Let's take our Bibles and turn
with me to John 19. The Gospel of John chapter 19. I'd like to deal with verses
6 to 11. We find this passage of Scripture relating The glorious
account of the condemning of the Lord Jesus Christ before
Pilate. Yes, that's what I said. The
glorious account of the condemning of the Lord Jesus Christ, because
here we behold The Lamb. God's Lamb. God will provide
Himself. That's what Abraham said to his
son, Isaac. Where's the Lamb? God will provide
Himself a Lamb. And here is the Lamb Himself. This event took place hundreds
of years ago, and the events that we're going to consider
for just a very few minutes are going to be brought up again.
What happened that day, attitudes, words, the books are going to
be opened. I don't desire I pray God have
mercy on every person in this room today. I would, my desire,
Paul said this, my desire to God is that Israel be saved. I pray God have mercy. Every
man, every woman, every child. I know this though. He's going
to have mercy on whom He'll have mercy. In my desire, I want to be plain. I want to be absolutely plain. I don't want to step out of this
pulpit saying, I wish I'd have said it more plainly. I'm trying
to be as truthful as I can to these Scriptures I know this,
the one of whom we speak this morning is the Beloved Son. This is my Beloved Son. The Father
said to whom I'm well pleased. You hear Him. So I know that
everything that we're going to look at this morning is glorious.
Glorious concerning Him. You mean even the attitude Those
that hated Him, Scripture says the wrath of man is going to
praise Him. The books are going to be open
one day concerning this event. And those without the Lamb, right
here, this Lamb, as a mediator, are going to stand before God
and answer according to their works. They are going to answer.
Another book is going to be open, the book of life. And all that are found written
in that book, how may I know? I can't see into the eternal
counsels of God. How can I know? We just sang
that song that Brother Don Fortner wrote. How might I know that
I am one of God's own? How do I know? Here's the line
we sang. I believe Him. I believe God. I believe God. Lord, I truly
want to believe You. I want to believe You. And take
Your side against me. I know what my old me is going
to say. Nah, that can't be right. Lord, help me. Let me not be
found in that group that says, in that day of judgment, to the
mountains, rocks fall on us and hide us from the face of Him
that sitteth on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. I don't want to be in that group. When men hear the Lord saying
to them, I never knew you. I looked that word up again today.
I never knew you. It means I never accounted you
as mine. I never accounted you as mine.
The Lord knoweth them that are His. That's what 2 Timothy 2.19. The Lord knoweth those that are
His. He accounts them as His. Today is a day just like that
day. That day was a day in which men were on this earth, they
were breathing, talking, and the Lord Jesus Christ was set
before them. And many expressed their attitude
toward Him. And today is a day just like
that. And so I'm going to ask all of us here, What think we
of Christ? What do we think of Him? Have I a heart of adoration,
a heart of submission, a heart that bows? Or do I have a heart
concerning Him that's a heart of convenience? Here's what I
mean. Acts 24. Paul was preaching. You know, he was talking about,
before, a man named Felix. And here's what Felix said. Acts 24, 24, 25. And after a
certain days when Felix came with his wife, Drusilla, which
was a Jewess, he sent for Paul and heard him concerning the
faith in Christ. And as he reasoned of righteousness,
temperance, judgment to come, Felix trembled. and answered,
ìGo thy way for this time. When I have a convenient season,
I will call for thee.î I truly desire this morning that I have
a heart thatís made sensitive and on edge and alert to the
things of Christ, and not just an attitude of convenience. When
Iím not so busy, I want to hear. The Lord now,
back in John 19, has been scourged. He's wearing a crown of thorns.
And Scripture says in verse 6, when the chief priest Therefore
an officer saw him. They cried out, saying, Crucify
him! Crucify him! Pilate saith unto
them, Take ye him, and crucify him, for I find no fault in him."
Now, Scripture bears out. Those that
were most resentful to the Lord Jesus Christ were those religious
Pharisees that hated His declaration of His deity. Man by nature hates God being
sovereign. As long as he is a little g God
that I can deal with, But I'm talking about an absolute sovereign. The one who says, I am. Man by nature, this is the evidence
of a carnal heart. It's enmity against that. If I can deal with you, I can
deal with you. But if I have to bow to a sovereign,
that's just the way our nature is. The carnal heart is hatred
and enmity and rebellious. I'm not going to have that God
rule over me. That's just the way man is. That's the way we are. And when
they saw him in verse 6, is going to satisfy them short of murder,
killing. And Pilate said, take him. Galatians 6, crucify him. I find no fault in him. The Spirit
of God moved on that man to bear witness to the fact of the innocence
of the Lord Jesus Christ. They're like ravening wolves
that have got blood on their mind. They're going to kill Him. Just put Him out of our misery.
