Tag Archives: guards

Jesus repels the guards (John 18:4-8), April 19, 2017

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Today’s Podcast


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  1. Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
  2. Have you ever played with magnets? The picture of Jesus facing the guards in the garden remind me of those.
  3. Scripture
    1. John 18:4-8

Jesus: Whom are you looking for?

Judas’s Entourage:  Jesus the Nazarene.

Jesus: I am the One.

Judas, the betrayer, stood with the military force.  As Jesus spoke “I am the One,” the forces fell back on the ground.  Jesus asked them a second time:

Jesus: Whom are you searching for?

Judas’s Entourage: Jesus the Nazarene.

Jesus:  I have already said that I am the One. If you are looking for Me, then let these men go free.

  1. Devotional
    1. I’m sure you remember playing with magnets when you were a kid.
      1. In science we learned about the north and south poles of those magnetic fields and how the opposite ends attracted but like ends repelled each other.
      2. The stronger the magnet, the harder it was to try to push like ends together
      3. There are scientific principles that govern those magnetic fields and explain why they attract and repel each other.
      4. Explains why light bends near the earth
      5. Explains the aurora borealis
      6. Explains parts of electrical currents
      7. Explains a lot of what looks like mysteries around our world
      8. Might even explain the migration of animals at different seasons of the year or why they can sense dangers faster than we do or can find their way home from great distances
    2. Picture that experiment you did with magnets as a kid as you tried to push the north pole of the magnet against its polar like north pair
      1. With some effort you might get them to touch
      2. As soon as you release pressure they push apart
      3. If strong enough, can’t push them together
    3. Now picture the scene in the Garden of Gethsemane
      1. Guards come to take Jesus
      2. Armed with spears, swords, shields, armor
      3. Jesus dressed in His tunic and sash and bare hands
      4. As they try to approach they are repelled as easily as those magnets trying to approach each other
    4. Jesus could not be taken by any force men could put against Him
      1. Satan tried His best throughout His life
      2. Herod killed all the boys in Bethlehem – Jesus escaped
      3. Pharisees plotted to kill Him throughout His whole ministry
        1. Tried to stone Him – slipped away
        2. Tried to throw Him from a cliff – slipped through the crowd
    5. Jesus gave Himself up willingly to the guards that came into the garden
      1. Allowed Himself to be taken
      2. Allowed Himself to be beaten
      3. Allowed Himself to be crucified
      4. No one could touch Him unless He let them
      5. He loved us enough to let them
  2. If you want to learn more about my church, you can find us at SAF.church. If you like the devotional, share it with someone. If you don’t, tell me. I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow for “A Little Walk with God.”

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved. In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Life demonstrates your words (Acts 28:17-31), October 27, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Acts 28:17-31

Set – Psalms 114; Acts 28

Go! – Job 18; Psalms 114; Acts 27-28

Acts 28:17-31
17 Three days after his arrival, he called together the local Jewish leaders.
Paul: Brothers, although I committed no wrong against our Jewish people or our ancestral customs, I was arrested in Jerusalem and handed over to the Romans. 18 The Romans examined me and wanted to set me free because I had committed no capital offense. 19 But my Jewish opponents objected, so I had to appeal to the emperor—even though I had no charges against me and had filed no charges against my nation. 20 I wanted to gather you together and explain all this to you. I want you to understand that it is because of Israel’s hope that I am bound with this chain.
Jewish Leaders: 21 We haven’t received letters from Judea about you, and no visiting brother has reported anything or said anything negative about you. 22 So we are interested in hearing your viewpoint on the sect you represent. The only thing we know about it is that people everywhere speak against it.
23 They scheduled a day to meet again, and a large number came to his lodging. From morning until evening, he explained his message to them—giving his account of the kingdom of God, trying to convince them about Jesus from the Law of Moses and the Prophets’ writings. 24 Some were convinced, but others refused to believe.
Paul (adding as they left in disagreement): 25 The Holy Spirit rightly spoke to your ancestors through the prophet Isaiah,
26 Go to this people and say,
“You certainly do hear, but you will never understand;
you certainly do see, but you will never have insight.
27 Make their hearts hard,
their ears deaf, and their eyes blind.
Otherwise, they would look and see,
listen and hear,
understand and repent,
and be healed.”
28 So let it be known to you that God’s liberation, God’s healing, has been sent to the outsiders, and they will listen.
29 Then the local Jewish leaders left Paul to discuss all he had told them.
30 For two full years, he lived there in Rome, paying all his own expenses, receiving all who came to him. 31 With great confidence and with no hindrance, he proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the ultimate authority—the Lord Jesus, God’s Anointed, the Liberating King.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

The wheels of man’s justice systems ran slow in Rome just as they do now. Paul sat in prison for two years before his case was finally heard and charges against him were dismissed. Yes, he was on house arrest, but that doesn’t mean he had freedom. He still had guards outside his door. He wasn’t free to move about the city or attend the synagogue or do the things he would like to do. His movements were restricted by the court and soldiers ensured he didn’t violate the terms of his arrest.

Paul didn’t let his time go to waste, though. During his days he preached to the guard. Many turned their lives over to Christ. Many learned about Paul’s faith because of their duty to guard him. They couldn’t make him stop talking about his God. They couldn’t leave … and so they listened. And many were convinced.

What was the difference between his brother Jews who went away unbelieving and those Roman soldiers who became part of the church in Rome? The Jews started with closed hearts and ears. They didn’t want to believe anything other than what they heard from their rabbis. Perhaps the Roman guards didn’t want to hear anything different either. But the Jews heard Paul’s words and left unbelieving.

The Roman guards heard, maybe unbelieving at first, but they had to stick around and not only listen, but they watched Paul’s life day after day. And that’s the difference. Every day the guards saw the difference Christ made in Paul’s life that they didn’t see in the lives of any of the other religions around them. The pantheon of gods they worships didn’t transform their lives. The Jews and their traditions didn’t make a difference in the lives of those around them. They just lived by rules. But Paul… He and those like him bowed to Christ were different and their lives showed. The guards wanted what Paul had and listened to learn how to get it.

Do you spend enough time with Me to let Me transform you? Do you spend enough time with those you want to hear the good news to let them see the transformation in your life and see that My message isn’t just words but has life transforming power? It takes both to be effective. Paul let his life show that My message is true. You can do the same.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.