The Lord God leads us forward from this place to the next. He promises to be with us and to bless us. This is our last service together as Mosaic. It will be a special service were we remember what God has done and look to what He will do in the future. I hope you can be apart of our final service together!

Traveling Through Transitions 

Standing on the Promises – Numbers 13-14

Mosaic Rockford – Dave Spooner – Oct. 18th, 2020

Intro:

Today is the second part of our series, Traveling Through Transitions. This series will help us to faithfully fulfill transitioning from one thing to another in a God-ward direction. This could take the form of a wide variety of things, from change in a relationship, to a location, to a job, or for a merger. Like I said last week, we need to take time to think and pray things through before we move out or move forward. Asking the right questions is helpful in the discerning process as well. Sometimes in our decision making, we are asking the wrong questions. Often, we ask, “What do I want?” Here is a question you would be better to ask, “What would be most honoring to God?” or “What choice would be most true to His word?”Last week we followed the timeline from the opening pages of Genesis, following the clear instructions from God to “fill the earth and subdue it,” to our failings and faithlessness in our rebellion, to God’s clear direction and pursuing our path. Then scripture focuses on one family, and one man: Abram. We see how God calls them forward, and Abram is faithful to move forward, trusting himself to the promise of God. God is faithful to His promises. Be faithful in following Him.This morning we are going to continue on in this story and then take a closer look at another significant transitional choice of the people of God. From this examination, you will learn some biblical principles to equip and empower you to make good, God-honoring choices that will keep you moving forward in His plan. The book of Genesis continues to follow the story of Abraham and his family. God renews His covenant to Abraham and gives him a child of the promise named Isaac; Isaac has twin sons named Esau and Jacob; Jacob has 12 sons, the youngest of which is sold into slavery, lands in Egypt, ends up saving his family from famine as they all move to Egypt. The family continues to grow and multiply and stay in Egypt for 400 years, becoming slaves to the Egyptians. The Egyptians start killing the newborn male children because they are afraid of the Israelites; the people cry out to God; God raises Moses to deliver them. God shows His power in the ten plagues; Pharaoh lets the people go, then chases after them to the Red Sea. God parts the water for His people and destroys the army of Egypt in the sea. God leads His people by a cloud by day and a fire by night. He gives them His commandments and Laws, they build a portable tabernacle, they defeat some kings, God continues to show His power as the people wrestle with God and with each other. He continues to lead them back to the land that He promised to give them when God made his promise to Abraham. Now they have arrived just outside of their destination of Canaan as we look to the account in Numbers 13 and learn from what is written for us. 

Regain your ground

Num 13:1-3 ESV

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the people of Israel. From each tribe of their fathers you shall send a man, every one a chief among them.” 3 So Moses sent them from the wilderness of Paran, according to the command of the Lord, all of them men who were heads of the people of Israel. 

Notice where God was bringing His people back to the land of Canaan. This should ring a bell; this is where God blessed Abraham and told Him that this land would be his and his descendants’ forever (see Gen. 13:14-18). This is a place that they were promised that they once occupied but had abandoned to become slaves in a foreign land. Has this ever happened to you . . . ? God calls us back to occupy His promise because “for God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable” (Rom 11:29 NIV). When God calls us forward, He is not calling us to something new, but to return and continue in something old. That God has promised and prepared

Traveling Through Transitions 

Follow Me 

Mosaic Rockford – Dave Spooner – Oct. 11th, 2020

Intro:

Series overview: Follow Me – Abraham/What do you see? The Twelve Spies/Crossing Over – Stones of Remembrance. Merger and any major transition . . . it is critical that we seek God, seek counsel, and seek the truth about ourselves, and our situation. Once we know what we are to do, it is important to see it through. These are both two difficult stages: clarity and completion. This morning we are turning to the opening pages of Genesis to follow the story of a clear command God gave to His people. We will see where and why they failed to complete the command, and then look to Abraham: what it took and what he gained in complying and completing the command of God. From this message this morning, I want you to learn the difference between those who fail and those who succeed in times of transition so that you will choose to make the choices that will see you to the promise land.  

We are given a command

After creating the heavens and the earth God blessed humans and told us to: 

Gen 1:28 NIV 

be fruitful and increase in number.  Fill the earth and subdue it. 

This was His original command. And our ancestors became corrupt because of sin and used our power to do what we thought was best. God wiped the planet clean in a great flood and started over with a man name Noah and his family. Once Noah and his family came out the Ark, God repeated the same command to Noah: 

Gen. 9:7 NIV 

As for you, be fruitful and increase in number; multiply on the earth and increase upon it. 

