CLA+

In the early 1900s, laws restricted Black people and immigrants in the US from renting or buying property in Coronado, California. A Black man named Gus Thompson (who'd been born into slavery) had purchased land earlier and built a boarding home in Coronado before the discriminating laws were passed. In 1939, Gus rented to an Asian family, and eventually sold the land to them. Nearly eighty-five years later, after selling the property, some members of the Asian family are donating their proceeds from the sale to help Black college students. They’re also working to name a center at San Diego State University after Gus and his wife, Emma.

Leviticus also speaks of what it means to treat others well. God instructed His people, “Help [the poor] as you would a foreigner and stranger, so they can continue to live among you” (25:35). He instructed the people to treat each other well and fairly, especially those in need. Out of reverent “fear” (v. 36) for Him, they were to help those who’d fallen on hard times and weren’t able to take care of themselves. They were to treat them just as they would treat a “foreigner and stranger” (v. 35)—with hospitality and love.

Gus Thompson and his wife helped a family that didn’t look like them. In return, that family is blessing many other people. Let’s extend God’s compassion to those in need as He helps us reveal His love for them.

Sermon Overview

Scripture Passage: Matthew 27:22

In Matthew 27, Jesus Christ stood on trial before Pilate, and in verse 22, Pilate asked the most personal and pressing question: “What shall I do with Christ?”

What we do with Jesus is an unavoidable decision each of us will make; what we decide—or not decide—will dictate our eternity.

We must consider Pilate’s decision: as the people cried out for Jesus’ death, Pilate’s voice of reason and conscience raised alarm. He examined the evidence and listened to witnesses, including his own wife (see Matthew 27:19), and Jesus Himself, who confessed that He is the King for everyone who is of the truth (see John 18:37).

Though the voices that confronted Pilate clearly revealed the right thing to do, his warped values pressured him to decide otherwise.

Pilate was pressured by public opinion; the people were viciously calling for Jesus’ blood.

Pilate’s pride, position, and possessions were more valuable to him than the innocent man standing before him.

Adrian Rogers explains, “Pilate had to do something with Jesus. He was faced with the inevitable, unavoidable Jesus Christ, and so are you.”

At first, Pilate ignored the issue, then he tried to hand the decision off to someone else. Finally, he decided not to decide.

Matthew 27:24 says, “When Pilate saw that he could not prevail at all, but rather that a tumult was rising, he took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, ‘I am innocent of the blood of this just Person. You see to it.’”

Pilate’s rejection of reason and misplaced values made Jesus’ trial a mockery of justice. Pilate’s “neutral” verdict condemned Jesus to death; with the verdict, Pilate also condemned himself.

We have an opportunity to make a different decision.

Analyzing the evidence from Scripture, the witnesses of the saints, of old and of new, we know Jesus is exactly who He says He is. And perhaps the most crucial witness of them all is God the Father.

1 John 5:9 says, “If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he has testified of his Son.”

We know that Jesus is Lord, because after He was crucified, God reversed the decision of the court and raised Him from the dead!

Apply it to your life

You cannot be neutral about Jesus; you cannot avoid Him, escape Him, or bypass Him: so what will you do with Him?

Derek Stemen is the Vice President of Advancement for LifeWise Academy. In this role, he is helping organize and mobilize a national effort to bring Bible education to public school students during school hours. 

Since its launch in 2019, LifeWise has quickly grown to serve more than 600 schools across the U.S. each week, with over 40,000 students attending LifeWise to receive a Bible class as part of their public school day. 

Before joining LifeWise Academy, Derek served in a variety of nonprofit community roles. He has been a Pastor, served as the Director of Admissions at Bluffton University, and for the past 10 years has served in nonprofit leadership roles. 

Derek lives in Lima, Ohio with his wife, Abby, and their three children.

When leadership collides with crisis, the results can be both devastating and transformative. In this episode, Bishop Geoffrey V. Dudley Sr.—founding and senior pastor of New Life in Christ Church and author of Leading Through Storms: Successfully Navigating Ministry While Maintaining Your Mental Health—shares how moments of deep personal struggle became defining turning points in his ministry and leadership.

Find full show notes here: https://bit.ly/442bishopdudley

Share the love. If you enjoyed this episode, please rate it on Apple Podcasts and write a brief review. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-flourishing-culture-podcast/id1060724960?mt=2  
By doing so, you will help spread our podcast to more listeners, and thereby help more Christian workplaces learn to build flourishing cultures.

| Follow our Host, Al Lopus, on X https://twitter.com/allopus 
| Follow our Host, Al Lopus, on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/allopus/
| Email our host at [email protected]

Send Us Your Prayer Requests

--------

Thank you for listening! Your support of Joni and Friends helps make this show possible.

Joni and Friends envisions a world where every person with a disability finds hope, dignity, and their place in the body of Christ. Become part of the global movement today at www.joniandfriends.org.

Find more encouragement on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube.

Today on BOLD STEPS, Pastor Mark Jobe concludes a powerful message on healing from father wounds, and finding your true identity, in God’s eyes. We’re wrapping up our three-part message called The Daughter Factor, where we’ve been exploring how our relationship with our earthly father shapes how we see our Heavenly Father.  Even though Mark first shared this at a women’s retreat, these truths really apply to anyone who’s struggled with father wounds or rejection.  Today, we’ll discover how to break free from those harmful patterns and start seeing ourselves the way God sees us.

Bold Steps Gift: LIES GIRLS BELIEVE: AND THE TRUTH THAT SETS THEM FREE

Become a Bold Partner: http://moodyradio.org/donateto/boldsteps/partners

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is it possible to have a happy marriage without there being a spiritual component? Many non-Christians have good marriages; but dealing with the stresses of life can be a whole lot easier if you look to God's Word for His wisdom and guidance.

Donate to Moody Radio: http://moodyradio.org/donateto/lovelanguageminute

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Ephesians Chapter 2, Paul contrasts the dismal state of humans

in their sins with the remarkable transformation through God’s

grace. He explains that salvation is not earned by our deeds but is a

gift from God to those who believe in Jesus Christ.