One of the most powerful prayers in all of the Bible is found in
Psalm 73, verse 25, where Asaph tells the Lord, Whom have I in
heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth I
desire besides you. Only those who have tasted of
the goodness of the Lord and experienced His all satisfying
presence can Amen such a verse. There is truly no substitute for
Him in this life. No one, no thing can come close
to bringing the needy human soul to this height of happiness and
this depth of wholeness. The only God can provide.
And I really hope and pray that everyone of us in this place can
genuinely say that knowledge of God and communion with God has
no comparison. To walk with him, to talk to
him, to sit alone at his feet and discover him.
There is nothing else that can come close to the joy, the
thrill, the fulfillment of that kind of pursuit.
It is no wonder that the prophet Jeremiah said in Jeremiah 923 to
24. Thus says the Lord, Let not the
wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in
his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him
who boast, boast in this, that he understands and knows me,
that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and
righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight,
declares the Lord, wisdom might riches do not come close to the
one who knows him. And if you're there, then
perhaps at one point in your journey you have asked yourself
this. Why and how do people choose
other things over this? How does someone reject a saving
relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ?
And I've I've pondered over that question many times, especially
in the early years of my walk with Christ.
As I've observed, loved ones and close friends and coworkers and
classmates have such a tight grip on falsehood and idols
instead of their Creator and Redeemer.
And if you've wondered that yourself, then know this, that
we're going to arrive at some answers to this mystery.
Because what we have before us in our main text today is a
scene, a dramatic scene with a variety of characters who have
this one striking trait in common.
They renounce the Lord Jesus Christ and shockingly, chose an
inferior option. And as I meditated on what we're
about to read, I realized that though these parties all had the
same decision, they did so for different reasons.
In other words, there were different factors at work that
encouraged each of these parties to deny Jesus Christ, and we're
going to explore those reasons in detail.
But let's first read this text and see how the stage is set for
this strange decision to be made.
Mark 15 beginning in verse 6. Please meet me in that place and
we will read down to verse 15. Mark 15, verse 6 reads Now at
the feast he used to release for them one prisoner for whom they
asked. And among the rebels in prison
who had committed murder in the insurrection, there is a man
called Barabbas. And the crowd came up and began
to ask Pilot to do as he usually did for them.
And he answered them, saying, Do you want me to release for you
the king of the Jews? For he perceived that it was out
of envy that the chief priest had delivered him up.
But the chief priest stirred up the crowd to have him released
for them Barabbas instead. And Pilate again said to them,
Then what shall I do with the man you called the king of the
Jews? And they cried out again,
Crucify him. And Pilate said to them, Why,
what evil has he done? But they shouted all the more,
Crucify him. So Pilate, wishing to satisfy
the crowd, released for them Barabbas, and having scourged
Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.
Lord, we need your help with this word.
May the Holy Spirit be our portion and our help.
And Lord, we just ask that not just the accurate explanation of
this text, but the precise, empowered delivery of this word
would be as you wish. And Lord, we do ask, we all ask
together, that we would only see and hear your Son Jesus Christ.
And so, Lord, do miracles today. We believe that your word can
perform miracles, but we don't trust just in human words.
We need what First Thessalonians 15 tells us.
We need power, we need conviction, we need the Holy
Spirit, and we ask and trusted that will be true today in Jesus
name, Amen. Evidently there was a tradition
that Pilot established with the Jews during his reign, during
his political career, and it's made known to us in this
passage. Once a year, around the feast of
the Passover, Pilot would release for the Jews any
criminal that they would want to be free.
Now we are not given any explanation for this custom, but
we can guess. There's a strong guess.
Why Pilot instituted such a thing?
It's very likely because he wanted to be on good terms with
the Jews, especially because when you look at, yes, in the
Bible, even in history, Pilate did not do a lot of things that
made the Jews happy. And so this is one thing to give
them some kind of relief, some kind of understanding that Rome
is somewhat merciful. And so he gave them a level of
supposed power and authority, though it was very limiting.
And we see here that Herod, even in the Bible acted in a similar
way. You don't have to turn there.
