The Cross that Incites Us

And as they led him away, they seized one Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, and laid on him the cross, to carry it behind Jesus. And there followed him a great multitude of the people and of women who were mourning and lamenting for him. But turning to them Jesus said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For behold, the days are coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren and the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’ Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’ For if they do these things when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?” (Luke 23:26-31).

After Pilate declared Him innocent of any guilt worthy of death, he turned Jesus over to the Jews who immediately led Him away to be crucified. They could not dispose of this troublemaker fast enough. He was abused and beaten so badly that the procession toward Golgotha was slowed by His weakness and inability to carry His own cross. A Gentile visitor was seized and forced to carry the cross for Him. Because the Holy Spirit inspired all of the Gospel authors to record the vivid details of the journey of Christ and His cross toward Calvary, we too are part of the crowd, and we get a compelling view of the same cross that provoked anger, confusion, and mourning in the hearts of the diverse crowd that followed Him. We remember Christ’s call to take up His cross… “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23). How true that there have been many crucifixions throughout history, but this one cross still stands out as the cross that incites us.

The cross irritated the reason of the Jews. Taking up the cross will disturb our old way of thinking. We are to be renewed in our minds… “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2). We do not see shame and humiliation in the cross. We see victory and the consummation of God’s plan of salvation… “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed” (1 Peter 2:24). As born again disciples we are incited by the cross to exchange our unrighteousness for the righteousness of Christ.

The cross interrupted the life of Simon. Taking up the cross will disrupt our life plan. We will have to refocus our priorities… “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6). We will have to discard our temporal life plan and replace it with God’s perfect, eternal life plan… “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11). As maturing disciples, we are incited by the cross to follow the example of Simon, and exchange our impure priorities and plans for the perfect purpose and will of God every day.

The cross inspires the heart of true disciples. Jesus taught that taking up His cross will demand our whole heart, to the point of self-denial… “And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Matthew 10:38-39). To make such an exchange, we have to let God circumcise our heart… “And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live” (Deuteronomy 30:6). The Spirit inspired Paul to share how the grace of God had enabled him to be crucified with Christ, counting the old selfish nature dead in Christ and living a new life in and through Him…. ”I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). As diligent disciples, like Paul, we are incited by the cross to exchange our old life for new life in Christ every day.

As we grow up into Christ, we learn to imitate Him by abandoning the world and taking up…

The Cross that Incites Us.

The Grace that Provides What We Really Need

But they all cried out together, “Away with this man, and release to us Barabbas”— a man who had been thrown into prison for an insurrection started in the city and for murder. Pilate addressed them once more, desiring to release Jesus, but they kept shouting, “Crucify, crucify him!” A third time he said to them, “Why, what evil has he done? I have found in him no guilt deserving death. I will therefore punish and release him.” But they were urgent, demanding with loud cries that he should be crucified. And their voices prevailed. So Pilate decided that their demand should be granted. He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, for whom they asked, but he delivered Jesus over to their will (Luke 23:18-25).

The people preferred the freedom of a political rebel and murderer over the freedom of the One who could give them true freedom from guilt and sin. The response of the people provoked an echo from the lips of Pilate who declared again… “I have found in him no guilt deserving death”. But this matter was already out of Pilate’s impotent hands. It was and has always been God’s will to give us what we need, not what we want. While on this temporal journey here on earth from birth to death we need political, financial, and other basic human freedoms, but we who are born again know that life here is temporary and preparatory for eternal life… “And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). As we mature in the faith we learn that what we really need is freedom from sin and guilt, increasing intimacy with Jesus Christ, and preparation for life in eternity. Nothing in this world can satisfy any of these needs. That’s why we know that in every circumstance and trial here on earth, is our opportunity to look away from the world and toward Jesus Christ, the One who grants to us the grace that provides what we really need.

God’s grace provides freedom from sin and guilt. Jesus Christ made it very clear that there is truly life after life and death here on earth for everyone… “Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment’ (John 5:28-29). He preceded this declaration with the revelation that He was God’s appointed Judge over the eternal destiny of every living person… “For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man” (John 5:26-27). What makes the difference between life and judgment in eternity? There, true born-again believers will look into the eyes and recognize the heart of the One who already judged and atoned for our sin… “He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:2). All others will fearfully come face to face with the Loving Judge they rejected.

