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THE FAITHFUL FACE THE CROSS
Luke 23:26-56 Dr. Chuck DeVane, Pastor Lake Hamilton Baptist Church Hot Springs, Arkansas June 16, 2019 26 And as they led him away, they seized one Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, and laid on him the cross, to carry it behind Jesus. 27 And there followed him a great multitude of the people and of women who were mourning and lamenting for him. 28 But turning to them Jesus said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. 29 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!’ 30 Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’ 31 For if they do these things when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?” 32 Two others, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. 33 And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. 34 And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments. 35 And the people stood by, watching, but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!” 36 The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine 37 and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” 38 There was also an inscription over him, “This is the King of the Jews.” 39 One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” 40 But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 43 And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.” 44 It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, 45 while the sun's light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. 46 Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last. 47 Now when the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God, saying, “Certainly this man was innocent!” 48 And all the crowds that had assembled for this spectacle, when they saw what had taken place, returned home beating their breasts. 49 And all his acquaintances and the women who had followed him from Galilee stood at a distance watching these things. 50 Now there was a man named Joseph, from the Jewish town of Arimathea. He was a member of the council, a good and righteous man, 51 who had not consented to their decision and action; and he was looking for the kingdom of God. 52 This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. 53 Then he took it down and wrapped it in a linen shroud and laid him in a tomb cut in stone, where no one had ever yet been laid. 54 It was the day of Preparation, and the Sabbath was beginning. 55 The women who had come with him from Galilee followed and saw the tomb and how his body was laid. 56 Then they returned and prepared spices and ointments. On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment. — Luke 23:26-56, ESV Jesus’ path from the garden to the gallows was paved with faithless people. There were sleeping disciples, a terrible traitor, a cowardly denier, and many corrupt religious and political leaders. Together they helped seal the Lord's fate of a final sentence to die on a cross. As the final steps were taken down the “Via Delarosa," or “way of suffering,” Jesus saw many more faces. The majority of them were faithless, too. However, there were a few faithful faces in the crowd. They have become a good part of the good news of Jesus’ atoning death, temporary burial, and bodily resurrection. Let’s look at them, face to face, as the faithful face the cross of Christ. Simon of Cyrene Death row prisoners were required to carry the horizontal beam of their own cross to where the vertical beam marked the spot of their public hanging. From the outset it was obvious that the man Christ Jesus could not carry His own cross due to the physical, mental, and spiritual stress He was under. This was not weakness, but meekness, and there is a world of difference. Since Roman soldiers and citizens could not touch a cross, a scapegoat had to be secured. A man from Africa was chosen, by man and by God. “Simon of Cyrene” had the dubious distinction of carrying Christ’s cross. He is one of two Lucan characters who turned from African tribalism to Old Covenant Judaism to New Testament Christianity, the other being the Ethiopian eunuch of Acts 8. Simon apparently made the annual pilgrimage to Passover and perhaps was meeting Jesus for the first time. It would not be the last, for him nor his house. The Gospel writer Mark was also familiar with Simon and the Apostle Paul knew his son, Rufus (ref. Mark 15:21; Romans 16:13). Faith is the most important part of any family tree. Seeing and savoring the suffering of Jesus changed Simon, and subsequently his family, forever. He was one of the faithful facing the cross, for himself and for future generations. The Judaean Women The next faces Jesus sees along the way are the “daughters of Jerusalem.” They see Jesus’ face, too, and burst into tears. They had called for His crucifixion, but now can see an innocent Jew betrayed by His fellow Hebrews and belittled by His Roman overlords. It was enough to make any Israelite or Christian weep, and I pray that one became the other. Jesus warned them, while still telling parables on the way to His execution, that if the Romans would kill the King of the Jews, the day would come when they would kill every Jew in Jerusalem they could get their hands on. They would, and they did, in AD 70. What is the meaning of Jesus’ message? What is the meaning of all of Jesus’ sermons? We are all sinners, living in a sinful world, where sinful men and sinful kingdoms exist until the end of time. Put not your faith in yourself, in politicians and rulers, but in the Lord your God. As the women were weeping, as they were hearing these words, they were staring at God right in the face. All of the first Christians were Jewish. So many of them were women. I speculate that these women, after seeing the suffering and sacrificial face