I had proposed this morning as on last Sunday to highlight the lesson that will be talked
about on this coming Tuesday night but I want to say a word to our youth and young people
who are here today from Matthew at chapter 27 commencing in verse number 15. Now at the
festival the governor was accustomed to release a prisoner for the crowd anyone whom they
wanted and that time they had a notorious prisoner called Jesus Barabbas so after they
had gathered Pilate said to them whom do you want me to release for you Jesus Barabbas
or Jesus who is called the Messiah for he realized that it was out of jealousy that
they had handed him over while he was sitting on the judgment seat his wife sent word to
him have nothing to do with that innocent man for today I have suffered a great deal
because of a dream about him now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds
to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus killed the governor again say to them which of the
two do you want me to release for you and they said Barabbas Pilate said to them then
what should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah all of them said let him be crucified
then he asked why what evil has he done but they shouted all the more let him be crucified
so when Pilate saw that he could do nothing but rather that a riot was beginning he took
some water and washed his hands before the crowd saying I am innocent of this man's
blood see to it yourselves then the people as a whole answered his blood be on us and
on our children so he released Barabbas for them and after flogging Jesus he handed him
over to be crucified thank you you may have your seats the grass withers and the flower
fades but the word of our God shall stand forever I want to talk this morning about
a real star test a real star test if you are a parent chances are you are among the millions
of us households with school-aged children that have experienced some kind of standardized
testing while each states implementation and use of such tests has its critics most educational
experts agree that testings are means of how well students comprehend and apply knowledge
moreover they also agree that high scholastic achievement is a worthy undertaking so until
someone devises a more effective measure of accountability standardized tests are here
to stay Arizona's tests are called aims a im s Arizona's instrument to measure standards
here has the star test spelled with one a standardized testing and reporting Utah administers what
they call you pass Utah performance assessment system for students my home state of Louisiana
has what is called the leap test Louisiana educational assessment program here in the
state of Texas is what is determined as the star test s t a a r state of Texas assessments
of academic readiness students are tested on state curriculum standards in the core
subjects of reading writing math science and social studies these tests are given to primary
and secondary students and controversies that surround standardized testing not withstanding
no child is allowed to opt out of the star test without penalty or consequence whenever
a pupil fails the star test the school district is obligated to provide tutorials during the
school year or accelerated instruction during the summer break some people myself included
a keen grasp of the subject material but we are not good test takers some of you like
myself panic at test taking time I would not have passed geometry where I'm not copying
off a cat that batiste paper because I'm not good in math I never have been I'm not a good
student I even panic at going to the doctor for a test if I have to take a test at the
doctor's office the blood test or anything like that when I get to the doctor's office
they have to take my blood pressure over and over again because my pressure keeps going
up because I have to take a test sometimes during the year I have to take an MRI because
of my brain tumor diagnosis and I say to the nurse or whoever the technician is if you don't
want to pay for 25 million dollars of equipment take me out of this little machine because
I feel like I'm in a casket they have to put me in the large open MRI machines because
my blood pressure just goes up at test I am not a good test taker many of us here know
the subject matter but we struggle when it comes to taking tests so this morning I want
to give you a star test everybody relax come on relax do your shoulders like this relax
breathe now I'm your friend I'm not going to give you questions that are too hard for
you to answer this morning we are going to take a star test not the state of Texas assessments
of academic readiness but do you know the one who holds the seven stars in his right
hand pilot asked the people at the trial of Jesus three questions that will need to be
asked and answered this morning and how you answer these questions could determine how
and where you will spend the rest of your life as well as where you will spend eternity
question number one when the people were there after Jesus had been betrayed by Judas arrested
by the soldiers brought from judgment hall to judgment hall he comes to pilot pilot sends
