What Would You Do? Andy Connelly Sep 13, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: When the World Stops Turning – Recognizing the Real

The same visceral clarity that makes us remember where we were on 9/11 demands we confront the historical reality of Christ’s sacrifice. This is not a fable but flesh-and-blood events – a cross carried, a trial endured, blood shed. To "remember the real" means seeing Calvary’s weight in time and space, refusing to reduce it to religious metaphor. Like Jesus’ sweat like blood in Gethsemane, faith requires leaning into discomfort to grasp what actually happened. What feels distant becomes immediate when we anchor ourselves in the grit of Scripture’s details. [39:25]

“And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.”
(Luke 22:43-44, ESV)

Reflection: When has the reality of Jesus’ physical suffering last shaken you from spiritual complacency? What daily habit could help you “remember the real” this week?

Day 2: The Price of a Vacant Heart

Empty spaces demand filling. Judas’ betrayal and Pilate’s compromise reveal how unguarded hearts become Satan’s foothold. When loyalty to Christ competes with comfort, reputation, or safety, we risk becoming hollowed-out houses – swept clean but unoccupied. The sermon’s warning lingers: nature abhors a vacuum, and so does the enemy. Pilate’s attempt to keep Jesus “in the middle” exposes the myth of neutrality; every evasion creates room for darker tenants. [52:00]

“When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and finding none it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house swept and put in order. Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there.”
(Luke 11:24-26, ESV)

Reflection: What “empty space” in your priorities or habits might be inviting compromise? Where do you need to actively fill your mind with Christ today?

Day 3: Carrying What’s Already Yours

Simon’s forced cross-bearing mirrors our call to willingly shoulder the weight Christ carried for us. The sermon reframes the cross: not a symbol to admire but a reality to embrace. Every act of forgiveness, every costly “no” to sin, every silent endurance becomes our Simon moment – carrying the very instrument that crucifies our selfishness. The cross we bear is both Christ’s victory and our ongoing surrender. [01:03:47]

“And as they led him away, they seized one Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, and laid on him the cross, to carry it behind Jesus.”
(Luke 23:26, ESV)

Reflection: What specific burden have you resisted carrying that Christ might be asking you to shoulder? How does recognizing the cross as “already yours” change your perspective?

Day 4: The Resolve That Answers Silence

Jesus’ quiet strength before Pilate models faith that trusts God’s sovereignty over human outcomes. He speaks not to defend Himself but to witness to truth, refusing the temptation to control perceptions. This resolute stillness – rooted in the Father’s authority – challenges our addiction to explanations and outcomes. Sometimes faithfulness means bearing accusation without rebuttal, letting God’s plan unfold in the silence we steward. [01:07:54]

“Then Pilate said to him, ‘You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you?’ Jesus answered him, ‘You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above.’”
(John 19:10-11, ESV)

Reflection: Where are you tempted to force outcomes instead of resting in God’s sovereignty? What situation needs less of your defense and more of Christ’s quiet trust?

Day 5: The Hour That Claims Every Knee

Pilate’s evasion (“What is truth?”) contrasts with the sermon’s urgent reminder: we all will kneel. Postponing engagement with Christ is itself a decision. The sham trials and political calculations of Luke 23 expose humanity’s futile attempts to manage Jesus. Yet the cross transforms every “what would you do?” into “what will you do?” – a present-tense summons to surrender before the final accounting. [01:01:22]

“So that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
(Philippians 2:10-11, ESV)

Reflection: What current hesitation about full surrender assumes you’ll have more time? How would living today as if before Christ’s throne change one decision you’ll make this week?

Sermon Summary

Luke 22 and 23 put real people in a real event, not a bedtime story, and ask a hard question: “What would you do?” The final days before Calvary bring human choice, human behavior, and God’s will together in a way that makes every person in the crowd worth considering. The disciples argue over greatness while Jesus is about to show the very opposite of greatness. Jesus goes away “as was His custom” to pray, while the disciples sleep in the hour when temptation is near.

