“Then Jesus said to the chief priests and officers of the temple and elders who had come against Him, “Have you come out with swords and clubs as you would against a robber? While I was with you daily in the temple, you did not lay hands on Me; but this is your hour and the power of darkness.” Luke 22:52-53.
Today your LORD (יהוה) God (אלהים) says:
Jesus went on trial for you, before Me and before man, and He was condemned to death. With Me, He was condemned justly for YOUR sins that He had received into His flesh to save you all. With man, He was delivered over and condemned unjustly for your justification. And Jesus was tried before the Jews and then before the Gentiles and He was condemned by both though He Himself had done nothing wrong.
By oppression and judgment He was taken away; and as for His generation, who considered that He was cut off out of the land of the living for the transgression of My people, to whom the stroke was due? . . . Because He poured out Himself to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet He Himself bore the sin of many, and interceded for the transgressors. Isaiah 53:8;12.
After the agony of taking all sin into Himself for your redemption and justification, My Son was betrayed, arrested, tried before the Jewish leaders, abused by the guards, tried before the gentiles, mocked by Herod, again abused by the guards, and led off to be crucified and bear the full weight of sin in His own body on the cross. He was so marred by sin that you could not recognize Him even as human. It was a terror. Isaiah 52:14.
But I am a worm and not a man, a reproach of men and despised by the people. All who see me sneer at me; they separate with the lip, they wag the head, saying, “Commit yourself to the LORD; let Him deliver him; let Him rescue him, because He delights in him.” Psalm 22:6-8.
Sin is terrible. It is devastating. It leaves those who have lived their lives in it as a mere carcass of what they were made to be. All flesh and no spirit to see. And where the carcass is there the vultures will gather.
But through the trials, abuse, and death that He went through, Jesus kept His eyes on Me and on you, the ones for whom He gave His life. You were on His mind. He found you precious in His sight, beloved of Me and of Him as well. Are your eyes continually on Him and His precious work of salvation on your behalf? In His great love for you, He released you from your sins by His blood and made you a kingdom, priests unto Me.
Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Hebrews 12:1-3.
I would like to point out to you two very important revelations that Jesus gave to you in the Garden of Gethsemane before we move on.
Do you recall He prayed, among other things, “And He was saying, “Abba! Father! All things are possible for You; remove this cup from Me; yet not what I will, but what You will.” Mark 13:46.
Jesus knew Me well. Here you see Him calling Me “Abba,” which My Holy Spirit inspires you to call Me as well. Jesus knew Me better than anyone else has or ever will. He is My Word that generates deep within Me and proceeds from Me breathed forth by the Holy Spirit. He is One with Me. I made everything and I made it through, with, and in Him. We are One. What I do He does. In seeing Him you see Me in action among you. And in Him you are One with us and in us, united but unique, One but many. Different parts, one body.
But I want you to know and to rely always upon the fact that nothing is impossible for Me, nothing is too hard for Me, and nothing is too wonderful for Me to perform for you. And all things are possible to those who believe that. I watch over My Word to perform it and My Word is wonderful! My Word is your counselor. Do you love My Word? I send My Word to heal you and deliver you from your destruction, from the pit. My Words are life to those who find them and health to all their flesh. My Word made you, sustains you, blesses you, and always has your answer in it. It is seed for the sower and bread for the eater. If you plant it in your heart and grow it, you will harvest the promise contained in it. It is your very life. And My Word is always personal to the one reading it or hearing it. It is your joy.
These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full. John 15:11.
My promises to you are magnificent and they are all “yes” to you in Jesus for in His sufferings and death I have qualified you for the inheritance—joint heirs with Jesus.
And the second point I wish to make is something so important that My Son kept repeating it to the disciples He had called aside with Him that night in the Garden of Gethsemane and He also included it in the prayer He had taught His disciples earlier to teach them how to pray.
“Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Matthew 26:41.
And He came and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour? Keep watching and praying that you may not come into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Mark 14:37-38.
When He rose from prayer, He came to the disciples and found them sleeping from sorrow, and said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not enter into temptation.” Luke 22:45-46.
“Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’” Matthew 6:9-13.
My question is, do you do what He so strongly advised? If Peter had done it he would have saved himself so much heartache.
When you pray, you authorize Me to work in your life. And when you pray according to My Will, I hear you, and when I hear you, then you know what you have asked for is yours. 1 John 5:14-15. I have told you to pray this and I will hear you and it will be yours. Watch and pray for it every day so you avoid the traps of the devil.
Judas would still be among the disciples in Heaven if he had done this and stopped Satan at the onset, avoiding the trap altogether. Peter too would have been preserved and not walked right into the set up the devil had for him that night. My psalmist David would have avoided a lot of self-condemnation if he had done this as well. Be wise.
