THE CROWN OF SHAME. John 19:2
The soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they put a purple robe on him. NLT.

Dear friends, have you ever wondered why the winner of a beauty pageant is given a crown to wear after being declared the winner? It is because she has come out victorious among other competitors and the crown she wears commands respect among her peers. This is because a crown is a symbol of royalty, it signifies honor especially in public and it signifies victory in a competition.

Before I go straight into the teaching this morning, let me give you an example in Yoruba culture. When a king in Yoruba land sends his messengers to a place, they will go with the king’s staff of authority which usually has a small crown on it, anyone who sees that will bow low and pay homage to it. How does this relate to our topic this morning? I am trying to establish the fact that despite the fact that a crown, which is a symbol of honor, respect and royalty is associated with shame, the opposite of what it stands for in today’s message. Why is that so? Our text points to the fact that the soldiers put a crown of thorns on Jesus’s head as a symbol of mockery. For our sake Jesus (God himself) subjected himself to shame, the one called the King of kings was beaten, stripped naked and crucified just for us to be free from sin.
Philippians 2:7-8: Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; He took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, [8]he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. NLT. Here, we see Jesus put off his glory to come and die for us but not just an ordinary death, he suffered by dying on the cross. He was crucified like a criminal in between two criminals who probably deserved the death penalty given to them. The King of the entire universe faced that shame because of you and me. He had to neglect all the pain, the jest and the humiliation in order to save us.

Because of what he did for us, it shouldn’t come as a surprise when he said he will deny anyone who denies him on earth in heaven. This is because he paid the highest price one can pay to secure the victory of his brothers and sisters. He did all these so that we can come into the family of God. 1 John 3:9: Those who have been born into God’s family do not make a practice of sinning, because God’s life is in them. So they can’t keep on sinning, because they are children of God. NLT. This in turn gives us the grace to walk and enjoy eternity with him where we will receive our crown of glory. 1 Peter 5:4: And when the Great Shepherd appears, you will receive a crown of never-ending glory and honor. NLT.

I want you to get this, Jesus collected the crown of shame on our behalf so that we can receive the crown of glory and have life in abundance. John 10:10. Everything he went through on the cross was for our sake so that we can be free from the power of sin and hell.

On this note, if you are yet to receive the life of God and you are ready to do so today, say this prayer with me; Dear Jesus, I confess you as my Lord and saviour today, please save me and be my lord and I will be your witness till the end. Amen. If you have recited the prayer wholeheartedly, I congratulate you and I welcome you to the family of God. Make sure you join a bible believing church as you start your journey in Christ.

God bless you.

Inspiring. God bless you

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