When It Feels Like You’ve Lost
Devotions this week are based on Week 7 Temptation to Triumph: Triumph: Death Defeated! (WATCH HERE)
Matthew 27:57 As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. 58 Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. 59 Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 60 and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away. 61 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb.
Matthew 28:1-6 After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.
2 There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4 The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.
5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.
The women came to the tomb carrying the weight of defeat. Jesus had died. Hope seemed gone. The story felt finished. Matthew tells us they came simply “to look at the tomb.”
That is what defeat does. It draws our eyes to what is over, what is broken, what cannot be changed.
We all have experienced that feeling. It might be a relationship that didn’t work, a decision we regret, or a situation that feels out of our control. Losing leaves us stuck staring at what we cannot fix wishing we could.
The cross was not symbolic. It was final. Jesus had died. According to many before him, he would stay dead.
It’s what happens as a result of sin. Romans reminds us that “the wages of sin is death.” That is the reality when we live apart from Christ. Death is not just physical. It is spiritual. It shows up in guilt, separation form God, and hopelessness.
For the women at the tomb, they would expect nothing different. Death was final. Jesus was dead.
Suddenly everything shifts. The ground shakes. The stone moves. The angel appears and speaks. “He is not here; He has risen!” Jesus’ resurrection interrupts the story. What looked final was not final. What felt like defeat was not defeat.
Sin and death were not going to have the final word. LIFE would!
Think of a game where your team is down with seconds left. Everyone assumes it is over. Then something unexpected happens. A last-second shot goes in. The outcome changes instantly. What felt certain is suddenly overturned.
That is Easter. Only this is not a game. This is life and death. And Jesus wins!
What feels final is not final when Jesus is involved.
Reflect: Where in your life do you feel like the story is already over? What would it look like to invite Jesus into that place of defeat today?
Prayer: Lord, you win! You carried my sin to the cross. You died in my place. YOU came out of the tomb alive. You win! Remind me today that victory wasn’t just for Easter Sunday, but for every day that follows, which includes today! Amen.
Punishment that Brought Us Peace!
Devotions this week are based on Week 6 Temptation to Triumph: Tension: King or Criminal? (WATCH HERE)
(You are invited! Join us in person or online tonight for our Good Friday worship which expands on this theme, “Punishment that brought us peace!” at 7pm – www.crosspointgtx.com)
Matthew 27:45-46; 50-51 From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. 46 About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).
50 And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.
51 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.
Good Friday does not look like peace. It looks like suffering, injustice, and loss. The King who entered Jerusalem is now hanging on a cross. The crowds that once praised Him have turned. The disciples are scattered. Darkness covers the land.
Yet this is the very moment where true peace is secured.
The prophet spoke of a King who would proclaim peace to the nations.
Zechariah 9:10 He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.
Paul later explains that Jesus Himself is our peace, breaking down the dividing wall between us and God. Through the cross, hostility is put to death and reconciliation is made possible.
Ephesians 2:14 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15 by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, 16 and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.
This is not the peace the people expected. They wanted peace through victory. Jesus brought peace through sacrifice. They wanted the removal of enemies. Jesus addressed the deeper enemy of sin.
Through His death, we are justified by faith and have peace with God. The torn curtain symbolized the barrier between us and God had been removed. This is the foundation of all true peace. It is not dependent on circumstances. It is rooted in being reconciled to Christ.
When we have peace with God, everything changes. Trials may remain, but we are no longer alone. Fear may arise, but it does not define us. We stand in grace.
Good Friday invites us to look at the cross and see more than suffering. It invites us to see the cost of our peace. It invites us to trust that what looks like defeat is actually victory.
The King, Jesus, rode into Jerusalem and went to the cross for you. Not to meet your expectations, but to give you what you truly need…a Savior!
Reflect: Where am I seeking peace in my circumstances instead of in my relationship with God? How does the cross change my understanding of true peace?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for the peace You secured through the cross. Help me to trust in that peace, even when life feels uncertain. Draw me closer to You and anchor my heart in Your grace. Amen.
The King Who Serves (Maundy Thursday)
Devotions this week are based on Week 6 Temptation to Triumph: Tension: King or Criminal? (WATCH HERE)
John 13:1 It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.
2 The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”
7 Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”
8 “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”
Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”
9 “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”
10 Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” 11 For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.
12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. 13 “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16 Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.
As the week progressed, the same King who entered Jerusalem in humility took on the role of a servant. On the night He was betrayed, Jesus gathered with His disciples and did something unexpected. He washed their feet.
This act revealed the heart of His kingdom. The King does not demand to be served. He chooses to serve. He kneels before His followers, performing the task of a servant, showing them what true greatness looks like.
Jesus also gave a command. Love one another as I have loved you. This love is not theoretical. It is sacrificial, patient, and active. It reflects His own love, which he gave in the Supper he started and the sacrifice he made on the cross.
The disciples wanted a reigning King, but Jesus showed them a serving King. They wanted glory, but He demonstrated humility. They expected power, but He modeled surrender.