Now let us continue your journey with Jesus, for having partaken in the bread and the wine changed to the heavenly substance of His body and blood you are living this with Him, in Him, and through Him in the Spirit with no toil, suffering or pain, just coming into the gain, for you are walking with Him in the Spirit and not in the flesh. He gave His body and blood for you to make you whole. As He is, so are you in this world. Perfect. Complete. Lacking in nothing.
For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls. 1 Peter 2:21-25.
That night in the Garden of Gethsemane, I took every sin ever committed or that will ever be committed by man and accounted it to Jesus’ account and took it from yours. Instead of your sins, you now have His righteousness. The divine exchange that drives out all fear of punishment or forebodings of future evil or catastrophes in your life. You know you have it all because you are loved, forgiven, blessed, and favored in Jesus, My beloved.
“These things I have spoken to you in figurative language; an hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figurative language, but will tell you plainly of the Father. In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I will request of the Father on your behalf; for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came forth from the Father. I came forth from the Father and have come into the world; I am leaving the world again and going to the Father.” John 16:25-28.
And after this great exchange in the Garden came the great chastisement and it fell on Him as on a lightning rod so that it will never hit those who have taken that rod as their own.
The hour of the power of darkness had come. Satan thought he had won, but what happened after Gethsemane to the resurrection completely destroyed his power over mankind. If you will take possession of all Jesus has made yours, you can be his master and live in the glorious freedom of My children. My Son has set you free and whom the Son sets free is free indeed. Never return to slavery a second time. Pray you not enter that way.
Jesus had been praying for the hour and the disciples kept sleeping and intermittently trying to pray or respond to Jesus, but they were just too sleepy and their eyes too heavy with sleep. Seek Me first and seek Me early.
Finally, Judas and the crowd with him could be heard entering the Garden, so Jesus came to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. Get up, let us be going; behold, the one who betrays Me is at hand!” Matthew 26:46.
While He was still speaking, Judas came accompanied by a large crowd with swords and clubs, who came from the chief priests and elders of the people. Judas had his signal of betrayal preplanned and prepared so to take Jesus off-guard. Even in the act of betrayal itself, which sealed Jesus’ death, he acted deceitfully so as to appear guiltless in the matter.
Judas had arranged a sign for those coming against Jesus, saying, “Whomever I kiss, He is the one; seize Him.” Matthew 26:48. On entering the Garden and seeing Jesus there, Judas went to Jesus and said, “Hail, Rabbi!” and kissed Him. Matthew 26:49. And Jesus’ response was an invitation to Judas to repent and return to Him in love, He said to him, “Friend, do what you have come for.” Matthew 26:50.
“This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. This I command you, that you love one another. John 15:12-17.
As the crowd with Judas advanced towards Him, Jesus, knowing all the things that were coming upon Him, went forth and said to them, “Whom do you seek?” John 18:4. They answered Him, “Jesus the Nazarene.” John 18:5. He said to them, “I am.” When Jesus said this they drew back and fell to the ground. He had used My Name which I had given Him. When they got up off the ground, He again asked them, “Whom do you seek?” And they said, “Jesus the Nazarene.” 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 those whom You have given Me I lost not one.” Peter, seeing the way things were going, having a sword, decided it was time to fight to defend his Master, Jesus, and drew it and struck the high priest’s slave, and cut off his right ear; and the slave’s name was Malchus. So Jesus said to Peter, “Put the sword into the sheath; the cup which the Father has given Me, shall I not drink it?” Those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword. Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels? How then will the Scriptures be fulfilled, which say that it must happen this way?” And He touched his ear and healed him. Jesus was primarily protecting Peter from repercussions, but His love reached out to heal even those who were arresting Him.
Pause a moment here. You have angels at your disposal for protection and provision. I have commanded them to guard you in all of your ways. They hearken to the voice of My Word, even in your mouth. Angels were made to serve you who are the heirs of Salvation. And that is you.
But you see here, Jesus did not take advantage of this gift of the holy angels. He chose My Will of dying to take away your sins and reconcile mankind to Me. You must understand, Jesus had a choice, as all of you do, whether to do My Will or not. He chose to do My Will and that is why you are saved and born again. That is why you are members of His body and joint heirs with Him for everything I have is His and in Him you inherit everything.
Then Jesus said to the chief priests and officers of the temple and elders who had come against Him, “Have you come out with swords and clubs as you would against a robber? While I was with you daily in the temple, you did not lay hands on Me; but this hour and the power of darkness are yours.” Luke 22:52-53. Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and seized Him. His hour had come. Before whenever men tried to seize Him or kill Him, He walked right through the midst of them and left. But this was His appointed time to finish the work I had entrusted to Him.
My Will prospered in His Hand. Isaiah 53:10.
At that time Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest Me as you would against a robber? Every day I used to sit in the temple teaching and you did not seize Me. But all this has taken place to fulfill the Scriptures of the prophets.” Then all the disciples left Him and fled. Something they had all said they would never do.
I love you. Identify with Jesus through this but also watch in love at what I did for you in Jesus. Above all watch Him in love, He is your hero. El Gibbor.