Crucified King
Series: Abundant Life
Speaker: Steve Jeffrey
Date: 15th September 2024
00:00:00 --> 00:00:06 Well, good morning everyone. As some of you will be aware, I've been away on long service
00:00:06 --> 00:00:15 leave and this is the first time I've preached since June. That could be dangerous. But to
00:00:15 --> 00:00:21 come back in, in this series and to preach in this series at the most crucial point of
00:00:21 --> 00:00:29 it, I consider to be a great joy and privilege. I was listening to Dennis earlier, I was listening
00:00:29 --> 00:00:36 earlier, coming to Christ in his 20s. I was 23 when I discovered the answer to the crucial
00:00:36 --> 00:00:43 question that we are looking at today. When I looked at this text, there's multiple different
00:00:43 --> 00:00:48 angles that you could take on it. I considered maybe doing a sermon on political power, given
00:00:48 --> 00:00:54 that we were at elections yesterday and I've considered a whole range of different things.
00:00:54 --> 00:00:59 But the crucial question of this passage is why did Jesus of Nazareth have to die?
00:00:59 --> 00:01:07 Why did he have to die? And I was 23 when I discovered the answer to that question for the first
00:01:07 --> 00:01:16 time. I had grown up attending churches like potentially you. I had read the Bible, in fact,
00:01:16 --> 00:01:23 a number of times up to the age of 23. I knew a bunch of Christian practices and rituals.
00:01:23 --> 00:01:35 I knew many Christian truths. And I knew that Jesus was central to everything. But my overall
00:01:35 --> 00:01:50 impression was that if I served Jesus, then Jesus would serve me. If I approved of him, he
00:01:50 --> 00:02:00 would approve of me. If I said sorry to him, then he would forgive me. And if I kept saying sorry to
00:02:00 --> 00:02:08 him and providing at the point of my death, I'd said sorry more than I'd had sins, then I would be okay.
00:02:08 --> 00:02:25 I was 23, sitting in a scenario not unlike this, and I discovered for the first time in my life,
00:02:25 --> 00:02:36 it was actually about him and not about me. It was all about what he had done and not what I was trying
00:02:36 --> 00:02:44 to do. So what we're looking at over the next three Sundays is what is central to the Christian faith.
00:02:45 --> 00:02:53 And I make no assumptions whatsoever, at all. You could have walked into this building for the first time,
00:02:53 --> 00:02:59 or you could have been sitting in a building like this all of your life, and you still may not get it.
00:02:59 --> 00:03:11 Why did Jesus have to die? That's the crucial question. Lord Tennyson, the 19th century English
00:03:11 --> 00:03:20 poet, described Jesus' life as more beautiful than the greatest of his miracles. Very few people in
00:03:20 --> 00:03:27 history have ever dared to question the outstanding nature of the character of Jesus of Nazareth.
00:03:27 --> 00:03:34 And on top of an exemplary life, his teaching gave rise to the values of Western civilization and have
00:03:34 --> 00:03:44 impacted virtually every culture across the globe for over 2 years. Transforming lives and cultures.
00:03:45 --> 00:03:49 Love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. Love your neighbor as yourself.
00:03:49 --> 00:03:58 Love your neighbor as yourself. His influence is without doubt greater than any other human being that has ever lived.
00:03:58 --> 00:04:12 So why did Jesus of Nazareth end his life on a Roman cross like a hardened criminal?
00:04:14 --> 00:04:24 It makes no sense. And it's the answer to that question that drives us to the very heart of the Christian faith,
00:04:24 --> 00:04:32 the heart of this church, and why we declare that we treasure Jesus above all else.
00:04:33 --> 00:04:38 So I've got three points on this sermon on the St. Paul's app.
00:04:38 --> 00:04:41 The wickedness of humanity, the will of God, and the willingness of Jesus.
00:04:41 --> 00:04:43 That's the trajectory for us today.
00:04:44 --> 00:04:47 These words in front of us are the account of the Apostle John,
00:04:47 --> 00:04:51 one of Jesus' closest followers.
00:04:51 --> 00:04:55 They are an eyewitness account of his trial and his death.
00:04:56 --> 00:04:58 One of the noticeable differences with John's gospel,
00:04:59 --> 00:05:01 Passion of the Christ,
00:05:01 --> 00:05:05 noticeable in his, compared to Matthew, Mark and Luke,
00:05:05 --> 00:05:08 is how much time
00:05:08 --> 00:05:11 John gives to the recording,
00:05:11 --> 00:05:13 the actual trial of Jesus.
00:05:13 --> 00:05:19 And scholars say the difference with John and the others
00:05:19 --> 00:05:24 is that John wants to put an awful lot of focus
00:05:24 --> 00:05:28 in implicating all of humanity
00:05:28 --> 00:05:31 in the crucifixion of Jesus.
00:05:35 --> 00:05:38 First half of chapter 18,
00:05:38 --> 00:05:41 Judas betrays Jesus out of greed.
00:05:41 --> 00:05:44 In the middle of chapter 18,
00:05:44 --> 00:05:47 the disciples desert him out of cowardice
00:05:47 --> 00:05:48 and disillusionment.
00:05:50 --> 00:05:51 Chapter 19,
00:05:51 --> 00:05:54 the religious authorities murder him out of envy.
00:05:55 --> 00:05:57 The soldiers torture and mock him
00:05:57 --> 00:06:01 out of heartless ignorance.
00:06:02 --> 00:06:04 And Pilate washes his hands of him
00:06:04 --> 00:06:06 in order to please his constituents.
00:06:06 --> 00:06:09 Greed,
00:06:10 --> 00:06:10 envy,
00:06:11 --> 00:06:12 cowardice,
00:06:13 --> 00:06:16 people-pleasing,
00:06:17 --> 00:06:19 holding Jesus at arm's length.
00:06:21 --> 00:06:24 Everyone here is implicated in his death
00:06:24 --> 00:06:26 despite the fact that his innocence
00:06:26 --> 00:06:28 is without doubt.
00:06:29 --> 00:06:30 Three times,
00:06:31 --> 00:06:32 which if you know biblical language,
00:06:32 --> 00:06:34 three times is a word,
00:06:34 --> 00:06:34 is an emphasis.
00:06:34 --> 00:06:37 Three times,
00:06:37 --> 00:06:39 Pilate insists that Jesus is innocent.
00:06:40 --> 00:06:41 1838,
00:06:41 --> 00:06:44 I find no basis for a charge against him.
00:06:44 --> 00:06:44 1904,
00:06:44 --> 00:06:47 I find no basis for a charge against him.
00:06:47 --> 00:06:48 1906,
00:06:49 --> 00:06:53 I find no basis for a charge against him.
00:06:54 --> 00:06:56 The innocence of Jesus is beyond doubt.
00:06:56 --> 00:06:57 1906,
00:06:57 --> 00:07:01 but also through this account,
00:07:01 --> 00:07:03 as we've seen through the rest of John,
00:07:03 --> 00:07:06 the status of Jesus is well attested.
00:07:07 --> 00:07:09 From the very first chapter of this gospel,
00:07:10 --> 00:07:13 he's been declared as the creator God
00:07:13 --> 00:07:15 entering this world to fix it.
00:07:15 --> 00:07:19 He's healed the sick.
00:07:19 --> 00:07:20 He's turned water into wine.
00:07:20 --> 00:07:21 He's raised the dead.
00:07:21 --> 00:07:22 He's fed the hungry.
00:07:22 --> 00:07:23 He's walked on water.
00:07:23 --> 00:07:25 At every point,
00:07:26 --> 00:07:29 his words are not mumbled at all.
00:07:29 --> 00:07:31 He declares himself equal with God.
00:07:32 --> 00:07:34 He says that he and the father are one
00:07:34 --> 00:07:37 and that anyone who has seen him
00:07:37 --> 00:07:40 has seen God himself.
