Listen to the audio above while following along in the transcript below which is also available for download at www.biblestudyministriesinc.com
I remind my heart and your heart that we need the Holy Spirit; we need God’s life. The Bible is a precious book but without the Holy Spirit it’s a very dark book. Psalm 149:6&7, “Let the Godly ones exalt in glory, let them sing for joy on their beds. Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand.” When we think of the Bible, it’s called a two-edged sword. I just love that expression, “Let the high praises of God be in their mouth and a two-edged sword in their hand.” That’s how I want to remember that.
Our Father, we thank You again, and we have the privilege of gathering here and we can trust Your Holy Spirit to turn our faith and our heart and eyes to the Lord Jesus. We long to see Him again. We thank You, Lord, that You give life. I pray that You would breath on us today and that we would see our Lord in a fresh and new and living way. We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.
I’ll try to review a little bit. We’re coming to the end of John’s gospel; we’re in chapters 18 & 19. Even though this is lesson #71, we’ve been at it for a while, you don’t need lessons #1 – #70 to have lesson #71 mean anything because every lesson should stand on its on two feet. So, if we’re presenting Christ, you can come in anywhere and leave anywhere and expect to be blessed by the Lord because we focus on a Person. When we began this lesson in the gospel of John in November 30, 2023, that’s how long we’ve been at it, we looked at the theme from chapter 20 and it says, “These things are written that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, and believing, you might have life in His name.” We took three principles; it was written that we might know the Lord, that we might trust the Lord and that we might enjoy the Lord; that’s the purpose of the gospel of John. I’ve tried to keep to that purpose in all of these lessons. We’ve come to chapters 18 & 19, and that’s commonly called the passion of the Lord Jesus. In other words, it covers His arrest and all the way through the cross and to His burial.
In our closing study last time we were looking at the three sayings that Jesus spoke from the cross that are recorded by John. He spoke seven times but John only records three. We’ve looked at two. Let me just read the section, John 19:27-30, “And then He said to the disciple, ‘Behold, your mother,’ and from that hour the disciple took her into his own household. After this, Jesus knowing that all things had already been accomplished to fulfill the scriptures, said ‘I am thirsty.’ A jar full of sour wine was standing there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine upon a branch of hyssop and brought it up to His mouth. Therefore, when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, ‘It is finished,’ and He bowed His head and He gave up the ghost.” Those are the three sayings. He addressed His mother and took care of her, and then He said, “I thirst,” and then He said, and this is where we’ll begin, “It is finished.” We discussed the comments about His mother, and we looked at a few things included in the expression, “I thirst.” If you missed that, there is the tape, and it’s online.
Let’s begin our new material. John 19:30, “Therefore, when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, ‘It is finished,’ and He bowed His head and He gave up the spirit.” What is included in those wonderful words, “It is finished.”? I briefly mentioned some of the technical things connected with that in a previous lesson. I’m going to review that and then I want to look a little bit deeper at it.
In English it’s three words, “It is finished.” But in the original language in the Greek, it’s not three words; it’s only one word, “tetelestai.” That’s the Greek word. In Roman and Jewish culture that was a business word. In other words, it was almost like a receipt. If you went somewhere and purchased something, then they would give you tetelestai, and it meant, “paid in full,” to be paid in full. Actually, that was started by the Romans because the Roman government was big on collecting taxes, and they would hand out a tetelestai after you paid your taxes, and you better hang on to it. That’s your receipt, because if they came to charge you again, and you didn’t have your tetelestai paper, you’d have to pay taxes again, and they would even take your property or your house, or anything. That’s where it began, but then it went over into the business community. If you go to the grocery store and you pay for all your groceries, you’d get tetelestai that you paid in full and you don’t have to pay anymore; it’s all done.