But in Acts chapter 12, when we're told there that Herod
killed James, the brother of John, he perceived that it
pleased the Jews. And so he proceeded to arrest
Peter also. So this is this is what Pilot is
doing. He's doing what a lot of
politicians like to do. He's promising them a yearly
amnesty here to maintain and enhance his popularity and
political standing. But on this particular Passover,
things are different, very different.
Pilot is known as a brutal man, a cold man.
But even a man like Pilot, after briefly investigating the Lord
Jesus Christ, determined he's innocent, He's not deserving of
any of this. And you get the sense as you
read the Gospels that this man, yes, tough, yes, powerful, yes,
very indifferent to the Jewish people, is wrestling.
He's wrestling with this specific case.
He doesn't want to deal with it lightly.
He doesn't want to deal with it unjustly.
And so you find him here now hoping to release Jesus, hoping
that through this custom though the religious leaders are
convinced that they want this man dead.
Perhaps the populace, the majority, the masses in their
vote with this custom will overrule the religious leaders
and they can't do anything about it.
That is what Pilot is hoping for.
And if you have any doubt that this is what he wants, let me
quote to you Luke 23 verse 20. It's a very brief verse just to
prove my point. It says there Pilot addressed
them once more desiring to release Jesus.
He wanted to set this man free. Then you see with the
combination of the Gospel accounts how even in Providence
there are different ways that Pilate perceived that he had to
he had to try to disassociate himself with this.
You remember his wife had a dream about Jesus and she
approached Pilate says have nothing to do with this man.
But what do we read? Pilate never releases Jesus.
Instead, he releases a man named Barabbas.
Who is this Barabbas? We don't know much about him,
but what we do have suffices. In verse 7, he is a rebel.
He was in prison. He had committed murder, but he
was not just a murder. He was part of an insurrection.
An insurrection is a violent uprising against any
authoritative body or government, and to do that at
this time warranted a death sentence.
In another Gospel account, we're told that Barabbas was a
notorious criminal. He was a famous prisoner.
Ironically, his name, Barabbas, means Son of the Father.
And what do you have here? You have the people choosing a
murderer though, Son of the Father instead of Jesus the
sinless son of the Heavenly Father.
How could this happen? How could bloody Barabbas
receive pardon while Jesus, the spotless Lamb of God face a
horrific death? Simple answer.
Barabbas was the People's Choice.
Staggering, isn't it? Indeed it is.
And I want to present to you in this brief time before we break
bread together, at least three reasons why the people exchanged
Jesus for Barabbas. And what you're going to realize
is that the very same reasons that explain why the people did
this will also give some kind of commentary to why people today,
maybe even in this room, are replacing Jesus for another
option. Number one, some people reject
Jesus, replace Jesus because they want to be their own God.
Look at verse 9 and 10 again with me.
And he answered them saying, do you want me to release for you
the king of the Jews? For he perceived that it was out
of envy that the chief priest had delivered him up.
Pilate wasn't dumb. He was a smart man, a strategic
man, and he could read people, at least to an extent.
And at this point he could easily pick up that this whole
proceeding was fueled by one thing, jealousy.
It's not very difficult to see how this is boiled over because
of envy. In fact, most people who are
envious tend to expose themselves when they resent
somebody else for something that they have or something that they
do. They tend to reveal themselves
in a way that they might not even realize.
And one of the ways that they do that is they desperately try to
find something in that person to denounce.
And it is indeed a reach. And they want to do so in order
to disqualify that person in one way or another.
And that's exactly what these Pharisees are doing.
But Pilot isn't buying it. He sees right through it, and he
understands that this is personal.
This is not about law. This is not about righteousness.
This is about insecurity. This is about power, this is
about position. But why?
Why are the Jews envious of Jesus?
He healed, He restored, He forgave, He fulfilled.
Well, it's clear there are at least two things that Jesus
Christ of Nazareth possessed that these religious leaders
lack. Two things number one, authority
#2 popularity. Authority and popularity.
You have to understand that before Jesus Christ arrived on
the scene, these religious men were esteemed as the pious
theologians and experts they demanded, and they secured the
praises of the people. And all that would change in
such a short amount of time, because now this rabbi from
Nazareth comes and he performs miracles, and he does so with
great power, unparalleled ability, and his teachings, his
words, even compelled the crowds.
They would make Him have people wait out in the wilderness for
three days without eating because they wanted to hear what
He had to say and they wanted to see what He can perform.
