1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:03,200 Good evening. Welcome to Good Friday. 2 00:00:08,039 --> 00:00:10,720 I want you to feel the weight of where we are. 3 00:00:12,320 --> 00:00:18,280 Jesus has already been arrested, dragged through multiple trials. 4 00:00:19,400 --> 00:00:23,280 It's around 6:00 AM. He hasn't slept. 5 00:00:24,680 --> 00:00:30,520 All his disciples ran away. Peter has denied him three times 6 00:00:32,080 --> 00:00:36,000 and now he's standing in front of the Roman governor and things 7 00:00:36,000 --> 00:00:42,200 are about to get a lot worse. Pilot has flogged him with a 8 00:00:42,200 --> 00:00:46,280 whip designed to shred skin, leather strands with bone and 9 00:00:46,280 --> 00:00:51,240 metal woven in. People died from flogging alone. 10 00:00:53,240 --> 00:00:57,840 Then the soldiers drama jammed a crown of thorns into his skull, 11 00:00:59,640 --> 00:01:03,480 put a purple robe on him and slap him in the face and mock 12 00:01:03,480 --> 00:01:08,120 him. The king of the universe takes 13 00:01:08,120 --> 00:01:12,920 it, every bit of it and says nothing. 14 00:01:14,920 --> 00:01:21,800 Isaiah 53 and Isaiah 53 was predicted 700 years before it 15 00:01:21,800 --> 00:01:26,160 happened. He was oppressed and afflicted, 16 00:01:27,360 --> 00:01:29,040 and yet he did not open his mouth. 17 00:01:29,160 --> 00:01:31,240 And like a lamb led to the slaughter. 18 00:01:32,040 --> 00:01:36,400 And like a sheep, like a sheep silent before her shears, he did 19 00:01:36,400 --> 00:01:41,880 not open his mouth. Pilot drags him out, bleeding 20 00:01:42,360 --> 00:01:45,960 thorns, purple robe and says 3 words. 21 00:01:45,960 --> 00:01:52,200 Behold, the man John wants us to stop and see what's actually 22 00:01:52,200 --> 00:01:55,200 happening. Who this actually is. 23 00:01:57,360 --> 00:02:02,680 The Word of God who existed before a creation, The one who 24 00:02:02,680 --> 00:02:07,880 raised the dead, healed the blind and the lepers, fed the 25 00:02:07,880 --> 00:02:14,840 thousands standing there covered in blood and spit, letting it 26 00:02:14,840 --> 00:02:22,720 happen on purpose for you. Why does he lose his dignity? 27 00:02:24,800 --> 00:02:29,480 Because of what we lost in the garden, the moment Adam and Eve 28 00:02:29,480 --> 00:02:32,120 sinned, they felt shame and they hid. 29 00:02:33,400 --> 00:02:35,080 And we've been hiding ever since. 30 00:02:37,360 --> 00:02:38,880 I know what it's like to carry shame. 31 00:02:39,880 --> 00:02:44,680 I used to hide my drinking. I was ashamed that I was an 32 00:02:44,680 --> 00:02:49,040 addict. But when I was honest about it 33 00:02:49,040 --> 00:02:56,320 and I surrendered it to God, I was free from the shame because 34 00:02:56,320 --> 00:02:57,840 I realized what Jesus did for me. 35 00:03:00,080 --> 00:03:04,320 Jesus, who never did anything wrong, steps in and wears the 36 00:03:04,320 --> 00:03:07,400 crown of shame so we don't have to. 37 00:03:11,160 --> 00:03:15,600 Isaiah 53, five says he was pierced for our transgressions, 38 00:03:15,600 --> 00:03:19,120 crushed for our iniquities. The punishment that brought us 39 00:03:19,120 --> 00:03:23,360 peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. 40 00:03:25,480 --> 00:03:29,760 Whatever you're carrying shame about tonight, Jesus already 41 00:03:29,760 --> 00:03:33,480 knew about it when he let them put that crown on his head. 42 00:03:35,560 --> 00:03:39,840 He saw you. The cross says your shame 43 00:03:39,840 --> 00:03:43,560 doesn't get the last word. Jesus does. 44 00:03:44,120 --> 00:03:48,360 It's covered. That's why the worst Day in 45 00:03:48,360 --> 00:03:52,280 History was the best day of your your life. 46 00:03:58,320 --> 00:04:03,120 Then Pilate hands him over, and this is the one of the most 47 00:04:03,120 --> 00:04:07,040 uncomfortable scenes in the New Testament because it's familiar. 