We’re reminded by Bible scholars that in the Greek that word tetelestai is in the perfect tense. That’s a unique tense because it means that something was completely paid and it would remain paid forever; there would never have to be another payment made to make that more fully paid. In spiritual truth, that perfect tense is very, very precious because when Jesus said, “It is finished,” it is paid in full, tetelestai.” When Jesus said that it was paid in full, it’s paid forever, and that’s the perfect tense, and it’s irrevocable and it’s unbreakable, it’s a binding receipt; we have the receipt and it’s paid in full. So, the achievement, the triumph, the victory that Jesus achieved for us on the cross was finished. When He was hanging on the cross, He said, “It’s finished,” tetelestai, paid in full, and then He bowed His head and He died. That’s why He went to the cross, to pay it in full.
We just say in English, “It is finished,” but if you know New Testament theology even a little, you know what is included in the “it”; “It is finished.” All the ceremonial laws are finished, all of the sacrifices that picture Christ, all the shadows are finished, the wrath of God against sin is finished, forgiveness is complete now and it’s all finished, tetelestai. It’s completed and it’s done forever. I think the best thing that’s finished is His suffering. He’ll never have to suffer again. That’s finished, and that’s very precious. That was one of the things that was finished. I know I’m trying to get a little deeper into that, but you’re just listening to the prattle of a baby. There’s so much included in, “It is finished.”
There’s a statement that was made on the Mount of Transfiguration that’s very interesting. Elijah appeared on the Mount of Transfiguration and so did Moses. Remember in the Old Testament he couldn’t get into the Promised Land. The Mount of Transfiguration is in the the Promised Land. He couldn’t get in in the flesh but he could get in in the spirit, and that’s also instructive. Moses and Elijah were talking, and God records the words that they said. Listen to Luke 9:30&31, “Behold, two men were talking with Him; they were Moses and Elijah who appearing in glory were speaking of His departure which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.” It was His departure that He would accomplish. When a person dies, you don’t say, “So and so just accomplished death.” They didn’t accomplish it; they succumbed. They surrendered to death, but Jesus accomplished it. What I’m trying to call attention to is that when Jesus went to the cross, it was a business transaction that had to be paid in full. There was a bill; there was something owed. We owed God for our sin, and He took that debt upon Himself, and then went to the cross, tetelestai; He finished it; He paid it in full. When He died and finished the work, it’s beautiful, and it’s over and it’s over forever.
As we’ve discussed in a previous lesson, what was finished on the cross was validated when Jesus rose from the dead. That was God’s Amen to the finished work, when He rose from the dead. 1 Corinthians 15:17 says, “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless and you are still in your sin.” Why would that be true? If Christ is not raised, your faith is worthless and you are still in your sin. One reason is that faith needs an object, and it needs a worthy object. How much faith would you need if you weighed 200 pounds to walk on a bridge that would only hold 75 pounds? You see, all the faith in the world is not going to help you because your faith depends on what you are trusting in. If you are trusting in a weak bridge, you’re going down. If you’re trusting in a broken elevator, you’re not going up or down or you might go down too quickly, but whatever. If you’re on thin ice, all the faith in the world is not going to hold you up because your object of faith is thin ice. When Christ died for us, if He was still dead, we’d have no object for our faith. You can’t trust a dead Christ. That’s why I said that if Christ is not raised, your faith is in vain, because you don’t have an object for your faith. Just so, you’re still in your sin. Do you realize this, if the death was not tetelestai, and it wasn’t paid in full, Jesus would still be dead because the wages of sin is death. The fact they He rose proved that He paid the debt. If one sin was unatoned, Jesus could not rise from the dead because the wages of sin is death.
All that, tetelestai, raises an honest question. I don’t know if you’ve asked it, but I certainly have, and I really sought the Lord for an answer because the question comes, if all is finished, if all is honestly paid for and it’s done…. We read in Hebrews 2:14-15, “Since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is the devil and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.” One other verse, Romans 6:6&7. “Knowing this, our old self was crucified with Him in order that our body of sin might be done away, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin, He who has died is free from sin.” Tetelestai, it’s finished. He says, “It’s finished,” He died to make powerless the devil; it’s finished. He died to put an end to death; it’s finished. He died to put an end to sin; it’s finished.