And So what these Pharisees and the Sanhedrin and the chief
priests and elders knew and enjoyed was taken away from
them. Do you remember what the
Pharisee said and reaction to Jesus when he healed more than
just healed when he resurrected Lazarus from the dead?
Let me remind you. And if you want to see with your
own eyes, you can in John chapter 12, verse 18 and 19 and
John 1218 and 19, it says here the reason why the crowd went to
meet Him was that they heard He had done this sign.
What sign? He raised Lazarus from the dead.
That's authority. That's power from heaven.
Christ had the Spirit without measure.
And so people were coming to Him, flocking to Him because He
had done this sign authority. But look at verse 19.
So the Pharisee said to one another, you see that you are
gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after
Him. That's popularity.
And these Pharisees looked at one another, and they couldn't
help but confess it. Look what's happening.
You're losing. We're losing.
The world is going after him. And because they realized that
this was being taken away, they determined we're going to get
rid of him. That's how the Pharisees felt.
This man is robbing us of what we ultimately desire.
That's why they said you are gaining nothing.
And what was it of the ultimate desire?
Praise, prestige, power. And they lusted after that so
much that they were willing to kill for it.
Do you know why some people reject Jesus?
Because they feel that if Christ takes his rightful place in
their hearts, that he will take something from them that they
really want to keep. They see Jesus Christ as an
obstacle, more than a treasure, as a hindrance, more than as a
savior, as an intrusion, more than a glorious intervention.
Someone that threatens their self-made image, their ambitions
that give them purpose and worth, their cherished
relationships, the resources that they invested, blood, sweat
and tears and, and oh this one. We can't forget about this one,
right? Their favorite sins.
It's as simple as that, my friends.
In John 319 we are told that this is the judgment that has
come to the world, that light has come to the world, but
people loved darkness rather than light, for their works are
evil, saying why do why? Why do people turn their back on
Jesus? You ready for this deep insight?
They love something else more, their idols, their sins, their
autonomy, their ability to govern, the sense of freedom
that I have. Nobody who is telling me what to
do. And if you think that this is a
new thing in our day, no, no, no.
It's ancient. It's been there since the
beginning. So there are some people who
reject Jesus, like these Pharisees, because they feel as
though if I invite Jesus in, he's going to take over.
No, I'm not trading this. I'm going to protect it.
And if protecting it means that I have to choose Barabbas over
Jesus, give me barabbas #2 Why do some people reject, replace,
deny, choose an inferior thing over Jesus?
Because some people are impressionable and easily
persuaded. Come here and look at verse 11
and Mark 15. But the chief priests stirred up
the crowd to have him released for them.
Barabbas instead stirred up the crowd.
In Matthew's account in 27 Matthew 2720, we're told that
the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd.
They persuaded the crowd. Now, you have to remember that
this setting is in Jerusalem, and it's very, very, very likely
that most of the people who were in that crowd before pilot this
morning, we're also there a few days earlier, chanting honor and
praises for Jesus as he entered into Jerusalem on a donkey.
Now, most of us are familiar with that insight.
The same crowd that said Hosann are the same people who said
crucify him. But have you ever just sat and
meditated on how this happened? How were they able to switch so
easily? How were they able to change
their minds? Especially because check this
out, there was no investigation made on their part.
There's no idea here that there was reflection and contemplation
and compare comparison. No careful analysis at all.
They just accepted whatever they were being told from supposed
trusted voices. And I make the case today that
this crowd reflects the masses who put little to no thought on
the claims of Christ and Christianity, and because of
such negligence and apathy, they ignore and ultimately deny Jesus
Christ. I've seen it throughout the
years, especially in those days where we evangelize on the
streets for many months and you ask people, why do you believe
what you believe? And here's what you get.
This is what I saw at least on so many occasions.
Again, with apathy. I, I don't know.
I just, you know, I guess this is just how I grew up.
But why do you believe what you believe?
I never really thought about it. I like, look, we all have our
truth, I guess, and this is my truth.
Listen, if you think like that and you're sitting here today,
please, I say this in love. Eternity is too long to be wrong
about this. Well, I just read a book and I
just heard this guy, oh, this guy that I looked up to said
this and I thought it was pretty convincing.