Noah and his sons obeyed the command of God and pushed forward to fill the earth. In the passing of time, they came up with their own plan and decided to go their own way. This is what we read from Gen. 11:

We go our own way

Gen 11:1-4 NIV

Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. 2 As men moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there. 

3 They said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. 4 Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth.” 

Instead of making footprints we make monumentsHis direction is to go out; our direction is to go up   This is the real battle of our souls: choosing to follow our will or choosing to follow the will of God.The battle of who is Lord. Transitions are difficult. Sometimes God’s will is difficult. It requires us to do things that we would rather not do. In times like this, are we going to trust that His plan is better than ours? Every time I followed my own plan it has not turned out the way that I had hoped.After we know what we are to do, our first and primary obstacle to overcome is our own hearts. Are we willing to trust God and follow His lead, or do we want to resist Him and do our own thing?  

Gen 11:5-9 NIV 

But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building. 6 The Lord said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. 7 Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.” 

8 So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. 9 That is why it was called Babel — because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world. From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth. 

Sometimes God has to shatter us to scatter us. (Great commission, Acts, persecutions, war.) The sovereign plan of God will be accomplished either through us or in spite of us. His plan will go forward.  Gen. 11 continues the story of humanity through the line of Shem (one of Noah’s sons). In listing the genealogy, it flows down to a guy

The Gospel of Mark – Part 54

The Bible and its Message – Mark 16:9-20

Mosaic Rockford – Dave Spooner – Oct. 4th, 2020

Intro:

Today’s sermon is going to be different because of a note we see in our bibles. At this point, we have been happily following along in the book of Mark, going through it one passage at a time.  We have gone through Jesus’s life, ministry, miracles, teaching, trial, death, burial, and resurrection. And then right after verse 8, we run into a statement like this: [Some of the earliest manuscripts do not include 16:9–20.]. I remember running into this statement for the first time, and I was like, “What is this about?” Perhaps you have the same type of question. So, in order to answer that question, you need to know how we got the Bible in the first place and then how this passage fits or does not fit into the rest of the Bible. Then we are going to look at the passage itself. This message is centered around three questions: Can we trust the Bible? Why are there questions about this passage? What does the passage say? 

Can we trust the Bible? 

This video is produced by the Canadian Bible Society and gives us helpful information about trusting the Bible.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPaeo19sQXw (8:30) What the Bible says about itself 

2 Tim 3:16 ESV

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,

2 Peter 1:21 ESV

For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

Accurate – The earliest copies (25 years for the New Testament), the number of copies (24,000 copies) and the accuracy of the copies (99.5%). The Bible is the most accurately preserved and verified document of the ancient world. Reliable – Trusted and true (history and archaeology). Jesus referred to the OT books as scripture and quoted from most of them. Relevant – Answers timeless questions: Where did everything come from? Why are we here? What happens when we die?  True – 40 authors, 13 centuries, 3 continents, 1 message – video is oversimplistic in the message of the Bible. Perhaps the best one verse for the purpose of the Bible is summed up by the apostle John when he wrote the purpose of his gospel

John 20:31 ESV

but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

How we came to the “canon” of the Bible – Composed/Circulated/Consistent/Collected/Confirmed (early 300) 

Heb 4:12-13 ESV

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

We don’t read it, it reads us. 

Why are there questions about this passage? 

Why is there a question about this passage? The following information is from the Expositor’s Bible Commentary (1984):External Evidence – The earliest church “fathers” do not give any evidence that they had this longer ending (Clement of Alexandria, Origen, Eusebius, Jerome). The oldest and most reliable manuscripts don’t have these verses. However, the longer ending (9-20) is contained in the great majority of the newer manuscripts (after 150 AD). Therefore, we have the heading [Some of the earliest manuscripts do not include 16:9–20.].Internal EvidenceVocabulary – slightly over 1/3 of the words used in this section (9-20) are not used anywhere else in the book of Mark, making it difficult to believe this section came from the same author. Style – weird transition from verse 8 to verse 9. It is almost as if Mary Magdalene had not been mentioned before, the other women were not mentioned at all. Mary was described as having seven demons “cast out” and this is not mentioned in Mark before this. The angel at the tomb said Jesus would meet the disciples in Galilee, but in this section, He me

The Gospel of Mark – Part 53

Alive – Mark 15:40-16:8

Mosaic Rockford – Dave Spooner – Sept 27th, 2020

Intro:

Over the past several weeks, we have seen what Jesus endured and what He accomplished from the night of His betrayal to the moment of His death. This morning, I want you to witness through the eyes of those who were there, His death, burial, and resurrection. This will help you to know the facts about what happened, and build your faith upon the truth and understanding of how this impacts your life and eternity.  

