1 00:00:01,120 --> 00:00:03,400 Welcome to the Cross Power Church podcast. 2 00:00:03,720 --> 00:00:06,800 You're listening to a service from our church in Campbell, TX. 3 00:00:07,200 --> 00:00:10,480 We pray this message strengthens your faith and points you to the 4 00:00:10,480 --> 00:00:12,840 cross. Now let's join the service. 5 00:00:13,920 --> 00:00:18,120 Have you Bibles going to be Matthew chapter 27 and got a 6 00:00:18,120 --> 00:00:19,720 message. I got this message back in 7 00:00:19,720 --> 00:00:21,600 September. Man, I've looked at it four 8 00:00:21,600 --> 00:00:24,240 times going to preach it and I guess tonight's a night. 9 00:00:24,360 --> 00:00:27,040 Amen. It just keeps reoccurring. 10 00:00:27,040 --> 00:00:30,280 It's very familiar passages of Scripture, but it's some very 11 00:00:30,280 --> 00:00:34,840 important stuff in it and appreciate everyone coming 12 00:00:34,840 --> 00:00:42,960 tonight. Matthew chapter 27 finds Jesus 13 00:00:42,960 --> 00:00:52,160 before Pilate. Very important time in eternity. 14 00:00:53,080 --> 00:00:56,640 You know, there there's there's two ways and and it's always you 15 00:00:56,640 --> 00:00:59,320 know, how many is confused about some things in the Bible when 16 00:00:59,320 --> 00:01:03,560 you read it. Maybe, maybe the plan of God 17 00:01:03,560 --> 00:01:07,000 kind of sometimes we, we wonder about it because, you know, we, 18 00:01:07,200 --> 00:01:10,720 we can preach this as, as, and I'm going to preach it this way 19 00:01:10,720 --> 00:01:14,480 tonight about living in neutral and not really taking a stance 20 00:01:14,480 --> 00:01:19,120 because I see it everywhere in the world and in the church, in 21 00:01:19,120 --> 00:01:24,440 our parenting sometimes. And sometimes when it seems like 22 00:01:24,440 --> 00:01:27,120 things aren't working and we're not gaining ground, especially 23 00:01:27,120 --> 00:01:30,360 in our family, sometimes it's easier just to just to be 24 00:01:30,360 --> 00:01:31,840 neutral sometimes. Hey, man. 25 00:01:33,040 --> 00:01:35,920 But I found when I'm neutral, it really piles up and it really 26 00:01:35,920 --> 00:01:38,920 gets worse, right, if we don't address some of these things. 27 00:01:38,920 --> 00:01:43,440 But, you know, ultimately this was the sentencing of Jesus to 28 00:01:43,440 --> 00:01:49,480 the cross, very pivotal time in human history and eternity in 29 00:01:49,480 --> 00:01:54,080 the Bible. And Jesus didn't say anything. 30 00:01:55,160 --> 00:01:57,680 He had already said it. He had already, he had already, 31 00:01:57,680 --> 00:02:01,040 he had already had the Gospels that he knew people were going 32 00:02:01,040 --> 00:02:04,000 to spread the word. And sometimes, you know, I had 33 00:02:04,000 --> 00:02:07,480 to answer a question today about preaching in the same place for 34 00:02:07,480 --> 00:02:11,400 so long, someone very close to me, I might add, and preaching 35 00:02:11,400 --> 00:02:13,320 to the same people week in wake out. 36 00:02:13,320 --> 00:02:15,000 Do you really feel like you're doing anything? 37 00:02:16,800 --> 00:02:21,920 And God's called us to go out and disciple, which is true. 38 00:02:21,920 --> 00:02:25,240 He told us to go out and into the world and preach the gospel. 39 00:02:25,240 --> 00:02:28,080 He's also called us to to make disciples. 40 00:02:28,080 --> 00:02:31,240 He's called us to do any, to do a lot of things. 41 00:02:31,240 --> 00:02:34,080 But I answered that question. I said, I don't know what you 42 00:02:34,080 --> 00:02:35,920 think, but I know what I'm called to do. 43 00:02:36,680 --> 00:02:39,400 Hey man, I'm going to do what I'm called to do. 44 00:02:39,480 --> 00:02:43,320 You do you. But somewhere in the mix, I got 45 00:02:43,360 --> 00:02:46,800 to not let you affect me, right? And that's where the hard part 46 00:02:46,800 --> 00:02:49,880 is, especially when it's people close to us. 47 00:02:50,600 --> 00:02:54,840 And it took me to the Scripture because with eternity hinging 48 00:02:54,840 --> 00:02:57,080 right here, Jesus didn't say anything. 49 00:02:57,200 --> 00:03:02,400 He didn't defend himself. Now there's two sides to this 50 00:03:02,400 --> 00:03:04,040 message. I've heard it preached in 51 00:03:04,400 --> 00:03:06,800 different ways. I've preached in different ways. 52 00:03:06,800 --> 00:03:10,960 But but see, we, we, we want Pilate to, to step up and take 53 00:03:10,960 --> 00:03:14,360 the authority that he had and take it away from the people and 54 00:03:14,360 --> 00:03:17,400 set Jesus free. I mean, that's one way to preach 55 00:03:17,400 --> 00:03:19,800 it. Why didn't Pilate do that? 56 00:03:20,040 --> 00:03:21,880 Because it wasn't in the will of God. 57 00:03:22,880 --> 00:03:27,280 But he could have, Jesus could have called 10,000 angels and he 58 00:03:27,280 --> 00:03:30,600 could have been released, but it wasn't in the will of God, 59 00:03:31,240 --> 00:03:33,720 right? Why don't why don't I do some 60 00:03:33,720 --> 00:03:37,240 things easier sometimes or you as a Christian take the easy way 61 00:03:37,240 --> 00:03:40,640 out sometime because it's not in the will of God for our life and 62 00:03:40,640 --> 00:03:44,000 we're greatly affected. But as we look at this is at the 63 00:03:44,000 --> 00:03:45,680 first part of this. I'm not going to have time to 64 00:03:45,680 --> 00:03:49,840 read it all, but in chapter 27, Jesus was of Matthew. 65 00:03:49,840 --> 00:03:53,680 Jesus was sent to pilot. We know what Judas had already 66 00:03:53,680 --> 00:03:55,960 done. He had sold the Lord for 30 67 00:03:55,960 --> 00:04:01,520 pieces of silver, and Jesus had seen his closest betray him. 68 00:04:02,200 --> 00:04:05,120 Man, if that was one of us today, we'd have to tell the 69 00:04:05,160 --> 00:04:08,720 people in the courtyard and all around the way where we were 70 00:04:08,720 --> 00:04:12,120 being tried at, at what Judas had just done to us. 71 00:04:12,720 --> 00:04:15,440 But Jesus already knew. He'd already warned you to say 72 00:04:15,600 --> 00:04:17,640 you're going to betray me. It's going to happen. 73 00:04:17,640 --> 00:04:20,800 He already knew that. And there's some things that we 74 00:04:20,800 --> 00:04:24,480 see going on in people's life. We we know because we've lived a 75 00:04:24,480 --> 00:04:26,800 lot longer than them. Hello. 76 00:04:27,720 --> 00:04:30,080 I had to tell my son, though. They said it doesn't matter what 77 00:04:30,080 --> 00:04:31,880 I tell you you, you already know it. 78 00:04:33,480 --> 00:04:35,440 You know, you've already figured this stuff out. 79 00:04:35,440 --> 00:04:38,760 And half the time that I did So what good does it do? 80 00:04:38,840 --> 00:04:40,240 How many men ever feel like that? 81 00:04:40,440 --> 00:04:43,200 See them making mistake after mistake and you know where it's 82 00:04:43,200 --> 00:04:45,200 headed. And if they would just tap into 83 00:04:45,200 --> 00:04:48,880 some of the wisdom and stop for a little bit, they could go way 84 00:04:48,880 --> 00:04:50,800 around this thing. But you know the truth. 