
Krishna
Or
Oprah
Or
Harold
Robbins
Or
The
Woman
Who
Wrote
The
Secret
Or
Any
Human
Teacher
That
Maybe
There's
Something
Else
Completely
Different
Going
On
And
It
Comes
Up
At
The
End
Of
The
Text
It
Comes
Up
In
This
Odd
Thing
Where
It
Says
That
He
Was
Numbered
Amongst
The
Transgressors
And
It's
A
Quote
From
Isaiah
Chapter
53
Verse
Twelve
And
Maybe
It's
Something
About
Jesus
Being
Identified
With
Transgressors
And
Maybe
It's
Something
About
That
Part
That
Seems
So
Horrible
Where
Jesus
Doesn't
Even
Seem
To
Have
The
Courage
To
Face
Death
As
Much
As
My
Uncle
Faced
Death
Or
My
Best
Friend
Faced
Death
Or
Those
Martyrs
Who
Were
Killed
In
Libya
Those
Christian
Martyrs
Maybe
Actually
If you
Could
Andrew
Put
Up
The
Next
Slide
Maybe
This
Is
What's
Actually
Going
On
In
The
Text
As
Son
Of
God
And
Sinless
Man
Jesus
Has
A
Cup
Of
Destiny
As
A
Fallen
Image
Bearer
Of
God
I
Have
A
Cup
Of
Doom
The
Gospel
Is
The
Good
News
That
With
Clear
Eyed
Grace
And
Love
Jesus
Offers
Me
An
Exchange
As
Son
Of
God
And
Sinless
Man
Jesus
Has
A
Cup
Of
Destiny
As
A
Fallen
Image
Bearer
Of
God
I
Have
A
Cup
Of
Doom
The
Gospel
Is
The
Good
News
That
With
Clear
Eyed
Grace
And
Love
Jesus
Offers
Me
An
Exchange
You know
that
The
Whole
Story
Begins
With
Jesus
Instituing
The
Last
Supper
And
This
Cup
Of
A
New
Covenant
But
You know
Look
Here
Again
At
The
End
Look
At
Those
Last
Few
Verses
Because
It's
Really
There
Where
We
Understand
The
Whole
Text
Verses
39
To
46
And
He
Came
Out
And
Went
As
Was
His
Custom
To
The
Mount
Of
Olives
And
The
Disciples
Followed
Him
And
When
He
Came
To
The
Place
He
Said
To
Them
Pray
That
You
May
Not
Enter
Into
Temptation
And
He
Withdrew
From
Them
About
A
Stone's
Throw
And
Knelt
Down
And
Prayed
Saying
Father
If
You
Are
Willing
Remove
This
Cup
From
Me
Nevertheless
Not
My
Will
But
Yours
Prayed
More
Earnestly
And
His
Sweat
Became
Like
Great
Drops
Of
Blood
Falling
Down
To
The
Ground
And
He
Rose
From
Prayer
Came
To
His
Disciples
And
Found
Them
Sleeping
For
Sorrow
And
He
Said
To
Them
Why
Are
You
Sleeping
Rise
And
Pray
That
You
Might
Not
Enter
Into
Temptation
Imagine
A
Thought
Example
Nowadays
With
CGI
Imaging
And
Everything
Like
You
Could
Just
Picture
This
In
A
Movie
And
Imagine
That
You
Had
A
Chance
To
Sit
Down
At
A
Table
With
God
So
There's
A
Maybe
If
We'd
Had
The
Curtain
Lifted
Up
There
Were
Some
Tables
I
Think
On
The
Other
Side
It
Would
Have
Been
Maybe
It's
The
Wrong
Time
To
Had
The
Curtain
Down
And
God
Says
To
You
Come
Sit
At
The
Table
With
Let's
Have
A
Talk
And
At
First
You're
A
Alienated
Teenager
With
A
Hoodie
And
Sitting
Down
Just
Looking
Down
And
There's
Two
Cups
On
The
Table
One
In
Front
Of
The
Stranger
And
One
In
Front
Of
Yourself
And
You
Begin
To
Let
God
Know
What
You
Think
About
The
Different
Things
That
Have
Happened
In
The
World
And
A
Shocking
Thing
Begins
To
Happen
In
The
Conversation
Because
God
Says
Well
That's
Very
Interesting
That
You
Mention
That
And
Then
God
Let's
You
Know
Backstories
And
All
Of
The
Other
Things
And
You
Start
To
Hear
All
Of
The
Complications
And
Permutations
You
Realize
That
God
Is
Actually
Pretty
Just
There
And
Then
You
Think
Of
Another
Thing
And
You
Realize
That
God
Actually
Was
Pretty
Good
There
As
Well
And
Every
Time
You
Bring
Up
Something
Against
God
You
Realize
That
When
You
Know
What
Went
On
Behind
The
Scenes
You
Agree
You
And
They
Have
Done
Something
Wrong
And
Sometimes
For
Reasons
You
Can't
Let
People
Know
Everything
That's
Gone
On
And
People
Can
Actually
Even
Be
Mad
At
You
But
It
Actually
Is
The
Case
That
If
They
Actually
Knew
All
Of
The
Facts
They
End
Up
Realizing
You
Had
Actually
Been
Pretty
Merciful
And
You
Had
Been
Fair
And
You
Done
The
Right
Thing
And
I
Want
To
Sug
That
If
You
Had
A
Chance
To
Sit
Down
With
