We're all trying to impress someone. A young boy might want to impress his dad. A teenager might want to impress her friends. A young man looks to impress a girl he’s attracted to. I’ve tried to keep a nice lawn this year to impress my neighbors. We try to impress people because we want their approval. Yet, this can be a dangerous game to play. People’s opinions are pretty fickle.

As we continue in our salvation story, we read that the arresting mob leads Jesus back into the city to the home of the high priest, where the Sanhedrin, with their mocking soldiers, conduct a sham trial. In a remarkable twist, Jesus reveals to his interrogators that he is the one who will ultimately judge. 

Meanwhile, Peter, who was following from a distance, is put on trial as well by a bunch of bystanders and wilts before the court of popular opinion. Peter is deeply ashamed as the Lord looks directly into his soul.

We are hardwired to desire approval. The problem is that we seek our approval in the wrong places. Rather than trying to impress others, we see that it’s preferable to seek approval from the only court that counts.

Chiaroscuro is an Italian term that describes an artistic technique, popularized by Renaissance painters like Leonardo DaVinci, and perhaps most famously, Caravaggio. Chiaroscuro uses bold contrasts between light and dark tones that add depth and drama, creating tension, mood, and emotion within a composition. 

As we continue to read in our salvation story, our author Luke paints a very dark picture: the betrayal and arrest of Jesus. This wasn’t just betrayal. Judas, one of the twelve, betrayed Jesus with a kiss. Religious, civil, and military authorities came against Jesus at night with swords and clubs as if detaining a dangerous criminal. Even the disciples contributed to the tension of the moment by violently lashing out. But in contrast to all of the descending darkness was the light that emanated from Jesus. 

We too live in a world dominated by darkness. Jesus’ merciful healing of the servant is a dramatic reminder to turn from darkness and instead walk as children of light.

Pastor and theologian John Piper writes, “Prayer is a walkie-talkie for warfare, not a domestic intercom for increasing our conveniences.”

In the previous episode of our salvation story, Jesus warned his disciples about the hardships that they would face. Despite the privilege of being called apostles, who would one day rule and reign with Jesus, they were called to sacrificially serve. Despite Peter’s overconfident protests, they would all be spiritually sifted by Satan. Different from their previous mission in which they experienced success, now they would experience opposition. Just like Jesus, the disciples were called to suffer. 

Their immediate response was to take up arms. They scrummaged around and found a couple of swords, ready to fight to the death. However, as we continue to read, we see that Jesus modeled for them a more powerful weapon, earnest prayer. 

Jesus was about to face the single greatest trial and temptation of his life. This would make those 40 days in the wilderness seem like child’s play. Burdened by the thought of bearing in his body the sin of the world, Jesus cried out to the Father. 

In a sad bit of irony, while Jesus agonized in prayer, the disciples fell asleep, symbolizing their vulnerability in the midst of spiritual battle. Jesus’ prayer in the garden of Gethsemane on the night that he was betrayed serves as a wake-up call for us all. Trials and temptations are sure to come. But God strengthens us when we pray.

Mean Joe Green was the backbone of Pittsburgh’s steel curtain defense that led the Steeler dynasty to four Super Bowl titles. Dan Marino is regarded as the greatest pure passer the NFL has ever seen. Dick Butkus was a Chicago Bears legend who struck fear into opposing offenses with his ferocious tackling. Jerry Rice is still the career leader in receiving yards with 22,895, 5000 more than the next closest wideout. Their superior skill and physical dominance made these men some of the gridiron’s greatest. 

But what does it take to be great in the kingdom of God?

Continuing in our salvation story, we read that the disciples were arguing amongst themselves about who was the greatest. The aura of being apostles and the anticipation of ruling in the coming kingdom blinded them to Jesus’ imminent death. Peter, the most outspoken and naturally gifted leader of the group, boasted of his deep and undying commitment to the Lord. However, Jesus foretells Peter’s denial and prepares all of his disciples for the hardships that would come.

Becoming an NFL legend is no easy feat, nor is greatness in the kingdom of God. As disciples, we are called to sacrificially serve. We will be spiritually sifted. And, like Jesus, we are called to similarly suffer. There is no escaping hardship. It is the inglorious path to true greatness.

On the first Monday each September, we celebrate Labor Day. Common traditions include parades, picnics, and barbecues. While most people enjoy the long weekend, many may not know the holiday’s origin or why it is observed.

So it is with the Lord’s Supper. Everyone has undoubtedly seen, and most people have likely participated in, this sacred ritual that Christians have observed for more than 2000 years. But many might be mistaken about its meaning. 

Luke’s original readers were Gentiles. They weren’t as familiar with the Hebrew Scriptures. They could have mistaken the Lord’s Supper for some mystical, ritual sacrifice more akin to their previous worship of pagan gods. 

