Pilate’s Choice

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You're listening to the heat forward with our pastor, teacher Ken Davis.
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Pastor Ken is the senior pastor at Calvary Chapel Southwest Metro.
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Please join us as we study the gospel of first by first.
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And they said, no way! We don't wanna release him.
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We wanna release Brabus.
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We want that murderer to be like.
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And so Jesus is to be crucified.
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In place of murder.
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We are rebels.
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We rebelled against us.
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The Gospel of Luke is the third account in the Gospels of the life and teachings of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
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As believers, there are a few studies that will benefit us more spiritually than studying the life and teachings of the master.
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There seems to be quite a bit of controversy about who killed Jesus.
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Some people say it was the Romans, while others say it was the Jews.
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Neither of these are true.
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First, Jesus chose to lay down his life so that we might live.
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Second, it was the entire sin of humanity as a whole that brought about his death.
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Yours and mine.
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Don't forget to stay with us after today's message to hear more information about Heed the Word, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching.
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For now, please open your Bibles to the Gospel of Luke, chapter 23.
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Let's be joined Pastor Ken.
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Then Herod questioned him with many words, but he answered him nothing.
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And the chief priests and scribes stood and vehemently accused him.
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Then Herod, with his men of war, treated him with contempt and mocked him, arrayed him in a gorgeous robe, and sent him back to Pilate.
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That very day Pilate and Herod became friends with each other, for previously they had been at enity with each other.
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Isn't it interesting how Satan can persuade enemies to be at peace with one another in order to do evil?
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And yet so often Christians cannot be at peace with each other in order to do good.
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A sad state of affairs.
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When we look at the needs in our community and we say, you know, there is this particular thing that if all of the churches would band together, they could do and could accomplish for the Lord, and yet they don't because of the differences that they have.
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We need to recognize the fact, guys, that you know what?
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The Baptists up the street and the Methodists over there and that these various groups and denominations, if they proclaim the name of Jesus Christ and if they believe this word of God, then we can be in fellowship with them and we can work together with them, and we don't have to be against them or them against us.
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Do they understand some things differently than we do?
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Yes, of course they do.
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But you've heard me say it before, and I'll say it many times more.
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I agree with the statement of Martin Luther when he said that in the essentials of the gospel we must have unity.
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That means there are certain things that the scripture clearly teaches that we cannot compromise on, that we must break fellowship over if we're in disagreement in.
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In the essentials, we must have unity.
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In the peripherals, we must have liberty, meaning the ability to digress to disagree agreeably, right?
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To say, you know what?
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Yeah, we don't wear suits and ties to church, but we recognize that you do.
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And if you do, that's fine.
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Go ahead.
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Wear a suit and tie.
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It doesn't bother us.
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We can still break bread with you.
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Or maybe you shout a little bit more in worship than we do, and maybe we don't.
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Or maybe you don't like the fact that we stand up and don't sing from a hymnal.
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Or, you know, there are the differences in our practice that are not differences per se in theology that should not divide us.
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But we can be united together in the cause of Christ.
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And yet so often we allow our differences to get in the way.
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But Pilate and Herod became friends that day, it says.
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Moving on.
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Luke 23.
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Verse 13.
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Then Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests, the rulers, and the people, said to them, You have brought this man to me as one who misleads the people.
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And indeed, having examined him in your presence, I have found no fault in this man concerning the things of which you accuse him.
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No, neither did Herod, for I sent you back to him, and indeed nothing deserving of death has been done by him.
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I will therefore chastise him and release him, for it was necessary for him to release one to them at the feast.
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And they cried out at once, saying, Away with this man and release to us Barabbas, who had been thrown into prison for a certain rebellion made in the city and for murder.
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Pilate, therefore, wishing to release Jesus, again called out to them, but they shouted, saying, Crucify him, crucify him.
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Then he said to them the third time, Why?
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What evil has he done?
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I have found no reason for death in him.
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I will therefore chastise him and let him go.
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There's a contradiction in Pilate's statements here.
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If you found no reason that he should die, if he has done no evil, if they have brought no charges against him that are worthy of judgment, then why are you going to chastise him?
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Why are you going to scourge him?
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You see, at this moment, Pilate's cowardice, his attitude of self-preservation kicks in.
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He knows that they're not going to go away quietly.
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And so he's got to do something to this guy.
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So he's hoping that if he has him severely beaten and brings him out and shows him to them bloody and abused, that they will relent and be satisfied.
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What he should have done at that moment is said, no, he's innocent.
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I'm letting him go.
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Get out.
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That would have been courageous leadership.
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But Pilate was not a courageous leader.
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He was a politician.
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And so he says, Fine, look, I'm not going to kill him, but just to satisfy you, I'll scourge him first.
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Look, it's the feast time.
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We're supposed to let somebody go anyway.
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So why don't we follow your own tradition and release this guy, right?
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And they said, no way, we don't want to release him.
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We want to release Barabbas.
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We want that murderer to be let go.