No scrutinizing of the legitimacy of things, no
thought. Like if Jesus Christ claims to
be Lord and Savior of the world and he is not my Lord and
Savior, why why isn't he? What convinced you to be on this
side? 1,000,000 millions are like
this. Just whatever is the newest
thing. Just going with the crowd.
This is what I heard. This is what I've been taught in
my living room, in my classroom. No challenge, no pushback, no
litmus test, no pondering, no reflection.
Just this is what? OK, Yeah, your soul, are you
gambling with eternity? You are gambling with eternity.
This crowd is a sobbing illustration of how susceptible
we are, we all are, to believing lies and even believing them to
be absolute truth. And you know, when I was musing
over this part, I wondered if there was any way to know what
the Pharisees said, what they whispered with their slippery
snake like tongues to whip this crowd up in a frenzy.
And you know what? I believe there is a major clue
in this very chapter that we just read together, at least
this section of the chapter. Look back at verse 7.
And among the rebels in prison who had committed murder in the
insurrection, there was a man called Barabbas.
He was not just a murderer, he was an insurrectionist.
You know what that means, right? That Barabbas was a Jewish man
who was part of a revolt aimed at toppling the oppression of
the Roman regime. So in the eyes of the Romans,
Barabbas is a man worthy to be put to death.
But in the eyes of the Jewish population, it's very likely
that he was seen as a hero. Now, you have to remember that
most of the Jews at this time, we're so attracted to Jesus
because he displayed and manifested such power.
And he had these claims and they put it together and they
thought, here is this man who is very likely going to fulfill the
political aspects of the messianic promise.
But on this morning, what they saw, I'm sure, deflated whatever
misguided hype they had. Because the same Jesus who
healed people with his hands and commanded demons to flee with
his word is now standing sheepishly at the mercy of Rome,
bloody, with dry spit on his face and hair.
This is the one that we've been shouting about just a few days
earlier. Look at him.
All Pilate has to say is he's done and he's done.
And I have a hunch that these clever Pharisees took advantage
of this. And so they split up and they
went to pockets of people and they began to remind them your
hopes in this Jesus being the son of David.
Look at it. You think this is your savior?
If you really want liberation, which is all.
This is what they really wanted, freedom, liberty.
If you really want liberty, your best option out of the two is
Barabbas, because he proved it before.
He was willing to put his life on the line to overturn Rome.
So why don't we give him another chance?
Look at Jesus. He didn't do anything like
Barabbas said. Barabbas is our better option.
Pick him. Do you see?
I was going to make this a separate point, but I'll just
say it here. The reason why some people
choose something else over Jesus is because they believe that
something else has something better to offer than Jesus.
Barabbas has more promise that there are better saviors out
there, that there are better masters out there, including
yourself. And I was going to say that
Barabbas here, though he did promise something.
It was cheap and limiting. I hope you know this well.
And if you don't, let me tell you this good news.
Only the Lord Jesus Christ can offer a lasting and meaningful
healing, restoration, and forgiveness, because what He
brings reaches the innermost parts of your being, a
redemption from the penalty and the power of sin.
No other option can grant that. And yeah, there is an allurement
out there, many allurements, just like Barabbas was enticing.
But what kind of comparison is there?
No comparison. Oh, I was reading this late last
night and this text came to mind.
Let me share it with you. In Isaiah 55 verse 2 where the
prophet says on behalf of the Lord, why do you spend your
money for that which is not bread and your labor for that
which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me and eat
what is good and delight yourself in rich food.
Look at that second line. Doesn't it move your soul?
Why do you spend your money for that which is not bred and labor
for that which does not satisfy? How many are doing that?
How many? Maybe there's somebody in you're
laboring. People outside of Christ are
working very hard to know satisfaction.
You understand that, right? They're not doing it aimlessly.
So there's a quest out there. There's a universal quest that
people are on to know this kind of completeness, the sense of
serenity and wholeness that I, I, I have wait to my life now.
I'm not just floating around here.
I actually have a sense of purpose.
That's something that people are searching for and working hard
for. And they try to find it in
career paths. They try to find it in having as
many children as they can. They try to find it in even
ministerial positions. They try to find it in money.
They try to find it in their bicep size, they try to find it
in health, they try to find it in influence.