God
At
A
Table
That
Would
End
Up
Happening
If
You
Talk
To
Him
And
Then
God
Says
Let's
Talk
About
You
And
At
First
As
You
Talk
About
Your
Life
You're
A
Little
Bit
Relieved
Because
God
Knows
Everything
About
You
And
So
Some
Of
Those
Things
That
People
Got
Mad
At
You
About
And
Blamed
You
At
He
Actually
I
Know
You
Turned
The
Other
Cheek
There
Yeah
I
Actually
Know
That
You
Are
The
Generous
One
That
I
Know
That
You
Know
That
Idea
That
Everybody
That
Was
Your
Good
Idea
And
That
The
Other
Person
And
At
First
You
May
Be
Feeling
Pretty
Good
But
Then
Because
Of
God's
Perfect
Knowledge
He
Starts
To
Bring
Up
All
Those
Other
Things
And
He
Tells
You
He
Reminds
About
Maybe
Even
Your
Drive
Here
This
Morning
And
Maybe
The
Comments
You
Have
About
How
Other
People
Are
Dressed
Or
About
How
The
Band
Sang
Or
About
How
I'm
Dressed
And
He
Knows
The
Times
When
You're
Going
Through
What
You're
Going
To
Say
To
Your
Boss
Or
Maybe
Your
Lustful
Thoughts
Or
How
You
Can
Maybe
Lie
On
Your
Taxes
To
Get
A
Few
Extra
Dollars
And
Every
Time
He
Comes
Up
With
Something
Like
That
It's
Like
He
Takes
A
Bit
Of
Black
Poison
And
He
Said
You
Know
That
There
Has
To
Be
Some
Type
Of
Payment
For
That
Don't
You
Agree
At
First
You
Agree
And
Then
He
Says
Just
Imagine
That
That's
Like
Some
Poison
A
Black
Ugly
Looking
Thing
And
I'm
Just
Going
To
Drop
Into
This
Cup
And
Then
As
He
Goes
Through
Your
Life
There's
Drop
After
Drop
After
Drop
After
Drop
After
Drop
After
Drop
And
The
Cup
Gets
Full
But
After
That
It
Doesn't
Actually
Overflow
It
Just
Gets
Darker
And
Blacker
And
Danker
And
Fouler
And
Then
He
Said
George
This
Is
All
Of
The
Things
You
Have
Done
In
Your
Life
And
I
With
My
Perfect
Clear
I
Know
I
Know
All
About
Them
And
I
Know
That
There's
No
Excuse
And
That
What
You've
Just
Done
Is
You've
Been
Self
Centered
You've
Been
Vain
You've
Done
Horrible
Things
You've
Done
Bad
Things
You've
Neglected
To
Do
Good
Things
And
Every
Time
We've
Come
Up
With
Something
It's
Been
A
Drop
Of
Black
A
Foul
Black
Stuff
Which
Now
Goes
Into
That
Cup
George
And
You've
Evaded
Punishment
For
Most
Of
It
And
Most
People
Cup
Of
Doom
And
You
Know
That
If
You
Drink
That
Cup
Of
Doom
You
Will
Be
Completely
And
Utterly
Unmade
It's
Unavoidable
And
Then
The
Hooded
Stranger
Lifts
Up
His
Hood
And
You
Realize
It's
Jesus
And
He's
Heard
The
Whole
Conversation
He
Knows
Everything
That's
Gone
In
That
Cup
There's
Nothing
In
That
Cup
That
He
Didn't
Hear
About
And
Then
He
Looks
At
You
And
Says
George
I
Want
To
Make
A
Trade
To
You
With
You
In
The
Old
Testament
There's
Sort
Of
Two
Primary
Ways
That
There's
Image
About
The
Cup
Is
It's
A
Cup
Of
Wrath
It's
A
Cup
Of
Doom
It's
A
Cup
Of
God's
Judgment
That
People
Must
Drink
And
The
Other
Image
Connected
To
A
Cup
Is
A
Cup
Of
Destiny
In
Other
Words
You
Drink
That
Cup
That
You
Were
Destined
To
Drink
That
It's
Connected
To
Good
Things
That
Are
Going
To
Be
Accomplished
And
Now
You
Realize
That
You've
Been Sitting
At
This
Table
With
God
And
There's
A
Cup
In
Front
Of
Jesus
And
There's
A
Cup
In
Front
Of
You
And
You
Know
That
Your
Cup
Is
A
Cup
Of
Doom
You
Know
That
Jesus
Has
Never
Done
Anything
Wrong
And
His
Cup
Is
A
Cup
Of
Destiny
And
Jesus
Looks
At
You
And
Says
George
I
Want
To
Give
You
Good
News
I
Know
Exactly
What's
In
Your
Cup
I
Know
Everything
That's
In
Your
Cup
That
I
Know
That
Even
Now
You've
Blocked
Your
Mind
Out
Of
Some
Of
The
Things
But
I
Haven't
Forgotten
And
Because
I
Love
You
I
Will
Drink
Your
Cup
Of
Doom
And
You
Can
Drink
My
Cup
Of
Destiny
And
I
Will
Do
It
Freely
For
You
Because
I
Love
You
Will
You
Accept
Me
And
Accept
My
Offer
There's
Nothing
You
Can
Offer
Me
There's
Nothing
I
Need
I
Just
Do
It
For
You
Because
I
Love
You
And
That's
What
The
Gospel
Is
See
That's
Why
Jesus
Was
