WEBVTT 00:00:06.599 --> 00:00:09.380 John chapter 19, verse 17. We'll give everybody 00:00:09.380 --> 00:00:12.380 a second to turn to that. We're going to look 00:00:12.380 --> 00:00:15.640 at a few other passages of Scripture today, but 00:00:15.640 --> 00:00:18.920 we'll put those up on the screen as we go through. 00:00:19.019 --> 00:00:21.079 If you don't catch any of them or want to know 00:00:21.079 --> 00:00:23.600 what they are, feel free to ask me afterwards. 00:00:23.699 --> 00:00:25.539 I'll be glad to tell you any of them that you 00:00:25.539 --> 00:00:28.059 might miss along the way. But we're going to 00:00:28.059 --> 00:00:31.600 get started in John 19 and just kind of grasp 00:00:31.600 --> 00:00:34.859 what's going on. If you didn't know, today is 00:00:34.859 --> 00:00:38.590 Easter. It's a day that we celebrate and just 00:00:38.590 --> 00:00:42.070 remember that Jesus died on the cross for us. 00:00:42.130 --> 00:00:44.670 Maybe all of you know that truth. I hope you 00:00:44.670 --> 00:00:46.429 do. But if you don't, I want you to know that 00:00:46.429 --> 00:00:49.490 truth today. The Scripture says we're all sinners, 00:00:49.530 --> 00:00:54.250 and the wages of our sin is death. And there's 00:00:54.250 --> 00:00:57.130 nothing we can do to earn God's grace, but God 00:00:57.130 --> 00:01:00.030 loved us so much that in spite of our sinfulness, 00:01:00.149 --> 00:01:02.289 He sent Jesus Christ to die on the cross for 00:01:02.289 --> 00:01:05.959 us. that his life was given to pay the price 00:01:05.959 --> 00:01:10.400 for our sins, to cover our sins. And after he 00:01:10.400 --> 00:01:12.379 was hung on a cross, he was placed in a tomb, 00:01:12.500 --> 00:01:15.299 and he was raised three days later. And he has 00:01:15.299 --> 00:01:17.680 victory over sin and victory over death. And 00:01:17.680 --> 00:01:21.319 we too gain that victory when we put our faith 00:01:21.319 --> 00:01:24.200 in what Jesus has done. And that's why we are 00:01:24.200 --> 00:01:26.620 here today. We, of course, celebrate that every 00:01:26.620 --> 00:01:30.000 day. But Easter is a time that we just continue 00:01:30.000 --> 00:01:33.500 to remember. what Jesus has done, and to refresh 00:01:33.500 --> 00:01:37.379 ourselves of the humble sacrifice that he has 00:01:37.379 --> 00:01:40.560 made for us. So let's read through John chapter 00:01:40.560 --> 00:01:43.519 19, starting in verse 17. We'll read through 00:01:43.519 --> 00:01:46.620 this whole passage for a few verses here, and 00:01:46.620 --> 00:01:53.159 then we'll pray, and we'll get started. Carrying 00:01:53.159 --> 00:01:56.799 his own cross, he went out to what is called 00:01:56.799 --> 00:02:03.310 Skol Place, which in Hebrew is called There they 00:02:03.310 --> 00:02:07.930 crucified him and two others with him, one on 00:02:07.930 --> 00:02:12.370 either side with Jesus in the middle. Pilate 00:02:12.370 --> 00:02:14.729 also had a sign lettered and put on the cross. 00:02:15.150 --> 00:02:19.270 The inscription was, Jesus the Nazarene, the 00:02:19.270 --> 00:02:23.270 King of the Jews. Many of the Jews read this 00:02:23.270 --> 00:02:25.969 sign because the place where Jesus was crucified 00:02:25.969 --> 00:02:29.189 was near the city. And it was written in Hebrew, 00:02:29.449 --> 00:02:34.099 Latin, and Greek. So the chief priest of the 00:02:34.099 --> 00:02:37.500 Jews said to Pilate, don't write the king of 00:02:37.500 --> 00:02:40.300 the Jews, but that he said, I am the king of 00:02:40.300 --> 00:02:44.580 the Jews. Pilate replied, what I have written, 00:02:44.699 --> 00:02:48.539 I have written. When the soldiers crucified Jesus, 00:02:48.919 --> 00:02:52.219 they took his clothes and divided them into four 00:02:52.219 --> 00:02:57.319 parts, a part for each soldier. They also took 00:02:57.319 --> 00:03:00.340 the tunic. which was seamless, woven in one piece 00:03:00.340 --> 00:03:06.240 from the top. So they said to one another, Let's 00:03:06.240 --> 00:03:08.500 not tear it, but cast lots for it, to see who 00:03:08.500 --> 00:03:12.139 gets it. They did this to fulfill the scripture 00:03:12.139 --> 00:03:15.419 that says, They divided my clothes among themselves, 00:03:15.860 --> 00:03:19.699 and they cast lots for my clothing. And this 00:03:19.699 --> 00:03:23.439 is what the soldiers did. Standing by the cross 00:03:23.439 --> 00:03:26.780 of Jesus were his mother, his mother's sister, 00:03:27.389 --> 00:03:30.370 Mary, the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 00:03:31.069 --> 00:03:33.810 When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple he 00:03:33.810 --> 00:03:36.030 loved standing there, he said to his mother, 00:03:36.610 --> 00:03:40.889 Woman, here is your son. Then he said to the 00:03:40.889 --> 00:03:44.590 disciple, Here is your mother. And from that 00:03:44.590 --> 00:03:48.810 hour the disciple took her into his home. After 00:03:48.810 --> 00:03:51.210 this, when Jesus knew that everything was now 00:03:51.210 --> 00:03:54.050 accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, 00:03:54.150 --> 00:03:58.750 he said, I'm thirsty. A jar full of sour wine 00:03:58.750 --> 00:04:01.169 was sitting there, so they fixed a sponge of 00:04:01.169 --> 00:04:04.689 sour wine on hyssop and held it up to his mouth. 