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Good morning everybody. 
Is my is the mic thing on? 

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OK, perfect. 
So I was talking to John Michael

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about preaching this morning. 
I was super excited to hear from

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them that they actually got to 
rest this past week. 

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They've been praying for you and
thinking about you, but know 

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that they had a wonderful time 
away and they are flying back 

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later this afternoon. 
Knowing that, you know, I'm 

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pretty sure they're probably 
listening in right now, but they

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wanted me to send their love to 
you before we got started. 

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As Adam said, we are continuing 
our series in Matthew and we 

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are. 
I think I counted 106. 

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We're on part 106. 
And as you turn to your Bibles, 

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to Matthew, 27 verses 1523 is 
what we're studying. 

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I want to give a quick recap 
because there is a lot, a lot is

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going on. 
We're at the climax of Jesus 

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earthly ministry. 
Thousands of Jewish pilgrims 

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have poured into Jerusalem. 
The religious leaders, the 

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beginning of today, have 
arrested Jesus, put him before 

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Pilate, then Herod, then back to
Pilate and they're charging him 

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on false accusations. 
None of what was brought before 

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him was true. 
We see that the pilot knows that

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they're all lying, they're being
driven by envy and he's 

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discerning of this. 
But yet Jesus, his response is 

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not to answer these accusations,
but Jesus is very clear and not 

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responding to this. 
This is amazing. 

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And there's a there's a prophecy
that's fulfilled in Isaiah 53 

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with Jesus response that he was 
meant to be a lamb, led to the 

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slaughter, giving his life up 
willingly that no one would take

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it from him. 
This this is what stage we're 

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at. 
We have Jesus not responding. 

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We have him before Pilot and now
the stage is set as we start 

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reading in verse 15. 
Now at the feast the governor 

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was accustomed to release for 
the crowd anyone prisoner whom 

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they wanted, and they had then a
notorious prisoner called 

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Barabbas. 
So when they had gathered, 

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Pilate said to them, whom do you
want to release for you? 

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Barabbas or Jesus, who is called
Christ? 

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For he knew that it was out of 
envy they had delivered him up. 

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Besides, while he was stirring 
on or sitting on the judgement 

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seat, his wife sent word to him.
Have nothing to do with that 

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righteous man, for I've suffered
much because of him today in a 

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dream now the chief priests and 
the elders persuaded the crowd 

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to ask for Barabbas and destroy 
Jesus. 

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The governor again said to them,
Which of the two do you want me 

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to release for you? 
And they said, Barabbas Pilate 

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said to them, then what shall I 
do with Jesus, who is called 

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Christ? 
They they said, let him be 

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crucified. 
And he said, why, what evil has 

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he done? 
But they shouted all the more, 

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let him be crucified. 
Heavenly Father, I pray that 

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you'd be honored by the 
preaching of your word, that the

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people would marvel at how 
incredible you are Jesus, that 

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prophecies are foretold that you
are King and that you are Lord, 

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and that our hearts and our 
minds would be open to receive 

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the goodness of the gospel, the 
goodness of God, and the 

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outworking of your Spirit. 
And we see such incredible 

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pictures of the gospel in this 
passage may be received. 

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May it be known we may be so 
excited to receive the Word 

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today in Jesus name, Amen. 
So today as we're studying this 

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passage, there are there are 
three major themes, three major 

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points that I want to make sure 
that we're covering here. 

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The one is pilot's moral 
dilemma, his crossroads to 

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compromise. 
Second, it's going to be the 

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layers that are involved with 
the crowd's response and why 

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it's so massive that they chose 
the guilty Barabbas. 

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And then third, we'll cover that
we as a church, we are Barabbas 

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and that we deserve what 
Barabbas received. 

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Starting with the first point of
pilot, we look at verse 15, the 

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feast the governor was 
accustomed to. 

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This is a very key part of the 
trial when when Matthew inserts 

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this as an interjection within 
the passage, first thing to 

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notice is this was a local 
custom that was there. 

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He knew, OK, Passover is going 
on. 

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It's super busy. 
Let's let's pick this as my 

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scapegoat. 
This is going to be the 

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opportunity. 
I know Jesus is innocent, but I,

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I need to find a way because my 
I know I don't want to put this 

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man away. 
What am I going to do? 

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This, this phrase here that he 
was able to say, Yep, this is 

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going to be my loophole. 
I'm going to abdicate my 

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responsibility away from me 
making this seat, even though 

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he's sitting on the judgement 
seat, mind you, to the crowd. 

