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The Last Sermon
Luke 23:26-31
January 17, 2021

If you’re studying Hebrews with us through the daily devotions,
Then recently you have been reminded of the story of
The failure of the children of Israel as they wandered in the wilderness.

The text that the writer of Hebrews cites comes from Psalms 95
Psalms 95:7b-11 “Today, if you would hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, As in the day of Massah in the wilderness, “When your fathers tested Me, They tried Me, though they had seen My work. “For forty years I loathed that generation, And said they are a people who err in their heart, And they do not know My ways. “Therefore I swore in My anger, Truly they shall not enter into My rest.”

The event alluded to there was the grumbling of Israel regarding water,
And God’s ultimate decision that an entire generation of people
Would not be allowed to enter the Promised Land.

Do you remember that proclamation by God?

Numbers 14:26-32 “The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, “How long shall I bear with this evil congregation who are grumbling against Me? I have heard the complaints of the sons of Israel, which they are making against Me. “Say to them, ‘As I live,’ says the LORD, ‘just as you have spoken in My hearing, so I will surely do to you; your corpses will fall in this wilderness, even all your numbered men, according to your complete number from twenty years old and upward, who have grumbled against Me. ‘Surely you shall not come into the land in which I swore to settle you, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun. ‘Your children, however, whom you said would become a prey — I will bring them in, and they will know the land which you have rejected. ‘But as for you, your corpses will fall in this wilderness.”

It must have been a horrifying day.
• God announced that if you’re over 20 you will not enter the Promised Land.
• YOU WILL DIE IN THE WILDERNESS.

THE POINT?
Because of a present decision, their future fate was sealed.
In a sense, they were dead men walking.

Like the famous signs along the river that lead to NIAGARA FALLS,
They had crossed the point of no return.

All that was left for them was to wait for the Lord’s judgment.

The writer of Hebrews referenced that story because
He wanted his audience to understand the importance of “Today”.

“Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts…”
• You can no longer trust Christ yesterday.
• You cannot yet trust Christ tomorrow.
• All you have is today, all you have is right now.

And the reality is that what you choose today
May very well be the decision that sets your eternity forever.

We saw that with Pilate last week.
• He had every opportunity to confess the Son of God, the Messiah, the innocent One (all things Pilate knew) and yet he didn’t.
• He washed his hands, but he would never escape the guilt.

It is a terrifying reality to think about
The children of Israel in the wilderness or Pilate in Rome
Who spend the rest of their days simply waiting for the judgment.

Habakkuk had a similar encounter with the Lord.
• Habakkuk was a man who was distressed by the wickedness of his society
and he asked God to do something about it.
• God affirmed that He was about to do something.

Habakkuk 1:5-6, 11 “Look among the nations! Observe! Be astonished! Wonder! Because I am doing something in your days — You would not believe if you were told. “For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans, That fierce and impetuous people Who march throughout the earth To seize dwelling places which are not theirs… “Then they will sweep through like the wind and pass on. But they will be held guilty, They whose strength is their god.”

• Habakkuk was terribly frightened when he heard the Lord’s plan.
• But God had already determined it.

Later in the book Habakkuk remarks about this coming dread:
Habakkuk 3:16 “I heard and my inward parts trembled, At the sound my lips quivered. Decay enters my bones, And in my place I tremble. Because I must wait quietly for the day of distress, For the people to arise who will invade us.”

In short, we are dead men walking.
Now Habakkuk was a man of faith and he had determined to trust God,
but the dread of the coming judgment was still real.

IT IS THIS DREAD WE DISCUSS THIS MORNING.

We come to the last sermon of Jesus before He was crucified.
Only Luke includes it.

But it follows perfectly what we have been saying.
• We have seen Jesus stand before various courts and leaders and they all thought they were trying Jesus.
• IN REALITY, JESUS WAS TRYING THEM.
• And that goes for the crowd who yelled for Jesus to be crucified as well.
• They had rejected the Christ.
• And now they faced a sure and certain judgment.

And this is the sermon Christ is preaching on His way to the cross.
IT IS INCREDIBLY IRONIC.

We have here a Man sentenced to death, on His way to be crucified
And yet He is warning the crowd about their coming doom.

We would call it laughable if we didn’t have the rest of the story.
In 3 days Jesus will be back alive,
But the fate of Jerusalem would be permanently set.

And so we listen to this last sermon of Jesus
• And it simply reminds us that “Today” we are required to trust Christ
• For none of us knows when our final opportunity will have passed.

There are 5 points we can make in this text this morning, and several of them we’ll work through rather quickly.
#1 A CROSS IN TOW
Luke 23:26

Here we begin with an interesting account
That is included in all 3 synoptic gospels.

“When they led Him away, they seized a man, Simone of Cyrene, coming from the country, and placed on him the cross to carry behind Jesus.”

This was not actually that unheard of.
• You may remember Jesus earlier teaching in the Sermon on the Mount.

Matthew 5:40-41 “Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two.”

• It was the prerogative of a Roman soldier to be able to enlist a Jewish citizen
into temporary service at his pleasure.
• And that is what happens.

We have a man here from “Cyrene” (northern Africa; Libya)

He has no doubt come to Jerusalem for the Passover
And finds himself “At the right place and at the right time.”

He is grabbed and forced to carry Jesus’ cross.

The reason I say he was “At the right place at the right time”
Instead of the opposite is because it is apparent that the event
Left a mark on Simon and resulted in his salvation.

Mark’s gospel reveals this:
Mark 15:21 “They pressed into service a passer-by coming from the country, Simon of Cyrene (the father of Alexander and Rufus), to bear His cross.”

• It is obvious that Mark had a personal connection as did the church to whom Mark wrote.
• His audience obviously would have known Alexander and Rufus.
• By the point the gospels were written those two men had obviously become followers of Christ and were a part of the church.

Paul even references Rufus later:
Romans 16:13 “Greet Rufus, a choice man in the Lord, also his mother and mine.”

• Paul even referred to Rufus’ mother as “his mother and mine”

It is apparent that Simon must have been moved by what he experienced
And that he led his family to know the Lord.

THERE IS EVEN GOOD REASON TO ASSUME
That Simon had a hand in the gospel reaching his home village of Cyrene
Because as the church is beginning to grow it is actually missionaries
That come from Cyrene who are among the first to preach to Gentiles.

Acts 11:19-21 “So then those who were scattered because of the persecution that occurred in connection with Stephen made their way to Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except to Jews alone. But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who came to Antioch and began speaking to the Greeks also, preaching the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a large number who believed turned to the Lord.”

Now obviously we don’t have the entire story, but being that Cyrene was in north Africa it is doubtful that the village would have known much about Christ.

It is more likely that Simon’s trip to Jerusalem
And this encounter with Jesus
Actually resulted in many salvations including that of Simon.

He was in the right place at the right time.

But more than that, I think there’s a reason why Luke includes this story.

By now you realize that Luke likes contrasts.
He likes to lay two players beside each other and to allow you to see the obvious difference.

WELL SIMON PROVIDES THE CONTRAST.

In verse 26 read about Simon and how he was selected
And “placed on him the cross to carry behind Jesus.”

He is quite the living illustration isn’t he?
Luke 9:23 “And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.”

• I’m NOT insinuating that Simon was already saved at this point, or that he was here following Jesus in faith as Jesus spoke.
• But the scene is pretty illustrative of exactly what Jesus had proclaimed as necessary.

Simon will be saved, but here he is just a really interesting picture.

He will soon be CONTRASTED with other people who are following Jesus.
• They are not carrying a cross…
• They are not suffering with Christ…
• They are merely weeping for Christ.

AND THERE IS A GREAT CONTRAST EMERGING IN THAT PICTURE.

One is following Christ while bearing His cross.
The other is following Christ while merely lamenting His cross.

Simon provides for us a point of reference to view the rest of the crowd.

So we see A Cross in Tow
#2 A CROWD IN TEARS
Luke 23:27

Now we are introduced to the other part of the crowd.
• Two groups really emerge here,
• Though only one of them earns the attention of Jesus.

“And following Him was a large crowd of people”

• No doubt some of these were people who had been at the triumphal entry.
• Certainly most of these had been at His recent sentencing and even cried out for Him to be crucified.
• They are caught up in the moment and they are going to watch this blasphemer and traitor to Rome be executed.

But there is another group there that Luke really focuses on.
“and of women who were mourning and lamenting Him.”

THERE ARE TWO POSSIBILITIES HERE.

ONE IS THAT
• They are merely those professional type mourners
• That were often employed in Israel
• Who simply saw it as their job to put on a good show of grief and mourning.

THE OTHER IS THAT
• They were legitimately moved by the horror of what was about to occur.

And I don’t have a problem with either or both of them being true.
We don’t really know.

All we know is that they are behind Jesus
And they are really getting after it in their weeping.

THERE IS ONE OTHER THING WE KNOW AND THAT IS THAT
While they are weeping, they are NOT REDEEMED.

This is why they are good contrast to Simon
Who is also following Jesus while bearing His cross.

How do we know they aren’t redeemed?
Because Jesus is about to tell them to weep for themselves.

That is a different message than Jesus has for the redeemed.
Just a few hours earlier He had told the disciples in the upper room.

John 16:20-22 “Truly, truly, I say to you, that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; you will grieve, but your grief will be turned into joy. “Whenever a woman is in labor she has pain, because her hour has come; but when she gives birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy that a child has been born into the world. “Therefore you too have grief now; but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you.”

The message to the redeemed is that their weeping would be short-lived.
That was NOT the message to these women.

So what we have here are women who are following Jesus
And putting on a good show of weeping,
But they are not genuine followers of Christ.

It brings to mind:

Esau who did not receive the blessing:
Hebrews 12:17 “For you know that even afterwards, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears.”

It reminds of the warning of John the Baptist:
Matthew 3:8 “Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance;”

We are reminded of the Rich Young Ruler
Matthew 19:22 “But when the young man heard this statement, he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property.”

DON’T LET THE EMOTIONAL DISPLAY FOOL YOU.
There is a drastic difference between following Christ
And simply being emotional about Christ.

There is an entire group of women who are just weeping like crazy
And it looks like they really love Jesus,
But the contrast is the one behind Jesus who is carrying His cross.

WHICH ARE YOU?

Again, Jesus was clear:
Matthew 10:37-39 “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. “And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. “He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it.”

Matthew 16:24-27 “Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? “For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and WILL THEN REPAY EVERY MAN ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS.”

When Jesus called us to follow He was calling us
to forsake this world and to latch on to Him.

• We were to embrace His suffering…
• We were to embrace His shame…
• We were to embrace His cross…

He doesn’t need more posts on Facebook…
He doesn’t desire more tweets on Twitter…

His call was for people to set their life aside and follow Him.
• To do that with cross on shoulder…
• To do that up the hill to Golgotha…

Don’t ever miss this.
Matthew 7:13-14 “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. “For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”

I would remind you again of what we have said before.
Do not misunderstand the analogy.

1. You have a wide road with a wide gate and a popular following.
2. You have a narrow road with small gate and a scarce following.

But only the narrow road leads to life, the other leads to destruction.
And here’s the critical part.

People assume
That over the wide road hangs a sign that says, “The Road to Hell”
And over the narrow road hangs a sign that says, “The Road to Heaven”

But that’s not true.
The wide gate actually says “The Road to Heaven”
• The only problem is that it is mislabeled.
• It was hung there by the false prophets
• Who have deceived people into thinking that they can keep their easy life and all their friends and still go to heaven when they die.

Those people are just happily traveling that wide open road
And they don’t even realize they are headed to hell.

The sign above the narrow road does not say the road to heaven,
• It says, “The Road to the Cross”
• Which is the road we are called to walk.
• And that’s why so few travel it.

And the terrifying reality that Jesus teaches is that
Most people are on the road to hell and they don’t even know it.

Most people are headed to hell and don’t even know it.
The contrast is visibly clear here.

A Cross in Tow, A Crowd in Tears
#3 A CORRECTION IN THEOLOGY
Luke 23:28

Here Jesus turns and addresses especially these women,
AND HIS SERMON IS STARTLING.

“But Jesus turning to them said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, stop weeping for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.”

That is to say, “Boy, you’ve got it all wrong!”
You have assessed everything and you think I’m the One in trouble.
You clearly lack discernment.

You probably thought I was on trial before the Sanhedrin too…
You probably thought I was on trial before Pilate as well…

Here we have the Son of God being led away to be crucified
And the people watching think He’s the One in trouble.

Jesus says, “NOT SO!”
“weep for yourselves and for your children.”

Remember that little declaration before Pilate?
Matthew 27:25 “And all the people said, “His blood shall be on us and on our children!”