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And so Jesus is to be crucified in place of a murderer and a rebel.
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In our place.
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Because that describes us, doesn't it?
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We are rebels and murderers.
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We rebelled against God and we murdered his son.
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Because it was our sin that put him on the cross.
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It's interesting to me that they would rather have Barabbas than Jesus.
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That's the attitude that a lot of people have, you know?
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They want to tolerate anything.
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And in the name of tolerance, we'll put up with anything, but not Jesus.
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I want to read a little article to you that I found from San Francisco, California.
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Government libraries can block religious groups from worshiping in public meeting rooms, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday.
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The decision came from a case involving the Faith Center Church Evangelistic Ministries, a Christian group, which won a court order allowing them to hold a prayer, praise, and worship service in meeting rooms open to other groups at the Conacosta Library branch.
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A federal judge said it had a First Amendment right of religion to use the public facilities.
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That was the lower court's ruling.
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But a three-judge panel of the Ninth U.S.
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Circuit Court of Appeals, big surprise that that's where it came from, right?
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Overturned that ruling in a two-to-one decision.
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Prohibiting Faith Center's religious worship services from the Antioch meeting room is a permissible exclusion of a category of speech, Judge Richard Pez ruled.
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So what they were saying basically is hey, Alcoholics Anonymous wants to use the building?
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No problem.
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GLAD, the Gay and Lesbian Association, Anti-Defamition League, if they want to use that meeting room, no problem.
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Planned Parenthood wants to have a little gathering there?
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Great, go for it.
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Any other group they want to, go ahead, that's fine.
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But not you.
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Not you.
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Now they've broadened it in order to allow that denial to say, well, we're not going to allow any religious groups to meet in that room.
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No Muslims, no Jews, you know, no Christians.
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But did this suit come up in a Jewish congregation or in a Muslim group?
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No.
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It came up because a group of Christians wanted to use that library space to hold a prayer meeting.
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And the court said no.
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Because you see, that free speech doesn't fall under the same category as other free speech.
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Anything else is okay except for Jesus.
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Sure, release Barabbas to us.
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We'll take the murderer, but we want you to kill Jesus.
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They did not want him.
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They wanted anything besides him.
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Pilate is now facing a crisis of conscience.
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He knows that Jesus is innocent and he wants to let Jesus go, but he cannot do it because he's afraid.
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But what is he afraid of?
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He certainly isn't afraid of God, is he?
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He would have done well to heed the words of Proverbs 29, verses 23 through 27 that says, A man's pride will bring him low, but the humble in spirit will retain honor.
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Whoever is a partner with a thief hates his own life.
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He swears to tell the truth.
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Pilate, as a leader, as a governmental authority, was obligated to uphold the truth and to uphold justice.
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But Proverbs tells us that he swears to tell the truth, but reveals nothing.
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The fear of man brings a snare.
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But whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe.
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Many seek the ruler's favor, but justice for man comes from the Lord.
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An unjust man is an abomination to the righteous.
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But he who is upright in the way is an abomination to the wicked.
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You see, Jesus was an abomination to them, and they wanted him destroyed.
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And Pilate feared man more than he feared God.
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And so he became an abomination to the righteous.
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Back to Luke twenty-three, twenty-three.
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But they were insistent, demanding with loud voices that he be crucified.
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And the voices of these men and of the chief priests prevailed.
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So Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they requested.
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And he released to them the one they requested, who for rebellion and murder had been thrown into prison, but he delivered Jesus to their will.
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What was it that they had said that changed his mind?
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He had been very deliberate and very insistent that he was going to chastise Jesus and let him go.
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But they cried out and they shouted and they wouldn't have anything to do with it.
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Do you think it was just their persistence?
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Or was it something they said that changed Pilate's mind?
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In John 19, 12 we have the answer.
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From thenceforth Pilate sought to release him, but the Jews cried out, saying, If thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar's friend.
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Whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against Caesar.
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They said, If you let Jesus go, you are not a friend of Caesar's, because you are releasing someone who claims to be a king, and that is in denial of Caesar's authority.
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And Pilate can hear the rest of that sentence.
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And if you let him go, we're going to tell Caesar that you did it.
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Isn't that what he's afraid of?
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Because immediately his resolve crumbles.
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You see, there was a still small voice crying out in the heart of Pontius Pilate that said, Don't do it.
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Do not kill this innocent man.
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Don't take part in this murder.
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And yet, that still small voice that he should have listened to, that was the Holy Spirit convicting him of sin and of judgment and of righteousness, he would not heed.
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But the voice of the crowds was loud in his ears, and the thought of the ramifications of his personal ambition were on his mind when he delivered Jesus to their will.
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Are we any different?
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I hope that we are.
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Starting in verse 1.
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Where do wars and fights come from among you?
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Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members?
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You lust and do not have.
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You see, Pilate wanted friendship with the world.
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He wanted the approval of Caesar.
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He wanted the acquiescence of the crowds.
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He didn't want any trouble.
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He wanted peace.