him to Herod Herod sends him back to pilot he's he's back and forth in this kangaroo
court and when he comes before pilot the question pilot asks the crowd is whom should I release
to you Barabbas a known criminal or Jesus who is Christ the question young people could
have easily been asked who do you want to run with who do you want to spend time with
who do you want me to release into your concentric circle whom should I release to you this known
robber or this known redeemer who should I release to you this this violent man or this
virtuous man who should I turn loose in your company this violent insurrectionists are
God incarnate who do you want to run with young people who do you want in your circle
who do you want as your Facebook friend who do you want to contact in your phone who is
it that you want in your life who do you want to run around with because the Bible says
bless is the man that walks not in the council of the ungodly nor stands in the way of sinners
nor sits in the seat of the scornful but his delight I wish I had a Bible reader is in
the law of the Lord and in that law does he meditate both day and night and he shall be
like a tree planted by the rivers of water that brings forth his fruit in his season
his leaf also shall not wither and whatsoever he do is shall prosper but the ungodly are
not so they're like the chaff that the wind drives away therefore the ungodly shall not
stand in the judgment nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous for the Lord knows the way
of the righteous but the way of the ungodly shall perish because who you are around says
something about you who you spend time with doesn't say much about them but it says everything
about you if you spend time with foolish people the Bible says evil communication spoils
good manners the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord you can't hang around with fools
unless you become a fool and parents if you don't want to raise a fool check out who that
company is the late dr. evie hill the late dr. evie hill said that this this young man
came to his house rang the doorbell for his daughter because he wanted to take her out
he came there with his big bushy afro and a piercing in his in his in his ear and shaggy
shabby disheveled and he rang the doorbell dr. hill said he slammed the door he opened
it slammed the shut his daughter ran downstairs and said daddy was somebody at the door he
said not for you be careful who they run with you spending all that money to send that girl
to school and she come back home with some boy with a piercing in his tongue and his
pants hanging down talking to me talking about what's up nothing you idiot learn how to be
respectful learn how to pull your pants up learn how to look a man in the eye and shake
his hand firmly learn how to say yes ma'am and no sir because when you got good manners
the world will open doors for you who do you want to run with but rabbits are Jesus who
do you want to hang out with a pho or a Christian because brothers and sisters here are life
without Christ is out of control Ephesians chapter 2 verses 1 through verse 3 says and
you have he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins wherein in time past you walked according
to the course of this world according to the prince of the power of the air that spirit
that now worketh in the children of disobedience among whom also we all had our conversation
in time past in the lust of our flesh fulfilling the desires of the flesh and the mind and
were by nature the children of wrath even as others a life without Christ is a life without
peace Isaiah 48 and verse 22 says there is no peace said the Lord unto the wicked parents
you can't run with your children you can't dress like your young daughter you can't
go to the school and jump on the teacher when your child is wrong somebody ought to help
me preach it you got to teach them some manners you got to teach them respect you got to teach
them discipline let them know I'm not your friend I'm your daddy my daughter said to
me some some years ago she said daddy I can talk to you now but when I was growing up
I was scared of you I said mission accomplished I want you to be scared of me matter of fact
you better be scared of me right now and I remember growing up in my mama's and my
daddy's house when we would start arguing with each other my mama wouldn't raise her
voice she just twiddle her thumbs and she said look like y'all talking louder than
me nobody talk louder than me in this house because my parents let us to know let us know
that they were in charge they determined when we came in they determine when we went out
they determined what we ate what we wore who our friends were somebody ought to help me
talk it and I know we don't want them to have it as hard as we had it and we don't want
them to work as hard as we were but it didn't kill us to get a job it didn't kill us talk
back to me if you can to come in at night to study your lesson to do what was right to
go to church to learn to love God because I'm a Christian right now because somebody
