1 00:00:00,400 --> 00:00:05,560 It's wonderful to be here with all of you today, and we have a 2 00:00:05,560 --> 00:00:07,320 wonderful crowd because you're here. 3 00:00:07,400 --> 00:00:11,400 We have, as has been mentioned, several of our folks that were 4 00:00:11,400 --> 00:00:14,040 sick and recovering and you're here. 5 00:00:14,800 --> 00:00:17,640 And we give God the praise, the glory, and the honor for it all. 6 00:00:18,920 --> 00:00:21,600 As always is the case, I do consider it an honor to speak 7 00:00:21,600 --> 00:00:25,440 concerning the Word of God. And today I want to continue 8 00:00:25,440 --> 00:00:29,840 where we left off last time when Jesus was before Pilate. 9 00:00:31,120 --> 00:00:35,320 The title that's on the screen is the words that Pilate used in 10 00:00:35,320 --> 00:00:42,120 Matthew 27 and 22 to the people when he said, what then shall I 11 00:00:42,120 --> 00:00:46,000 do with Jesus? So the title of our lesson comes 12 00:00:46,000 --> 00:00:48,200 from Matthew's account, but the narrative that we're going to 13 00:00:48,200 --> 00:00:51,280 follow today is going to be found in John's account, just 14 00:00:51,280 --> 00:00:55,120 like last time. But in Matthew 27 and 22, our 15 00:00:55,120 --> 00:01:00,080 introductory text, Pilate said to them, what then shall I do 16 00:01:00,080 --> 00:01:01,960 with Jesus, who is called Christ? 17 00:01:02,800 --> 00:01:06,240 They all said to him, let him be crucified. 18 00:01:07,640 --> 00:01:11,760 You know, after Jesus was tried in Pilots Hall, Pilate had a 19 00:01:11,760 --> 00:01:14,280 choice to make even though he knew Jesus was innocent. 20 00:01:15,320 --> 00:01:18,520 And now as we come down to the historical narrative, we come 21 00:01:18,520 --> 00:01:22,880 face to face with the fact that Jesus Christ is going to die. 22 00:01:24,080 --> 00:01:26,640 He's going to die for the sins of the world. 23 00:01:27,440 --> 00:01:31,800 He's going to die to fulfill God's eternal plan from the very 24 00:01:31,800 --> 00:01:35,480 beginning, as the Bible says, known unto God are all His works 25 00:01:35,560 --> 00:01:39,640 from the very beginning, That it was God's purpose in the very 26 00:01:39,640 --> 00:01:43,520 beginning that Jesus Christ would be God's lamb to redeem 27 00:01:43,520 --> 00:01:48,440 mankind and bring mankind to God in heaven one day. 28 00:01:48,480 --> 00:01:52,640 That was always God's plan. We have a part in that, and we 29 00:01:52,640 --> 00:01:55,000 have to follow our part. But that was God's plan. 30 00:01:55,120 --> 00:01:58,920 OK, so as we come to this narrative, what's happened 31 00:01:58,920 --> 00:02:00,440 already? Well, the religious trial is 32 00:02:00,440 --> 00:02:04,680 over. Jesus was taken to Anna's and 33 00:02:04,680 --> 00:02:06,360 the Sanhedrin in the middle of the night. 34 00:02:06,360 --> 00:02:08,639 As we noticed last time, that was illegal. 35 00:02:08,639 --> 00:02:11,800 Why was it illegal? Because you couldn't deal with a 36 00:02:11,800 --> 00:02:17,680 capital case, or you couldn't examine a capital case unless it 37 00:02:17,680 --> 00:02:20,080 was under the light of day. So you didn't hurry and make a 38 00:02:20,080 --> 00:02:22,600 hasty, hasty decision based on somebody's life. 39 00:02:23,560 --> 00:02:26,160 So again the next morning, to make what they did illegal the 40 00:02:26,160 --> 00:02:29,120 night before legal, they met with Caiaphas in the Sanhedrin 41 00:02:29,120 --> 00:02:31,440 the next morning. What did they say Jesus was 42 00:02:31,440 --> 00:02:34,080 guilty of? They said he's guilty of 43 00:02:34,080 --> 00:02:35,880 blasphemy. But do you remember in the last 44 00:02:35,880 --> 00:02:41,520 verse that we noticed in John chapter 18 and verse 38, Pilate 45 00:02:41,520 --> 00:02:45,440 said, I find no fault in him at all. 46 00:02:47,080 --> 00:02:49,440 Pilate tried to get out of his decision of what am I going to 47 00:02:49,440 --> 00:02:52,040 do with Jesus? So he sends him to Herod. 48 00:02:52,680 --> 00:02:54,400 You know what hair it does hair, it sends them back. 49 00:02:54,400 --> 00:02:55,480 It's your problem, you deal with it. 50 00:02:56,880 --> 00:02:59,400 But let's just make a spiritual application here, please. 51 00:03:00,360 --> 00:03:06,240 Pilate tried everything he could to get out of his decision of 52 00:03:06,240 --> 00:03:10,720 what must I do with Jesus? What am I going to do with him? 53 00:03:11,520 --> 00:03:13,520 But God forced him to make that decision. 54 00:03:13,520 --> 00:03:17,480 And you know, God does the same thing for everyone that lives. 55 00:03:18,800 --> 00:03:20,520 Everybody has to make that decision. 56 00:03:20,520 --> 00:03:22,800 God is not going to make that decision for you. 57 00:03:22,920 --> 00:03:24,320 You got to make the determination. 58 00:03:24,320 --> 00:03:26,920 What am I going to do with Jesus in my life? 59 00:03:27,120 --> 00:03:29,680 Look at the examples of the apostles themself. 60 00:03:29,800 --> 00:03:32,320 Look at Judas Iscariot, He had a decision to make. 61 00:03:32,320 --> 00:03:36,320 You know what he did? He betrayed Jesus and he sold 62 00:03:36,320 --> 00:03:40,200 them for 30 pieces of silver. What about the others? 63 00:03:40,240 --> 00:03:43,760 What about the other disciples? The Bible says they all forsook 64 00:03:43,760 --> 00:03:48,560 him and they all fled. I'm not getting into the 65 00:03:48,560 --> 00:03:50,760 reasons. I'm saying they had a choice. 66 00:03:51,400 --> 00:03:54,120 What must I do with Jesus? They all fled. 67 00:03:54,200 --> 00:03:57,840 How about Peter? Peter, when they all fled? 68 00:03:57,840 --> 00:04:02,040 The Bible says he followed Jesus from afar. 69 00:04:03,360 --> 00:04:07,040 Isn't that a picture of what a lot of people do today in their 70 00:04:07,040 --> 00:04:09,240 decision of what I'm going to What am I going to do about 71 00:04:09,280 --> 00:04:11,320 Jesus? Oh, they follow him, but they 72 00:04:11,320 --> 00:04:16,839 follow him from a distance out of convenience from afar. 73 00:04:17,240 --> 00:04:19,839 You know what happened to Peter as a result of following Jesus 74 00:04:19,839 --> 00:04:22,120 from afar? He ends up, what's the end 75 00:04:22,120 --> 00:04:23,960 result, doing exactly what Jesus said. 76 00:04:24,080 --> 00:04:27,400 He denies him three times, even cursing and swearing. 77 00:04:27,520 --> 00:04:31,240 I know not the man. Everybody has to make that 78 00:04:31,240 --> 00:04:33,080 decision. So let's begin. 79 00:04:33,080 --> 00:04:38,880 In John chapter 18 and verse 39, Pilate says, but you have a 80 00:04:38,880 --> 00:04:42,040 custom that I should release someone to you at the Passover. 81 00:04:42,840 --> 00:04:45,280 Do you therefore want me to release to you the King of the 82 00:04:45,280 --> 00:04:47,800 Jews? So in an attempt to get rid of 83 00:04:47,800 --> 00:04:50,600 Jesus, he had several failed proposals. 84 00:04:50,760 --> 00:04:52,720 He asked also. He also had one already. 85 00:04:52,720 --> 00:04:56,560 Remember last time in John 18 and 31, what was his failed 86 00:04:56,560 --> 00:04:58,600 proposal? He knows Jesus is innocent. 87 00:04:59,720 --> 00:05:03,800 And what does Pilate say? He said you take Him and you 88 00:05:03,800 --> 00:05:06,960 judge Him yourself. That was illegal. 89 00:05:07,760 --> 00:05:09,840 The right of the sword belonged only to Rome. 90 00:05:09,840 --> 00:05:13,280 Remember Roman law, Roman law said the Jews could have their 91 00:05:13,280 --> 00:05:15,840 law, they could regulate their law, and they could even have 92 00:05:15,840 --> 00:05:18,080 punishments for those that break their laws. 93 00:05:18,200 --> 00:05:21,600 But when it came down to executing somebody or the death 94 00:05:21,600 --> 00:05:24,520 penalty, the right of the sword belonged only to Rome. 95 00:05:25,240 --> 00:05:28,520 And I love this because in the entire time of the ministry of 96 00:05:28,640 --> 00:05:32,880 Jesus, the three years of the ministry of Jesus, Roman law 97 00:05:32,880 --> 00:05:36,720 stated that only Rome could execute somebody legally. 98 00:05:36,880 --> 00:05:40,640 So therefore, it proved that God was ultimately in control. 99 00:05:40,760 --> 00:05:44,080 He had to be lifted up according to the prophecy found in Numbers 100 00:05:44,080 --> 00:05:46,760 21. He had to be hung on a tree as 101 00:05:46,760 --> 00:05:49,360 the Bible prophecies. Jesus would be the Messiah. 