Judas shows that somebody can have a price, and the chief priests show that fear of people can drive even those who know they have no real charge. Satan enters when something loved more than Jesus opens the front door. The empty spiritual house cannot stay empty, and a life not filled with Christ leaves room for something worse to come in. Peter follows at a distance, sits by the fire, and denies Jesus when risk gets real. Jesus, by contrast, answers plainly before the council: “Rightly you say that I am.”

Pilate shows several ways people still respond to Jesus. Pilate begins irritated, impatient, and maybe uninterested, then becomes intrigued as Jesus refuses to fit his expectations. Pilate also tries to play Jesus in the middle, not openly opposing Him but not surrendering to Him either. Pilate knows the charges are a sham, yet fear of Caesar and the pressure of loud voices make compromise seem easier than righteousness. Jesus cannot finally be put off, because every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that He is Lord.

Simon of Cyrene bears the cross after Jesus, and the cross becomes more than wood laid on one man’s shoulders. The cross made for Jesus was Simon’s cross, and it was also the cross of every sinner whose sin was poured out there. Jesus calls those who come after Him to deny themselves, take up the cross daily, and follow Him through an intentional, active faith.

Jesus Himself does not leave the question subjective. Jesus does not merely show what He would do. Jesus shows what He did do. Christ stands resolute, answers when truth requires an answer, remains silent when no response is needed, and rests in the authority, sovereignty, and plan of God. The question “What would you do?” finally comes down to the present moment: What will you do with Jesus?

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Key Takeaways

1. Something loved more opens the door Judas shows that betrayal does not begin only with a transaction. The heart first gives something else a higher place than Christ, and that misplaced love opens the front door to destruction. The empty spiritual house will not remain empty, so devotion to Christ must be active rather than assumed. [50:29]
2. Following at a distance is dangerous Peter follows Jesus, but the distance matters when the firelight exposes his allegiance. Faith can sound settled until the question carries real risk, real fear, and possible loss. Peter’s denial warns that proximity to Christian people is not the same as standing openly with Christ. [46:55]
3. Jesus cannot stay in the middle Pilate tries to avoid a final decision by chastising Jesus, pleasing the crowd, and protecting himself from Caesar. Neutrality becomes its own judgment when a person knows what is right but refuses to do it. Christ will be dealt with by every person, sooner or later. [60:56]
4. The cross was truly each sinner’s Simon carries the cross of Christ, yet the cross was made necessary by human sin. The cross therefore exposes sin before it offers comfort, because every sinner has been poured over it. Daily cross-bearing becomes an intentional, active faith shaped by that recognition. [63:28]
5. Jesus stood in God’s authority Jesus answers when truth must be confessed and remains silent when silence serves the Father’s purpose. Pilate’s authority proves borrowed, limited, and answerable to God. Christ’s resolve gives faithful people a pattern for courage without panic.

## [67:54]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[36:40] - What Would You Do?
[41:18] - Remembering the Real Event
[43:20] - The Disciples and Greatness
[44:23] - Jesus Prays While Disciples Sleep
[46:02] - Judas, Fear, and a Price
[46:55] - Peter Follows at a Distance
[48:08] - Jesus Confesses Before the Council
[50:29] - Loving Something More Than Jesus
[52:30] - Pilate Faces Jesus
[57:11] - Playing Jesus in the Middle
[60:56] - Everyone Must Deal With Jesus
[61:42] - Simon Bears the Cross
[65:11] - What Did Jesus Do?
[69:11] - What Will You Do With Jesus?