They're looking for something and they're investing and
paying, whether it's money or health or energy or
relationships. I need, I need to be satisfied.
And here's the prophet who says why do you spend your money for
that which is not bread and your labour for that which is not
satisfied? In other words, you're not going
to find satisfaction. Apart from what the last part,
listen diligently to me. That's where you're going to
find your satisfaction. Listen diligently to me and eat
what is good and delight yourself in rich food.
Rich food. OK, well, you piqued my
interest. Now I am looking for
satisfaction. And I can say that confidently
about perhaps some here because I myself at 20 was looking for
satisfaction. I know what it's like to hunger
and have that ache in your belly.
So you piqued my interest. What does it cost?
Do I have to go to school for it?
Do I have to? What kind of investments do I
need a guru? What does it cost for me to know
the satisfaction? The price is found in verse one.
Come everyone who thirst come to the waters and he who has no
money come by and eat. Come buy wine and milk without
money and without price. It's free.
There is no price tag attached to it.
There is not anything that you have to do to yourself or for
yourself in light of the gospel. Jesus Christ paid the price.
He shed His blood in order to wash your heart and to make it a
home for the presence and the glory of God to abide in.
He made a way. And what you do is you realize
that yes, your soul needs saving, it needs your your
record of sin to be dealt with, but your soul also needs
satisfaction and Christ provides it.
And when you realize the price that has been paid, you come and
you open your hands and you receive it.
And not only do you receive a theoretical idea or confession
or a worldview, you receive satisfaction.
God the Holy Spirit will make his way in your life where you
know you know. In the same way that you know
you're full. When you stuff your face, you
will know. There's something in the
innermost part of my being that's settled, and it's free.
That's why we as Christians call this the Good News.
Not one penny, so to speak, needs to be reached for
everything has been covered by the cross of Christ.
But unfortunately, some people don't even want to look into the
claims that I'm making. You know, if we really believe
we are people of truth, then we are not intimidated by scrutiny.
Take it. Don't take my word for it.
Take the Bible. Look at these things, examine
them and see if they're true. Some people, unfortunately, are
so impressionable, so easily persuaded, so mindless, just
want to float around in life and not consider the implications of
their existence, of death, of afterlife.
And that's a shame because unfortunately, it's many of them
just like this crowd. Let's come to our final thought
of why some people replace, reject, deny, choose an inferior
option to Jesus. Some people, some people are
afraid to choose Jesus because of the potential repercussions.
Come back to Mark 15. Let's read the final verses
together, verse 12. And Pilate again said to them,
then what shall I do with the man you called the king of the
Jews? And they cried out again,
crucify him. And Pilate said to them, why,
what evil he has done. But they shouted all the more,
crucify him. So Pilate, listen to this
devastating phrase. So Pilate wishing to satisfy the
crowd released for them Barabbas and having scourged Jesus, he
delivered him to be crucified. You know how you're supposed to
rightly understand this? So Pilate wishing to satisfy
himself satisfied the crowd saying, what do you mean?
Turn to this passage to understand in John chapter 19
verse 12, when Pilate was so close to giving the word to say
set the Nazarene free. We read this in John 1912.
From then on Pilate sought to release him, but the Jews cried
out, If you release this man, you are not Caesar's friend.
Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar.
Read between the lines. This is a threat.
This is a threat that's being made against Pilot.
In essence, what they're saying is this.
If you release this Jesus who claimed to be a king, then you
are challenging and betraying the authority of Caesar, making
yourself an enemy. You want us to report you to
Caesar after you released this man who claims to be a king?
Pilot understood the threat and Pilot understood I'm not willing
to get myself in that kind of trouble.
And so this was really the final thing that pushed Pilot over the
edge. It boiled down to this, my
friends self preservation. He caved since he could not
imagine facing Caesar with such accusations.
But do you know what Pilot overlooked?
Something that some people perhaps even hear overlooking.
Pilot will one day stand before God, never mind standing before
Caesar. Who's Caesar?
He's going to stand before God. You know, history tells us that
an AD 36 Pilot made another very unwise decision.
He called for an ambush against some Samaritan worshippers who
were making pilgrimage to Mount Gerasim, and he slaughtered them
at the foot of that mountain. And so great was this slaughter
that the Samaritan leaders called to the governor of Syria.
