Prayer Works Morning Devotion: April 11, 2025

"Readying Our Hearts for Resurrection Sunday"

"Jesus Mocked And Beaten, Jesus Faces The Sanhedrin"

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Good morning, everybody. Good morning, good morning, good morning. I hope you all had a wonderful sleep and you're ready for another day the Lord has made. Let us pray. Father, we come before you this morning.  

We thank you for your goodness and your mercy towards us. We thank you that we have a place in you where we can put our trust in. And knowing that that trust will not be violated, will not be misplaced will not be judged.  

Or rather, everything that we put our trust in you, we know that you will come through. So we are blessed that our trust in you will never be violated. So we stand here as your children.  

So grateful that you we have a Father who loves us and we love him. He calls us by name. He refers to us as his children and it's such a pleasure and a blessing to know that you care so much about us.  

And you're concerned for us comes straight from your heart to our ears. We thank you for  grace. We thank you for salvation. We thank you for the different statues that you have given us to enjoy in this Kingdom.  

Knowing fully well that everything that we look to you for that you have promised. It's ours and the answer is always yay and Amen. So we praise you, Lord, we honor you that through your suffering and through your dedication to humanity.  

You've died on the cross, so that this particular day in 2025 will be made possible that we can gather in this nebulous world through electronics and commemorate your lordship. You saw this day.  

You saw all of us gathered on this record and you told yourself it's all worthy to die for. For those who are coming unborn to time that will enjoy the significance of your suffering. So, Lord, as we continue to march with you towards the cross.  

We pray that our experience with you in this journey will enhance our faith and our belief in you that we will be strengthened. That we will gain wisdom and understanding and above all else, we will understand the victorious feeling that you are and what you did for us and what you gave us in return for your suffering.  

So we bless you and honor you for all that you have done and what, you're still going to do. So as we look into this world as we look into this passage of Scripture.  

Continue to give us revelation, knowledge and understanding. So that in our efforts to serve you, we find ourselves doing it right, doing it well. Because you have granted us the strength to do so, so bless us in Jesus name we pray, Amen.  

Now, brothers and sisters as you can see is that every day is starting to heighten up. Things are starting to get worse and worse and worse for Jesus. So we are now in 22 of Luke verse 63.  

Now, before we read this I want to introduce something that you probably have heard me say. There is Psalms 22, Psalm 23, Psalm 24 is called the trilogy of Psalms the trilogy. That they follow each other in sequence.  

So right now as you we read this, we're going to start in 22. So that we can understand Chapter 22 of look in its entirety, so this is what Psalms 22 says. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?  

This is Jesus prayer in the garden of Gethsemane., right. Why are you so far from serving me? So far from my cries of anguish. My God, I cry out by day but you do not answer by night but find no rest. 

Yet you are enthroned as the holy one. You are the one Israel praise. In you, our ancestors, put their trust. They trusted and you delivered them. To you, they cried out and were saved, in you they trusted and were not put to shame. 

6 but I am a warm, not a man. Scorned by people despised by the people. Scorned by everyone sorry, despised by the people. So the phrase everyone include gentiles and everybody who is not Jewish. Despise by the people that's in reference to the Jewish people.  

Now verse 7 is what we are about to read in 22 of Luke from 63 to 71. So this is verse 7 now in Psalms. All who see me, mock me. They hurl insults, shaking their heads. He trusts in the Lord, they say.  

Let the Lord rescue him. Let him deliver him since he delights in him. Now let's go to Luke 22:63. Then men who were guarding Jesus. So remember he is in the temple courts in front of the high priest.  

Peter has just denied him three times, so now at this time he has been up all night. From Last Supper and now we are here. He hasn't slept at all. He left the Last Supper, went to the Garden of Gethsemane. He gets arrested around midnight, past midnight.  

They dragged him from the Garden of Gethsemane all the way to the High priest House, which is about a distance of three, if not 4 miles. And they get over there. It's now early in the morning and now they are guarding him.  

This is not the Roman Empire is not part of this. They haven't gone to Pilates house yet. This is the high priest and the guards of the temple. The men who were guarding Jesus began mocking and beating him.  

They blindfolded him and demanded prophesy. Now when you look into your Bible the word prophecy is capitalized. And usually when you see this word in scriptures, it's not, it's not capitalized, but it's capitalized because it's not what they were asking him to do.  

They were not asking genuinely to give a prophetic word. This was a form of mockery. That's where it was capitalized in the Greek. Who hit you? So they prophesied and say prophecy and tell us he's blindfolded. And one of the reasons they are blindfolded in Jesus.  

Number one, remember they used to try to apprehend him and he will just disappear. So they are countering some things they know he is capable of doing by blindfolding him. And they're asking prophecy.  

And this time they are hitting him because they're trying to make sure that if he ever decides to escape, he can't escape because he is all bruised up. But now it's also fulfilling this prophetic word in some who hit you and they say.  

Many other insulting things to him. That's Psalm 22:66 at daybreak the Council of the Elders of the People. You hear the people now. That's the Jewish people, the people. Both the chief priest and teachers of the law.  

Made to gather and Jesus was laid before them. So now here is the Council. Of pastors, elders, deacons at bishops. This is man who understands scripture. This is the church. This is the religious folk now.  

The significance of this moment guys, this is how it relates to us. One of the most dangerous groups of people we are ever going to encounter in our walk with God is always going to be religious people.  

Not the world, but religious people. People who should know better. People who should have a greater understanding of the word, those are some of the most dangerous people we are ever going to encounter in our work in serving God.  

So here he's sitting in front of them. If you are Christ they said tell us. Jesus answered, if I tell you, you will not believe me. And if I asked you, you would not answer. But from now on from this moment right here.  