00:07:41 --> 00:07:42 He declares that he is the way,
00:07:42 --> 00:07:43 the truth and the life.
00:07:43 --> 00:07:46 And despite the evidence of his life
00:07:46 --> 00:07:47 and his works,
00:07:48 --> 00:07:50 everyone joins together
00:07:50 --> 00:07:52 to rid the earth of him.
00:07:54 --> 00:07:54 For instance,
00:07:54 --> 00:07:55 the religious elite
00:07:55 --> 00:07:57 do what the religious establishment
00:07:57 --> 00:08:00 over the world always do.
00:08:00 --> 00:08:02 And that is they maintain the status quo.
00:08:02 --> 00:08:04 They're interested in their power
00:08:04 --> 00:08:04 and their influence.
00:08:05 --> 00:08:07 Their hypocrisy is revealed
00:08:07 --> 00:08:08 as they cry out,
00:08:08 --> 00:08:10 we have no king.
00:08:10 --> 00:08:11 We have no lord.
00:08:11 --> 00:08:12 We have no master,
00:08:12 --> 00:08:14 but Caesar himself.
00:08:14 --> 00:08:15 They hated Caesar.
00:08:19 --> 00:08:20 They are jealous
00:08:20 --> 00:08:22 that more and more people
00:08:22 --> 00:08:24 are turning their allegiance to Jesus.
00:08:25 --> 00:08:26 And so they wanted him dead.
00:08:29 --> 00:08:31 They are told quite clearly by Pilate
00:08:31 --> 00:08:31 that he's innocent.
00:08:31 --> 00:08:35 Pilate offers us to release him
00:08:35 --> 00:08:36 in verse 29,
00:08:36 --> 00:08:37 verse 39,
00:08:38 --> 00:08:39 and they demand instead
00:08:39 --> 00:08:41 the release of a convicted criminal.
00:08:43 --> 00:08:44 Barabbas,
00:08:44 --> 00:08:46 much more than some translations say
00:08:46 --> 00:08:47 he was a robber.
00:08:47 --> 00:08:50 He was much more than a robber.
00:08:50 --> 00:08:51 He's guilty of insurrection.
00:08:53 --> 00:08:54 He has led an uprising
00:08:54 --> 00:08:57 against the Roman Empire.
00:08:57 --> 00:08:59 He wanted to be king himself
00:08:59 --> 00:09:02 and he's got blood on his hands.
00:09:02 --> 00:09:04 He committed murder in the process.
00:09:06 --> 00:09:08 The soldiers here treat Jesus
00:09:08 --> 00:09:11 as a comic figure to be ridiculed,
00:09:11 --> 00:09:12 nothing more than a swear word
00:09:12 --> 00:09:15 when things don't go white.
00:09:17 --> 00:09:18 Pilate does what politicians
00:09:18 --> 00:09:20 the world overdo.
00:09:20 --> 00:09:22 He knew Jesus was innocent
00:09:22 --> 00:09:23 and at the end of the day
00:09:23 --> 00:09:25 his reputation was more
00:09:25 --> 00:09:25 that was things
00:09:25 --> 00:09:27 that was on the line for him.
00:09:27 --> 00:09:27 That's the thing
00:09:27 --> 00:09:28 that he cared about.
00:09:29 --> 00:09:31 When expedience demanded otherwise,
00:09:32 --> 00:09:33 he caved in.
00:09:33 --> 00:09:35 He abandoned principle
00:09:35 --> 00:09:36 for popularity.
00:09:38 --> 00:09:39 He's a people pleaser.
00:09:42 --> 00:09:43 He knew what truth is
00:09:43 --> 00:09:46 but showed he hated truth
00:09:46 --> 00:09:47 and sided with a false head
00:09:47 --> 00:09:50 because truth was going to cost him too much.
00:09:53 --> 00:09:56 John is trying to help us see here
00:09:56 --> 00:10:02 if we were there,
00:10:02 --> 00:10:06 we would have joined in too.
00:10:09 --> 00:10:11 That's what John wants us to see.
00:10:13 --> 00:10:16 You and I are as guilty as they.
00:10:17 --> 00:10:22 And the dark secret
00:10:22 --> 00:10:25 that is being pointed to here
00:10:25 --> 00:10:31 is that it was the wickedness of humanity
00:10:31 --> 00:10:33 that resulted in the death of Jesus.
00:10:35 --> 00:10:38 There is something in every one of us
00:10:38 --> 00:10:41 that is unable to side with truth
00:10:41 --> 00:10:42 and righteousness
00:10:42 --> 00:10:45 at the crucial moments in life.
00:10:45 --> 00:10:48 You see, the death of Jesus
00:10:48 --> 00:10:52 reveals the deepest, darkest secrets of us all.
00:10:54 --> 00:10:56 John mentioned it really clearly
00:10:56 --> 00:10:58 back in chapter 3, verse 19.
00:10:59 --> 00:11:00 This is the verdict,
00:11:00 --> 00:11:01 talking about Jesus.
00:11:02 --> 00:11:05 Light has come into the world
00:11:05 --> 00:11:20 of all the world
00:11:20 --> 00:11:20 of all the world views
00:11:20 --> 00:11:22 that exist in our world.
00:11:22 --> 00:11:24 The Christian faith presents
00:11:24 --> 00:11:26 the most negative of the human condition.
00:11:26 --> 00:11:30 The most negative.
00:11:32 --> 00:11:33 Another part of the New Testament
00:11:33 --> 00:11:34 puts it like this.
00:11:35 --> 00:11:36 Ephesians chapter 2.
00:11:37 --> 00:11:37 As for you,
00:11:37 --> 00:11:38 you were dead
00:11:38 --> 00:11:41 in your transgressions and sins
00:11:41 --> 00:11:42 in which you used to live
00:11:42 --> 00:11:44 when you followed the ways of this world
00:11:44 --> 00:11:46 and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air,
00:11:46 --> 00:11:47 the spirit who is now at work
00:11:47 --> 00:11:49 in those who are disobedient,
00:11:49 --> 00:11:51 all of us who lived among them
00:11:51 --> 00:11:52 at one time,
00:11:52 --> 00:11:55 gratifying the cravings of our flesh
00:11:55 --> 00:11:58 and following its desires and thoughts.
00:11:59 --> 00:12:00 That's the human condition.
00:12:00 --> 00:12:01 Spiritually dead.
00:12:02 --> 00:12:03 Not dying, not crippled.
00:12:03 --> 00:12:04 Dead.
00:12:04 --> 00:12:06 Unable to do anything
00:12:06 --> 00:12:07 to help ourselves.
00:12:09 --> 00:12:10 And it's universal.
00:12:10 --> 00:12:12 All, it says there.
00:12:13 --> 00:12:15 He's not describing here
00:12:15 --> 00:12:18 some decadent, depraved segment
00:12:18 --> 00:12:19 of society,
00:12:19 --> 00:12:22 but all of humanity
00:12:22 --> 00:12:23 from top to bottom.
00:12:25 --> 00:12:27 All, spiritually dead
00:12:27 --> 00:12:28 apart from Jesus.
00:12:30 --> 00:12:31 What does it mean
00:12:31 --> 00:12:33 to be dead in transgressions and sins?
00:12:34 --> 00:12:35 Well, I would suggest here
00:12:35 --> 00:12:36 from Ephesians 2,
00:12:36 --> 00:12:38 it means to be enslaved.
00:12:38 --> 00:12:39 Notice the word followed there
00:12:39 --> 00:12:41 in verse 2 and verse 3.
00:12:43 --> 00:12:45 The word means mastered
00:12:45 --> 00:12:49 to be controlled by something.
00:12:49 --> 00:12:53 The reason we are dead
00:12:53 --> 00:12:55 in transgressions and sins
00:12:55 --> 00:12:58 is that we are as helpless
00:12:58 --> 00:13:01 as a dead body.