Witness His death

Mark 15:40-41 ESV 

There were also women looking on from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. 41 When he was in Galilee, they followed him and ministered to him, and there were also many other women who came up with him to Jerusalem.

These are women who knew Jesus personally, were dedicated to Him, and followed Him all the way from Galilee. They were a witness to His life, and they were a witness to His death. They knew Jesus and would not mistake someone else for Him.    

Mark 15:42-45 ESV

And when evening had come, since it was the day of Preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath, 43 Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. 44 Pilate was surprised to hear that he should have already died. And summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he was already dead. 45 And when he learned from the centurion that he was dead, he granted the corpse to Joseph.

The day of Preparation was the day the Jews were to get all their work done before the Sabbath started on Friday night at 6pm (the Sabbath runs from 6pm Friday to 6pm Saturday). Jesus died around 3 pm, and since there were only a few short hours left to prepare for the Sabbath, Joseph immediately acted.Joseph was from the town of Arimathea, which was about 20 miles north of Jerusalem. He was a righteous man, wealthy, well-known, and a well-respected member of the Sanhedrin (Jewish leadership council). He was not in agreement with his fellow leader’s choice to condemn and crucify Jesus. He was “looking for the kingdom of God” and was a secret disciple of Jesus (see Matt. 27:57, Luke 23:50-51, John 19:38). Joseph “took courage,” overcoming his fear of the other Jewish leaders discovering his true allegiance, and asked Pilate (the Roman Governor) for the body of Jesus. Pilate was surprised that Jesus was already dead (in some cases, those being crucified lingered for days), and he verified Jesus was dead from the centurion who was in charge of the crucifixion. The captain of the Roman guard who was in charge of crucifixions made sure the people were dead before they were taken off the crosses because if the person crucified did not die, the centurion would lose his life. Because this crucifixion was on a Sabbath, the Jews asked that the bodies would be taken down by 6pm. The request was granted, and they broke the legs of the two criminals that were being crucified next to Jesus.When they came to Jesus, they “saw that He was already dead.” Just to make sure, they pierced His side with a spear and out came both blood and water. Ordinarily, after someone dies, blood does not flow since there is no blood pressure because the heart has stopped pumping.  However, Jesus was erect when he died, the flow was due to the effects of gravity. He was pierced between the ribs through the top of a lung and into his heart. Therefore, the water came from His filled lungs and the blood from His stilled heart. They did not need to break His legs, because there was no doubt that Jesus was indeed dead (see John 19:31-37). This event also fulfilled Old Testament prophecy. The Passover lamb was not to have its bones broken (Ex. 12:46), the Messiah would not have His bones broken (Psalm 34:20), and He also would have his side “pi

The Gospel of Mark – Part 52

Jesus, The Son of God – Mark 15:33-41

Mosaic Rockford – Dave Spooner – Sept 20th, 2020

Intro:

Today, we are continuing to focus on Jesus as He fulfills the work, will, and word of the Father by giving himself as the final Passover Lamb that takes away the sin of the world. Last week, we observed “love so amazing” as we saw Him fulfilling Scripture, warning the weeping, forgiving the ignorant, saving the criminal, and providing for His family, all the while enduring unimaginable pain and ridicule.  At this point in the story, Jesus had been betrayed, beaten, denied, ridiculed, falsely accused, condemned, whipped, tortured, punished, mocked, berated, humiliated, and belittled. And then He was crucified and hung a tree to die a slow and agonizing death, one breath at a time.

Jesus received the judgment of God

Mark 15:33-36 ESV 

And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. 34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 35 And some of the bystanders hearing it said, “Behold, he is calling Elijah.” 36 And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.” 

Darkness in both the Old and New Testaments are connected to judgment when it comes during a time when there should normally be light (see Deut. 28:29, Isa. 13:9-10, Joel 2:10, Acts 2:20, Rev. 6:12). There was darkness that lasted for a period of 3 days when Moses was dealing with the pharaoh in Egypt, the final plague before the Passover and the Passover lamb being slain (Ex. 10:21-23). This darkness came over the land as well and lasted for a period of 3 hours (12:00 pm – 3:00 pm) when the sun should have been at its highest; the land was full of darkness as Jesus received the judgment of God. God revealed to the prophet Amos some exact details of the day the Messiah would die. 