BAD IDEA.
• These people had just rejected the Son of God.
• They had willingly dipped their hands in His blood
• And they had acknowledged the effect this decision had on their children.

AND WE KNOW THE AFFECT AS WELL.
Israel would be broken off.

Paul said that as a result of their rejection:
Romans 11:7-10 “What then? What Israel is seeking, it has not obtained, but those who were chosen obtained it, and the rest were hardened; just as it is written, “GOD GAVE THEM A SPIRIT OF STUPOR, EYES TO SEE NOT AND EARS TO HEAR NOT, DOWN TO THIS VERY DAY.” And David says, “LET THEIR TABLE BECOME A SNARE AND A TRAP, AND A STUMBLING BLOCK AND A RETRIBUTION TO THEM. “LET THEIR EYES BE DARKENED TO SEE NOT, AND BEND THEIR BACKS FOREVER.”

It’s as we talked about last week.
• They had chosen to condemn and innocent man!
• They had chosen to murder the Son of God!

Jesus wasn’t the One in danger here and Jesus clarifies that.

A Cross in Tow, A Crowd in Tears, A Correction in Theology
#4 A COMING TRIBULATION
Luke 23:29-30

I can imagine that as Jesus told these women to weep for themselves
• That there must have been an abrupt stop to the weeping
• And a look of bewilderment
• And perhaps even a chuckle or two.

WHAT?
So Jesus explains the situation that they had failed to see.

“For behold, the days are coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed.’”

Now there’s more, but let’s STOP THERE FOR A SECOND.

In Jewish culture there was no higher calling or desire for women than to bear children.
• Think about Sarah…
• Think about Rebekah…
• Think about that feud between Rachel and Leah…
• Think about Hannah…
• Think about Elizabeth…

The greatest desire for any Jewish woman was to raise godly children,
Or even to be fortunate enough to be the mother of the Messiah.

Remember:
Luke 11:27 “While Jesus was saying these things, one of the women in the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, “Blessed is the womb that bore You and the breasts at which You nursed.”

Bearing children was the goal and the desire.

It was absolutely unthinkable that any woman
Would consider a barren woman to be blessed!

That’s is just a strange statement.
• What do you mean “Blessed are the barren…”?
• What do you mean “Blessed are…the wombs that never bore…”?
• What do you mean “Blessed are…the breasts that never nursed…”?

That’s absurd!
No barren women would ever be considered blessed.

Well, they will on the Day of Judgment.
• They will on the day that the babies of Jerusalem are being slaughtered…
• They will on the day their children are dying…

It is the picture of a woman watching her child be slaughtered
AND ACTUALLY ENVYING A BARREN WOMAN
Who doesn’t know the pain of losing a child.

IT’S GOING TO BE BAD.

What do you mean?
(30) “then they will begin TO SAY TO THE MOUNTAINS, ‘FALL ON US,’ AND TO THE HILLS, ‘COVER US.’”

There is an Old Testament reference here.
• In Hosea 10 Hosea speaks of the northern kingdom of Israel and their terrible idolatry.
• And because of their faithless idolatry God has pronounced judgment on them.
• He is about to send the King of Assyria to destroy them.

Hosea 10:5-8 “The inhabitants of Samaria will fear For the calf of Beth-aven. Indeed, its people will mourn for it, And its idolatrous priests will cry out over it, Over its glory, since it has departed from it. The thing itself will be carried to Assyria As tribute to King Jareb; Ephraim will be seized with shame And Israel will be ashamed of its own counsel. Samaria will be cut off with her king Like a stick on the surface of the water. Also the high places of Aven, the sin of Israel, will be destroyed; Thorn and thistle will grow on their altars; Then they will say to the mountains, “Cover us!” And to the hills, “Fall on us!”

In other words the judgment of that day will be so bad
You will actually enter into caves and plead that the cave would collapse
Because that would be better than the judgment that is coming.

And that’s not the only reference to such talk.
• A few years later, after the northern kingdom was destroyed by Assyria,
• The southern kingdom of Judah was facing the judgment of God as well.

Isaiah spoke of their judgment.
Isaiah 2:12-19 “For the LORD of hosts will have a day of reckoning Against everyone who is proud and lofty And against everyone who is lifted up, That he may be abased. And it will be against all the cedars of Lebanon that are lofty and lifted up, Against all the oaks of Bashan, Against all the lofty mountains, Against all the hills that are lifted up, Against every high tower, Against every fortified wall, Against all the ships of Tarshish And against all the beautiful craft. The pride of man will be humbled And the loftiness of men will be abased; And the LORD alone will be exalted in that day, But the idols will completely vanish. Men will go into caves of the rocks And into holes of the ground Before the terror of the LORD And the splendor of His majesty, When He arises to make the earth tremble.”

The judgment will be so terrifying you’d rather a mountain fall on you.

And of course we will see this same judgment occur during the tribulation.
Revelation 6:12-17 “I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood; and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. The sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”

YOU GET THE POINT.

These women are weeping for Jesus as though He is the One in danger.
• He’s fine, and in 3 days He’ll be alive.

The real danger is on the people who rejected Him.
• They have secured a judgment of such extreme horror that it would be better to
have a mountain fall on you.

Now do you understand the behavior of Jesus as He entered Jerusalem?
Luke 19:41-44 “When He approached Jerusalem, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, “If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes. “For the days will come upon you when your enemies will throw up a barricade against you, and surround you and hem you in on every side, and they will level you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.”

• Jesus was referring to the coming destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 at the hands of Rome.
• Because Israel failed to see and believe in her Savior she had secured judgment.
• It would be a judgment so horrible that women, after watching their children slaughtered,
• Would wish they had never even had them
• And men would rather have a mountain fall on them then endure this horror.

IT’S GOING TO BE BAD.
And all this even pales in comparison
To the ETERNAL JUDGMENT they will receive.

It seems strange today that so many people have such a little fear of hell.
Some have even embraced it as a place of like-minded friends.

Can I remind you that when Jesus contemplated the wrath of God
That He sweat drops of blood?

Can I remind you also of what He said when contemplating hell?
Matthew 18:8-9 “If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; it is better for you to enter life crippled or lame, than to have two hands or two feet and be cast into the eternal fire. “If your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it from you. It is better for you to enter life with one eye, than to have two eyes and be cast into the fiery hell.”

Jesus wasn’t advocating self-mutilation; namely since that won’t work.
• Sin resides in the heart, not the eyes
• And a man with no eyes can still have lust in his heart.

BUT YOU GET THE IDEA.
How awful would it be to right here gouge out your own eye?
How awful would it be to right here cut off your own hand?

IT WOULD BE TERRIBLE.
Jesus said that would be better than hell.

Hell is God’s eternal trash heap
Where the worm doesn’t die and the fire isn’t quenched.

Are you weeping for Jesus?
You’d be better off weeping for yourself.

Jesus will triumph, but sinners who reject Him will suffer forever.

A Cross in Tow, A Crowd in Tears, A Correction in Theology, A Coming Tribulation
#5 A CONDEMNED TREE
Luke 23:31

Jesus closes with an illustration.

Context allows us to understand it.
“For if they do these things…”

Who is “they”?
• Well “they” is the same “they” have been throughout the text.
• It is Israel.
• It is “they” who will bless the barren women (29)
• It is “they” who ask the mountains to fall on them (30)

And what are “these things” that “they” are doing?
• They are crucifying Jesus.

And they are crucifying Jesus “when the tree is green”
• That is to say when the fruit is obvious.

Jesus has lived among them for 33 years and ministered for the last 3.
His words and His miracles have been obvious for all to see.
His fruit was everywhere.

And even with such evidence they chose to condemn Him.

BUT NOW
• He looks vile and is identified with sinners.
• In the coming days He will leave.
• His works will not be so easily spotted.
• In that regard the tree will be “dry”.

AND THE POINT IS:

If they wouldn’t believe while I was right here in front of them,
They surely won’t when I am gone.
If they won’t believe while I’m working miracles.
They surely won’t believe when I’m hanging on a cross.

Remember this passage?
John 12:35-36 “So Jesus said to them, “For a little while longer the Light is among you. Walk while you have the Light, so that darkness will not overtake you; he who walks in the darkness does not know where he goes. “While you have the Light, believe in the Light, so that you may become sons of Light.” These things Jesus spoke, and He went away and hid Himself from them.”

The point is, the time is now.
• There will never be a greater opportunity.
• And in that sense, the decision you make today will set your fate for tomorrow.

Just like those children wandering in the wilderness.
• They were dead men walking.

So it was for those who crucified the Lord.
• Today, when it was easy and obvious, they rejected.
• Tomorrow, it will only be that much more difficult.

Now you understand why the writer of Hebrews said:

Hebrews 3:12-13 “Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.”

Or why he said:
Hebrews 6:4-6 “For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame.”

Or why he said:
Hebrews 10:26-31 “For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and THE FURY OF A FIRE WHICH WILL CONSUME THE ADVERSARIES. Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY.” And again, “THE LORD WILL JUDGE HIS PEOPLE.” It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”

Today is the day to believe, none of us are guaranteed tomorrow.
None of us knows what tomorrow holds.

2 Corinthians 6:2 “for He says, “AT THE ACCEPTABLE TIME I LISTENED TO YOU, AND ON THE DAY OF SALVATION I HELPED YOU.” Behold, now is “THE ACCEPTABLE TIME,” behold, now is “THE DAY OF SALVATION”

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The Lord Reigns
Psalms 93
January 10, 2021

Charles Spurgeon wrote an introduction to this Psalm
That I don’t think can at all be improved upon,
So I to begin our study tonight I simply want to read his prologue to you.

He writes:
“This brief Psalm is without title or name of author, but its subject is obvious enough, being stated in the very first line. It is the Psalm of Omnipotent Sovereignty: Jehovah, despite all opposition, reigns supreme. Possibly at the time this sacred ode was written, the nation was in danger from its enemies, and the hopes of the people of God were encouraged by remembering that the Lord was still King. What sweeter and surer consolation could they desire?”
(Spurgeon, C.H. [The Treasury of David; Volume 2, Part 2; Psalms 58-110; Hendrickson Publishers; Peabody, MA] pg. 134)

My heart leaps upon that final statement:
“and the hopes of the people of God were encouraged by remember that the Lord was still King. What sweeter and surer consolation could they desire?”

There really isn’t any.

For those of you who don’t know,
We have recently had a presidential election in our country.

I do not at all wish to get into politics during this sermon
(I save that for text messages with Cody)

I only mention it because every election,
And this one has been no exception,
Can be a cause of great anxiety, anger, fear, despair, and dread.

When faced with the possibility of a reigning government
• That censors free speech,
• Seeks to shut down businesses and livelihoods,
• Seeks to shut the doors of the church,
• And which holds quite unbiblical moral views on almost everything.

And when faced with the reality that
• Those who oppose such government have totally lost their voice
• Both by having their speech censored,
• Their concerns ignored,
• And their votes manipulated.

It can leave a person feeling helpless, frustrated, and angry.

I’m not going to lie to you.
I am one of those people.

And I only tell you that because
THIS PSALM IS SUCH A TIMELY AND NEEDED REMINDER FOR ME.

It begins with a declaration that we all know,
But perhaps it is so routine that at times we forget it.

“The Lord reigns”
• Read it again: “The Lord reigns”
• Read it again: “The Lord reigns”
• And again: “The Lord reigns”

I know that. You know that.
But when fear, anxiety, doubt, and hopelessness creep in
(like they have too often done with me in the last couple of months)
All we can deduce is that we have forgotten that.

Psalms 93 confronts our despair and then crushes it with this one blow.
“The Lord reigns”

Spurgeon would go on to say:
“Whatever opposition may arise, his throne is unmoved; he has reigned, does reign, and will reign forever and ever. Whatever turmoil and rebellion there may be beneath the clouds, the eternal King sits above all in supreme serenity; and everywhere he is really Master, let his foes rage as they may. All things are ordered according to his eternal purposes, and his will is done…Let us repeat the proclamation, “the Lord reigneth,” whispering it in the ears of the desponding, and publishing it in the face of the foe.” (ibid. pg. 134)

There is the reminder.
There is the encouragement.

And tonight we want to walk through
This tremendous and totally encouraging reminder.

We can break this Psalm into 3 points tonight.
#1 THE REIGNING KING
Psalms 93:1-2

There is such encouragement here for the believer.
Being reminded of God’s eternal and unmovable throne
Has been the rallying point for Christian encouragement
Throughout the ages.