102 00:05:49,560 --> 00:05:52,520 It couldn't be a Jewish stoning. It had to be a lifting up. 103 00:05:52,600 --> 00:05:55,720 It had to be a crucifixion. Pilot thought, you know what? 104 00:05:56,760 --> 00:05:59,240 Here's a failed proposal. I don't want to do this. 105 00:05:59,960 --> 00:06:01,560 I want to get out of my responsibility here. 106 00:06:01,560 --> 00:06:02,840 I don't want to make the decision. 107 00:06:03,720 --> 00:06:05,360 You do it. And what did they say? 108 00:06:05,600 --> 00:06:09,440 You know, Pilot, it is not lawful for us to put a man to 109 00:06:09,440 --> 00:06:11,360 death. Here's another one though. 110 00:06:11,840 --> 00:06:14,040 He said I got it. Here's a failed proposal. 111 00:06:14,120 --> 00:06:16,760 He said you have a custom. In other words, it's Passover 112 00:06:16,760 --> 00:06:20,360 time after all. Just a few days before. 113 00:06:20,360 --> 00:06:22,680 By the way, it was Hosanna of the highest. 114 00:06:24,480 --> 00:06:29,680 Just a few days before, when Jesus came in to Jerusalem and 115 00:06:29,680 --> 00:06:32,440 made his triumphal entry on the back of a colt of a donkey. 116 00:06:33,720 --> 00:06:36,800 They said hosanna to the highest, hosanna to the king. 117 00:06:37,160 --> 00:06:39,400 Hold on to that thought. Hold on to that phrase for just 118 00:06:39,400 --> 00:06:41,760 a moment. Let's think about Pilot. 119 00:06:41,760 --> 00:06:43,600 Let's get in Pilot's head for just a moment. 120 00:06:44,440 --> 00:06:49,360 Maybe he's thinking, you know, just a week ago, just a few days 121 00:06:49,360 --> 00:06:56,280 ago, they were saying, hosanna, maybe if I present this as an 122 00:06:56,280 --> 00:06:59,960 alternative, you got a custom that had passed overtime. 123 00:06:59,960 --> 00:07:03,920 I'm going to release somebody. Surely they'll pick Jesus and I 124 00:07:03,920 --> 00:07:07,680 can get out of that decision. Surely the people will overwhelm 125 00:07:07,680 --> 00:07:10,920 the situation and demand Jesus would be released. 126 00:07:11,040 --> 00:07:13,520 So he says this. Do you therefore want me to 127 00:07:13,520 --> 00:07:15,920 release to you the King of the Jews? 128 00:07:16,120 --> 00:07:17,800 And in verse 40, here's the answer. 129 00:07:18,080 --> 00:07:23,120 Then they all cried out again saying not this man, but 130 00:07:23,120 --> 00:07:27,400 Barabbas. This morning, early in my Sunday 131 00:07:27,400 --> 00:07:33,320 morning routine, when I have the lesson, I get up really early. 132 00:07:34,520 --> 00:07:39,440 I I connect my computer to my TV in my office with a PowerPoint, 133 00:07:39,440 --> 00:07:43,880 check all my slides and I go over my sermon in my head. 134 00:07:45,680 --> 00:07:49,520 And you know what hit me? What hit me is this passage 135 00:07:49,520 --> 00:07:52,400 right here. He says, do you want me to 136 00:07:52,400 --> 00:07:53,720 release to you the king of the Jews? 137 00:07:53,720 --> 00:08:01,920 And notice they all cried, not this man, but Barabbas. 138 00:08:04,000 --> 00:08:08,000 And I couldn't help but thinking, didn't anybody cry for 139 00:08:08,000 --> 00:08:11,480 Jesus? Couldn't have been Peter? 140 00:08:12,720 --> 00:08:16,840 Peter just betrayed Jesus three times, the Bible says when he 141 00:08:16,840 --> 00:08:19,120 did so. And the rooster crowed. 142 00:08:19,600 --> 00:08:27,360 The Lord looked at Peter then. Then he pointed this out when I 143 00:08:27,360 --> 00:08:28,760 preached that sermon a couple weeks ago. 144 00:08:30,640 --> 00:08:35,400 He said it says he went out and he wept bitterly. 145 00:08:37,400 --> 00:08:39,000 You ever wept? You ever weep bitterly? 146 00:08:40,440 --> 00:08:43,000 You ever been in anguish so bad that you go out and weep 147 00:08:43,000 --> 00:08:46,200 bitterly? Not just cry a few tears of her 148 00:08:46,200 --> 00:08:47,600 grill. I mean weep bitterly. 149 00:08:47,680 --> 00:08:49,520 He went out and he wept bitterly. 150 00:08:49,640 --> 00:08:53,080 So Peter was nowhere to be insight to cry out for Jesus. 151 00:08:53,080 --> 00:08:54,600 You know why he's out bawling somewhere. 152 00:08:55,840 --> 00:08:57,680 What about the rest of them? They all forsook and they all 153 00:08:57,680 --> 00:08:58,600 fled. There's no one there. 154 00:08:58,600 --> 00:09:02,040 So I got to thinking, what about the women? 155 00:09:04,200 --> 00:09:09,720 What about the precious women? I saw a movie years ago on the 156 00:09:09,720 --> 00:09:13,880 crucifixion and when this scene was going on, Hollywood's 157 00:09:13,880 --> 00:09:19,040 depiction of this scene, when they all cried out Barabbas to 158 00:09:19,040 --> 00:09:24,320 be released, it showed those Marys screaming the name of 159 00:09:24,360 --> 00:09:27,400 Jesus. Is that what happened? 160 00:09:27,400 --> 00:09:30,560 I don't know. I know those courageous women 161 00:09:30,560 --> 00:09:33,160 have the courage and the backbone to be there at the 162 00:09:33,160 --> 00:09:36,080 sepulchre on the morning of the resurrection. 163 00:09:36,200 --> 00:09:39,480 And God chose them to be first hand eyewitness testimony to the 164 00:09:39,480 --> 00:09:42,160 resurrection. Maybe they screamed out, but you 165 00:09:42,160 --> 00:09:44,920 know what the Bible says about all those Jews that were there. 166 00:09:45,080 --> 00:09:50,760 They all cried. Not this man, but Barabbas. 167 00:09:53,480 --> 00:09:57,680 Who was Barabbas? Barabbas was a robber according 168 00:09:57,680 --> 00:10:01,280 to the passage, and in the Greek it means bandit or highwayman. 169 00:10:03,040 --> 00:10:07,200 In other words, it's the kind of man that Jesus referred to when 170 00:10:07,200 --> 00:10:09,560 he gave the parable of the Good Samaritan. 171 00:10:09,880 --> 00:10:11,320 I won't go into the whole narrative. 172 00:10:11,960 --> 00:10:13,520 I'll just point out a couple of things. 173 00:10:14,680 --> 00:10:20,040 Jesus pointed this out about who's your neighbor, who's our 174 00:10:20,040 --> 00:10:22,160 neighbor, and who's our responsibility to our neighbor. 175 00:10:22,160 --> 00:10:26,240 So he tells this story. He said there's a man one time 176 00:10:26,240 --> 00:10:28,480 and he leaves Jerusalem and he goes down to Jericho. 177 00:10:29,600 --> 00:10:33,280 And that was about 15 miles or so, descended some 3000 feet. 178 00:10:33,280 --> 00:10:38,280 It was rough and rocky terrain. It was rife with robbers and 179 00:10:38,480 --> 00:10:42,360 highwaymen. And the Bible says Jesus said 180 00:10:42,360 --> 00:10:46,320 the man fell among thieves. He fell among the kind of man 181 00:10:46,760 --> 00:10:51,080 that's standing next to him. Barabbas, that kind of a man. 182 00:10:53,480 --> 00:10:57,840 And they came and those men on the Jericho Rd. they beat him, 183 00:10:58,680 --> 00:11:00,400 they robbed him, and they left him for dead. 184 00:11:02,320 --> 00:11:04,480 This is the kind of man that Jesus is standing next to. 185 00:11:04,480 --> 00:11:08,320 Look at the irony of that. He's standing next to exactly 186 00:11:09,160 --> 00:11:13,120 that kind of a man. What happened then when I told 187 00:11:13,120 --> 00:11:16,360 you we're going to get back to Hosanna, they said Hosanna the 188 00:11:16,360 --> 00:11:18,880 king, Hosanna the highest. I wanted to confirm the 189 00:11:18,880 --> 00:11:20,680 definition, so I looked it up again this morning. 190 00:11:21,240 --> 00:11:25,000 If you look up the word hosanna in our dictionary or you Google 191 00:11:25,000 --> 00:11:28,960 it because we live in a Google world, I like Google or it's 192 00:11:28,960 --> 00:11:30,760 right there. I don't have to carry a 193 00:11:30,760 --> 00:11:32,640 dictionary. You know, I really like the fact 194 00:11:32,640 --> 00:11:35,440 too, that I used to have to go to Bible studies in the old days 195 00:11:35,440 --> 00:11:36,840 and I bring my Bible out of Concords. 196 00:11:36,840 --> 00:11:40,120 I don't even need that. I need my Bible and my phone. 197 00:11:41,520 --> 00:11:44,880 So it's true that the phone can be a tool of the devil if we're 198 00:11:44,880 --> 00:11:48,960 not careful. And all the other fancy things 199 00:11:48,960 --> 00:11:50,920 we could do with a phone, we could do some bad things too, 200 00:11:50,920 --> 00:11:52,320 but we can do some good things with it too. 201 00:11:53,480 --> 00:11:56,680 And one of the things you can do is you can Google a passage that 202 00:11:56,680 --> 00:11:58,560 you're not, you can't remember what it was and boom, there it 203 00:11:58,560 --> 00:12:01,880 is. So we do live in a Google age. 204 00:12:01,880 --> 00:12:06,480 So I looked up the word hosanna in our modern definition and it 205 00:12:06,480 --> 00:12:10,720 says praise and adoration. So when we look at it, it looks 206 00:12:10,720 --> 00:12:13,680 like they were praising Jesus and giving adoration to Jesus. 