Jesus: The Only Hope Amidst Chaos and Injustice

This week I sensed a spiritual shift I couldn’t ignore. I’m flat-out tired of politics hijacking the church—on both sides. Evil is real and it wears many faces, but only Jesus is the remedy. Not law-keeping. Not rallies. Not moral resolve. Jesus—the One who fulfilled the law and is even now our Sabbath and righteousness—remains the only hope in a world that calls evil good and good evil.

We walked through the story of Cain and Abel. Abel’s innocent blood cried out from the ground for justice. That is a real spiritual principle: innocent blood speaks. But Hebrews tells us Jesus’ blood speaks “better things than that of Abel.” Abel’s blood cried for vengeance; Jesus’ blood cries for mercy. That changes the way we respond to violence and hatred in our world. When a believer is martyred, when injustice erupts, our flesh wants payback, but the blood of Jesus pulls us into intercession: “Father, have mercy.”

Stephen shows us the shape of that mercy. As stones rained down, he saw Jesus stand, and he prayed, “Lord, don’t hold this against them.” That’s not weakness; that’s the fruit of a life filled with the Spirit. And somewhere under that pile of coats stood Saul—consenting, hard, certain. Yet that prayer became a seed, and on the Damascus Road it sprouted. God loves to turn persecutors into apostles.

Hebrews also tells us that God shakes everything shakable so that what can’t be shaken remains. That shaking doesn’t end quickly; it’s God’s mercy prying our fingers off pride, ego, inherited traditions, and cultural idols—so we can run with patience, eyes fixed on Jesus. Parents and grandparents, anchor your homes in the Word, not the mood of the moment.

So we prayed. We took the Table and remembered the Innocent One whose blood still speaks. We asked God to comfort those who mourn and to save those who celebrate violence. We asked Him to raise up thousands of “Sauls”—the loudest God-haters—into bold voices for Christ. If His blood cries mercy, then let our voices agree with His.

---

Key Takeaways

• 1. Only Jesus is the remedy for the evil that saturates our age. Law-keeping, political wins, or moral strivings can’t heal the human heart; Christ fulfills the law on our behalf and gives us His life. When I can’t wrap my mind around it, my heart can still receive it. Surrender beats strategizing every time. [04:51]
• 2. Innocent blood speaks in the unseen realm, but the blood of Jesus speaks better things than Abel’s. Abel’s blood cried for vengeance; Jesus’ blood cries for mercy, even toward enemies. When I feel the urge to retaliate, I must relocate my soul under the sound of His blood. Intercession is how the cross rewires justice in us. [32:59]
• 3. Stephen models Spirit-shaped courage: he sees Jesus standing and chooses forgiveness while dying. The mark of a true disciple isn’t escape to heaven but transformation on earth—fruit that looks like Christ amid hostility. Forgiveness in the face of violence isn’t passivity; it is prophetic power. Mercy is our most subversive witness. [20:18]
• 4. God’s shaking is mercy, stripping away what cannot last so that what cannot be shaken remains. He often starts with the thing I least want to surrender—my ego, my cherished assumptions, my pet idols. The Word outlasts galaxies; anchoring my life in it frees my children from cultural drift. Patience isn’t slow motion; it’s Spirit-powered endurance. [34:36]
• 5. God loves to transform persecutors into apostles; Stephen’s prayer helped crack Saul’s heart. In our day, we must pray the cross over the loudest antagonists—media figures, ideologues, and cultural icons. Ask God to raise up modern “Sauls” into fearless witnesses. If the Lamb’s blood cries mercy, our prayers should sound the same. [48:09]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [03:11] - Only Remedy: Jesus, Not Politics
• [06:16] - The Blood That Cries Out
• [07:10] - Cain and Abel Revisited
• [13:59] - The Mark of Cain as Mercy
• [16:26] - Stephen’s Bold Witness
• [19:27] - Jesus Stands; Stephen Forgives
• [25:48] - Surrounded by a Cloud of Witnesses
• [28:18] - Run with Patience; Fix Your Eyes on Jesus
• [31:14] - What Cannot Be Shaken Will Remain
• [32:59] - Blood of Jesus Speaks Better Things
• [40:49] - Saul on the Road to Damascus
• [48:09] - Praying for Modern “Sauls”
• [54:21] - Communion: Remembering the Innocent Blood
• [60:41] - Closing Prayer: Mercy Over Vengeance

Bible Reading (ESV)
- Genesis 4:9-10
Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?” And the Lord said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground.”

- Hebrews 12:24-29
and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven. At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.

- Acts 7:54-60
Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him. But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together at him. Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

Observation questions
- In Genesis 4:9-10, what does God say He hears? What does that reveal about “innocent blood” in God’s sight?
- In Acts 7:54-60, what two things did Stephen see and say as he was dying? Who is named as standing nearby, and what was he doing?
- In Hebrews 12:24-29, what does Jesus’ blood speak? What does God promise to shake, and for what purpose?
- The pastor said there’s only one remedy for the evil and rage in our age. What did he say that remedy is? ([04:51])

Interpretation questions
- If Abel’s blood cries for vengeance but Jesus’ blood “speaks a better word” of mercy, how should that change the way believers pray and speak after acts of violence or injustice? Be specific. ([32:59])
- Stephen, “full of the Holy Spirit,” chose forgiveness—“Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” What does this tell us about what real Spirit-filled courage looks like in hostile moments? ([20:18])
- If God’s shaking is mercy—removing what can be shaken so what can’t be shaken remains—what kinds of things today might God be prying from believers’ hands (ego, political identity, cherished assumptions)? ([34:36])
- The sermon claimed God loves to turn persecutors into apostles. In what way could prayers like Stephen’s partner with God to transform modern “Sauls”? What attitude shift does that require toward public antagonists? ([48:09])

Application questions
- Pray mercy, not payback: Name one public figure or outspoken antagonist you’d rather rage at. Write the name down. What short prayer of mercy will you speak over them daily this week, and when will you pray it? ([48:09])
- When the headlines hit: Think of the last news story or post that stirred you toward payback. This week, what will it look like for you to “relocate your soul under the sound of His blood”? Draft a one-sentence prayer you’ll say before you post or reply. ([32:59])
- Let God shake it loose: Identify one thing you least want to surrender (an ego issue, a political label, a habit, an assumption). What concrete step will you take this week to loosen your grip (confess to a friend, delete an app, fast from a show, journal and repent)? ([34:36])
- Anchor your home in the Word: Pick one simple practice for this week—read Hebrews 12 together twice, memorize Hebrews 12:28, or replace 15 minutes of news with Scripture and prayer. Who will lead it, and when will it happen? ([31:14])
- Practice Stephen’s prayer: Who is one person who has wronged you? What would it mean to pray, “Lord, don’t hold this against them,” over them every day for seven days? Is there one step of grace you can take toward them (note, text, blessing)? ([20:18])
- Keep Jesus as the only remedy: What is one boundary you’ll set this week to keep politics from hijacking your heart (limit your media intake, take a 24-hour fast from political commentary, swap 10 minutes of scrolling for intercession)? Be precise. ([03:11])
- Pray for a “Saul” near you: Name one skeptic or outspoken critic in your world. What specific prayer will you pray for them, and what simple, kind invitation can you make this week (coffee, church, a meal)? ([44:07])