God’s grace provides fellowship with Jesus Christ. Again, Jesus Christ made clear that the primary purpose of eternal life is knowledge and fellowship with His Father and Himself… “And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (John 17:3). The reason God removes sin from our hearts and adopts us as His children is so the Spirit of Christ can live in us… “And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God” (Galatians 4:6-7). Encouraging confirmation that we are born again is an increasing hunger for fellowship with Christ and a longing to be with Him forever in eternity.

God’s grace provides fitness for life in eternity. Jesus said His disciples will reign with Him in eternity… “The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne” (Revelation 3:21). Maturing disciples are preparing for rule in heaven by learning to overcome the trials of this life with the same grace and mercy Christ has shared with us.

As we grow up into Christ, He faithfully cares for us and prepares us for eternity with Him through…

The Grace that Provides What We Really Need.

The Guilt that Was Ours

Pilate then called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people, and said to them, “You brought me this man as one who was misleading the people. And after examining him before you, behold, I did not find this man guilty of any of your charges against him. Neither did Herod, for he sent him back to us. Look, nothing deserving death has been done by him. I will therefore punish and release him” (Luke 23:13-16).

The two highest political leaders of the region examined Jesus Christ and declared… “nothing deserving death has been done by him”. Pilate and Herod vigorously questioned and humiliated Jesus but found no death-deserving guilt in Him. That should have been the end of the matter, case closed! But this case was not to be settled by compromise, beating, and release. There was tremendous guilt involved here. Jesus Christ was not on trial for His own sin. He had no sin of His own… “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). God was at work here, judging the sin of the whole world. God was dealing with our sin… “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6). In truth, Jesus Christ was on trial and willing to assume the guilt that was ours.

Guilt is an after-effect of sin. Sin is disobeying God’s law… “Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness” (1 John 3:4). Sin disables us from fulfilling our chief purpose, glorifying God… “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). When we are consumed by guilt caused by our sin, we are not free to reflect the glory of the One who created us to project His image into the world. As part of His handiwork, our primary purpose is to glorify God… “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork” (Psalm 19:1). We have added responsibility to glorify God because we’re created in His image… “When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor” (Psalm 8:3-5). For born-again disciples of Christ, the immediate consequence of disobedient sin is debilitating guilt.

Guilt is an abhorrence to God. Guilt disrupts our fellowship with God… “For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer” (Psalm 32:3-4). David’s guilt provoked a powerful plea to restore his fellowship with God… “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit” (Psalm 51:10-12). Guilt is what we feel when we become aware of our sin and of our broken fellowship with God… “Jesus said to them, ‘If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, “We see,” your guilt remains’” (John 9:41). God does not want us to live with guilt. Although our relationship with God is secure, sensitivity to the distance guilt creates in our fellowship with God is evidence that we are truly born again.

Guilt provokes atonement from God. Forgiveness destroys the distance between us and God… “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ” (Ephesians 2:13). Because of the finished, atoning work of Christ on the cross, truly repentant disciples have the assurance of victory over the debilitating and distancing effects of guilt whenever we humbly approach Christ… “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Because He bore and paid for our sin at Calvary, Christ promises to remove its guilt and to preserve and promote a growing, intimate fellowship between us and His Father.

As we grow up into Christ, we are ever more thankful that He took upon Himself…

The Guilt that Was Ours.

The Grace that Empowers Us

When Pilate heard this, he asked whether the man was a Galilean. And when he learned that he belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him over to Herod, who was himself in Jerusalem at that time. When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, for he had long desired to see him, because he had heard about him, and he was hoping to see some sign done by him. So he questioned him at some length, but he made no answer. The chief priests and the scribes stood by, vehemently accusing him. And Herod with his soldiers treated him with contempt and mocked him. Then, arraying him in splendid clothing, he sent him back to Pilate. And Herod and Pilate became friends with each other that very day, for before this they had been at enmity with each other. (Luke 23:6-12).