00:04:05.909 --> 00:04:08.750 When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, 00:04:09.009 --> 00:04:13.969 It is finished. Then bowing his head, he gave 00:04:13.969 --> 00:04:18.449 up his spirit. Let's pray. God, we come to you 00:04:18.449 --> 00:04:20.129 this morning. We thank you for your good word, 00:04:20.269 --> 00:04:22.490 dear Lord. I pray, God, that you would help us 00:04:22.490 --> 00:04:25.910 to... Just take a moment to be free of the worries 00:04:25.910 --> 00:04:30.170 and the distractions and the stresses of this 00:04:30.170 --> 00:04:33.829 world. Dear Lord, maybe for some of us, we've 00:04:33.829 --> 00:04:36.649 heard this passage many times. Maybe for others, 00:04:36.730 --> 00:04:39.769 God, that are here or listening online, maybe 00:04:39.769 --> 00:04:42.389 they've never heard this passage before. Dear 00:04:42.389 --> 00:04:45.949 Lord, I pray that today that all the glory would 00:04:45.949 --> 00:04:48.329 go to Jesus Christ for what he has done. Dear 00:04:48.329 --> 00:04:50.050 Lord, that we would know today that there is 00:04:50.050 --> 00:04:53.529 hope. That we have reason to rejoice. I pray 00:04:53.529 --> 00:04:56.329 that your Holy Spirit would just help us, God, 00:04:56.350 --> 00:04:59.529 to listen. That you would speak to our hearts 00:04:59.529 --> 00:05:01.649 today, God. Meet us where we are. You know what 00:05:01.649 --> 00:05:03.550 our struggles are. You know what our needs are. 00:05:03.629 --> 00:05:07.009 And I pray today, God, that we would rejoice 00:05:07.009 --> 00:05:10.329 in you. That we would know what Jesus has done 00:05:10.329 --> 00:05:14.430 for us. And that we would accept that. And I 00:05:14.430 --> 00:05:22.149 ask these things in Jesus' name. Amen. Jesus 00:05:22.149 --> 00:05:26.089 had lived a beautiful life. We don't know much 00:05:26.089 --> 00:05:28.990 about the early years of Jesus' life apart from 00:05:28.990 --> 00:05:31.009 his birth and one little incident when he was 00:05:31.009 --> 00:05:33.689 a child. But other than that, we really don't 00:05:33.689 --> 00:05:36.050 know anything about Jesus' life until he was 00:05:36.050 --> 00:05:39.209 about 30 years old. And it's at this point that 00:05:39.209 --> 00:05:42.990 Jesus began to really fulfill the mission that 00:05:42.990 --> 00:05:47.769 he had come for. Jesus is the Son of God. And 00:05:47.769 --> 00:05:51.410 Jesus had come to... To do something that no 00:05:51.410 --> 00:05:55.430 one else could do. God had some instructions. 00:05:55.529 --> 00:05:58.430 He had some commands that he commanded his people 00:05:58.430 --> 00:06:02.050 for a long time. And as humans, they completely 00:06:02.050 --> 00:06:05.730 failed. And you and I get that. There are things 00:06:05.730 --> 00:06:08.829 that we know we shouldn't do and we just fail. 00:06:08.930 --> 00:06:11.829 We do them. And God knew that we were incapable 00:06:11.829 --> 00:06:16.550 of living up to all of his commands. And so he 00:06:16.550 --> 00:06:19.209 sent one who was capable. He sent his own son, 00:06:19.310 --> 00:06:24.370 and Jesus lived a perfect life, a sinless life. 00:06:25.170 --> 00:06:28.050 And Jesus came onto the scene, and he began to 00:06:28.050 --> 00:06:30.290 preach to the people that the kingdom of God 00:06:30.290 --> 00:06:33.149 had come near, and he began to preach and teach 00:06:33.149 --> 00:06:36.370 in such a beautiful way that all of those who 00:06:36.370 --> 00:06:38.430 heard it, that were willing to pay attention, 00:06:38.730 --> 00:06:41.550 knew that there was something so unique and so 00:06:41.550 --> 00:06:43.990 different about what Jesus taught. And so for 00:06:43.990 --> 00:06:48.600 three years plus, Jesus taught people. And tried 00:06:48.600 --> 00:06:51.139 to point them into what really mattered to God. 00:06:51.480 --> 00:06:54.019 And really the whole ministry, the whole message 00:06:54.019 --> 00:06:57.600 of Jesus is summed up in this. That he calls 00:06:57.600 --> 00:06:59.959 us to love God with all of our heart and to love 00:06:59.959 --> 00:07:03.120 our neighbor as ourself. That's really what Jesus 00:07:03.120 --> 00:07:05.680 wants us to focus on. And all the other things 00:07:05.680 --> 00:07:08.779 that God desires of us will fall into place. 00:07:09.459 --> 00:07:12.540 If we love God first and we love others like 00:07:12.540 --> 00:07:16.240 ourself, then... Man, things will be good, but 00:07:16.240 --> 00:07:19.220 the problem is too many times we don't love God 00:07:19.220 --> 00:07:21.339 with all of our heart. We love other things. 00:07:21.399 --> 00:07:24.480 We don't love other people. Sometimes we hate 00:07:24.480 --> 00:07:28.079 them. Man, that causes a lot of conflict in the 00:07:28.079 --> 00:07:31.180 world. And so Jesus gives us an easy command 00:07:31.180 --> 00:07:34.699 to read and understand, but it's sometimes hard 00:07:34.699 --> 00:07:38.240 for us to do that. Jesus preached the message 00:07:38.240 --> 00:07:41.399 so beautifully, and he had his apostles that 00:07:41.399 --> 00:07:45.550 he had poured into. And really had showed them 00:07:45.550 --> 00:07:48.430 all kinds of miracles and teachings that he wanted 00:07:48.430 --> 00:07:52.550 them to carry on after his death. And Jesus came 00:07:52.550 --> 00:07:56.250 to a point where his mission was soon to come 00:07:56.250 --> 00:07:59.310 to an end. And he knew what that end was going 00:07:59.310 --> 00:08:02.110 to be. He knew that the end of his mission would 00:08:02.110 --> 00:08:05.949 be to give his life as a sacrifice for you and 00:08:05.949 --> 00:08:09.870 I. Because Jesus looked at us. He said, man, 00:08:09.930 --> 00:08:12.629 those folks are in trouble. They do some pretty 00:08:12.629 --> 00:08:15.790 wicked stuff. They are sinful and they lie and 00:08:15.790 --> 00:08:19.310 they cheat and they steal. And they are doomed 00:08:19.310 --> 00:08:21.569 to hell apart from me. And Jesus looked out, 00:08:21.569 --> 00:08:25.009 he saw us and all the other humans, all of humanity. 