85 00:04:51,120 --> 00:04:55,400 Sometimes you got to find out for yourself and it hurts. 86 00:04:56,600 --> 00:04:59,080 It hurts us, especially as parents. 87 00:04:59,080 --> 00:05:01,440 If you're a young, if you're a young parent, you don't know 88 00:05:01,440 --> 00:05:03,240 what I'm talking about yet, but you will. 89 00:05:05,840 --> 00:05:08,840 But they just sold the Lord. And in verse 11, I want to read 90 00:05:08,840 --> 00:05:11,320 a little bit and I really want to take some time on this 91 00:05:11,320 --> 00:05:16,480 tonight and talk about it. But it says Jesus stood in 92 00:05:16,480 --> 00:05:20,440 Matthew 27 and 11. He stood before the governor. 93 00:05:20,440 --> 00:05:22,800 I'm going to be in the King James Version tonight for y'all 94 00:05:22,800 --> 00:05:24,240 back there if you want to post it. 95 00:05:24,240 --> 00:05:27,000 But Jesus stood before the governor. 96 00:05:27,520 --> 00:05:31,880 He was speaking here to Pontius Pilate, and he asked him, He 97 00:05:31,880 --> 00:05:34,400 said, are you the king of the Jews? 98 00:05:35,560 --> 00:05:39,720 And it was a kind of an ironic question to ask Jesus because in 99 00:05:39,720 --> 00:05:45,040 reality, there was a man named Jehoshin, which was the Last 100 00:05:45,240 --> 00:05:51,160 King of the Jews, which reigned 600 years prior to this, because 101 00:05:51,320 --> 00:05:54,040 we had had what, 400 years of silence. 102 00:05:54,560 --> 00:05:59,960 So this Jehoshin guy, he was the Last King that was recognized by 103 00:05:59,960 --> 00:06:03,720 God to settle on the throne of Judah back in Second Chronicles 104 00:06:03,720 --> 00:06:08,960 36 and 9 through 10. So he was asking Jesus this, the 105 00:06:08,960 --> 00:06:13,000 last one that said in the place that Jesus that that they were 106 00:06:13,000 --> 00:06:16,520 pinning on Jesus as king of the Jews, because Jesus had not yet 107 00:06:16,680 --> 00:06:19,800 answered that question. He had not yet said, I am the 108 00:06:19,800 --> 00:06:21,920 king of the Jews, but he answers it. 109 00:06:22,080 --> 00:06:27,240 And he said unto them, thou sayest it as it is as you say, I 110 00:06:27,240 --> 00:06:30,640 am the king of the Jews. But as far as it as it was 111 00:06:30,640 --> 00:06:34,480 recorded, this was the first time that Jesus claimed this 112 00:06:34,680 --> 00:06:38,880 John had added some things to this and John 18 and 36 that 113 00:06:38,880 --> 00:06:42,760 when Jesus said my Kingdom is not of this world, when they 114 00:06:42,760 --> 00:06:45,840 they were always trying to pin the worldly things on Jesus, 115 00:06:45,840 --> 00:06:48,040 right? Everything he did, they tried to 116 00:06:48,040 --> 00:06:49,920 relate it. Hello somebody. 117 00:06:49,920 --> 00:06:53,400 Is that like a Christian today? We try to relate everything of 118 00:06:53,400 --> 00:06:57,760 the Kingdom to to the earth and it does not relate because we 119 00:06:57,760 --> 00:07:00,680 have a big problem there, because his ways are not our 120 00:07:00,680 --> 00:07:04,080 ways, His ways are higher. But yet we as Christians, we 121 00:07:04,080 --> 00:07:08,600 always try to relate our life and our flesh to the Kingdom. 122 00:07:08,600 --> 00:07:11,800 And it cannot happen. It does not happen that way. 123 00:07:12,320 --> 00:07:15,840 But standing there, Jesus said it, sitting there, it is as you 124 00:07:15,840 --> 00:07:18,480 say. And see, Pilate knew that his 125 00:07:18,480 --> 00:07:22,520 claims were spiritual and he wasn't of this world. 126 00:07:22,520 --> 00:07:26,000 And when he was accused of the chief verse 12 and the priest 127 00:07:26,000 --> 00:07:28,200 and the elders, he answered nothing. 128 00:07:28,960 --> 00:07:33,040 Man, that would be hard to do. Done open blinded eyes, done 129 00:07:33,040 --> 00:07:36,000 raise the dead. Done, done all kinds of 130 00:07:36,000 --> 00:07:39,600 miracles, turn water into wine, put money in the fish's mouth, 131 00:07:39,600 --> 00:07:42,880 calm the sea. That would be hard for me to do 132 00:07:43,600 --> 00:07:49,320 is to not sit there and and and not say anything that just got 133 00:07:49,320 --> 00:07:51,680 me when I read that he answered nothing. 134 00:07:52,480 --> 00:07:56,960 He would not defend himself before the people, which they 135 00:07:56,960 --> 00:08:00,200 cared nothing about the truth anyway he ever found you spend 136 00:08:00,200 --> 00:08:02,920 all this time defending something that you believe or 137 00:08:02,920 --> 00:08:05,240 something you say sometime and then they come out with the 138 00:08:05,240 --> 00:08:08,880 stupidest answer that you could ever imagine and and you're like 139 00:08:08,880 --> 00:08:12,280 where did they get that something you learned back in 140 00:08:12,280 --> 00:08:15,520 the second grade of your Christianity walk that that they 141 00:08:15,520 --> 00:08:19,400 should have done been way past. I told somebody one time I said 142 00:08:19,400 --> 00:08:21,160 you said under more teaching than that. 143 00:08:21,760 --> 00:08:27,640 Surely then said Pilate unto him. 144 00:08:28,200 --> 00:08:33,200 Do you not hear how many things they witnessed against you? 145 00:08:33,840 --> 00:08:36,600 They were coming against him, but yet he had done nothing 146 00:08:36,600 --> 00:08:39,080 wrong other than what? What was the one thing that 147 00:08:39,080 --> 00:08:41,760 Jesus did wrong that offended the the thing that the only 148 00:08:41,760 --> 00:08:44,000 thing that he really did wrong. They couldn't they couldn't 149 00:08:44,000 --> 00:08:47,480 convict him of a law when they reverted back to the law healing 150 00:08:47,480 --> 00:08:49,640 on the Sabbath. Some things that that mess with 151 00:08:49,640 --> 00:08:54,760 their law, but legally they had no ground to stand on. 152 00:08:54,800 --> 00:08:59,040 Hey man, they had no ground to stand on, but Jesus did not 153 00:08:59,040 --> 00:09:05,320 defend himself and he answered verse 14 to him, never a word. 154 00:09:05,840 --> 00:09:08,000 But see back in Isaiah 53 and seven. 155 00:09:08,000 --> 00:09:12,840 He was fulfilling what Isaiah said in so much that the they 156 00:09:12,840 --> 00:09:16,200 marveled greatly. It says so in verse 15. 