of Jesus, became part of the faithful who faced the cross. From African converts to Jewish loyalists, we now come face to face with perhaps the most radical representative of them all, the thief (one of two) on the cross. The Thief Two criminals faced Jesus on the cross. Their faces and bodies were nailed to crosses, two, one on either side of Christ. At the beginning of Jesus’ six hour struggle with death, they joined the crowd at their own crucifixion by hurling insults at the Lord. Then the two heard Jesus say these words, “Father, forgive.” One hardened like clay. The other melted like wax. Such is the paradoxical power of sovereign grace. If you do not see yourself as a sinner you will never taste grace. One culprit must have justified his sins, his crimes, even the killing that earned the sentence of death. The other must have looked over his life, wasting away as it was, and recognized the wrong paths, bad decisions, selfish ambitions, and terrible sins he had committed. He was so sorry, so ashamed, so repentant of what he had done to people and against God’s word. He wanted a do-over, but that could not be done. Perhaps he could get some of that forgiveness Jesus was talking about, so he faced Jesus and asked. Jesus answered quickly, since neither one had much time left, by giving him the bottom line from the top. “Paradise,” the entryway of Heaven, the place of eternal life with God in glory, is given by grace to those who face Jesus with faith. The thief died in peace with God. But shortly before he rested in peace, God died in his place to give him that peace. The Centurion As Jesus breathed His last in order to open up a direct way to God, not through the ritual of religion but by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, a final commentary was offered by a heretofore hardened, unfaithful face. A Roman centurion, a captain of the guards who carried out the killing of Jesus, affirmed the Lord’s human perfection and divine personality. He did so because he “saw what had taken place.” I take it this was not his first rodeo, first crucifixion, first Passover, first encounter with controversy over the Messiah. He looked at Jesus’ face. He listened to Jesus’ words. He acknowledged Jesus’ innocence and deity. Like a few other Roman centurions in the first few centuries of Christianity, this faithful man faced the cross, confessed his sins, and trusted Christ. There are other ways to advance your career, other ways to make money, other ways to find happiness and success. But the only way to be saved is to confess Jesus as Lord and Savior and trust in Him completely. Joseph of Arimathea We’ve seen the faces of the faithful on the way to Calvary, Simon and the women. We’ve seen the faces of the faithful at the cross, the good thief and the Roman centurion. Now look at a few faithful faces after the cross. “Joseph of Arimathea” had been a believer for quite a while, although not boldly. He was a rich member of the ruling class in Jerusalem. However, as he faced the cross of Christ and watched the Lord breath His last breath, Joseph determined to use his position and power for good, for God. Jews did not want to touch the bodies of condemned criminals, so the Romans normally dumped them in unmarked graves. Joseph knew Jesus deserved better. So he wielded his authority and used his own wealth to provide a proper burial for the Lord. He did not understand at the time how temporary that burial would be. But this is how the faithful face the cross, by using everything in their disposal to further the cause of Christ. The Galilean Women Then there were “the women who had come with [Jesus] from Galilee.” Unlike the Judaeans, they persevered instead of persecuted. After the death of Christ, they watched Joseph and Nicodemus hurriedly bury Jesus before the sundown to start the Sabbath. They thought they had not done an adequate job, for anything a man can do, a woman can do better. They also knew that as devout Jews they could not do funeral work on the Sabbath, so they set their preparations aside and waited until the light of the first day of the week. Like Joseph, they did not yet know how dramatic that first day would be. But the fact is they faced the cross, they watched Jesus die, and somehow, someway they never gave up. They never gave up loving Jesus, they never gave up following Jesus, they never gave up on the kingdom Jesus promised. The faithful face the cross, with love and obedience, withe perseverance and proof, and never give up. One face remains. The Lord Jesus Christ The most faithful face at the cross belongs to the One who died there, the Lord Jesus Christ. He looked in Simon’s face and thanked him for carrying the cross, and now He looks at you. He looked into the Jerusalem women’s faces and told them to look past Old Covenant religion and look for a New Covenant relationship with Him, and now He looks at you. He looked at the repentant thief on the cross and promised him Paradise, and now He looks at you. He looked down at that Roman centurion, breathed His last and breathed faith into that hardened sinner’s heart, and now He looks at you. He looked at the loving hands of Joseph and Nicodemus and knew one day it would be His hands laying their bodies in the cold, cold ground, and now He looks at you. He looked at the loving eyes of the women and the tomb, thinking about the third day when He could greet them with the good news, and now He looks at you. Jesus Christ is the faithful face who faced the cross for our sins. Now, His face looks at you. Look to Him. Never look back. You will find grace, faith, forgiveness, and eternal life. Copyright © 2019 Lake Hamilton Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Check out the weekly happenings at Lake Hamilton Baptist Church in Hot Springs, Arkansas.