00:08:25.569 --> 00:08:29.529 And he said, this is on me to do this because 00:08:29.529 --> 00:08:33.350 no one else could be a perfect sacrifice. And 00:08:33.350 --> 00:08:38.090 here we see in this recounting of the story that 00:08:38.090 --> 00:08:41.379 after Jesus had... preached and taught all that 00:08:41.379 --> 00:08:45.100 he was going to preach and teach the time came 00:08:45.100 --> 00:08:48.320 that he was going to have to give his life as 00:08:48.320 --> 00:08:52.340 a sacrifice and he was arrested in the middle 00:08:52.340 --> 00:08:56.179 of the night he was taken before the religious 00:08:56.179 --> 00:09:00.259 leaders and given a mock trial and they could 00:09:00.259 --> 00:09:03.799 find nothing against Jesus nevertheless their 00:09:03.799 --> 00:09:06.120 heart was already set that they wanted Jesus 00:09:06.120 --> 00:09:11.570 to die And so they sent him to Pilate. And Pilate 00:09:11.570 --> 00:09:14.590 couldn't really find any wrong in Jesus either. 00:09:15.269 --> 00:09:17.950 But nevertheless, the crowds yelled all the more, 00:09:18.070 --> 00:09:23.230 crucify him, crucify him. And so eventually Jesus 00:09:23.230 --> 00:09:28.190 was handed over to him. A crown of thorns was 00:09:28.190 --> 00:09:32.009 placed on his head. He was beaten and he was 00:09:32.009 --> 00:09:35.649 mocked. He carried his own cross down the road. 00:09:37.200 --> 00:09:40.059 Eventually he came to the place of his crucifixion. 00:09:40.919 --> 00:09:44.320 The Son of God crucified between two criminals. 00:09:45.620 --> 00:09:49.700 Many who hated him stood there and watched. Some 00:09:49.700 --> 00:09:52.159 who loved him stood there and watched as well. 00:09:53.399 --> 00:09:56.879 Some cheered on his death. Others mourned the 00:09:56.879 --> 00:10:01.460 suffering that he was experiencing until the 00:10:01.460 --> 00:10:07.190 time come that he breathed his last breath. Now, 00:10:07.210 --> 00:10:10.250 if you've never read the gospel accounts of this 00:10:10.250 --> 00:10:13.830 story, I would encourage you to do that. Matthew, 00:10:13.889 --> 00:10:17.429 Mark, Luke, and John all cover these events and 00:10:17.429 --> 00:10:20.649 the events leading up to the crucifixion and 00:10:20.649 --> 00:10:23.610 the resurrection of Jesus Christ. And each bring 00:10:23.610 --> 00:10:29.190 about various details. But it's good for us to 00:10:29.190 --> 00:10:31.470 look at these stories and to ponder these stories 00:10:31.470 --> 00:10:35.629 and to think about what Jesus has done for us. 00:10:36.750 --> 00:10:38.870 Now, as I read through these gospel accounts 00:10:38.870 --> 00:10:42.610 this week, there are lots of questions that are 00:10:42.610 --> 00:10:45.830 asked throughout these gospel accounts. Lots 00:10:45.830 --> 00:10:49.289 of questions who are asked by a variety of characters 00:10:49.289 --> 00:10:54.169 in this account. And I think some of those questions 00:10:54.169 --> 00:10:57.870 are relevant to you and I today. Some of the 00:10:57.870 --> 00:11:01.580 questions that are asked in the story. leading 00:11:01.580 --> 00:11:03.980 up to the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus 00:11:03.980 --> 00:11:06.320 Christ, I believe are good for us to think about. 00:11:06.419 --> 00:11:08.740 There's a few questions that are in these stories 00:11:08.740 --> 00:11:14.259 that I want to ask you today. The first of which 00:11:14.259 --> 00:11:23.460 comes from Matthew chapter 26, verse 50. The 00:11:23.460 --> 00:11:27.159 time had come for Jesus to be handed over and 00:11:27.159 --> 00:11:31.500 to be betrayed. And Judas, a disciple of Jesus, 00:11:31.799 --> 00:11:35.080 had decided in his heart he had let the devil 00:11:35.080 --> 00:11:37.360 get the best of him. And for a few pieces of 00:11:37.360 --> 00:11:42.379 silver, he had decided to betray Jesus. And so 00:11:42.379 --> 00:11:44.519 in the middle of the night, as Jesus was in the 00:11:44.519 --> 00:11:48.320 garden and praying, here comes Judas with all 00:11:48.320 --> 00:11:55.419 of the soldiers. And when Jesus sees Judas, he 00:11:55.419 --> 00:12:00.440 doesn't say, you betrayer. You evil apostle. 00:12:01.960 --> 00:12:06.440 How could you do this to me? He doesn't say that. 00:12:07.840 --> 00:12:12.460 Instead, Jesus asked him a question. He said, 00:12:12.659 --> 00:12:20.320 friend, why have you come? Friend, why have you 00:12:20.320 --> 00:12:24.740 come? Perhaps that's a good question for you 00:12:24.740 --> 00:12:29.360 and I to think about today. Jesus is a friend 00:12:29.360 --> 00:12:34.740 of sinners. Even a sinner like Judas who betrayed 00:12:34.740 --> 00:12:42.460 him. Yet Jesus still calls him friend. And he 00:12:42.460 --> 00:12:46.759 says, why have you come? Well, what about you 00:12:46.759 --> 00:12:50.539 this morning? You may be a sinner. You may be 00:12:50.539 --> 00:12:57.600 as rotten in Judas in many ways. But Jesus still 00:12:57.600 --> 00:12:59.480 died on a cross so that you could be forgiven. 