157 00:09:16,440 --> 00:09:19,280 It says now at the feast. So you got to picture this, you 158 00:09:19,280 --> 00:09:24,680 have Barabbas and you have Jesus sitting on the stand and we're 159 00:09:24,680 --> 00:09:28,160 at a pivotal time. As I said, the governor he was 160 00:09:28,160 --> 00:09:32,200 that was accustomed to release some a prisoner to whom they 161 00:09:32,400 --> 00:09:35,160 they they wanted. In other words, see the people 162 00:09:35,280 --> 00:09:38,600 could choose which one they wanted released. 163 00:09:39,080 --> 00:09:43,400 And Pilate thought that that he had found a way out of his 164 00:09:43,400 --> 00:09:45,200 dilemma. What a dilemma he was in. 165 00:09:45,240 --> 00:09:47,240 Amen. Because Pilate really didn't 166 00:09:47,240 --> 00:09:50,160 want to. He didn't want to to crucify 167 00:09:50,280 --> 00:09:51,760 Jesus. He would he didn't want him. 168 00:09:51,880 --> 00:09:55,680 He wanted to release him. He knew that Jesus was innocent, 169 00:09:56,600 --> 00:10:02,400 but they they in verse 16 it says and they had then a notable 170 00:10:02,400 --> 00:10:07,000 prisoner called Barabbas. Therefore, when they gathered 171 00:10:07,000 --> 00:10:10,840 together, Pilate said unto them, Whom will it? 172 00:10:11,120 --> 00:10:13,440 Whom will you that I release unto you? 173 00:10:13,440 --> 00:10:19,640 Barabbas or Jesus? And, and, and some manuscripts 174 00:10:19,640 --> 00:10:22,440 say that his name was Jesus Barabbas. 175 00:10:22,440 --> 00:10:25,640 They say so the people were forced with a choice. 176 00:10:25,640 --> 00:10:29,120 It was Jesus or Barabbas, A murderer or someone that had 177 00:10:29,360 --> 00:10:33,320 done nothing wrong. But yet they chose the murderer, 178 00:10:34,280 --> 00:10:38,440 for he knew that for envy they had delivered him. 179 00:10:38,520 --> 00:10:43,360 And in verse 19, it says when he was set down on the judgment 180 00:10:43,360 --> 00:10:46,120 seat, it was a chair raised up on a platform. 181 00:10:46,720 --> 00:10:51,760 His wife talking about pilot's wife Here it says she sent unto 182 00:10:51,760 --> 00:10:55,360 him saying, have thou nothing to do with the just man? 183 00:10:55,480 --> 00:10:59,200 For I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of 184 00:10:59,200 --> 00:11:01,440 him. You know, most men listen to 185 00:11:01,440 --> 00:11:06,560 their wives sometimes. But here she he chose he chose 186 00:11:06,560 --> 00:11:10,640 not to see when we look back in in history in the time her name 187 00:11:10,640 --> 00:11:15,560 was Claudia and another another name was Persulia. 188 00:11:16,520 --> 00:11:19,840 And tradition says that ultimately she became a 189 00:11:19,840 --> 00:11:24,640 Christian later on. And she was also anybody know 190 00:11:24,640 --> 00:11:28,480 the history of this? She was also a Gentile. 191 00:11:30,040 --> 00:11:32,560 She was a gentile. Well, that touched me when I 192 00:11:32,560 --> 00:11:35,520 read that Amen. We got a place in Jesus heart, 193 00:11:36,000 --> 00:11:39,360 right. She was a Gentile and she later 194 00:11:39,720 --> 00:11:43,840 met Christ personally. But but in verse 20 it says, but 195 00:11:43,840 --> 00:11:47,720 the chief priest and the elders persuaded the multitude that 196 00:11:47,720 --> 00:11:51,720 they should ask Barabbas. The governor answered and he 197 00:11:51,720 --> 00:11:56,560 said unto them, Whether of the two will you that I release? 198 00:11:56,800 --> 00:12:01,320 They said Barabbas pilot said it to them, What shall I do then 199 00:12:02,000 --> 00:12:04,920 with Jesus, which is called the Christ? 200 00:12:05,360 --> 00:12:07,760 You know, that's the greatest question probably ever asked in 201 00:12:07,760 --> 00:12:11,680 the Bible. What shall I do with Jesus 202 00:12:12,040 --> 00:12:14,200 called the Christ? There's still people today that 203 00:12:14,200 --> 00:12:18,200 can't answer that. They can't answer what will I do 204 00:12:18,400 --> 00:12:20,920 with Jesus? There's a lot of people in 205 00:12:20,920 --> 00:12:23,320 church that need to answer that question today. 206 00:12:23,440 --> 00:12:26,320 Maybe they're in the church, but they're not of Jesus, right? 207 00:12:26,480 --> 00:12:28,520 They need to at some point in our life. 208 00:12:28,640 --> 00:12:33,400 What shall I do with Jesus called the Christ? 209 00:12:33,720 --> 00:12:37,520 Greatest question, the answer decided eternal destiny. 210 00:12:37,520 --> 00:12:41,200 Think about that for you and I when we make that decision to 211 00:12:41,200 --> 00:12:44,600 follow Jesus. And they all said unto him, look 212 00:12:44,600 --> 00:12:49,720 what they said, let him be crucified, let him be crucified. 213 00:12:50,600 --> 00:12:52,720 You know, I've often wondered right here if the people would 214 00:12:52,720 --> 00:12:57,520 said just release him, just release Jesus, if they could 215 00:12:57,520 --> 00:12:59,560 have believed right there, what would have happened. 216 00:13:00,320 --> 00:13:01,800 It's always stumped me right there. 217 00:13:01,920 --> 00:13:04,760 But it wasn't in the will of God for him to be released, right? 218 00:13:04,920 --> 00:13:07,360 Maybe the trial you're going through the night though, you 219 00:13:07,360 --> 00:13:10,120 think you need to be out of it. It may not be in the will of God 220 00:13:10,120 --> 00:13:13,920 for you to be out of it. But they said crucify him 221 00:13:14,840 --> 00:13:19,640 because see, they knew that such a death, such a death would be 222 00:13:19,640 --> 00:13:23,960 like in Deuteronomy 21 and 23 under the law of Moses and 223 00:13:24,080 --> 00:13:27,320 anyone that was hanged on a tree where it was believed to be 224 00:13:27,320 --> 00:13:29,840 cursed by God. But God was changing something 225 00:13:29,840 --> 00:13:33,800 here with grace right from from the law to the dispensation of 226 00:13:33,800 --> 00:13:37,720 grace. And the governor said, why? 227 00:13:38,360 --> 00:13:41,960 What evil has he done? They could not answer that 228 00:13:41,960 --> 00:13:44,240 question. They couldn't answer it, but 229 00:13:44,560 --> 00:13:48,880 they just hollered crucify him. And you know, as we look at the 230 00:13:48,880 --> 00:13:53,160 news many times today, we see the same thing, especially from 231 00:13:53,160 --> 00:13:55,440 the left. Crucify him. 232 00:13:55,600 --> 00:13:58,400 Do away with this Jesus. Let's don't do anything with 233 00:13:58,400 --> 00:14:00,640 him. And you know, on the other side 234 00:14:00,640 --> 00:14:02,960 of that, the Republicans are really good at not doing 235 00:14:02,960 --> 00:14:06,120 anything, just kind of take in the neutral position. 236 00:14:06,520 --> 00:14:11,360 We've become very good at that. But see, when they hollered 237 00:14:11,360 --> 00:14:15,040 crucify him, what has he done? They had no answer. 