48 00:04:08,600 --> 00:04:10,520 Pilate's not confused about Jesus. 49 00:04:10,800 --> 00:04:14,440 Pilate found Jesus not guilty three times. 50 00:04:15,760 --> 00:04:19,360 He knew he was a righteous man and he still hands him over. 51 00:04:21,320 --> 00:04:25,360 This is a man who knew the right thing and chose the easier 52 00:04:25,360 --> 00:04:28,480 thing. The crowd shouts. 53 00:04:28,480 --> 00:04:31,480 If you release this man, you are not Caesar's friend. 54 00:04:32,960 --> 00:04:38,120 That one line breaks him because Pilot's whole identity is 55 00:04:38,120 --> 00:04:42,280 wrapped up in his position. The second he feels that 56 00:04:42,360 --> 00:04:47,880 threatened, he folds. To not be Caesar's friend would 57 00:04:47,880 --> 00:04:51,520 have cost him everything. Position, status, and ultimately 58 00:04:51,520 --> 00:04:55,680 his life. He folds because of the crowd. 59 00:04:57,320 --> 00:05:03,000 We do this all the time. We know what the right call is 60 00:05:03,800 --> 00:05:08,400 and instead of making the right decision, we delay, we deflect. 61 00:05:08,800 --> 00:05:14,080 We hope the problem goes away. Avoiding the decision is still a 62 00:05:14,080 --> 00:05:17,120 decision. I can relate. 63 00:05:17,120 --> 00:05:21,040 When I first started working in the high school district, there 64 00:05:21,040 --> 00:05:26,080 was an incident between a staff member and a student and they 65 00:05:26,120 --> 00:05:31,160 have been arguing in the. The student was about to leave 66 00:05:31,160 --> 00:05:34,880 the classroom and the staff member just popped off and said 67 00:05:34,880 --> 00:05:37,480 some very unchoiced words, very inappropriate words to that 68 00:05:37,480 --> 00:05:43,000 student, antagonistic. And that student turns around 69 00:05:43,000 --> 00:05:47,640 him, hits that staff member. And because I saw the whole 70 00:05:47,640 --> 00:05:50,760 thing, I had to fill out the statement, the witness 71 00:05:50,760 --> 00:05:58,320 statement, and I filled it out. And but I was afraid to include 72 00:05:58,320 --> 00:06:03,680 what the staff member said because I thought the other 73 00:06:03,680 --> 00:06:08,120 staff members wouldn't see me as a team player, that I wasn't on 74 00:06:08,120 --> 00:06:15,520 their side. I sided with the crowd instead 75 00:06:15,520 --> 00:06:19,880 of doing what was right. That's Pilot's move and I did it 76 00:06:19,880 --> 00:06:24,960 too. He calls for a bowl of water and 77 00:06:24,960 --> 00:06:27,760 washes his hands in front of everybody. 78 00:06:28,360 --> 00:06:31,480 But think about it, you don't wash your hands of something you 79 00:06:31,480 --> 00:06:35,160 weren't involved in. The hand washing was his 80 00:06:35,160 --> 00:06:39,560 confession. The crowd is a different kind of 81 00:06:39,560 --> 00:06:43,760 tragic. Some of these people were just 82 00:06:43,760 --> 00:06:49,120 waving palm branches 5 days earlier shouting Hosanna which 83 00:06:49,120 --> 00:06:53,960 means save us and now they're screaming crucify him. 84 00:06:56,320 --> 00:07:00,520 What happened? Unmet expectations. 85 00:07:02,880 --> 00:07:07,760 Jesus didn't show up the way they wanted so they trade him in 86 00:07:07,760 --> 00:07:12,320 for Barabbas, a man literally imprisoned for murder. 87 00:07:14,440 --> 00:07:16,600 Pilate says shall I crucify your king? 88 00:07:18,000 --> 00:07:20,400 And they say the most devastating line in the whole 89 00:07:20,400 --> 00:07:24,840 chapter. We have no king but Caesar. 