00:13:03 --> 00:13:05 Completely controlled.
00:13:06 --> 00:13:07 Completely mastered.
00:13:08 --> 00:13:09 Unable to move.
00:13:10 --> 00:13:12 Unable to act on our own.
00:13:14 --> 00:13:15 The key idea,
00:13:15 --> 00:13:16 it's there in verse 3,
00:13:16 --> 00:13:17 gratifying the cravings
00:13:17 --> 00:13:18 of our flesh
00:13:18 --> 00:13:19 and following its desires
00:13:19 --> 00:13:20 and thoughts.
00:13:20 --> 00:13:21 The term our flesh
00:13:21 --> 00:13:23 in verse 3
00:13:23 --> 00:13:25 is literally referring to
00:13:25 --> 00:13:29 not bones and skin and stuff,
00:13:29 --> 00:13:31 but it's referring to
00:13:31 --> 00:13:35 self-centered human nature.
00:13:35 --> 00:13:38 That's the thing that drives us.
00:13:38 --> 00:13:40 That's the thing that masters us
00:13:40 --> 00:13:41 and controls us.
00:13:42 --> 00:13:43 According to the Bible,
00:13:43 --> 00:13:45 the reason we are dead
00:13:45 --> 00:13:47 in transgressions and sins,
00:13:47 --> 00:13:49 the reason we are slaves to sin,
00:13:49 --> 00:13:52 the reason we are bound by sin,
00:13:52 --> 00:13:54 is because the human heart
00:13:54 --> 00:13:56 is profoundly centered upon itself
00:13:56 --> 00:13:59 and not its creator.
00:14:00 --> 00:14:02 The 16th century church reformer
00:14:02 --> 00:14:03 and theologian Martin Luther
00:14:03 --> 00:14:05 put the condition of the heart
00:14:05 --> 00:14:06 quite succinctly.
00:14:07 --> 00:14:08 He described it
00:14:08 --> 00:14:11 as curved in on itself.
00:14:14 --> 00:14:16 Luther said that our nature
00:14:16 --> 00:14:18 is so deeply curved in on itself
00:14:18 --> 00:14:20 that it wickedly,
00:14:20 --> 00:14:21 curvedly,
00:14:21 --> 00:14:23 and viciously
00:14:23 --> 00:14:24 seeks to use
00:14:24 --> 00:14:25 all things
00:14:25 --> 00:14:26 and all people,
00:14:26 --> 00:14:28 even God himself,
00:14:29 --> 00:14:31 for its own sake.
00:14:33 --> 00:14:34 Now it's pretty obvious
00:14:34 --> 00:14:37 when you listen to that statement
00:14:37 --> 00:14:38 from Luther
00:14:38 --> 00:14:41 that self-centeredness
00:14:41 --> 00:14:42 can make you into a cruel person.
00:14:44 --> 00:14:45 It's not hard to identify
00:14:45 --> 00:14:46 the dictators,
00:14:46 --> 00:14:47 the tyrants in history.
00:14:47 --> 00:14:51 They want to get things done their way
00:14:51 --> 00:14:53 and they'll do whatever it takes,
00:14:53 --> 00:14:55 even immoral things,
00:14:55 --> 00:14:56 in order to make sure
00:14:56 --> 00:14:58 that they consistently stay on top.
00:14:59 --> 00:15:01 What is less obvious for us
00:15:01 --> 00:15:03 is that self-centeredness
00:15:03 --> 00:15:05 also makes us,
00:15:05 --> 00:15:06 for the majority of us,
00:15:07 --> 00:15:07 moral people.
00:15:11 --> 00:15:12 If everything is about
00:15:12 --> 00:15:14 my need to feel good about myself,
00:15:14 --> 00:15:15 there's no better way
00:15:15 --> 00:15:16 to feel good about yourself
00:15:16 --> 00:15:17 than to be a good person.
00:15:18 --> 00:15:20 Self-centeredness
00:15:20 --> 00:15:21 drives most people
00:15:21 --> 00:15:22 into being good,
00:15:22 --> 00:15:23 trying hard to serve the needy,
00:15:24 --> 00:15:25 being a good child
00:15:25 --> 00:15:26 to a parent
00:15:26 --> 00:15:27 or a good parent
00:15:27 --> 00:15:28 to children,
00:15:29 --> 00:15:30 a good friend
00:15:30 --> 00:15:31 that is always there
00:15:31 --> 00:15:31 to assist
00:15:31 --> 00:15:33 whenever I'm needed.
00:15:33 --> 00:15:35 What lies beneath
00:15:35 --> 00:15:36 all of that
00:15:36 --> 00:15:37 is a self-centeredness
00:15:37 --> 00:15:39 where the driving motive
00:15:39 --> 00:15:40 of the heart
00:15:40 --> 00:15:41 is I am trying
00:15:41 --> 00:15:42 to make myself
00:15:42 --> 00:15:43 feel good.
00:15:47 --> 00:15:48 I want to receive
00:15:48 --> 00:15:49 the applause
00:15:49 --> 00:15:50 of others
00:15:50 --> 00:15:51 or I want to fill
00:15:51 --> 00:15:52 this aching void
00:15:52 --> 00:15:54 in my heart.
00:15:58 --> 00:15:59 But here's the other one
00:15:59 --> 00:15:59 for us.
00:16:00 --> 00:16:01 Self-centeredness
00:16:01 --> 00:16:03 could also make you
00:16:03 --> 00:16:05 quite a religious person.
00:16:05 --> 00:16:07 We can devote ourselves
00:16:07 --> 00:16:08 to obeying God
00:16:08 --> 00:16:09 and turning up to church,
00:16:09 --> 00:16:10 reading the Bible,
00:16:10 --> 00:16:10 praying,
00:16:10 --> 00:16:11 giving and doing
00:16:11 --> 00:16:12 the sort of things
00:16:12 --> 00:16:13 that we are doing
00:16:13 --> 00:16:14 right now.
00:16:17 --> 00:16:18 Did you see the irony
00:16:18 --> 00:16:20 and the hypocrisy
00:16:20 --> 00:16:20 at the beginning
00:16:20 --> 00:16:21 of what was just read out
00:16:21 --> 00:16:22 to us by Aidan?
00:16:23 --> 00:16:24 Chapter 18,
00:16:24 --> 00:16:25 verse 28,
00:16:26 --> 00:16:27 the religious leaders
00:16:27 --> 00:16:29 won't go into the palace,
00:16:29 --> 00:16:30 a Gentile palace.
00:16:30 --> 00:16:33 They wanted to hand
00:16:33 --> 00:16:34 Jesus over
00:16:34 --> 00:16:36 to the Gentiles
00:16:36 --> 00:16:36 so that they could
00:16:36 --> 00:16:38 rush off to church.
00:16:39 --> 00:16:40 You kill him,
00:16:42 --> 00:16:43 we've got some
00:16:43 --> 00:16:44 ceremonies to do,
00:16:44 --> 00:16:44 we've got some
00:16:44 --> 00:16:45 religion to practice.
00:16:50 --> 00:16:52 Their lives are about
00:16:52 --> 00:16:52 rules in order
00:16:52 --> 00:16:53 to please God,
00:16:53 --> 00:16:54 all good and right
00:16:54 --> 00:16:55 things to do.
00:16:56 --> 00:16:57 Religion is about
00:16:57 --> 00:16:59 doing good things
00:16:59 --> 00:17:01 and expecting God
00:17:01 --> 00:17:02 to come through
00:17:02 --> 00:17:02 for you
00:17:02 --> 00:17:04 in the way
00:17:04 --> 00:17:05 you want him to.
00:17:06 --> 00:17:07 Religion puts you
00:17:07 --> 00:17:07 at the centre
00:17:07 --> 00:17:08 and leaves God
00:17:08 --> 00:17:09 to one side.
