In 'The Great Promise Kept,' Jason Dohm examines John 19:17-27, focusing on the crucifixion of Jesus as the fulfillment of God's promises. The sermon connects the events at Golgotha with Old Testament prophecies, highlighting the significance of Jesus being crucified between two criminals and Pilate's inscription, 'Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.' Dohm emphasizes the theological importance of Jesus' suffering as a demonstration of God's redemptive plan, where the cross serves as a symbol of victory rather than defeat. The sermon also explores the fulfillment of Psalm 22, illustrating how Jesus' crucifixion aligns with prophetic Scripture. Additionally, Dohm discusses the importance of spiritual family bonds and the transformative nature of Christ's sacrifice, urging believers to keep the cross central in understanding sin, redemption, and love.

So our sermon text today is John chapter 19, 17 to 27. And he, bearing his cross, went out to a place called the place of a skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha, where they crucified him and two others with him, one on either side and Jesus in the center. Now Pilate wrote a title and put it on the cross, and the writing was, Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews. Then many of the Jews read this title, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin. Therefore, the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, do not write the King of the Jews, but he said, I am the King of the Jews.

Pilate answered, what I have written I have written. Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments and made four parts, to each soldier a part, and also the tunic. Now the tunic was without seam woven from the top in one piece. They said therefore amongst themselves, Let us not tear it but cast lots for it. Whose it shall be that the scriptures might be fulfilled which says, They divided my garments among them, and for my clothes they cast lots.

Now they are stood by the cross of Jesus, his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary, the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus therefore saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing by, he said to his mother, Woman, behold your son. And He said to the disciple, Behold your mother. And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home. Now the servant was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made.

And he said to the woman, Has God indeed said, You shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said to the serpent, We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden, But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die. Then the serpent said to the woman, You will not surely die, for God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God knowing good and evil. When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.

And the eyes of both of them were open, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings. And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. And the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, Where are you? So he said, I heard your voice in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked and I hid myself.

And he said, Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded that you should not eat? And the man said, The woman who you gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate. And the Lord God said to the woman, What is this you have done? The woman said, The serpent deceived me, and I ate.

So the Lord God said to the serpent, Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all cattle, and more than every beast of the field. On your belly you shall go, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your seed and her seed. He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel." This is the fall of our parents into sin. They were made good with no inclination towards sin, no inclination towards self-serving and self-loving, but after being plunged into sin, their inclinations would change, their natures would be warped so that we inherit a nature that is inclined towards self-loving and self-serving when we really should love God and Serve God This is also the beginning of many, many promises that God would send a Savior to triumph.

You have here in Genesis chapter 3 the fall of mankind into sin, the changing of our natures. You have the curse, but you also have the first promise of a Savior that a seed, the seed of the woman, capital S, capital seed, it's speaking of the Messiah, a promised Savior to be sent who would crush the head of the serpent. It's the first, but not the only. There are many, many, many, many other promises in the Old Testament. God promises that He will not leave mankind in this desperate condition, but that He will send a Savior to triumph over our sin to deliver us from our sins.

The title of the sermon this morning is The Great Promise Kept. In one sense there are many promises of a Savior, in another sense, probably the truest sense it's one promise. It's one promise that God wouldn't leave us to get what we deserve, but that He would send a Savior to save us. That's what's happening in our text in John as Jesus goes to the cross. God made promises to not leave us in this desperate state and all of his promises are being kept as Jesus goes to the cross.

Paul picks up this theme in Colossians chapter 2. Listen to Colossians chapter 2 verses 13-15. Colossians chapter 2 verses 13-15. Paul writes, And you being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh. He God the Father has made alive together with Him God the Son the Lord Jesus having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us, and he has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross, Having disarmed principalities and powers, he made a public spectacle of them triumphing over them in it.

A cursory reading of the crucifixion text has the vanquishing of the Son of God. No, it is a triumphant thing over principalities and powers. It is victory, not defeat. Beyond the pain and suffering of our text, This is theologically what is transpiring. God having made all those promises to save a people is keeping those promises by sending His Son to the cross by His Son voluntarily, willingly, freely going to the cross.