Here is the question; if it’s finished, how come Satan still gives me trouble? If it’s finished, how come I still sin? If it’s finished, how come Christians still die, and we have to go to funerals? He says that it’s finished, and it’s done and paid in full; render the devil powerless, and take away sin forever, and be victorious over death, and yet we see that it’s still hanging around. So, how does the Bible explain that? If the resurrection of Christ validated the death of Christ and the finished work and it’s paid in full, how come I still sin? How come I’m going to die? How come Satan still gives me trouble? You have to ask that question because He says it’s finished, and it’s got to be consistent.
Has God addressed that question? The answer is that yes, He has. It’s in the book of Peter and He tells us why what took place, besides validating the bill, what else took place when Jesus rose from the dead? 1 Peter 1:3, “Blessed be the God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who according to His great mercy caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.” I want you to underscore in your heart those words, “a living hope according to the resurrection from the dead.” Quite a few lessons ago I shared a wonderful truth from the syntax of the Greek language. There is a tense which is called the prophetic past tense. In other words, if you read it in English, it looks like it’s past, but it’s really prophetic; it’s talking about the future. For example, in John 17:4, a day before the cross, “I glorified You on the earth by accomplishing the work You’ve given Me to do.” How could Jesus say, “I finished the work,” when He hadn’t been to the cross, yet? In John 17 He hadn’t gone to the cross; that’s the next day, and yet He says that it’s finished. In the mind and in the heart and in the purposes of God it’s finished. There’s a verse that says that Jesus was crucified before the foundation of the earth. That’s a long time ago, and yet it had to be worked out in history. So, it sounds like past tense, “He died before the foundation of the earth,” and yet there is a future aspect. We saw that in Romans 8:30 about our own salvation, “Those He predestined, He called; those He called He justified; those He justified, He also glorified.” You can look at me and say, “Ed, you don’t look very glorified,” but God says that you’re already glorified. Do you know why? It’s as good as done. Even though it hasn’t happened yet, you have the hope that it’s going to happen. 1 Peter 1 says that the resurrection gave us a living hope.
Satan is still around but I have a hope that one day he’ll be cast into the lake of fire. I still sin, but I have a hope one day I’ll be delivered from sin and all its subtle forms, and even the presence of sin. Death, the last enemy to be destroyed, and there’s going to be a day when people die no more. We have that hope. What the resurrection gave was that it validated the finished work and gave us a living hope that sin will be done and death will be annihilated and Satan will also be finished.
Ever since Adam sinned, we’ve been under bondage, a hopeless bondage. Sin even affected the creation. Romans 8:19, “The eagerly awaiting creation waits for the revealing of the sons and daughters of God, for the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope that the creation itself, also, will be set free from its slavery to corruption, into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. We know the whole creation groans and suffers the pain of childbirth until now.” Creation groans. Christians groan. We long for the day when there is perfect victory over Satan, and sin is not more and death is no more. That day is coming; tetelestai; He’s promised it; He’s finished and resurrection gives us that living hope. That doesn’t annihilate it yet, but it will be. Without the resurrection, we would be hopeless; there’d be no Holy Spirit, no indwelling life of God, no spiritual gifts, no heaven to look forward to, but because of the resurrection we have hope, and what a word of hope! Romans 8:24&25, “For in hope we’ve been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope. Who hopes for what already he has. We hope for what we do not see, and through perseverance we eagerly wait for it.” When we use the word “hope” it’s anemic. Last night I said to Lillian, “I hope it doesn’t snow tomorrow. I don’t want to cancel again. It may or may not. I hope, I hope,” but when the Bible uses the word “hope” it’s absolute certainty. It’s not a possibility; it’s an absolute certainty.
