11, titled this message, One Must
Die for the People to Live. The original title I had on it
was When a False Prophet Preaches the Gospel, and he doesn't even
know it. But we'll go with the title,
One Must Die for the People to Live. But here's a question. Can a false preacher preach the
gospel? Can one who does not believe
the gospel, can he preach the gospel? Well, not on purpose
on his part, that's for sure. We know that. And not consistently. But you know the story of Balaam?
I went and read that again, when I read this, of Caiaphas. Caiaphas
preached the gospel of substitution. Not on purpose, because it says
he didn't know what he was saying. Balin you go read in numbers. I think it starts in numbers
23 I'm tell you he says some great things But he was a hiring
He was a hire. He was a false prophet He wanted
so bad to sell out Israel But God wouldn't let him God put
words in his mouth and he blessed Israel. He couldn't curse him
as much as he tried When he went he he said I can't do it I'd
like to, but I can't. God wouldn't let him. All false
prophets say some good things. You know that? They say things
that are true. They do. But if you use this
Bible you have, how can you not say some things that are true?
But they don't consistently ever preach the gospel. They don't
do that. They'll use words like grace.
They'll use the Lord's name, Jesus Christ. But their message is totally,
totally opposite of what this book, what the message of this
book is. It's opposite. They'll say some good things.
They'll use the Bible, but what they won't do, their overall
message is wrong. We see this here in Caiaphas.
And a lot of the trouble is what they won't say, what they don't
say, what they leave out, what they leave out, that's dangerous. Verse 45, Then many of the Jews
which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, they
believed on him. You know in one place earlier
it says they believed in him, that just means they believed
some things about him. Here they believed on him, they
trusted him. There are some there who saw
this, and they put what they saw with what they heard, and
said, this is the Son of God, this is the Messiah. And they
believed on Him. God's Word never returns unto
Him void. He said that over in Isaiah.
This morning, this morning, you and I may not live to see the
effects of this message this morning. It may not show up for
20 years down the road. See, God works in His own time.
But when God plants the seed, He plants the seed, and that
seed is planted. Now, He may not give the increase,
He may not water it and give the increase for another 10 years
or so. He may not do it. But God's Word
never returns to Him void. In Christ, the Living Word never
fails to save those whom He purposed to save. That's Bible. It's clear as can be in this
book, the Bible. He never fails to save those
whom he purposed to save. You know, you and I, I say God
has saved me. Many of you say God has saved
you. Well, did he do it on purpose or not? Did God save you on purpose? Was it his choice or your choice?
Everyone of you believe you're gonna say the Lord Chose me and
God saved me on purpose. I wasn't even looking for him
when I found him I wasn't I went over to my mom and dad's to eat.
I was looking for a I was looking for dinner I wasn't looking for
Christ the bread of life. I wasn't hungry for him And that
and there and I heard the gospel Not even looking for it I'm found to them that sought
me not. I made known unto them that asked not after me." He
wasn't even looking for him. I believe it was Charles Spurgeon
one day, he walked into a Methodist church, I believe it was in a
snowstorm, and he heard the preacher say, look unto me and be ye saved,
all the ends of the earth. And he said, and God opened my
eyes. I was 16, 17 years old, a teenager. And God spoke to him that morning
in power from his word. from his word. He may do that
this morning. He may do it. I hope he does. But some of them went their ways
to the Pharisees and told them what things Jesus had done. You
see, not all believe. Not everyone that hears the gospel
will believe the gospel. Not everyone. Over in Acts, when
the apostle preached Christ, it says, some believe and some
believe not. And it'll always be like that
till the Lord comes. But does that mean that Christ, the Word
of God, Christ, the Son of God, does that mean He has failed
when some don't believe? Absolutely not. You know, our Lord never keeps
anyone from believing the gospel. He never keeps anyone from believing
the gospel. But He lives and He makes sure
that some are going to believe it. All is not going to be lost.
Just like, you know, when there was a multitude of angels, it
said that a third of the heavenly host followed Satan. They fell. But those who did not fall, you
know why they did not fall? They're called the elect angels.
God chose them to keep their first estate. Now, brethren,
there's mysteries in God's eternal purpose and will you and I on
this side of eternity can never comprehend nor understand the
secret things of the Lord belonging to the Lord and the revealed
things belonging to us and our children. God has made known
to us what we need to know. And no secret things is way beyond
us he said my thoughts not your thoughts my ways not your ways
as heaven is high above the earth that's my thoughts and ways are
above yours can't comprehend that can't do it but now some
are going to believe god's gonna see to it you know it said it
says this in uh colossians 2 12 that we are buried with him that
is christ in baptism wherein also you are risen with him through
the faith of the operation of God. God's going to grant faith
and repentance. That's what the Apostle said
in Acts, that God has granted to some of the Gentiles faith
and repentance. He's granted to them repentance.
