Now as we ended last week, we saw that Judas had gone out from the Last Supper. Jesus dipped the bread into the cup and said, what you do, do quickly. And he left, and the other guys didn't know what was going on. Maybe John, I think there's reason to believe that John knew, but the rest of them did not know. And Judas went out and joined himself with these people as he had prearranged the betrayal of the Lord. And he agreed to lead the Jewish authorities to where he knew that Jesus would be because they had gathered here in the garden several times before. And they did it at night so that the massive crowds of people that followed Jesus all the time wouldn't interrupt. They didn't want to cause a riot. And so they wanted to do this quietly. And verse 47 of Luke 22 says, While he was still speaking, behold, a crowd came. So he was speaking to his disciples. He had been rebuking them two times for them going to sleep and not praying. And he came now and he said, Sleep on. Don't worry about it. I got this. And behold, a crowd came, and the one called Judas, one of the twelve, was preceding them, leading them, preceding, going before them. And he approached Jesus to kiss Him. That was the sign that He had given to these soldiers and the chief priests and the temple guard that was there with Him. that that would be the sign. Now, we studied last week, this kiss was not a little peck on the cheek. He embraced Jesus and continually kissed Him over and over and continually embraced Him as you do when you are affectionate with somebody. So Judas was leading this group of soldiers and religious leaders to arrest Jesus. And as we studied last week, he betrayed the Lord with a kiss. And John tells us that the reason that Judas was leading them, in John 18 verse 2, Judas also who was betraying Him knew the place, for Jesus had often met there with His disciples. So evidently this was not the first time that Jesus and his disciples had gone to this garden and there is evidence that's outside the Bible to suggest that the owner of this garden was a believer and that there was actually a business that produced olive oil and so there were olive trees all in there and so we went over that over the last couple of weeks. And so Judas knew the way to get there and so he was leading the group. So this is the height of betrayal. Now John also tells us just who was in this group of men that Judas was leading. In John 18 verse 3 it says, Judas then having received the Roman cohort and officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, So now you see two things, the Roman cohort and then you see officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees. So this tells you that there is a military guard, they call them the temple guard, that protected the temple from vandals and from terrorists and things. And this temple guard is the officers of the chief priests and the Pharisees along with the Roman contingent of of soldiers and they came there with lanterns and torches and weapons and then the Apostle Levi wrote in Matthew twenty six verse forty seven while he Jesus was still speaking to his disciples behold Judas one of the twelve came up accompanied by a large crowd with swords and clubs who came from the chief priests and elders of the people Now when John tells us that Judas had received the Roman cohort and officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, this means that the chief priests and the Pharisees had arranged a deal with the Roman occupiers to send some of their soldiers with Judas and some who represented the Jewish leaders, they called them the temple guard, to arrest Jesus, even though the Romans really didn't have a beef with Jesus at this point. So this could very well mean that the Jewish rulers had actually paid the Roman soldiers to accompany Judas to the garden. Now what that means is, is that people's contributions to God that they had given in their love for God and they gave money to the elders of Israel, the religious leaders, they used this money to pay for the soldiers to come and get Jesus. But in any event, Judas came to the garden with a fairly large group. Luke calls it a crowd. Levi calls it a large crowd. John says that the cohort contained both soldiers and officers. Now a cohort was one-tenth of a legion, and a legion was 6,000 men. So this could have been a crowd of about 600 soldiers. But then you also have to understand that this crowd also include representatives of the Jewish religious rulers as well as the Roman commanding officers who brought lanterns and torches and swords and clubs. So this was a seriously large crowd and it's a seriously dangerous moment. Look again at Luke 22, verses 49-51. When those who were around Him, that's Jesus, saw what was going to happen, They said Lord shall we strike with the sword. That was their first response. Now this is interesting since the majority of these people were not soldiers. And so the first response of fishermen would not be to draw a sword. The first response of these other guys would not be to draw a sword. So this has a lot to do with what I've been talking about over the last two weeks. They were looking for a warrior messiah to lead them militarily and they were becoming increasingly disillusioned with Jesus because He wouldn't do this. and He would go out of His way to say, love your enemies, pray for them that despitefully use you, which was anathema to these Jewish people. And they were getting increasingly disillusioned. John the Baptist had almost lost his faith in Jesus over this issue. Peter had been challenged in this very issue. All of the disciples were being challenged because this was not working out the way they had envisioned this working out. And so now, Part of the reason why they're wanting to draw the sword is because they're wanting to instigate this military overthrow of the Roman occupiers. If Jesus is not going to do it, we'll do it. So that's part of the reason why they're doing this. This is part of their thinking. And one of them struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his right ear. But Jesus answered and said, Stop! No more of this. And he touched his ear and healed him. Now, Dr. Luke was moved along by God the Holy Spirit here to write 33 verses from the time that Jesus ate the Last Supper with His disciples and He was arrested and by this large cohort of at least 600 soldiers and temple guards and religious leaders. 