John 18:37 • I Am King, You Say

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(This transcript was prepared using software tools and has not been reviewed for complete accuracy.)

Let me ask that you would look in your bibles this morning and look at John chapter 18, John chapter 18 as we will be looking at verses 28 through the end of the chapter.
Let's stand as we prepare to read God's Word.
But at the same time, remember what we are celebrating this Sunday.
At this time so long ago, as He rode into Jerusalem upon a donkey, the sign of an ancient king.
They put palm branches before Him and said, "Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord."
And by the end of the week, the same people would say, "Crucify him," and the soldiers would take thorns from the same date palm trees and they would weave a crown of thorns and strike Him on the head and say, "Hail, King of the Jews."
It was so wrong.
Who is guilty for that?
Who is responsible for that?
Surely where John records the subsequent trial we will learn who is guilty.
John 18 verse 28, "Then they," that is the Jewish officials, "led Jesus from the house of Caiaphas to the governor's headquarters.
It was early morning.
They themselves did not enter the governor's headquarters, so that they would not be defiled, but could eat the Passover.
So Pilate went outside to them and said, 'What accusation do you bring against this man?'
They answered him, 'If this man were not doing evil, we would not have delivered him over to you.'
Pilate said to them, 'Take him yourselves; judge him by your own law.'
The Jews said to him, 'It's not lawful for us to put anyone to death.'
This was to fulfill the word that Jesus had spoken to show by what kind of death he was going to die.
So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, 'Are you the King of the Jews?'
Jesus answered, 'Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?'
Pilate answered, 'Am I a Jew?
Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me.
What have you done?'
Jesus answered, 'My kingdom is not of this world.
If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews.
But my kingdom is not from the world.'
Then Pilate said to him, 'So you are a king?'
Jesus answered, 'You say that I am a king.
For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth.
Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.'
Pilate said to him, 'What is truth?'
After this, after he had said this, he went back outside to the Jews and told them, 'I find no guilt in him.
But you have a custom that I should release one man for you at the Passover.
So do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?'
They cried out again, 'Not this man, but Barabbas!'
Now Barabbas was a robber."
Let's pray together.
>>> Father, how right to honor Your Son.
Hosanna in the highest.
Hail the one who comes in the name of the Lord.
He has come to us and made Himself known, declaring the truth that He was a King not of this world but one who came for a purpose that He was ready to declare to all who would hear His voice.
By Your Word and by Your Spirit, would You open our ears to hear His voice yet again this morning, even Christ Jesus telling us what He came to do for such as we for whom He died?
Grant us ears to hear.
We pray in Jesus' name.
Amen.
>>> Please be seated.
Instant pudding was just coming on the market as I was growing up.
Remember?
Little milk, a little water with that packet of powder and, voila, suddenly you have instant pudding.
But I must tell you for my mother, the expert cook, no shortcut to pudding was worthy of her.
I mean, there is no way that she is going to settle for a little bunch of powder and water and call that pudding.
I mean, pudding, you know.
I mean, pudding, you know, is eggs and milk and the right amount of sugar and the right amount of chocolate and whatever you do to boil it down and get the right consistency and put it in the refrigerator to set up for hours, then take it out and then, you know, candies and fruit and whipped cream to decorate:  Now that's pudding.
That's a work of art.
And I can remember one particular dinnertime when my mother had fixed this wonderful dessert pudding.
And she brought it out of the refrigerator and put it on the dinner table in front of her husband and all six children.
And it became obvious that at some point during the afternoon while that pudding dessert was setting up that one of those six children had created what you'd have to call a thumb lollypop.
You know what I mean?
[Laughter]
One of those.
The pudding had a hole in it.
And my mother said, "Who did that?"
And like a junior choir full of innocent voices, we all sang in unison, saying together, "Not me."
[Laughter]
Well, somebody had to do it.
I mean, somebody was guilty.
The evidence of the crime was right there.
Somebody was guilty.
And, of course, those of us who were innocent.
[Chuckling]
Wanted that person to be found out.
I mean, nobody, you know, wants the finger of justice to point at you if you're not guilty.
We want the guilty person to be identified.
And what may distress us in a chapter of the Bible such as we just read, the Good Book, is that it's so hard to identify the guilty.
I mean, the crime is obvious.
Right?