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A lot of biblical scholars point
out that Pilot was primarily 

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motivated by political gain. 
I know it's a it's a big 

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surprise that the governor was 
motivated by political gain. 

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But the three big things that we
think about with that motivation

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is he wanted to appease the 
crowd. 

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We know that there's a mob 
mentality going on. 

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The people are at civil unrest 
during Passover. 

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They're they're expecting that 
He's expecting them to riot. 

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He wants to appease them in some
way by giving this choice. 

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Yep, we'll let someone go. 
Second, he's experiencing this 

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pressure from the religious 
leaders constantly coming to 

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him. 
Hey, execute Jesus, execute 

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Jesus. 
He's been put back and forth 

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between the different Roman 
governments. 

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Third, like I'd mentioned, to 
avoid personal responsibility, 

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he didn't want to make the call.
This was a very difficult call 

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for Pilot to make. 
He knew internally, man, this is

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awful. 
Like Jesus is innocent. 

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He's clearly and what's 
interesting here is pilots plan 

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in this this loophole in this 
that's clear is that hey, I'm 

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going to I'm going to raise up a
prisoner, A notorious prisoner. 

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Maybe if I raise this guy that's
just so notorious that people 

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must see they must pick Jesus in
this instance. 

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That's what he's thinking. 
Obviously we know his plan 

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didn't work and God's plan 
worked ultimately, but let's 

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think about who who is Barabbas?
Barabbas is is not just a normal

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guy. 
Matthew calls him a notorious 

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prisoner. 
When we look at all the gospel 

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accounts put together, obviously
this gospel Matthew is written 

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to a Jewish audience. 
Each of the gospels are 

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representing a grand story, and 
they're all consistent. 

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But when we think of what 
Barabbas is, he was claimed to 

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be a thief, an insurrectionist, 
which is a fancy way to say that

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he revolted against Rome. 
And during one of those revolts 

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and those rebellions, he 
actually committed murder. 

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So Barabbas is not a nice guy. 
Barabbas is is a criminal in all

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sense of the word. 
What's furthermore, something 

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interesting that as I was 
studying this is Barabbas's full

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name is actually Jesus Barabbas.
When you look at the other 

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Gospels, it's Jesus Barabbas, 
which in Aramaic is translated 

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to Son of a Father. 
Humour me the irony of what's 

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going on right now in front of 
Pilate. 

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His plan is, hey, I have the son
of an earthly father pitted 

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against the son of a heavenly 
Father. 

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We've got this, this dichotomy, 
this contrast that is happening 

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as Pilate is thinking, Yep, they
must, they must pick the Christ.

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They must pick Jesus in this 
instance. 

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If I put this criminal, maybe 
they'll choose that choice. 

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And what's interesting is I 
think of I think of Pilot's mind

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during that time. 
He is this moral dilemma of 

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trying to free Christ, having 
this idea that he is innocent. 

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And it goes on to say even his 
wife had come to him in a dream.

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Have nothing to do with that 
righteous man. 

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For I have suffered much over 
him today in a dream. 

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Just as an aside, a dream is a 
big deal in in in the Roman 

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world. 
Like it's like an omen. 

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It's not like we have a pizza 
dream. 

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We're like, oh, wow. 
I wonder if that means something

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for for them in that time that a
dream was like a it was enough 

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to wake her up enough for her to
send someone out and to 

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interrupt this trial and to send
word do nothing with this man. 

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This is key. 
And here's here's the irony, the

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level that I want to make sure 
we don't miss here. 

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Who is this woman? 
Who is his wife? 

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This is a Pagan woman. 
This is a Roman woman. 

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This is a woman who has no 
Jewish faith. 

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And she showed more moral 
clarity than the religious 

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leaders in the crowd by saying 
do nothing with him like it is. 

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Oh man, I get so excited just 
looking at this woman realizing 

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wow, Jesus is innocent and then 
noticing you would think, hey, 

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Pilot must snap out of it. 
Come on, make the right 

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decision. 
But you can tell as this message

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was sent to him from his wife. 
The religious leaders at the 

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time use that opportunity to 
persuade the people. 

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The word for envy that was 
driven up in their heart is very

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distinct. 
It's a malicious envy. 

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It is a, it is a hard shift in 
their mind to say, Yep, I'm 

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going to deceive these 
individuals to pick Barabbas. 

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However, Pilate is still on the 
judgement seat. 

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He is still responsible to make 
a just decision. 

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And he's thinking, wow, I still 
have this loophole. 

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Hopefully this custom will let 
me get out of this. 

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And even still, he's still 
working this plan. 

