The World or Christ?

Review:

Who is your representative? Adam or Christ

Who is your priest? Caiaphas or Christ

Who has your allegiance? The World or Christ

Introduction: What is allegiance?

Allegiance - loyalty or submission of a subordinate to a superior.

Churchill famously said of his allegiance to England, “ I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat.” He was saying that this is the kind of allegiance and resolve required to face the evils of Nazi Germany.

Who has your ultimate allegiance?

The Jewish leadership’s ultimate commitment was to their ethnic heritage and customs.

Ethnicity

First, notice how the Jews viewed defilement. They thought going into the headquarters of Pilot defiled them. They were already defiled in the heart, yet they viewed themselves as ethnically clean.

Now the reason they were to remain separate from the gentile nations in the OT era is that God has chosen them uniquely to manifest his presence among them, which required that they keep the law, which included sacrifice.

They were also called to be a light to the nations and a blessing to them.

Paul writes about this in Romans 2

There is no ethnic justification and there is no legal justification - we are all held captive under the law as guilty.

Customs

Second, they miss the point of the passover.

Jesus is the passover lamb that every other passover was pointing towards.

In the passover the only remedy from the dreadful fate of the angel of death was the blood applied to the doorpost of the house - this blood removed the fear of wrath and set the people free from the bondage in slavery in Egypt.

So they have forgotten all grace in the passover and have failed to see that the grace of God has appeared in Christ, they will observe the ultimate passover when they nail Jesus to the cross, yet for most of them the blood will not be applied to their hearts.

Criminal over Christ

Think about all they witnessed in Christ

Authority over nature, demons, raise the dead

Taught with authority

Witnessed him healing, serving, teaching

They chose a common criminal over Christ!

We do the same thing when we walk with the world.

Philippians 3:17–21 ESV

Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.

2. Pilate’s ultimate allegiance was to the Roman Empire and his own personal power.

Pilate was a weak and fearful leader who could not understand the nature of Christ’s Kingdom

Jesus is a king, and he was preparing to take authority of the entire cosmos by the force of his death on the cross.

3. Are you with the world or with Christ?

Why you might be tempted to go with the world?

The priorities of the world seem urgently relevant.

The pleasures of the world seem all-satisfying.

The people in the world seem important to please.

Why it is foolish to give your allegiance to the world over Christ.

The world and everything in it is passing away

1 John 2:15–17 “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.”

The world is deceived and does not know the truth. (Pilate)

2 Corinthians 4:3–4 “And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”

The pleasures of the world are not all-satisfying.

Ecclesiastes 2:1–11 ESV

I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy yourself.” But behold, this also was vanity. I said of laughter, “It is mad,” and of pleasure, “What use is it?” I searched with my heart how to cheer my body with wine—my heart still guiding me with wisdom—and how to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was good for the children of man to do under heaven during the few days of their life. I made great works. I built houses and planted vineyards for myself. I made myself gardens and parks, and planted in them all kinds of fruit trees. I made myself pools from which to water the forest of growing trees. I bought male and female slaves, and had slaves who were born in my house. I had also great possessions of herds and flocks, more than any who had been before me in Jerusalem. I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces. I got singers, both men and women, and many concubines, the delight of the sons of man. So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my wisdom remained with me. And whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I kept my heart from no pleasure, for my heart found pleasure in all my toil, and this was my reward for all my toil. Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun.

The Kingdom of Christ is the only true, eternal, all-satisfying Kingdom.

Revelation 11:15–18 ESV

Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.” And the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying, “We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, who is and who was, for you have taken your great power and begun to reign. The nations raged, but your wrath came, and the time for the dead to be judged, and for rewarding your servants, the prophets and saints, and those who fear your name, both small and great, and for destroying the destroyers of the earth.”

Conclusion - Make a Decisive Choice