The crime is that the Lord of heaven and earth, King Jesus, Hosanna in the highest, is put on trial and is mocked and flogged and about to be crucified.
That is so wrong.
Who's guilty?
Well, clearly it's not Jesus.
I mean, that point is made over and over again as first we begin to recognize just as the passage unfolds there's never actually any Jewish charge that is specified.
I know there are conse--, but, consequences, but there's actually no charge that's ever specified.
Before that passage of scripture that I read with you, the questioning actually begins.
It's in John 18 and verse 19.
"The high priest," it says there, "questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching.
Jesus answered," verse 20, "'I have spoken openly to the world.
I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all Jews came together.
I have said nothing in secret.'"
Call people.
Ask them to come.
If you say I'm guilty of it, bring the witnesses.
Now, what Jesus is doing is He's just appealing to the ancient Jewish standard for a court of law.
Every matter had to be established betwar--, before at least two witnesses.
And here Jesus is saying, "Hey, I have spoken in public, in the synagogue, to the crowds.
Bring them on.
If you have a charge against Me, bring the crowds.
Have them say what I have done."
Well, the petition for witnesses does not result in charges but do you remember what?
A slap.
Verse 22, "When he had said these things, one of the officers standing by struck Jesus with his hand, saying, 'Is that how you answer the high priest?'
Jesus answered him, 'If what I said is wrong, bear witness about the wrong; but if what I said is right, why do you strike me?'"
There's no response.
"Why do you strike me?
What have I done?"
No charge is specified.
Instead, the matter is bumped up to the next court.
That's verse 24.
"Annas then sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest."
Annas was the high priest preferred by the Jews.
If you will, by their own standards they had made Annas the high priest, so that's where they go first.
But now Annas doesn't get the answer that he expects, doesn't get a specified charge.
So he bumps this up to Caiaphas, the high priest put there by the Romans, a puppet high priest doing the Roman will.
Surely he will be able to know only specify what is wrong but take care of the matter.
But things don't quite go according to plan.
You remember the questioning continues after a while.
After there is petition for this charge, after there is desire to bring true charges, ultimately the matter gets pushed to Pilate too.
Verse 29, Caiaphas, being the Roman puppet, now sends the matter on to Pilate.
Verse 29, "So Pilate went outside to the Jews and said, 'What accusation do you bring against this man?'"
Again, specify the charge.
What has He done that's wrong?
Verse 30, interesting response, "They answered him, 'If this man were not doing evil, we would not have delivered him over to you.'"
Now, there you get the verdict but not the charge.
He's guilty.
If He weren't guilty, we wouldn't have brought Him to you.
Still no charge.
It's about to get worse.
Verse 31, "Pilate said to them, 'Take him yourselves and judge by your own law.'
The Jews said to him, 'It's not lawful for us to put anyone to death.'"
Now we even have the sentence.
"We want Him killed, but we can't do it.
You're going to have to do it."
But what is the charge?
We have the verdict:  He's guilty.
We have the sentence:  He is to be put to death.
But why?
And ultimately you understand when Pilate says to them, "You judge him," and they say, "No, we want you to put him to death," they say, "We can't do it because it is not lawful for us to do so."
You must understand what the apostle John is doing.
It is true that as Jews they do not have the civil authority to put Him to death.
But when they say, "It is not lawful for us to put him to death," their words are betraying far more than civil obedience:  They are demonstrating divine disobedience.
"It is not lawful for us to put him to death."
There has been no charge.
Nothing has been sustained that would make this right.
We claim to be people of God, and yet we are willing to put a man to death where there has been no sustainable charge.
John simply wants us to know clearly if we are looking at Jesus Himself, He is not guilty by any Jewish standard.
Well, what about by Roman standard?
John wants us also to understand that just as no Jewish charge is specified, no Roman charge will stick.
Look at this, verse 33.
"Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, 'Are you the King of the Jews?'"
Now, that's simply a good question for a Roman governor to ask.
Are you a threat to Caesar?
Are you claiming the kingship over those that Caesar is their earthly king?
Are you claiming to be king?
And Jesus responds:  "Did you come up with that?
Is that something you yourself came up with?
Verse 34, "'Or did others say it to you about me?'"
Notice, again, petition for witnesses again.
It, "Did you just come up with this or where did you get this information that I'm claiming to be a king?"
