1 00:00:00,160 –> 00:00:02,200 We’re looking today in our series, 2 00:00:02,200 –> 00:00:03,720 The Darkness before the Dawn, 3 00:00:03,720 –> 00:00:07,160 as we prepare for the celebration of Easter next week 4 00:00:07,160 –> 00:00:11,640 at the subject of the trial of Jesus. 5 00:00:11,640 –> 00:00:15,480 Now, at first sight, this is a part of the story 6 00:00:15,480 –> 00:00:18,820 that might seem remote from us. 7 00:00:18,820 –> 00:00:20,639 We know that Jesus died for us. 8 00:00:20,639 –> 00:00:23,040 We know that Jesus rose for us, 9 00:00:23,040 –> 00:00:27,160 but it is not, perhaps, immediately obvious 10 00:00:27,200 –> 00:00:31,719 what the trial of Jesus has to do with us today. 11 00:00:31,719 –> 00:00:33,279 And I want to remind us 12 00:00:33,279 –> 00:00:37,560 that everything that the Lord Jesus Christ did was for us. 13 00:00:37,560 –> 00:00:40,000 He was born for us. 14 00:00:40,000 –> 00:00:42,160 He fulfilled the law for us. 15 00:00:42,160 –> 00:00:47,160 In that sense, every single day of the life of Jesus, 16 00:00:47,259 –> 00:00:52,099 every act of obedience of Jesus was for us. 17 00:00:52,099 –> 00:00:55,139 And when he was put on trial, 18 00:00:55,200 –> 00:01:00,200 it was, as I want us to see today, for us as well. 19 00:01:00,880 –> 00:01:04,779 I want to make one observation by way of introduction 20 00:01:04,779 –> 00:01:07,339 and then to focus on three themes 21 00:01:07,339 –> 00:01:09,680 from the story this morning. 22 00:01:09,680 –> 00:01:12,480 If you will look with me at verse 57, 23 00:01:12,480 –> 00:01:13,599 we read there then, 24 00:01:13,599 –> 00:01:17,639 those who had seized Jesus led him to who? 25 00:01:17,639 –> 00:01:20,160 To Caiaphas the high priest 26 00:01:21,080 –> 00:01:26,180 where the scribes and the elders had gathered, 27 00:01:26,180 –> 00:01:31,180 so the people who judged and condemned Jesus 28 00:01:33,120 –> 00:01:38,120 were the high priest, the scribes, and the elders. 29 00:01:41,059 –> 00:01:43,720 Now, Bishop Reil has this important comment 30 00:01:43,720 –> 00:01:45,500 that I wanted to bring to you today. 31 00:01:45,500 –> 00:01:49,620 He says it is not so much the Jewish people 32 00:01:49,620 –> 00:01:52,019 who pushed forward this wicked deed 33 00:01:52,019 –> 00:01:54,820 that is the condemnation of Jesus 34 00:01:54,820 –> 00:01:59,820 as it was Caiaphas and his companions, the chief priests. 35 00:02:00,260 –> 00:02:02,739 That’s a very important statement for this reason. 36 00:02:03,620 –> 00:02:08,619 There is no basis whatsoever for antisemitism 37 00:02:08,699 –> 00:02:11,179 in the Easter story, that is very important 38 00:02:11,179 –> 00:02:13,779 for every Christian to grasp. 39 00:02:13,779 –> 00:02:14,860 None whatsoever. 40 00:02:15,639 –> 00:02:20,300 There is no basis for antisemitism 41 00:02:21,179 –> 00:02:24,419 in the Easter story, none whatsoever. 42 00:02:24,419 –> 00:02:27,500 In fact, and this is surely the point of Palm Sunday, 43 00:02:29,259 –> 00:02:33,020 the Gospels make clear that there were large numbers, 44 00:02:33,020 –> 00:02:38,020 huge numbers of Jewish people who were drawn to Jesus, 45 00:02:38,639 –> 00:02:41,020 just four days before the incident 46 00:02:41,020 –> 00:02:43,399 that we’re looking at here on the Thursday night, 47 00:02:43,440 –> 00:02:45,759 the night that Jesus was betrayed. 48 00:02:45,759 –> 00:02:48,880 The Gospels record and we celebrate today, 49 00:02:48,880 –> 00:02:52,960 large crowds singing the praise of Jesus. 50 00:02:52,960 –> 00:02:55,139 Crowds listening to him. 51 00:02:55,139 –> 00:02:59,440 The Gospels record every day in the temple. 52 00:03:01,320 –> 00:03:04,740 And so how come Jesus was condemned and crucified? 53 00:03:04,740 –> 00:03:06,059 What we’re being told here 54 00:03:06,059 –> 00:03:11,059 is there was an elite group of religious leaders 55 00:03:11,580 –> 00:03:15,539 who wanted him killed. 56 00:03:15,539 –> 00:03:16,940 And very significantly, 57 00:03:16,940 –> 00:03:20,059 Matthew tells us that when they planned their strategy, 58 00:03:20,059 –> 00:03:23,220 I’m looking at chapter 26 verses four and five, 59 00:03:23,220 –> 00:03:27,899 they plotted together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth. 60 00:03:27,899 –> 00:03:28,720 Why? 61 00:03:29,960 –> 00:03:31,940 Because they said not during the feast 62 00:03:31,940 –> 00:03:34,300 lest there be an uproar among the people. 63 00:03:35,139 –> 00:03:37,100 The Jewish people are with him. 64 00:03:37,100 –> 00:03:38,440 That was the point. 65 00:03:39,320 –> 00:03:42,660 The Jewish people won’t let us touch him. 66 00:03:44,220 –> 00:03:47,000 That is why the arrest took place at night. 67 00:03:48,520 –> 00:03:50,000 And later in the story, 68 00:03:50,000 –> 00:03:52,119 which we will remember this week, 69 00:03:52,119 –> 00:03:53,800 where there was a much smaller crowd, 70 00:03:53,800 –> 00:03:55,360 it must have been a much smaller crowd 71 00:03:55,360 –> 00:03:58,240 because it was so, so early in the morning 72 00:03:58,240 –> 00:04:01,679 when Jesus was brought before Pontius Pilate. 73 00:04:02,580 –> 00:04:04,000 And Matthew records, 74 00:04:04,000 –> 00:04:06,199 you remember, that when there was this issue 75 00:04:06,440 –> 00:04:08,679 of perhaps Jesus could be released 76 00:04:08,679 –> 00:04:10,600 or perhaps it could be Barabbas, 77 00:04:10,600 –> 00:04:13,080 it was the chief priests and elders 78 00:04:13,080 –> 00:04:15,500 who persuaded the crowd, 79 00:04:16,619 –> 00:04:19,559 persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas 80 00:04:19,559 –> 00:04:23,079 and to destroy Jesus. 81 00:04:23,079 –> 00:04:27,079 So I want to say to all of our Jewish friends today, 82 00:04:27,079 –> 00:04:29,980 Jesus is your Messiah. 