• It is His throne that allows us hope for justice…
• It is His throne that allows us hope for salvation…
• It is His throne that allows us hope for prosperity…

We are very much that widow from Luke 18
Who goes before our Judge day and night seeking justice.

But unlike that widow, our Judge is a righteous Judge and One with full authority.

This is a constant source of encouragement.

And as we ponder this,
I want to show you perspective throughout the ages.

TURN TO: ISAIAH 6

As you turn there, I want to give you the cultural backdrop.
2 Chronicles 26:1-15 “And all the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in the place of his father Amaziah. He built Eloth and restored it to Judah after the king slept with his fathers. Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Jechiliah of Jerusalem. He did right in the sight of the LORD according to all that his father Amaziah had done. He continued to seek God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding through the vision of God; and as long as he sought the LORD, God prospered him. Now he went out and warred against the Philistines, and broke down the wall of Gath and the wall of Jabneh and the wall of Ashdod; and he built cities in the area of Ashdod and among the Philistines. God helped him against the Philistines, and against the Arabians who lived in Gur-baal, and the Meunites. The Ammonites also gave tribute to Uzziah, and his fame extended to the border of Egypt, for he became very strong. Moreover, Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate and at the Valley Gate and at the corner buttress and fortified them. He built towers in the wilderness and hewed many cisterns, for he had much livestock, both in the lowland and in the plain. He also had plowmen and vinedressers in the hill country and the fertile fields, for he loved the soil. Moreover, Uzziah had an army ready for battle, which entered combat by divisions according to the number of their muster, prepared by Jeiel the scribe and Maaseiah the official, under the direction of Hananiah, one of the king’s officers. The total number of the heads of the households, of valiant warriors, was 2,600. Under their direction was an elite army of 307,500, who could wage war with great power, to help the king against the enemy. Moreover, Uzziah prepared for all the army shields, spears, helmets, body armor, bows and sling stones. In Jerusalem he made engines of war invented by skillful men to be on the towers and on the corners for the purpose of shooting arrows and great stones. Hence his fame spread afar, for he was marvelously helped until he was strong.”

What we have described there is A GREAT KING.
He made Israel great again.
• He reigned for 52 years
• He enlarged the borders
• He strengthened the military
• He secured the nation

It was good to be alive while Uzziah was on the throne.

Now to Isaiah 6.
We read: “In the year of King Uzziah’s death…”

Do you want the context?
• Isaiah saw an empty throne.
• The man responsible for so much good in Israel was now gone.
• The future was uncertain, and fear abounded.

Where would Isaiah receive encouragement?
(READ 6:1-4)

Isaiah saw the real throne.
Isaiah saw the LORD.

And all at once it becomes obvious that
The security and the prosperity and the glory of Israel
Was not due to Uzziah’s throne,
It was because of the LORD’S throne.

INCIDENTALLY,
It was at that moment that Isaiah volunteered into service for the Lord.
Isaiah 6:8 “Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

After seeing the highest throne,
Serving any lesser throne just seemed like a pitiful job.

TURN TO: PSALMS 11

The setting here is a little different.
(READ 1-3)

• David wasn’t mourning the loss of stability as Isaiah was.
• David was actually living in corrupt times.
• His friends actually told him to flee because the foundations had been
destroyed and there was nothing the righteous could do.

In short, they had no voice.

But David looked past the newspaper and into his bible, where he learned:
(READ 4-7)

David found his courage by understanding that
Despite the chaos of the world, nothing had changed in the heavens.

TURN TO: REVELATION 4

Just the very mention of Revelation
Gives you insight into what we are discussing.
We are talking about a time of tribulation like the world has never known.

• John is about to see global death…
• John is about to see demonic invasion…
• John is about to see massive persecution…
• He is literally about to witness “all hell break loose”

How would John handle such horrible times?

Because God first solidified for John the throne.
(READ 4:1-8)

Everything there is about the throne.

“The LORD reigns”
• It doesn’t matter if you are leaving a time of PROSPERITY…
• It doesn’t matter if you are in a time of ADVERSITY…
• It doesn’t matter if you are facing a time of HOSTILITY…

All comfort and all peace comes from the same place
And that is realizing that “The LORD reigns”

I know you know it, but now remember it.

And the Psalmist here gives 3 quick realities about His reign.
HIS EMINENCE (1a)
“He is clothed in majesty; The LORD has clothed Himself with strength;”

It is what Isaiah saw.
• It is glory, it is “majesty”,
• It is unapproachable holiness and perfection.
• There is no corruption
• There is no deceit
• There is no weakness, only “strength”

This is no impotent throne.
This is no paper throne.
This is no corrupt throne.

We have One sitting upon the throne clothed in glory and splendor.

HIS EFFECT (1b)
“Indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved.”

We could not be sure of anything
If we were not sure of His dominion.

But because God is firmly established, His world is firmly established.

You see this so easily in Scripture.
• When God draws near, things are sanctified and perfected.
• When God pulls away, things fall apart and sin abounds.

The great tribulation is the clearest picture of this.
• When the Lord begins to withdraw creation immediately falls into absolute and utter chaos.

Things stand only because He stands.

That is why in heaven, when you see God worshiped, the first reason listed is His sustaining power.
Revelation 4:9-11 “And when the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, to Him who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and will worship Him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their crowns before the throne, saying, “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.”

They stand because You stand.
Life endures because You endure.

HIS ENDURANCE (2)
“Your throne is established from of old; You are from everlasting.”

• Israel has many feasts and festivals.
• Israel has many events meant to remember and highlight what God has done.

But there is no feast in Israel
That commemorates the day God took the throne.
Because there was never a day when God took the throne.
He has always been on the throne.

And He will always be there.

It doesn’t matter who may attack, it doesn’t matter who may usurp,
All attempts at dethroning God are absolutely in vain.

You can try a COUP DE’ TAT, but there will be no success.

Remember this story?
Genesis 11:1-9 “Now the whole earth used the same language and the same words. It came about as they journeyed east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. They said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and burn them thoroughly.” And they used brick for stone, and they used tar for mortar. They said, “Come, let us build for ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and let us make for ourselves a name, otherwise we will be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.” The LORD came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. The LORD said, “Behold, they are one people, and they all have the same language. And this is what they began to do, and now nothing which they purpose to do will be impossible for them. “Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, so that they will not understand one another’s speech.” So the LORD scattered them abroad from there over the face of the whole earth; and they stopped building the city. Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of the whole earth; and from there the LORD scattered them abroad over the face of the whole earth.”

• That was the day humanity united with one intent and that was to storm heaven and overthrow God.
• The only even mention of inconvenience to God was that He had to “come down” to see what they were doing.

Or how about this often quoted Psalm?
Psalms 2:1-6 “Why are the nations in an uproar And the peoples devising a vain thing? The kings of the earth take their stand And the rulers take counsel together Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying, “Let us tear their fetters apart And cast away their cords from us!” He who sits in the heavens laughs, The Lord scoffs at them. Then He will speak to them in His anger And terrify them in His fury, saying, “But as for Me, I have installed My King Upon Zion, My holy mountain.”

Want to give God a good laugh?
Conspire against Him.

Or how about this event?
Revelation 12:7-9 “And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels waged war, and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.”

You can unite all the forces of the heavens…
You can unite all the forces of earth…
And none of them can even threaten the throne of God.

He is the reigning King.
Always has been, always will be.
“The LORD reigns”

And yet, as we just saw, His power has not stopped men from trying.
And that leads us to the second point of the Psalm.

#2 THE MIGHTY KING
Psalms 93:3-4

Here we have the emergence of a foe.
• The foe is described as a title waive.
• It is a tsunami of evil and oppression.

“The floods have lifted up, O LORD, The floods have lifted their voice, The floods lift up their pounding waves.”

It is a rebellious, loud and relentless enemy.
Just pounding over and over and over and over.

• There seems to be no end to the attack
• There seems to be no relief from the onslaught
• It is loud and it is brutal and it won’t stop

And yet we read:
(4) “More than the sounds of many waters, Than the mighty breakers of the sea, The LORD on his is mighty.”

What a great word…
“More than”
• How much power does an ocean wave carry?
• How much was the force with which the tsunami hit the shore a few years ago?
• How much was the force of the flood that hit Houston?

How much power does a river or a title wave have?
Well the Lord has more.

Psalms 46:1-3 “God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; Though its waters roar and foam, Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. Selah.”

Why can you cease from fear when the oceans roar?
Because God is stronger.

Matthew 8:23-27 “When He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being covered with the waves; but Jesus Himself was asleep. And they came to Him and woke Him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing!” He said to them, “Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it became perfectly calm. The men were amazed, and said, “What kind of a man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”

I’ve always liked that the word Matthew used for “storm” was SEISMOS, which is where we get our word “seismograph”, which is the way we measure earthquakes.

Matthew said it was “a great earthquake on the sea”
(pretty good description for a tax collector)

But you’ll remember that even the fishermen in the group thought it was over.
• They cried out “Save us, Lord; we are perishing!”

But after Jesus rebuked the sea and it became calm they said,
“What kind of a man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”

The sea represented unmeasurable power.
• It was unpredictable and wild.
• It was dangerous and unyielding.

And yet it was no match for God.

His power is “More than the sounds of many waters, than the mighty breakers of the sea,”

“The LORD on high is mighty.”

And we see that it didn’t matter what enemy approached,
They were all powerless before Him.

No doubt the Psalmist here is NOT TALKING ABOUT A LITERAL FLOOD.
These aren’t literal waves that are pounding him.
• This is the relentless enemy which seems to attack him at every turn.
• There is no letting up.
• This enemy has risen against him.
• This enemy has mocked him with his voice.
• This enemy has pounded him repeatedly.

Where does his hope come from?
Namely that the God who reigns is mighty.

This is the very confidence of Paul:
Romans 8:35-39 “Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, “FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG; WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED.” But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

What next?
• We saw the Jews rise up and try to crush the early church, all they did was flourish.
• We know that in the dark ages the Catholic church tried to crush the true gospel, all the gospel did was flourish.
• Various nations like Russia, and China, have tried repeatedly to crush the church, and all it has done is flourish.

There is not a wave strong enough to unseat God from His throne.
“The LORD on high is mighty.”

He is The Reigning King He is The Mighty King
#3 THE HOLY KING
Psalms 93:5

The Psalmist says “Your testimonies are fully confirmed;”

What does that mean?
Only that God has totally done everything He said He would.

That sounds like no other politician I have ever met.
Even the very best of them fail in some way or another.

But not this God.
Not this throne.

The Psalmist can go down the list one by one and check off every box.
God has not failed to do a single thing He promised.

Because of that the Psalmist says:
“Holiness befits Your house”

“befits” is the Hebrew word NA’AH
It has to do with loveliness or comeliness.

Song of Solomon 1:10 “Your cheeks are lovely with ornaments, Your neck with strings of beads.”

Isaiah 52:7 “How lovely on the mountains Are the feet of him who brings good news, Who announces peace And brings good news of happiness, Who announces salvation, And says to Zion, “Your God reigns!”

The New English Bible translates it
“Holiness is the beauty of Your house”

That is to say
• Of all the things that we admire about Your house….
• Of all the things that we love about Your throne…
• The attribute that is most attractive to us is Your “Holiness”

We love that You are a holy King!
We love that You are an upright King!
We love that You are an honest King!
We love that You are a just King!
You are perfect!

And this is truly the great desire we have in a King.
• More than anything we desire holy leaders.
• More than anything we desire upright leaders.

We long for a holy city and a holy throne.

Hebrews 11:13-16 “All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. And indeed if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them.”

That’s our desire isn’t it?

Well, in the heavens we have one!
• There is a holy city.
• There is a heavenly city.
• There is a holy throne.

And one day we will have it on earth.
Isaiah 11:1-5 “Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, And a branch from his roots will bear fruit. The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and strength, The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. And He will delight in the fear of the LORD, And He will not judge by what His eyes see, Nor make a decision by what His ears hear; But with righteousness He will judge the poor, And decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth; And He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked. Also righteousness will be the belt about His loins, And faithfulness the belt about His waist.”

“Holiness befits Your house, O LORD forevermore”

And we love that You reign forever.
He will never stop reigning.
• He never started and He will never stop.

And that friends is a cure for despair.
• When like Isaiah you see an empty throne…
• When like David you see a corrupt system…
• When like John you see an oppressive future…

Look above.
“The LORD reigns”

• Do you want a throne to watch?
• Do you want a throne to seek?
• Do you want a throne to trust?

Isaiah 40:21-24 “Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been declared to you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in. He it is who reduces rulers to nothing, Who makes the judges of the earth meaningless. Scarcely have they been planted, Scarcely have they been sown, Scarcely has their stock taken root in the earth, But He merely blows on them, and they wither, And the storm carries them away like stubble.”