It's important to keep both of these things. The pain and the suffering and the agony that was real, Jesus was very man. He was man through and through, but at the same time, God, He really did suffer these agonies. But in these agonies, we have to see beyond them, too, the promises of God being kept. As we go to our text, let's pray.

God we see in the text and can imagine the agonies being experienced by a man. What we love with all of our hearts the theological truth that Jesus Christ is the Lamb, slain from the foundation of the world. A promise to redeem the people from the very beginning of our being plunged into sin. You made a promise that you would not leave us without hope in the world, but that you would send a seed of the woman to crush the head of the serpent, to vanquish all of our enemies. I thank you in our text.

We see you keeping all of your promises. You can do no other. You are true to them all. You are truth. We praise you for it in Jesus' name.

Amen. I'd like to begin by looking at John chapter 19 verses 17 through 22. So we'll subdivide and look just at 17 through 22 to begin with. Hopefully you still have your finger in John 19. Follow along as I reread starting in verse 17.

And he bearing his cross went out to a place called the place of a skull, which is called in Hebrew Golgotha, where they crucified him, and two others with him, one on either side, Jesus in the center. Pilate wrote a title and put it on the cross, and the writing was Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews. Then many of the Jews read this title for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city and it was written in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin. Therefore the chief priest of the Jews said to Pilate, Do not write the king of the Jews, but he said, I am the king of the Jews. Pilate answered, What I have written, I have written.

In this section of our text, Jesus is numbered with the transgressors bearing the sins of many. So if you're taking notes on the handout and you're filling in blanks, numbered and sins fill in the two blanks. Jesus numbered with the transgressors bearing the sins of many. I'm here taking language right out of Isaiah 53, this great prophetic chapter about the suffering servant who would come and bear the sins of his people. Isaiah 53 says, I'll quote it exactly in a minute, that Jesus was numbered with the transgressors, the suffering servant.

Was counted to be a criminal. And he did so as he was bearing the sins of many. Verse 17 says that Jesus bore his cross to the place of crucifixion. John doesn't mention Simon of Cyrene at all. Matthew, Mark, and Luke all give an account of a man who was pressed into service to carry the cross for Jesus.

Luke says that Simon was coming in from the country and the Romans took him to bear Jesus' cross. So he was compelled to bear Jesus' cross. This fits with the other gospels together supplying a full account with Matthew, Mark and Luke being very similar accounts fitting together with John to supply a full account. That's not to say that any of the gospel writers has failed. They are fully inspired by the Holy Spirit.

It is to say that the Holy Spirit gave them each different parts of the account and different angles on the same events with which to weave together to get a full and satisfying account that God intended us to have. So this is just another place where John admits things that Matthew, Mark, and Luke often have in common. And Matthew, Mark, and Luke have things that John admits as well. The Holy Spirit always intending all his people to have all his gospels and to have a full account in having them together. In chapter 19 verse 1, Jesus has been scourged.

This was a brutal practice of the Romans where a whip made of multiple strands of leather would be terminated. At the end would be pieces of metal tied to the end so that at the end of each of these strands with the metal, it's a flesh tearing instrument. And a prisoner condemned to be crucified would be whipped mercifully. The metal pieces at the end of each leather strip tearing into the flesh, The historical accounts are gruesome of sometimes internal organs being exposed, bone being exposed, tremendous loss of blood, and sometimes the scourging resulting in the death of the prisoner. The prisoner never even being crucified because they couldn't survive this scourging.

The indications are that Jesus was subjected to this. So the natural harmonizing of Matthew, Mark, and Luke and Simon of Cyrene bearing the cross with what John says that Jesus bore his cross is obvious that the agony and loss of blood from this scourging caused Jesus to falter and This subject of the Roman Empire, Simon, was pressed into service to carry his cross beam. It was almost certainly just the cross beam of the cross. You would go to the place of crucifixion and the vertical beam was already set in the ground. You would have borne the cross beam and then you would be nailed to the cross beam and then the cross beam would be affixed to the vertical beam and your feet would be nailed in place or tied in place.

It could be either. Jesus comes to the place of crucifixion, Golgotha, which means the place of the skull. The Latin for skull is calvary. Calvary is a transliteration of the Latin for skull. So that's where we get the term calvary from, it just means skull in Latin.