83 00:04:31,019 –> 00:04:34,279 His Gospel is for the nations of the world, 84 00:04:34,320 –> 00:04:36,399 but it is for the Jew first. 85 00:04:36,399 –> 00:04:39,279 That’s what the Jewish apostle Paul says 86 00:04:39,279 –> 00:04:41,720 in Romans chapter one and verse 16. 87 00:04:41,720 –> 00:04:46,720 So there is every reason for any Jewish person 88 00:04:48,640 –> 00:04:52,799 to take a fresh look at Jesus Christ, 89 00:04:53,839 –> 00:04:56,619 to regard him as your own. 90 00:04:57,640 –> 00:05:02,040 And there is no basis whatsoever in the Gospel account, 91 00:05:02,040 –> 00:05:07,040 the story of Easter for any antisemitism, none whatsoever. 92 00:05:09,040 –> 00:05:10,420 That’s the introductory comment. 93 00:05:10,420 –> 00:05:13,100 Now I want to focus on three themes 94 00:05:13,100 –> 00:05:15,359 that are at the center of these verses 95 00:05:15,359 –> 00:05:16,480 that are before us today. 96 00:05:16,480 –> 00:05:21,480 They are the trial, the charges, and the outcome. 97 00:05:23,119 –> 00:05:24,359 First, then the trial. 98 00:05:24,359 –> 00:05:27,239 And I want us to see that when Jesus was tried 99 00:05:27,239 –> 00:05:32,239 before the Law of God, he stood in our place. 100 00:05:33,519 –> 00:05:35,119 Verse 37. 101 00:05:35,119 –> 00:05:37,299 When those who had seized Jesus led him 102 00:05:37,299 –> 00:05:39,600 to Caiaphas the high priest, 103 00:05:39,600 –> 00:05:43,679 where the scribes and elders had gathered. 104 00:05:44,760 –> 00:05:48,920 Now I have been helped here by the work of James Phillips, 105 00:05:48,920 –> 00:05:51,480 a Scottish minister now with the Lord, 106 00:05:51,480 –> 00:05:53,579 who asked a very simple question. 107 00:05:54,839 –> 00:05:56,559 Why was there a trial? 108 00:05:58,140 –> 00:05:59,380 Why was there a trial? 109 00:06:01,019 –> 00:06:03,079 I mean, why not an assassination? 110 00:06:04,519 –> 00:06:06,720 I mean, the chief priests, as we saw last time, 111 00:06:06,720 –> 00:06:08,459 arrived in the Garden of Gethsemane 112 00:06:08,459 –> 00:06:12,399 with a great crowd armed with swords and clubs. 113 00:06:12,399 –> 00:06:14,519 When they made the arrest, the Bible tells us 114 00:06:14,519 –> 00:06:18,179 that all the disciples forsook Jesus and fled, 115 00:06:18,179 –> 00:06:22,760 so why did the arresting party not execute Jesus 116 00:06:22,760 –> 00:06:25,040 right there and then in the garden, 117 00:06:25,040 –> 00:06:29,440 especially given that they knew that public opinion 118 00:06:29,440 –> 00:06:32,000 was not, as we have seen, on their side? 119 00:06:32,880 –> 00:06:35,559 At night, the Garden was completely deserted, 120 00:06:35,559 –> 00:06:37,660 the whole thing could have been done in secret. 121 00:06:37,660 –> 00:06:40,679 If Jesus had been executed there, 122 00:06:40,679 –> 00:06:44,019 if that had been what they had pursued, 123 00:06:44,019 –> 00:06:46,279 the people then would have wakened up 124 00:06:46,279 –> 00:06:49,279 and over the next days a story would have emerged 125 00:06:49,279 –> 00:06:53,540 about the strange mystery of the disappearance of Jesus. 126 00:06:53,540 –> 00:06:54,839 No one would have known. 127 00:06:56,000 –> 00:07:00,380 So why then do they go through this whole process 128 00:07:00,380 –> 00:07:01,380 of a trial? 129 00:07:03,459 –> 00:07:05,760 I suspect there’s an answer from their side 130 00:07:05,760 –> 00:07:08,119 and there certainly is an answer from God’s. 131 00:07:09,200 –> 00:07:13,459 From their side, of course, if death comes by assassination, 132 00:07:13,459 –> 00:07:17,059 then the one who kills is guilty before the law 133 00:07:17,059 –> 00:07:19,799 and the one who is killed in an assassination 134 00:07:19,799 –> 00:07:22,859 is innocent before the law. 135 00:07:22,899 –> 00:07:26,040 The chief priests don’t want to be in that position. 136 00:07:27,359 –> 00:07:32,160 But if a death comes by a judicial process, 137 00:07:32,160 –> 00:07:35,160 then the one who is killed is guilty before the law 138 00:07:35,160 –> 00:07:37,540 and the ones who kill are innocent 139 00:07:37,540 –> 00:07:40,519 and that’s where the priests want to be. 140 00:07:40,519 –> 00:07:44,859 They want Christ condemned as guilty before the law of God. 141 00:07:44,859 –> 00:07:46,160 That’s what they want. 142 00:07:46,160 –> 00:07:48,239 They are there to uphold the law of God 143 00:07:48,239 –> 00:07:50,000 and they want Jesus Christ condemned 144 00:07:50,000 –> 00:07:52,420 as guilty before the law of God 145 00:07:52,420 –> 00:07:56,179 while they stand as the righteous upholders 146 00:07:56,179 –> 00:07:59,220 of the law of God. 147 00:08:00,920 –> 00:08:03,799 But beyond whatever may have been in their mind, 148 00:08:04,940 –> 00:08:06,820 the bigger story here, of course, 149 00:08:06,820 –> 00:08:09,420 is the great purpose of God. 150 00:08:10,459 –> 00:08:14,260 Which was surely, that when Jesus was placed on trial, 151 00:08:14,260 –> 00:08:19,260 he took our place under the law of God. 152 00:08:19,899 –> 00:08:23,200 And the New Testament explains that this was the very reason 153 00:08:23,200 –> 00:08:25,260 for which Jesus came into the world. 154 00:08:25,260 –> 00:08:29,380 Galatians chapter four, when the fullness of time had come. 155 00:08:29,380 –> 00:08:31,700 It’s a verse that we often read at Christmas. 156 00:08:31,700 –> 00:08:35,340 God sent forth his son born of a woman. 