[When Jesus was teaching in the temple courts, the people rejected his teaching, and] they tried to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his time had not yet come. Still, many in the crowd put their faith in him. They said, "When the Christ comes, will he do more miraculous signs than this man?"
The enemies of Jesus tried repeatedly to seize him. Yet the Gospel of John reminds us again and again that no one could seize Jesus until he offered himself to them at the right time according to God's plan. Jesus followed God's timetable just as carefully as he obeyed his Father's will. So, we can know with absolute assurance that when Jesus died, he did so to redeem us and obey his Father's will. The Lord did not die because he was powerless to defend himself. Jesus' death was voluntary, a sacrifice, a triumph of his obedience to his Father's will over his own will for preservation. Yes, wicked people were responsible, but his death was also the plan of God to redeem us! Jesus obeyed, and we are saved! He offered himself as a sacrifice at the right time, God's time, so we could be adopted into the Father's family and be freed of our bondage to sin, death, hell, and the evil one!
My Prayer...
Lord Jesus, I thank you for honoring our Father and being obedient to him and his timing in your life. Thank you for choosing to die for me and redeem me from my sin. Thank you, dear Father, for such an incredible display of love and mercy that cost you so much. Please give me a more profound sense of my worth and significance to you, because I know the great price you paid to redeem and adopt me. In Jesus' holy name I pray. Amen.
"It is the duty of nations as well as of men to own their own independence upon the overruling power of God ... and to recognize the sublime truth announced in....."
"If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins..."
"So you received the message with joy from the Holy Spirit in spite of the severe suffering it brought you. In this way, you imitated both us and the Lord. "
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