Jesus is a polarizing figure in the greatest of ways. You cannot be neutral when it comes to Jesus. The story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead is the perfect example. The Bible tells us that after that amazing miracle, some people believed in him as Messiah, and some people went straight to the religious leaders to tell them because they were filled with evil motives. Some followed Jesus; some rejected Jesus.
What we must understand is that truth has an enemy! When you speak the truth, it has a way of exposing people’s hidden agendas. It has a way of causing people to fight back, fearing that they are on the verge of losing what they hold dear – power, prosperity, pleasure, prestige, etc. We are in the middle of a political season, and while I don’t think we should make politics a focus of our church, there are some things that are moral and not political. When you choose to speak out against those evil things, you will have people who pushback against you! Sadly, sometimes professing Christians are the greatest culprits!
For the hypocritical religious leaders, they were afraid that if they “continued to let Jesus do what he was doing” more people would come over to his side causing the Roman government to tighten its grip on the Jewish people. They didn’t want their “little worlds” to be disrupted. The fact is that they were right. Jesus does disrupt our lives, but in all the right ways. He calls us to continually confess and repent of our sins. He continuously calls us to do what is countercultural like loving those who have hurt us, giving instead of taking, and making eternal priorities more important than earthly priorities. Jesus is a glorious disrupter!
Truth has an enemy. The hypocritical religious leaders only cared about themselves. When I look at our present culture, I see a lot of people who only care about themselves. Make sure you are not this kind of person. Also, realize that God is in control even when it doesn’t feel like it. Literally, he gave Caiaphas, the high priest, a prophecy about Jesus that was true. Jesus would in fact die for the entire nation for the will of God to be accomplished. Always, remember that God can and often uses his enemies to help accomplish his will. That should give us confidence in the fact that he is in full control!
Evil always has a plan to silence truth! These people filled with venom were ready to do whatever it took to silence Jesus. They were ready to arrest Jesus. What they underestimated is that Jesus would die on The Cross in God the Father’s timing and not their timing. Remember, that God’s timing is perfect.
In the days to come, we need Christians who will not be silent on moral issues! We need Christians who will prayerfully consider who they will vote for in November! I recently told my wife that I am not willing to be silent as a pastor. I believe that God has called me to stand for truth in “such a time as this!” I also told her that if people get upset with me and leave Emmanuel, that is the price that I am willing to pay for honoring God! Remember, last week’s sermon – we exist to honor God! That is what I intend to do the rest of my life, and I am praying that you will join me! Remember, truth has an enemy...but God has a greater purpose!
What we must understand is that truth has an enemy! When you speak the truth, it has a way of exposing people’s hidden agendas. It has a way of causing people to fight back, fearing that they are on the verge of losing what they hold dear – power, prosperity, pleasure, prestige, etc. We are in the middle of a political season, and while I don’t think we should make politics a focus of our church, there are some things that are moral and not political. When you choose to speak out against those evil things, you will have people who pushback against you! Sadly, sometimes professing Christians are the greatest culprits!
For the hypocritical religious leaders, they were afraid that if they “continued to let Jesus do what he was doing” more people would come over to his side causing the Roman government to tighten its grip on the Jewish people. They didn’t want their “little worlds” to be disrupted. The fact is that they were right. Jesus does disrupt our lives, but in all the right ways. He calls us to continually confess and repent of our sins. He continuously calls us to do what is countercultural like loving those who have hurt us, giving instead of taking, and making eternal priorities more important than earthly priorities. Jesus is a glorious disrupter!
Truth has an enemy. The hypocritical religious leaders only cared about themselves. When I look at our present culture, I see a lot of people who only care about themselves. Make sure you are not this kind of person. Also, realize that God is in control even when it doesn’t feel like it. Literally, he gave Caiaphas, the high priest, a prophecy about Jesus that was true. Jesus would in fact die for the entire nation for the will of God to be accomplished. Always, remember that God can and often uses his enemies to help accomplish his will. That should give us confidence in the fact that he is in full control!
Evil always has a plan to silence truth! These people filled with venom were ready to do whatever it took to silence Jesus. They were ready to arrest Jesus. What they underestimated is that Jesus would die on The Cross in God the Father’s timing and not their timing. Remember, that God’s timing is perfect.
In the days to come, we need Christians who will not be silent on moral issues! We need Christians who will prayerfully consider who they will vote for in November! I recently told my wife that I am not willing to be silent as a pastor. I believe that God has called me to stand for truth in “such a time as this!” I also told her that if people get upset with me and leave Emmanuel, that is the price that I am willing to pay for honoring God! Remember, last week’s sermon – we exist to honor God! That is what I intend to do the rest of my life, and I am praying that you will join me! Remember, truth has an enemy...but God has a greater purpose!