157 00:08:35,340 –> 00:08:36,159 How is he born? 158 00:08:36,159 –> 00:08:38,700 Born under the law. 159 00:08:38,700 –> 00:08:40,559 And why was he born under the law? 160 00:08:40,559 –> 00:08:44,179 Because he came to redeem those who were under the law. 161 00:08:44,179 –> 00:08:47,979 That’s us, that we might receive 162 00:08:47,979 –> 00:08:51,140 the adoption of sons. 163 00:08:51,140 –> 00:08:53,179 So, Jesus Christ born under the law, 164 00:08:53,179 –> 00:08:55,919 coming into the world to redeem those who were under the law 165 00:08:55,919 –> 00:09:00,799 that is why judicial process matters in this story. 166 00:09:02,400 –> 00:09:07,179 Now, for sure, what happened at the trial of Jesus 167 00:09:07,179 –> 00:09:09,400 was not justice. 168 00:09:10,580 –> 00:09:13,940 There are whole books written on the ways in which 169 00:09:14,880 –> 00:09:18,099 justice was perverted in the trial of Jesus 170 00:09:19,380 –> 00:09:23,099 but it was a legal process. 171 00:09:23,099 –> 00:09:26,380 It wasn’t justice but it was a legal process. 172 00:09:26,380 –> 00:09:29,460 And that of course is why they brought in witnesses. 173 00:09:29,460 –> 00:09:30,440 Why bring in witnesses 174 00:09:30,440 –> 00:09:32,580 when they’ve already decided the outcome? 175 00:09:32,580 –> 00:09:34,159 Well, they’re at least going through 176 00:09:34,159 –> 00:09:37,099 some semblance of legal process. 177 00:09:37,099 –> 00:09:39,780 That’s what’s being described for us in these verses. 178 00:09:39,780 –> 00:09:40,859 Verse 59. 179 00:09:40,940 –> 00:09:42,419 The chief priests of the whole council 180 00:09:42,419 –> 00:09:45,760 were seeking false testimony against Jesus 181 00:09:45,760 –> 00:09:47,340 that they might put him to death. 182 00:09:47,340 –> 00:09:48,659 So that’s why it’s not justice. 183 00:09:48,659 –> 00:09:50,400 They’ve already decided the outcome. 184 00:09:50,400 –> 00:09:51,979 But it is a legal process. 185 00:09:51,979 –> 00:09:55,539 Many false witnesses came forward. 186 00:09:55,539 –> 00:09:57,080 And Mark, as you may remember, 187 00:09:57,080 –> 00:09:59,659 tells us that the problem with the false witnesses 188 00:09:59,659 –> 00:10:02,500 of course, was that they contradicted one another. 189 00:10:02,500 –> 00:10:03,900 They were heard one at a time 190 00:10:03,900 –> 00:10:05,380 and they came out with different things 191 00:10:05,380 –> 00:10:07,140 that canceled each other out. 192 00:10:07,960 –> 00:10:12,059 Eventually two witnesses, verse 61 came forward, 193 00:10:12,059 –> 00:10:15,000 they misquoted some words of Jesus 194 00:10:15,000 –> 00:10:18,299 that are recorded in John chapter two and verse 19. 195 00:10:19,500 –> 00:10:23,140 When Jesus was asked early in his ministry 196 00:10:23,140 –> 00:10:25,419 what sign he would show, 197 00:10:25,419 –> 00:10:28,020 John records that Jesus said, 198 00:10:28,020 –> 00:10:30,719 destroy this temple, 199 00:10:30,719 –> 00:10:32,299 and I will rebuild it 200 00:10:32,299 –> 00:10:35,219 and in three days I will raise it up. 201 00:10:35,219 –> 00:10:36,299 And John then tells us 202 00:10:36,299 –> 00:10:38,539 the Lord was speaking about his own body. 203 00:10:38,539 –> 00:10:39,780 Destroy this temple. 204 00:10:39,780 –> 00:10:41,580 You’re gonna destroy this temple. 205 00:10:41,580 –> 00:10:42,419 He’s saying. 206 00:10:43,320 –> 00:10:44,179 That’s what you’re gonna do. 207 00:10:44,179 –> 00:10:45,940 Referring to his crucifixion. 208 00:10:45,940 –> 00:10:47,520 You’re gonna destroy this temple. 209 00:10:47,520 –> 00:10:49,200 I’m gonna raise it up. 210 00:10:50,140 –> 00:10:52,380 But the false witnesses come forward 211 00:10:52,380 –> 00:10:55,580 and they twist what Jesus has said. 212 00:10:55,580 –> 00:10:59,460 The earlier one seems to have lied by invention. 213 00:10:59,460 –> 00:11:02,179 These witnesses lie by distortion. 214 00:11:03,260 –> 00:11:05,559 Two ways of being falsely accused. 215 00:11:06,460 –> 00:11:11,460 And they present these words as if Jesus 216 00:11:11,700 –> 00:11:15,239 had determined to destroy the most prestigious building 217 00:11:15,239 –> 00:11:19,659 in the City that it taken 46 years to put up. 218 00:11:19,659 –> 00:11:20,539 This man said, 219 00:11:20,539 –> 00:11:22,979 I am able to destroy the Temple of God 220 00:11:22,979 –> 00:11:24,640 and to rebuild it in three days. 221 00:11:24,640 –> 00:11:28,880 And again, Mark tells us that even these two witnesses 222 00:11:28,880 –> 00:11:32,739 were not able to agree. 223 00:11:32,780 –> 00:11:34,719 Well, Caiaphas, the high priest 224 00:11:34,719 –> 00:11:37,419 who is presiding over all of this, 225 00:11:37,419 –> 00:11:41,140 realizes that with witness after witness coming forward 226 00:11:41,140 –> 00:11:44,539 and their testimonies basically canceling each other out, 227 00:11:44,539 –> 00:11:47,140 even the two that focused on the same thing 228 00:11:47,140 –> 00:11:49,059 didn’t manage to agree together. 229 00:11:50,020 –> 00:11:53,799 He decides then to take matters into his own hands 230 00:11:53,799 –> 00:11:57,619 and become not so much the judge as the prosecutor. 231 00:11:57,619 –> 00:11:59,380 So he takes that role himself. 232 00:11:59,380 –> 00:12:01,059 He kind of steps forward. 233 00:12:01,260 –> 00:12:02,219 That’s enough from the witnesses. 234 00:12:02,219 –> 00:12:03,539 That’s not getting us anywhere. 235 00:12:03,539 –> 00:12:05,059 And so he takes an initiative. 236 00:12:05,059 –> 00:12:09,400 Verse 63, the high priest said to Jesus, 237 00:12:09,400 –> 00:12:13,159 I adjure you or I put you on oath by the living God. 238 00:12:14,580 –> 00:12:19,580 Tell us if you are the Christ the Son of God. 239 00:12:22,739 –> 00:12:24,179 What a moment that was. 240 00:12:27,039 –> 00:12:29,099 Jesus placed under oath, 241 00:12:29,099 –> 00:12:30,580 note that that would make any difference 242 00:12:30,940 –> 00:12:33,280 because every word he ever spoke was the truth, 243 00:12:35,479 –> 00:12:40,479 but under oath the high priest asks Jesus 244 00:12:41,520 –> 00:12:43,659 the greatest of all questions. 