In Leviticus chapter 16, God prescribes what is to happen in the Old Testament sacrificial law on the day of atonement. The day out of the calendar year given towards particular sacrifices for the forgiveness of sins, bringing together a righteous God and unrighteous people, the innocent dying for the guilty. And in Leviticus 16 verse 27, the bull and the goat, which are to be the sacrifices on the day of atonement, are to be, shall be carried outside the camp. Now why is that? This is a putting away of the defiled.

If you look across Old Testament law, a theme that you see repeated and developed is that God dwells in the midst of His people. God is in the camp with His people and the defiled things are to be put out. So when we see that Jesus carries his camp outside of Jerusalem, this is a fulfillment of the symbolism of the Day of Atonement where the sacrificed animals, the innocent that have shed their blood for the guilty are put out because God lives in the midst of His people. God is a holy God. The author of Hebrews picks up on this in Hebrews 13 verse 12.

The author of Hebrews says this, Therefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered outside the gate, as an atoning sacrifice. That Jesus might sanctify a people with his own blood. He would take upon himself his defilements and allow himself to be thrust outside the camp as the defiled thing because God dwells in the midst of his people who are made holy by the blood of the sacrifice. Here Jesus is crucified between two other convicts. This is exactly what we find in Isaiah 53 verse 12, Therefore I will divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul unto death.

And he was numbered with the transgressors, and he bore the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors. What is the sinless lamb of God doing among the criminals with one on one side and one on the other? He is being a substitute. He himself was sinless, but he made himself to be sin, to bear the sins of many and to make intercession for the transgressors. This is exactly what Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5 verse 21.

I keep quoting it and I don't apologize for quoting it again. 2 Corinthians 5 verse 21 Paul says, For he made him who knew no sin to be sin for us. For he, God the Father, in his righteousness made him, God the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who knew no sin. He was the blameless, perfect lamb of God to be sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in him. It's known as the great exchange.

The sins of the guilty passing to Jesus who is a willing substitute going willingly to take the place of sinners and his righteous life passing to them the favor of God that he deserves for his perfectly righteous life being given to the guilty in exchange for the penalty of their sin. Imagine such a glorious thing. A title has been provided by Pilate. A multilingual notice of the charges. That's what this is.

In multiple languages to cover everyone so everyone knows what the inscription means, you get the charges. Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews. Whatever you think of capital punishment, of the putting of death of prisoners for certain crimes, a key justification given for capital punishment is what? It's a deterrent. If you see someone die for a crime, you won't commit that crime, because you'll know it's a crime considered worthy of death.

That is the punishment of the crime. It holds others back from committing that crime. This is the justification of the Romans for making sure that everyone knows what these criminals have done. Over Jesus' head is mounted in different languages a notice of the charges. Fake king!

This is what we do to those who raise themselves up as a rival king to Caesar. It was in Hebrew, what the Jews, the language the Jews would have known. It was in Greek, the international language of the time spoken in the known world. It was in Latin, the official language of Rome. The Roman soldiers could read that inscription.

The Jews who came from outside Israel, the Jews of the dispersion who came from the Passover, could read that inscription in Greek. Of course the Israelites who lived in Israel could read the Hebrew. Everyone could read the charges against the condemned man. The Jews cannot stand what has been written. Here's what D.A.

Carson writes. I think he hits the nail on the head. D.A. Carson writes, Doubtless, Pilate's own sense of powerlessness before the Jews' manipulation in verse 12 contributed to his unyielding insistence that the wording remain as he prepared it. He is determined to humiliate those who have humiliated him.

Now remember from last week, Pilate was determined to let Jesus go. Repeatedly he declared Jesus to be a man in whom he found no fault and repeatedly he intended to and attempted to release Jesus. But what happened? The Jews played their trump card. If you let this man who has raised himself up as a rival king to your Lord go, you are no friend of Caesar's.

It was checkmate. Pilate knew he was stuck. Pilate knew he had no other choice than to condemn Jesus to dead. No other choice because he wouldn't act on principle. The Jews humiliated him, and so he is humiliating them in turn.

But now reflect on this. In Luke 1, 32 and 33, the angel Gabriel appears to Mary. Luke 1, 32 and 33, the angel Gabriel appears to Mary. Luke 1, 32 and 33. The angel Gabriel says this to Mary, He will be great and will be called the Son of the Highest.