238 00:14:15,440 --> 00:14:17,200 But let's look at what Pilate does right here. 239 00:14:17,200 --> 00:14:21,520 He's in a situation and when Pilate saw that he could not 240 00:14:21,880 --> 00:14:27,320 prevail, nothing but that rather a tumult was made. 241 00:14:28,520 --> 00:14:34,320 He took water, He took the water and he began to wash his hands 242 00:14:35,640 --> 00:14:40,840 before the multitude, saying I am innocent of the blood of this 243 00:14:40,840 --> 00:14:43,640 person. He didn't do anything about it. 244 00:14:44,160 --> 00:14:47,560 He just washed. You know, I read that when the 245 00:14:47,560 --> 00:14:50,800 Lord gave me this message, I was in a motel room in McAlester. 246 00:14:50,800 --> 00:14:52,240 OK? And I'm going to preach it on a 247 00:14:52,240 --> 00:14:55,640 Sunday. But there was, there's many 248 00:14:55,640 --> 00:14:59,960 Christians today that they're just washing and they think 249 00:14:59,960 --> 00:15:04,040 they're innocent. Paulo had a chance but he denied 250 00:15:04,040 --> 00:15:07,280 the chance but like I say it's a catch 22 because it was in the 251 00:15:07,280 --> 00:15:10,760 will of God was pilot part of the will of God but still we 252 00:15:10,760 --> 00:15:12,600 have to work out our own salvation. 253 00:15:12,720 --> 00:15:15,960 Even though the crowd was hollering crucify him he could 254 00:15:15,960 --> 00:15:19,240 have still took a chance. You can wash all you want but it 255 00:15:19,240 --> 00:15:22,360 doesn't make you clean. He said I'm innocent of the 256 00:15:22,360 --> 00:15:24,880 blood of this person you see to it. 257 00:15:25,880 --> 00:15:29,640 Then answered all the people and said look what the people said 258 00:15:29,640 --> 00:15:31,360 here man, I found this astounding. 259 00:15:31,360 --> 00:15:36,360 They said they said let his blood be on us and on our 260 00:15:36,360 --> 00:15:38,400 children. And they wasn't talking about 261 00:15:38,720 --> 00:15:40,680 the the redeeming blood of Christ. 262 00:15:40,680 --> 00:15:43,840 They was talking about the punishment and the chastisement 263 00:15:43,840 --> 00:15:46,360 of Christ and they just spoke it on their self. 264 00:15:47,000 --> 00:15:50,840 And you know, today, 2026 years later, people are still doing 265 00:15:50,840 --> 00:15:52,880 that. When we reject the gospel, when 266 00:15:52,880 --> 00:15:55,880 we reject the blood of Jesus, we're they're, they're releasing 267 00:15:55,880 --> 00:15:58,560 curse and not blessing upon their life. 268 00:15:59,200 --> 00:16:01,600 And then they released Barabbas unto them. 269 00:16:01,600 --> 00:16:05,920 And when he they had scorned him, they had they had beat him 270 00:16:05,920 --> 00:16:11,640 so horribly, but yet they delivered him to be crucified. 271 00:16:12,400 --> 00:16:16,400 But see, many times in our life, we're like Pilate. 272 00:16:17,360 --> 00:16:20,520 We just stay neutral. It's easier to just wash. 273 00:16:20,520 --> 00:16:23,760 It's easier not to come clean. Clean on some things it's 274 00:16:23,760 --> 00:16:25,360 easier. I can picture Pilot just 275 00:16:25,360 --> 00:16:29,720 washing. Much like people today lot call 276 00:16:29,720 --> 00:16:33,880 their self Christians. You know, we find as we get 277 00:16:33,880 --> 00:16:39,320 older, I have found an age age-old lie that the enemy is 278 00:16:39,320 --> 00:16:43,280 just selling people and they're still buying it, still buying 279 00:16:43,280 --> 00:16:45,280 it. You know, I heard my son today 280 00:16:45,280 --> 00:16:49,000 saying it, talking about the church and and as y'all know he 281 00:16:49,000 --> 00:16:50,440 don't come to church much anymore. 282 00:16:50,440 --> 00:16:54,960 He was raised in church, but he was the one asked me the 283 00:16:54,960 --> 00:16:59,120 question about preaching to the same people in those things and 284 00:16:59,480 --> 00:17:01,000 how many. Remember when you were running 285 00:17:01,000 --> 00:17:04,400 from the church, you didn't need the church, but God brought you 286 00:17:04,400 --> 00:17:07,160 to a place and that's what I told him. 287 00:17:07,160 --> 00:17:09,800 I said one day you will need the church. 288 00:17:10,920 --> 00:17:13,280 Well we're called to go out and and lead people to Christ. 289 00:17:13,280 --> 00:17:15,400 Can you do all that? And once I said, Oh yeah, we can 290 00:17:15,400 --> 00:17:17,839 do it. I said I pretty got a chance to 291 00:17:17,839 --> 00:17:21,200 preach a funeral the other day to over 100 people at the grave 292 00:17:21,200 --> 00:17:23,960 site. And I said it was a little 293 00:17:23,960 --> 00:17:25,640 different than what I preached in the church. 294 00:17:25,640 --> 00:17:29,040 We got down and we got real. We talked about the Grays 295 00:17:29,040 --> 00:17:32,800 busting open and I said don't be ignorant concerning death 296 00:17:32,800 --> 00:17:35,840 because one day you will die. The apostle Paul said do not be 297 00:17:35,840 --> 00:17:38,240 ignorant. And I preached and I could see 298 00:17:38,240 --> 00:17:41,920 some hands in the back slip up. But after it a young man come up 299 00:17:41,920 --> 00:17:43,480 to me. I've never seen him in my life 300 00:17:43,480 --> 00:17:45,600 to my knowledge. And he said I just want you to 301 00:17:45,600 --> 00:17:47,520 know. My hand didn't go up today. 302 00:17:47,520 --> 00:17:50,640 But he said I come to your church one time and he said I 303 00:17:50,640 --> 00:17:52,600 didn't really know about it because it was a non 304 00:17:52,600 --> 00:17:54,480 denominational church. I was told. 305 00:17:54,640 --> 00:17:57,560 But he said, I want you to know that day I came, I accepted 306 00:17:57,560 --> 00:18:00,320 Jesus as my savior and I want you to know it. 307 00:18:01,520 --> 00:18:05,960 You never know who you're touching, but see so many, it's 308 00:18:05,960 --> 00:18:08,560 just it's just easier to wash and say, I don't need the 309 00:18:08,560 --> 00:18:11,560 church. I'm not really doing anything. 310 00:18:11,560 --> 00:18:15,000 But I'm I'm in neutral. The devil loves to put people in 311 00:18:15,000 --> 00:18:18,560 neutral because when you're in neutral, you're not going 312 00:18:18,560 --> 00:18:22,560 anywhere. See, it sounded good what pilot 313 00:18:22,560 --> 00:18:26,080 did, but he didn't have the courage to do the right thing. 314 00:18:26,440 --> 00:18:29,400 He didn't have the courage to stick up for what he was, what 315 00:18:29,400 --> 00:18:32,520 he knew was right. But I say to you tonight, we 316 00:18:32,520 --> 00:18:36,640 can't take a neutral position regarding Christ, even what 317 00:18:36,640 --> 00:18:38,480 people have to know where we stand. 