All the Sermons

Luke 23:32 , John 19:18 Key Verse: Here they crucified Him, and with Him two others, one on each side and Jesus in the middle. John 19:18 There He was, right in the middle of sin. He wasn't off to one side or the other, but right in the middle, with sinners on either side, His hands stretched toward them, redeeming us all. Since He had taken Barabbas' place, chances are that Barabbas was the ring leader. The men on either side may have been Barabbas' accomplices. This is speculation, of course, but entirely possible. Jesus was guilty of nothing on His own. Yet, He was dying the death of a criminal in our place. He had loved sinners, eaten with them, and ministered to them. Now, He was dying with them and for them out of love for them and us. When you say, "He took my place," you are speaking the truth. He took your sin, your pettiness, your selfishness, your dark thoughts and plead guilty to them all. He did not do it because we are so lovable. He d...

Luke 23:27-31 Key Verse: Jesus turned and said to them, "Daughters Of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me; weep for yourselves and for your children." Luke 23:28 Five days before, when Jesus rode into Jerusalem, He Himself had wept for the people. He was burdened because they didn't recognize Him for who He truly was. They thought that He was coming to conquer Rome and restore Jerusalem to its former glory. They did not understand His mission, or who He truly was and that grieved Him. His people had a history of never understanding His heart, and that grieved Him. The gifts of lands and kings, the words of prophets and priests, after all that He had already done, the majority had rejected His way and had to suffer the consequences and as with any good parent, that had grieved Him. Now, many in the crowd are weeping, but why? Are some of them professional mourners who would wail at every death? Are there loyal followers weeping over the death of a dream and a hope? ...

Matthew 27:32 , Mark 15:21 , Luke 23:26 Key Verse: As they led Him away, they seized Simon from Cyrene, who was on his way in from the country, and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus. Luke 23:26 Cyrene, of the country of Libya, was located in northern Africa. It was a Greek colony, and also had a Jewish community where 100,000 Judean Jews had settled during the reign of Ptolemy Soter (323-285 BC). It later became an early center of Christianity. The  Cyrenian Jews  had a synagogue in Jerusalem, where many went for annual feasts. Simon of Cyrene was  probably  an African black man, like the Ethiopian eunuch, visiting Jerusalem to observe the Passover as were so many others. He was definitely placed in a difficult situation. He was in town to observe a festival, celebrating the release from captivity and, all of a sudden, he is forced to participate in another man's death sentence....

Leviticus 16:20-22 , John 19:17 , Hebrews 13:11-14 Key Verse: "Let us then, go to Him, outside the camp, bearing the disgrace He bore. Hebrews 13:13 Isn't it fascinating that even where Jesus was crucified was prepared for through Jewish history. Again, we need to go back to the Exodus from Egypt to understand the symbolism better. As the children of Israel were in the wilderness, the Lord took the time necessary to teach them how to worship Him. First, God shared with Moses a plan for an actual structure, the Tabernacle, where worship of Him would take place. It was a place where He would meet with His people. When the tabernacle was built, God addressed the matter of who would serve there as priests. After the priesthood had been established through the Levitical tribe, God not only designed what clothing they should wear when conducting worship, but he established a series of feasts and observances and a system of sacrifices to cover everything from thanksgiving...

Matthew 27:27-31 , Mark 15:16-20 , John 19:1-16 , Key Verse: Finally Pilate handed Him over to them to be crucified. So the soldiers took charge of Jesus. John 19:16 Evidently, John is the only disciple, or writer of a gospel, who witnessed the proceedings. That would explain his ability to give so much detail to what happened to Jesus. What we do know is that in the hands of the Roman soldiers, Jesus was handled without mercy or restraint. Yes, they continued to mock Him, as everyone else who dealt with Jesus that night had done. They made His famous crown of thorns, Judean thorns with spikes several inches long. They gave Him a robe. Was it the same one that Herod had given Him or another? That is unclear. They mocked Him by kneeling before Him and continuing to make fun of Him. They were probably drunk and angry at having to serve in such a backwoods outpost as Jerusalem with a bunch of stubborn, stiff necked people that they didn't understand. All of that anger and...