The son of man will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God. Jesus hasn't gone to the cross, and he's telling them right now from now onwards I'm having this conversation with you. I'm already sitting at the right hand of the Father.  

If you are Christ They say tell us. For us let's put this into perspective for us. Jesus's answer is something that we should always abide by.

Remember, he says to us greater works will you do than I did part of his greater works is not just the doing of things, it's also how we have conversations with people who are difficult oral challenges.  

It's all part of his greater works. So here is thanks to them. If I tell you, you will not believe me. And if I ask you, you would not answer how many times for us have you ever told somebody the truth and they just don't believe it.  

And then you ask them a question, they shifted to a different position. And this is some of the things that we are going through right now where we can't ask people questions. And if you tell them the truth, they will shift positions very fast.  

There is no truth or there is nothing you can say to them that will cause them to actually have a discussion pertaining facts, which means that there is no need, absolutely no need to have conversations with religious people pertaining to the truth.  

Jesus is showing us here that instead he gives them the answer they were not expecting from now I'm now sitting at the right hand of the Father, of the head right hand of the mighty God.  

They all asked. They all not one everybody, they all asked. Are you then the son of God? And his reply was not a yes or a no. It says you are right in saying that, I am.

And they said why do we need anymore testimony? We have heard it from his own place. That's all for Jesus to say. I am the son of men, but it never gives them that answer. 

Because then it will be put on him. But rather he asked them a question that he knows that's what they know and believe in their hearts. Now this is the reason why they crucified Jesus this answer here.  

This answer in their hearts but the lessons for us? The lessons for us, we have to watch out for religious people. Most dangerous group we are ever going to meet.

Not people in the world. All right so again guys, the two things that we want to walk away with from this, in fact, three things that we want to walk away from this passage of scripture.  

Number one is that we are now starting to experience Psalms 22, Psalms 23 and Psalms 24 from now here until Jesus rises back from resurrection. This is Psalms 20, Psalms 22/23/24 all in explanation starting from here.  

But that's number one, number two is that one of the most dangerous groups we have to always watch out for is religious people. Why do we have to watch out for religious people is because, number one, they know better. 

They understand scripture, but their effort is not to follow Scripture, but really to be self critical and also to criticize others even if there's no scripture.  

Then the last thing is that there are certain arguments that we should not be part of because it's a waste of energy, waste of time because you are dealing with people who are not looking for truth but rather they are looking for something else and you can’t provide that answer.  

And Jesus shows us here in dealing with these religious people. If I ask you if I tell you, you are not going to believe. If I ask you, you're not going to answer. So why should we even have this conversation?  

So rather you decide. And based on what you're saying, because you know what's in your heart. That's the answer. So that's the lesson from today. That we gotta pay attention to not involve ourselves in arguments that do not lead to anything other than frustration. 

Because most times when the enemy can't get you, we all last use last resort is how can I mock you? And here's the problem in him mocking us.

One of the greatest things that you possess as a believer is the quality of confidence in which you understand Scripture, in which you understand and believe God and the quality of your faith.  

Those are the most important things to you, because without faith, it's impossible to please God. And we have to have extreme confidence in God as we are dealing with him. But when the enemy come gets you any way or in any other way.  

His last resort is how do I mock you so that you can, your confidence can diminish. Because if your confidence can diminish, that means without proper faith or confident faith, it's impossible for you to please God.  

And if you come please God with your faith, then you can't get what he has for you. So let's pay close attention to not involve ourselves in conversation that leads to you being mocked.  

It's going to happen anyway, but we should not instigate it by getting into conversations that are not necessary or needed, because the end result is that you will be mocked and if the devil is successful in that.  

It will wear off your confidence and it will weigh off your faith. And when those two that those two things are affected then we can approach God in confidence. This is why they were doing it to Jesus.  

They knew they had tried so many things they couldn't catch him in a lie. They couldn't catch him saying something weird. The only way we can try to get him how do we mock him so that his confidence in God is diminished.  

That's why it says the whole insults to me and this is going to happen to you. And we some of us have already experienced it. You go to a hospital and you hear bad report. It's like, no, I'm not receiving that.  

And yet, doctors, oh, it's you, Jesus people. That can really take you off your feet and wear off your confidence in what you believe God is going to do for you. So let's pay attention let’s pay close attention because as we continue on this journey and with everything that's going on around us.  

A lot of that is going to happen. In fact, it's already happening. Let us pray, Father we thank you for your goodness and your mercy towards us. We bless you for who you are. We thank you, Lord, that as we are now getting into the crooks of this journey.  

I pray that as you continue to eliminate yourself in the revelation that you gave us. I pray Lord, that may our faith and our confidence be strengthened. So that in our approach to you we do it knowing that we have the full support of all of heaven.  

And thank you for these your people. That as we go into this weekend with all the things that we will be part of. I pray that may you continue to strengthen us and to give us wisdom to deal with this world. 

We bless you for who you are and we thank you for your warnings. Thank you for giving us answers to the test. So that we can deal with this word appropriately. I pray, Lord that as we go into this Friday we are going to continue working with expectant hearts.  

Knowing that we are part of a massive Kingdom. That stretches from here all the way to heaven with physical and spiritual inhabitants working together for the full manifestation of your Kingdom.  

We bless you and honor you, for your goodness and your mercy towards us. Thank you for giving us the new mercies for today. May your grace abound.  

May your peace abound as we continue to rest in you, let your sovereign authority continue to lead us into triumphant procession. And we thank you and honor you now and forevermore in the name of Our Lord Jesus Christ, we pray, Amen.  

Brothers and sisters have a wonderful day. May you continue to walk in God's grace and in God's victory. We'll see you Sunday for Bible study and those who won't be able to attend Sunday we’ll see you Monday for morning devotion. Have a wonderful Friday.