Gleans from Monday Bible Study with Pastor (Dr) W.F Kumuyi.
DLBC Old Shomolu, Lagos HQ
13th August 2018
Study 60 – CHRIST’S WILLING SUBMISSION AS THE PERFECT SACRIFICE
Text – John 18:1-11
“When Jesus had spoken these words” He had been talking to His very close disciples about a number of things from chapters 13 to 17: (1) Instruction – on what they ought to do and how to demonstrate the life of love of a disciple; (2) Revelation – of the coming of the Comforter who will reveal all things unto them; and (3) Supplication – He prayed for them; for the sanctification of the believers in Chapter 17. At this time Judas Iscariot had gone away; he had left in Chapter 13 (John 13:2,30). He now came back in chapter 18, “Judas then, having received a band of men and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, cometh thither with lanterns and torches and weapons” (John 18:3).
What were those words Jesus spoke to the disciples?
- Salvation – (John 15:3; 17:2) He spoke about salvation and eternal life; that now they were clean. Even though He was still to go to the Cross and die for everyone, the benefit of Calvary was already theirs. They had salvation.
- Separation from the world – (John 15:18,19; 17:14-16) They were separated from the world, and He confirmed that to them and to the Father as well. He emphasized that these people had been saved, and were different from the worldly people.
- The Only Way to Heaven – (John 14:6) He wanted them to have the foundational truth of the word of God, that to get to the Kingdom of God they had to understand that He is the only Way, the Only Begotten Son of God, and the Saviour that will take them from earth to heaven.
- Obedience of the true believer – (John 13:17) That once you are born again, what follows is obedience to the word of God. It was that obedience that will show that they had not just head knowledge but experience with the Lord. The only way you can be happy, assured and have joy that you are a child of God is that you are obedient to the word of God.
- Love as the evidence of true discipleship – (John 13:34,35) The evidence that you are really following the Lord Jesus, the implication of that is that you have love in the heart.
- Sanctification and Oneness with the Father, Jesus Christ and one another as Christians – (John 17:9,17,20,21) He emphasized sanctification, and that this sanctification will bring them into oneness with Him Christ as the Sanctifier and into oneness with one another.
- Baptism in the Holy Ghost – (John 14:16-17,26; 15:26; 16:7,12-14) Those who are not born again cannot be seeking for the baptism of the Holy Ghost, there must be salvation and sanctification before you seek for the Holy Ghost baptism. It is when the Holy Ghost comes that He will teach you all things, and will bring to your remembrance the teachings and words of Christ, this is why it is important that you are baptized in the Holy Ghost.
- Unlimited power in prayer that they were going to have – (John 14:12-14)
- His Coming again – (John 14:1-3) He is coming again, gone to prepare a place for you in Heaven, and He will come back for you if you are saved, sanctified, baptized in the Holy Ghost and serving the Lord.
3 points:
Point 1: THE WILFUL SIN OF AN IRREDEEMABLE PERVERT
John 18:1-5; 13:2,27-30; 17:12; Matthew 26:20-24,47-48; Hebrews 10:26-31; 1 Timothy 6:5,9-11; Zechariah 7:12-13; Acts 1:25
“When Jesus had spoken these words, he went forth with his disciples over the brook Cedron, where was a garden, into the which he entered, and his disciples. Judas then, having received a band of men and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, cometh thither with lanterns and torches and weapons. Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come upon him, went forth, and said unto them, Whom seek ye? They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am he. And Judas also, which betrayed him, stood with them” (John 18:1,3-4). Jesus was not running away but faced them. He knew that they were coming, and that the betrayer, Judas, would be there, and He knew what they were about to do, so He went to them voluntarily. Judas stood with the people that came to arrest Jesus. This Judas wasn’t ignorant of what Jesus had said that Satan will come through him to betray Him. He could have resisted Satan but no he did not. “And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him” (John 13:2). It was Satan that put it in his heart to betray the Lord. He became a backslider; he, who was one of the twelve that the Lord sent out two by two to preach the word of repentance. Jesus Christ had kept them all in the Kingdom, when they were saved and had repented, in times of temptation and when they could have backslidden; but he became a pervert, the son of perdition that the scriptures might be fulfilled. The Lord had warned Judas Iscariot but he wasn’t listening. So it is not enough to come to the Bible Study, we must listen and apply the word