00:13:01.299 --> 00:13:04.860 Why have you come this morning? Did you come 00:13:04.860 --> 00:13:07.440 just because it's Easter and you say, well, I 00:13:07.440 --> 00:13:10.500 need to come at least once a year? Did you come 00:13:10.500 --> 00:13:14.460 because your parents made you? Did you come doubting 00:13:14.460 --> 00:13:17.820 that Jesus was the Messiah? Did you come wondering 00:13:17.820 --> 00:13:20.100 if he was the Messiah? Did you come to rejoice 00:13:20.100 --> 00:13:23.899 in him or did you come to reject him? Why have 00:13:23.899 --> 00:13:28.570 you come? Judas has the same choice. He had the 00:13:28.570 --> 00:13:31.769 same choice as every one of us today. He came 00:13:31.769 --> 00:13:34.950 before Jesus. He could have rejoiced in Jesus. 00:13:37.110 --> 00:13:40.909 And instead of rejoicing after seeing all that 00:13:40.909 --> 00:13:49.529 Jesus had done, Judas came to reject Jesus. What 00:13:49.529 --> 00:13:55.669 about you today? Why have you come? In John chapter 00:13:55.669 --> 00:14:00.750 18, verse 17, we see another question. Perhaps 00:14:00.750 --> 00:14:03.789 you remember this story. Peter, one of the closest 00:14:03.789 --> 00:14:08.330 apostles of Jesus, who was pretty bold, said, 00:14:08.409 --> 00:14:11.350 Jesus, I'll never leave you. I'm never going 00:14:11.350 --> 00:14:13.389 to give up on you. If I have to die, I'll die 00:14:13.389 --> 00:14:17.129 with you, he said. And then the first opportunity 00:14:17.129 --> 00:14:23.009 that came along, he fled. All of the apostles 00:14:23.009 --> 00:14:27.610 fled Jesus after he was arrested. And Peter, 00:14:27.669 --> 00:14:30.370 standing there at a distance, was watching his 00:14:30.370 --> 00:14:35.730 mock trial as it was going on. And Peter loved 00:14:35.730 --> 00:14:40.690 Jesus. He loved Jesus. He was so bold for Jesus. 00:14:41.230 --> 00:14:44.950 He didn't doubt for a second that he was the 00:14:44.950 --> 00:14:48.190 Messiah. He knew that Jesus was the Son of God. 00:14:49.889 --> 00:14:54.139 And yet in the moment, In the moment when things 00:14:54.139 --> 00:15:00.659 got tough, he was asked a question. And the question 00:15:00.659 --> 00:15:04.980 we see in John 18, 17, you aren't one of this 00:15:04.980 --> 00:15:11.159 man's disciples too, are you? That's a good question 00:15:11.159 --> 00:15:16.299 for us to answer today. What about us? Are we 00:15:16.299 --> 00:15:18.980 willing to take a stand for the Lord and to live 00:15:18.980 --> 00:15:22.740 for the Lord boldly? If that question is asked 00:15:22.740 --> 00:15:26.000 to us today, what is our answer to that question? 00:15:27.039 --> 00:15:29.759 Are we going to answer and say, yes, I'm a follower 00:15:29.759 --> 00:15:36.320 of Jesus Christ? Or perhaps we don't. Perhaps 00:15:36.320 --> 00:15:40.500 we are as weak as Peter. And Peter was asked 00:15:40.500 --> 00:15:44.320 three times if he was a follower of Jesus Christ. 00:15:45.379 --> 00:15:51.079 And all three times, he completely... denied 00:15:51.079 --> 00:15:55.840 Jesus. You aren't one of this man's disciples 00:15:55.840 --> 00:15:59.940 too, are you? It's a question that we have to 00:15:59.940 --> 00:16:03.820 answer today. Do you trust Jesus? Do you follow 00:16:03.820 --> 00:16:08.399 Jesus? Maybe, just maybe if we're honest, there 00:16:08.399 --> 00:16:11.879 are times in our life that we too have denied 00:16:11.879 --> 00:16:17.299 Jesus. By our actions, by our words, by the things 00:16:17.299 --> 00:16:19.990 that we have done, we have denied Jesus. Who 00:16:19.990 --> 00:16:24.710 Jesus is. Maybe today some of us can relate to 00:16:24.710 --> 00:16:30.789 Peter. Peter felt so ashamed. After he had denied 00:16:30.789 --> 00:16:37.730 Jesus, he wept. He wept because he knew that 00:16:37.730 --> 00:16:41.909 he had denied the Savior of the world. He was 00:16:41.909 --> 00:16:46.470 so ashamed and he was so torn up. And maybe some 00:16:46.470 --> 00:16:49.720 of you come here today and... Maybe the answer 00:16:49.720 --> 00:16:53.340 to that question is that you've denied Jesus. 00:16:54.120 --> 00:16:58.379 And maybe you feel the shame of that. But the 00:16:58.379 --> 00:17:02.200 good news is Peter was restored. Just as you 00:17:02.200 --> 00:17:06.339 and I can be restored as well. In John chapter 00:17:06.339 --> 00:17:09.359 18 verse 38, another question we see in the story. 00:17:10.579 --> 00:17:14.579 From Pilate. Pilate was the one that Jesus had 00:17:14.579 --> 00:17:18.890 gone before. And Pilate really didn't find any 00:17:18.890 --> 00:17:21.109 fault with Jesus. Now, I'm not implying that 00:17:21.109 --> 00:17:24.849 Pilate was a good guy, but Pilate, he didn't 00:17:24.849 --> 00:17:27.309 find any fault with Jesus, and he tried his best 00:17:27.309 --> 00:17:30.549 to talk the Jewish people from crucifying Jesus, 00:17:30.730 --> 00:17:34.710 but they wouldn't hear to it. And as he was talking 00:17:34.710 --> 00:17:40.430 back and forth to Jesus, Jesus told Pilate that 00:17:40.430 --> 00:17:45.730 he had come to speak truth, to which Pilate... 