And this all ended up having Rome recall Pilot and remove him
from his position. We're not certain what happened
to Pilot after this, but he just seems to fade from the public
scene and more than one historian tells us that
eventually Pilate, the same pilot who years before that had
Jesus of Nazareth put to death, ended up committing suicide.
However this man may have died, one thing is for certain, he has
an appointment with the judge of all the earth, and the same one
who thought he had the fate of Jesus in his hand will have his
eternal fate in the hand and the decision of Jesus.
There's some people who do not want to choose Jesus because
they are afraid, so they go with Barabbas.
They fear what it might cost them in this life, what their
family might say or do, how their spouse might react, what
their employer might say, what their childhood friends, because
some of them are Muslim or Hindu or Buddhist or gay activists or
agnostics. What, what will they say if I
become a true follower of Jesus? Never mind what Caesar has to
say. God is going to get the last
word, and God's Word is all that matters.
If you really frame your life, especially this decision in
light of eternity, you find a lot more courage and boldness
and strength. If you're limiting yourself and
your understanding of what happens in this life based on
your decisions is especially with the most important decision
in your life, you're setting yourself up for unnecessary
obstacles to the greatest way of life you can imagine.
And who cares? Honestly, in this day of age,
you should be more bold than ever.
Look at the craziness of the world out there.
Look at what you get when you deny God over time.
If anybody has a reason to be embarrassed, it's them.
So here's Jesus Christ, who in his love for me was willing to
be exposed and hung on a cross. And I'm ashamed publicly to say
I serve him. Far be it from me, far be it
from me. Let the world deny Christ.
He died for me. By His grace, I will live for
Him. Some people, though, can't see
it that way. They're so earthbound.
They fail to remember that one day your breath is going to give
up and you're going to leave everybody behind.
And on that final day, everybody will be in the backdrop.
The only one that will take center stage is the one who came
and died on the cross for you. That's where it's all leading
to, and I have determined, and I hope you have determined to make
your decision based on that reality.
How much more can be said? You can imagine, but let me end
it by saying this. This portrait offers us more
than just an exhibition of the depths of man's wickedness and
depravity that they're willing to choose a Barabbas over Jesus.
I argue that what you have at the same time here is an
incredible manifestation and demonstration of the love of
God. You're saying how?
Because although the religious leaders had a say, and although
the crowd was persuaded, and although Pilate finally gave in,
the one who really had a choice in this matter was Jesus Christ.
I lay down my own life. No one takes it from me.
No pilot, no crowd, no Pharisees.
I make a decision to do this. So ultimately the destiny of
Christ is up to Christ. So you know what Christ does in
this moment. He lets Barabbas go free, and he
willingly chose to take his place.
This is a gospel picture, my friend.
The guilty are made innocent, while the innocent one is made
guilty. What's the story about Barabbas?
Yeah, it is about how people are willing to choose, for different
reasons, something inferior to Christ.
But it's also, more importantly, a picture of how Jesus was
willing to take this man's place as a precursor of taking a place
for all those who put their faith and trust in Him.
He can take your place if you have not yet repented and
believed on Him. A verse came to my mind that I
want to read to you. In closing, before we relish and
rejoice over this divine exchange in the gospel.
It's what Jesus said, and I want you to see it.
So if you haven't turned your Bibles much today, turn it to
this place in John 14 verse 30. And I think this will be a
wonderful way to prepare ourselves for this ordinance.
John 1430, Jesus says, I will no longer talk much with you, for
the ruler of this world is coming.
Look at this last part. He has no claim on me.
Have you ever thought about that?
The ruler of this world, he's not talking about Rome.
He's not talking about Caesar. He's not talking about Pilate.
He's not talking about Caiaphas. He's talking about Satan, who is
known as the Prince of the power of the air.
And at this time he was beelining it towards Jesus
Christ, thinking that he had some say and some claim on him.
And here's what Jesus says. He has no claim on me.
That means many things, but let me drive this one point.
What Christ is getting is that Satan had no legal claim on
Christ. He has an accusation against
every single one of us since Adam.
There is sin in us. There is sin that we've
performed, that we have done that gives Satan some ammunition
to use to even come before the throne of God and say he
deserves your wrath. She deserves your judgement.