In that connection listen to Hebrews 6:19, “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and reliable and one which enters within the veil where Jesus has entered as the forerunner for us.” When you think of a word like “anchor”, you think of something that is solid, something that’s heavy, something that’s substantial. Anchors are made of a corrosion resisting steel. It’s heavy. I actually looked this up. I wanted to know how heavy the anchor was on the Titanic, so I looked it up. It was 30,000 pounds. That was the anchor of the Titanic, and that’s not the largest one ever found. The largest anchor ever found was pulled out of the East River in New York. That’s not really a river; it’s more of a straight, and it’s salt water. Anyway, that one weighed 60 tons. They were doing excavation work and they found that anchor and pulled it out. The reason I’m saying this is because if I were to ask you, “How much does hope weigh?” how much would you tell me? What does it look like? How big is it? What color is it? What shape is it? Hope is spirit; you can’t touch it. That’s why God said, “This hope we have,” and He used the word “anchor”, as an anchor of the soul. What a precious description, and how heavy and how wonderful is hope.
There’s an old hymn written by some guy named Martin. I tried to find out about him but I couldn’t find anything. It’s an old hymn, “My Anchor Holds.” Here’s the first verse, “Though the angry surges roll on my tempest driven soul, I am peaceful, for I know wildly though the winds may blow, I’ve an anchor safe and sure that will evermore endure.” And the chorus reads, “And it holds; my anchor holds. Blow your wildest, then oh gale on my bark so small and frail, by His grace I shall not fail; my anchor holds, my anchor holds.” By the resurrection according to the scriptures, you have been given a living hope, and praise God for that hope; that’s an anchor, that’s your anchor. Ephesians 1:18 says, “I pray the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so you’ll know the hope of His calling.” For that hope you need God’s eyes; He needs to open your eyes, so that you’d enter into that hope.
1 John 3:3, and we’ll leave that, “Everyone who has this hope set on Him purifies himself and is pure.” Satan will one day be finished. Sin will one day be finished, and so will death, but until then I have a foretaste of that victory because in my life Satan is already conquered and I have victory over sin and I’m alive in the Lord. So, unlike the government who demanded an annual tetelestai, our Lord Jesus did it once for all. Hebrews 7:27, “He does not need daily sacrifices, like those high priests who offer up sacrifices for his own sins, and then the sins of the people, because He did this once for all when He offered up Himself.” Once for all people, once for all time, and it is finished. Praise God for that!
When we introduced the message of the gospel of John, I quoted it already today, John 20:31, “These are written that you might know Jesus is the Christ, and believing in Him you will have life in His name.” Chapters 18 & 19 certainly shows us who Jesus is; He’s our Savior; He’s the perfect One who paid the penalty of our sin. The theme of John also wants us to trust Him. What is faith? Let me suggest one way that chapters 18 &19 illustrate faith. It’s very, very precious. Instead of just looking at verse one or five or nine, I want to stand back and look at the whole section of chapters 18 & 19, and the crucifixion.
As you stand back, I noticed that there were two lists of people standing at the cross at the same time. One list was those that hated the Lord Jesus; they were standing at the cross. And the other is a list of those who loved the Lord Jesus; they were also standing at the cross. Let me give the names of the list from these chapters. At the top of the list, we’ve got John 18:2, “Now, Judas, also, who was betraying Him knew the place.” I don’t expect that Judas was standing at the cross, but he was surely hating the Lord Jesus. The Roman cohort was there and that was hundreds of people. These soldiers were numbered of those who hated Jesus; they’re the ones that punched Him in the face, and they’re the ones that put a crown on His head and ripped his back, the Bible says like a plowed field and that was the furrows on His back.