So Pilate responds in exasperation, "'Am I a Jew?'"
How do I know if you're the Jewish King?
Your own nation says that you are doing wrong.
They brought you to me.
So Jesus finally answers, verse 36, "'My kingdom is not of this world.
If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews.
But my kingdom is not from this world.'"
Translation:  I am not a threat to Caesar.
King yes but not of this world.
What's the charge then?
I'm not claiming to be an insurrectionist.
I'm not claiming that I have authority over Caesar in this world, because my kingdom is not of this world.
The consequence of that is amazing because of what Pilate will then declare.
Verse 38.
As they have taunted a bit back and forth about Jesus saying, "Yes, yes, I'm a king but not what you think," Pilate says to him at the end of that verse 38, "'What is truth?'
After he had said this, he went back outside to the Jews and told them, 'I find no guilt in him.'"
And just so that that is made clear, recognize this is said three times by Pilate in this account.
There it is in verse 38.
If you'll let your eyes move forward into the nineteenth chapter in verse 4, "Pilate went out again and said to the Jews, 'See, I am bringing him out to you that you may know that I find no guilt in him'"; 19:6, "When the chief priests and the officers saw him, they cried out, 'Crucify him, crucify him!'
Pilate said to them, 'Take him yourselves and crucify him, for I find no guilt in him.'"
Three times the verdict from the Romans:  Not guilty, not guilty, not guilty.
Who's guilty?
Not this one.
Not this Jesus.
And not just by Jewish standards and Roman standards but ultimately by heavenly standards.
After all, you must recognize that when Pilate asked Jesus, "Are you the King of the Jews?" verse 37, and Jesus responds, "Not a king of this world," Pilate says, "So you are a king, even if not of this world?"
And Jesus answered, verse 37, "You say that I'm a king."
Many of you will know that's just the way in which an ancient language would say, "As you say."
Are you a king?
Well, as you say.
It's the affirmation:  I am a king.
And then Jesus says, "And for this purpose I was born, to testify of the truth.
And whoever hears my voice as truth is on the side of truth."
Pretty bold statement to the Roman governor who holds His life in his hand.
"If you hear my voice and are on the side of truth, then you're with me."
Then Pilate answers in exasperation, "What is truth?"
But you have to recognize what has happened.
Once Jesus allows the affirmation of Himself to--, as King and refuses to deny it but says, "I came to testify of the truth, that I am the King, that I was born for this purpose, and those who are with Me stand on the side of truth," He has undone what Peter did earlier in the same chapter.
Do you remember?
Christ's affirmation of--, He stands in stark contrast to what Peter said earlier.
Verse 17 of chapter 18, "The servant girl at the door said to Peter, 'You also are not one of this man's disciples, are you?'
He said, 'I am not.'"
Verse 25 of chapter 18, "Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself.
So they said to him, 'You also are not one of his disciples, are you?'
He denied it and said, 'I am not.'"
Verse 26, "One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, 'Did I not see you in the garden with him?'
Peter again denied it, and at once a rooster crowed."
Jesus affirms the truth in direct contrast to Peter who denies the truth three times.
By heaven's standards, Jesus has been faithful.
He came for a purpose.
He is fulfilling the purpose.
And He will not deny it.
And it sat out in stark contrast by the denials that had preceded all of this.
Jesus is not guilty.
He is not guilty by Jewish standards, by Roman standards or by heaven's standards.
Why is that the case?
So that John is making the point that we are to remember:  Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.
As Peter himself will later declare, a Lamb without spot or blemish.
He is guiltless.
There is nothing He has done that is wrong.
There is no charge that can be specified that will stand.
This one is innocent.
Well, somebody's got to be guilty, then, for all of this horror to take place.
Who must be guilty?
Well, obviously the Jews, right?
Because they are the ones who are bringing Jesus to Pilate.
Except it's not quite that easy a read.
I mean, after all, the Jews are obeying Jewish law.
Again, if you'll let your eyes go forward just a little bit into the passage, you will see in 19 and verse 7 as Pilate has said to them, "I don't find any guilt in him," the Jewis--, Jews answered Pilate, "'We have a law, and according to that law, he ought to die because he has made himself the Son of God.'"
Now, you really can't deny that.
John 10:30, Jesus said, "I and the Father are one."
