Prayer Works Morning Devotion: April 7, 2025

"Readying Our Hearts for Resurrection Sunday"

"The Plot To Kill Jesus,

Jesus And His Disciples Prepare The Passover,

Jesus Institutes The Lord's Supper"

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Good morning, good morning, good morning. We thank you all for joining us this morning family.

We pray that you had a restful and peaceful night and we pray that you've awoken with the spirit of the Lord in you and the Holy Spirit surrounding you and your thoughts, and your words and your deeds. 

Today we are starting this week off in Luke 22 and Vee and I going to do this together this morning and so sit back, buckle up and let's go to it open with prayer.

Heavenly Father, we approach his throne of grace, mercy and kindness this day, thanking you for your love, your peace, and your understanding.  

Your patience and your kindness and your goodness and your teaching us of self-control. We thank you, Father, that you have been with us from the beginning and you say that you will never leave us.  

And so we are depending on you this day for our sustenance. We lift up a special prayer for our brother, Pastor Zee who is traveling, and in this day has had some travel complications. But we know that you are greater than this system of things, Father, because you've created this whole world.  

So we pray that your spirit, bless him and cover him in the blood in all that he needs this day from you and provide for his family as he returns home. We thank you now, Father, for this word that you have given us this day. 

This word, and Luke and we ask your blessing to come on to this call and we pray for your Holy Spirit to lead us in this call and we pray that neither Vee or myself speak what you do not want us to speak. 

And so we pray that your word blesses those that are on this call that will hear it. We pray that those that will listen to the recording will gain an insight and wisdom from this word, Father, and so we thank you for the privilege and honor of serving you this day.  

Now as we open this devotion, we leave it at your feet, Father, and we give you all praise and honor and glory and thank you in Jesus name we pray, Amen. So we have been in Luke, I think we started in Luke 20, we did Luke 21.  

We finished that last week and we have been just walking the path walking the storyline of Jesus coming into Jerusalem. And what he saw and we are marching forward up to Easter, which would lead to Good Friday to his crucifixion and passing and then resurrection. 

And so this week, as I said, we're starting off in Luke 22 and for those of you who like the King James version, well, just so you know, we'll be reading out of the new King James. And as I said, we have 3 topics this morning to cover and the first is the plot to kill Jesus.  

The second is Jesus and his disciples prepare for the Passover. And the third is Jesus Institutes the last supper, and so thee and I will take turns reading, and then we will go over what we've read and comment accordingly.  

So I will start with the plot to kill Jesus, and this is Luke 22:1 and it reads now the feast of unleavened bread drew near, which is called Passover, and the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might kill him, for they feared the people.  

Then Satan entered Judas surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered among the 12. So he went his way and conferred with the chief priests and captains how he might betray him to them and they were glad and agreed to give him money.  

So they promised and sought opportunity to betray him to them in the absence of the multitude. Then came the day of unleavened bread, when the Passover must be killed. And he sent Peter and John saying go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat.  

So they said to him, where do you want us to prepare? And he said to them, behold, will you have entered the city and men will meet you, carrying a pitcher of water. Follow him into the house, which he enters.  

Then you shall say to the master of the house, the teacher says to you where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples. Then he will show you a large furnished upper room there, make ready.  

So they went and found it just as he had said to them, and they prepared the Passover. When the hour had come, he sat down and the 12 apostles with him. Then he said to them with fervent desire.  

I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the Kingdom of God. Then he took the cup and gave thanks and said take this and divide it amongst yourselves. 

For I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the Kingdom of God comes and he took bread and gave thanks and broke it and gave it to them saying this is my body. Which is given for you, do this in remembrance of me.  

Likewise, he also took the cup after supper, saying this cup is the new covenant in my blood which is shed for you. But behold, the hand of my betrayer is with me on the table, and truly the son of man goes as it has been determined.  

But woe to that man by whom he is betrayed. Then they began to question among themselves which of them it was. Who would do this thing?

So let's start with verse one and again this is the plot to kill Jesus and so this was happening just as the Passover was drawing near and the chief priests and the scribes feared the people as it said. 

And so they decided that Jesus must die. Because why they feared the people and they feared losing their own prominence.

Jesus was showing signs and wonders and miracles that they couldn't themselves do because they were not walking with the true God, but they were walking with, as Jesus calls their Father which was Satan.  