207 00:12:13,960 --> 00:12:17,640 But the word you remember, hosanna, comes from the phrase 208 00:12:17,760 --> 00:12:23,920 hoshaya na, which is the Greek form of a Hebrew word to God for 209 00:12:23,920 --> 00:12:27,680 an appeal. It actually means in Hebrew, 210 00:12:27,800 --> 00:12:34,040 Save now we pray, Lord, save us. They misunderstood. 211 00:12:34,040 --> 00:12:37,360 The Jews thought Jesus was going to save them from Roman 212 00:12:37,360 --> 00:12:41,760 oppression, was going to come in as the Messiah and establish an 213 00:12:41,760 --> 00:12:44,960 earthly Kingdom. They missed the whole point when 214 00:12:44,960 --> 00:12:47,840 they didn't get exactly what they were wanting or 215 00:12:47,840 --> 00:12:49,920 understanding about the Messianic Kingdom. 216 00:12:50,080 --> 00:12:53,160 Then about a week later, let's just crucify him. 217 00:12:56,920 --> 00:12:59,200 But you know, get this for just a moment, if you will. 218 00:13:00,520 --> 00:13:04,480 I think it's very typical. It's typical with people. 219 00:13:04,480 --> 00:13:05,640 It's typical. Then it's typical. 220 00:13:05,640 --> 00:13:09,000 Now you know what? When it's Hosanna day, it's 221 00:13:09,000 --> 00:13:12,480 Hosanna. When it's crucified day, it's 222 00:13:12,480 --> 00:13:16,800 crucify him. Let me tell you why that applies 223 00:13:16,840 --> 00:13:19,960 today. Applies today too. 224 00:13:21,960 --> 00:13:32,000 I know people 2 * a year, OK December, 1 day in December and 225 00:13:32,000 --> 00:13:37,720 one day in April managed 3 chairs for Jesus and then the 226 00:13:37,720 --> 00:13:38,960 rest of the year, whatever you want. 227 00:13:41,400 --> 00:13:45,480 There's a lot of people just like that when it's three cheers 228 00:13:45,480 --> 00:13:48,080 for Jesus day. Hey, 3 cheers for Jesus and then 229 00:13:48,200 --> 00:13:49,880 do whatever you want the rest of your life. 230 00:13:51,280 --> 00:13:53,560 It's typical. It was typical back then, too. 231 00:13:53,800 --> 00:13:54,720 Hosanna day. Yeah. 232 00:13:54,720 --> 00:13:57,360 Hosanna crucify. Day crucify. 233 00:13:59,680 --> 00:14:03,800 So what happened? What happened to the people from 234 00:14:03,800 --> 00:14:06,560 the time they were saying hosanna to the highest Hosanna, 235 00:14:06,560 --> 00:14:08,560 the king? Let's go to Mark's account in 236 00:14:08,560 --> 00:14:11,760 Mark 15 and 11. But the chief priest did this, 237 00:14:11,880 --> 00:14:19,800 stirred up the people so that he should rather release Barabbas 238 00:14:19,840 --> 00:14:26,080 to them and not Jesus. They had a chance to do what 239 00:14:26,080 --> 00:14:29,080 they should have done and that was stand up for Jesus and they 240 00:14:29,080 --> 00:14:32,480 failed miserably. They had a chance to pick the 241 00:14:32,480 --> 00:14:40,480 greatest man that ever lived and they chose the worst scum you 242 00:14:40,480 --> 00:14:44,240 could imagine. And you know something, I 243 00:14:44,240 --> 00:14:45,520 thought about this the other day. 244 00:14:47,280 --> 00:14:49,840 We think, well, wait a minute, we would never do anything like 245 00:14:49,840 --> 00:14:52,640 that. We would always have a backbone 246 00:14:52,640 --> 00:14:54,280 and we would have the strength not to do that. 247 00:14:54,600 --> 00:14:57,840 Well, where was their backbone? They chose the worst and it's 248 00:14:57,840 --> 00:15:01,520 typical. Let me just say this, you're 249 00:15:01,520 --> 00:15:02,600 saying, no, I wouldn't have done that. 250 00:15:02,600 --> 00:15:03,840 Well, let me just phrase it like this. 251 00:15:03,840 --> 00:15:05,760 And I do this very respectfully, OK? 252 00:15:07,040 --> 00:15:13,720 But anytime in our Life, OK, when we choose sin over our 253 00:15:13,720 --> 00:15:20,040 Christianity, you just chose Barabbas. 254 00:15:23,440 --> 00:15:30,720 When I choose a sinful path over the Lord, I just chose Barabbas. 255 00:15:33,680 --> 00:15:38,680 If not, why not? So before we get too hard on the 256 00:15:38,680 --> 00:15:40,600 ones that were there, think about art life too. 257 00:15:42,640 --> 00:15:46,360 And many times in our life, we make the wrong choice for 258 00:15:46,360 --> 00:15:49,840 whatever reason. And when we do, when we choose 259 00:15:49,920 --> 00:15:52,840 anything but the Lord, when anything's more important in our 260 00:15:52,840 --> 00:15:54,080 life than the Lord, you know what? 261 00:15:54,080 --> 00:15:57,040 For that brief moment, in that way and in that act, we just 262 00:15:57,040 --> 00:16:01,360 chose Barabbas. OK. 263 00:16:02,200 --> 00:16:06,080 Pilate then had a second proposal that didn't work, so 264 00:16:06,080 --> 00:16:10,360 something else. Then Pilate took Jesus and 265 00:16:10,400 --> 00:16:12,440 scourged him. This was actually an effort to 266 00:16:12,440 --> 00:16:14,560 compromise. And if you look at Luke's 267 00:16:14,560 --> 00:16:18,640 account and Luke 23 and 16, it says that Pilate said before 268 00:16:18,640 --> 00:16:20,280 this, he said I got it. I got what I'm going to do. 269 00:16:20,280 --> 00:16:24,640 What I'm going to do is I'm therefore will chastise him and 270 00:16:24,640 --> 00:16:26,560 then I will let him go. I will release him. 271 00:16:27,560 --> 00:16:30,160 You know, that's the greatest example of a coward I can even 272 00:16:30,160 --> 00:16:33,000 ever imagine. If you know he's innocent, why 273 00:16:33,000 --> 00:16:36,520 are you going to beat him? Why are you going to beat the 274 00:16:36,520 --> 00:16:38,320 Lord? Why are you going to beat Jesus 275 00:16:38,320 --> 00:16:42,520 if you know he's innocent? That's the act of a coward. 276 00:16:42,520 --> 00:16:44,920 To appease the people. I'll pacify them. 277 00:16:45,040 --> 00:16:48,520 And then I'll bring his mutilated body out before the 278 00:16:48,520 --> 00:16:51,120 crowd and they'll look at his mutilated body and they'll say 279 00:16:51,120 --> 00:16:53,360 that's enough. You know why he has a decision 280 00:16:53,360 --> 00:16:54,720 to make. What am I going to do about 281 00:16:54,720 --> 00:16:55,920 Jesus? And he doesn't want to make it. 282 00:16:56,280 --> 00:16:58,240 Let me talk about the Roman scourging for just a moment, 283 00:16:58,240 --> 00:17:03,160 please. A Roman scourge was a thick 284 00:17:03,160 --> 00:17:07,319 stick wrapped with leather. At the end of it were leather 285 00:17:07,319 --> 00:17:11,200 thongs of some length, and in the end of those thongs were 286 00:17:11,200 --> 00:17:15,839 held bits of brass and lead and bone filed to sharp points. 287 00:17:17,000 --> 00:17:19,960 The victim was either then stretched flat on the ground 288 00:17:20,240 --> 00:17:24,920 with his back up or tied to a post hanging or strapped 289 00:17:24,920 --> 00:17:28,440 suspended from the ground. The soldier would thrust the 290 00:17:28,440 --> 00:17:33,200 scourge across his back of the victim, tearing the flesh from 291 00:17:33,200 --> 00:17:37,440 his back. This is called, by the way, a 292 00:17:37,440 --> 00:17:42,400 scourge or a Pflagram. That's different than a cat of 293 00:17:42,400 --> 00:17:43,960 nine tails. You ever heard the phrase cat of 294 00:17:43,960 --> 00:17:46,120 nine tails? That was more like a 295 00:17:46,120 --> 00:17:50,520 superficial. It made superficial cuts to the 296 00:17:50,520 --> 00:17:51,640 skin. This was different. 297 00:17:52,960 --> 00:17:58,640 It had lead on the ends for weight, lead lead piece on the 298 00:17:58,680 --> 00:18:00,520 end, lead balls on the end for weight. 299 00:18:02,000 --> 00:18:06,200 The sheep bone would be Shard and there would be lead spikes 300 00:18:06,200 --> 00:18:09,280 on that too. And they would take the scourge 301 00:18:09,320 --> 00:18:12,720 and they would thrust it across the back of the victim and when 302 00:18:12,720 --> 00:18:15,520 they would pull it back, it would literally take the skin 303 00:18:15,720 --> 00:18:22,680 off of the back. They took the victim and they 304 00:18:22,680 --> 00:18:25,240 suspended him on a pole like that, or they laid him flat on 305 00:18:25,240 --> 00:18:28,520 the ground. Got to make a point here. 306 00:18:28,960 --> 00:18:30,800 Get the number 39 out of your head. 307 00:18:32,960 --> 00:18:35,200 Some people think he was scourge. 308 00:18:35,200 --> 00:18:37,120 So therefore he was beaten 39 times. 309 00:18:37,120 --> 00:18:39,440 And the reason for that is because of the Old Testament. 310 00:18:40,320 --> 00:18:42,160 By the way, the Old Testament. Did you know in the Old 311 00:18:42,160 --> 00:18:43,640 Testament there was no such thing as prison? 