Faith is a gift of God and it's the work of God. It's not going
to be a failure. It's not going to be a failure
in any way, shape, or form. It'll be a complete success.
My servant, he says in Isaiah 42, shall not fail. He shall
not fail. Now in verse 47, they take counsel. Then gather the chief priests
and the Pharisees a counsel. And they said, what do we, what
are we going to do here? For this man doeth many miracles.
You'd think they would rejoice. The miracles, listen, the miracles
that he did was giving sight to the blind, enabled the lame
to walk, the dead to rise. What's wrong with that? They took counsel. What are we
going to do about this man? You know, when religion gets
together and takes counsel, you've heard of the World Council of
Churches, ain't nothing good comes out of that. I'm telling
you the truth, there's nothing good comes out of that. And here's
a piece of advice. When you see the majority of
religion or so-called Christianity going one way, you go the other. Only eight went in the ark. Why
for you to follow those other ones? The majority never follows
after Christ. They don't follow after the truth.
That's the truth. And here's the reason why they
rejected Him, and it hasn't changed. If we let Him thus alone, if we just leave Him alone, I can hear Satan. Can you hear
Satan in this? All men will believe on him.
If we leave him alone, all will believe on him. Sooner or later,
everybody's going to be following him. That's what they're saying.
And the Romans will come and here it is. The Romans will come
and take away both our place and nation. Their greatest concern
was about themselves. They didn't want to lose their
power over the people. They didn't want to lose their
temple. That's where they made their money. I was watching a
program maybe two or three weeks ago, and I may have already mentioned
it to you, but it was about the richest preachers in America.
Unbelievable. These televangelists, unbelievable.
One of them had a 35,000 square foot home with two jets. There's
never been a time in history where preachers, so-called, have
ever been so wealthy. Not God's preachers. Not God's
preachers. But like these Pharisees, they're
afraid they're going to lose their power and their riches. That's what they were afraid
of. They weren't afraid of losing the truth. They weren't afraid
of that. They were afraid of losing their
position and their power. You know, God's man, listen,
God's man is not a hireling. He's not a hireling. He's God's
man. But now here, listen, we get
the gospel. The gospel is going to come from
the mouth of one who doesn't even believe it and doesn't even
know what he's saying. He doesn't know what he's saying. And here
is Caiaphas, the high priest. Now, it's interesting here that to show you how corrupt things
got at that time. There, at that time, there were
two high priests. God never set that up. There
was one high priest that God set up, which represented Christ,
who is the high priest of the Church of God. But there was
two high priests at that time. One was Annas, over in John 18,
you can see that. And Caiaphas, he's a high priest,
you know, You know who he is? He's the son-in-law to Ennis. He's his son-in-law. He made
his son-in-law a high priest. And I know it sounds like I'm
picking on these televangelists and false religion, but you know,
I'm a watchman. It's my responsibility to remind
you day by day to watch out now. And there is over 1,000 to 1,500
people a month that listen to this. They listen to me preach.
They listen to the gospel you support. There's already like
1,200, 1,300 this month that's listening to this. And I say
that, and when I preach, I realize that. Most of them, listen, most
of the ones that are listening to us out of that 1,000 to 1,500
is in other countries. Most of them are in other countries.
So it's important that I point these things out. And I've noticed this. I've noticed
how the sons of these televangelists take over the family business. Have you noticed that? Everyone
of them has these big programs going. Their sons step in and
just keep it going. You know, being a preacher of
the gospel is not a family thing. It's an individual thing. It's
God calling this one and this one and this one to preach the
gospel. He may call somebody a son out
of a family to preach the gospel, but not take over the family
business, because this is not a business. This is not a business. Growing the church is God's business. I'm not building a church. I'm
not doing that. God's doing that. You know, Solomon built the Lord's
house. David was a representative of God, you know, of Christ.
But God said to him, Solomon is going to build the house.
Your son's going to build the house. God's son is building
this house called the church. We don't operate it like a business.
We don't have business meetings here. We don't need to. We don't need to have a business
meeting. Before I heard the gospel of
the place I went, they had a monthly business meeting. I had a salesman
at work that didn't work for me. He always came to me as a
vendor, and I bought off of him. I liked him. But one day he came
in, and he came in late in the evening. He said, I've got to
go. We have a business meeting tonight. We're going to vote
on giving the pastor a raise. Well, I'm glad I'm not your pastor.