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And I believe that we stand at a
similar crossroads all the time 

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to make the right decision 
versus the wrong decision. 

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Obviously, let me be clear, this
is all part of God's redemptive 

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plan, but I want to make the 
clear point. 

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We we see Pilot and think of him
like, oh man, I would never. 

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But how often do we stand before
a decision of a crossroad of 

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men? 
This is the crowd. 

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This is the pressures of life 
telling me to do something. 

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This is what the Lord wants for 
me. 

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We often choose the one that's 
easier, that's comfortable. 

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Instead of picking what the Lord
intended. 

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I think about my work life. 
I used to work at a lot of 

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corporate offices, manage a lot 
of people in, in big 

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organizations. 
And every Thursday or Friday, it

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was an opportunity for me to 
lean in and talk about, hey, 

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what are you doing this weekend?
What's, what are you doing? 

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And the Holy Spirit would often 
nudge me and say, hey, why don't

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you talk about church? 
Hey, why don't you talk about 

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hey, Sunday, you're doing this 
thing or hey, there's this Bible

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study on Tuesday. 
And it was clear the Lord was 

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nudging me. 
But instead of following what 

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the Lord is leading towards, I 
chose like Pilot to set man the 

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pressures of the crowd calling 
me the weird person at work or I

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don't I don't want to be 
alienated. 

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I don't want to be set apart 
like that overtook me in that 

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moment. 
Similar to Pilot feeling this 

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gripping on his heart to say, 
yeah, I'm going to falter on my 

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value system. 
I'm going to choose something 

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different or I think about in my
home life. 

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There was a period in my life 
that I was not I was not leading

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early on in our marriage. 
I knew that I needed to. 

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I knew that it was important. 
I knew it was something that was

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key, but I I made my own 
loophole. 

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I made my own custom of oh, 
everything is fine. 

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That's fine. 
I'm we have a better marriage 

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than people around us. 
Everything I see around me, it's

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it's good. 
It's good, but that easier Rd. 

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that path of falling. 
Yeah, I'm going to follow the 

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culture. 
The culture says, hey, marriage 

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is this this level not what the 
Lord intended. 

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That's fine. 
Instead of having the conviction

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to realize man, it is a high 
calling, it is meant for so much

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more. 
And Pilot, I felt the same 

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crossroads, the same man. 
The crowd is telling me this and

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I'm going to follow. 
Instead of man, I should have 

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made the right call on the 
judgement seat. 

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We're called to be set apart. 
We're meant to be different. 

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Someone didn't tell you that 
we're meant to be different, and

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that's OK. 
That's a good thing. 

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And now I hope to not step on 
toes by saying he's next to, but

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I love you. 
As parents, we we have a 

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culture, we have a community. 
We have people that tell us to 

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do numerous things, fill our 
schedules up, get busy, be on 

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endless screens, be be sheltered
into what the culture is 

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preaching, following the crowd 
instead of making the hard 

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decision and saying I'm going to
follow the Lord, I'm going to do

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what's right. 
When a judgement call like this 

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is strong, we have it every day 
as parents, every moment. 

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Thank God his mercies are new 
every day. 

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But there are moments by 
moments, there are hard 

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conversations that we're 
avoiding that could be so 

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beneficial. 
He's innocent, Jesus, innocent. 

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That hard conversation, that 
hard moment we're not stepping 

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into as parents and the cost, 
the fruit, the death of an 

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innocent Savior. 
We learned from the gospel that 

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Pilate knew everything. 
He knew that he, he's on the 

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judgement seat. 
It's not like he's not in a 

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position of power. 
It's not like he can just go, 

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hey Jesus, you're acquitted, 
you're all good, can move on. 

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He has that power, but he still 
chose not to. 

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All right, this this last one 
might be a little close to home,

237
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but it's all good. 
The internal struggle. 

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You might be sitting here 
thinking you have an internal 

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struggle, a hidden sin, 
something that you've never said

240
00:14:37,440 --> 00:14:40,560
out loud to somebody, a 
conviction morally that you're 

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00:14:40,560 --> 00:14:43,160
like, man, people at church are 
going to see me differently. 

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Or I've I've been following what
the crowd has been following for

243
00:14:46,120 --> 00:14:49,120
so long. 
How could I ever come up to this

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crossroads and pick the right 
decision? 

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I'm not saying you need to stand
up in front of the church and 

246
00:14:54,440 --> 00:14:57,000
announce your struggle right 
now, but there might and 

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honestly, Lord tells you to then
please do that. 