33 verses of information. The Apostle Levi gave us only 27 verses about this same time frame, while John Mark The man that the Apostle Peter had commissioned to write his Gospel record wrote only 19 verses of information from the time that Jesus ate the Last Supper to the time He's arrested. But the Apostle John gives us 158 verses that span five and a half chapters that cover this time frame. from chapter 13 verse 1 all the way to chapter 18 verse 3, including the high priestly prayer of Jesus in chapter 17, that evidently Jesus prayed in the garden during His agony. And that means that this section of Luke's account can only be rightly and fully understood in context with what the other three records say. Especially what the Apostle John wrote, because what God the Holy Spirit moved upon John to give us is some of the most amazing teaching from our Lord that He gave during His time on the earth. And evidently Jesus taught all of these verses either in the upper room at the Last Supper or in the Garden of Gethsemane just before his arrest. And so we can find a whole lot by reading John's record about this sequence of events that we can't find anywhere else. Now the reason that I think it's wise to read this passage in Luke in context with what the other three writers gave us is because just on the surface, It sure looks like Satan is triumphing over Jesus here in the Garden. In fact, Jesus Himself says in Luke 22 and 53, this hour and the power of darkness are yours. Which is just another way of saying this is your time. So we have at least 600 soldiers that are trying to arrest Jesus and it sure looks like the power of darkness is winning and that Jesus is losing. It sure looks like Jesus has no more control over these events than anybody else would. And I think that is exactly the way that the 11 remaining disciples saw this. Because as this large cohort of soldiers approaches the garden, they had to go past the eight men that were left at the beginning of the garden by the gate. And so as these soldiers stand before Jesus to arrest Him, these eight disciples that were at the gate have now come in with them, and now they're standing with the other three with Jesus. And they're completely surrounded and outnumbered by these soldiers. And so, their first instinct is to look to Jesus, right? That's what they've been doing now for over three years. They looked to Jesus for the last three years and they saw Jesus do things that were incredible. But tonight, as they now look to the man they honestly believe is God Almighty in human flesh, They don't see a warrior Messiah who is there to vanquish the infidels. They don't see a Deliverer who is going to begin His war with the pagans to recapture the glory of the nation of Israel. Peter and James and John and the others instinctively placed their hands on their swords to begin what they thought was going to be a successful military campaign to see the Jewish state rise from the ashes of defeat and subjugation They see a very weak and vacillating Jesus. They see a Jesus who is slumped over, His face dripping with blood, His hair tangled and wet from agonizing in prayer for several hours. As I said last week, up to this point, Jesus had all the answers. These men had watched Jesus stare down the most powerful men in Israel and never blink. He had tied the Jewish lawyers in knots. And so these men expected that at any moment Jesus would gather His army together and He would begin to wage war against the Roman occupiers because after all, that's what everybody thought Messiah was going to do. And Jesus had been confronted with serious, deep theological issues and He would answer them in very simple but profound statements that just baffled them to death. And I promise you, they might not have had these gestures, but John and Peter and Paul and all of them were behind Him going, Yes! And they were so glad these guys were getting showed up. But here the man that these men were betting their lives on, Yea, even their very souls on look very unsteady and unsure. He looked troubled, worried, and distraught. They had never seen Him like this before and it scared them. And it hurt them. And it profoundly troubled them. You might even go so far as to say that it offended them. And a million thoughts were going through the minds of the disciples Was Jesus having second thoughts? Was Jesus contemplating making peace with the Jewish rulers? Was He thinking about cutting and running away and leaving the disciples to fend for themselves? What in the world is going on here? Why is Jesus so upset? Why had Jesus been praying like He was? I mean, if Jesus is getting scared about what the Jewish rulers and the Roman authorities are going to do to Him, what hope do we have? None of these men understood that Jesus was not afraid of dying. Because it sure looked like He was. They had no idea that perfect love was right now triumphing right there in the garden. Jesus had been agonizing for hours over having to be made sin on behalf of God's elect and of His Father withdrawing from Him. But these disciples didn't understand that at this time. You see, Jesus had never sinned. Ever. Not even for a second in the thought that God was going to lay on Him all of the sins of all of God's elect was so heavy a load that Jesus began to seek another way. Combine that with the fact that Jesus knew that the pristine nature of God would not allow Him to continue to be one with Jesus at the point. And it was more than He could take. So Jesus had been agonizing over another way to perfectly obey His Father and yet not have to become sin. He was crying out to God that He could fully submit and yet God not leave Him. But then He quickly added, if not, then may God's will be done. That was His agony. That was His prayer. That is why Jesus had fallen on His face and why an angel had come to strengthen Him. That is why He prayed so hard that He sweat blood. Now, He comes to the disciples, finds them