Down with No Kings; up with One King (Wake-Up Call Session with Chris Tomlin)
Description
WATCH TODAY’S EPISODE ON YOUTUBE.
CONSECRATE
Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.
Jesus, I belong to you.
I lift up my heart to you.
I set my mind on you.
I fix my eyes on you.
I offer my body to you as a living sacrifice.
Jesus, we belong to you.
Praying in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, amen.
HEAR
Luke 23:44 –46 NIV
It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last.
CONSIDER
As we come to the cross in Luke’s Gospel, I want to back up to the beginning of today’s chapter.
Then the whole assembly rose and led him off to Pilate. And they began to accuse him, saying, “We have found this man subverting our nation. He opposes payment of taxes to Caesar and claims to be Messiah, a king.”
So Pilate asked Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
“You have said so,” Jesus replied. (vv. 2–3)
The whole concept of kings has been in the news a lot these days. I want to be careful what I say with everyone’s political sensitivity alarms set to hair-trigger alert status. It’s ridiculous really. Though I understand the intended notion behind the slogan, the claim of “No Kings” is an affront to Almighty God (whether intended or not). The Bible is clear: God never intended his people to have a king. He would be their King. It’s one of the many things I love about our friend Chris Tomlin’s new record we have been celebrating through this Gospels series—The King Is Still the King.
The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.”
There was a written notice above him, which read: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS. (vv. 36–38)
Indeed, Jesus turns out to be the King of kings. It reminds us of that early encounter in Matthew’s Gospel with the proverbial “Three Kings” (a.k.a. the Magi). Remember what they said upon arriving:
“Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” (Matt. 2:2)
Remember those six words, “We have come to worship him.”
With that prelude, let’s welcome Chris Tomlin in for another Wake-Up Call Session and a brilliant song to help us worship the one true King of heaven and earth today.
PRAY
Lord Jesus, you are the King of kings and Lord of lords. Indeed, we have come to worship you. You are my King. Receive our offering today. Praying in your name, Jesus, amen.
JOURNAL
Has it occurred to you that you do and will have a king? It is the person you put on the throne of your heart. It will be the one true and living God, or it will be another, or it will be yourself. The grace is, you get to choose. Who is your king?
SING
Today, we will sing “You Are My King” with our friend Chris Tomlin.
For the Awakening,
J. D. Walt
John David (J. D.) Walt Jr. is the Sower-in-Chief for Seedbed and the pastor of the Gillett Methodist Church in Gillett, Arkansas.
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