318 00:18:38,600 --> 00:18:43,280 I know what's right and and everything that that you want to 319 00:18:43,280 --> 00:18:46,840 do, you know, they come to your house and they say everything I 320 00:18:46,840 --> 00:18:48,800 want to do. You don't call it fun. 321 00:18:49,320 --> 00:18:51,040 You don't want to do any fun stuff. 322 00:18:51,040 --> 00:18:52,560 I don't want to hang out with you. 323 00:18:52,920 --> 00:18:55,800 They they, they begin to attack who you are and who you are. 324 00:18:55,800 --> 00:18:58,200 I don't know what God's called you to do tonight, but I know 325 00:18:58,200 --> 00:19:01,480 what God's called me to do. Hey, man, I'm not sure of myself 326 00:19:01,480 --> 00:19:04,680 many times when I stand behind this pulpit, but I'm sure of my 327 00:19:04,680 --> 00:19:07,120 calling. Hey, man, and I'm not giving up. 328 00:19:08,400 --> 00:19:11,960 It's not just a hand washing, it's not just a Dunkin under and 329 00:19:11,960 --> 00:19:13,920 come up a mighty man or woman of God. 330 00:19:14,080 --> 00:19:17,200 It's it's, it's being, it's living for God every day and 331 00:19:17,200 --> 00:19:19,640 never taking a neutral position. Amen. 332 00:19:20,840 --> 00:19:23,800 But see, they can talk about the church all they want, but they 333 00:19:23,800 --> 00:19:26,760 need to see the church in US, Amen. 334 00:19:26,760 --> 00:19:30,160 If there's anything I'm glad, I'm so proud that that God has, 335 00:19:30,280 --> 00:19:33,760 has created something within me that Satan can't tear down. 336 00:19:33,800 --> 00:19:35,880 Amen. As long as I keep feeding it, as 337 00:19:35,880 --> 00:19:39,520 long as I keep nourishing it. And that's what I begin to tell 338 00:19:39,520 --> 00:19:41,440 my son today. I said, you know, I said when 339 00:19:41,440 --> 00:19:43,680 you look at the church as a whole of what many of them do, 340 00:19:43,680 --> 00:19:46,680 maybe you don't think you need it, but you need spiritual 341 00:19:46,680 --> 00:19:49,720 nourishment every day. It never changes. 342 00:19:50,680 --> 00:19:55,160 But so many are just washing, living in neutral, never taking 343 00:19:55,160 --> 00:19:57,720 a stand. And we see this. 344 00:19:58,000 --> 00:20:02,120 I read this thing about silence. See, silence grows louder over 345 00:20:02,120 --> 00:20:05,520 time. Can I say that again? 346 00:20:05,680 --> 00:20:10,080 Silence grows louder over time. But silence speaks. 347 00:20:10,640 --> 00:20:12,240 Jesus was the pure image of that. 348 00:20:12,400 --> 00:20:14,960 He didn't have to say anything because he had already walked it 349 00:20:14,960 --> 00:20:16,480 out. He had already lived it. 350 00:20:16,600 --> 00:20:18,160 He didn't have to defend anything. 351 00:20:18,160 --> 00:20:20,320 He was saying, hey, I've showed you the way. 352 00:20:20,440 --> 00:20:23,640 I've showed you the truth. I've presented the promise of 353 00:20:23,640 --> 00:20:26,880 eternal life unto you and told you that I'm going to prepare a 354 00:20:26,880 --> 00:20:30,880 place that where I am, there you can be also, so I don't have to 355 00:20:30,880 --> 00:20:33,680 defend myself. But now here in a few days, when 356 00:20:33,680 --> 00:20:36,800 you hang me on that old rugged cross and you play some thorns 357 00:20:36,800 --> 00:20:39,960 up on my head and you Pierce my hands and feet and my side, 358 00:20:40,120 --> 00:20:42,720 something is going to happen that you will never forget. 359 00:20:42,760 --> 00:20:44,680 Amen. I don't have to talk about it. 360 00:20:44,800 --> 00:20:47,760 I don't have to explain it. I just have to receive it. 361 00:20:47,760 --> 00:20:49,600 Amen. And when I receive it, then I 362 00:20:49,600 --> 00:20:53,120 begin to live it. Because silence grows louder 363 00:20:53,120 --> 00:20:59,120 over time, but silence speaks. Time doesn't shout but shows 364 00:20:59,120 --> 00:21:03,360 everything. Time doesn't shout, but it shows 365 00:21:03,360 --> 00:21:04,520 everything. You don't believe it. 366 00:21:04,520 --> 00:21:06,120 Go back and look at 8th grade picture. 367 00:21:08,720 --> 00:21:12,800 I said time doesn't shout but it shows everything. 368 00:21:14,680 --> 00:21:16,720 I like this. Who's real? 369 00:21:18,040 --> 00:21:19,960 Who's fake? Isn't that true? 370 00:21:21,520 --> 00:21:25,720 Time reveals all. Regret comes too late, but it 371 00:21:25,720 --> 00:21:28,000 stays long. A few things we should remember 372 00:21:28,000 --> 00:21:31,320 about time. I said time doesn't shout but 373 00:21:31,320 --> 00:21:34,920 yet it shows everything. Time reveals everything. 374 00:21:34,920 --> 00:21:39,160 No one escapes it's lessons. Amen. 375 00:21:40,640 --> 00:21:43,760 I go Coon hunting with guys and I had a buddy the other day. 376 00:21:43,760 --> 00:21:46,120 He had this little young dog. He didn't pay a bunch much money 377 00:21:46,120 --> 00:21:49,920 for him and he did really good one night and I knew just 378 00:21:49,920 --> 00:21:52,480 because I know him I knew he wasn't going to sell him. 379 00:21:52,720 --> 00:21:56,280 Most time he will but if I he thinks I want it because we hunt 380 00:21:56,280 --> 00:21:58,880 together he ain't going to sell it to me. 381 00:22:00,080 --> 00:22:03,880 So I offered him kind of a lot of money for what the dog was 382 00:22:03,880 --> 00:22:08,640 doing at the time and this and, and, and people to see the enemy 383 00:22:08,640 --> 00:22:12,120 works this way. See it when when things are 384 00:22:12,120 --> 00:22:14,840 going good, you know, we don't need to quit doing anything 385 00:22:14,840 --> 00:22:15,720 ever. Our life's good. 386 00:22:15,720 --> 00:22:18,080 The money's good. The social drinking's good. 387 00:22:18,080 --> 00:22:20,040 The all the things are good in our life. 388 00:22:20,040 --> 00:22:21,400 We don't need to give up anything. 389 00:22:21,400 --> 00:22:23,720 We just kind of get neutral because we're just kind of 390 00:22:23,720 --> 00:22:26,680 cruising along. You're not really hearing from 391 00:22:26,680 --> 00:22:30,480 God because there's no problems to draw you to God to make you 392 00:22:30,480 --> 00:22:32,320 pray. The thorn in your flesh seems to 393 00:22:32,320 --> 00:22:34,120 be gone. Am I preaching to anybody? 394 00:22:35,800 --> 00:22:39,000 But I told him that and he said he called me as he said. 395 00:22:39,000 --> 00:22:41,000 I said, well, think about it. He thought about it and it was 396 00:22:41,000 --> 00:22:42,960 way over double. It was over doubling his money. 