245 00:12:45,799 –> 00:12:48,299 Tell us if you are the Christ. 246 00:12:50,900 –> 00:12:52,179 Are you the Son of God? 247 00:12:55,179 –> 00:12:59,059 Tell us, are you God with us? 248 00:13:01,159 –> 00:13:03,380 Are you the one on whom 249 00:13:03,380 –> 00:13:07,940 the hopes of all in the world depend? 250 00:13:07,940 –> 00:13:08,760 What a moment. 251 00:13:11,940 –> 00:13:16,799 In verse 64 Jesus says you have said so, 252 00:13:18,239 –> 00:13:20,080 you said it. 253 00:13:22,099 –> 00:13:24,719 Now, there can be absolutely no ambiguity 254 00:13:24,719 –> 00:13:28,539 in Jesus’ answer here, and that is very clear 255 00:13:28,580 –> 00:13:33,539 because if you look back to verse 25 at the Last Supper 256 00:13:33,539 –> 00:13:38,380 you will find that Jesus uses exactly the same words. 257 00:13:38,380 –> 00:13:40,840 And it happened at the Last Supper 258 00:13:40,840 –> 00:13:43,059 where Jesus told the disciples 259 00:13:43,059 –> 00:13:47,739 that one of them would betray him, 260 00:13:47,739 –> 00:13:50,679 and you remember that at that point one after another 261 00:13:50,679 –> 00:13:54,280 they all began to say, Lord is it I, Lord is it I, 262 00:13:54,280 –> 00:13:55,799 is it me, Lord? 263 00:13:56,679 –> 00:14:01,679 And then Matthew records that Judas said, is it I? 264 00:14:04,039 –> 00:14:07,940 And verse 25 Jesus said, you have said so. 265 00:14:07,940 –> 00:14:09,419 Exactly the same words. 266 00:14:09,419 –> 00:14:10,500 You said it. 267 00:14:14,039 –> 00:14:18,179 Tell us, are you the Christ? 268 00:14:20,179 –> 00:14:21,919 Are you the Son of God? 269 00:14:22,880 –> 00:14:24,820 You said it. 270 00:14:26,739 –> 00:14:27,840 For a moment. 271 00:14:29,219 –> 00:14:34,219 And then Jesus said these remarkable words. 272 00:14:34,799 –> 00:14:39,820 Verse 64, you have said so, 273 00:14:41,020 –> 00:14:45,380 but I tell you, from now on you will see 274 00:14:45,380 –> 00:14:50,260 the Son of man seated at the right hand of power 275 00:14:51,580 –> 00:14:55,419 and coming on the clouds of heaven. 276 00:14:56,799 –> 00:15:00,659 See what’s happening here, Jesus stands before them 277 00:15:00,659 –> 00:15:04,979 no doubt bound with the rope in the dock 278 00:15:06,539 –> 00:15:09,859 under the law of God 279 00:15:12,679 –> 00:15:17,580 and he says to them, this will never happen again. 280 00:15:19,400 –> 00:15:24,400 Never again will I be in your court from now on. 281 00:15:26,520 –> 00:15:28,000 You are in my court 282 00:15:29,679 –> 00:15:33,099 and you will see the son of man seated 283 00:15:33,099 –> 00:15:35,880 that’s of course in the place of judgment. 284 00:15:37,340 –> 00:15:41,320 Caiaphas, right now you are on the bench 285 00:15:41,320 –> 00:15:42,919 and I am in the dock. 286 00:15:42,919 –> 00:15:44,659 This will never happen again. 287 00:15:44,659 –> 00:15:45,500 Right now. 288 00:15:45,500 –> 00:15:46,619 I am in your court. 289 00:15:48,640 –> 00:15:50,000 But the day is coming, Caiaphas, 290 00:15:50,000 –> 00:15:52,059 where you are going to stand in my court. 291 00:15:52,059 –> 00:15:53,640 The roles will be reversed. 292 00:15:53,880 –> 00:15:54,960 You will be in the dock 293 00:15:54,960 –> 00:15:56,840 and I will be on the bench, 294 00:15:56,840 –> 00:16:00,760 seated at the right hand of power. 295 00:16:00,760 –> 00:16:02,140 And you’re gonna see it 296 00:16:03,419 –> 00:16:08,419 when the son of man comes in his glory. 297 00:16:10,820 –> 00:16:13,140 Friends, here’s where this takes us. 298 00:16:13,140 –> 00:16:18,140 We must all stand before the judgment seat of Jesus Christ. 299 00:16:18,219 –> 00:16:23,440 Let’s stand before the judgment seat of Jesus Christ. 300 00:16:23,440 –> 00:16:28,440 Here we are in church considering the claims of Jesus. 301 00:16:31,799 –> 00:16:34,840 We’re making our decisions week by week 302 00:16:34,840 –> 00:16:39,000 and day by day about Jesus will we obey him? 303 00:16:40,080 –> 00:16:41,359 Will we trust Him? 304 00:16:42,479 –> 00:16:43,700 Will we follow Him? 305 00:16:44,419 –> 00:16:48,539 Remember while you’re making your decisions about Jesus 306 00:16:48,539 –> 00:16:53,140 that, one day, He is making a final decision about you. 307 00:16:54,299 –> 00:16:55,799 That’s what’s being said here. 308 00:16:57,380 –> 00:17:02,380 We will all be placed on trial under the law of God 309 00:17:04,020 –> 00:17:06,500 and Jesus Christ will be the judge. 310 00:17:06,500 –> 00:17:11,300 We must all stand before the judgment seat 311 00:17:11,300 –> 00:17:12,479 of Jesus Christ. 312 00:17:14,599 –> 00:17:17,219 Of Christ. 313 00:17:19,339 –> 00:17:20,180 It’s a trial. 314 00:17:21,380 –> 00:17:22,219 You. 315 00:17:23,219 –> 00:17:27,579 You will see, the Son of Man. 316 00:17:28,900 –> 00:17:31,660 This Jesus who lays claim to your life today. 317 00:17:31,660 –> 00:17:36,239 You will see Him seated in judgment. 318 00:17:37,219 –> 00:17:40,400 The right hand of power, the Almighty God himself 319 00:17:40,839 –> 00:17:45,839 and you will see him coming on the clouds, with glory. 320 00:17:49,500 –> 00:17:52,300 That’s the great reality that Jesus places 321 00:17:52,300 –> 00:17:54,839 before the man who’s making a judgment about Him. 322 00:17:57,040 –> 00:18:00,959 That’s a trial the second theme that again speaks to us 323 00:18:00,959 –> 00:18:04,000 so powerfully is the accusation. 324 00:18:04,000 –> 00:18:06,760 Not only is it the case that when Jesus was tried, 325 00:18:06,760 –> 00:18:08,780 he stood in our place. 326 00:18:08,859 –> 00:18:13,339 It is also the case that when Jesus was accused, 327 00:18:13,339 –> 00:18:15,079 he stood in our place. 328 00:18:15,079 –> 00:18:17,979 Now look at the accusation in verse 55 if you would. 