312 00:18:44,800 --> 00:18:46,280 Didn't have prisons in the Old Testament? 313 00:18:47,120 --> 00:18:48,920 That wasn't God's way. Do you know what God did when 314 00:18:48,920 --> 00:18:51,480 somebody did something wrong? There was immediate retribution. 315 00:18:51,480 --> 00:18:54,600 There was immediate action, immediate penalty, immediate 316 00:18:54,600 --> 00:18:55,920 punishment, and then it was over. 317 00:18:55,920 --> 00:18:59,520 In other words, they didn't get to go sit somewhere and think 318 00:18:59,520 --> 00:19:02,040 about what they did. They actually paid for their 319 00:19:02,040 --> 00:19:05,360 crime and it was over. And one of the things was 320 00:19:05,360 --> 00:19:10,000 immediate, not capital, but corporal or physical punishment. 321 00:19:10,960 --> 00:19:14,480 And they would have lashes that there would be lashed not with a 322 00:19:14,640 --> 00:19:20,040 flagrant but with leather, and they would take a beating. 323 00:19:20,240 --> 00:19:24,520 And the Bible says under Jewish law, it couldn't exceed 40. 324 00:19:24,640 --> 00:19:27,280 So what they did is it would be 40 less 1. 325 00:19:27,360 --> 00:19:31,320 So it would be 39. So they never would exceed 40 if 326 00:19:31,320 --> 00:19:36,240 they miscounted. That is Jewish law. 327 00:19:38,160 --> 00:19:42,560 Rome didn't have that law. I'm going to tell you something 328 00:19:42,560 --> 00:19:45,360 right now. I believe with all my heart. 329 00:19:45,360 --> 00:19:51,520 They beat Jesus almost to death. And the reason Jesus didn't die 330 00:19:52,840 --> 00:19:57,760 is because God intervened, because Jesus had to go to the 331 00:19:57,760 --> 00:20:01,360 cross, because that's what the Bible says he had to do. 332 00:20:03,680 --> 00:20:07,760 God kept him alive. They beat the Lord almost to 333 00:20:07,760 --> 00:20:14,560 death with a Roman scourge. The torture was so horrible. 334 00:20:15,640 --> 00:20:17,720 No Roman citizen. We talk about this with 335 00:20:17,720 --> 00:20:21,680 crucifixion, but did you also know that no Roman citizen could 336 00:20:21,720 --> 00:20:25,800 ever be scourged? It was illegal and it was 337 00:20:25,800 --> 00:20:28,480 forbidden. What else did they do to Jesus? 338 00:20:30,320 --> 00:20:34,400 And the soldiers twisted a crown of thorns and put it on his 339 00:20:34,400 --> 00:20:39,080 head, and they put on him a purple robe. 340 00:20:40,440 --> 00:20:42,080 I've always pictured it like this. 341 00:20:43,320 --> 00:20:47,640 I've always seen pictures of Jesus, or even statues of what's 342 00:20:47,640 --> 00:20:51,960 supposed to be Jesus on the cross and the crown of thorns. 343 00:20:52,000 --> 00:20:54,920 And we think a crown of thorns must have looked something like 344 00:20:54,920 --> 00:20:57,280 that because that's what a crown is. 345 00:20:57,280 --> 00:20:59,280 A crown goes around the head, right? 346 00:21:01,080 --> 00:21:04,560 I read some historians who said it's entirely possible that the 347 00:21:04,560 --> 00:21:06,960 crown of thorns didn't look like that. 348 00:21:07,720 --> 00:21:10,160 And here was the explanation. By the way, I don't know this to 349 00:21:10,160 --> 00:21:11,680 be true. It wasn't there, but I'm just 350 00:21:11,680 --> 00:21:14,520 going to say what I found and I'll share it with you. 351 00:21:14,840 --> 00:21:18,880 This one historian said it didn't look like that because if 352 00:21:18,880 --> 00:21:21,960 it was like that and they pressed it down on the head of 353 00:21:21,960 --> 00:21:24,600 the victim, they would have stabbed their own self in the 354 00:21:24,600 --> 00:21:27,280 hands. And therefore they didn't have 355 00:21:27,280 --> 00:21:29,200 it that way. The, the in other words, the 356 00:21:29,200 --> 00:21:32,840 thorns had to be on the inside. So one historian said that it 357 00:21:32,840 --> 00:21:37,800 was probably more like this, a helmet of thorns where all the 358 00:21:39,360 --> 00:21:43,080 thorns are on the inside and they put it on his head and 359 00:21:43,080 --> 00:21:50,400 pressed it down on the Lord's head, and then they put on a 360 00:21:50,400 --> 00:21:54,960 purple robe. Verse 3 says this. 361 00:21:56,200 --> 00:22:00,080 Then they said Hail king of the Jews, and they struck him with 362 00:22:00,080 --> 00:22:01,560 their hands. You know, in the Greek 363 00:22:01,560 --> 00:22:05,600 translation if the verbatim, this is how the Greek actually 364 00:22:05,600 --> 00:22:09,200 would read. And they kept saying hail King 365 00:22:09,200 --> 00:22:12,600 of the Jews, and they kept giving him blows with their 366 00:22:12,600 --> 00:22:18,320 hands, punching him in the face with their fists. 367 00:22:22,200 --> 00:22:25,120 That's not bad enough. What about the purple robe? 368 00:22:26,600 --> 00:22:30,760 The Romans had a game they like to play with idiots and 369 00:22:30,760 --> 00:22:33,600 imbeciles, and that's a direct quote, by the way. 370 00:22:33,760 --> 00:22:37,480 Idiot meaning somebody of low intelligence and an imbecile 371 00:22:38,200 --> 00:22:42,320 before the 20th century was a word that was used to describe 372 00:22:42,320 --> 00:22:46,160 somebody that had some form of mental retardation. 373 00:22:46,160 --> 00:22:49,360 I realized, look, I'm getting older and I don't know all the 374 00:22:49,360 --> 00:22:51,600 rules of politically correct. I don't know if you're allowed 375 00:22:51,600 --> 00:22:53,280 to say that anymore. I don't know. 376 00:22:54,000 --> 00:22:56,840 I'm just telling you, that's what people called somebody that 377 00:22:56,840 --> 00:23:01,000 had a mental disorder like that before the 20th century. 378 00:23:01,000 --> 00:23:06,320 They were called an imbecile. What the Romans would do, they 379 00:23:06,320 --> 00:23:09,560 would catch them. They would dress them up so no 380 00:23:09,560 --> 00:23:15,320 one dressed them up like kings, and they would sit them on 381 00:23:15,320 --> 00:23:19,520 places and they would mock them. They would bow down and make 382 00:23:19,520 --> 00:23:24,680 fools out of them. It's a terrible game, but think 383 00:23:24,680 --> 00:23:28,600 about it this way. That's what they did to the Lamb 384 00:23:28,600 --> 00:23:34,440 of God. That's what they did to the King 385 00:23:34,440 --> 00:23:41,520 of Kings and Lord of Lords. That's what they did to the 386 00:23:41,520 --> 00:23:49,040 Savior of the world, God's Lamb. And Pilate allows him to be 387 00:23:49,040 --> 00:23:54,560 abused, beaten, mocked, spit on. And then in verse 4, Pilot then 388 00:23:54,560 --> 00:23:57,080 went out again and he said to them, behold, I'm bringing him 389 00:23:57,080 --> 00:23:59,560 out to you that you may know that I find no fault in him. 390 00:24:00,000 --> 00:24:03,720 This is ridiculous. What a coward, Pilot. 391 00:24:03,840 --> 00:24:06,800 So all of a sudden the Lord's been beaten, He's been scourged, 392 00:24:07,000 --> 00:24:10,400 and here comes Pilot. Oh, by the way, I'm bringing him 393 00:24:10,400 --> 00:24:15,680 out to you. So you know that I find no fault 394 00:24:15,680 --> 00:24:20,240 in him. If you found no fault in him, 395 00:24:20,240 --> 00:24:24,280 then why did you beat him, Pilate? 396 00:24:26,560 --> 00:24:33,320 Then Jesus came out wearing a crown of thorns in a purple robe 397 00:24:35,480 --> 00:24:44,320 and Pilate said, behold the man. I think Pilate was basically 398 00:24:44,320 --> 00:24:49,200 saying this. Look at the man. 399 00:24:51,320 --> 00:24:55,680 Does he really look like a king? Does he really look like 400 00:24:55,680 --> 00:24:58,400 somebody that's a political revolutionary? 401 00:24:59,760 --> 00:25:02,040 Does he really look like a dangerous man? 402 00:25:03,600 --> 00:25:06,560 I could picture in my mind's eye the blood running down his neck, 403 00:25:06,720 --> 00:25:09,680 pulled with his back and down to the ground. 404 00:25:11,600 --> 00:25:13,640 I don't know how else to put it. A bloody mess. 405 00:25:13,640 --> 00:25:17,280 I'm not trying to be graphic, but truly a bloody mess, A 406 00:25:17,280 --> 00:25:19,200 despicable sight. And brought him before the 407 00:25:19,200 --> 00:25:27,520 people and said, behold the man. I think in Pilot's mind, as a 408 00:25:27,520 --> 00:25:29,640 failed proposal, he said, I'm going to appease the people. 409 00:25:29,640 --> 00:25:32,480 I'm going to have him beaten. And they're going to say that's 410 00:25:32,480 --> 00:25:33,840 enough. OK, good, we're good. 411 00:25:34,040 --> 00:25:35,680 OK, thank you, Pilot. That's good. 412 00:25:37,440 --> 00:25:42,480 That's good. I think that's what he thought. 