prayed for me life without Christ is a wicked life but life with Jesus is one of salvation
blessings from God brothers and sisters a life with Christ is a life under control with
God in charge Romans chapter 8 in verse 1 says there is therefore now no condemnation
to them which are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit young
people who do you want to run with who should I release to you this morning Barabbas are
Jesus and the choice you make is a question of desire you want to be a fog go right ahead
but there are consequences for your furgiveness you want to be a fool go right ahead there
are consequences to your foolishness again I mentioned to my to my own child and I'm
not I'm not saying this to to to try to get some parent to do what I do or the rate I've
done all the reason I'm gonna do all I can do is pray for you right now but but but I
said to her if you want to be a fool I will go meet you under the pierce elevated bring
some spam and some and and some Ritz crackers get a root beer for you and a coke for me
have lunch with you and you and you know good friends get back in my G wagon and go home
because I have discharged my Christian duty as a parent and parents when you do the best
you can make sure you've done the best you can make sure you have laid before them life
and death blessing and cursing good and bad through your godly example because you can't
teach what you don't know you can't lead where you won't go who should I release to you this
morning Barabbas or Jesus that's a question of desire but if you look with me in verse
number 22 it's not only a question of desire it is a question of destiny pilot tried again
he asked him in verse 17 he tries again in verse 21 to get Jesus off the hook and firstly
getting himself off the hook he asked him the question twice who should I release Barabbas
or Jesus they said give us Barabbas and let Jesus be crucified and then pilot raised a
question that has reverberated through history and time for over 2000 years what then shall
I do with this Jesus who is called Christ that's a weighty heavy question pilot had to answer
Caesar had to answer it Martin Luther had to answer it John Swingley had to answer it
Paul had to answer it Martin Luther King Desmond Tutu Nelson Mandela everybody born
got to deal with that question and so I raise it in your hearing this morning what will
you do with this Jesus who is called Christ here's what pilot tried to do Mrs. pilot came
and told him I had a dream last night and I suffered many things because of this man
in a dream have nothing to do with this just man he is innocent and pilot tried to do what
many people in the world now try to do he tried to wash his hands and say I don't have
anything to do with or yeah you're gonna have something to do with because you can't wash
your hands with Jesus you can't wash your hands with him cuz you're gonna meet him in
Bethlehem you can't wash your hands cuz you're gonna meet him in Samaria with a woman at
a well you can't wash your hand because you're gonna meet him as a woman is on her way to
bury her only child you gonna meet him in the wilderness because the devil is tempting
him. You are going to meet him on a ship because a storm is going to blow up. You're
going to meet him in the crowd because they're on the two fish and five loaves of
bread. You're going to meet him at the tomb of Lazarus because he's got to
raise somebody from the dead. You're going to meet him at Peter's house because
Peter's mother-in-law is going to have a fever. You have to meet him in the crowd
because a woman's going to have an issue of blood. What shall I do with this Jesus?
Who is called Christ? And this morning I want that question to sit on you.
What are you going to do with Jesus? Are you going to lift him or act like you
don't know him? Are you going to praise him or deny him? Are you going to worship him or
are you going to be in your feelings? Because you didn't get a promotion. You
didn't get a friend. You didn't get what you wanted. Life hasn't turned out the
way you think life ought to turn out. Do you know how many people during this
pandemic died from COVID and the Lord let you live? You know how many people got
COVID and survived it like me? I wish I had somebody to help me. There's some
other COVID survivors in here this morning can help me testify if I hadn't
had Jesus on my side. When life got hard if the Lord had not been on my side,
where would I be this morning? Somebody here made it because God kept you. I need
a witness who can testify he's a keeper. I wish I had somebody to help me. I need
somebody who knows that when the bills are due and you don't have enough money
coming in God will keep the locals from eating your bread. When there's trouble
in your home he said I'll keep him in perfect peace if you keep your mind
stayed on me. When enemies betray you he said I'll never leave you nor forsake
you. Have I got a witness here? When the burden gets heavy and you can't have
peace if you call that name somebody knows there's power in that name. There's
joy in that name. There's music in that name. There's deliverance in that name.