sleeping, rebukes them and says, Could you not watch with Me one hour? I see nothing in the original Greek that makes me think that that didn't mean, why couldn't you pray for me for an hour? So that's at least one hour of prayer. And he came again the second time, I'm assuming that's two hours. So this was hours that Jesus had agonized, hours that Jesus had cried out to God. So Jesus was not afraid to die. He didn't fear what man was going to do to Him. Jesus loved His Father to such an extent that He was willing to become a curse and have His Father delight in crushing Him. It pleased the Lord to crush Him. Truly, this is an amazing moment. And I think that as Judas is leading this cohort of at least 600 soldiers with swords and clubs and shields and helmets and torches, along with some of the temple guards and religious rulers, that Peter, James, and John are very bewildered, very distraught, very disturbed. And Luke tells us here, they were ready to draw their swords and begin to fight against the cohort of at least 600 soldiers. So on one side you have 600 battle-hardened soldiers along with a group of temple guards, and on the other side you have 11 men standing with Jesus. 600 to 11. What in the world would make any human think to begin a battle under those conditions? Now, I understand what Judas is doing here. I don't agree with him, of course, but I understand. Judas is betraying the Lord of life for money. This is why we need to talk about this. The love of money is the root of all sorts of evils. And I've been saved for quite a while now. And I can count on one hand the number of people that have ever told me that they love money. So evidently, we've all been delivered from that problem. Evidently. Because I don't hear any praying about that hardly anymore. I don't hear anybody talking about it. I hardly ever hear anybody repenting of it. So, what do we make of that? Judas betrayed the Lord for money. That's a big deal, isn't it? Well, people are aborting babies for money. People are selling their bodies on the Internet in pornography for money. People are divorcing their wife for money. People are abandoning their children for money. It's no different. Money is destroying us. And if the first response you have to that statement is, well, what do you want us to do, brother? Live in a pup tent? That shows you don't understand. You don't see this as being a problem. You're justifying all this. But be careful. This is a big deal to God. He talked a lot about it in the Bible, didn't He? It needs to be a big deal for us. Judas just wants to be paid. So he's moving along now, filled with Satan, trying to convince himself that his disillusionment with Jesus is justified. And I understand what this cohort of soldiers is doing. They don't have a dog in this hunt. As far as they know, they're simply following orders. And they're going to arrest a Jewish rabbi that has evidently upset an awful lot of important people. And I even understand what the disciples are doing. Because I don't think I'd have understood this any better than they did. I would like to think that I would have all wisdom and knowledge and I would see all through this. I don't think so. I think I'd be going, what? How is him getting arrested going to help us change the world? How does that work? Because this sure looks like D-Day for them. This is the time to put up or shut up. This is the moment where everything they've been doing now for over three years is going to pay off. Or not. But what in the world is Jesus doing? Is He really going to allow Himself to be captured? Why would He do that? How does that make any sense? Why did He work so hard for three years now even to the point of performing supernatural miracles so he wouldn't get caught. Only to allow himself to get captured tonight? How does that make sense? There's several verses in the Bible that tell you a crowd came to push Jesus off a cliff. What does the Bible say he did? He walked right through the middle of them. How do you do that? The Bible says he hid himself one time. How do you hide yourself from people that are right there standing there looking at you, talking to you? Where's the victory here? And that's why we need to read what John wrote. It's going to help us make sense of this. I want you to turn with me to John chapter 14. John chapter 14, real quick with me. And I want to show you something about this. Now, way before Jesus, way before this moment, while they were still in the upper room, Jesus had said this to them in John chapter fourteen verses twenty seven through thirty one peace I leave with you my peace I give you not as the world gives give do I give to you do not let your heart be troubled nor let it be fearful now that verse that we quote all the time is usually taken out of context and we quote it as though he's talking to me. Now I think you can apply that to yourself but this is in context talking to the disciples at the Last Supper in the upper room just before they're going to watch Jesus get get captured and tortured and beaten and killed. That's why He's telling them, peace I leave with you, my peace I give, not as the world gives. Do not let your heart be troubled. You're going to look at the most troubling event in the next couple of hours that you've ever seen. I'm telling you in advance, do not let your heart be troubled. This is amazing. Look at 28. You've heard that I said to you, I go away and will come to you. If you loved Me, you would have rejoiced. Now, again, stop and think. All their lives, all of their daddy's lives, all of their granddaddy's lives, all of their great granddaddy's lives, for as long as they can remember, people have been praying for the Messiah to come. And He's here! We got Him! Hallelujah! He's here! And He's not in His ministry, but just a little while, and one of the first things He tells them, I'm leaving! What? Would you have understood that? I wouldn't have. And now He's almost rebuking them here in verse 28, because He said, if you loved Me, you would have rejoiced that I'm telling you I'm leaving. because I go to the Father. How is that helping me that you're fixing to leave and go be with your Father? And why am I supposed