90 00:07:26,840 --> 00:07:30,200 Their entire identity was built on God alone being their king. 91 00:07:31,840 --> 00:07:36,480 And at this moment, they throw it all away to get what they 92 00:07:36,480 --> 00:07:41,520 want politically. Pilot tried everything to avoid 93 00:07:41,520 --> 00:07:45,400 this decision. The crowd ran straight toward 94 00:07:45,400 --> 00:07:51,200 the wrong one. 2 completely different paths, same 95 00:07:51,200 --> 00:07:55,320 destination. Both walked away from Jesus. 96 00:07:57,120 --> 00:08:00,400 And the question tonight is, which one are you? 97 00:08:02,800 --> 00:08:06,480 Are you avoiding the decision, hoping it resolves itself? 98 00:08:07,800 --> 00:08:10,800 Or have you been freely choosing something that looks like it 99 00:08:10,800 --> 00:08:20,400 will satisfy you and it doesn't? Both Pilate and the crowd are 100 00:08:20,400 --> 00:08:25,040 physically close to Jesus and both of them walk away. 101 00:08:28,040 --> 00:08:31,920 One because of fear and 1:00 because of disappointment. 102 00:08:33,880 --> 00:08:39,440 But the outcome is the same. Being close to Jesus is not the 103 00:08:39,440 --> 00:08:41,679 same as being surrendered to Jesus. 104 00:08:43,880 --> 00:08:45,880 Proximity is not the same as commitment. 105 00:08:48,400 --> 00:08:53,560 Pilot was close, the crowd was close, but close wasn't enough. 106 00:08:55,760 --> 00:08:58,680 Maybe you came tonight and you're not sure what you believe 107 00:08:58,680 --> 00:09:02,880 yet. You don't need to have it all 108 00:09:02,880 --> 00:09:08,200 figured out. Just follow the story before 109 00:09:08,200 --> 00:09:11,680 Jesus even gets to the cross. There's this moment that I think 110 00:09:12,040 --> 00:09:14,560 is one of the most Lotus scenes in all the scripture. 111 00:09:15,080 --> 00:09:18,560 And it happens fast. Pilot trying one more time to 112 00:09:18,560 --> 00:09:22,040 get Jesus released, offers the crowd a choice. 113 00:09:23,720 --> 00:09:27,480 There was a custom at Passover where the governor would release 114 00:09:28,000 --> 00:09:34,280 1 prisoner, a good as a goodwill gesture, a way of easing the 115 00:09:34,280 --> 00:09:36,600 tensions during this chaotic Holy Week. 116 00:09:37,760 --> 00:09:43,480 Pilot figures this is his out. He puts two men in front of the 117 00:09:43,480 --> 00:09:46,640 crowd. It says you choose. 118 00:09:48,160 --> 00:09:53,080 On one side you have Jesus, the man who never committed a single 119 00:09:53,080 --> 00:09:59,120 crime, a teacher, a healer, someone who has spent three 120 00:09:59,120 --> 00:10:01,800 years giving everything to people who needed it. 121 00:10:05,560 --> 00:10:07,600 And on the other side, you have Barabbas. 122 00:10:08,640 --> 00:10:12,200 And John's gospel is clear who this man was. 123 00:10:12,200 --> 00:10:15,640 He was an insurrectionist, a rebel, a murderer. 124 00:10:16,120 --> 00:10:19,440 He had done the very thing that Jesus is being falsely accused 125 00:10:19,440 --> 00:10:25,920 of, stirring up the crowd, threatening the peace. 126 00:10:27,040 --> 00:10:34,480 Barabbas. He was in a Roman prison waiting 127 00:10:34,480 --> 00:10:39,160 to die. His execution date was set. 128 00:10:41,800 --> 00:10:46,120 Here's what's crazy. The name Barabbas in Aramaic is 129 00:10:46,120 --> 00:10:56,080 2 words Bar and ABBA which means bar which means son and ABBA 130 00:10:56,080 --> 00:11:01,080 which means Father. Barabbas literally means son of 131 00:11:01,080 --> 00:11:08,000 the Father. So the crowd is standing looking 132 00:11:08,000 --> 00:11:10,760 at two men. One is actually the Son of the 133 00:11:10,760 --> 00:11:16,520 Father, the eternal Son of God standing there innocent, and the 134 00:11:16,520 --> 00:11:19,960 other is a man whose name just means Son of the Father, a 135 00:11:20,000 --> 00:11:24,400 guilty murderer who deserved everything that was coming to 136 00:11:24,400 --> 00:11:28,760 him. And the crowd chooses Barabbas. 137 00:11:30,400 --> 00:11:34,280 They choose the counterfeit Son of the Father over the real 1. 