Author: Rick Henderson

Rick Henderson is the Associate Pastor for Students.

The King is Born

Re:Verse passage – John 19:5-16 (day seven)

The Lord said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people in regard to all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being king over them.  1 Samuel 8:7

We asked The King for another king, and he delivered, but another king could not be The King that we needed. The imperfection of mankind does not lend itself to being capable of true Kingship. The Perfect and Sovereign King knew our plight, so He sent His Son to be our King.

But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people;  for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.  Luke 2:10-11

Immanuel! God with us! This was the Perfect King. The very King we needed, but even this King was rejected because He was not the King we expected.

Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.” John 19:15b

If the chief priests believe they have no other king but Caesar, then they have not only rejected Jesus as the Messiah, but they have rejected The Lord as their King.

Today we celebrate the birth of a King as the angels proclaimed in Luke 2. There are still those who reject Him, but we do not. We perceive His power. We worship His wisdom. We praise His Holy Name. We have no King but Jesus!

The Battle Begins

Re:Verse passage – John 19:1-5 (day seven)

“Hail, King of the Jews!”

The actions of the Roman soldiers in this passage makes me believe that this was not the first time they had quelled a “rebellion.” Their actions were swift and rehearsed. Their props were ready and nearby. The goal was to make the “king” appear weak and defeated in hopes that his followers would scatter.

“Behold, the Man!”

Pilate hoped this would be sufficient for the crowd. He thought he could present Jesus as a defeated king. He thought they would have sympathy and be satisfied by Jesus’ scourging. He thought it would end there.

Could it have ended there? Sure… all Jesus would have had to do was claim He was not the Messiah. If He stood before the religious leaders, a defeated king, and admitted His defeat and rebutted His claims, He probably could have been freed. Yet, Jesus stood His ground. He was the Messiah, He is the King and He will not be defeated. The battle has just begun!

Coward

Re:Verse passage – John 18:33-40 (day seven) 

“I find no guilt in Him. But…” vs 38-39

Why the need for the “But” Pilate? If you found no guilt in Him, then why didn’t you let Him go free?  If you thought He was innocent, then why did you offer Barabbas? If He was no threat to your kingdom, then why did you give the people the one person who did try to overthrow your kingdom? Why were you a coward Pilate?

I guess you wanted the easy way out. You thought you could bring Him before the crowd and they would surely choose a king over a criminal. You wanted to do the right thing and not have to suffer the consequences, so you took the cowards way out and continued to cower all the way to the cross. All this because you thought it would cost you power. You knew Jesus was innocent. Why didn’t you stop it?

Leaders do not cower. Leaders do not look for the easy way out. Leaders do the right thing… even if it costs them everything!

Recognizable

Re:Verse passage – John 18:15-18, 25-27 (day seven)

Then the slave-girl who kept the door said to Peter, “You are not also one of this man’s disciples, are you?” vs 15

His plan was good on paper. Blend in. Don’t get caught. What Peter didn’t realize was that his association with Jesus was already known. People were watching Jesus and this group of ragtag disciples. It is likely that Peter was a polarizing member of this group making him easily recognizable, but something also stands out to me that is written about Peter days later.

Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John […]  they recognized that they had been with Jesus. Acts 4:15 ESV

When you have been with Jesus, people can tell. Even in the midst of denying Christ, people could not deny that Peter had been with Christ. People are watching you too. Some are waiting for you to fail so that they can leave it all behind. Others are waiting for you to bring them along and show them the way. If we cannot deny that we have been with Christ, then what message are our actions showing about His impact on our lives?

Sobriety

Re:Verse passage – 1 Peter 5:7-14 (day seven)

Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. vs 8

Most people hear the word “sober” and instantly think of intoxication. The Bible is clear that sobriety goes beyond substances; it is a way of life. Being of a sober mind and spirit is to allow every decision you make to be filtered through an eternal lens. With eternity in view, you see the world as it is supposed to be, as God intended.