00:17:45.960 --> 00:17:51.880 responded with the question what is truth perhaps 00:17:51.880 --> 00:17:54.740 that is a good question for us to ponder today 00:17:54.740 --> 00:18:00.359 what is truth now our world will tell us that 00:18:00.359 --> 00:18:03.539 just about anything can be true our world will 00:18:03.539 --> 00:18:08.119 say truth is what you want it to be if you believe 00:18:08.119 --> 00:18:10.599 something somebody else doesn't agree with they'll 00:18:10.599 --> 00:18:14.140 say well that's your truth but this is my truth 00:18:15.240 --> 00:18:19.299 But that's not the way truth works. We don't 00:18:19.299 --> 00:18:22.339 get to determine what truth is. There is truth 00:18:22.339 --> 00:18:28.299 and there is a lie. And the truth is Jesus Christ. 00:18:29.259 --> 00:18:33.420 He is the way, the truth, and the life. No one 00:18:33.420 --> 00:18:37.339 comes to the Father except through Jesus Christ. 00:18:38.319 --> 00:18:40.380 And maybe there are some of you here today, and 00:18:40.380 --> 00:18:42.700 just like Pilate, you're asking yourself, you 00:18:42.700 --> 00:18:44.960 see all the struggles and the pain and all the 00:18:44.960 --> 00:18:47.259 things you hear in this world, and you say, what 00:18:47.259 --> 00:18:50.519 is true? What is truth? I don't know what to 00:18:50.519 --> 00:18:54.859 believe anymore. Well, I can only tell you one 00:18:54.859 --> 00:18:57.799 answer to that question, and that is that truth 00:18:57.799 --> 00:19:02.220 is Jesus Christ. That is the only truth that 00:19:02.220 --> 00:19:04.599 will give you hope, that will give you strength. 00:19:05.279 --> 00:19:08.000 That is the only hope that will get you through. 00:19:09.240 --> 00:19:14.660 And that is the truth of Jesus Christ. The next 00:19:14.660 --> 00:19:18.119 question we see in Matthew chapter 27, verse 00:19:18.119 --> 00:19:23.519 17. Pilate is before the crowds. It's a custom, 00:19:23.579 --> 00:19:26.859 it says in the scripture, that a prisoner would 00:19:26.859 --> 00:19:28.740 be released to the Jewish people, one of their 00:19:28.740 --> 00:19:31.319 people. And Pilate was just going to release 00:19:31.319 --> 00:19:34.759 Jesus. He couldn't find any wrong in Jesus. And 00:19:34.759 --> 00:19:39.660 so he asked the people this question. He says, 00:19:39.819 --> 00:19:44.420 who is it you want me to release for you? Barabbas 00:19:44.420 --> 00:19:50.299 or Jesus who is called Messiah? Now when we look 00:19:50.299 --> 00:19:52.579 in the scripture, we see that Barabbas was a 00:19:52.579 --> 00:19:56.799 bad guy. It says he was part of a rebellion and 00:19:56.799 --> 00:20:01.319 he was a murderer. And so on one side of Pilate, 00:20:02.569 --> 00:20:07.490 You have a murderer. You have an evil man. On 00:20:07.490 --> 00:20:10.670 the other side of Pilate, you have Jesus Christ, 00:20:11.009 --> 00:20:16.009 who is without sin, who is full of love and grace 00:20:16.009 --> 00:20:19.910 and compassion, who has taught people, who has 00:20:19.910 --> 00:20:22.750 fed people, who has healed people and raised 00:20:22.750 --> 00:20:27.009 people from the dead. And there that day the 00:20:27.009 --> 00:20:32.079 crowd stood, and all in the crowd, Had a choice. 00:20:33.119 --> 00:20:37.279 You can choose the son of God. Or you can choose. 00:20:37.380 --> 00:20:43.559 The sinful man. And Pilate says. Who do you choose? 00:20:44.480 --> 00:20:49.980 Who do you choose? Jesus or Barabbas? And that 00:20:49.980 --> 00:20:56.519 day. The crowd chose. Sinful. Evil. Barabbas. 00:20:57.920 --> 00:21:02.680 Now we weren't in the crowd. That day. But perhaps 00:21:02.680 --> 00:21:05.000 that question is in some way relevant to us. 00:21:06.319 --> 00:21:09.619 Who do you choose today? What do you choose today? 00:21:10.240 --> 00:21:14.140 The choice is before us today. Will we choose 00:21:14.140 --> 00:21:18.039 Jesus and the ways of Jesus or will we choose 00:21:18.039 --> 00:21:25.000 sin? And if we're honest with ourselves, sometimes 00:21:25.000 --> 00:21:28.900 we choose sin. Sometimes we see Jesus before 00:21:28.900 --> 00:21:31.420 us. We see the words of Scripture before us. 00:21:31.829 --> 00:21:39.109 And we choose what is evil and sinful. What would 00:21:39.109 --> 00:21:41.210 we have said if we were in the crowd that day? 00:21:43.069 --> 00:21:45.450 Would we have been those in the crowd that day 00:21:45.450 --> 00:21:50.329 mourning for Jesus? Or would we have been those 00:21:50.329 --> 00:21:54.869 in the crowd that day yelling crucify him with 00:21:54.869 --> 00:21:59.609 all the rest? Perhaps there are times in our 00:21:59.609 --> 00:22:05.789 life. Too many times that we have chosen the 00:22:05.789 --> 00:22:12.009 sinful choice instead of choosing Jesus. Luke 00:22:12.009 --> 00:22:17.430 chapter 23, verse 40. Jesus has made his way 00:22:17.430 --> 00:22:20.869 to the cross and the scriptures tell us that 00:22:20.869 --> 00:22:25.250 Jesus is crucified between two criminals. And 00:22:25.250 --> 00:22:27.829 one gospel account shows both of the criminals 00:22:27.829 --> 00:22:31.019 mocking Jesus, but at some point, There had to 00:22:31.019 --> 00:22:34.220 have been a change at heart because by the time 00:22:34.220 --> 00:22:37.660 we get to this account in Luke, we see that one 00:22:37.660 --> 00:22:43.259 of the criminals now recognizes that Jesus is 00:22:43.259 --> 00:22:47.779 the Messiah. And one criminal, he kind of appeals 00:22:47.779 --> 00:22:50.019 to Jesus. He says, hey, if you're the Messiah, 00:22:50.220 --> 00:22:53.380 get yourself down and get us down too. Now, he 00:22:53.380 --> 00:22:55.440 doesn't really have any desire to follow Jesus. 