In
Agony
In
The
Garden
It's
Because
He
Had
Clear
Eyed
Gracious
Gospel
Love
And
He
Knew
That
He
Was
Going
To
Drink
My
Cup
And
He
Was
Going
To
Drink
Your
Cup
And
He
Knew
That
With
Clear
Eyed
Knowledge
With
No
Illusions
With
No
Romanticism
With
Nothing
He
Knew
The
Stark
Truth
Of
Your
Life
And
Mine
And
Everything
Bad
And
Shameful
And
Foul
And
On
Is
Blяти
rồi
Pretty
In
And he offers you this exchange.
And that's, you see, what's in communion in a sense.
It's why it's so brilliant that it goes from the communion to this time.
Because the Christian life begins when you say to God,
I will accept this offer of what your son has done for me.
I will accept that.
The cross is Jesus drinking the cup of doom that you deserved and I deserved.
And in communion, every time we receive communion,
we both remember that he drank the cup I deserved.
And we realize that in communion, we do not drink the cup that we deserve.
I drink the cup of destiny that he deserved.
And it only works if it's actually a remembrance that that's the exchange that I accepted,
that he offered and that I accepted.
As son of God and sinless man, Jesus has a cup of destiny.
As a fallen image bearer of God, I have a cup of doom.
And the gospel is the good news that with clear-eyed grace and love,
Jesus offers me an exchange.
In fact, now if you go back and you look through the whole story again,
and you realize that it's fundamentally a preparation,
all of the things that we've heard are not, in fact, a sign of Jesus' failure.
Every single thing that I read and I've made it look,
from the perspective of being an example, it looks like a failure.
If you understand that it's the Bible trying to help me to see my heart,
the control center of my life,
and that it's leading me to this understanding,
the final moment that Jesus is going to take the cup of doom that I deserve,
then you can go back and you realize that it's something quite different,
that even when I put my faith in Jesus,
when I put my faith in Jesus,
I don't all of a sudden become a superstar.
I still remain the same person that I am,
and so that I have to understand faith in a way that's gospel-driven,
not George-driven, if you could put it up, Andrew.
Faith in Jesus means living on the strength of his grip on me,
not my grip on him.
Faith in Jesus means living on the strength of his grip on me,
not my grip on him.
How good is Peter's grip?
Peter's going to deny Jesus.
They're all going to deny Jesus.
Jesus is, they're just going to fail.
But you see, here's the thing,
you know how in superhero, like in action movies,
you know the person's falling out of the helicopter,
they've fallen off the cliff,
and just before they fall,
the arm reaches down from the person who's above them,
and they grab them.
And just imagine now that the Christian life is based not on how strong the person who's hanging down,
and about to fall,
how strong their grip is.
Because it might very well be in the movie,
that you see the person who's holding down,
that their grip lets go.
They can't hold it.
In the movie, sometimes that means that the person falls to their doom.
But no matter whether we go through times in our life when our grip on Jesus' hand is so weak that we cannot hold,
his grip on me never lets me go.
In the Bible text is trying to tell me that all the way through this,
that Jesus is for me,
that he intercedes for me,
that he knows that my grip is going to let go,
that he knows that my grip will fail,
and he wants to keep reminding me,
George,
faith is putting your hand in my hand,
but faith continues and grows,
knowing that your grip will never be enough,
but my grip is always sufficient.
It will never let you go.