Jesus’ steady march toward Calvary’s cross took a brief but poignant detour through the court of the tetrarch Herod. This is the puppet ruler who, in a drunken stupor, cruelly and unjustly beheaded John the Baptist to please his party guests… (see Matthew 14:1-12). Luke notes here that Herod… “had long desired to see him because he had heard about him”. We might imagine that Jesus wanted this meeting even more. What a grand opportunity to avenge the death of His cousin and faithful servant John! But Jesus left vengeance to God, who would deal justly with Herod. He was accused by a nephew of conspiracy against the Roman emperor Caligula and ended his days in exile in Gaul. Jesus quietly and submissively trusted God’s grace to use these conspirators and events to propel Him toward the cross… “Where sin increased, grace abounded all the more” (Romans 5:20). Diligent disciples, living for and sharing Christ in a sinful world, will find encouragement here to trust the grace that empowers us.

God’s grace responds to cruelty with compassion. Herod’s cruelty prompted the compassion of Christ as instead of judging the foolish adulterer and murderer for beheading His cousin John, Jesus proceeded steadily toward Calvary’s cross. Our Teacher, the Holy Spirit, exhorts us to keep our focus on Jesus as we encounter the cruelty of the unbelieving world around us… “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:1-2). When we imitate the compassion of Christ, God’s grace empowers us to become a clearer reflection of His mercy to our hurting world.

God’s grace answers contempt with confirmation. Herod and his soldiers’ contempt produced a confirmation of Christ as sovereign over this and every other moment that led Him to Calvary’s cross. Christ’s quiet confidence before His accusers reminds us of the attitude of Daniel’s friends in a similar confrontation… “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, ‘O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king’” (Daniel 3:16-17). When we imitate the quiet confidence of Christ before our enemies, God’s grace confirms His sovereignty over our lives because we are His children.

God’s grace turns conspiracy into cooperation. Herod’s conspiracy with Pilate unwittingly promoted their cooperation with Christ as the Lord turned their unholy alliance into a stepping stone toward Calvary’s cross. The Spirit inspired David to declare that the corrupt hearts of unholy rulers will always conspire against the coming rule of Christ… “The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying, ‘Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us’” (Psalm 2:2-3). When we imitate the meekness of Christ when confronted by the power of the world, God’s grace grants us a victory that gives glory to Christ, the King of kings.

As we grow up into Christ, imitating His humility and compassion, we show the world…

The Grace that Empowers Us.

The Politics that Really Matter

Then the whole company of them arose and brought him before Pilate.  And they began to accuse him, saying, “We found this man misleading our nation and forbidding us to give tribute to Caesar, and saying that he himself is Christ, a king.”  And Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” And he answered him, “You have said so.”  Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, “I find no guilt in this man.”  But they were urgent, saying, “He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee even to this place” (Luke 23:1-5).

The Jews were subject to Roman rule and they could not sentence a man to death. They had to use the Roman judicial system to achieve their wicked goal, but the Roman Governor, Pontius Pilate, was not a Jew. He did not care less that this carpenter claimed to be the Son of God. The Jewish elders had to conspire to present Jesus as a threat to the political stability of Judea and to the position and power of Pilate himself. Like the Jews of Christ’s day, we often get caught up in the petty politics of our day. We may believe that our success and happiness are dependent on the right winner in the latest national, state, or local election. We sometimes believe that our peace and prosperity depend on maintaining our power and position at work or even in our local church. The impotence of the conspiracy and inaccuracy of the charges leveled against Christ prompted a declaration of innocence from the lips of Pilate, and they serve as an exhortation to us to stay focused on the politics that really matter.

Jesus was accused of perverting the nation. In reality, Jesus Christ came to purify the perverted Jewish nation. God chose the Jews to bring the Messiah to the world… “You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed’” (Acts 3:25). Before becoming King, Jesus wants to be the Savior of both Jews and Gentiles… “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16).