413 00:25:42,560 --> 00:25:47,120 But notice, therefore, when the chief priests and officers saw 414 00:25:47,160 --> 00:25:50,880 him, they cried out saying crucify him. 415 00:25:51,360 --> 00:25:55,400 Crucify him had no effect at all. 416 00:25:55,920 --> 00:25:57,440 By the way, may I just suggest something? 417 00:25:58,760 --> 00:26:03,920 When hatred is what drives you in your heart, I say you as in 418 00:26:03,920 --> 00:26:08,560 general to people, OK? When bitter hatred is what 419 00:26:08,560 --> 00:26:13,040 drives you in your heart, and you make the determination in 420 00:26:13,040 --> 00:26:16,840 your mind what you want in advance, you don't want justice, 421 00:26:16,840 --> 00:26:20,320 you want it your way. And when hatred is all you can 422 00:26:20,320 --> 00:26:25,600 see, bitter hatred, you're going to be unfazed and unaffected by 423 00:26:25,600 --> 00:26:27,680 circumstances that may alter your opinion. 424 00:26:29,240 --> 00:26:32,280 Here's Jesus, a man that did nothing, came to die for the 425 00:26:32,280 --> 00:26:34,280 sins of the world. He brings them out and he says, 426 00:26:34,320 --> 00:26:41,200 Oh no, crucify him, crucify him, Pilate said to them, here we go, 427 00:26:41,920 --> 00:26:46,080 you take him and crucify him. Here we go, Broke the law again, 428 00:26:47,240 --> 00:26:51,360 still trying to get out of it. He says you do it, can't do it 429 00:26:52,040 --> 00:26:55,680 illegal, trying to get out of the decision and then he says 430 00:26:55,680 --> 00:27:01,560 this for I find no fault in him. Do you know this is the fifth 431 00:27:01,560 --> 00:27:05,320 time you said that he does it 6 total times. 432 00:27:05,320 --> 00:27:09,040 This is number 5. I find no fault in him. 433 00:27:13,000 --> 00:27:18,120 Then they responded like this verse 7, the accused answered 434 00:27:18,120 --> 00:27:21,040 him. We have a law and according to 435 00:27:21,040 --> 00:27:25,000 our law he ought to die because he made himself to be the Son of 436 00:27:25,000 --> 00:27:27,400 God. Remember this, the two things 437 00:27:27,400 --> 00:27:31,760 they absolutely despised about Jesus when Jesus was on the face 438 00:27:31,760 --> 00:27:34,400 of this earth, two things. One, how he handled the Sabbath, 439 00:27:35,640 --> 00:27:37,480 couldn't stand it. Jesus said I can do whatever I 440 00:27:37,480 --> 00:27:39,040 want on the Sabbath. I'm Lord of the Sabbath, I'm 441 00:27:39,040 --> 00:27:41,840 granted on the Sabbath, and he marked the transition from the 442 00:27:41,840 --> 00:27:46,000 Old Testament Sabbath significant day into the Old Law 443 00:27:46,160 --> 00:27:48,960 to the New Testament significant day, the first day of the week. 444 00:27:49,280 --> 00:27:51,560 Jesus, as my father would say, he had all the votes. 445 00:27:51,560 --> 00:27:54,640 You can do whatever he wanted. They hated him for that. 446 00:27:55,360 --> 00:27:56,680 You know what else they hated him for? 447 00:27:56,840 --> 00:27:59,080 They hated him for saying I'm the Son of God. 448 00:27:59,240 --> 00:28:04,080 They felt that was blasphemous. What Jesus was trying to explain 449 00:28:04,080 --> 00:28:07,280 when he preached on the face of this earth is this is not 450 00:28:07,280 --> 00:28:09,600 against God. What he's saying is I do 451 00:28:09,600 --> 00:28:12,560 everything with God and if you want God, you got to go through 452 00:28:12,560 --> 00:28:17,120 me. If you want God, you got to go 453 00:28:17,120 --> 00:28:20,280 through me. Don't let anybody tell you that 454 00:28:20,440 --> 00:28:23,640 Jesus is not the answer. Jesus is the answer. 455 00:28:25,560 --> 00:28:30,560 There's no other way to heaven except Jesus except people say, 456 00:28:30,560 --> 00:28:31,680 well, what about all I don't know about? 457 00:28:31,680 --> 00:28:33,240 I don't know about any of that. All I know is this. 458 00:28:34,280 --> 00:28:36,560 Jesus says no one comes into the Father except through me. 459 00:28:36,560 --> 00:28:41,240 That's all I know. Jesus is the answer. 460 00:28:42,120 --> 00:28:45,800 They rejected him. In summary, noticed in summary, 461 00:28:46,400 --> 00:28:48,240 what were the accusations so far? 462 00:28:48,760 --> 00:28:50,440 Well, the first thing they said is, well, he threatened to 463 00:28:50,440 --> 00:28:51,680 destroy the temple. That wasn't true. 464 00:28:52,800 --> 00:28:55,240 What he says is I'm going to destroy the temple and build it 465 00:28:55,240 --> 00:28:57,200 up in three days. He was talking about himself 466 00:28:57,600 --> 00:29:00,160 being raised on the third day. So that's not true. 467 00:29:01,240 --> 00:29:03,800 Oh, they said he's a bad guy. He's an evil doer. 468 00:29:04,440 --> 00:29:06,440 Remember when they came to Pilate and they said Pilate 469 00:29:06,440 --> 00:29:09,440 says, what evil hath he done? And they said, oh, do you think 470 00:29:09,440 --> 00:29:10,400 we would have brought him to you? 471 00:29:10,400 --> 00:29:13,240 If you want an evil doer, Falsely. 472 00:29:14,320 --> 00:29:16,400 They also accused him of perverting the nation. 473 00:29:16,400 --> 00:29:20,480 That was also false. They falsely said he forbade 474 00:29:20,480 --> 00:29:23,480 paying taxes or paying tribute or taxes to Caesar. 475 00:29:23,640 --> 00:29:25,960 That's not true. Talked about that last time. 476 00:29:25,960 --> 00:29:28,120 What else? They said, oh, wait a minute, 477 00:29:28,240 --> 00:29:31,120 he's stirring up the people. None of these things have any 478 00:29:31,120 --> 00:29:33,960 bearing or any merit to PILOT. What else? 479 00:29:34,200 --> 00:29:36,280 They said he's a political revolutionary. 480 00:29:36,280 --> 00:29:38,520 Again, not true. What else? 481 00:29:38,680 --> 00:29:42,440 Finally he says. Then he makes himself to be the 482 00:29:42,440 --> 00:29:44,200 Son of God. What does that mean? 483 00:29:44,640 --> 00:29:47,080 That means he's a false God, Pilot. 484 00:29:47,280 --> 00:29:50,320 And we don't like those kind of guys, Pilot, And you better do 485 00:29:50,320 --> 00:29:53,120 something about it. Here's an interesting point in 486 00:29:53,120 --> 00:29:57,600 Roman history. They were so superstitious, you 487 00:29:57,600 --> 00:29:59,120 know, they actually believe. The Romans believed. 488 00:30:00,640 --> 00:30:04,200 They believed in multiple gods. There was a God for this and a 489 00:30:04,200 --> 00:30:06,320 God for that and a God for this and a God for that. 490 00:30:06,520 --> 00:30:09,280 All kinds of gods. Small G, by the way, right? 491 00:30:09,840 --> 00:30:13,120 And they believed that there were times when these small G 492 00:30:13,120 --> 00:30:17,400 gods came down to Earth in human form and dwelt among people. 493 00:30:17,640 --> 00:30:22,960 Remember Acts chapter 14? I think they called Paul 494 00:30:23,760 --> 00:30:29,080 Jupiter, didn't they? And Barnabas, Mercury, they do 495 00:30:29,080 --> 00:30:31,760 it again to Paul in Acts 28. You know why? 496 00:30:31,880 --> 00:30:33,560 Because they believed. It was a custom. 497 00:30:33,560 --> 00:30:37,160 They believed in the superstition that God's actually 498 00:30:37,160 --> 00:30:39,920 come down to the earth and dwell among men. 499 00:30:41,280 --> 00:30:46,600 Pilate is scared out of his mind, thinking, Wait a minute, I 500 00:30:46,600 --> 00:30:49,240 may have just scourged the Son of God. 501 00:30:49,440 --> 00:30:52,880 Notice the next passage. Therefore, when Pilate heard 502 00:30:52,880 --> 00:31:00,240 that saying what saying that saying he was more afraid when 503 00:31:00,240 --> 00:31:02,000 they said He makes himself to be the Son of God. 504 00:31:02,000 --> 00:31:05,440 When he said that he was more afraid that phrase actually 505 00:31:05,440 --> 00:31:07,200 means he was in a frenzied panic. 506 00:31:08,840 --> 00:31:12,200 Let's add it all up. Either heard a lot of stuff 507 00:31:12,200 --> 00:31:15,640 about Jesus. He's heard and seen the 508 00:31:15,640 --> 00:31:19,600 character of Jesus. He's concerned about his own 509 00:31:19,600 --> 00:31:23,120 moral judgment. How about the warning of his 510 00:31:23,120 --> 00:31:26,160 wife who came to him and said have nothing to do with this 511 00:31:26,160 --> 00:31:27,960 man. I had a dream about him. 512 00:31:29,840 --> 00:31:34,400 All of this and Pilate still can't get rid of Jesus. 513 00:31:35,280 --> 00:31:37,520 And now he's scared to death that he just might have beaten 514 00:31:37,520 --> 00:31:40,560 the Son of God. As one said one time, he's 515 00:31:40,560 --> 00:31:45,120 bordering a raving maniac. So this is what he says. 516 00:31:46,080 --> 00:31:49,320 And he went again into the praetorium and he said to Jesus, 517 00:31:49,520 --> 00:31:53,840 where are you from? He wasn't wondering what's your 518 00:31:53,840 --> 00:31:57,320 address over there in Nazareth? That's not what he was asking. 