John also mentions the officers and the chief priests and the Pharisees. John 18:3, “Having received the Roman cohort, the officers from the chief priest and the Pharisees, they came with lanterns, torches and weapons,” and of course, that’s to Gethsemane. But they’re not friendly, and there are many that hate Jesus at the cross. John 18:13, “They led Him to Annas first. He’s the father-in-law of Caiphas, the high priest. They were haters of Jesus, Annas and Caiphas. Caiphas was a high priest for about eighteen years; he’s the one after Lazarus was raised from the dead, he said, “We’ve got to get rid of Jesus; we’ve got to kill Him.” That was Caiphas. These are all avowed enemies of the Lord Jesus: Judas, the Romans soldiers, the officers, the Pharisees, many of the priests, Annas, Caiphas, and after that was Pilate and Herod, the masses of people that were yelling, “Crucify Him, crucify Him, and not this man Barabbas.” At the cross there were many that mocked, that hated Jesus, and even the thief that got saved eventually at first was mocking Jesus.
But praise be to God there were not only haters at the cross but there were lovers at the cross, and at least three women. John 19:25, “Standing by the cross of Jesus were His mother, His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.” Some say there were three women and some say because of Matthew 27:56 there might have been four women at the cross. We know the women at the cross loved the Lord Jesus. Sometime during that six hours it looks like the women stepped back a little, and they were still at the cross but at a distance from the cross. I’m not going to argue about three women or four women, but I think one of the most ardent lovers of those women – I mean His mother was there and you know she was a lover of her son – but also Mary Magdalene. We know from Mark 16:9 that Jesus cast seven demons out of her. I don’t know what it would be like to meet a woman with seven demons, but I don’t think it would be pleasant and she was capable of any sin. The point is, because she was gloriously delivered, she was one of the most ardent lovers of Jesus at the cross.
The Apostle John was also at the cross; he was a lover of Jesus. I won’t read it now, but John 19:26&27 is when Jesus addressed John personally from the cross, so we know he was there. We read that the disciples scattered after Gethsemane, but that doesn’t prove that they weren’t there; they might have come back, and some might have been there. But beside the women and John and others that might have loved Jesus, there are two more mentioned. John 19:38, “After these things, Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but a secret one for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and so Pilate granted permission. He came and took away His body. Nicodemus who had first come to Him by night also came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about one hundred pounds weight. So, they took the body of Jesus, bond it in linen wrappings with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. The place He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet laid. Therefore, because of the Jewish day of preparation, since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.” Those two men, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus were also lovers of Jesus. You might say that they don’t look like lovers when you read their record. Well, Peter denied the Lord and he’s a lover of Jesus.
These were Pharisees. Luke 23:50, “Joseph of Arimathea was a Pharisee.” A man named Joseph who was a member of the council, he was actually part of the Sanhedrin. He didn’t cast a vote to have Jesus killed, but he was on the journey. The same was true with Nicodemus, John 7:50, “Nicodemus who came to Him before being one of them.” One of them is those that were on the Sanhedrin. These were important men. John 19:38 and I thank God for this verse, “After these things Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but a secret one for fear of the Jews.” I am so glad that expression is used in the Bible, that somebody could be a secret disciple for whatever reason, and in this case, it was fear. We know Proverbs 29 says that the fear of man brings a snare, and it does.
There is some evidence that both of these very renown members of the Sanhedrin were secret disciples. In John 3 Nicodemus came by night, and he said, “I know You’ve come from God; nobody could do this except He comes from God.” There’s another time Nicodemus took a stand for Jesus. It was a weak stand. He sent down a group of officers to address Jesus, and the officers came back without their criminal and the commanding officer said, “Why didn’t you arrest Him?” Their answer was, “Nobody ever spoke like Him.” Imagine telling your commanding officer, “I couldn’t arrest Him; He wouldn’t let me; nobody ever spoke like Him.” At that time Nicodemus stood up and said, “We don’t try somebody until we have proof.” And they all got suspicious and in John 7:52, “They answered him, ‘You aren’t also from Galilee, also, are you? Search and see; no prophet rises out of Galilee.’” They accused him of being close to Jesus.