00:17:10 --> 00:17:11 It's so ironic
00:17:11 --> 00:17:14 that so many people
00:17:14 --> 00:17:16 even get into
00:17:16 --> 00:17:17 the Christian faith
00:17:17 --> 00:17:19 in order to have
00:17:19 --> 00:17:21 God serve them
00:17:21 --> 00:17:22 rather than
00:17:22 --> 00:17:23 for them to serve God.
00:17:24 --> 00:17:25 How do you know?
00:17:26 --> 00:17:27 When things don't
00:17:27 --> 00:17:28 work out,
00:17:28 --> 00:17:29 before them too,
00:17:30 --> 00:17:33 you draw back
00:17:33 --> 00:17:34 from God.
00:17:37 --> 00:17:39 And yet Christianity
00:17:39 --> 00:17:41 is the only
00:17:41 --> 00:17:42 world religion
00:17:42 --> 00:17:43 that has
00:17:43 --> 00:17:43 as a central
00:17:43 --> 00:17:44 belief,
00:17:45 --> 00:17:46 we don't do
00:17:46 --> 00:17:48 anything for salvation,
00:17:48 --> 00:17:49 he's done it all
00:17:49 --> 00:17:50 for us.
00:17:51 --> 00:17:53 And self-centeredness
00:17:53 --> 00:17:54 clicks to every
00:17:54 --> 00:17:55 aspect of your
00:17:55 --> 00:17:55 life.
00:17:55 --> 00:17:55 life.
00:17:57 --> 00:17:58 And if you see
00:17:58 --> 00:17:58 any of it in your
00:17:58 --> 00:17:59 heart,
00:17:59 --> 00:18:00 it's a revelation
00:18:00 --> 00:18:01 of just deeply
00:18:01 --> 00:18:01 how wicked
00:18:01 --> 00:18:02 the human heart
00:18:02 --> 00:18:03 is.
00:18:04 --> 00:18:04 C.S. Lewis,
00:18:04 --> 00:18:05 the Oxford
00:18:05 --> 00:18:06 professor and author,
00:18:06 --> 00:18:06 wrote,
00:18:07 --> 00:18:07 there is nothing
00:18:07 --> 00:18:09 more enslaving
00:18:09 --> 00:18:10 and miserable
00:18:10 --> 00:18:11 than self-centeredness.
00:18:13 --> 00:18:14 He wrote that
00:18:14 --> 00:18:15 it is hell
00:18:15 --> 00:18:16 which has begun
00:18:16 --> 00:18:17 in us
00:18:17 --> 00:18:18 that will
00:18:18 --> 00:18:19 ultimately
00:18:19 --> 00:18:19 take us
00:18:19 --> 00:18:20 to hell.
00:18:20 --> 00:18:23 So why did
00:18:23 --> 00:18:24 Jesus have
00:18:24 --> 00:18:24 to die?
00:18:26 --> 00:18:27 Because of the
00:18:27 --> 00:18:27 wickedness of
00:18:27 --> 00:18:28 humanity.
00:18:29 --> 00:18:30 And we need to
00:18:30 --> 00:18:30 see ourselves
00:18:30 --> 00:18:31 in this narrative.
00:18:31 --> 00:18:37 But secondly,
00:18:38 --> 00:18:39 Jesus also
00:18:39 --> 00:18:40 died because of
00:18:40 --> 00:18:40 the will
00:18:40 --> 00:18:41 and the purpose
00:18:41 --> 00:18:41 of God.
00:18:42 --> 00:18:43 The narrative
00:18:43 --> 00:18:43 of John's
00:18:43 --> 00:18:44 gospel is
00:18:44 --> 00:18:45 that Jesus
00:18:45 --> 00:18:46 suffered as
00:18:46 --> 00:18:46 God's royal
00:18:46 --> 00:18:47 king and
00:18:47 --> 00:18:48 that it was
00:18:48 --> 00:18:49 God's intention
00:18:49 --> 00:18:49 for Jesus
00:18:49 --> 00:18:50 to die
00:18:50 --> 00:18:51 on the cross.
00:18:52 --> 00:18:52 That is,
00:18:52 --> 00:18:53 the crucifixion
00:18:53 --> 00:18:53 of Jesus
00:18:53 --> 00:18:55 is not a
00:18:55 --> 00:18:56 travesty
00:18:56 --> 00:18:57 of justice
00:18:57 --> 00:18:58 or he was
00:18:58 --> 00:18:58 in the wrong
00:18:58 --> 00:18:59 place at the
00:18:59 --> 00:19:00 wrong time.
00:19:00 --> 00:19:00 It was no
00:19:00 --> 00:19:01 mere accident
00:19:01 --> 00:19:02 of human
00:19:02 --> 00:19:02 history.
00:19:03 --> 00:19:03 It was the
00:19:03 --> 00:19:04 climactic hour.
00:19:05 --> 00:19:05 It was the
00:19:05 --> 00:19:06 crowning purpose,
00:19:06 --> 00:19:07 the moment
00:19:07 --> 00:19:08 of Jesus'
00:19:09 --> 00:19:09 glory and
00:19:09 --> 00:19:10 of God's
00:19:10 --> 00:19:10 glory.
00:19:10 --> 00:19:11 That's what
00:19:11 --> 00:19:11 it was.
00:19:12 --> 00:19:13 In John
00:19:13 --> 00:19:13 12,
00:19:14 --> 00:19:14 he speaks
00:19:14 --> 00:19:14 of the
00:19:14 --> 00:19:15 hour of
00:19:15 --> 00:19:16 his death
00:19:16 --> 00:19:16 and he
00:19:16 --> 00:19:17 indicates
00:19:17 --> 00:19:17 that he
00:19:17 --> 00:19:18 will be
00:19:18 --> 00:19:18 lifted up
00:19:18 --> 00:19:19 on a
00:19:19 --> 00:19:19 cross
00:19:19 --> 00:19:20 for which
00:19:20 --> 00:19:20 he says
00:19:20 --> 00:19:20 will be
00:19:20 --> 00:19:21 the hour
00:19:21 --> 00:19:21 of my
00:19:21 --> 00:19:22 glory.
00:19:23 --> 00:19:24 It will
00:19:24 --> 00:19:24 be the
00:19:24 --> 00:19:24 moment
00:19:24 --> 00:19:25 where the
00:19:25 --> 00:19:26 magnificence
00:19:26 --> 00:19:27 and the
00:19:27 --> 00:19:27 beauty
00:19:27 --> 00:19:28 and the
00:19:28 --> 00:19:29 worth
00:19:29 --> 00:19:29 and the
00:19:29 --> 00:19:30 character
00:19:30 --> 00:19:30 of God
00:19:30 --> 00:19:31 would be
00:19:31 --> 00:19:31 on full
00:19:31 --> 00:19:32 display.
00:19:32 --> 00:19:33 It's going
00:19:33 --> 00:19:33 to go
00:19:33 --> 00:19:34 viral in
00:19:34 --> 00:19:34 this moment.
00:19:34 --> 00:19:34 You want
00:19:34 --> 00:19:35 to know
00:19:35 --> 00:19:35 who God
00:19:35 --> 00:19:36 is?
00:19:36 --> 00:19:36 You will
00:19:36 --> 00:19:36 see him
00:19:36 --> 00:19:37 on a
00:19:37 --> 00:19:37 cross.
00:19:38 --> 00:19:39 You want
00:19:39 --> 00:19:39 to know
00:19:39 --> 00:19:39 what he's
00:19:39 --> 00:19:40 like?
00:19:40 --> 00:19:40 You'll
00:19:40 --> 00:19:40 see him
00:19:40 --> 00:19:40 on a
00:19:40 --> 00:19:41 cross.