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But it's clear in God's word, 
you're not meant to do this life

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alone. 
You're not meant to live in 

250
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isolation. 
You're meant to live in 

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community with there might be 
someone here that's can be that 

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00:15:10,320 --> 00:15:13,280
comfort that can release you 
from that pain that Pilot is 

253
00:15:13,280 --> 00:15:19,440
feeling and saying Jesus 
innocent and you can feel 

254
00:15:19,440 --> 00:15:23,320
finally the freedom fear does 
not need to hold us anymore. 

255
00:15:23,400 --> 00:15:27,160
We can make a decision to live 
in freedom instead of taking the

256
00:15:27,160 --> 00:15:29,800
personal cost, instead of 
advocating away the personal 

257
00:15:29,800 --> 00:15:33,360
responsibility that Pilot should
have taken because his long term

258
00:15:33,360 --> 00:15:35,360
avoidance never actually 
protected him. 

259
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It only deepened the weight that
he was carrying. 

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00:15:42,120 --> 00:15:45,800
Going back to Pilot three times.
He knew Jesus was innocent in 

261
00:15:45,800 --> 00:15:48,160
this time. 
He knew the motive behind the 

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arrest. 
His his wife even warned him so 

263
00:15:51,280 --> 00:15:54,120
clearly, so directly. 
He knew it all. 

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But he's still folded. 
We're not so different. 

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We have we have the word of God.
We have this whole Bible. 

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00:16:03,240 --> 00:16:05,320
You think about the New 
Testament believers do that. 

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00:16:05,320 --> 00:16:06,720
Did they? 
They did not have all this. 

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00:16:06,720 --> 00:16:08,560
They didn't have commentaries, 
they didn't have YouTube. 

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They didn't have none of it. 
We have the word, we have the 

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00:16:14,320 --> 00:16:18,080
Holy Spirit and we have one 
another as a body of believers 

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00:16:18,520 --> 00:16:23,840
believe that we know that yes, 
most times we're we're, we're in

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this crossroads of not following
what God has called us to be at 

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00:16:27,000 --> 00:16:29,200
times, but that doesn't mean 
that's the end. 

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It's not. 
Here's the amazing part of this.

275
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Even in the midst of Pilot's 
failure, Jesus is king. 

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00:16:37,560 --> 00:16:41,800
I want to make this contrast 
that Pilot is a failure, but 

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Jesus is still a king. 
He's sitting there not 

278
00:16:43,680 --> 00:16:46,640
responding to these accusations,
and he's standing there saying, 

279
00:16:47,160 --> 00:16:49,320
even in the midst of your 
failure, my plan will be 

280
00:16:49,320 --> 00:16:52,040
happening. 
The redemption of the Lord, the 

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00:16:52,040 --> 00:16:54,640
redemption of our souls are 
still happening. 

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00:16:55,600 --> 00:16:59,880
The innocent Lamb of God was 
handed over according to the 

283
00:16:59,880 --> 00:17:03,160
determined purpose and 
foreknowledge of God that God 

284
00:17:03,160 --> 00:17:06,000
used even pilots weakness to 
accomplish our rescue. 

285
00:17:07,319 --> 00:17:09,200
Jesus is never stopped by our 
fears. 

286
00:17:09,760 --> 00:17:15,720
Praise the Lord or our failures.
Or when we fold because there's 

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00:17:15,720 --> 00:17:18,560
forgiveness, there's grace to 
help us stand more faithfully 

288
00:17:18,560 --> 00:17:21,800
next time. 
Jesus stayed completely focused 

289
00:17:21,800 --> 00:17:24,839
on his mission, and he wasn't 
he. 

290
00:17:24,839 --> 00:17:27,480
He may not have been standing on
that temporary judgement seat, 

291
00:17:27,599 --> 00:17:30,280
but he's sitting on the eternal 
judgement seat and he is still 

292
00:17:30,280 --> 00:17:32,840
reigning. 
And it is so good that we 

293
00:17:32,840 --> 00:17:38,240
remember that He died for us, 
guilty people like us. 

294
00:17:38,720 --> 00:17:41,360
And that moves me to the next 
point of the crowd. 

295
00:17:42,880 --> 00:17:49,760
The crowd's response in this 
passage is so hot. 1st, I want 

296
00:17:49,760 --> 00:17:52,880
to talk through the dangerous 
power of persuasion of the 

297
00:17:52,880 --> 00:17:55,560
religious leaders. 
Then we'll talk about the 

298
00:17:55,560 --> 00:18:00,160
fickleness of the human heart. 
We know that the chief priests 

299
00:18:00,160 --> 00:18:04,720
and the elders, after pilot's 
wife had given that message, was

300
00:18:04,800 --> 00:18:08,040
actively persuading the crowd. 
Can you imagine? 

