John 18

“Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?" (v11).  Peter’s instinct was to win through ordinary human means.  But Jesus was going to win through obeying God’s plan – accepting the cross, bearing our shame, conquering death by dying and rising again.  Every time the followers of Jesus try to build God’s kingdom by using the weapons of the world, such as force, manipulation, pressure, and competition, instead we serve the schemes of the devil.   

“My kingdom is not of this world” (v36).  If we want to see more of God’s kingdom and less of our own, we must follow the pattern of Jesus.