Amos 8:9-10 ESV

“And on that day,” declares the Lord God, “I will make the sun go down at noon and darken the earth in broad daylight. 10 I will turn your feasts into mourning and all your songs into lamentation; I will bring sackcloth on every waist and baldness on every head; I will make it like the mourning for an only son and the end of it like a bitter day.

The exact hour of 12 noon (sixth hour) was mention on the day of God’s judgment. Like the mourning for an only son (John 3:16) and the end of it like a bitter day, this was the bitterest of all days. In the judgment of God seen in the plagues on Egypt, darkness came, and then the Lord brought the final blow of His just judgment by taking the lives of the first-born sons. Jesus was the Son that took the right judgment of God as the Passover lamb for the sins of the world. He was “forsaken” (abandoned, discarded) by His Father, which was the most heinous thing of all (imagine being in a perfect, harmonious, committed, eternal, relationship, and then to be forsaken, forgotten, abandoned, rejected). If you want to know how God feels and what God thinks about sin, look to the cross. The cross is what sin deserves; “for the wages of sin is death” (Rom 6:23a).Those who were around Jesus thought that He was crying out to be rescued by Elijah (Eloi sounds similar to Elijah), so they gave him bitter wine, the prophesied drink (Psalm 69) on the most bitter of days, as they continued to mock Him.  

Jesus completed His mission on earth

Mark 15:37 ESV

And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. 

John 19:30 ESV

When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

Notice that Jesus said, “it is finished,” not “I am finished.”  Jesus was gone, but He would not be gone for long.  The “it” was His task on earth.  Mark tells us earlier in his book the main reason th

The Gospel of Mark – Part 51

The Crucifixion – Mark 15:21-32

Mosaic Rockford – Dave Spooner – Sept 13th, 2020

Intro:

We are now at the point of the story where Jesus is crucified on the cross. He is betrayed, bloodied, and beaten. He has been falsely accused, denied, and condemned, yet He continues to walk according to the will of the Father, and He continues to minister until the very end. In this message, we are going to see Jesus fulfilling the scriptures, warning the weeping, forgiving the ignorant, saving the criminal, and providing for His family as He continues to receive the judgment of God for the sins of the world.   

Fulfilling the scriptures

This event of the crucifixion was described and prophesied in many places in the scripture—none of them as vivid as we read in Psalm 22. We are going to read the first 18 verses of this psalm together, and I want you to keep in mind the details of this psalm as we compare them to what is recorded about the death of Jesus—forsaken by God. 

Ps 22 ESV

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? 2 O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest.

3 Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. 4 In you our fathers trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them. 5 To you they cried and were rescued; in you they trusted and were not put to shame.

6 But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by mankind and despised by the people.7 All who see me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads; 8 “He trusts in the Lord; let him deliver him; let him rescue him, for he delights in him!”

9 Yet you are he who took me from the womb; you made me trust you at my mother’s breasts. 10 On you was I cast from my birth, and from my mother’s womb you have been my God. 11 Be not far from me, for trouble is near, and there is none to help.

12 Many bulls encompass me; strong bulls of Bashan surround me; 13 they open wide their mouths at me, like a ravening and roaring lion. 14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted within my breast; 15 my strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death.

16 For dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet—17 I can count all my bones—they stare and gloat over me; 18 they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.

Notice the details of this psalm and now notice the details of Christ’s crucifixion: 

Mark 15:21-32 ESV

And they compelled a passerby, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the Father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross. 22 And they brought him to the place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull). 23 And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. 24 And they crucified him and divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take. 25 And it was the third hour when they crucified him. 26 And the inscription of the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews.” 27 And with him they crucified two robbers, one on his right and one on his left. 29 And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, “Aha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, 30 save yourself, and come down from the cross!” 31 So also the chief priests with the scribes mocked him to one another, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. 32 Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe.” Those who were crucified with him also reviled him.

