Responses to Jesus

We are right in the midst. The section in our daily Bible reading, I think we'll finish up Matthew over the next couple of days. And so, I wanted to think about these individual sections after Jesus is a rest in the crucifixion account. Jesus, Jesus is rarely the subject of the verbs. It's always other people and what they're doing to Jesus. And so, we kind of see this idea of how people respond to Jesus. We want to think about these various responses this morning in the last couple of chapters here, the next last chapters. And think about how these maybe show up in our lives and how we respond to Jesus. So let's begin in Matthew chapter 26. And we'll start in verse 57. These passages, you know, you know them, well we're just going to kind of see how we can apply them here. Then those who would cease Jesus, why him to Caiaphas the high priests, were the scribes and the elders gathered, and Peter was following him at a distance at as far as the courtyard of the high priest and going inside a set with the guards to see the end. Now, the chief priests in the whole Council were seeking false testimony against Jesus that they might put him to death, but they found 9 do many false Witnesses. Came forward. At last, two came forward and said this man said I'm able to destroy the temple of God and the rebuild it in three days in the high priest stood up and said, have you no answer to make what is it that these men testify against you. But Jesus remain silent. The high priest said to him. I adjure you by the Living. God tell us. If you are the Christ, the son of God. Jesus said to him you have said so. But I tell you now from now on, you will see the son of man seated at the right hand of the power and coming on the clouds of heaven and high priest Wars robes and said, he has uttered blasphemy. Further Witnesses. Do we need? You have now heard his blasphemy. What is your judgment? They answered. He deserve death and they spit in his face and struck him and some slapped him saying prophesied, you Christ. Who is it? That struck you. And so, we know of Jesus interactions with the chief priests describe the elders and the Pharisees. But what we see their response to Jesus is always a stubborn refusal to believe. I don't know what they would have had to have done or what Jesus would have had to have done to get them to believe, you think? Well a miracle, they saw Miracles. You think Ray someone from your dad, he raised Lazarus from the dead and their solution was will just kill both of them. There was nothing that could be done to convince them. I'm in a I'm in a Twitter fight right now with some people. I don't know. I don't I don't do that lightly. I don't get into social media disputes but I saw a post the other day. That said I'm Unapologetic on this issue. Baptism has zero to do with salvation. And I said, well, I'm Unapologetic in my responses and I've just let it rip. This people are coming to his. I'm a little surprised at how many people have liked my replies, but I am. So I'm just giving them all these passages is pulling out passage after passage of the passage. This guy picks for versus, he says 1st Corinthians. 1 through 4 is Paul summary of The Gospel and he doesn't mention baptism. And I'm like, well, you forgot where he mentions baptism in 1st Corinthians, 10 and I don't know what to say because it's a stubborn refusal to accept the truth. Just like we have here with the chief priests and scribes and the elders. John, 12 verse 37 says, though, he did so many signs before them. Still. They did not believe in him. 1st Peter 2 Verse 6, for it stands in scripture. Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a Cornerstone, Chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame. So, the honor is for you, who believe, but for those who do not believe the stone that the builders rejected has become the Chief, Cornerstone and a stone of stumbling in a rock of offense. They stumble, because they disobey the word as they were destined to do,

We refuse the word of God. And then we wonder why God hasn't saved us. The Jews refused the Messiah and then Wonder 2,000 years later. They're still looking around. He came about two thousand years ago and showed you quite clearly who he is, will this be our response to Jesus? When were faced with scripture, when we're faced with the word of God, when we're faced with what Jesus taught, will we stubbornly refusing?

This time. Matthew 26 verse 69. Now, Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard and a servant girl came up to him. And said, you also were with Jesus, the Galilean. But he denied it before them all saying I do not know what you mean. And when he went out to the entrance and other servant, girl saw him and said the bystanders. This man was with Jesus of Nazareth. And again, he denied it with an oath. I do not know the man after a little while, to bystanders came up and said to Peter certain, like, you two are one of them for your accent. Betrays, you and began to invoke a curse on himself in the Square. I do not know the man and immediately, the rooster crowed. And Peter. Remember the saying of Jesus, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times, and he went out and wept bitterly.

I am passing through these passages in Matthew today, but I love what Mark says, Mark, says after he denied him that Jesus turned and looked at him. What would that look have been and how it must have melted Peter in that moment?