00:19:43 --> 00:19:44 John
00:19:44 --> 00:19:44 13,
00:19:44 --> 00:19:45 he washes
00:19:45 --> 00:19:45 the feet
00:19:45 --> 00:19:46 of his
00:19:46 --> 00:19:46 disciples
00:19:46 --> 00:19:47 and tells
00:19:47 --> 00:19:47 them that
00:19:47 --> 00:19:48 he will
00:19:48 --> 00:19:48 die out
00:19:48 --> 00:19:49 of love
00:19:49 --> 00:19:49 for the
00:19:49 --> 00:19:50 whole
00:19:50 --> 00:19:50 world.
00:19:50 --> 00:19:50 John
00:19:50 --> 00:19:51 17,
00:19:51 --> 00:19:51 as he
00:19:51 --> 00:19:52 speaks
00:19:52 --> 00:19:52 of his
00:19:52 --> 00:19:52 death,
00:19:53 --> 00:19:54 he declares
00:19:54 --> 00:19:54 again,
00:19:54 --> 00:19:54 it will be
00:19:54 --> 00:19:55 the hour
00:19:55 --> 00:19:55 of his
00:19:55 --> 00:19:56 glory.
00:19:57 --> 00:19:57 John
00:19:57 --> 00:19:58 18,
00:19:58 --> 00:19:59 as the
00:19:59 --> 00:20:00 soldiers
00:20:00 --> 00:20:00 come to
00:20:00 --> 00:20:01 arrest him,
00:20:01 --> 00:20:02 the soldiers
00:20:02 --> 00:20:02 themselves,
00:20:02 --> 00:20:03 did you notice
00:20:03 --> 00:20:03 this last
00:20:03 --> 00:20:04 week?
00:20:04 --> 00:20:05 The soldiers
00:20:05 --> 00:20:05 themselves,
00:20:05 --> 00:20:06 when he
00:20:06 --> 00:20:06 says,
00:20:06 --> 00:20:07 I am the
00:20:07 --> 00:20:07 one you're
00:20:07 --> 00:20:08 looking for,
00:20:08 --> 00:20:09 they bowed
00:20:09 --> 00:20:10 down in
00:20:10 --> 00:20:10 front of him
00:20:10 --> 00:20:11 immediately.
00:20:13 --> 00:20:14 Get up,
00:20:14 --> 00:20:14 guys,
00:20:14 --> 00:20:15 you've got to
00:20:15 --> 00:20:15 arrest me.
00:20:16 --> 00:20:16 That's what
00:20:16 --> 00:20:16 you're here
00:20:16 --> 00:20:17 for.
00:20:17 --> 00:20:23 he shows
00:20:23 --> 00:20:23 himself to
00:20:23 --> 00:20:24 be one
00:20:24 --> 00:20:25 of absolute
00:20:25 --> 00:20:26 authority
00:20:26 --> 00:20:27 over all,
00:20:28 --> 00:20:29 including the
00:20:29 --> 00:20:29 arresting
00:20:29 --> 00:20:30 party.
00:20:32 --> 00:20:33 And yet,
00:20:34 --> 00:20:35 he allows
00:20:35 --> 00:20:35 them to
00:20:35 --> 00:20:36 bind him.
00:20:38 --> 00:20:39 And as we
00:20:39 --> 00:20:39 just read in
00:20:39 --> 00:20:40 John 19,
00:20:40 --> 00:20:41 Jesus says
00:20:41 --> 00:20:41 to Pilate,
00:20:41 --> 00:20:42 you have no
00:20:42 --> 00:20:43 power over
00:20:43 --> 00:20:44 me if it
00:20:44 --> 00:20:44 were not
00:20:44 --> 00:20:46 given to
00:20:46 --> 00:20:47 you from
00:20:47 --> 00:20:47 above.
00:20:48 --> 00:20:49 Pilate,
00:20:49 --> 00:20:50 the
00:20:50 --> 00:20:50 representative
00:20:50 --> 00:20:53 of the
00:20:53 --> 00:20:54 largest
00:20:54 --> 00:20:54 empire,
00:20:54 --> 00:20:55 the most
00:20:55 --> 00:20:55 powerful
00:20:55 --> 00:20:55 empire in
00:20:55 --> 00:20:56 the world
00:20:56 --> 00:20:56 at the
00:20:56 --> 00:20:56 time.
00:20:59 --> 00:21:00 As you
00:21:00 --> 00:21:00 read through
00:21:00 --> 00:21:01 the Gospels,
00:21:01 --> 00:21:02 you see
00:21:02 --> 00:21:03 again and
00:21:03 --> 00:21:03 again that
00:21:03 --> 00:21:04 Jesus heads
00:21:04 --> 00:21:05 to his
00:21:05 --> 00:21:05 death,
00:21:05 --> 00:21:06 knowing it
00:21:06 --> 00:21:06 is the
00:21:06 --> 00:21:07 purpose and
00:21:07 --> 00:21:07 the will
00:21:07 --> 00:21:08 of God.
00:21:08 --> 00:21:09 It was
00:21:09 --> 00:21:10 the deliberate
00:21:10 --> 00:21:11 desire of
00:21:11 --> 00:21:12 God throughout
00:21:12 --> 00:21:14 history that
00:21:14 --> 00:21:14 his son,
00:21:15 --> 00:21:15 Jesus,
00:21:15 --> 00:21:16 would come
00:21:16 --> 00:21:17 into his
00:21:17 --> 00:21:17 creation and
00:21:17 --> 00:21:18 suffer and
00:21:18 --> 00:21:19 die and
00:21:19 --> 00:21:20 rise and
00:21:20 --> 00:21:20 reign.
00:21:20 --> 00:21:21 It was no
00:21:21 --> 00:21:22 mistake.
00:21:22 --> 00:21:23 It wasn't a
00:21:23 --> 00:21:23 tragedy.
00:21:24 --> 00:21:24 God's intention
00:21:24 --> 00:21:25 was for his
00:21:25 --> 00:21:26 glory to be
00:21:26 --> 00:21:27 displayed through
00:21:27 --> 00:21:28 the wicked
00:21:28 --> 00:21:29 plans of
00:21:29 --> 00:21:30 humanity to
00:21:30 --> 00:21:30 nail Jesus
00:21:30 --> 00:21:31 upon a
00:21:31 --> 00:21:32 Roman cross.
00:21:34 --> 00:21:36 In chapter
00:21:36 --> 00:21:36 19,
00:21:36 --> 00:21:37 verse 5,
00:21:38 --> 00:21:38 Pilate thought
00:21:38 --> 00:21:39 Jesus was a
00:21:39 --> 00:21:40 joke,
00:21:41 --> 00:21:42 made a
00:21:42 --> 00:21:42 spectacle,
00:21:42 --> 00:21:43 dressed him
00:21:43 --> 00:21:43 up.
00:21:44 --> 00:21:44 And when
00:21:44 --> 00:21:45 he brought
00:21:45 --> 00:21:45 Jesus,
00:21:45 --> 00:21:46 when Jesus
00:21:46 --> 00:21:46 came out
00:21:46 --> 00:21:47 wearing the
00:21:47 --> 00:21:48 crown of
00:21:48 --> 00:21:49 thorns and
00:21:49 --> 00:21:49 the purple
00:21:49 --> 00:21:50 robe,
00:21:50 --> 00:21:51 Pilate said
00:21:51 --> 00:21:53 to them,
00:21:53 --> 00:21:53 to the
00:21:53 --> 00:21:53 gathering
00:21:53 --> 00:21:54 crowd,
00:21:56 --> 00:21:56 not,
00:21:57 --> 00:21:57 here's your
00:21:57 --> 00:21:58 man,
00:21:59 --> 00:22:00 here is
00:22:00 --> 00:22:01 the man.
00:22:04 --> 00:22:05 Definite
00:22:05 --> 00:22:05 article,
00:22:06 --> 00:22:07 the man.