519 00:31:58,680 --> 00:32:02,160 He was asking him, are you from the place where God's come from? 520 00:32:03,400 --> 00:32:05,560 Are you really from that place, or are you just from earth? 521 00:32:07,880 --> 00:32:10,720 That's what he wants to know. He's panicked. 522 00:32:13,160 --> 00:32:15,560 Where are you from? But notice, please. 523 00:32:15,920 --> 00:32:23,120 But Jesus gave him no answer. Why was Jesus silent? 524 00:32:24,200 --> 00:32:25,840 Have you ever wondered why Jesus was silent? 525 00:32:25,840 --> 00:32:28,040 I know you're thinking you're you're thinking you know the 526 00:32:28,040 --> 00:32:29,200 answer. The first one's going to leap 527 00:32:29,200 --> 00:32:30,160 off the pigs. We get it. 528 00:32:30,720 --> 00:32:31,880 But I got a second one to slip in. 529 00:32:33,000 --> 00:32:36,720 OK, the first one is obvious and that's prophecy. 530 00:32:37,640 --> 00:32:42,040 Isaiah 53 and seven, He was oppressed and he was afflicted, 531 00:32:42,200 --> 00:32:45,840 yet he opened out his mouth. He was led as a lamb of the 532 00:32:45,840 --> 00:32:48,800 slaughter and as a sheep before it's shears is silent. 533 00:32:49,160 --> 00:32:52,720 So he opened out his mouth. So first and foremost, Jesus was 534 00:32:52,720 --> 00:32:55,920 silent because the Bible prophetically stated hundreds of 535 00:32:55,920 --> 00:33:00,160 years before the prophet Isaiah said he would be silent. 536 00:33:02,360 --> 00:33:05,400 But I think there's a secondary reason to in addition to that. 537 00:33:07,400 --> 00:33:09,080 And that was because of pilot's heart. 538 00:33:09,760 --> 00:33:13,320 You ever think of that pilot's heart? 539 00:33:15,160 --> 00:33:17,120 You know, there's one thing that Jesus could do that I can't. 540 00:33:17,560 --> 00:33:19,400 Sometimes we try and don't ever do this. 541 00:33:19,400 --> 00:33:22,440 Please don't ever try to think you can judge somebody's heart. 542 00:33:22,480 --> 00:33:24,960 You cannot. You can't read it. 543 00:33:24,960 --> 00:33:27,240 You can't judge it. I know the Bible says by your 544 00:33:27,240 --> 00:33:30,320 fruits you shall know them, but you can't ever really judge a 545 00:33:30,320 --> 00:33:32,360 motive of somebody else. You can't judge their heart. 546 00:33:32,360 --> 00:33:33,600 Nobody can't. Jesus can't. 547 00:33:34,320 --> 00:33:38,600 God can't. Jesus knew Pilate's heart. 548 00:33:42,320 --> 00:33:46,160 In other words, Jesus knew that Pilate was finally at the point 549 00:33:46,720 --> 00:33:49,720 when there was nothing that Jesus could say that would have 550 00:33:49,720 --> 00:33:53,480 mattered in the mind of Pilate. So we said nothing. 551 00:33:53,800 --> 00:33:55,760 And I really think there's something sobering here. 552 00:33:58,640 --> 00:34:02,640 I think there might come a time sometimes when an when an 553 00:34:02,760 --> 00:34:08,080 individual and please hear my exact words when an individual 554 00:34:08,320 --> 00:34:14,480 willfully rejects Jesus, OK, that the Lord become silent. 555 00:34:16,800 --> 00:34:19,280 I didn't say it's impossible for them to change their life down 556 00:34:19,280 --> 00:34:20,840 the road. I didn't say it's impossible for 557 00:34:20,840 --> 00:34:22,679 them to repent, come back, come later on. 558 00:34:22,760 --> 00:34:24,760 Didn't say that because I know a lot of people that have 559 00:34:24,800 --> 00:34:31,639 willfully rejected Jesus for most of their life and have come 560 00:34:31,800 --> 00:34:36,719 back to the Lord. I'm not saying it's impossible. 561 00:34:36,719 --> 00:34:41,600 I'm saying this there does come a point in time and I'm going to 562 00:34:41,600 --> 00:34:44,800 explain what I mean. There does come a point in time 563 00:34:45,239 --> 00:34:50,880 when people willfully reject Jesus and his teachings where 564 00:34:50,880 --> 00:34:56,639 Jesus becomes silent. What do I mean by silent? 565 00:34:57,480 --> 00:35:00,440 Did the Lord go anywhere? No, he didn't go anywhere. 566 00:35:01,080 --> 00:35:04,440 Acts, John 1837. Jesus already said this last 567 00:35:04,440 --> 00:35:06,600 time. Everyone who is of the truth 568 00:35:06,840 --> 00:35:11,200 hears my voice. The word here means to listen 569 00:35:11,200 --> 00:35:14,280 intently and obey. That's what the word here means. 570 00:35:14,680 --> 00:35:20,320 OK, There comes a time in life when sometimes people reject 571 00:35:20,480 --> 00:35:23,920 Jesus and the teachings of Jesus and the Lord become silent. 572 00:35:23,920 --> 00:35:27,840 What do I mean by that? I mean the Lord is no longer an 573 00:35:27,840 --> 00:35:30,960 influence in their life because of their choice. 574 00:35:34,680 --> 00:35:41,560 Give you a great example. Judas Iscariot with Jesus all 575 00:35:41,560 --> 00:35:45,520 that time. Jesus behind those locked doors 576 00:35:45,840 --> 00:35:47,760 instituting the Lord's Supper when they were eating the 577 00:35:47,760 --> 00:35:52,320 Passover feast. Judas is to the left of Jesus. 578 00:35:52,320 --> 00:35:57,440 John is to the right of Jesus. Reclining this way, Oriental 579 00:35:57,440 --> 00:36:03,200 custom was the actual ultimate guest of honor was not the one 580 00:36:03,200 --> 00:36:05,560 to the right, not John, it was the one to the left. 581 00:36:05,800 --> 00:36:08,920 Jesus put Judas in the ultimate position of honor. 582 00:36:09,080 --> 00:36:12,040 He served in first too. And then Jesus said, one of you 583 00:36:12,040 --> 00:36:14,480 is going to betray me. They all began to say, Master, 584 00:36:14,480 --> 00:36:15,920 is it I? And again, is it I? 585 00:36:16,240 --> 00:36:20,360 Finally Judas said, is it I? And the King James says, thou 586 00:36:20,520 --> 00:36:23,880 hast said, do you know what happened next? 587 00:36:25,120 --> 00:36:31,000 Jesus whispers to Judas, Whatsoever thou doest, doest it 588 00:36:31,000 --> 00:36:32,760 quickly. That's what the King James says. 589 00:36:34,440 --> 00:36:40,600 Remember the next phrase? And then Satan entered Judas. 590 00:36:42,680 --> 00:36:45,080 That didn't mean that he was all of a sudden demonically 591 00:36:45,080 --> 00:36:49,920 possessed by the devil. It meant the devil was now the 592 00:36:49,960 --> 00:36:52,400 ultimate influence in his life and not Jesus. 593 00:36:54,200 --> 00:36:56,560 Let me give you an example. Remember, when your kids, you're 594 00:36:56,560 --> 00:36:57,560 young. We're all young. 595 00:36:57,560 --> 00:36:58,520 We have parents. Guess what? 596 00:36:58,520 --> 00:36:59,560 We love our parents. Oh, yeah. 597 00:36:59,560 --> 00:37:02,800 I really respect our parents. They're the loudest voice in our 598 00:37:02,800 --> 00:37:05,640 head, in our ears. We respect them. 599 00:37:05,640 --> 00:37:09,880 We follow them. And sometimes we get to an age 600 00:37:09,880 --> 00:37:15,400 where our friends start speaking louder in our ears than our 601 00:37:16,000 --> 00:37:21,080 parents, and they become, for a period of time, a greater 602 00:37:21,080 --> 00:37:24,640 influence than our parents. What that means is when we're 603 00:37:24,640 --> 00:37:28,560 listening to our peers and our friends, and that's the greater 604 00:37:28,560 --> 00:37:30,760 influence in our life. When we're doing that, guess 605 00:37:30,760 --> 00:37:33,400 what? Our parents are silent. 606 00:37:35,440 --> 00:37:39,800 And that's what happens when people choose to follow worldly 607 00:37:39,800 --> 00:37:43,880 things, the devil things, the pure things, simple things, and 608 00:37:43,880 --> 00:37:46,960 not listen to the Lord. Lord didn't go anywhere. 609 00:37:47,080 --> 00:37:49,680 His message is still as powerful and as strong as it ever was. 610 00:37:49,920 --> 00:37:53,400 The difference is the heart of the recipient has now turned. 611 00:37:53,560 --> 00:37:55,600 And I believe Jesus knew Pilate's heart was turned. 612 00:37:57,240 --> 00:38:01,840 So he was silent. Then the response when he was 613 00:38:01,840 --> 00:38:06,000 silent, then Pilate said to him, are you not speaking to me? 614 00:38:06,440 --> 00:38:09,080 Do you not know that I have the power to crucify you and the 615 00:38:09,080 --> 00:38:13,840 power to release you? Notice the response Jesus 616 00:38:13,840 --> 00:38:16,520 answered. You can have no power against me 617 00:38:16,520 --> 00:38:19,400 unless it had been given you from above. 