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JESUS WAS GUILTY
Luke 23:1-25 Dr. Chuck DeVane, Pastor Lake Hamilton Baptist Church Hot Springs, Arkansas June 9, 2019 1 Then the whole company of them arose and brought him before Pilate. 2 And they began to accuse him, saying, “We found this man misleading our nation and forbidding us to give tribute to Caesar, and saying that he himself is Christ, a king.” 3 And Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” And he answered him, “You have said so.” 4 Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, “I find no guilt in this man.” 5 But they were urgent, saying, “He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee even to this place.” 6 When Pilate heard this, he asked whether the man was a Galilean. 7 And when he learned that he belonged to Herod's jurisdiction, he sent him over to Herod, who was himself in Jerusalem at that time. 8 When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, for he had long desired to see him, because he had heard about him, and he was hoping to see some sign done by him. 9 So he questioned him at some length, but he made no answer. 10 The chief priests and the scribes stood by, vehemently accusing him. 11 And Herod with his soldiers treated him with contempt and mocked him. Then, arraying him in splendid clothing, he sent him back to Pilate. 12 And Herod and Pilate became friends with each other that very day, for before this they had been at enmity with each other. 13 Pilate then called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people, 14 and said to them, “You brought me this man as one who was misleading the people. And after examining him before you, behold, I did not find this man guilty of any of your charges against him. 15 Neither did Herod, for he sent him back to us. Look, nothing deserving death has been done by him. 16 I will therefore punish and release him.” 18 But they all cried out together, “Away with this man, and release to us Barabbas”— 19 a man who had been thrown into prison for an insurrection started in the city and for murder. 20 Pilate addressed them once more, desiring to release Jesus, 21 but they kept shouting, “Crucify, crucify him!” 22 A third time he said to them, “Why? What evil has he done? I have found in him no guilt deserving death. I will therefore punish and release him.” 23 But they were urgent, demanding with loud cries that he should be crucified. And their voices prevailed. 24 So Pilate decided that their demand should be granted. 25 He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, for whom they asked, but he delivered Jesus over to their will. — Luke 23:1-25, ESV Cultures who have carried out capital punishment have done so consistently for these crimes: murder (in certain, premeditated cases), homicide in the commission of another serious crime (like robbery or kidnapping), and treason. In the early days of the Roman Empire, which coincided with the life of Jesus Christ, convictions in these three cases resulted in the death penalty. Their means of carrying out the death sentence was, of course, crucifixion. The political and religious leaders of Israel tracked Jesus for three years as if they were collecting evidence to catch and condemn a serial killer. But Jesus was no murderer; He raised people from the dead. Jesus never killed anyone in the commission of another crime, as did the two thieves in between whom He would be crucified. It was the third category of crime that convicted Jesus and garnered Him a death sentence. Jesus was accused, arrested, and convicted of treason. Jesus was guilty. Treason Against Tiberius The key charge against Jesus was that He claimed to be King. The evidence was collected, or concocted, by the Jewish Sanhedrin and turned over to the Roman Governor. “And Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” And he answered him, “You have said so” (vs. 3). Jesus was born under Caesar Augustus, but He was tried and died under Caesar Tiberius. His claim to be any kind of king would have been an act of treason, at least technically, against Tiberius. The aloof Caesar Tiberius did not know about Jesus. The cowardly Governor Pilate did care about Jesus. But the jealous Jews were up in arms over Him. “They were urgent, saying,“He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee even to this place.” What Jesus was truly guilty of was preaching the gospel and teaching the word of God. Furthermore, He had done so in a way that contradicted the prideful, hypocritical Pharisees and the nominal, progressive Sadducees. If Jesus was right, if Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life (ref. John 14:6), then the legalists and the liberals were all wrong. If Jesus was acknowledged to be right, they would have to change their lives and surrender their power. The Jews did not want to change, their Sanhedrin did not want to relinquish power, so Jesus had to be considered guilty of treason against Tiberius. Treason Against Pilate and Herod Pilate was the governor of Judea and Herod Antipas, the son of Herod the Great (who sought to kill Jesus as an infant), was tetrarch over Galilee. Under Roman authority they ruled their territory like kings. Kings