And so through this we see that desperation amongst them developed and Satan knew also in Judas his weakness because Judas was handling the money in the church and it's said in scripture that he would steal from the Money Box and so don't think for a minute that Jesus did not know this.  

Ok, but because it had to happen as was written. Judas was one of the 12, and so Judas went his way after realizing that he could make some money by turning Jesus over to the scribes, and so he went his way.  

Deferred as it says with the chief priests and the captains on how he might betray them to him. So he took this upon himself.

And of course, because now they had an end, the chief priests and scribes were glad to give him money, and they just waited for the opportunity for Judas to provide the results that they were looking for.  

Now they didn't want to kill Jesus in front of the multitudes. Why? Because they knew that the multitudes recognized who he was. In most cases they recognized because of what he did, what he provided healings and all that he brought to them.  

They were just worried the chief priests, that being that they couldn't do any of these things. They knew in their hearts who he was, but I had read something earlier where, you know, this is how man is.  

And the truth of it is if they could have men, meaning man himself could have taken this out on God himself if they could have reached God, they would kill God. It's no doubt and we're going to see even as you go forth in this chapter, how this all plays out. So Vee is going to carry it from here on the Passover. 

Yes, thanks. Thanks, Calvin. Yeah, and we just picture this scene, this is the Thursday night before Jesus is going to be crucified.

This is the Thursday, and as Calvin was saying, here we have the chief priest and the elders on what is supposed to be one of the most holiest seasons for Jews. Passover and Feast of unleavened bread.  

They're using this time where they're supposed to be preparing their hearts and getting rid of sin to kill. And in these few verses one through 6, we see 2 great evils that if they are in a person's heart, can lead them to do incredibly heinous things.  

One is the love of money which Judith has and one is the love of power and influence which the chief priests and elders and Pharisees had. And I just looked up this morning a few facts about Passover and the unleavened bread feast. 

Just so that we understand this and the significance of this day and why it symbolizes so many things for us as Christians. So as I said, the feast was the feast of unleavened bread is one of the seven feasts God commanded the Israelites to observe. 

And during Passover it's one of the three pilgrimage festivals in which the Jews were commanded to travel to Jerusalem and observe the feasts there together.

Passover usually takes place in the spring. In in Western countries, past Passover celebrated in early to mid-April and is always close to Easter.  

So a key element of Passover is the consumption of unleavened bread, which symbolized the haste with which the Israelites had to leave Egypt.

So the Israelites were to not only eat unleavened bread every year during Passover as a commemoration of the exodus from Egyptian bondage.  

They had to eat it in haste because they didn't have time for the bread to rise. In addition to that the Passover required the removal of all leaven or yeast from the household, and we know in the Bible that represents sin. 

So the Jews were commanded remove all of leaven in your household, which is incredibly just beyond belief that here we have Judas and the chief priests and elders. Knowing that this feast is most holy, feast require their removal of sin.  

But here they were plotting to kill Jesus. Then a few other facts I learned is we can learn more about when the Passover was instituted by goddess in the Book of Exodus. And I encourage you to read about it, and every book, every gospel provides details about this Last Supper. 

It's called also called the Last Supper. Every book in the every gospel covers this story, and every gospel provides different details. So I encourage you to, you know, to spend some time this week looking at the different accounts of this, this Passover meal.  

This Last Supper to get additional information about what was going on. And what the different disciples witnessed that was happening at this time. So I was going to skip here. Three things I wanted to point out to you that there were three things that happened before the meal took place.  

One was the selection of a lamb and it had to be a one year old unblemished male lamb. The second was a search for leaven bread and that's where I just mentioned the before the Passover Fiest the head of the family, had to leave his family through the house to search in nooks and crannies for any leaven in the house, which symbolized sin.  

And the third thing, which I didn't about was foot washing that was also one of the preliminary things people would do before the Passover meal and we remember not in this account, but in other accounts.  

We would talk about Jesus washing the feet of his disciples, and this was something that was done usually by the lowest class of people at that time. So Jesus took on the role of servant before the Passover meal, further emphasizing why he came.  

He came to serve and he was willing to take on the lowest of the low for us so just imagine that all in in the context of all of this describes the chief priest Judas are plotting to kill Jesus.  

And then we get to the next part, where Jesus is telling his disciples where to go for the Passover meal, and Calvin and I were just thinking about, you know, this is yet another example of the power and might of Jesus.  