138 00:11:38,280 --> 00:11:40,240 But the camera doesn't stay on Barabbas. 139 00:11:41,200 --> 00:11:44,240 It follows the one walking towards the cross in his place. 140 00:11:47,200 --> 00:11:49,240 They all cried out. Take this man away. 141 00:11:49,240 --> 00:11:53,920 Release Barabbas to us. Release Barabbas to us. 142 00:11:57,840 --> 00:12:00,440 Think about what's actually happening in this exchange. 143 00:12:02,120 --> 00:12:07,640 A guilty man goes free and an innocent man takes his place. 144 00:12:11,040 --> 00:12:14,880 Barabbas walks out of that prison and Jesus walks toward 145 00:12:14,880 --> 00:12:19,720 the cross. That's not just an interesting 146 00:12:20,000 --> 00:12:24,520 historical detail. That is the entire gospel in one 147 00:12:24,520 --> 00:12:28,640 scene. That's exactly what happens to 148 00:12:28,680 --> 00:12:31,480 every one of us when we put our faith in Jesus. 149 00:12:31,760 --> 00:12:36,640 The guilty one goes free, and the innocent 1 takes our 150 00:12:36,640 --> 00:12:41,400 punishment. There's a reason this scene is 151 00:12:41,400 --> 00:12:46,320 in all four gospels. Barabbas is not a minor 152 00:12:46,320 --> 00:12:53,800 character in a courtroom drama. We are the ones who are guilty. 153 00:12:55,480 --> 00:12:59,360 We are the ones who deserve the sentence. 154 00:13:00,400 --> 00:13:04,960 We are the ones who, by every standard of justice, should have 155 00:13:04,960 --> 00:13:09,680 been handed over. And instead, something happens. 156 00:13:10,080 --> 00:13:12,920 Something happened that makes no logical sense. 157 00:13:14,320 --> 00:13:20,480 Jesus took our place. The crowd chose Barabbas, and in 158 00:13:20,480 --> 00:13:23,720 doing so they acted out the gospel without even knowing it. 159 00:13:25,880 --> 00:13:28,320 They released the guilty and condemned the innocent. 160 00:13:30,440 --> 00:13:32,640 And that is precisely what the cross is about. 161 00:13:34,480 --> 00:13:36,680 Well, Pilate stalled and the crowd shouted. 162 00:13:36,920 --> 00:13:41,840 Jesus stood there and he chose every second of it. 163 00:13:44,640 --> 00:13:46,960 Barabbas woke up that morning on death row. 164 00:13:48,840 --> 00:13:50,800 He had no idea what was about to happen. 165 00:13:52,240 --> 00:13:55,520 Somewhere in that prison, he could probably hear the noise 166 00:13:55,920 --> 00:14:00,000 and the crowd outside, the shouting and the chaos getting 167 00:14:00,000 --> 00:14:04,000 louder and louder. Then the door opens and someone 168 00:14:04,000 --> 00:14:13,200 tells him you're free, that it's over, that another man was 169 00:14:13,200 --> 00:14:17,480 taking his place. I don't know what Barabbas did 170 00:14:17,480 --> 00:14:24,640 next, the Bible doesn't tell us. But I wonder if he understood 171 00:14:25,320 --> 00:14:33,870 what just happened to him. I wonder if you ever found out 172 00:14:34,550 --> 00:14:38,230 who that other man was and what he had done. 173 00:14:40,560 --> 00:14:43,080 I wonder if the weight of it ever landed on him. 174 00:14:45,240 --> 00:14:48,760 Because the weight of it is supposed to land on us. 175 00:14:52,640 --> 00:14:56,040 If you're in Christ, you are free tonight because someone 176 00:14:56,040 --> 00:14:59,320 took your place. Not because you earned it. 177 00:15:00,400 --> 00:15:05,160 Not because you deserved it or you were better than Barabbas. 178 00:15:07,000 --> 00:15:08,680 Not because you have something to offer. 179 00:15:11,720 --> 00:15:13,880 The door open, the sentence transferred. 180 00:15:14,600 --> 00:15:18,200 Jesus walked toward the cross so you could walk out. 181 00:15:20,680 --> 00:15:23,600 Barabbas walked out of that prison a freeman. 182 00:15:24,920 --> 00:15:26,840 The question is whether he lived like 1. 