While it’s tempting to think of Jesus as simply a helpless victim of injustice, Scripture makes it clear that Jesus willingly chose to suffer and die for very specific reasons which we need to understand and properly respond to.
To Know Him and Make Him Known
Sermons on Matthew
When deciding the question of who Jesus really was, it’s tempting to want to stay neutral and put it off until later. Pontius Pilate’s story shows us that you can’t maintain that neutrality forever – at some point you will have to make a decision, and that decision will have eternal consequences.
It’s natural to have a war raging within us between our will and God’s will. We can win this war as Jesus did, by running to God and struggling with Him in prayer. As we do so, we will remember who He is until we can surrender to Him and His plan.
Sermon Summary: Jesus targeted the bad leadership of the religious leaders of his day for their lack of courage, their resistance to revelation, their unwillingness to admit their mistakes, and their cynical pragmatism. He came to offer a new kind of leadership that Israel desperately needed.
When we take a closer look at the Triumphal Entry, we see Jesus asserting His right to be a different kind of king, one who values substance over style, demands proper respect for God, and serves anyone who needs Him. As His subjects, we must see Him as He is and accept Him for who…
I fear that the American church in 2021 has lost sight of its God-appointed purpose. The first step to rediscovering that purpose is to remember Who our Father is and who He has said that we are.
If you have a sneaking suspicion that Christmas HAS to mean more than what our culture is telling you, you’re not the first – but you will have to go on a quest for answers. As you do, I advise you to follow the example of the first “Christmas Chasers” – the wise men.