Isaiah 40:27-31 “Why do you say, O Jacob, and assert, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the LORD, And the justice due me escapes the notice of my God”? Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth Does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable. He gives strength to the weary, And to him who lacks might He increases power. Though youths grow weary and tired, And vigorous young men stumble badly, Yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.”

Psalms 46:10 “Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

There’s your encouragement in confusing times.

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A Song for the Sabbath Day
Psalms 92
January 3, 2021

Tonight we title our sermon from the subtitle given in your Bible.
“A Song for the Sabbath Day”

One could read that title as though this were a song to be sung on the Sabbath Day, which would be true for a lot of Psalms.

I prefer to read the title as though it is a song
In favor of observing a Sabbath Day. (i.e. “for” a Sabbath Day)

And I think the content of the Psalm would agree with me there.

Either way, the title of the Psalm opens of a massive can of worms for us
That we need to wade through before we start working through our text.
What do Christians do with the issue of the Sabbath?

THE ROOTS of the Sabbath day come to us in the 2nd chapter of the Bible.

Genesis 2:1-3 “Thus the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts. By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.”

From the very beginning, even before the Law of Moses,
We have God setting apart the seventh day as a day of rest from labor.

• God completed all His work.
• God finished all His task.
• God rested, signifying that nothing else needed to be done. It was all fully accomplished.

And then God set apart the 7th day as a day of rest.

WELL, THE NEXT TIME this issue of a Sabbath comes up is immediately after the children of Israel are delivered from Egypt.
• Moses goes up on Mt. Sinai and God gives him the 10 Commandments.
• And the 4th command on the list is:

Exodus 20:8-11 “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. “Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you. “For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and made it holy.”

Clearly linking it back to creation, Moses called upon the children of Israel
To cease from their labors on the seventh day of the week (Saturday).

They were to obey this command with an eye to the fact
That God had also rested from His labor.

It was obviously important to God that His people
Understand the issue of rest from their labors.

Well, by the time we get to the New Testament, this law regarding the Sabbath had obviously gotten WAY OUT OF HAND.

The rabbinical traditions had sought to define the word “work”
And the details were exhausting.

• You could carry enough medicine to keep someone from dying, but if you carry enough to make them recover then you were working.
• You could carry paper and ink, but not enough to write one advertisement or that would be work.
• The list is extensive, but you get the idea.

And of course you are aware that of all the issues with the Law,
Jesus didn’t challenge any of them as much as
He challenged their understanding of Sabbath Law.

When you read the gospels one would almost ask if Jesus was willing to heal anyone if it wasn’t the Sabbath.
• He constantly stuck His finger in the eye of the Pharisees by healing on the Sabbath.

TURN TO: MATTHEW 12:1-14
When you read those first 8 verses you realize that the Pharisees had pounced on Jesus for apparently violating the Sabbath since the disciples were eating grain.

However Jesus straightened out their theology.

1) The Sabbath doesn’t restrict deeds of necessity (vs. 3-4)
• Jesus will expound on this in verses 9-14 when He heals a sick man and gives
the “sheep in a pit” analogy.

2) The Sabbath doesn’t restrict acts of worship (5)
• Since the priests clearly work very hard on the Sabbath in order to orchestrate
worship to God.

3) The Sabbath was never meant to be a burden but a blessing (6-7)

4) The Sabbath was never about work, it was always about the Lord (8)
• The Jews had totally missed the point of Sabbath Law, just as they had missed
the point of every other command and Jesus continually exposed that.

But it still leaves us a little confused.
Indeed many debate and argue this very point today.

SO SHOULD CHRISTIANS REST AND WORSHIP ON SATURDAY OR NOT?

Or Perhaps more relevantly: DID SUNDAY REPLACE SATURDAY AND SHOULD CHRISTIANS NOW REST AND WORSHIP ON THAT DAY?

Well, let’s dive a little deeper and see if we can gain some clarity.

One thing that must be understood is that Christ fulfilled all the Law.
• We are released from the burden of the Law.
• We are no longer seeking to prove our perfection to God through the Law.
• Christ fulfilled it all on our behalf and the righteousness He earned has now
been imputed to us.

THAT INCLUDES SABBATH LAW.

It is somewhat perplexing to me the number of people who have chosen the Sabbath Law and dietary restrictions as commands that are still binding today,
• But don’t seem to care about wearing T-shirts that are 50% polyester and 50%
cotton (which would have been forbidden)
• They don’t seem worried about mix-breed cattle…
• They don’t grow the hair long on their temples…
• Women aren’t declared unclean for having a baby…
• Etc.

It is peculiar to me that of all the commands they want to hang on to
The only two that really get chosen are the Sabbath & dietary restrictions.

But either Christ fulfilled all the Law or none of it.
Either He satisfied God’s righteous requirement or He didn’t.
We are either under all of the Law or none of the Law.

Certainly we believe that Christ fulfilled it all, as He said He would,
And that “in Him” we have fulfilled it too.

There SEEMS TO BE A MISUNDERSTANDING OF THE PURPOSE behind the Sabbath Law.

Incidentally, many Sabbath holders today would say that
The Sabbath was instituted back in Genesis 2 (before the Law)
And that is why it is binding.

But there is a failure to understand
WHY God instituted it and WHAT it meant.

The writer of Hebrews is the one to make this clear to us.
TURN TO: HEBREWS 4:1-10
We don’t have time to fully unpack this (you can go listen to those Hebrews devotions if you want more insight)

But the writer of Hebrews is using Psalms 95 as a text where David
(many years after Joshua) is STILL OFFERING REST to Israel.

Specifically he tells them that they should not harden their hearts like the children of Israel because God swore to them that they would not enter His rest.

And of course those people did not enter the Promised Land.

But now, many years later, already in the Promised Land,
David is still talking about entering God’s rest.

Clearly then, rest meant more than just entering the land.

Which is the point the writer of Hebrews makes.
(8-10) “For if Joshua had given them rest, He would not have spoken of another day after that. So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His.”

David said it first and then the writer of Hebrews said it again,
NAMELY THAT REST IS STILL AVAILABLE.

And then he tells you what he means.
“For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His.”

The writer of Hebrews now tells us the whole point to God resting
And instituting a day of rest.

God rested because He was finished
And there was no more work to be done.
And God told us to rest as a prophetic picture
That we too would one day rest from our labors.

But the labors He was talking about was not physical labor,
Rather it was spiritual labor.

THERE WOULD COME A DAY WHEN
We would no longer have to work to please God.

When did that happen?
Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

How could Jesus offer rest?
Because on the cross He said, “It is finished!”
Jesus completed the work on our behalf.

The whole notion of rest was a prophetic picture
That one day Christ would do all the work for us
And we would sit down relieved
And rest from the struggle of trying to earn God’s favor.

In this way, the Sabbath laws were no different than things like the Passover or Day of Atonement (which we do not observe).

They were prophetic pictures, but we now have the fulfillment.

AND WE ARE NOT REQUIRED TO DO IT.
It’s not a sin if you do, it’s not a sin if you don’t.

Romans 14:1-9 “Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions. One person has faith that he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats vegetables only. The one who eats is not to regard with contempt the one who does not eat, and the one who does not eat is not to judge the one who eats, for God has accepted him. Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. One person regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it for the Lord, and he who eats, does so for the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who eats not, for the Lord he does not eat, and gives thanks to God. For not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself; for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and lived again, that He might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.”

HOWEVER – there is another aspect of this
That I think is often overlooked and yet is very important.

And that is the issue of PRIORITY

It is the idea of knowing that
The things of this world are not as important as the things of God.

There is something very telling about those
Who see no importance in committing to a day of worship.

INCIDENTALLY, when God did get angry at the children of Israel regarding the Sabbath Laws,
It was always because they saw the Sabbath as a burden,
Or an unwelcomed intrusion into their business.

Amos 8:4-6 “Hear this, you who trample the needy, to do away with the humble of the land, saying, “When will the new moon be over, So that we may sell grain, And the sabbath, that we may open the wheat market, To make the bushel smaller and the shekel bigger, And to cheat with dishonest scales, So as to buy the helpless for money And the needy for a pair of sandals, And that we may sell the refuse of the wheat?”

See the issue is not about earning God’s favor, we do that through Christ.
But the issue that remains is one of trust and priority.

Do you TRUST Christ enough to rest from your worldly labors? (He will provide)
Do you LOVE Christ enough to rest from your worldly labors? (priority)

THAT’S THE ISSUE.
And this is really the issue of Psalms 92.

• It’s NOT so much a Psalm to be sung on the Sabbath…
• It’s NOT so much a Psalm about the legalities or prophecies of the Sabbath…
• It IS a Psalm that encourages a day of worship because it is good…

And in that sense it is very applicable to us.
• We are not saying that you cannot work on Saturday or Sunday.
• We understand the Lord’s instruction about deeds of necessity.

But what we are talking about is that
In every believer there ought to be a general understanding of
The importance of walking away from the chaos of the world
And fixing our eyes on Christ.

And for those who see that as unnecessary,
At the very least we would say they are missing a blessing.

This Psalm is a Psalm that makes an appeal that
If you aren’t setting aside a day for worship, then you should.

So now let’s work our way through it,
It is not hard to understand and won’t take us long.

The Psalmist gives 3 reasons why you should participate in the Sabbath, or at least devote a day to the Lord where you walk away from the world and focus on Him.

#1 IT IS SATISFYING
Psalms 92:1-4

Now before you run too far with that title, let me reign you in.

When I say that setting aside the world to participate in a day of worship is satisfying, I DON’T INITIALLY MEAN that it is satisfying for you.

Now, I happen to believe that a day of worship is extremely satisfying to me personally, as it feeds my soul and encourages my life.

But the real point here is that the setting aside of the world
For a day of worship is satisfying to God.

The Psalmist begins with 3 words.
“It is good”

And you know that “good” is not a word that God throws around lightly.
• Creation, before the fall was “good”.
• Jesus told the Rich Young Ruler that only God is “good”
• Paul reminded us that there is none “good”

The link here is to the “good” of creation,
Where God was fully satisfied in all that He had created.

He saw no need to tweak it…
It had no need for renovation…
There were no finishing touches…

God saw it as complete, finished, and good.

That is the phrase the Psalmist uses here.

SEEING THE SAINTS depart from the world to SET ASIDE A DAY
For thanksgiving, praise, and declaration of the goodness of God
IS A GOOD AND SATISFYING THING TO GOD.

And the Psalmist even gets specific as to what sort of things should consume that day.

THANKSGIVING – SINGING OF PRAISES – DECLARATION OF GOD’S GOODNESS

“It is good to give thanks to the LORD”
• The New Testament tells us that we should “give thanks” in all circumstances.
• Paul reminded us that it is the unredeemed who do not honor God as God or “give thanks”.

There is certainly an expectation on the part of God
That a people so blessed by Him
Would consistently gather to thank Him for all He has done.

Psalms 50:7-15 “Hear, O My people, and I will speak; O Israel, I will testify against you; I am God, your God. “I do not reprove you for your sacrifices, And your burnt offerings are continually before Me. “I shall take no young bull out of your house Nor male goats out of your folds. “For every beast of the forest is Mine, The cattle on a thousand hills. “I know every bird of the mountains, And everything that moves in the field is Mine. “If I were hungry I would not tell you, For the world is Mine, and all it contains. “Shall I eat the flesh of bulls Or drink the blood of male goats? “Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving And pay your vows to the Most High; Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me.”

God didn’t want some ceremonial goat, God wanted gratitude.

When we gather, it should be “to give thanks to the LORD”.

• He is the “Father of lights with whom there is no shifting shadow” and “every good and perfect gift” comes from Him.
• It is Him in whom “we live and move and exist”.
• It is Him who sustains our life and promises to care for our needs.
• It is Him who “chose us” for salvation and “sent His Son” to save us.

The reasons are endless.
And they are more than enough to warrant that everyone
Set aside 1 day of their week to tell Him “thank you”.

There is another thing that should occur.
“And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High;”
• Singing praises is “good” to God.
• Singing praises is satisfying to God.

James 5:13 “Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises.”

And might I point out how important this is to God?
In His Bible, He gave a book with 150 songs in it.
Singing is the expectation.
Praising God in song is by His determined design.

• I don’t want to hear about you being a bad singer…
• I don’t want to hear about you not liking to sing…
• All I am concerned about is the fact that singing praises is “good”.

