The resources God has given us to live a thriving life are His Word, Spirit, and People.
Read God’s Word:
Matthew 27:1-31, Mark 15:1-20, Luke 23:1-25, John 18:28 – 19:16
Act 3: God’s New Covenant People
Scene 3: Christ’s Deliverance of His People: God’s Work through the Death, Resurrection, and Enthronement of His King
Background Information: Matthew 27:1-31, Mark 15:1-20, Luke 23:1-25, John 18:28 – 19:16
“We have no king but Caesar!” This shocking declaration of the chief priests echoes in shame through the ages. God was Israel’s only king, and they were Israel’s teachers; they knew better than this. The fact is that they hated the Roman kings, but they hated Jesus more. They believed that he was more of a threat to them than the oppressive Roman government. In the not-too-distant future, a Roman king would destroy their temple, and in the city of Jerusalem blood would flow like a river. How can this irrational, self-inflicted blindness be so powerful and prevalent? How could they be so threatened by this one man with no home and no army? On the one hand they were irrational, but on the other hand their fear of Jesus was completely rational. He was and is a threat to all rival kingdoms. These religious leaders operated their own tiny sphere of influence in the larger Roman empire. They were afraid that, because of Jesus and his potential to stir the masses, they would lose their little kingdom. They were willing to claim Caesar as king if it meant that they could hold onto their own power, small though it was. Jesus was and is a disrupter of kingdoms, large and small. The body of Christ was a threat to the once powerful Soviet Union. Stalin sought to wipe it out because he knew that Christians served Jesus as king. Oppression, torture and the vast Soviet prison system could not stop believers from following their one true king. The Soviet Union fell, partly because of Western political pressure, partly because of internal corruption, but also because of the resilience of the people of God: the Church. Jesus is a disrupter of nations and of the kingdoms of the human heart. In every heart there is a throne. Who or what sits on that throne is the king of that life. Jesus will not share that throne; he cannot. No one can serve two masters. The great irony is that throughout history, Christians, who follow Jesus as king, have made the best citizens of earthly kingdoms. They only pose a threat to earthly kings when those kings demand that Christians betray their Savior and Lord. You stand in a long line of followers of King Jesus who have paid a great price for their faith. Some have paid the ultimate price of giving their lives to follow Jesus. Your allegiance is to Jesus, and you must stand ready to pay any price, to make any choice, and to show your loyalty to him. Beware of anyone or anything that attempts to take the throne of your heart and lead you astray.
Pray:
Praise God for…
Thank God for…
Confess your sins to God
Pray for CAYM. Ask God to use their work to strengthen and establish Christian mentoring programs.
Ask God for… (what else concerns you?)
Reflect:
Write down one passage of scripture that stood out to you today.
Write down why this passage stood out to you.
Engage Community:
Text or call someone now and tell them…
– What you are praying for.
– What stood out from God’s word today.