301
00:18:08,840 --> 00:18:14,440
These are pastors. 
These are leaders who are driven

302
00:18:14,440 --> 00:18:18,640
by envy, are shifting and 
manipulating the people away. 

303
00:18:19,400 --> 00:18:23,520
What does that mean for us? 
We have to protect our hearts. 

304
00:18:23,520 --> 00:18:25,440
We have to guard our hearts. 
We have to be aware of what's 

305
00:18:25,440 --> 00:18:27,680
going through our ears. 
We have to know our Bible. 

306
00:18:28,000 --> 00:18:30,400
I'm not saying don't trust your 
pastor, but read. 

307
00:18:30,800 --> 00:18:34,080
Read behind us. 
Read it, know it. 

308
00:18:34,080 --> 00:18:37,400
It's it's OK. 
It's safe for the common person 

309
00:18:37,400 --> 00:18:40,240
to pick up the Bible and verify 
what's going on. 

310
00:18:43,000 --> 00:18:46,160
And as as Adam actually alluded 
to, like we're always listening 

311
00:18:46,160 --> 00:18:49,280
to a podcast, another pastor, 
another YouTube, another this 

312
00:18:49,280 --> 00:18:53,320
like having clarity and 
conviction, something Pilot 

313
00:18:53,320 --> 00:18:54,960
lacked, something the crowd 
lacked. 

314
00:18:55,920 --> 00:18:58,440
And the reason that they were 
manipulated in that moment by 

315
00:18:58,480 --> 00:19:01,160
their leaders, they they should 
have known better. 

316
00:19:02,760 --> 00:19:05,640
The crowd made a clear conscious
decision. 

317
00:19:05,880 --> 00:19:08,200
Pilot gave them two very clear 
names. 

318
00:19:08,480 --> 00:19:10,480
Which of the two do you want me 
to release for you? 

319
00:19:10,880 --> 00:19:17,960
Barabbas Then the most important
question that is in this that we

320
00:19:17,960 --> 00:19:22,120
have to face, every single 
person has to face, what shall I

321
00:19:22,120 --> 00:19:25,520
do with Jesus, who is called the
Christ? 

322
00:19:27,960 --> 00:19:30,600
You may not have to ask that 
question today, might not be 

323
00:19:30,600 --> 00:19:35,040
tomorrow, but it we must all 
answer that question. 

324
00:19:35,240 --> 00:19:37,560
Will we submit to Him? 
Will we yield to Him? 

325
00:19:37,640 --> 00:19:39,880
Will we follow Him? 
Or will we reject Him? 

326
00:19:41,080 --> 00:19:43,960
It's a very key decision that 
has to be made. 

327
00:19:46,000 --> 00:19:52,600
I urge you to follow him. 
But the people shouted back. 

328
00:19:53,240 --> 00:19:58,760
Let him be crucified. 
When Pilate even pressed for a 

329
00:19:58,760 --> 00:20:02,040
reason why, what evil has he 
done? 

330
00:20:02,600 --> 00:20:06,400
They shouted louder. 
There was no evidence against 

331
00:20:06,400 --> 00:20:09,200
Jesus. 
They made a deliberate decision 

332
00:20:09,320 --> 00:20:12,920
to reject the innocent man and 
free the guilty one. 

333
00:20:14,440 --> 00:20:17,760
Scholars talk about this being 
the fickleness of the human 

334
00:20:17,760 --> 00:20:20,400
heart. 
I thought fickle was a very big 

335
00:20:20,400 --> 00:20:23,200
word that I didn't understand. 
So I've changed it to saying an 

336
00:20:23,200 --> 00:20:26,600
unsteadiness in our heart. 
What is that? 

337
00:20:26,600 --> 00:20:28,880
What is an unsteadiness? 
What do I mean by that? 

338
00:20:29,840 --> 00:20:32,360
Think about it. 
Think about these people just a 

339
00:20:32,360 --> 00:20:38,560
few days before, few days before
we're in Passover week, they're 

340
00:20:38,560 --> 00:20:44,200
shouting hosanna in the highest,
this is the highest praise to 

341
00:20:44,280 --> 00:20:47,080
this Jesus that they've just 
screamed to crucify. 