You're going to vote on giving the pastor a raise. You're going
to vote. And here's another thing he told
me also after that. We're going to vote on whether
to keep the pastor or not. Aren't you glad God saved us
from that? We're not in that mess. We're not in that mess. This is not a business. This
is the body of Christ. It's the body of Christ. Now he says in verse 49 and 50,
listen here, Caiaphas is now going to preach. You know what
he's going to do? He's going to preach the gospel substitution and doesn't even
know it. He doesn't even know it. But God has respect to the office,
even though the man's corrupt. You see, he's in an office, he's
holding an office here. You know, we respect the office,
offices that God has set up. You know, we have the office
of president. We respect that office, even though corrupt men
go in and out of it. And they always will. But we respect the office. And
sooner or later, God corrects it. But it says, one of them
named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said to
them, you know nothing at all. You all don't know anything.
That's why he's telling them, you don't know anything. NOR
CONSIDER THAT IT IS EXPEDIENT FOR US THAT ONE MAN SHOULD DIE
FOR THE PEOPLE AND THAT THE WHOLE NATION PERISH NOT. IT IS EXPEDIENT
FOR US. IT IS TO OUR ADVANTAGE IF ONE
MAN DIES NAMED JESUS CHRIST. Because if we leave him alone,
he's going to mess this thing up. He's going to mess this whole thing
we got going up. It's to our advantage. It's expedient for
us. It's good for us. It's to our advantage of profit.
If Jesus Christ dies, he doesn't even have a clue what he's saying.
He's thinking of his present advantage. He's thinking of his
pocketbook. He's thinking of his position and his power. He
doesn't even realize that he's talking about, that God's using
him to tell the truth. the priesthood to preach in a
short verse and short couple sentences the gospel substitution
that we listened to this morning in the Bible class and we see God's power here and
God's sovereignty and this spake he not of him this is not of
him he choked to death for it said this if he knew what he
was saying if he knew what he was saying he would not have
said it But being high priest that year, he prophesied that
Jesus should die for that nation. You see, God uses whom he will
when he will accomplish his purpose. Just you go read the story of
Balaam. Read what he said. Balaam wanted to say one thing,
but God wouldn't let him. He said another. Listen to Acts
4, 25, 28. Who by the mouth of thy servant
David hath said, Why did the heathen rage? And the people
imagined vain things. The kings of the earth stood
up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord. They
took counsel. Right here it is. Right here
it is. And against his Christ. For of
a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed,
both Herod Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people
of Israel, were gathered together. Here's what they are gathered
together for, and they don't even know it. FOR TO DO WHATSOEVER THY HAND
AND THY COUNSEL DETERMINED BEFORE TO BE DONE. God said, My counsel
shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure. They had no idea
when all this was going on, all this commotion, all this turmoil,
all this hatred toward Christ, and the Pharisees, Caiaphas,
he said this to give the excuse to justify them going after Christ
to kill him. He didn't realize that's the
gospel. that he has to die, that many might live. He didn't even
realize it. But all they're doing is whatever
God's hand determined before to be done. Brother, God's hand is all right
now. His hand is absolutely on everything
and everyone. I thank God I see that. Are you
thankful you see that? I don't know, I honestly, well
I guess because they're dead, I know how, and when you're dead,
you're dead. But how in the world people who
don't know Christ, how they watch the news, you'd have to put me
on Xanax, I can tell you. You'd have to put me on something
if I didn't know the gospel, I'm serious, if I didn't know
the gospel, you'd have to put me on something. If not, it's because I'm just
dead. You're dead, you're dead. Listen to this scripture in Psalm
76, 10. Surely the wrath of man shall
praise thee. Does it look like that what Pilate,
Herod, the Gentiles, the Romans, and the Jews are doing at that
time, does it look like they're praising God? Does it look like
it's going to come out as praise to God? It is. Where's Jesus Christ right now?