But Peter is accused of being with Jesus and he knows what's about to happen. He doesn't want any association with Jesus and they, they say, you can't deny that you're From Galilee, your accent betrays, you would be like, if somebody came down here and said, don't you know, Bright or ask for a pop, right? When I was in Indiana, working with the church of Charlestown Road, it's just across the state line. You have Louisville New Albany Indiana. I thought it was the cutest thing in the world when I said y'all I'd say it. Maybe you can tell people by accident right when we know it will he's a Galilean your accent betrays you and he denies it. And every denial becomes more adamant. Finally that he invokes a curse on himself probably would have been like, so do to me what they're going to do to Jesus, if I know the man who have been something along those lines. And so G's are Peter's response to Jesus, is a fearful denial of Association. When we become associated with Jesus, how are people going to act or just? How are people going to talk to us how people going to treat us? We're nervous about that. We're scared about that. And so do we like Peter deny him? Mark 8 and verse 38. Jesus is very clear about this for whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation of him. Will the son of man? Also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his father with his holy angels.

I tentatively put Peter in this. Sermon, because he's part of the scriptural story here, Peter, obviously, redeems himself. A little bit on the day of Pentecost, we see him stand forth and point a finger at people and say you killed the Messiah. The positive side of this story would probably be Stephen. Who is executed, who is stoned to death? And as he is being stoned, he looks up into the heaven and sees, Jesus standing, and it's just the opposite of what we see here with Peter. And so, he God, Jesus stands to claim Steven as one of his own in that story. How do we respond to Jesus when other start questioning us about it? Oh, you're one of those. In my Twitter fight with this guy. I'm telling you, I don't do this often but I really don't, but I just I couldn't stand by After the back and forth for a little while. The guy said, are you Church of Christ? How do we respond to that? We have a reputation. Sometimes it's not always accurate. I ignored it. I was going to respond. How can one person be a Church of Christ? I'm a Christian thank you. But when we are associated with people, we we take those on. If you tell somebody a Republican or a Democrat you take on those qualities. If you tell someone you're you're an American, you take on the qualities of that. If you tell someone you're a Christian, oh you're one of those, how do we respond? Do we do not William but not like the rest of it. What it, what, how do we try and shimmy out of that? Sometimes how do we respond to Jesus? The next one is in chapter, 27 will start at verse 1. When morning came all the chief priests and the Elders of the people took counsel against Jesus, to put them to death, and they bound him and let him away and delivered him over to Pilot the governor's. Move over to 27:11 this time. Jesus, stood before the governor and the governor asked him? Are you the king of the Jews? Jesus said you have said so. But when he was accused by the chief priests and Elders, he gave no answer than pilot said to him. Do you not hear how many things I testify against you but he gave no answer, not even to a single charge so that the governor was greatly amazed. Now at the fees, the governor was accustomed to release for The Crowd, anyone prisoner for whom they wanted and they had and they had been a notorious prisoner named Travis. So when they had gathered pilot said to them, whom do you want me to release for you? Barabbas or Jesus, who is called Christ for? He knew that it was out of envy that they had delivered him up. Besides, while he was sitting on the Judgment seat, his wife sent word, to him, have nothing to do with that righteous man for I have suffered much because of him today and a drink. I wished want to stop right there and say I would love to know more about that. I need more information about 27:19. I want to know about pilot. Christian tradition says that she does ultimately obey the gospel that is obviously outside of scripture. But I'd love to know more about Pilot's Wife of the chief priests and the elders. Persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas, and Destroy Jesus. The governor against evidence, which of the two. Do you want me to release for you? And they said, Barabbas pilot said to them? Then what shall I do with Jesus? Who is called Christ? They all said, let him be crucified. And he said, why what evil has he done? But they shouted all the more. Let him be crucified. So One Pilots all, they was gaining nothing. But rather than a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd saying, I am innocent of this man's blood, see to it yourself and all the people answer his blood be on us and on our children, then he released her them Barabbas than having Scourge. Jesus delivered him to be crucified. I want you to understand the double unjust Injustice of the day's action. When the guilty man goes free in the righteous man is ultimately killed. The governor of Jerusalem or Judea had a very serious job. It was to keep the juice in line and everyone knew how difficult that task was. It was a rebellious group. This was known all the way in Rome and so the guy that was put in charge of Judea at this time at Pilot had a very fine line to walk. He had to keep the people under his thumb While not inciting a riot because allowing a riot to Bubble Up would have been a quick way to lose your job or even be executed.