were sovereign in those days. When they spoke, you listened. When they questioned, you answered. Both Pilate and Herod judged Jesus during His fateful capitol case. Pilate was somewhat disinterested, for he had absolutely no regard for absolute truth. Herod, on the other hand, was curious. His conscience surely had been bothering him ever since he ordered the execution of John the Baptist. He no doubt had heard John the Baptist preach about Jesus the Christ. John was unjustly beheaded as Jesus was just beginning, so for three years Antipas had sought an audience with Jesus. Jesus was mostly silent to Pilate and breathed not a word to Herod, nor would the Lord perform any tricks for the king. Remember, their kingships were validated by the Roman government. Jesus did not answer Pilate and Herod to their satisfaction. I am not sure either one of them would have convicted Jesus, but they obviously held Him in contempt, for the text tells us “Herod and his soldiers treated him with contempt and mocked him (vs. 11).” If Jesus was right, if Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, then the government was wrong. If Jesus was acknowledged to be right, those in authority would have to change their lives and surrender their power. Governments seldom drift towards obedience to God. Treason Against the Public At this point Pilate, in whom power in Jerusalem was centralized, was perplexed. Jesus could be considered technically guilty of treason against Tiberius and Rome. Jesus was a little snarky to Pontius Pilate and mostly silent to Herod Antipas. At the end of the day, however, what harm had Jesus really done? So, Pilate appealed to the public. How democratic of him! Pilate had always given the people of Palestine a Passover perk. Any one prisoner of their choosing would be pardoned. Pilate must have somehow positioned Jesus next to Barabbas and his two accomplices. Surely the people would vote for a preacher to be set free instead of a dangerous rebel, thief, and murderer. We the people, stirred up by religious rulers, voted for Barabbas. Worldly culture always chooses the criminal over the Christ. This left Jesus to hang on the trumped up treason charges. How could people, particularly a religious people, Jewish religious people at that, turn their backs on the Messiah? If Jesus was right, if Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, then the people were wrong. If Jesus was acknowledged to be right, the people would have to change their lives and surrender their power. I do not think Jesus could be voted into office in any country in the world today. I’m not sure He is Lord of many modern churches, either. Jesus was convicted in the Jewish court, Jesus was convicted in the Galilean court, Jesus was convicted in the Roman court, and Jesus was convicted in the court of public opinion. Jesus was guilty before mankind. But what about God? Surely God the Son could not be considered guilty by God the Father, or could He? Treason Against God “He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, for whom they asked, but he delivered Jesus over to their will” (vs. 25). Look closely at the last two words of that verse, “their will.” Whose will was it to try, convict, and crucify the Lord Jesus Christ for the sin of treason, the sin of rebellion, the sin of sin? It was Pilate’s will. It was Herod’s will. It was the people’s will. And, it was God Almighty’s will: “Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him” (ref. Isaiah 53:10). Jesus could have outsmarted Pilate, outwitted Herod, and outrun all of the Jewish people. But the one person Jesus could not outmaneuver was Himself. He was, is, and always will be God, and God the Father decreed that God the Son should die so that God the Spirit could enable God’s people to change their lives and surrender to God. Jesus was guilty. Jesus was guilty of our sin. “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (ref. 2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus was guilty of our sin so that we may be saved. But in order to be saved, you have to willingly repent and believe. In other words, you must do what no one else in this story seemed willing to do. You must change your life and surrender your all to the Lord Jesus Christ. Copyright © 2019 Lake Hamilton Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Check out the weekly happenings at Lake Hamilton Baptist Church in Hot Springs, Arkansas. GOING THE WRONG WAY ON A ONE-WAY STREET