329 00:18:17,979 –> 00:18:21,140 Then the High Priest tore his robes 330 00:18:21,140 –> 00:18:22,660 and he said, 331 00:18:22,660 –> 00:18:27,660 he has uttered blasphemy. 332 00:18:28,979 –> 00:18:31,520 What further witnesses do we need? 333 00:18:32,880 –> 00:18:37,420 You have now heard his blasphemy. 334 00:18:39,420 –> 00:18:44,199 Now remember our Lord Jesus endured two trials 335 00:18:44,199 –> 00:18:49,199 and in them faced two different accusations. 336 00:18:50,420 –> 00:18:51,900 The reason for this of course 337 00:18:51,900 –> 00:18:54,920 was that Israel was under Roman rule, 338 00:18:54,920 –> 00:18:58,060 the Jews lived under Roman law. 339 00:18:58,060 –> 00:18:59,979 Remember in the Christmas story we read 340 00:18:59,979 –> 00:19:03,819 it was Caesar Augustus who issued a decree 341 00:19:03,819 –> 00:19:06,900 that all the world should be registered. 342 00:19:07,219 –> 00:19:11,500 This is why Joseph and Mary went to Bethlehem. 343 00:19:11,500 –> 00:19:16,500 Rome in other words, had the power of raising taxes. 344 00:19:17,979 –> 00:19:21,380 They had the power of executing criminals 345 00:19:21,380 –> 00:19:24,020 and it was for this reason that garrisons 346 00:19:24,020 –> 00:19:28,020 of Roman soldiers were placed in Jerusalem 347 00:19:28,020 –> 00:19:29,979 and indeed we know from the gospels 348 00:19:29,979 –> 00:19:34,060 in other more rural regions around the country. 349 00:19:34,079 –> 00:19:38,420 They were there to maintain law and order. 350 00:19:38,420 –> 00:19:40,900 Now the importance of this trial 351 00:19:40,900 –> 00:19:44,599 in the Court of the high priest 352 00:19:44,599 –> 00:19:47,540 is that here because the high priest 353 00:19:47,540 –> 00:19:51,500 was responsible to uphold the law of God 354 00:19:51,500 –> 00:19:56,500 Jesus is being tried, not before the secular state 355 00:19:56,540 –> 00:19:57,900 but in this court. 356 00:19:57,900 –> 00:20:01,339 Jesus is being tried before the law of God. 357 00:20:01,339 –> 00:20:03,660 Before the high priest who’s job 358 00:20:03,979 –> 00:20:08,979 is to uphold all the commandments of God. 359 00:20:09,319 –> 00:20:10,619 Always remember by the way, 360 00:20:10,619 –> 00:20:12,420 little caveat here, 361 00:20:12,420 –> 00:20:17,140 there is an important distinction to be made 362 00:20:17,140 –> 00:20:20,400 between the law of God and the law of the state. 363 00:20:20,400 –> 00:20:22,260 While they obviously overlap, 364 00:20:22,260 –> 00:20:24,140 they are not the same 365 00:20:24,140 –> 00:20:27,199 and the distinction especially in our time 366 00:20:27,199 –> 00:20:30,040 is very important for Christians to understand. 367 00:20:30,979 –> 00:20:34,939 See, the law of God says you shall not murder, 368 00:20:34,939 –> 00:20:37,239 the law of the state says the same. 369 00:20:37,900 –> 00:20:40,859 The law of God says you shall not steal, 370 00:20:40,859 –> 00:20:42,739 the law of the state says the same. 371 00:20:42,739 –> 00:20:43,680 There’s a clear overlap. 372 00:20:43,680 –> 00:20:46,640 But the law of God says you shall not covet. 373 00:20:47,339 –> 00:20:50,540 The state has no parallel to that nor can it have 374 00:20:50,540 –> 00:20:53,020 because coveting of course is a matter of the heart. 375 00:20:53,020 –> 00:20:54,280 How could the state ever try that? 376 00:20:54,280 –> 00:20:56,219 Only God can try that. 377 00:20:56,540 –> 00:20:57,859 And the law of God says, 378 00:20:57,859 –> 00:20:58,979 in the first commandment, 379 00:20:58,979 –> 00:21:02,239 you shall have no other gods before me, 380 00:21:02,239 –> 00:21:03,599 before Yahweh. 381 00:21:04,619 –> 00:21:06,640 The state has no parallel to that. 382 00:21:07,459 –> 00:21:09,180 Nor would we want it to. 383 00:21:10,040 –> 00:21:11,780 We cherish religious freedom. 384 00:21:12,760 –> 00:21:14,660 We are not a theocracy. 385 00:21:15,900 –> 00:21:18,579 We do not believe that religion can be imposed 386 00:21:18,579 –> 00:21:20,060 by the law of the state. 387 00:21:21,420 –> 00:21:24,699 So the distinction between the trials is very important 388 00:21:25,020 –> 00:21:27,780 for us to understand that this trial 389 00:21:27,780 –> 00:21:29,319 is the one of supreme importance 390 00:21:29,319 –> 00:21:33,140 because this is where Jesus is placed under not the state 391 00:21:33,140 –> 00:21:34,660 but the law of God. 392 00:21:36,140 –> 00:21:38,520 And that’s why you see the charge 393 00:21:38,520 –> 00:21:40,119 that is brought before him here 394 00:21:40,119 –> 00:21:41,699 is a charge under the law of God 395 00:21:41,699 –> 00:21:44,420 that wouldn’t have any interest to Pontius Pilate 396 00:21:44,420 –> 00:21:47,060 but it’s of huge importance for us 397 00:21:47,060 –> 00:21:49,219 when Jesus is tried under the law of God, 398 00:21:49,219 –> 00:21:50,500 he is accused of what? 399 00:21:50,500 –> 00:21:51,780 Blasphemy. 400 00:21:52,239 –> 00:21:53,079 What? 401 00:21:54,300 –> 00:21:56,500 Verse 65, the high priest torn his robes 402 00:21:56,500 –> 00:21:59,660 and said he has uttered blasphemy. 403 00:21:59,660 –> 00:22:01,500 What further witnesses do we need? 404 00:22:01,500 –> 00:22:02,959 What is blasphemy? 405 00:22:04,780 –> 00:22:05,979 Simple definition. 406 00:22:07,699 –> 00:22:12,119 Blasphemy is putting yourself in the place of God. 407 00:22:15,300 –> 00:22:18,699 And you see that that that’s actually 408 00:22:18,699 –> 00:22:20,619 the meaning of blasphemy very, 409 00:22:20,619 –> 00:22:24,939 very clearly in a story that Mark records in chapter 2. 