618 00:38:19,600 --> 00:38:24,160 In other words, I love this. This is not you, Pilate. 619 00:38:24,680 --> 00:38:27,120 You think you got control? You wouldn't have this power. 620 00:38:27,120 --> 00:38:29,240 You wouldn't have the authority, You wouldn't have the control if 621 00:38:29,240 --> 00:38:31,640 my Father in heaven did not give it to you. 622 00:38:34,280 --> 00:38:36,440 Wow. Then he said this. 623 00:38:37,240 --> 00:38:40,240 Therefore, the one who delivered me to you has the greater sin. 624 00:38:40,240 --> 00:38:43,640 Who's that? Who's the one that had the 625 00:38:43,640 --> 00:38:48,400 greater sin? Not Judas, who had the greater 626 00:38:48,400 --> 00:38:52,320 sin? Caiaphas and the religious 627 00:38:52,320 --> 00:38:55,200 leaders were the ones that had the greater sin. 628 00:38:55,200 --> 00:38:58,640 Why is that? Now Pilate's sin is pretty great 629 00:38:58,640 --> 00:39:00,040 here in it. It's going to crucify the Son of 630 00:39:00,040 --> 00:39:04,480 God. The ones that delivered Jesus to 631 00:39:04,480 --> 00:39:06,520 Pilate had the greater sin. Why? 632 00:39:06,840 --> 00:39:10,960 Caiaphas and the religious leaders had no legal authority 633 00:39:10,960 --> 00:39:12,880 or right to do what they did to Jesus. 634 00:39:12,880 --> 00:39:14,600 They had no right to lay hands on him. 635 00:39:14,760 --> 00:39:18,000 They had no right to bind him. They had no right to have him be 636 00:39:18,000 --> 00:39:19,680 led to Pilate to have me crucified. 637 00:39:20,160 --> 00:39:23,400 Jesus said you wouldn't have this authority over me unless 638 00:39:23,400 --> 00:39:25,760 God gave it to you. And therefore the one who 639 00:39:25,760 --> 00:39:28,000 delivered me to you has the greater sin. 640 00:39:28,480 --> 00:39:32,760 Wow. Now when you understand that 641 00:39:32,760 --> 00:39:35,320 that somebody could have actually had a greater sin than 642 00:39:35,320 --> 00:39:39,280 Pilot, then we understand the guilt of those that were 643 00:39:39,280 --> 00:39:40,680 screaming for the blood of Jesus. 644 00:39:40,680 --> 00:39:43,280 Let's take a step back. Please let me ask a question. 645 00:39:44,520 --> 00:39:51,920 Answer this to yourself. Could anybody today be that 646 00:39:51,960 --> 00:40:00,400 guilty? Is it possible for anyone to be 647 00:40:00,400 --> 00:40:05,920 that guilty? Today, as the ones that scream 648 00:40:05,920 --> 00:40:12,360 for the blood of Jesus Christ back then, the answer is yes. 649 00:40:14,080 --> 00:40:20,520 When when somebody knows the truth of the word of God and 650 00:40:20,520 --> 00:40:22,600 rejects it. According to Hebrew 6 is guilty 651 00:40:22,600 --> 00:40:26,560 of crucifying the Son of God afresh and putting him to an 652 00:40:26,560 --> 00:40:30,800 open shame. Men today are just as guilty as 653 00:40:30,800 --> 00:40:33,360 the people who scream for the blood of Jesus when they 654 00:40:33,360 --> 00:40:40,160 willfully reject the Lord. Now I got to say a couple things 655 00:40:40,160 --> 00:40:42,800 here. Tune in TuneIn tight. 656 00:40:45,040 --> 00:40:49,600 Maybe in your life you've drifted. 657 00:40:50,720 --> 00:40:54,360 Maybe you're drifting now. Maybe you've had struggles in 658 00:40:54,360 --> 00:40:57,640 your life. Maybe you're struggling now. 659 00:41:00,160 --> 00:41:03,280 Maybe you're sitting here and you're saying, not me, I've 660 00:41:03,280 --> 00:41:04,520 never drifted. I've never struggled. 661 00:41:04,520 --> 00:41:06,040 Well, if that's the case, then I have just to say to you, 662 00:41:06,360 --> 00:41:11,520 congratulations. But for the rest of us that are 663 00:41:11,520 --> 00:41:15,600 not perfect, let me just suggest this. 664 00:41:17,840 --> 00:41:22,120 Sometimes people struggle, all of us. 665 00:41:23,800 --> 00:41:26,280 And sometimes when we struggle, we drift. 666 00:41:26,280 --> 00:41:28,880 Who are we drifting away from? Not the club. 667 00:41:29,720 --> 00:41:32,080 Sometimes people talk, treat the church like it's a club. 668 00:41:32,240 --> 00:41:34,760 You're drifting away from the club, you're drifting away from 669 00:41:34,760 --> 00:41:39,600 the Lord. And sometimes people drift. 670 00:41:41,720 --> 00:41:45,960 So let me just say, if you are going through a time of struggle 671 00:41:45,960 --> 00:41:49,640 and you're drifting some right now, let me just implore you, 672 00:41:51,880 --> 00:41:56,640 make sure you don't drift so far that you forgot where you came 673 00:41:56,640 --> 00:42:00,360 from and you can't remember how to get back. 674 00:42:03,800 --> 00:42:07,280 Perfect example. I preached a sermon, I don't 675 00:42:07,280 --> 00:42:11,160 know, seven or eight years ago in Oklahoma at a young people's 676 00:42:11,160 --> 00:42:12,520 meeting, and I used this illustration. 677 00:42:12,520 --> 00:42:19,000 I'm going to use it again. A number of years ago, I held a 678 00:42:19,000 --> 00:42:22,720 meeting in Texas. I was staying with a brother and 679 00:42:22,720 --> 00:42:24,120 sister. I'd never been there before, 680 00:42:24,760 --> 00:42:28,680 wasn't familiar with the area. 1 morning, I felt really good. 681 00:42:28,680 --> 00:42:30,520 I was, you know, decided to go for a run. 682 00:42:30,520 --> 00:42:33,080 I went out and started running. I ran 45 minutes to an hour in 683 00:42:33,080 --> 00:42:35,200 the opposite direction, going up and down streets. 684 00:42:35,200 --> 00:42:37,280 I felt so good. I was kind of like Forest Gump, 685 00:42:37,280 --> 00:42:38,400 man. I was running and running. 686 00:42:40,960 --> 00:42:44,280 You know what happened? After about an hour, I realized 687 00:42:44,280 --> 00:42:49,880 something very startling. I am lost. 688 00:42:57,240 --> 00:43:03,320 I ran away from my destination for one hour and I ran so far 689 00:43:03,880 --> 00:43:08,160 and so long I couldn't remember how to get back. 690 00:43:10,720 --> 00:43:15,200 I had to call a friend of mine who gave me the address so I can 691 00:43:15,200 --> 00:43:18,920 get back. Spiritual perspective. 692 00:43:20,200 --> 00:43:23,560 If you're struggling, if you're drifting, reach out. 693 00:43:25,440 --> 00:43:28,760 Reach out to somebody that can help you find your way back. 694 00:43:31,600 --> 00:43:34,800 I'm going to tell you something. We have a tremendous 695 00:43:34,800 --> 00:43:40,240 responsibility as a lighthouse. You ever consider yourself 696 00:43:40,240 --> 00:43:41,800 somebody saying, well, I'm not? Yeah, you are. 697 00:43:42,480 --> 00:43:43,840 Well, I'm not. Yeah, you are. 698 00:43:44,400 --> 00:43:45,920 Yeah, you're important. Yeah, you are. 699 00:43:47,440 --> 00:43:50,360 There's somebody in your life that needs you as a lighthouse 700 00:43:50,360 --> 00:43:52,640 to find their way when they're drifting out at sea. 701 00:43:54,280 --> 00:43:57,320 You have that kind of an impact on somebody in this life. 702 00:43:59,600 --> 00:44:02,000 And when they're drifting, they need to see the lighthouse. 703 00:44:02,480 --> 00:44:05,120 There it is, way out there. Don't you see? 704 00:44:05,520 --> 00:44:07,320 We are the light. Jesus says you're the light of 705 00:44:07,320 --> 00:44:08,640 the world and the salt of the earth. 706 00:44:08,640 --> 00:44:11,080 That's what you are. We're not the light. 707 00:44:11,520 --> 00:44:14,280 Jesus is the light. We're luminaries broadcasting 708 00:44:14,280 --> 00:44:16,440 the light of Jesus to the world. And you know what? 709 00:44:16,640 --> 00:44:18,880 We can be that light. You know what we do sometimes 710 00:44:18,960 --> 00:44:20,520 somebody struggles at cross them off. 711 00:44:20,520 --> 00:44:22,800 Don't do that. Don't you dare do that. 712 00:44:24,280 --> 00:44:32,960 Reach out, reach out, help them see their way back. 713 00:44:36,280 --> 00:44:46,400 You know what it's called? GPS, God's provided solution. 714 00:44:50,440 --> 00:44:52,560 What is it? It's the Word of God. 715 00:44:54,280 --> 00:44:57,400 If you're struggling in your spiritual life, the Word of God 716 00:44:57,520 --> 00:45:01,720 is the solution. If you're a Christian and you're 717 00:45:01,720 --> 00:45:04,520 the light broadcast in the light of Christ, you can reach out and 718 00:45:04,520 --> 00:45:07,600 have an influence and an impact on helping somebody find that 719 00:45:07,600 --> 00:45:16,600 solution and get right with God. If they're not, then verse 12. 