397 00:22:43,800 --> 00:22:46,440 And this particular breed of dog, though, will bring a lot of 398 00:22:46,440 --> 00:22:50,520 money if they're trained. And he happened to tree one Coon 399 00:22:50,520 --> 00:22:53,360 because he was with my dog and he kind of my dog was treated 400 00:22:53,360 --> 00:22:55,560 over here about to tree and he runs under there and gets the 401 00:22:55,560 --> 00:22:57,160 Coon. So he thinks his dog did it. 402 00:22:57,160 --> 00:23:00,160 See. And and and I've done this sport 403 00:23:00,160 --> 00:23:02,040 long enough. I know the insurance and outs 404 00:23:03,880 --> 00:23:06,360 just be and and it's just like Christianity, you know, just 405 00:23:06,360 --> 00:23:08,800 because we won one battle, we're still going to have to pray to 406 00:23:08,800 --> 00:23:10,720 win the next battle. It ain't just going to come. 407 00:23:12,040 --> 00:23:14,480 So he calls me, says I'm not going to I'm not going to say 408 00:23:14,480 --> 00:23:16,040 that dog, I'm going to keep him. I said, OK. 409 00:23:16,040 --> 00:23:17,720 I said, well, I'm really glad you didn't. 410 00:23:18,040 --> 00:23:19,960 I said, because I got caught up in the moment. 411 00:23:21,000 --> 00:23:22,600 He said, oh, he's a good young dog. 412 00:23:22,600 --> 00:23:26,280 I said, OK, but see, I control the hunt because I have the 413 00:23:26,280 --> 00:23:28,640 better dog and if I don't bring the better dog, I can bring 414 00:23:28,640 --> 00:23:30,360 something that'll make his dog mess up. 415 00:23:32,040 --> 00:23:34,760 So I brought two dogs the next night and he there was nothing 416 00:23:34,760 --> 00:23:36,840 but whooping and choking and beating his dog. 417 00:23:37,400 --> 00:23:41,720 But yet he don't understand that I control it, right. 418 00:23:42,880 --> 00:23:44,600 That must be how I thought. That's the kind of how God 419 00:23:44,600 --> 00:23:48,000 feels, you know, we get cocky and we, we get we get all of our 420 00:23:48,000 --> 00:23:50,840 Christian kicks and we get to posting some good things and I 421 00:23:51,080 --> 00:23:54,000 get to preaching a few messages that are just easy, you know, 422 00:23:54,000 --> 00:23:56,520 and then here comes the here comes the trouble. 423 00:23:59,320 --> 00:24:06,440 But see, life is like this, we can't just wash the cares away. 424 00:24:07,440 --> 00:24:09,200 We have to stand up for something. 425 00:24:10,160 --> 00:24:12,720 I wonder what he thought my wife had a dream about this man. 426 00:24:12,720 --> 00:24:15,080 What was it? What was it? 427 00:24:15,640 --> 00:24:17,720 If I take a stand, what's going to happen? 428 00:24:18,320 --> 00:24:22,280 If I take a stand and release Jesus and and don't release some 429 00:24:22,280 --> 00:24:25,400 Barabbas, so will will I have a job tomorrow? 430 00:24:26,200 --> 00:24:27,600 Well, that hits home, doesn't it? 431 00:24:28,720 --> 00:24:30,680 Think about it. Pilot had a chance here. 432 00:24:30,880 --> 00:24:35,240 He had a choice, but he he did something that looked good. 433 00:24:36,920 --> 00:24:39,480 You know good will lead you away from God sometimes. 434 00:24:40,680 --> 00:24:43,040 Not all churches that look good are good. 435 00:24:43,520 --> 00:24:46,120 Not all ideas that sound good are good. 436 00:24:47,160 --> 00:24:50,360 But never enough to bring a change in his life. 437 00:24:51,120 --> 00:24:54,600 Pilot held his office, as history tells, for for 10 more 438 00:24:54,600 --> 00:24:56,600 years. He was the governor, he was 439 00:24:56,800 --> 00:25:03,360 Pilot, but at the end of that time he was removed for cruelty 440 00:25:03,640 --> 00:25:07,720 and extortion, and history tells that he was banished, that he 441 00:25:07,720 --> 00:25:12,480 was vanished to to Vayen and GAO, where he committed suicide, 442 00:25:14,080 --> 00:25:18,080 killed himself, did the same thing that Judas did, took 443 00:25:18,080 --> 00:25:21,600 matters into his own hands. He, he knew about the blood, but 444 00:25:21,600 --> 00:25:25,880 yet it never changed him. How many are that way today? 445 00:25:25,880 --> 00:25:28,360 How many know somebody in your family that's that way? 446 00:25:28,480 --> 00:25:31,960 They know all about it and, and know all about it, but they're 447 00:25:31,960 --> 00:25:34,640 just in neutral. They're just in neutral, not 448 00:25:34,640 --> 00:25:42,000 really going in any direction. Shaking hands, washing hands 449 00:25:42,320 --> 00:25:45,720 doesn't make you free. We learned this many times. 450 00:25:45,720 --> 00:25:48,720 And in parenting, there was, I'm sure we could all go back and 451 00:25:48,720 --> 00:25:51,240 look at something that if we would have took a stand and we 452 00:25:51,240 --> 00:25:54,680 could have cut it off and stopped it, then maybe we made a 453 00:25:54,680 --> 00:25:57,960 mistake. But Romans 12/1 and two, Paul 454 00:25:57,960 --> 00:26:03,080 says that I beseech you, that means to ask to pray for 455 00:26:03,080 --> 00:26:06,440 something with deep urgency and desperation. 456 00:26:06,440 --> 00:26:10,160 Paul says, I beseech you that you present your bodies. 457 00:26:10,160 --> 00:26:14,160 He says, I pray that I pray to God that you present your bodies 458 00:26:14,160 --> 00:26:17,800 as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable. 459 00:26:17,800 --> 00:26:20,480 You know, as I preached the Sunday before last, or maybe it 460 00:26:20,480 --> 00:26:24,360 was Wednesday, I don't remember, but or something that really got 461 00:26:24,360 --> 00:26:30,000 me that Jesus said if you love me, you'll do what keep my 462 00:26:30,000 --> 00:26:34,040 commandments. Assembling ourselves together is 463 00:26:34,040 --> 00:26:36,280 a commandment. It's not one of the 10 464 00:26:36,280 --> 00:26:38,520 commandments, but all through the New Testament, every 465 00:26:38,680 --> 00:26:40,960 everyone that was anointed of God said Fred, Paul said as 466 00:26:40,960 --> 00:26:45,440 forsake not the assembling of yourselves, but Jesus said, if 467 00:26:45,440 --> 00:26:47,720 you love me, you'll keep my commandments and I love what I 468 00:26:47,720 --> 00:26:50,400 shared after that. And he said when you keep my 469 00:26:50,400 --> 00:26:53,800 commandments, he said, and I will pray the Father. 470 00:26:55,080 --> 00:26:56,880 See that's why why don't we preach holy? 471 00:26:56,880 --> 00:26:59,320 It's not just to be holy. So everybody say, oh, look at 472 00:26:59,320 --> 00:27:01,360 them or I haven't done this this week. 473 00:27:01,600 --> 00:27:05,800 It's so that Jesus will pray the father on our behalf because he 474 00:27:05,800 --> 00:27:09,400 looks down and see us keeping his commandments and sees a 475 00:27:09,400 --> 00:27:13,000 child trying to obey his father. And when he does, he says, I'm 476 00:27:13,000 --> 00:27:15,440 going to pray the father. And when I pray the father is a 477 00:27:15,440 --> 00:27:17,240 really cool thing that's going to happen. 