And then the Scripture says after Pilate said, you crucify Him,
the Jews said in verse 7, we have a law. And by our law, He
ought to die because He made Himself the Son of God. We've got this law. Let me hold
you in place. Leviticus 24, 16. Leviticus 24,
16. We've got this law and it says
that he needs to die. Leviticus 24, verse 16. He that blasphemeth the name
of the Lord, he shall surely be put to death. And all the
congregation shall surely stone him, as well the stranger as
he that is born in the land, when he blasphemeth the name
of the Lord shall be put to death." We've got this law. This man
has blasphemed what he's done. He's made himself the Son of
God. He has claimed to be God. He claims to have come forth
from God. He claims to be of the same essence,
nature. He claims to be God. That's what
they're saying. And we've got this law, and he's
got to die. But the law said stoning. This man has declared, he's asserted
himself to be God, equal with God, And he needs to die. And all of the evidences from
the Father declaring him, showing him, exhibiting him, five loaves
and two fish, five thousand he fed, plus the women and children.
The dead were raised, the lame made to walk, blind were made
to see, deaf could hear. That doesn't make any difference. The man is blind. You just don't
see it. No heart. You know, miracles
men think will cause men to believe. I heard Brother Henry say one
time, he said, man by nature thinks. That's what the man in
hell, the rich man in hell lifted up his eyes and said, if one
rise from the dead, they'll believe. Brother Henry said, no they won't.
The Lord came back. He raised Lazarus. What did the
Pharisees want to do with Lazarus after the Lord raised him? They
wanted to kill him. They wanted to kill him. The Jews said, we've got this
law, and by our law, he ought to die, because he made himself
the Son of God. 8 and 9, when Pilate therefore
heard that saying, he was the more afraid. He went again into
the judgment hall and saith unto Jesus, Whence art thou? But Jesus gave him no answer."
Now, Pilate is in a tough spot here. He can't find any legal
reason. There's nothing of what they
said, but there's no legal reason. According to Roman law, they
said they got a law. He said, well, then take him
then. No, we can't. We can't. No, they couldn't because
their way of execution was stoning and he was going to have to be
crucified according to the Scriptures. We got this law, he said, well... He left out of there and he came
back a few minutes and he asked the Lord, where are you from? Whence art thou? Where did you
come from? What is your origin? And the Scripture says this was
the Lord's response. He didn't say anything. Jesus gave him no answer. You know why? for the fulfillment
of Scripture. Listen to Isaiah 53, 7. He was
oppressed, he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth.
He brought as a lamb to the slaughter, as a sheep before her shearers
is dumb, so he opened not his mouth. He is here doing the will
of his Father. If he would have said one thing, You and I would have no hope. He opened not His mouth. Where are you from? That His
sheep go free, He must suffer. He is not going to defend Himself. He is not going to justify Himself. If He does not die, we will. He said nothing. Then saith Pilate
unto him, Speakest thou not unto me? Knowest thou not that I have
power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee? Jesus answered, Jesus answered,
thou couldest have no power at all against me except it were
given thee from above. Therefore, he that delivered
me unto thee hath the greater sin." Now just a couple of things
that I want to note in this in closing. I want us first of all to look
at the arrogance of natural man. Here was a worm speaking to God. And he says this, You're not going to talk to me? You're not going to say anything
to me when I'm talking to you? Do you know who I am? Do you
realize the power that I have? I have the power to crucify you,
and I have the power to release you if I so desire. The Lord said, you don't have
any power. The only power you've got is
what my Father allows you to do. Thou couldst have no power
at all against me, except it were given thee from above. Therefore
he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin." Now, the
only power that Pilate had was delegated power. delegated authority. He was placed there by God Almighty
for the accomplishment of God's will. That's why Pilate was there. You realize who I am? Yes. You're God's worm. You know who we are? We're God's
worms. The Lord Jesus Christ said that
of Himself, I'm a worm. Paul said of himself, O wretched
man that I am, but by the grace of God, God has been pleased
to show mercy to some worms. By the grace of God, truly Pilate
was an instrument in the hand of sovereign God to the accomplishment
of the Lord's good pleasure to redeem His sheep. This is exactly
what's going on. But the Lord told him, he said,
let me tell you, you couldn't do anything unless my Father
allowed you to do it, but he said, let me tell you of the
greater sin that's going on here. You're not going to let me go
because it's not my Father's will that I be let go, but let
me tell you where the greater sin is. Therefore, he that delivered
me unto thee hath the greater sin. Let me tell you the greater
of the sin. Turn to Luke 12.47. While you're turning there, let
me say what I'm about to read concerns the seriousness of hearing
the gospel and sinning against the light of the gospel. Here's
the greater sin. Luke 12, 47, 48. The Lord is
speaking here and says, that servant which knew his Lord's
will. Now, there's certain things that
we will never know this side of glory. There's a secret will
of Almighty God. I don't know who the Lord's elect
are. I don't know who they are. I
mean, there's some that the Lord's called out of darkness that I've
said before I've got an idea who they are. But I don't know. There may be some sitting here
that have never confessed the Lord openly, never believed,
never been baptized. Maybe there's some of God's elect
here that He's not called out of darkness yet. I don't know. But I do know this, there's some
things that I do know. I know that the preaching of
the gospel is the power of God and salvation. I know that. There's
some things that I do know. That servant which knew his Lord's
will and prepared not himself, those that know something of
the revealed will of God. I know this, Pat, it's right
to believe God, what God says. I know that. He that knew his Lord's will
and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall
be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not and did
commit things worthy of stripes shall be beaten with few stripes.