That time of depression,
that time of failure,
that financial setback,
the problems in your family,
the problems in your job,
the health concerns,
all of those things,
those times when you just purely and utterly willfully want to do bad things,
or turn your back on God,
once you've put your hand in mine,
and there will be many times in your life,
George and friend,
when your grip will be very weak,
but I want you to understand,
I have drank in the cup of doom that you deserve,
and my grip on you will always be sufficient,
and will never let you go.
Never let you go.
And then,
finally,
if you could put up the last screen,
Andrew,
in terms of how Jesus is inviting us to live,
I enter the Jesus way praying,
not my will,
but yours be done.
Isn't that the prayer of conversion?
It's Jesus who says to me,
George,
this is the cup of doom.
It's your cup.
Jesus says,
this is my cup,
the cup of destiny.
And Jesus looks at me and says,
my will
is that you drink my cup,
and let me drink your cup.
And the Christian life begins,
in a sense,
when I say to Jesus,
not my will,
but yours be done.
Not my will,
but yours be done.
I enter the Jesus way praying,
not my will,
but yours be done.
And I walk the Jesus way,
learning to pray day by day,
not my will,
but yours be done.
Jesus,
God doesn't wait for my heart
to stop being fragmented,
and incomplete,
and fallen,
and bent.
And sometimes I ask for brilliant,
selfless things,
and other times I have a pious,
spiritual way of praying,
like Janet Joplin,
Lord,
won't you give me a Mercedes Benz?
And God hears all the prayers,
and he answers everyone,
and in heaven we'll say,
God,
I'm so thankful you said no
to 95% of my prayers.
I'm so glad.
But we grow learning
that we enter the Christian,
the Jesus way,
by saying,
not my will,
but yours be done.
Father,
take this cup from me.
Not my will,
but yours be done.
And I learn to walk
the Christian walk
day by day.
That when my ego,
and my confusion,
and my desire for power,
and my desire for violence,
and my being a legend
in my own mind
is getting in my own way,
and messing up my life,
and doing all of those things,
and I walk the Christian walk,
starting to learn day by day
that in every situation,
I should be praying,
Father,
please help me with this,
please do this,
but not my will,
but yours be done.
Not my will,
but yours be done.
We enter the Christian way,
and we walk the Christian way
in the same terms,
the terms that Jesus
sets before us.
Friend,
if you have wandered
far from God,
maybe there was a time
when you had given
your life to Jesus,
but you've wandered
far from God.
He's never let
His grip up on you.
There's no time
better today
than to call out
to Jesus
and say,
not my will,
but yours be done,
and my life
from now on.
Thank you
that your grip
has never let me go.
There's no better time
than today
to do that business
with God.
And if you have looked
down your nose
at Christian people,
and the way I started
talking about this book,
and that was exactly
what was through your heart,
but now you realize
that all the way
that you thought
you were examining Jesus,
He was actually trying
to make you examine
your own heart.
and it's time
for you to begin
the Christian walk.
There's no better time
today,
and there's no better
words to use
than just today.
Say to Jesus,
for the beginning
of the rest of your life
in the Jesus way,
not my will,
but yours be done.
There's no better time
than today
to say such a prayer.
And Jesus,
who died for you
with clear-eyed love,
will grip you
with His hand,
and He'll never
let you go
until you see Him
face to face
in the new heaven
and the new earth.
Please stand.
Just take a moment
to make that private
work of God,
that private work
with God
that the Holy Spirit
is convicting you to do.
Many of us
might want to memorize
later on
when we go home.
Verse 42,
Father,
if you are willing,
remove this cup from me.
Nevertheless,
not my will,
but yours be done.
That latter half,
nevertheless,
not my will,
but yours be done.
Father,
we thank you
that Jesus' prayer
for Peter
was answered,
that Peter did put,
that your grip
on Peter
was so strong
that even though Peter,
Father,
we thank you
that we can live
out of knowing
that because your grip
is so strong with us
that even when we fail,
we have a ground
for turning and repenting
and coming back to you
because we know
that you knew all about it
and still you kept
your grip on us
and never let us go.
We thank you,
Father,
that we can understand
what the cross is
and what you've accomplished
for us on the cross.
We thank you,
Father.
We ask that you would grip us
with what Jesus did
for the cross
so that as we are gripped
by what Jesus did
for us on the cross,
that we can respond
by basing our life on it,
by grounding our actions on it,
that we start to understand
how to model our lives on it,
that it starts to draw us
into doing things
that we never thought
that we could do,
that we never had
the ability to do,
that you will draw us
into yourself,
that you will form us,
that you will shape us,
that you will mold us
as we're gripped
by the gospel.
Father,
make us disciples of Jesus,
gripped by the gospel
who live for your glory
and we thank you,
Father,
that we understand
that we're gripped
by the gospel
because Jesus grips us
and Father,
help us to live our lives
as disciples of Jesus,
gripped by the gospel
who live for your glory
and this we ask
in Jesus' name.
Amen.