478 00:27:17,440 --> 00:27:23,160 He, the Holy Spirit, is going to come and dwell within you, that 479 00:27:23,160 --> 00:27:25,880 you present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and 480 00:27:25,880 --> 00:27:30,760 acceptable under God, which is your reasonable service and 481 00:27:30,760 --> 00:27:34,000 perfect will of God. See, there's a will of God that 482 00:27:34,000 --> 00:27:37,320 He will allow us to walk in sometimes, but then there's a 483 00:27:37,320 --> 00:27:40,240 perfect will of God. I want to be in the perfect will 484 00:27:40,240 --> 00:27:43,320 of God. I think of Joseph when I think 485 00:27:43,320 --> 00:27:48,200 of this eight times in Genesis 39, it says that the Lord was 486 00:27:48,200 --> 00:27:50,200 with Joseph. Why? 487 00:27:50,200 --> 00:27:52,760 Because he was walking in the perfect will of God. 488 00:27:53,600 --> 00:27:55,840 You know, he said what the enemy meant for evil when he was 489 00:27:55,840 --> 00:27:57,920 throwed into the opiate. What happened? 490 00:27:58,080 --> 00:28:01,840 God turned it into good. Joseph is a great example of not 491 00:28:01,840 --> 00:28:04,840 grumbling and complaining at the situation that you're at, but 492 00:28:04,840 --> 00:28:08,920 just keep trying. And Potiphar saw that God had 493 00:28:08,920 --> 00:28:12,560 his hand up on him, so he entrusted him, he entrusted 494 00:28:12,560 --> 00:28:16,360 Joseph with all of his house. And you know what, what 495 00:28:16,360 --> 00:28:17,960 happened? Y'all know the rest of that 496 00:28:17,960 --> 00:28:20,400 story. But it's a great example of not 497 00:28:20,400 --> 00:28:24,880 being in neutral because when when she tried to seduce him, he 498 00:28:24,880 --> 00:28:27,640 said, how could I sin against my God? 499 00:28:28,160 --> 00:28:31,640 What a great attitude to have. It's not that it's not an 500 00:28:31,640 --> 00:28:34,600 attitude of just trying to live for God every day. 501 00:28:34,880 --> 00:28:37,360 It should be. How could I, how could I? 502 00:28:37,360 --> 00:28:40,680 I I've got to obey the commandments so so that the 503 00:28:40,680 --> 00:28:44,040 Father that that Jesus will pray to the Father. 504 00:28:44,040 --> 00:28:48,600 But as you stand your feet, I say this often, your greatest 505 00:28:48,600 --> 00:28:51,320 temptation will come with your greatest justification. 506 00:28:53,080 --> 00:28:55,760 You know, that's that's so true because so many people they're 507 00:28:55,920 --> 00:28:57,280 they're tempted not to go to church. 508 00:28:57,280 --> 00:28:59,280 They're tempted to walk away from God. 509 00:29:00,080 --> 00:29:02,920 They're tempted to to do though. But you know, we, we look at 510 00:29:02,920 --> 00:29:05,600 people today and many of us here, we've lived, we've served 511 00:29:05,600 --> 00:29:10,160 God a long time. And it's hard for us to go back 512 00:29:10,160 --> 00:29:13,480 to that time to where they were. There was a time you didn't 513 00:29:13,480 --> 00:29:17,120 think you needed God. There was a time that you 514 00:29:17,120 --> 00:29:18,600 thought you could do it on your own. 515 00:29:18,600 --> 00:29:21,040 There was a time you thought church was just for old people, 516 00:29:21,880 --> 00:29:25,240 right? But then there was that day that 517 00:29:25,240 --> 00:29:28,400 you quit being in neutral and you knew that I, I can't make it 518 00:29:28,400 --> 00:29:32,200 without it. You got to feed your spirit. 519 00:29:34,120 --> 00:29:38,360 But your greatest temptation to walk away from those things, it 520 00:29:38,360 --> 00:29:41,560 comes with your greatest justification. 521 00:29:43,240 --> 00:29:45,760 I have a whoop, my son since he was very young, but I almost 522 00:29:45,760 --> 00:29:50,320 slapped him because he said, well, we'll be we'll be 523 00:29:50,320 --> 00:29:52,520 different than going to church where everybody believes in 524 00:29:52,520 --> 00:29:55,560 going somewhere where, where and trying to live it. 525 00:29:57,600 --> 00:29:59,880 I guess you could try that, see how it works for you. 526 00:30:01,000 --> 00:30:04,680 You better go to the church and get fed and then go live it. 527 00:30:04,760 --> 00:30:08,960 Hey man, but just your greatest temptation will come with your 528 00:30:08,960 --> 00:30:11,360 greatest justification. You ever been there where you 529 00:30:11,360 --> 00:30:13,920 try to justify what was inside of you and you knew it wasn't of 530 00:30:13,920 --> 00:30:15,800 God? Your greatest temptation will 531 00:30:15,800 --> 00:30:18,360 come with your greatest justification, but when you do 532 00:30:18,360 --> 00:30:22,320 not yield to that temptation, you will see the manifestation 533 00:30:22,320 --> 00:30:25,560 of God and the power of God as you've never seen it before in 534 00:30:25,560 --> 00:30:28,640 your life. That's why it's important. 535 00:30:29,360 --> 00:30:32,440 But many forfeit the blessings of God because we refuse to 536 00:30:32,440 --> 00:30:36,760 humble ourselves before God. Joseph could resist the 537 00:30:36,760 --> 00:30:39,320 temptation because he had already humbled himself, right? 538 00:30:39,840 --> 00:30:41,800 Jesus didn't have to defend himself. 539 00:30:42,960 --> 00:30:45,400 You know, I, I get so tired. And if you don't watch it, your 540 00:30:45,400 --> 00:30:46,920 walk will get that way. You try. 541 00:30:47,120 --> 00:30:48,720 You like we're trying to defend God. 542 00:30:48,720 --> 00:30:52,040 We don't have to defend God. Hey, man, he's already hung it 543 00:30:52,040 --> 00:30:54,400 on a cross. He's already said it's finished. 544 00:30:54,400 --> 00:30:58,160 We start, we start fighting battles that he's already won, 545 00:30:58,160 --> 00:30:59,960 and we get caught up in the mess. 546 00:30:59,960 --> 00:31:03,240 Am I the only one? And I realized why I'm not 547 00:31:03,240 --> 00:31:05,360 worried about that. You've already said it's 548 00:31:05,360 --> 00:31:08,200 finished. Hey, man. 549 00:31:09,880 --> 00:31:14,880 But it's the hardest thing because it's hard for me to 550 00:31:14,880 --> 00:31:18,680 grasp sometimes. This is because we pray. 551 00:31:19,240 --> 00:31:22,880 Anybody pray for the kids? Anybody pray for lost loved 552 00:31:22,880 --> 00:31:27,160 ones? It ain't been a few days ago. 553 00:31:27,160 --> 00:31:29,960 My he's telling me he'd been praying about some banging his 554 00:31:29,960 --> 00:31:31,840 head up against the wall. It says exactly what you're 555 00:31:31,840 --> 00:31:34,520 doing. Because when when you're not in 556 00:31:34,520 --> 00:31:37,160 the will of God and when somebody's not in the will of 557 00:31:37,160 --> 00:31:41,600 God and God's using this trial to get somebody to come back to 558 00:31:41,600 --> 00:31:43,200 God. But yet we're over here crying. 