This message was given on the Sunday before the 2016 election. Louie vividly shows us in Scripture Who is really in charge of all things. God controls who is in power and when. Overall, we may not trust the leadership of a human, but we can trust the Authority of God. No matter what, the people of God show honor to whoever the Lord has risen up to power for a time.
Key Takeaway
God is in control. While we have a responsibility to participate in human governments and authority, God ultimately is the only one who is in control and will raise people to power to accomplish His plans and purposes. They become a footnote in history, while Christ is a never-ending worthy Ruler.
1) It's God who raises up people of power to accomplish His purposes in time and in eternity.
John 18- We see Jesus praying, then betrayed by one of his own, arrested by the guards of the Jewish religious leaders, and questioned by the priests Annas and Caiaphas. They are hoping to pin charges against Jesus to be able to wipe Him out from gaining more power. Jesus is caught between inside power...his own people, his own culture, his own religion. He answered them in a way that upset them enough to go to the Romans to have Him executed because they lacked the authority to do so.
Tiberius was the Roman Emperor at the time and probably didn't know much about Jesus. Pilate absolutely had the power to execute Jesus, but he didn't want to so he sent Him to Herod, who also did not want to participate, so he sent Him back to Pilate. (Luke 23:8-12) They were outside power that wanted nothing to do with anything, but the inside power was relentless, so Pilate eventually gave in and handed Jesus over for execution, but put a sign on the cross in the 3 main languages proclaiming Jesus was King of the Jews.
Jesus was railroaded by inside power, that was condoned and blessed by outside power. With that, Jesus breathed His last. There was a day when the Son of God was killed by the authorities of the day. So don't lose your mind over what is happening presently; it cannot get worse than that.
So was Jesus a King or a Pawn? It's pretty clear that everyone else is a pawn and Jesus is King. It was God's set purpose that was unfolding that day. God needed the inside power to railroad the Son of God, and He needed the outside power to crucify Him so that then He could be raised from the dead by the power of God on the third day to explode into life a Church that is triumphant in the world even to this day.
2000 years later, the only reason we know Tiberius, Annas, or Caiaphas is because they are a bit players in a story where Jesus is the main character. The Roman Empire ended in 476 AD. Herod died in 39 AD, Tiberius in 37 AD, and Pilate in 36 AD. If Jesus wasn't alive and talked about today, no one would know about them. They were pawns.
In Daniel 2, Nebuchadnezzar took captive the best and brightest out of Jerusalem and brought it to Babylon. He had a terrible dream and gathered wise men to interpret, but no one could. With Daniel's life on the line, he devotes a night to praying to God for help and asks his friends to join him. The next day he is able to tell the king what his dream was and what it meant. King Nebuchadnezzar did not realize his kingdom was on a fast track to nowhere and that the rock in the dream is the one rejected by man but represents the Savior of the world that will have an eternal Kingdom. (Matthew 21:42)
Isaiah 46:11 talks about a "bird of prey that will come out of the east". From 603 BC-539 BC, Babylon is in a tailspin, Cyrus conquers them from Persia, setting up the Persian Empire and Babylon becomes a footnote of history.
How does this play out today? God raises people of power for His purpose and plan. On either side of the political aisle, we think God can't use the opposite side. God uses ALL people to accomplish HIS plan and purpose. God holds history and moves the pieces.
2) You are never a pawn if you belong to a king.
Our time is in the hands of the King of Kings. In Daniel 3, the same three friends who prayed with Daniel are now faced with a decision. Nebuchadnezzar built a massive idol and demanded worship to it. They refused. You tend not to fall for the bird of prey when you have been up all night praying for a miracle for yourself or someone else and you see God do it. So, they were thrown into the fire, and there was clearly a fourth person in there with them. We believe that was Jesus. Jesus gets into the fire with you. He delivers us IN the furnace before He delivers us OUT of the furnace, showing His superior strength in our lives before He gets us out of the difficulty. He is enough.
Nebuchadnezzar was so impressed that He worshiped the One True God, but he would eventually go astray again. He spent 7 yrs out of his mind insane, and God in his mercy, restored him so that he would be a footnote in history. The King has the final say. People connected to the King never say, "This is unfair," "This is ridiculous," or "These people are ruining my life; they're railroading me; everybody's wrecking my plans." Nobody is wrecking God's plans if you're submitted to Him.
