Royal Redeemer -2/18/24

Seattle Foursquare Church - WA

Royal Redeemer -2/18/24

February 18, 2024 • Pastor Steve & Jen • John 19:17–30

For the past several weeks, we have been following the trial of Jesus. Last week, we discovered the brutality of Jesus' suffering as He was scourged and beaten. This week, we begin the journey to the cross and His last moments before He takes His last breath. If you are like us, the brutality and barbaric nature of the crucifixion can leave your heart racing and cause you to wonder if you can handle hearing the details of what actually happens to the body of Jesus through the process. Well, take a deep breath. We will leave most of those details to the other gospels and the expert doctors you can find on YouTube to walk you through it.

John's gospel was the last of the four gospels to be written, and it seems he wrote it to clarify certain truths about Jesus. His gospel has information that he recalled but had been overlooked by the other three writers. So when we come to his account of the crucifixion, we find that John leaves out many of the details recorded by the others, such as Simon of Cyrene helping to carry the cross (Mk 15:21; Lk 23:26), the crowd of mourners following Jesus (Lk 23:27-31), Jesus asking the Father to forgive those who crucified Him (Lk 23:34), the religious rulers mocking Him (Mk 15:31-32; Lk 23:35), the soldiers offering Him wine mixed with myrrh (Mk 15:23), the dialogue with the two thieves (Mt 27:44; Mk 15:32; Lk 23:39-43), Jesus' cry from Psalm 22:1 (Mt 27:46; Mk 15:34-36), the three hours of darkness (Mt 27:45; Mk 15:33; Lk 23:44), the veil of the temple torn in two (Lk 23:45), Jesus' commitment of His spirit to the Father (Lk 23:46), the earthquake (Mt 27:51, 54), the centurion's faith (Mt 27:54; Mk 15:39; Lk 23:47) and the crowd's response to all the strange wonders (Lk 23:48).

John also adds new information that he personally knew because he did not flee when Jesus was arrested. He followed Him through all His trials and stood near the cross while Jesus died. So, John saw and heard things the others did not (Jn 19:35). When he wrote his description of the crucifixion, he selected and emphasized only a few events, ones which the other gospel writers had either mentioned only briefly or not at all, probably because they were not near enough to have seen or heard them. And as we look more closely at the events John chose to report, we will discover that he carefully selected each one to teach us a profound truth. He will show us that God was testifying to His Son even during those horrible hours when so many negative things were happening. God was not silent even then. He honored His Son by providing prophetic "signs" that declared who He is. Today, we will see that Jesus, the Son of Man, was given authority to become our Royal Redeemer. Let's read the passage.

05/19/2024 Test of Time

May 19, 2024 • Pastor Steve & Jen • John 21:23–25

John was present with Jesus throughout His ministry and faithfully understood and exhibited the behaviors of a true disciple. John 21:24 identifies this as John's testimony, and the very acknowledgment that it is him is enough for anyone familiar with him to know that it is true. John had passed the test of time. He was loyal, faithful, and full of integrity. His word was his bond; he did not need to say more than that because he was a true disciple in both word and action. John tells us in John 20:31 why he wrote the book. He says, "But these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name." John wanted us to understand that Jesus was indeed a man, a human being who grew hungry, thirsty, and tired, but He was more than a man: His spirit was divine. He had existed before being conceived in Mary's womb. He came to earth from heaven. And though it is a mystery beyond our understanding, John says Jesus was present at the beginning of creation. He was the One who spoke it into existence. John also made sure to be the kind of man people would believe when he spoke. His words were trusted because faithfully following Jesus produces a trustworthy testimony.

Whats it to You! - 4/27/2024

April 28, 2024 • Pastor Steve & Jen • John 21:18–22

Last week, we witnessed this beautiful moment as Jesus restored Peter from the damage he had done to himself through those three denials. Jesus loved Peter. So, in these following few verses, we see how Jesus assures Peter that he will never deny Him again. In fact, Jesus tells Peter that he would glorify God by dying a martyr's death in old age. Those words that assured him of his faithfulness as a follower of Jesus also brought a grim reality of the kind of death he would suffer. Jesus invited Peter to follow Him. By the time the gospel of John was written, Peter had already suffered a violent death. However, that day on the beach, while Peter walked and talked with Jesus, those prophetic words brought a bit of envy as he once again took his eyes off Jesus, but this time, he wasn't looking at the storm that nearly caused him to drown, this time he was looking back at the "beloved disciple" with envy and comparison. Jesus' path for Peter was uniquely his, and John's path was likewise. So, Jesus asked, "What is it to you." It was more of a statement than a question. Jesus calls each of us personally and uniquely to follow Him.

Do You Love Me? 4/20/2024

April 21, 2024 • Pastor Steve & Jen • John 21:15–17

Jesus’ meeting on the beach with His boys was profound in many ways. Not only did He provide for their needs (the miraculous catch of fish), giving them a promise for the future, and demonstrated His servant-heart by feeding the disciples breakfast, but it also included the restoration of Peter, whose courage had failed him when Jesus was arrested. Having boasted that he would never deny the Lord, even if the other disciples did (Mt 26:33, 35; Mk 14:29; Lk 22:33; Jn 13:37), Peter had done so three times (Mt 26:69-75; Mk 14:66-72; Lk 22:55-62; Jn 18:15-18, 22-27). Every one of the gospels reports those denials in detail, but John also tells us that Jesus restored Peter. On the day He was resurrected, Jesus met with him privately (Lk 24:34; 1Co 15:5), and during that meeting, He must have forgiven him. However, that morning, by the Sea of Galilee, Jesus took Peter aside after breakfast and went for a walk with him. During that walk, He carefully healed the damage that those denials had produced, one denial at a time, and He also reaffirmed Peter’s call to ministry. Peter must have felt disqualified from serving Jesus after his denials, but thankfully (for Peter and us), Jesus does not call the qualified. Instead, He qualifies the called.