to rejoice at that? Huh? Since all this salvation business is all about me anyway, why should I rejoice because you're going to have a good time? Huh? Look at v. 29. These are strange statements. Oh yeah, I understand it. No, you don't. Look at 29. Now, I have told you before it happens. I'm talking about just a few hours before it happens. So that when it happens, what? You may believe. Go with me now. Verse 30, I will not speak much more with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He probably was on his way right then. And he has nothing in me. But so that the world may know something. What does Jesus want the world to know? That I love the Father. What? Won't you love me? No. But so the world may know that I love the Father. I do exactly as the father commands. And then he tells him get up let's go. Time to go time for all this to happen. Now Jesus said that while they were still all he said this while they were still in the upper room at the Last Supper before they went to the Garden of Gethsemane where he would pray and then be arrested and taken away to die. So first look closely at verse twenty seven again peace I leave with you my peace I give to you not as the world gives do I give to you it's very important phrase. Do not let your heart be troubled neither let it be fear don't look nor let it be fearful so the peace that the world gives primarily is when everything's going OK and there's calmness in the world an absence of war an absence of military conflict an absence of getting arrested That's the peace the world gives all that's fixing to get disturbed this very night. Now this statement was not spoken in a vacuum. Jesus told his disciples on the night he was betrayed while they were still in the upper room. Peace I leave with you my peace I give to you not as the world gives do I give to you do not let your heart be troubled nor let it be fearful so part of everything that Jesus is going to do that very night in his arrest in the garden which looks like a defeat is so that he will be able to give them a piece that the world cannot give. Now look at verse twenty eight. You have heard that I said to you you have heard that I said to you I go away and I will come to you if you loved me you would have rejoiced because I go to the father for the father is greater than I. This means that everything that Jesus is going to do that very night, even in His arrest, even in His trial, and His death over the next several days, is not so that the power of darkness will triumph, but so that His disciples will rejoice. Now look at verse 29. I have told you before it happens, so that when it happens you may believe. So everything that Jesus is going to do that night, including agonizing in prayer, and allowing Himself to be arrested, and then allowing evil men to beat Him to within an inch of His life, and allowing Himself to be tried and ultimately killed, is so that you and I and those disciples would believe. So according to that, There are at least three things that Jesus is working very hard to accomplish in the Garden on that very night. Number one, He is agonizing in prayer and allowing Himself to be arrested so that He may give us a peace that the world cannot give. He is agonizing in prayer and allowing Himself to be arrested so that we will rejoice. He is agonizing in prayer and allowing Himself to be arrested so that we may believe. So Jesus is working hard in what looks like absolute defeat so that the power of love will triumph in this garden with these men and through their Word in our lives. And that is why Jesus does not choose to defend himself or manifest his deity and avoid arrest. Now, let me try to come at this from another angle with you. That's the degree to which Jesus labors on your behalf. That is an example of all that Jesus, when we talk about his finished work, this is part of that. That he is busy assuring Your peace, your joy, and your faith. Now look again at John 14 verses 30 and 31. I will not speak much more with you, for the ruler of this world is coming and he has nothing in me. But so that the world may know that I love the Father, I do exactly as the Father commanded me. Get up, let us go from here. Now here Jesus uses the word go. And He uses it in such a way that He wants these men to understand and believe. Jesus said here in verse 31 that the reason that He is doing everything that the Father expects of Him, including being arrested and being tried and dying, is so that the world may know that Jesus loves the Father. You're going through a lot of trouble to tell us that. So loving the Father must be pretty important. And the word world here includes these men and those who will believe what they will teach. And that's us. And so Jesus is obeying His Father so that these men and all those who will believe what they teach later on will know what? They will know something. We will know that Jesus loves His Father. Now I'm telling you there is a dichotomy in the modern church that is almost blasphemy if you're not careful. And that is that everything Jesus did in the garden on the cross and rising from the dead is all about me. He loves me. He did that for me so I could have a better life, so that I could hit more home runs, so that people will like me, that I can accomplish all of my dreams. That's not what He said. He said He's doing this so that we would know that He loves the Father. And I would suggest to you that when you say this to people, they're not going to think that's that big of a deal. They're not going to say, oh, praise God! No. Because when I'm not the focus of attention, I don't think it's that big a deal. And that's inherent in my fallenness. That's not why he said he was doing this. Does Jesus love you? Absolutely He loves you. But you can't stop there. He loves you. So that by saving you, you will love Him. You will love God. And Jesus is saying, I'm doing all this so you'll know that I love God. So the goal of salvation is to love God. Huh? Not to go to heaven. Are you going to go to heaven? Yes. Are there streets of gold pearling? Yes. Are you going to be reunited with your loved ones that's gone on? Yes. Is it going to be wonderful? Yes. That's not enough. You