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Luke 22:1–23:56
The entire narrative of Jesus’s betrayal, arrest, trial, and crucifixion as recorded in Luke 22 and 23. [36:47] [36:51] [36:54]

Matthew 12:43–45
“When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but finds none. Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order. Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So also will it be with this evil generation.” [51:25] [51:32]

Luke 9:23
And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” [01:04:22] [01:04:28] [01:04:36] [01:04:39]

Philippians 2:10–11
“So that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” [01:01:22] [01:01:25] [01:01:29]

Observation questions

In Luke 22, what were the disciples arguing about shortly before Jesus went to pray, and what was Jesus facing at that same time? [43:29]
What did Jesus ask the disciples to do in the garden, and what were they doing when He returned to them? [45:26]
What details in Luke 22 show the different ways Judas, Peter, and the chief priests responded when following Jesus became costly or dangerous? [46:55]
In Luke 23, what verdict did Pilate repeatedly reach about Jesus, and what finally caused him to give in to the crowd? [58:40]

Interpretation questions

Jesus prayed “as was His custom” while the disciples slept in a moment of temptation. What does this contrast show about why regular prayer matters before a crisis arrives? [44:38]
Matthew 12 describes a house that is empty but cleaned up. Why is merely removing sinful habits not enough if a person is not actively filling life with Christ?
Pilate recognized that Jesus was innocent but tried to avoid a clear decision because of pressure and possible consequences. In what ways can a person today try to keep Jesus “in the middle” rather than fully submit to Him? [57:21]
Simon carried the cross after Jesus, while Luke 9:23 calls every follower of Jesus to take up a cross daily. What does daily cross-bearing look like when it is understood as intentional, active faith rather than a one-time emotional decision? [01:04:44]

Application questions

The disciples were concerned with greatness while Jesus was moving toward the cross. Where do desires for recognition, control, comfort, or being seen as important show up in your life? What would it look like to choose the servant way of Jesus in one of those areas this week? [44:02]
Jesus had a custom of getting away to pray before the hour of testing came. What is one realistic prayer habit you could begin or strengthen this week so that you are not spiritually asleep when temptation comes? [44:46]
Peter followed Jesus at a distance and denied Him when the risk became personal. Where are you tempted to keep your faith at a safe distance—at work, school, online, with family, or among friends? What might faithful and wise openness about Jesus look like there? [47:18]
Something loved more than Jesus opens the front door to spiritual danger. Is there anything—approval, money, comfort, a relationship, entertainment, success, or avoiding conflict—that may be taking too high a place in your heart? How can you actively place Christ first in that area? [50:50]
Pilate knew what was right but allowed loud voices and fear of consequences to shape his decision. Whose opinions or pressures most affect your obedience to Christ, and what is one situation where you need courage to do what you already know is right? [59:05]
The cross was necessary because of our sin, and Jesus calls His people to carry their cross daily. What specific act of self-denial or obedience is Christ placing before you right now, even if it feels costly or inconvenient? [01:03:57]
Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. What will it mean for you to deal honestly with Jesus now rather than putting off obedience, repentance, or surrender? [01:01:15]

Sermon Clips

61s

#PersonalCross

“That was John Huddie's cross. Was it not? That was Ronnie Boone's cross. Jake Guthrie's cross. Was it not? That was your cross. Is it not? He's bearing the cross of Christ. What is the cross of Christ? It's really yours. What's on it? You're poured all over that cross. My sin poured all over that cross. Whose cross was that? Would that have been a recognition I would have had? Eventually, would that be a recognition I'd have now? Please?”

51s

#WhatJesusDid

“WWJD. It's it's a fine question. What would Jesus do? I wish when that had started, they'd gotten it better. They'd have made it better off the bat because there is something better than WWJD. Yes. There is. It's WDJD because we really don't have to wonder what would Jesus do. We have what Jesus did do. did Jesus do? See, let's not leave it on the subjective. Let's get it down to the objective. What did Jesus do? So what did he do right here? Well, he's firmly resolved and determined. He's focused. He's resolute. That's what resolute means.”

64s

#NoRoomForIdols

“When you're loving something more than Jesus, Satan can enter. This is when Satan entered. Remember the price? I was asking about the price a few minutes ago. When there's something you love more than Jesus, you've opened the front door. When there's something you love more than Jesus, you will open the front door. And so I think about Matthew chapter 12 verses 43 through 30 through, 45, 43 through 45, where he talks about the evil spirit, the unclean spirit, and he comes and he finds it empty. The house, he finds it empty, and he goes and gets more, and they come and fill the house.”

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What Would You Do? Andy Connelly Sep 13, 2026 - 9am