00:22:55.579 --> 00:22:58.359 He doesn't really care about Jesus. He cares 00:22:58.359 --> 00:23:00.740 about himself. Hey, get yourself down. And while 00:23:00.740 --> 00:23:02.319 you're at it, get us down too if you're that 00:23:02.319 --> 00:23:06.460 good. And when the criminal makes this response, 00:23:06.940 --> 00:23:12.079 the other criminal says to him in Luke 23, 40, 00:23:12.339 --> 00:23:18.460 Don't you even fear God? Don't you have enough 00:23:18.460 --> 00:23:20.859 respect for God? Don't you know that this is 00:23:20.859 --> 00:23:24.039 the Messiah? Don't you fear God enough that you 00:23:24.039 --> 00:23:27.369 don't speak this way? The criminal said, look, 00:23:27.450 --> 00:23:30.049 you and I, we deserve what we're getting, but 00:23:30.049 --> 00:23:33.250 this man doesn't deserve this. Now, I don't know 00:23:33.250 --> 00:23:35.890 what had changed on the cross between the point 00:23:35.890 --> 00:23:38.769 that both criminals were mocking Jesus to the 00:23:38.769 --> 00:23:41.569 point that this man had recognized that Jesus 00:23:41.569 --> 00:23:44.890 was the Son of God, but he recognized that Jesus 00:23:44.890 --> 00:23:47.329 was the Son of God, and there should be a certain 00:23:47.329 --> 00:23:50.970 fear that comes there. And he said, don't you 00:23:50.970 --> 00:23:56.170 even fear the Lord? That's a good question for 00:23:56.170 --> 00:24:00.410 us to think about in our life. The fear of the 00:24:00.410 --> 00:24:04.710 Lord is the beginning of wisdom. If we fear the 00:24:04.710 --> 00:24:07.609 Lord, that impacts how we live, the choices we 00:24:07.609 --> 00:24:10.809 make, whether we're going to pay attention to 00:24:10.809 --> 00:24:13.670 what he says or not. Those who don't fear the 00:24:13.670 --> 00:24:15.529 Lord, they don't care about the Lord's words. 00:24:15.630 --> 00:24:18.349 They don't care about the Lord's commands. They 00:24:18.349 --> 00:24:20.869 just continue to mock God. They don't care about 00:24:20.869 --> 00:24:24.839 God. But this one criminal on the cross throughout 00:24:24.839 --> 00:24:27.220 the whole story, this is about the only friend 00:24:27.220 --> 00:24:29.700 Jesus had. This is the only one who'd speak up 00:24:29.700 --> 00:24:33.240 for him. One of his disciples betrayed him. The 00:24:33.240 --> 00:24:35.819 other one denied him. Pilate didn't see any fault 00:24:35.819 --> 00:24:38.339 in him. But the only person that I find in this 00:24:38.339 --> 00:24:41.200 story that speaks up for Jesus is this man on 00:24:41.200 --> 00:24:45.440 the cross, a criminal, a sinner. And he has something 00:24:45.440 --> 00:24:48.079 in his life that he recognizes. Wait a minute. 00:24:48.119 --> 00:24:51.819 This man is the son of God. I fear him enough 00:24:51.819 --> 00:24:54.359 to at least stand up and speak and acknowledge 00:24:54.359 --> 00:24:58.519 that here. And he asked the question, don't you 00:24:58.519 --> 00:25:02.960 even fear the Lord? When you read these scriptures, 00:25:03.259 --> 00:25:05.920 when you see the story of Jesus Christ, when 00:25:05.920 --> 00:25:10.920 you read the words of God, do you fear God? Because 00:25:10.920 --> 00:25:13.240 the scripture calls us to fear him and keep his 00:25:13.240 --> 00:25:20.380 commands. And this criminal got it. He got it. 00:25:20.400 --> 00:25:26.359 He understood. And Jesus said, I assure you today, 00:25:26.500 --> 00:25:31.700 you will be with me in paradise. Here in the 00:25:31.700 --> 00:25:36.539 last minutes, hours of this man's life, he understood 00:25:36.539 --> 00:25:42.599 the truth of who Jesus is. I don't know how many 00:25:42.599 --> 00:25:44.900 minutes or hours or days or years you got left. 00:25:46.569 --> 00:25:49.089 But it's not too late today. If you hear the 00:25:49.089 --> 00:25:52.390 gospel of Jesus Christ, you have a choice. Will 00:25:52.390 --> 00:25:54.910 you be the sinner that just rejects Him and mocks 00:25:54.910 --> 00:25:57.670 Him? Or will you be the sinner that humbles himself 00:25:57.670 --> 00:26:02.150 before Him? It's not too late today. Don't you 00:26:02.150 --> 00:26:11.809 even fear God? Matthew 27, verse 46. Jesus speaks 00:26:11.809 --> 00:26:18.339 to God here. And he says, my God, my God, why 00:26:18.339 --> 00:26:24.400 have you forsaken me? Jesus had been a humble 00:26:24.400 --> 00:26:27.319 servant from beginning to the end. His goal was 00:26:27.319 --> 00:26:30.519 to do the will of God. Even in the garden, he 00:26:30.519 --> 00:26:33.700 prayed, God, if there's any way that I can avoid 00:26:33.700 --> 00:26:36.980 this that's about to happen, let this cup pass 00:26:36.980 --> 00:26:41.279 from me. But if not, dear Lord, not my will be 00:26:41.279 --> 00:26:45.569 done, but thy will be done. And here in this 00:26:45.569 --> 00:26:50.430 moment, Jesus had suffered greatly by this point, 00:26:50.529 --> 00:26:56.170 greatly. And I suspect he felt alone and afraid. 00:26:57.230 --> 00:27:00.829 And Jesus asked the question, my God, my God, 00:27:01.009 --> 00:27:07.630 why have you forsaken me? And perhaps you have 00:27:07.630 --> 00:27:11.670 asked that same question. Now you haven't been 00:27:11.670 --> 00:27:16.700 nailed to a cross. But your life is hard. And 00:27:16.700 --> 00:27:18.519 there are things in your life that are so hard, 00:27:18.599 --> 00:27:21.920 that are so unfair. Things that have hurt you 00:27:21.920 --> 00:27:24.420 and brought pain to you. That are struggles. 