There is a name. I love to hear. I love to sing it's worth. I wish I had
somebody to help me. It sounds like music in my ear. It's the sweetest name on
earth. It tells me of a savior's love who died to set me free. Have I got a
witness here? It tells me of his precious blood the sinners. Oh that's
that's that's a that's a church sound. Oh that's that's a worshiper sound. Oh
that's a believer sound. Oh how I love Jesus and the reason I love him so much
is because he first loved me.
I'm trying to quit here but the question's still on the table. What are
you gonna do with this Jesus who is called Christ? Tell you what I'm gonna do.
I will not take the name of strange gods on my lips. I will not offer any blood
oblation. I'm gonna praise them in the morning. I'm gonna praise them in the
noon day. I'm gonna call his name when I'm up. I'm gonna call his name when I'm
down. I'm gonna hold his hand when I got money and I'm gonna cling to him when
I'm down to my last day. I'm gonna shout his praises when I got people around
me and I'm gonna get happy when I'm by myself because when I think about the
goodness of Jesus the mercy of Jesus the grace of Jesus the faithfulness of
Jesus. Have I got a witness here? When I think about how he kept me how he never
left me. Here's what I'm gonna do about Jesus. Hallelujah!
He's the lamb slain from the foundation of the world. He's the
faris of ten thousand. He's a bright in the morning star. He's the rose of
Sharon. He's a lily of the valley. Friend when you're friendless. Bread when
you're hungry. Water when you're thirsty. A bridge over troubled water. A savior to
those who are lost. A helper to those who are in trouble. A very present help in
the time of as the deer pants after the water bridge. So does my soul. Pat after
the old God. I've been young. Now I'm old. And I've never seen the righteous
forsaker nor his seed begging bread. I'm through. Visions of faith took all my
time.
Ernest Nim sing too long. I'm through. But Pilate had one last question that you
and I have got to answer this morning. He said whom should I release? Barabbas or
Jesus? They said give us Barabbas. And then he raised the question what then
shall I do with this Jesus who is called Christ? They said crucify. And then
Pilate raises this last question and I'm about to shout. What evil has he done?
Pilate was was almost testified. Because when he asked what evil has he done?
Pilate being the Roman procurator must have had somebody following Jesus in
order for him to know so much about Jesus. And I thank all the say to
somebody in here this morning you can know a lot about Jesus and still not
know Jesus. Pilate was almost a believer because I'm sure Pilate heard of the
good things of the wondrous works Jesus had performed. Pilate wasn't there he
was at the Praetorium adjudicating affairs of state as a Roman procurator
under Caesar Augustus. But I'm sure he heard that there was a wedding feast in
Cana of Galilee and they ran out of wine and his mother told the servants
whatever he tells you to do do it. They went got some ordinary water pots and
filled them with ordinary water and when Jesus got to the miracle he he looked
down into the water and the water looked up at its creator and blushed red in the
wine and between the dipping and the sipping ordinary water became
extraordinary wine and the governor of the feast said you saved the best wine
to last. I'm sure Pilate heard about that. I'm sure Pilate heard that they were in
the desert place and there was nowhere to buy any bread and Jesus said feed the
multitude. They said master we don't have anything here but two fish and and five
loaves what is that among so many? Jesus said make the men sit down. They
brought their little boys lunch to Jesus. Jesus raised it up to heaven and prayed
and when he brought it down he started handing it out and the more he handed
out the more he had to hand out because Pilate I'm sure heard that little
became much when you place it in the master's hand. I'm sure Pilate heard
that we gave Jesus that little fish sandwich and he started multiplying by
dividing. He started adding by subtracting so that he fed five thousand men not
counting women and children. Pilate wasn't there but I'm sure he heard that
Jesus was being summoned by a high official named Jairus. Jairus said I
need you to come to my house because my daughter is at the point of death. If you
come and put your hands on her she will be healed and she will live and the
Bible says Jesus went with him on the way to Jairus's house. There was a
woman who was suffering 12 years with a serious issue of blood. She had spent all
her money on doctors and therapies and nothing seemed to work. She heard that
Jesus was in the crowd. The Bible says she grabbed his clothes and when she