342
00:20:51,960 --> 00:20:55,960
I can't like I can't imagine 
they were treating a promised 

343
00:20:55,960 --> 00:20:59,360
king in one day and then a 
couple of days later they're 

344
00:20:59,360 --> 00:21:04,040
saying, Yep, let's crucify him. 
They demanded the innocent Jesus

345
00:21:04,040 --> 00:21:08,640
be crucified. 
It talks about in a lot of 

346
00:21:08,640 --> 00:21:12,160
different commentaries on how in
one moment, and I'm sure we've 

347
00:21:12,160 --> 00:21:15,680
all felt this way, that we have 
these spiritual highs and then 

348
00:21:15,680 --> 00:21:19,720
these spiritual lows and they 
they take us like waves in the 

349
00:21:19,720 --> 00:21:23,800
ocean. 
Obviously there's nobody here at

350
00:21:23,800 --> 00:21:25,640
Saul Church. 
We're all on fire for the Lord. 

351
00:21:27,880 --> 00:21:30,200
But why does it happen? 
How does it happen? 

352
00:21:31,320 --> 00:21:34,720
The pressures that come from 
daily living, the pressures that

353
00:21:34,720 --> 00:21:39,560
come from leaders and work and 
life and the desire to fit into 

354
00:21:40,360 --> 00:21:43,240
a slow drift that our hearts 
become unsteady. 

355
00:21:44,120 --> 00:21:47,720
Well, what do I do about that? 
How do I, how do I remedy this? 

356
00:21:48,520 --> 00:21:52,480
It's very clear in the Scripture
and all throughout all 

357
00:21:52,480 --> 00:21:55,680
throughout the Bible that we 
need to have Our Daily Bread. 

358
00:21:56,160 --> 00:21:59,560
I know it's a Captain Obvious 
answer to think about, but it's 

359
00:21:59,560 --> 00:22:02,080
something that's neglected and 
often needs to be said and 

360
00:22:02,080 --> 00:22:04,360
repeated. 
It's OK to hear some repetition 

361
00:22:05,080 --> 00:22:07,160
that we need Him like daily 
bread. 

362
00:22:08,040 --> 00:22:11,560
Just like human beings cannot 
survive without eating physical 

363
00:22:11,560 --> 00:22:16,280
food, we need the spiritual food
of the Father every single day. 

364
00:22:18,000 --> 00:22:22,240
It can be easy to overcomplicate
the daily connection, but I want

365
00:22:22,240 --> 00:22:25,840
to emphasize that that daily 
connection helps solidify our 

366
00:22:25,840 --> 00:22:29,040
identity in Christ. 
It helps us not drift away and 

367
00:22:29,040 --> 00:22:32,480
to make our identity what it's 
not meant to be in our jobs or 

368
00:22:32,480 --> 00:22:36,560
in our roles and our homes, but 
that our walk with the Lord 

369
00:22:36,560 --> 00:22:38,280
grows stronger with that daily 
connection. 

370
00:22:38,280 --> 00:22:41,360
It helps that unsteadiness, that
reality that we're facing. 

371
00:22:44,480 --> 00:22:46,240
Now. 
I want to point out the biggest 

372
00:22:46,240 --> 00:22:48,520
irony that the crowd did not 
realize. 

373
00:22:49,920 --> 00:22:55,360
Like I mentioned, we're 
celebrating Passover all over 

374
00:22:55,360 --> 00:22:58,560
Jerusalem. 
Families are carefully choosing 

375
00:22:58,560 --> 00:23:00,800
lambs. 
If you didn't know the process, 

376
00:23:01,040 --> 00:23:04,960
it was a spotless lamb. 
This, this process to pick a 

377
00:23:04,960 --> 00:23:06,560
lamb, you would think, oh, it's 
simple. 

378
00:23:06,560 --> 00:23:07,840
We just go to the farm and get 
the lamb. 

379
00:23:07,840 --> 00:23:10,320
It's good. 
No, this is like spotless. 

380
00:23:10,320 --> 00:23:11,760
They're a little, little speck 
there. 

381
00:23:11,760 --> 00:23:14,720
Speck there no go. 
Like this was something they 

382
00:23:14,720 --> 00:23:17,800
trained to get this specific 
lamb for. 

383
00:23:19,120 --> 00:23:23,040
And every year they're 
sacrificing these lambs is a 

384
00:23:23,040 --> 00:23:25,960
temporary offering for their 
sins. 

385
00:23:26,920 --> 00:23:31,400
And right in front of them stood
the Passover Lamb of God, the 

386
00:23:31,400 --> 00:23:35,040
final lamb that needed to be 
slain for their sins. 