That, he told the disciples this was going to happen, where to go. So this was something that was already planned, was already foretold. And the disciples didn't know this. He didn't share this with them. 

But at some point this agreement was made at some point and Jesus was able to foretell. You're going to see this man carrying water. Follow him into the house and just you sending the message to the master of the House that the teacher is asking for.  

Where are we going to have our Passover that the master would agree and the disciples would be able to go in and prepare the Passover meal. What a wonderful again sign. Of Jesus, Majesty and the prophetic gift that he had.  

And then we get to everyone sitting down at the supper. And here one of the key things we can't miss is that when Jesus took up the bread and the wine. He indicated to them what each of these items meant. So the bread, he said, is my body and he broke.  

So he's symbolizing to them that my body is going to be broken and give him for you. Do this in remembrance of me, so yesterday was for Sunday and many churches celebrate a communion on 1st Sunday and sometimes I think we're kind of tempted to kind of just go through the motions of communion.  

You know, we recite the words. But then I think we really need to think about what is happening in communion and as you read the Bible, there's so many instructions to the Israelites, to the disciples, to do things as a memorial to and that's one of the challenges.  

One of the things that we are required to do as believers in Christ. This was one of the commandments that Jesus commanded for us to remember. So when we do this, we are to remember. It's not just the eating of the bread, the crack or whatever we're eating.  

It's not just be going through the motions of it. It's not about the ritual of it. It's about remembering that Jesus's body was broken for us and he wants us to remember that. And then he also took the cup and he said, and this is key.  

This cup is the new covenant in my blood which is shed for you. So here Jesus clearly states we are under a new covenant and the new covenant is given to us because he is going to shed his blood as the Lamb of God and all everything.  

That the Jews were celebrating in Passover is all coming to a head here at this time at this Last Supper, Jesus is telling them that the bread they're eating is a symbol of his body that's going to be broken. 

And the wine that they were drinking is a symbol of his blood that he will shed and also a symbol of the new covenant that we are under. So just some key things to think about and it's just interesting. So Judas is there? He's there at the Last Supper and all of his disciples. 

When he tells them, he reveals to them that my betrayer is here. He's here with me. And all the disciples were like, what is it? Who is it? Who is it? Can you imagine Judas sitting there also asking who is it, knowing that he's the one? I mean, that's just absolutely incredible. 

But also something for us to think about. That everywhere we go there will be wolves in sheep's clothing. And we have to be mindful of that. Not everyone that who is with us is of us and this is just something that if Jesus was going to be betrayed, Jesus was going to be was going to have to suffer likewise.  

We are also and just as likewise we could also be betrayed as well by people that we had close to us and walked with us. Judas walked with Jesus.

Now how is it possible that Judas could walk with Jesus, hear everything that he said, witness all the miracles that Jesus did and still betray him for 30 pieces of silver.  

How is that possible? But Jesus said it is possible, just a warning to us why the love of money, the love of power, can lead us to betray and reject this covenant through Jesus Christ. So just a few things for us to really think about and reflect upon.  

So the next time we take communion, let's remember what Jesus said. Do this in remembrance of me, and let's remember when we drink from the cup we are acknowledging and remembering, yes, Jesus.  

We are under the new covenant of your Blood that was shed for us and it's so important that we remember this and pass it on. Calvin want to add anything, yeah. I noticed too that in doing a little lookup this morning that Paul adds something to this in 1 Corinthians 11:26. 

And he says here for whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. And so I'm emphasizing this because I'm realizing that, yes, this places a time limit on this. So it's not in perpetuity that we're to do this. 

But it's until the Lord comes and it's interesting, I find that of all of the things that man likes to symbolize with all kinds of metals and stone and building monuments to themselves. 

Here Jesus used what is identified as the frailest of elements as symbols of his body and blood, and he established them as a monument to his death. It wasn't, as I said, a monument of carved stone or marble or brass but simply bread and wine.  

And so he declared that bread spoke of his body, which would be broken. There was not a bone broken or any kind of damage, but that his body would be tortured. And that in the end, it would hardly be recognizable.  

The wine itself spoke of his blood, indicating the terrible death that he would experience. He was the perfect son of God.

He became the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies and he became the Redeemer when he said, do this in remembrance of me, he indicated this was a ceremony that must be continued in the future.  