It’s clear that these two were professing Christ and were disciples but for fear of the Jews. I’m glad we have this verse because I have a wicked heart and I’m pretty sure you do, too, and we tend to judge people, and we’ll look at someone and say, “Oh, they’re not a Christian.” You can’t see the heart; be careful before you judge somebody. There is such a thing as a secret disciple. A couple of my relatives died, and I think without Christ, but I don’t know. They knew more than the thief on the cross knew. We shouldn’t judge; we don’t know. God has not given us permission to look into the Book of Life; we can’t see each other’s heart. It’s clear if they are outwardly condemning the Lord, then we can be pretty sure of their destiny, but if they are just claiming to be Christians but they’re not living up to your standard or my standard, we ought to be careful. As long as God says there is such a thing as a secret disciple, I’m going to hold out a ray of hope for everybody until they take their last breath. God might see some faith in there that I never see. If any time at 50, 60 or 70 years of age there was saving faith, God recorded it, and I may never see it. So, these are lovers of Jesus. I’m not sure they knew it.
There’s a prophecy in Isaiah 53 that said that He would die with a rich man in His death. I don’t think Joseph of Arimathea said, “Oh, the Bible says that He’s going to die with a rich man. I’m a rich man; that must be me.” He wasn’t thinking that. It was automatic; he was just fulfilling the word of God. It’s like others who fulfilled prophecy; they had no idea. Matthew 27:57, “When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea named Joseph who had himself become a disciple of Jesus.” So, we know he was wealthy, and he used some of that wealth, by the way, Mark 15:46, “Joseph bought a linen cloth and took Him down and wrapped Him in the linen cloth.” He’s the one who bought the wrapping for the Lord Jesus. That was Joseph, and I think that’s the best investment he ever made as a rich man. Matthew 27:60 tells us that he also gave his own family tomb, his personal tomb. We’re going to get into this in another connection because we’re not done with Joseph and Nicodemus, but he only needed that tomb for a weekend. It was a borrowed tomb. What a privilege Joseph had as a secret disciple to be a lover of Jesus. I sort of followed Joseph of Arimathea. I don’t know where my grave is going to be. I’ve already donated my body to science, so I know I’m going to John Hopkins. I couldn’t get into college, so I might as well be show and tell. Anyway, these are lovers of the Lord Jesus.
To return to the point, how does this reveal faith? On one side you have the haters of Jesus, and on the other side you have the lovers of Jesus. What do they have in common? The answer is that they are all identifying with a rejected Savior. They’re standing with Jesus in His shame; they are loving the Lord Jesus in the very place that He’s hated. It comes to my mind Philippians 3:10, “That I might know Him, the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His suffering,” identifying with Christ in a place where He is hated. There is a great blessing promised to those who do that. 1 Peter 4:14, “If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you’re blessed because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.” John 15:20, he warned His disciples, “Remember the word I said to you that a slave is not greater than his master. They’ve persecuted Me and they’ll persecute you. If they kept My word, they are going to keep yours, also.”
There are two word pictures that are given in connection with this. One is the cross; it’s not only the literal cross on which Jesus was nailed, but we’re told in Luke 9:23 to take up your cross daily. The other is the expression “outside the camp”. When they had Jesus crucified they couldn’t do it in Jerusalem; that was not holy, so they put Him outside the camp. For thousands of years they’ve been sacrificing outside the camp, and that became a principle “outside the camp”. So, we have two pictures: the cross, “Take up your cross,” and, “outside the camp,” identifying with Jesus in His rejection.
A lot of Christians don’t understand the cross. They say, “Oh, I’m carrying a cross; I have a deformity,” or, “I have a disease,” or, “I have a cancer and that’s my cross,” or, “I have this terrible birth mark on my face, and that’s the cross I’ve got to carry,” or, “I’ve got wayward kids and that’s my cross.” No, the cross is the picture of rejection; it’s rejection and it’s identifying with Him in His rejection. The cross was a picture of rejection; people wear a cross on their chain or on their lapel, a nice fancy cross. I’ve never seen anybody wear an electric chair on a chain around their neck; that’s what the cross was; it was an electric chair. It was a place of execution. We’ve beautified it, but originally it was the place of rejection.