The three friends honored the King. We pray for those in authority over us. When you disagree, you disagree with honor and respect to the person God has raised up to power to accomplish His purpose and plan. If you do like the leader, make sure your honor doesn't cross over to worship. We don't worship anyone but the King. God is in charge. Pray for people in power that they know that God is controlling everything.
3) The future of our nation depends far more on the people of God than those in charge.
The Church has to refocus its heart on God. The Body of Christ should be the best example of truth, grace, and love. We will come for the broken, feed people, and stand in the gap for anyone in need. Neither political party can have enough programs to do this, it's the Church that steps up.
Prayer Points
1) Thank God that He runs History.
2) Ask God to forgive us for losing the plot and focus us on the King and the Kingdom.
3) God would open the eyes of our leaders to see Jesus fully for who He truly is.
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"2000 years later, the only reason we know Tiberius, Annas, or Caiaphas is because they are a bit players in a story where Jesus is the main character."
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Louie Giglio
Discussion Questions
Are we controlling Jesus or is Jesus controlling us?
Looking at John 18 and 19, explain who had roles as inside power and who was outside power.
If it weren't for Jesus, would you know who any of the three mentioned Roman leaders were?
Louie mentioned that we can easily lose our minds to the craziness of our world and nation, especially during election cycles. Can it get worse than the Son of God being executed by the authorities of the day? Does that give you hope or produce fear for the future?
With showing respect to others who may think differently, can you think of leaders that God has raised up to power to accomplish His plan and purposes that surprised you?
How did Daniel 2 and 3 demonstrate God being in control and us not being pawns if we are submitted to him?
Do you find your honor turns to worship if you like the leader? Is it hard to honor a leader you don't respect?
How can the Church be the best example of truth, grace, and love to our nation?
Do you consistently pray for our nation's leaders?
Which key point brings the most peace to you living in a nation that is moving further and further from God and His Sovereignty?
Scripture References
8.“Remember this, keep it in mind,take it to heart, you rebels.9.Remember the former things, those of long ago;I am God, and there is no other;I am God, and there is none like me.10.I make known the end from the beginning,from ancient times, what is still to come.I say, ‘My purpose will stand,and I will do all that I please.’11.From the east I summon a bird of prey;from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose.What I have said, that I will bring about;what I have planned, that I will do.
Jesus Arrested1.When he had finished praying, Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley. On the other side there was a garden, and he and his disciples went into it.2.Now Judas, who betrayed him, knew the place, because Jesus had often met there with his disciples. 3.So Judas came to the garden, guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and the Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns and weapons.4.Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, “Who is it you want?”5.“Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied.“I am he,” Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.) 6.When Jesus said, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground.7.Again he asked them, “Who is it you want?”“Jesus of Nazareth,” they said.8.Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. If you are looking for me, then let these men go.”9.This happened so that the words he had spoken would be fulfilled: “I have not lost one of those you gave me.”18:9 John 6:3910.Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, cutting off his right ear. (The servant’s name was Malchus.)11.Jesus commanded Peter, “Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?”12.Then the detachment of soldiers with its commander and the Jewish officials arrested Jesus. They bound him 13.and brought him first to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. 14.Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jewish leaders that it would be good if one man died for the people.Peter’s First Denial15.Simon Peter and another disciple were following Jesus. Because this disciple was known to the high priest, he went with Jesus into the high priest’s courtyard, 16.but Peter had to wait outside at the door. The other disciple, who was known to the high priest, came back, spoke to the servant girl on duty there and brought Peter in.17.“You aren’t one of this man’s disciples too, are you?” she asked Peter.He replied, “I am not.”18.It was cold, and the servants and officials stood around a fire they had made to keep warm. Peter also was standing with them, warming himself.The High Priest Questions Jesus19.Meanwhile, the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching.20.“I have spoken openly to the world,” Jesus replied. “I always taught in synagogues or at the temple, where all the Jews come together. I said nothing in secret.21.Why question me? Ask those who heard me. Surely they know what I said.”22.When Jesus said this, one of the officials nearby slapped him in the face. “Is this the way you answer the high priest?” he demanded.23.“If I said something wrong,” Jesus replied, “testify as to what is wrong. But if I spoke the truth, why did you strike me?”24.Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.Peter’s Second and Third Denials25.Meanwhile, Simon Peter was still standing there warming himself. So they asked him, “You aren’t one of his disciples too, are you?”He denied it, saying, “I am not.”26.One of the high priest’s servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, challenged him, “Didn’t I see you with him in the garden?” 27.Again Peter denied it, and at that moment a rooster began to crow.Jesus Before Pilate28.Then the Jewish leaders took Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness they did not enter the palace, because they wanted to be able to eat the Passover. 29.So Pilate came out to them and asked, “What charges are you bringing against this man?”30.“If he were not a criminal,” they replied, “we would not have handed him over to you.”31.Pilate said, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.”“But we have no right to execute anyone,” they objected. 32.This took place to fulfill what Jesus had said about the kind of death he was going to die.33.Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”34.“Is that your own idea,” Jesus asked, “or did others talk to you about me?”35.“Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you have done?”36.Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.”37.“You are a king, then!” said Pilate.Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”38.“What is truth?” retorted Pilate. With this he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him. 39.But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release ‘the king of the Jews’?”40.They shouted back, “No, not him! Give us Barabbas!” Now Barabbas had taken part in an uprising.