410 00:22:24,939 –> 00:22:27,359 Remember that story, amazing story about 411 00:22:27,359 –> 00:22:31,680 the paralyzed man who was brought by his friends 412 00:22:31,680 –> 00:22:33,959 on his mattress and they couldn’t get in 413 00:22:33,959 –> 00:22:35,780 and so they went on the roof, dug through the roof 414 00:22:35,780 –> 00:22:37,380 and lowered the man beside Jesus. 415 00:22:37,380 –> 00:22:39,260 Remember what Jesus said to him? 416 00:22:39,260 –> 00:22:42,319 He said your sins are forgiven. 417 00:22:44,219 –> 00:22:46,020 Remember what happened after that? 418 00:22:46,959 –> 00:22:50,060 Your sins are forgiven, Jesus said. 419 00:22:50,979 –> 00:22:53,640 And then Mark records, now some of the scribes 420 00:22:53,640 –> 00:22:55,280 were sitting there and they were questioning 421 00:22:55,280 –> 00:22:58,640 in their hearts why does this man speak like that? 422 00:22:58,640 –> 00:23:03,640 He is blaspheming for who can forget sins but God alone. 423 00:23:07,160 –> 00:23:09,020 See, what he’s saying? 424 00:23:09,020 –> 00:23:10,540 This is their logic. 425 00:23:10,540 –> 00:23:13,939 Only God forgives sins. 426 00:23:14,900 –> 00:23:19,339 This man says he forgives sins, 427 00:23:19,339 –> 00:23:22,199 he is putting himself in the place of God, 428 00:23:22,199 –> 00:23:25,180 therefore he is blaspheming, that’s what blaspheming is. 429 00:23:25,180 –> 00:23:27,420 It’s putting yourself in the place of God. 430 00:23:27,420 –> 00:23:30,420 It’s arrogating to yourself what belongs to God alone. 431 00:23:31,859 –> 00:23:34,560 It is the defining sin of our culture. 432 00:23:37,420 –> 00:23:42,420 Our Lord Jesus Christ could never be guilty of blasphemy 433 00:23:44,099 –> 00:23:45,819 for this very obvious reason. 434 00:23:45,819 –> 00:23:47,459 He is God. 435 00:23:49,140 –> 00:23:50,020 He is God. 436 00:23:51,819 –> 00:23:53,060 He is God with us. 437 00:23:53,060 –> 00:23:57,979 He is God in the flesh, but this very significantly 438 00:23:57,979 –> 00:24:02,300 is what he was accused of. 439 00:24:03,939 –> 00:24:06,640 And blasphemy, 440 00:24:06,640 –> 00:24:07,979 and you can check the law out 441 00:24:07,979 –> 00:24:11,380 in Leviticus chapter 24 verses 15 and 16, 442 00:24:11,400 –> 00:24:15,459 blasphemy was one of actually only a few offenses 443 00:24:15,459 –> 00:24:16,500 in the Old Testament law 444 00:24:16,500 –> 00:24:19,300 that actually carried the death penalty. 445 00:24:19,300 –> 00:24:21,180 Sometimes folks have the idea that death penalty 446 00:24:21,180 –> 00:24:22,180 was for just about anything 447 00:24:22,180 –> 00:24:23,819 the Old Testament law was not. 448 00:24:23,819 –> 00:24:25,380 It was reserved for the things 449 00:24:25,380 –> 00:24:26,859 that were most significant, 450 00:24:26,859 –> 00:24:29,520 taking another life and blasphemy 451 00:24:29,520 –> 00:24:32,060 because putting yourself in the place of God 452 00:24:32,060 –> 00:24:34,819 is the ultimate offense against the ultimate of being. 453 00:24:36,020 –> 00:24:38,739 Now they had to take him to Pontius Pilate 454 00:24:38,800 –> 00:24:40,979 and of course when they took him to Pilate 455 00:24:42,199 –> 00:24:44,140 the charge had to be changed 456 00:24:44,140 –> 00:24:45,660 because Pilate had no interest 457 00:24:45,660 –> 00:24:48,739 in a religious charge of blasphemy. 458 00:24:48,739 –> 00:24:51,040 So they had to change the charge to treason. 459 00:24:51,040 –> 00:24:54,119 Then the chief priests tell Pilate, 460 00:24:54,119 –> 00:24:58,260 oh this man forbids us to give tribute to Caesar 461 00:24:58,260 –> 00:24:59,699 and says that he’s a king 462 00:24:59,699 –> 00:25:03,339 and so Pilate’s all on, are you a king? 463 00:25:03,339 –> 00:25:05,660 And remember the inscription had the charge 464 00:25:05,680 –> 00:25:08,140 on which Jesus was condemned by Pilate 465 00:25:08,140 –> 00:25:12,239 was this is Jesus, the king of the Jews. 466 00:25:13,979 –> 00:25:16,099 But Pilate’s a story for another day. 467 00:25:17,459 –> 00:25:18,939 What we’re concerned with here 468 00:25:18,939 –> 00:25:22,540 is that Jesus stood trial under the law of God, 469 00:25:22,540 –> 00:25:23,920 not the law of the state. 470 00:25:24,939 –> 00:25:27,339 He did it in the house of the high priest 471 00:25:27,339 –> 00:25:29,900 and when he was accused under the law of God 472 00:25:29,900 –> 00:25:32,579 he was accused of blasphemy 473 00:25:32,579 –> 00:25:36,739 which means putting yourself in the place of God. 474 00:25:36,739 –> 00:25:38,500 Now here’s the point. 475 00:25:40,859 –> 00:25:45,219 We will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ 476 00:25:47,540 –> 00:25:50,780 and when we do what would be the first accusation against us 477 00:25:51,859 –> 00:25:53,420 what is the first commandment? 478 00:25:54,900 –> 00:25:58,439 You shall have no other gods before me. 479 00:25:59,319 –> 00:26:04,319 The first accusation that all of us would face 480 00:26:06,619 –> 00:26:09,640 before the throne of God on the judgment day 481 00:26:09,640 –> 00:26:13,479 is surely this, you have put yourself 482 00:26:13,479 –> 00:26:15,640 in the place of God. 483 00:26:16,839 –> 00:26:19,160 You’ve made a god of your own desires, 484 00:26:20,880 –> 00:26:23,439 you’ve made a god of your own self. 485 00:26:23,479 –> 00:26:24,300 Keep yourself. 486 00:26:26,599 –> 00:26:29,140 The very first commandment of the Almighty, 487 00:26:29,140 –> 00:26:33,959 your Creator, is you shall have no other god before me. 488 00:26:33,959 –> 00:26:36,900 That’s the first commandment and there isn’t a single 489 00:26:36,900 –> 00:26:39,439 one of us in the church today who can say 490 00:26:39,439 –> 00:26:42,579 that we’ve kept it, not a single one. 491 00:26:44,500 –> 00:26:47,439 So are you beginning to see the significance of this? 492 00:26:47,439 –> 00:26:50,540 When Jesus stood trial, he stood in our place 493 00:26:50,540 –> 00:26:52,400 under the law. 494 00:26:52,400 –> 00:26:56,060 When Jesus stood trial under the law, 495 00:26:56,060 –> 00:26:58,119 the charge that was laid against him 496 00:26:58,119 –> 00:27:00,280 was the very first charge that is against us 497 00:27:00,280 –> 00:27:03,060 in a sense the charge that encapsulates all the others. 