Part Thre

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The way to life-to God! -Is vigorous and requires

total attention. Matthew 7:14MSG

American Dental Association statistics show that only 12 percent of Americans

choose to floss every day. In fact, nearly half of all Americans never floss!

As Dr. Oz says, “Only floss the teeth you want to keep.”

Passion [pa-shen]

•Any powerful or compelling emotion or feeling•A strong or extravagant fondness, enthusiasm, or desire for anything:•The sufferings of Christ from the Last Supper to His death on the cross

Matthew 16:21-26NLT

21 From then on Jesus began to tell his disciples plainly that it was necessary for him to go to Jerusalem, and that he would suffer many terrible things at the hands of the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but on the third day he would be raised from the dead.  

 22 But Peter took him aside and began to reprimand him for saying such things. “Heaven forbid, Lord,” he said. “This will never happen to you!”  23 Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Get away from me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.”

24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. 25 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. 26 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?

Is anything worth more than your soul?

The Program:

The Cross

Less of me – more of Jesus

“The goal of life isn’t to make it to a point where we can breath easy. It’s to get to heaven breathless.”

~ Steve Furtick

Matthew 16:24-26MSG

Then Jesus went to work on his disciples. "Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You're not in the driver's seat; I am. Don't run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I'll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self. What kind of deal is it to get everything you want but lose yourself? What could you ever trade your soul for?

JUST DO IT

1. a. If Jesus were in the driver’s seat, where would you be going this week?

b. How could an eternal perspective change what you do this week?

The Road Less Traveled:

Choices we make

Commitments we keep

Costs we are willing to pay

JUST DO IT

2. This week read these chapters aloud:

Matthew 26-28Mark 14-16Luke 19, 22-24John 18-21

Mark 15:1-15NLT

1 Very early in the morning the leading priests, the elders, and the teachers of religious law - the entire high council met to discuss their next step. They bound Jesus, led him away, and took him to Pilate, the Roman governor.  2 Pilate asked Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?”  Jesus replied, “You have said it.”  

 3 Then the leading priests kept accusing him of many crimes, 4 and Pilate asked him, “Aren’t you going to answer them? What about all these charges they are bringing against you?” 5 But Jesus said nothing, much to Pilate’s surprise.

 6 Now it was the governor’s custom each year during the Passover celebration to release one prisoner—anyone the people requested. 7 One of the prisoners at that time was Barabbas, a revolutionary who had committed murder in an uprising. 8 The crowd went to Pilate and asked him to release a prisoner as usual.

 9 “Would you like me to release to you this ‘King of the Jews’?” Pilate asked. 10 (For he realized by now that the leading priests had arrested Jesus out of envy.) 11 But at this point the leading priests stirred up the crowd to demand the release of Barabbas instead of Jesus. 12 Pilate asked them, “Then what should I do with this man you call the king of the Jews?”

13 They shouted back, “Crucify him!”  14 “Why?” Pilate demanded. “What crime has he committed?”    But the mob roared even louder, “Crucify him!”  15 So to pacify the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He ordered Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip, then turned him over to the Roman soldiers to be crucified.

Six Stages of Jesus’ Trial:The trial was less than 18 hours longSix – symbol/number of man/mankind

1. Annas – High Priest from AD 6-12John 18:12-24

2. Caiaphas – High Priest – at this timeSon-in-law to AnnasMatthew 26:57-68

These first two trials were at night, in secrecy

3. The Jewish Council (Sanhedrin) – 70 members; Took place just after daybreak Matthew 27:1-2

The religious leaders cared more about their political positions than the people they were supposed to

care for. They violated several laws concerning trials.

4. First hearing before Pilate, Roman governorOnly the Roman government could sentence someone to deathLuke 23:1-5

5. Hearing before Herod, the ruler of Galilee (who was actually part Jewish)Since Jesus was from Galilee, he could judge HimHerod was hanging in Jerusalem for PassoverTetrarch – Ruler of ¼ of the regionLuke 23:6-12

6. Last hearing before PilateLuke 23:13-25

Pilate took the easy way out; gave the people what they wanted

He recognized truth (Jesus’ innocence), but “chose” not to heed it.

Pilate’s truth was relative to his situation, what the people said, and what was good for his position.

The commitment and cost of truth became too high.

John 18:37-38NKJ

37 Pilate therefore said to Him, “Are You a king then?” Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” 38 Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?” And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, “I find no fault in Him at all.

In the midst of false accusations, suffering, and

stress, Jesus never lost sight of His cause, purpose, and mission.

Galatians 4:4-6NLT4 But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. 5 God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. 6 And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.”

Of all the people God the Father could send, He chose a Son!

Why?

What’s the difference between a son and a servant?

Luke 19:1-10NLT   1Jesus entered Jericho and made his way through the town. 2 There was a man there named Zacchaeus. He was the chief tax collector in the region, and he had become very rich. 3 He tried to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree beside the road, for Jesus was going to pass that way.

5 When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. “Zacchaeus!” he said. “Quick, come down! I must be a guest in your home today.”  6 Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy. 7 But the people were displeased. “He has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner,” they grumbled.

 8 Meanwhile, Zacchaeus stood before the Lord and said, “I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have cheated people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!”  9 Jesus responded, “Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.”

Found People – Find People

Forgiven people – give back, to people.

JUST DO IT

3. a. Pray every day for those on your list, or on your invest and invite list.

b. Demonstrate love and care for them.

c. Invite them this week!

John 1:12NLT

But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.