And the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever. And of his kingdom There will be no end. An angel came from heaven to tell Mary, his mother, Your son will sit on the throne of David, the greatest king of Israel. Of course, Son of David is a messianic title. In Matthew chapter 2 verse 2, wise men come from the east.

They say this, Where is he who has been born the king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the east and have come to worship him. Wise men came from probably something like fifteen hundred miles away because they saw a star and they knew somehow it was a sign that the King of the Jews had been born. They sought him. John chapter 12 Verse 13, only a week earlier in the text that we're studying, the triumphal entry, Jesus comes into Jerusalem with the multitude saying, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

They're quoting Psalm 118, a Psalm about the Messiah, and then they say this, Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord the king of Israel The Romans mean it to demean their conquered subjects Jesus is the king of Israel Jesus is the son of David in fact Jesus is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. As John is framing his Gospel in John chapter 1, he says, He came to his own, but his own did not receive him. This is exactly what he fulfilled in our text. Now remember Jesus is willingly, voluntarily, freely subjecting himself to every nanosecond of this unjust treatment. As he says in John chapter 10, I willingly lay down my life.

No one takes my life from me. I willingly lay it down. That means that God's redemptive plan, God's plan to keep all the many promises he has made to not leave mankind without hope plunged into darkness and destruction, but to send a Redeemer so that he can forgive their sins is a plan for the king to die in the place of rebels. To make them his children. Now not for the king to die for his subjects.

He's not dying for his subjects on that cross. He's dying for his enemies. He's dying for rebels. And not simply just to make them his subjects, but to bring them into his household, to make them sons and daughters. So we do see tremendous agony here in our text.

It's right to pause and acknowledge the tremendous suffering of the Son of God in our text. But we see glory here. It's not just suffering and agony. It is the glory of the Son of God to be appointed to the work of cleansing sinners down to their last sin, through their last sin. This is the glory of the Gospel.

Listen again to Philippians chapter 2. Philippians chapter 2 verses 8 through 11, and being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore, God has also highly exalted him and given him the name which is above every name that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven and of those on earth and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of the Father. Jesus is winning on the cross. Jesus is triumphing over the cross.

Yes, there is agony and there is a humiliating death. He is stripped naked and nailed to the cross. He is humiliated, but he is winning. God knows how to take what men have intended for evil and to work good. Not just to make the best of a bad situation.

He plans these things. From eternity past, he plans these things. The cross is not God making the best of a bad situation. Before he founded the foundations of the earth, he planned for this. He intended to redeem a people this way.

Jesus for the joy set before him endured the cross despising the shame. That's Hebrews 12. Moving to the next section of our text verses 23 and 24. Follow along as I reread John 19, 23 and 24. Then the soldiers when they had crucified Jesus took his garments and made four parts, to each soldier a part, and also the tunic.

Now the tunic was without seam, woven from the top in one piece. They said therefore among themselves, Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be. That the scripture might be fulfilled which says, They divided my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots. Therefore the soldiers did these things. In this section we have the fulfillment of Psalm 22.

So if you're taking notes on the handout, Psalm 22 Fills in the blank the fulfillment of Psalm 22 John the gospel writer is is quoting that pointing to the events of the soldiers divvying up Jesus's clothing as The fulfillment of a Prophecy about the Savior that God promised to send being fulfilled in these circumstances Prisoners were stripped before being crucified and It was customary for the executioners to get the garments as a sort of wages for their service. Now you can imagine if you were one being crucified, having your clothes just divvied up. It is the signal to you that you are dead. You are dead already. You have no need for even your clothing.

The soldiers are entitled to your personal effects because you are as good as dad. There are four soldiers, so they make four parts of his clothing. Many commentators speculate that it's a belt, an outer garment, sandals and something worn on the head. It's just speculation. It just says they divide up into four parts.

Maybe it was an outer garment that does have seams that can easily be divided into different parts. It doesn't matter. Then there's the inner garment, which is woven in one piece so it's seamless and it would be a shame to destroy its value by dividing it up so they determine to cast lots for it. What we have in our text is simply Roman soldiers acting in their own self-interests. But in doing that, in just having it be another day in the life of a Roman soldier acting in their own self-interest, they are unwittingly fulfilling messianic prophecy from Psalm 22 verse 18.