00:27:26.140 --> 00:27:28.559 That have gone on for days and weeks and months. 00:27:28.619 --> 00:27:32.160 And it just seems like God doesn't care or God's 00:27:32.160 --> 00:27:36.619 not listening. And maybe you've uttered this 00:27:36.619 --> 00:27:40.319 same question. God, where are you? Why have you 00:27:40.319 --> 00:27:44.779 left me? But I want you to know today that God 00:27:44.779 --> 00:27:49.380 has not forsaken you. He has not forsaken Jesus 00:27:49.380 --> 00:27:54.019 Christ, and He has not forsaken you. In the midst 00:27:54.019 --> 00:27:55.920 of your greatest suffering, you need to know 00:27:55.920 --> 00:27:57.880 that God loves you and that He cares for you. 00:27:58.960 --> 00:28:02.900 And the same God that raised Jesus Christ from 00:28:02.900 --> 00:28:06.380 the grave after this event is the same God that 00:28:06.380 --> 00:28:11.519 we come and worship today. If you ask that question, 00:28:11.660 --> 00:28:14.819 why, God, have you forsaken me? I want you to 00:28:14.819 --> 00:28:20.380 know today that God is with you. I'm not telling 00:28:20.380 --> 00:28:22.380 you that your situation is going to get instantly 00:28:22.380 --> 00:28:24.759 better. I'm not telling you it's all going to 00:28:24.759 --> 00:28:27.500 go away, but I'm telling you the same God that 00:28:27.500 --> 00:28:29.960 gave Jesus Christ the strength to fulfill his 00:28:29.960 --> 00:28:32.039 mission will give you the strength to fulfill 00:28:32.039 --> 00:28:36.119 your mission. And when all is said and done, 00:28:36.220 --> 00:28:39.799 even if your mission ends in death, That God 00:28:39.799 --> 00:28:42.960 will not forsake you to the grave, but He will 00:28:42.960 --> 00:28:46.140 raise you up if you would trust in His Son, Jesus 00:28:46.140 --> 00:28:53.980 Christ. In Luke 24, verse 38, after Jesus' crucifixion 00:28:53.980 --> 00:28:58.420 and resurrection, He's raised from the dead. 00:28:59.160 --> 00:29:01.740 He appears to those who loved Him, who were close 00:29:01.740 --> 00:29:07.160 with Him. And He asked them this question. Why 00:29:07.160 --> 00:29:14.049 are you... Troubled? Why are you troubled? It's 00:29:14.049 --> 00:29:17.589 a good question for us to answer today. Why are 00:29:17.589 --> 00:29:20.829 you troubled? Are you troubled because your bank 00:29:20.829 --> 00:29:24.470 account's a little low? Are you troubled because 00:29:24.470 --> 00:29:26.890 a child's about to move to college, you don't 00:29:26.890 --> 00:29:28.250 know what you're going to do? Are you troubled 00:29:28.250 --> 00:29:32.230 because of sickness in your life? Are you troubled 00:29:32.230 --> 00:29:34.789 because of marital problems or stresses at work? 00:29:35.809 --> 00:29:39.839 What troubles you? Jesus asked the disciples, 00:29:40.180 --> 00:29:47.500 why are you troubled? Jesus had helped the lame 00:29:47.500 --> 00:29:49.539 to walk and made the deaf to hear and caused 00:29:49.539 --> 00:29:52.500 the blind to see and raised the dead to life. 00:29:52.640 --> 00:29:56.200 And Jesus himself had been crucified and resurrected. 00:29:57.299 --> 00:29:59.960 And Jesus is like, you've seen me do all these 00:29:59.960 --> 00:30:01.740 things. You were with me for all these years. 00:30:01.799 --> 00:30:04.019 I told you what was going to happen. And here 00:30:04.019 --> 00:30:06.839 I am. I've conquered the grave. I've conquered 00:30:06.839 --> 00:30:09.170 the... conquered death. Why are you troubled? 00:30:09.329 --> 00:30:13.250 I'm here. I'm proof that Jesus offers victory. 00:30:13.789 --> 00:30:16.730 I'm proof that the Lord gives victory to those 00:30:16.730 --> 00:30:18.690 who would trust in him and those who would trust 00:30:18.690 --> 00:30:23.890 in me. So Jesus says, why are you troubled? And 00:30:23.890 --> 00:30:25.710 maybe that's a good question for us to answer 00:30:25.710 --> 00:30:28.849 today. No, I'm not saying the things you're going 00:30:28.849 --> 00:30:31.710 through aren't serious. I know they are. I know 00:30:31.710 --> 00:30:33.650 that our struggles are tough and it's hard for 00:30:33.650 --> 00:30:37.130 us not to worry. It's hard for us when we're 00:30:37.130 --> 00:30:39.289 not sure where the next meal is going to come 00:30:39.289 --> 00:30:41.730 from or what the next doctor's visit is going 00:30:41.730 --> 00:30:43.430 to say or what the next treatment is going to 00:30:43.430 --> 00:30:45.750 be like or what tomorrow is going to hold. But 00:30:45.750 --> 00:30:48.130 Jesus says, don't worry about tomorrow because 00:30:48.130 --> 00:30:52.710 today's got enough trouble of its own. Jesus 00:30:52.710 --> 00:30:54.710 is going to take care of us. The Lord is going 00:30:54.710 --> 00:30:59.509 to take care of us. Why are you troubled? If 00:30:59.509 --> 00:31:01.670 you've read the story of the gospel, if you've 00:31:01.670 --> 00:31:04.740 read the story of the resurrection, God has raised 00:31:04.740 --> 00:31:07.480 Jesus Christ from the grave. He's conquered sin 00:31:07.480 --> 00:31:11.240 and death. That's our biggest foe. If God has 00:31:11.240 --> 00:31:13.400 conquered that for us through Jesus Christ and 00:31:13.400 --> 00:31:20.140 we trust in him, then why are we troubled? In 00:31:20.140 --> 00:31:23.559 John 21, verse 16, there's one final question. 