And the Jews not only have a law saying that that's wrong, that they know what that law is.
It's Leviticus 24.
It says, "Anybody who blasphemes against God is to be put to death."
Hey, we're just following the law.
We're not guilty.
And to underscore their purity, do you remember what the account says?
They won't actually even go into the house of Pilate, right?
Because that would defile them.
And then they would not be able to eat the Passover, that celebratory holy feast.
They are not only willing to follow the law:  They are willing to keep all its precepts so that by Jewish standards they're pure.
They're not guilty.
They not only follow Jewish standards:  They follow the Roman law, 18 and verse 31.
"Pilate said to them, 'Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.'
The Jews said to him, 'Well, it's not lawful for us to put anyone to death.'"
We're even going to keep the Roman law.
And, by the way, that means so that if you put Him to death, it's you who did it and not us.
We're not guilty.
Of course, it gets even worse when you see the words of Jesus as He begins to unfold who might be guilty here.
Because once in verse 31 the Jews said, "It's not lawful for us to put anyone to death," meaning He's going to be put to death by Roman standards.
That means crucifixion at the time.
That means being lifted up upon a cross to die.
Verse 32, John says, "This was to fulfill the word that Jesus had spoken to show by what kind of death he was going to die."
This is John referring to something he said earlier in the twelfth chapter and the thirty-third verse, where Jesus had declared the manner by which He was going to die.
He would be lifted up, He said, that all men might see and be drawn to Him by His being lifted up in death.
And now John says, "You see, that's going to be fulfilled," because the Jews who would not crucify are turning Him over to the Romans who will crucify.
I mean, after all, the Jews could simply say, "It's what He Himself prophesied.
We're not guilty.
It's what He Himself said was going to happen."
And, by the way, that's only the most recent prophesy.
You could go back a thousand years to Psalm 22 and remember that much of what's now going to happen in the unfolding events is what God Himself prophesied would and must happen.
Psalm 22 begins with these words:  "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
Who is about to say those words?
Jesus upon the cross.
And if you would track through Psalm 22, you will read these verses as well.
Jesus, excuse me, in Psalm 22 the Messiah who is pictured there says, "I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint."
You want to see how that's fulfilled?
Look at John 19, right in front of you, verses 32 through 36.
John 19:32-36, "So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first of the thieves who was hanging on the cross, and of the other who had been crucified with him.
But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs.
But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water."
What had the prophesy said a thousand years before?
Listen to the words again.
"I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint," not broken.
Mindful that once they had nailed Him to the cross, the pattern was to lift it above the hole so that it settled down hard and He would be out of joint but not broken, to fulfill the prophesy.
And that is not all that was told.
Remember also in Psalm 22, "They have pierced my hands and feet," says the Messiah of Psalm 22.
And if you will remember in verse 37, these words appear in John 19.
"The scripture says, 'They will look on him whom they have pierced,'" which they did when they pierced His hands and feet and side with the spear.
Finally these words from Psalm 22:  "They divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots."
Look at verses 23 and following and John 19.
"When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his garments and divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier; also his tunic.
But the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom, so they said to one another, 'Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be.'
This was to fulfill the Scripture which says, 'They divided my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.'"
It had been written a thousand years previous, and it's precisely what happened, according to plan.
What could the Jews say?
"We're just following the script.
We're not guilty.
We have kept the Jewish law.
We have kept the Roman law.
We're just following heaven's purposes.
Even if we don't know it, we're not guilty.
We're just following the path that was laid before us."
Well, if Jesus isn't guilty and the Jews aren't guilty, then it must be Pilate.
I mean, surely Pilate is the guilty party.
But unfortunately if you begin to follow that track, you have Jesus' very words to deal with.
After all, in verse 11 of John 19, you may remember this:  Jesus answering Pilate, says to Pilate, 19:11, "'You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above.
Therefore he who delivered me over to you has the greater sin.'"
I mean, if Pilate is guilty, he's at least not as guilty as the ones who delivered Him to Pilate.
Who's guilty?
I mean, after all, if you begin to examine Pilate's actions, you recognize there apparently is not great guilt that can be put on him.
He is following Jewish law to the hilt.
Pilate, the Roman governor, is willing to follow Jewish law, even in dealing with this one who claims to be King of the Jews.
You want to see it?
It goes by in ways that may be not catch your attention.
