Latest / The Daily Word / August 17 – Don’t Let Religion Get in the Way
Transcript
- Cory Barnes: Well hello and happy August seventeenth. Pastor Jenny here and today as we continue in the life journal plan, we are in John chapter nineteen, which takes us into Jesus being sentenced to death, walks us through the crucifixion and the burial of Jesus. Man, I don't know about you, but there's a couple things that can go through my mind. as I read through this passage of scripture. And one of those being, I think it can perhaps be easy to even maybe skim over this passage because of maybe how familiar with this scripture maybe we've become too familiar with the sentencing and the death of Jesus. But I d I'd encourage you as I try to stir myself up each time I come to this portion of scripture. I try to never be too familiar with the death, crucifixion, burial. And then as we get into our reading tomorrow, the resurrection of Jesus. I let that never be too familiar. I ask the Holy Spirit to let that be a Continual renewal of my mind and a refreshing and reminder. For isn't that what communion is each time we take it? When Jesus gave his disciples the bread and the wine, he said, Take this bread, it is my body that is broken for you. Take this cup, it is my blood that is shed for you. Each time you do this. Do it in remembrance of me and my sacrifice. So if you haven't read today, I encourage you in your reading to not just skim over. Don't be tempted to let this just be another reading. don't let it just be a story, but be reminded, remember the sacrifice that Jesus made. But as I read through this, I I was, I was sitting and I'm thinking of what Jesus went through, of what he did as he sat under Pilate. you know, it chapter nineteen opens with Pilate had Jesus flogged with a lead tipped whip. I think of the pain that he endured. the soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They put a purple robe on him. So not just the physical pain, but the shame that he took upon him. And he was mocked, he was slapped across the face, and then he, you know, walked out, then he carried out that cross. so I'm I'm just thinking of what a gruesome, gruesome scene this was. painful. embarrassing. Just terrible. I mean it was just the most terrible. Not only was everything leading up to the crucifixion painful, embarrassing. just really horrifying. But the crucifixion itself, of course, was the most painful, horrifying death anyone could really d die of. then and even now. And so I I I'm sitting in that, I'm thinking of all of that. But then I really come in on the scripture that stood out to me today, and it was really in John chapter nineteen. verse verses thirty one Particularly thirty one, it says this. Says it was the day of preparation. So this is after Jesus had died. It was the day of preparation, and the Jewish leaders didn't want the bodies, so the body of Jesus and the two criminals beside him, hanging there the next day, which was the Sabbath, and a very special Sabbath, because it was Passover week. So they asked Pilate to hasten their deaths by ordering that their legs be broken. Then their bodies could be taken down. And I just kinda stopped there. And I thought to myself, Wow. Wow, wow, wow. I went back and thought of Luke's description when Jesus said before he died, Lord, forgive them, for they know not what they do. Right before the soldiers in front of him cast divided his garments by throwing dice. But of course he's talking about really everything that's taking place. I read this scripture again. It was the day of preparation, and the Jewish leaders didn't want the bodies hanging there the next day. I thought, hmm. The Jewish leaders didn't want a reminder of the sin that was so obvious in front of them. The thing they knew they shouldn't have done. And why not? Because a very special Sabbath, not just any holy day. It was Passover week. It was a week in which they were supposed to remember the things God had. The very thing God had done for them many years ago, when He had saved them and taken them out of bondage, saved their children, saved their very lives. And I thought, Lord, may that not be me, may that not be us today, that we are so blinded by our sin, so caught up in our sin, that we allow it to consume us, and we get so impassioned by it, and then we say, Okay, now we need to move it aside. To go do our religious activity, because that is what these Jewish leaders did. They were so insistent that Jesus be crucified, that they missed him for who he was, that they got entangled in their own sin. And then they got they they looked upon that and thought, Well, that's gross. I don't want anything to do with that. We need to get that out of the way because I've got religious things to do. There's things that God wants me to do. So I need to move that yuckiness out of the way and I gotta get that to my religious things. may we be very cautious not to do that. Lord, would you help us to with pure hands? Give us pure hands, give us give us clean hands and a pure heart to seek after you and all that we do. Would we not allow ourselves To say what is right and what is wrong. But Lord, you know what is good, what is true, what is pure. Would we keep our eyes fixed on you and know, God, that you are God and we are not? Lord, it is not the religious activity that we are to hold to. For Lord, when we hold to what we want in our way. And then just try to do the holy things, we are lost in our sin. And that's what these Jewish leaders did. They thought they knew the way, but it wasn't their way. For Jesus, you are the way, the truth, and the life. So may we remember that today. Would we hold fast, Jesus, to your words? That that is what I caught today. So I don't know if that speaks to you. but I'm here to share what God is sharing with me, and I pray that it's an encouragement to you. If anything, may you be encouraged and reminded that Jesus He did sacrifice his life, he gave his life. And I know that too often we can get caught up in things that we think are the right way. We think the Jewish leaders thought they were doing the right thing because they thought Jesus was a distraction. They thought Jesus was pulling away from God. But he wasn't. Jesus was God. Jesus was the thing. And then when the very thing that actually came to bring them redemption and salvation The very thing that reminded them of what they had done wrong. They're like, ugh, we need to move that out of the way. I don't want a reminder of that. Because I gotta go get to my holy thing. They never repented. They never it this the scripture doesn't indicate that's what they did. So may we repent and come before the Lord and say, Lord, show us when we're wrong. Show us where we're wrong. May we come before you and know that you are the way, the truth, and the life. So let's pray. God, we come before you and we thank you, Lord, that you are God and we are not. Thank you for Jesus. Thank you, Jesus, that you are the way, the truth, and the life, that in you there is life and life everlasting. Holy Spirit, we invite you to come into every part of our hearts and our lives into every part of our day. Thank you that you are our help. Thank you, Jesus, that you cleanse and purify us. Lord, Holy Spirit, convict us of sin and of righteousness and of judgment. Help us to walk in your ways today. Help us to see Jesus in all that we do, not to walk in religious activity, but to walk in the power of the Spirit. In Jesus' name, amen.