Just like an intoxicating substance, the pleasures of this earth can impair our judgement, allowing for a foothold for Satan to grab onto. Losing sight of eternity leaves us vulnerable to more of his earthly attacks, so what must we do to remain sober in mind and spirit?

Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. Philippians 4:8

Peter and Jesus

Re:Verse passage – 1 Peter 5:1-6 (day seven)

… as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ. vs 1b

Peter is quick to remind us that he was with Jesus during His earthly ministry, but Peter didn’t need to spell this out so plainly for us. The very stories where we see Peter being taught by Jesus in the gospels are seen clearly as the foundation of his theology in his writings.

Gospel: Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” […] Jesus said to him, “Tend My sheep.” John 21:17

1 Peter: … shepherd the flock of God among you. vs 2

Gospel: For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and will then repay every man according to his deeds. Matthew 16:27

1 Peter:  And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. vs 4

Gospel: He got up from supper, and laid aside His garments; and taking a towel, He girded Himself. Then He poured water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet. John 13:4-5

1 Peter: [Gird] yourselves with humility toward one another. vs 5

Peter’s everyday language was changed because of his time with Jesus. How are you different from your time with Jesus?

Suffering

Re:Verse passage – 1 Peter 4:12-19 (day seven)

Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler. vs 15

Just because you are a Christian and are suffering does not automatically qualify that you are suffering for Christ. Peter was quick to diagnose our natural thought process here and tell us that sometimes our suffering is self imposed. There are consequences for our actions. Christians are quick to claim that they must be suffering for Christ if they endure any type of hardship. Although we as Christians have the Holy Spirit within us and are to be walking with the Lord, we are not impervious to mistakes. Human responsibility is the reason we have free will. Sometimes our choices, even if not sinful, lead us into suffering. That does not mean that we are suffering for the Lord.

Stewardship and Gifts

Re:Verse passage – 1 Peter 4:1-11 (day seven)

As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. vs 10

When we begin to talk about stewardship, people shut down, assuming that we are talking about money.  Financial conversations can feel uncomfortable. We don’t like people telling us what to do with “our” money. However, stewardship goes beyond a paycheck and tithe. Most people who enter a church understand that the giving of money is a command from God. Yet, most people who enter a church do not have any desire whatsoever to serve in that church. They simply want to come, observe, give a little money in the plate as it passes, and go about their business. They neglect that God has gifted them with special talents and He commands them to use those gifts in the church. A good steward does not hoard their gifts, they use them wisely.

You have a gift. What is your gift?

God did not design you with that gift to only bless you professionally. He gave you that gift to steward it and give back to Him with it. So how can you use your giftedness in our church?

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The Only Way

Re:Verse passage – 1 Peter 3:18-22 (day seven) 

… so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit. vs 18

There is only one way to get to God. The New Testament is abundantly clear that there is no other way to the Father except through Jesus Christ. You would think that John 14:6 would be enough to convince people that there is no other way, but still, people find ways to circumvent contextual interpretation to appease their beliefs. The purpose of the Incarnation was to provide a way for humanity to dwell with God for eternity as well as in this world. God wouldn’t have needed Jesus to become flesh if His plan was to save the world universally. God needed Jesus to provide a way for us to die in our flesh now in order for us to know God now. Jesus died in His flesh in order to bring us to God and also to bring God to us. God is with us because Jesus made the way… the only way!

Defend Your Hope

Re:Verse passage – 1 Peter 3:8-17 (day seven)

always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence. vs 15

Apologists have adopted this verse as a defense to why we should study apologetics. We should know what we believe and why we believe it, these things are true. However, I think we can become overzealous to the defense and lose track of the very thing we were called to defend, the hope that is in you, as well as how we are supposed to defend it, with gentleness and reverence.

I recently encountered a professional apologist who was so well trained to debate that even his small talk came across as combative. Within five minutes of meeting this person, I began to ask myself this question: If I were an unbeliever, would I be more persuaded by logic or by love? If the people we are sending into the front lines are more concerned with winning an argument than displaying the hope we have in Jesus Christ, then our logic was flawed to begin with. Our society doesn’t need more divisiveness, we need more hope. Defend your hope!