“sing praises to Your name, O Most High”

God’s name is a representation of who He is.
• Jehovah Jireh – provider
• Jehovah Nissi – banner
• Jehovah Rohi – shepherd
• Jehovah Tsidkenu – Righteousness
• Jehovah Mekadesh – Sanctification
• Jehovah Rapha – healer
• Jehovah Shamma – present
• Jehovah Shalom – peace

Who God is; is bound up in His name.
And we sing praises accordingly.

We praise Him for who He is.
That is good.

And on this day we gather:
(2-3) “To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning And Your faithfulness by night, with the ten-stringed lute and with the harp, with resounding music upon the lyre.”

More singing, but this in the form of declaration.

I like the picture.
“declare Your lovingkindess in the morning”
• In the morning we sing of God’s loyalty to us as we declare what God will do
for us today.

And then in the evening we gather again and we declare “Your faithfulness by night”.
• That speaks to all that God has done for us.

One is faith, the other is gratitude.
They all are declarations of praise to God.

And it is “good” that we do that.
It is satisfying to God that we do that.

(4) “For You, O LORD, have made me glad by what You have done, I will sing for joy at the works of Your hands.”

Because we delight in who God is and what God has done,
We know that setting aside a day to thank and praise God for it
Is a privilege.

Do you understand that?
• It’s why I’m a proponent of Sunday morning and Sunday night church.
• It’s why I think that we make these things a priority.
• It’s why I think we push aside the world on Sunday.
• It’s why I think we let the things of this world wait for a day.

It’s NOT so that we might earn salvation.
It’s NOT so that we might be considered righteous.
(Christ already did that)

It’s because God deserves it, and God delights in it,
And I am grateful and want to give it.

The world can wait 24 hours for me to tell God thank you.

It is satisfying
#2 IT IS SENSIBLE
Psalms 92:5-9

After speaking of how good it is to set aside a day for worship,
THE PSALMIST NOW CONTRASTS
The person of praise with the person of the world.

The person spoken of here is the person who is too busy or too consumed to stop his worldly pursuits to come and praise God.

It seems counterproductive to his success
To stop for a day and give thanks.

• He is like that person mentioned in Amos who thinks closing on Sunday is dumb because there is money to be made on Sunday.
• It is the person who would rather use Sunday as a day to get ahead, or get ready for the week, or whatever.
• It’s simply a person who thinks devoting a whole day to the Lord is a waste of time.

The Psalmist speaks of them and what they don’t know.

(5-9) “How great are Your works, O LORD! Your thoughts are very deep. A senseless man has no knowledge, Nor does a stupid man understand this: That when the wicked sprouted up like grass And all who did iniquity flourished, It was only that they might be destroyed forevermore. But You, O LORD, are on high forever. For, behold, Your enemies, O LORD, For, behold, Your enemies will perish; All who do iniquity will be scattered.”

Now consider this.
• Here we have a man who would rather work on Sunday or use Sunday to get ahead.
• Stopping to give credit to God is seen as a waste of time because there is money to be made today.

And, the Psalmist points out
How for them IT SEEMS LIKE IT WORKS.

Skipping a day of worship in order to get ahead in the world
HAS caused them to get ahead and to prosper.

But the Psalmist says that thought process is “senseless” and “stupid”.
There is something they don’t understand.

(7) “That when the wicked sprouted up like grass And all who did iniquity flourished, it was only that they might be destroyed forevermore.”

In other words, through all their efforts they did get rich,
But what is the benefit in getting rich?

• The question is where do they end up?
• Did their money buy them heaven?

Psalms 49:16-20 “Do not be afraid when a man becomes rich, When the glory of his house is increased; For when he dies he will carry nothing away; His glory will not descend after him. Though while he lives he congratulates himself — And though men praise you when you do well for yourself — He shall go to the generation of his fathers; They will never see the light. Man in his pomp, yet without understanding, Is like the beasts that perish.”

That is to say, he is “senseless” and “stupid”

Psalms 73:18-20 “Surely You set them in slippery places; You cast them down to destruction. How they are destroyed in a moment! They are utterly swept away by sudden terrors! Like a dream when one awakes, O Lord, when aroused, You will despise their form.”

Sure, by neglecting the Lord they got rich,
But that is to falsely assume
That getting rich is somehow beneficial.

Jesus was pretty clear:
Matthew 16:26 “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”

It is to assume that we were placed on this earth
For the purpose of being successful, and that isn’t the case.

We were placed on this earth for the glory of God.

Jesus made a remarkable statement:
Luke 12:23 “For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing.”

If you think the only reason God placed you in a body
Was so that you’d have something to feed and something to clothe
Than you really don’t understand your purpose.

WE ARE HERE FOR GOD’S GLORY.
Our bodies are to be used for His kingdom and His glory.
PEOPLE WHO DON’T UNDERSTAND THAT ARE SENSELESS.

(8-9) “But You, O LORD, are on high forever. For, behold, Your enemies, O LORD, For, behold, Your enemies will perish; All who do iniquity will be scattered.”

God is going to win, and in the end being with Him is all that matters.

Why should setting aside the world for God be your routine?
• You should do it because it is satisfying to God.
• You should do it because it is the sensible thing to do.

A smart man would see that “forsaking that which he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose” is a wise investment.

Satisfying, Sensible
#3 IT IS SUPPORTED
Psalms 92:10-15

After talking about the coming scattering of the wicked
The Psalmist now lays out what he expects after a life of worship.

He now lays out the benefits
Of being someone who loves God more than the world.

Do you want to see what he receives from his devotion to God?

POWER – “But You have exalted my horn like that of the wild ox”

There is a strengthening that comes into a life
When they spend time in praising the Lord.

We have heard before that “the joy of the Lord is my strength”

Isaiah 40:31 “Yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.”

REFESHING – “I have been anointed with fresh oil”

Stopping the busyness of life and focusing on the Lord and His goodness
IS A REFRESHMENT TO A WEARY SOUL.
It revives and makes one energized for this world.

Psalms 19:7a “The law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul…”

VICTORY – “And my eye has looked exultantly upon my foes, My ears hear of the evildoers who rise up against me.”

That is to say “I only hear of what they want to do, but they never win”

And the picture here is that they never totally win or finally win.
My confidence in victory grows when I stop and behold the Lord.

This world often times makes me feel like a loser,
BUT I NEVER FEEL LIKE A LOSER WHEN I LEAVE CHURCH.

2 Corinthians 2:14 “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.”

ABUNDANCE – “The righteous man will flourish like the palm tree, He will grow like the cedar in Lebanon.”

John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”

When is the last time you ever forsook the things of the world to go and worship God and you felt like you got cheated?

God is not stingy, and He is always worth it.

ENDURANCE – “They will still yield fruit in old age; They shall be full of sap and very green,”

This world has a bad habit of discarding the aged as no longer of any use.

But in God’s congregation the elderly hold a place of honor
As those who have the wisdom of walking with God
And seeing His faithfulness.

I would submit especially to the aged
That you have no place in this world
Where you hold as much value as in the church.

And so the Psalmist points out that
• Not only is forsaking the world to worship God satisfying to God,
• Not only is it the sensible thing to do in light of eternity,
• But it is also something that God supports.

In fact, if you will devote yourself to Him,
THEN HE WILL SUPPORT YOU WITH
Strength and refreshing and victory and abundance and endurance.

He doesn’t give that to the world, but He does to those who worship Him.

WHY DOES HE GIVE THAT TO THEM?

(15) “To declare that the LORD is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.”

He gives them those things
So that they can keep on doing what they are doing.

• When you forsake God to gain the world you are on your own.
• But when you forsake the world to worship God, you gain God as an ally.

And that is the encouragement I give to you.
This is why setting aside an entire day should be the objective.

Come on Sunday morning and sing of the loyalty of God.
Come back on Sunday night and sing of His faithfulness.

• Don’t skip it so you can be successful in the world,
• Don’t treat it like you can’t wait for Sunday morning worship to be over so you can get back to chasing the world.
• Stop, slow down, and give the Lord His day.
• It is satisfying, it is sensible, and it is supported.

Psalms 122:1 “I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the LORD.”

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Condemning The Innocent
Luke 23:1-25
January 3, 2021

This morning we come to the civil trial of Jesus.

As know, at this point, He has already been through 3 illegal and bogus trials before the Sanhedrin.
• Before Annas (John 18:19-24)
• Before Caiaphas at his house (Matthew 26:59-68)
• Before Sanhedrin (Luke 22:63-71)

All of them were corrupt and illegal, and they all had different motives behind them.
• Annas wanted to flex his muscle and show Jesus who was really in charge.
• Caiaphas just wanted Jesus condemned and to get their story straight.
• The Sanhedrin just wanted to put on a show for the general public.

Well now all that has been accomplished and there is one more phase to their plot and that is to take Jesus to Pilate.

There is a reason for this as well.
John 18:31 “So Pilate said to them, “Take Him yourselves, and judge Him according to your law.” The Jews said to him, “We are not permitted to put anyone to death,”

The Jews wanted Pilate to kill Jesus.

INCIDENTALLY, this is another areas where the sovereignty of God shows up.

It sounds like the Jews had no power whatsoever to enact a sentence of death on someone, but that isn’t exactly true.

• After all, was His hometown not about to throw Him off a cliff?
• Where they not about to stone the woman caught in adultery?
• Will they not violently stone Stephen in a few months?

Even Paul would later testify about his evil deeds:
Acts 26:10 “And this is just what I did in Jerusalem; not only did I lock up many of the saints in prisons, having received authority from the chief priests, but also when they were being put to death I cast my vote against them.”

Point is, the Jews put plenty of people to death.

The real issue is that they don’t want to do it during the Passover,
But MORE THAN THAT is the sovereignty of God
Who already ordained the method of Christ’s death.

Before crucifixion had ever even been invented, David wrote:
Psalms 22:16 “For dogs have surrounded me; A band of evildoers has encompassed me; They pierced my hands and my feet.”

Jesus had already said:
John 3:14-15 “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life.”

The plan was always for a crucifixion.
And for that Pilate would be needed.
So you see God still in charge through the entire process.

But none the less this morning we come to this civil trial,
And I will tell you that there are SO MANY ANGLES
That we can approach this from.

You can approach it from Matthew’s gospel
• Where the awful reality becomes visible that the people actually say, “His blood shall be on us and on our children!”
• Matthew of course focusing on the far reaching consequence of rejecting Christ.

You can read it from Mark’s gospel
• Where you can see the great influence of the crowd.
• Mark’s gospel really shows how the mob intervened to kill Jesus.
• It wasn’t just Pilate, it wasn’t just the leaders, it was everyone who rejected Christ.

John’s gospel
• Gives us more of the dialogue between Jesus and Pilate than any other account.
• John really shows us the burden on Pilate and the dilemma he faced standing before the Son of God.

But, as you know, we are in Luke’s gospel and we want to stay true,
Not only to his narrative but to his purposes.

There are many things the other gospel accounts include here that Luke does not.
• Matthew mentions how Judas felt remorse and returned the money, Luke
does not.
• Matthew mentions how Pilate’s wife warned him to stay away from Jesus,
Luke does not.
• Matthew mentions how Pilate washed his hands, Luke does not.
• John mentions several conversations between Jesus and Pilate that Luke
omits.

Conversely, only Luke tells us that Pilate sent Jesus to Herod.

Now certainly we want to see the entire picture,
But we also want to make sure and
Grasp Luke’s point in including this story.

Well, fortunately, Luke’s point is really easy to spot.
In fact, Luke just circles it and circles it like a buzzard in the sky.

It jumps off the page at us when we read the narrative.
What is Luke’s main point?

JESUS WAS INNOCENT
He actually states if 4 times in the text.

Luke even has a genius way of demonstrating that,
In that he uses two notorious and hardened pagan leaders to declare it.
• Two men who could have cared less,
• And who had nothing to gain by saying it,
• Both proclaim that Jesus did not deserve to die.

That is Luke’s point.
It ties right back to what he has been saying since the upper room
That Jesus has been “NUMBERED WITH THE TRANSGRESSORS”.

Well let’s work our way through the text,
And then we can also make some application for our lives as well.

So let’s talk about the innocence of Jesus
#1 PILATE DECLARED IT
Luke 23:1-4

• Well, here we are, the Jewish trials are over
• Now they have come to Pilate so that they can get Jesus crucified.

Even though we are following Luke’s gospel,
I do want you to see the whole picture.

Before Luke’s narrative takes place what first happened is recorded by John.

John 18:28-32 “Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas into the Praetorium, and it was early; and they themselves did not enter into the Praetorium so that they would not be defiled, but might eat the Passover. Therefore Pilate went out to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this Man?” They answered and said to him, “If this Man were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered Him to you.” So Pilate said to them, “Take Him yourselves, and judge Him according to your law.” The Jews said to him, “We are not permitted to put anyone to death,” to fulfill the word of Jesus which He spoke, signifying by what kind of death He was about to die.”