498 00:27:03,060 –> 00:27:05,800 We haven’t kept the first commandment. 499 00:27:05,800 –> 00:27:08,660 It’s why, by definition, we haven’t kept the rest either. 500 00:27:10,319 –> 00:27:13,140 And surely that is the significance of what we have 501 00:27:13,140 –> 00:27:17,560 here in verse 63 where we read these remarkable words. 502 00:27:17,560 –> 00:27:20,280 Many accusations are being brought before Jesus. 503 00:27:20,280 –> 00:27:25,280 Picture the scene, but Jesus remained silent. 504 00:27:28,859 –> 00:27:32,520 Not only is that a fulfillment of prophecy. 505 00:27:33,719 –> 00:27:36,979 A lamb before its shearers, silent, Isaiah says. 506 00:27:38,119 –> 00:27:41,479 But it is a representation 507 00:27:41,479 –> 00:27:44,959 of Jesus’ standing in the place of sinners. 508 00:27:47,459 –> 00:27:48,640 The book of Romans tells us this, 509 00:27:48,640 –> 00:27:50,079 we know that whatever the law says, 510 00:27:50,300 –> 00:27:51,959 it speaks to those that are under the law 511 00:27:51,959 –> 00:27:55,319 so that every mouth will be stopped. 512 00:27:57,160 –> 00:27:58,560 You know what that’s saying? 513 00:27:59,760 –> 00:28:02,160 When sinners stand before 514 00:28:04,040 –> 00:28:06,400 the judgment seat of Jesus Christ, 515 00:28:06,400 –> 00:28:08,859 what is there to say, that’s the point. 516 00:28:11,199 –> 00:28:12,140 James Phillips says, 517 00:28:12,140 –> 00:28:15,660 Christ assumed the guilt of the world’s sin 518 00:28:15,660 –> 00:28:18,000 and guilt stops a man’s mouth. 519 00:28:18,000 –> 00:28:19,760 He has nothing to say 520 00:28:19,900 –> 00:28:21,900 because there is nothing to say 521 00:28:21,900 –> 00:28:23,959 for guilty man before a holy God. 522 00:28:25,959 –> 00:28:29,780 We will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. 523 00:28:29,780 –> 00:28:34,079 Picture yourself standing before the Almighty, 524 00:28:34,079 –> 00:28:36,479 charged with blasphemy. 525 00:28:36,479 –> 00:28:38,500 You’ve been your own God. 526 00:28:38,500 –> 00:28:42,239 You’ve lived life as if you were the captain of your soul. 527 00:28:42,239 –> 00:28:45,439 As if you were the Lord of your own life. 528 00:28:47,560 –> 00:28:48,920 And of course we may imagine 529 00:28:48,979 –> 00:28:51,520 that we will have plenty to say when we stand before God, 530 00:28:51,520 –> 00:28:53,420 but that’s because we know so little about Him 531 00:28:53,420 –> 00:28:54,979 and we’ve never seen His glory. 532 00:28:56,800 –> 00:28:59,819 Isaiah was one of the godliest people of his generation 533 00:28:59,819 –> 00:29:02,800 and when he saw even a vision of the glory of God, 534 00:29:02,800 –> 00:29:05,020 not the reality of it, just a vision of it, 535 00:29:05,020 –> 00:29:06,699 he said, I’m ruined. 536 00:29:09,119 –> 00:29:12,560 And the pompous of the earth will be silent 537 00:29:14,959 –> 00:29:18,160 before the throne of God where the first accusation is 538 00:29:18,160 –> 00:29:19,599 you have become your own God. 539 00:29:19,599 –> 00:29:21,680 You’ve done that thing that Satan tempted 540 00:29:21,680 –> 00:29:22,880 way back in the garden. 541 00:29:22,880 –> 00:29:24,300 You shall be as God. 542 00:29:26,520 –> 00:29:30,260 Christ was silent because He really did stand 543 00:29:30,260 –> 00:29:34,280 under the condemnation of the law for us. 544 00:29:35,939 –> 00:29:39,000 That takes me to the last thing, which is the outcome. 545 00:29:39,880 –> 00:29:42,640 When Jesus was tried, He stood in our place, 546 00:29:42,640 –> 00:29:46,160 when Jesus was accused, He stood in our place 547 00:29:46,199 –> 00:29:49,579 and at the outcome, when Jesus was condemned, 548 00:29:49,579 –> 00:29:52,020 He stood in our place. 549 00:29:52,020 –> 00:29:53,000 Verse 66. 550 00:29:53,000 –> 00:29:54,300 What is your judgment? 551 00:29:54,300 –> 00:29:59,099 And they answered, He deserves death. 552 00:30:01,640 –> 0030:04,180 My friends, here is why we celebrate Easter. 553 00:30:04,939 –> 00:30:08,300 Here is why all that Jesus endured, including the trial 554 00:30:08,300 –> 00:30:11,239 and then all that followed as a result of it on the cross, 555 00:30:11,239 –> 00:30:14,660 here is why it is such good news for us. 556 00:30:15,479 –> 00:30:20,420 The holy Son of God stood in the place of sinners 557 00:30:20,420 –> 00:30:24,439 under the law of God and endured its condemnation. 558 00:30:25,479 –> 00:30:30,479 All that God could ever charge against His people 559 00:30:30,479 –> 00:30:32,819 was charged against Jesus. 560 00:30:32,819 –> 00:30:35,520 He took our place under the law 561 00:30:35,520 –> 00:30:39,520 and He bore the penalty offered the law for our sins. 562 00:30:39,520 –> 00:30:41,839 That’s why He died on the cross, 563 00:30:42,199 –> 00:30:45,280 that’s what this trial is all about. 564 00:30:46,979 –> 00:30:50,939 For anyone who works best with visual imagery, 565 00:30:50,939 –> 00:30:53,479 the Old Testament is so marvelous. 566 00:30:53,479 –> 00:30:56,160 The Old Testament tells us about the day of atonement 567 00:30:56,160 –> 00:30:58,959 when a live goat, 568 00:30:58,959 –> 00:31:00,180 try to picture this now, 569 00:31:00,180 –> 00:31:05,160 a live goat was led by a rope to the high priest 570 00:31:08,079 –> 00:31:10,739 and when that happened the high priest 571 00:31:10,959 –> 00:31:14,739 would lay his hands on the head of the live goat 572 00:31:14,739 –> 00:31:19,760 and would confess the sins of God’s people 573 00:31:19,900 –> 00:31:22,500 over this goat. 574 00:31:22,500 –> 00:31:23,479 Let me read the Scripture. 