So, as we continue in our salvation story, we learn that the church’s regular observance of the Lord’s supper was rooted in Jewish Passover, which Jesus celebrated with his disciples on the night that he was betrayed, transforming the Old Covenant meal into a New Covenant symbol. The Lord’s Supper is a forward-looking, celebratory meal of thanks, a backward-looking, unifying meal of remembrance, and an inward-looking, solemn meal of reflection. 

Eating the bread and drinking the cup doesn’t save us, but it does remind us of the One who has. Jesus offered himself as a sacrifice for you and me. Therefore, we commemorate the Savior and His sacrifice by observing the Lord’s Supper regularly.

“The Devil made me do it.” In 1981, Arne Johnson of Brookefield, CT was charged with first-degree manslaughter for killing his landlord. In the first case of its kind, Johnson’s lawyer argued that he was not responsible for his actions due to demonic possession.

Continuing in our salvation story, we begin to read about the events leading up to history’s most heinous crime, the murder of Jesus. The religious leaders were conspiring to kill him. Luke then tells us that Satan entered into one of the twelve, Judas, who willingly went along with these sinister plans. 

Their plot was actually part of a larger, cosmic drama between great spiritual forces. Though Satan was actively working to subvert the plans and purposes of God, Jesus demonstrated that he was the one in control. He’d intentionally gone to Jerusalem. He knew that his hour had come and all the arrangements had been made. While Judas followed the influence of Satan, the disciples followed the instructions of Jesus. 

So it is for you and me. The Devil doesn’t make us do anything. Satan has no power over us except what we allow. Moment by moment, decision by decision, we choose to either succumb to Satan or submit to Jesus. This is how we deal with the Devil.

Last Saturday morning at 5:29, residents of Blair were suddenly awakened to an emergency alert issued by the National Weather Service. If anyone was still enjoying their final stages of sleep, the shrill alarm jolted them back into consciousness. The pelting of rain mixed with hail upon the house and howling winds cutting through the trees was no dream. A severe thunderstorm and its effects were visible and real. 

Continuing to read in our salvation story, we come to the conclusion of Jesus’ Olivet Discourse, his most extensive end times teaching. Having previously described a time of Great Tribulation as foreshadowed by the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70, Jesus now reveals that one day he will come back and establish God’s kingdom here upon the earth. His return is no metaphor, nor his kingdom an allegory. It will be as visible and real as any Nebraska storm. 

Therefore, we are warned to watch, not so much the cataclysmic signs, but our own lives. We watch ourselves so that we might be ready to one day stand before our Commander and King. 

Float fishing is an angling technique that utilizes a float, also called a bobber. Float fishing requires that you watch your bobber, which provides visual feedback on the activity of the fish. You can see if the bobber is bobbing, moving side to side, or going under the water, all of which indicate a fish is interested in your bait. 

Perhaps you’ve been float fishing with a young child. There is initial excitement at going out to the water’s edge, baiting the hook, casting, and securing the line. But then it quickly becomes a game of patience. Rather than watching for a potential bite, ready to set the hook and reel in a fish, it doesn’t take long for little Johnny to get distracted, picking at his mosquito bites, stripping seed heads off the grass, following the flight path of a butterfly, or bickering with his little sister. 

Continuing in our salvation story, we read the second part of Jesus’ Olivet Discourse, his most extensive end times teaching. Jesus says, “When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies.” Our author, Luke, stresses the visible, physical realities that point to what will most certainly take place. From the Great Tribulation to Jesus’ return, finally and fully establishing his kingdom here upon the earth, Jesus’ disciples must watch and always be ready. 

On the evening of October 30, 1938 Orson Welles and his Mercury Theatre on the Air performed a radio adaptation of War of the Worlds. They converted the 40-year-old novel into fake news bulletins describing a Martian invasion of New Jersey. Many listeners were frightened, mistaking those dramatized bulletins for the real thing. Police precincts, newspapers, and radio stations received a deluge of calls from concerned citizens. Some folks even fled their homes. This mass hysteria led the FCC to investigate the broadcast and CBS agreed to take steps to avoid future confusion.

Though nearly a century removed from that historic radio broadcast, doomsday phobias are real. Some fear environmental disaster. Others fear plague. You might fear a hostile takeover by AI, Armageddon or an extraterrestrial invasion. 

As we continue reading in our salvation story, Jesus begins his most extensive teaching about the end times, called the Olivet Discourse. Jesus reveals to his disciples that Jerusalem and the temple will one day be destroyed. Naturally, this was a cause for great concern, especially in light of their optimistic Messianic expectations. Instead of peace and prosperity, Jesus describes cataclysmic events to come. We see that judgment and destruction are a part of God’s predetermined plan. But He will preserve those who are His. Therefore, because of His sovereignty and gracious provision, we can wait without worry.

The next message in our Salvation Story series from this week's special guest.