00:22:07 --> 00:22:11 Pilate's
00:22:11 --> 00:22:12 mocking Jesus
00:22:12 --> 00:22:13 to the
00:22:13 --> 00:22:13 crowd,
00:22:14 --> 00:22:14 dressed up
00:22:14 --> 00:22:14 with all
00:22:14 --> 00:22:15 these fake
00:22:15 --> 00:22:15 robe,
00:22:15 --> 00:22:16 look at
00:22:16 --> 00:22:17 the man,
00:22:18 --> 00:22:18 the
00:22:18 --> 00:22:19 quintessential
00:22:19 --> 00:22:21 human being.
00:22:21 --> 00:22:22 And then
00:22:22 --> 00:22:23 in verses
00:22:23 --> 00:22:24 13 and
00:22:24 --> 00:22:24 14,
00:22:24 --> 00:22:25 the drama
00:22:25 --> 00:22:25 concludes,
00:22:25 --> 00:22:26 out on the
00:22:26 --> 00:22:26 pavement,
00:22:27 --> 00:22:28 Pilate takes
00:22:28 --> 00:22:28 the official
00:22:28 --> 00:22:29 seat,
00:22:30 --> 00:22:31 declaring his
00:22:31 --> 00:22:31 judgment on
00:22:31 --> 00:22:32 behalf of the
00:22:32 --> 00:22:33 Roman Empire,
00:22:33 --> 00:22:34 and what
00:22:34 --> 00:22:34 comes out of
00:22:34 --> 00:22:35 his mouth?
00:22:35 --> 00:22:38 your king.
00:22:42 --> 00:22:43 Not this
00:22:43 --> 00:22:43 pathetic loser,
00:22:44 --> 00:22:45 your king.
00:22:46 --> 00:22:47 At every
00:22:47 --> 00:22:48 point here,
00:22:48 --> 00:22:49 Jesus is in
00:22:49 --> 00:22:49 control.
00:22:50 --> 00:22:51 We are told
00:22:51 --> 00:22:52 his final
00:22:52 --> 00:22:52 pronouncement
00:22:52 --> 00:22:53 came at
00:22:53 --> 00:22:54 the sixth
00:22:54 --> 00:22:54 hour, that
00:22:54 --> 00:22:55 is Pilate's
00:22:55 --> 00:22:56 final pronouncement,
00:22:56 --> 00:22:57 on the eve
00:22:57 --> 00:22:57 of the
00:22:57 --> 00:22:58 Passover,
00:22:59 --> 00:23:00 the very
00:23:00 --> 00:23:01 hour,
00:23:02 --> 00:23:03 the very
00:23:03 --> 00:23:04 hour that
00:23:04 --> 00:23:04 the priest
00:23:04 --> 00:23:05 began to
00:23:05 --> 00:23:06 slaughter the
00:23:06 --> 00:23:06 Paschal
00:23:06 --> 00:23:07 lambs,
00:23:08 --> 00:23:09 the Passover
00:23:09 --> 00:23:09 lambs at
00:23:09 --> 00:23:10 the temple.
00:23:14 --> 00:23:15 Jesus,
00:23:15 --> 00:23:15 the king of
00:23:15 --> 00:23:16 the Jews,
00:23:16 --> 00:23:16 the son of
00:23:16 --> 00:23:16 God,
00:23:17 --> 00:23:17 the lamb
00:23:17 --> 00:23:18 of God,
00:23:18 --> 00:23:18 who takes
00:23:18 --> 00:23:18 away the
00:23:18 --> 00:23:19 sin of
00:23:19 --> 00:23:19 the world,
00:23:20 --> 00:23:21 timed his
00:23:21 --> 00:23:23 condemnation to
00:23:23 --> 00:23:23 his death
00:23:23 --> 00:23:24 and to
00:23:24 --> 00:23:24 death
00:23:24 --> 00:23:26 perfectly.
00:23:26 --> 00:23:27 God's
00:23:27 --> 00:23:28 will be
00:23:28 --> 00:23:29 saved.
00:23:29 --> 00:23:30 They were
00:23:30 --> 00:23:31 all
00:23:31 --> 00:23:31 poor
00:23:31 --> 00:23:34 in God's
00:23:34 --> 00:23:35 great drama
00:23:35 --> 00:23:36 to save
00:23:36 --> 00:23:36 the world.
00:23:38 --> 00:23:38 As 1 Timothy
00:23:38 --> 00:23:39 tells us,
00:23:39 --> 00:23:40 here is a
00:23:40 --> 00:23:40 trustworthy
00:23:40 --> 00:23:41 saying that
00:23:41 --> 00:23:41 deserves full
00:23:41 --> 00:23:42 acceptance.
00:23:43 --> 00:23:43 Christ Jesus
00:23:43 --> 00:23:44 came into the
00:23:44 --> 00:23:45 world to save
00:23:45 --> 00:23:45 sinners.
00:23:45 --> 00:23:48 Jesus died
00:23:48 --> 00:23:48 because of the
00:23:48 --> 00:23:49 wickedness of
00:23:49 --> 00:23:49 humanity.
00:23:50 --> 00:23:51 He died
00:23:51 --> 00:23:51 because of
00:23:51 --> 00:23:52 the will
00:23:52 --> 00:23:52 of God.
00:23:54 --> 00:23:54 Yet those
00:23:54 --> 00:23:55 two observations
00:23:55 --> 00:23:56 don't get to
00:23:56 --> 00:23:57 the deepest
00:23:57 --> 00:23:58 answer.
00:24:03 --> 00:24:03 The
00:24:03 --> 00:24:04 willingness of
00:24:04 --> 00:24:06 Jesus out
00:24:06 --> 00:24:06 of love for
00:24:06 --> 00:24:07 humanity.
00:24:08 --> 00:24:09 To get to the
00:24:09 --> 00:24:10 heart of the
00:24:10 --> 00:24:11 issue, I want
00:24:11 --> 00:24:11 to turn to a
00:24:11 --> 00:24:12 passage in the
00:24:12 --> 00:24:12 first part of
00:24:12 --> 00:24:13 the Bible.
00:24:13 --> 00:24:14 It's
00:24:14 --> 00:24:15 repeatedly
00:24:15 --> 00:24:16 pointed to
00:24:16 --> 00:24:16 for an
00:24:16 --> 00:24:17 explanation of
00:24:17 --> 00:24:17 Jesus'
00:24:17 --> 00:24:18 death.
00:24:19 --> 00:24:19 Isaiah
00:24:19 --> 00:24:21 chapter 53.
00:24:22 --> 00:24:22 It's
00:24:22 --> 00:24:23 writing, this
00:24:23 --> 00:24:23 is Isaiah,
00:24:24 --> 00:24:25 seven centuries
00:24:25 --> 00:24:25 before the
00:24:25 --> 00:24:26 crucifixion of
00:24:26 --> 00:24:27 Jesus.
00:24:27 --> 00:24:28 Isaiah 53
00:24:28 --> 00:24:29 verse 4.
00:24:29 --> 00:24:30 Surely he
00:24:30 --> 00:24:31 took up our
00:24:31 --> 00:24:31 pain and
00:24:31 --> 00:24:32 bore our
00:24:32 --> 00:24:33 suffering, yet
00:24:33 --> 00:24:34 we considered
00:24:34 --> 00:24:34 him punished
00:24:34 --> 00:24:35 by God,
00:24:36 --> 00:24:36 stricken by
00:24:36 --> 00:24:36 him and
00:24:36 --> 00:24:37 afflicted.
00:24:37 --> 00:24:38 He was
00:24:38 --> 00:24:38 pierced for
00:24:38 --> 00:24:38 our
00:24:38 --> 00:24:39 transgressions,
00:24:39 --> 00:24:40 he was
00:24:40 --> 00:24:40 crushed for
00:24:40 --> 00:24:41 our iniquities.