00:31:25.380 --> 00:31:28.599 Before Jesus ascended to heaven to sit at the 00:31:28.599 --> 00:31:32.619 right hand of God, Jesus had appeared a few occasions 00:31:32.619 --> 00:31:36.759 to his apostles and to others. But at the end 00:31:36.759 --> 00:31:40.799 of John, we see a beautiful story. We see a story 00:31:40.799 --> 00:31:44.140 of Peter who had denied Jesus three times and 00:31:44.140 --> 00:31:48.500 he was pretty tore up about it. But Jesus was 00:31:48.500 --> 00:31:54.180 so gracious to him. And Jesus asked Peter three 00:31:54.180 --> 00:31:59.619 different times, Do you love me? Do you love 00:31:59.619 --> 00:32:03.829 me? What a beautiful question for us to consider. 00:32:06.130 --> 00:32:10.130 That's the question that matters the most. You 00:32:10.130 --> 00:32:12.170 come here today and hopefully you've heard the 00:32:12.170 --> 00:32:14.269 gospel of Jesus Christ. Hopefully you've seen 00:32:14.269 --> 00:32:16.690 the love of Jesus Christ. Hopefully you know 00:32:16.690 --> 00:32:19.470 that He is the Son of God. He was nailed to a 00:32:19.470 --> 00:32:22.069 cross. He gave His life for you and I and God 00:32:22.069 --> 00:32:26.289 raised Him from the dead. And if you would come 00:32:26.289 --> 00:32:28.650 to him and put your faith in him and you would 00:32:28.650 --> 00:32:31.690 trust him today, your sins would be forgiven. 00:32:32.789 --> 00:32:35.309 And your life may not instantly just get easier, 00:32:35.470 --> 00:32:37.609 but man, you'll feel a joy that you've never 00:32:37.609 --> 00:32:40.150 felt when you know that Jesus Christ loves you 00:32:40.150 --> 00:32:44.509 enough and he's taking care of your sins. He'll 00:32:44.509 --> 00:32:47.369 give you a strength that you can't imagine. He'll 00:32:47.369 --> 00:32:50.069 give you a peace even in the midst of your horrible 00:32:50.069 --> 00:32:53.309 circumstances. He'll help you out. That's the 00:32:53.309 --> 00:32:55.529 truth of the gospel. That is the truth. That's 00:32:55.529 --> 00:32:57.849 the only truth that there is in this world today. 00:32:58.369 --> 00:33:01.210 You can't believe much of what you see and hear 00:33:01.210 --> 00:33:03.670 these days. But you can believe the truth of 00:33:03.670 --> 00:33:05.849 the gospel of Jesus Christ and the word of God. 00:33:06.589 --> 00:33:11.569 You can believe that truth. And Jesus asked Peter, 00:33:11.769 --> 00:33:17.930 do you love me? And Peter has seen everything 00:33:17.930 --> 00:33:20.390 that you and I can see in the scripture plus 00:33:20.390 --> 00:33:24.900 more. He had seen Jesus' work. He had heard Jesus' 00:33:25.099 --> 00:33:33.000 message. He had seen Jesus resurrected. Did he 00:33:33.000 --> 00:33:36.480 love him? And Peter said, all three times he 00:33:36.480 --> 00:33:39.819 was asked, yes, Lord. You know that I love you. 00:33:41.859 --> 00:33:49.240 What about you today? Do you love Jesus? Will 00:33:49.240 --> 00:33:52.569 you be one like Judas who just... gives up on 00:33:52.569 --> 00:33:58.549 Jesus. Maybe you're like Peter and you've denied 00:33:58.549 --> 00:34:00.710 Jesus in some way in your life. I want you to 00:34:00.710 --> 00:34:04.109 know there's restoration. Maybe you're searching 00:34:04.109 --> 00:34:07.829 for truth. I want you to know that Jesus is the 00:34:07.829 --> 00:34:14.090 truth. Do you love him? I want to tell you today 00:34:14.090 --> 00:34:18.489 that Jesus loves you. Greater love has no man 00:34:18.489 --> 00:34:21.130 than this that one would lay down his life. For 00:34:21.130 --> 00:34:26.889 his friends. And Jesus. Is a friend of sinners. 00:34:27.730 --> 00:34:31.849 And that's you and I. So friend. Why have you 00:34:31.849 --> 00:34:37.210 come here? Friend why have you come here? Well 00:34:37.210 --> 00:34:39.630 I hope you've come. To draw near to the kingdom 00:34:39.630 --> 00:34:43.570 of God. To enter into the kingdom of God. Do 00:34:43.570 --> 00:34:46.989 you love Jesus? That is a question. That you 00:34:46.989 --> 00:34:51.279 will have to answer today. But know this. Jesus 00:34:51.279 --> 00:34:55.159 loves you. Let's pray. God, we come to you today. 00:34:55.199 --> 00:34:58.019 We thank you for your good words. We thank you 00:34:58.019 --> 00:35:00.780 for Jesus Christ. We thank you that we can be 00:35:00.780 --> 00:35:04.159 forgiven of our sins, dear Lord. I pray that 00:35:04.159 --> 00:35:07.079 you would help us as we look at this story and 00:35:07.079 --> 00:35:12.179 ponder some of these questions, God. That we 00:35:12.179 --> 00:35:14.139 would not be those who betray you and reject 00:35:14.139 --> 00:35:17.880 you and deny you. We would be those who seek 00:35:17.880 --> 00:35:21.000 you and believe that you are. The truth, dear 00:35:21.000 --> 00:35:24.440 Lord. God, maybe there are some here today and 00:35:24.440 --> 00:35:27.480 they're like Peter and they've done some things 00:35:27.480 --> 00:35:29.280 that they're really ashamed of. I pray that they 00:35:29.280 --> 00:35:30.820 would come to you today and that they would seek 00:35:30.820 --> 00:35:32.900 you and know that you love them if they would 00:35:32.900 --> 00:35:36.780 just repent and come before you. Maybe there 00:35:36.780 --> 00:35:38.559 are some here today and they've never trusted 00:35:38.559 --> 00:35:41.739 in Jesus Christ. I pray today that they'd know 00:35:41.739 --> 00:35:44.960 who he is and put their faith in him. And I ask 00:35:44.960 --> 00:35:47.480 these things in Jesus' name. Amen.