Actual people and places: Simon of Cyrene, Father of Alexander and Rufus (Rom. 16:13).Golgotha, the place of the skull, was outside the city and was more than likely not a hill but a place of crucifixion (good evidence it is at the church of the holy sepu

The Gospel of Mark – Part 50

Perseverance Through Suffering – Mark 15:1-20

Mosaic Rockford – Dave Spooner – Sept 6th, 2020

Intro:

Jesus continued to submit himself to the will and word of God His Father. He never stepped out of bounds, He never rebelled, He never sinned. These things had been demonstrated in every moment of His life and ministry. The depth of His commitment to follow the will and the word of His Father was seen in His suffering. Jesus verbally committed and submitted His will to the Father’s in the Garden of Gethsemane, and physically and fully fulfilled His vow and His mission.  

Isa 53:10 ESV

Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief;  when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.

The will of the Lord prospered in His hands. And may the will of the Lord prosper in your hands as you give yourself to it.  As Jesus prayed in the garden, He was betrayed by one of the 12. He was abandoned by the disciples, He was falsely accused and condemned by the council and He was denied by His friend.  

Luke 22:63-65 ESV

63 Now the men who were holding Jesus in custody were mocking him as they beat him. 64 They also blindfolded him and kept asking him, “Prophesy! Who is it that struck you?” 65 And they said many other things against him, blaspheming him.

In all these things, Jesus continued to submit Himself to the will of the Father, and persevered through suffering.   

Perseverance under religious persecution  

Mark 15:1-5 ESVAnd as soon as it was morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council. And they bound Jesus and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate. 2 And Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” And he answered him, “You have said so.” 3 And the chief priests accused him of many things. 4 And Pilate again asked him, “Have you no answer to make? See how many charges they bring against you.” 5 But Jesus made no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed.

Those who claimed they could “see” were blinded by their pride, jealousy, and hardness of heart.  They did not see or believe the word of God and the identity of Jesus as the Christ. After they condemned Jesus for claiming that He was the Christ, they brought the whole council together first thing the next morning. They had decided to kill Him and wanted to do so by the hands of the Romans. So, they brought Him to Pilate who was the Roman governor of the region.They knew the Romans were wary of people rising up and rebelling against them, as that happened in that region time and time again.  So, the Jewish leaders thought that Rome would take Jesus out if He said that He was “King of the Jews.” Jesus, indeed, was the king of the Jews, but much more than just the king of the Jews. He was the King that was above all kings. He did indeed tell them the truth, but He did not tell them what that meant. 

Luke 23:4-18 ESV

Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, “I find no guilt in this man.” 5 But they were urgent, saying, “He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee even to this place.”

6 When Pilate heard this, he asked whether the man was a Galilean. 7 And when he learned that he belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him over to Herod, who was himself in Jerusalem at that time. 8 When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, for he had long desired to see him, because he had heard about him, and he was hoping to see some sign done by him. 9 So he questioned him at some length, but he made no answer. 10 The chief priests and the scribes stood by, vehemently accusing him. 11 And Herod with his soldiers treated him with contempt and mocked him. Then, arraying him in splendid clothing, he sent him back to Pilate. 12 And Herod and Pilate became friends with each other that very day, for before this they

The Gospel of Mark – Part 49

Despised and Rejected – Mark 14:53-72

MOSAIC ROCKFORD – LEE ECLOV – AUGUST 30, 2020

Introduction:

Illus.: Years ago Bill Hybels told about seeing a newscast of a big Vietnam veterans parade in Chicago. Part of the commemoration was a mobile Vietnam wall like the one in Washington, DC, bearing the names of all the soldiers who had died there. “One newscaster asked a vet why he had come all the way to Chicago to visit this memorial and to participate in this parade. The soldier looked straight into the face of the reporter and with tears flowing down his face he said, ‘Because of this man right here.’ As he talked he was pointing to the name of a friend whose name is etched in the wall. And as he pointed to the name, he traced the letters of his friend’s name in the wall. And he continued to answer the reporter by saying, ‘This man right here gave his life for me. He gave his life for me.’… As the news clip ended, that sobbing soldier simply let the tears flow without shame as he stood there continuing to trace the name of his friend with his finger.” [#2602; PT#43There is, of course, someone who gave his life for us. I don’t want to grow dull to Jesus’ death for me, but I’m afraid I do. So Mark comes to meet us and remind us of what Jesus has done. Turn to Mark 14.Mark began tracing how Jesus gave his life for us at the beginning of ch. 14. Last Sunday Pastor Dave took us to the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus surrendered to the will of his Father. We also saw his disappointment with his disciples who could not stay awake and pray with him. And then Jesus was betrayed by Judas and arrested. Today we pick up the story in Mark 14:53-54… 

They took Jesus to the high priest, and all the chief priests, the elders and the teachers of the law came together. Peter followed him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest. There he sat with the guards and warmed himself at the fire.