183 00:15:33,840 --> 00:15:37,640 Jesus was already beaten, bleeding, and he carries his 184 00:15:37,640 --> 00:15:43,480 cross toward Golgotha. Correction, Crucifixion was not 185 00:15:43,480 --> 00:15:48,320 just execution, it was a carefully designed system to 186 00:15:48,320 --> 00:15:51,840 deliver as much pain as possible, for as long as 187 00:15:51,840 --> 00:15:56,400 possible. Nails through your wrists and 188 00:15:56,400 --> 00:16:01,400 feet, and in order to breathe, you had to pull up and press on 189 00:16:01,400 --> 00:16:05,800 those very wounds just to get a breath in. 190 00:16:09,320 --> 00:16:11,840 All of that in public for everyone to see. 191 00:16:14,960 --> 00:16:18,760 The shame was built into the design. 192 00:16:20,720 --> 00:16:24,400 Jesus went through it all, all of it. 193 00:16:25,200 --> 00:16:29,120 Not because he had no choice, because He chose it for you. 194 00:16:35,720 --> 00:16:38,520 Jesus didn't just die for our sins. 195 00:16:39,200 --> 00:16:43,880 He didn't just die as a symbol of His love for us. 196 00:16:47,120 --> 00:16:50,920 He took every sin you ever committed and every sin you ever 197 00:16:50,920 --> 00:16:55,520 will commit. Every wrong word, every evil 198 00:16:55,520 --> 00:16:59,560 thought. Some of us are still beating 199 00:16:59,560 --> 00:17:01,240 ourselves up about things we've done. 200 00:17:05,480 --> 00:17:09,800 Just for a moment, I want you to think about the worst thing 201 00:17:09,800 --> 00:17:15,319 you've ever done in your life. I want you to think about that 202 00:17:15,319 --> 00:17:19,960 radically evil thought you had that you would never share with 203 00:17:19,960 --> 00:17:24,520 another human being. Think about it. 204 00:17:27,960 --> 00:17:32,680 And if that thought or that thing you've done, that if 205 00:17:32,680 --> 00:17:37,200 someone found out you'd run out of here with embarrassment and 206 00:17:37,200 --> 00:17:43,880 never show your face again, Jesus paid for that 2000 years 207 00:17:43,880 --> 00:17:46,680 ago on the cross so you don't have to carry it. 208 00:17:55,390 --> 00:18:00,430 The thing you did last week, that thing on your phone you 209 00:18:00,430 --> 00:18:08,910 don't want anyone else to see the way you treated someone, the 210 00:18:08,910 --> 00:18:10,910 version of yourself you've been hiding. 211 00:18:12,990 --> 00:18:17,720 Jesus paid for that. Your whole guilty record was 212 00:18:17,720 --> 00:18:21,000 laid on Jesus. There was a legal transaction, 213 00:18:21,240 --> 00:18:27,600 just like in a courtroom. Guilt was moved from you to Him. 214 00:18:35,290 --> 00:18:40,530 The Bible says He made the one who did not know sin to be sin 215 00:18:40,530 --> 00:18:46,770 for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. 216 00:18:48,360 --> 00:18:56,480 He didn't just die for our sins. His righteousness was put on us. 217 00:18:58,200 --> 00:19:02,480 His perfect record before God, His complete obedience, His 218 00:19:02,480 --> 00:19:08,960 sinless life transferred to your account. 219 00:19:12,120 --> 00:19:14,360 We didn't earn it. We didn't deserve it. 220 00:19:16,480 --> 00:19:19,160 He went to the cross and offered us the exchange. 221 00:19:25,270 --> 00:19:29,750 It says in John 1930 when Jesus had received the sour wine, he 222 00:19:29,750 --> 00:19:33,350 said it is finished. Then bowing his head, he gave up 223 00:19:33,350 --> 00:19:38,190 his spirit. Some of us are still trying to 224 00:19:39,230 --> 00:19:44,110 to be good enough for God, still thinking if I just read my Bible 225 00:19:44,110 --> 00:19:48,830 more, if I mess up a little less, get our if I just get my 226 00:19:48,830 --> 00:19:52,520 act together, then maybe God will be OK with me. 227 00:19:54,720 --> 00:20:00,200 That's not the gospel, that's exhausting and it's a lie. 228 00:20:02,360 --> 00:20:09,960 When Jesus said it is finished. In the Greek that one word is to 229 00:20:10,000 --> 00:20:15,280 talisdai, which means the account is settled, paid in 230 00:20:15,280 --> 00:20:17,560 full. You don't owe what you can't 231 00:20:17,560 --> 00:20:21,520 pay. Because Jesus already paid it. 232 00:20:25,040 --> 00:20:27,280 The question is whether you received it. 233 00:20:27,280 --> 00:20:33,680 Here's what that looks like on Monday morning. 