Verse 29 of chapter 18, just those opening words of verse 29 of chapter 18.
"So Pilate went outside to them," that is to the Jews.
Now, just quick thing, you already heard it once, but remember again:  Why does Pilate go outside his house to speak to the Jews?
Because they won't do what?
They won't come inside, right?
They would pollute themselves.
They would defile themselves at the time of Passover to enter a Gentile's house.
So he goes outside to them.
Now, he doesn't stay there.
Look at verse 33.
So, having talked to the Jews, verse 33, "Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, 'Are you the King of Jews?'"
Alright, so, he's go back in.
Now look at verse 38.
Pilate having had the interchange with Jesus, "'What is truth?'
After this, he went back outside to the Jews."
Okay?
Nineteen and verse 1, "Then Pilate took Jesus and flogged him."
Not so obvious to you, but the flogging was inside what was known as the Antonio Fortress, which means he went back inside in order for Jesus to be flogged there.
Verse 4, "Pilate went out again and said to them, 'I am bringing him out to you, because I can't find guilt in him.'"
Verse 9, "He entered the headquarters again."
Verse 13, "Pilate went out again."
[Chuckles]
It actually happens seven times.
He's in; he's out; he's in; he's out; he's in; he's out.
He's just silly.
I mean, if you kind of view Pilate, the Roman governor, and recognize the extent to which he's going to try to make peace with these people.
And it's not that he's just honoring Jewish law by going in and out.
When they won't give in, he just tries to humor them, right?
So he's just, "I can't find guilt in him."
"Well, we want him anyway."
So what are the things that Pilate will do?
Well, verse 39 and chapter 18, "'You have a custom that I should release one man for you at the Passover.
So do you want me to release to you this King of the Jews?'"
Well, surely, you know, they'll go with that.
Cause what's their alternative?
Barabbas, one identified as a robber, an insurrectionist, a terrorist.
They won't choose that.
But they do.
And so even though Pilate has declared Him not guilty and tries to get Him release, the Jews won't give in.
So Pilate tries again.
Now, remember, he's just declared Jesus not guilty.
And instead, the first verse of chapter 19, he has Him flogged.
Alright, you want your pound of flesh.
Okay, I'll give you your pound of flesh.
You know, we'll let a little blood.
We'll put some thorns on Him.
We'll humiliate Him.
We'll hurt Him.
Okay, done.
He's not guilty, but you got your way.
No, still not satisfied.
"Crucify him!"
Verse 12 of chapter 19.
Do you remember?
"From that time on," it says, "from that time on, Pilate sought to release him."
But Pilate's got an obligation.
He's supposed to keep the peace.
He's a Roman governor.
And these people are about to riot.
So after all these attempts, finally Pilate just to placate the Jews gives them Jesus but to preserve Roman honor washes his hands of it.
It's you not me.
Pilate doesn't appear to be particularly guilty.
He's tried; I mean, he's really tried.
And just so that you don't feel so bad about Pilate, I want you to remember what he finally does.
He fulfills the purposes of God, not only as Jesus said, "Because you would have no authority over Me unless God gave it," but you remember the last thing that Pilate does, kind of as the slap to the Jews but the honor to Jesus?
He has a sign put on the cross of Jesus.
What does the sign say?
"Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews."
And then it is put in Latin and Greek and Aramaic, which means every person who goes past says, "That is the King of the Jews."
Whether in mockery or reality, every language who would have been there, every nation who would have been there, every sect who have been there:  They all see "King of the Jews."
Pilate, more than maybe anyone else in the passage, is fulfilling the purposes of God to declare the Son of God.
This is the King of the Jews.
This is the long-prophesied Messiah.
And obviously we know about the intentionality that he could have had.
Pilate nonetheless performs the will of God.
He honors Jewish law.
He honors Roman authority.
And ultimately he does the will of God.
Well, if Pilate's not guilty and the Jews aren't guilty and Jesus isn't guilty, who's guilty?
Actually, there's only one person in the whole passage against whom a definite statement of guilt has been made.
It's right at the end of John 18.
As Jesus has, as Pilate has offered Jesus, the people cry out instead, "'Not this man, but Barabbas!'
Now Barabbas was a robber."
It's the only statement of guilt in the passage that's actually definite.
He was a robber.
It's worse than that.
