New Focus Church

Our Lord Jesus Christ was brutally treated by Pilate’s soldiers before being crucified. He was physically abused and mocked and paraded to the amusement of His enemies. A crown of thorns was placed on His head and a reed sceptre in His hand. His foes knelt before Him in mock worship. As Christ’s enemies satisfied their evil desires on the Son of God they unwittingly fulfilled all the Old Testament prophecies concerning Christ’s death, and verified the truth of Holy Scripture.

Our Lord Jesus Christ was delivered by Pilate to be crucified but Barabbas went free. In today’s passage we see the worthiness and suitability of Christ to save and learn about our own guilt as robbers, rebels and murderers before God. Barabbas is a type of all God’s elect in their natural state.

02 October 2022

Our Lord Jesus Christ was bound by His enemies and delivered to Pilate. Here we learn about the Lord’s suretyship, His kingly office and the meaning of His silence before His accusers.

Peter’s denial of the Lord Jesus Christ was a grave matter and brought about the fall of this dear saint. How prone we all are to sin and how easily we become ensnared by fear and lies. Yet, Peter was a child of grace, an heir of salvation, and the Lord Jesus, despite the offence caused looked lovingly and mercifully upon His needy friend.

Our Lord Jesus Christ was accused of all manner of crimes and condemned to death as guilty. His foolish judges did not know what they were talking about. But God the righteous judge imputed the sin of His chosen, elect people to their Surety. He laid their sin on His Son. He made Christ, who knew no sin to be sin for us, and righty, truly, legally and justly declared Him guilty of death.

Our Lord Jesus Christ met those who came to arrest Him in Gethsemane with boldness and courage yet He was also meek and compliant to the will of His Father that He might fulfil all that was written in the scriptures and satisfy His obligations in the covenant of grace.

The suffering for sin of our Lord Jesus Christ commenced in the Garden of Gethsemane where His soul-suffering is described as Him being ‘in an agony’, ‘exceeding sorrowful unto death’. Here our Saviour felt the judgment of God and the temptation of the devil. Here He lay alone without human support and carried the weight of His people’s sin.

Our Lord Jesus Christ left Jerusalem for the Mt of Olives and Gethsemane, crossing over the Kidron brook. Despite all that lay before Him His thoughts were upon the wellbeing of His people and He tells Peter and the disciples that though they all will be offended because of Him this night He has prayed for them that their faith fail not. Blessed Jesus!

Our Lord Jesus Christ instituted the Lord’s Supper on this evening before His death. When we share in the bread and wine of communion with faith we are showing forth His death and testifying of our hope and trust in the cleansing power of His blood. It is a precious witness to our souls and to one another.

Our Lord Jesus Christ is our passover. He told His disciples that one of them would betray Him to death, generating amongst them great sorrow, self-doubt and self-examination. Our Saviour also preached to them about divine sovereignty and human responsibility for sin.