View From the Throne
by Rev. Kirby Williams
A poignant look at the world and the church from the perspective of the Throne of the Cross!
Text: John 19:23-27
Date: 07/05/2020, the Combined service.
Series: "John: Encountering Love" Part 184
Description:
As John continues to unveil his Crucifixion narrative, he provides us with two sharply contrasting details. He tells us first how the soldiers divided and gambled over Jesus' clothes-- something all four Gospels carry. And then a tender word from the Cross that only John carries-- to two of those He deeply loved, His mother Mary and John the Apostle. We will unpack the text and ask ourselves why these two events are side-by-side. We will remember that even though it is hard for many to understand, Christ indeed reigns supreme from the tree. We will find symbolism in His sovereign rule, the wickedness of the world that surrounds the Cross, and this tiny group of believers in its midst. With that in mind we will ultimately ask and try to answer the question-- "what is the view from the throne?"
View:
Options:
I. Introduction, Psa. 96:10, Heb. 10:12.
II. Exposition of the text, John 19:23-27.
A. Context
1. Surrounded by evil and hatred, Psa. 22:6-7,12-13,16; John 7:7, 15:23-25.
2. The pathway of shame.
3. The King of Golgotha.
B. The blindness and ignominy of the soldiers, vs. 23-24.
1. The continuation of shame.
a. The seamless tunic, vs. 23.
i. Dividing the garments.
ii. Gambling for the tunic.
b. The fulfillment of prophecy, vs. 24.
i. David's prophetic Psalm, Psa. 22:1,6-8,12-18.
ii. A remarkable truth.
2. The imagery of sin and shame.
a. The object of shame.
i. Remembering the pathway, Deut. 21:23, Isa. 53:12.
ii. The ultimate shame of nakedness.
• The curse of the Fall, Gen. 3:7-11.
• Reversing the curse, Gen. 3:21, Gal. 3:13, 2Cor. 5:21.
iii. The robes of righteousness, 2Cor. 5:4, Rev. 7:13-14.
b. Searching for additional symbolism.
i. Washing the disciples' feet, John 13:4-15.
ii. The blindness of the world.
C. The faithfulness of John and the women, vs. 25-27.
1. The women at the Cross, vs. 25.
a. A sharp distinctive.
b. A group of faithful women.
i. Determining the number of women, Luke 23:49.
ii. Identifying the women.
• Mary, the mother of Jesus.
• Mary's sister.
• Mary the wife of Clopas.
• Mary Magdalene.
2. Jesus' tender address from the Cross, vs. 26-27.
a. The significance of the address, vs. 26a, John 19:28.
b. Jesus' address to His mother, vs. 26b, Luke 2:35.
i. Fulfilling the 5th commandment, Ex. 20:12.
ii. Being the Good Shepherd, John 10:11.
iii. Solidifying the Koinonia, Acts 1:14, John 7:5.
c. Jesus' address to John, vs. 27.
i. What John IS saying, Matt. 12:46-50.
ii. What John IS NOT saying.
d. And so it was done.
III. Application
A. The view from the throne at the Cross.
1. The King who reigns from the tree.
2. The world of evil rejects their King, John 7:7, 3:19, Mark 15:32.
3. The faithful family.
B. The view from the throne today, Mark 16:19.
1. The King who reigns from on High, Eph. 1:20-23.
2. The world of evil rejects their King.
3. The faithful family.
IV. Conclusion, Psa. 22:27-31.