But it also had a time limit. It indicated also that Passover, which required the death of a lamb as Vee brought out and looked forward to the coming of the Lamb of God, who would take away the sin of the world, that this was fulfilled in the Lord's Supper.  

And then the new covenant replaced the Old Covenant and Christ then became the Passover land and with sacrifice.

So here we realize at this point in the new covenant that sacrificial system was no longer needed and that the Lord's Supper or Christian Communion is a remembrance of what Christ did for us.  

And the celebration of what we receive as a result of his sacrifice. So I just wanted to bring that to your hearing and it's really something to think about what Jesus went through for us. 

And as we accept him in our hearts and our minds and our bodies, we accept God and we get into a relationship with him. Where we feel what he'd felt. Knowing that he suffered all that he suffered for our sins, for our bad behaviors.  

And even in our day-to-day our thoughts, our words and our deeds. But we know that he sits on the right hand of God. And that as we fall short, he is our advocate. When Satan is running to God to accuse us.  

Jesus is sitting right there and saying my child has asked for forgiveness, has confessed that sin and I take that and cover that under the blood that was shed. And so we are blessed and we should be thankful and this is the significance of the Lord's Supper.  

This is why we need to remember and hold that monument up that Jesus commanded us to until he returns. Let us pray. Our heavenly Father, how we praise you, how we thank you, Father.  

We thank you that every time we go to your word, we feed from your word. Every time we go to your word, you grant us fresh revelation. You confirm for us, Father God, those truths, father, that we live thereby.  

We thank you, Heavenly Father, that we will not take for granted the sacrifice of your lamb. Your one and only begotten son, Jesus Christ, our Lord and savior and we ask your forgiveness, Father God, when we are tempted to take this for granted.  

When we are tempted to just go through the motions, Heavenly Father, we ask your forgiveness. And we thank you, Lord Jesus, that even though you knew the torture, the betrayal, all the pain, anguish and suffering that you would have to encounter coming into this world in human form nevertheless.  

Because your Father asked you to you willingly came Jesus. So we thank you, Jesus and we pray, Father, that we also will offer our lives with. Without hesitation, without fear, and even when we suffer, Father help us to remember that this suffering is just for a temporary time. 

It is not for always. We know, Father, that through this suffering. Oh, what great righteousness. What great rewards are in store for us if we endure, as Jesus showed us? And you're not asking us to do what Jesus did for us.  

But you are asking us to expect, to expect the trials. To expect the rejection to expect the betrayal, but to also to expect the glory, to expect that we are stronger, we are greater than the world. To expect that you are with us, that you are equipping us for all that you require us to do.  

Heavenly Father, let us not shrink. Let us not fear, Father. We pray that you will grant us a special and fresh feeling and anointing of your Holy Spirit this day Father, we thank you that we are covered in the blood of the lamb.  

We thank you that our hearts are for you. We pray that you will keep this hunger and thirst for you alive in our hearts. And we pray that this day you will give us Our Daily Bread. This day you will deliver us from the evil one.  

This day you will equip us with the wisdom, the discernment, the understanding, the knowledge, the peace, the grace.

All that we need, Father God, the courage to speak your word, Father God. We pray that anyone that you bring to us, Father God, to share a word that you will give us the courage to share the word.  

Because we know that's what we are called to do. I thank you, Heavenly Father, for this fellowship of believers. I thank you that together we come at the same time across different time zones.  

We come together at the same time to seek you to hear from you, to praise you, to pray together, to pray with you and to give you, our honor. To give you our obedience. Thank you, Jesus, for laying down your life for us.  

Thank you, Jesus that you are with us, that you never leave us or forsake us and thank you that you have not left us as orphans. But you have given us your Holy Spirit that is in us that is working through us that is guiding us that is giving us all we need this day and every day.  

So we thank you Heavenly Father, we praise you, we honor you. We glorify you. We magnify you. We lift you up. We're so grateful and so happy that you've made yourself known to us.  

We're so thankful, Heavenly Father that we can be part of the remnant that will be found faithful. So I pray for all my brothers and sisters in Christ. I pray that you will give us all we need this day.  

Give us this day Our Daily Bread and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one. For yours is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever, Amen.  

Amen family. Thank you for praying with us this morning. Thank you for our spirits being joined together.

We pray that the Holy Spirit will anoint you this day and give you all the power and peace that you need and wisdom and discernment. Go and peace. We love you and have a blessed day.