He ain't on a cross. The Catholics has never got him
off the cross. They got him hanging on a cross everywhere you see
him. He's on the throne. Jesus Christ is on the throne
right now. Caiaphas didn't even have a clue
what he was saying, but God used him to speak the gospel of substitution
because of his office, because of his office. In its true spiritual
context, Christ must die for many Jews and Gentiles, for them
to live, to gather together all God's children that are scattered
all over the earth. He calls them God's children at that time. God's children
right now, those who believe, those who are yet to believe,
are scattered all over this world. There may be someone in one of
these other countries listening this morning that God may open
their eyes, that one of his children may say, I see, I believe, I
believe. And this is exactly what's going
on right now. I look at the hustle and bustle
of our lives, Everybody coming and going you see cars driving
up and down the road and all these you know all this hustle
and bustle going on marriage is as As our Lord said in the
end of time they'll be given in marriage marriage and given
in marriage be just life going on as usual But what's really going on God
Almighty is gathering together his children from all over this
world. That's what's going. It's his
and it's his the earth is the lord the fullness thereof and
they who dwell therein it's all his i'm glad i know that so here's
what now notice what kyphus does here in verse 53 he's going by
saying this he justifies himself and those others that he has
power over in seeking the lord to kill him That's why he said
it. But God moved him to say it for
us, that it's necessary for Jesus Christ to die so that you and
I might live. And then from that day, in verse
53, then from that day forth, they took counsel together to
put him to death. But the Lord knows the counsel
of men. Jesus therefore walked no more openly among the Jews
But he went thence into a country near to the wilderness and to
a city called Ephraim and there continued with his disciples
He didn't walk in Jerusalem because he was afraid You know, we lock our doors at
night cause we're afraid You don't want nobody you don't
want a crook breaking in Our Lord never walked in fear. He
never knew the fear of man. You know that? The Lord Jesus
Christ never knew what it was to fear a human being. He never
knew what it was to fear Satan. He had a perfect fear of God. You know what the scripture says? It casts out fear. It'll cast out all other fear.
Solomon said the fear of man brings a snare. It'll cause you
to compromise. It'll cause you to shut up when
you ought to speak up. But a right fear of God, a right fear of
God will enable you to speak up when you ought to speak up
and stand when you ought to stand. The Lord knew their counsel. And he moved with his disciples
into a, he got out of town and went to this place called Ephraim.
It's just an out of the way place. It's out of the way place. And
I thought of this, how blessed were his disciples to have this
private time with him and sit at his feet. How blessed is this
service this morning? to God's children how blessed
to sit at his feet and hear and read the word of God, hear the
word of God, and to learn a little more of him again this morning.
How blessed we are. And how blessed his disciples,
when they got to just sit there uninterrupted and listen to him. Wouldn't you like to have been
there? I would have. I would have liked to have been
there, not out of curiosity, but to listen to him, to teach
them in private. We ought to cherish our private
time with the Lord. And how blessed that little town
to have his presence. How blessed. And the Jews Passover was not
at hand. Verse 55, and many went out of
the country up to Jerusalem before the Passover to purify themselves.
So it went from the Lord's Passover to the Jews Passover. And it says, many came to purify
themselves. That is, they came to wash themselves.
Isn't it something? They came to wash the outside
of the cup, but leave the inside of the cup filthy, because they're
going to shed innocent blood here in just a few days. They're
going to shed innocent blood. They're going to come in, and
they're going to wash their hands and purify themselves, and they're
going to kill the Son of God. Only God can purify the heart.
Only God can cleanse the heart. Only God can give you a heart
to love Jesus Christ. Only He can do that. We can't
purify ourselves. And I'm gonna wind it down here.
Then sought they for Jesus to speak among themselves as they
stood in the temple. What think ye? That He will come
to the feast? What do you think? You think
He'll come? Will he come into the danger zone? Will he come?
You think he'll come to the Passover? You think? Well, this Passover is about
him, and this is the last Passover, right here. This is the last
one. This is the one that all the
Passover represented in the past. And after this one, he's going
to put an end to the Passover. Why do you think over there in
Jerusalem, they don't believe that Jesus Christ is Messiah.
They don't believe that. And yet they don't offer the
lamb. As Isaac said this morning, where's the lamb? He's not over
there. He's not there. They don't offer
up the sacrifice anymore, do they? You know why? The Lord's
not going to let him because the one sacrifice has already
been offered. He said it's finished and he put an end to it. In 70
A.D., they came in and just wiped that temple out, laid it to the
ground, and they ain't had a sacrifice since. He's the last one. He's the Passover. Christ, our
Passover, sacrificed for us. It's finished. And then last
of all, both the chief priests and Pharisees, they gave a commandment,
if you see Him, you tell us. You know, one of the striking
things here is this. They are fulfilling the Word
of God. Acts 2 23 he and being delivered by the determinant
counsel for knowledge of God you've taken and by wicked hands
of crucified crucified God's will his eternal purpose is being
fulfilled even right now right now God's gathering together
his children right now from all over the world all right