Matthew 27:15-26 , Mark 15:6-15 , Luke 23-13-25 , John 18:39-40 Key Verse: "Which of the two do you want me to release to you?" asked the governor. "Barabbas," they answered." Matthew 27:21 Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent, the Lord detests them both. ( Proverbs 17:15 ) What happened to Jesus now, was detestable in the Lord's sight, as was the rest of it, but Jesus, knowing who He is, endured it all for me. Well, Pilate wanted truth. Now, through this situation involving Jesus, we learn the truth about Pilate himself. Who is he? Pilate is no tough Roman governor in charge of the people of Judea: no, now he is seen for who he is, a spineless politician, a people pleaser, not a leader, who is barely holding a grasp on the situation. Imagine if judges today behaved that way, making rulings based on mob rule! Justice was denied this night for fear of the crowds. Even Pilate's wife tries to warn him. "Don't have any...

Luke 23:8-12 Key Verse: That day Herod and Pilate became friends. Before this they had been enemies. Luke 23:12 Sin certainly can make interesting bedfellows. It’s interesting that only Doctor Luke, the one gentile writer of a gospel, is the one to record this sorry episode of Jesus’ path on the way to the cross. Remember that Luke established, at the beginning of his gospel that he would attempt to give an accurate account. “I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good to me to write an orderly account for you,…so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.” ( Luke 1:3-4 ) So, Luke takes us to Herod, which is probably an event that would be best forgotten. First of all, who is this Herod? This is Herod Antipas, the son of Herod the Great. Herod the Great was the one who had tried but failed to murder the young Jesus by slaughtering all the boys under two years old in Bethlehem more than 30 years earli...

Matthew 27:11-14 , Mark 15:1-5 , Luke 23:1-7 , John 18:28-38 Key Verse: Jesus answered, "You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to Me." John 18:37 The Sanhedrin has found Jesus guilty of blasph e my. This is a crime punishable by death according to Jewish law. The Sanhedrin has a problem. They now live under Roman law as an occupied country. The Romans were willing to endure the petty religious laws of the Jews, but matters of life and death were not matter s of petty religion. Jesus had to be found guilty of committing a crime against the state or else Rome really wouldn't care how many religious laws Jesus had broken. Jesus would not be sentenced to death. However, Jesus must die. That was the end game. Whatever it took to accomplish that, the Jewish leadership would not be det er red. F irst, they needed to appeal to Pilate...

Psalm 69:25 , Psalm 109:8 , Zechariah 11:12-13 , Matthew 27:1-10 , Acts 1:15-19 , Key Verse: When Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty silver coins to the priests and the elders. Matthew 27:3 “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death." ( 2 Cor. 7:10 ) Now, we look at the other side of this verse. While Peter was filled with regret, he survived and repented and lived to be restored. Judas gave up hope and took his punishment into his own hands and was forever condemned for what he did. The task that Judas performed had been prophesied for generations. As we explored earlier, he did what he was predestined to do. However, even betraying Jesus was not beyond the scope of God's forgiveness. In the garden, Jesus looked on him and addressed him as friend. Now, in the Sanhedrin, Judas knows that he has done wrong. He t...

Matthew 26:69-75 , Mark 14:66-72 , Luke 22:54-62 , John 18:15-18 & 25-27 Key Verse: Immediately a rooster crowed. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: "Before the rooster crows, you'll disown Me three times." And he went outside and wept bitterly. Matthew 26:75, Mark 14:72 & Luke 22:61-62 "Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death." ( 2 Cor. 7:10 ) Today and tomorrow we will see examples of this truth as we witness how two disciples deal with the consequences of their actions. It could be said that the down side of being bold is that you are noticed. All four gospels made sure that Peter's denials became a part of the gospel of salvation. Wherever Peter went, the fact that he had turned his back on Jesus when Jesus could have really used a friend would forever be a part of Peter's testimony. Bold peter, in the comfort of the upper room had declared: ...