of God to our lives and pray it into our heart so that the power of the Word will work in every one of our lives. When temptations and trials come and the possibility comes from the devil to make us turn back, we will stand our ground and refuse. You will not turn back. Judas had all the warnings. When they were at supper and The Lord said one of them would betray Him, they wanted to know which of them. “And he answered and said, He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me.” (Matthew 26:23). He was so close to the Lord Jesus that they ate together from the same table and plate, and yet he was a betrayer. “The Son of man goeth as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! It had been good for that man if he had not been born.” (Matthew 26:24) He was warned but would not listen. It was wilful disobedience and sin (Hebrews 10:26-31). He even told the enemies to hold Christ fast (Matthew 26:47). He rejected the grace of God, he chose the way of perversion, he chose to be lost. He saw and heard the saving truth from Christ, he took part in the evangelistic ministry with the disciples and even had a conspicuous position among the apostles as the treasurer. He learnt much about heaven and hell from the very lips of the Lord Jesus Christ, he knew Christ to be innocent, sinless and perfect, received direct warning from Him, yet he chose to perish. Why did he do that? (1 Tim 6:5,9-11). What was the problem of Judas Iscariot?
- He loved money more than the Master & Messiah; (2) He loved self, more than the Saviour; (3) He loved the bag more than his birthright; (4) He loved earthly gain more than eternal glory; (5) He loved gold more than godliness; (6) He loved riches more than righteousness; (7) He loved the world more than the Word coming to him; (8) He loved those Pharisees, Sadducees and those people who went to arrest Him, those against Christ – the antichrists more that Christ.
It was not God making his heart as adamant stone, but he made his heart that way, not wanting to heed Christ’s warning, he loved the gold, riches and the world. “That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place” (Acts 1:25). He was off the ground, saved in the grace of God but he fell by transgression and went to Hell fire.
Point 2. HIS WILLING SUBMISSION DESPITE IRRESISTIBLE POWER
John 18:6-9; 10:17,18; Hebrews 10:7,9-10; Philippians 2:5-8; 1 Corinthians 5:7; Ephesians 5:2; Hebrews 9:26; 10:12,14; 1 Timothy 2:6; Galatians 1:4; 2:20; Ephesians 5:25-27; Titus 2:14
Mighty and Powerful, Great Miracle Worker, and yet He willing submitted Himself to be arrested by those soldiers. The Lord Jesus Christ could have called down legions of angels at His command from heaven to deal with these people, and you can see the irresistible power that He had when He spoke and the people fell to the ground: yet He did not use that power but voluntarily gave Himself. He chose to surrender and submit so that He could be our Saviour, Substitute, the Acceptable and Perfect Sacrifice before God. He calmly and courageously revealed Himself to them. He could have escaped when all of them fell to the ground and backwards but He chose to submit Himself as the Sacrificial Lamb. They did not force Him, He voluntarily gave Himself to them. He was not thinking of the moment but of the divine decision made before the foundation of the world, and of the future joy after fulfilling the purpose of being the Acceptable and Perfect Final Sacrifice. “Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again” (John 10:17). This was something He did voluntarily, happily and by Himself. He wanted to do the Will of the Father that He will die for the sin of the whole world. The Sacrifice of Jesus is sufficient for you, you don’t need any other. “And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour” (Ephesians 5:2). He submitted Himself fully as the perfect Sacrifice, and I pray that you will receive Him fully. “For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by sacrifice of himself.” (Hebrews 9:26)
Why did He make Himself the Sacrifice? “Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:” (Galatians 1:4) He gave Himself so that you will be saved and not lost. He gave Himself so that you don’t have to perish in sin, He gave Himself so that He will live His life through you (Galatians 2:20). You don’t have to perish in your sins, Jesus gave Himself for you. He died for your salvation, sanctification and for you to have victory over the world. He gave Himself – “That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish” (Ephesians 5:27). You will be holy everywhere – place of work, home, and alone by yourself. “Who gave himself for us (me), that he might redeem us (me) from all iniquity, and purify (me) unto himself a peculiar people (person), zealous of good works” (Titus 2:14). You need to read this verse over and over again. That was why He died, and He will effect this in your life in Jesus Name.