This tension still challenges us. Do we follow a King who serves, or do we reshape Him into one who simply serves us? Do we receive His love and then extend it, or do we keep it to ourselves?
Maundy Thursday invites us to slow down and consider the depth of His love. “Give and shed FOR YOU for the forgiveness of your sins. It also calls us to respond. To receive His love is to be changed by it. To be changed by it is to reflect it.
As we receive his sacrificial love, serving others becomes an act of worship. Loving others becomes evidence of His work in us and for us.
Reflect: How has Jesus served me in ways I may take for granted? Who is God calling me to serve in humility and love this week?
Prayer: Jesus, thank You for loving me with a servant’s heart. Help me to receive Your love deeply and reflect it sincerely to others through humble service. Amen.
The King Who Brings Salvation
Devotions this week are based on Week 6 Temptation to Triumph: Tension: King or Criminal? (WATCH HERE)
Matthew 21:8-9 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,
“Hosanna to the Son of David!”
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
As the crowds cried out “Hosanna,” they were asking for salvation. Yet their understanding of salvation was shaped by their circumstances. They wanted freedom from Rome, relief from oppression, and restoration of their nation. Their desire was not wrong, but it was incomplete.
Jesus came for something deeper. He came to save from sin.
Even after the crucifixion, the disciples expressed their disappointment. They had hoped Jesus would redeem Israel. Luke 24:21 “…but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel.” Their hope was real, but their understanding was limited. They were looking for external rescue, while Jesus was accomplishing eternal redemption.
Jesus Himself made His mission clear. He came to seek and to save the lost, not the politically oppressed, but the spiritually lost. Not just those suffering outwardly, but those separated from God.
Sometimes we can be looking for the wrong salvation from Jesus. Financial struggles? Hosanna! Save us! Relationship challenges? Hosanna! Save us! Family difficulties? Hosanna! Save us! Political problems? Hosanna! Save us! The list can go on of situations in our life where we want deliverance and relief. We want the situation to change, because the current one is uncomfortable and difficult. Of course, it is natural to bring our needs and struggles to God. He cares about them. But if salvation from our situation is all we seek, we miss the greater gift. Sin separating us from God? Hosanna! Save us! THIS is the main work of salvation Jesus came to deliver!
Salvation is not primarily about changing our circumstances. It is about changing our standing before God. Salvation is God’s gift of forgiveness, restoration, and new life.
We must start with this salvation. Jesus’ ride into Jerusalem was to take care of our biggest problem, our problem of sin. Once the solution for sin is secured, everything else finds its place. Circumstances may still be difficult, but we are no longer lost. Situations may be challenging, but we are no longer separated from God, rather we are secure in Him! Hosanna!
Reflect: Am I primarily seeking Jesus to fix my situation or to save my soul? How has His salvation changed the way I view my current struggles?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for coming to save me from my sin. Help me not to reduce Your work to my circumstances, but to trust in the full salvation You have given. Amen.
The King Who Brings Righteousness
Devotions this week are based on Week 6 Temptation to Triumph: Tension: King or Criminal? (WATCH HERE)
Matthew 23:27 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. 28 In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.
The King who entered Jerusalem came not only to be praised, but to confront. Jesus later spoke hard words to the religious leaders, calling them whitewashed tombs. They looked righteous on the outside, but inside they were full of hypocrisy. This was not cruelty. It was clarity. Jesus was exposing a deeper problem.
The people of that time cared deeply about righteousness. They followed laws, traditions, and systems meant to honor God. Yet many had shifted from trusting God to trusting themselves. As Paul later wrote, they sought to establish their own righteousness and did not submit to God’s (Romans 10:3).
This is the tension we all face. Do we receive righteousness by faith, or do we defend our own? It is easy to measure ourselves against others and feel justified. It is harder to stand before God and admit our need.
Jesus came as the righteous King. He did not come to affirm human effort, but to provide what we could never achieve. Through His life, He fulfilled the law perfectly. Through His death, He offered His righteousness to us.
The Apostle Paul understood this transformation. He too was once a Pharisee. He trusted in his own record, his own achievements, his own standing. Yet he came to see all of it as loss compared to knowing Christ. He desired to be found not with a righteousness of his own, but one that comes through faith. (Philippians 3:7-9)
This is the invitation of the King. Lay down your attempts to prove yourself. Stop defending your own righteousness. Receive by faith what He freely gives.
When we do this, something changes. We no longer live to impress God. We live from gratitude. We no longer need to hide our weakness. We bring it into the light, knowing that Christ has already covered us.
This is what your king does…brings you and gives you HIS righteousness!
Reflect: Where am I still trying to prove my righteousness instead of receiving it from Christ? What would it look like to fully trust in His righteousness today?
Prayer: Father, I confess that I often rely on my own efforts. Help me to turn from that and trust fully in the righteousness of Christ. Thank You for giving what I could never earn. Amen.