By exposing the failures of unbelief, Jesus demonstrates that He is Israel’s Messiah, and that

faith in Him is the only path to whole-hearted devotion to God devoid of hypocrisy.

In judgment God denies his kingdom to fruitless pretenders, but gives it instead to His fruitful Son who cultivates believers to bear the fruit of righteousness, worship, obedience & witness.

 

The King of Kings enters Jerusalem not with a show of royal glory, but with lowliness – because the path He takes to save His people and enter into His dominion is the path of suffering.

True faith follows Jesus Christ to the cross and is clearly marked by unrivaled devotion to His person and unabated sacrifice for His people.    

Christ bids us to a faith that keeps self lowly through faithfully engaging both sacrifice & suffering in order not to stumble but to enter the kingdom.

This is a time for war, not peace, and therefore we must follow our warrior Savior into battle, fighting the good fight until He comes back to bring in everlasting peace.

Jesus calls us to faith which understands we must enter his glory through the path of suffering and must vigorously rely upon his power to overturn the devil’s work and thus establish his kingdom.

Self-denial & cross-bearing were necessary for Christ to save us, and they are necessary for us if we would be saved by him.  But our cross is borne in hope because the kingdom has come in power.

Each of us must answer this piercing question from Jesus –  Who do you say that I am? – and everything of true importance in this life and the next depends on how we answer it.

This is the third of four sessions at the 2016 Men's Conference on "Devoted to Prayer".