Turn to Psalm 22. Turn to Psalm 22. It's a remarkable Psalm. The New Testament writers like quoting Psalms and among the Psalms, Psalm 22 is quoted more than any other Psalm. You're going to recognize much of it.

We're going to take a quick tour because there are actually five direct descriptions of Jesus' crucifixion in Psalm 22. Five direct descriptions of this. John the Gospel writer is very restrained, only quoting one of them. Psalm 22, look, it's a Psalm of David about the son of David Jesus was to take the throne of his father David he is the son of David it's a it's a messianic title this was written by David of the one who would succeed him and have an eternal kingdom. Psalm 22, a Psalm of David.

Look at verse 1. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? This is how the Psalm begins and Jesus actually utters those words on the cross. Not in John's account, but in Matthew's and Mark's account. He quotes Psalm 22 verse 1 as he is forsaken by God being made sin for his people.

Jesus himself in what he says on the cross draws attention to Psalm 22. That's the first direct connection. Look at verses 7 and 8. All those who see me ridicule me. They shoot out the lip.

They shake the head saying he trusted in the Lord Let him rescue him. Let him deliver him since he delights in him This is exactly what the people and the chief priests said in mocking Jesus as he hung on the cross in Matthew and Mark's accounts. They said almost these exact words. This is the second direct connection. Look at verses 14 and 15.

I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart is like wax, it is melted within me. My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue clings to my jaws. You have brought me to the dust of death." Those who suffered in crucifixion actually often had their bones come out of joint from the stress of hanging on the joints from the shoulders. And Jesus suffered from thirst.

This is the third direct connection. Look at verse 16. Look at verse 16. For dogs have surrounded me, the congregation of the wicked has enclosed me. They pierced my hands and my feet.

There is no indication that David the king ever was a witness to crucifixion, was ever even aware of crucifixion, but this so pointedly speaks to what would happen to Jesus. They pierced his hands and his feet. He hung by nails on the cross. This is the fourth direct connection. Look at verse 18.

This is what John the Gospel writer quotes, They divided my garments among them, before my clothing they cast lots. Now understand this correctly. They did this so that the Scriptures might be fulfilled. That doesn't mean that you have prophecy scholars looking at the page and saying, now we need to divide up his clothes. Of course, that's not what's happening.

You have pagan soldiers acting in their own self-interests. But because of who God is, a prophecy from Him is as good as reading a news report after the fact. Do you understand that? Because of who God is, a prophecy from heaven is as good as reading a news report after it's already happened. Friends, think about what this means about God.

He knows all things. All things past, all things present, all things future, it's because He is directing these things. He is a King who governs from Heaven, who directs from Heaven. Friends, think about what this means about the Word of God. It is not man's book.

It is God's book. Do you remember when we were beginning the book of Ezra? In Ezra, the people have been taken into captivity and a king named Cyrus puts them at liberty to return. Well Ezra chapter 1 is not the first appearance of King Cyrus in the Bible. Isaiah 44 verse 28 is.

In Isaiah 44 verse 28, 140 years before Cyrus becomes king and puts the people at liberty to go back. Isaiah prophesies that a king named Cyrus will put the people at liberty to return from their captivity. This was generations before the man was even born and in fact if you look at the circumstances surrounding Cyrus even becoming king, they are so very improbable. God knows the end from the beginning. God determines the end from the beginning.

Friends, we are not being asked to build our lives on mythology. That's the point. That's the main truth that should comfort us here in our text. We're not being asked to build our lives on mythology. These words are solid rock.

God knows what's going to happen 100 years from now, and 1000 years from now, and 10, 000 years from now, and He can name the names if He wants to, just like Cyrus. Back to our text. Back to our text. The last verses, verses 25 through 27. John 19, 25 through 27.

Now they're stood by the cross of Jesus, his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus therefore saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing by, he said to his mother, woman, behold your son. Then he said to the disciple, behold your mother. From that hour, that disciple took her to his own home. In this section, Jesus secures care for his mother.

Care, fills in the blank if you're taking notes on the handout. Jesus secures care. I should have put ongoing care for his mother. Five points I'll make here. Number one, Because the parallel text in Matthew, Matthew 27 verses 55 and 56 says, many women who followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to him, were there looking on from afar, among whom were, and then another list of women is given.