don't have to be saved to want to go to heaven. You don't have to be saved to want to walk on streets of gold. You don't have to be saved to want a new body. You don't have to be saved to want an end of war and injustice and poverty and sin and wickedness and terrible disease and everything else. But you have to be saved to love God. If you're not saved, you don't love God. You love what God does, you love what God gives, but you don't love God. And if heaven is not about God, then it's just a nice vacation spot. Heaven is heaven because God is there in His unfiltered glory. And we have the privilege of being there to do what? To worship Him forever. That's heaven. Huh? And then knowing that Jesus fully obeys His Father and allows Himself to be captured to prove Jesus' great love for His Father is carried out so that you and I will believe. So the passivity here by Jesus in allowing Himself to be taken is not because Jesus was weak or unsure of Himself or He was contemplating surrender to the evil religious leaders, but rather to serve the faith of His disciples and thus serve us. So this is really not the victory of the power of darkness at all. It's rather the triumph of perfect love. So Jesus is proving right here in this garden as He faces Judas and at least 600 soldiers that even though the devil, who is the ruler of this world, is real and active, he is utterly powerless to act in any way that God has not preordained. Look at verses 30b and 31. The ruler of this world is coming and he has nothing in me, but so that the world may know that I love the Father, I do exactly as the Father commanded me. Get up, let us go from here. So Jesus is telling His disciples while they are still in the upper room that Satan has entered into Judas and he is coming to take Jesus. But Jesus is also saying here that what Satan and Judas and 600 soldiers are coming to do is not why he is going to be arrested. And that is because even now, Satan is not decisive. You are not decisive. He is telling these men that Jesus Christ is decisive. Jesus is telling these men, Satan is not in charge tonight. I am. Now just how does Jesus prove that to these disciples? Because it doesn't look that way. They already are offended in Him. They've already contemplated just walking away. So how does Jesus plan to prove to them that even now He's in complete control? Well, Dr. Luke didn't tell us. But once again, John did. So turn with me to John chapter 18. John chapter 18, and look at verse 3. John chapter 18, verse 3. So Jesus, look at this, knowing all the things that were coming upon him, went forth and said to them, Whom do you seek? I don't look like he's trying to run away to me. They answered Him, Jesus the Nazarene. He said to them, I am He. And Judas also who was betraying Him was standing with them. So when He said to them, I am He, they drew back and fell to the ground." Huh? Therefore he asked them again. Now there's a time frame here that we got to add to this. Therefore he asked them again, whom do you seek? And they said, Jesus the Nazarite. Jesus answered, I told you that I am he. So if you seek me, let these go their way to fulfill the word which he spoke of these, of those whom you have given me, I've lost not one. Now look closely at verse four and five. Jesus, knowing all things were coming upon Him, went forth and said to them, Whom do you seek? They answered Him, Jesus the Nazarene. He said to them, I am He. So Judas leads at least 600 men and they confront Jesus and His 11 disciples. Jesus asks them, now keep in mind everything else you know. Judas has embraced Jesus. He's kissing Him. And he's just making sure everybody knows this is Him. Right? Just as phony as phony can be. And so he's standing right by Jesus. And Jesus, maybe he's got his arm around him or something, I don't know. He says, whom do you seek? And they said, Jesus the Nazarene. Jesus responded by saying, I am he. Now notice the word he's in italics. That's not in the original Greek. That was added by the editors later for clarification. Jesus actually said, I am. Huh? Once again, identifying himself as being the very same God who spoke to Moses out of the burning bush 1,500 years earlier. Now keep in mind that Jesus said this in front of His own disciples. They heard this. As well as Judas, he heard it. The religious rulers heard it. Six hundred soldiers heard it. They all heard Jesus say right then and there, equating Himself as being God Almighty in human flesh. And Jesus said this for two reasons. Number one, so that His disciples would believe. That right then, in the moment of what looked like terrible disaster, He's Almighty God standing there. And number two, to manifest His own supremacy over this entire situation. So how do we know this? Look what happened next in verse 6. So when He said to them, I am He, they drew back and what? Fell to the ground. 600 battle-hardened soldiers with swords and shields and clubs drew back at the statement that Jesus made that He was the Great I Am. And then they all fell to the ground. 600 soldiers fell to the ground when Jesus uttered His voice. Now, not only is this a breathtaking demonstration of Jesus' absolute supremacy here, it is almost comical. How long does it take for 600 soldiers to get back up off the ground, put their helmets back on, grab their swords again, get back in formation? I mean, they didn't just sit down voluntarily. The Apostle John tells us here in the inspiration of the Holy Spirit that 600 soldiers drew back. They were repulsed at the Word. And you've seen this. You can hear the noise of the swords and the spears and the shields when they... He spoke. And then... They just fall down. Now the word that fall down here, they fell like dead men. In other words they passed out. They became temporarily unconscious. This is a mass. You Pentecostals that's here this morning. This is a mass example of being slain in the spirit. Just mass. And they're all lost people. So keep that in mind that people who were slain under the power of God are all lost. According to the Bible. Saved people don't do that. So anyway. So they became temporarily unconscious. So as they came to. How long did that take? And they