19.Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read:jesus of nazareth, the king of the jews.20.Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek. 21.The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, “Do not write ‘The King of the Jews,’ but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews.”22.Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”
8.When Herod saw Jesus, he was greatly pleased, because for a long time he had been wanting to see him. From what he had heard about him, he hoped to see him perform a sign of some sort. 9.He plied him with many questions, but Jesus gave him no answer. 10.The chief priests and the teachers of the law were standing there, vehemently accusing him. 11.Then Herod and his soldiers ridiculed and mocked him. Dressing him in an elegant robe, they sent him back to Pilate. 12.That day Herod and Pilate became friends—before this they had been enemies.
22.“Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. 23.This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men,2:23 Or of those not having the law (that is, Gentiles) put him to death by nailing him to the cross. 24.But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.
27.Daniel replied, “No wise man, enchanter, magician or diviner can explain to the king the mystery he has asked about, 28.but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries. He has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in days to come. Your dream and the visions that passed through your mind as you were lying in bed are these:29.“As Your Majesty was lying there, your mind turned to things to come, and the revealer of mysteries showed you what is going to happen. 30.As for me, this mystery has been revealed to me, not because I have greater wisdom than anyone else alive, but so that Your Majesty may know the interpretation and that you may understand what went through your mind.31.“Your Majesty looked, and there before you stood a large statue—an enormous, dazzling statue, awesome in appearance. 32.The head of the statue was made of pure gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, 33.its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of baked clay. 34.While you were watching, a rock was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed them. 35.Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were all broken to pieces and became like chaff on a threshing floor in the summer. The wind swept them away without leaving a trace. But the rock that struck the statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth.36.“This was the dream, and now we will interpret it to the king. 37.Your Majesty, you are the king of kings. The God of heaven has given you dominion and power and might and glory; 38.in your hands he has placed all mankind and the beasts of the field and the birds in the sky. Wherever they live, he has made you ruler over them all. You are that head of gold.39.“After you, another kingdom will arise, inferior to yours. Next, a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule over the whole earth. 40.Finally, there will be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron—for iron breaks and smashes everything—and as iron breaks things to pieces, so it will crush and break all the others. 41.Just as you saw that the feet and toes were partly of baked clay and partly of iron, so this will be a divided kingdom; yet it will have some of the strength of iron in it, even as you saw iron mixed with clay. 42.As the toes were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle. 43.And just as you saw the iron mixed with baked clay, so the people will be a mixture and will not remain united, any more than iron mixes with clay.44.“In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. 45.This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands—a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces.“The great God has shown the king what will take place in the future. The dream is true and its interpretation is trustworthy.”46.Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell prostrate before Daniel and paid him honor and ordered that an offering and incense be presented to him. 47.The king said to Daniel, “Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, for you were able to reveal this mystery.”
14.and Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up? 15.Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?”16.Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17.If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us3:17 Or If the God we serve is able to deliver us, then he will deliver us from the blazing furnace and from Your Majesty’s hand. 18.But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”
42.Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:“ ‘The stone the builders rejectedhas become the cornerstone;the Lord has done this,and it is marvelous in our eyes’21:42 Psalm 118:22,23?
2.He makes me lie down in green pastures,he leads me beside quiet waters,3.he refreshes my soul.He guides me along the right pathsfor his name’s sake.