720 00:45:18,720 --> 00:45:23,040 From then on, Pilate sought to release him, but the Jews cried 721 00:45:23,040 --> 00:45:28,840 out saying if you will let this, if you let this man go, you are 722 00:45:28,840 --> 00:45:33,200 not Caesar's friend. Whoever makes himself a king 723 00:45:33,320 --> 00:45:36,880 speaks against Caesar. This is ridiculous because they 724 00:45:36,880 --> 00:45:40,000 had they hated Caesar. Come on, he couldn't stand 725 00:45:40,000 --> 00:45:43,280 Caesar. They hated the oppressive thumb 726 00:45:43,320 --> 00:45:45,920 of Caesar. And they're saying we don't have 727 00:45:45,920 --> 00:45:48,280 anybody but Caesar. And if you don't do this, 728 00:45:48,280 --> 00:45:50,160 Pilate, you're not Caesar, friend, we're going to tell on 729 00:45:50,160 --> 00:45:52,600 you. So Pilate had to choose between 730 00:45:52,600 --> 00:45:55,920 his neck and his soul. Then in verse 13, what happened 731 00:45:56,840 --> 00:45:58,240 then? Pilate therefore heard that 732 00:45:58,240 --> 00:45:59,760 saying what? Saying what he just said. 733 00:45:59,760 --> 00:46:01,680 We're going to tell on you, Pilate. 734 00:46:03,160 --> 00:46:05,840 He brought Jesus out and sat him down in the judgement seat in a 735 00:46:05,840 --> 00:46:08,720 place that is called pavement, but in Hebrew. 736 00:46:08,840 --> 00:46:15,600 Gabafa verse 14. Now it was the preparation day 737 00:46:15,600 --> 00:46:17,360 of the Passover in about the 6th hour. 738 00:46:18,280 --> 00:46:21,680 And he said to the Jews, Behold your king. 739 00:46:23,440 --> 00:46:26,600 But they cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him. 740 00:46:27,360 --> 00:46:29,480 Pilate said to them, Shall I crucify your king? 741 00:46:30,440 --> 00:46:34,400 The chief priest answered, We have no king but Caesar. 742 00:46:34,680 --> 00:46:40,400 Then in Matthew's account, Pilate said, What then shall I 743 00:46:40,400 --> 00:46:46,680 do with Jesus? They said, let him be crucified. 744 00:46:49,440 --> 00:46:53,160 What shall I do with Jesus? They said, let him be crucified. 745 00:46:55,040 --> 00:46:57,280 Doctor John's account, John's 19 and 16. 746 00:46:57,280 --> 00:46:59,520 Then he delivered him to them to be crucified. 747 00:47:00,440 --> 00:47:03,680 So they took Jesus and they let him away. 748 00:47:04,480 --> 00:47:08,600 What next? Well, now it's on to Golgotha 749 00:47:09,640 --> 00:47:11,640 and that's what we'll pick up probably next time. 750 00:47:13,040 --> 00:47:15,960 On to Golgotha. Why is it called Golgotha? 751 00:47:17,640 --> 00:47:20,440 The word Golgotha in Aramaic means skull. 752 00:47:22,240 --> 00:47:24,680 It's also called in the scriptures, Calvary. 753 00:47:24,680 --> 00:47:28,680 Why is it called Calvary? It it's called Calvary from a 754 00:47:28,680 --> 00:47:31,640 Latin calva meaning bald head or skull. 755 00:47:31,800 --> 00:47:34,200 Now I got to tell you, be careful when you read 756 00:47:34,200 --> 00:47:38,160 commentaries because one commentator said it was called 757 00:47:38,160 --> 00:47:41,920 the place of the skull in the Scriptures because many people 758 00:47:41,920 --> 00:47:44,520 were crucified there. So there was a lot of dead guys 759 00:47:44,520 --> 00:47:47,480 and a lot of skulls there from the all the crucifixions. 760 00:47:47,640 --> 00:47:51,600 That's not why it's called the place of a skull because it's a 761 00:47:51,600 --> 00:47:56,360 skull shaped hill in Jerusalem. That's what it is. 762 00:47:56,560 --> 00:47:59,840 That's Mount Calvary, a skull shaped hill in Jerusalem. 763 00:48:00,280 --> 00:48:02,520 Again, I don't live there. I wasn't there. 764 00:48:02,520 --> 00:48:04,280 I don't know, but this is, I pulled this up. 765 00:48:04,320 --> 00:48:08,200 I googled this too. They say look, maybe something 766 00:48:08,200 --> 00:48:12,160 like that. I don't know the place in the 767 00:48:12,160 --> 00:48:14,320 skull. It looks like a skull, like a 768 00:48:14,320 --> 00:48:21,080 face. Entirely possible it was there. 769 00:48:21,080 --> 00:48:26,880 Jesus was crucified, He was taken down from the cross and he 770 00:48:26,880 --> 00:48:32,200 was buried in a rich man's tomb. And on the third day, so 771 00:48:32,200 --> 00:48:36,880 thankful he rose again. And because of that 772 00:48:36,880 --> 00:48:40,160 resurrection, we have the hope of a resurrection too. 773 00:48:41,400 --> 00:48:42,680 These are lessons that are coming up. 774 00:48:43,280 --> 00:48:44,480 Thank you for your kind listening. 775 00:48:44,480 --> 00:48:48,920 I'm finished this morning. What did we learn though? 776 00:48:50,440 --> 00:48:54,400 What did we learn? What did we learn from all this? 777 00:48:54,400 --> 00:48:57,760 We learned this. Everybody, no matter who you 778 00:48:57,840 --> 00:49:00,240 are, no matter where you're from, no matter what your 779 00:49:00,240 --> 00:49:02,560 background is, has to make a decision about what you're going 780 00:49:02,560 --> 00:49:06,320 to do with Jesus. Let me just suggest, when you 781 00:49:06,320 --> 00:49:09,960 hear the teaching of Jesus Christ and you hear the teaching 782 00:49:09,960 --> 00:49:14,840 of what you must do to be saved, obey it before the Lord is 783 00:49:14,840 --> 00:49:18,240 silent. What does Jesus say about that? 784 00:49:18,240 --> 00:49:20,720 In the parable of the sower, he said the seed that fell by the 785 00:49:20,720 --> 00:49:23,920 wayside, what happens? The birds are going to come 786 00:49:23,920 --> 00:49:27,040 before it can go down into the ground and pluck up those seeds 787 00:49:27,040 --> 00:49:29,240 and carry it off. Luke's account says of that 788 00:49:29,240 --> 00:49:32,960 narrative, it's the devil. Don't let the devil take it 789 00:49:32,960 --> 00:49:35,080 away. And then the Lord is silent. 790 00:49:35,480 --> 00:49:37,080 How do you become a Christian? It's very simple. 791 00:49:37,080 --> 00:49:38,680 The first thing you got to do is hear the word of God. 792 00:49:39,280 --> 00:49:42,760 Romans 10/17 So that faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the 793 00:49:42,760 --> 00:49:44,760 word of God. After you hear the word of God, 794 00:49:44,760 --> 00:49:47,160 you got a choice. You got to believe with all your 795 00:49:47,160 --> 00:49:48,440 heart. Hebrews 11 and 6. 796 00:49:48,640 --> 00:49:51,560 Without faith it's impossible to please Him, for he who comes to 797 00:49:51,560 --> 00:49:55,520 God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those 798 00:49:55,520 --> 00:49:58,160 who diligently seek Him. Then what? 799 00:49:58,840 --> 00:50:01,040 You got to repent of your sins. All that means I got to make a 800 00:50:01,040 --> 00:50:03,480 change in my life. Acts 17 and 30. 801 00:50:03,480 --> 00:50:06,680 Truly these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands 802 00:50:06,720 --> 00:50:10,280 all men everywhere to repent. Then what you got to be willing 803 00:50:10,280 --> 00:50:13,360 to say the greatest thing you will ever say, confess Jesus 804 00:50:13,360 --> 00:50:17,080 Christ as the Son of God. Acts 837 Then Philip said, If 805 00:50:17,080 --> 00:50:18,400 you believe in all your heart, you may. 806 00:50:18,640 --> 00:50:22,680 And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the 807 00:50:22,680 --> 00:50:28,120 Son of God, but then you must be baptized for the remission of 808 00:50:28,120 --> 00:50:29,800 sins. That's the point of salvation. 809 00:50:30,000 --> 00:50:34,600 Mark 1616 He who believes in his baptized will be saved, but he 810 00:50:34,600 --> 00:50:36,920 who does not believe will be condemned. 811 00:50:37,160 --> 00:50:39,840 Is it necessary, and does it actually save us? 812 00:50:40,080 --> 00:50:42,640 First? Peter 321 This is the King James 813 00:50:42,640 --> 00:50:47,280 here the light figure where to even baptism doth also now save 814 00:50:47,680 --> 00:50:51,320 us, not the putting away the filth and the flesh, but the 815 00:50:51,360 --> 00:50:54,720 answer of a good conscience toward God by the resurrection 816 00:50:54,720 --> 00:50:58,800 of Jesus Christ. That those are the steps that a 817 00:50:58,800 --> 00:51:01,640 person must take in order to be saved. 818 00:51:03,880 --> 00:51:06,040 If you've never taken those steps of obedience, we can 819 00:51:06,040 --> 00:51:09,840 assist you in that right after services today and you can 820 00:51:09,840 --> 00:51:11,880 become a child of God. You can be saved today. 821 00:51:12,080 --> 00:51:13,440 Maybe you have taken those steps. 822 00:51:13,640 --> 00:51:16,080 Then what do you do? You got to repent of your sins, 823 00:51:16,120 --> 00:51:19,080 confess it to God. Do that today. 824 00:51:19,080 --> 00:51:21,760 We'll pray with you and for you, and God will forgive and 825 00:51:21,760 --> 00:51:23,200 restore. If you want to be your class, 826 00:51:23,200 --> 00:51:24,160 come forward while we stand.