If you were to go to Mark and have further explanation of who Barabbas was, you'll read he was an insurrectionist who had murdered people in his insurrection.
And if you go to Matthew, you will find that he is simply identified as a notorious insurrectionist.
This is the Osama bin Laden of his day.
This is a terrorist.
And even John says, "He's guilty.
He's the robber.
He's the insurrectionist."
Who is?
Barabbas.
Do you know what Barabbas means?
You may remember in Romans 8 we are told that we have been given the spirit of adoption whereby we are made sons and daughters of the living God and by Him we cry out, "Abba!
Father!"
Bar Abba, son of the father.
The only one who is guilty in the passage is the son of the father in whose place the Son of the Father was crucified.
The only one guilty is a child of the father for whom the Son of the Father was crucified.
The only one guilty is the son of the father for whom the Son of the Father was crucified.
The only one guilty is a child of the father for whom the Son of the Father was crucified.
Who is that?
That's me.
And that's you.
And that is every child of the Father for whom the Son of God was crucified.
You see, if we are reading this passage as the apostle John intends, we are not to be glad that we're not like the Jews.
We're not to be glad that we're not like Pilate.
If we read it with a gospel lens on, what we begin to recognize is every sign ultimately ends up pointing to say, "Those who are guilty are those for whom Jesus died."
It's He who took our place upon the cross.
He wasn't guilty.
We can't just point at other people.
We can't say, "Well, it's just the Jews.
Well, it's just Pilate."
If we don't see ourselves in the story, we have not really read the story for its intent.
I think back to the pudding dessert.
As my mom put the pudding on the table with the hole in it, and she said to her kids, "Who did that?"
And we all sang together, "Not me."
We failed to recognize how smart a lady my mom is.
So she said to all of her six children, "Line up and stick out your thumbs."
And then she began to measure.
[Laughter]
It was my brother, Gordon.
[Laughter]
Because the hole revealed the dimensions of what would fill it.
When you see the wounds in Jesus' hand and feet and side, you must recognize what alone will fill those wounds:  my sin and your sin and the sin of the world.
It was, after all, a child of the father whose place was taken by the Son of the Father for all time.
When you and I come to these accounts, we are meant to see He died for us.
And it's the very last thing we want to say.
On a day of such glory, a day of children walking in the aisles, a day of such joy, the last place we want to be is the deep humility of saying, "It was for my sin my Savior died."
I don't want to go there.
I don't want to think about it.
And, yet, that is the very place at which we are most blessed.
Because what happens when God's people gather, those in whom the Holy Spirit is working, as we begin to recognize He died upon a cross, He was not the guilty party, we are the guilty parties:  We begin to examine our lives and I think people think it's the job of the pastor to make people feel guilty.
I don't got to go there, because where the Holy Spirit is working, we begin to think about the marriages that are not what we wish they were, the children who have not lived as we hoped they would by our own example.
We recognize the faults of families and workplace and relationships and the way in which we have not fulfilled what we ought to, and we've got to have someplace to put this guilt.
And what the gospel is doing is saying, "It's on Christ.
That is why He came.
He came as the Son of God to take the place of the children of God who know their guilt."
When we recognize as much, we have this great blessing:  that on this day we recognize that He who took our place made a way, made a way for our sin to be put upon Him that we would bear it no more.
Our sins fit His wounds.
And when you know that and you believe it and you say, "Christ, this is my trust, my sin fits in Your wounds," when I say that and believe it in my heart, He becomes guilty and I become innocent, because it was the will of God to free me by His gift upon the cross.
He won't stay there.
We'll know that next week, right?
He will rise the Victor.
But He rises the victor over my sin because I put them there in faith and trust.
His wounds are filled with my sin and yours.
Believe that and you are free.
>>> Father, so work in our hearts, we pray, that we who know our guilt may also know the One who took it:  the guiltless One, the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world.
May we not just push it off onto others, but today, in reality and hope, acknowledge He took my sin; my sin crucified Him and nailed Him to that tree.
May I believe it, that the hope of the gospel may be mine.
This I pray for all the hearts who are here in Jesus' name.
Amen.
>>> I don't want it just to be my prayer:  I want it to be your confession too.
Let's stand and sing our confession as we confess the reality that Jesus, the innocent one, took our sin upon Himself, and in that way we are made free.

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