Deuteronomy 25:1-3 , Isaiah 50:6-11 , Mark 14:65 , Luke 22:63-65 , Key Verse: They all condemned Him as worthy of death. Then some began to spit at Him; they blindfolded Him, struck Him with their fists, and said, "Prophesy!" And the guards took Him and beat Him. Mark 14:65 The guards probably took Him and gave Him the thirty-nine lashes, Jesus’ first physical punishment of the night. As we can see from the passage in Deuteronomy, God ordered His people to show some mercy and control when meting out physical punishment. "If the guilty man deserves to be beaten, the judge shall make him lie down and have him flogged in his presence with the number of lashes his crime deserves, but he must not give him more than forty lashes. If he is flogged more than that, your brother will be degraded in your eyes." (Deut. 25:2-3) The Jews played it safe and only gave 39 lashes, just in case there might be an incorrect count. They wouldn't want to break the Law, you se...

Numbers 11:16-17 , Matthew 26:57-68 , Mark 14:53-64 , John 18: 12-14 & 19-24 Key Verse: Again the High Priest asked Him, "Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?" "I am," said Jesus. "And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the mighty One and coming in the clouds of Heaven." Mark 14:61-62 What is the Sanhedrin anyway? Interestingly enough, the Sanhedrin also has its origins during the Exodus. After the people had been wandering in the wilderness for a year or two and had built the tabernacle where they could meet with God, God established assistance in leadership for Moses because there were so many to lead. "The Lord said to Moses: "Bring Me seventy of Israel's elders who are known to you as leaders and officials among the people. Have them come to the tent of meeting, that they may stand there with you. I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take of the Spirit that is on you and pu...

Zechariah 13:6-9 , Matthew 26:43-56 , Mark 14:43-52 , Luke 22:47-53 , John 18:2-11 Key Verse: "Do you not think I cannot call on My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?" Matthew 26:53-54 "Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses." ( Proverbs 27:5-6 ) It is interesting that Judas would choose to point out Jesus, to the guards, through a kiss. Sadly, he was only fooling himself. He wasn't fooling Jesus. In this event, we see how the passions and emotions of the people around Jesus begin to rule them in this moment. There is the kiss of betrayal. Then there is the sword, taken from the upper room earlier and wielded by an untrained, inexperienced fisherman.  There is the shock and surprise of the wounded man being injured and then being healed by the one he was supposed to place under arrest.  Ther...

Jeremiah 17:12-18 , Matthew 26:36-46 , Mark 14:32-42 , Luke 22:39-46 , John 18:1 , Key Verse: “Father, if You are willing, take this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.” Matthew 26:39, Mark 14:36, Luke 22:42 For me, this is the Holiest night of the year. We usually remember it, in the Christian church, as Maundy Thursday. “Maundy,” is Latin for “command.” In this case, the “command" referred to is Jesus’ new command in John 13:34-35 , that we Love one another, as He has demonstrated His love for us. This doesn’t just mean washing one another’s feet, but includes all that is to follow. During this service we often take communion together, as Jesus did with His disciples, and then, in some way, reflect on the events that followed that meal in which Jesus lived out that love. Jesus’ life on this earth was a demonstration for us of what submission and obedient love to the Father would look like. Now, this is the night that Jesus displays ultimate submission and o...

John 17:20-26 Key Verse: "My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in Me through their message, that all of them may be One, Father, just as You are in Me and I am in You. John 17:20-21 If you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, if you testify to His death and resurrection on your behalf, for your sins, if you have accepted His gift of forgiveness for those sins and have asked Him to be the Lord of your life, then this prayer was meant for you too. Jesus looked down through the ages and prayed for you, before you were born. Before you had done anything to try to earn or turn away from His love, Jesus prayed for you. You are His because the disciples would not keep quiet. You are His because they spread the good news of what Christ had done. You are His because many that the disciples told believed the message and passed it along to others. You are His because believers, down through the centuries continued to spread this good news d...