And because Mark 15 says much the same thing, many women were there looking on, and Mark actually gives a list as well, trying to map the lists to each other between the gospel accounts can only ever be speculative, so we shouldn't do it. Meaning, if Matthew didn't say that many women were there, Maybe you could attempt to map one list of women to another list of women, but Matthew and Mark saying that there were many women there and then giving them, trying to pair them up, A fool's errand that you can never get beyond just speculation. Was Salome the mother of James and John and the sister of Mary making James and John the cousin of Jesus you can never know you can never know I say that because many commentators try to map them together and it's an exercise in futility Number two, this account is only in John. Matthew, Mark, Luke, none of them have this account. In fact, John is the only one who even places Jesus' mother here at the cross.

None of the other counts, none of the other lists have Mary, the mother of Jesus there. Listen to Luke chapter 2 verses 33 and 34. This is the very beginning of the Gospel of Luke, Mary and Joseph have taken Jesus to be dedicated at the temple and they encounter a man named Simeon who God through the Holy Spirit has said you won't die until you see the Christ. But before you die, you will have seen the Savior. Mary and Joseph come into the temple for the dedication of Jesus and Simeon encounters them and recognizes that Jesus is the fulfillment of that promise of the Holy Spirit to him.

This is where we come to in Luke 2, 34 and 35. Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against. Yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed." Simeon, as the prophet says that a sword will pierce through her soul, it must be speaking of this. It must be speaking of Mary at the cross seeing her son who was destined to be the rise and the fall of many in Israel dying on the cross. Number three, women were last at the cross and first at the tomb.

If you think that the Bible is a book and that Christianity is a religion that demeans and devalues women, you're not reading this book. You're not reading this book. The Bible puts forward women as the last at the cross as a sign of their devotion to the Lord Jesus and the first at the tomb as a sign of their devotion to the Lord Jesus. Their devotion is precious and exemplary. It is sweet to see that Jesus has not been abandoned by all, though he has been abandoned by almost all of his disciples.

John is the only disciple that is ever placed at the cross. It is here in this text. None of his other disciples are present, Unless they are just not mentioned in any of the Gospel accounts. Their devotion is precious and exemplary. It's an example that we should stand devotedly by our Lord.

We should learn from the women at the cross that our love for Jesus should keep us at His side no matter what. Number four, Jesus obeys the fifth commandment here. What's the fifth commandment? Honor your father and your mother. Jesus is the firstborn son of Mary.

The Gospels are silent in what happened to Joseph, but he is clearly in the Gospel accounts out of the picture. The duty has fallen to Jesus to provide for his mother. He is required to honor his father and his mother. By the way, he spends his life honoring his father, his father in heaven. It is his duty to honor his mother.

At this point I'm tempted to say in my heart can it be that he simply loves his mother and that this is an overflow of his affection. Why does this have to be obedience to a commandment that drives him to do this? That inclination of mind comes from a wrong view of the law. Paul says love is the fulfillment of the law. He doesn't say that to cool off affection.

He says that to warm up obedience. When Paul says love is the fulfillment of the law, he's not desiring to take the warmth out of love, he's desiring to infuse the warmth of love into obedience. Because true obedience, real obedience, not counterfeit obedience, not fake obedience, the real obedience flows from affection to God and man. Real obedience is warm at a heart. Jesus' heart was always in his obedience.

So to say that Jesus here is obeying the fifth commandment here is not to say that He's not doing it out of love. Love is the fulfillment of the commands. We need to have a much more warm-hearted view of obedience. Real obedience is warm-hearted. It's full of affection towards God and man.

Number five, Jesus elevates spiritual family above genealogical family. In our text here Jesus elevates spiritual family above genealogical blood family. Consider John chapter 7 verse 5, for even his brothers did not believe in him. They've said certain things to him at the beginning of this chapter and then John the Gospel writer says, yeah they're acting this way and saying these things because they didn't believe in him. Jesus at this point has unbelieving brothers.

Turn to Matthew 12. This will be our last stop. Matthew 12, the very end of the chapter, verses 46-50. Matthew 12, 46. While he was still talking to the multitudes, behold, his mother and brothers stood outside seeking to speak with him.

