Office Devotions: A Prophetic Psalm

Psalm 22:7-8              All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads:

 "He trusts in the LORD; let the LORD rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him."

It’s amazing to think that Psalm 22 was written centuries before Christ died on the Cross, because many of its verses are teeming with prophecies about Jesus’ experiences at Calvary. Today’s passage, for instance, is a prophecy about those who mocked Jesus at the foot of the Cross. They added to His injuries by raging against Christ. As it states in both the psalm and the Gospels, they hurled insults against Him culminating in a mocking accusation of “He trusts in God; let God rescue Him!”

It must have tormented Jesus to hear those hurtful words from His own people. He had spent three years trying to draw them closer to God through grace, love, and peace. But the mob gathered at Calvary didn’t want to hear “All you need is love.” They didn’t want a Messiah who forgave their enemies. They didn’t want a leader who brought about change through helping the weak and healing the sick. They wanted a Christ who obliterated their enemies; they wanted a Champion who would kick the Romans out of the Promised Land.

And so, when Jesus failed to live up to their expectations, they turned against Him and mocked His powerlessness as He agonizingly died upon the Cross.

In some places and with other people, Christ and Christianity still face those torments. Atheists despise us and blame Christianity for all of the wars in the last two thousand years. Advocates of progressive change try to diminish our relevance and message by equating our Faith with other religions. Or they mock our Faith by revising and rewriting history in order to exclude the influence that Christianity has had upon Western Society and throughout the world.

But as long as Time exists and people remain on this planet, Christ’s words and ways will endure, despite the challenges and criticisms of our Faith. The Cross did not end Jesus’ global ministry; it actually began there. The Calvary mockers may have died 1900 years ago and turned to dust, but the Spirit of Christ endures and His mission remains.

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, thank You for Your power that prevails and Your words that will not go away. Thank You for enduring on the Cross so that the penalty for sin could finally be paid. Without You, our world would not be the same. With You, we have a hope that continues throughout eternity. In Your Holy Name, we thankfully pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message or offer feedback, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Office Devotions: R & F

Luke 24:47 …and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in His Name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

It’s hard to preach this kind of message in today’s world. With so many people turning away from the Church, society is beginning to make up its own rules and regulations about what is and isn’t moral. Children who are given no boundaries, for instance, grow up with savage natures. People who have no conception of God, do not see any need for either repentance or forgiveness. The Church itself, which is supposed to be the faithful fence-keeper which keeps the boundaries intact, has sadly diminished its role and responsibility by relinquishing its devotion to Christ.

It’s almost as if we’ve turned back the clock and are living once again in New Testament times. Christians who lived in that world were surrounded by pagan temples, idols, and gods. People were superstitious and fearful, living their anxious lives and expecting disaster to be brought upon them by the wrath of the gods.

But Christianity changed all of that by revealing Christ’s grace, restoring hope into an unhappy world, and showing people how to live their lives positively and productively by adhering to the Christian creed. It didn’t happen overnight because it took about 400 years to complete and many good Christian people sacrificed their lives rather than give up their beliefs about Jesus.

It seems to me that the Western Church is wasting its well earned faith by embracing the world on society’s terms. We give up on the good far too easily and accept the mediocre far too readily. All of us need to repent, to confess that we have allowed the world and all of its distractions to make our faith easier instead of stronger. It’s time to ask Christ for forgiveness for straying away from Him, the Gospel, and God’s Word. The Church needs to re-Christianize itself and de-modernize its mistaken ideas. Instead of merging with the world and emerging as a social Christless institution, we need to re-immerse ourselves in New Testament Christianity and be humbly aware that boundaries do exist. Rather than re-invent the Gospels to accommodate our societal beliefs, we need to return to Jesus and follow Him.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we have allowed ourselves to stray from Your path by indulging our feelings rather than securing our faith. We repent of our reckless ways and seek Your forgiveness. Allow us the gift of discernment and the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Restore us to Your Kingdom and God’s favor forevermore. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor at Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s devotional, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.