realized they were on the ground. They began to stir, rouse themselves, and gradually stand back up. So this took some time. So how long did it take for 600 soldiers to fall down unconscious, wake up, gradually revive again to the point where they recovered enough to stand back up? And what was Jesus doing the whole time? What was Peter doing? Peter, James, and John. Blair was there. Blair's going, You know, what do you do to that? And what is Judas thinking about right now? And what is Jesus standing there very patiently? Very patient, nobody's moving. So, you know, they finally get back up and they get their soldiers, so they get back in formation. And they straighten their helmet up and they get their sword because they're tough guys, right? What would you have thought? Now, I hope you can appreciate what John meant back in John 14 verse 30 when he said this. The ruler of this world is coming and he has nothing in me. Because this statement by Jesus means two different things. Number one, it means that Satan is not in control of this situation. I think that's abundantly clear right now. But it also means that Satan cannot accuse Jesus of any fault or sin or failure even now. So not only is Jesus in complete control of this situation, that would be enough to marvel at, right? He's got all power, right? But Jesus is handling this situation absolutely sinless. Even this, there's no guilt where the devil can make his accusation stick. Satan has looked everywhere around the armor of Jesus' righteousness and cannot find access to His Holy Soul. There is no chink to Jesus' armor. Even now, Jesus is perfectly obeying His Father. Even now, at the moment of His arrest, Jesus is fully submissive to His Father's will. He is being perfectly led by God the Holy Spirit. And that means that right now, at what is seemingly Jesus' weakest moment, Satan is powerless to rule over this sinless man. And that means that right now the supremacy of perfect love that Jesus has for His Father is what is shining through and not the power of darkness. And the reason that the supremacy of Christ is shining through is so that three things will happen. Number one, that we will have a peace that the world cannot give. And number two, that we will rejoice in God. And number three, we will believe. But if that is true, then why does Jesus get arrested? Why were these evil men allowed to torture Him and put Him on trial and eventually kill Him? Jesus tells us clearly who is in charge on this night in John 14, 30b and 31. The ruler of this world is coming and he has nothing in me, but so that the world may know that I love the Father, I do exactly as the Father commanded me. Satan is not the explanation for Calvary. Judas and his betrayal is not the explanation for Calvary. The ruling Jewish authorities are not the explanation of Calvary. 600 soldiers with swords are not the explanation of Calvary. The explanation of Calvary is the perfect love and the perfect obedience of a sinless Savior. He says, I do exactly as the Father commanded me so that the world may know that I love the Father. Jesus says, I want you disciples and those who will believe on Me through your Word to know that demonic betrayal and demonic denying and demonic lying are not ruling this night. Love is ruling this night. I am obeying the Father. I am not controlled by the lies of false witnesses. I am not motivated by 600 soldiers. I'm controlled and motivated and governed by love for My Father. This night is not an example of the triumph of superior human force. It is a triumph of my own complete supremacy. Dear friends, we need to understand that the cross and everything that led to it was not brought forth by the coercion of evil. It was through the compliance of perfect love. Because the roots of the cross reach way back. way before creation into the eternal Godhead where God the Son has always loved God the Father perfectly. He says I do exactly as the Father commanded me so that the world may know that I love the Father. You're saved so that you live your lives to such an extent say the words you say do the things you do so that the people who see you will know that Jesus perfectly loves his father now the question that I have for one of these soldiers is that after a statement by a man has the power to cause you and at least 599 of your fellow soldiers to fall down on the ground like dead men, are you really still going to go arrest a guy like that? Seriously? As soon as all these tough guys got back up, Jesus acts like nothing's happened. Everybody acts like nothing happened. Have you ever been in a situation in a public gathering where somebody really just acts dumb or crazy or says something stupid? And everybody in the group doesn't say anything. Nobody says a word, and they act like he didn't just say that. They act like he didn't just do that. Everybody ignores this. Well, that's what's going on here. I mean, this could have been 15, 20 minutes go by. This could have been an hour. I don't know how long it takes for 600 soldiers to get up. They had to wake up first. So I don't know how long this was. And so they act like nothing's happened. And they said, Jesus initiates the conversation all over again and says, who do you seek? And what do they say? Jesus the Nazarene. It's like they're just acting like that didn't happen. It's almost comical. Nobody is talking back the fact of what they just went through and the result was they fell down like dead men. And the way this is written looks to me like these soldiers really didn't know what else to do but to start all over again and go through the motion as though nothing had happened. And that somehow they're the ones in charge. And at first Jesus responds the same way. He said, I am He. But this time He acts. He adds another statement. So if you seek Me, let these go their way. Because now He's not going to knock them down. Now He's going to let them arrest Him. And then the apostle John tells us why Jesus said that. To fulfill the word which he spoke of those whom you have given me I lost not one. And that's how Jesus prayed in the garden in John 17 verse 12 when he's praying to his father while I was with them I was keeping them in