00:24:42 --> 00:24:42 The punishment
00:24:42 --> 00:24:43 that brought
00:24:43 --> 00:24:44 us peace
00:24:44 --> 00:24:44 was on
00:24:44 --> 00:24:45 him and
00:24:45 --> 00:24:46 by his
00:24:46 --> 00:24:46 wounds we
00:24:46 --> 00:24:47 are healed.
00:24:48 --> 00:24:48 We all
00:24:48 --> 00:24:49 like sheep
00:24:49 --> 00:24:49 have gone
00:24:49 --> 00:24:50 astray, but
00:24:50 --> 00:24:51 each has
00:24:51 --> 00:24:51 turned to
00:24:51 --> 00:24:51 our own
00:24:51 --> 00:24:53 way and
00:24:53 --> 00:24:53 the Lord
00:24:53 --> 00:24:54 has laid
00:24:54 --> 00:24:54 on him
00:24:54 --> 00:24:55 the iniquity
00:24:55 --> 00:24:56 of us
00:24:56 --> 00:24:56 all.
00:24:58 --> 00:24:59 What we
00:24:59 --> 00:24:59 have in
00:24:59 --> 00:25:00 Isaiah 53
00:25:00 --> 00:25:02 is
00:25:02 --> 00:25:03 substitutionary
00:25:03 --> 00:25:04 language.
00:25:05 --> 00:25:05 Did you
00:25:05 --> 00:25:06 see it?
00:25:07 --> 00:25:08 Pierced
00:25:08 --> 00:25:09 for our
00:25:09 --> 00:25:10 transgressions,
00:25:10 --> 00:25:11 crushed for
00:25:11 --> 00:25:12 our
00:25:12 --> 00:25:13 iniquities.
00:25:13 --> 00:25:13 The
00:25:13 --> 00:25:14 punishment
00:25:14 --> 00:25:14 that's
00:25:14 --> 00:25:14 brought us
00:25:14 --> 00:25:15 peace was
00:25:15 --> 00:25:16 on him
00:25:16 --> 00:25:17 and by
00:25:17 --> 00:25:18 his wounds
00:25:18 --> 00:25:19 we are
00:25:19 --> 00:25:19 healed.
00:25:20 --> 00:25:20 The Lord
00:25:20 --> 00:25:20 has laid
00:25:20 --> 00:25:21 on him
00:25:21 --> 00:25:22 the iniquity
00:25:22 --> 00:25:23 of us
00:25:23 --> 00:25:24 all.
00:25:25 --> 00:25:26 And did
00:25:26 --> 00:25:26 you see
00:25:26 --> 00:25:27 the language
00:25:27 --> 00:25:28 of God's
00:25:28 --> 00:25:28 purposes and
00:25:28 --> 00:25:29 plan in
00:25:29 --> 00:25:29 this?
00:25:30 --> 00:25:30 Yet we
00:25:30 --> 00:25:31 considered him
00:25:31 --> 00:25:32 punished by
00:25:32 --> 00:25:33 God, stricken
00:25:33 --> 00:25:33 by him and
00:25:33 --> 00:25:34 afflicted.
00:25:34 --> 00:25:35 We all,
00:25:35 --> 00:25:35 that is you
00:25:35 --> 00:25:36 and me as
00:25:36 --> 00:25:37 well, like
00:25:37 --> 00:25:37 sheep have
00:25:37 --> 00:25:38 gone astray,
00:25:38 --> 00:25:38 each to his
00:25:38 --> 00:25:39 own, turned
00:25:39 --> 00:25:40 to our own
00:25:40 --> 00:25:40 way, and
00:25:40 --> 00:25:41 the Lord
00:25:41 --> 00:25:41 has laid
00:25:41 --> 00:25:42 on him
00:25:42 --> 00:25:44 the iniquity
00:25:44 --> 00:25:44 of us
00:25:44 --> 00:25:45 all.
00:25:46 --> 00:25:47 The word
00:25:47 --> 00:25:48 transgression
00:25:48 --> 00:25:49 is a word
00:25:49 --> 00:25:50 that means
00:25:50 --> 00:25:50 willful
00:25:50 --> 00:25:52 rebellion
00:25:52 --> 00:25:53 against God.
00:25:54 --> 00:25:54 Iniquity
00:25:54 --> 00:25:55 is a word
00:25:55 --> 00:25:56 that means
00:25:56 --> 00:25:57 to bend,
00:25:57 --> 00:25:59 to bend
00:25:59 --> 00:25:59 over, to
00:25:59 --> 00:26:00 contort.
00:26:00 --> 00:26:01 It's referring
00:26:01 --> 00:26:02 to the
00:26:02 --> 00:26:03 brokenness
00:26:03 --> 00:26:04 of humanity.
00:26:04 --> 00:26:09 Jesus is
00:26:09 --> 00:26:10 carrying
00:26:10 --> 00:26:11 God's
00:26:11 --> 00:26:12 just
00:26:12 --> 00:26:13 punishment,
00:26:13 --> 00:26:14 his just
00:26:14 --> 00:26:15 judgment
00:26:15 --> 00:26:15 for our
00:26:15 --> 00:26:16 human
00:26:16 --> 00:26:17 rebellion
00:26:17 --> 00:26:18 and iniquity
00:26:18 --> 00:26:19 and sin
00:26:19 --> 00:26:19 to the
00:26:19 --> 00:26:20 cross.
00:26:21 --> 00:26:21 That is
00:26:21 --> 00:26:21 Jesus'
00:26:22 --> 00:26:22 trades place
00:26:22 --> 00:26:23 with us.
00:26:25 --> 00:26:26 When
00:26:26 --> 00:26:26 John
00:26:26 --> 00:26:27 first points
00:26:27 --> 00:26:28 to the
00:26:28 --> 00:26:29 person of
00:26:29 --> 00:26:29 Jesus,
00:26:29 --> 00:26:30 as he
00:26:30 --> 00:26:31 comes,
00:26:32 --> 00:26:32 the very
00:26:32 --> 00:26:33 first time
00:26:33 --> 00:26:33 he gets
00:26:33 --> 00:26:34 to identify
00:26:34 --> 00:26:34 the person
00:26:34 --> 00:26:35 of Jesus
00:26:35 --> 00:26:35 in this
00:26:35 --> 00:26:35 gospel.
00:26:36 --> 00:26:36 In chapter
00:26:36 --> 00:26:37 one, he
00:26:37 --> 00:26:37 says,
00:26:37 --> 00:26:38 behold,
00:26:39 --> 00:26:39 the Lamb
00:26:39 --> 00:26:40 of God
00:26:40 --> 00:26:40 who takes
00:26:40 --> 00:26:41 away the
00:26:41 --> 00:26:41 sin of the
00:26:41 --> 00:26:42 world.
00:26:43 --> 00:26:44 That is a
00:26:44 --> 00:26:44 reference to
00:26:44 --> 00:26:45 this passage
00:26:45 --> 00:26:45 in Isaiah
00:26:45 --> 00:26:47 where Jesus
00:26:47 --> 00:26:48 likened to
00:26:48 --> 00:26:48 the sheep
00:26:48 --> 00:26:49 going to
00:26:49 --> 00:26:49 the slaughter.
00:26:50 --> 00:26:51 He takes
00:26:51 --> 00:26:51 upon himself
00:26:51 --> 00:26:52 God's
00:26:52 --> 00:26:53 judgment
00:26:53 --> 00:26:53 for our
00:26:53 --> 00:26:54 sin.