Hebrews 13:13, “Let us go out to Him outside the camp bearing His reproach.” He was crucified outside the camp, and now it becomes a principle, “Let us go to Him outside the camp.” That expression “outside the camp” is a place where He’s rejected. That’s where we identify with Him. May I suggest to you that “outside the camp” is very large. For example, you are to identify with Christ outside the domestic camp; that means your family. Some families reject Christ, and you are to love Christ in a place where He’s rejected. Outside the camp might be the social camp. The old friends you had are no longer your friends. You have to identify with Christ outside the social camp. Outside the ecclesiastical camp, the church camp, sometimes you can stand in a group of Christians, and they get embarrassed if you start talking about Jesus. They don’t even know how to carry on a conversation about the Lord. They’ll talk about everything else, about the weather and their trips and their vacations and holidays but if you start to discuss Jesus they just seem like strangers; that’s identifying with Jesus outside the ecclesiastical camp. Outside the business camp, where you work; it’s hard to stand for Christ in a place where they are rejecting Christ. Outside the political camp, that’s a guarantee.
Anyway, you might think, and this is where I want to end on this wonderful principle. You might think it’s hard to stand up for Jesus in the home when people don’t agree and they’re not loving the Lord Jesus. Let me tell you what the Bible teaches. It is not hard, and it’s not even difficult; it’s impossible. You need to know that because if you think it’s hard, you are going to keep trying. “Lord, I don’t want to be ashamed. Lord, I want to be brave. I want to say a word. I’m afraid to say anything but I think something should be said,” you’ll think all that kind of stuff. It’s not hard; it’s impossible. You’re not called to stand up for Jesus. You are called to stand with Him outside the camp. “Go, therefore, unto Him outside the camp.” What’s my duty when it comes to those who are cursing and telling foul jokes at work. What’s my duty for my neighbors? What’s my duty when Christians don’t want to talk about the Lord? I’ll tell you your duty; it’s illustrated right here; identify with a rejected Savior in the place that He’s rejected; your duty is to be a lover of the Jesus. That’s it. How easy! That’s what He’s called you to do. He’s not called you to be brave and speak up and take a rugged stand. All of that is manmade; that’s not what you are to do.
You are to love the Lord Jesus in the place of rejection, and when you love the Lord Jesus in a place of rejection, listen to John 12:32, “If I am lifted up,” lifted up? Lifted up on the cross, that’s what He’s talking about, “I’ll draw all men to Myself.” The cross is His way to draw people to Himself, and now He lives in my heart. When He was in His first body, He went to the cross, and now He lives in me, where do you think He’s going? He’s going back to the cross, and we are to love Him in a place where He’s rejected because that’s missionary; that draws people because they see your response; they see that you turn the other cheek. You can’t do that; that’s not human. You can’t go the second mile. You can’t pray for those who hate you, who despitefully use you. Jesus can and He lives in your heart to do it again. That’s the exchanged life. The Lord lives through you in the place of rejection. You just have to love the Lord where He’s rejected, and He will draw all people. Everything is redemptive.
My Lillian, she has sugar diabetes and bone cancer. She has missionary sugar diabetes and blood cancer, not bone. I have congestive heart failure and it’s missionary congestive heart failure; it draws people to the Lord how I respond. Lenny has missionary sugar diabetes. People respond. As they watch you enjoying the Lord and living the Lord in the place where Jesus is rejected, that becomes evangelistic, and that is soul winning. How do I win souls? How can I be a soul winner? Try this; just love Jesus. Love Him in the place where He’s hated. If you love Him in a place where He’s hated, He’ll draw all men.
Heavenly Father, thank You for Your word, not what we think it means or how clearly we expound, but the way You’ve inspired what you have put it in to mean; You write that on our hearts. Thank You, Lord, for those who literally stood in the very place identified with You in Your death. Now, give us grace to stand as lovers of Jesus and identify with You in the place of rejection. Work that in our hearts. We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.