You almost almost get a positive view of pilot in scripture almost. He's at least a little sympathetic, right? Well, historically pilot. Was a bit of a punk. And he liked to push the juice and he like to exacerbate trouble, he really like to show them who was in charge and he had just done some things. He's fixing to do some more things and at this point in time he didn't want any trouble. And so his response to Jesus, who he knows is innocent, he says, he's innocent three times his response to Jesus is a cowardly decision to place the people. A man who had other times, couldn't care less, what the Jews fought. But in this day, He gave in. Can help me think of a past like revelation, 21:8. Notice what starts this list? Often times in the New Testament, sexual immorality. That starts one of these by Slipknot this one, but as for the Cowardly, those who won't profess Christ, those who won't stand beside him, those who won't stand with him, those who won't take up their cross and follow him. Those who knuckle under

Next part of the story is with the soldiers, then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor's headquarters, and they gathered the whole Battalion before him and they stripped him and put a Scarlet robe on him and twisting together a crown of thorns to put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand kneeling before. Then kneeling before him, they mocked him thing. He'll King of the Jews and they spit on him and took the read and struck him on the head. And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the road, and put it on clothes, on clothes, on him and lead him away to crucify him. We mention this a couple of weeks ago as we were talking about some paradoxes of the cross that Jesus, who is mocked as king actually deserves the worship that they are, mockingly, giving him, they did. He deserve true worship and yet they mock him as entertainment here, June 10th, June 10th says, but these people blaspheme all that they do not understand and they are destroyed by all the day like on Reasoning animals, understand instinctively.

their response to Jesus is mockery because they're the ones in power. They see themselves as powerful. They're the ones with the sword. They're the ones with authority. They're the ones with the, the might of Rome behind them, and they see this shrimp of a man who's been arrested, who's been abused who's been spit on, and now they're going to pile on.

They lead them away to crucifying.

Bugatti verse 39.

And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads, and saying, you who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself. If you are the Son of God come down from the cross,

And so also the chief priests with the scribes and Elders, mock him saying, he saved others, he cannot save himself, he is the king of Israel. Let him come down now from the cross and we will believe in him. He trust in God, let God deliver him now, if he desires him for, he said, I am the Son of God. I just in a little curious, if we were in Bible class at ask for a show of hands, what if Jesus had come down from the cross, do you think they would have believed in and then I don't think so it would have grabbed him and we nailed him to the Cross. Probably,

and to those who pass by mock him and scoffing, they turn his own words against him. And we see this arrogance, we see the scoffing attitude, The Book of Proverbs looks very harshly on scoffers, so you have the young and naive and they're just immature, you know, that they have some growing up to do this just life, right? There was young. Then you have those who reject wisdom, they say, no, thanks, I'm not. Not interested. And then you have those who reject it, but go on to mock at and scarf. Wisdom and they're the worst proverb says, they are absolutely the worst. And that's what these people are doing. It's not just enough to say, no, he's not our Messiah days in mock him in their arrogance. Proverbs 21 a 24, scoffer is the name of the Arrogant hottie man, who acts with Eric, get pride. And then verse 16 or 16:5 everyone who is arrogant and heart is an Abomination to the Lord be assured. He will not go unpunished their own scripture. Condemns them in this moment, scoffer is the name of the Arrogant Hardiman. Who acts with arrogant pride and so, their response to Jesus, who is hanging on the cross. They can't even for the moment. Phil some even small level of pity. For him.

27:44. And the robbers who were crucified with him. Also revealed him in the same way.

Their response to Jesus is fairly interesting because they're kind of in the same boat as Jesus and yet, they mock him as well. They must have known something about him or at least what people believe about it. They have this refusal to accept their own condemnation. They're the ones dying as well and yet they're mocking him. We need to understand that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. We must understand this about herself and maybe this is the biggest problem in our country, when it comes to religion, Is a refusal to accept responsibility for our own situation? I don't want to get political and if you take it politically that's fine, but if you take out $100,000 student loan and sign a paper that says I will pay back $100,000. Guess whose responsibility it is to pay back. That $100,000, it's called responsibility. I won't bring up our veterinarian. That's in the auditorium and you had to take out student loan to go. Get his veterinarian degree who probably has some very strong feelings about paying back student loans. We don't accept responsibility. I have all the student loan who's going to take care of that, but I signed on the dotted line, well, I did this who's going to take care of that. I'm I'm sick because of the way I behaved the trend of overdosing it and the paramedics having to get there and and give him the medicine for that kind of a thing that that's just you don't accept responsibility for anything. It's someone else's fault. Someone else has to take care of it. How do you think people are going to respond when you tell him they were Center? When they acted against the lure. now we can do that in a loving way include that we also are Center But how are we going to respond to Jesus? Now, I have to include the other Thief. I don't know what happened, but something happened while on the cross because they're both together at first. They're both mocking him even. And Luke 23, they're both mocking, a one of them has a change of heart, maybe he like the Centurion sees what's happening and changes his mind. This one thing finally ends up rebuking the other thief and say don't you know that we deserve this while this man is innocent and so we actually have a positive response to Jesus as he makes a plea to the Son of God. Remember Me this day?