your name which you have given me and I guarded them and not one of them perished but the son of perdition so that the scripture would be fulfilled. So now there remains one more event that Jesus carried out here in the garden that proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was in complete control of the events. Look again at Luke 22 49 and 50 when those who were around him saw what was going to happen they said Lord shall we strike with the sword and one of them struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his right ear. Now those around Jesus were the disciples and Dr. Luke tells us that when they realize that the six hundred soldiers were going to arrest Jesus they asked him Lord shall we strike with the sword. Again if you've ever been in a situation like this you've got a guy with a football helmet on who can't get hurt that's going to pick a fight with another guy with a football helmet on who can't get hurt. Take your helmet off and then then go up to that guy that would be better or you get a guy and you've got five guys in front of it he's trying to get past them to get to the guy to beat him up and of course they're holding him back and he's making sure that they're holding him back right. So you would think by them asking this question that they actually wanted Jesus to answer them but not Peter and probably not any of the other ones either. Now the good doctor doesn't identify who it was that grabbed their sword. He just says one of them. But once again John does. John 18 verse 10 says Simon Peter then there we go. Having a sword drew it and struck the high priest slave and cut off his right ear and the slave's name was Malchus. Now even gives the man's name. Man's in the Bible because of this. Now let us all understand that Peter was not an expert swordsman. Peter along with all the other disciples carried a sword for defensive protection against wild animals and other wild men and for three years now they haven't had any sword with them and just just recently Jesus said get you another sword now you're going to need it so they're thinking that's what he's talking about right but they had no military training and that's what Peter drew his sword and struck he was not aiming at the right ear of this guy's head he was trying to cut the man's head off and evidently the slave either doctor Peter was a bad swordsman and he are both and that he cut the guy's ear off. Now there's a lot of reasons why Peter might have done this. Remember just a few hours earlier he had told Jesus in Luke twenty two thirty three Lord with you I'm ready to go both to prison and to death. So it's very possible that Peter was lashing out here and it was simply trying to prove that he was willing to die for Jesus. It is also possible that Peter was already wracked with guilt because he had been tempted by Satan earlier to betray the Lord, or to just leave Jesus and go back to his fishing business. In fact, Jesus told Peter, and we know that because as soon as all this is over, Peter did go back to his fishing business. In fact, Jesus told Peter that Satan had sought him out to tempt him. Back in Luke 22, 31, Jesus said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like weed. And so Jesus told them at the last supper that one of them was going to betray him. Peter had wondered whether it was him, and he had gone to John to ask John to ask Jesus, was it him? And the only reason why Peter had not betrayed the Lord or abandoned him earlier was not because he was strong in faith. It's because Jesus had interceded on his behalf and told him in Luke 22, 32, I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers. You're not saved yet. When you get saved, you can strengthen the others. So it could have been out of guilt Peter acted here. But in any event, no matter what motivated Peter, after Peter had injured the high priest slave, another amazing and almost comical moment arrived. Luke 22, verse 51 says, Jesus answered and said, Stop. No more of this. And what did He do? He touched his ear and healed him. Now, you can look at this two different ways. He got down on the ground and picked up the bloody, dirty ear and stuck it back on his head, or he reached over and touched the guy's head where there wasn't an ear and created one. Again, what would you do at this moment? Would you really insist on arresting this guy? His Word can knock down 600 soldiers, and now He's healed a man's ear in front of everybody? This is truly not the typical way that these men went about to arrest people. And now it shows the extent to which Jesus is in total control. Look at Luke 22, 52 and 53. Then Jesus said to the chief priests and officers of the temple and elders who had come out against Him, have you come out with swords and clubs as you would against a robber? When I was with you daily in the temple you did not lay hands on me. Now he's not telling them you should have laid hands on me. He's telling them you couldn't. I didn't let you. I'm in charge. But this hour and the power of darkness are yours. Now this is a very important section. So buckle up. I said all that. That's all my introduction. So now here we go to the meat of the sermon. I think the best way to understand what Jesus meant, what he said here in Luke 22, is to go back to John 14. And remember that everything that Jesus does here so that three things will happen. We will have a peace that the world cannot give. We will rejoice in God. And we will believe. And the foundation for all three is that Satan is not sovereign in the arrest, trial, and death of Jesus. Perfect love is sovereign. John fourteen twenty nine says now I have told you before it happens so that when it happens you may believe. So let's look at that in other words in addition to all the things that happened to Jesus in all of the things that Jesus does which in themselves would awaken faith he adds this to the mix a prediction. Jesus does not just experience painful things he doesn't just do glorious things to awaken faith in us no he also predicts them. which means that Jesus weaves the thread of sovereignty through His final words. And the point of prediction is to make clear who's in charge. And it