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And for the sake of peace, he was able and willing to compromise justice.
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He was willing to compromise his own conscience and indeed his own soul for the sake of the appeasement of momentary pressures.
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How often do we do that in our lives?
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How often do we know what is right, but because what is right is also what is difficult, we don't do it.
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How often do we recognize that a situation that we are involved in is sinful and that we should have no part of it?
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And yet because we don't want to make waves, we do nothing.
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Or do we?
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You see, that day Pilate had to make a decision about Jesus.
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And each of us have to make a decision about Jesus too.
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Do we listen to that still small voice that says obey the word of God?
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Put your faith and your hope and trust in Jesus Christ.
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Repent of your sins and be saved.
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Or do we listen to that roaring voice that comes at us through the radio and on television and on the billboards that we see as we drive down the road and from our family and from our friends that says, don't sacrifice yourself for Christ.
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You deserve a break today.
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Go for the gusto.
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Live life.
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Enjoy yourself.
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If it feels good, do it.
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When you see sin, just ignore it.
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Don't take a stand for righteousness.
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You're being intolerant.
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Telling us we're sinners, that's hate speech.
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Why are you talking that way?
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Right?
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You see, we have that same decision that we have to make every day.
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Do we do what's right?
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Or do we make nice with the world?
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James tells us that friendship with the world is enmity with God.
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That means that to be a friend of the world means you're an enemy of God.
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And have you noticed that if you're truly friends with God, somehow that makes you an enemy of the world.
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When you tell them the truth and you tell them that they're lost in their sins.
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And that the wages of sin is death.
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But that God made a way for them to be forgiven of their sins and to have eternal life through his Son Jesus.
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They look at you and they say, How could you be so intolerant?
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They look at you and they say, How could you be so judgmental?
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And yet, in fact, you're not judging them at all, but you're telling them the only way to escape the judgment that is coming.
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And they hate you for it.
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There are some of you who have made commitments.
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For Christ and your family doesn't understand that.
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There are some of you who are being called by God to serve Him in various ways, and your family won't understand that either.
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But you know what?
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I'd rather be crazy for Jesus than be sane by the standards of this crazy world.
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Amen.
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James goes on to say, Or do you think that the scripture says in vain, the Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously?
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Do you realize that the Holy Spirit of God lives inside of you, Christian?
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And when you compromise with the world, it grieves the Spirit of God that is in you, and he yearns jealously for you?
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Your conscience quakes.
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And you wonder why, when you sin, it hurts so bad.
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It's because the spirit within you is yearning for a closer walk, a deeper relationship.
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And yet, when we make friends with the world and the things of the world, we remove ourselves from that presence, from that awareness of God in us.
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Verse 6 goes on to say, God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.
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Therefore, submit to God.
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Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
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People often quote that verse, resist the devil and he will flee from you, but they forget the first part that says, submit to God.
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If you don't submit to God and you try to resist the devil, what has he got to be afraid of?
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Nothing.
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Because what authority do you have apart from Christ?
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None.
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But when we submit to God, and in that submission to God, we resist the devil.
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The Bible promises us that he will flee from us.
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Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.
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Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
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Lament and mourn and weep.
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You know it's good to weep over your sin.
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When we sin and when we betray the Lord, we should weep.
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Peter wept.
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Lament and mourn and weep.
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Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.
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Why?
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Because when you do that, you'll humble yourself, as Peter says.
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Verse 10 humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord.
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And he will lift you up.
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When you weep and when you lament and when you mourn your sin, and you humble yourself before God, he will not leave you weeping.
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But he will take that humility and he will take you and he will lift you up.
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And he'll set your feet on a firm foundation.
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And the joy of the Lord will become your strength, and you will have friendship with God.
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Pilate had to make a choice.
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But Pilate thought more of himself than he thought of Jesus.
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He wasn't willing to make that personal sacrifice to do what he knew was right.
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If you've heard me this morning, then you know that to submit yourself to God is right.
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Are you willing to make the personal sacrifice to do so?
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Or will you, as Pilate did, choose friendship with the Lord instead?
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That choice is yours to make.
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I pray you make it right.
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Do you ever feel like the circumstances you're going through are more than you can bear?
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That God is in some way punishing you?
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Well, consider the words of Paul, and we know that all things work together for the good.
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To those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose.
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So we learn from this verse that all things, not some, but all things work together if we love God and are called according to his purpose.
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Just something to think about from your friends here at Heed the Word.
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Heed the Word is the daily Bible-teaching ministry of Ken Davis, Senior Pastor of Calvary Chapel in Burleson, Texas.
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There's a great deal more that Pastor Ken has to share with us from the Gospel of Luke, so please join us again.
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Maybe you'd like to add today's message to your study library.
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So log on to Heedheword.org and place your order today.
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Or better yet, join us this Sunday for worship at 10.30 a.m.
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That's heedtheword.org.
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Well, we've run out of time today, but tune in next time as Pastor Ken will continue teaching verse by verse through the Gospel of Luke.
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That's next time on Heatheword.