234 00:20:35,200 --> 00:20:39,960 When the guilt comes back, and it will, you don't fight it with 235 00:20:39,960 --> 00:20:46,280 willpower or trying harder. You say the account is settled. 236 00:20:47,520 --> 00:20:51,640 I don't owe what I can't pay. Jesus already paid for it. 237 00:20:53,600 --> 00:20:57,000 You fight guilt with the truth of what happened on the cross. 238 00:21:02,160 --> 00:21:05,440 That's why the worst Day in History was the best day of your 239 00:21:05,440 --> 00:21:14,320 life. The account is settled, paid in 240 00:21:14,320 --> 00:21:21,520 full, and now, in the quiet, it's all over. 241 00:21:23,040 --> 00:21:26,400 Two men step forward, out of the shadows. 242 00:21:28,880 --> 00:21:32,680 After Jesus died, two men who had been following him in secret 243 00:21:32,680 --> 00:21:37,640 finally step out. Joseph of Arimathea and 244 00:21:37,640 --> 00:21:44,560 Nicodemus both believed. Both were too afraid to say it 245 00:21:44,560 --> 00:21:49,920 publicly. But now Jesus is dead and both 246 00:21:49,920 --> 00:21:54,560 of them come forward. Joseph goes to Pilate and asks 247 00:21:54,560 --> 00:21:57,400 for the body. Jesus is dead. 248 00:21:58,240 --> 00:22:01,120 There's nothing left to gain and everything to lose. 249 00:22:02,800 --> 00:22:08,080 And they showed up anyway. These two men who spent years in 250 00:22:08,080 --> 00:22:13,400 the shadows finally step into the light at the moment everyone 251 00:22:13,400 --> 00:22:19,600 else ran away. I understand that pool to try to 252 00:22:19,600 --> 00:22:22,280 stay in the shadows. A couple years ago I was 253 00:22:22,280 --> 00:22:27,560 interviewing for another position in the district I 254 00:22:27,560 --> 00:22:29,600 interviewed. Seemed like it went well. 255 00:22:29,600 --> 00:22:32,720 Couple weeks later I get a phone call, one of those off the 256 00:22:32,720 --> 00:22:37,480 record phone calls and the administrator goes, hey, I need 257 00:22:37,480 --> 00:22:40,000 you to convince me why you're my guy, why you're my pick. 258 00:22:40,520 --> 00:22:45,400 So I start going in all the work I've done with youth counseling, 259 00:22:45,400 --> 00:22:51,560 guiding, mentoring, and then somewhere in the conversation it 260 00:22:51,560 --> 00:22:53,400 came out that I knew her husband. 261 00:22:54,520 --> 00:22:56,560 So I go, Oh yeah, I love him. Awesome guy. 262 00:22:56,960 --> 00:23:02,680 I used to work with him, man, We always used to talk about Jesus. 263 00:23:04,560 --> 00:23:09,760 It slipped and I thought I'm not getting this job. 264 00:23:20,480 --> 00:23:24,560 Joseph and Nicodemus kept Jesus quiet for years trying to 265 00:23:24,560 --> 00:23:29,240 protect something. I almost did it in a phone call. 266 00:23:32,600 --> 00:23:37,480 I end up getting the job. Sometimes it takes the cross to 267 00:23:37,480 --> 00:23:39,640 finally breakthrough what's been holding you back. 268 00:23:43,720 --> 00:23:47,040 They lay him in a borrowed tomb belonging to Joseph. 269 00:23:48,520 --> 00:23:53,040 Jesus, the one through whom everything is created, is buried 270 00:23:53,040 --> 00:23:54,920 in a tomb that doesn't belong to him. 271 00:23:56,920 --> 00:24:01,800 He came into this world at a borrowed Manger, spent his 272 00:24:01,800 --> 00:24:04,280 ministry with no place to lay his head, and he leaves this 273 00:24:04,280 --> 00:24:09,920 world in a borrowed grave, complete loss. 274 00:24:10,280 --> 00:24:13,080 He lost his dignity, his freedom, his friends, his 275 00:24:13,080 --> 00:24:19,520 strength, his life, and now even his burial place, the one who 276 00:24:19,520 --> 00:24:23,920 had everything, gave up everything. 