This is my third in a series of heart -to -heart
talks on the Great Christian Pledge. Or perhaps
you know it better as the Apostles' Creed. And
the document consists of 110 words, that's all.
Just 110 words, and it's divided into 12 sections,
each dealing with a different segment. of New
Testament truth. No Christian who sincerely seeks
to gear his beliefs according to this pattern,
according to the pattern that's laid down in
the Apostles' Creed, will go astray. And it's
just like that. As I begin, This my third heart
-to -heart talk with you regarding this great
Christian pledge. May I again refresh your memory.
I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of
heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only
Son, our Lord. who was conceived by the Holy
Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under
Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead and buried.
He descended into hell. The third day he rose
again from the dead. He ascended into heaven
and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father
Almighty. From thence. He shall come to judge
the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy
Ghost, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion
of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection
of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and
buried. As we read the precious word, we find
these words. Now in the 15th year of the reign
of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate was governor
of Judea. This brief historical reference ushers
in to the New Testament narrative, a representative
of the Roman government under whose rule a series
of strange movements were destined to occur.
His ten -year term as governor of Judea was fraught
with momentous events that changed the course
of human history. It was during this time that...
Jesus walked through the country healing the
sick, cleansing the lepers, even to the raising
of the dead, teaching as never another man taught.
And of course, during all of this time, he drew
to himself the wrath of persecutors, evaded many
schemes of entrapment, was falsely accused. He
endured mock trials in both Jewish and in Roman
courts. He was condemned on perjured testimony.
A mob shouted lies with such force that he was
finally forced to carry a cross up Golgotha's
Hill and there be executed with hardened... criminals,
he the very son of the living God. His body was
placed in the tomb of a rich man, one Joseph
of Arimathea. Failing to entrap our lord, the
persecutors charged him with sedation. It was
on these grounds that they were able to bring
him before the Roman court. Succeeding in this,
They relied upon other false charges and mob
hysteria to complete the Satan -inspired scheme.
Watch it. Thou ought not Caesar's friend if thou
let this man go, was their cry before Pilate.
Remember that some hours prior to the appearance
in Pilate's court, The high priest put Christ
under solemn oath to answer whether or not he
was the Son of God. And Jesus said, I am. When
asked that question directly, he never batted
an eye. He never paused for one moment. He never
hesitated a split second. I am, he replied. Then
following his firm reply, the master condemned
the accusers and announced his second advent
in language which a commentary improvises as
follows. I know the scorn with which you are
ready to meet such an avowal. To your eyes, which
are but eyes of flesh, there stands at this bar
only a mortal like yourselves. And he at the
mercy of the ecclesiastical and civil authorities.
But nevertheless... A day is coming when ye shall
see another sight. Those eyes which now gaze
on me with proud disdain shall see this very
prisoner at the right hand the majesty on high
and coming in clouds of heaven. Then shall the
judged one be revealed as the judge. and his
judges in this chamber appear at his tribunal.
Then shall the unrighteous judges be impartially
judged, and while they are wishing that they
had never seen him born, he whom they now watch
as their victim shall be greeted with the hallelujahs
of heaven. For this impudence, members of the
tribunal ordered him insulted, slapped, beaten,
dragged to Pilate's judgment hall. They could
not carry out an execution without the approval
of the governor. Pilate told them to state their
charges. They did. The false accusation of sedition
was repeated. And the word says, and they began
to accuse him, saying, We found this fellow perverting
the nation and forbidding to give tribute to
Caesar, saying that he himself is Christ, a king.
Pause a moment. Consider. Perverting the nation.
Forbidding tribute. saying he is a king. More
despicable falsehoods never fell from lips of
human beings. Yet these untruths sank into the
minds of a sufficient number of people to create
hysteria against an innocent man. The creed rings
true. Suffered under Pontius Pilate. The Roman
questioner put the matter straight to the victim,
and this is what he asked. What hast thou done?
What had you really done? What had he done? He
had healed the sick. He had set captive soldiers
at liberty. He'd gone about doing good. But with
it all, he incurred the displeasure of a group
whose anger knew no bounds. Jesus answered, My
kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were
of this world, then would my servants fight that
I should not be delivered to the Jews. But now
is my kingdom not from fence. Then Pilate asked,
Ought thou a king? There was no sarcasm. There
was no disdain in this question, none whatsoever.
Ought thou a king? He was trying in every conceivable
way to find some grounds, hoping to satisfy the
demands of those who demanded his execution.
And finally... The Roman jurist cried, I find
no fault in him. This was the official verdict
of the Roman governor and should have been accepted
as final. Far from yielding to the decision,
the accuser shouted the louder. The rapist was
next released as a gesture to quiet the mob.
This availed nothing, absolutely nothing. They
were not to be quieted. They refused to be stopped.
A mock coronation was enacted. Behold, a crown
of thorns were placed upon his head. In mockery
of a regal crown, they stripped him of every
garment. They wrapped his form in a purple robe.
Thereby... imitating the imperial purple robe
worn by monarchs. A reed was placed in his hand
like an imitation scepter in contempt. The word
says they bowed the knee before him. Hail, they
shouted. using such homage to the man from heaven.
Not satisfied with their indignities, they spat
in his face, they smote him on the head with
the reed, they removed the purple robe, they
returned the original raiment. Thinking this
would surely satisfy the accusers and quell their
passions, Pilate stepped forward and said, Behold!
The man. There is no reason to suppose that hatred
for Christ dictated these words. There was clearly
a struggle in the breast of the governor. I have
always felt it was thus. Not only was he reluctant
to surrender to mere clamor and innocent man,
but a feeling of anxiety. about the mysterious
claims that Christ made heavy demands upon his
soul. Moreover, he could not forget the vision
his wife had experienced and her admonition to
be cautious in disposing of this case, whatever
the motive. These three words had been appropriated
by all Christendom. and permanently enshrined
in the hearts of multitudes as a sublime expression
of calm, rapt admiration for the suffering Christ.
These three words, which shall never be forgot,
behold the man. Then delivered he him therefore
unto them to be crucified. The sun set that night
upon a sadder picture than any artist ever tried
to paint. A heartbroken, forlorn band of humiliated,
disappointed, Defeated followers gained permission
from the ruler to lift the precious body from
the cross and bear it away tenderly to a prepared
resting place. But were they really defeated?
Really? A United States Senator. Sent me something?
Is author being unknown? Here is a man who was
born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant
woman. He grew up in another village. He worked
as a carpenter's shop until he was 30. He never
wrote a book. He never held an office. He never
owned a home. He never had a family. He never
went to college. He never put his feet inside
a big city. He never traveled 200 miles from
the place where he was born. He never did one
of the things that usually accompany greatness.
He had no credentials but himself. While still
a young man, the tide A private opinion turned
against him. His friends ran away. One of them
denied him. He was turned over to his enemies.
He went through the mockery of a trial. He was
nailed to a cross between two thieves. They gambled
for the only piece of property he had on earth
while he was dying, and that was his coach. And
when he was dead, he was taken down. He was laid
in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend.
Nineteen wide centuries have come and gone and
today he is the centerpiece of the human race
and the leader of the column of progress. I am
far within the mark when I say that All the armies
that ever marched, and all the navies that were
ever built, and all the parliaments that ever
sat, and all the kings that ever reigned. All
of them put together have not affected the life
of man upon this earth, as has that one solitary
life. years old yet he through his death gave
life a velocity