Jesus was accused of preventing tribute to Caesar. Nothing could be farther from the truth as we recall His very direct admonition… “’Show me a denarius. Whose likeness and inscription does it have?’ They said, ‘Caesar’s.’  He said to them, ‘Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s’” (Luke 20:24-25). The future problem would be the Caesars and other earthly kings that seek to be worshipped as gods. In the heart of a true disciple, there is room for only one to be worshipped as served as King… “No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other” (Luke 16:13). We are to obey earthly kings, but worship and obey Jesus, the King of kings… “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever” (Revelation 11:15).

Jesus was accused of presenting Himself as a king. Here in the presence of Pilate, Jesus refused to declare that He was the King of the Jews. The Spirit inspired Luke to record here that Jesus merely noted that Pilate said He was King of the Jews. The same Spirit moved John to include more detail in His record of this encounter… “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world” (John 18:36). Convinced that Jesus was nothing more than a religious conspirator and therefore a threat only to the complaining Jewish leaders, Pilate declared, “I find no guilt in this man”. Unbelieving accusers have often tried to install Christ as an earthly ruler. As recently as 2006, Poland’s parliament had scheduled a serious vote make Jesus Christ the Honorary King of Poland… http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,237824,00.html. True believers have experienced the blessings of Christ’s rule in their hearts here on earth and eagerly anticipate His eternal rule in heaven… “On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords” (Revelation 19:16).

As we grow up into Christ, we anticipate His eternal reign as we keep our hearts set upon…

The Politics that Really Matter.

The Grace that Saves Us

When day came, the assembly of the elders of the people gathered together, both chief priests and scribes. And they led him away to their council, and they said, “If you are the Christ, tell us.” But he said to them, “If I tell you, you will not believe, and if I ask you, you will not answer. But from now on the Son of Man shall be seated at the right hand of the power of God.” So they all said, “Are you the Son of God, then?” And he said to them, “You say that I am.” Then they said, “What further testimony do we need? We have heard it ourselves from his own lips” (Luke 22:66-71).

Here is a climactic encounter between priests, scribes, and Jesus Christ. Those responsible for the spiritual growth of God’s children are brought face to face with God’s Son. These men were supposed to prepare the hearts of the people to recognize and receive the Messiah, yet in this moment they came face to face with the Christ, and they themselves could not believe in Him. Despite several firsthand encounters with the His authoritative teaching and miracle working power, they could not acknowledge Him, even if He personally confirmed His true identity to them. In fact, Jesus turned the tables and reminded them that they had already accused Him of being the Son of God. In this close encounter with Christ we are reminded of the total depravity of sinful mankind, and of our desperate need for God’s grace that we might believe in His Son, Jesus Christ… “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8). Today we are reminded that the difference between us and the unbelieving world around us is the grace that saves us.

Personal contact with Christ is not enough. Christ lives in the heart of every truly born-again believer… “Because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’” (Galatians 4:6). Every time we speak His name, share His word, and offer His love, people are confronted with Jesus. Just like the religious leaders of His day, those confronted with Jesus today will not believe in Him unless the grace of God frees them to… “Even when we were dead in our trespasses, (God) made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved” (Ephesians 2:5).

Powerful confrontation with Christ is not enough. His accusers had witnessed His miracles. Most recently Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead! Still, they did not believe He was the Son of God. Like the religious leaders of Jesus’ day, most people in our day deny the evidence of God’s creative and redemptive power all around us… “For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse” (Romans 1:20). God’s grace enables us to believe in Jesus Christ even when we do not see His supernatural power… “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29).

Public confession of Christ is not enough. Jesus reminded His accusers that they had previously confessed that He is the Son of God. However, such a confession does not indicate saving faith as even the demons and unclean spirits acknowledge the same… “You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!” (James 2:19). In another discourse, Jesus prophesied that many would publicly confess His name but not trust Him as Savior and be saved… “On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness’” (Matthew 7:22-23). Confessing that we are hopeless sinners apart from the atoning death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is evidence that our heart and mind have been transformed by His grace… “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved” (Romans 10:9-10). Only grace enabled faith saves us.

As we grow up into Christ, we better recognize, revere, and reflect…

The Grace that Saves Us.