277 00:24:25,880 --> 00:24:29,800 The borrowed tomb is the final picture of that complete giving. 278 00:24:34,640 --> 00:24:39,360 Good Friday is 1 is the one day we sit with the loss before we 279 00:24:39,360 --> 00:24:44,400 move to victory. Sunday is coming, but tonight, 280 00:24:45,440 --> 00:24:53,760 let's stay here for a moment after the borrowed tomb in the 281 00:24:53,760 --> 00:25:01,880 garden, in the quiet, because here's what I keep coming back 282 00:25:01,880 --> 00:25:05,680 to. Barabbas was a dead man walking, 283 00:25:11,540 --> 00:25:13,740 but he walked out of that prison of Freeman. 284 00:25:15,640 --> 00:25:18,920 Someone told him the door was open, another man had taken his 285 00:25:18,920 --> 00:25:23,840 place, and he walked out. We don't know what he did with 286 00:25:23,840 --> 00:25:28,800 that. We don't know if the weight of 287 00:25:28,800 --> 00:25:34,320 it ever landed on him. But it should land on us. 288 00:25:38,080 --> 00:25:42,520 Just like Barabbas. We were all dead in our sins and 289 00:25:42,520 --> 00:25:48,000 our trespasses, lost in this world without hope, Dead men 290 00:25:48,000 --> 00:25:53,480 walking. You walked in here tonight, 291 00:25:57,000 --> 00:26:04,120 maybe carrying something. Maybe it's shame, like the crown 292 00:26:04,120 --> 00:26:10,680 Jesus wore. Maybe it's guilt, the debt that 293 00:26:10,680 --> 00:26:15,800 Jesus says is already paid. Maybe you've been like Joseph 294 00:26:15,800 --> 00:26:18,800 and Nicodemus, believing something about Jesus but 295 00:26:18,800 --> 00:26:25,080 keeping him quiet, staying in the shadows, calculating the 296 00:26:25,080 --> 00:26:30,880 cost. Or maybe you've never met Jesus. 297 00:26:34,240 --> 00:26:38,120 Maybe you've been sitting in church your whole life and 298 00:26:38,120 --> 00:26:40,360 you've never actually surrendered to Jesus. 299 00:26:46,800 --> 00:26:50,280 Maybe you walked in here carrying something you never 300 00:26:50,280 --> 00:26:58,740 told anyone. You were invited tonight and 301 00:26:58,740 --> 00:27:01,780 you're not even sure you believe any of this. 302 00:27:05,380 --> 00:27:07,860 Or maybe you walked away from your faith years ago and 303 00:27:07,860 --> 00:27:09,260 something brought you back tonight. 304 00:27:14,600 --> 00:27:16,920 Maybe you're exhausted from trying to hold everything 305 00:27:16,920 --> 00:27:20,880 together on your own. It doesn't matter where you're 306 00:27:20,880 --> 00:27:27,440 coming from, the door is open. The Creator stepped into his own 307 00:27:27,440 --> 00:27:33,640 creation, born into this world by the very creation He made. 308 00:27:34,800 --> 00:27:38,520 He lived among His creation. He was rejected by His creation 309 00:27:38,520 --> 00:27:43,880 and judged by His creation and died for His creation, hanging 310 00:27:43,880 --> 00:27:52,160 on a cross made from a tree that he created so he could redeem 311 00:27:52,840 --> 00:28:04,720 everything in creation. Complete loss, complete love for 312 00:28:04,720 --> 00:28:12,160 you. Jesus didn't come to make bad 313 00:28:12,160 --> 00:28:15,960 men good. He came to make dead men live. 314 00:28:21,960 --> 00:28:25,640 That's why the worst Day in History, it's the best day of 315 00:28:25,640 --> 00:28:30,440 your life. So the only question left is the 316 00:28:30,440 --> 00:28:33,560 same one Barabbas had to answer when the door swung open. 317 00:28:33,560 --> 00:28:35,720 So what are you going to do with it? 318 00:28:41,600 --> 00:28:47,200 I asked myself daily. Is the life I'm living worth 319 00:28:47,200 --> 00:28:58,720 Christ dying for? I want to give everyone in this 320 00:28:58,720 --> 00:29:00,280 room a chance to respond tonight. 