00:26:55 --> 00:26:56 Jesus,
00:26:57 --> 00:26:58 fully God,
00:26:58 --> 00:26:59 fully man,
00:27:00 --> 00:27:00 Jesus,
00:27:01 --> 00:27:01 having lived
00:27:01 --> 00:27:02 a perfect
00:27:02 --> 00:27:02 life,
00:27:02 --> 00:27:03 goes to
00:27:03 --> 00:27:03 death on
00:27:03 --> 00:27:04 a cross
00:27:04 --> 00:27:05 and carries
00:27:05 --> 00:27:06 God's
00:27:06 --> 00:27:06 just judgment
00:27:06 --> 00:27:07 for every
00:27:07 --> 00:27:08 wrong,
00:27:10 --> 00:27:11 every wrong
00:27:11 --> 00:27:12 thing that you
00:27:12 --> 00:27:12 and I have
00:27:12 --> 00:27:13 ever done
00:27:13 --> 00:27:14 or thought
00:27:14 --> 00:27:16 and also
00:27:16 --> 00:27:17 for all the
00:27:17 --> 00:27:17 right things
00:27:17 --> 00:27:18 that we have
00:27:18 --> 00:27:18 failed to
00:27:18 --> 00:27:18 do,
00:27:19 --> 00:27:19 such as
00:27:19 --> 00:27:20 love the
00:27:20 --> 00:27:20 Lord your
00:27:20 --> 00:27:20 God with
00:27:20 --> 00:27:20 all your
00:27:20 --> 00:27:21 heart,
00:27:21 --> 00:27:21 soul and
00:27:21 --> 00:27:21 mind.
00:27:24 --> 00:27:25 And we
00:27:25 --> 00:27:25 get a glimpse
00:27:25 --> 00:27:25 of what he
00:27:25 --> 00:27:26 does for us
00:27:26 --> 00:27:27 in this
00:27:27 --> 00:27:27 passage.
00:27:30 --> 00:27:30 He trades
00:27:30 --> 00:27:31 place with
00:27:31 --> 00:27:32 Barabbas.
00:27:38 --> 00:27:38 Barabbas was
00:27:38 --> 00:27:39 the only man
00:27:39 --> 00:27:40 in history
00:27:40 --> 00:27:41 who could
00:27:41 --> 00:27:41 ever see,
00:27:42 --> 00:27:42 say,
00:27:42 --> 00:27:43 Jesus has
00:27:43 --> 00:27:44 taken my
00:27:44 --> 00:27:45 place
00:27:45 --> 00:27:45 physically.
00:27:48 --> 00:27:48 But in
00:27:48 --> 00:27:49 that,
00:27:50 --> 00:27:52 we're
00:27:52 --> 00:27:52 revealed here
00:27:52 --> 00:27:53 that Jesus
00:27:53 --> 00:27:53 takes our
00:27:53 --> 00:27:54 place
00:27:54 --> 00:27:54 spiritually.
00:27:58 --> 00:27:59 Barabbas was
00:27:59 --> 00:27:59 condemned to
00:27:59 --> 00:28:01 die and he
00:28:01 --> 00:28:01 was set
00:28:01 --> 00:28:02 free.
00:28:03 --> 00:28:04 I'm the
00:28:04 --> 00:28:05 one who
00:28:05 --> 00:28:05 deserves to
00:28:05 --> 00:28:06 be on that
00:28:06 --> 00:28:06 cross.
00:28:07 --> 00:28:07 I'm the
00:28:07 --> 00:28:07 one who
00:28:07 --> 00:28:08 deserves God's
00:28:08 --> 00:28:09 just anger.
00:28:09 --> 00:28:10 I deserve
00:28:10 --> 00:28:11 eternal
00:28:11 --> 00:28:12 punishment for
00:28:12 --> 00:28:12 my rebellion
00:28:12 --> 00:28:13 against God.
00:28:14 --> 00:28:15 And Jesus
00:28:15 --> 00:28:16 instead was
00:28:16 --> 00:28:16 delivered up
00:28:16 --> 00:28:16 for my
00:28:16 --> 00:28:17 offenses.
00:28:17 --> 00:28:18 He was
00:28:18 --> 00:28:19 handed over
00:28:19 --> 00:28:20 to judgment
00:28:20 --> 00:28:21 for my
00:28:21 --> 00:28:21 sin.
00:28:23 --> 00:28:23 Jesus
00:28:23 --> 00:28:23 Christ is
00:28:23 --> 00:28:24 my
00:28:24 --> 00:28:24 substitute.
00:28:26 --> 00:28:27 He was
00:28:27 --> 00:28:27 satisfying
00:28:27 --> 00:28:28 the debt
00:28:28 --> 00:28:29 of divine
00:28:29 --> 00:28:30 justice and
00:28:30 --> 00:28:31 holiness.
00:28:33 --> 00:28:34 The
00:28:34 --> 00:28:34 innocent
00:28:34 --> 00:28:35 one was
00:28:35 --> 00:28:35 bound
00:28:35 --> 00:28:37 and now
00:28:37 --> 00:28:37 to the
00:28:37 --> 00:28:38 cross.
00:28:39 --> 00:28:39 condemned
00:28:39 --> 00:28:40 to death
00:28:40 --> 00:28:42 so that
00:28:42 --> 00:28:42 the guilty
00:28:42 --> 00:28:43 one deserving
00:28:43 --> 00:28:44 of death
00:28:44 --> 00:28:45 might go
00:28:45 --> 00:28:45 free.
00:28:49 --> 00:28:49 It's why
00:28:49 --> 00:28:51 John 3
00:28:51 --> 00:28:53 16 is
00:28:53 --> 00:28:54 the most
00:28:54 --> 00:28:55 famous of
00:28:55 --> 00:28:56 Bible verses
00:28:56 --> 00:28:56 in this
00:28:56 --> 00:28:57 world.
00:28:57 --> 00:28:58 God so
00:28:58 --> 00:28:59 loved the
00:28:59 --> 00:28:59 world that
00:28:59 --> 00:28:59 he gave
00:28:59 --> 00:29:00 his one
00:29:00 --> 00:29:00 and only
00:29:00 --> 00:29:02 son that
00:29:02 --> 00:29:02 whoever
00:29:02 --> 00:29:03 believes in
00:29:03 --> 00:29:03 him shall
00:29:03 --> 00:29:04 not perish
00:29:04 --> 00:29:04 but have
00:29:04 --> 00:29:05 eternal life.
00:29:06 --> 00:29:07 For God
00:29:07 --> 00:29:08 did not send
00:29:08 --> 00:29:08 his son into
00:29:08 --> 00:29:09 the world to
00:29:09 --> 00:29:10 condemn the
00:29:10 --> 00:29:11 world but to
00:29:11 --> 00:29:12 save the
00:29:12 --> 00:29:13 world through
00:29:13 --> 00:29:13 him.
00:29:14 --> 00:29:15 Such is
00:29:15 --> 00:29:15 love.
00:29:17 --> 00:29:18 The
00:29:18 --> 00:29:18 wickedness of
00:29:18 --> 00:29:19 humanity,
00:29:20 --> 00:29:22 the will of
00:29:22 --> 00:29:22 God,
00:29:23 --> 00:29:24 the willingness
00:29:24 --> 00:29:25 of Jesus
00:29:25 --> 00:29:25 out of
00:29:25 --> 00:29:26 love,
00:29:27 --> 00:29:27 declares
00:29:27 --> 00:29:29 that you
00:29:29 --> 00:29:30 and I
00:29:30 --> 00:29:32 are more
00:29:32 --> 00:29:33 sinful and
00:29:33 --> 00:29:34 deserving of
00:29:34 --> 00:29:34 wrath,
00:29:35 --> 00:29:37 more deeply
00:29:37 --> 00:29:38 broken and
00:29:38 --> 00:29:39 damaged than
00:29:39 --> 00:29:40 we would ever
00:29:40 --> 00:29:41 allow ourselves
00:29:41 --> 00:29:42 to contemplate.
00:29:44 --> 00:29:45 And yet at
00:29:45 --> 00:29:46 the same time
00:29:46 --> 00:29:47 we are more
00:29:47 --> 00:29:48 loved and
00:29:48 --> 00:29:49 affirmed than
00:29:49 --> 00:29:50 we could ever
00:29:50 --> 00:29:52 possibly dream.