575 00:31:23,479 –> 00:31:26,579 Aaron, that’s the high priest shall lay both hands 576 00:31:26,579 –> 00:31:29,380 on the head of the live goat 577 00:31:29,380 –> 00:31:31,780 and confess over it all the iniquities 578 00:31:31,780 –> 00:31:32,979 of the people of Israel. 579 00:31:34,140 –> 00:31:36,739 And he shall put them that is the iniquities 580 00:31:36,739 –> 00:31:39,140 on the head of the goat 581 00:31:39,219 –> 00:31:41,060 and shall send it away into the wilderness 582 00:31:41,060 –> 00:31:42,719 and the goat shall bear 583 00:31:42,719 –> 00:31:46,719 all their iniquities on itself. 584 00:31:48,420 –> 00:31:52,339 The goat led by a rope 585 00:31:53,540 –> 00:31:55,099 to the high priest 586 00:31:56,680 –> 00:32:00,640 and the condemnation laid on the goat. 587 00:32:00,640 –> 00:32:02,560 It was called The scapegoat. 588 00:32:02,760 –> 00:32:06,099 The scapegoat. 589 00:32:06,099 –> 00:32:07,380 Here’s Jesus 590 00:32:08,859 –> 00:32:13,699 and He’s led, bound by the rope 591 00:32:13,699 –> 00:32:16,079 before the high priest 592 00:32:18,099 –> 00:32:23,040 and He becomes the scapegoat. 593 00:32:24,500 –> 00:32:27,660 The bearer of the condemnation 594 00:32:29,180 –> 00:32:32,479 for all who turn to Him. 595 00:32:33,459 –> 00:32:37,459 In faith and in repentance. 596 00:32:38,900 –> 00:32:43,900 Friends, the reason why those who are in Christ 597 00:32:44,599 –> 00:32:49,439 have peace with God and one day will enter into heaven 598 00:32:49,439 –> 00:32:53,060 is not that there is nothing that God could charge 599 00:32:53,060 –> 00:32:54,160 against us. 600 00:32:56,239 –> 00:32:58,780 The reason that those who look to Jesus 601 00:32:58,780 –> 00:33:02,160 have peace with God and one day will enter into heaven 602 00:33:02,199 –> 00:33:05,099 is that everything that could ever have been charged 603 00:33:05,099 –> 00:33:08,920 against us was charged by God to him. 604 00:33:08,920 –> 00:33:12,239 And He took the place in our judgment 605 00:33:12,239 –> 00:33:14,199 under the law of God and therefore 606 00:33:14,199 –> 00:33:16,160 took our condemnation that followed 607 00:33:16,160 –> 00:33:20,119 for all the charges that could ever be leveled against us, 608 00:33:20,119 –> 00:33:24,359 that is why in the light of the cross, 609 00:33:24,359 –> 00:33:29,359 the justice of God is the greatest assurance 610 00:33:30,280 –> 00:33:31,979 of our pardon, 611 00:33:32,719 –> 00:33:37,300 see if your sin has been charged against Jesus, 612 00:33:38,640 –> 00:33:42,760 then a just God will and can never 613 00:33:42,760 –> 00:33:46,160 charge that again against you. 614 00:33:46,160 –> 00:33:49,640 This is why John says in a very striking word, 615 00:33:49,640 –> 00:33:51,619 if we confess our sins, 616 00:33:51,619 –> 00:33:56,619 he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins. 617 00:33:57,260 –> 00:34:02,260 Our since to cancel all the accusations against us, 618 00:34:02,939 –> 00:34:05,739 he does it justly, why? 619 00:34:05,739 –> 00:34:08,459 Because they’re under the very court 620 00:34:08,459 –> 00:34:11,780 in which the law of God, was the judge. 621 00:34:11,780 –> 00:34:15,020 He stood under the condemnation. 622 00:34:15,020 –> 00:34:19,260 He took the charges that were against us. 623 00:34:19,260 –> 00:34:22,699 He substituted for us in his death. 624 00:34:22,699 –> 00:34:25,540 He substituted for us in the judgment 625 00:34:25,540 –> 00:34:27,780 that brought the condemnation 626 00:34:27,780 –> 00:34:30,979 of death brothers and sisters. 627 00:34:32,060 –> 00:34:36,280 Jesus stood under the condemnation 628 00:34:37,139 –> 00:34:39,040 of the law of God for us. 629 00:34:40,179 –> 00:34:42,739 He was declared guilty, 630 00:34:44,159 –> 00:34:46,820 so that we might be declared righteous. 631 00:34:48,219 –> 00:34:51,000 The righteous one was condemned, 632 00:34:52,000 –> 00:34:55,520 so that we whose sins are many would be justified. 633 00:34:57,239 –> 00:35:02,239 And He was silent before the law of God 634 00:35:03,379 –> 00:35:06,879 so that when the day of judgment comes for us 635 00:35:06,879 –> 00:35:09,520 we will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. 636 00:35:09,520 –> 00:35:14,300 He was silent before the law of God 637 00:35:14,300 –> 00:35:17,600 so that when the day of judgment comes 638 00:35:17,600 –> 00:35:20,919 you will have something to say. 639 00:35:21,739 –> 00:35:25,020 And what you will be able to say is something like this. 640 00:35:25,020 –> 00:35:28,399 Jesus paid it all. 641 00:35:29,500 –> 00:35:32,719 All to him I owe. 642 00:35:33,679 –> 00:35:37,159 Sin had left a crimson stain 643 00:35:38,639 –> 00:35:42,459 but he washed it white as snow. 644 00:35:43,439 –> 00:35:46,719 Hallelujah, what a Savior. 645 00:35:46,719 –> 00:35:49,580 Father, as we embark on this week of Easter 646 00:35:49,580 –> 00:35:52,379 we do indeed lift our hearts and voices 647 00:35:52,379 –> 00:35:55,780 to praise your name because we have some sense 648 00:35:55,780 –> 00:35:58,580 of the wonder of what you have done for us 649 00:35:58,580 –> 00:36:01,840 in our Lord Jesus Christ. 650 00:36:01,840 –> 00:36:05,959 And we thank you for all that is contained 651 00:36:05,959 –> 00:36:08,020 in this story that is before us today. 652 00:36:08,020 –> 00:36:10,939 Let us, we pray, live in the good 653 00:36:10,939 –> 00:36:15,219 and the peace and the joy of all that Christ endured 654 00:36:15,219 –> 00:36:17,820 and all that he accomplished. 655 00:36:17,820 –> 00:36:21,320 In these things we ask in the Savior’s name, Amen.