321 00:29:04,080 --> 00:29:08,800 None of us are good people who just need a little help from 322 00:29:08,800 --> 00:29:14,280 God. You are Barabbas, We all are 323 00:29:16,200 --> 00:29:20,920 guilty, deserving of the sentence, and Jesus went to the 324 00:29:20,920 --> 00:29:24,400 cross in your place so that the door could be open for you. 325 00:29:26,920 --> 00:29:32,840 The door is open right now. The only question is whether 326 00:29:32,840 --> 00:29:35,680 you're going to walk, whether you're going to walk through 327 00:29:35,680 --> 00:29:42,160 that door. 2000 years ago, God sent his Son Jesus to walk this 328 00:29:42,200 --> 00:29:46,280 earth, to live a perfect life, to live the life we couldn't, 329 00:29:50,320 --> 00:29:55,520 and then he died the death that we deserve to pay for our sins. 330 00:29:58,400 --> 00:30:01,640 He died, was buried and rose on the third day, defeating sin and 331 00:30:01,640 --> 00:30:06,640 death, giving us assurance that if we put our trust in Him as 332 00:30:06,640 --> 00:30:14,880 Lord and Savior that we will rise and have eternal life and 333 00:30:14,880 --> 00:30:16,960 we walk. When we walk out of this life, 334 00:30:17,760 --> 00:30:19,600 we will be with God for eternity. 335 00:30:22,720 --> 00:30:26,280 The Bible says that you can be saved if you declare with your 336 00:30:26,280 --> 00:30:30,200 mouth and believe in your heart that Jesus is Lord. 337 00:30:33,120 --> 00:30:36,960 If you're willing to ask Him for forgiveness and salvation 338 00:30:38,400 --> 00:30:42,920 tonight, would everyone just bow your head and close your eyes 339 00:30:43,120 --> 00:30:50,320 for a minute? That's you tonight. 340 00:30:52,240 --> 00:30:57,160 You want to ask Jesus to be your Lord and Savior, to make you 341 00:30:57,160 --> 00:31:04,160 new. Would you quietly or even 342 00:31:04,160 --> 00:31:06,000 silently repeat this prayer after me? 343 00:31:08,560 --> 00:31:14,280 Jesus, I know I'm a Sinner and I'm lost on my own. 344 00:31:15,360 --> 00:31:22,160 I can't save myself. I know I'm incapable of living 345 00:31:22,160 --> 00:31:26,120 perfectly. I want you to save me. 346 00:31:27,600 --> 00:31:29,160 I want to be part of your family. 347 00:31:30,960 --> 00:31:36,920 I surrender everything to you. I receive your promise of 348 00:31:36,920 --> 00:31:44,160 relationship, of adoption as your child, of the forgiveness 349 00:31:44,160 --> 00:31:51,680 of sin, the promise of the Holy Spirit, and of eternal life. 350 00:31:53,600 --> 00:32:00,560 Be my Lord, Please, Jesus, with every eye closed. 351 00:32:00,560 --> 00:32:05,160 Still, if you said that prayer tonight for the first time, 352 00:32:06,360 --> 00:32:08,760 would you just be brave and raise your hand for me to see? 353 00:32:13,640 --> 00:32:21,640 Thank you, Amen. You couldn't open your eyes if 354 00:32:21,640 --> 00:32:25,960 you prayed that prayer tonight. Welcome to the family of God. 355 00:32:33,800 --> 00:32:37,880 Our prayer team is going to be coming up right now and we'd 356 00:32:37,880 --> 00:32:40,880 love to pray with you. And if you raise your hand 357 00:32:40,880 --> 00:32:43,920 tonight to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, we have two 358 00:32:43,920 --> 00:32:47,160 tables in the back. Let's say I raised my hand. 359 00:32:50,720 --> 00:32:54,040 We have a gift for you and we'd love to talk with you. 360 00:32:56,040 --> 00:32:58,280 Talk with you about what it looks like to follow Jesus and 361 00:32:58,280 --> 00:33:00,080 how we can walk with you on this journey. 362 00:33:02,560 --> 00:33:05,480 Please stand and move as the Lord leads.