pulled on his clothes Jesus stopped and when Jesus stopped the blood stopped. I
wish I had somebody to help me and Jesus said somebody touched me. The
disciples say Lord somebody's bound to touch you with all these people in this
crowd. Jesus said I'm not talking about that kind of touch. I felt power run out
of me. I felt healing run out of me. I felt virtue run out of me and Jesus
looked at that woman and the woman looked at Jesus and said sir I touched
you. Jesus got her theology straight. He wanted her to know that there was no
healing in the garment. The garment was just on the healer. I'm sure Pilate
heard that there was a storm on the Sea of Galilee and Jesus was asleep in the
hinder part of the ship and they were trying to get out of that storm and
somebody said master don't you care that we are about to perish. Jesus stood up on
that ship and I'm sure Pilate heard that Jesus spoke these words peace be still
and there was a great calm. I don't need Pilate's testimony today. I got my own
testimony this morning. I don't need rocks crying out for me today. I got my
own shout. I don't need you to tell me how good he is. I know how good he is for
myself. I'm not gonna ask you to grab your neighbor. I'm not gonna ask you to
high five three people. You ought to be mature enough now. You ought to be strong
enough now. You ought to be a big enough Christian now to praise God by
yourself because somebody might not want to give you a high five. Somebody might
not want to grab and hug you. You just might want to hug yourself because
there are times when you ought to encourage yourself. There are Sunday
mornings when you just don't feel like it. There are Monday mornings when you
just don't want to go anywhere but when you start thinking about the doors he's
open. The tears he's dry. The peace he's brought in your life. The storms he's
calm. The enemies he's put down. The friends he's raised up. You don't need
nobody to high five you. You don't need nobody to hug you. You shout by
yourself. Is there anybody here got your own testimony? Is there anybody here know
Jesus for yourself? If you know him and you're not ashamed to testify. If he kept
you and you don't mind being a witness. If he's got his arms around and you
don't care who's looking at you. You can answer every last question.
Barabbas or Jesus. Give me Jesus. What shall I do with this Jesus? I'm a servant
the rest of my days. What evil has he done? I find no fault in him. He's been
good to me. I said he's been good to me. He's been good to me. He's been a mother
for me. He's been a father for me. He's been company for me. Is there anybody here
know he's been real good? Then right where you are. Right where you're standing.
Right where you are seated. Help me give God your best prayer. Hallelujah.
Hallelujah. Hallelujah. What a savior. Hallelujah. What a Christ. Hallelujah.
What a Redeemer. He died on an old rugged cross. They hung him high. They stretched
him wide. He hung his head. For me he died. That's love. But that's not a how.
That's not a how. The story in. Three days later he rose again. That's love. Won't he keep you. Won't
he save you. Won't he open doors. Won't he make a way. Won't he be a friend. I know he's alright.
Won't he do it. Won't he do it. Won't he fix it. Won't he turn it around.
Tell him thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I can't help myself.
He's been so good to me. I can't stop myself. He's opened too many doors for me. I can't stop myself.
He saved me. He raised me. He kept me. I know he's alright.
This morning. You can't wash your hands of Jesus. No, no. You can't. You can't wash your hands with Jesus.
Because either you will meet him as your savior or one day you're going to meet him as your judge.
Right now he has on the robes of a mediator. But after a while he's going to put on his robes as a judge.
And you put one foot on a quaking earth and the other foot on a troubled sea.
Wave his palm and say time that has been shall be no more. Listen to me and then we'll open the doors of the church.
I want you to hear this. If you fail the star test there's tutoring and summer school.
But if you fail this test there's no remediation. There's no retaking the test. You've got to get it right the first time.
And he's given you every opportunity. And listen. It's an open book test.
You have to be might as simple to fail an open book test.
The answers are right here in the book. No good thing will he withhold from him who walks up right. It's right here in the book.
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God and to those who are the called according to his purpose.
It's right here in the book. Come all ye who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn of me for my yoke is easy and my burden is light.