isn't Satan. It's not Pilate. It isn't Herod. It's not the Jews. It's not 600 soldiers. It isn't Judas. My Father is in charge here. And by His command, I am in charge. And so nobody takes my life from me. I lay it down and I pick it up. Therefore, trust Me. Believe. Put your faith in the work of the Father and the Son and the Spirit and in our divine power. Evil does not have the upper hand tonight. Perfect love does. And if that were true at history's darkest hour, dear friends, it will be true in your darkest hour. If you trust Him, Jesus was speaking and working on His last night for your faith. So you will believe. So let faith be awakened in your hearts today. Now look again at John 14 verse 28. You heard that I said to you, I go away and I will come to you. If you loved Me, you would have rejoiced, because I go to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. So we're talking about rejoicing here, or joy. So here's the argument. The Father is greater than I. which I think has two meanings. One is that the Father during the incarnation is greater in glory and more exalted because Jesus has humbled himself to serve and to suffer in his full humanity. But the other meaning is that from all eternity the Father has been the one who begets the Son. That is the one who eternally stands forth in a perfect image and radiance of himself. And that means that Jesus is equally God. He is of the same divine nature of God, yet He operates in a different role. And so Jesus says that because of the Father's unique role, that the Father is greater. And since the Father has that relation to the Son, Jesus says you should rejoice when you see Jesus return to that more immediate experience of the Father's glory. In other words, the joy of Jesus in being near to the Father should be part of the joy that His followers have in being near Him. We should be glad in the gladness that Jesus has in the glory of His Father. And so part of our joy that we experience in Jesus is Jesus' own personal joy that He has in His Father. So our joy is not the joy of the world. It's not the joy because you got something cool or neat and you say, yippee-o-ki-yay, look what I've got, and you're happy for 30 minutes. That's not what he's talking about. Our joy is not the joy of the world. Our joy has infinite roots. It is a participation. You and I being able to participate in the very same joy that God has in Himself. Hallelujah. Now remember, God showed us this great love between the Father and the Son mainly in the cross. So practically what this means is that before you go to bed at night, you say, Father, I praise You for the love that exists between You and Your Son Jesus. I praise You for the joy that You both have in each other. And I realize that for this love and this joy, Jesus endured the cross. And therefore, my forgiveness, my righteousness, my eternal joy, my eternal life utterly depends on that. So I am glad in the gladness that you have in Jesus and the gladness that Jesus has in you. Thank you for giving me a taste of that joy. And that explains, beloved, why years ago before we got so materialistic, You could burn Christians at the stake, and they would rejoice as they burned. What did they have? What did they understand that we've missed? Now look again at John 14, 27. Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. In the last hours of His life, Jesus is helping you become a fearless, and peaceful person. And the peace he has in mind may include the final peace of all things in the new heaven and the new earth but that is not what he's focusing on. And we know that because he says do not let your heart be troubled nor let it be fearful. He has in view your heart and the peace of your heart, and the fearlessness of your heart, and the untroubled waters of your heart. Jesus is doing all of this that night so that we will have true peace. The peace that can only exist when a person is right with God. And He knows that the only kind of heart peace that the lost pagan world can give is a temporary absence of war, or a peace that is based on good circumstances that are at best only temporary. If the world can take away our troubles through health insurance, or retirement accounts, or flood protection, or bomb shelters, or labor-saving devices, then the world can give some peace of mind. But Jesus said in the middle of verse 27, Not as the world gives, do I give to you. Which means that His peace is not based upon good circumstances. It is given and it holds sway in spite of bad circumstances. Here's how Jesus said it in John 16, 33. These things I have spoken to you that in me you may have peace, in the world you will have tribulation, but take courage, I have overcome the world. In other words, our peace will make no sense to the world. That is why in Philippians 4, 7 Paul calls it the peace of God which surpasses all comprehension. Human understanding cannot produce it or grasp it. Why not? The ultimate reason is that it is not a humanly engineered peace. It is God's peace. It is the very peace that exists between Jesus and His Father. Jesus said, Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. Your peace, Jesus? Good night. You're about to be arrested. They're going to torture you. They're going to kill you. What kind of peace is that? Well, it's perfect peace. It's peace with the Father. Tomorrow I will go to the cross and there I will open the door for my sheep to enter my peace with my father. I will satisfy his justice and I will purchase your forgiveness and I will provide your righteousness and I will bring you into the very peace that I enjoy with my father. And nothing and nobody will be able to take that from you. So right here on this night, as Jesus faces these soldiers that will take Him and brutalize Him and kill Him, as Jesus is betrayed by a kiss, and as His own closest disciples abandon Him and flee into the night for their own safety, perfect love is triumphing over the power of darkness. And the result is that God allows you and I to have perfect peace. He allows you and I to rejoice at who Jesus is and what Jesus has done. And Jesus gives us the most precious gift of all, the ability to believe. Amen. Let's pray.