Have we plead pleaded to the Son of God for our souls. I couldn't help it. I was thinking about this. But to think of this pathogen song to sorry and some two of us. Well, kiss the son, lest he be angry with you and you perish in the way for his wrath is quickly. Kindled blessed are all who take refuge in him. This is a forensic I asked him, you have a positive at the beginning and the end, all the negatives, in the middle kiss, the sign blessed are all who take refuge in him. That's exactly what this thief on the cross is doing. Can I refer back to my Twitter feud again? Somebody brought up the thief on the cross. I told him to get that weak sauce out of there. I said you and I both know that that was a completely different situation, and if you're hanging on the cross, next to Jesus, and Jesus can do whatever he wants to do, you're not in that situation. I said, I said, we are told by Jesus to believe and be baptized anyway, realize how much this Twitter feud would feel my sermon today is working really well. But we see this one Thief, please to God, he pleased to the Son of God. We see this positive response. Did Jesus. We have another positive response in verse 54. When the Centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over. Jesus saw the earthquake and what took place. They were filled with all and said, truly this was the son of God. He sees everything is a very observant, man, he sees everything that's happening. He sees how Jesus did respond. Typically when people are crucified that they would lash out there with yellow wood, cursed, at the people who accused them at their executioner and hear Jesus is not doing these things. He says, is praying, Jesus is taking care of his mother. Jesus is asking for forgiveness. For these people, this Century has been paying attention to that, and when do miraculous things happen, the sky going dark, the Earth shaking at the end of all of it. He says, this man must be the Son of God. We have this all inspired confession from a gentile Put your marker here in Matthew and turn the Mark 1. We're going to do a little trip, you know what? I have it on here, nevermind. I forgot. I had it on here. Mark 1 verse 1. Begins the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the son of God. Mark 1 verse 11, God Says, from the sky. You are my beloved Son, Mark 9 or 7 at the Transfiguration. This is my beloved Son. Mark, 14 of our 6061, the scribes and and chief priests asked, Are You The Son of God and Mark, 15 verse 39, the Centurion said, truly, this man was the son of God. I love those passages. God claims it. Jesus shows them people ask. And then even a century and says it. And then you can turn to John 20 at verse 32 early. Jesus did many other signs. But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ. The son of God. What is our response? Did Jesus being the son of God?

How do we respond to that? All right, back to Matthew. Matthew 27, verse 57.

When it was evening there came a rich man from Arimathea named Joseph. He was also a disciple of Jesus. He went to pilate and asked for the body of Jesus and pilate ordered it to be given to him and Joseph took the body and wrapped it. And a clean linen, shroud and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the Rock, and he rolled a great Stone to the entrance, to the tomb and went away.

Here, we have a man we know from the other gospel, accounts was a member of the Sanhedrin. and publicly puts himself out there now, as someone who is reached out, To help in this moment, who is reached out? The question is, maybe the Sanhedrin didn't invite Nicodemus, and Joseph to this discussion because the Sanhedrin vote had to be unanimous when it came to condemning someone and he puts his himself out there. With this courageous action of faith and loyalty.

We think, well, that wasn't that big of a deal. He just buried in. No, he attached. His name to Jesus. They would have known this. They would have seen this. And they wouldn't have appreciate this. He's making the rest of them look bad. And yet, he does it. Anyway, turn over to Philippi ins Philippians chapter 1. Because somebody else would do this exact same thing. Paul would turn his back on his Pharisee and brethren. To serve God, Philippians 1 at verse 20. As it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed. But that with full courage now is always Christ will be honored in my body butter by life, or by death. Look at verse 27. Now he's going to encourage them to have the same attitude, only let your manner of Life, be worthy of the gospel of Christ. So that whether I come and see you or I'm absent, I may hear of you that you were standing firm in one spirit with one mind striving side-by-side for the face of the gospel, and not frightened than anything by your opponent. This is a clear sign up to them of their destruction, but of your salvation and that from God for, it has been granted to you. That for the sake of Christ, you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake.