• They bring Jesus to Pilate,
• The Jews won’t enter the Praetorium because they don’t want to be unclean and miss the Passover.
• Pilate comes out and asks what the charges are.
• They are a little caught off guard and basically say, “Just trust us, if we brought Him here then you can be for certain He is guilty.”
• Pilate doesn’t want to be manipulated so he turns them down.

It would be at this point that Luke’s narrative would pick up.
(2) “And they began to accuse Him, saying, “We found this man misleading our nation and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, and saying that He Himself is Christ, a King.”

All of those accusations are false.
• Jesus never mislead anyone, He only spoke truth.
• Jesus actually taught the opposite regarding paying taxes; He encouraged it.
• Jesus never declared Himself as a King that threatened Rome.

Furthermore we would note that NONE OF THOSE CHARGES
Where the reason they just condemned Him before the Sanhedrin;
Which was blasphemy.

But none the less, they make some accusations against Jesus
That would have been serious accusations to Pilate.

So, outside the Praetorium
Pilate sought to address the issue quickly and get it over with
By immediately turning to Jesus and asking if the charges were true.

(3) “So Pilate asked Him, saying, “Are You the King of the Jews?” And He answered him and said, “It is as you say.”

Matthew’s gospel gives a little more insight into this PRELIMINARY OUTDOOR DEPOSITION.

Matthew 27:11-14 “Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor questioned Him, saying, “Are You the King of the Jews?” And Jesus said to him, “It is as you say.” And while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders, He did not answer. Then Pilate said to Him, “Do You not hear how many things they testify against You?” And He did not answer him with regard to even a single charge, so the governor was quite amazed.”

• Jesus did acknowledge being a King,
• But He would not comment on the other things and Pilate was amazed.

There would be no quick outdoor trial,
Pilate would have to investigate further.

Now at this point,
• Pilate would have taken Jesus into the Praetorium to interrogate while the Jews waited outside.
• This would allow Pilate to ask and Jesus to answer more freely.

John 18:33-38a “Therefore Pilate entered again into the Praetorium, and summoned Jesus and said to Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “Are you saying this on your own initiative, or did others tell you about Me?” Pilate answered, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You to me; what have You done?” Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.” Therefore Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?”

• So Jesus corrects Pilate regarding His purpose as King and for the first time confronts Pilate regarding the truth.
• But Pilate wants nothing to do with a conversation regarding truth.
• Instead, Pilate reaches a decision.

Pilate goes back outside to the chief priests:
(4) “Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, “I find no guilt in this man.”

AND THERE IS THE OFFICIAL VERDICT.
• I have heard your accusations.
• I have questioned Him extensively.
• Here is my verdict, “Not Guilty”

And this was Pilate, who I assure you, had no concern whatsoever
About incarcerating or crucifying insurrectionists.

If Jesus had been guilty, or even had He been adequately suspected, Pilate would have had absolutely no qualms killing Him.

The fact that Pilate rendered a verdict of “Not Guilty”
Is remarkable proof that He was in fact innocent.

But the Jews were not about to take that answer from him.

Pilate Declared It
#2 HEROD CONFIRMED IT
Luke 23:5-19

So after coming back out and declaring Jesus innocent
THE JEWS GO NUTS.

(5) “But they kept on insisting, saying, “He stirs up the people, teaching all over Judea, starting form Galilee even as far as this place.”

• They immediately begin to shout their appeal
• They talk about the widespread influence of Jesus.
• They accuse Him of insurrection, not only in Judea but also in Galilee.

Now at this point, Pilate realizes that
There is someone else who can help in the investigation.

It just so happens that Herod was in town.

(6-7) “When Pilate heard it, he asked whether the man was a Galilean. And when he learned that He belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod, who himself also was in Jerusalem at that time.”

“Herod” here is Herod Antipas.
He is the son of Herod the Great who was the one who was alive at the birth of Jesus who killed all the Hebrew boys in Bethlehem.

• Herod Antipas is the Herod you read about the rest of the time in the gospels.
• He is the one who had the affair with his brother Philip’s wife,
• He was rebuked by John the Baptist and beheaded John as a result.

Herod intersects with Jesus two other times in Luke’s gospel.
Luke 9:7-9 “Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was happening; and he was greatly perplexed, because it was said by some that John had risen from the dead, and by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the prophets of old had risen again. Herod said, “I myself had John beheaded; but who is this man about whom I hear such things?” And he kept trying to see Him.”

Luke 13:31-33 “Just at that time some Pharisees approached, saying to Him, “Go away, leave here, for Herod wants to kill You.” And He said to them, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I reach My goal.’ “Nevertheless I must journey on today and tomorrow and the next day; for it cannot be that a prophet would perish outside of Jerusalem.”

Herod had long since been interested in Jesus
But had never been able to get an audience.

But today that opportunity arose.
(7-11) “And when he learned that He belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod, who himself also was in Jerusalem at that time. Now Herod was very glad when he saw Jesus; for he had wanted to see Him for a long time, because he had been hearing about Him and was hoping to see some sign performed by Him. And he questioned Him at some length; but He answered him nothing. And the chief priests and the scribes were standing there, accusing Him vehemently. And Herod with his soldiers, after treating Him with contempt and mocking Him, dressed Him in a gorgeous robe and sent Him back to Pilate.”

What is obvious about the narrative is that
It is clear that Jesus under-whelmed Herod.

• Perhaps he was expecting Jesus to confront him like John had done…
• Perhaps he was expecting a mighty military leader or noble king…
• At the very least he was hoping to see something miraculous…

But Jesus had no interest in putting on a show before Herod.

WHAT DOES OCCUR HOWEVER IS THAT
The Jews try like crazy to get Herod to deliver a guilty verdict.

“the chief priests and the scribes were standing there, accusing Him vehemently.”

But Herod won’t do it.
Instead he settles simply for mocking Jesus as a paper king.
• He treats Him with contempt.
• He mocks Him.
• He dresses Him up.
• He has his fun and he sends him back to Pilate.

An interesting sub-point that Luke includes is that (12) “Now Herod and Pilate became friends with one another that very day; for before they had been enemies with each other.”

The point is that it echoes that these men were in agreement.
It had never happened before, but today they found common ground.
Oddly enough they unified on the fact that Jesus was innocent.

So, after sending Jesus to Herod,
Pilate convenes the Jews together once again.

(13) “Pilate summoned the chief priests and the rulers and the people,”

And interesting note is at this point,
• Before Pilate gets a chance to tell them that Herod agrees that Jesus is
innocent,
• Matthew records that Pilate gets an urgent message.

Matthew 27:19 “While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him a message, saying, “Have nothing to do with that righteous Man; for last night I suffered greatly in a dream because of Him.”

No doubt Pilate is ready to put this whole Jesus trial behind him.

So this time Pilate FORCEFULLY & DEFINITIVELY renders his verdict.

(14-16) “and said to them, “You brought this man to me as one who incites the people to rebellion, and behold, having examined Him before you, I have found no guilt in this man regarding the charges which you make against Him. “No, nor has Herod, for he sent Him back to us; and behold, nothing deserving death has been done by Him. “Therefore I will punish Him and release Him.”

You can hear Pilate’s tone and seriousness there.
• I told you, He’s not guilty.
• You argued so I sent Him to Herod.
• Herod agrees, He’s not guilty
• I’m not going to put Him to death.

But, if it will make you happy,
“I will punish Him” before I “release Him.”

Pilate sounds done with it doesn’t he?
• Jesus is innocent, it is obvious, let it go.
• Case closed.

And we even know that AT THIS POINT,
Pilate has another plan about how to release Jesus.

John 18:39-40 “But you have a custom that I release someone for you at the Passover; do you wish then that I release for you the King of the Jews?” So they cried out again, saying, “Not this Man, but Barabbas.” Now Barabbas was a robber.”

And that is what Luke reveals.
(17-19) “[Now he was obliged to release to them at the feast one prisoner.]
But they cried out all together, saying, “Away with this man, and release for us Barabbas!” (He was one who had been thrown into prison for an insurrection made in the city, and for murder.)”

It seemed like a good plan.
• Jesus was innocent.
• But for good measure I’ll go ahead and punish Him.
• And to sort of double down, I’ll make Him the prisoner I release at the feast.

But the crowd (as Mark reveals) won’t have it.
They’ve been stirred up by the chief priests.
They want Jesus killed.

AND IT HAS GOTTEN SO OUT OF HAND
That they actually ask for “Barabbas” to be released;
Who incidentally was exactly the sort of man Jesus was being accused of.

They wanted Jesus killed for inciting people,
But they want a known insurrectionist like Barabbas released.

It is all very hypocritical.

But you see now Luke’s point.
• Two tyrant rulers and both declare Jesus “not guilty”.
• Jesus is innocent.

Pilate Declared It, Herod Confirmed It
#3 THE CROWD REJECTED IT
Luke 23:20-25

• Twice now Pilate has declared Jesus innocent
• Herod has confirmed it.
• Pilate had the plan of releasing Jesus as their token prisoner
• They didn’t want to hear it.

So Pilate actually begins to plead on behalf of Jesus.

(20-23) “Pilate, wanting to release Jesus, addressed them again, but they kept on calling out, saying, “Crucify, crucify Him!” And he said to them the third time, “Why, what evil has this man done? I have found in Him no guilt demanding death; therefore I will punish Him and release Him.” But they were insistent, with loud voices asking that He be crucified. And their voices began to prevail.”

Now we’ve got trouble.
• Pilate knows Jesus is innocent.
• Pilate’s wife has already warned him not to mess with Jesus.
• We have a mob forming, and Pilate is losing control.

Pilate has one more plan to try and get Jesus released.
If he can flog Jesus severely enough,
Maybe it will appease this blood-thirsty crowd.

And that is what he does.
John 19:1-7 “Pilate then took Jesus and scourged Him. And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and put a purple robe on Him; and they began to come up to Him and say, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and to give Him slaps in the face. Pilate came out again and said to them, “Behold, I am bringing Him out to you so that you may know that I find no guilt in Him.” Jesus then came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Behold, the Man!” So when the chief priests and the officers saw Him, they cried out saying, “Crucify, crucify!” Pilate said to them, “Take Him yourselves and crucify Him, for I find no guilt in Him.” The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and by that law He ought to die because He made Himself out to be the Son of God.”

Well the flogging didn’t work.
Jesus bloodied and mocked Jesus but the crowd wants death,

(23) But they were insistent, with loud voices asking that He be crucified. And their voices began to prevail.”

LUKE DOESN’T MENTION IT
(but I want you to see the entire story)

AT THIS POINT PILATE GETS REALLY SCARED
John’s gospel tells us that Pilate would then take Jesus back inside again.

John 19:7-12 “The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and by that law He ought to die because He made Himself out to be the Son of God.” Therefore when Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid; and he entered into the Praetorium again and said to Jesus, “Where are You from?” But Jesus gave him no answer. So Pilate said to Him, “You do not speak to me? Do You not know that I have authority to release You, and I have authority to crucify You?” Jesus answered, “You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above; for this reason he who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.” As a result of this Pilate made efforts to release Him, but the Jews cried out saying, “If you release this Man, you are no friend of Caesar; everyone who makes himself out to be a king opposes Caesar.”

Pilate is caught.
• He knows Jesus is innocent.
• He knows the crowd wants Him dead.

What is Pilate’s option?
• Condemn an innocent man to save face
• Confess this innocent man and be judged.

Make no mistake, Pilate cannot save Jesus from death.
That is the plan of God.

But at this moment Christ is asking Pilate
To in effect suffer with Him.

So Pilate goes back out again to the people
• He again tries to release Jesus,
• This time the crowd threatens Pilate. “If you release this Man, you are no
friend of Caesar; everyone who makes himself out to be a king opposes
Caesar

And Pilate caved.
(24-25) “And Pilate pronounced sentence that their demand be granted. And he released the man they were asking for who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, but he delivered Jesus to their will.”

John’s gospel reads:
John 19:13-16 “Therefore when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out, and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha. Now it was the day of preparation for the Passover; it was about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, “Behold, your King!” So they cried out, “Away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.” So he then handed Him over to them to be crucified.”

Matthew records:
Matthew 27:24-26 “When Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but rather that a riot was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this Man’s blood; see to that yourselves.” And all the people said, “His blood shall be on us and on our children!” Then he released Barabbas for them; but after having Jesus scourged, he handed Him over to be crucified.”