387
00:23:36,400 --> 00:23:41,000
And yet they're they're 
crucifying him, the perfect Son 

388
00:23:41,040 --> 00:23:43,760
of God. 
The crowd continued to choose 

389
00:23:43,760 --> 00:23:47,160
Barabbas. 
They choose, they chose the son 

390
00:23:47,160 --> 00:23:49,840
of an earthly father, their own 
fleshly desires. 

391
00:23:49,880 --> 00:23:54,880
They just chose, you would think
during the week they were 

392
00:23:54,880 --> 00:23:57,320
liberated, they're being 
celebrated to liberated from 

393
00:23:57,320 --> 00:24:01,520
Egypt, that they would see this 
irony that they're seeing Jesus 

394
00:24:01,520 --> 00:24:07,560
the Christ, but they missed it. 
And that's kind of brings me to 

395
00:24:07,560 --> 00:24:09,840
my final point that we are 
Barabbas. 

396
00:24:13,120 --> 00:24:14,920
We look back at the whole 
passage. 

397
00:24:17,000 --> 00:24:19,240
Pilot begins by giving them a 
choice. 

398
00:24:20,240 --> 00:24:25,240
Do you want Jesus Barabbas? 
Do you want Jesus who is called 

399
00:24:25,440 --> 00:24:28,560
the Christ? 
Barabbas was clearly guilty. 

400
00:24:29,280 --> 00:24:32,720
The Gospels described him as a 
robber, a rebel. 

401
00:24:32,960 --> 00:24:35,520
He led uprisings against Rome, 
and a murderer. 

402
00:24:35,920 --> 00:24:38,920
He was a criminal that shed 
innocent blood, and under Roman 

403
00:24:38,920 --> 00:24:41,440
law, he would have been 
sentenced to die on a cross. 

404
00:24:41,880 --> 00:24:44,640
And the soldiers were probably 
already on their way for his 

405
00:24:44,640 --> 00:24:49,160
execution that morning. 
The reason I say that we are 

406
00:24:49,160 --> 00:24:54,080
Barabbas, obviously I don't know
everyone's history, but I don't 

407
00:24:54,080 --> 00:24:56,680
think we've committed some 
serious heinous crimes. 

408
00:24:57,960 --> 00:25:03,640
We haven't robbed somebody, but 
before a holy and righteous and 

409
00:25:03,640 --> 00:25:08,040
incredible God, our rebellion 
against him, our self-centered 

410
00:25:08,040 --> 00:25:11,760
lives, our sin that deserves 
that same judgement that 

411
00:25:11,760 --> 00:25:16,240
Barabbas deserved is even worse.
It's that one drop of poison. 

412
00:25:17,440 --> 00:25:22,600
I don't want one drop of poison.
I want to be fully, fully whole 

413
00:25:23,320 --> 00:25:26,680
that all have sinned and fallen 
short of the glory of God, that 

414
00:25:26,680 --> 00:25:30,720
we've a rebelled against our 
creator in our own ways and that

415
00:25:30,720 --> 00:25:34,680
wages of that sin is death and 
we deserve what Barabbas 

416
00:25:34,840 --> 00:25:40,000
deserved. 
What's astonishing is I'm 

417
00:25:40,000 --> 00:25:45,840
imagining this playing the story
playing out that Barabbas is 

418
00:25:45,840 --> 00:25:51,040
selected and he's sitting there 
thinking, wow, I was meant to be

419
00:25:51,040 --> 00:25:54,280
led to a cross, but instead I'm 
being let free. 

420
00:25:54,720 --> 00:25:58,360
The guilty man walked free and 
Jesus was taken in his place. 

421
00:25:59,680 --> 00:26:06,840
And I'm I'm closing Jesus, who 
never sinned once took that 

422
00:26:06,840 --> 00:26:09,360
punishment. 
He is not a helpless victim 

423
00:26:10,440 --> 00:26:13,560
caught in a bad situation from 
some Romans and some Jews. 

424
00:26:13,840 --> 00:26:17,840
He was in complete control. 
He was willing to lay down his 

425
00:26:17,840 --> 00:26:20,320
life while the crowd chose 
Barabbas. 

426
00:26:20,760 --> 00:26:23,520
Jesus was choosing us. 
He was choosing to die in our 

427
00:26:23,520 --> 00:26:26,160
place. 
He took what belonged to us. 

428
00:26:26,360 --> 00:26:31,520
He took our judgement with joy. 
With joy. 

429
00:26:32,440 --> 00:26:35,400
I don't know about you, but I'm 
not looking at a cross with joy.