Are we willing to put our name beside Jesus? How will we respond when the time to stand up gums?

And then the last one.

Matthew 27:25.

there were also many women there, looking on, from a distance, to it, followed Jesus From Galilee, ministering to him among whom or Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of James, and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee, and then inverse 61 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary where they are sitting opposite, the tune

God, sometimes I put us to shame.

The women do it here, the man fled and fear. They come to arrest Jesus one guy, they grabbed a hold of him, he spends even out of his tunic and flees naked. The passage tells us and yet the women are there. The entire time there is a constant and unwavering devotion From these ladies.

Some argue. Well, there was no real threat to them. That's not true. The Romans would crucify woman just like they would anyone else?

It's because their devotion was constant and wafer.

so when Peter denies and runs away, when the rest of the disciples run away when John seemingly almost kind of sneaks back to the action, The women were always there. Constantly.

Look not ever 62. Jesus said to him, no one who puts his hand to the plough and looks back is fit for the kingdom. I've got. I love the story of these women. You follow them throughout the the gospel story. They're always right there with Jesus. Sometimes kind of maybe a few steps away the 12 apostles kind of get all the infant this, right? And yet the ladies are always there.

I read a complaint about the show, The Chosen. That shows Mary Magdalene too close to the action. I thought, well, then you just haven't read the gospels very well cuz they were there all the time. We just don't picture at like that. In our mind, we picture Jesus and the twelve dudes, when actually they were Jesus and crowds off in time and these women who went above and beyond, not just to listen and follow Jesus. But also to minister to him to make sure he had food to make sure you had some things that you need it.

How did they respond to Jesus with constant and unwavering devotion?

We're going to sing a song.

It says, what will you do with Jesus? I think that's the song, right? Tony okay. Yeah. What shall it be? I forgot. That's not the name of this song. Made me nervous for a second. How would you respond to Jesus?

It's a 2000 year old story. That's a little strange. You've never seen him. That's a little strange. So many people reject him.

He claims to be our savior and yet he was crucified on the cross. That's a little strange. That's why the Jews have trouble accepting it. The whole thing looks foolish to the Gentiles because we'd never come up with that went. When we save the day, we want a guy coming in with a tape, right? Flying in, unless you watch The Incredibles in which no capes. But we expect the superhero with with superpowers and he comes in and he, he beats up the bad guy and he, and he kills the bad guy, breaks people out of prison and we don't expect the superhero to come in and lay down his life.

For us. We don't expect. To say. Oh look there's our savior, we expect to turn and see a Superhero, not to turn and see some man in the process of dying.

We expect to hear. Ladies and gentlemen, the lion from the tribe of Judah. And when we turn to look, what do we say? A lamp. Standing as though, it had been slain. We could never come up with that story. Where my cousins go to church, in Tampa. At the University Church, they've had a summer series at every Wednesday night. They've had a different speaker in a dress different things and a couple win tonight to go, join more, your who must have, you know, who was at Vestavia for a while, preach the lesson entitled, the story, which no one would invent.

And the premise is exactly what you would think, read through the story of Jesus Christ, and what he accomplished and tell me, who in their right mind, could have invented that story.

Does God tells us my ways are above your ways and my thoughts above your thoughts. So what do we do? We accept it and say your foolishness is better than my wisdom ever could be

And we responded. Jesus. How are you going to respond to Jesus about that? Most of us here are Christians, how are you responding to Jesus? Are you routinely bowing? The knee and saying I am here. What do you connect?

What will you do?

Which Jesus will you accept him? Will you believe that he is the Son of God? The Christ that he died for your sins? The question is, how do you accept it?

Do we say a prayer that's not in scripture? You accept Jesus as your personal savior, we don't read that in Scripture. On the day of Pentecost. They said what must we do. They wanting to know how do we respond to Jesus and Peter told him. Repent. And be baptized for the Forgiveness of sins. Really. Is that simple? How will you respond to Jesus? Let us know why we stand and why we sing

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