Versaday

And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him and mocked him saying Hail King of the Jews!  Matthew 27:29

At this point even though Pilate had found no fault with Jesus, he gave Him to the soldiers to be beaten with a whip and then to be crucified. He had said he was a King, so they decided to make fun of Him as a mock king. Therefore, after the beating they stripped him, put on him a SCARLET ROBE and platted a CROWN of thorns which thorns they pressed into His brow. Then they placed a reed in his right hand as though it were a SCEPTRE, an emblem of sovereignty.

Probably to the accompaniment of great laughter, they then proceeded to bow the knee before Him in mock worship, saying “Hail, King of the Jews!” Then they spit upon him, and took the reed and hit him with it on the head, after which they led him away to crucify him. The actions of the soldier’s is a good portrait of the unregenerate heart when faced with the excellence, beauty, lovingkindness and greatness of our Savior! He was rejected then and He  is rejected today. But one day, we will see the King in his beauty and glory, and every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of the Father.

Then said Pilate to the chief priests and to the people, I find no fault in this man. Luke 23:4

In the Old Testament, the animals that were to be sacrificed as payment for sin had to be sound in their whole body with no blemish or imperfection at all. That is because they foreshadowed the death of Jesus Christ  who was to be the payment for OUR sins. If there had been sin or imperfection in Him, how could He take away our sin? He would have his own guilt and sin to be responsible for. Jesus was examined closely by Pontius Pilate who gave this verdict: “I find no fault in this man.” Even so, Pilate, to please the crowd, delivered Jesus to them to be crucified: Jesus, of whom John said, “Behold the LAMB of God that taketh away the sin of the world.”

But Jesus said unto him, Judas, betrayest thou the Son of Man with a kiss? Luke 22:48

Judas is the most tragic figure in history; beyond Hitler, Mussolini, or Stalin. As one of the original twelve apostles, He had the  privilege of serving Jesus, listening to His teachings and observing His life. He witnessed firsthand the miracles and character of our Lord and had the potential for greatness. But with all these advantages and benefits, he lives in history as a thief, and traitor; as one who played a key role in the events that led to our Lord’s crucifixion. Notice how he did it; not with a frown or a curse, but with a kiss.  Smiling faces sometimes hide the truth. Do we pretend to honor Jesus while living in sin and serving only ourselves . You have the potential for great accomplishments if you will surrender yourself to Jesus and allow Him to live through you a life worthy of praise, and full of purpose; a life culminating in eternal life. Not today? Perhaps tomorrow? Is not this idea of service at a future time  just a  kiss that we offer to Jesus?  “Betrayest thou the Son of Man with a kiss?”

The Son of Man shall be delivered into the hands of men. Luke 9:44

Jesus announces to His disciples His arrest and the events leading to the cross of Calvary. He was not taken by surprise. In the counsels of eternity past, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit had planned and agreed on the sacrificial sufferings of Jesus as the only way that humanity’s debt of evil, sin and rebellion could be atoned for. It was the only way, and Jesus came willingly, telling the Father, “I delight to do thy will 0 LORD.”  The next verse tells us that the disciples did not understand this at all. Isn’t that the way of the world?  The LORD of glory has paid the price for our sins, and at this moment is preparing an eternity of bliss of which we cannot even form any idea, and these remarkable, wonderful truths are met with a yawn, a blank face, or even anger;  but know this: YOUR ETERNAL DESTINY is decided by what you do with Jesus.

I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. John 17:4

It honors God when we have worthy goals and worthwhile tasks to do, and then we perform them well and complete them. Jesus brought glory to the Father by coming to this world and living a perfect life. Now what lay before Him was the struggle in prayer in Gethsemane, His outrageous arrest, the mock trial before Pilate, and the excruciating agony of the crucifixion. His heart was so completely set on fulfilling the will of the Father and enduring the suffering of the cross, that He could say: “I have finished the work that thou gavest me to do”. 

