The Last Lesson

Luke 22:24-38

Introduction: 

• This is an intense night in the book of Luke and in the life of Jesus.
• The night that begins with a passover meal will usher in:
• Pain - Betrayal - Arrest 
• Beatings - desertion accusation and death.
• The drama is at a high point at this point in Luke.
• Specifically at this point in the chapter we see Jesus preparing the disciples for what would come- Specifically life after he has resurrected.
• Jesus is preparing his disciples for life without him immediately bodily present.
• This is the last lesson from Jesus before the crucifixion.
• We’ll see from our time in this passage that Christ is preparing them to serve and stand – What he is really seeking to do is prepare them to stay.
• We stand here 2000 years later as evidence that the church has continued
• I am convinced as Christians, we should:
• Look to heaven.
• Long to be with Christ
• Desire to be healed - be called up to heaven- to be with Jesus forever.
• Paul desired all these things.
• Perhaps today, our greater need, however, is to be taught how to live here.
• To be prepared for what God is showing us today.
• We need to be prepared to serve- to stand- to stay- until God calls us home.

1. Prepared to Serve (24-30).
2. Dispute (24) - Over who is the greatest.
3. Last week- Jesus desired to share the meal and it turned into a dispute over who's the greatest.
4. Why did the dispute arise?
5. Serving Demonstrates Counter Cultural Christianity (25-26).
6. The Unbelievers Exercise Lordship Over One Another
7. Not so with you..

1 Peter 5:1-4 So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: 2 shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight,[a] not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you;[b] not for shameful gain, but eagerly; 3 not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.

1. Same term in this passage (κυριεύω)
2. We are not called to Lord over one another.
3. Let me give you a quick summary or this word in the New Testament
4. Christ the one true Lord has served  (27).
5. Here is what Jesus is going to say: the path to true greatness is not through being served but by serving others.
6. As humans we desire to be great.
7. Jesus is saying the truly great serve.
8. Who do you serve?
9. Joshua - leader of Israel nearing the end of his life said this:

Joshua 24:14-15 “Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

1. See if you want to be truly great you will follow Joshua’s pattern - You will follow Jesus’ pattern
2. You will serve your father
3. You will serve others
4. Serving Brings Reward (28)
5. Both this passage and 1 Peter 5 have something in common- A certain reward.
6. 1 Peter those who serve will receive an unfading crown of glory
7. Those who humble themselves will be exalted
8. Those who serve will be celebrated
9. The 11 who suffered with Christ and stand with him will have their spot in the eternal kingdom.
10. There is a future for the ones who serve- there is a hope for those who faithfully follow Christ.
11. There is a future for God’s chosen people.
12. The night may look bleak and the darkness may cloud Christ will complete his mission to seek and to save his children
13. And these disciples will judge the tribes of Israel.
14. Those who endure in trials for a little while-
15. Those who serve for a little while
16. Will be blessed eternally.
17. Brothers and sisters are you laying your life down in service
18. What do you count so dear that you're willing to reject God’s call to serve?

2.Prepared to Stand Against Satan (31-34).

1. Satan demanded to have you
2. Its interesting that satan possessed Judas
3. Satan wanted ever good plant sown to be ripped up
4. Though Satan demanded to have Peter he couldn’t
5. Jesus had prayed for Peter
6. Δέομαι- He had begged for, asked for, interceeded for Peter
7. Jesus had prayed that Peter's faith would endure whatever it encountered.
8. Jesus seems to be reminding Peter of his human frailty
9. Peter doesn’t really seem to want to here that.
10. 1 Corinthians 10:12 Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.
11. You will deny that you know me.
12. Isn’t the foreknowledge of Jesus miraculous?
13. Peter the leader of the disciples
14. We are watchful of Satan and over our hearts- but we are not fearful
15. Christ has interceded for us.

3.Prepared to Stay (35-38).

1. Remember how your needs were supplied! (35)
2. Things will be different this time
3. Take a knapsack- purchase a sword (36)
4. Some might say to us as christians:
5. His disciples hadn’t yet faced opposition to the degree that they were about to.
6. Some have used Jesus' mention of the sword to indicate Jesus signing off on violence as a means to building the kingdom.
7. No doubt christian crusades would have pointed to a passage like this in an attempt to justify.
8. I think it's more accurately speaking to personal defense in a world which would count the disciples as enemies.

We need to heed the words of Christ in preperation