As we said, we could easily talk here about the trial of Pilate.
Pilate, (like the Sanhedrin), was on trial before God and Pilate blew it.
He knew Jesus was innocent
But chose to crucify Him anyway to save His own skin.

And we certainly would remind everyone that when Jesus calls us,
THE CALL IS CLEAR.
Matthew 16:24 “Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.”

• The call to follow Jesus is a call unto death.
• Death to self certainly.
• Death to body, possibly.
• It is a call to go against the grain of this world and confess the One the world
hates.

You may think Pilate’s circumstances are unique,
But this is the struggle every sinner faces when faced with Christ.

YOU MUST DEAL WITH HIM.
You must confess Him even when the world is howling against Him.

PILATE DID NOT.
Pilate KNEW Jesus was innocent and CHOSE to crucify Him anyway.

And People still do that today.
Hebrews 6:4-6 “For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame.”

• There are people today who are enlightened to the truth about Jesus.
• There are people today who know He is the sinless Son of God.
• There are people today who know He is the Savior.

But because there is shame and ridicule and persecution
They join the mob and “they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame.”

THAT IS WHAT PILATE DID.

That is what the crowd did as well.
• This crowd that just 4 days ago declared Jesus to be the Messiah.
• They were in the parade, they cried “Hosanna”
• This crowd that two days ago sat and listened to Him teach in the temple.

And here they are, despite the evidence choosing to crucify Christ.

Peter would later address them.
After Peter healed a man and the crowd was amazed, Peter said:
Acts 3:12-15 “But when Peter saw this, he replied to the people, “Men of Israel, why are you amazed at this, or why do you gaze at us, as if by our own power or piety we had made him walk? “The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified His servant Jesus, the one whom you delivered and disowned in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release Him. “But you disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, but put to death the Prince of life, the one whom God raised from the dead, a fact to which we are witnesses.”

You “disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked for a murderer to be granted to you”

It was a heinous crime.
• Christ was innocent
• Christ was not guilty
• Christ was Holy
• Christ was Righteous

But you rejected Him anyway.

Acts 3:19 “Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord;”

It is no small sin to know the truth about Christ and reject Him.

But this morning I hope you see that
LUKE WAS DRIVING HOME TO YOU ONE MAIN POINT.

Jesus Christ was innocent.
• He did not suffer because He sinned.
• He was not crucified because He offended God.

AND THIS IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE
If He was a sinner then He could only pay for His own sins, not ours.

But He was innocent.
He was sinless.
He was suffering because He was identifying with us.

He had been “NUMBERED WITH THE TRANSGRESSORS”

Isaiah 53:3-8 “He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him. He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth. By oppression and judgment He was taken away; And as for His generation, who considered That He was cut off out of the land of the living For the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due?”

• When He was condemned it wasn’t for His sin, it was for ours.
• When He was mocked it wasn’t for His sin, it was for ours.
• When He was crucified, it wasn’t for His sin, it was for ours.
• He was paying the penalty that you and I deserve.

We certainly seek to honor and glorify Him for that.

And this morning, I simply want to extend again
The invitation to any in this place
Who now stand face to face with Christ
And have not confessed Him.

Is there any doubt in your mind that Jesus is sinless?
Is there any doubt that He is innocent?
Is there any doubt that He is the Savior?

There should not be.
Even tyrant kings knew it.

The question then remains why you have not confessed Him?
The question then remains why you have not believed in Him?

See the Bible is clear on this.
• When you believe something in your heart,
• Then you confess it with your mouth.

Romans 10:9-10 “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”

Paul would even go on to say that
• The reason people don’t confess is because they don’t believe.
• And the reason they don’t believe is because they haven’t heard.

But you have heard.
You do know.

And this morning, you stand in the shoes of Pilate
Who was face to face with Jesus and knew what Jesus wanted,
And had to decide what to do with Him.

What about you?
What will you do with Jesus?

Will you confess Him and take up His reproach and shame or will you deny Him and hand Him over too?

Well, Luke has been clear.
• Is Jesus God? Yes, Jesus clearly declared it.
• Is Jesus the King? Yes, He told Pilate that too.
• Is Jesus sinless? Yes, everyone knows it.

What will you do with Him?

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The Trial of the Sanhedrin
Luke 22:63-71
December 27, 2020

This morning we continue on with our narrative of suffering of Christ.

And we come to what I am calling “The Trial of the Sanhedrin”,
But I hope you don’t misunderstand the title.

As we said last time when we looked at the Trial of Peter.
• Throughout these final chapters we see multiple individuals who take their opportunity to question Jesus or to put Him on trial.
• BUT DO NOT MISUNDERSTAND.
• Though Jesus is standing before these various men or groups, Jesus is never the one who is actually on trial.

I would call your attention to Psalms 11
Psalms 11 “In the LORD I take refuge; How can you say to my soul, “Flee as a bird to your mountain; For, behold, the wicked bend the bow, They make ready their arrow upon the string To shoot in darkness at the upright in heart. If the foundations are destroyed, What can the righteous do?” The LORD is in His holy temple; the LORD’S throne is in heaven; His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men. The LORD tests the righteous and the wicked, And the one who loves violence His soul hates. Upon the wicked He will rain snares; Fire and brimstone and burning wind will be the portion of their cup. For the LORD is righteous, He loves righteousness; The upright will behold His face.”

I’ve always loved Psalms 11 because it is such an encouragement for us
When we face moments of injustice and helplessness.

• You have David there who is undoubtedly facing some sort of injustice and danger.
• You have David’s friends who have obviously told David to “flee as a bird”
• Because the danger is real and the system is corrupt.
• In fact they ask the question, “If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?”

That would be a good vantage point to talk about these trials that Jesus is a part of.
• They are all corrupt.
• They are all bogus.
• And Jesus can’t seem to get a fair trial.

But INSTEAD OF LOSING HOPE David reminded his friends
That there is a higher court and there is a final judge.

“The LORD is in His holy temple; the LORD’S throne is in heaven; His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men. The LORD tests the righteous and the wicked, And the one who loves violence His soul hates. Upon the wicked He will rain snares; Fire and brimstone and burning wind will be the portion of their cup. For the LORD is righteous, He loves righteousness; The upright will behold His face.”

David reminded his friends that there is indeed a trial going on,
But it’s not the one you think.

David is standing before corrupt judges on earth,
But what those corrupt judges don’t realize is that
They are at the same time standing before the God of the universe.

And so the question is:
WHO IS REALLY ON TRIAL HERE?

That is what we talk about here in regard to all these “trials” of Jesus.

• Yes, Jesus is standing before men…
• Yes, these men are asking all the questions…
• Yes, these men will render verdicts…
• Yes, these men will carry out their punishments…

But who is really on trial?

They will kill Jesus and in 3 days He’ll be alive again.
BUT THEIR DECISIONS WILL BRING UPON THEM
A JUDGMENT THAT WILL LAST FOR ETERNITY.

When I call this the trial of the Sanhedrin, I don’t mean to say that it is the Sanhedrin’s trial of Jesus, but rather Jesus’ trial of the Sanhedrin.

The decision they make will have eternal consequences.

IT IS A BIG DEAL.
Incidentally, every man is at one point or another on trial like this.

• Every time the gospel confronts you
• And bids you to repent of your sin
• And to trust in Christ, you are on trial.
• Every time you reject Christ, the God of the universe is watching.

THIS IS SERIOUS.

This Morning We Come TO THE TRIAL OF THE SANHEDRIN.
(Incidentally, this is the only trial by them that Luke includes.)

As we talked about last week, there were actually 3 trials that took place by the Jews before Jesus was sent to Pilate.

• After Jesus was arrested, He was taken to Caiaphas’ house for trial.
• But in the courtyard Jesus was first confronted by Annas – that was trial 1
• Jesus was then taken into Caiaphas’ house for trial 2

This is the 3rd time they will put Jesus on trial.
But it’s the ONLY ONE of the 3 that Luke references.
And as always, THERE’S A REASON.

We begin by asking: What is Luke’s main point in including on this trial?

Certainly we see again that truth of JESUS IDENTIFYING WITH US.
That is still obvious.

• We saw Him in the garden suffering grief as a sinner…
• We saw Him approached by Judas and mocked as a fraud…
• We saw Peter draw the sword and defend Him as a rebel…
• We saw Him ultimately arrested as a thief…

We still see Him identifying with us.
• Here we see Him punished as a false prophet…
• We see Him tried as a liar…
• We see condemned as a blasphemer…

Jesus was none of those things,
But again the point is made that He is identifying with us.

• He has taken upon Himself our sinfulness
• He is suffering at the hands of men because of it.
• He will soon suffer at the hands of God because of it.

Jesus, as Luke already mentioned and as Isaiah prophesied, has been “NUMBERED WITH THE TRANSGRESSORS.”

We never want to overlook that because that is a major point for Luke.

In fact only Luke is going to reveal that statement from the thief on the cross who basically points out that Jesus is not being treated as He deserves.

Luke 23:41 “And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.”

Only Luke includes that because it makes this continual point that
Jesus is being treated as a sinner when He was not a sinner at all.

It is His identification with us.
And you see that still here.

BUT WHAT JUMPS OFF THE PAGE IN THIS TEXT
(and what is most certainly the main point)

Is the claim that caused Jesus to be condemned.
JESUS CLAIMED TO BE GOD.

You can’t miss it.
It’s the massive story in the text.

Earlier we have Jesus claiming that Isaiah 53 was about Him.
Now we have Jesus claiming that He is in fact God.

• Luke doesn’t include that trial of Annas where Jesus claimed to be innocent…
• Luke doesn’t include that trial of Caiaphas where Jesus faced false witnesses who testified that He was going to tear down the temple…

Luke includes only 1 piece of evidence
That ultimately led to the condemnation of Jesus,
And that was that Jesus was condemned of blasphemy
Because He claimed to be God.

And that is what jumps out throughout this entire trial.

So let’s break this text down into 3 points.
#1 A CONTEMPTIBLE CLAIM
Luke 22:63-65

What we mean here is that Jesus’ claim to be God
Was one that immediately brought contempt upon Him.

Now, without the other gospel accounts you might not immediately understand the cause of what is happening here.

We have here “men who were holding Jesus in custody”
And they “were mocking Him and beating Him”

And if all you have is Luke’s gospel you might be tempted to ask, “WHY?”

But Matthew’s gospel answer the question.
Matthew 26:63-68 “But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest said to Him, “I adjure You by the living God, that You tell us whether You are the Christ, the Son of God.” Jesus said to him, “You have said it yourself; nevertheless I tell you, hereafter you will see THE SON OF MAN SITTING AT THE RIGHT HAND OF POWER, and COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN.” Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “He has blasphemed! What further need do we have of witnesses? Behold, you have now heard the blasphemy; what do you think?” They answered, “He deserves death!” Then they spat in His face and beat Him with their fists; and others slapped Him, and said, “Prophesy to us, You Christ; who is the one who hit You?”

What you understand then is that the treatment Luke references
That Jesus is receiving from these men
Is in direct response to Jesus claim to be the Son of God.

This was at trial #2 in Caiaphas’ house
• Where they illegally forced Jesus to testify against Himself.
• But when Jesus acknowledged being the Messiah, the Son of God
• They immediately cried “He has blasphemed!” and passed judgment on Him.

Verses 63-65 demonstrate the response of the officers
And that is they held Jesus in contempt for His claim.

(63-65) “Now the men who were holding Jesus in custody were mocking Him and beating Him, and they blindfolded Him and were asking Him, saying, “Prophesy, who is the one who hit You?” And they were saying many other things against Him, blaspheming.”

It’s just flat out contempt.
• They hate Him for what He claimed to be.
• They are mocking Him for what He claimed to be.
• They sought to humiliate Him for this claim.

They would blindfold Him, and take turns punching Him in the face
And ask Him to “Prophesy, who is the one who hit You?”

And the irony of it all is that He knew every time who it was.

Psalms 139:1-4 “O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar. You scrutinize my path and my lying down, And are intimately acquainted with all my ways. Even before there is a word on my tongue, Behold, O LORD, You know it all.”

John 1:48 “Nathanael said to Him, “How do You know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”

John 2:24-25 “But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men, and because He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man.”

• Jesus knew every single one of these men.
• And who knew who hit Him every single time.
• He even knew who was going to hit Him before they knew it.

And yet, the PASSIVE OBEDIENCE and MEEKNESS of Jesus
Is on tremendous display.

They mocked Him in contempt, and yet He willingly bore it.
Isaiah 53:7 “He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth.”

Peter would later give commentary on this very scene and say:
1 Peter 2:23 “and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously;”

Did you catch that?

