It’s finally here and it’s finally finished. Jesus has been talking about this moment for months. His followers are fearful, confused, and scattered. Jesus, bearing his cross, marches to his own death. Like much of John’s Gospel, there is more happening here that we can see. The words of Jesus in John 19:30 reorient history, life, and begin rewriting the human narrative. The perfect human has died and the debt created by sin has been paid! At his death Christ pays the debt of sin for all who will trust in him. In Christ we, too, can say, “It Is Finished!” Prophecies, which were made, had come to pass and the final payment for our debt was rendered!

The final hours of Jesus’ life on earth are defined by intense interrogation, brutal torture, and unjust sentencing. Pilate, believing he was in control, offers freedom to Jesus by way of a public offering. People in every culture, ours included, always choose what seems right in their own eyes. We wonder, how could Pilate’s audience have traded a King for a common criminal. This slippery slope of thinking is telling. We would not make a better choice, nor would we need to. Jesus was on mission and these painful steps were critical to our redemption. Jesus denied his own release in order to secure ours!

100% 10 Have you ever been denied? College Application? Basketball? Job Interview? Relationship? Denials can be painful and revealing. In these verses John shows Jesus’ power and his kingship, which are bright spots on a dark day. Sadly, we learn of the denial of that power and kingship, and even more tragically we see one of Jesus’ closest friend deny him multiple times. Thankfully, our denials don’t have to define us; rather, Jesus’ denial can and does! Screen reader support enabled. Have you ever been denied? College Application? Basketball? Job Interview? Relationship? Denials can be painful and revealing. In these verses John shows Jesus’ power and his kingship, which are bright spots on a dark day. Sadly, we learn of the denial of that power and kingship, and even more tragically we see one of Jesus’ closest friend deny him multiple times. Thankfully, our denials don’t have to define us; rather, Jesus’ denial can and does!

Jesus prays. Jesus prays intensely. Jesus prays biblically. Jesus prays passionately. Jesus prays purposefully. Jesus prays hopefully. Jesus prays completely.

It’s promised those living with and for Jesus will experience the world’s fierce hatred. But the disciples were not to panic over this prospect. In chapter 16, they heard the reassuring words that the Holy Spirit would come, not only as their Helper but their Comforter. “But take heart,” Christ concluded, “I have overcome the world.” There is joy in the journey even when the journey is long, drawn out, difficult, and marked by switchbacks. Understanding the joy Jesus speaks of is critical to all who follow him. Not possessing this joy is a marker for more than just trouble, it could be an indicator that you’re missing that which is most important

Nik Ripkin in The Insanity of God states, “Suffering is one of God’s ordained means for the growth of his church. He brought salvation to the world through Christ, our suffering Savior, and he now spreads salvation in the world through Christians as suffering saints. In the words of Paul, “All who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Tim. 3:12). Clearly, there is a sense in which the danger of our lives increases in proportion to the depth of our relationship with Christ. Jesus, in John 15:20, lines out what life will look like for his followers.

In the hours before his arrest, trial, and execution, Jesus gathered His disciples in a private room in order to teach them some final lessons, remind them of some great truths, and encourage them to trust and obey through the difficult times just ahead. Chapter 15 begins with an extended metaphor from agricultural life about Christian living. This familiar “vine-branches” discourse underscores the necessity of fruitfulness in a believer’s life and the impossibility of such an experience without a rich, deep, vital, ongoing relationship with Christ.

John Stott once said, “What we need is not more learning, not more eloquence, not more persuasion, not more organization, but more power from the Holy Spirit.” While this is a deeply encouraging statement it often seems to run counter to what many of us experience. Often in Reformed Baptist traditions there is a clear articulation of the triune nature of God