The Humiliation that Exalts Us

Now the men who were holding Jesus in custody were mocking him as they beat him. They also blindfolded him and kept asking him, “Prophesy! Who is it that struck you?” And they said many other things against him, blaspheming him” (Luke 22:63-65).

Human beings binding, beating, and blaspheming their Creator? These are the consequences of Christ’s willing surrender to His earthly captors… “For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father” (John 10:17-18). The men who thought they were Jesus’ captors were unaware and in denial of His true identity… “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14). We get it because the grace of God has opened our eyes to see the true identity of Jesus Christ… “But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear” (Matthew 13:16). Today, the Holy Spirit gives us a breathtaking glimpse of the humiliation that exalts us.

He was bound that we might be free. Christ is praised and worshipped by all of creation… “At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth” (Philippians 2:10). Yet he was imprisoned and mocked by men. The Holy Spirit reveals that through His captivity, Jesus Christ was setting us free from bondage to sin… “To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen” (Revelation 1:5-6). We are delivered from sin’s guilt through the beating and humiliation of Christ on the way to Calvary and on Calvary’s cross.

He was beaten that we might be healed. Christ is the perfect, spotless Lamb of God… “You were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot” (1 Peter 1:18-19). Yet He was beaten and bruised by men. Through His physical humiliation and beating, He offers us healing… “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed” (1 Peter 2:24). We are delivered from sin’s disease through the beating and humiliation of Christ on the way to Calvary and on Calvary’s cross.

He was blasphemed that we might be sanctified. Here is a clear definition and illustration of blasphemy, that is to defame, revile, and deny the true character of God that was so clearly revealed by the Holy Spirit in the life of Jesus Christ. They could not blindfold God who sees everything... “The LORD looks down from heaven; he sees all the children of man; from where he sits enthroned he looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth, he who fashions the hearts of them all and observes all their deeds” (Psalm 33:13-15). They could only pretend that God who knows what’s in the heart of man did not know who struck Him... “Sheol and Abaddon lie open before the LORD; how much more the hearts of the children of man!” (Proverbs 15:11). Blasphemy is an unforgivable sin because to deny the divinity of Christ is to deny the Holy Spirit’s testimony that He is the Savior… “I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God, but the one who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God. And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven” (Luke 12:8-10). Christ’s surrender to the humiliation and blasphemies of His captors led to His exaltation on the cross and to the believer’s promise of exaltation in glory… “Our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself” (Philippians 3:20-21). We have grace to live above sin through the blasphemy and humiliation of Christ on the way to Calvary and on Calvary’s cross.

As we grow up into Christ, we are being prepared for eternity with Him by understanding…

The Humiliation that Exalts Us.

The Denial that Haunts Us

Then they seized him and led him away, bringing him into the high priest’s house, and Peter was following at a distance. And when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat down among them. Then a servant girl, seeing him as he sat in the light and looking closely at him, said, “This man also was with him.” But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know him.” And a little later someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.” But Peter said, “Man, I am not.” And after an interval of about an hour still another insisted, saying, “Certainly this man also was with him, for he too is a Galilean.” But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about.” And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly (Luke 22:54-62).

At the very hour when the Son of God surrendered to the chains of man so that man might be set free from the chains of sin, one of His leading disciples surrendered to another kind of bondage. Peter was the disciple who was called to the office of apostle by Christ Himself. He heard the teaching and sermons of Christ and saw his miracles up close. Peter had seen Christ’s transfiguration and he had walked on water to get to him. The Holy Spirit gave him revelation and moved him to confess that Jesus was the Christ… “‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ And Jesus answered him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven’” (Matthew 16:16-17). Yet, here we see and hear Peter increase his distance from Jesus, saying he was never with Him, he was not a disciple of Jesus, and he knew nothing about Him. His denial pricks our heart because deep inside we know we are much like Peter. There is a part of us too that is vulnerable to the denial that haunts us.