For unto whomsoever much is given of him shall be much required,
and to whom men have committed much of him they will ask the
more." What was he saying? Turn to Matthew 11. The Lord
gave, I read this this morning, beautiful, beautiful explanation
of what He just said. Unto him that knew the will,
unto him that didn't know the will, unto the one that knew
the will, he'll be bitten with many stripes. What does this
mean? Matthew 11, 20-22. Matthew 11,
20-22. Then began He to upbraid the
cities wherein most of His mighty works were done, because they
repented not. Woe unto thee, Chorazin! Woe unto thee, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which
were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would
have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say unto you,
it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of
judgment than for you." This is what he's saying. He told
Pilate, he said, you don't have any authority except that which
was given to you by my Father. You don't have any. But he said,
let me tell you where the greater sin is. You're not going to let
me go. You're not going to let me go
because it's not my Father's will that you let me go. But you're still going to answer
for it. You're still going to answer for it. But the one that delivered me
unto you, there's the greater sin. That's what he told Pilate.
What was the greater sin concerning the Lord standing there that
day? Judas betraying Him? Or Pilate refusing to let Him
go because of the fear of the Jews? What was the greater sin?
The Lord says, the one that delivered men to you, there's the greater
sin. Listen. It is a fearful and dangerous
thing to hear the gospel and refuse it. If the Lord leaves a man to himself,
that man will justly die in his sins. If the Lord just leaves
a man to himself, those that hear the gospel and
refuse to believe it, is going to be just like these that heard
and saw the mighty works in Bethsaida and Chorazin. and didn't believe. He said it's
going to be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah that never
heard than it will be for you. Judas sinned against light. But, on the other hand, if the
Lord in sovereign mercy grants repentance, men hear the
gospel, And God gives them a new heart, gives them a new spirit,
gives them a new mind, births them from above. And for the
first time in their life, they realize, God had to save me in spite of
me. I realized for the first time I
didn't have The freedom. I realized that. I didn't have
the ability. I realized that. And in spite
of me, He was pleased to show me mercy. And God, for reasons
that I'll never know, chose me. Why would He choose me? Why would
He choose me? Why would He set His affection
on me and pass by another? Because He said He was pleased
to. I desire for the Lord to bless
the Word. He said He would. He said my
Word's not going to return void. It's going to accomplish the
purpose for which it was sent. Every week, I try to sit down
and I try to write an article for the newspaper. They put it
in the newspaper. That to me is a miracle of God's
grace, Jeff. It's in there every week. Every week. There's been some
opposition. There's been people, they've
told me, that's called the paper and wants to know why do I get
one every week. The paper says because nobody
else will send one in. The reason is because God Almighty
won't let them. I'm convinced of that. For me to get one every week? How could that be? But let me
tell you the seriousness of it. Every week, there's an article
in the paper and people pick up that newspaper. And a lot
of them have told me, I read your articles every week. I thought,
well, we should read it again. I read your articles and I enjoy
them. But do you realize the seriousness
of reading it and refusing the Christ that's declared in those
articles? Do you realize the seriousness
of Fairmont and surrounding areas to have the gospel displayed
in a newsprint? Even if they don't show up, if
they read it and it was available. That's what the Lord said. If
the mighty works that were done in this city that you're now
responsible for had been done in Sodom and Gomorrah, Sodom
and Gomorrah would have still been here. It would have remained
to this day. Oh, the seriousness of hearing
the Gospel. To believe it is life eternal. To refuse it is everlasting condemnation. Lord, bless the Word. Lord, save our kids. Lord, save our spouses. Lord,
have mercy on us. Send Your Spirit here. Lord,
bless us to Your honor, Your glory, and Your praise.