Scripture

No one can kill Me without My consent--I lay down My life voluntarily. I have the right and the power to lay it down when I want to and I have the right and the power to take it up again. For the Father has given Me this right.

~John 10:18, LNT

Quote

If Jesus had not willingly laid His life down, no man nor group of men would have been able to take it.

~Gregg A. Lane

The Jews conspired to have Jesus crucified and the Romans crucified HIM but not without His consent and help. Jesus knew exactly when He would die and how. Although things seemed out of control to others, they were never out of His control. He was crucified in weakness because He made Himself weak. The Jews had attempted to kill him at least three times that we know of and failed because it was not His time and He was the one who choose the time. Had He not been feeling the weight of our sin and guilt descending upon, He would probably have laughed at the mob who came to arrest Him. By the power of His countenance alone, He knocked them flat of their backs and He could have kept them there had He so willed but He put out His hands to be bound by their puny ropes and chains. If He was at our mercy, it was because He choose to be. Of course, the Jews and the Romans were ignorant as Jesus indicates with His prayer from the cross, “Father forgive them, because they do not know what they are doing.” Neither did they know what God was doing.

Four times in John 10 Jesus says, “No one takes My life, I lay it down,” [10:11,15,17,18]. I mentioned yesterday that no one could find a single fault in Jesus life. Pilate couldn’t find one, neither could Herod and the Sanhedrin was getting nowhere until Jesus helped them out. Pilate could not get over the fact that Jesus would not defend Himself but Jesus refused to defend Himself for a reason but there was one thing that Jesus would not do, He would not deny His true identity. When Caiaphas asked Him if He was the Son of God, Jesus said “yes” and this was blasphemy to the Jews and their only grounds for crucifying Him.

I know, to everyone else, other than Jesus, things looked out of control. It looked like a day of darkness and defeat but it was anything but a defeat. Let it be a reminder to us that when things look hopeless, they are not. When things appear to be out of control, they are not. God is in absolute control. He works through the sin, chaos and madness to achieve His purpose.

• Hump day in VBS and I am exhausted and it is not just from VBS, its from staying on the dead run. We are having a great school.
• The cool spell was nice but it looks to be over. The good news is the heat will dry out the wheat so they can harvest their crop.

The Kick is up and Good!

Day Three of VBS was a VICTORY

Total Attendance 223…Total Enrollment 241

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