Luke 22:45-71 Dr. Chuck DeVane, Pastor Lake Hamilton Baptist Church Hot Springs, Arkansas June 2, 2019 45 And when he rose from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping for sorrow, 46 and he said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation.” 47 While he was still speaking, there came a crowd, and the man called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He drew near to Jesus to kiss him, 48 but Jesus said to him, “Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?” 49 And when those who were around him saw what would follow, they said, “Lord, shall we strike with the sword?” 50 And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear. 51 But Jesus said, “No more of this!” And he touched his ear and healed him. 52 Then Jesus said to the chief priests and officers of the temple and elders, who had come out against him, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs? 53 When I was with you day after day in the temple, you did not lay hands on me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness.” 54 Then they seized him and led him away, bringing him into the high priest's house, and Peter was following at a distance. 55 And when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat down among them. 56 Then a servant girl, seeing him as he sat in the light and looking closely at him, said, “This man also was with him.” 57 But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know him.” 58 And a little later someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.” But Peter said, “Man, I am not.” 59 And after an interval of about an hour still another insisted, saying, “Certainly this man also was with him, for he too is a Galilean.” 60 But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about.” And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. 61 And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.” 62 And he went out and wept bitterly. 63 Now the men who were holding Jesus in custody were mocking him as they beat him. 64 They also blindfolded him and kept asking him, “Prophesy! Who is it that struck you?” 65 And they said many other things against him, blaspheming him. 66 When day came, the assembly of the elders of the people gathered together, both chief priests and scribes. And they led him away to their council, and they said, 67 “If you are the Christ, tell us.” But he said to them, “If I tell you, you will not believe, 68 and if I ask you, you will not answer. 69 But from now on the Son of Man shall be seated at the right hand of the power of God.” 70 So they all said, “Are you the Son of God, then?” And he said to them, “You say that I am.” 71 Then they said, “What further testimony do we need? We have heard it ourselves from his own lips.” — Luke 22:45-71, ESV In a recurring episode that is sometimes comedic and too often tragic, some driver gets caught going the wrong way on a one-way street. Their reasons vary. Some do it in the stupor of sleepiness. Some are betrayed by their sight and misread the signs. Still others deny they were ever going the wrong way until traffic or tragedy proved them wrong. Occasionally one does it with malicious intent to harm others or themselves. And then there is the guy who lawyers up and offers the classic defense, “Well, I was only going one way.” The eery thing about these excuses is they are achingly similar to reasons people responded the wrong way to Jesus when He took His fateful walk from the Garden of Gethsemane to the Cross of Calvary. Christ was going one way in order to be the one way a person may receive salvation and eternal life (ref. John 14:6). Take look at this collection of travelers along the way, believers and unbelievers, who went the wrong way on a one-way street. The Sleeper As Jesus began His one-way walk, He was accompanied by His closest friends: Simon Peter and the brothers James and John. Christ depended upon them during this dark hour to go the right way with Him in prayer and fellowship. When Jesus turned to them at this pivotal moment in His life, and theirs, He found them asleep on the job. Scripture and history are kind to these three. Though Peter hit a pothole and James’ road was all too short, they and John awakened, turned around, and went the right way with Jesus. Sadly, this is not the case for many who slumber down the wrong way on God’s one-way street. I have witnessed many a professing believer turn the wrong way into immorality and divorce, drug use and prison, or the more subtle but deadly off ramp of apostasy and unbelief. It all started with a little slumber, a little sleep. Instead of reporting for worship, they stayed in bed or pursued more exciting endeavors. They closed their eyes to the word of God and dreamed of the ways of the world instead. They crashed, burned, and took other lives with them. Please, don’t sleep on the Lord. The Traitor The next to go up the off ramp was the traitor, Judas Iscariot. His poison had been predicted the night before in the Upper Room. At dawn in the Garden he made his move. All sin and unbelief is hideous in the end, but even more so when hypocrisy and betrayal are disguised with love and a kiss. This was an inside job to push Jesus into traffic and kill Him. It succeeded, too, but at what cost? Judas caused chaos and fighting to break out in Christ’s little church, with Simon Peter slinging a sword and cutting off Malchus’ ear, which Jesus mercifully healed. Once again, though Peter found himself going the wrong way, and will again, he eventually would be found on the road to redemption, bringing many others along for the ride. But what about Judas, or any other insider who betrays Christ and Christianity by going the wrong way against the one-way gospel? Luke’s Gospel never mentions Judas again. But he does write about him in the first chapter of the book of Acts. In graphic and grotesque language, Luke describes the tragic end of the traitor who feigned belief in the one way