Point 3. THE WORLDLY STRUGGLE OF AN INCONSISTENT PERSON
John 18:10-11; Matthew 26:51-54; John 18:36; Romans 12:19-21; Luke 22:47-51; 2 Corinthians 10:3-5; Ephesians 6:16,17
In the struggle and fight so that Jesus will not be arrested, Peter forgot everything that Jesus had told them, and he drew the sword to cut off the ear of one of the soldiers. Remember now that the people who wanted to arrest Jesus had come, and Jesus had revealed Himself to them voluntarily. But Peter was trying to prevent the purpose why Christ came to this world as the Lamb of God. Understand that Peter became a great Apostle after Pentecost, he was notably used of God from Acts chapter 1 to 12. But we are looking at Peter before Pentecost because it was recorded in the word of God by Matthew, Mark, Luke and now John. We are learning what every one of us could be before Pentecost. We need to revisit Calvary so that our experience of Salvation and Sanctification are intact where He cleanses and changes our hearts. Then we need to go further and seek for the baptism of the Holy Ghost so that this experience will not happen in your life as it was with Peter. As we look at Peter before Pentecost, we see that:
- He was Incompatible with Christ. Christ surrendered and yielded Himself to die at Calvary but Peter wanted to hinder that Sacrifice.
- He was Incorrigible –Christ had repeated He was going to die – Matthew 16:21-23.
- He was Inflexible – he heard what Jesus said at the Table that He would be betrayed but because Peter was not flexible, he did not want to agree.
- He was Independent – thinking differently from Christ.
- He was Intractable – could not be controlled.
- He was Irresolute
- He was Inconsistent
But you know, ultimately he became entirely sanctified and tarried for the power of the Holy Ghost and became bold and strong to profess the Jesus he had denied. You see that Matthew did not mentioned his name here (Matthew 26:51) while John mentioned his name. Matthew wrote his epistle when Peter was still alive. But when John wrote his epistle Peter had died, so no problem to mention his name. “Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword” (Matthew 26:52). Peter was protecting Jesus Christ but against the Will of God. And there are some people that are doing some good things that are against the Will of God. “Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence” (John 18:36). There is a way the kingdom of this world fights for their rights; they protest, but His kingdom is not of this world. So those of us who are building His kingdom here on earth cannot do it as they do it in the world, we cannot apply worldly system, wisdom, power or techniques in building the kingdom of Christ. We should not try to avenge ourselves, we should leave vengeance to the Lord as Christians (Romans 12:19-21). You will not fight back for yourself, your family or for a position. Remember you are in the Kingdom of God, and we don’t do as they do in this world. “And Jesus answered and said, Suffer ye thus far. And he touched his ear, and healed him” (Luke 22:51). This is what Jesus did, His miracle working power was still there and He healed that man. So we will be like Jesus. Our weapons are not carnal, we are not going to fight but to apply faith (Ephesians 6:16-17; 2 Corinthians 10:3-5). Don’t carry sticks, guns, knives to defend the gospel; use spiritual weapons. It is not our way and style to carry sticks, sword or protest and use all these physical weapons to overcome, but whatever we need, we go to God in prayer and God will do it for us. No fighting, no sword, no stick, no protest, we have overcome.
Ponder on this! The only way you can be happy, assured and have joy that you are a child of God is that you are obedient to the word of God. Pastor (Dr) W.F Kumuyi.
Ponder on this! Those who are not born again cannot be seeking for the baptism of the Holy Ghost; there must be salvation and sanctification before you seek for the Holy Ghost baptism. Pastor (Dr) W.F Kumuyi.
Reflection – We should not try to avenge ourselves but leave vengeance to the Lord, as Christians. Pastor (Dr) W.F Kumuyi.
Words on the Marble – We are not going to fight but apply faith. Pastor (Dr) W.F Kumuyi.
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