So there are two stories before us, two scenes. One is this courtroom scene where all the leaders of the Jews gather to hear the case against Jesus—71 of them. The other is what Peter does while he waits outside. Before we look at those stories I want to take you back to Isaiah 53 because what Isaiah prophesied is what we’re going to witness. Is. 53:7-8 is like a frame for what Mark tells us.He was oppressed and afflicted,     yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,     and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,     so he did not open his mouth.By oppression and judgment he was taken away.

    Yet who of his generation protested? For he was cut off from the land of the living;     for the transgression of my people he was punished.

Now, back to our story in Mark 14:55-65… Trace your finger across that story. Jesus began giving

his life for us when he bowed to the Father’s will in Gethsemane, and again here in these stories. 

I.      JESUS WAS OPPRESSED AND CONVICTED BY THE VERY NATION HE CAME TO SAVE (14:55-65)

Jesus faced two trials that night, one in a Jewish court and the other in a Roman court before Pilate. This Jewish trial was a farce. This one before the High Priest, Caiaphas, breaks so many Jewish laws that some Jewish leaders today say it could have never happened. Mark doesn’t dwell on the illegal hour

(who calls a court to order in the middle of the night?!), or the improper venue, or the unlawful rush to judgment, but he does highlight the false witnesses. Why did they focus their lies on what Jesus said about the temple? In that culture, to threaten the temple was to defame God himself, and was a crime punishable by death. Jesus had said that the temple of his body would be destroyed and raised in three days. Jesus did say that the temple building would be destroyed, torn stone from stone, which happened

in 70 AD at the hands of the Romans. But he didn’t say what they accused him of. [John 2:19-21] 

The obvious question is, w

The Gospel of Mark – Part 48

The Dark Night – Mark 14:26-52

Mosaic Rockford – Dave Spooner – Aug. 23rd, 2020

Intro:

This is Jesus’ last night before He would be crucified. He and the 12 had participated in the Passover; Judas had left to join the Priests to lead them in betraying Jesus. This was all happening as scripture had foretold and Jesus had proclaimed. The word had been spoken, the trap had been set, the dark night had come. Jesus came so that we may have life, and life to the full. In order to gain that life, there is a walk through the valley of the shadow of death and all the while Jesus continued to follow the will and the word of His Father. We all have a choice in how we respond to the will and word of the Lord. How you respond matters in this life and the life to come.  

The Word and the warrior  

Mark 14:26-28 ESV

And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. 27 And Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away, for it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’ 28 But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.” 

Jesus gave His disciples the bottom line, “You will all fall away.” He told them what they would do, and He supported this conclusion by quoting a passage in the Old Testament from the Prophet Zechariah.

Zech 13:7 ESV

“Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, against the man who stands next to me,” declares the Lord of hosts. “Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered;

Notice who the principle actor is in this passage: “the Lord of hosts.” He is the one who called for the sword to strike the shepherd. It was His will and His word to do this. Why was this so? 

Isa 53:10-11 ESV

Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief;  when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. 11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities.

This was done to make many to be accounted righteous. There was a greater good and a bigger story that was in play. This was a one-time act that would have results and reward for all time. This was a temporary moment for an eternal reward. Jesus was then going to be raised up and go before them in Galilee. But when He was struck, the sheep were scattered, and they would fall away. But Peter would have none of it.  

Mark 14:29-31 ESV

Peter said to him, “Even though they all fall away, I will not.” 30 And Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.” 31 But he said emphatically, “If I must die with you, I will not deny you.” And they all said the same.

Now you would think that by this point they would take Jesus for His word. Everything He said happened. And yet Peter still resisted and rose up against the word of the Lord. Why? He did not want to believe the truth about himself. He thought that his strength was enough to overcome the will of the Lord. He wanted his plan over the plan of the Father. Because of his failure to submit himself to the word of the Lord, his pride had to be poured out in order for him to be used.   These things keep us and all people from resisting the word and will of God. People can’t hear it because they don’t want to hear it because they don’t want to believe the truth about themselves and give themselves over to the word and will of God, which is always right and always good. But that does not mean that it is without cost.  The right response to the difficult word of God should have been out of submission and sorrow and prayer and petition. I want you to compare now how Peter and the disciples responded to the word and will of God vs. how Jesus responded to the word and will of the Father.  

The Word and