But when it came to Jesus Christ, Satan could find
nothing. Nothing.
No thought, no word, no deed, no reaction, no action, no mis
action, nothing. And Jesus could confidently say
this is a declaration of his perfection.
He has no claim on me. He has no say in my fate.
I'm spotless, I'm perfect. I'm the exact imprint of his
nature, God's nature. And we rejoice in that because
we say, yes, he is perfect, He is God who became man.
But you have to understand something with the complete
story of the Bible. Jesus says he has no claim on
me. But then we're told that through
the transaction of faith we receive Christ's righteousness.
Paul uses the word that we are clothed in his righteousness.
He uses the word that we are hidden in Christ so
positionally, not because of our own merit, not because of our
own efforts, but positionally. When Jesus says he has no claim
on me, we can also say he has no claim on us because we belong to
him. You're saying, Oh no, you're
taking this too far. No, no, I'm saying this is
exactly what the gospel is. And Paul said in his own way in
Romans 833. Who then can condemn the elect?
For it is God who justifies. Nobody can.
Nobody can condemn us. Nobody can change our position
before God, even Satan himself, because of what Christ has done.
He has no claim. He has no claim.
That is a legal truth. That is something that nothing
can obliterate. It has been set for eternity if
you truly belong to Him. That's how secure we are in Him.
He has no claim on me. I'm talking to a people today
who are ready to take some bread and drink from the cup, who
believe with all their hearts I'm free.
That even if Satan with all his hordes of demons choose to
whisper in my ear or even make an attendance before the throne
of God to say condemn him, destroy him, get rid of him,
because of what Christ has done on my behalf, there is no claim
against me. Totally free, totally redeemed,
totally secure because of Jesus Christ our Savior.
Let's pray. Help us, Lord, rejoice in that
truth, especially for those who have truly been born again, who
love you, who long for you, who desire you, but feel as though
their performance might cause them to doubt their
justification. Help us remember, Lord today,
that it's what You did on our behalf that wins our
righteousness. And Lord, if there is anybody
here today who does not believe on you, trust in You who has not
yet chosen you, Reveal to them the reasons why and show them
that these reasons do not compare to who You are and what
you have to offer. May faith be born in the hearts
of even one person here who has not trusted in Christ, who has
not surrendered their lives to the Lordship of Christ.
And so Lord, we thank you. We want to sing your praises
today as we reflect on the fact that we are redeemed and that
there is no accusation that can be made against us forever and
ever. We thank you.
In Jesus name we pray, Amen. Amen.
As a praise thing comes up, it is my duty to exhort you in this
manner. For those who you may not be a
Christian, we welcome you. We're so glad that you can join
us at this church service. But this, what we're about to
participate in, is reserved for Christians, for people who have
put their faith and trust in Christ and who are following
him. And so we ask that you would
just respectfully observe as people approach this table and
receive these elements. But we also want to look at you
and say, oh, we hope that one day you can join us at this
table. And the way that you can enjoy
this meal is when you understand your need for Christ.
Christ died for you. He wants to forgive you every
single sin that you've ever committed.
He does not delight in the death of the wicked.
The Bible says he delights more in granting mercy and in his
love. He wants to wash you and cleanse
you and transform you. And the way that takes place is
not through religious formalities.
It's not through jumping hoops. It's from you just realizing
your need, confessing with your mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord,
and believing in your heart that God raises them from the dead.
It's a personal decision that you make you between you and
God, even in this very room, can take you from death to life.
A believer, you're here to do something in honor of Christ and
help of your faith. As you approach this table
positionally, you are reminded that I am saved.
But also Christ wants us to come in an honorable manner.
And so if our practice knowingly is not aligned to our
profession, it's better for us to stop and to reconcile with
our brother, repent of our sins before we rush mindlessly to
this table. And so I encourage you now, even
as we sing, reflect on your heart, reflect on your life.
This doesn't mean that you have to be perfect because this whole
table is meant to tell you're not perfect.
Christ is perfect. But if there is any sin that you
know of that you have not repented of and you're holding
on to for whatever reason, let go of it before you grab hold of
anything here that will honor Christ more than anything else.
Let us stand together, shall we? Let's worship the Lord before we
worship at the table.