Tag: Val Watkins

Sermon Audio: Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Luke 22:47-53
Duration: 21:59
Size: 10.0 MB

Luke-The Investigative Gospel
Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus
Luke 22:47-53

God sent his Son, Jesus Christ, into the world to seek and to save the lost.

The betrayal and arrest of Jesus in Luke 22:47-53 teaches us that Jesus was in control of God’s plan of redemption.

I. Jesus Was in Control in the Betrayal of Judas (Luke 22:47-48)

He had been specially chosen and called by Jesus himself to be with him for three years.

Jesus loves lost sinners, and even in the moment of his betrayal Jesus was appealing to Judas to recognize what he was doing so that he could repent.

Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss. But even with that kiss, Jesus was still in control in the betrayal of Judas.

II. Jesus Was in Control in the Reaction of the Disciples (Luke 22:49-51)

The disciples of Jesus reacted immediately when they saw that he was betrayed.

Peter’s use of the sword demonstrated zeal, but it was short-lived. His courage soon faded.

III. Jesus Was in Control in the Rebuke to the Crowd (Luke 22:52-53)

By coming at night, the religious authorities showed that they were doing something that was outside the bounds of the law.

Although Satan seemed to triumph in Gethsemane, at Calvary, and in the dark days when Jesus was buried in the grave, his victory turned to defeat on Easter Sunday.

We need to believe that God is at work even in our darkest hour.

Sermon Audio: Jesus Prays on the Mount of Olives
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Luke 22:39-46
Duration: 23:35
Size: 10.8 MB

Luke-The Investigative Gospel
Jesus Prays on the Mount of Olives
Luke 22:39-46

Jesus’ extreme suffering was about to begin as he entered the Garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives that night.

I. Jesus’ Preparation (Luke 22:39-40)

Jesus knew that his beloved band of disciples were also about to undergo their most severe trial and temptation.

II. Jesus’ Agony (Luke 22:41,43-44)

What is interesting is that the normal posture for prayer in Jesus’ day was standing upright rather than kneeling.

“No man will ever be capable of sounding the depths of what the Savior experienced in Gethsemane when the full reality of his suffering in soul and body penetrated into his immaculate spirit.”

It was Jesus’ intense agony that buckled his knees and drove him to the ground and to his heavenly Father in prayer.

III. Jesus’ Prayer (Luke 22:42)

In his great agony and in anticipation of the suffering to come Jesus turned to the only One who not only had the ability to help him, but was ready to do so.

“He was not seeking to disobey the will of God, but in his manhood he desired to not suffer the shame of the cross and all it entailed.”

Jesus endured intense agony and suffering to pay the penalty for your sin and mine.

He who can say from his heart, when a bitter cup is before him, “Not my will, but thine be done,” has reached a high position in the school of God.

IV. Jesus’ Direction (Luke 22:45-46)

So, let us be on our guard against his temptations by going to the Lord in prayer.

Sermon Audio: The Last Discourse
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Luke 22:21-38
Duration: 25:16
Size: 11.5 MB

Luke-The Investigative Gospel
The Last Discourse
Luke 22:21-38

But they were having a hard time wrapping their minds around what Jesus was saying to them.

Eventually, they would understand Jesus’ teaching. But that night they did not understand his teaching and showed several areas of failure.

I. Deception (Luke 22:21-23)

Judas had already met with the religious leaders and planned to betray Jesus to them.

As they continued to ask each other about the identity of the one who would be guilty of deception, they all fell into another failure.

II. Dissension (Luke 22:24-30)

Three times in these verses Jesus reminded his disciples to lead “as one who serves.”

III. Denial (Luke 22:31-34)

But the reason Peter did not fail is not primarily because of his faith but because of Jesus’ intercession for Peter.

When there is no danger, it is easy to say how bold we will be for Jesus.

IV. Dullness (Luke 22:35-38)

However, Jesus also prepared his disciples to understand that after his arrest, crucifixion, and death, things would change.

And if that is true for the apostles, who were with Jesus for three years, we ask ourselves, “What hope is there for us? Can we do any better?”

He took on our flesh, lived among us, and ultimately died between two thieves.

It is because Jesus identifies with us, atones for our sin, and then intercedes for us.

Sermon Audio: The Passover With The Disciples
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Luke 22:7-20
Duration: 23:37
Size: 10.8 MB

Luke-The Investigative Gospel
The Passover With The Disciples
Luke 22:7-20

In a very intentional way Jesus chose to have a Passover meal as his last meal with his disciples.

I. The Preparation for the Passover (Luke 22:7-13)

Most likely, Jesus sent Peter and John on this errand because he did not want Judas to know ahead of time where they would celebrate the Passover meal.

In fact, throughout the next thirty-six hours or so, it may seem as if things were out of control, but everything was developing according to God’s divine plan.

II. The Eating of the Passover (Luke 22:14-18)

You may recall that the Passover meal commemorated the deliverance of the people of Israel from their slavery in Egypt.

There were several stages in the Passover meal, which was spread out over a period of hours and interspersed with conversation.

He was about to suffer and be crucified in order to save sinners, but his great desire was to eat his last meal with those whom he came to save.

The people of God would celebrate the new sacrament of the new covenant in Christ by eating the bread and drinking the wine of the Lord’s Supper.

The Lord’s Supper is a celebration of the new covenant.

III. The Institution of the Lord’s Supper (Luke 22:19-20)

The unleavened bread was now given a new and greater significance. It represented Jesus’ body and the affliction he would endure on the cross.

By calling the cup “the new covenant in my blood,” Jesus was replacing the old covenant of the constant shedding of blood of the sacrificial lambs at Passover with the once-for-all shedding of his own blood to pay the penalty for our sin.

He would give a meal to his disciples to remember before making the sacrifice they would never forget.

Sermon Audio: The Plot To Kill Jesus
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Luke 22:1-6
Duration: 20:38
Size: 9.45 MB

Luke-The Investigative Gospel
The Plot To Kill Jesus
Luke 22:1-6

In Luke 22 the focus shifts from Jesus’ interaction with the religious leaders and teaching of his disciples to the events that lead up to Jesus’ death on the cross (Luke 22-23), followed by the account of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead (Luke 24).

I. The Attempt to Kill Jesus (Luke 22:1-2)

Passover commemorated the deliverance of the people of Israel from their slavery in Egypt (see Exodus 12).

The religious leaders’ frustration with Jesus had been growing over the years.

Luke noted that the first ones to seek actively the death of Jesus were the religious leaders.

All teachers of God’s word must be examined in light of God’s word.

II. The Agreement to Kill Jesus (Luke 22:3-6)

Because the religious leaders feared the people, and they did not want to cause a riot, they were not able to find a way to kill Jesus.

A. A Diabolical Reason (Luke 22:3)

Luke did not elaborate on what is meant by Satan who entered into Judas.

Judas ought to cause every professing Christian to examine himself daily to see whether he is in fact a genuine Christian.

B. A Financial Reason (Luke 22:4-6)

There is nothing sinful about money in itself. It is the love of money that is the problem.