The root of denial is planted in our flesh. Like Peter, we all have a fleshly human nature. It is temporal and vulnerable to temptation and sin. The Spirit inspired Paul to write about how the flesh wars against the born-again spirit within us… “I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members” (Romans 7:23). Jesus was aware of this battle over the soul of Peter and He is aware of the same battle going on within us today. He came, paid for sin, and places His Spirit in our hearts so we might have His grace working in us to give us increasing victory over temptation and sin… “We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin” (Romans 6:6). As we mature in the faith, God’s grace helps us see every temptation as an opportunity to deny Christ and His victory over sin or as an opportunity to choose to live in His victory over sin… “So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:11).

The robustness of denial is propelled by distance from Christ. Like peter, we sometimes follow Jesus “at a distance”. Being a Christ follower in a rebellious world is not easy, and sometimes we visit Jesus at church and occasionally in Bible study, but staying close to Him at work or around family and friends can be costly. Our flesh and the anti-Christian culture around us relentlessly push us away from Christ and our best defense is always a closer walk with Him… “If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:6-7).

The ruin of denial is produced by intimacy with Christ. If we’re truly born again, then like Peter, the look and the word of Christ will convict and compel our hearts to return to Him to receive forgiveness and cleansing whenever we have denied Him by yielding to temptation… “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:8-9).

As we grow up into Christ, staying close to Him, His grace empowers us to increasingly overcome…

The Denial that Haunts Us.

The Light that Overcomes the Power of Darkness

While he was still speaking, there came a crowd, and the man called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He drew near to Jesus to kiss him, but Jesus said to him, “Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?” And when those who were around him saw what would follow, they said, “Lord, shall we strike with the sword?” And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear. But Jesus said, “No more of this!” And he touched his ear and healed him. Then Jesus said to the chief priests and officers of the temple and elders, who had come out against him, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs? When I was with you day after day in the temple, you did not lay hands on me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness” (Luke 22:47-53).

One of our biggest fears is the fear of the dark. Perhaps it’s because in the dark we feel insecure and vulnerable to what we cannot see going on around us. In the dark, we feel lost and unsure about which way to go. Darkness stirs up deep feelings of helplessness and hopelessness. But in truth, darkness is merely the absence of light. We can study light but not darkness. We cannot measure darkness. A single ray of light can break into a world of darkness and illuminate it. We can know how dark a certain space is only by measuring the amount of light present. Darkness is a term we use to describe what happens when there is no light present. Jesus called the time of His betrayal the hour of “the power of darkness”. As the disciples kept their eyes on Christ in the midst of this dark hour they saw a brilliant revelation of His amazing light… “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). If we keep our focus on Christ in the midst of our journey through this dark and temporal world, we too will often see the light that overcomes the power of darkness.

There is the deception of darkness. Judas’ betrayal of his friend with a kiss, the religious leaders’ unwarranted attack with swords and clubs, and the disciples’ hasty surrender to the temptation to defend the Lord with their swords, all were evidence of the deception and darkness of this hour. The confusion and irrationality of the characters in this scene are convincing evidence that the spiritual enemies of Christ were flexing their muscles and exercising their powers of darkness in this hour… “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12). Diligent disciples can be sure that the same enemies of Christ will try to cover our lives in darkness whenever we are advancing the kingdom or growing in the faith, but we have a precious Holy Spirit inspired assurance and exhortation about our position in Jesus Christ for times like these… “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son” (Colossians 1:13). The darker the world around us, the brighter the light of Christ within us!

There is the dawn over darkness. The light of Christ broke through the darkness of that garden encounter in several ways. There was the revelation of the betrayer, the healing of the servant’s ear, the sovereignty of Christ as He surrendered to His Father’s will by surrendering to His enemies. This was a strange new experience for the first disciples, but we see the light of Christ when we revisit that dark scene because we have been walking with Him for some time now… “At one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light” (Ephesians 5:8). The darker the world gets around a diligent disciple, the more sensitive to the light of Christ we become.

There is the destruction of darkness. The light of Christ shone brightly in the dark garden. As we journey through this dark world we are immersed in darkness from time to time, but we are assured that it cannot overcome us as we are filled with Christ’s life and light… “In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:4-5). The darker the world becomes the more brightly Christ’s light shines through the life of His disciple.

As we grow up into Christ, we reflect His light more clearly to this dark world because He is…

The Light that Overcomes the Power of Darkness.