Then one said to him, Look, your mother and your brothers are standing outside seeking to speak with you. But he answered and said to the one who told him, Who is my mother and who are my brothers? And he stretched out his hand toward his disciples and said, Here are my mother and brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother." Jesus exalts spiritual family above genealogical family. He exalts spiritual bonds over blood relations.

Jesus is not eradicating family bonds. All that the Bible says about family bonds remain in force. He still has an obligation to honor his genealogical blood mother. But he is elevating our spiritual bonds in Him above all those bonds. Our bonds here, here, among each other, those who have repented and believe the gospel, transcend, they are higher than, they go beyond our family bonds.

Praise God when they overlap. When your genealogical family and your spiritual family become One. It's the sweetest of all in many ways. But our spiritual bonds in Christ, it is His blood that matters, not the blood that we got from our parents. We need to think that way.

We matter more than our family bonds. Spiritual bonds matter more than family bonds. We need to live that way. We've adopted the language. We call each other brethren, brothers and sisters.

Do we live out the language? Do we live out the language? We should, We must. Applications, I'll give you three. Just starting right here.

Number one, consider the debt of love we owe each other in the family of God. Again, he's not demeaning family bonds. He's elevating spiritual bonds. He's not saying family bonds are nothing. He's saying spiritual bonds are more precious, more meaningful.

This is not a call to demean family relationships, it's to elevate our relationships among believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. To make them sweeter and more precious to us. We owe each other a debt of love, Jesus bought it with His blood. How can you refuse His claim that we love each other above our family, even our family relationships, when He bought us with His blood, when he made us a family with his blood. Refuse that claim if you dare.

Number two. Second Corinthians one verse twenty. Second Corinthians one verse twenty. For all 2 Corinthians 1 verse 20. For all the promises of God in Him are yes, and in Him amen to the glory of God through us.

You get familiar with this book, you find out that God made a lot of promises. All the promises are Yes and Amen in Jesus. Jesus is the greatest fulfillment of his promises. Most of them are fulfilled in him. But not all of them.

There are some unkept promises yet. He will keep them at the right time. And I need confidence that he's going to keep them. Is Jesus really coming back? I look and I see the cross and his biggest, baddest, best promises kept on the cross.

I have not one doubt in the world that he's coming back on the clouds. There will be a blast of the trumpet and he will come to claim his own. You can't watch the cross and come and go and then say he won't keep this one. You cannot. All the promises of God in Jesus are yes and amen.

It's as good As reading a news report after the fact. Number three. And finally, we should never move on from the cross. Is the cross foundational? Yes.

Does that mean that we master it and move on to higher level things? No, we never move on from the cross. Now, I want to say what I don't mean and what I do mean. I don't mean that we should go around wearing crucifixes. As if the resurrection never happened.

As if He's anything like that now. Jesus is eternal from eternity past through eternity future. He was on the cross for three hours. Don't let your vision of Jesus be an emaciated crucified man. He shines like the sun.

A double edged sword extends from his mouth vanquishing his enemies. So I don't mean that our vision of Jesus should be a vision of an emaciated, conquered man. No. And I mean this, if you have a crucifix, get rid of it. What I do mean is that the cross centers us on the sinfulness of sin and what it cost God to redeem us.

His great love for us. To move on from the cross to higher things is to have it become fuzzy what it cost God to redeem this sinner. And to begin to think less of sin and ultimately less of Christ. You don't move on from the cross. The cross is our bread.

Let's pray. Jesus I thank you that you are raised from the dead, the tomb is empty, and you have ascended into heaven to be the eternal King, an everlasting Kingdom. Lasting kingdom. God, I thank you for an ongoing remembrance though that you displayed your love in such breathtaking terms, in such a breathtaking way, going to the cross, and dying the death deserved by sinners. I pray that Our view of sin would be shaped by the cross, the sufferings of the cross.

How sinful sin is, how black it is in your sight. Pray that our view of ourselves would be shaped by the cross. What our sins deserve, that if only my sins needed to be atoned for, it would still require the blood of your son. I pray that the cross would shape our view of you and your great mercy, your great love. Help us never to move on from the cross in that sense, but to have it informing our thoughts and driving us to love you.

Thank you for these things that we're learning in John and just the things that even through repetition are sweet to view and contemplate. In Jesus' name, Amen.