430
00:26:36,840 --> 00:26:40,200
But it was the joy set before 
him, which is US today, 

431
00:26:41,920 --> 00:26:44,200
remembering that powerful 
picture of Passover. 

432
00:26:44,400 --> 00:26:47,960
The year after year after year, 
the lambs were slain as a 

433
00:26:47,960 --> 00:26:51,200
temporary covering for sin. 
That their blood can only push a

434
00:26:51,200 --> 00:26:54,720
temporary. 
That on that very day, the true 

435
00:26:54,720 --> 00:26:59,440
Passover Lamb, Jesus himself 
stood before them, his sacrifice

436
00:26:59,440 --> 00:27:02,800
final and perfect. 
He died once for all. 

437
00:27:03,120 --> 00:27:05,240
That no more repeated offerings 
were needed. 

438
00:27:05,400 --> 00:27:09,000
That the blood of Lamb, the 
blood of the Lamb of God, takes 

439
00:27:09,200 --> 00:27:16,520
all the sins away forever. 
The simple invitation of the 

440
00:27:16,520 --> 00:27:24,800
gospel is available today. 
That Barabbas was set free, that

441
00:27:24,800 --> 00:27:27,360
we are able to be set free as 
well. 

442
00:27:27,920 --> 00:27:30,800
I'm not going to assume that 
you've called Jesus Christ your 

443
00:27:30,800 --> 00:27:33,800
Lord and your Savior. 
That's between you and him. 

444
00:27:34,680 --> 00:27:38,280
But know that you're not just 
getting saved from hell and the 

445
00:27:38,280 --> 00:27:39,640
grave. 
Yes, of course it's great. 

446
00:27:39,640 --> 00:27:44,320
But befeeing A disciple, a 
follower of Christ and loving 

447
00:27:44,320 --> 00:27:49,200
Him forever. 
I serve an amazing king and I 

448
00:27:49,200 --> 00:27:51,720
want you to invite you to him 
when I'm praying. 

449
00:27:52,600 --> 00:27:57,080
If you're a follower of Christ 
and you love Him, there are 

450
00:27:57,080 --> 00:27:59,480
going to be opportunities where 
you're at the crossroads, like 

451
00:27:59,480 --> 00:28:03,760
Pilot, to make decisions in your
workplaces, in your homes, in 

452
00:28:04,400 --> 00:28:07,240
your daily living. 
I challenge you to pick the 

453
00:28:07,240 --> 00:28:14,240
choice that would honor the Lord
and like the crowd, choose. 

454
00:28:14,680 --> 00:28:19,200
Choose not to put Christ back on
the cross and crucify Him, but 

455
00:28:19,520 --> 00:28:25,760
live as He is raised. 
Live like He is alive today. 

456
00:28:26,280 --> 00:28:30,560
We have the Word, we have the 
Holy Spirit, we have a 

457
00:28:30,560 --> 00:28:35,600
confidence that He is with us 
and He is for us. 

458
00:28:37,760 --> 00:28:39,480
So I'm going to pray to close 
this out. 

459
00:28:41,960 --> 00:28:44,320
Oh, Jesus, thank you for your 
son. 

460
00:28:44,400 --> 00:28:47,960
Thank you for the Lord. 
Thank you for the Savior of the 

461
00:28:47,960 --> 00:28:51,680
world. 
Thank you Jesus, that you sent 

462
00:28:51,680 --> 00:28:56,280
your Son to die a brutal death 
on that cross, that you were 

463
00:28:56,280 --> 00:29:00,840
dead, that you were raised for 
us, and you're seated on the 

464
00:29:00,840 --> 00:29:04,640
right hand of the Father and the
invitation is open that we may 

465
00:29:04,640 --> 00:29:08,440
have life abundantly through 
you. 

466
00:29:08,440 --> 00:29:12,040
Jesus, I pray there is heaviness
in all different places and 

467
00:29:12,040 --> 00:29:14,200
spaces. 
I don't know what someone walked

468
00:29:14,200 --> 00:29:17,400
in here with, but Father, I give
that burden to you. 

469
00:29:17,400 --> 00:29:22,360
I implore everyone on the sound 
of my voice to feel the freedom 

470
00:29:22,360 --> 00:29:25,880
that comes from Christ, that He 
would be magnified and glorified

471
00:29:25,880 --> 00:29:30,120
with the action that was 
required from the Word Jesus. 

472
00:29:30,120 --> 00:29:34,360
Thank you that you are King and 
you are Lord of our lives, in 

473
00:29:34,360 --> 00:29:36,160
Jesus name, Amen.