559 00:31:43,200 --> 00:31:48,800 Oh God, don't let it happen. You know, it gets kind of mind 560 00:31:48,800 --> 00:31:50,720 breaking. So do y'all ever think of that 561 00:31:50,720 --> 00:31:53,720 or is it just me? Here I am praying for protection 562 00:31:53,720 --> 00:31:55,200 here. I'm praying for all these things 563 00:31:55,200 --> 00:31:57,680 because we don't want to go through the hurt that we can 564 00:31:57,680 --> 00:31:59,000 see. That's a head. 565 00:32:00,320 --> 00:32:01,840 So we're really worried about us. 566 00:32:01,840 --> 00:32:04,320 When God's got a perfect will, he's trying to perform in there. 567 00:32:04,480 --> 00:32:06,880 Where would you be today if you hadn't hit rock bottom? 568 00:32:07,480 --> 00:32:11,200 Hey man, where would you be if you hadn't landed in in the old 569 00:32:11,200 --> 00:32:15,000 jail cell or the old prison or the OR whatever the the with the 570 00:32:15,000 --> 00:32:17,400 bottle in your hand and nowhere else to where would you be 571 00:32:17,400 --> 00:32:20,680 today? But it's hard. 572 00:32:21,640 --> 00:32:23,680 It's hard when we see him making the mistakes. 573 00:32:23,680 --> 00:32:27,760 It's hard, isn't it? But yet we need to be like 574 00:32:27,800 --> 00:32:30,120 Jesus. He sat there with a steadfast 575 00:32:30,120 --> 00:32:32,440 faith. He said, look, I've already 576 00:32:32,440 --> 00:32:35,280 showed y'all what to do. I've already told you on the 577 00:32:35,280 --> 00:32:37,720 way, the truth and the life. So of course I'm the king of the 578 00:32:37,720 --> 00:32:43,200 Jews. I don't know, sometimes we get 579 00:32:43,200 --> 00:32:45,360 caught up in this stuff, you know, when it's already 580 00:32:45,360 --> 00:32:48,760 finished. But as I read earlier, I want to 581 00:32:48,760 --> 00:32:53,680 back up and read that again. They said Barabbas and Pilate 582 00:32:53,680 --> 00:32:59,720 said to them, what then shall I do with Jesus who is called the 583 00:32:59,720 --> 00:33:02,440 Christ? You know, that's a, that's 584 00:33:02,440 --> 00:33:06,280 really a stupid question. We know what we should do with 585 00:33:06,320 --> 00:33:09,680 Jesus, but are we willing to take the stand? 586 00:33:09,680 --> 00:33:13,760 Are we willing to take the, the, the criticism, the whatever that 587 00:33:13,760 --> 00:33:16,920 comes with it? What shall I do with Jesus who 588 00:33:16,920 --> 00:33:20,160 is called the Christ? And they all said to him, let 589 00:33:20,160 --> 00:33:24,880 him be crucified. Then the governor said, wow, 590 00:33:24,880 --> 00:33:27,720 what evil has he done? But they cried all the more 591 00:33:27,720 --> 00:33:29,800 loud, saying let him be crucified. 592 00:33:31,360 --> 00:33:34,840 When Pilate saw that he could not prevail at all. 593 00:33:34,840 --> 00:33:36,280 You know, we feel like that sometimes. 594 00:33:36,280 --> 00:33:38,560 We're not prevailing sometimes as the church. 595 00:33:39,840 --> 00:33:43,360 And it's very hard when people are in the church and still not 596 00:33:43,360 --> 00:33:45,760 saved. In many churches there was never 597 00:33:45,760 --> 00:33:49,560 a change in their life. And the enemy, you know, I as I 598 00:33:49,560 --> 00:33:53,440 look back as a kid and it, I lay awake at not crying about that 599 00:33:53,440 --> 00:33:57,240 very thing because I never thought the enemy would get to 600 00:33:57,240 --> 00:33:59,120 God's children through the church. 601 00:34:00,320 --> 00:34:03,880 But it's happening. It's disguised. 602 00:34:04,760 --> 00:34:08,199 He's getting to us. But when Pilate saw that he 603 00:34:08,199 --> 00:34:12,440 could not prevail at all, but rather that a tumble was 604 00:34:13,159 --> 00:34:16,560 resting, he, he took the water and he washed his hands before 605 00:34:16,560 --> 00:34:20,560 the multitude. He had just rejected the blood, 606 00:34:20,560 --> 00:34:24,480 but he said, I'm innocent of the blood of this man, of this just 607 00:34:24,480 --> 00:34:26,520 person. You see to it. 608 00:34:27,040 --> 00:34:29,480 See, living in neutral, not doing nothing doesn't make you 609 00:34:29,480 --> 00:34:33,320 innocent. It might make it easy, but it 610 00:34:33,320 --> 00:34:35,960 doesn't make you innocent. Not doing nothing about the 611 00:34:35,960 --> 00:34:39,239 things that you could be addicted to very easily or about 612 00:34:39,239 --> 00:34:41,600 the thing that God's told you to get out of your life. 613 00:34:41,719 --> 00:34:44,000 Not doing it doesn't make you innocent. 614 00:34:45,920 --> 00:34:51,679 And all the people answered and said his blood be on us and our 615 00:34:51,679 --> 00:34:54,239 children. I want his blood tonight, but 616 00:34:54,239 --> 00:34:57,560 not in the way they said it. I want the grace. 617 00:34:57,560 --> 00:35:01,240 And you know, Pilate could have had that grace, but yet he went 618 00:35:01,240 --> 00:35:02,800 out and hung. It didn't work too good for him 619 00:35:02,800 --> 00:35:05,200 staying in neutral. You know, he could have. 620 00:35:05,440 --> 00:35:06,880 I don't know how it would have turned out. 621 00:35:06,880 --> 00:35:09,280 Anybody got a thought on it? It's kind of interesting, isn't 622 00:35:09,280 --> 00:35:11,960 it, because it was all the plan of God. 623 00:35:11,960 --> 00:35:15,840 But you know, did God have another plan if they hadn't 624 00:35:15,840 --> 00:35:18,360 crucified Jesus? I don't know. 625 00:35:19,320 --> 00:35:21,440 Kind of like the question brother Randy asked me and I 626 00:35:21,440 --> 00:35:24,600 said, I don't know that we have an answer for why kids die of 627 00:35:24,600 --> 00:35:27,840 Hank cancer this side of heaven. I can't explain how you know the 628 00:35:28,120 --> 00:35:29,640 you're going to have to answer that in your walk. 629 00:35:29,640 --> 00:35:32,680 Why would a loving God? I don't know. 630 00:35:32,680 --> 00:35:34,920 His ways are not my ways. His ways are higher. 631 00:35:35,240 --> 00:35:37,400 He's got a perfect plan and a perfect will. 632 00:35:37,920 --> 00:35:39,920 I just want to be part of it. I don't want to tell him how to 633 00:35:39,920 --> 00:35:44,000 do it. Amen That I challenge you. 634 00:35:44,800 --> 00:35:47,680 Don't stay in neutral. Thanks for listening to the 635 00:35:47,680 --> 00:35:51,000 Cross Power Church podcast. May you know that true hope, 636 00:35:51,120 --> 00:35:54,080 peace, and salvation can only be found in Jesus. 637 00:35:54,600 --> 00:35:58,280 If you're near Campbell, TX, we would love for you to join us in 638 00:35:58,280 --> 00:36:00,760 person. You can find service times at 639 00:36:00,760 --> 00:36:02,360 crosspowerchurch.com.