Sermon Tone Analysis

Intro

During the war between Britain and France, men were conscripted into the French army by a kind of lottery system.

When someone’s name was drawn, he had to go off to battle.

There was one exception to this, however.

A person could be exempt if another was willing to take his place.

On one occasion the authorities came to a certain man and told him he was among those who had been chosen.

He refused to go, saying, “I was shot 2 years ago.”

At first they questioned his sanity, but he insisted that this indeed was the case.

He claimed that the military records would show that he had been conscripted 2 years previously and that he had been killed in action.

“How can that be?” they questioned.

“You are alive now!”

He explained that when his name came up, a close friend said to him, “You have a large family, but I am not married and nobody is dependent upon me.

I’ll take your name and address and go in your place.”

And that is indeed what the record showed.

This rather unusual case was referred to Napoleon Bonaparte, who decided that the country had no legal claim on that man.

He was free.

He had died in the person of another!

This is exactly what we see where we are in our series through the Gospel of John.

This idea of substitution and is central to the gospel that we believe.

And this is the big idea I want you to walk out this morning believing...

Jesus took our place on our cross to bring us back to God.

If you have your Bibles turn them to John chapter 19.

Look with me starting at the end of verse 16...

So they took Jesus, 17 and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha.

18 There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them.

19 Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross.

It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.”

20 Many of the Jews read this inscription, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Aramaic, in Latin, and in Greek.

21 So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but rather, ‘This man said, I am King of the Jews.’

” 22 Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.”

23 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, 24 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.”

So the soldiers did these things, 25 but standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.

26 When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” 27 Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!”

And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.

The Death of Jesus

28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.”

29 A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth.

30 When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

Prayer

We need to back track just a bit...

Last week, Pastor Barry walked us through john 14:1-3 where Jesus tells his disciples they are going to seemingly have their hope taken away from them but they and we can have hope even when things look incredibly hopeless because of Jesus.

A lot has happened in between chapter 14 and 19.

He promises the Holy Spirit to his followers… he gives more teachings about the disciples relationships with the Father and the Son… He declares that he has overcome the world and that is why we can face tribulations in this world… Verse 33 of chapter 16 says...

33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace.

In the world you will have tribulation.

But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Chapter 17… Jesus gives his high priestly prayer.

We get an insider view at Jesus praying for us.

Chapter 18 is where it all starts.

Jesus and his disciples go to the garden to pray and just like Jesus predicted in our text last week… Judas… One of Jesus’ best friends sells him out for money.

And not even that much money.

Jesus is betrayed and arrested and is taken to a secret unfair trial where he is being lied about.

And just like when Jesus predicted in , Peter… Jesus’ top dog… denies that he even knows him.

So Jesus is being tried unjustly by the Jews and then he’s handed over to the Romans.

Verse 33 in chapter 18...

33 So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” 34 Jesus answered, “Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?” 35 Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew?

Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me.

What have you done?” 36 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.”

37 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.”

38 Pilate said to him, “What is truth?”

After he had said this, he went back outside to the Jews and told them, “I find no guilt in him.

39 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?” 40 They cried out again, “Not this man, but Barabbas!”

Now Barabbas was a robber.

Even after Pilate is saying that there is no guilt in Jesus and he doesn’t deserve to be put to death the Jews choose Barabbas.

We learn in the other gospel accounts that Barabbas was a notorious criminal who was in prison for insurrection and murder.

And this angry mob made up of people who witnessed and experienced Jesus’ miracles and his teaching first hand… chose to have Barabbas over Jesus released.

There is so much that we can get from that...

These people saw Jesus do incredible things but now they are calling for his death.

Have you ever wanted God to show someone a miracle so that they would believe?

Or have you ever heard someone say that they would believe in the Bible if they would see a miracle?

We can’t truly believe in Jesus apart from the Holy Spirit changing our hearts.

God performed miracles through Moses, and yet Pharaoh did not believe.

God performed miracles through Elijah, and yet Jezebel did not believe.

Jesus performed numerous miracles that confirmed his power over sickness, weather, and even death.

Ultimately he rose from the dead.

Yet still some who saw these miracles did not believe.

Miracles alone are not enough to make someone believe.

Even when Jesus rose from the dead and appeared before 500 people at once the Gospel of Matthew tells us in 28:17...

17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted.

Some people saw the resurrected Jesus and was still like, “no I don’t think so.

I need more proof.”

Miracles don’t cause true belief.

The Spirit of God does.

Jesus said in ,

44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.

And I will raise him up on the last day.

Do you remember what Jesus said to the crowd after he miraculously fed them in .

He said,

35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.

36 But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe.

37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.