While Jesus was on trial, He knew where the real trial was;
He knew who the real Judge was.

While these men mocked Him in contempt,
Jesus simply kept His mouth shut
And waited for the real Judge to render a verdict.

And in case you missed it.
We have the actual verdict of the real Judge included here.

(65) “And they were saying many other things against Him, blaspheming.”

Luke included it.
These men were guilty of blasphemy.
Jesus wasn’t on trial here.
Jesus didn’t have anything to prove.
Jesus just announced to these men that He was God,
THE REAL TRIAL was how they responded to His claim.

THEY FAILED.
They should have worshiped, instead they blasphemed.

To them Jesus claim was a CONTEMPTIBLE CLAIM
#2 A CONFIRMABLE CLAIM
Luke 22:66-70

Again I remind you of what is going on here in the Jewish scheme.

We read, “When it was day, the Council of elders of the people assembled, both chief priests and scribes, and they led Him away to their council chamber”

As I told you last time there many legalities that were broken in regard to the way they were trying Jesus.
• According to Rabbinical Law you could not hold a trial at night, it had to a
public affair so that any possible witnesses with acquitting evidence might be
readily available.

That meant that before the Sanhedrin could legitimately condemn Jesus They at least had to have some semblance of a public and daytime trial.

That is what you are seeing here.
And if you’ll notice, they really only have one objective.

They just want Jesus to repeat publicly what He already said last night.
They just want to get Him to say again that He is the Son of God.
That’s the goal.

Now understand that Jesus has already been really abused
For making this claim earlier in the evening.

A man seeking to avoid any more abuse would stay away from that claim.
Certainly a man who wasn’t God would never say that again.

But here we are, and the council gets right to the point.

(67) “If You are the Christ, tell us.” But He said to them, “If I tell you, you will not believe;”

And certainly you understand the Lord’s answer.
• Just a few hours ago He had told these same people that very thing.
• And when He told them who He was, they did not believe Him.
• Instead they cried, “Blasphemy!” and started beating Him.

HE KNOWS WHAT THEY ARE UP TO.
They are just trying to get Him to say it again so that everyone can hear and they don’t have to explain how He already admitted it in their secret and illegal trial.

And Jesus continues:
(68) “and if I ask a question, you will not answer.”

What is Jesus referring to there?
He’s referring to trial #1 when Annas interrogated Him.

John 18:19-24 “The high priest then questioned Jesus about His disciples, and about His teaching. Jesus answered him, “I have spoken openly to the world; I always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all the Jews come together; and I spoke nothing in secret. “Why do you question Me? Question those who have heard what I spoke to them; they know what I said.” When He had said this, one of the officers standing nearby struck Jesus, saying, “Is that the way You answer the high priest?” Jesus answered him, “If I have spoken wrongly, testify of the wrong; but if rightly, why do you strike Me?” So Annas sent Him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.”

Jesus asked 3 questions there:
• “Why do you question Me?”
• “If I have spoken wrongly, testify of the wrong”
• “Why do you strike Me?”

But of course you notice that they never gave Jesus an answer.

So Jesus knows what is up here at trial #3.
• He knows what they are after.
• He knows that nothing He says will cause them to believe
• He knows that no defense He offers will cause them to answer.
• He is wise to their act.

Which is what makes His next statement so amazing.

A man seeking to save His own life would then say,
• “I know what you want, but you’ll get nothing from Me.
• You illegally arrested Me, tried Me, and beat Me.
• Why don’t you explain to all these people how I ended up here.”

BUT THAT’S NOT WHAT JESUS DOES.
Instead, He willingly gives them everything they wanted.

He repeats the very phrase that got Him condemned earlier
(69) “But from now on THE SON OF MAN WILL BE SEATED AT THE RIGHT HAND of the power OF GOD.”

It is actually a mixture type reference
To two different Old Testament passages.

One is:
Daniel 7:13-14 “I kept looking in the night visions, And behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, And He came up to the Ancient of Days And was presented before Him. “And to Him was given dominion, Glory and a kingdom, That all the peoples, nations and men of every language Might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion Which will not pass away; And His kingdom is one Which will not be destroyed.”

• Daniel received these night visions that terrified him regarding the coming kingdoms of the world.
• In particular it was the kingdom of the Anti-Christ that really terrified him.
• But Daniel also saw the final kingdom as that of Christ coming to rule the world.

The notable thing there is that the coming Savior is referred to as the “Son of Man”. Jesus assumed this title for Himself.

The other passage referenced here is:
Psalms 110:1 “The LORD says to my Lord: “Sit at My right hand Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.”

Jesus sort of put both of those passages together
To identify Himself first at the Messiah
And secondly as the Son of God seated at God’s right hand.

Now, up in Caiaphas’ house
They immediately understood what Jesus was saying.

But now they are in the middle of the public trial,
And that statement is a little too cryptic for the average onlooker.

They don’t just want Jesus to give that statement again,
They want Him to admit what He meant by it.

They want to make sure everyone understands what He just said, so they push Him further.
(70) “And they all said, “Are You the Son of God then?”

In a courtroom scene it would be like the prosecuting attorney saying, “Here now under oath, so that the jury can understand exactly what you just said…are you saying that you are the Son of God?”

And notice the confident and absolutely confirmable answer:
“He said to them, “Yes, I am.”

Jesus unequivocally claimed to be the Son of God.
(incidentally: Son of God means God)

There was no denying it.
JESUS CLAIMED TO BE GOD.

And that leads us to the 3rd point.

Contemptible Claim; Confirmable Claim
#3 A CONDEMNABLE CLAIM
Luke 22:71

Caiaphas now had the evidence he wanted.
Jesus had now said it publicly, in the daytime, before everyone.

“What further need do we have of testimony? For we have heard it ourselves from His own mouth.”

And with that, they will lead Him to Pilate and ask for death.

They heard Jesus claim to be God and they condemned Him for it.

And this is all the evidence Luke includes.
• No sin mentioned…
• No witnesses shown…
• No evidence submitted…

From Luke’s perspective Jesus was condemned for one thing
And that was that He claimed to be God.

But they would have all done well to ask themselves one question:
IS HE?

Here we have a man who was just beaten for claiming to be God
And now, knowing that He faced death if He stuck to it, He states it again.

Jesus claimed to be God
At a moment when it was not beneficial to Him to do so.

They should have wondered why.
They should have asked, whether or not He really was.

INCIDENTALLY, YOU KNOW THAT HE IS.

We remember in the upper room when Philip told Jesus to show them the Father.
John 14:9-11 “Jesus said to him, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? “Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works. “Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves.”

And that is such a simple test to run.

Do you know anyone else who can:
• Raise the dead? (Jairus’ daughter and Lazarus)
• Give sight to the blind?
• Cleans lepers?
• Restore a withered arm?
• Cast out demons?
• Command the sea?
• Multiple a meal to feed 5,000?
• Command all the fish in the sea to gather on one side of a boat?

His works prove who He is.

• Or consider that He told the disciples that they would pray to Him.
• Or that the disciples worshiped Him and He did not rebuke them.
• Or that Thomas called Him “My Lord and my God” and Jesus said nothing.

But perhaps the greatest statement of Jesus comes in John 5
Where Jesus claimed to be God and they confronted Him.

John 5:18-23 “For this reason therefore the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him, because He not only was breaking the Sabbath, but also was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God. Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner. “For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself is doing; and the Father will show Him greater works than these, so that you will marvel. “For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son also gives life to whom He wishes. “For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son, so that all will honor the Son even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.”

They accuse Jesus of claiming to be God’s equal and He doesn’t flinch.
HE MERELY POINTS OUT
• That He shares the Father’s Passion
• That He sees the Father’s Plan
• That He shows the Father’s Power
• That He shares the Father’s Praise

WHO DOES THAT IF HE IS NOT GOD?
JESUS IS GOD.

And incidentally, that is important for you theologically.

Jesus is about to go to the cross to bear the sin of all the elect for all time.
Only God can bear eternal wrath.
Only God can bear that much suffering.

He has to be God or there is no way He can atone for our sin.

That is why the N.T. writers were adamant about the deity of Jesus.

PAUL:
Philippians 2:6 “who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,”

Colossians 1:15 “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.”

Titus 2:13 “looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus,”

WRITER OF HEBREWS
Hebrews 1:1-3 “God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,”

PETER
2 Peter 1:16-18 “For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, such an utterance as this was made to Him by the Majestic Glory, “This is My beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased” — and we ourselves heard this utterance made from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.”

JESUS IS GOD AND IT MATTERS.

But what we see here is
Jesus was condemned by the Jews for declaring it.

I know, at first glance, it looks like Jesus is on trial, but He isn’t.
These men were and they just condemned themselves.

These men were just put on trial and they didn’t even know it.
• Standing before God they were simply asked to acknowledge that He is who He says He is.
• They were simply asked to acknowledge Jesus as God.
• They said, “No” and rejected Him.

They were a living fulfillment of passages

Like the one we just studied on Christmas day.
Isaiah 50:2a “Why was there no man when I came? When I called, why was there none to answer? Is My hand so short that it cannot ransom? Or have I no power to deliver?”

Or like we read in Psalms 2
Psalms 2:1-3 “Why are the nations in an uproar And the peoples devising a vain thing? The kings of the earth take their stand And the rulers take counsel together Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying, “Let us tear their fetters apart And cast away their cords from us!”

God stood in their midst and they rejected Him.
They scorned Him
They mocked Him
They sought to kill Him

They would have done good to remember that
Both Isaiah 50 and Psalms 2 had warnings in them too.

Isaiah 50:10-11 “Who is among you that fears the LORD, That obeys the voice of His servant, That walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God. Behold, all you who kindle a fire, Who encircle yourselves with firebrands, Walk in the light of your fire And among the brands you have set ablaze. This you will have from My hand: You will lie down in torment.”

Psalms 2:10-12 “Now therefore, O kings, show discernment; Take warning, O judges of the earth. Worship the LORD with reverence And rejoice with trembling. Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way, For His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!”

The warning was clear.
• Do not reject God when He reveals Himself.
• Do not turn on Him, for it won’t work out well for you.

That also helps us understand the preaching of the apostles in the book of Acts.

Listen now to what Peter preached at Pentecost.
• He was answering with regard to the coming of the Holy Spirit.
• He pointed out how the Jews had crucified Jesus
• And How God had raised Him up.

Acts 2:36 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ — this Jesus whom you crucified.”

• He is sitting at God’s right hand.
• Peter would go on to say you must “Repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus”

Later when Peter would preach again:
After healing the lame man,
Acts 3:13-19 “The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified His servant Jesus, the one whom you delivered and disowned in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release Him. “But you disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, but put to death the Prince of life, the one whom God raised from the dead, a fact to which we are witnesses. “And on the basis of faith in His name, it is the name of Jesus which has strengthened this man whom you see and know; and the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect health in the presence of you all. “And now, brethren, I know that you acted in ignorance, just as your rulers did also. “But the things which God announced beforehand by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled. “Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord;”

And again:
Acts 4:10-12 “let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead — by this name this man stands here before you in good health. “He is the STONE WHICH WAS REJECTED by you, THE BUILDERS, but WHICH BECAME THE CHIEF CORNER stone. “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”

And again:
Acts 5:29-32 “But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men. “The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you had put to death by hanging Him on a cross. “He is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. “And we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.”

You hear it over and over in the preaching of Peter.

When Jesus came you put Him on trial.
What you didn’t realize is that
It was actually you who were on trial, and you blew it.

You crucified the Lord of glory!
You crucified the Son of God!
And you had better repent, because there is a higher court.

There’s the message or warning to everyone this morning.

When Jesus is revealed to you, rejection is not an option.
• It may seem to you like at that moment you are being asked to make a judgment regarding Jesus…
• It may feel like Jesus is before you, and you are being asked to make a ruling on whether or not He is God or not…

THAT IS NOT THE CASE
• He is God, you’re ruling won’t change that.
• But at that moment, you are on trial.
• You are being watched by the higher court.
• What you do with Jesus will be documented and remembered by the God of the universe.

IT IS A SERIOUS THING.

YOU MUST SUBMIT TO HIM.
• Instead of blaspheming Him, you must worship Him.
• Instead of condemning Him, you must confess Him.
• Instead of mocking Him, you must trust Him.
• Instead of rejecting Him, you must submit to Him.

He is God, and to Him every knee will eventually bow.

Psalms 2:12 “Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way, For His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!”

Is that you?
• Have you don’t homage to Him?
• Are you taking refuge in Him?
• Or have you pushed Him aside and rejected Him?