FBC Daily Devotional – October 28, 2021

Well, good morning. Good Thursday morning to you. And here we are nearing the end of another week and today we're looking in John chapter 18 and 19 and of course coming to the at the crucifixion and the death of Jesus and by the way, just looking at that crucifixion itself it it's poignant for us to think about the fact and to remind ourselves of the truth that The one who knew no sin whatsoever the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Innocence of Christ and the Meaning of the Cross

He knew no sin and he was Admittedly guilty of no legal malfeasance at all. I mean Pilate said I don't see any problem with this. There's no there's nothing nothing in this man that deserves death. No legal mouth even malfeasance at all.

But he is Executed he's executed like a hardened violent criminal. This is a travesty of human justice. But it's one that he gave himself willingly to accept why. Because it's the travesty that we deserve.

It's the it's the penalty for our sin that we deserve and he took that upon himself. That he might settle divine justice in our place. Oh What Wondrous love is this? Oh my soul the hymn writers said it's good to ponder that to think through of what the sinless Savior did for sinful Wretched sinners as we are but before getting to that death on the cross Jesus there are two things that happen.

Peter's Denial and Bitter Weeping

That deal with pride and One of them is the pride of Peter. You remember Peter's pride. Jesus had told his disciples that that night all his disciples would would deny him. They turned from him. They'd leave and Peter, you know old Peter says not me not me.

I'll never forsake. I'll never forsake you. I'll never leave you. I'll be true to you to the end, you know, I'll die for you. And Jesus says it's not the way it's gonna be before the rooster crows three times you're gonna deny you before the rooster crows twice you're gonna deny me three times and That's exactly exactly what happened in chapter 18 verses 25 through 27.

Peter is asked in these couple of occasions Aren't you one of his disciples? He says no. No, I am NOT. Another one comes and says you're one of those disciples of his aren't you? No, I'm not one of his disciples.

And then another one says didn't I see you in the garden with him? And Peter denied it again and Then the rooster crowed we know from the other gospel writers that a couple of things happened at that point what Luke tells us that Peter looked at Jesus and Jesus looked at Peter.

They saw it looked each other in the eye and then Peter went out and wept. Bitterly no doubt no doubt he who had so proudly Proclaimed his loyalty to Jesus has just been utterly humbled by his own denial.

Christ's Authority Before Pilate

There's another place where pride occurs in this whole trial and goings back and forth and that's when Jesus is standing before Pilate and Pilate keeps interrogating him asking him these different questions and so forth and Jesus doesn't really answer him anything just stays quiet and then Pilate said Where are you from?

Jesus didn't answer him. Pilate's getting pretty frustrated at this point. He says listen, you're not speaking to me. Don't you know that I have the power or the authority to crucify you and I have the authority to release you.

Oh Look at me. Look at the power. Look at the authority. I have he says and he's taking all of this upon himself, but Jesus responds to him and puts him in his place and He says you could have no power at all Against me unless it had been given you from above.

Your power is a delegated power. It's a delegated. It's a derived authority. You don't have it in and of yourself. It's been given from above and I think I wish I wish every government official would understand that and it would really Get down in his heart and in his soul.

If every government official would understand that it's that the government's authority is not Terminal that is resting in itself. But it is derived that it's delegated from above from God. They would have a much more humble attitude in enacting laws and treating, you know people and Making decisions for people's lives and so on and so forth.

Government Authority Is Derived from God

The other thing to keep in mind regarding that is that if government's authority is Derived from God that government can only go so far. It'll only go as far as God allows it to go. Let that encourage you in this particular day.

I don't know about you, but I get pretty troubled when I'm seeing all of the different ways the government is Overreaching in its exercise of authority. I mean, I understand that they've scaled back on this idea now, but the the talk in this multi-trillion dollar plan to to monitor Every expenditure in your bank account when you know gets to be more than six hundred dollars.

I mean that is that's pretty significant snooping and in my My opinion my understanding that's an overreach that's a governmental overreach but that's just okay, I didn't mean to get political and get off on that but but that's but but the point is that when we get troubled by the arrogance of government that that goes too far and Proudly expresses its, you know flexes its muscles.

Let's keep in mind Like it couldn't have any authority but what's given from above and God will only let a government exercise that authority so far. So let's be encouraged by that All right. Well as we pray today, let's give thanks to the Lord for our Savior and his gracious and merciful sacrifice on the cross for our sins.

Thanksgiving for the Savior's Sacrifice

We do thank you father. We thank you that you so loved the world in this way you gave your only begotten Son. That whoever would believe on him would not perish but have everlasting life. We thank you Lord Jesus for enduring the agonies of the cross the injustice of it all that you might take upon yourself our sin and Bear that sin in your own body on that cross on that tree.

Thank you, and we praise you for your mercy for your grace for your for your sacrifice for our salvation. Now Lord, I pray bless these thoughts to our hearts today and we ask it in Jesus name. All right.

Well, have a good rest of your Thursday, and I trust God will bless you richly in a good day.