to Heaven then plunged down the wrong way to Hell (ref. Acts 1:16-20). This is one wrong way you do not want to go. The Denier Judas said he did when he didn’t, but Simon Peter said he didn’t when he did, believe in Jesus, that is. I suppose I’d rather be the latter than the former. But I’d really rather be neither, for both went the wrong way. Why would someone like Peter, a leader among the followers of Christ, who moments earlier would have cut someone’s head off for Jesus (of course he missed, however, and only got an ear), turn the other way on the Lord and deny three times that he even knew the Messiah? I suppose it is for the same reasons other professing Christians play the coward against Christ. Peter wanted the comfort of the fire. Peter wanted to get in on the excitement. Peter wanted to escape persecution. Professing Christians still go this wrong way today. They forsake spiritual disciplines for worldly lusts. They attend heretical churches if the music has the right beat. They cow down when there is a cost to be paid for confessing the faith. Jesus knew. At the same time He predicted Judas’ betrayal, the Lord had predicted Peter’s denial, punctuated with the rooster’s crow (in Jerusalem, a church is built on the very spot with a golden rooster on the spire). Jesus forgave, too, because in spite of his temporary madness, Simon Peter was a true believer. Isn’t it great to know that, as a true believer, God forgives you when you sin. Wouldn’t it be better, however, for us and our fellow travelers along God’s highway, to just go the right way with God in the first place? The Bully The men who arrested Jesus in the garden were not hardened Roman soldiers, but pharisaically religious Jews, part of the militia who served the High Priest. They had a map, the Old Testament, that could point out the prophecies which prove Jesus is the Messiah. But instead of following that map and going the right way, they chose the wrong way of bullying and blaspheming the Lord. We have bullies today who fight against Christ, Christians, and the Christian Scriptures. They are people who should know better, key people in politics, media, the entertainment industry, and yea verily, religion. We have very few atheists or adherents of other religions in the high halls of American politics today, quite a few in the media and entertainment, and I suspect some in the liberal mainline churches. How many of them would publicly affirm that Christ is the only way of salvation, that Christians have the same rights as other groups to attach their faith to public policy, or that the Bible’s teachings on marriage and morality should be respected and obeyed? And they try to bully those of us who do. The great irony is they all think they are going the right way, driving progress for the people, entering new lanes of enlightenment. In reality they are drunkenly driving the wrong way on a one-way street, and the accident that takes them in the end will be apocalyptic. The Lawyer I know a lawyer is just doing her job when she gets the guilty exonerated on some technicality or motion to suppress the convicting evidence. I know a lawyer is just doing his job when he badgers the defendant in a deposition only to trick him into saying something he can contradict later in court. But I tell you it is a dirty job. Enter the Sanhedrin, seventy-one men, the High Priest, chief priests, scribes, and elders of Israel, Sadducees, Pharisees, Herodians, the people of power, albeit limited. They have the authority over all things Jewish in Palestine, save death and taxes. Those rights belong to almighty Rome. A confession to be the Son of God is to take the mantle of Messiah, son of David and Son of God. To take the mantle of Messiah is to take the throne of a King, over Israel and over all the world. To take the title of King would be a capital offense against Rome and Caesar. This the lawyers knew and this is where they walked with Jesus. Only while Jesus was going the right way, the way of righteousness, they were going the wrong way. Jesus’ condemnation would result in their own. But they drove their anyway, glibly going the wrong way down a one-way street. The wrong ways to respond to Christ and Christianity are myriad. Five basic ones are found aptly illustrated by this parade of characters on Jesus’ walk to the cross. Jesus was going one way. They all went the wrong way. Don’t you want to go the right way with the Lord? Try these five steps instead: repent, believe, obey, worship, love. The road will not be an easy one. But, the destination will be heavenly. Copyright © 2019 Lake Hamilton Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Check out the weekly happenings at Lake Hamilton Baptist Church in Hot Springs, Arkansas. |
AuthorDr. Charles F. "Chuck" DeVane, Jr., is the Pastor of Lake Hamilton Baptist Church in Hot Springs, Arkansas. His weekly sermon article, "The Gospel Truth," has been published in newspapers in Arkansas and Georgia. Dr. DeVane is a graduate of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and has served in the pastorate for over 20 years. Contact Pastor Chuck at PastorChuck@lakehamiltonbaptistchurch.org
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