God has a work for US to do: to live soberly and righteously in this present evil world, letting our light shine before men that they may see our good works, and GLORIFY  our Father in heaven, letting our life and example say to all the world, Jesus is my LORD, and my Savior; I serve Him and honor Him, and it is the purpose of my life to please Him and to walk worthy of the One who has called me to glory; to be able to say, “I have FINISHED the work that thou gavest me to do.”

For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. 1 Corinthians 1:18

When Satan deluded our first parents into disobedience to God, I am sure he felt that the situation was irreparable. Sin must be punished and one sin leads to another so that it is a hopeless, downward spiral. Even among the angels, who could have conceived that God would devise the plan of salvation by sending His own Son to pay our rebellion, evil and sin. To those in this world who are lost, and perishing in their sins, this Gospel is foolishness. But to those of us who are saved it is manna for the hungry, and drink for the thirsty; it is the power of God and the wisdom of God and the unspeakable love and mercy of our heavenly Father; it is life, blessing, redemption and salvation. What is it to you?

But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19

Whatever  your needs are, your heavenly father is mindful of them, and here is a promise for you. Whether you have medical expenses, school expenses, living expenses, if you are surrendered to God’s will and living for Him, He will supply your needs. The hand that feeds the sparrow will not be unmindful of His children. He will supply your need according to His riches. He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. All wealth is His. Commit your heart and your needs to Him and remember,  whatever your problem or legitimate need , Jesus never fails. Only go to Him.

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness 2 Timothy 3:16

Literally all scripture is “God breathed”. And its’ contents bear this out. There is a unity to it that can only be experienced, and it IS experienced by all that read it reverently. First, the central theme of the Bible is the unfolding drama of redemption. It shows us our guilt, God’s demands, the necessity of punishment for disobedience, our inability to make restitution and satisfaction to God, and God solving the problem by sending His own Son to suffer and die in payment of the penalty that our sins deserve. Secondly is the beautiful character of Jesus our Savior. Who could invent such a character. Tolstoy, Dickens, and Chaucer combined could not, much less fishermen, tax collectors, or anyone else. Jesus character is so sublime and out of our reach that it would be impossible to invent. I appeal to Napolean. He said, “I know men, and I tell you that Jesus was no mere man.” INDEED. He is the precious Lamb of God who died for the sins of the world. He died for YOUR sins. Do you know Him?

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28

When we become concerned about our life-style and our guilt before God, we become burdened and depressed. This is called conviction of sin, and means that The Holy Spirit is dealing with us about our guilt before God. It gnaws at the back of our mind, and the only way to remove the burden is to have it removed by the only one that can remove it; The Lord Jesus Christ. He knows of our burden of guilt and reveals the ONLY remedy. And what a beautiful invitation made by the only one with the authority to make it. “Come unto ME, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” He is our Creator, and sooner or later you must receive Him as Lord and Savior or be eternally lost.

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. John 14:6

When Jesus told the disciples that He was going away and would prepare a place for them, Thomas said, “We don’t know where  you are going, and so how can we know the way?”  Jesus said, “ I am the way, the truth and the life”. Many liberal-hearted people will tell you that it doesn’t matter which road you take, we will all end up in heaven, no matter which route we took. One man said it is like many people starting at different places to climb a mountain; they all end at the top. Sounds good. The only problem is that it isn’t true. There is not a Buddhist way, a Mohammedan way, a philosophical way, a Christian way, etc. etc.

There is only ONE way. JESUS IS THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE. If all roads would take you where you want to go, you wouldn’t need a road map. If you are in Chicago and take the road west to Los Angeles, you will not end up in New York, no matter how sweet, sincere and liberal-minded you are. If there were multiple ways to heaven, Jesus would not have had to suffer and endure the agony of the cross: He could just as well have stayed in heaven. But praise His name, He was willing to come to this earth, suffer and die in our place to purchase our eternal redemption. Which way are you going?